Twins Tuesdays: P is for Penguins

Penguin crackers from Aldi.
A very cute (and frugal) treat!

I am still trying fit in learning activities for the twins, as I wrote about in a post last year. I'm always on the lookout for fun ways to learn and themes to celebrate. Sunday was Penguin Awareness Day. There is a day for everything, isn't there? (Just so you know, "World Penguin Day" is April 25!)

Things like this give me little ideas to keep twin tots busy. Penguins are fun, cute and easy to turn into a lesson. In my little ones case, a lesson about letters! "P is for Penguin!" Penguins captured our attention for a few days; we did coloring pages with penguins. The kids like penguins, particularly Henry the penguin on "Oswald." (We are big "Oswald" fans in this house. In fact, I encourage it. It's a "quiet" show. I love the "Oswald"/"Little Bear" hour on Nick Jr. because the stress level in our house just drops when the gentle music plays on both shows. So calming!)

There are many ways to work a little penguin theme into a day, or week:

• We don't have this book, but it seems really great for a penguin lesson: If You Were A Penguin by Wendall and Florence Minor.
• For older kids, the book and movie, "Mr. Popper's Penguins" is really fun. Other great penguin flicks: "March of the Penguins" and "Happy Feet" definitely fit the bill.
• You can watch the Penguin Cam at the California Academy of Sciences.

I love this little instruction sheet on how to draw a penguin:

Source: nothingbutpenguins.com via Kellie on Pinterest

There are penguins at a local aquarium, and I bet now is the best time to see them. Crowds are not as big, so it might be worth a trip to see them without waiting for a space to peer into the exhibit, as one does in the summer.

So, whether you love penguins or not, they are a great way to celebrate winter. You could also do lessons on polar bears, or owls, or octupus, or whatever animal you choose.

I'm planning a lot of fun for Groundhog Day. Stay tuned!