Streamer Eggstravaganza

Today O and I used up leftover party streamers to make some colorful spring crafts. Our theme of the day was most definitely EGGS...I tried to branch out but O was very adamant about our subject matter! To create our collages we used a paintbrush and applied watered down white craft glue to our cut out images.

  

O needed a little help cutting out here collage pieces but was able to adhere them all herself. The results were beautiful.  At first we just did eggs.

Later we experimented with pictorial scences.

Finally, we used up our paper scraps to craft this beautiful egg. 

We twisted each scrap tightly around the end of a pencil, once firmly attached we dipped it into glue, and then applied it to our template.  This was a time consuming project but it was the perfect way to spend a rainy Monday afternoon.  We were able to chase away the gray skies with our colorful masterpieces.

Glass Beach

I know spring has finally arrived when I find myself once again strolling down glass beach.  We are lucky to have our very own treasure cove just around the bend. At low tide this small strip of sand reveals it's bounty.

  The sea loosens it's grip and the beach is awash with the fragments and trinkets of days bygone.  Each piece holds it's own secret history.  I wish I could exhume these stories, instead I must revel in their beauty alone.  Time and the sea have transformed these discarded objects into some of my most prized possesions.  I have amassed quite a collection.

Here are a few of my favorite items:

I know this spring and summer will include many more trips to glass beach and I can't wait to discover what the sea returns to me.

Spring Equinox

On two days each year, the fall and spring equinoxes, day and night are of equal lengths. The earth is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun. Today is the day, spring has finally sprung! The children and I spent most of the day outside celebrating the return of spring. We visited our local playground and walked down main street reveling in each ray of sun.  Today I took my children's hands and step lightly into the joy and beauty of springtime.

The spring equinox is also the first day of the Persian New Year. Each family celebrates the New Year by preparing a special table filled with seven items that begin with the letter "S". These items represent happiness and good fortune for the New Year. Tomorrow we plan on packing a picnic with seven "S" items and celebrating the return of spring Persian style!

Sew Much Better

My foray into sewing is showing vast improvement!  It has required all the tenacity I can muster and a whole lot of four letter words.....but here are a few pics to highlight my success story. 

This is my first pattern sewn dress...boy was that a learning experience!

Next up is a darling sundress based on this tutorial from Lil Blue Boo. I was using up my scrap fabric and this is the result.

Here is my skirt trifecta all sewn with the beautifully detailed tutorials provided by Ikat Bag's blog.

Finally something for me...this GIANT tote bag was created using the excellent tote tut on the Sew Mama Sew blog.  I love that blog!

It has been refreshing to discover that you really are never to old to learn something new.  My next venture will be woodworking...I'm getting the itch to build bookcases...wish me luck!

Childhood Delight...The Joy of the Open Road!

The World's Fastest Bicycle

My bicycle's the fastest

that the world has ever seen;

it has supersonic engines

and a flame-retardant sheen.

My bicycle will travel

a gazillion miles an hour --

it has rockets on the handlebars

for supplemental power.

The pedals both are jet-propelled

to help you pedal faster,

and the shifter is equipped

with an electric turbo-blaster.

The fender has a parachute

in case you need to brake.

Yes, my bike is undeniably

the fastest one they make.

My bicycle's incredible!

I love the way it feels,

and I'll like it even more

when Dad removes the training wheels.

--Kenn Nesbitt

Wordless Wednesday

Donated 11 inches of hair today to locks of love:)

Mammals in Winter

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Winter Series #9 Mammals

This week challenge was to focus on winter mammals. During the winter many mammals become elusive. We are fortunate to live near a National Wildlife Refuge which provides an excellent locale for our weekly adventures. Today we were able to hike a trail and drive through the preserve on a "mammal hunt".  The children were very excited to discover multiple sets of deer tracks. Our area is heavily populated with white-tailed deer and this particular refuge is also home to an introduced Asian species the sika deer.  Based on the size of our tracks we were able to identified them as white tailed deer.  In addition to these tracks we spotted squirrels, and the scat of wild horses.  We also found these tracks but were unable to identify them due to their degradation.

We plan on continuing our mammals study throughout the spring in hopes of discovering more animals.

Mazes, Minotaurs and Minoans

This week in history T studied life in early Crete. He was especially taken with the myth of King Minos and the Minotaur. He built a maze out of legos and used a string to mark the path out just like the hero of the myth Theseus. We used the suggestion in the SOTW AG and built a Minoan ship. To construct our Minoan sailing ship we used this wonderful tutorial from Ikat Bag. Our Minoan sailing ship is even complete with a black sail. According to legend Theseus was supposed to put a white sail on his ship if he had successfully slain the Minotaur. Alas, poor Theseus forgot to change his sail and returned home donning a black sail. His father King Aegeus was so distraught over his son supposed death that he flung himself into the sea. To honor his father’s death Theseus named this sea the Aegean Sea. We have had a blast reenacting this myth. All week I have overheard T engaging in fierce battle against the Minotaur and sailing home victorious....there has even been a dramatic suicidal death plunge scene using a lego mini-figure. T is enthralled with this period of history. We have begun reading D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and it is a hit so far. This history smitten Mama is thrilled to see T so engaged in the stories of the past.

