June- the Torturous Culmination of the School Year

Summer for some means the end of school. We don’t really do summer vacation, spring break, winter vacation etc. We tend to take our breaks at the times that are convenient for us. Since we believe that learning is a way of life, we still have learning time most days. We also will seek out learning opportunities on our vacations.

So what does summer mean to us? In our home it means weekly park days, a more relaxed learning time schedule, camping, and summer adventures. I really love summers around here- the weather is beautiful and about the right temperature for me since it isn’t too hot and it isn’t too cold.

But… this year I have decided that I really don’t like the first couple of weeks of June… It seems that the first couple weeks of June everyone schedules everything! This last week was the karate test (pictures of new belts coming), activity day camp, court of honor, a class I taught on medicinal herbs in the kitchen, cub scouts (I am still a Webelos leader), make up test for karate, field trip to a wonderful farm (rescheduled due to rain), co-op, extra play practice… and tomorrow is Tiger’s piano recital and a meeting with a librarian to work on his Reading merit badge. Next week week will thankfully be a little lighter but we still have co-op, extra play practice and Saturday will be our play.

So, lessons learned- co-op will end at the end of May next year and thus there will be no mad dash to finish the play in June. Too bad I can’t convince the piano teacher to do the Spring recital in May around the 15th.

A Year in Review- Questions for the kids

For our co-op Yearbook, the kids were asked to answer some questions. Here are their answers…

Tiger:

What is your favorite color? Green and Black

What is your favorite food? Ice cream and good quality root beer and pizza.

What is your favorite movie or TV show? The Hobbit and Star Wars

Where is your favorite place to go? Great Wolf Lodge

What is your favorite thing to do? Science, Math, and Computer Programming

What is your favorite book? Lord of the Rings

What is your favorite class this year? Cooking and Gardening

What is the funniest thing that happened at school this year? I don’t know

What was your favorite field trip? Bees

What do you like best about participating in LEAF coop? Classes and friends

What is your favorite Sport? Karate

What is your favorite Song? One of my parodies.

What is your favorite Subject? Math and Science

What are you looking forward to learning or doing next year? More Scholarly studies

What was your biggest accomplishment this year? Earning my brown belt!

What do you want to be when you grow up? An Engineer

What is your best memory of this year? Getting a baby brother

Who do you admire? My parents, Weird Al, and the founding fathers of our country.

What do you want to do when you grow up? Make more parodies as a hobby, teach piano lessons in college, and see all 50 states.

Butterfly:

What is your favorite color? I don’t have one.

What is your favorite food? Mushroom turnovers and “triangles” AKA Spanakopita

What is your favorite movie or TV show? Secret of Moonacre

Where is your favorite place to go? Great Wolf Lodge

What is your favorite thing to do? Swim

What is your favorite book? I can’t make up my mind- Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Princess and the Goblin

What is your favorite class this year? Drama and Art

What is the funniest thing that happened at school this year? I don’t know

What was your favorite field trip? Bees

What do you like best about participating in LEAF coop? Drama and friends.

What is your favorite Sport? PE at Homezone

What is your favorite Song? I have too many- America the Beautiful?

What is your favorite Subject? Crystals (Science)

What are you looking forward to learning or doing next year?

What was your biggest accomplishment this year? Reading Lord of the Rings

What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer.

What is your best memory of this year?

Who do you admire? My mom and dad and Sensei

What do you want to do when you grow up? Train Horses

Pumpkin Pie:

What is your favorite color? All the colors except for black and grey.

What is your favorite food? Ice Cream and pizza

What is your favorite movie or TV show? Secret of Moonacre

Where is your favorite place to go? Great Wolf Lodge

What is your favorite thing to do? Ride Bikes

What is your favorite book? Life with Lilly

What is your favorite class this year? Drama and Cooking and Art

What is the funniest thing that happened at school this year? I made a Medusa cap.

What was your favorite field trip? King Tut, Chinese Acrobats

What do you like best about participating in LEAF coop? “Relationships and friends.”

What is your favorite Sport? Karate

What is your favorite Song? I am a Child of God and I Love to See the Temple

What is your favorite Subject? Subtraction and Science

What are you looking forward to learning or doing next year? Learning more karate!

What was your biggest accomplishment this year? “Learning to read a lot, but not all the way.”

What do you want to be when you grow up? Chiropractor, doctor, dentist, and a mom!

What is your best memory of this year? Reading

Who do you admire? Sensei

What do you want to do when you grow up? Be a Sensei.

Strawberry:

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite food? Oatmeal

What is your favorite movie or TV show? Strawberry Shortcake

Where is your favorite place to go? A Eating Store

What is your favorite thing to do? Play at the park

What is your favorite book? Any book I can see!

What is your favorite class this year? Sneaky Snackers (cooking class)

What is the funniest thing that happened at school this year? When the Goblins took away the princess’s shoe in the story

What was your favorite field trip? King Tut

What do you like best about participating in LEAF coop? Play with Friends

What is your favorite Sport? Karate

What is your favorite Song? Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

What is your favorite Subject? Sing Songs

What are you looking forward to learning or doing next year? Being four.

What was your biggest accomplishment this year?

