Pinterest Project Microwave Gingerbread Playdough

We have made playdough in the past but have done it on the stove top. This time I decided to try a Ingredients: 2 Cups Flour 4 Tbsp Cream of Tarter 1 Cup Salt 4 Tbsp Oil 2 Cups Water 2 Tsp Ginger 1 Tsp Nutmeg 1-2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon Directions: Start by mixing the dry ingredients and then adding in the remaining ingredients. Stir this until well mixed and microwave for 2 minutes. Take this out and stir it again then microwave for 2 more minutes. The cinnamon is what gives the playdough the coloring, so you will want to add enough to give it the desired color you aiming for.

Almost done!

All ready!

Evamarie's gingerbread boy!

Emma's gingerbread dog

Try this with your kids today! It's really fun and smells so good!

RoseArt Goo-ho review and Giveaway

My kids are 17, 9 and 7. It can be a real challenge to find an activity that they can all enjoy. This new product from Rose Art fits the bill.

It combines science, art and fun all into one great project.The kit contains five A-Matter pods, five B-Matter pods,ball molds, 3 creatures and an instruction sheet.

The instructions are easy to follow. William read them for us and we were on our way!

You combine matter a with matter b, place it in the mold, add a creature if you would like and like magic with in a few minutes you have a big bounce ball! Pretty neat!

These kits cane be found at target and Walmart. Currently there are 4 kits: -Racers -Squish Bugs -Cushie Critters -Super Bounce Ball We had a great time making these and I know you will too!

Here are a few of our finished products!

Roseart is allowing my to give away a prize pack to one lucky reader! This would make a great Christmas gift! Enter today! a Rafflecopter giveaway Only the first entry is mandatory. The other entry is optional but gives you an extra chance to win. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winners will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winners must reply within 48 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Prizes will be mailed by Rose Art. Giveaway is only open to US Residents.

LeapFrog and MegaBrands review

MEGA Brands and LeapFrog have joined together to make a new product line for children! These products are geared for children in Kindergarten - 3rd grade. Some of the products they are producing include workbooks, play money, flashcards, and so much more. These items can be used by parents to supplement there children's education. We received some great items to review and are putting them to use almost daily in our homeschool. One of our favorites has been the dry erase cursive activity book.

The book is spiral bound at the top which is PERFECT for Evamarie. She is left handed (like me) and often times the spiral binding on the left side of the page gets in the way as she writes. The workbook is colorful and fun to use.

She ASKS if she can practice her cursive! When I was in school handwriting time was BORING! We watched the teacher form the letters on the board and tried our best to copy what we saw on our notebook paper. I don't remember anyone getting excited about handwriting time. This product can change the way kids feel about learning cursive. Each page gives you an example of the letter or word then gives you dashed segments to trace. Once you master that you are given room to practice to words on your own. This is made of dry erase pages so if you make a mistake it wipes away easily and you can try again.

Another feature that I love about this book is that it has a hard back cover. This makes it easy to take along with you in the car. Evamarie can place the book in her lap and practice her cursive while we are out and about!

Marbled Paint Fall Leaves Art project

I saw this idea on Pinterest and want to try it! All you need is pan, shaving cream, paint, toothpick, butter knife and leaf shapes cut from card stock. We filled a pan with shaving cream and dropped paint (fall colors) into it.

We swirled the paint around some with a tooth pick then pressed our leaf shape into the mixture!

We lifted the leaf shape out and scraped all the excess shaving creme off with a butter knife. This is how they turned out:

I think we will mount them on black construction paper and hang them in our school room! Happy Fall Ya'll

Are you ready for some football?

GO JACKETS!!!

We saw this idea on Pinterest and gave it a try! I think it tuned out cute!

Georgia Children's Museum Review

The Georgia children's museum has been on our to do list for a long time. We stopped by for a visit this past Saturday. We were a little let down, it seems like they were in the middle of putting in a few new exhibits. The girls had fun but we went through the whole thing in under an hour! It seems geared towards a much younger crowd. The website states that it features 5 floors. When we went only three were open. In the basement level there is a journalism exhibit. This features some neat interactive pieces that you could take part in to learn more about the news and how it reaches us. (From the webiste: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, & WHY???? These are the answers you need to help make your very own news story. Come explore the journalism exhibit, It’s News to Me. Find out what makes a good news story by learning what makes up a newspaper or hear from local journalists themselves. Write a lead or design a newspaper page, be a Pulitzer Prize Winner for the day.)

