http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 1 May 2008 08:55:00 -0500 Thu, 1 May 2008 08:55:00 -0500 Party Games with Stuffed Animals *Musical Dog Bones:  Cut out large dog bones from white poster board. Sit in a circle and play "doggie" music. Pass around the dog bones (one less in amount than there are people). Once the music stops, whoever doesn't have a bone has to go to the doghouse. You can also call the game "hot dog" and pass a dog-stuffed animal around. Whoever is holding the dog when the music stops is out to the pound. Sneak Attack * Have your birthday child sit in a chair in the middle of the room and place a blind fold over their eyes. * Place an object under the chair. It can be a stuffed animal, a toy, a small bag of candy, or a wrapped gift. * Keep everything quiet as your party guests try to sneak up (one at a time) and steal the object under the chair. * If your birthday child tags them, the player is out and someone else must try to steal the object. * Your birthday child can move their arms around, but don't let then use their feet. Toy Game     * Each and every person who is invited to the party is asked to bring along a toy/stuffed animal.     * One person is chosen as the leader. He takes the toy/stuffed animal from all the participants and put them in the center of the room.     * Now, all the participants are blindfolded and asked to pick their own toy/stuffed animal from the bundle.     * The one who find his own toy/stuffed animal from the bundle, in the least time, is declared the winner. Sack race Canvas sacks or pillow cases are ideal for this game. All you need are the sacks, a start line, a finish line, and a whistle! You can play this barnyard party game with all the kids together, or in pairs. Add a little fun by getting pairs of kids to jump to one end of the course in their sacks, collect a stuffed animal ball, run back to the start to throw the toy into a box, run back to their sack, and jump back to the start line - phew! Demonstrate this one first before you start the official game. Balloon dare: First, you buy enough balloons so everyone at the party can have one. Then, you write different dares on little pieces of paper, one for every balloon. The dares should be good for the ages group, such as kiss your stuffed animal for little kids  Race with the Animals This additional relay race is as much fun to watch as it is to play! Divide the children into teams. The racers will rescue animals in pairs of two. Provide each pair with a stuffed animal - lion, zebra, giraffe, monkey etc. The first pair on each team will walk to "Madagascar" (finish line), back to back with the animal in between their backs. Then drop their animal at the finish line and run back to their team. Then the next pair takes their turn. If the animal drops, they will pick it up and continue or start again. The first team to move all of their animals wins.  Free Magic Party Game #4. Don't get Caught. (With the Magician) Dress up a small stuffed animal to look like a magician. As little as a large red bow around his neck or any bow tie available will work fine. A stuffed rabbit works great. The children stand, or sit in a circle and the game is played similar to the "Hot Potato" game. Play some music with a good beat and have the children pass around the Magician. Whoever is caught with the Magician when the music stops, is eliminated. The last remaining child wins a prize, such as a selection of a magic trick from a Grab Bag., an Award Certificate, Grand Prize Ribbon or best of all a magic"Bag of Trix"®. Groundhog Day Party Game A great game to play on Groundhog's Day. Players divide into equal groups. One group forms a circle around the other group of players. The outside group has a stuffed animal, like a groundhog, with which they try to hit the other players that are inside their circle. As soon as one is hit he must immediately join the circle and help hit the others. When all have been tagged in this way, groups change places and repeat. The two players who were last to be hit in the two games are captains to choose the teams for the next time. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/525403/ Thu, 1 May 2008 08:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/525403/ I was at Kitchen kneads today, Tuesday, and the owner told me that his supplier said Rice would go up by 8-10 Dollars THIS THURSDAY. So BUY RICE TOMORROW before it goes up. MamaJean http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/524668/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/524668/  Kerry: www.thebratfactor.com me: oh! yea! I can go commune with my brat me: my inner brat does not want me to know what she is up to... Kerry: I am sitting here wasting time waiting for it to get warmer outside so we can all go work with the worms and garden me: ah right :) 11:33 AM me:fun I bet that will be great. my kiddos are outside. I am giving my foot a rest and letting my brat Tiff reward