Our New Board Game! A Fun Way To Get My Homeschooler To Practice Her Writing and Reading.

Emily (my now seven-year-old) and I whipped up a new game to make practicing our reading, spelling, and sentence writing more fun.  I thought that, since we already went to the trouble to create a game board and cards, I might as well share via this blog.

All you need to play the game (besides the board and cards I've provided as a PDF) is a single di and some game tokens . . . oh yes . . . and access to a color printer, of course.  (Sorry.  I am afraid you are on your own with the task of figuring out how to print the card fronts and backs on the same sheet of paper.  Luckily for me, my printer makes it easy for me to re-feed a printed sheet in for double-sided printouts.)

We made our own game tokens out of snippets of card paper and tape; but coins or plastic animals or whatever small items you have will work well too (probably better, as they won't blow away when your excited 7-year-old waves her arms around during the game).  A little modeling clay for some homemade tokens would be fun too . . . but that's another project for later.

Sugru! I Want Some In The Worst Way!

I have just learned about this neat product called sugru.  Have you heard of it?  I don't think is has made it state-side yet (It's a U.K. website), but I sure do want some!

It's made with silicone and looks like a glob of modeling clay.  It sticks to anything and you can shape it with your bare hands.  If you want to use any kind of tool to shape it, you need to make sure it's covered in soapy water so it won't stick to the Sugru.  You don't have to rush too much, as it drys within 30 minutes.  And it cures in 24 hours, and then it will not come off, even if you run it through a dishwasher or heat it up in a conventional oven!  How cool is that?

Oh the clever things I could make - or customize - if I only had some of this stuff!

Light Up The World . . . Well, At Least Half Of It.

This one's about how to take a cheap, run-of-the-mill standing lamp (from either Walmart or Target) and make it into something special.

First of all, just to set the record straight: I didn't dream up this cool idea by myself. The credit must go to "TanYA" who posted his or her own "what to do with an old globe" project online at: http://bedzine.com/blog/bed-diy/tips-tricks/diy-globe-lamp/ I got really excited when I saw it because we just so happened to have an unused National Geographic globe (one that was lit from within, no less) that was sitting around, slightly broken and unused. (Thank my lucky stars I didn't throw it away!!

I think my globe works better as a shade than the others I've seen online because it was originally intended to be lit from within, so it glows beautifully. So if you have a globe (or find one at thrift shop, yardsale or on Craigslist) that you want to use for this project, do yourself a favor and shine a light under it (once you have it apart) and make sure it's translucent enough to suit you. I suppose an opaque one works fine too, but just keep in mind that directional lighting is all it's going to be good for.

Watch Your P's and Q's - Montessori Sandpaper Letters

Well, for my next trick . . .

How to make your own Montessori-recommended Sandpaper Letters! Over the past few years, my daughter and I have been working on reading. One of the challenges for many younger kids is being able to tell the difference between the lowercase letters b & d, and p & q. Lots of early readers get confused by these, and I've been told that it doesn't mean dyslexia but is often grown out of eventually. Still, I've been advised that giving the little reader some tactile opportunities can help.

As usual, I didn't feel like spending $30 on a ready-made set. And, on the morning I decided to make my own sets, I couldn't find any fresh sandpaper around the house (When presented with some free time, sometimes I cannot wait till I have all the pieces, or I'll never get around to a project). But, I did have tons of those little paint sample cards that you get from the hardware store (I just cannot bring myself to throw those things away).

Rustic Touches: Sihouettes

Now that I've found a little spare time, thought I'd share my little technique for inexpensively customizing our mountain condo's decor: adding animal silhouettes to just about anything that needs a bit of pizazz. I have enjoyed painting detailed pictures of animals, flowers, etc., on things in years past; but sitting down and painting a portrait of a songbird on fencepost takes more time than I have these days. So I've found a quicker, easier and almost-as-satisfying technique for getting those realistic images from nature onto the various items I wish to decorate. And I don't spend money on expensive stencils or rubber stamps to do it either.

I guess I'll start by listing the basic materials you'll need - although, I hardly ever am successful in assembling everything before I dive right in (but if you do, you can avoid those between-steps interruptions as you go looking upstairs for where you last put your paint brushes). So, the major items you will need are: