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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

You might homeschool if your kids go off into the backyard and look for caterpillars to grow into butterflies.  Know how to feed them and what to do when they emerge from their cocoons.  To be fair we have done this before but actually paid for the caterpillars.  My kids got smart and found some for free in our backyard.  It helps that we have a backyard with trees.  Specifically citrus trees.  My daughters, yes the girls not one of the gaggle of boys I have, found the caterpillars on our citrus trees.  They are Giant Swallowtail Butterflies - some of the largest butterflies in North America. 

If you are interested in doing this project yourself you can order a kit online or find your own caterpillars.  If you do it yourself you will need a mesh enclosure for them to live in (ours was reused from when we ordered the kit), and you will need to research how to feed them both as a caterpillar and as a butterfly.  Make sure you are getting the correct caterpillars or you could end up with a house full of moths or worse, worms and bird poop (some of these really do look like bird poop). 

Which ever you choose, it is so worth it.  Have fun bug hunting and be sure to post your own pictures if you get some to turn into butterflies!



Thursday, November 22, 2012

I'm Thankful

This year its not hard for me to find things to be thankful for. 

I am thankful I got more time with my son, that he is in remission and able to walk again. 

I am thankful for those who care about us: friends, family and strangers in ways I never knew they would.

I am thankful for a home in which to call our own.

I am thankful for my animals who bring me joy everyday, who are always there for me, are always warm and always ready with a wet kiss. 

I am thankful for people who care for those who suffer more than are scared of suffering themselves.  Without them we would not have the awesome drs and nurses we do. 

I am thankful to live in a country with access to those drs and nurses, with freedom to homeschool, with choices in what we want to do with our lives, where we want to live and how we want to worship the god of our choice.  I might not agree with everyone but thats what makes our country great. 

I am thankful for a husband and his undying devotion to me and his children. 

I am thankful this horrible awful year is almost done.  May the next one be more blessed and prosperous for everyone. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Light the Night

Thanks for all the sharing and donations to help us reach our goal for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk.  I was really shocked by how many people turned out.  It was our first year and it really warmed my hear to see so many people care about people like my son.  If you are ever looking for a way to get involved with a charity I can't recommend Light the Night enough.  Our areas coordinators were so helpful and very responsive to emails and questions.  Our kids got to be involved which was a big deal to us.  We want that to know what it is to give back.  For them to see how many people whose lives have been touched by Leukemia and Lymphoma, it made them feel not so alone.  We will be doing this again next year for sure. 

Some strangers were nice enough to get a picture of ALL of us.  I think its the only family picture with all 9 kids.

It was a cold cold night right there on the lake. 

There were local "Celebrities" like the Phoenix Suns Gorilla who is seen here dancing. Kids loved him.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

American Heritage Festival

We have been going to the American Heritage Festival for a few years now.  Its something the kids really look forward to.  Its very educational and fun, plus the kids have to walk a lot and practice talking to adults and asking questions.  Even I learn something every time we go.  For instance did you know that to be admitted in to the army you needed to have at least 2 teeth?  That was so you could bite the ends off the gun powder packets.  I guess dentistry wasn't real big back then. 

My 18 month old, who gets upset when the tv is too loud, thought the battles were hilarious.  "haha big boom.  haha fall down.  die."  He had the whole stand cracking up.  My 8 year old, who wants to be an army man, got way too emotionally invested in these battles. He would get so upset when our side lost or if we had too many casualties. 

Battle

Ahhh loud


My boys knew every gun by name.

Troops from all eras. 




When we got home that night the kids made their own reenactments.  With tents and guns and battles and everything.  It was so cute.  They learned a lot and had so much fun. 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving Craft

My daughter found this craft and the kids ended up really liking it.  Its a no glue craft, just need paper, crayons and scissors.  I think this would make a really good craft to do on Thanksgiving if you are gonna have a bunch of kids to entertain.  You can even use them as place setters. 

You need to either print out the PDF from the above link or draw your own turkey.  My daughter drew her own turkey and then we made enough copies for everyone.  Next up is to let the kids color the turkey.
My daughter is explaining the craft to the kids.


After the turkeys have been colored you have to cut them out.  Make sure you don't cut all the way through to the bottom of the turkey.  We stood ours up in our art area. 







Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Vote!

If you can - Go Vote. 

Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: 'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm. - Emerson

To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.-Louis L'Amour
 
 
 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Art - Dali

Dali is fun to study because, frankly, anything goes.  The picture does not need to make any sort of sense since he painted from his dreams.  Kids can really get behind that.  That respect him for that, as if he was painting on their level.

