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September 23, 2015 by: Amy

{Writing Poetry} Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

I love the changing of the seasons, and autumn is my favorite. I’m ready for cool mornings with hot drinks, collecting colorful leaves on our walks, and tromping through the pumpkin patch with my kids.

To celebrate the first day of autumn, we wrote poems about all the summery things we’ll be saying goodbye to, and all the fall things we’ll be welcoming.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn Poetry for Kids

This poem is written in a two-line pattern:

Goodbye, {summer thing},

Hello, {autumn thing}.

Just like a list poem, this poem can be short or long, depending on how many ideas you have. We tried to add lots of descriptive, “juicy” words to our poems, too.

If your kids get stuck thinking of things to write, you can try asking open-ended questions: What different drinks do you enjoy in summer and autumn? Are there any special holidays you can think of?

Here’s a big list of topics that might spur ideas for a seasonal poem:

  • outside activities
  • indoor activities
  • weather
  • changes in nature
  • drinks
  • meals
  • treats
  • clothes
  • holidays
  • animals
  • places to visit
  • family traditions

This is a fun poem for all ages to write – from preschoolers to adults! My girls have been writing poems (with me as their scribe) since they were around three-years-old. This could even be a helpful way for your preschooler to process the seasonal transitions in their daily activities- like exchanging flip flops for sneakers, or shorts for long pants.

Here are the poems my girls wrote:

Goodbye, Summer
Hello, Autumn
Goodbye, cool, clear swimming pool
Hello, crunchy, wet leaf piles
Goodbye, hot, bright sun
Hello, wet, misty drizzle
Goodbye, cold, sweet lemonade
Hello, chocolatey, warm hot cocoa
Goodbye, red, juicy watermelon
Hello, steaming noodle soup
Goodbye, tank tops and flip flops
Hello, fuzzy jackets and rain boots
Goodbye, Fourth of July fireworks
Hello, costumes and candy
Goodbye, bright, summer butterflies
Hello, loud, honking geese flying south
Goodbye, Marco Polo and cannonballs
Hello, pumpkin patch
Goodbye, roasting smores by the firelight
Hello, pumpkin pie!
{by Natalie}

Goodbye, cool swimming pool
Hello, crunchy leaf piles
Goodbye, refreshing lemonade
Hello, warm apple cider
Goodbye, hot summer sun
Hello, cold fall breeze
Goodbye, sweaty tank tops
Hello, cool long sleeves
Goodbye, sweet popsicles
Hello, sweet pumpkin pie
Goodbye, pretty flowers
Hello, plump pumpkins
Goodbye, singing birds
Hello, hungry squirrels
Goodbye, Independence Day
Hello, Halloween
Goodbye, tasty watermelon
Hello, warm, filling turkey
Goodbye, gooey smores
Hello, Halloween candy
Goodbye, puffy dandelions
Hello, curly pumpkin vines.
{by Delaney}

And, of course, this can be done with any seasonal transition. In fact, I think a homemade poetry book with four of these Hello, Goodbye poems, paired with illustrations, would be amazing!

January 18, 2015 by: Amy

Twelve (and three months)

Natalie is already a quarter-year past her 12th birthday, but I didn’t want to miss bragging on her a bit, and jotting down some things about her at this age.

Natalie turns 12

So far, age twelve is pretty darn awesome. It seems like Natalie becomes more confident and sure of herself every day. I can only hope she carries some of that with her into the teenage years. She continues to be a voracious reader, and is blossoming into quite the writer, too. She is independent and responsible, but still loves to play and be silly. She is a caring and devotedbig sister, which makes this mama so thankful.

Sisters 2014

I am so proud of the young woman she is becoming. (She is so proud that she can wear my shoes and is gaining on mein height, too!)

Her family celebration included Butterbeer and Cauldron Cakes, Harry Potter-style. The Butterbeer was cream soda with butterscotch and vanilla Torani syrup. We topped it with butterscotch flavored whipped cream, too. The Cauldron Cakes were inspired by this post, and were actually pretty easy to make.

Harry Potter Cauldron Cakes

She also had a day-long birthday outing, just like her sister did. We had a fun-filled day of miniature golfing, shopping at the bookstore, eating gelato, buying fun accessories at Charming Charlie, and dinner out. The car was decked out with birthday decorations, with candy leis and mini-crown headbands to wear. Such a fun day!

