My Latest: Homemade Clothing Tags, Toilet Paper Tube Toys, and a Ceiling Fan Pottery Wheel

a round-up of toys that you can make from toilet paper tubes

a look at this pottery wheel that uses a ceiling fan motor--I think I'm going to make this!

and a tutorial for the foreign-language clothing tags that I put on the kids' clothes

I suppose that I should tell you that I'm super stressing out this week, with some big etsy orders to fill, Christmas presents to make, and various other festive holiday requirements to complete, but honestly, I'm still riding on the relief of having passed Nutcracker season, and nothing else compares. 

I'm sure that NEXT week, when I've got to finish those Christmas presents and wrap them right this minute, and then pack, and then finish up all the rest of my holiday prep by the deadline, I'll be stressed again, but for today, I'm going to eat a bacon, egg, and kale sandwich on toast while drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I'm going to drag the toaster oven outside so that the kids and I can make melted bead Christmas ornaments. I'm going to do a little more research for Girl Scout cookie sale season (starts in January!). I'm going to work on some Christmas presents, but probably not finish any. I'm going to get the kids to write their letters to Santa, and email the paleontologists at the Children's Museum to tell them that we'd like to work in the fossil prep lab this week. I'm going to take one kid to chess club, and then we might all go out for a doughnut, as she's been wanting.

Plenty of time to get stressed next week!

Endangered Animals in Infographics and Artwork

Our Endangered Animals Unit Study has been working much like the horse breed research homework that the children's horseback riding instructor gives them. Once a week or so, I asked the children to each research an endangered or extinct animal, fill out a form about that animal (found in this The Loneliest Animal Teacher's Guide), and then create either an infographic, using Piktochart, or an artwork about that animal.

Along with that, we'll often search Youtube together for videos that show the animal, leading to, in one notable instance, Will describing the Hector's dolphin as the "Total. Cutest.Dolphin. EVER!!!" Tangentially, I won't let the kids browse Youtube alone, but it's one of my favorite things for us to do together--I love how everyone's interests spontaneously flow, whether we're searching for only the My Little Pony musical numbers, or watching the astronauts in the International Space Station, or speculating about the monetary worth of that kid who does all the toy reviews.

Here's an example of an infographic that Will has done. I'm actually pleased to see the mistakes that she's made--misspellings, irrelevant text and images--because they represent concrete skills that she can work on. It's always good to have a plan!

Here's an artwork that she created about a different animal--the luminous lizard, perhaps?

Syd's not as into this unit, but it's an excellent one for Will, as it's got her happily creating both written and graphic content, two things that she's often reluctant to do.

Now if I could just find the magic formula to get her to do fractions without pitching a fit, I'd be all set...

Here are some of the other resources that we've been enjoying during this Endangered Animals Unit:

Code a Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.

Will isn't as into Scratch as some of her friends are--well, I take that back. Sometimes Will is VERY into Scratch, but other times she's very into Minecraft, or Zoo Tycoon, or Little Big Planet, or Lego Marvel Super Heroes, or FEZ, or Tokyo Jungle, or the links on my Links for Kids page, so I should say that Will isn't as perennially into Scratch as some of her friends are.

Nevertheless, when I showed both kids this Made with Code project that allowed them, using a Scratch-like interface, to code a light show on their state Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., they were both really excited. I mean, obviously! I want to code a light show, too! Unfortunately, I'm not a child, and I have to code light shows in my own time, on my own equipment. Next year, perhaps...

The only disappointment in the process is that, as far as I can tell, there are no webcams or livestreams, so the kids can't, you know, actually *see* their light shows, but the site did tell each of them approximately when their light show would play on their tree in D.C., so I guess if you were local, you could head over and camp out and watch it in person.

Here's Syd's light show, which played last night at approximately 8:34 pm:

And here's Will's, which will play tonight at approximately 5:07, just a little after dusk in D.C.:

I actually like these little limited-time opportunities the best, I think. I don't like the kids to have a lot of screen time, and so each new app or program or game that they're introduced to, however cool it may be, to me really just feels like one more app or program or game for us to clash over on a daily basis. Opportunities like this, however? I show it to the kids, the kids have a lot of fun with it, we all look at it and say "Yay! Wasn't that cool?", and then we all go back to our block building and game playing and book reading, content with having a cool gif to share and a little more coding experience under the kids' belts.

And still forever planning that someday longer vacation to Washington, D.C.

Oh, Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree farm where we buy our tree every year is now located just a few blocks away from our new house. We can even hike there through the meadows that border the woods behind our property.

Of course, on this day we drove over to the tree farm, because we wanted to bring home a tree!

