My Top Ten Games for this Fourth of July!

1. Dress Up Relay For Children

Children can be divided into two teams that are each given red, white, and blue clothing and accessories. The goal for each member of both teams is to put on the items and run to a predetermined area, take some type of action such as ringing a bell or yelling out, "I'm here", and then run back, take off the items, and tag the next person on his or her team. That person then puts on the clothing and accessories and does the same until all members of the team have participated. The team whose last member returns, takes off the items, and shouts, "I'm done" first is the winner.

2. Find Uncle Sam

This game involves the children hunting for pictures of famous leaders that have been hidden in various parts of the backyard. The pictures or drawings may be of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and other patriots and national heroes that have been instrumental in helping to establish and develop our country. The children go on a backyard adventure to find the pictures and whoever finds Uncle Sam wins a prize. If the children experience a particularly difficult time finding the hidden objects, you and one or two other designated adults can provide clues to help them. After all of the objects have been found, you can bring the children together and have them show the pictures to everyone and identify who the famous people are. If they do not know, the other children can help. If they still do not know, the adults can help. Eventually, after all of the famous individuals have been identified, there can be a brief discussion about them as well as about Uncle Sam and the history and meaning of the Fourth of July. The child who found the picture of Uncle Sam can receive the top prize following the discussion.

3. Waterballoon Volleyball!

This game is always a hit on a really hot Summer day. All you need is a net, towels, and water balloons. You play with one water balloon at a time. Everyone is paired with another player and each one takes one end of a towel. Then you try to catch the water balloon and then send it back over the net!

4. Fill the Bottle:

Needed: 4 oz paper cups, 20 oz plastic pop bottles, clean bucket, finish line, sense of humor and no fear of getting wet

Set up number of teams possibly by number of people willing to get wet. On each team, one person lays on ground while holding a 20-oz plastic pop bottle on their forehead. Teammates run to bucket to fill up their 4-oz cup then they attempt to pour it into teammates pop bottle while standing over head. Then the next teammate will do the same until 20-oz bottle is filled. Once the 20-oz bottle is filled, the bottle person should run to the finish line without spilling.

5. Hole In The Bucket
Required: One large trash can or 30 gallon tub, two receiving buckets, water source and two large coffee cansPlayers: Small to large groups
Punch several holes into the bottom and the sides of your cans using a hammer and large nail. Large juice or bean cans will work also. Do this from the outside go into the can to prevent sharp edges on the outside. Make sure there are no sharp edges around the top of can, you can do this by hammering around the inside edge while against a hard surface. You can spray paint your cans with car paint ahead of time for different colored teams. Fill up a large clean container of water at starting point. At the other end of play field have a receiving bucket the same size for each team. Divide into teams and have one person at a time from each team do relay. Each person is to go to the large container, dip their can into it, put the can on their head or carry it in front of them, go down the field to their teams receiving bucket and pour what water is left into the bucket. Once they have done this they can run back to starting point and give the next person the can to do the same. The first team to fill their receiving bucket is the winner.

6. Jump Rope Water Splash
Required: Jump rope, plastic cups, and waterPlayers: Small to large groups
Give each child a plastic or paper cup full of water. While two players twirl a large jump rope, jumpers one by one are to attempt three consecutive jumps. They are to do this while holding onto their cup of water and trying to do let any water spill. The child that has the most water left is the winner. You can keep playing until only one person has water left in their cup.

7. Over/Under Game
Required: Buckets of water, sponges, pitchersPlayers: Small to large groups
Divide the group into two teams. Have them form a single file line facing the persons head next to them. At the head of each line put a bucket of water. At the other end put a pitcher with a line drawn on it. Give a sponge to the person at the head of the line where the water bucket is. That person has to dip the sponge in the water to soak in as much water as they can. They have to then pass the soaking wet sponge over their head to the person behind who then passes the sponge to the person behind them through their legs. The sponge makes its way back over the head of one person and between the legs of the next till it gets to the person standing next to the pitcher. That person must squeeze whatever water is left into the pitcher and run the sponge back up to the head of the line. When this occurs, everybody moves back one position and the person who was at the back of the line now is at the head of the line. Continue process till the pitcher is filled to line. Fun game on hot day. (Suggested to play outdoors)

8. Water Balloon Dodgeball
Required: Water ballons, 2 plastic tubsPlayers: Small to large groups
Have at least 5 water balloons per player. Divide into 2 groups on opposite sides of a line with each side having their balloons in a plastic tub. If you are hit with a water balloon you are out (like dodgeball). Last one in wins.

9. Water Balloon Relay Race
Required: Water ballons, chairsPlayers: Small to large groups
Game of the Month 8/07
You can have as many teams as you want. Set up a chair for each team with a water balloon in the seat. Each player must run to the chair, sit on the balloon till it pops,then run and tag the next player. You will need to put a new balloon in after each one is popped. First team to pop all balloons and cross the finish line wins.

10. Alka Seltzer Game!

Items Needed:**Alka Seltzer**Netting (Fabric store- usually 89 cents a yard, You will need just a 2 inch by 2 inch square per person)**Yarn** Water GunsPrep: Take on Seltzer put it in the Netting make a sort of bag and tie with yarn. Then hang around neck of each player. Each player also gets a full water gun.Object of the game: Squirt others Seltzer and the last one to have theirs wins the game.

