Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Community: we've been enjoying dancing with motions and the occasional partner to songs like: "Oats and Beans and Barley Grow", "Skip to my Lou" and "Farmer in the Dell"; read Caps for Sale and Happy Day; we have discussed the chilly mornings and shorter days that indicate that fall is coming, talked about acorns and falling leaves that we see outside
Fine Motor: drawing with beeswax crayons, modeling beeswax, Legos, puzzles, snap together race track, we are getting really good at folding our silks and nap blankets
Outside: made "lava shooters" to fill the planet with lava, wagon rides, sailing the pretend boat, gathering acorns for the squirrels, building fairy houses with sticks and other found materials
Cooking: made carmel dip for apple slices at snacktime, setting the table
Gross Motor: practiced skipping and hopping on one foot
Pretend: building cars out of pillows and silks, doll house, building a train station

Breakfast: oatmeal breakfast cookie, mandarin oranges, organic milk
Lunch: beef ravioli, strawberries, organic milk
Snack: organic apples, homemade carmel dip, water

I Love Quikrete Fast Setting Concrete Mix!

This stuff is $5.97/50 lb bag at Home Depot, and it made our life 100x easier today at the new farm school! We were setting posts for the play yard fence. Tina's husband Brian and his friend dug post holes on Friday with a rented auger, and to set the posts we placed 4x4s in the hole, Brian checked for level, then he and Jesse opened a bag of this stuff and poured it in the hole around the post. Next, Brian added a gallon of water or so, and Tina or I held the post for a couple of minutes until the post set. That was it!

If you are a girl, and you want to do a small project like patch a sidewalk, build a ramp, set a post for a mailbox or something in your garden, use this! Don't be intimidated by "CONCRETE"! And, if a man you know is doing something around the house or yard that involves concrete, and he says, "In order to do this project, I'll need to rent a big hairy concrete mixer, stand outside in the heat drinking beer while it mixes, haul it with my new wheelbarrow" ("blah, blah, blah, I want to buy and rent big tools" or "I don't want to do this complicated project"), you need to tell him to chill out and buy the Quikrete in the red bag at Home Depot . . . pour, add water, done.

Love, Leslie

Friday, September 26, 2008

Community: sang a variety of rhymes from our "Wee Sing" book, dancing with a partner, read about the Earth's layers and magma in Matt's picture dictionary, read/sang Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
Outside: playing chase, pretending to sail our play boat, wagon rides, cooking in the outdor kitchen, built fairy houses, Miles used a jump rope to link a wagon, a car, and a stroller together to make a train
Fine Motor: math puzzle and other puzzles, castle building blocks, ABC blocks, folding silks at clean-up time (we are getting very good at this!)

Pretend: built a puppet show stage with silks and clips and put on a show with our puppets, taking care of babies, cooking in the play kitchen, wearing construction hats and playing with cars on the train table

Our puppet stage.

Cooking: setting the table, serving friends

Breakfast: corn flakes, apples, organic milk
Lunch: taco salad with kidney beans, rice, shredded cheddar, lettuce, tomato, orange slices, milk
Snack: peanut butter crackers, water

Bento Box (No-Waste Lunches)

Olivia likes to take her lunch most of the time, and I am glad not only from a health standpoint, but also from a financial one. School lunch is $2, a fair price, but I can pack for a little less. Also, considering that one day we'll have three in school, it's a good habit to take lunch now. That said, her school district, Leander ISD, does offer a wide variety of entrees, and fresh fruits and vegetables often. I see great salads, brown rice, yogurt and fresh fruit plates on the menu. When she does buy, she often picks the hamburger or pizza, great for a treat but not everyday.

I have never had the time or patience to be the mom that cuts sandwiches into flowers, but this year, Olivia's fourth year in public school, I vowed to be a little more creative. First, I wanted to find a way to make lunch more appealing, and I never thought opening a series of Ziploc bags was very appetizing (what do you put your food on once it's unpacked?). Secondly, I really wanted to stop using so many plastic bags from an environmental standpoint and because (curses!) they are the first thing that a busy mom runs out of in the middle of the week! Third, I wanted to provide lots of variety.


So . . . I have learned a lot from blogs such as this:
http://www.bentolunch.blogspot.com/

Here was Olivia's lunch today--cantaloupe and a strawberry, a stack of cucumber slices, Fritos, a ham and cheese sandwich cut into quarters, and a mini candy bar for a treat since it's Friday. We compromise on whole grain white bread sometimes.

Everything fits into a Gladware container so there is nothing for her to unpack. She has a little package of salt for her cucumbers--I find that the kids like to have a condiment or something to "do" to their lunch to get it ready! Save little packages of soy sauce, ketchup, and barbecue sauce for dipping. Salad dressing packets, too!

Then, the Gladware sits flat in her lunch bag. (Watch for lead-free lunch bags . . .) I finished this by adding a 100% juice box, a napkin, a cold pack, and a fork.

Little cups like these (found at Dollar Tree) can sit inside the Gladware and hold little bits of things like Goldfish crackers or peanuts, or they can hold a sauce . . . I stacked Olivia's cucumbers in one today.

This Thermos holds about 10 oz and comes in pink/purple or blue/orange. They are about $15, and can be found with baby bottles at our HEB. They keep food hot or cold for up to 5 hours, so this year Olivia has enjoyed having some dinner leftovers like penne pasta with meat sauce or Asian noodles and chicken. This is the only thermos we have found that works.

One day, Oliva came home and said that two of her long-term buddies thought her lunch was gross. By the way, they are great boys who like to get a rise out of her--we'll call it flirting. Anyway, I asked her what they ate each day. One of them eats "cheese on bread" every day. Hmmm, I told her. That sounds really, "good". She agreed that her lunches were probably OK after all.

Open House this Saturday, 9/27!

We will hold another Open House for prospective families this Saturday, September 27, from 10 AM-12 PM. Come out to our new location at: 10820 E. Crystal Falls Parkway in Leander!

www.goodearthschool.com (map on website)

Fall Farm Festival

Join us for a Fall Farm Festival Saturday, October 25 from 10 AM-4 PM at our new location. Enjoy farm games with prizes, petting our miniature farm animals, hay rides for $2, pony rides for $3, and refreshments for sale. Admission is $5 per person, under 1 free! Open to the public, so bring friends and family!

Address: 10820 East Crystal Falls Parkway, Leander, TX 78641

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Please join us for a Fall Farm Festival Saturday, October 25 from 10 AM-4 PM at our new location. Enjoy farm games with prizes, petting our miniature farm animals, hay rides for $2, pony rides for $3, and refreshments for sale. Admission is $5 per person, under 1 free! Open to the public, so bring friends and family!

Community: worked our biceps and triceps while singing our ABCs, talked about the bread we made yesterday and what we did with it last night, read Oh Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone? and Ten Little Rabbits about some cute Native American rabbits on adventures

Outside: filled bags to take home with some of the first Fall leaves and acorns, hauled rocks in our dump trucks, rode bikes, played knight and dragon

Fine Motor: drew with wipe off markers on our wipe off boards, Montessori cylinders, castle construction set
Cooking: poured water for friends during work snack time, Matt sliced cantaloupe for lunch, served friends, set the table
Pretend: rode stick horses and fed them, cooked in the play kitchen, built a castle and used props like horses and people

Breakfast: peanut butter banana shake, whole wheat toast (one friend said a slice of toast looks like a T-shirt!)

Lunch: brown rice, kidney beans, broccoli, cantaloupe, organic milk

Snack: bagel with cream cheese, water

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Outside: painting with water, pretending there was an emergency and evacuating the deck of the playscape, hauling rocks with dump trucks, collecting acorns, enjoying a popsicle and cool water!

Gross Motor: movement with Miss Ashley, learning about our heart rate, biceps and triceps, pretending to be butter and sticky honey

Community: worked our biceps and triceps while singing our ABCs, read How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? and Ten in the Bed, quiet book time

Cooking: baking bread, setting the table, serving friends

Fine Motor: Montessori cylinders, sorting objects by color, Bingo

Breakfast: organic cereal, vanilla yogurt, organic milk

Lunch: pasta with homemade meat marinara sauce, buttered green beans, organic milk

Snack: spice cake, grapes, water

Tuesday, September 23

Community: read The Selfish Crocodile, various nursery rhymes, circle songs, beeswax modeling, counting, our name begins with ____ letter

Outdoor: collecting and sorting acorns, constructing an incline plane for cars, digging and dozing in the crushed granite, swinging, wagon rides

Fine Motor: modeling beeswax, drawing with beeswax crayons

Cooking: Jordan set the table for breakfast, Miles set the table for lunch, Soleil, Catherine and Beckett helped slice potatoes for lunch

Indoor: dress up clothes, building a farm with animals and blocks, using play silks to make capes, taking care of baby dolls, carpentry at the work bench, riding stick horses

Breakfast: fried egg sandwiches on english muffins, peaches, organic milk
Lunch: homemade turkey meatloaf, roasted potatoes, apple wedges, whole wheat bread with butter, organic milk

Snack: chex mix, raisins and craisins, water

Cowgirl Sue!

Cowgirl Sue performed at our open house on Saturday, 9/20. She was a lot of fun, and the kids are enjoying her DVD full of original songs. Here are a couple of pictures of Sue, courtesy of parent Jay Merrill!

www.cowgirlsue.com

Monday, September 22

Community: sang "Five Little Monkeys" swinging in a tree and "Tiny Tim", read Nina's Horton Hears a Who and Pinkalicious, discussed our new farm animals, talked about the weekend

Music: enjoyed our new Cowgirl Sue CD, a gift from Cowgirl Sue herself after Saturday's concert

Outside: collecting acorns and counting them, painting with water

Fine Motor: snapping race track, Legos, building with blocks

Pretend: dressing up with silks, building structures with clips, silks, and stands



Breakfast: bananas, organic milk, fruit danish

Lunch: pigs in a blanket, corn, apple and orange wedges, organic milk

Snack: make your own vanilla pudding, cinnamon graham crackers

Animals on the Farm!

Here are some pictures of the animals' first night on the farm! Abby the donkey and Lily Belle the mini horse were instant friends, with Abby as the leader. Our little porker Lucy is quite vocal, and settled in the small barn, spinning and twirling making her bed for the night.

Friday, September 19

Outside: The children enjoyed running, climbing, wagon rides, watching the bunnies exercise in the play yard, cooking at the outdoor kitchen and riding tricycles/scooters

Fine Motor: The children worked out their fingers by tearing their waffles into small pieces at breakfast, puzzles, building blocks

Inside: Building blocks, silks and play stands, taking care of the baby dolls



Breakfast: whole grain waffles with "tree juice", organic milk, orange wedges

Lunch: tuna salad, club crackers, organic milk, fresh fruit salad, cucumber slices

Snack: graham crackers, fruit smoothie with organic milk, water

Roast Pork Tenderloins--A One Pan Meal on a Busy Night

You'll need:

olive oil

2 small pork tenderloins (approximately 1-1 1/2 lbs each)

garlic--1 tsp powdererd or a couple fresh cloves minced

6 medium potatoes, skin on, cut into wedges

6-8 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces

salt (I like kosher)

black pepper

Set oven temperature to 425 degrees. Rinse tenderloins and pat dry. Remove any white sinew and discard. Place tenderloins, potatoes, and carrots on a large baking sheet. Pour about 2 T olive oil, garlic, 2 tsp salt, and black pepper to taste onto the tenderloins and veggies. Toss with your hands, then place tenderloins to one side and spread the veggies in a single layer to the other side. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender and browned. Remove from the oven. Allow the tenderloins to rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes, then slice in 1/4 inch slices on the diagonal. Enjoy!

Rabbits Need a Spoon, Too!

Two little guys were the last ones at school today and helped me feed the rabbits. We placed a carrot in the cage, added some alfalfa hay, filled the water bottle, and gave them a couple of pats. As I closed the cage, one little boy yelled "wait!", and ran to get something. He grabbed a yellow plastic spoon from one of our outside bins and gently placed it in the cage. "They'll need this to eat their food," he said. I couldn't argue with that!

Leslie

Wednesday, September 17

Community: Circle songs, discussed the new farm animals--Lucy the pig, Lilly Bell the miniature horse, Abby the miniature donkey and Milky and Mocha the dwarf rabbits. The children are very excited to meet the new animals.

Outdoor: Sailing in the boat [sandbox], cooking at the outdoor kitchen, riding trikes, tag, caring for and observing the bunnies.

Gross Motor: The children began their outside time with Ms. Ashley [Landon's mom]. The children completed warm-up stretches and pilates as well as played several movement games. They truly enjoyed the interaction.

Indoor: building tents with the silks, play stands and clips, taking care of the babydolls [feeding, diapering, rocking to sleep], cooking at the indoor kitchen, building a train track, woooden blocks

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, bananas, organic milk

Lunch: black beans and brown rice, fresh fruit salad, tossed salad, organic milk

Snack: cheese crackers, craisins, water

September 18, 2008

Lucy stopped by for a quick "hello" on her way to the farm . . . Grandma, Janie, Iris, Asa, and Mr. Jamie were her escorts! After Lucy, they picked up Lily Belle, our new miniature horse. She was a little too nervous to extend her trip to the farm by adding a stop to see us!

Community: we sang our favorite farm songs, reviewed numbers 1-20, read the story "Baby Pig", and No, David!, talked about our new farm animals at the new school!

Outside: used rakes to rake leaves and to spread some dirt in the grass, played train with wagons, enjoyed wearing boots and stomping in some small puddles, galloped in a light rain shower, looked for roly poly bugs, met Lucy, our new pig and Mr. Jamie, one of our new teachers! We always enjoy feeding our rabbits!

Fine Motor: folding silks, Legos, village snap-together set

Cooking: Jaden and Jordan sliced cantaloupe for lunch, Miles and Matt set the table for lunch, served friends water at snack

Pretend: playing family with baby dolls and friends, building a large garage and using animals and cars in it, cooking in the kitchen



Breakfast: blueberry muffin bar, craisins, organic milk

Lunch: grilled ham and cheese on whole wheat bread, organic carrot sticks, organic cantaloupe, organic milk

Snack: potato chips and dip, veggie sticks, water