RANDOMNESS #1 - Are you ready for some basketball?
I know. It is only June, but we're having Basketball Camp this week, so the following pics will have to hold you until November.
And that will be here before you know it.
Claire, Roxie and Alyssa.
Claire, Roxie and Alyssa.
Come to Kelci!
Roxie getting some lovin' from a teammate's sister in between games. Sweet, sweet little girl.
RANDOMNESS #2 - The Chick had her Senior Pics made yesterday.
As a wise man once said, "That just ain't right."
A few of weeks ago, I spotted a smallish cornfield on a side street. Since Roxie was going to be wearing denim for one of her Senior outfit changes, I asked her if she could give me five minutes... on the side of the road... in a field of corn.
Surprisingly, she said, "Sure."
I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but it would have been great if the farmer whose land we were trespassing on at the time would have brought out a John Deere tractor for a couple of shots.
Just saying.
As far as cornfield photos go, I was pleased!
Quotable Quotes - Mikie sent these to me yesterday. I'm not sure why he thought I'd be interested, but some of them were pretty funny... and unfortunately, true.
My wife and I had words, but I didn't get to use mine.
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.
God made man before woman so as to give him time to think of an answer for her first question.
I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one.
Pinterest Stuff
Books to Read in a Tent
Are you going camping? Or just pitching a tent in the backyard? Take some of these books along for flashlight reading or a bedtime story around the campfire.
1. Curious George Goes Camping by Margret and H. A. Rey
Get ready for some fun and antics as The Man in the Big Yellow Hat takes George camping! George tries to be helpful, but problems arise. Young kids identify with George who is always trying to be helpful, but sometimes it doesn't quite work out.
2. S Is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet by Helen Foster James
A fun A to Z exploration of what to pack, where to go and things to do on a campout. The book is a fun read for any family planning a camping trip with many descriptions of fun activities that kids enjoy. Sidebars offer some great historical and science facts for older kids too!
3. A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee by Chris VanDusen
Mr. Magee and his dog Dee head out for a camping trip that ends up having some bad results! How will they get out of this slippery situation? Kids will enjoy the outlandish experiences Mr. Magee must face on his campout, along with the great illustrations in this book.
4. Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping by Peggy Parish
Enjoy the hilarious results as Amelia Bedelia sets off on a camping trip! She tries her best to pitch a tent and catch a fish, but can't understand why things are going so wrong. These kids books are a great way to introduce kids to the ways words can be easily misunderstood.
5. Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night by Cynthia Rylant
Enjoy hiking, campfires and sleeping under the stars with Henry, Mudge and Henry's parents. Early readers will love this Easy Reader adventure book that highlights some of the great experiences of spending some time in a tent.
6. The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barb Rosenstock
A lesser-known story from American history, this kids book tells how President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir take a camping trip to Yosemite in 1903. The result of the trip was the creation of the National Parks system in America. A great book that explains how the National Parks were started and why we should appreciate the opportunities they offer all who visit.
7. A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
A 5th grade school class sets off for their week-long campout. When Mark is accused of breaking a rule by his science teacher, he runs off into the woods, angry that no one will hear his explanation. His teacher sets off to find him and both are forced to survive until they can be found. A great on-the-edge-of-your-chair read for kids who enjoy adventure books!
8. The Boxcar Children: The Camp-Out Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Henry, Jesse, Violet and Benny are going on a camping trip with Grandfather. When they hear loud music in the middle of the night and their lantern disappears, they realize they have a mystery to solve. One in a series of classic kid-friendly mysteries, this is a great read-aloud for your camping trip.
Way Back When...
Indian Braves Party
Introduce the boys and girls to Native American culture with this fun-filled party. The young braves will enjoy wearing their colorful feather headbands, playing Indian games and making Indian crafts. The theme, from Joshua 1:9, centers on bravery. "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Suggested Size: 5 to 10 kids
Suggested Time of Day: Morning or afternoon
Type: Boys, girls or mixed
Ages: 2 through 5
You will need:
Construction paper
Feathers
Plywood
Fabric
Poster board
Toothpicks
Food
INVITATIONS
Cut 5" triangles out of poster board and tape three toothpicks at the top of each. Cover the triangles with fabric and cut small flaps to open in the middle. The party information will be written inside the tepees and should read as follows:
Chief __________(Child's Name)____________ invites young braves to a powwow.
Date:____________
Time:____________
Location:__________________________
RSVP to Squaw:_____________________
DECORATIONS
Make a tepee using three 5' plywood boards. Attach them together at the top using rope. Put a bed sheet around the frame or purchase some fabric to staple to the frame. Place the tepee in the backyard or in the main room for the party.
For the front door of your house, make an Indian face out of poster board. Add black construction paper hair and a headband with a feather. Draw the eyes, nose and mouth. On the headband write the word "How."
Inside your house, place arrows made from poster board or purchase inexpensive toy arrows from the toy store. Hang the arrows on the walls to point the way to the activities. Party colors are red, black and turquoise. Purchase balloons, streamers and paper goods in these colors.
If you have access to large rolls of paper or fabric, you could make a large triangle tepee to put on the front door. Cut it in the middle for the children to walk through as they enter the party.
