Tuesday, July 3, 2018
A Week of Water Activities for Kids
Click here to read A Week of Water Activities for Kids on Hands On As We Grow
Stay cool with a week’s worth of easy, fun water activities! Your kids will love these easy ways to cool off with water.
Water playtime activities are always a favorite! And summertime makes them even more popular!
We’ve been having tons of fun at the pool and with our water guns. I decided that it might be fun to do a whole week of water fun with the kids!
Want more weeks of activities for you? Check these out!
A Week of Water Activities for Kids!
I’ve chosen some of our favorite activities to do in the summer to do this week, to get outside and enjoy the days when we can!
Monday: Water Gun Target
Set up cans on a table outside and shoot them with water guns to knock them down.
Supplies needed:
- water/squirt guns
- water
- pop cans/tin cans
Find details: Easy Water Gun Target for a Hot Day
Tuesday: Pouring Water Practice
Practice pouring water from a pitcher into cups. Take it outside!
Supplies needed:
- plastic or paper cups
- water
- pitcher
Find details: Pouring Water Life Skill Activity
Wednesday: Colored Water Transfer
Have a water play day! Set out tubs of water with some scoops to transfer water back and forth. Add color to the water if you’d like.
Supplies needed:
- tubs or buckets
- water
- food coloring (optional)
- scoops, spoons, measuring cups, etc
Find details: Colored Water Transfer
Thursday: Wash Toys
Use a tub of soapy water to wash favorite toys.
Supplies needed:
- tub or bucket
- sponge or toothbrush
- water
- dish soap
- toys
Find details: Washing Toys Water Activity
Friday: Painting with Water
Take a paintbrush and a tub of water outside and paint various surfaces! Watch what happens when the sun dries it away.
Supplies needed:
- paintbrushes
- water
- dish or tub
- sidewalk, fence, driveway, porch, etc
Saturday: What Absorbs Water Experiment
Collect various objects of nature in a muffin tin. Pour water into each section to see what absorbs water and what doesn’t.
Supplies needed:
- nature
- muffin pan
- water
Find details: What Absorbs Water? Science Experiment
Sunday: Sprinkler Fun!
Have a fun summer!
What are your favorite water activities to do with your kids in the summer?
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Monday, July 2, 2018
First Look: Miura IC-601
Miura continues its 2018 redefinition tour with the launch of its IC-601 irons ($280/club MSRP), a hollow-body distance-oriented iron targeted at mid to high handicap golfers who want to bag Miura irons, but who may not have the game for its flagship muscle-back and players cavity-back models. Out of the gate, the IC-601 is currently available for right-hand golfers only in 4-PW.
This release will likely be a head-scratcher for some Miura traditionalists as, apart from the branding and chief designer (founder Katsuhiro Miura), the rest of the story lacks may of the expected Miura elements.
For starters, the IC-601 is cast, not forged. It's not that casting is a less desirable manufacturing process, but precision casting hasn't ever been Miura's forte nor does it fit with Miura's self-proclaimed status as makers of "The World's Finest Forged Golf Clubs." It's unfair, but cast irons don't typically garner the same level of attention as forged clubs – and when an OEM renowned for its forging prowess departs from this recipe, it's noteworthy.
The 455 Carpenter Steel face and SUS304 stainless steel body surround a vacant inner cavity structure allowing for a wider sole which pushes discretionary weight low and rear in the clubhead. Carpenter steel is noted for its properties of high strength, low weight, and native durability. As such, it allows the face more room to flex, which increases ball speeds, enlarges the sweet spot and boosts MOI (forgiveness). Miura states, the result is an iron which "is higher, longer, and more forgiving than any other in the Miura lineup.”
The other notable departure from the Miura way with the IC-601 is where it's manufactured – Taiwan. In so far as JDM junkies associate Japan with quality craftsmanship, advanced forgings and adherence to ridiculously tight spec tolerances, this is well, something different – though we've seen a portion of this movie before as Miura exported a portion of the Genesis PP-9005 club manufacturing to Taiwan as well.
