Caps Caps Caps!

I have been saving caps for quite some time (If you can see the bucket, we started around Halloween time!!)! We keep this small bucket on the kitchen counter (Does wonders for the decor!) and then empty it out regularly to our box the holds the real collection, hey how did that Box Top get in here?? We first started saving caps when we made a space ship and used the caps as buttons and dials and knobs and even a steering wheel with the largest one! It was so much fun we decided to keep on saving!!

One of our first and favorite creations with the caps was an alphabet memory game! We put stickers in matching white bottle caps (yikes, you can tell how much bottled water we drink!!) and then we turn them upside down and get matching!! We plan on putting colored garage sale dots on the one side of these eventually, because if we play outside, you can see through a little bit with the bright sun!!

Pictured here is only 1 set, just so you could see the letters closely!!

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This Week in Photos!

Welcome to our week in photos! We had another Blessed week and cannot wait to enjoy our weekend! I hope you are having a fantastic Saturday! We are headed out to dinner to celebrate my birthday with friends and family!! (Yes, I had a birthday on the 23rd! I turned 31 YIKES!! Lol!

With the chill still in the air, we headed out anyway and hit one of our favorite hideaways on the bike path in search of river rocks for our nature table and rock project. we enjoy spending time together and being outdoors!

This week my youngest (he is not in school yet) and I worked on Easter wreaths! This was made of a paper plate and tiny eggs (will post more about this later in the upcoming week) and some ribbon. We plan on giving these out this weekend to family members to help them decorate their home for the Holiday!!
We also worked on our address book after school one day! We are sending out Easter cards and this helps my older two know how to address and envelope and get stamps etc. A fun project that gets everyone involved!
My oldest boy (I really dislike the middle son title! I don't like him thinking that he's in the middle, I know that probably makes me weird! haha) is leader of his school this week (They call it the Big Cheese) and he is all smiles about it!! I am very proud of him, as this is his 3rd time this year!!
We found this tutorial on how to make a felt bunny on Natural Kids, I am hoping to eventually make a pin for the teachers this year, but for now we are using it as a template to cut out Bunnies for our Easter Cards!!!
We made magnets out of a 1.00 puzzle and we had a BLAST!!! The process is so much fun for little fingers, but at the same time we can even use them!! They want to make more and for 1.00 I just may give in!!

Corner of my Home...

Welcome to another Corner of my home! This is our educational nook. I am hoping to find the RIGHT rainbow colored rug some day to place right in front of it! In these shelves are games and toys and books that are for learning and educational play! These toys are ONLY allowed to be played with right here, since things have a tendency to grow legs and walk away to their bedrooms and the playroom etc. There are 8 bins in this shelf and I wish we had actually gone with something bigger! I may purchase and set of 4 if I can find one! The unit is the Expedit from Ikea, the BEST store for organizing children!

At the top left you will find workbooks and school curriculum books that I am building up to keep the Summer learning going this year. We will have 'school' for 3 hours every day (Broken up into 2 portions with lunch, playtime and relaxing in the middle). I also have a small bit of markers, pencils etc. here for quick projects or games that we need something to write with and then a large jar of crayons!!

Going to the right, we have our reference books like a couple Atlases, maps, Dictionaries, experiment books etc. and the bell for our reading game (I will touch more on this reading game in another post!!). The next shelf holds our reader books (Levels 1-4), I have 2 beginning readers in the home and I like to keep these out in the open and not their personal book shelves, so that they can look up any words they need in the dictionaries. This also holds our Microscope, that I LOVE LOVE LOVE, it's by Geo Safari and it's FANTASTIC! Even the little one gets into being a Scientist! (This may move to our Science Nook, if I ever get it more under control). The little silver tin holds the slides.

The Microscope Nook is the only one that has recently changed! I moved the beginning readers to the reading nook, where they can snuggle in better with them! I now added the reading manipulatives here, since that seems to be the 1 part of our collection that continues to grow!

The next bin is 'organized' but it still looks like a mess! I really don't know what I want to do with this area (hence the need for the bigger shelf!) This entire corner is full of some learning board games that fit in the nook (I change out these games weakly, so it's like getting new games each time!!), and magnetic boards!

