Fun with Scissors!

Jacq LOVES to use her scissors. Here is proof.


She got these great books made by Kumon. They are great for practicing cutting and pasting. A very easy, yet effective teaching tool.

Recipe: Caprese Pasta

I love italian food. Pasta, basil, cheeses. What's not to love?! I made this over the weekend for a BBQ and it was very tasty!

What you need:
*Pasta, one package (fusilli, penne or rotini)
*Handful fresh basil, shredded
*12oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*Tomatoes, seeded and cut into small chunks
*1/3 c olive oil
*1/4 c fresh lemon juice
*1 shallot, minced
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp lemon zest
*1/4 c balsamic vinegar
*Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool and stop them from cooking.

Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, shallot and garlic in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and gently toss. Marinate at room temperature for about 15 mins.

Add the pasta and mozzarella to the tomato mixer and toss. Stir in the basil and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Yum! This recipe is from this months Food Network Magazine :)

Apple Sequence

Here is a very easy activity to demonstrate an easy sequence pattern to your child.

First print out the apples from this page.

Cut out the apples and have your child arrange them biggest to smallest. Mix them up and now have them do it smallest to biggest. Jacq wanted to save her apples so we glued hers to a brown paper bag.

Fun with Throwies!

Jacq got Marc an awesome book for Father's Day called, Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share. It is filled with great science projects, activities for outdoors, games and lots of other cool treats. Marc saw the 'throwies' in the book. Of course he had already seen the idea on one of the many nerd blogs he reads and had actually talked about making them with Jacq long before he got the book. The book just gave him the motivation to do it!

Here is what you need.
*CR2032 3V batteries
*5mm LED lights
*small, round magnets
*tape

Nerd in Training

Set out your supplies. Jacq separated the LED's by color. I'm sure this has nothing to do with out Montessori activities. :)

Now slide one leg of the LED onto each side of a battery. It should light up. If it does not flip the legs around.

Now use some tape to adhere the magnet to either side of the battery.

Now have some fun! Jacq loved throwing these all over the house to see what they would stick to.

This is the face of a kid that loves science!