Education

DIY: Grass Pet {Making Shoes}

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read606 views

A week and a half ago we decorated my Son’s Grass Head Pet.

After watering it and placing it on the kitchen window sill for some warm Sun light, it grew its first hair six days later. Today we spotted two more tiny hairs underneath and above its nose. We gave it some feet/shoes.

Grass Pet Face with one hair.
Grass Pet Face with one hair.

Materials/Tools Needed:

  • Scissors
  • Craft glue, Hot glue gun
  • Toilet Paper roll, Craft Paper, Card Board (for the shoe)
  • Pencil, Permanent Marker (to draw and decorate the shoes)
  • Small Ice Cream/Yogurt container or Toilet Paper Roll (for the body)

How to proceed:

  • Squeeze the toilet paper roll to make it flat. If you are using craft paper, fold the paper in two
  • Using a Pencil, draw a foot or shoe on one side of the toilet paper roll or the craft paper
  • Use your scissors to cut around your drawing (you will end up with a set of foot or shoe)
  • Use your Hot glue gun to glue the shoes/feet to the bottom of your body.
DIY: Grass Pet Shoes.
DIY: Grass Pet Shoes.
Grass Pet with Shoes.
Grass Pet with Shoes.

On my next update I will show you how to make an outfit for the Grass Pet.

DIY: Grass Pet

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read629 views

For Earth Day, my son was given a round shaped pantyhose filled with sod and grass seed. All he had to do was place it next to a window for some warm Sun light, water and watch it grow. I stored it somewhere in the Patio and forgot about it until this morning. It’s a really fun and easy activity for kids and adults alike. This Grass Pet is almost similar to the Chia Pet, remember those?

Today, we will turn this plain round shaped ball of sod and grass seeds into a cute face.

Faceless Grass Pet.
Faceless Grass Pet.
Grass Pet all decorated.
Grass Pet all decorated.

Materials/Tools Needed:

  • Pantyhose, Socks, Nylon stockings
  • Scissors (to cut the pantyhose)
  • Grass Seeds
  • Potting Mix
  • Small Ice Cream and Yogurt container or Toilet Paper Roll (for the body)
  • Spray Paint (for the body)
  • Painter’s Tape (if you’re not planning to paint the container)
  • Chenille Stems, Googly Eyes, Permanent marker, yarn (for the eyes and mouth)
  • Thread to fasten the nose.
  • Craft Paper (to design the outfit for the body)
  • Craft glue, Hot glue gun
  • Bowl and Water

How to proceed:

  1. Mix the soil and grass seed together
  2. Fill the pantyhose, shaping it into a ball and then tie off the open end (leaving enough material for the nose).
  3. Grab a bit of the stocking with some dirt and twist it to shape the nose. Use some thread to fasten it.
  4. Start decorating your grass pet whichever way you want
  5. Place it in a bowl, water daily, sit back and watch it grow.
Grass Pet Face.
Grass Pet Face with Body.

How about some Shoes for your Grass Pet? Click here.
I hope you enjoy making your own Grass Pet and watching the hair grow.

Last Day of School & Saying Goodbye

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read508 views

Ivan & Mrs. Cindy Wismer.
Ivan & Mrs. Cindy Wismer, Teacher.

Today was the last day of school at Cottonwood Elementary.

It’s been a bittersweet day for some of us parents.
We listened to a heartfelt speech by one of the Kindergarten teachers and watched a beautiful slideshow presentation of all the children activities during the school year.

I, for one, am happy that School is over because my Son can now enjoy the holidays and work on some of his projects. At the same time, I know that he is constantly looking forward to go to school and learn new things.

It’s been a great school year for my little boy. He exceeded everyone’s expectations. I am grateful that he was assigned an awesome teacher at the start of his school year. A woman so loving, helpful, encouraging and who shows patience to all. A woman who has given him the tools to advance in life, to reach out for his goals and nurtured self-confidence in him. These are all priceless and I am thankful.

Mrs. Wismer has been teaching for 35 years and this was her first and last year at Cottonwood Elementary as she is now retiring.

How Well Does Your Child Know You?

JM Perez By JM Perez3 min read501 views

I am sure most of us have heard questions such as “How Well Do You Know Your Child?” and it’s a question all parents must be able to answer. We cannot effectively reach out to children (or anyone, to say the least) if we cannot understand them or place ourselves in their shoes for a moment. Life goes by so fast that we sometimes get caught up with what seems to be the priorities on our minds that we forget about the basics.
As parents (guardians and/or caregivers), we wake up in the morning, get breakfast ready, get the children ready, drive them to school and get on with our own work. Then it’s time to pick the children up from school, ask about their day, have diner, help out with their homework and get them ready for bed. We wake up in the morning and do the same thing over and over again.

Those things create a bond between the child and the parent (priceless). As much as we enjoy doing these things for our children and while we adjust/embrace these changes, are we really paying attention to the most important details in their lives? Are we listening to them, understanding what they are saying and responding appropriately? Or are we simply ‘going with the flow’ like some would say? I am sure you’ve all heard the saying and hopefully read the Poem by Dorothy Law Nolte, Children Live What They Learn. We are our children’s heroes from the start and they mimic our every move even though we don’t seem to notice it. If someone was to ask you today how well you know your child, can you say for sure that you will represent your child well? Click here for a fun survey and share the results with your child to see how well you did.

How about your child? How Well Does Your Child Know You? This question is as important as the first one (how well do you know your child?). How do you project yourself to your children? How do you nurture them? What do they think of you? Is their perception of you accurate? As parents we are more concern about our children’s well-being that we forget to share a little bit about ourselves with them. Living under the same roof does not mean that they know and/or understand us and what we do. We have to share some information which may come handy in time (in extreme cases for instance, being able to identify us just by simple, yet detailed questions). Our children may not answer all questions about us accurately, but they should not be guessing when we can educate them and we should not be guessing either and start asking questions.

All About Mom.
All About Mom.

One of the activities of the month of May in my Son’s class was a description/presentation about their Mothers. Sometimes we think such little details are not so important for our children to know, but they really are and my boy made me proud today. As you can see on the document above, he remembered everything except my age.

“Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.”― George Bernard Shaw

So, my dear readers, on a scale of 1 to 10, how well would you say your child (or children) know you? How well do you know them? I’d love to hear back from you.

Easter Egg Decorating Project

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read361 views

This afternoon we had another opportunity to work on a Family Decorative Project for my Son’s class. We had so much fun coloring the Easter Egg Canvas below. He was very specific on what he wanted and I think it turned out just wonderful. My kids are looking forward to decorating some Eggs for Easter.

Easter Egg Decorating Project.
Easter Egg Decorating Project.

Tomorrow, along with the other kids, they will be decorating some Eggs. He’s quite excited!