Cereal Numbers

For the past couple months during our school day we’ve really been focusing on numbers.  Not just the recognition of numbers, but also counting and writing numbers.  I’ve been as creative as I can to make numbers exciting and fun to practice.  This past week I took some glue and let Dutch paste puffs over the numbers as we were counting.  This was really fun (and tasty) for him.  I will probably repeat this little activity with him again with letters and shapes.  I just used those little baby puffs because we had them and of course the baby doesn’t like them ;-) You could also use Cheerios or Fruit Loops.  If you use Fruit Loops you could make multiple numbers in various colors.  So fun!!!!

What activities have you been doing with your kiddos lately?

Teach me what you’re teaching :-)

Shrimp Tacos

I made this on Sunday & posted the picture on Instagram and Facebook with the promise of sharing my recipe with you.  So here I am keeping that promise!  I’ve made shrimp tacos for years and my recipe is constantly evolving so I’m sharing with you what it is now…..could be different next week ;-) This recipe you can tailor towards your flavor preferences, and you can be in & out of the kitchen (eating & clean-up included!) in less than 45 minutes!  Easy. Fast. Delicious.Ingredients:
2 lbs shrimp, peeled
4 tbs EVOO
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (if you don’t like spicy just use regular paprika)
tortilla
red cabbage, shredded
bean sprouts (not canned! Get the fresh stuff from the tofu area in the produce section)
avocado cream sauce (I cheat! I purchase a healthy version- Guac N’ Roll)
cilantro
Directions:
1. Marinade shrimp in oil and spices in the fridge for a couple hours.
2. Working in small batches, saute shrimp for about 3-4 minutes each on medium-high heat.
3. Serve over a toasted tortilla with cabbage, avocado sauce, cilantro and bean sprouts.
4. Enjoy!

Chalkboard Tracing

I want to share a really easy and fun way we’ve been practicing our writing skills and fine motor skills over here at #HawleyHomeschool  I like to make things as easy as possible but also really versatile so it’s worth my effort.  I have several chalkboards around the house so this was effortless for me to put together.  Write now we’re working on not only being able to identify shapes, colors, letters & numbers but to also write them.  Just holding a pen can take a lot of concentration with little ones, so to make it fun (without the mess) I added a paint brush to the equation.

All you need is a chalkboard, chalk, paint brush, & a cup of water.  What I do is draw a letter, number, shape, or a zig zag line on the chalkboard with chalk and get Dutch to trace over my lines with his paint brush dipped in water.  Sometimes I put assorted items on the chalkboard and he has to find the item and then trace it.  This requires him to not only know the content, but to also trace using his fine motor skills.  At first it was challenging but he’s getting really good at it.  Obedience is really hard at this developmental stage when children are learning that they have a voice so this activity helps them to have fun while they're learning to listen and to be obedient while growing their minds. Try this out with your little one and have fun :-)
See super easy, versatile and fun with little learners! Please share with me what you’ve been working on with your little ones :-)

Honestly Hawley {January 2017}

Even though for Christmas this past year we said “no” to everything, it was still Christmas.  What I mean by that is that there is still so much celebrationing (I think I just made up a word there), that it can be exhausting even if you don’t go anywhere.  It’s a good exhausted, but it still takes time to recover.  In January we spent the month getting back on track, and into our daily routine.  It was a nice restful month, and a great way to start the year.  Ellis turned one and started solids.  Dutch got back into school. The Mr. had a birthday.  And I had the privilege of watching these blessings grow.

Here are the honest, unedited, unscripted  

scenes of our January life :-)

 2016: June ~ July ~ August ~ September ~ October ~ November ~ December