Thursday, April 21, 2016

American Girl class: Julie week 6 (time #2)

American Girl class: Julie Week 6

We had another great American Girl class this week! First I handed out the tie-dyed shirts from last class. (*Be sure to wash the shirts ALONE the first few times so you won't dye any other clothes!) We reviewed book five in the Julie series, Changes for Julie, we discussed having a deaf friend and practiced sign language, including the alphabet, numbers, colors and a few other signs.  I gave each girl a printed copy of the sign language alphabet that I found here.
 For our Craft, we made “Campaign” Buttons. I gave each of the girls a 3" x 4" piece of white card stock. I had cardstock circles and squares which I had for tracing. After they traced them, they cut out their circle and decorated it with markers. Then I took their decorated circle and laminated it with my laminator from home. After each piece was laminated, the girls cut out their piece and glued a pin-back on it. Voila! A button!

I had debated covering the buttons with mod-podge, but thought it would take too long to dry as well as being messy. I also thought of covering them with clear packing tape, but thought that would bubble. So laminating worked well! The glue dots with the pins worked and adhered easily (better than hot glue!)
 Tracing and coloring their buttons...
  Our snack this week was Nachos and Hawaiian punch. The girls really liked it!

The 2:00 class:
 Tracing the circles for buttons... I was bummed during this class when one of the girl's buttons got jammed in my laminator (which never happened before?!) and then my laminator died. ; - (
 Enjoying snack...
 One of the girls' buttons said NO BOYS! (She said that did not include family, she loves her brothers.)
Since we had extra time, I brought this printable found here, for the girls to cut out and write about the changes in Julie's life-- not just in this book but in the whole Julie series. 
It was another wonderful class!

So that is the end of our American Girl cycle! We have gone through all of the main American Girls, (from Kaya-Julie) and we will restart the cycle beginning with Kaya again in the fall. 

I have loved getting to know all of my girls and their families in my classes! I will miss them LOTS over the summer.


Exodus 4:11
The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

Leviticus 19:14
“‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

Matthew 11:5
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

American Girl class: Julie week 5 (time #2)

American Girl class this week was to dye for! In the two-and-a-half years that I have been teaching this class, we have never decorated t-shirts until this week!

After we reviewed the book Julie's Journey (book five in the series), we discussed America's Bicentennial Celebration, and we talked about what the word 'bicentennial' means.

In preparation for our Craft this week, I bought one t-shirt and pre-washed them for each of the girls. I emailed the moms two-three weeks ahead of time to get the sizes. I found the best deals and packages on boys white t-shirts at Target. I bought the Tulip one-step kit for tie-dye in bright colors at Jo-Ann's. I bought two kits that had enough to decorate nine  shirts or pieces each. The kit came with 3 bottles of dye, one pair of plastic gloves and lots of rubber-bands. I just had to add water to the dye to activate it.
 We had paper towels on hand and put tablecloths on the tables in the gym. Usually we meet in a classroom, but  I didn't want to get dye on the carpet! I was thankful that I brought aprons for myself and the girls, and told the girls to wear grubby clothes. It wasn't as messy as I imagined it to be, but I was glad that I had the girls bring aprons.
I was glad that I bought more gloves for the girls. I did bring ziploc and plastic bags to put the shirts into, one for each of the girls. I also used a spray bottle to dampen the shirts, since I didn't do that beforehand. The girls gathered the shirts together into a swirl with rubber bands, applied the dye using the dye bottles, and even used their shirts to clean extra dye off the tables! :-D
 For Snack we had Ants on a log (celery with PB & Raisins) and Kool-aid. More dye in the red kool-aid we had! The girls loved it and drank lots!
 I forgot to take pictures of the 2nd class tie-dying, it was a very hands-on craft, I was quite busy dying shirts for the girls that were sick...


Overall it was a fun craft which most of the girls had never done before. I rinsed and washed them at home, and will give them to the girls in class next week. I have quite a pile of bright shirts for the girls! NOTE: THE SHIRTS MUST BE WASHED SEPARATELY FOR THE FIRST FEW WASHES!

This was my list of materials to bring for class: aprons, thick rubber gloves, spray bottle with water, ziplock and plastic bags, tablecloths, paper towels and rags, in addition to the class supplies of t-shirts (one for each girl), tie-dye kits, and rubber gloves.

I was glad that I remembered thicker rubber gloves this time... since the plastic ones got a hole... It was worth it, the girls loved the craft and most said they had never tie-dyed before. I was kinda stressed about the craft, but the girls did really well being careful and following directions! I loved seeing their color combinations and creativity! More pictures of the shirts next week... which is our last week of class for the semester already!


Exodus 26:14
Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.

Exodus 35:23
Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them.

Proverbs 6:6
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

American Girl class: Julie week 4

We had another fun American Girl class this week!

After we reviewed the book for this week, Julie and the Eagles, we discussed Earth Day. I used a few paragraphs from the Wikipedia info page here. We thought it was interesting that Earth Day rhymes with birthday! I read a little about what Earth Day is about, why it was founded, and how it is celebrated.

We also worked on our Geography Worksheets from California; One page for San Francisco; and a U.S. map to mark California, where Julie lived. We put them into the geography folders that the girls use each semester.

Our craft was originally supposed to be a Woven Tree from That Artist Woman website. I reviewed the plan and decided it would be too hard to complete in our class time. So I changed my mind and decided to make beaded bracelets, like Ivy and Julie made in book 1.

I brought a bunch of beads that we had at home, some stretchy elastic cord and scissors. The girls had fun making patterns and different designs with the beads. I loved seeing what they came up with!
I gave out smiley face stickers, and my daughter put it on her nose!

 For Snack this week we had Sloppy Joes and Tang. What a blast from the past! The girls really liked it! I haven't had it since I was younger, and it was kinda like tangy orange juice!

The 2:00 class working on their bracelets and geography pages...




What a groovy class! Only TWO weeks left of Julie!


Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 

Exodus 28:28
The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.

Hosea 11:4
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Easter 2016

Our Easter weekend began with our Good Friday service at church. Joshua and Caleb washed the girls' feet, just like Jesus did at the Last Supper. On Saturday night, we dyed Easter eggs. The kids were very creative this year, dabbing them with felt dipped in food coloring, and using food coloring in rice, shaking the eggs in them. Of crows, we used white crayon and rubber bands again too. It was serious business! We were happy with how they all turned out, and I've been enjoying eating them all week!
 See the rubber bands?
 Halfway dyed...getting there!

 Shaking them in dyed rice...
 Dabbing with felt...
 Bethany waiting to dip again...
 Bethany showing her Hulk egg (green and purple) and Captain America egg (blue and red).
So colorful!

 We had a wonderful Easter service at church, I've been singing "Wonderful Cross" all week! My parents came over for lunch, and we took photos in the blooming back yard! It was lovely! Too bad Caleb didn't feel well that morning and had to miss church, mean little stomach bug! But he did dress up again for the picture!


Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 11:24-26
Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
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