Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Our Little World Cup Player...


This past spring, John participated in his first team sport: soccer through ASA (Arundel Soccer Association). John was in the mini-strikers division (three- and four-year-olds). More specifically he played for the Blue Dragons! Just look at how cute these little munchkins are in their full soccer gear...not just full uniform, but shin guards and cleats! Who knew that cleats came that small?

The Blue Dragons!

Goal!

John receives his first trophy.

Team Cartee on the last day (from left to right): Pop Pop, Johnny, me, Will

I think John ran this ball all the way down the field and scored a goal!
(For the opposing team- but at this age, who cares? There's no goalies, so it's like a free-for-all!)

My little runner!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Ooey Gooey Slimy Fun


What do you get when you mix two parts cornstarch with one part water and add a few drops of food coloring? Oobleck of course! What is oobleck? A slimy, gooey substance thought up by none other than Dr. Suess in his book Bartholomew and the Oobleck. It's also a non-Newtonian fluid. I'm not going to explain what that is here, so click the link if you want a scientific explanation. I was doing this with preschool age kids, so here is how I explained it to them: "Oobleck is very cool, because when you squish it in your hands it feels like a solid, but when you open your hand up, it drips through your fingers like a liquid!"

Every single child loved the oobleck, even the little guys, who love exploring new textures. In case you are wondering, oobleck washes off of little hands very easily, and if some drips on the floor, just wait until it dries (won't take very long) and vacuum it up.

Instructions can be found here. Enjoy!

Just a Short Train Ride Away...

A little over a month ago, Will and I decided to take John to D.C. John is 3 1/2 right now, so like many other little boys his age, trains are one of his favorite things. Living in Odenton, we are lucky enough to have a MARC station just five short minutes from our house. An adult round trip ticket to D.C. will run you $10, but up to two kids can ride for free with each paying adult. To make the trip even more special, John invited his buddy A.J. along.

Well, the train ride was a highlight for sure. Each time that train blew its whistles the boys just exploded with laughter! The other people on the train (commuting to their jobs) weren't nearly as tickled to be on their way to D.C., but you view things a little differently when you are 3 1/2.

After arriving in Union Station, we grabbed a mid-morning snack and enjoyed our walk to the National Mall. The day couldn't have been more beautiful. A.J. was especially thrilled to see the Capitol, because his dad works there. The boys had a blast just running around outside on the grounds and enjoying the fountains at some of the parks we passed along the way.

Our main destination that day was the Museum of Natural History, because we wanted to see the dinosaurs. The museum was packed with field trips, and all those fossils only held their attention for so long. The highlights for John and A.J. were definitely the insect exhibit (they got to see a tarantula feeding session!), the coral reef exhibit (Nemo and Dori were there!), and the hands-on kids' room, which even featured a research station. Both kids loved looking through the microscopes. ;) After we enjoyed lunch at the museum we headed back outside.

The other highlight of the day was no doubt the carousel ride on the National Mall! They loved it. We rounded out the day with a brief visit to the Air and Space Museum to see the airplanes and space shuttles.

What a great day! We are so lucky to have so much culture right in our backyards.

A.J. and Johnny













 
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