Scientists and Inventors

We are going to start adding some inventors and scientists studies into our science lessons and I thought I would share some of the things we will be using. :) This will probably be a looooong list.... LOL





Books -

From our personal library



DK Eyewitness Invention





DK Eyewitness Great Scientists   (I don't have this one yet.)



Women Inventors series by Jean F. Blashfield







MacMillan Profiles Scientists and Inventors







Inventors - A Library of Congress Book 





Eureka! Great Inventions and How They Happened 







Kindle Books - most free







Stories of Great Inventors





Stories of Invention, Told by Inventors and Their Friends 







The Extra-Ordinary Scientist  - This was free. Keep checking back.

If you are looking for a specific inventor or scientist just search the Kindle store to see what is available.





 Printables -



Inventors and Inventions - Homeschool Share  - always free

Inventions worksheets - School Express - always free

Inventors Notebooking Pages - Unit Studies and Notebooking - free

Scientists Notebooking Pages - Notebooking Fairy  - free

Famous People Notebooking Pages - Activity Village - you will have to scroll through to find the ones you want - free

Inventors and Inventions Notebooking - The First Grade Parade 

Great Inventors Notebooking - Currclick - $10

The Great Inventors Lapbook - Currclick - $13

Inventor's Daily Digest Magazine Activity Fun - Currclick - 50 cents



Online Resources and Activities -

Inventors Resources - The Home School Mom 

Play Dough Inventor's Workshop - The Imagination Tree

DIY Young Inventor's Kit - Desert Wind

Science and Technology Biographies 

Reverse Engineering - The Homeschool Scientist

Biographies for Kids - Garden of Praise

Scientists Lesson Plans







If you are wanting to learn about a specific scientist or inventor then you should Google, Google and Google! LOL Also, don't forget to search Squidoo, Pinterest, and Homeschool Share!





Thomas Edison's Birthday is next month!



Thomas A. Edison - Childhood of Famous Americans - This is a large series! We have several of them and they are all great!







Who Was Thomas Alva Edison?

This is part of a big series of books. We have several of them and they are wonderful!







Inventing the Future - A Photobiography of Thomas Alva Edison







Thomas Edison The Great American Inventor

This title was free for Kindle. Keep checking back. Also, there is a whole series of  books and they usually have one or two free all the time.





Thomas Edison Project Pack - In the Hands of a Child - on sale for $6

Learning About the Presidents

Here are some of the resources that we use in our Presidents studies.

I keep a binder with all the printouts in it that we have done so far.

Books -

The Everything Kids' Presidents Book 



The Little Giant Book of American Presidents



DK Eyewitness Presidents

Sometimes a certain president will have LOTS of book about them. Here are a few series that are very helpful.



The Who Was Series 



If You Grew Up With ........



Childhood of Famous Americans Series



Heroes of America Series



American Presidents Coloring Book





Printables -

US Presidents Coloring Pages 

President's Day Activities

Lapbook - Homeschool Share

Presidents Notebooking Pages

Crayola Presidents Coloring Pages

Presidents Lapbook - Squidoo

President Notebooking - Notebooking Fairy

Printable Presidents Game - 30 Handmade Days





Online Resources -

The Homeschool Mom - Presidents of the United States

Info Please - U.S. Presidents

People & Places of the US - A to Z Kids Stuff

President's Day Andy Warhol Style - Toddler Approved 

American Presidents

Slide Show and Bio of Presidents 

Teaching Kids about the Presidents - Learnist



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Dh6-3IehOZ4













I hope this helps!!! :)

Pleats Be My Valentine Tutorial

Once again, there seems to be a couple of steps missing in my pictures. I have been getting caught up in it and forgetting to take the pictures! SORRY!! But I can still walk you through those steps. ;)





What I Used -

1 yard of red poly blend knit - very light

1 1/2 yards of pink knit - thicker

1 yard of red jumbo rickrack



Headband -

1 group of fake roses from the Dollar Tree

1 stretchy headband from the Dollar Tree (sold in a group of 3)

hot glue gun







I took a tank that fits Cailey well and used it as my cutting guide. I wanted the top to have a very high waist so I let the top hang WAY off of the folded fabric.

Be sure to cut all the pieces on the fold!







Cut 2 front bodice pieces and 2 back bodice pieces.  (This shows 1 of each.)











To cut the sleeves, place one of your bodice pieces on the folded fabric with the shoulder lined up with the fold. Then cut at a widening angle. This will create sleeves that get wider as it goes down the arm.

I cut them to hit just below the elbow, not quite 3/4 length.





The next part to cut is the part from the bodice down. I apparently forgot to take a picture of this part, but it's very easy. You want it to be 2 times the total width of the waist and the length can be as long or as short as you like.  You just cut a large rectangle at those measurements.







