Kid's Craft: Leaf Project

I want to make a confession...I have not been very consistent with art projects in our daily homeschooling life. I'm going to have to start working more artsy things in. Tru and I really liked this project. It was super easy, inexpensive, and lots of fun! We were blessed to receive this book a couple of months ago.

The first few pages in the book have colorful examples of what you can make with a variety of leaves, mostly animals, and the supplies you'll need and the how to's. I liked that it talked about what to look for in the different seasons and it even had a little science lesson and field guide in the back. It did take a little preparation and patience. After we picked our leaves we had to prepare them and wait a week or so for them to dry.

We cleaned our leaves by soaking them in warm water for a few minutes. Then we gently dried them with a paper towel and placed them on newspaper.

Then we put another piece of newspaper on top and placed them in a thick book. We used a dictionary. After about a week they were ready to be used. When we pulled them out they were dry and perfectly flat. Tru thought it was pretty cool.

Once the leaves were dry Tru picked the animal he wanted to make and put it together. All by himself. He was so excited! It turned out pretty good...I know I'm probably partial...but it did. We just used a little construction paper, some glue(not glue sticks), and some cotton swabs to smudge and clean any excess glue. Walla! A fox made out of leaves from our front yard.

You could even use more leaves to make the landscape around the animal. We might do that with the extra leaves we have left. I know for sure that come this Fall we will be doing another leaf project. It would be a great family thing to do collecting leaves together once the leaves have turned different colors. Just thinking about it makes me want to fast forward through summer and skip right into fall!

Baby Gate Down!

Six months ago we had sweet little 12 month old twin boys. They were fairly mobile in that they crawled to get where they wanted to go. They were content to clamor up and down the hall way and once Liam got the hang of it he even speed crawled. I could put them in their play room with the baby gate up and they would play happily with out any sign of protesting. Now lets fast forward 6 months...we still have the sweetest little twin boys, but they are 18 months old now and not only are they mobile, they are very seldom still.

Levi and Liam are doing all the normal things 18 month old toddlers do. I think the only difference is they utilize each other. If one learns something new the other usually picks up on it. And ooh this has been the week for learning new skills. I was picking up toys in the family room when Levi reached up, gripped the door knob, and walla open door! And of course this was an invitation for Liam to try too. I walked up on him later fiddling with the same door. Earlier that day, I was putting the little boys down for a nap when we had our first crib escape. I put Liam down first and went after Levi, because as soon as he saw Liam go into his crib he bolted down the hallway to hide. I found him behind the couch, scooped him up, and started back down the hallway when I heard a thump and a cry. I ran back into their room and there was Liam on his bottom in the floor red faced with tears streaming down his cheeks. He had crawled out of his crib! Yes, OUT OF HIS CRIB! Picking him up I checked him for any signs that he might be hurt. Thankfully, he was fine just a little startled from the fall. I kept him up a little while longer just to be sure. We do have two cribs so I have since switched Liam into the other crib thinking it's taller and doesn't have a built in changing table to hoist himself up with. Levi hasn't shown any interest in climbing out and wasn't there to witness Liam actually escaping. So maybe we're in the clear for a while.

Not only do the little boys have each other to practice and learn from they also have Tru. Especially Levi, he will follow Tru around the house like a second shadow. It's so funny to me that they will just sit and watch him do something and I can see them thinking and their wheels turning. Almost like they're filing it away for when they get older. They have watched Tru hop over the baby gate in the past and just recently have been getting passed the gate. With a little teamwork a loose baby gate comes down easily. I've watched them squeeze out and I've seen them just plow it down all together.

It's amazing to think about how much has changed in six months and how different they'll be in another six. I can say one thing that we will be doing some baby proofing around the house and getting some stronger baby gates. It seems like only yesterday we brought them home. They were so tiny and slept very little those first 3 months. I guess we've traded sleepless nights for busy busy boys and I wouldn't have it any other way. ~I would love to hear any of your stories about your multiples or singletons and the changes that keep you amazed and/or on your toes.~

A Beautiful Vue--A day in the lives of Liam & Levi

After I laid the little boys down for bed tonight I walked down our hallway and into the living room only to be met by a mess of toys, a couple mismatched baby shoes, random kitchen items(they love to play with our kitchen stuff), and a few more odd and ends from the day. There was a trail of these things from the family room to the kitchen. I started to pick up thinking to myself I know I picked these things up earlier. Now our little boys didn't do all the mess, but they did do most of it and just like any little boys their age they are curious and full of energy. I told Jo while I was tossing toys in the toy box that other than their nap after lunch Liam and Levi hadn't stopped all day. So what do two 17 month old toddlers do all day. Well let me show you just a little bit...

they "help" put away groceries...

they drive buggy carts...

they try their very best to open anything they might be able to reach after rummaging through the kitchen cupboards(see the open cupboard on the right)

and most of the time they are in too much of a hurry to stop and take a picture(see very blurry photo). Now that's just a tiny bit of their busy day. I don't think five little pictures could really sum it all up. When I look at that last picture of Liam it reminds me that our time with our boys, while they're young, passes in a flash and how I should cherish every minute of it. Even on our craziest days when my energy is spent and I just push the toys and clutter aside, I can still find joy just in the simple fact that I got to spend my day with our kids. Our boys make life so much more interesting and fun. What an awesome privilege we have to get a front row seat in watching it all.

A Moment in Our Week...

I love that Liam is so focused on his task.