mamascout

nuts and bolts

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

This is a simple, classic kid activity - but I was surprised at how much my nearly 6 year old loved it.

Gather up some nuts and bolts.

You can use ones you have in the garage or buy some from the hardware store. In fact, you can let your child help pick some out. There are some really interesting ones! The ones we used were all really close in size, so it was very challenging.

Match the nuts and bolts and screw together.

My son loves helping us build things, so this was extra engaging for him. I think most kids would find it a fun puzzle - and the fine motor skills along with the practical life skills make it a useful game. I plan to add in some new nuts and bolts from time to time. And when he is done with this tin, we can use the hardware to build and connect more things.

eat outside

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:07:00 +0000

This time of year on Florida is amazing; the first thing I do every morning is open all the windows. We eat as many meals outside as possible.

Living between two lakes means the sky above our house a highway for birds going between the two.

We watch pelicans arrive each year, many bald eagles, robins suddenly descending in our backyard in a flutter of wings, and my favorite, the millions of grackles and their cacophony that punctuates the clear, blue skies.

A Sunday supper of roast chicken and vegetables with a big garlic-y salad on my back porch while listening to Django in the background is my idea of the perfect meal. In fact, if I had to choose a last meal, this would be it.

What is your favorite meal to eat outside?

so glad i'm here

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:46:00 +0000

I am particpating in Erin Goodman's 10 Day Family Re-Charge program. It is a program designed to get families back on track and back to their center - and it is great timing after the frenetic holidays.

The private Facebook group is pulsating with good ideas, amazing sharing and support.

Many of the participants reacted to this video, featuring Elizabeth Mitchell's (love) song, So Glad I'm Here with photos from their own homes and the messes and blessings of living full, chaotic, joyful lives. Here are mine from this morning.

my desk, which is never clean and acts as a repository for everyone's stuff: journals, cds, remote controls for little helicopters and photos of cell cakes that we are planning to make.

my children all hooked in to electronics! notice the couch cushions missing. they are being washed because the cat vomited on them.

after our big sunday breakfast, the table remains full of dishes. (usually, everyone is pretty good with cleaning the table, but this morning my youngest son hurt his tooth and that pulled everyone away. notice his breakfast still sitting there).

yeah, we are not cleaning that stove.

our house is going under some renovations, so this is what i see when i wake up.

as rooms are moved and walls are knocked out, we have piles like this all around.

and through all this chaos and weird energy, i can most definitely say, that i am SO GLAD I'M HERE!

hope you are glad where you are today!

before and after

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:29:00 +0000

Living in a 100 year old house is hard and inspiring and sometimes fun. Like when we finally got our upstairs bathroom completed. I can not wait to get a plant, some great new towels and candles.

The space to the left is going to be a big closet that hooks together the bath and a bedroom, hopefully making what people will think is the master bedroom (that was a constant question we had when out house was for sale).

this moment:: at the scrub

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:27:00 +0000

image from the week. no words. via soulemama.

explore numbers with art grids

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Art grids are a great way to explore numbers and multiplication all while creating art pieces and learning about stencils or resist type of painting.

For this grid we made the 25 squares by using 4 pieces of painter's tape in each direction. We painted on card stock for this quickie - but have also done them on foam core and water color paper. The foam core (non glossy) was great for the hundred squares piece we did because it was sturdy enough to prop up on a shelf. It was beautiful.

The process is pretty self explanatory. Make the grid, paint, let dry and then slowly pull off the tape. The last step is kids' favorite.

Voila! You have some art and can practice counting or draw little pictures in the squares.

And, just wait, it will lead to other ways of using painter's tape in artwork. This short activity will turn into all sorts of open ended art/math explorations.

exploration lab:: alley hunt (or garden, park, house hunt)

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

You can find a rainbow even on sunny, dry days with this fun project. My kids love treasure hunts, and this one is a classic. Take an empty egg carton and paint the cups with rainbow colors (or for more of a challenge all greys or greens...) and head out.

