Pumpkin Patch at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix

It's weird living somewhere without many seasons.  It's pretty much just hot and cold here.  So when holidays roll around like Halloween, or even Thanksgiving it looks a bit different here than the rest of the country {or even world}.

We don't get changing colors, we get green cacti, year round.  We don't get to wear scarves or boots until mid December if at all.  And the pumpkins in my garden are still green, if I'm lucky they'll be almost orange by Thanksgiving.

So we pretend.  We go to Pumpkin Patches where the Pumpkins litter the hay on top of really dry dirt.  We wear tank tops and get a little bit of a tan while searching for the perfect pumpkin.  We take pictures of fake leaves and acorns because, well we just don't have the real thing.  With all that in mind, here's our recent field trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix {how has it already been two years since we were here last?!}.

Sonja was SOOO excited to go on the tractor ride! 

When we first arrived we walked through the hay maze!

Then a quick stop at the petting zoo.

(I actually dislike petting zoos for the same reason I dislike zoos, the animals do not want to be there and I think it's sort of evil to keep an animal against it's will even if they are the sweetest and nicest people feeding only the best food to these animals {which I doubt they were}.  but I digress, and after seeing the animals here it allowed for some dialog between Sonja and myself on what is appropriate and what isn't when caring for animals}

ALSO, this BABY pig was the sweetest, and just so everyone knows there's no such thing as teacup piggies, once they're full grown they're huge.  ALL PIGS, so please don't rush out and get one after seeing one at the petting zoo, unless you want a GIANT pig in your home {which is cool, just know what you're getting into}

After my tangent about petting zoos, please accept these pumpkin patch photos as an apology.

My sister tagged along to help with these two kiddos!

Kids 12 and under get a free pumpkin so we spent some time trying to find the PERFECT one.

My sister in law also brought the little girl she nanny's {which is one of Sonja's best friends now!}

After picking out such a perfect pumpkin the girls decorated them at the craft station.

After crafts we listened, and the girls danced to some Pick & Holler

After hanging out on the pumpkin patch we took a hayride back to the main event which had some games and food. 

Cactus Toss.  She actually got this one in the hole! 

Digging for snakes {which is actually a VERY BAD idea!}

And spin the wheel, whatever image it lands on is what prize bucket the kids can pick from.

AND THAT was our field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

I can't wait to carve the pumpkins from here.  Halloween is my favorite holiday so you can imagine how much I love thee types of events.  Since we have a membership to the Desert Botanical Gardens this fun filled morning was FREE!

If you're in the Phoenix area I highly recommend getting a membership!

-Jenn

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Sometimes Non-Schooling looks like Playing

Recently, while Vera was napping Sonja and I built some words.  She picked the word then we sounded out the letters and spelled the words.  She would then identify the letter from the pile of blocks and put the letter in the correct place.  My three year old is starting to spell! How cool is that?!

How do you integrate education through play? I'd love to do this more! Share your suggestions in the comments!

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Recent Toddler Projects {and a few resources for more ideas}

As Sonja is getting older and Vera is getting more alert, I've noticed I've gotten lazy.  And not really lazy but like, I don't want to get up while holding Vera lazy.  So, I headed to my Early Childhood Pin Board to search for some creativity.  Here are a few projects I choose to do with my kids and how it went...

1. I had lots of boxes left over from my classroom supplies so, I'm going to make these: Life Size Numbers Inspired from Here

2.Sonja won't stop talking about bowling and while we've only gone a handful of times, I know she LOVES it, so I'm collecting water bottles to make this bowling set.  {had to request the used water bottles from family and friends since we NEVER hardly ever use them}
Bowling Inspired from Here

3.

Husband is a spice and herb advocate, he uses a TON in each meal.  Most spices have medical benefits so I'm not complaining.  I thought this would be a good activity to help Sonja learn her spices and get her interested in being in the kitchen with Daddy {or at least get her out from under his feet while he's cooking}
Scent Cards Inspired from Here but modified and used to help with simple tasks such as cooking.

I used a clear, mostly unscented glue to create these sensory cards.

Sonja helped to pour the spices.

and these are the completed cards!

If you're looking for inspiration for homeschooling or #nonschooling ideas check out My Early Childhood Pinboard on Pinterest.

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NonSchooling Classroom Update no. 1

I shared some photos on my twitter and instagram of our new classroom and guest room and thought I should probably share them here as well, with a little more information and a little decor analysis for those of you also looking to set up a classroom in your own home.

Here's what we've got going on in our 10x10 guest room...

My istacollage.

 This chalkboard is an upcycled gift from a sweet friend, her church had a few they were going to toss {its not in NEW condition but still got a little life left in it}. It cost nothing to install! The globe pictured on this shelf was a regift from my father-in-law. It's got beautiful gems and minerals for the continents and countries.  Husband's work printed those letters for a textbook company and this was a sample.  I also added these bins {in grey} to the top shelf of this ikea bookself.  Since I had the bookshelf from another room I'm not counting the original $89 cost.  But the 4 bins did bring me to just over $52 investment for this section of our classroom. But that's what I get for buying new...

This corner of the room was almost all upcycled as well.  My sister in law gave us this dresser when she moved out.  Good condition and free, but I'm planning on splurging on some anthropologie knobs {one, two, three, four, or five}.  The mirror was upcycled from my father-in-laws house and the tea cups were from my collection now on proper display.  That vintage sewing machine {that probably doesn't work} was  $10 donation find at a church garage sale.  The drawers are reserved for guests although a few of them are filled with printer paper and classroom supplies.

Not pictured: desk also gifted from my sister in law and matching chair.

