Scrap Paper Clock Tutorial

I started with my color inspiration. These are the colors of my kitchen...

 So I found some scrapbook paper in my stash that coordinated.

 I tore them into random pieces...

 and distressed the edges with stamps.

I bought this at the thrift store for $2.

In it's former life, it was a lazy susan that used to reside in the middle of someone's kitchen table.

I cleaned it, painted it, and removed the outside ring. I also drilled a hole in the center.

Using Mod Podge, I glued each piece down individually (paying close attention to smooth out bubbles). No rhyme or reason.

Once my clock was covered, I lightly sealed the whole thing in Mod Podge.

 I glued the outer ring back on. If you don't have one, I bet you could cut one out of posterboard and decopage that on, too.

I bought these numbers, painted them black, then lightly sanded the edges.

Then I glued them down starting with 12 and 6, then did 9 and 3.

I used these pencils to help me position them, then I eyeballed the rest. 

 

Ready for the clock gears!

 This is what they look like. I paid about $6.00 for this gear set.

It's easy to put together (they come with instructions).

There you have it--my customized clock!

 I set it on an easel. I just love checking the time now!

Single Serving (or extra batter) Cupcake

Smart tip-

*Do you ever find that when you're making cupcakes, you sometimes have enough batter left over for another cupcake or two...or would you like to make an individual serving?

Pull out a 1/2 cup metal measuring cup and bake it right in there!

Work's great!

You can also do this to make single servings!

Single Serving Cake Mix Recipe

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Single-Serving-Cake

• 1/2 cup Betty Crocker cake mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp oil

Bake at 350 in two 1/2 cup measuring cups for about 10-15 minutes. Cake is done when it bouces back when lightly touched. Makes two cupcakes.

A GOLDMINE of FREE Online Music Education games, videos, and printables

I am sooooo excited about this post. I've been looking for ways to supplement my children's music education...and my own for that matter. With MUSIC being my first love (besides my husband and kiddos), researching all this awesome free music education has been a total labor of love. Everything I've included in this post is completely FREE education. I've included links to music on-line games, video tutorials, and printables.

 
FREE MUSIC EDUCATION GAMES-
Most of these games were designed for very young kids, but can still teach some great basics to people of all ages! Actually, there were some that I really enjoyed. I could sit and play Mission to Learn for hours! I've played every game on here and have written a brief review of my top picks. The first 11 were found directly from Playhouse Disney! Wow! Who knew, right? Gotta love those Little Einstiens!

Image from ovguide.com

1. Rhythms in the House is a pretty fun one. It reminds me of those cool percussion ensambles. It teaches how to layer different sounds (which are played at different rhythms that all work together) to make a cool, syncopated musical piece. You can record your song, too. It's pretty fun for about 5 minutes, then it gets old.

2. Mission to Learn is AWESOME! If your child likes watching Little Einsteins, this is so cool. Even if they don't they may love this. You click on what episode you'd like to learn more about, and it tells ALL KINDS of FUN FACTS about these super-educational shows! It's not just music education- it teaches art, geography, history, performing arts, and so many other random fun facts...most of them in relation to music/composers. This game is seriously a GOLD MINE. You can also watch each episode from there.

Image from mouseclubhouse.com

3. Ocean Treasure Hunt is great for teaching your child the NAMES and SOUNDS of each instrument. It teaches quite a variety, such as: a wood block, snare drum, bass drum, castanets, bass, violin, french horn, timpani, tuba, bassoon, piccolo, trumpet, cello, cymbals, xylophone, accordion, oboe, trombone, steel drum, saxophone, clarinet, harmonica (which doesn't really sound like a real harmonica, btw), harp, guitar, tambourine, trumpet, etc. It also teaches about famous paintings, their names, and the names of the artists. Awesome game! I'm so glad I found this one!

4. Quincy and the Magic Instruments  is a shape/sound matching game. The kids match the instrument with the sounds it makes. It teaches how different types of instruments lend themselves to certain styles of music. This is great! You may want to have them play Ocean Treasure Hunt before this one so you can quiz them on the instrument names. After playing this game, maybe try listening to different instruments and have your child see if they can pick out what instruments are being played in the song.

