Nim's Island Salt Dough Maps

I finally found it! The place were I can safely and easily set up a theme table for our current unit study. At long last. This dresser is in our dining room and gets little traffic and stays clutter free. So, now that the rest of the kitchen and dining room painting is done, I thought I'd finally change the wall hanging arrangement and get moving. That wooden sign used to be on the dresser top, but I like it up on the wall. Below it are the gallery frames minus one which are sadly lacking in up-to-dateness. We'll work on that.

Love the banner- I have some thoughts on this one I'll share soon. Probably over at Heart of the Matter. I think. We'll see.

Check out the unit display! I hope to have some more objects in the future, but for now this is great. I put the salt up there with the cardboard and they guess it was salt dough map time. I've got a few ocean resources, volcano resources, and weather resources this week and next. After that I will switch things up a bit.

The salt dough- I had to modify the recipe as it was too wet.

J4 in character making a salt dough island. The kids worked on the back porch and stopped between actions at the splash center (had to show a pic, but it's discontinued).

They decided they wanted to make their own so we worked on making models of Nim's Island complete with the coves, pools, hissing rocks, and fire mountain.

It was difficult to work with until I mixed up another batch and add more dry dough for them. This one belongs to E10.

R9's Nim's Island- nice fire mountain R!

We'll let these dry. Usually it takes much longer than the two days recommended. I'll plan to have the kids paint them up when we return from camping which will be next week.

Muffin Tin Monday

Michelle over at Her Cup Overfloweth hosts Muffin Tin Monday every week. Sometimes there is a theme and sometimes there isn't. I was intrigued the first time I came across it and started collecting tins with coupons. I'll share what's in my arsenal in another post. I was out of bread today so it was the perfect day to embark on our Muffin Tin Fun. This week there is no theme, but I can see in the future parting from the group theme to do ones that match our schooling adventures. For this week I had fun choosing some items and R9 gave me the idea to use up the fruit slushies from her birthday. So, here goes:

Ham rolls, pretzels, yogurt and a previously frozen fruit slushie, peanuts and milk chocolate chips

Same deal in the blue tins

For the girl who hates yogurt (like her mommy) some almonds instead

A few things I observed by doing this: First, it forces you to find six things or close to it which goes way beyond a sandwich at lunch time. Next, the kids were excited to contribute ideas and they were excited to eat what we came up with. Lastly, it makes Monday lunch FUN! I need fun.

If you look on my right hand side bar, you'll find the Muffin Tin Monday Swap that is coming up. The deadline to sign up is Friday the 31st. I'm looking forward to putting a little someting together for a fellow muffin tinner. I wonder what surprises lie ahead for us. I can hardly wait to see!

TOS Crew Review: Hank the Cowdog

I can't tell you how excited I was when I learned that The Crew was going to get to review products from Maverick Books! We love Hank the Cowdog! Long before there was a Crew and long before my blog had gained momentum, I had a sidebar item just for Hank and his website. I've even done blog posts on, "Hank the Cowdog Quotes".

The publisher sent us several items- a game, a book, and a CD. Wouldn't you know it, we have two Hank books of our own and The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse is one of them. We've been reading aloud Hank books for years. I think it is great fun to read Hank to the kids as it usually results in lots of laughter! Hank is a bumbling ranch cowdog not unlike a Barney Fife of the ranch world. He is not the most noble character and he often finds himself in jams because of his poor decisions. He likes to hurl insults (which may be controversial to some), but Hank is never held up as a good example to follow. The cast of characters includes his side kick Drover who has a chronic leg problem that crops up just when the circumstances warrant his exit. There is Slim Chance the ranch hand who gets into trouble along with Hank. Sally May and High Loper, the married couple who own the ranch, get easily irritated with Hank's antics. Sally May and Hank have a very tenious relationship at best.

Each Hank paperback is sold for $4.24 on the Hank site, but they are also available at bookstores and on Amazon.

How can you go wrong with dialogue like this?

You might recall that only hours before, High Loper had told Sally May about the neighbor's one-lawed out-eyed stud horse - that is, one-eyed outlawed stud horse, a heartless brute named Tuerto.
I had forgotten the conversation myself, else I might not have been so anxious to answer the call and enter the case. For you see, the mysterious whinny had come, not from your ordinary arrogant, cheating, back-stabbing saddle horse, which would have been bad enough- but from the infamous one-eyed killer, Tuerto.

