Teach by magic is a fun innovative way to motivate kids to learn. Teach by Magic hires Magicians from all over the world to think of exciting magic tricks specifically designed to teach all age groups. What kid does not delight in a magic trick?

Simple tricks such as the Bottle Rock It – Challenge, we just did for the Fourth of July, teaches physics through learning how to draw a dollar bill from between two towering bottles of water. Teach by Magic covers everything from reading, history to math. Enter a topic on the search bar and a list of videos on that topic spring up. If the kids are in need of a fun bordem buster this summer try a few magic tricks.

The videos are set up in two sessions. The first session the magician gives a brief explanation about the trick. . Session two shows the solution to the trick. The tricks range from fairly simple to moderate practice needed. Although trying to figure out how the trick works is the best part.

Free membership is available but with limited access. To gain full access purchase a membership for $50 a year. This gives you all the videos, answers, and worksheets. Half price memberships are available for a limited time by using the Friends Code: LFG. The Teach by Magic book is also available for purchase through Amazon.

My kids require a lot of hands on manipulatives. Teaching tools such as this has been an invaluable resource as more and more studies show that kids learn and retain information faster through play. Just be prepared to answer many thought provoking questions.

The American Revolution would in turn test the resolve of many colonists. Yet, every summer even during the war they continued to celebrate the prospect of liberty.  In 1783, America finally won it’s independence. In 1938 Independence Day was dubbed a legal holiday.

Since July 8, 1776 American’s have celebrated Independence Day with community parades, fireworks, and live music. Independence Day is a perfect excuse to gather with family and friends. Below are some favorite 4th of July craft ideas.

Happy Independence Day!

Photo: Property of The Thrifty Crafter

A Bargain Shopper’s Guide to Expressing Creativity

This months website review is on one of my three favorite go to craft sites: The Thrifty Crafter. The thrifty Crafter offers tantalizing recipes like Halibut and Chickpea Salad or a Sweetharts Sugar Cookies tutorial. You will also find fun zany projects and stylish elegant ideas. My favorite of all and the reason I came across The Thrifty Crafter was the huge paper pom poms.

Happy Entertaining!

We have a few ideas to tickle your loved ones pink come the 14th.

CraftGossip.com and CraftBits.com is home to some really great quick last minutes gift giving ideas.

Plastic Bottle Fairy Houses

Cardboard Doll House

Foam Board Dollhouse

Fabric Dollhouse

Tube Bracelets

Pillowcase Tote Bag

Baby Sock Advent Calendar

Towel Kittens

Fabric Garland

Recycled Can Ornaments

Necktie Purse

Cardboard Coasters

22 Uses for CDs: CD Lamp

Paper Bag Art Journal

Placemat Scrapbook

Plastic bottle Wire

Magnet Bottlecaps

Vertical Hanging Herb Garden

Bowl Lampshades

Cardboard Butterfly Observatory

NO TIME FOR FLASH CARDS:
If you have little ones at home and are looking for fun fantastic learning ideas for preschoolers from activities to crafts and book recommendations NTFFC is an easy place to start. Allison McDonald is the founder of No Time For Flash Cards. Allison has a degree in Elementary Education and spent 10 years working with preschoolers and parents teaching crafts. In 2008, after the birth of her son she left the classroom to be home with her son. Her passion for teaching children inspired her to share her ideas online. Thus, No Time For Flash Cards was created. You will find tons of books, themes and alphabet crafts to teach your toddler and preschooler.

Favorite NTFFC Links:
Toothpick Sea Urchins
Paper Plate Animals
Fine Art Museum
Venus Fly Trap

PRESCHOOL EXPRESS:
Preschool Express is a free on-line educational resource for children ages 1-5. Jean Warren is the founder of Preschool Express and the previous owner of Totline Publications. She is best known for her songs, rhymes and stories which can be found in popular books such as; Piggyback © Song books, 1*2*3 Art , Theme-a-saurus and the Totline Teaching Tales children’s book series. Jean created the Preschool Express Website as a way to give back to the world. Her hope is to provide every parent and grandparent the resources they need to create a natural learning atmosphere.

There is so much to explore on the Preschool Express. The calendar station offers teachers or parents a calender with chosen themes for each week. There are calenders for preschoolers and toddlers with a daily activity to do together. Plan a party at the party station. Learn to make snacks, read stories and discover.

LOVE2LEARN2DAY:
If you have a child who loves math Love2Learn2Day offers loads of fun games and manipulative ideas that are K-12 math orientated. The creator of Love2Learn2Day is an educational consultant working with both kids and teachers. The website is all about learning to have fun with math.

