Doh Vinci Review

BzzAgent sent me a free Doh Vinci  kit to try out.  It's made by Hasbro, the same people who make Play Doh.  You know how you make something with Play Doh and accidentally leave it out over night?  Normally, it hardens but then crumbles because it's not really supposed to be left out.  Well this stuff is designed to be left out over night so you can apply it to things for decoration.

I received the "Memory Maker Kit" and an extra "Deluxe Styler" with four design tips and three extra colors. According to the Hasbro website, there are a lot of other ones.

The Memory Maker Kit included a styler (which my kids kept calling the "gun"), one design tip (kind of a straight line tip), four tubes of "deco pop" (the play doh type stuff), and a frame.  The frame actually had lots of pieces to pop out, which helped while we were getting the hang of how to use the styler.

The Deluxe Styler had a "fancy" styler (again, kid named because it had extra decorations on the outside), four different design tips (butterfly, star, flower, heart) and three tubes of deco pop.

Disclaimer: The kit says ages 6 and up.  My five year old was not going to sit idly by while we played with anything remotely close to Play Doh.  So she joined in the fun.

I actually let all four kids try to see how they liked it.  The teenager is really into crafting and "making things pretty" so she enjoyed it.  Her only complaint seemed to be the amount of deco pop in the tubes.  She said there wasn't enough.

The boy is a tween so I wasn't sure if he would participate but he seemed to enjoy it too.  He was less interested in the design tips than the girls though.

The seven and five year old had a little trouble squeezing things out in the way they wanted.  The "gun" wasn't hard to squeeze, but they had to use quite a bit of the deco pop to "practice" how to make it go in the direction they wanted it to.  One thing we discovered was that because it's not super sticky, we were able to move it around a little after it was on the cardboard.

Pros: Easy to use even with young (5/6 years old) kids; clean up seems to be really easy, not sticky or gooey; (I got some on my hand and expected it to be hard to get off, but rubbing my fingers together as I walked to the sink got most of it off.

Cons: There's not a lot in the tubes so if you are sharing with multiple kids, that can be an issue

I'll have to update later on how well it actually hardened and stuck to the cardboard. Because I thought it would be sticky I was pleasantly surprised but then wondered how it would stick.

Update:  It all seemed to stick the way it was supposed to stick. The kids called it "squishy" but it didn't change shape so mission accomplished!

Homeschooling multiple kids

People often ask me how I homeschool with multiple kids.  I have a teenager, a ten year old, a seven year old and five year old.  So the ages and responsibilities vary, which also means so do the expectations. To be clear, "homeschooling" a toddler is not the same as a teaching a high school kid about the periodic table. So the first thing I think people have to understand is that my teaching changes from year to year. As the kids get older, the needs change more. Next year for example, all of the kids will have spelling lists, for the first time.

The other thing I have to explain that is I don't do "school at home".  By that I mean that I don't set up a certain designated time for school each day. I tend to do it in the morning but sometimes that doesn't work out. My older child volunteers so sometimes I use her volunteer time to take the younger kids to the library or a mini field trip. I like to schedule doctor's appointments during the school day because there are more open appointments (I try to get all my kids seen at one time to avoid multiple trips). If my husband is going to help with a project or an assignment this may mean waiting until he gets home from work.  I have to be flexible in what we get done every day.

However, we do use textbooks and a lot of my childrens' work is turned into a third party. So I do plot out a general schedule. For example, my teenager can complete a book report on her own from start to finish.  This is an assignment that is graded by our "umbrella" school so other than  few pointers from me on things like margins, she does it solo.  I will however, make sure to give her a guideline of how long she should take to work on it.

My ten year old, on the other hand, needs more help with book reports because he is still learning how to do them. So while he reads the book on his own, I will stop and go over chapters with him from time to time. I also spend more time with him on how to do outlines, good sentence structure, and grammar.

Meanwhile, my two little ones aren't doing book reports so their reading assignments involve more reading to me (or each other) and verbal questions. That's another point to keep in mind: kids can help each other. My younger ones read to each other or to their older siblings all the time. I strongly believe that being able to teach something truly shows your understanding and ability to do it well yourself.

Sounds like a lot right?  Well, we don't do every subject, every day. Nor do we do a set amount of time every day. If it takes a lot longer to get through something on Monday, I may decide Tuesday to review a topic instead of moving on to what I had for Tuesday. One day, after a week of rain, the weather was so beautiful, we decided to drop everything and go to the zoo.  It's all about flexibility.

Here's a sample of a day for me:

- PERSONAL TIME: Wake up and have personal time (sometimes that's watching TV and drinking tea, other times it's exercise).  This is essential when you spend ALL day with your kids.