If you are in the area or plan to be, check out the Dali museum and their lesson plans before you go. I would love to do that with my kids, they are museum hounds.

I picked up a used copy  of Imagine That that covers Surreal artists like Dali, Ernst and Kahlo.  Besides a short biography it also gives you 2 art ideas for each artist.  I love that because even if one craft doesn't work for you, the other might.  So you don't have to skip that artist just because you can't do that craft.  I also used a Salvador Dali book so the kids could see what his other art looked like since there was only 1 picture in Imagine That. 

My kids loved this craft.  Loved. They had so much fun and were laughing the whole time.  Its a fairly easy project.  You just need magazines, paper, scissors and glue.  And your imagination. 


This is why I keep every magazine that comes through the door.

Don't you love the monkey pooping?  Why is poop so funny?


I love how Joe added his name in true Dali style.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Buttercup

We got a new addition to our family.  A cute little puppy we rescued from the pound.  They told she was Beagle Basset Hound and it became quickly apparent there is no Basset Hound in her.  Hound maybe, Basset?  I don't think so.






Shes the sweetest dog.  Of course she is a puppy and acts accordingly but its so endearing.  Like you get to have a puppy too often?  Its been 12 years for us.  The kids named her Buttercup and I will find it very funny if she ends up being a Doberman mix and call her Buttercup.  But we thinking maybe Black and Tan Coonhound.  Definitely some Beagle in her.  She has the head like a Beagle.  She has markings like a Rott would but she is lacking the size. Shes big for a Beagle though so she definitely has to have some other bigger dog in her.  Anyone have any idea what kind of pup we got?   

ETA: Vet think she is in fact a Lab/Rott mix.  And for a pup of her age she is even big for a lab.  So I was wrong.  No beagle.  We will have to wait and see what she becomes.  Maybe shes just a really cute Mutt! 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

October Book Review

I finally got around to reading a book I have had in my Kindle forever; Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. I loved it, really loved it.  I could admire what he went through, where he came from and how he held onto his convictions through it all.  A hard worker, suffering unimaginable loss of not 1 but 2 wives, and still seemingly never becoming bitter.  Washington offers up lessons in hard work and keeping a good attitude with humility.  I put this on my kids to read list for school.  Its a quick read and easy to follow.  I bought it in paper back for my kids though since its a bit easier to read than on a phone or mp3 player.

I also read Alan Alda's Never Have Your Dog Stuffed.  An honest and humorous memoir.  It was a fun quick read.  This is not an indepth autobiography, and its not a "How I got Famous" book, nor is it a fairy tale how he lived happily ever after.  I think he touches on a lot of what everyone goes through.  Always struggling to meet this goal that doesn't have a name and we have no idea how to get there.  I really enjoyed it.

I also read Stori Telling by Tori Spelling.   This was one of those guilty pleasures, like sitting in bed eating ice cream while you watching something on tv that has no moral merit at all.  It was a quick easy read and I just could not put it down.  It was funny and honest.  Honest in a way that I am sure was hard to write about.  Some of what she talks about, the mistakes she made, admitting she was wrong could not have been easy. 

Next I am on to Betty White's Here We Go Again.  I love Betty White.  I read a book of hers last year and enjoyed it so much when I saw this one I knew I had to read it.  I'll let you know if I was right. 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Autumn Fingerprint Craft

We are having a busy day and so I had to find a quick craft for the kids.  This turned out WAY more involved when my baby decided he would finger paint too.  There I was standing with paint on my fingers when my 3 year old told me to go see what the baby had done.



Don't worry, its shampoo.  Smelled WAY worse than paint though.  Whenever these things happen I figure God was just telling me I needed to mop.

Back to the craft.  I buy large paints in primary colors and let the kids mix the colors to get the ones they need.  Which is great for this craft.  A little bit of Red, Yellow and Blue and you have your basic Autumn colors.



You can print the tree here or make your own tree.  Which would be a good idea if you have an older child who likes to draw.  You could even make it a bigger picture with lots of trees and have the kids finger print on one sheet instead of their own.  Or perhaps the tree has already lost all its leaves, put the leaves on the ground instead of on the tree.  Or maybe there is a wind blowing the leaves away.  You can create a whole scene with one kid doing a scene with all the leaves on the tree, another with the leaves blowing away and one with all the leaves on the ground. 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Monday art: Perspective

Learning about perspective can be lots of fun because its so tangible.  One of the few art classes I can remember is the one where we learned about perspective.  Our teacher took us outside and has us stand at the corner of the school, right with our nose nearly touching the wall and look down the length of the building and see how it shrank in to the distance. 

