Merry Christmas

God's blessings to each one of you this Christmas season. I'm taking some time off blogging for a few weeks. If you hear from me it will be sporadic. Have a family-filled holiday. May the peace of Christ reign. Carol

Making Christmas Gifts

My mother is a professional seamstress and crafter. The sign hanging outside her home says, “Unique Designs by Betty.” She is well known in the community as one who can beautifully remake a wedding gown (or design one from scratch), copy a pair of overalls and construct a new pair, or just hem a mound of pants. You can bet she’s taught me most of what she knows but I don’t enjoy that kind of work. So, she has enjoyed many hours with her grandchildren passing on the knowledge that we desperately want to hang onto.

With that in mind, I asked her that, for Christmas this year, she spend one morning a week for the months of November and December with my little boys (7 and 9) making gifts. She was thrilled. She took this task on very seriously and spent weeks pouring over her library of crafting books for ideas that they would like and were capable of doing.

So, for the last six weeks or so, they have been spending Tuesday mornings cutting, painting, stringing, coloring, and sewing. Finally, this week, they spent their time wrapping the gifts and then next week, they will spend their morning making candy and cookies before mom (Nana) flies out to spend Christmas with my sister in Florida.

Can I buy an art curriculum to replace this experience?

Many years ago mom took on the task of teaching my daughter everything she knows about sewing. Beginning when she was 8, Nana and M. spent one morning a week for several years, sewing. They still sew together on a regular basis. M. often helps her on jobs that she gets and, if she felt inclined, M. could generate her own sewing business.

Can I buy a home ec curriculum to replace this experience?

The answer to both these questions is No. Oh, the curriculum exists. But no curriculum can replace the hands on experience. No curriculum can replace the one-on-one student/teacher ratio. No curriculum can replace the relationship building between a grandmother and her grandchildren.

You don’t have to live on a homestead to put this into practice, either. Grandmothers (and grandfathers) with lost skills live in urban areas, too. If you don’t have any grandparents living, elderly neighbors or church friends would love the opportunity to spend time with young people. All you have to do is ask.

Hope this gives you something to think about.

Blessings,

Frozen Hoses

We woke up to frozen hoses one morning. Welcome wintertime! But on our homestead, frozen hoses mean more than, “now we have to carry buckets of water to the pig.” On our place frozen hoses are science…

Studies of the seasons and the weather patterns for each.

Studies of the three forms of water…solid, liquid, and gas.

Studies of what happens to water when it freezes and what that can mean to pipes! In fact, two years ago we had a frozen pipe burst. Imagine the science lessons learned out of that one and the plumbing lessons learned for the older boys.

Studies of frost, snow, and snowflakes.

Studies of Snowflake Bentley and his marvelous work in photographing snowflakes.

Studies of how much water a pig actually drinks…in the winter compared with the summer.

Studies of how much a five gallon bucket of water actually weighs.

Studies of how long it will take for the pig’s water to freeze in his trough when it is 32 degrees, 30 degrees, 25 degrees, and so on.

I think you get the idea.

Homesteads are a wonderful place for learning. As the parent you have the opportunity to look for all the lessons and present them to your children. If we get bogged down with making sure they have time to do the work in their science books AND get water to the livestock in the freezing temperatures, we will get stressed, burned out, and be tempted to send the children off to school. Look for those lessons that God puts right under our noses and take advantage of them. Then you will feel like you are doing it all.

Blessings,

Book Review—The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling

I don’t make a habit of writing book reviews but when I walked into our public library and saw this book as part of a display of homeschooling books, I had to read it. And, once I read it, I had to share it.

I met Barbara Frank about a year ago online. I don’t remember the details, but once we started sharing comments on each other’s blogs and then e-mails, I realized our homeschooling philosophies are very similar. So when I saw The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling I knew I would be nodding in agreement page after page.

In Imperfect, Barbara’s down-to-earth, conversational tone will quickly draw you in and assure you that she’s been there and done that. In fact, she shares an account of when she first started out reading homeschooling magazine articles and coming away feeling inadequate as a wife, a mother, and a homeschooler. She writes:

When an article in a homeschooling magazine makes you feel inadequate, consider that while the author is thrilled to inform you that her son Fritz scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT, she’d never write an article describing how he wasn’t potty-trained until he was six. There’s always the rest of the story that you don’t know, because no one is perfect.

The chapters in Imperfect include “Homeschooling 101” describing how many hours to spend on school, the top ten tools for homeschooling parents and keys to a successful convention experience. Another chapter, “Teaching Specific Subjects” asks the question, “Does this count as school?” “Teaching Techniques and Ideas” discusses problem solving skills, testing, and teaching the special needs child.

More discussions include covering all the bases, using a scope and sequence, using packaged curriculum vs. designing your own, and organizational hints and tips for the home and your homeschooling supplies.

Barbara Frank is also the author of Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers, Women of the Old Testament: 14 In-Depth Bible Studies for Teens, Homeschooling Your Teenagers (e-book), and Back to Basics: Raising Self-Sufficient Children (e-book). She is currently working on a new book due out in 2011. Thriving in the 21st Century discusses preparing our children for the new economy. You can read more about this upcoming work at the book’s blog located here.

When asked if she would like to add anything to this review, Barb simply replied, “Many readers have said they like the fact that there is some mention of homeschooling kids with special needs in it. Apparently many homeschooling books don't cover that.” As the mother of a son with Down ’s syndrome, she offers special insight into the topic of parenting and befriending those with handicapped children.

I’m sure you will not just enjoy the Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling, but will find it encouraging and helpful no matter what step of the journey you find yourself.

Writing Club Update

We met again, my six girls and I, the week before Thanksgiving for a couple hours of studying the writing craft.

First we read aloud our homework of writing a descriptive paragraph. Wow, do I have a creative and talented bunch of girls! Then, we went over some passages of Little House on the Prairie that struck us as outstanding descriptions. That was an eye-opening discussion.

We next discussed hooks. I took along a few fishing lures from my 16 year old's collection. Of course, he had to describe them to me and tell me what type of fish they were used for and why. But I used them to impress on them the importance of knowing your audience and hooking them in the very beginning of your piece with just the right tidbit to keep them reading.

They were instructed to try their hand at writing hooks until we meet again. I'm anxious to see what they come up with.

Thanks for your interest in my girls. Hope this gives you some ideas of what to do with your children and their writing assignments.

Blessings,

Swiss Chard in Urban Farm Magazine

In my poll several weeks ago I discovered that many of you still live in an urban area but long to live in the country. With that in mind, I must share this resource with you -- Urban Farm Magazine. It has all the tips you need for living a sustainable lifestyle in the city or suburbs.

The latest issue is now on newsstands. And, here I go tooting my own horn again, it has my latest article on Swiss Chard. Remember the Vegetable Pizza, Spring Garden Surprise, and soup recipes from previous posts? Well this article has another of our family's favorite chard recipes: Chard and Pasta.

Check out this valuable resource. You will not be disappointed.

Blessings,