FIND SOME TIME TO CROCHET & A POM POM-A-DAY

Welcome to the month of manys!

Many events and parties to attend

Many additional household chores(Can you say d-e-c-o-r-a-t-i-n-g?)

Many people to connect with

Many fun activities to conduct with the kiddos

Many stores to visit (online or otherwise)

Many additional treats to bake

The next few weeks are definitely going to be filled with obligations that only pop up this time of year. My post today, while in its first appearance seems as if it is yet another “to do” to add to your already overburdened “to do” list, actually provides an opportunity to relax, reduce your heart rate, and create something special for the little ones in your life—a crochet hat for one of your child’s dolls.

If you don’t already know the positive affects that crochet (and knitting) have on your health, you have missed out on a natural tension reducer. By counting stitches, focusing on the stitch types, using one’s mind to connect with repetitive motions, and reaching the ultimate satisfaction when a project is complete, a person that crochets quickly learns that crochet can make a day flow much more smoothly.

Below you will find the directions for a simple style crochet hat for a small doll with a head circumference of approximately 8”. For those handy with the hook, it can be whipped up in a bit more than an hour—great to do while the kiddos are watching a holiday special on TV.

I have not added the directions to each stitch as there is no way that I could duplicate all the wonderful tutorials and videos available on the web. Instead, I am offering the pattern with a quick cheat-sheet at the end.

The hat is topped off with a pom pom. For older children, I’m sure that they will love to create the pompom on their own to top off their hat for dolly.

So….grab your crochet hook, a ball of crochet thread, a cup of cocoa, a blanket, and find some time to relax.

*This pattern may be shared with anyone, as long as it is linked back to this page and credit is given for the pattern.

Winter Cap with Pom Pom

 

 

This pattern is for a snowcap to fit a doll with a head circumference of appproximately 8”. Modify your first ring accordingly.

Skills Level: 2 (easy plus—some knowledge of basic stitches required)

Size 10 hook, size 20 crochet thread

Gauge: 13 stitches per inch

Abbreviations:

Round (rnd), chain (Ch), single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), Front post (fp), Back Post (bp), slipstitch (ss)

13 rounds of DC, 1 rnd of sc, 3 rnds front post/back post ribbing

Ch 4 (first color-red in sample)

Rnd 1: 10 dc in 4th chain from hook (the ch3 counts as the first dc) (total of 11 dc) Join ring with ss

Rnd 2: ch3 (counts as first dc for this rnd and for every rnd hereafter) 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd *2 dc in the next dc from the rnd*, repeat between *'s(total of 22 dc), join with ss

Rnd 3: ch3, 2dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 33 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2,2 (meaning that I put two dc in every SECOND stitch) join with ss

Rnd 4: ch3, 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 44 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2,3,3 (meaning that I put two dc in every THIRD stitch) join with ss

Rnd 5: ch3, 1.dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in each of the next TWO dcs, 2 dc in the next DC from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 55 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2, 3, 4, 4 (meaning that I put two dc in every FOURTH stitch) join with a ss

Rnd 6: ch3, 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in each of the next FOUR dcs, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 66 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 5 (meaning that I put two dc in every fifth stitch) join with a ss

Rnd 7: ch3, 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in each of the next FIVE DCs, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 77 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6,6 (meaning that I put two dc in every SIXTH stitch) join with ss

Rnd 8: ch3, 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in each of the next SIX DCs, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 88 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 7 (meaning that I put two dc in every SEVENTH stitch) join with ss

Rnd 9: ch3, 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd,1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd, *1 dc in each of the next SEVEN DCs, 2 dc in the next dc from the last rnd*, repeat between *'s to the end. (total 99 dc) This rnd has a pattern that I repeat to myself of 1,2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 8 (meaning that I put two dc in every EIGHTH stitch) join with ss

INCREASE COMPLETE

Rnds 10-13: ch3, 1 dc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the each remaining dc from the last rnd (total 99 dc) join with ss

CHANGE COLORS

Rnd 14: attach new color (white in sample) with a ss, ch 1, 1 sc in the first dc from the last rnd, 1 sc in the each remaining dc from the last rnd (total 99 sc) join with ss

RIBBING

Rnd 15: ch 3, 1 dc in the first sc from the last rnd, 1 dc in the each remaining dc from the last rnd (total 99 dc) join with ss

Rnd 16: ch 1, *1 dc in the FRONT POST of first dc from the last rnd, 1 dc in BACK POST of next dc from last rnd,* repeat pattern the each remaining dc from the last rnd (total 99 fp/bp) join with ss to top of first dc

Rnd 17-18: Repeat rnd 16, tie off, and weave in threads

Add pompom to top of hat.