I thought it would be fun to have Nataliemake a list of what she’s into right now – a top 12 at age 12. Here’s what she came up with, in no particular order:

Natalie’s Top 12 at 12

1. Clothes – shopping and putting together outfits

2. Alice in Wonderland – Sherecently read both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Now, she’s writing her own Wonderland-inspired story.

3. Fantasy adventure books – Favorites right now are Harry Potter, The School forGood and Evil, The Land of Stories, and The Heroes of Olympus.

4. Taylor Swift

5. Lemonade and lemon gelato, and basically anything lemon flavored

6. Creative writing home school class and books – Rip the Page!, Leap Write In!, and Seize the Story(at least one of these books is always on her night stand – highly, highly recommended!)

7. 20 Ways to Draw… books – These books really deserve a post of their own. Both of my girls love them for drawing inspiration! We have the fashion, food, and animal ones so far, but they are coveting the whole collection.

8. Pocket Magic Tricks (made by Toysmith, found at our local toy store)

9. Video Games – Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Disney Infinity

10. Board Games – Forbidden Island, Trivial Pursuit (Family Edition from Target), and Small World

11. Make-up – especially the Lip & Cheek Tint from 100% pure

12. Her family!

Natalie reminds me {frequently} that her teenage years are just around the corner. And I keep reminding her to savor her time as a 12-year-old! Natalie, you are a beautiful girl inside and out. We love you like crazy!

N & H December 2014

December 15, 2014 by: Amy

Creative Writing Project :: Letters to Santa from the Naughty List

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My girls adore reading and writing fractured fairytales. Here’s a simple Christmas-time creative writing project that we had a lot of fun working on – writing letters to Santa from a character that might be on Santa’s naughty list. These letters are great practice for creating a character’s personality and voice, and for writing persuasively, too!

To get the creative juices flowing, we brainstormed fairytale, book, and movie characters that might be on Santa’s naughty list. Here are some of the characters we thought of:

  • Big Bad Wolf
  • Cinderella’s stepmother
  • Ursula
  • Witch from Hansel & Gretel
  • Evil Queen from Snow White
  • Maleficent
  • Captain Hook
  • The fox from The Gingerbread Man

After settling on our characters, we had to think of a way in which each character had been misunderstood or misrepresented. Maybe the Big Bad Wolf had very bad allergies and his huge sneezes blew those houses down. It’s fun to twist a traditional story around and see it from a new perspective!

Of course, these characters really are naughty, so we tried to reflect that in their wish lists added at the end of each letter. Natalie wrote about the witch from Hansel and Gretel, and the witch asks Santa for a “Kid Turkey Broiler 3000″. Cinderella’s stepmother, in Delaney’s letter, reminds Santa that some glass slippers, a fairy godmother, a fancy dress, and a handsome prince would be most welcome.

Here are both of my girls letters in full, in case you and your kids need some inspiration.

Letter to Santa from Cinderella's stepmother

Letter to Santa from the witch in Hansel & Gretel

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John Scieszka and Dear Peter Rabbit by Alma Flor are great follow-up reads for this activity.

Let us know if you give this writing project a try!

November 26, 2014 by: Amy

Thankful from A to Z :: Free Printable

Need something to keep the kids busy today or tomorrow? I made this simple Thankful from A to Z printable for my girls, and thought your kids might enjoy it, too!

Thankful from A to Z

Here’s the challenge – can you think of at least one thing you are thankful forusing eachletter of the alphabet? We are keeping our lists on the table and adding to them throughout the day today. My girls aretrying to think oftwo things for each letter! We’ll add some stickers and doodles for decoration, too.

You’ll have to decide how to handle X. If you are thankful for xylophones and x-rays, then you are set! We might do words with X in them, or write something we are eXtra thankful for. :-)

Download and print —-> Thankful from A to Z

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

November 12, 2014 by: Amy

Creative Book Reports :: Biography Posters

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We have some serious catching up to do! There have been first and twelfth birthdays celebrated, big stacks of share-worthy books read, and many interesting projects completed. If the baby-napping gods are kind to me, I’ll be visiting this space more often in the days to come. Fingers crossed!

Let’s just jump right in with a book report project my girls had a blast working on – colorful and informational biography posters. This is actually a project we did at the end of last school year. You know, when summer-itis started to set in (yes, even us homeschoolers feel it!). My girls usually enjoy reading biographies, and they love art projects, so this was a win-win in their minds.