We also got to play the Tornado Game. The game is plastic and folds in half making it convenient for traveling. It has a tornado spinner and the characters and elements are from the book The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado. Each player chooses a color and has a Hank, a Drover, and a Junior (the young turkey vulture). The game plays like Trouble with a few twists (pun intended). Odd spins move backward and the Junior character is not with the others of the same color to start. The dogs start on 1 and 6 and the turkey vulture can start on a 6 only. With only three tokens, the game plays fast and younger and older kids can play together.

The game also comes with a cassette which has excerpts from the book The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado. The songs and excerpts I'm sure are very fun, but we don't have a decent working tape player on which to play the cassette. At some point, perhaps they will include a CD- when the cassettes run out! The Tornado Game sells for $12.99 on the Hank website.

Finally, we have Tales and Tunes from Hank. It's a CD for $3.00 with some story excerpts and songs from 10 books. There are a few audio books we've listened to in addition to reading the book and what's so nice about those is the actual song you can hear sung by the author. These songs are usually hilarious and reading them aloud you don't always get the most out of the humor!
If you decide to venture into the world of Hank the Cowdog, make sure your're ready to laugh...and make sure you try out some of the audio books. If you buy the Tornado Game, you can get a $2.00 coupon off of an audio book purchase. We always add a few of these to birthday and Christmas presents. Our personal favorite song comes from The Watermelon Patch Mystery available only in an audio book. The Watermelon Song is my very favorite! Now I know you just want to get out there and get your own copy. Watermelon! Watermelon! Watermelon, Cantaloupe and Black-Eyed Peas...

Blueberries for Sal

It's that time of year! July cannot pass without some blueberry fun. I was determined to hit the blueberry fields yesterday and I needed to set the mood. I grabbed Blueberries for Sal out of the Before Five in a Row box and I gathered a few around...of course when this book comes out the kids drop what they are doing and listen. Even E10, who was listening to music, took off his headphones and enjoyed the story. With the mood properly set, we set off to find the blueberries!

I started the morning with a reading of this book- Blueberries for Sal.
Once I finished reading Blueberries for Sal, J4 asked for the "one that goes with it". Of course he was talking about One Morning in Maine. We love both of these stories dearly and it is joy to read them over and over and over. In fact, there are several more Robert McCloskey books that are FIAR books. He is one of our favorite authors.
The blueberries are amazing this year! Every bush was teaming with them with more to ripen on each one. I am seriously considering some blueberry bushes for our yard. Reportedly, they make a great bush for the yard and you get blueberries as a bonus.

Miles and miles of blueberry bushes...in every direction.

R9 was teamed up with J4 as they scoured the bushes for berries. Turns out that J4 is a serious picker. He really loved using his own tin pail. I had gotten it from the Target dollar aisle earlier this spring when all the gardening stuff was there.

This was J4's first time really picking. All the kids enjoyed it this year (it helped that the picking was so easy!) and we talked about the book while we picked. They decided we were playing out the story right down to a baby boy walking up and grabbing berries out of J4's pail!

Kerplink! Kerplank! Kerplunk!

We picked 14 lbs of blueberries and there was not one complaint the whole time!

We ended the day with a blueberry crumble. Traditions are fun. Each July we spend time on Blueberry Hill with little Sal and her mother. We do blueberry and bear crafts, we pick blueberries, freeze them, and make a fresh blueberry treat.

Blueberry Crumble (from Fruit: Fresh, Fun Fabulous a MOPS cookbook compiled by Marybeth Lagerborg):

• 3 c berries (blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries)
• 2/3 c packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c flour
• 2/3 c quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 c butter or margarine, melted (I used Smart Balance)
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread berries in a lightly greased square 8x8x2 inch baking dish. (I used my square PC stone baker) Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over berries. Bake for 20 minutes or until topping is light brown and berries are hot. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. We surely did have the vanilla ice cream!

For next week I have more ideas for blueberry fun. I will share them in another post.

The Double-Dog Dare...

E10 answers the challenge. You'll never get this one Daddy!


Black to move has to force a draw in four turns.

