When It Starts to Snow

I know it is not winter and it is not snowing, but I did want to go ahead and get this posted. {I am so incredibly behind with my posts...} When It Starts to Snow is one of the recommended books from our Itty Bitty Bookworm curriculum. "What if it starts to snow? What do you do? Where do you go?" The book is about what different animals do and where they go when it starts to snow.

We really had alot of fun with this! Here are just a few of the things that we did!

The boys colored their Snow Everywhere book (from the curriculum) and on the last day we used clear clear contact paper and hole punched dots to make a snowy scene that we put over of each of the pages as we read through it.

They also made a brick house like the one in the book. They used a ruler to measure and then cut out their bricks. Then, they glued them on. This was a great measuring and spacial activity for them!!!

Here is one of the final products!

The boys also wadded up scrap paper and made snowballs. We counted snowball after snowball until they decided it was much better to have a snowball fight! Sorry...no pics...I was too busy dodging flying paper!

They also did a few other of the printables from the curriculum, but what they really enjoyed was being able to make this little beaver dam shown above. We went on a nature walk and gathered up tons of sticks and this is what they came up with!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Kiddos Create {4/26/10)

Welcome to the Kiddos Create Weekly carnival!!!  I can't wait to check out your links and see your creations made by, for, or with your kiddos using everyday items from around your home!! If you are new here and would like more info about the Kiddos Create Challenge of the Week and how to join in, please click here.

***Be sure to either link back to here or add the Kiddos Create button to your post! You can grab the button from the right sidebar.***

Remember: MckLinky will close this coming Saturday night at midnight. So, you've got all week to link up!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

The Living Math Book List

A friend of mine just happened to give me a few books by Stuart J. Murphy. After reading the books, I loved how he integrated math into the stories. I googled his name and discovered he has TONS of "living" math books in his MathStart series. I then went on a hunt for more such books from different authors. The list became quite long...well, actually, it became so long that rather than just putting the list here on this blog, I created an entirely new site just for it! The site has been up and running for awhile...I am just now getting around to sharing it here with you all. So, feel free to head over on over and check out the list.

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Mouse Paint ~ Painted Rock Mice

We had a blast doing our unit on colors. One of our favorite books from the unit was Mouse Paint. I never got around to posting about this, but when we read the book we made painted mice along with our mice paintings. Our little mouse project was inspired by our Itty Bitty Bookworm curriculum. We decided to make six mice so that we could mix the primary colors to make the secondary colors. After doing our color wheel MANY times, the kids knew exactly what to expect when we mixed the colors.

So, all you need are:

• 6 rocks
• yarn (red, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange)
• glue
• markers
• paint (red, yellow, blue)

We cleaned our rocks and while they dried, we mixed our primary color paints to make the secondary colors. We painted each of the rocks. Once dry we added yarn tails and gave them faces.

I was completely shocked a how much the kids LOVED playing with their rock mice! I should have expected this after they had so much fun with our God Rocks!!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Proverbs 19:17 {printables}

With my daughter's My Father's World 1st grade curriculum, she is learning Bible verses from Proverbs. To help her remember them, I have made printables for her for each of the Proverbs covered in the curriculum. We put an 8.5x11 of the verse up on our Bible board and I also scale it down and print it onto a blank 4x6 inch index card to go into her Bible verse memory book.

I also created printable copywork for each of the verses. Once she completes the copywork, I hole punch it and put it in a 3-ring folder so that we have another record of her verses. Plus, it is nice to be able to look back and see how her penmanship improves! As we move along and cover more verses, I will continue to add them.

You can download the docs by clicking on each of the images.

FYI: The curriculum does come with blank pages to use for the copywork. However, I made these to coordinate with the memory verse pages above. Plus, I just think they are so darn cute and my kids are loving them!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Earth Sun Catcher Craft

The kids and I made this cute little Earth sun catcher awhile back when we talked about Creation, but I thought I would share it now just in case someone wants to use it for Earth Day.

They were very easy to make and we were able to make it from stuff that we always have around!

 

 

All you need is:

• an iron
• blue and green crayon shavings
• wax paper
• cloth or blank paper
• Earth pattern

{I got the idea for this craft from Making Friends and they do provide a printable Earth pattern in color. However, in my frugal style, I didn’t want to waste the ink when the kids could easily color in a printable b&w Earth. But, I can’t seem to find the link to the b&w Earth that we used…SORRY!!! But, I am sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find one…or you could just use the color one from Making Friends.} Anyhow, onto the directions…

Color in the Earth pattern. Put a piece of wax paper over Earth pattern. Sprinkle crayon shavings on wax paper…blue for the water and green for the land. Put another piece of wax paper on top of the shavings and the cloth or blank paper on top of that. (The cloth/blank paper helps to protect your protect your iron from getting wax paper and crayon reside all over it!) Gently iron so that the crayon melts. Once cool, cut the wax paper into a circle to complete your Earth. Display in a window! (FYI, I took the photo of our Earth before hanging it up…so that you could see it a bit better.)