To cut the leggings I used a pair of pants that fit Cailey well. I wanted them cut straight instead of flared, so I let the side of the pants hang off the fabric at the fold.  I cut them the same length as the pants, no seam allowance. Also, instead of cutting around and leaving a seam allowance, I cut right at the guide. This gives them a leggings fit instead of like a yoga pant.



For the pleats I cut 10 pieces of the red knit, 5" wide and the length was the total width of the fabric from selvage to selvage.  Make sense? You are going to sew the pieces together at one end until you have 5 VERY long pieces to pleat.  ;)







Now, on to the sewing!









Pin and sew the 2 front bodice pieces together at the areas outlined, making sure to leave the bottom open. Turn right side out and press.

Do the same to the back bodice pieces (shown).









Sew the front bodice piece to the back bodice piece at the areas that are outlined.

Turn right side out and press.













Here's a little hint... Sew the jumbo rickrack on BEFORE you sew the sleeves together..... LOL

I didn't decide to add the rickrack until the sleeves were already done....

Anyway, pin the rickrack to the bottom of the sleeve and sew on with a straight stitch.

THEN pin the edge of the sleeve and sew the seam. ;)

Open up the seam and press.













Turn the bodice inside out and then leaving the sleeve right side out, slide it into the arm hole. Pin and sew the seam.













Now, take one of your 5 LOOOOONG strips and start pleating. Fold, press, pin. Fold, press, pin.... FOREVER!!!! No, just kidding. It only FEEL like forever. ;) LOL









To add the pleated strips to the bottom of the bodice you will pin the first set of pleats to the bottom of the fabric. Not the VERY bottom, though. Leave the the pleated strip hanging over the edge by 2 inches. Then sew across the top.

Keep adding the pleated strips until you reach the top, leaving each section hanging over the next by about 2 inches.

Depending on how long or short you want this part to be, you made need more or less of the pleated strips.





To add this part to the top of the bodice you will run a gathering stitch across the top (just under where you attached the last row of pleats). Then adjust the gathers to fit the bottom of the top bodice section.

Turn the top bodice inside out and slide it over the top of the pleated section. Pin in place where the bottom of the top of the bodice meets the top of the pleated section. Sew in place just below the line of gathers.

Now, turn the whole thing inside out and sew the side seam.





For the leggings I am going to refer you to the tunic and leggings tutorial I did about a month ago. The ONLY difference between the two sets are -

Before adding the rickrack to the bottom, turn under by 1 1/2" and press. Then pin the rickrack to the front and sew on with a straight stitch. This hems and adds the rickrack at the same time.

The rest of it is the same! :)









For the headband, I just pulled 3 roses and 3 sets of leaves off of the Dollar Store roses. Then I slide the leaves over the bottom of the roses and hot glued everything straight onto the stretchy headband. :)













She's holding the rest of the roses. LOL
















Let me know what you think, please!!

If you have ANY questions at all just click the Contact Me button at the top of the page and send me an e-mail! :)

Pleats Be My Valentine

SHEW!! Here it is!! FINALLY finished. 5 rows of pleats, people... 5 ROWS!!! LOL But it was worth it. ;) The top has great movement! I love it!































I made the headband from Dollar Tree supplies. ;) I took the roses off and hot glued them to the band. VERY simple!!!!



I was going to post this tomorrow but I want to hurry up and put it in the Project Run & Play Link Up for the sew along! LOL  The theme for this week is Valentine's Day.



I will be posting the tutorial for the top either tomorrow or Wednesday! :D

It's Monday

Yep, it's Monday. Again. BLECK!!!!!!



I am hard at work on my Valentine's Day look for Project Run & Play.  Usually I would have my look finished and up on the blog yesterday. Umm... not happening.... LOL It is taking me a little a longer than expected, probably because I took so much time for reading the past couple of days. I was just soooooo tired. I have been running at full steam for weeks now and I think it caught with me.  Anyway, the chronic fatigue from the fibro kicked in and I took a couple of days off.



The Winter Blogathon 2013 was very cool. I learned a couple of things. I backed up my blog and added descriptions to my categories, although I couldn't get them all to take. :/ One of the things I wanted to try never came up. That was a bummer.



I read an entire book this weekend. I hadn't done that in quite a while. It was The Third Option by Vince Flynn. It was very good, full of espionage! ;) But I found out after reading half of it that I was lacking some back story that came out in another book (not a part of the Mitch Rapp storyline) AND that there are now 2 prequals!!! WHAT??? I HATE THAT!!!!! ***grumble, grumble, grumble***



In our homeschool this week we will be continuing our coral reef and Aztecs, Incas and Mayans studies and starting on the England country study.



I hope to have my Valentine's Day look finished today and up on the blog tomorrow! Wish me luck!!! 5 rows of pleats... I MUST be crazy.... LOL