Kids Raising Money for Missions

The offering at VBS this year went to a local ministry that drills wells around the world in needy areas with the primary purpose of sharing the gospel.

My kids, particularly Anna Kate, want very much to raise more money for them. She has lobbied me for donations (which she wants to save in a can in the treehouse clubhouse :) and suggested a yard sale/bake sale. I'm not sure where we would hold a bake sale. I've considered asking Walmart about selling out front like the Girl Scouts do. I'm okay with a yardsale, but as the oldest of three sisters, most of her stuff gets handed down, so she wouldn't own that idea as much.

Have you all ever staged a fund raiser? The stuff I used to do as a kid was more suited to the small town with close-together houses that I grew up in. We don't live in a very big neighborhood, so door to door stuff isn't a great option. With school underway, I don't have time for something complicated, but I really want to encourage their desire to help other people. I also need to move fast while the desire is strong.

So hit me with your best ideas, please, I'm all ears!

At the lake

We met some new friends at the lake that was between us since we lived a but farther apart. I brought a picnic tablecloth, some lemonade, cookies, and mini cupcakes. The kids enjoyed their treats and were off to explore. Unfortunately, the day was a ot hotter than the previous one, but we plan to do this again with friends on some nice fall days, and maybe bring a deck of Uno cards to play on the deck of the pavillion with this gorgeous view.

VBS - Marketplace

We've been attending a new church for the past few months. It is not easy to leave a church that you love after 11 years, but this new church is growing on me. It's not love at first sight like my old one was, but hopefully this love will come softly and eventually it will feel like home.

Their VBS, however, was love at first sight. It was amazing. Each child was assigned to a tribe and they explored different areas of the marketplace each day.

Costumes from thrift store flat sheets

$1.50

15 minutes

First came assembly with the narration and periodic acted

out scenes

This is the family tents where they had
snacks and story reinforcement

Making fig candy

Synagogue school

Don't Miss the Great Perseids

It's this Thursday night through Friday morning!

Best Baby Toy from Recycled Household Stuff

Don't you love that title?

Sorry, I've been absent lately, but if you've looked around the blog lately, you can see we're having issues here. Blogger was going to stop supporting ftps, so we treid to migrate the blog, but after it finished - the images and pictures suddenly dissappeared! Still trying to recover those. So, while I've been desperate to blog, I hated to input energy into something that is in a state of disarray, especially since I have no idea what will need to be done to resolve the issue.

But I wanted to share this baby toy idea since this is the day to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. :^) I think I started it for Ethan, and all of my babies have loved it. It's probably Bella's favorite toy.

Our favorite Chinese place has these great take-out containers for their soup in quart and pint sizes. I save them all - they stack and the lids fit either - plus you can see the contents. But, if your Chinese place isn't that awesome a quart size yogurt container or other similarly sized container will do. Cut a slit about 1/4 - 1/2 inch wide on the lid.

Save your frozen juice lids - they don't have sharp edges (but check yours to be sure) and they make a delightful clink as they drop in on top of each other. We've also had a few of those flat plastic balloon weights from time to time. You only need a few to start the fun - I've been saving them for a while.

I think that Bella has been able to do this since about 9 months. And now - I've found a way to extend the life of the toy. Bella loves the foam stickers that I get the kids from the Dollar Tree. We had basic colored flower and butterfly stickers left over from Easter. I put them on the indented side of juice can lids in pairs. She tried to peel them off, but couldn't. I don't think that they would be a serious choking hazard even if she did since they're not stiff without the backing - you decide for yourself. But since I put the stickers on in pairs, the lids can now be used for color sorting, matching, and memory games. Rose and I played three rounds of Memory in a row and she was delighted with them too.

So there you have it!

And for another idea, I also made a square block dropper by cutting a square in the lid of a thin diaper wipes container and using the classic wooden blocks.

Have fun!

Fairy Rose

image from the flowerfairies.com - one of the many roses I love, but not the one I love the best

Do your children beg for you to tell them stories? Does this make you panic?

I used to answer "yes" to both. I usually tried to redirect with , "I'm not good at stories, but I'll read you a book." I like books. I read well. Seemed like a much better plan. Ethan went along with this. On the rare occasion he persisted in the need for an actual story, I managed to drum up a lesser known Bible character or fairy tale. I slipped through the early years of Ethan and Anna Kate this way.

But not Rose. Rose the snuggler. Rose the "will you lay down with me for just a few minutes", then inevitably, "will you tell me a story?" child. Now what?

There is a lovely storybook called Rosy's Visitors (I just bought it for a penny plus shipping - you can too!) about a little girl who hauls her treasures in a wagon to a hollowed tree and prepares to entertain many magical guests. The name and concept, not to mention the whimsical illustrations made this story stick in my imagination, and was, I believe, part of the inspiration for what happened next.

