Backyard Scavenger Hunt

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Jennifer

As part of take a child outside week and our letter of the week “s”, we did a scavenger hunt in our backyard looking for things that start with the letter s. We found spiders, spider webs, sun, sand and slugs. We looked for snails and snakes but disappointingly we couldn’t find them.

The boys found many more interesting things to observe. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the scavenger hunt.

If you look closely, you can see pollen all over the bee. So cool!

This flower is a Golden Goblin Blanket flower. You might remember how crazy I was about planting flowers this spring. These did very well and the bees are still out there collecting pollen from them.

That's a big old spider and her web on my deck. Yikes!

Isaiah found some tree bark in our garden.

Looks like a wasp nest under our deck.

 

Kai using his magnifying glass.

Isaiah exploring the space in the cedar trees.

 

This is what the Golden Goblin looks like after it blooms.

 

Kai, Isaiah & Bella at the rose bush.

You may be wondering where Zoe was during all if this adventure. She was in her favorite napping spot, which quite frankly is the only place she’ll nap.

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S is for Snake

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Jennifer

We had so much fun with the letter of the week. I think Nana would appreciate the fact that we did not find a snake on our outdoor scavenger hunt. The boys knew where to look because we have, in fact, seen small garden snakes in several locations in our backyard.

Scavenger Hunt- This would be great to do with every letter but it was extra cool that it starts with “s”. It also happened to coincide with Take a Child Outside Week.  (This was our letter of the week a couple weeks ago. I’m a little behind.) Here’s a list of the “s” words they found in our backyard, slug, sun, spider & sand. They were very disappointed the snakes were no where to be found. I was devastated. ; ) I think I’ll write a separate post on this so that I can share more pictures of our scavenger hunt.

Sugar Cookies,  Spaghetti Hot Dog Monsters & Spaghetti Squash- So at the risk of you thinking my children are denied food of any nutritional value, I’ll share our “s” foods. First, we made sugar cookies and cut out the letters with alphabet cookies cutters. Once again, things were not working out so well (see last week’s igloo failure) but we at least got one k, a,i and s. I was about to give up when I thought why not just make the s by hand. You might think this is completely obvious. But in my sleep-deprived state I can not take anything for granted. : )

I found our next s food on pinterest, which is a website I can officially admit my addiction to. Here is the link for hot dog spaghetti. Again, please don’t judge me for giving my children disgusting food. You can make this semi-healthy by using veggie dogs and whole-wheat pasta and throw them in some good spaghetti sauce.

 

Fortunately, our CSA provided us with spaghetti squash this week! SCORE!!! A two “s” healthy food and the boys really liked it!

Snake Collage- I was hoping this arts & craft would make up for not finding a snake earlier in the week. The boys cut and tear up paper and glued them onto a big snake in the shape of an s. It’s funny to see how they gravitate to different aspects of a craft. Kai did lots of cutting and tried to be precise with placing the pieces. Isaiah was all about the glue sticks and could care less about actually getting them on the snake.

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I is for Igloo

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Jennifer

The letter of the week was the last letter in Kai’s name. I decided we’ll have to come back to this letter when we get some serious snow because we must build an igloo! We tried to build an igloo out of ice cubes and we had a major flop! Despite our lack of igloo building skills, I’d have to say the week was still a success.

Alphabet Tree- One good thing about this activity is that I know it will always be a success! The boys decorated and added the “i” to our alphabet tree. We also finally got The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni in the mail. This is one of our new favorites. I love that Lionni combines learning about letters, words and sentences with moral lessons about working together and peace.

Movement- We had fun moving like an inchworm. The cool thing is that they’ve actually seen inch worms so that knew what I was talking about. It was still fun showing them how to move like an inchworm.

Coloring Worksheet- When I was teaching, worksheets were taboo. I can understand that they are not great for actually learning but I think they are good for reinforcing something that has already been learned. I loved worksheets as a child and have no problem letting my children enjoy them as well. Here is the link to this iguana coloring page and other alphabet printables.

Printing- The art project for the letter of the week was making prints with a pencil eraser top. Kai dipped the eraser into the paint and decorated the lower case i.

