My girls love anything you can hang from trees. They love wind chimes, sun catchers, and wind socks. Tottie and I had some time together this morning before preschool so I thought it would be fun to make a fall sun spiral with her. When it was finished and hanging on the tree, she was so excited to watch it twirl around and catch the light! To make your own fall sun spiral you need: Clear contact paper (2 pieces, equal sizes) Small leaves you find on the ground Glitter Any other flat, small decorations you may want (we used foam shapes) Sharpie Scissors 1) You'll start by drawing a spiral on one piece of your contact paper. Make sure it is on the contact paper side and not the backing side. Also make sure your lines are wide enough apart to fit your leaves in between them and have a bit of room left. 2) Next, peal the backing off the contact paper and add the leaves, glitter, and other decorations to the sticky side. Make sure to keep the decorations … [Read more...]
Archives for 2012
Kids In The Kitchen–Guest Post
Getting your kids in the kitchen may seem like a lot of work, but it is one of the best ways to teach them life long lessons! I am going to tell you about the amazing benefits that you and your child will receive from spending time together in the kitchen while we bake monkey bread. Let’s start with washing our hands. This is the perfect time to teach your child a thing or two about microbiology. You can say something like this: There are teeny, tiny bugs that are invisible to your eye. They live all over the place! Some of them help us, but some of them can make us sick. It’s important to wash our hands so that we only keep the good ones around us. Let’s sing happy birthday twice as we rub our hands together really fast with soap, and then we can rinse them with water. Why do we have to rub our hands together really fast? Good question! That’s what’s going to get the bad bugs off, since soap alone won’t do the trick, so rub, rub, rub! Click photo to enlarge Now it’s time to … [Read more...]
Fall Cookies- Pinned It, Did It
Have you ever had one of those moments (usually happens to me on Pintrest) where you stop and you go "oh DUH!"? Well that is what came to mind when I saw the original pin. I saw these cookies and knew I had to give it a whirl. It is SO easy too! All you need is a bag of cookie mix, a rolling pin and a leaf shaped cookie cutter....and viola! Beautiful fall colored cookies. I made a double batch of sugar cookies to start. Next, I divided the batter up into four and colored each one a different fall color. I grabbed a small chunk from each colored batch and lined it up next to each other then rolled it out. We used our two leaf shaped cutters to make the cookies and baked. This sure was fun! I am totally adding this to my "to do list" for each fall. Click on the button above to learn more about Pinned it, Did it! … [Read more...]
Early Second Language Learning–Guest Post
As an adult, have you ever felt frustrated when you couldn’t communicate with another person due to a language barrier? Perhaps you then wished you would have studied a foreign language beyond the mandatory high school or college courses. In today’s society bilingualism and even multilingualism are a norm. As the demographics of our country rapidly change, it is vital to understand about foreign cultures and languages. Employers greatly value individuals who are bilingual and frequently applications who boast these skills stand out in a highly competitive job market. There have been a wide variety of research studies demonstrating the benefits of early second language learning . School systems all across the country continue to implement and improve their foreign language curriculum. Many schools now offer elementary language immersion programs where children are taught by teachers who speak fluently in the targeted foreign language. The goal of immersion programs are for students … [Read more...]
Paper Pumpkins
This is a really easy and pretty cute little craft project you can do with your kiddos. Cut several strips of colored card stock paper into 1 inch strips. I used my paper cutter cause it ensured they were the same width each time. Using your paper puncher punch a hole in each end of the strip of paper until all of your pieces of paper have two holes. String a green or brown ribbon (of your preference) through one end of the strips and knot. Pull the ribbon tight so that you create a C-shaped stack of paper and knot the other end of the ribbon. Fan out each piece of paper until you have a pumpkin shaped craft. Add more ribbon on top to create the leaves, if desired. (This project is great for little hand that need more fine motor skill activities). … [Read more...]
Oreo Smash Bars
Do you love Rice Krispie bars??? Here's a new twist (and a little more unhealthy) on those same bars. You will need: 1 package of Oreo cookies 1 package of regular sized marshmallows 1/2 stick of butter Empty the entire container of Oreos into a blender or food processor. Chop until they make a fine grit. They should be all chopped with no large pieces left. Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large microwave safe bowl. It should take around 1 1/2- 2 minutes to fully melt them. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour contents into a 8x8 greased pan and smash down firmly. Set in the fridge for about an hour to harden. Remove and enjoy! AMAAAAAAAAAAAZINGLY good! I only added this photo because I thought it was funny....my counter top is the same as the bars tee hee hee … [Read more...]
