One fun thing about this prolonged stretch of cold weather is that we were able to get around to an art project I'd been meaning to do with the kids: an ice chandelier, as seen in The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art (one of my favorites for unusual art projects). Primo made the frame by himself (not visible in the picture below, unfortunately-- the kids were the photographers), and we collaborated on a set of colorful ice cubes and a circle, all with small objects (natural and man-made) trapped inside. We hung it about a week ago, and it's been interesting to see the cubes melt and change, *even though* the air temperature hasn't risen to even close to 32 degrees all week. How is this possible? Our hypotheses include heat from the cars passing on the street, and sunlight shining on the ice.
Once again I felt a little 'under the gun' to make something for my craft challenge. I had the idea to make Snorzy a felt board, but didn't know what to use as the base (without buying anything). Then I realized we had just thrown a white board into the recycling bin. I had one of the kids retrieve it, and used it to form the basis of a felt board (with a blue sky and a slight hill made of green felt). I found that staples wouldn't stay well in the cardboard back of the white board, so I reinforced it with duct tape. Not pretty, but hopefully it will hold up. Next mini project: making some felt shapes for Snorzy to use with this board. No rush, he's still at the age where he's more likely to put the pieces in his mouth than on the board. Maybe I'll save this as a birthday or even Christmas present. The important thing is that I *made something* this week, other than the chandelier (with the boys) and various baked good ('Samoa' Brownies, Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake).
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
The State of Things
I'm living in a state of distraction this week, from two causes:
1. poor Snorzy is under the weather, with a bad cold that leaves him whining and demanding my attention (and somehow it's made his nap more of a hit-or-miss affair than usual so I don't have that almost guaranteed hour or more to get things done on the days that we're home all afternoon)
2. I had an irritating letter from the local school, questioning the quarterly report that I sent in for Primo. Calling the coordinator for homeschooling in the district yielded a 'don't worry, I'll call the principal about it, you don't need to re-submit anything', but at the same time the whole situation has left me shook up and unhappy about homeschooling here in a state where we have to do a lot of reporting to the local district.
Even so, I managed to get in under the wire (on Monday) with a very quick little project so that I wouldn't lose steam in my self-imposed craft challenge. I made a sewing machine mounted pin cushion, to give me a handy place to stick all the pins I need to remove as I'm sewing something big like the sheet from the week before.
Last night I was searching Pinterest for middle school homeschooling ideas, and found something called CNN Student News, a ten minute news report with comprehension and discussion questions in an easy-to-use format. Happy doesn't begin to describe it, I've been wanting to do 'current events' lessons with the kids since we started homeschooling, but even our little local weekly paper always has stories in it that I'd rather they didn't see. This morning we read the questions, they watched the video, then they took turns answering the questions and we got into a little bit of discussion about some of the news items. They loved it, and so did I! There's nothing like finding a new homeschooling resource, and successfully implementing it. Joy!
1. poor Snorzy is under the weather, with a bad cold that leaves him whining and demanding my attention (and somehow it's made his nap more of a hit-or-miss affair than usual so I don't have that almost guaranteed hour or more to get things done on the days that we're home all afternoon)
2. I had an irritating letter from the local school, questioning the quarterly report that I sent in for Primo. Calling the coordinator for homeschooling in the district yielded a 'don't worry, I'll call the principal about it, you don't need to re-submit anything', but at the same time the whole situation has left me shook up and unhappy about homeschooling here in a state where we have to do a lot of reporting to the local district.
Even so, I managed to get in under the wire (on Monday) with a very quick little project so that I wouldn't lose steam in my self-imposed craft challenge. I made a sewing machine mounted pin cushion, to give me a handy place to stick all the pins I need to remove as I'm sewing something big like the sheet from the week before.