Favorite Love2Learn2Day Links:
Mapping a Farm
Play dough Maps
Incan Quipu Math (place value, history)
Math in the Movies

One night when tucking my son into bed he asked me to tell him a story. The sad part was my mind was blank. I could not come up with anything. I relayed the incident to a friend of mine who comforted me with her own tale of bedtime woe. We agreed our husbands were excellent storytellers but somehow over the years we lost touch with that creative side. Stephen calls it work mode. Over time with practice my friend and I have become more comfortable telling bedtime stories. Jim Jinkins is best known for his bedtime stories, “Pinky Dinky Doo”. He originally made up the Pinky’s Adventures as bed-time tales for his children. Each night after he closed the door he would write the stories down.

To make story dice you will need:
- 6 to 12 (3/8-inch) square wooden blocks.
- For the images use permanent ultra fine tip markers to draw your own pictures, stickers, stamps, a wood carving tool and stain, temporary tattoo sheets, pictures from old story books, magazines, print them from the computer using sheet labels, sticker paper or regular white paper.
- Seal the blocks after the pictures have been applied using a sealant or Modge Podge.

Use pictures of animals, transportation, food, household objects, clothing, landscapes, fairy tales and people.

To Play:
Divide the dice among the participants. Take turns rolling a single die. The first person begins the story based on the picture they roll. The next person adds to the story based on the roll of their dice and so on around the group of participants. You can opt to time each segment. Say each person has 30 seconds or a minute then the next person rolls and adds on to the story line. Or each person must tell a short story in one minute using the pictures rolled from all of their die. When they are done the next person rolls and takes their turn.

Variations:
- Paint pictures on small rocks.
- If you do not want to spend the money or time making story dice use print out and laminate small slips of paper or cardboard pieces. Throw the pieces into a bowl or basket and toss.
- Make dice from card stock.
- Print a selection of pictures at the top of a page with lines across and down the page. Use the pictures create a story and the lines to write the story.

2 small red potatoes, chopped into 1-inch bite sized cubes
1/2 cup chopped 1-inch pieces asparagus
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
6 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 thin ham slices, chopped
Butter
Salt and pepper
Salsa

In a bowl whisk eggs together until well blended. Set aside.

Saute potatoes and asparagus in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until browned and caramelized. Season with salt, pepper and cilantro. Reduce heat to medium.

Pour whisked eggs over vegetables in pan. Once the egg starts to set gently lift one edge with a spatula and tilt the pan so the uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat all around the pan until most of the omelet is set with a small amount of uncooked egg on top. Carefully use a spatula to flip the omelet over and turn off heat. Sprinkle with ham slices and cheese. Flip one side of the omelet over folding in half. Remove from heat. Top with a dollop of salsa and serve. Makes 2

Photo By: Unknown

It was a beautiful clear day in Southern Florida. The date January 28th 1986. I was in fifth grade at the time and a member of the Jr. Science Academy. I joined the club with the promise that one day I would be the one looking out the window back at earth. I doubt anyone was more excited than our Science teacher as we stood on the lawn with our faces to the sky. We watched as the speck of light ascended upward our teacher radiant with anticipation for this monumental occasion. The mood changed from delight to horror in what seemed like an instant. I heard the words “Oh no” muttered and turned to see tears blinding my teachers eyes. I like many of the other students were confused. These were not tears of joy. Something was amiss. With eyes turned upward we gathered together as our teacher pointed out the scene before us. The boosters ejected but the brilliant star in the cloud of smoke dropping from the crystal blue heavens was not normal. The Challenger Space Shuttle had exploded.

The months following the Challenger disaster brought clarity and closure. Extensive investigations revealed the failure of an O-ring on one of the boosters that allowed gas to leak out upon take off. Fingers were pointed and the blame passed from department to department and person to person  until the country moved on and forgot. Cities, schools and clubs did their best to honor those fallen through memorials. Our group of Jr. Scientist banned together with our fearless leader to ensure that no one would forget the crew on board the Space Shuttle Challenger that frightful day. The press was called. The dignitaries invited. The school witnessed as we each stood around a young newly planted tree and dedicated it in the memory of Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis and Judith Renick. In

In 1993 I took a summer job with the City of Parks and Recreation Department in West Palm Beach teaching art and drama at different summer camps throughout the county. My last week of summer camp took me to the Christa McAuliffe Middle school in Lake Worth Florida. Being there reminded me of that day we placed plaques for each member of the Challenger team around the base of young tree. Last I knew the tree was torn down by a hurricane but the vegetable and herb garden at the middle school was vibrant and thriving.

