Quiet Book Car Edition

One after noon as I was scrolling through Pintrest, I came across one of the cutest ideas ever for keeping little boys' hands busy while sitting still and quiet (for us this would be mostly during church).  It is a little quiet book with matchbox cars and a little road on which to drive them.  With six boys in the house, we do cars!  Here is a picture of the open book.

 (Source)

So, I went to Joann's with my 50% off coupon and teacher discount card to see what kinds of cute automotive fabrics I could find. 

I decided to go with a red truck fabric and a gray background that I felt complimented it well.  Now, I am not a perfectionist when it comes to sewing projects and with most types of projects I like to use no pattern or make my own.  This project was no exception.  I cut two rectangular pieces of gray fabric that were the same size to use for the background.

And, with my grandmother's machine in front of me and my daughter sewing away on her little machine, I began to stitch this gift of love for my little boys.  

I cut the red truck fabric the same width as the gray fabric.  I folded it in half (vertically), pinned it to the bottom of one of the gray pieces, and stitched around the sides and bottom making sure to leave the top open.

Next I stitched vertical likes about two inches apart ( I would do 2.5-3 inches next time) to form pockets for the cars.  I decided to stitch the road onto the gray instead of adding a seperate piece of fabric here.  I did a loose zigzag stitch for each side of the road.  Using pins, I marked off one inch segments and made a tight yellow zigzag for the dashes down the center ever other inch. 

 I cut out the shape of a car, added two black buttons for wheels and stitched them to the other piece of gray fabric so that it would be on the front cover.  Then I placed the two pieces of gray fabric right sides together, pinned in the red piping, and closure strap.  Next, I stitched around leaving a small space open for turning (just like making a pillow).  I decided to add a loose top stitch in red for a finishing touch.  Now, I just need to add some Velcro to the strap to keep it closed.

Here is a picture with the cars in the pockets.  This folds up nicely to carry in my diaper bag for a great quiet activity that is always with me:)

 I'm really happy with the way this turned out.  I have the supplies to make another just like it but am thinking I may add more pages with other quiet activities like buttons, zippers, etc..  Any suggestions for the other pages of my next quiet book?

5 Catergories of Screen Free Summer Fun

Media, ah media.  What a great babysitter it can be.  Right?  I have to admit that I do use movies to babysit my kids every now and then.  It's important to note that media is not inherently evil but amoral.  Some of my children use ipods for daily devotions.  So, it's what you make of it.  But, it is essential that we limit the time our kids sit in front of screens.  It can be a great quiet time activity, but, so can listening to an audio book while putting together a puzzle or sketching:)

As summer is upon us and we have less structure to our day, I have to be even more deliberate about limiting screen time.  Don't get me wrong.  We love movies and my boys enjoy video games but there really needs to be a healthy balance of hands-on, mind engaging, active play as well.  By "balance" I am not suggesting equal time.  Haha.

So, here are five categories of screen free summer fun.

1. Build - When kids build things, they are forming basic concepts of Physics in their minds.  They don't yet understand kinetic and potential energy, but they know their homemade tent has the "potential" to fall.  So, build with your kids.  Build with sheets, blocks, scraps of lumber, etc.  Take apart that slide and playhouse in the back yard and see what fantastic things they can build out of all the pieces.  They will be entertained for hours.  Admittedly, this is easier with the littles than the older kids.  But, if your budget will allow, get model cars, boats, or airplanes from a local hobby store. (I prefer to support Hobby Lobby.) There are endless things that older kids enjoy building and you can usually find a coupon if you search online.  Pick up some hammers and 2 X 4s and turn them loose building a clubhouse or tree house.

2. Disassemble - After you have built things, "un-build".  Disassemble things.  It's okay, really.  Go to your local thrift store and purchase old computers or small appliances and let them disassemble and then put them back together.  I'm not big on messes or little pieces all over the house so I have them keep things in an old box.  They love to see how things work and you may end up with a fantastic appliance repair person in your home:)



3. Bake - We love to bake in our house.  Well, maybe we just enjoy eating what we bake but either way, it's a way that we can spend time together.  So, bake things together this summer and maybe even give away part of what you bake to bless an elderly neighbor.  Baking is a great way to practice  living math as you measure things or double (or triple...haha) a recipe. 

4. Create - Unleash the artists in your home and create things with different art mediums.  For the larger families you can have the littles finger paint while the middles paint by number, and the olders copy a landscape painting. Hand out yarn and crochet hooks and see who can make the longest chain (or an blanket for an American Girl doll as would be the case in our home).  There are so many different craft kits available that I bet you can find one that each of your kids will enjoy.

