family | Tiny Bits of Magic

October 18, 2017 by mgerwels

Help Your Child Create a Travel Journal

When we first started taking our kids out of school for a family trip, the school asked them to keep a travel journal while they were gone. They saw it as a way for the kids to do a little work while away from school and I think it is a great way for the kids to record their memories of their adventures. Plus, they get to share their journal with their classmates upon return. Win/Win! This idea of a travel journal is such a big hit in my family, that my older kids STILL do it, even though they are no longer required to do it for school.

You could just BUY a kid travel journal, but personally, I am not a fan of the “fill in the blank” type books. I think it limits kids creativity for writing. I mean, what if your kid’s best memory of the day was losing a shoe on a ride and then they had to hobble off the ride and try to find it, but couldn’t and then got a new pair of shoes? There isn’t a space or spot for that in the pre-printed journals. This is why I like to have the kids create their own.

Now, most of you know I am not crafty, so creating a travel journal has to be quick, easy, and fuss-free. And it totally is in 5 easy steps.

Creating a Kid Travel Journal

Get a spiral notebook: Spiral, in my opinion is a must. It holds up better under kid-conditions than one that isn’t wire bound. I prefer the personal sized ones for a travel journal (like the ones we used to use as assignment notebooks back in school), but you can pick whatever you think is best. You can usually find some plain ones at the Dollar Store or you can get ones that have a little more flair via Target or Amazon.

Help your child decorate the cover: You can use whatever you’d like. Sometimes we just use a little construction paper, write “Travel Journal” and secure it to the front of the book. The journal can be decorated however your child would like. Just make sure any glue is dried before packing!

What to write: The travel journal possibilities are endless and are dependent on your child’s reading/writing abilities. Younger kids could just draw a picture of what they saw/did that day. If able, they could add a word or two. Help them write the date for each entry. Older kids can be a bit more detailed with their writing.

Save room to add some photos: Totally optional, but my kids like to leave a place in their travel journal to insert a favorite photo from the day. They usually tack on one or two to each day’s entries. They also like to add favorites at the end of the travel journal (after the last entry). Sometimes add a few to the journal’s cover. We used to add these once we returned home. With the addition of the hpSprocket to our house, we can add them instantly! Right in our hotel room! Just make sure you bring extra photo paper!

Carve out time each night during your trip for your kids to write in their travel journal: This is always somewhat of a challenge for us. We tend to really pack it all in each day. Planning to settle in a little earlier gives your kids time to reflect on their day and write. It is a great way to unwind before bed. It’s also a great opportunity for quality family time while you recount the day.

Enjoy the memories

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to create or use a travel journal. The point is for your kids to document their adventures–as they see them. The really awesome part of your kids keeping a travel journal is that in a few years, they will go back through them some random, rainy, Saturday. They will giggle and gasp and say “oh I remember that”. Those moments will be priceless. Family travel is all about those memories you make. Those memories they will carry with them forever!

Items I use for Kid’s Travel Journal

Science Fair Tips for Parents

Okay..did that title just make you cringe? If so, you have come to the right place. I have spent a good number of years on kids’ science fair. And while we may not have had any national winners in our house, I have learned a great deal about what makes a good project and what is needed to make this a positive experience for your child. So here are six tips for your next science fair project.

#1 Know The Requirements For YOUR Science Fair:

All schools/districts/competitions are different, so know what it is the judges will be looking for. At our elementary school, only science EXPERIMENTS from 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are eligible to move on to the regional competition. In case you don’t know:

A science EXPERIMENT tests ONE variable : Like which battery lasts the longest. The variable tested here is the battery.

A science DEMONSTRATION shows a science theory in action: Like making a volcano or a potato battery

The requirements for our middle and high schools are different too. So my point is before you start helping your child choose a project, look over the information provided regarding your school’s requirements. If you are still in doubt ASK.

The basic science fair project board components are:

Abstract

Background

Purpose

Hypothesis

Materials

procedure

Data/Results

Conclusion

You will also need a few photos taken during the experiment and, depending on your fair’s requirements, a works cited page.

Again, I cannot stress this enough… be sure to double-check YOUR SCIENCE FAIR REQUIREMENTS before starting your project. Every grade level, every school, every competition is different so make sure you understand what is expected of your child.

#2 Choose An Interesting Science Fair Project:

May sound easier than you think. Choosing a project can be challenging. While you’ll want to help your kiddo pick a project that is “cool”, the best results come when your child has a project that he/she is excited about and is within their learning level. Our go-to site for project ideas is Science Buddies. It’s a great site that has tons of project ideas. You can search for a project by subject material (chemistry, biology..etc), project duration, difficulty, and cost. You can also use their topic selection wizard tool which can help find a project based on a few questionnaire answers. Whatever topic your child chooses, make sure it is something that really interests them. They will be spending a good amount of time on the project and it will make the process much easier if it is a subject that is interesting to THEM.

#3 Start Science Projects EARLY!:

Okay, I always fail on this tip–ALWAYS. Something always comes up and next thing I know it’s two weeks until the project is due. Life is so much easier when you start it as early as you can. It will ease frustrations and keep the chaos down to a minimum…especially if you are like me and have multiple kids doing projects.

