S'mores on a Stick - Back To School Party

According to C, this didn't really qualify as a party because we didn't have presents, but it was a celebration and we made treats, so that deserves the title "party" in my book. 

To celebrate our last day of summer vacation, we made s'mores on a stick. 

First, we put marshmallows on colorful cocktail stirrers (we love to use these for anything on a stick; you can find them in the beverage aisle or sometimes the party goods aisle).

Yes, he has a marshmallow in his cheek!

Then, we dipped the marshmallows in melted chocolate.

Next, we rolled the chocolate covered marshmallows in crushed graham crackers. 

Finally, we ate! 

C and R decided it was time for a competition to see who could build something interesting using s'mores ingredients.

They were both winners - you can't lose with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers!

Oh, and for those wondering, R has recently decided that she does indeed like marshmallows!

Party worthy, right? 
 

How to Tie Shoes

One of our favorite books this week is What Eddie Can Do by Wilfried Gebhard.  Eddie has a wonderful imagination that takes him deep sea diving, outer space exploring, and mountain climbing among other things.  But when he has to tie up a double-tailed monster to save his friend Clara, he realizes that his mom was right when she said it was time for him to learn how to tie shoes.  Luckily, he is a quick learner and he returns to save his friend with his new knot tying skills.  Phew!

A while back, I saw this shoe tying craft on Almost Unschoolers.  I traced a pair of R's sneakers onto the back of a cereal box, cut them out, and let R color them.  Then I used a hole punch to make four sets of holes on each "shoe". 

I showed R how to lace the shoes.

Then we worked on tying the shoes.  We use a different method than the one Eddie used in the book.  From experience, I have found that it is easier for kids to learn using the two bunny ears, so that is what we did.  The book is there to keep the shoe down on the table because R was having trouble keeping it in place; a rock would have been better but the book was right there and we were in deep concentration!

I cannot say that R has mastered shoe tying yet, but she definitely knows what to do.  Unfortunately, her little fingers do not always cooperate the way she wants them to.  No worries, she is only four. 

I am linking this post to What My Child is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns. 

The Apple Doll

The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven is the story of a girl named Lizzy who loves to play in the apple tree in her yard.  When she starts school for the first time, she decides to take a piece of the apple tree with her.  She makes a twig body for her apple and names the doll, Susanna.  Lizzy's mother shows her how to turn Susanna into a real apple doll that will last a long time.  Susanna helps Lizzy overcome her shyness at school and make plenty of new friends.

I love everything we have read by Elisa Kleven, and this book is no exception.  The story is so sweet, and there are directions for making your own apple doll at the end of the book.  Of course, C and R had to make apple dolls.

We found two unblemished Granny Smith apples, peeled them, and carved noses, eyes, and mouths on them.

The next step is to place the apples in a bowl and cover them with lemon juice.  I put a bowl on top of them to keep them submerged in the juice.

Thirty minutes later, we removed the apples from the juice, placed them on a greased cookie sheet, and put them in a 200 degree oven for thirty minutes.  Once the thirty minutes passed, we alternated drying the apples in the oven and on a sunny windowsill.  According to the directions, this typically takes about three days, but it was very humid when we started the drying process and our apples were not dry until the sixth day.  Maybe they would have dried faster if I used the oven, but I didn't really like the idea of having the oven on all day long.

When they finished drying, we used feathers, fake flowers from a lei, pipe cleaners, beads, and cotton balls to turn the apples into Grandma and Grandpa Apple.  C and R begged to do make these, but I have a feeling that the apple dolls will never be played with again.

 I think they are kind of cute.  What do you think?

Happy Day!

C had his first day of Kindergarten on Monday and he thought it was great! I am still adjusting to him being gone all day, but I am happy to know that he is enjoying school.

First Day

R had her first day of preschool on Thursday. She is going to a wonderful play-based preschool program three mornings a week. R was very excited; she has been waiting for this day for two years now as she watched her brother go to the school.

C showed her around a little bit, even though she is very familiar with the school. He was so proud of his little sister; it was cute.

He gave her a big hug goodbye and wished her luck. She played happily as we left.


Here she is dancing with excitement about attending her second day of preschool.


I love this photo of R. She reminds me of Punky Brewster; I am not even sure why, something about her expression.
T also had his first day of school on Thursday. He is a seventh grader now. Time certainly flies. I am also proud to inform you that he made the middle school soccer team! Hooray!
In case you were wondering, C will have his first day of Kindergarten on Monday. He attended orientation last week, and that definitely helped to ease some of his anxiety. His teacher is wonderful and we are looking forward to the school year.

Shrinky Dinks - Backpack Bling

Do you have memories of Shrinky Dinks from your childhood? I remember coloring Smurfs Shrinky Dinks at my kitchen table and then waiting for them to shrink in the oven. My husband actually mentioned Shrinky Dinks after I told him about the process to make the "stained glass" butterflies. I hadn't thought about them in years and I was excited to try them with C and R. I was really hoping to find some superhero Shrinky Dinks, but I had no luck. After searching a bit, I found a Shrinky Dinks activity kit made by Alex. C and R were both happy with the selection of shapes and creatures to color and shrink.


The directions recommend using a toaster oven (you can use a conventional oven though) and I found this so easy because there is no time waiting for the oven to preheat. It only took a few minutes for them to shrink and cool so there is no waiting there either.


R enjoyed watching them shrink, and she liked the final products but she was not interested in coloring the Shrinky Dinks. This did not surprise me at all. C enjoyed the whole process.


The kit we purchased came with key chains so we actually decorated C's new backpack with two of his Shrinky Dink creations.

All of a sudden, the child who has been telling me that he does not want to go to Kindergarten was jumping up and down asking me when he can go to school with his Shrinky Dinks. If I knew it was that easy, I would have done this long ago. I hope the joy lasts because we still have more than a week before school starts!

Preparing for a BIG Day

In a few weeks, C will begin full-day Kindergarten and R will begin a three mornings preschool program. I am doing my best to prepare them for the transition, and of course that involves some good books. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is definitely my favorite book to prepare children for school. Chester Raccoon is about to begin school but does not want to go. To comfort him, Mrs. Raccoon shares the secret of the kissing hand.

Mouse's First Day of School by Lauren Thompson is about a little mouse that crawls into a backpack and finds himself discovering all of the wonderful things at school.

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney features that sweet little llama on his first day of school. He is sad to be without his mother, but in the end discovers that school is fun.

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing begins with the children and parents preparing for the first day of school and leads us to the parents saying goodbye as their children happily begin their school day. I like that this book touches upon the bittersweet experience parents have as they send their children to school.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate is a book that reinforces the alphabet and animal names while also helping children prepare for Kindergarten. We always have fun reading this book because the text reaches out and addresses all of those jittery feelings in an upbeat, rhyming fashion.

Kindergarten Rocks by Katie Davis is a humorous book about a boy who is not the least bit scared of going to Kindergarten. His stuffed dog, Rufus, on the other hand is terrified! They both find out that Kindergarten rocks!

Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee is about a young girl who is very concerned about the fact that she cannot tie her shoes a few days before she will go to Kindergarten. She soon discovers that she is not alone, and that teachers are there to help students succeed in many ways.

Obviously, going to school is a huge transition for children and they will have to adjust when the time comes but I do think that reading and talking about some of the things they may be feeling, as well as some of the experiences they will have helps a lot. Are your children starting school? How do you prepare?