Spring and Easter Activities

Time to get busy on some Spring activities like the recycled flowerpots pictured above! Here is a list of fun unit studies and art projects great for all ages!



Here is a neat craft and science project all in one! Dye carnations by putting cut flowers into colored water for a fun spring bouquet!



Remember how fun it was to blow the middle out of an egg? Well here is a neat way to use up those egg shells by making a bird you can hang and let "fly"!

Got younger ones? How about reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and then making this paper inch worm!

What's one of the best things about spring returning? The birds are returning too! This easy bird feeder is great for kids of all ages and can also double as science!



Toysmith Solar Print Kit #4062 is another great way to incorporate science and fun! Use peices of nature and the power of the sun to create works of art!


This popcorn tree is the perfect pre-school project and is yummy too!



Suncatchers are always a hit in our house. Just use some tissue paper and contact paper to make a beautiful suncatcher!



My older kids at co-op love doing origami. Here is an origami basket.



Th fun project for teens, artistic inchies, can be displayed on the wall.

Currclick.com offers a number of easter notebooks and lapbooking kits.




If you have any fun craft ideas for the spring please feel free to post!

Not So Scary Halloween Art, Lesson Plans, Lapbooks and Activities

We don't celebrate Halloween for personal reasons (this is not an attack on those who do, this is just our personal conviction), but there is no getting around the kids knowing it exists so we take this opportunity to do some "not so scary" activities. Besides, you don't have to celebrate halloween to know that bats, bugs and all things creepy crawly are pretty cool!

Check out this cool pumpkin eyeball! This could be a great opportunity to learn about the parts of the eye and how they work.


This terra cotta pot pumpkin would make a cute decoration that you can leave out for Thanksgiving as well!

Who doesn't love learning about mummies? Do this mummy craft and visit the mummy maker to see if you can make your own mummy the ancient Egyptian way!

In this really cool Curiosity Files unit study Anna Lyze takes you into the world of Zombie Fire Ants. Best of all it is currently on sale for just $1!!

And halloween wouldn't be complete without exploring the grossest of body functions. Learn all about what causes zits, vomiting and even scabs and puss. GROSS!!!

These are just a few of the great ideas you can find all over the internet. So if you don't trick or treat, don't worry, you can still have lots of fun exploring the creepy and the disgusting!

Aluminum Foil Crafts

This blog is in honor of my friend Jessica over at Feeding the Family for Less. We had a bit of a joke about her doing a blog on aluminum foil. I got the feeling that she thought I should stick with writing homeschool posts. I agreed, but why can't I do both. So here it is, a homeschool post about aluminum foil:

The History of Aluminum Foil

All About the Element Aluminum

How is Aluminum Recycled?

Aluminum Can Crafts

You can use foil to make models or to do embossing crafts too!

The Mom I'm Bored Jar

If there are any two words that I dislike hearing they are "I'm Bored". Despite the overwhelming number of toys that my children have, the big back yard complete with trampoline and playground, the numerous art supplies and their siblings, my children never seem to have anything to do.

This could be the most amazing idea I have ever seen. The I'm Bored Jar. There are so many variations of things you can do with this that it makes it the perfect customizable summer idea! I sat the girls down and we came up with a list of about 50 different "I'm bored activities". I will have them pull a card and do each activity for 30 minutes. Once the card is drawn I will move it out of the box until all of the other cards are drawn.

Here is our list of I'm Bored Activities. Feel free to use it :)

Make a Puppet
Have a Puppet Show
Blow Bubbles
Write a Book
Write a Letter
Read a Book
Play Outside
Play Stuffed Animals
Dress Up
Finger Paint
Draw a Picture
Play Store
Chore (x's 5)
Snack Time
Go to Neighborhood Park
Paint Toenails
Computer Time
Play Doh
Tea Party
Simon Says
Play Animals
Trains
Science Experiments
Window Markers
Scavenger HuntSoccer
Hopscotch
Mud Pies
Bake with Mama
Music Band
Wii
Tinker Toys
LegosPattern Blocks
Write in Journal
Collect Bugs
Build a Pillow Fort
Make a Bracelet
Ride Bike
Sidewalk Chalk
Water Guns
Make a Movie
Board Game
American Girl Dolls
Water Slide
Nature Walk
Hide and Seek
Tag
Leap Frog
Follow the Leader
Take a Bubble Bath
Work a Puzzle
Mazes
Dot to Dot
Word Search

You will notice some of these are outside but I thought that limiting them to 30 minutes at a time would help with avoiding sunburns and heat exhaustion. You will also notice that I have snuck in 5 chore cards, hehe. We will probably add to these as we think of other fun activities. If you have any ideas for us please feel free to let me know!

