Peeling and Worship

"You can praise the Lord by peeling a spud, if you peel it to perfection." ~ Eric Liddell's missionary father from the movie Chariots of Fire as quoted in Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work by Timothy Keller with Katherine Leary Alsdorf.

I suppose this applies to carrots as well.  Today we discussed this brief theological thought while peeling carrots.  Finding God in the midst of our daily chores..."You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 6:7  So very thankful for these moments.

Getting To Know Grandma Moses

 

A little peek into Art Studies at Greenleaf Academy.

Periodic Table Puzzle

This school year we have spent some time studying Chemistry.  I thought that a puzzle of the Periodic Table would be great, but it was tough to find the right thing.  I decided to make one, but finding wood blocks of the right size and at an affordable price was a challenge.

This last Fall the kids and I attended an event on conservation and a gentleman who worked for the forest service had a bunch of these little wooden blocks.  I gathered my courage and asked him where he found them.  He told me he had made them and asked why I was asking.  I explained what I wanted to make and he GAVE me enough small blocks to use to make a Periodic Table puzzle.  

Thanks to his willingness to share these wooden blocks, the puzzle turned out far better than I had imagined. Not only were the wooden blocks the PERFECT size to use with our place mat, but the variety in coloration of the different types of wood make the puzzle quite attractive.  

I don't often do projects these days.  My life is full of other activities.  It is a joy to tackle a project and have it turn out so well.  I have sure had my share of projects that have flopped.  Experiencing disappointments with projects makes the success of this project all the sweeter.  Oh and the kids actually enjoy putting the puzzle together!  That is nice too.

Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War

My kids, especially my boys, loved this book.  What a fantastic story of American hero, Joshua Chamberlain.  This book is a good one on several levels.  The artwork is appealing and goes well with the narrative.  The map at the beginning of the book shows an 1863 map of the battle at Gettysburg, complete with positions held by both Union and Confederate soldiers.  Inset into that map is a current map of the eastern coast of the United States.  The inset map shows the different locations that are mentioned in the story, from Brunswick, Maine to Petersburg, Virginia.  The book is divided into short chapters that are make the 38 page book very readable.  Lastly there are the photographs of Chamberlain that remind us that he was a real man.

I love books and stories about heroes.  I think we all need a steady diet of stories of heroism and valor.  We need regular reminders of the importance of bravery and strong character.  This book is a fantastic dose of that.  Such a good story.

Frog Dissection

These pictures are from a couple months ago.  Thanks to the help of a YouTube video, that guided us through the process, the frog dissection went quite well.  It was a bit gross, but it was a good learning experience for all of us.

A Peek Into Our History Lessons

Letter from Abigail Adams to her husband, John Adams, June 17, 1782:

Ardently as I long for the return of my dearest Friend, I cannot feel the least inclination to a peace but upon the most liberal foundation.  Patriotism in the female Sex is the most disinterested of all virtues.  Excluded from honours and from offices, we cannot attach ourselves to the State or Government from having held a place of Eminence. Even in the freeest countrys our property is subject to the controul and disposal of our partners, to whom the Laws have given soverign Authority.  Deprived of the voice in Legislation, obliged to submit to those Laws which are imposed upon us, is it not sufficient to make us indifferent to the publick Welfare? Yet all History and every age exhibit Instances of partiotick virtue in the female Sex; which considering our situation equals the most Heroick of yours.  "A late writer observes that as Citizens we are called upon to exhibit our fortitide, for when you offer your Blood to the State, it is ours.  In giving it our Sons and Husbands we give more than ourselves.  You can only die one the field of Battle,  but we have the misfortune to survive those whom we Love most."

I will take praise to myself.  I feel that it is my due, for having sacrificed so large a portion of my peace and happiness to promote the welfare of my country which I hope for many years to come will reap benefit, tho it is more than probable unmindfull of the hand that blessed them.*

In 1776 she writes to her husband, John, who is attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, asking that he and the other men--who were at work on the Declaration of Independence--"Remember the Ladies." 

