Let the Decluttering Commence...

So I confess, I'm a major clutterbug... So this challenge will be interesting!  Stay tuned for details of my success/doom... :-)  


http://simplemom.net/project-simplify/

Princess Party

Today we hosted a princess party for our three year old princess, Elliana.  I'm finding that birthday parties are getting easier and new ideas start to evolve.  For Elli's party we kept it relatively simple, but I wanted to share a new idea that I had. We often do scavenger hunts at parties.  Nate's birthday parties, being in June, have seen their share of  peanut scavenger hunts. This equals a big bag of peanuts in shells hurled throughout a defined area and preschoolers with lunch bags hurriedly scampering around to collect as many as possible.  (Yes, we check beforehand to make sure none of our guests have peanut allergies.)  However with Elli's birthday this was not quite possible.  Preschoolers trudging through waist-deep snow desperately searching for peanuts does not create a picture of mirth and delight, unless you are a local squirrel.

So back to Elli's Scavenger Hunt.  The kids really wanted candy, and I wanted balance.  The solution:  I created this checklist:

Each child was given a bag and this list.  During the directions, parents and older siblings were encouraged to help the younger party goers find the specified number of each item.  This list helped each child get an equal amount of the loot while assuring that none of the parents were terribly upset about the excessive amounts of sugar entering their homes.  We also asked that the kids not eat the candy while at the party since we would soon be having cake and ice cream.  I wondered as I was explaining it if it was too abstract for our group of three year olds, but most seemed to get it and parents were great helpers.  The free for all on the foam glitter stickers (Tubs of these can be found at most craft stores) enhanced the experience without upping sugar consumption.  Another by-product was that the kids were doing early math.  They had a graph and had to match up and count their treasures.  After all the littles were content, the three older siblings were sent in to glean all they could find ... aka clean up the room :-)!  Everyone was happy when they came back in for cake and ice cream.


Here are a few additional things which lead to its success...

The guest list - Elli chose from one primary group of friends.  She wanted her playgroup friends. This was an easy group and nobody was left out.  We had four friends and some of their siblings.  Most of the parents knew each other and visited easily.

Defined play areas - While our space is not huge we had an area set aside for the doll-house, kitchen play-set, finger puppet theater, an art table with paper and stamps, and a Lego area for the older siblings.  We encouraged free play.

Cool music - Pandora.com set on the Recess Monkey station rarely steers us wrong.  A lively band made up of teachers with a great sound that parents enjoy too.

Healthy snacks before cake - When guests arrived they were greeted with a tray of apples, cheese, crackers, pretzels and baby carrots.  I shared with parents the drink options and encouraged them to help themselves whenever their child was thirsty.

Bedrooms were off - limits - While we often allow friends to play in the kids rooms, we decided against it for the party.  This isolated the mess and made clean-up much easier.

Shopping clearance - I often keep my eyes open for good bargains.  Napkins, decorations, and favors were bought at a fraction of their original cost.  Plates and cups were purchased at the Dollar Store.

Prepping of the Birthday Girl - We want to assume that we've taught our children well and they'll automatically be a gracious hostess, however this is a learned skill.  The day before the party Elli and I had a conversation about welcoming our guests, looking for cards first when opening gifts, and being sure to say thank you to our guests.  I reminded Elli of these points a few moments before guests started arriving.  She did beautifully.

Gifts or cake first?  We opted for cake.  Elli got the first piece and was able to start eating.  Then when she had eaten her fill she was able to clean up and open presents while her friends finished their cake and ice cream.  I saved her leftover cake for later.

Keep decorations simple.  Too much can be overwhelming to preschoolers and become a stress to you.

Clean as much as you can in advance - This was especially good since I ended up spraining my ankle late morning after a morning of cleaning.




 

Wandering

Today I get the opportunity to start a service wandering by traveling with InterVarsity New England to New Orleans to work with Habitat for Humanity and some other groups.  I'm keeping this post short as I still have some packing and errands to run in the next four and half hours before we load up our van.

Why am I doing this?  Several reasons.  The most simple: Jesus served people and he calls us to do likewise.  Secondly this trip models service for Nate and Elli and, while they will miss Mama, it sets a good example of helping others for them to follow.  (Leaving for a week is made a lot easier knowing that I have an awesome husband who loves being with his children. - They're going to have a great time.

While I'm gone I'm giving Nate and Elli a project.  They have Hands Journals.  I started by tracing my hand and a short message to both of them.  While I'm gone they're going to see lots of friends and family.  Each journal has the following instructions in the front:


Please help Nate & Elli complete their hands project.

Find an empty page and trace your hand.  Write your name and the date.  Also if you’d like you can write them a special message.  Elli has the green notebook and Nate’s is blue!

Thanks for your help!  

Puppet Play

Recently Jeff brought home a couple paper boxes from work for the kids to play with.  These more often than not end up as cars.  However this time I had in mind a higher purpose.  We have an array of finger puppets that have found their way into our home, and of course they needed a proper performance space! Nate and Elli were embraced the possibility of a new toy and eagerly handed over one of their boxes and shared the "car."

