Chewy Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

       Tonight, Jaguar convinced me to make some cookies, even though baking is our Sunday thing. We were planning on making a "Screamer" (one of our traditional yummy shakes with peanut butter, ice cream, bananas, and milk), but I realized we hadn't any more milk. So, I thought, What the Heck! I looked up a recipe that included honey and we made it. Jaguar handled the eggs, some of the stirring, the adding of ingredients, and so on. We then popped them into the oven and Vuala! This particular recipe yeilded plump, ooey gooey, soft and moist cookies with fabulous flavor. I encourage all to try them! I will definitely bake this recipe again.

Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips

• Cream butter and sugar, then add honey.
• Add egg and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 375F 10 minutes.

Easy as Pie...well, actually easier than pie, and quick!

Wondrous Winter Walk in the Woods

Walking in any nature setting with your children is a very spiritual and educational experience. There are new things to be discovered in every direction. Jaguar and I were scoping out mushrooms. We saw a few different kinds. In fact, mushrooms have become so fascinating, I will post a blog specifically on that in the near future. We took another walk yesterday and found at least 6 different types...too bad I didn't have my camera. Jaguar and Bobcat were touching moss and lichen, sticks and ferns, waterways and patches of snow. Jaguar was discovering that snow melts when put into water because the comparably warmer temperature. It was luckily not too cold, or I may have chosen a much sunnier path. Either way, getting your children out into the wild will spark their imagination and sense of exploration. It is simply magical.  

Kitchen Play...Work, Rather

Bobcat and Jaguar both were mesmerized by washing the dishes and playing in the water. As you may already know, it is very important to give young children the opportunity to engage in water play...or work...however you want to look at it. The bath tub, a pool, near the waves on the shoreline, at the edge of a lake, splashing in a puddle, playing in a water table outside...these are all wonderful and vital experiences. Since winter is very chilly where we live and far travels aren't in the cards for us lately, we have only the indoors to play with water. The bath is always a place of amusement for these 2, but now we have discovered the kitchen sink. For my 22-month-old, it is a place of sensory experience and a learning zone for science. My 4-year-old gets the benefit of coordination and both sensory and practical experience. You can guarentee there will be somewhat of a mess, but it is easy to clean up, it's just water.

Recently, I decided to fill the big bottom drawer in our kitchen with various cooking utensils, tupperware, and pots and pans with their lids. This is mainly for my youngest, but his bigger brother decided to get involved. Bobcat learns how to match, create different noises, to nest, to stack, to clean up....Jaguar flexes his imagination pretending to cook many different dishes as he sees Mommy doing all the time. This is also a great opportunity for them to get into stuff, as young ones will inevitabley do...well, mainly Bobcat. It is better to set them up for learning success and preoccupation rather than to constantly shew them away from exactly where they want to be, the room you are in at the time.

Wonderful Illustrated Season Books

I absolutely love these picture books based on each season. Gerda Muller is the illustrator of these wordless wonders. They are great for all ages and each of my kids love them. I usually put one on the bookshelf that corresponds with the current season and tuck the others away on a less frequented shelf. These can be found at any book seller or reseller. I bought these used on Amazon for cheap. These are great for anyone who is curious about or involved with Waldorf education, anyone who loves nature and art, or for anyone interested in warm, fuzzy picture books for their little ones.

As one might suspect, we currently have the *Winter* edition out for the boys. Below is one of the detailed, soft paintings within the board book. There is always something happening everywhere you look. Bobcat can listen to my narration as he absorbs the lively colors and images. Jaguar can tell the story to me differently each time we go through it. Plus, it gives him several ideas of what he wants to do, expanding his imagination and creativity.

 Below is an example of each of the books' illustrations throughout, in addition to the beautiful panoramic images. These pages display separate smaller paintings that depict particular activities by the which the characters engage. Characters include children, sometimes their parents, and their dog.

At any rate, check your local library or purchase them used. It is well worth it. The paintings suck you right into a land of childhood experiences, family, traditions, nature.... Again this set of books are fantastic for toddlers, preschoolers, and older children, as well.

Recap of our Kwanzaa Celebration

Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that honors African-American people and their heritage. Everyone can join in the Kwanzaa celebration, which lasts for 7 days from December 26 until January 1.

Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, an African-American teacher. He wanted to help African Americans learn about their African history, culture, and customs.

Dr. Karenga took the name for the holiday from the Swahili word "Kwanza," which means "the first fruits of the harvest." The extra "a" was added so the name would have seven letters to match the seven principles of Kwanzaa. First harvest, when crops are gathered, is a time of great celebration in many regions of Africa. Like the first harvest, Kwanzaa is an exciting and joyful occasion.

