22nd April, 2009
More Earth Day fun!
We made Soda Bottle Greenhouses, to grow our sunflowers for The Great Sunflower Project
Here are our greenhouses, soaking up the sun 
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21st April, 2009
Starting out for Earth Day ;)
A day early I might add 
We made I Love the Earth mobiles
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6th April, 2009
Recycled cardboard clipboards.
Inspired by Let’s Explore and our trip to the art studio, we made portable art clipboards!
Danielle decorating the front of her clipboard
The back of Jack’s clipboard
Shraddha shows off her clipboard!
We used cut up Puffins Cereal box, I glued to pieces together to make it stiffer. We put stickers on the back and then colored the front. Then I cut blank paper into 1/4s to fit on each one, and secured with a binder clip.
Danielle is already drawing Margaret Hudson inspired flowers on hers
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6th April, 2009
Field trip today to see Margaret Hudson :)
Margaret Hudson is a local treasure, an artist working in both paint and clay. I arraigned a trip to visit her home, garden and studios today for the local homeschoolers group!
Here we are in her front yard. Many of the trees were planted there by her father, and they are HUGE!!
We visited her studio, and saw where she works. She paints HUGE beautiful flowers. She spoke to the children about print making and painting.
The children worked on a collaborative drawing, here Danielle and Shraddha add their artistic touches.
The final product was beautiful, with all the color added by the children, and Margaret adding outline and shading to their work.
We then went on a tour of her “backyard” which is actually the backyards of several of the homes that the owners have chosen to have no fences. They have an organic garden, chickens, a sweatlodge and a swamp! The grounds are scattered with Margaret’s sculptures. I don’t have any good pics because it was SOOO bright, my iPhone was not taking good shots ;(
The kids then were given pieces of clay to make their own sculptures. They had a great time folding, smooshing, poking and playing with the clay.
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6th April, 2009
Sneaky ways to get them to pratice reading ;)
Danielle is not much of a reader, she really doesn’t seem to have clicked with it yet. She can read, don’t get me wrong, she just chooses not to unless she has to. I have let her pick her own books, I have appropriate reading materials scattered throughout her living spaces, but she really just isn’t one to pick up a book and start reading. She has done that, but it’s not often. So, I am constantly looking for little ways to slip some reading practice in our everyday lives.
Danielle and I have been playing a game called Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii for the past few weeks. She loves it and begs for time to play. I went out and bought the guide book for it, because let’s face it, I am NOT a video gamer and with out some guidance my city would be burned to the ground by now, LOL!
Now when I am playing, she is the official price looker upper for all things. She is learning to use an index, practicing sounding out words, and reading descriptions, prices and everything! YAY!!
Best of all? She LOVES it She doesn’t whine and complain, she happily looks things up and reads them aloud to me.
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