Homeschool Calendar!

We've made the big decision to home school our 3 little bits of trouble this next year... planning has been a TON of fun- as a teacher in the past, I've missed the creativity and organization that comes with getting ready for a school year. Maybe I'm crazy- but it so much fun to be able to sit down and put together something useful AND awesome looking.

Pinterest happens to be my new drug of choice... a time wasting pit of pure awesomeness! I came across a calendar posted by Counting Coconuts, which I fell in love with. (Always give credit where credit is due, and this site has TONS of great ideas to play around with.) Since my kids are a range of ages, I had to modify the design to fit our needs- but you'll definitely see the similarities in design. Why mess too much with greatness?

Our Learning Calendar

So much learning to be had here!

In the upper left-hand corner, hard to read here, but we have a decorated piece of paper covered with clear contact paper to make a birthday list for the month. Happy Birthday, USA!

Under the birthday list we have our season chart- currently summer. This is a simple task, we note when the seasons change on our calendar... but I tried to tie it even further. Behind the calendar itself we have outline the boarder using 4 colors: Orange for Fall, Blue for Winter, Green for Spring, and Yellow for Summer. The same colors boarder our season cards- and our months of the year names are color coordinated as well! You'll notice them along the right-hand side.



Under the seasons we track our weather... this is a multiple part project for our varying age ranges. The eldest child is responsible for checking the weather forecast for the day online, while the younger two look outside and make their own guesses for what the weather might be for the day. So far we've had a lot of sunny and stormy days... maybe someday we'll get to pull out some of the other cards that we thought of!

The 31 was pulled off for this picture, to show that we realize our calendar does not always need 31 days- and we have a place for these to go while not in use.

Finally, we are outer space nuts around here and we LOVE keeping track of the moon. We posted the important moon vocab under our moon-wheel to help remind us to use the proper terms. Our moon wheel moves daily in line with the moon's phases over the month! We (the kids) look up the moon-dates for the month and we mark them on our calendar as well, to help us keep the wheel in the right place.

 

Not only do we keep track of what day it is- but our fun pockets are color coordinated in line with the rainbow! Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple! Each day we practice noting the days of the week in order, and note which is today, tomorrow, and yesterday. This is a Kindergarten lesson that the youngest needs. Our first grader goes one step further and discusses the weeks:

 

He is supposed to note something that is to happen THIS week, NEXT week, and something that we have already done LAST week. Our tabs move easily, as do our calendar dates and months thanks to some nifty little velcro tabs I found at Wal*Mart. The calendar itself is a restickable white-board mat that I found at Target... it is similar to this, but I only paid $10 for mine.

So much happening compiled onto one bulletin board- and we're having fun using it! It is exciting to be able to note important days and special events on our board for the kids- rather them trying to read mine... which is not always clear and concise for anyone other than ME!

To which allows me to end with my new Home School Motto: It's their world- let them own it.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

March 2nd is Dr. Seuss' Birthday. Theodor Seuss Geisell (1904-1991) is one of the most well known authors, having penned and illustrated 44 books in his career. In the educational world his work is celebrated this week with an event called, Read Across America! My children's school is no exception... they go all out in making reading fun. The grand finale of the week's adventures is a day spent reading with parents, principals, and special community guests.

This year I will be reading one of my favorites, Green Eggs and Ham. Yep, the one with the little Sam I Am. (That guys holds a special little place in our hearts in this house.) Along with a great story, I shall be bringing treats to share with the kids!

 

Green Eggs and Ham!

The eggs are white chocolate and a green yolk made from one of the new green minty m&ms... I thinly sliced a lime fruit jelly to look like a slice of ham. Not perfect- but the kids will love it!

Some for everyone!

Each class will also be having a big of a party at the end of the day, so I had a WONDERFUL idea that I just had to play around with- Horton Hears A Who cupcakes!!! They came out exactly as I envisioned and cannot wait to share them with the kids.

Can you see the speck?!?

I made yellow/lemon cupcakes and stuffed them full of crazy colored sprinkles. Topped them with teal frosting and then placed a pink 'clover' flower from the story onto the top! The clover is actually a marshmallow, covered with pink frosting. The speck is a sugar dot.

