Art Time – Autumn Glitter Shapes

We made these last week, using some autumn cookie cutters from Target’s dollar spot.

Glitter is always so much fun, isn’t it?  And so pretty as it makes its way around the entire house.  Isn’t it fun to see a dusting of glitter sitting there, shimmering away on your couch as the sun hits it, two weeks later?  And then you realize you most likely had glitter on your bottom when you wore your black pants to church that morning, and you feel so thankful to have given someone behind you a pretty little treat like that.  Ah glitter.  We all need a little sparkle in our lives, don’t we?  ;)

So we gathered up some colored construction paper, glue, our cookie cutters and some glitter.  Trays were helpful for keeping the glitter under control, but apparently not helpful enough.

 

We had a saucer full of glue, into which we dipped our cookie cutters (wide side down).  Then we let them sit on our page for a while to let the glue drip down enough.  Next up was shaking on the glitter and then tapping it off.  I could have sworn I’d taken photos of actually doing this…

 

After they dried, M punched holes in the corners, we strung them up on ribbons, and added them to our oil pastel leaf banner, out in our breezeway:

Pretty, yes?  A great outside activity too, if you ask me. ;)

Have a beautiful day! :)

Fun with Math and Wiki Stix

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned our Wiki Stix before.  We’ve had them for ages, and I bring them out once in a while just for “something to do” – M loves them.  He kind of forgets about them, but when he sees them, he loves them.  They keep him busy for a loooong time, if that helps sway your decision to go buy some. ;) 

 

I put out simple activities for M most mornings.  Occasionally I am stumped for something new to do and go through my craft and school supplies for inspiration.  So one morning last week I gathered up our autumn-themed play dough mats (placed in plastic page protectors), and our Wiki Stix and set them out for him:

 

He really enjoyed this!  This would be wonderful counting practice for younger children.  I can’t say M really counted as he did this, because that is no longer a challenge for him, but he enjoyed making little spirals out of the Wiki Stix and sticking them to the pages.  This is good fine motor skill practice!  The best part about this, and what I intended it for, was that it helped him work on forming the numerals, an area in which he needs practice.

 Honestly, I can not look at those little hands without
wanting to kiss them or have a little nibble on them!

I love when something comes together that is so much fun for him he doesn’t realize he is working on anything. :)

Have a beautiful day! :)

Inspiration…

I struggle with depression.  Have I mentioned that before?  I meant to write about this, especially in relation to post-partum depression, at some point this year, but well, the year seems to have gotten away from me.  I’m not going to write much about it in this post either because, oh la la, it is just not something I want to get into today.  Some day though, I promise! :)

{By the way, it is not uncommon for women who have fertility problems to have trouble with depression too – an imbalance in hormones can wreak havoc on our bodies, minds, and souls in many ways.}

I am usually able to keep it at bay, without drugs, although I do take a very, very mild dose of an antidepressant to help me sleep.  Sleep is so important.  So are vitamins, outside time (I need to work on this!), finding the right pace for my days (not too busy or over-extended, not too empty), time spent nourishing my soul with prayer and inspirational reading, keeping a focus on goals, and making sure priorities are kept in proper order.  It is possible to still be a good mother and wife – a wonderful mother and wife – and fight depression at the same time!

One thing I’ve often noticed about myself is that keeping all of these things going (the things mentioned in the paragraph above) is much easier when I am in the middle of reading some sort of helpful book about motherhood, the spiritual life, homemaking… anything along those lines.  And if I’m not currently reading and enjoying something like that, lack of motivation and then depression can settle in pretty quickly.  I’ve always considered this to be a weakness of mine…  And then I began reading Jamie Martin’s book, Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood.  (You can find Jamie here, here, and here.  She is amazing.) 

I’ve had this book on my to-read list for ages.  Recently, it finally seemed like the right time to pick it up and immediately I was struck with her acknowledgement of the power of words.  And it’s true.  Words put together in the right way can have real power.  I feel like this is something I’ve always known, have perhaps even mentioned myself, but somehow this time I realized it in a completely different way.  God uses the words of others to lift us up and encourage us and keep us going.  It’s a wonderful gift to have these words, and it is not a weakness to need them!

