As pretty as all the glittery Christmas ornaments you can buy at the store are, I have an appreciation for hand-made ornaments, especially if my kids make them. I also really love ornaments made with nature, so the kids and I have been busy making lots of nature themed Christmas tree ornaments recently. Here are instructions for a few of our favorites: Pressed Flower Bulbs You can make really simple but beautiful Christmas ornaments with some pressed flowers, Modge Podge, and plain glass Christmas bulbs. Just brush a thin layer of Modge Podge on the bulb. Stick a few pressed flowers onto the bulb, and brush a layer of Modge Podge over them. Then set it aside to dry. Another way to make pressed flower bulbs is just to fill clear plastic or glass bulbs with small pressed flowers or pressed flower petals. These turn out really beautiful and even really young children can make them. Stick Stars To make stick star ornaments you will need: - 5 dry sticks that are the same length and that ar

As a homeschooling mom I tend to look for gifts that have some educational value to give my kids for holidays and birthdays. Educational toys make learning fun and help kids dive into their interests and passions in a way that doesn't feel like school. With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share some of my favorite educational gift ideas for kids. Microscope -  Introduce your kids to the microscopic world with a microscope! There are super affordable toy microscopes designed for very young children like the one my 4 year old has: the  PBOX Beginner Microscope Set . It's technically a "toy" but it works great. It's a little blurry at it's highest magnification, but for the price I've been fully impressed with it.  If your shopping for an older kiddo check out the  Cassini LCD Digital Microscope or the  Student Microscope set from AmScope . We have the Cassini and we really love it.  Cassini LCD Digital Microscope There are also  pocket m

Basic Information Tanzania is a country in eastern Africa. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia to the west, Malawi and Mozambique to the south.  The terrain is mainly grasslands and the climate ranges from tropical along the coast to temperate in the highland regions.  Population:  around 61,000,000 Size: 365,755 square miles Capital: Dodoma Type of government: republic Currency: Tanzanian shilling National Anthem:  Mungu ibariki Afrika (God bless Africa) National Language: Swahili National Animal: the Maasai Giraffe Famous Places The Serengeti: The Serengeti is a large grassland in northern Tanzania that includes the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. It is home to a vast amount of wildlife including lions, zebra, cheetahs, giraffes, wildebeest, elephants, hyena, over 500 species of birds, and more. Learn more about the Serengeti with this documentary on YouTub