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 pomy 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.

Leave it to my kids to need a song

They needed a song to help them memorize the poem. Fortunately for me, there already was one.

In Flander's Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

~Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

1. Print the poem here and the minibook version here
2. Wear poppies in remembrance - I love to find the ones made by veterans at the VA hospitals, but if they're not available use these

Halloween festival

My kids love this annual event that includes a miniature train ride, inflatables, carnival games with candy prizes, a small farm animal petting area, climbing around on hay bales, and trick or treating in the fairy tale forrest (getting treats from fairy tale characters in the woods). And I like that it's only $5 a child for all of the activities!

A Night of Reformation

Hey, all! While we enjoy celebrating Halloween from great costumes to the Great Pumpkin, I know that some of you do not.

This is a great resource for all of us - the opportunity to celebrate the Reformation. I don't own this book, but I do have a couple of their other books and they are fantastic.

We will have the pleasure of celebrating both this year. Our friends are having a Reformation party, focusing on the life of John Calvin this year. So we'll put aside our spiders and bats for a few hours and enjoy some Reformation history.

And then off we'll go to secure our year's supply of candy - because everyone knows that that's what it's all about (at least in our book)!



For some fun halloween activites, check out last year's post.

Columbus Day activities

1. Journal and coloring pages from the Teacher's Corner
2. A printable board game
3. The coloring page we used this year (we celebrated early on Friday)
4. Great worksheets for young kids from Time for Kids here and here
5. A great poem and Columbus Day song from Teaching Heart
6. Another great worksheet from Schoolexpress
7. The Library of Congress has a nice history of Columbus day with lots of links, so does Kaboose.
8. We made these ships from FirstSchool last year. DTLK has a fancier ship .
9. And just for fun Today's Kitchen's "Columbus Day recipes"

Father's Day Ideas

Okay, Brian, my love, you can go away now.

Now we can talk.

So, in case your the last minute type too, here's some inspiration:

1. Start coloring now and you'll have plenty of signs to decorate with by Sunday.
2. Make a T-Shirt for Dad, or better yet, go to church wearing matching t-shirts declaring your love.
3. Have your little ones make this mini book, let the slightly older try this one, and the self-motivated can go all out.
4. Create a decorative license plate.
5. Print some coupons.
6. This tie takes the cake.
7. But my kids' Reese's loving dad is getting these.
8. Hijack his desktop and give him some new wallpaper.
9. Get some minor league baseball or monster truck tickets for dad, grandpa, and the kids.
10. Build a picture frame - nifty!
11. Or a business card holder from his best golfin' buddy.
12. And, if your crazy like us, why not sing him a song? I wrote this chart-topping song many years ago and enlisted one of my siblings help in distributing the copies to the kids still living at home, and we sang it to my dad together. We may have to do a reunion tour - what'd'ya say, Hannah?

"DEAR OLD DAD" - (sung to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club - my dad and I have a long history with this song) - and yes, we are weird, and so is our sense of humor

Who's the leader of the home that's made for you and me

D-E-A-R O-L-D D-A-D-D-Y

Hey! there, Hi! there, Ho! there We're as happy as can be

D-E-A-R O-L-D D-A-D-D-Y

Dear old Dad (He's so swell!) Dear old Dad (We know it well!)

Forever loving him until we die (Die! Die! Die!)

Come along, and sing a song and join the family

D-E-A-R O-L-D D-A-D-D-Y

Cinco de Mayo

Don't laugh, but it just occurred to me today that cinco means five, so Cinco de Mayo means Fifth of May.

I really have never thought much about the holiday. Brian likes it because it gives him an excuse to go out and eat Mexican at lunch, and he loves Mexican food. He also works for a very cool company that loves to celebrate about as much as I do. His top boss is taking, I think, the entire office out for a Mexican lunch (and I don't even know if anyone in the office is of Mexican descent.)