 
5. Exercise - Summer is a great time to keep kids exercising (now that PE is over).  There are a plethora of ways to keep them exercising without them even knowing that they are doing so.  My favorite is the pool.  Ah, those lazy summer days by the pool, right?  Well, not quite with seven kids.  We play "motorboat, motorboat" and marco-polo.  We have races.  My boys are ever amazed that their mom can still win in a race across the pool., although not for long:)  Good thing it's only one lap!  Haha.  Another great idea is a slip-n-slide for the backyard, a sprinkler under the trampoline, a family relay race, or a morning nature walk.  Whatever the case, be deliberate about keeping those kids exercising this summer.

5. Play & Imagine - Play is one of those things that does not come naturally to me.  I have to be oh so deliberate about setting aside time to play:)  So, this summer we will be busting out the board games and taking time to just play and enjoy one another.  Other great ideas for play are puppet shows, family talent shows/plays/concerts, or dress up.  Now, I know those of you with kids beyond about 8 years old are thinking that there is no way your kids will dress up.  But, sometimes it's all in how you present it.  I admit that if I handed my 11 year old a Buzz Lightyear costume, he would not, could not:)  But, if I hand him a video camera to make his film he would and could.  They all get excited about making a homemade film (maybe from this year's literature *wink*) and jump right in with the planning.  So, in a sense, they are still playing dress-up:)  We are currently in the process of making our own version of "Pilgrim's Progress" and we all have a role.  Now, I know this last suggestion is borderline for a "Screen free" post but it is definitely more along the lines of hands-on, mind engaging, active play.

So, as you plan out your summer fun, remember to include plenty of media free or screen free activities that engage the brain and foster creativity.  You won't regret it or the memories you make in the process.

Hands-On Learning

This year in school, we are studying "Rome to the Reformation" together as a theme unit study.  I love learning together for many reasons.  But, one of the best things is that we can do projects and experiments together and not have to repeat different projects six times at different levels.  I don't think that I would actually do that and we would loose much of what I believe is so important about education...learning hands-on. 

Here are a few pictures of this past week's projects.

Writing like a Roman:

We made a background and border from cardboard and then pressed clay in the middle.  The kids could then use a stick to write.

Making a cell model:

 Here we used a ziploc bad, yellow jello, and a grape to represent the three main parts of a cell.  Most of the kids ate their cell model for afternoon snack.  A little gross but the kids will remember these parts for years to come:)

Creating mini books of the Bible to learn how books are put together to create The Bible:

To do this, we used one large match box and six or so small match boxes per person.  I emptied all of the matches into bags.  We now have enough matches to last for years to come:)

The kids covered their small match boxes with construction paper to look like miniature books and then slid the mini books into the larger covered match box.  This was a great visual for them to understand the relationship between books of the Bible and the Bible as a whole.

*None of these projects were my original ideas.  They all came from our curriculum:)

Literature Unit "Snow Treasure"

One of my favorite ways to teach is through themed Literature units.  It just makes everything seem so alive and real to study and learn about what your literary characters are experiencing.  Most books can bing in History, Geography, Science, and some Math without the kids even realizing how much they are learning.  When I taught in the classroom, I would do a unit every year on "Where the Red Fern Grows"...such a great book for 10-12 year old boys (but if you intend to do this book, be aware of the language).  :)

So, this year I decided to have my two older boys participate in a Literature Club.  It is just one of those things on my educational "bucket list" that I want all of my kids to experience at some point.  So this year Nathan and Brennan are in a Literature club with ten other boys and so far it has been fantastic!  Each mom takes a turn hosting a monthly club and December was my turn to host.  We chose the book Snow Treasure.  I thought I would post here about all of the things that we did as a resource for anyone who might want to teach a unit on Snow Treasure.

The most helpful thing was that my wonderful husband took the day of the club off work to help me prepare during the morning, be available to run any last minute errands (or let me run the errands without kids!), and manage the little ones during the club.  Hooray for involved husbands and dads!!

Here is what we did:

First of all, we read the book:)  I knew that we would use The Socratic Method and that I wanted to teach the kids about setting, genre, personification, and cliffhanger.  So, I taught my own kids about personification and then had them listen for personification in the story as we read it aloud.  (We do "read aloud" with all six kids most school days.)  Amazing how much having something to listen for in the story helps my tactile learners sit still and listen:)  As we found good examples in the story, I jotted them down to use in the Lit club.  Then at one point, I had so many good examples that I would never use them all in the club but my kids kept insisting that I write them down...haha.

