Graduations!

So this May, I was lucky to go to two of my siblings' graduations. Both graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. It was a lot of fun to get to see family.  Athena graduated in the morning in Education.

The kids got a little bored, but were excited to see Athena. 

Ryan graduated in the afternoon in construction management. Yes, they did the same speeches over again, but it was cool to see both of them graduate!

Below is a picture of all the siblings that were able to be there. Yes, I know, I am short.

Congrats Athena and Ryan!

Fun Christmas ornaments!

This past Christmas, I was in charge of an activity for YW.  We made different ornaments. Below are some of the samples I made. I got the idea from Pintrest.

This first one is taking a clear glass bulb and squeezing paint inside it.  As it dried, the paint moved around. If you rolled it to different sides, it changed the paint.  I put too much in thinking I didn't have enough so it took longer to dry. It looked really cool when it was finished. 

This next one is a christmas tree made out of buttons.  I hot glued them onto a white piece of cloth.  I put this into a frame. 

The next idea I remember doing in elementary school.  I took puzzle pieces and made a wreath. I used pieces with green on them, but some of the girls actually painted their's green. I would have made it a little thicker if I did it again. The holly is red sequins. 

This next one took patience but looked really cool when it was finished. You take a ribbon and little beads and string a clear piece of string through them. You have to make each one a little smaller or bigger than the last one (depending upon if you are starting at the top or bottom). When you are finished, you push a metal ornament hook through it so you can hang it on the tree.  

We had a lot of fun. I hope to make more this next year or even learn how to do different ones as well.

Our First Grade Garden

So these next few posts have been halfway done for awhile. I get the pictures ready on my app but then like to type using the computer. I finally finished them! 

In first grade, we plant a community garden.  This year, due to many factors, we only planted beans and radishes.  My class planted the back row of beans and the right side of the radishes. I don't think I got any pictures of the plants as they got bigger.  I will have to go back and check. 

In this next picture, it is a close-up of radish plants.  You can see the red part of the radish right at the soil. 

Below are close-ups of the bean plants. The tan things hanging on the stem just below the leaves are what is left of the seed. 

We also had a rain gauge. Students thought it was interesting to see how the rain fall could differ. 

Students would come outside and record using pictures and words the changes they noticed in the garden. We would often discuss what they saw. Also, at the end, students got to take home radishes and beans to eat with their families. They thought it was so cool to pick them!