Finding Nemo

THEME: Finding Nemo

I will never forget the year Finding Nemo came out. My kids (now-teenagers) were ga-ga over all the hype, and couldn’t wait to go see it!  I also remember walking out of the theatre with my now-16 year old-Varsity Football player-who was so scared of the shark in the opening sequence that I had to go get my money back!!

Take it from me, your memories will last forever, but your sweet little kiddos will not.  They will grow faster than you can possibly imagine.  They can be overwhelming when they are small, but you will never regret taking the time to play with them.

Now lets get started!

SIT DOWN: Quiet activity

I just happened to have this puzzle in our closet of toys. It just sits there, the kids never think to pull it out on their own. Once I put it in my “fun box” suddenly it becomes much more exciting!!

I also always find special coloring sheets that go with our theme!

Nemo Coloring Sheets

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: (Something to get those little ones up and moving)

Since we were at the coast, my original plan was to take the kids down to the beach to collect sea shells.  Seems we got carried away with chasing the waves, that we didn’t come back with any shells, but they had a good time!

 

SPECIAL SNACK:(To be eaten in moderation, these snacks are meant to be fun not healthy)

For Finding Nemo I picked up these Shark gummies, along with Goldfish crackers.

 

 

CREATIVE ACTIVITY:  (make a craft, use our imagination)

Paper Butts!

No, that’s not a typo. Remember in Finding Nemo when the fish children dared eachother to swim off the reef to touch the “butt”?   My kids couldn’t stop giggling while I explained our project to them.  We are going to make paper “butts”.

The only supplies you need for this is paper.  I just used some colorful scrapbook paper.

I remember making these little paper boats when I was a kid. It’s pretty simple. You can find directions right here from:  Be Different…Act Normal.

Eddie wanted to test them out, and yes! They do float!

 

Try putting them into your bathtub or a back yard pool and have boat races!

GAME:

Find Nemo

This is your basic game of “Hot” and “Cold”.   Take a toy, in our case we used a plush Nemo toy, and hide it.  Then you direct your child to find it using the clue “Hot” when he/she gets closer and “Cold” when they move away from it.

Here’s Eddie with our shark friend Chum, searching for Nemo

Give each child plenty of turns to search for Nemo!   I’ll bet they will want a turn to hide him for you to find too!!  It’s so simple!

WATCH THE MOVIE: (Enjoy the quiet time!)

Watching a movie with the kids is such a perfect way to wrap up our day.

Spending time with your kids is the most rewarding thing you will ever do.  It doesn’t always have to be elaborate, expensive, or pinterest-y.  It just needs to be YOU giving them your ATTENTION.  Remember, what your kids need more than anything else is YOU!