School Project: Operation Christmas Child

I wanted to do something fun and meaningful this year as one of our school projects.  The first thing that came to mind was Operation Christmas Child.  We did this about three years ago at our church and the kids loved packing the shoe boxes for the children, so I thought it would great to do it this year as a project.

The first thing I did was go to their website Operation Christmas Child and I ordered the packing materials and other goodies that are available on the site.  When we got the kit in the mail, the kids were super excited and wanted to start right away!

We went shopping one night to pick out our goodies for the children. The kids really got into picking out neat things for the kids that lived far away. They would say things like, "I think they are really going to like this toy mama!"  We also got them some treats to enjoy as well.

One morning we got up and watched a video on the meaning behind it and all the lives these shoe boxes have changed. Minnie (me) said she wanted to cry after watching it because the kids were so happy to get something on Jesus' birthday!

 

After the video was over, the kids divided the items they bought into two piles. One pile for a girl and one for a boy.

Once that was done, the kids started right away filling up their shoebox.  They had a blast doing it!

Super Boy was so excited telling me how happy the boy getting his shoebox would love playing with the balls that he got him. He said, "Since I got him 5, maybe he will share with his friends!"  I love that idea!

Minnie (me) carefully filled her shoebox. She was talking about how much the girl would love the hair accessories and the doll that she packed!

We loved doing this so much that we said that next year we will have a packing party and invite our friends over to help pack even more shoeboxes! We would love to send over 100 boxes next year! 

Hopefully this is something that your family can start as a tradition. I think it's something that will stick with ours!

Check out their website for more ideas and on how to get your party pack!

Samaritans Purse

Field Trip to the Fire Department

During the entire month of October, the kids learn all about fire safety.  We do fire experiments, talk about fire safety and prevention and also do a lot of review.

For Fun Friday, we went to the Fire Department for a field trip and it was fun!

We go to the same fire station every year because they're so nice and just great with the kids! The kids bring them cookies and also make cards thanking them for all their hard work and for keeping us safe!

The kids were super excited! They couldn't wait to get inside and check out all the engines!

 

The fire fighters always begin with fire safety basics: stop, drop and roll and also talk about what to dial if there's a fire...911.

Then they show the kids their uniform and also show how they get dressed so the kids aren't afraid.  They really explain to the kids that they're the same person, so if the kids wake up during the night and see a firefighter, they shouldn't be scared!

 

The firefighter told the kids all about an alarm that is on his uniform in case they get hurt and can't move, it will go off and get louder and louder so that the other firefighters can find him.  I think the kids enjoyed the fact that once his mask was on, he sounded like Darth Vadar more than how loud the alarm was!

We then took a tour of where they ate, slept, and watched T.V.  We saw their work-out room and the fire pole, which some kids wanted to see them do, but we were told sorry, not today!  We looked at all the engines and trucks they had and then they took a fire truck out and allowed the kids to spray the hose!  This was a first for my kids!  It seems like every year they add more and more to the tour and we love it!

 

Spraying the hose was probably the kids favorite part.  Needless to say, we're looking forward to the net trip there!!!

 

Future firefighters????  You never know!

 

 

 

Game Review of "Shop to Win"

I am always on the lookout for a fun game that also has some sort of learning involved. The kids have so much fun with these types of games that they may sometimes forget that they're learning something! 

So, I was walking the isles of  the Lake Shore Learning Center Store, when I saw this really cute game called "Shop to Win". I thought it would be perfect to help the kids with counting money and also learn the value of using cash when shopping!  (Can you tell I've been through   Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University!)

When we got home, the kids wanted to play it right away. I was going to wait until school, but they REALLY wanted to play, so we all sat around the table and played one game before bed.

It's a pretty easy game to play. You give each player the amount of money that it states in the directions. Then you roll to see who goes first.  The first played rolls the die and moves that many spaces. (you get the idea.)   When you land on the space that says BUY, you can buy one item from that shop.  So this is where the counting money thing comes into play. The goal is to buy something from each store.  During the game, there are spaces on the board where you may lose a money amount or an item.  It was a lot of fun!!

The kids really liked the pieces that came with the game. I had to remind them that these pieces were for the game, not to play with!

Super Boy's first item that he bought was the robot, of course!  This really does wind up and walk! He loves playing with it after he bought it!

