Crazy Contraptions Co-op Class (I promise, no more intentional alliteration.)

Dad taught a class this past year at our co-op called Crazy Contraptions.  How our co-op works is that right after we finish the school year, each family completes an end of year survey.  One of the sections on the form asks what the students would be interested in learning about and what classes the parents would be interested in teaching the following year.  Those suggestions are turned into a prospective class list and sent back out to families for a first round of voting, each child choosing up to five courses.  That's the step we are at right now.  Soon, we'll get the second round and will probably have to choose a top three.  I do admit, there has been a time or two I've pretended I couldn't count and selected four classes for a kid.  That usually happens when one of the older punks really wants to choose a class, I'd rather they not take.  I include their list and my preference with an explanation.

Anyhoo, an unsuspecting parent is sometimes asked to teach an instructorless class.  Enter, Micah.  LOL  In the end, the students in the class ended up being younger than anticipated (he had ten boys twelve and younger), so the projects became a bit easier after the first one.  Here are some of the Crazy Contraptions the boys ended up making.

A walking robot thingy.

A do nothing box thingy.

A working catapult.

Rube Goldberg machines.

Paper and duct tape rockets.

Hovercraft.

They also made the rattlesnake egg pranks (remember those?).  The boys were so excited the next time we met to tell us all about who they frightened.  And Micah took in a Jacob's ladder he made.

Mrs. A and I helped with class almost every week.  We also invited Mrs. M, Mrs. P, Mr. R, and Mr. C to help out once or thrice (the punks are loving that word lately).   Co-op is a great example of gaining knowledge for our kiddos from people outside of our home (though, in this case, it was Dad).

What are some ways you share your talents with others or borrow from other adults and older kiddos for your children?

gEEk School ~ Marshmallow Shooter

Xav was gifted with this terrifically fun marshmallow shooter.  It was a snap to assemble and is a huge hit.  Xav and Merrick particularly enjoyed it and their laughter was contagious.

You need just five pieces of PVC pipe.

• Two inch
• Five inch
• Seven inch
• Two 90* elbows

Add in some marshmallows and a target.  We also found that the small craft pompoms worked OK, too.

I'm sorry, I don't know where this particular target came from, but you can use or make any target.  Three dimensional targets are fun, too.  Set up paper towel and toilet paper tubes and knock them over with your marshmallow projectiles.

Super easy assembly, as shown above.  Pop the marshmallow in the end of the 5" piece, which is also the end you blow in.  I'd guess the elbow joints tend to slow your projectile down a bit.  With the boys in this house, slowing them down is definitely a plus!

It wouldn't be a great project in this house unless some alterations were made to the design.  "Just this once." 

I Made My Kid "Nunchuks"

Xav got it in his head that he needed a set of nunchaku.  If you don't know, nunchuks are an martial arts weapon made out of two sticks and a short rope or chain connecting the sticks.  I have no idea what brought on this desire, probably Lego.  Thanks a lot.  I was not about to have him clobbering people and breaking things around the house with a couple of sticks.  When he asked me to help him make some, I mulled it over a bit before I agreed to the task.

I had just received a blanket as a gift.  It was wrapped around a piece of foam, which I guess was intended to make the blanket appear more plush or larger than it really was.  Jerks.  But it *is* a nice soft blanket which has since been removed from my possession by Merrick.  Anyway, that piece of foam became the "stick" filler.  We dug through the duct tape assortment and Xav, surprisingly, went with plain white.  But, how to hook them together?   That was the real brain teaser.  Some days, I feel justified in hanging onto all the weird stuff I have...  I found a lanyard with a badge clip on one end.

First, we cut the foam piece in half.  There's nothing technical about it.  I measured nothing.  I had a piece of foam and I needed two pieces of foam, so we cut it in halfish.  I had Xav start making duct tape "sheets" by cutting off strips of several inches and overlapping them so they stuck together.  They needed to be as long as the foam piece.  When that was ready, I knotted and Xav tucked one end of the lanyard into the foam as I rolled it tightly into a long cylinder.  I had cut a small piece of duct tape and made a small X cut in the center.  We used that to help hold the lanyard into the end of the foam.  Then we placed the rolled foam on the duct tape sheet and rolled it tightly again, sticking the tape to itself.