herself for not sabotaging my good little Marie from doing the responsible thing 11:34 AM I wonder if this leads to split personalities...I mean for real :l Kerry: oh i didn't know I as supposed to have a good one too 11:35 AM hm. i wonder... people just are physcotic! me: I made that part up. ha, I know I am.. eye roll Kerry: so funny to have brat names me: it is 11:41 AM I think I am going to be crazy as an old woman arguing with Tiff and Marie :) and any others I create 11:42 AM Kerry: hehe me: So I have a hypno CD.. 11:43 Kerry: ah me: So, I like this hypno CD Kerry: oh good me: it has 10 mins where you solve inner conflicts 11:44 AM then you imagine that you are walking in the woods to a healing light and it is healing you and taking you up into the sky. lots of fun to imagine. in the 10 min solving inner conflict you are suppose to find the conflict in your body and imagine it with its own brain. thus I have carried on conversations with Tiff 11:47 AM I have loads of grand adventures in my mind at night to. that hypno Cd.. and I don't fall asleep.. I just listen and imagine.. until it is done.. then I fall asleep.. could seem rather counter productive.. because I listen to 30 min of resolve inner conflict and 30 mins of healing light.. so an hour later and I am still not asleep.. but I am relaxed.. and I go to sleep when I can not listen to it anymore.. at least sometimes I do.. other times I restart it.. Kerry: hehe, that is funny, the restarting part) 11:48 AM me: ha! see I am totally sane :D http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/513012/ Tue, 8 Apr 2008 20:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/513012/ Curious George discovered that our printer is a scanner.  He kept pushing the scan button and watching the lights move across the screen.  I then showed him that if it was loaded with paper and he put his hand on the screen it would print a scan of his hand.  Curious George was in love, as soon as the printer ran out of paper, can you guess what he did.....? He started running around the house finding random objects to drop in the paper slot and see what the printer would do. I love experiential learning ! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/505287/ Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/505287/ I had a great idea... a Sandwich bar drawer in the fridge stocked with lots of fun sandwich makings so the kids could make their own sandwiches when they wanted to how they wanted to for lunch.   They ate all the pickles, more then a pack of bologna, dried out the bread though they only maybe ate two slices in total, cut up all the tomatoes.. and left a mess everywhere I thought it was a good idea too   Maybe after it is not so new they will get tired of eating bologna plain, and the idea will work better http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/504132/ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/504132/ 57 words Speedtest That was fun :)  I am sure I do not type that fast all the time but I was pushing things to see what was the fastest I could type. MamaJean http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/484820/ Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:28:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/484820/ I just had one of those "You Know You're Home Schooling When. . ." moments and posted it to Spirited Sons collection of funny things.  Here was my post. You know you are homeschooling when... You kids get out all the disposable bowls and cups and make a large stack almost touching the ceiling. And instead of getting mad (which you are tempted to do) you say "now count them" and consider buying extras just for manipulative play. Guess how many cups they had stacked together 131... But I see now that I missed an opportunity, only a few more cups and we could have found out "how many cups does it take to reach the ceiling".... Alas, I am sure there will be a next time. We are getting ready for our kitchen remodel this weekend.  DH purchased enough frozen meals and crock pot meals and disposable dishes for us to live without a kitchen for ten days.  So these cups were needed.  Hopefully the kids got their fill and we wont see any more disposable dishes construction. MamaJean http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/484090/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:15:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/484090/ Tumbalinas newest blog entry is so cute.  "I am adopted, my name is Tumbelina.  I am thinking of getting a snake, but mom wont let me. I'm 6 and a half, I'm in first grade.  That's all." For homeschool we were learning how to spell the word Love just before she started her blog.  She was so cute about wanting to write about her family that she loved.  At first I was not sure that she was even writing in her blog so I asked her what she was writing about and she chimed in "my family" in the sweetest way.  Her first entry said this " My favorite  Mama is Mama.  