Join me in 100 Acts of Kindness

If you haven't joined in the 100 Acts of Kindness project at Toddler Approved, it's not too late to start! There's plenty of time to complete 100 acts of kindness before Valentine's Day. 

Each week there is a prompt goal to guide you along.   This past week was about being gracious, I found these quotes thought-provoking:

 “Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.” ― Joseph B. Wirthlin 

Stop by to learn about the Kindness project at Toddler Approved and to learn about challenge #3 this week.   

You can do acts of kindness in any way that works for your family. 

 

Let's make the world a kinder place one {little} bit at a time.

Taking it to "heart"--come see!

I'm over at abcand123learning.com teaching about more heart-healthy activities that are FUN. 
 Come see how to do some real math "exercises" and more!

Heart-Healthy Learning Games

We've been indoors a LOT this winter.  And that means we have needed a few {little projects} to channel some energy!
So today I'm sharing some Valentine's games have helped us hone some learning skills as well as give us some healthy exercise for our hearts--perfect for a month focused on the heart!

I try to get more than one use out of each game because it's more fun, and so it can be used with more than one age.  Some are variations on the same game too. Hopefully you can find one that's a good fit for you below :)
{this little project} was easy to make because all the pieces on the floor are just white paper plates with red paper hearts glued to them (elmer's).  Then just write the letters on them with a black marker.These are the letters you need to play:V A L E N T I N E, and then H R O.  With those letters you can spell: love, heart, valentine.
Letter Walk: This game is fun to do with music playing.  Music always is good for inspiring movement!  Each person stands on a letter and then moves to from one letter to another letter (walking, skipping, dancing, jumping) until the music stops.  Then each person tells: the letter they are on, and/or what sound it makes, and/or names something that starts with that letter.  This is a great game for preschoolers.  There aren't winners or losers-everyone likes getting a new letter to think about and getting there quick when the music stops.

This Spell-a-Heart game takes the last game to the next level.  This time you tell the group what word you are going to spell.  When the music stops you say the word and ask what letter the word starts with, or give the sound the next letter in the word makes.  Ask the kids who is on that letter.  

The lucky child gets to bring the letter up to help make the word.  Continue until the word is spelled.
The next game is a Spelling Obstacle Course.  Give them the plates (2 teams if there are many kids) and see if they can help you make an obstacle course with a word.  For instance, for the word "love" you would space the letters out on the floor, and when you get to the L you do 4 push-ups to "lower" yourself to the ground, then go to the O and "open" and close your hands doing jumping jacks 7 times, V could be balance on one foot while holding a "vollyball", etc... A timer checks to see how fast they can do it.
When you are done, give each team all the letters and see how many words they can form out of the plates so their hearts can take a rest :)

Have fun keeping those minds and bodies active!

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How to Send a Hug in the Mail

With Valentine's Day coming up I wanted to share one of our favorite {little projects} to mail: HUGS!
These mailable Hugs are personal and are perfect any time of the year.  
They are great for:grandparentsfriends or family in the militarya traveling friend or relativecousins and far away friendsor anyone--Really who wouldn't want a hug to come to them in the mail?
To make {this little project} you need:
a person :) (whomever is sending the hug)
paper--I used newsprint--more about that below
crayons, markers, etc.
First, trace around the head, arms, and torso on the paper.  

I get the newsprint from the local newspaper shop.  It's the end of the roll from what they print on, but it's a TON of paper.  In the past they've been about $2 or sometimes they donate them for free to teachers.  I've done this in 3 states, so I think it's pretty common.  There are a million {little projects} you can do with a nice big roll of paper!  Butcher paper works too.
Next, have your in-house artist color what you traced.  It can be a self-portrait, of sorts.


Here is Jay's in progress...
And here is Kay's.  She took a more abstract approach, making sure that every one of her favorite colors was represented: 

Then wrap the arms up for a big hug!  
You can also add a little note (or valentine) and attach it to the hand.

Now put your HUG in the mail to send a happy surprise!

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Scripture Books

Our family has been on vacation for 2 weeks.  One more week to go and we'll be back home and back to "real" life.    
In the meantime, I have been making a new quiet book for church this year.
 
These darling "bright ideas" are a picture with a scripture.
They will go great with our other Quiet Books.

And the bonus is that these "scripture pictures" will also be perfect for our morning devotional.
To make {this little project}
 Download them (free) from this site, print them as a photo,and put them in a photo album book. 
(These "bright idea" scriptures come from the monthly Children's Friend magazine.)
I think the pictures will help my kids remember the scriptures even better and I'm always amazed that my 4 year old can memorize a scripture a week.
The {little} things really do count!

New Year's Thoughts

I have been busy with many {little projects} but some, like my husband being in the hospital, have been a bit more than the {little} kind.  Those kinds of things always make you think about your faith.  And having him sick around Christmas made me all the more grateful that a little baby was born in Bethlehem so long ago who lived and died to bless us all.
In all of this, there hasn't been much time for blogging.
Happily, he is well now and we celebrated a beautiful Christmas and a wedding in our family too!
I've had the chance to think a lot about blessings and angels who appear in so many forms in our lives over the past few weeks this season.
Recently I was snuggling my baby in this warm blanket.  And suddenly a flood of memories came back to me.

This blanket was a gift.  It was made by eight, nine, and ten-year-old girls from our church when I was a leader working with the Primary children at our church.  The blanket was a gift for my first baby.  That was about six years ago now.
  Where we live, it gets pretty cold and this sweet blanket still (6 years later) keeps my little Ellie warm every night.  And the thought of those little girls sharing their kindness and talents with me literally fills my heart up.  
Kindness is an amazing thing.  
I watched this sweet movie with my kids a few days ago. The message is one that's sweet all year long.

These are the things on my mind as I think about the blessings of this past year and the opportunities that come with a new year.
Are you the kind that makes new year resolutions?
I love to record mine each year.  It feels like a promise to myself to try and be a little better.  And the chance to let my imagination run wild with all the possibilities of what could be is an adventure I wouldn't think of missing out on.
I get out fun pens, find a cozy chair and a quiet time, and write some thoughts in my journal of what could be.  Looking back at past years is always an important part of this little ritual of looking to the future.
What makes the list of resolutions?
All kinds of things, really. {This little project} was part of one resolution to take better care of the earth.  I've had a great time refashioning some of my old shirts for Kay to wear this year.  Here she is in one of them:

In some ways {this little project} I did for Kay feels like a metaphor for this resolutions-making time.  We take what we already have--the good and the bad--and try to work with it to make ourselves and the world around us just a {little} bit better.
Wishing you a marvelous New Yearwith many rewarding {little projects}!