The Stay at Home Librarian

Pretzel Number Mats Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:12:00 +0000

I finally got around to downloading the pics from my camera. Posting our pretzel making activity is long over due. It was so much fun. I hope you take advantage of my printable and use it. Of course this is an activity you could do without the printable, or you might decide to make shapes instead. Regardless, a lesson on cooking and on math in one day is priceless. I haven't been able to take too many pictures of "school" recently because it is a distraction for Ada. That may sound like an excuse to be a bad blogger, and it sort of is, but when you hear "take a picture" after a 5 year old has done the most basic of tasks, you'd want to remove that intrusion and distraction from your learning space pronto.

I've read that some kids aren't being taught handwriting in school. I didn't really worry that it was a real threat until I watched a little girl a few weeks ago make her letters and it was all wrong. I don't know if I'm making Ada neurotic yet, but I watch almost every letter she makes, and she hears me in the background "start your letter at the top". I know that making her letters incorrectly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but since I homeschool, I don't have to rely on someone else to tell me her strengths and weaknesses. One of those weaknesses is numbers, when I had the opportunity to make them fun, I jumped on it, and she loved it!

First print off the cards:

Pretzel Cards 1
Pretzel Cards 2
Pretzel Cards 3

Then make some pretzel dough:

PRETZEL RECIPE
1 pkg dry yeast
4 c flour
1 ½ c warm water
1 tsp salt
1 egg
coarse salt

Mix all the dry ingredients, except the coarse salt, in a bowl . Add the water and mix thoroughly . Separate the dough into balls in order to form numbers. In a small bowl beat the egg with a fork; then add a little water. Brush numbers with egg and sprinkle with salt . Bake at 350ºF until golden brown .

Ready, Set, DOUGH!

Roll It!

Willa was happy to join in on this math activity!

Mama's and Willa's numbers ready to cook!

I over-salted the first batch, but they were still yummy.

Well, that's it! If you decide to make your own pretzels, I hope you'll come tell us about it.

Pretzel Number Mats

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:57:00 +0000

We're making pretzel dough tomorrow in school. The idea isn't mine, it's from Calvert. I was supposed to do it on index cards, but why when I have Publisher? If you happen to use them, I hope you'll come back here and tell me about it.

First print off the cards(I'm going to laminate them):

Pretzel Cards 1
Pretzel Cards 2
Pretzel Cards 3

Then make some pretzel dough:

PRETZEL RECIPE
1 pkg dry yeast
4 c flour
1 ½ c warm water
1 tsp salt
1 egg
coarse salt

Mix all the dry ingredients, except the coarse salt, in a bowl . Add the water and mix thoroughly . Separate the dough into balls in order to form numbers. In a small bowl beat the egg with a fork; then add a little water. Brush numbers with egg and sprinkle with salt . Bake at 350ºF until golden brown .

I remember now

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Why I stopped blogging! Uploading and editing pictures is a pain in the patooey. Jason's parents paid us a surprise visit last week, so as homeschoolers can do, we took the week off and enjoyed their visit. We started back this week, but had a week full of appointments. Ada was evaluated by a speech pathologist, and her speech is not as bad as I thought. She has a small lisp that she will begin once a week oral motor therapy. We've also finally had Micah's 18 month check-up and Ada's 5 year check up. Each time I go to such an appointment, I want to run back to Virginia. I miss our pediatrician that much! The one we went to today will do, but she is no Dr. Amory. Don't get me wrong, I miss my Dr too. Maybe because they were in the same building!

We're getting ready to start American Heritage Girls next week. I've been going to weekly meetings for a month. I'm excited, but a little anxious, because I've yet to see the handbook for my level. We started soccer on Monday. Consequently, we've decided to stop doing gymnastics for now. We've started one more activity about which I am really excited. Ada and I will be going to Common Ground Montgomery on Friday afternoons to volunteer with the inner city youth there. Our first visit was today, and I have to tell you that I am humbled by the work going on there. I pray for the day that I'd be make a similar sacrifice; willing to move my family into such an area as this in order to shine the light of Christ. I complain about our neighborhood when our car is egged, our truck is keyed, things are taken from our front porch, but there is no comparison between where we live, and where this ministry is located. Ada had a wonderful time and wants to go back every day. That's a quick and dirty of our two weeks.

Call me Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:58:00 +0000

It seems that we're doing Calvert PreK at half pace, but Willa does so many of Ada's activities with her. Additionally, many of the activities she does are reinforced with what Ada has done or will do- left and right for example. Willa is becoming increasingly interested in doing school, and honestly, I'm scared that I won't have anything prepared for her, but that is the nice thing about Calvert! It doesn't take a huge amount of preparation. I'm getting better at this, just a little.

Today I deactivated my Facebook account. I found myself checking FB "really quick" before school in the morning. It's become a waste of my time. We chose homeschooling, even before we moved to Alabama, because I felt led to homeschool. Looking back, I now see God's hand. He knew we'd be here, and I needed 5 years to get prepared. After much prayer, the thought to wean myself off of FB crossed my mind. Preposterous. People no longer blog. We need FB, for what? Keeping tabs with 568 people? I don't think so. People will be forced to email, text, call, and check my sporadic blog posting to keep tabs on us. I've put too much on my plate and something had to go. Now if I only had the will power to see it through. I'd rather be quilting anyway.

Here are a few pictures of our Willa Bean:

Working on her alphabet

Left and Right Calvert PreK

Working on "top/middle/bottom" with Ada.

Kai Lan is over , Fairy is on, gingerbread man is under the rainbow.

We <3 topsy turvy. Little Red Riding Hood -Calvert PreK.

Willa worked with red and yellow in preK

Willa on the balance beam.

With her 3 year old friends and Miss Roxanne.

Just in case you haven't heard enough whining from me, I feel like I'm neglecting the baby. I try to wear him out in the morning so that he will nap in the late morning so I can get what Ada and I need to get done. Shoo Wee. I need more hands. I will admit, I have some jealousy thinking of the life I could have. If I chose the modern traditional route, Ada would be in K, Willa in preschool in the mornings a few days a week, and just for good measure, I could put Micah in a Moms Morning Out program. The only conclusion is that mothers who choose to homeschool are crazy. That, or they don't enjoy personal time. Then I remember that my kids are getting their Mama 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (a rough estimate;) ) During gymnastics I listen to Moms who think that in order for their children to have a quality education, and an advantage, that they must be sent to the "best" schools. Best schools are the most expensive, or those that are seemingly the most exclusive. I listen to people fret about applications to sought after schools and I'm glad I'm crazy. I'm crazy for this little boy and his sisters:

Micah works on a puzzle in a rare moment he has alone with his mama.

