Education Archives – Page 6 of 10 – Strength Of The Small

Yard Sculptures Parenting Garden Decor Children Education Inspire Family DIY: Projects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Our Kids-Friendly Garden

By JM PerezFebruary 6, 20143 min read312 views

When we inspected our Home a few years ago prior to putting in an offer, I fell in love with the backyard as the numerous structures on the lot broke the land into sections. As I looked onto the side of the house, I spotted a semi-shady corner which was ideal for a Playground and/or a Kid-Friendly Garden.

Five years ago, I started by creating a tiny corner garden and added a decorative wrought iron border fence around the garden as well as some color changing solar globe lights along the borders. The selection works well, as it provides a specific learning and playing area for our children. I added two comfortable sitting areas for them to sit still and enjoy conversing, enjoy the day, or for us to relax and watch them play. I have Garden Benches and Patio/Bistro Sets all over my garden as the yard is huge and it can be quite exhausting walking around sometimes. I enjoy retreat areas. Besides, sitting areas in a yard, if placed correctly, create attractive focal points.

A few years ago, I was given a beautiful hand made miniature vintage Mexican clay couple as well as a tiny Puerto Peñasco Pottery Vase. They are now resting underneath one of my Scotch Broom shrubs.

The fairy wind spinner is a purchase from Collections Etc., and a gift to my daughter who adores anything fairy and ballerina. It’s a beautiful addition to our front yard as it attracts hummingbirds and twirls in the breeze.

Somewhere in my backyard, we created this cute little area in memory of our wonderful neighbors and parent figures (one of whom is no longer with us). The picture features their wedding wine glasses, vintage 1960’s spaghetti porcelain poodle dog figurines and a porcelain ornaments box. The huge rustic fisherman metal art was a purchased from Horseshoe Art by Don Henry in Lucerne Valley, CA.

*1960’s Spaghetti Porcelain Poodle Dog Figurines.*

We love our Woodland babies!

The toy frog was a favorite of my son. He placed it himself among the daffodils when he no longer wanted it.

Geckos Metal Wall Art

The children at play figurines were also a purchase from Collections Etc.

Some Jim Shore garden stakes.

The balancing love birds stake is in the front yard, next to the water fountain. It gently swings back and forth in the breeze. The Angry Gnome is one of many in our gnome collection.

These Gnomes on a Ladder are eager to find out what is growing in my daughter’s planter.

The stone mushrooms were the bases of chain linked posts that were dug up, flipped up side down, and buried. We spray painted them red/green and added white spots.

The Conga Line Dog Silhouettes were so hilarious that I decided to get one. The Children Chasing bugs are adorable too.

*Conga Line Dog & Children Playing Silhouettes.*

One of my daughter’s favorite statues is the Little Girl Gardening statue below. She found a use for the tiny planter.

Every time I shop online, my kids look for an opportunity when I step away to add a few favorites of their own in the shopping cart. The Ladybugs are beautiful and the Bunnies are just perfect for Easter.

The Fairy and Deer Friend Shadow Garden Stake is one of my favorite.

*Fairy and Deer Friend Shadow Garden Stakes.*

There are unlimited ideas and ways to encourage kids to go out …

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By JM Perez

Food and Drink Children Education

Enjoying Pizza Hut

By JM PerezFebruary 5, 20141 min read2K views

Last week my Son received his very first Pizza Hut® Book It!® Reading Program Certificate (for his 2013-2014 school year) to celebrate another reading accomplishment. Tonight he placed an order of his favorite Pan Cheese Pizza and received a sticker, making it the second sticker in the new redesigned Passport.

*Book It!® Reading Program Passport & Certificate.*

Book It!® now offers a free online Minute Tracker which means that as soon as a child meets the monthly reading goal, the teacher gives him or her a Reading Award Certificate. Click here to sign up and get started.

It’s been a very good day and we are all content. The weather forecast for tomorrow predicts rain early in the afternoon, which means that I have to make sure my Son is dressed warm for school in the morning.

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By JM Perez

Kids Craft Children Education DIY: Projects

3D Penguin Project

By JM PerezJanuary 21, 20141 min read1.1K views

Today my Son and the entire School are celebrating the 100th Day of School.
We were asked as a Family to create a 100th Day Project and turn it in today to be shared and displayed in my Son’s classroom. The Project was to incorporate 100 objects in a creative way.

