Craftin’ Creations: Beautiful Japanese Hanging Fish!
We’ve been busy studying marine life this month, and one of our favorite ways to learn is through hands-on activities. It’s a definite bonus if the project involves supplies we already have around the house and if all four kids can somehow be involved in the learning process. I found a cute idea for Japanese Hanging Fish on enchantedlearning.com this morning and thought it would be the perfect activity to end our school day. Not only were they super cute, but the activity incorporated our science theme: the ocean!
Busy Workin’!
An hour teaching Ethan to use tape….. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I drew and cut out fish templates from construction paper and got all the tape, glue, and tissue paper squares ready while the kids finished up their bookwork. We needed tape because Ethan is adverse to getting his hands sticky (he hates glue). He has OCD and social anxiety issues, and certain triggers really bother him. As it turned out, teaching him to use a tape dispenser was a real test in patience for both of us. It took an hour before he understood and could do it himself! Fortunately neither of us lost our cool. I’m glad we’re able to homeschool him, because a traditional teacher wouldn’t have the time or resources to spend that much 1-on-1 time teaching him that basic skill.
After the two sides of the fish were sufficiently covered with colorful tissue squares, we added lots of streamers and ribbons to the bottom and stapled both halves together. Derek was done first and was soon running around the house with his fish streaming behind him. Bella used her half-finished fish as a paper airplane before crumpling it up and abandoning it on the floor. Alex worked hard to create just the right color pattern and Ethan diligently tried to figure out the tape dispenser (with lots and lots of pointers and hands on assistance).
Derek was very proud of his fish!
My beautiful and creative 2-year-old
Once all the kids finished, we ran outside to take a picture all together. I give the beautiful Japanese Hanging Fish one day before their tassels are pulled off. They turned out really well and all the kids ran around like crazy people, streamers flying behind them. After pictures, we taped them to the bedroom doors as adorable decorations. I’m anticipating that Derek’s will be the first to be pulled down and played with. Tomorrow morning perhaps? At least they lasted long enough to show Daddy after work. The beauty of pictures is that they live in posterity even after crafts have long since been crumpled and thoroughly played with. After all, it’s the experience and memories that really matter anyway. We had a ton of fun with this project.
Tiny Hands+ Bubbly Science= Amazement and Awe
Two-year-old Bella no longer sleeps the morning away as we do school. Instead, she’s up-and-at-’em and wants to be involved in the learning. This has been fun and challenging. I’m always looking for new and exciting activities for little hands. Monday morning, we tried out two new projects I found on Pinterest. One didn’t interest her at all; the other was a huge hit.
First, I filled a gallon-sized ziplock bag with colorful paint, closed it, and taped it to the table. That way she could mix the paints and “finger paint” without making a mess. Bella gave it a try, then ran off. I got out paintbrushes for her and she still wasn’t interested. Oh bother. Time for activity two!
The second activity was one I’ve done with Derek before. First, fill the bottom of a baking dish with baking soda. Next, mix together a solution of vinegar and food coloring. I made three different solutions so that she had a variety of colors to choose from. Using a medicine dropper, squeeze up some vinegar solution and drop it into the baking soda. It explodes into colorful, fuzzy bubbles! Bella’s eyes lit up the first time. She did it over and over, quickly figuring out how to use the dropper all by herself.
Derek joined her too. I just kept adding more baking soda (it turns into a colorful soup) and let them play to their heart’s content. The two of them were occupied for an hour! That’s a world record in our house. Not only was the project lots of fun, but it required basic household items. Basically it’s free entertainment!
I love watching Bella turn into a curious, articulate, and imaginative little girl. What happened to my infant?
We’ll Build It Ourselves! Building Picture Frames, Patience, and Self-Esteem at Lowes
The kids had a blast Saturday morning building Mother’s Day flower picture frames at the Lowe’s Build and Grow Workshop. Not only did we come home with some cute and crafty creations, but we also worked on our listening skills, following directions, patience, and team work. Our friends and neighbors went with us for their first Lowes workshop and we had fun tackling the project together. It’s always easier to have dad’s to help, but when that isn’t possible a great friend is the next best thing!
Some of our projects are very simple and quick to construct. Others are very difficult, especially for someone like me who always puts something on backwards. As the kids emptied their packets, I was nervous to see that there were lots of pieces. Lots. Like, an insane amount of pieces. It was not going to be a quick and easy project. Hopefully Bella would behave herself in her stroller! Taking three young kids step-by-step through a woodworking project can be very, very stressful!
To make it more challenging, the instructions were picture only. So, we were building it based off nonverbal cues. We got it, though! Slowly but surely.
I got frustrated with Ethan, who cries when things are different or confusing. I helped each of the kids through each step, one at a time. Rather than wait his turn, Ethan cried. Rather than nail or gather the pieces I asked for, Ethan cried. I felt my patience draining. I reminded him that I wasn’t going to do it for him. He’s almost 6, and his 3-year-old brother was able to do the project just fine. I stuck to it too. I helped him, but I would not do it for him. He ended up with wobbly project because he would not focus or follow directions. He seemed mad about that. I asked him if he saw any other kids crying instead of trying and he said no. Perhaps a lesson learned? I can only hope! I hope he learns that things work out better for him when he tries his best rather than crying and expecting people to do things for him. I can hope, right? Between Ethan’s crying and Bella constantly trying to escape her stroller, I think I need a project badge too. 
Derek’s extreme enthusiasm makes up for Ethan’s non-enthusiasm. He was so proud of himself every time he finished a step. “Look, mommy! I hammerred it all by myself!” He proudly carried his picture frame around with him for the rest of the day. Alex did awesome as well. She did most of the project all by herself.
Look what we made!
The kids were very proud of their projects and couldn’t wait to display them at home. We had a fun time and learned a lot. I don’t think I would have taken them had I realized the project would be quite this intense, but it was definitely a learning experience for us all! We spent some time with our great neighbors, who we will miss dearly when they move. It was a morning we won’t soon forget.
We can’t wait for our next workshop. I hope that Hubby is here to give us a hand– and moral support– as we move forward with our woodworking adventures. 