Such a smart boy.

Calvert Kindergarten Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:46:00 +0000

If things continue to go well, I might just get the false impression that this homeschooling thing will be a breeze. We're settling into a routine now (read the baby has cooperated and slept quietly during the early afternoon). I've decided to drop Leading Little Ones to God for right now, and pick it up once we're done with My ABC Bible Verses. I don't know why I was doing them concurrently. I'm a paid member of Raising Rockstars Preschool, and Carissa uses the verses in her printables. I have to admit that the paid membership was a bit different than I expected, due to my own confusion- not her misrepresentation. The printable bundles she offers for sale now is more what I thought the membership entailed. I still don't think the $10 fee was a bad investment. It doesn't expire and I have two more children with which to do it. I still haven't used many of the powerpoint shows available in the members only section, but I am using the letter presentations in alphabetical order each morning for some additional technology instruction, more exposure to sight words, and to get Ada to sit still for more than one minute so that I can braid her hair. Calvert presents letters alphabetically, RRPS does it from easiest to hardest, so each powerpoint presentation stands to be different in the review portion.

All three children had a dental appointment on Monday. Everyone got a clean report with no cavities. I decided to just skip school that day and makeup the missed lesson on Saturday (don't you love homeschooling). However, just as we prepared to sit down and get down to work the in-laws surprised us by arriving a full day ahead of schedule on the unplanned trip we'd only learned about the evening before. Week two wasn't finished until this morning.

Math:

We worked on several positional words:

over,under, on (although technically, there is no "over" in this picture, only posing)

Willa is under the rainbow, MLP is on the rainbow.

top, middle, bottom

This is our most favorite toy. This is a more complicated version of top, middle, bottom.

Ada learned her left from right. She knew this already because she is left handed, and knows it makes her special. There is also a song we sing that comes from the Handwriting Without Tears Get Set For School CD. The Hello Song emphasizes that when saying hello we use our right hand. Simple, yet effective.

left vs right.

I am happy to say that during our review today, Ada had mastered thick and thin. I guess I don't need to rush to enroll her in some sort of education program due to my ineffectiveness as a teacher.

Reading:

Reading is my favorite time of the day. Ada really likes to get involved also, and sometimes we can entice Willa to play. We read four stories this week: "The Little Engine that Could", "The Tortoise and the Hare", " The Lion and the Mouse", and "The Enormous Turnip". Ada's favorite were the latter, because her imaginary friend, Mousie, is (of course) a mouse. She also (like her mama) enjoys a big word or two and enjoys enunciating the word "ENORMOUS".

The race. It also included Perry the Chipmunk, her favorite buddy of the non-imaginary kind.

Handwriting/Phonemic Awareness:

We worked our ways through letters, Ff, Gg, Hh,Ii, and Jj. I am afraid I have created a photographing monster. She is allowed, with permission, to use my camera to take photos. What if photography is something she could excel? When importing the photos, I came across several interesting, including about two dozen of the roll-a-dough letters she made. (and a few non-letter things she'd made).

That's a handwriting sheet from the RRSP program. I have the letters in sheet protectors.

We learned several poems. One was Little Miss Muffet. According to our Calvert manual, a tuffet is "a small stool". Ada quickly made use of the crate stools I'd made prior to the start of school. Ada, a bowl, a spoon, and an imaginary spider, and the stage is set for reenactment of Miss Muffet's frightening experience:

Eating curds and whey.

Micah has a great helper hand!

Science:

We did discuss the body in science this week. We made butcher paper outlines of our bodies as quickly as we could, but Micah is a tough force to reckon with. Ada's outline did get posted on the wall above her bed, just inches from the reach of a stretching on tip toes baby boy. We had a lot of fun making our own song to the melody of "Farmer in the Dell". We rhymed words for the body parts we named.

My body has many parts,

Hi-Ho the merrio

My body has many parts.

There's a cut on my butt,

a cut on my butt,

Hi-Ho the merrio

There's a cut on my butt.

Let's get Physical:

Now, you might be asking yourself "Self, why are her kids always in leotards?" We are budding gymnasts. Not really, but we do go to a class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The outfits you see in these photos just so happen to be our newest purchases from Kohl's. Otherwise, the kids are wearing their PJs, or what they've chosen to wear that day.

Stretching before class.

Mama's lesson:

The highlight of our week was playing Simon Says. This week I am thankful for homeschooling to be able to realize that it isn't necessarily shiny curricula, well drawn workbooks, hours spent compiling lap books, or any of those other "must do" things part of today's homeschool.

We listen to mainly contemporary Christian music. I love that there are several resources available for Christian parents in order to "hide the word" in their hearts through music. Our favorites are Seeds Family Worship. We're also listening to Songs for Saplings when we do our phonics lesson. The short songs make a nice break in the day. I don't remember specifically which song Ada was singing at this particular time, but she's learned that we can praise God in song, and that our songs can be a gift to him. When I snapped this picture I couldn't help but think of the young woman she could become, possibly singing in a praise band (but not if she has her mama's singing talent).

We're Official (!!!):

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Homeschoolers! Here are my pretty little ladies with their new school gifts. A "Boo Boo Kitty pencil pouch for Bean.

and a "Boo Boo" Kitty backpack for Tater.

Our first ~~day~~ week was ~~a little~~ bumpy. We've never been a family who flourishes on a schedule, although I am sure we could probably benefit from one. The goal was to have our lessons finished by lunch time. Crossing my fingers, I hoped the baby would nap in the morning, but he had other ideas. My aspirations where to get both K and PreK done in one day, but at the start of day two, I knew that PreK with Willa would have to wait until we had settled in a bit. We finished all five lessons in the K program, and just two in the PreK. It suits us. Some days Willa wants to "do school", others she wants to play. I'm fine with letting her choose for now. I would be okay with Willa taking two years to do the PreK program, although technically, I do think access to the internet program expires after 13 months with Calvert. We do have paper copies of the lesson manuals, so it won't be an issue.

