A Day Home Schooling an Only

Welcome to a day in our home school.  I don't know where or how the tradition started but we always wake up and enjoy a cup of tea together.  It's something we did as a family before the children joined us and once they were about four months old they joined us for a wake up cup of tea.  It's what we do to start off our day.  Very few days go by without a morning cup of tea.  Somehow it does not feel complete unless we have sat together in the lounge before Paul leaves before work.  These day's it's just the three of us as Jane is currently enjoying a year overseas working and exploring the U.K. at the moment and Timothy has a slightly different schedule to us.

As I share our day with you I would leave one word of caution.  Never try to make a carbon copy of another families normal day.  Every home schooling family is unique and therefore so should their day be unique.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew would like to welcome you into their homes this week as they share their unique and individual days with you.

Paul works a slightly unique roster meaning that our daily rhythm is slightly different every week.  On a work day he leaves for work at around 7:30 am.

Once he leaves it's time for breakfast, bed making, getting dressed for the day and morning chores.  These are normally things like unpacking the dishwasher and either starting the clothes washer or hanging the already washed clothing. Once these are complete it's time to begin with our school work.

We start our reading list with bible study and encouraging books.

•  Ten Boys Who Didn't Give In 
• Little Pilgrim's Progress
• Adam and His Kin 
• Hero Tales Volume 1
• Leading Little Ones to God

We then read some more and explore different subjects.  If Nathaniel asks a question while we are reading we will take some time and look for the answer.  We also do word studies while we are reading.  Little Pilgrim's Progress has given us plenty of opportunities to expand our vocabulary recently.

 Our currently read aloud for fun is The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White.  This is such a beautifully written story.
This year I am adding in poetry reading.  We are not studying poetry but rather just taking the time to read it as part of our day.  We are using Favorite Poems of Childhood.
My all time favourite composer study series is from Zeezok publishing and we are currently reading their book on the life of Joseph Haydn - The Merry Little Peasant.

 We take a small break and then it is time for music practice followed by morning tea.

 Followed by more time cuddled together on the couch when we tackle our history read alouds. This year we are continuing our journey with the ancients and have added an introduction to Australian History.  Our books are:

• Story of the World 
• Living Long Ago
• Usborne Time Traveller
• History of Australia.   

 Some days we choose to watch documentaries on Netflix or we take one off our DVD shelf.  Yesterday we looked up a few YouTube clips about the ancient Chinese practice of foot binding.

By now it's usually lunch time and time for more chores.

 After lunch we tackle the remaining books in our pile and this day it was the sciences. We are reading:

• Exploring Creation : With Astronomy
• A Child's Geography
• The Kingfisher Factfinder.

Next it's time to get out all the pencils and practice the rest of the Three R's. It's time writing and arithmetic.

Most afternoons we have something happening.  Some days it's art co-op and on others it's fellowship etc.

Paul get's home at around 5 pm and then it's time to play with Pugsley and do evening chores.  Pugsley adores Nathaniel and loves his ball (Yes it's a golf ball.  That's the only ball he does not destroy!)

 Homeschooling an only has stretched me in ways I never thought possible and it's a blessing in the most amazing ways as well.  Asperger's Syndrome frustrates us both some days and on other days it's brought about much laughter.  Every day is different and yet somehow the same. Homeschooling has been one of life surprises and it's biggest blessing.  I'm grateful for each new day I get to be this boys Mom and friend.  I get to be there for every amazing adventure and new discovery.  His passion at the moment is movie making and through this I am learning how God has made this miracle gift to me in His image and not mine.

Thank you for sharing our day with us.  I endevour to share our days / week each week on a Saturday via The Homeschool Mother's Journal and daily on Instagram (@Chareenr).  You can see what our favourite books are and hands on projects we have been up to as well as the places we explore on our Field Trips.

This post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog Hop A Day in Our Homeschool.  Be sure to check out what my homeschooling friends days look like.

Blessings
Chareen 

Compost in a Bottle {Science Experiment}

With Fall  on it's way for my friends in the northern hemisphere and spring down here I thought I would share this easy experiment any one can do any time of the year. Earlier this year Sir N and I spent a delightful day out at Barwon Waste Management Education Centre where we helped in an experiment called Compost in a Bottle.  This is a wonderful experiment you can do at home and watch over the year to see what happens.