Anyway. Here's some stuff for a last minute celebration of Cinco de Mayo:

1. First read the Wikipedia explanation of this holiday so that we can all be smart together and actually know why this is a holiday. Or have your kids do this informative reading and comprehension activity.
2. Choose a meal plan from Kraft foods, make these taco nachos or Mexican pizza, get some take-out, make tacos, or buy some seven layer dip at Walmart.
3. If you don't have everything you need, why not visit a local Mexican grocery?
4. Read Meet Josefina or some other book about Americans with a Mexican heritage. Or just read a book or two about Mexico. I like this one. And Learning Pages has one for free this month. (Not a member? It's free and their stuff is really cool.)
5. Make this Mexican flag pinata
6. Do the Mexican Hat Dance; we have it on a Music for Little Mozart's CD
7. How 'bout some printables? Learning pages has this fun picture with questions to answer. Apples 4 the Teacher has lots of coloring pages. Family Fun has cute streamers .
8. And finally, crafts. DTLK has a printable Hot Pepper craft. Kinderart tells you how to make a paper bag poncho.

graphic by Celeste’s Holiday Graphic Collection

Happy Birthday, George... and half my family!

Today is George Washington's birthday. It is also my Nanny's birthday (my paternal grandmother), my father-in-law's birthday, and my brother Titus' birthday. So, Titus requested a gluten-free chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. He, however, lives a few states away from me in northern Virginia, so I shipped 15 chocolate cupcakes, 2 gluten-free fudge brownies, and a few other things, including peanut butter and confectioner's sugar, and my gem of a sister is going to make the peanut butter cup frosting (the recipe was on the cake mix) for me. We're celebrating Dad's birthday on Saturday with a mahi mahi dinner. I found a really cool gift idea last night, and we're going to see if it can be found in town this afternoon. I'll show you later. And we'll give Nanny a birthday phone call sometime too.

As for George, we're about to read the story of the cherry tree, as well as his prayers at Valley Forge from The Children's Treasury of Virtues. And we're having these yummy cherry cheesecake cupcakes for dessert tonight.

graphic from www.historyimages.com

Celebrating Lincoln's Birthday

That would be tomorrow. Hurry, and assemble just a few things and have some fun!

1. Have the kids make a Lincoln Log Cabin centerpiece for the tableDo copywork on this stationary - you could use one of his quotes.
2. Make penny rubbings - or combine it with this poem for your copywork
3. Like making cabins? Here's another one.
4. And an Abraham Lincoln coloring page to color during story time
5. Generate a Lincoln math puzzle.
6. And read some books! This year we have: A. Lincoln and Me, Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books , Abe Lincoln Remembers, and Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig
7. Had to add this one that I remembered clipping from a magazine. A little more effort, but sooo worth it: Martha Stewart's penny fashion!

For more links, Dawn just put up this post.

Chinese New Year (and other adventures in geography)

I almost didn't get this post up, and it's a little late, but hey, they celebrate for two weeks, so here it is. We were focusing on geography the last couple of weeks, reviewing continents, reading books about Canada and Mexico, and then about India and China, the two foreign countries that my children are most interested in. We honed in on Chinese New Year activites beginning on Wednesday, which is when the new year began in the U.S., and continuing on through today. Here are some of our activities for Chinese New Year:

Video:

Chinese New Year by Schlessinger Video Productions

Books:

D Is For Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet-one of the favorites
Celebrating Chinese New Year
Daisy Comes Home- a typically stunning Jan Brett storybook
I Remember China (Why We Left)
Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain-the story highlights the art of paper cutting. It also has a parallel chinese text, and a breakdown of several Chinese characters that resulted in Ethan working very hard to replicate the character for dragon.

still to read -
You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You'd Rather Not Build
The Great Wall Of China (Aladdin Picture Books)
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures Imperial China

Periodical:

Kids Of Courage: China Olympic Countdown or Crackdown, 1st Quarter 2008 issue(from Voice of the Martyrs)

Crafts:

