Explore the New Shop!

In case you didn't notice the mini-shop on the right, LOOK. :-) Yep, I went and took the plunge. I'm now an Etsy shop owner.

To answer the first likely question: the beautiful model is my sister.

In anticipation of the next question: When do I get time to sew? Generally when I should be sleeping instead. Or during quiet afternoon time.

I need to create. Actually, I feel this tug more often than I recognize hunger pangs.

Enjoy. Buy. Get inspired. :-)

Joy in the Journey

I want a workable, structured and joyful environment.

That said, we often do our schoolwork outside, when the weather accommodates us. By "structured," I don't mean that we are always at desks. Neither do I mean that we rigidly follow a schedule, to the detriment of the goal. For me, "structured" means that the kids know what to expect. They wake up. They do chore packs, then eat breakfast. After that--during the summer-- we start with Bible and "fun stuff." Today our fun creative time consisted of playing with and creating new folder games.

During the school year, (which will start for us during the second week of August,) Bible is followed by handwriting, math, and so on. I'm hoping the kids will enjoy the workbox system more than the "lesson plans and pile of books" system. ;-) I'll still have my lesson plans, but the kids won't need to constantly refer to it.

It's the joyful part that is easier for me to lose sight of. Yeah, you know that I love color and art, music, and friends. But I also get set in my one-track-mind when it comes to school. Remember my love for lists? Or, to be more specific, my love of crossing things off of said lists? This applies to the lesson plan book, too.

I'm hoping that, with the workboxes, we will go in order and have "scheduled" game times. Isn't it just fabulous when kids think they're only playing?! Heehee, yes moms are tricky indeed.

So, let me jump back to what we did today: folder games...These games could quite possibly be the easiest fun learning activity you ever make!
Someone recently asked me what to do with the younger kids when you teach the older ones.
The answer: teach them, too!

I have too many ideas to list, but here are a few. Teach number words by using cut outs. Either draw or print off numbers and the number word. Glue either the numbers or words to the outside of a manila folder. Tape the sides of the folder up, to store the matching parts. Let kids match away!

We made a huge folder-pack of these from 1-30, using either words, #s or picture counters.

We also do shadows on the walls with our fingers, making shapes of letters and numbers. Anything that makes a good impression is ...well, memorable!

Of course, you can use the same concept of matching for almost anything. This is one of their favorites: The Mixed-Up Animals! Why even bother trying to match these animals with their backsides, when it's obviously more fun to give the cat a duck's tail?


Here you see my 2-year old matching color bears. This happened quite by accident a few months ago. I had the lacing shapes and folder games out for Dash, the 4-year old. Suddenly Little Lad (not yet 2 then) ran in and began to lace and match. W-o-W

Another lesson for momma: Do not to dumb down the kids!!
You never know what they are capable of until you expose them to it and let them try!!

Folders can be as elaborate or as simple as you want, much like Lapbooks. This one is as simple as simple gets. Just black and white printouts to teach "empty" and "full." No, this is not my usual teaching method for this concept, but they don't mind the extra sorting practice...remember these are all games to them!

Here we have more sorting practice... The kids colored this set.
(As a side note: I recommend always laminating your pieces!!)

The little people also enjoy match-the-outline games. Might as well reinforce some science lessons while matching, eh? For the actual teaching of these things, I like the Charlotte Mason method, and particularly The Handbook of Nature Study.

Why stop with simple matching and sorting games? Another option is to print full game "boards" and glue them to an opened folder. It's fun, compact, easily contained, transported and stowed away.

Here is our "connect-four" game, about animal coverings.
I plan to do another one with magazine clippings of real animals.

How to make: Draw or print your grid. Each square should be labeled with one of the following words: "hair, fur, scales, shell, feathers." Cut out or print a corresponding animal for each square. Glue on a square paper (that will fit over the little grid square.)

How to play: Mix up the deck of cards and place face down. Each child takes turns picking a card and placing it on a matching animal covering. The first to have four in a row is the winner.

For little people, I also like the Montessori-type buckets, shelves, and tubs. We even do Montessori-like-play outside, with an area of digging dirt, some sand, a rock pile....anything to be touched and explored.

Some ideas in the manipulative department: poker chips, acorns, dominos, macaroni noodles (and 10 noodles glued to a Popsicle stick to play around with math concepts.) There are also geoboards, dominoes, and pattern blocks.

I don't use many "sensory buckets" indoors, unless you count bowls of flour when we bake bread, water when we wash dishes and take baths, and the pile of cereal on the floor when the 2-year grabs the box!

We also use color-by-number pages, like this one from Making Learning Fun.

I know, I know... I'm all about the school ideas right now. We may just have to start back early.

Who am I kidding? The whole concept of school is quite silly,
when you consider that kids are learning ALL the time,
(whether or not we want them to.)
They may think they're just having a fun summer, creating new games and exploring the "wild" trails, but we're really in full-blown education mode. :-)

Nesting in the homeschool room

I'm in full-blown nesting right now. The "nest" being my homeschool area. Just like nesting hits around the mid-point of pregnancy, it also hits me mid-point of summer. The year-end burnout is gone, replaced by excitement & a fervent attempt to quickly prepare everything for the new year! Suddenly I'm trying to tie up loose ends of projects, reorganize and label every shelf, tub, and cubby. When the kids go to bed, I've been cleaning off and on, and then sewing, sewing, sewing. Why? Because I plan to open at etsy account soon, to help fund our books. Why not aid our family while doing something I love?

