Colorful Valentine Heart Crayons

For the past several years we have made heart crayons for our friends and families as Valentine's Day gifts.  To make these crayons Jack and Eve first chose different colored crayons and soaked them in a bowl of warm water for several minutes.  This helped to loosen the wrappers.  Jack and Eve then worked very hard to remove the wrappers from all of these crayons.  After all the wrappers were removed they broke the crayons into smaller pieces.  The crayon pieces were then placed into silicone heart cup molds.  We put the crayon filled hearts molds into the oven on 270 degrees for about ten minutes (or until all of the wax melted together).  Once cooled and hardened we removed the crayons from the molds.  The result is a one of a kind colorful heart crayon!

Eve worked so hard to remove all of the wrappers from her crayons.  Eve's tiny fingers got a great fine motor workout with this activity!

Jack also worked very hard to remove the wrappers.

Here are some of the crayon pieces in the silicone heart molds just before we put this batch into the oven.

Jack and Eve stood together in front of the oven watching the wax melt.

Here are just a few of the heart crayons that we made.  Jack and Eve can't wait to share these with our friends and family on Valentine's Day.  Grace is also very excited to make some for her teachers and classmates at school too!

Chinese New Year Celebration

Jack and his classmates at his preschool have been learning about Asia.  For the past several weeks the children have focused their studies on China and have learned about how children in China celebrate the Chinese New Year!  The class invited their families to a Chinese New Year Celebration at school yesterday.  The children were asked to wear red and we were treated to several songs.  The class also made dragon puppets, learned many Chinese words and phrases and told us the history of the Chinese New Year.   

Jack and his dragon puppet! 

Here is Jack's class singing a song about the Chinese New Year.

After the first part of the celebration was finished, the children invited their families into the next room for some food they had prepared.  Jack was such a little gentleman and graciously served us!  Jack's teacher told us how hard the children had worked to wash, peel and prepare all of the vegetables and rice.

After the big feast Jack and Eve worked together to make a goldfish kite.  Jack told us that goldfish are considered very fortunate in China, especially at the New Year and signify abundance.

Jack gave Eve the goldfish kite to run with outside at school.  Since then they have had a great time running together with the kite as it twirls behind them.

Jack's Paper Link Chain to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Last year we made a paper chain on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  On each link of the chain we wrote a word, phrase or quote on it that celebrated who Martin Luther King Jr. was or an idea that he represented.  On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year Jack asked to make another paper chain.  I sat with Jack and together we talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and came up with many ideas about what to write on his chain links.  Once Jack completed his paper chain he asked to hang it from the ceiling in his room over his bed!      

Here is Jack writing a word on a link of his paper chain.

Here is Jack putting together his Martin Luther King Jr. paper link chain.

A Portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. by Eve

To honor Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Eve chose to paint a portrait of Dr. King. 

Here is Eve's finished portrait! 

 

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Celebrating Diversity

Every year on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day we honor this great man by celebrating his life and talking about who he was and how very important is in our history.  We also talked about how Dr. King forever changed our country through his courageous leadership qualities.  Every year we do a project or activity to honor Dr. King.  This year Grace, Jack and Eve did their own separate projects.  

Grace decided to trace her hands on colored paper representing different skin tone colors.  When Grace was finished she cut out the hands, linked them together in a chain and wrote Dr. King's famous words, "I Have A Dream."  I love how Grace's project represents how Dr. King joined hands with people of all colors as he marched for equality.  

It is so vital in today's world that we teach our children to be the best people they can be.  This includes being accepting of all people for who they are and loving the differences in everyone.  These differences are what make us all beautiful.  We can find beauty in everything we see, in everyone, and especially in the many beautiful colors that make up all of the people in our world.  

Gracie Notes...

I am always finding little notes or pictures left in various places around our home from Grace.  It is such a sweet and simple gesture from her that I love so much.  As I was cleaning yesterday I found this note left on Jack's pillow.  Jack discovered it just before going to bed last night.

Grace left this sweet note on Eve's pillow for Eve to discover at her afternoon nap time.  Eve was so excited to find this note that she ended up holding it in her tiny hands as she slept yesterday!

Grace made this note for Jack while he was practicing piano yesterday afternoon.  As soon as Jack was done playing Grace excitedly gave this to Jack to let him know what a great job he did practicing!

Excavating Dinosaur Bones!

Jack dreams of being a paleontologist some day.  He loves excavating dinosaur bones.  My favorite part is the dusty hand print on the side of his cheek.

Our Saturday Morning: Cows & Snow

We enjoyed our Saturday morning at Pineland Farms - it is one of our very favorite places to visit!

We met the very first calf born at Pineland in 2014.  She was born on Monday and doesn't have a name yet!  We all enjoyed meeting this sweet girl.

Here is our favorite cow at Pineland.  Her name is Rock Star.  I just love how she has a heart shape on her head.

On our way home from Pineland the snow began to fall outside in big, beautiful flakes.  We are going to enjoy the rest of our afternoon playing outside in the snow.  I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Eve's First Ballet Class {Part II}

{I have to say how much I love the hands on the hips!}