Open Farm Day

The 21st annual Maine Open Farm Day will be held on Sunday July 25,2010, as more than 100 Maine farms across the state open their doors to the public.

Ashley will be visiting a few farms to see what farm life is all about. She is looking forward to watching farm activities and demonstrations from milking to felting; pet farm animals, picking berries, touring barns and going on a hay ride.

There will be farm-raised products for sale, displays to see and samples to taste. Oh what fun!

Click here to find a downloadable document that lists all participating farms

Kids Workshops at Home Depot

Ashley absolutely loves the the kids workshops at Home Depot!

These workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit.

The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Plus, it is a fun time for quality one-on-one time for parents with their children. Not to mention, the items make great home-made gifts!

In addition to the project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron (similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons) and an achievement pin. Ashley loves collecting them!

Spreading Kindness

Recently we were at a petting zoo at a local fair where Ashley was feeding the baby animals. As she raced back from the 25-cent grain dispenser with another handful of grain, she noticed a little girl that didn't have any grain to feed the animals. The little girl pleaded to her mother, "Please Mommy, why can't I have some grain to feed the animals". "Honey, we have no money to buy grain", the mother explained to the disappointed child.

Without hesitation, Ashley walked up to the mother and asked if it would be okay if she shared some of her grain with the little girl. Touched by her gesture, the mother agreed. The little girl beamed with excitement as Ashley gave the entire handful of grain to the little girl.

The mother was so touched. She turned to me and told me what Ashley had just done. Of course, I had already seen the act of kindness that my daughter had just demonstrated. I walked over to her and hugged her and told her that she made me very proud.

This wonderful demonstration of kindness inspired me to teach a special lesson at Sunday School on how we treat other people and the amazing difference paying it forward can make. I asked each of the children to draw a picture of something kind that they have done for another person. I also challenged them to look for opportunities this week to spread kindness.

We created a display on the wall for everyone to see entitled, "Spreading Kindness - Our Kids Are Making a Difference too". Each week we will continue to put the pictures up on the wall for everyone to see.

Building a Fairy House

Along the coast of Maine, there is an island that you can go walking on that has fairy houses in the woods along the walking path. Recently we went for a walk on the island looking for fairy houses. As we walked, we saw an occassional fairy house here and there. We gather special items along the way so that we could build our own fairy house... bark, sticks, rocks, acorns and flowers.

Finally we came to a clearing in the woods, where we found dozens and dozens of fairy houses, every shape and size. It was such an amzing sight! They were built with all different types of materials. Some were in the trees, others on the ground, some near bushes, some at the base of a tree. They were spread through out the tall pine trees as far as the eye could see. It was incredible!

We found a fallen log with a hollowed out section that made a perfect protected spot for our little fairy house. We propped sticks together and covered them with large peices of bark. Ashley gathered leaves, seaweed and a shell to fill acorns with and created a table and sitting stone for the fairies. We also made a little circle of rocks with nicely stacked sticks for a little fire ring. We finshed off our fairy house by lining the outer edges with flowers in hopes that the fairies would find it welcoming.

What a great way to spend one of the last days of summer!

Learning About Ladybugs

Ashley learned all about ladybugs when we bought a tub of them to release in our yard. We bought them at a local greenhouse.

Ladybugs are actually predators that feed on a variety of insects including aphids, moth eggs, mites, scales, thrips, leafhoppers, mealybugs and other slow-moving insects.

Early evening is the best time to release ladybugs. So, we waited until dusk to release them into their new home.

Now we are anxious for them start doing their job!

Opening Night for Oklahoma

Opening night for Ashley's first play, Oklahoma, was last week!

It was truly amazing to see Ashley perform in front of audience! During rehearsals she did very well. She always remembered her cues and was always where she needed to be. But once she got in front of an audience, she took it to a whole new level. She was so animated and reacted to the lines of other characters with such energy and enthusiasm! Her facial expressions were incredible. It was as if she had been doing this for years!

The rehearsals have been a wonderful experience for her. She has learned so much about what goes into a play production... costumes, set design, make-up, dress rehearsal, being backstage and, of course, opening night.

Ashley was so excited to perform in front of an audience. She was nervous and excited. But, she did fabulous. After each show, she had people telling her that she stole the show whenever she was on stage.

It has truly been a wonderful experience!!!

Fun Butterfly Craft

We have been planning fun crafts for Ashley's Fairy Birthday party and found a great butterfly craft that is easy to do!

You will need:

~ Scissors

~ Ruler

~ Scrapbook paper

~ Pipe cleaners

Instructions:

1. For each butterfly, cut two 2 1/2-inch squares from scrapbook paper. Trim the left and right sides of the squares to round them, as shown.

