Our Week ~ Gingerbread

This week has been filled with gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, gingerbread pirates, lots of fun, and even a little bit of learning thrown in here and there! 

~Baking~

Every year we put together and decorate gingerbread houses.  Aiden did more sampling than assembling!  This year Emily did most of the decorating and I took pictures.

We made a gingerbread pirate crew after we read the book The Gingerbread Pirates. 

~Crafts~

The kids decorated gingerbread pirates and gingerbread people cut out of construction paper.

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~Counting~

I made a simple gingerbread counting printable for Aiden.

click on the image to download

Each gingerbread man has a number 1 – 10 (numeral and written) on it.  Emily held Aiden add the correct number of buttons to each gingerbread man.

 

~Science~

I cut gingerbread men out of sandpaper and rubbed them with spices (2 with ginger, 2 with cinnamon, and 2 with cloves).  The kids took turns matching the scents.

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Then we did a little experiment to see why the gingerbread boy didn’t want to cross the river.  I let the kids guess how long it would take for the gingerbread to start crumbling?  Emily guessed 2 minutes and Aiden said 4 minutes.  It took about 1 minute and 15 seconds for it to completely disintegrate in the water.

 

Just for fun we tested a marshmallow, pretzel, nut, and a gingerbread star to see if they would disintegrate.  The results:  the marshmallow got slimy, the pretzel feel apart and of course the gingerbread star became mush.  The winner was the nut!

~Writing~

On of the most exciting things that happened this week was finding a sticky note that Aiden wrote his name on.  AIDEN WROTE HIS NAME all by himself!

~Reading~

Emily has been reading to Aiden everyday during quiet time.  They like to gather all of their pillows and stuffed animals and camp out in the hall.   I absolutely LOVE hearing Emily reading to Aiden!

I hope everyone had a great week!

Linking up to:

 

 ~Cindy

December Goals

If you have been following my blog for awhile, I’m sure you have noticed that things have been very quiet!  No posts about lessons or what we have been doing.  So just what have I been doing?  I have been dealing with a certain four year that has been having some very alarming tantrums, and truthfully it has just sucked the energy right out of me!  My son is so different from my daughter.  Emily wants to held and cuddled when she was upset.  Aiden needs to be left alone to work things out.  If you try and hold him, he lashes out ~ kicking and screaming! 

So what does this have to do with my December  goals?  While caring and worrying about my kids, I have neglected my poor husband and myself.  So, my top priorities are:

• Find a babysitter and plan a date night with my hubby (at least every other week)!
• Get a head start on Bible in 90 days, which starts January 3rd.

We are going to be homeschooling this month, however it is going to be a light month ~ reading, baking and crafts.  I’m really hoping this will be a relaxing month, where I can focus on the family and take some steps to create a calmer environment.  This brings me to my other goals for the month:

• Declutter the house.  Seriously, the thought of more toys and stuff coming in the house causes me to have a panic attack!
• Menu planning ~ why did I ever stop this? 
• Establish some new rhythms in our home:
  • Monday ~Baking
  • Tuesday ~ Crafts
  • Wednesday ~ Handiwork
  • Thursday ~ Head outside to explore
  • Friday ~ Family day
  • Saturday ~ Cleaning and errand day
  • Sunday ~ Rest

Are you homeschooling this month?  What are you goals?

~Cindy

Gingerbread Pirates

Arrrggghhh…we have a new book in our collection of Christmas favorites ~ The Gingerbread Pirates.

It’s Christmas Eve, and Jim and his mother are making pirate gingerbread men to leave for Santa. Jim’s favorite is Captain Cookie, who carries a gingerbread cutlass and has a toothpick peg leg. The captain is much too good to be eaten, so Jim keeps him close by his bed. But late that night, when Jim is fast asleep, Captain Cookie step taps away on a daring adventure to find his pirate crew — and rescue them from that mysterious character he’s heard about: a cannibal named Santa Claus.

After we read the book we set to work making our own crew of gingerbread pirates.

Our Captain

and his fearless crew!

Sorry Santa, I don’t think this crew will make it until Christmas!

~Cindy

My Animal Family Nanuq ~ Review

As part of the Homeschool Crew, I received a copy of My Animal Family Nanuq: A Baby Polar Bear’s Story from Smart Kids Publishing. 

There are currently four picture books available: Nanuq (polar bear), Ella (elephant), Leo (lion), and Korow (chimpanzee).

The books, which cost $12.99 each, are designed for children ages 3 to 9.

Each beautifully illustrated hardback book includes:

• A live-action DVD that contains real video footage, giving the viewer a glimpse into the baby animal’s life.  The DVD also has a song and fun facts about the animal.
• An Official Club Membership Card for My Animal Family (MAF) Kids Club.  The card includes a “secret password” that opens up the My Animal Family Club website.  