You will Need

1. Strips of news paper
2. Blood & Bone (garden fertilizer)
3. Bread
4. Grated Carrot
5. Grated Potato
6. Soil
7. Two or Three 2.25 Lt cold drink bottles (we used Coke bottles)

Method

• Clean the plastic bottles well. Cut the bottle around the top leaving a small part to act as a hinge.

• You will need fruit, vegetables, soil, paper and fertilizer.  In order to make all the bottles identical I chose to grate carrots and vegetables and use a cup measure when placing into the bottles.
• Follow the recipe (a picture recipe)
• Layer soil, vegetables, fertilizer (only a tablespoon per layer) and paper. Each bottle needs to be identical.
• Spray each layer with a little bit of water.  Do NOT soak.  Only a fine mist spray.
• The original experiment required two identical bottles. We made a third bottle without fertilizer because we wanted to know how well compost worms work in comparison to fertilizer in a compost bin.
• When the bottles are full tape them shut.
• Mark the side of the bottle with a permanent pen showing the different layers.
• Place one bottle on the windowsill, and one in a dark cupboard.  We placed the one with the worms in the dark cupboard as well.

Seven Months Later ...

Left - Windowsill bottle
Middle - Dark Cupboard with worms
Right - Dark Cupboard.

What experiments have you done with your families recently ?
Blessings
Chareen

This post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew Fall into Nature Blog Cruise. (Goes up on Tuesday 22 October)

HELP There's NO money for Curriculum!

A while back I stumbled upon a post by Jimmie and Pam called: What if I had no money for a curriculum ?  This has been playing on my mind especially after sharing my extensive home library of books with you this week. I began thinking what would I do if there was NO money for any curriculum. As I pondered this question I came to realise that this question has a two fold answer. For most people reading this post they would have regular access to the Internet and for some people they would not own a computer much less have regular access to the Internet.

On the Internet
The Internet is fast becoming the new home school support network and we have some really generous home school mom's who have supplied some excellent resources. There are new resources being continually added to the Internet on a regular basis.

If I had access to the Internet and a reliable computer I would make use of this amazing resource. Earlier this year I shared over 90 links in a Homeschool for FREE Resource List.

You will find links to

• Curriculum by Grade
• Curriculum by Subject
• Complete unit studies by subject and grade
• Websites dedicated to compiling free curriculum by subject
• Blogs that generously share what they find on the net by subject
• Bloggers who have a weekly Freebie 
• Pinterest boards to get you started on finding free resources by subject. (you don't need an account to use these)
• A list of veteran homeschoolers on Pinterest who have collected some amazing resources.
• Facebook pages to like and follow that share where to source Free curriculum.

If you are a blogger I would encourage you to build a network of followers and then apply to be on the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  This would open up opportunities to receive curriculum for FREE in exchange for a review.  I estimate you would have access to an average of $ 1,000 worth of curriculum a year. Once you start doing this you would receive offers from other companies to review products.

No Internet

If I had no Internet access I would use public access Internet to  request a catalogue from Sonlight Curriculum. I love the Charlotte Mason philosophy of twaddle free literature and this company offers the best collection by grade I've ever come across.

• Armed with this I would join my local library and home educate with the list of books provided. 
• Add in a couple of extra books that are interest led by your students.
• Get your children to journal about what they are learning or do mini projects in a notebook.
• Get to know your librarian and she will help you put together an amazing curriculum. 
• Libraries these days have some excellent math resources on hand. 
• Do old fashioned math. Memorise math facts daily.
• Use a world map and memorise countries and their capital cities.
• Frequent your local opportunity shop and see if you can find any treasures on their shelves.
• Make friends with some local homeschool Mom's.  Most homeschool mom's I know are quiet happy to help, impart knowledge and or share their supplies. 
• Get to know the area you live in.  Visit the local park.  Read the signs.
• Go to your nearest Tourist Information office and pick up brochures to learn about what you can do and see in your area.
• Go to a travel agency and pick up a few travel brochures and do unit studies on the destinations talked about in the brochures.
• Read your city councils What's on page to find Free family activities. 
• Go to community helpers (police, vet clinic, Doctor office, pharmacy, Fire Brigade) speak to the receptionist and arrange an interview with a helper and learn from them.
• Visit a retirement home and discover the wealth of informative learning through friendships here.
• Get to know people in your church. One of the families in our homeschool group wanted to learn to knit so they asked around church till they found someone willing to teach them and they go over for an hour a week lesson.

One of the most important things to remember on your home education journey is that you can not teach everything there is to know.  You need to learn how to learn together.  Answer questions together. Search for information together.  Most importantly you need to enjoy time together.