 

Minnie (me) always buys the cat first! She's made it very well known that she wants a real one!

Want one for yourself?  Visit a Lake Shore Learning Center Store by you or go to their website at Lake Shore Learning Center. Type in Shop to Win in the search box.

Pros:

It teaches the kids how to count money and buy something that they want.

It's a plus for us to teach them to pay with cash!!!

It helps them figure out if they have the correct amount of money to buy the item.

Cons:

The items prices are cheap, so sometimes there's not much of a challenge for buying an item. (I may change the rules and double some of the prices as they get better with adding money)

Trains, Planes and Automoblies..Oh My!

We are blessed to have so many wonderful parks, attractions and museums near us. It makes homeschooling a little easier when it comes to field trips and actually seeing things that we learned about.

There is a Transportation Museum here that I took the kids to so that they could learn about all the different types of transportation and also see how far they have come since the good  old days!

We had a map and had to go to each stop to learn about that type of transportation. Minnie (me) was our map holder and tour guide, so she made sure we were at all the correct spots.

Our first stop was the planes. There we learned all about how the Wright Brothers came up with the first plane and we learned how it was built. It was interesting to hear how they actually came up with how to make their plane fly and steer and not crash!

 

Our next stop was seeing the first "cars" which were really covered wagons. We heard about how long it took to get from one place to another.  They said to get to Pennsylvania, it would take them about 3 months! The kids had to think about what they would have to pack for such a long journey and also what the jobs would be for the men, woman and children.  They came up with some really great ideas!

They also had some old licenses from back then. A lot of them were so old that they were hand written!  Pretty neat!

I think the kids favorite was the trains. They had so many of them and so many types that it was a little overwhelming! They talked about how the trains evolved and how they were improved over time. My favorite train there was the steam engine! Just made me think of the pioneer days and Little House on the Prairie!

The highlight of the day was when we got to ride on the turn table. The kids LOVED it!

 

Another highlight was that we got to go on a train ride! It was very relaxing. So relaxing that I almost fell asleep!  

 

It was a beautiful day and we just had a great time learning all about trains, planes and automobiles and how far they have come! It also makes me very thankful that I have a van and not a covered wagon!

 

Fire Safety Experiment....Heat, Air and Fuel

The kids are really enjoying fire safety this month, so today we decided to do a fire experiment.  I thought this would be a great way to show the kids how to put a (small) fire out and also to talk about what gives fire its "power" and how we can take it away!

First, I got three tea lights and lined them up on a long plate. (just in case I messed up, I didn't want to ruin the counter tops!)  I told the kids that fire needs three things to give it power and we were going to learn how to take that power away from it.

The first thing that fire needs is heat.

I lite a candle and asked the kids what fire is. They said hot!  Right, so to put out the hot fire, we need to take the heat away from it. I asked them what fire fighters use to take the heat away. They shouted.. "water!"  So we took a spray bottle and took the heat away from our first fire.  Mission: Complete!

The second thing that give fire its power is air.

I lite the second candle and explained to the kids that fire needs air to make it hotter and last longer. So we needed to take the air away from it to make it go out.  We then took a jar and covered the candle until the candle went out. I explained to the kids that there was no air in the jar, so it made the fire go out. Mission: Complete!

The third thing a fire needs in fuel.

I took a tea lite and cut the wick very short. I explained to the kids that the fire could not get any more to keep it lit, so we watched carefully as the fire went out!  Mission: Complete!

This is a fun and easy way to show the kids how to make a fire go out and what give a fire its power. It was especially fun to spray the kids with the spray bottle! (I can do that because I'm the teacher!)

The kids then got to re-do their favorite part of the experiment.

Fun with Fire (safety) and Spelling Pumpkins

October is one of my favorite months. It brings cooler weather and it means Fall is here!  I love pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, homemade apple cider and homemade apple pie! I also love the changing colors of the leaves, but I do not like having to rake them.

In October, we learn all about fire safety. It's fun go to the fire station for a field trip and to also bring goodies for the fire fighters and thank them for keeping us safe. The kids really look forward to it every year.

During our quiet time, the kids have been doing some fun fire safety games. Some are simply for fun and others are more like learning games.

One activity that we do is a shadow matching game.  The kids have to match the picture to the shadow.  It's simple, but the kids like it, so it's something fun that we do!

 

Another fun little activity we do is putting the fire trucks in order from small to biggest.  We then have to go biggest to smallest. The kids turn this into a race to see who can do it faster!

 

I also have a couple of puzzles that the kids work on. This too turns into a race to see who can complete the puzzles faster!

 

There is also an activity is matching the fire fighters to the shape that they are holding.  It's just a fun little game.

 

This will probably be the last year we do them because they are more for preschool and kindergarten grades. But we're making it fun while we have them!  If you love these adorable printables, you can get them here!  Fire Fighters Printables

This morning, I saw this cute game and it was too cute to pass up!  I love that I can use it when reviewing spelling words with the kids. Here it is!

 

 It's called the Great Pumpkin Challenge and we LOVED playing it while doing our spelling.  Here's what you do:

Go to The Great Pumpkin Challenge and print out the board game and cards.

 Then pick something that you can use a game pieces for each player. We used our counting bears.

 

I wrote the kids spelling words on pieces of paper and then put them into pencil holders, making sure their words did not get mixed up. You can put the spelling words in a paper cup if you like. The kids then had to pick a word for the other child to spell correctly. If they spell it right, they roll the die and see how many spaces they can move. If their game piece lands on a pumpkin face, they have to pick a challenge card.  The challenge card tells them a task they have to do on the next word. So they get to pick another word, and have to do the challenge. Example: for their challenge, they might have to yell out the spelling of a word while writing it in air.  If they do the challenge correctly, they get to move that many spaces that is on the card.  So much FUN!!!!   The kids LOVED playing this and it really helped them practice their spelling words.

Super Boy doing a challenge!

Minnie (me) rolling the die to see how many spaces she can move for spelling the word correctly.

 The first one to the FINISH line wins! Minnie (me) won the first game!

Fun Friday....Homemade Pumpkin Play-Doh

I want the kid's (home)school experience to be a good one and I don't want them to ever feel like they are missing out on anything. I know a lot of schools do things throughout the year to show their school spirit.  All because my kids are in a different setting does not mean they can't have fun too!

So I started doing Fun Fridays last year and it was an instant hit!  So this year Fun Friday are back and we're loving them!

So far, we had  inside- out day where the kids wore their clothes inside- out, we did a show and tell where the kids had to draw a picture of something they did this summer and then tell the class about it.  We did a PJ day (because we came back from a short vacation and needed to just relax and have a cozy day) and we did a crazy hat day where the kids had to make a crazy hat.


For crazy hat day, Minnie (me) was creative and took an old baby carrier cover and glued colored pom-poms and flowers on it. She said it was her garden hat.  Super Boy took his hat and used pipe cleaners to make horns and something coming out of the back. Mommy is really hoping it wasn't a mullet!

You were expecting to see pictures from out PJ day?  Not gonna happen!

Fun Fridays are usually a day where we do something fun or go somewhere to celebrate making it though the week!

For this Fun Friday, I thought it would be neat to make play-doh, but with a twist.  Since it's Fall and pumpkins are a sure sign of fall, I decide that we would make pumpkin play-doh.  Here's how we did it:

Homemade Play-Doh

1 cup oflour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 Tbs vegetable oil

Food coloring

First you want to combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan. I took mine off the stove so that the kids could help mix up the ingredients better. Plus it's safer too!

Minnie (me) and Super Boy loved helping me make it!

In another bowl, you want to combine the water, oil and food coloring. Since we wanted orange, the kids had to tell me what two colors would make orange.  Yellow and Red!

Make sure the ingredients in the bowl (with the water) is mixed up well. It should be the color you desire.

You then gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until the mixture is smooth.

 

The next step I did just because I didn't want the kids standing on a chair or by the fire. Of course if you decide to let your children do it, make sure they are being watched carefully!

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring until a ball forms. Remove from the stove and cool. Knead the play doh until smooth then HAVE FUN!!!

 

**** When the mixture was on the stove and in a ball, I added Pumpkin Pie Spice to add the yummy smell of pumpkins.  I told the kids it may smell good, but please don't eat it!  I'm sure they could, but I don't want them to think all play-doh is edible. 

I hope you enjoyed this and hopefully you will do this fun idea with your family!