My favorite sister is Hugs and Angel.  And my favorite Mama is Mama, *giggle* *giggle* *giggle*, that's so funny. ( "Again" Angel says.  "Yes that's because I love her so much" Says Tumbelina)  And my favorite  brother is  Curious George, the cute little face ." This really means something.  Considering the fact that she lived in nine homes before she lived permanently with us (when she was about three years old). One of the best things that has come of this blogging is to give Tumbelina an outlet to just be herself.  She is so eager to please and fit in that she runs in circles around Angel trying to be just like her.  Many times she wants what Angelic wants, her favorite color is what Angelic's favorite color, and when ever Angelic is complemented she tries to do exactly what Angelic did so that she can get a  complement also.   But when we started blogging, she answered truthfully about her own likes and dislikes.  It is a nice way for her to express her uniqueness without worrying about fitting in so much. Jeanine http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/484056/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:26:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/484056/ Juliette Tagged me! A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog. 5 Things I was doing 10 years ago: That would be in 98... WOW that is way far back... that is pre children time... I am not sure I can remember what life was like without children :) 1.  I think Jeff and I were sealed in the temple that year ?? Maybe the year before. 2. I would have been expecting Eva! YEA! 3. This was the year of my FIRST house fire, then nine years later we had our second house fire.  Not something I would have EVER opted to experience twice.  Both fires started in the basement.  #1 We were in a old home divided into five apartments.  Either the lint from the dryer built up and caused a big fire.  Or one of the residents threw a cigarette into the trash can full of lint by the dryer.  I do not remember which, I think the second one was my guess, but it was the first... Old Dryer, Landlord that did not check up on it, etc.  And the #2 fire happened on Grannies stove, I bumped it up while piling laundry on top of it... Goodness am I sooooo blessed that I did not loose my children to my own stupidity!!! 4. We were living two blocks from the temple in down town SLC UT..  We use to see lots of official people from the church head quarters  hiking up the hill to church owned apartments and condos up by our place.  It was so fun living in the heart of the city! 5.  I was working at Inkleys.  Wow am I glad I don't work there any more.  And I missed a promotions because I was suppose to go and tour the factory on the morning I had the fire.  My boss two bosses up was so upset that I did not just come in to work, in my P.J. with out a change of clothes, leave my cinders and ashes behind, because a fire is nothing, that he decided I was not promotion material.  5 Things on my to-do list today 1. Visit Grandparents to say Happy Valentines Day... Late :i 2. Write an important email. 3. Call Robin... Goodness I have been a bad friend and not responded quickly to her. 4.  Finish my MAJOR clothing overhaul.  I have two batches to go and then all my clothing will be sorted and dejunked and I will know what clothes my family needs or has too much of. 5. DISHES!!! eeekkk 6. (sorry I wanted to remember this one also) Get ready for church.  Find my CD player for my class, and prepare my lesson, and make sure everyone has church clothes. 5 Snacks I enjoy 1.  IKEA cinnamon rolls, with IKEA lingonberry soda, and IKEA hot dogs (because you know, they all might taste the same but coming from IKEA they just seem to have more pizzazz). We went and visited Christine to see her new baby and on the way home we had a van load of hungry children.  So what did we do?  We stopped at IKEA. MMMMMMMmmmm I LOVE those cinnamon rolls! 2.ANYTHING baked!! I am so excited to have my kitchen remodel after the fire done at the end of this month, and all of my kitchen stuff back in my own home.  I plan to break out my Bosch and my Nutrimill and BAKE! YEA!!! I am going to make a bunch  of whole wheat mixes  for quick and easy baking, and try my hand at sourdough... 3,4 and 5. The new Ferrero Rocher's.  Where is my Valentines day heart from DH so I can tell you the names.  Ok we call the new Ferrero Prestige's our Vacations.  The rules of "taking a vacation" is that both me and DH must be ALONE in the bedroom and we must eat our 'vacation' together.  There is kind of a ceremony to the whole thing.  First you start with the Rondnoir  the new dark chocolate version, a strong and distinct flavor, making sure to get all the little dark chocolate crumbs out of your foil.  Then you proceed to the classic Rocher enjoying all of them slowly, taking several bites to eat each small chocolate.  And lastly you finish up your vacation with the perfect crescendo, coconut in it most divine confection EVER, Garden Coco.  