The Bottom shelf is full of 8 bins (one was in use at the moment!!) with the larger ones being labeled (I am having my daughter WRITE the labels for the top row) with photos so that everyone knows how to put stuff away right where it belongs! The Lego Box, is topped with a bin full of Unifix Linking Cubes that are the perfect thing to use with Legos or even alone as a Math manipulative (More on these in a future post). The craft box holds a little bit of everything crafty and the bin above it holds construction paper). MagnaTiles are next and they are FABULOUS!! These magnetic tiles have the kids AND mom and dad enthralled every single time they come out! I even posted about them here! The green bin on top of that one, holds more MagnaTiles! haha! We are obsessed and running out of space!! Finally is our flashcard bin, this holds all flashcards of any sort! We even make our own and those are in there too. The green bin above that holds our Spanish bin, I speak Spanish fluently and will be teaching the kids this Summer as part of our curriculum!! I am so excited!!!

All of this sits beneath our Nature Table! There is so much going on in this nook, that is seems to be their favorite place to play. 

Hope you enjoyed this corner of my home! Share yours in the comments please!!

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Join Us on a Virtual Vacation Around the World!

This Summer Break, join us on a Virtual Trip around the World!!! We are so excited, I hope you are too!! We will visit 1 or 2 big cities around the world every week of Summer Vacation and will learn what we can about that city! The language they speak, the food they eat (we will eat it too!), what there is to see! Join us up the Eiffel Tower, on a Safari in Africa, to see the Mayan Pyramids and so much more!
Grab your passports and be ready to get them stamped and don't forget your tickets and suitcases and maps! We are so excited that we've already started to prepare! We've made our luggage tag, decorated our suitcase and purchased some of our guidebooks!
Care to join us? Please do! I will have an itinerary soon, so you too can prepare! Remember that old guide books can be purchase for less than 1.00 at most thrift shops and you can download so much for the internet! Have any questions? Please ask in the comments! If you want to join, we can start a blog ring and link to each other! I have so much planned, so just ask and I will answer!!

Our Plane Tickets!!

Vacation Update 1
Vacation Update 2

~Michelle!~

Love to Spell!

As my kids grow, I notice how much they love to learn new things! Sometimes doing everything the same way gets a little old and boring. I try very hard to keep the writing manipulatives fresh and fun. We often times make them, so that the kids get even more of a letter work out! Every now and then I will introduce some here! Our latest ones are the ones shown above! I found coasters on clearance at Michaels for .50 and my brain got working right away! These are large letter tiles once I added on the vinyl letters (Leftover from Autumn's Science Fair project)! We sometimes string a rope in the living room and use large clothespins to hang them and spell out words or we just write out Spelling Words on the floor crossword style. Learning can be fun!!

I made a game up for Roman, my youngest (He is 3)! Together we stamped the letters of the alphabet on clothespins and I laid out the clips on the floor in groups of 5,6 or 7. I handed him a letter tile (made above) and told him to match the letter as he says it out loud. Once he matches it, he has to clip them together and make a pile of completed ones. He loved it and kept playing over and over again!!!

Headed to the Zoo!

Headed to the Zoo and I got their gear ready the night before, so they can investigate things on the nature trails that are all around! There is so much more to look at than just the animals!

We are members of the Zoo, and we know how much the kids loooove their maps! We decided to have the maps laminated (1 for each child), so that they could use a dry erase marker to mark off what we have seen, our path walked and what they want to see. This is a way of keeping GREEN and not wasting every time we go.

Their to-go kit is all tucked away into our re-usable Zoo bag along with some snacks and a water bottle to tide them over between meals. They have their laminated maps, dry erase markers, magnifying glasses on a lanyard for them to keep at hand whenever they want to check something out up-close! There is also tissues and wipes for allergies and messes and the much needed hand sanitizer! The final item is just a reusable container that they use to store any specimens they may find along the way that would fit into their nature table. Let's hope we get some good weather! By the time you read this post on Tuesday, we will have already gone (we are going Sunday), so I will hopefully be able to post photos and an update on my Friday WEEK IN PHOTOS post!

