Melted Crayon Sun Catchers

The best craft projects are ones that I can throw together with little preparation and using supplies I already have on hand!  These melted crayon sun catchers fit the bill!  

First cut a rectangle of wax paper.  

Fold in half.

Sharpen old crayons (we got this cute crayon-shaped crayon sharpener at Walmart) and make a pile of small shavings inside your folded wax paper.

Next run an iron over the folded wax paper.  Use the lowest heat setting.  

Finally, we just used plain old masking tape to seal all around the edges before taping them to a sunny window.

They're very abstract and pretty.  If it were up to me, I would have used more crayon shavings and trimmed the final product smaller before taping the edges.  But the kids are pleased with their outcome, so that's all that matters.

New School "Toys" for the First Day of School

One fun thing we did on the first day of school this year is to go shopping at Lakeshore Learning.  Usually when we go shopping there we fill a cart and then the store holds onto our stuff until the school pays for it and my supervising teacher can go pick it up.  All I get to go home with is a receipt showing what I ordered.  It's so fun to shop with our school funds, but a bit of a let down when we have to wait a few weeks to actually receive our purchases.  

However this year, our charter school arranged some special shopping days.  They had school representatives there that could approve and pay for our selections on the spot so we could bring them home without any wait!  It's so great!  I love our charter school!  They're always improving and seeking ways to better serve us families. 

On the first day of school we took a field trip to Lakeshore and while I picked up a couple things that I needed, the kids were able to choose one fun item to buy with our school funds.  Then the afternoon was spent enjoying our choices.

Secundus chose this really cool fort building set.  Primus and her actually slept in this igloo that night (I don't understand how they can fit but they assure me it's comfortable enough.)

Tertius chose this Action Plates set.  The girls already had the Fashion Plates version.  He can build a super hero using the interchangeable body pieces and then put paper over it and do a crayon rubbing of his creation. We recently watched Avengers: Infinity War and so after he created all his super heros, he drew Infinity Gauntlets on their hands.

Primus chose this necklace making kit with alphabet beads.

Quartus chose magnetic fishing rods.  The kids had all had their eyes on this silly toy for a while.  It's one of those things that they have a lot of fun playing with when we visit the store, but I wasn't sure they would actually use it if we brought it home.  Plus, it doesn't have that much educational value for my big kids.  And for 30 bucks?  Pass!  But then on our special shopping day Quartus found 2 of the rods packaged without the fish for less than half the price.  I couldn't say "no."

I helped him cut out construction paper fish and put colored paper clips on their mouths.  Then Quartus and Tertius had a blast fishing together from a blue sheet "ocean."  They also had fun going all over the house to see what their fishing rods would stick to.  I forget how fascinating magnets are for kids!

I'll say it again, I love our charter school!  And I love that we have access to all these fun resources!

Our Version of Lapbooks and Literature Pockets

The concept of the "lapbook" seems to be quite popular among homeschoolers for literature, unit studies, geography, etc.  I loved the idea of having a fun, visual reminder of what was learned.  Erica over at Confessions of a Homeschooler has a great explanation about what lapbooks are and how to make them right here.

I also love using the Literature Pockets curriculum published by Evan Moor to study picture books with my kids when they're preschool through 2nd grade. They have 3 or so art projects for each story that help the child explore themes, characters, vocab, story sequencing, etc. Here you can see how they suggest to make the pockets to store the projects of each story.

These end up being very large (12X12)!  They don't fit nicely on a shelf or in a basket or storage box.  So I took the lapbook and literature pockets ideas and made up my own hybrid that has worked for us for about 6 years.  I don't have a great name for them; we just call them notebooks.

I only do this for our literature studies.  The kids love looking at their completed notebook at the end of the school year and remembering all the books they studied and the art projects they did for them.  

I just use regular 9X12 construction paper that I punch with 6 holes and bind with yarn.  See how loose the yarn is?  These are the new ones the kids are using this school year.  By the end of the year, they're so full of papers and projects that you need lots of space to expand!  The kids get to design their own cover for the front of their notebook.