2. Accordion-fold each of the squares to create two sets of wings.

3. For the butterfly's body, cut a pipe cleaner in half. Fold one of the halves into a V-shape, as shown, and twist the ends together a few times just above the bend to create an abdomen (it should be about an inch long).

4. Sandwich both sets of wings between the pipe cleaner ends above the abdomen, and twist the ends a couple more times to hold them snugly in place.

5. Use your fingers to pull the wings open a bit, and then curl the tips of the pipe cleaner to shape antennae.

Ashley Meets a Real Author

One of our local libraries recently sponsored a special "Shape Capers" event with a local Maine author/illustrator, Cathryn Falwell.

"Shape Capers" is one of Falwell’s children’s books. The event included a treasure hunt crafts, games, movement, music making, and all kinds of fun activities focused on "shape making fun".

Ashley had a great time participating in all of the activities. But, she was especially excited about meeting the lady who actually wrote children’s books that we have at home.

Of course, Cathryn Falwell signed one of Ashley’s books with a personalized little note to her. Ashley was thrilled!

Falwell's books are all written with a lesson in mind… counting, telling time, perseverance, team work, dealing with new siblings, etc. The illustrations in her books are wonderful - they all done in cut-paper collage. We have really enjoyed her books.

Be sure to check out her website. She also has some fun activities for kids (which are also included in each of her books).

Please Vote For Us!!!

We need your votes!!!

Every week 60 different artisans face off in 12 different categories in the Artisans Challenge to see who has the best handmade item.

Our very own "Delicate Purple Flowers" book clip from our online store is in the challenge!

Please vote before April 6th!!!

Go to Blockhead Radio to vote today!

Have Fun Learning How Chocolate is Made

The Hershey's Chocolate Tour Ride in Hershey, PA is a FREE tour and a wonderful way to learn about where chocolate comes from.

Once you board the indoor trolley, the ride takes you through a simulated HERSHEY'S Chocolate Factory that shows you the entire chocolate-making process. From harvesting the cocoa beans in the tropical rain forest where cocao beans grow to wrapping you favorite sweet treats. You can even smell the chocolate as the cocoa beans make their way through the mock manufacturing process.

It is truly a fun and informative ride that makes learning about the chocolate-making process very easy. Ashley even wanted to go on it a second time and had lots of questions!

After the ride, Ashley became an official chocolatier at HERSHEY'S Kissworks attraction where she got to package her very own HERSHEY'S KISSES chocolates. She even had her picture taken for her very own badge as an official chocolatier!

What a fun way to learn about how chocolate is made! And it's FREE!

Come Join the Fun!!!

It's Party Time!!!

** The Ultimate Blog Party 2009 **

Be sure to check it out!!!

March 20th - 27th!!!

Be sure to register to win one of the many great prizes!!!

You could win these earrings from our very own online store, Acorn Accessories!!!

If you want to win these earrings (or any pair of earrings from Acorn Accessories), be sure to blog about them (INTL 63)!!!

Learn for FREE in D.C.

What better place to expose your child to US History than our very own Washington DC? Not only is a wonderful way to learn about our history, but admission to everything is FREE!!!

While we were in Washington DC, Ashley got to see where the President lives, the Capital Building, Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, among many other important buildings. At each of the stops we discussed the history and significance of each building/memorial.

We also visited many of the museums, which are also FREE. Ashley learned about space and flight in the National Air and Space Museum. Along with many other exhibits, she got to see the Apollo 11 Command Module and got to go into the cockpits of aircraft and spacecraft exhibits. She also learned about the Wright brothers' historic flights and got to see the Wright Flyer, the world's first successful airplane.

Ashley’s favorite museum was the National Museum of Natural History. We could have spent all day in this museum alone. Ashley is fascinated with dinosaurs and just loved seeing the exhibits. She finally got to appreciate the actual size of the dinosaurs, which you really cannot grasp looking at a book. Ashley also got to explore a living butterfly house (not free) where butterflies sat right on her finger! She also got to see some amazing gems and minerals, many prehistoric animals and some interesting reptiles and amphibians.

I have also learned that the Smithsonian offers some wonderful lesson plans and web-based activities online at http://www.mnh.si.edu/education. Be sure to check it out!

What a great resource for homeschoolers!

Fun wih Seaglass

One of Ashley’s favorite outdoor activities is walking along the beach looking for sea glass with Mama. We often go to the beach looking for sea glass and then go for a hike along the big rocks. When we have lots of energy, we hike all the way out to the lighthouse.

Sometimes we take the ferry out to one of the islands and walk along the beach on the island. We make an entire afternoon out of the ferry ride out to the island, the walk along the beach and then the ferry ride back. We have quite the collection of sea glass from the coast of Maine in green russet brown and white.

Ashley was so excited to see some of the charms we could make from sea glass. We take wire and wrap it around the sea glass. Ashley helps pick out which pieces of sea glass we should use and helps choose a charm.

