#AirheadsCrafts

Lately I’ve gotten into doing surveys, product testing, and one of the sites I participate in is Smiley360 (check them out at http://bit.ly/1hCH9aW). I was given the opportunity to participate in an #AirheadsCrafts activity and was sent (for free!) a box full of awesome Airheads products to get creative with! My 9-year-old, Sami, was my (very willing) assistant.

We started off simple and made candy monster lollipops! We molded Airheads into random shapes, then used a variety of Airheads bites, Airheads Xtremes, and candy eyeballs to add the features. Super easy and they got the seal of appeal from Harrison (who laughed hysterically before taking a bite) and Jared (who said they looked like Candy Muppets).

Next, I made sweet sushi. First, I set a white Airhead (rice) on top of a green Airhead (seaweed). Then I cut an Airhead Xtreme into smaller strips for the sushi filling. I then rolled it all lengthwise, with the green Airhead on the outside, and sliced it into pieces. Strips of a red cherry Airhead became the pickled ginger, and I molded a green Airhead bite into wasabi. Sami said it was most delicious sushi she’d ever had (it was the ONLY sushi she’s ever had…).

3 years later and I’m just as uncool…

I never intended to be a mother. My plan was to let my siblings do the work, and I would be the aunt. Not just any aunt, by any means. The cool aunt. The one that takes the kids out to cool places, eats at the cool restaurants, listens to cool music. The aunt that is cool enough to listen to the complaints about Mom and Dad as I nod sympathetically, my nieces, nephews, and I in our solitary bubble of coolness.

Then my baby girl came along. And I thought I would be a cool mom. I tried, really (who am I kidding, I still do!). We discover diners, farmers’ markets, and hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants. We sing together in the car along with Ingrid, Adele, and the Ting-Tings. We hit up the coffee shop before school (chai for me, hot chocolate for her). We have dance parties in our kitchen (which our downstairs neighbor thankfully puts up with).

But the moment I start to think, “I might be a cool mom after all!” it happens. I sing too loudly, or make a cheesy joke, or pull a dance move that’s just a little too ridiculous (go listen to the Sleigh Bells album and see if you do better!). First comes the giggle. Then the sigh. Then the roll of the eyes. And then (how at 5 years old she’s mastered this already, I don’t know) the “Mo-o-o-o-o-om!” I’ve done it. I’ve embarrassed my kindergartener. I’m definitely not cool. To rub salt in further she adds, “Mommy, you’re acting too crazy,” as she shakes her head. Then she spins around and shows me how to really dance cool. Apparently, it involves lots of spinning and posing and hands thrown in the air. Preferably with pink sunglasses and a twirly skirt.

And that’s when I realize. I don’t care about being a cool mom. I’m her mom. And she’s cool enough for us both.

-January 2012

DIY Lightbox

My 8-year-old suffers from chronic boredom, or so she would have me believe.  To fight that today, we created our own light “table” from materials around the house:

• A clear tub with a lid (ours was from IKEA)
• Aluminum foil
• A couple sheets of white paper
• Tape
• A string of white Christmas lights

 

First, we taped the two sheets of paper together and taped them to the inside of the lid

 

 

 

Next we lined the tub with aluminum foil, shiny side facing into the tub (we need reflection!). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We put the lights inside the tub, with enough cord hanging out to reach an outlet.

If you want to get real fancy, you can drill/cut a hole for the cord to come out through in the bottom of the tub.  We, however, just put the lid on enough that it was basically closed, but the cord still hung out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to experiment!  What materials around the house are transparent, or semitransparent?  My 8-year-old was surprised how many of her baby brother’s plastic bath toys seemed to glow when placed on the light surface.  She then got the great idea to see what plastic lightsabers would look like.  

What else can you use on a light table?

 Transparent Lego/Duplo blocks, dry erase markers to write letters and words, finger paint (you may need a larger tub to provide more space), thin slices of colorful agate, cut out paper shapes and make shadow puppets, use eye droppers with colored water…so many possiblities!

A Stay-at-home Summer

My son was born in May, so my maternity leave gets to be spent not only with him but also with my 8-year-old daughter. Harrison and Sammi have very different ability levels, obviously, so finding ways to keep organized, maintain sanity, and still have a fun summer is the goal.

Check out our summer control center:

I found some great printables on Pinterest to help give some slight structure to our days while still allowing for flexibility.

The week activity schedule came from Somewhat Simple, and helps us plan simple activities that fit a daily theme.

The “BORED” chart came from Modern Parents Messy Kids, and is where I send Sammi when she whines the phrase, “I’m booooooored!” Since the chart lists earning money as an option, I also hung a paper in which my husband and I list extra chores that Sammi can do to earn money. These are in addition to her daily and weekly responsibilities that she doesn’t get paid for.

Here’s to a great summer!

In defense of Classroom Cockroaches…

My Pre-K Classroom received 10 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (MHCs or Maddies) as part of a science initiative sponsored by Rose Pest Control.  The children were very excited, and my co-teacher and I even wrote a song (which you can download for free here from my bandcamp site).

So, why cockroaches?

In their defense, they are quite docile, can be handled and are easy to care for. MHCs make great pets for young kids and adults. They do not have wings, so they cannot fly. They are not aggressive and do not bite, so they can not harm humans in any way. Because they are sub-tropical insects, they will not last in our Ohio weather and cannot survive inside the building without care.