The one below belongs to Quartus for this year.  See all the different colors of paper?  He's going to study 6 Folk Tales and so that means 6 different colored sections (plus a blue front cover and a beige back cover.)  The kids get to choose their own colors.  My littles only need 2 pages for each story.  

 The big kids (3rd grade and up) study 3 chapter books per year so their notebooks have only 3 sections, but they need several sheets of each color because they have a lot more things to include!  Vocab cards, art projects (or photos of 3D things that won't fit here), Venn diagrams, comprehension question answers, test/quizzes, etc.

Sometimes the kids will make something in the course of literature studies that they're super proud of and want to be displayed in the kitchen (I have a clothesline strung up on the wall where we can hang art.)  When we're done admiring it, it gets glued onto the correct page along with every other assignment.

Sometimes full page worksheets get glued in as is (see below), which works well because the construction paper (9X12) is larger than regular computer paper (8.5X11).  But often, in order to fit things better, papers get folded in half or smaller before being glued in (like the "Wisconsin" and "Similes/Metaphors" pages Secundus has on the page above.)  It's also kind of fun to unfold and expand things to read them when we're looking back at everything later.

Do you have a method that you love for displaying/storing completed literature activities?

Lego Organization

Hubby has always loved Legos, and still keeps his stash organized in our room.  So I knew it would be something we would get our kids into.  Legos are great in so many ways, however I refuse to step on stray pieces.  I also refuse to spend money (so much money!) on a toy with small pieces just to have half of them accidentally lost, vacuumed, and thrown away.

That's why we didn't encourage Lego play much until the kids were a little older and we could have a specific place for them to play with and store them.  A few years ago, we acquired this huge book case.  For a long time, the two sections pictured here (which now hold science kits, paint supplies, scripture stories, and history resources) were the designated Lego shelves.  It gave the kids plenty of room to build and display completed projects. 

 After a while it became clear that Primus didn't really care about Legos, and Secundus and Tertius were very territorial about the things that they built.  So each was assigned one section so they could keep their loose pieces and completed builds separate.

Soon though, Quartus grew up and started building.  Thankfully, we were given this cabinet (sideboard?) and it's awesome!

The top opens up to double the work space for the kids to play on!

These 2 small drawers hold all the loose pieces.  This is plenty of space for us because we hardly ever buy new Legos and the kids like to leave their projects intact until they need a piece (at which time they will finally break apart something old.)

The cabinet space below is a nice size to hold all the things they've made and aren't ready to destroy yet.

When we made the move to this cabinet, Secundus and Tertius were very upset that they would no longer have everything perpetually on display.  So we had to come up with a compromise.  This small book case is right next to the storage cabinet.  I've used masking tape to divide the top into 3 equal sections.  They're allowed to display their absolute favorite things that they are the most proud of right here. 

One final rule that we have that helps keep the Legos contained is that if any are dropped on the floor and found by me or Hubby, then those pieces become the permanent property of Hubby.  This has all worked really well for us! The kids get to have fun and be creative, and the mess is managed.

Finishing the 2017-18 School Year Strong...

...is not what we did.

I found this in draft form exactly as you see above, with nothing else.  I started working on this post before my nervous breakdown but clearly the pressure was building.   

I intended to sit down today and try to analyze how the end of last school year went and finish this post.  But being reminded of the trials and the guilt and stress that I was feeling would just make me cry.  So instead I'm going to leave it as is, because this way it just makes me laugh!

First Day of School 2018

Like every year, we did school cones.  I love that my kids love this tradition!  It really makes them look forward to school starting.  This year their cones contained Carnation Breakfast Essentials powder, mini muffins, fruit leather, apple sauce pouches, pudding cups, Kinder Joy eggs, Nutella with pretzel sticks, suckers, and new pencil sharpeners.

I like having the kids decorate the paper that I make the school cones out of.  I just use 12X18 white construction paper.  This year I put tempera paint in squirt bottles and let them experiment with that.  Tertius decided to just squirt out a big blob and then spread it around with his fingers.

