Live Nativity

Every year, the Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary hosts a free live Nativity from 6pm to 9pm during the week before Christmas.  Although we enjoy seeing the Holy Family, the Three Wise Men, and the Shepherds big and small; the biggest attraction for my girls -- especially my 4-year-old -- are the animals.

So, for our science lesson this week, we studied a few of the animals that we knew we would see in a Nativity Scene: camels, oxen, sheep, and donkeys. (The Spirit of the Hills live Nativity also includes turkeys, doves, ducks, chickens, goats, bunnies, horses, llamas, cows, and pot-bellied pigs.)

Here are a few interesting facts we learned before going to the Spirit of the Hills Nativity scene to further observe these species:

• Arabian camels are born with one fatty hump that their bodies can convert to water and nutrients.  There are no more Arabian camels living in the wild. 
• Gnu, or Wildebeest in Afrikaans, (which we decided were more interesting than regular oxen) can go 5 days without water.
• Donkeys are very strong and sure-footed.  Female donkeys are pregnant for a full year before giving birth.
• Female bighorn sheep have horns, but they are smaller and straighter than the horns of the males. The rings on the horns of male bighorn sheep represent one year of life, just like the rings of a tree.

Mag-tastic

In addition to being an archaeologist, a musketeer, and professional royalty, my 6-year-old has decided that she will be an artist.  She spends every spare moment drawing -- and she is getting pretty good.  She is also a mini-fashionista and has dabbled in interior design.

So, for my 33 birthday, I asked Maggie to decorate for the party.  The finished product was stunning: multi-colored crepe paper hung at a 6-year-old's eye level, pink balloons scattered across the table and floor, and yellow post-it notes with names written in "cursive" stuck in the middle of each plate.  

The party was a huge success.  The decor was Mag-tastic.

Reading Fingers

My 6-year-old stubbornly refused to use her finger to follow along in her reading books.  She would half-heartedly brush the text with her finger as she lost her place and, eventually, lost interest, in what she was reading.

My 6-year-old is also especially attracted to things that glitter.  She accessorizes every outfit, raids my jewelry box daily, and has been known to wander off with some of Grandma's more expensive items.

So, it was only logical to give her something shiny and attractive to keep her focused on her reading assignments.  

Enter: The Reading Fingers.  

Now, both nails on Maggie's index fingers (and mine) are painted with chartreuse glitter polish.  Maggie thinks they are fabulous.  And reading has become a lot more interesting for us both.

ABC Yoga

I decided to capitalize on my girls' interest in yoga -- instead of bemoaning the fact that I become a Mommy Slide every morning when I do the Downward Facing Dog -- and borrowed a friend's copy of Gaiam's Yoga Kids ABCs.  My girls adored it.


I thought I would try it out as gross motor activity the kids at my mother's daycare could do when it is too cold to go outside.  They adored it.


The video teaches children simple movements and poses based on plants and animals.  It is structured on the alphabet, so it also reinforces letter names and phonics.  Definitely worth purchasing!

And more music...

I love this time of year.  There are concerts and recitals almost weekly in our town.  This Monday, my girls and I went to a performance by the Black Hills Concert Band.  During the performance, I very quietly pointed out each instrument as it was being played. We identified: trombones, french horns, clarinets, obos, a bassoon, trumpets, saxophones, xylophones, kettle drums, flutes (and even a piccolo -- which Maggie found enchanting).

There could not be a better music class in the world!

Black Friday

I don't normally go shopping on Black Friday.  The crowds, the stress, and the celebration of the materialism for which Americans are now well-known do not appeal to me.

However, this morning, I discovered that National Geographic offers Black Friday specials.  In addition to getting 50% off a very cool birthday present for my sister the professional photographer, I found  the "In the Womb" collection for 58% off and "March of the Penguins" for $1.59!  

Okay, so I had to see what else was out there.  At Hayneedle.com, I found a telescope and microscope kit for 46% off.  And at Amazon.com, I found a sale on National Geographic's "Inside the Living Body" and "Journey to the Edge of the Universe" with Super Saver Shipping.  