Geocaching For Kids!

One Summer activity that has gotten really popular with families is Geo Caching. I found this website that answers questions about geocaching. It is pretty interesting. I think it would make a really fun birthday party. Anyway if you are interested in trying this, go to: http://www.geocachingkids.com/ and learn more about it.

Design an Ice Sculpture

Fill a plastic food container with water and let it freeze over night. Fill spray bottles with water, salt water, or water with food coloring. Let your child create an ice sculpture by squirting the block of ice to melt it in certain areas. For older children, you may want to fill some bottles with salt water and some with plain water. Let them experiment to guess which bottles contain the salt water and which do not.

If you live by me, this will not be a good activity to do, until it quits raining! I thought Summer was supposed to be Hot!

Sun Painting!

Your child can do some art without using any dyes or paints. Early in the morning on a sunny day, have her arrange opaque objects, on a sheet of colored construction paper. Late in the afternoon, remove the objects to reveal a print.

The sun will have faded the exposed construction paper, but the paper that was beneath the objects will still be its original color – showing the shapes of the objects that were used for the artwork.

I thought this sounded really fun for kids, we are going to try it............Today!

The Favorite Treat!

Growing up, all the neighbors wanted to come to our house, to play. I think mostly because we had peach Popsicles.

I don't know what made them the best?

Was it because they were 100% fruit?

Was it because they were homemade?

Was it because they were cold?

Who knows!

Anyway I have started making them for my kids, and they always get chosen before the bought Popsicles. So I decided to give you my mom's very secret recipe:Blend up a jar or can of peaches (Light Syrup if you don't want too much sugar in them). Use a Popsicle container, or Popsicle sticks in an ice tray, yogurt cup, etc. Anything will do. Wait a day and then have your nice treat! Hard Huh!

Also I like peach, but you can do any fruit and even fruit cocktail. Because I bottle my fruit in the fall, I know that I only put 1/8 cup of sugar in a quart of peaches. That makes them really light in sugar!

No Bake Cookies!

My teenage sister loved to make these in the Summer when we were growing up! I think these are great cookies to keep the heat out of your kitchen and to train a child to cook. Check them out!

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Make Some Messy Fun!

Goo- Blek
1 cup of corn starch
1/4 to 1/3 cup of water bowl

Pour the corn starch into the bowl. Add the water on top. Mix well until a thin mixture occurs. Let it sit until it gets solid. Even though it appears to be solid, when you pick it up turns it to liquid!Very easy clean - up. Simply wipe with a damp cloth.

Kool Aid Finger Paint
2 cups flour
2 packs unsweetened Kool-aid
1/2 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
3T. oil

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir. You are ready to paint!The kids love the color change. Use Glossy finger paint paper and spray a bit of water on the paper first, to make spreading easier.TIP: Using primary colors will teach your little one color mixing science!

Goop
1 cup of liquid starch
1 cup of Elmer's glue
A few drops of food coloring

Mix together until it forms a ball. If it is sticky add a few drops of liquid starch. It will first become very stringy until you have mixed it well.

Chores!

I never make my kids do house chores during the school year. But in the Summer, all bets are off.

So I came up with this idea. I made lists of jobs that need to be done. So below you see Racing Red Jobs. It basically is a list of how to straighten each bathroom, and then gives them one kitchen job.

I have four kids so I have Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow, each with a catchy title to help them remember. When each of these jobs are done, it will basically take care of the general picking up of things. Then I can focus on deep cleaning. My Husband has a list and I also have a list. We also have a Pain in the Neck Purple list and that takes care of monthly jobs. Anyway I bordered each of these lists with the color that they are, so they look really fun and bright (for some reason it wouldn't do it for you). Every Monday we rotate jobs. This makes it so they get the repetition of doing something multiple times, but they also get to learn to do other tasks. For my three year old, I help him (Ex. When he is wiping a counter off, I am also wiping it off. We do it together).

I keep these sheets with their goals for the week, their homework charts, their jobs charts that help them (brush teeth, comb hair, get dressed), and all the rules that we have, in a great binder. The kids take turns looking at it, and it really seems to work well. Last year I put a ring around every one's so they each had their own little stack. It didn't work as well. This way is a lot better. Anyway if any of you are like me and just needed a little more organization, you might want to try this.

This Week of June!

5- First Hot Air Balloon Flight 1783
5- National Gingerbread Day
5- World Environment
5- National Attitude Day
6- Be-Bop-a-Lula Day
6- D-Day Anniversary
6- Drive-In Movie Theater Birthday
6- National Yo-Yo Day
6- Couple Appreciation Day
6- First Drive in Movie 1933
6- National Applesauce Cake Day
6- National Family Day
7- June Bug Day
7- Kim Possible Birthday
7- National Family Recreation Day
7- Native American Appreciation Day
7- VCR Birthday
7- National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
7- Richard Scarry DayDay
7- Freedom of the Press day
7- The Amazing Mumford's Birthday (Sesame Street)
8- Abused Women and Children Awareness Day
8- Ghostbusters Birthday (1983)
8- Gremlins Birthday (1983)
8- Ice Cream USA Birthday (first sold commercially in 1786 in New York City.)
8- Oceans Day
8- Stolen Car Day (The first stolen car was reported in 1896.)
8- Vacuum Cleaner Birthday 1869
8- Washing Machine Patent Day 1824
8- Shoo Fly Day
8- Lassie's Birthday
9- Donald Duck's Birthday 1934
9- Best Friends Day
9- National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day
9- Alcoholics Anonymous Birthday (1935)
10- Ballpoint Pen's Birthday
10- American Log Cabin Day
10- Public Zoo Birthday (First in the world opened in Paris, France in 1793.)
10- Tornado Birthday (First tornado ever recorded occurred near New Haven, Connecticut in 1682)
10- Where the Wild Things Are Day, Author Maurice Sendak birthday
10- Judy Garland's Birth Anniversary
11- National Hug Holiday

