Dream Castles

Jennie, like all of her siblings so far, is just too smart for her britches.  This doesn't mean that any of my children have any common sense whatsoever - because they don't.  But they are very good at all things scholastic.  Having already had one nightmare year with a child who entered Kindergarten already reading on a first or second-grade level, I have done my best to deliver all subsequent children to their first day of Kindergarten without knowing how to read.  I succeeded with Cannon, and was very proud of myself.  He learned how to read with all the other children.   And I have tried - really tried - to do the same with Jennie.  She went to preschool last year, and learned way too much.  So I decided to keep her out of preschool this year in an effort to stall her learning.  To sooth my conscience, I told myself I would do art projects with her during the school year so that she still had something to do and learn.
Well, I totally failed.
The child is reading like crazy, and we've done about half-a-dozen art project since school started last fall.   
Sigh.
But Jennie found a book called something like 50 Things to Do at Christmas Time.  (No matter how I try, there are always a few Christmas things that escape the packing-up process, and hang around all year long.) She has carried this book around with her everywhere, and even sleeps with it.  She eventually talked me into doing a couple of the more simple art projects found therein.  The one she was most excited about was a castle advent calendar.  We made a few adjustments.  (Left out the snowflakes and the numbered doors that open), and made some castles.  The girls loved it.  Lydia especially enjoyed the opportunity to use scissors and glue. I think she used almost a whole stick of glue on this project, but they turned out beautifully.