Mama's Got a Brand New Bag (Well, Sort Of)

As I made breakfast this morning, my mind wandered over the coming weeks and months -- what we need to do, what that means.  I realized I was using a family present that I had gifted us a few Christmases ago, and my thoughts settled on the mooncake molds under this year's Christmas tree.  Among other things, the new year brings another round of the geography co-op class I've been teaching.  We started in Europe and will be sliding over into Asia this week.  Those mooncake molds will be just the thing!

It got me thinking about how we create opportunities -- opportunities for learning, opportunities for experiences.  Homeschooling and parenting and learning and being who we are all become one and the same -- one big jumble.  Was I thinking about geography when I bought the mooncake molds?  No, not really.  I was remembering the day that Linus and I looked at a cake cookbook together at Costco and how he tried to get it for me for Mother's Day, but it wasn't there any more.  And how we looked it up online and found that the authors did some tutorials for cakes and cupcakes.  And when we had watched all of those I remembered that I wanted to make mooncakes for book club, so we looked up tutorials for making mooncakes.  And how he sat in my lap, so tiny and so engaged.  And so now we have mooncake molds.  The book club in question has long passed.  But I've made room for new opportunities.  I've created space for creating.

made for me by a friend-
another good reason to
hang on to CREATE

Last year I used the word "CREATE" as a way to focus.  I've learned how vital it is for me to have opportunities to be creative.  Sometimes book club fulfills that need -- I've loved learning to cook and bake new things.  Sometimes I need to learn a whole new set of skills (starting a blog was that at one time).  Sometimes I just need a project that doesn't require a lot of me, but lets me plink away at it, eventually resulting in a little something new and created-with-my-own-two-hands.

Other things needed creating, too.  Space for a growing second child.  Always content to come along for the ride, it was time to arrange things differently for him.  And I'd seen how much he himself enjoyed creating -- but he needed support in doing it his way, on projects he's drawn to.

Worked out great.  Through about June.  So, for 2016, I'm bringing it back!  And this year I'm one year wiser...

Crazy about these picnic placemats
with their little utensil pocket!

Linus made the teeny jammies & I made the less teeny jammies

Find Out Fridays

Life is so interesting -- so many things to explore, learn, and wonder about.  We ask so many great questions, but so rarely go find enough answers.  So we're doing something about it.  We've instituted Find Out Fridays.  All week we're trying to jot down some of these questions, and then on Friday, tracking down some answers.  Right now, I'll be honest, it's a lot of internet searching.  My goal is to integrate more ways to "find out" about our questions -- our book shelves, the library, experiments, videos, field trips, talking with people, who knows what else!  But, I don't need to make the process more cumbersome.  The point is to answer some of our questions, in whatever way that naturally happens.

As you can see, our questions can really cover some ground. 

We found out some very cool stuff about chickens and egg-laying.  Here's my favorite.

(One of my favorite facts: the distinctive shape of the egg mirrors the shape of the bird's uterus.)

Sadly, yes -- Dr. Mary Edwards Walker really is the only woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor.  She was such an interesting person -- I strongly recommend getting to know her story!  Jim Weiss includes her in his Women in Blue or Gray: True Stories from Both Sides of the American Civil War.

And, Fleetwood Mac.  Well, that turned out to be very complicated.  I'll let you decide whether to Google that one for yourself.

Hosting a Co-Op Class

The old "20% of the people do 80% of the work" paradigm can be a drag.  But, I find that as one of the "workers," I guess it doesn't get me down so much.  It just puzzles me.

When our homeschool group was doing a little rethinking and restructuring, we tried to tackle this issue.  I volunteered to put together a tip sheet to address questions and concerns that members might have about organizing a group activity.  (Of course, I did.)  I came up with a kicky little document with a Pollyanna smile splashed all over it.  I'm sure it didn't help.  But it illuminated my point of view on it (to me and to everyone else, I'm sure).

There are so many things I want to do with my kids.  So many things I want to share with them.  Many things that I think are important to learn.  But how exactly am I going to get to all this?  Or even the better part of it?

I wanted to do more geography this year.  And I was thrilled when a friend said that she and her kids would be in for it, too!  THE BUDDY SYSTEM.  The granddaddy of motivational tools.  With my friend's "we're in," I've locked myself into getting this done.  It won't fall down the priority list, or off the weekly agenda.  I'll do my homework on this because there are dates and times on the calendar.  