Last night I was searching Pinterest for middle school homeschooling ideas, and found something called CNN Student News, a ten minute news report with comprehension and discussion questions in an easy-to-use format. Happy doesn't begin to describe it, I've been wanting to do 'current events' lessons with the kids since we started homeschooling, but even our little local weekly paper always has stories in it that I'd rather they didn't see. This morning we read the questions, they watched the video, then they took turns answering the questions and we got into a little bit of discussion about some of the news items. They loved it, and so did I! There's nothing like finding a new homeschooling resource, and successfully implementing it. Joy!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Crib Sheet
For my second project of my 2014 craft challenge, I went with something both simple and veeeeery useful, a crib sheet for Snorzy's bed. I had made three flannel sheets for his cradle before he was born, but the cradle lasted only until he was about 4.5 months old before he was too big for it. Such a bummer to have to put aside those handmade sheets!
I did a little research (hello Pinterest, yes I'm talking about you again) and came up with three or four more projects that I'll do for this craft challenge. However, many of them are toys-- if I could do anything in the world I'd be a toymaker-- and I began to worry that my craft challenge is going to result in spoiled kids (especially Snorzy) and a house full of extra...stuff. So in resistance, I decided my second project would be something that I would have had to buy anyway, if I didn't make my own.
I was excited to hit Jo-Ann fabric and pick out something cute, something with critters on it, maybe in flannel...but all the 'diy crib sheets' direction I found online called for fabric of either 44 or 45 inch width, and sadly all the cute, nursery prints and flannel were 42 or 43 inches wide. Why is that? Maybe I could have done better at fabric.com or something, but I was looking for nearly-instant gratification here, so I settled for some lovely aqua quilter's cotton (44 in wide).
I was able to bang this together in very little time, from remembering to prewash the fabric this afternoon just before going to pick up my niece D from the high school so she could watch the boys for me, (pause, find other things to do while I wait for the fabric to come out of the dryer) to ironing, cutting, pinning and sewing the corners just before I had to bring D home, to after dinner and nursing the baby finally finishing the last bit and putting it in his crib before bedtime tonight.
Next up, toys! (maybe)
here I am, sewing the casing for the elastic (thank you to my photographer, Primo):
And here is the finished result in Snorzy's crib. Other handmade items in view: bunny lovey (mine) crocheted blanket (made by a good friend, Jen F.)
I did a little research (hello Pinterest, yes I'm talking about you again) and came up with three or four more projects that I'll do for this craft challenge. However, many of them are toys-- if I could do anything in the world I'd be a toymaker-- and I began to worry that my craft challenge is going to result in spoiled kids (especially Snorzy) and a house full of extra...stuff. So in resistance, I decided my second project would be something that I would have had to buy anyway, if I didn't make my own.
I was excited to hit Jo-Ann fabric and pick out something cute, something with critters on it, maybe in flannel...but all the 'diy crib sheets' direction I found online called for fabric of either 44 or 45 inch width, and sadly all the cute, nursery prints and flannel were 42 or 43 inches wide. Why is that? Maybe I could have done better at fabric.com or something, but I was looking for nearly-instant gratification here, so I settled for some lovely aqua quilter's cotton (44 in wide).
I was able to bang this together in very little time, from remembering to prewash the fabric this afternoon just before going to pick up my niece D from the high school so she could watch the boys for me, (pause, find other things to do while I wait for the fabric to come out of the dryer) to ironing, cutting, pinning and sewing the corners just before I had to bring D home, to after dinner and nursing the baby finally finishing the last bit and putting it in his crib before bedtime tonight.
Next up, toys! (maybe)
here I am, sewing the casing for the elastic (thank you to my photographer, Primo):
And here is the finished result in Snorzy's crib. Other handmade items in view: bunny lovey (mine) crocheted blanket (made by a good friend, Jen F.)
Friday, January 10, 2014
Wipes Box Toy
For my first project of my 2014 craft challenge, from this blog post, as seen on Pinterest: I made a baby wipes box ‘toy’ for Snorzy, with fabric squares that he can remove again and again. Maybe making this was a little bit stupid, since none of my three kids ever did the ‘pull every baby wipe out of the box’ thing, maybe I’m just encouraging bad behavior. He drives me so crazy anyway, though, in that he hardly plays with toys but instead looks around for anything he can get his hands on that he *shouldn’t* play with. I think I wouldn’t even mind so much if he pulled real wipes out of a current box of wipes, if it would keep him sitting still for five minutes and not pulling on electrical cords or knocking over my things.