You can teach perspective in lots of ways.  Put 2 balls of the same size on the table, one at one end and one at the other and look down the table at them both. 

I showed my kids a Monet picture on the wall, "Poppies" and had them compare the size of the house to the size of the women in the foreground.  I told them the house was smaller because it was further away.  In real life the house is much much bigger than the women.  It only looked small because in the picture We are further away from the house too. 

Then we did this for our craft:

Its pretty easy and fun craft for the kids.  You can do this with just about any landscape.  Have a Horizon with sea and sky or land and sky.  Have different sized objects going from biggest to smallest pasted on.  We used sailboats on the sea.  We glued paper waves on to give it some depth.  Color and cut out the object and paste it on the paper.  I suggest glue sticks.  Liquid is just so heavy.  And messy.  Very very messy.   You can do trees in a field, or cars on a road.  Whatever you want a picture of really.  There are endless printables you can print out and color. 

*remember to click on the links, lots of info for helping you in your craft making, and no I don't get anything out of it, just don't want you to miss out.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Thermal Downshock

I am not sure but I think the shock part refers to what the person standing near by feels when it happens to them.

Thermal Downshock is what happens when something Hot meets something Cold and it cracks or explodes.  As an example: cold water, say from a medicine syringe, hitting a hot light bulb would cause the light bulb to crack.  Perhaps crack right along the base and fall from the ceiling shattering into a hundred pieces in the sink.  It might look like this:



Not that it was intentional, but it was a great learning experience.  I am sure the complete shock of the situation will forever ingrain Thermal Downshock into my children's vocabularies. 

*No children were hurt in the making of this blog

Monday, October 15, 2012

Bookmarks - Monday Craft

If you are looking for a craft that is as functional as well as fun and educational try making bookmarks.  Anything can be a book mark.

You can reuse greeting cards to make books marks, scraps of fabric, old books that have fallen apart, Poems or facts or other things you are trying to get your kids to memorize, pictures of the kids for family.  The possibilities are endless.

 Or you can do like we did and print some out free, color and glue to card stock and use some ribbon for the tassle.  This is one of those crafts that you go, Oh crap I forgot to plan a craft, and craft time is in 30 minutes.  Yea, I just make it look like I am prepared. 


Tie a knot in your rbbon so you have a loop and 2 ends.

Push the loop through the hole you punches and thread the end through the loop.


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Help me Raise Money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

We are walking on November 10th in the Light the Night fund raising event for the LLS.  We do not see any of this money ourselves.  This goes directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  LLS helps raise money for not only research to cure cancers but also helps families by giving them funds for expenses like gas to and from the hospital and helps educate people on what Leukemia is.

Feel free to share our link on your blog.  Help us meet our goal of $100.  If we are one of the first teams to $250 we get a signed Miranda Cosgrove poster for our son.  He loves iCarly.  Help him get his poster. Click the link on the Right -----------> 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Art Monday: Van Gogh

Today we learned about Vincent Van Gogh.  If you click on the link you will be taken to a page full of power points and videos about the artist.  Easy for kids to follow along and geared towards them. 

You could do many different crafts in the style of Van Gogh.  We did 3.  I had them geared for the different ages of my kids.  The younger ones I printed out pictures to color: the famous Starry Night and  Sunflowers.  For the middle kids I had them do a diorama.  For the older kids I had them do a tissue paper craft from Classified Mom.  

This is how they all turned out:

Flowers and Vase with blue background in tissue paper on card board.

Diorama with construction paper floor and walls.


We had to wait for everything to dry before we can put it up on the walls.  My 5 yr old is a perfectionist who is never happy with his work.  He will often ruin it after he is done because he didn't do it perfectly.  And my boys who are 10 and 12 just do not have the patience for such intricate work like the tissue paper one.  So keep that in mind when you are doing it with your kids.  My middle kids loved the diorama.  I suggest using cardboard and stapling it to the floor then gluing it down because the people kept falling over.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Art Craft: Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol painted a lot of pictures that were common everyday items like the soup cans.  This makes for a fairly easy art project with the kids.  There are many resources online for crafts involving his art work.  I always start with a print out of the artists Bio and I pull of the images of their most famous works on the computer for all the kids to see. 

