"Cloud Dough" {Tutorial}

Our children LOVE playing with messy crafts!! 

We usually try to do a Messy Monday craft.

~~Here is a little poem I have posted before and try to keep in mind whenever I have the daunting task of cleaning up after a very "Messy Monday!" LOL.~~

MY MESSY CHILD

As I sit and watch him play
I'm fully there in every way
A pour, a stir, a splish, a splash
I'm witnessing a joyful bash
Mistakes are made, and even praised  
He problem solves, my child’s amazed
Through play he learns of his self-worth
Something I’ve instilled since birth
No shame, no correction, just free to discover
The wonders of this world he will uncover
The day is done, his hands are red
There’s sand and shaving cream on his head
A passerby stares in dismay
“Oh Dear, why does he look that way?”
I smile with pride, and the comfort of knowing
That all this “mess” is helping his growing
From blue toenails to purple knees
I smile at my child.....who is so PLEASED.

AK 

This week, we made Cloud Dough again.

It is really simple. 

Cloud Dough

8 cups flour

1 cup Baby Oil (we like the lavender scented kind)

Just mix it together for 5 minutes and, voila!

Messy Monday Funday!

Be a blessing,

Aria:)

{Messy Monday} Rainbow Spaghetti!

I saw the idea to make Rainbow Colored Spaghetti on Pinterest
{hop on over and follow me there} 

and decided to give it a try!

But....I also wanted to see if we could somehow come up with some mock turkey meatballs:)

First, I used some white craft foam balls and had the girls paint them brownish/red.

{click on photo to enlarge}

 I think they looked more like chocolate, but hey, the girls didn't mind.

While the meatballs dried, we made the colored pasta.

It was really simple to make.

I just used some cheap white spaghetti noodles, placed in boiling water and added food coloring to the water. I cooked it to al dente and let it cool. I then tossed it in some oil once it dried to make sure it didn't stick together. I think adding the oil was a really necessary improvement on the original Pin b/c the spaghetti would've just been a dry, sticky mess otherwise.

*Since trying ours, I have read that you can let the spaghetti soak in the food coloring water to get a more vibrant coloring. We didn't want to wait that long, but may try it next time.*

 The girls had a really, really great time playing with the colored spaghetti!!!

I was SHOCKED at how long this kept them occupied. 

Seriously, they loved it!

And, yes, our silly girls wanted to EAT it, LOL:)

I didn't let them, but it was so hilarious to watch them pretend to eat it!!
I was even able to cook their actual meatball and spaghetti dinner while they happily played with their rainbow spaghetti!!! That NEVER happens!

Whole wheat spaghetti and home made chicken and spinach meatballs---yummy!

Gotta love a cheap, fun and messy craft!

Are you going to make it?

Let us know how it turns out!

Blessings,

Aria:)

More Summer Fun! {2012 Part 2}

We have been having glorious weather here and have continued to spend a lot of our days outdoors. 

The girls and I will be so sad when Winter comes:(

Most recently, Elle and Em both attended Cooking School for a couple of days. They LOVED it and it reconfirmed my interest in teaching a Homeschool Kids' Cooking Class this fall! The girls are going to absolutely love taking the class and also assisting me in teaching it! I am so looking forward to it!

Elle attending a church Day Camp for 3 days while Em attended Gymnastics Camp {maybe the next Gabby Douglas}! They both thoroughly enjoyed their camps and it was good for them to have some time pursuing their separate interests and building new friendships while there.  They DID miss each other terribly, though!! And, the baby-----well, she was UNDONE every single day! I had a hard time keeping her happy! She was ready to pick the girls back up (or never leave them) by 10am daily!  CeCe and I took trips to the library,{where she could roam around}, the pond, feeding the ducks, mall play area, and doing some fun crafts. When I had both Em and CeCe, we went to "Ladies' Lunch"

 at our favorite Thai restaurant! When we were all together, we had a wonderful picnic lunch in the park!

CeCe LOVED having the one-on-one time to explore and have me all to herself!!

