Book Review: My Very First Noah's Ark Playtime: Activity Book With Stickers

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This simply means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I also received a copy of the book from Kregel Publications to facilitate my review.

About My Very First Noah's Ark Playtime 

This fun activity book includes on-the-page puzzles, games, and stories—all based around the story of Noah. There is also a page of stickers for completing the activities. The cute and colorful illustrations jump off the page and keep children engaged with the activities. There's plenty for children to do, on their own or with an adult, and this handy book can be used during the holidays, on journeys, or just to fill the time on a rainy day.

My thoughts on My Very First Noah's Ark Playtime

This is a great book for introducing young children to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark.  The pictures are simple and bright, drawing the child's attention easily and what child does not love stickers?  My kids enjoyed the activities as well, and did not need too much help with them.  We not only used the book at home as part of our homeschool curriculum, but we also bring it to church with us to keep the younger ones quietly engaged while we try to listen.  My 6 year old particularly likes to look at the pictures and then draw them freehand.

I recommend My Very First Noah's Ark Playtime: Activity Book With Stickers to anyone with young (2-6 years old) children who are interested, or whose parents are interested, in Biblical stories.  It is great to toss in a bag to bring along to church as well as for home use.

Lesson Plan: Rita Moreno (Hispanic Heritage Month)

We kicked off Hispanic Heritage month with a full unit study on Rita Moreno.  Here is what we did:

Reading:

Read the biography of Rita Moreno, and answer the following questions:

1. What is Rita Moreno's birth name? (Rosa Dolores Alverio)
2. When and where was she born? (12/11/1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico) 
3. What role did Rita Moreno play in West Side Story? (Anita)
4. What was significant about her winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for West Side Story? (She was the 1st Hispanic female to win.)
5. Rita Moreno is one of only 11 people (and the only female) to do what? (win all 4 major entertainment honors- Emmy, Tony, Oscar and Grammy awards)

English and Writing:

Folktales are common in Hispanic cultures.  Learn more about this genre and write your own folktale. You can choose whether or not to publish it, but either way, feel free to share it here in a comment.

Spelling and Vocabulary:

Be able to spell, define, and use each of the following words in a sentence: folktale, genre, heritage, Hispanic,entertainer

Spanish: 

singer: el cantor (male)/la cantora( female); actress: la actriz; stage (noun, as in a theater): el escenario; to sing: cantar; woman: la mujer

Social Studies: 

Learn about and color the Puerto Rican flag.
Visit a couple of sites about Puerto Rico (www.seepuertorico.com and welcometopuertorico.org are two sites you  can use) and create a travel brochure or poster, encouraging people to come visit.  Include some interesting facts and places to visit.

Art:

Read about the Ponce Carnival and make a Vejigante mask

Music:

Watch Rita Moreno in the musical Westside Story.
Read the lyrics to the song America, from Westside Story.  Write out the positives and the negatives of Puerto Rico that they  sing about.

Health:

 Rita Moreno needs to work hard to keep her voice strong and healthy.  Read these tips and exercises about keeping your voice strong and healthy.  Choose 3 of them to work on for the next month.

Math:

I will be typing out a bunch of problems using numbers written in Spanish and expecting the answers written in Spanish.  For example: dos y cinco iguals ? (siete)  This will help them review some basic math facts, while working on their Spanish vocabulary.  Here are the numbers zero through 10, plus some helpful Spanish vocabulary:
0= cero
1= uno
2= dos
3= tres
4= cuatro
5= cinco
6= sies
7= siete
8= ocho
9= nueve
10= diez
plus= y
minus= menos
equals= iguals
divided by= dividido por
times= por

Domestic Arts:

Make Puerto Rican Pork Mofongo.

Physical Education:

Rita Moreno is an avid walker.  Take a walk outside several days this week.  Try to walk a little further every day.  Be sure to do this safely and with another person, preferably an adult.

Science:

Learn about the coquí, a small frog that is native to Puerto Rico. Share 5 facts that you have learned.

Special Mini Units September 21-28, 2013

To see how we are using mini-units in our homeschool, you can see the post that shares all of our mini-units for September 2013.

9/22 Elephant Appreciation Day

- Spanish word of the day: elephant- el elefante
- Learn about elephants and answer the following questions:

1. What are some of the things that threaten the existence of elephants? (habitat loss due to climate changes and human conflicts, poaching ivory)
2. What are the 2 main species of elephants? (African and Asian)
3. How much food does and adult elephant eat per day? (300-400 pounds)
4. What is a group of elephants called? (a herd)
5. What is a baby elephant called? (a calf)
6. What do the male elephants do around the age of 12-15 years? (leave the herd and live solitary lives or possibly with other males temporarily)
7. What is the gestation period (length of pregnancy) for an elephant? (22 months)

- Read Horton Hears a Who
- Make elephant stilts:

• Take two large empty cans
• Paint the open end to look like elephant toes (basically 4 large oval-like nails).
• Once dry, use a punch-style can opener and punch a hole on each side of the can,near the bottom (sealed end).  Put matching holes on the bottom, near the other holes, so that you can tie cord through them.
• Tie long  pieces of cord through each set of holes, making handles that your child can use to help lift the can as they walk on them.

9/23 Birthday of Ray Charles

- Spanish word of the day: music-  la música
- Watch the video biography for Ray Charles and answer these questions:

1. When was Ray Charles born? (September 23, 1930)
2. Where was Ray Charles born? (Albany, Georgia)
3. When, and how, did Ray Charles lose his eyesight?(age of 7, due to glaucoma)
4. Who was Ray Charles idol? (Nat King Cole)
5. What was his first R&B #1 hit? (I Gotta Woman)
6. What movie did Ray Charles appear in in 1980? (The Blues Brothers)
7. When and, from what, did Ray Charles die? (2004, age 74, of liver disease)

- Listen to two of Ray Charles' hit songs: Hit the Road Jack and Georgia On My Mind

9/24 Birthday of Jim Henson

- Spanish word of the day: puppet- el títere
- Watch the video biography and read the Synopsis of Jim Henson's biography and answer the following questions:

1. Where and when was Jim Henson born? (9/24/1936 in Greenevill, Mississippi)
2. What did he call the combination of puppets and marionettes? (Muppets)
3. What tv show, that started in 1969, did Jim Henson produce? (Sesame Street)
4. What show did he create? (The Muppet Show)
5. When did he die, and from what? (1990, of pneumonia)

- Make a marionette

9/25 Pacific Ocean Discovered

- Spanish word of the day: ocean- el océano
- Locate the Pacific Ocean on a map
- Learn about the Pacific Ocean and answer the following questions:

1. Is the majority of the Pacific Ocean warm water of cold water? (warm water)
2. What are the names of some of the small, volcanic islands found in the Pacific Ocean? (Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa)

- Learn that the deepest place on earth, the Mariana Trench, is found in the Pacific Ocean.

9/26- Birthday of Johnny Appleseed 

- Spanish word of the day: happy birthday- feliz cumpleaños
- This would be another good day to go apple picking
- Read page 1 of the Johnny Appleseed biography (you can read page 2, but it did not offer much that I felt was necessary for my children) and answer the following questions:

1. What was Johnny Appleseed's real name? (John Chapman)
2. When and where was Johnny Appleseed born? (9/26/1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts) 
3. How much land did John Chapman own at his death? (about 1200 acres)
4. In what state is Johnny Appleseed the official folk hero? (Massachusetts)

- Take the steps to start growing an apple tree (a long project).

9/27- Native American Day

- Spanish word of the day: people- la gente
- Learn about a group of Native Americans from your area.  For us, this is Western NY. We will be doing this by visiting the Native American exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
- Make some Native American foods, such as:

• Pemmican
• Navajo Fry Bread
• Bannock
• Wojapi
• Acorn Griddle Cakes

9/28- National Good Neighbor Day

- Spanish word of the day: neighbor- el vecino
- Do something nice for one of your neighbors today.  You could bake some cookies, sweep their driveway and front walk, rake their leaves, or anything else you think could be helpful and nice.

