Taking a blogging break for a time

I will not be posting for a while-I am taking a blogcation for a time.

We have so much going on in the next several weeks and I need to put all my efforts toward those projects...so you won't see any new posts for a time, but once I come back I hope I have lots of new things to share.

But if you are new to my blog, there is plenty of posts to read thru-lots of ideas and links.

Have a great spring and I hope to be back to blogging by August.

Neil Armstrong Lapbook Pictures

Finally done with the Neil Armstrong lapbook and it is all together.  Here are some shots of it.  Not all of the pages are shown...but it gives you an idea.  Again-I got the lapbook components from Homeschool Share and the spiral book is from Pear Educational Products.

Enjoy!

 I created the Neil bio page (sadly this was missing from the unit) 

to give an overview to start the lapbook.

 Getting some use out of my Stampin'Up! stamps (yeah)

These shots (on the right) are from wikipedia.com expcept for the NASA tire and the one where my son is standing before the actual module (at the Nat'l Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. We visited there a few years back and we were thrilled to see we had a picture of him in front of the very thing Neil was in!).

This shows the pocket (on left, back side of it) that is included in the book)

 it holds (both sides do) the copywork he did through out the study.  

The right page is the final one for the book.  

There are a few more pages, but these are our favorites.  This is a lovely keepsake for our study and it allows him to go back and review any time he wants to.  

Neil Armstrong Lapbook

I have a couple posts on my What's in the Box? blog about this and will post the final lapbook once it is completed (we're about 1/2 thru the book) but thought I would share these in case you are interested.

image from Amazon.com

Post I

Post II

Two cross posts on Art ideas/Projects

Renoir Art Project:
To go along with our Renoir study, we did a Mixed Media Still-Life art project found on page 45 in the book: Discovering Great Artists.

For those of you who do not have access to this book, I will give you the directions for completing it. :)

Gather your materials:

for each artist you will need-

*cardboard or matte board 

(size up to you-I used the cardboard backings from some

yellow note pad pages-those were pretty good-altho, having something

 slightly thicker would have been best-

but look at those cardboard backings under

your paper pads-good way to recycle them!)

*white tempera paint (I found white poster paint and it worked)

*painters tape 

(get FROGTAPE by Shurtape (green), if you can-it works better than

the blue painters tape-I found mine at Home Depot which seemed

to be the cheapest I could find. It was about $4 which is the same price
 as the blue tape. THIS IS THE BEST tape for painting-

it does not leave those little boo-boos like 

the blue will-let me tell ya...

and yes, we have used both-will not use blue again)

*pencil/eraser (altho try to not erase if possible)

*paint brushes, water container 

*water colors

*real or fake flowers/twigs/etc. for your still life 

(be creative-look around your home for fun things to use)

*type of vase

(again be creative-I used a tea pot and a container for coffee)

Process:

1.  Tape the cardboard to something-painter's board, drawing board, etc. I used two pieces of white board. I had extra from when we cut down the large piece we bought/used for the classroom. Maybe even a clipboard will work-anything to secure it to so the cardboard doesn't slip.  Yes, you can just place on protective cover/paper, paint it and then just do this, but I find that you'll get a better result when the paper/board is secured to something larger and hopefully, waterproof or not so absorbent as the paper. 

2. I like to create about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch trim-depending on how big your project is.  Will this show when I frame it? Probably not on this one because it is an ugly brown cardboard, so I will try to cover it with a matte...but with a white board/paper it looks very pretty when you have an edging.

3.  Paint the cardboard white (tempera/poster paint).  I did this twice to be sure the cardboard was covered nicely.  The poster paint may not have given us the result the lesson wanted (for it to bleed with the watercolors) but I wasn't about to drive to the mall area to just buy one bottle of paint...so we used what the local Meijer store had and it was just fine.  Let dry before you begin the drawing/watercolor part.

4.  Set up your arrangement, and have student lightly sketch the image.

The boy was more focused on creating a background, and I think that jetting out image on the right side is a window sill, I think. :)  This just goes to show how everyone sees/does things a bit differently. :)

5.  Use a light color to wash color into the background coming close to the image.

6. Use watercolors and paint-try to let it bleed/blend together.

  

7.  When dry, have the artist sign their name and frame it.  

The teen still needs to put the writing on, but we had to let it dry first and then she had to leave to babysit, so once I have these framed, I will post them (and obviously, there will be their signatures and the writing on the can in this picture).

And there you have a Renoir inspired art project-and hey-you don't need to be studying him to do this.  It is just a great, fairly easy project to do with your kids.

This is our new art display-minus the frames which I must go get...

