Sharla Kostelyk

Ocean Sensory Bottle

After several years of creating sensory bins, bags, bottles, and activities, my brain sees possibilities for sensory play everywhere I go! This ocean sensory bottle came about as a result of me seeing a bottle of blue body wash at the grocery store and thinking “I bet I could make a really cool sensory activity with that.” It worked out exactly as I was hoping it would, with the items staying suspended within the blue gel that looks like water.

Ocean Sensory Bottle:

Materials needed:

water bottle (I used a small Voss bottle)
blue body wash (I used Softsoap Citrus Splash & Berry Fusion Body Wash)
sea glass
glass beads
Good Luck Minis glow-in-the-dark pufferfish, jellyfish and starfish
seashells

VOSS Water Bottle Softsoap Body Wash Citrus Splash & Berry Fusion Good Luck Minis Glow-in-the-Dark Pufferfish, Jellyfish, Starfish

Squeeze some of the body wash into the water bottle and add the sea glass. Fill a bit more of the body wash and add the glass beads. After adding another layer of body wash, add the mini glow-in-the-dark ocean creatures. When adding sea shells, you will need to choose smaller ones that will fit through the opening of the water bottle.

By layering the body wash and the other items, you are able to suspend the lighter items such as the sea creatures in the blue “water”. The heavier items will eventually sink to the bottom, but when flipped over, they will move slowly through the gel.

If you have young children who may choke on the smaller items or try to eat the body wash, you can seal the lid on the ocean sensory bottle with a hot glue gun.

My kids really enjoyed this ocean discovery bottle, especially the glow in the dark bits and how slowly the items moved through the gel. It also looks really neat when shining a light into it.

Looking for more awesome sensory ideas? Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

Weighted Space Sensory Bottle

Easy Traditions to Build Family Connection

By Sharla Kostelyk

Family connections aren’t made in the big momentous times like holidays and vacations and theme parks. They are made in the almost imperceptible milliseconds of day-to-day life. They form when a boo-boo is kissed or covered with a band-aid, when a momma sings her baby to sleep, when siblings make up after a quarrel, when memories are recalled, when an inside joke sends everyone into fits of giggles. They are made in the living.

Image Copyright: get4net / 123RF Stock Photo

There is something about family that cannot be found anywhere else. The feeling of belonging, of knowing that you can be accepted for who you are, in your worst and in your best. Family connection is crucial for laying a foundation for our children for their future relationships and how they interact with the world.

If you ask someone about their family traditions, they most likely think of holiday traditions for Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving or Hannukah. Those traditions help shape how we view those holidays and can even impact how we view ourselves as they can help give us that sense of belonging, but everyday family traditions can be just as impactful.

When I was thinking about this idea of everyday family traditions, at first, only a few came to mind, but I soon realized that we have all kinds of little things we do that set us apart from other families, little habits or games that we’ve invented that help define us as a unit.

Guess how many seconds – this is our waiting game. When we are in a restaurant or doctor’s office and we notice the kids getting a bit antsy, we ask everyone to guess how many seconds they think it will be until the food comes or the doctor arrives. When everyone has put in their guess, we s-l-o-w-l-y, slowly count all together. What the kids don’t realize is that this act of counting slowly together is actually very calming and they also keep their minds of their impatience or hunger. The person who is closest in their guess without going over wins. Their prize=just being the winner and yet, this game totally works.

Family language – all families develop their own language over time. It often stems from words a small child can’t pronounce properly that other family members think is adorable and they all begin to refer to it using that word. In our family, there are several words that came about that way and there are also quite a few Amharic words (two of our children were born in Ethiopia), some Dutch words (my husband is Dutch), and some shortened words that everyone understands the meaning of even if they make no sense to anyone else. Oddly enough, no French words have made it into our family language even though I am fluent in French. We all know that the “backie” is the “backyard” for when Jonah was little and couldn’t say the full word. We all call washcloths “dookies” for the Dutch word even though we now know that word also means something else less pleasant.

Photo albums – I used to scrapbook a lot prior to blogging and we have over 50 photo albums. The kids spend hours poring over them. Although this may not exactly be a family tradition, it contributes to our family culture and feeling of unity as we reflect on memories together.

The You Are Special plate – We were given two You Are Special plates as a gift after our last adoption. We set one out for the birthday boy or girl on their birthday of course, but we also use them to celebrate things like a child getting their driver’s license or first job, completing a project they worked hard on or another accomplishment that needs to be celebrated.

