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."