- GET THE OLDER KIDS GOING FIRST:  Once the kids are up and have had breakfast (and other morning routine stuff), I make sure the teenager is focused on what she needs to do during the day.

Then I get started with the ten year old.  I generally give him a few things he can do on his own like reading an assignment and answering the questions at the end of the chapter. While he is doing that, I may start working with the younger kids. As their grades are close together I do a lot of their work at the same time.  Sometimes though I get one started on a solo activity (like copying spelling words) while the other one works with me on something.

- RETURN TO THE OLDER KIDS: Because the younger kids don't spend as much time doing work, eventually they are "dismissed" to do something else, and I return to the older child. This is when the more hands on work comes up.

- At a certain point everyone stops for the day (I will let the older child stop on her own because I am trying to teach time management and being responsible for her actions). We then do chores or free time.

Of course, everyday is not like this. We are going to put together a solar system and each child will help. But of course, I will give age appropriate explanations of things. I don't expect the five year old to know about gravity and different gases on each planet.

Now add into this LIFE and you'll see why flexibility is the key. One kid woke up sick. Really sick, like changing the sheets sick. Another kid "forgot" to tell me she needed a baked item for an event that evening. Another kid decides to "help" with cleaning, which requires a second cleaning. The neighbor needs help, the husband forgot something at home and needs you to bring it to him, someone put hair bows on the dog, a glass was knocked over while trying to kill a fly .....the list goes on and on.

We are also a military family, so there's that.  I think the need to be flexible in our address forced me to learn early on that be too structured just means constant let downs and frustrations. Again, this is what works for me.  I do see the TV shows and online stories of very structured school at home type environments.  That just doesn't work for me. But even with those, they allow for flexibility of illness, weather, etc.

So multiple kids, multiple lessons, multiple ages...it's totally possible. Sometimes you just have to throw out the plans and go with the flow!

Homemade Kettle Corn

I only recently discovered Kettle Corn in the past few years. I had heard of it and seen it at fairs and carnivals but for some reason never tasted it. Then I tried some and WOW!   But like many good foods trying to find some that taste authentic can be tricky. There are microwave versions in stores but I don't like them. One brand that I usually trust for microwave popcorn failed miserably with their kettle corn because it used sucralose. Some people don't mind artificial sweeteners but I can taste them. So I was determined to find my own recipe. Here's what I found:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped kernels
Popcorn salt

Directions: 

Using a big pot, heat the cooking oil on medium heat. I found a good way to figure out when the popcorn is hot enough: put three popcorn kernels in the oil and when all three have popped, the oil is ready.

Mix the sugar and kernels into the oil and put a top on the pot. (This keeps oil and popcorn from jumping out on you.)

Here's where it gets a little tedious. You can't let the pot stay on the heat for too long. If you do the popcorn will burn and no one likes the smell of burned popcorn.  So you have to alternate leaving it on the heat and taking it off. I do it in intervals of five to seven seconds.  So five seconds on the heat and then I take it off and shake it for five seconds. Repeat this until it seems like most or all the kernels are cooked. The popcorn has to be shaken consistently because if it stays in one place for too long it burns. Shaking the pot also makes sure that all the kernels get sugar and oil on them as they pop.

Then carefully pour the popcorn into a bowl. It will be extremely hot so I suggest a metal bowl or something that can withstand heat. Then sprinkle the popcorn salt on top and shake it around. (How much popcorn salt is truly a personal preference.  I just do a little at a time until it tastes good.)

So that's my method. It may take some tweaking because stove heat can differ and how long the pot stays on the burner can change a lot.

Tips and tricks from doing this recipe:

While the pot is on the heat, I lift the top a little. Don't lift it so much that the popcorn pops out but just enough to let some smoke out. I've found that otherwise the grease gets too hot and sometimes this can burn the popcorn.

Put the salt on AS SOON AS you pour the cook popcorn into a bowl. Because of the sugar it will stick together. It's easily pulled apart, but putting the salt on as soon as you pour it in keeps you from having to do this later while pulling it apart.

Let it cool a bit before tasting it.  Trust me on this one.

Don't double this recipe. I tried that once or twice and it was a big smoky mess. If you want two batches just do one and then another.

Scrapbook Herringbone on Canvas

I got this idea from this site for "Herringbone Wall Art".  I was actually looking for ideas to use all the extra scrapbook paper I had around the house.  I have tons of it because I had visions of making pretty things and decorating scrapbooks, etc.  But then I realized quickly that having the paper doesn't mean you have the ability to put things together.  I also refused to buy various paper cutters, stamps, and embellishments that seem to actually be needed.  So I hit up Pinterest and found all kinds of stuff to do with scrapbook paper.  Otherwise it was going to be used by the seven and five year old or donated to Goodwill.  I am tired of toting this stuff all over the country.  