Finding the Pot o' Gold

Yesterday I created a St. Patty's Day scavenger hunt for the children. I started the endeavor by crafting  mischievous leprechauns for each child. I used this tutorial from the wee folk arts blog.

Next I made fabric "sacks" of gold from black fabric squares filled with Rolos and tied off with shamrock ribbons. I found this great pot o'gold idea from the make and takes blog.

I then hid the leprechauns with their gold pots in my closet in front of a beautiful rainbow crafted by O.

Next I wrote out 20 clues for finding the gold and hid them throughout the house.

T had to read the clues aloud to O and then they searched for them together.

To say this was a hit would be an understatement.  My home was filled with squeals of delight as the children ran from clue to clue.  At last my little treasure hunters discovered the gold.  

The pot's of gold did not last long...it's hard to be frugal when there's chocolate involved. This activity was a wonderful way to get T to practice his reading without him realizing it. On each clue I tried to include words that T needs to practice or words which correlated to our recent phonics lessons. You have to love homeschooling subterfuge.  I have many more St. Patty's Day activities and crafts planned...I love St. Patty's Day and I'm not even Irish:)

Wordless Wednesday

A taste of things to come...SPRING!

I think the end is near...the end of winter that is. It has been one crippling, bone chilling, stir crazy season here. This winter has won the distinguished honor of being the snowiest winter EVER recorded. The natives have become restless and I fear mutiny may soon be at hand. My body is physically craving the sun's warmth....can anyone say Seasonal Affective Disorder. It seems old man winter may finally be loosening his grip. Today, in the Mid-Atlantic it was a balmy 60 degrees. We celebrated this small victory with a trip to the zoo, the park and ice cream! A smile was plastered on the faces of everyone we met today...it seems we all missed the sunshine. I'm sure the cold will return with one last slap, but for now I'm dusting off my flip flops:)

 

Starting our day off right

We are definitely in the minority when it comes to television consumption. We do not have a cable subscription, and due to our rural location do not receive a clear digital transmission. This translates into no network television for our household. The children do watch DVDs but their total screen time each day is limited to 2 hours which includes the use of the computer and video games. Recently, the children had fallen into the bad habit of watching a DVD while waiting for and eating breakfast (I am not a morning person). Inevitably the kids would not want to turn off their program when breakfast was over, and tensions would rise for everyone. It is hard to segue into the school day with pouty children. After weeks of dealing with grumpy resistant children in the morning I have finally reached a compromise. Each morning, while I am preparing breakfast, the children sit at the kitchen table and listen to a book on CD. We continue to listen to the story while we eat and then discuss the book after the meal has ended. I'm happy to report that everyone is pleased with the solution:) It's a definite win-win for me, I now have happy entertained kids and part of our read aloud schedule complete! How do you and your children start the day? I'm always looking for new ideas to make the mornings a little more bearable for this night owl of a mother.

Crystals...

The Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter series # 6 Salt Study

This week the children and I did a salt study. We were able to grow our own crystal by evaporating a saturated solution of salt water in a sunny windowsill. The children were fascinated by the results, which I must say were very beautiful.  The kids learned that a crystal is an organized grouping of atoms, or molecules. Each crystal has different properties and shapes. For example, sugar crystals are oblong and slanted at the ends; salt crystals are cubic. With the use of a hand lens the cubical salt crystal formations were clearly visible.

Next week we will be doing a winter bird study. We have filled up the feeders and are eagerly anticipating our winged visitors!

Breaking through to the otherside

Wow....February was a rough one for us here. We all came down with a serious case of the February funk! I must say last week I nearly threw in the homeschool towel and the dreaded P word was uttered...Public School...(shudder). I was turning into the type of mother I despise...I began to understand why animals eat their young. It seemed no matter what I tried T would not stay focused and do his schoolwork. I was screaming constantly and if I believed in corporal punishment it would have happened! I was overcome with frustration and guilt...who was this raving lunatic I was becoming...homeschooling was not worth ruining my relationship with my child over. Instead of giving up I took an giant step backwards and a deep breath inward. T and I sat down and had a very serious and loving conversation about continuing this journey together. In the end we both decided that homeschooling is the best path for our family. I explained to T we were partners in this adventure....ultimately he must take responsibility for his own education. I am merely his guide. The balance of our homeschool had become seriously skewed, I had become the domineering teacher and T the cowering student. I believe real education can only happen when your desire for knowledge is self driven not imposed. I was single handedly destroying my sons love of learning. Thankfully I was able to see the error of my ways and understand that this thing called homeschooling is a marathon not a sprint. This week we were grateful to see the return of March and merriment to our home. I hear spring may be not very far behind!