Autumn Weekend at Coast

My mom and I packed up the boys for a weekend at the Oregon Coast. We couldn't have asked for better weather (sunny, blue skies, 60 degrees, with a light wind) or a funner time. We started by heading to Newport. In Newport we have a very nice aquarium (made for Kieko-aka Free Willy) and we have gone quite a few times. However, most people don't realize just down the street is the Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University. Here they also have aquarium tanks, tide pools you can touch, and other interactive exhibits but it is FREE! They have a slot for donations to support the program but my donation was the same price of one persons admission to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

We were so lucky the Octopus was out and on the glass (rare) and right next to a Sunburst Sea Star

"B" loved the Anemones gripping his finger. Luckily a man told me that the stinger cells sometimes stick to babies fingers and they get hurt when the fingers go in the mouth. Good to know!

There was lots of sensory items there

Killer Whale Skull

Next up was beach time. Where my lovely children decided to lay in the sand and make "sand" angels and eat the sand. I was trying not to have anxiety attacks, but when the baby rubbed his eyes with handfuls of sand it was time to go. A mommy can only take so much. Plus we had to get to Lincoln City to check into the hotel, have dinner, indoor pool time, and watch Gnomio and Juliet. Before movie time my mom made marshmallow shooters for a hotel battle. So many giggles!

"B" waiting for mini marshmallows to fall so he can get a treat

Its war!

Make your own shooters by cutting bottom of disposable cup and putting a tied balloon also cut in half over bottom.

The next morning it was time to hit the Lincoln City beaches. We had seen tide pools in a museum, but it was time to see them in their natural habitat. Then my favorite memory growing up-agate hunting. On the way home I had a surprise in store. In Lincoln City artist hide their hand blown glass balls (reminiscent of the old glass balls that would wash up on shore from ships). For five years I have been dying to find one of these special treasures. On the way back to the car I found one in the sand and "A" found one next to a lamppost. I did a happy dance right then and there.

Found Hermit Crab

Doesn't he look excited to get a pic with his Dear ole Ma?

My mom taking the kids to the surf

Run! Don't let the wave get you!

Seaweed anyone-or is this Kelp?

Agate Hunting

Jellyfish washed up on the shore

My glass ball. Isn't it gorgeous?

The two treasures together

Felt Jack-O-Lanterns

I don't know where I originally saw the idea for this, possibly at Pink and Green Mama's blog. Anyway, I have been trying to work with felt lately and I wanted to whip up something fast. I am new at the whole felt world and am trying to work on a HUGE felt food project (slow-going) for Christmas . I will show you if I ever complete it ;0). I love how inexpensive felt is, I can normally get three sheets for about $1. For Halloween I cut out three pumpkin shapes in orange (took two sheets) and then made different noses, eyes, and mouths out of 1/2 of a black sheet. I used mostly shapes but tried to do some funky mouths. Other people have took this a step further and made a game out of it. The create a die to roll with the different parts, so if they roll an eye they can add an eye. Taking turns the first to complete their Jack-O-Lantern first wins. I love this and will probably adapt my current ones next year (when I will have more time-hopefully). Please be gentle on your critique of my cutting skills (again I am just learning), but with the picture you get the idea. "A" loved it and so I stayed up making more mouth features last night. He begged me to add it to his activity bag for our road trip today. Ooooh-I just thought about making white ghost to put the face features on too. That would be fun too!

These lips crack me up-like weird claymation ones (I've got better at the cutting- I promise)

 

Halloween Math

So I don't know if I should kiss or kill the person who introduced me to Pinterest. That has become a total addiction to me. Anyhoo, I saw a cute addition/subtraction idea using those little plastic pumpkin baskets and Popsicle sticks. I have had that thing pinned since August waiting for Halloween to roll around. Then I couldn't find the stinkin baskets anywhere! I tried Target, Fred Meyer, Craft Stores, Dollar Tree, but no luck. I had given up on the idea of doing this with "A" when I found them at Walgreens- of all places- for $2.99 for the package of eight. I almost hated writing numbers on the back with a Sharpie. It's funny because before "A" even knew what I was going to do he asked to write the numbers on the back so he could put them in order (he is working on number lines in school). I then wrote simple addition and subtraction equations on craft sticks (BAD IDEA). I used what I had but they kept tipping over the pumpkins. Stick with the popsicle sticks and you will not have a frustrated little kiddo. I wrote a lot of equations and it looked daunting to my fiveyear-old so they sat on the desk for days. I didn't push it  (for once). Last night he tried it and actually really loved it-except for the tipping over part.

Autumn is FINALLY showing its hue

The leaves are just starting to change here. There is one tree on my whole block that has turned the most vibrant orange/red color. It seems so much brighter than any autumn tree I have ever seen, but I am now convinced because it is the only one at the moment and the contrast is just so striking!

Since I have never been known for my patience and I needed to capitalize on a day without rain I took "A" on a pretty leaf hunt. Surprisingly, we found some great leaves. Not a ton but something to work with. I am hoping that next week we can do some color graphing with them and then make some leaf animals, but my hubby is coming to visit for the weekend and it is "B's" first birthday (double yay!). That being said we will see what I actually accomplish. On the walk we did find an unusual pinecone that I brought home for "A's" discovery box. It is a small box I think people use for fishing. In fact, I think it came in a kids fishing pole kit. We find small nature stuff to put in the small compartments. It can be carried around and "A" usually has his magnifying glass accompanying it. Some things we have in the compartments is sea glass, a robin's eggshell, rocks, seashells, pinecones, etc.

From our leaf hunt

Discovery Box treasures

The green pinecone that looks like palm tree was what we found today

"A's" Discovery Box and magnifying glass

Wanting to bring the fall trees into our home we did a little Pinterest craft. My sister game me a box of toilet paper rolls (oh the things I can think) and then today I hit the mother-load of good deals. I see all these people who use cardstock to print everything on. I have looked everywhere and that stuff is ridiculous expensive. I was so discouraged and kept crafting on printing paper. Then today at Craft Wharehouse they had a set of 300 pages of different color cardstock for $12.99. Holy Cow I was excited! So taking the toilet paper roll and cardstock "A" made a little Autumn tree. Then I had to add it to some of the Halloween decorations I have found the time to put out.

We used pencil erasers to make the dots.

Finished toilet paper tree ;0). Decorated bookcase top. The little foam tree in the corner is at Target now for $1

Decorated Fireplace Mantel ( I know you are all jealous of my vintage movie poster)

5 A Day books: Colors

In honor of Eric Carl's new book I chose to choose colors as this weeks theme for 5 A Day Books. If you would like to know more about 5 A Day Books and its benefit to children read here. Without further adieu here is what we are reading this week (watch out for the end -I included an extra fun book I found as our 6th book) :

1) The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle: Each page is a large illustration with an animal painted an unlikely color: yellow cow, green lion, and a polka-dotted donkey. Don't forget to read the last page of the book that explains how Eric Carle grew up in Nazi Germany and wasn't allowed to look at abstract art. An art teacher went against the rules and the art he saw inspired his illustrations that we have come to know and love.

2)P. B. Bear's Colors: This is a typical baby board book with a cute British teddy bear on each page among different items of a featured color. It was just one I had lying around the house.

3)My Little Carry Books: Color: I love these carry books. They are compact and have a handle for babies to carry about. The words and pages of this book are beautiful. One of my favorites of this grouping.

4) My First Bilingual Book:-Colors/Colores: Each page has five items that feature a color with the English and Spanish word labeled.

5) Colors from Nature: This is another series that has striking pictures. It is bigger than most board books so the pictures are large and fun for babies to see. Each picture also has a fun descriptive sentence.

And a fun book I had to add to the week...

6) Who Am I? by Begin Smart Books: This book has handles and two eyes cut out. You put the book against your face as a mask and ask baby "Who Am I?" Both of my boys think it is hilarious (1 year and 5 years old) It's great fun for the whole family.

This is the cover opened up

Some inside pages

The Pumpkin Patch

I long for every October so that I can visit all the local pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, and corn mazes. It is one of my favorite family traditions. I am kind of grieving not having my husband here to share it with us or what October will look like next year in Anchorage where Harvest Festivals don't really happen because most likely we will be under a few inches of snow. BUT, I am going to live in the moment and love every second of it.

States of Matter

When my math/science host teacher said that she was doing a unit on matter I begged her for the chance to do a project with our 5th graders. I have been obsessed with Pinterest lately (who hasn't) and I have been dying to try a cross between something at Beakers and Bumblebees and bk2400's Photostream that taught how molecules act in the different states of matter using fruit loops as molecules. I read some books to the class to teach them specifically how molecules act in solids, liquids, and gas. The first was a Max Axiom Graphic Novel (I love this science series-the graphics are so engaging) and a book from a Foss Kit. Then we went over some key vocabulary: matter, molecules, mass, volume, boiling point, melting point, condense, and evaporate. I typed these out to place on the bulletin board so they can be reminded of the terminology, along with a cycle of how the states of matter change. Then came project time (Yay!): students made a tri-fold and labeled each column one of the three states of matter. Then under that they needed to write the definition of that state of matter. Under that they needed to draw a representation of that type of matter, in which they would glue fruit loops (molecules) in that drawing the proper way they would act. For example in the solid they may draw a box and the fruit loops would be tight together looking they are locked in place. For gas they may draw a balloon and inside fruit loops would be dispersed everywhere and spread out. Under the drawing they had to list a minimum of three examples of each type of matter. When they were done I put their finished product on a bulletin board. The students seemed to have learned something and they had fun, which as a teacher I couldn't ask for anything more.

Picture Time:

 

This student commented that stars are made of gas.