CREATE A HANDCRAFTED POMPOM

 

Link to post with pompom tutorial

 

Hints and suggestions:

*I used DMC Cecelia cotton for the hat and merino for the pompom. Depending upon the age of your little one, they can help with creating the pompom for the hat by using the tutorial from an earlier post.

*When creating the ribbing, remember that each front post stitch belongs with another fp stitch; each back post stitch belongs with a bp stitch.

*For those of you (like me) that find endless steps tedious and somewhat confusing during the increasing rounds, I am adding a visual to assist with each round.

Rnd 1    Ià TOTAL 11

Rnd 2    Và TOTAL 22

Rnd 3    I Và TOTAL 33

Rnd 4    II Và TOTAL 44

Rnd 5    III Và TOTAL 55

Rnd 6    IIII Và TOTAL 66

Rnd 7    IIIII Và TOTAL 77

Rnd 8    IIIIII Và TOTAL 88

Rnd 9    IIIIIII Và TOTAL 99

Key: I equals 1 stitch in each stitch from previous round; V equals 2 stitches in each stitch from previous round

 

* Dolls by Berdine Creedy and Robert Tonner

AUTUMN, CHANGES, & BUTTERFLY BATIK

Change—New Paths—New Directions

While most of us realize that in order to grow we must step out of our comfort zone and explore new paths in life. However, recognizing the need to change directions and actually taking that first step are often at opposite ends of the spectrum. Many times we need a nudge to help us take that first step. For me, the nudge came in the form of a major health setback. I was forced to make choices that I preferred not to make. Yet, now that I can look back at the footprints I have left on that new path, I realize that my change in direction was a good choice to make.

Since the beginning of 2014 my blog posts have become less frequent. In fact, for several months I did not even add a new post. I apologize for the lack of new educational ideas and activities during this time. I have come to the conclusion that for the remainder of 2014, I must devote my time to my family, my health, and personal commitments. Trying to juggle all of those needs with maintaining this blog was not in the best interest of my family, my readers, and my health. I intend to return to this blog in 2015, hopefully renewed and revitalized. In that time, please remember that monthly activities and ideas that I posted in 2013 and early 2014 will still provide creative suggestions for making learning fun and memorable.

My final blog post for 2014 fits in perfectly with my decision to journey down a different path for a while. Mother Nature is on her own path to change with the turning of the seasons. While pictures, books, classroom decorations, and the like lead us to believe otherwise, the transition from one season to the next is anything but sudden. For weeks in our area summer has been fighting to maintain its hold on our region. In fact, during the first week of September we had record breaking temperatures. Our usually wet month of September has been dry. Yet, each morning, there is a glimmer of hope that the cooler autumn weather is winning the battle of the seasons. Spiders are capturing the dew each morning and now spinning the spectacular webs that are synonymous with fall. Moths and butterflies are hastily slurping the last of the nectar from the fading blossoms of summer. Caterpillars are beginning to stake their claim to their sleeping grounds to ride out their transition to new creations—moths and butterflies that will emerge in the spring.

Summer to autumn

Autumn to winter

Winter to Spring

Spring to Summer

The endless change of directions that nature takes is a reminder to all of us that to grow we must change, even if the change may not be as easy as we’d like.

As my final educational activity for 2014, I have chosen a craftivity centered on what I believe are the ultimate examples of change—butterflies. From the moment they hatch into a tiny caterpillar until the time comes to settle into a deep metamorphic slumber, butterflies are nature’s example of how trust in change can result in beautiful creations. When a butterfly lays her eggs, not knowing if her efforts will succeed, she trusts that the leaf, the branch, or the seedpod will provide for her young offspring. The caterpillars emerge and forage for weeks, trusting that food will be readily available. They grow and shed one casing after another, trusting nature to protect them during each transition. Then, the caterpillars trust nature once again to protect them as they spin their protective chrysalis and finally emerge a magnificent winged creature.

