Want to Remember 9/11?

We'll also be taking cookies to the firehouse. That's our way of remembering each year to thank those who serve us.

This Year's St.Paddy's Links

Crafts:

1. Lucky Shoe Charms - my most likely candidate this year
2. Faux Boy's Tie - because it's hard to find things for boys
3. Split Pea Shamrocks - I know I won't get around to these any year soon, but aren't they just too cute?!
4. Wired Shamrocks or the easier version, Chenille Stem Shamrock pins, and the fancy Martha Stewart version
5. Paper Roll Shamrocks - these might just get made tomorrow too, depending on what kind of mood the kids are in
6. Kind of a cute, easy crafty snack - Leprechaun Chowder or try this Color Mixing Pudding

Food:

1. Lucky Shamrock Treats - I'd like to make these, but I have to find that cookie cutter I just bought...
2. Broccoli Salad - it's green and my kids love it
3. Leprechaun Jello
4. Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage - we're having Reuben Casserole again, but this look like a good way to use the corned beef that I'm still hoping to pick up at Aldi's while it's on special.
5. Lucky Charms Treat Bars - if I can't find the cookie cutter, these look pretty good - watch me not have marshmallows either.
6. Celtic Knot cookies
7. Shamrock Shakes - Our town doesn't have them, and if you can't find one nearby either, try here or make your own :^)
8. It doesn't get much easier than these Lucky Charms cupcakes

Music:

We've been enjoying the Celtic station on Pandora Internet Radio this year. At book club this week we had a blast playing Hot Potato to the lovely jigs.

Education:

1. Glimpses for Kids, Patrick of Ireland
2. St. Patrick's Confession
3. St. Patrick's Letter to Coroticus
4. St. Patrick's Breastplate
5. Paper for copywork, and for little ones here.
6. Math
7. Time for Kids Around the World: Ireland
8. Story Starters
9. How about an online mad lib , clover puzzle, or rainbow puzzle? Not sure if this really qualifies as educational, but it look like fun. :^)

If you haven't found anything you like yet, check out this links to printables page!

Have a very happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone! Don't forget to wear green - and the kids will probably enjoy it if the leprechaun's at your house dye the milk or toilets or anything else green. :^) They do stuff like that here every year.

Celebrating Fall

Pinecone owls
How to Draw A Maple Leaf
Pinecone fairies - love these, but need to find milkweed pods...
Line art leaves
Howling at the Harvest Moon
Apple print wreath - last year we printed cheap plastic tablecloths - I think this is cute. Here's another autumn wreath
Autumn lacing project or "Draw the Details" pages
Autumn bingo dauber pages
Sweet Gum Pod Mouse
3-D Apple
Fall Iron-Ons
Fingerprint tree

Sweet Summertime

Cub Scout camp

Ethan's really struggled with some health issues lately,

but despite extreme heat that week and having to miss some of the camp,

he hung in there and was able to still enjoy most if it.

This is Bella's version of water skiing

Father's Day

JULY FOURTH WEEKEND

We decided to buy our own fireworks this year. I'd been given some extra money

as a gift and decided that it was a good way to spend it. We had a great time

setting them off and enjoying the neighbors' as well.

Anna Kate went to Little House on the Prairie camp.

She picked blueberries and peaches, made a corncob doll,

cooked, fed farm animals, made friends,

and came home every day just bubbling over with delight,

and saying that she wished she could just live there on the farm. :^)

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!

Saint Patrick's Day Pics

Cheater's Guide to Saint Patrick's Day

Menu:

Breakfast: Lucky Charms cereal - yeah, I know Irish oatmeal would be more nutritional, but want them to eat it Coloring pages to match. :^)

Lunch: Shamrock Toasties - if I get to the store in time to get the pepper

Dinner: Reuben Casserole

Dessert: Minty Irish Chocolate Cream Pie. Rather make a cake? I like this Celtic cross, but we've got two birthday cakes in our near future. These rainbow cupcakes are the coolest cupcakes ever.

Education:

We're doing this lapbook from A Journey Thorugh Learning this week, but there is one for free at Homeschool Helper, that you could pick activities from. Currclick also has a St. Patrick's day resource focusing on St. Patrick the missionary, as their weekly free product.

We started PBS Nature's program on Ireland and will finish it soon. It has that confusing level of Ice Age, poor dating evolutionary stuff that someday I'm going to figure out the correct interpretation of, but really interesting observations of ancient Ireland and the plants and animals of the island.