I am linking this up with Kiddos Create!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Kiddos Create {4/19/10}

Hey Everyone! Let me first apologize for being a Kiddos Create dropout!!! :-) I know I have not posted much lately, but, I am planning on doing better this week! It is not that I have nothing to post...I have just been so busy doing stuff for and with the kids that I have not made the time to blog about it. {You know how that goes!!!} I actually have quite a few posts that I hope to write and link up for Kiddos Create this week! So, stay tuned!!!

Welcome to the Kiddos Create Weekly carnival!!!  I can't wait to check out your links and see your creations made by, for, or with your kiddos using everyday items from around your home!! If you are new here and would like more info about the Kiddos Create Challenge of the Week and how to join in, please click here.

***Be sure to either link back to here or add the Kiddos Create button to your post! You can grab the button from the right sidebar.***

Remember: MckLinky will close this coming Saturday night at midnight. So, you've got all week to link up!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Blog Issues...PLEASE Help!!

UPDATE: Thank you so much to everyone who responded. I think I figured out the problem. I had duplicated unnecessary coding for the navbar. If you happen to read this update, can you please let me know if the navbar is now horizontal? (It should be!)

Thank you again and my apologies to those who have had to put up with my blog looking "weird"!  :-)   I had no idea, but hopefully it is all fixed now!!

BTW, if you want an awesome tutorial on how to add this navbar to your site, check over at Confessions of a Homeschooler...but be sure to follow her directions EXACTLY so you don't end up like me with a vertical bar rather than a horizontal one!  :-)

Original Post:
Okay, so I think I am having some blog issues.

Can you all PLEASE take a peek at my blog and let me know if the black navbar just below my header is vertical or horizontal? It is horizontal on my computer, but I just discovered that it appears vertical on my husband's computer as well as the kid's computer. I use Firefox and the other computers use Internet Exporer.

Can you PLEASE take a minute and let me know if it is vertical or horizontal and whether you are viewing it from Firefox or Explorer?  Also, if anyone knows how to fix this I would REALLY appreciate some input!

FYI, when I view others people's blogs who have the same navbar, theirs looks fine on Firefox and Explorer...guess it is just me...hmm 

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Colored Rice Recipe

How do you make colored rice? This is the question I got after I posted the little boys rainbow rice project on Totally Tots. So, here is my colored rice recipe tutorial.

 Ingredients:

• dry white rice
• rubbing alcohol
• food coloring
• bowls
• spoons
• wax paper

 

Directions:

1. Measure out 1 cup of rice and put it into a bowl.
2. Add 1 tsp of rubbing alcohol to the rice and stir.
3. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir. Continue adding food coloring until the rice is the color you want.
4. Put a piece of wax paper on a flat surface and spread the colored rice on it and allow it to dry completely…at least a few hours.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for how ever many colors of rice you would like to have!
6. Have fun using the rice for as many different crafts and art projects as you can come up with!!!

Be sure to check out my Colored Sand recipe and my Kool-Aid Playdough recipe!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Kiddos Create {4/12/10}

Welcome to the Kiddos Create Weekly carnival!!!  I can't wait to check out your links and see your creations made by, for, or with your kiddos using everyday items from around your home!! If you are new here and would like more info about the Kiddos Create Challenge of the Week and how to join in, please click here.

***Be sure to either link back to here or add the Kiddos Create button to your post! You can grab the button from the right sidebar.***

Remember: MckLinky will close this coming Saturday night at midnight. So, you've got all week to link up!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Proverbs 14:30 {printables}

With my daughter's My Father's World 1st grade curriculum, she is learning Bible verses from Proverbs. To help her remember them, I have made printables for her for each of the Proverbs covered in the curriculum. We put an 8.5x11 of the verse up on our Bible board and I also scale it down and print it onto a blank 4x6 inch index card to go into her Bible verse memory book.

I also created printable copywork for each of the verses. Once she completes the copywork, I hole punch it and put it in a 3-ring folder so that we have another record of her verses. Plus, it is nice to be able to look back and see how her penmanship improves! As we move along and cover more verses, I will continue to add them.