Biography poster project

First, they each read a biography – Natalie read about Alexander Graham Bell and Delaney read about Leonardo da Vinci. As they read, they used sticky notes to mark pages with interesting facts they might want to use on their posters.

When it’s poster-making time, find and print a photograph (or painting/illustration) of your person. We found our photos on Wikipedia and printed on glossy photo paper. Cut out your photo, place it in the center of your paper, and lightly trace around it. Set the photo aside for now.

Tracing photo for biography poster

Using a ruler, draw lines from your traced outline to the edge of the paper, creating wedge-shapes around your paper. My girls said it was kind of like making the sun’s rays.

Drawing lines on biography poster

Next, write a fact about your person in each section. I wanted the girls to include the person’s name and time period, but other than that I left it to their discretion. I actually love the mix of quirky facts and major accomplishments they came up with.

Biography poster with facts

Either write in pencil first and trace with a Sharpie, or just go for it with the Sharpie. My girls are not the “go-for-it” type, so they did the tracing method.

Biography poster facts

Trace over the section lines with crayons or oil pastels. (We love the quality and price of the Crayola oil pastels.)

Tracing with oil pastels

Now, grab your watercolors and paint each section. Nice and colorful!

Watercolor biography poster

When the paint is dry, glue your photo down. We definitely oohed and ahhed over these colorful posters. What a fun way to document and share our learning!

Here are a few variations you could try:

  • Make an autobiography one about yourself. (We are totally doing this!)
  • Write your facts in chronological order around the photo.
  • Include a famous quote or two.
  • Make a grid instead of wedges for your facts.

Biography poster project for kids

In case you are interested, here are the biographies that the girls read. They both really enjoyed their choices!

Always Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell (National Geographic) – This book has amazing photographs, drawings, and quotes.

Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer by Robert Byrd – Beautiful, detailed illustrations with many interesting tidbits about Leonardo.

August 11, 2014 by: Amy

Double-Digits!

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Delaney recently celebrated a big milestone – she’s officially in the double-digits now! 10 seems so old to me – really, where does the time go? But, for my girls at least, this age is a lovely bridge between young child and teen.

Delaney was so excited about her upcoming birthday, that I wanted to build on that wonderful anticipation she was feeling. Ten days before her birthday, I wrote a special countdown message on the bathroom mirror. She loved it! When she found another message inside the refrigerator the following day, she realized there would be a special countdown note to find every day.

The countdown notes were so simple, cost nothing, and made her so happy each day. Simple fun for the win!

The morning of her birthday, we enjoyed a pancake, strawberry, and whipped cream breakfast. I surprised her with pancakes shaped like the number 10. (Never mind that it took me a few attempts to make a 1 that didn’t look crazy.)

She also chose a special dinner (steak and twice-baked potatoes), followed by an ice cream cake with the extended family.

Instead of a party this year, Delaney planned a full day of fun out and about for our whole family, plus my niece. The itinerary included the zoo, a picnic at the park, a bit of shopping, and dinner out. I decorated the inside of the car with streamers and garlands, and put together party favor bags for the girls. I even printed out our itinerary and clipped it to the bags. The decorations inside the car were a huge, huge hit. We’ll definitely be doing that again!

Decorated birthday car

I bought a pack of silly cardboard glasses with mustaches (party favor section at Target) and made the girls wear them for photos throughout the day. Delaney was pretty much beaming all day, so I think it was the perfect way to celebrate her big 1-0. She chose a Playmobil set, a new book (Bad Unicorn), and some treats from the candy store during our shopping time.

It is such a treat watching Delaney’s personality shine through. She jumped into acting classes this past year, which is a far cry from the leg-clinging preschooler I once had. I’ve got much more to say about giving our kids the time and trust they need, so I’ll save that for another post. :-) I’m looking forward to watching her continue to grow as a performer this year!

She is a voracious reader with a generous spirit. She loves playing games, swimming, pigs and horses, and all things Harry Potter. My sweet Delaney – enjoy being 10!

June 3, 2014 by: Amy

Book Review: The Fantastic Family Whipple

It’s Natalie’s turn to make her blog-writing debut! She is sharing her review of a book that is now on her list of favorites. She has raved about this one so much it is on my summer reading list! Here’s Natalie…

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The Fantastic Family Whipple Book Review

The Fantastic Family Whipple by Matthew Ward

Have you ever wanted to break a world record?