Edible Rock Recipes for Geology Lesson Plans

We are doing geology in Weaver right now. Suits my youngest daughter perfectly, as she loves to collect treasures from nature. When she was nearly 3 we took the girls to Disney World and as all the characters passed us by we found her collecting giant leaves. These days we have similar stories to tell about her collecting rocks.

You can visit my post on Making Your Own Rock Candy for lessons related to crystals and minerals. For the three basic rock types here are some recipes to make your geology lessons fun and hands on!

Igneous Rocks

1 can evaporated milk (6 oz.) 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1 1/4 cups tiny marshmallows 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 1 teaspoon vanilla 1. Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan. 2. Combine evaporated milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5 - 9 minutes. 3. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. 4. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool. (Refrigerate) 5. 1 pan (8 x 8) makes 30 1 inch squares.

Metamorphic Rocks

1/2 cup shortening or margarine 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/2 cup well-drained crushed pineapple 1 egg, beaten 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon salt 1. Cream the shortening and the sugar. 2. Add the beaten egg and vanilla. 3. Add the dry ingredients and mix. 4. Stir in the fruit and the nuts. 5. Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. 6. Bake for 7 minutes at 375 degrees. Note: Chocolate chips, coconut, wheat germ, etc. can also be added.

Sedimentary Rocks

1 1/4 cups crushed flake cereal 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup margarine 1 cup chocolate or butterscotch chips 1 1/4 cups coconut 1 cup chopped nuts 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.) 1. Melt the margarine. 2. Mix with the cereal and the sugar to make cereal layer. 3. Press into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan. 4. Sprinkle the chips over cereal layer. 5. Sprinkle the coconut over chips. 6. Sprinkle the nuts over coconut. 7. Pour condensed milk over the layers. 8. Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

Homemade Corn Starch Sidewalk Chalk Recipe

Corn starch has to be one of the most versatile craft products I have ever come across. After making yarn hearts with corn starch glue, I did a little search and found out you can also make side walk chalk paint! Best of all it is so easy!

Materials Needed:

Corn Starch
Water
Bowls
Food Coloring

Procedure:

Mix 1/4 cup corn starch to 1/4 cup of water. Stir until well mixed. It it is a little tough at first so hang in there; I found a fork worked best for mixing. Add food coloring.

The "paint" will go on the sidewalk a bit watery but will soon dry into a chalky picture. The kids had fun with this for hours today! I did double the recipe because we had extra friends today, so if you have several children you may want to do the same. You might also want to double it just to store some for later use.

St Patrick's Day Crafts and Lesson Resources

Just a quickie with some links to St Patrick's Day Crafts and other resources!

DLTK's Site has resources for all ages! Crafts, songs, coloring sheets, and word searches are just a few of the resources you will find on this site!

Enchanted Kids is another great site! Check out the cute potato face craft or make a rainbow in a cup! There is also a nice number of printable worksheets and lapbook printables.

Lesoon Plans Page has a list of St. Patrick's Day lesson plans.

Valentine's Day Craft: Yarn Hearts with Corn Starch Glue

The girls wanted a Valentine's Day craft and after seeing this in my Family Fun Magazine, I thought we would give it a try.

Supplies:
Corn Starch Glue
Multi-color Yarn
Cookie Cutters in Desired Shapes
Parchment Paper

Corn Starch Glue Recipe:

1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of corn starch

Mix in a sauce pan until combined then slowly heat until the mixture becomes an opaque sticky paste. It will resemble shortening. You will want to stir constantly and stay with the pan because it changes fast!

Procedure:

Cut yarn (I found a skein that had blended colors at walmart for $1.47) into 8"-12" strips
Place cookie cutter on parchment (works best on shiny side)
Push into glue and run fingers down to get excess off (this gets messy so best to have a paper towel near!)
Lay yarn into cookie cutter
After you put as much yarn as you want into the cookie cutter, tear a small piece of parchment off and use it to press the yarn down into the cookie cutter. When you are satisfied with the way it looks gently remove the cookie cutter.
Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.

Enjoy! Great for Pre-school on up!