Cause & Effect ~ Adventures in Odyssey {Review}

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Cause & Effect, the latest release from Adventures in Odyssey is full of mysterious disappearances, hilarious radio shows that have ‘guest appearances’, clocks that can’t keep time and are linked to circumstances that happened a long time ago. Each episode drives home great morals and leaves listeners with morsels of truth to take away from the stories. Cause & Effect features 12 new stories including: The Mystery of the Clock Tower {be sure your sin will find you out}, A Thankstaking Story {being thankful}, Grandma’s Christmas Visit {the true meaning of Christmas}, the Owlnapping {only God has the true power}, and An Agreeable Nanny {responsibility}.

My Thoughts

I know I’ve said it before, but Adventures in Odyssey are something that our entire family enjoys {mom and dad included!}. We’ve been on a tv fast over the last few weeks and the disks arrived just in time. When Cause & Effect arrived in our mailbox, the kids couldn’t wait to get in the van and start listening. About 1/2 hour into ‘The Mystery of the Clock Tower’, the first adventure on the cd, McKenna just sat in the backseat and said, “This is the most exciting Adventures in Odyssey EVER!”.

That pretty much sums up how we feel about the new adventures ~ we love them!

Find Out More

~ Visit the Whit’s End website

~ Join Focus on the Family’s Facebook fan page

~ Buy Cause & Effect on Amazon.

This book was provided for review by Tyndale. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Guinness World Records Joins Chick Fil A Kid’s Meals!!

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You all know that I {heart} Chick-fil-A®. Sweet tea. Waffle fries. Yummy chicken. But perhaps the best of all ~ their kid’s meals ROCK!! Instead of cheesy character toys, Chick-fil-A® offers educational and quality kid’s meal toys.

From July 26th until August 28th {or until supplies last} Chick-fil-A® is partnering with Guinness World Records®  and offering five packs in their Kid’s meals featuring “Do Try This at Home” challenges. We received a sample packet of the items pictured {but no cow ~ sniff} and the kids have been having a blast going through the records and seeing how they compare to some of the records mentioned.

One of our kid’s favorites has been the timer and “Do Try This At Home!” disks. The 30 second timer comes with a set of 6 disks with different activities such as “how many jump-rope skips can you make in 30 seconds?” or “how many golf balls can you hold in two hands for 30 seconds?”

The girls turned on the timer and started right in on hopping on one foot…

There are four other Chick-fil-A® Kid’s Meal items that include:

~ A set of Guinness World Records®  cards that have world records set by animals. The cards also include a tanagram on the back.

~ A World Record sports and game booklet which has records broken by athletes around the world. The booklet has two score wheels so you can track the “Do Try this at Home” challenges.

~ A ring of cards that shows Guinness World Records®  holders along with challenges and ideas on things to do at home.

~ A booklet of hobbies and pastimes with challenges, including one set by the largest cup of lemonade ever from Chick-fil-A® operator!

“We hope reading about the Guinness World Records®  achievements and attempting some of the fun activities will inspire kids to strive to set their own records in life,” said Angela Savage, Senior Kids & Family Marketing Consultant for Chick-fil-A, Inc. “The warmer summer months are the perfect time to encourage children to be active and get outside to play with their parents and friends.”

If you receive the same activity twice, you can exchange the duplicate for another activity during the promotion. After the promotion is over the activities can be ordered on line from the Chick-fil-A® shop while supplies last!

Sponge Toss Game

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Now I can't take credit for this game - just the "me-ified" version. I saw this game in Family Fun magazine and despite the fact that we don't have a full-size pool, I adapted it to work in our little kiddie pool. The kids LOVED it! And really, in the middle of the hot summer, when the kids are hot and cranky, one hour of squealing, laughing kids makes it so worth it. The Family Fun version needs:

• 3 pool noodles - shaped into a ring using duct tape
• 3 (or more) plastic plates/bowls
• Sharpie
• Sponges, cut into pieces
• A large pool

My version needs:

• Sponges, cut into squares (we used a different color for each child
• Plastic/foam bowls or plates - you can only fit so many in a pool
• A Sharpie
• A kiddie pool

Write different numbers in the bottoms of the bowls (1-5) assigning "points" to each bowl. Once the pool is filled, float the bowls/plates in the pool and let the kids take turns tossing the sponges into the bowls, earning points. The kiddo with the most points wins.

This game lasted for about 10 minutes and then it turned into several different things for the kids. Zachary had a great time trying to toss the sponges in and identify the numbers. McKenna and Laurianna were trying to add and skip count as they tossed theirs in. Kaleb just kept trying to grab everything or throw anything else into the pool.

