Finally a slumber party

Audrey finally talked me into having a slumber party for her 11th birthday.   Somehow I have managed to avoid it until now.  I have to admit though, it wasn't that bad. I served pizza and ice cream and took the girls swimming.  The rest of the time, they entertained themselves in the basement.  :) 

Pirate Party Fun

A Pirate Party:  Swashbuckling fun for everyone!

Part I:  Pirate ship construction

Part II: Cannon ball wars 

Part III:  Treasure hunt

Wood pirate ship kits (set of 8 purchased at Target) were set out for each of the boys to start as they arrived to the party.  It is always a good idea to have a warm-up activity for eager party goers. Otherwise, the boys invent their own fun which usually involves running and throwing things at one another. Don't worry, that comes later!

   

Next we played cannon ball wars.  I divided the boys into two teams and gave them each some "cannon balls" or folded socks to play a dodge ball sort of game. Each team had a barricade of sectional pieces to hide behind as a ship.   They LOVED this activity.  Just goes to show, that sometimes the simplest ideas work best.  I intended to paint pirate ships out of cardboard boxes, but I am glad I didn't go to the effort.   

Oh and be sure to notice their cool pirate gear. I tied a skull and cross bandanna on their heads (found these at Michael's for $2 each), put patches over their eyes, and rubbed a temporary tattoo on each of their arms. 

And finally, a pirate party wouldn't be complete without a treasure hunt. Mike told the boys a great tall tale about Indians burying treasure in our backyard.   He had them running all over the place searching for clues!  The hunt ended in the woods behind our house.  The boys actually had to use a shovel to unearth the buried treasure box.  

Yo ho ho.  Shiver me timbers!   Be off ye, birthday mates.  Or ye'll walk the planks.  Ye've robbed and plundered me house enough for one day!   

Arrgh mateys, it's a pirate party!

 Sam delivered pirate birthday party invitations to all of his mateys.  The messages were rolled up in a root beer bottles and sealed with a cork. Corks can be purchased at Michael's in the kids' craft section.  

Stay tuned to hear more about pirate birthday party fun!

Airplane

Problem:  Grace eats like a bird.

Solution:  the infamous "airplane" technique

Works every time.  ;)

Heart Art

A Valentine's Day art lesson inspired by Jim Dine, a pop artist.  

    

Water color resist technique: 

 Color hearts on watercolor paper with crayon and then wash with one shade of watercolor paint.  Let dry.  

Then add a few strokes of rubber cement randomly across the page.  

After the rubber cement dries, add a second layer of paint.  The rubber cement prevents the second watercolor from absorbing to the paper.  

Now the first shade of paint shows through as if the paint were peeling or like graffiti on a cement wall.  Very cool.   

Valentine Heart Painting

For detailed instructions on how to do this art project, go to:  

http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2006/06/valentine-heart-painting.html

My Valentine's Day

  

First Match

Jared competed in his first wrestling match yesterday. 

 Funny thing is this kid has been over to our house to hang out before.  

I certainly have a lot to learn about wrestling.   I haven't the foggiest idea of how to score a match.  In fact, I don't think I have ever been to a wrestling meet in my life! 

However, it was pretty clear that Jared won.  Way to go, Jared!