A while ago I found a great tutorial at the Purl Bee on button making. We decided to give it a shot. I drew some circles on linen and asked Lou to draw whatever she wanted with the disappearing pen. She drew faces. Then she picked out some colors.

Then I stitched the faces…

We cut them out…

And Lou began pounding the buttons together with a mallet.

What a handsome little guy.

More Collaborative Work

• Building a Better Teacher
• Effects of music on cognitive function – Music helps with math, but researchers are not sure why.
• Breastfed mice get a boost in their metabolism.
• Treating a child’s allergies.
• Protecting a babies ears is important.

• Lisa Hamilton

I got this lovely wrap that is no longer in use as a wrap. However, sometimes we break it out and swing the kids in it.

One parent on each side, swinging, singing…

It’s got to feel awesome.

• Touch means so much – little touches, like in sports, count too.
• Napping primes the brain for learning.
• Test-Tube babies may have more genetic issues.
• Basic training in birthing babies may save many lives globally.
• Pop-tarts at bake sales.

• Cristiano Guerri

On a side note: If you are looking for more artists like these you can follow me at google buzz or reader. Here’s my profile.

We bought a 4″x4″ and screwed on some blocks of wood at the ends for stabilization. It was a hit. Especially with the 18 month old.

Note: Our piece of wood didn’t seem to have any splinters. Also, it’s a bit cumbersome to have laying about. I just knew I was going to end up tripping on it, so it’s banished to the garage when not in use.

Other than that, it was well worth the $8 to see how excited the kids were going back and forth. We got to watch Ero master the one foot in front of the other move, which puzzled him at first and excited him to figure out. Good times.

• It’s planning for a vacation that makes the most happiness with a quick return to the status quo afterwards.
• Increase in chronic health problems for children.
• What causes chest pain when feelings are hurt.
• Two sodas or more a week might double your chances of pancreatic cancer.
• Untreated vision problems linked with dementia.
• 8 states to let kids graduate after 10th grade based on testing out. – Wow.

• Hiroko Tsuchimoto

My daughter Lou is crazy for this old encyclopedia she borrowed from her friend. Montessori is a fan of non-fiction for kids, and after seeing how Lou reacted to the encyclopedia I got her a few more non-fiction books. It also happens that non-fiction is crazy inexpensive for some reason. I also wager these, or books like these, are at any library. Dusty and unloved.

They are glorious.

I’ll start with Our Animal Friends. It’s the most story like, and personal, of the bunch.

Adorable art and wonderful (sometimes slightly dark) storytelling about animals on a farm.

Above, for example, a mean rooster gets carried away by a fox. The way they do it is very funny for adults. I had to hold back my laughing since it’s hard to explain why I, a vegetarian, would laugh at such a thing.

The rest of the books are all very non-fiction. I chose ones that had pictures of kids in them since she likes that.

Wonderful Houses Around the World has great illustrations and descriptions of houses… around the world.

They show a real photo and then draw what’s inside.

The book Children Just Like Me is a winner too. Beautiful photos and descriptions of individual children around the world:

They show their favorite toys, families, schools…

Then we got another little house book. Homes Around the World. It has neat pictures of strange houses:

It’s also good for beginning readers.

Then lastly we got a book called People which is beautifully illustrated but slightly dated.

Great stuff like this:

But also represents America as a cliché many times:

People reading that book might think we are a nation of rodeo’s and BBQ’s.

Overall great stuff. Lou chooses to read some of these every day.

• This is so exciting, a HUGE 21 year study on 100,000 families is beginning.

• minä perhonen

Note: I changed the name from Dailyish Roundup because it seems to be a couple times a week, so simpler it is.

Just in time for Valentine’s day.

Peter got me a bouquet for my birthday and it was starting to look a little old. Add to that Lou was pleading to have one of the flowers. We let her have at it.

It was full of learning. And ripping. And crushing.

Lou split many of the flowers into categories:

And we looked at the many differences:

Pretty science…

I didn’t expect Ero to be able to do the lacing beads. Peter however, doesn’t have a good grasp on when kids are ready to do things, so yesterday he started playing beads with him. Ero seemed to be getting it, at least getting the part where you put a bead on the little stick and then dad does the rest.

So I gave it a shot with him again today.

I held the stick on a string and he put a bead on. I thought I would up the game by getting him to grasp the top of the stick.

Then I let go and the bead slide down. Ero smiled. He did it again and again. Halfway through I realized that he was grouping like beads.

Then as if to salvage his masculinity he ran about hitting things with it.