Matt and I don't give a flip about Christmas trees, so we let the children be in charge utterly. We have enough taste that Will's preferred choices always get the side-eye (she's of the super fat tree persuasion, whereas Matt and I are lean tree people), but if the kid wants a super fat tree, then the kid can get a super fat tree... if she can convince her sister of the same, that is. 

And she can!

New this year--we brought a saw, so that the kids could cut down our tree, as well:

Syd got over-excited and waved down the tree guy prematurely, so he basically got to hang out with us for twenty minutes while the kids did this, verrrrrrrry slowly:

Fortunately, in this town there's always stuff to talk about for twenty minutes: the neighborhood that you live in, neighborhoods that you used to live in, university gossip, the universally unpopular parking meter installation, the mayor's announcement that he's not going to run for another term (because of his universally unpopular parking meter installation, we all agree), etc.

Finally, though, after many years of work, the kids get the tree sawed through, the tree guy hauls it to the barn, and it's trimmed, shaken, never flocked, and baled while the kids and Matt have complimentary popcorn and hot chocolate, and then we take it home and put it up and the kid can pose in front of it on her way to Nutcracker rehearsal:

There are just Christmas toys and books (and one forgotten lunch plate, it looks like...) underneath it right now, but soon there will be presents!

Work Plans through December: Math, Grammar, and Handwork

The Nutcracker went amazingly well! Syd was a champ through five performances in four days, and the rest of us were champs at supporting her, if I do say so myself--we had her in perfect hair (which took me 20 minutes to make each time) and makeup and a clean(-ish) uniform, at whatever time they told her to be there on less than a day's notice, for whatever odd length of time they wanted to keep her, sometimes bringing her back just an hour and a half later for another rehearsal. That kid danced her heart out on stage, and thanks to the university's livestreaming program, I was able to watch every single performance, not just the one that we all attended in person yesterday. Overall, the experience was intense, but if your kid loves ballet, then this is what she wants to do, you know?

We're tired today, and we've got relatives in town, but even after we've slept in for a couple of days and the relatives have had to go home, I don't think we'll be returning to a full school schedule this month. Math and grammar are packaged and easy to do anywhere, so I'll continue with daily assignments on those subjects. The kids also have some work to do for their extracurriculars--homework for tomorrow's last horseback riding class of the session, math class on Friday, an interview to plan with an ER doctor for our Girl Scout Co-op next week, and Magic Tree House Club next week--but other than that, I'll be encouraging them to also spend time each day on handwork, both Christmas-themed and for giftmaking.

I usually don't like to take the kids off of a full schedule for that long, because I'm always worried that Will, my kid who has a tough time with transitions, will have a tough time transitioning back, but frankly, at this time of year, with all the extra activities and events and surprises and gifts and specialness and excitement, I don't see how teachers at school can keep their students focused on a full day of school every day, either. I'd rather just give in and let them revel in it while they're young.

And if I do, then perhaps when they're grown they won't turn into Christmas grumps like me!

My Latest: Paper Projects and the Anthropocene

a book review of The Anthropocene

a review of Syd's recycled paper beadmaking kit

a tutorial to create papier mache stars

and Syd's tutorial to make toilet paper tube toy binoculars

I expect that we'll be seeing a lot more handwork in the next few weeks--the Christmas season is a good time for it, and the imminent relaxation of our VERY busy schedule (Syd's closing performance of The Nutcracker is today!) will allow plenty of space for it.

Our Puzzle Philosophy

We have one. It goes like this: we love big puzzles. Love them. We buy our puzzles from thrift stores or yard sales, because we only ever really want to do them once, unless they're really, REALLY excellent (I have a puzzle from the 80s that has on it every single Disney character up to that year. It's practically my favorite thing ever). And if you're only going to do a puzzle once, then you sure as hell don't want to pay full retail for it.

Of course, if you're only paying a couple of bucks for a puzzle, then you're also not going to get fussed if it's missing a few pieces. We worked on this puzzle for weeks, sure that it had several missing pieces:

It didn't!

If the puzzle does have missing pieces, then we recycle it when we've finished it. If it doesn't have missing pieces, then we tape it back really well, I put a sign on it that reads something like "No missing pieces!", and we donate it back to Goodwill.

A puzzle usually stays out for quite a while as we work on it off and on, and then gets finished over the course of one epic weekend as I get sick of it taking up our table space.

