Trying out Time4Learning

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

As always, please feel free to contact us anytime at reviews@time4learning.com.

Christmas Crafts





Snowman Face

Reindeer Face

This was so fun to make! :) The kids really liked getting their hands painted for the hand prints.  I don't know if you can tell but the nose is made from a pom pom. So cute!!!



Next Best Thing To Real Snow

I would love it if we got a bit of snow here in the valley, but it just doesn't so we brought in the "snow" for a day of snow play and exploration of long chained molecules.  The upside? You can play with it indoors, it doesn't melt and it won't freeze your hands.  This feels so realistic that some snowboard parks use it for snowboarding!

Halloween I Spy Bottle

I have made other themed I Spy bottles in the past and the kids have really liked them so I made one last week for Halloween. It still feels like summer here in Los Angeles but I'm getting in the mood for fall so maybe this will help bring the cooler weather along, LOL!

I used a 16 oz. mason jar and put black beans and large Lima beans as the filler. I used a permanent marker to draw the ghost faces on the Lima's sides.

Then I put in various Halloween type items for the kids to have to look for. Plastic spiders, monsters, letter beads that spell words, etc. I took individual pics of the fillers so that the kids can have a guide of what to look for.

Lastly, I used a hot glue gun to seal the top and put a Halloween themed ribbon to make it look pretty. :) I just love Halloween!

Felt Button Turkey for Fall

I will probably keep this guy out for a few days until the newness wears off and then put him away for a while and bring him back in November for Thanksgiving.  I made him out of craft felt and the leaves come off by unbuttoning them so it makes for a good buttoning activity for the kids.  It was pretty easy to make.  Each piece is two layers and I sewed them together along the edges. I then hot glued on the googly eyes.  I saw a turkey similar to this a long time ago online. I'll see if I can find it again and link it.

Setting a Table

With little ones always wanting to help I wanted a way to make it easy for them to set the table without me having to stand there and tell them where to put everything. I came up with this idea for a placemat that has everything in its proper place (for infomal everyday family dining).  I figure that by using this as a guide they will 'automatically' learn the proper way to set a table without every having to have a sit down lesson on 'how to set a table'.   Since I have never actually  taught any of the kids how to do it, they will be able to benefit from it as well. 

I used a standard sized posterboard and folded it in half lengthwise then cut it so I had two of the same size pieces. I trimmed it just a bit so it wouldn't be so wide but instead the size of a standard placemat.  I then got all the pieces we usually use and traced around everything. Sorry about the picture looking blurry and light. I'm contemplating going over the lines again in marker so that the lines are darker.  I'm also going to laminate them so they can be easily cleaned. My goal is to make one for every place setting.  This is how it will look when everything has been placed.

Nature Study in our Backyard

I love living by the foothills! There is so much more wildlife here than where I grew up only 15 minutes away.  Brush Rabbits, woodpeckers, hawks, lizards, and more are seen daily. It makes it very easy to do Nature Study when nature comes right to you!

 
This furry cutie visits us morning and evening for his favorite clover leaves. I love seeing the kids rush to get their field guides in order to identify our different visitors.

The same pair of Mourning Doves come back every spring around May to rebuild their nest, lay their eggs and raise their young.  We have had 2 different broods hatch this season.

Ok, I'll be honest. This Painted Lady butterfly didn't show up on it's own.  We hatched and raised them. I love this picture though. How cool that the butterflies were willing to land on the children's hands.