simple Analogy

To The Moon and Back

I've been researching and experimenting for our annual Multicultural Crafts for Kids week (April 22-26).  If you've never joined me for this event, I'd like to invite you!  I craft with about 40 children at my church over the course of a week to help them learn a little more about countries where we have missionaries that share the Gospel.  You can read a little bit more about it HERE.  Then the week after, I post all our multicultural fun here on the blog for you to enjoy with your kids or your classroom.

I was planning to use moon sand as a component of one of our crafts but sadly had to nix it.  I say sadly because it would have been a great option if it had done what I needed it to do.  If you'll remember, I have several criteria for my craft projects for this session...

1.  Able to be done by ages 2-5 with parent's help AND 6 or older on their own

2.  Able to be completed in about 10 minutes

3.  Above all it must be CHEAP!

Moon sand meets all those criteria!  Little ones can play with it just as well as older children.  Time is not even a factor.  And cheap!  Oh ho ho!  So cheap if you make it yourself...

1 cup flour + 1/4 cup vegetable oil  

You can use baby oil, but since my baby days are long gone I used the cheapest thing I had in the kitchen for a substitute.  With just a few turns of my hand, it came together quickly.

The texture is very light.  Not sticky like dough, but it does lightly stick together if you pack it into a mold or squeeze it with your hand.  So what was the problem?

1.  Too crumbly!  The feel of the moon sand was perfect for my purpose, but the crumbliness just won't work.  I need something with a little more stick.  (Don't worry, I found it!)

2.  Too messy!  I am an adult and was trying NOT to make a mess, but look at my table.  Can you imagine what it would look like with 40 children who don't care if they make a mess or not?!  I'd be sweeping up for an hour after they were done.  No thanks!

While I won't be able to use it for our project, I would highly recommend it for tactile play.  Just save yourself some cleaning time, and send the kids OUTSIDE to play with it!  Wondering what kind of a project I was hoping to use this moon sand for?  You'll have to wait until April 22-26 to find out!

Project Thankful: Week Five

This was one of my favorite lessons with the children during this project thankful series.  Not so much because of the lesson, but because of the children's response to it...

This week we talked about being thankful for God's unspeakble Gift as referenced in 2 Cor 9:15.  What is an unspeakable gift?  A gift so wonderful that you want it more than anything, and when you get it you are speechless!  Of course being the Christmas season, they all had a gift that they could think of that they really really wanted more than anything.

We talked about a rarely mentioned part of the Christmas story - that of Anna and Simeon.  They were two very old people that loved God very much, served in the temple, and were looking forward to the Savior that God had promised.  Simeon even had a promise that he would not die until he saw this Savior.  One day soon after baby Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought Him to the temple as part of a special custom after a firstborn child was born.  While there Simeon and Anna saw their Savior, Jesus.  Their response was one of awe, blessing, and thankfulness for this little baby who had come to save them from their sins.  Thankfulness AGAIN in the Christmas Story!  Their thankfulness for this Savior compelled them to tell others about Him.

Each child had previously wrapped their thankful journal as a present.  Instead of keeping their thankfulness to themselves, they are sharing their thankfulness as a Christmas present for their parents.  We left a few pages blank on purpose so that they can ask their parents what they are thankful for and write it down in the journal.

We ended our evening with a party, but this was not your typical Christmas party.  In last week's video the children performing had a glow stick party at the end, so I gave each child a glow stick and turned off the lights.  I had a Christmas tree in the corner of the room and underneath it was baby Jesus in a manger.  All thirty of us crowded around baby Jesus with our glow sticks and sang our praise to Him...

Oh come let us adore Him,

Oh come let us adore Him.

Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Their voices and faces were angelic as they looked into that manger, and I was teary!  We then prayed and thanked God for giving us His unspeakable Gift - His only Son, Jesus.

Project Thankful: Week Four

With Christmas right around the corner we are taking thankfulness to a new level.  This week we started looking for thankfulness in the Christmas story.  Did you know that there is thanksgiving all through the Christmas story?  I never really saw it before.  It's amazing what you find when you start looking for it!