We started each morning with our calendar. I saved this cute backdrop from the trashcan after VBS. Our calendar came from the Target $1. I especially loved the yesterday, today, tomorrow posters. When Micah ripped ours off the walls and rendered them unusable, I went on a mission to locate more. FB friends were checking their local Target $1 bins. I did finally locate two, and I bought them both! Micah has since then, ripped another off the wall, so I'm not confident it will be a long lasting learning aid in our space.

It was windy on Monday.

Additionally, we're reading through Leading Little Ones to God. We have the Seeds Family Worship CD's, and I'd love to work them into our program. Totally Tots has some wonderful printables that I'd love to use, but, if I'm being honest, my kids so far haven't responded that well to my printing and laminating efforts, and I'd rather save the trees (and spend my free time quilting) instead of printing and laminating. I realize I may be breaking some supermama homeschooling rule, but I've decided to embrace my inner slacker. It's not very Montessori, or Mason of me, to be sure. This year I have decided less is more. I've only been an official homeschooler a week now, yet the top of my homeschooling closet is filled with curricula I just knew I needed, and great ideas I'd seen on blogs, that I had to do with my kids if their homeschooling experience were to be the best possible experience. Meh. My goals are more short term. Survive the first week. (check). Survive the first month (now in progress).

FIAR

We did not get to any of our Five in a Row activities this week. At this point, I don't think it is unreasonable to expect that we get some done. Perhaps in time, I'll change my mind. But, my hope is that as school becomes more of a habit for us, and we get in a rhythm, that we'll make time for it.

Reading

In Calvert K we did A-E this week. Ada struggled with the lower case "a" on day one, and I was sure that she'd never learn it. I took advantage of the chat line offered through Calvert and asked if I shouldn't be supplementing the curriculum with, I don't know, something. I have the Handwriting Without Tears program, should I somehow add it in? Calvert is alphabetical, HWT starts with the easiest letter to write and progresses from there. How would I do it? I'm happy to report that I could detect no exasperation in the typing on the Calvert Education Counselor with whom was unfortunate to answer my plea for help. S/he was only patient and helpful. At the end of Week 1, she's doing just fine learning to writer her letters the ABC way.

We read several stories: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Little Pigs, and Henny Penny in K. We also read The Little Red Hen in PreK.

The Three Bears are sad.

Topsy Turvy: Goldilocks

Math

We discussed several different topics in Math- in/out, thick/thin, near/far. Thick and thin were harder to grasp than I ever could have participated. It made me have an appreciation for how, as a parent educator, we can be acutely aware of the with what ones student is struggling and work to incorporate instruction into everyday activities instead of relying on a a third party to first alert us to the issue. Since realizing that Ada had was having difficulty with thick/thin, it's been a constant subject in our house. Would you like a thick piece of cake? or It is hot outside, would you like a thick or thin shirt?

Willa studies "in and out".

Thick

Thin

Far

Near

Ada sorts buttons by shape and size.

As I said, we didn't get far in our PreK lessons. By week's end, Willa was asking for school. She worked on the color red. She separated the red buttons from our collection, found red items in the room. But the big hit was the Fit a Space that was part of the Calvert PreK program.

Willa identifies the red Fit a Space pieces.

Each day Ada completes 2 Calvert checkpoints, one for reading and one for math, each day.

Ada working on technology.

My goals for the next month is to get into a specific rhythm. We have extra curricular activities to juggle, and let's not forget, a cute baby with which to play. Gymnastics is Tuesday and Thursday after lunch, so we do well on those days. Piano is currently on Friday's at 10:30 am, but I may reschedule those lessons until after lunch. Our barrier right now is the nap time and melt down times of the cute baby:

We did school in our PJs!

Additionally, we'll continue to work on Calvert daily with Ada, and with Willa as she indicates an interest. Also, we have several FIAR units planned:

Storm in the Night with a study on clouds.

Story About Ping with a study on Buoyancy

Lentil with a study on the senses, and to learn the Pledge of Allegiance

Weekly Snapshot:

Ada boogies to the "Alphabet Zoo".

She played Beethoven

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 04:22:00 +0000

Ada had her first piano lesson today, and she really did play Beethoven. Her piano teacher has more patience than any adult I've ever seen, and the personality that Ada will just chew up and spit out. In the end, she did learn. Jason has told me I'm one of "those" parents. I've gone out onto the soccer field before in the middle of a game. Ada was running after the coach grabbing at the whistle around his neck, ignoring the game around her. He assured me it was "just fine", that she was only 4 years old, but well, to be honest, I don't buy it. Ada doesn't act that way at home and it's like she senses when adults in power will allow her to get away with murder and gets out her ammo.

But, today I held my tongue, and got up and left the room, and decided to let the professional do her job the way she saw fit. Ada had decided that she,not the teacher, was going to run the lesson. Ada knew how to play the piano, and was going to do it her way. The teacher did get control of the lesson, and without too much detour I might add. There was no frustration on the part of Ada, so there is something to be said about this method of teaching. Ms. Lisa seemed to have all her hair left at our departure, so I guess there are successes in other ways.

On the way home, we did talk about the fact that piano lessons did cost money, and that I expected her to be respectful at all times to teachers and adults with whom I have given the authority. Her piano teacher had run into a little difficulty at the hair salon, and at a little car at the gas station and was over an hour late for our lesson. Ada was hungry and tired of waiting. Otherwise, I think I probably would've been one of "those" parents. I just can't help myself.

My apologies for the iphone photo:

Manda Made Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:24:00 +0000

I did decide to go ahead and make a quilt blog. Hope to see you over there.

Manda Made Quilts

WIP Wednesday #1

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:31:00 +0000

I did get something accomplished this week! Wendi at Bethadeezoo requested "girlfriend blocks" for her month *coughcough July* in my Simple Modern Quilt Bee. You can read her tutorial here. I have to say I LOVED this block. I'm definitely a "liberated" modern quilter.

As my fellow participants posted their pics, they included little bios. Of course, as I pieced these two girls, it's weird, but I really connected with the process of making them. They formed their own personalities. I don't think I could ever try my hands at doll making. I'm having a hard time letting go of these ladies.