While I still don't adhere to the spirit of Black Friday, I suppose I can appreciate it.

Music Lessons

We have designated Monday as our weekly Music Appreciation Day.  We learn very basic music theory like distinguishing pitches, identifying intervals, and reading music notation.  

However, we postponed our music lesson this week.  On Tuesday night, Black Hills State University hosted the 19th Annual Northern Hills Honor Bands Festival.  We discussed proper "concert etiquette" and went to watch.

My 6-year-old Maggie loved the music.  During the car ride home, she requested "band music like the one we just heard." (Four-year-old Elena was less interested in the concert, but proved to be an enthusiastic audience member, applauding everything.)

Of course, the best part of the show was the finale -- an arrangement called "Highlights from Harry Potter."  Even Elena could appreciate that piece.

Autumn

Too many children are disconnected from the revolution of the seasons.  I want my girls to know that autumn is more than just "the time of year all the T.V. shows come back."

This Fall, we...

• attended the Harvest Festival on Main Street;
• made gluten-free pumpkin muffins;
• picked apples from our neighbors' tree;
• put the vegetable garden to bed;
• planted tulip bulbs for Spring;
• raked leaves to jump in, but saved the most beautiful leaves to make  Mod Podge lanterns, pressed-leaf art, and bookmarks for Christmas

"10,000 BC"

For history, we followed the advice in The Well-Trained Mind and started at the beginning.  We are studying the earliest people: hunters and gatherers, cavemen, and, apparently, Paleo-Indians in North America known as the Clovis people. 

My mother, knowing that we were studying this era and also that we don't have cable, was thoughtful enough to DVR a History Channel Special called "10,000 BC" for Maggie.  This weekend, we spent a drizzly afternoon at Grandma's house and watched the 2-hour special. 

Maggie LOVED it.  Every few minutes, she turned to me with an exclamation of something like "Mommy, those kids were so strong -- they carried the dead animals all the way back to their camp!"  or "Mommy, can you believe that God made diamonds [nano-diamonds] that small!  They came in a meteor from outer space!"  or "Mommy, mammoths became extinct.  That means there are no more of them anywhere."

And, thanks to the History Channel, Maggie has changed her dream job from "Princess" to "Archaeologist."

"Maggie's Cave Paintings" 

(inspired by the Lascaux Cave Paintings)

The Fundamentals of Kite Flying

We live in an area where the weather is notoriously unpredictable.  We routinely have rain and sunshine occur simultaneously, blizzards followed by heat waves, and snowstorms in June. 

After becoming a mother, I developed a new appreciation for weather.  I learned that cloudy days are best for blowing bubbles, rainy days are best for baking cookies, and windy days -- which I once loathed -- offer a rare opportunity to learn a few fundamentals of physics.

That being said, here is the essential information you need to fly a kite:

1. You will need a kite (I prefer nylon as they last longer than plastic), kite string, scissors or a pocket knife (to cut out the knots that will inevitably form in your string), and a nice wide open field with no trees or power lines nearby.  If the weather is cold in addition to being windy, you will need a thermos of hot cocoa, a packet of tissues, and hats and gloves.  I actually keep a kite-flying bag in my car just in case the wind picks up.  As I said, our weather is unpredictable...

2. To get your kite into the air, stand with your back to the wind and hold the kite in front of you and as high up as you can.  The goal is to catch the wind in the kite like a sail.   (Although it may be tempting, running with the kite and hoping it will spontaneously take off is usually futile and a little dangerous.)  