This book is a story about a young girl in 1896 and the involvement of her family in women's suffrage.  She also used to go on extended hikes with her father and brothers.  That was so unusual for a girl that she often made it into the newspaper.  My kids really enjoyed this book and so did I.  

This book is an interesting and fun story about a woman bicycle racer.  The top book touches on women learning to ride bikes, while this book focuses on it.  It was interesting to learn that bicycle riding was once taboo for women.  

*From Our Country's Founders Edited by William J. Bennett

Rewards and Hope

I have mixed feelings about rewarding my children for their work.  On the one hand, we all love rewards for a job well done.  On the other hand, as we mature, it seems like we should move to a place where we are more internally motivated.  That said, there is nothing like a green sparkly star drawn on my kids completed papers to make them light up with a big smile.  Seriously, that gel pen, is a motivator for them!  And it is so easy.  I have even mastered turning a check mark, to mark a wrong answer, into a star, for getting it right.  The kids LOVE that.  They love to see that check mark transform into a star.  And I love doing it.  Isn't it great to watch a mistake go from being pointed out because it is a mistake to being marked with a big star that shouts "correct answer!"  It is a tiny picture of grace.

Last year M bought the boys some Lego sets on a business trip.  We saved them as a reward to be given upon the completion of their math books.  They were a great reward!  We had them set up on a high shelf in the kitchen and when the boys were feeling unmotivated about completing math, they saw those Lego sets and found some more motivation to keep going.  And when the days came for them to each get their Lego set, it was a time for celebrating hard work and the rewards that accompany it.

This year I wondered if I should give rewards for completing books.  Then the kids started to ask about it.  Then I went through a big clean out of the house.  I discovered some brand new hidden picture books that had been given to us years ago.  They aren't Lego sets, but they are good rewards for the completion of Handwriting Without Tears and Explode the Code workbooks.  But, I also wanted something more, something beyond just a personal reward.

So, here is what we decided to use for rewards this year.  For every completed workbook, the kids get a small personal reward, such as a hidden picture book and they get $1 to put into a jar to help save money for the adoption expenses of some friends. Or we might use it to buy a gift for their child or family.  The jar is decorated with the picture of the little guy who is waiting to come home to his adoptive family.  $1 isn't much, but it is doable and more important than the amount, it provides the kids with an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves.  I wondered if the kids would be motivated by it, but so far, there has been excitement when workbooks are finished!  They are excited that they worked diligently and that their work helps to raise a little money.

My hope is that the jar serves as a reminder to them that education is a privilege and that there are kids in the world who don't get that privilege and/or who don't have families.  My hope is that they remember that while they sit in our little school room, in our home, there is an entire world out there.  A world that they can influence.  The hope is that, along with rewarding small steps along the way, they see the connection between their diligent studies and the needs in the world.  Completing math each day may not seem to matter much, but the character that is being forged through consistent diligence and the knowledge gained are crucial to a world full of needs.  It is our hope that they would begin to learn that their choices, day in and day out make a difference.  Those choices shape them into the people they will grow to be.  The hope is that short term rewards bring long term vision and perspective.  It is the merging of the short-term external rewards and the desire for long-term internal motivation.        

Hands On Math

Here is a peek into some of the things we do for math.  Worksheets and games.  I love little hands at work.  So sweet.

Place Settings or A Productive Way To Temporarily Occupy a Preschooler While Doing School With Older Siblings

Preparing to learn to set the table. First we dug out one of my favorite cook books and looked up table settings. It was good practice to see where to get information.  When we need to learn something, we look it up!  I also hand copied a simple sketch of an everyday place setting and a fancy place setting onto blank white printer paper.  That is easier to refer to on a regular basis than the cook book.

Years ago I downloaded this set onto cardstock, laminated them and have used them to help the kids learn to set the table. It would make sense to teach them each day as we set the table, but right now we basically just set out the necessary utensils for the meal rather than setting a proper table each day. On holidays we set a nice table, but for everyday, it just does not happen.  Sigh.  Maybe in another season of life.  For now, we are good to simply use utensils on a regular basis.

