Posts

Showing posts from February, 2016

L is for Lollipop (year 2, week 25)

Image
I don't know what happened to our week!  It's Saturday evening, and I'm just now thinking about this blog and our homeschooling.  This was supposed to be "L is for Lollipop week," with a focus on candy experiments and tooth brushing.  We did a bit of candy counting, but that was it.  Here are the things I've found on Pinterest for the week. Printables - candy patterns - lollipop roll and cover - candy shop math/spelling activity - bubblegum bump game - money counting printable - m&m preschool pack - buying candy money counting cards Ideas - chocolate play dough - water displacement experiment - weighing candy - crushing candy - gummy bear experiment - tooth brushing practice - lollipop flavor mixing - make rock candy {Update on the Kids} Dragonfly She is four and a half and starting to look and behave more and more like a kindergartner every day.  Since we've moved to our new house, she's started helping me a lot.  She&#

A Perfect Elf Day Printable

Image
I'm back today with another Elf printable.  Download it for free here.

T is for T-Rex (year 2, week 24)

Image
This blog is an Amazon Associate. We're back!  And just in time for our most anticipated unit for the year!  "T is for T-Rex" is all about teeth, giants, and science.  Dragonfly (a self-proclaimed "science girl") has been asking so many questions about dinosaurs, bones, and paleontology lately that I'm very happy to indulge her with this fun, hands-on unit. We read our first novel this week as a group- Dinosaurs Before Dark (a Magic Tree House book).  The kids loved it!  We started out reading at breakfast, and they wouldn't let me stop.  We read at breakfast and lunch on one day and breakfast and lunch on another day, and we finished the book.  In two days!  Even the two year old kept saying, "More!  More!" when we got to the end of a chapter.  I was very impressed with their attention span.  And, they couldn't wait to start our next book, which we did the very next day. Monday My fabulous sister came over yesterday to babysit fo

Finding Nemo Bathroom

Image
We're slowing starting to unpack the boxes and make this new space into our home.  One of the most anticipated rooms in our new home was the kids' bathroom.  They love the movie Finding Nemo, so it was an easy decision to make that the theme.  Here's what the bathroom looks like now.  As you can see, it's very basic.  Mainly I used cheap printed pictures to make the space their own.  If they do well with these decorations, I might add a few more later.  I anticipate that the new Pixar movie, Finding Dory, will probably bring some new bathroom accessories in the stores. - mine sign is from Modern Geek Media and is a free download - quote signs are my own creation and are also a free download - bathroom sign hangs on the door at child height and can be found at Design, Dining, and Diapers Eventually, I'd love to add a shark shower curtain.   None of the kids shower, so that has been an easy purchase to pass on for now.  Dragonfly loves the shark in Finding N

Boy Bible Verse Printable 2

Image
This 8x10 sign is Skimer's special Bible verse that I picked for him after his adoption.  My prayer is that the kids will be comforted and challenged by these verses as they grow. To download, click here.

Girl Bible Verse Printable

Image
When Dragonfly was adopted, I chose a special Bible verse for her.  Since she'll be getting her own room at our new house, I decided to turn her Bible verse into a sign.  This 8x10 sign can be downloaded here.

y is for yarn (year 2, week 23)

Image
We're finally moved into our new home!  This week's theme is "y is for yarn," focusing on all thing woolly, stringy, and knitterly. Printables: - yarn worksheets - sorting yarn by color - parts of a sheep - letter "y" pack Ideas: - books about yarn - how sheep are sheered video - yarn lapbook - yarn sheep - yarn transfer - how yarn is made video - measure with yarn - working sheepdog video - yarn letters - yarn sensory bin - yarn painting - how cotton yarn is made video Follow In Our Pond's board "y is for yarn" on Pinterest. Here's a picture from our moving adventures.  The kids washed their outside toys so they could play with them inside.

