5 thoughts on dramatic play

we love dramatic/pretend play in our house.  i could write a long post on it, but i think these pictures say more than i ever could.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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if you give a kid a camera

If you give a kid a camera, he'll ask to take some pictures with it.  

He’ll probably go in search of one of his favorite things to photograph.

And he’ll find one.

 

And another.

 

And another.

He’ll experiment with techniques

 

And equipment.

 

Perfecting his art.

 

When he gets tired of taking pictures, he’ll move onto another activity.

 

Later on, he might want to look through the pictures he’s taken.

 

 

And chances are if you look at his pictures with him, He’ll ask you for a camera.

 

here are some other posts about children exploring with cameras:

Go On a Smile Hunt from Living Montessori Now

Through Her Lens from Paint Cut Paste 

ABC Scavenger Hunt from Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Photography from a Preschooler from The Chocolate Muffin Tree 

 

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Bear writes a blog post

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ggglglhkkgkhghkggkgkggggghllkhgkghghhlkhhklhlghhkghlghklkghghgkhlgkhgkkhkhlghkhghgghghg

hghghkgghgkkkklllgjgjggjgjggjgggjgjgjgjgjgjgjgjgiuyuyyuyuyyuyuyyuyyuuyuyuyuyyuuyyuyuyuyuy

uuyyuyuuyyuyuyuyuyuyyuyuyukkjkjkjkjkjjkjkkjjkjkkjkjkjjkkjkjkjkjkjjkjkkjjkjkjkjkjkjjkjkkjkjjkjkkjj

kjkjkkjkjkjkjjkjkljkkjkjjkkjjkkjjkkjjkjkjkjkkjkjnmnmnmnnmnmnnmnmmnkjjkkjkjkjkjkkjkjkjjkjkjkkj

jkjkkjjkkjjkkjkjkjkjjkjkjkkjkjjjkkjhjkjkjkjkjkjkjkkjkjjkjkjkjjkjknmnmnmnnmnmkjjjkjkjkjkjjkjkjkjkkjk

jkjjkkjjjjjkkjkjkjjjkkkkkjkjjkjkkjkjjkkjukkkkiuijuiij7uiuiuijuijuk

 

 

 

Bear likes to pretend he's blogging with his toy computer.
on this day, he was bored, so i asked him if he wanted to write a blog post.
he was ecstatic...jumping up and down...clapping...all that.
this is what he came up with.
i heart it. big time. 

 

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tip-toe thru tuesday sept: 4

hello lovelies!!  Welcome to tip-toe thru tuesday co-hosted by myself, Kim from Tiaras and Bowties, and Christy from Christy's Cuties! 

thanks to everyone who linked up to last week's party!  there were 88 wonderful entries.  here are the toP 2 pOSts from last week plus one of mY faVEs.  don't forget to check out Kim's fave and Christy's fave. if you're featured, grab a featured button from my button page!

 

5 DIY Manipulatives from Train Up a Child





Ice and Goop from Creative Playhouse
 

Sidewalk Chalk Scenes from In Lieu of Preschool

 

PoST aNYtHiNG you've created (show me some etsy shops and giveaways!)

Feel free to share several posts

Link back to my page somewhere on your blog

Stay around and check out a few other links. wE aLL LovE fEEdBaCK!

Keep in touch with Crayon Freckles on Facebook to get daily post previews and hear about other great activities! You can also follow Crayon Freckles on Pinterest and Twitter.

in {her} shoes...eddie

Eddie is here today from The Usual Mayhem to share her life as a momma.  Her blog is full of educational activities like her preschool frog unit.  She also offers ways to teach diversity through her Around the World in 12 Dishes.
~andie

Hi, I’m Eddie and I blog at The Usual Mayhem. I’m happy to be here guest posting on Crayon Freckles!

 

I’m going to put this post “Interview Style”, with the questions asked and then my long, rambling answers. Feel free to roll your eyes when I get up on my soapbox, or gloss over anything that makes you yawn.

1.      What is the most challenging part of being the type of mom you are?

I have some hyperactivity and attention issues (understatement) and, while it means I’m creative and sometimes alarmingly energetic, it also means that I fight to keep myself and everyone else on track. We joke that I can juggle two balls but not three…if schoolwork is all done, then either the house is a mess or I forgot to make supper!