I cut out about twenty squares of fabric in a variety of colors and textures, using pinking shears to get a hard-to-ravel edge without having to do any sewing. I opted not to do applique letters or numbers on the squares yet, but if he ends up liking this toy a lot I’ll add them later. To decorate the box and hide the brand labels, I covered it in bright blue duct tape (left over from Primo’s Tron costume from a few Halloweens ago). So far he likes the box itself more than the fabric, and it’s a little hard to get him to take the fabric squares out (we have to pull one out halfway and then show it to him). He likes opening and closing the box, though, and if we take the fabric pieces out of the box for him and throw them around, he plays with them. Yesterday he stood there and carefully handed me one after another, while I said, “Thank You” for each one. Time will tell if this turns into a favorite toy, but it was free and he’s played with it a little, so I’m satisfied.
I cut out about twenty squares of fabric in a variety of colors and textures, using pinking shears to get a hard-to-ravel edge without having to do any sewing. I opted not to do applique letters or numbers on the squares yet, but if he ends up liking this toy a lot I’ll add them later. To decorate the box and hide the brand labels, I covered it in bright blue duct tape (left over from Primo’s Tron costume from a few Halloweens ago). So far he likes the box itself more than the fabric, and it’s a little hard to get him to take the fabric squares out (we have to pull one out halfway and then show it to him). He likes opening and closing the box, though, and if we take the fabric pieces out of the box for him and throw them around, he plays with them. Yesterday he stood there and carefully handed me one after another, while I said, “Thank You” for each one. Time will tell if this turns into a favorite toy, but it was free and he’s played with it a little, so I’m satisfied.
Craft Challenge 2014
I’ve decided to make something every week of 2014, starting this past week (I’m writing on the 10th, but I swear I finished the first project on the 7th!) I have a Pinterest board or two filled with things I want to make ‘someday’, but the other day I was looking at my ‘Snorzy’ board and was horrified to see several cute, simple things that I meant to make for him for which he is *already* too old! Ever since I had to virtually give up knitting due to hand pain, it has been hard to always have a project on the go—it’s so much easier when all you need is two sticks and some yarn. I find that once I get started on a project it’s not hard to stay motivated and finish in good time. It’s just the beginning that is the biggest obstacle for me. So many of the things I do as a homeschooling mom are either consumable or never-ending (cooking, laundry) or have such far-reaching consequences that I don’t get a satisfying ‘ahh, I’m done’ feeling (teaching the boys lessons, manners, how to live in the world). It’s nice to have something to point to at the end of a short period of time, about which I can say, “I made that”. Hence, this New Year’s challenge: I will ‘make something’ – complete some kind of multi-step craft project—every week of this year for a total of 52 projects by year’s end. We’re several days into the second week and I don’t have an idea on tap yet, so we’ll see how I do at sticking with this challenge. I’ll also have to figure out the rules for myself as I go, in regards to big projects like quilts—can I count each part of the process as a mini project? But I give myself permission to count *very* simple crafts, as long as there is more than one step involved—for instance, see my next post, on my first project of this challenge—a Wipes Box toy for Snorzy.
Technorati Tags: Pinterest,crafts,quilting,Snorzy,projects,challenge,2014,homeschooling,knitting,Wipes Box toy
Monday, January 6, 2014
Habits
I recently read the book The Power of Habit and it has me thinking a lot about my habits, and how they are forming my life. According to this author, every habit (which includes much of our behavior) consists of a cue, a response, and a reward. Sometimes it’s hard to tease the three apart, to figure out what the cue is that triggers the habit, or what the reward is from a seemingly unrewarding behavior (for example, why do I yell at my kids? it doesn’t make me feel any better when I do, and it rarely elicits a good change from them). Today I noticed that by changing my habits just a little—taking a shower before eating breakfast rather than after, switching up the order in which I do things in other, even smaller ways….I ended up feeling energized by the change, and found myself changing other more damaging habits (usually I somehow end up sitting on the couch all morning, instead I was up playing with the baby, cleaning, and I came up with six different ideas for blog topics too).
