Pearls and pebbles

I have been trying to find a good blend of what I consider "school time" and what the kids consider play time (which is actually usually school time they just don't see it that way). To do this, I have been trying to say more "yes" to their ideas for crafts and projects. I have recently adjusted our schedule so we complete all of school in the morning. The starting and stopping was becoming difficult for Peter. So now when he's finished with all I have for him then he and the others are free for the rest of the afternoon. So far it has worked nicely and been a good incentive to keep up the work. In one of our books this morning, there was a chapter about a grandma who had pear beads. Peter said, "How can I make pearl beads?" So with my new perspective on life I said, "Well, when you get finished with school, you can collect stones, clean them off and then paint them white". Now we had some serious motivation to finish our tasks. So this is how we spent the remainder of the morning; they painted until they could paint no more. Ryan took part in the pebble painting but at the time of the picture he had already been "dismissed" for repeatedly not following directions!
While the kids were painting, I worked on my own project. I recently realized that the kids are really getting to be a lot more helpful and resourceful. I needed to put this to my advantage especially with a baby coming soon. While at a friend's house this week, I noticed that she had all her sippy cups in a drawer where the kids could reach them. What a novel idea for me. If I moved our plastic ware to where the kids could reach they are just one step closer to being more independent. No longer do they have to ask me for a drink of water because they can actually reach the cups. I will need to find something to put in these large open cabinets to help keep them organized but I'm excited about this potential.