I am addicted and I'm not ashamed to say it!  For almost a year I've been trying to get around to making a recipe for Kale Chips that my mom gave me.  Either, I would forget or Kale would be out of season.  Well, this week I finally did it and boy am I addicted.  I've made them everyday since and am getting ready to go outside to pick more Kale to make some again today.  It is so easy and so nutritious and wonderfully tasty.  My six and eight year olds and I were scrambling for them as soon as they came out of the oven.  It was a real hit with my husband also.  Now, I must confess that we, all of us, are big greens lovers.  We crave them!  But someone (kids or adults) who doesn't really care for cooked greens, might be pleasantly surprised to find out that eating your greens could taste so good. 

All you need to do is:
Pick your own kale (or buy some at the store).


Wash about 1/2 pound of curly kale (ribs removed) dried well and torn into 2-3 inch pieces.


Toss the leaves in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (I would like to experiment with a little garlic or cayenne also) and put on a cooling rack that is placed on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 250 degrees F for 20 minutes or until totally dried and yet still bright green.



Enjoy!

Some years ago when my oldest child was learning about "buoyancy' in her science class she was required to do some simple experiments in the kitchen using different types of objects to see how well or if they floated.  At the same time she was also doing experiments that demonstrated "surface tension."  We had fun doing these experiments together and talking about them.  It was at this time that we came up with the idea for our "Sinking Self" jar.  The purpose of the jar was to encourage good behavior and respect in the home.  I used a gallon jar which the kids decorated with different words expressing obedient and respectful responses like, "Yes, Mom", "Okay", "Yes, Dad", etc...  We filled the jar about 3/4 the way full with water and put a few drops of blue food coloring in it to make the water easier to see and floated an empty, clear plastic cup on top of the water.  Then, as I noticed times when one of my children suppressed self to obey Dad or me or share with a sibling or do something to help another, etc... I would tell them to put a marble in the plastic cup.  As the plastic cup got fuller and fuller, of course, it began to sink deeper and deeper in the water until the final marble would send it to the bottom of the jar.  At this point there was much rejoicing because we had already set up a reward to celebrate the sinking of the "self" cup; going to the zoo, Childrens Museum etc...  We used the "Sinking Self" jar for quite a few years.  It is a great visual motivator for young children.  I think it's time to resurface it for my second wave of youngin's!
(Just a note:  The three cups around the large jar each contained a different color of marbles for each child.  They liked to take notice of how many they had contributed to the "self" cup.  What's interesting is that my more "strong willed" child would often times have more marbles in the "self" cup, probably because he was also the most competitive.)

I was wanting my 6 year old and 8 year old to start developing their listening skills in church.  They always sit quietly on the pew and doodle so I thought I would encourage them to doodle about the sermon.  I made each of them a small "Sermon Picture Journal" where I gave them a place to write the name of the sermon, the name of the speaker and the date. (They can copy this info from the bulletin.)   Also, I put common words they could listen for like Jesus ... etc. for them to keep a tally if they wish.   Then I framed the rest of the page to be used to draw what they are hearing. 
We go to a small church so we just leave the journals in the pew for each week, then I encourage their involvement in the rest of the service: singing, prayer, childrens story.  When the sermon starts they are able to take out their journal and begin to listen for something they want to illustrate in picture.  They are only allowed to use one page front and back, if need be, and I only provide each of them a pencil.  (I've found that colored pencils, crayons or markers are more of a distraction in church.) 
I'm a little surprised at how successful it's been.  Sometimes it's hard to hold them off until the sermon.
You can print your own by clicking on the  "Sermon Picture Journal" and "Sermon Picture Journal Cover" below.  I set up my printer to print two pages per page and then printed about 50 pages.  Then I took them to Kinko's and had them cut them into two journals and bound along the top with a spiral binding.  They also put a clear front and stiff back on it.  They turned out real nice.
"Sermon Picture Journal"
"Sermon Picture Journal Cover"

We had great fun today creating our own homemade greeting cards using only, paper, paint and potatoes... Yes, potatoes!  I remember when I was taking one of my education classes in college on teaching arts and crafts in the elementary school, many moons ago, that we made our own stamps with potatoes.  I had not made them since college but for some reason that popped into my mind today to make potato stamps for art class today with the kids and so we did.  (I warn you, this can become addictive.)  We had great fun!  I could go into detail telling you how to do it but if you would just Google "potato stamps" you can watch some pretty detailed video on youtube that will show you in a matter of a few minutes.   Here is one that we watched,  How to Make Potato Stamps  What they don't show you, however, is that you can save your stamps for a few days or so in an airtight container in the refigerator.   Just cover your stamps with water to keep the potatoes from turning black and shriveling up. Potatoes were never so fun!