Chess Puzzles

It's been a busy week...more on this and how it has to change soon! I mean one cannot continue to be behind in blogging. Seriously. But for now, here's a look at how the kids have been entertaining themselves this week between our busyness. Chess. E10 has been a chess buff since the first grade. He recently found his skills getting a bit rusty so he's revived this obsession. When he was 6, he would take on adults and give them a challenge. Not that he's Bobby Fisher or anything, but the more he plays the better he gets and when he was younger it took most adults by surprise.

We started with this one at 6yrs old along with an inexpensive chess set.

We added this one later which has puzzles in it too. You can never have enough chess books. Can you? Really?

This book is fun for improving strategy. E10 has been having a great time setting up the puzzles on his chess board and getting anyone who will indulge him to try and solve it. R9 has been giving it a try.

Here's one now...the kids wanted you all to solve it. White has a helpmate in 2 moves. A helpmate is a puzzle in which white moves in such a way that gives black a check mate. There is only one way it can be done in two moves. Ok...GO! Comment here with your answer.

E10 has also had a game of chess with his grandfather this week. They play Alpha Chess via computer and they use a free web conference to see each other and talk over the internet connection. They used to do this regularly, but there is a resurgence in interest right now. I've lost two games so far this week. I love it when he check mates and then tells me what I should have done. Love that. Apparently, E10 is looking to get back on top of his game. Glad to be of service...this kid is all about the quality time love language. All about it. So, if I need to lose a few games of chess...it's for a good cause.

Rivers, Roads, and Rails...A Game

This is a great game made by the Ravensburger Company. It's called Rivers, Roads, and Rails. It's a matching game where you need to lay out a path using the cards and you have to match up all the modes of transportation.

With J4 we just pile the cards face up and he chooses the ones that match. Usually you keep them face down so you can't grab a match. Of course.

It's always fun to share a game that might be new to you. It reminds me a little of Waterworks. Do you remember that one?

Preschool Activities in a Bag

This is just a teaser...we have lots of new activities since participating in another Activities Exhange. This one involves sorting beads. Which reminds me that we just acquired some new buttons for scooping.

We're off for a family camping trip to Lake Ontario- our favorite camping locale. I'll see all you blogging buddies when I return on Sunday- with more details on the Preschool Activities in a Bag and camping photos of course. Dan already complained about packing our nature box complete with field guides, hand lenses, and nature journals. But we'll return with something fascinating to share. I'm just sure of it!

More Sewing

I've been working on getting a sewing camp going for R9 and some other girls. The place in town we wanted to do lessons with has more than a "nominal" fee. SUCH a bummer. So, our first day was Monday and R9 was set to finish a project from last fall.

First she had to cuff her sleeves- I forgot the cord to my machine so she got to use a fun Husqevarna machine with some cool features like "fix" which means the needle stays in place and stitches so you don't have to back stitch. R9 really is a natural with her machine skills.

She learned to set in a sleeve using some basting stitches, gathering it, and easing it in to the sleeve hole. It was slow work for a 9 yr old, but I think the results for her first time are pretty good. Her teacher, who is a fellow homeschooling mom who goes to our church, was very patient and very talented at getting her to understand the steps involved.

Isn't this a fun fleece? I'm looking forward to finishing up with the other sleeve. Then she just needs to put in a casing at the bottom hem.

I have an adult pattern for this same fleece. I think R9 and I could make a little collection of these!

4-H Results are In!

Congratulations to everyone! Blue and red ribbons all around for our 4-Hers. They are already scheming for next year's fair and now that I have all the criteria for the sewing judging, R9 can make some improvements.

R9 made this skirt using only her measurements and how long she wanted the skirt to be.

Her Felicity gown just missed being sent on to State Fair- all garments must have finished seams. Oh my Grandma! (she and R9 worked on this one last summer- F9's first foray into the world of machine sewing- by all reports she was a natural from the start)

The drawstring bag could have use some additional design- I think she'll have fun with creative design over the next year.

R9 made this for co-op last fall and chose fabric according to her liking. Apparently for the fair, it needs to match. ha. What you don't see is that the backing is a white fabric with constellations on it! You know of course that R9 does not care!

Her handsewn strawberry got points for creativity. She needs to work on tightening up her stitches!

Yay! E10's one entry earned him a red ribbon.

