The Small Things: June 2018

If we were to go for coffee, either in a coffee shop by ourselves or around my kitchen table, what would I tell you?  I would share with you about the small things in my life that are just making life easier or more joyful.

recap: January ~ February ~ March ~ April ~ May

Last month, I shared bathroom products that I loved........I want you to know that I'm shaking my head at myself as I write this.  I wrote about a squeegee?!?!  Oh goodness.  Let me turn this ship around.

I attended my first homeschool conference at the beginning of the month and got a chance to sample some products.  I was introduced to Kwikstix, and wow they are awesome.  I have already purchased a full set for our home and a full set as a gift.  Kwikstix are ....hmmmmm..... kind of like paint in glue stick form.  They are not dot markers, but actual paint in the form of a glue stick.  BUT you don't need to add water, and it dries within sections.  No water. No mess. Dries fast.......all of that sounds great, but they're also WASHABLE, and nut, egg, & gluten free, and of course, non-toxic.  This is like the only craft supply you need!  My kids used the red, white, & blue to make fireworks as we're studying America & getting ready for the 4th of July.
I also took a dive into water beads.  I've heard of water beads before but never tried them with my kids.  Let me tell you: they are so much fun!  Water beads are like little seeds that expand with water.  You put a tablespoon of them into 3 cups of water and they grow.  They feel so neat in your hand and are really so fun.  We used this in our homeschool to learn about measuring.  I gave my kids measuring cups and spoons and we used the beads to measure.  These smooth water beads encourage so much sensory play and my kids have asked to play with these everyday for almost a month! These water beads are eco-friendly, non-toxic, & reusable.  

Between the Kwikstix & the water beads lately we have had so much fun creating and learning.  What new products have you come across that we might also like?

Obligatory Blogger Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review; I just really like these products.

Summer Squash Soup

As soon as I sat down to eat this for dinner, within the first bite, I knew that I had to write this down for you.  This soup has a little bit of nostalgia attached to it since my mom used to make a soup similar to this one when I was younger; I loved this soup when I was growing up.  I've made this soup for my family several times, but I put a few more tweaks on this last "edition" and I think this is just right and ready to share :-) I promise y'all on Instagram that I would share this, and I here it is!

Ingredients:
This soup makes enough for a little over 2 large bowls, which is perfect if you don't like leftovers, like me.
1 tbs coconut oil
3/4 cup white onion, diced
4 medium yellow summer squash
3 small potatoes, chopped
1 carrot, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika (optional: smoked paprika)
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup white wine (I've used both Pinot Grigio & Sauvignon Blanc)
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk, plus extra for topping
sea salt, to taste (optional, though I never use it for this soup)
cilantro, for topping
1 lb spicy chorizo, for topping (optional)
french bread, for dunking ;-)
Directions:
1. In a stock pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat, then add onions.  Cook the onions until they are soft, 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the squash, potato, & carrots and cook until they soften, probably another 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, and let it cook for about a minute and then add in all of the other spices.  Cook for another minute, and then add in the wine.  Make sure you scrap down anything on the sides of the pot.  After a couple minutes, add the broth (chicken or vegetable).  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let cook until all of the vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes).
3. Using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables into a soup.  Add in the coconut milk and continue to heat the soup.  Taste the soup to see if you need any salt; add as needed.
4. For serving, top your soup with a drizzle of coconut milk, cilantro, cooked spicy chorizo, and a slice of bread.
5. Enjoy!

The Ticket Jar: A Tool for Character Development

Toddlers and character training......they go hand in hand, and something that you have to teach over and over and over again.  There must be something in the water around here, because exactly 1 year ago, I wrote about this very same topic (The Bunny System) .....apparently we need to revisit this and update on an annual basis.  Today I bring you, The Ticket Jar.
Our main concern with disciplining in our home is addressing the heart of the child.  Behavior is simply a reflection of what is going on in the heart so it is imperative for us to address the heart first with biblical principals.  "Behavior is simply what alerts you to your child's need for correction.  Don't allow the desire of changed behavior to replace your desire for a changed heart...Teaching children only to change their outward behavior is no more commendable than teaching a seal to jump through a hoop...When we focus on our children's outside behavior and neglect what is inside, we will cause our children to become manipulators." In order to address the heart, communication is necessary and the bunny system has facilitated us in communicating matters of the heart and changing the heart for improved behavior at a level my preschoolers can understand.
To update the bunny system and add more elements of character development, we have implemented The Ticket Jar.  After a great score at the Dollar Tree I found these raffle tickets.  I was so excited but I had no idea what I was going to use them for.  I even went live on Instagram just elated to have them, though I had zero purpose for them.  Well, we had a particularly grueling day last week, and those raffle tickets practically hit me in the side of my dry-shampooed head. 

Using a dry erase marker I drew a line on the jar, and I told the kids every time I observed them being "good bunnies" (based on the bunny system) I would add a ticket to the jar.  If they EARNED enough tickets to reach the line then they could have a fun-size bag of M&M's.  Every time I witnessed them being "bad bunnies" or disobedient, then I would take a ticket away.

