Fall Art - Handprint Tree

For Fun Friday this week, we turned some broken crayons into a wonderful fall keepsake...Handprint Trees!

Begin by tracing your child’s hand and arm on brown paper.  Cut it out, and set it aside.  Next, give each child a piece of waxed paper and a few crayons in fall colors (with the paper peeled off).  Give your chid an old pencil sharpener, and have them make a few crayon shavings onto half of the wax paper.  

(We used a fine grater for this step, and I’m still trying to figure out how to clean the wax off!  So, ignore the picture and skip the grater!)  Another option is to have another JungleMama make a bunch of shavings for the children to sprinkle on to make their creation.  Thanks Jen!

Next, fold the wax paper over and place a sheet of copy paper or an old T-shirt over the top.  (I tried it with a towel and it was too thick to work well.)  Use an iron on medium heat, to go over the top.  This is the most fun part, so make sure the children are gathered around!  The finished result will be something like this... 

The colors sometimes bleed through the wax paper, which is why you want a thin layer of paper or fabric to protect your iron.

Cut the wax paper into a cloud shape to resemble the leaves of the tree, then glue on the handprint trunk.  Simple, and beautiful in a window.  ;-)

Pumpkin Watercolor Paintings

I saw this idea on Pinterest and knew we had to try it!

First, we looked at our pumpkin and discussed the shapes we would use to create it.  Next we practiced drawing our picture on a whiteboard.

Then on to the glue step.  (I ended up doing the continuous squeeze while they moved my hand around to draw their picture.  Levi tried going at it solo, but soon got frustrated with the way it beaded up.)

Set your pictures on a babyproof spot to dry overnight.  ;-)

The original directions used a fine tip Sharpie to trace on either side of the glue lines.

I opted for some very thin markers I had, that would help them see what colors to use (that would also camoflauge if they bled a little.)

On to the watercolor step...

What focus!

I think these turned out great!

Panama Flag Footprints

Today is Flag Day in Panama, so we decided to make some footprints.

Here is what the Panama Flag looks like

A few more facts...

The flag of Panama was adopted on December 20, 1903 and provisionally approved in 1904 by the Constituent Assembly. It was not definitely approved until 1925. The blue and red stand for the Conservative Party and Liberal Party; the white stands for peace; the blue star represents the purity and honesty of the life of the country; the red star represents the authority and law in the country. 

To make the footprint you will need:

- a half sheet of light blue construction paper

- 3 paintbrushes

- red, white, and blue paint 

Have all your materials handy, so you can work quickly before the paint dries.  Have the child sit on stool in front of you, and stick their left foot in the air...beware of ticklishness.  hehe

Start with a little dot of white near the big toe and opposite heel, and use a paint brush to spread it into 2 rectangles.  Next add a dot of red paint near the pinky toe, and use a new brush to spread it into a quick rectangle.  Do the same with blue at the opposite heel.

Have them put their foot on the paper, and DO NOT MOVE!  Use your hand to gently push down each toe and all over to make sure the paint got transferred, then lift their foot straight up.  I usually fly them straight to the sink to wash those tootsies with soap and water, and keep my floor free of patriotic paint.  

Jedi Spelling

I had to post this today in honor of my favorite Jedi's birthday!  Levi is officially in the Star Wars phase.  As soon as he wakes up, he dons his cape and lightsaber to conquer the world.  Rather than fight it, I decided to use it to our advantage and do a little spelling practice in the meantime.  

Simply give your child a word to spell (verbally, on a flashcard, written on a whiteboard, whatever) and let them swoosh away.  Of course, speaking in a crazy accent at the time makes things much more fun.  ;-)

Visit 1+1+1=1 for more word play ideas...

PDF Calendar Site

I stumbled across an awesome site for creating customized printable calendars.  I like to look the big version of my school year when sketching out unit/thematic plans, and this site makes it super easy!

I forgot to post it in my back to school stuff, but remembered as I flipped the page over to work on our 2nd quarter plans today.  Oops!  If you would like a copy for yourself (for lesson plans, blog posts, menu, whatever)...

- Click on this link

- Make sure the date is October 23

- Click on the icon of the PDF, or click at the bottom where it says “Download Calendar PDF”

Then you’ll get  an overview from now to the year end all on one page! 

Indoor P.E. - Hallway Liners

We have been cooped up lately between rain, sickness, and no car.  I was desperate for a way to burn some energy and was inspired by a high school flashback.  It’s basketball season here, and as soon as that came to mind, so did the dreaded ... liners!  

To set up the scene:  You first need to find some lines, or markers.  (We used some foam circles since we had too many lines.  hehe)

We had one child at the end of the hallway, another timing,

and the baby watching safely from the stands.

When the time starts, the runner has to run and touch the first line, then run back to the wall, run and touch the next line, then run back to the wall...

Timer stops when they touch the wall (after touching the final line).

"Oops, is it this button Mamita?"

This is great for burning off lots of energy in little time!  See, just 21 seconds to a sweaty boy.  hehe  (Next up, a haircut for the sweaty boy.  Yikes!)

Bible Memory Binder