Our First Attempt Making Watermelon Fruit-Roll-Ups
In our quest to be healthier, I’ve taken a much closer look at what exactly is in the food I feed my family. We’ve switched to completely organic produce so that the kids aren’t consuming pesticides, cut out meat from our everyday diet while finding new and exciting ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into our diet, and stopped buying soda (my weakness). If we buy meat when hubby comes home, it’ll be free-range and antibiotic free. We’ve replaced fruit snacks (the kids’ favorite) with dried fruit and took it one step further yesterday evening with our first attempt at making fruit roll-ups.
We love the food dehydrator. My kids go through tubs of dried bananas, apples, and strawberries. They make the perfect portable snack and we almost always bring a container in the car with us for snack “emergencies.” I got some special sheets for my drying racks specifically to make fruit leather and decided it was time to give it a try! My helpers were excited to turn a watermelon to mush in the food processor and even more excited to try the finished product.
The fruit leather dried all night and was done bright and early this morning. I think I may have over-dried them a bit or spread them too thin, as they were quite brittle. I began removing them from the sheets while the kids were still in bed. I couldn’t get them to “roll” without breaking, so instead I cut them into smallish pieces with a pizza cutter and stored them in Tupperware.
Before long, the kids were up and downstairs. Each of them tried a piece and liked it. The older two moved on to other activities, while the younger two mooched fruit leather the entire time! I think they ate more than I stored for later! Bella grabbed handful after handful, “Thank you, mommy! Thank you!”
Derek told me over and over again, “This is yummy! I like it. Let’s make it every day.” (Probably not).
I didn’t care for the taste of the watermelon fruit leather. I think we added WAY too much splenda. Ug. The kids, on the other hand, love it and can’t get enough. It’s like candy or fruit roll-ups, minus all the unpronounceable ingredients and chemicals. So long as they’ll eat it and it’s healthy, I’m happy!
Mommy’s helper. She’s eating it as soon as I got it off the tray!
Get in my mouth!!!
This is one watermelon! (Apart from all the pieces the kids ate)
I’d like to try this project again using different fruits. I read that watermelon is one of the most difficult fruits to properly dehydrate, so perhaps it wasn’t the best choice for our first attempt at fruit leather. Strawberries, perhaps? I just need to get the kids to stop eating them all first.
Related articles
- Make it: Fruit Leather Roll Ups (urbannugget.com)
- Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups Recipe (familyfocusblog.com)
- How to Make Fruit Roll ups (angelbabe432.wordpress.com)
- Fight Food Waste With A… Dehydrator? (organicauthority.com)
Coolest Preschool Matching Game! Thanks, Pinterest!
If you have an active preschooler, you know how challenging it can be to keep them entertained. Three-year-old Derek has completely given up naps, so I’m always looking for new and interesting things for him to do in the afternoons when his brother and little sister are sleeping. I have a love affair with Pinterest because it supplies me with constant cute and creative ways to keep Derek busy. Yesterday afternoon nothing seemed to interest him, so I logged on to Pinterest, typed “preschool” into the search box, and sorted through new ideas until we found one just right for us. Several minutes later, we made a fun new game!
I came across an adorable, printable paintbrush matching game and knew we found something great. Not only would he have fun, but he’d also practice his colors. Double score! We cut out paint buckets of various colors and lots of paintbrushes together, practicing cutting skills. Next, we taped them to a large sheet of paper and pinned it to the easel. Derek loved putting his paint brushes in the correctly colored paint bucket and did a little happy dance every time he got one right. We played the game three whole times. That’s a long time for a little guy! Plus, we can play it many more times. I think we found something great!
The best sort of game is the one that is fun AND educational. Free is nice as well. I love to see his mind working hard and the joyful smile of pride when he masters something new. Keep ‘em coming, Pinterest, keep ‘em coming.
What are your favorite activities for keeping your little ones busy?
Watch me! Watch me!
So cute!
So proud!
Plants, Plants, Plants!
Spring marks new beginnings. New baby animals frolic on the farm. New baby birds tweet from their nests as their parents search for the perfect fat worms to nourish their tiny, growing bodies. At our house, new plants are born. I love filling the flowerbed with colorful flowers and nutritious vegetables each Spring. It makes it feel so homey. Hopefully I’ll even be able to keep them alive!
The kids have been learning all about plants this month, so this is a broad post encompassing our unit.
The children have learned all about the parts of a plant, different types of plants and why they are important, and what a plant needs to grow. Not only have we read scores of plant-related books from the library and done lots of great worksheets from enchantedlearning.com, but we’ve also done science experiments and planted lots of seeds. Ethan’s LIFEPAC science unit this month was on plants too. Each of the kids has learned so much!
I asked each of the kids what they know about plants.
Me: Ethan, tell me something about plants.
Ethan: Plants have, like, stems, roots, and leaves on them. Plants need sunlight, soil, and water. Some types of plants are trees, flowers, and stuff. Plants that we eat are vegetables and fruit.
Me: Good. Derek, what can you tell me about plants?
Derek: We water plants. We plant seeds in our flower bed. Then they grow and we water them. We eat some plants, like we eat tomatoes, bananas, grapes, bread (wheat), cucumbers, and lettuce.
Me: Good job, Derek! What else do you know about plants?
Derek: Birds help pollinate plants. Birds eat fruit. Then they poop. New plants can grow because they poop out the seeds and they fall in the dirt.
Me: Good job, buddy! Who grows plants?
Derek: Farmers!
Me: Awesome. Alex, what do you know about plants?
Alex: Well, in order for a plant to grow, it needs food, water, and sunlight. The type of dirt is important too. A plant also needs rain.
Me: Do you remember how a plant makes its own energy?
Alex: Photosynthesis!
Me: Excellent. What else can you tell me about plants?
Alex: Well, pollination is important. First, bees and butterflies can pollinate. Flowers need them to help pollinate to make more flowers. Animals and birds that eat fruits and flowers can also help pollinate. The animal poops the seed and it helps a new plant grow.
Well… evidentially the poop lesson really sunk in.
Hard at Work!
Studying the parts of a plant-- Science!
Ethan's drawing of the parts of a plant
Some of Alex's Plant Worksheets and Books
Look What We're Reading!
