Easter Eggs

We took yesterday off from school. I wanted to focus a little on Easter and share in some Easter-related activities with my kiddos. I boiled 31 eggs in the morning, and we dyed all but the four that cracked during the boiling process or due to mishandling by a certain two-year-old. This provided my kids with nine eggs each to dye.

K dissolved the tablets in vinegar, and we added water. Then the kids gathered around the table to add color to the egg-shell palates. They worked well together, and they seemed to really enjoy the process.

One of the best parts of the process was that they wanted to eat some of the eggs when they were done. This gives me hope that we won't have a fridge full of hard-boiled eggs that no one will eat. We are down to 19 eggs, and we haven't even held a hunt, yet.  

Homeschool Headlamp

We have been studying batteries in science class, and this week, we talked about how a switch works. One of the projects/experiments was to build a headlamp with an on/off switch. We experienced issues with the switch not staying on without being held in place. Our battery pack also gave us some problems. The batteries did not want to stay together, providing a connection only when being held tightly. Our result was a lamp that only worked when being held on both sides -- hardly practical for spelunking. However, the kids enjoyed building it, and they learned in the process. Because of this, the project was ultimately a success.

Spring Hike

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The weather turned absolutely gorgeous last week, and I was anxiously eyeing the monument for a little exercise with my kiddos. Finally, after a full week of school and some housecleaning, I felt we could head up the hill for a hike. We chose the self-guided nature trail, and the kids learned to identify juniper, pinion pine, sage brush, yucca, and green ephedra. We also saw a rabbit's burrow and some sandstone strata. S got fussy, so we had to cut our walk short, but I promised we would return another day.
I loved that we turned our outing into another learning experience. There is a wealth of information waiting to be discovered and absorbed into eager minds. It's fun when those minds belong to my children.

Jellybean Jars

I saw this link online about a Lent activity for kids using jelly beans and jars. Each color represents something different, and they have an opportunity to earn one of each color each day. White represents the grace of God, and it cannot be earned. On Easter they will find the remainder of their jars filled with white jelly beans.

I thought this would be a great activity to do with my kids over the next few weeks, so yesterday, I bought a couple of bags of jellybeans and some small canning jars. We sorted the jellybeans by color, and the kids were very curious as to how they could earn jellybeans for their own jars. Today, they went out of their way to model the appropriate behavior for each color, earning jellybeans for forgiveness, kindness, sacrifice, and more.

Although we started this craft a tad late in the season, I am looking forward to the discussions and behavior this activity will inspire.

Some Familiar Faces

Earlier this month, Timo and I walked into the school room to discover some familiar faces had been drawn on our whiteboard. AJ had decided to draw (from left to right) Hamm, Jessie, Buzz, Woody, and Zurg. I thought it was great that he was able to draw the characters from his favorite movies on his own.

Swedish Semlor



One of the semlor I baked. I forgot to put the powdered sugar on top
before I took the picture. 

 Since we no longer live in Sweden, I found it necessary to bake my own semlor this year for Fat Tuesday. Semlor are a blend of traditional Scandinavian flavors, combining a cardamom bun, almond paste, and whipped cream in a decadent dessert. I found this recipe online, and I decided it was as good as any. Having never baked semlor before, and having only eaten them a couple of times, I was nervous about the result. All things considered, I think they turned out great. I shared some with the only Swede I know in town, and he was impressed. My family enjoyed them, too, and that is what matters most.

Liturgical Ballet

K's ballet teacher put together a liturgical ballet performance last Saturday. K was the youngest dancer, but she didn't let that intimidate her. Upon arrival, she changed into her dress and dance shoes and waited patiently for her turn.

K's dance was second on the program, and she began by reciting the 23rd Psalm. She then danced to "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" before taking her bow and exiting the stage. Due to a mistake on my part, we missed filming the whole performance, but I do know that I couldn't stop smiling proudly the whole time.

I think it is great that she was able to get up in front of a group of people with no fear. It is a skill that will carry her far in life.