This activity is a great one for a preschooler. It briefly keeps her occupied while I do other school activities with the boys. Plus she is learning something that is worth knowing!

Nicely done!  Now, where's the food?

When we are done with these, we pop them into a manila envelope and put them back on the shelf.  OR on the pile.  I have a pile of activities waiting to be organized.  I am thinking that maybe my pile is as good as it will get and that the stuff waiting to be shelved may never be shelved.

Apple Heads, Part 3

Look at that carved face, complete with apple seed eyes.

The instructions we used said to hang the apple on a string to dry, but we decided to borrow a food dryer from my parents to speed up the process a bit.  Thanks mom and dad!

Don't eat the apple head!  I think it looks a little scared here.

 There they are, all settled in the food dryer.  

And here is the final result.  Yes, a little creepy, but still an interesting project.  Someday we need to read this book.

Edible Chemical Elements

On most Wednesdays afternoons we get together with another family and do science.  We have been focusing on Chemistry and we alternate teaching.  It is fantastic to have another mom to share the teaching with.  I have noticed that our favorite projects tend to be edible.

Here we made a cookie model of the element Flourine.  We used chocolate covered sunflower seeds to represent the protons, electrons and neutrons.  The green ones represent electrons, the blue represent neutrons and the purple represent protons.

Apparently this week one edible model was not enough.  We did cookies and bread.  Here are 2 models of Lithium atoms using bread dough.  One of the main things I learned from this project is that it can be very tricky to color bread with food coloring.  I believe I added it too late, but it did make a cool marbled effect.  You can see the protons and neutrons all grouped together in the center of each model and the electrons around the outside.

It's Elementary

This web site has possibly the most fun Periodic Table ever. Did you notice I used the words fun and Periodic Chart in the same sentence? It has the Periodic Chart in pictures and it is super cool! This is a fantastic way to introduce kids to the elements. It is not intimidating and actually makes you want to keep looking at it. Then there is the Periodic Chart in words. It gives more in depth information than the picture chart and the two are designed to work together. BFF's for ever, that is what I say about the Periodic Table in pictures and the Periodic Table in words.

This link goes to a site that has a game of hangman using the elements. This is cool for kids who are somewhat familiar with the elements. My kids or I would need a periodic chart next to us for use in this game, but true science nerds, bless their hearts, would possibly not need that.

This site has an element game that helps one to match element symbols with element names. I would say it helps kids, but, ummm, for those of us adults that don't know our symbols as well, it is most helpful. And it has a nice feature that allows you to select the level you want to play at. I like that feature as it allows everyone to learn at their own level and still feel like a winner.

Then there is the Khan Academy video on Elements and Atoms. Oh, how we love Khan Academy!

In Which I Acknowledge That I Need to Chill Out and That I Have Nerdish Tendencies

Needless to say the last two weeks have left me feeling a bit overwhelmed at moments. Homeschooling is, at times, similar to having a full time job. It takes a large amount of time and energy. Being home so much has pros and cons. Pro: I can toss laundry in the washer during the day and get that done even while I am doing school with the kids. Con: Who has time to fold the laundry when I am doing school with the kids and trying to keep up with the other things we have going on right now?

M told me last night that I needed to "just relax" when it comes to school. I told him that his telling me that does not make me feel more relaxed. Due to medical appointments last week we missed large chunks of time when we typically do school. Then on Friday when we were home, A was exhausted. He took two naps that day. That is not ordinary for that boy. He was wiped out.

This week I feel the push to make up for the time we missed last week. But, M is a little bit right. He is probably more than a little bit right, but I'm only going to concede a small amount on that. I do know that he hears me though because he has made sure he is home in time this week to take kids to soccer games and practice. A highlight of this week was 2 hours at home alone while everyone else was at soccer games. When M sees the pile of unfolded laundry on our bed, he just quietly disappears in our bedroom and folds it and puts much of it away. Awww, so sweet.

