Snow Ice Cream

Cabin fever has set in after a week of my kiddos having the cold.  Luckily, this suggestion for making snow ice cream was in my oldest son's homeschool lesson for the day.  Their recipe said to add sweetened condensed milk or cream and powdered sugar, but we had neither of those, so I just added chocolate milk.  The boys reported that it tasted like a Frosty.  Eat it up right away because it doesn't keep in the freezer : )

Quickie Candy Cane Project

I love a project that contains ingredients that you already have on hand.  This is a great way to remind kids that Christmas is about the birth of Christ!  

 Before we started our work in the kitchen, we read The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg.  It went over the characteristics of the candy and what they represent.

• The "J" shape that stands for Jesus
• The shape (when upright) is a shepherd's staff, the first people to find out about the birth of Jesus.
• The red representing that "by His stripes we are healed".
• The white representing how Christ can wash us clean from sin.
• How, like the candy, the story of Christ's birth and redemptive work should be shared with everyone.

We melted a 1/2 c of chocolate chips in the microwave.  (I checked their progress every 30 seconds until they were melted.)  Dip your candy in, tap off the excess chocolate, decorate, and enjoy with cocoa once the chocolate sets.

Science Fun for Rowdy Youngsters

What a big blogging slacker I've been!  We've had a bunch of life changes including a new baby, a new town, and a new home!  Whew!
  I've semi-caught my breath, and we're back to homeschooling for our second year.  Today we used aluminum foil to make molds of objects in our homes.  My 2-year-old and I worked together, and I had my almost-five-year-old go off on his own.  We each guessed what objects the other team had used.  They enjoyed playing with the foil and making guesses based on the odd shapes we came up with.

Fun with an avacado

Fabulous Mess

 The other day my kids were being wild and crazy.  We had 30 minutes until lunchtime and I was about at my wits end with them.  I realized that they were being a hand full not because they're naughty, but because they were bored.  I put on some music, grabbed some finger paints, and their moods (and mine) improved immensely!

Putting my 2-year-old in his highchair and taping the paper down to the tray helped contain the mess.  

Creation of Man - quick craft idea

Genesis 2:7

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Then the LORD God formed a man^[a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

My 4-year-old is learning about the creation of man, and I found this idea in his preschool curriculum.  We simply drew a stick man, traced him in glue, took the paper outside, and poured dirt over the top to form our dusty Adam.  My son loves dirt, so he was immediately on board with the idea.  We were able to use the project to talk about how great our Creator is and how although man is created in God's image, we still need to be humble.  Hopefully the dirt/dust will remind him (and me) of this! 

Monkeys! (and Monkey Bite Recipe)

 To supplement our study on monkeys, we modified this chocolate covered banana recipe and made them into "Monkey Bites".  We cut up 2 bananas into about 2" slices, placed toothpicks in the middle and froze them until they were  hard.

 Melt 1/2 to 1 c. chocolate chips (we used white melting chocolate b/c we had it on hand) and dip bananas in.  (sorry this is a blurry pic!)

 Add sprinkles or whatnot while the chocolate is still soft.  Allow to harden and enjoy your "monkey bites".  

 This habitat idea is totally stolen from my friend Ann, who did a much more artistic job with her son than we did here at home!  

My son also colored a picture, and I wrote down a few simple facts about monkeys so we could review it at some point.  We sang the "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" for good measure : )  We have 5 other animals we're going to do similar projects for.  

Be Mine

Homemade Valentines made by my 4-year-old and me.  

They're not perfect, but they're from the heart.
Happy Valentine's Day to you!  Hope it's a sweet day for you and your family!

Spring Bird's Nest

My son and I had a great time making bird's nests.  We did it as part of his schooling, since we've been learning about birds.  We got the idea from the Horizon's preschool program.  


Ingredients:
1 c. white melting chocolate or chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. Chow Mein Noodles
Jelly Beans or M&Ms
You'll also need squares of aluminum foil to line your muffin tin.


Start by melting the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.

Add the Chow Mein Noodles

Scoop noodle mixture into about 8 aluminum foil-lined spots in your muffin tin.  Press down the center lightly to make a nest.  Place a few jelly beans or M&Ms inside as your "eggs".  It only takes a few minutes for the chocolate to harden, and then you're ready to lift out your nests and enjoy.