The Smarter Preschooler Blog

Since Mike is the nature lover, we decided to do an outdoor activity in the morning. We went to the Cabrillo National Monument Click here for link
It is dedicated to Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo the first European to set foot on the West Coast. There is a museum which talks about this early explorer. There is also a military museum and explores the role the area had in protecting the shores of California.

An old light house is also on site. They allow visitors to tour most of the light house but they cannot go all of the way to the top. The highlight of the monument is the 1/5 mile hike down toward the sea. The views are breath taking and at the end there are benches where we ate our lunch and enjoyed watching the boaters on the bay. There are also tide pools but we were there on the wrong day to view them

In the afternoon, we headed over to Balboa Park for some musuem visits. We decided to check out the San Diego Air and Space Museum
Click Here for Link We had to make this museum a priority since Mike is an aircraft designer and the boys absolutely love aircraft. The museum displays aircraft from the earliest planes to modern day space craft. There is a special hands on room for kids to try on space suits and climb on toy aircraft. There was a special exhibit called Aliens which we declined to see. I did peek into the exhibit and was glad that we did not pay extra for this section. It looked like there were a lot of displays that could be frightening to children.

We decided to make a last minute trip to San Diego. We had not gone a trip all summer long other than a few local weekend trips. The drive is only about 5 1/2 hours away from Arizona. We left Sat morning about 9am.

The kids wanted to each pack their own backpack. The were supposed to fill it with things to keep them busy like small toys, card games, workbooks, and books. And while they included a few of these items – they mostly filled the bag with stuffed animals. They love playing with them and creating elaborate stories with them. And while we said they could pack only 3 each, we counted at least 17 stuffed animals at the hotel.

So, when you travel with kids make sure you pack plenty of hands on activities to make the trip more enjoyable. Things you might include are books, workbooks, colored pencils, card games, travel games, and small toys. We did pack our Nintendo DS but the kids were only allowed to use it the last 1/2 hour of the trip. Pack music CD’s as well as books on tape. You can check out classic stories the whole family will enjoy such as Wizard of Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at your local library.

We made the mistake of not taking any drinks except water and only a few snacks with us. We did not pack a cooler b/c we have a car and are limited on space. We stopped in Yuma for a break. We spent about 40 minutes of our time and $20 on snacks. Next time we will definitely pack our snacks and drinks!

We rented a studio at The Beach Cottage Click here for link in Pacific Beach. It is nice to have a kitchen where we can eat breakfast and pack lunches to minimize the cost. There are also bigger cottages available with more than one bedroom.

The rest of the day was spent at the beach playing a people watching. It is definitely a geared for a younger crowd. Lots of college aged kids and only a few families. I would probably suggest a different beach if the young crowd bothers you. We did hear lots of party goers on Sat night as the bars were very close to the hotel.

Here is an interview we did with channel 12 news regarding preschool alternatives. Click here for link

Click here to see our article published in the August issue of Raising Arizona Kids

We will be doing a seminar on play at the East Valley YMCA here in Phoenix. It is free of change and child care will be provided.

The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education opens with a discussion of the problems with the current public education system. Author Leigh Bortins compares the public school system to factories churning out graduates who now lack the skills that youngsters had learned a century earlier in a single room school. Although children today are taught by professionals, they do not have the quality education that youngsters had received from their parents even before the public education system was established.

While the book does not provide an exhaustive list of curricula, it covers components of a classical education and why each is relevant. These components are:

• Traditional grammar, spelling, and writing rules
• A phonics approach to reading
• Importance of memorization and narration.
• Why you should master math facts through memory versus calculator
• Study of geography
• Broad study of history including memorizing timelines and important events
• Learning the scientific principles by fostering curiosity, learning to classify, and experimentation
• Develop appreciation of the arts through study of visual art, classical music, and drama

Although Leigh homeschools her children, she believes that even those who send their youngsters to the public school can supplement their youngster’s education so they enter adulthood with a classical education. If you are a parent concerned about your child’s education, The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education deserves a place on your bookshelf.

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We went to the new Arizona Sea Life Aquarium with a group of friends. It just opened at the Arizona Mills Mall in mid May of this year. We were scheduled to meet at 11 am. There was a huge line with at least 50 people. We waited for about 30 minutes before getting it.

The general admission price is $18.50 for adults and $10.50 for children (3-12). Children 2 and under are free. We had picked up some discount tickets at Dunkin Doughnuts which were $5 off per ticket. So, we did get in at a reduced price. They also have annual memberships available.

Once inside the aquarium, you follow a path through the musuem. There were a lot of great exhibits and the kids could really learn. We saw everything from jelly fish to hammerhead sharks. The museum even had a special feeding time in which the kids could watch the sharks eat. There is a climbing structure at the end of the aquarium for the kids to play.

It took about an hour to go through, the entire musuem. Then, we left and went into the mall to get lunch. Because they stamped our hands, we were able to go back through the aquarium after lunch.

Overall, the aquaruim was very well done. However, it was very crowded when we got in at 11:30. When we went in through the second time it was about 2pm. It was much more enjoyable and the kids could easily see the exhibits. When we left at 3 pm we noticed there was no line.

It is worth visiting once. Try to go on off times to minimize the crowds. And make sure to get some coupons because admission is expensive.

Click here to see review

A new study found that disadvantaged preschoolers lack in motor skills. This is due to limited areas for playing such as backyards or even the parks maybe too dangerous for kids.