Chinese New Year coloring page
Year of the Rat coloring page
Dragon Parade Puppet - these were such a big hit! They loved making them and playing with them.
Paper lanterns (also found here)- Ethan made several of these which we strung together on a paper chain to make a garland

More stuff:

We enjoyed Chinese takeout on Wednesday, trying a couple of new dishes.
Ethan wrote a silly dragon story on this handwriting paper. Here is a Great Wall lined page too.
What Is Chinese New Year? and more crafts from Kaboose.
Great links at Activity Village
Glimpses for Kids: Gladys Aylward - we actually read a bit of a longer story in Hero Tales earlier this year which the children enjoyed very much
And their Gran has been sharing the story of The Heavenly Man with them for the past few months.

I have to mention a few books on India that were particularly compelling:
Count Your Way Through India
In The Heart of the Village: The World of the Indian Banyan Tree - richly illustrated
Taj Mahal - beautiful love story behind this famous tomb

New Year's Eve Time Warp Party

Tonight we're hosting a time warp party for our shepherding group friends. We will celebrate midnight at 9PM.

Food:

ham and bean soup - I add a can of diced tomatoes and hot sauce
homemade bread (brought by a friend)
meatballs
little smokies "pig in a blanket"
vegetable tray with dip and hummus
Dr. Pepper (Brian's favorite), hot cocoa, and coffee, chocolate mint and gingerbread creamers
Candy dipped pretzel sticks, candy canes, and marshmallows
peanut butter cheesecake balls
brownies, both gluten free and regular


Activities:

a snowflake cutting contest
recitations/testimonies
maybe some Christmas charades or BOGGLE
a movie for the kids
countdown to midnight with noisemakers, glow bracelets, and, weather permitting, sparklers



What are your plans?

Jack O'Lanterns

Ethan's is two sided.

Thursday Thirteen - Halloween stuff for kids

1. Billy Bears's Halloween Party - this is the ultimate for printables! If Walgreen's ever gets my color cartridge refilled properly, I'm going to print out several Halloween games like bingo, memory, tic tac toe, and dominoes and take them to get laminated. We'll throw in our Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin game and a few from food packages and magazines and are having a Halloween themed game night for family night tomorrow. Oh, and print some Halloween math here.


2. Pumpkin Simulator - try this virtual pumpkin just for fun or to test a design.


3. Writing Paper


4. Picture Frame to print and color


5. Make a Salt Dough Pumpkin Patch


6. T-shirt iron-ons


7. Pumpkin Stencils


8. File-Folder Game: Pumpkin Patch


9. Pumpkin Predictions math


10. Homemade costume ideas


11. Printable Halloween masks


12. Spider Cupcakes


13. Candy Corn Pin - we made these a few years ago - so fun! - and we still wear them.

Patriot Day

We have a tradition that we've done every year since the first anniversary of September 11. We bake cookies and take them to our local fire department. I seriously thought that we would be one of many, especially the first year. But, oddly enough, we seem to be the only ones that remember the date in this way. This year some friends are joining us. I called ahead to be sure the extra people wouldn't be a bother. But, really, when you call to tell firefighters that your bringing cookies, you really don't have much to worry about. I mean, firemen are the nicest people in the world to begin with and when you add food to the mix...

Maybe some of you will join us in our tradition. It just made sense to me to thank the people that would just as willingly risk their lives for my family if such a thing had happened here. Oh, and don't forget to fly your flag.


Resources - not all of these are intended for children:

1. Presidential proclamation of September 11 as Patriot Day
2. "We Remember" writing paper
3. "Remember" pencil flag and window flag
4. A ribbon to color yellow, cut out, and hang
5. Remembering September 11th-Activities and Crafts For The Classroom
6. More Links and activities at Raising Our Kids
7. Last year's Presidential Prayer Team for Kids newsletter
8. National Geographic Kids multimedia "We Survived September 11" - the fourth grade class from the school four blocks from the WTC.
9. National Museum of American History's September 11 collection
10. September 11 digital archive

What do you do to remember?