3. It is also a good idea to have an explanation of the mechanics of kite flying ready.  Here is how I explained it to my 6-year-old (My 4-year-old still believes kites are kept in the air by magic.): 

a.  Kites are heavier than air, so they need to be "lifted" into the air and held up there by the wind or they fall down. (The weight of the object is heavier than the fluid through which the object will travel.)

b. On windy days, air is blown in one direction very fast. (Lift is a mechanical force which requires both a fluid -- in this case air -- and motion.)

c. If we catch the wind in the kite like a sail, the kite is lifted into the air by the wind. (When the kite is held perpendicularly to the wind, the kite changes the flow of the air, causing the air to flow both above and below the kite.)  

d. Once the kite is in the air, the shape of the kite moves the wind to the underside of it and lifts the kite higher, keeping it in the air.  (The air pressing on the top of the kite is moving faster than the air that is diverted by the kite to the underside, and therefore exerts less pressure on the kite than the air pressing on the underside.  This uneven pressure causes the kite to rise into the air -- a force known as "lift.")

4. Once your kite is airborne, try to keep it at a 45 degree angle to the ground. This is accomplished by letting out and reeling in the kite string. Fly your kite until the wind dies down or the kids lose interest. When you are ready to go, reel in the kite. As it loses altitude, it will lose lift, and fall to the ground.

Impromptu Mathematics

Lena had 10 seconds to sit down and buckle her seat belt.  Maggie decided to help keep time.  She counted to 10 and that was so easy, she decided to keep on counting.  She counted while we drove home, while she tidied her room, while she took her bath, while she brushed her teeth.  She counted all the way to 489.  (She wrote the number down and plans to continue the count in the morning.)

Mommy had to remind her a few times where she was and what comes after what.  We counted by ones, tens, and hundreds.   We used bath crayons to split the number 253 into 200, 50, and 3 so that Maggie could understand how the numbers she counted were written.

I won't say it was easy to keep up with her counting while driving, bathing, and putting the girls to bed.  And I won't say that patience comes easily when you have to remind your 6-year-old again that 80 comes after 79.  But when your child is excited about math, you go with it for as long as it lasts.

History

I am a Social Studies nerd.  I always have been.  It is my all time favorite subject, as most of my elective credits in college will show.

So, it is only by sheer force of will that I am able to teach Maggie science, music, writing, and math.  If I had my way, it would be Social Studies day every day.

That being said, we are using Susan Wise Bauer's The Story of the World.  The material -- which I find fascinating any way -- is presented chronologically, so the student has a better understanding of the continuity of human history, the movement of peoples, and the development of cultures.  Two nerdy thumbs up!

"The Ill-Fated Cobbler" (or "One Disastrous Dessert")

Maggie made a pear cobbler to celebrate the end of summer.  The pears were tree-ripened and delicious, the ingredients were measured and mixed with the wonder and care that can only be had by a person to whom baking is not yet a dreaded chore.  Maggie was so proud of her first, golden brown foray into baking.

Unfortunately, we used an all-purpose gluten-free flour that contained fava and garbanzo beans.  It provided an awful bitter flavor that not even our delightful summer pears could disguise.  However, the family raved about the dessert and, when little eyes were not watching, we quietly slid our platefuls into the garbage.

We are hooked on phonics.

Since our "formal" homeschooling began, Maggie and I have been going over the basics of phonics.  She didn't catch on very quickly last year in "Real School," and I'm afraid she is missing some key concepts.  We've memorized the "Short-Vowel-Sounds Poem" and the "Consonant Poem," and are now sounding out words.   

In math class, we are zipping through Saxon Math Level K.  I inherited a Horizons math book from a friend, so we'll check our understanding by reviewing those lessons, too.

And, last, but definitely not least, we have been writing. A lot. (In fact, if I have your address, you will probably receive a letter from Maggie!)  Last year, Maggie learned "invented spelling" or something, and now believes that she is the measure of all things spelling-wise.  When we work on writing letters(dictated by Maggie, transcribed by Mommy, and then copied by Maggie) I have to keep our Rainbow Dictionary close at hand.  Most of the time, she questions my 25 years of letter-writing experience and demands to be shown the dictionary entry for the word in question. 

She is definitely her mother's daughter.

 

Science!

God bless the Internet

I was looking for high-quality animal coloring pages that portrayed animals in their natural habitat.

And I found the National Geographic Print 'n' Go Coloring Book.