#4 As A Parent, You Will Need To Help With Science Fair:

Yes, it is their project. Yes, they need to do the work.

However…..

You will need to help. How much help your child needs will depend on their age and the project. I am in no way suggesting you become lab partners here but they will need help. Whether it is gathering/purchasing supplies, holding a timer, proofreading an abstract…etc your little scientist will need you.

As a side note: Sometimes, especially at the elementary level, the kids are not well versed in the terms necessary for science fair. Sometimes, parents are not well versed in the terms necessary for science fair. If your kid is at the elementary level, you may need to teach them about the scientific process. This is a great (short) article about the scientific process . Students at the elementary level just haven’t learned about the scientific process yet, so it is important they understand the concept before the project starts.

#5 Make Sure the Science Fair Project Board is Eye Catching:

Make sure the project board is aesthetically appealing. Make sure your categories, written sheets, photos, and tables/graphs are all evenly spaced. Add in decoration/cutouts that are related to the experiment give projects a little extra appeal, but DON’T OVERDO IT! The focus for anyone looking at the board should be the project, not the glitter and flashing lights. Typing is ALWAYS better. If you have access to a computer and printer, type everything. Type everything in simple, easy to read font size and style. The rule is that The headings should be visible from across the room and the text (project write ups) should be easy to read if someone is standing in front of your board. Again, here for the younger Einsteins, parents may have to help with this part, as little fingers can get quite fatigued!

#6 Enjoy The Science Fair Experience:

So often I hear from other parents how science fair sucks and they don’t have time for that kind of hassle and it is not worth it. Okay, parents I say this with love…lots and lots of love. If science fair is something your kiddo wants to do, if it is something that interests him/her, something that excites him/her….then science fair is not something you should think of as an inconvenience.

Don’t get me wrong, science fair time isn’t always joy and roses around here–no sir. There are instances of..ahem…”raised” voices and frustration. But there is also a lot of good that comes out of doing these projects.

You GET TO watch your child learn and apply new knowledge and skills. You GET TO see their “lightbulb” moment. You GET TO spend one-on-one time with them. But best of all you GET TO see their faces fill with pride and excitement when their project is complete. So don’t think of this as a hassle (even though it can sometimes feel like it), think of this as a gift, an opportunity to share in something really special with your kid and then enjoy the experience.

Do you have any Science Fair tips to share? Comment below!

April 1, 2016 by mgerwels

NCAA Basketball–A Family Tradition

My earliest memory of NCAA basketball is from when I was 7. That year, my dad introduced me to bracket picks and from then on I was hooked. Back then, you had to wait until the newspaper was delivered on the Monday after Selection Sunday for the the official brackets. It was then that Poppy and I would pour over the paper for hours until we had made our selections. Then we would hand write them on the newspaper chart and hang on the refrigerator. We always used different colors so that we could keep track of who picked which team. It wasn’t until the early 90’s that we had to switch to all ink writing utensils due to a foul deed committed by SOMEONE who wrote their picks in pencil and decided to change one of their picks after a game had ended. The first day of the tournament was always my favorite. It was like packing the excitement of Christmas and the anticipation of a vacation into one television event. Poppy and I would gather our snacks for the night and spread them out in the living room. We would settled into our seats for a full night of basketball, our newspaper bracket anxiously waiting on the coffee table. Neither my sisters nor my mom were interested in the festivities, so it was just me and my dad. It was great. I got to stay up until the final game of the night was over–even though it was a school night. Hours and hours of pure excitement–just me and Poppy. I never told my dad this, but when I was 7, I had no interest in basketball. I was 7. I really went along with this bracket thing because he picked ME to do something out of the ordinary and it felt great. Poppy comes from a house of 6 boys and sometimes I think he felt a little awkward having 3 daughters; like perhaps he just didn’t how to connect with us girls. I don’t know what made him decide that year to include me in the March Madness but I am forever grateful for that day. That day was the beginning of my evolution into the sports fanatic I am today and the close relationship I have with my dad. That day was the beginning of an annual tradition that continued as I grew, even after I went away to college, got married, and had children of my own. Every year, without fail, I would come home to make my bracket picks. When I moved out of state, my picks were done over the phone. The advancement in technology has allowed us for several years now to make our tourney picks online (so no cheating). Poppy and I still do our competition every year but the list of contenders has grown to include my husband, my sister and brother-in-law, and my own kids. I still gather my snacks around me and settle into my spot on the couch and watch the games with my kiddos. They, too, have gotten excited when they reach the age where they get to participate in our bracket competition. We still keep our picks handy during the games, just like my dad and I did, but instead of having them handwritten on the newspaper, we now keep track of our wins and losses on an app on our respective devices. Over 30 years later, there is still nothing quite like that first night of the tournament and every year I still feel that same excitement and anticipation I felt during my first NCAA bracket experience. And every year I still feel like that 7 year old girl–filled with excitement and gratitude to be sharing in something with the people I love.

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