Planting flowers and vegetables out front was the most exciting part of our plant unit. The kids enjoyed helping plant the seeds and have been good about caring for them. Our carrots, spinach, and tomatoes are growing nicely! It was great for them to be able to see how the plant cycle works. We have been eating entirely vegetarian meals this month too and gaining a greater appreciation for plants and how they nourish our bodies. I hope these little lessons stick with them.
Our Organic Carrots!
Mama's Helper
Sorting Marigold Seeds
Seeds
Derek Plants His Seeds
I helped Derek transform his Easter pail into a pot by punching several holes in the bottom with a hammer and screwdriver and filling it with potting soil. I gave him a pack of Marigolds to plant. When we carefully poured the seeds on the table, his eyes opened wide and he said, “Are these real seeds?” He didn’t quite believe they were. Alex and I showed him how to plant his seeds and he did a very good job.
Derek and his Marigolds!
So Cute
My Buddy Waters His Flowers
Plants are vitally important not only for our healthy, but also for our planet. Without plants, we could not be able to live. They produce the oxygen we need to live. They are an easily renewable food source. I love that the kids are learning where their food comes from and how it grows. We don’t have the space to plant a large garden now, but someday I hope we do. I think every child should learn to garden. It’s relaxing. It’s fun. It teaches respect for nature and the wonder of life. Plus it creates a useful, tasty, healthy, product. Really, does school get much better than that?
Related articles
- How Do Tulips Disperse Their Seeds? (proflowers.com)
- Why Do Flowers Need Pollen? (proflowers.com)
- Learning the Parts of a Flower (proflowers.com)
- Oct 13, How Do Flowers Grow? 4 Stages of Flower Development (growinganything.com)
Kids Can Cook Too!
Alex is taking cooking classes throughout the month of April and today was her first class! We streamed her class live to our kitchen and had all of our ingredients ready to go. Alex did the lion’s share of the work and I helped her with the cutting and stove. Today’s menu was spinach cheese pasta. It was labor intensive but amazing!
Alex and her ingredients!
How cute is this?
With lots of supervision, Alex wisked together a cheesy sauce for her pasta dish. She learned how to preheat the oven and boil a pot of pasta too. She learned lots of new vocabulary words today and new skills as well.
Mixing and adding a crunchy topping!
Our spinach cheese pasta baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes and was ready to be served, hot and steaming and delicious. We chopped up some yellow squash and sauteed them in olive oil and garlic. So many lessons in one day!
Dinner was absolutely amazing. You should have seen the pride in Alex’s face when she ate the dinner she made herself. She was so proud of herself, and I was too. Cooking not only teaches children life skills, but it also boosts their confidence. This class gave us the opportunity for much more in depth cooking lessons than we would do on the average day. I don’t usually get Alex this involved. I mean, she likes to mix fruit salad and spoon cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, but this is real cooking! I love how enthusiastic she is to learn. She is going to be a very capable young woman. I love my little chef!
All done! Hot and ready to serve.
Look what I did!
Alex Learns All About Knights, Castles, and Medieval Feasts!
The Internet is possibly the coolest invention ever and it is a godsend when it comes to homeschooling. Not only are the kids’ learning programs pretty data heavy, but we also steam lots of learning videos and utilize online learning sights. One of our more recent discoveries is virtual clubs for homeschooling kids, which stream live to our house! How awesome is that? Alex can belong to as many clubs and classes as she likes without me having to use half a tank of gas to get there and back and I don’t have to worry about chasing the little kids around the entire time! Everyone wins. Yesterday was her first time as part of Currclick.com’s Magic Tree House Book Club and she loved it!
This month’s book is “the Knight at Dawn.” We read the book and worked on her study questions beforehand. I also gathered a plethora of craft supplies for her castle project. At 4 pm, I opened her class page and she was able to chat with a bunch of other kids her age. The class streams live to our house and a teacher leads the discussions. Alex types her answers, can virtually raise her hand, and interacts with all the other students as well as the teacher. Not only was the discussion great, but the teacher also had all sorts of presentations and videos about Medieval life! Alex learned all about life in the Middle Ages, life as a knight, the knight’s code of honor, armor, weapons used by knights, horses, medieval feasts, castles, castle defenses, and much more. I was really impressed! For a free club, it was awesome!
Alex's Study Questions
Alex learns all about knights
Alex got so much out of her book club! It meets every week, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. I listened in while also watching the little kids play in the nursery and helping Ethan with his phonics at the other end of the table. How nice is that?
The class ended with a shoebox and paper towel roll castle. Alex takes FOREVER on her art projects, so we saved that for after outside time. She took hours and hours to complete her castle but was so proud of it! Painted shiny silver and purple, it’s now a fairy castle.
Alex's Fairy Castle
Homeschooling doesn’t mean that you have to do everything yourself and that you are your child’s only teacher. To the contrary, the world is their teacher. Alex has many, many teachers, from her teachers at the zoo, museum, and art class to her book club leaders and the chef instructing her cooking class. I can find her the best teachers around. That is so much more freeing than a standard classroom, not more restrictive as so many people think. Rather than being stuck with whatever teacher you get assigned, we pick and choose the best around. I want Alex to thoroughly discover her interests and talents and to have capable, informed people helping her out along the way. I don’t think schooling gets much better than that.
A Little Monet in the Morning Does the Body Good
Alex's Monet Impression
When we visited the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens earlier this week, I was really impressed with the pond entirely covered in lily pads. I’ve seen one or two on a pond, but hundreds? It was pretty interesting. It reminded me of a beautiful painting by the French artist Monet and I had to look it up online when we got home. Later that evening, as I delved into a new review book about a homeschooling family, I read about the heroine’s sister’s children doing Monet impressions in their ritzy Dallas private school. My four kids won’t be going to a $20,000 per year school (or we won’t be able to afford food, shelter, and clothing and no one wants to see that … but we could definitely incorporate a little Monet into our morning! Plus it tied in perfectly to our nature walk. Here are the results!
To begin our lesson, I read to the kids about Monet’s life and we looked through lots of his art on the Ipad. I loaded our lily pad portrait and told the kids we would be recreating it. I didn’t care at all what medium they used and it didn’t have to look exactly like the painting. We would use Monet’s masterpiece for inspiration and add our own personal flair.