Before the actual day of the club, I gathered together shoe boxes and spray painted them gold to look like bricks of gold bullion.  Then, I had on hand lots of art supplies (construction paper, cotton balls, glue, scissors, clay, foam cut-outs, and little plastic soldiers, etc.) so that they could open their "bricks" and create a diorama inside.  Here is the link that I printed and gave to each boy to explain the steps in making a diorama and keep in their Literature notebooks.
How to make a shoebox diorama.

I found a page about the author that I also printed and we discussed in the club.  Each boy put a copy of this in his notebook as well.  It was really hard to find a good biography and picture of  Marie McSwigan but I found something that would work.
Author page.

Each boy received a world map with Norway colored and a map of Norway to also place in their notebooks.  Here are those links. 
World map with Norway colored. Map of Norway.

My boys and I decided to have a meal for the club much like the one that the children would have eaten at the farm after delivering the gold bricks.  So, we had our triple crockpots going  with meatballs in one, potatoes in another, and cabbage in the last.  We intended to have a variation of "iced cookies" for the boys as well but I actually had my daughter and an older sister of one of the Lit club boys preparing them during the club...haha.  But, with their help, the cookies were ready by the meal at the end of the club.

Being the planner and schedule person that I am, I had the three hour club scheduled out by time for each event.  This was really helpful as I was teaching to make sure that I was leaving enough time for all of the fun things that were planned.

Snow Treasure Book Club Schedule

Ice breaker game (15 min) 1:00

Intro Activity - (20 min) 1:15 "Make “wanted” posters"

Author – hand out sheets (10 min) 1:25 "Hand out author sheets and Norway fact sheet"

Story Chart/history (20 min) 1:45 "History of Norway, WWII, invasion timing, map"

Literary Terms (30 min) 2:15 "Setting, Personification, Genre, Cliffhanger"

Activity (45 min) 3:00  "Make a diarama"

Meal (30 min) 3:30

Game (20 min) 3:50  "Jeopardy remix"

Host gifts (10 min) 4:00

 

Things ended up a little different than I had planned...but there was a plan to fall back on!
After the teaching time, we went into the backyard to make dioramas and then had a Norwegian dinner.
We ended the club with a rousing game of "Snow Treasure Jeopardy".  I used a posterboard and post-it notes to create the game with two post-it notes for each question (one for the question and one to cover them up until needed).

My little ones were around and loved all of the action, but Peter was there to put them down for naps, etc. when the time came:)

I'd love to hear any ideas that you have for teaching Literature...Snow Treasure...or any book!

Sewing with Meme's machine

As a child, I loved to spend time with my Meme.  What little girl doesn't?  She was loving, patient, and very giving.  Although she was a little rough around the edges and occasionally let out a few choice words (to which she would immediately turn to me and say "Excuse my French, Allison"), she was mine and I loved her just the way she was.

We actually didn't know about many of the things that she did to give herself away during her life.  It wasn't until after her death that stories emerged of things that she had made and given to people who were needy in one way or another.  She was living out the scripture "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"  Matthew 6:3.  I knew this verse well.  It was a verse from one of the many large passages of scripture that I memorized as a homeschool child.  Somehow it came more alive to me after my Meme's death than any other time.  She had been doing just that.

Here is a picture of me sitting in my Meme's lap with my older brother Scott, and Big Mama (Meme's mom...the name is a story all of it's own).  Ahhh, look at those dresses and hair styles...theirs, not mine:)

Here is a picture of Meme holding my newborn brother Adam. (And, look how sweet that baby is!)  I love the look on my face as I am looking up at her.  Admiration in my eyes?  Yes. 

 And, here is a picture of my Meme with all three of us kids.  She was a regular part of our lives and lived only a couple of miles away.  Wow...that wallpaper...and those glasses!

 She was an artist.  She loved to create and she loved to give. I still have many things that she made for me as a child and can remember all the special treasures that didn't survive the years. 
She taught me how to crochet, knit, quilt, and she enhanced my knowledge and experience in sewing.  As a teen, I would occasionally go with her to the little shop where she worked.  I would work with her when the owner wasn't going to be there.  It was a craft shop.  I can't even remember the name but, I can remember the place.  It was full of so many wonderful craft items and instruction books.  I think that she mostly brought me along because she didn't want to be lonely all day and she didn't like to balance the books at the end of the day...haha.  (Back in the day when you actually had to do math and not just press buttons on a computer.)  She would give me the account book and say that it was my homeschool lesson for the day...but even back then, I knew that numbers were not her strength.  I loved her.  Loved spending time with her.  And, still love her to this day. 