If you had no money for curriculum what would you do ?  I've enjoyed the challenge of thinking about this question.  It has helped me count my blessings and realise just how privileged we are.

Blessings
Chareen

Hoping for the Butterfly - Mr T

Meet my first born whose name means  

"A gift of the Lord who brings Him much honor."

On this blog he is known as Mr T, his story begins 20 years ago.  We received news of our pregnancy during the week of our first wedding anniversary.   

I was around six month pregnant and teased my husband that I hoped he had bought me a 21st birthday gift. His reply was to lean over rub my pregnant roundness smile at me and say "Sure here it is . . . " I just laughed at him because I was due on the first of July.  Three weeks before my 21st.

Long story short I developed Bells' Palsy went into hospital to be induced and came home still pregnant. God's ways are higher than ours.Well the due date came and went, so did one week, two weeks and then the third week of July arrived. 5 am on the 22 July my time arrived and that afternoon on my 21st birthday God gave me an eternal birthday gift.  A beautiful living breathing 4.25 kg (9.25 lb) healthy first born son.

Our journey together consisted of three eye operations (Strabismus Surgerys) on both eyes {one at 9 months one at 11 months and one at 3 and a half years}, two immigrations and home schooling.


Broken and missed dreams
Our journey through the teen years has seen many doors close for Mr T

• On the day he went for his interview to join the Air force he learned that the day before the Australian government had altered the criteria and he could no longer join because he is not an Australian citizen.
• He started his second job and two months into his work he slipped and fell. Thought he had not hurt himself.  No paperwork was done.  Little did we know that he had ruptured a disc in his spine that would require Lumbar Discectomy spinal surgery six weeks later and close his dream of becoming an IT technician.
• It took him over a year to recover.
• Last year Mr T developed a mystery numbness in his legs which led to him being in hospital for a week and has him now walking with the support of a crutch and a year long journey of not being able to obtain paid employment.  No options for government support due to us being New Zealand citizens living in Australia.  
• He applied for a student loan and had that door close because he is not an Australian citizen.

Watching my son walk this journey has been heart breaking. I would like to thank Susan for challenging me to look at him and see the butterfly in the cocoon I need to look at him as my Heavenly Father does.  This is His child and He says of this child

My Responsibility
My role now is to allow the butterfly to finish growing in the cocoon of the Lord's time.  He is able to do more than I could ever hope or dream.  I need to allow God's perfect timing. The Lord will release this butterfly (my son) from his cocoon in His perfect time and place.

Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; 

He is our Help and our Shield.  

Psalm 33:20

I would like to encourage any of you with a teen in your care that does not seem to be finding themselves or too many doors seem to close for them that the Lord has a plan and a hope for them.  In the flesh we may  despair and wonder but in His care we have a hope and a future for their final outcome.  He loves them and knows the plans for their future.

Blessings
Chareen

During the month of May I would like to introduce each of my children to you.

• 8 May - Releasing Butterflies this May
• 15 May - Hoping for the Butterfly - Mr T
• 22 May - Anticipating the Butterfly - Miss J
• 29 May - Preparing the Butterfly  - Sir N

--ooOoo--

May is Ichthyosis Awareness Month. I will be partaking in a month long blog hop in honor of Peter and other children with Ichthyosis. Release the butterflies is more than about children with a rare skin disorder it's about each and every one of our children.

Susan will be having a weekly link up.  Please join me in celebrating each and every child and just how special they truly are.

Here is Susan's Schedule
Links will be added here as the posts go live.
Release the Butterflies Posts:

1. Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Susan  Embrace the Wild Child, Release the Butterflies
Nicole Releasing the Butterflies. Turtle...
Lisa All the Same and Yet Different
2. Wednesday, May 15, 2013
   Susan Giving the Butterfly Time to Emerge
   Nicole Releasing the Butterflies. Bug...
3. Wednesday, May 22, 2013
4. Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Giveaways

1. Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids Bundle (ends 5/12)
2. Character Trails, a Review and Giveaway! (ends 5/19)
3. Monday, May 20, 2013
4. Monday, May 27, 2013

Freebies

1. Thursday, May 9, 2013 Preschool Butterfly Printables Pack
2. Thursday, May 16, 2013
3. Thursday, May 23, 2013

Releasing Butterflies this May

On Saturday Susan launched Ichthyosis Awareness Month with an amazing post about who our children are.  Susan's son Peter is more than his skin condition he is an intelligent, creative funny little boy.  He needs to be seen for who he is.  The FIRST foundation symbol is a butterfly and is the inspiration for the theme this month. Susan says: "I’ve always loved that image, that of a child being freed from a “cocoon” that keeps him from being seen in all his splendor as the wonderful child of God he is."

