The Creative Bone

What My Boys Are Reading this Summer

 Short and sweet post today! Our boys are good readers, but don’t LOVE it like I did when I was younger. They don’t tend to sit with a book and read on their own, so I wanted to encourage as much of that as possible this summer. To help with that, we stopped off at the library this morning and ... Read More »

Boredom Buster: Wood Scraps

I have memories as a kid, of sitting on the cold, saw-dusty cement basement floor of my dad’s workshop. He would be working on some project, and my brother and I would be playing with scraps.  We would sand, hammer, and paint our creations, and most of the time, they would become a “boat.” I’m not sure why they always ... Read More »

Faux Custom Art in Fifteen Minutes

Have you ever noticed how incredibly expensive it is to buy large pieces of art for your walls? I don’t know – maybe it’s not that expensive if you’re not on a budget or you can’t think of a better way to spend $125 than on a one-of-five-hundred-thousand print from Home Sense.  Don’t get me wrong – I love having artwork on ... Read More »

Advice Book for Teacher Having a Baby

For the past few years, I’ve been teaching “planning time coverage” for primary grades. That usually means music, drama, gym, and whatever else needs to be covered.  One of the Kindergarten classes I teach in has a teacher who is about to go on maternity leave, and going to have a baby boy. The co-teacher and I wanted to do ... Read More »

Crumple Art – a Quick and Easy Art Lesson

Crumple Art

All the kids that I teach LOVE to doodle. They doodle all over their workbooks, their desks, and even themselves!  I also loved doodling in school, and I found it easier to focus while doodling. That’s why this Crumple Art lesson is so versatile!  It’s an activity that can either be for one easy, pre-planned lesson, or it could be ... Read More »

Scientific Fun with Netflix #Streamteam

Our boys are not quite old enough for Science Fair. Our oldest will be doing it next year at his school, and he can’t wait! As parents, however, we’re not as excited, since a lot of the work gets done at home…and that means homework for Mom & Dad!   All our boys have always been fascinated by science, and ... Read More »

7 New Hobbies to Learn this Spring Break

Even though March Break is halfway over, there’s still time to do something new. Time to learn a new hobby with your older kids! Something that will tear their eyes away from their screens for a few hours and leave them with a sense of accomplishment. We’re over at Save.ca writing about new hobbies to learn over spring break, or ... Read More »

How to Involve Your Kids in Spring Cleaning

It’s almost Spring time!  Time to enjoy the sunshine, the longer days, and the warmer weather. It’s also time to do some Spring cleaning – to tackle some big jobs that may not have been done since last year! But there’s no law that states that the mom must do all the work. And there is nothing that says that ... Read More »

How to Host a Pirate Birthday Party

How to Host an Easy Pirate Birthday Party

Some people feel that themed birthday parties are just asking for extra work, but for me it’s the opposite. It gives me a direction to go in with the cake, decorations, and goody bags. When I’ve got a clear direction to steer the party in, everything is just less stressful. Now, mind you, I don’t do “Pinterest Perfect” parties – ... Read More »

6 Ways to Practice Math at Home

It’s almost March Break. Report cards are out, and things are looking good.  But the teacher has suggested your child needs a little extra practice with math.  What better time that March Break to get out the games and reinforce some of those mathematical concepts while having fun too! Head over to save.ca where we’re chatting about 6 Ways to ... Read More »