Don't forget to feed the birds!

Instructions for making a bird feeder using pine cones!

Materials Needed:

Pine Cone
Peanut Butter
Yarn or Wire
Bird Seed

Instructions: Tie or twist the yarn or wire onto the pine cone for the hanger. Spread the peanut butter onto the pine cone with a plastic knife. Pour some bird seed onto a plate or shallow dish and roll the pine cone in it. Place the seed-covered pine cones in the freezer for about an hour or until it is set. Hang it outside!

Snow Globes

This project is great for ages kindergarten through age 8.

What You Need:
Small jar, with lid (baby food jars work great!)
Glitter, silver or white
Glycerin (mineral oil or baby oil work as well)
Plastic toys (optional)
Seashells (optional)
Super glue or silicone

What You Do:

You need a clean, dry jar. Pour some glitter--just enough to give a sparkle effect--into the bottom of the jar. Glue the toy or seashell to the lid with waterproof glue. (Super glue works fine. Adults need to assist with this.) Let this dry thoroughly. Fill with water to the top and pour the glycerin in. Place the lid over the top, very tightly. Then shake the jar. The glitter will appear as snow in a real snow globe. When dry, turn the jar upside down and give it a shake. You can seal the jar lid with the Super glue.

Winter Snowman Snack

Young children can use fine motor skills as they create their own winter snack.

Materials: Large marshmallows, pretzel sticks and raisins.

Description: Give each child 2 marshmallows, 3 pretzel sticks and a few raisins. Have them take a pretzel stick and put it into the middle of one of the marshmallows, then place the other marshmallow on top. Take the other two pretzels and use them for the arms. Use the raisins for eyes, nose, and mouth. Serve with hot cocoa and you've got a special, wintry snack!

Snowman Cotton Ball Craft

This is a super simple, inexpensive craft for little children. My children really enjoyed making this craft when they were younger. I believe even a two year old can do this one! They enjoy the feel of the cotton balls. We used black pom poms for the eyes, nose and mouth, an orange pom pom for the nose and popsicle sticks for the arms. We made a hat out of black construction paper.

Materials:
cotton balls (about 40 per snowman)
blue construction paper (1 sheet per child)
black construction paper
orange construction paper
brown construction paper

glue
scissors

Instructions:
You can draw or trace two circles onto the blue construction paper as a guide for the children to glue cotton balls inside. Have the children glue cotton balls in two or three stacked circles to make a snowman shape. I like to squeeze some glue onto a paper plate or margarine container lid and let the children scoop bits of glue with a q-tip. I find it gets too messy letting them squeeze the glue right out of the bottle onto the paper.

Cut out construction paper shapes (adults can do this prior to craft time for young children):
BLACK: 5 large circles per snowman (2 eyes and 3 buttons)
BLACK: 5 small circles per snowman (for the mouth)
BLACK: hat shape (rectangle with a square on top)
ORANGE: Cut out one triangle per snowman (nose)
BROWN: Cut out broom sticks (arms)

Have the children glue their snowman faces, buttons, hat and arms to their cotton ball snowman.

Moms for Modesty

I recently came across a blog entitled "Moms for Modesty". What a blessing to find like minded moms! Here's the link to this blog so you can read their mission statement and sign the petition if you agree: http://momsformodesty.blogspot.com/2007/10/original-moms-for-modesty-mission.html

Snow Book Recommendations

When my children were younger, we used Five in a Row as a curriculum supplement for our homeschooling. Two of our favorite books were:

"Snowflake Bentley" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin - From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist's vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature. "Of all the forms of water the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied." -- Wilson Bentley and

"Katy and the Big Snow" by Lee Burton - Katy, a brave and untiring tractor, who pushes a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter, makes it possible for the townspeople to do their jobs. Both of these books are recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Check these books out at your library and enjoy reading some "snowy" books with your children.

January is SNOW month -

We hardly ever get snow where we live, but we still try to celebrate WINTER at our house. My children love to make snowflakes and put them on the windows of our schoolroom. Here's a link to one of our favorite snowflakes to make - it's a SNOWMAN snowflake! I think children ages 8 and up can do this without any problems. Here's the link to the directions: http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/winter/snowflake/6Point/make-it.html

Enjoy the winter season with your children! There are so many fun things to do to make memories with them. I'll be posting ideas in the next few weeks.

Stay warm!

Please pray for baby Gwyn and her mom

I know this is a blog on creative tips for moms, but I've been following this story for the past week and felt led to share it on the blog. The new mom suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and is on a list waiting for a double lung transplant. She delivered baby Gwyn at 24 weeks. It's an amazing story. I'll link you to the story behind all of this, straight from the new daddy - http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

I stand in amazement at the faith of this young couple. I've been inspired and believe you will be also. May we all be challenged to walk with the Lord more fervently.

They are asking for prayer, so please feel free to pass this on to your family and friends.

In Him,

Molly

A New Year Prayer for You

Happy 2008! Can you believe it's already a new year? Time sure does seem to fly as we get older, doesn't it? This is my prayer for you:

May the Lord bless you and your family with a year filled with happiness, love, and good health. May you be blessed as you seek to honor Him in all that you do. May your days be filled with joy and may peace fill your hearts.

