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How we make our Reading Pillows

I gotten a lot of questions about how we do our pillows, so I thought I’d share our process & some in-progress pics. (= First I sketch out a rough pattern design of the character on large paper. Then the kids & I search through the fabric supply in my mom’s
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Adorable Chibi Harry Potter Art Video 

Cabot and Riley finished another fun art video by Cabot (aka The Nerdy Artist). This one is cute Chibi Harry Potter art — Oops, I Missed the Snitch. (= Enjoy!
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Dry Ice Photo Shoot Fun -- with a

Fun & Easy Halloween Party Idea

If you’re looking for something fabulously cool to do for your kid’s upcoming Halloween party check this out! (= Bring some Witch’s Brew! It’s sooo cool, and easy to do. (= We just tested it at home and here how to set it up: Buy a large plastic cauldron at Party City or
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www.ShenaLeonard.com Messy Table, Creative House As an anonymous Kindergarten Teacher so aptly put it, “A Messy Table is a sign of a Happy and Creative household.” We couldn’t agree more! Check out all of the fun project ideas, recipes, reviews, and other things that keep our table looking well-loved every day. (=

Birthday Board – Harry Potter Theme

We do a Birthday Bulletin Board for Riley’s school each month and I think this month is our favorite yet! (= Check it out……   Here’s the song the Sorting Hat is singing in case you can’t read it on the photo. Not to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or
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www.ShenaLeonard.com Messy Table, Creative House: I am building an Autographed Collection of my kids’ favorite books – they already think it’s pretty cool, but when they’re older I’m pretty sure they’ll REALLY get how awesome it is, not to mention how awesome their mom is for doing this for them. (= The best part is, it’s not nearly as hard as you might think it would be! (=

Keepsakes your kids will like now – and LOVE when they are older and can really appreciate how special they are!

What was your favorite book when you were a kid? Maybe, if you are like me, you have lots of favorites – and just thinking of them makes you smile doesn’t it?!? One fabulous thing that I do for my kids (I know, I’m modest aren’t I? he-he) is keeping a
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www.ShenaLeonard.com Messy Table, Creative House: This fun Art Adventure teaches kids about posters, and engages them in designing their own poster featuring their favorite book. This Art Adventure is a HUGE HIT with the Kids because they love creating a poster that features themselves and their favorite book. It is also a huge hit with Teachers and Parents because it encourages reading, and sharing what you love about reading. It’s an overall hit! (=

Art Adventure: Reading Posters! (=

In today’s Art Adventure with Cabot’s class we did Reading Posters –in honor of “I Love To Read” Month. (= We started by discussing what the purpose of posters is: to CATCH PEOPLES’ ATTENTION and to CONVEY INFORMATION. Then we talked about various ways posters can meet
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Shena Leonard - sweet mom duplo Lego engineering. (=

Sweet Duplo Lego Engineering

I was going through some old pics and came across this one from long ago when the kiddos still used Duplo-sized Legos. I was (and still am) impressed by their engineering skills at such a young age — not to mention, it’s just plain sweet! (=
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Shena Leonard Homemade Vanilla

Homemade Vanilla Extract, and a Lesson in Patience (=

The kiddo and I are making homemade Vanilla Extract. (= Super simple recipe: Add 25 whole vanilla beans (cut into 1/2″ pieces) to a bottle of vodka. Put an adorable label on it. Shake once a day for 2-3 months and it’ll be ready.   It’s a lesson in
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No Mess Indoor Snow Play

No Mess Indoor Snow Play

Flashback to our old trick for when it was too cold to go outside, but our kiddos really wanted to play in the snow… Just fill the tub with snow (we used 5 gallon buckets to transport) and let the kids play in it. Then when it melts it goes right down the drain, so
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