Paul and I have been blessed with three children.  Starting next Wednesday during the month of May I would like to introduce each of my children to you.

• 8 May - Releasing Butterflies this May
• 15 May - Hoping for the Butterfly - Mr T
• 22 May - Anticipating the Butterfly - Miss J
• 29 May - Preparing the Butterfly  - Sir N

This past weekend I was at Crop 4 a Cause and was touched by this statement

I would encourage you to take some time over the next week and look, really look at each of your children and appreciate them for who they are right now.  Not whom they could be.  Look at them and ask the Lord to help you see that child the way He sees them.

I pray the Lord will fill your week ahead with the wonder of each of the children He has placed in your care.

Blessings
Chareen

--ooOoo--

May is Ichthyosis Awareness Month. I will be partaking in a month long blog hop in honor of Peter and other children with Ichthyosis. Release the butterflies is more than about children with a rare skin disorder it's about each and every one of our children.

Susan will be having a weekly link up.  Please join me in celebrating each and every child and just how special they truly are.

Here is Susan's Schedule
Links will be added here as the posts go live.
Release the Butterflies Posts:

1. Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Susan  Embrace the Wild Child, Release the Butterflies
Nicole Releasing the Butterflies. Turtle...
Lisa All the Same and Yet Different
2. Wednesday, May 15, 2013
3. Wednesday, May 22, 2013
4. Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Giveaways

1. Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids Bundle (ends 5/12)
2. Monday, May 13, 2013
3. Monday, May 20, 2013
4. Monday, May 27, 2013

Freebies

1. Thursday, May 9, 2013

Join us for a day homeschooling {A Photo Diary}

Sometimes our days are slow (not very often may I add) and sometimes busy (more often than not!) but never is it twice the same. Today I would like to invite you to join us for a photo journey of a home school day at Every Bed of Roses. I do confess I am a shutter bug and love taking photo's and experimenting with the D-SLR I was given last year. In order to lower the number of images in this post I've created a few collages of our day.

This year we are continuing with using our environment to encourage learning. A home school family on the other side of Melbourne invited home school families to come over and join them for a day of  Science for Home Educators: "A Shocking Experience"


Our day of Science Adventure

First things first.  I needed to find some clean clothes in Mount Ironmore to iron for the day (How do you super Mom's do it ? I always seem to have a Mount Washmore or Ironmore!). Followed by breakfast and picnic preparations. We are loving having a cooler on wheels it goes everywhere with us these days.

Next it was time for my shower while Sir N practiced math facts on Math Rider and did lesson 19 with Children's Music Journey.  Before we left we had some quality time with Pugsley.

My friend collected us and we drove 70 km to the other side of greater Melbourne. We saw the Southern Star which is nearing completion.  We hope to go for a ride on this one day. Admired the architecture and listened to The Song of the Unicorn. Once we arrived in the suburb of our desired destination we looked for a park to enjoy a picnic lunch together.

Soon enough it was time to tackle the lab and learn about molecules, positive and negative charges.

We used rods of perspex, glass, polythene and something else I can't remember the name of. We rubbed them with a piece of woolen cloth to charge them up and checked to see if we could move water and pick up small pieces of paper.

We also used this little box (Gold Leaf Electroscope) with a gold leaf to see how static electricity moves through air and our own bodies.

Let the static electricity fun begin. We got to play with a Van De Graaff generator.  It was so much fun watching all the children's hair stick up! Sir N was so highly charged after his time on the generator he could pick up the little bits of paper on the bench!

All too soon it was time to leave the lab. We stopped at our park for another cup of tea and then it was time to pack up and drive home. We played with the DSLR in the tunnel, looked at the beautiful skyline of Melbourne and listened to Hallelujah Handle. Once home it was time to play a game or two on Mom's Galaxy Tab and touch base with cousins. Dinner was soon ready and then it was time for bed. Sir N slept very well after 140 km round trip !

My favorite moment 

This is my favourite moment of the day. We stopped for a cup of tea before traveling home and this is what we saw.

