Just a couple of little projects...

Since I rambled yesterday, I'll spare you today and just share a couple of things from the nice afternoon Zoe and I had today.  The sun was finally out, and Owen napped away for a few hours so she and I quietly worked on a couple of things outside:

I'd been meaning to make stepping stones for our garden plot for a few weeks now but just hadn't found the right time.  I bought a couple of boxes of mixing cement at the craft store (only used one today and we were able to make two stones) and a bunch of little tiles and glass pieces to decorate with.  Zoe was able to participate in the whole process and, although she changed her mind three times she finally settled on her hand and footprints with some glass and tile embellishments.  I helped her with the prints and with pushing all the pieces far enough down into the cement.  I also made sure the surface was nice and smoothed out.  I lined our pans (8x8 baking pans) with saran wrap so we wouldn't have to deal with washing them out in the sink (I'm not sure it's a good idea to wash cement down the kitchen drain) and am hoping it comes off easily after they dry.

All the materials (craft sticks to write in the cement with)

Pouring the water into the cement mix

Mixing the cement

Working away

Ta-da!

Zoe's (she wrote her name in the upper left corner)

Mine (S for our last name, not my first ;-))

Then Zoe wanted to make and give away some more Beautiful Things.  Man, I tell you this is the project that just won't quit!  She loves making them and will sit and quietly work for a really, really long time.  Today, she kept saying her neck hurt but she kept working.  I was giving her little massages while I worked on mine and the two of us must have sat there for an hour making them.  I really think it's a great activity for this age.  Good for motor skills, but also she sometimes wants to make a pattern so we talk about how we can accomplish that.  Then, she gives them away to strangers and/or friends so we fit in a little lesson about kindness and generosity too!  I highly recommend it...you can buy the beads in a big bin at the craft store, and pipe cleaners too...easy!

Working....

Beautiful!