Archive for Homeschooling

Diet, A Few Recipes and What’s New

January 14, 2013 Sarah Beals 5 comments

 

Just an update on what we are up to lately, besides getting over the flu. :)

1. Diet Details and a Recipe.

Many of you have asked about the details of my new diet. I am the last one to be giving diet advice since I have a long lasting love affair with One-Bowl Brownies and Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, and I am still figuring out what I am doing, but for right now, I’ve eliminated several things from my diet: white flour and sugar, hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup and anything “highly processed”–meaning that if it is a chemical name that I don’t recognize, I don’t eat it. My grandmother has not eaten flour or sugar for years, and I am beginning to think that her sensitivities to them are hereditary. :)

So far it is going well. The biggest surprise of this diet is that my energy level is back to normal for the first time in two years. After my bout with mono, I had resigned myself to a life of low energy. I am beyond thankful that my energy has returned. I no longer feel like I “need” a cup of coffee in the a.m. As a matter of fact, I skipped coffee a few days last week and never noticed.

So, what am I eating? Fruits, veggies, salads, chicken, beef, roasted root vegetables (sweet potato is a fav) whole grains, soups, nuts, etc…

Here is a great recipe that I enjoy for Crustless Quiche. What I love about it is that it is very forgiving. I rarely make it the same way twice and it always comes out great. Here is the original recipe:

Crustless Quiche with cheddar, onion, mushrooms, pepper and baby spinach.

Crustless Quiche

4. c thinly sliced and unpeeled zucchini

1 c. chopped onions

1/4 c. water

2 eggs, well beaten

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

2. T parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. basil

Saute zucchini and onions in water for 10 minutes; drain. Combine eggs, cheese and seasonings. Fold into zucchini mixture. Pour into 10 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

***My variations:

First of all, I use 6 eggs for my family and double the spices. I bake it in 9X12″ glass pan. I use whatever veggies I have on hand that day. Today I used 2 small onions, baby spinach, 1 cup chopped mushrooms and some yellow pepper and fresh chopped basil. In total it was about 4 cups of veggies. I also substituted sharp cheddar cheese. After I put it in the pan, I topped it with sliced fresh tomato slices.  I bake it for about 8 minutes longer for the bigger version, so that the sides are browned slightly. This recipe is from an older woman in our church, (a woman who had 15 children!!), and I love it because it is economical and delish! :)

2. Family News:

This weekend my daughter Emily was part of the Southeastern Mass. District Orchestra. It was a great experience for her, and we are blessed that she was given this opportunity.

Proud parents. :)

3. Books I’m Enjoying:

I am reading The French Twist: Twelve Secrets of Decadent Dining and Natural Weight Management and am thoroughly enjoying it. Of course, books like this make sweeping generalizations about a culture when they write about what the “French” do, but still, it is a great look into areas of obvious differences in thinking between our two cultures.

For instance, French women value quality in their food. We tend to value quantity. (and our bodies are showing it!) The French use internal cues to tell them to stop eating, as in “I am full.” Americans use external cues, as in, my plate is clean, or this TV show is over. If one symbol could depict American’s eating habits, it would be a car; the French, a table. It is a very insightful read. :)

Also, I’m reading How to Look Expensive: A Beauty Editor’s Secrets to Getting Gorgeous without Breaking the Bank. It is full of common sense beauty tips and she references Kate Middleton quite a bit. Enough said. It covers how to ask for the right hair cut, applying make up without looking cheap and made up, the top ten lipstick shades that make up artists swear by and other awesome tips I’d never heard of. For instance, did you know that to apply the right amount of perfume, you should squirt a little on your hairbrush and comb your hair? It will cling to the natural oils in your hair in just the right amounts so that your scent is not overpowering! :) (Caveat: I have had to take my black sharpie to several words in this book.)