We watched these fascinating clips from History.com a couple of days ago too.

Crafts:

Cute preschol crafts,

love this one, but I'm way too late to find the supplies - another year

I think I can handle this shamrock pin (or make it a magnet), but I like this even better.




We've got stroybooks and The Quiet Man and Darby O'Gill and so much more to work in too. So many things, so little time. More from me here and here, but be forewarned, I haven't checked these old posts for broken links.

Happy Groundhog Day!

• If you missed Phil's prediction, watch it here
• If you're in the South (like me!), forget Phil and go with General Beauregard Lee's prediction
• Make a dirt pudding groundhog snack
• Make a cute groundhog bookmark
• Draw each other's shadow silhouette
• Draw a groundhog
• Read a groundhog story - if you don't have any books, here is the history of groundhog day, read a story together, and let your beginner reader read a story here
  

We enjoyed these activities with some books and a dvd from the public library that we shared with out friends today. Have a great time!

Black History Month

This is kind of my pros and cons on the topic.

The first con is the way these things change names. I suspect that African-American History Month is the pc name nowadays, but I'm not looking it up right now. The name thing is, I think, irritating to many "European" Americans. Seriously. Can't we all just be Americans?

That, I suppose, is, albeit it in a somewhat convoluted way, the point. Equality of all Americans, and the historical lack thereof.

Which is why I do, typically, observe in our home school, this focus of history. If we haven't previously focused on the lives of prominent African American, I make a point in February to point out some of the movers and shakers. Read books about their lives. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman. The latter, by the way, was one of Ethan's first favorite historical characters - she was one of mine in elementary school too.

These men and woman truly made a difference in history to change this inequality. so learning about them, and how they changed things that were horribly unjust is my biggest "pro" for a month with this theme.

This year we spent a day once again learning about the work of Dr. King. Our primary American history text this year follows a simple timeline of American history with each chapter being a biography, starting with Columbus and ending at the turn of the century with Billy Sunday. Along the way we will learn about Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver (who I fear will generate as much confusion as Martin Luther of the 95 Theses and Dr. King).

But here is my big "con" question. Why are people focused on and studied this month just because they are African American? Famous football players, an astronaut, a newscaster, whatever. If they were the first to break into a field dominated by bias and prejudice,marian Anderson, for example, then, yes, this is historically significant. But if they just happen to have a certain skin color, why are we spending time learning about them anymore than the guy beside them that is white, yellow, or brown? I think it's missing the point. Or at least, what I think the point should be.

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.

Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Psalm Memory Challenge

This year's Psalm is 113. We crashed and burned last year during the worst of the morning sickness. This year's looking good!

Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!

Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
the name of the LORD is to be praised!

The LORD is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD!


We're also memorizing:

"Father We Thank Thee" by Ralph Waldo Emerson - the kids think it's cool to immediately be able to say nearly half of it by just saying "Father, we thank Thee" or Father in heaven, we thanks Thee" at the appropriate times. :^)

"Now Thank We All Our God" is our hymn for the month




We'll also be reviewing Psalm 100, 150, and 67 from past years, as well as "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" and other Thanksgiving and praise hymns.

Our Morning Worship readings are from the Psalms this month. We read Psalm 18 yesterday which lead to learning the praise song "I Will Call Upon the Lord".

For our writing this month we're going to have on ongoing list of things we're thankful for and some nice copywork to make into a Thanksgiving book. That's the plan anyway. :^) Here are some link for nice handwriting paper for this.

a to z teacher stuff here and more here


So will you join me in my Thanksgiving Psalm memory challenge? It can be for your family or just for yourself. Leave me a link to your post with your chosen Psalm or just write it in the comments. Let's make this a month to focus on learning to praise the LORD with every moment and every breath.

