I wanted to think of another activity to reuse plastic bottles before sending the rest to the recycling center. Making them into bowling pins is a simple craft/game that does not take a lot of work and materials, but will teach your children to have fun with reusing materials.All Natural Easter Egg Dyeing
March 24, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
This is a great way to dye your Easter eggs this year (by the way, Easter is in 18 days!) for whatever reason matters the most to you: it’s a fun science experiment, you stay away from commercial dyes, it is cheap AND its just something new and different!
All Natural Easter Egg Dyeing
Colors
1. To make a beautiful light blue dyed Easter egg, simply take 3/4 of a head of red cabbage, chop it and put it in a large pot. Add 2 T. of white vinegar, add the eggs and fill pot with water.
2. To make a green, add 2 cups of spinach (or a box of frozen spinach) to a pot. Add 2 T. of white vinegar, add the eggs and fill pot with water.
3. To make a red (and a hot pink for some of the eggs!), add 3 cups of cranberry juice and 3 chopped beets in a pot. Add 2 T. of white vinegar, add the eggs and fill pot with water.
4. To make a yellow, add 2 teaspoons of turmeric to your pot. Add 2 T. of white vinegar, add the eggs and fill pot with water.
5. I forgot to do this one BUT you can use chili powder (just like I used the turmeric above) to make a fun red/orange color.
Dyeing
1. Bring your mixture to a boil then reduce heat so it is simmering for 30 minutes. Don’t let it boil too long or the eggs will crack!
2. Let the eggs sit in the mixture for a couple of hours. Be sure to stir them around a few times so the color soaks in on all sides of the egg.
Note: In this pictures it looks like I combined mixtures. I did not. I was just trying out a weird color. So please boil and simmer all of your mixtures SEPERATE.
Check out our beautiful eggs! Don’t they look so rustic and natural? This was a lot of fun to do. The girls loved guessing what colors the vegetables or spices would turn the eggs and then waiting to see if they were right!
Another fun part of this “experiment” was that every single egg turned out a different shade (we did use brown and white eggs) and I just think they are beautiful.
But what to do with the veggies? Throw them in the compost pile! Your garden will be extra happy this year.
Special Spot in Nature
September 25, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Find your spot in nature.
Help your kids find their special spot.
Make sure you spend time there daily if you can.
Fall is the perfect time to read outside, draw outside, and relax outside.
This was my place for quite awhile:
What is yours? I would love to see a picture!
Make sure your children know they can think, create, and relax in nature.
Have family drawing time out in nature, eat your family meals outside together, or just read books outside together!
Harvesting
September 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
My first harvesting experience I can remember was getting permission from the librarian to climb the huge apple tree in front of the library to collect apples for pies, applesauce and juice.
Fall is the perfect time to do this with all of the city fall harvest and festivals, farms and barnyards opening their doors to customers, farmer’s markets, etc. It is always important to take the time to teach and explain to your children the source of their food.
Grape Harvesting in Our Backyard
Apple, Peach, Pear, Plum, Cantaloupe, Eggplant Harvesting at Our Neighborhood Farm
Here are some great resources:
Kids Farm is a website following the Harvesting on a farm in Colorado. Your kids can click on different produce to see where it comes from!
Local Harvest is a great place to point you in the right direction
Teaching Old-Fashioned Values in a Modern World
September 21, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
Teaching Old-Fashioned Values in a Modern World
from the publication Parents
There’s no doubt that children are becoming more disrespectful at a young age. And the reason is, well duh: With smart mouthed cartoon characters, obnoxious reality shows, and constant cell phone interruptions, it’s crystal clear that society has become ruder and it’s rubbing off on families. Some moms and dads are settling for behavior that’s barely acceptable rather than holding their kids to the higher standards they grew up with. For instance, parents are happy if their kid simply doesn’t roll his eyes when he meets someone new rather than expecting him/her to greet the person nicely.
