Native American Crafts

Joanie is finishing Unit 5 of Bigger Hearts for His Glory this week and starting Unit 6.  I think these crafts may have been from Unit 4 though.

She really enjoyed the Native American "sand painting" project.  We took salt and added food coloring to it to make 6 different colors.  She sketched a design and painted over it with thinned out glue then sprinkled the salt on top to make the painting.  If we were doing the craft again, we would color the salt the day before to give it plenty of time to dry.  It was still damp and clumpy when she tried to use it.  It worked but not as neatly as she would have liked.

The other craft was to make an "indian blanket".   She drew a center line on the "blanket" then drew her designs on the top half and mirrored them on the bottom half to make a symmetrical "blanket".

Lunch from scratch

In between grocery runs and looking for something to make for lunch today so I created a Blackeyed Pea soup. The kids only complaint, it didn't go far enough.  Everyone got one bowlful and it was gone.

My Blackeyed Pea Soup:

1 cup dried Blackeyed Peas, soaked overnight then drained and rinsed.

3 cups water

2 celery stalks with leaves chopped

1 carrot thinly sliced

1/4 cup diced ham

3/8 teaspoon ground thyme

1 tablespoon dried chopped onion

2 chicken bullion cubes

1/2 cup Israeli Couscous (from Costco)

Mix everything but the cous cous and simmer for one hour.  Add the cous cous and simmer for 10 minutes.