Dinosaur Hoodie Tutorial

We have been doing different fun things this week with dinosaurs. I made the kids these dinosaur hoodies. I have seen them on different websites for up to like $35.
      -You will need_
Hoodies (I bought mine at walmart for like $10)
Felt (I have a stache in my craft supplies, but you can get at walmart or any craft store for pretty cheap!)
Fabric glue
Sewing Machine and thread
Scissors


Ok lets get started

1-Get some felt and cut out diamonds, size depends on how big you want your spikes.
2-Lay your diamonds down the center of the back of the sweater and pin in place.

3-Sew a straight line from the top of the hood all the way down the back

4-Once the diamonds are sewed in place get fabric glue and glue the diamonds together so you have your spikes.. You could also sew them, but I decided to take the easy way  :)

And after you glue it looks like this!!
SO easy and so cute!! The kids LOVE them!!
If you decide to do some for your kids I wanna see!! Have fun, hope you enjoy!

-Ashlee 

Dinosaur Quarry Field Trip

Our Homeschool group had a fun fieldtrip planned to go to the dinosaur quarry and my kids were SO excited. But, when it ended up falling on the same day my good friend was getting married I decided to take them the day before.

We have taken the kids before and my inlaws have taken them once too. They had their junior ranger hats and shirts they HAD to wear. 

They loved being able to touch a real fossil still in the mountain. 

Chester loved the Allosaurus.

He brought along his vocabulary book to write down the names of the dinosaurs he like. This skull is from an Allosaurus, and its one of the most preserved skulls they have found.

If you have not taken your kids you should!! Its awesome!!

A whole wall or mountain with tons of fossils still in it! The kids loved it and we will defiantly go back.
 

Our School Set up

Our set up for our school is really simple. When we moved into our new house Chester got the old "master" bedroom. It had 2 closets which he doesnt need. So I converted it into our school closet.

 I added the white dividers which were in Payzleis closet of our old house. I bought folders and binders. I also bought the cute little tins from the Dollar Tree to put markers, crayons, colored pencils, and sissors in. I just used command strips to hang them on the wall. I also use a hang up closet organizer (not pictured) with our coloring books, flashcards, notebooks and other books in it. Since I had most of the stuff already it didnt cost very much at all.
This area is the work area. IKEA saved me a ton of money!! I bought these little end tables- SO much cheaper than desks, I had bought the little black chairs awhile ago from IKEA also. And the chalkboard- whiteboard- paper combo it was only like $15!!

Yes, our school area isnt anything special and it is in Chesters room.. but it totally works for now!! I will have to change things up when the kids get older cause the tables and chairs are little. But, its a great start for way cheap!

-Ashlee

Our decision to Homeschool

As some of you know Jake and I have decided to start a new journey in life and homeschool our kids. This decision comes after alot of thought and prayer. Since Chester was tiny we have always talked about homeschooling, but as most people do I kept saying.. I dont think I can do it, Im not smart enough, Im not dedicated enough, Im not ambitious enough and so on and so on. This summer the thought kept coming to me that I needed to do it. I called my friend Autumn and asked her about her experiences and she had alot of good things to say. I talked to a few more people and asked their opinions, and finally I went to the temple. After leaving the temple that night I knew that I had my answer and I needed to do it.

Many people have asked me why I chose to do it. I have alot of reasons. Some may agree and some may disagree with me and thats fine. Everyone should do what they think is right for their children. But, here are some of my reasons.
- All to often we hear something horrible happening in the public schools. People getting bullied, kids getting shot, stabbed. Coaches and teachers doing horrible things to kids.  Its so sad!!
- Alot of things are taught to kids that I feel my kids dont need to know.
- Alot of things that I hope to teach my kids they wont get at school.
- I want to see my kids improvement first hand.
- I like the more one on one, if they need help with something I can help them.
-These are just a few off the top of my head.

This being my first year I decided to use a curriculum that my friends use, so if I have questions or need help with something I know who to ask :)  Also, they love it which is nice!
I am using the ABEKA curriculum for spelling, history, reading, all subjects but Math. And the Mathusee for math. I have also got stuff online. There is a ton of free homeschool stuff! Its awesome!!

 I am going to try and be better about blogging good and bad with this journey! I have had alot of people wanting to know how it goes because they too have thought about it. So, I hope that my experiences can help!

I am so excited and so nervous for our journey!

-Ashlee