The weather was definitely rainy, but you know what? We had a BLAST! Dance in the rain is what we did! We had our umbrellas, a wagon and smiles galore! The kids still managed to find some things on our nature walk through the trails at the zoo and we all came home exhausted!
They found this twig from a tree, but the kids insist it is a birds foot, so it got PRIME placement in the specimen box on our Nature Table!
All in all a wonderful day that left us feeling blessed and happy!

Right Now...

Found at the Zoo on our nature walk

Right Now, I Am....

::Crafting with my 5 year old little boy, we are making magnets!

::Enjoying the light left outside.

::Relaxing from running around all morning.

::Trying to reign in my emotions with something that has come up.

::laughing at what my children think is a bird foot (pictured above).

::Wanting to begin a new project for the kids this Summer.

::Listening to the 5 Browns.

::Moving around to the beat of the music!

::Feeling a little sad when I realize how quickly my kids are growing!

Share what you are doing right now with a link in the comments please!

Things I Am Loving Right Now....

With 3 young kids (ages 6,5,3) in my house, I am falling in love with things constantly! The latest are educational and so much fun! As you have read we are very into our Nature Table ! We love going on nature walks and checking out new and fun stuff from the great outdoors. With Spring coming we are ready for our leaf hunting to begin and (1) FANDEX Family Field Guides has helped us GREATLY with their deck on TREES! Check them out to see how cool it is to find a leaf and just fan through the pages to match it up!! LOVE!

(2) TARGET has their new Summer season Dollar Spot out and they have AWESOME little magnifying glasses! Perfect for tiny hands! Our larger one is from a nearby teacher store and it's by far our favorite, but the smaller ones are perfect for taking out into the field and popping in a pocket!

(3) We love informational books that are written for kids, our favorites of the moment are both from Scholastic, I love buying from them and helping out the classroom! Colorful Leaves a Science and Vocabulary Reader is great for younger kids and gives a brief intro on the topic, while Why Do Leaves Change Color? is an EXCELLENT in-depth book that really captures their attention with great photos! Can you tell we love books?

(4) Next, I am IN LOVE with 103 questions children ask about Right and Wrong with answers from the bible. A great reference when kids ask you a question that even YOU have to think of an answer for! Finally, we are at the Time and Money stage in school and Scholastic has an AWESOME pocket chart for counting money with a Piggy Bank in the background! The kids LOVE that one! We play it with a deck of money cards also from a Teacher Store.

This one needed it's own shout out, because my kids AND husband and I AND Grandpa and Nana LOVE to play with these! They are Magna Tiles and easily the coolest toy on the market now! They have had them for 2 months now and they still get played with EVERY DAY! Check them out and TRY not to get addicted!!

We Had a Hitchhiker....

Look who followed us home tonight from the zoo? Travelocity Roaming Gnome!

PLEASE LIKE!

Hi there, please like his page:

http://www.facebook.com/McRunner26

If he gets 40,000 fans, he will get 10,000.00 for Ronald McDonald's House Charities!

Right Now....

Right Now, I Am....

::Waiting for my Dad to get here, my husband and I are volunteering at Bingo tonight!

::Hugging my 3 year old who just got his first ever splinter while playing on the deck :(

::Relaxing from cleaning all morning.

::Trying to come up with a way to organize the art supplies better.

::Loving the warm breeze billowing in from our windows and doors!

::Wanting my Birthday to get here before Wednesday!! (I'm such a kid)

::Listening to the chattering of the 2 big kids playing outside at the water table.

::Smelling the scents of lavender cleaning supplies and apple candles.

::Feeling the soft cushion of my comfy red couch! I need to sit more often!

Share what you are doing right now with a link in the comments please!

It's a Sad Day

It's always a sad day when the telephone books arrive! So much waste of paper and so much gas and fumes in the air from the driving by delivery of them and that PLASTIC they are wrapped in!! I wish that they would either get rid of them altogether as they had spoken of in the past or just have a sign up for them on their web site. I understand that there are still people that use them, but for the most part they go straight to the trash. Why not take a step in the right direction and let US decide if we need them. Save the TREES (5 million are cut down every year for these books), Save the ENVIRONMENT! Sign the petition to BAN THE BOOK!! Head over and join their FACEBOOK PAGE!

The Week in Photos!

