Our Hidden Talents need to shine...

God gives us all talents as gifts and wants us to use them, can you imagine if this young man and his friend hid their talents? This video blessed me immensely, as someone that has always rooted for the underdog. I shed tears of joy and happiness for Jonathan and Charlotte as I watched, secretly shouting Go Boy Go!!!
I myself have struggled for years with a weight problem and can not imagine the guts it took Jonathan to walk out on that stage, knowing what people were thinking about him. I applaud his courage and determination, as the friendship of Charlotte who stands by his side and sings like a nightingale and brings the operatic duo together so well.
A lesson for all us us underdogs to let all of our hidden talents shine, no matter how many Simon's there are out there in the world.

Wordless Funny~~ Caption Me

How do you catch one? - Leprechaun Chow

                                                                 Source: sweetology101.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

       

Chasing a rainbow? looking for a little leprechaun that is hiding a pot of gold? I wish I could find that sneaky little booger and get that pot of gold. 

You might just tempt him with this snack made with "Lucky Charms" cereal

Lucky Leprechaun Chow (they can't resist it, me either)

What you need:
Lucky Charms
Green M&M's
Peanuts
Pretzels
White Melting Chocolate
Green Sugar Sprinkles (optional)

How to:

Take your Lucky Charms (about 6 cups)
and separate out the Marshies!

Take the cereal WITHOUT marshmallows(marshies) add pretzels, peanuts and well..whatever you want, then spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet or pour into bowl to get ready to mix with the chocolate.

Melt some white chocolate and pour over and mix well.
I ended up using about 2 bags of the Wilton white
chocolate melts in the Color-burst pastel.

Next add the magically delicious MARSHIES
and some GREEN M&M's. 

Thank you to Sweetology for this fantastic recipe, check out her blog for more sweets and treats, I really enjoyed reading all her posts, such fun!

Now your Lucky Leprechaun Chow Trap is ready to catch the little sneaky green men 

and then find your pot o' gold! 

Ok Time Out for You!!

Is Time Out a Waste of Time? Why is it so difficult sometimes to get kids to listen? You know she heard you, but she ignores you. You ask again and still . . . no response. Now what? If Time Out and other "tried and true" discipline strategies aren't doing the job in your house - this session is for you! The Mommies Network is excited to partner with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions & TODAY Show, contributor to offer a FREE LIVE training webinar on Thursday, March 8th from 9-10 PM Eastern Time. Join us to learn easy to implement strategies to get kids to cooperate without the slightest hint of fussing, whining or complaining. All you need is your computer (no webcam required). You'll see and hear Amy on your screen and you can even ask questions and she'll make them part of the presentation. Parents RAVE about this session. RSVP today and then kick back and learn from the comfort of your home. Webinar seating will be limited so RSVP now! We look forward to welcoming you. In the meantime, we'd love it if you could let your Facebook friends and fans know about this exciting webinar - just click here to share on Facebook. Parenting expert Amy McCready is the Founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and a "recovering yeller." She is a champion of positive parenting techniques for happier families and well-behaved kids. Amy reaches a worldwide audience with her Positive Parenting Solutions Online course and is a frequent guest on the TODAY Show and has also appeared on Rachael Ray, CNN, Fox & Friends, MSNBC, and elsewhere. In her most important role, she is mom to two teenage boys.

  Parenting expert Amy McCready 

You've seen her on The TODAY Show.  Now here's your chance to ask Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, a question LIVE in a FREE webinar for The Mommies Network!  Join us to learn why Time Out is a waste of time and how to implement strategies for cooperation that work.

Reservations are limited, so RSVP now.  Then join us on Thursday, March 8 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time from the comfort of your computer; no webcam required.  Save your spot, then Share on facebook.

We'll see you there!

St Patty's Day Mini- Unit fun

How about some fun for St Patrick's Day upcoming, a cute little mini-unit that you can do with all ages Clipart and/or fonts copyright Diane J. Hook. Used with permission by djinkers.com
Found this on the site  http://whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-patricks-day-activities.html

Here are some of the cute items in the mini- kit you can download on the What the Teacher wants blog 

 More to download and have fun with, so go to it, your kiddos will have a blast with these activities, I know mine will.