For this project you will need:
1 sturdy paper box
Rugged scissors or a knife (adult use)
A metal clothes hanger
Wire cutters
14 brass fasteners
A piece of fabric 13" x 24" (I used wool), cut into two pieces 13" x 12"
About two feet of duct tape
Crayons/markers/etc. to decorate theater
Note:  We had all of these items on hand, if you don't have something just look around and see what you can substitute.)

Cut a rectangle in the bottom of the box.  Ours was 4"x12."  Basically you want to leave about two inches around each edge to retain the integrity of the box structure.

Using wire cutters, cut off the hook and twisted part of the hanger.  Straighten out the hanger and set aside.

Cut your fabric into two pieces, 13"x12" each.  Taking your brass fasteners punch through the front of the fabric at regular intervals across the 12 inches about a half inch from the top.  Once each fastener is through you will want to make a loop by making a "V" with the ends of the fastener.  You will then bend each end together until they are overlapping (see picture).  Do this for all 14 fasteners.

Push one end of the straightened wire hanger through the top front of the box about a half inch from the front and top.  Thread on the curtains (this is a great job for kids), and then push it out the other side.  Bend the extra wire on each end down to be parallel to the sides of the box.  Duct tape these in place.

Decorate.  Nate and Elli drew a house and sky on the backdrop.  We have also been toying with the idea of making a slit in the back of the box and cutting cardboard to fit.  They can then decorate this to change scenes.

To use your puppet theater take two chairs and set them so the seats are facing each other.  We like to then put a blanket so the audience can't see the puppeteers.  Set your theater box on and you're ready to go!

To create a home for our puppets we recycled a small oatmeal box and did a google image search for "puppets."  I then copied and pasted this onto a center of the sheet and typed "PUPPETS" in a fun font.  We glued this onto the box and now our puppet have a place to go at the end of the day!

Observations from a morning of painting

Painting with kids can be wonderful or a disaster...

Nate and Elli started painting while still in their highchairs.  It was easy then.  I'd strip them down to their diaper and give them a piece of paper, a couple colors, a brush (or not) and let them go.  I'd have the tub on stand by and tada! we'd have some great  baby art!  It was actually amazingly similar to eating spaghetti.

Today with an almost 3 and 4.5 year old we've reworked and refined the process a little more and, while a bath was still needed for a certain little girl who ended up with some purple hair, it went incredibly smoothly.  I took great delight in watching the evolution of their creativity.  Here are some of my observations:

Sense of Story - As they were painting both Nate and Elli were talking about what was going on in their paintings.  Nate's was a little more developed, but he's been at it a little longer and for Elli I was able to ask questions to bring out a greater level of thinking.

Sharing - There was one paint jar for each color with one brush.  They had to wait their turn.  More often than not, I observed them using their "please" and "thank-yous."

Appreciation of Other Techniques - At one point Nate commented that "Elli wasn't doing it right" when she was dabbing her paper with the brush.  We were able to talk about how different people do things differently and with painting Elli would get different results with spots.  I referenced a book we had read, The Dot by Peter Reynolds, about a little girl whose art teacher's insight changed her view of her artistic abilities.

Pride and Care - Each took time with their paintings to do them well.  They were focused on their creations and were happy to tell me about them.  They were excited!

Curiosity in the Other's Work -  Throughout our time of painting, Nate and Elli were asking each other what the other was painting.  There was an awareness and joy that they were doing something wonderful together and they didn't want to miss out on what the other was doing.

Pride in Others - At one point Nate excitedly said, "Elli you made a perfect dog!"  While Elli's dog didn't look a ton like a dog it was somewhat recognizable.  Nate had recognized her hard work and affirmed her.  Elli was so proud at Nate's praise.

Articulating Needs/Wants - Neither one of the kids had any trouble letting the other know exactly what they needed.  "Nate, I want green!"  "Mama, I'm all done!  More paper please!"

Basic Color Recognition - Both in choosing paints and mixing colors on their papers, the kids were routinely recognizing colors.  When we first started painting  in the highchair days, I would put out two primary colors and say their names often while the kids were painting.  When they'd make a new color we'd excitedly name it.  "You just made orange!"

Following Basic Instructions - While this is sometimes a challenge, I laid out clear and simple expectations which, on this day, were pretty much followed.  Each paint had its own cup with its own brush.  One expectation was that we not mix brushes, although mixing colors on the paper was embraced.  The second expectation was that we use brushes on the paper.  The final expectation was that when they were done with a color they would put it back in the middle of the table for the other to use.  Both Nate and Elli eagerly embraced these expectations and it showed in their finished artwork.  I'm happy to say that our paints are still relatively unmixed for our next color adventure!

Creative Thinking - This was evident throughout our time painting in the discovery of new shapes, use of color, and techniques.  It was also evident when Elli got tired of painting and started building with our unused paint brushes.

Problem Solving - "Mama, we don't have any green!" turned into an opportunity to figure out how to make some!