Building an Ice Cube Igloo- This would have been awesome if it worked. I’m pretty sure the problem was that I didn’t make the crushed ice slush to put in between the ice cubes. It could also have been the boys insistence on trying to lick the salt of the ice cubes, lol. We still had fun trying.

Best of all, Kai is confident with writing and identifying the name and sound of every letter in his name! Yay Kai!

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A is for Apple

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Jennifer

A is such a great letter to teach and learn about! It is also the perfect time of year because the apples are plentiful in these parts. We are so fortunate to be able to pick apples from my father’s mini apple orchard.

Apple Prints This is a very popular activity and it’s no wonder. It’s so much fun! The boys had a great time making apple prints. You simply cut the apple in half and dip them into paint. I think the prints look better when the apple isn’t saturated with paint.

Isaiah smells the apple before making a print.

Apple Crisp Fall is a wonderful season and this is one of the reasons…apple crisp. The smells, texture and taste mmmmm. Just thinking about it makes me want to make another one even though we’re about the make sugar cookies for the letter S. You could find a million recipes on the internet but I threw this one together from my memory of making others and it was tasty. I added some pear since we had some that were about to go bad.

Ingredients

Apple & Pear Filling

  • 5 medium sized apples peeled and sliced
  • 3 pears peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup of golden raisons (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar

Topping

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the apple and pear filling ingredients into a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Now in a seperate bowl mix the ingredients for the topping. I found it easier to use a fork and my fingers. Then place the topping on the filling and place the baking dish on a cookie sheet. I cooked ours about 45 minutes but it should be ready when it’s kind of bubbled and the topping is crisp, hence apple crisp. : )

Kai enjoys his apple crisp while studying the letter a.

Paint Bag Writing Our second week with the paint bag and it’s still a hit. I learned that I really needed to tape the top of the bag so that Isaiah couldn’t open it. We had a little incident involving red paint last week. Although the tape was a temporary fix since he started biting the bag. Unfortunately, nothing takes the place of vigilant supervision.

Alphabet Tree Kai and Isaiah both colored letter a and put it on our alphabet tree. I’m really loving our tree because I’ve already noticed the boys looking up to it and saying the letters under their breath.

Letter of the Week Sentence I like making these sentences because the boys are learning about alliteration. This week our sentence was “Alice the alligator ate an apple.” We brainstormed a lot of “a” words but the kids loved this sentence because my grandmother’s name is Alice and they got a kick out of calling the alligator by her name.

Do you have any fun suggestions for learning the letter “a”?

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K is for Kite

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Jennifer

This September, we have started something new in our home. I’m calling it ”the letter of the week”. Kai is formally learning his alphabet and Isaiah and Zoe are coming along for the ride. We will be focusing on one letter and reviewing the previously learned letters each week. I like to use as many modalities as possible when teaching and I hope to post as many of the fun activities we do as I can.

Kai has shown interest in the alphabet sporadically over the past few years. We’ve casually learned the alphabet in various ways such as singing the alphabet song and whenever he’s shown interest I take it as far his curiousity will allow. But overall I’ve never pushed him with learning the alphabet because according to the research I’ve done and personal experience teaching children it doesn’t make sense to do that.

But I must admit, it has taken some major self-control to hold back. I think my experiences as a special education teacher has made me hypersensitive. I know the struggles that people with learning disabilities can experience and like all parents I want my children to excell.

There was one book in particular that has helped me chill out about the whole topic. Your Child’s Growing Mind by Jane Healy, Ph.D. is an excellent resource. I love how she reviews the research and gives practical ways parents and teachers can apply the knowledge.

Now I believe Kai is truly ready to learn his alphabet. During our read alouds and everwhere we go, he’s been asking about letters, their sounds and pointing them out. He has also surprised me by spelling out certain words including his new sister’s name, Zoe.

We began with the letter “k” because it’s the first letter of his name and he already really knows the name and sound of the letter. It’s important to me that he starts off feeling successful.

I’m starting with the lower-case letters because in reading there are many more lower-case letters than upper-case. Here are some of the activities we did during the “k is for kite” week.

Kite Crafts- We did a few kite crafts and coloring  pages. I was able to download the entire upper and lower-case letters  and other useful preschool printables from the blog Confessions of a Homeschooler. We also had plans to fly a kite but that didn’t happen.