Greatest Love of All...

  "Greatest Love Of All"
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone to fulfill my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
[Chorus]
And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

 

RIP Whitney Houston 2-11-12 

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~From a headstone in Ireland

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. ~Author Unknown

 

 

Along came a spider and sat down beside her

 So cool~ spiders that have just hatched, tiny ones on a Rosemary plant!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout.
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain.
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.

These neat photos came from DonnaYoung.org's blog site

I love her webpage for many of my homeschool printables

and anything else you can think of!

Thinking about spiders I searched some more helpful topics and sites 

http://www.kinderkorner.com/spiders.html (cute one)

Spider facts you might not know

Spiders are not insects.  Insects have three body parts and six legs.  Spiders have eight legs and two body parts, the abdomen and the thorax.

  Spiders have silk spinning glands called spinnerets, at the tip of their abdomen.
  Not all spiders spin webs.
  Spiders belong to the Arachnid family.
  There are more than 30,000 species of spiders.
  Spiders are oviparous, which means their babies come from eggs.
  Most spiders have either six or eight eyes.
  All spiders have fangs, through which venom is ejected.  Spider bites can be quite painful, and a select few can be fatal.
  Fear of spiders is called Arachnophobia.  It is one of the most common fears among humans.
  Tarantulas shed their furry skin as they grow, leaving behind what looks just like another tarantula.
  Spiders eat many types of harmful insects, helping to keep your garden free of  pests.






 
Spider Art Projects
Spider Handprints
This is the art project I use on my October homework calendar.
For the background, use a 7x10 inch sheet of orange construction paper.  Paint each child's hands and fingers black -- do not paint their thumbs.  Press one hand down in the center of the paper, fingers pointing outwards.  Repeat with the other hand, overlapping the palm print.  When dry, add peel-and-stick ring reinforcer circles for eyes.  We used yellow rings this year, and they look great!

Spider Web Painting
Place an 8x8 inch square of white construction paper in a gift box lid.  Dip a marble in black paint and drop it onto the paper.  Roll the marble around by tilting the lid.  Repeat as many times as desired to create a spider web.  Add a spider sticker or glue on a plastic spider.  These can also be done with white paint on a black background.

Glittery Spider Webs
Using thin lines of white glue, make a spider web design on black posterboard.  Sprinkle with silver glitter and let dry.  Make a tiny hole near the center of the web, and attach a plastic spider ring to a 12 inch string or piece of fishing wire.  Thread the string through the hole (from front to back) and tape the end to the back of the picture.  Allow the spider to hang down from the web, leaving a silk line.  When he senses danger, pull the string from the back of the board, returning the spider to safety.

Lacy Spider Webs
Using thin lines of white glue, make a spider web design on a sheet of wax paper.  Sprinkle with glitter, if desired.  When dry, carefully peel away the wax paper.  These can be used in other projects, or hung in the window.

Paper Plate Spiders
Paint paper plates black.  When dry, add eight legs made of 1x18 inch construction paper, folded accordion style.
Younger children especially enjoy making these.

Thumbprint Spiders
Let the kids make a picture with lots of thumbprint spiders (press thumb on black stamp pad, then add legs with thin black marker).  They can put their spiders in webs, in the garden, in the house, etc.  A great springboard for writing spider stories.

Circle Time Spider Web
During circle time, hand a ball of yarn to one student and have them toss it to another student.  Holding the yarn firmly, that student tosses the yarn to another child.  Repeat until everyone has had a turn.  Be sure to take pictures of your great spider web!  This can also be done in a corner of the room, tying the yarn to furniture, drawer and cabinet knobs, etc.  Another fun variation is to make a web and let students untangle it.

