Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real 5

Spent some time at home and some time at my parents' house in Florida recently (left the Gulf area just before Tropical Storm Debby hit!).  There's nothing like being right on the water, and I love staying with Mom and Dad--we get to go to Mass every day in a beautiful spot.

Pretty

Morning Mass on the island.

Made of this awesome stone!

Carved wood Madonna and Child.

Happy

I love having the kids home for the summer!  The girls (Chop is 11, Alleluia is 2-and-one-half, and Peel is 8) play together pretty well.  Chop is always making weapons, Peel likes symmetry, and Alleluia kept making "lollipops" out of the Tinkertoys, presumably because they were so easy--just a stick and a round piece!

Watercolors are relaxing.........

Funny

She's always trying to wear other people's shoes! The swim cap obsession just can't be explained....

Real

This week was the last Wednesday Morning Playgroup for my neighbor and founding member, Andrea.  Our kids have grown up a lot in the almost 2 years since we started!  She and her beautiful family will be sorely missed!

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Play-Doh Ideas

Saw this post today and it was something I had thought about doing.  I like her ideas, and would just add:  get out the hard-boiled egg slicer, too!

Play-Doh and Kitchen Utensils

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Take Off from Thermic Tablets

I liked the gist of this "Montessori Lite" version of (at least an introduction) to Thermic Tablets for a 2-year-old.  Check it out!

Desert Crafter version of Thermic Tablets

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real 4

This week started with the Feast of Corpus Christi.  This first photo is from the conclusion of Mass at our church.  Two of our boys were serving.  For the oldest who is going off to college soon, this may be one of his last times assisting.

Pretty

Church of the Assumption, Nashville, TN. 

Happy

Our 13-year-old made this Ent out of Duplos (from Lord of the Rings).

Funny

Was happy to get an Inch Worm like the one I had as a kid.  The kids promptly put a leash on it and led it around the ellipse.

Real

"Tesla" has to get rid of all of his beloved fish from the saltwater tank before he leaves for college.  This brittle star was hiding among the sand and rock for more than two years, unseen!

"The Inchworm"
LEGO EDUCATION LG-9027 LEGO DUPLO BULK SET

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11 Family Movies/Series

I'm sure most of you realize that it's much harder these days to find family movies than it was 30 or 40 years ago.  Most of the movies made for adults are things we'd never let our kids see, and most movies made for children either push the boundaries of what is acceptable, or else are mindless and uninteresting to adults.   Hollywood used to make movies designed for the whole family, but those days are (mostly) over.  

Of course, with the magic of DVDs, you can settle down to watch films that WERE made to appeal to the whole family, or you can pick and choose more recent films that somehow managed to be tasteful, interesting, and appealing to a wide range of ages.  Here are some we've enjoyed over the past few years, courtesy of Netflix.  Although I've inserted links, these are for informational purposes; I am NOT advocating that you buy these unless you think you will watch them over and over.  

Please share your recommendations, too -- feel free to add them in the comments section!

1. The Princess Bride (1987)

One of our kids' favorites -- a very unusual fairy tale, but also lots of humor for adults.  Does have one torture scene that might scare young children.

2.  The Muppets (2011)

A rare example of a recent  movie that has humor for both adults and children, and nothing to beware of.

3. The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)

Disney classic starring Fred MacMuray.  Funny for both adults and kids - gives a surprisingly accurate portrayal of your average science professor.  We thought the sequel, "Son of Flubber" was even funnier.  Cannot recommend the Robin Williams re-make ("Flubber").

4. The Court Jester (1956)

Danny Kaye classic.  Although it was (I think) marketed to adults, the kids thought it was hilarious, with lots of slapstick.

5. Apollo 13 (1995)

Most appealing to older kids, but nothing I would be embarrassed to show to any of my children.  Helps teach the kids that there was a time when we went to the moon.

6. That's Entertainment (1974)

We found that most old movie musicals were great choices for family movies that everyone could enjoy.  This is a compilation of greatest hits from the MGM musicals -- you can try it out to see if your family likes them.  Part of a three-movie series.

7.  Galaxy Quest (1999)

One of our kids' favorites.  A clever spoof of the Star Trek phenomenon.  One slightly scary scene, and slightly suggestive costuming and mild innuendo, but these went over our kids' heads.

8.  The Three Stooges

(No Link necessary!!)  Of course, this will be controversial - you either love them or hate them.  Since my husband, as a child, was allowed pretty much unlimited access to TV after school, he is a lifelong fan (his proudest claim is to have seen the Three Stooges in person when he was 5-years-old).

9.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

Excellent adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic.  Slightly scary in places.