Praise the LORD!

graphic courtesy of Kaboose

Pumpkins and Halloween

We've started working on simple craft projects while the kids listen to our read-aloud. They love to draw and paint and it is a great opportunity for them to do lots of simple projects. I can do the more complicated ones on our Art Day (Thurdays). They listen better and longer when their hands are busy too. :^)



So heading into Halloween week, here are some links I'm using this year:

1. abcteach has a pumpkin page full of fantastic stuff - I'm thinking about making Rose a new seasonal set of letters. ( I love that it has lower case letters to print for a fun matching game too.) I envision Anna's copywork this week being in the Bat and Pumpkin shapebook. Some simple projects for read-aloud time will include the cut and paste jack o lantern faces, the lacing card, and the paper bag puppet. We might even squeeze in the Paper Bag Pumpkin on Art Day. We may use the Experiment pages too, at least the one for describing their pumpkin - I really want to start nature notebooks and this would be perfect.
2. Crayola comes thru as always. This time I have my eye on the halloween message game to work on during read-aloud time - I think we're going to have to read a lot this week :^). Maybe Farmer Boy will get finished after all.
3. On Art Day we'll be using colored pencils to color in a picture of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. (He's our "artist of the month"). Then I'm planning to have them do a thumprint pumpkin patch and glass jar jack 'o lanterns (sorry, can't find links for either right now).
4. For Music Day we'll be using the fantastic Classics for Kids again. This time a program of spooky Halloween music complete with quiz and activity page.
5. Instead of memorizing a new poem this week, we'll be reviewing the ones we've learned and memorizing bones instead. Test your knowledge. I'll also be pulling out Rattle Your Bones: Skeleton Drawing Fun .

We were supposed to tackle Magnets and Electricity this week too, but I can't get to the library until tonight. We'll have to see if we can squeeze it in between the pumpkins. And did I mention that we have free tickets for a pony ride at the equestrian park that expire this week? And Anna has some extra reading to finish so that she can get her "Book-It" Pizza Hut voucher. We'd better get a lot done this week!

Sewing

I finally got my sewing machine set up! (actually my mother-in-law got it set up - don't ask how many years I've had it).

Tonight I made Ethan's Link tunic and hat for his costume. Tomorrow I need to make his boot shoe covers and a cape for Anna Kate's Goldilocks costume. I also need to get bows for Anna and Bella and a blingy jacket for Rose. She needs a jacket anyway, but I can't find the right one. Denim would be perfect - I can add the bling - I just need it to be cheap.

But I'm picking up scarves at the Dollar Tree asap. Because as soon as the Halloween costumes are out of the way - my next project are dollar baby legs. I found this fantastic blog called Dollar Store Crafts tonight and she linked to this project. I checked out the Dollar Tree website and I'm hoping that mine has these, because I've been wanting to get some Baby Legs for Bella, and these are definitely a better buy.

Homemade Costumes That I Would Choose For My Kids If They Had No Opinion (e.g. My Favorite Easy Ideas, courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Martha Stewart's website has a ton of great ideas for costumes.

1. I first saw these 6 Hair-Raising Ideas in the Marta Stewart Kids magazine that sadly doesn't exist anymore. My two favorites are the Rose Garden and the Ice. I think they might have a real chance with my kids in a couple of years when they're past the regular "dress-up" phase.


2. She also has some cool family costumes. My picks are the Outer Space and Woodland Creatures (instructions here).


3. And how sweet and easy is this Leaf Garland Costume ?

Costumes

Well I thought that I was going to have a theme going this year. The Family Fun issue came a few weeks ago and had sea costumes. Ethan decided that he wanted to be an octopus, Anna the jellyfish, and Rose the mermaid. So I bought a lobster outfit for Bella at that weekend's consignment sale. I had a feeling that some or all of them would change their minds.

I was right.

But I think that we mostly have it nailed down now.

Ethan saw a cape with sleeves that came with a freaky skull mask. Why do they have to make everything so freaky?!?!?!? It was really the sword (Not included) and cape that he liked. He's kind of getting a bit too old for the kiddie costumes. He was Anakin last year, but he's pretty much past the dressing up stage. Yes, my little boy who a few years ago was always in costume has pretty much given up that game.

Soooo... We looked all around the costumes and for a while a vampire type cape and pumpkin mask (freaky one) held some promise as a not-too-macabre headless horseman. Understand, he's not out to be macabre, although it doesn't bother him, it's just the cool stuff all comes with those kind of masks.

Finally we ended up with an adult size hooded black velvet cape. He's going to wear it with a slow in the dark black t-shirt with green neon rib cage that I'd bought him. And green light sabre, or glow stick daggers. Whatever. I just don't want him scaring little kids.

I actually, finally, (after looking the past couple of years) found a pattern for a Link costume that I could actually pull off. I was very hopeful that we could return the cape and go for that, but he's kind of attached now. Arrgh.

