September 30, 2015

The Paper Bag Princess

I love doing literature based studies.

Five In A Row has such a good idea of using books to expand on learning. By reading the same book every day for a week, the students really get to know the book well. My kids often observe things in the illustrations that a one time read would never let you notice and I sometimes hear my kids quoting a book especially rhyming verses. I just find that overall they soak up so much more from the book this way. If it's a good book, then reading it every day for only one week is not too much.

Plus, learning this way provides a framework for diversity in our subject matter. This overcomes the monotony that sometimes comes with schoolwork. It allows us to visit and revisit different subjects thereby reviewing and building on what we have already learned in a way that keeps it interesting and new. 

I love researching for our learning time so I have not boxed myself into a curriculum, but plan the week ahead of time by picking a book and then finding something in the book to expand upon for each day. I try to vary the academic subject for each day so that we all enjoy the variety that each day brings.


This week we used the book The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.

Day 1: Science
The dragon lives in a cave so we read about Caves in our encyclopedia. We discussed how the water collects minerals from the rocks as it seeps through the ground and then leaves deposits as it drips in the caves. Then we put together the experiment for creating stalactites and stalagmites.

Day 2: Language Arts
I wanted the kids to learn about the elements of a story so today I just focused on the Characters. We talked about what a character is in a story and identified the characters in the book: Elizabeth, Ronald and the Dragon. Then we discussed what each character was like. I couldn't find any coloring pages for it so I just traced each character and photocopied them for the kids to color. On the back they wrote or traced the name of each character.

Day 3: Science
The dragon burned all Elizabeth's clothes with his fiery breath so we discussed Fire on this day. I started by lighting 3 birthday candles poked into playdough on the table. Then we talked about how a fire needs three things to burn: heat, oxygen, and fuel. We sprayed water on the first candle to demonstrate how if the fire is cold it can't burn. Then I put a glass over the second candle and watched the flame go out to demonstrate how the fire will go out if it doesn't have oxygen. Then we discussed how when the third candle is burnt up, the flame will also go out. I left the third candle burning where they could see it while we went on with our lesson: Fire Safety. We discussed how if your clothes catch on fire you should stop, drop and roll. Then we coloured a Stop, Drop and Roll colouring page. I made sure to point it out when the third candle did burn up.

Day 4: Art
On heavy paper for watercolour, the kids drew a picture of a dragon with a waterproof pen on one half of their paper, then colored it with pencil crayon. Then they used red, orange and yellow watercolours and painted fire coming out of the dragons mouth and across the empty half of the page.

Day 5: Math
It took the dragon ten seconds to fly around the world once and then twenty seconds to fly around it a second time. We discussed how it took longer for him to fly around the world the second time because he was tired. So we timed how long it took us to run around the house as fast as we could and wrote it down. We did it a second time and then a third time. We noted how it took longer and longer to run around the house.


The links to the experiments and colouring pages are in the blog, but here's the book resources we used:
  • The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
  • Geography a visual encyclopedia by John Woodward (DK Publishing)




August 31, 2015

Preschool Colours Activities Schedule

Here's some ideas for putting together a schedule for learning colours. Focus on one colour each week: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, Brown, Black, Pink, Gray, and White. If the colour is not learned by the end of the week, repeat the schedule again, only doing the starred activities.

August 26, 2015

PreSchool Colour Books


The following is a list of books that show a variety of colours for teaching preschoolers their colours.
  • Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vacaaro Seeger
  • Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett
  • What Does Bunny See by Linda Sue Park
  • Icky Bug Colours by Jerry Pallotta
  • Animal Colors by Beth Fielding
  • Brown Cow, Green Grass, Yellow Mellow Sun by Ellen Jackson
  • Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff
  • Sylvie by Jennifer Sattler
  • Blue on Blue by Dianne White
  • Sugar White Snow and Evergreens by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky
  • Freight Train by Donald Crews
  • Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
  • White Rabbit's Color Book by Alan Baker
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr.
  • Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
  • Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson
  • Chameleon's Colors by Chisata Tashiro
  • Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
  • Rain Forest Colors by Janet Lawler
  • Little White Fish by Guido van Genechten
  • It's An Orange Aardvark by Michael Hall

August 9, 2015

4 Under 4!

I now have 4 kids under 4! My kids are ages 3, 2, 1 and newborn- all boys!

