Fun at the Picnik

I have tried to figure out Photoshop time and time again.  One I don't have time, two I don't have the patience.  I was reading about Picnik on a blog a while ago and gave it a try.  I loved the results of the editing and the ease of use.  They offer the customer  many different tools and effects.  The website is  user friendly and such a great price.  You can upload 5 photos at a time, have many of the features for free.  Or for around $25.00 /year you can upload 100 photos at a time, and receive premium features. 

When we went on our hike last week I was able to snap some photos of the kiddos.  I thought it would be

fun to hop back on Picnik and get creative.  Now I have to order prints. 

Silly guy and Little man -black and white

Silly guy-black and white

Sweet girl- black and white w/ the vingnette feature

Little man- 1960's feature w/ vignette

My 3 kiddos-auto adjust

Little man- auto adjust, vignette

Sweet girl-I think Orton-ish

Silly guy-cinemascope

Hickam Wetland Hike

Last Thursday afternoon the kids and I decided to take a hike.   We had never been on the Hickam Wetland Hike (located on the Air Force Base).  We thought it would be fun and maybe we would see something new.  It was a short hike but perfect for a weekday afternoon. 

Here are some pictures of our findings.

One of the trails along the hike led us down to the ocean front.  This was a short stretch of beach filled with these holes.  They are the home of the ghost crab.  This guy has to be pretty big. 

The kids were excited when they found tracks along the hike.  They found two different sets which were on different trails along the way.  When we got home we researched on the internet to try to figure out what kind of animal left these tracks(mongoose, dog, cat, ???).  We couldn't find anything so I told the kids when we make our next library trip we'll see if we can find a book about tracks. 

A couple of plant species along the trail. 

   

As we returned to the picnic area we found this wild animal.  He was a friendly little critter who was very proud of his antlers. He was too cute! I just had to take him home:)

Chicken Chipolte Cheesesteak

.    The sub was a little spicy. Thank goodness everyone in our house likes spicy food because it was delicious!  The recipe made about 5 stuffed subs. 

Ingredients:   1 can chipolte chiles in adobo sauce, 2 tsp of olive oil, 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast, 1 cup of onion, 1 cup of red bell pepper(cut into strips), 2 tsp. bottled minced garlic, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, about 1 cup shredded sharp cheese, and sub rolls

1. 
   
   Take one of the chiles out of the can and mince.  Also, take out 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce.  Set aside.
2. 
   
   Slice the chicken breasts very thin.  Heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet.  Cook the chicken until it is done about 4-5 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. 
   
   Heat another tsp of oil in pan.  Add in your onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme.  Saute for about 4 minutes.  Stir in the chile and adobo sauce.  Cook for about 30 seconds. 
4. 
   
   Add the chicken to the mixture.  Add salt.  Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. 
5. 
   
   Remove from heat and add cheese.  Stir until cheese melts. 
6. 
   
   Add the mixture to the sub rolls dividing evenly.
7. 
   
   Enjoy!

The Letter "B"

There is so many fun things to do with the letter "B".  It was enjoyable for me and my Little Man. 

• Playing with bubbles-which is always a favorite 
•  playing catch with balloons
• crawling like a baby race
• playing  London Bridge 
• Sing Two Little Blackbirds. For this song we made puppets. He wanted to sing it over and over again.  Even though the two puppets were identical he wanted to keep switching puppets so he could be both Peter and Paul-to funny.  
• Building with Blocks
• Look at baby pictures

Some more fun learning about the letter "B":

Little man sorted beans by color and size.  

  

 

He made his very own shape book. 

 

He made this butterfly magnet from a coffee filter, clothes pin, and pom poms.   

I made him a felt board.  He played a game of matching the bug to the flower.  I pre made the shapes with my cricut cutting machine and glued a piece of sandpaper to the back so it would stick onto the felt board. 

Making brownies!  Yum!!

Some books we enjoyed:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You? 

Spot Goes to the Beach

Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear!

