Human Sundial

While studying the sun, I measured Elie's shadow throughout the morning so she can see how it changes as the sun moves through the sky.  She enjoyed having her hands in different stances while I drew each shadow.

We simply went outside and she stood still while I outlined her shadow in chalk.  Then she tried to lay down on her shadow to see if she would fit.  We had a great time taking in the sun!  Oh the joys of homeschooling.

Pinterest Challenge #35 - Ruffle Dress from a T-shirt

Elie has a fascination with dresses, and she has been begging me to make her a dress that goes to her feet.  When searching Pinterest, I came across this idea from Sumo's Sweet Stuff that used a shirt to make a dress.  I decided to give it a try, and Elie was quite pleased!
So the original idea has lots of details about how to sew the dress, but I will give you a few tips that I used.  I would explain everything, but I am not an expert, by any means, in sewing.  So when it comes to many of the terms in sewing, I am clueless.

The base of the shirt (front and back) measured 22 inches.  I cut a piece of fabric 1 1/2 times the width of that (to allow for ruffling) for the piece that all of the ruffles would be sewn on to.  So the 'under piece' measured 33 inches.

 Then each ruffle was double the width of the shirt - so 44 inches each.  I used three fat quarters to make 6 ruffles (I as able to get 2 complete ruffles from each fat quarter).

Once the ruffles were all sewn onto the base piece, I sewed it to the shirt.  This was a tricky job, and it doesn't look perfect.  Then the side was sewn closed, and it was ready to wear.

She ran around in the dress all day.  It was definitely a long and tedious process that I may try to do again in a month or two.  All in all, I spent about 10 hours making this dress, so hopefully next time it will go a little faster!

Homemade Sundial

While studying the sun, we decided to make a quick and easy sundial.  I grabbed a legal pad (used the cardboard on the back), old play-doh, and a marker, and we had an instant sundial.  We went outside and measured the shadow on the hour.

Here's how is looked at the end of our day.  Can you tell what time is nap time?

Pinterest Challenge #34 - Jewelry Cleaner

My engagement ring and wedding band go through a lot during the typical day.  They are exposed to paint, soap, shampoo, cleaning materials, and a fair share of 'kid boogers'.  So to say the least, they were in desperate need of cleaning.  After finding a recipe on Pinterest from food.com (yes a strange place to put a jewelry cleaner recipe), I decided to give my rings the good cleaning they deserved.   Here's what I used to clean them:

• 1 small piece of foil
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of dish detergent
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of water
• An old toothbrush

1. Heat the water in the microwave for 2 minutes.
2. Put the small piece of foil at the bottom of that bowl once you take it out of the microwave.
3. Mix the salt, dish detergent, and baking soda into the bowl.
4. Place the jewelry on top of the foil and let it sit for 10 minutes. 
5. Remove rings and clean with a toothbrush.

This is my before picture.

Here is after.  I know it is hard to tell the difference, but I really noticed a difference.  I will definitely do this again rather than spend money on store bought cleaners.

Quick and Easy Granola Bars

We recently whipped up a quick batch of granola bars that were super easy to make and quite yummy.  Here's what you need to make it:
4 cups of Oats
1 cup of Peanut Butter (I used our Homemade Peanut Butter)
1/2 cup of Craisins
1/4 cup of water

Simply mix everything together in a greased pan (I used an 11x7 pan).  You can use different ones depending on your desired thickness.  This is what it looks like before it is cooked.

Cook it at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (depending on thickness of bars).  Here is what ours looks like when fully cooked.  The bars are not the easiest to cut into perfect rectangles, so I usually just break them into bite sized pieces.


You may find that these are not sweet enough for your taste if you are used to store bought granola bars, so here are somethings you may like to add into your granola before cooking:

• chocolate chips
• honey
• agave nectar
• peanut butter chips
• brown sugar
• brown rice syrup
• coconut

Pinterest Challenge #33 - YUCK Potatoes

This recipe looked simple and easy, and it really was.  The only problem is where these potatoes went after they were cooked.  The answer is---in the trash.  We each ate a bite or two and quickly concluded that it was a total waste (esp. of all of that cheese).  So Pinterest and Taste of Home, this was an epic fail.  I won't bother with posting the recipe here, but you can click the Taste of Home's link to see it - if you are brave enough to try it.