A is for Alligator

I've made up my mind and I've set a goal. I am going to start preschool with my son at home this year. We are currently just gonna go through the alphabet and have fun learning how to write our letters. My son knows most of the alphabet, but writing it is a different story, so that's gonna be our goal for this year. Writing and knowing the sounds of the alphabet. It's not gonna be overly complicated - I just want him to enjoy learning and it's nice to give him something to do that is fun and educational. I've heard that it's best to start with the easier letters, like "i" and "l" but my brain just couldn't handle that. Gotta start at the beginning!! So, we did A. Thanks to this awesome blog, I was able to find this great idea for an "A" craft.

A is for alligator. There are a number of crafts for the letter "A" that are linked above, but this was the one that I had the easiest access to the supplies.

On top of doing this with my 3 year old, I had the pleasure of watching a friend's kids for a bit and they got to join in on the crafting fun.

We started out by cutting out the printed pieces. My son had a little trouble cutting, but he did a little bit of it. I wanted him to try to do it on his own. His friend, Ryan, (who's a year older), enjoyed doing the cutting for a while and did much better at cutting than my boy. You'll never guess which kid is mine...oh wait - as always, he's the nekked one.

I cut out the paper for Miss Cailin - who is 2 years old and super duper adorable. Once all the cutting was done (I'm pretty sure I did 3/4 of it for the boys as well), we went on to gluing on the scaly skin. Cailin got to help smear the glue on the paper. That may have been her favorite part. You can't tell from the picture, but her paper was pretty much colored purple from the glue stick. :0)

The boys also got to apply the glue themselves and then they got to work with the green construction paper: applying it to the glued areas.

At this point, I stopped taking pictures. Cailin was pretty much done and the boys were wanting assistance to get the pieces to be glued in the right spots. But, much fun was had by all. I tried my darndest to get a picture of all of them with their alligators.

But, it was quite the challenge. 

Did they learn anything about the letter "A"? It's kinda doubtful. Maybe they did. Kids retain far more than we realize. But, either way, they had a good time and they all three knew that it started as the letter "A".

I will be trying to work on at least one letter per week with Cade, and I'm super excited about it. (By the way, we did do some tracing and things like that too, but this was the fun part that we did with friends, so I thought I'd share.) And, my apologies to my son (in the future) if I could get you to wear clothes, I'd have far more modest pictures of you. :)

Duct Tape Wallets

Hi Blogosphere!

I'm back! I'm sorry for my long-time lack of posting. Last week, I had a glorious vacation with my family at Disneyland and ran the Disneyland 10k (for those non-runner types, that would be 6.2 miles).

It was absolutely wonderful. I intended to have a few blog posts ready to go before I left, but I let time get away from me and never got it done. But, I'm back now! And ready to go!

A few weeks ago, I watched some of my nephews and one of my nieces. It was a wonderful, busy, full, active time at my house.

As usual, the kids were anticipating and looking forward to the project that Aunt Heidi would have planned. Because of the vast ages (10 months to 10 years) ranging at my house, finding a project suitable for all ages seemed a challenge so I focused on a project for the oldest boys. As they had to be the helpers for the day, I thought it nice to reward their hard work.

Finding a project for boys that are 9 and 10 years old is challenging. So, I did a Pinterest search for "Activities for Tween Age Boys." Much to the chagrin of my sister ("my boy, a tween?! eek!"). But, I found the right activities for them.

The first pin I found was a perfect find: 20+ unplugged activities for Tween Age Boys. There were many, many good ideas on there - but I found the one that intrigued me the most and went with it: Duct Tape Wallets.

The items needed for this craft: duct tape, measuring tape. That's it. I actually used a grocery bag as well, to mark down the measurement spots so  I could use it a few times without having to keep the measuring tape out. That worked well. 

My niece and other nephews were a little bummed that they couldn't do this project as well, but it was kinda difficult for the older boys and I knew frustration and tears would've been the results of having the littler kiddos trying to do this as well. Thankfully, they got distracted and enjoyed playing together. 

Apparently, duct tape is a comfy pillow and mask?? :) Silly boys. The first layer of tape was pretty easy for the boys to apply, the next layer, not so much. We ended up having to rip two sets of the first and second layers when all was said and done. News flash: duct tape is sticky. This project is easiest when you can use 4 hands. 

The instructions for the pockets on the wallet were a little tough for me to understand, so I struggled with that, but the boys were happy with the results regardless...and I think I kinda got it figured out...however I don't have a clearer way of writing it than what is said in the blog, so I can't help you any further in understanding it...sorry.