48 Whotastic Clover Cupcakes, all with specks!

I am ever so excited to share them with the kids tomorrow- AND read the stories that I loved so much as a kid. Thank you, Dr. Seuss... you've made reading a special treat for me and my wonderful little people.

The Great Picture Hanger Uppers

One of the great dilemmas in our house is what to do with our children's amazing artwork. The customary location to showcase a young-one's masterpiece, the fridge, does not work. First, the front of our refrigerator does not hold magnets and thus papers require tape. This is messy and problematic... small kids and tape are just not compatible. Also, mom has a problem covering the fridge with papers- the side is covered with photos and cards from our family members, but the front? A lot of cooking takes place in this kitchen and it NEEDS to be clean. Papers on the fridge are just asking to harbor germs! (I can't get past it, sorry.) Thus, we needed a place where kids could hang up their drawings and school projects.

I pondered the problem greatly. My first idea was to hang up a string in the hallway and let them use clothes pins to hold up their works. Allowing THEM the chance to hang up their projects was important. I worried about this plan, however, as a mother of boys... a supply of clothes pins hanging within their reach screams trouble.

Then, one day at Wal*Mart, I came across THIS new product:

Tape strips that can be used over and over and over again? It states on the package that if, for some reason, the strips lose their stick all you have to do is wash it and let it dry. Really!?!

Um, awesome!

I bought a pack and brought them home. The spoil-sport that I am did not rush right into sticking them on my walls and allowing kids to play with them, I read up on some reviews and learned that most people were really happy with the results. One person had a problem with some paint... but the overall reviews were positive.

Then, I had an idea of my own! Why not combine my first idea of using cloths pins AND the new awesome tape substance? That way the kids were not using the fancy sticky tape when/where ever they wanted (again, that could be expensive and dangerous with small children). However, If I were to 'permanently' stick the paper holding devices in various locations- the kids could hang up and change their displays at will. If needed, I could move the location in the future. Yay!

This is what we came up with:

You can see the 'tape' behind the pin.

Art work is hung!

A row of pins, to showcase all the art! (there is another row on the other side as well.)

So far, so good. The kids love having their pictures hung up. They LOVE being able to change them as they want and mom LOVES the fact that they are not falling off the fridge door and kids are not always searching for the tape stash. They just aren't old enough to work it. lol

Cat in the Hat Treats

 Crafting is an obsession of mine. I LOVE to make things... Food is also a bit of an obsession. I LOVE eating things. Combining the two is not only a fulfilling hobby, it can become a medium of art work that can inspire and thrill people to new levels.

Part of the thrill comes from understanding ones audience. Creating a dish for my husband is far different than creating one for my children. My husband appreciates food with deep flavors and can be awed by the food's appearance in a more natural form. This is not always true for my children... they appreciate a more crafted appearance that focuses less on the taste and more on the look of the food. Of course they enjoy a decadent dish, but let's face it- they get pretty excited about mac-n-cheese from a box as well, so long as it has Spongebob or Scooby characters.


Crafting a dish for a child is more about inviting their eyes to the party, bringing something from outside the kitchen that THEY appreciate. Thematic treats or colors that are not completely 'natural'. These are all ways to thrill them and their senses- and a really crafty mom can do this while introducing them to new flavors and better for them recipes. It's all in how you go about crafting the dish.

Classroom treats are one of my favorite ways to showcase delicious goodies. Children are delighted to eat sugary snacks, but are so fun to watch as their eyes light up upon seeing a new looking dish crafted in a way that captivates their imaginations. The joy it brings them, is worth all the time preparing them. And, let's face it- that's why crafters craft! We WANT people to see our creations and be excited by them, no matter how big or small the item... that is the reason for making them.

Last year, for my daughter's first grade class, I made a treat to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. It was simple and yet VERY memorable. A winner in my (and their) eyes.

I started with my FAVORITE graham cracker recipe from Weelicious. An awesome source for simple and kid approved recipes. I've manipulated this recipe so many times to meet my needs- it is the best! For this treat, however, I left it as-is and used a small circle shaped cookie cutter to create enough hat bases as I needed. I had plenty of dough left over and I just cut out bigger crackers for my kids to eat later- no worries, they are quickly devoured around here.

