Peter Rabbit Watercolor Project
1 day ago
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Our (Gingerbread) Easter Bunny Hutch
Last night, Alex and I made a gingerbread Easter Bunny Hutch... (and I'm looking for a few good Easter projects to do while we're at Nana's house this weekend)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Happy Vernal Equinox!
Today is the Vernal, or Spring, Equinox. It is one of two days during the year where the length of day and night are just about equal. There's an old myth that says you can balance an egg on an equinox. And, I did! (In fact, I have one sitting on the kitchen counter for my husband to see when he comes home.) But, I've also balanced them on other days.
The photo, above, is from a few days AFTER the Vernal Equinox several years ago. It takes a little practice, but with a steady hand you can balance an egg today. Or tomorrow! Why not give it a try?
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
The Cost of the 12 Days of Christmas
Will True Love cost more in 2010 than in previous years?
I found a cute online pop-up book that shows you what the cost of giving the presents in the 12 Days of Christmas would be in 2010. Evidentally, PNC has been doing this for quite a few years. They go through each day and tell you if the price went up or down since last year and then give you a total cost for the gifts. What makes this even more fun, though, is that you actually get to use your mouse to make the pop-up activities work! There are also lesson plans and some games, but I think we'll be sticking to the pop-up book this year.
I found a cute online pop-up book that shows you what the cost of giving the presents in the 12 Days of Christmas would be in 2010. Evidentally, PNC has been doing this for quite a few years. They go through each day and tell you if the price went up or down since last year and then give you a total cost for the gifts. What makes this even more fun, though, is that you actually get to use your mouse to make the pop-up activities work! There are also lesson plans and some games, but I think we'll be sticking to the pop-up book this year.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Remember Pearl Harbor
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. CurrClick is offering a nice mini study about Pearl Harbor by "The Whole World Publishing." It is only $1! I'm going to buy it and read the story to my daughter tomorrow. It also includes pieces to make a lapbook, coloring pages, and questions.
Homemade Christmas Cards
Today Alex and I went to the first of FOUR Christmas parties this week. This one was for our church's homeschool group. We started the party by singing Christmas carols at a nursing home.
Each family was to bring some homemade Christmas cards to give out to the residents after we sang. I got out my old scrapbooking materials and put these 5 cards together after seeing a similar card online. I thought they turned out cute and had to post them!
After the nursing home, we went back to the church for the second part of the party - a gift exchange for the kids and then some yummy treats for us all!
Christmas Around the World
CurrClick has chosen 10 bloggers to take us on a trip to view Christmas Around the World. The first stop is China with Jimmie at Jimmie's Collage! I really enjoyed reading about some of the unusual Christmas traditions in China. And the second stop is England with Cheryl at Crispy, Not Crunchy. I have not visited Cheryl's blog before and really enjoyed reading her post and learning about Christmas Crackers, Christmas Pudding, and Boxing Day!
You can follow CurrClick's posts on their blog and travel around the world this week. Oh... and each of the 10 guest bloggers is having drawings to give away free goodies! So, travel the world, learn about Christmas, and you might even win something, too!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Memorial Day Lapbook
We made this Memorial Day lapbook two years ago. We love making lapbooks because they are a great keepsake and review. We will be looking over this lapbook again this week.
The 12 minibooks, created by Lilliput Station, are available for $5 at CurrClick. We enjoyed putting together this lapbook and learned a lot in the process.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!
Happy St. Patrick's Day! It reminds me of our trip to Ireland this summer,
so I thought I'd re-post a few photos.
The "real", Irish Leprechaun she found.
At the beach in Dingle. (very cold!)
An ancient beehive hut.
Alex at the beautiful Cliffs of Moher.
The incredible harpist we listened to at Cliffs of Moher. (I now own 3 of her CDs.)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Pysanky Eggs
Last year I attempted my first Pysanky egg near Easter. (Photo below.) Pysanky is a type of Ukrainian Easter egg. I bought a kit from Yevshan - the Deluxe Ukrainian Easter Egg Decorating Kit and it only cost $16.98 plus shipping & handling. (I'm not sure if you can get similar kits at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.)
I didn't post directions on how I did it because I followed the directions at That Artist Woman.
Here's a video about the history of Pysanky.
And, this is a video about how to make Pysanky.
I'm excited about trying Pysanky again this year! Is anyone else going to give it a try?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Valentine's Day Ice Skating Party
The kids also decorate their own boxes to exchange cards. I waited until the last minute, so I just bought Alex a premade box, but some of the kids got really creative. We always have a contest for the "best boxes", too.
And, someone noticed this hawk sitting right outside of our window!!! He sat there for quite awhile. The white spot is a reflection of one of the lights in our room. I jokingly suggested we turn out the lights for a minute so I could get a better photo. But, with 60+ kids, it probably wasn't a great idea.
Monday, January 18, 2010
MLK Day
We watched one-half of the History Channel's movie, King, today. We'll try to finish it tomorrow. We were both learning so much!
