Disc Golf is a Game that gets Kids Moving
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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query video games. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query video games. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query video games. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query video games. Sort by date Show all posts
Bio of Jackie Robinson and Online Activities
Wondering when is Jackie Robinson Day? Jackie Robinson Day is April 15. Who is Jackie Robinson? He is one of the most famous baseball players in history. Do you know why? Yes? No? Maybe? Either way, you'll learn about Jackie Robinson with these online activities and videos on Jackie Robinson for kids. This is a great post for students to learn facts about Jackie Robinson. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*
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| Books, Videos, and Lessons: Jackie Robinson for Kids. |
To learn the bio of Jackie Robinson, students can watch these videos about Jackie Robinson:
Watch this Video of Jackie Robinson from Brainpop.com. They also have a good video on Civil Rights. If you don't have a Brainpop account, you should! However, you can do a search for a password that you can use to watch the videos. You won't be able to keep track of all your hard work without an account. So, if you can't do that, here is a another video about Jackie Robinson from History.com.
Be sure to do the FYI and take the quiz on Brainpop. You'll also find lesson plans for teachers there.
Keep scrolling for games and activities about Jackie Robinson.
No matter your age or grade level, you will enjoy this book, I am Jackie Robinson* by Brad Meltzer. It is a fun biography written from the point of view of Jackie Robinson as a child. Packed full of Jackie Robinson facts, this book is the perfect companion book to a lesson on Jackie Robinson.
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| Bio of Jackie Robinson and Online Activities. |
Test your baseball game I.Q. - who is on first?
How good are you at batting? Try it out with this online baseball game from ESPN.
Play some free online baseball games for kids.
Jackie Robinson PDF book.
Downloadable Jackie Robinson worksheet from Education.com.
Free Baseball Worksheets from EnchantedLearning.com.
Can you answer these Jackie Robinson quiz questions?
Jackie Robinson PDF book.
Downloadable Jackie Robinson worksheet from Education.com.
Free Baseball Worksheets from EnchantedLearning.com.
Can you answer these Jackie Robinson quiz questions?
Do you know the original lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ball Game? Listen here:
And, here's the version you've probably heard:
That's a lot of baseball history, let's move on to other lessons.
Language Arts Component:
Since we're talking famous baseball, you'll want to read the most famous baseball poem of all time, Casey at Bat. Even better, listen to James Earl Jones recite the poem, Casey at Bat:
Watch the Disney clip:
Math Component:
Learn to simplify fractions with Baseball Math.
Subtraction with regrouping baseball math game.
Multiplication practice with baseball.
Art Component:
Here's a fun baseball diamond and Jackie Robinson paper craft from Crayola.com.
Science Component:
Bat Science Fair Experiment
Watch a video about the experiment here:
Baseball Experiment PBS
What Balls Can you Throw the Farthest Experiment
What happens when you refrigerate your baseball?
Recommended:
Get I am Jackie Robinson*
Albert Einstein Video and Lesson for Kids
Alma Thomas Art Project
Science Component:
Bat Science Fair Experiment
Watch a video about the experiment here:
Baseball Experiment PBS
What Balls Can you Throw the Farthest Experiment
What happens when you refrigerate your baseball?
Recommended:
Get I am Jackie Robinson*
Albert Einstein Video and Lesson for Kids
Alma Thomas Art Project
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Get Fit with this Creative Physical Education Easter Egg Hunt for Parties or PE Class
This Egg Hunt isn't just for Easter. Add physical fitness to your family get together, birthday party, gym class, or homeschool PE. Hide the eggs outdoors, and then hide physical fitness activities inside each egg. Make a game out of working out! In the video below, we improvised and had fun turning exercise into a fitness game that got the whole "family" involved. Enjoy!
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
Surrealism in Children's Literature: Art Lesson Activities
Eric Carle has written and illustrated another book! The Nonsense Show is written to introduce children to Surrealism. Completely nonsensical, the beautiful illustrations will capture the heart of preschoolers while the concept will boggle the minds of everyone else. We've included a book review and Surrealist Activities for your Art Lesson planning, as well as, educational games and online lessons for homeschoolers. Enjoy!
The most famous Surrealist, Salvador Dali, is best known for his melting clock painting. Learn about Dali and Surrealism in the video below. The Dali video introduces a fun, group drawing game called, Exquisite Corps. Be sure to watch the full video for instructions on how to play the Art game with friends.
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Surrealism in Children's Literature: Art Lesson Activities.
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This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*
We were given a copy of "The Nonsense Show" for review.