We've only met twice so far, and I am loving it.  We've sewn land and water form cubes (hello, I've had the materials prepped for this for a year and a half).  We've started a world map lap quilt.  We've made continent cookies, learned a continent song, watched videos, learned about plate techtonics, superoceans and supercontinents, and I can finally remember that the Earth is 35 billion years old.

From where I'm standing, doing "the work" is the easy way out of the problem!

(Did I mention that I've also finally ordered a globe as a result?  Not a globe pencil sharpener.  Not a globe ball.  But a globe-sized globe.  Watch me go...)

Shel & Poetry Teatime: Perfect!

HOW MANY, HOW MUCH

How many slams in an old screen door?

     Depends how loud you shut it.

How many slices in a bread?

     Depends how thin you cut it.

How much good inside a day?

     Depends how good you live 'em.

How much love inside a friend?

     Depends how much you give 'em.

MOON-CATCHIN' NET

I've made me a moon-catchin' net,
And I'm goin' huntin' tonight,
I'll run along swingin' it over my head,
And grab for that big ball of light.

So tomorrow just look at the sky,
And if there's no moon you can bet
I've found what I sought and I finally caught
The moon in my moon-catchin' net.

But if the moon's still shinin' there,
Look close underneath and you'll get
A clear look at me in the sky swingin' free
With a star in my moon-catchin' net.


And for the learnin' bit...

ATIONS

If we meet and I say, "Hi,"

That's a salutation.

If you ask me how I feel,

That's consideration.

If we stop and talk awhile,

That's a conversation.

If we understand each other,

That's communication.

If we argue, scream, and fight,

That's an altercation.

If later we apologize,

That's reconciliation.

If we help each other home,

That's cooperation.

And all these ations added up 

Make civilization.

(And if I say this is a wonderful poem,

Is that exaggeration?)

This one's going up on the kitchen chalkboard...

PUT SOMETHING IN

Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-grumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
'Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain't been there before.


Aaaaand, this:

HERE COMES

Here comes summer,

Here comes summer,

Chirping robin, budding rose.

Here comes summer,

Here comes summer,

Gentle showers, summer clothes,

Here comes summer,

Here comes summer --

Whoosh--shiver--there is goes.

So Many Ways to Tell a Story

Ruffles aren't really my signature style, but I have to admit, it is pretty satisfying to sew a ruffle once in a while.  This project really called for it, and I'm so glad to be extracting it from the UFO basket.  Inspired by a project in Sewing Bits & Pieces (which describes my whole fabric stash, I think!), I designed it as a Story Quilt.  My idea was to use it as a cuddly way to tell stories together, using the graphics in the appliques as prompts.  Well, and to use only fabrics I already had -- which, in hindsight, is not at all remarkable, considering...  The one note about that, I guess, is that I discovered I had nothing neutral for the background and so repurposed a curtain from our first house.  And this makes me smile quite a bit, thinking of waking with the sun streaming though, snuggled up with my first little one.  (It's this kind of sentimentality that has me drowning in all of our Stuff lately, but that's another matter entirely.)

Originally shown as a doll bed quilt, I can see how perfect that would be!  But, I enlarged it, added a batting layer because the white curtain was so thin, and chose applique fabrics that were good for storytelling but probably not as visually appealing for a doll quilt.  Or, maybe they would be?

In any case, it's been a fun project, encouraging me to practice some rusty skills and learn new ones.  This morning while everyone slept, I treated myself to a YouTube tutorial of the ladder stitch -- a brush-up I needed.

It isn't quite finished.  I still need to quilt around the story circles.  I learned to do this a few weekends back while "watching" a movie with the kids I've easily seen eight times.  But this project has now been transferred to the hand-sewing basket, which makes it much easier to plunk away at.  And it feels so good to work with on my lap -- such nice weight and coziness.  And, there's no reason the storytelling can't begin whilst I quilt it!

I Heart Games

Honestly, I heart a lot of things.  All my friends know that I'm no minimalist.  And our game corner certainly reflects this fact!  Christmas brought some fun new additions, and as game-presents under the tree multiplied, Misa shared a cool challenge from BoardGameGeek that I'm excited to be trying.  I think she referred to it as the 10 in 10 Challenge -- the idea is that you play ten games ten times each in 2015.