We started by watching this video...  

Sometimes you can loose the wonder of a story if it becomes too familiar. The Christmas story is very familiar to the children in our church, so I wanted them to see it in a new way...

1.  through the eyes of children

2.  through the eyes of thankfulness

We went on a hunt through Luke 2:1-20 looking for thankfulness, and we found it in the word PRAISE. Praise means to celebrate who someone is or what they have done.  In other words to be thankful and to broadcast it.

The angels praised/thanked God and gave glory to Him for the Gift that He had given to man - His Son.

The shepherds praised/thanked God and gave glory to Him for all the things they had heard (from the angels) and had seen (baby Jesus in the manger).

They didn't keep their thankfulness to themselves; they shared it with others.  That is exactly what the children will be doing with their Thankful Journals.  For several weeks they have written down things they are thankful for, and now they will be sharing those things with others by giving their journals to their parents for a Christmas present.

Journal Layer 4

Each child decorated a mini clothespin with sharpies, though I didn't get a picture of a decorated one.

We placed the sticker they made in week two onto a cardboard tag and clipped it to the wrap they did last week.

Next week will be wrapping up (literally) Project Thankful.

Project Thankful: Week Three

What?  Still being thankful?  But Thanksgiving is over...  Who says you can only be thankful at Thanksgiving?  Project Thankful continues through Christmas.

Our theme this week is being thankful for NOT so great things.  The things that cause annoyance, frustration, and hurt are BIG opportunities for thankfulness.

Let me tell you our story for this week....

There was a man named Paul who was doing what God wanted him to do - telling anyone and everyone about the good news of Jesus.  He travelled all over spreading that message, but he did not have an easy time of it.  Not everyone wanted to hear his message.  In 2 Cor 11:23-28 there is a list of all the things that he endured - things like being robbed, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, whipped, constantly travelling, and more.

Wouldn't you think that he had a right to complain about all of that?  But he didn't.  Instead he gave thanks for it.  He even wrote this... "Give thanks ALWAYS for ALL things."  And he practiced what he preached.

The children were challenged to look for at least one good thing in something they don't normally like and be thankful for it. We used this old sock as an example.  I asked them if they would enjoy it if I gave them this sock.

The boys said:  "No!  It's pink!  Too girly."

One of the girls said it was inside out and looked a little crazy.

Another said that their was only one sock.  No pair.

It would be easy to complain about receiving that sock as a gift.  But then we started trying to think of something good about it.  We could used it as a toy to play tug-of-war with our dog.  Wear it mismatched on crazy sock night.

Then I turned it right side out and said, "What about this..."

Ooo's and aahhhs.  Sock puppets are so much fun to play with and can provide lots of fun entertainment for children.  Could we be thankful for that sock now?  Of course!  This lesson challenged me just as much as the children!

Journal Layer 3

For the next layer on our thankful journals, we cut a small slit on either side of the cover and wrapped colorful crochet thread around and around.

Stay tuned next week as we add the last layer to the cover.

Project Thankful: Week Two

This week's lesson was about saying thank you with more than just the two words "Thank You".  We say those words so much that they have kind of lost their meaning.  They roll out of our lips without any meaning or conviction behind them, and sometimes we say them without any real feeling of gratitude at all.  More of an etiquette thing or something we're supposed to do rather than a heartfelt attitude of gratefulness.

We used the lesson of the ten lepers from Luke 17:11-19 as our example of how to really say thank you...

There were ten men sick with leperosy who Jesus passed on the road one day.  This was an awful disease of running sores, and rotting flesh. These ten men asked Him to have mercy on them and heal them.  Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest who was the one to determine the state of their illness and either quarantine them if they were still sick or allow them back into society if their skin was healed.  As they headed toward town, they were healed completely.  All ten of them.  Nine of the men continued on their way to town, but one returned to give thanks.  He didn't just say "Thank you".  He praised God in a loud voice, knelt down before Jesus, and gave thanks.  Heartfelt gratitude!