I've had people ask me if it gets easier. Well, labour definitely is not easier. This one was as hard as any of them if not more so because it actually lasted longer. I was over a week late and the doctors wanted to induce, so the day before I did everything I could to get things started including walking, getting a stretch and sweep, pumping and finally taking castor oil. I was probably the most tired I have been for any of the births and the last hour and a half was excruciating. But I lived as I have each time and consider the pain well worth the beautiful baby I now have. It doesn't take long to forget how painful it was.

On the other hand, I am a much more relaxed mother of 4 than I was of 2. I no longer infant potty train or do cloth diapers. I'm less concerned about having an exact schedule and go with a routine instead. On days the routine gets done and I still have energy, we go outside or do another "project" in our preschool. And on days I don't have energy, I consider it enough to at least have clean underwear or diapers on my kids and food in their bellies.

In some ways it is easier. Because they have each other to play with, they don't need me to play with or entertain them all the time. My 2 and 3 year old play well together and can do for themselves many things if I just instruct them. My 1 year old needs me to do a lot of things for him, but his needs are not so urgent so he can wait until I'm done taking care of the newborn. Of course, a newborn's needs are always priority and do take up a lot of time. But that would be the case no matter how many other kids there were.

I now consider it an essential part of my day for me to get a nap. I used to try to nap when I put the kids for naps in the afternoon, but they were not always so ready to nap and I would find myself getting very frustrated with them for not going to sleep so I could sleep. Plus, their routines didn't always coincide for them all to need naps at the same time. Instead, I've found it better to send them all to their beds with some books immediately after lunch and set an alarm. The only rule is that they have to stay in their beds until the alarm goes off. A short time like 15-20 minutes is something they can handle and I feel more refreshed after a short nap than if I had a longer one. As long as they're not overly rowdy, then I consider it fine for them to talk to each other from their own beds. This works pretty well. I am a much happier mom for having this short rest.


Kids are so precious and delightful. They are always learning and discovering something new to them and it is fun to be the one they want to share their wonder and excitement with. It could be a little bug they found or a truck they built out of lego or climbing up a jungle gym for the first time. Small things are so important to them and it's interesting to try to see things from their perspective. It is very upsetting when their brother breaks a lego structure they made or when their sandwich keeps falling apart when they're trying to eat it altogether. It's so easy to get busy with being busy (cooking, cleaning, etc.) and to always look forward to when the kids finally go to bed so I can have "me" time (or even just time to get things done that are more difficult to do when they are all around). As a stay at home mom, my job never ends. But I also have the delight of being able to watch my kids grow and being the one who knows them better than anyone else! If I just keep busy with my work, I lose out on the little joys that happen throughout the day, but if I take some time to spend with my kids engaging in what they are doing or even just watching them play, I can see their little worlds and appreciate their individual persons. I love my kids!

July 31, 2015

Learning Colours with a Tissue Paper Paste

I tried a similar idea to the previous Construction Paper Paste. But this time I used tissue paper and the result was some really stunning artwork. 

July 27, 2015

Baby #4: 40 Weeks Pregnant

Today I am 40 weeks + 1 day pregnant! I am very excited to know we will be welcoming our fourth little one very soon!

July 22, 2015

9 Tips for Pregnancy

What helps one person, may not be helpful to another, but I certainly enjoy and have found it helpful to hear others' experiences and so I don't mind just sharing what has helped me in my experience.

Ginger Tea: I love a little fresh ginger tea with honey to help with the morning sickness in the first trimester. Peel 1 inch of ginger root and mince it up. Put it in a tea strainer and put that into a mug full of hot water. Steep for 7 minutes then remove the strainer. Add a little honey to sweeten it and once it's a nice temperature, drink it up.

June 11, 2015

Learning Colors While Handprint Painting

Try painting handprints while learning colours and do one for each colour. (These make great gifts for grandparents and such.)


May 17, 2015

Baby #4: 30 Weeks Pregnant

Only 10 weeks left to go! My kids are very excited for the baby to come out. They ask to see him and give him a kiss. Ultrasound says it's another boy so we'll have 4 boys!