4. Favorite Products:

This winter we started our fifth child on Considering God’s Creation. I was reminded again how much I love this program. It is notebook-y in a way, but uses the power of observation to help guide the child in classifying plants, bugs and animals. I love that it melds the scientific method with a Charlotte Mason-ey flair. :) If you haven’t used it, I would highly recommend it.

Hope just started Considering God's Creation this semester.

5. A Fabulous Recipe from a man’s blog! :) Who knew?

I knew I had to try this recipe when I stumbled upon the title “100 Year Old Recipe” on Tim’s blog. I made this treat for my family and can verify that it was indeed delicious. (I tried a bite! ahem!) Anyway, it is full of apples and cinnamon with a caramel glaze and would be great with coffee or tea.

100 year old cake recipe.

I love trying old recipes and love reading old “receipt” books. Years ago, recipes were not more than a list of ingredients, hence the term receipts. I am always fascinated that women years ago had a general understanding of what measurements yielded soft, fluffy biscuits or a fluffy cake without worrying about exact measurements.

6. Quotes I’m Pondering 

“Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”

The highest glory of the creature is in being only a vessel, to receive and enjoy and show forth the glory of God. It can do this only as it is willing to be nothing in itself, that God may be all. Water always fills first the lowest places. The lower, the emptier a man lies before God, the speedier and the fuller will be the inflow of the diving glory.”

Andrew Murray

Your turn!  Tell me what you’re reading, products you’re loving this winter, or link to fabulous recipes you’re making right now. AND any diet tips are welcome! :)

Book Reviews, Homeschooling

Charlotte Mason on Taking Kids Outdoors

August 18, 2012 Sarah Beals 9 comments

This week I have been re-reading Home Education  by Charlotte Mason to my great delight. I am gearing up for the fast approaching school year.

Charlotte Mason encouraged mothers to take their children outside for walks and to observe the nature that is all around us. She believed it trained their power of observation and expression.

“This is all play to the children, but the mother is doing invaluable work; she is training their powers of observation and expression, increasing their vocabulary and their range of ideas by giving them the name and the uses of an object at the right moment,––when they ask, ‘What is it?’ and ‘What is it for?’ And she is training her children in truthful habits, by making them careful to see the fact and to state it exactly, without omission or exaggeration. ”

Kids at Scituate Lighthouse

Charlotte Mason recommends that children should be taught:

The names of field crops in the area. We drive by a stretch of gorgeous untouched farmland each time I go to my mothers. I always enjoy seeing the rotations of seasons in the farmland. Farmer tilling the field, next time, planting, and the next, tall corn growing. The kids enjoy seeing the animals as well. And of course, my father is a cranberry grower so we enjoy watching the progress of the family crop as well. (cranberry unit study here)

The names of local field flowers: Learn the wildflowers and flowers by name in your own yard first, then expand.

The names of local trees: Learn the trees in your own yard first, then expand.

The names of local birds: I used to tape up pictures of birds in our back yard for the kids to learn (and for me to reference incase I forgot!)

Seasons should be followed: Comment on the seasons: the chill in the air, the salty taste of the ocean air, the burnt orange hue of the leaves. This is the easiest way to follow the seasons. Or, in your nature journal, sketch the same flower in your yard through its growing season. Record the date on each sketch.

Or set up a nature table. This is a small area in your home of the season’s treasures: shells, starfish, beach glass, for summer; leaves, acorns, pinecones, lovely art for fall. My friend Kara has a beautiful article on nature tables here.

Nature diaries should be kept: These can be a sturdy covered notebook with pages that will accommodate both watercolor and ink drawings. If you attempt these, too, mother, your children will gladly copy you. Whenever I pull out my paints with the kids up, they always want to paint with me. This video shows you how to watercolor your nature journal using only three colors.

Entrance to a Concentration Camp in Germany.

When the children were younger, I would pack up a picnic lunch and head over to one of the family cranberry bogs to spend an afternoon. We’d eat lunch out doors and the kids would explore the woods looking for something interesting to share that they had not seen before. We’d sketch their find in a nature journal, then bring it home for further investigation. The time spent outside, eating in the fresh air and the memories of the kids playing in the sunshine are gifts to me. I am glad I was there with them.

Rebekah surprised me the other day, when she pulled out her journal and asked if I wanted to see her sketches from Germany. Apparently her camera broke one day and she recorded her memory in the form of a sketch.

Church at Worms where Martin Luther said "Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God."

This week we spent some time outdoors with the kids. Peter took us to a beach in Scituate and we spend the afternoon climbing the rocks and walking the shore. I took these photos with my phone, so I apologize for the grainy look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can feel myself getting re-energized for the upcoming school year. How about you? :)

Homeschooling , ,

Our Favorite Homeschool Tools: {Pt. 2. History}

June 26, 2012 Sarah Beals No comments

This is part two of our Favorite Curriculum series and today I am sharing what worked for us for History.

If you missed part one, read here for our favorite Homeschool picks for Math and Language Arts.

When our children were young, we used several resources:

Your Story Hour Audio Tapes were staples in our family. They are dramatized stories about a specific person in history. My kids listened to these on car trips and during rest time after lunch. If you follow this link you can get them free with a trial audible.com membership. :)

We also loved reading the Childhood of Famous American’s series. These are engaging books (written at about a third grade reading level) that we always enjoyed. We loved reading about the childish antics and mishaps of Thomas Alva Edsion, the strict family rules of Benjamin Franklin’s mother, the love of animals and the almost crippling shyness of Clara Barton, and the crazy inventions of the Wright brothers as children.

One of our favorite things to do is to visit a visiting living history museum. We are fortunate to live in a part of the country that is rich in American History and take advantage of trips to local museums. Plimouth Plantation, Sturbridge Village, Strawberry Banke, York Historical Society and other hands on museums are a great places to let kids see what life would have been like during Colonial Times. You can tour homes of famous people like Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House,  John Quincy Adam’s home or Thoreau’s cottage on Walden Pond. If you can’t visit in person, many of these sites have interactive activities for kids on their sites.

Hope using tools at OSV.

Holly trying out the washing machine at Old Sturbridge Village.

We also used The Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer of the Well Trained Mind.  As the kids got older they used BJUPress textbooks as jumping boards for independent study. Also, we also felt that our kids would benefit by reading the History of England via AmblesideOnline’s resources which are free and in the public domain, because of course, English history was our history before we were “America.” :)  We also benefitted from Susan’s Bauer’s complete history books for adults. (caveat: it is written for adults, and does not sugar coat the depravity of man when unhampered by rules. Matthew’s summary: “Boy, Mom. The kings were pretty dysfunctional. They killed their own families whenever they felt like it.” Yup. They also include homosexuality and other topics that you might want to edit before letting your kids loose on these books– depending on the maturity of the child.)

I know this list is incomplete. What have you loved for history? Do tell. :)

 

Books I Love, Homeschooling

Our Favorite Homeschool Resources (Pt.1. Math and Language Arts.) Share Yours, Please!

June 25, 2012 Sarah Beals 8 comments

I have received several requests for me to share what homeschool tools I use to educate my children, so this week I will be sharing what we use. BUT,

I feel funny telling you what works for my family, because any homeschooler worth their salt knows that each family and kid is different. Personality types of the child AND mother need to be taken into consideration before choosing materials. THAT is the beauty of homeschooling.

Hope learning to crochet.

1. So before you start choosing curriculum read this post which gives you five questions to ask yourself before you choose homeschooling materials for your family.

2. Remember that homeschooling is great but not an end all. In fact, God is bigger than our educational choices and homeschooling is not for everyone!

We have used many different things over the years. We started out with a traditional approach, mimicking the classroom until a friend gave me some great advice. Begin with the end in mind, she said. What did I want as a final product? That decision changed my approach to education, and I  gradually moved to a literature based approach. Living books became our best friends.

Today, our top pics for Math and English; tomorrow, History and Science. And then general resources that we cannot live without. (no, iced coffee is not on the list. :) )

So here goes:

First, we tend to use a mix for all subjects except for Math and English. With those two subjects I am a Spartan mom: do it even if it kills you.

So I will cover the no nonsense stuff first:

We use BJUPress Math through grade six, and then we switch to the Teaching Textbooks (cheapest through Timberdoodle. com here. )and use them through 12th grade.

When the kids were young we also loved math wrap ups. We love using online math games to reinforce skills. We also use flash cards.

For English, we use several things at grade level:

Explode the Code, Easy Grammar, Wordly Wise, Writing With Ease, Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, Editor in Chief, Writing Strands,  and ABeka Grammar in 9-12th grade.

I rarely use spelling workbooks. The kids make spelling lists of words they commonly misspell and write those.

Handwriting was done with Italic and A Reason for Writing.

Reading was done with various readers including The Pathway Readers, Bob Books , and anything else that was age appropriate.

Literature was approached by reading complete works from the time period we were studying in History. So, instead of reading snippets of books, we read aloud Great Expectations, Hard Times, The Christmas Carol and Anne of Green Gables to name a few, and then we discussed the stories. Reading aloud as a family is one of my favorite family memories. If you are not familiar with the different parts of literature analysis (plot, mood, setting, conflict, etc) try to find a used copy of Heart of Dakota’s “Drawn into the Heart of Reading.”

Poetry was done on the Ambleside Online schedule here

Ambleside Online is a great resource for homeschoolers who want to use a literature based approach to learning. It uses many free books that you can find online, and although the website is confusing, they have a great community of women that can answer many of your questions.

AND, last but not least, let’s not forget our trusty LIBRARY CARD! (woo hoo!) What would we ever do without you, trusty friend!

What are your favorite resources for English and Math? Please share in the comments.

 

 

 

Homeschooling

We Need To Homeschool Through the Summer {sigh}

June 23, 2012 Sarah Beals 3 comments

Homeschooling looks different for every family, and this year we will have a “homeschooling first” because we are going to continue to homeschool during the summer.

I know. I got a knot in my stomach, too, when I realized that this is what we need to do to be on track for next year.

Although our schedule will be reduced and sporadic, the kids will continue their music lessons, foreign language with Rosetta Stone German, Emily will finish up her Chemistry and Matt will be working through an online app making software. Hope will work on reinforcing her math and reading skills.

We’ll still go on vacation and to the beach, but on “stay” days, we are going to be studying.

As much as I hate to admit it, we need to do this this summer.

Why? Because Emily is a SENIOR this year and if it was anything like Bek’s senior year, it weirded me out.

During a senior year, I want to savor every moment so I tend to pack it jam full of family stuff: apple picking, pie baking, trips to the cranberry bog to see the harvest, craft making, house decorating for.EVERY.season, trips to museums, historic areas, Christmas plays and open houses, craft fairs and gingerbread making with the cousins, etc.

I am not sure WHY I want to do this, but I do. Perhaps I am trying to hang on to the remains of what I see as a childhood slipping through my fingers and just out of my grasp.

So, hence, my need to keep working a little this summer.

How about you? Are you schooling through the summer? Have you found this “senior year syndrome” to be true of you as well?

 

Christian Parenting, Homemaking, Homeschooling

Five Questions Every Homeschooling Mom Should Ask Before Choosing Curriculum

May 4, 2012 Sarah Beals 28 comments

We are almost to the end of our homeschool year, and this is NOT the time that I want to be thinking about next years curriculum, but alas, the MassHope Convention is in town and instead of checking out and heading to the beach, I guess responsible mother’s everywhere are talking standardized testing and choosing curriculum. {ahem}

SOO, in order to not be a total derelict mother, I humbly offer you some things to consider when choosing curriculum each year for your kids.

As far as curriculum is involved, I do believe that you can learn no matter what you are using if you want to. There is no magic curriculum. We have used nearly everything under the sun in the past 14 years of homeschooling. My oldest daughter just finished her first year at Bob Jones University and has done extremely well. In fact, she made the Dean’s list. :)

These questions are more “self awareness” questions than curriculum questions, but I think they’ll help you determine what you are looking for.

1. Figure out your personality and find a curriculum that works with it.*

Most likely, you are NOT a teacher by trade, but have found yourself teaching for whatever reason.

Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. This is half your battle.

Are you extremely structured, or do you follow a loose schedule?

Are you high strung or laid back?

Will you use real life as a teacher or books only?

Will you be home all day, or do you envision yourself visiting local resources and using hands on learning?

2. Think about your life stage and plan accordingly.

Are you in a time of transition (new baby, illness) or are things status quo?

Do you work from home and have a flexible schedule, or are you working around someone else’s time schedule?

Will sticking to a rigid lesson plan stress you out or give you a sense of security?

Does flexibility motivate you or hinder your performance?

3. Think about your family interests. Your time will be heavily weighted toward these interests and it will affect your school year. 

Expect that you’ll invest more time than other families in these areas and be okay with that.

Then, when you hear that one family grinds their own wheat and makes all their own bread from wheat they grew in their back yard and milled with a mortar and pestle, you will understand that their interests are heavily weighted toward those things and there is no need for guilt or comparison on your part.

Do you all love history or politics? Do you value art and music?

Know your interests and realize that they may change over time as your kids grow and express new interests.

4. Decide what you want from education. Begin with the end in mind.

Do you envision your kids as Harvard Grads?

Are you looking to develop the child as a whole: mind, body, spirit?

For us, we wanted to be sure that our kids did not reflect our current culture. We were appalled by the norms of young society/pop culture and realized that you can’t send them into that for 8 hours a day and have it not effect them.

We wanted our kids to love to read and be life long learners, so our choices reflected our long term goals.

5. Decide what is reasonable.

You cannot do everything, so decide what you can teach well and plan to get help with the rest. Kahn Academy, the internet, DVD’s, tutors, co-ops and other helps are readily available for home schoolers. Don’t feel bad about using them!

This generation has seen a shift in education since the rise of the internet. Today’s education is more about self education than ever before and part of teaching kids to be successful in the modern world is teaching them to know how to use the internet as a resource.

In our day, when you needed to research a topic, you trudged to the library unless you were lucky enough to own an entire set of Encyclopedia Brittanica. It is different today. They don’t look to teachers as sources of knowledge like they did in our day. Good teachers teach them where to look. :)

 

I know that this list is incomplete!  :)

Your turn! Please share any other self-awareness questions that you have found helpful when determining what curriculum to choose for your family? Feel free to share in the comments or to link to an article that you have written on the subject.

*Note: Just for clarity and communication between “adjoining nations”:  Hmschlers tend to use the word “curriculum” to mean the actual tool you’ll use to teach a subject that needs to be covered. So when I say I will use what works for us, I mean that I will choose a publisher who teaches the topic in a way that works for us as a family; I do not mean that we will pick and choose what we need to learn w/o regard for state law.  State and local laws DO set the norms for what is to be covered as a whole, which is what public school systems understand the word “curriculum” to mean. Mkay? ;)

Homeschooling, Uncategorized , ,

How To Make Cloud Dough

February 3, 2012 Sarah Beals No comments

Looking for a fun diversion for your young ones this weekend? You’ll love this project for kids called: Cloud Dough.

I found the idea on Pinterest and knew that my “hands-on” Holly would love it.

You need:

  • 4 cups of white flour
  • 1/2 cup Johnson’s baby oil.

You mix it together and put it in some kind of tray. I used my baking sheet. The girls loved the feel of it and when they were done, they put it into a ziplock bag so it wouldn’t dry out.

 

This is a messy project, so protect your surfaces! :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to focus on Christ this weekend and thank Him that He is in control of your circumstances, whether it feels like it or not.

Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

 

Christian Parenting, Homeschooling, Random, I know!

An Example Of A Charlotte Mason Narration

February 2, 2012 Sarah Beals No comments

Many of you know that I tend toward the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, and one of the things that I LOVE about the method is narration. Narration can be tricky for some reason, so I wanted to show you two examples of what it looks like in our home.

This morning I read the short story, The Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling, to my girls.

It is the story of a curious, short nosed Elephant that wonders what the crocodile eats for lunch. He asks all his relatives, but all they do when he asks is to give him a spanking. He runs away to find out for himself and in the process ends up with a looong trunk after a tug of war for his life with the croc. Kipling explains that all elephants from that time forward now have long trunks. ;)

Then I had them narrate back what they remember. Narration is used to help the child process the information as a memory aid. It forces them to think it through for themselves. It also helps prepare them for writing essays someday.

So, today I want to show you narration, at two totally different levels. Hope is younger, and I think you’ll notice that as the child gets older, they are more detail oriented with their narrations. Hope this helps someone. I was always a little confused by the whole narration thing. Enjoy.

 

Homeschooling ,

Treasuring Thanksgiving {Some Fun Ways to Reinforce Thankfulness in Your Kiddos}

October 22, 2011 Sarah 2 comments

Okay, so everywhere I look, people are gearing up for Christmas–and right now,

 I am drawing my virtual line in the sand here

to stop the craziness and to just say no to Christmas until after Thanksgiving!! lol.

I am going to relax, breath and just be thankful. :)

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to teach your kids about all of God’s blessings. And we all have so much to be thankful for. Agreed? Alrighty, then.

Don’t miss out on this  great chance to teach some extra US History, too. We live about 20 minutes from Plymouth, MA, so our area is loaded with pilgrim history. I hope this post makes it a little easier for some of  you moms out there.

A Mini Unit Study for Thanksgiving

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have

grown by His hand Who made all things out of nothing,

and gives being to all things that are; and as one small

candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here

has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation;

let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

   —William Bradford. 1630

History:

Scholastic First Thanksgiving and Mayflower Virtual Tour

Image and Text of the The Mayflower Compact

Selected Portions of William Bradford’s Journal Of Plimoth Plantation 

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation 

Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Read Aloud:

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Lousia May Alcott (short story)

Stories of the Pilgrims by Margaret Pumphrey (free text via Baldwin Project!) – I have read selected portions of  this book to my kids each Thanksgiving for I don’t know how long!

Excellent selection of  Thanksgiving Poetry here (Thanks, Ambleside Online!)

Character Training :

“To be Thankful, You Must Be Thoughtful.”

Age specific ways to teach your kids thankfulness here

Hands On:

Martha, Martha, Martha. You did it again! Love these paper Pilgrim bonnets: easy instructions here

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart

Thanksgiving Recipes from the Past

LOVED This beautifully simple art project: finger paints, glitter, leaves…what more could your kids want?  here

Photo Credit: Jones Design Co. (go visit...adore this site!)

And while your kiddos are crafting up a storm, you can make these adorable Thanksgiving Placecards, from, who else? Martha Stewart. :)   here. 

And if you are looking for a good read, try Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. You will be blessed!

ENJOY!

Crafts and Decor, Homeschooling , , ,

Cranberry History Lesson: The Kids Using the 1920′s Hand Separator

October 10, 2011 Sarah One comment

We had the loveliest of days today. We went out for lunch, then headed to a local farm to see some fall displays, then over to my dad’s cranberry bogs to watch the harvest. The kids got a special treat today when Grandpa let them use the 1920′s Cranberry separator. Of course there are modern methods for this now, but years ago the bad berries were separated by hand. I was so thankful that I  had my handy dandy iPod touch so that I could video this moment. It is a little grainy…but is a neat to see.

 

 

I’ve put together a Cranberry Mini Unit Study here.

Homeschooling , ,
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