Leap Year is Here!

While you may know that leap years occur once every four years, you may not be aware of the purpose behind this additional day and even less about its origins.  Whether you are curious or explaining to your child, below is some great information that will turn you into a leap year expert.

1. The first traces of a 365 day calendar with a leap year was in the Egyptian Empire. The goal of the Egyptians was to create a calendar that mimicked the Solar Calendar allowing them to keep their seasons on track.

2. 4 million people in the world are leap day babies

3. There is a one in 1,461 chance of being a leap day baby

4. Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year.

5. There will be 8 years between leap years 2096 and 2104.

Leap Day Activities

Now that you’re up to date on Leap Day, have some fun. Here are some special craft ideas suitable for kids

• Create cut out lily pads and make a game out of jumping from one to another
• Let your kids color their lunch bags green and add some froggy eyes and a froggy smile
• Switch things up and let your kids handle making dinner (with supervision of course)
• Figure out how old your kids will be on the next leap year! Have them tell you what kinds of activities they hope to be doing when they are that age
• Make a special leap day card and tell someone in your family how much you love them!

Frozen Fling

We had a blast at our Frozen Fling!  We had reindeer rides, pictures with Olaf, face painting with Elsa, and tattoos with Anna.  We ate some yummy snacks and drank melted snow (blue fruit punch), and got to play in some "snow" outside. We even dressed up as our favorite characters from Frozen!

Valentine's Fun for the Whole Family!

Valentine's Day is all about love and spending time with one another.  Why not make this Valentine's Day fun for the whole family with these fun family friendly ideas!

1. Whip up some chocolate fun.

Valentine's Day is all about the chocolate, right? Then, how about a family cooking night where you whip up some chocolatey goodness?

2. Have a game night.
Turn off the technology and get back in touch with each other during a Valentine game night.

3. Have a V-Day movie marathon.
Want a quieter Valentine's Day? Settle down for a low-key night of family movie fun. If you're like us, busy schedules rarely allow time for family movie night. Be sure to pop up some popcorn or make a special snack. 

4. Get outside.
Valentine's Day doesn't have to be all about indoor activities. Get the family out for a nature hike at a local park or, if it's snowy, make it a family sledding day. You'll get some exercise and then have an excuse to make some mugs of homemade hot chocolate.

5. Deliver Valentines to a nursing home or shelter.
Do you have some crafters in your family? Get out the craft paper, some markers, stickers and whatever else your crafty heart fancies and get busy on making some unique Valentine cards. Then gather them all up and take them to a shelter or a nursing home and hand them out to the residents!

6. Go on a family Valentine date!
Valentine's Day dates don't have to be just about romance. Use it as a time for the entire family to get dressed up and then pick a fun restaurant that's different from your normal eats. Try a new neighborhood place or do something special like a fondue restaurant where you can end the meal with a melted pot of chocolate for dipping strawberries and cake!

AoCS Red Carpet Walk

We celebrated the Academy Awards today.  Everyone wore their fancy clothes and sunglasses and got to walk in on the red carpet and get their picture made.

A Visit From the Dentist

We enjoyed a visit today from Brentwood Pediatric Dentistry.  We learned all about how to keep our teeth clean by brushing and flossing and also by visiting the dentist to get our teeth cleaned.  We also learned about how much sugar are in certain foods and how we should only eat or drink those foods in small amounts.  Some of our students even got a chance to volunteer and dress up as a tooth! We had so much fun learning all about the dentist and also got to take home a fun goody bag!