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| Eric Carle Surrealist Activities: The Nonsense Show Book Review: Surrealist Art Lesson |
Art develops critical thinking. Many beloved children's book authors have tinkered with the idea of surrealism and Crazy Surrealism Art- Think, Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Lewis Caroll, and L. Frank Baum. So, it is no surprise that Eric Carle has joined the list. Always an artist first, the illustrations in The Nonsense Show don't disappoint.
So, let's get started on our online lesson in Surrealism. Mati and Dada is a fun art cartoon for elementary kids. In this episode, they talk about the surrealist painter, Magritte.
The most famous Surrealist, Salvador Dali, is best known for his melting clock painting. Learn about Dali and Surrealism in the video below. The Dali video introduces a fun, group drawing game called, Exquisite Corps. Be sure to watch the full video for instructions on how to play the Art game with friends.
Art History Component. This free online Art History Game focuses on Surrealism. Recommended for (4-12th grade). It is for older children because a lot of reading comprehension is required. At first, it looks complicated, but it is essentially just a drag and drop into the timeline game. So, give it a try!
For BrainPop subscribers: Watch this movie on Surrealism.
After you review the book, The Nonsense Show, create your own nonsensical art. Below, are some fun ideas to try.
- This is an easy Surrealist art project for kids. Grab some paint or make your own water colors, make some splats with your brush, let them dry, and then study your art. What do you see? It is like looking for cloud creatures. Grab markers or colored pencils and create something surreal.
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| Easy Surrealist Art project for kids from Le Dada de L'enfant Terrible blog. |
- Paint like Eric Carle with easy Art Techniques.
- Language Arts Component. To get into the mindset for creating surrealist art, sit down and free write. Start writing whatever pops into your head. Don't edit, don't try to make it go somewhere- just write!
- The Art Room Plant shares this fun drawing activity. It is similar to the game in the Dali video above.
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| Fun Surrealist drawing activity for kids from The Art Room Plant. |
Recommended:
Dada and Surrealism Art for Kids
Jake's Journey in Art: Water Color Lesson
Get The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle
Dada and Surrealism Art for Kids
Jake's Journey in Art: Water Color Lesson
Get The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle
Foolproof ways to tire your toddlers out for nap time
Are you struggling to get your little toddler to take a breather and rest? Nap time can be heaven for both you and your toddler. They get some much-needed rest before carrying on with their day, giving you a chance to get a few things done, or simply take a minute for yourself. You've probably wondered, how to get your baby to sleep for a nap, here are some tips to earn that well deserved quiet time.
While nap time sounds like a dream, getting your toddler down and asleep is much easier said than done. Although some days may not run to plan, there are some great ways to encourage a toddler to take his nap, so you can have a moment to get through your to-do list. Here are some infant nap time parenting tips so you can get some things done around the house.
Encourage or play active games with them
Active games are a great way to burn off all that extra energy before a nap. It can be as simple as a game of Simon Says or Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Not only are these games fun and easy, but they also require minimal set-up and clean up.
Simon Says can help kids learn about body awareness and movement, as well as how to pay attention, follow instructions and be a leader. Whereas Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes can help kids with their balance, coordination and learning about their bodies.
Other games like Duck Duck Goose and Ring Around the Rosie lets kids literally run around, but can also help them develop strategic thinking skills and spatial awareness – although you’ll need more than one child (or adult!) to be able to play them.
Get some fresh air and/or exercise
This goes without saying – exercise is a great way to tire your little ones. Ideally, any exercise you choose to do should burn through their excess energy without giving them a second wind and keeping them wide awake. The key is to stay active and keep babies moving, but not to have too much fun so they won't fight sleep when it comes.
The old stand by activities are great for tiring out your baby for outside play:
Bouncing or kicking a ball.
Riding a bike or scooter.
Playing chase.
Blowing bubbles.
You can even go for a light walk around the block or to their favorite playground. Let them loose on the play equipment and they’ll be ready to nap when they get home.
If the weather isn’t the best, you can still get your toddler moving at home. Encourage them to have a dance along to a music video or get them running and climbing with a make-shift obstacle course.
Put them to work with some household chores
If you’ve got a few jobs to get done around the house, why not get your toddler involved? This will take a little patience, the job will likely take a little longer, but every little chore will get your toddler closer to sleep.
The easiest way to make this nap time trick work is by giving your kids chores that are appropriate for their age, which also keep them active. Start with simple things like picking up their toys or tidying up their room. You can add a touch of fun to the household chores by having clean-up races, enjoying a toy scavenger hunt to be found in the bottom of the laundry pile, or making a game of loading the dishwasher.