We try to have both natural examples as well as some alley trash. This is fun but also good for encouraging close looking. And as usual, as we walk, our minds loosen up and we start coming up with new ideas, projects and dreams. A good time spent for all. Happy hunting!

old me, new me (best mom gift ever)

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:01:00 +0000

This is the picture my brother and I made for my mom for Christmas. I think she really liked it. I know I would. We were inspired by this site and this one. The details are what make it. I should have worn a blue hoodie - but I was thinking dark would do it. Getting the space in between us along with my hand on his shoulder was impossible because he is not a little boy anymore. If I could have gotten it you would have seen my ring and bandaid.

make a world in a pop bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

My learning co op made these super cool ecosystems last week. There are many versions all over the web, but I think I simplified it.
What you need:2 pop bottlesduct tapegravel garden soil and tiny plants/weedspond water/with some little creatures and plantslittle piece of materialrubber band
Basically, you cut the top off one pop bottle and invert another pop bottle into it. You will also have to cut the bottom off the inverted bottle to put in the dirt. Then you duct tape (the duct tape allows you to reopen your ecosystem easily in case you need to make changes) it all back together. That is it! Simple.
In the bottom, we put pond water, minnows, water bugs, water plants, a ghost shrimp and some snails. The snails and shrimp will keep the water clean, the plants will provide oxygen and a bit of food (along with micro-organisms) to the fish. We put enough water to barely touch the spout of the inverted bottle.
The top layer is the earth. We used some very open weave fabric rubber banded at the spout (think tulle, cheese cloth, panty hose - what ever you have around). Then a few handfuls of gravel and some rich garden dirt. We added a few weeds, some moss, pill bugs, a worm, a piece of rotting wood and a little layer of leaves.
We used a piece of cotton string to hang from the dirt into the water. I am not so sure if is is necessary - but I guess the idea is that it aids in the transfer of water and micro-nurtients.
Ours has been going strong for a over a week, complete with condensation and rain, and new things growing and moving.
We were originally inspired by this post and several others on the web.

sunday still life

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:00 +0000

linking up with erin here.

this moment:: pinewood derby

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

image(s) from the week. no words. via soulemama.

rendevouz time travel

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Each year we attend the Alafia River Rendevouz, which is a historical re-enactment camp in central Florida. The participants spend a week together sharing skills and culture from the early 1800's meetups that brought Native Americans, fur traders, merchants and frontiersman together. The last few days are public days and it is as close to time travel as you can get. Luckily, this year we attended on a field trip day, so the crowd was light and was made up of primarily home schooled and a few private schooled kids.

Before filling up on homemade root beer we talked to several re-enactors who taught us new skills. Like how to haul water with a yoke, how to brain tan leather and how to spin and dye yarn.

We also learned some Indian sign language and drumming.

We experienced how loud musket guns are.

But most of all, after a full day, we came home excited and inspired by all we had seen and done. My daughter is really into chewing on licorice root. One son is thinking about getting a throwing tomahawk, while the other one is practicing his sling shot aim. And this mama has been constantly practicing her flint and steel fire starting skills (no such luck yet - but I am close).

These historical re-enactments fuel creative play (that is basically what is is for the adult participants) for my kids in such huge ways I tend to think of them as a big component of our life schooling "curriculum."

We also attend a local Medieval festival and loved both Jamestown and Williamsburg in the last few years. And I can not wait to take them to the Tenement Museum in New York.

What about you? Are you a fan of historical re-enactments? Are there some that are not to be missed near you? Please share!

Surprise! My kids made me waffles!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

My husband and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary with a surprise breakfast made entirely by our kids.

The banging and shouting woke us up and as soon as we started downtairs my daughter, who was in charge of the caper yelled, "DON'T COME DOWN!!!!!" GO BAAAAACK!!!

So, I took a bath and finished The Kitchen House and then came down to a set table complete with candles (!), OJ with Perrier (kid mimosas) and the best waffles ever.

My middle son gifted me with dozens of documentary photos of the process. I loved looking through them later and tried not to say anything about the counter sitting or white chocolate chip snacking or mess. In fact, it was the one mess I have cleaned up that had me smiling the whole time.

let's be friends

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:38:00 +0000

an unrelated and sorta creepy photograph

I love connecting with people and sharing resources on Facebook. I feel like I get at least 3 great ideas a day from FB.