These past weeks, my Son has been learning about Penguins at School and I suggested we do something with a Penguin. After looking at various pictures, my Son choose the one he liked best and my husband drew a Penguin on a cardboard and began making cutouts for the parts we needed for the 3D Penguin. After positioning and gluing all the parts, we traced 100 feathers with a pencil and highlighted the edges with Glitter Glue and finally, we glued the Penguin onto a slightly larger piece of cardboard.

All you need for this project is Elmer’s Glue, Glitter Glue, Cardboard, Scissors, Pencil and Markers.

*3D Penguin Project (100 Day of School).*

It was a fun little project we all enjoyed working on.

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By JM Perez

Birds Insects Children Education Gardening High Desert

Gardening & Yard Insects

By JM PerezOctober 21, 20132 min read694 views

We had a fun weekend rich in discoveries, especially for my kids.

On Friday, while visiting Linda Marie’s Enchanted Treasures in Oro Grande, my son spotted a Paper Wasp.
According to Wikipedia, paper wasps are 0.7 to 1.0 inch (1.8 to 2.5 cm)-long wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water-resistant nests made of gray or brown papery material. Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests. Unlike yellowjackets and hornets, which can be very aggressive, polistine paper wasps will generally only attack if they themselves or their nest are threatened. Paper wasps feed on nectar, and other insects, including caterpillars, flies, and beetle larvae. Because they are a known pollinator and their diet of known garden pests, paper wasps are often considered to be beneficial by gardeners.

However, beneficial wasps can quickly become a nuisance to urban society. They pack a powerful, painful sting that can cause severe allergic reaction and even death in some human victims.

On Saturday, while spending time in the backyard, my little explorer of a Son found what seems to be a Beetle with a stinger or retractable ovipositor (an organ located at the end of the abdomen used by female insects to lay eggs. It could also be used as a piercing, stinging organ in many parasitic species such as Wasps).
It looks similar to the Darkling Beetle, however, it was our first time seeing one with an ovipositor. I will inquire about this insect on WhatsThatBug.com. In the mean time, any information about this insect will be greatly appreciated.

On Sunday morning, I spotted a Red-shafted Northern Flicker woodpecker on one of our next door neighbor’s tallest Pine Trees. They have red feather shafts and red on the underside of their tail feathers (as you can see on the picture below). The male and female differ in that only the male has red whisker marks. Unlike other woodpeckers, Northern Flickers prefer to hunt for insects on the ground. They eat nuts, ants, seeds, berries, beetle larvae as well as other insect larva. Click here or here to learn more about this bird.

Thanks to the awesome weather, I did some gardening and got my hands dirty. I transplanted the last four Pendula Yucca sprouts to the new designed area in the backyard and my Mint into a large planter. My husband build a primitive wood planter for the “Peach Blossom” hybrid Oleander (the only I kept from last months giveaway). I removed spent fronds from my Palm Tree.

To top it all off, we spend our night looking at the stars under a gorgeous full moon.

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By JM Perez

Parenting Children Education

Back to School (1st Grade)

By JM PerezAugust 12, 20132 min read585 views

Summer Vacation is officially over for the students at Cottonwood Elementary as they returned to school early this morning for another year of learning and brain challenging activities. My Son has been looking forward to this day and he was so happy to reconnect with some of his friends from Kindergarten.

Back to School

The school was packed and there was a very long line of parents who personally wanted to take their kids in the premises and meet their teachers. After giving specific instructions to my Son (his Teacher’s name, his classroom number and where to go for help), he proceeded through the gate while I went through the office. After signing in as a Visitor to personally turn in the items on his supply list, I found him sitting in his classroom and coloring at his desk. The students are being seated alphabetically by last names. He was very happy to find out that two of his best friends from Kindergarten are in his class too.

While going through his folders last night, I found his Passport to Reading (filled with six stickers) along with an unused Pizza Hut® Book It!® Reading Program Certificate. These two items put a smile on my face. After picking him up from school, we drove by Pizza Hut® and he placed an order of his favorite Pan Cheese Pizza and received a sticker. What a great way to celebrate back to school.

*Book It!® Reading Program Certificate.*

I wish him as well as others a great 2013-2014 school year. I hope he has a wonderful time and acquires more knowledge while making a difference the best way he knows how.

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By JM Perez