Bear Tales...Policemen on Parade

POLICEMEN ON PARADE

jimmy garthwaite

BRRROOM!

Broom-Broom-Broom!

Brroomety-oomety-boompty-

Brroomety-oompety-B O O M !

The policemen are out on parade today

And there's nothing that's nearly so grand

As the sight of them all as they swagger and sway

To the sound of their wonderful band!

Pressed Flower Art

Make pressed flower art by picking flowers in the morning after the dew has dried. lay the blooms between the pages of a fat book for one or two weeks. Once the flowers are dry, mount them in a scrapbook by squeezing  clear glue onto paper, placing a flower on the glue and the covering it with a thin layer of clear glue.

more s'mores

 S'mores first appeared in a 1927 girl scout handbook. They have come along way since then. Now you can make them from anything. It's not just graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallows anymore!


Gooey caramel apple:
skewer 1 marshmallow, followed by 2 unwrapped chewy caramels on roasting stick
When caramels have meled over the top of marshmallow and marshmallow is cooked to your liking, slide onto 1/2" thick apple slice. Top with another apple slice

Banana Caramel:
Melt 2-3 unwrapped caramel kisses on 1 graham cracker square. (till it is soft and wet looking)
Roast 1 marshmallow. Once chocolate is melted, remove graham cracker from heat; top with 1 large Banana slice, pressing chocolate carefully. Top with marshmallow and another graham cracker square.

Mint Brownie:
Roast 1 marshmallow. Melt handful of mini mints on 1 brownie square. Once mints have melted, remove brownie from heat. Top with marshmallow and another brownie squae.

follow your heart

Follow your own beautiful heart

wherever it takes you,

no matter where tomorrow leads,

you'll never lose your way

allyson stiner

Backyard games

Over the years there have been many backyard games played. Sometime we stand around and think..
What can we do? Here is a reminder of some fun games to play outside...

• Frisbee golf
• Dodgeball
• Kick the can
• Hopscotch
• Red rover
• Mother may I?
• Red Light, Green Light.
• Duck, Duck, Goose
• Simon Says 

Does this bring back memories of when you were a kid and stayed out at twilight playing games? Which were your favorite games. Play with the kids and spend some quaility family time.

ASL word of the day...Summer

Summer n. The warmest season of the year, occurring between spring and autumn
plans to go on vacation this summer

• (Represents wiping sweat from  the brow) Bring thumb side of the extended right index finger, palm facing down and finger pointing left, across the forehead while bending the index finger into an X hand.

Game Night

As a welcome change from watching so much TV, invite friends and family to a game night.
Use a different theme each time you hold a get together. Card night, Boardgames, Puzzle night ect.
The kids learn new skills such as making conversations, taking turns, good sportsmenship when they loose or win gracefully.
Lots of Fun!

Card games are great for kids and here are a few old favorites.
age 4-6: concentration, slapjack, go fish
age 6-8: war, pig, old maid, crazy eight
age 8-10: I doubt it, spoons, casino, split hearts

Bear Tales...Vacation Time

Vacation Time
ann zelenka

I wonder how the schoolhouse feels
    Now everyone has gone
Whether it likes to be left alone
    From dawn to rosy dawn

I think...perhaps...it does, for now
   The wind is cool and sweet
The grasses green and clover-starred,
   Untrodden by careless feet.

The noise and clamor are far away
    There is a silence in the hall
Only the whisper of sunlit leaves
    As they rustle against the wall.

paper bag hats

Are you sitting around with a Hooogy on your head?
Maybe its time to make a Paper Bag Hat. This a fun way to turn around a dull day.

You will need:

• Paper bag (standard grocery)
• Tape
• Pom-poms, googly eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners, stickers or other craft supplies
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Curling ribbon

Help each child gently roll down the top of the bag until it reaches the hat size they want to wear.
Try it on and pinch the sides to adjust the fit and tape it in place
Grab the craft supplies and let your imagination take flight. You can make them as simple or as decortive as you want.
Lots of fun...Have  a fashion show to model their hats. 

Love S'mores

You will need:

• 8 graham crackers
• 2 bars of chocolate candy bars
• 8 large marshmallows

Top each graham cracker with 1 piece of chocolate. Top with a toasted marshmallow. Stack together to make 4 sandwiches.

How to cook em'
make them at a campfire by roasting the marshmallows on a stick or use the coal from you next BBQ in the grill,
Use your Microwave, by placing in a microwave safe plate, top all graham crackers with chocolate and marshmallows. Microwave on high for 30 seconds then assemble.

Peanut butter cup: Substitute chocolate graham crackers for plain and 8 snack size peanut butter cups for chocolate bars.
Almond Joy: Use chocolate graham crackers; omit chocolate bars. Top each with toasted marshmallow, 1 snack size Almond joy and toasted coconut
Chocolate Mint: Use chocolate graham crackers and substitute the candy bars for andes mint thins.

Happy Fathers Day

Fathers day is a reminder of the importance of Families

Here is a picture of 5  generations with Baby Rebekah

Sewing Cards for Kids

There is nothing worse than breaking your arm in the summer. Sariah will now have to have something to do besides swim.

Here is a way to use up those old greeting cards you have laying around the house and in your drawers.
You can make them into SEWING CARDS by removing the back of the card. Take the front of the card and punch holes around the edges with a standard hole punch. Using some yarn, you can either wrap one end with a piece of tape or dip the end in glue and let dry. This makes it easier to sew through the hole. If the child is a little older you can purchase plastic yarn needles at you local craft store for them to use.  Now they can sew through the holes of the card, by going in and out of the holes.
You can also have the kids color a coloring book design, cut it out and glue to a piece of card stock. When dry, punch holes around your design and now they are ready to sew.
ENJOY!

ASL word of the day...Camp

CAMP n.  a place where people live for a short time in tents : sending the kids to summer camp.

• (shape of a tent) Begining with the extended index fingers and little fingers of both hands touching at an angle in front of the chest, bring the hands downward and apart with a repeated movement. The same sign is used for the verb, as in the camp on the beach for the weekend, but the sign is made with a single movement.

Sights of summer

To savor your kids sunny days, give the kids a camera to take pictures of the sights of summer

Here are some ideas of things they can photograph... Their sister who painted themselves (Jess), watermelons, black eyed susans, tomatoes, beans, fruit, dragonfly, lady bug, birds, kids running through the sprinklers, sand castles, garter snakes, fishing pole, tennis racket, tree, summer reading book cover and anything else that they see that inspires them to photo.

Lots of summer fun!

Bear Tales...Eyes are lite up

EYES ARE LIT UP
robert p. tristram coffin

     Someone whom no man can see
Is lighting candles in the tree

     Star by star on every bough
There is a taper burning now.

     Quietly, the forest through
Eyes are lit up, two by two

     The silkly moles and velvet mice
Have eyes as sharp as cracks of ice
     Dark-lanterns of the owls begin
To burn like emeralds and sin
     The raccoon built of hidden wire
Prowls by the glow of his brain-fire
     Herons stand as still as years
And see the fish swim through their tears
     All the creatures of the night
Are busy being their own light.

Campfire snack...grilled Bananas

 A great snack for all our "Climbing Monkeys"

 

Grilled Bananas

For each, cut a banana crosswise into 1/2 inch wide slices and place the slices in the center of an 18 inch long piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle the banana with 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and a dash of cinnamon. Dot the banana with 1/2 tablespoon butter cut into pieces. Bring the long edges of the foil together and fold them together above the packet to form a handle; make sure all seams are closed tightly. Use a long stick to place the packet on a warm grill or the coals of a campfire. Let it cook for 15-30 minutes. Remove the packet from the heat, place it on a plate, and carefully open the foil. Let it cool. Top the banana with vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Summer Fun Camp Night

Camp Game for a summer night
after the sun goes down, take advantage of the day with a game in which silence is the key

Sneakers;
One player(the guard) sits on the ground, blindfolded, with several sticks...one for each of the other players...placed  in front of her/him. The other players (the sneakers) sit about ten feet away. Once everyone is settled, the sneakers must creep quietly up to the guard and try to grab a stick. If the guard hears a sneaker coming, they oint in the direction of the sound; if she points directly at a play, that player is out. The guard can also wave her hands around as the players approach; whoever she touches is out. The game ends when all the sticks have been snagged or all ot the sneakers are out.

Stars

Within you rests a sky of stars 

just waiting to shine

max rubeen

Summer

Make the most of your summer by doing some fun outside activities such as:

• Race the sun by trying to eat a Popsicle before it melts
• Stay up late and watch the stars come out
• Have a water balloon toss
• Turn a large cardboard box into a boat and pretend your are on a fishing boat, pirate ship or yacht.
• Go to the park 
• Be outside and use your imagination!