Look at what the Leprechaun brought! The kids had to follow his footsteps to see all the goodies he brought them! After finding out the mischief that he caused! (He put the boys sock bin in Autumn's room and her sock bin in the Boy's dresser! He also dropped some green food coloring in the milk!). We are looking to make a small herb container garden, so he brought us those goodies and some Science books to read an also some fantastic reference fan out cards about the 50 states for our geography corner and one about trees for our nature table to help us identify the leaves we find!

BOATS! We made sponge boats while learning about floating and sinking and wind power! We made them for our craft-of-the-day and then floated them in the newly-uncovered-for-the-Season water table! (can you tell how excited we are for Spring in the Midwest??)
Our Nature Table is finally ready for Spring, now that we have cleared out the Winter finds!

Read more on yesterday's post at Corner of my Home!
This is our educational nook, it was a disaster from a busy weekend, so I got to work this week in organizing it back to how it should look! I will go into more depth on this corner of my home next week!

Another craft-of-the-day project! We made tea bags Waldorf style for our tea parties! This was an easy and fun project that even the 3 year old got involved with!

Another excellent week has gone by and I would like to think I am quite Blessed!

Right Now...

Right Now, I am:

::Sifting through today's thrift store finds

::Drinking Chamomile tea out of a Disney World mug

::Wishing that today was Friday

::Thankful for my husband and children

::Debating on whether or not to start a new Family Central binder

::Wondering how to get my hands on a Waldorf set of log blocks and not spend a fortune.

::Wanting a hot bath and massage

::Listening to Vivaldi's 4 Seasons

Corner of my Home...

Hello friends! I am starting a new weekly segment of my blog entitled 'Corner of My Home' in which I will share with you a little nook of my home and let you know why I love or hate that corner! This will begin tomorrow! Hope you love it! This blog has become so neglected, I am hoping with bringing in segments that happen weekly, I can stay more on top of it!

This weeks corner is our nature table. My kids are always wanting to bring stuff from the outdoors in, this is a great way for them to be able to do it and we can keep it under control. With old man Winter that was pretty hard, but with our bike rides and walks starting up, they are able to start up a new collection! These are just 3 jars from thrifting and a wooden tray that I saved from some magnetic dolls that Autumn got. That postcard of the Tower London bridge was found by Gabriel in a library book. He wants to go to college in London to become a bridge builder all because of that bridge, is that FATE or what?? Keep a magnifying glass at bay and you will see little Scientists come out of your children!! A Giant clothespin allows you to change out focal point photos regularly or just keep adding to them!

During the Fall Season, we usually hang a small rope with clothespins for the kids to hang their leaves up! This way we only have 5 or 6 leaves at a time and not just a bunch making a crispy mess!! Hope you love coming into my house! If you want to share a corner of your home, place your link in the comments!!

Right Now...

Right Now, I Am.....

:: Feeling peaceful after some green tea and time with God.

:: Dreading having to put away laundry that is piled in my bedroom.

:: Looking forward to a bike ride this afternoon!

:: Smiling softly while I think about what a wonderful man I am married to.

:: Appreciating the warmer weather that Spring has to offer!

:: Hoping that today will be better than yesterday and tomorrow will still be better than today.

:: Aiming to put the finishing touches on my Tips for Parents of Pre-Schoolers book!

:: Wanting a vacation...

:: Loving being a Mommy!

:: Practicing willpower, by NOT thinking about the new box of thin mints in the cupboard!

:: Planning this Summer's curriculum for my little ones.

:: Cleaning some of the outdoor toys, that have been weathered by Winter.

New Stuff!!

New Stuff Listed in MichellesCharmWorld!!

Box Tops!

Box Tops University is coming to Chicago and I'm going! Anyone else planning on attending the April 1st event?

I am the box top coordinator for our school, are you? Share your tips and blog posts concerning box tops!! I am hoping to remind everyone to keep on collecting all through Summer, so that we can come back with a bang!!

Featured!

Featured in an 80s treasury!!!!

I was also featured in this delightfully scrumptious treasury!!!

An Apple A Day!!

Check out some SWEET Etsy Finds!

CLICK HERE to view the juiciest Apple Finds on Etsy!