It's Mother's Day this Sunday! Kids, it's time to show your appreciation for your Moms, Grandmas, and Great-Grandmas. Let's be honest, our moms need a moment in the sun this year with all the added pressure of the current situation. So let's lavish her with thoughtful, homemade ideas that you can tweek to fit what you can do at home!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Earth Day is 50 years old today!! If we are looking for a silver lining in this whole moment, I think it can be that we are home enough to take care our own personal environment as well as learn a little about what is going on in the world as well as how we can make an impact.

Let's make sure to keep some of these well known ways to help our Earth and maintain our natural resources as we move forward... these are such good habits to teach our kids (and they affect our wallet as well):

• • • turning off the water when you are brushing teeth or scrubbing hands (how appropriate for the times);

    • recycling (there are many places to turn in - behind the New Washington fire dept. to name one);

    • turning off lights when you aren't in the room or keeping lights off during the day;

    • using your big appliances during off peak times (check with your electric company).

My personal favorite way to do a little something "green" is to use my clothes line to dry sheets, towels, blankets, clothes, rugs, etc. This is my favorite chore to do... not sure why other than there is nothing better than the smell of sheets after they have dried out on the line! Added Bonus: The sun kills bacteria that might live on your clothing and makes them smell "funky" - I find this especially with bath/kitchen towels and dish rags. You'd also be very surprised at how quickly these big items dry outside. If you don't have lines, you could always take your indoor drying rack outside! (But I HIGHLY suggest getting your own set of clothes lines...)

We are also big on planting trees over here in Caudille-ville. (We have over 100 trees to plant this year...who's idea was that!?! But I guess it's a pretty good spring for it...) The Seneca Soil and Water people have a yearly tree sale that you can buy saplings of pines/maples/oaks and others types for cheap, cheap, cheap! Their sale is done for the year but the pick up is this week - they usually have extras you can buy (first come first serve)... here is the link to that post on their website: Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District Tree Sale Post

Some ideas from NUHOP Outdoor Education (link below):

What can you do? There's a lot to choose from...

• We have compiled lots of options of activities for you below. You can play our games, do our crafts, make our recipes, or do anything else that involves making the planet cleaner. Here are some additional suggestions:

  • • Plant a tree (or several).

    • Teach someone about recycling.

    • Purchase, decorate, or create a reusable alternative to something disposable. (example: a reusable tote bag instead of plastic grocery bags)

    • Create artwork that celebrates the planet and/or teaches about what it means to be green.

    • Make a sign to remind your family to turn off lights or faucet when they aren't needed.

Another silver lining about people staying at home... the lack of air pollution in the world. Maybe not so much around here, but in highly populated areas around the world - this is a big deal. See these articles if you are interested in reading about it:

World Economic Forum: This is the effect coronavirus has had on air pollution all across the world

National Geographic: Pollution made COVID-19 worse. Now, lockdowns are clearing the air.

Wired: The Pandemic Has Led to a Huge, Global Drop in Air Pollution

Looks like it is going to be a good week to stay inside with wind, rain, and the possibility of snow... ick! So with that, let's have a building week dedicated to LEGO'S!

Below are links (click on the pictures) of a ton of ideas. These are suitable for the very young to old as well as beginners to more experienced builders!

Holy smokes! It's Easter this coming weekend! How'd that happen?!

Below I've found some fun egg dying activities that are fun for all ages. Hopefully you have a few eggs you can hard boil and color up for Easter this year. Also, there is a fun little reaction that happens between vinegar and calcium carbonate (egg shell), sweet treats with egg whites, and a crystal making egg-speriment (ha!) that can be interesting to investigate as well - see below for links (click on the pictures)! Happy Easter Everyone!!

Hi everyone. I hope you all are beginning to find your schedule for this strange time and are not overwhelmed by everything. I thought this week we would go with a supply that everyone has at home - paper! See below for some ideas for some paper airplane fun and building... Click on the pictures to head to the websites for more information and how-to's.

Hey guys! Click on the images above for some ideas of things to make this week. I'm trying to keep with the spirit week idea and I think FORT MAKING is an idea for Friday's pajama day!! Forts can be as simple as the blanket/pillow/clothes pins fort you made as a kid OR as intricate as making an entire fort out of cardboard. You have all week to make it so let's see what you got!!