Preschool Parade

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This weekend is all about time with Grandpa and Grandma!  Here is Esmé helping Grandma fill an old bird’s nest with flowers…

Where has your focus been this week? What has your preschooler been up to? What is displayed on your fridge, checked off your lesson plans, stored on your camera, imprinted in your memories?   Come on over to the Preschool Parade at The Homeschool Village and link up!

Giveaway: Brochures

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Do you create flyers or printed programs for homeschooling or church events?  Maybe you’re starting a home business and you’d like to get the word out with a special deal.  (Or maybe you just want to share your preschooler's amazing artwork with your extended family and friends...)

With the advent of desktop publishing software, it’s easy for any of us to create professional-looking flyers and brochures – on screen.  It’s not so easy to get a professionally-finished final printed product.  Or is it?

It IS – especially if you use online printing services for your promotional flyer printing needs.  UPrinting.com has numerous printing options and can guide you through making the right choice for your specific needs.


And UPrinting.com is sponsoring a giveaway!  One lucky reader will receive 50 brochures.  Here are the details:

• 50 custom brochures
• 8.5” x 11”100lb Paper Gloss
• No Folding
• Front and Back Printing
• 2 Business Days Turnaround
• US shipping only

To enter to win the brochures:

• Leave a comment on this post with a way you might use these brochures.
• If you are a follower or a subscriber, leave a second comment for a second entry.
• “Like” UPrinting on Facebook and leave a comment for a third entry.

A winner will be randomly selected after February 2nd and contacted via email.  This giveaway is limited to US residents 18 years old and above only.

Thanks to UPrinting.com for sponsoring this giveaway and for providing me with 50 brochures for hosting this giveaway, as well.

Homemaking: Apple Washing

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This week we decided to go for a simple homemaking lesson:  washing apples and placing them in a bowl.

We started with a bag of apples, a bowl of water and a rag for washing, a towel for drying and shining, and a glass bowl to place the clean apples in.


Of course, Esmé decided to add her own twist by creating a nice, cozy bed for her baby apples in the glass bowl using the drying towel…


Happy, cozy, sweet apples, just waiting for the crunch.


For more homemaking links, check out RaisingHomemakers.com.

Tuesday’s Preschool Tip:

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Always keep your Cheerios crafts out of reach of ants.

Bonus Tip:  If you forget Tip #1, call it a science lesson and study those ants with a magnifying glass…

Blue Monday

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Well, technically these photos are from Blue Sunday, but Monday has been just as blue:  take-your-jacket-off kinda weather in these parts of Oregon!

Magic Marker Monday

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Is it just me, or is every parent just amazed at the innovative creations of their child?  It’s like when they learned to talk – a whole new world of expression opening up to them…

This 100%-Esmé creation was inspired by Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes – a library favorite from several months ago.  I’m not sure what triggered it just now, since we don’t own the book and haven’t seen it in a while. 

But here you have it – a black kitten with jingle bell nose – the moon that looks like a bowl of milk – the steps the kitten climbs to try to reach it – the tree the kitten climbs to try to reach it – the pond with the moon’s reflection that looks like a GIANT bowl of milk.


What has your child been creating lately?  Link up over at 5 Minutes for Special Needs…

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

~Pablo Picasso

Froggy Plays Guitar…

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…or Preschool Music stuff


There are all kinds of studies that show music has a positive effect on math and science and reading and SAT-taking skills.  Plus, it can be just plain fun, so it’s a perfect fit for preschoolers, methinks.

My mom taught elementary school music classes and piano lessons.  She put together quite a few kids’ musicals.  We’re hoping her many talents have skipped a generation and will manifest themselves in Esmé.

Me?  I was rejected during high school choir tryouts – and there wasn’t exactly competition.  I don’t even sing in the shower.  Just sayin’ – if I can sing the kiddie songs, anyone can…

As I was saying, my mom has the expertise.  I’ve got the guitar-playing -teaching preschooler.  So we pooled together our thoughts to come up with a list of preschool music ideas.  You can find them over at The Homeschool Village today.

Mission Sunday: Body Verses

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I heard Marilyn Boyer discuss the Head to Foot Bible Verse Board at a homeschool convention, and when I saw that the verse printouts were available for free download at The Learning Parent, we got busy.

First we did the all-time favorite body-tracing activity.  (Notice my toes have nail polish on – that was New Year’s resolution #21…)

Then Esmé decorated the body tracing.  She was supposed to draw a face and put in the fingers, but she took some artistic liberties that I’m not sure exactly how to describe.  I decided to just go with it for now…

I tacky-tacked it up to the back of her bedroom door and lined up the Bible verse printouts by the appropriate body parts – as much as possible.

So now comes the challenging part, incorporating these verses into discussion and into real life.  We had a little discussion on Romans 12:1 already – Esmé knows a sacrifice is about being dead, so didn’t quite get the concept of “living sacrifice.”

Review: Preschool Beginning Notebook Set 1

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This preschool product introduced a new concept for me – I’ve never worked with “notebook pages” before.  The idea is that you introduce several pages of material to the student in a notebook or report folder, reviewing regularly and replacing pages with new ones as the student is ready to move on.

This is similar to how we use our preschool bulletin board:  I post a memory verse, a song and/or poem, and other items related to whatever we are studying.  I replace items on the bulletin board as we’re ready to move on…

So, if you don’t have room for a bulletin board and/or need something portable that doesn’t take up a lot of room, notebook pages are certainly a way to go.


This specific product from Gentle Shepherd is a collection of 15 pages covering letters, numbers, shapes, days of the week, a few songs, and a rhyming rebus page.


What We Liked:  I appreciated the instructions for using each specific page and for notebook pages in general, since this was a new concept.  It was fun for both my daughter and I to work with something a little different.


I also enjoyed the graphics.  Hand-drawn and colored rather than flashy and computer-generated, there was something sweet and nostalgic in reviewing this product with my daughter.  It reminds me of the illustrations my mom used to make for me.

Esmé had no problem mastering the material in the book; it was good review, but it didn’t take us long to get through it.  I’d recommend this for a beginning preschooler or a child who is just starting to learn letters.


What We Didn’t Like:  The price seems a little steep for the number of pages in this set.


Rating:  Overall, I’ll give this a 4 out of 5. 

Thanks to Heart of the Matter for coordinating the review file of this product. 

You can currently acquire the notebook pages through CurrClick for $4.00

Learning Spaces

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Project update:  this coffee table still serves as the primary learning space in our house…

Now, it’s kind of sweet to be able to relax and lounge in the living room eating bonbons and watching soaps while my daughter is hard at work on her learning – and I shall enjoy the moments while I have them.  But – I am rather looking forward to the day when the schoolhouse is finished and I can clear off and use that beautiful table for its intended purpose…

In the meantime, I thought I’d introduce you to another site, Playful Learning, which I absolutely love for its creative learning space ideas and (links to other sites).

Here’s a writing center:

And a birdwatching station – how sweet and simple is that?

Homemaking: Edible Play Dough

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Esmé got a huge set of cookie cutters for Christmas, and while they’ve been inaugurated with play dough, she’s been begging to make REAL cookies.

Since she’s had a perpetual cold lately and we are working on eating healthier foods, I’ve kept putting her off, but finally she got through my battle lines and I decided to hunt down a vegan sugar cookie recipe.  I modified it further by cutting down on the sugar and using whole wheat flour instead of white.

She helped me pour the ingredients and run the mixer, then (rather impatiently) waited two hours for it to to set in the refrigerator a bit.

And then the fun began.  Rolling and cutting, just like with the play dough.  Except…


…I usually say no on the inevitable “Can I taste it?” question, but since there were no raw eggs in this dough, I figured a little wouldn’t hurt her.  So I got to say “Yes!”

And boy, did she go to town.  I think she ate more raw than she put on the baking sheet.  (The baked stuff went down really well, too, though.)


(I researched a possible raw flour/constipation connection later at someone’s concern, and decided since it was whole wheat flour, that was probably fine, also.  No noted problems here, anyways.)

