Spring is in the air around here, and it's starting to pop up out of the ground too! There are lots of lovely little green stalks poking their heads up and looking around to see if the warm weather here's to stay. This will be our first spring living on a lake, which means canoeing season will be arriving soon and fishing too. While several people took advantage of our frozen lake- with its eight inches of ice!- to fish this winter, we weren't among them this year. We have got around to some fishing inside though, which is a great way to practice until the weather cooperates- and learn our letters too.
I think everyone should have a mark for a successful day. For me, it's learning something. Often when I'm going to bed, I think to myself, "What did I learn today?" I'm trying to pass on the same tradition to my kids. Because I think learning is a temperament, just as much as happy or fussy, etc. So here are some ways that we're encouraging learning around here right now.
So often, it's easy to post finished projects. Today, in celebration to the spring that's slowly in progress around us- the warmer breezes are coming!- I'm posting a few pieces of what we're currently working on instead. Because sometimes the process takes awhile, especially with little hands about (smile).
We began this collage rainbow two weeks ago. We've spent two sessions on it, with two colors to go. I underestimated how entrancing it would be to a preschooler to cut the paper into little pieces & glue them on. Isia also modified the top of the paper to be "more rainbow-like." Was I expecting to spend so much time on this project? No, but that's when I need to step back and let her work happen.
\
And here's my work in progress. The pattern is "Another plain vest" by Pickles. I'm doing the 5-6 size, partly because Isia's growing like a weed lately and partly because it was the free version. It doesn't hurt that she should be able to wear it for awhile either! I'm finishing up the back part, which is always the hardest part for me. So close... and so far away. And all those ends to weave back in. Here's to pushing on!
And some tulips from a dear friend to remind me that spring is getting closer. This is our first spring here, and I was promised by the previous owner (and house builder!) that there's lots of bulbs to enjoy when it comes. I can't wait to meet them!
What are you working on right now?
This is the hardest part of winter for me. We had a beautiful respite on Saturday- sunny and warm enough for light jackets- but we've plunged into freezing temperatures and snow again. And while I wouldn't mind hiding under the covers until March (maybe even April) with this book, that's not an option with these two bouncy little people. So it's time to dig deep. Here are twenty-five ways to motivate me to get through the rest of winter. Hopefully they can help you too!
1. Draw in the sunshine with glittery markers.
2. Make play-dough. This recipe from Kids Activity Blog uses conditioner & cornstarch.
3. Cover your kitchen floor with large paper and let the kids loose with markers!
4. Or let them stomp paint! Here's a great activity from Mess for Less.
5. Place different textures under paper (onion bag, washcloth, etc) for crayon rubbings.
6. Make lemonade! Using a lemon juicer is perfect for building little hand muscles.
7. Play with your food. Simple faces make my kids laugh & get excited about new foods.
8. Create some edible snowflakes with flour tortillas. So yummy!
9. Make oatmeal special with a scoop of ice cream & cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top.
10. Large mugs of steamy hot chocolate make any day better.
11. Have a picnic, indoors or out.
12. Make a blanket fort to snuggle in and read books.
13. Play flashlight hide-and-seek. Even during the day my kids love this.
14. Middle-of-the-day bubble baths are a fun way to warm up little hands and toes.
15. Hang a bird-feeder (or make some birdseed ornaments) for great bird watching.
16. Snack often! Little individual quiches with crescent rolls are a household favorite.
17. Double soup recipes for freezing. Even better, swap an extra batch with a friend.
18. Bake this beer bread! Perfect for little helpers to sift flour & watch the beer fizz.
19. Making crackers has been on my list this winter. This recipe looks like a keeper.
20. Let your kids prep soft fruit. We use butter knives but plastic works too.
21. Go outside at least once a day, especially if you don't want to.
22. Have a project! Knitting is a good distraction for my hands and mind.
23. Call a friend. I tend to recluse in winter, which is when I need my friends the most!
24. Go to bed early with a good book.
25. Drink lots of tea. Peppermint is good for energy, roobios is helpful for moody days.
What would you add to this list? The more steps the better! (smile)
One of my love languages is time. And I can tell you who took the time to teach me just about every skill I cherish today. I know who taught me to sew, to crochet, to knit, to knead bread dough, to identify weeds, to mend socks, etc. Even though some of my teachers have left this world, I carry their skills within me still. (And think of them each time I use them!) So teaching my kids skills is an important way for me to show them I love them. Sewing is a skill we've been focusing on lately. Perfect for occupying my toddler and my preschooler at the same time and strengthening those little hands I love so much.
Has the snow caught up with you yet? Between the freezing weather and the icy hills, we've spent many days inside trying to stay warm and entertained. With two energetic, runny-nosed kids, it's meant centering myself the best that I can to breathe life into our days. Big exhaled breaths that result in dancing times, long games of chase, beating on drums, and making creative messes. Then those quieter times of inhalation. When we snuggle to read books or settle in at the table to draw in our art journals, assemble puzzles and do home-school or handwork. It's these rhythms that keep us centered (and me sane!). Simple sewing is a handwork favorite right now, and these buttoning ribbons are always a favorite. Here is one perfect for Valentine's Day- or the King/Queen of Hearts in your life if you love Alice in Wonderland as much as we do!
I've always loved teaching print-making to kids. There's something so special about transferring an image to a piece of paper or cloth. So many are intimidated by print-making, thinking of methods that involve wood-carving tools or chemicals. These mono-prints don't require either and are a perfect place for kids- and their parents!- to start.
As I posted on G+ awhile back, Isia has been requesting silly games for learning. This doesn't surprise me, and probably doesn't surprise you either from the glimpses of her here. She has a strong spirit, my first child. And she knows herself pretty well. She's an extremely Active child, and unless she's creating something, she's running around, jumping on the furniture when she thinks I'm not looking (ahem), and throwing impromptu dance parties. Idle hands are a bit dangerous with this kiddo, so I try to help keep them busy! Creating these alphabet people together have been perfect for that.
Have you been staying warm? We're enjoying a brief thaw before the next snow comes. While our lake is still icy, most of the snow is gone from our woods. After a couple weeks of watching the snow collect outside, I came up with this idea for these easy, edible snowflakes. They were easy enough for Isia's preschooler hands to make, almost all by herself. And yummy enough for us to all enjoy together. A great treat for any day... whether it's snowing or not!
While we're leaving up our lights around our staircase, we did take down the lights in our living room. This decision was greatly influenced by their need of an extension cord without the tree- and my desire to not go hunting through our pile 'o boxes downstairs to find one. So down they came, leaving an empty space behind them. And that space, I decided, needed something. Something neutral enough to last us through the rest of the snow, decidedly non-electrical, and easy to hang. And if it made use of my over-flowing drawer of collected paper towel & toilet paper rolls? Even better.
How is your holiday season moving along? Our is getting there, little by little. Since large windows of time are a rarity, I'm trying to find small chunks during the day to wrap a present or do a little bit of sewing. As we continue to settle into this house, the kids are getting better at occupying themselves here and there again. But it never hurts to have an activity (or three) in my back pocket- to get a little extra time to finish a seam or address a few more holiday cards. And these activities aren't just busy activities! The products have been fun to incorporate into our home, and can easily help with gift-giving too.