When it comes to school, we are accomplishing a good deal. I tend to see all that we potentially could be doing. I tend to feel behind if we aren't doing all the things I had hoped to do, but there is a time to let go of expectations and roll with what life tosses at you. This is one of those times.

Here are a few bits from my week:

Most of my down time has been devoted to reading this book. I am learning a great deal.

This year at Classical Conversations we are learning the states and capitals of our nation. We have been enjoying this web site with a states and capitals matching game.

Here is a states and capitals memory game.

This site has a number of different states and capitals games. Many increase in difficulty, so as you master one level, you can move to a more challenging level.

I must be a real nerd because video games are not appealing to me. At. All. But I could waste spend a lot of time playing the games I linked to. They are just fun and I feel like it is a legitimate use of time since they are educational. :)

Skinny Jeans, Ideal Body Weight, Elderberry and Blindspots

This blog post has the coolest idea! Turn your boot cut jeans into skinny jeans. I would never have thought of doing that. I found a pair of wider leg jeans at a thrift store. They were too short and I had been looking for a pair of super dark denim slimmer fitting jeans. I took the thrift store jeans to a lady who does sewing and alterations and for $6 she turned them into slim cut jeans that work perfectly with my boots. Love them!

This calculator is a fun way to figure out ideal body weight for height and age. I have been using it for a project that is part of my Vintage Remedies studies.

The first cold of the season has descended upon our house. Isn't it too early for that? Apparently not. We are breaking out the elderberry to help build immunity. Elderberry has become a staple in our home over the last couple years. This week we have been drinking it as a tea with a bit of honey for sweetness. Sometimes we break open capsules and add the powdered elderberry to smoothies. Delicious and so good for you!

This post on blind spots of homeschool parents is worth reading. It is always good to read the humble reflections of someone who is further down the road on a path that I am on. As a parent it is so important to allow kids to develop into the people that God designed them to be, even if it looks different than I had in mind or if it pushes my comfort zone.

Books of the Bible Blocks

These blocks are for the Sunday School class at our church. They are simple, but hopefully, they will be an effective tool for helping children to learn the books of the Bible. We now have three sets of them.

This link is a helpful resource of the categories of the books of the Bible. All of the Old Testament history books are written in the same color, all of the Old Testament prophets are written in another color and so on.

Then on the back of the blocks they are labeled according to category.

On the front side is the name of a book of the Bible. Here are some of the books that are letters in the New Testament.

These blocks were easy to make. I used generic Jenga blocks. Sharpies worked well for writing on the blocks. The blocks can be dumped out and kids can sort through them and put them in order. Or a smaller section, for example Old Testament History blocks, can be set out and mastered before moving on to another section.

Real Life Math

In past years I have not been very faithful in planning times to practice real life math. This year, I hope to change that. Cooking with the kids is such an easy way to do that. Especially when we double recipes. That gives great practice in doubling fractions.

A big deterrent in this, for me anyway, is that it takes so much longer. It is easier for me to tell the kids, "We need _____ amount of flour." My goal for this year is to slow down and let them do the math.

And one of the best parts about cooking in order to practice real-life math are the yummy results. In these photos, A and I were making zucchini bread sweetened with maple syrup. Yum.

You Know You Homeschool When...

You know you homeschool when your pantry contains a pickled frog and fetal pig awaiting dissection. Gross. And why are they in the nice crystal bowl that we received as a wedding gift? I am not sure. It is where I set them when they arrived and I haven't moved them. And now, I'm used to them sitting there. I know, this is ruining any ideas about homeschool families being normal. But, really, where should one store animals awaiting dissection?

It's Not Just About the Math

Whew, it has been a long 3 weeks. M has been in and out, but mostly out due to work/military related excursions. That means the full load of daily responsibilities has rested squarely on my shoulders. For the most part all has gone well, but sometimes it all feels utterly exhausting.

Between shuttling kids to various activities A had a math book from this previous school year to complete. For the last two, maybe three school years, we have stopped his math books before completing them. There came a point when the difficulty level of the lessons increased and continuing on became less and less productive. Since we use Saxon math, there is a great deal of review in each book. When we begin the new book in the Fall there is so much review that any concepts not covered the year before were retaught. It worked well to quit before the book was finished.