Special Mini Units September 14-20, 2013

To see how we are using mini-units in our homeschool, you can see the post that shares all of our mini-units for September 2013.

9/15  Make a hat Day

- Spanish word of the day: hat- el sombrero
- Make a paper sailor hat.  We used sheets of newspaper and I let the kids glue on construction paper shapes and use paint to decorate them.

9/16 Mexican Independence Day

- Spanish word of the day: war- la guerra
- Be able to identify Mexico on a map.
- Learn about Mexico and the Mexican War for Independence and answer these questions:

1. What is the capital of Mexico? (Mexico City)
2. What type of government does Mexico have? (a republic similar to the US)
3. What is the official language of Mexico? (Spanish)
4. What did they want that made them want to reject the values of Spain at the end of the 18th century?  (freedom of speech, a representative government, and restrictions on the power of the Catholic Church)
5. Who gave the speech that is now known as the Grito do Dolores? (Father Miguel Hidalgo)
6. What words were said by Father Hidalgo and are repeated every year at Independence Day celebrations? ("Viva Mexico" and "Viva la independencia!")
7. How long did they fight for their freedom? (11 years)
8. What are the colors of the Mexican flag and what does each one represent? (green= independence, white= religion, and red= union)

- Listen to the National Anthem of Mexico and read the lyrics (in English)
- Prepare a Mexican meal. Some ideas are:

• Pozole (soup)
• Guacamole (I mash up an avocado or two and add some salsa and a splash of lime juice for a quick and easy guacamole or you can follow a recipe.)
• Flour or corn tortillas (You do not need a tortilla press, though one helps. You can use a heavy skillet or a rolling pin.)
• Tres Leche Cake

9/17 National Apple Dumpling Day

- Spanish word of the day: apple- la manzana
- Go apple picking.
- Make apple dumplings.

9/18 National Cheeseburger Day

- Spanish word of the day: hamburger- la hamburguesa
- Serve cheeseburgers.  Instead of traditional cheese burgers, we mixed shredded cheddar and chopped bacon right in the meat mixture.
- Learn where the different cuts of beef come from.

9/19 International Talk Like a Pirate Day

- Spanish word of the day: pirate- el pirata
- Talk like a pirate
- Write a poem in pirate language.
- Read about female pirates and answer these questions:

1. What did female pirates need to do in order to be successful pirates? (disguise themselves as men)
2. Who were some female pirates? (Anne Bonny, Mary Reed, and Grace O'Malley)

- Read about Modern Maritime Piracy and answer the following questions:

1. Are there still pirates today? (yes)
2. Who monitors modern piracy? (the International Maritime Bureau, a division of the ICC Commercial Crime Services)

9/20  POW/MIA Recognition Day

- Learn what POW and MIA stand for. (Prisoner Of War and Missing In Action)
- Learn about the POW/MIA flag and answer these questions:

1. Who created the POW/MIA flag? (The National League of Families/William Graham Wilkin III)
2. What phrase is on the flag? ("You are not forgotten")
3. Where is the POW/MIA flag displayed in U.S. armed forces, the dining halls, mess halls and chow halls? (draped over a single chair and table in the corner, signifying that a chair awaits in hope of their return)
4. What are the "rules" regarding displaying the POW/MIA flag with the US flag? (it should fly directly below, and not be any larger than, the US flag)

Canning Jar Sewing Kits

We made these recently to commemorate National Sewing Day on September 10th.  They were super easy to do and fairly inexpensive.