"Abby has a love for all things retro and is ready for her first day of school. She's not afraid to let her style shine. She's ready to make a statement with her jet-black dyed hair. While her friends love baking on the beach, Abby has always been obsessed with protecting and keeping her whitey white skin. She's definitely one of a kind, and not your average teenager."

The fabric I used for the dress for the next block reminded me of my Mama, and I wanted to incorporate a stack of books into the block ( I am of course, the Stay at Home Librarian). From the beginning I used Mama as inspiration for this block. Her name has been slightly changed ;)

"Meet Darcy. She's your reliable girlfriend. She's not one to get caught up in drama or gossip, so you feel comfortable and at ease while confiding in her. She's too busy with her hobbies to betray your trust. She sews and bakes(rarely for herself), but you'd be hard pressed to find her without her nose in a book(or kindle as it were). I had to draw on glasses, because she wouldn't be my Mama without them."

My five year old looked at all the girlfriends with me posted to the Flickr group, and she has decided she wants a girlfriend quilt. I'd planned on asking for more Spiderweb blocks the next time I participate in a bee, but I might have to get this block instead.

Now, to get to the point. My works in progress. This is my spiderweb quilt, and I love it Love It LOVE IT. I got all these blocks made for me in bees, but these are just half of them. I want to make 22 more because this baby is going on my bed. It'll also be my first full sized quilt. Progress has been at a standstill because I ran out of the Alexander Henry Larkspur fabric. I bought the last pieces they had over a Sew Fresh Fabric, so I'm ready to go again. Well, and as a newish quilter, I don't have an abundance of scraps to use as strings. The middle square is Kona Eggplant. I have almost and entire bolt of it, so there is plenty of fabric for a border and the backing.

This is a quilt I'm making for a friend from high school. I had my babies 10 weeks early. My youngest twin, Aleah, died at 9 months old from problems directly related to her prematurity. Stephanie had her baby several weeks early this summer. I haven't seen Stephanie since we graduated in 1994 (ack), but I knew I wanted to make her a baby quilt as soon as I knew he was leaving the NICU a healthy baby. I had these shot cottons and they are soft as a baby's behind. I used the tutorial over a Quilt Dad for Wonky Log Cabins. I have 6 blocks made, so it is a little bigger than a baby quilt. I need to sash the blocks and figure out a layout. The backing is the same as the sashing.

To do:

High on my priority list is to cut my charms for the Rainbow Fabric Charm Swap hosted by Ellison Lane.

Also, I need to make my bowties for the Scrappy BowTie Block Swap.

Projects with little done:

Garden Fence Quilt Along- I'm not too far behind. I want to get the two previous things done before I start anything else. I have two fabrics I'm thinking of using. I have the Fiesta prints from the Hope Valley line, and I have Amber from the Heirloom. I don't know which to do.
Urban Lattice Quilt Along- I have the fabric, and one FQ partially cut. I'd totally forgotten about it until I started this inventory.
Houndstooth quilt- I have the black and white fabric, and I've drawn up a pattern on graph paper. I got the idea from my cosmetic bag.

I've since discovered ready made patterns, that I might just go ahead and buy for simplicity's sake.

Willa's Birthday Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:26:00 +0000

This was definitely a quilt where I learned the most. It was the 2nd I pieced, and the 2nd the 2nd I quilted. It was finished Jan 2011. It is made using fabric from Hobby Lobby (perish the thought)! There was no fabric stash to be spoken of. I was using my Mama's rotary cutter and sewing machine. I didn't know about he importance of uniform seams, so the size of my blocks were ALL over the place. Additionally, the kids would press buttons on the machine changing the settings of the needle placement. It really is amazing that it came out at all.

I tried to baste this quilt with basting spray. I know that there are those who've had great luck with it, but I did not. I free motion quilted it, and in the process the quilt sandwich slipped so much that there was a huge crease down the back and the backing didn't go all the way to one corner. My solution was to take out all the quilting on that side. I then stretched that corner of the quilt and did an emergency baste. It worked, and I was able to finish the quilting and get it bound the day before her 3rd birthday. Once I washed it crease down the middle didn't seem so bad, although it is still noticeable. Also, the binding ended up being about 4 inches too short. Of course I didn't notice until it was nearly sewn down. But, I did manage to get a scrap of fabric in there and the binding joined.

She loved it- and she loves owls. But I do owe Willa a quilt made out of quilt shop quality fabric. I wasn't disappointed in the mistakes in it 1) because I didn't have a lot of money invested in the fabric and b) I really did learn a lot from the process. Quilting has definitely caused me to compromise on my perfectionism.

And here is a picture of Willa on her birthday. She was in a Wizard of Oz stage. She asked for a Witch and a Witch Cake on her birthday. So we celebrated with Glinda the Good Witch.

Micah's I Spy Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:43:00 +0000

A pic- not from my camera phone. Setting squares are also the backing., a photo by stayathomelibrarian on Flickr.

This was the first quilt that I officially finished. I made it for Micah's first birthday. It is free motion quilted. The setting square and background is an Alexander Henry fabric.

And here he is, enjoying it!

Star Clock

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Source: littlestlearners.blogspot.com via Manda on Pinterest

Our schoolroom clock was inspired by this little goody on Pinterest. I did, however, have an idea that improved upon it. Meet our Star Clock. I popped the top off of this old (and smudgey) clock of ours. I first put a star sticker on the end of the minute hand, and the I taped numbered stars to the wall. Ada is already telling time.

Wanttobe Quilter Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:13:00 +0000

What a glorious time to be a "non-quilter". There's a quarter of giveaways going on at Stash Manicure, in which only newbies can win. If you are my friend, that's you. Here's the blurb from there:

"Hello friends and followers, I would love to invite you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over here.

They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks.

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it...From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too...Tuesday and Thursday are days for us..

All you have to do is email (stayathomelibrarian @ gmail dot com) me your name and phone number

and email sew I can submit this to the organize. (Don't worry, the info only goes to the hostess and will be destroyed at the end of the contest- I asked) When you leave your comment for the Monday, Wednesday Friday giveaways, be sure to tell them that Manda the Stay at Home Librarian sent you- because when you win, I win too!

Be sure to be a follower at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure....

That is all! There are over 49 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER!

( p.s you will not be eligible to win anything if you do not register

with a blogger where you see this message)

I Spy With My Little Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Since moving to Alabama, I have taken up quilting. I'd love a quilt blog (who am I kidding, I don't keep up with this one), but instead, I'm adding a "Manda Made" label to this one in hopes there will be more than just this post.

To commemorate starting Kindergarten, Ada and I made this quilt. First thing, I have an I Spy addiction. My collection has grown to over a thousand squares- thanks to charm swaps. Swaps are a lot of fun, and you get more cute squares than you do what I call "dog butt" squares. (In one of my swaps I swear, I got a square that featured a dog butt.) Ada picked out the squares from my collection for this quilt and decided on the layout of the squares. Of course she picked out the pink fabric. It took me a long time to find a solid to match the setting squares for the backing, and when I did, the fabric was flawed. I think maybe from being left out in the sun at the quilt shop. Let me tell you, I am relieved to have this quilt done.

I looked at this quilt for weeks before deciding how to quilt it. I decided on the lattice in order to complement the backing. Initially, I had thought to quilt horizontal and vertical straight lines along both sides of the seams, but the horizontal strips on the back weren't in line with the strips on the front. In the end, I am pleased with the lattice quilting. I did it on my Janome 8050 using a walking foot.

I pieced the letters below by using techniques in Tonya Ricucci's book Word Play Quilts: Easy Techniques from the UnRuly Quilter. I have to confess that I am disappointed with how the back turned out (to no fault of the piecing technique). At first glance, it is cute, especially with two little girls peeking over the top of it (they were making hearts with their arms).

That "W" is flawed. I prewashed the eye fabric and the Kona. The seams were pressed to set as I went along. I was heartbroken when I pulled the quilt out of the dryer and the "W" had raveled. It's probably more to do with my lack of sewing skills, and less to do with the fact I prewashed, but this will be the last time I prewash anything.

I quilted that one square a little more in hopes that it will not ravel any further. It does draw even more attention to the flaw, but my other option was to rip out all of the quilting. Yeah, right. Flaws add to those character, right? This was the first quilt I quilted using straight lines. My previous quilts have been free motion, and such, the quilting kept problems like this happening. But, I have to tell you, I prefer the look of straight line quilting.

I created the label in PSE and uploaded it to Spoonflower in order to have a FQ made. Next time I'll spend some more time working the colors out. The red is a little orangey, and the black is too brown (PSE's issue, not Spoonflower's). A custom FQ will give you a handful of labels. Isn't it cute? The binding is my favorite part of this quilt. I think I'll bind all quilts in a stripey fabric!

We had to have our 13.5 year old American Curl Cat put to sleep last month. I miss her bunches, and I used this quilt as an opportunity to memorialize her. I apologize for the picture- it was taken with my iphone before the quilt was done, and I did want to share it with you here.

Stats:

Pattern: This is a variation of the Disappearing Nine Patch (DNP); tutorial at Obsessively Stitching.
Quilting: Straight-line lattice on my Janome 8050
Thread: Used Auriful 40 wt white for piecing and quilting
Setting Squares: Moda Chutes and Ladders Confetti Pink
Backing: Bella Solid (color unknown)
Sashing: Kona white
Binding: Sandi Henderson, Farmer's Market Summer Stripe
Resource: Word Play Quilts

From the librarian's cookbook

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

If I were to write a book, it would be a cookbook. This one has made the cut. It's delicious! My darling husband hates rice, but loves cauliflower, so I found this version as an alternative. He loved it. The kids loved it too! Try subbing this "rice" for your next Asian inspired dinner and see if anyone even notices.

Right click to save. Image is .png for use in PSE.

A Crate Chair Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:38:00 +0000

I am proud to type that we will be "official" homeschoolers two weeks from today. We've decided to use Calvert this year, but, the librarian in me is going to also be "rowing" along with Five in a Row (FIAR) when time allows. I'm busy getting our learning space ready. Have you discovered Pinterest? If you haven't, go get busy pinning! We needed chairs for our school room. I saw the crate chairs on Pinterest I knew it would be perfect for our space. I found a blog post from a teacher who had made them, but her reported cost per chair was pretty pricey. I knew I could do it for cheaper. And I did.

Get some crates.

I went to Wal-Mart and found these locker sized crates perfect for little tushies, also requires less wood and less fabric. My cost $3 per crate.

Take your crate to Home Depot and have your friendly lumber cutter and cut wood to fit. My cost $5.42 for a 2x4 piece of wood. (plenty left over)
Cover your cut wood.

I got a twin sized foam mattress pad at Wal-Mart. My cost $9 (and I have plenty left over to make more chairs)
On our first crate we didn't use enough foam, so double up to make it puffy enough.
I used some fabric scraps and a staple gun I already had. (If I'm being honest, J did this part ;) ) Staple long sides first, short sides next, and lastly fold down corners. Attach a "loop" so that you'll have a handle to easily remove your top. My cost $0.

I know tutorials usually have great step by step photos, but this is easy. Here is a picture of the inside:

And pictures of the crates ready for use. I'm using mine (in background) as sort of a "library basket" to store books I know that we'll read that week. It's currently filled with books about the first day of kindergarten.

So thanks to Pinterest, I have these cute inexpensive chairs for our learning space, AND I got motivated enough to share it on my blog. I hope that I can keep the momentum going and get back up on this horse.

So, do you Pin?

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 08:07:00 +0000

I'm disappointed I never really got this blog off the ground. I had grand plans that really aren't coming to fruition because of our circumstances and my lack of motivation and stress level. Recently, I've evaluated the amount of time I spend on the computer, reading blogs, posting to forums, and it's a lot. Add that to the time I spend putting all the wonderful ideas into action, (you know the saving, printing, cutting, laminating) and something suffers. Additionally, I found that my "internet life" had spilled into my real life more than I'd intended. When I'm not on the computer, I think about it. When I'm doing something with the girls, I'm thinking of how it could be blogged, or how to best get the photos for it. I've created monsters. Ada and Willa can't blow their noses without screaming "Take a picture". Anyone with a digital camera knows that it isn't just the taking of the picture, but also the viewing- to everyone in the room. It just isn't what I want. I thought I did, but I don't. I also want to be a better example to my kids than I have been. I'm so "plugged in". There have been times that I have told my kids to "hold on" a minute while I finished something up, and twenty minutes later, I still wasn't done. I rationalized it because most of the time, if not all of the time, I was doing something related to education or kids. It's like the time I was watching Wife Swap and the mom took her kids to daycare so that she could go home and take care of her virtual family. We waste too much time in this world, and this is precious time I can't get back.

