UNPLUGGING

Let's set the record straight: I am not unplugging completely, but I have decided to deactivate my facebook account for the next five to six weeks.  I have a lot to accomplish during that time, and well, I need a break.  So, yes, I am admitting that I spend too much time on facebook.  I hope to reconnect with my daughter, and possibly even rediscover myself along the way.  Here's what we did in just one day of making an effort to spend less time on the computer, and more time with Laken.

We did book work, upon request!

Laken designed her own Q-ba marble run.

You would be surprised how long this can be entertaining.

The day was warming up nicely, and I decided we should get out of the house.  I decided on a picnic by the pool, bathing suits optional.  We both wore ours... me just in case I decided to sunbathe, which I didn't; but going in was never an option for me.

Laken mostly hung by the stairs, testing the waters.

That's COLD!  We stayed for about an hour (I read my book), and then it started to get very overcast so we hurried inside.

But while we were there we saw:

A blimp.

A dolphin passing through several times, and feeding.

Lots of fish, and pelicans...

 This made me realize how much I was missing out on just in one day.  Laken even took a 2 1/2 hour nap, which is extremely rare.  Tomorrow, I have to work on consignment sale inventory so everyday can't be like this, but I want to make sure this is where my free time is going.  So, I challenge you to disconnect from your social media sites, computers, laptops, iphones, and other handheld and electronic devices; and reconnect with yourself, nature, and your kids for a day.  You will be glad you did!

Native Americans Part 3

We are almost there!  The end of our Native American unit, that is.  Although, I'm pretty sure I've sparked an interest that will last a lifetime.  

The Inuit

Technically, the Maidu of California was the next tribe we were supposed to study if we continued working "backwards."  Like I said before, though, you can really work in any order you'd like.  I just didn't want to be jumping all over our map.  For me, this was a good place to reverse order and start working from the "beginning."  Especially because our homeschool group was studying polar regions in January, and it worked out well to do our Inuit pocket and activities during that time.

Pocket Activities

Tell me a story
Each child writes a personal experience about something that may have happened on the tundra.  Laken wrote about ice fishing, something she saw them do on Frozen Planet: "Life in the Freezer."  I highly recommend it!

Arctic Ice Fishing

Cute craft!  The string actually has a clear straw on it that serves as the "ice."  The hook and fish each have a magnet on them.  You lower the line down through the ice and try to "catch" the fish by lining the magnets up!














Additional Activities

During the winter, Inuits spent a lot of time inside their igloos telling stories, playing string games, and soapstone carving.

String games
I taught Laken the only string trick I know, involving cat's cradle, but it was always enough to keep us entertained when we were kids.  I like that it was easy enough for her to follow, but it took lots of practice for her little fingers to learn to do what her brain wanted them to do!

Step 1: These are the steps for cat's cradle

Step 2: Slide middle finger under string, and pull back...

Step 3: Should now look like this.  Now just repeat with the other hand (see Laken trying to figure out which finger)!

Done!  So proud of herself!  The actual trick involves a partner so I can't video or take pictures; but someone just puts their hand through the center of the cat's cradle, and then you let go of the strings on all your fingers EXCEPT for the thumbs (the string should then be wrapped around the volunteer's hand).  You should also be back at Step 1 for cat's cradle.  Repeat all of the steps again while your string is still wrapped around the volunteer's wrist.  When your cradle is complete, have them bring their hand back up through the center FROM THE BOTTOM.  Let go of all fingers except for thumbs again.  Your volunteer should be free!

Soapstone Carving

Couldn't pass up this opportunity for soap carving, a great way to help children remember one of the Inuit pastimes.

This was great fine motor work, and sensory input.  I just let her peel away for as long as she wanted.  I didn't expect a "finished product."

Constructing an igloo

I try to reconstruct the shelter with each tribe.  This was my favorite so far!  I made snow dough, and we used an ice cube tray to make tightly packed bricks of snow.  Again, this was more about the process than a finished product.  There was a little bit of trial and error.  I found that rubbing a little vegetable oil in the ice cube tray really helps the "bricks" slide out, and the tighter you pack the "snow" the better your bricks will turn out.  You can see them actually construct an igloo on Frozen Planet: "Life in the Freezer."

The invitation.  Our ice cube tray hung perfectly on our bin.  Gotta love when that happens!

See how much better our bricks started coming out once I put oil in the tray.  The ones on bottom are from our first try.  We only made 4-6 at a time just because we wanted to add them quicker than we could make them.

We added a piece of a tp roll for the front.  You could try other things as well that would probably work better, like a pvc cuff.  This whole process, especially using the frame as a crutch, brought about great conversation about how hard it would be to build a real igluviak!

 The last picture I have before we filled in the cracks with "snow."

After we filled it in with snow!  It was a beautiful day to be outside, listening to the birds chirping.  This officially marked the end of our winter unit!

The Tlingit

This tribe was tricky.  I didn't come across, or come up with, any additional activities besides constructing the shelter.  I did look for a potlatch hat craft, but I couldn't find one.