Battlesheep by Blue Orange

I had planned to share this in January...  BUT, if you love games, or your kids love games but you don't, or you want to be sure game-playing doesn't get pushed out of the week, or you want to encourage game-playing, or or or -- it's not too late to jump on board (heh -- no pun intended there)!

As an added bonus, the challenge has encouraged me to pull out all of our games and look at the ones that we never (ever) play.  I piled them up, and we're playing through them and giving each a thumbs up or down.  And even if it's a thumbs down, we got a play in!  We gave it a fair shake, shared an experience, and reviewed it together.

Winning!

I'd say more, but when Linus saw what I was writing about he asked to play a game!  Gotta go!

{celebrating dailiness} Baking Day

I'm much more a baker than a cook.
Five batches of dough in the fridge
on a Friday is a Good Day.

As Sela has gotten older, our homeschooling has changed in a way that I guess I hadn't quite thought about.  We spend more time than we used to working with a couple formal curricula.  Having a second child who is much younger (and naturally quite different) adds a wrinkle to what and how I want to accomplish goals for learning.  I'm currently working a few things to tweak our system -- I haven't been pleased with the balance of all things lately.

But, on Fridays, we change things up from the rest of the week.  We try our best to stay home all day, and we approach the academic work we're doing from a different angle.  Today was funny math videos and the beginnings of a multi-volume illustrated and artistically-lettered poetry anthology.  (Sela is finding all the poetry in allllllll the notebooks she's written it in, categorizing it, and putting it in one place.)

And for me, there was cookie making.  A LOT of cookie making.  (I volunteered to donate a dessert for a team fundraiser.)  Something for everyone, I hope!  Some with nuts, some with chocolate.  There were candy bits, there was jam, there was filling.  Three were family favorites, two were new. (Only one of the recipes is online -- mooncakes -- a definite recommend!)


Joining Amanda (@hello_alm) for #celebratingdailiness
See more on Instagram & Twitter!

Puzzling

This summer the library set out a cart with a hand-written sign taped to it that read, "Take a puzzle, leave a puzzle."  Except that someone made a correction, adding a caret and inserting "or" after the comma.  In other words, a very informal puzzle "exchange."  As if we didn't love the library enough already!  

"Can we take one?!  Can we take one?!"  
Sure - we'll bring one back in tomorrow as our exchange.  Not that we needed to, of course.

After (very) thoughtful consideration, we picked the international birdhouses.  That was a very sweet way to spend the afternoon.  "Can we get another?!"  What, are they kidding me?!  I LOVE puzzles.  I've had just lukewarm success in convincing my family to make a sustained effort with me.  Now Linus wants to do all the puzzles in the playroom.  Which is great, because there are many, and I can scarcely justify their occupation of precious real estate when nobody does them!

(I guess I might as well be honest and admit that I used our new interest as an excuse to finally buy one of these puzzle tins from a favorite little store downtown.)

On one of our return puzzle cart trips, probably against my better judgement, I agreed to a much bigger, much more difficult puzzle.  It's okay, I reasoned with myself, I have a good idea for a puzzle-saver.

Made from supplies we had on hand, the puzzle-saver has worked well!  I cut a piece of felt the size of my table.  (The remaining piece will be transformed into Robin Hood's hat and shoes on Sunday!  And this is why I always say every house should never be without felt and pipe cleaners.)  I cut a pool noodle the length of the table (the short side).  And when we need to put the puzzle away for meals, we just roll it up and tie it with ribbons!

P.S. And if you take a mama to a museum that fall and her children say this is their favorite painting from the day, and it comes as a puzzle in a tin...

Creatures in Our Kitchen

::  Triops have been around for 200 million years.
::  They are crustaceans.
::  They live in standing fresh water, mostly temporary rainwater pools & are rarely found in permanent water sources.
::  Eggs survive drying and freezing & hatch when pools refill with water.

We don't keep proper pets.  I'm wise to the whole "who will take care of the animals?" bit.  But, I feel we do need creatures around sometimes, of some sort at least.

We did a double your pleasure, double your fun life science extravaganza this spring.  Triops AND butterflies.  Our kitchen/nursery was a hotbed of hatching-emerging activity.  Wild times here.

