Project Monday

Today we were very sad to say goodbye to Miss Lyndsay as she heads off to college.  Miss Lyndsay has been Elli's babysitter since Elli was learning to walk.  She has been a wonderful part of our lives and we will truly miss her.  Elli wanted to make her something special so we made Jolly Rancher sun catchers.  Elli made the one for Miss Lyndsay all by herself.  They turned out great...except they ended up being sticky once they dried.  Miss Lyndsay suggested we try spraying them with clear spray paint so that's what we'll do next time.  Thanks for everything Miss Lyndsay!  We will miss you but know you will be super successful in college!

Create designs on parchment paper with jolly ranchers

Bake at 325 for 5-6 minutes and this is what you get!

Second round!  We used toothpicks to make a hole for the string.

While our sun catchers were cooking, we tried out pompom numbers.  The website we used to print the papers suggested putting magnets on the pompoms and then doing the activity on a cookie sheet.  We didn't have magnets so I just let Elli glue them on.  I would love to say this captivated her for hours but it really only lasted 10 minutes or so.  I think she would have like the magnets better.

I have to be careful with our learning activities.  Elli knows what I want her to do and can get stubborn.  For example, today I told her to count the pompoms using her magic counting finger and she wouldn't do it.  I finally got her to and then decided not to push it; I don't want her to feel pressured in anyway at this age.  I want her to love every educational activity, not see it as a chore.  So I let her explore the pompoms herself.  I think she'll like this activity again and again though - it really is fun!