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Effectively, Miura set up a de facto satellite facility in Taiwan which is capable of the advanced precision casting processes required for the IC-601. There, Miura-san trained laborers on proper grinding techniques and frequently visited to ensure, regardless of geographic location, quality standards of all products bearing the Miura name remained present. Post production, all irons go through Miura's home facility in Himeji, Japan to pass rigorous final inspection before worldwide distribution.
North America is still the largest golf market in the world (dollars spent/year), and the IC-601 is a calculated move by Miura to bring its product to the masses. The cast design allows for technological elements which serve the needs of a large cross-section of golfers, a fact not lost on OEMs with similar product offerings (Ping G700, TaylorMade M4, Callaway Rogue). It's an intelligent and necessary step if Miura believes it can be the first historically Japanese OEM to find a sustainable measure of success in a market dominated by Callaway and TaylorMade – though it won't be without its critics.
Is this a step in the right direction or is a cast distance iron too much of a departure from Miura's core identity?
For more information, visit MiuraGolf.com.
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DIY Sandalwood Tanning Oil
I prefer to eat my sunscreen rather than slather it on my skin… I do occasionally use my homemade sunscreen if I’m going to be out in the sun for a long time without shade or layer, but in general, I prefer to get the free vitamin D from its original source via moderate sun exposure. When I’m...
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VIDEO – Quick Hits: 2018 Rangefinders
As we touched on in our 2018 Rangefinder Buyer's Guide, in just one year, technology has taken a massive leap forward. In previous years, features like Bushnell's Jolt technology and the slope adjustment were considered differentiators. This year, however, manufacturers stepped up their game with things like onboard GPS, mobile app integration, and vibration reduction technology that finally makes the rangefinder a viable choice for those with less than steady hands.
In today's Quick Hits, our Harry Nodwell gives you an overview of some of the more compelling new rangefinder models and the unique technologies that differentiate them from the field.
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Super Simple Busy Bag Ideas for Fun Kid-Friendly Independent Play
Click here to read Super Simple Busy Bag Ideas for Fun Kid-Friendly Independent Play on Hands On As We Grow
Learn how to make your own super simple busy bag kits to keep your kids entertained all summer with these easy ideas from Alisha!
Busy bags are great go-to activities for learning, problem-solving, and creativity. And they are perfect to help your child practice independent play.
Make your bags super simple or more complicated, depending on your child’s age or interests.
Your summer activity plans just got way easier!
Take a peek at these busy bag ideas for road trips.
How to Make Your Own Super Simple Busy Bags
The first step is to gather the bags that you will be using to keep everything together. Keeping everything organized is essential.
I chose these pencil pouches (affiliate link) because they are big enough to hold all the items. Plus they are colorful and sturdy.
I also like that they have 3-hole rings to use in a binder or with an O-ring. That makes it way easier to take organize everything without taking up too much space.
Once you have your bags, you are ready to choose your activities and fill them up.
I’ll share five of the activities that we use, but there are many more you can choose to use as well.
Build a DIY sticker busy box for independent play!
Super Simple Busy Bag 1: Craft Stick Color Sorting
This busy bag provides your child with an opportunity for sorting practice and color recognition.
Materials Needed:
- Colored craft sticks (affiliate link)
- Paint sample swatches
- Marker
The objective of this bag is for your child to match the correct color craft stick to the coordinating paint swatch.
My children like to lay out all of the paint swatches and then lay each craft stick on the matching color.
Get craft sticks that are already dyed different colors. Or DIY your own by putting color coding with stickers, paint, or marker dots.
You can pick up paint sample swatches are free at any home improvement store. To build color word recognition, write the colors on each swatch.
Super Simple Busy Bag 2: Cutting Practice
This fun busy bag provides your child with an opportunity to practice their creative cutting skills.