I sure do love being a homeschooling family.  With a big chalkboard.  We kept track of what we were growing, when to feed, how much to feed, who was doing what.  Linus was first to run down to give us the triops count each morning (big ones sometimes eat little ones -- eek).  Sela tended to check on the butterflies on her morning stroll through the house.

Right now we have several mysteries we're working on.  One: what are those creatures that hatched in the tank that don't look like triops?  And, two: what should we feed these water creatures, now that we've run out of the food that came with the kit?  

We've now released our butterflies.  We watched all five little (dead-looking on arrival and often thereafter) caterpillars form chrysalides, but we only had the opportunity to see one butterfly emerge.  The others all did -- just not when we were awake.  Watching the process unfold was a really special experience -- I'm so pleased we did it.  Next time, I'd like to carry our adventure over into raising a second generation, as Shelli did.  You can read about it here.  Very inspiring!

Now I'm trying to figure out what other creatures would fit nicely with our offbeat-pet lifestyle.  Suggestions welcome. 

Pen Pal Love

For Poetry Teatime this week we visited the regions of our stateside pen pals.  Which reminds me -- I really think you need some pen pals.  Ours are so wonderful (in the US and outside!).  We've received letters, drawings, paintings, cards, photos, handmade goodies, stickers.  We all look forward to checking the mail these days -- and we never know when we'll get rewarded with an envelope from a friend.  (It's gotten me writing more cards and letters, too.)  

The hands-on support I give each child is different, based on their ages.  But here are a few thoughts on the subject.

::     Corresponding with a handful of pen pals for each child works really well!  We never have to wait too long for a letter because they're coming from several buddies.

::     Putting address books together with each child was very fun!  (I loved tabbed books when I was a child -- did you, too?  And gold-edging?!)

::     Keeping a basket out that's filled with notecards (pre-printed and blank) and colorful envelopes makes spontaneous writing easy.  We keep our address books and stamps there, too.

::     Hanging our latest arrivals in a special spot allows us to enjoy our mail longer and reminds us who we owe a letter.

 ::    Also, it gives me lots of opportunities to say "correspondence."  (Go on, try it... )


We've had some interesting conversations about all sorts of things related to sending and receiving mail from "other places" -- geography, history, culture, food, weather, science, language, money, government -- to name a few.

But mostly, it's just a lot of fun!

A big, warm thank you to each of our pen pals, 

stateside & across the sea (as Linus says).  

Project: Anything That Goes

What is Linus interested in?
Action.  Things that move.  Preferably, things he can make move.

That Santa -- he's a smart guy.  He brought a Thames & Kosmos Air + Water vehicle set for Christmas.  Boy, do they make some great sets!  (I imagine we'll have a few of these when it's all said and done.)

We've built a few of the models so far.  This was the "tank," and it got great reviews!

I love this activity as an illustration of how much (academic) learning is happening using a project-based learning approach.  And to be clear: this isn't the real point.  But I think it's worth noting.  He's just "playing."  He loves to make things go.

"I want to build this, Mama!"

"Where does this piece go?"

"Do we have two big circles?"

"If we snap all of these together they make a chain that connects the gears."

"I can do it!"

"We need a ruler!"

"Fifty pumps to make it go!"

"When I pump it, the water goes from this tank to this bottle."

"We need signs!"

Poetry Teatime

Good morning!

A good morning, indeed.  We started it with poetry teatime.

Balance is elusive in family life, but some things are constant: 
  :: we must eat, and 
  :: there are many, many books.  
So while some things slip off my radar, our weekly poetry teatime holds firm.

I learned about the idea from friends using Brave Writer's writing programs.  We haven't tried them yet, but I love what she has to say about writing and homeschooling.  

I love the simple beauty (and genius) of this idea.  I imagine every home sees a different version of it in action.  At my house, Sela delights in setting the table -- having the opportunity to use all the dishes, linens, and tchotschke I've collected over the years.  Sometimes she and I both read; sometimes she asks me to do all the reading.  Sometimes I gather the books, sometimes the kids do.  We take turns choosing poems to read.  Sometimes we all write.  Sometimes only one of us is inspired to write.  We have as many variations as weeks we've enjoyed it.  But, one element remains the same -- it does not require pre-planning.  It can be done richly on-the-fly.  And few things make me happier than this!