This year, though, math clicked for A. It ceased to be the struggle that it had previously been. There were challenges, but they were no longer insurmountable. This year we would finish the math book! He was capable of it and for the most part he was enjoying the math. This year the main struggle was with finishing math lessons with a good attitude when other activities seemed more appealing.

My goal for him to finish the math book was not entirely driven by a desire to see him learn all the concepts that Saxon 54 had to teach, it was driven equally, if not more, by a desire help him know the satisfaction of completing something in its entirety. A large part of my motivation was to help him push through the whining and complaining that can come when standing at the base of a task that looks as tall as a mountain.

This week has been the home stretch. The week of completion. He has done it. Most important of all is that he has done it with minimal complaining. This growth in his life is exciting. It is a step toward maturity. It feels huge to me and I have been so proud of him. This week consisted of late nights doing math and missing out on fun activities in order to complete math lessons.

Each day, needed reminders to myself that this was not just about the math. This was about character. As a bonus he was also learning a good deal of math. But the main lesson was to work hard without complaining or arguing. It is about living out Philippians 2:14 "Do all things jwithout grumbling or kdisputing," And that is a tough concept to remember, let alone live out in a consistent manner.

Today on the way to the 5-Day club that friends are hosting this week, we had a discussion about all this math work. At one point I said, "You know, A, this hasn't been just about the math, do you know that?" To which he replied, "Yeah Mom, I know. It is really about doing something that is hard and sticking with it even when you don't want to. Dad talks to me about that."

His response thrilled me more than any completed school book ever could. He got it! He understood something that really matters. Something that matters more than fractions! Education isn't about simply completing subjects or books.

Education is about pursuing wisdom and a knowledge of God. It is about practicing living in a way that glorifies God and honors other people. On this journey of parenting, I am so thankful for the grace of God and for M, my partner in all this. Even when physically absent, M is here through moments like today when A understood and communicated that all this math isn't really about the math. It is about character.

Summer Grammar Lessons

I have blogged about this book before. My boys think it is hilarious. So do I.
Recently we found two similar books at the library.
More grammar, more laughs. Does summer grammar get any better than this? I think not.

Spring Homeschool Routine

Now that Classical Conversations has wrapped up for this school year we have shifted into a new homeschool mode. What that means for us is that we are still doing school, but the pace and focus are different. Here is what this looks like for us right now:

C is finishing up 3 on-line courses through our local school district. She is able to work on her Algebra 1, Geometry and Driver’s Ed courses at home or occasionally at the local library. Those three classes are taking up a large majority of her time right now.

During breakfast we listen to our CC memory work from this past year.

After breakfast and clean up A and B watch a Khan Academy video. We are going through the Arithmetic course. Some of the videos are a review of what they already know, but it is good review and it is helpful for me to see how someone else teaches basic math procedures. Kahn Academy is great. And free which means it is super great.

Next we spend 30 minutes in quiet reading. I sit and read too. The theory is that children who grow up seeing their parents read tend to be readers themselves, right? I read, but often not when the kids are around, so this has been a way for them to actually see me read. Plus, it is like an appointment to read. How cool that, in this situation, being a good role model to my children feels like a reward to myself. Love that.

We use our reading time to listen to classical music as well. Last week we listened to Schubert. This week is Beethoven.

After reading we dive into math. B is finishing Saxon 3 and A Saxon 54. They boys do their math lesson the day before and then we go over it together. Any problems that they struggle with are gone over and explained until they are completed. Some days we don't get a math lesson done, but we aim to go through 5 lessons a week. Last week we completed 3 lessons. Math time takes about an hour or so.

After math we settle in with a documentary, biopics or history-based movie. So far we have watched movies on St. Patrick, Stonewall Jackson, Florence Nightengale and the history of the United States.

Then lunch.

After lunch the boys do their math lesson for the next day and then spend time playing.

For right now, that is what school looks like at Greenleaf Academy.