We really did enjoy having special time just me and Ce Ce, though. It made me think back to when Elle was a baby and how much I enjoyed having one child. Having 3 in 4 years really has limited the amount of time each child has gotten to spend with just myself and/or my husband. So, we have committed to each child having some special time and we will rotate each month according to when their birthdays are. My husband and I also agreed it would be a wonderful idea for us to commemorate our anniversary on the 5th of every month with a date night {at home or away from the house, once we can find a trusted sitter}. We have already had some special time with the girls and they LOVE, love, loved it!!

We did the Ivory Soap Microwave Experiment.

The girls really enjoyed this Messy Monday Experiment!

We have also been trying to squeeze in as many play dates with our friends as possible!

So sad that summer is winding down, but gearing up for another wonderful school year!

Wishing ALL students {whether at home or going to school} a BLESSED school year!!!

Blessings,

Aria:)

Summer 2012 Updates!! {Puffy Paint Tutorial}

Hi! I hope this post finds you well! I wanted to post a quick update on us.
{Click on any of the photos to enlarge them}
We have continued to do homeschool work this summer (mainly math and phonics) in preparation for officially starting our school year in a few weeks. I am so glad we never got totally out of the "school flow" so that it won't be such a shock when we delve back in 100%. Elle is about half way done with her first grade math work book and Em is starting to really get a hang of reading. She will turn 4 next week!

Here are some of our recent adventures and fun while learning!

Our family spent some time at the State Fair and had a wonderful time!

We all were shocked that the baby, Ce Ce 26 months, wanted to ride all of the "big girl" rides! None of us were prepared for that. She is the one that never even goes on the little pony ride at the grocery store, LOL. I guess she really is growing up!

Elle made a really cool obstacle course and all of the girls had a great time playing with that!

We have been doing lots of crafts this summer--tons of painting, collecting things on nature walks and observing beauty all around us. We made bird feeders out of rice cakes, peanut butter and bird seed and the girls hung them on the tree in our front yard. 

The birds really loved them-we need to make them again.

We also made Microwave Puffy Paint. 

We always love creating fun art using this technique!

You should try it! 

Microwave Puffy Paint Recipe

• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• food coloring

Add small amount of water to make a smooth paste.  

We like it pretty thick so it really puffs up well:).

Paint on pieces of cereal box cardboard and microwave for 20-30 seconds. 

 We L-O-V-E going to the library!!!!
We always check out 100 books and spend some great learning time down there.

We have strung popcorn for movie nights and such, but seeing this on Pinterest reminded me of making these cereal and pretzel bracelets. The girls had a ball making them and eating them! It kept them occupied in the mini-van for a long time!

We will be rounding out the summer with a kid's Cooking Class for the big girls, as well as Gymnastics Camp for Em (future Gabby Douglas maybe:) and a Church Day Camp for Elle! 

I pray your summer is going well and you are enjoying it!!

Blessings,

Aria:)

{Messy Mondays} Part 1

Our girls LOVE doing "Messy Mondays!" 

Every week, we come up with new and fun ways to have some Messy Fun!

Here are a few of our latest Messy Mondays!

Enjoy!!

~Top-Shaving Cream and Marbles Fun

~Middle left-sprinkler/water fun outside

~Middle right-Bath tub paint

~Bottom left-writing on the doors and windows with markers

~Bottom right-Homemade Play dough with spaghetti and wooden beads.

More fun to come!!!

What kinds of ways do your kids like to get messy?

Blessings,

Aria:)

Painting with Unusual Objects! {Sparking Creativity!}

I am always looking for ways to be creative and inspire our girls to try new things. I really am a very structured and color-within-the lines type person by nature, so it is a stretch for me to go outside of the box. I am hoping to teach our girls (and myself:-) how to use imagination to see things from different perspectives. How to not simple view objects (or people) in one-dimensional terms, but to see the POTENTIAL that lies beneath the surface!

 I simply grabbed a tray and put all kinds of fun things I found around the house on there.

Ce Ce LOVED creating little flowers from the bottom of a tennis ball container!

 But, her absolute favorite thing to use was the yellow motorcycle!!!

Good thing I covered the table with white paper!

 Em had a blast with this activity and loved painting with the plastic egg.

 Em also enjoyed painting with the motorcycle.

 My creative and lovely Elle. She is just like her Mommy-she prefers a more "neat" approach:).

She loved painting with the little horse brush the best!

What kind of fun and unusual things are you all up to?

We'd love to hear from you!

Be a blessing,

Aria:)

Water Beads~Our Latest Favorite Thing!