Our Thoughts:

My first thought was how beautiful the illustrations were!  The story is told by the baby polar bear, Nanuq, and while it is sweet and sometimes funny, it also shows the real life of polar bear. The DVD was really cute and my kids loved the song!  We were all very disappointed that our code never worked and we were unable to access the website.

Even though we were unable to access the online site I would still be willing to purchase the book and DVD for $12.99. 

Find Out More:

For more information about the books and membership click here.  The books are available on the website for $12.99 each.

To see what other members of the Crew Members thought click here.

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

~Cindy

Corps of Re-Discovery Cornhusk Doll Kit {Review}

My daughter and I were very excited when we found out that we were going to be receiving a cornhusk doll kit from Corps of Re-Discovery to review. 

About Corps of Re-Discovery

Corps of Re-Discovery is owned by a homeschooling family and was formed after they took a 14 month journey, traveling through 47 different states learning and exploring. 

Working together as a family, we have found and created great project kits to enrich your studies of American Indians, Frontiersmen and Pioneer Americans so you, too can "re discover" America.

The Cornhusk Doll Kit

The cornhusk doll kit costs $4.50, and included everything we needed to make the doll, except for thread or glue to sew the apron and scarf.  Also included were detailed instructions with illustrations.  The illustrations where very helpful as I am a very visual person!

Our Experience

Emily and I worked on making the doll together.  I did most of the actual construction of the doll and she picked out the best pieces of cornhusks and helped me tie the pieces together. 

Here is the doll as she was drying (and being lovingly held).

I cut the fabric for the apron and scarf and let Emily glue the edges.  The directions suggested sewing, but Emily was much to impatient to finish the doll so we opted for fabric glue, which worked nicely.

 

Here is our completed doll. 

Our Thoughts

Emily LOVES this doll and wouldn’t put it down once we finished it ~ seriously, she didn’t even give it time to dry!  I am amazed at the cost, just $4.50!  We both had fun making the doll and when she isn’t being carried around the house, she is proudly displayed on our nature table.

Find Out More

Visit Corps of Re-Discovery to purchase the girl or boy cornhusk doll kit for $4.50.  Be sure and check out some of the other great kits they have for children {they would be perfect for Christmas}!  

Here is just a sampling of some of their other products (click on  pictures for more information):

   

See what other families have to say about Corps of Rediscovery at The Old Schoolhouse CREW.

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

~Cindy

Animal Train Sort and Match {Guidecraft Mom Review}

I am always searching for fun, versatile, learning toys that will hold my son’s attention.  We received the Animal Train Sort and Match from Guidecraft, which helps teach color-matching, shape-matching and pattern-recognition, but would it keep the attention of a busy four year old? 

Animal Train Sort and Match comes in a wooden storage case that holds 43 animal and train piece, six double-sided pattern cards,  and a magnetic building board that props up inside the back of the box.  The animal pieces have a small magnet in the back to help them stay on the board.

Our Thoughts

Aiden really enjoyed duplicating the patterns on the cards.  My daughter also enjoyed playing with the set, although I did have a hard time keeping her from “helping” Aiden. 

We also found lots of other uses for the animals.  Sorting

and making an animal train.

We played zoo keeper ~ taking turns rolling a dice and counting the number of animals we each added to our zoo.

Aiden liked to see how many animals he could knock down each time he rolled the dice.

Since my little man likes to add some action to his learning, we also played jump over that animal.  I would call out a colored animal and he would find it and jump over it. 

I really love that the sturdy wooden box holds all of the pieces.   Overall, this is another high quality, educational toy from Guidecraft that definitely kept Aiden’s attention!  They also carry a Construction Truck set and a Flower set.

Find Out More

The Animal Train Sort and Match is available from Guidecraft or Amazon.

Carissa at My Life on a Taffy Pull is hosting a giveaway for an Animal Train Sort and Match.  The giveaway is open until midnight, Sunday, November 14th!

~Cindy

As a Guidecraft Mom blogger, this product was given to me for review purposes. I do not have to return the product to the vendor and I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Voting Has Begun for the Homeschool Blog Awards!!

A GREAT big ole’ THANK YOU to all of you who nominated me for the 2010 Homeschool Blog Awards!  I am shocked, surprised and very thankful to be nominated for Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog and Best Blog Design!  Jolanthe from Relevant Designs did a fantastic job helping me redesign my blog and deserves the credit for the look of my blog!  She is truly talented and we had so much fun redesigning my blog {I’m not just saying that because she is one of my good friend}!

In addition, Totally Tots, which I am a contributing writer for, was nominated for Best Family or Group Blog, Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog, and Best Variety Blog!

There are some amazing blogs nominated in all of the categories.  Have fun checking out all of the blogs that have been nominated and cast some votes! Thanks again!

~Cindy