New Website!

A new website I like for kids! Check it out!

http://www.theideabox.com/

Balloon Battle Game

string inflated balloons Design a certain color for each team. If you have a LOT of children you can have more teams or you don't have to have teams at all. Tie a balloon to each players ankle. Each team tries to burst the other's balloon first. The team with the last balloons wins. As your balloon is burst, you withdraw from the game.

Child Cheese Cake!

What You Need:

small plastic dish or bowl
1 Whole Graham Cracker
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 table spoon Strawberry preserves or another jam!

How to Make:

Give the Graham Cracker to your child in the bowl,

show them how they can mash it.

Add the spoonfuls of cream cheese and strawberry preserves.

Let them mash, squish, and pat the mixture.

Eventually they will eat it.

Everyday A Summer Game!

So on Family Fun they have a place that lists and explains fun games. It gives you one per day all through the Summer. Anyway check out June:

http://familyfun.go.com/games/indoor-outdoor-games/specialfeature/summer-games-june/

Our Family Rules:

This was really hard for me to do. I had so many new rules I needed to add to my older household, but I didn't want to frame all of them. So I framed this one. This one is more behavior rules:

Then I made a list of Safety Rules:

Most of these are for my 3 year old. It might look like too much, but I needed to just write them down and know what I expect.

I also have another list of House rules. Rules, Rules, Rules! I know to some it might seem extreme, but for me it will give me the guidelines I need to be a better mother. They are written the like the above ones, with the following categories: Eating (Cleaning up After yourself), Friends (Friends need to clean up their mess & You need to ask before they come to play), Chores (Do Them or else you do nothing else), Watching (T.V, DVD's, or Playing the Wii), Homework & Music (Do it so you are smart), Computer (Internet safety), Respecting House (Breaking things, Etc.), Respecting God (Going to church, etc.), Respecting Visitors (Don't be wild, go on time out when you are asked, don't show off), Respecting Myself (no hurting yourself, or your body). I didn't show you a copy of this one, because they are rules my husband and I have made. But they were categories we thought were important to cover, especially as our children get older.

I put a copy off all rules in my 3 ring binder. I now keep everything to keep my family happy in it. I have all the rules, all the consequences for breaking the rules, Every one's Chore Charts, Every one's Mom Jobs, Every one's Goal Charts, What makes us happy as a family, and what makes each person happy, Mom & Dad Responsibilities, Extra Monthly Jobs, and tips I found on the Internet to help us be a great family.

I will share some of these later.

Hope this helps you, if you needed an intervention as well!

Intervention Time!

So I decided that my home is falling apart around me. I hear yelling, slamming doors, do I have to?, Crying, Why do I have to work?, Shut up, and I hate you, more than I care to.

I also see things being thrown through the air, things being spilled on purpose, the house being treated disrespectfully, hitting, slapping, and in general people being disrespectful to other people in the house, and even people being disrespectful to themselves. And let me say, we are normal. I believe I am not the only one dealing with these issues.

So I decided to have a Behavior Intervention! When is the best time for this? I am starting the day we are out of school. Which is...... tomorrow. And you know what? I am NOT going to fail! I am determined to teach my children manners and how to be respectful. (Not that I haven't been trying the whole time they have been alive, but this is different. We got a little lazy and I think it showing. Also we have been stressed out with my mom being sick, my husband losing his job, then he got a new job, and in general life. I think when you are stressed out you slack off on certain things).No More!

Where to start?

I started my journey with of course the Super Nanny. Well not her, but ideas on her website http://www.supernanny.com I guess I am too prideful, because I probably should be on the show but........... No Way! That website had some interesting things. I did really like the reward chart for age 3 to 5 year olds.

I really liked this article. It was stuff I already knew, or common stuff, but it is always nice to have a refresher!

http://lib.cpums.edu.cn/jiepou/tupu/atlas/www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/pediatrics/cqqa/behavior-discipline.html

I also found an interesting article called Taking Back Control of Your Family. My husband and I have a strong marriage, so I just quickly read through that part and then focused on the second part. I loved the second part. I think what she says makes sense. I liked her so much, I even went to her home page.

http://www.three-peaks.net/annette/Control.htm

I really suggest this lady. I really liked her. On her main page it address any topic you would need. I found even more information for my little intervention. I loved A Parent's Guide for Raising Children. As you can tell it has a little religion in it. I was so happy to find that she belongs to the same church I do. That makes it even easier.

http://www.annettenay.com

So I have decided to start with this plan:

1. I will have a fun activity planned for my children in the afternoon. They will get to participate only if their work was finished, homework was done, and if our rules have not been broken.

