Is there any excuse for a kindergarten teacher to single out a 5 year old student for public humiliation? No, there isn't.  None whatsoever. 

Barbara at Mommy Life has organized a card drive for Alex.  Thanks, Barbara.

That is really all that I can say about that. 

A place to find some help with curriculum if you need it....and a place to give a little bit if you don't.

booksamaritan.com

The kids got a couple of book gift sets that came in a giant cardboard holders. Well, it would be a shame to waste those!  We made them into restaurant menus.

The kids took turns being host/ hostess and waiter/waitress, and each made up their own rules for their restaurant.  I got to order and was served play food (which explains the interesting meal choices) with a smile. 

This site has info and worksheets on all 50 states... free!  Looks like a great intro to the states or could be used to supplement existing curriculum.

We are always up for a good scavenger hunt at our house. So far, we've done three different kinds.

1."Read between the lines" scavenger hunt

(Read between the lines to find the location of the next clue.)

The end.

2.  "Make up a cool rhyming clue"  scavenger hunt

(carrots; chore envelope)

(math book; microwave)

(This clue did not go over well :o)

3. "Use your imagination" scavenger hunt

This one can keep them busy for awhile. It's best when I have no preconceived notions of what they might find and just let them run with it.  (Yes, we like to do projects in rhyme.... sometimes we do, but not all the time.)

So we've got some language skills happening here, reading, math, creative thinking, exercise, teamwork,  hanging out in your pajamas (a major course of study in its own at our house), and (most importantly) having tons of fun as a family.  Plus I'm pretty sure that all this thinking up clues is safeguarding me against Alzheimer's Disease. Thanks kids!

The music says it all.

 (pause main music player to listen)

I can make clothes!

Thanks to my friend (sister) Tanya, imparter of all sewing wisdom.

I think I'll make them a little longer next time... just below the knee. Maybe with lace!  Yay! The headband is one of my old ones, recovered to match the culottes.

Here's one of Soph with the jacket her Great-gramma Shirley embroidered for her. 

Can't you just see all the jumpers and bloomers yet to come?

This little project was inspired by Sophia's new love of recycling everything into a craft. "Don't get rid of it, Mom! We're going to MAKE something!"  So it went with her bottle of strawberry milk.

Enter in a dollar store branch-ball, a few scraps of fabric, a button, and my (best investment ever) glue gun.

Here we have the head on our doll, and the bottom of her dress glued down.  The top of her dress is glued together in front, but has not been attatched yet.

Mrs. Stawberry Milk has her outfit on, and her baby is being created!

And aren't they a beautiful pair?  Mommy is looking particularly splendid in her matching hat, made from the milk bottle cap. Not pictured here is chocolate-milk-bottle Papa, who is still in the craft supplies cabinet waiting for his date with the glue gun. I have 4 more branch-balls and we can do this all day, people!

I think the only thing more fun than creating something totally unique is sharing it with my baby girl. And realizing that she has begun to think in terms of what she can make with her hands, and how she can help with just about anything... be it crafts, or housework, or generally being a blessing to others.

Before.....

.... and after!

These turned out to be a great way to spend the afternoon.  It's a basic sugar cookie recipe, frosted with a mixture of sugar and whipped cream cheese (and sprinkles!).  These are the pre-Easter cookies...  Jesus loves us enough to go to the cross for us and pay the price for ME and YOU!

And just for fun.... because oatmeal tastes so much better with a face on it.

This website has the recipe as well as the story instructions.  A very hands-on, muti-sensory  approach to telling the Easter Story. And you can eat it when you are finished!  We aren't doing ours until saturday night, so if anyone tries them before then, please let me know how they turn out!  (The Easter puppet show that the kids and I did last year can be found here.)

Annie also has a scripture cake recipe that is a delicious-sounding Bible scavenger hunt! Check that out here.

Happy Resurrection Day!

After the tenth time that I told Sophia to get dressed, I was going to count to three, and then she was going to be in huge trouble. It was that kind of morning.

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She very sweetly sits next to me and says, "Mom, let's have a talk about this."

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Trying not to smile, I ask, "what have you got to say?'

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"Well, let me tell you how it all began..."

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At this point she knows I am one uncontrolled breath away from laughing hysterically.

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"I was on my way to get dressed, when suddenly, I got busy."

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Yup, your gonna have to pray for me. As much as I'd like to live in denial, she's going to be a teenager one day.

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