Weekly Wrap-Up~Week 12

Yeah.  The last time I did this was week two.  10 weeks have passed since then.  10 weeks that were gone in a blink. 

Blink.

If I’m not careful another 10 weeks are going to be gone too.

Blink.

I’ve got to get some of these school days on my blog, proof to my children and myself that our home education was a rich and satisfying, if not a hectic and bizarre experience!

Blink.

Tot School~

See the cool chair that I bought for my sanity.  It holds a child up to 40 pounds, Marshmallow is tall but really skinny and only weighs about 22 pounds so I have lots of time with this beautiful chair.  She loves sitting at the table with us, though she has the ability to get the whole table moving with the swinging of her feet.

I gave her the hot dot pen and some picture cards to play with.  She loved hearing the pen cheer for her and she loved turning the pages in the little picture book.

My mom got Marshmallow this awesome learning toy!  She loves it! It holds her attention and even though she’s not real interested in matching up the colors, she will put them where I tell her too. 

Kindergarten~

I got these alphabet pages from Confessions of a Homeschooler, her printables continue to bless me more than I can express.  I’m so thankful for these young Moms who are computer savvy and share their creativity with the rest of us.  I’m also amazed at how well and thoroughly Laffy Taffy understands and writes his letters.  He can write any letter I tell him too.  I don’t think my other children were doing that at four.

Linking cube activity’s.

This is new thing I added to our schoolroom this week.  They are beautiful and the children think they are great fun!

2nd Grade & 4th Grade~

Homeschool Bowling!

Team:  Bubble Gum Blast

Team: Warrior of Valor

I’ve also had them doing All About Spelling together.  I didn’t plan to do it this way, but it’s working out really well.  We are almost done with Level 2, I have us doing 4 lessons a week.  We’ll be done before Thanksgiving Break.  I’ll get the next level during that time.

10th Grade~

Strawberry is a little more elusive during school time.  She’s often sitting at her desk or up in her room, so I don’t get many photos of her.  She is taking the PSAT on Saturday.  Exciting!  She’s also working on developing a new blog that will encourage other teenage girls to be courageous for Christ in everything they do, including how they dress.  She and her friends are working on it together, it’s such a great concept and I pray the Lord will bless it!

My older sons are plugging along through their senior year of PSEO/Highschool.  Chocolate Taffy had an Ethics presentation at school this week, 45 minutes long!  It was a group project and I heard they did fantastic! He wore a suit coat and everything!  Banana Taffy’s presentation is in two weeks.  Chocolate’s speech was on lethal force used by Law Enforcement Officers and Banana’s is about Stem Cell Research. They are being stretched and challenged in their PreCalculus class and they are both enjoying having their best friends join them at PSEO this year! 

Blink.

Before I know it they will be graduated and I’ll be planning an open house, helping them with college applications and taking their senior pictures. 

Blink.

Somebody tape my eyes open, I don’t want to miss anything!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

P.S. I’ve been updating my “Meet the Taffy Flavors” Page.  If you want to read the new bio’s and see what’s on everybody’s mind this year click here.  Blessings!

Buffering Swords

I think my children are somewhat creative.  Given the proper tools and freedoms they can come up with some pretty awesome ways to spend their free time.  For a few years now their favorite thing has been to make buffering swords out of Fun Noodles, PVC pipe and duct tape.

  

The noodles with the hole in the middle are the best. 

They’ve created all manner of games and challenges with these things.  But basically they cut up the pipe, wrap it in a fun noodle and wrap it in duct tape and proceed to pummel each other.  Good exercise and loads of fun!

3:1 doesn’t seem quite fair…

No babies were hurt in the taking of this picture, it’s totally posed.  Isn’t her skirt adorable?  Such a little girl!

Just look at the form, makes a mom proud.  lol

So next time your children need a little challenge and have some extra energy to burn, buy a couple fun noodles and PVC pipe and duct tape, show them these photos and let them use their imagination to build all manner of weaponry.  Then let them have at it!  I love watching them, it totally makes me laugh!  Especially when Daddy plays along! 

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Monkey Chase

Years ago, when Bubble Gum was a little baby, my mom got her this adorable little monkey.  I’ve always loved it and so have all the little babies that have played with it.

Look how good she’s sitting up now!

She’ll be 7 months old in about a week!  My how time has flown by!  She’s got one little tooth peeking through on the bottom.  She’s loves carrots and squash and Momma’s Milk.  She’s not sleeping through the night, but she does sleep, so I’m good with that!