5. Leo and the Musical Families teaches kids how to identify the different musical families (Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, and Percussion). The object of the game is to help each lonely instrument find their correct family. On the first level, they visually identify each one as well as by listening. On the second level, they identify the correct family by sound alone. On the third level, two instruments play together (it explains that it's called a duet), and you have to identify both musical families.

6. Echo Time with Annie teaches kids about notes in relation to one another. They use the computer keyboard as a 12-note piano and can make up their own songs. Once they have played it, they can hear their new song played on different instruments (marimba (which sounds awful), trumpet, and piano) and with other silly sounds (a frog croaking, cat meowing, dog barking, and a pig oinking). They may start to recognize that music is EVERYWHERE after playing this game. They can also play a note echo game. It's very similar to a Simon says game. FYI- This game may really bother children with perfect pitch...and can tend to get a tad bit annoying to the mom in the next room (you may want to get headphones). Haha! All in all, I think it's pretty cute and a fun learning game for tiny musicians. My little girl got such a kick out of hearing the kitty meow the song, Mary Had a Little Lamb!

7. My Masterpiece doesn't really teach about music, but I thought I'd include it because I liked it for my kids. The kids simply create their own art background for their favorite Little Einsteins characters while listening to classical music. They can change the song, too. The thing I liked the most was that it lets them used more techniques than other similar games. There's sponging and airbrushing, as well as different sized paintbrushes.

8. Leo's Barnyard Baton Your child can have a go at conducting. It helps them understand how tempo, dynamics, and layering sounds are used to make a great performance. They can follow along and conduct using their mouse.

9. Silly Song Machine- I wasn't CrAzY about this one, but it's still kinda cool. Each Einstein kid is ad libs along to famous musical pieces. You choose who gets to "solo" at what time and record your masterpiece.

10. The Great Sky Race is kind of a fun one to listen to your child play. They play while listening to great composers (Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and George Bizet). This teaches mouse control/hand-eye coordination. They also learn what allegro means as they pass through the allegro tunnel and speed up. They also briefly follow along to the rhythm as the "pat, pat, pat..." to the beat with the space bar.

11. World Music with Manny teaches children some culture by playing music from all over the world, such as: Hungary, Ireland, Austailia, Spain, Scotland, India, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Germany, China, Indonesia, and more. They have to match up the music to the correct country it comes from. You are also given the option to print a world map, showing each country's music they've featured.

12. Music Match is a great one to help your child with sight reading on the piano. They are timed and scored, which is great for incentive to beat your last score.

13. Barnyard Friends (Game 2) is an interactive flashcard game. The child is shown a card with a note on on a staff and has to find the names of each note. (I had problems with games 1 and 3).

14. Repeat the Melody is another "Simon Says" game. You have to repeat the melody you hear on the virtual keyboard. Each note is labeled- Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. You can also make up your own melody while watching it's placement on the staff and play it back.

15. Note Reading Quiz is great for teaching to be able to read notes on a treble staff. You are timed and scored to help you work to increase your note reading speed.

There are also some fun dance education games on there in the music games section. Kids can learn about different dance moves and create their own dance.

FREE ON-LINE VIDEOS/INSTRUCTION
FOR PIANO
 Piano lessons on-line? YES! Check these links out, they're amazing. I do want to give her (Anne, the creator of these videos, etc...) a plug for all her hard work she's done. Though it is all free, she has a "donate" button on her site. If you feel so inclined to donate toward her efforts, please do! I can't believe all she's done at no cost to the public.

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

Basic Rudiments Videos-
Ledger Line Notes, Sharps, Flats, and Naturals, Semi-tones and Whole tones, How to build major scales, How to build the Circle of Fifths, Major and Perfect Intervals, Minor Intervals, How to build Triads.
Intermediate Rudiments Videos-
The Circle of Fifths- Major keys, Double Sharps and Double Flats, Relative Minors on the Circle of Fifths, Minor Scales, Technical Degree Names, Augmented and Diminished Intervals.

Ipad Rescources- She's thought of EVERYTHING! Check it out!

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

Printable Theory Sheets and games-

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

42 FREE Printable Theory Sheets. Each Sheet includes an mp3 explanation of each page. Rhythm Blocks, and Alphabet Cards.
Piano Teaching Aids Activities- Includes 22 different games you can play with your kids/students. Some of which give a youtube explanation of the game and free printables (Levels 1-8).
Printable Piano Technique Books- (Levels 1-8) She includes a typed description of the content of each book. She also includes a youtube video briefly showing you the content of each level. So awesome!

