Printable Vintage(1911) Paper Doll House and Furniture

Source: archiveamericana.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Source: archiveamericana.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Source: archiveamericana.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

See link under pictures for originals. Simply click on pictures(at link) to enlarge and save.

President's Day Printable Paper Dolls: George and Martha

Source: mostlypaperdolls.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Source: mostlypaperdolls.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Click below pictures for original link to copy and save. The original link for Martha has the history written out. It's too small to read on the picture.

We just got back from our nation's capitol, and unbelievable(for a blogger), I forgot my camera!We spent a day in the National Museum of American History, and I saw the First Ladies dress collection . Well worth a visit to this museum if you get to D.C. . I didn't see Martha's dress. From the link:

"The exhibition features more than two dozen gowns from the Smithsonian’s almost 100-year old First Ladies Collection, including those worn by Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. A section titled 'Changing Times, Changing First Ladies' highlights the roles played by Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband’s administrations."

Printable Vintage Robin Redbreast Stories, Kindergarten and Up

Kindergarten story about robins.
Click on images to enlarge and save, or follow to original link to copy and save(right click on images of pages).

We have had so many male robins congregating in our backyard lately.They've been feasting on berries and pecking the ground for grubs and worms. They are the earliest egg layers and are typically heralds of spring. I've only seen a few of the ladies, but enough to start some of the male birds singing.

More here: Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study, The Robin. Simply right click on images of pages to save. or print.

"I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.—Gal. vi. 17 (AV).I wonder if you know the legend of how our dear old friend Mr. Robin got his red breast?" Story from The Children's Great Texts of the Bible, Volume 6, by James Hastings. Right click on the images of pages at the link to save or print.

The Robin and Other Parables for Children By Frederic Adolphus Krummacher. See here. Right click on the page images to save or print.

Audubon Society: Children Spending Too Much Time Indoors

"We find that children are spending less time outdoors, and their free time is really spent in highly structured activities," said Robert Martinez, president of the Connecticut Audubon Society. "They have very little opportunity for spontaneous interaction with the natural world."

Martinez said that just about all of those involved in conservation today and through history "developed a bond with nature" when they were children.

"That bond is a lifelong experience," he said. "If they don't forge that bond early enough, then where are we going to find the next generation of conservationists?"

"When I was a kid, it was easier to find vacant lots, to go exploring, to follow a brook and to go on an adventure. It's getting harder and harder for kids to do that today." Read more here.

It can't be good for children not to get a lot free time in the fresh air and sunshine.

Recycled Mixed Media Children's Art

These items were made by layering leftover craft table scraps. With a little guidance, a young child could put together a fun piece of art with odds and ends.

Save those little hole punch circles. They make great eyes, fruit, decorations, etc. in art projects. The scraps used in these projects were tissue paper, ribbon, colored paper, hole punch circles, recycled stickers, newspaper, old doodles and painting projects destined for the recycling bin, and recycled cardboard pieces. I had some metallic paint that I stippled over the heart with a sponge paint brush to give it an edgy look. Generally the shapes of the leftover scraps dictate the direction of the project. It is sort of like looking at clouds, they take on shapes in your imagination. With a little extra shaping with scissors, the pieces are glued onto each other, layer by layer, to create your special one-of-a-kind art.

Basic art supplies we generally have on hand are tempera paints, soft beeswax crayons for heavy coverage of large areas, colored pens and pencils for detail work, glitter and glitter glue, scissors, tape, hole punch, glue, and zig-zag scissors. We get most of our supplies from dollar stores. Ribbon, yarn, string, buttons, and fabric pieces(or any art supplies for that matter) are collected by the bag from thrift stores, who offer these items very inexpensively. Multi-colored construction paper and index cards; and tissue paper are all purchased at the dollar store.

Crafty Early Learning

A few images from this week:


My six year daughter has discovered the joy of Beatrix Potter. This week she was drawing and narrating stories to me from her favorite,"The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin". Many narrations were altered versions of the story with minor tie-ins like a squirrel eating monster. Nothing like a bit of creative story telling from a six year old for entertainment.

I found a free downloadable mini-unit study with the illustrated "Tale of Squirrel Nutkin" included at CurrClick. This has a elementary level vocabulary word exercise suited for older children, about third grade and up. There is also a little nature study, sequencing, and reading comprehension.