Jamie mentioned making a box full of quotes that inspire her.  If it is good enough for her, it’s good enough for me. :)  Just thinking about doing this made me feel more calm and peaceful… the idea of having something to look to on those days when I need an extra nudge upward so I don’t find myself spiraling downward… what a blessing that would be for my whole family.

So I bought a little wooden box at Michaels and decorated it with some paint pens: Hee hee – it looks to me like something my 10-year old self would have made, not exactly the piece of beauty I had envisioned, but it will work. :)

And I began filling it up with inspiration:

Now I’m off to tell Jamie about it and give her back a little of the encouragement she has given me. :)

Have a beautiful day! :)

Art Cart – independent artwork

~a sampling~ ;)

The weather has taken on a definite it’s-still-fall-but-winter-is-nearer-than-you’d-like-it-to-be feeling here, which is strange, seeing as how it must still be mid-July, right?  (Have the past few months just flown by or what?  Please tell me it is not just me!)

And so of course we’ve been spending more time indoors and the art cart I made for M last spring has become popular again.  I love seeing what he makes all on his own with no interference or direction.  I love, love, love it.  I love it for many reasons, and two very small reasons are because it keeps him busy and happy and requires no work on my part.  I’m sure there are more noble reasons than that, but I am so giddy about him keeping busy and happy and it not taking any work on my part that I can’t think of those right now.

I just wanted to share a little of what is hanging up around here that M has done completely on his own.  I miss doing those Art Box posts, darn it, so you may all have to sit through a post like this from time to time.  (Well, you don’t really HAVE to, just let me imagine you are.)

A little sparkle:

Newly discovered magnetic tape (by M, I’ve known about this stuff for ages) has inspired all kinds of new magnets which just appear here and there: 

This… thing (the hole punch has been discovered also): 

Collage:

And, I believe, some works in process: 

Super-cute Mr. and Mrs. Frog (M did ask me to draw the hands and feet for these, but everything else was his, including the idea:

And a homemade kite, with string wrapped around a tp tube, hee hee:

Have a beautiful day! :)

Free Printable jesse Tree ornaments and devotions for advent 2011

Jesse Tree Packet 2011
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and
from his roots a bud shall blossom.” – Isaiah 11:1

Since we’ve started having a Jesse Tree during Advent, I can’t imagine not having one.  It has added such focus, and a sense of peace to what can be the most chaotic time of year. 

The Jesse Tree is a small tree (we use a tree cut out of felt, but many families use a miniature tree, or a branch tucked into a pot) that is decorated throughout Advent with ornaments that trace the lineage of Jesus all the way from creation to His birth.  It shows, in a simple way, God’s plan of salvation throughout history.

This tradition has blessed us in ways we never imagined.  And there’s the added bonus of M really getting it.  The cuddled up story time, the hands-on  ornaments, the little Advent box we open each evening (it contains the ornament for the day and the devotional card)… all of this appeals to a child’s heart.  I am amazed when M knows these stories at other times of the year, and realize what an impact the Jesse Tree has had on him.

Sometimes, after a particularly trying day, we light a little votive candle to help set a reflective mood as we prepare ourselves to focus on the “reason for the season”.  As this time for the Jesse Tree is set aside every single evening during Advent, we find that our focus throughout the day is changed too… all the superfluous stuff is more easily set aside because our hearts are in tune with what truly matters.  (Knowing how special this time can be really motivates me to have all my gift shopping done before Advent begins.  Some years I’m better at this than others, but having even some of it done makes for a more peaceful Advent.)

This year, Advent begins on Sunday, November 27th.  There are 4 full weeks – 28 days - of Advent this year.  That’s the maximum number of days Advent can have. 