Jaguar and I worked on many things to celebrate and to learn about Kwanzaa. We read a few books, and read stories to exemplify each meaningful day therein.



This is the Kinara that Jaguar made from homemade playdough, which was crusty in texture by the 7th day. A kinara is similar to that of the Jewish Menorah used on Hannukah to represent each day of the celebration. The middle candle is supposed to be black, the left three red, and the right three green, but we made due with leftover birthday candles used on our prior menorah.

Jaguar made a Bendera, which is the African-American flag that is displayed during Kwanzaa. The black represents African-American people, the red symbolizes their struggles, and the green stands for a happy future. We used dollar store felt and scrap yarn from my stash, and Jaguar sewed the 3 strips together. He utilized popsicle sticks to make the flag's handle. Sewing is great for dexterity and coordination, even for a 4-year-old.

African quilts are a customary part of the culture. Making quilts is a wonderful part of gift-giving during Kwanzaa. Jaguar and I picked out different African designs off of the internet, sized them, and printed them. He then meticulously colored each patch to his liking and put them together to form the perfect African paper quilt.

Jaguar created a woven place mat with common African colors, and he used this as his book cover. Within his book, he has numerous pages that include crayon-colored images of Africa, Kwanzaa scenes, and more. He also did matching activities, letter fill-ins, word fill-ins, write the Kwanzaa words, and more.



Happy (Belated) Kwanzaa!!!

Permalink

Homemade Christmas Play Dough

Making Christmas play dough couldn't be any easier. Just follow the recipe from the play dough article from November of 2009. The white is simply made with no dyes. The red assortment was made with about 40 drops of red food coloring and 7 drops of yellow. And the green was made with about 20 drops of green and 7 drops of yellow, once again. Below, are some ideas for sculpted Christmas creations. The other colors utilized are the leftovers from the Fall collection of play dough.

Menorah Menagerie

During these last 8 days of Hanukkah, we have accumulated a small collection of Menorah art work. The framed pieces displayed are mine, Jaguar's, and Lynx's simple portrayal of, of course, Menorahs. I originally drew my amatuer asymetrical version of a menorah and the boys eyed my drawing and simulated it the best they could. Actually, Jaguar looked at mine one time, and then he drew it completely off the top of his head after that. The art work on purple construction paper was Jaguar's memory of a menorah a couple days later. And the popsicle stick edition on top is my creation, one of which I was trying to get the kids to do, but they were busy playing at the time, so I let them.

Hanukkah: Celebrating as We Learn

December is full of holiday spirit. Not only Christmas falls in this month, but also Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a celebration we are just learning about. I have read a few Hanukkah books to Jaguar, began a small Hanukkah coloring book, and created a few activities, along with his older brother, Lynx.

Since we are on such a low budget, we just made a menorah out of leftover homemade autumn play dough, which actually looks quite like a submarine. We poked holes in it with birthday cake candles and Ta Da! We have been adding a candle and lighting it every night.



Both Lynx and Jaguar secretly made gifts for one another, and exchanged them the next morning. They each made picture frames, which was funny because they picked out almost identical features for each frame. This was very rewarding for each of them.


I drew and colored a menorah as an example for the boys, and then Lynx and Jaguar created their own. Good symetry and line activity.


There are other activities we plan on doing, so stay tuned for he next Hanukkah update.

Montessori Christmas Activities the Dollar Store Way

Montessori "jobs" for kids, or learning activities, can be adapted to any holiday or theme. Christmas time is filled with many possibilities. Currently, our family is on an extremely tight budget with this less than satisfactory economy. So, I have come up with a few educational ideas from simply visiting my local dollar store. I have many more ideas than listed here, but here are a few that Jaguar, and Bobcat for that matter, have tried.

I bought a package of small drum ornaments and a package of large ones. He used them as building/stacking blocks.


Jaguar also sorted the drums in categories, such as by color and by shape. Simple, but great for mind organization and the ability to discern differences and similarities.


We bought a package of Christmas erasers and utilized them for a simple matching game. Great math skill in the preschool years.



We grabbed a package of foam Christmas trees and some Christmas-theme foam stickers. Jaguar meticulously decorated his Christmas tree. This is a great spacial activity because it helps promote an awareness of placement and design.


We picked up a package of Disney Christmas stickers and stamps. Jaguar and Bobcat went to town with decorating their work. This stimulates creativity and imagination.


In the meantime, Bobcat found the tinsel and decided to begin decorating the tree. I thought it was a brilliant idea on his part and it is a great practical life activity to engage in decorating the Christmas Tree with family.


