Veterans Day

 A huge thank you to everyone who has served our country past and present!

Operation Christmas Child Box Ideas

 

Every year the kids enjoy picking out items for our Operation Christmas Child Boxes, we have done it for many years.  It's a fun activity the kids enjoy coming up with new gift ideas and ways to bless others during the holiday season.  This year we filled up 4 boxes, 2 for girls and 2 for boys.

D chose a girl age 10-14 and above you can see what we put in her box - a few journals, markers, toothbrush, washcloths, bandages, tissues, socks, several sets of bracelets, key chain, compact mirror, comb, calculator, mini flashlight with batteries, hair ties, scrunchies and clips, sunglasses and a fun balancing bird.

 E also chose a girl age 10-14 and above you can see what we put in her box (very similar to D's box) - a large pink journal, markers, toothbrush, washcloths, bandages, tissues, watermelon socks, bracelets, necklace, key chain, compact mirror, comb, calculator, mini flashlight with batteries, hair ties and clips, sunglasses and a fun balancing bird.

 

F and G both chose a boy age 5-9 and above you can see what we put in their boxes (basically the same things) - coloring book, notepad, stickers, crayons, dominoes, toothbrush, bandages, tissues, washcloths, toy car, spinner, mini flashlight with batteries, sunglasses and a fun balancing bird.

The boys with their boxes

If you are looking for ideas for filling your own boxes, I hope this gives you some new ideas.

Eat Some Nachos!

Just a friendly reminder 😉

Timberdoodle Game Review: Mantis

I want to share with you today a fun game from Timberdoodle, Mantis.  Mantis is a 2-6 player card game recommended for kids 7 and older or 2nd grade and up so everyone in our family can enjoy the fun!  Games are easy to set-up and fairly fast paced estimated to last ~ 10-15 minutes each.

How do you play?  The video below is a fantastic explanation of how to play Mantis so you definitely want to check it out!

I have been playing Mantis with the younger boys and we are having so much fun!  The first time we played, I definitely tried to "steal" too much so I wasn't able to score enough to win.

F was our first ever winner!  He scored 10 cards :)

 

However, I definitely improved and came back and won the next two matches.  I think the boys improved every match as well.

Mantis is quick and just like many card games you learn a lot every time you play!  I love the fast-pace as it is so easy to make time for a quick game.  If your family likes cards games like we do, you will want to check out Mantis!

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I received Mantis in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Happy Birthday E (And Me)

We celebrated E's 13th birthday and my 47th this month!  E had a few close friends come over and stay the night and we had a fun little family gathering for mine.

E with her cake

David made E a fun cake

And he made me my favorite chocolate cake!

I love the Fall!  I hope you are enjoying the slightly cooler weather, I know I am!

Timberdoodle's Social Skills Activities for Ages 6-7 Book Review

I want to share with you a book on social skills I'm finishing up with G, Social Skills Activities for Ages 6-7.  This book is geared for kids 6-7 years old or 1st - 2nd grade.  Since this is an activities book, it is consumable so if you are wanting to use it with multiple children I would recommend getting one for each of them.

G with our book.

This workbook contains 75 activities or exercised for children to practice various social scenarios, helping them understand right and wrong!  I like that the activities are hands-on and that there is a lot to discus together.  Activity topics include making new friends and being a good friend, playing at your house or going to a friend's house, and etiquette for the classroom, lunchtime and playground just to name a few.

 

 Above you can see an example activity.

I love that the activity sheets are perforated so it's easy to remove the ones that G needs to cut and paste.

G's completed sheet.
 

G completing another activity.

 

As a homeschooler not all the activities were a perfect fit; however, we do attend a weekly CoOp so it was easy to apply them to that day or just discuss proper behavior in multiple situations.  G is a little on the older side for this book but I have really enjoyed having him work through it.  He is a fantastic reader so he has no problem reading the instructions and completing the activities fairly independently.  I like that it includes practical things like using scissors and pasting and I particularly enjoy the conversations we have with the various activities.

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I received Social Skills Activities for Ages 6-7 in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

If You Like Apples