I agree with my bloggy friend Susan who encouraged me this week with Don't miss the Little Moments. I encourage you to take out your camera and capture those moments with your children. I have two teens as well and one has moved out. I wish now I had taken more pictures and had more memories. That time passes in a twinkling of an eye. If you need inspiration I invite you next week to take a journey with other home school Mom's ? Have a look at what the Crew have been up to this week: Our Homeschool Day in Pictures. (Coming Next Tuesday 26 March)

Blessings
Chareen  

Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor

A little Word on Homeschool Record Keeping

Some home schooler's wonder whether record keeping is worth while and others are plagued by a deep fear of being checked up on which drives them to keep reams and reams of records. Record keeping during homeschooling does not need to be fear driven or brushed aside I think a healthy balance somewhere in between is a good place to be.

Record keeping is different in every country / state in the world so it's important that you check to see what the legal requirements are.

Planning your homeschool year is a great place to start with your record keeping. You can use this as a check list at the end of each day and by the end of the year you will have gathered a substantial list of what has been completed.

A word of caution, when we purchase a curriculum we somehow feel compelled to check every box and do e-v-e-r-y assignment and at times this can be to the detriment of our learning experience. Remember that you are the master and that purchased curriculum is your servant.  Use it as such.  For some reason when we pay money for something we feel compelled to use it from A to Z. Remember that not checking all the boxes is not an indication of failure but rather indicates an attitude that you have evaluated whether or not you need to complete the said assignment to accomplish your goal. Setting up goals and planning go hand in hand with good record keeping.

Consistent record keeping is especially important in the High School years. You will need these records to provide accurate details to future employers and tertiary institutions.

The first key to keeping excellent records is being consistent. The second key to unlocking record keeping is to find what works for you and stick to that method. As homeschool parents we live in a costant state of doubt and the result of this is looking at what others are doing and feeling that you need to change and be like them. Rule number one is: "Do not compare your system to someone else unless you are looking for a method to improve yours or your system is not working."

What should you keep records of ?
Generally records fall into one of three main categories.

1. Academic
2. Additional information.
3. Transcripts

The HSLDA has an excellent pdf document you can down load titled HSLDA Guide for Homeschooling through High School. This document has a comprehensive summary of what to include in each of these categories.

It is exceptionally important to be familiar with the local laws governing homeschooling where you are so that you know what sorts of records are important for you to keep.

Lee Binz from The Home Scholar has some excellent YouTube video's on Transcripts and how to.

Legal Requirements {Australia}

1. Queensland
2. Northern Territories
3. Western Australia
4. South Australia
5. Victoria
6. Australian Capital Territory
7. New South Wales
8. Tasmania

In the USA a good place to start is HSLDA and for the rest of the world they have a comprehensive International Homeschooling contact list.

A word about technical terms (jargon)
There is nothing like sitting in a room full of people who use big words and you have no idea what on earth they are talking about.  Over at Time 4 Learning they have an amazing Homeschool Glossary for you.

• Homeschool Terms and Definitions (A-C)
• Homeschool Terms and Definitions (D-N)
• Homeschool Terms and Definitions (P-U)

Thankfully I read some books by Ruth Beechick who is an excellent encourager. She helps you to understand the daily tasks you do with your children can be categorized into the fancy school terminology (technical jargon of schools). All you need is a little understanding and a little bit of vocabulary building on your part as well as taking some time to evaluate each activity and reclassify it. This in turn will make your homeschool records take on a more professional feel. I highly recommend Ruth Beechick's book: You Can Teach Your Child Successfully.

How to keep records 

When I first started homeschooling I used my Sonlight Instructors Guide and checked off each task as we completed it. This guide is an excellent resource for record keeping and planning ahead.  I am currently using The Well-Planned Day Homeschool Planner and another one that looks great is The Ultimate Homeschool Planner published by Apologia Ministries.

• Easy Fuss Free Record Keeping over at Homeschooling Downunder Blog
• Homeschool Record Keeping and Evaluation over at About.com
• How to Keep Accurate Homeschooling Records over at wikiHow
• Homeschool Record Keeping in High School on Squidoo
• Homeschool Portfolio Evaluations Shouldn't be Scary! over at Time 4 Learning.
• Creating Homeschool Transcripts over at Pros and Cons of Homeschooling.

