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May 5-11 is National Wildflower Week.
Take a second look at what many people consider to be "weeds" and help your children appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us. Try to identify different types of native species in your area, starting with your own backyard, where you may discover patches of dandelions – a plant with edible leaves and a bonus wish in the bloom. While you're exploring, notice other plants in bloom such as tulips and lilacs. Gather a bouquet and read Dandelion by Don Freeman, a comical story about a lion who learns his friends like him just as he is.

May 11 is Mother's Day.
Set aside time with your child to make a Mother's Day keepsake for their grandmothers.

Help children paint a medium-sized terra cotta pot with acrylic paints. Tie metal washers of varying sizes to string. Attach the top inch of the strings with packaging tape to the inside basin of the pot, allowing the washers to hang down at varying heights within the pot. Tie a knot in a rope and thread through the drainage hole of the pot, trimming to desired length for display. Turn pot upside down and suspend for a one-of-a-kind wind chime.

The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 14-25 in France. Host your own film fest by inviting friends or family for a home video showing. Have guests bring one or two of their best home movies, serve popcorn and soda and share laughs as you observe silly moments with those you love.

May 24: Brother's Day. If there's a brother in your brood, declare today is his special day. Help siblings design special love notes for their brother(s) and grant their brother(s) special privileges, such as getting to choose the afternoon snack or activity.

Speak Up!
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.

According to a new Power of Talk study, children between birth and age 3 need to hear 30,000 words every day from their parents and caregivers to ensure optimal language development and academic success. Remember to talk, talk, talk to your little ones throughout each day.

Describe every action you're doing as you perform daily chores. Point out names of objects in their environment and encourage them to talk by giving choices that require a verbal response. For example:

Going outside: "Let's open the door. Turn the knob. Now push, push, push. Open! Hooray!"

Folding laundry: "Help me find two socks. Two blue socks. Here's one blue sock. Here's another blue sock. Two blue socks. These match. Thank you for your help."

Fixing lunch: "Do you want the red cup or the yellow cup? Red or yellow?" If your child points to red, say, "Red. You want red. Red cup." This kind of modeling will form a strong vocabulary base for your child and boost his language development in natural, meaningful contexts.

Also, read aloud short, repetitive, age-appropriate books to reinforce familiar vocabulary and sentence structure.

For more fun ideas go to www.MOPS.org/TerrificTips.

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