Items needed for Canning Jar Sewing Kits:

• small square of fabric (We used some scrap fabric and for one, used a piece of a sheet that had gotten a whole in it)
• small bit of batting (We used some stuffed animal and pillow stuffing from some that were no longer good. We washed them thoroughly with bleach and hot water before cutting up)
• a canning jar just big enough to hold all your sewing notions (we used jelly jars that my dear friend, Gail, had given us, but you may be able to find some at a yard sale or second hand store)
• a lid and seal for the jar (We used new ones, but I imagine you could use a used seal as well.)
• sewing notions (These are mostly for the kids to learn with, so we just picked up small kit for each one at Dollar Tree.  The quality of the notions is not great, but it will serve us for now.)
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions to make Canning Jar Sewing Kits

1.  Clean jars with hot water and remove any stickers and labels.
2. Place sewing notions into jar.  This will probably be fairly easy, but may take some maneuvering.
3. Place batting onto top of jar seal and cover with fabric, so that the covered batting is on the top of the seal and the fabric edges are on the bottom of the seal. Trim any extra fabric, or you may not be able to put the lid and seal on afterwards.
4. Turn seal over and carefully use the hot glue gun to glue the fabric down.  ***I highly recommend an adult do this, as I, myself, ended up with a few burns on my finger tips.***
5. Push the covered seal up through the lid so that the covered batting is coming through the top of the lid.
6. Screw the lid onto the jar and you are done.  If you are having trouble getting the lid to screw on, make sure the seal is pushed through right to the top and trim any extra fabric that might be preventing it from screwing on.  This does not need to be a perfect or tight fit, but to look nice it should at least screw on a little bit.

You now have all your sewing notions together in a small jar and a pincushion on top. I am planning on picking up some canning labels and putting each child's name on their kit, but it is not necessary.

Book review: 250 Great Movies for Latter-Day Families

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This simply means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I also received a PDF file of the book to facilitate my review.

About 250 Great Movies for Latter-Day Families

Finding wholesome, uplifting movies can be a daunting task---especially when Hollywood s values are so far from the Church's. 250 Great Movies for Latter-day Families offers a broad selection of edifying options for your family's next movie night. With content reviews, gospel discussion guides, and indexes by genre and gospel topics, this guide is sure to have something for everyone.

My thoughts on 250 Great Movies for Latter-Day Families

Jonathan Decker does a great job giving the reader the synopsis for each movie, without giving away the storyline.  He then lists any areas of concern that the movie may contain, such as foul language, sexuality, etc.  My favorite part is the messages to discuss sections, which include scriptures and quotes from General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.  Having said that, I highly recommend this book to all families, of any religious persuasion (or none at all), that are looking for wholesome entertainment the whole family can enjoy.  With 250 movies, that is almost 5 years worth of weekly movie nights!  If you are not LDS (latter-day saint), you can still discuss the messages that are suggested, you just may want to look up related scriptures and quotes that are more closely tied to your own beliefs.  Of course, you can also use the LDS scriptures and quotes as well.  Feel free to let me know if you are interested in a free copy of The Book of Mormon ;)

Product Review: Nuby Easy Clean Bibs

About Nuby Easy Clean Bibs

The Easy Clean Bibs are made of a durable waterproof vinyl that will keep your baby's clothing clean and dry. They feature a crumb catcher pocket, a velcro closure and are available in a variety of fun prints and colors.  They are sold in a 2-pack.

My thoughts on Nuby Easy Clean Bibs

After having 5 kids, I have some pretty solid opinions on the different bibs we have used.  The Nuby Easy Clean Bibs rank right up at the top for our favorite bibs.  They provide good coverage on the baby's front (though I wish more bibs actually came with sleeves as well,) and the crumb pocket actually does catch crumbs.  A word of caution though, some of my babies, including Sam, have been known to stash food in the crumb pocket on purpose, so be sure to check it when you take the bib off, or at the very least before washing it.  I also really like how easy it is to clean the bib as well.  You simply wipe it down with a damp cloth and mild soap and hang it to dry, which happens rather quickly.  I do wish the instructions said it was washing machine safe, but they do say not to wash them in the washing machine.  Admittedly,  I did not read the directions until after I had already washed it in the washing machine once (I did line dry it though) and I have to say it held up just fine.  The material on the front is soft and has vibrant colors.  The back of the bib keeps your baby dry and is made with 100% phthalate-free PVC material, as is the pocket on the front.

This makes a great feeding bib for babies and toddlers.  If you are looking for a basic bib to keep your babies clothes clean and dry, I highly recommend the Nuby Easy Clean Bibs.

Disclaimer- I received the above product in exchange for my honest review.