Kids Virtues!

I got to spend the best week in Colorado with my dear friend catching up, talking, laughing, crying and talking about our out of control lives and kids! It was great!! 🙂  While we were together we made list upon list of things we wanted to accomplish with our lives and our family.  One thing we did which I loved was make a list of virtues for her family and her kids.  We are both very visual so to have something to stare at helps to remember what in the world we actually do want for our family.   I had never really made a point to sit down and list out what our goals were for our family…I’d seen them thousands of times..the cute little signs “our family loves, kisses, hugs, never yells, is always calm, sweetly disciplines, never gets mad” etc etc… (In the name of full disclosure…I have one of those signs and I love it!)  That being said…All the things listed on my cute sign about our family rules are not put into practice in our family as much as I’d like.  My very creative and artistic friend made a sign for immediate teachable moments with her kids when something listed on that cute sign doesn’t happen (i.e.: like when your kids (or you) begins screaming at the top of your lungs because you find your coffee mug tipped over and coffee spilled all over your couch, or when instead of patience you huff and puff and roll your eyes because your 3 year old is taking 1 billion years to zip up his coat because he HAS to do it himself)…ok maybe these things are just me, again full disclosure, I am most definitely not the most patient person in the world!!  SO because I am not artistic like my amazing friend  (by the way check out her stuff here: http://piperpixiedoodle.com  )  I decided to make my own chart…sans pretty handwriting and beautiful art…but instead on my simple and foolproof computer! I’d love to share it with you and your family!!  Click on the link below for the printable!!

kids virtues

April Showers…

Can you believe March is almost over!?  I am still trying to get used to writing 2014!  We are getting excited at seeing sunshine and a few blades of green brown grass peeking through the melting snow!  We’ll soon be welcoming April and the showers that bring us May flowers!  I’d love to share with you April Calendar Cards!  We love our calendar time and love these cards that go with it. 

We love our calendar…you can find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Scholastic-Teachers-Friend-TF5101-Calendar/dp/0545114799/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1395533758&sr=1-2&keywords=learning+resources+monthly+calendar+pocket+chart

 

April Calendar Cards

For more Calendar Cards check out Calendar Printables or here

Letter N

Here’s a few printables to go along with the Letter N…. I hope you enjoy this  New, Nice, Neat, Nifty letter N fun!  🙂

Letter N 3 Part Cards  

Letter N Tracing Cards

check out other great preschool & toddler ideas here! : http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/tag/tot%20school/

Loving History Pockets!

I’ve been seeing these books all over the place but finally made a point to check them out and OH are they fun!!  We are loving learning about Native Americans!  These books do such a great job at teaching at the level they state they’re teaching to…not too deep, not too basic but just the right amount of information for this age to be able to actually remember.  Thanks to Erica @ http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com for finally motivating me to actually buy these instead of continuing to just think about it!

You can check out this and other History Pockets here: http://www.amazon.com/History-Pockets-Native-Americans-Grades/dp/1557999015/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390422189&sr=1-7&keywords=history+pockets

Some of the work from this weeks study on the Inuit Tribe

Ice Fishing

Watching a documentary on the Inuit…I LOVE YOUTUBE!  🙂

Star Wars Printable Pack

My 3 year old was invited to a birthday party recently where the theme was Star Wars.  Since then he has been Darth Vader, C-3PO but of course always returns to the beloved Luke Skywalker.  I’d love to share this preschool pack with you and of coarse…May the Force Be With You! 🙂

Star Wars Printable Pack

February Calendar Cards

I’ve been on a bit of creating streak and wanted to make my own Calendar Cards.  I am working on every month but thought i’d share February!

We love Calendar time.  Not only do the kids love it, it really is a way to smooth myself into the school day.  We love our Calendar pocket chart.  This is ours:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006PJ136/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Here’s a link to the cards:

February Calendar Cards

More to come!! 🙂

Forest Fun

Just for fun…here’s a few forest printables I’ve made.  Here’s how we use them:

Feel free to use any!  Click on link below:

Forest 3 Part Cards

Forest Tracing Cards

3 Part Card Printables

We had done lots of matching in school with classic memory games which is always loved by my kids.  Up until recently I never quite understood what “Montessori” was…I kind of felt silly, a bit stupid slow in understanding this style of learning.  I still have much to learn but one really neat thing we have loved and have so much fun with are 3 Part Cards.  You can learn more about the concept and thinking behind 3 Part Cards here:

https://www.montessorird.com/three-part-card-rationale

I love anything that is learning but feels like a game…this is one of those things.  

The idea is simple, two sets of pictures and names, match the name to the correct picture for older kids, for preschool and younger match the word with the same word.

I have searched and found up until recently lots of sets of cards to go with the current letter we are on. Check out Pinterest for tons of great free 3 Part Cards!  But I thought i’d give it a go and start making my own sets and I’d love to share them with you!  Who doesn’t love a freebie!?  I’ll be making more, it seems to be hard to find cute fun boy themed sets, so…more to come soon!

Farm

Forest

Fall

Beach

pick-your-own lunch

I have so many systems.  My family gets a kick out of my constant changing and rearranging.  It’s a problem, I know!  I once decided I was going to change my silverware and create a new way of containing it.  I decided to keep all knives, forks and spoons in mason jars on the counter (to my defense it did look cute and very magazine worthy) BUT alas, it was a stupid system which was annoying and did not last very long (and got made fun of way more than necessary) 🙂  I have a laundry system (which I’m sure there are a lot better systems out there than mine…uhoh I better check out pinterest now!)  I’m just basically a sucker for anything organizational!

Our mornings are filled to the rafters, which leaves little time to rummage through the kitchen to dream up what to feed my 3 starving kids everyday.  I have struggled for quite some time with how to fit it all in AND have a meal that not only they want to eat but I do too…(I mean really who wants to eat peanut butter and jelly every day!?)  This idea was not mine (although I would love to take the credit I generally don’t come up with great ideas myself…they’re almost always stolen ideas!) I am probably the last person in the known world to do this for our lunches, I’m sure this idea is all over Pinterest and Ive been living under a rock until now…either way I love it! 🙂  This one has been tested by 3 little kids, a daddy and time…and it has been a great help to me.  It’s pretty simple…keep a container and keep it filled.  My container is from Walmart absolutely nothing fancy about it, I think every house in America owns one.  Fill it up with whatever you’re into mine currently has: carrots, snap peas, broccoli, cucumber, peppers, grapes and oranges.  When something gets low fill it up before you put it back and you instantly have a full spread again.  We get it out for lunch everyday and just add anything else easy (pretzels, string cheese, boiled eggs and currently my favorite hummus and pita chips) THIS stuff is amazing, I mean seriously amazing…if you can you must get it now!:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/sabra-hummus-with-pine-nuts-25-oz/prod6390135.ip?navAction=

So here’s to my new system, which currently I love ever so dearly.  It has saved my sanity and hopefully will save my waistline as well!

I have decided getting kids to eat well is psychological more than we think…this little boy would not naturally choose a plate of green things…but he got to pick what we wanted all my himself and oh the satisfaction that is to him..not to mention he gets to dip…who doesn’t like to dip things!?

Did I really take a picture of a tray of veggies?! It’s a pretty picture that says “Wendy didn’t have to cook lunch and is one happy momma!”

Printable Memory Verse Cards

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.  -Deuteronomy 11:18-21

These verses have been words that ring in my ears very regularly as we go through our days at home.  I had a sweet friend who had scripture written all around her house, on windows, mirrors, on her fridge, on scrap papers…everywhere.  I LOVED that!  verse 20 says just that: write them on your doorposts!  Write God’s word down, have it everywhere, always to see.  It’s amazing what kids will remember and retain.  I have been amazed and slightly dumfounded at how much my 3 year old can remember!  We have done a verse a week and just say it over and over and wow! It not only has been great for our kids but for ME!  Our “D” verse has been repeated, reminded, corrected and talked about on way more than one occasion: (Do ALL things without complaining and grumbling. Philippians 2:14) (and that goes for the kids and for ME!)  I made up a little booklet/flashcards of our memory verses as a helpful way to remind ourselves of our verses…

I’d love to share this with you!  Feel free to print and use anyway you would like!  memory verse cards