natural mosaics and map work

We've been studying a lot about plants lately, and working on various related lapbooks (to be posted soon.) Yesterday afternoon we created "seed" mosaics.

First the kids sketched their pictures on pieces of cardboard.

Then they worked, with one foreground area at a time, covering in various beans and noodles.
Until, finally, every foreground image was covered, and they filled in the background to complete the picture:

These will go up on display in the playroom for awhile. :-)

In other news, one of my sweet friends left today on a 5,800-mile road trip. We'll be tracking her progress on the map in the kitchen. Lucky gal gets to stay in one of my all-time favorite cities, Monterey, CA.