10.  Shaun the Sheep (2007+)

Manages to be hilarious for both kids and adults, despite no dialog whatsoever!

11.  Rocky and Bullwinkle (1959-1964)

Watched these as a child.  Viewing them now with my children, I realize that I never "got" most of the jokes!  Well worth another view.

And don't forget other old TV series, from the era when it was safe to let your kids watch TV (pre 1980 or so).  We like LIttle House on the Prairie, Lost in Space, I Love Lucy, The Dick van Dyke Show, and a few others.  Some friends like the old Dr. Who shows, but we haven't tried those yet.

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Making Ice Cream, AGAIN!

Saturday we made coffee ice cream.  First you mix things in a bowl....

The ice cream ball that Santa brought "Tesla" this year has been a hit.  With more time on our hands there's been a rash of "I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!" around here.

I suggest this as one of those rare activities that can engage children of various ages (here you see some of our kids, from age 17 to 2.5), that can be creative (recipe-wise), involves gross motor (you have to keep this thing moving constantly and it's a workout!), and has a BIG payoff (REALLY good homemade ice cream!).

Saturday we made coffee flavored ice cream, and Sunday it was toffee.  The ball came with a simple recipe book and Santa threw in a Ben and Jerry's book, too.

You need ice cubes and salt to make things SUPER COLD!

This salt was easily found at our neighborhood grocery store.

Once the ice cream mixture was added to the ball we spent 15 minutes on the ellipse, taking turns shaking the ball and rolling it to the next person.  After this you stop to stir things and repeat this process.  To keep our spirits up we started a storytelling game of saying one sentence to start things off (while shaking the ball) and then passing the story and ball on to the next guy.

The ball is actually pretty heavy when full, so I gave Alleluia a little help (especially since she didn't want to give up the balloon string she was holding in one hand!  LOL!)

I'm glad Tesla was around, because the seal on the ball is really tight and hard to  open.

YUM!

Totally worth the effort!

The next day it was toffee!

"Chop" bashed up the Heath bar to make the pieces smaller.

"Peel" kept wanting to smell the mixture........

"Tesla" was tempted to eat it all right out of the ball.

The big ball is plenty for all 8 of us to have some (it's really rich).

The whole process takes about an hour, but kept "Alleluia" captivated the entire time.

Just one final note:  making homemade butter is a common Montessori classroom activity.  If you are making ice cream one day you might consider doing butter the next, or vice versa.

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10 Games to Play With Toddlers (3 are Free!)

As promised, here are ideas of games to play with your toddler.  Note that many times the box will rate a game for older children because of concerns about choking, so never stop worrying about whether your toddler can reach items that are choking hazards!

The first 3 games are free!

• I Spy

"I spy with my little eye something red!"  Take turns being the one spying and the one guessing.

• 20 Questions

A great game for playing while in the doctor's office waiting room!  Start with guesser asking, "Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?"  Then the guesser asks 20 yes-or-no questions to find the answer.

• Tic Tac Toe

Younger kids don't realize that the game always ends in a draw if everyone plays correctly.  They can enjoy it while it lasts.  Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.  In a pinch, it can be played on dirty car windows.

• Barnyard Bingo

Players takes turns pulling plastic disks with differently-colored animals out of the farmhouse and putting them on their bingo cards.  This one looks like it's gone out of print, but you might find it at garage sales, etc. 

• Cranium Cariboo

Also out of print.  A shame, since it had a clever treasure chest that opened "magically" when all of  colored balls were collected. Turns out that old copies now sell for over a hundred dollars!

• Lego Explore My First Builder Game

Players move around the board to collect lego blocks to build the design on their card.

• Pretty Pretty Princess

The players collect plastic earrings, bracelets, crowns, etc., and wear them.  The first person to collect a full set of jewelry is crowned "pretty pretty princess."  It's worth the price of the game to watch your husband play with his daughters.

• Hi Ho Cherri-O

Spin the spinner and harvest cherries from a tree.  It can get a little tedious, since you are constantly losing cherries to natural disasters like birds and spilled baskets.

• Candy Land

Designed for children who know their colors, but not numbers or counting.  A classic, of course -- all luck and no decisions to make.  My husband has stooped to "fixing" the deck sometimes to speed up the game and let the kids win.  Don't tell anyone.

• Chutes and Ladders

My husband's "favorite" of this group.  No skill involved, but it turns out (believe it or not!) that this game is related to some very complex mathematical ideas.  See this website:

http://datagenetics.com/blog/november12011/index.html  At this site you can also find a similar analysis of Candy Land and Battleship!

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