Stars but No Stripes

Just a few days behind on sharing our Stencil Painting project on the front driveway.

Our ages ranged from 20 months (above)

to 6 years (below)

But then there's the cat (age unknown)

She adopted us when her owner, a neighbor, passed away.

She is our silent participant in most outdoor activities. 

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Independence Day!

A Need For Individual Expression

Sometimes a single sandbox is not going to work. With a mixed age group that ranges from older infants thru school-agers who all want to play, there arose a need for individual space. So the tub & lid sand spaces were born.

Ancient Tools

Today we discover ancient writing tools.

Our hunt and peck method of typing was very useful for typing number lines from 1 to 39. Tired of that, there was typing capital letter and lower case letters in order A to Z. And once that idea ran its' course, there was some actual spelling of names we know. Particularly Mom, Dad, and other family members.

Time to thank my mother for her foresight in donating this tool from yesteryear.

Just Going To The Dentist

Our Theme this week was "Healthy Teeth" for the week preceding Valentine's Day. For fun I did a little Conversation Starter with the boys and I got some interesting answers.
We had a "before" and "after" session to see what we learned. Here's how it went

"Before the theme" Conversation Starter: To make sure our teeth are healthy, we visit a dentist. What happens during a check up? Do you like going to the dentist? Why?  (note: none of the children have went to the dentist before so keep this in perspective)

Macoy (age 3) I get something - Yes - Get medicine there

Ben (age 2) Night - yes - Night * I think he had a short nights' sleep before daycare that day in his defense*

Hadley (age 3) We go to the doctor - Yes - Because we have to go to the doctor *he will be a very disciplined adult I believe :)

Weston: (age 4) You can get a toy - Yes - Because you can get new teeth * so there is some hope

"AFter the theme" same Conversation Starter:

Ben: (age 2)  Sad dentist - yes - Doctor get a sucker * in the story we read on Wednesday little Ben has retained that Little Critter was a bit sad and in the end he got a sucker. After all, candy is a big deal at age 2!!

Hadley: (age 3) We be happy?  -No- Because  * It seems my 'disciplined theory' is challenged

Macoy: (age 3) Get a toy at the dentist - Yes - Get a dot on your finger * Still remembering his painful doctor's visit poor guy

Weston: (age 4) You close your eyes tight because you don't want to see a needle - Yes - You can get bubble gum * again a story memory of that darned needle. Ug! of all the story parts to remember.

In conclusion......alas, my work here is not done.

Upcycling wallpaper

You know those wallpaper sample books you can get for free at your local paint store? That is if your town/city still has one with all the large chain stores. (cough Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards, etc)

WE still have a couple here. My dad being a painter by trade during his life, this was a popular spot for us to shop. So... throw in a few decades later and you have me, painter's daughter doing childcare. And this is one of those ideas I use those sample books for.

Here's one example.

So we tear them out for this activity and use 'masking tape' (another painter's utensil) to attach them together. Thus, saving me $$$ from buying butcher block paper and also keeping my costs for families from skyrocketing due to needing more supplies. That( could be a whole other blog post)

 

 

 Now for the writing we picked out all the basic colors to keep track of them in case our little friend Hudson decided to run off with one to practice chewing :) And also, notice the print on the back is not a deterrent to the drawing going on.

 

In fact I used it to my advantage and created a writing prompt for Ben, age 2. Here's his little story.

Hope you enjoy our tutorial and story.

 

 

 

Door Prize

Ron and I traveled 2 hours November 1st for a training in Springfield, Missouri. So it was one of those Saturdays I just kept my normal schedule....up at 5:30 a.m. Ug. But trainings are a requirement for my license. And honesty, sometimes they really are interesting. 

The best part of this training came with the ticket at the door....

 

Ron's ticket that is.

 

He won the seasonal turkey basket. Not a real turkey unfortunately, but this pack of turkeys in the basket.

 Here's the actual basket.

The goodies

 

More foamies

And Chenille stems/pipe cleaners (depending on where you're from) for stringing, sorting, and multiple other crafts.

(they are also used in my home to clean the pressure cooker valve hole.)

 

My door prize.

Paper.

A small but useful item.

Thanks to the Council of Churches of the Ozarks Child Care Food Program!

Awesome training :)

And the grand result is our passel of turkey ornaments.  

The kind of turkeys that won't crowd your freezer space. :)

 

 

Hudson's 1st Birthday

http://slfinnell1965.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/on-the-occasion-of-hudsons-1st-birthday/
Please click the link to see my latest blog post on "Hudson's Birthday"!