The challenge for the children this week is to watch for things that they are thankful for and not only SAY thank you but SHOW thankfulness:

• saying more than just those two words - "Thank you for..."
• showing thankfulness by accompanying their words with a hug, or reciprocating with something that will bless the person they are thankful to

They started writing in their journal the seven things they were thankful for.  I was blessed hearing their blessings... things like moms and dads, brothers and sisters, pets, Christmas coming soon, vegetables (Huh? Did I hear right?  A child thankful for vegetables?).  I was helping one of the younger children by writing down for him what he was thankful for.  He has a bit of a hard time saying his t's and r's.  It sounded to me like he said cookies.  I asked him if that was what he said and he said, "No," and said the word again.  We did this several times and I could tell he was getting frustrated with me for not understanding, and boy was I trying hard to understand.  Finally he described it to me... "You know (mystery word again)!  We eat them at Thanksgiving!"  Oh, TURKEYS!!!!  Whew!

Journal Layer 2

Continuing from our project from last week, this week's journal layer was making the title words for our thankful journal which we will attach next time.  We did this by making homemade stickers.  Directions found HERE!

We dried them off and stuck them onto wax paper to store for next time.

Hope you take a minute to say and show gratitude to someone this week!

Blank Canvas Necklace Tutorial

The scrapbook section at Hobby Lobby inspired me this weekend.  I'm not a scrapbooker, but the elements can be used so many different ways.  There's nothing that screams "Draw on me!" like a blank canvas.  So, break out the artist inside and let's make a canvas necklace...

Supplies:

ball/chain necklace 

large jump ring 

charm (optional)

small canvas tag

fray check

sharpie markers

(All of the metal elements in this necklace are from Idea-ology at Hobby Lobby.)

Directions:

Pull all the straggly threads off of the canvas tag.  Run a line of fray check around the outside edge, and let dry completely.

Decorate the canvas using sharpie markers or a stamp and stamp pad.  I stamped an initial on this one and thought I was done.  Later I wanted to add a bit more pizazz, so I drew in the chevron.

Attach the canvas and charm to the jump ring and put it on the chain.

So fun, and almost too easy!  Doodle a design, draw a mini portrait, create a mini landscape...  This would make a great group project at a retreat or at a birthday party with a group of children.  It doesn't take a lot of time, is inexpensive, and will get the creative juices flowing!

Project Thankful: Week One

I am really trying to incorporate thankfulness as daily habit.  Just think!  It's the kind of habit that you never have to feel guilty about!  The kind you'll never need to break!  Since I'm trying to be more intentionally thankful, I decided that the Sparks children in AWANA could join me.  This is a group of 25-30 kindergarten through 2nd grade children that I will be teaching in November and December.

This week's lesson was about being thankful for basic necessities:  food, clothing, shelter.  I am using Jesus' example of giving thanks for a meager lunch offered to Him by a little boy to use in feeding 5,000 people.  (John 6:1-13)  For those not familiar, the sum total of the boy's lunch was five little loaves of bread and two fish.  Not a whole lot to offer especially with the enormous amount of people to feed, but Jesus was thankful for the little boy's willingness to share.  He gave thanks for that little lunch, broke it into pieces, and passed it out to the people.  Don't you know that everyone there was suprised as the food just kept multiplying until everyone was filled to the brim.  And get this, there were leftovers - five baskets worth!  I love the way that a willingness to share and thankfulness were highlighted.

For this month long series, each child will be making a Thankful Journal using chiboard albums that I found in the dollar bin at Michael's.  Their challenge is to write down one thing each day of the week that they are thankful for.  It's scary for me to write on unlined paper, and I'm 37!  Since they are K - 2nd graders, I made numbered lines for them to write on.  Feel free to print as many as you need!

We will be decorating the cover of their journals, but since we only have a few minutes to get our craft done we'll be taking it in steps.  This week's step is the messiest because it involves paint.  I always cringe when I decide to paint with children, but I do it anyway because sometimes painting is just the best thing to do for the desired effect.

