IP Tuesday

It's Independent Project Tuesday again. Three is working on one of her Try-its, the "Stitch it Together" badge. All morning long she's been sewing buttons to a piece of fabric to make a button collage. When she's done, we're going to mount it to cardboard, so she can hang it. Naturally, the button project looked neat to Jack O'Hearts, and so he did his own button collage as well. He actually sewed 4 buttons onto a piece of cloth. Way to go kids!

Ace and Deuce are busy making gingerbread houses. They mixed up the dough this morning, and are now busy cutting out the pieces and getting them ready to bake. You can find the directions they are using here.

I've been doing my own independent project as well. I've completed the first chapter of my book. I finished last night about 11:00 p.m. It seems to go better late at night, maybe because it is a mystery novel. Who knows. Anyway, I've not been to bed before midnight all week. (poor hubby.)

It is a good feeling to finally have some forward progress on the novel. yay!

Independent Work Tuesday

Time for my kids' favorite day of the week, Tuesday. Independent Project Tuesday has been a smashing success so far.

Today: Ace discovered a re-use of a dog food bag by designing and sewing up a letterbox sit-upon. It has a pocket for a logbook, and a strap, so it is easy to carry. But the main benefit is that it makes a nice, clean place to sit when letterboxing, so you don't get all muddy or dirty.

Deuce created a recipe (and tested it out!) for chocolate-mint cupcakes. Right now they are filling the house with a really yummy aroma, while they wait to cool, and she can frost them with some buttercream frosting.

Three began working on a Brownie Try-it, a sewing badge, by making sewing/lacing cards of animals. She cut them out of a Your Big Backyard magazine, stuck them to cardboard, laminated them, and then punched holes so they could be laced with yarn.

Jack O'Hearts and Little Four have been testing the cupcake batter and the lacing cards. But now they are out side playing in a big puddle.

Additionally, Deuce and I played a game of Wholes: The Game to practice adding fractions. You can find directions to make it here.

Something Homeschool Related

Not letterboxing for a change, although I've got 3 boxes ready to plant, and plan to get out sometime this weekend with my reluctant boxer, Deuce.

I tried something different today. Following the lead of Gina at Spotty Banana, we're making Tuesdays "IPT" day. (Independent Project Tuesday)

So, you might wonder, what did the kids do today with so much leeway? Ace finished her paper for American Government. (yay!) Deuce learned how to upload her photographs on to SnapFish, so she could have an empty card to film a movie onto. She then made a concept board, scenery, and came up with props and such for a "Polly Pocket" music video. Sadly, there is no good way to hold a Polly and make them dance, so she tied yarn around their necks, and it looks like the gallows dance (to me, anyway.)

Three decided she'd like to work on a Brownie Try-It badge on doll and puppet making. She began with the yarn doll. We worked on one together, and it turned out quite nicely. Then she made one for herself. Ace, Deuce and the others also got in the act, so for about 2 hours they made yarn dolls and talked about them. During the discussion, they decided that they would film a short movie about the yarn dolls, now called the "Its." They created a whole mythology about the Its and their enemy, the evil "Things." I'd relate it here, but as it is lengthy and complicated, and about yarn dolls, I won't. It was very creative, however.

So what did they learn? What skills did they use? How many skeins of yarn did they go through? I'm not sure, but as I was tucking Deuce in tonight, she told me that now she loved Tuesdays. Stay tuned.