For this project I printed out a bunch of different pages for the kids to color and they could pick the one they liked the most.  I got most of mine from Famous Artists Crafts for Kids and Coloring Pages 101

We aren't trying to reproduce the pieces exactly, more like learn the style and do it in the way that pleases you most.  Heres what my kids came up with:


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Piet Modrian - Art project

Today our art lesson came via Putti's World.  I used electrical tape but that stuff doesn't stick well to paper, it also stretches, making the paper curl.  So we switched over to black permanent marker.  Doesn't look quite so shiny or thick though.  Maybe some black masking tape would work best.

I printed out a biography for the older kids to read while I pulled up some examples of his work on the computer to show the kids.We used crayons, colored pencils, markers and paints. 


Thursday, May 24, 2012

May Book Review

I finally got a little more time to read this month.  I was able to finish American On Purpose by Craig Fergusen, Star Trek Memories by William Shatner and Can We Come in and Laugh Too by Rosetta Schwartz.

American on Purpose was a great book.  Craig Fergusen is by far one of most favorite comedians.  He is down to earth and doesn't put on airs.  Its an autobiography about he went from Scotland to host The Late Late Show.  He was honest and funny.  His language might set some people off but if you have ever seen him work before you know everything is laced with profanity.  Its not that he does it to get a rise, its just the way he talks.  It was a quick read, sadly.  And its a good book to read if you just got done with something serious.  I much enjoyed it.

I admit it - I am a Trekkie.  Star Trek Memories by William Shatner was great.  I loved it.  Its not that the authors were phenomenal but I loved it because I love the subject.  It was only about the making of the original Star Trek series.  I was sad when it ended, "But where is the rest?!"  And wouldn't you know it but I went to the thrift store 2 days later and found...dat da da Star Trek Movie Memories!  Yay for me!  It started up where  the original book left off.  I enjoyed all the behind the scenes stories, the practical jokes, and the secrets.  It also has a bunch of pictures, which was fun to look through.

Can We Come in and Laugh Too really disappointed me.  The tag line was "Growing up in a zany family of 10" but there was barely anything in it about her life in a family of 10.  The vast majority of the book was about her adult like, her husbands, her kids.  Which is fine, but not at all what I was looking for.  Its a cute story, good for kids too as it was not long and was easy to read.  I got it for free and am glad I didn't pay for it.

Don't forget to check out what everyone else is reading at 5 Minutes for Books.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

12 Life Lessons Leukemia Taught Me

This week my son who has leukemia had a seizure.  The incident made me realize all the ways that his diagnosis has changed me.  All the things I do differently now, the ways I think.  Some of them I wished I had known before hand because it would have made this ordeal easier in some ways. So I am going to share them with you, and maybe if something ever happens you will be a bit more prepared than I was.

1. Always have an emergency box in the car(s).  Tooth brush, tooth paste, some cash, tissues, change of underwear, hair brush, granola bars, note pad, pads, pen and paper, phone charger that plugs in to a wall or a disposable phone that is fully charged. (I will post pics of the one I made some time)

2. Always own a pair of slip on shoes and have them near the front door.

3. Land lines are not outdated.  If you can afford one, even the $20 a year ones, keep it.  And/or have multiple cell phones on hand. If you are on the phone with 911 someone else can be calling another adult, a next door neighbor, doctors.

4. CPR - an afternoon class can save a life.  And don't give me any bull about how it hardly saves lives, blah blah blah.  Because the second your child stops breathing you will try to resuscitate.  Its a natural instinct, you will want to know CPR.  Take it from someone who has had to do it.  Get trained, take a refresher course.

5. Practice calling 911 with your children.  Have them also practice calling their emergency contacts.  "There has been a medical emergency..."  "There is an intruder in our home..."  Just the facts, remain calm.  Confusion causes delay.  Even small children can know how to handle emergencies, and in my experiences are more calm then the older children.

6. Post those emergency numbers in big bold font near the front door.

7. Stop thinking it will never happen to you and start thinking if it does you will be prepared the best you can.  Life changes in an instant, don't have regrets.

8.  Those frozen meals you keep meaning to make  - do it.  Frozen meals are easy to make for those coming to your house to help out.

9. Have an overnight bag ready in your closet: Baby shampoo, lotion, some sweats and a t-shirt, wash cloth, basics for an emergency overnight.

10. Get rid of the clutter.  If someone needs to get in your house would they be able to?  If you need to send someone to your house to grab your overnight bag, can they find it?