Not only will doing household chores wear your kids out, it also teaches them responsibility about how a household functions. These are valuable life skills your children will carry with them throughout their lives. It’ll also help you get through the household chores on your to-do list, even if they’re not perfectly done!
Encourage winding down activities
Even with all their energy burnt off, your little one might not just drop straight off to bed. Sometimes they need a little quiet time to help them settle and wind down.
Relaxing activities that will keep their attention are key to quiet time. These activities can be as easy as giving them an age-appropriate puzzle, a simple coloring activity, or engaging them in quiet building activities, like a Lego set.
When all else fails, a good-old children’s book is a sure-fire way to help them unwind. You can encourage them to curl up on the couch and read to themselves or mimic bedtime and read to them as they fall asleep.
Create a nap time ritual
Complement winding down activities by creating a nap time ritual to follow. This should be similar to creating a bedtime ritual. It should be consistent, such as setting aside a specific period of time everyday for the nap, dimming the lights, reading a story to them, and playing some white noise (like rain or wind) to block out outside noises.
This nap time ritual gives your baby's body a cue to fall asleep, rest, and recharge.
Once you start giving these nap time sleep methods a try, you’ll soon be watching your little one drift off to sleep with ease, allowing you some much needed me time.
Recommended:
How to get Baby to Sleep through the Night Tips
Armistice Day or Veterans Day Lesson Ideas
When is Veterans Day? In the United States, we celebrate Veterans Day (also known as Armistice Day) on November 11. You probably know a war veteran: a school teacher, a principal, a grandparent, a cousin, or a member of your church. Just ask! Often, when we think of Veterans, we think of historical wars and senior citizens, but there are many young war veterans these days. We hope you'll try some of these Veterans Day lesson ideas and then go out into your community and thank a war veteran.
Scroll down for Veterans Day Videos for Middle School and a fun song for preschoolers!
What can you do to teach about and help celebrate Veterans Day? Educate and engage with a history lesson or simply thank a Veteran. You can do both, when you combine a Veterans Day history lesson with a letter writing campaign. We found some awesome, editable letter to soldiers and thank you card templates for elementary at TeacherSherpa.com.
Hop over to TeacherSherpa to find printable Veterans Day games and activities to add to your lesson plans.
Get more Veterans Day Printables or printable Letters to Soldiers that will work for Middle Schoolers too.
**------------------------------------------**
World War 1
World War 2
Vietnam
Korean
Iraq
Afghanistan
Called Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to include American veterans of all wars. On November 11, we honor the wartime service of men and women in all branches of the armed forces.
Here's a quick video that gives a great explanation on the history of Veterans Day.
Brainpop has a nice video about the armed forces.
Check out PBS for Veterans Day Lesson Plans for all ages.
Veterans Day activities for middle school (grade 6-8.)
Veterans Day Videos for Middle School
Middle School Veterans Day video from Scholastics.
War Videos from Crash Course in US HISTORY:
World War 2
Korea and Vietnam
Iraq
Here's another video and activities about Vietnam from Brainpop.
This cute song from Kiboomers is fun for preschoolers.
Fun Fact:
Veterans Day is not Veteran's Day because it is not a day owned by Veterans. If it were a day owned by all Vets, it would be called Veterans' Day. Veterans Day is a day to celebrate Veterans. Yep, I've been messing that up for years, and I know the rule. Childrens' not Children's - Child's not Childs' - Kids' not Kid's.
In fact, this blog was originally titled 'A Kid's Creative Chaos' then I dropped the 'A' and kept the logo, 'Kid's Creative Chaos.' It took me years to realize my error. Humiliating. In my head, it was still one kid's creative chaos (my son's.) Now, I just incorrectly call it 'Kids Creative Chaos' because it looks better. Sigh. The more you know, the more you realize you don't know.
Recommended:
Veterans Day Crafts and Decor
Community Service Projects
Follow us on Pinterest for more lesson ideas for homeschoolers and elementary.
Looking for Tips for Traveling with the Kids?
Road Trip! Tracey shares 6 travel tips for traveling with 6 kids in a van for 16 hours (and making it out with your sanity). Aside from these tips, make sure you have lots of family, car games ready to roll out!
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| Kids Travel Tips: Entertainment is essential! |
#1 – If one person pees, we all pee!
Don’t miss out on the chance to empty all the bladders at once! With any luck, you can get everyone on the same schedule and won’t have to make 6 stops everyone hour for all the kids to pee. There’s also the added incentive that “we will get there quicker if we make less stops!”. This helped a lot on the way home when we were getting down to the final hours of the return trip.
#2 – Distractions are the key!
Long car rides are the worst when you’re short on patience. Let each kid pack a small ‘carry on’ (grocery sack) with their own activities – crayons/coloring book, video game, books, cars, dolls, you get the picture. You can always fall back on the classic car rides games – ABC signs, license plate states, etc.
#3 – Pain in the neck!
Naps are inevitable when you are on a road trip, and I don’t know about you, but I cringe every time I peer back and see my kids asleep and contorted into painful looking positions. We bought inexpensive neck pillows for each of the kids (so there was no fighting!) and there were no complaints! If they were tired, they just threw on their Neck Pillow
, settled in, and were out like a light. Some of the kids even wore their neck pillows for the majority of the trip, just for the fun of it. We also brought a small blanket for each of the kids to keep cozy with.
, settled in, and were out like a light. Some of the kids even wore their neck pillows for the majority of the trip, just for the fun of it. We also brought a small blanket for each of the kids to keep cozy with. |
| Everything is a pillow...zzzzz. |
#4 – Pass the trash!
Typically, when we reach our destination, the kids pile out of the vehicle and leave a field of destruction inside the car. From snacks and drinks to lunch stops and miscellaneous rubble that appears from who-knows-where, the floor is littered with a layer of trash. To counter this, we made it a little more fun to keep things clean by having the kids pass their trash up, each time they had any, and each person in the passing line yells “trash!” as they hand it on down the line. They got quite a kick out of this and would look around for things they could send up to the front. For the most part, all that made it to the floor were toys from the ‘carry on’ bags, which is another battle all on its own.
#5 – Limit fluids!
There are always snack stops when you are on the road and it’s tempting to grab something when you make a pit stop, but the more the kids are drinking and eating, the more they are going to have to use the restroom, and the more stops you are going to have to make. Give the kids each a beverage, but have designated times they can have a drink instead of letting them drink freely. This greatly reduced our stops on the journey home!
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| Awww look, they're not fighting! |
#6 – Be patient!
Remember, you are traveling with kids. They are going to act like kids. Kids fight, bicker, get tired, whine, get hungry, and have to pee…a lot! So try to remain calm and level headed and if needed, make an unscheduled pit stop so the kids can stretch their legs and reset their attitudes (if you are lucky!). While you are handling all there is to handle, you might want to consider that a nearby destination would be just as great for the next family road trip!
Recommended Reading:
The Everything Kids' Travel Activity Book: Games to Play, Songs to Sing, Fun Stuff to Do - Guaranteed to Keep You Busy the Whole Ride!
*Girl Scout Travel Tips
Our 50 States
*
Homeschool Math: Steps to Get out of Debt
If you're a busy family trying to make ends meet, you've probably struggled with debt at one time or another. A plan to get out of debt makes a excellent homeschool math lesson for your kids. Don't hide the struggle from them, but don't frighten them with all of the gory details either. If you need to get out of debt, you need a plan. The steps to get out of debt look different for everyone. Everyone has different debt, different income, and a different set of life issues. Talk about a family budget with your kids and then follow the steps below to get out of debt. Everyone working together toward the same goal is the first step on your debt free journey.
Debt to Income Ratio Calculator
You may want to take the steps to get out of debt if you are in the market for a new home. In this case, you'll want to start with a debt to income ratio calculator. Seeing it all laid out before you eyes puts it all in perspective. Where can you save, how can you improve your credit score, and how much money you will need to save. These questions can be overwhelming because the often contradict each other. To buy a new house, you'll want to pay down your debt, but you'll also want to save for a down payment for your home. Which should you do first? How long will it all take? This makes for a relevant and useful homeschool MATH LESSON. Wells Fargo offers instructions on how to figure your debt to income ratio and a free debt to income ratio calculator to check your work. Here's another debt free calculator from CNN.
Credit Score
Start with a credit app like Credit Karma. These aren't completely accurate, but they give you good idea of where you stand in the world of credit scores. You'll also see any negative marks against you. The big credit reporting agencies, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, allow you to check your scores and dispute anything that you find in error. Sometimes, you might find duplicates or items assigned to you that really belong to someone else. In this case, you'll want to speak to a legal firm that can quickly help you sort it all out. You can do it yourself, but it's much easier to pay for a service to do it for you. Lexington Law is inexpensive and gets the job done quickly and efficiently. You'll want to give yourself at least 3 months of the service (depending on how much work needs done.) They tend to work on one credit reporting agency at a time. It's fun and rewarding to watch your credit score improve. You'll also see weekly dips that will let you know where you need to cut back or do better.