Through a process of operant conditioning & shaping (you know this neuroscientist can't help herself!) we worked on our behavior this spring.  Initially they got a lot of tickets.  It was very easy for them to EARN tickets so that they would quickly understand the connection.  As the day went on, they had to do a little bit more in order to get a ticket.  So initially there were a lot of rewards (tickets), but with time they were spaced out and expected to do more in order to receive a reward.
Semantics matter with character development.  I want my children to understand that work ethic is important.  Working hard is an excellent way to stand out as different for the kingdom.  My kids do not deserve anything.  They do not deserve M&M's, but they can EARN them.  Just like when they get older, if they want money they will need to earn it at a job; they will need to work hard at that job.  When we talk about these tickets, I want my kids to know that they play a vital role in this ticket game.  The jar's contents are completely based on their behavior so I'm careful with the language I chose to describe the activity.  Just like they need to learn how to control their bodies and attitudes, they also have control over their work ethic and they need to manage their attitudes appropriately.
With the combination of biblical principals, the Bunny System, & the Ticket Jar, we've been working really hard with our preschoolers on having good character. listening, & obedience at home and in public.
What tools are you using that you could offer for help?

One Octopus. Eight Concepts.

We are finishing up our unit on the letter 'o', & it has been a lot of fun.  We really seem to enjoy these letter units.  One of the things we learned a lot about with this unit was the ocean.  If you've been following me for a while, you know that I love an art craft that lends to hands-on learning for many topics.  This octopus was just that: one octopus craft with eight different learning concepts.  I WISH that I could say that I purposely planned 8 different concepts to match the 8 octopus legs, but it was a complete accident.  I'm not that clever lol
First I drew a half-circle on a sheet of paper with the dots for numbers 1-8 and for the word "octopus" for tracing.  Dutch used his scissors to cut out the octopus and traced the word & numbers.  We practiced the phonetics for all of the letters in octopus & recognizing each letter.  He selected the pipe cleaners he wanted to use, and we made a pattern out of them for the legs.  Using the beads to match the number of legs, he had to count, color sort, & thread the beads onto the pipe cleaners.  To finish, we added some google eyes to our octopus :-)

With this activity we were able to:

practice patterns

handwriting

fine motor skills

phonics

scissor practice

counting

letter recognition

color sorting

This activity was fun, and honestly, it was efficient.  We got a lot of learning & discussion out of a single activity.  That's my kind of learning :-)

Wanderin’ Thru the Desert

I have heard this song 4,000 times.  But yesterday, while I was doing dishes, it hit me differently.  It spoke to my heart uniquely. It brought me to my knees and tears poured down my cheeks.  It reminded me that even when I'm wandering in the desert, He loves me enough to pursue me.  I don't understand that.  My mind does not comprehend that, but I know it is true.  I have met Him in the darkness before, and He will meet you there too.

I was feelin’ that, feelin’ that breeze 

Singin’ like a song thru the tall oak trees 

It was just another summer night 

Had to be the last thing on my mind 

Yeah, I was all but lost in the moment 

I was young and runnin’ wide open 

It was just another summer night 

Had to be the last thing on my mind

When love broke thru 

You found me in the darkness 

Wanderin’ thru the desert 

I was a hopeless fool 

Now I’m hopelessly devoted 

My chains are broken 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru

I did all that I could to undo me 

But You loved me enough to pursue me 

Yeah, You drew me out of the shadows 

Made me believe that I mattered, to You (You)

You were there, You heard my prayer in that broke down dusty room 

It was the first time I said I’m Yours

The first time I called You Lord

When love broke thru 

You found me in the darkness 

Wanderin’ thru the desert 

I was a hopeless fool 

Now I’m hopelessly devoted 

My chains are broken 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru

Yeah, it was late in the summer when the northeast breeze 

Sang like a song thru the oak trees 

Pennsylvania 

She kind of caught my soul 

Which had me a little more open than closed 

Walls I built 

Opinions I learned 

Covered in the ashes of bridges I burned 

Blind to the arrow that headed to my heart 

But You hit the mark

When love broke thru 

You found me in the darkness 

Wanderin’ thru the desert 

I was a hopeless fool 

Now I’m hopelessly devoted 

My chains are broken 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru

You found me in the darkness 

Wanderin’ thru the desert 

I was a hopeless fool 

Now I’m hopelessly devoted 

My chains are broken 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru 

And it all began with You 

When love broke thru

I did all that I could to undo me 

But you loved me enough to pursue me

Sample 'I' Unit for Preschoolers

Based on a lot of questions I got from our Reader Questions post, I have been trying to really demonstrate how I determine our content & develop our objectives for preschool.  I recently shared with you a unit we did back in March on the letter 's'.  In that post, I admitted that I was an ambitious planner.  I really go down a rabbit trail every. single. time.  Today I want to follow that post up with another typical unit to demonstrate how I create our curriculum for our preschoolers.  The unit I'm going to share with you today is the letter 'i' that we did back in April.
I find with my kids, at this age of cognitive development, if we have all of our objectives with a similar theme (like the letter 'i'), we get a lot of reinforcement from various avenues & concepts click better.  For us right now, and I realize that this could change tomorrow, I pick a letter for every 2 weeks.  The letter I select is not in alphabetical order.  I pick a letter that will get a lot of exposure at that time (ex: in the fall we did 'F' & 'P' because we would see "fall" and "pumpkins" a lot and get a lot of practice. At Christmas we did 'J' for "Jesus".  At Easter we did 'E'...you get the idea).  I selected the letter 'i' during the spring because I thought it would be a great time to talk about insects.