Paint Bag Writing- I found this idea from the blog Let’s Explore Play Everyday!. I filled a large zip-lock bag with tempera paint and gave one to Kai and Isaiah. I showed Kai how to write K. He enjoyed this and couldn’t wait to show daddy how he could write “k”. Isaiah mostly drew shapes.

The Alphabet Tree- I made our alphabet tree using, packing paper and a glue gun and hung it in our playroom. At the end of the week, Kai decorated the “k” and placed it on our alphabet tree. Each week, we’ll add the letter we learn. I plan on finding the book The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni.

“K” Sentence and Song- We brainstormed ”K” words and put together a sentence that we’ve repeated over the week. The sentence we came up with was, “The king flew a kite with  Kai the kangaroo.” Kai spontaneously put the sentence to song.

Eating through the Alphabet- I’d also like to incorporate food into the letter of the week.  I guess we could have tried kohlrabi or one of our favorites, kale chips. Any other suggestions?

Movement- As a dance/movement therapist this is obviously one of my favorite methods of teaching! Children can make the letters with their body. I was also thinking of moving like an animal that starts with the letter, for example jump like a kangaroo. We can also put down string in the shape of the letter and walk, hop, slide, etc the shape of the letter.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for the learning the letter “K”?

 

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Cleaning Pennies- A Science Activity

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Jennifer

Half cleaned penny

Isaiah’s newest obsession is coins, which I find slightly disturbing because they are so dirty and the possible choking hazard. On the other hand, I have to go with it because he is really into them and the potential learning is great.

mixing up 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt

So the perfect solution (pun intended) was vinegar and salt. Sorry I have to let my inner geek out to play once in a while or it will jump out at the most inopportune moments. Back to your mostly normal blog post….The solution cleans the penny due to a chemical reaction. The kids were fascinated and I was happy to clean the pennies that are living in Isaiah’s hands, his pockets, his bed (I know disgusting), his treasure chest etc.

Kai dips a penny into the solution.

There are many websites describing this scientific experiment. Basically you just add 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt in a non-metal bowl. The acidic vinegar and salt remove the copper oxide, which makes the penny dull. Another part of the experiment involves adding something like a bolt to the solution after you clean the pennies and it will turn copper. We might try that next time.

Isaiah cleans his treasured pennies.

The concept of a chemical reaction is probably a little complex for this age group but I think it’s still important to introduce scientific concepts early. They are definitely able to understand something happened. They are also getting used to the scientific process.

I was very impressed when Kai asked if it would work for quarters. It became another experiment with the question, “will the vinegar and salt clean other coins?” They made a hypothesis, they thought it would clean it. They tried to clean a quarter and saw that it did not change the quarter. I love that being right or wrong about your hypothesis isn’t as important as learning something new. Kai documented the results by taking photographs.

Kai documents the experiment with photography.

 

The clean pennies.

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35 Thing I Know For Sure

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Jennifer

Today, I turn 35 years old. It seems like a good birthday to contemplate the lessons that I’ve learned and the things that I consider to be my personal truths. The day before my scheduled c-section I wrote a letter to my husband and a letter to my children in case I did not make it through the surgery.This got me thinking about my beliefs that I would like to pass on to my children.

I sat down over the past couple days and just wrote the first 35 things that came to my mind. These might be different if they were written last week or next week but at least today, September 7, 2011 these are my truths.

1. There is a higher power, who I happen to call God, and there are miracles everywhere happening all the time.

2. The purpose of life always comes down to one word…love.

3. God is love.

4. Think of every person in your life as a teacher, even your enemy has something to teach you.

5. All you have is now. The past is gone and the future is not here yet.

6. Moderation is the key to many things in life, such as enjoying good food and exercise but it’s not the key to everything.

7. With some things you have to give it your ALL, knowing which things those are will take some widsom, which unfortunately has to be earned.

8. Your body is your temple. Do not take your body and your health for granted.

9. Treat others how you would like to be treated.

10. If I was in charge of our country or society, then we would put education and health care as our top priorities. I believe a healthy, well-educated society could accomplish simply amazing feats.

