Motivated!

Today was a day spent to motivate me.  Fortunately, this wasn't one of those times that I needed a lot of motivation but it helped fill my bucket.

One of my friends found this great resource - RAFT.  I have heard about it for awhile but it also sounded overwhelming so I wanted to go when I didn't have any kids so when this class popped up I signed up immediately.

Another friend of mine ended up going with me and she drove so I got to chat with a friend and then get motivated.

RAFT is a great, cheap resource for teachers and homeschoolers (since we are teachers).  All the items in this huge warehouse are donated - anything such as milk jugs, paper in tons of colors, sizes and types, fabric scraps, carpet scraps, office supplies, tiles etc etc etc.  The prices range from one penny to $5 was the most expensive thing I saw today.  Not only do they have all this cheap stuff but they have people who work there that put kits together.

Here are a couple pictures of what I got today but this isn't everything.''

In this picture, I got the bottles for 50 cents, the roll of adding tape for 50 cents, the preform bottle for 25 cents (I got 8 total) and the button for 1 cent (I got 10 total).  With the bottles, I am doing 2 things - 1) Andrew and I are going to make a rocket, and 2) I am going to make word bottles - put strips of paper inside with vocabulary words and their definitions from our science unit and the kids have to match them up.  That is just one idea.  The roll of paper is to make a timeline.  The buttons are to make our own buttons - we will cover them and decorate - haven't decided for what exactly yet.  The preform - I don't know yet.  If you look in the background there are posters rolled up and a couple flat posters.  The rolled up posters are from the art museum and they have wonderful, colorful pictures on them that the kids can cut up and make a collage or even study the pictures on them.  The flat posters are for 2 games I also got.

 This is an example of one of the kits.  Everything I need to build the activity is inside plus the directions which include the science behind the activity.  I think I bought a total of 6 kits.

The best part was just being able to talk to other like minded moms who are struggling with the same stuff I am and getting ideas from them.  I liked seeing all the materials for just pennies - the items that so many projects in books tell you to get but you don't want to spend the big bucks.  Or items to make the expensive kits you see in the teacher stores.  I have struggled with having the kids do collages and dioramas and such because I didn't want to "waste" anything at home.  Now I don't feel like it is wasted just seeing some of the items they had and knowing I could go purchase something for pennies the next time I need it was motivating for me.

I could have spent the rest of the day wondering and coming up with ideas of things to do but we wanted to go out to lunch.

Finally, I pulled my cart to the checkout.  I spent a little more then I wanted to today but I know that I will never spend that much again at one time.  It was just fun to collect stuff and brainstorm.

After checking out we went to my favorite restaurant, Watercourse because I had a groupon to use.  Now for those that don't know, Watercourse is a totally vegetarian restaurant that can make anything vegan just ask.  We shared nachos with chipolte ailoi and the Maximus burger which is a pinto bean and quinoa burger.  It was fabulous and then we both took home a vegan dessert to share with the family.

I got home and Dad had taken the kids to Home Depot for the project and played Legos.  Everyone was happy.

Now, when I do my weekly planning for tomorrow I feel inspired to get creative and I know where to get stuff to be creative cheaply.  Wait until you see some of the stuff I have coming up.  The kids will love it.