Tots and Me... Growing Up Together: April 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Throwback Thursday Blog-Style #45: April 30, 2015

Welcome back to...

I know, I know, Throwback Thursday seems to be all about sharing pictures from the past, great memories that mean something to you, that you would like to share with others. At least that is how it appears to me. Throwback Thursday wasn't something I was participating in, and then I came up with an idea.

I thought it would be great fun and a help to my blog to share old content, but not just any old content. Each week I will share an old blog post from a previous year, any year, BUT it has to be from the current week (for example, something I've posted around April 30th, from any previous year) I will go in, edit the post if needed, add a pinnable image if I don't already have one, and share it on Facebook.

Would you like to join in? You do not need to edit your past post in any way, you don't need to create a pinnable image, though it couldn't hurt, in fact it will help your blog traffic to add quality pinnable images to your posts.

Just go into your archives, choose a favorite post from this current week from any previous year, and link it up below.

I will be pinning posts to my appropriate Pinterest boards and will be randomly selecting a Featured Throwback Thursday post to share next week. Just a note, I will be sharing a picture from your post if you are selected as the featured post, but I will link back to your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. By linking up you are giving me permission to use your picture in the post.

Here is my Throwback Thursday post:

Originally posted April 29th, 2013
Muffin Tin Monday: April Showers Bring May Flowers

Here is this week's randomly selected

Featured Throwback Thursday:

Gentle Joy Homemaker shared

Making a Flagstone Path

To participate, link up below. It would be great if you could visit several of the other posts that have linked up. Stop by, comment, and pin images so we can help each other.

If you would like to help spread the news:

Happy Throwback Thursday!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Workbox Wednesday- April 29, 2015

Welcome to Workbox Wednesday!

So, I have been discovering that using workboxes does take quite the bit of organization. I am supposed to be working on being diligent this year, and one of the things I wanted to work on was being diligent in organizing school work. Unfortunately, even though we have been getting work done, I usually print their work out right before giving it to them. So, the work mentioned below, would be in a workbox if I was more organized.

The girls have been completing worksheets with our new Bible Study from Real Life Press called Firmly Planted: Books of Moses Part 2. I will be sharing more about it next week in my review. Our studies have been focusing on the latter part of Genesis, and we have now moved on to Exodus. Here is a sneak peak at some of the worksheets:

The younger children have also had a worksheet each week with our La La Logic preschool curriculum review. I will be posting that review within the next two days.

I shared some Free Printables on my Poppin's Book Nook post earlier this week. Here is a look at what you can stop by and download.

If you use workboxes, tot trays, or anything similar, feel free to post a link to your blog post or a picture (pictures can be from facebook, but please make sure they are PUBLIC so we can see them, or use a host like photobucket.com to get a URL for your photo) that shows WHAT IS IN YOUR BOXES!

Please don't forget to visit my co-hosts at Chestnut Grove Academy and Line Upon Line Learning.

Visit others that link up, leave comments, follow, etc. The favors will be returned! Feel free to grab a button too, so others can find the link up and join in the fun!

What is in your workboxes?

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: April 29th, 2015 (w/linky)- A Child After My Own Heart

She just can't seem to put books down these days. I really didn't expect her to be so interested in reading Harry Potter at 8 years old. However, she is almost done with Goblet of Fire and she only started a week or so ago. She's read another 70+ pages since I took this picture yesterday afternoon.

Looking forward to seeing your Wordless (or not so wordless) Wednesday posts this week.

Toddler Ideas Tuesday: Berry Berry Fun {Free Printables}

Welcome back to Toddler Idea Tuesdays! I hope you will join with me again in sharing the fun activities, crafts, and lessons that you are doing with your young children.

Changes are Coming!