I said, "okay." And I began the Fairy Rose stories. I thought I was just telling a story called "Fairy Rose" about a little girl who found a magic fairy tree and twirled around inside and turned into a fairy. From there all sorts of little adventures have been possible. Initially, Fairy Rose's adventures were based on my girlhood daydreams of being able to turn into a fairy and sneak into homes and leave things for people who were sad or in need. Fairy Rose has done those things. One day she gathered butterflies to fly to the garden outside the window of a sad shut-in she visited earlier that day as the girl Rose. But sometimes she just has fanciful adventures.

Tonight we were reading a book of children's prayers. One illustration showed children sliding down a rainbow. Rose, in all seriousness, asked how you can slide down a rainbow (she has a gift for seeing these things as realities), and thus provided the inspiration for tonight's tale of a lake fairy named Misty who always had the best secrets. And today Misty showed Fairy Rose and Fairy Anna the secret of how to slide down a rainbow.

So the one who was unable to tell stories has become (at least in her daughters' eyes) a master storyteller. For me the secret was to take an imagining that both they and I could relate to, and then keep making up stories about that one thing. That way, I feel like I'm sort of telling a story I already know.

What stories do you tell?

this is, of course, copyrighted by Alicia (just in case I ever write a book)

Making the most of your southern snow days

I have to start this post with some dressing tips. I know that most southern kids don't have snow suits, but I also know that with a little thought, they can do better than hoodies and sweats.

The first thing to remember is waterproof. So if you have running pants, please use them. Put sweatpants or pajama pants under them, but if you have something nylon, put it on top. Same thing for the top. A nylon windbreaker is a better jacket than a hoodie. Put on an undershirt or pajama top, another top, a sweatshirt, then your waterproof jacket. Even if it's a thinner jacket, the waterproof layer will keep you warmer in the long run, with layers underneath. And then, shoes. That's a little trickier, but still the same principle. Plastic bags can be tied over shoes and tucked under pant legs. Put a hat on your head. Put at least two sets of those cheap little stretch gloves on, and have a dryer ready with a couple of towels to absorb moisture and dry those babies fast during cocoa breaks.


Okay, now that you're dressed to enjoy the day, here are some more ideas:

1. Make snow cream or sugar on snow. We tried sugar on snow last year and it was a hit! I've managed to not replenish our real maple syrup, so we're going to giver snow cream a try this year.
2. Make a snow turtle or other snow sculpture. Snow snakes are even easier.
3. Have a snow ball battle.
4. Make snow angels.
5. Eat icicles.
6. My kids love to make a mini snowman and store it in plastic in the freezer. It would be fun to retrieve for your Fourth of July party. Family Fun suggests using empty egg cartons to store mini snowballs in the freezer. :^)
7. How about some snow games?
8. Scatter seed on top of the snow for the birds. They will thank you.
9. No sled? I think that some of your summer pool inflatables will work. Just be prepared to replace them. Let me know in the comments, what other sled substitutes work. We have sleds and saucers, so we haven't experimented much beyond that. Family Fun suggests finding an intertube at Pep Boys and has a great plan for making a snow slide.
10. Spray paint the snow.
11. If you really have a good bit of snow, you can use these snow fort ideas.
12. And when you're building your snowman, keep this idea in mind for a photo op.
13. If you're planning ahead and like a good project, how about catching a snowflake and keeping it forever?

Children's Museum

Need a great Thanksgiving website?

Look no further! Scholastic's got you covered. Take a voyage on the Mayflower, learn about daily life, and the Thanksgiving feast. Than be sure to go to the printables for :

readers theatre script and character puppets

a printable Mayflower board game or "Turkey Teller" game

standing paper Pilgrims and Indians

Thanksgiving stationary and recipe cards

a turkey puppet

period recipe: red pickled eggs

make oiled paper windows like the Pilgrims'

pilgrim draw and write page

bookmarks

Cute calendar and symbols

turkey graphing

make a Wampanoag picture dictionary

reward cards

make a Wampanoag house

cranberry activities

Plant pigment napkin rings are a really cool activity (that I'll probably have to save for another year)

Does anyone else find using an empty toilet paper tube for a Pilgrim hat snack holder (and maybe even the napkin rings) disturbing? Of course, you could cut down a paper towel roll.

There are a few more free printables and gazillions more if you become a site member.

Have fun, and Happy Thanksgiving!

graphic also a free Scholastic printable

Veteran's Day 2009

My great-grandfather died last week. He was a World War II veteran. So was my grandfather (different side of the family). One told great stories. One didn't like to talk about the war. He claimed to not have seen much. I think he still saw too much.

So tomorrow we honor those who served. The greatest generation is dying out and if you have the privelege to have these family members or friends still with you, I encourage you to go and listen to their stories while you can. And thank them. Don't forget the grandpas and uncles who fought in Korea and Vietnam and the brothers and sisters who served in the Middle East.

