If you are looking for a good program to use with your kids this summer so they don’t forget what they have learned in school, I highly recommend checking out the Summer Bridge Activities Books. I’ve been using them the past few years and they are great for “bridging” over from one grade to the next. The kids find them fun as well instead of just boring book work. Amazon has most of them priced around $10, down from $14.95 and shipping is free with Amazon Prime or with a $25 purchase. I just bought two of them for my older 2 kids to do this summer. They’ve already been asking when their new Summer Bridge Activities Books will be here. Looks like they have everything available from going in to Kindergarten to 8th grade.
Athens, GA Chick-fil-A Offers Backstage Tours
If you are looking for something to do with or without the kids, the Athens, GA Chick-fil-A is now offering Backstage Tours at the Atlanta Hwy location. If you aren’t near here, check with your local Chick-fil-A and inquire if they will be offering anything similar.
I took my kids on the tour today and it was cute and fun. The manager was the one guiding us through the store. We donned nifty CFA hats and backstage passes. We learned a little of the history of CFA and then were able to go back in the kitchen to see how they make the chicken. We saw one worker making lemonade. Did you know CFA purchases and uses the most lemons than any company in the US? That’s some good lemonade!
After the tour, the kids were able to make their own ice cream cone, which of course was the highlight of the tour.
If you are local to Athens, GA, you can reserve your spot today and receive full details about your free Tour Experience by emailing chickfila3637 @ gmail dot com. Again, if you aren’t in the area, please contact your local restaurant to see if they will be offering tours.
Tasty Tuesday: Make A Strawberry Pie!
Every year during strawberry season, the kids and I love making strawberry pies. They are so simple and incredibly delicious. Even better, you don’t have to heat up the house to make this! All you need is a few simple ingredients:
- 1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust
- 1 small box of Strawberry Jello
- 1 Carton of Strawberries
- Whipped Cream
Wash and slice the strawberries and arrange in the graham cracker pie crust.
Make the jello according to instructions on the box and pour while still hot over the strawberries. You want to come close to the top of the graham cracker crust, but not over. Pour remaining jello into a airtight container and store in the fridge for a later snack.
Move the pie to the fridge and allow to cool an hour or two while the jello sets.
Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
Weekend Boredom Buster: Have A Cinco De Mayo Fiesta!
Today is Cinco De Mayo. What better way to celebrate than with a Cinco De Mayo Feista! Here are some fun ways to make this an awesome day:
First up, you have to have FOOD! I’m talking homemade salsa and chips, chicken enchiladas, Sopapillas for dessert, and whatever else you want to come up with.
You can make your own piñata and stuff full of goodies or make your own maracas for some musical fun. There are a number of coloring pages to print as well.
Are you doing anything special today?
Weekend Boredom Buster: Make Ice Cream
It’s getting hot out there, time to make a cool snack. This ice cream recipe is fun and easy. Get the kids to help and you can all be eating a tasty homemade treat in just about 5 minutes!
You’ll need the following per person:
-
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup salt (Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is ok too)
- Ice cubes (you’ll need enough to fill the gallon-size bag about half full)
- 1 pint-size Ziplock bag
- 1 gallon-size Ziplock bag
- First, combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.
- Next, place the salt and the ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag.
- Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (this takes about 5 minutes). Keep feeling the small bag to determine when it’s done.
- Finally, take the smaller bag out of the larger one and add any add-ins you want (think chocolate chips, M&M’s, fruit).
- You can use all kinds of flavors and add-ins to make each batch different!
- Enjoy!
Make Your Own Handwriting Practice Sheets!
I was looking for some handwriting practice for my son and cursive practice for my daughter and came across a neat site called HandwritingWorksheets.com. I gave it a whirl and now have bookmarked this site. I can type in their name or whatever I want them to practice writing and it automatically generates a worksheet. Super cool! You can choose between Print, D’Nealian, or Cursive writing styles. Thought I’d share this neat time saver website with ya’ll. Go check it out!
Tasty Tuesday: Make Freezer Biscuits
For Tasty Tuesday this week, I’m bringing back an oldie but a goodie that I posted this fall since I’m making these today! In the spring/summer months, it gets really hectic around here with so much to do and so much sunshine to enjoy. I take a day and make enough biscuits to put away for a while in the freezer. It helps prevent waste and overeating as well by just pulling out the number I need. Here’s how to make your own freezer biscuits:
First, gather the following ingredients:
- 5 cups self rising flour
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup butter or shortening
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk or milk
Add everything into the bowl and stir well until the dough has formed. If it seems too sticky, add in a little extra flour as needed.
Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch and use a cup or a cookie cutter to form the biscuits.
Place the biscuits on a pan. It’s okay to have them super close together since they will not be rising. If you have more than one layer, be sure and place wax paper in between the layers so they do not stick together.
Immediately put the biscuits into the freezer, making sure that they stay flat.
After a few hours when they are frozen, remove them from the pan and place in a freezer safe bag and return the bag of biscuits to the freezer.
Pull biscuits from bag as needed and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Yum! Give it a try and see what you think!
How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies!
Every summer, it’s a battle around here to fight off those pesky fruit flies since we keep lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand. They always seem to come around no matter how clean I keep the kitchen! A friend told me a trick a few years ago on how to get rid of them and I’m going to show you today! It’s very simple and inexpensive.
Simply fill a cup or bowl with an inch or two of apple cider vinegar. Add in 4 drops of your liquid dish detergent such as Dawn or Palmolive, and stir. Set it out where the flies are congregating and wait. Within a few hours, you’ll notice several flies in the bottom of the cup, dead.
Simple and painless! Sure beats swatting! Do you have any tricks to keep bugs out of your house?
Wrapping Up Our Study On Strangers – Next Up, Space!
I told ya’ll a couple weeks ago that we were studying strangers in our homeschool lessons. It’s been a great study for our family. My older 2 have asked a ton of great questions and it’s been great learning together on what to do IF something were to happen.
I think the most influential thing I used in this study was THIS VIDEO from YouTube where someone attempted to kidnap a child here in Georgia. It was all caught on tape. My children watched with wide eyes and we talked about how the girl kicked, screamed, and once she was free, she ran for help. This video makes my heart stop whenever I see it. Yes it’s completely debatable on how the girl was left in the toy section by herself, but really ANYTHING could happen in a second.
The second most influential item I used was The Safe Side: Stranger Safety dvd. It’s put out by John Walsh (America’s Most Wanted) so I knew it would be great. It had a great impact on the kids. What’s neat is that it categorizes people into Safe Side, Don’t Knows, and Kinda Knows. Most libraries should have this available to borrow – I know ours did! You can find worksheets and questions to go along with the movie HERE.
On the topic that’s always hard to discuss, we decided to use the book I Said No! A kid-to-kid guide to keeping your private parts private. It was really good. It showed what red flag signs were and to say NO!
And of course the The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers was excellent. I love the comparison of a good apple with worms inside and an ugly apple that is great inside.
So we’ve finished up this study. Next up, Space! My son is looking forward to this topic. If you have any book recommendations or project ideas, I’d love to hear them!
It’s Strawberry Picking Time!
Mmmm… My favorite season is upon us…. Strawberry Pickin’ Season! Words can’t describe a fresh picked strawberry! I took my crew out picking strawberries on Saturday. We had a blast! I’m not sure what we are going to do with all of the strawberries yet. I’m sure we will make some strawberry jam in the bread machine, possibly a strawberry shortcake, and most definitely we’ll eat them like crazy! If you live in my area, here’s a list of the local strawberry patches that I am aware of. Let me know if you know any others not listed or if you have any feedback on these patches. Normally we go to the one at Moon Farms since it’s closer.
Washington Farms: It’s always best to call or check their website before you head out to Washington Farms. Sometimes they get slammed with visitors and will be picked out for the day. Washington Farms is open from 8am-8pm Mon-Saturday as long as they have ripe berries. They are closed Sunday. Prices are $10 for a gallon of pick your own berries or $12 for pre-picked.
Moon Farms: Moon Farms is open Monday-Saturday from 9-6 and Sundays from 2-6. One thing that I particularly love about Moon Farms is that they have fresh homemade strawberry ice cream available to buy! You haven’t lived until you’ve tried fresh strawberry ice cream! It’s rather dangerous on my wallet that Moon Farms is located so close by! Pick your own berries in a gallon bucket for $10 or pre-picked for $12.
Rocky Ridge Farm: Rocky Ride farms is open Monday- Friday 1-6 and Saturday from 10-6. Clsoed on Sunday. Pick your own berries in a gallon bucket for $10 or pre-picked for $12. Located in Lexington. I haven’t been to this location, so would love to hear from those that have!
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