Conclusion:  Sometimes fulfilling every kid’s dream of edible play dough really isn’t such a bad thing.  She can learn a few homemaking skills and be subject to a few dietary lessons as part of the process…  And it’s fun to say “Yes!”

Messages

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This month’s Unplugged project is “messages.”

So 3yo Esmé has been writing messages to her daycare friends, using a backwards top-secret code.  Bet you would have never figured out if I didn’t give you a clue…


On the more educational side, we’ve been working with Esmé on memorizing her Pappa’s cell phone number and learning how to leave sensible voice messages:

1) Who you are
2) Why you are calling
3) What you want the recipient to do

So she’s thought through lots of scenarios where Mom broke her leg, etc. and Esmé needs to call…

For more "messages" ideas or to link up, check out Unplug Your Kids.

Magic Marker Monday

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Now that the Christmas tree is no longer resident on our chalkboard/table dual-purpose thingie, that chalkboard is seeing some use.  Here is a random sample of yesterday’s 3yo random creations.

My favorite:  The Esmé rocket!  Captured in the nick of time before Mr. Erase-All swiped it out.  Name spelled so you can read it properly in your rearview mirror, of course.


Now this beaut is a sharp-toothed clam.  Look it up in your encyclopedia if you haven’t heard of it before…


And this is an apple.  Note the eraser-toothed girl biting chunks out of it…


…until all that is left is the core.


What has your child been creating lately?  Link up over at 5 Minutes for Special Needs…

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

~Pablo Picasso

Review: God Gave Us The World

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We've been reading this sweet book called God Gave Us the World by Lisa Tawn Bergren, and I thought I’d start this review off with a classic Esmé interview…

What is the book about?  It’s about how God lost the world to the animals.  The world is in their house.  Like the world is in our house as a globe.  God lost the globe.

What’s special about the bears in this book?  They have different tongues.  Wanna see my tongue?  Displays tongue…  I wish I was a sloth bear.  I would eat bamboo.  But then I would be a panda bear.

Why are there different kinds of bears?  God created them all His own ways.  He likes different things.

How can we take care of the world God gave us?  We could put it in our closet because it’s so tiny.  But it might not fit in your closet.  OK, OK.  We could put it in our hearts.  We could just breathe, and the world would go into our hearts.

How can we make the world more beautiful?  Dress it as a girl or a handsome prince.  Draw some hair on it and dress it in my ballerina outfit!

You do realize the world is rather large?  We are on it – it’s not something we can hold?  Well, you can see it even though you’re on it, because you can see it in your heart.

What does mean that “our world is fragile”?  It can be destroyed by fire, like if a dragon was breathing in our house and burned it down.  Dragons are not good for the world.

 It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Lisa Tawn Bergren

and the illustrator:

Laura J. Bryant

and the book:

God Gave Us The World

WaterBrook Press (January 11, 2011)

***Special thanks to Staci Carmichael, Marketing and Publicity Coordinator, Doubleday Religion / Waterbrook Multnomah / Divisions of Random House, Inc. for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than 1.5 million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Love follows in Lisa’s classic tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She makes her home in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.


Visit the author's website.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Laura J. Bryant studied painting, printmaking, and sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She has illustrated numerous award-winning children’s books, including God Gave Us You, Smudge Bunny, and If You Were My Baby. Laura lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Visit the illustrator's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $10.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (January 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400074487
ISBN-13: 978-1400074488

Also Available:

God Gave Us You
God Gave Us Two
God Gave Us Christmas
God Gave Us Heaven
God Gave Us Love
God Gave Us So Much – a limited three book treasury


AND NOW...THE FIRST FOUR PAGES...press the pictures to better view them:

Review: Moms Into Fitness 60 Day SlimDown System (& Giveaway)

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2011 Resolution #2 (right after reading the Bible in 90 days) is running a marathon.  Quite the challenge considering I only re-started running a week before the year began.