Earth Day and Arbor Day reside in the month of April. It is only fitting as Basho told Annie and Jack in The Dragon of Red Dawn, “After something is destroyed by fire, a good new thing often takes its place…just as after the bleakest winter, beautiful flowers return with the spring.” When I think of Earth Day I am reminded of all the bounties Mother Earth gives us. The towering trees for shelter and shade. A babbling brook for respite and thirst. Flowers for beauty. Clouds for the rain that cleanses the dusty fields. It is our job as caretakers of this world to minister to the land. We each are charged with the task of keeping the grounds clean and beautifying the planet. The thing that moved me most about the memorials for the Challenger astronauts was the thoughtfulness of planting a tree and garden. It was not just an hour of band music and crafted speeches that die off with the close of the ceremony. I believe these seven men and women cared deeply for the earth and the galactic space around it. What better way to pay tribute than to plant a life that in return can help sustain us.

Caring for the earth should be an everyday mission. On April 22 the world will come together to celebrate our amazing planet. Many will join with local groups and organizations to plant, clean and educate. Here are just a few ideas to teach your family and friends about caring for our home and to usher in the glorious spring.

Trash Duty: Clean up the trash around the neighborhood, school, park, beach and highways. It is important to keep our beaches clean. Trash can be deadly to the native animals that live near and in the water. In addition to picking up trash along the shoreline we can plant grass and plants that aid in the building up of the dunes to deter erosion.

Graffiti Patrol: In the city where we used to live there was a graffiti task force that went out every morning at the crack of dawn looking for tags to clean up. Where we live now the city is not so concerned about vandalism. If your town does not have a system in place local volunteers can work together to keep the signs and fences free of graffiti.

Green Thumb: Plant a garden, trees, flowers or herbs. Use egg cartons as pots to start seeds. Learn how to compost. Composting is a way to recycle kitchen scraps and and yard waste. When done properly compost becomes a healthy chemical free fertilizer.

Earth Friendly: Switch to earth friendly cleaners such as the Shaklee brand of chemical free products. Spruce up the home with energy efficient light bulbs and appliances. Always ask if antibiotics are necessary. Dispose of harmful chemicals, batteries, cell phones, appliances and paint at designated depositories.

Conservation: Use less water by turning the water while brushing your teeth and taking shorter hot showers. Monitor the sprinkler system to avoid over watering the lawn. Start the dish washer when there is a full load. Adjust the washing machine to the size of the load. Quickly change loads as soon as the dryer stops. The dryer will not have to work as hard to heat back up again. Turn off the lights when leaving a room that is not occupied and unplug appliances when not in use.  Change out air filters. Make repairs to leaky faucets and toilets. Carpool, take the bus or ride a bike.

Declutter: Vow to live within your means. Buying less unnecessary items equals less stuff in the land fill. Sell, donate or freecycle unwanted items.

Recycle: If you do not have a recycling service help implement one or take your recyclables to a local school that has a recycling program. The money they earn goes right back into the school for programs and supplies.

Recycled art: Milk jug bird houses, pine cone bird feeders, paper necklaces, cardboard doll house, Egg cartons space ships, kids clothing and tote bags from t-shirts. Family Fun, Kaboose,

Ways to Celebrate: Enjoy a hike or picnic. Relax, connect with nature and enjoy the little things around you. Host an Earth Day Party. Have booths set up to teach your guests how to compost, seasonal cooking, plant a garden and recycle clothing and toys into something else.

The birth of Spring is a marvelous sight to see here in the Valley. The medians along the highway flourish with a backdrop of orange and red poppies in addition to random purple and yellow wildflowers. The once boring lifeless hills awaken with the fresh scents of vibrant greens. The fragrant air recently cleaned by the passing rainstorm breathes life and beauty into the sleeping earth.

These little chocolate nests are just as delightful as the surrounding landscape. They are a little messy to begin with but they are so darn cute. They would make an adorable place setting to welcome guests to for Easter day dinner or an extra special treat at a tea party. You could even share one with the Spring Bunny. So don the aprons and let’s make some Springtime Chocolate nests.

8 oz dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
1 bag (2 1/2 cups) chow mein noodles
Small egg shaped candies
Waxed paper

Place the chocolate in a bowl and microwave on medium for 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted. Or place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until melted.

Gently stir in the chow mein noodles.

Divide mixture into 5-6 mounds on the waxed paper shaping to form the nest with an indentation in the middle. Let set 15-20 minutes. Place a few eggs in the middle.