Our Christmas selections this week were:
It's Christmas by Jack Prelutsky & Marylin Hafner
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore & Douglas Gorsline
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
You Are My Miracle by Maryann Cusiano Love & Satomi Ichikawa
Over the River and Through the Wood by Lydia Maria Child & Christopher Manson
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Ordinary, Everyday {Amazing} Science

I think you know how much I love library book sales.  Last time, I bought seven great books of poetry for children.  Seven.  And, I was barely trying.  

In my delightful stack was a little book called Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman.  We didn't get to this one right away.  (Between you and me, I'm really not a bug-lover.  I fake it.  If my kids like them, great.  I can appreciate bugs in theory.  I love the beautiful photos that people take of them, the magnifications.  But, in real life, I'm okay with us each going our own separate ways.  You know?)  So, poetry book on bugs.  Probably great.  Probably really great for the kids to read and enjoy.  I was willing to come along for the ride.  But, seems I picked up the other new books first.

While later scanning the audiobook titles in the library proper I came across Joyful Noise again -- seemed like I really should try it.  We have a lot of car time.

It's... FANTASTIC.  I know that you're getting great book recommendations from lots of informed, well-read, interesting people out there.  I don't mean to add to your list.  But really -- I recommend this one so highly.  The poems are interesting and expressive.  They are beautifully recited.  It's informative!  (And John McDonough -- enough said.  Hearing him as Mr. Putter and Misty of Chincoteague's Grandpa Beebe makes this an especially easy sell.)

This same week, we mailed our collection for a nature exchange hosted by Mud Puddles to Meteors.  What a way to get into nature!  Again, I hate to be bossy (okay, I don't really), but do check out this site.  Find a way to participate that works for your family -- there are a lot of options.  And catch the next exchange when it happens.

 Aaaaand, we spent as many days of fall that we could at our favorite farm.  Open just one month every year, we go as many times as we possibly can.  We get to see baby animals of all kinds from almost the day they're born. We get to hold them and watch them grow and change.  We watch the chicks learn to fly, the puppies open their eyes.

So, where have I been lately?  Doing science with my two favorite lab partners.

(Did I happen to mention the fall tomatoes in our backyard?!  Yeah, science can be a tasty business, too!)

Project-Based Homeschooling

I did something really cool this summer.
It was, in fact,  so cool that I still haven't figured out how to write about it in one measly post.
So -- I give up.  (And I'm okay with that.  I believe there's strength in knowing when to say when!)
I'll just start with this.

I took the Project-Based Homeschooling Master Class.
It was fantastic.
Fan-tastic.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
The class was superb -- the material, the format, the facilitation and the support.
Really -- you should do it.
It's easy to say to ourselves, "Not right now. I'm just too busy."
But this -- this -- gave me focus where I had been wanting it.
Support where I *needed* it.
And, the support is ongoing.
It's sort of a no-brainer, actually.

It isn't just for homeschooling families.
It isn't even just for "kids."

Check out the blog.  Participate in the forum.  Buy the book.  Jump in -- you'll be so happy you did!

sewing, women in history

a clay charm business

nurturing a home that can nurture us

Tiny Toys to Make & Use

Fairy gardens (and trucks, and doll houses, and race cars, and dinosaurs) need people.  We made these three summers ago from acrylic paints and wooden pegs we bought at Michael's.  I'm happy to see that they've resurfaced -- they're lots of fun!  

The guy on the left was lovingly named Oliver by one-year-old Linus.  Come to think of it, everything was named Oliver that year!

 The trick is to use a toothpick to paint thin lines and small hearts & flowers.

What else have we transformed for dollhouses and gardens with a little paint?  Drawer pulls have become toadstools.  Wooden plugs (screw hole buttons) have become tiny cupcakes and tiny toadstools.

It's getting to be that time of year when we spend more time indoors.  These are the bitty treasures that show up in lots of our fall and winter activities.  Fun for play, but also for storytelling, drawing, math.  And they're great in a "take along pouch" -- where I toss in a handful of surprises to play with while waiting.  Because there is always some waiting.

If You Build It...

