Rachel's 10th bday!

Luau style!

Sunday, July 29
Noon-4pm

Colors: hot pink, orange, lime green

Food: Kailua Pork, Hawaiian pizza, Polynesian rice, fruit kabobs, veggie platter, baked mac & cheese, chinese chicken salad, spam musubi, seaweed

Fruit Kabobs


Order red velvet cake from Porto's on 7/14.  Pick up Saturday, 7/28.  Rachel will decorate.  Kohl pick up at 2:30pm from house?

Prep calendar:

July 1: Order from Oriental Trading
July 2: Address invites
July 7: Send invites; create food/banner backdrop, order bouncer
July 14: Order cake, pinata, & balloons
July 15: Make tissue flowers
July 23: Pack goodie bags
July 28: Cook food, pick up cake, decorate cake Pick up balloons at 7pm
July 29: Party!


Games:

• bouncer
• pinata
• hula hoop contest
• hot coconut
• photo booth

Party favors: leis, flower clips, bracelets, sunglasses, tiki necklaces, water guns
Goodie bags:

Party day schedule:
9am: put signs up at El Dorado
9:30am: get to picnic site
10am: decorate
Noon: George brings rice, mac & cheese, veggies, fruit
12:30pm - games (3)
1:30pm - pinata
2pm: Kohl picks up cake from house
2:30pm -blow out candles

Guests:

1. Mom & Dad R.
2. Mom & Dad C.
3. Kohl
4. Kathy
5. Ed & Linda
6. Rod, Nat, Nathan
7. Peter & Sophia
8. Cheryl, John, Natalie
9. Karri, Jim, Lindsay, Camden
10. Katheryn, Dylan C
11. Tiffany, Jorge, Dylan, Jade, Logan
12. Paige & Jasper
13. Ngoc Tram, Ben, Angelina, Madeline, Clementine
14. Erica, Deringer, Zoe, Nate
15. Crystal & Hannah
16. Diane, Kelly, Jillian, Ryan, Troy
17. Nick, Jazel, Issac, Illiana
18. Liz, Erica, Ayden
19. Mari, Michael, Azucena, Dmitri
20. Emma, Peanut
21. Lilian, Landy
22. Grace & Ray
23. Rosa, Harold, Shannon, Jessica
24. George & Debe Rodriguez
25. Renee
26. Rosemarie & Alicia
27. MaryAnn

Jumper choices:
Call for park deliveries/generators

http://www.jumporama.net: C226 3x1, C221 4x1, Dolphin jumper J-1311 13x16
http://www.jumpforall.net: palm tree 4x1 $155
http://www.magicjumprentals.com: lite tropical combo 4x1 $120, tropical combo 5yrs+ $180
http://www.majorjumpers.com: palm tree 3x1
http://www.orangecountyjumpers.com: tropical 3x1 $169

Decorations:  Maximum pop/minimal effort; want to decorate trees; create garlands beforehand; easier to hang than individual items like balloons or hanging decorations

Garland made of streamers in hot pink, orange, and lime green
Make two weeks before

Toothpick bridge contest at gee!

This is a placeholder for my ideas on a new competition at gee!  I did this in 5th grade and it was super fun.  I think I got third place without the internet or any books on bridge building.  I just used nine million toothpicks. :-)

I think the summer is the best time for this activity.  Keeps the kids engaged and they are still learning.  Most of the work is done at home, so they don't have to come to a class.

Have an intro meeting.  I should make a bridge before and bring it in.  We could have toothpicks and glue there for kids to play with.  Maybe hand out a box of toothpicks and a bottle of glue to everyone?

A prize for the winner?  A prize for all participants?  A certificate and a photo?  Maybe the certificate has how much weight it held?  Keep track of the record.  Make a plaque which will keep track of the winners??  Have a special trophy or ribbon ready when the record is broken in a future year??

Different divisions? 8-12 year olds; 13+ year olds

Timeline:

July 13: Toothpick Bridge Contest!
June 29: Have intro meeting- hand out box of toothpicks and bottle of glue
June 16: Make toothpick bridge
June 15: Announce competition!
June 1: What will be the prize for the participants?
May 15: Finalize contest rules & select date
May 1: What will be the grand prize?
April 15: Start putting together contest rules, websites; how much do toothpicks cost?

gee! Toothpick Bridge Contest Rules

Who can make the strongest bridge made of only toothpicks?