  Then the kids figured out that the wet sponges make some lovely wet shapes.

On Mommy.

So we spent about twenty minutes with Mommy being chased around the yard screaming and soaking wet, until the hose came out in my defense and then the screaming was reversed. I tell ya' - it's quick, painless and pretty cheap when it comes down to it. And you can't beat that!

 

Note: This post was originally published in July 2008.

Pumpkin Spice Playdough {Recipe for Fun}

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While it may not be the most attractive looking of all playdoughs, this recipe is guaranteed to have your house smelling absolutely yummy in no time at all! We pulled out our pumpkin cookie cutters and the kids had a great time playing with this soft and pumpkin~spiced playdough.

You'll Need:

~ 2 cups of flours {I had whole wheat on hand}
~ 1 cup salt
~ 4 tsp. cream of tartar
~ 1/4 cup cinnamon
~ 2 Tbsp. cloves
~ 2 Tbsp. nutmeg
~ 2 tsp. ginger
~ 2 cups water
~ 2 Tbsp. oil

To Make:

1. Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and spices together in a mixing bowl.

2. Add the water and oil to the dry ingredients and mix together well.

3. Transfer mixture to a medium sized saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.

4. The dough will begin to thicken and form. When it becomes difficult to stir and is more solid, remove from heat and carefully knead the dough. {Note: dough will be hot!}

5. When dough has cooled, have fun playing. Store in the fridge to help the dough last longer ~ this is great for the holidays!!

Family Fun Magazine for $4.95!!

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Family Fun magazine is one of my favorite 'idea' magazines and definitely the one I get the MOST out of. My subscription expired a few months ago and today while I was looking for deals online I found a great coupon code and deal.

If you order through Magazines.com be sure to use the coupon code BMSFIVE at checkout {the code box is on the right hand side of the payment screen}. When all is said and done, you are paying $4.95 for a one year subscription {10 issues}.

Fourth of July Hat & Sparkler

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Having been rather un-crafty in the patriotic department for many years past, THIS year seemed to be the year to step up and actually do something with the kids. I can't take credit for the ideas, because I fiddled with several that I found online. Becca @ The Texas Darlings posted a cute picture of her kids wearing a similar festive hat. The sparkler idea was featured at Crafty Crow today.

In the spirit of being festive, we invited some friends over, the mommies did a bunch of prep work, and we all had fun creating!

 

Fourth of July Hat

Supplies needed

~ Red, white, & blue foam sheets
~ Duct tape {your color choice}
~ Holiday garland {we picked it up at the Dollar Tree}
~ Star stickers

Putting it all together

1. Cut the garland {or destroy a Dollar Tree centerpiece} to use as decoration for the hat. We used most of the stars for our hats and saved a few along with the other spikey garland to make our sparklers.

2. Cut the foam sheets into 2" strips {if you are using 9x12 sheets this will give you 6 strips when laid horizontally}.

3. Lay the foam strips out on the counter. We patterned them red/white/blue and used a total of 12 for each of the hats.

4. Use duct tape to hold the strips together. We used two strips of duct tape that would show as a 'band' on the outside of the hat and one strip that we folded over the back/inside of the hat.

5. Fringe the tops of the foam strips opposite the duct tape. We made 4 cuts/slits on each foam strip {1/2" apart} and about 4" long.

6. Decorate the hat with stars and the holiday garland. We used duct tape on the inside of the hat to hold the garland in place.


7. Fit the hat to your child's head. Once we knew how big it needed to be, we used another piece of duct tape to seal it.

8. Wear it proudly!

Fourth of July Sparkler

Supplies needed

~ a pencil
~ duct tape or painter's tape {your color choice}
~ holiday garland

Putting it Together

1. Cut garland to use for the sparkler and cut a piece of duct tape slightly longer than the pencil.

2. Lay the pencil on top of the duct tape and press the decorative garland onto the tape.

3. Roll the pencil up in the duct tape to seal it shut.

4. Shake and enjoy!

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ItzaBitza Review and Giveaway!

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Computer time is a hot commodity around our house. Especially when there are three kids trying to get in the hot seat and play! We recently received ItzaBitza for the kids to try out {and me to review}. Bottom line ~ the kids LOVE it! They've been taking turns over the last few weeks and enjoy playing it. Zachary is thrilled because even he is able to participate and work the game. I love that it is building word recognition, developing reading skills and the kids are being creative in the process!

What exactly is ItzaBitza?

ItzaBitza is a computer game where your child's creativity constructs the 'world' that the characters, called Sketchies, live in. When the Sketchies need something, children draw the objects for them. Initially, the Sketchies need a house. After the house is drawn {and it can be shaped like a boat or a tree}, it literally comes to life! The character goes into the house through the door and interacts with the drawing your child made.

