Easy DIY Play Dough

After going through tubs and tubs of store bought play dough, we've
finally made our own homemade play dough. The kids are ecstatic
because we now have a fresh supply of play dough as soon as our
stock runs out.

The kids just love love love making this play dough. There very few
ingredients so they just dump everything in the bowl and mix away.
Minimal to no supervision required. And because the ingredients are
your everyday pantry items, you need not worry about spending extra
to make the play dough. Just mix up all the ingredients and you're done.

There are different ways of making play dough. This version is quick
and easy to make. No cooking required! It's a small batch which means
it wont be around for very long. If you have littles, I'm sure you know
what I mean when I say that the stuff can get nasty as the kids play
with it. If you want a bigger batch, just double the recipe. Voila! The
homemade play dough is now double the fun.

Easy DIY Play Dough

* 1 cup flour

* 1/2 cup salt

* 1/2 cup water
* 1 tbsp cooking oil
* 2 tsp cream of tartar

- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended.

  Store in an airtight container.

Go Grow Glow Foods

M's recent homework was on healthy lunch choices.
He had cut outs of what a healthy school lunch should look like.
It was a chance for us to talk about which foods were a good idea
for morning tea and lunch.

I thought it was a good idea to continue the discussion and talk
about Go, Grow and Glow Foods. What they are and why they're
important in keeping us healthy:
Go foods provide us with energy.
Grow foods help us grow bigger and stronger.
Glow foods give our skin glow and boost our immune system.

"Treats" are meant to be out of the ordinary (def.) and are not
a major food group.

Obesity is all too common in our society today. Good health isn't
something we suddenly have. It's about consistently making good
health choices and practicing self care. This is isn't a one time talk.
It's an ongoing conversation that our family will be having for many
years to come.

Resources:
Go Grow Glow Guide (NAQ Nutrition)
Harvard Healthy Eating Plate
Food Plate Template + Food
HealthyBalanced Plate Activity

Shakespeare for Children {2016}

Shakespeare!?!

If you find the thought intimidating, well you and me both. I know
of a few moms who read Shakespeare to their children because
Shakespeare is something dear to them. They are intimate with
the works and are merely passing the torch to the next generation.

I, on the other hand, have a very limited knowledge of Shakespeare.
I know of Romeo and Juliet but not much more beyond that.

Now here I am today, a mom of a 6yo, a 3.5yo and a 1.5yo, excited
to be introducing The Bard's works to my little ones.


Here are some books we'll be taking along for the journey:

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles & Mary Lamb presents
Shakespeare's works as simple stories for the children to enjoy.
The book was first published in 1807, and is said to have started
the sub genre which we now know to be Children's Shakespeare.

Once the kids are nicely settled and eating their afternoon snack,
I pull out Tales from Shakespeare and read a few pages at a time.
I usually start with a recap of what's happened then continue on
past where we ended. Nothing fancy. Just mom and the kids
reading a book and enjoying the afternoon. I'll be honest, I'll be
lucky to get in 10minutes of read aloud time. Patience. Patience.
Patience. It all builds up. When the kids get squirmy, I put down
the book and we're done for the day.

Tales from Shakespeare is available online for free. You may
find the out of copyright version here.

Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers by E. Nesbit is another
classic Children's Shakespeare book. I posted this next so you
can compare it against the Lamb version. Either would be a good
introductory book for children.

You may find the free out of copyright version here.

I so love Teach Your Child Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig. Ludwig
introduces us to some of his favourite passages and explains what's
going on in the text. What's the story about? Why did this character
say such? What key passages should we take to heart? As a
playwright and theatre director, Ludwig's experience translated
into a book that has made the plays come to life.

Our family has been slowly trying to incorporate memory work
into our meal times. We've tried poetry and bible verses. Shakespeare
is getting thrown into the mix as well. Teach Your Child Shakespeare
has great tips on how to go about memorizing Shakespeare. This book
is worth looking into if you want to take this route.


Books you may want to consider, depending on the age and
interest of your child:

I know some moms who're fans of the Shakespeare's retellings by
Bruce Coville. The pictures are beautifully drawn and the stories
are well written. The books remind me of the illustrated classics
that I read when I was a child.

Im sure young children will have fun with The Shakespeare Can Be
Fun! books. The approach of this series is more modern than the
other books mentioned. I'm sure my children will easily relate to
the illustrations in the book. Im tempted to go with this series next.

Mr. William Shakespeare's Plays by Marcia Williams is another
popular modern book that would appeal to children who like
comic books. The text is a bit small so it might appeal to those
who are already confident readers.


There you have it, a few books on Shakespeare for Children.
I hope you enjoy reading the books as much as we do in our home!

More FREE ABC Resources {2016}

Here are a few more ABC Resources we'll be using this year.

Raising Rocks Stars Writing Practice Sheets by 1+1+1

Alphabet Writing Sheets by Wild About Teaching

Alphabet Writing Sheets by Confessions of a Homeschooler

ABC Find It by 1+1+1

Beginning Sounds Coloring Sheets by Measured Mom

FREE ABC Resources {2016}

This 2016 is going to be an exciting school year for us.

2015 was about laying a good foundation for Pea. Baby R was still a baby
and tagging along.

Our focus was on learning the alphabet, counting from 1-20, learning
basic colors and shapes. We mostly read books. But we did use some
printables from Kindergaten Mom.

Link for FREE Kindergarten Mom ABC Printables

We spent lots of time playing with play dough, legos and toys. We drew a lot
and learned how to use our scissors.

We went outside and played in the garden for every day play.

We continued to go to the playgroup. And went to playgrounds.

We watched learning videos when it was time for Mom to do the cooking.

It was a happy busy year.

This year, we're eager to try out some new resources.

We're drawing inspiration from activities of The Measured Mom.
And starting out with these FREE ABC Resources from This Reading Mama:



Link for FREE Alphabet Worksheets

Link for FREE ABC Printable Packs 

Pea is now 3yo. R is already 1.5yo. How time flies.
And so it is that we press onwards until we're reading, writing
and doing maths.

p.s.
Some of the things we've been doing in the past can be found here.

2016 Calendars

Calendar by scrappystinkyinkymess

2016 is off to a slooooow start.
We had recently gone on an extended holiday and had just gotten back.
The kids' body clocks are still trying to get back to normal.
I'm just playing catch up.

So yeah, I forgot to buy a desk flip calendar. You read that right, Desk Flip.
Apparently, searching for something Desk Top will just lead you
to computer desktop images. Many thanks to MaryAnne and Kristen
for our 2016 calendar.

If you're still here, thank you :)

p.s. Check out scrappystinkyinkymess if you're into book folding.
Wow! So that's how it's done!