So I took down the poster above the white board and taped up these 5 pics the kids have done.  These are my favorites ones from their projects so far.  I will hopefully find some white frames to really draw attention to them and also, as ya know-we have to be matching with the room decor-LOL...

Oh, the writing on the board is for my teen's study of Emma.  We have so many characters and crazy love triangles that we figured it best to plot out the story characters and some interesting facts on the board to make sense of it. :)

Left to right:  the two Renoir mixed media paintings (DD decided not to add lettering to the can), the Pointillism project my DD did a couple years ago (you can read about it here) and the two 6 step paintings the kids did with our CM co-op. 

I love how the kids art makes our room so cozy and personalized.  I love being able to look back at what they have done too.

Idea for holding the lapbook components

My friend gave me her stash of Creative Memories binder holders-these have a fold over of plastic to keep the goodies in the "envelope" part, and they have the 3 ring holes for a binder.  These make excellent holders for lapbook components.

To be ready for the part of the lesson I simply print out what I need to for our current study, cut them out (it's just easier that way) and store them there, pull out what we need per lesson and pop them back into another one when done, so we won't lose any of them.  Neat heh?  Only problem is I am not sure these particular holders are still available but I bet you can find something similar.  I will see if my research comes up with any good substitute, but check with your local CM associate or look for them at garage sales and such.  These are a little gem of goodness-

So the one on the right holds all the pre-cut and ready to work on components. Then I pull out some we'll be working on (laying on top of the pockets) and when those are done-we place them in another to await being placed in a lapbook.

Some Journey Through Learning Lapbooks coming up in Feb.

I am in the process of reviewing A Journey Through Learning lapbooks for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and the American Presidents-these are all pre-planned and designed project kits.

For my international pals-they have it via eBook download so you too can do these projects (well they are in English-so I guess that is important to know) but still-thought I would share this wee tid bit of knowledge with ya.

I will be sure to let you know when they go live on the Home Educating Family review site. I think they will have some give-aways for the product then too-so keep a look out for that. :) Oh and Journey Through Learning has many lapbooks that correspond with many popular curriculums and of course, one of my favs-VeggieTales! You can visit their website for more info.

    

Advanced Astronomy: High School Lapbook

As promised, I have the astronomy lapbook for my teen here...not all pages shown, but enough to give you an idea of it all.  We still have to do the Star of Bethlehem Bible Study and a few more odds and ends to complete her astronomy course for the semester.  So those things will go in too-and I will update once completed.  I am using the PEP Blank Project Book (with a pocket) for this.  Like the lapbooks, this takes stamping very nicely.  I simply did a speckle background in very light yellow and stars in a darker one.  I used to have some neat star/moon type of stamps but alas-sold those a few years back so I had to make due with what I had.

The front cover was made using MS Word, and I will have her find and type up some of the Bible verses that relate to the creation of the universe/world and God's Word concerning some things astronomy related.  That will go on the inside cover (opposite of the front cover) and then the lapbook components you see are from Hands of a Child Advanced Astronomy lapbook kit.  I chose to not do all of them with her, and added in some odds and ends I found while searching the internet for other astronomy related mini-books.  I also created a couple factoid booklets on a few of the early astronomers too.  This course is a mix and match one.  I am pulling from different sources and creating our own study.  I still hope to get the Signs and Seasons book to have her work thru too, but we'll see.  She also wants to study plants more, so it all depends on time/budget.  At the end of this post, I have the links and book pics for you (in case you are a visual person like me and enjoy seeing the actual cover of the books) :)  ....

 HOAC mini-booklets

Homeschool Share booklets and the Ptolemy one I made myself 

(there are 2 more not shown) 

HOAC booklets/clip art

Considering God's Creation worksheets

Page is not yet stamped or labeled.  Not to this point in the project book yet.

These worksheets are for elementary-Jr high
but can be used for HS too...and we did. 

I like the additional info she had to locate and the visuals it offers.
Once again-don't let age labels stop you from using stuff
that offers more insight than what the main study offers.  

Sometimes the easier work offers more insight
and is remembered more than the "age level" material.

Supplies:

Pear Educational Products: Blank Project Book with Pocket Page

Hands of a Child (HOAC):  Advanced Astronomy Project Pack w/CD

Homeschool Share:  Astronomer Notebook Pages

(I printed with 2 per or 4 per page to make them smaller)

Considering God's Creation:  Notebooking pages on the Solar System

(I had her use them to further her info on the planets, as the

HOAC one didn't have all this info on it. Served as a bonus info project) 

Books:

most can be found at Amazon or Rainbow Resource

Astronomy for All Ages by Philip Harrington and Edward Pascuzzi

(we'll be working through the sections not previously covered by the HOAC study)

Star of Bethlehem Bible Study by Kerry Beck with the 

Star of Bethlehem DVD by Rick Larson

hope to get:

Signs and Seasons:
Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy
 by Jay Ryan

Supplemental:

The Astronomy Book by Dr. Jonathan Henry

I also pulled various astronomy books from the library to add in for interest

When we wrap this up-I will update the final project for you.

A Journey Through Learning: It's a Meaningful Life Lapbook (VeggieTales)

As promised, I finally have the VeggieTales lapbook to share.  This one is not the most colorful of my lapbooks, as I did my best to find some VT stickers or paper, but alas-they eluded me.  So it is a simple one but very cute none the less.  I reviewed this item for the A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks company.  Look for that review coming soon on the Home Educating Family Review Site....

Cover-yep, I am using the Pear Educational Fold Up Project Base 

and Adhesive Strip for this

When cover is flipped opened

Right-side fold flipped open to showcase entire three-fold

Lookie how nice it looks in a 3-Ring Binder! 

 Love those adhesive strips!

This lapbook is based on the VeggieTales It's a Meaningful Life DVD.  It is a great one to do with younger children and for those who are new to lapbooking.  

Baseball Lapbook-All pictures uploaded-completed

Finally!  I have finished the baseball lapbook.  I decided to put it on one of the Pear Educational Extended Bases, so I was able to create some booklets about the Detroit Tigers (our fav. team) to add since I really didn't have that many mini-booklets for the regular lapbook.  Buddy just needs to color the cover, fill in a couple things about the Tigers and it will be complete.  We learned more about baseball than what the lapbook holds [and that is OK-you do not need to lapbook every thing about the subject], esp. during this season with the Tigers making it to the playoffs [we watched them all].  I also helped write out a lot b/cuz my son gets overwhelmed with too much writing-and that is OK...he simply dictates to me  (CM style) and we don't fuss over who it is that is writing it.  As he gets older, he'll take on more of that himself (he is also dyslexic, so it is a struggle to get him to do a lot of it)-so don't feel your student has to do all the work themselves-half the fun is working together on it.

To create it:

I grabbed some Stampin'Up! stamps I have, used the basic color inks and added in dk. blue and orange stars in honor of the Tiger's colors.  I think it came out very nice.  He can go back and refer to this anytime he wishes and it is a great show piece too.

Enjoy.

Cover with the Pear Educational Adhesive strip there to place it in our 3 Ring Binder

The first fold-out view from opening the cover

 Opening up the flap with the copywork on it-you find this

Lifting up the Detroit Tiger's flap-this is the middle open section.

Above the diamond section is where the D.T. info is.  

Underside of the Tigers flap
I created the flap book to hold several famous Tiger players and a pic of Sparky Anderson.
The History denotes when they began, how many World Series they have played, how many Pennants they have won and how many Central Division Titles too.  Also notes their team colors.  You can easily create this for your favorite team.  Wikipedia should have their away/home game uniforms to copy too.

Helpful Hint:

I almost always back my booklets in a darker, matching color of construction paper.  It simply makes everything easier to find/stand out on the lapbook.  I cannot stress this enough-by taking the time to do this simple application [of layering]-the lapbook will come out so much nicer. The child (and you) works so hard to create this, why not display it in a professional manner?  

Resources:

Baseball Lapbook (major components)

Coloring Pages on Baseball

(there are others, I just Googled free coloring sheets and went thru the sites)

American League Team coloring pages

(they also have a National League page)

It would be easy to choose your child's favorite team and base the study around it.  I used Wikipedia for many of the players pics and built my own flap book for it.  

Water Color Project instructions

I just copied/pasted my pal's instructions.  I am hoping I put the right pictures with the steps, to help you see what it should do-but folks, I am kinda guessing, so please forgive me on that. :0)

Just go for whatever happens -happens here-esp. if it is your first attempt.  I actually cut down to size, some left over white board (from Home Depot-the stuff I used for our white board in the classroom) but anything that is slightly larger than the paper size, and is hard enough to not absorb water, will do.  We used painters tape to seal around the edges.  About 1/2 inch or so around the edges-keep it tight or it will bleed, losing that nice edging.  The rest of course, will stick to the board.  Try not to move the boards if possible. Otherwise, wait until they are dry before doing so.  Otherwise, paints will run, plastic wrap will pop off and so forth.  

1. There are 3 main kinds of watercolor paper -- rough, cold press and hot press (smooth) -- we used rough.  As for the paper-it is expensive-we just purchased out right from Michaels and tore them into 6 pieces each.  If you only have a few students-obviously, you can have larger papers.