Record Keeping on the Net

• Homeschool Planners and Organizers over at The Home School Mom
• Recordkeeping: Is it Worth the Trouble? over at HSLDA
• Record keeping for High School over at HSLDA
• Record Keeping for Special Needs children over at HSLDA
• Homeschool Record Keeping on Pinterest
• Nadene over at Practical Pages shares some tips on using Google Calendar for planning/record keeping. This post is a step by step tutorial
• Theme for the Day over at Practical Pages.
• Homeschooling with Excellence No.3 {Better Ways to Use Your Instructor's Guide} over at Sonlight.
• Useful iPad Apps for Record-Keeping over at Creating with Wisdom
• Unschooling Record-keeping and Planning over at Creating with Wisdom
• Homeschool Planning Know How on Pinterest
• Homeschool Planners and Record Keeping on Pinterest. 
• Free Weekly Planning Pages from Homeschooling Hearts and Minds.
• Free Gradebook+ over at  Fivejs
• Some Helpful Tools and Resources over at Time 4 Learning

What are some of your favourite resources to keep records of your homeschool journey ?  Please share the link in the comments so that I can add to the above list.

Blessings
Chareen 

This post is part of the Home school High School Carnival.  Don't forget to pop on over to Creating with Wisdom to read what others are saying about this topic.




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Angry Bird Cake Tutorial

This weekend was my Mom's birthday and she asked for an Angry Birds cake.  We chose Stella (Pink Bird) as our inspiration. My sister has been making Angry Birds cakes for a while and agreed to let me photograph and share the process with you.  It was not as hard as I had imagined and all you need is time and patience.

Making the Angry Bird cake Beak and Tail 

The process starts a week before (longer if you live in a humid climate) with the making of the beak and tail.

• You need to use a powdered hardener (Cake Art Tylose Powder) in the fondant. Mix it in well before you add in the coloured powder. 
• Use fondant to form a trapezoid shape out of yellow coloured fondant. Once you have your desired shape use a rolling pin to flatten/neaten all the sides.  Use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip 3/4 way down the beak.  Bend the beak open. We used two cooking essence bottles to support the beak until it was dry.  The completed beak is 2.5" (6.5cm) tall, a base of around 2" and a tip of about 1".  The base of the beak is square.
• Use fondant and colour it black then form a tail (this is where all those years of playing with play dough come in handy!)  After two hours push a bamboo skewer into the tail and two into the beak.  Leave in a dry area to dry and harden.  Do not place in a sealed container as it will 'sweat' and not harden. It needs good air circulation to harden off.

Making the Angry Bird cake body

• We used an 8 inch (20cm) round cake tin. You will need enough round cakes that when stacked are about 8" high.  
• Place two cakes bottom side together on the base, cut the mound off the top one then added the next cake and finally finish with the fourth. 
• Leave the 'mound' in tact to form the crown of the head.  
• Using a bread knife sculpt your cake to form the head of your Angry Bird.

• Make some butter icing  the same colour as the cake you are making add in a little more milk to make it a runny consistency.  Use some of this icing or jam to glue your layers together.  
• Place your sculpted cake on a cake board of your choice. Do a light coating of the mix over the outside of  the cake to seal the sculpted cake in preparation to ice. 
• Make a thicker butter icing (YouTube).
• We used a star tip and pink icing and started at the top of the cake and worked our way to the bottom in a circular pattern around the cake.  To make it easier to ice we placed the cake board onto a container on top of my Lazy Susan. 
• We used a grass tip to ice the grass. (YouTube)

Finishing Touches for the Angry Bird Cake

• Fix the beak and tail onto the cake using the skewers. Using the pink icing ice around the edges to finish off.
• Roll out white fondant icing and using a round wavy 2.5" circular cookie/scone cutter cut out two eyes and place on cake.  
• Mix some black butter icing and using a thin round icing nozzle pipe in face detail. Pipe on the eye and eyelashes. 
• Change to a thicker nozzle pipe on the eye brow.
• For the hair we used a party table center piece which we purchased from the local grocery store in the party section. Using a pencil wrap the wire around to form curls. Remove from it's case and wrap the ends in clingfilm before tying on the ribbon.
• We used two different types of 1" wide ribbon to make the bow. A light pink and a thicker white ribbon. These were layered one on top of the other and tied around the hair. This was then inserted in the top of the cake. Once in the cake the ribbon was cut to the desired length.
• We used pre-purchased royal icing roses and placed these on the lawn around the cake.

Completed product

Enjoy the finished product.
Blessings
Chareen

A little inspiration for you.  Here are three other Angry Birds Cakes my sister made last year.

This post is part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog Cruise : Recipe Share. Take some time and pop on over and be inspired.. and Try a New Recipe Tuesday.