We spent the afternoon at a local park and ended up playing volleyball with a dad, his 3 kids, and 2 of his neighbor's kids (3 teens, an 8yo girl - perfect for Alex, and a 5yo boy). I played for 2 hours!!! I'm SORE, but it was so much fun!!!
Alex also watched a movie we bought several years ago called Our Friend, Martin. It's a wonderful cartoon story of Martin Luther King's life. But, as a warning, there are real clips of his life AND some violent clips showing how blacks were treated during this time. So, be prepared and watch with your child! But, we have both learned a lot from this show and Alex has watched it many times.
Lastly, here is a post I made when Alex was 5 that includes some books we read about Martin Luther King when she was younger.
We spent the afternoon at a local park and ended up playing volleyball with a dad, his 3 kids, and 2 of his neighbor's kids (3 teens, an 8yo girl - perfect for Alex, and a 5yo boy). I played for 2 hours!!! I'm SORE, but it was so much fun!!!
Alex also watched a movie we bought several years ago called Our Friend, Martin. It's a wonderful cartoon story of Martin Luther King's life. But, as a warning, there are real clips of his life AND some violent clips showing how blacks were treated during this time. So, be prepared and watch with your child! But, we have both learned a lot from this show and Alex has watched it many times.
Lastly, here is a post I made when Alex was 5 that includes some books we read about Martin Luther King when she was younger.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
"King" on History Channel - Sunday & Monday
Martin Luther King
Leader
Preacher
Dreamer
Revolutionary
Man
You might want to watch the History Channel's 2 hour special about Martin Luther King. It airs this Sunday and Monday. "Go beyond the dream to discover the man. An unforgettable 2 hour event."
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Christmas Day Sledding Fun!!!
We had a wonderful time playing in the snow on Christmas Day.
Alex running up the hill... ready to play!
Alex getting ready to go down the hill in her 'sled' - being pushed by a cousin.
Papa pulling Alex and her aunt on a homemade sled.
My baby in the snow! This was her first day EVER to sled!
Alex sledding... but she forgot the sled!
Alex sledding in the pool sled... it worked much better! I bet we used it 30 times or more!
Making a snow angel.
Me sledding... well, I almost made it to the bottom before flying out of the pool!
Alex and me in the pool/sled.
Yep! We wiped out, too!
Tiling
Between visiting our 2 families, we were gone for 8 days for Christmas. We got home Monday afternoon. Since then, we have been busy. I bought and put together two new sets of shelves for Alex's room and we've been orgainzing her things, including her new Christmas presents.
While in Oklahoma, I learned a new skill... how to tile a floor! My mother- and father-in-law are building a new house 'next door' (they live in the country) to my sister-in-law's. They are doing a lot of the work themselves. My sil was busy tiling the floor and asked if I wanted to help. She said it was like a giant craft... she knows how to get my interest! Anyway, I had a lot of fun, though I got very sore!
This is my in-laws master bathroom. Don't you love the tile? Anyway, I wish I would have been able to stick around and get more done, but I did enjoy helping with this room. We got about 3/4ths of it done.
Here's a vew of the back of their new house.
And a view from their front porch. They hope to move in by the end of February.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Homemade Christmas
I love making homemade decorations for Christsmas (and other holidays). This pillow, above, is the only cross-stich I've ever completed to the point of being ready to display! I did the cross stitch about 15 years ago and my husband's great aunt sewed it into a little pillow. I hang it on a doorknob every year.
My mother-in-law and I painted these 4 little snowmen when I was on bedrest with Alex over 9 years ago! Aren't they cheerful?
My mother-in-law used to spend a lot of time around the holidays making crafts. (We live in different states.) We made this snowman out of 2 styrofoam balls and a sock. The buttons, nose, and eyes are straight pins with round balls. The nose is a toothpick which was painted orange. And, the cheeks were 'painted' with a little blush. We made the hat out of felt - proabably the hardest part of the project! Didn't he turn out great? I'm hoping to do some crafts with Alex AND my mother-in-law while we visit this Christmas.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Goose Club
A few days ago we finished reading the unabridged story of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Last weekend, we were watching Twas' the Night Before Good Eats in which Dickens ghost shows up and teaches Alston Brown about Christmas in his time. (It'll be on again Monday and Tuesday!)
One thing they mentioned was that the Cratchit family probably belong to a Goose Club. A Goose Club was where a worker contributed part of his weekly wages to a local "club" to reserve a goose for the family on Christmas. The following interesting explanation is from this Learning English site:
Around Victorian times another traditional Christmas feast was roasted goose or roasted turkey. In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the "goose club", which was a method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas. Goose clubs were popular with working-class Londoners, who paid a few pence a week towards the purchase of a Christmas goose. The week before Christmas, London meat markets were crammed with geese and turkeys, many imported from Germany and France, although some were raised in Norfolk, and taken to market in London. The birds were walked from Norfolk to the markets in London, to protect their feet the turkeys were dressed in boots made of sacking or leather and geese had their feet protected with a covering of tar. The traditional Christmas goose was featured in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'.