Here is my result:

My daughter is into Anime and Asian themed items so I found a stash of scrapbook paper with that theme.  I have absolutely NO clue why I have this paper.  I have never been to Asia and yet I have an entire pack of Asian themed scrapbook paper.  You may not be able to see it well, but it has Asian characters/letters, fans, dragons, etc.  It's actually really pretty.  She loved it so I guess it's a win.  My son asked for something for his room, but I think I am going to try silhouettes of shapes with him.  Maybe sports or animals.  Not sure yet. 

I won't steal the thunder of the Burlap and Blue page by giving play by play directions with pictures.  But for a quick start guide: 

I cut the 1.5 x 4 strips and laid them on the canvas to see where I wanted them.  I didn't do too much for a pattern, just making sure that two alike pieces weren't next to one another.  

Then I picked them up one by one and painted Mod Podge on the canvas and stuck the paper to it.  Then I did a layer across the top of the entire canvas.  That's it.  

What I wish I had done differently:  

1. I didn't cut the edge pieces as neatly as I should have so I had to try to cut them AFTER it was glued down.  Don't do that.  Mod Podge makes the paper even harder and it was a mess.  

2. I switched from an X-Acto knife to scissors halfway through and I think some of my pieces ended up being slightly different sizes.  That left me switching out pieces as I did the layout because some of them were huge and didn't fit. 

3. I think Mod Podge is better applied with something OTHER than the paintbrush that I used.  That or I am really bad at Mod Podge...not sure which but painting has always been difficult for me.  I have learned through trial and error that some things need sponge type brushes, etc.  

Fourth of July flag cake!

This was really more of a kid recipe. Like so many recipes, "I saw it on Pinterest and Facebook". 

One recipe called for yellow cake mix as the foundation. But I saw another recipe that used pre-made pound cake. Works for me.

I used: 

1 pre-made pound cake 

1 pound strawberries cut in half or quarters (I didn't use all of them)

about 1/2 pound blueberries (again, I didn't use all of them)

1 container of Cool Whip

So I sliced the pound cake and laid it in the pan. Then layered it with whip cream. The kids actually did a lot of that using the back of a spoon. I came back later and filled in the holes and smoothed out the hills.

Then I made an outline of blueberries for the square and let them fill it in the rest of the way. 

With the strawberries I simply gave them a starting point for each row. 

Easy squeezy, lemon peazy.

Scout patches

I thought this was something common, but I have had numerous people say they wish they had thought of it. So here's my random pit stop for today:

Scouting for military families can be tricky.  On one hand, it can be a great way for a kid to get involved quickly.  For example, my son has all sisters so that boy interaction is important for him.  On the other hand, it can be tiresome trying to figure out where one troop/pack/den left off and another picks up.  I won't even touch on the getting used to new adults part.  Seriously don't get me started.  I have some stories for the books on that one.

So one thing I have discovered that makes my life easier...VELCRO.

The idea was given to me one day talking to another mom and looking at soldier's uniforms.  Just like my husband's unit patches change when we move, so do scout patches. So this mom would just use velcro, especially since her boys would hand down their shirts.   To explain:  The ones they have earned stay the same, so those go from place to place.  But in Arizona, we were in Sahuaro or Southern Arizona so the council patches (Girl Scout and Boy Scout) reflected that.  Now in Kansas, we are Coronado and NE Kansas/NW Missouri.  The pack/troop numbers were different also.

If you sew, then you understand why constantly sewing on and taking off patches can be tedious and not good for the material.  So since the council patches tend to be the same size I measured one and cut a big piece of velcro to attach to the shirt/sash/vest.  Then I do the same thing with the patch and attach / re-attach as needed.

Yes I have a little collections of numbers now (this is not all of them).  I am not quite to the point I don't need to buy any but I do just go through the stash and see what's there.

I often meet people who have negative views on homeschooling.  I have heard countless horror stories, diatribes from offended parents/ teachers, and concerns about normalcy/socialization/testing, ...the list goes on and on.

I homeschool because it works for my family.  I do not homeschool to prove anything to teachers, former teachers, parents, or school districts.  We are a military family and as a military child myself, I know what it's like to change schools a lot.  I attended ten schools between Kindergarten and 12th grade.  It was a great experience, as I got to literally see the world.  However, I had trouble in one subject in particular and because I went through so many teachers and teaching styles, there was little consistency in how I was taught.  Obviously, there were a few other factors involved, but as a student who excelled in other courses, this became quite difficult to overcome when I got to college.

