Textbook Pickup

Trevor has been in 9th grade for about two months now. So far, it is 100% distance learning, which has actually worked out really well. He'll be doing distance learning for at least another few weeks, but likely through the end of the semester. 

During the first week of school, each student had a designated time to pick up textbooks. Only three of Trevor's six classes have a text (Biology, English, and Math), yet his stack was quite impressive. 

Textbook Pickup (affiliate link)

I'm really happy to have this layout in the album. Not only does it document something we'd never done before COVID-19, but now I have a photo of his new school in the scrapbook... even if he has only been inside for the pre-admission tour.

Sweet Strawberry Snakes

Care for a sssweet ssstrawberry sssnake? They're delissssious and ssso sssatisfying!

They're made from the same dough as Rose Rolls. Just follow the steps through dividing the dough into 18 pieces. 

Roll each piece into a long, thin rectangle. Spread a small amount of jam in the center, then roll up the dough like a jelly roll. Place the snake, seam side down, on a baking sheet. You can see from the picture that I didn't use a Silpat (affiliate link). I should have. Learn from my mistake. 

Cover the snakes loosely with a clean towel and let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

When the snakes are completely cool, add a small amount of orange juice to powdered sugar to make a glaze. Place the wire rack back over the now-cool Silpat-covered pan and drizzle the glaze over the top of the snakes. You can leave the glaze clear (like the two snakes at the bottom of the photo) or add food color. I experimented with two different ways to get bands of color. For the red and grey snake, I coated it entirely in grey, let that set, then dripped red glaze on top to make the stripes. For the green and grey snake, I made grey bands then immediately added bands of green in between the grey. Both worked, but gave different looks. 

Did you notice my green-stained fingers above? Oops. 

When the glaze is completely dry, arrange the snakes on a platter to serve. The sweet bread dough with the strawberry filling and citrus glaze is irresisssssstible!

Ssssseriously delissssious. 

First Day of 9th Grade

Trevor started high school in August. For the first time since preschool, there was no school supply list, and no shopping for a new backpack, lunchbox, or clothes. No packing a lunch, no drive, and no meeting up with friends. Of all the things that COVID-19 has changed in our lives, nothing has had as big of an impact as the schools going to 100% distance learning. 

We are lucky, as Trevor's school year has gone very well so far. I love having Trevor home with us all day. He is old enough to do schoolwork independently, yet I'm here on the rare occasion he needs my help. He is a very conscientious and hardworking student, so I don't need to monitor his work or tell him to study. His teachers, principal, and counselor are doing a fantastic job with online learning. It's not ideal, but it's working. 

Our tradition is that I take Trevor's photo in the backyard just before school on the first day. (By fun coincidence, our new fence was installed the previous day, so this was the first-ever picture of it.) Ordinarily, I would have taken a photo of him in front of his new school, but instead I took a picture of him sitting at his desk in our family room. 

First Day of 9th Grade (affiliate link)

When school started, we knew that the kids would be 100% virtual through at least October 16. The school board meets on October 5 to either extend that date or move toward the next level toward in-person instruction.

What's the current school situation where you are?

Crayon Melt Iguana

It's been a long time since I pulled out the warming tray to do crayon melts. It was the perfect medium for an iguana. Affiliate links below. 

Crayon Melt Iguana

Materials:

• warming tray
• white paper
• crayons
• microtip scissors
• craft glue

Steps:

Plug in the warming tray and put a sheet of paper on top. Fill the paper with the colors you want your iguana to be. I started with oranges and browns, then layered greens on top. I recommend removing the wrappers from the crayons and laying them on their sides for faster, more even coverage. 

When you are happy with your paper, remove it and unplug the warming tray. The wax will set almost immediately. I started by cutting out the body of the iguana from a solid green area. I saw a place where the colors came together to make a perfect eyeball, so I cut that section into a rough circle and placed it on the body so that I wouldn't lose track of it. (I cut it down to an oval later.) Then, I cut a the iguana's spines. As you can see, some of the green wax flaked off when I cut near the edge. I decided I liked the look because it gave a contrast to the green body. 

The legs were the trickiest part. I drew the legs on scraps of white paper, layered it on top of the waxy paper, and cut. If you aren't confident that your legs will fit, or if you want the legs to be cut from a certain area of the waxy paper, make a pattern first and trace. 

Cut the eye into an oval, then cut a similarly-sized oval for the subtympanic shield. Use a strong craft glue to attach all the pieces. 

As is always the case, I learned a lot about iguanas in the process of making this craft. I had no idea iguanas have a third eye, are excellent swimmers and divers, and can survive a 50-foot fall! Check out these other fun iguana facts. 

Sports Crafts for Kids

I've completed another big organizational task here at My Creative Life. All of the sports-themed crafts are in one place now. I am honestly surprised that I have as many as I do. You can see them all here: 

While I have a decent variety, there are some sports that are completely absent. I'll have to make an effort to add them in at some point. 

Believe it or not, it can be hard to decide what to include when I make these compilation pages. You might think it would be straightforward - either a particular craft has to do with sports, or it doesn't. I decided against including non-sports version of famous mascots, like the Baltimore Oriole, even though in that case the craft was actually inspired by a visit to Oriole Park at Camden Yard. It's a slippery slope. I also decided against including crafts made with sports equipment, like this flamingo made from a golf tee. 

Any sports projects you'd like to see?