1. Don’t kick.
2. Don’t punch.
3. Never throw toys at people.
4. And never ever EVER mess up your bed before a showing!

Methinks we’ve been in this house-on-market stage of life far too long.

We’re studying the Middle Ages this year (Vikings and castles and knights, oh my!). Perfect for lots of fun projects, such as making a Viking longship. I found this awesome make-a-Viking-ship-out-of-a-milk-carton project (we used an eggnog carton) and set D. to work on it with Sir I. I’m more artsy and D.’s more craftsy, so anything that requires ruler-straight lines falls into his domain.

I also found this cool animated Bayeux tapestry (only part of the story, but still fun) on YouTube.

For science, we’re charting the phases of the moon for a whole month (it’s a gibbous moon tonight, with a full moon tomorrow).  I found a moon phase calendar and a moonrise/moonset chart online; I’ve never paid much attention to the lunar cycle before this, but I think this unit will be good from a worldbuilding perspective.  We’re also watching episodes of the History Channel show The Universe, which is really good, except they love to blow up the Earth in all its computer-animated glory in various creatively catastrophic ways. Sir I.’s really into all things space (as am I) so we’re having a lot of fun reading and watching and talking astronomy.

So, instead of NaNoWriMo, I’m going to talk about Japanese paper dolls.

Yep. You heard that right.

A few days ago I had only the vaguest idea that there might be such a thing as Japanese paper dolls. But I have a 5yo daughter who loves pretty things, and she’s studying Japan at the moment, so my thought processes went something like:

Japan–>must do related activity–>5 year old loves fancy patterns, bright colors and pretty costumes–>kimonos!–>rats, I don’t sew and I can’t fob this off on husband who does–>I know! JAPANESE PAPER DOLLS!

So, I googled around and realized I was not the first one who’d made the above connection. Turns out making Japanese paper dolls is a popular activity–and not just for kids. This klutz-proof tutorial yielded us several lovely dolls, albeit with black construction paper hair and faces, because 5-and-3-year-olds cannot fathom faceless dolls.

Of course, pretty Japanese-patterned origami paper is not a staple of our arts & crafts supply shelf, but not to worry. You can actually print out origami paper. It’s not as rich and finger-friendly as real Japanese paper but it does in a pinch. Alternatively, glossy magazines can yield suitable paper–for my test-run doll I made a kimono out of a picture of pink blossoms from a Birds & Blooms magazine.

After making our dolls, we pulled out Children Just Like Me: Celebrations and read a double-page spread on Hina Matsuri, the Japanese Dolls’ Festival that takes place in the spring.

I find real dolls rather creepy (thanks, Chucky), but paper dolls are so delightful and charming. I especially like the ones with period clothing.

What about you? Anyone into paper dolls, origami, or pretty paper?

Scene: I’m trying to empty out a bottle of ketchup. Miss M. is watching.
Miss M.: Don’t say “stupid”, Mom. (This is a household rule.)
Me: I didn’t say “stupid”.
Miss M: Your brain said “stupid”.
Me: If my brain said “stupid”, how would you know it did?
Miss M: I hear what brains say. *pause*  Only I can do that.

Just call her… Telepathy Girl!

Scene: In the morning. On my bed.
Miss M: I have magic hair.
Me: How is it magic?
Miss M: If you touch it with your favorite balloon, it’ll burst the balloon.

Telepathy Girl with Magic Balloon-Bursting Hair!

–aside– did you know that peregrine falcons can reach speeds of over 200 mph in a dive? how awesome is that?! –end aside–

Now Sir I. wants to “adopt” a snowy owl and we’re brainstorming ideas for how he can afford to do that. His dad and I will match his contribution dollar for dollar, but he has to earn almost $20 on his own. D. suggested he sort our books, Sir I. wants to rake leaves, and I offered to pay him to help his sister clean up her (disaster of a) room. Any other ideas for how an almost-six-year-old can earn some money?

