DIY Kid's Back to School Craft Station

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SchoolYearReady #CollectiveBias

I can't believe that summer is coming to a close and kids will be heading back to school soon. Wasn't it just the first of June? It's been a very busy summer here, and we're gearing up to start our at-home preschool program this fall. Lincoln and Addie are both so excited - they can't wait! Anytime we do a project that includes letters, numbers, paint, or glue, they are thrilled.

To get our schoolroom ready, I wanted to put together something to hold their basic craft supplies. I'm much more likely to sit down for craft projects multiple times a week if the supplies don't have to be dragged out of boxes and bins. It was a pretty quick project - only took part of a morning to make.

DIY Kid's Craft Station
Supplies Needed
-Tray
-Bowl
-Small Candlestick
-Spray Paint
-Glue (you can use something strong like E6000 - but hot glue might work depending on your materials)
-Craft Supplies

To make the craft station, find a tray and bowl to use for your storage area. Mine are made out of very light plastic, so they won't hold up any really heavy craft supplies. For the small items I'm using they turned out fine, but I might get a heavier plastic when I make another one! Step one is to spray paint the tray, bowl, and candlestick. Once they have dried, you just glue them together with the candlestick between the two pieces.

Once your craft station is put together, you can head to Walmart to stock up on school supplies while you wait for the glue to dry! Our list of supplies, of course, included Scotch® Magic™ Tape. There's no way we could get through preschool crafts without it! I found the Scotch® Magic™ Tape in both the stationary and seasonal sections at Walmart.

We stocked up on other preschool craft supplies too, and went home to get our craft station all set up.

With supplies like googly eyes, paper fasteners, craft sticks, and pom-poms, I know we will be able to create endless projects this school year.

I had to get some Post-It® Notes, too - in our house, we can never have too many of those. The kids love playing with them and I love that Post-It® products always stick securely, yet remove cleanly.

Which 3M products are essentials on your back to school shopping list? How much Scotch® Tape do you use in a typical school year?

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SchoolYearReady #CollectiveBias

GIANTmicrobes Holiday Wreath Box + Rhinovirus Plush Review + Giveaway

Disclosure: I received products to facilitate this review. No compensation was received and all views expressed are my own. 

What's more fun than a plush caroling sore throat? Definitely not a real sore throat, that's for sure! 

Are you intrigued yet? I'm excited to share with you about GIANTmicrobes, a very unique company that offers stuffed versions of tiny microbes - at a million times their real size! There are over one hundred different stuffed microbes available - from probiotic creatures to cells of the body to aquatic amoebas and many, many more. Andrew (my hubby) thinks they are one of the greatest gift ideas ever and is always suggesting them for our family and friends at holidays and birthdays!

Perhaps one of the best fits for a holiday gift are the boxed sets that include holiday-themed microbes! We were sent the Wreath Box for inclusion in our Holiday Gift Guide and we couldn't be more tickled by it!

This group of miniature plush toys includes five different microbes:
-Sore Throat singing Christmas carols
-White Blood Cell dressed up as a snowman with top hat and carrot nose
-Stomach Ache as a delectable gingerbread man
-Nerve Cell with angel wings and halo
-Limited Edition shimmering gold Amoeba (only available in this set)

This little collection is so stinking adorable - they are both educational and hilarious. But my favorite thing about them is that they are basically indestructible. They're adorning the lower half of our Christmas tree and even though they have been dragged off and across the house multiple times this week, they are still looking great. Thanks, toddlers, for making it virtually impossible for moms everywhere to actually decorate Christmas trees.

Microbes peeking out from the tree branches...they're kind of adorable!

GIANTmicrobes does a great job of presenting the microscopic world in a fun, approachable manner. My kids ask to know the name of each one and are pretty good at remembering what they are called!

GIANTmicrobes were originally created to teach kids the importance of washing their hands to protect them from germs. Since we're at a stage with our 2- and 3-year-olds where they are just starting to learn about proper hand-washing hygiene, we thought it would be perfect to let them check out a Rhinovirus (the common cold microbe) plush.

Addie is pretty much in love with this plush. This week, she has been carrying it with her everywhere. She gives it love, throws it like a ball, and calls it "Rhina-BIRUS!"

How many kids can say they played with the Common Cold as toddlers?

GIANTmicrobes are perfect stocking stuffers and would likely make anyone in the medical field smile if they were presented with one as a gift this Christmas. I quite honestly think my husband wants the entire collection, but I have no idea where we could stash that many plush toys!

