8:25 AM
Terri Thompson
The girls and I went on a rock collecting adventure a couple of days ago. It was on our summer bucket list, so it was definitely something I was preparing to do. After running various ideas through my head about where to take them, I ended up with the most simple idea of all... walking through our own neighborhood. We had a lot of fun wandering around and enjoying each others company.
We turned our trip into an art project. I made each of the girls an art journal and we took those along and a bag of crayons. I taught Lizzie to do rock rubbings and she was soon a girl on a mission, running around, finding rocks, then doing a rubbing.
If you want to make your own rock journals, you can print out the cover here. It prints out on 8.5 x11 inch paper and then you fold in half for the front and back. I found it works best on card stock, but any paper would work, so don't let that stop you! Then add as many interior pages as you want, I used two pieces of paper per journal, which was 4 pages. I didn't want too many pages to make it overwhelming for my girls.
To hold the pages together I used embroidery thread. I used one continuous thread, sewing through the top, then through the bottom. I left the ends on the outside of the journal, so I could tie them together. (You could also staple!)
If you want to make your own rock journals, you can print out the cover here. It prints out on 8.5 x11 inch paper and then you fold in half for the front and back. I found it works best on card stock, but any paper would work, so don't let that stop you! Then add as many interior pages as you want, I used two pieces of paper per journal, which was 4 pages. I didn't want too many pages to make it overwhelming for my girls.
To hold the pages together I used embroidery thread. I used one continuous thread, sewing through the top, then through the bottom. I left the ends on the outside of the journal, so I could tie them together. (You could also staple!)
So head out and look for rocks! Use the journal to record observations, practice drawing rocks or make rubbings like we did. Turn your trip into a scavenger hunt and search for specific colors, sizes or shapes of rocks. Bring some home and create with them. Here are a few fun projects I've seen lately.
Go out, hunt rocks and have fun!!
Posted in: 
lately to work on our numbers and have fun at the same time. I wanted to tell you a little more about it, because it truly is a great resource for toddlers and preschoolers. The book is designed for ages 2 to 6, making it perfect for my 4- and 2-year old. The activities are fun, easy to set up and require little if any special supplies. We've had the book for a couple of weeks now and have already done 8 activities with plans to do more.
at our local library and we've all been having fun with it.
, we were inspired to make our own clouds in the style of the book's illustrations.
and 
, that have become favorites of children and adults alike.