Every once in a while it's time to gather up all the pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, glue sticks and what-nots from all corners of the house.  I scoop them up, drop them in jars, set them where little hands can reach, and voila!  It's like they have magnetic pull on small hands.  It's a force of nature.  Love this.

It got me thinking about this idea -- strategically placing "things" around "places."  I've been doing this for so long, I don't remember where or when or why or how it started for me.  I remember doing it when I worked at a University Lab School with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers as "curriculum."

  

And I remember coming across a Feng Shui principle that says we should keep the things we want to get around to doing in our environment (insert photo of dusty guitar case leaning on armoire here.  And stacks of fabric and sewing books. Wait.  I might not totally get Feng Shui -- isn't there also something about "clutter" in there, too?  But, this is not my point.)

And I've always done it with my children.  With all sorts of things.  Books, games, art supplies, and other items of potential interest.  A friend recently pointed out that this has been given a name: "strewing." 

It makes me wonder how else I could apply this idea to my life, to my children's, that would support other important experiences.  Support in a meaningful way, that isn't contrived or manipulated.  Or, how perhaps, I already do, but haven't thought about it.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, too.  Leave a comment and share!

Game Spotlight: Is Back!

Why not pull out a game this weekend?!

Maybe a new one, maybe an old classic -- like Linus and I enjoyed.  Every time we play a game, it goes a little differently.  We're all different each time, after all, having had a different kind of day, full of different experiences, people, thoughts, and moods.  We've learned new things and gained new perspectives since the last time.  But, mostly -- it's just fun.

This time, we made up stories for how exactly that bucket kept getting kicked over, spilling all of our delicious cherries, and what we did when the bird stole our cherries.  And that dog -- well, she just usually wanted us to play fetch with her.  She always returned the cherries, and we usually found a good stick to throw for her.

Happy weekending.

Here Comes Science Sampler: ROY G BIV

Today's Song:  ROY G BIV

First of all, Dress the Part (naturally).

Then... find something to do!

Read about it.

The Rainbow and You by E.C. Krupp
The Magic Schoolbus Makes a Rainbow by Cole
What Makes a Rainbow: A Magic Ribbon Book by Schwartz
A Rainbow of My Own by Freeman

Take your experiments outside. 
We used:
Exploratopia: More than 400 Kid-Friendly Experiments and Explorations for Curious Minds by Murphy

Barron's Science Wizardry for Kids
Experiments with Colors by Tocci

You can use whatever you have on your shelf, go to the library, or just use your favorite search engine for ideas.

Explore.

Discover.

Be amazed.

Play some games.

Start with Rainbow Sudoku

Make a rainbow maze.
(Try using drinking straws and 1-inch graph paper.)

Read some more.
A World of Colors: Seeing Colors in a New Way by National Geographic has us all WOW'd by its' simple and stunning exercises.

Be on the lookout for more related activites!

Have you ever noticed the rainbows on bubbles?

What else do you know about light and colors?

Ever been on a rainbow hunt?
How many creative ways can you play with color mixing?
Where would you hang a prism to make wondrous rainbows every day?

How about rainbow art?

How delicious can a rainbow be?

Just like the rainbow, there is *no end* to the possibilies.  There is, however,

...plenty of gold.

Here Comes Science: A Science Sampler

Do you know the cd Here Comes Science  by They Might Be Giants?  If you don't: you must!
In service of fun, science & education, we're going to work our way through it -- one science-y song at a time!  Now, this is a science curriculum.

Turn yours on & join us!
Stay tuned for our first selection...

"A scientific theory isn't just a hunch or guess--it's more like a question that's been put through a lot of tests."

"Science is reeeeeal..."

Homemade Mancala

I heard my niece ask for an egg carton.  I heard kid busy-ness.  I heard the rattle of beads.  I'd seen masking tape show up in a number of self-initiated activities all morning.  I peeked over the counter to find this:

My niece taught Sela how to make a homemade Mancala game!

Thanks to simple construction (although brilliantly designed) & all the requisite supplies having been left scattered around the game-play, here's how they did it:

Cut off the lid of the egg carton, and

cut off each end of the lid.

Tape each lid-end to the ends of the bottom of the carton.

(I noticed the game worked a little better when the lid-end was taped on at a slant, forming more of a "well" -- the beads didn't fall out as easily.)

And you know what goes well with games?  History and geography!  Have fun!