Visit GIANTmicrobes online to check out all of the microbe options! You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a GIANTmicrobe plush (and you can pick which one you want)! This giveaway will end on December 16 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclosure: Thank you to GIANTmicrobes for providing my review sample and the giveaway prize! I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Clifford the Big Red Dog Animal Science Kit Review + Giveaway - #HolidayGiftGuide2014

Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and all views expressed are my own. 

We started preschool earlier this fall...and have not managed to find a rhythm that works perfectly for us. I need a little bit more time and a lot more organization, but I'm still trying! We were really excited to have the chance to check out the Clifford Animal Science Kit from The Young Scientists Club. 

The Clifford the Big Red Dog kit collection is designed with preschoolers (ages 3+) in mind and includes Water Science, Rainbow Science, Kitchen Science, Magic Science, and Food Science. These kits use everyday items to make things like bird feeders, exploding volcanoes, and dancing pasta! The Clifford licensed line was introduced in 2013 and has been received with enthusiasm everywhere - and most definitely in our house! I think Lincoln would love the whole series.

Here's a little more info about this kit:
Clifford and his friends love exploring the world around them and with this exciting kit they are learning all about ANIMAL SCIENCE. Emily Elizabeth, the narrator in the colorful 20-page manual, guides young scientists through versatile experiments with catchy titles such as animal habitats, edible play dough, animal track cast, animal scavenger hunt, animal fossils, bug house, camouflaged animals, animal life cycle, what is in an egg, what do animals eat, bird feeder, and habitat diorama. This kit comes with reusable habitat stickers, scavenger hunt chart with stickers, a bug house, 12 miniature animals and much more. Young Scientists will feel like real scientists when they use the included colorful lab tray, measuring cup, and magnifying glass to perform their experiments! Join Clifford and his friends on an adventure into the world of science! (Ages 3 and up)

We broke open the kit the same afternoon we tried the Does It Sink or Float? experiment, so we had a science-filled day. Lincoln loved every minute of it. He and Daddy decided to start with the Animal Track Cast project. The instruction book contains step-by-step directions that are easy to follow.

Lincoln was fascinated by the entire creation process. He wanted to help with each step - measuring, mixing, kneading - all of it!

The animal track cast project required just oats, flour, and water - things we already had in our house. The included tray contains both the mixing bowl and mold necessary for this project.

Lincoln spent a good portion of the project trying to eat the experiment, but overall - I still think he learned a lot!

The finished animal cast turned out really well! Lincoln was very proud of it and showed it to everyone he saw in the next few days. He wanted to paint it as well, and had a grand time adding some color to the finished cast.

I'm so impressed overall with the contents of the kit. We've been able to complete a few of the other projects as well, and they have all been big hits - but there are still plenty of new experiments to explore. These science kits will be perfect for the upcoming long winter months when we are stuck inside due to the cold weather!

These Clifford kits would make excellent and unique holiday gifts for preschool kids who enjoy learning creatively. The Young Scientists Club offers many additional products that are perfect for elementary age, as well - there's a Magic School Bus series that looks great! I have my eye on the Clifford Kitchen Science kit next!

Visit The Young Scientists Club online for more info about this kit and all of the others available. You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a Clifford Animal Science Kit! This giveaway will end on December 16 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: Thank you to The Young Scientists Club for providing my review sample and the giveaway prize! I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Super Easy Thankful Turkey Thanksgiving Kids Craft

Heads up: this post does not contain any sort of detailed, in-depth instructions on how to create the most majestic Thanksgiving craft you can imagine. It is a pretty simple process, and I am sharing it with the sole hope that some mom out there feels the way I do: that holidays sneak up on us and we never get enough (or any) craft projects prepped, much less created, with our kids. Since the beginning of fall, the only project I actually remember making with my kids is our Falling Leaves Autumn Tree...and that was weeks ago! Sigh!

This one's so easy you can do it in your sleep - yet still fun for kids because they get to use a glue stick! See? Win-win.

Here's what you need to put together this friendly little turkey craft:

-Construction Paper in various colors
-2 Googly Eyes
-A Glue Stick
-A Writing Utensil (I used a marker)
-Something Round (to trace for your turkey body)
-An Eager Kid to help you

I told Lincoln that we were going to make Thankful Turkeys and he was very excited. In fact, he was so excited that he wanted to get started right away and not wait for me to do any prep work. So he watched as I hastily drew circles on brown construction paper and cut them out, then free-hand cut the nose, feathers, and legs. He's not super proficient with glue yet, so I helped him figure out where to attach the feathers and legs.

