Thursday

A few crafts from our past



When Sadie was a little one, we let her paint her light switch cover. It only took a few minutes to paint (but 2 days to dry!). She was so proud of that thing!


















Red Eyed Tree Frog Hat! This is another one my favorite crafts we did with Sadie when she was a preschooler. It went along with a rainforest unit we had been working on.

The Bloggy Business

Now that I've warmed up my brain by posting a handful of ideas, I thought I should begin to post in a more organized fashion. I'm not an organized person, which is why you may never see any wide shots on this blog. I won't subject to you to our mess any more than I have to, but, be forewarned, messes happen here! If you like things tidy, LOOK AWAY! I think we're an average American family. We all have our own little interests. Mine happens to be homeschooling, entertaining, and feeding my family in a way that won't break our already broken bank. Hope you will stick around long enough to see that we're probably alot like the rest of you. That's what brings all of us Bloggy Moms together, isn't it? We write to inspire each other. We write thinking that maybe something we send out into cyber space may be usable to some other family. I think we even write sometimes to brag about our clever ideas! And, there's nothing wrong with that. So, why am I blogging? Well, I would like to say that I find myself the inspiring type, but that would be a large lie. I just want to share the ideas that float around in my head, and post pictures of the ideas we've tried out from other blogs. I'm not really sure how to get people to come here and read what I write, but I'll figure it all out in time. It won't take a genius to realize that my kids are featured at many different ages. That's because I'm going back into my files for ideas from years ago, and posting them as well. Some of the activities that I feature are from when Sadie, now 6, was just a toddler.

With all that said, here's another fun idea...


I use to make these fun puppies every year at a preschool I taught at. We made them red like Clifford, but you can make them any color you'd like. It's just a paper triangle with the edges folded down as ears. So simple, but the little ones will be so proud.

Indoor Beach Fun


When you've got a craving for some fun in the sun, but weather isn't cooperating (like, say, a blizzard!) don't let it stop you from visiting your beach. Draw a fun beach scene with some bath tub crayons or paint on your shower walls. Add some water and beach toys. Dive right in! Don't forget your swim suit! Do you have some great ways to bring the outdoors to the indoors? Please feature them on your blog, and leave me a comment!

Pretty Lanterns



Another simple idea to add some magic to these chilly evenings. Use a hole puncher or scissors to cut litte designs into paper bags. Add a tea light, and dim your house lights. We borrowed the Nutcracker music from our local library and played it for an added bit of magic.

Safety tip: Never leave these alone. Paper bags and candles can be a dangerous mix if not watched carefully.

Nature Hunt


Sorry for the poor picture quality. If I can ever find the original image, I'll swap them out. This is another one of our favorite, and simplest activities. It can be done anywhere outdoors, in any season. Divide a paper into boxes. Number the squares 1 through 8 (or however many boxes you made). Arm your kid with tape or glue. Have them find items to go in each box, such as 6 blades of grass, or 3 acorns. I let my kids decide for themselves what to collect. Exploring nature to find their little treasures is the best part. Have a cool nature hunt idea? Leave a comment!

Mummies!

Sadie likes to dress up scary. Here she feautures her fabulous zombie mummy outfit, compliments of some leftover party streamer. Happy Wrapping!

Safety Goggles?


We recently needed some safety goggles for a science experiment. Didn't have any, so we used swimming goggles. The picture was so cute, I thought I'd share it. Do you have any favorite frugal subsitutes you use during your home schoo day? Please leave me a comment.

Paper Plate Masks


I'm bringing back an OLD idea. Maybe old enough to be called retro. Remember the joy of running around pretending to be a lion or a swamp monster, or an old man with a cotton ball beard? Bring out the paper plates and see what creative ideas your kids can come up with. Have a photo shoot and feature it on your blog! I'd love to see your results.