She was a mystery.  She had lived alone since my Pawpaw passed away over a decade before.  She lived a simple life in a little apartment full of priceless memories and old treasures.  One such treasure was a letter from my Pawpaw that my mother found in her bedside table after she left this world.  It was written before they were married and while my Pawpaw was serving our country in the military.
I stayed with her for a week one time as a teen, in that little apartment, when my parents were going out of town.  She insisted on giving me her bedroom and she slept out on the couch.  It is a week that I will cherish for the rest of my days.  Just Meme and me in her little apartment.

So, now as an adult, words cannot describe the roller coaster of emotion that I ride each time that I pull out her old sewing machine.  I kept it put away for many years so as not to damage it.  Then, I thought that she would really prefer that I use that old machine not store it in my closet.  So, I pulled it out and sewed curtains and things for my little apartment in Virginia where Peter and I lived shortly after we were married.  (We lived in Virginia for four years while he earned a JD and a masters degree in Government.)

A few years ago, I decided to trade the old machine in along with the machine that my parents bought me for my tenth birthday.  I was hoping to upgrade to something fancier and more modern.  As I was checking through to make sure that all the parts were there, I noticed something scratched into the machine.  It was in plain view and I can't believe that I hadn't seen it all those years.  It was her initials.  Mozelle Virginia Harvill...MVH.  As I stared at it, I was pulled through time and space to see her sewing with this very machine in her little apartment all those years ago.  No, I couldn't sell this machine.  Call me nostalgic, but this machine will forever be in my home.

Here you can see the tape that she placed on the machine to help her keep her fabric straight as she fed it through the machine.

 I have used that machine to make curtains, bedspreads, baby quilts, little matching shirts for birthday boys, frilly little dress-up dresses, Halloween costumes, to decorate burp cloths, and most recently to create my own cloth diapers.

My Meme, did not get to hold her great-grandchilden but she has been a part of their lives through the gifts and lessons that she gave to me.  So, every time that I sit down to sew, crochet, or do any type of craft, (which isn't that often these days...haha), I think of my Meme and the way her hands not only created but how they willingly gave as well.

Getting to the BOTTOM of it.

I have wanted to cloth diaper my babies for some time now...since Wesley was a baby, actually.  I'm not sure why.  I'm not overly concerned about the environment.  It probably has something to do with my love for living natural and being self sufficient...saving on the grocery budget is a plus as well!

I can remember, as a child, going to stay a week with my cousin who had a baby in cloth diapers and another on the way.  I was really fascinated by cloth diapers as I had never seen them before.  Of course, back then it was HUGE diaper pins and plastic pants on top.  I loved cloth diapering even way back then.

When Wesley was a baby, I couldn't get Peter totally on board with the idea.  There is quite a "start up" expense to cloth diapering and it can sound overwhelming.  So, I waited.  After Ransom joined our family (two babies later) I tried again to get Peter on board.  This time he was more willing to give it a shot...after all, nothing can be worse than the Delve diaper studies (where you have to return the used products!) and we had done quite a few of those.  With Peter on board and willing to invest in the idea, I was ready to start.

Phase one: Research.  I was looking for the type of cloth diaper that I felt would fit our lifestyle (busy!) and yet allow me to be more natural and self sufficient.  Oh, there are so many different options out there for cloth diapering these days and many of them are really not much more work than paper diapering.  However, the prices of these AIO (all-in-one) diapers are still quite expensive.  Hmmm.

Phase two: Shopping!  I really didn't want to spend as much money as I was seeing cloth diapers listed for so, I decided to buy a few of the brand that I liked and use them for a template to make my own diapers.  I needed to purchase PUL fabric, no-pill fleece, terrycloth or hemp, velcro, and elastic.  Amazingly enough, Joann's Fabric just happened to have their PUL and fleece fabrics on 50% off that week.  So, I was able to use my 40% coupon on another item.

PUL is an amazing fabric lined on one side with a pliable plastic that keeps diapers from leaking.  (I have also found it good for many other uses like changing pads, bibs, and wet bags.)  The diapers that I wanted to make would have an outer layer of PUL, be lined with fleece (to keep baby dry), and be stuffed with "soakers" or absorbent fabric rectangles.  I chose my fabrics and was ready for the fun to begin:) 
 

Phase three: Sewing:)  I love sewing.  It reminds me of being a child and watching my Meme's hands create.  She could do it all...sew, crochet, knit, quilt, and much more.  So, after prepping the fabric, I pulled out her sewing machine (watch for a later post on this!) and went to work.