Independence Day Crafts

I was informed that there was a lack of crafts in my holiday plan. So I adjusted.

1. Fireworks for the little girls to trace with glue or glitter pens. Ethan drew his glitter fireworks on black construction paper.
2. A construction paper windsock with cut and glued stripes and stars and crepe paper tails.
3. A bald eagle.

Happy Birthday, America!

The Flag Goes By

Henry Holcomb Bennett

Hats off!

Along the street there comes

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,

A flash of color beneath the sky:

Hats off!

The flag is passing by!

*

Blue and crimson and white it shines,

Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.

Hats off!

The colors before us fly;

But more than the flag is passing by.

*

Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great,

Fought to make and to save the State:

Weary marches and sinking ships;

Cheers of victory on dying lips;

*

Days of plenty and years of peace;

March of a strong land's swift increase;

Equal justice, right, and law,

Stately honor and reverend awe;

*

Sign of a nation, great and strong

Toward her people from foreign wrong:

Pride and glory and honor,--all

Live in the colours to stand or fall.

*

Hats off!

Along the street there comes

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;

And loyal hearts are beating high:

Hats off!

The Flag is passing by!

Countdown to the Fourth

1. Paint your toes like flags...and your face too, while you're at it.
2. Make selzter rockets.
3. Plan a future trip to Washington D.C. for their parade and fireworks. There's nothing like it.
4. Check out the top fireworks in the U.S. and find fireworks in your area.
5. If you can't make it to your local fireworks, catch the Boston POPS Fireworks Spectacular at 10PM on CBS. I just love how the city's church bells chime in unison during the "1812 Overture."
6. Read the Declaration of Independence and other historic documents.
7. Teach your kids the Pledge of Allegiance with this free printable.
8. Make America a birthday cake. She'll be 231 years old!
9. Or, for those of you who can eat it, check out this beautiful Patriotic Cookie Pizza.
10. Make some can holders and some easy sand candles for your table.
11. Let your kids make a red, white, and blue paper chain.
12. Print and make a patriotic mini book.
13. And don't miss the Presidential Prayer Team for Kids website.

If you still want more, check out my Flag Day for Kids post.

Modelling by Anna Kate. :^)

Flag Day for Kids

1. Rules for flying the flag and great Americans sharing their thoughts on the flag at the Presidential Prayer Team for Kids website.
2. A candy flag at the Idea Box.
3. A flag to color at Crayola.
4. A craft stick flag craft at Enchanted Learning.
5. Printable flags and skads of other Flag Day ideas at Child Fun.
6. There are several Flag Day worksheets as well as Father's Day sheets in the new Joyous June set of worsksheets at Learning Pages.com. Sign up for access - it's free!
7. The All American Flag Mold, or, if you don't have a mold, Uncle Sam's Red, White, And Blue Parfaits from Kraft Foods.
8. American flag iron-ons from hp.
   

We try to have a Kid's Day party each summer. So far we've had a Pirate and Island Princess Party and a Cowboy and Indians party. This year we're having a Flag Day party. We'll make a flag craft then decorate bikes and wagons and make homemade instruments (or use what we already have) for a parade to Sousa marches. We'll have few all-American games including hot potato (with a flag, of course). We'll learn and sing "You're a Grand Old Flag," then read some flag books while enjoying hot dogs on a stick, the flag mold, and watermelon star pops. After lunch, we'll turn on the sprinkler and jump in the pools for some water fun. Maybe the Cool-Off Game or water balloons too.

May Day

We had great fun delivering May baskets to our neighbors today. I had to drop off paperwork at the doctors for Brian's handicap sign, so we ducked into Walmart and picked up carnations. Dawn has this very simple idea of making paper doilies into cones sealed with a flower sticker, and so - finally - I got to make may baskets (sort of , at least). I've wanted to do this my whole life! I just think of it too late and never get the baskets made. This time, thanks to our killer frost earlier this month, I had a great basket idea, but no flowers! All that's blooming are about three jasmine blossoms, two wisteria on a new vine, and a few purple blossoms on some ivy-like plant that takes over the rosebed. And lots of white clover, of course. But the magnolia is budded and I saw one opening way at the top (my tree is huge, folks) the other day.