Another habit I’m trying to change is my tendency to do things unrelated to the boys’ lessons during lesson time, in the between minutes when no one needs me. I get swept up in reading my current book, checking Facebook, trolling Pinterest. I want to try to only do things related to lessons during lesson time (in terms of reading, writing, using media)- I have been less successful at making this habit switch so far, but when I do succeed with this to any extent I find that I’m more patient with the boys when they get frustrated at a difficult lesson, or when they lose focus. Instead of having to pull myself away from something wholly unrelated to lessons straight into a crisis already in progress, I find I either sit thinking quietly and notice right away that they are getting into difficulty OR I read or do research related to lessons, and their crises don’t feel unrelated when they interrupt what I’m doing, it’s all part of the same project. It was easier when I could still knit, that was something I could do with half of my attention and I never felt the need to ask them to wait longer than it took me to reach the end of my row, before I was ready to help with the tricky bits of their work.
Another habit I’m trying to change is my tendency to do things unrelated to the boys’ lessons during lesson time, in the between minutes when no one needs me. I get swept up in reading my current book, checking Facebook, trolling Pinterest. I want to try to only do things related to lessons during lesson time (in terms of reading, writing, using media)- I have been less successful at making this habit switch so far, but when I do succeed with this to any extent I find that I’m more patient with the boys when they get frustrated at a difficult lesson, or when they lose focus. Instead of having to pull myself away from something wholly unrelated to lessons straight into a crisis already in progress, I find I either sit thinking quietly and notice right away that they are getting into difficulty OR I read or do research related to lessons, and their crises don’t feel unrelated when they interrupt what I’m doing, it’s all part of the same project. It was easier when I could still knit, that was something I could do with half of my attention and I never felt the need to ask them to wait longer than it took me to reach the end of my row, before I was ready to help with the tricky bits of their work.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Back To It
The best part about getting back into daily lessons (as of Jan 2nd, even though Sweet Hubby is still on vacation from *his* school, if we didn't start I was sure we wouldn't finish the math and history curricula by March 31st) was watching Primo and Radish collaborate on filling in their timeline of history. We asked them to find between 5 and 10 important events from the medieval periods that we've studied so far this year, and add them to the timeline (a purchased one which we have not yet cut into pieces to mount on the wall-- I tried having a mounted timeline when the boys were small, but our house doesn't have any accessible wall long enough for even a significant portion of it to fit). At first it was slow-going and they argued a little about sharing the resources (Story of the World, Kingfisher History Encyclopedia). With a little help from me, and from Sweet Hubby too, they settled down and it was sweet to watch them discuss which events to include.
Next best was how enthusiastic they both were about trying BBC's Dance Mat Typing. After lessons were officially over for the day, they each returned to this 'game' and played some more. The only downside is, they were able to progress quite far in just one day, which tells me that this free online game-style typing instruction is not meaty enough for us to use all semester as their touch-typing curriculum. So the hunt continues, for a program that will last a bit longer, and give them a good strong introduction to touch typing (or, re-introduction in Primo's case-- he tried Typing Instructor for Kids when he was 7, but he found it frustrating).
I'm thinking about what to do with our weekly schedule for the rest of the year, so that the boys have enough time to work on math, science, history and English, while also spending at least a little time on Latin, geography, music, art, and now typing. My ideas so far are either to schedule one 'special' lesson per day (as there are 5 of them and 5 days in our school week) or to save them all for Fridays, and do just math and 'extras' that day.
Next best was how enthusiastic they both were about trying BBC's Dance Mat Typing. After lessons were officially over for the day, they each returned to this 'game' and played some more. The only downside is, they were able to progress quite far in just one day, which tells me that this free online game-style typing instruction is not meaty enough for us to use all semester as their touch-typing curriculum. So the hunt continues, for a program that will last a bit longer, and give them a good strong introduction to touch typing (or, re-introduction in Primo's case-- he tried Typing Instructor for Kids when he was 7, but he found it frustrating).
I'm thinking about what to do with our weekly schedule for the rest of the year, so that the boys have enough time to work on math, science, history and English, while also spending at least a little time on Latin, geography, music, art, and now typing. My ideas so far are either to schedule one 'special' lesson per day (as there are 5 of them and 5 days in our school week) or to save them all for Fridays, and do just math and 'extras' that day.
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