International Space Station

Tonight I had read that we were going to be able to see the International Space Station overhead right before the kids went to bed.  I tried to remember the time and even thought to set a timer, but never did. Luckily, my six year old chose to read Little Bear tonight and while reading the story, Little Bear Goes to the Moon, I jumped out of bed, and forced everyone outside to look at the night sky.

At first all I could hear were complaints about how cold the boys were in their pajamas, but once we spotted the International Space Station moving across the sky, I didn't hear anymore complaints.  We explained to the boys that astronauts live in the Space Station so that they can learn all different kinds of things about space.  Once my three year old heard this he told us that he wants to do that.  I am not surprised!

When the International Space Station was out of sight we went in the house and I looked for our space book that describes the space station.  I don't know how I found it so quickly, but I did and the boys were thrilled to see the illustrations of the International Space Station, astronauts, and solar panels.

See Inside Space is an informational lift the flap book by Katie Daynes and illustrated by Peter Allen.  The pages in this book are sturdy, colorful, and full of all kinds of information on space.  There is a whole page that folds out to show the planets in the solar system, another page that shows a timeline of important events in time that shaped our knowledge of space, and even a small booklet that holds information on when to look for certain stars and constellations in the sky.  The back of the book also includes a link to more information on space.

After looking at the book, my husband went to the NASA website to find some more information and photographs of the International Space Station.  Amazing!

What a fantastic teachable moment tonight!

Small World

One of our favorite rides at Disney World is definitely It's a Small World!  Months ago I found the picture book, It's a Small World and was thrilled to pick it up and bring it home to my sons!  The fact that it came with a CD that includes the song made it even more special!

It's a Small World by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and illustrated by Joey Chou is an adorable book.  This song was created for the 1964 World's Fair and is also the most translated song on Earth.  The illustrations in this book are just as precious as the dolls that fill the ride!  

It's a Small World After All! 

My three year old took everything in!

Baby Girl's first ride on Small World.  She looks a little antsy!

We read It's a Small World before and after visiting Disney. While reading we were able to find many of the same things in the book that we saw on the ride. There are magic carpets, a giant sun, a surfer, kangaroo, elephants, and of course lots of children.  This book is a great journey through all different places in the world and after reading it I guarantee that you will be singing the song all day long!

Here is an adorable It's a Small World picture to color.

Bats

While in Disney World, we visited Animal Kingdom and saw giant bats.  We learned some interesting facts about them too.  Did you know that a bat's wings feel the same way as the skin on your eyelid?  I didn't!  We also learned that one of the only reasons bats turn sideways is to go the bathroom.  Interesting stuff!

Here are some of the pictures we got of the giant bats at Animal Kingdom.

These bats were very close to us and in an open room.

Their wings are huge!

My three year old still thinks it is funny that they have fur and not feathers.

I know, I have posted about many of these Fall Scholastic Science Vocabulary Readers, but we read them constantly right now, so I couldn't leave out Fantastic Bats (it is perfect for Halloween too)!

When we got home it seemed appropriate that my three year old picked out the book  Fantastic Bats by Justin McCory Martin.  Fantastic Bats is a non-fiction reader filled with all kinds of information on bats.    The photographs in this book are amazing and so close up that my three year old thought he could tell if the bats were smiling or frowning!  This book has three chapters that give all sorts of information about the way bats live, eat, and look.  My three year old loves reading it!

Disney Bear

There is no question about it, Magic Kingdom is definitely our favorite park to visit while we are in Disney World.

We were lucky enough to receive the book The Story of Disney Bear: A Day at the Magic Kingdom from a friend that visited Disney a few years ago.  It has since been a favorite book of ours.  The torn binding is proof that this book has been read over and over!  

In The Story of Disney Bear: A Day at the Magic Kingdom, Mickey wishes for a friend to play with in the Magic Kingdom.  Tinkerbell hears his wish and with the help of some pixie dust, Mickey has a friend named Disney Bear to tag along with as he plays at the Magic Kingdom.  Mickey Mouse and Disney Bear visit all of our favorite rides at the Magic Kingdom.  They ride Peter Pan's flight, the Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, It's a Small World, and many more!

Disney Bear is now known as Duffy and you can even meet him at Epcot!

Many of Disney Bear and Mickey's favorite rides are the same rides that we enjoyed on our trip!

Our new favorite was the People Mover.  We had a great view of the castle on this ride!

We were able to ride the new Dumbo ride a few times!  At least one ride was in the rain!  The boys loved the play area inside.

My three year old was excited to drive a car on the Tomorrowland Speedway.

The new water play area near the Dumbo ride was a big hit with my boys!

The girls didn't mind riding in a "slow spinning" teacup!

Baby Girl survived her first day at the Magic Kingdom and left with a smile!

No matter how long you visit Disney World you are bound to miss a bunch of things.  When we got home and reread The Story of Disney Bear :A Day at the Magic Kingdom, I realized we skipped many rides.  Luckily, the boys don't seem to mind.  All that matters is the memories!