Photo Flashback: Fire at the Colony Apartments

This fire at The Colony Apartments happened 10 years ago.  I wasn't there when it happened, but came by in the following days and took pictures....

Wildflower Spotting (2012)

 I spotted this wild Trout Lily in Cameron Park in January 2012.

I gather they are quite rare.  Have you ever spotted one?

Learn and Play: The Stone Age

Would you like some fun activities to do with your children to help them learn about what life was like in per-historic times?   Here are some the things I did with my son to help him learn about the Stone Age.  

 

Suggested Books

First, we read the books below to build interest and learn more about what life was like in the Stone Age.   Both of these books are available at Waco Libraries, and  The First Dog is also available at the Hewitt Library. 

 The First Dog, by Jan Brett,  is a beautifully illustrated story about a boy and a wolf who befriended him, and became the first dog.   It's a wonderful piece of fiction to get kids interested in life in the stone age.   There are some great activities listed below to go with this, but I also found this  whole page of activities to use with The First Dog if you want to do more, or do something different.

 

Stone Age People is an excellent non-fiction book to explore more about this part of history.   Its part of the Make It Work series, which has a lot of crafts and projects kids can do related to the topic, as well as a lot of great historical information.  Everything is presented in the form of a model or presented by real kids dressed as ancient people.

My son was pretty young when we first read this, so I didn't read all the text.   We looked at the pictures and talked about what was happening and read some of the sections that told more about things he was interested in.   We spent a lot of time on the page below talking about what the people were doing.

 

 

Activity:  Hunter Gatherer Hike

Materials:  

• Straight branches (and something to cut them with)
• Twine
• Cardboard

For a follow-up activity we decided to do a "hunter gatherer" trek on the hiking trail behind the Carleen Bright Arboretum.   Any wild place would do though.

I made some really simple toy bows and arrows and spears.  SERIOUSLY SIMPLE.  Those are branches from our tree and some weed stalks (we have some really vigorous roadside weeds here in Waco...I suggest wild goldenrod if it lives near you). The string is just brown yarn, and the tips are cardboard.

The bows actually sort of  worked (they could shoot the "arrows" a few feet...not fast enough to hurt anyone, but far enough to be "cool."

I attached the tips of the spears by splitting the top of the branches and inserting the cardboard ...then binding yarn around to make it tighter.  If I had thought better I would have cut a "shaft" on the tips and wrapped the yarn around that.  They might have stayed on longer that way....but they worked well enough.  We invited another family to go along, and the kids enjoyed using these.

I've seen some other bow versions that may shoot a little better made from bamboo or PVC (And I love the idea of an eraser capped arrows).   If you have older kids and want to try your hand at making a really realistic primitive arrow (with bone), there's a nice tutorial here. 

After making our arrows we headed for the nature trail.  We didn't know beforehand that the trail had been decorated with funny scarecrows for Halloween, so we ad-libbed and wondered out-loud who had made these strange statues, and what they might mean.

One of the kids found snails and we talked about how that would be great in our soup that night (No, we didn't really eat them...no wild escargot for us!).

We stopped for a break of seeds and berries my friend had brought (um..."gathered earlier"), and then hiked down to a small stream.  I had hoped to find animal prints near the muddy bank...we did find one dog print (um...I mean..."wolf" print), and lots of tiny fish we pretended to catch for supper.  AND, my friend found an edible plant, purslane, which we tried, with mixed reactions (her daughter hated it so much she drank her whole water bottle to wash away the taste away...but I liked it.  It sort of tastes like lettuce.). 

Purslane

Be careful if you are trying any real "foraging."...do your research beforehand and only try things you're sure about.   Purslane actually has a poisonous doppelganger, spotted spurge, so make sure you study up on look alikes and know how to tell the difference before sampling.  There is a picture of purslane and it's poisonous look-alike at the bottom of this page on Foraging Texas, for comparison. 

Also, you want to make sure to wash anything well before you eat it (you can rinse with a water bottle), and avoid collecting anything where pesticides or herbicides might have been sprayed (our purslane was found well off the beaten path so should have been safe from those). 

Here's some other wild edibles you might find while hiking in Waco...

Blackberry

Blackberry is pretty easy to spot.  You want to only eat the dark black/purple berries.   The red ones, while they may look like raspberries, are way under-ripe.  