I realize I haven't posted in a while, and I wanted to apologize. We have been busy, but we haven't really been doing anything new and post-worthy. I have also been thinking about making some changes to this weekly link up. My children are all past the "toddler" stage, and though I have been allowing people to link up posts that were related to anything infant, toddler or preschooler, I just feel it is time for a change. I would like to make this linky more welcoming to posts with ideas for children who are younger or older than toddlers. I would still like to limit it to early childhood though.

Starting in May there are going to be different kinds of posts each month. I would like to do one round-up type post each month. Additionally, I would like to share guest posts with great Early Childhood crafts, activities, snack ideas, and other tips. On the alternate weeks, I will still be sharing my own tips and ideas. Plus, each week I will still be featuring posts that link up the previous week.

I am really excited about these changes!

If you would like to guest post in the future, please leave a comment including an email address so I can contact you.

Berry Berry Fun

Yesterday I shared this month's Poppins Book Nook Post. We read a book called Farley the Ferret of Farkleberry Farm. This book is mainly about the boysenberry jam that the farmer took to the county fair, so I decided to focus on berries. I created some printables I would like to share with you.

Berry Memory Matching Game

Print on cardstock, cut out, laminate if so desired for durability (I use clear contact paper), and play.

Berry 3-Part Classified Cards

Print out 2 sets. One set is the for the control card, the other set is to be cut on the dotted line, separating the picture from the word. A good explanation on how to use Montessori 3-Part Classified Cards can be found at Montessori Print Shop. These can be used for young children (ages 2-3) for vocabulary development, and for older preschoolers to help with learning to read.

Berry Word Scramble and Picture Match

I created this worksheet for the older children, but decided I would still share it here. The child is to unscramble the words using the pictures at the bottom of the page as a guide. Then they can cut out the pictures and match them.

Don't miss the great giveaway that is being hosted on the Poppins Book Nook post this month!

Down on the Farm Bundle

Now onto:

Toddler Idea Tuesday Features

On my last Toddler Idea Tuesday post, there was only 1 wonderful post linked up.

Featured Post

Rebecca from Raventhreads shared her post: Audio Discrimination in the Dark. A fun, sensory experience using glow-in-the-dark eggs. Don't forget to check it out.

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your toddlers and preschoolers? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on my Toddler Ideas board and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up. Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our toddler time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your toddler, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Sunday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- April 28, 2015

Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, and Shelly @ The Attic Girl.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups.

Our co-host this week is Danelle @ Our Wolves Den.

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

If you would like to follow the hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Featured Giveaways

Down on the Farm Bundle Giveaway Ends 6/25

Winning Moves Games Bundle Giveaway US only Ends 5/9

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews and Shelly @ The Attic Girl along with Danelle @ Our Wolves Den.

Berry Berry Fun with the Poppins Book Nook (Free Printables)

Welcome to the April edition of Poppins Book Nook!

I am so excited to be a part of this great book club again this year. Won't you join me for a year of book related fun.

This month's theme was: Farms

I stopped by the library earlier this month and picked up a bunch of farm related picture books. I wasn't sure which book I was going to use, but I was leaning toward this book:

Farley the Ferret of Farkleberry Farm was written by Patricia Derrick and illustrated by J-P Loppo Martinez. It is one in a series called Animalations, which I have never heard of before. According to the medal on the front of the book, this series focuses on "Rhythm, Rhyme, and Repetition." In this particular story, Farley the Ferret lives on Farkleberry Farm with Farmer Finley and the other animals. Now, Farkleberries aren't edible berries, but the boysenberries on the farm are. These berries are made into jam to be shared at the county fair. Unfortunately, there is a drought in the county and they can't go to the fair. I'll let you read the book to see what happens on the farm and whether they get back to the fair.

We also enjoyed listening to the CD that comes with the book. The words of the story are put to song, and we followed along with the book. In the back of the book, you will find the music for the song. There are also teacher/parent activity suggestions and science info on ferrets.

For our Poppins Book Nook time, we didn't focus on farms, but on berries. I made some fun printables, a couple for the younger children, and a worksheet for the older girls.