Learning new sight words, vocabulary words or math facts can be a tedious and sometimes boring task.  We have found a way to turn it into a fun and exciting exercise that keeps the kids motivated to learn.

This is what you need:

- The words or facts you're trying to learn written on cards (3x5 or 4x6 is good)
- A staircase, if you have one, or a long hall way or open area in a room
- Stop watch
- Whistle (if you don't have one you can just say "beep")

How to play:

- Put one or more word cards on each step, starting at the top and working down the stairs.  (If you are using a hallway or room make a path of word cards.)
- Starting at the bottom of the stairs have the child say the word or math fact on the first step.  If he gets it right blow the whistle or say "beep" then he can pick up the card and move up the stairs reading and picking up the cards on each step as he goes.  If he gets a word or fact wrong silence will tell him to try again.  (If he spends too much time on a word or fact he might want to skip it and come back to it later.)
- Time the child with a stop watch to see how long it takes him to get from the bottom of the stairs to the top.  (Or, one end of the room to the other.)  Write down his time and challenge him to beat his own time.

Year/Week Wheel

I've been trying to get through to one of my younger children the concepts of the months of the year and days of the week, how they are ongoing and continuous.  She seems to grasp the continuous part okay but if asked, "What day is four days after Friday?" or the like, she has had a little difficulty.  She was also confusing days or months that come before vs. after each other.  This has been a little struggle for a couple of months so I made this simple chart, the Year/Week Wheel, to help her visualize these concepts.  Hope you can find it useful if you are experiencing some of the same issues.

To use the Year/Week Wheel print the file above "Year/Week Wheel".   Use the following guidelines:

- Show and explain, using the wheel, the concept of the year, how that the months are a continuous cycle as are the days of the week.

- At first you might leave out that January is the first month of the new year and Sunday is the first day of the new week.  Introduce that concept later.

- Start with the days of the week (these names are easier for beginner readers to make sense of).

- Say the days of the week pointing with your finger (and child's also) going around and around the chart saying each day without emphasizing a starting or finish point.

- Explain that going with the arrow shows after and going against the arrow or backward shows before.

- Begin asking questions, easier ones at first, such as:
     "What day comes after Tuesday?"
     "What day comes before Friday?"

- As the child is grasping the concepts work up to more difficult questions such as:
     "What day is four days after Thursday?"
     "What day is seven days before Sunday?"

- Use your creativity in your questions.  Try to ask questions that make the child think but not get exasperated.  When you know that the child is getting a good understanding you might ask questions such as:

     "On Wednesday, Caroline asked her mother how many days it would be until her birthday.  Mother answered that it would be five more days.  On what day of the week would Caroline's birthday be?"

Teach the months of the year using the same basic system.

I have heard about them for a couple of years and even purchased a couple of "how to" books on lap booking but it just didn't become real until we were personally introduced four days ago at a "Girls for God" meeting sponsored by our local home school group. Mia Turner, home school mom and lap booker, provided everything needed and guided us through the process of making a lap book on "Love, 1 Corinthians 13 Style." Her creativity and enthusiasm were so contagious that we are now hooked! After getting home that evening my eleven year old daughter decided to make a lap book on "The Reformation." My sixteen year old daughter decided to take her "Love" lap book a step further and added information about dating and courtship. And my four and six year old girls added more details to their "Love" lap books too. If this wasn't enough for a day! Yesterday my eleven year old invited a friend to come over to make lap books together about horses. They collected a bunch of info and pictures from the internet and made some really nice books. While this was going on my sixteen year old wouldn't be left out so she started researching and made a really neat lap book about mountains. It's never ending!!!! What a creative and exciting way to learn - not to mention FUN!