Small Things With Great Love: Hands-On

Showing posts with label Hands-On. Show all posts

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Moneywise Kids

This is a great little game I picked up 5 years or so ago. Sunshine and I have been playing it during Special Time all week and he's really catching on to the premise. I see his math improving so much in just 3 days!

You begin the game with a $100 bill. There are tokens face-down in the center. The object is to collect all 6 tokens, which must be purchased for anywhere from $5-30 each AND have $100 in savings in order to win. You can either shake the dice and earn money (a 1 is $10, all others are face value) OR choose a token. There are also 4 "pay a bill" tokens--2 each of SICK or POTHOLE. If you've purchased either the Medical Care token or Paid Your Taxes token, you won't have to pay the bill. The only other rule in the game is that whenever able, you must trade your money for the biggest bill you can. So when you've collected 5 ones, you must trade them for a 5. Two fives must be traded for a ten. Etc. It's great for helping kids learn to make change and learn what each bill is worth, plus the idea of budgeting (to buy your tokens) and saving (the $100 to win at the end).

I already see Sunshine knowing how much change he'll get from a $20 to pay for a $15 token, and understanding that if he has 5 ones and a 5 and a 10, he can trade up for a $20. He's also checking for himself what bills he'll collect from his roll. Upon shaking a 4 and a 3, he recounts to tell me that for the roll of 7, he needs a five and 2 ones.

Hurray for simplicity and fun in a board game! (and no lottery tokens! Boo to PayDay!)

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Peanut Butter Pemmican

More palatable to kids than the suet kind...

"Peanut butter" pemmican

1 part jerky
1 part peanuts or pecans, unroasted
1 part raisins
1 part any seedless dried fruit(s) not preserved with sulfites—apples, peaches, blueberries, etc.
Peanut butter and honey, in a two-to-one ratio
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional, but contrasts nicely with the sweet fruits and honey.)

Powder the jerky in a blender. Add fruit and nuts. Microwave honey and peanut butter to soften them, then blend them into the mixture. (Use less than you think you'll need, just enough to bind everything together. If you get it wrong, it's easier to add more peanut butter and honey than to add more of everything else.) Add cayenne pepper, working it in thoroughly. Store in plastic bags

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Homeschool at Grandma's

Every year we seem to not get any school done in July. We really ought to just take the month off. Last week, the three girls were at camp. This week, we made a road-trip to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Even so, I love to see the kids learning things, just because it's what we do. They like it.

Here are some snippets...

Banana Boy reading "Days Go By" for three hours in the car. "I think he's going to be a bookworm, too," says Daisy. Who needs a reading curriculum?

"He really IS learning him to drive out there!" says Grandma.
"Teaching," states Daisy. "You LEARN what someone TEACHES you." Who needs a grammar curriculum? Or a driving curriculum, for that matter!

We visited Heritage Hill yesterday and the three middles were thrilled to visit yet another living history site. Last week, Mr. GT took them to Stonefield Village, hoping to kill an hour before they had to pick the girls up at camp. After more than 2 hours, he couldn't get them to leave!

The kids had a great time exploring the Belgian farm, the print shop, Fort Howard and the early French settlement of La Baye where we saw the Ostensorium! "Oh! ......Ooh! ....That's the..... Pepper, what is that? Remember?"Who needs a history curriculum?

Pepper practiced map skills by navigating us through the park using the brochure map. Who needs a geography curriculum?

On the way home, we hiked the half-mile to the statue of Jean Nicolet. Who needs a PE curriculum?

Tuesday night, we played Golf (the card game) with Grandma and Grandpa. Banana Boy enjoyed counting up our points. Who needs a math curriculum?

Daisy has been continuing her bird study, finding new and different birds at Granpa's house than there are at home. Pepper has accumulated some new items for their museum--more bird eggs, a new snake skin and a stick. Who need a science curriculum?

And they've all been riding bikes like crazy. For some reason, it is more fun to ride the hodge-podge collection of old bikes at Grandma and Grandpa's house than at home. Pepper's bike has springs under the seat (remember those?) Sunshine has an old tricycle. There is even a three-wheeler adult bike (see the photo in my header). Did I mention not needing a PE curriculum?