The one thing I would caution, if you are using a directional patterned duct tape - like Superman, here - you will want to make sure that the overlapping is done at the top of the pattern rather than the bottom of the pattern. Gabe's wallet had to be adjusted a bit so it wasn't upside down. It worked out alright, but we just had to change it up a bit.

Check out the instructions on the blog - they are pretty clear and the boys loved making these. And they are able to hold library cards, cash, and the like in their fashionable duct tape wallets. 

Oh! And I got in on the action as well. Have you ever seen the patterned duct tape at the store and thought "boy, I wish I had a use for that! Oh well, I'll get it anyway." Well, I had some of that duct tape and finally found a use for it in this duct tape wallet. :) I made one for Peyton and one for myself.

None of them were perfect, but they are all useable and fun! And now you know. A fun project to do with you *gulp* tweens. And to finish it off, here are two more pictures from our trip to the happiest place on earth.

(Cade got that costume as a surprise gift when we got to Disneyland..afterward, he wouldn't take it off. He was in Heaven. And Disneyland is the perfect place for it - according to cast members at Disneyland (aka Disney employees) he wasn't in a costume - he WAS Buzz Lightyear.)

We Give Books

I'm working through some super old pins in my Pinterest account and have found some really interesting things. One of the pins I just (re)discovered was this awesome website, http://www.wegivebooks.org.

Photo from Pinterest

In order to use this website, you do have to register, but it's pretty hassle and pain-free. None of this "please enter a symbol, number, capitol letter, and an accent to create a password" bologna. It was straightforward and quick.

Once I signed up, I was excited to get reading with Cade. You read the books through the site itself, so you aren't downloading anything. They have some great books. The toughest part was navigating to the books. Up at the very top (in the black bar), you'll want to click on the button "read." From there, you will see lots of books options based on age (anywhere from 0-10), genre, author, classics, etc.  I went to the age range 4-7 and found a few "Llama Llama" books as well as many, many other options.

After I clicked on the book we wanted to read and enlarged it to fit the whole screen, the reading began. This book seems appropriate for my little nudist son...

So, there you have it - an awesome website with so many books to read online! This'll save you a trip to the library when your day is already full. Happy reading!

Super Giant Bubbles Recipe

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere! Here's a fun activity to do with your littles to keep them entertained. Bubbles!  

Photo from Pinterest

There is no link to share as this was just an image, so I'll just tell ya about my experience. Cade helped me make the bubble solution. 

This was super simple. All of the ingredients were things I already had at home. The only thing I struggled to find was a big enough bucket...oddly enough. I guess my brain just wasn't fully functioning when I was making this. I ended up using a mop bucket, which worked well, but for it being a bit larger than necessary. Seriously, if that's the biggest concern, it really was no biggie.

Stirring the solution without creating bubbles was more of a challenge than I would've expected. I think it was due to the corn starch sticking to the bottom of the bucket. Oh well. We made it work.

I set the timer for an hour and put the bucket out of site so Cade wouldn't be impatiently waiting and we went swimming while we waited. I love summer. 

Once the solution had sat for an hour, we took it outside and blew bubbles. Cade had trouble blowing them, so I did most of that - but he had a blast popping them. 

The bubbles weren't super wimpy bubbles either. It was quite nice. I used a bubble wand that we already had from the dollar store and we also made some out of pipe cleaner. All worked nicely. 

"Seriously, mom, a picture? Just blow the bubble for me already..."

We left the bucket outside to play with over the next few days and the bubble solution never faltered. It worked wonderfully and continued to produce bubbles as long as the blower had some skillz. Yep, with a 'z.' Because, I am that cool. There you have it. Easy-peasy bubble making recipe. 

Homemade Gummies

My son loves sweets. A lot. He is obviously his mother's son. He likes candy and gummy treats. There's not a lot of good stuff in most of those and, although I try my darndest to get the healthiest of these unhealthy treats, I have still been searching for a healthier option that tastes similar because I feel slightly guilty every time he eats them. I've seen lots of pins for making homemade gummies, and I've been curious, but never daring enough to try them. Until today. I made peach gummies. Check out the link here for the directions.

Photo from Pinterest

I was pretty excited to make these. Sadly, they weren't good. Maybe if I had gone with one of the combinations of ingredients that was recommended in the blog, but I didn't. I thought sticking to just one fruit would be a good test. And, I think it was. These don't taste like gummies. They taste like bland jello. Blech! But, if you are interested in making them and would like to see what it looks like, read on.  I used peaches that I had frozen from last fall and mixed them up real good in our blendtec blender then added the ingredients as listed in the blog above. The coolest part was watching the gelatin turn the peach liquid into something that looked like old person skin. Unappetizing, but interesting.

It doesn't seem like it will all dissolve into the liquid, but it eventually does. I think it took about 20 minutes.