This is what we were trying to accomplish
Seven-year-old Alex is quite an artist and got completely absorbed in her project. She used charcoal, paint, crayons, glue, and tissue paper to create her own masterpiece. She worked on it for 1 1/2 hours in the morning, a few hours in the evening, and then finished it today! I was completely blown away with her results. She’s so amazingly creative. She crimped her tissue paper to make lovely lily flowers. How original! She was so proud of her work that we framed it and put it on display in the living room!
During art time yesterday, Alex was so slow and careful with her work that in 1 1/2 hours she had only pasted 8-10 green tissue squares on her page. In other words, 95% of the page was still empty. I told my mom and she said, “You know, you can’t rush art.” Whew, self. Patience. I need to work on that.I know deep down that it doesn’t matter if a project takes 30 minutes or 30 days… but in the mean time can it have a general time frame?
Ethan did really well too. He drew his picture with pencil, then colored it with crayon. He was very proud of himself too.
I love watching my kids express themselves. They are so proud of themselves when they create something interesting and new. Plus, it keeps them occupied for a very long time.
Now we can sound fancy too. Yes, my children created Monet impressions during art time today. Or they drew the lily pads we saw at the Arboretum. Or…. they made green splotches on their construction paper for no apparent reason and had a good time doing so! Art is fun and freeing and can be so beautiful. I hope the kids will learn to appreciate it as they grow and recognize some of the more famous pieces throughout history. I happen to think that a little Monet in the morning does the body good.
Alex's Monet Impression
Delicious Frozen Yogurt Drops for a Warm Spring Day
Frozen Yogurt Drops!
Yesterday was the 11th or 12th consecutive day in the 80s here in Jacksonville. It’s hard to believe that spring just started. I saw the cutest idea for frozen yogurt drops on Pinterest a while back and thought they would make a cool warm weather treat for the kids. Plus they would be soothing for Derek’s throat. He was sick yesterday and spent his day laying on the couch, poor guy. The frozen yogurt drops definitely brightened his day! The other children loved them too. They were so easy and low calorie as well.
Here’s how you can make your own frozen yogurt drops. I know some people use gogurt, but we don’t usually buy that so I used what we had.
1. Place wax paper or aluminum foil on a baking sheet. This will make for minimal cleanup!
2. Empty a container of yogurt into a plastic ziplock bag. Cut off the tip, and gently squeeze little drops of yogurt onto your baking sheet. Two small containers of yogurt filled up my entire tray. Only 100 calories total for a very substantial snack!
Yogurt in a handy ziplock bag
Yogurt drops on a baking sheet
3. Place sheet in freezer. We left ours there for several hours while we went about our daily activities.
4. Take out of freezer and enjoy! Be warned that they melt quickly!
Ta da! They're done!
I divided the frozen yogurt drops up among five plates so each of the kids and I could try them. Alex pointed out that the little pink and purple drops looked like Easter eggs. How perfectly seasonal! The kids were anxious to try their spring treats and gobbled them right up. They loved them!
Derek's frozen yogurt drops made him feel much better
Yummy!
Baby Bella loved her yogurt treats!
This little experiment was a huge success. I love, love, love Pinterest and all of the amazing ideas to be found there! We’ll definitely do this again. The frozen yogurt drops were very healthy and tasted sweet and refreshing. So much better than ice cream (health wise)! The kids thought they were getting something really special.
What’s your favorite thing you’ve found on Pinterest?
Adorable Footprint Butterflies to Brighten Your Spring Day!
If you follow my blog, you know that I think baby hand and foot-print art is beyond adorable. I love turning tiny hands and feet into adorable and seasonal keepsakes. I found this idea on Pinterest and knew we had to try it, with our own personal flair of course. Bella wasn’t the most willing participant, but she loved sitting on my lap as I turned her little footprints into adorable Spring butterflies.
To make your own footprint butterflies, all you need is some paint, a brush, construction paper, and little feet. 23-month-old Bella was my artist of the day. She certainly did not like the paint on her feet, but she did like seeing the results. Cause and effect! Paint the bottom of your little artists’ foot and gently press it onto the middle of your paper like this:
Repeat with the other foot, overlapping slightly like this:
Now it’s time to add your own flare! I added a butterfly body and antennae, grass and button flowers, a colorful border, and the words “Happy Spring!” I also added Bella’s name, age, and the date so that I’ll know how old she was when I enjoy the artwork years from now.
Here is the final product:
I loved this project because it is so darn cute and easy too. I think it looks perfectly adorable on my kitchen counter ledge and look forward to displaying it there for the next few months before tucking it away into our scrapbooks for posterity. I love my little Bella feet and know I’ll adore our little Spring keepsake when she’s much to big for her footprints to be adorable. They do grow up too fast.
I hope you enjoy our project and have fun making your own footprint butterflies!
Arg, Matey! Welcome To Pirate Preschool
If there’s one thing three-year-old Derek loves more than anything else, it’s pirates. He talks about them morning, noon, and night. He has pirate clothes, pirate costumes, a pirate ship, and a collection of toy swords. He’s got a treasure chest full of “gold” dubloons and a colorful vocabulary of pirate words. His favorite cartoon of all time is Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I happened upon a free pirate lapbook for preschoolers today and I knew immediately that I’d stumbled across something big. What better way to get Derek to practice his preschool skills than to make it all about pirates. Arg, matey! Welcome to pirate preschool!
We’ve been making lapbooks as part of our unit studies throughout the year, but this was Derek’s very first. I was thrilled to find something so age appropriate! We got to work this afternoon, cutting out pirate words and tracing our ABC’s. He did great! Here’s where I found the pirate lapbook, along with many, many more awesome preschool lapbook ideas and printables: http://homeschoolcreations.com/PrintablePacks.html.
Derek opens and closes his mouth as he cuts! Too funny!
Derek got a lot of cutting practice in and didn’t complain once. Instead, he talked my ears off about pirate adventures as he worked. I don’t think he even realized he was doing school. “Can I keep this in my room?” he asked over and over again. “Please, please?”