Inexpensive Children's Educational Software by Operating System

I finally found a place online which sells children's educational software by operating system. I've bought inexpensive software before that would not work on 64 bit Windows 7, even with the work-around. This is so handy! And the prices are good with free shipping and 10% off with the coupon code MONKEY.

Operating Systems include:

Windows 7( 32 or 64 bit)
Windows Vista
Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98, 95
almost everything, see product details

Macintosh 10.5 or later
Macintosh 10.3 or later
Macintosh OS X, OSX Classic

I bought Reader Rabbit Learning to Read and JumpStart software for my daughter.

Click here to go to Children's Education Software Online, click on your operating system and then grade level. I saw some algebra and geometry Speedstudy software programs which I may get for my son next year.

Algebra Helps

I did well in algebra in high school and college, but it has been many years since I've worked any algebra problems! I picked up Painless Algebra (Barron's Painless Series)(for me) at the library which covers very basic algebra, but does not pass into the more complex covered in an Algebra II class such as algebraic fractions. My son is working on these now through Christian Light Education grade nine mathematics. So I ordered a few highly rated advanced algebra books off Amazon.com. There are so many wonderful self teach books nowadays. I wish they had been published when I was younger!

So here is what I ordered which includes help with those nasty algebraic fractions which is covered in ninth grade Christian Light Education beginning Algebra. It's covered again in the eleventh grade Algebra. I was surprised to see this in ninth grade. We'll use these two as a review for me and as a cross reference for my son.

The Humongous Book of Algebra Problems: Translated for People Who Don't Speak Math

and

Practical Algebra: A Self-Teaching Guide, Second Edition

Early Childhood Education: Exploring Occupations - Medical

Source: sevensistersinchrist.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This is a really cute idea for a DIY medical kit - doctor/nurse play, although I'd have to nix the pill bottle idea because my curious little girl would eventually learn to open safety caps! She'd treat it like some sort of Rubix cube puzzle, and move onto real pill bottles once she has mastered the toy one. Click on "source" link below picture for original post.

Hands-on Early Math Toys

Math addition and subtractions animal blocks:



I purchased these for Christmas this year. They were well worth it for fun hands-on homeschool learning!


Marble maze put together blocks:

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

A beautiful example of a nature diary, found at my public library.


The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden, 1906

Make a Castle with Recycled Paper Items

Source and instructions.

This can be made from toilet paper rolls or cut down paper towel rolls and recycled cardboard.

Coffee Filter Hearts

Source: momto2poshlildivas.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

These were made with bingo/do-a-dot markers and coffee filters. See blog link under image for instructions.

3D Geometry Paper Model Templates

We could have used this site for seventh/eighth grade math! See here for free template downloads.

Picture Pie, Fun with Circles

Ed Emberley's Picture Pie (Ed Emberley Drawing Books)

From the library...lots of fun with this book. The pies are divided into eighths and puzzled together like a tangram. Circles are made by tracing around a cup and then are cut out. The circle is folded in half, then again, and again to make eight even slice folds. The child(or adult) cuts along the folds, and can make various pictures with the slices. The instructions for the pictures are simple to follow and range from easy to difficult. There is something for everyone in this book.

More Fancy Snowflake Templates

Source: liveinternet.ru via Sarah on Pinterest

Click to enlarge, or follow link below image to full size version. These are fun, but my fingers are killing me! ;)

Frugal Effective Moisturizer - Crisco Shortening

After reading about the excellent moisturizing properties of Crisco shortening, I finally tried it on my face and hands. It works better than any of the natural oils that I use, and doesn't break me out. Crisco absorbed quickly, and my hands remained soft even through frequent hand washings. It has balanced my face which is middle aged and temperamental; I alternate between dry and blemish prone. Best of all, it doesn't stay greasy and has no odor. This is definitely something that I will continue to use on my skin. It may be too heavy for the summer, but I usually go moisturizer free during the warmer months.

Read reviews here at Make-up Alley.

Also see: Benefits of Crisco on Eczema

Ingredients:

SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS). Vitamin E 15%

Library Finds: International Fairy Tale and Folktale Picture Books

Random fairy tale and folktale books that we enjoyed this week. All are from different countries which is great for extending learning to geography. Preschool - grade two.