One eensy weensy problem to dampen my motivation – I don’t always have someone at home to watch Esmé when I want to run, and I certainly am not up to pushing her on the run!  Solution:  keep on the fitness track with DVDs.

And that’s where Lindsay Brin’s 60 Day SlimDown System comes in.  I haven’t had it long enough to evaluate the slimming down features of it – though I’m hoping to see them soon enough.  But I have been enjoying the four DVDs already.

Synopsis: 

This Cutting Edge System will boost your metabolism and have the pounds melting off within the first 10 days. Get started today with the 3-phase Nutrition Plan any mom can follow, a detailed Fitness Calendar and Progress Tracker. Check your fitness level on Day 1 & Day 60 with the Fitness Test to see the stronger, leaner, new you.

In Phase 1 all workouts can be done in 30 minutes or less. Then in Phase 2 you will challenge your body even more so you continue to shred your core - and lose even more fat! All in 45 minutes or less. Also included, a bonus Phase 3 so you learn how to see results after the initial 60 Days.

In 60 days you will Super Charge your body for the Ultimate Slim Down. All you need is 1-2 sets of weights!

What I Like:

There is a whole lot I like, so we’ll get that bullet thing going:

• The plan is simple – no long books to read, just a 12-page outline that covers your food plan and your daily workout schedule.  I love the ease of the food plan.
• There is a maintenance or ongoing plan – Phase 3 – so you can keep going with the program after 60 days.
• Lindsay is friendly, informative, and real.  You can track her own postnatal fitness journey (2 babies, 4 IVFs) at www.lindsaybrin.com/.  Actually, right now you’ll be tracking her pregnancy with #3!
• There is lots of variety.  The Core Metabolic Jumpstart DVD is a 23-minute workout meant to boost metabolism.  The Core Firing Sequence Method DVD is just a short 7-8 minute workout (actually, three, one for each phase).  My personal favorite, the Shed Fast 5 DVD, has two half-hour routines with 3-minute intervals that keep things lively and interesting.  And the last, the Post Natal Boot Camp DVD, has tons of options that you can mix & match, or just pick a Quickstart workout.
• It fits in YOUR schedule.  While there is a recommended workout plan for the first 60 days, the DVDs are segmented so you can do several short workouts instead of one long one or mix things up.
• There are workout partners for different fitness levels.  Most of the DVDs have a beginning, intermediate, and advance workout partner you can follow.
• I love the kickboxing segments, of which there are many.  I just find them fun, energizing, and confidence-building.
• You don’t need a lot of equipment.  I have one set of light weights, and that is serving just fine.  And of course, there are no expensive foods to buy with the plan – you eat everyday, ordinary stuff.

What I Don’t Like:

Uh – exercise?  Seriously, I’m not terribly motivated when it comes to exercise, but I’m finding that this is working well – and by this time next year, I’m expecting to have that marathon (and a few less pounds) under my belt.


Thanks to Moms Into Fitness/Lindsay Brin for the review copy of this system, and to MamaBuzz for coordinating this tour.

You can connect with Lindsay Brin on:

• Twitter:  http://twitter.com/lindsaybrin
• Facebook:  http://facebook.com/momsintofitness

Want to Buy This System?  Whether you want to lose your baby belly, just plain lose weight, or strengthen your core, I can highly recommend this system.  The list price is $49.99.  Lindsay is offering 30% off this 4-dvd set.  Just use the coupon code “60daydvd30” that expires January 31st.  And you can find all of her DVDs at www.momsintofitness.com.


Want to Win This?  MamaBuzz is hosting a giveaway of the entire package, and Mel will be drawing a winner on February 1st, so head over to MamaBuzz to enter the 60 Day SlimDown System giveaway.


When we received this system for review, it meant we now have a second copy of the Shed 5 Fast DVD, which is my favorite of all the DVDs!  So we are giving away our unopened DVD.


To win the Shed 5 Fast DVD:

• Comment on this post.  Be sure I have a way to contact you.
• If you are a follower or subscriber, leave a second comment for a second entry.
• Open internationally.
• Winner will be randomly selected after January 25, 2011.