11.  Shower and dress everyday like you are going to go out.  Because even if you don't plan to, you might have to.  You don't have to look nice, but make sure your butt ain't hanging out or your clothes aren't see through.  Bras would be good.  Basically if you wouldn't answer the door like that, go change.

12. There is a fine line between protecting your children and empowering them.  Don't be scared to teach your children about disease and suffering, pain and death.  Don't be scared to let them watch those you tube slide shows about families with special needs children, or music videos by cancer ward patients.

I know there are people who have gone through the things we are, and have acted and done things differently.  That's fine.  What works for one family may not for another.  But until it happens you just don't know how you will respond.  So don't scoff at someone offering you advice (like me) because that's what I did, I thought I knew.  And when it came down to it, I didn't.  I thought I would be more calm when I was calling 911.  I always think "I will do it tomorrow, I am too tired today." but tomorrow I am just as tired and it still doesn't get done.  I always procrastinate and I always think: "What are the chances?"  Don't be like me.  Think ahead and be prepared.  Some of these things are so easy, so simple.  98 cents at Walmart for flip flops, an overnight bag is free, cleaning and purging are free, getting showered and dressed every day might be hard but less hard then trying to throw on clothes when faced with an emergency.  Even if nothing ever happens to you, something might happen to someone else when you are around.  It might be you or your children that make the difference in their outcome.

Lastly, Leukemia taught me to find the happiness, the positives even when faced with hardship.  There is always hope and beauty and love if you look hard enough.  And most times its staring you right in the face, you just need to realize its there.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Homeschool Round Up

Its been a while since I posted free homeschool stuff so I thought I would give you a list of all the awesome stuff I have found lately.

By far my favorite site has to be TLSbooks.com.  They have the most wonderful free worksheets that you can print out.  There is enough Music worksheets to fill out an entire semester - instruments and composers alike.

In the same vein is worksheetsforkids.net.  Their science worksheets have been a huge help for reviewing body parts before a test.

I haven't downloaded any yet so I can't attest to the quality but Books Should be Free has a whole section of free audio books for kids that include Swiss Family Robinson,  Tom Sawyer and other classics.

Lapbooks are all the rage, make yourself some - about just about everything!  Be warned, there are A LOT of pages to print out.  Homeschoolshare.com has lots of resources, check out the other stuff too.

Coloring isn't just for fun.  Kids learn and don't even know it.  Check out the beautiful Alphabet coloring pages at Daily Coloring Pages.  These would be great to hang on the wall when you are done.




Saturday, May 5, 2012

And I wonder where my kids get it from

We are all full of laughs here.  Yesterday when my mom came over to pick up my niece, who I was watching but she realized she couldn't because she had no car seat!  So we did the next best thing -  left the kids with the dh and went for 1/2 price fraps at Starbucks.  As we were getting into the car my grandfather called and she talked to him all the way to Starbucks.  It must have thrown off her concentration cause when she got there she was ordering herself an Amiercano instead of the Frap she wanted.  She realized AFTER they made it.  So she had them put it IN a frap.  And its Frappy Hour so the place is packed, and its making quite the scene.  Finally she gets her drink, its awful (duh) and I tell her I have to go to Target for deodorant.  We do our "shopping" - they had no deodorant - and go home.

But my mom is starving now so she wanted to get a Fallupa from Taco Bell.  I said, "You mean a challupa?"  She looked at me funny as if to say, "What a stupid name."  In this particular parking lot Taco Bell and Jack in the Box are right next to each other. I should have seen this coming a mile away, but she pulls up to the speaker and asks, "Do you have Chicken Tacos here?"  I about died..."Ma, this is Jack in the Box."  She responds, "Uh oh."  So now I am laughing hysterically because this is NOT the first time she has done this.  The guy taking the order must have thought we were drunk.  She decided on a chicken sandwich and asked him "Its not made with that Slime stuff is it?"  He says, "Slime?" So my mom wants to clarify, "Its real chicken?"  The guy asks, "You want grilled chicken?"  You can imagine I am dying at this point.  My mom had enough and just said YES and drove up to get the order.  I couldn't even look at the guy.

Friday, April 27, 2012

What Makes it All Worth It

The thousands of diaper changes, the sleepless night year after year, the illnesses and worry, the heartache and frustrations, the bodily changes, the same laundry and dishes everyday, the back breaking labor and the countless other things parents go through has to be for something.  What is our reward that keeps us going day after day?  Its not that we hope for a greatly successful adult who goes on change the world, though it does cross our mind.  