Totally tangent to the may day idea: I love this song - Buddy Jewel's "Sweet Southern Comfort". I had to get jasmine to go with my magnolia when I heard this song.

Misty sunrise in my hometown,

Rows of cotton bout knee high,

Mrs. Baker down the dirt road,

Still got clothes out on the line,

Erwin Nichols there with Judge Lee,

Playin checkers at the gin,

When I dream about the southland,

This is where it all begins

From Carolina down to Georgia,

Smell the jasmine and magnollia,

Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,

Roll tide roll,
Muddy water,Misssissippi,

Blessed Graceland whispers to me,

Carry on, Carry on,

Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,

Catchin catfish on the river,

Chasin fireflies by the creek,

Kissin Debbie Williams sister,

On the porch Homecommin week,

With rusty cars and weeping willows,

Keepin watch out in the yard,

Just a snapshot of downhome Dixie,

Could be anywhere you are,

In Carolina or in Georgia,

Open arms are waitin for ya,

Louisianna yellow rose of San Antone,

Arkansas, Mississippi,

Old man river whispers to me,

Carry on, Carry on,

Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,

As I sit here I'm surrounded,

By these priceless memories,

I don't have to think about it,

There's no place I'd rather be,

In Carolina or in Georgia,

Smell the jasmine and magnollia,

Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,

Roll tide roll,

Muddy water, Misssissippi,

Blessed Graceland whispers to me,

Carry on, Carry on,

Sweet Southern Comfort,

Carry on, Carry on,

Sweet Southern Comfort carry on

Happy Groundhog's Day!

I looked out my kitchen window at the melting

snow in my backyard and way back in the

corner under the rose bush, I spied this:

*

I also spied a robin.

Rosie and I mad a little snowman and put it in the freezer. I think we'll save it for the Fourth of July, and let everyone guess how long it will take to melt. (I read that in a magazine recently, but can't remember which one. Probably Family Fun or Nick,Jr.)

Now I'm off to watch the noon news and see what the groundhog said.

Update according to http://www.punxsutawney.com/:

Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!
Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:
El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.
Global warming has caused a great debate.This mild winter makes it seem just great.
On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.Will we have winter or will we have spring?
On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.I predict that early spring is on the way.

For a great craft go to the Toymaker.

MLK funny

We read a couple of storybook bios today, then tonight we actually watched an online recording of Dr.King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I had actually never read very much about him before, nor had I heard the speech beyond the short, much-quoted "dream" excerpt. I was impressed with his amazing speaking talent as well as the content of his speech.

Anyway, on to the funny part. While I was searching for a recording of the "I Have a Dream" speech, I stopped at The King Center website where a section of his sermon-speech "The Drum Major Instinct" begins playing when the site comes up. You can click on it in a new window to get the full effect. As Dr. King's voice orates,
"You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.
You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.
You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve.
You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve."
Anna Kate intones, "Breakfast is served!"

The Great Pumpkin

Today we had Great Pumpkin party with some friends.

We did some Halloween math pages, learned the names of bones and cut and pasted a skeleton craft. Cut out the cutest masks and trick or treat scenes from Wondertime. Read lots of books about jack o'lanterns, a pumpkin cat, and a tree that couldn't get it's colors right. Made paper plate spider crafts, watched It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, ate lunch and a Great Pumpkin cake(mine didn't look nearly that pretty), and played our new It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown board game!

And I think I still have enough stuff that we didn't get to,to take care of next year! Oh,well.

Please bear with me as I try to figure out how to make these posts look the right way. I'm also trying to figure out how to show the real pictures of all of these events that I'm dying to share with you.