While the graham crackers are cooking/cooling, I painted my marshmallows. Using a food approved paintbrush (I keep mine with my cake decorating supplies... truthfully, I purchase the green Wilton brushes because they are a specific color and have Wilton printed on them. I cannot 'accidentally' misplace or misuse them.)

To make the 'paint' I simply add a few drops of food coloring to a bit of Caro Syrup. Some people are against corn syrup- but it is all about moderation. Paint the tops and a few stripes. If you have trouble holding onto the marshmallow while painting them, pop them onto a kabob skewer! (Be sure not to go all the way through.)

After the crackers are cool, I dipped each one in white chocolate and placed them on my cookie rack to harden. After dipping, place one big marshmallow upon the melted chocolate- the chocolate will 'glue' the marshmallow onto the cracker.

Simple to make.
Fun to look at.
Educational?

It's all how you look at it!

Being Strong

One would assume that being told you are a 'strong person' would qualify as a compliment. However, most people may not realize that the sheer need to state this opinion implies that the person has to stand firm and press forward in life, even when they may not want to. Being a strong person is not something they want to be, but have to be. Thus, the idea is not a compliment but rather a reminder of the struggle.

Of course the words are said with support and best intentions and are to be taken with gratitude and love... it takes a strong person to accept it as such, and thus- brings us back to the original point. A hidden secret, at the point the person is being told they are strong- inside, they want to cry.

Strong people are weak as well. They cry, they need and they want. Understanding your weakness and knowing how to work around it is what gives the appearance of being strong and courageous. Knowing that there are people with struggles bigger and scarier than your own puts life into perspective, and no matter how much you might want to crawl away and hide- life has to move forward. Hiding from life only diminishes the more difficult struggles others have to face. If they can walk forward and live each day, there is no reason why we cannot either.

Faith in oneself and in ones life is what really makes a difference. Understanding that no matter what struggles lay in front of you- there is something and/or someone there to walk towards. Some people choose religion, others choose a goal or a cause- to give their life a purpose with meaning. Still others put their faith in others, special someone(s) that give life its purpose and meaning.

Whether it is one special someone or 4 perfect people... those special people make life worth living. They make every day worth getting up for, though albeit slowly. They make feeling tired and sick manageable. Their faces, their arms and their love is what makes the world go 'round. The sun rises and falls every day on their beings... and when they are not close by, the hold they leave behind seems endless. It doesn't matter if they are gone for minutes or weeks, when you build your life's purpose around them- it becomes off kilter when your world is not whole. It's a dangerous system for someone who is pretending to be strong- but worth it.

Every minute of every day is worth it when it revolves around them. And no matter the difficulty and no matter the struggle, ensuring their world is how it should be- makes whatever test is offered a simple one. And a happy one. Pretending to be strong and graciously accepting the compliment has meaning. The secret is tucked away where it should be. The smile is reapplied and one foot moves in front of the other... happiness is found when you look for it. Struggles are an every day thing, as is happiness. There is only room for one to be the leader.

:-)

Fairy Tea Party Invitations

My daughter recently turned 7, and like her mother, got a little crazy in her ideas as to what she wanted to happen. I felt a twinge of pride as she told me her birthday party 'vision' and yet cringed at the monster I knew that I was responsible for creating. We had a lot of fun planning, and I had a lot of work to do to fulfill her wishes. It was a lot of fun, a lot of crafting, and lots of great blogging ideas to share.

To begin with, we needed to invite her friends to the party. We needed something special in order to set the pace for the rest of the event. It was going to be girly, full of fairies and a beautiful good time. We chose two different prints of 12x12 scrapbook paper, one a splotched design of darker pink and the other a white paper with light pink ribbons running through the paper. The wonderful thing about 12x12 sheets of scrapbook paper is that they come in an array of colors, textures and prints. You can fall in love with a piece of paper, and craft around it as the main eye catching work of art. This is what we chose to do, let the paper do most of the work for us!

We began by cutting the paper into 12"x6" pieces. This gave us 2 cards per piece of paper. A 6"x6" piece of white card-stock and a 24" piece of coordinating ribbon were also used to create the base card.