Journal Layer 1

Supplies:  Chipboard journal cover, foam brush, acrylic paint, bubble wrap

Children should wear a smock or paint shirt to keep their clothes safe!!!  Cover your surface with newspaper.  (In this case I didn't because we were using a surface that could easily be wiped clean.)  Tape a piece of bubble wrap that is a little bigger than the journal cover to the suface so it doesn't slip-slide around.  Paint the middle of the bubble wrap.

Press the front cover onto the wet bubble wrap, gently lift, and let dry completely.  It gives a nice textured base to add onto next week.

I'm happy to say that by filtering 25 children through the craft station, we were able to complete this in under 20 minutes.  And THANKFULLY no major mishaps!  Thanks for keeping them coming, Beka, and for helping with directions! 

Join us next Wednesday for the contiuation of Project Thankful!

The Truth About School

Truth is... I like art class!  We turn on an audiobook (currently listening to The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black), break out the supplies, and have fun creating together for half an hour.  

Truth is... I DON'T like advanced math.    

Truth is... my kids are GREAT at grammer and diagramming.

Truth is... I still read out loud to the boys.  Every day!  We don't always enjoy the book we're reading - The Chosen was on our suggested reading list... a little boring, I've edited a few words out that we don't use around here, and we're going to party on Monday when we read the last chapter - but we plow through them anyway!

Truth is... Homeschooling takes a lot of time.

Truth is... It's worth it!

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The burgers were a little something I cooked up during art class this week and shared via Instagram.  (@simpleanalogy)

October Kid's Craft Along: All About Texture

The boys and I have been having fun with clay during art class this year.  It's something totally different for us and we're still in the experimenting stages.  One of our experiments was with texture.  It was so fun, I thought we'd share it with you as our project for the month.

Supplies:

modeling clay (we use sculpey)

a rolling pin

assorted items from around the house:  tapestry pins, lace, sticks, slinky, straws, rubber stamps, aluminum foil, buttons, paper clips, silk flower, leaves...  You get the picture:)

Approximate cost:  $2 for the clay

Directions:

Soften your clay by working it in your hands until it is soft, and roll out the clay into a thick layer.

Press items one by one into the clay.  This texture is from a balled up piece of foil.

Or combine several objects on the same layer of clay to vary the textures.  This one is a combination of sticks, a small knife, and a tracing paper wheel. 

Want more of a challenge?  Pick one item and use it in several different ways to make different textures.  Both the design above and below were made using a tapestry needle.  The tip was used to poke the clay, the "eye" was pressed into the clay to for a sort of long skinny u-shape, the long part of the needle was used to create lines.

When the clay is filled with texture work it in your hands again, roll it out, and start all over.

The great thing about this project is that it can last as long as the kids are interested.  Have a child with a short attention span?  They can be done in just few minutes.  Have a future artist with the patience of Job?  They could sit for hours and create different designs/textures.  

Show off your textures by sharing them on the Kid's Craft Along flickr group! 

The State of My Refrigerator

It's been a little quiet around here the past few weeks.  Reason being that we are trying to get back into that homeschool rhythm.  Some years it comes easier than others.  We started using several new curricula this year, so it's been a little bit of a learning curve for us.  Not to mention getting Landon studied up for the PSAT in a few weeks.  I've got to say that the closer he gets to graduation, the more pressure I'm feeling to stay on my toes and keep him on his.

Anyhow, the silence hasn't been because there's been a lack of creativity going on.  Actually there has been a flurry of it.  You saw my new joyful journal yesterday, and along with that one there were several others that I'll be showing you soon.

So in the middle of life as it is, I bring you the state of my refrigerator.  Just the outside of it, because goodness knows the inside needs to be cleaned out.  I read some research (by UCLA in Food Network Magazine) that the way your refrigerator looks on the outside is a good indication of what your house looks like inside.  "Covered refrigerator usually means cluttered house.  Below average fridge collection means junk free house."     

Hmmm... guess what my house looks like.  It proves true :)

We're going to try to have the most relaxing weekend ever!  Here's hoping you can do the same...