The lovely coconut flavor explodes in you mouth, it is amazing that anything can be co coconutty.  This flavor also cleans your pallet perfectly leaving you perfectly content to not have more vacation... at least most of the time ;) 5 Things I would do if I were a Billionaire 1. Go to school and study Architecture or City Planning. 2. Pay for Jeff to become a Education Junkie, he would love to spend loads of money on learning any random subject he decided to learn about. 3. Pay off our remaining debt. 4.  BUY LAND!! as big as possible. And build my dreamed of sustainable indigenous house.  And have LOADS of land left over to give to my kids as they grew up. 5. Figure out how to make a business of selling sustainable indigenous houses on land.   3 of my bad habits: 1. Not waking up early. 2.  Not doing my daily routine. 3. Staying up late 5 places I have lived 1. Provo UT as young child. 2. Grew up in Rosepark, SLC Ut. 3.  Lived in West Valley UT as newly weds. 4.  Lived in downtown SLC just before we had kids. 5. Lived back in Rosepark in a small condo we owned. 6. Now living in West Jordan UT (I have not strayed from home much) 5 Jobs I’ve had Do I have to remember these :$ 1. Delivering Newspapers at 12 2. McDonalds at 14 3. Frontier pies at 16 4. Megahertz corporation at 18, general desk and assistant work 5. Mesa Care Center.. Oh I forgot I lived in Mesa AZ. for a short while, training to become a CNA 5 Things people probably don’t know about me 1. I started a creative writing blog, just for fun :). Gives me something to busy my mind with while I am falling asleep without keeping me away worrying about something.  And I think it will help inspire my children to do creative writing more. 2. I have published an online cookbook at recipezaar.com. I cannot take credit for all the recipes by any means.  It is a compilation of all the recipes that we liked the best in our meal swap group we did.  We would all cook a meal in a large batch big enough for the # of families in the swap, package it up, and swap meals with each other.  This way we made on meal in large amounts but ended up with a huge variety of freezer meals, it was lots of fun. 3. When I was in high school I had a fun time hanging out with my older sisters friends and going ballroom dancing.  My DH promised me he would learn to ballroom dance when we got married.  Last night at the steaks sweetheart dance we worked allot on the foxtrot and being able to move together without messing up, it was loads of fun. 4.  My favorite colors are Periwinkle and Sage. 5. My favorite food is my mothers potato salad on the 2nd day after it was made :) I now tag Christine, Brigiette, Danika, MayTheyBeMightyMen, and jsgay97... If they want to do it :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/481996/ Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:55:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/481996/ This last summer my BF Kerry called me up and told me about a great homeschool activity called Drum Talk , meeting at a near by park.  Kerry and I are always interested in good ways to teach our children about music.  This was only a few days after my house fire.  And I had just washed my hair in some experimental hair thing that made my hair look like it was covered in Vaseline, even after three washes! But I was so excited I went anyways, I just wrapped my hair up tight and hoped noone noticed. We loved George Grants interactive and fun way of teaching music.  George is an expert in drums and has traveled the world learning to drum from different cultures.  George talked about the current trend in teaching music, teach theory and notes first.  George said this most often this leads to musicians who can play alone, but can't keep in rhythm with a group.  Kerry and I both did Marching band, and we saw firsthand how having a sense of rhythm made all the difference in a performance. George starts with fun ways to learn the rhythm, until you become the rhythm.  (at least that is how I put it.) Watch this homemade Drum Talk Video and see the progression of simple activities, that seem strange, yet develop a great sense of rhythm and ability to drum.  George starts at the simple basics of the drum words and then carries it out to where the students are learning to read music, but the rhythm is established before they read music. For Kerry and I this was the perfect way to teach music, inexpensive materials and support for the parent to learn first and teach to the child.  Teaching the most foundational music theory and building up in a fun way that you don't have to force on your children.  No "But, mom do I have to practice?" around here.  It is one big interactive game.  Our kids love it. MamaJean http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/475214/ Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:26:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Homestead/475214/