Wheels on the Bus

My, Oh My A Butterfly! All about Butterflies

Baby Beluga

The Going to Bed Book

The Red Devils

Well, the Red Devil season wrapped up last weekend with a win.  It was splendid season enjoyed by Silly guy and his family.  He learned so much from his coach about sportsmanship, being a team player, and skills. I think the most important lesson he took away this season was to have fun.  He has always taken sports very seriously.  At his age(9) I think to much seriousness can take away from the fun.  From the very first practice his coach set this example for the boys.  Silly guy told me this was his favorite season and I think this have fun attitude was the reason. He completly took the pressure off of them.  He taught him skills during practice and the game was a chance to show they studied their homework.  Before the game would begin he'd tell them what skills he wanted to see them use and they did it.  

So Tuesday evening, we had the team party where the boys received their trophies.  But better than that they once again had a blast.  Coach and the boys had planned ahead of time to bring Nerf guns.  Many of us parents had no idea of this plan.  Some of the boys forgot(including my own) but no worries because coach brought enough for everyone.  They ran around for 2 1/2 hours playing Nerf guns.  I couldn't get him to leave.     

Making Paper

In Bible, Silly guy has been learning about the geography and men of the Old Testament. This past week he was learning about Moses and how he crossed Israel's children through the Red Sea. Also learning that Papyrus is a reed that grows in Egypt and was used to make paper. 
So, we thought it would be fun to make our own paper.  We used the eco-friendly version making recycled paper.  It is really a very simple process if you are only making one sheet. 

Step One:  Shred newspaper into tiny pieces

Step Two:  Add warm water to the bucket covering the paper completely.

Let the paper soak over night in the warm water.  Meanwhile if you don't have a screen available this is how we made one.  I purchased some screen from the hardware store.  I found it was cheaper to buy by the foot(for a project like this). We took an old picture frame, pulled the screen tightly around the frame and nailed in some staples.  If you have a staple gun that would work better. 

And you have a screen.

Step Three and Four pictures are mixed up: 

Step Three: you strain the old water and add new warm water.

Step Four:  Take a mixer and mix the paper/water mixture.

Step Five:  Add mix into a blender and pulse until it forms a mush.

Step Six:  I would suggest going outside.  Pour a layer of the mush onto the screen, making sure you lay a towel underneath to absorb the liquid.  Spread evenly.  Silly guy found this to be gross.

Step Seven:  Take a board(we used a cutting boad) and press firmly on top of the mush to press out all remaining liquid.

Step Eight:  Flip the screen over on a dry cotton cloth for the paper to dry.

Fun!

Economics Study

Sweet girl has been studying Economics in History.  It has been great for her to understand this part of society. 
She had to write a report on the life and accomplishments of an entrepreneur(Henry Ford).  She also chose a communist or socialist country to write a report on.  It was in the assignment to compare their way of life to her own family's.  She choose to write about China;  government, finding a job, shopping, education being her main points of comparision.  I have to say this report was one of her best this year.  I can tell her planning process is getting much better and the way she communicates her research. 
The second part of her study has included learning about savings and investments, how prices regulate supply and demand , and how government regulates money.  This unit has also had her looking ahead in her own personal financial program.  She had to research colleges and find out the cost to attend four years.  Which can I say WOW!  One assignment had her setting financial goals(immediate, intermediate, and long range)for herself.  She is a saver so this assignment was not easy for her.  I was trying to help her but she kept saying I don't really need anything.  She also had to compare prices from different retailers for a product(I Pod). 
 She was on the computer tonight and I asked her what she was doing.  She told me she was trying to decide on a charity to donate too.  She went on to tell me she had added that into her financial plan.  I guess she found a need for her money. Her plan is to donate 10%  to an animal rescue(either OSPCA, ASPCA, Hawaii Dog Foundation, Joey's Feline Friends).  
She has always been business minded which I think is why she found this unit so interesting.  She absorbed every bit of information this unit had to offer her .  Good stuff! 