For each unit of letters, each child has a book unit that will some how tie back to the letter, and then I will select bible stories, science activities, life skills, math concepts, fine motor skills, & language arts objectives that go with that letter.  I try to enhance our learning of letters/numbers in every category to really reinforce what we're learning, but also expand areas for learning & discussion.  This is what we learned with the letter 'i':

Each child has their own Book Unit to work on with each letter. For the letter 'i' I selected books with a similar theme but with different levels of difficulty.  Ellis' unit was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," while Dutch's unit was "James and the Giant Peach."  Both texts discussed insects so that was a great underlying theme to tie in the letter 'i'.

For "James and the Giant Peach," Dutch mostly worked on handwriting, sequencing, sorting, & counting.  I mainly wanted to focus on comprehension with him as we read the book.  After we finished, I let him watch the movie, & I was thrilled when he started noticing that the movie did not follow the book. #thebookisalwaysbetter

Admittedly, Ellis' book unit, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," was so much easier than Dutch's book unit, but he still really enjoyed the activities that I had for Ellis for the unit.  For "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," we used Toothbrush Phonics, worked on patterns with insect erasers, threading with wooden apple & wooden cheese, counting with pom poms with fine motor tools, story sticks (which were really fun with all of the different foods in the story), caterpillar gear toy for color matching, sorted items into healthy vs. not healthy (found here), counting with clips, matching cards for Ellis (and I used the same cards to play Memory with Dutch), & the days of the week.  I also shared earlier the FREE insect caterpillar cards that we used for handwriting, counting, & fine motor.  We were able to cover a lot of content with just that one book.

Just the nature of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" led to great science discussions on the lifespan & stages of an insect's life.  We made life cycle hats for insects and even charted the 4 stages of a caterpillar's life.

One of the games I made for Dutch was the Alphabet Fly Game.  I got him some fun fly swatters & I printed off cards with flies on them.  Each fly had either an uppercase or a lower case letter on it.  I would call out the phonetic of a letter and Dutch would have to "swat" the uppercase & lowercase letter that made that sound.  This was an excellent game for energy as well as letter recognition & phonics.

We also played Bug Bingo.  Each space on the bingo card was a different insect.  I would call out an insect, & the kids would used their insect erasers as cover pieces.  Ellis was a HUGE fan of this game.

To practice graphing, I put the insect cards from our bug bingo into a cube & the kids took turns rolling the cube like a dice.  For every roll they would put their insect erasers on the insect they rolled. They loved waiting to see which insect "won".

A big part of our family is our alma mater, considering that is where the Mr. and I met.  We were the yellow jackets, so of course I couldn't resist the opportunity to talk about yellow jackets & bees.  For this we learned about the different types of bees, worked on handwriting (found here), count clip cards, and even visited a bee hive! How cute is my little bee keeper?!

For whatever reason, my kids really like to find things.  So one of the things we do often, is I send them to the school room while I hide stuff in the living room.  For the letter 'i' I hid number cards.  Not only did they have to find all of the numbers, but they had to put them in order on the ledge of the fireplace.  Dutch adores helping Ellis get the numbers in the correct sequence.

Using the insect erasers & ice trays we practiced patterns.  I also gave the kids a magnifying class to explore the different parts of the insect.  For Ellis, I gave her a circle tray and got her to sort all of the insect erasers.

A huge competent of this unit for the letter 'i' was science. We looked at insects under our microscope & microscope slides, but we also grew butterflies from caterpillars (caterpillars & habitat).  This was such a fun activity that the entire family got involved in & excited about.

For an art project, the kids painted the back of an egg carton to look like a caterpillar.  I think I remember doing this when I was in preschool.

To get creative with our do-a-dot sheets, I used lady bugs & bees as insects to practice numbers, letters, & matching.

Another fun way to work on number recognition & counting was by using our Insect Jar.  The kids would draw a card with a number on it, & then put the corresponding number of insects in the jar. (found here)

Here are some of the books we focused on, outside of our book units for the letter 'i'.

Caterpillar to Butterfly ~ 1001 Bugs to Spot ~ Inch by Inch

Insects ~ Caterpillars and Butterflies ~ Hope for the Flowers

Okay, phew, there it is.  Two separate examples of units that we completed with each letter, the letter 'i' & the letter 's'.
I really do hope this helps if you are looking for something to do with your preschooler or if you're just interested.

Obligatory Blogger Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  We just really like these products.