Dandelion

Dandelion was the first edible plant I tried.   You can eat the whole thing, from petals to root (though the root should be cooked or dried).  The leaves and petals have a peppery flavor and are something kids can try on the trail.   They are rather bitter though...so your child might not want to chomp on a whole flower. 

While dandelion has quite a few look-a-likes in Texas, all of them that I'm aware of are edible too.  There's a list at the bottom of this page. 


For learning more about edible plants in Texas I suggest browsing the Foraging Texas site.  

Activity:  Rock Art

 

Materials:
Rocks
Paint*
Pain Brushes*

(*You can also make your own paint and brushes...see notes below)

We did this rock art activity at my son's school years after our hike, but I thought it would fit well here.   You could even do this rock art using rocks and materials you find on your hike if you want to.   

The kids in my son's class were learning about the prehistoric artwork in the Lascaux caves.  Archeologists and historians call ancient rock are "petroglyphs." 

For a precursor to this activity can watch this video about the Lascausx Caves or this  shorter video about these caves here, or take a 365 degree virtual tour here (this interactive Pano on FB is also cool).  

First, I collected rocks to paint on.   Because of time we just used regular paint...but I tried to match the colors to those used in the Lascaux cave, and we talked about why they used those colors and what materials they would have made their colors with.   You can also make your own paint using minerals or gathered material, which would be really fun.  For older kids, this article has more about prehistoric paints, and they have some links toward the bottom to paint-making activities that look more at the chemistry of making paints.   You can also have kids make their own paint brushes using natural material like sticks, hair, leaves, or grass. 

Here's our rock art.   Our son really enjoyed this.

Activity:  Make Your Own Cave Book

 

After learning hunter gatherers in the stone age, children may want to make a story of their own.   Here is a cave book my son made using  cave printable here (free to download). 

You can see he made hand-prints on the cave wall, like some of the cave art we had looked at, and a wolf like the story of the The First Dog (in this version the wolf had a pup).

MORE RESOURCES

Stone Age Lapbook

Free Cartoonish Caveman and Mammoth Graphics

Stone Age Axe Out of Paper Mache


FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

If you are using Story of the World curriculum you can find info on these activities aligned to that curriculum on my other blog, Imaginative Homeschool.

Photo Flashback - 2014

I'm going back through some of my old photos and posting ones from this date on previous years.   These are pictures I took on Sept 2, 2014.

Shared on Sky Watch Friday

Waco Area VBS Guide - 2017

Below is a list of all Vacation Bible School's happening this summer in and around Waco.  There may be a few I missed so if you know of any, please leave a comment and I'll be happy to add them (and if I have any information wrong, please, PLEASE correct me so I can fix it)!  All programs, to my knowledge, are free (unless noted).


JUNE 

Meadowbrook Baptist Church
Theme: Maker Fun Factory
Ages: 4 yr - 6th
Dates: June 4 - 8
Time:  6:15 - 8:30 pm
Location: Robinson
More Info Here

Cottonwood Baptist Church
Theme: Maker Fun Factory
Ages:  PreK-6th grade
Dates: June 4-8
Time: 6:15-8:30 pm 
Location: Lorena
More Info Here 

Brazos Meadows Baptist Church
Theme: Galactic Starveyors
Ages:   Completed KG - 6th Grade
Dates:  June 5 - 8
Times:  6:30 - 8:45 pm
Location:  Hewitt
More Info Here

First Baptist Church of Waco 
Theme: Peru
Ages: Completed KG - Completed 6th
Dates: June 5 - 9
Time: 9am - 12
Location: Waco, TX.
More Info Here   

First Baptist Church of Lorena
Theme: Maker Fun Factory
Ages: KG - 6th
Dates:  June 11 - 15
Location:  Lorena
More Info Here

First Baptist Church Woodway 

Theme: Victory
Ages: 4 yr - 6th

 Dates:  June 12 - 16
Time: 9 am - NOON
Location: Woodway
More Info Here

Highland Baptist Church
Theme: Operation Artic
Ages: K - 6th
Dates:  June 12 - 16
Time: 9:30 am - 12:15
Location: Waco
More Info Here

   
St. Albans Episcopal Church
Theme: Hero Central
Ages:  Age 4 yr - 5th Grade
Dates: June 12 - 16
Time: 9 am - 12 noon
Location: Waco, TX,
More Info Here