May 15, 2015

Potty Training

I am in the midst of daytime potty training with my 2 year old (4 days in and it's going pretty well) so wanted to write a post about some of what we've tried with potty training.

May 12, 2015

Anemia (Iron Deficiency) in Pregnancy

I found out today that I am iron deficient! I'm actually relieved to know that with the start of some supplements, I'll probably be less exhausted and irritable. Did you know those are symptoms of iron deficiency? 

Apparently, it is common for a person to develop anemia during pregnancy. The baby is, of course, taking his share of iron. Plus, the blood in a woman's body increases in pregnancy to "almost 50 percent more than usual." (source) Sometimes, the iron nutrients in her diet just can't keep up with that. Besides that, having 2 or more pregnancies close together can make it more likely. (This will be my fourth baby in a row.) That all makes me a very likely candidate. 

I also developed anemia when I was pregnant with my third. Hopefully with the start of some iron supplements, I'll get a good portion of my energy back and be a much happier person to be around. :)

One other thing I learned is that calcium hinders iron absorption while Vitamin C supports it. So I'll be avoiding drinking milk with my supplement and maybe go for a fruit smoothie instead. 

May 5, 2015

Learning Colours While Parking Toy Cars

For my oldest, who delights in lining up and parking his cars, this was a great activity. My second also enjoyed it.


Having a Cheerful Countenance as a Mom

I am realizing that a mom's attitude really affects the atmosphere of the whole house. If mom is cranky and irritable then everyone becomes cranky and irritable.

May 3, 2015

Learning Colours While Sorting Candy

Here's an idea your kids are guaranteed to love! Try sorting coloured candy!

May 1, 2015

The"Terrible Twos" and Removing Permanent Marker

My 2 year old took permanent marker to the screen of our laptop and the top of our desk. 

April 7, 2015

Doing "School" with Very Young Children

I've been doing a lot of "projects" (that's what we call them) with my children lately. My 3 year old and I have been very excited since he finished the Preschool program to get the Kindergarten program in the mail. And I recently started working with my 2 year old starting into the Preschool program too.

I'm aware that lots of people discourage trying to teach children academically when they are so young. So I wanted to take a little time time here to address that.

Avoid Brown Smoothies When Adding Greens

Of course you know that if you mix two of the primary colours together, you get the complimentary colours. But what if you mix all three primary colours together? You get brown!

April 5, 2015

Maternity Jeans

I wear jeans all the time! I love them! But maternity jeans make me wonder if the people who designed them were ever actually pregnant.

The Full Panel: (or "Secret Fit") The only maternity pants I ever bought brand new were both full panel. They seem to be very common now, and in some stores, the only kind of waist on maternity pants. I really regretted it! Sure, when you try them on in the store they fit great and feel great and look great. But when I wear them through the day, they are always shifting down and I'm constantly hiking them up. Now, if I'm out in public, this can look really bad since the top of the band is way up at the top of the belly, I have to reach way up there under my shirt to pull it back up. Maybe if I stayed in one place and sat all the time, it wouldn't be so bad, but I'm up and down and on the floor with my little ones and these jeans just don't work for me. Besides that, as the pregnancy progresses, it really makes my belly itchy to have that spandexy material hugging it all the time.

April 3, 2015

Taco Meat Recipe

I used to buy taco seasoning from the store until a friend of mine passed on to me her recipe for taco meat. It is soooo good! Taco salad is definitely one of my favourite meals!

April 1, 2015

"Replacing" Printer Ink When It's Not Empty

One morning, I woke up to find that my 2 year old had removed the ink cartridges from the printer. When I put them back in, the printer told me they were all empty and to replace them. I knew that was not true because at least one of them had been replaced recently. So I went looking for a solution that would not require me to replace my ink cartridges which were not empty.

Here it is:

March 31, 2015

March 30, 2015

Walk Away the Pounds

I've blogged about the Walk Away the Pounds DVD that I have before. But I wanted to add this new one that I got last summer because I love it!

March 29, 2015

Learning Colours with a Food Flyers Train

My kids love trains so they really enjoy this project. Each time we learned a new colour, we'd add a new train car to the wall.