Given all the outside influences, it may seem practically impossible to instill good, old fashioned values in a young child. While the wagging finger or scare tactics your parents may have used probably won’t work, these modern approaches from leading experts will. Try them and your kids will get noticed - for their good manners.The Old Fashioned Rule:
{ 1 } Don’t interrupt adults in the middle of a conversation.
You’re trying to talk to a friend and your kid screams over and over again: “Mommy Mommy Mommy MOMMY!” Is there anything more exasperating? Young kids not only have little impulse control and patience, but they also translate your inattention as “Mommy is being taken away from me; I need to get her back.”
TEACH IT TODAY:
We inadvertently feed the problem by telling our children to say ‘excuse me’ as if that’s the magic word. “They say excuse me and we go ahead and answer them. Well, that’s still interruption.” A better way: Explain what’s expected up front: “I’m talking to Mrs. Jones right now. I’m going to be talking for a few minutes, and I don’t want to be interrupted.” If your child is waiting quietly, stop to tell him/her how much you appreciate it and that you’re almost done. If he/she’s not, hold up a finger as a signal to wait. If he/she keeps on, no matter how hard it is to tolerate - don’t give in or she’ll learn that badgering eventually does work to get your attention. Most importantly, hold up your end of the bargain and in a few minutes tend to her needs: “Now it’s your turn. Thank you for waiting.”
{ 2 } Say “Thank you” without being prodded.
Your kids probably get a lot of gifts and treats. Why can’t they learn to say thank you automatically? “When parents remind their kids in front of a person who gave the gift, the acknowledgement seems so insincere.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Reword your reminders. Instead of asking your kid to say thank you, say, “It’s the right time to show how much you appreciate your gift.” Then kids aren’t repeating your words. They get used to giving the acknowledgement on their own.
Also get your child in the habit of helping you write thank-you notes. Toddlers can draw a picture, preschoolers may be able to print their name or the first letter of it. How much they can do isn’t important. The point is to re-enforce that it’s polite to thank someone for a gift.
{ 1 } Don’t interrupt adults in the middle of a conversation.
You’re trying to talk to a friend and your kid screams over and over again: “Mommy Mommy Mommy MOMMY!” Is there anything more exasperating? Young kids not only have little impulse control and patience, but they also translate your inattention as “Mommy is being taken away from me; I need to get her back.”
TEACH IT TODAY:
We inadvertently feed the problem by telling our children to say ‘excuse me’ as if that’s the magic word. “They say excuse me and we go ahead and answer them. Well, that’s still interruption.” A better way: Explain what’s expected up front: “I’m talking to Mrs. Jones right now. I’m going to be talking for a few minutes, and I don’t want to be interrupted.” If your child is waiting quietly, stop to tell him/her how much you appreciate it and that you’re almost done. If he/she’s not, hold up a finger as a signal to wait. If he/she keeps on, no matter how hard it is to tolerate - don’t give in or she’ll learn that badgering eventually does work to get your attention. Most importantly, hold up your end of the bargain and in a few minutes tend to her needs: “Now it’s your turn. Thank you for waiting.”
{ 2 } Say “Thank you” without being prodded.
Your kids probably get a lot of gifts and treats. Why can’t they learn to say thank you automatically? “When parents remind their kids in front of a person who gave the gift, the acknowledgement seems so insincere.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Reword your reminders. Instead of asking your kid to say thank you, say, “It’s the right time to show how much you appreciate your gift.” Then kids aren’t repeating your words. They get used to giving the acknowledgement on their own.
Also get your child in the habit of helping you write thank-you notes. Toddlers can draw a picture, preschoolers may be able to print their name or the first letter of it. How much they can do isn’t important. The point is to re-enforce that it’s polite to thank someone for a gift.
{ 3 } Greet Adults with “Hello” and a proper name.
When most kids do say something to welcome an adult, they look at the ground and mumble or ignore.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Role-play it at home. Pretend you’re Aunt Sally or your child’s teacher and have him practice saying hello to you. Encourage him to smile or wave and clearly and pleasantly greet the person. If he’s reluctant to look up, challenge him to find the color of her eyes. Once he feels comfortable with the process around the house, chances are he’ll try it out in public. But it’ll work better if you let it be his idea rather than yours.
When most kids do say something to welcome an adult, they look at the ground and mumble or ignore.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Role-play it at home. Pretend you’re Aunt Sally or your child’s teacher and have him practice saying hello to you. Encourage him to smile or wave and clearly and pleasantly greet the person. If he’s reluctant to look up, challenge him to find the color of her eyes. Once he feels comfortable with the process around the house, chances are he’ll try it out in public. But it’ll work better if you let it be his idea rather than yours.
{ 4 } Hold the door.
Many kids barge through a door, barely noticing the person who opened it or worse still, whether it’s going to slam in someone’s face. They don’t automatically think that they should get the door; you have to explain to them that it’s the kind thing to do.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Practice at every opportunity. Once introduced to the concept, young kids love to hold doors because they feel like big strong helpers doing a very important job. Start at home: “Mommy’s carrying a lot of groceries. Who can hold the door for me?” At the store or at school, where doors may be heavy for a young child to hold on their own, ask them to help you: “Here comes Mrs. Roberts and Brian. Let’s hold the door for them because that’s the polite thing to do.” Begin very low-key and then one day - because you’re not requiring it or demanding it - you’ll be amazed to hear your child say, “Mommy, I can do it myself.”
{ 5 } If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. (My personal favorite!)
Young kids learn from watching TV today that it’s okay - even sometimes funny - when people say rude things to each other. Add that to the fact that a young child’s sense of empathy isn’t fully developed, and it’s a recipe for a humiliating situation.
TEACH IT TODAY:
First, resist watching inappropriate TV shows - or, at least discuss the problem behavior with your child. For instance say, “Do you think that was mean of Simon to talk to the singer like that?” Then let your child know what she says has the power to hurt the feelings of another kid or adult. See whether she can recall an example of a time when her feelings were hurt so that you can be sure she grasps the concept. It’s also worth making up scenarios and asking her whether the person in the story said a good or bad thing. The more concrete you can make it for her, the better she’ll understand it.
{ 6 } Give up your seat.
It usually doesn’t cross a young kid’s mind that giving up a seat to an older person on the train or at a party is the polite thing to do. The chances he’ll actually do it are even slimmer.
TEACH IT TODAY:
Lead by example. The next time you’re riding a crowded bus or train, ask your child to sit with you. Say: “Would you come sit here on my lap so this nice man can have a seat? I think he would really appreciate it.” The more often children see you do it, the more liable they are to come up with the idea themselves.
Interesting Fact:
Lose the Excuses!
“He didn’t have his nap today”….”She’s just hungry”…..”He doesn’t usually act like this….”
It’s incredibly tempting to make excuses for your child when he behaves rudely in public. “When you do this, children get the message that they don’t have to answer for their behavior because their parents have done it for them. Instead, apologize for the inappropriate behavior. That sends the message, “I did something wrong, and Mommy and Daddy have to say they’re sorry about it to others.”
Lose the Excuses!
“He didn’t have his nap today”….”She’s just hungry”…..”He doesn’t usually act like this….”
It’s incredibly tempting to make excuses for your child when he behaves rudely in public. “When you do this, children get the message that they don’t have to answer for their behavior because their parents have done it for them. Instead, apologize for the inappropriate behavior. That sends the message, “I did something wrong, and Mommy and Daddy have to say they’re sorry about it to others.”
Thank you to the magazine Parents for this fantastic article and for Laurie who typed it all up (since it was not available online through Parents) and allowing me to post it here!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Activity
September 18, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
I wanted to think of another activity to reuse plastic bottles before sending the rest to the recycling center. Making them into bowling pins is a simple craft/game that does not take a lot of work and materials, but will teach your children to have fun with reusing materials.You simply fill up your cleaned plastic bottles with tap water and then add any sort of substance that would easily color the water. Beet juice, carrot juice, cayenne powder, curry powder, dandelion root powder, cream of tartar or tempura paint would work fantastically to color the water.