FREE ON-LINE VIDEOS/INSTRUCTION
FOR GUITAR
This site holds an incredible weath of knowledge. This guy (Sherm, the creator) really knows his stuff! If you or someone you know has ever wanted to learn to play the guitar, here's your chance! I'm in awe of the time and effort he has put into this website at no cost to you. I'm trying to talk him into adding a "donate" button, too! Check it out and tell your friends!

Clear, Step-by-step chord construction videos-
Major Open Chords- A major, C major, D major, E major, G major, and F major.
Minor Open Chords- A minor, D minor, E minor, and F minor.
Understanding notes on the fretboard-
Lessons 1, 2 & 3
Printable Chord Charts- To print, click on each chart image within these links and go to file & print.
12 Major Chord Charts
12 Minor Chord Charts
12 Diminished Chord Charts
Major Open Chord Charts
Minor Open Chord Charts
Open 7 Chord Charts

Printable Scales Charts and Modes-
12 Pentatonic Scale Charts (blues scales)
12 Ionian Mode (major) Charts
12 Dorian Mode Charts
12 Phrygian Mode Charts
12 Lydian Mode Charts
12 Mixolydian Mode Charts
12 Aeolian Mode Charts (minor)
12 Locrian Mode Charts

Printable Warm-ups and Excercises-
Schradieck Excercises- (Section 1, Excercises 1-10) This is one of his biggest secrets to building chops and fluidity! He calls them "Shred"iek excercises. :) He uses Schradieck's school of violin techniques to help build chops and fluidity. They are written for violin, but he has added guitar tabs to these awesome excersises. He suggests you warm up with one each day.
Permutations of 4 Excercises- (24 Permutation sheets) This is a classic warm-up sometimes called the 1,2,3,4 warmup. He says, "If we use all these different combinations as we warm up we can teach our fingers a new level of dexterity and limberness".
Scale Excercises- He says, "...These exercises can be very beneficial for someone who intends to improvise or write solos using scales".

Jam Tracks-
This website is AMAZING! He's also recorded midi jam tracks to practice along to in each key.
Pedal Tone Bass and Drum Tracks in all 12 keys- These are also great for building your improvising skills.
Folk Song Tracks- Each song is recorded at different tempos and keys to help you adjust as your skill level increases. It also includes printable guitar tabs of each song.
2-Chord Folk Songs and 3-Chord Folk Songs.


MORE FUN MUSIC EDUCATIONAL IDEAS
How to make Homemade Chimes
Homemade musical instruments
More music games

How to Organize Children's Bookshelves

This was one of our bookshelves just a couple weeks ago. I had the other one on a different wall, but only took this pic, so picture this times two. That was the amount of books that lived in my 3 boys' room. Both were packed to the brim and we had no sense of organization whatsoever. I can't tell you how many times I had straightened the books up just to have them look like this again within days.

So, I was helping out in one of my son's classrooms and I couldn't help but notice how nice and organized her bookshelves were! She had a bunch of labeled bins and they looked so nice! I went right home and started looking up bookshelf organization ideas. It made so much sense!

The key is to make it easier to keep it clean than to mess it up. It's so nice and easy for kids to pull out a bin, flip through until they find the book they'd like, take it, then push the bin back in it's place. It's much better than looking at the spine of the book (kids like to see the fronts, anyway!), then pulling out a whole slew of them until they've decided on the perfect book, leaving a pile of un-wanted books on the floor. Why hadn't I thought of this before??? I've been a mom for 10 years. I've been battling with organizing my kid's bookshelves nearly evey day of those 10 years! What a waste of time; it kills me to know how much easier it could've been for me!

Let me introduce you to our new, organized shelves. I know you're thinking- Where are all the books? There's no way you fit what was crammed in the picture above (times 2) in these shelves. But it's TRUE! I DID! I only threw away a few books that had totally fallen apart and were missing pages. It's amazing how much extra SPACE we have on the shelves now!

Below is a picture I took AFTER a full day of the kids pulling out and reading books. Hardly a mess- and it only took seconds to put back.

I decided to test this new system out and see how well we could keep it up...and here we are two weeks later with perfectly organized bookshelves still!

 Since I knew it was something we could maintain, I decided to make labels for each category. I was out of my laminating sheets, so I used packing tape.