As we added each feather, I asked him what he was thankful for. The first thing he said was "my family" - cue the awwwws. After that, it got a little bit random with things like cheese, his sippy cup, a broom, and my camera. But the point is, he's learning what it means to be thankful and that's awesome!

Addie made a turkey too, but she said she wasn't thankful for anything and wanted to get down after helping to glue three feathers. You can't win them all, folks.

This turkey project took about twenty minutes from the time I thought of it until completion. So, moms....here's your easy craft project for the week of Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Does It Sink or Float? - Easy Preschool Science Experiment with Free Printable

 So far in my first year as a homeschool mom, I'm failing. Official preschool sessions do not happen every day, and sometimes not even every week. Sigh. I will continue to tell myself that this year is more about easing into the process and figuring out ways to help them learn. Since they are only three and two years old, I have a little bit of time.

We do still try to incorporate learning into our everyday adventures, even if that just means counting everything we touch, naming colors, and discussing how things work. Last weekend, Daddy was home and decided to put together some fun science experiments for the kids to do - and of course, they both loved it. I wold love to find more time in my day (when they are asleep) to prep crafts and projects for them, because they enjoy it so much!

So anyway - this post is about one of our experiments: Does It Sink or Float?

We gathered a tray, a pitcher filled with water, and a handful of random household objects. Then we set out to teach our kids about The Scientific Method (good basic overview here).

For each experiment, Andrew asked the kids if they thought the item would sink or float, let them hold it (briefly - Addie started eating some of the pieces of our lesson), and recorded their prediction on a Sink or Float chart (keep reading - free printable is at the bottom of the post). 

The first object tested was an apple, and the kids were both very intrigued as it was a floating object! 

Addie's predictions were primarily float at the beginning, while Lincoln's were primarily sink. As the game went on, they got a little better at guessing - or, at least they got lucky. 

You can use really any household items that won't be damaged by water in this game -  here's a list of what we tried.

-Apple
-Crayon
-Leaf
-Rock
-Measuring Spoon
-Regular Spoon
-Coin
-Carrot
-Golf Ball
-Cauliflower
-Toy Zebra

They were most interested in the items that floated - I guess they were more intriguing. 

Keep towels close by if your little helpers want to dig out the items that sink themselves - we had a near catastrophe in the middle of our experiment when water was spilled all over the table (and a pile of receipts and papers). 

What objects would you test in this Sink or Float game?

As promised, here are some free printables to help you enjoy this preschool activity!

Free Printable Object List (includes apple, egg, leaf, spoon, coin, and ice cube)

Free Printable Blank Object List

Happy experimenting!

Kansas City's Coterie Theatre Presents Rosa Parks & The Montgomery Bus Boycott - Now through October 19

Disclosure: I received press passes to attend this production at The Coterie Theatre. I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.

I love it when I get to write about The Coterie, because it's been one of my favorite places in Kansas City since I was a little girl! I was able to attend the opening night performance of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott last weekend, and I'm so excited to tell you all about it.

Left to right: Ron Lackey (as E.D. Nixon), Antonia Washington (as Rosa Parks), and
Frank Oakley III (as Martin Luther King, Jr.) in Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of The Coterie Theatre.

This historical play, written by Sue Greenberg and directed by Brad Shaw, is the opening production for the Coterie's 2014/2015 season. It is a drama that combines the story of Rosa Parks with music from the time period - the mixture of the two really give this show a perfect pace.

If you paid attention in history class at all, it's likely that you have heard of Rosa Parks. However, you probably only know one thing about her: she refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. Her story was far from over after that day, yet history books tend to move right on past her - because, after all, there are a lot of stories to be told.

I found it captivating to take a peek into the world of Rosa Parks after her life-changing decision. I didn't realize (or remember) that she was forty-two years old at the time. I didn't know she went to jail. I was unaware that Martin Luther King, Jr., was a young pastor who had recently moved to Montgomery, Alabama or that he was involved in the bus boycott that followed the actions of Rosa Parks. For me, this play was very eye-opening and I honestly wish my children were old enough to appreciate it - I know that I will remember these details from the past much better having seen the story come to life before my eyes.