For the second piece, I slipped the X cut tape on the lanyard first, facing the opposite way as the first piece.  Then we tied a knot again and rolled it into the foam.  When the foam was rolled, we wrapped it tight in another duct tape sheet. 

Xav had a blast playing ninja and spinning it around.  The two pieces did eventually separate because the boys have a habit of holding it over their heads, a "stick" in each hand.  They played with it intact for a couple weeks though and Xav still uses the one end still attached to the lanyard.  It was a fun project together and it makes him feel special when we do something, just the two of us.  I hope this inspires you to make something guy-like with your boys.

Cards "Kind Friend"

I made these cards a while back, which made me feel quite "accomplishy" since I rarely make my own cards anymore.  I have a whole craftroom full to the ceiling with papercrafts, some beads, and a few sewing supplies.  It's pretty sad. 

Most of what I own (and really love) is older Stampin' Up! stuff.  I used to be a demonstrator.  These cards used one of my all time favorite stamps.  I quite literally bought the All Holidays stamp set just for this stamp.  Not that I didn't *like* the others, there are just a bajillion and three other sets out there for the same holidays.

I didn't really have a plan before I started.  I just wandered the room grabbing stamps, ribbon, and punches that I really love, then I came upstairs and chose my paper.  Probably kind of backwards, but I think it really worked here.  I created three friend cards and one birthday card while I was at it, as well as bookmarks.

Chalkboard Vases and Jars

At co-op last year, we decided to have each family make or buy individual thank you gifts for our board members rather than give an impersonal gift card.  This is the craft I decided on.

I used Valspar Chalkboard spray paint to cover some inexpensive glass vases.  It was a really simple process and I was pleased with the results.  The finished product was nice and smooth.  I wrote a monogram on each vase and covered *just the monogram* with hairspray to seal it.  That left the rest of the vase to be decorated and changed by the recipient however and as often as they wanted.  Just an FYI, if you make this project, when I sprayed the sealant, the monograms became very light until it dried.  I would not expect the monogram to hold up to much washing.  But how much washing does a chalkboard vase need?

I also had these hinged jars.  They're a lot like old mason jars.  Since I had chalkboard paint left over, I removed the metal hardware and sprayed these two jars as well.  I gave one to Trish for her birthday (along with a "I eat glitter for breakfast" Tshirt).

I finished up with three small magnet boards.  I had purchased them at The Christmas Tree Shop ages ago.  I always want to spell that shoppe.  I hot glued magnets to some neat flat, white, glass pebbles I had.  Those were gifted to my mom, step-mom, and mother-in-law.  I was a little disappointed in the texture and am not sure if it was because I painted metal, the weather the day I worked on them, or because it was nearing the end of the can of paint.

THMJ Week of 12/22/13

  Merry Christmas!

    In my life this week…
We finished Christmas prep, did less cooking than I intended because of all the power outages, entertained Christine, tried to stay warm...  It was a good week.

    In our homeschool this week…
We were frequently interrupted by power outages all week.  We maybe didn't have much school this week.

    What we're reading... 
We finished Jotham's Journey

Mere Christianity
Homeschool Adventure Co.'s Mere Christianity: Critical Analysis Journal 

    Around the house... 
The power was out for over 90 hours this week, at least part of every single day except Christmas. 

    Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
We dragged Christine to Church Street for some wandering and shopping.


    My favorite thing this week was…
Christine was here!  She brought T-Rex with her.  We cooked.  We went to "the city."

    My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
Christine was here!  She is way more fun than mommy.  :)

    Things I’m working on…
Baby crinkle paper.  This went into some tactile wipe container toys I made.  Merrick still plays with his.  I made three more for Christmas gifts.