Family Fun Nights – A few times a year, I plan a really fun family fun night with themes like Minute to Win It, Just for Laughs and The Tooth Fairy Forgot. We also have smaller family fun nights that I throw together at the last minute where we may just play board games together or snuggle up and watch a special movie.

Bedtime – When we tuck the kids in, we have a routine that we follow that is very simple but consists of things like asking them about their day, praying with them and sometimes giving them a back scratch or reading them a story.

Suppertime – Every day at supper, we go around the table and answer the question “what is the best thing that happened to you today?”. We used to also ask what the worst thing was but it turned into a sibling tattling fest so we stopped that years ago! We also don’t allow cell phones at the table. It is supposed to be a time of family connection.

Birthday supper – On our kids’ birthdays, we have a family birthday supper where the kids get to pick anything they want to eat. And I really mean anything. They can choose items that don’t go together at all or an all dessert supper. They’ve chosen some pretty creative combinations over the years!

Friday night dance party – This is something we used to do every Friday night. Now we only do it once in awhile but the kids all have fond memories from it and sometimes have their own dance parties with each other. We would just put music on and dance or sometimes use Just Dance (which is super fun in a group) or watch how-to videos on YouTube.

Vacation ornaments – This one is somewhat related to our Christmas traditions but when we go on a big family vacation, I buy a Christmas ornament to help us remember the trip. When we put up our tree, we can reminisce about those holidays as we hang the ornaments.

Image Copyright: patriziatilly / 123RF Stock Photo

Other ideas for family traditions:

secret handshakes
quote notebook – a journal where you record cute things your kids say and the date
annual family portrait
family walk
weekly pizza and movie night
weekly board game challenge
watch home videos together
plant a tree to commemorate special occasions such as graduation
have brunch together every Sunday
family sing-along
choreograph a dance together and then pull out your moves at weddings and parties
write notes in their daily lunches
group hugs
family motto or theme song
mother-child or father-child dates
annual family time capsule
serving together in the community
annual measurements on the door frame or wall

I asked some of the bloggers that I know what their family traditions were to help give you even more ideas.

“We have family nights every Friday. We have a big slumber party, watch movies, play games, have a special dinner or snacks. We stay up late too! Weekly vacation!” ~ Alison, Pint-Sized Treasures

“With the change in every season, on the equinoxes and solstices, we always celebrate by getting outside and connecting with nature. We also light candles and talk about what we did in the previous season and our hopes for the next season.” ~ Shelley, STEAM Powered Family

Looking for more ideas for family fun or resources to help you connect with your child? Join our free 5 Days to Better Family Connection email series.

Nature Weaving

By Sharla Kostelyk

This nature weaving activity combines creativity and the outdoors. It costs nothing and encourages exploration of textures and nature. I got the inspiration from a copy of the Australian Women’s Weekly circa 1970something that I picked up at a friend’s garage sale.

Nature Weaving is such a great activity to encourage kids to explore the world around them. Materials needed:

twine
four sticks
items found in nature

The first step to this activity is to find four sticks. To create more of a square frame, the sticks need to be of similar size or to create a rectangle, two longer sticks and two shorter sticks will do the trick.

Step by step:

Using the twine, make a frame by attaching the sticks together at each corner. You can do this by winding the twine around and knotting once it is securely fastened.
Once your frame is finished, wind the twine around the frame, looping on each end before continuing on to the other side (see photo below) until the frame has lines of twine across it. Secure by knotting.
Go on a nature walk and collect leaves, twigs, weeds, flowers, feathers, grass, and other items for the project.
Weave the items collected one at a time over and under the twine, alternating to create more interest.
Admire your lovely creation!

nature weaving step by step A few of my kids got really into this project, in particular, Einstein and Dancing Queen, while some were not as interested. I think that had we gone on a big nature hike somewhere, it would have captured their attention more. Looking for items in the backyard wasn’t as appealing as it would have been in a forest or on someone else’s land!

The kids that did participate enjoyed it and especially liked the finished products. It was also neat to see the different variety of things that they came up with to include. Our yard is full of treasures waiting to be found and since we just got back from a week of camping, long grass was certainly not hard to find!

Nature weaving is a good sensory experience for kids as well. There are many different textures that can be included. I think Einstein will probably make these on his own in the future. He also really liked the idea of making a frame out of sticks and now that he has that skill, he will likely create frames for other art projects in the same way.

nature weaving project If you are looking for other simple kids’ activities, sign up for our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Olympics Activities and Crafts for Kids

By Sharla Kostelyk

I love the Olympics. There is something about watching nations come together to cheer on a common cause and hearing inspiring stories about athletes who have beaten the odds or overcome seemingly impossible obstacles that just gets me. Being a homeschooler, the Games also offers me an opportunity to teach my kids about what they can learn from that spirit of determination and to study the host country.