Tertius 3rd Grade

Quartus Kindergarten(Darn January birthday! Officially he did TK last year so this year is Kinder. But realistically he did Kinder stuff last year and has all 1st grade curriculum this year. So I guess that means no pressure this year because it doesn't matter if he gets behind-or rather doesn't keep up with 1st grade stuff?)

Primus 7th Grade

Secundus 5th Grade

Traditional picture of bedhead, pajamas, and school cone mess on the first day of school!

Rangoli Sand Art

We learned about Diwali, and the beautiful rangoli that are made to celebrate it, in our history studies (Story of the World, volume 2, chapter 5).  Then we watched a bunch of videos of them being made.  The process and craftsmanship is amazing! (Just search "rangoli diwali" on Youtube.)

We happened to have a bunch of left-over colored sugar from a baking project, so I printed out some rangoli coloring pages (just google that phrase-there's a ton of pretty ones to choose from) and let the kids try it out.  

Unfortunately, this was the only picture I got.  The girls did a great job.  Since it's a delicate project that takes lots of focus, time, and fine motor skills, the boys gave up after just a few minutes. :)

(Edited to add: traditionally, rangoli are temporary designs. To stay true to that, we didn't put any glue on our papers. We made them, admired them, and then threw them away.)

Easy Waffle-Iron Pizza and Poptarts

I had started this blog post years ago and just discovered it.  I need to make these with the kids again!

Ok, so you need to buy the Pillsbury canned biscuits to make these.  It's important that you buy the "Flaky Layers" kind!

(I apologize for the lack of helpful pictures. I would have taken some if my waffle iron and kitchen didn't look gross. 😜)

Step 1
Rip each raw biscuit into 2 thin pieces (see why the "flaky layers" are important?)

Step 2
Gently stretch them a little so they're a little wider.  They'll rip easily so don't stretch too much!

Step 3
Place one half of the biscuit on your waffle iron.

Step 4
Add your filling.
If you want to make a "Pop Tart," then put a spoonful of jam in the middle (be sure you leave a good clean border or else when you close the iron, you'll have jam squeezing out all over!)
If you want Pizza, then put a few slices of pepperoni and some pieces of string cheese.

Step 5
Place the other half of the biscuit on top and close your waffle iron.  Don't lock it closed-it's going to be thicker than a normal waffle and you don't want to squish everything.  Just set the lid down on it gently.

Step 6
When it looks cooked and golden, pop those puppies off and enjoy!  Be sure to have pizza sauce ready to dip your pizza waffles in.

Another yummy thing to cook on the waffle iron is refrigerated canned cinnamon rolls!  They cook pretty fast and then they have those little square potholes which hold all the delicious icing!

Playing with Shaving Cream

One of my favorite sensory activities to do with littles is letting them play with shaving cream. I buy super cheap cream at the dollar store and then squirt it onto the table. He spreads it around, smooshes it, and can even write letters or draw pictures in it. It's such a great tactile experience!

Quartus was excited to discover that "I can shape it!" He tried piling it up like a sandcastle and was just tickled when he saw that the way it collected around his hand created what he thought looked like a robot's "gun hand." He also found what looked like a mouse and a chicken.

Sometimes I add a few drops of food coloring and let him mix that in for another fun element. It's also very entertaining for me to watch him try to wipe cream off of a place that he doesn't want it but actually end up making a bigger mess!

Cleanup is super easy. When the kid is done, he gets escorted to the bathroom with his hands in the air. The shaving cream comes off easily with water. Then I scoop up the majority of the mess on the table with paper towels and then it gets wiped down with water, too.

First Day of Theater Class

The kids do a theater class one semester per year. It's such a fun enrichment class for them! And it gives them about 3 hours with other kids, learning from a teacher other than mommy. 

For two years, the girls got to attend while the boys and I hung out at the park and library (class is a couple towns away so it doesn't make sense to drop them off and then come home, just to turn around and drive all the way back). 

Then Tertius was old enough so it was just me and Quartus for a couple of years. Now Quartus is a five-year-old big kid and he's enrolled for the first time.  And now I'm on my own and I don't quite know what to do with myself!