    Things Dad is working on...
Micah made (yes, I said he *made* them!) Tetris cookie cutters and The Bigger (Dave) made me some cookies with them.  One of the most thoughtful gifts ever.

 

    I’m cooking…
The usual ham, scalloped potatoes, and sweet potato casserole for Christmas dinner.  After Christine arrived, we did some fun cooking, although not as much as we would have had we had power all week.  She made a barley and parmesan thing that was so yummy.  We made hummus and a soup with quinoa, spinach, and potatoes.  

    Out of the mouths of boys... 
Talking about safety with Mal and Xav, I asked them our address, phone numbers, and Mommy and Daddy's names.
Mal:  Mr. and Mrs. Gxxxxxx?
Me:  Well, yes.  But what are our first names?
Mal:  Um, Jodi.
Me:  Yes.  And Daddy is...?
Mal:  *blank*
Me:  What does Mommy call Daddy?
Mal:  *brightens*  OH!  Loverbutterbean!

    I’m grateful for…
So many things, I'm planning a post for it.

    I’m praying for…
The homeless and hungry.  

    A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…
A great article about the value of the teenage workforce.  Are we helping or hindering them by overpaying?

Link up over at The Homeschool Mother's Journal.

THMJ Week of 12/8/13

    In my life this week…
It is wicked frigid this week, with temps below zero several nights already this year.
The chickens finally started laying eggs.  Well, at least one of them is anyway.  So far, I found one medium sized egg at the beginning of the week, one shell-less freeze dried yolk (yuck!), and one large egg that had frozen and cracked.  That's one egg for us and two for the compost.  Not bad for feeding and housing those stupid birds for over 21 weeks.

    In our homeschool this week…
We used SchoolhouseTeachers.com a lot this week.  I appreciated the quality of the classes we used.  Now I think it *might* be time to start thinking about adding one of the foreign language courses on the site.

    In our homeschool co-op this week... 
Our Christmas party!  We had so much fun.  Malachi was nervous about accepting his gift in front of everyone.  Afterward, he said, "I am never doing that again!"  So cute. 

    What we're reading... 
Read-alouds

• Jotham's Journey
• A multitude of Christmas picture books.

Personal Reading

• Mere Christianity and the Critical Analysis Journal

    Around the house... 
I won a 6x6" canvas this summer. I finally painted some canvases to hang with it.  I {{love}} all my boys.  I'm not 100% sure I will stick with this layout, but I'm good with it for now.

    My favorite thing this week was…
Date night!  We had so much fun at a *grown up* party!  No kids.  Hilarity ensued!  The usual hour home took nearly two and our poor sitter got snowed in with us.  OK.  That part may not have been a favorite.  :D  

    The kiddos favorite thing this week was...
Learning to play Twister.  Or maybe that was my favorite thing to watch!

    I’m cooking…
It is a no cook recipe, but I made pickle rolls for two gatherings this week.  You just spread a flour tortilla with cream cheese, layer on some cold cuts (I used ham and turkey), and roll around some dill pickles.  Then slice them into bite-sized pieces.  We only had a few leftover from the Friday School party and none at all from another gathering.  That makes them a hit in my book.  When I was a kid, my mom used to make something similar with sweet gherkins and a slice of bologna.

    Out of the mouths of babes... 
Xavier was talking to Micah about divorce.  He told Micah if he and I ever stopped loving each other he would build a heart shaped wall around us and make us stay in it until we loved each other again.



Guess that's about it for this week!  Don't forget to check out all the other moms at The Homeschool Mother's Journal!

September - Yeesh, I'm behind!

The Fair




First day of Christian Friday School


We painted our pumpkins since it was too early to carve them.




PDub's whiskey cream sauce boiling down. I served it with steak and pasta for our anniversary.

Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts {{Giveaway}}

I am so excited to offer this giveaway! I have heard *raves* about Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts for ages now, most recently from The Old Schoolhouse Facebook page. I seriously wondered what all the hype was about. Each month (September to May) Shirley sends you a nice little box loaded to the gills with papers, a calendar, a letter of encouragement, instructions and everything you need to complete 12 crafts (craft sticks, brads, pipe cleaners, stickers - whatever the crafts require). All you need to provide is a busy preschooler and craft basics like scissors, glue, tape and crayons.

I contacted Shirley and she very graciously provided me with the February box. After some discussion with her, we decided the pack I should offer for a giveaway would be April. Stay tuned at the end of this post to find out how to enter to have the April craft kit mailed directly to your house!

February's Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts box focused on heart shape, the number seven and the color red. These were incorporated into some of the crafts. Holidays are also recognized in each box. For this package, they were National Children's Dental Health Month, Valentine's Day and President's Day. We also learned about the Armor of God with this box. The instruction sheets list all of the craft instructions with a small image of the completed craft as well as a list of items needed from the package and from your own craft supplies.


Even though the crafts are for "preschoolers", Malachi enjoyed doing some of them as well. I would think any early elementary child who enjoys quick, simple crafting would have fun with most of the crafts. Even I had a little crayon fun on a few of the pieces. A couple of crafts were altered a bit by my boys. For instance, on the tooth brushing page, Mal decided to make a puzzle out of the tooth he attached by cutting it into several pieces after cutting it out. Xavier didn't want to cut the ladybug body out of the white sheet of paper. That was all OK. They enjoyed themselves each time I pulled the craft box out. They are both still working on scissor skills, so we did sometimes help with that. Since they shared a box, they were working on different crafts at the same time and occasionally *someone* got a little ahead of me while I helped his brother.


The littles really enjoyed creating with Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts and I liked knowing all I needed to do was grab the pages and pieces needed for any project, check the instruction sheet to see what was needed from our craft supplies and gather the boys to the table. It was so easy!


One month of Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts sells for $18, including shipping. Only Minnesota residents pay tax. There are also subscription options. Receive three consecutive months for $52.50 or subscribe to the full, nine month school year (September to May) for $153.

What do we do with all of those crafts? Well, some will go in the littles' portfolios for this school year. I took photos of the other crafts and will be sending some special people a few tokens of love from the littles.


**Now for the giveaway part! Leave a comment on this post and tell me about a favorite craft that you have made with your own children or that you remember from your childhood. I will choose a winner on Sunday, March 6. I need to be able to get your address right away for the April box, so be sure to leave your email address in the comment. If, by some chance, the winner has not responded to my email when I check on the morning of the 9th, I will choose another winner. However, that winner will likely receive the May craft box. Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts only ships in the US. One entry per person, please.**


Note: Only 8 of the 12 projects from February's craft box are shown here.

I received one box of Shirley's Prepackaged Crafts free of charge to complete this review.

Homeschool Valentine

What do you do when your poor, isolated homeschooled children are denied the joy of exchanging valentines? Well, you join a swap with other homeschooling families across the nation. Over a period of about 10 days, we received valentines from Washington, Texas, Georgia and other places. We made it a geography project. Some families sent candy, pencils, stickers and information about their states. The packages we sent in return had road maps of Vermont which listed points of interest all around our beautiful state.



We needed something to hold all of our valentines, so the littles decorated these cute little mailboxes I picked up at Target.

An Alphabet Game

I made this letter game for the boys. My plan was a board of some kind where they could put the uppercase letters in alphabetical order and then place the lowercase letters on top. After our Lego advent was done, I decided to keep the plastic tray with 24 sections in it for sorting games. It works great for this alphabet game, we just leave Y and Z on the table.


I made the scallop circles with SU!'s scallop circle punch and then used a smaller circle punch for the lowercase letters. I used some stickers, which were just plain awful. It came out fine though, after the hassle and the littles like the game.

.

The Mitten

Recently, during our Winter Wonders unit, we found a fun book we'd never read before. The Mitten by Jan Brett is a Ukrainian folk tale about a boy who loses his snow white mitten. A bunch of animals climb into the mitten until finally, a bear sneezes and all the animals fall out. The boys and I really enjoyed it. The following week at Friday School, Miss Trish brought The Mitten and a mitten craft to craft class.