So here are MY responses to homeschool "naysayers" or those who just want to know.  I am not the type of person who likes to go back and forth, debating statistics and scholarly articles.  These are just my quick responses when someone gets a little too forceful with their commentary.  (I tend to ignore quite a bit of the comments unless actually directed at me.)

1. "My friend/sister/uncle is a teacher and said tons of homeschool students show up to be enrolled in school and are so far behind, they take forever to catch up."

- First, we don't know where the student was when they began homeschooling.  For example, a fellow homeschooler I knew personally, found her son had a developmental issue.  Because he was in a school district with tons of red tape, the assistance he needed was at least a year off.  So she began homeschooling until they moved to a better district and then enrolled him there.  So her child was behind the other kids, but only by about a year or so and only in some subjects.  Without knowing that he was actually almost two years behind before she began homeschooling, one would not realize the improvement that was made.

Second, some kids who are enrolled in school after being homeschooled, are there because the parents discovered homeschooling wasn't for them.  So while their child may be behind it doesn't mean every homeschool child is behind.

2. "My cousin homeschools her kids and they are super religious and only wear skirts and don't talk to other kids.  Your kids don't act like homeschool kids...they are normal".

(I hear this one a LOT and I know it's meant to be a compliment.)  Yes, these people exist.  I am not one of these, because that is not MY belief.  I often tell people that many of the homeschoolers who seem to shun secular or worldly things, are usually homeschooling for religious reasons and do NOT want their kids to act "normal".  Many...usually...not all.  The families who practice quiverfull for example, tend to homeschool.  They don't agree with a lot of the things that exist in the world and so they don't encourage their children to act like the kids you see in the world.  That does not make them wrong, but it also shouldn't be the gauge for all homeschoolers.  Even if someone is using a religious curriculum, that doesn't mean they are skirt wearing, long hair, double digit kid having families.  It can just mean they like that curriculum.

Disclaimer:  I use the word "normal" loosely.  Normal when it comes to kids always makes me laugh a bit.  What's normal for a kid from a large city is not the same as a kid from the country.  Trust me on this one (live this daily with my husband).  I am not implying that my children are more or less normal than other kids.
3. "I think kids need to be with their own age".

My kids are involved in activities outside the house.  We don't wake up, study quantum physics and then discuss world events.  My kids play with other kids, watch TV, listen to regular music, and play video games.  They are usually only recognized as homeschoolers because they have different amounts of free time compared to other kids, so doctor's appointments and volunteer activities are more open to us.

That being said, other than grade school, there is no other time in life where someone expects you to only be around people who are the same age as you.  As a college freshman, there were older and younger students in my classes.  Many homeschool kids tend to be a bit more mature because they are not talked down to on a daily basis.  I was often mistaken for a child who was older and I wasn't homeschooled, so these traits are not exclusive to homeschooled kids.

4. "Your daughter/son is shy/behind/having trouble with a subject because they are homeschooled."

This is one of the more annoying comments.  It implies that children who are in school are not shy, don't ever get behind or have trouble with subjects.  It also usually comes from someone who has mistaken shy for introversion, or thinks that having trouble with a subject is dooming a child to a lifetime of academic failure.

5. "What about grades or testing?"

So here's the thing most non-homeschoolers do not understand: homeschoolers can assess their children however they want.  Sounds like chaos right?  I mean how can we possibly know if our child is on target?! Many times, you just know.  I actually started homeschooling, because I was concerned about my oldest child's lack of knowledge on certain things.  I asked other parents, looked up the state standards, and even thought about when I learned certain topics.  I felt she was behind and I did not care for the methods being used.  The tests coincidentally said she was on target for her age, but I disagreed.  I felt the test was using the bare minimum (the methods had recently been changed), and I wanted her to be challenged more.

Some schools don't test, some don't give grades.  Obviously that is not a 100% sure way to assess a child.  There are other methods and many parents find that what works for one child doesn't work for another. Each state has their own requirements, each family has their own standards.

6. I couldn't homeschool, my kids drive me crazy.  I can't be with them all day.

My kids drive me crazy too.  I make sure to take breaks away from them.  I think any relationship needs that.  That being said, if you really think you couldn't homeschool, don't homeschool.  It's not for everyone and I don't judge people who decide to do it, not do it, start and then stop, etc.  It's a choice and it works for us for right now.

Now we're off to hang out at the attractions that are packed when other kids get out of school.