Summer Craft Kits 2013

Summer Craft Kit's are here!

Those of you that have purchased Summer Craft Kits you will find all supplies (except those noted and nature items) in your kits and ready to go! Have fun with your kiddos this summer! I will be updating the blog with picture instructions that will go along with your written instructions that are included in your kit.You can click the links below next to the picture of the craft to get the picture instructions (these won't be up until June).

I have sold out of what I have but I still may make up more kits and decide to ship. Email if you are interested.

Those of you that didn't purchase the kit you can still do the crafts with your kiddos, you just have to do your own supply gathering.

Have fun doing this with your kiddos!!!

Viewable Planter

Melted Crayon Rock Terrarium

Bee Home

Googly Eye Sunglasses

Garden Stone

Twiggy Name Frame

Abacus Number Match (Single Stem Idea)

When we were working on numbers for “N” week a while back I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the use of our abacus. In the blogosphere I have recently seen games where you can take pictures of things like a lego car and then have your kid rebuild it by looking at the picture. I decided this would work perfectly with our abacus. So Hornet and I worked together to build different numbers with the abacus and take pictures. We made up about 15 different picture cards. After the pictures were developed I wrote the number on the back with a Sharpie. I put them altogether on a ring and it was ready!

To practice numbers the boys looked at the side with the number and then made that number on the abacus. To check themselves they just had to flip the picture over to the picture side and see if it matched what they had on the abacus. This was a bit too difficult for my 3 and 4 year old but perfect for my 6 year old! 

This would be a great center in a kindergarten, first and second grade classroom or just at home for 5-7 year olds. It is nice because they can check their own work.

Enjoy this single stem idea of Abacus Number Match for
Seedlings (elementary age)...

 

This picture show practice for the number 52.

Once 52 has been created flip the 52 over and
check to see if the abacus looks like the picture.

The Stuff

The FUN!

Abacus (we got ours at IKEA) Camera to take pics of abacus at different numbers Permanent marker Hole punch Closeable ring (or just a piece of yarn would work fine)

1. Take pics of abacus and get them developed. 2. Write numbers on the back of the pics with a permanent marker. 3. Hole punch in the corner and attach them all together with a closeable ring  or just tie some yarn or string through the holes. 4. TO PLAY – look at the side with the numbers written on them and make the number on the abacus. Check to see if you are correct by looking at the picture on the other side. Repeat with the next one.

More ideas…

Please BRAINSTORM your ideas/suggestions in the COMMENTS below for the Abacus Number Match!
Happy Counting
~Sara

Orange Octopus (Single Stem Post)

We did the letter O this week (that post coming soon) and read the book Tickly Octopus by Ruth Galloway. We also sang a song called Orange Octopus from DLTK so we thought we would make an Orange Octopus. This idea was a collaborative effort with Roly Poly (4 yrs) and myself. Ever since my older son, Hornet made a cute frog mixing blue and yellow to make green in a Ziplock bag I have been wanting to do that idea, which worked great for our orange octopus. It was Hornet’s idea for the cheerios (or O’s as we’ve been calling them this week) for the suction cups on the tentacles. Speaking of tentacles, we did some test to see what material would work best. Surveyors tape looks cool but it doesn’t hold the cheerios very well. Felt holds the cheerios but you can’t let the glue sit very long because it soaks in and we also needed to use tacky glue to have the felt stick to the Ziplock. Paper works good as well but tacky glue is also best for attaching tentacles to the bag.  

Enjoy this single stem idea of Orange Octopus for
Sprouts and Seedlings (toddler/preschool and elementary age)...

The Stuff

The FUN!

Ziplock bag Yellow paint Red Paint Tape (I use clear packing tape) Orange felt or paper Glue Cheerios White circle Black marker

1. Put a dollop of yellow paint and a bit of red paint into a Ziplock bag. I taped the top with clear packing tape. 2. Kids squish the bag together to make orange! 3. Cut 8 tentacles out of felt or paper and use tacky glue to glue to bottom of Ziplock bag.   4. Glue cheerios to the tentacles. 5. Make eyeballs with white circles and marker and glue or tape down to the bag. We taped ours.   Let dry and display! We have ours in the window and the light looks cool coming through them!

Add yellow and red paint to a bag and tape the top.

Squish the paint to make orange!

Glue cheerios (suction cups) to the tentacles.

Glue everything together, let dry and display!

Tickly Octopus by Ruth Galloway

More ideas…

Please BRAINSTORM your ideas/suggestions in the COMMENTS below for the Orange Octopus!
Happy Crafting
~Sara

Monogram Necklace to support Friend Adopting a little girl from China

My friend Gretchen and her family are adopting a sweet little girl, Lillian from China. To help her raise money for the adoption journey I will be giving them half of all the profits from any Monogrammed Initial Necklace purchased now until her arrival (they probably will go to pick her up in June). The necklaces can be for you, a mom, a best friend. Initials can always be added if it is for a mom that may have more kiddos in the future.
You can get a Monogram Necklace at www.RockyMountainMommas.etsy.com
or you can just email me at saraballard6@yahoo.com if you don't want to set up an etsy account.

Abalone

Mother of Pearl

Natural Mussel Shell

Also, check out their blog for more info on their adoption story! http://coloradofranks.com/

Thank you very much!
Sara