• Bridge can only be made of toothpicks (round or straight) and white Elmer's glue.
• Any number of toothpicks can be used.
• Toothpicks can be used whole or in pieces.
• The bridge can be of any shape, but it needs to have a space on top in order to add weights.
• Weights will be books.
• Bridge may not be coated with any material (i.e., paint, stain or glue). 
• Must span a 12 inch gap. +/- .75 inch

Links:
http://www.pisymphony.com/toothpick/toothpick1.htm
http://www.toothpickdesign.com/trusstoothpickbridges.htm
http://www.mrg-online.com/bridge.htm

Simple bridges with book weights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tqSF5bvNpk&feature=related

Competition video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3GouVpD5WE

Bridge building game: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/build-bridge-p1.html

Contest rule links:
http://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/2010ToothpickCompetition.pdf

Virtual bridge contest in January: http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/overview.htm

Popsicle stick bridge designs: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1509

Valentine's Day!

Just posting some stuff I want to do...

Maybe we could actually have a date night??

Monday, January 23: Choose photo to print
Tuesday, January 24: Print photo for grandparents

Friday, January 27: See if Rachel wants to stay with auntie or grandma on the 11t; buy cards for Pooh & Rachel; buy frames for photos

Tuesday, January 31: Make valentines for grandma & Pa

Thursday, February 2: Mail valentines to grandma & Pa
Friday, February 3:  Buy gift for Pooh & Rachel; buy lollipops for Rachel's valentines

Tuesday, February 7: Send valentines to grandma & Pa
Wednesday, February 8: Decorate box for valentines; buy Helen Grace candy for Pooh, aunties, Nathan, grandma & grandpa, park moms

Thursday, February 9: Make Valentines

Saturday, February 11: Date night
Sunday, February 12: Shop for Valentine's dinner and potluck

Monday, February 13: Take valentines to grandma & grandpa
Tuesday, February 14: Make a great dinner at home; make potluck item

Wednesday, February 15: Valentines at Park Day

Christmas Traditions

I just want a spot to jot down the stuff we like to do during the holidays, so I can start planning. :-)

Sunday, 11/6: Patchwork Craft Fair
Monday, 11/7: Select photos for Christmas cards

Wednesday, 11/9: Brass rubbings/park day
Friday, 11/11: Paint N Glaze

Saturday, 11/12: Design Christmas cards
Sunday, 11/13: Celebrate Auntie Kohl's bday

Monday, 11/14: Fix advent calendar
Tuesday, 11/15: Make potluck item
Wednesday, 11/16: Dragtontree potluck
Thursday, 11/17: Find candy cane reindeer supplies
Friday, 11/18: Start making kids gifts; celebrate Grandma's bday

Saturday, 11/19: Go to Mirror,Mirror
Sunday, 11/20: Gardening; look for a mama gift? (Cheryl, Karri, Katheryn, Paige, Erica, Ngoc Tram, Crystal, Pam, Tiffany)

Wednesday, 11/23: Make side dish
Thursday, 11/24: Thanksgiving
Friday, 11/25: Shopping!

Saturday, 11/26: Recital; decorating inside; listen to Handel's Messiah
Sunday, 11/27: Decorating outside

Monday, 11/28: Have dinner with Uncle Ed; wrap SF gifts
Tuesday, 11/29: Order Christmas cards
Wednesday, 11/30: park day
Thursday, 12/1: Make candy cane reindeer
Friday, 12/2: Look for doggie treat bags/buy mama gift items/doggie treat ingredients; wrap SF gifts

Saturday, 12/3: Knotts Merry Farm; decorating inside; listen to Handel's Messiah
Sunday, 12/4: Make tamales; write Christmas cards

Monday, 12/5: Mail SF gifts; make doggie treats for holiday bazaa; wrap doggie treats
Tuesday, 12/6: Make fudge for holiday bazaar, sing-along, & pizza party
Wednesday, 12/7: Dragontree Holiday Bazaar
Thursday, 12/8: Recital; prepare mama gifts

Friday, 12/9: send Christmas cards; Living Nativity on Wardlow
Saturday, 12/10: Buy tree
Sunday, 12/11: Buy cupcakes for sing-along & pizza party; Messiah Sing-along!; Dom's pizza party!