Maggie's Enchiladas

Math: measuring, timing, dividing ingredients between two pans with two layers each

Reading: recipe instructions, ingredient containers

Fine Motor Skills: cubing potatoes, pouring, scooping, spreading

Science: observing changes of state (e.g., When heated, boiling water becomes steam, raw hamburger turns from pink to brown, and raw onions become translucent.), and discussing the difference between a mixture and a chemical change (e.g., meat-potato-vegetable enchilada mixture vs. hamburger and onions that are chemically changed from raw to cooked)

2 yellow potatoes

2 lbs. ground beef (from locally raised and butchered cattle)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots

20 corn tortillas

2 large cans enchilada sauce

shredded cheddar cheese, optional

1) Assemble ingredient, a 9x13 baking dish (for Grandma, Grandpa, and uncles) and a 9x9 casserole dish (for our family of 4). Preheat oven to 375.

2) Boil potatoes for 30 min or until tender.  Read a book while you wait.  Remove from pot and allow to cool enough to handle.  Do Step 3 while you wait.

3) Place ground beef in a large pan.  Mash and stir until completely browned.  Add onion, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

4) Slip skin from potatoes and cube.  Add potato cubes and peas and carrots to cooked meat.

5) Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on bottom of pans.  Cover with a layer of corn tortillas, a layer of 1/4 meat mixture, more sauce, more tortillas, more meat mixture, more sauce, and more tortillas.  Pour all extra sauce over enchiladas (corn tortillas are like enchilada sauce sponges!).  Top with cheese.

6) Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 min.  

7) Serve with homemade refried beans, chopped black olives, brown rice, salad, and, of course, tortilla chips with salsa and homemade guacamole. Say prayer.  Eat.

The Joy of (FREE) Music

I was looking for a classical music appreciation curriculum.  I was prepared to cinch my belt a little tighter in order to buy it.

What I found was Classics for Kids -- a free, interactive classical music website which includes lesson plans, music, and weekly podcasts.

It is AMAZING.

Learning Doesn't End on Friday

Saturday morning:

7:30 - Cooking (i.e., "packing a breakfast-to-go that includes a protein, a fruit, and a carbohydrate")

8:30 - Geography and Basic Economics (i.e.,"using a map to find garage sales and negotiating the price of a must-have book about princesses")

9:30 - More Basic Economics, some Biology, and a smidge of Philosophy (i.e., "buying gluten-free donuts and coffee at our local bakery and discussing the negative effects of caffeine, gluten, and sugar on our bodies...and living with the consequences of our choices")

10:30 - More Geography and some History (i.e., "examining antiques from South Dakota and heirlooms from pre-WWII Japan" -- and findng three vintage Star Wars space ships for $2 a piece!  Guess what my brothers are getting for Christmas...)

11:30 - Mathematics (i.e., "deciding how many kitty figurines we could buy at the thrift store if everything is 50% off")

12:30 - Botany (i.e., "buying produce at the local farmers' market and exploring the last of the summer flowers behind the shop")

1:30 - A well-deserved break

Things We Must Do #1

These historical paper doll costumes are the reason I started this blog.  These costumes are an incredible hands-on way to help students identify specific time periods.  I'll probably pair them with a sample of architecture typical of the era, maybe a landscape scene so we get the feel for the climate.  (I feel like Christmas has come early this year!)  

PS- The costumes themselves came from here.

Week 1

Our first week of homeschooling.

We spent an afternoon preparing our notebooks -- naming, dividing, decorating.  We spent another afternoon preparing our schoolroom: organizing our small library of nonfiction and classical literature;and hanging maps, multiplication tables, and alphabet charts.   We spent a morning multiplying and dividing while making sandwiches for the children in the daycare.  We spent an afternoon making spirographs after finding a vintage set on a shelf in the closet.  We spent the weekend at the Mammoth Site exploring fossils and life-sized replicas of prehistoric creatures, and examining the geology of sinkholes and hot springs.  During the drive there, we learned to identify deciduous and coniferous trees. 

On the last day of our first week, my daughter turned to me and asked, "Mommy, is homeschooling just playing all day?"  I smiled at her and replied, "Yes, honey, it is."