Antonia Washington (as Rosa Parks) in Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of The Coterie Theatre.

The talented cast showcased the characters for us in a way that made them seem truly real. From the official press release:

Along with Rosa Parks (vividly portrayed by Antonia Washington), the play also features Martin Luther King, Jr. (Frank Oakley III) as a young 24 year-old minister initially reluctant to embrace his own dynamic leadership; E.D. Nixon (Ron Lackey), the pullman car porter whose activism helped inspire Parks, King, and others; Mrs. Virginia Durr (Cindy K. Siefers), a good friend of Rosa Parks who proved the movement had supporters in the white community. Also essential to the true story are Rosa’s grandmother (Sherri Roulette-Mosley), Coretta Scott King (Shon Ruffin), and the Bus Driver (Michael Ott).

Rosa's story is one of courage, yes - but in this capacity, we are able to see many deeper motivations for why she chose not to give up her seat. The ensemble cast seamlessly rounds out the show, featuring many small characters who were important to Rosa and the bus boycott along the way. I especially enjoyed Antonia Washington's performance, but the full cast put on an excellent show.

Left to right: Antonia Washington (as Rosa Parks), Cindy K. Siefers (as a Bus Passenger), and
Michael Ott (as the Bus Driver) in Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of The Coterie Theatre.

We were treated to a post-performance musical event from the Kansas City Boys Choir and the Kansas CIty Girls Choir - they debuted an original song written by a 17-year-old high school graduate and regaled us with a few other tunes. The two choir groups will return for select weekend performances, but if you can't attend on a weekend, don't worry! Each performance is followed by a post-performance event. Most performances will feature an interactive forum, which will delve into themes address in the play (community leadership, strategic thinking, etc).

I hope that many of our area schools - and homeschooling moms - take advantage of this stellar production at the Coterie. The chance to see history portrayed right in front of you does not come along in this fashion often - this one is definitely not something to miss.

Left to right: Ron Lackey (E.D. Nixon), Shon Ruffin (as Coretta Scott King), and
Frank Oakley III (as Martin Luther King, Jr.) in Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of The Coterie Theatre.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott plays now through October 19 at the Coterie. Tickets are available online.

Thanks to the Coterie Theatre for providing my tickets to the show. I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

Currently // September 29, 2014

I've seen the awesome "Currently" link up many times on some of my favorite blogs around the web, but I've never joined the fun. It's been hosted at A Mama Collective, but starting next week can be found at Hannah's Joyful Life.

So, anyway - here's what I'm currently....

Fast asleep during church yesterday.

Thinking about // The 3,000 books that need to be sorted and find a new place to reside in our crammed house. What costumes to make for our family for Halloween. How I need to weed the yard and cut some mega trees out of our fence line. How delicious Lindt chocolate tastes, especially late at night while blogging. How I wish Addie would decide nurseries are okay so I can quit hating them.

Listening to // The Broadway cast recording of Beauty & and Beast. The movie soundtrack to Oklahoma. By Faith by the Galkin Evangelistic Team.

Watching // Anne of Green Gables. It is every single bit as beautiful as I recalled and I feel that all entertainment should be this heartwarming and breathtakingly brilliant. The scope for the imagination in average television is sorely lacking.

Thankful for // A lower-than-expected quote to fix up our roof before winter (such a huge answer to prayer). The opportunity to homeschool my children, even if I have yet to achieve a balance even for preschool. My parents' and in-laws' dryers, since mine is not working.

Enjoying // Sprouted organic cereal (not an affiliate link). Because I'm battling tooth decay (sigh), I'm trying to avoid all grains that are not sprouted because of their high phytic acid content. I enjoy eating healthy veggies and meat, but sometimes...you just need a bowl of cereal.

My resident Luigi.

Photographing // Kids doing cute things. My baby stroller and car seat to sell on a Facebook swap page (the car seat will expire before we could have another baby to use it).

Making me happy // Shopping for food at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. If anyone could inspire these brands to bring a store to my hometown, I would be super appreciative. Right now, I visit on Wednesdays when we're making a trek to our awesome chiropractor anyway.

Okay, so we aren't ALL quite that excited about Trader Joe's shopping.

Loving // That Lincoln has slept in his bed all night more than half of the nights in the past week. The fresh flowers on my table (scheming about buying more). Peach and strawberry smoothies. Blissful, beautiful sleep...which is where I am headed now, friends.

What are you currently up to? I hope you have the loveliest week!