Only a couple of days left before the 4th of July Holiday –
Not really time for anything too elaborate (save those ideas for next year), but here are some good links that you may still find fun and useful.
A Kid’s Heart
has some neat online games – I really like the Patriotic jigsaw puzzles.
Use your mouse to drag the puzzle pieces into the correct places to put the puzzle together.
There are quite a few other games, some word searches and virtual fireworks too!
Family Fun has the directions for these Uncle Sam Ice Cream Cones
and for Fireworks Art (my kids loved this one! Take a hint from a teacher – poke a hole near the top of the straw.
The kids will still be able to blow the paint out to make the project, but they won’t get a mouthful of paint if they forget and suck in instead. And they will forget. Trust me)
A very easy Fireworks “painting” that the littler kids enjoy is done by painting a piece of black construction paper with white glue that has been thinned with a bit of water.
Let the kids shake multi colored glitter onto the wet glue, shake off the excess glitter when the paper is dry.
Sparkly and pretty!
Betty Crocker has this great Stars and Stripes Cake
Please come back tomorrow –
I’ve been given permission to display the Flag Picture Gallery from Ushistory.org.
Beautiful and Fascinating…
Monday, July 2, 2007
Celebrate!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Super Simple Collage Making
Making a collage is one of the best free form art techniques for artists of any age - preschoolers love it. The choices of items to collage with are limitless. We've used colorful bits of yarn and ribbon; snips of cloth or colored paper; rice and pasta in different shapes; grasses, leaves and small stones gathered from nature walks. We've torn pictures from magazines and newspapers, cut figures from greeting cards, sprinkled glitter and sequins and colored sand.
The trick is getting it all to stick on the paper and stay stuck!
That's where the secret comes in to play...
We use self-adhesive contac - type paper.
A good size square, taped sticky side up to the table works wonderfully.
(Tape it to keep it from sliding around and also to keep the child from picking the paper up and sticking it to itself - and if it's not taped down, the child surely will...)
The self-adhesive paper needs no drying time and will hold material that is heavier (like pasta) without a problem.
This is our collage of yesterday - using snips of foil ribbon, sequins and beads.
Lovely!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Try to Imagine...
On a day of suffocating heat across Connecticut, perhaps it help just a little bit to imagine ourselves into February?
Keeping Your Cool
Air conditioning can be a godsend in the humid summer heat, but not all of us are fortunate to have air conditioning in our homes and many of us who do have it have the smaller units that only cool one room.
Running an air conditioner is also a big drain on our resources,both energy and financial!
Depending on what part of the country you live in, many summer days may be hot but managable, without running the AC to cool things off, with just a few tips.
Maybe these tips that I've gathered might help....
1. Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water. Avoid soft drinks and caffeine, these will dehydrate you, as does alcohol
2. Dress for the season when inside your house. Wear shorts and a light shirt. Loose fitting clothes are cooler and more comfortable than tight fitting garments. Go barefoot or wear sandals. Natural fabrics are cooler than synthetics. At night, use light cotton sheets on your bed. Minimize indoor fabrics, as fabric increases interior humidity. This is good in the winter, but bad in the summer. People living without air conditioning should probably opt for no carpet on the floors; during the winter they can lay down area rugs, but roll them up and put them away during the summer.
3. In the summer, shade is your friend. Keep the sun's heat from hitting windows, doors, walls. Install window shades on the outside of your house; indoor curtains are not enough (although they will help). Once the sun hits the glass and window frame, the heat is conducted inside the house, even if you have indoor curtains, so shade them in addition to your curtains.
It is easy and inexpensive to make your own outdoor window shades One idea is to use mylar covered auto sun shades that are about 5' X 2'. They only cost a few dollars at local stores. Duct tape two or three of them together (depending on the size of the window) and hang them on the outside of the windows. Cover that with a white roll up shade, which is mostly for appearance. An inexpensive bamboo roll-up window shade works fine. One or more curtains inside will help, and choose white or another light color (sheets are do-able and cheap, more is better). Don't forget to shade the doors if you don't have a porch. Shade cloth is available and can be used over windows, although it costs more.
The best choice for your wall shade is vegetation. Although it takes many years to grow a tall tree, vines grow in just a few weeks. Morning glories provide plenty of shade plus flowers that are beautiful to look at. Try grape vines on your trellis -not only will you get shade, you?ll also get tasty grapes to eat.
If you have indoor thermal mass, such as concrete or brick floors, a masonry fireplace, etc., make sure it is shaded so it doesn't soak up heat during the day. (The opposite of what you want to do in the winter, of course.)
3. When keeping cool without any air conditioning, the basic rule is: keep the house closed up during the day when it is hot outside, and ventilate it in the evening and at night when it is cooler.
Natural ventilation maintains indoor temperatures close to outdoor temperatures and helps remove heat from your home. But only ventilate during the coolest parts of the day or night, and seal off your house from the hot sun and air during the hottest parts of the day.
The climate you live in determines the best ventilation strategy. In areas with cool nights and very hot days, let the night air in to cool your house. A well-insulated house will gain only 1°F (0.6°C) per hour if the outside temperature is 85° to 90°F (29° to 32°C). By the time the interior heats up, the outside air should be cooler and can be allowed indoors.