Tea Wallet

I made some of these adorable tea wallets! I might make some more sometime. Instructions were found here.

Stampin' Up! Workshop

Had some girls over for a workshop during SaleABration, so we didn't miss out on the freebies. I miss being a demo, but it's almost as fun to be a hostess! Here are the projects we made. Wemdy Cunningham was my demo. She did a great job, as always.

Shoebox Swap Results

Recently, I hosted a Shoebox Swap by Mail on Splitcoast Stampers. For those who don't know, a normal shoebox swap is when a bunch of people get together to create cards together, but instead of making multiple cards and trading completed projects, you design a card and prep for it. Then you pack paper, ink, stamps, punches, etc. that are needed to complete the card into a shoebox and everyone gets to assemble the projects themselves.

That is a bit harder to do by mail! :D What I had everyone do was design and prep card kits. Since we couldn't mail stamps and such to everyone, the stamping had to be done as well as any special techniques. Then the original was placed in an envelope so I couldn't see it (because I wanted to play along, not just host the swap). Everyone received their card kits and have been assembling their cards, using what was received in the kit and their imaginations. I did allow adding extra stuff or altering what came in the kit if they wanted.

Sara and I took two spots, so we each ended up with twenty cards! It has been so much fun working on these! I finally finished the coloring and am posting my cards as well as the originals here. Except for one photo (which I will note), the original artwork is the card in the center. Thank you girls for a really fun and incredible swap! If I messed up names, please let me know. Ready?

This card is by Mary. maryb3 on SCS. I really like the pink on black. Mary also included little sequin flowers and cute little dots. My butterfly on the right has wire antennae. I really need to practice more with wire.
Here is Diane's card. ppq on SCS. Love these happy colors and those scallop punch flowers. Here is Misti's card. misti.stowell on SCS. I seem to have been a little placement challenged the day I put these two together. This card is great. It makes me think of my grandpa. I sure miss him.This one is by Beth. mycatbillybob on SCS. I got such a kick out of the flamingo "conga line". I had to add some ribbon to the one on the left to have enough for the ribbon frame. For the card on the right, I cut up the conga line for the front and put the large flamingo inside. For those of you wondering, here is a ribbon frame tutorial by waltzingmouse.
Here's the inside.This one is by Jen. ilovebuttons on SCS. She used some kind of cool sparkly chalk-like stuff on her card. I felt bad for the frog, being in a jar and everything, so I named the one on the left Houdini and replaced him in the jar with the birthday wishes!
This one is by Megan. megsberger on SCS. Megan, I loved this card, but it made me crazy trying to figure out what to do with the green square only for Sara to finally tell me you placed it on the back of your card! I laughed so hard at myself! This is the back. ;)This one is by Diane. ldyglfr62 on SCS. These little mice are A. Dor. A. Ble. And I learned the hard way on this card that I am not a good colorer. For the one on the left, I used my classic ink. I like the one on the right using watercolor pencils much better!
This one is by April. aahannah59 on SCS. Super cute and all I added was ribbon.Here is the inside.
These are by Sara. Chicagogirl on SCS. I love these cards! I am a big fan of earth tones. The blue card is the one I messed up placement for the photo. Sara's original is actually the card on the left.
ETA: I just realized I never took a picture of the inside of Sara's butterfly card. Drat!
These cards are mine. The brown one has a shadow box, but instead of filling it, I put a brown rub on flower inside and a lighter flower on the window. It looks shadowed. For the pink card, I stamped different sentiments on each side of the white CS, so people could choose which one they wanted to use. I let Xavier help me with the stamping on a couple of the envelopes and he took it upon himself to continue stamping without me in the room. Luckily, the inkpad was closed. I kept the one he goobered up the most and hopefully no one knew a 3 year old stamped their envelopes before reading it here now. :D