Pet for the Week

Little Man is getting to that age where he wants to collect whatever he finds outdoors, put it in a cage, and keep it.  Just when Sweet girl and Silly guy was getting out of this stage,lol. 
He found this little guy trying to get off of our porch before the afternoon sun.  He was struggling and Sweet girl was certain he wasn't even alive.  She said she saw him curl into his shell but he was already getting toasty. 
Little Man came into the house and got a critter cage, put grass and rocks inside of it.  Next thing you know, I have a snail in my kitchen.  It just sat there for a day or two.  I was beginning to think Sweet girl was right and he was probably no longer with us.  I kept telling Little man,"We have to let him go hunny.  I don't think he is alive."  He insisted of course that I was wrong. "Mommy, he is just asleep in his shell." 
So, now I am thinking to myself how am I going to explain this to him.  It was already beginning to smell. 
The next day we came down the stairs and Little man ran over to check on his snail.  He was at the top!!  We were all shocked that he had moved.  I gave him some fresh water.  After breakfast we checked on him again. He was out of his shell soaking up the water in the dish.  It was so much fun to watch Little Man's face.
He turned to me and said,"See Mom, I told you he was sleeping."  Well, I had to agree. 
We only kept him one more day because we weren't sure what to feed a snail and the fact he was a wild animal.  Although stinky, he was fun to observe.

The Polar Regions Lapbook

Not only have I enjoyed making these lapbooks for Silly guy we also love to complete them together.  So I made another lapbook to go along with his study of the Polar Regions.  He has enjoyed this unit so much.  I think it is the mystery and the fact these two regions were the last places to be discovered and explored.  It has facinated him.  So, here is the Polar Region Lapbook(click here) over at HSLaunch to download. In the lapbook I have included different explorers, animal and plant life, vocabulary, people of the Arctic region, map pages, exploration of both regions, etc.  When we finish the lapbook I will come back and post a picture.  I hope you enjoy learning about this part of our world as much as we have:)

The Letter A

Learning about the letter A was the start of our A to Z Journey.

Some things we did for the week:

Little Man had fun making animal crackers(above).  I would offer the recipe but they really didn't taste that great.  We followed it to the T but I don't know what happened.  I am hoping it was just a bad recipe:)Little Man just picked off the sprinkles. Silly guy rushed into the kitchen excited to have baked goods. Until he tasted them, lol.  Sweet girl(poor thing) was in the shower during the taste test.  Silly guy thought it would be funny to offer her one.  Let's just say I could hear her from the other room spitting them in the trash.  Yes, they were that bad, lol.  It was still fun for him to mix the ingredients and cutting the animal shapes. 

He created his "A" activity card/vocabulary card using dot art markers.  He just loves using the dot art markers.  These markers were such a great investment.  I bought them when Silly guy was 3($12.00).  I didn't want to spend $12.00 on markers but since they have lasted 6 yrs and counting, I'd say they were worth it.   

He made an aquarium for art.  We used a styrofoam meat tray and glued a blue piece of paper on for the background.  Then some fish stickers, streamers for sea weed, sea shells, and some dye-cut fish.  To finish it off we covered the outside of the tray with a piece of saran wrap(taping the back).  Cute! 

For math, we sorted and counted animal crackers.  We also used different shape crackers(Club crackers, Ritz crackers, Wheat Thins, Triscuits-the triangle ones) to have fun with shapes and patterns.  I also cut up apples and we counted apple pieces.  Afterwards, math became snack:) 

We played a game with the concepts above and around. This is a great game to  work on direction.  He enjoyed crawling around things(chairs, table, kitchen cabinets).  He thought it was so silly to be crawling around all over the house.  Then we used toys and put them above our heads.  Also, pointing out what else was above us. 

We also played a game of act like animals.  This game is always best when put to music.  It has also started something.  He has asked me just about everyday to take him to the zoo. 

To top it off, he was sitting on the floor coloring with colored pencils(Sunday).  He said to me,"Look mom I made an A."  I turned to look and he had.  He used 3 pencils to make his very own letter A:)))

Some books we enjoyed: 

The Lady with the Alligator Purse by: Nadine Bernard Westcott

Ten Apples Up On Top! by: Dr. Seuss

Eating the Alphabet: Frutits & Vegetables from A to Z by: Louis Ehlert

Baby Einstein: Jane's Animal Expedition by: Julie Aigner-Clark

I Love Animals: Wild, Scary, Cute or Cuddly, We Love Them All ! by: Roger Priddy

I think he really enjoyed his first week on his A to Z journey.  I know I enjoyed every moment!  Now onto B!