Luckily some of the kids are much more organized and we work as a team to encourage each other. Two of us help the others not to take themselves so seriously and two of us start thinking about supper or cleaning behind the scenes. My husband switch-hits wherever he’s needed and also lets me fire multiple ideas off him at high rates of speed until I tire myself out. He even manages to look like he’s listening intently as I switch topics 47 times per minute. Teamwork; it’s a wonderful thing!

2.      What is the most rewarding?

This one’s easy. We started homeschooling because my oldest was off the charts IQ-wise when tested (college level in many subjects in grade 3), but struggling at school because of some learning challenges and bullying. He was so shy and down-trodden that he literally scuttled along, looking over his shoulder for threats, everywhere we went. He never slept more than a couple of hours a night because of nightmares and anxiety. He was 4’10” at age 12 and so thin that you could see his bones through his clothing because he couldn’t get anything down past the lump in his throat. It broke my heart. When we saw him turn back into the creative, happy, and mostly-confident person he had been before school we were sold! He has now graduated and is learning some subjects for pleasure and working part-time landscaping while he figures out what he wants to do next, probably nursing in a seniors’ residence. He’s also 6’2” and a solid 225+lbs of amiable brawn. Clearly food is no longer an issue!

Our next two children have never been to school and they are productive, compassionate, creative and confident people. My daughter will be 12 next month and she has no idea that she’s supposed to feel fat, dress a certain way, or act differently around boys. My 5 year old has been teaching himself to read so he can read the books he sees his siblings with.  None of my kids have any clue that 7- and 8-year age gaps between them are supposed to be a big problem. They’re all good friends and seek out each other’s company and it brings joy to us all every day.

3.      What do you think are the most important value(s) parents can instill in their child(ren)?

I think that a sense of belonging is probably in my top two. Every child deserves, needs, to feel that they are welcome and accepted “as is” in their own home and that they’re good enough to go anywhere and do anything. If you feel like you belong, are ok just as you are, you grow to be a confident person who treats others with kindness, dignity and respect. I didn’t feel welcome in my own home as a child, so we make sure that our children know they are great people and we have confidence in them.

Compassion is probably the other value of my top two. If you can’t understand and empathize with another person, and work to make your corner of the world a better place, then you are missing one of the greatest things about being human. It matters. You matter. What you do to improve your street, your neighbourhood, your city, your continent……it has a cumulative effect. You never know how an idea, spoken words, or an action will take off and change someone’s life.

4.      If your children could describe you in 3 words, what would they be?

I’m quoting here:

“Funny, kindhearted, and a good mother” (K, 20)

“Kissy, Huggy, and a good cook”. (D, 5)

“Thoughtful, strong, and loving.”(M, 11)

(I didn’t even have to bribe them!)

If I could describe our family as a whole in 3 words, it’d be loud, boisterous, and happy. If you’re ever in the neighbourhood, feel free to come and see for yourself. Bring your earplugs.

 
You can find Eddie at her blog, The Usual Mayhem, on Facebook, on Twitter and on Pinterest. 

silent sunday



source: tumblr via pinterest

 

 

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International Observe the Moon Night

it's International Observe the Moon Night.  not sure just how we're going to celebrate it, but here are some fun activities based on the moon:

 

1.   Montessori-Inspired Moon Unit from Living Montessori Now

2.  Creation Story Art Display Moon from Crayon Freckles

3.  Mm is for Moon: Tot School from Train Up a Child

4.  John Glen & First Moon Landing Unit from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom

 1. Astronomy Unit: The Moon from Creekside Learning

2. Moon Activities from Go Kid Yourself

3. Mm is for Moon: Kindergarten from Train Up a Child

4. Moon Buddy from Let's Lasso the Moon

1. Bubble Wrap Moon Walk from Our Feminist {Play}School

2. Thinking Creatively from Play Dr. Mom

3. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me Activities from Inspiration Laboratories

4. Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom
5.  Puffy Paint Moon from No Time for Flashcards

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the easy way to clean up paint

 

 

 

our paints are accessible to Bear so that he may use them anytime he wants. 

i don't mind that. 

it's not unusual for a little paint to get on the table and floor. 

i don't mind that. 

but then when he's done, i have to clean up the unused paint. 

that i mind.....

 

until i found the laziest easiest way to clean the paint tin.

 

we use a silicone mini-muffin tin to put the paint in.  when Bear is done, i scoop up the globs of paint that are left and put them back in the bottles.  then i take the messy muffin tin up on the fridge for the paint to dry.