Because the number of days during Advent changes from year to year, some years all of the ornaments and readings will be used, and other years some will be skipped.  In our family we use the ornaments and readings for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays as our “optional” ornaments… these are extra ornaments that relate to the season of Advent (Light, Joy and Hope, Peace) but aren’t directly related to the ancestral line from which Jesus came.  There are some prophets included in the Jesse Tree also, and in years where we need to skip more than the three ornaments mentioned above, we start picking these guys off. :)  For those years, we are most likely to skip Ezekiel, Daniel, or Elijah… we like to include Isaiah each year.  I have nothing against the other guys… we love them too! :)  But someone’s gotta go when there’s more ornaments than days, right? ;)

To avoid all of this change from year to year, some families pick only 24 ornaments and use these same 24 ornaments every year, beginning their Jesse Tree on December 1st and ending it on Christmas Eve.  That is a perfectly fine way of doing it too!  There really is no right or wrong way to do this, and if you search online you will see there are many versions of the Jesse Tree.  The main thing is to show how God’s plan of salvation was unveiled throughout history and how each person in Jesus’ lineage played an important role in this plan.

Take a look at the packet I’ve put together for this year.  You can find it here, or by clicking on the controls in the image at the top of this post.  There is a schedule (specific to this year) for the ornaments and Scripture readings, as well as a word or phrase for each day to reflect on (these lead to some wonderful conversations!) and a short prayer for each day. 

I’ve changed some things this year to make them better suited for us, and I hope they will work well for your family too.  The ornaments can be printed and colored, or use them as templates for felt ornaments, or in any other way you can think of. 

Some of the Scripture references on the cards are different this year – I used some that just made more sense to me, and the Annunciation (when Gabriel appeared to Mary) is included this year.  I know it really happened about 9 months prior to the birth of Jesus, but it’s an important part of the whole story, I think. 

I’m hoping this helps simplify the process of making the Jesse Tree a tradition in your family, and that you will be as richly blessed by it as we have.

As always, feel free to share this link with others (please do!), but do not post it on your own site, sell it, etc.  Thank you!

Have a beautiful day! :)

2011 Homeschool Blog Awards are Open!

You can go vote for your favorite homeschool blog by clicking on the button above.  There are 20 categories in which to vote!

Tired, Need Sleep has been nominated for the Best Crafts, Plans and Projects Blog.  I am a little astonished by this considering my sporadic, at best, blogging this past year!  A big thank you and hug to anyone who took the time to nominate this little blog of mine.  I feel very honored. :)

The awards are a good opportunity to find more homeschool blogs; I hope you will take a few minutes to look over the lists, visit some blogs, and vote for your favorites!

Have a beautiful day! :)

Happy November :)

We are having one of those weeks.  I won’t go into it because I’m pretty sure you all understand what one of those weeks means. :)   I haven’t looked at my to-do list once today and yet I am so tired I could drop.  But good friends to visit with made the day totally worth it.  I’m thinking I’ll leave the to-do list hidden away for the rest of the week. ;)

I wanted to take a moment and get on here to post a photo of M on Halloween:

He was a road.  Yep, a road. :)  This was his idea, and I was just thankful it was do-able. :)  That’s a green “go” light on his forehead.  He had a stop sign on his back:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and you are all enjoying lots of sugar along with your children.  (Mainly because I do not want to be the only mother that steals candy out of the bowl when no one is looking.) ;)

And here’s a photo of M’s oil pastel artwork made into banners and hanging in our breezeway:  I love the feel of this photo – it just makes me happy every time I look at it!

Have a beautiful day! :)

Learning by Heart – Oct. 28, 2011

“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom”
-Henry Ward Beecher

M – and a hula hoop. :)

Besides trying his best to figure out how to “work” a hula hoop (which was hilarious, by the way), M had a great week…

 

Independent Activities:

I bought a Kumon book of crafts a few months ago to keep M busy on a long car trip (it was perfect for that), and he recently re-discovered it when I was sorting through some craft supplies:

There are 80 pages of crafts in this book.  It has kept him busy and interested all week long.  It’s great for scissor practice and folding practice.  It calls for glue, but M has (thankfully) chosen to use double stick tape instead.  All kinds of neat little things can be made – a dancing dog and a rooster that flaps his wings are two of our favorites so far,  As well as this little fishing game:

Making the fish…

and then catching one.

The only downside, as you can imagine, is having somewhere near 80 little paper crafts lying around the house. :)  Still, I highly recommend it.