I am constantly on the lookout for new and fascinating sensory and learning materials for our homeschool. 

Recently, I came across Water Beads and, after reading up on them on several blogs, decided to order some online.. 

Trust me, it was WELL worth it!!!

 For an added dimension on sensory play, add a big dollop of shaving cream!

 Ce Ce is NOT big on getting messy, lol. She had to use a spoon!

Ce Ce couldn't wait to wash her "messy" hands off!

 Elle had fun comparing how many water beads it took to fill up various measuring cups.

 Ce Ce loves to scoop, pour and transfer the water beads.

 She will just sit with a bowl of water beads and explore for a few minutes.

All of our girls LOVE the water beads!!

The water beads come in teeny tiny packages of even smaller beads that are hard. You soak them in water for several hours and they plump right up. They are bouncy, slippery, cool and smooth feeling. 

So.much.fun!

Order MORE than you think you will need!

Let me know if you all get them and how they turn out!

Blessings,

Aria:)

Our Animal Lessons

We recently did a Unit Study on Animals. 

Our girls really enjoy learning about animals and Em has expressed an interest in becoming a Vet.

We were out for a walk on our neighborhood's nature trail and our neighbor Laura, who is a Vet asked the girls how they were doing. Em told her she wants "to take care of Hippos, Rhinos, Dogs and Cats, but NOT Lions, Bears or Foosas!" LOL.

We had 2 Bible Verses for this week. The first one focused on our study of the Bible Story of
Daniel in the Lion's Den. 

 The second Bible Verse focused on creation.

 Our Library Books for the week.

 Em matching up the animals to their beginning sound.

She has always loved this activity!

Em has always enjoyed this activity! She took to it right from the first time I introduced it to her!
Here is a short video of her doing this work many months ago-October 2011!
Em Animal Beginning Letter, Oct 2011
Enjoy!!

 We made a fun animal zoo food craft!

Elle LOVES reading about the human body!

Here, Elle is teaching Ce Ce about red blood cells:).

I LOVE that we can allow the girls to explore their interests in homeschool, not just 

complete a set curriculum!!!

 

We decided to create our own zoo and make up new animals. 

Elle came up with Scampion and Yosa as her 2 unique animals.

Elle did an animal worksheet on spelling and handwriting skills.

 Locating various continents on the globe and where different animals live.

Em matching Mother and Baby animals.

 I find these random notes around the house. Elle LOVES math! She has been doing double-digit addition and subtraction for a while now.

 Elle showcasing Em's Unique Zoo.

L is for Lion--Daniel in the Lion's Den lesson.

Elle's picture.

Elle wanted to do some really simple addition with small snapping blocks and flashcards.

 Em enjoys making books. This is a mini book on dogs.

 D is for Dog---putting stickers of dogs on the letter D worksheet.

 Em LOVES this math workbook I found at the Thrift Store!

We are working on single-digit addition and subtraction now. 

Em (3 yrs old) has started doing kindergarten math concepts and is really enjoying them!

 Em spelling animals names.

 Elle matching teeth of various animals. 

Em working on one-to-one correspondence using our counting bears on flashcards.

 We have free writing time in our homeschool. 

Elle wrote the first two lines on her own, then asked me how to spell "wants." 

I thought it was clever the way she used "ones" the first time:)

 More random math problems. Elle does these during "free time." LOL.

 Elle's phonics sheet on ending sounds.

 We worked on learning Place Values this week.

 Em practicing writing her numbers.

I found this cute spelling book for only 29 cents.

 Em loves learning to spell new words!

 We were talking about Seahorses and Em wanted to see if she could

find one in her animal encyclopedia book.

She LOVES reading that book!

She found it, LOL!!!!!

 We LOVE this wonderful game we got from our friend. You use a magnifying glass to see the tiny pictures of the animals and match them to the game board.

So much fun!

 We learned about various animal habitats.

We got some fun science experiments from this book.

We made Gobbledy Goo!

 Messy fun is the best!

Elle's first load of Girl Scout cookies that she has sold!!

She is doing an amazing job and learning so much!
Our troop has sold over 2300 boxes of cookies so far!

Thank you so much for reading along!
We enjoy your kind comments and encouragement.
Blessings,
Aria:)