Flat Stanley Goes to the Dentist

Today was a beautiful day and the very first day of Fall! My favorite season! I learned that Fall is Stanley's second favorite season, his favorite is Summer.  He claims its the least windy in the Summer, and he doesn't fly away in the wind. So, naturally he enjoys being outside the most during the summer because he is the least stressed out.  This afternoon Stanley and I had dentist appointments in Vestavia with Dr. Davis. We went for a regular teeth cleaning visit, and neither of us had any cavities! We were very proud of each other.

Going to the dentist is very important for your health. You should go to the dentist at least every six months. It is also important to brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. Flossing helps keep food and plaque from getting trapped between your teeth and helps prevent cavities. A cavity is a decaying part of the tooth, and are caused from plaque build up. You are also more susceptible to getting a cavity if you eat lots of sugary foods and drinks. Stanley has quite the sweet tooth, so this is especially difficult for him. Remember and practice these oral health tips, and you will have a beautiful smile for years!

Flat Stanley's Vacation

This weekend Stanley came along with me on a mini-vacation to the beach. We left on Thursday afternoon and cam back Sunday morning. We stayed in a little, quaint house in Panama City that sat in walking distance to the beach. Panama City Beach, Florida is about a five hour drive from Birmingham. It sits on the Gulf of Mexico. The weather was perfect all weekend, and we enjoyed every bit of it. This was Stanley's first trip to the beach, and he absolutely loved it! His favorite part was the sound of the ocean, and the sand. He said the sand was whiter and softer than he imagined it would be. We spent a lot of our time in the ocean floating on the waves. It was very relaxing.

Stanley researched fun facts about the beach on the drive down, so of course he learned a few things  and wanted me to share them with you. He first explained how sand is made. Sand is typically made of shells and materials from inland rocks. The particles are brought in by wind and waves from from the ocean. He then explained how seashells are created. Oysters, clams, and snails make shells to protect their bodies from predators. Calcium helps form the shell. When the animal dies, the shell is left behind. It washes to the shore by waves and the current in the ocean. He also learned a few facts about sea gulls. They only live by the sea. They eat mostly crabs and small fish. We discovered that they also love Goldfish! Stanley had fun throwing the Goldfish in the air for the birds to eat.

We enjoyed every moment of our relaxing vacation. We are looking forward to going back to the beach in May! We hope you enjoy the video of Stanley by the ocean and watching the seagulls. Please watch the video here: Stanley at the Beach

He forgot his swimsuit! Silly Stanley. 

He found lots of beautiful shells. 

Stanley loved feeding the seagulls!

Flat Stanley's Trip to the Playground

Today after class I had to run a few errands in Homewood. Stanley decided to join because he was bored watching TV, and needed some physical activity. We first went to lunch, and then planned to go to the playground for some exercise. It was a perfect day for playing outdoors, so the playground was a perfect idea! There were only a few moms there with their babies, so we pretty much had the whole playground to ourselves! We played on the slide, swings, and did a little rock climbing. I thought rock climbing would be difficult for Stanley, due to his short arms and legs, but he proved me wrong! He climbed to the very top!

Playing on the playground is a great and fun way for children to exercise. Exercise is vital for health, along with healthy eating. Most children need at least an hour of exercise a day. Aerobic activities on the playground can include running, crossing the monkey bars, climbing, jumping, and swinging. The heart gets stronger when these aerobic activities are done regularly and for an extended period of time, and the body's ability to deliver oxygen to cells improves. Some other fun ways to exercise for children and adults include: bicycling, soccer, dancing, basketball, swimming, skating, and tennis. So, instead of sitting around watching TV (like Stanley was earlier today),  go outdoors and get moving! It is so important for your overall health.

Flat Stanley Explores Botanical Gardens

Today was such a beautiful day, so Stanley and I agreed that we must do something outdoors. We decided to adventure around Birmingham, and visit a local attraction that he had never been. He explained that he had never been to Botanical Gardens, but had heard many great things about it. So, off we went! The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a beautiful place to go if you are looking for something relaxing and free to do in Birmingham.  Stanley and I both learned a few things about the Gardens during our visit. It has over 67 acres filled with 30 different themed gardens, so there was a lot to explore! The rose garden was our favorite, it smelt wonderful! We couldn't see everything in one trip (it was pretty hot), so we plan on going back. We learned that there are volunteer opportunities, and summer camps for kids. Stanley was very interested in the summer camp!

Not only did we learn more about the Gardens, but learned about plant life. Stanley confessed that he forgot how plants grew and got energy to stay alive, so I explained. Plants start as seeds. Seeds come in all shapes and sizes. Then, germination occurs. This is when the plant starts emerging from the seed. Plants need sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil in order to grow.  Next, the stems and roots then begin to grow. Last, the flower begins to grow. The flower produces seeds, and the life cycle starts over again! We had a wonderful time at the Gardens today, and can't wait to go back and explore even more!