My girls really enjoyed the dress up area. We all got in the act there!

Another neat area was the Passport to the world area. Little houses are set up and kids can pretend they are in Japan, France, Russia, Ghana, and South Korea. In each area kids will find dress up items, food and more that are connected to that part of the world. This is the Japan section:

Awesome masks outside the hut:

In the hut:

The had a few hands on science activities, a few play areas for smaller kids, and a bubble section. It was only 4.00 a person to get in. I felt that it has so much potential and it seems they are working hard to upgrade things but it's just not there yet. If you live near by or will be in the area it's worth a look but if you are making the drive just for this I would skip it. According to their website they do offer field trips and other special programs. More info can be found here: http://georgiachildrensmuseum.com/pages/programs.htm

First Day Of School Pictures 2012-2013

It's so hard to believe that we are starting our 12 year of homescholing this year! William is a senior! Where does the time go? I am very proud of him. He has been taking online college courses and has done amazing with them! He is working everyday with the Averrit Center for the Arts Art After Hours program. He loves the job and the kids love him! Many of the students are already requesting that he work with them during homework time! He is a great role model for the students there. He is VERY into politics and thinks that may be an area that he would love to explore as a career option.

Evamarie is going into the fourth grade this year. She loves to read! She always has he nose in a book (must like her Mom and Dad). She loves music and is learning to play the piano. She enjoys being outside and loves to ride her bike.

Emma is going into second grade. She loves Art! Drawing, painting, coloring and crafts are a few of her favorite things! She also loves animals. She has a very kind heart and is always willing to share with others. She enjoys playing outside. She fills out lives with interesting moments. She is very funny!

I am so blessed to be with these neat people every day and learn right along beside them. It's not always and easy road but when it's all said and done I wouldn't have it any other way. I am thankful to my husband that works hard to make this possible. He believes in me and that makes he really happy!!! I hope to make this the best year yet learning together.

RoseArt

It's back to school time! Who couldn't use a few new supplies to kick the year off? Here is a great giveaway that starts today! It runs through August 31st and gives parents, teachers and students a chance to win a back to school prize pack! 9 winners will be selected. Hop on over to RoseArt and Pin It to Win it! Good Luck!

Tybee Pier Photo 2012

Tybee Pier Photo 2012

Tybee Pier Photos

Tybee Island, GA holds a special place in my heart! As a child my family on my mothers side would gather for a few days on the island celebrate my grandmother's birthday! Precious memories were made and I will hold them close to my heart forever. As she grew older and my grandfather's health started failing this tradition fell to the wayside. They both have passed away now and I miss them both everyday. A few years ago we decided that we would start a new tradition! My mother and I take the kids to Tybee every year around her birthday. It's almost that time and I can't wait! Each year I decided to try to take a picture of the kids in the same spot from behind to see how they have grown. I chose the tybee pier. Enjoy this walk down memory lane with me. Pier Photo 2008

Pier Photo 2009

Pier Photo 2010 (This year Emma WOULD NOT participate, so this is the best that I got)

Pier 2011

These kids are my world and I am so thankful for them. I am blessed to be able to make precious memories with them daily! We will soon be on "Tybee Time" and I can't wait to see how this year photo turns out.

William's Work study elective

William loves his job at our local art center. He volunteered one summer and they ended up starting a brand new after school program the following year. He was asked to join on as staff for the program. The program is growing and he has been offered a job this upcoming school year DAILY!! I will be using this as one of electives for his senior year. I am calling it Work Study. His task will be: Monitoring Attendance Completing Participation Reports Handling Difficult Children Keeping Students on Task Teachers Aid with all Projects Maintaining Orderly Conduct Reporting Behavior Problems to Appropriate Personnel Tidying Up Classroom at Days End Monitoring Parent Pick-Up Setting up the room for the program Getting kids from school bus to the building safely Preparing snacks Over seeing home work time Getting kids to other art programs in near by building Filling in for Art teachers when needed He starts on August 6th and is looking forward to it! He is so lucky! He love his boss and the kids that he works with. How many 17 year old can say that they love their jobs :) I am proud of the work that he does with the program. He is a great role model for the kids. One parent told us that she saw a HUGE improvement in her child's grades over the year last year.