I think my feelings of excitement and sadness when saying goodbye to my kiddos on the first day of theater class is pretty close to how other parents feel when dropping off their kids on the first day of school.

And those feelings were intensified since my "baby" was going to his first day of essentially Kindergarten. I'm so proud of him and all the things he's learning and the fun kid he's turning into, but it's also hard to see him grow up and get more independent, like the others.

Tertius was super cute when it was time for the kids to line up and walk from the cubby/gathering room into the rehearsal room! Quartus is nervous in new situations but Tertius made sure that his brother felt safe. He grabbed his hand and got in the back of the line with him so they could walk in together.

They're going to have a great semester!

I Finally Got My Piano Tuned!

My piano is a hand-me-down from my Aunt. I've had it for maybe about 3 years and it was in need of a tuning! If the stickers inside the instrument are to be believed, it hasn't been looked at since 1986!

I finally had it tuned yesterday and I highly recommend my guy, Jim! (If you live around the Sacramento area, I'll give you his contact info.)  He did a great job. Jim's an old family friend so I absolutely trust him to be an honest, hard working man. I also know that he's an accomplished musician so I could trust his ear.

His story of becoming a certified tuner is fascinating. Here's the short version: Heavenly Father led him to this path, he studied a year-long piano tuning course in only 2 months, and then passed the test with only missing one question (the highest score the school has ever seen), and then was able to explain to the tester why the one question he missed was poorly worded. So, yeah, it's safe to say that he knows what he's doing!

Jim spent some time explaining to me what he was going to do, and then at the end he explained what specific needs my piano had. This was important because he thought he would have to remove the "action" (all the hammers and keys) to clean and fix sticky keys and he didn't want me to freak out if I saw him tearing my precious instrument all apart 😂.  He also gave me some helpful tips for properly caring for it.  And a really neat lesson on American A440 vs European A432!

Another cool thing that Jim does that really sets him apart is this little portable vacuum he uses. As a free bonus included with his tuning services, he vacuums around the hammers and keys. Now I won't be embarrassed when I open up the piano to show new students how the instrument works because there won't be a layer of dust on everything!  lol

The piano sounds so good now!  It turns out that he only needed to tune 20% of the strings but it's amazing what a difference that 20% made!  The keys that were the worst were D and E directly above middle C.  He had to stretch and retune them 3 times because they kept slipping back to an out-of-tune state.  This makes sense considering my piano hasn't been tuned regularly and not at all for a few decades. These keys also get a lot of use! But they sound awesome now!

I'm back!

I've been quiet on all my social media for about 4 months.  I'm dealing with a bit of a personal crisis and basically had a nervous breakdown.  After that, I stepped back and haven't been posting anything here or on my personal Facebook.  I didn't want to clog up everyone's newsfeed with the depressing, negative stuff that I wanted to say, and didn't have the energy to fake happy.  I didn't have the energy to do anything!  Also, most days I wanted to scream from the rooftops, "I'M NOT OK!" while at the same time I wanted to crawl under a rock for embarrassment.  And so I kept the screaming internal, and occasionally to my best friends, and posted nothing.

This summer was not fun.  I was mostly in "survival mode" and just trying to get out of bed every morning, keep our regular routines in place, and keep the kids clean and fed.  After several weeks of wallowing, I finally started to come out of the fog a little bit.  I made a list of the things I was going to prioritize my limited energy on, and a list of things that I want to start doing again but will have to add later.  Blogging was on the second list.

I still won't be posting on my personal social media like I used to for the foreseeable future, but I really miss blogging and think I'm ready to get back into it.  Working on this site is something I really enjoy.  This is how I document family memories, share the gospel, and support fellow homeschoolers!

So I'm back.  Before my freak-out, I had a few posts finished and scheduled that I cancelled.  Those are going to go up first before new ideas.

Yes, I'm still struggling. Don't expect anything inspirational or introspective for a while. But at least I'm  slowly trying to make my life better. Slowly. Trying.

Anyway, here's to a new year of school! May yours be wonderful!

Discussion Clips for Non Fiction Close Reading

I found these cool clips at Lakeshore Learning. (This is not a paid advertisement. I just like to share about products I think are great.)

