Homeschooling My Kinetic Kids

The kids and I started reading "Little House in the Big Woods" last week for the first time.  They're really enjoying hearing about life in the "old days" and all the ways that things were done differently 150 years ago.  It's been a very special time, too, because we all pile on the parents' bed for reading time and have some quiet time as part of our day.  It's been a great way to reconnect with them. Many of these ideas came from my own reading of the series; however, where possible, I've added links to give you more information about them.  Many of them can be done without extra supplies and don't involve other people, so their perfect for living "self isolated" like a pioneer. 1- Preserve Meat In my search, I found a blog and podcast called "Pioneering Today."  She has a post about salting, fermenting, and other ways to preserve meat.  The very first chapter of "The Little House in the Big Woods"...

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... time for a hot cocoa break!  Is there anything better than a creamy, chocolaty, warm drink on a cold day?  Top it with whipped cream, marshmallows, candy canes or whatever you please for yummy treat.  What's your favorite way to sip this awesome confection? Oh, and if you have little kids, I recommend picking up a sleeve of these tiny latte cups  with lids (grab by custom "Cup of Cheer" labels too) for sharing cocoa with friends or these reusable spill-proof mugs for the whole family!  It's always nice when family movie night, campfire time, or special drinks with grandpa can be a bit less stressful.  An open cup sets me on edge waiting for that cup to spill (Anyone else?  I can't be the only mom like this). It's not good for anyone, and especially kids, to have this much sugar all the time, but that shouldn't mean that the fun of hot cocoa season needs to end.  Instead, I've rounded up all the...

I wrote this post several years ago and just found it when I was "cleaning out" my old blog to move things here.  I'm not sure why I never posted it.  Dragonfly still loves them and asks me to make more of them all the time. The leash is made from a 1-inch ribbon.  I used my machine to put a "handle" loop on one end, then added a key ring and tacked that down on the other end.  The key rings and clasp came from a pack that I found at Walmart, but I think these lobster clasps would work better.  The leash is about 3ft long* and just right for Dragonfly to drag around. *Strangulation danger* The collar is made from 3/4-inch ribbon.  I added a plastic buckle on each end, sewing the loops with the machine.  The leash and the collar probably took me ten minutes, including the time to gather the supplies and set up the machine.  Very easy, but so cute. Maybe I decided not to publish because the post was so short.  It's a great sto...

Growing up, I loved playing with my toy kitchen!  It was so awesome to be able to cook up anything I wanted without the limits of resources, time, ingredients, or ability.  I think every child should get some time playing pretend before their grown.  Companies like Melissa and Doug make it very easy to find play food options that will engage your child's imagination and storytelling skills.  I think I write about play food every few months, but here's another collection.  For this year's All Wrapped Up series, I'm focusing on the best play food for the toy kitchen! If I was only going to buy two basic things for my kids' play kitchen, I would buy the pots and pans and the bowl set.  The  Melissa and Doug Pots and Pans  are one of the most durable toys we've owned.  They've gone from the house to the mud kitchen (even staying outside in the snow for months) without any problems.  The pots are adorable and durable, which is the perfect c...

It's donut week!  We're counting down to National Donut Day with donut-themed fun all week.  Today, I thought I'd share a super easy, fun felt pattern.  These monster donuts would be a great pincushion for a sewer or a a toy for the play kitchen. Felt Donut Printable Cut out the donut pattern from the printed copy and tape to your felt.  I like to use either packaging tape or wrapping (desk) tape to secure the pattern onto the felt or fabric.  Cut out carefully, outside first and then the inside. If you're going to hand sew , cut out a second piece of felt using the pattern.  If you have access to a sewing machine , lay your cut out felt donut onto another piece of felt and pin it down.  Machine sew around the outside of the donut, securing the ends well.  Cut out the second layer of felt using the pattern-cut one as a guide. For both versions (hand sewn and machine sewn), cut out the middle of both donuts, and turn inside out through the middle...

For the fourth day of Star Wars week, I've joined with the wonder writers of the Kid Blogger Network to bring you their best Disney play dough ideas.  Kids love to squish, kneed, and roll dough.  These creative kits should keep them entertained and happy for hours.  Most of them use homemade recipes, but store-bought ones can be utilized as well.  Put together a few kits for grandma's house, birthday presents, vacations, and wherever else you end up this summer. Star Wars Seeing as it's Star Wars week, I thought I should dedicate a full section to the Galaxy far, far away. BB8 // Left Brain Craft Brain The orange, white, and grey in this invitation to play is so striking. Star Wars // Frugal Fun for Boys My boys love this little metal spaceships.  They would really enjoy playing with them in the sand play dough, too. Galaxy // Imagination Tree The silver stars look so inviting! Death Star // Little Bins for Little Hands Lego pieces and shades of grey play dough ...

Continuing my celebration of this blog's fifth birthday, I've made a bunch of felt food!  And, I'm offering the patterns to you for FREE! (fun fact- did you know that the first felt food I ever posted was on this blog's 1st birthday ?) The items in these pictures are quick mock-ups of the patterns that I made in a day.  They're put together with hot glue mostly and some machine sewing and hand sewing.  I used simple, cheap craft felt. If I was going to make these pattern for long-term use or a gift, I would use a nice wool blend felt from Prairie Woolens .  They have over 150 colors, and give you the option of buying the felt in sheets (9" x 12") and double sheets (12" x 18"), and by the yardage (36" x 9/18/27/36" AKA 1/4 yard, 1/2 yard, 3/4 yard, and 1 yard).  At less than $10 a yard, it's a great option for the felt crafter. My absolute favorite part of buying from Prairie Woolens is that they include the DMC floss color right on ...