The Squirrel and the Owl: An Earth Day Fable

Silly guy has been learning about fables and parables in Language Arts.  He wrote a fable on Earth Day about an acorn shell throwing squirrel and a earth wise owl.  He tried to incorporate a lesson in the spirit of Earth Day- "Take care of the Earth". 
He thought it would be fun to make it into a play.  He wrote the script, made costumes(nothing too fancy), gathered props and assigned parts to his "cast".  He was squirrel,  Sweet girl was the owl and I was the narrator.  They practiced for a good part of the day on the play. 
Finally they were ready to perform when dad came home from work.  I recorded the play with my camera and wanted to put it right here in this post for everyone to view(it was too cute). But now I can't find the movie upload button. I have no idea where it went.   Anyway, I guess instead I will give you the written version of the fable.

The Squirrel and the Owl
by:  Silly Guy

One day in Tiger Woods there was a squirrel.  As he was walking home he realized he was very hungry.  Then he found a pile of acorns laying on the ground.  "Wow, this is going to be a feast!" said the squirrel excitedly.  He began to eat them all up.  As he ate them he threw the shells on the ground.  Mrs. Owl was watching from the tree.  She was upset to see  Squirrel littering all over Tiger Woods.  Mrs. Owl yelled," Hey squirrel!  Don't eat too many acorns and pick up your trash!"  Squirrel said ," You should mind your own business Owl."  He thought about what the owl said for a minute but didn't listen.
Then the squirrel noticed that the shells were getting piled up.  The acorn mess was so piled up he couldn't get back into his nest.  All of the sudden the rain started to pour down.  He cried," How am I going to get in my house now?  I should have cleaned up my trash like Mrs. Owl told me to."  He started to cry because he had to sleep out in the rain.
The next day Squirrel had learned his lesson.  He decided he would clean up his shell trash.  It took him all day long to clean up too.  At the end of the day Squirrel said to Mrs. Owl," I should've listened to you Mrs. Owl.  I have learned my lesson.  I will clean up my trash and take care of the Earth." 
The lesson in this fable:  Take care of the Earth

Report Writing

The kiddos have had many writing assignments this year.  I think report writing is giving them  a great opportunity for learning.  They have to research, read about, and write about a topic they are currently studying.  I have enjoyed this curriculum for many reasons(Lifepac). One of them being, it offers many opportunities for research writing. 

Sweet girl has had 3+ research report assignments per week since the first day of school.  It has given her tons of practice and she is improving with every assignment.  I am requiring that they follow the MLA style for writing and works cited. 

Recently Silly guy has had quite a few research assignments himself.  Up until this point they have been here and there.  So, I am still having to help him through the process.  I think  taking notes part is what stumps him many times.  He wants to write about everything he reads.  Using an outline has helped him with note taking. 

However,  a problem I have been having with both children is proof reading.  Sometimes they will hand me work and I feel I am repeatedly telling them the same thing.  Does it have a title?  Does it have your name and date?  Did you spell/grammar check? Complete sentences?  Most of the time I will hear "yes" but then I will read their writing and things are missing or still mis-spelled. 
Out of my own frustration, I have come up with a check list for them.  I put it in their notebooks and one on the wall(just in case).   I am hoping this will help them to become better writers, more independent, and help keep me stay sane:)

Things on their check list:
Does it have a title?  Did you underline?
Did you indent paragraphs?
Did you check grammar( punctuation, capitalization, agreements, complete sentences)?
Is it neat? 
Is you name, date, and grade included in the heading?
Does every paragraph have a topic sentence and details to support it?
Do you have an introduction and conclusion?
Did you include quotes(if applicable)? 
Did you follow the directions of the assignment?
Is your works cited included?
I read my work aloud.

So now having it in black and white they know what is expected with every research assignment, right??? ;)

A to Z Activity/Vocabulary Cards

I made some Activity/Vocabulary cards for Little Man's journey from A to Z.  I have uploaded them to my HSLaunch page.  If you would like to download the A to Z Activity/Vocabulary set click here .  These cards are great.  On all of the cards I have included upper and lowercase letter(at the top), a large upper case letter in the center for creativity, pictures at the bottom along with the word of the picture.  You could also print the cards, laminate and hang on the wall. So far we have completed A and B. 

For the letter A, we used dot art markers to draw around the letter. For the letter B, we glued some foam bugs-how fun!

Some other ideas for getting creative with these cards(inside the big center letter) are:

Glue beans

Glue rice
Stickers: either the letter stickers or stickers of animals,etc.
Cut letters from magazines or newspapers and glue inside
Glitter
Sequins
Foam letters or animals
Glue sand
Glue shapes or numbers(C-circles, H-heart, F-fives, etc.)
Dot art markers
Buttons
Tissue Paper
Wrapping  or constuction paper
Grass(letter G)
Fabric pieces
If I think of other things I will add on later. Or even better, if you have any ideas you would like to share please post a comment.  If you would like to visit my page at HSLaunch to check out my other downloads click the blue link box(in the column, on the left).

School Room Makeover

My kids are learning about weather in Science.  Silly guy had a fun project to create a cozy spot for a rainy day.  Well, let's just say we put our own twist on it.  Hawaii doesn't get to many rainy days.  Usually if it does rain it is very short.  So,we decided we would makeover our school room instead.
They made a plan on scrap paper first and then I let them loose on the wall.  Little man helped with painting the flowers and then decided he wanted to put his hands on the wall instead.  Silly guy worked on the tree and flowers.  Sweet girl painted the rainbow, birds, and the sunshine.   
 I think it turned out pretty.  They had such a great time!! 

Moving On

We have unofficially been informed we are transferring to Nevada.  I say unofficially because we don't actually have the orders in our hands yet.  We are looking forward to this move because we have been in Hawaii for 3 1/2 years.  That is the longest we have ever stayed in one spot.  Hawaii has been a great adventure.  The homeschooling community has been  wonderful.  Homeschooling here has been full of support, field trips, activities, classes, etc.  Sometimes our schedule has been too busy:).  Living in one place for that amount of time has given us the opportunity to make some great friends and we've also had to say good bye to great friends too. 
The great thing about living in Hawaii is it's beautiful  almost everyday of the year.  The kids have been able to play outside everyday and there is always something to do. 
I have enjoyed every rainbow, every sea turtle, every unique and beautiful flower.  The emerald green Koolau mountains, Kaneohe Bay (when you come out of the tunnel) takes my breath away every time.  The enormous waves of the Banzai Pipeline were a majestic sight to see.
With all of that being said....
Something we have missed immensly is the ability to visit family.  It makes me sad to think of the things we have missed back home in the past 3 1/2 yrs;  baby's being born, weddings, gradutations, sick family, and the loss of my grandmother.  Not to mention most of our family has never met or even know my Little Man. I hope when we get back to the mainland we are able to travel home every once in a while. 
Moving to Nevada....
We are looking forward to wide open spaces.  While Oahu is beautiful, it is an island full of people. The farthest you can drive is about 30 miles.  Thirty miles doesn't sound far and it isn't, but the traffic is horrible.  You really have to plan your day around traffic.   We will not miss that.  The town we are moving to is very small and has a population of about 8,000 people.  I am looking forward to having a schedule that is not quite so full.  We are going to be buying a house so we are excited about owning a home again.  It is in the plans to do some traveling around the west but we'll see once we get there.  Papa wants to take the family to Lake Tahoe, The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and other places he has already marked off on the map.  The kids and I have never been to the West Coast, so it should be an adventure too. 

Cloud Formation and Air Pressure

Both of my children are currently learning about weather. 

Sweet girl did this experiment to study how clouds form.  She used a glass jar, about 50 ml of hot water, a match, and a plastic bag full of ice cubes.  We added the hot water.  Then lit the match and held it over the jar of hot water.  Next, we dropped the match in the jar and quickly covered the top with the bag of ice cubes.  Quickly a "cloud" began to form inside the jar. 

Silly guy proving air has pressure.