After it's all dissolved, then you do a light boil and add in the rest of the ingredients.

Then, pour it onto a cookie sheet and let it set. I put it in the fridge for a few hours. It looks so marble-y and cool. :)

After it set, I took it out, took a picture of how neat it looked and then cut it up.

Then I ate it and tried to choke it down. Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it wasn't very good.

In fact, it was so not good, that my son asked for more...but not to eat - just to line up in the cupboard for fun...hmmm...at least they weren't sticky (or at least didn't leave any stickiness) like the processed gummies you get at the store...and now for your viewing pleasure, my son's idea of something fun to do with the gummies.

I guess we will try to a different version sometime, because this was no good. It may have been good if it was what I was expecting, but the consistency wasn't right. I may make them in the future as jello...because they may be good like that, but calling these gummies (although jello is a tad gummy) is false advertising, in my opinion.

Rainbow Rice

It's been a while since I've done a blog on anything other than food. I love food. I always intend to blog about something else, but then a delightfully tasty looking meal pops up on Pinterest, my mouth starts to water, and all I can think about is making a new dish, rather than trying anything else. However, I found time to - finally - blog about something else. Rainbow Rice!

Photo from Pinterest

I decided sensory play with my son would be a good activity, plus he could help me make the colored rice. I ended up using vinegar instead of rubbing alcohol, and it didn't end up smelling up the whole house like I thought it might.

I didn't put the rice into ziploc baggies. In my opinion, I didn't need to waste the plastic bags. Instead, I used a tupperware bowl for each of the colors. (1 cup of rice for each color). After we mixed it up a bit, I put the lid on the tupperware and my son got to shake it all up until the color was mixed through.

After it was all mixed, I laid some tin foil on a baking sheet and put the colored rice in it. Then we put it on the porch in the sunshine to dry out.

It took, maybe, an hour (max) for the rice to completely dry out. My poor boy was so excited to use this, but it took us a few days to actually do something with the rice. I couldn't seem to get up the courage to give my son a bowl of rice that could be thrown everywhere...since that seems to be his favorite thing to do. But, eventually we did do something with it.

And here is what I have learned:

1) Use a bigger tupperware container.

2) Put an even bigger pan underneath the tupperware container as the "catch all."

3) Let your child have a blast and make a mess while you close your eyes, cringe and take deep breaths...and then think about taking it outside for more playtime.

4) Be sure it is played with in an area that is easy to clean up...i.e. the kitchen, dining room (somewhere not carpeted) or outdoors (where it will be swept away by the elements eventually).

And there you have it. It was a fun little activity that I don't think we will do again. Until I forget how stressed out I was about this sensory play. Next time, we'll just go to Creative Studio for Kids where my son can play in the pre-made sensory bin and I don't have to worry about cleaning it up. But, if your child isn't as messy as mine, this may be the perfect activity for you and your littles.

PS - I did find another blog (after the fact) that gave some other ideas of things to do with the colored rice: Fill up empty water bottles and seal tight to make colorful shakers, or sprinkle on sticky paper to create mosaic-style artworks. Find out more, by check out this blog. Ok....with that being said, maybe I will try it again in the future.... :)

Goo Bags

I've been posting a lot about food recently. Which, I suppose, makes sense because I *love* food. I am a foodie. I like trying new, not-too-exotic foods, I like making new things and I'm trying to be a little more daring, so food has been my go-to Pinterest tests.

However, I did a different test the other day with my son...and it was mostly a hit. Goo bags.

Photo from Pinterest

First of all, it was simple to make and didn't take too long. Basically, just follow the directions in the blog above. I didn't change anything. She even gives you pictures of what the consistency should look like and I took a picture too - but decided you didn't need mine, since hers is already there.

I put the goo into separate bags, which was a bit of a messy challenge...and then added the food coloring.

Three things I noticed:
1) I used one gallon sized bags and 3 sandwich bags. The gallon bag held together better, but there wasn't enough for many colors, unless the bag was far from full. So, in the future I would probably double the batch of goo.

2) As I kinda said above, use gallon bags. They don't break open as easily. We ended up with blue goo all over the place because my son thought it'd be fun to throw it around a bit. And it was. Until the bag broke open. Then we both may have cried. Ok, that's an exaggeration, he just held me as I cried.

3) I put in lots of drops of food coloring, but my colors were not as vibrant as hellobee's were...except for the blue. I've discovered that the fluorescent food coloring has a much more vibrant color when mixed than the others.

Lastly, this was actually fun for both me and my son to play with. It didn't hold his interest for too long, but that was ok, because he came back to it later and played with it again. I had it out for a few days and it continually brought him back.

Anyway, there you have it. Another idea for sensory play with your kiddos. And now, back to my foodies... :)