I pulled out a large roll of brown paper that I keep around for the kids art projects and began tracing and cutting out my templates.  If you are trying this, know that the template will look huge but not to worry when all of the seems are in place it will be much smaller and you can always bring it down to size with elastic later.

Next, I traced the newly made template onto the PUL and fleece fabrics and then cut out my diapers.

Here are some pictures of the PUL cutouts.  Aren't these fabrics just too cute?

I then placed the PUL and fleece right side together and stitched around the edges, leaving an opening in the back, just as you would to make a pillow.

After flipping them to the right-side-out position, I did a quick zig-zag stitch on the edge of the exposed fleece and folded down the exposed PUL, stitched across, and inserted some elastic to give the diaper a snug fit.  You can see the plastic interior shinning in this picture.

 Next, I inserted some elastic (through the opening in the back) and placed it in the area that I wanted to stay snug around the legs.  I stitched across the elastic on one end, along the side of the elastic (careful not to stitch on top of the elastic), and then pulled the elastic to the desired length, stitched over the other end of the elastic, and cut the elastic.  Here is a stack of diapers awaiting elastic. You can see where the elastic is around the legs in the picture below.

 Lastly, I need these diapers to stay closed!
I decided on Velcro over snaps as I haven't had much experience applying snaps in many years and this wasn't the project where I wanted to practice.
I sewed the Velcro (fuzzy side) across the front and (scratchy size) onto the two side flaps.  I then added a piece of "fuzzy" velcro on top of the tab and used a zig-zag stitch to attach it only on the inner most side.  This is to "close" the tabs during washing and protect the diapers.

**On the next batch of diapers, I added a layer (scrap piece) of fleece behind the long, front Velcro strip for added strength.  I also sewed the Velcro on first (before stitching the PUL and fleece together like a pillow).  This way, the inserts can go all the way to the top of the diaper.**


The diapers are now complete and I need to make some "soakers" to stuff inside.  I chose terrycloth this time but would like to try a few other absorbent fabrics as well.   Again, I laid out the purchased soakers and traced around to make a template.  I made my soakers four layers thick, but three would be sufficient.  Just one of those things that I learned in the process...haha.


Here is a stack of soakers waiting for the zigzag stitch around the edges.  I don't have a serger so I purchased an industrial strength needle for my Meme's machine and did a zigzag stitch around the edges.  Finally, the project is complete!

Phase Four: Diaper the babies. ...and start saving.

 

And, as long as I am leaving paper products in the dust, I decided to make a few "pull-up" style pants for my little one who needs them from time to time at night.  These were a little tricky (and I am still trying to come up with a better way to make them) but they have the same basic idea with a layer of PUL, soaker stuffed in the middle, and fleece to keep little bottoms dry and rash free.

 

Goodbye, Huggies!  I enjoyed you but am happy to move on..haha.


To sum it all up: I spent around $75 and made 14 diapers, 14 soakers, 4 night time pants, a large hanging diaper pail, changing pad, and several bibs.  That sure beats the $20+ per diaper...yes, you read that right...PER DIAPER price of buying them from a manufacturer.
So far they have held up great and I am really happy with the outcome.

The first batch (jungle animals) that I made turned out way too small for my two year old so, I put them on the baby.  I then made the green ones a little bigger and then the monkey diapers even bigger:)  Peter even joins in the diaper changing and was pleasantly surprised by how easy cloth diapering is.
We now save about $100 each month in paper products and I do one extra load of laundry each night.  (We already do 3-5 loads each day, so what's 1 more?)  And, because I make my own detergent (watch for a later post on this) and hang them to dry (heat damages the PUL fabric), that doesn't really increase costs much:)

I like to think that my Meme would be proud to know that her machine is now sewing for six of her great-grandchildren:)

Update:  12.2011  It is now five months later, and the only issue that I have had with these diapers is that I laid a few of them flat on top of the dryer to dry and the heat from the dryer damaged them.  The PUL from Joann's seems to be more heat sensitive than the ones from the manufacturer.

Update: 4/2012  I recently looked at newer PUL fabric at Joann's and it is a much higher quality.   I helped a friend make diapers for her coming baby and was amazed at the progress in the PUL.  Joann's has tons of super cute coordinating fabrics, patches, snaps, velcro, and much more for diapers.  I wouldn't advise stitching patches on diapers however because you would be punching holes in the PUL.