After the puzzle is packed away and gone, I'll feel happy when I walk by that empty table, thinking how nice and tidy it is without a messy puzzle all over it. After a while, though, I'll walk by that table and think to myself that I wish I had another puzzle to do. I'll start checking out the shelves whenever we're at Goodwill, searching for a decent puzzle. That's the point that I'm at right now. Somebody, somewhere in this town, is about to donate a perfectly good puzzle, perhaps one with dragons AND unicorns on it, perhaps even one that's Doctor Who-themed!

And when they do, I'll wander over to Goodwill, spy it on the shelf marked at $1.99--maybe it'll even be the half-off Color of the Week!--and I'll buy that baby and bring it home to my family in triumph. Puzzle Nights will begin again!!!

All the Christmas Crafts

Update: I've decided that this is where all our Christmas craft tutorials will live, so even though this post is originally from 2014, its Christmas crafting game is current!

One of the reasons why I enjoy blogging is the feeling of re-discovering an old post, especially when it's something that I've otherwise forgotten completely about. That time when the younger painted the wall with peanut butter. The day that the older kid threw a fit in a modern art museum. A glimpse of her protectiveness toward her sister.

This particularly applies to Christmas crafts, since they're often done and displayed within the day, and I don't tend to keep them for the next year (gasp, I know!). So, in honor of Christmas Recipe Day and Christmas Craft Day and Christmas Ornament Day on our Advent calendar, and my deep desire to save some time and avoid reinventing the wheel, here's my definitive round-up of all of my Christmas crafts that I can unearth:

wooden stars

Big stars are tree toppers, and little stars are ornaments!

filled ornament

In my opinion, those clear glass baubles exist solely to be filled with cuteness.

Mason jar lid ring ornaments

There's scope for making any kind of art that you want to illustrate these ornaments.

light bulb Christmas ornament

This one uses a hollowed out light bulb as a base for a regular filled ornament.

paint-filled clear ornaments

This is a fun process-oriented craft... and it's good for using up the last bits of various paint pots!

painted holiday shirt

I was surprised at how much effort the younger kid put into this project. It turned out stinkin' adorable, too!

puzzle ornament

Do you love a puzzle that has some missing pieces? Turn your favorite perfect sections into ornaments!

cinnamon dough ornaments

This might be my favorite Christmas craft. We make them every year.

papier mache star

This is a super fun, super messy, VERY hands-on craft.

Icelandic laufabraud

The kids made this for their Geography Fair project in May, but it's actually a Christmas recipe!

steampunk snowman

For when your teenager gets into steampunk...

dipped pinecone ornaments

These are crazy pretty, and they last for freaking ever. I'm partial to the crayon-dipped ones.

popsicle stick ornaments

The more glitter, the better!

waffle cone Christmas trees

These are quicker and easier to make than gingerbread houses.

sticker Christmas cards

These were dead easy for me to organize and for the kids to make, and I think that they turned out really cute.

chalkboard gift wrap

This is especially fun, because you can do it right on brown paper (I do a lot of wrapping in brown paper bags).

upcycled CD wish list ornament

Some parents don't like it when I bring this project to our ornament crafting party, but I think it's cool to remember what the kids wanted most each year.

painted popcorn garland

The look cute even when they're plain, but if you've got some teeny spritz bottles, you can make them really special.

beeswax ornaments

I think that these would look even cuter poured more thinly, so I'm going to have the kids try that this year.

gingerbread houses, steps one and two

I don't go through all this trouble every single year, but when I do, this makes the most EPIC gingerbread houses of all time. I'm going to do it this year.

ornament Advent calendar

Starting with a coloring book of ornaments made this a super-easy toddler/preschooler craft.

overhead projector Christmas tree

It's been a while since we've whipped out the overhead projector--we pretty much only use it now for tracing images that we want to be large--but there was a time that this puppy could save any dreary day for me!

collage window card

This required parental wielding of the x-acto knife when the kids were littler, but their random selection of collage papers, and their distribution, looked quite artistic.

coloring page Christmas ornaments

If you've got a scanner, so that you can shrink down regular coloring pages either before or after the kids have colored them, then you can use pretty much any image here.

painted wooden Christmas ornament

This is another easy one for littles. You start with those wooden die cuts that you can get most places, and they don't even have to be holiday-themed--we've got some pretty sweet dinosaur ornaments on the tree, thanks to this craft!

used sandwich bag ornaments

The first time that we did this, the kids weren't old enough to iron. They like this project even more now that they can!

record album cover ornaments

These are so fun for the kids, now that they have the hand strength to cut through cardboard.

felted sweater stockings

I made these, but the kids definitely have the sewing skills to do this now.