There are many more activities to come within the realm of Christmas, but right now we are working on Hannukah. So, we will get back to Christmas after the eighth day of Hannukah, and then Kwanzaa thereafter. What a festive month December is!!! Have fun creating jobs for your young ones.

Nutrition Lessons - Part II

The kids were getting bored of the original setup of the living room shelf, which is to be expected. So, I decided to change it to the parallel of our theme (or one of them): Nutrition. We have tons of wooden and felted food, so I decided to decorate the shelves with yummy and nutritious food. In addition, Lynx's human body puzzle is placed in the mix, just in case Jaguar gets interested in our parts and bodily functions (he was today at Bobcat's doctor appointment). There is a healthy veggies and fruits ABC book atop the shelf. There is also a wooden vegetable puzzle down below.

As I mentioned previously, I was going to be taking the food advertisement cut-outs to utilize them for a food pyramid. Jaguar took each of the cut-outs and decided what food group they each fell into, and then he pasted them in place.


Jaguar took his Melissa & Doug pizza making set and sorted the toppings. There are 3: mushrooms, peppers, and pepperoni. He organized them into 3 bowls. Bobcat did this earlier in the day, but nto quite as thoroughly.

This activity required Jaguar to sort felt food into the 5 main groups: Fruits, Veggies, Grains, Proteins, and Dairy. He enjoyed figuring it out.


The last nutrition-related activity with Jaguar today was the traditional baking of bread. We made a banana walnut bread in the bread maker. It was really tasty, but not as tasty as it could be....I have yet to find a bread maker recipe that I personally recommend. Regardless of the outcome, the process was fun and enriching for Jaguar. :)

Top Holiday Gifts for Baby to Age 12

Baby
~Soft, cuddly animals or dolls, preferably made with a natural material.
~Stackable blocks or rings.
~Short tunnel for crawling practice.
~Soft baby rattle, preferably in an organic material (they are going to be chewing on it).
~Wooden cars or animals with wheels (great concept to learn at this stage).
~Nesting blocks, eggs, dolls, or bowls.
~Balls.
~Knit, crocheted, sewed, felted, or quilted item made especially for the baby in your life.

Toddler
~Wooden Blocks.
~Sandbox.
~Dolls.
~Tricycle.
~ABC Blocks.
~Step Stool.
~Wooden puzzles.
~Hand and finger puppets.
~Dress-up clothing and accessories.
~Variety of shapes of larger wooden building blocks.
~Wooden cars and animals with wheels.
~Books with short sentences. These should be about how things really are in everyday life. It is better to introduce fantasy after age 3, according to Montessori.
~Play toys that simulate real life: Kitchen sets, strollers, tool sets, etc...
~Knit, crocheted, sewed, felted, or quilted item made especially for your little one.


Age 3-6
~Child sized broom and dustpan and mop.
~Child sized kitchenware.
~Child sized gardening tools.
~Books that are a little more intesive. These books can be more imaginative now.
~Simple painting and building kits.
~Molding clay.
~Stencils and other drawing supplies.
~Connectable building sets.
~Art easel and other supplies.
~Wooden lacing dolls and animals.
~Practical life frames, such as lace tying, buttoning, zipping, etc...
~Age level games like checkers.
~Wooden train or car/street set.
~Marbles, jacks, jump rope.
~Again, knit, crocheted, sewed, felted, or quilted item made especially for your preschooler. This can be inspirational to their own interest in crafting.
~Materials for beginning knitting or sewing.
~Musical instruments.
~Dollhouse or treehouse.
~Bicycle.
~Fairly large letters for manipulation.



Age 6-9
~Knitting, sewing, quilting, looming kits and/or materials.
~Art activities.
~Basic pottery-making set.
~Musical instruments.
~Building construction sets.
~More coplex puzzles, like science or map selections
~Wooden puzzles that deal with fractions.
~Age appropriate science sets.
~Gardening/botany kits or supplies.
~Globe.
~More complex building sets.
~Sports equipment.
~More complex games, like chess.
~Archery set.


Age 9-12
~Stilts, unicycle, or a pogo stick.
~Trampoline.
~Sports equipment, like a snow board or stuff for volleyball or soccer.
~Chapter books, literature, poetry books.
~Sewing Machine.
~More compex crafts, like candle making.
~Craft supplies. For instance, yarn and accessories for the young knitter or lots of fabric for the experimental quilter.
~Wood working supplies (tools, materials, , accessories, books) for an aspiring woodworker.
~Musical instruments and a variety of music...or lessons.
~Architecture sets.
~Challenging, developmental games.
~Science and Nature sets.
~Journal or notbook for writing.