Spider Homes
(contributed by AmyNealW)
As a teacher in a K/1 class, the children and I also made a variety of spider
homes ... we used shoe boxes for trap door spiders and paper mache and paper towel rolls for purse-web spiders.  I found the directions in the resource
book Bugs to Bunnies by K. Goin, E. Ripp, and K.N. Solomon, published by Chatterbox Press.
Another idea ... how about painting a Styrofoam ball (or half of one) black, then stick on black pipe cleaners for legs, and add googly eyes?  You could also
use the individual cups  from an egg carton for the body.

Spaghetti Spider Webs
(contributed by Tina in St. Louis)
I have done this project with my 1st graders for a few years and they love
it.  We create spider webs with cooked spaghetti and glue. Take a bowl of
cooked spaghetti ( 2 lb. was more than enough for my class of 25 last year),
add white glue (no certain amount).  The kids mix it up with their hands. Then
they pull individual strands of spaghetti out and begin to design their web
on a dark piece of construction paper.
After it dries, you can usually (if you are careful) pull the web off completely We have hung them on string and used them for decorations. We talk about how spiders create webs & why.

Two Spider Ideas from Jennifer
We made up variations on "Itsy Bitsy Spider" -
Great Big Spider (deep voice), Very Sleepy Spider,
etc.  Just spur of the moment usually, but they always
liked the great big one.
One of the cool science things we did was to "lift"
spider webs onto a dark piece of paper - was
interesting to see the intricate designs.

Woven Paper Plate Webs
contributed by Ellyn
Using a paper plate, I either punch holes around the plate or make slits
around the plate - slits are easier for younger children. Then I give them
some yarn and they weave back and forth and make a spider web.  If you
punched holes, it's helpful to put some scotch tape on one end - making it
easier for them to put the yarn thru the holes.
    Afterwards, I give them each a spider ring to put in their web.

Button Spiders
contributed by Teresa Harbin
Here is a super easy way to make a spider.  If you have access to
an Ellison machine, choose the button die-cut.   I used black construction
paper (or black foam sheets), cut out one black button per child.  Give them
two black pipe cleaners.  Cut both in half, thread 2 halves through  each
button hole and shape like spider legs.  Instant spider!  You could also
glue pin-backs to bottom of spider to make a cute pin.

Paper Cone Spiders
contributed by Amy
Another idea is to take a half circle of black construction paper and wrap it around to make a cone shape, then add construction paper legs and eyes.  You can hang them from the ceiling or in a corner covered with that spider web stuff.
 

Spider Recipes
Marshmallow Spiders
For each spider, use one large marshmallow for the body and one small marshmallow for the head (attach with 1/2 a toothpick).  Make eyes from mini M&Ms, legs from pretzel sticks.  Cover with chocolate sauce, if desired.

Oreo Cookie Spiders
Use an Oreo (or other chocolate sandwich cookie) for the body.  Attach 8 legs made from thin black licorice.

Peanut Butter Cracker Spiders
Make 2 "sandwiches" from 4 Ritz crackers spread with peanut butter.  Lay them side-by-side on a plate, sticking them together with more peanut butter.  Attach peanuts or raisins for eyes, and make legs from pretzels.

Silly Spider Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 slices of bread ( use raisin bread!)
1 T Strawberry cream cheese
8 Raisins or red hots
8 stick Pretzels
1 piece of black string licorice (about 4 inches long)
You will also need:
1 paper plate
1 plastic knife
Measuring spoons
round biscuit cutter
Directions:
Cut bread into circles with biscuit cutter. Measure and spread cream
cheese on one piece of bread. Place the other bread circle on top. Put
the 8 raisins or red hots on the top piece of bread for eyes. Place 4
pretzels coming out of each side for legs. Add licorice string at the
top to look like your spider's drag line.
contributed by Kibbles Links to Other Spider Sites
SEDL Spiders Unit
A terrific 7 Lesson unit on Spiders for Kinderkids
The Legend of the Christmas Spider
Thanks to Addie and Amy for this one, too!
Beakman Spider Webs Activity
Spiders of North West Europe
This site contains more than 450 pictures of
over 170 spiders commonly found in
NW-Europe, especially the area between the
Netherlands and the south of France.
How to Make a Spider Glider
from the Science Museum of Minnesota
 

Have a crawly day!!