SCHEDULE
15 Minutes - Arrive and dress up
20 Minutes - Indian games
20 Minutes - Powwow
15 Minutes - Open Presents
15 Minutes - Free play
Arrive and Dress Up - Greet each young Indian with a "How." Give him an Indian headband made out of construction paper and paper feathers. After presenting your guest with his headband, tell him to follow the arrows to join the rest of the kids. During arrival time, have the following activities for the kids.
1. Indian Vests - Make Indian vests out of brown grocery sacks. Cut a slit up the front of the sack and cut around the bottom of the sack to make the hole for the head. Cut an arm hole on each side and fringe on the edges of the sack. Let the kids decorate and color their vests with markers.
2. Indian Names - Help the children think of Indian names to call themselves. Each child should think of his or her talents and relate them to an animal. They can come up with names such as Running Horse, Fast Deer, or Singing Cow. Write their Indian names on their headbands and vests. (NOTE: When we had this party, Mike picked the name "Chief Pickabugga." As you can imagine, the boys loved it. Me... not so much.)
3. War Paint - Apply Indian war stripes using lipstick and eye pencils.
Indian Brave Games - Direct the children in several running races. Give stickers as prizes to be placed on the vests of everyone who finishes. Give the first place winner a feather for his headband.
The games can be simple races to prove their bravery and speed. Start off with a running race. Then have the kids hop from start to finish. They can race running backwards and then running sideways. You could also make a race in which they roll to the finish line.
Give the kids a small ball made of crumpled-up foil (the Indians used roots from trees), and kick the ball from start to finish.
Play Bear Hide and Seek. Have one child become the bear who hides while all of the Indians count to 20. Then all of the Indians seek the bear. When someone spots the bear, he shouts, "I found the bear," and everyone runs for home base. The first person to touch home base becomes the next bear.
Powwow - Tell the young braves to all sit Indian style in a circle. Introduce the children to some Indian food, such as beef jerky, cornbread, popcorn and berries. Let the kids have a small portion of each. Serve the birthday cake with a tepee and Indian figures on top. (See cake ideas below.)
Use this time to tell the boys the Indians were very proud of their bravery. Say, "It was a great honor to be considered a brave Indian. What does it mean to be brave? Do you know the Bible encourages us to be brave with God's strength? Listen as I read what God told Joshua before the Israelites were about to go into the Promised Land."
Read Joshua 1:9. Have the verse written on a colorful poster even if the children cannot read yet. Ask the children if they want to be brave. Tell them to remember God can give them the courage they need when they are following Him.
Open Presents - Put all of the presents in the tepee. Tell all the children to sit in front of the tepee. When you call a name (do not forget to use the Indian name), that child should go into the tepee and come out with his present and give it to the birthday child.
Free Play - Allow the kids to play with their ponies and bow and arrow sets. You may also want to set out some small plastic cowboy and Indian figures. You also have time to play Bear Hide and Seek again.
FOOD
Beef jerky
Cornbread
Berries
Popcorn
Water bottles (Indians drank a lot of water)
Cake
Cake - Use your favorite recipe or mix to bake a rectangular cake. Ice the cake with vanilla or chocolate icing. Make several tepees on the top of the cake using ice cream cones (upside down) with toothpicks sticking out of the top. Place some of the plastic Indians on the top of the cake. Make a lake using blue icing. Put a paper canoe in it. (I made this cake for Josh's 4th birthday. It was easy AND very cute.)
FAVORS
Favor bags - Use brown paper lunch sacks and cut fringe on top
Headbands, feathers and vests
Bow and arrow sets
Plastic Indian figures
Stone arrowheads
Beef jerky
Microwave popcorn for later
This party was a huge success. The games were great because when it was time for the Powwow, snacks and opening presents, the boys were tired and calm.
Also, the party was taken from Parties With a Purpose by Karol Ladd. Although I have tried over the years to order more of these books, I have been unable to find them in print. However, when I checked on Amazon.com last night, they did have them for sale (new AND used). If you have children (small up to teenagers), this is the book for you. It has over 80 parties for every sex and every age group. I personally used ten parties out of this book for my own kids (and I recommended many more to friends and family.)
Mikie really got into the party.
War paint. Simple to put on and even easier to take off.
The headbands and vests were a big hit back in the day. Josh and friends decorated everything!
Indians ate bagged microwave popcorn... Right?
Weekend Happenings
1. Mikie and I have a Sunday School Social tonight and we're going to a Barons Baseball Game. That's right. We're going to have fellowship, baseball food and fun.
And I think we get to sit in the shade.
It has all the makings of a lovely evening.
2. Josh, Austin and Zac are planning on seeing Transformers. I must be getting old because I don't have a desire to join them.
3. Roxie has Basketball Camp today and tomorrow, so she'll be doing a lot of dribbling.
4. Saturday is up in the air for me and Mikie right now. The kids will all be working and/or Basketball Camping, so if we play our cards right, we might get to have a date.
5. Sunday is church day, and after that, I have no idea.
I have the makings of a lovely weekend, Folks. I hope you do, too.
Have a stupendous weekend, and I'll try to do the same. I'll be back Tuesday with the World's Longest Blog Post... so much to talk about, and so little time!
Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. This crow was sitting on my deck yesterday afternoon. It was incredibly loud... and large.
So I bravely took a picture from my kitchen.
It looks like a crow statue, doesn't it?
A big, black, scary crow statue.
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