Here they are after labels-

Looks better with the labels, doesn't it?

I categorized them as-

Chapter Books, Early Reader Books, Rhythm & Rhyme books, Abc books, Bedtime Stories, Religious books, Non-fiction, Scriptures, Holiday books, Animal books, Little Golden books, Disney, Seuss, Muppets, and misc. Some of the labels were placed on the edge of the shelf itself.

 I used these wash basins from the dollar store-

 And shoe boxes-

 I found this bin for the books that didn't fit on the shelves-

 Ah, organization! :)

 I was having so much fun, I decided to put new labels on some of our toy bins.

Double yay for a system that finally works for us! I'm so happy, I could just...I don't know...go organize something else!

Now, I'm off to the girl's bookshelves!

The Contraption Clean-up Game

I have 5 kids. And yes, they are messy. And yes, they resist when it's time to clean up. It can be exhausting trying to get them to do anything. Well, a few years ago, we came up with a little game to help make cleaning up a bit more fun. We call it "Contraption Clean-up"...and my kids love it!

First, gather up a bunch of "contraptions" from around the house. In this picture, I raided the kitchen utensil drawer. I have a wire sieve, a ladle, wooden salad fork & spoon, small cheese tongs, big tongs, and turkey lifters. Sometimes we'll grab measuring cups, pliers, wrenches, a brush & comb, really anything. Make sure to choose instruments you're sure your kids can use safely. *Those turkey lifters are kind of pointy, but I made sure to only let my older kids use them. They're actually great for picking up laundry. Use what works for your kids.

Rules-
1. Try your best not to use your hands. You have new contraption appendages now!
2. No using contraptions on siblings.
How to play-
Have each kid grab their tool of choice (if they seem to fight over a certain gadget, explain that they'll be taking turns).

Set a timer for 5 minutes and begin the cleaning (keep track of which kid is working the hardest or keeping the best attitude). When the 5 minutes are up, all contraptions go back in the basket. The best cleaner gets to choose their new gadget first (but not the same one they had last time).

Repeat until each kid has tried each tool and you're satisfied with the clean-up. If it's a really big mess and they're losing interest, it's time to change it up. This is when we start TEAMWORK CONTRAPTIONS. Give each kid a partner. They now have to work together, using their contraptions to clean an area. Keep setting the timer and rotating tools. It's amazing how fast they'll work when there's a certain tool they really want to use the next round.

I have found that it's best to walk them through what needs to be done in the room before you start. For example- Clothes in hamper, cars in their tote, trains in a certain bin, books on shelf, legos in their bin, etc. If there's a place for everything, the kids work MUCH better. They'll probably need reminders while working, so stick around and supervise (or help).

Make sure to encourage them as they go. It's amazing how positive words can FUEL them and keep them pumped about cleaning.



Tongs-

Wire sieve-

 Ladle-

 Salad spoon & fork-

 Ladle-

Turkey lifters-

Wire sieve-

Yes, even my 3yr old enjoys cleaning up with this game. I sure love these little helpers.

Bless their little hearts, I now have a spotless upstairs!

Happy Cleaning!

Easter Wreath

I've been wanting a new Easter Wreath. Especially after seeing the cutest idea from Pinterest. I had a spare morning today, so I decided to make a new Easter wreath. I was inspired by my daughter's birthday party color scheme from the weekend. I loved her colors so much, I decided I definitely wanted them on my door. ;)
Tutorial-

Step 1

 I gathered old plastic eggs from last year

and ribbon that fit the colors I was going for.

Then I made a wreath using a pool noodle

(Got the idea HERE- it's so smart.)

Step 2

 I grabbed some flannel and tore it into 3" strips.

Starting at an angle, I hot-glued the end and

wrapped it around. I ended up using 4 pieces.

No bigs--you can't tell when you're done.

 Step 3

 Next, I wrapped it with thin ribbon on a diagonal one

way, then did it again the opposite way making sure

they cross on the front. Then I glued ribbon on the eggs. 

Step 4- THE BOW

 Make a loop- pinching between your thumb and pointer finger.

Make another loop toward you, pinching in the center (or base)

of the bow. Add another, making the bow evenly balanced.