You can see in the pictures that there are several different types of clips, 6 of each one. They're just thin pieces of plastic, printed on both sides. You slide them onto the page, with the arrow pointing to the appropriate part.  I really like that they're all different colors.

We've used these a couple different ways. On the following occasion, each kid chose a different book about a Renaissance artist. They were also given one of each different clip. As they read their books, they inserted each of their clips so they would be able to remember the important things they learned. When everyone was done, they took turns teaching each other about the artist.

This time, I had 4 books that I wanted everyone to have a chance to look at. They had 10 minutes to skim the words and look at the pictures in one book, and then we rotated books and set the the timer again. They were required to find at least 1 interesting thing and put an arrow on it. When everyone was done with every book, we went through and they each were able to say why they picked that page to be highlighted.

I found that these arrow clips kept the kids focused on what they were reading or seeing on the pages. It also helps them retain the info they're learning if they have a purpose ("Where can I put these 'cause and effect' markers?") and an opportunity to teach each other.  They also would be helpful for when the kids do non fiction reports, instead of taking notes on paper as they read. They can use these and then go back and look at them later to write their reports.

Homeschooling Means...#32

...when a friend is doing a small fundraiser before school to buy new books for her kids' public school library, I take my kids in their pajamas to support her. I've said this so many times on here, but I love my public schooling friends and am happy to support any school when I can.

This cute prize wheel was a fun treat (50 cents per spin). How creative is that? I wish them lots of luck with the fundraising efforts! A well-stocked school library is an invaluable treasure!

(This series is meant to be mostly lighthearted and fun.  Some may be serious, but most will be silly, braggy, or of the keepin'-it-real variety.  Not every homeschool is the same.  And some of these things could be said by public school parents.  This is just to highlight MY experience with MY homeschool and MY children.  Enjoy these little insights into our life and feel free to share your own "Homeschooling means..." in the comments!)

New Field Trip Resource

I am so ridiculously excited right now! Before the good news, some background.

 We love our charter school. One of the things they boast as a perk of enrollment are school-organized field trips. These are very cool in theory, but we've only attended one in all our years of homeschooling with them. Here are some reasons that we haven't been doing field trips with the school:

1. Sometimes they're set for days that don't work for our schedule.
2. While we can use our educational funds to pay for the student's participation, I would have to pay for my ticket (and enrolled younger sibling's ticket) out of pocket. We're too poor for that.
3. Sometimes bringing a younger sibling isn't even allowed. Getting a babysitter just isn't worth the hassle.
4. Dropping off your kid is not an option. A parent has to attend.
5. Sign ups for trips fill up fast and sometimes I just don't know if we'll be able to attend far enough in advance for when enrollment opens.
6. The one time we did go, it was a pain in the butt to get my ticket paid for and sorted out in advance of the trip. 
7. I haven't been convinced that any trips would be worth the hassle and expense. I would rather spend the kids' instructional funds on other things.
8. I thought that school field trips would be a good way to build a community within our school. But our school is just too large (several counties) and diverse so you wouldn't necessarily see the same families each time. When we did go to that one trip, there was no effort to connect us as a community. We were all supposed to gather at the front entrance so we could check in and then we were free to go our separate ways, which every family did.

There you have it. So we've just been doing our own thing. We'll occasionally plan field trips that are free or cheap and local with friends or just by ourselves. But now our school has made a new resource available to us...

Explorer Field Trips, Field Trip Kits!

We can use instructional funds to purchase these kits (which include admission tickets and educational activity guides) and then use them whenever works for our family. There is even provision to allow my ticket as the parent to be paid for from student funds. And this is the perfect year for us because now all four of my kids are enrolled and so as a family we have more school money to play with, and less things we need to buy because a lot of my curriculum is non consumable and gets reused every year.

Some of the available field trips are closer to us, like the Sacramento Zoo. While there are a ton of other great trips all over California that would be nice if we could afford travel expenses. I have friends from other charter schools that have used this resource to take their family to Disneyland for a couple days!

It's going to be awesome figuring out how to make this new vendor bless our family next school year!