I glued the top to each bottle but still was not feeling comfortable with knocking big bottles full of colored water over in my house so decided this will be an outside bowling activity.
You can also make some fun I Spy Bottles with your kids to reuse plastic bottles.
How to Raise a GREAT Citizen
September 14, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country…”
Make community service a top priority. There are numerous ways to involve your family in community service. Community service projects do not need to take an extreme amount of time or empty your pocketbook. There are wonderful websites to put you in the right direction: The Volunteer Family, The United Way, U-Can-Do, and many more. Ask your local church group, library, senior center or school if they are in need of any help.
Golden Rule Treat others with respect and dignity, the way they would like to be treated. Teach them to care and have empathy for those around them.
Following Rules Teach them to follow the rules of your home, their school and society. Make sure they know what their responsibilities are as a citizen of their country.
Environment As a family, talk about what you can do to help take care of our earth in order to leave it better than when we arrived!
Leadership Teach your children by example that sometimes it takes courage to be a leader but that you care about fighting unfair laws, improving current conditions, and seeking equality and tolerance for everyone.
Education Read stories about different cultures, community service in the news, and civil right books. Explore with your children issues going on in your community and nation. Teach them of our wonderful forefathers who fought for our freedom.
Raise them to be PROUD to be an American!
What do you think the keys are to raise a great citizen?
Seven Smooches
September 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Seven Smooches is an inviting little shoppe with items created and hand sewn by two mothers who have seven children between them. Their company is inspired by the indulgent natural softness of a child’s kiss. All of their beautiful products are one of a kind, machine washable and made out of 100% recycled wool sweaters.
I love the beautiful astrology blankets they offer. Each blanket is hand felted and stitched with the constellation of your choice. These would make a perfect little baby gift.
Seven Smooches also offers many different types of clothing, from kimonos to cardigans - with attention to every detail.
Hollywood has gone crazy over this shoppe, rumor has it that Halle Berry, Laila Ali, Marcia Cross and Courtney Cox Arquette’s daughters wear the clothing. I have fallen for it too. I just love everything they offer.
Learning About the World Through Food
September 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
I am thrilled that Angelina from The Little Travelers is our Guest Writer today.
Over the years, I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel a bit and learn from many great teachers around the world. My intention for my blog is to share what I’ve learned in the realm of parenting and raising children. I hope that what you find here has a meaningful impact on you and your families as it’s had on mine.
Learning about the world through food
One of my favorite ways to explore other cultures is through their food. If started when your children are young enough they will gladly join you in the journey. Remember, children eat what they’re used to eating. Indian children eat curry, Thai children eat Pad Thai and German children eat Schnitzel. If you only offer your children chicken fingers and carrots with ranch dressing, they will likely turn their noses up to Persian stew. So start young and really stretch their pallets while they are malleable.
This year, we have decided to cook a meal from a different country once a week and go for no repeats the entire year. So by the end of the year we will have eaten 52 meals from 52 countries. We are also coloring in a map each week to keep track of what we’ve made and posting pictures to our website in hopes that other families will join us on our journey, tell us what recipes they’ve enjoyed, and share them with us.
The best way to include children in cooking is by having them help cook. Rather than keeping your children busy while you cook, either pull up a sturdy chair, use a Learning Tower, or set up a small table where they can sit and give them real jobs to help with the prep. Yes, it takes longer when they ‘help’ but it is really worth it in the long run. Give them their own cutting board and if they’re very young a butter knife to cut with.
I also offer this tip to those of you with small children at home. This one small thing saved my sanity when my girls were little. At the time my husband traveled half the year, so I pulled duty as a single mother even when I was married. I was a stay at home mom who often did my outings in the mornings. The girls would nap in the afternoon and then we’d play at home, and I’d try to start dinner around 5. It was rough! They wanted to be held or they fussed or fought with each other. And then someone told me this tip. Just before getting ready to start dinner go for a walk outside. No matter the weather, take at least 10 minutes to walk outside- around the block or up and down the street. Then come in and start dinner. Such a simple thing made such a huge difference. They were in a totally different place and were eager to do a focused indoor task again after being outside for a while.