Where did the phrase "Dog days of summer" come from?
It came from 2,500 years ago after the Dog Star, Sirius, visible in the Northern Hemisphere by mid July. The ancient Greeks believed its light caused temperatures to soar. Sirius does burn almost twice as hotly as our sun, but its too far away  to have any effect on the earth's climate.

ASL word of the day...DAD

Father n. A male parent: a picture of the father and mother on their wedding day.
same sign used for Dad, Daddy, Papa

Tap the thumb of the right 5 hand, palm facing left and fingers pointing up, against the middle of teh forehead with a double movement.

Sea Foam Candy

I think the Alligators would of loved this candy, but we choose not to get close enough to see.

Sea Foam Candy

2 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 t. flavoring of choice
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites

Mix sugar, water and syrup and boil until if forms a soft ball in cold water. Beat egg white stiff and pour the syrup mixture over egg whites beating all the time. Add flavoring and beat until it has satin look. Drop spoonful on wax paper.
Cool and enjoy!

Bear Tales...Night

Night 
William Blake

The sun descending in the west
The evening star does shine;
The birds are silent in their nest,
And I must seek for mine.
The moon lika  flower
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight,
Sits and smiles on the night

Stargazing...time travel

When we gaze at the stars, we are looking back in time. The light we see takes hundreds of years to reach us. On a clear night, have your child pretend they area star sending light through time by pointing a flashlight toward the north star. After a few seconds, explain that because the North Star is 780 light years away, it would be the year 2780 before their star beam was visable. The light would travel about 6 trillion miles per year.

Moon Eats:
To make a "Moon Face" treat, cut slices of swiss cheese into circles and place them on round crackers. Serve while you are Stargazing

Stargazing

Gather up everyone for a night of Stargazing.

What is more awe inspiring that looking at the night sky with all its stars. Maybe thinking about how huge the night sky is or how far away the stars are or maybe it is realizing that we don't know everything about the universe.

To get the best view, pick a night when there isn't a moon, otherwise all you see is the moon. You don't have to have a telescope, you can use binoculars to look at the lunar landscape. Cover your flashlight with a piece of red cellophane over the lens so that your eyes will stay adjusted to the darkness. 

Get your bearings in the sky with a star wheel. You can go to skyandtelescope.com and do a search for star wheel to download and print off a free star wheel. 

check back daily for games, crafts and eats for your Stargazing night.

Bring Sunshine

Those Who Bring Sunshine 

to the Lives of Others cannot

Keep it from Themselves

J.M. Berrie

Summer Drive

When you take your next summer drive, be sure to tote along a car friendly craft. Sewing, beading and paper crafts help to pass the time when you are traveling. Store your supplies in a small plastic box with a lid. Don't  forget to bring colored pencils and not crayons as they melt in a car.

ASL word of the day....Helicopter

Helicopter n. an aircraft supported in the air by propellers revolving on a vertical axis

My Daddy is on a Helicopter Crew.

• (Represents a helicopter's propeller) With extended thumb of the left 10 hand, palm facing right, pointing up into the palm of the right 5 hand, palm facing down, wiggle the right fingers while moving both hands forward a short distance.

How to improvise with a layer cake mix

This Tin Box reminded me of an old cook book we have at home. I can't find a date on the book, but it looks like it could be from the 50's or 60's. On one of the pages it has ways to change the taste of your boxed cake mixes by adding other ingredients into the prepared batter:

Cherry Nut: 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts and 1/2 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries well drained.
Chocolate Spice; add to chocolate cake...2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Chipped Chocolate: Fold 2 squares shaved sweet semisweet or unsweetened chocolate.(about 1/2 cup)
Toasted Coconut: 1 to 11/2 cups flaked coconut, toasted
Orange: 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
Chocolate Mint: add to chocolate cake: 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Add these to white, yellow or chocolate cake.
betty crocker cake and frosting mix cookbook

Bear Tales...Garden Fancy

Garden Fancy
mildred bowers armstrong

Our Garden has a little pool
Where flowers often like to cool
Their faces that the sun has flushed
Or look to see if their hats are brushed
And every flower the garden grows
Puts pollenpowder on her nose

Bubble Burst Game

Blow a bunch of bubbles and for each one, call out a different body part. Have the kids try to burst each bubble with the specified part of the body. Such as: knee, nose, elbow, foot, hand, toe or whatever you want to call out.