Berry Memory Matching Game

Montessori 3-Part Classified Cards

Berry Word Scramble and Picture Match

The children had fun with the memory matching game. Harold's first introduction to this sort of activity was while he was using the preschool logic program we are reviewing, called LalaLogic. He struggled with this at first, but he had fun playing the Berry Memory Matching Game with Hannah. He even won sometimes.

Tabitha and Amelia were to unscramble the berry words, using the pictures at the bottom of the page as a guide. Then they were to cut out the pictures and place them in the right space.

One of the recent enrichment activities with Lalalogic was to pass an object back and forth while counting. On the second enrichment day of the week, I was to have them pour objects back and forth while counting. I decided to make an activity tray related to berries. They were to count as they passed blue pompom "blueberries" back and forth

As our last activity for this month's Poppins Book Nook, the children and I made strawberry jam this weekend. It has been years since I have made jam, and then it was only once with my older children. I found an easy recipe on allrecipes.com.

Doesn't it look yummy?

I'll be sharing the fun we had making the jam on my Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen post this Friday.

I would like to share the printables I created with you, my readers.

Just follow the links below to download your own copies.

For Preschoolers and Young Elementary Aged Children:

Berries Memory Matching Game

For Preschoolers and Young Elementary Aged Children:

Berries 3-Part Classified Cards

For Elementary Aged Children:

Berry Word Scramble and Picture Match

Don't forget to check out what the other Poppins Book Nook co-hosts have been up to this month. Then, don't forget to link up your own posts! Lastly, enter the Down on the Farm Bundle Giveaway.

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - ABC Creative Learning - As We Walk Along the Road - Brain Power Boy - Chestnut Grove Academy - Embracing Destiny - Every Bed of Roses - Farm Fresh Adventures - Growing in God's Grace - Kathys Cluttered Mind - My Bright Firefly - Peakle Pie - Preschool Powol Packets - Pray Species - SAHM I am - Stir The Wonder - Sunny Day Family - Sweet Silly Sara - Teach Beside Me - To the Moon and Back - Tots and Me - Tree Valley Academy - Witty Hoots

Down on the Farm Bundle Giveaway! Swing your partner round and round and come on down to the farm this month with the Poppins Book Nook! Every month this group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win the Down on the Farm Bundle. The winner will enjoy two fun farm themed learning items. The two items that they will win is the Farming storybook by author Gail Gibbons and Safari Ltd Farm Babies TOOB. Let the farm themed learning fun begin!

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the PromoSimple terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}. Just enter the PromoSimple below to win

Come and find out more information about Poppins Book Nook at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, on Facebook and on Pinterest.

Clip Art by Melon Headz

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen #114: Hamantaschen Cookies (From the My Father's World manual)

Time for Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen

(A weekly linky to share what you and your children have created in the kitchen.)

The linky is at the bottom.

Last week we were learning about Queen Esther with our My Father's World lessons. We got to make Hamantaschen Cookies for the first time ever, and I have to tell you, they were delicious. The cookie part is like a lemon sugar cookie and then we added some scrumptious filling.

This recipe comes from the My Father's World 1st Grade Curriculum: Learning God's Story Teacher Manual. They have graciously given me permission to share the recipe here on my blog as a part of my Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen post.

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp grated or minced lemon rind
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups flour

The older girls helped to make the dough.

We creamed the butter, oil, and sugar together.

Then we grated the lemon rind.

We beat in the egg and lemon rind.

Then we added the flour. The recipe calls for 1 1/4 to 1 1/3. We found a 1 1/4 to be just right. I almost thought it was too dry, but it ended up being perfect. After we mixed the flour in, it was refrigerated for a few hours.

Then Mr. Harold helped mommy roll and cut out the dough. The instructions call for the dough to be rolled up to 3/8 inch thickness. I have to say, I am not very good at judging the thickness of dough. However, the cookies ended up perfect, so we must have done okay.

Then we put the cookie circles on the greased cookie sheet.