Not yet purchased: World Map to hang above said desk.


And that's our current classroom, I'm sure you'll see more of it as you follow along with our non-schooling process and as I complete more D.I.Y. Projects for the room.  Thanks for reading along!

-Jenn

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Non-schooling Update June 2013

I've blogged a few times about our method for NONschooling our children, and thought I should share a little of what that looks like now that we're starting to become more educationally oriented like, math, writing, reading and such.  Non-schooling doesn't mean not educating our kids, it means not schooling them in a traditional sense, with clocks and schedules and windowless rooms.  I believe students learn best when individually interested in a specific subject at a non-specific time.  Meaning, clocks don't help with the education process.  As a teacher I struggle with the rigidity of a schedule because I know my students are disinterested or would rather be somewhere else, at least some of the time.  I LOVE schedules, I plan everything MONTHS IN ADVANCE, so non-schooling is challenging to me, but what I believe will benefit my kids the most. 

Now for some examples and ideas...

My Father-in-law {FIL} gifted Sonja a year subscription to green kid crafts and she was so excited each time a new package arrived on our door step! Above is a sun sensitive paper project, allowing for photographic development activity with natural objects.

This is another green kid crafts {GKC} project. In the kit was a balloon, glue and tissue paper, with directions we were able to create globes.  we made two; one for Sonja and one for Vera.  Since it was more of a fun activity we didn't place the green exactly where it should be but discussed more of the concept of land and water.  We have a BEAUTIFUL globe with proper borders and we'll eventually get to geography, but for now we made these... 

 I LOVE this little cloud namer we also received from GKC whenever Sonja sees clouds in the sky {which is sadly RARE here in the desert} she gets excited and grabs her cloud finder.  We look out our front window and compare which clouds she sees to the clouds on her frame.  It's cool because I'm not super into science or history but these activities also educate me.  Can you name all the types of clouds?!

 After we look at the cloud finder we agree on the type of cloud we see...

A more crafty project from GKC is this necklace activity with air drying clay.  We smashed it {fun sensory activity} and then pressed a dried leaf onto it, Sonja painted it with the environmentally friendly non toxic pigment. 

Then, we punched a hole in it and let it dry, it's one of her favorite pieces of jewelry. 

While not all of the GKC projects are all that "Green" Sonja loved all of them.  I thought their use of plastic was excessive for an environmentally minded company but then again I've yet to find anyone else who uses less.  

My sister-in-law {SIL} picked up some of these activity books from the dollar section of Target.  Sonja Loves them because they're simple and with all the housemates she's always got someone interested in helping her.  I can even do them with her while sitting on the floor with Vera in my lap.

Above is a peek at the number workbook.  She's doing Great with her counting and finally practicing writing the number that match the concept.

Of course, no child of an Art Teacher would be deprived of painting.  Although, I don't splurge on watercolor paper just yet.  Instead, I just let her paint in her coloring books; offering guidance and practice for staying in the lines {while artistically I don't think lines are necessary, they do help develop fine motor skills}.

And that's what non-schooling looks like to us {with an almost 3 year old} In case I missed anything, you can also follow along on my tumblr with the hashtag #nonschooling and add your own #nonschooling images to the mix!

-Jenn

**This post was NOT sponsored.

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Winter Cookies {photo documentation and a gift idea}

This past week we made sugar cookies.  It's a tradition I loved with my mom growing up and wanted to continue the creative process with my daughter.  Aunt Brittany helped with the baking and below you can follow along with the whole messy process...

Before Baking.

After Baking.

Waiting to be decorated until tomorrow.

The recipe above is what I used, but I think since I used almond milk instead of regular it prevented the frosting from fully mixing properly.  It has little white specs in it as you might notice below, I would use regular milk next time.

I have a few of these wonderful non-toxic sprinkles, that I've collected over the past few years.

*editor's note: Like anything else, it can be difficult to make a more environmentally responsible switch when the cost of the better product is so overwhelming.  Each one of these lovely sprinkles is about $5 and can be found here.  So, I made the switch slowly.  I kept all my old sprinkles, dyed with who-knows-what and as they ran out, I replaced them with these natural ones.  

It's the same advice I give to families who are considering cloth diapering.  You don't have to do it all at once!  It would be so overwhelming to make such a huge change, when you're already in a routine.  But, maybe, use cloth at night {less likely for baby to poop}.  Its the longest time period for the baby to have a chemical free bottom.  Then, as you get more comfortable integrate them in more frequently, you can add more cloth time and less disposable.  Keep your stash of disposables and use them when necessary.  Some environmental contentious change is better than none.  And It's the same for switching to a paperless kitchen.  You don't have to get rid of paper towels.  Keep a secret stash so you can clean up too gross of messes with those, or when your laundry didn't get done.  But, by slowly adding to your collection of cloth towels and using them instead of paper, you'll make progress.  And that's how it is with everything in our home.  We're making slow shifts in the way we shop as to not destroy our budget, but to allow for gradual environmental responsibility and overall health.  Hopefully, this extra information will allow for you to consider a similar path to Organic, Healthy, Environmentally friendly products.*

Note to self; I thought the parchment paper would help contain the mess.

It did not. 

Above: the finished cookies!

As for the cookie recipe itself, here's what I used...
1 1/2 cups softened butter
2 cups organic coconut or raw sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups organic white flour
1 teaspoon salt

bake at 400* F for 6-8 minutes.

I also made these for my nephews by cutting the above recipe in half and fitting into the larger ball jars.  I added a unique cookie cutter for each.  {I modified and added chocolate chips and brown sugar to the one on the left}

Happy Baking and Gift Giving!

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