Also, a big tip for those with very young children is to sing while cooking. Here’s my favorite veggie cutting song: “Chipitty chop, chippety chop. Cut off the bottom and we cut off the top. What we have left we throw in the pot. Chippety chop. Chippety chop.”
It can seem silly to the adult but you’d be amazed at how much it helps children relax into what they’re doing and keep focused at the same time. Definitely have the TV in the off position and don’t stress about the mess. If the child spills, assist in cleaning it up. While the meal cooks, clean up the prep area together and then set the table together. Lighting a candle at mealtime also makes a HUGE difference to children in the enjoyment of the meal and eagerness to participate in the process.
Veggies!!!
September 4, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Aside from a side dish at dinner, it hasn’t been easy for me to get my daughters to eat their vegetables. After a few failures and a little frustration I have finally found a few things that seem to work. I can rest easy knowing my daughters are eating their veggies–whether they know it or not!
Breakfast
Carrot Juice. Yes, carrot juice! Start your child on carrot juice when she is young. It is a fantastically nutritious juice and they will learn to love the taste. I started buying Bolthouse Farm’s 3-pack of 100% Carrot Juice at my local warehouse store as soon as my daughter began drinking cow’s milk. Since then she’s learned it’s breakfast drink.
Carrot juice is naturally rich in powerful antioxidants including Vitamin C and Vitamin A from alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. It is also a natural source of potassium and is fat and cholesterol free. My trick is to mix it with pomegranate juice, which gives it a fun color and a little bit of sweetness.
Fritters are another item I incorporate into breakfast to ensure we eat enough vegetables. I grate zucchini and other vegetables and mix them with an egg and a cup of pancake mix. I form them into patties and cook them in extra virgin olive oil.
Lunch
Roasted and pureed butternut squash frozen into ice cubes is something I always keep on hand. I mix sliced or shredded cheese, cracked pepper and two thawed cubes of squash together and grill it on some multi-grain bread like just like a grilled cheese! I don’t think my kids even know what a regular grilled cheese sandwich tastes like! 
“Pasta” spaghetti squash is a weekly meal in my home and which we eat as leftovers the next day for lunch. Spaghetti squash is so yummy; you have to give it a try! I cut it in half, season it with olive oil, salt and pepper, cover it with foil and roast it on high for an hour in the oven. Take it out and start pulling on the flesh with your fork and it turns into “pasta!” I saute some bell pepper, onion and whatever other veggies I have on hand and throw it in with the squash. To make it extra tasty you can add a tiny bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
I am still in need of new ideas for squeezing veggies into my daughter’s meals other than the normal sliced and diced raw veggies. Those mini peeled carrots are great, but it’s nice to change it up once in a while. Any suggestions?
Butternut squash photo by romanlily, shared via Flickr.
Refrigeration
September 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
What counts for 25% of most households’ electricity consumption? Your refrigerator. So, of course, you are going to want to make sure you are running it the most efficient way that you can!
1. Be Organized–You waste time and energy with keeping the door open while trying to find something in your messy fridge. I have to admit that I am horrible with this, which is why I tidy up my fridge one day a week. If I didn’t, it would be scary! Up to 30% of the cool air in the fridge escapes every time you open the door, which is quite a bit! Be quick when you get something out!
2. Going on Vacation–Usually we think of going through our fridge before a vacation so nothing spoils, but it turns out the emptier the fridge, the better. You can turn down the power or even turn it off entirely.
3. Clean Yearly—By keeping the coils in the back of your fridge dust free it makes your fridge 30% more efficient!
4. Wait for Food to Cool–If you wait for the food to cool before putting it in the fridge and make sure it’s covered, it means less energy is used from the fridge to cool it!
5. Check the Door Seal– Try this great test I found online, “By putting a piece of paper in the door you can check your door’s seal! If it slips out when the door’s closed, you may need to change the seal and/or door magnets, to stop cool air from escaping.”
Now we can all get to work on checking our fridges!
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