Loving my Marshmallow,

Mrs. Taffy

Feel and Find~Guide Craft Review

I have some good news and some bad news.  First the bad news, this is my final month being a member of the Guide Craft mom bloggers.  To say that this makes me sad is an understatement as being a blogger for Guide Craft has brought me and my children great joy.  The good news is, at the end of this review, you’ll be able enter a giveaway to win your own set of Feel and Find World Icons.

Have you ever played with anything like this before?  Even before being a Guide Craft Mom Blogger I recognized the value and benefit of this kind of sensory toy!  Inside the roomy cotton bag are 20 tiles and 20 shaped blocks.  They are made from Eco-friendly rubberwood, stained with low VOC aniline dyes. 

                   

When I first introduced this sensory toy I just let Laffy Taffy match up the shapes with the tiles.  We talked about what the different shapes were, what the different colors were.  This was like a puzzle and he really enjoyed it.

Then, so as not to overwhelm him, I would pick one or two colors of tiles and put only those corresponding shapes in the bag.  I would tell him reach into the bag and feel around, find a tile and then have him tell me what shape he thought he had.  About half the time he was correct.

Some shapes have very similar outlines, others are more obvious.  A lion and a hippo don’t feel that different initially, neither do a turtle and a leaf.  But that’s the whole idea of this sensory toy, to get them seeing with their hands.

                

This sensory toy is safe for children 3 and up, but I wouldn’t hesitate to let a 2 year old or even a little younger than that, give it try with supervision. 

All matched up and sorted by color.  You could also sort by categories:  animals, shapes, etc. 

Guide craft sells this fantastic learning toy for $30.00.  You can also find it selling on Amazon for a little bit less.  This is definitely one of those things that would be a great asset to your preschool no matter what your teaching philosophy!

To win your own set, visit Xenia over at Thanks Mail Carrier!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Disclaimer-I was given the Feel and Find World Icons in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own, I was not paid.

Guidecraft Blocks~Review

It’s that time of the month…the time when I get to share with you another of the great products from Guidecraft.  This month we reviewed:

 Shimmering Water Blocks and

Crystal Bead Blocks.

Oh what a great addition to our growing wooden block collection!

The thing my children loved most about these wooden blocks are the half circle blocks.  They add a new dimension and challenge to their building that they really enjoyed.  They also loved to try and balance the other blocks on top of the half-circle blocks.

I really love how the Shimmering Water Blocks reflect the sunlight.

Jolanthe over at Homeschool Creations is giving away a set of each blocks!!  So Fun!  Thanks Guidecraft for keeping our block building playtime so colorful and exciting!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Disclaimer:  As a Guidecraft Mom Blogger I was given these blocks in exchange for my honest review and opinion.  I was not paid.

Sea Turtle~Timberdoodle Review

As part of the Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review team I was asked to review a piece of their fantastic Toddler Timberdoodle Core Curriculum Package.

Would you just look at this adorable Sea Turtle? 

Officially it’s called Educo Colorback Sea Turtle Bead Maze. I think that’s a wordy title, but it’s sure a fun learning toy.  The goal of the maze is to move the colorful magnetic balls into the corresponding color pocket on the turtle’s shell using the magnetic wand.  Here’s an example:

          

And he finished it!

And just look at the joy on his face!  He adores this maze and the feeling of accomplishment that he gets from it.

Edco Colorback Seat Turtle is designed for children ages 2-7. (My 6 year old LOVED it too.)  It’s durably made, the plastic front isn’t scratching like you might expect from a toy like this.  I also like that the cord has one of those break-away thingy’s.  Not only is this a safety feature but also a deterrent for carrying it around by the cord. 

When you order the Toddler Timberdoodle Core Curriculum Package, not only do you get this great maze, but you also get all these other unique  learning materials.  Timberdoodle also includes a handy planning folder (which I also reviewed).  I love reading everything Timberdoodle writes but this folder is particularly helpful in that in gives ideas and suggestions for using each piece of the curriculum.  My favorite pages being the ones titled How do you do it all:  Housework, Home Education and Home Business?  Amazing wisdom from a family that has been there and done that.

Timberdoodle sells The Colorback Sea Turtle for $24.95.  And while that might seem a little spendy, it’s made with the kind of quality and care that makes it a treasure that can be passed down through all the 2-7 years that grow up in your home. 

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Legal Disclosure:  As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.