If you want to hook up - you can just like me here. I send out blog updates and links to other great blog posts and resources. Some great stuff gets shared there that never makes it on my blog.

Also, I am pretty active on Pinterest. You can follow me here. I will follow you back - and we can fill our boards with fabulous inspiration!

So, give me your links so I can keep up with all your greatness too!

black violin

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

We just went to see Black Violin in concert and loved it. If you are looking for some upbeat, classical, hip hop, dance music - they got it.

One of the best parts of our daytime show was the message they delivered to the kids. First, they encouraged everyone to always think outside the box and not to blindly follow their friends. Good advice. And secondly, a point which I truly believe and preach, is that in order to succeed you have to work harder than everyone else. Talent is not the key - perseverance and hard work are. It is like the 10,000 rule. If you do it right, the hard work will be fun and fill your life with passion.

Enjoy!

this moment:: leaving

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

image from the week. no words. via soulemama.

make your own lego kit

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

My five year old son came up with the best project, I had to share it. He decided to make his own Lego kit. He designed the model and drew the schematics. And then I was asked to complete it (which was a little harder than you might think).

Wouldn't it be fun to expand this activity to include the whole family? Each person who was into it could make their own kit, and then trade them around and see who could complete the project? This project works as well for pre-writers as it does for more fluent writers.

Have your Lego loving kids done something like this?

let's science some pond water

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

We have recently spent hours upon hours looking at water underneath a microscope. We might need to get another one because we are all fighting and jostling to see each new creature. We have found amoeba, diatoms (little glass houses) and whirling spheres of some sort of algae that rush out of the viewing field as soon as they are spotted.

We have this microscope and have been very pleased with it. It allows you to light items from above as well as below. So you can look at slides as well as more three dimensional objects like leaves or cloth.

I remember the highlight of college biology (and maybe of all my first few years of college) was finding and watching an amoeba in a microscope. It was a little mind blowing to see this very tiny life force just doing its thing. Makes you wonder about all the unseen universes existing around (and on) you. I think if I had been given a more inspiring science education in school I might have pursued it. Unfortunately, I hated science. It brought up so many questions that my teachers refused to answer. For my kids, it has always been their favorite subject to study. And why wouldn't it be? The study of science helps kids understand the world they live in, which is something I believe all kids are driven to do. They even use the word "science" as a verb, meaning to explore and think deeply about something. The will say, "let's science that mushroom/flower/machine..."

Do you look under the microscope much? Ever surprised at what you see?

think inside the box: paint a horse

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

In the town where I live, there is a studio where you can paint a predetermined picture with a group of people, all while being led step by step by a teacher. In my open ended, exploratory, process oriented mind this does not sound fun. But, my mom was interested and so I decided to go with her and some other family members.

Surprise! It was great and so much more enjoyable and interesting than I imagined! My mind was able to relax and completely focus on color, line and texture (as opposed to laundry and parenting). I left feeling refreshed, energized and getting as close to flow as I have in a while.

I often think about breaking rules, challenging assumptions and questioning paradigms of mainstream culture. I love rabble-rousers and extreme originality. This did not seem like the place to cultivate those ideals. But then again, the owner of the studio has some of those exact qualities I admire. So, even though we were all crowded in, painting the same horse, we were each able to connect with some good energy and access some new creative insights.

I have to remember that sometimes you can be creatively inspired by thinking inside the box, conforming to some rules and guidelines, and following. It was a good lesson for me.

What about you? Have you taken a class like this? What did you think?

exploration lab:: fizz and color

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

In exploration lab posts, I plan to share open ended activities that are suited for older children. I see so many great sensory experiences for younger kids all over the web (and many I remember doing with my kids when they were little). I want to highlight the ones that work with older kids too. Sometimes they are the same, and sometimes you can add a little something extra because the kids are older.

A classic is vinegar and baking soda. My kids have loved this lab since they were really young. We love using muffin tins and baking sheets to pile on the baking soda. Droppers, syringes and straws are great for controlling the amount of vinegar. We like to color the vinegar and mix colors. Also, we add lots of glitter, colored sand, flowers, plastic animals and by the end, our hands to really feel the fizzing power.

