Summer Fun: Week 2 (again)

I got a little out of order, so click here if you want to see the activities I planned for week 2 (art week).  I changed the day for the museum visit to Wednesday.  They are doing story time at the museum every Wednesday in the summer from 10:30-11:30.  (Thanks Gwen!)

In addition, here are some other free activities you may want to take advantage of:

Tuesday, June 16:  David Slick, juggler, unicycle, fire breather  (Saginaw Rec Center 10:00 am)

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 16-17:  free movies at UA Fossil Creek
10:00 am, first come, first served
This week they are showing Charlotte's Web and Ice Age:  Dawn of the Dinosaurs


Fort Worth Libraries have a ton going on this summer.  Check their web site to find what's going on at the one closest to you.


If you sign up for the Saginaw Library's summer reading program, you get a free child's admission to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.  You can also earn a free circus ticket if you read 5 books.  (If your child reads the books...not you :)

Summer Fun: Week 1...Spy Week

Being a mom teaches you to be flexible...so, I'm moving all my previously planned art activities to week 2.  Instead, for the first week of summer, we'll be doing Spy Week!  I made this change because I found out our library was having a secret agent magic show AND the movie theater was showing the Spy Next Door for free...so, naturally, I thought, Spy Week!


So, here's the break down for spy week.  


Monday:  Make a book safe to hide our spy gear.  Click here for the instructions.


Tuesday:  Go to the free movie at UA Fossil Creek...The Spy Next Door starts at 10 am.  (they are also showing Kit Kittredge for free that day)


Wednesday:  Go to the kick off of Saginaw's summer reading program.  James Wand--Secret Agent Magic Show @ 10 am  (it's free!)


Thursday:  Make invisible ink and write secret messages to each other


Friday:  Make fingerprint powder and lift fingerprints from all around the house, make a spy hideout with chairs and blankets; Eat lunch in our spy hide out


Shopping list: (you probably already have most of this)


old hard cover book 
Exacto knife
lemons
starch powder
candle
clear tape


For additional spy activities check out http://www.topspysecrets.com

Summer Fun: Week 2

Summer break officially begins on Friday!  My husband is teaching summer school this year, so I'm on my own with both kids...at least for half the day.  I'm very excited to get to spend time with Aidan.  I've missed him so much since he's been in school.  But, I want to be purposeful about the time we have together this summer...and not just let it fade into a blur of Spongebob episodes and video games.  So, I'm planning one easy, VERY cheap activity each day for us to do.  These will not be a huge hassle, and they won't cost hardly any money...and since it looks like it will be a hot one, they'll be mostly indoors!
I thought I'd share my activities in case anyone else needed ideas.  I would love for you to leave comments with your ideas also...I'm sure I'll run out before summer is over!

Week 2:  Fun with Art

Monday:  painting...we are going to make our own finger paints and then create our own works of art  (the recipe for finger paints is below)

Tuesday: Sculptures...we are going to make our own clay, and then make sculptures (recipe for clay is below)


Wednesday: visit an art museum (we're going to the Amon Carter in Fort Worth, because it's free!), have a picnic (at the park if we can take the heat, in the living room floor if it's too hot)  Story time at Amon Carter is 10:30-11:30 every Wednesday

Thursday:  Bubble Art (directions are below)

Friday:  Make our own art museum.  We will make brownies and lemonade together and display all of our art.

Shopping List:
(you probably have most of this on hand already)


salt
cornstarch
food coloring
finger paint paper
baking soda
bubble mixture (store bought or make your own)
liquid tempera paint
white construction paper
paints

Recipes:

Finger Paints

1/4 c. salt
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. water
food coloring

Mix the water, salt and cornstarch in a pan and bring it to a boil.  Keep stirring until the mixture is the consistency of yogurt.  If you want to make a variety of colors, divide the mixture and place it in different containers and add the food coloring.  Let the mixture cool before painting.  Store in tightly sealed containers (or plastic bags) in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Self Hardening Clay

1 c. cornstarch
2 c. baking soda
1 1/4 c. water
food coloring
paints

Mix the cornstarch and baking soda together in a mixing bowl.  In a microwave safe bowl, mix the water with the food coloring.  Slowly add the dry mixture to the water and stir.  Microwave the mixture for several minutes, stopping to stir every 30-40 seconds.  Or cook on the stove over low heat for 15-20 minutes.  This play doh will harden if air-dried and may be painted.

Bubble Art Instructions:


Pour the bubble mixture into several small paper cups.  Add just enough liquid tempera paint to color the bubble mixture.  Stir gently.  Blow bubbles and try to catch them on the white paper. When the bubbles "pop" on the paper, they will leave paint splotches and patterns.

You can also catch these colorful bubbles on a paper plate and put them into the freezer before they have time to pop.  Leave them there for at least 3 hours and then go back to see what happened!

Let me know if you try any of these and how they turn out.  I will post pictures of all of our fun next week!

I'll post more activities for week 3 early next week...I would love to hear your ideas also!