 

Pin punching autumn shapes:

M still really enjoys these.  There are two ways to do this – place push pins around the outline of the shapes, like this: Or use one pin to make holes all along the outside of a shape and then punch it out (like a perforated shape).  He loves doing both, and they are both great fine motor skill work.

 

Design and Drill set – well, this was supposed to be a photo of M drilling a design, but then he decided to make hand shadows where the sun was shining on the floor. :)  (I wrote more about this great toy a while back in this post, if you are interested.) 

 

Science:

We have a drawer full of “dead” batteries.  I am not sure why M insists on keeping batteries that are all used up, but we have learned to just not ask questions about these things or we will get an earful on batteries, which may just be his favorite conversation topic ever.  Anyway, they came in handy this week when M decided to build a battery tester with his Snap Circuits set: (the railroad track is just there for decoration, because we LOVE stepping over things like that in this house.  All. the. time.)  Turns out, many of the batteries still had plenty of energy in them to light a 2 watt lightbulb or make a small motor go, so now they’ve been relocated to the “non-dead” drawer and it’s only slightly annoying when we have to go through them again trying to find one that will actually work in something important. ;)

 

Math:

We played a “penny drop” game this week.  This was kind of taken from Peggy Kaye’s book, Games for Math:

I made a quick chart of numbers 1 through 9 and we took turns tossing or dropping a penny on the page.  Whichever number the penny landed on was the number of linking people we would pick and link together.Once they were all gone we looked at our rows and guessed who had more (simple graphing), then counted them to see if we were correct.  This was fun, but not much of a challenge for M.  However, I love these little linking people and just had to use them for something. ;)  

 

Literacy:

M has been practicing his writing.  He seems to have a preference for the letters M T H E and W. ;)   An occasional N and A get in there too.  He has been seeing how tiny he can write, and then of course I have to read it back to him, which really is about as much fun as you’d imagine. ;)

 

We played a little game matching up objects with their beginning sounds for a few random letters (based on whatever small wooden pieces I could find lying around, which were originally from Michael’s).  I had written the word on the back of the objects so we could self-check to see if we had chosen the correct letter.  M matched upper case to lower case also: I was glad to find that he didn’t have any difficulty with this, seeing as how we didn’t do much of this sort of thing over the summer.

We also played a feeling game with the large foam letters.  M would close his eyes (he decided against a blindfold, very emphatically) and picked a letter.  He would feel it for several seconds and make a guess.  I usually gave him a choice between two letters and he did really great!

But I don’t quite understand the bare shoulder thing going on here, or why he insists on wearing snowman pajamas already. :)

 

M also made up a little story this week and had me write it down on his whiteboard so he could copy it: I do not take dictation as quickly as he’d like, so I may have missed a few parts. :)  I think this is a great idea for helping him focus on spelling and phonics.  In the near future I plan to see if he would like to make up a story for me to type out for him,  and then have him try to sound out some of the easier words… we’ll see how it goes.  He is definitely more interested in this kind of thing if it builds on something he’s already created.  

 

Art/ Sensory/ Spelling/ Science:

This was the hit of the week.  You can read about it in this post from earlier in the week.

 

Creative Play:

M was awfully proud of the suspension “bridge”, which was actually more of an entire suspension track, that he made:The photo is not terribly clear, but he had an entire train track built up in the air around our living room, held up here and there by whatever was handy.  His trains actually went around the whole thing a few times, until of course the inevitable and spectacular crash happened. :)

 

M went to a Build and Grow class at Lowe’s (for children 5 and up) and got to build this little wooden monster truck with a real flashing light and glow-in-the-dark stickers. :)  He was very proud of himself and enjoyed hammering real nails into wood! The apron and safety goggles, as well as the supplies for building the truck were all free.  This is a great program, and Home Depot has a similar one.  I highly recommend it for any wood craft lovers out there!!

And we made some delicious pumpkin muffins:I wish I could pass them around to all of you, they were the perfect treat for this time of year!

I am linking this post up to Preschool Corner and Weekly Wrap-Up.  Check them out for some great homeschooling posts!

Have a toasty warm and beautiful day! :)