Fan Mail

I made the boys write a few letters over the summer. Both boys wrote to favorite Disney characters, Matthew wrote to NASA, and Nolan wrote to Dav Pilkey (the author of the Captain Underpants books).

A few weeks later, the boys received replies. They loved getting responses to their fan mail! Disney sent both boys post cards from their favorite characters.

Scholastic sent a newsletter from Dav Pilkey, and Nolan enjoyed reading it. 

NASA, however, blew Matthew's mind with all of the amazing things they sent. My hat is off to the communications/public relations people at NASA, because they made my little boy's day. He received a big envelope in the mail, and was excited to open it.

The envelope contained a letter from NASA, a coloring book, posters of the space shuttle and a rocket car, decals from recent space missions, and more. My little boy was over the moon (literally)!

The letter reads: 

"Dear Matthew,

On behalf of NASA, thank you for writing us a letter. NASA wants you to know that your thoughts and ideas to further space exploration are important, and we hope that you will continue to learn all you can about NASA's space programs, missions, and accomplishments. Just think - in a few years you could be one of the pioneers that may help lead the world's activities for better understanding of our earth and for exploring space. 

Below are web sites that contain resourceful information about NASA's space programs and activities.

[Websites are listed]

Again, thank you for your letter. Your interest in NASA is appreciated. NASA wishes you every success in earning good school grades and encourages you to keep reaching for the stars! 

Sincerely,

Public Communications Program"

Thank you, NASA. You rock.

"Drive-In" Movie Day

When summer days are rainy, a fun distraction must be found! We had a "drive-in" movie day at our house, complete with cardboard cars. The boys spent the morning working on their vehicles, then added pillows and blankets to stay comfortable.

Add popcorn and a fun movie, and you have two very entertained little boys! Sometimes I wish summer could last forever.

Lucille M. Wright Air Museum

We have a small local air museum in downtown Jamestown. It isn't very big, but the volunteers are very excited about teaching young children about flight. I took the boys to the museum on a weekday during our "air and space" week, and we had the museum to ourselves.

The gentlemen in the museum were wonderful, and gave Matt a one-on-one lesson in the physics of flight.

Even though the museum is very small, my boys learned more about flight than at any big "fancy" science museum. The personal attention from the volunteers was incredible.

Matt and Nolan were both able to sit inside a small helicopter and work the controls. Nolan liked tilting the rotors, and Matt was very intrigued by the number of buttons and controls a helicopter requires.

A flight simulator is within the museum, and Matthew took a flight over Chautauqua lake. He was surprised by how sensitive the controls were. After some practice, he was able to fly the plane under the bridge over the middle of our lake and return to the runway. He never was quite able to land the plane, as he is a bit young and would often over-correct.

Nolan also took a turn at the controls and the wonderful volunteer helped him navigate the skies of Chautauqua County.

While Matt played on the simulator, Nolan and I went to look at a few other exhibits in the museum.

After about 2 hours, we had finished seeing everything and left for home. Three months later, the boys still talk about visiting the air museum in our little town - they really loved it!

Rocket Men

Every summer, I do "Mommy Summer School." We do a lot of fun activities that incorporate learning - and spark an interest in a new subject. I usually break the weeks into themes, and in late July we had an "air and space" theme going. As part of our week, I bought the boys model rocket kits. Since they are young, we picked up a ready-to-fly kit for Nolan and an almost ready-to-fly kit for Matthew.

Once the rockets were built, we headed down to the middle school field to shoot them off.

There is nothing more fun than setting off a rocket. We talked about all the different rocket parts and watched as the rockets reached apogee.

The boys were so excited to launch them again and again.. until we ran out of engines.


 I have a feeling this is an activity that will stay with us for a while. The boys have had so much fun launching the rockets, and it has really sparked an interest in physics and space exploration.

Matt, ready to launch his rocket!  

Nolan was proud of his tall rocket. 

Blast off!

The Fort

We have a small patch of fir trees that separates our yard from the neighbor's yard. Matt and Nolan have made a fort in the space, and spend a lot of time playing games in the woods.

They have a shelf, table, and several other items set up in their makeshift clubhouse. I think they might also be working on a booby trap or two...

I love watching them play and create in nature. It is such a healthy way to spend childhood!

Chautauqua Gorge, Take 2

As the end of July neared, the rain didn't stop. We chose a day with a 30% chance of rain and went to the gorge anyway. This time, I took the boys with a group of other moms with their kids. My boys were so, so happy to arrive at the gorge. Nolan immediately went down the natural water slide formed by a waterfall. Matt went to hunt for fossils again.

Soon our friends arrived and the kids had the best time. My friend's older boy took Nolan around and helped him over slippery rocks. He is such a nice kid.

Matt played with his friend and they spent much of the afternoon skipping stones. I think they could have done this all day long!

Nolan played in the water most of the day. The water in the gorge is COLD, but he doesn't care. The boy is part fish.

After a few hours, sprinkles started to fall and we rushed up the trail to the car. We made it in time, and the rain started to pour as soon as we made it back onto the highway. We arrived home and watched the downpour from the comfort of our family room. This was certainly a wet summer!

Swinging Together

I walked outside one day and found both boys swinging while holding hands. I thought it was so sweet - and I know these moments won't last forever.