March 28, 2015

My Kids Crack Me Up!

My 3 year old says the funniest things sometimes. Here's some that could go in Reader's Digest's "Laughter is the Best Medicine."

March 27, 2015

Pretend Kitchen Play

I don't usually let my kids play with my kitchen stuff. But I like to make an exception occasionally.

March 26, 2015

Best Ever Quinoa Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are melt-in-your-mouth delicious! They remind me of French Silk Pie; they are so rich! And they are so smooth and fluffy from the whipped egg. It may surprise you that these brownie-like treats have NO FLOUR!

March 25, 2015

Learning Colours with a Construction Paper Paste

After learning a new colour, reinforce it by doing a Construction Paper Paste.

March 24, 2015

Canadian Milk?

I've heard lots of things about milk. And lots of it, I think, is probably true- but is it true in Canada?

March 23, 2015

Learning Colours with Playdough

Playing with colourful playdough is a great way to reinforce the colours.

March 22, 2015

Homemade Fig Newtons

I was looking for some alternative snacks for my kids that are actually healthy. My husband bought a box of fig newtons (they were either GMO free or organic-or both!) for $8 and I thought, why couldn't I make them? And came across these. Mmmm!

March 20, 2015

Snow Removal

We had some great entertainment out the window yesterday. My kids really enjoyed watching the trucks removing the snow. They have a great view from our apartment balcony. I'm really thankful for a street side view.

March 18, 2015

Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We tried out this recipe on the blog Baking Bites and the cookies were delicious!

March 17, 2015

Learning Colours with Frosting

This activity works great as a review after learning all six of these colours. This one is really fun because you learn that the primary colours mix together to make the complementary colours (but maybe not in so many words).

March 16, 2015

Cinnamon Can Cause Diaper Rash

My 9 month old started getting really bad diaper rashes to the point of bleeding. I used zinc creams and coconut oil, but it wouldn't go away. I thought it was just a result of starting to eat more solids and that he was perhaps eating too much acidic food like tomatoes or berries. But after breakfast one morning I noticed that my older two sons as well as my baby all had redness around their mouths where their oatmeal had come into contact with their skin. It was the cinnamon I put in their oatmeal. 

March 15, 2015

March 14, 2015

How to Make Stovetop Coffee in a Moka Express Bialetti

My husband and I really enjoy our coffee and at home we make it the way we like it, in a Bialetti. This was learned from my husband's Italian grandparents and we make it the same way they did. (Even in the same pot which they passed on to us!)

March 13, 2015

Learning Colours with the Lollipop Game

I made these lollipops out of construction paper and blunted skewer sticks. The kids loved them!

March 12, 2015

Gone Fishin' Game

If you are ever looking for a game a 3 year old and 2 year old can play (and play together!), this is a good one. When you switch it on, the fish turn around and around bobbing up and down. When they come up, they open their mouths so you have to get the fish hook in their mouth before they bob down again and close it.

March 11, 2015

Learning Colours with Books

There are lots of great books about colours. Here are just a couple that we really enjoyed:


Lemons are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

March 10, 2015

4 Ideas for Homemade "Carpet" Roads

My boys love to play with their cars and over time we've made a few different kinds of roads for our kids to play with their cars on. 

March 9, 2015

March 8, 2015

Baby #4: 20 Weeks Pregnant

I'm 20 weeks along today and halfway through the pregnancy!

March 7, 2015

Sing, Spell, Read & Write Pre-Kindergarten

I would think that the very first academic schooling a child should get is to learn how to read! Once a child knows how to read, he can learn anything else he wants to. It really is a foundation to all other learning, academically anyway. So when I began thinking about homeschooling my kids, the very first thing I went in search of was a good phonics program.


January 9, 2015

Baby # 4: 12 Weeks Pregnant

Woohooo! I'm so excited for another baby! 

After calculating out the due date I'm really surprised to find that I'm going to have 4 kids under 4! I never thought that would happen! I'll have kids ages 3, 2, 1 and newborn! Crazy!

2 days shy of 12 weeks

January 1, 2015

Even-Lined Sallow

This moth was also found on the wall of our porch.

Photo taken August 2014