 

To create the opening doors of the front, fold the sides inward so they meet at the center. If your paper is cut properly, this should be 3 inches from both sides.

Most scrapbook paper is not thick enough to hold itself up as a card, and requires a bit of help to strengthen it. On the inside, I used a glue stick to affix a 6"x6" piece of white card-stock. No need to put card-stock on the front flaps, that could make it too heavy or bulky to work with. A simple square will do the trick. Choose a color that will enhance the scrapbook paper. I kept it white, because it looked best overall.

 

Mark a line centered along the entire length of the card, should be 3" from both top and bottom. Carefully erase the line roughly .5" from the center folds. You will run a very thin line of glue along this line, but in order for it to tie correctly it has to have a bit of room at the end or it will rip.

When the glue is completely dry, you should be able to tie the ribbon while it remains in place.

Because we decided to let the paper we chose be our overall focus, the ribbon color was chosen to enhance its design. This also meant that we were free to embellish our paper, but didn't need to go overboard. It was time to highlight the theme of our card, and create a sense of our 'fairy' themed tea party that was being announced.

We began embellishing with simple sparkly rhinestones at opposing corners.

We added a butterfly, cut from a contrasting color and pattern. The body was embellished with black puff paint, to give it depth, and the antenna's were drawn onto the paper using a black fine-tip pen. Opposite the butterfly, we formally 'invited' the guests to the party. The words, You're Invited, were printed on a matching piece of card-stock and framed by a contrasting color. In this case, we chose a matching cream because it was similar to that of the faint design printed on the paper, and the contrasting white was also used inside the card. When the ribbon was tied closed, the card appeared as it would in its finished state.

Opening the card would reveal the actual invitation inside,

The invitation inside used a fun poem found from the web which fit perfectly for our use. We gave the important details, as to the time and place. It was printed onto cream colored tracing paper, printed out and trimmed to fit.

Overall, the cards took only a few minutes each to assemble (minus glueing time for the ribbon, be certain to allow time for the ribbon to dry.) We first created each card to the point of allowing the ribbon to dry, then moved on to working on the printer. Once we assembled the outside invite and the internal invitation, all ribbons were ready to move onto the next step.

Thus, we had beautiful hand crafted party invitations... the first step in creating a wonderful fairy tea party.

Counting Down the Days...

In a religious setting, the Advent Calendar begins on the first day of Advent, which changes from year to year based upon the liturgical calendar. It can begin as early as November 27th and as late as December 3rd. It celebrates the first four weekends prior to Christmas, the time of anticipation and preparation of the birth of Christ. This year, Advent began on November 29th.

Most commercial Advent Calendars forgo the change of date and begin on December 1st and last until December 24th. They are the most fun for small children and help them keep track of the time until Santa brings them presents. As a mother of young children, I understand that the holiday season can be a bit overwhelming for our smallest friends. They see the decorations and the anticipation of it all can be too much. It can also seem to drag on forever... though for us, it's gone in a blink of an eye.

Giving children something special and tangible is a great way to keep them eager, involved and moving along. We have a special Advent calendar that my father gave to our family just last year (we got to replace the cheap one I bought years ago.) It is special as it is the same calendar I used as a child and it brings back many memories. I always wanted to make my own, in my true fashion, but never did. I guess it was fate that we adopted this one instead.

I like to cut small pieces of paper and insert them into various dates throughout the month to let the kids see what is coming up, it helps break up the month and give them little things to look forward to as they wait for "the big day." I also create the ever so popular, Candy Chain. I pull out 24 baggies, or cut 24 squares of plastic wrap and fill it with chocolates. I have three kids, so each baggie/wrap gets 3 pieces (of the same thing, of course). I tie them to some ribbon and hang them up around the Advent Calendar. Each night, we get to cut off one of the baggies and eat the chocolates as we move our Christmas Mouse to the next day and discuss what is coming up next.

There are many possibilities to incorporate into the Advent Calendar idea... you can note songs, poems or biblical verses each night- incorporate a Jesse Tree into the idea and discuss biblical characters. The main idea is that our children become involved and are not just waiting for something so far off into the future that it becomes overwhelming... because too much stress really has a way of taking the fun out of the whole idea of it being, The most wonderful time of the year.