Pocket Activities

Potlatch mask
Came out really cute!  Laken used paint markers to color it.  She isn't very interested in coloring WITH CRAYONS lately so I've been trying to offer her as many other coloring options as possible.

Totem pole layer book

This was challenging for Laken, but I like for her to be challenged occasionally.  She is not a huge fan of writing, and I put off even suggesting this activity for several days.  Surprisingly, she really enjoyed it; and it turned out to be a great keepsake!  We discussed the qualities of the animals, and then assigned those qualities to family members.  Mommy was the raven, Laken the butterfly, Daddy the whale, and she chose her cousin, Kodi, as the fox.  The reasonings behind them were really sweet.

Additional Activities

Salmon for dinner

I grilled Alaskan salmon burgers for dinner (I am officially not a fan), we made our masks just before our "potlatch," and had ourselves a little feast.  It was good family fun!

Construct a plank house

I've considered using craft sticks for several other shelters (chickee & longhouse in particular); but I'm not the biggest fan because it's usually quite a bit of work, and I know Laken's not quite old enough.  Well, I'm glad I waited because craft sticks were really the best option for the plank house; and since I couldn't find any other additional activities, I was willing to put in the extra work.  Turns out it wasn't much work after all, and this is another one of my favorites. 

I just started with a small, rectangular box ( a tissue box would work); and we glued craft sticks all around the sides.  Well, I did most of the gluing.  Laken is still not a big fan of the hot glue gun, but it was a lot less messy with quicker results this way.  She was very interested in the process, though, and she was a great helper and observer.

Then, we painted it with natural paints to give it more of a redwood look.

Most crafts are about the process, and only a few are about the product.  I love what she gets out of playing with this!  I only put a roof on one side so that she can play inside the house too.  It won't last forever, but hopefully the memories will.

Mardi Gras

I am from Louisiana, and we visit as often as we can to see my family so it is important to me to keep the tradition of Mardi Gras alive in our home.  This year, I tried to involve Laken as much as possible in those traditions, while creating a few of our own as well!  

We made our first Mardi Gras lapbook:

Here are the links I used:

http://www.squidoo.com/mardi-gras-lapbook

http://anna.xanga.com/741847235/item/

A look inside the completed flaps.  I love that there was no writing!  And I also chose to use both links even though there were duplicate questions.  This was good for my preschooler.  My favorite is the flap that shows what the three colors of Mardi Gras represent.  Laken used dot markers to color it.  The whole inside of the lapbook took her less than 30 minutes to complete.

The back of our lapbook: King K craft (found here in first link).  She actually did this the first day we worked on our lapbook.  It took about 30 minutes to complete by itself, and she requested a lot of help with cutting and coloring (not a big fan of coloring these days) so that was all we did with it that day, and then we left it to dry.

Decorate your own King Cake.  I've never decorated my own King Cake before, ever.  I was a little disappointed at first, because it's not what I was used to; but then welcomed the opportunity for us to enjoy this first together.  This was messy fun for Laken, and a new tradition!

And it turned out beautifully!  

  We looked at masks at Jo-Ann's craft store so Laken had an idea of what Mardi Gras masks were all about.  Then I set up this invitation to make a Mardi Gras mask with a template I found in the first lapbook link.  I walked away while she glued the gems on, and was really impressed by the symmetry of the way she placed them when I returned.  We talked about the different ways we saw feathers on masks, and she chose to put hers like this.  I held them in place as she picked them out, and glued them on.  I suggested doing three sections of purple, green, and gold glitter; but she wanted to put them all over.  I enjoy getting a chance to work with her on a craft while still giving her control over the design, and I love our finished product.

I also used the heart shaped template from the same link to do masks for Valentine's Day, but they still make great Mardi Gras masks too!  Mardi Gras fell just two days before Valentine's Day this year, and I tried not to overlook one or the other. It was nice when I could tie them together.  I made the mask on top, and Laken made the bottom two.

Eventually, the idea came to me to try using salt dough to mimic the look of a porcelain mask.  

Here's the recipe I used:

1 c flour

1/2 c salt

1/2 c warm water

Knead the dough for 10 minutes, and let it rest for another 40 minutes.

Make sure you roll your dough out on your parchment paper.  I didn't the first time, and was unable to free it from my cookie sheet to put it on parchment paper before going in the oven.  From there, I just free handed it.  It's a lot easier than it looks!  Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 4-5 hours until hard.  

The invitation to decorate, which took less than 10 minutes after a six hour preparation.  It was well worth it, though.

Fabulous!  We had quite a bit of leftover paint so we painted some more heart masks, too.

This was fun.  We put purple, green, and yellow paint on a piece of paper in a bin; and added Mardi Gras beads.  Then, you just shake until your heart's content!

I made red beans and rice for Mardi Gras so I took the opportunity to change out Laken's sensory bin.  I always have a sensory bin with some kind of grains and/or legumes in her kitchen for her to play with.  It gets used frequently.  This one will stay for quite some time still. 

Do you do anything special for Mardi Gras?  If so, or if you just love some of the ideas you've seen here, we'd love to hear about it!