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher and a mom.

What is your best memory of this year? Great Wolf Lodge

Who do you admire? Sensei

What do you want to do when you grow up? Play with Friends

Business Lessons- a Day of Homeschool…

Some days homeschooling somewhat resembles traditional curriculum in that there is a time for some math, a time for some history, a time for some writing, and a time for some science… this is not to say that the delivery of these subjects resembles a classroom though- in my home it probably doesn’t since all my children are in the same room together and they rarely sit at their desk to do worksheets…

So what about the other days? Today was one of them. A bit of literature, math, science, etc was covered, but the bulk of the day was spent learning about life and applying all those things we learn in school to a real life situation.

Tiger decided he was going to start a business. One of the girls at co-op had been selling lunches at lunch time during co-op but lost interest. Since Tiger likes to cook he decided to create his own lunch business. He selected a recipe for a rice and beans dish, made multiple calculations, had many discussions with me about business practices, made a test batch of his recipe for the family, and we took a trip to Business Costco. If you have never been to Business Costco, it is NOT the same as Costco. It has a totally different clientele- many in the restaurant and snacks business… so there are all sorts of pots, pans, serving dishes, etc. Tiger selected what containers, cutlery, etc. he wanted for his business. The whole time calculating cost out loud. I never bothered to show him that Costco actually does many of those calculations right on the price papers. I figured it was good practice for him to do the calculating and even better for his sisters to hear  him calculating.

This morning, as Tiger had been discussing and planning his business, Butterfly and Pumpkin Pie decided they too would have their businesses. Butterfly decided her should be a snack business- Snacks and Snips she wants to call it. We talked a little bit and I suggested she do a little market research. She agreed to market research since she has no startup capital and would need a loan… then her eyes got big at Costco. She wanted to buy fruit snacks to sell. Knowing her possible clientele I didn’t think that was such a good idea but I didn’t say anything. I reminded her of her decision to do some research and asked her what each pack of snacks would cost. She quickly realized she needed a few more math skills she didn’t quite have yet. She  wanted me to teach her how to do the calculations right there in the store. Ummm as happy as I was to see her wanting to do some math, I couldn’t teach her that in the store with a 3 yr old trying to climb out of the cart, a lack of adequate paper, and the 6 yr old clamoring to start her own business too…

After we got home, Butterfly has decided not to sell fruit snacks- she would have to sell too many to make $1 that it didn’t seem to be worth it to her. But, she did get a chance to see some division in live action… Once she realized her previous idea wasn’t well thought out yet, she tried to just get into her brother’s business without taking on any of his debt… She had to learn that if she wanted the benefit of the profit she had to invest in the risk too.

Pumpkin Pie is still clamoring that she must start her business tomorrow… and the menu?

1. Jus cavrd pretsls (Juice covered Pretzels)

2. Pretzels

3. Juice

4. Juice Covered Pretzels and a juice box

5. Frout salid (Fruit Salad)

Oh, and the Juice covered pretzels sell for $1 for 1 small pretzel. Yup- I have fallen down the rabbit hole of innocence!

Books have been read, studies have been done for the day now (well not everyone’s studies since at the time of this writing Tiger has returned to his other studies), and it is time for dinner and karate.

New Toy! Meet my new thermal cooker

I am so excited. I just got a Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker… and the other day was going to be busy. I made dinner at 10am… Veggie and bean curry soup and rice. Tiger helped me with a few photos. 

   

A thermal cooker is kind of like a crock pot except you bring the food to a boil for a couple minutes and then take the pots off the heat and place them inside an insulated container to allow the latent heat to cook the food slowly over the next several hours. I know it is possible to do stuff like make steamed bread and other dishes but for now I only know how to do soupy things and rice…

First I chopped up some veggies and added the curry powder. I sautéed the veggies right in the pot that would be in the thermal cooker. Plus one for the thermal cooker and minus one for the Crockpot!

After sautéing the veggies and curry powder, I added water and brought the pot to a boil. Meanwhile I put rice and water into the smaller pot that fits inside the top pot.       

Here are both pots coming to a boil on the stove… 

After boiling 2 minutes (vegetarian dish) then stack the pots, slip them into the thermal insulator, close the lid and dinner is done!

Dinner turned out fabulous. When we opened the cooker up, I added some lemon juice and coconut milk to the soup. The soup was the perfect eating temperature- hot but not too hot and the rice was done to perfection. I think I might have to make a giant pot of rice to pack into smaller portions it turned out so well!

Tonight’s dinner was in the cooker by 9:30. Lentils and veggies and rice. We will top with salsa and I will make some vegan veggie based cheesy sauce and spinach salad to add to it. Dinner should be on the table half an hour after we get home from church tonight!

At Home With My Family

The other day Strawberry was asked if she went to preschool. She responded, “No.” Then she was asked what grade she was in and she responded, “At home with my family!”

Such wise words from such a little one.

Spanish For You Fiestas- Schoolhouse Review

  Recently I was able to review Spanish for You! Fiestas by Debbie Annett, MSEd. Ms. Annett has experience teaching Spanish to children of all ages. She developed Spanish for You! in response to needs she saw while teaching Spanish to children. A more extensive bio of the author can be found here.