The activity below provides children with an opportunity to demonstrate how change (addition of paint to a crayon resist background) can yield beautiful results.

Beautiful Butterfly Batik*

Objective: Children will learn the traditional method of batik (hot wax resist), but use that information to create a variation of the method—crayon batik.

Materials:

Crayons with fine points

Sturdy paper or cardstock

Diluted tempera or acrylic paint
Large bowl
Optional: butterfly template (provided)
Plain newsprint or screen mat for drying

Procedure:

Preparation: Prior to conducting the activity, pour a small amount of paint into a large bowl. Dilute the paint with water so that there is ample pigment in the water, but the paint is now the consistency of water. This will be used as the paint bath to dye the crayon artwork.

1. Show your children pictures of traditional batik (Hint: an internet search will provide some excellent examples).

2. Discuss the process for creating traditional batik.
A. Paint melted wax on fabric.
B. Dye the fabric a light color and allow to dry. The dye will resist the fabric that is coated in wax.
C. Add more melted wax. Repeat the dying process.
D. When the last dye has been added and dries, the wax is melted from the fabric, usually with a hot iron.
The result is a design with bold colors and lines that crisscross the colors where the wax cracked during the dying process.
3. Ask the children to use the crayons draw a block style picture of a butterfly or moth, encouraging the children to use large shapes with small spaces in between. It is important that the crayons completely cover each shape with a thick layer of wax.

 

 

4. Fold and crinkle the paper into a ball.

 

5. Unfold the paper and briefly dip it into the bowl of diluted paint. (Hint: younger children may need to be reminded that if their artwork is allowed to remain in the paint too long, the paper fibers may become weak and tear.)

 

 

6. Place the artwork on a flat surface to dry.

 

The faux batik butterfly artwork is a combination of different mediums that can represent the change of the seasons. When the children look at their completed artwork, ask them to find the small lines of paint that worked their way into the blocks of crayon wax. Explain that these lines can represent the days where our seasons are a mixture of two seasons—for example, very hot days in September that begin chilly with a heavy dew coating the windows and plants.

*I originally created this activity for a wonderful web site that focuses on teaching children the wonders of nature and how butterflies are wonderful ambassadors for nature’s ability to grow and change. Please check out their site for more activities and information about butterflies.

Kids Butterfly dot Org

Last Minute Christmas Tree Craftivity & Mathtivity

The holiday break is almost here. Whether you are counting down the days until winter break or you are counting down the days to Christmas, practically everyone is counting down to something this time of year.

In this mad rush to finish the shopping, trim the tree, grade the papers, and find something to do for the kiddos in your life, the last thing you need is yet another thing to add to your list. ~Unless, of course, it is a quick, inexpensive, and easy craftivity sprinkled with a math lesson that will keep the kiddos busy while you are finishing the shopping, trimming, and grading papers.

This Christmas packet from Rainbows to Snowflakes includes an easy-to-make tree craft created with ribbon and pony beads. Also included are two math worksheets to use either as a follow-up to the craft project or as homework.

Skills addressed:

Fine motor skills

Counting with a 1-to-1 correspondence

Duplicating a pattern

Creating and solving addition sentences with answers less than 20

So put on some holiday music and have fun crafting and mathing with the kiddos.

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

This post has been shared on the following blogs. Please check them out:

ABC Creative Learning dot Com

Crafty Moms Share dot Blogspot dot Com

Kids Activities Blog dot Com

I Can Teach My Child dot com

 

Handprint Angel, Angel Tree Donation, & Becoming a ONE

UPDATE 11-21-2013: Congratulations to the winners of the Angel Tree donation project. The winners are: Amy, Barb, Dana, David, and Dawn. As soon as the toys have been chosen, ordered, and sent to the Salvation Army Angel Tree donation site in West Michigan and given to the Salvation Army Angel Tree program in Central Virginia, follow-up photos will be added to this blog. Please check back for further updates. Thank you to everyone for entering.