Once he cut out all of his letters, we arranged them in alphabetical order on the floor. This was great practice for him! He practiced letter recognition, letter order, and his ABC song to boot. He nestled them into his Pirate ABC’s folder and practiced the Pirate Words, which included things such as pirate ship, treasure chest, and parrot. He also cut out little pirate themed pictures and glued them to his book.
Sorting Letters
The best way to learn is through play. Second best is to make school work fun and enjoyable. Capitalizing upon your child’s interests is an awesome way to connect with them. Had I got out the letter flash cards, I can bet you that we wouldn’t have spent the afternoon practicing alphabetical order. He would have laughed and ran. If it has to do with pirates, it must be good!
We’ll be working on our pirate lapbook for a while. We finished only the cover and page one before his attention span ended. We’ll have more pirate adventures tomorrow! If you need something to occupy your preschooler, definitely check this site out! We’ll be doing lots of their activities. School doesn’t have to be boring. Putting fun into learning makes it a joy for everyone.
Derek was so proud of his work!
Look what I did!
Cute-as-a-Button Kid Art!
About a month ago, I ordered a big bag of multi-colored buttons from the Oriental Trading Company in hopes of planning a fun preschool project. They’ve been sitting in our craft supply bins ever since and my button inspiration has been lacking. I got them out today for a color sorting project and they turned into four different projects spanning the entire school day. Who knew that one bag of buttons could go so far.
Project 1- Color Sorting
I needed something productive to occupy Derek while I helped Alex with her math and his color recognition can always use some work. I grabbed the bag of buttons from our trusty rubbermaid storage unit and his eyes lit up. “I get to play with those?” he asked. “Can I wack them around in a circle and make them go on the floor?” Well… no. That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. He wasn’t quite as thrilled to sort them by color, but quickly became absorbed in his activity. It’s always a good day when your three-year-old is occupied and not destroying anything!
Sorting by Color
Derek made a good dent in the pile of buttons before his interest began to wane. We moved on to a new button activity.
Project 2- Patterns!
Patterns are important for any preschooler. Ethan struggled with them for a long time, but Derek seems to get the concept. As I explained what I wanted him to do, he said, “I know patterns mom. Bella is a pattern. Sometimes Bella naughty, sometimes kinda nice, naughty, kinda nice, naughty, kinda nice.” Ha ha! It’s the effort that counts, right? We practiced making real patterns with colored buttons too. He chose pink and white for his pattern strip and glued them on construction paper. After that, his attention span was shot and he went off to play. Here’s Derek’s magnificent pattern:
Derek's Pretty Pattern
Project 3- Textile Experimentation!
Bella wanted in on the fun as well. Just shy of two-years-old, she wants to do everything the bigger kids do. She’s a person too, after all! Bella loves feeling different textures, sorting things, and scooping items between containers. She loves to do this with dry pasta and feathers! That’s one of our stand-by Bella activities. Buttons are a whole new thing to play with. I set the bowl of buttons on the floor in front of her and gave her many containers of various sizes as well as some spoons. She was occupied for nearly an hour! By the end, the entire floor was covered with buttons. She had so much fun!
I love this giant baby!
Mama's Bella
Project 4- Button Jewelry
As soon as I picked up Bella’s mess, Alex wanted the buttons for her own crafts. I turned them over to my jewelry-loving second grader and they quickly disappeared. Alex is very creative. First she made a bracelet for herself, then for me. Now half of the neighborhood has bracelets and she’s still going. We have Easter bracelets and patriotic bracelets, Fall bracelets, and colorful pattern bracelets. My little bag of buttons has been used up. I think we got our money’s worth there. That’s a lot of fun and experimentation from one little bag.
Who says kids need expensive toys? Ipads? Video games? Bah. A bag of buttons will suffice for some simple entertainment.
My Jewelry Maker
Et, Voila!
Stepping into Spring With Bright Rainbow Crafts!
I love the bright colors of spring, and rainbows tie in with both St. Patrick’s Day and the beginning of spring next week. We began a fun rainbow craft yesterday and continued it to completion today. What preschooler doesn’t love cutting up paper and using lots and lots of glue? Mine sure does!
Derek practices his cutting skills
Bella draws a "rainbow" with markers. She loves coloring!
Ethan does a St. Patrick's Day Worksheet
Cutting is an important preschool skill to master. It develops and hones fine motor skills and builds confidence. Derek has really gotten the hang of it the past month and loves to cut paper into lots of tiny pieces, making a confetti of sorts all over the table and floor. Silly boy. I thought we could put his cutting skills to a good use and keep him busy too by cutting various colored strips of construction paper into squares and making a pretty spring rainbow. The best part was that it kept him busy for a very long time! I love it when Derek is constructively occupied. The house loves it too… it’s a short reprieve from his other hobby: making messes.
Derek's Bowl of Colors
Rainbow Construction Time!
Hard at Work
I also love the fact that Derek got to practice color sorting. We’re always looking for opportunities to practice colors and it’s always best if he doesn’t realize I’m quizzing him. We mixed the colored squares up in his bowl and he had to choose out one color at a time. For example, he had to choose enough blue squares, one at a time, to span the rainbow. This 3-year-old is a color master. He loves to glue too. He got so much glue on the table that Hubby’s flight suit arms stuck to it when he sat down for lunch. His solution was to stick paper towels to the glue bits…. they stuck too. My poor dining room table. It’s sure seen a lot of love– and projects– in its time!
On the topic of Spring and St. Patrick’s Day, Something funny happened yesterday while Alex was doing a reading comprehension project about St. Patrick’s Day. She was reading quietly and then suddenly sat up straight, “What do you mean there’s no such thing as Leprechauns? They’re not real? Well, that ruins all my plans.”
Hmmmm. I’m not sure what those plans were, but she was really bummed! I had no idea she had pertinent plans involving Leprechauns. The things parents don’t know about their kids these days!
Derek was very proud of his rainbow!
Ethan made one too!
Derek finished his rainbow this morning and hung it proudly on the easel for everyone to admire. Ethan and Alex made their own creations out of his leftover squares. Now our house is all ready for spring, bright and cheery and merry. Just don’t sit down at the dining room table… you just might stick to it.
