Winter School

School was back in session, effective yesterday.  Aside from a potty training toddler who had three accidents in the space of 1 hour, it was the best "first day" I can remember in our homeschool history.  I love the benefits of that break right smack dab in the middle of the school year.  Aside from the quality family time it provides, it gives our minds a break from the rigors of a structured school day and it gives me a few weeks to ponder what is working and what needs to change.  

This has been a happy and productive school year thus far.  We've completed five months of school (approximately 20 weeks) and we have four months left (exactly 15 weeks-- I counted!).  

We loved the scripture memory box  idea that we implemented this year.  I like, especially, that is is portable and we can review our day's verses even if we are traveling in the van. As a result of the enthusiasm the kids showed for the Names of Jesus Advent Cards we used during December, we are beginning our own set of Names of Jesus Learning and Memory Cards now and we'll pick up our daily Bible reading plan for children again when we're done.

We picked up in  The Mystery of History  right where we left off.  We're studying the kings of Israel and Judah, as well as the early days of Athens and Sparta. I don't think we'll be done with this volume until sometime next year.  I'm amazed that the author suggests completing the entire book in a year or less! 

Gavin is absolutely loving an inexpensive workbook I ordered for the kids to share this year: Maps,  Charts, and Graphs: States and Regions.  We read the lessons out loud and the three oldest kids take turns answering the questions.  Gavin has asked that I get him his own book next year so he can answer all the questions.

For the first time in Gavin's six years of homeschooling, I am 100% happy with his math curriculum.  We are using Saxon Math 65 and it is a perfect fit.  He reads the short lessons on his own  (great for fostering comprehension skills) and then works only the odd-numbered problems.  I've found this to be enough to learn the skills without  bogging him down.  We do not use the tests, but we do a modified version of the drill sheets that the curriculum provides. 

Maddie and Owen are continuing their new skill of multiplication.  I worked through Times Tales  (book, not DVD) with them right before Christmas and was reminded of how wonderfully amazing it is.  Memorizing multiplication facts in 2 weeks?!  Yes, thank you.

Strange though it sounds, we'll be finishing science for the year by the end of the month!  We are studying astronomy.  We've read books on the moon, the sun, and stars as well as observing the night sky and sketching in our science notebooks. When we finish our list of books about planets, we'll have completed everything I planned.  The health unit that we completed during the summer also contributed to our science credit, as does the  book about machines that Gavin and Brian read in January.

I have been dragging my feet about art for this winter/spring session.  We studied Mary Cassatt in the fall and loved her work, but I was uninspired when I went to pick another artist.  I had almost decided on Georgia O'Keeffe, but a blogging friend told me her family had strongly disliked studying O'Keeffe.  I hemmed and hawed for weeks, and finally settled on... Georgia O'Keeffe.  I was swayed by a story book about O'Keeffe I saw on display at the library.  I've already told myself that when we add in all the art projects we've done since August, we probably have enough art credit for the year, even if we abandon Georgia O'Keeffe after a month! 

We'll round our our year with a gym class taught by college students at one of the local universities, our small monthly co-op, extensive reading, sewing, Legos, and penpal correspondence.

What are you learning in your homeschool?  Are you beginning anything new?

Happy February

It's February 4 and Valentine season is upon us!

I never did get around to making a homemade pie crust last year, though I listed it in my 2012 goals.  And though I still want to make a crust for a full-sized pie, I finally tackled a homemade crust recipe for a batch of Cherry Hand Pies. 

I used a basic crust recipe from How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.  The recipe was intended for a full-sized top and bottom crust.  I was able to make 12 hand pies.

After mixing the dough, I divided it into twelve balls and refrigerated them for about 20 minutes.  

My frustration with making homemade crust in the past has always been dough that sticks to the rolling pin and counter, making it impossible to transfer to a pie pan. This time I rolled out the crusts on my wooden cutting board and generously coated the surface, my hands, and my rolling pin with flour.  I rolled each chilled dough ball into a 6-8 inch(ish) circle(ish). I put a dollop of cherry pie filling in the middle, folded the dough over, crimped the edges with a fork, then trimmed and evened the edges with a sharp knife. (By recycling the trimmed edges, I had enough dough for another 1-2 hand pies, but I decided 12 was enough.)

