Trip to Kid Senses Science Museum

After a rough week, having lost two of our dogs within days of each other, the kids and I decided to celebrate Epiphany (or Three Kings Day) with a getaway to Kids Senses Science Museum in Rutherfordton, NC. It is about a thirty minute drive from our place, not as far as the wise men traveled to Bethlehem, of course. And we rode in the station wagon, since camels are rather rare in these parts.


The first spectacle after paying admission is the fire truck room. There are buttons to make a siren sound and a spinning light.
















































Jude enjoys a cloth book in the Alphabet Trail playroom.



















The silo beside the kid sized barn makes a great reading hideaway.

















Jude can hold himself pretty high, and can roll over now, both ways.















Seth is holding a toy onion, which can be planted or harvested from the "garden". But of course, it's not an onion, it's a sword. And not just any sword, but the "He-man-Power-of-Grayskull!" Lately, many random objects have undergone this incredible transformation.

















More of the Alphabet Trail playroom.



































































Metal objects defy gravity as they leap upwards from Virginia's hands while Seth turns up the magnet's power.

















Three mirrors form the Kaleidoscope!

















The lower level of the museum can be reached by climbing through this platform maze.

















The Little Pueblito Cafe


















Virginia takes orders from some fellow museum visitors.

















Check out those teeth!



















Reuben lifts a soapy wall around himself in the bubble room.




































Miriam pulls one all the way to the top!















The little grocery store is very popular, and the kids shopped and checked out many times during our visit.



































































The art room has lots of supplies for creative crafters.















A model of a hot air balloon rises to the ceiling after being heated.


















View of Rutherfordton's main street, still with Christmas decorations up.

















Reuben reluctantly leaves the museum behind. Until next time!

Empty Bowls

Last night the kids participated in a bowl making session for Empty Bowls, a project that brings all ages together to create clay bowls, led by a pottery instructor, which are then sold at a banquet with the proceeds going to a local ministry that feeds the hungry. I was really thankful for the opportunity, since Virginia had pottery on her "to learn" list at the beginning of the school (i.e., doing life) year. And I had really hoped to do some volunteering in our community, especially during the holidays.


First, they were given clay to press onto a mold.


























































Lots of busy bowl makers

















Once they had a good, smooth layer of clay, they could use a variety of objects to press in different textures.





































The bowl is removed from the mold and can be smoothed with water.
Everyone could make their own, unique design. Virginia added a flower to hers, another girl made alphabet shapes to stick to the bottom.

















Luke kept Reuben and Seth occupied by having them pose for pictures.




































The world is a stage.....



































Miriam inspects the finished bowls. I think she is pointing to the one she made, and Virginia's is the one in the middle of the pan beside her with the flower sticking out. Reuben's is down at the far end.

Just Built!

No, it's not a wigwam, though I had considered that as an option. My goal was to build a chicken shelter with materials we already had on hand. Thankfully, I managed to find enough scrap lumber around the property to complete the job. So this shelter is made entirely with recycled materials and hand tools. I didn't spend a red cent.

Among my sources for salvaged wood was an old goat shelter that we found in the woods a couple years ago. It looked like it was thrown together with scraps as well. It was covered in vines and brambles and was falling apart, but some of it was still intact. I took it apart, toted it across the field and was able to use a good bit of it, though the ends and edges of the wood were rotted and had to be trimmed, and the pieces of tin roof needed a few minor patches with caulk. I was also able to straighten and reuse some of the nails, though I must admit that I used up Luke's stash of leftovers first.

Other sources of wood were an old shed door, a pallet, and a free standing nesting box Luke had made several years ago. The nesting box was missing a back, so I put a hinged flap on it to allow for easy access (the hinges were also from the old shed door). Now all it needs is a latch for the flap and a paint job. Maybe I'll find some paint to salvage too.

I really had a blast making this, and am so glad my dad took the time to teach me basic carpentry skills when I was a little girl. It brought back many fun memories for me as I recalled everything I learned from him whenever I would "help" him with a project. Especially when Virginia stopped playing for a little while to come and hand me nails as I needed them. She can drive a nail pretty straight herself, and once built a ramp so she could push her bike up into the shed. I'm looking forward to seeing what else she and her sister and brothers come up with.

Three Kings Day Celebrations

As Episcopalians, we have always celebrated the Feast of Epiphany. Our family tradition has been to make King cake and display the three wise men worshiping the baby Jesus from the nativity set. And we take down the Christmas tree. But this year we decided to add something a little different, something to celebrate the beautiful, ever changing, ever blending, multicultural landscape of our locality. And so we adopted the Latin American tradition of leaving hay and water out the night before for the Wise Men, or rather, their camels. In the morning, the children expect to find a gift left by the venerable Magi. What could be better than homemade play dough? So this morning, each child found a bag of play dough and played to their heart's content, and Mama got to take a long soak in the tub. Then we all made King Cake together. Tonight we will see who finds the hidden treasure inside the cake.

Nature Display

I've been enjoying one of my Christmas gifts from my mom, a book called "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule. While many of the suggestions in the book are second nature to me, there are many fresh, inspiring ideas.

One of these is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and that is to set up a nature table with treasures we find outdoors. Ever since I can remember, I've collected rocks, pine cones, shells and fossils from my many outdoor adventures. Most of these I've had to discard, though I've held on to a few amazing specimens. And the kids are following suit.

But it's not exactly practical in a small house full of little ones to have our treasures out in the open. I have learned from experience after a beautiful conch I found on the Gulf of Mexico got flushed down the toilet. So a nature table seemed out of the question. Don't have that kind of space that is out of the reach of the littlest ones. And then I thought, why does it have to be that big? We can set up a small space to display a few treasures at time, and change them with others as we cycle through the seasons.

As soon as I told the girls that I had set out a basket for the treasures they find outdoors, they ran out to collect some. Pine needles, rocks, acorns, some dried flower skeletons and thin, papery leaves soon graced the winter display, with a fossil some friends and I found long ago when I lived in rural New Jersey, and a lovely piece of quartz my sister had found when we first moved to this state, over thirteen years ago. I wonder what we'll add next.

Build a Snowman

Here in South Carolina, we don't get to build snowmen very often. Maybe once or twice a year. But with this easy felt game, we can have lots of fun and stay warm and snug in our cozy kitchen. Ok, so nothing beats the real thing, but this project comes in for a close second and makes a great homemade gift that the kids can help you with.

To make this game you will need 1 sheet of white felt, scraps of black, brown, orange and other desired colors for the scarves. Then you will need four colors of felt for the building surfaces, each made of half a sheet. Also, you will need 1 die.

First, draw your patterns onto paper. I drafted a whole snowman, rather than three separate balls. Virginia designed the hat, scarf, carrot nose and stick arms. Next, on the sheet of white felt, trace four snowmen, cut them out and then cut into three "balls". Trace and cut out the accessories. Make four hats, four scarves, four noses and eight arms.

To play, each player chooses a building surface. Then, they take turns rolling the die and adding each piece that corresponds to the number rolled. Here's how we did it:
1. snowball
2. nose
3. give a piece away (if everyone already has the pieces you have, you don't have to)
4. hat
5. scarf
6. arm

The winner is the first to assemble a completed snowman.

The game has become quite a hit with the kids. Miriam asked for it first thing in the morning. And they can't just play one game at a time. It usually takes 3-5 rounds before they have lost interest, which makes for a great rainy day activity.