I-7's Cloverbud submission. He did not submit anything last year so this was exciting.

Not to be disappointed, R9's artwork also earned a red. The judge did not like the "unfinished moons". Sometimes art work is misunderstood- like here the moon was created because there was tape there during the painting. I guess we'll have to be more mindful of this sort of thing if our art projects are fair bound.

Dot Painters

I know I've mentioned my love of Biocolor paint before and my fondness of the Colorations paints from Discount School Supply in general. However, I had to bring it up again because well they are just so much fun!

Featured here are the bingo bottles. You can buy them full of the washable tempera paints or the biocolor paints. You can buy them empty and fill them with either of those paints or the liquid watercolor paints. Love them all!

These were ones I had bought filled with washable tempera paints that were quite old at this point. I had been meaning to wash them and out and refill them and topping them with new tops which you can also purchase. I finally did it!

My dishpan full of Biocolor Paints and the newly filled bingo bottles- the bottles make for an easy, mess free painting experience.

I can't mention these paints without showing off the fun stuff. You can mix fabric medium, shimmer, glitter with the paint to give it those properties. How fun is THAT? The BioPutty means that you mix the paint with that medium and it turns to a putty substance. Paint additives...does it get any better?

At our house we have a full compliment of BioColor paints which I bought in the large kit. BioColor paints are unique because they swirl and marbelize, but they do not blend. That makes for some fun stuff. I'd like to add the florescent colors to our collection.

We also have red, blue, yellow, black, and white in washable temperas so we can mix colors and make new colors, shades and hues.

Nim's Island

We started a CurrClick Live Class on Nim's Island this week. We've been looking forward to this unit for a while. Somehow I thought it was starting later than last week and I had some trouble getting a copy of the book. I could hardly believe it. With a copy safely in my hands, we have begun the fun!

We read the book for the first time back in the spring and since then have watched the movie which really was very good. Wendy Orr is the author of Arabella as well which has been one of our favorite FIAR titles of all time. Our absolute favorite is Night of the Moonjellies which we row every year about this time. You can bet we'll do some moonjelly work during our visit with Nim and her island.

The live class is designed so that you can participate in a forum (if you choose) and work at your own pace by watching the videos of the teacher showing the activities and projects and how to put the notebook together. Here they are watching how to build a wind vane to determine wind direction. This ties in with our interest in learning more about weather and weather forecasting.

After we watched the video, we decorated the front cover of our Island Log. I chose a dot painting medium. Mine is at the bottom. Tip: whenever art is pulled out it's a good idea to make your own. Creative energy spent is never wasted friends!

The class assignments for each week only get posted one at a time on a weekly basis. While we wait, we'll take the map of Nim's Island found in the book to make our own island. Salt dough is always a favorite, but someone might want to make a diorama of the island. We'll see what moves us. We'll be taking a break twice during the unit for camping trips. This one might take a while. It is summer after all.

Field Trip: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

We've been talking about going for a while now, but the weather has just not been very cooperative. Every time you think you can go out, it starts to rain again! Thursday we finally made it after having the first part of the trip to have lunch with Dan on campus. The kids also got a bus ride to the Dairy Bar complete with a demo of the wheelchair lift.

Once inside the visitor's center, we had fun watching this great blue heron land. I've never been so close to one. The landing was quite something.

Of course we wanted to take a hike around Sapsucker Woods. We had several choices and they ultimately chose the one they took with my parents last fall.

I'm not sure this section of the trail is always so submerged. We've had a ton of rain this season.

Check out the tadpole. He's a giant! We enjoyed hearing the bullfrogs as we walked around the pond. J4 is particularly taken with them and we've been reading a lot in our Audubon Society field guide on amphibians.

lilypads with flowers...

This bird was fun to see and hear, but we aren't sure what he is.

ants on logs...J4 is all about what's under logs too.

The older kids were having fun reading the map to determine which way to go at every fork in the trail.

Red-winged blackbird...the sounds of spring and summer. This one was not happy with us. His nest must be nearby.

Look in the center at our turtle. This was a bonus find at the end of the walk.

If you are ever nearby, you need to stop in and see the Lab of O. Chances are if your family is into birds at all you have come across something from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They are right up there with the Audubon Society in terms of birding resources. The kids want to go again soon and take another hike. I'm looking forward to it!