Rose Art Chalk Factory

A few weeks ago I entered a contest on Rose Art Pinterest page They are releasing a new line of sidewalk chalk products. The collection includes colored chalk in 3 different varieties: Frosty Favorites, Candy Confections and Perfect Pastries! We won and I was so excited. My kids are 17,9, and 7 so finding things that they can all enjoy together can be a challenge. Sidewalk chalk is fun for all ages! The were so excited to get the package in the mail. The packet that we won included chalk shaped like a slice of pie, donut, cake and cupcake! How fun is that?

They really do look good enough to eat, but don't try it! For some reason I don't think they would taste as good as they look!

The colors of these are so bright and fun!

Each pack is under $5.00. Pick up a pack and create some memories today!

Getting ready to study the Olympics!

We made our olympic medal chart. Each person picked a country to "cheer" for. When that country wins a gold medal the person that chose that country will get a quarter, silver medals win a dime and a penny for bronze! The whole family will be cheering for the USA and that money will be used for a special treat or outing at the end of the olympics!

World War II kid program at the library

Evamarie went to an awesome history workshop yesterday at our local library!

This is a blurb about what took place at the workshop! "Do YOU have what it takes to be a World War II kid? Find out when you take a time-travel journey to England in 1940! You'll experience an air raid,become an evacuee, play games, do chores, and meet adults from the time who have no clue that you're a 21st-century American kid... and who are happy to put you to work. Don't complain, though! Don't you know there's a war on? Through play with artifacts, multimedia, humor, and a genuine historian in character, kids learn about the Blitz, wartime food rationing, the evacuation of schoolchildren, air raid preparations, and much more. But don't tell them that." It was presented by Dr. Annette Laing. She is the author of the The Snipesville Chronicles book series. How cool is that? She had a great time and learned alot, best of all it was FREE! You can learn more about her books and programs at her website. You can find her books on amazon! The third book in the series will be out in a few weeks. One fun fact about that books is that the fictional town of Snipesville is based on our hometown of Statesboro, GA! Check out the books today, you will not be disappointed.

Summer bucket list update

We have been busy doing activities on our summer bucket list! This is what we have done so far: Screven county Library Summer Reading Sign up Statesboro Library Summer Reading Program Place a Geocache Summer Movies at carmike Get A Watermelon Shoe shopping Movie Days Game Days Melty crayon Art Yarn wrapped letters Water Paint glow sticks in the tub How are you doing with your summer bucket list?

Our Summer Bucket List

We have been busy creating our summer bucket list. This is what we have so far:

Screven county Library Summer Reading Sign up

Statesboro Library Summer Reading Program

Place a Geocache

Complete 5 geocaching challenges

Find 10 Geocaches

Trip to tybee Island

Summer Movies at carmike

Chalk Board from old Mirror craft

Get Ice cream at the Beach

Get A Watermelon

Shoe shopping

Go camping

Splash in the boro' water park

Movie Days

Game Days

Watch Olympics

Learn about the Olympics

Melty crayon Art

Finger Weave curtain for school room

Yarn wrapped letters

Water Paint

Juice Pouch bag for car

3d paper dolls

suitcase doll house

tutu table

glow sticks in the tub

We are looking forward to having lots of fun this summer!!!

Summer Bucket List

My friend Kathy let me know about a cool challenge over at The Happy Family Movement. When I heard about it we got busy right away! We had a bucket list last year. We just wrote down some things that we wanted to do on a poster board and crossed them off when we did them. This time I printed off a kit from Tatortots and Jello Each family member will get a page to fill in with what they would like to do this summer! I am looking forward to some great family time!