Peace Lutheran Church
Theme:  Mighty Fortress
Ages: Pre-K — 6th grade
Dates: June 18 - 22
Times:    
JUNE 18: Father's Day Water Festival Kick-Off  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm and Hot Dog Dinner for those Staying for VBS at 5:00 pm
JUNE 27 - 30: 6 -  8:30 pm Location:  Hewitt          
More Info Here

Alliance Bible Church
Theme:  Ocean Commotion
Ages: Pre-K — 6th grade
Dates: June 19 - 23
Times:   6 - 8pm
More Info Here

Woodway 1st United Methodist Church
Theme:  Cave Quest
Ages: Age 4  - entering 6th Grade
Dates: June 25 - 28
Time:  6:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
Location:  Woodway
More Info Here

 
 

JULY

Lorena United Methodist Church
Theme: Hero Central
Dates: July 9 - 13
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Lorena
More Info Here

Trinity Lutheran Church at Badger Ranch

Theme:  Maker Fun Factory
Dates: July 9 - 13

Times:  6:30 - 8:30 pm
Location: Woodway
More Info Here

First Methodist Church of Waco
Dates:  July 9 - 13
Location: Waco 

More Info Here

Columbus Avenue Baptist Church
Theme: Galactic Starveyors
Ages: K-6th Grade
Dates: July 10 - 14
Times: 9:00 am - NOON
More Info Here  

Western Heights Baptist Church 

Theme: Galactic Starveyors
Ages:  Age 4 - completed 6th
Dates:  July 10 - 14
Times:  9 am - Noon
Location:  Waco
More Info Here

Central Christian Church
Theme:  Treasure
Ages:  Age PreK - 5th Grade
Dates:  July 24 - 28
Location: Waco
More Info Here

Evergreen Baptist Church
Theme: Operation Artic
Dates:  July 30 - Aug 3
Location:  Waco
More Info Here

Please Check Back

More May Be Added Later

 

  

GIVEAWAY: A+ Coupons

Every year in September in Hewitt kids start to show up at your door selling the A+ Card and Coupon fundraiser book.  This is one promotion I actually LOOK FORWARD TO.  The card and coupons always pay off for me.   But, this year, I I still have a lot of the coupons left over, so I thought I'd give them away here on the blog.   They don't expire until the end of September.

COUPON GIVEAWAY 

I'm giving away some coupons from last year's A+ Book listed below.

They all expire 9/30/2014

B1G1 = Buy 1 Get 1 Free

SET 1:  Waco/Hewitt Area Coupons
El Chico - Free Queso with purchase of Adult Entry
El Chico - $5 OFF with purchase of $15+
Cotton Patfch - $5 OFF 2 Entries
Dennys - $5 OFF any purchase of $20+
Free Appetizer With Purchase of 2 Dinner Entries and Beverages
Burger King - B1GI Whopper
Burger King - B1G1 Orginal Chicken Sandwhich
Burger King - B1G1Breakfast Sandwhich
Arbys - B1G1 Beef n' Cheddar Sandwhich
Arbys - B1G1 Classic Combo
And a few extras if I don't use them this week.



SET 2: Temple, Belton, Killeen and Lampasas Area Coupons
Free Stormz Small Ice Cream (no purchase necessary)
Dynasty Chinese Restaurant - Buy Two Buffets, Get One Free
El Chico - Free Queso with purchase of Adult Entry
El Chico - $5 OFF with purchase of $15
Cotton Patfch - $5 OFF 2 Entries 
Arbys - B1G1 Beef n' Cheddar Sandwhich
Arbys - B1G1 Classic Combo
Gatti's Pizza - Two Adult Buffets $11.99
Schlotzsky's - Free Chip& Drink With Purchase of Med. Sandwhich
Cinnabon - B1G1 Cinnabon
Cinnabon - B1G1 Minibon
And a few extras if I don't use them this week.


I may throw in some other coupons too from other sources too.  Enter below.  Texas residents only!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Christmas Around Waco

I meant to share these pictures BEFORE Christmas but it just didn't happen (also, would have loved to get better ones, but here there are, such as they are.)  I had never seen either of these before...do they do this every year, or did I just miss this previous years?

I love the "Santa on Armadillos" at Pappa Rollo's Pizza.  

And this toy soldier painted on...well, whatever that thing was near

where HWY 6 and HWY 84 meet...was just so charming, in spite of the bleak surroundings.  I've always thought that thing looked sort of like a man.

Linking up at... 