UPDATE 11-8-2013: Yesterday I visited the Richmond Salvation Army that covers the Angel Tree program for Central Virginia. M. was very helpful with choosing 10 angel cards from his area. 10 more will be helped in Grand Rapids. Thanks, M., for being a ONE!

 

If you have ever heard the saying of someone taking another person under their wing, you probably realize that the word ‘wing’ refers to a bird’s wing. However, every day, every hour, and every moment an angel on earth is taking someone under their angel’s wing—making their life shine a bit brighter. The act may be as simple as helping a person, arms full of grocery bags, open the car door. It may be a bigger act, such as assisting an elderly neighbor by raking their leaves in the fall.

Young or old, we can all make a difference in another person’s life and become an angel on earth.

Roger Mulder was truly an angel on earth. For years he purchased toys and gifts, loaded them into the back of his pickup truck, and delivered the toys to the Angel Tree drop off location at WoodTV 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The children that received one of his toys never had the opportunity to meet him. But, I am certain that Mr. Mulder felt the warmth of the smiles and laughter generated by his thoughtful and selfless act of kindness.

An act of kindness is the truest form of a win-win situation—both the giver and the recipient benefit from the generosity.

Sadly, Mr. Mulder passed away in 2009. In an effort to continue his generosity, I am conducting my own Angel Tree donation project with this post that will hopefully reach every corner of the United States.

Today’s post marks the beginning of a very special season of giving and showing thanks for those in our lives that have taken us under their wing. Please read the details of this very special giveaway as the guidelines will be strictly followed.

THE DETAILS: The giveaway for the toys and books will work as follows:

A. Parents will submit an entry into the giveaway the by posting a comment on this blog post AND an providing an email contact (emailed privately to the moderator of this blog).*

B. At the conclusion of this giveaway, 5 names will be randomly selected from the entry list. Those 5 entrants will assist their children in choosing an appropriate toy from Amazon that is within the $10-$15 price range.

C. The 5 winners will receive the toy they have selected, as a gift from the blog moderator. In addition to their toy, a duplicate toy will be sent to the Angel Tree collection site in Grand Rapds, Michigan in memory of Roger Mulder AND a duplicate toy will be delivered to the Angel Tree collection site in Richmond, Virginia. They will also receive a copy of Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco. Quinton Hamp, a main character in the story, was based on an employee of the Union City, Michigan school system—a real angel on earth who was ONE that made a difference.

D. The winners of the giveaway must create a handprint Angel as shown below. A photocopy or scan of the Angel with the child’s first initial of their first name and the state they live in must be added to the line at the bottom of the angel’s robe. These scans or photocopies will also be given to the Angel Tree coordinator in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in memory of Roger Mulder.

A pdf of the activity components will be furnished to the winners via email.

E. A collage of the handprint angels will also be posted onto this blog, as a virtual tribute to Mr. Mulder’s generosity.

*Due to the time sensitivity of this giveaway, the winners of the toy and book giveaway must contact the blog moderator within 3 days of the giveaway’s end. If a response is not received within three days (72 hours) of the givaway’s end, an alternate winner will be selected.

**This post will be reposted two more times in November.

ACTIVITY: TAKE SOMEONE UNDER YOUR WING & BECOME ONE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

This activity is a great way to highlight the ways your children help others out. As they create the handprint angel, discuss the ways they have helped out in your home, your neighborhood, and your community. By the time your little ones complete their handprint angel, don’t be surprised if they continue to spread their angel wings by helping out others in new and different ways.

Materials:

Blue construction paper

White paint

Pipe Cleaners

Scissors

Glue and tape

Printouts of angel parts

Crayons or markers

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prior to creating the handprint angel, discuss how your child helps out others. For example: A big sister may help a younger sibling carry a toy that is a bit too heavy for him or her. A little one may help Mom pick up things that have rolled under a table. A classmate may invite the new child in the class to join them at the lunch table. This discussion will definitely carry over into the creating portion of the activity.