Arches brand is the best and you can get books (called blocks-so you won't need a board then) .. like this... http://www.dickblick.com/products/arches-watercolor-blocks/ -- it is glued down on all 4 sides so you have a flat surface that doesn't move until you cut it off the block.  OK here is from Michaels ... http://www.michaels.com/Arches/products-artsupplies-arches,default,sc.html

2.  Using painters tape, tape paper down to a solid surface (example white erase board) not cardboard.

3. Have plenty of water, watercolors (cheap Crayola works fine) and a "good" paint brush that holds water (not one that comes with the Crayola paints), and a rag or paper towel

4. You will need some leaves-real or fake to use on the day they trace. Variety is good!

5. You will also need a pencil, saran wrap, reg. table salt, a couple Q-Tips and Rubbing Alcohol. Oh and an old toothbrush if doing the spatter technique.

Steps to paint the picture:

1. Paint the whole blank paper with water, with a big brush drip yellow and blue and red (primary colors) onto the paper.  This is called WET ON WET painting.  The colors will blend on their own, if there is enough water and fill the page.  Let dry with out working on it.

 Here you can see the various early stages....

2. Trace leaves "artfully" across your dry painting.  We used artificial ones of various sizes and shapes.

 You can see the red, yellow, blue bleeding in the background, 

the sketching of the leaves there and the saran wrap. 

Actually the purple leaf has the rubbing alcohol affect on it too.

3. Pick a leaf outline and paint it with water then with paint, again this is WET ON WET painting.  You can try part of the leaf yellow and part red = if there is enough water and paint the colors will blend and make orange.  Do other leaves that DO NOT touch.  You can also try WET ON DRY -- leave the leaf outline dry and paint on it with just wet paints.  These will not blend, they will stay the exact colors you pick.  Let dry.

 Saran Wrap look.

4. Now that everything is dry again... pick another leaf and do WET ON WET again -- take a small piece of plastic wrap (Sranwrap) and place it on the leaf while still wet.  Do not crinkle it up too much but it should have lines and over laps on it.  Do not push down on it either, it will push the paint and water out of the leaf outline.  Let it dry with the wrap on it.  When it is dry you can peel off the wrap and it will look like a crinkled leaf.

 Red leaf has the Rubbing Alcohol technique, the light blue and purple ones

also appear to have the Saran Wrap look.

5.   Pick another leaf that has everything around it dry and do another WET ON WET (use fun fall colors like green, yellow, orange, red, brown) and then use a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol.  Dip the Q-tip in the alcohol and dot the leaf.  Let it dry.  It will look like a bug was eating the leaf or cool mold was taking over.

Notice the spattered look this student got from using the toothbrush. Very nice.

6.  After all leaves are painted there are a couple of other techniques that you can play with.  You can use a toothbrush and splatter wet paint on dry paper.  You can add a new layer of paint to an already painted leaf that you think needs more color.  Try not to over work your picture, watercolor should flow like water.

 This one shows the salting results quite nicely.  

Be sure there is plenty enough water on it to absorb the salt-

not enough, the salt will just stick.

7.  When all leaves are done the negative space needs a wonderful dark wash.  We used a beautiful dark blue with some people adding a touch of purple or green (depending on if they had lots of purple leaves -- they added green, or green leaves -- they added purple).  Remember to use lots of water and it should be WET ON WET again to get it to flow and blend.  While it is still wet take a pinch or 3 or 4 and scatter it over the "water" let it dry with the salt on it.  The salt will move the paint and water out of the way in a fun star-like way.

 Nice mix of the techniques on this beauty.

8.  Once you are all done and it is dry, take off the tape and look at your painting.  Notice how the different layers (or washes) show through.  That first step of yellow, red and blue can be seen in interesting places, like where the salt moved the water.  Or where a leaf has a sunny hue under it but is painted green too.  Figure out which side is up and make sure you sign and date your work. 

 This is a very young 4 yr olds. So even the little guys can make a keepsake!

Be proud of your hard work and patience.  It is amazing how everyone can use the same instructions and they all look so individual and unique!  Remember to not worry about "mistakes" after it is all done and you look at the whole picture it looks like you wanted it to do that and it wasn't a mistake after all!

 Another 4 yr olds-quite impressive~

Here is a good website to see some more watercolor techniques... http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolor-tutorials.htm

 Darker background choice on this one-bleeding, salt 

and Rubbing Alcohol show up nicely on this one.

Good leaf color changes, outlines and leaf variance 

(and my boy is color blind so he cannot even appreciate 

some of these dark colors, esp. the deep purple 

and grays-but still not too shabby!)

There you have it-our co-op kids' works of art! I will post the stray student's pic once I get it-she was absent that last day.

 Hey, when you all get yours done-link the post to my comments section, as I would love to see what you all did!  Be sure to frame your beautiful pieces of art too!