I think visiting the Botanical Gardens is a great way to begin a unit on plant life. Not only can the children learn about how plants grow, they can potentially learn about many types of flowers and trees. The Gardens also has a fun scavenger hunt for children. This would help them discover new areas of the park, and learn facts about different plants. Below is a link to their website, and a cool time lapse video of a sunflower growing. Enjoy!

Birmingham Botanical Gardens Website
Time Lapse of Flower Growing

Smells wonderful!

Can you find Stanley?

Flat Stanley's Trip to the Grocery Store

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Today Stanley and I went to church, and then went to the grocery store. Stanley was eager to get out of the house so I invited him to join me. We went to Walmart (because it's the cheapest of course). Stanley really wanted to push the buggy, but unfortunately he wasn't tall enough. Instead, he rode around in the buggy while I pushed. I explained to Stanley that I like to buy healthy food items, and think about the food groups as I'm shopping. The food groups are made up of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, and dairy.

One of the first items I put in the buggy were strawberries, my favorite fruit! Stanley admitted that he had never tried strawberries because the stem at the top made him feel like he was eating a plant        (which I thought  was pretty funny). I explained to him that strawberries are a healthy fruit, and sometimes sweet. Fruit is an important part of the food pyramid. The food group pyramid is a guideline to the amount of servings we are supposed to eat out of each food group in a day. We are supposed to have 2-4 servings of fruit each day. The bread group is the largest, and supposed to make up 6-11 servings a day. We are supposed to eat 3-5 servings of vegetables a day, 2-3 servings of meat, eggs, beans, or nuts, and lastly 2-3 servings of dairy. The food group pyramid is a great guideline to keep in mind as you are grocery shopping.

I found a fun, free app that will help students learn more about the food group and why it is important. Stanley really enjoyed playing with the app on our drive home. This app would benefit the classroom by helping children to explore new foods, and share the foods that they have tried with their classmates. The app has the potential to help a child to gain interest to try new foods, help children identify healthy foods, identify characteristics of various foods, and identifying foods in the six food groups.  The app has features such as:

•  seasonal monthly food suggestions to pinpoint the ideal time to try a new food
• photos to help you identify and recognize foods
• useful cooking information
• fun facts about food
• all the food groups are represented
• after you try a food you receive a sticker and may rate the taste of the food

Click the link below to explore more features of the app. 

Food Adventure App

Breakfast for Dinner

Stanley and I cooked dinner together today. We had a hard time figuring out what we wanted to cook, but finally decided to have breakfast for dinner. Stanley and I share a love for cooking and eating, so we were very excited. We decided on eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes. Stanley had never cooked pancakes before, so it was a good learning experience too! The pancakes required four ingredients: pancake mix, milk, an egg, vegetable oil, and we also added blueberries. Am I making you hungry yet? The recipe only made six pancakes, but we were hungry so decided to double the recipe. Here's how it went. . . 

The recipe called for one cup of the mix, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, and one egg. So, doubling the recipe was easy; we just put two of each instead of one. Then, we realized we forgot the milk. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of milk, so doubling that was easy too. Stanley explained he hadn't learned about fractions yet, but knew that two halves made a whole. I asked him to explain how he knew that and he gave an excellent explanation. He said, "If you have one whole pizza made up of eight slices, then you eat 4 pieces, only half of the pizza is gone. 4 + 4= 8, so half of eight is four. Therefore, I knew two halves had to make a whole." I thought that was a pretty good explanation, and talking about pizza made me even more eager to get our dinner ready! Stanley was curious to how I knew when to flip the pancake. You always know its ready to be flipped when bubbles begin to appear in the batter. Stanley wanted to try flipping the pancake, and he was a natural! His pancakes turned out better than mine. We really enjoyed eating breakfast for dinner. You should try it sometime! 

Flat Stanley Plays Basketball

Today it was too hot to play outside, so Stanley and I decided to find something fun and active to do indoors. He suggested basketball, which I discovered is Stanley's favorite sport! Stanley and I don't share the same love for basketball (my favorite sport is football). He is actually really good playing basketball too! He made five out of five three point shots! I was very impressed. He explained that he only plays for fun, but I think he should join a team. As you know, Stanley is very intelligent, and loves to share his knowledge. So, naturally he began to tell me some interesting facts about basketball, and how it became a sport. 

He explained that basketball was created by a man at the YWCA in 1891. The first hoops were actually peach baskets, because basketball goals hadn't been invented yet. They actually had to use ladders to retrieve the balls because the baskets weren't open hoops. Stanley's favorite basketball team is the Boston Celtics. They have won 17 championships, which is more than any other team! He also told me that basketball is a sport played in the Olympics. In 1936 the first Olympic basketball game was held in Germany. Michael Jordan used to be Stanley's favorite player. Michael set a record of scoring the most playoff points. The fact that surprised me the most was that Michael Jordan was cut form his high school basketball team! I was shocked! That just goes to show you that failure is not always a bad thing, sometimes it is the motivation you need to push you towards improvement!

Stanley and I had so much fun today playing basketball and learning. I'll let you know if he decides to join a team!