This is not a science lesson. The material are simply provided and the experiments change each time. If your kids want to know the WHY, you can read here.

Do you play with vinegar and baking soda? Any new ideas that your explorations have led you to?

tent camping

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

A beautiful weekend in the woods. I took no pictures except for these few in the very last hour.

That was on purpose.

But, if I had I would have shared images of:
deer and eagles,
fires and wool blankets,
champagne and burnt marshmallows,
historical "crackers" snapping whips at scrub cows,
endless mock battles and impromptu plays by the fireside.

Sometimes it is better to experience it all without trying to capture it.

I hope your weekend was as good.

{this moment}:: first site of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

image from the week. no words. via soulemama.

take your kids to a protest

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:10:00 +0000

I believe that part of the job of adults (parents, teachers, leaders) is to show children how to effectively and lawfully exercise their voices in a democracy. Some ways our family has done this is by taking our kids with us when we vote (and talking about the candidates and procedures) and writing lots of letters to companies that have let us down or city commissioners that are making decisions that effect us.

More recently, we have taken to the streets.

When I received a call from PETA telling me there was a protest opportunity outside the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, I mentioned it to my daughter and asked if she was interested in attending. "Of course!" she exclaimed without missing a beat. And so, our family was sucked into the vortex of a new project (this happens all the time with interest led learning).

We spent the next day talking about the issue of wild animals in entertainment, organizing a transportation schedule, and creating signs. Excitement was high and the next morning when the temperature dipped to freezing, I thought my Florida kids would balk at standing in the cold. But no, they were still ready, so we loaded up two parents, one grandparent and three eager kids.

With a few dozens other folks, they stood holding their signs and received an overwhelmingly positive response from cars honking and giving the thumbs up sign. While some people might be apathetic, I can not think of anyone who really supports the treatment that elephants receive in order to make them perform in the circus. The other protesters and reporters were very generous with their interest and compliments of the kids. The whole day was a success and they returned home feeling really satisfied.

Our family has strongly opposed using wild animals in entertainment since our Roots and Shoots group visited the Center for Great Apes (a retirement facility for chimps and orangutans from circuses and the movie industry). Kids are sensitive to many oppressed beings and if they had any clue as to what really happens in order to make that elephant sit on a stool or a chimp "play" a violin, they could not be dragged into the circus. It is not entertaining and we as humans should be so much better than this.

But please don't believe me. Research it for yourself. After I did, I quickly decided that I am not willing to pay money to ensure that baby elephants are separated from their mothers, beaten and psychologically broken so I can see them do inane tricks.

ordinary

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

"No child on earth was ever meant to be ordinary."

Annie Dillard

a new start

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

For the past few years, I have picked a word to motivate and inspire my year, but this year that idea felt a little flat. Too vague, not enough teeth. So, for the first time in a while, I made a list of things I want to do. Not resolutions, more like adventures or missions. Here are mine:

-read more classics. i read too many nonfiction books. i want to fill in some gaps. i am interested in dickens and raymond chandler, also virginia woolf.

-nurture my friendships and creative connections. when i am stressed or tired, i am very quick to cancel things or stop pursuing social fun. however, usually that is exactly what revives me - so i need to stop doing that.

-take more pictures, learn more about my camera, try some dark room processing

-get my paperwork in order (boring, but important)

-travel always, near and far and as much as possible

-finish renovating our house so we can sell it

-drink more tea and less coffee

-watch more films instead of bad sitcoms or horrible reality shows. we have been on a late 60's - early 70's movie kick and i am really enjoying it. recently, we watched the graduate, valley of dolls and alice doesn't live here anymore. so much interesting visual culture and social history.

-make some movies with my kids. the technology is so easy now, we are brimming with ideas and i have been inspired by several film making projects. i really want to do this.

-continue honing our family routine and learning adventures. as passion driven homeschoolers, it takes an enormous effort to supply the right environment for all of us to thrive. we are always working on that. this year, there are some new learning community opportunities and bigger projects planned!

there are more, but if i can follow these interests this year, i will be happy, engaged and challenged. and that is a pretty great state to be in.

what about you? what are thinking about for this year?