The US Dept of Veteran Affairs has put together a wonderful teachers guide this year. I look forward to reading through most of it with my kids tomorrow. It includes activity pages, a readers play, and coloring pages. It also has an article about the role of Walt Disney in the war effort (during World War II). Here's a nice propaganda film referenced in that article:



We'll also be reviewing "Flander's Field" and making the poppies for remembrance that we didn't get to last year.

Nature Park Pics

Our day that was predicted to be "sunny" turned out a bit cloudy. So I had two challenges: catching the peaking sun for the best pics, and not losing all the good shots to blur from Bella's happy bouncing in the sling. Next time, Brian's going to have to carry her :^)

She decided to lay down for a pic

So Anna had to too :^)

Yep, I'm taking your picture again, babe

our Bella Grace, "beautiful gift"

We were on a mushroom hunt - Rosie, especially,

likes to hunt for mushrooms

Never know how many more of these pics

I'm going to get. I'm holding tight to and savoring

every bit of little boy that's left.

Anyone know what these are?

This one makes a pretty desktop wallpaper.

Orionid Meteor Shower

This is the annual meteor shower from Halley's comet debris. The best part? It peaks at 6 AM EST, so you can watch it and get sleep. :^) Check Space.com for more details.

Home Depot Kids Workshops

If you haven't been to one of these, or haven't been lately, check them out! The project for August 1 is a very nice-looking message center that would make a great Christmas gift from a child to their grandparents. The best part - apron, workshop, and materials - all FREE.

While you're at it check out Lowe's version too. Woohoo!

More Christmas for kids

1. Going carolling is easy with this ready to print Christmas carol book.
2. At Christian Preschool Printables you can print Christmas bingo pages made up of the nativity story pictures. And on the next page is a Road to Bethlehem file folder game and a nativity puzzle.
3. No kids activity list would be complete without The Toymaker. This year I'm planning to have the kids make the Dodechahedron of Little Snow Guys after reading (or rather looking at - it's perfectly wordless) The Snowman (this version is an easy reader just right for Anna Kate) and watching it on DVD. And I think that I have a resident artist or two that will enjoy learning to draw this Santa.
4. And Edhelper has a lot of Christmas worksheets, some are free, some are only available with a site subscription.

Christmas for Kids

1. Easy Christmas Star craft - we've been slowly working on these the past few days, allowing the glue to dry and doing the next step the next day. We are covering ours in glue and glitter and they're turning out very well - we're even going to flip them over and glitter the back so that we can hang them anywhere.
2. Lots of simple paper crafts at first-school - my girls thoroughly enjoyed cutting out the snowman and pasting him and their chosen hat and scarf to a bright piece of construction paper. I have my eye on the Christmas Bell Angel and the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus Craft for this upcoming week.
3. We're going to see The Nutcracker on Thursday, and I'd like to work on this printable stage production. At the very least, I'm planning to make these cute Nutcracker finger puppets. You could enjoy these while watching a video of the Nutcracker (this version is my favorite) or even just listening to highlights.
4. Isn't this Reindeer Six Pack the cutest thing ever? It would make a great gift for the soft drink-loving grandparent in your kid's life.
5. Ooo. We have plans to use our half gallon of peppermint ice cream to try to imitate Chick-Fil-A's heavenly peppermint chocolate chip milkshakes, but if that hadn't already been the plan, I'd be making this Peppermint Christmas Punch.
6. Build a virtual snowman at Holiday spot
7. Print Christmas-themed math worksheets at kidzone- and here is a Christmas word problem sheet - and some more colorful math sheets here
8. Print a Christmas Bible readings chart and let your older kids read the Christmas passages for themselves.
9. Fun set of language arts related North Pole worksheets from Kids Domain
10. Do your kids love the Grinch?
11. I've got so many more links to share, but must get some shut-eye. Here's a page full of lovely links for you to explore on your own. I'll try for installment 2 soon.

A Day at the Apple Farm

We shook up our annual apple picking tradition by going to a different orchard this year. The main reason for the change was the opportunity to try out a corn maze. It was hot in that open field and it's a good thing that it didn't take us long because the natives got restless quickly. They also had some really cool stuff at the p[layground, inclusing the tepee and the bouncing tubes. But all in all, I think we'll be back at our beautiful, cool mountaintop orchard next year.

Stuff I'm printing today

1. Crayola's Nature Walk activity page - my kids are going to take this to do at their Gran's for a seasonal little science/art/writing activity
2. Crayola's Autumn Leaves coloring page - I'm going to have the kids color these with their crayola :^) markers and then cut them out and make a border over the deck doors
3. There are other fall Crayola activity pages here.
4. Wondertime's Autumn Adventure cutting pages for Rose
5. Halloween bookmarks from Jan Brett to enjoy this month.