11. What you put out into the world will come back to you eventually and sometimes immediately.

12. Take responsibility for the energy you bring to the space. courtesy of Jill Bolte Taylor

13. When people show you who they are believe them. courtesy of Maya Angelou

14. Take long, deep breaths.

15. Try to do more listening than talking.

16. Most people, especially children, just want to be heard, seen and accepted for who they are.

17. It’s okay if somebody doesn’t like you. If you know that you haven’t hurt them, then it probably has nothing to do with you anyway.

18. It’s okay to be different, especially when it means being authentic or standing up for what is morally or ethically right.

19. Marriage is sacred, complex and wonderful. There will also be times when it is challenging and it seems like work but I’ve found most things that have been difficult in my life reap the greatest rewards, which bring me to…

20. Raising children is amazingly rewarding but before you actually do it no one can make you understand how challenging it can be. There will be days when you are brought to your knees crying and wondering how you will make it through the day. When that happens, take a few good, deep breaths, pray to God for strength and get back up on your feet, knowing that I did that for you and many, many, many mothers and fathers did it before me.

21. Follow your passion and the money will follow. How will  you know it’s your passion? It’s the thing that excites you, that makes you forget that you’re tired. You think about in your free time and it’s the thing that makes you forget all about time when you’re doing it.

22. No person can make you complete. You need to be a whole, emotionally healthy person on your own if you want a good relationship with another whole, emotionally healthy person.

23. You are the only person responsible for your emotions. Do not allow another person to take your peace.

24. Friends are the family that you choose.

25. Choose your friends very carefully and do not be afraid to “break-up” with friends if the relationship becomes toxic and your “friend” doesn’t want to work on it.

26. When choosing your life partner make sure you have a strong friendship and watch how he/she treats their mother and father, the waitstaff at restaurants, and make sure you would want your children to be just like them.

27. You teach people how to treat you.

28. If you want to be a happy person, then develop good relationships, develop an attitude of gratitude and try to stay in the now.

29. Don’t let mistakes get you down. In fact, rejoice in your mistake because they make the best learning opportunities and sometimes the outcome is better than you could have imagined.

30. Acknowledge the power of laughter, lightheartedness and a smile. God has a sense of humor, so do your best to find the humor in situations.

31. Your thoughts are more powerful than you can even imagine. So try to be positive and find a way to control your thoughts. There are many forms of meditation, find one that works for you.

32. Worrying is a complete waste of time. It will not change the outcome and it will only hurt you. Do what you have the power to do and then let it go.

33. Most people are good. But if you watch the news, then you might believe otherwise. Expect good from people but if they show you different then do your best to stay away from them.

34. Every human being is born with something special to offer the world. If you want to be great, then use your special gifts to serve.

35. The more you know, the more you will realize how little you know.

What do you know for sure?

Posted in about me, Inspiration & Spirituality, Motherhood & Parenting, Reflecting | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Homemade Bath Paints

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Jennifer

Homemade Bath Paints

We’re finally getting back into some of our routines and getting a rhythm to the day, despite Zoe still being confused about the whole sleep at night thing. I found this recipe for homemade bath paints and it became a two part adventure.

First, the boys made the paints using 1/2 cup of body wash for kids, 5 tablespoons of cornstarch and food coloring. As usual they loved measuring, pouring and mixing. They seemed to especially enjoy making the colors with food coloring. The idea of color mixing came up because we had to make the purple and orange using the primary colors. I wish I took pictures but the camera was probably upstairs and I’m not climbing stairs unless absolutely necessary. I have to conserve my energy. Three children aged four and under is NO JOKE!

Isaiah painting the tub.

Making the bath paints was about all I could handle for one day! So we continued onto part two later in the week. First, the boys painted the dry bathtub and then we brought on the water and the clothes came off. I was glad we tried both ways because the paint was thicker and had a more solid color without the water and it was very pretty when we added water. The colors became more translucent and mixed together.

Looks like Kai is having fun!

Ms.Zoe wishing she could join in the fun...or nurse again.

The boys took part in some spontaneous body painting but they also had a great time cleaning off the artwork, which in my opionion was the BEST part of the whole activity…the tub was cleaner after we played! How often can you say that about any children’s activity? Seriously, it probably wasn’t cleaned for several weeks and it was spotless after the boys washed away all the paint. LOVE IT!!! We’ll definitely do this activity again. It will be great for a rainy day or on one of those cold winter days that I know are bound to return.

