Today was a good day to move the machines out onto the front porch, give  my granddaughter (who just turned 8) a big bag of scrap material and enjoy watching her learning to piece her first strip (crazy) quilt.

When we packed up around 4:30, she looked over and said, "Grandma, didn't we have a great day."

We're starting a "Summer 2011" scrapbook to include all the different things she's learning to do while school's out.  We started this project with giving her some cake icing and letting her decorate a cake. 

She's also having a ball learning to take digital photos and making fried pies (on cooler days, of course).  We've already had a lesson in cutting dough for chicken dumplings and baking brownies.  One day this week we'll be baking homemade biscuits to eat with our homemade blackberry jam.

Cooking is a great way to help kids learn and understand fractions.  Sewing covers measurments and other math skills.  Next week she wants to tackle making flower arrangements.

It was such a wonderful outing that I thought I'd share it, especially since she was so proud of her accomplishment.