Attach a paper plate to a dowel rod using packing tape. Tie a partially blown up balloon to the rod using a generous length of yarn. Repeat offender that creates active play!
Bat.. bat... bat....
Everyone was interested!
Bat bat bat.. laugh, run, delight in being able to do it. Bat some more!
Balloon batter=big smiles!
This is what the sky has been looking like for days now. Grey.
Smudge, keeping watch over the precious zucchini and snap peas. We have been harvesting the first round of snap peas! YUM- boy are they good. ♥
We found a fuzzy little guy on the gourd vine yesterday. Happy Thursday! I see some blue sky trying to pop through the clouds, my fingers are crossed. ♥♥♥
I love Pinterest. So many useful bits of information are right at my fingertips every time I log in! I think I will keep posting about things that we find and complete thanks to Pinterest from here on out. So this is my first official "I Saw It On Pinterest" post. :) Here is the original post that I re-pinned. All you need is a piece of wax paper, a bar of Ivory soap and a microwave.
Place the soap on the wax paper and microwave on high for a couple of minutes.
I know the photos aren't the best, but a transformation of the bar of soap is happening right in front of their eyes!
It's expanding...
It's ballooning and slowly morphing into a cloud like shape.
We opened the door to see. It kind of shrunk down a little when we did that. It felt like tissue paper!
We saved a piece to hold onto while we cooked it some more.
As it ballooned into a cloud, I moved it into a bowl for some sensory play. The part of the soap bar that was still solid went back into the microwave to complete the transformation.
This is what came out. I love this!
I had a very hard time convincing the boys to play with it. I don't know why- it's pretty neat. It crumbles into a powder, but also tears like tissue paper. You can squeeze it into a sort of ball. After I walked away from the bowl, a few boys decided it was snow and proceeded to throw it in the air and stomp it into the patio. (Insert my cranky face HERE.) A broom later, all was well. All because I saw it on Pinterest. Happy Wednesday!♥♥♥
The sun came back out yesterday. We had a free play day. :)
The day lilies have finally bloomed. I love them!
The bowling game is still a hit.
It's just SO HARD to remember about taking turns.. that's the only issue with the bowling. It requires an adult to stand nearby and delegate turns.
My turn, my turn, my turn.
Meanwhile, through generous donations and a good yard sale, we have restocked our outside toy supply!
Anybody remember this toy? I was so excited to see it at the sale. The knobs turn and create the "heat" on the burners. The timer dings the bell on top, I remember playing with this as a child. It amazes me how well the toys hold up that were made then. This thing must be 25 years old. What was your favorite childhood toy? Happy Tuesday! ♥♥♥
Song for today is "Spanish Lady" by Celtic Woman. ♫
A friend of mine posted some photos of her family creating marshmallow and toothpick creations. What an easy and fun idea! We made some time to do that last week.
Just poke the toothpick into the marshmallow and repeat. They were excited to find me pouring marshmallows out in front of them. I am surprised that I didn't have to ask the kids not to eat too many. We have a bunch of rule followers here!
The possibilities are endless as far as what can be created. Even if they create NOTHING, it's a great sensory project. It's a good way to work on those fine motor skills.
I showed them that you can create shapes, too.
Aiden created a video game on a screen. (Of course.)
Triangles became a tent.
Ethan went a different route and created a cobra. Neat, huh?
Smudge update- he was an open mouth sleeper right up next to the speaker that was playing loudly. Crazy cat. He's such a great sidekick.
A mystery was solved- I thought that a child was responsible for the recent shredding of the stitching on our outside chair. As it turns out, we think Chippy is moving in to our apple tree!♥ I am happy to let him take what he needs for it. I've always wanted to know where he lives. The to-do list this week will involve me adding a small pile of frayed fabric for him to use in his (or her) nest. We love our Chippy! Happy Monday- it is a great day indeed! Today is the first day working alongside my hubby, and we have some new kiddos here. So far so good!♥♥♥
Song for today is "Blue Lips" by Regina Spektor. Now playing at Henle House.♫
Yesterday we made "flubber"! But guess what? The day before, we made "gloop" and I was very proud of myself for allowing a horrific mess (even though we moved it outside..) and had all of the photos to prove it. Then I accidentally deleted them. I am mourning the loss of them- gloop was really cool. It's a mixture of corn starch, water and liquid watercolors. I had a green hand for about 24 hours. Next time I will use food coloring instead! ANYWAY- we made flubber.
In a bowl, add 1 cup of Elmer's school glue to 3/4 cup of warm water. Mix thoroughly.
Everyone had a turn. :)
In another container, mix 2/3 cup of warm water, 1 1/2 teaspoon of powdered Borax and 3 drops of food coloring. We chose green, because anything gross and slimy must be green. Pour the Borax solution into the glue mixture.
Using your hand, or someone else who doesn't mind a mess, gently lift and turn the mixture until it resembles a squishy brain substance. You will probably have some liquid leftover.
Seeeee? So cool!
Eventually, it will look like this. You can squeeze the extra liquid off of it and then you have flubber!
When it sits, it will flatten out. You can flop it around.
You can tear it apart!
You can squish it. It feels like rubber.
You can use a straw and create fart noises.
It will streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch....
It will wiggle..
It will BOUNCE! This little guy was very excited to learn that.
When you hold it, it's pretty hard to resist just squishing it. I think this project costs about $6.00. We had enough to split a generous amount into ziplock bags for three boys. Happy Friday! My handsome hubby is coming home today, I can't wait. My thoughts are with several of my cousins who are military wives, one in particular whose hubby has been deployed since September. ♥♥♥
Wish I Could Fly by Roxette. Beautiful, I love the strings.♫
It's hard for me to sleep when Adam is gone. He is enjoying his time at camp with the high school kids- I've been getting quick updates every day. If he is here or not, my favorite part of each evening is when the sun starts to set and it throws garden shadows. That's when I am usually out watering the flowers and veggies. It's peaceful time with God.
It's a good time to thank God for the beauty He has created for us to see. We are so lucky!
Four mammoth sunflowers are starting to reach to the sky. Funny how they look like siblings, huh?
Psalm 4:8 says "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." I read this yesterday in the publication called 'Our Daily Bread' and it rang true.
I enjoyed sweet slumber, the first in about 5 nights, and feel refreshed this morning. Happy Thursday!♥♥♥
Song for today is "More Than This" by Eden's Bridge.♫