Cleaning up was just as fun.Kai demonstrating the washcloth basketball toss.

Isaiah starting to wash off the artwork.

 

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Sibling Love

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Jennifer

 

Me and my brother, Seth

A big family was in my life plan as far back as I can remember. Although my definition of big has changed from seven children to five and finally to three,  which IS big these days.  Now that we are a family of five, our family is complete and I feel content.  

My brother and I have always been close. I don’t remember life without him and couldn’t even imagine a life without him. I know that all of our crazy adventures, our love and support and even our fighting has shaped so much of who I am.

Big brother Kai and Zoe

I realize being an only child has it’s advantages, at least that’s what Elijah tells me. He was always happy about being an only child but he was very close to his cousins and his neighborhood friends so maybe they fulfilled the same functions as siblings do. But having one child or even two just wasn’t an option for me. I can’t explain it properly but for me it felt like a life mission to have three children. After I had Isaiah, I actually prayed to God to take the desire for a third child off of my heart. That desire only intensified despite the tough times we went through with Isaiah’s difficult behaviors, which due to gastrointestinal sensitivities that he is outgrowing.

Big brother, Isaiah and Zoe

 I am finally starting to see the benefits of having more than one child. Kai and Isaiah are playing together more and more. This also means that there are more conflicts but that is also beneficial (although hard to remember during the yelling) because it teaches them how to deal with their anger, other people’s anger and conflict resolution (I hope).

Baby toes are irresistible to everyone!

Of all the things that I am thankful for, right now, I am most thankful for the sibling love going on in our household. I knew Kai would be head over heels in love with his sister because it’s just who he is but to be honest I was a little worried about Isaiah. Even before his sister was born, he was crawling into my lap saying he was my baby. I thought we were in for some major jealousy.

The boys are so happy! I just love Isaiah's face in this picture.

  

Precious!

 We have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of love Isaiah has for Zoe. He runs to see her every morning. He wants to hold her and her kiss every chance that he gets. He tells anyone who will listen Zoe is HIS baby sister. Thank you God!!!!

A tender moment with Isaiah and Zoe in the hospital.

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Life with Three little Ones Under Four Years Old

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Jennifer

There are so many needs and desires. I clearly cannot meet them all but we’re covering the basics, my babies are fed, dressed (several times a day) and loved.

I think the transition from one to two children was actually more difficult for me. Now I know that this chaos will settle down into a familiar routine…eventually.

One of our favorite and most common activity has been reading while I nurse the baby. Here is a familiar sight for me. We love sitting in the shade on our front porch reading some of our favorite books.

You may have noticed that someone prefers no clothing. Isaiah began potty training just before the baby arrived. It’s not perfect timing for me but I do believe in letting children lead the way with this. He is doing fantastic. We have small potties in the bathrooms but he also uses the “big boy potty” occasionally. He gets so excited.

I’d also like to point out the book on the table is Pond Babies by Cathryn Falwell. The boys love this book so much and it has become a part of their daily play as well. The book has beautiful artwork and it appeals to both my 2 and 4 year old but I think they have become so attached to it because they spent time with Cathryn, the author, and she had fantastic activities that really made the book come alive. For example, the boys went on a hunt for pictures of the baby animals and they made a booklet with the pictures, beads and piping. They also acted out each of the animals and at least once a day, I hear one of them singing, “wiggle, wiggle, wiggle” while they both swish their bums back and forth.

We were extremely lucky to have been invited by Cathryn to visit her at Frog Song Pond. We all had so much fun! Kai is still talking about the frog he almost caught. You can also see more of Frog Song Pond by visiting Cathryn’s blog, Musings from Frog Song Pond.

Here’s one more picture from our reading session.

Yeah, sometimes I just don’t read fast enough or get someone’s snack fast enough or run and play little pigs and the big bad wolf and this is the look I get. All I can say is that I’m sorry, I’m trying my best and it will get better…In the back of my mind, I’m thinking all of this will be great life lessons. What do I want my sons to learn…patience (especially with me right now), forgiveness (right now for the times I let them down and just in general for the future for others and themselves), and how to keep going and trying their best even when life seems tough.

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