Science in a Bag - (remove the egg shell without touching it )

Leaf collage

P.S: This is her second attempt the first one was a scenery with drifting leaves in the wind with a waterfall in the background, it was a total independent work ( will soon put up that one too) the only issue with that was that all the leaves were from same plant.
That gave us a good starting point for discussion any way.

First Finished Embridered piece- by my 6 year old janu :)

Last week, actually the week before Eid M got home work for practical life skills for the first time. She had to sew a button on the piece of fabric using cross stitch. M wanted to draw a flower around the button and the fabric was supposed to be hemmed as well.... so I thanked God for the summer break and the intro of stitching that we managed somehow ( please check this out for our first ever lesson in stitching )
For the hemming part I asked M to use her pr- learned running stitch as I think its too much to ask a poor 6year old to properly hem of all the things I dont want her to hate sewing :)

Hemming Tutorial &above Images: Miss sews-it-all

 So we started off by me folding and ironing the sides and M doing the edges with yup running stitch

 then I drew the flower with a pre cut news paper stencil-just to be sure about the size and placement.I know its not necessary  but  didnt want to take a chance on the piece of fabric she worked all morning. After a few trials on extra pieces of fabric with the pink fabric paint ( by the way its her first fabric paint activity as well) M colored the flower.

 Then with the yellow embroidery yarn she embroidered the outer edges ( again with running stitch)..This really gave our piece a neat look.

 Then came a stem and a leaf in same old running stitch and Finally "The Amazing Green Button" that her teacher gave in class with the cross stitch!!

 Here is what you get after all this hard work!!

Lunch Notes-- some new supplies

Some new supplies for lunch notes!!
I love sending small notes with M's lunch each day and she loves receiving them. I started this small routine when she was in pre-nursery when her teacher ( I am so grateful to her for this ) used to read these to her and then in nursery when she just started reading sight words and 3 letter words to encourage her to read. Those were small notes from home that kept us connected ( have you ever read the kissing hand?) and also that was a way to tell her that reading is not just for school and academic success .... I wanted to instill in her the love of reading in general. So in the beginning it was just a "love you" and "be happy" But by the time she moved to KG I really had to think up the "thinks" that I wanted to wright and she was well into the reading habit. It was difficult to come up with something interesting each morning with all the rush to reach school and offices in time ( i usually wrote them on the way to school) and By the final term of KG ( that's last year) the notes become almost extinct as more than often I had to write them after dropping her ( now my turn to drive) then the aya baji had to run after her to put it in her bag. so eventually they stopped.
To my surprise with the beginning of class 1 Miral asked me to start sending her notes back and said she missed them last year and want 1 every day :D
Now its been almost a month since school started and she gets I every day but this time I promised myself not to repeat the same mistake again. I prepared the whole bunch just before the school started ( they were almost 50) I even managed to put some decorations. Yup really had to foresee what I wanted to talk about!
And now before I run out of them again I got these lovely supplies, I loved my new craft punches and cartoon tape-- cant wait to start making some more note cards!!!

Back to School !! yipeeee

Cant believe my little baby is so big already !!!

 

It seems as if it was just yesterday that she started preschool :)

chalk board photo prop details coming up soon :)

Working With Paint

Well ideally today's should be M's first day of school post and pics , but I guess that can wait. what we have here is  are  M's  creations on Paint. From school the situation was such that I had to take her to her baba's design studio { cant call it mine as yet} and to keep herself busy ( we dont have anything there as yet to entertain anyone--let alone kids ) she asked permission to work on computer as "she was supposed to get ready for her ICT class the next day . To my surprise she came up with this - she called it "blossom branch" for her this was something that has to do with japapanese art :)

and then another version of blossom brach with small people { twillerbees} in it at night- dont miss the small speach bubbles!!

and finally a third one { my personal favorite} :"A world in the sea"

though these are not her first attempts with paint tools and she is already a good artist when it comes to draw and paint {manually} Still I was so filled with amazement and joy by looking at her confident style on computer and the entire cradit goes to her amazing ICT teacher in kindergarten :) { I never ever thought of giving her time to use computer to show her creativity or even to practice for class not even for assessments  : D. Think this proves technology in the hands of a child is not that bad after all ...LOLs

Fun Science experiment with Eggs

{Well another one from the last month :D} An interesting discovery/experience about soilds and liquids

 Boohoo with the bay-blades , have you ever tried spinning eggs? if not try now , its fun and they usually don't break ;) For the additional fun battle boiled ones with raw! and let the kids guess who will win ;)

 

YOU WILL NEED:
1 raw egg
1 full boiled egg
1 plate/dish with raised sides
Timer/stopwatch { you can even count your heart beat ;) }

INSTRUCTIONS:
Just start click the timer and start spinning 1.2.3....GOOOOO

 

RESULT: 

The hard core always win ;) yup the boiled eggs spin faster and longer than a raw egg so it will always be the champion.

SCIENCE FACT:
The inside of an egg is a LIQUID and when we spin an egg the liquid inside is pulled this way and that. This movement slows down the egg. While the inside of a boiled egg is hard/SOLID and its parts cant move so it spins all as one!