This book is about the Whipple family, the family that holds the most world records, more than any other family on earth. Every Whipple has broken at least one world record, except one person – Arthur.

Suddenly, a lot of accidents start to happen, putting the lives of the Whipples in danger. Everyone is worried about a mysterious curse, but Arthur has a different idea. Two suspicious clowns appear at the Whipples’ birthday party, and Arthur thinks they are the cause.

My favorite part is when they go to the Unsafe Sports Showdown, where the family competes in events like Mother-Daughter Knife Throwing. I think this book was funny and different from what I normally read. It has interesting characters and a good plot. The Fantastic Family Whipple is one of my favorite books. I can’t wait to read the sequel that is coming out this fall!

A note from mom: I love pairing fiction and nonfiction books together for gifts – The Guinness Book of World Records is the perfect partner for The Fantastic Family Whipple. Also, my aspiring-author daughter enjoyed reading this interview with Matthew Ward. Enjoy!

May 7, 2014 by: Amy

Made-to-Order Pizza Pasta Bowls

Happy Wednesday! I am sharing one my girls’ favorite meals over at Make and Takes today – yummy and simple made-to-order pizza pasta bowls. My kids love pretty much any meal that involves a big buffet of toppings!

Pizza Pasta kid-friendly meal

If you missed our recipe last month, we shared another family favorite – slow cooker lentil sloppy joes. This is a healthy and delicious vegetarian meal that my girls can make on their own. Score!

I’m always on the look-out for new recipes that the whole family will enjoy. What are your kids loving at meal time right now?

April 24, 2014 by: Amy

Book Review: The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary)

Please welcome my nine-year-old daughter, Delaney. I’m so thrilled that she will be sharing book reviews for kids here on the blog! She has a fun book to share with you today…take it away, Delaney!

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The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find a real Sasquatch?

sasquatch-escape

For the summer, Ben Silverstein is sent to stay with his grandpa in boring Buttonville. Things definitely get more exciting when his grandpa’s cat brings home a baby dragon. With the help of a new friend, Pearl Petal, they take the dragon to Dr. Woo’s Worm Hospital. Except it isn’t a hospital for worms, it’s a hospital for imaginary creatures!

When Bet lets a Sasquatch free, it’s up to him and Pearl to get the Sasquatch back safely. I liked when Ben and Pearl opened the Sasquatch Catching Kit that shows how to catch a Sasquatch. My favorite character is Pearl because she is adventurous. My favorite funny part was when lots of squirrels came at the sound of the whistle in the Sasquatch Catching Kit.

The Sasquatch Escape is very funny, with a bit of fantasy and adventure. The book has a map of Buttonville and other cool illustrations. In the back of the book, it has lots of fun activities that go with the story. This is the first book in The Imaginary Veterinary series. I will definitely read others in this series!

April 21, 2014 by: Amy

Fairytale Mystery Dinner

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I am so excited to finally share Natalie’s 11th birthday party with you! I told the girls about a dinner I once went to as a kid – a mystery dinner – where everything on the menu was in code so you didn’t know what you were ordering until the food came. As I recall, eating spaghetti with our fingers was involved!

Of course, this sounded ridiculously funny to the girls, and Natalie decided that a mystery dinner would be a perfect way to celebrate her birthday. I have our menu to share, plus a bunch of tips for making things run smoothly. It was a super-fun party!

Fairytale Mystery Dinner

I kept the decorations very simple – a few giant tissue paper pom poms hanging over the table, a variety of fairytale silhouettes made from colored construction paper, red roses, and a (possibly poisonous) red apple.

Fairytale party decorations

Each place setting was set with a giant paper doily, a plate with the guest’s name written in Sharpie along one edge, a napkin, and a menu. A few red roses and candlesticks (the battery-operated kind) decorated the center of the table.

Fairytale dinner table

I saw this cute once upon a time silhouette lamp at Chica and Jo. I printed the text on card stock and taped it inside the lamp shade.

Once upon a time lamp

Let’s get to the big event of this party – the mystery dinner! I remember doing a meal like this when I was a kid, with Girl Scouts I think. Every food you will serve (along with things like utensils, napkins, ice, etc.), has a secret code name. The guests will choose items for each course of the meal, without knowing exactly what they are ordering. As you can imagine, this can get pretty silly!

Here is our fairytale-themed mystery menu:

Fairytale Mystery Dinner Menu

You can choose to do any number of courses and menu items. We had three courses, with five items per course.