How do you like the naked Barbies in the man tub? Inappropriate perhaps? I should fix that asap. There are some other areas in this shelf that still need to be dealt with, too. New desks are brought in. I now have four of these beauties!! L-O-V-E 'em!
(by the way, they were $3 each at a flea market!!)Things are painted, made, stacked, and packed.
The nature shelf and cabinet is dusted and organized.
New systems are researched and set into motion.
This is my temporary solution to the workbox system. I can't have 48 tubs laying around. Soooo, the hanging shoe racks have a new purpose! This one is for The Artist and Nature Man. The cubby spots are large enough for full-size books, and puzzle boxes. I was worried about things falling out when the kids swing the door open and shut, but it has passed the test!! There are twelve slots for each child.
Oh, yes. This mid-summer point is rejuvenating for all of us. The birth of a new school year is upon us!!!

The button fetish

Yes, I have a thing for buttons. I love them. Everywhere. This is one of my "button buckets."

A painting adorned with buttons...
Hey, why not?

Then a mushy monster with button eyes and nose...

This is one of my dearest pins...

Purple cloth needs orange round happiness in the center.

This "vintage" apron (yes, I just made it) is graced with some of my
favorite shiny pearly green lovelies.The lacy apron deserved the wooden red hearts!

Why limit buttons to clothes? I thought the binder picture needed some 3D enhancement, too.

This binder couldn't be left out. Flowers practically shout for a button center!

(And don't get me started on my binder-obsession!)

By the way, I'm in the process of creating my workbox system, and I'm excited!! I'll post progress soon.

The Workbox System

Have you heard of it? The Work of Childhood has compiled a list of people using the system, so you can research and gather ideas.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm big on systems.... and lists.... and schedules. I really enjoy being able to cross something off or count it as done. I'm an obsess-er who will do something and realize it wasn't on the list, so I then ADD it to the list and mark it off. Yeah.

I've read Managers of Their Homes and Managers of Their Chores, and enjoyed both. I'm not a die-hard scheduler, so the 30-minute increment scheduling system wasn't a great fit. It only went well until lunchtime, and then we always veered from the path. It helped, but I felt... chained. If math took to long, I couldn't feel "okay" about being off schedule.

The Reminder Pack System is still going wonderfully, though. In fact, it's going so smashingly for us, that I'm considering chore packs for us big people, too. I often forget about things that need to be done. Yes, even daily things. With Fred, it's just a matter of the time he has available. If we had cards like the kids we might work faster to get through it. :-)

So, what's this workbox system anyway? Well, it's nothing new in the way of curriculum or style, or philosophy. It's simply an "organizing your stuff & your day" method. If you follow the original idea, you will have 12 clear boxes (like those clear ice-cube tray things from your freezer.) You label the outside with numbers, and stick a book or activity in each. The simplest thing would be to use mailbox numbers. So, you know I won't be doing that. Naturally, I must make everything more difficult on myself, and it must be bright and pretty to function well in this house.

The kids work through the boxes in order, so that you can sandwich the more challenging work between fun or less-time consuming lessons. When the assignments in the boxes are complete, the work for the day is done. (The overachieving Artist will then beg me to refill her boxes.) Sounds simple enough. Often the simplest things are the most effective! I have two visual learners, and I'm hoping that the clear boxes will help them. Enough of the "when are we going to be done," and "can't I do something fun now?" We do a lot of fun things, but not everything they need to know will be their cup of tea.

I plan to include puzzles and word matches for the younger kiddos, and PE activities and such for the older ones. Oh, and I plan to give them each a timer. With some activities, the card might read, "set your timer for 15 minutes and play with playdough." It wouldn't do me much good if they spent an hour on each activity that they most enjoyed, now would it?

We "officially" start back in about a month, so I'm in my gather, buy, glean, research phase right now.

The fun-time canopy!

Happy 4th of July!!! I am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN,
AND I FEEL SO BLESSED TO LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY!

We'll celebrate tonight, with friends, food, and fireworks--you know, the American way! :-)
For our family daytime celebration, we made our own itty-bitty happy-country canopy!

Supplies: hula hoop, ribbon or twine, fabric and/or tulle, and embellishments
Tie lengths of ribbon or twine on the hula hoop, in 4-6 locations. Tie them all together in the middle, so it will hang. Mine weren't all quite the same length, so our canopy hangs a bit crooked...which just makes it more unique!
Use fabric for the topper. Get creative. I used two long rectangular strips of blue, with a hole in the middle of each, for the tied ribbons to go through. Tie or sew tulle or fabric around the hoop. I sewed mine by hand. Add embellishments. We did ribbons, fake leaves and felt ones, flowers. I may add some plastic butterflies and insects later, too.
Then just add a little rug or blanket and seat inside. Voila!

Silver Dollar City!

This was how we spent the last weekend. Fuuuuunnn!!!
The "baby" cousins, just 3 months apart.

Heehee taking sneaky pictures of Julie while she takes pictures of Scarlett.

The Artist gives a wave.

NatureBoy gets busy with Floam (I think that's what it's called.)

Are you little boys ready to ride the BIG swing??

Whhheeeeee!

Snack break

This picture was taken right before Julie got scolded for throwing balls. It was the THIRD time she got in trouble in the park. Tsk, tsk, Julie! She just happens to be the only one that gets caught. Fred was standing by me, throwing those balls right back at her. Naughty, naughty.
(And, really, there are ball-shooters in there...
but yet you get in trouble for tossing them? Hmmm....?)

After a whirlwind day, our little people crashed.

You'd think they would have slept well all night. Not so. Hotels just don't feel like home.
Oh, Home Sweet Home.
And, after this big yard sale weekend, our home should be much easier to keep clean! :-)