What sort of projects do your kids love to do in the spring?
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day With Adorable Hand Print Shamrocks!
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, and while the holiday won’t be marked by partying and green beer in our house it does offer inspiration for some craft projects. Today we made hand print shamrocks during preschool time! They turned out so cute, I just had to share.
With some simple supplies (paint, paintbrush, and paper), we made an adorable St. Patrick’s Day keepsake. Here’s how you can make one too:
First, apply paint to your preschooler’s wiggly little hand. Be prepared for lots of giggles!
Place hand on paper, pressing firmly to made a hand print. Lift hand and turn paper clockwise. Repeat until you have a hand print facing each direction.
Now that you have a four-leaf shamrock, paint on a stem and write a St. Patrick’s Day message! This makes an adorable fridge decoration or a gift for grandparents. Derek loved it and is still painting everything with green paint as I type. He’s on his 4th or 5th paper now… and his arms and the table are completely green. It’s the color of the season, right?
At least I got some more stain remover at the store yesterday!
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- 5 St. Patrick’s Day Symbols and What They Mean (greetingcarduniverse.com)
- 10 Ways to Do St. Patrick’s Day With Class (bellasugar.com)
- 5 Fun and Eco-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Projects! (craftingagreenworld.com)
Our First Attempt Making Dried Cinnamon Sugar Apples! Yummy and Nutritious to Boot!
Today marked our first attempt using the new food dehydrator and I’m happy to say it was a success! We made dried cinnamon sugar apples and they were great. Not only that, they are super nutritious and perfect snacks for little hands.
Hubby ordered a food dehydrator last week so that we can make healthy snacks for home and especially for camping trips. It arrived earlier this week and we picked up 3 bags of apples on sale yesterday at the commissary. This morning while the kids did school at the table, I brought over my cutting board, a bag of apples, a bowl, and a knife and began cutting the apples into thin strips. Holy cow… I need a cutting and paring device. It took me 2 hours to go through the bag!
Soon (relatively) the large mixing bowl was brimming full of sliced, cored, and peeled apple slices. The children’s tummies were brimming full of all the apple slices that fell apart. I soaked them for 10 minutes in a mixture of lemon juice and water to maintain the apple’s color and prevent browning. Next, I spread them out on a clean, large cutting board and sprinkled the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon. Into the dehydrator they went, 7 hours at 135 degrees.
Apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before dehydrating
My Helpers
The apples finished dehydrating shortly after dinner. They were amazing! I’d say they beat store-bought dried apples. In fact, this is what happened to our bin of apples before I could grab the camera:
Going... Going... Gone!
Our first experiment with the food dehydrator was great. I can’t wait to try something else. I’ve got a pineapple and a pineapple-corer. Well, that and the other 2 bags of apples yet to be peeled, sliced, and cored. Hmmm… I really need one of those apple-peeling/ coring things.
Little Hands + Bright Paint Sets= Colorfully Unique Birdhouses!
Bird houses are adorable symbol of spring, don’t you think? Our flower bed birdfeeder is brimming with activity, hosting a wide variety of wild birds throughout the day. I thought it would be really cute if each of the kids decorated their own birdhouse for the flower bed too. I picked up some adorable, small wooden birdhouses at Michaels over the weekend for only $1 each. Today we got out the paints and brushes and got busy painting!
Each child had their own paint set and a variety of brushes. Alex chose the cottage birdhouse, Derek the plain birdhouse, and Ethan the barn. Bella didn’t get one this year as she’s still quite young and more likely to paint herself than the birdhouse. I had Derek take off his shirt and don a painting apron instead. As expected, his entire work area as well as part of his arms, face, and hair were covered in paint by project’s end.
Each child’s creation was vastly different. Derek mixed brown, yellow, and green together, splashed it onto the wood, and finished his birdhouse quickly. Ethan chose two colors and painted steadily. Alex took a very long time, adding lots of detail. I think that says a lot about each of their personalities!
Here are our birdhouses after hours of drying:
Derek's Birdhouse
Alex's Birdhouse
Ethan's Birdhouse
This was a very fun and inexpensive project that thoroughly occupied my little learners for the better part of an hour. Tomorrow we’ll see if the globs of paint are dry and apply a protective coat. Then we’ll set them up in the flower bed to enjoy. I’m sure they’re much cuter than they are functional, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
I love it when the spring birds come out in force. There will be plenty to look at right outside our little window.
Bye, Bye, Butterflies, Bye!
Our butterflies have set out into the world, soaring into the sky above Jacksonville and into the great blue yonder. It was kind of sad to see them go, but wonderful too.
Our last chrysalis hatched on Sunday and we’ve been enjoying our four active painted lady butterflies. We gave them a piece of orange to suck the nectar. It was really interesting to watch! The weather warmed a bit today and although it’s cloudy, it’s not raining. It was time to let our butterflies out into the world to enjoy the rest of their short lives. We read that an adult butterfly lives for 14-21 days. Rather sad, isn’t it?
As soon as we unzipped the butterfly habitat, the most anxious butterfly fluttered right out. The remaining three were not so interested and needed some urging. Each eventually flew carefully out and landed not far outside of the habitat, testing their wings. One of the butterflies kept landing on us, as if he didn’t want to leave at all. Bella squealed with delight each time one of the butterflies moved. The butterflies left one at a time, giving us to time enjoy each one individually.
Eventually, each of the butterflies took off and fluttered into the sky.
Our butterfly and ladybug experiences were phenomenal learning experiences. We released our ladybugs into the flower bed today as well. They are crawling merrily about the bushes, looking for an aphid snack. The children learned a lot about how things grow and change and gained a greater appreciation for living things. No matter how small, every life is worth something.
We’re keeping our butterfly habitat in case we decide to do this again. I definitely think we will. This is a project we could enjoy year after year as the younger kids grow up and begin to learn more about their world. Derek learned so much from our studies. Just this morning he was explaining to me how a caterpillar grows and changes into a butterfly…. for the millionth time. It sure made an impression on him!
Bye, bye, butterflies, bye! We will miss you.
