Terri Thompson

A Week of After School Activities Plus the After School Linky Party – Week 29

March 21, 2016 By Terri Thompson

It’s After School Linky Party time! Have you been checking in every week to see all the great ideas? Last week there were a lot of fun spring and Easter ideas. It was so hard to pick my favorites. But, somehow I managed. I picked 5 fun ideas to put in this week’s after school planner.

For even more ideas, keep reading to the bottom to find this week’s link-up.

(Pictured left to right)

Day 1: Do an Easter STEM activity. The Educators’ Spin on It has a great list of ideas for you.

Day 2: Do an art project from South Korea. Teacher Mom Plus 3 shows you how to make a ddakji game, which is fun to make and play.

Day 3: Learn all about Einstein with this activity from Math Geek Mama.

Day 4: Go on an Easter scavenger hunt. The Creative Classroom has a few great ideas for you.

Day 5: Do a spring science project with one of these ideas from Rediscovered Families.

Check the linky below for even more great ideas.

Make sure to visit all the After School Activities Hosts:

The Educators’ Spin On It
Planet Smarty Pants
Boy Mama Teacher Mama
Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

Check out the link up below for even more great after school ideas. If you’re a blogger, please link up any ideas for elementary-aged kids (ages 5 and up).

A New Place to Hang Out: The Parent’s Coffee House

March 18, 2016 By Terri Thompson

How often do you get to meet up with friends? For me it’s not too often, especially since so many of my friends don’t even live in the same town.

But, even if they do live nearby, it’s a struggle. You’ve got to work around work schedules, school, activities, child care – planning can be next to impossible.

That’s why some friends and I got together to create a virtual space where we can hang out at anytime. You can stop by whenever your schedule will allow and never have to worry about childcare.

This new community, the Parent’s Coffee House, is located over on Facebook. It’s a private group, so you’ll have to request to join. But don’t worry, we’ll add you if you request! It’s set up to allow you to ask questions and converse without all your Facebook friends seeing what you write. They would only see if they are also in the group. And, if you know of any friends who would love the group, please invite them to join. Everyone is welcome.

Click here to join the Parent’s Coffee House.

We hope to create a thriving community that’s both fun and helpful. What will we talk about?

Parenting issues
School issues
Homework help
Learning activities for your older kids
Family adventures
Books
And just about anything that you want!

Do you want to join? We’d love to have you. I look forward to getting to know you better and have some conversations with new friends. Let’s have coffee together soon!

Come join a new community for parents where we'll talk about parenting, school issues, family fun, after school activities, and more.

Clay Seals: Exploring Bahrain Through Art

March 16, 2016 By Terri Thompson

One thing I love about our virtual trip around the world, is discovering countries that I knew very little about.

One of those countries is Bahrain. I knew approximately where it was located, the Middle East, and therefore had a few ideas about what it is like. But, there were definitely lots of things I didn’t know.

It was fun to discover Bahrain together with my girls and make a fun clay art project in the process.

Learn about the history of Bahrain with a fun clay art project. Make clay seals inspired by an archaeological find from the Dilmun era.

About Bahrain

Did you know that Bahrain is an archipelago nation? It’s a small nation made up of 33 islands located off the east coast of Saudi Arabia. (You can see it on a map here.)

Because of it’s island location, it served as a center of trade for many, many years. It is greener and less barren than it’s neighbors in the Middle East, but very few animals make their home there.

Bahrain has a very rich history and we found our inspiration for our art project from its ancient history, the Dilmun Era, which was between 3200 and 2200 B.C. Dilmun was a great center of commerce and trade.

One of the most significant archaeological finds from this era was a Dilmun seal. A man would use this seal to “sign” an agreement. Because each person has their own unique seal, when he died his seal would be buried with him.*

We took our inspiration from these seals and created our own unique clay seals.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links, please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies needed for your clay art project

Air Dry Clay (We love the Crayola brand.)
Toothpicks
Wax Paper

We’ve used air dry clay a few times during Project: Around the World, like our clay baskets from Angola. We’ve been using the same tub of Crayola Air Dry Clay for all these projects. We find it easy to use and it dries nicely. It’s been well-worth the price.

Making our clay seals

I gave each girl a small lump of clay, some wax paper, and a toothpick. We used the wax paper to keep our clay from sticking to the table. You can also use a plastic tray if you have one. But, wax paper does the job nicely.

The girls rolled their clay in a ball and flattened it into a round seal. Then, they used their toothpicks to draw their decorations. They worked on creating their own personal seal. Their challenge was to create something that reflected who they were.

Ask these questions to help with the design.

What are your favorite things?

What words do you use to describe yourself?

What are your talents and interests?

What is your passion?

We chose toothpicks to create our designs because it’s a favorite choice of my girls. But, don’t let that limit you. You can use your fingers, forks, knives, other pieces of clay, LEGOs or other small toys. The possibilities are endless.

After you’re done, leave the seals on the wax paper and leave it to dry for at least one day.

Note: You will not be able to use this as a real seal. The clay soaks up paint and ink too easily and it will not stamp on paper. We did test it out and it didn’t work!

It was fun to create our own personal seals with this clay art project and learn a bit about the history of Bahrain in the process.