Very short and a bit silly: Tikki Tikki Tembo, a Chinese tale. The boy's purposely ridiculous long name will get a giggle with younger children, especially while the parent struggles to pronounce it!

A classic Irish tale, beautifully illustrated and medium length for older "littles": The Children of Lir

Humorous retelling for young children: The Monkey and the Crocodile: A Jataka Tale India by Paul Galdone

A tale from Spain(Moorish Iberia):Miller, the Boy and the Donkey, Based on the La Fontaine fable by Brian Wildsmith

Exciting third person, lyrical retelling of the final, "and most difficult, labor of Hercules, known as Heracles in Greek mythology, in which he must go to Underworld and bring back the three-headed dog, Cerberus". Beautifully illustrated and just short enough to catch the interest of small children. Hercules


The Magic Grove: A Persian Folktale

Lusciously illustrated Persian(modern day Iran) tale, surprisingly Christian in tone, only because I'm ignorant of Persian values and morals(I'm sure). The characters of this lovely tale of love and compassion continue to choose others before themselves despite desperate hardships. They are rewarded in the end for their kindness to some fantastic birds(of grace?) whose lives are spared.

The age old classic Greek myth, King Midas and the Golden Touch











Source of world map.

Shadow Puppets

Active storytelling.

Source: designmom.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

I'm reading Grimm's fairy tales to my daughter. I might have to try this.

Lots of ideas here.

Many free to print vintage silhouettes here.

Printable puppet stage.

Source: etc.usf.edu via Alexandra on Pinterest

Washing Painted Walls

I was thinking the only way to brighten up our walls was to repaint, but I've spent a few days wiping down the walls top to bottom, and they are so much brighter! I take the time to spot clean every week, but this thorough cleaning made a bigger impression of cleanliness. I found that a dampened microfiber towel wrung out with dishwashing soap removed dirt the best. Some of my spray cleaners that I've used in the past were too strong and caused paint to fade, especially on my door frames and wall corners in heavy traffic areas.

I rinsed the towel in clean water frequently and worked from top to bottom in a circular motion. Our walls are especially tough to clean because they are textured with plaster swirls. I use Palmolive dish soap, and this gets all the grubby hand prints, pen and watercolor marks, and other kiddie "art" out of the crevices and off of the wall.

Anyway, I think we'll get another few years out of our wall paint before I need to repaint. I got a good work out for my arms as well!

Early Spring?

View from my window today. It's oddly spring-like this winter. I've even got daffodils and radish coming up! Our spring bushes are heavy with buds. I'll be back...I've been deep cleaning the house this week, and purging collections of outgrown toys and clothes. Tomorrow is donation day.

Zero Cost Preschool Math

Source: montessorionabudget.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

My daughter is too old for this, but the simplicity of this idea caught my eye. I think those are toilet paper rolls holding the number places. The sticks are nice for little hands to hold, and not likely to be a choking hazard like small round counters. Fun for children to collect and break as well.

Printable Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater

Source: sarahjanestudios.com via Cypress on Pinterest

Made from a cereal box, some sticks, and brads. See here.

Children's Bathroom Organization

Source: Uploaded by user via Hannah on Pinterest

I am so doing this! I'll have them use the longer space for toothpaste

Discounted Gift Cards - Money Back on Purchases

In January, people begin unloading their unwanted Christmas gift cards, so it is a good time to purchase discounted gift cards. Mostly, I use Plastic Jungle to purchase gift cards at a discount, and stick to merchants that I use regularly like Jiffy Lube, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Rite Aid, etc. Plastic Jungle is an online place to buy and sell gift cards. Plastic Jungle buys from individuals, and sells the cards at a discount online. All cards are verified and guaranteed by Plastic Jungle. I was able to get a Barnes & Noble gift card last night at an 11% discount(off face value), and it does not expire, so I can take my time using it. Since it's a gift card and just like cash, I can pair coupons with it and my member discount. This adds up to some nice savings.

Shipping is free and fast. I've had nothing but good experiences with Plastic Jungle. They offer e-gift cards as well, but I like to have the ones I can use both one and off-line.