At first, its that we get to see this new human thats come to live with us.  Just marveling at them, how beautiful they are.  How lucky we are to get to know them.  Then its all the milestones: the laughs, the coos, the crawling and walking.  We can't wait to see what this little person can do.  

Then as they get older, after all the milestones are met, what gets us through is not so much something that can be measured.  Its a twinkle in an eye.  Its a wonder, an amazement.  As the world opens up to them, and their eyes get big as saucers and you just know there has been a spark in their soul.  Its that moment they realize there is something great for them to discover in this world.  Its to see the world like we first saw it, when we were first discovering.  

Its that moment when they first see the moon through a telescope.  When they know the world is bigger than their house and circle of friends.  Its that moment when they first see a work of art that is so unlike anything they have ever seen and they realize that beauty is broader than any term they could use to define it.  Its that moment, born in innocence, when a child says something so profoundly wise you realize just how much they really do pay attention.  Its everyday moments when they finally get that math concept, or they find the humor in an embarrassing situation.  Its these things that move us, they get us through.  These things that make it all worth it.  If just once a day to pay for all the hard and stressful and thankless jobs we do.  

If you wonder why I have 9 kids, its because I can not get enough of those moments.  All the other stuff, its worth it.  

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

April Book Review

Again, I only had time to finish 1 book by the time of this review: Onward by Howard Shultz. I am joining 5 minutes for Books for this months: Whats on your Nightstand. 

This was a decent book.  The authors gave a good history of Starbucks and the toils that it went through when the economy tanked.  Shultz gave the steps he took to turn his company around, including the ones the patrons would never see: cost cutting, streamlining, and charity work.  I thought it read like a review to a board of investors at times.  But you could tell the company was Shultz's heart and soul.  And it made me want coffee all the time.  Imagining all the smells and tastes described.  I read the book because I loved Starbucks, and in the end I gained a great deal of respect for it as well.

Next month I should be done with American on Purpose at the very least (I should finish it this week).  I can't decide what I want to read next, I have so many since I got behind this year.  Should be a varied lot next month.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Totem Pole Craft

Native American (or Canadian) culture, art and housing can be a huge unit study.  There are so many fun things for the kids to do, see, read and watch on the subject.  Today we learned about and made some Totem Poles.

Thanks to Paper Totem Poles we got all the information and templates we needed.  You can pick out the animals or figures that best represent your family.  Or just pick the ones you like the best.  Print them out, color them and connect them together on a wall to make a totem for your home.  My kids loved reading about what the different animals and which one best described them.  My oldest son said he identified with the Raven because it gets into trouble easily and out of trouble because he is likable.

Print out and have the kids color the different symbols. 

Even the two year old can do this craft. 

Colored pencils, crayons, markers, paints, doesn't matter.  

Everyone loved this craft. 

I am thinking I should have made it into two, this is huge. 

The eagle goes on top. I went in age order from oldest to youngest. 


I glued everything on to brown construction paper (to look like wood) but this way  you can write their names on there as well.  




Monday, April 9, 2012

Parts of a Flower Craft

Sometimes you need hands on learning.  Its hard to remember names and labels just from a picture.  You have to experience it to remember it.  I came up with this craft for my daughter so she could remember the parts of a flower.  All you will need is an egg carton, a bendy neck straw, scissors and some paint.  This craft will actually make 6 flowers for a dozen container and 9 for an 18 count container.  So this is a good craft if you are doing a coop or have a class.  Its cheap and easy.

Cut out the cups for the eggs.  Straight across so you are left with a free standing cup.  Cut the corners in triangles so you have the petals.  In the bottom pierce a hole with a pen or other instrument.




With the second cup you are gonna cut out 2 sides of the cup and on the leftover sides cut strips.  These are your Anthers. Again punch a hole in the bottom.



With the left over carton from the 2nd cup cut a straight piece in the shape of the Pistil.

Push the straw through both cups, one inside the other.  Cut the end of the straw about 1/4 inch above the bends.  Then cut notches in opposite sides of the straw to stand the Pistil in.



Paint the whole thing once you have it together.  You can paint the Sepals on the bottom, paint the straw green, paint the petals whatever color you have available. Paint the Ovary.




Label the parts with a fine tipped marker.  This craft can be used in conjunction with the lesson and activities found at Tomato Sphere where you can print out concentration games and diagrams.  You can also check out My Little Vegetable Garden for some beautiful pictures of flowers and definitions of all the parts and a labeled diagram at the bottom.