Our World Tuesday

Waco Voted 3rd Best Texas Destination

Waco got 3rd favorite destination place in a recent poll of Texas Highway readers! Go Waco! We know you're cool!


(PS: Looks like number 1 hasn't been announced. I'm guessing San Antonio because it hasn't hit the list yet. We beat Austin, Corpus Christy, Dallas and a number of other spots I thought would have us beat. But Denton was number 2, go figure!)

Fun This Week! (Aug 4 - 10)

Fun things for kids to do in Waco this week.  Unless specified otherwise these events are free.  This will be the last "Fun This Week" for the summer.  During the school year I just don't have the time to do this every week.


FRIDAY

1:00 PM - Barns and Noble Storytime
A reading from some of today's most popular children's authors followed by crafts and snacks.  Barns of Noble, 4909 W Waco Dr. Waco, TX


7:00 PM - Frozen Friday - Barns & Noble
Cool Off With Olaf! A Get Pop-Cultured with Barnes & Noble Event. Bring in the kids for Storytime, a sing-along, crafts and activities with everyone's favorite summer-loving snowman!

SATURDAY

10:00 AM - Lows Build and Grow 
Build a Monsters Vs Alients Trolly.  All materials supplied and you get to take home what you build - all free.  Register here.

1:30 - 3 PM - Legos Lab - Central Waco Library

Create a masterpiece that will be displayed on our website & at the Library for the following month.  Blocks are provided.  Register Online.   4909 W Waco Dr., Waco, TX 76710, 254-741-9495

Fun This Week (JULY 21 - 27)

Fun things for kids to do in Waco this week.  Unless specified otherwise these events are free.  Also check out our VBS guide to find free (usually) week-long Bible day-camps in the Waco area.


MONDAY

6:30 - 8:00 PM - Angel Paws Reading Buddies - Central Waco Library
Read to a furry, four-legged friend!  These specially trained animal therapy dogs are great listeners who provide encouragement to reluctant and struggling readers while boosting their self-esteem during a 20 minute reading/craft session.  Contact Vivian Rutherford at 254-750-5952 to schedule your 20 minute session. .1717 Austin Ave., Waco



TUESDAY 

9:30 and 10:30 AM - Summer Showcase - East Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details.  901 Elm Ave., Waco

11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm - Dino Days: DinoRock 
An entertaining, engaging, and education program filled with fossils, dinosaurs, and fun! Show times at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. $5 per person pricing will be offered on Dino Days and will include admission to the museum, Be the Dinosaur and all special activities and events. Mayborn Museum Members and Baylor University students receive free admission. For more information, call 254-710-1110.

4:00 PM - Fitness at 4: Bust a Move or Yoga (Rotating) - West Waco Library
Register online.  See website for details. 5301 Bosque Blvd.,. Suite 275, Waco.


WEDNESDAY

9:00 AM - 9:00 PM - Batman Day - Barns & Noble
All day event celebrating the Caped Crusaders 75th birthday. Learn More Here.

10:30 AM - Hewitt Libary Children's Summer Program
Children's entertainment, every week.  See webiste for specifics on this week's event.
Hewitt Meeting & Event Center, 208 Chama Dr (next to the Library)

10:30 AM & 1:30 PM - Summer Showcase - West Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details. 5301 Bosque Blvd.,. Suite 275, Waco.

4:00 PM - Fitness at 4: Dancersize - Central Waco Library
Register online.  See website for details. 1717 Austin Ave., Waco

6:30 - 12:30 PM - Angel Paws Reading Buddies - Central Waco Library
Read to a furry, four-legged friend!  These specially trained animal therapy dogs are great listeners who provide encouragement to reluctant and struggling readers while boosting their self-esteem during a 20 minute reading/craft session.  Contact Vivian Rutherford at 254-750-5952 to schedule your 20 minute session. .1717 Austin Ave., Waco



THURSDAY


10:30 AM & 1:30 PM - Summer Showcase - Central Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details.  1717 Austin Ave., Waco

7:00 PM - Family Night - West Waco Library
Weekly performances for the whole family.    See website for details. 5301 Bosque Blvd.,. Suite 275, Waco.





FRIDAY


10:30 AM & 1:30 PM - Summer Showcase - South Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details.  2737 S. 18th St., Waco

1:00 PM - Barns and Noble Storytime
A reading from some of today's most popular children's authors followed by crafts and snacks.  Barns of Noble, 4909 W Waco Dr. Waco, TX




SATURDAY

10:00 AM - Lows Build and Grow 
Build a Turbo Taco Truck.  All supplies provided free, and you get to keep what you build!  More info and register online here.