Olympics Crafts and Activities and lots of ideas to get your kids engaged I like to make the learning more fun by also incorporating some Olympics crafts, activities, themed food, and of course, we always have our own little mini Olympics for both Summer and Winter Games complete with medals.

Olympics Activities:

Create Your Own Backyard Olympics from here on The Chaos and The Clutter (this was so, so much fun!)

Olympic Torch Game for Kids from Teach Mama

Olympic Torch Obstacle Course from Melissa and Doug (pictured)

Move Like a Gymnast from Creative Family Fun

Olympics Crafts:

O is for “Olympics” from I Can Teach My Child (pictured)

Olympics Paper Chain Countdown from Housing a Forest (pictured)

Coffee Filter Olympic Rings from No Time for Flash Cards (pictured)

Olympic Fun Lego Ring Sorting from Toddler Approved

Paper Plate Olympic Rings from Meaningful Mama (pictured)

Laurel Wreath from Kids Activities Blog

Salt Dough Olympic Medals from The Imagination Tree (pictured)

Olympic Torch Painting Projects from JDaniel4’s Mom

Olympic Torch Craft for Preschoolers from Happy Hooligans (pictured)

Olympic Ring Bottle Cap Sort from Housing a Forest (pictured)

Olympic Sensory Activity from Playtivities

Olympic Torch for the Opening Ceremony from Naturally Educational (pictured)

Olympic-fb

Olympics Food:

Edible Olympic Rings from The Iowa Farmer’s Wife

Olympic Snack Necklaces from Coffee Cups and Crayons

Olympic Ring and Olympic Medal Cookies from I Can Teach my Child

Olympics Inspired Healthy Snack Recipe from See Vanessa Craft (pictured)

Olympic Ring Pretzels from I Can Teach my Child (pictured)

Olympics Printables:

Summer Olympics Pack from 3 Dinosaurs

Summer Olympics Observation Sheet from 3 Dinosaurs

Summer Olympic Pack Colour by Letter from 3 Dinosaurs

What the Olympics Can Teach Our Kids from here on The Chaos and The Clutter

What are you doing to celebrate the upcoming Olympics?

A Letter to my Other Children

By Sharla Kostelyk

I just said “no” to one of you when you asked about having a friend over tonight to camp out in our backyard. I wish I could have said “yes”. That’s one of those fun childhood things that I want you to be able to do. Sometimes I push past what I think I can handle and say “yes” because the guilt of all the no’s weighs on me.

Image Copyright: gorosi / 123RF Stock Photo

I want you to have as normal a childhood as possible. I want you to giggle and be carefree, but a carefree childhood is not something I can provide you with. I look at you and I wonder if we did the right thing when we added two more children to our family who had experienced trauma. That trauma now plays itself out in our kitchen and our dining room and our van and our yard. It ebbs and it flows, but it is always simmering underneath the surface, ready to explode. We are all always on edge.

Sometimes that trauma plays itself out in front of your friends and you get embarrassed. Sometimes you stop inviting other kids over because of what they might see or hear. That makes me so sad. I want you to have deep friendships and I want our house to be the place you can hang out. I wanted to be the mom who got to know all of your friends but most days, I feel like all I can give is to my own kids and there is nothing left for anyone else.

Sometimes I wonder if I ruined things for you because the version of me you get now is so different than the version of me you got before. It seems that everything in our life and our family is divided into ‘before’ and ‘after’.

The version of me you get now is almost always tired and weary and a bit beaten down. I want to say “yes” to the playdates and field trips, but I’m just so exhausted. I want to be able to plan fun outings and fun activities, but I now live in a world where everywhere I step is a minefield and I cannot predict what days will be “safe” and what days won’t be.

I want to be that mom who stayed up late decorating the birthday cakes and sat down on the floor with you playing or laughing or dreaming, but that mom is gone now and I don’t know how to get her back.

I’m sorry that sometimes the trauma gets the best of me too and I snap at you or yell at you or don’t have patience with you. I’m sorry that I don’t let you stay up late with me anymore to have pyjama parties or bake. At the end of each day, this thing we are in has taken so much out of me that I just have to turn off being a parent and have some time to myself. And I have to protect that time as if my life depends on it because it feels like it does. My sanity does anyway.