"ItzaBitza includes five playsets. Each playset is a blank environment waiting for a child to use Living Ink to draw the objects needed within the environment. The blank environments include a location for a home, a camp site, a haunted house, outer space, and a farm. Children read sentences that appear as thought bubbles on their Sketchy. If the child hovers the mouse over a word, the word turns red, grows larger, and is pronounced in the voice of a child. As the children progress through the playsets, the sentences become richer in meaning and construction."

Just a note: My kids have not played with the haunted house aspect of the game, so I can't give you the details on that...most likely they would avoid it. It is one of the later levels in the game.

ItzaBitza also has a free trial download if you want to get a better idea of how your family would like the software.

To give you a visual idea about the software, here is a quick clip to help sum it all up:



The Specifics:

• Price: $19.99
• Ages: 4+
• OS: Windows XP or Vista
• Available online through 'buy and download' option
• Boxed version available at Target, Best Buy, Office Depot, OfficeMax and Amazon.com
  

The Giveaway Rules!! I have two downloads available for two of my readers! Are you interested in winning? Here are the ways to earn up to four entries:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Subscribe to my blog by reader or email ~ see the lovely button in the right sidebar? Leave me a comment to let me know when you do {or if you already follow this blog}.
   
3. Twitter about this contest and then come back to leave an additional comment.
   
4. Let your friends through Facebook or your blog know ~ come back to leave an additional comment after you post a link back to this giveaway.
   

*** This giveaway is now closed ***

The giveaway is open until Sunday, July 5th at 8pm. Two winners will be chosen at random and I will announce the winners Monday, July 6th. Please be sure to leave a way for me to contact you {i.e. blog address or email}. The winners will have 3 days to contact me and I will then email the code to unlock the game. If I haven't heard back within 3 days, I will draw another winner.

Koolaid Playdough {Recipe for Fun}

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When I taught preschool budgets were tight and it was always fun to have the kids help cook and create along with me. This Koolaid Playdough was one of our favorites to make because it always smelled so yummy, was done in under 10 minutes and made a great size batch. We could also make a rainbow of colors for right around $5! The kids and I made seven different colors last week and were able to split the batches in half to send half to the grandparent's house.

What you'll need:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp cream of tartar
1 envelope unsweetened Koolaid
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

To make:

1. Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, Koolaid and water in medium saucepan. Stir in oil.

2. Mix over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until mixture forms a ball in the center of pan. Dough will start darkening in color.

3. Remove from pan {caution: will be HOT}. Knead until soft.

4. Store in airtight container or ziploc bag.

5. Licking is optional

Note: We used a variety of Koolaid flavors ~ fruit punch {red}, orange {orange}, lemonade {yellow}, lemon-lime {green}, berry blue {blue}, grape {purple}, pink lemonade {pink}. The lemonade was the only one that I added a few drops of food coloring too so it was a little brighter in color.

Would you like to see more recipes for fun this summer? Leave a comment and let me know! Just wanted to pass along a little something that is Working for Me!

Free Magazines ~ lmnop

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I came across a fun FREE magazine for parents and kids. Yes, you read that right ~ FREE!! The magazine is called "lmnop" ~ laugh . make . nurture . organise . play.

The current issue is dedicated to the alphabet and there are some neat projects: crochet letters, reading boards, and an AMAZING section on vowel construction.

Don't just take my word on it ~ head on over and download your free issue now. And while you're there, check out some of their past issues too.

Just wanted to pass along a little something that is Working for Me!

The TP Tube Train

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If you don't read my homeschool blog and think the above train is cute {and trust me, it is}, you can read about how to make one with your kiddos by clicking here.

Kid's Winter Reading Challenge

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Winter starts tomorrow and so our fall reading challenge with the kids is wrapping up today. The kids still think they have 5 more books to read so they are scrambling around reading to each other.

Truthfully, they have probably read more than enough books and it's probably due to my lack of recording their reading - but I'm not complaining! They've been cuddling up on the couch with each other and reading books to anyone who will listen.

They asked what the winter reading chart is going to look like, so I pulled one together last night and it's posted below in case you are interested in using it with your kids.

I'm hoping to get my Fall Reading challenge list posted tonight or tomorrow and report in on my success (or lack thereof) in checking off books on my list.
Winter Reading Challenge

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Early Education Education

Teaching Kids the Reason for the Season

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For the last few years we've been celebrating the Advent season with the kids to help focus on the REAL reason of Christmas, and truth be told, it helps keep the adults in the right frame of mind too! There have been various books that we've used together over the years, but this year we borrowed a book from a friend (that has recently been republished) to read to the kids.

Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide follows a 10 year old boy across Israel as he travels to find his family - ultimately finding the Savior in Bethlehem. There are 2 other books in the series (also in the process of being republished) that can be used in upcoming years and follow the same story line, but with different characters. Our kids are really enjoying the story so far. We're playing "catch-up" since we just got ahold of it, but each day there is a section of the story shared and then an application section for the story. Recommended ages are from 9-12 but our oldest three (4-7) have really been enjoying it too. Kaleb just thinks fire on the candles is pretty. *grins*

Our Advent wreath is fairly simple - I used a basket that we had in our house and added some fake greenery and advent candles in green floral foam. Really, not so much of a wreath as it is an Advent basket, but it works! The lovely thing is, I can use it from year to year without having to put it all together each time. Every night after dinner we try to sit down as a family around the table, light the different candles (we're up to two now) and enjoy the story and celebrate together as a family. And trying to do a little something to help keep Christ in the Christmas season.

Have You Heard of Jelly Telly?

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I found this site the other night and signed up for a free month of their service. Jelly Telly is a web site created by Phil Visher (you know, the Veggie Tales guy) that produces videos to bring the Bible to life for kids (and offer something more substantial than Nickelodeon or Disney). And the best part is - you can get a FREE MONTH of Jelly Telly to try it out. You can sign up for a free month here, and they don't take any credit card information to register your account. I've been having far too much fun checking the site out myself!

Everyday there is a new episode that includes a Bible story, Kid's Reflections and more using cartoons, puppets and creative ideas to reach kids. On Sundays they show a "movie of the week" (this week it's Hermie and Friends: A Fruitcake Christmas).

There are also some fun games for kids to play and you can go back to watch previous shows too. Once your free month is up, it is only $2.99 a month to subscribe. I'm anxious to try it for a month and see how it goes with our kids!

You can watch the video clip below to find out a little more about the site and sign up for a free month.




If the above video isn't loading properly or is cut off, you can view the full version here.

He's Just too Cute NOT to share

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We made this last week during our preschool time and since I'm limited to cutting and pasting at the moment before IE shuts down, I thought this little worm was too cute not to share. Definitely one worm I don't mind finding in my house!

This was done as an art activity when we talked about the letter "I" last week during our preschool time (if you are interested, you can read more about it on my other blog, Homeschool Creations).

We were blessed with plenty of toilet paper rolls around the house thanks to Zachary pulling all the toilet paper off the roll, stuffing it in the toilet and plugging the toilet for us. Just doing his part to help out with our art projects...

1. Cut two toilet paper tubes into rings (4 rings each for a total of 8 rings).


2. Fold 7 of the rings flat and then cut them in half. One ring needs to be left whole to use as the inchworms head.


3. Have your child color the inchworm pieces if they would like.


4. Staple the inchworm together so the his back is like little arches.


5. Use a paper punch to put two holes at the top of the worm's head. Insert 1/4 of a pipe cleaner into the holes to use as antennas. Add googly eyes (because art just isn't art without a googly eye thrown in there somewhere).


6. Admire your handiwork.

It Looked So Much Better on Paper

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Somehow I got suckered back into a subscription of Family Fun, and I feel it necessary to use at least ONE of the many wonderful crafty ideas that they provide in their magazine. For the month of October that would be the "Leaf Creatures" or some other creative title like that - that's just what we've been calling them 'round these parts.

Of course in not following the actual directions could be where we veered severely off course. Because I'm guessing there is a HUGE difference between tacky glue and Elmer's glue.

Especially when one's children are prone to using large quantities in an attempt to nail down anything that doesn't move. And the drying time on Elmer's glue can be days people - trust me.

Should you actually want to follow the directions, they are pretty simple: gather as much "nature" material from the great outdoors - leaves, sticks, rocks, bark, etc....and let your kids glue them together with tacky glue to make bizarre looking beautiful leaf creatures. Being able to find the googly eyes that you have somewhere in your house would also be most helpful. Because leaving your children alone with a bottle of glue while you run off on a wild search for them is really not such a good idea.

Not that I speak from experience or anything.

The kids had great fun climbing the fence to pick mini pine cones, dead-heading my flowers - it was a regular free-for-all in our backyard. They hunted and picked the best possible materials for their people.

From Drop Box

The glue came out and they all squeezed out at least half a bottle of glue...

From Collages

And then we set the odd little creatures on the counter to dry. And dry. And dry.

From Collages

Since Mommy couldn't find the eyes, we had to make due, but the kids were very excited with how they turned out - even if they weren't "magazine-worthy" they were excited they were going to be on Mommy's blog.
And really, that's all that's important, right?