New House- New Kitchen

Image
The first thing I organized in our new house was the kitchen.  It's the heart of the home (and the center of the floor plan), and I needed it to be cute and efficient as quickly as possible.  Many of the areas aren't done yet, some of them have changed since we took these pictures, but I wanted to get these on the blog anyways.  As you can see, I went a little mason jar crazy.  I plan on getting the labels on the blog as a printable soon. Can you guess the era of the house?  I'm sure we'll try to remodel it at some point, but, for now I'm very happy with my new kitchen.  It has a large island in the middle of the large space, which I have turned into my baking center.  These are quart and pint-sized mason jars that I'm using for storage.  The upper counter doesn't really have a purpose yet, except that it's just high enough to be out of the reach of the kids.  Since taking this picture, I've added a child lock to the cupboard, in hopes that it

Boy Bible Verse Printable

Image
My three children were adopted through foster care.  At the time of each of their adoptions, I chose a Bible verse for them that I felt had special meaning.  Now that we're getting a new house, I've decided to make signs for their new rooms that summarize their verses.  This 8x10 sign is Tadpole's promise: "The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.  The High God surrounds him all day long." To download, click here.

Worthy is the Lamb Free Printable

Image
We're still buried in snow, but I'm dreaming about Easter and springtime.  This free printable is an 8x10 sign and can be downloaded here . This verse reminds me of the song "Worthy is the Lamb" by Hillsong. "Worthy is the Lamb Seated on the throne Crown You now with many crowns You reign victorious! You are high and lifted up Jesus, Son of God The Darling of Heaven crucified Worthy is the Lamb!"

p is for penguins (year 2, week 22)

Image
We bought our house last week and are starting to move into it.  This penguin them looks like so much fun that I'm sad we'll be missing it.  I think this is another one that we'll have to come back to later.  For now, enjoy this special installment of "look what I pinned." Printables : - Antarctic food chain - penguin measuring activity - transportation in Antarctica - penguin lapbook - orca fact cards - counting penguins - penguin life cycle cards - parts of an orca cards - map of Antarctica - subtraction slide game - polar opposites - 50 animals of Antarctica - penguin 3-part cards - temperature reading cards Ideas: - how do penguins stay dry experiment - ice melting experiment - penguin small world - penguin counters - ice building - ice sensory bin - icicle counting by 10 - will it slide experiment Follow In Our Pond's board "p is for penguins" on Pinterest. I thought you might enjoy seeing some pi

Lady and the Tramp Chalkboard Signs

Image
I had wanted to do a Lady and the Tramp Valentine's date for my family this year but I don't think it's going to happen with the move.  I don't even think I'll get a chance to put these chalkboard signs up our new house before the big day.  They're all quotes from the famous love song from the movie, "Bella Notte."  I've been singing it ever since I first started planning the date. "Oh, this is the night. It's a beautiful night. And we call it Bella Notte. Look at the skies They have stars in their eyes On this lovely Bella Notte. Side by side with your loved one, You'll find enchantment here. The night we weave its magic spell. When the one you love is near. Oh this is the night And the heavens are right On this lovely bella notte! To download this pack of 3 signs, click here .

Make Your Cupboard Doors Work for You

Image
We just bought our first house, which means lots of new organizing projects.  The kitchen in this house is bigger than my last kitchen, but we lost our "apple room" for homeschool stuff.  There are two tall cupboard "pantries" in the new kitchen, so I'm going to try using one for food and one for school supplies.  I want to be smart about my cupboard space, and one often ignored part of the kitchen is the backs of the cupboard doors. I really like this idea from Jenna Burger Design of tacking decorative metal sheets on the doors to create a magnetic surface.  It's perfect for the grocery list.  She also uses corkboard on one door to create a different type of message center.  I also like her hanging utensils.  The blog inspires me to think about what other types of surfaces I could add to the cupboards.  Maybe chalkboard vinyl?  Or whiteboard contact paper?  Or decorative contact paper?  I'm sure there are many more ideas that would be worth expl

Elf Diet Printable

Image
I know Christmas is long past, but I wanted to share this Elf Printable that I made.  We love the movie Elf (it's about adoption) and watch it throughout the year.  Fortunately, it has so many great lines in it.  One of our favorites is "Elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup."  You can download this free printable here.