Responsibility - When the final painting was finished I watched as they embraced the cleaning process, something that we often struggle with (If you visit my house on short notice you will most likely see bits of paper, markers, crayons, and glitter adorning our floors and tables).  After our painting adventure I asked Nate and Elli to bring their brushes to the sink where they each washed some.  They learned that when the water ran clear their brush was clean.  Part of their eagerness to clean the brushes related to the lack of said brushes due to poor cleaning of recently deceased brushes.  They want to paint again!

Simple Math - Simple questions.  "How many colors do we have?"  "What shape is that?"  "Is that a pattern?"  Also we did a matching game as part of clean up with the paint cups and their matching lids.

This list could go on... I was amazed at what I saw in about 45 minutes when I took the backseat and primarily just watched Nate and Elli's creativity.  It was awesome!

In the near future I'll post tips for setting up a painting station.

Feed the Birds... Take 4

During the summer we have lots of little winged visitors in our yard when flowers create a natural buffet, however we have not had much success drawing them in during the winter months when food is scarcer for them. With the arrival of heavy snows we have felt the desire to feed them once again.   So here is attempt #4.  

I have wondered if we lacked eye catching curb appeal.  Our previous attempts have lacked color, so this became our focus this time around.  I had some oranges that were a little past their prime, but not rotten.  We cut them in half, juiced them, found some wire and made hangers.  Nate was able to help me poke the wire through the orange and turn it up, although I had to do the twisting to lock it into place and form a hook for hanging.

Our slightly sketchy oranges

We then set about making a filling which included peanut butter, shortening, and of course bird seed.  Elli enjoyed spooning this into our orange cups.   We have have four happy orange food cups waiting for the arrival of the birds.  We'll see!

Orange Bird Cups

You'll need:
2 oranges
A juicer is helpful, but not necessary.
Wire -  #19 gauge or any other light to medium gauge 
Wire cutters
1 Tablespoon shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups bird seed
bowl
spoons

Begin by halving and juicing your oranges.  Remove most of the pulp while keeping the peels intact.  Cut 12 8" lengths of wire.  Carefully use the wire to poke three equally spaced holes around the edge of the orange.  Thread one piece of wire through each leaving about and inch to twist and secure wire in place.  At this point you should have three wires around the edge of the orange pointing up.  Twist these together and create a hook.  A hook can easily slip over a tree branch and then be squeezed together to make it secure.  You now have a nifty hanging cups to fill.

Combine the peanut butter and shortening.  Stir in the bird seed.  Pack mixture into the orange cups.  Bring outside and hang for the birds to enjoy!

Too Much Creativity?

Hello, it's been awhile since I've posted. I've been working to creatively catch up from Christmas.  :-)

Today's question:  What are the downsides of creativity?  This is something that I've been pondering recently.  In the long run I don't really see any, but I have to be honest sometimes creativity is an inconvenience.  Having Nate in my face enthusiastically wanting to make a one wheeled race car (later figured out he wanted to make a wheelbarrow), painted with flames, and handles, that Clifford could ride in, right now! while prying my sleepy eyes open and stumbling downstairs was probably not one of my best moments of encouraging creativity!  

After my brain woke up, about two minutes after getting downstairs, we looked at his project.  He had re-purposed a square box, and wanted a wheel in the front.  When I explained that we didn't have any wheels, he ran over and grabbed a sturdy plastic wrap tube.  With a confident, "This will work," he handed it to me.  By now I was getting into this.  I went and grabbed some yarn from the art case and poked two holes in the box, ran the yarn through one hole, the tube, up through the other hole and tied it off.  Nate was delighted, although it still doesn't roll quite to his satisfaction.  Next he was off thinking about handles!  Another tube appeared.  This one was very thick and pretty strong.  When I commented that I didn't know if I could cut it because it was so strong he reminded me, "Mama, you're pretty strong too!"  I have to admit this comment melted my heart and made it a little easier to work on this project less than 10 minutes out of my cozy bed.  As soon as this was done he was ready to start painting.  I had to put the brakes on here as he needed to leave for school, but I'm sure that we'll be painting this afternoon.  

So why do I share this dizzying, slam of early morning creativity?  

First to show the power of books and the importance of reading in opening up creativity.  He had been reading The Dragons' Book of Make-Believe, a PBS Dragon Tales book.  In it they pretended a wheelbarrow was a ... drum-roll please.... race car!  Books inform our play and foster creativity.  They challenge us to dream, to think outside our everyday.  Through this process Nate was learning to overcome obstacles and think creatively.  My "but we don't have any wheels," didn't stop him.  This is a skill that will serve him well in life.

Second, to encourage any parents or future parents reading this to set the inconvenient aside. It would have been incredibly easy to brush off Nate's project as trivial, a mess in the making, or too time consuming.  By eventually embracing it I was blessed to see his creative mind in action.  My thinking was challenged and that too increases creativity.  

Well, I need to go pull together some painting things and then go pick Nate up from school.  I'm thinking that we might need to make a stop at the hardware store and pick up some nuts, bolts, and washers on the way home...