When all twelve pies were arranged on the pans, I made an egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tablespoon water) and brushed it over the tops of pies, finishing it with a sprinkle of white sugar. 

I baked the hand pies at 425 for 10 minutes or until the crusts were a golden brown. 

The leftover pies kept well, covered in the refrigerator.  The second night, we rewarmed them in the microwave for 15 seconds and then drizzled melted dark chocolate chips over the top.  Heavenly!

No Words Needed

{Of course, truth be told, I'll be curled up on the couch with my laptop and book, but Brian (who has been a 49ers fan since he was a kid) will be in his glory!}

Ring Around the Rosy

Linking to...

How Do You...Keep Track of Library Books?

How do you keep your library books separate from your other books?

Our family of seven has five library cards. Each library card is allowed a maximum of fifty items which means the potential for many, many books to enter our home.  How in the world do we keep track of it all and avoid the dreaded library fines? 

We have set places for library items that the entire household is aware of.  We've had this system for so long that it is second nature and even the little ones do not have to be reminded to return items to their places when they are done looking. 

This is what works for our family's library books:

• picture books go in a large basket in the living room
• school books are stacked on a shelf in the dining (school) room
• the older kids' chapter books go on a shelf in the living room 
• books ready to be returned are placed in a large tote bag in the coat closet

How do you keep track of your library books (and avoid fines!)?   Let us know in the comments.

*** You can access all "How Do You...?"  posts in one place by clicking here. ***

a Reading Buffet

A gentle rain melted much of the snow in our yard this morning.  The snow plow finally came and cleared our road this afternoon (of course, not until after I made a slippery trek to the grocery store).  Then the sun peeped out so Brian and I went for our first run in days. 

Still...still, there were winter hours left to cozy up with our books!  The pages are flying fast around here.  These are the books you'd find lying on tables and shelves if you browsed around our house.

Brian's selections: Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson and The Resolution for Men by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Randy Alcorn

My selection (that I can barely put down!):  The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Gavin's selections:  America's Shark Lady the Complete Adventures of Eugenie Clark by Ann McGovern and LEGO Batman: Visual Dictionary

Maddie's selection: Junie B., First Grader: One-Man Band by Barbara Park

Owen's selection:  Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant

We managed to read a chapter from two of our read-alouds, too (Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor and The BFG ), but we ran out of time for our third (Rebecca and the Movies).

As the little ones were heading off to bed, we read their current favorite picture book, Huff & Puff: Can You Blow Down the Houses of the Three Little Pigs? by Claudia Rueda.

What are you reading today?

the last January Saturday

We had plans for today, this last Saturday of January.  They weren't the athletic plans of last week or the celebratory plans of the week before.  Today, Brian and  three friends were going to disassemble, load, and move a large swing set to our house from a friend's house a few miles down the road.   

But then it snowed...twice this week.  It didn't get above freezing for four days, and our twisty country back road still hasn't been plowed so it wasn't safe for the truck and trailer which meant we had to postpone our plans to a February Saturday. 

Instead we spent a quiet Saturday in quiet activities.  Maddie left in the morning for a special day with her best friend who happens to be her aunt, Bekah, so there were only six of us at home.  I spent a few hours knitting an ear warmer headband  to wear when I run on cold days.  I'm a slow knitter.

It was Day 2 of potty training. This time around, we decided to use a potty chair. We remind Alaine to use the potty about every 30 minutes, and today there were far more successes than accidents.  She is the fifth child I've potty trained, and aside from a few false starts,  it's never taken me more than a week to potty train a child who is ready.  If tomorrow is another successful day, we'll start night training on Monday. 

Gavin was invited to a science experiment birthday party in the late afternoon so by dinnertime, our number was down to five.  Dinner conversation centered around Veggie Tales characters and naming  the peas we were eating.

Tomorrow, we're packing up our potty gear (and the mega chocolate mint chip cookies I made tonight) and heading to my parents' for Sunday lunch.  It just might reach a balmy 35, too.