Chocolate Frogs and the Sorting Hat

    Well!  We had a pretty good week.  We got through the first 4 chapters of The Sorcerer's Stone and Cade completed all the reading comprehension sheets to go with them. That's something new for this year, we usually just discuss what we read.  He did great on the Spelling and Vocabulary tests.  Overall we had an engaging week. 
    It was so good that I wanted to surprise him with a treat.  I didn't tell him that I had ordered some frog candy molds on Ebay, or that they came in the mail.  While I was making our homemade pizza, (which is sooo delicious,) I melted a bag of milk chocolate chips and filled the molds then popped them into the fridge.  I was surprised when they fully set just a couple hours later.  I wanted to make the official Chocolate Frog boxes, but I don't have the extra ink.  I did attempt to trace one out and I was going to "color it", but I could not figure out how to properly fold it so it got a make shift square box for presentation.  I am hoping to be able to get the canon mega tank printer next year, so hopefully I can print out boxes for his birthday party. I will figure out the folds if it kills me!  Anyway, the chocolate frogs came out pretty good and he LOVED them. Big win!

    With no plans for this dreary rainy Saturday, I was looking for a project  (other than wiping my runny nose because, ugh! The allergies!) I decided to tackle the project I've been wanting to try...the sorting hat.
    So I started with a dollar store birthday party hat and a cardboard circle taped together with duct tape...

The next step was to fashion the eye ridges and mouth.  I thought about using paper, but didn't want to waste good paper and decided that since we only have a ton of plastic grocery store bags, that I would use them.  I rolled them up the shape and size I wanted, taped them with the duct tape and then taped them in place on the hat. I also took a sheet of card stock paper and made a cone to extend the tip of the hat so I could bend it over. 

    
    Once I had the shape of the face features how I wanted I used white glue and a felt like white fabric that I had on hand left over from Cade's FNAF Foxy costume I made for Halloween a couple years back, to cover the hat.  I was surprised how well the white glue held.  I had really wanted to get contact cement before attempting this project, but I really didn't have the extra money.  I used contact cement when I made the Foxy costume, and I love using that.  It's so easy to adhere pieces with it.  Anyway, I didn't think to get a pic during that process of covering it.  I didn't worry to much about creases and folds, because it's the Sorting Hat and he has plenty of creases and folds so I just went with it
    Once it was covered I got to work with painting it. I covered it with a reddish spray paint first cause I had it on hand and it was just a base coat to cover the hat and make it darker anyway.  Once that was dry I got to work with my acrylics and added the colors that would be the final project.  

    I really like how it turned out.  I still need to add the straps on the sides and the tie that goes around the base and ties at the back, but I need some more paint because, wow, This took a lot of paint.  Even with the base coat, it did not spread all that much. But for now this is what we have for a sorting hat, and I am pretty happy with it.

    So here's to seeing what next week will bring to our Hogwarts Homeschool!

First Years, First Day

    Our Hogwarts Homeschool has officially started!  After a week of review it was finally time to step through the wall and onto Platform 9 3/4 to board that Express to a new adventure. 

    It was a great first day. We started our Care of Magical Creatures/Zoology unit. We did that dreaded math and even that went well...lol We got our first spelling and vocab list for the year, and it was fun to pick out the vocab words from our reading as we dove in and read the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone before answering the comprehension questions that went with the chapter.

    But before we read, we needed a bookmark to keep track of where we were so we made a Ravenclaw bookmark from Red Ted Art. We just need some Harry Potter stickers now.

    So, we had an awesome first day.  I wish that we had tried a themed homeschool long before now because I feel that it really does add a bit of fun to a rather dull part of life, it breaks up the ordinary to make it a little more exciting and it lets us get even more creative with learning.

First Day Preperations

    Well tomorrow is our official "first day" of our Hogwarts Homeschool year.  We start reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone, do our first Harry Potter comprehension worksheet and themed vocab and spelling.  I love hearing, "I'm excited" from my son in regards to school.  It is great.
    So today I had the chance while he was out with his father to get a couple things done to start our school year off with.  The first thing was our platform 9 3/4 doorway.  I knew that I wanted to try this, I just wasn't sure what doorway I wanted to use for it.  I settled on the toy room.  As I posted in an early post.  I painted a foam board replica of the platform sign and the goal was to use it with a "brick wall" doorway to serve as the way onto the platform.  I used a plain white tablecloth from the dollar store, a couple of sponges and some red paint.  (I want to do the same thing for his birthday party next year, but I want to use an old white sheet so it's more durable I think.)  I think it turned out well.

    
    You can see our mischievous Loki sitting on the banister.  I am still waiting for him to try to climb it and rip it apart...lol

    I also found a stone print wall hanging at the dollar store in the Halloween stuff and thought that would make an excellent backdrop for our Hogwarts crest banner so it would look like it was hanging on a castle wall.

    And I finally got his acceptance letter and Train ticket framed and hung on his wall.

    Oh, and it's the picture that is crooked not my wall hanging abilities...lol

Cade was happy when he saw it all up and thinks it's real cool. Score for mom!!

    I want to attempt to make a sorting hat, but I haven't gotten that far yet...lol  I'm not sure if I can pull it off, but I am sure going to try.

    So here is to tomorrow and our first day as first years!!