Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Circle Time --and a video

In the morning we come to the breakfast table to eat and read scriptures.  Owen is responsible for getting dressed and helping feed the chickens before coming to the breakfast.  We set up this expectation from day one, because I knew if we stayed in our jammies all morning it would be hard to get the things done we need to every day.  It would be nice to jump right into lessons right after breakfast, but Then I would be behind on my homemaking duties for the day.  

So after breakfast we carry over the breakfast dishes to clear the table.  I try to get the breakfast dishes washed, and start a load of laundry, to start out my day on the right foot (It doesn't always happen but at least I have a goal.)  So then we need some transition for getting together to work on Owen's lessons for the day.  We do that with circle time.

Circle time is fun, so I don't have to beg anyone to come, and Owen is already dressed since he does that before breakfast.

Our circle times are based loosely on the Waldorf tradition.  The elements we are using are:
  • Start by lighting a candle and end by blowing it out
  • Use poems, songs and stories
  • Use seasonally-influenced and nature-based selections
I also try to use movement, but I'm not sure if that is a Waldorf element or not, but I have boys, so it's what we do.

We are schooling year round and our schedule (which I'll explain some other time) breaks down to 6 week periods, which I have broken down one step further into 3 week periods.  So we use the same poems and songs for three weeks, for comforting repetition and informal memorization.  I repeat the book selection each day for a week, and move on to a new book the next week so we have three picture books total for each circle time theme.

I love our circle time because it is a great way to transition into lessons for the morning, and also it is something that all three boys participate in.  Wyatt was adorable doing the motions for our action rhyme!  I also like that it is encouraging memorization, though in an informal way.  Owen, Jonas, and I all had the poems and song memorized at the end of the three weeks. 

Our first theme was apples.  The two poems we recited follow:

Apples
by Helen H. Moore
Apples, apples, what a treat,
Sweet and tart and good to eat.
Apples green and apples red,
Hang from branches overhead,
And when they ripen, down they drop,
So we can taste our apple crop.


Eat an Apple

Eat an apple; (Bring right hand to mouth)
Save the core. (Close right hand in fist)
Plant the seeds. (Bend down touch hand to ground)
And grow some more. (Extend both arms out)


Then we sang a song as well.

Shake the Apple Tree
words adapted Carl Reinecke

Pretty little Sally, Johnny come with me.
Come out in the orchard, shake the apple tree.
I will look for green ones, as the apples fall.
You will look for red ones, then we'll find them all.
Pretty little Sally, Johhny come with me.

Pretty little Sally, Johnny come with me
Shake a a little harder, shake the apple tree!
Now lets fill our baskets, pile the apples high,
Take them home to mother, she'll make apple pie.
Pretty little Sally, Johnny come with me. 

It's a tune I've never heard before--luckily we have the baby piano so I could plunk it out and learn it.  Here it is:


Obviously the boys were having a LOT of fun watching themselves on the computer. 

Ice

Farmer Boy chapter 6 tells about filling the Wilder Family's ice house. My dad said he remembers his mom talking about doing the same thing.  Storing ice to have it all through the summer.  My mom said she remembers having an ice box and it not quite being cold enough to set Jell-O.  Owen told her she just needed to put two blocks of ice in the ice chest instead of one.  (Makes sense right?)

One thing the Wilder's could do with ice is make ice cream!  So we made some ice cream.  (Luckily reading chapter 6 coincided with the day of our church picnic at which there was going to be a homemade ice cream contest.)

Owen's word:  Almanzo filled up the ice house.  And I wanted to make an ice house in the winter time.  (An igloo.)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Barnyard Tin Lanterns

Owen's Note:

These   are   tin   lanterns.

 Momma's Note:

In Farmer Boy Chapter 2 Almonzo helps his father and brother do their evening chores in the barn.  He says, "It was dark there; only a little light came from the pierced tin sides of the lantern hung in the alleyway below."

We made out lanterns out of tin fruit cans.  Prepare a covered work area, and supervise kids at all times. 

Step one: Clean out can and remove label.  Be careful of sharp edges

Step two: Make a pattern of dots on the can with a permanent marker.  Make sure to leave 1.4 to 1/2 inch between dots. 

Step three with a large nail and hammer punch a hole over each dot.  (We found this worked best to have momma hold the can and the nail in place, with boy also holding on to nail and hammering.)

Step four: Punch a hole on two oposite sides of the upper rim of the can.  Thread a handle string through the two holes to hang the lantern from. 

Step five: Place a tea light or battery-operated tea light in the lantern.  Turn out the other lights, and admire lanterns.  



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Almonzo's Apple Turnovers

We are intent on promoting a healthy food-culture as a part of our homeschooling days.

Owen and I are reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  In the first chapter, Almonzo Wilder takes a lunch to school and there is a tasty description of his apple turnovers:  "their plump crusts filled with melting slices of apple and spicy brown juice."

 A Farmer Boy Unit I referenced suggested getting a hold of the Little House cookbook to cook some recipes from the book along with your reading.  I knew that it would be perfect for the all-day learning, but not all-day schooling we are trying to do here. Luckily our local library had it.

So after reading about apple turnovers we made apple turnovers.  The recipe in the book was excellent.  I used their dough recipe, and used half butter and half lard.  I always have trouble with pie dough (I think it's solely user error) so I ended up book-folding the dough and re-rolling three or four times.  That seemed to work out OK and the crust was really flaky and delicious.

The best tip the recipe gave was to let the apples and sugar sit aside for a while then lift the apples with a fork leaving the juices behind.  This helped us not have any bubbling-all-over, sticky-explosion messes.  (I saved the sugary juice in the fridge--I'm sure it will be great on something--maybe hot oatmeal?)

Owen's Notes:

I really liked making the apple turnovers, and when we ate them I wanted to eat all of them!

Home for School

 Staying home for school doesn't mean we have to give up fun "back to school" traditions.  Here is Owen with his German Schule Tute, containing a few new school supplies for the year. 

After giving this to Owen I felt really guilty for not having anything for Jonas.  So I'll probably refill the tute this Thursday when Jonas Starts his mommy co-op preschool. 

Phew!

Guilt relieved.