I think our next read-aloud will have to be the first book of the Guardians of Ga’hoole series.

Check out this adorable free printable owl art calendar (via The Crafty Crow)!

Not a dirty, nasty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

* Miss M. loves unicorns. She loves to color unicorn pictures, cut them out and twirl around the house flying them. Apparently these unicorns do fly, even though they have no discernable wings.

* The Baron is saying color words: “boo”, “een” and “bown”.

* We drew birds. Lots and lots of owls, hummingbirds, parrots and just generic birds. Don’t ask me why the olders are so into them right now.

* We got into all the scrap fabric bags left over from David’s sewing projects and my college costume design class from mumbletymumble years ago and made a coat of many colors. Ouch. I hot-glued my fingers way too many times. Now you know, kids, why glue guns are only for mommies!

• Went to visit the science museum with our college-student babysitter. We hiked a little ways on a trail and stopped to examine every fungus we saw. The Baron blew a spider–pop!–off its web. Poor critter.
• Read Ursula Le Guin’s Catwings to the older two who were just enthralled. Today we drew and colored our own cats and cut out oil-pastel-colored wings for them.
• I was both amused and bemused at how excited Sir I. is about The Hobbit, which David is reading to him. He’s so excited that he will often read ahead on his own after David’s voice has given out. My kid. Reading. The Hobbit. This time last year he was reading Henry & Mudge and Syd Hoff books. My mind boggles.
• On a similar note, Miss M. and I are doing little two-minute reading lessons. She’s not wild about our primer, but she can read lists of words! Al, Sal, Hal. bat, ban, band. She’s doing great!
• We made a sugar cube step pyramid. And a sugar cube box. And sugar cube towers. And sugar cube… oh wait. We ran out of sugar cubes.

How was your week?

Me: Sure!

Miss M: *hands me purple tinker toy” Here’s a cookie.

Me: Yum!

Miss M: *hands me round yellow tinker toy* And a pat of butter.

Me: Oh.

Miss M: *hands me blue tinker toy rod” And this is the knife for the butter.

Me: *spreads butter on my cookie*

Miss M: *rummages around in her picnic basket* Would you liked to have a cooked person?

Me: ….

Miss M: *expectant stare*

Me: Erm… is this a real person or a gingerbread person?

Miss M: *long thoughtful pause*

Me: *please don’t say it, please don’t say it!*

Miss M: *air of one making a weighty decision* A gingerbread person

Me: *sigh of relief* In that case, sure!

In case any of you are wondering, these are the persons Miss M. offered me.

Miss M.: How ’bout you be Cinderella and I be Snow White? Cinderella is cooking.

(By now you can probably tell why I always get to be Cinderella.)

Me: Yep. Working hard.

Miss M: And Cinderella’s prince is mowing the lawn.

(This is true. My prince was, indeed, out mowing the lawn.)

Me: Yes, he works very hard to keep up the palace lawns.

Miss M: *casually* Snow White’s prince died before her birthday.

Me: Oh. That’s very sad. What happened to him?

(I know, I know. I really shouldn’t go there, but… morbid curiosity, so…)

Miss M: Oh, he didn’t get enough water.

Me: So Snow White’s prince is a plant got dehydrated? That’s too bad.

(I really, really shouldn’t pursue these Cinderella/Snow White conversations, but I can’t help wondering what’s going to come out of her mouth next!).

Here’s Miss M.’s:

While the kids were working on their birds, Mom (that’s me) decided to try something she’d wanted to for a while (hey, the paints and paper were already out, right?)—string art! Wouldn’t this make a cute background for a collage or ATCs?

Once Miss M. was done with her bird, she decided to do her own thing and came up with this shiny and colorful abstract art:

Sir I. painted black construction paper a grey-blue, then decided to get up close and personal with the paint. Look, Ma!

The art session ended quite soon after this point.  Washed hands, cleaned brushes and palettes, put away supplies, and spread our art on the kitchen counter to dry. Time to get the littlest from his nap and go out and play!