Materials Needed:
- Card-stock or note-cards
- Scissors (affiliate link)
- Marker
- Small tray that fits inside the bag
The objective of this busy bag is to provide your child with various designs to improve their fine motor skills and manipulation of scissors. The scissors in the materials list are safety scissors, so this busy bag is safe to promote independence when cutting.
Simply draw various lines and shapes on a variety of note-cards and have your child cut on the lines.
Add in a tray for on-the-go mess control. One great idea is to use a slim sandwich container.
Super Simple Busy Bag 3: Count and Clip Number Cards
This busy bag is designed to teach number recognition and counting, with a little fine motor practice thrown in as well.
Practice number sense with a card counting math activity.
Materials Needed:
- Clothespin
- Printed cards or note-cards
- Markers
- Optional: laminating pouches
I love this classic count and clip activity for road trips! It’s an easy, fun way to practice number skills disguised as a game.
My children make this busy bag into a game by placing the cards in a pile and then flipping one over at a time to count and clip the correct number.
You could even make enough count and clip bags for all of your children. Then challenge them to race one another!
I love these number cards (affiliate link), but you can make your own really easily. Draw little pictures on a card, then write a few different number choices on the bottom.
Another clip card idea uses letters. Pair an easy-to-identify picture with several letters on the bottom. Your child can put the clip on the letter the picture starts with.
Whether you choose letters or numbers, be sure to include an answer key in the bag or on the back of each card.
Super Simple Busy Bag 4: Craft Stick Alphabet Puzzle
This busy bag promotes letter recognition, alphabetical order, and uppercase-lowercase matching.
Materials Needed:
- craft sticks (affiliate link)
- marker
This busy bag is so incredibly simple to make! But the actual activity will take some guidance and practice.
You’ll need 52 craft sticks. Plain or colored craft sticks work equally well.
On 26 of the sticks, write uppercase letters. Write lowercase letters on the rest of the craft sticks.
To start out using this bag, it might be easier to put each set of letters into separate baggies. Later, you can mix up the uppercase and lowercase letters together.
Challenge your child to put the uppercase letters in alphabetical order. Then, match the lowercase letters to the uppercase letters, by laying them on top of each other.
When this busy bag is complete, it looks like an alphabet puzzle!
If you decide to mix the letter sets together, you could color code the craft sticks.
Put a small sticker or colored dot on each craft stick. Pick one color for uppercase and a different color for lowercase.
Super Simple Busy Bag 5: Noteworthy Notetaking
This busy bag works on manipulation of a writing utensil as well as creativity and pretend play.
Add some practical pretend play ideas into your schedule!
Materials Needed:
- Notepad
- Writing utensil
My daughter because she loves to “take notes!”
She’s not actually taking notes since she’s only three. But she loves pretending to do this grown-up activity!
My kids both enjoy pretending that they are detectives, writers, teachers, and reporters as they take notes and journal their thoughts and ideas.
Stick a few small notepads and pens or pencils into your busy bag. Pick out notepads with funky covers and use colored pens!
For fun, I found a giant pen to use. It is just so silly and they love it, but any writing utensil will do.
How to Play with Super Simple Busy Bags
There is no one perfect way to use them.
The most important thing is to teach your child how to use their busy bags. When they have confidence, they’ll be able to play independently!
And independence keeps the peace.
Use them as needed for learning fun, busy play, teaching independence, and hands-on happiness. Add new super simple busy bags to your stash as needed to keep things fresh!
What activities are you going to put in your busy bags?
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169: From Advanced Stage Cancer to Remission in 7 Months on a Quest to Cure Cancer
I think you’re going to find today’s episode particularly fascinating because it’s with one the most fascinating people I have met in recent years. Eric Remensperger is a Wall Street lawyer with a unique story. Prior to moving from New York to Los Angeles (probably two of the highest stressed places in the world) he...
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