2:00 PM - Movie Night at Hewitt Library
Free kids movies showing every Saturday at 2:00 pm.  This week Frozen.  See website for specifics on this week's event.

Fun This Week (July 14 - 20)

Fun things for kids to do in Waco this week.  Unless specified otherwise these events are free.  Also check out our VBS guide to find free (usually) week-long Bible day-camps in the Waco area.


MONDAY



6:30 - 8:00 PM - Angel Paws Reading Buddies - Central Waco Library
Read to a furry, four-legged friend!  These specially trained animal therapy dogs are great listeners who provide encouragement to reluctant and struggling readers while boosting their self-esteem during a 20 minute reading/craft session.  Contact Vivian Rutherford at 254-750-5952 to schedule your 20 minute session. .1717 Austin Ave., Waco



TUESDAY 

9:30 and 10:30 AM - Summer Showcase - East Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details.    .  901 Elm Ave., Waco


11:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Dino Days - Mayborn Museum
Enjoy storytelling by Vivian Rutherford from 1:30-3:30 pm, the film “The Land Before Time” at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm and Digging for Dinosaur Bones: Dig Site Information from 2:30-3:30 pm. $5 per person pricing will be offered on Dino Days and will include admission to the museum, Be the Dinosaur and all special activities and events. Mayborn Museum Members and Baylor University students receive free admission. For more information, call 254-710-1110 or visit website.


1:30 to 4:00 pm - Teen Movie Party and Shrink Art (Ages 11 -17)
See a mad scientist accidentally allow his kids to get shrunk!  Make and take your own Shrinky Dink Art & make a piece of Jewelry or keychain ornament. See website for details. 1717 Austin Ave., Waco

4:00 PM - Fitness at 4: Bust a Move or Yoga (Rotating) - West Waco Library
Register online.  See website for details. 5301 Bosque Blvd.,. Suite 275, Waco.


WEDNESDAY

10:30 AM - Hewitt Libary Children's Summer Program
Children's entertainment, every week.  See webiste for specifics on this week's event.
Hewitt Meeting & Event Center, 208 Chama Dr (next to the Library)

10:30 AM & 1:30 PM - Summer Showcase - West Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details. 5301 Bosque Blvd.,. Suite 275, Waco.

4:00 PM - Fitness at 4: Dancersize - Central Waco Library
Register online.  See website for details. 1717 Austin Ave., Waco

6:30 - 12:30 PM - Angel Paws Reading Buddies - Central Waco Library
Read to a furry, four-legged friend!  These specially trained animal therapy dogs are great listeners who provide encouragement to reluctant and struggling readers while boosting their self-esteem during a 20 minute reading/craft session.  Contact Vivian Rutherford at 254-750-5952 to schedule your 20 minute session. .1717 Austin Ave., Waco




THURSDAY


10:30 & 1:30 - Summer Showcase - Central Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  This week's movie is Turbo.  See website for details.  1717 Austin Ave., Waco


7:00 pm - Family Night - West Waco Library
Weekly performances for the whole family.    See website for details. 5301 Bosque Blvd.,. Suite 275, Waco.




FRIDAY

10:30 AM & 1:30 PM - Summer Showcase - South Waco Library
Weekly events for children - puppets, plays, storytelling and more!  See website for details.  2737 S. 18th St., Waco


1:00 PM - Barns and Noble Storytime
A reading from some of today's most popular children's authors followed by crafts and snacks.  Barns of Noble, 4909 W Waco Dr. Waco, TX

1:30 PM - Science Shenanigans - Central Waco Library
A science lab for ages 7 to 11,. The theme is “Backyard Chemistry Lab,” with hands-on experiments. Reserve a spot by calling 750-5942. Space is Limited. See website for details.  1717 Austin Ave., Waco

SATURDAY

2:00 PM - Movie Night at Hewitt Library
Free kids movies showing every Saturday at 2:00 pm.   See website for specifics on this week's event.


SUNDAY

1:30 PM - Block Party - Central Waco Library
Block Party for Toddlers and Pre-K ages will be at Central Library on Sunday, July 20th, at 1:30 p.m. Please call 750-5952 for a reservation. See website for details.  1717 Austin Ave., Waco