So, it was time to go a little low-tech. My girls and I had the absolute best time in the makeshift mudpie kitchen we whipped up for most of the month of September. I have some pics of it in action, but the uploading and cropping takes time too, and then the blogging of it all. For those SAHomeschooling Mamas who have streamlined nad mastered it, I'm jealous. I haven't the gift of organization it takes, and I like to sleep. We're also living in about 500 square feet of my Mom and Dad's house. They are gracious and hospitable, but being displaced has its own bit of stress.

Fortunately, becoming a steward of my time has had its reward. I'm making an advent calendar out of baby food jars. Instead of candy, they will be filled with special activities. I'd love to share the printable with you in hopes that you'll find it helpful. It wasn't made with the intention of being shared, so it isn't as perfect as it might be. Obviously, it is personalized for my family, but I think that you'll find you can use most of the activities in your own Advent Calendar. You could have candy days on the days you can't think of an alternative.

I've also taken up sewing and quilting, and I have to tell you, I have a sense of accomplishment I haven't gotten in a long time. Last night I made Turkey Finger puppets based on a cute tutorial I found at Frog Paper Prince. I do happen to have a mobile upload of it. I made five of them and used them with a printable poem I found at DLTK. The girls loved them.

One last thing, I picked up a pretty cool toy at a yard sale this summer. It's called It's a Match and it is from Discovery Toys. The problem is that once your kid gets bored of the 2 books that come with it, it's over. I made a template in Publisher so that I can quickly make one. If you have one, I'd like to share these docs with you. I've made more, but I'm pretty sure the clip art used in these are "legal". These work best if laminated.

Start Sounds

Animal House

Stick Man Match

As much as I would love to have a wildly successful blog in which I chronicle our every little move, I think I'll just do more of a "high light" reel. Please continue to join us for those sporadic postings.

Muffin Tin Tea Party

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:55:00 +0000

Oh where oh where has Manda gone? Oh where oh where can she be?

In Alabama! We've settled into our new (hopefully temporary) home. Not much more than unpacking and organizing going on here. Our move was unexpected and at the cusp of some financial difficulties. The girls, Ada particularly, have been a little anxious. She misses her friends, her room, and our town. I did manage to squeeze in a Muffin Tin Meal on Monday. I tried to make it special. I sneaked out and strung some of our playsilks from the trees. The girls were excited when I pulled out their play clothes and told them to get fancy. It started to rain just as we stepped outside, but that didn't stop us. We had a lovely tea party in the rain. We had Caesar Salad, grapes, cubed cheese, pita crisps, and of course- tea !

We're going to start K4 in October. I'm going to be using the next few weeks to organize and make some plans. Come back and see us soon!

And the winner is!

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:23:00 +0000

A great big thanks to all of those who participated in my first giveaway, and to my sponsor- Magna-tiles. Remember the 15% off discount! Books15

I want some Easy Lunchboxes!

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:48:00 +0000

I'm stalking the internet so that I can win an Easylunchbox Giveaway. (They should just sponsor a giveaway here at the Stay at Home Librarian). Here's one:

Skeeberboo: Back To School Lunch Box Review/Giveaway

Dewey's Showcase- Leap frog Phonics

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 04:06:00 +0000

I love Leap Frog, particularly tools geared towards phonics. We have their Fridge Phonics. I scored the Word Whammer at a yard sale for $2. But my favorite of their phonics products is the TAG. When I first heard of it I came up with a dozen reasons NOT to get it in about a minute. I try not to buy a lot of licensed stuff, and I didn't see the point in buying the reader so that I could buy Disney books to be read aloud. But, after to my knee jerk reaction, I did a little closer looking. In addition to these "fluffy" books, you can also buy classics. If push comes to shove, they're still books that can be read, just like the "old fashioned" kind.

I love Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.The man reading it is PERFECT as the narrator. Ada's favorite I think is Olivia. Willa has the TAG JR, but if I had to buy it again, I would just skip to the Tag. The JR gets very little use. Mama's favorite is the Learn to Read Phonics Books. Both sets gets you 12 readers for $30. The books have three modes "say it", "sound it", and "spell it". I fret over which phonics program I am going to use, when, in all honesty, I have the tools -disguised as toys- to at least start formally teaching reading. Ada learned her letter sounds in just one run through of the Letter Factory DVD. Sometimes I get so hung up on doing things the "old fashioned way". I want to be an involved parent who doesn't rely on something that needs a power source of some sort to educate my children. It is hard to argue with the effortlessness in which Ada is learning to read with the aid of this tool. It's a quiet time tool in our house. The girls sit in their beds and "read", or if Willa is napping, Ada will go to her "coloring desk" to read.

We'd love to hear more about the tools that you use- in your schooling, in your organizing, or just with your getting on with things. This is your last chance to earn 3 extra entries to our Magna Tiles Give Away- just by participating in Dewey's Showcase.

Our 2010 Curriculum Choices

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:57:00 +0000

As the schooling world prepares to start back to school in the coming days and weeks, our family is in the process of making an 835 mile move from Virginia to Alabama. My plans were for Ada to take a literature, science, and art class at the local co-op, but those plans have of changed. The small town to which we are moving in Alabama offers very little. It isn't so much that I will miss Virginia, but I will definitely miss the family friendly activities so abundant and close to us. There is not even a single play park to which we can go play. The nearest Chik-Fil- A is an hour's drive. My kids LOVE "chicken lay". There is no "bouncy place" (an indoor play place with moon bounces). There is no YMCA to go to for swimming lessons. There's no Christian church, not to say that there are no churches, but we are non-denominational independent Christians, and there is none. But as Ephesians 5v20 tells us, we are going to be thankful for everything. We're thankful for this unique opportunity for my parents to be an every day part of the lives of their grandchildren. I can safely say there are no homeschooling co-ops. Virginia, especially the Fredericksburg area, is a homeschooling haven. When you tell someone that you homeschool, chances are- they've considered it too. I can imagine the looks I'll get in Alabama, but I felt led even MORE now that we'll be in Alabama.