She loved seeing pictures of our sea glass masterpieces in our online store.

Whenever we sell one, we put half of our profts into her savings account. She loves going to the bank and making a deposit (don't we all).

It is great fun taking one of our favorite past times of collecting sea glass and showing her how we can turn the sea glass into wonderful jewelry. It gave Ashley a whole new appreciation of sea glass.

You can check out some of our other designs in our online store, Acorn Accessories.

Let's Get Creative with Beads

Ashley loves to go to the bead store to pick out new beads! The bead store has hundreds of different beads to choose from. She loves to find new beads! Every time we go, there is something new.

We use the beads to make jewelry and accessories for our online store.

Ashley is very good at helping come up with new desgins. She is very creative!

For special occassions she gives some of her creations as special gifts, which is always extra special to the person that is receiving it.

Never Too Young For Guitar Lessons

Ashley wanted to learn how to play the guitar so bad. But, at 5 years old, it is not easy (although not impossible) to find a teacher that is willing to teach at such a young age.

It seems as though it was meant to be when we met a great teacher that was more than willing to take Ashley on as a student.

His learning approach to playing the guitar makes it so easy for a young child to learn. Each of the strings have a color assigned to it. The strings are easy to remember with a fun phrase that he uses... "Elmo Always Dances Goofy Before Ernie".

In just a couple months time, she is able to play three songs and three chords. It is not easy to get her to practice at this age. But she loves the lessons and loves jammin' on her guitar.

Check out the video at the bottom of our blog to hear her own personal version of "Happy Birthday" for Gramma.

What a Difference Swim Lessons Make!

Local colleges are a wonderful resource! You may not realize it, but they frequently offer some great activities for kids.

One of the many activities we take advantage of at one of our local colleges is swimming lessons. They even have lessons for babies!

Ashley did not have a lot of confidence in the water. So, swimming lessons seemed like a good idea.

When she started out, she had some "catching up" to do compared to the other kids in her class. But after just a couple weeks, she was consistently out-swimming everyone in her class. By the time she reaches the edge of the pool, all the other kids are a half a pool length behind her.

Swim lessons have made a big difference for Ashley. She loves going and is always dissapppointed when it is time to leave!

Fun with Legos

Our local library is a wonderful resource when it comes to fun activities for kids. Of course, the library offers your typical story time for various ages. But it also offers some other great activities throughout the year.

One of Ashley's favorite activities that is currently offered by our local library is "Fun with Legos". The library allows local homeschoolers to use the library once a week to get together and enjoy Legos together.

Bring your own, share with others and enjoy some fun times being creative together. It is great fun for kids!

Ashley hadn't really shown much interest in Legos until she started going to the library to share the fun with some fellow homeschool friends. This fun activity has taken Legos to a whole new level of fun for her.

Factory Tour at Stonewall Kitchen

Ashley recently had an opportunity to visit Stonewall Kitchen for a factory tour!

A friendly staff member shared her years of knowledge with us as she guided us through the each of the departments that "make it all happen". When we went in to view the production line in operation, Ashley got to wear a special hair net and white coat, just like the workers.

It was interesting to learn about the manufacturing process. Each of the production area has a sign identifying what the machine does... filling, capping, cooling, labeling, testing and quality control.

After the tour, we got to sample products from the store’s demonstration kitchen. Yum!!!

We often look for opportunities to visit places that offer factory tours. It is educational and fun!

Horseback Riding Lessons at Any Age

We were really lucky to find a local stable that would allow Ashley to take horseback riding lessons at the age of four.

Her first (8) lessons were a series of classes that provided an introduction to horsemanship (in addition to riding lessons), including learning how to be safe around horses and how to care for horses.

This is now her second year of lessons now and they focus more on riding. She has learned a lot and really loves going!

Most importantly the lessons have taught the responsibility of taking care of horses. Ashley would love to have her own horse someday. By taking lessons that expose her to the care of horses, it is preparing her for the huge responsibility down the road.

Free Workshops at Home Depot

Did you know that Home Depot offers free workshops for kids?

The first Saturday of each month, our local Home Depot offers a class where kids can learn how to build things. They give each child an orange Home Depot smock with their name on it. For each activity the child participates in, they get a new pin for their smock.

Ashley loves going to these workshops! After each class, she likes to walk through the store pretending that she works there.

So far, she has made some really nice gifts for people that she got to make at these great work shops. She has built a memory box with a sliding top, a tool box (for art supplies or small tools), a football rack, a bug catcher and a plant holder (for seedlings). Of course, some of these projects she chose to keep for herself.

Of course, she typically needs help with the projects; but it is always a "joint effort" and a great way for Ashley to learn how things are made.

She really enjoys it and is always quite proud of the new items she gets to make.