Explore the world through art! Make clay seals inspired by Dilmun seals, an ancient artifact found in Bahrain.

*Information about Bahrain came from the book Cultures of the World: Bahrain by Robert Cooper.

A Week of After School Activities Plus the After School Linky Party – Week 28

March 14, 2016 By Terri Thompson

A week's worth of after school activities for your elementary aged kids.

It’s After School Linky Party time! You can find a lot of great ideas for spending quality after school (or evening) time with your elementary-aged kids.

I found so many great ideas in last week’s linky party. I chose five of my favorites for this week’s After School Activity Planner. I’ve got science, yoga, and some cool book lists.

For even more ideas, keep reading to the bottom to find this week’s link-up.

(Pictured left to right)

Day 1: Get moving and have some fun doing Ballet Yoga with Kids Yoga Stories.

Day 2: Read a book about basketball. Pragmatic Mom has a great book list for you.

Day 3: Learn about seeds with one of these activities from Royal Little Lambs.

Day 4: Learn about viscosity with a fun experiment from Memorizing the Moments.

Day 5: Read a book about great women in history. Mama Smiles has a book list with some great suggestions.

Check the linky below for even more great ideas.

Make sure to visit all the After School Activities Hosts:

The Educators’ Spin On It
Planet Smarty Pants
Boy Mama Teacher Mama
Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

Check out the link up below for even more great after school ideas. If you’re a blogger, please link up any ideas for elementary-aged kids (ages 5 and up).

15 Ways to Explore Nature in Spring

March 12, 2016 By Terri Thompson

Each season has it’s own unique traits that make exploring nature special.

In winter, everything is dormant and snow covers the ground.

Summer is green, vibrant, and full of life.

In fall, all of nature is preparing for it’s long winter sleep.

And, in spring everything is waking up again.

Take some time soon to explore nature in spring with your kids.

Watch the earth wake up and see the plants poke through the ground. The animals are getting busy and suddenly the quietness of winter is replaced by the chirps, tweets, and chattering of the birds returning.

These 15 nature activities will help you explore gardens, birds, animals, seeds, and flowers. Pick out a few to do. It’s a great way to spend time with your kids while you explore nature in spring.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Explore the Garden

1. Examine your soil. Look closely at what your soil is made up of and test the pH level of your soil with these two experiments from The Educators’ Spin on It.

2. Don’t have a garden? Plant a few plants in a recycled milk jug. It’s eco-friendly and a great way to experience gardening in a small space. Inspiration Laboratories shows you how.

3. Plant a garden inspired by a favorite storybook. Kitchen Table Chronicles will help you plant Peter Rabbit’s Vegetable Patch or Growing Vegetable Soup Garden.

Get outside and learn while you explore nature in spring. Discover flowers, gardens, seeds, birds, animals, and plant science.

Welcome the Birds

4. Have the birds come back to your neighborhood? See how many you can find with this simple Bird Watch Tally from Fantastic Fun & Learning. This activity is perfect for preschoolers!

5. It’s spring and the bird’s will be busy building nests. Help them out by making a Bird’s Nest Helper. You can find the instructions at Playdough to Plato.

6. Send your elementary-aged kids on a scavenger hunt to find signs of birds. Look for their food, nesting materials, sounds, and more with this All About Birds scavenger hunt at Inspiration Laboratories.

Observe Some Animals

7. Find out what animals visit your yard at night. You might be surprised! Creekside Learning shows you how to set up a backyard animal tracking station.

8. Visit a local nature center, park, or lake to look for animal. I’ve got some tips to help your kids observe nature safely and successfully.

9. Have you ever raised tadpoles? I haven’t, but it looks fascinating! Rainy Day Mum has all the info you need to raise your own tadpoles.

Examine Seeds

10. Get a close look at seeds with this seed sorting activity at No Time For Flashcards. Depending on the age of your child, you can make this as easy or as hard as you would like. It all depends on the type of seeds that you buy.

11. A fast-growing seed is a fun way to really examine the growing process. You can make it fun by creating these Eggheads with Cress Hair from NurtureStore.

12. Look for seed in nature. How many can you find? Go on a seed and nut hunt with OutdoorsMom. She’ll lead you on the way with tips for observation, questions to ask, and a craft project to do when you’re done.

Have Fun With Flowers

13. Have flowers started sprouting in your neighborhood? It’s time to get out and investigate with this Spring Flower STEM Investigation from Life Over C’s.

14. Take apart a flower. Examine all the parts of a flower and how they fit together with this Flower Dissection activity from Sugar, Spice, and Glitter.

15. Have fun and play while examining flowers. This Flower Petal Sensory tub from Fantastic Fun and Learning is a great way to experience flowers with your sense of smell, touch, and sight.

It’s time to get out and investigate. How are you and your kids going to explore nature in spring?

You may also enjoy one of these nature activities:

Explore Nature: Leaf Collections

Forest Treasure Jars

Family Bird Watching Club

Tips for Observing Nature With Small Children

Terri Thompson

A Week of After School Activities Plus the After School Linky Party – Week 29

A New Place to Hang Out: The Parent’s Coffee House