Shabby Blog Wheels on the Bus

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Calvary Garden {in progress}


When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew we had to make a "Calvary Garden" for Easter this year!

We spent a little time this afternoon patting down the soil, spreading the rocks, scattering the grass seed, and assembling the three crosses.

What a tangible dining room centerpiece to remind the children of what this season is truly about!

Hope to see it sprouting soon!

(Here is our favorite tutorial of this inspiring craft!)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Know much about sod house living?

We've been studying about settlers in the Old West in our Hideaways in History curriculum.

Though learning about gunslingers and cowboys is certainly exciting, life in the big West wasn't always so exciting for everyone. There were plain, ordinary families just like ours who sought to start a new life there.

Many lived in simple houses made of sod. We were intrigued as we measured how big one would actually be -- and imagined the earthy, musty smell one would have inside it.


Our curriculum pointed us to this website where several fun activities teach more about sod house living. There's a fun interactive game to see if you're smart enough to know where and how to build....and a detective activity to gain clues from old photos of sod house families.

I don't know who enjoyed this lesson more -- me or the kids!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Another way to sneak in writing practice!

Ever since I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew it would work for our family. I also began to realize we had done this very thing before years ago -- but back then, our little ones couldn't yet read or write -- they could only draw pictures. I knew that their new skills could really make this idea blossom, and I was right.

So we decorated paper envelope "mailboxes" once again and taped them to our doors. (Yes, my husband and me, too!)




Nearly every night the kids tuck plain paper under their arms and snag a pencil on the way to bed. Baring down on a book, they write letters and fictional stories to each other, then tiptoe out to tuck the notes into each other's mailboxes.

They send their mom and dad notes, too, sometimes...and we leave love notes for them, too.

Not only is it a family building idea, it's another neat (and fun) way to sneak in creative writing, penmanship, and spelling practice!