Debt Consolidation
Another option is debt consolidation. This is a great option for people who are overwhelmed by debt collectors calling, sending letters, and generally harassing you for payments. This can make anyone crazy. If you use a service to consolidate your debt, they'll set up a monthly payment and take care of notifying debtors and paying your debts each month. Many people feel overwhelmed at the amount of bills they have to pay and can't keep on top of it all without getting late fees. Rather than paying the debt collectors, some people put their head in the sand and do nothing. This, of course, ruins your credit and your chance for a car or a home in you future. So, if you have difficulty keeping organized letting the professionals deal with your debtors may be the best option for you. You also might want to check into these debt relief services.
Budget
It's better to come up with a long term plan that you can manage than to declare bankruptcy or ignore your obligations. A budget is a great way to stay on top of things. Teaching your kids how you budget the bills is a fun way to teach them about finances. Young adults are often surprised at the cost of utilities and groceries and don't plan for these things when they go to rent or buy a new home. Keep a worksheet of your weekly and monthly expenses on the fridge and let your kids see how that new video games fits into the bigger picture. Get a free printable household budget worksheet pdf.
You can open a child's bank account and connect it to your own. Our bank, sent the kids their own ATM cards for their accounts. I can easily move money from my account to theirs or vice versa if they've earned enough to buy the latest video game. If you aren't comfortable with that, there's nothing like a good old fashioned piggy bank or giant glass bottle to see your pennies adding up while saving for that big item.
So, make it a family affair. There's no better homeschool math lesson than the life lessons based on real life events. The more kids know about the real world, the better they will be able to navigate it as young adults.
Recommended:
Put Down Your Phone! It Can Save Your Child’s Self- Esteem
Do your kids have mobile phones? We recently purchased a smartphone to use as a house phone. Though, my kids have tablets and free access to computers, I worry about the cell phone, the texting, the access to the world in the palm of your hand. Smartphones have become addictive. I wondered, is their an app for that? Of course, there's an app for everything! Should we limit smartphone use? In this post, Hilary Smith, shares some insight on the overuse of technology combined with our kids, but it might not be the child who has the problem. That's right, Mom (or Dad), you might need an app to limit smartphone use. Enjoy!
- Solar System Lesson and Activities
- So many Solar System Activities, so little time! In these universe lesson plans, we've rounded up the most unique solar system projects and shared them in this online Solar System Lesson with fun, free games. Scroll down for activities for each grade level. Enjoy!
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| Universe Lesson Plans: Solar System Activities. |
- This Solar System activity is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. Of course, even older kids will get a kick out of making a hat and parading around the classroom!
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| Find this Solar System Activity at Primarythemepark.com |
NASA has many universe related lessons, but this one on how to estimate star size is pretty cool and targeted for kids in grades 6-9.
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| NASA comparison of Star Sizes chart. |
Want to size up the universe? This free interactive universe game from Smithsonian is a fun way to learn through edutainment!
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| Click the image for Sizing up the Universe from the Smithsonian. |
Practice Solar System Grammar and Vocabulary with this Hangman Game from eslgames.com.
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| Click the image to play Solar System Hangman. |
For more solar system language arts, do these Space Libs.
Solar System Switcharoo is a fun game from NASA.
Learning Resources Giant Magnetic Solar System
*Moon Lesson Plan
Solar System Planetarium
*Futuristic Craft for Kids
National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Space
*
English Lesson: Verb Conjugation Practice with focus on Irregular Verbs
*Online Poetry Lesson
Homeschooling Lessons by Grade
Meet Billy the Exterminator at World of Wheels
Who is Billy the Exterminator? This guy. The kids were huge fans! Scroll down to see an episode and to find out, what happened to Billy the Exterminator? Looking for things to do in Indiana?
Indy (Indianapolis, Indiana)is known for the Indianapolis 500 and other motor racing events. Indy also hosts a huge World of Wheels event every year.
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| Billy the Exterminator |
We waited in line with an unhappy Jake for three hours. Billy was delayed. Not so sure he was worth the wait. We paid $45 to get into the World of Wheels, $5 to Park, and $5 for the photo. (Amanda was free.) Kids faces, priceless.
Billy is tiny, I felt like I towered over him. The kids were overwhelmed, Mommy had to prompt them to speak. Amanda had a question.
Billy: "Sweetie, you had a question for me? Go ahead Hon, ask it."
Amanda: "How did your hair get black? You have blonde hair."
Billy: (Laughing) "Aw... some Girl Scouts jumped me and dyed my hair! Can you believe that?"
Jake had already jumped off stage relieved he could go home and play video games, ironic, since this was his surprise.
Amanda covered her mouth in mock shock and laughed. "Mommy, did you hear what he said?"
She's a star struck, boy chaser. Next time, we better wait in line to see Justin Bieber.
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