I’m sorry that you are not allowed to whistle anymore. Whistling should be fun, but it now triggers my own PTSD and so you have to miss out on whistling too.

I never wanted to put you in a position of having to hear the things you do or of jumping in to try to defend your mom and then getting in trouble because that’s not your job. I know it’s hard for you to hear and see the things you do and not say anything. I love that you want to protect me. I love that you care. But you have to let me be the parent and let yourself be the sibling.

When I see you with your earbuds in and your music turned up to drown it out, a part of me cries for your reality. I know that it is not just me who is living this. It is you too.

I wish that I could take this from you, that I could snap my fingers or pray hard enough and there would be instant healing for your brother and sister, but I can’t fix this. As a parent, you want to protect your children, to fix the hard things in their life. Not only can I not fix this for you, in a way, I’m the one who brought it into your life. The guilt of that weighs on me too.

You sometimes say that I don’t know what it’s like to be you and that I don’t know how hard it is, but precious one, I do. I do. I shield you as much as I can from the worst of it, but I know that it’s hard. That’s why I try to make sure that you have some breaks from it and some times of getting to just be a kid.

Being the sibling of someone with special needs is not an easy role, but it is one that I have watched you grow into. I see that now you have more compassion with others, more patience, more resilience, more perseverance. My pride spills to overflowing when I watch you with younger children or watch you handle some of the situations you confront with grace that people twice your age would struggle with. I see how God is working these challenges to mould you and give you a heart for those who are hurting. I watch in awe as you reach out to help others and it is in those moments that I know…

Bringing these siblings into our home didn’t ruin you, it shaped you. You have seen that people that are the hardest to love are the ones who need the love most. You have reached out in love again and again even after being rejected. You have learned to stand up for others and for what is right. You are an excellent friend because you are an encourager and a listener and a giver.

You have had the privilege of being a first-hand witness to some of the tiny miracles that have happened over the years and I pray that you never forget that miracles are possible. You have seen the depth of love parents have for their children as you have seen your dad and I advocate for you and your brother and sister and never give up on them. You have seen the goodness of others as our friends and family have lifted us up during our hardest times. I hope you come to learn that often the hardest things in life are also the most worthwhile.

I love you like crazy muffins and I am so thankful for each one of you!

~Love, mom

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Solar System Unit

By Sharla Kostelyk

There are so many inventive hands-on ideas out there to use when creating a solar system unit. It was almost as much planning this homeschool unit study as it was to teach it!

I used a variety of teaching materials for this unit including the CKE Earth and Space curriculum and the online course Experiencing Astronomy.We also borrowed several books from the library and also used a few that we own. Here are some that we used for this unit:

The New Astronomy Guide: Stargazing in a Digital Age

The Night Sky Pocket Guide

The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System

Space and the Solar System: God’s Amazing Creation

National Geographic Planets

Moonwalk: The First Walk on the Moon

Phases of the Moon

I try to incorporate sensory elements into all of our unit studies. For our solar system unit, I created a glow-in-the-dark solar system sensory bin and a weighted Space sensory bottle.

Using a free printable that I found on 123Homeschool4Me, we brought a case of Oreo cookies to our homeschool coop and made the phases of the moon out of Oreos. The kids enjoyed this activity so much that they also did it at home a few days later. They said it was so that they could study the moon phases but I suspect it may have had more to do with the Oreos than the learning!

The kids completed phases of the moon flip books. We found the printables for those on Teachers Pay Teachers (free). I especially liked that they came in two types, one for older kids and one for younger kids. This worked really well for me with the various ages of my kids.

I used an mnemonic that I learned when I was a girl to help them memorize the order of the planets from the Sun. I know that there is controversy about whether or not Pluto is really a planet, but I had done some research and it seems that it is still considered a planet (sometimes called a dwarf planet) by those at NASA, so I told this to the kids but I included it in my mnemonic (you can click on that link or the photo below if you would like to print it off for yourself).

My Very Eyes May Just See U Now Pluto

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto

My kids were the most interested by what they learned in Experiencing Astronomy. It’s an online course that Einstein has been taking this year and learning so much but during the course of our solar system unit, I had all of the kids listen to the Experiencing Astronomy videos. They were intrigued and it led to many interesting discussions and learning.

At the beginning of our unit study on the Solar System, I took the kids to the Space and Science Center in the city closest to us and when we finished the unit, my mom took them there again. There is a large area there devoted to the solar system with many hands-on learning opportunities. It was a great way to reinforce their learning.

We decided to segment our solar system unit study and do a specific study on Earth. In the course of that study, these are some of the science experiments that we did: