Homemade Watercolor Paint

I have been trying to remember all the fun creative learning ideas that I did when the older kids were younger so that I could do them with Little G. This year is the first year that I have really noticed just how big of an age gap there is between the older kids and Little G. I have also been remembering so many fun things that we have done over the years that would be a blast to do with her. Like making our own water colors. This was so fun. The kids thought it was so cool that they made their own paint. 

Water Color Paint

• 3 tablespoons clear vinegar
• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
• food coloring

Mix vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl but one that can handle the reaction of the vinegar and baking soda.

When the bubbles are settled, add the cornstarch and corn syrup.

Stir it together until it's completely combined, the consistancy is strange if you have never used cornstarch as a thinckening agent.

Put about one tablespoon into little 6 containers. The first time I used a small muffin tin. I think next time I will use empty applesauce containers. Whatever you use, it needs to be small shallow containers.

Add food coloring to each container to make your desired colors.

Use immediatly or let them dry overnight and use like normal watercolor paints. 

Fall Leaves - Homemade Watercolors

I have put this on my list of things to do this fall. I can't wait to show Little G how to make her own paint. I know she is going to love this project. For me remembering the fun learning moments of the past and implementing them today is one of the ways I am remembering how to be more creative in my homeschooling.

Resurrection Garden

Last year we made a Resurrection Garden during Holy Week for Easter. This was such a fun activity that everyone of us enjoyed. This year the kids asked if we could do it again. Without hesitation I said yes.

Here is what you need so that you can make your own Resurrection Garden with your kids.

1 wide, flat, clay pot or other suitable dish
1 small pot (or a cup will work if you don't have a pot)
1 roundish rock to fit over the opening of the small pot
little pebbles
6 twigs or short sticks (3 long and 3 short)
hay or straw (optional)
glue gun
dirt or potting soil
grass seed
water (in a spray bottle works best)

We glued the twigs to make 3 crosses and wrapped small pieces of hay around the middles.

We placed some dirt in the bottom of the pot and placed the small pot sideways off to one side for the tomb.

Then we built up the dirt around the pot to make a hill and we sprinkled grass seed all over the hill of dirt.

We put the crosses on top of the hill and then made a path around the base of the hill and into the tomb pot.

Then we placed the rock in front of our tomb.

Our little garden had a prominent place on our dining table. A few times every day we would spray water on the seeded hill. It was so fun to watch as the grass started to grow. Mowing this little patch of grass required using some little scissors.

On the Saturday night before Easter when I was putting out all the Easter goodies, I moved the rock over to the side. When they woke up they saw that the stone was "rolled away" and that made them very excited.

After Easter our garden had a special place on our porch and Little G watered it every day.

This activity was so much fun to do last year. I love this hands on activity that is becoming a tradition in our family. The kids are excited to do this again this year and I am excited to see how God is going to use it to reveal yet more of Himself to the kids and even me.

And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ~ Mark 16:6 ESV

Christmas Planning 2012

Thanksgiving week is upon us already and that means I am seriously planning for Christmas. Each year, we spend the month of December studying all things Christmas. I make it a point to make sure that Jesus stays the center of everything we do while having all the fun we can have. We take a break from doing "normal school" and focus our attention on the eternal while throwing in some math and reading along the way. By this time in our school year the kids are ready for a break from the norm and I am ready to give them what they need. We spend the entire month doing crafts, baking, watching movies, snuggling with good books and making sure we rest.

I have been scouring cyberspace checking out all the fun ideas for nativity scenes, lapbooks, games, and of course Advent. Every year I do a post that links up to the great ideas that I find. Below are the links that I have found this year. Some links are from posts past but many of them are new. I have just covered the very tip of the iceberg of Christmas ideas here, but hopefully it gives you a good start. This is such a long post, I have broken it into several smaller sections to make is easier.

 Lapbooks & Unit Studies

Every year, we do a lapbook and or a unit study for Christmas. It is the perfect way to get our school in and do fun things at the same time. The kids love them and I always enjoy doing them with the kids.

Christ is Born Lapbook – This is a quick little lapbook that is perfect for 2-4 year olds. The pieces go in a little pocket so the kids can act out the story over and over again.

Twelve Days of Christmas - We had a lot of fun putting this lapbook together a few years back. While there is no real evidence that the twelve days of Christmas has anything to do with the Bible it was a great way to help the kids remember some basic info like the books of the Bible, Fruit of the Spirit, Apostles and more.

The Legend of the Candy Cane - We really enjoyed completing this lapbook last year. Studying candy for Christmas and yet keeping Christ as the center is a win, win.

The Nativity Lapbook – This lapbook is great for elementary ages. It covers the whole Nativity and includes some parts from the movie if you want to use them. I used elements from this lapbook a few years back when we did an all-inclusive CHRISTmas lapbook. 

Names of Jesus Unit Study – A unit study of the names of Jesus. I really like this idea. 

History of Christmas Carols – This is a unit study about the history of several Christmas carols and hymns. It looks fascinating and something those who enjoy music and studies like that (that would be me) would have fun doing. 

Jesse Tree Devotional - Ann Voskamp has this free Jesse Tree devotional on her site for this year. I have never done Jesse Tree with the kids but this really looks amazing. I have been thinking about doing Jesse Tree for a few years now but just haven’t gotten to it. 

 

Advent

Growing up I didn’t do Advent. I didn’t even know what Advent was until I was an adult. We have been celebrating Advent in some form for the past few years. Last year we lit candles for the first time. This year, we plan on doing it again. Lighting a candle is a way of being intentional in how you celebrate Christmas. And since we want Christmas to be much more than presents and stockings we have over the years made a point to read the Bible and talk about how Christ came and why Christ came and focus our hearts on the Savior.  I have found that Advent has been a great tool in helping us keep Christ in the center of Christmas which is what I want. Advent starts on December 2nd this year.

Inductive Advent Bible Study - We did this Bible Study last year and it was so awesome. All of the kids enjoyed some component of this study and all of us got something out of it. If you have older kids I highly recommend this study. There are some elements for the younger kids also so the whole family can do this study. It has been updated for this year. I am thinking about doing it again. I know that we will get something new out of it each time.

Advent Treasure Hunt - This idea looks like fun. Every day the kids have to find the day's activity that is hidden somewhere inside or outside the house. Just the idea of hiding our daily verse and activities gets me excited about doing this.

St Margaret Mary Advent Calendar – I don’t normally link to something I am not able to fully check out first but I am totally intrigued and curious about what will be under each day. It says no peeking so I guess we will just have to wait until it’s time.

Advent Story Printable Book – I have printed this out for all of my kids to do at some point. I really like it. While you are on that site, explore, she has several Christmas activities and teaching ideas oh, and color pages. 

Felt Advent Calendar - This is a tutorial on how to make your own felt advent calendar. There are a lot of steps but it is so totally cute. If I had time I would make this, maybe next year. Seriously this is so cute.

Advent Activities – This is perfect for the little ones. There are so many great little activities to do and they focus on Christ.

 

 

Nativity Scenes

Tradition in our house is to make a Nativity Scene for Christmas. In years past we have all made some part of it and then we put the whole thing together. Often it is like a giant mural on a wall.  Two different years, we actually left the scene up on the wall until Easter, partly because I just never took it down and partly because the kids were just so proud of it. Last year we did something totally different, each of the kids made their own Nativity scene. I found so many different printable and DIY Nativity Scenes we were not able to do them all last year. We haven’t decided what we will do this year.

Nativity Scene Board - I have used these for bulletin board figures, or you can even put them together in a manila file folder and use them like you would a folder game. (Top right picture below.)

Nativity Scene with Toilet Paper Rolls - This one was made by Miss K last year she really enjoyed it and it turned out so cute. (Bottom right picture below.)

Make Your Own Nativity Scene - Little Man made this one last year. It's small and compact, perfect if you don't have a lot of room to display it. (Bottom left picture below.)

Nativity Scene Display – Miss H made this one last year. The figures are cone shaped, the animals we had to brace a bit to keep them standing but it still turned out adorable. (Top left picture below.)

Paper Doll Nativity Scene - This one is cute and gives you the instructions to make a diorama like Nativity Scene. 

Birth of Jesus Nativity - This one has two versions, one with and one without the Wise Men. 

Nativity Craft - This is really cute with little terracotta pots. Perfect for those who want to do more than just cut, color and paste.

Paper Nativity – This one looks sweet and pretty simple.

Spool Doll Nativity – Oh my goodness is this cute. It is perfect for an older kid who has moved beyond just coloring some paper.

Nativity Scene from a 2x4 – Okay so this one is for an older for sure. I know that a younger could totally help with making it. I love this. It can be played with over and over and is so incredibly cute.

Nativity Scenes 2011

 

Games & Activities

What is the Christmas Season without games and activities? It’s part of what makes the month of December so fun. Here are some resources for you.

Christmas Bible Printables - This site has puzzles, mini books, verse cards and so much more. If you want simple activities for a 3-6 year old that are Christ centered this is where you go. 

Christmas Folder Games - There are so many Christmas themed folder games on this site. We love playing folder games and what a better way to keep the learning going but by a folder game that is in the shape of a candy cane or Christmas tree?

Nativity Pre K Pack – This is a free packet full of things for your preschooler. Patterns, matching, cutting practice, and prewriting practice.

Nativity Pack – Here is another Nativity pack for 3-5 year olds. This one is also totally adorable.

Advent Activities – She has such great ideas all year round.

Nativity Dominoes – These are so adorable.

Nativity Finger Puppets – These would be fun for a little one.

My hope and prayer is that this post inspires you to do some intentional parenting during the hectic Christmas season that is upon us and remember to focus on the eternal. What do you do to keep Jesus the center of Christmas? Let me know in the comments, I am always looking for new ideas.

I participated in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers
hosted by the Nesting Place.
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Posts that were supposed to go up in October being posted in November. 
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Packing Shoeboxes

Do you know about Operation Christmas child? They give shoeboxes to children around the world who basically have nothing. In those shoeboxes are simple items that we take for granted like toothbrushes and soap. They also have school supplies and toys or other fun things. Whatever someone feels led to put into the shoebox. These are items that we take for granted but to these children they are needed treasures. I love that meeting this simple need opens the door for such a greater impact in a child's life. They get an eternal treasure also, the love of Jesus. And that is the greatest gift anyone can receive.

The junior high group packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child a few weeks ago and I dropped them off at our collection site yesterday.  I am so amazed at how many boxes our tiny group was able to fill. I challenged them to bring in items all throughout the month of October for the boxes and then we put everything together to fill as many boxes as we could. I was really thinking we would be able to fill somewhere around five boxes and I was so amazed and blessed that we had enough items to fill 18 boxes!

That is 18 young people whose lives will be touched by receiving a little box filled with simple items like pencils, pens, toothbrushes and a pair of socks plus fun things like stuffed animals, yo-yos, puzzles, and so much more. (It is crazy how much is able to fit in a shoebox.) We actually put an umbrella and a rain poncho in each of ours also. We used the little plastic shoebox sized containers because those can be really useful to whomever receives them. I registered the boxes online so that we could track where they would end up and we know that they will bless a child in another part of the world. It is such an easy way to be able to touch the life of someone you would never be able to have any impact on otherwise.

There is still time if you want to impact a child’s life through a shoebox. Just go to the Operation Christmas Child  to find all the details. Collections for this year go through the 19th of November. But then there will always be next year if you miss the deadline.

We will be praying for the children that are going to receive those boxes and for their families. I cannot wait to see where our boxes will end up. I know that God will use each box in a mighty way.

Homeschool Chromatography Lesson

With autumn in full force, the leaves are turning colors. I love it when God paints the tress. Have you ever wondered how he does it? Last year we did an experiment that was so fun we did it twice and the kids want to do it again this year.

We used chromatography to extract the different colors that are in leaves. Chlorophyll is what causes the leaves to look green but when the chlorophyll breaks down in the fall, the leaves' true colors shine through. Extracting the chlorophyll – greens, carotenoid – yellow & orange-red, and anthocyanin - reds from the leaves is a really fun, easy, and inexpensive science activity.

First, talk to your kids about why leaves are green and photosynthesis and the wonderful changes that happen during autumn. Check out books from the library about leaves and the changing seasons. Go for a nature walk and check out all the different leaves. While you are out and about (or even in your own backyard) gather leaves from different types of trees outside. If you can identify the trees that the leaves come from, that is great. If you can’t figure out what the trees are, that’s okay. Try to collect leaves that haven't turned yet. We collected from all around our area. We had so many leaves it was kind of crazy. As you gather the leaves, remember to keep them sorted so they can be identified later on.

I asked the kids what colors they thought each leaf would turn when it was time and we discussed our hypotheses and why we came up with the answers that we did.

Do all the prep for the experiment. Cut a coffee filter or two into strips. Gather some small glasses, a deep dish or pan, and grab some rubbing alcohol. You will need something to cut the leaves into tiny pieces and something to smash them when they are in the cups. Boil some water for later.

While the water is boiling, have the kids cut up the leaves into tiny pieces - we used scissors.

Place each cut up leaf into a different cup. We used shot glasses because I just happen to have a bunch of them (they are great mini beakers) but you can use any small glass container, like baby food jars. I haven't tried small paper cups but they might work.

Smash the leaf a bit; this just helps break up the cellular structure so you can get a more vivid result in a shorter amount of time.

Put a coffee filter strip in each cup with the top labeled with what leaf is in the cup. Now is when you will be glad you kept them sorted.

Put all the cups into a deep dish or pan. We used a pie plate.

Chromatography Science Activity

Pour some rubbing alcohol into each cup. I didn’t really measure this but it was probably a couple tablespoons per glass. I made sure all the leaves were well covered; this is what will extract the color so you don't really want to skimp.

Remember, rubbing alcohol is not something you want your little ones to handle. Please be careful and keep it out of their reach. Supervise the older kids while doing this.

BE SAFE

Pour the boiling water into the dish or pan that the cups are in. The heat helps the rubbing alcohol do its job.
Again, BE SAFE

Let the cups sit for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours. Until some of the alcohol has been absorbed by the coffee filters and you see some color spreading up the filters.

Pull out the filter strips and let dry. You will see all the colors separated out. Some will be more vibrant than others. If you use leaves that haven't changed yet, they will give the best results I found. You can also test to see the difference between the same type of leaf during the different stages of color changing.

Depending on the age of your kids and what you are studying, you can go into all sorts of scientific studies, from the basic what color will it turn to how much of each compound is in each leaf to even why the alcohol worked. It's all up to you. 

Like I said this was really fun to do and the kids asked if we could do it again this year.

I'm participating in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers
hosted by the Nesting Place.

What happens when life gets in the way of blogging?
Posts that were supposed to go up in October being posted in November.

Updated 9/21/2014