FUNtastic Folders! F is for Fire Safety review

Over the last few days we have been talking about fire safety.I have been reviewing a product from currclick.com called FUNtastic Folders F is for Fire Safety. This is near and dear to my own heart becasue we had a house fire in 2004. There was an electrical problem in with the dryer. We were home and able to get out safely but lost our mobile home and many of our material things due to water and smoke damage. Fire safety is such an important skill to teach kids. With this Funtastic folder you can do just that! It includes fun activities and games. One of my favorite sections was the part on the gear that firemen wear. Kids need to be shown what the fire fighter will look like when he is working. It can be scary to see a big man in all of that gear, if you show kids before disaster strikes and teach them that fire fighters are there to help them they will be less afraid. The product is great for kids ages 4-6. Lots of great hands on learning and easy instructions for the parent!

Finding Joy in Depression eBook Review & Giveaway

When reading one of my favorite blogs http://thepelsers.com/ I learned that Amanda was writing a ebook on depression. I was excited to read it. Her post are always clear and so down to earth. I knew that the ebook would be the same and I was not dissapointed. She is not a doctor nor a psychiatrist. She is just someone sharing her story in hopes that it will change lives and I feel that it will. Depression is so rampant in today's society. Some people look down on the disease and think that it should be easy to over come. Unless that have dealt with it in their own lives it is very hard to understand. In Amanda's books she shead light on the topic is a great way. In the first section she talks about what depression is and some symptoms. The second part is hints and tips on how to deal with depression and how to have victory over it. It's not often that joy and depression are mentioned together. In Amanda's book you will find ways to make it so!

My favorite part of the book was the chapters that are at the end of each of them. It gives you time to reflect on what you have just read and ways to apply it to your life. Another neat feature was each chapter starts with an inspiring quote or bible verse. Those thoughts were very uplifting!

You can learn more about the book here: http://www.findingjoyindepression.com/buy-book/ A sample chapter is online to read and if like what you see you can buy it there as well. It's only 4.99 and is available in pdf, Kindle and Nook format!


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Time For Leaning review

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Dr Seuss Unit Here we Come!

We are doing to do a Dr Seuss Unit for the next few weeks in our homeschool.  We started off by heading to the library to stock up on books!  And guess who we "saw" there?  The Cat In the Hat!

We stocked up on books for our unit!

Then we got busy making these cute Thing One and Thing Two Handprints!

This weekend we are headed out for a Family Fun Field trip!  We are going to stay in a cabin overnight in a South Carolina State Park, Hickory Knob.  The are having a Seuss event this weekend packed with all sorts of fun things for the kids.

Doll Unit Day Two

Doll Study Day 2

We read four chapters in The Doll Shop Down Stairs

We played Doll Spa

We read several non fiction books library books about dolls and doll collections.

We made beaded necklaces and bracelets for our dolls!  

Doll Unit Study Day One!

The girls and I have decided to do a doll unit study!  

This is how things went for Day one:

We watched this video on Discovery Education:  Artifacts: Dolls.  Video Description  Kids have a blast exploring artifacts from around the world found in museum collections. 

We loved seeing pictures of all the different dolls!  Neat and quick!

Then we read several chapters in our book club book for the month: The Doll Shop Downstairs

Next we watched another Discovery Education video:  

Elizabeti's Doll  Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen's classic book, "Elizabeti's Doll," with illustrations by Christy Hale, comes alive in this iconographic program. When her new baby brother arrives, Elizabeti, a young Tanzanian girl, longs for a baby of her own to hold and bathe and kiss and burp. One day she finds the perfect baby - a rock she names Eva - just the right size for holding and bathing and kissing and burping. Expressive collage paintings, along with lovely music by Crystal Taliefero and moving narration by Lynn Whitfield, help tell this tender story about gentleness and love. Part of the Weston Woods Series.

Lots of good discussion took place after this one!   Mainly about how blessed we are to own many dolls!

The next vidoe of the day was :  

WordGirl: Mr. Big's Dolls and Dollars/Great Granny May

We need to head to the craft store and the library to gear up for more doll fun!