Our Maddies are artists (we have their work of art hanging in the hallway) and athletes (we hosted a Cockroach Olympics in which  they ran races and mazes and had a coin-pulling contest). We have learned from experimentation that their favorite food is fresh orange slices, and we have been able to watch several of them molt.

 

We were very excited when we learned that, earlier this month, one our original 10 became a Mommy!  That’s right…we now have 47 MHCs!

Still not convinced?  Here are a few of the traits that make
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches such great pets:
1. They do not bite.
2. They do not have wings. Wingless is a good thing when it comes to pet bugs. Especially when they are really huge bugs.
3. Although Maddies are an ‘exotic species’, they are not too difficult to keep as pets. They do not need or want large or costly accommodations. Instead, close and dark is much preferred to wide and spacious. The hissing cockroaches are not picky eaters and love common stuff like carrots, oranges, and dry dog food.
4. Maddies can be handled and grow used to such contact. Their use in classrooms as room pets or for showing to groups is greatly enhanced by their gentle acceptance of being touched and passed around from one person to another.
5. The little critters have social structures and practices that are really interesting to observe.
6. They don’t lay eggs the way most bugs (even other roaches) do. The female carries the eggs inside a casing in her abdomen until they hatch, and then releases them in a “live birth.” This may still sound gross, but it means that a Maddie just walking around will not leave eggs in the carpet, clothing, anywhere else!

Scholastic Book Fair Favorites

I’ve had some personal things going on, and so had to drop the blog entries for a while, but am hoping to catch up (after all, there are lots more to go in our 100 Books in 100 Days)!  While on blog hiatus, however, we had a Scholastic Book Fair at my center, and found two fantastic books that I can’t wait to share.

First up, my favorite, Z Is for Moose, which is the best alphabet book I’ve read in a long time.  Moose is (too) eagerly waiting for M’s turn in the alphabet, and begins interrupting other letters, only to find…well, you’ll have to read it to find out!  I bought one for home, and one for my classroom.

Another book that the children in my classroom can’t get enough of is More Bears!.  You’ll hear the giggles just build as the story goes on, and the children will be calling out the phrase as they figure out what’s going on.  There is a bear named Captain Picklehead, which will just do most kids in.

 

More books to come soon, but grab these in the meantime if you need a good dose of laughter!

Thrift Store Finds (Children’s Books)

My co-teacher and I love thrift stores. She went to one while on vacation, and brought back lots of books that the children in our class were excited to add to our 100 Books in 100 Days list.

Day 28: Where Is Home, Little Pip?
by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Day 29: Firehouse Dog
by Amy and Richard Hutchings

Day 30: David’s Drawings
by Cathryn Falwell

Day 31: Going to My Nursery School
by Susan Kuklin

Day 32: Duck for President
by Doreen Cronin, Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Day 33: My Pony
by Susan Jeffers

Day 34: Stone Soup
(click link for book with CD)
by Marcia Brown

Day 35: The Most Precious Thing
by Gill Lewis, Illustrated by Louise Ho

Day 36: Michael Bird-Boy
by Tomie DePaola

 

What great deals or fun books have you found when out thrifting?

Fossils and Dinosaur Bones

As a special treat for my classroom, one of our parents invited a family friend, who happens to collect and dig fossils, to visit our classroom.  The children loved seeing Mr. John and the wonderful objects he brought.  The children asked lots of questions about how he finds fossils and where he goes to look for them.  We read Dwight and the Trilobite  and looked through some of Children’s Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs which has some fun details towards the back about paleontology.

Toe bone from a plant-eating dinosaur

Inside of a dinosaur bone

Trilobite

100 Books in 100 Days – Dr. Seuss Style!

The two weeks after Dr. Seuss’ birthday, we focused on lots of his stories, and had special activities to go along with some of them.

Day 19: The Foot Book

Day 20: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
A parent came in to read this story to the children (who always love guest readers!)

Day 21 will be saved for it’s own entry, as we had a special visitor come to show us fossils, so we read a non-Suess book…stay tuned!

Day 22: Green Eggs and Ham (book and CD for $7 from Amazon!)
For this Seuss classic our class, of course, made green eggs and ham. We printed the recipe as a series of instructions, and worked together to follow each step. We then served our green eggs and ham along with lunch (which was, thankfully, pizza, for our pickier eaters!).

 

Day 23: Bartholomew and the Oobleck
We used water, cornstarch, and green food coloring to make our own oobleck. It’s incredibly easy to make, although not exact. Generally you need slightly more cornstarch than water (about 1 1/2 cups cornstarch for every cup of water is a good place to start), and then just add as needed. The beauty of oobleck is that it’s constantly changing. It goes from solid to liquid quickly, and is always fun to pick up as a ball and watch it melt immediately and drip all over the place. In fact, one of my favorite quotes from a child in my classroom was hearing him shout, “The oobleck is dripping with joy!!!”

Day 24: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
Since we read Bartholomew and the Oobleck the day before, we read the prequel today (a bit backwards…but it’s Seuss week, so it’s fitting). This book tells the story of how Bartholomew actually came from his village to be employed by the King.

Day 25: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
We talked about the difference between a story and a book today. We learned that although many books contain stories, a story doesn’t have to only be in a book. We identified that in the book, Marco is coming up with his own story even though he doesn’t end up telling it to his father.

Day 26: There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!

Day 27: Two books were featured today!
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories and Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!