*THE SECRET TO A NICE BOW IS KEEPING YOUR

THUMB FIRMLY AT THE BASE THE ENTIRE TIME.*

While keeping your thumb in place, the under-side will be held

alternately by your pointer and middle finger (the strongest fingers).

As you accept a new loop, use the finger you didn't use in the last

and trade off for every other loop. Keep practicing...you'll get it.

Step 5

 Make as many loops as you'd like. I made these ones bigger than

I usually do. If you'd like tails, take the end and coil it onto itself.

I looped it twice here so I could have 4 tails. Secure with wire.

Pipe cleaners or string work, too. Fluff/arrange the loops of bow.

Step 6-ADDING TO THE BOW

 I sometimes like to add loops to my bows using different ribbon.

Make bunny ears, securing in the center with wire, then fold up.

Lift original bow's loops and add new loops to the base w/ wire.

Repeat as many times as you'd like. I added 4 "bunny ear" sets.

Step 7

 Decide where you want the bow, add a dab of glue, and place it.

Wrap around the back with wire. Trim tails and fluff your bow.

I know it looks like a WAY HUGE bow, but it trust me-

It needs to be so we have room to nestle all the cute eggs.

Step 8

 Now you're ready to add the eggs. Really, just glue and place.

If you're placing them on the sides of the bow, it's best to make

sure the egg's secured to the wreath itself, too. Otherwise, just

spread loops apart, and glue close to base. This is the fun part.

 Here it is finished. Look how different the colors look inside my
house as opposed to outside on my door. I prefer the sun-
kissed version--looks more "Easter-y"! I so love these colors!

Have fun with it! If you decide to make this wreath,

send me a link to your blog and show me!

I'd love to see your variation!

I'm linking up to-

Topsy Turvy Tuesday at I'm Topsy Turvy

Get Your Craft On at TCB
Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee
Sew Cute Tuesday at Creative Itch
Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife
Tuesday Tutorials at The Kurtz Corner
Turning the Daunting into Do-Able at The Project Queen

The Leprechaun's SECRET to GOOD LUCK- Service Project

It's St. Patrick's Day TOMORROW. Wow, it kinda snuck up on me. I promised a friend I'd hurry and do this post before then, so here I go.

Ok, so let me start by saying- WE LOVE HOLIDAYS. Give us ANY reason to celebrate and throw a party and WE WILL. St. Patrick's Day is no exception. It seems to be one of those overlooked holidays, doesn't it? I think it's fun to learn the history of how the holiday came to be, so my family and I started a tradition a couple years ago that I'm going to share with you.

First, we listen to Irish/Celtic music all day long. Here's a playlist of our favorite Irish/Celtic Irish/Celtic music from Grooveshark.We're really into music of all different kinds, so it works for us. As we get into the spirit of the day, we teach the history behind the holiday to the kids. I've included the links we use: The history behind St. Patrick's Day and fun facts about the holiday, clovers, the Irish, and St. Patrick himself. I like these versions (from Kaboose) because they're fun and easy for kids to understand.
As we eat our breakfast, (see my recipe for Green Pina Colada Waffles here), we make a game plan as we think of different acts of service we can do for people in our area. For one of our projects last year, we weeded a small garden for a neighbor (we did it while they weren't home) and left a treat and a note:

To use this image, right click and save as picture to desktop.
In a word document, insert this pic (from file-- desktop), resize, and print.

 Actually, we left a little different version, but I changed it up a bit for this year.

(I sure hope they don't see this, or our cover's blown!)

Sorry about the blurry pic.

My kids- finding joy in service.

 Not sure he's likin' it yet. Notice the jacket... WITH shorts and flip-flops. Yeah, I know.

He's got a big one...and a dirt smudge on his head.

No, he's not a contortionist. He's just holding his handful of weeds awkwardly.

Rainbow marshmallow pictures was another activity we did.

FOOD-
Some times, we go authentic and eat traditional Irish food, which I love! Tons of recipes found here.

But most of the time, we just eat green food (my kids eat it better). Click here for my BLT Club Wrap w/ Avacado on a Spinach & Herb Tortilla recipe. Click here for my Fruit rainbow-topped jello. Click here for my Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe.

After a long day of service, we enjoyed a nice, candle-lit green meal-

For this particular meal, we had those wraps mentioned above, Guacamole chips, brocco-flower, celery, green grapes, kiwi, and green-colored Sprite. We also had a green salad (not pictured).

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone.