COUNTRY FUN – an early education learning space

Sinks, showers, tubs, and ceramic tiles: Create a homemade soft scrubber by combining 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap and 1/3 C baking soda. Clean as usual.

Clean Car: Mix 1/4 C liquid Castile soap in an almost full bucket of hot water. Rub a generous amount of this solution on the car’s exterior, windshield, hubcaps, tires with a large sponge. Then thoroughly hose it off.

Floors: You can mop almost any type of floor with a solution of 1/4C liquid Castile soap and 2 gallons warm water. if the floors are greasy, add 1/4C distilled white vinegar to the bucket. DO NOT use vinegar on wood floors as can strip it. On marble vinegar can scratch.

Hands: To get paint off your skin, rub with vegetable oil, then wash thoroughly with soap.

Stainless-Steel surfaces: For extra sparkle, pour olive oil onto a cloth and buff.

Wood furniture polish: Make your own polish by mixing 2 C olive oil or vegetable oil with the juice of 1 lemon; work it in with a soft cloth. To smooth out scratches in light-colored wood, rub with equal parts olive or vegetable oil and lemon juice.

Toilet: Pour borax in the bowl and let it sit overnight. The next day, swish the bowl a few times with a toilet brush and flush. Borax works well on rust stains as well as killing molds and fungus.

Drains: Clean drains and the pipes attached to by pouring vinegar down them. After 30 minutes, flush with cold water.

Windows: Mix 1/4C vinegar, 2C water and a squirt of liquid Castile soap in a spray bottle. Spritz windows and wipe with a sheet of newspaper.

Upholstered Furniture: To remove odors, sprinkle baking soda on the fabric, then vacuum.

Can opener: Dip a toothbrush in a paste of 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1 tsp water and use to dislodge gunk.

I brought a piece of exercise equipment into the daycare space to use after hours and didn’t get it removed one night. Right off the next day the kids found it. After watching them use it I decided to leave it in the daycare room. It has turned out to be one of the favorite toys. Every age uses it and in lots of different ways, but mostly as a trampoline. This find has been great for motor skill development. It’s safe, fun, takes up little space, and easy to clean. For less than $100…definitely one of my best buys.

climbing on

balancing

a step up

bounce..bounce...bounce

This summer our friend decided to raise chickens. She has ten chickens that we have visited many times watching them grow from fuzzy chicks to egg laying age. On our latest visit we donned our hunter’s orange and headed across the field. Along the way we came across a den hole with what looked like skunk poop around it. We found the chickens outside their coop in the pen. After a noise greeting we headed inside to see some of the eggs they have begun laying. To our surprise there were 2 light blue eggs. Pretty soon we hope to be getting our eggs from these chickens.

Download

Here are some links for interesting sites that have a lot of material for Dolch Sight Word instruction: Preschool on up

first choice: Zwolle Elementary School

Make your own Word Search: this site takes a little going through, but really like the puzzles I can make and can post/archive for others to use

Discovery Education site – very easy to use for simple word search puzzles

This is a new book to me and will be added to my list for yearly reading -  Visiting Aunt Sylvia’s – A Maine Adventure by Heather Austin.

This book caught my attention when I was  in the library looking for new books about the Fall season. Written/illustrated by a Maine resident, it is story about her memories of visiting a special family friend at her home in Western Maine. It covers all the seasons, but starts with the Fall.

The older children really enjoyed the story line and we did a lot of sharing of our experiences in Maine through the seasons.

For this project you will need 1 piece each of black and orange construction paper, scissors, glue and scrap paper

• For my youngest children I have all the parts done, so we put together like a puzzle discussing the building of the cat and pumpkin as we go – step by step.
• For those that can cut, they cut out the large U-shape for the body, the cat head and tail, that I have pre-drawn.
• For those that can cut and have good drawing skills, I help them do their own drawing and then they cut every part out.

Fold the black paper in half carefully to get the cat’s body started. Place the folded edge closest to you. Mark about 2″ in from each side to mark legs. Mark 2-3″ from fold to mark body. Now connect these marks in a U shape. This will give you the standing body.

DO NOT cut the folded edge.

Take 1 of the U pieces cut inside about 1″ to form the tail. Trim and round off 1 end (should look like a J).

With other U piece cut to form head with ears.

From scrap cut 3 long, thin strips for whiskers, eyes, and nose.

Glue all parts together as desired.

From orange piece cut pumpkin shape to size like with cat. Use scrap to complete as Jack-O-Lantern.

If you are concerned about how the cat will stand over time cut two 1/2″ strips of black about 4″ long.

Place them together and fold each end about 1/2″. These will be glued inside each of the legs, so when standing can only go so wide.

*This same process can be used for any animal you wish to make.

I LOVE apples, but at this time of year even with eating 1 a day, I always seem to have a couple left that have started to go soft. I came across this recipe that reminded me of German pancakes I made years ago. It was from the King Arthur Flour Co. web site: Apple Pancakes. I adapted it some. Below is the way I made for lunch today. It was well received and a recipe I’ll make again. It is not a quick recipe – a good hour for prep and baking is needed.

Lightly grease bottom and sides of a 2 1/2 qt oval or square oven-proof casserole dish. I used canola oil. Melt 1 TB butter. Peel and thinly slice enough apples to cover bottom of casserole well – I used 3 medium ones that had begun to soften. Pour melted butter over slices and mix up a little. Place in 400 degree oven while preparing pancake batter. This will take about 10 minutes.

Warm 3/4 C milk. Melt 2 TB butter. While milk warming and butter melting, in mixing bowl whisk 3 eggs. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 TB sugar. Whisk well. Add butter. Whisk. As continue whisking, very slowly add warm milk, so eggs do not cook at this point. When well mixed, remove casserole from oven and pour batter over hot apples. Bake for 30 minutes until puffed and set. If need more time watch closely – browns very quickly at this stage.

Serve warm from the oven either sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, or confectioner’s sugar or a little drizzle of maple syrup.

Ok cold, but best warm from the oven.

I’m planning on trying with a combination of pears and apples at a later date.

I love this time of year and the teaching opportunities that come with it. One of the big opportunities in this area is apple picking. I don’t do off site fieldtrips, but I know almost every family that comes here goes apple picking. It’s such a great family activity – one I miss now that my children are grown. We may not go picking as a group, but we certainly use apples in a lot of lessons this time of year. One thing I have found over the years is it can get difficult to find something new to do with all these apples. while looking for a cooking/baking activity other than pie, cake, bread, applesauce I came across one for apple stuffing and an old favorite of my children – apple soup.

The apple stuffing was fun to make and very different smells than apple pie. The children were not that sold on eating it come lunch time – I enjoyed it, but I love homemade stuffings. Both recipes are adapted from recipes found in The New Doubleday Cookbook

Apple Stuffing:

Saute 1/2 C minced yellow onion; 1/2 C finely chopped celery (leaves ok) in 1/4 C butter or margarine for about 5 minutes until soft.

In greased casserole dish mix 1 quart bread cubes; 1/2 tsp each thyme, sage, margoram; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/8 C chopped fresh parsley or good TBLSP dry parsley.

Add sauteed onion/celery to casserole. Add 3 C peeled,chopped apples and 3/4C golden raisins. Mix well. Add 1 beaten egg and mix again.

For moister stuffing add chicken broth. We added apple cider instead for more apple flavor. Start with 1/3 C and add more as desired.

Bake 325 oven about 1 hour until lightly brown.

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Apple Soup:

6 good size (at least 1 lb) tart apples (I like freshly picked Macs or Cortlands) peeled, cored, sliced ; 3C water; 1 tsp lemon rind (optional); 2 tsp lemon juice; 1/2 C sugar; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Place everything in a saucepan and simmer about 20 minutes until apples are mushy. Then I use a whisk to blend, but you can puree in blender or food processor. Add more sugar if want sweeter. (I like the very slight lemon twist at 1/2C sugar.)

Serve warm or cool.  I love this soup warm. ((I have frozen and reheated, but better fresh.))

Can mix in 1C sour cream blended with 1/2c milk, for a creamy apple soup.

We served this today with french toast ( maple leaf shape) and turkey bacon.