The Man with the Mustache - A Snack Hunt!

Today's post is starts out about fun times spent with family and savoring them...and then, gets into the topic of environmental print...

Recently, Little Bro went with me on a trip to Target while Big Bro stayed home with Daddy.

Little Bro was very excited to get to spend one-on-one time with me and also, to pick out a snack that he had been wanting for a few days..."the man with the mustache" snack.

I asked him to give me more of a description and here is the gist of our conversation:

Little Bro: You know Mommy, the man with the mustache snack...that is what I want...

Mommy: Any more details?

Little Bro: They taste good and are crunchy! They are salty too!

Mommy: OK, anything else?

Little Bro: They are kind of like a cracker and a chip put together.

So, with that much info, we started down the chip aisle. The only thing that I could think of was maybe some sort of off-brand tortilla chip...nothing else came to mind...so we walked and there, at the very end of the aisle, was the mysterious man with the mustache snack:

Pringles!!!

Little Bro was very happy to have found the snack he had been wanting ever since trying them at Papa and G's house a few days earlier! Mystery solved! Snack time on!
He had a few in the car on the ride home and then, we took the can of Pringles with us to the pool.
Daddy and the boys had a Pringles feast!
Then back to swimming and playing in the pool with our family and friends...

Just thought I would share as children really do pay attention to environmental print, within their own environment.
Little Bro had seen these chips, had tried them and liked them, and remembered the can even though the name of them did not come to mind for him.
Interesting how the mind works and what it retains.

Do your young children ever refer to something based on the packaging or logo of a product?
Would love it if you would share!

Years ago, I attended a neat workshop put on by Sharon MacDonald about Environmental Print.

Here is her definition for Environmental Print:

Definition: Environmental Print is the print of everyday life: The symbols, signs, numbers, and colors found in McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Exxon, Pizza Hut, 7-Up, and on websites, for instance. They offer excellent entry points for young children to begin to learn to read, write, and do math. 

If you go to her Environmental Print page, she even has some free printable pages for you to use. You might wish to print hers and then, tweak to fit the brands your family uses or the businesses that your child would be most familiar with, but it will give you a good idea of how to get started...
 
Sharon's workshop was wonderful, so chock full of great ideas!

I used many of her ideas in my classroom and now, use many of them in the scope of homeschooling.

Here is a link to her current workshops, in case you are interested.

Here is a link to Sharon's website, as you might enjoy doing some of these activities as well.

Especially fun is Environmental Print Bingo!

All of her activities are creative, developmentally appropriate for young learners, but most importantly, they develop a true love of learning and encourage children to express themselves as joyful, enthusiastic and happy children.

Her workshops get you up and moving and her ideas include doing this within the classroom as well.

So fun, all the while, such great learning takes place!!!

Her CDs and other resources are wonderful too! Really makes learning interactive!

Well, hope all of you are having a happy day today!