Monday, 12/12: Bake for cookie exchange
Tuesday, 12/13: Make potluck item
Wednesday, 12/14: Dragontree potluck, cookie exchange, gifts for kids, gifts for mamas
Thursday, 12/15: Wrap gifts

Friday, 12/16: Peace and Human Rights Night at New City
Saturday, 12/17: Bake; see lights in Sleepy Hollow
Sunday, 12/18: See lights in Naples

Monday, 12/19: Take tamales to Cheryl and Karri
Tuesday, 12/20: Bake
Wednesday, 12/21: Check Lowe's for 50% off
Thursday, 12/22: Plan Christmas breakfast
Friday, 12/23

Saturday, 12/24: Make side dish or dip; sprinkle reindeer food on lawn; Christmas Eve
Sunday, 12/25: Christmas
Monday, 12/26: Shopping!

Thursday, 12/29: Target goes to 75% off

Sunday, 1/1: New Year's Day
Monday, 1/2: Rose Parade

Halloween Party!

Rachel wants to have a Halloween party.  I think this is the beginning of her tween social group.

We'll need to finalize the guest list, menu, decorations, and activities.  She has told me no crafts.  Hijola.  Does that mean crafts are not  cool??

Party will be Saturday, October 29, 5pm-8pm.

Invites will go out October 8; addressed October 1st; & created September 23rd.

Guests: Natalie, Lindsay, Camden, Jasper, Dylan, Madeleine,  Angelina, Nathan

Favors: hand sanitizers, candy, pencils

Decorations:

• white mini lights
• purple,orange, and black streamers
• purple,orange, and black balloons; order October 23
• pinata- jack o'lantern

Set table with purple tablecover.

Menu:

• pizza
• hot dog mummies
• hummas graveyard with crackers and brocolli
• eyeball (ambrosia) salad
• sorbet punch
• salad for grownups
• cupcakes: sweet embellishments (order 10/23)
• candy corn & chocolate in "coffins"
• water

Games:

• Pinata
• Monster parts: 5 boxes with lids to hold small bowls inside - cold cooked spaghetti (intestines), grapes (eyeballs), candy corn (teeth) , jello (brains) , dried apricots (ears)
• Guess the number of pumpkin seeds in the jar
• Pumpkin bowling: use 6 empty 2-liter bottles and 3 small $1 pumpkins (remove the stems)
• Web weaving game: ball of string (30 ft) for each child; teams of two; place each member of team opposite each other; best with 3 or 4 teams; tie the string to the first player, toss ball to team mate; wrap around them once and throw back to team mate.  First team to use all string wins.

Prizes: 2 boys, 6 girls

Schedule:

• make pinata - 10/2
• decorate - 10/28

Party day:
10am: decorate

3pm: pick up cupcakes
5pm: make mummy hot dog, order pizzas

Homeschool Learning Centers

Sometimes I get asked about other learning centers in Southern California and the whole state.  So this is just a place to hold the info...

Huckleberry Creative Learning Center - Santa Clarita - http://www.hucklc.org
Excellence in Education - Monrovia - http://www.excellenceineducation.com
WISH - co-op in Sherman Oaks - http://www.wishclasses.com

Urban Homeschoolers - Near Griffith Park
http://www.wix.com/annasmith772/urban-homeschoolers#!__la-resource-center

Creative Learning Place - Westchester - http://www.creativelearningplace.com
Rose Scharlin Afternoon Enrichment - Silverlake - http://rosescharlin.com/afternoon-enrichment-program/

Homeschooling Fun - hsfclasses.org - southwest San Gabriel Valley

Homeschool Campus of OC - Costa Mesa - http://www.homeschoolcampusoc.com
Celebration Education OC Learning Center - Brea
South County Campus for Homeschooling - Aliso Viejo - http://www.scchomeschooling.com/

The Learning Collective - Upland - http://www.tlc-education.org
My Learning Connection - Murrieta - http://www.mylearningconnection.net/ 

And, of course, gee! Great Educational Experiences - Long Beach - http://www.geeclasses.com

Rachel - June 2011