Summer movie plans

The plans are to make a short film using Hen and his friends. Methinks I need a GoPro for filming since the quality of the old iPod Nano I shot it on is less than spectacular. But here's the trailer we put together yesterday. The boys were most helpful, performing ninja stunts on command.

Ninjago Trailer from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.

Bubbling brew, take two

Bubbling Wizard's Brew is fast becoming my go-to science experiment at home. It never fails to keep the kiddos occupied. I must remember to grab more baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap the next time I'm at Costco. The kids quickly ran through the main ingredients and then Hen hit the cupboards for more things to mix in. He collected coffee grounds, flour, cornstarch, salt, and limoncello and the boys set to work. Nearly an hour and a half later, they were finally wanting to move onto something else.

Totally Irresponsible Science: Cola Geyser

If you have ninja on hand to help with your science experiment, I highly recommend using them.

For the Cola Geyser you'll need Mentos and Diet Cola. 

Enlist one ninja to hold the cola and one to hold the candy. Note: Ninja are willing to eat candy.

My brilliant plan to use the candy packaging was not so brilliant. Only about half the candy fell into the bottle so we got very little rise out of our geyser. But we'll revamp our candy dispenser and try again on Tuesday. We will get the geyser to hit the projected 20 feet high. Oh, yes, we will.

Age discussion

Gideon: I'm the same age as you. How old are you?

Hen: I'm ninety-eighty-five.

Gideon: I'm ninety-eighty-five, too.


I cannot guess how old this makes me.

Preschooler philanthropy

A few weeks ago we raided Hen's piggy bank for Quarter Day. We counted up all the quarters (and dollar bills), headed up to the bank, and opened a savings account. The total - just over $100 - was roughly divided by three. Hen deposited $35 in his brand new savings account, kept $35 in his pocket, and chose where to donate the remaining $30. Since there are far too many charitable options, I narrowed his choices to the Oregon Humane Society (explaining that this was where we got Beauty the wonder dog) and Heifer International (a personal favorite). Hen picked Heifer Intl and today, whilst at the computer, I finally remembered we needed to complete the donation process. He selected a share of a piglet and a flock of chicks to buy for families in need. If you have a favorite charity, send them our way. Dime Day is just around the corner.

Overheard preschooler bathroom speak

Whilst toweling off young Henry had this to sing-say about his body parts...

"Penis, penis, penis. My penis is the goodest penis on the planet."

First attempt at a time-lapse(ish) video

Hen's preschool class has these very light building blocks that the kids have taken to stacking, with Teacher Amy's help, until they exhaust the supply of blocks. The resulting structure is so high that Amy has to stand on a step-ladder to complete it. A few weeks ago when I was parent-helping I managed to capture the building of said structure right until the near moment of collapse. I got distracted by Miss Ruby, who was making the most fantastic faces (exhibit A), and missed it when they came tumbling down.

exhibit A

Fast forward to yesterday, the kids began building again and this time I kept my focus (à la Master Frenel). I put the camera on continuous and kept my finger on the trigger*. Once I got home and downloaded the files I had more than enough shots to make my first very own time-lapse(ish) video. I might have found a new hobby. Note, Teacher Amy had the kids try to bring it down by creating an earthquake, their tiny bodies couldn't create enough ground vibrations, by blowing on it (think Three Little Pigs), their tiny mouths didn't have enough huff and puff to 'em, and by doing jumping jacks nearby, which had a few kids nearly collide with the structure but their bodies and arms flapping didn't shake the ground or produce enough wind to cause it to fall. What did work? Check it out. Teacher Amy's a genius and had the attention of the whole class for a fair chunk of time.

One most awesome preschool moment from Christie Glynn on Vimeo.


*I don't know if my camera can be set up to do time lapse photography or how to set it up if that is a feature so I had to keep pressing.

Hen's friends

Hen and Bèla

Hen and Alaire

Gideon and Hen

Hen and Avery

Erin and Hen

Hen, Emory, and Fisher

Hen and Mia

Magical invisibility cloaks and the preschool mind

Hen and his friends, Gideon and Elliot, were calling the chiffon(?) fabric pieces they had invisibility cloaks. I had my camera on hand. It seemed only natural to do this...

I had the boys line up with the cloaks off so I could take their picture.

Then I had them put the cloaks on and took a second picture to show them what happened.

The cloaks work, people.

Homemade Play-Doh

Ingredients: cream of tartar, vegetable oil, Kool-Aid, salt, flour, and water

Pour dry ingredients in saucepan

Enjoy the awesome smell - Note: The burner was not turned on when Hen stuck his head over the pan.

Add the wet ingredients

Turn the heat on medium and stir

Continue to stir until the play-doh comes together in ball form

Knead until super smooth

Roll in a ball

Put ball in bag and refrigerate until cool, then play

Newtown

When I learned about the Newtown shooting earlier this morning, the media was reporting 18 children dead. This is the same number of children in Hen's preschool class. It's hard to wrap your brain around that.

This evening our preschool had its holiday party. Many were on the fence about going, many weren't sure if a festive night could overcome such a heart wrenching and sobering day. Many of us were surprised by how therapeutic it was to gather and celebrate with each other.

Kiwi Crate project #something

Hen remains very excited on days when the monthly Kiwi Crate arrives. We typically complete one project right away and set the other aside to finish another day. This month the theme is Antarctic Adventure. We put together and accessorized penguins for a game of penguin bowling. We'll make the aurora borealis postcards later. Also included in this package was a silicone ice tray to make penguin-shaped ice cubes. Too cute! Hen emptied the first set of penguins and placed them strategically around the freezer. I'm so glad I found this company.

Money, money, money

I was looking for an activity to do with Hen today, the weather was fairly good, and we had no plans so it seemed like as good a time as any to introduce Hen to money. We broke into his piggy bank, took out ten dollars in quarters, and made a little coin cheat sheet. He received an additional $0.05 for making his bed that morning. We headed out with $10.05 in his money bag.

Our first stop was to deposit Darren's checks. We typically stop at the Starbucks in the building so Hen can get a treat (i.e., a cake pop) and milk. We've done it so often the lad thinks the café is where you are supposed to get milk. Anyway, we're all set to count out the quarters after placing our order - "May I have a cake pop, please?" - when the guy behind the register tells us that it's already been paid for. One of the folks in line in front of us had overheard us discussing how much money he'd need and paid for it. I appreciate the Pay It Forward moment as I've done those a few times myself. But darn it if they didn't thwart my attempt to teach my kid about budgeting his money. Oh well. We left a $0.50 tip and went on our way. $9.55 left in the money bag.

Next, New Seasons. Hen knew he wanted to get a Mega Stretch Frog so there was no surprise here. Hen selected the blue and purplish poison arrow tree frog for $3.99. We went to the cashier, he counted out the quarters, and he received his frog, receipt, and one penny. $5.56 left in the money bag. 

A new toy store that recently opened up in our neighborhood was our next destination. Hen spent a great deal of time here looking around the store before selecting a squishy ankylosaurus ($3.99) and five fire marbles ($1.00). We left with $0.57 in the money bag. 

All in all, it was a very successful experiment. 

Activity: Crystal Candy!

Making your own crystal candy is pretty easy. You need sugar, water, and food coloring (optional).

Pour water into the pan.

Scoop out the sugar.

Add sugar.

Watch sugar disappear in the water.

Stir sugar and water until it reaches a boil.

Prepare the string your candy crystal will grow on.

Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from  heat and add food coloring if using. Have your mama or papa pour the mixture into a glass and lower the string into the glass.

Place the glasses where they won't be disturbed and leave them for  a week (or so).

When you see lots of crystals it's time to harvest the candy!

Carefully pull the crystal out of the jar and place on waxed paper to dry.

Taste the sugar water droplet.

Voilà! Crystal candies to enjoy!