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- The Butterflies and Ladybugs Have Hatched! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
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- What Happened to Our Caterpillars? We’ve Got Chrysalises! (homeschoolinghelicoptermama.wordpress.com)
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Birds of a Feather Make Messes Together– Preschool Feather Art Fun!
My Oriental Trading Company order came in this week and the kids were excited to rip open the modest cardboard box and discover the treasures inside. If you’ve ever seen their catalogue, they’ve got some weird stuff! The craft supplies are a great price, though, and I stocked us up with buttons, pipe cleaners, stickers, buttons, sequins, stencils, and… feathers. Why feathers? We’re talking about birds this week, and feather art is a fun sensory activity for little hands.
I asked Derek, “What kind of animals have feathers?”
“Giraffes,” he stated, matter-of-factly.
“What? Did you say giraffes?” I was pretty confused. I thought this project would be a bit more straightforward.
“They has feathery tails!” he said.
Good observation… although I did explain to him that a giraffe’s tail is fringed with hair, not feathers. It’s interesting to look at the world through the eyes of a 3-year-old. I suppose a giraffe’s tail does look something like feathers.
We talked about birds a bit and I filled a bowl with colorful feathers. Derek loved grabbing handfuls and feeling them. I also provided him with glue, a paintbrush, and some construction paper and showed him how to smooth some glue onto his paper and stick a feather to it. Today’s project: feather collages.
A bowlful of feathers!
Derek's "Bird-brain" look
And this is what happens when you give a 3-year-old a bowl of feathers...
Derek's feather collage
By project’s end, the feathers were all over the dining room floor. Bella wanted to play with them too, so I scooped them into a large mixing bowl and placed the bowl in the middle of the living room on the rug. I gave Bella and Derek an extra bowl and tongs to pick up the feathers and play with them, scooping them from bowl to bowl.
Bella delicately scooped her feathers and placed them neatly in the smaller bowl. Derek scattered them around the entire living room. Wow. That boy is something else. This would have really gotten on my nerves a year ago, but now it doesn’t even phase me. I guess that’s what happens after having 4 messy, creative little monkeys and homeschooling them. Things like that just aren’t a big deal anymore. I did make him clean up all the feathers when he was done “decorating.” I’m rather thankful the neighbors didn’t come over at that moment!
These things are tricky, mom!
Play is vitally important for preschoolers and it’s amazing how long they’ll play with the simplest things. It just has to be novel and the fun can last for an hour (an eternity in my house!). Play is the foundation for learning, and giving kids a variety of things to play and experiment with stimulates their imaginations.
One of Bella’s favorite things to do is to play with an assortment of dried pasta, sorting them between various bins with spoons, tongs, and her hands. The feathers added a bit of freshness to this activity. The feathers were soft and light, colorful and interesting to touch. The kids liked sorting them and throwing them into the air, watching them fall slowly to the ground. Bella was interested for about 20 minutes and Derek played with the feathers for about an hour. That gave me a lot of time to focus on the other kids’ lessons. I’d say that was a good morning all around!
Now, I wonder if Derek will make a connection between this project and birds? I think we need to take a trip to the library for some age-appropriate bird books. After all, I don’t want him to grow up convinced that giraffes have feathers.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day! No matter where you are in life, single or attached, Valentine’s Day is a great chance to show those around you a little love. The holiday isn’t about over-the-top romance for us. It’s about telling our family and friends that we love them. In our house, this seems to involve lots of construction paper, stickers, glitter, and candy. Nothing wrong with that, right?
The kids were anxious to check out their Valentine’s bags this morning! Derek was up before dawn to retrieve his valentines. They were in for an even bigger surprise than expected! Our amazing XO’s wife, Cindy, made adorable candy bouquets and brought them to last night’s OSC (officer’s spouse club) meeting. I got one for each kid and they love, love, loved them! I need a dose of her creativity!
Aren't these adorable?
Wow! Candy before breakfast!
Valentine's Bags Hung with Care
After breakfast, the kids dug into their cards with gusto. Each had several sweet treats, which is a pretty big deal considering we never have candy in the morning! They really loved the cards their siblings made for them. I loved the adorable little messages them wrote for each other. Bella loved dumping everything on the floor and trying to eat all the candy. So sweet.
What's all this?
Mmmmm! I got the wrapper off!
Now this is what Valentine's Day is about: love!
Awwwww.
My beautiful valentine from Alexandria
We met with our homeschool group for a valentine’s exchange and craft day. It was awesome! There was a massive turnout! Alex handed out gummy gorillas (interesting story there!) and Tinkerbell cards to all of her friends. The kids got so many Valentine’s cards! That made me so happy. I was kind of sad that they would miss out on that since they’re homeschooled and it turns out they didn’t miss it at all!
Each of the kids made some cute Valentine’s crafts. Bella helped “unmake” the crafts.
Alex and her friend Sophia
Bella being a stinker
Look what I made!
Me too!
Ethan and his friend make crafts!
My crafty kid!
Next, we headed outside, past a duck pond and to a new park to play with our friends. The kids ran and ran. I’m so happy that they have so many great friends! They certainly got tired! We made some new friends today as well and are looking forward to getting to know them better. I enjoyed hanging out and talking with the other moms as our kids played together so nicely!
I think this was our best Valentine’s Day yet. It may not be seeping in rose petals and chocolates, but I don’t need those things anyway. My construction paper hearts are so much more meaningful and will last longer too.
Happy Valentines’ Day!
(PS: It's a heart, not a pretzel
Valentine’s Day Preschool Math!
Valentine’s Day is a fun time of year full of sweet cards, cute hearts, and sugar-high children running around like maniacs. Is it crazy that I don’t really associate the holiday with romance anymore? My husband and I exchange cards and small gifts, but it’s really about the kids. Each of the kids made cards for the other children, telling them something they like or admire about them. Not only do their creative juices flow, but it feels so great to hear people tell you what they like about you. Plus, it’s proof that they like each other in some way or another, right?
Valentine’s Day is also a fun opportunity to incorporate cute treats into learning math. How so, you ask? Quite simply, conversation hearts make wonderful counters for preschool hands. I picked up several boxes of conversation hearts at the commissary yesterday. Derek was so excited for his project. He was asking to do it before breakfast. He had no idea what the project was, but he wanted those candies!