To continue with our "Dickens Christmas" theme, we read Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectiations by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema. It is a wonderful book describing Dickens life. Alex LOVES Dickens and is ready to read another book by this great author!
Update: Another great book about Dickens is Stand Up, Mr. Dickens: A Dickens Anthology. This book goes back and forth with a chapter about Dickens life written by Edward Blishen followed by a long excerpt from one of his novels. Books excerpted from include: Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Christmas Carol, Dombey & Son, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Ivory Snowman
Tonight, 'we' (Alex couldn't help much with her cast on) made this cute snowman... out of Ivory soap! You can find the instructions at Craft Elf.
First, we used a cheese grater to grate the Ivory soap - it is very simple to do! (I used 2 bars, but had some left over.)
Then you add a little water at a time until you can work with the soap. Next, you make the 3 balls. It is a little difficult to make a ball. I've never worked with anything like it and don't know what to compare it to. I worked on a piece of wax paper and I also used a toothpick through the middle of the snowman for stability!
We were using supplies we had on hand, so we used food coloring for the buttons, eyes, and mouth. I just made little puddles of the food coloring on a paper plate and dipped the toothpick in it. Then I "poked' the color into place. For the nose, I mixed red & yellow food coloring, died the end of a toothpick orange, and broke off the tip of the toothpick to use as a nose.
Lastly, I cut up a sock (I used the other sock the other day to make a cover for Alex's cast. It is kind of scratchy and she now sleeps in the sock to keep from scratching herself. A handy hint from my sister-in-law!) I cut a strip of sock for the scarf and used the toe end of the sock to make a cap. I also added some soap flakes to the bottom of the snowman so he looks like he is sitting in snow.
UPDATE: This morning, the food coloring on our snowman had 'bled' and the colors were separating - for example, the blue eyes had red rings around them. If I did this craft again, I would use beads or small buttons. I think they were trying to keep the project as something you could actually use in the tub.
Christmas Caroling
This week our church homeschool group went Christmas Caroling at a nursing home. We belong to a very small church which is made up primarily of older people. But, our younger population has going and most of our families homeschool! For the past 2 months, we have been having monthly get togethers. But, this is the first one Alex & I were able to make. We went caroling to a nursing home and then handed out Christmas cards and sugar free candy canes. It was so wonderful to watch these older ladies and gentlemen enjoying the carols and the kids!
Then, we went back to the church and had a Christmas party. The kids exchanged inexpensive gifts, we had snacks, sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, and played games. We had a wonderful time and it is so nice to be getting to know some of the other families from our church!
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Dickens on the Strand
Yesterday afternoon, Alex and I drove south through the snow to Galveston. (We stayed at Hilton Galveston Island Resort which we loved!) And, the snow followed us all the way to the island! This photo was taken this morning (Saturday). What a difference a day makes! Last night (Friday), we went out to dinner at Rainforest Cafe and then to Moody Gardens where we visited the aquarium and saw a 4D production of Polar Express. It was a neat show - complete with wind blowing on us, water splashing us, lights flashing, etc. But, we were shocked that they'd condensed the whole movie into about 15 minutes!!!
We spent the night in a wonderful hotel (we'll definitely use it again!) and had lots of fun. We made hot chocolate and watched the DVD of Polar Express on Alex's small TV she'd brought with her. We really had a wonderful evening! This morning, we headed to Dickens on the Strand.
I've wanted to go for years, but this is the first time we've made it. It is a pretty large festival in the historic Strand district of Galveston. There are lots of people dressed in Victorian costumes - including this WONDERFUL Marley's Ghost! A lot of the people who come to see this event dress in costumes, too. And, everyone is so wonderful about having their photos taken.
Some Beefeaters. Did you see the sign above them... "Welcome to the Nut House?" It is really a place where they are selling nuts, but I thought the photo turned out funny. Alex actually bought nuts there. There is LOTS of food for sell!
Alex posing with some constables.
There are lots of singers, and this was our favorite group. They were singing a very silly song. We LOVE their dresses! There are acts like this on stages and street corners every where you go!
And, here comes Queen Victoria! I was thrilled to see her. Unfortunately, I really didn't get a very good photo. She was surrounded by her entourage of Beefeaters wherever she went. The town cryer (I think that is his title) is in the blue and gold.
Alex is watching her favorite performance here.
This was Alex's favorite performer - Mary Merrie. She did all kinds of juggling and strange things. :-) She had broken her wrist 9 weeks ago - just like Alex! (Alex broke hers 3 weeks ago.) Alex laughed & laughed at one of her skits. She really was entertaining.
Alex had her hair done up in a neat hair thing. I don't even know what to call it. She really wanted it, but it was $35! I just couldn't see spending that much.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus.... shopping! I wonder who they're shopping for!
The last thing we did was watch the Queen's parade. We loved these Victorian bicycles. We also saw a lot of the acts we'd already seen - singers, etc. We had a wonderful time and stayed pretty warm, especially in the sun. It was only in the 40's, but we stopped at WalMart and bought some gloves, scarves, and ear covers. I am so glad we went to Dickens on the Strand and plan on going back next year!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