Equipping Your Child for the Real World

One of my goals for the new year is to make sure our children have the life skills they need for the real world. We have a daughter that is graduating in May, so this is very important to me to make sure all the bases are covered. I'm reading a book called "Life Skills for Kids" by Christine M. Field. It's a been a great guideline for me and I highly recommend it. I'm going to address different topics from the book as I'm reading through the book. The first area is age appropriate chores. I know when my children were much younger, I didn't know what they were really capable of doing at each age. Having a list was very helpful, so I thought providing you with one might be a good idea.

Age Appropriate Chores -

It is important to teach responsibility to children in the home. They need to know that they have certain things that are expected of them. Responsibility and work ethic are important things to instill in your children, in order for them to feel they have worth and to gain skills necessary to succeed in adulthood. Also, it has been shown in studies that children, including toddlers, who have household responsibilities have greater self-esteem and less overall behavioral problems.

12 to 24 months -

*Simple errands (using easy directions), such as: "bring mommy a diaper", "put this is the

trashcan"

*Putting dirty clothes in a basket/hamper
*Simple help with groceries, such as: putting items in shopping cart, helping put items on the

check-out conveyor, handing items to you to be put away at home
*Picking up toys and putting in toy box (don't really expect them to sort and organize too

much at this age)
*Yard work, such as picking up trash and toys
*Wiping up small spills and messes with a napkin or washcloth

Two to Three Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Putting shoes and coat in proper place
*Slightly more complicated errands (continue to use easy directions), such as: "throw these

clothes into the hamper", "put this dirty cup in the sink". Child should be able to attempt a

chore when asked to
*Wash hands with help
*Brush teeth (I gave mine assistance until they were five or six, especially with flossing.)
*Helping sort dirty clothes by color, handing clothes to mom to put in washer, transferring

clothes from dryer into basket
*Picking up toys and books, beginning skills of learning to put items in their proper place
*Cleaning up after meals (ex. taking dishes to sink, helping clean-off table)
*Carrying light-weight groceries in from car
*Put books on the bookshelf
*Helping to set table
*Help feed pets
*Dust (We used socks on their hands as dustcloths.)

Three to Four Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Water plants/garden
*Wash hands (without assistance)
*Brush teeth (with assistance)
*Pick up toys and put in proper place
*Put dirty clothes into clothes hamper
*Normal daily routines (such as getting dressed, breakfast, etc. in morning; bath, prayers, bed

in the evening)
*Getting the mail, keeping room neat, putting their dirty clothes in hamper
*Helping wash the car
*Helping put up groceries in proper place
*Help cooking and preparing food (with adult supervision)

Four to Five Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Dust
*Assist in making bed
*Feed and basic care for pet
*Put away clean clothes (May need help with folding "properly" for a little longer.)
*Set out clothes for the next day
*Simple vacuuming/sweeping
*Share toys with friends (practice courtesy)

Five to Six Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Sharpen pencils
*Make bed/change sheets (with minimal assistance)
*Set table by self (No sharp knives at this point.)
*Learn to be polite, courteous, and to share; respect others
*Help clean out the car
*Keep room tidy

Six to Seven Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Make bed/change sheets (without assistance)
*Wash dishes with help from mommy
*Fold and put away clean clothes
*Set out clothes for the next day
*Clean room
*Unsupervised responsibilities (washing out trash cans, etc.).
*Make pour own drink, get own condiments, etc.
*Simple help with younger siblings (changing diapers, watching him/her while mom showers,

helping with bath)
*Dress on own and choose outfit for the day
*Learn to tie shoes
*Answer the telephone and begin to dial the phone
*Pay for small purchases
*Hang up own clothes in the closet

*Pulling weeds and simple raking
*Carry own lunch money and notes back to school
*Start remembering to do homework on own

Eight to Ten Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Care for self and simple first aid, such as: putting a band-aid on their cut, icebag on bump.
*Prepare simple meals, such as: sandwiches for lunch, salad for dinner, preparing drinks
*Learning to use washer/dryer with supervision
*Increased responsibilities for younger siblings (dressing infants/toddlers, entertaining them for

longer periods, helping with school work)
*Complete responsibility for their room on a daily basis
*Cleaning yard
*More difficult cleaning projects (scrubbing floors, washing windows, etc.)
*Saving and donating (if children receive an allowance)
*Bathing on own (do check on child, but constant supervision should not be needed)
*Help others with their work when asked
*Help make decisions when shopping for self and household
*Fold blankets
*Simple sewing (buttons, hemming rips, etc.)
*Clean up animal "messes"
*Pick fruit off trees
*Assist in household projects/repairs (painting, etc.)
*Write thank-you notes
*Feeding baby and younger siblings
*Do chores without a reminder
*Handle self properly when in public places alone or with peers

Eleven to Twelve Years (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Join outside organizations, attend meetings, follow rules, etc.
*Being responsible for own schedule (homework, appointments, etc)
*Help put siblings to bed and dress them
*Respect others' property
*Help with yard work, including use of yard tools
*Buy own "treats" with personal money
*Help with car maintenance

Thirteen Years and Older (in addition to chores previously mentioned) -

*Responsibility for preparing family meals
*Social and health awareness (exercise, hygiene, etc.)
*Replace light bulbs and vacuum cleaner bags
*Wash windows
*Clean out refrigerator and other kitchen appliances
*Prepare grocery lists