Whew! Honestly, I don't even think that these are the entirety of all the Christmas tutorials that the kids and I have done over the years, but I've got to go take a shower, then put the younger kid's hair up in her flat performance bun, then get the kids to gather up all the stuff that they'll need for the rest of the day and evening (ballet uniform, quiet activity, school work, water bottle, and packed dinner for the younger kid, and aerial silks uniform, fat check for her recital costume, library books to return, water bottle, and packed dinner for the older kid), then drive them to Girl Scouts Co-op, then come back home and work out real quick, then drive back and pick them up, then drive the younger kid over to Matt's office and drop her off, then take the older kid to aerial silks, then take her to the library for LEGO Club, then go home and make and mail an etsy order. 

And oh, hell, I just this second got an email from the ballet department saying that the kid's got to bring foundation to her dress rehearsal tonight. Whatever kind of make-up foundation is, that's what I'm going to be buying instead of working out this afternoon. 

Santa's List: The Kids' Favorites

I try to be really thoughtful with the children's Christmas presents--I mainly only buy them new things at Christmas and their birthdays, so I want them to love what they get. I also hate it when I choose wrong, as I did last Christmas, when I thought that Syd would just love this LEGO Life Of George game. She loves the ipad, and she loves LEGOs; what could go wrong? Yeah, Life of George has a timer. She felt judged by it. It made her cry.

So what I did this year was scroll through my family photos from the last several years, back to about 2008 or so, with an eye out for what I'd photographed the children playing with and using. For me to photograph something, I generally have to be liking what I see, so photos should show both what the kids like and what I like them to have. I figured that if a category was big then and still big now, then a purchase in that category is likely to be a winner.

Here's what I came up with:

1. memberships. Zoo memberships, science museum memberships, children's museum memberships, history museum memberships, state and national park memberships--the kids never get tired of visiting these places.

It's been over a year since we've had a zoo membership, so I may buy one for Christmas. Will would be thrilled!

 2. building toys. Building blocks, Kapla blocks, LEGOs, Geomags, train tracks, racetrack building sets--the kids have a knack for incorporating their creations into their pretend play, so everything gets a ton of use.

I'm boosting the kids' Kapla blocks and Geomag sets this Christmas.

3. face paint and makeup. Natural face paint, professional clown makeup, real makeup, fingernail polish--Syd is into this stuff constantly, and Will occasionally shows an interest in making herself up, too:

If I can find it (still haven't unpacked all the way. May never do so), I've got a "tropical colors" set of our favorite Mehron professional clown paints socked away for Santa to put in Syd's stocking.

4. arts enrichment. Cameras, video cameras, musical instruments, oil pastels, fabric markers, and paints of all kinds--anything that allows the kids to express themselves is a bit hit with all of us:

I really want to buy the kids this little pottery wheel that I've heard good reviews of, but it's more than I want to pay. Maybe we can make ourselves a kick wheel this spring.

5. kits. Science kits, art kits, craft kits--the kids will ignore them for months, and then pull one out and become totally immersed in it for an entire day.

I'm actually going to make the kids a chemistry set, hopefully by Christmas.

6. games and puzzles. Board games, computer games, logic games, video games, card games, trivia games, and puzzles, the bigger the better--the kids are doing these daily, and I love the spontaneity of getting pulled into an epic game of Monopoly or a week-long puzzle featuring otters.

I've wanted to buy Will a complete beginner's D&D setup for a while, including an adventure in a box that can really get her going, but again, it's not in the budget this Christmas. I can DM her through some games on my own, and maybe get her really set up for her birthday.

7. tools. Science equipment, physics supplies, rope, shooting equipment, carving knives, power tools, batteries and wires--both kids, but especially Will, are continually engaged in going about their own productive little businesses.

Santa is going to bring Will a gouge for her limestone hand-carving set, and if I can ever find a heavy weight-bearing triple pulley that doesn't cost more than a week's groceries, then I'm going to snap that baby up, pronto!

You'll notice that I don't have books as a category, but the kids just read too much to make getting them from me a treat. They check out armloads at the library a couple of times a week, return them, and gather a new armload the next time we're out. And yet even without deliberately giving them books at holidays, we still all have a million books. Go figure.

I also don't have toys like Barbies, stuffed animals, or little toy people and animals and cars listed, but of course the kids love them. They buy them with their own money (Syd scored big on a Barbie Black Friday sale!), get them at thrift stores and yard sales, and, yes, they'll definitely find a few Hot Wheels and maybe a couple of Schleichs in their stockings on Christmas morning.

Okay, I'm done. Also, every time I talk about Christmas presents I feel like a monster, on account of there are starving people in the world, and here I am, thinking about toys.