 

 

 

 

ususally by later that night or the next day, the paint is dried and crumbling.  then i can just flip the cups of the tin inside out and the dried paint flakes right out. super easy.... and yes, lazy.  i'll admit.

 

 

 

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lego pirate birthday party

 

i had originally planned to spend 3 days sharing Bear's lego pirate birthday party with you so as not to bog you down with a bunch of pictures.  i changed my mind and cut out some pics just so i could bundle all of Bear's 4th birthday into one post.

 

i envisioned making adorable homemade invitations.  but i just... i ran out of time. so i used store-bought ones and did what i could to make them a bit more fun.  for the name space, i called Bear "captain".  and in addition to our address, i said it was held at "Birthday Island".  feel-better-momma thought: they're likely going to be thrown away anyway...

 

a week before Bear's party, we started a treasure chest countdown so he could see how close it was to coming.  my excited little pirate kept asking when is it gonna be my birthday?  so we marked it on the calendar and created this fun countdown for him. 

 

 

the base was a treasure chest and the counters were gold coins (all clipart).  every day he got to add a gold coin to it with the promise that when the coins were all gone, it was his birthday!  on the big day, he got to put up a large jewel with the number four on it.  i also set up our calendar with the same type of signs so that he could see when it was all going to happen.

 

 

every year, i make Bear a birthday shirt that corresponds to his birthday party theme.   you can see the first 3 years' shirts here.  here's this year's.  i used this coloring sheet as a guide for my drawing.  then i painted it with acrylic.

 

 the lego pirate birthday table set-up is my favorite.  i was able to do it all for a small amount.  see below the picture for details on everything.

• the pennant is from you make do's online shop. you can't really see it, but i frayed the ribbon on it a bit to look more pirate-y.  sidenote: i fell off the table while hanging it up.  landed on my face and my shoulder... what we mommas do for love, huh? 
• the lego 4 is my favorite.  i am going to take Bear's 4 year old pics with it
• table scatter was made of: plastic gold coins, bead necklaces, flat marbles, and legos.
• the rest, you can see closer below 

 

 and here's the lego pirate birthday cake.  my sweet Bear was overwhelmed when he saw it.  it's not perfect by any means, but i worked hard and put alot of love into it.  he was soooo happy.  can you tell by the smile? 

 

we got paper mache treasure chests for the little pirates to paint.

 

here's the loot they left with:

the hats were a total fluke.  i found 4 (exactly what i needed) on a clearance end-cap at target for $1 a piece.  before all the boys left, i tried to get a group picture of them all wearing them, but it didn't quite work out.

 

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tip-toe thru tuesday sept: 3

hello lovelies!!  Welcome to tip-toe thru tuesday co-hosted by myself, Kim from Tiaras and Bowties, and Christy from Christy's Cuties! 

before the party, here's this.....

wednesday, thursday, and friday will be nothing but pirate party themed posts! 

you don't want to miss 'em!

thanks to everyone who linked up to last week's party!  there were 82 wonderful entries.  here are the toP 2 pOSts from last week plus one of mY faVEs.  don't forget to check out Kim's fave and Christy's fave. if you're featured, grab a featured button from my button page!

 

Frugal Artwork from Joyful Homemaking
 



Fall Learning from We Can Do All Things
 

A First Blog Post from My Sew Sweet Life

 

PoST aNYtHiNG you've created (show me some etsy shops and giveaways!)

Feel free to share several posts

Link back to my page somewhere on your blog

Stay around and check out a few other links. wE aLL LovE fEEdBaCK!

Keep in touch with Crayon Freckles on Facebook to get daily post previews and hear about other great activities! You can also follow Crayon Freckles on Pinterest and Twitter.

Waiting for Wings Activity: Lois Ehlert Virtual Book Club

 

we are participating in the Virtual Book Club hosted by Toddler Approved.  this month's featured author is Lois Ehlert. 

 

we chose to read Waiting for Wings since we had just gotten 5 caterpillars to raise.  this post is sort of a photojournal of our experiences raising butterflies.  

 

we raised a group of butterflies last year during a unit on Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar.  in that group of butterflies, we met Ginky, a sweet butterfly with a folded wing who could not fly.  Ginky would climb onto my hand when i put it into the butterfly habitat.  she would also come up to the side of it if i put my face close...

 

when Ginky died, it was a sad day for us.  but it gave Bear the abiltity to experience death and explore some of the ideas around the progression from earth to Heaven.  Ginky is the reason why you see butterflies on this blog :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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