The Newest Member of Our Family

Meet Habiyamuremye Adrien, the child our family is sponsoring.  He is 5 years old and lives with his parents in Rwanda.  We had compassion Sunday at church a few weeks ago, and Mark and I both felt strongly that this was something we needed to do.  For a very small monthly contribution, this child will have access to food, education, and other services that help his family.  For less than my family spends on hamburgers each month, we could make a big difference in this child's life.  We let Aidan pick out which child we would sponsor.  He picked Habiyamuremye because he was the only one that didn't have shoes.  He really wants to buy him some shoes.  (It's possible that he HAS shoes, but just wasn't wearing them in this photo).  It has been such a blessing for our family to be able to help.  I love hearing Aidan pray for "Habi."  I hope it means as much to Habiyamuremye as it does to us.  We will be sending him pictures and letters soon.  I would love to meet him someday, and Compassion will allow you to travel to your child's home to meet them, but I'm not counting on us ever being able to make that trip.  Please join our family in praying for this little boy, or go to Compassion's web site to sponsor a child of your own.

More Peaches!

We're eating peaches as fast as we can around here.  I've been giving peaches away and a few people have asked me how to freeze them.  This link shows in detail the method I use.  It is easy and inexpensive.  http://www.pickyourown.org/peachesfreezing.htm

Before you can freeze your peaches, you have to peel and slice them.  This leaves a lot of left over peels and pits lying around.  I found a recipe for jelly that you make using these peels and pits.  I love this because you get more out of your peaches this way.  You don't have to decide if you want to use your peaches for freezing or for jelly...you can do both with the same peaches.

Here's the recipe.  This jelly is delicious by the way.  Even though your only using the peels and pits, it is full of delicious, peachy flavor.  And, the jelly is a really pretty color and looks pretty in the jar, so it is great for gifts.

Peach Pit Jelly

Ingredients:

2 quarts of peach peels and pits

1/4 c. lemon juice

7 1/2 c. sugar (yikes!)

1/2 tsp. butter

2 pouches (3 oz each) Pectin

Cover pits and peels with water and boil for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate overnight.  Strain 3 1/2 c. juice from the pits and peels.  

Combine juice and lemon in a large heavy sauce pan.  Stir in sugar.  Add butter.

Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Stir in pectin.

Bring to a full rolling boil for exactly 1 minute.

Remove from the heat.  Skim foam.  Immediately ladle into jars.  Leave about 1/2 inch head space.

Wipe any spilled jelly from jar rims.  Close jars tightly with lids.  Process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.  (Basically, you submerge the jars in boiling water for 5 minutes)

Remove from water bath and place on a towel.  Leave to cool for 12 hours.  As they cool, you should start hearing the wonderful "pop" sound that means the jars are sealing.  

Label the jelly and store in a dry, dark, cool place.

Peach Cobbler

We are over-run with peaches this year.  Four years ago, we planted 4 peach trees in our back yard.  We love having peach trees.  Mark, especially, likes to be able to go out in the back yard and find something to eat.  Must be a man thing.  This year, we have so many peaches that we don't know what to do with them. I can't pick them fast enough.  In fact, you are supposed to thin them out before they ripen so that you will have a few big peaches instead of a thousand little peaches.  I tried my best to thin them out, but there were SO many...I picked hundreds of peaches and they still were not adequately thinned out.  So, a lot of the peaches are on the smaller side this year.  But, they are packed with flavor...something you won't find in your grocery store peaches.
In honor of our peach crop this year, I am posting the recipe for my yummy peach cobbler.  It is especially good made with fresh peaches, but can also be made with canned.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

4 cups sliced peeled fresh peaches (canned will work also)

Topping:

1 c. sugar

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. cold butter

1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and nutmeg.  Add peaches; stir to coat.  Pour into a greased 11 in. x 7 in x 2 in baking pan.  

For topping, in a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda and salt; cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Stir in egg.  Spoon over peaches.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.  

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield:  8-10 servings

Aidan

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about this little boy:

There's not much of this little boy left.  A little boy who used to wake up in the morning and say, "mommy, I want to play all day in the world."  When did he stop saying that?  A little boy who used to ask me a thousand questions a day.  Like, "Is God faster than a rocket?"  "Is God bigger than a giant pickle?"  and "How many people are in the world?  Can you tell me their names?"  "Did God make bad guys?"

A little boy who called his milk, "moo," and said, "lasterday" instead of yesterday.  When did he stop playing with toy trains all day?  When did he stop watching Thomas the Tank Engine?  We got those trains out the other day, he couldn't even remember their names.  He used to know every single one.  

When did he stop needing my help with getting a drink or a snack or taking a bath or getting dressed?  

I miss this little boy.  I wish we could go back in time for a day.  I would kiss those chubby cheeks again and rock him until he fell asleep in my lap.  I would snuggle on the couch with him and his teddy bear, Jackson.  I would give him a big sippy cup full of "moo."  And, we would watch Thomas.  I would answer every single question he could come up with, and love doing it.

I love the young man Aidan is becoming.  He loves to read, and play video games, and go to water parks.  He can swim and ride a bike and a scooter.  He is protective of his sister and loves to play with his friends.  He has traded in his toy guitar for an electric guitar, and he's learning to play.  I love the boy that he is now, but sometimes I miss this little boy.