Spanish for You! is a unique approach to teaching Spanish to children. Rather than going through a list of present tense verbs, nouns, and adjectives and teaching each new grammar point out of context, Spanish For You! is a collection of several theme-based units which can be completed in any order. Throughout the theme various grammar points are introduced with relation to the theme. For example, commands were presented in the first lesson. These commands were ones associated with a birthday party like open, eat, and sing. In the same chapter we covered some verb conjugations, also associated with a birthday party, and vocabulary. Currently available are Fiestas and Estaciones (Seasons). This summer Viajes (Trips) will be available as well. Here is a sample of Fiestas.

Included in each themed package are the following:

• Spanish for you! soft cover book or E-book
• Audio download of each lesson
• Audio download of each lesson by a native speaker from Mexico 
• 24-30 Week PDF Lesson Guides for all grades purchased (3-4, 5-6, and/or 7-8)
• PDF Worksheets with answer key
• PDF set of pictures for making flashcards and other activity materials.

With the audio downloads, worksheets with answer keys, and text, Spanish for You! is an entry level Spanish curriculum designed to be used by the parent even if the parent doesn’t speak Spanish. Fiestas only contained 5 chapters, and at first glance I thought it appeared to be very minimal. I was pleasantly surprised how much is covered in the short text. Each chapter is covered over several weeks so the vocabulary and grammar is learned really well by the students. Each theme book is tested for a year with students by the author before being published for sale. Lessons emphasize reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Spanish through various activities and games. The curriculum is also intended to be used over all ages. The book contains a very clear explanation to parents on how to use the curriculum and what steps need to be taken. There are also several pages of games and activities to do with the vocabulary words and flashcards. This is an open and go curriculum for the most part.

In our home we received the full package with all grades included. I used the 3-4 grade worksheets for Butterfly and Pumpkin Pie when she wanted to do a worksheet. I started with the 5-6 grade worksheets for Tiger but he decided he would prefer the 7-8 grade ones as they required a little more effort from him. Each day I would look at all three lesson plans. The author says to just do each lesson plan with each grade but I found that trying to combine several grades with different lesson plans at the same time was a little frustrating because they didn’t always overlap. In the end I found myself selecting one lesson plan and then using the various level worksheets for each level. Other times I would select one level and then add a component from another level. My children enjoyed playing the suggested games and making their flashcards to use in various games. Within a couple of lessons I began to hear my children saying things in Spanish and trying to put together phrases. Spanish for You! got them excited about learning Spanish.

One thing I really like about Spanish for You! is the fact that it is theme-based and commands and present tense conjugations are taught at the same time. I have taken Spanish 1-4 twice and still I am most comfortable with present tense only. Beyond that I struggle with proper conjugations of verbs. By teaching the commands and present tense together I think that will  help and prevent some of the isolated learning that takes place in traditional texts. I also really like that there is an audio of a native speaker. It would be nice if there were native speakers from several different countries, not just Mexico to listen to.  I also really like the author’s blog. Ms. Annett offers helpful information, inspiration, and new ideas of how to get your students using Spanish and practicing in an inviting way.

The only thing I found frustrating with this program was the way the worksheets and audios were organized. Shortly after I received my curriculum package I was notified by the author that she had reorganized the folders and files and hoped they would be more user-friendly. The way she described the reorganization sounded much better than the way they downloaded for me, so I am hopeful for new purchasers the organization will be more helpful.

Spanish for You! Fiestas is available for $64.95 for grades 3-8 or $39.95 for 1 level (grades 3-4, 5-6, or 7-8). Each theme based Spanish unit can be purchased here.

Papa’s Pearls- Schoolhouse Review

Recently I was able to review Papa’s Pearls by Diane Flynn Keith. Papa’s Pearls is an uplifting biographical book that shares the wisdom and lessons Ms. Keith’s papa shared with her and her family. Not only is it a book of parental wisdom, but also the story of a man who turned himself around. Throughout the book, Ms. Keith shares these pearls of wisdom, or phrases Papa often said. She uses stories from his life and memories of hers and other family members.

The book is intended primarily for adults, but many of the messages shared could be of value for any age. I don’t think I would hand it to my children to read though. Some of the stories were a little more mature and there was one or two expletives.

While many of the pearls were not necessarily new to me, they were presented in a new way or with different words. In a few cases this helped clarify to me how I wanted to apply certain principles to my family. While I often agreed with Papa about many things, there were a few small things I didn’t agree with-I am not sure that I would send my 11 year old to ride a bus to another city without supervision. Overall, this is a book about hard work, honesty, love for fellow men and family, and tooling children to be able to go out into the real world and be successful adults. Papa was a man who loved his family unconditionally, and I found myself inspired to be a better mom.

Papa’s Pearls was a quick read of 110 pages and 17 chapters, but it was full of sage advice. I think my very favorite chapter was the very last one entitled “Fantastic.” An autographed copy of Papa’s Pearls is available for $14.97 plus $7 shipping. The author also has a link to Amazon for paperback or Kindle editions. If you want to know why it is called “Fantastic,” you will have to read it.