In climates with daytime breezes, open windows on the side from where the breeze is coming and on the opposite side of the house. Keep interior doors open to encourage whole-house ventilation. If your location lacks consistent breezes, create them by opening windows at the lowest and highest points in your house.
In hot, humid climates where temperature swings between day and night are small, ventilate when humidity is not excessive.
Ventilating your attic greatly reduces the amount of accumulated heat, which eventually works its way into the main part of your house. Ventilated attics are about 30°F (16°C) cooler than unventilated attics. Properly sized and placed louvers and roof vents help prevent moisture buildup and overheating in your attic.
4. Keep the air moving around inside. Use ceiling fans and rotating fans to create breezes in the house during the day and the night. Moving air can knock ten degrees off of the apparent temperature, so fans can add considerably to indoor comfort. They can also be used in conjunction with conventional air conditioning. With breezes inside, you can set the thermostat temperature higher than would be the case without the fans. Box fans are good for use in windows, but for other indoor uses, they are inefficient and usually noisy, rotary fans are better. Variable speed fans will help you get the right amount of air.
5. Insulation and weatherization help moderate indoor temperatures in the summer too. Minimizing leaks will help you keep your cool inside.
6. Minimize heat buildup inside the house.
Often-overlooked sources of interior heat gain are lights and household appliances, such as ovens, dishwashers, and dryers.
Because most of the energy that incandescent lamps use is given off as heat, use them only when necessary. Take advantage of daylight to illuminate your house. And consider switching to compact fluorescent lamps. These use about 75% less energy than incandescent lamps, and emit 90% less heat for the same amount of light.
Many household appliances generate a lot of heat. When possible, use them in the morning or late evening when you can better tolerate the extra heat. Consider cooking on an outside barbecue grill or use a microwave oven, which does not generate as much heat and uses less energy than a gas or electric range.
Washers, dryers, dishwashers, and water heaters also generate large amounts of heat and humidity. To gain the most benefit, seal off your laundry room and water heater from the rest of the house.
New, energy-efficient appliances generate less heat and use less energy. When it is time to purchase new appliances, make sure they are energy efficient. All refrigerators, dishwashers, and dryers display an EnergyGuide label indicating the annual estimated cost for operating the appliance or a standardized energy efficiency ratio. Also, many manufacturers participate in the voluntary EnergyStar labeling program. Use this label as a sign of energy-efficiency.Compare appliances and buy the most efficient models for your needs.
7. If the heat becomes oppressive, dowse your head, arms, and feet with cool water, or take a cool shower, or (my favorite) go outside and dowse yourself with a water hose. Keep a spray bottle of cool water handy, and give yourself a spritz of cool water every once in a while.
Monday, June 25, 2007
The House Fairy
I found my house-keeping hero about five years ago when I stumbled upon the home of the Fly Lady. I accepted her invitation to "come on in" and I've been visiting her daily every since. No More Living In CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)for me!
I suppose to be fair to myself, a part of the credit goes to Fly Lady and her system, but I've also grown old enough and wise enough to realize that a lot of what I regarded as some sort of character defect on my part (dishes in the sink? lint on the rug?)was really an insane attempt to keep order in the universe and a tremendously futile waste of my time.
I still like order, just not enough to obsess over it.
Love that Fly Lady!
This morning I was visiting her home page again. (My family is planning a possible move and I'm going to need some Fly Lady back-up for that one....)While I was there I found something new and I love this too - The House Fairy. The concept was intriguing, I went to her site to take a look - well worth the trip!
Check it out (check out Fly Lady too, if you haven't already)
I'm not affilliated with either of these sites in any way -
I truly am recommending them just because, for me anyway, It Works!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Five For Friday - Super Surfing for Kids
Played all the games? Told all the stories? Sang all the songs that you know? And the kids are starting to drive you (just a little) crazy?
Give them a turn on the computer with these fun, family safe links- some of them are even educational!(sshhhh)
National Geographic for Kids
I had a great time looking around this site from National Geographic magazine(fascinating article on polar bears....who knew....?) The pictures are fabulous, and there are games, activities, experiments and homework help. I loved it.
Seussville- The Wonderful Dr. Seuss!
Click and play games, print and play activities and the Seussville storymaker.
Marilee's Paper Doll Page
Lots of dolls to print and play, houses and furniture too.
I still love paper dolls!
Funology.com - The Science of Having Fun!
Here’s what they have to say about their great site:
Welcome to Funology.com!
Funology.com is the best place on the Web to find things to do. Not just while you’re sitting at the computer, but anywhere. Things to do by yourself or with your friends, your parents, your pets, anyone. We’ll teach you a million and one ways to make things, explore the world, and discover skills you never knew you had. It’s one place where you’ll never be bored!
Games Kids Play
Hundreds of good old fashioned (non computer!) games and the rules for how to play them. The folks there say that the reason for their site is two-fold:
One- to let you remember some of those old games we used to play and to bring a smile to your face and Two- to try to catalog a fascinating piece of oral tradition and make sure none of these games are ever lost forever.