One of the things that draws me to homeschooling is the ability to set your own schedule. Ada will be 5 in May, and Lord willing, we'll begin her kindergarten in June. Ideally, I would like for us to utilize an academic calendars based on trimesters, so that way we can school year round with short breaks between terms. Her first quarter of kindergarten will be June-August 2011. While everyone returns to school in September, we'll be on break, affording our family the opportunity to vacation on off season rates! Our second quarter would begin the first of October and go to the middle of December. The third quarter would begin sometime in January and end in March. April and May would be our "summer break" to begin again in June.

But for THIS K4 year, we're going to take some of our curriculum out of the pages of the Well Trained Mind.

Handwriting Without Tears PreK
Explode the Code- Books 1, 1 1/2, 2, and 2 1/2. Homeschool Buyer Co-op has an offer for the on-line version for 50%. Not sure which we'll choose.
The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading- I'll have to get a copy since the one I'm using belongs to the library.
Easy Readers. (We have Bob Books)

I had planned on becoming an Usborne Book Consultant this month, and with that not possible right now, I'll have to figure out how to get my hands on some affordable readers otherwise! I do plan on becoming a consultant, but I want to do it after we get settled and I have 12 weeks to devote to the incentive program. I've been pricing readers suggested in the Well Trained Mind at Rainbow Resource.

Math:

Magnatiles
Manipulatives (I got some foam counters in the Target Dollar Spot)
Cooking- we're going to work on measurement in the coming months by reading recipes.
Financial Peace Junior- The girls are going to save to buy a trampoline using the tools in this resources.

Language Arts:

There are one million and one resources on the WWW today about how to make any sort of animal out of a letter of the alphabet. I don't want to do something simply because it is busy work. We may once again do some letter collages, and we will do some of the activities available at Homeschool Creations, and might even spring for a membership so that we can just print everything off. But the bulk of our alphabet learning will be combined with scripture memorization. These two sources are going to be the "spine" of our curriculum.

I made a Bible Verse Checklist to use to keep track and reinforce what we've learned.

Literature:

We're once again going to be using units from Itty Bitty Bookworm. It is a literature based curriculum designed for preschools, but it can be adapted for use in the home. You can use it as an exclusive out of the box curriculum, or you can tailor it to your own needs with a little tweaking. We're going to tweak. For example: The Bible verse for the letter A from Songs for Saplings is Psalm 17v8- Keep me as the apple of your eye. For that week, I'll print out and use the unit from Ten Apples Up on Top. If you have any questions about IBB, please feel free to post a comment and I'll email you.

Take a look at our previous adventures with IBB at our old blog Tater Tot School

Science:

In packing up the school room, I found a copy of Our Father's World from the God's Creation Series that I'd forgotten about. I got it 4th hand from my friend Heather. Can't beat free!

Crafts:

I also found a copy of A to Z Bible Activities that I got for pennies a couple of years ago. I usually don't squirrel things away for this very reason. I forget I have them, and then find them, when it's too late. It just so happens, that due to our move, it is a very timely discovery.

Asked and Answered

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:50:00 +0000

There is no doubt that we live in the age of information. I've already packed my text from my History of Libraries course, but I remember that the sum total of all written history that has survived can be packed into just a gew MBs. My favorite classes in library school were those concerning Info Sources. It is just as it sounds, we learned where to go to find answers to all sorts of questions. For one of the final projects we were given pages and pages of questions which we had to answer. One might think that with the proliferation and growth of the Internet that this part of librarianship would be phased out, that users merely consult Google for their answers. Granted- the internet has empowered the people, but as long as there is information- there will be librarians.

There is a joke:

How many librarians does it take to change a lightbulb?

I don't know, but I could look it up for you.

I endeavor to answer all the questions my children have. We write them down and we look the answers up together- even if I do know the answer, often times we go through the process of finding the information. Why? Because I want to raise Information Literate children.

I've decided to make their questions and my answers a little feature here at The Stay at Home Librarian. I got lucky with last night's question and found a suitable answer that wasn't part of Yahoo answers or Wikipedia. While driving home last night from grocery shopping the sunset was beautiful. Ada wanted to know why the sun was orange and big. It seems like a simple question, but it's a multipart question.

Why is the sun(set) orange? I knew this one.

The sunset is orange because the sky is blue.

I am fortunate enough right now to be the mother of a 4 year old who will accept this answer, but I did find a resource on the scientific answer behind it, but it also includes a project that we're going to do to illustrate the answer! (This is called Evidence Based Answer)

Science Made Simple

Sky in a jar

What you need:

a clear, straight-sided drinking glass, or clear plastic or glass jar

water, milk, measuring spoons, flashlight

a darkened room

What to do:

Fill the glass or jar about 2/3 full of water (about 8 - 12 oz. or 250 - 400 ml)
Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2 - 5 ml) milk and stir.
Take the glass and flashlight into a darkened room.
Hold the flashlight above the surface of the water and observe the water in the glass from the side. It should have a slight bluish tint. Now, hold the flashlight to the side of the glass and look through the water directly at the light. The water should have a slightly reddish tint. Put the flashlight under the glass and look down into the water from the top. It should have a deeper reddish tint.

What happened: The small particles of milk suspended in the water scattered the light from the flashlight, like the dust particles and molecules in the air scatter sunlight. When the light shines in the top of the glass, the water looks blue because you see blue light scattered to the side. When you look through the water directly at the light, it appears red because some of the blue was removed by scattering.

The second part of her question was why it looked so big?

I think the answer is because it's on the horizon but I didn't know why it looked bigger on the horizon. Consulting web sources, there seem to be some disagreement as to why. None of the explanations came from very reliable sources, so I did an advanced google search limiting my results to domains that end in .gov and then .edu to be sure that I could get some of the most reliable information on the web. The answer is that it is an optical illusion. The sun and moon both seem larger on the horizon. As a keyword in your search use "moon illusion".

There are some great evidence based experiments you could try to prove it.