This kind of meal can be really crazy and messy, or not so much, depending on the foods you choose. I kept ours pretty tame, since most of the foods could easily be eaten with their fingers. I also chose to give them napkins, instead of making those part of the menu. Here is the key to our menu:

1. Pirate Treasure – fruit salad

2. Peter Rabbit – baby carrots

3. The True Princess – crispy pea snacks

4. Magic Wand – fork

5. Jack Frost – ice

6. The Three Bears – three gummy bears

7. Fairy Dust – parmesan cheese

8. Pinocchio’s Nose – straw

9. Under the Sea – Goldfish crackers

10. Snow White – applesauce

11. Three Little Pigs – three cocktail hotdogs

12. Mirror, Mirror – spoon

13. Witch’s Potion – apple cider

14. Dragon Scale – slice of pizza

15. Rumplestiltskin’s Gold – potato chips

The kids filled in their menus, using each item only once. Then, I taped the menus to the wall next to our serving area so we could refer to them throughout the meal. Be sure they put their names on their menus!

Mystery dinner menu

I didn’t get any photos of the serving area set-up, but I lined up all the items on my kitchen counters with a sticky note number next to each one. This made it easy to quickly fill each person’s plate. The applesauce was already in little cups, and the apple cider was poured into cups ahead of time.

Fill the plates, one course at a time, and serve. At the end of the course, take everything away. This means if you ordered a spoon for the first course, you won’t have it to use for the rest of the meal. The only exception we made was to let them keep their drinks once they received them.

The kids had SO much fun with this dinner! They giggled through the whole thing and had a blast figuring out the secret code names. Many kids ended up using straws to eat with, or having ice on their plates because they didn’t have drinks yet.

A few more tips:

  • Make sure the plates have the guests’ names on them, so you can return the same plate to the same person each time.
  • Set-up the table away from your serving area so the kids can’t see the food. We had the kids eat in the living room.
  • Have some paper towels on hand for wiping especially messy or wet plates (from melting ice!) between courses. A heavier-duty, coated plate works really well.
  • Enlist a couple adults to help you fill the plates. I think we had four people filling plates for 10 kids, which helped cut down on the waiting time at the dinner table.
  • Keep the portions small – the kids may not like all the food items, so this cuts down on waste. Our menu was pretty kid-friendly, so this wasn’t much of a problem.
  • Let the kids know that after the three courses, they can have seconds on anything they want. Many of the kids ate more pizza and fruit at the end of the meal.
  • Have someone take pictures for you! I was so busy going back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, that I only have a few blurry pictures of the kids eating.

The mystery dinner was the main activity of the party and took up most of our party time. We did have a simple craft project set-up, turning plain, wooden hand mirrors into beautiful magical mirrors with watercolors and stick-on gems. I set out regular and glitter watercolors, small jars of water, and paint brushes. A paper towel under each mirror kept everything fairly tidy.

Decorating mini wooden hand mirrors

We painted our mirrors before dinner and left them to dry. (Watercolors dry nice and quickly!) After dinner, while the adults were cleaning up the dinner table, the kids added some bling to their mirrors with stick-on gems. Beautiful! We had boys and girls of a variety of ages, and they all enjoyed making their mirrors.

Wooden hand mirror craft

Our guests took home their magical mirrors, along with a pack of glow sticks and a star wand. The wands are made with cookie cutters and paper straws. First, I poked a hole through the top of each straw, threaded a piece of baker’s twine through, and tied it around the cookie cutter. The cookie cutters still wanted to slide around or flop over, so I attached the cookie cutter to the straw with a tiny dab of hot glue.

Fairytale party favors

Natalie chose doughnuts for her dessert, instead of cake – so easy! I stacked the doughnuts up on a plate and added a few fairytale-themed silhouettes and a glittery 11 candle. The silhouettes are just black construction paper shapes taped to bamboo cocktail picks. Cute and simple!

Fairytale doughnut dessert

My girls are still talking about this mystery dinner party. In fact, I think Delaney wants to have one this summer for her 10th birthday – with a cowgirl theme! You certainly don’t need to wait for a birthday to plan a mystery dinner, though. This would be such a fun summer activity for your kids and their friends.

–> If you would like to use our fairytale menu, I am happy to share. Download our Fairytale Menu and print double-sided on card stock. Enjoy!

Would your kids enjoy a mystery dinner? Are you brave enough to serve something messy, like spaghetti or soup or ice cream?

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