2. Print out choice of angel sheet—with either a pink or green body.

3. Using washable paint, make white handprints making sure the palms face each other and the hands are closer to the top of the paper. Allow to dry.

4. Cut out the angel body, head, and star. Write your name (first initial and state you live in if you are completing this for the Angel Tree ONE project) on the line at the bottom of the angel body.

5. With tape or glue, attach the center of the pipe cleaner to the back of the star.

6. With tape or glue, attach the ends of the pipe cleaner to the back of the angel body, shaping to form arms.

7. Attach the body and head to the dried handprints.

8. Add eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

BOOK REVIEW: WELCOME COMFORT by Patricia Polacco

The image is timeless. In fact, at some point in our lives, we have all been a character in this portrait of recess time at school.

Imagine a group of smiling children gathered in the schoolyard with the sound of laughter filling the air. Initially, the sight of such a happy scene brings fond memories of games of hopscotch, basketball, and high water-low water.

However, upon a closer look, the source of the laughter becomes more evident. The warm fuzzies created by the sight of the beaming faces are washed away. They are replaced by a sadness brought on by the tears streaming down the face of the forlorn child trapped in the center of the cluster of children. That child is the victim of bullying.

In Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco, this heartbreaking scene is played out in a school in Union City, Michigan. However, the setting could by any where or anytime.

Welcome Comfort (yes, his name really is Welcome Comfort) is the new kid in school. And, as often happens in situations like this, little time passes before Welcome is teased about his name, teased about his weight, and teased about his family.

This story could have easily taken any turn by the end of the book. Welcome could have turned bitter at being teased. He could have lashed out at others, turning from the bullied to the bullier. He could have withdrawn from society and never allowed his own light to shine. However, Polacco chose a brighter path for Welcome.

When Mr. Hamp, the humble school custodian, witnesses the bullying, he takes Welcome under his wing. Together with his librarian wife, Mr. Hamp shows Welcome that there are caring people in this world. Mr. Hamp becomes a mentor and a friend, forming a lifelong bond.

He takes him fishing.
He teaches him how to whittle.
He invites Welcome into his heart and into his home.

With Mr. Hamp’s help, Welcome finds happiness and success. He pays this act forward by the story’s end, allowing his own bright light to shine upon others.

Through heartwarming illustrations and lyrical prose, Polacco succeeds in teaching an important lesson to both children and adults—it only takes one person to make a difference.

Intended as a read-aloud, this story of love and hope is perfect to experience while snuggling under a fluffy blanket and sipping a cup of hot cocoa. By the story’s end, everyone that reads Welcome Comfort will most assuredly be inspired to become a ONE.

INTERESTED IN WINNING A TOY, A BOOK & BECOMING a ONE? REGISTER HERE

*This giveaway will include a toy selected from Amazon with a total value not to exceed $15 and a copy of Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco. The registration will last from the posting of this blog post until midnight, November 18, 2013. EST. Five winners will be randomly selected from the entries.The books and toy will be shipped from Amazon within approximately 2 weeks following the close of the giveaway. Of the 5 selected winners, 1 will receive, in addition to the toy and book, a $10 Amazon gift card. The winners MUST contact the blog moderator to confirm receipt of their notice of winning within 3 days of the end of the giveaway. Alternate winners will be selected in the event of no confirmation contact within that three day guideline. By accepting a winning entry, the winner agrees to create a handprint angel and send a scan or photocopy of that angel to the blog administrator to be given to the Angel Tree donation site in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The giveaway is open to residents of the United States with a United State’s mailing address.

To be considered for entry into this giveaway, the entrant’s email address must be submitted to the blog administrator.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS POST. And, THANK YOU, MR. MULDER, for showing us ALL how to become a ONE.

I hope you join me and help make another child’s light shine brighter by becoming a ONE!

This post was shared on the following blogs. Please check them out:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom dot Org

Teach Beside Me dot Com

I Can Teach My Child dot Com

Kids Activities Blog dot Com

Homeschool Creations dot Net

Mama To 5 Blessings dot Com

Fingerprints On The Fridge dot Com

The Homeschool Village dot Com

Raising Mighty Arrows dot Net