You can download the docs by clicking on each of the images.

FYI: The curriculum does come with blank pages to use for the copywork. However, I made these to coordinate with the memory verse pages above. Plus, I just think they are so darn cute and my kids are loving them!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

“My Book of Seasons” (w/printable)

We made a book about the seasons. Below are some of the pages from the boy’s books. I got the idea from our Hands On Homeschooling curriculum. Although the curriculum came with printables, I decided to make my own so that I could share them with you. Hence, the seasonal poems etc found on my printable page are the same as what I found in the curriculum. You can download my version is here.

Here are some of our pages.

 

 

WINTER: For winter, the boys made snowflakes from coffee filters. The winter poem reads:

Winter brings us lots of snow
And the winds will surely blow.
Coats and gloves and snow boots too.
Wrap up warm there’s much to do.
Play outside whenever you can,
You can build a big snowman.

 

 

 

SPRING: For spring, the boys made flowers. They cut out a stem and petals and used a flattened cupcake wrapper. The spring poem reads:

Flowers are blooming and that means
There are many signs of spring.
Animals with their new babies,
Fresh green grass and leaves on trees.
Time to go outside and play,
Enjoy the sun on a warm spring day.

 

 

SUMMER: For summer, the boys made a sun. They traced their hand (four times) and a plastic lid. The summer poem reads:

Summer brings us lots of fun.
Days are long and hot from sun.
Play in the water to keep your cool
At the beach or in a pool.
On vacation see the sea,
Or just stay home and climb a tree.

 

 

 

FALL: For fall, the boys made leaves. They used a crayons and leaves to make and cut out leaf rubbings. The fall poem reads:

Autumn’s next, it’s know as fall,
Harvest time is upon us all.
Fall is a time the leaves do drop,
Also a time the wood to chop.
We give thanks and bow our heads
And snuggle in our nice warm beds.

 

 

Included in the download is also another fun little poem to help you remember the seasons:

Winter, spring, summer, fall.
Just four seasons, name them all.
Winter is the coldest one,
Flowers in springtime start the fun.
Summer brings us lots of heat,
Colors in fall just can’t be beat.

Well, that’s it! If you happen to download and use the printable to make a seasons book, please let me know! I would love to take a peek!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Up, Up, and Away {File Folder Game}

I made this file folder game when we had the letter U as our letter of the week. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed it!

How to make the game:

Download the Up, Up, and Away printable and print. Cut the clouds (I free-handed them) and glue them onto the folder. For durability, laminate the balloons and then the file folder (with the clouds attached). Laminating the folder makes it easier for the balloons to slide from cloud to cloud. I used my new laminator (which I absolutely LOVE) for the balloons and clear contact paper for the file folder.

There are multiple ways to play:

1) For a one player game, use all hot air balloons and a die. Roll the die and whatever number rolled, move the corresponding hot air balloon up one cloud. The first balloon to the top wins.

2) For a one player game, use one balloon and a die or counter labeled “up” on one side and “down” on the other. Roll the die or toss the counter. For “up” move the balloon up on cloud. For “down” move the balloon down on cloud (or stay on the bottom cloud). The object is for the balloon to make it to the top cloud.

3) For a multiple player game, use the die or counter labeled with “up” and “down” and enough balloons for each player. Each player takes a turn rolling the die or tossing the counter and they move the balloon accordingly…up or down. First balloon to the top cloud wins.

I got the idea for this file folder game from Hands On Homeschooling.

Hope you have fun playing Up, Up, and Away!"

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Kiddos Create {4/5/10}

Sorry guys!!! My in-laws have been in town and I have been busy working on my never-ending-to-do-list while they keep up with the kiddos. And, needless to say, Kiddos Create COMPLETELY slipped my mind! But, better late than never right?!?!? So, on with the show!  :-)

Welcome to the Kiddos Create Weekly carnival!!!  I can't wait to check out your links and see your creations made by, for, or with your kiddos using everyday items from around your home!! If you are new here and would like more info about the Kiddos Create Challenge of the Week and how to join in, please click here.

***Be sure to either link back to here or add the Kiddos Create button to your post! You can grab the button from the right sidebar.***

Remember: MckLinky will close this coming Saturday night at midnight. So, you've got all week to link up!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Resurrection Cookies {w/printable Instruction Chart}

I remember seeing Resurrection cookies last year and I knew that I wanted to do them with my kids this Easter. Hoping to prevent a complete flop in front of the kids on Easter, I did a trial run last night.

