Ressurection Set

You know, like a Nativity Set.  Seriously, why have I not heard/thought of this before??  The following website has a very cute printable set for free.

http://catholicicing.com/2011/04/religious-easter-craft-for-kids-make/

Lego Unit

This Lego Unit and Lapbook look really fun!

Hubby loves Legos.  The girls never play with them because I have mixed feelings about them.  I love the creativity they encourage and facilitate.  But I don't love the mess (especially since Tertius is still little.)  Plus, all our Legos are official property of Hubby and I don't want to encourage the kids to get into Daddy's things, even if they do look like toys. 

But maybe this fun unit would be a good introduction so they can get some exposure to the wonderful world of Lego but I don't have to just put a bucket in front of them and pray they don't lose any pieces.

http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog/?p=714285

Free State Travel Brochures

Visit Sweeties Freebies to see a list of links to request Free travel brochures for almost every state in the union (only missing 6 states, but has the bonus of Wasington DC.)  I figure the pictures and info would be great for school studies and projects.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Homeschool Brag Time Thursday

(Taken from Chesnut Grove Academy: "Welcome to Homeschool Brag Time Thursday!  Come link up your Homeschool related posts to 'brag' about the great things you and your kids are doing! Browse around and see what others are up to as well! (Please link up the direct URL of the post you are 'bragging' about!)"

Ok, so I'm a new follow of their's, so I don't know exactly what they were looking for.  But it sounds like a fun idea, so I wanted to participate. 

Here's a quick round-up of some things I want to brag about our Homeschool.  We are really having a lot of fun in our first year of homeschooling!  The following is a list of links to blog posts I've written recently:

File Folder Games  *I've caught the bug!  I have heard people talk about these before, but I never made any until recently.  But now I can't stop!  I love File Folder Games!  And I need to go buy more contact paper and Velcro so I can make all the ones that I have ideas for in my head.

Happy 100th Birthday, Oreo!  *I'm always looking for an excuse to make yummy treats.

Scripture Memorization  *Another testament to the wonderful Charlotte Mason method for memorizing scriptures.

Presidents' Day  *I am SUPER proud of the discussions Primus and I had about Presidents.

A Kindergartner's New Year's Resolution  *I'll end my round-up with a funny quote from my oldest.  I love that girl!

2 Field Trips in 2 Days

Monday we went on a field trip to see Cinderella by the California Theater Center Inc in Folsom.  It was organized through South Sutter and it was a great opportunity.  I took both girls and they loved it.  It was only an hour and very funny.  When we came home the girls and I made a Ven diagram to compare/contrast the play to the Disney movie.  There were more differences than similarities.

Tuesday our playgroup went on a field trip to Michael's craft store.  It was a free field trip I organized through Field Trip Factory.  It was pretty fun.  I think the kids enjoyed it.  It was really cute to watch them wander through the store all wide-eyed. 

We were supposed to be looking throughout the store for the 6 elements of art which were stolen by pirates.  So we started with a card that gave us a clue for where to find the first element of art.  Then we had to go find the next card in that part of the store.  On each card were discussion questions to get us to think about that element.  For example, we discussed Color in the flower department. 

At the very end, the kids got to draw self portraits and they were supposed to incorporate the 6 elements that they learned about.

It was a really cute idea and the store manager who escorted us was super nice. 

Free Leprechaun Resource

While browsing the site of one of my favorite publishers, Evan Moor, I found this!

It's a free writing excercise for Saint Patrick's Day!  It looks very fun and I'm definitely going to be doing it with the girls this Friday.

File Folder Games

My girls and I love file folder games!  So I wanted to share where I've been getting my ideas and templates:

These first 4 that I made came from File Folder Fun.  Such a great site!  So...many...games!  So...little...contact paper and Velcro!  How do I choose which ones to print out??

As soon as I get more clear contact paper, I'm going to make these nursery rhyme sequencing cards into file folder games.  I found the sequencing cards here.  I printed out 12 sets so I figure I'll make 3 file folders with 4 nursery rhymes each.  The big cards that say the nursery rhymes on them will be pockets on the outside of the folder to hold the sequencing cards.

Here's another idea that I want to make into a file folder game: a food chain! 

I got the inspiration when I started cleaning off our bulletin board.  The food chain was briefly introduced, to help the kids understand that all animals need plants to survive, when we were doing our Evan Moor "Learning About Animals" resource book.

So now I want to find some good clip art to create a bigger, more complete chain for a game.  I think I'll even include fungi that decompose animals and link them back to plants to make a cycle.  I found this great site about food chains.  But it looks like they don't really have any usable clip art.

I also want to make a file folder game out of these Landforms and Bodies of Water Puzzles from our Evan Moor "Beginning Geography" workbook.  (Can you tell I love Evan Moor?)

 

Happy 100th Birthday, Oreo!

Oreos are 100 years old!  As I explained to the girls, that means that Oreos are older than their Great Granny T!

In celebration, we bought some Oreos today and made these yummy Chocolate-dipped Oreo balls. 

1. Mix 1/2 cup milk with a package of chocolate pudding mix.
2. Crush up a package of Oreos and mix with the pudding and milk.
3. Squish it by hand to get it all mixed up.
4. Roll the dough into little balls.
5. Put the balls on wax paper in a pan and freeze for about 10 minutes.
6. Melt any kind of dipping chocolate.  I use "Almond Bark."  It's yummy but super cheap and super easy to melt in the microwave.
7. Coat the balls in the chocolate and put on wax paper in the freezer to harden.

Leap Year

Leap Day started with a discussion of what Leap Day is and how many days are in each month. 

Then we cut some yarn to be 29 inches.  The girls went around the house with their yarn, measuring things and trying to find something exactly 29 inches. 

Later they dictated letters to themselves to be opened on the next Leap Day.

We ended the day with making these cute frog bean bags.  I found the pattern here.



Homemade Pop Tarts

Here's an easy recipe for homemade "pop-tarts."  Though, I admit that name is misleading considering the crust is nowhere near as sturdy as the ones you buy at the store and stick in your toaster.  I got the recipe from this cookbook:  (http://www.amazon.com/Star-Cookbook-Darth-Galactic-Recipes/dp/0811828034)



They called them "Booma Breakfast Tarts."  Naturally, they shaped and decorated them like the energy shields that the Gungans used in Episode 1. 

They were yummy and easy when I made them the first time, so the next time I had Primus help.  And this time I just had her pick a cookie cutter.



1. Thaw 1 frozen pie-crust shell.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork until well mixed.

4. Sprinkle 1 Tbs sugar on the work surface.

5. Turn the pie-crust shell over onto the sugared work surface.  Carefully press the crust down, being careful not to tear it. 

6. Sprinkle 1 Tbs sugar on top of the crust.  With a rolling pin, gently roll over the crust to press the sugar in-try not to roll the crust any thinner.

7. Using your cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as you can fit.  You need an even number of identical shapes. 

8. Transfer half to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  With a pastry brush, brush egg mixture around the edges of each oval, covering only about 1/4 inch of the edge with egg. 

9. Place 1 tsp of jam on each shape and spread it out to where the egg wash begins.

10. Place the other half of the shapes on top of the first ones.  With your finger, gently press the edges of the tart together to seal them.

11. Brush the top of each tart with the remaining egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 Tbs sugar.

12. Bake for about 15 minutes.



Homemade Art Supplies

Follow this link for 10 recipes from the Homeschool Classroom.

http://www.hsclassroom.net/2011/01/10-recipes-for-homemade-art-supplies/

I can't wait to try making bath crayons!  And I didn't know you could make your own chalkboard paint!