Rose decided pretty early on that she wanted to be Hannah Montana. She spends her whole day dancing and singing (to the point that Ethan was almost in tears last evening begging her to please stop), so I couldn't really object. Especially when I knew that Hannah wigs were on clearance at Walmart. I snagged one for $3, along with two Hannah denim hats and 2 ribbon headbands for $1 each. Last night we added a bright pink petticoat skirt and a singer set of purple inflatable guitar, huge microphone, headset and hair clips for a total of $10.

Anna Kate chose Goldilocks somehow. She already had a green pioneer-type dress with pinafore, so we added a $10 pair of shiny lace up boots. I'm pretty sure her main motivation for choosing this is that she loves to have pillow curlers put in her hair. My worry is that it will rain and they'll immediately fall out, or that she'll have to wander around all day in curlers, but she's happy. Brian and I will have to wear bear masks, although I'm hoping to find some kind of headband. And if I can find a cute one at a good price, Bella will be Baby Bear, otherwise Anna Kate will use a build a bear bear.

Because the lobster costume is on the small side and not really what I would have picked to begin with.

So what are your kids going to be for Halloween? If you don't do Halloween, do they have a favorite dress-up outfit or are they hoping for a new one from Halloween clearance?

P.S. A commenter on the Walmart website said that she bought ribbon to lace up the boots and they looked like boutique boots. So that is their destiny. Won't they look cute with read ribbon laces at Christmas?

Summer Mini-Lesson; Statue of Liberty

Watch this video at HowStuffWorks. (New York Up Close: The Statue of Liberty)

And these at History.com. (various video clips about Ellis Island)

And maybe this one too for fun. (Statue of Liberty laser show)

Choose a crayola coloring page for little ones - here, here, or here.

And have bigger kids do some Time for Kids worksheets here, here, here, here, and here.

Follow the instructions in Draw Write Now Book 5 to draw the Statue of Liberty.

Read The Copper Lady and "The New Colossus".





"Thanks for the free clip-art to the Just A Touch Art Studio of Jonesboro, Georgia; www.justatouch.com"

St. Patrick's Day Food

Today we're having:

for breakfast: Lucky Charms with the milk the leprechauns turned green

for lunch; something with honeydew

for dinner: corned beef and cabbage - might have to throw it in the slow cooker and lime kool-aid mixed with ginger ale

for dessert: mint chocolate chip ice cream sundaes with St. Patrick's Day sprinkles

I'm keepin' it simple this year.

Here are some good Irish recipes from Betty Crocker:

Peanutty Good Luck Snack

Reuben Casserole

Slow Cooker Old-World Corned Beef and Vegetables

Saint Patrick's Day Activites

1. Draw a face on the leprechaun at Crayola.
2. Try the mazes from beginner to complex at Kid's Domain.
3. Cute printable preschool workbook from Giggly Games.
4. Read about who Patrick really was as well as his actual writings at A Joyful Heart.
5. Make some pot of gold jello and clover cupcakes from Family Fun.
6. Make and hang the shamrock shimmers at Nestle's Very Best Baking.
7. Find a dancing fairy and other lovely paper crafts at the Toymaker.
8. Choose a celtic cross coloring page at Apples4theTeacher.
9. Try pepper painting shamrocks.
10. Print sweet bookmarks at Jen Brett's website.
11. Do your copywork on St. Patty's handwriting paper from BillyBear4Kids.
12. Make a leprechaun friend at Making Friends.
13. Complete the wordsearch from The Family Corner.

Originally published March 11, 2007

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial - February 12, 2009

1. Pick up some storybook biographies of Abraham Lincoln at your library, or dig out the stories and books you have at home.
2. I even lucked out with a Lincoln Logs building guide book. We'll be making Lincoln Log cabins for our table centerpiece again.
3. Apples4theteacher has a nice selection of coloring pages.
4. Check out the National Lincoln Bicentennial website. Several states have their own sites. Check the left sidebar for events near you. I like the kids section better than the teacher's section.
5. Four variations on a pretzel log cabin here, here, here, and here.
6. An Abraham Lincoln bank craft for all of those pennies.
7. A Paper Plate Abe Lincoln Hat.
8. An Abe Lincoln maze.
9. Mr. Lincoln's White House is a rather fascinating site.
10. Time for Kids has Lincoln worksheets in PDF files here, here, here, and a cut and paste activity here.

More ideas from last year.