I love the chart format of the directions over on Learn to Love, Love to Learn but I wanted to be able to print it off so that I wouldn’t have to have my computer nearby while going through the steps with the kids. So, I made a printable version.
You can download a printable version of the Resurrection Cookies here.

To make the cookies, you will need:

• 1 ziplock bag
• a hammer
• 1 cup whole pecans
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp vinegar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• tape
• Bible

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Do NOT skip this very first (VERY IMPORTANT) step!
2. Begin following the chart below. Read the scriptures to the child and discuss each part of making the cookies and how it relates to the Resurrection.

Cookie Instructions	Biblical Correlation & Explanation	Corresponding Bible Verses
Place pecans in ziplock bag and let the child beat them with a hammer.	Jesus was arrested and beaten by the Roman soldiers.	John 19:1-3
Let the child smell the vinegar and put it into the mixing bowl.	When Jesus was thirsty on the cross, the soldiers gave him vinegar to drink.	John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to vinegar.	Eggs represent life. Jesus gave His life to give life to us.	John 10:10-11
Sprinkle salt into the child’s hand and let them taste it. Brush remaining salt into bowl.	Salty tears were shed by Jesus’ followers.	Luke 23:27
Add sugar to the bowl.	The “sweet” part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us! He wants us to know and belong to Him.	Psalms 34:8 John 3:16
Beat ingredients on high speed for 15 minutes or until stiff peaks form.	White represents our sins being cleansed by Jesus.	Isaiah 1:18 John 3:1-3
Fold in beaten nuts and drop teaspoon sizes of the mixture onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.	The mounds represent the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.	Matthew 27:57-60
Place cookie sheet in oven and turn it OFF!!! Give the child a piece of tape to seal the oven door.	Jesus was placed in His tomb and it was sealed.	Matthew 27:65-66
Go to bed. (Explain that they may be sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.)	Jesus’ followers were sad and in despair when His tomb was sealed.	John 16:20,22
On Resurrection morning, open the oven and eat cookies, taking notice of the cracked surface and that the cookies are hollow.	On the first Resurrection, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.	Matthew 28:1-9

I thought it might be helpful to see some photos of the process. This is what the mounds looked like before putting them in the oven.



The photo below is what they looked like after taking them out of the oven the following morning. (You can kind of see some of the cracks in the surface.)



The photo below shows one of the hollow cookie.



My Alterations and Adjustments: Overall, I am pleased with my “trial” run. I did alter the recipe by cutting everything in half. It made plenty of cookies. (Cutting the recipe in half produced the ones shown on the tray above plus half of another tray.)

Also, I didn’t hammer the pecans…I just broke them up with my hands. I think it will be much better with the nuts hammered into smaller pieces. (That is why you can see some fairly large nut chunks in the cookies.) We will definitely use the hammer on our “real” version.

I am looking forward to doing this with the kids for Easter!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}

Easter Bunny Magnet~Easter Bunny Are You For Real?

We made an Easter bunny magnet to go along with one of the books that we read, Easter Bunny, Are You For Real? by Harold Myra.
The book is about some children and how they are able to see beyond the commercialism of Easter as they learn of its true meaning! This is a great book to use to explain the true Easter story and how many of the celebrations of spring have been tied together with it. The story encourages both the celebration of Christ rising from the dead as well as the the celebration of spring! Along with this fun Easter bunny magnet, we also did lots of other crafts and activities that were more focused on the Resurrection. You can see some of that on my post over at Totally Tots.

Here are instructions for making the bunny magnet. First, you will need:

• magnet (I just cut apart one of those advertising magnets that I got in the mail…you know the ones…we often get them from real estate agents and they usually have a little calendar on them)
• cotton ball
• googly eyes
• pink and white construction paper
• button
• glue

First, we cut out some ears and whiskers for the bunny. I also cut the magnet down so that it would fit onto the cotton ball.

Next, we glued the ears together and attached them onto the magnet. We also glued the whiskers together as shown below.

Finally, we used the glue to attached the cotton ball to the magnet. We finished off by adding on the eyes, whiskers, and then the button nose…and that is it! Here is a pic the two that KJ and I made and put on our refrigerator. We were letting them completely dry before putting them to work holding up stuff on the fridge. :-)

We got the idea for this cute little bunny rabbit magnet from 175 Easy-To-Do-Easter Crafts. I am linking this post up with Kiddos Create, stART, and We Made It! Showcase!

Like what you've read?
Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your inbox!

{This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Please review my disclosure policy.}