I split a piece of paper into 10 sections and asked him to put that number of hearts into each box. For example, one heart went into the 1 box and 8 hearts went into the 8 box. He did awesome up to 5, then got sidetracked after that. With a little bit of urging and several attempts, Derek mastered the concept and had a good time practicing his counting! One-to-one correlations can be hard for preschoolers to grasp and this is an easy activity to strengthen those skills.
Next, we worked on color patterns. I began a pattern for him and he completed it. He wasn’t sure exactly what to do at first. With some practice he got the hang of it. We’ll definitely continue working on patterns.
The conversation hearts mysteriously disappeared throughout the project. Hmmm…. I wonder what happened to them?
Derek also practiced his fine-motor skills today, cutting out heart-shaped valentines (with mom’s help) and decorating them with stickers. I loved it because it kept him actively engaged. He had fun too. My Derek Valentine is covered with lots of bright stickers and crayon pictures. Ethan’s is brown with one sticker. At least he expresses himself right? Derek was thrilled to put his cards into each child’s valentine’s bag.
I love holidays of every shape and size. They provide us with constant inspiration, project ideas, and preschool themes.
Happy Valentine’s Day!!! I hope you get a bug-sticker-covered Valentine from someone you love too.
Symmetrical Cutting Valentine’s Heart Collages!
Preschool time was fun and full of learning yesterday morning. After two lessons in our Horizon’s Preschool Curriculum (which we love!!!!), it was time for some extra scissor practice. Derek’s scissor skills have improved dramatically over the past few months and it’s possible for him to cut for longer periods of time (more than 2 seconds). I let him choose two colorful sheets of construction paper and we folded them, then drew half-hearts along the seams. I taped the edges closed so he wouldn’t get confused and helped him get his scissors in position correctly. Cutting time!
Cutting is definitely a skill that requires patience to learn, on both of our parts. I find myself getting frustrated after telling him for the 50th time, “Don’t cut the heart in half! Cut around the lines!” He gets frustrated having to slow down and cut careful, concerted lines. He did it, though! Derek was so excited to unfold each new heart! Once they were all cut out, it was time for some gluing! Derek made a lovely symmetrical cutting Valentine’s heart collage!
- Gluing is so fun!
Ethan joined in the fun once he finished his penmanship and phonics lessons. He’s a much quicker and more accurate cutter than Derek and loves rubbing that in. Stinker.
When Derek finished cutting, he wanted to paint. That boy loves to paint EVERYTHING. I got him his paint set and a variety of brushes, rolled up his sleeves, and let him at it.
This was a fun and easy project that kept the boys engaged while also honing their fine-motor skills. Who doesn’t love a little Valentine’s Day art?
So proud!
What Happened to Our Caterpillars? We’ve Got Chrysalises!
Our butterfly adventure has hit a new high! After 1 week and 3 days, our first caterpillar turned into a chrysalis. By 2 weeks, all four caterpillars turned to chrysalises, hanging upside-down from the top of the container. It was really neat to watch them transform. First, they would hang motionless from the top of the container, twisted rather like candy canes. Next thing we knew, they were rock-hard cases. While the caterpillars were hairy, the chrysalises were smooth and gray.
The caterpillars attached themselves to a paper sheet when they turned into chrysalises, and I attached this sheet to the top of our mesh habitat. One of our chrysalises fell to the bottom of the container as soon as he transformed and I put him on a napkin at the bottom of the habitat.
Now we wait. It will take some time for the caterpillars to turn into butterflies within the chrysalis. Our booklet estimates 7-10 days. We’ll watch them and wait patiently. The kids have really enjoyed this experiment and have learned a lot about how living things grow and change. We’re excited to watch as our beautiful butterflies emerge sometime later this month!
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Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Ethan with "Blue Freckles"
The kids and I are participating in Mensa Kids Reading Challenge and are slowly making our way through the quite-extensive reading list. I’ve enjoyed rediscovering childhood classics and sharing some of the best in kids’ literature out there with Alexandria and Ethan. What childhood is complete without a thorough dosing of the classics? We’ve read Mr. Popper’s Penguins and Millions of Cats, Charlotte’s Web and The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. The list goes on and on. Today, the kids and I read the story Freckle Juice by Judy Blume.
I don’t remember reading this book as a child, but it was certainly amusing. Basically, Andrew spends his class time counting another child’s freckles and desperately wishing that he too had freckles. A scheming little girl offers him the recipe for freckle juice for fifty cents. He takes her up on her offer and prepares a disgusting concoction, drinks it, and gets ill. No freckles. When he heads back to class, he gives himself “freckles” with a blue marker in an attempt to fool his class. His teacher isn’t fooled surprisingly and gives him the “secret recipe” for “freckle remover”… aka, washing and scrubbing.
After the story, I handed Alex and Ethan their new creative writing notebooks, which are blank at the top so they can draw a picture. Their goal was to write a brief summary about the book to help them remember the story. Ethan has a hard time recalling anything from stories, so we spent some time discussing the book. He still didn’t understand why it was funny that Andrew gave himself blue-marker freckles. The solution seemed clear. I grabbed a washable blue marker and gave Ethan his own blue freckles.
He ran to the bathroom, climbed atop the toilet, and looked in the mirror. The laughter came quickly and uncontrollably. The other kids ran to see that was going on and also began laughing hysterically. Ethan started crying. When the kids stopped laughing, Ethan stopped crying… and it started all over again. Ethan burst into laughter, the other kids laughed, Ethan cried, the end. Oh bother. I got a quick picture before handing him the secret freckle remover (a wet towel with soap) and telling him to scrub.
Believe it or not, he was able to write his summary and draw a picture much easier after having a visual reminder of what the story was about. Everyone learns in a different way. Some of those ways involve blue marker freckles, evidently.
We are going to finish up Charlotte’s Web this week and then start The Mouse and the Motorcycle. This challenge has really gotten us to read more together as a family. That’s a good enough prize as any. I hope that the kids remember these stories as a fun part of their childhood. And if anything… I’ll bet they remember the blue marker freckles.