"To convince yourself that this is, in fact, an optical illusion, put your head between your legs and look at the Sun upside down when it's on the horizon: it should look the same as it does when overhead."
Cameras don't catch it. To prove that it is an illusion- try to photograph it.
Look at the moon through a tube

What causes moon illusion? I don't know. And neither, does it seem, does anyone else. It's a great source of debate. It has been raging since the time of Aristotle. There are lots (8 in the most recent book published) of different hypothesis and explanations, and even at least one scholarly article. Personally, I see God's hand in the unexplainable, especially as it concerns something so beautiful as the setting sun and rising moon.

The pudding:

Space.com
NASA Science News
The Moon Illusion

Dewey's Showcase- the Wii

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:24:00 +0000

Shoe Wee. I have been busy this week. We're in the process of packing up our home and moving to Alabama. Ada continued with her swimming lessons, and has two more weeks. She finishes on the Thursday before we move. I hope we're able to find an indoor pool in rural Alabama for her to continue her practice. It's amazing how natural swimming is to the very young. She can already swim much better than I can, which isn't very impressive.

When we've been fortunate enough to have friends watch the girls so that I can pack. There were a couple of times it was me verses them verses packing, but we're making good progress. I've been reluctant to introduce the girls to video games. Ada got a VTech V-motion for Christmas when she was two. She didn't care for it, it frustrated her, it frustrated me, I swore to lock up all the TV's and deny the existence of video games when asked about them. In weeding his video game collection, Jason came up with a handful of them to trade. He asked about games he could get for Ada. My friend Heather from There's No Place Like Home Homeschooling Board had just recently been talking about getting her son a Wii game. They're just a few months apart, so maybe it was time to revisit my ban on video games. Ada got Kai-Lan Super Game Day from Santa but it never kept her interest. I won't lie, the prospect of giving her something to do while I packed weighed in on my decision. Don't judge :) After some googling, I settled on a Dora game and Boom Blox. Dora was a huge hit. It's so simple, At one point I played it one hand while playing with Micah. She hasn't played Boom Blox yet, but I have played Kai-Lan with her.

I did enjoy the confidence, joy, and sense of accomplishment that Ada experienced while playing the game. With some rules and consistency, I believe it can be a positive tool in our home. She hasn't cried of whined when she's been told it's time to wrap it up. She still prefers coloring and reading to the Wii, so- so far- so good.

Please excuse our lack of updates over the next couple of weeks, but please continue to send your friends to enter our Magna-tiles giveaway. If you participate in Dewey's Showcase- you get 3 extra entries!

Magna-tiles Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Manda) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:55:00 +0000

I am exited to offer my first giveaway. I am the self proclaimed biggest fan of Magna-tiles. I was indeed their first fan on Facebook. When I contacted them about a giveaway on my blog, I was delighted when they responded that they would be happy to be a sponsor. I believe that Magna-tiles have endless possibilities as a learning tool in the homeschooling world, and I am happy to get the word out. Visit Dewey's Showcase to read our recent review of Magna-tiles.

What are Magna-Tiles?

An amazing 3-D hands on learning tool that fosters math, science, and creativity. They are manufactured by Valtech. And they're fun!

Says Who?

Their most recent Award is from ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailers Association) and was the Best Toy for Kids 2009.

Specs?

Magna-tiles offers a handful of products. The standard magna-tiles are plastic and come in a 32 piece set and an100 piece value set. The translucent magna-tiles are the same, but clear plastic, and cost a little more. We have the translucent set. These sets contain the following pieces:

32 pc: 14 Small Squares, 2 Large Squares, 4 Isosceles Triangles, 4 Right Triangles and 8 Equilateral Triangles;
100 pc : 50 Small Squares, 4 Large Squares, 15 Isosceles Triangles, 11 Right Triangles and 20 Equilateral Triangles.

The Deluxe set is a 48 piece set that contains some specialty pieces- like a swinging door! Ada most often makes houses for her imaginary pal, Mousey, so she would LOVE this set. This set contains: 12 Small Squares, 4 Large Squares, 6 Isosceles Triangles, 10 Right Triangles, 11 Equilateral Triangles, 1 Wheeled Piece, 1 Arch and 3 Special Shapes. This is the set that Valtech is offering to one of my lucky readers!

We haven't had the pleasure to play with them, but these pictures they sent us sure make us want to!

Where do I get them!

If you want to buy them right this very minute, use the store locator to find a business near you. If you use their store for online shopping they are offering a discount to my readers. Use the code Books15 for 15% off your entire order. This code is good until the end of September. If you need convincing, think of it as a math or science resource for your homeschool. Christmas is right around the corner. Oh, and did I mention- they offer a money back guarantee if you aren't satisfied?

How do I win?

Your mandatory entry is to visit the Magna-tiles website and poke around. Come back here and either tell me in the comments what you learned or how you could anticipate using these in your homeschooling (look in the idea gallery).

To earn additional entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each):

"Like" Magna-tiles on Facebook and comment on their wall that the Stay At Home Librarian sent you. A handy link link is at the bottom of each Magna-tiles page (1 extra)
Follow them on Twitter (1 extra)
Follow me publicly (1 extra)
Follow sahlibrarian on Twitter (1 extra)
Tweet about this giveaway. Copy and paste if you want: (1 entry)

@sahlibrarian is hosting a a giveaway for a Deluxe set of @Magnatiles. Enter to win: http://bit.ly/9ml0ow. Ends 8/21

Blog about this giveaway- leave me a link (2 extra)
Participate in Dewey's Showcase. You'll have 3 opportunities during this giveaway. (3 extra each participation for a total of 9 entries)
If you win, will you blog about your prize? If so, give yourself an extra entry.
If you win, will you send me pictures of your Magna-tiles in use so I can blog about them? If so, give yourself an extra entry.
Take Dewey to your blog (grab my button) (2 extra)

This giveaway is open to US Residents only. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. I don't want you to miss out on your prize, so be sure to make sure I can reach you by email if you win (make sure I can at least get to you through your Blogger profile) or just leave your email in one of your comments. For more fine print, please see our policy and disclosure page. The contest will be open until Saturday, August 21st at 11:59 PM the winning entry will be selected using Random.org.

No entry for it, but take the time to press the FB button below and share with your friends ;)