2. At the start I will give them so many mess ups of the rules. Ex. throwing things, I will start with 10 warnings. The next day 9 and so on. If the child does lower than I expected he will get something special in addition to the fun activity.

3. I will put my children on a schedule. I was told by my child's therapist, that any more than a week not on a schedule can mess kids up that have bad behaviors. It makes them feel out of control.

4. I already post our family rules on the wall in our kitchen, but I am not happy with them, so I will change them to fit our needs at this time.

5. I will focus on her stuff on a "Happy Family"

6. I will make sure that they are learning and are happy and loved!

7. I will do my best to not react to their bad behavior. I will make sure I don't get upset, I will just give out the consequence.

8. My husband and I will follow through and enforce the things we decide to do.

9. I will try to stay home while we are having this intervention. When results come about we will try to go fun places.

10. and as always we will pray for our family and try to be good examples.

Anyway this is what I am trying. If you have any ideas, feel free to put them in the comment section. I think as parents, every idea is a help to us. At the end of this Summer I hope I will not be pushing my kids out the door, but feeling sad that they are going back to school. That is the goal!

Busy Times!

I am just trying to keep up with everything going on with the end of the year! I can't believe how many things my kids are involved in. So if I am not paying enough attention here, I will make up for it another day!

Happy End Of School!

Summer Fun!

I found a new website that I really like. It is called Mrs. Bee's busy classroom. I found it accidentally, but I really liked what I saw. What I was looking at was the Camping Out Section. It was really a cool section. It has tons of camp crafts, outside crafts, recipes for camping, Camp Ice breakers, 5 minute filler games, Camping indoors, songs, safety, Mini survival kits, and book recommendations. Anyway you can go to her main site:

http://www.dcrafts.com/contents.htm

or if you want to see the specific Camping Out Section just click here.

http://www.dcrafts.com/camping.htm

I think I am going to make a things to do in Summer, and copy her crafts in the camping out section and put them in the jar. It seemed like so many fun ideas! Alot of it can also be used for Any age!

Breast Cancer

I was devastated when I found out my mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer for the third time (cancer for the fourth). For the last 5 months, I have been with her through everything. Even now I am helping her regain her life again. It is a battle that is so horrible and it just takes the life out of you and everyone helping you fight this.

I think that is why when I saw this girl's story, I knew I had to put it on this blog. How devastating to be 10 and be diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She said on Good Morning America, that she was coming forward, so when young girls felt something weird on their body, that they would come forward and tell their parents. She had said that she felt what she thought was a Rib sticking out of her chest. It was a tumor.

Anyway you can find the whole article at abc's good morning america
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/story?id=7619276&page=1

or you can go to her website: http://www.ourlittlesweetpea.com/

I guess from this I learned: Things can always be worse! No child should ever have to go through this.

Kindergarten Graduation!

So my daughter had this cute little program on Friday and they sang this song. It was so cute! Where did that time go? Anyway I thought you would all like to see this one and the really funny one at the end. That one you can google and hear the tune if you want.

First Grade, First Grade
(Sing to the tune of New York, New York. It ends with a kickline.)

Start spreading the news.
We're leaving today.We want to be a part of it,
First Grade, First Grade.
We're ready to go.
We've worked very hard.We want to be a part of it,
First Grade, First Grade.
We know our ABCs and 123s so well.We've worked at sounding out wordsAnd stories to tell.Just ask us to rhyme.
We'll say "tens" and "pens".We've learned to share and get along
With all our friends.
So now we've made it here,
We'll make it anywhere.We're on our way
First Grade, First Grade.

This is the really funny one. My husband and I couldn't help but laughing!

Tony Chestnut knows I love you(toe knee chest nut nose eye love you)
Tony knowsTony knows
Tony Chestnut
That's what Tony,
TonyAnd his sister,
Eileen (I lean)And Eileen loves NeilAnd
Neil loves Pat
But Pat, still loves Bob
And there's Russel
And SkipThis song is silly
But it sure is hip

Website I like!

I use this website all the time, and thought you might also. I like the tracing feature it has. It allows you to type in whatever you want and have them trace it. Today my kids needed a refresher of their address and phone number. That phone number change of adding three more digits have really messed my kids up. Anyway it was easy and I know that this will help them with writing skills and with memorizing their personal info.

http://www.kidzone.ws/tracers/index.htm

This website at the bottom and the left side also has tons of fun school learning for all ages.

Fun! Fun! Fun! For Little Ones!

I went to this website listed below. It is also in my link section. I have been there before, but today I looked at two things I haven't before and thought I would share them. The first is listed right on top on the front page of the website below. It is activities to do with your little ones in May. They are pretty simple and it comes in calendar form, which makes it really easy to do.

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/

The second thing you have to click into. On that front page click on Learning Station on the left side. Then click on Learning with Nursery Rhymes. I thought it was really good information for all parents and teachers.

Have a Great Day!!!!

Mother Of The Year Fun!

This was sent to me, after I used the Mother of the year video to send to some close friends. I thought I would pass on this letter and link, so you can do it for yourself or someone else.

Thanks for sending the "Mother of the Year" video to some of your favorite moms. You've really been part of something big: already the the award video has been sent to almost 9,000,000 moms! And even today, the day after Mother's Day, thousands of people are sending on the video. We set an incredibly ambitious goal of sending this award video to a honor ten million moms. And we're almost there. I'll bet you know more moms who'd love to see themselves in this video. Or more friends who'd like to send it to moms they know. Can you send it on again? go to:
http://news.cnnbcvideo.com
We've been flooded with notes about how much people love getting the award video. A mom wrote us to say, "I don't know what was funnier, the newscast or my son repeatedly asking, 'Is that real? Is it real?' while I'm wiping tears from the corners of my eyes." Another wrote, "I sent to my best friend. She'd had a breakdown on an L.A. highway and she said it made her horrible day GREAT." One prominent blogger wrote, "Honestly, this video is beyond a home run. It is the first thing in a long time I've wanted to send to each and every person I know!"
It a win/win—make your friends and family laugh and blush while you help us grow this movement for moms and families.
Thanks so much,
–Joan, Kristin, Mary and the whole MomsRising team

I don't know much about the MomsRising Team, but I think I will find out more about them.

For Grandma on Mother's Day!

Grandma,

You are like the icing on a cupcake,

You make my life sweeter!

So you make a card that says this. Then you could either give a cupcake with it, you could let them make a cupcake on their card, or I guess both, or you could give them a cake mix, frosting, and muffin tin if you have no time! I thought it would look really cute to use real muffin cup holders on your card. I like the silver (really pretty) ones. You can find them at any store. You would cut it in half and only use one side. Then cut out the top of the muffin and let your child color, paint, or decorate it any way they want. Then I would glue that over the top of the muffin. Anyway Grandma would love this!

My Views Of Preschool!

"Inside the mind of a child a treasure awaits to be discovered"

I have always taken preschool very seriously. Not only because that is what my degree is in, but because it is the first experience your child will have with school. So here are some things that I seems to always get asked about preschools. These are just MY OPINIONS:

1. When should we sign up for preschool? I signed my son up at age one. Any good preschool will have a waiting list. Find one early and then check in the year before and make sure everything is still set for the next year. Things change so I would also call in the Spring and make sure you are still set up. DON'T WAIT UNTIL SUMMER TO FIND A PRESCHOOL!

2. Should my child go to the same preschool multiple years? My opinion is no. Your child needs to get used to new teachers, friends, new experiences, and new environments.

3. How do I pick a preschool?
*I would observe them multiple times at various times of day (before placement)

*I would ask them if I could drop in at anytime (When my child is there). I think there is something secretive if they won't let you observe your child. I always felt my parents could come at anytime and observe, and I always let them know it. My response to this question as a teacher would be, "Sure come in anytime, but don't be surprised when I put you to work!"

*I would ask for references from the preschool (other parents).

*I would make sure it was clean! Your child will be using the bathroom and probably eating a snack. For Snacks, I always made sure everything was fresh, sealed, and planned ahead of time, so my parents could inform me of problems.

*I would make sure that it was a friendly environment and that the staff (or teacher) was friendly. Remember we are trying to start our child on the right foot.

*I would make sure that my TEACHER was qualified. That is tricky, because if you are going to a multi classroom preschool, you could have one head teacher who has an education and everyone else doesn't. If I am paying a ton of money, they I want someone who knows what they are doing. I would want someone who has a degree in Early Education, Elem. Education, Music, Dance, or maybe even Drama. I feel like I learned so much from my education, and I would be lost without it.

*Make sure the preschool is Safe. I had a plan for getting out of the house if there was a fire. I had a plan of where we would meet if we had an earthquake or such. I had a plan for keeping kids safe on field trips. I had a plan for pickup: Only people on the list could pick up the kids, unless they called me ahead of time and made other arrangements. I kept my toys and learning things in good condition.

*I would look for a preschool who did things that helped my children learn by doing fun and creative things. (more on that below)

4. What Should I Want My Child Learning? Basically your child will be learning everything they need to learn in Kindergarten. I have always believed that you shouldn't push ABC's and Numbers until your child is ready. I gave them exposure to them, but never pushed. It has been proven, that nursery rhymes help children read faster, so I always did a lot of nursery rhymes. I never do prepared art. I think it is horrible to have projects brought home, where they all look alike. Was it the teacher or the child's project. I love to let the paint, sculpt, glue, etc.- I love to see their creations. I like to use fun things to teach math: games, puzzles, matching games, counting games, and cooking. I am a firm believer of show and tell. Not because I want to see what they brought, but because it gets them up in front of others, talking. That is hard for a 3, 4, or 5 year old.

Here is a typical day that I had for my preschool:
1. The first thing they did was write their name. Now did all of them do this right? No. But they were never criticized. They could scribble, try one letter, or draw a picture.
2. Then they would take their name and answer a question. Ex. Do you like Blue or Red? They would tape their name to the answer they liked best.
3. Then they would check out a book. I had them do this, to promote reading with parents.
4. Then they would play until all the kids were checked in.
5. Then we had circle time. We sang, read, talked about things we were learning, did show and tell, and did calendar stuff.
6. Then we had discovery time. I put like 5 centers up all over the room and they were free to go to each one. They were not forced to go to each one. They went to the one they were interested in. If we had a big project, I would call them over two at a time. We had science, math, art, writing, dress up, and building areas.
7. Then we had snack
8. Then music time
9. Then I read to them
10. Lastly we went outside and had recess until the parents came.

Fun times!

5. Why Preschool?
* Practicing leaving mom and dad for periods of time
* Socializing with peers
* Exposure to learning
* Practicing being on a schedule
* Increasing their attention span
* Getting use to a teacher
* Learn how to share
* Learn how to be up in front of others
* Responsibility: Hanging up coat, bringing book back, cleaning up snack and toys.
* Self Help: Zippering, Wiping their nose, washing hands, etc.

Those are just my thoughts, but if you need more reason go to:
http://nieer.org/ It is the National Institute for Early Education Research. There you will find info on lots of things. They have fast facts that show graphs on different situations. One thing I saw was how preschool can prevent youth violence.

So I hope this helps anyone who has a question. Again these are just my thoughts. I really believe in preschool and hope you have a great time on this adventure with your child.

Fun Things To Do For Mother's Day!

I really liked this list I found on Yahoo of other people's cheap ideas for Mother's Day. They had some really fun ideas. So go here:


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070509121408AAdWvT3

Homemade Flowers For Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is coming up and I know you all aren't going to have your kids make you crafts from this blog. But you could have dad look at this blog, and you could make these for Grandma for Mother's Day. Anyway these are really cute.

What you'll need:

• Basket coffee filters
• Water color paints
• Green Chenile Stems (1 per flower)
  

How to make it:

1. Flatten coffee filter onto work surface (place some scratch paper or newspaper underneath).
2. Paint coffee filter with watercolor paint. Let the filters dry.
3. Cut about 2” off the end of a chenille stem and set both pieces aside.
4. There are several different ways to make your flowers. You can fringe the ends in thin strips (leaving the center whole) to make the flower that resembles a pom pom. You can cut thicker strips, about 1” wide each, to make the petaled flower or don’t cut the filter at all to make the rose.
5. Insert the large piece of green chenille into the center of the coffee filter about 1.5” in. Hold onto the small end and turn the flower upside down so that the long end of the chenille is sticking up.
6. Grasp the center of the coffee filter and gather it around the small end of the chenille.
7. Twist the smaller piece of chenille around the gathered filter to secure the flower in place. Turn the flower back over and fluff the petals as needed.

Tomorrow is Earth Day!

April 22 is Earth Day. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. A senator (Gaylord Nelson, 1963) was the man who got the ball rolling and it took until 1970 to get it going. I really don't remember much about Earth Day as a child. Now I feel like it is a good day to talk about things like: Turning out the lights, Keeping the air/heat at a normal level, to not leave the door open, to recycle, to reuse, etc. People all over the world know that there are problems we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the planet and see what needs changing. Anyway if you want to include your family or kids in celebrating Earth Day I found that Kaboose had lots of fun ideas.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/index.html

Kids With Math Problems?

This is one of my favorite things! It is called base ten blocks. So you have individual cubes, ten sticks, hundred squares, and one big 1,000 block. With this you can pretty much teach anything: Money, adding, subtraction, counting by tens, counting by hundreds, etc. I bought it at utah idaho supply and it came with a workbook. The age range (I think) is kindergarten to seventh grade. Anyway I got these for my daughter and it has helped sooooooooooo much. I was to the point of major frustration with her lack of Math concepts. The nice thing also is that this is what the schools use as well. So if you have a child that is in need of some math help, try this.

Summer School

I don't know how many of you do Summer school with your kids? But I have found that if you don't, your kids play catch up for at least 3 months of the school year. This year I went to Utah Idaho Supply and bought some Summer books for my kids. What I like about these books is 2/3 of the book is a review of the last year and 1/3 focuses on the next year. I like that they are already familiar with what they will be learning. I also like that they go upto 8th grade. I got mine for about $13 if I remember right. I have had a really hard time finding stuff for fourth grade and up. So if you are interested their name is Summer Bridge and I will give you a link to their website:

http://www.summerbridgeactivities.com/

The store I was talking about has this website you can order from. Great resources for home school, summer school, and special helps for kids.

http://www.uisupply.com/

x

Rainy Day Activities

Today it is raining. There is nothing worse than a rainy day in the middle of the school break, when children are cooped up inside, you have nothing planned, and the inevitable cries of “I’m bored” are not far away! So here are a few ideas to make the day not so boring! You will find ideas for all ages.

1. Sort through the toy room:It’s surprising how much fun this can be! Get everyone together and aim to clear one shelf or drawer. You will probably find that old treasures are rediscovered, odd pieces can be thrown away, and some things will be ready to be passed down or sold. If you are not sure whether to get rid of some of the toys, try packing them away in a box and hiding them in a dark corner of the cupboard for a few months. When they come out again they will either cause a sensation, or not - which will make it easy to decide on their fate!
2. Record the sounds around you:Get out the tape recorder (Do we still have these?) and make a project out of recording everyday sounds. Try water running in the bath, someone ringing the bell and opening the door, or flushing the toilet! It certainly makes you think about things a little differently than usual. Suggest that some friends or neighbors do the same thing and then get together to see if you can identify each other’s sounds!
3. Make a video:Supervise your children using your video camera to make a neat movie, find a story they enjoy, Each child can take on the part of a particular character. Make the appropriate noises too! You will probably have to practice a few times to get the hang of it, and be prepared for lots and lots of giggles! Tip: a homemade story tape makes a great present for a child who has to go to hospital or is bedridden for a time.
4. Have a puzzle afternoon:Get out all your puzzles and invite some friends around with theirs too! Clear plenty of space and have a marathon puzzle session.
5. Have a mammoth junk modelling session with friends:Invite a few families around and ask them to bring their craft-cupboard junk with them – boxes, containers, and other bits and pieces. You provide glue, sticky-tape, scissors, and encouragement. You could make houses, or creatures, or boats, or modern art – or you could all combine together to make one giant model!
6. Make a card house:If you don’t know any good card games or haven’t anyone to play with, try building a card house! Start by balancing two cards against each other so that they stand up in an inverted V-shape. Take it from there!
7. Make an indoor obstacle course:Use easily movable furniture (kitchen chairs, coffee tables) to mark out a course. Create a tunnel to crawl through with a blanket draped over low tables, or space cushions around the room to use as stepping-stones. You will have lots more ideas!
8. Practice balancing:Balancing is fun! Try walking the length of the room with a book on your head. When you can do that, try balancing two or three – then add a cuddly toy to the very top!
9. Create an indoor den:A few blankets and tablecloths can create the most wonderful indoor den. Drape blankets between sofas and chairs, over stepladders and clothes-dryers, or tie the ends to cupboard knobs and door handles. Once the den is created find some special snacks, coloring pages and pencils, a CD player and music, a torch or two, and camp out for a while!
10. Play with string:Older children can create some wonderful inventions with a ball of string and their imagination! A toilet roll and a sloping length of string make a great message chute or rocket. Get some action toys involved too: try making them a lift (elevator) out of a box or a basket and hoist them up! Adults should supervise constantly if there are younger kids around.
11. Last One Playing: Do a challenge of your favorite game. Last one playing (and winning) is the winner. You could do Clue, Monopoly, Uno or even a younger game for younger kids. Once you lose you play a different game and wait to see who is the ultimate winner!
12. Cook: With parent supervision this could be really fun to make something yummy on a cold rainy day.
13. Do it with them! Have you ever taken the time to watercolor with your kids, play play dough, Play a game, etc. Put away the cleaning supplies and spend the rainy day with them.
14. Go puddle splashing! Dress warm and have a blast, then come in for hot cocoa!
15. Put on bathing suits and then color all over yourselves with bathtub crayons. Draw silly faces on your stomachs or write funny messages. Then get out in the rain and wash yourselves off. It's nature's shower! FYI: only do this one when it is warm rain on a Summer day.
16. Camp Out: Pitch a tent in your backyard when the clouds start to gather. You'll stay nice and dry when the rain starts, but the change in scenery will make it feel like an adventure, brightening up a dreary day. Once inside, enjoy the soothing rhythm of the raindrops hitting the tent as you tell ghost stories and create flashlight shapes on the walls. Or play a board game until the rain lets up.
17. Paint With Raindrops: Start by putting several colors of powdered tempera paint into empty containers with plastic shaker tops. Give each kid a sheet of heavy white construction paper and allow them to sprinkle two or three colors onto the paper. Lay a plastic trash bag on the ground, and help your kid gently place their powdered papers on the plastic. Watch the light rain turn the powder into beautiful art, and then take the pictures inside to dry.
18. Do dried bean and peas murals
19. Do a home jeopardy and let them make up the questions.
20. Make a box for all these ideas and let them decorate.

Cooking with Angel

So here is the story:

My mom watched a show that featured a salad she really wanted. (FYI is is called Tasty Tortellini Salad Supreme). My mom is sick so this was a big thing that she wanted to eat something. So I found it and then I found the chefs website and it has sooooooooooo many recipes. So if you need another cooking resource, here you go:

http://www.cookingwithangel.com/Menu2009/recipes.html

Homemade Peeps

I found this on the Internet and thought maybe one of you would be interested. I am not much of a cook and my fridge is already full of peanut butter eggs, so I will not be trying these this year.

http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/gtu/recipes/story/Peeps/LPGocfdjc0eUaHC2GiSaMw.cspx
Anyway I hope you all have a very Happy Easter!

Peeps

O.k. so to me nothing means Easter than peeps. I don't even really like them that much, but still they mean Easter. Here are some fun facts about peeps to share with your kiddos:
1. Just Born produces enough PEEPS® Brand Marshmallow Candies in one year
to circle the Earth twice.
2. It takes six minutes to create one PEEPS® chick.
3. People like to do curious things with PEEPS® ….eat them fresh or aged to
perfection, microwave them, freeze them, roast them, and even cook with them!

I went to this website and found a really funny recipe. Check out more about peeps at: http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com

Bunnies dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut or chopped nuts, & frozen

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut or 1/2 cup peanuts (about 2 ounces), finely chopped
• 12 wooden craft sticks
• 12 PEEPS® Bunnies, any color

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
3. Place the coconut or nuts on a plate.
4. Insert 1 craft stick about halfway into the bottom section of 1 Bunny. Dip into the chocolate, turning to coat completely. Holding the dipped Bunny over the bowl of chocolate, use a knife to scrape the excess chocolate off the back and bottom of the Bunny, letting it fall back into the bowl. Hold the Bunny over the plate of coconut or nuts and sprinkle to cover all sides.
5. Place the Bunny on the prepared baking sheet and repeat to dip the remaining Bunnies. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Serve frozen. PEEPSicles can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week.
Makes 12 PEEPSicles

Global Sun Ovens

O.K. so my sister is selling these really cool ovens. They are solar ovens that cook in winter or in the summer.

Check it out:
www.beeprovidentsupplies1.blogspot.com

CHOCOLATE - PEANUT BUTTER EASTER EGGS

Growing up my mother made these every Easter. Then the Easter Bunny would steal some and put them in our baskets. Did you know he also steals the eggs we color? Anyway my moms were always just plain chocolate-not as fancy as the ones below. But when I think of Easter I think of Peanut Butter Eggs. And they are really really good frozen as well!
1/4 c. butter

3/4 c. peanut butter

2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla


Mix all ingredients very well until smooth and creamy. Form an egg shape with the peanut butter mixture. Dip each into the melted chocolate. Store in fridge-covered.

Easter Cookies

It is a tradition that we do these every year. It is a great object lesson for young or old children, and even adults!

You will need:

1c. whole pecans

1 tsp. vinegar

3 egg whites

a pinch salt

1c. sugar

zipper baggie

wooden spoon

tape

Bible

1. Preheat oven to 300
2. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.
3. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.
4. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
6. So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.
7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
8. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.
9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt.27:65-66.
10. GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
11. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Some of my family Easter traditions

We all have traditions that make us who we are. Here are a few of my family's traditions for Easter. Some of these my mom started, some I started, and some I got from others. Hopefully you will find one new one to do this year!

1. Dyeing eggs

2. Doing Craft Eggs (see below posts)

3. Egg hunt at Grandma's House in orchard

4. Egg hunt at home (one egg has a 5 dollar bill in it) FYI the older they get the more sneaky you have to be- put some candy with the bill so they can't just shake every egg and throw it back down.

5. Easter Dresses and Fancy outfits

6. Easter Sunday Pictures taken by me!

7. Easter Bunny fun is on Saturday (did you know you can write him and tell him when to come to your house? Amazing!)

8. Easter Sunday we celebrate religiously- no Easter Bunny at our house!

9. Easter Resurrection Cookies (I will post next post about this)

10. Peanut Butter Eggs (Yum Yum- Post will come soon)

11. Candy on the floor from where the Easter bunny hopped to hard and it made trails all over the house.

12. And of course really hidden Easter baskets. And I mean hidden. Some spots in the past have been: Up high, on the fireplace, under the bed, in the dish washer, in the oven, in the washer, in the dryer, up in a closet, in the tub, in the car, etc. Sometimes it takes a few hours for everyone to find theirs! It makes Easter last a whole lot longer. Here is a picture on one basket from last year. Boy that bunny can really hop! Anyway if you have a fun tradition let me know in the comment section. I would love a new fun tradition.

Onion Eggs!

So when I went to college we did these eggs. They are so pretty and they are really fun to do. I think I will be doing these this year. You do need to use hollow eggs though. So anyway check out the link they are really fun.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=157915.0

Tissue Eggs

O.K. if Ukrainian eggs were to hard, then lets talk Tissue Eggs. My mom did these with us every Easter. First I will give you my mom's way and then I will give you an even easier way.

My mom always used real eggs. We would use a pin and make a hole on the top and bottom of the egg. Then we would blow air into the egg from the top hole and out the bottom the inside of the egg would come out (Later we learned you can also just use a shot med. thing to pull it out). Then we took all sorts of colored tissue that was cut up into little triangular pieces and glue them onto the egg. Then you would take glue and rub it all around the egg to make all the tissue lay down on the egg. Then you let it dry. You can also roll it in glitter if you want.

Now when trying to find a picture of the eggs on the Internet, I found the idea of using Styrofoam eggs instead of real eggs. I like this idea for really little kids, because then they don't have to worry about breaking the egg.

Anyway I hope you enjoy

this egg-cellent idea!

I think I have one

more coming to share!

Ukrainian Eggs

Well I guess now that St. Patrick's Day is over, we are next going to have April Fool's and Easter. When I was a teenager my sister had me come over to make these really cool eggs. Above is just a picture of what they look like-not my actual eggs, because I have yet to dig out my Easter stuff yet. Anyway first you picked out a design and hollowed out your egg. Then you waxed everything you wanted to stay white. Then you dipped the whole egg in a yellow dye. Then you wax everything you want to be yellow. Then you dip the egg in the next lightest color. And so on and so on. When you get to the end, you get a candle and melt the wax off your egg. This is a really fun activity for OLDER children or ADULTS. They also look really cool as a decoration in your house for Easter. Anyway I looked up where you can get it and found this website that you can buy the kits. So if you are interested go to:
www.polartcenter.com once there click on Easter on the left hand side, and then Egg Decotating Kits, Pisanki/Pysanky