Easy Fossil Making for Kids

 The second activity that was initiated by "did dinosaurs have feathers" is the fossil making, that again was based on the easy technique of making a plaster cast but was a lot of fun for all three of us. The catch again was to introduce her to a little bit of science and history while building on new vocabulary. The simple molding casting activity gave us plenty of time to discuss about the earth; its layers and how it was formed, lava and volcanoes, Fossils; what are they?, how were they made? different kind of feathers and why it was difficult to find nay feathers from dinosaur time? She can never get tiered of the story of the big bang! And it is not boring at all. Especially when u see it from a 6 years old's imaginative perspective. The lava eruption could be caused by the 'thumping' of dinosaurs on yet soft earth!! We were just using our 'logical brains' and contemplating different theories { all our own, of course}
Here are the "Fossils" we dug up :)

and Here is the Process

smooth a thic layer of modeling clay in disposable container

take the objects out carefully

Mix plaster of Paris in water, making a thin even paste

pour it on the clay making quarter of an inch thick layer

leave overnight to dry/ harden

slip them out and remove the clay carefully

Tadaaaaaaa!!!

printable-word search-puzzles

Finally I get to upload the complete set of 5 printable word search puzzles that I made as part of M's summer home-school connection {based on the word list suggested for class 1} is now uploaded as promised :). My friends and anyone interested can download the PDF version here. Word puzzle pack for class 1.

Exploring 7 habits of happy kids

Ever since I saw 7 habits of happy kids by Sean Covey at readings I fell in love with it esp the habit no. 5 "Seek first to understand and then to be understood". Isn't this the one we lack in general in our society? And then there is this habit no. 4 "Think win win"
I was dying to buy and introduce it to my big girl, but I believe timing plays a very crucial part while introducing something new to a child. Child's readiness to interact and enjoy is as important as anything else that helps absorb a new idea. So I waited and waited for the right time and then BANG! all of a sudden it was out of stock!!

So after a wait of another 2 months or so I found it again  {and this time I couldn't miss it- even though at the time I had no money on me, so I requested them to save me a copy for a day or two -- and they did :) } and then again waited for the right time..... and missed it TADAAaaaa .This time lost the book in home shifting... LOLs, but all for good ! By this time M was dying to have it and read it, yup I showed her the book first time arround and told her she's gonna get it sometime this summer :)
So I had to search the house like mad and finally retrieved it from under a huge pile of books and papers on the CPU slot of this very computer table that I sit every day

nothing & yet every thing to do with "the habits" I guess lols

Now that we got it alright I new we had to do something because my book worm simply eats, drinks, sleeps books if you let her be. But with 7 habits I really really wanted her to eat{read} slowly, digest and absorb.
So what are the seven habits any way?
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids are:

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think win-win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw

The best thing is that the book narrates seven stories of seven friends each using -- or not using-- a habit! one at a time. The writer has also provided insight for parents/teachers and baby steps for kids to follow.
Meet The friends to get basic idea  of the habits is

	Habit 1 — Be Proactive You're in Charge I am a responsible person. I take initiative. I choose my actions, attitudes, and moods. I do not blame others for my wrong actions. I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking.
	Habit 2 — Begin with the End in Mind Have a Plan I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my school’s mission and vision. I look for ways to be a good citizen.
	Habit 3 — Put First Things First Work First, Then Play I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to things I know I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am disciplined and organized.
	Habit 4 — Think Win-Win Everyone Can Win I balance courage for getting what I want with consideration for what others want. I make deposits in others’ Emotional Bank Accounts. When conflicts arise, I look for third alternatives.

	Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Listen Before You Talk I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. I try to see things from their viewpoints. I listen to others without interrupting. I am confident in voicing my ideas. I look people in the eyes when talking.
	Habit 6 — Synergize Together Is Better I value other people’s strengths and learn from them. I get along well with others, even people who are different than me. I work well in groups. I seek out other people’s ideas to solve problems because I know that by teaming with others we can create better solutions than anyone of us can alone. I am humble.
	Habit 7 — Sharpen The Saw Balance Feels Best I take care of my body by eating right, exercising and getting sleep. I spend time with family and friends. I learn in lots of ways and lots of places, not just at school. I find meaningful ways to help others.

I found Ah- Ma-zinG!!! teacher bloggers working wonders  in their class rooms, but with 'the habits' my first stroke of luck was 3rd grade thoughts  she made these cool posters based on habits to decorate her class.And then I got this parents guide from the leader in me along with  a few other resource samples { BTW the samples are enough to get you going}
Well I thought making the posters for M's new room would be a starting point for us and will keep the stories coming along with discussion about many new words that we are learning on the way
Here is what we made for the first habit

Then we read about Inventors the most Prominent Proactors, with our special focus on women inventors, including;

• Mary Anderson (Inventor of Windshield Wipers)
•  Marion Donovan (Inventor of Disposable Diapers)
•  Bette Nesmith Graham (Liquid Paper Inventor)

That made our minds working :) HaHa and when we didnt find glue to do our next activity we made our own!! How PROACTIVE ...Hehehe

With this special glue we worked on the first habit from this story sorting activity from lovely little leaders . Needless to say my bookworm loved it thoroughly. This even gave us opportunity to talk about copyrights and M wanted to ad a link to lovely little leaders to her poster too bad it got hidden under our other lable :(

 Even the lil one joined in, in her own way of course ;)

 Further we are planning to design our own book marks now that M is quiet good with her computer skills I think we can manage it on word pad or paint may be. will update the post once we are done :)

* For a complete free parents guide click here

* to virtually visit a school using 'leader in me' program please click here
* school site
*'Teachers pay Teachers' is another cool site that I found just in case you missed it in above links ;)