Picture Study

As I've mentioned a few times recently, I am streamlining our homeschool, combining necessary tasks with the subjects we are studying The result of this is more free time, more room in our day to play and to add in extra lessons that we have not had much room for in the past. 

On of these new endeavors is Picture Study (or artist study later, but last month, just picture study). 

Charlotte Mason  recommended artist study as a critical part of a child's cultural education. We follow a Classical approach, inspired by both Charlotte Mason and The Well-Trained Mind. This year, I am prioritizing some of the studies that have fallen by the wayside in recent years, including artist study, composer study and Poet study .

Last month, we studied Conversational Japanese. Along with the study of the language, we read Japanese folk lore, from which we took our copywork and picture study. 

For this lesson, we read Kogi's Mysterious Journey.

                               

We chose our favorite picture. We studied it briefly, then I closed the book. Each child told me, in turn, what he remembered about the picture. I am always delighted to hear the differences in what they tell me. Their perceptions are all so unique.

Once we have all spoken, I reopen the book and we look again. Each child can point out what he spoke of that the other children did not see.

I show them different artistic elements in the picture. In this one, the impression of movement, the layering of color to create light and texture, story-telling elements of the picture, the dark outlines reminiscent of wood block printing. 

Now it's time to get into it. I laid out paper and water colors, and set up the open book for inspiration. I do not encourage the children to copy the picture. I instruct them to use the elements and style they see in the picture to create something of their own. Again, I get to see their unique perceptions and personalities shining through. 

During Picture study month, we do this about once a week (allowing for days out of the house, holidays, illness, other time constraints). Another day, we read a book illustrated in torn paper collage. They had a lot of fun recreating a burning rice field featured in Tsunami!. 

This simple practice has been a rewarding and enjoyable addition to our homeschool. 

Poetry Study and Dictation

We are expanding our poetry study. We have always had some loose poetry study, taking different forms over the years. Beginning now, and heading into next year (we have accomplished most of our goals for this year, so we're getting a head start on next year), I am formalizing our poetry study a bit. 

We will choose a poet to study every 3rd month or so. (Artists and composers get the other 2 months). This month, Sagittarius,11, has chosen Longfellow. 

We will read books about Longfellow, some background of his life and times, and of course, we will read and recite some of his works. 

I have spent much of this year streamlining our processes. I have found that prepared curricula includes a great deal of overlap. I am breaking down the tasks and working them in to existing parts of our day. Narrations aren't just for history. We can narrate anything we read. Copywork does not need to be a separate exercise. Copywork can be integrated into whatever we are reading together. 

What is copywork and why do we do it? In short, copywork and dictation teach the child what good writing looks like. Their eyes see it, their hands practice it, their memories cache it. When it's time for them to create their own work, they will have solid models and practice applying the rules in the proper way. Correct work will come naturally. 

What is copywork? Exactly what it sounds like. For little children, I write out a short passage-one or two lines-in a three lined notebook. I like ones with half of the page blank for illustrations.  The child then copies the piece exactly, in his best handwriting, with correct capitalization and punctuation. 

For the older child, a longer piece, wide- or college- ruled notebook, and additional exercises increase the challenge. He can copy directly from the text. Sagg does this on his own while I tend to younger children. 

For 4th grade or so onward, we add several forms of dictation. 

I have not read Brave Writer's Writer's Jungle or used her programs, but from reading her blog, and online discussions, as well as doing a bit of my own research, I have devised our own program. 

We all know that dictation is the writer writing what is read or spoken by the reader. Direct dictation is very useful in creating quality writing. But there are other forms of dictation which help the process along tremendously. 

Dictation goes both ways. A younger child dictates to the parent, who scribes the child's words, then reads them back to him (with appropriate editing). This allows even the youngest child to create written work, long before his mechanical skills will allow him to write. If he can read, he reads his words back to the parent, and sees how they should look on paper.

When the child takes dictation, he has read a passage, perhaps copied it. Then it is read to him, and he must recreate it perfectly. This is a challenging exercise. 

Reverse  Dictation is copywork in which the piece is presented in written form with no capitalization or punctuation. The child rewrites the piece correctly. 

French dictation is a similar exercise in which the piece is presented with missing words. Just a few at first, then more and more words missing until the piece is just a very bare framework. 

By this point the child is ready to recreate the whole passage from memory. I have found that Sagg can recite the piece by the time I'm ready to dictate it to me. Show off. 

Here's an example of how this process works. 

Day 1: We read the piece, select a passage, and copy it.
            Today we are reading The Children's Hour. I will have each child choose a short passage to copy. I will point out the nonstandard spacing, capitalization, and punctuation, as well as the possessive apostrophes. 

            "Between the dark and the daylight, 
              When the night is beginning to lower, 
              Comes a pause in the day's occupations,     
              That is know as the Children's Hour."

Day 2: Reverse Dictation
            For this verse, I will remind the child of possessive apostrophes and nonstandard capitalization. 

             "between the dark and the daylight
               when the night is beginning to lower
               comes a pause in the days occupations
               known as the childrens hour"

Day 3: French Dictation 
            "Between the ____ and the ____ 
              When the ____ is ____ to ____
              Comes a pause in the ____ ____
              Known as the ____ ____."

Day 4: Straight Dictation
             I read the passage to the child, and he writes it, perfectly and neatly, in his copybook. If there are mistakes, I prompt him to find and correct them. 

At this point, he is usually able to recite the verse. If he wishes to do so, I will encourage him to.

Dictation and copywork are ongoing in our homeschool, not just limited to poetry study. We use this process with literature as well. Exposure to a great variety of writing styles increases the children's writing vocabulary. I try to choose beautiful, meaningful, picturesque works for them to copy from. I allow them to choose the lines that move them. They often choose longer pieces than I would have given them. They enjoy this process much more than I would have expected. 

Mid-year Homeschool Update

At the beginning of this year, I laid out our plans. We changed almost everything. At least, that's what I thought. I was wrong. 

We have now scrapped most of that. We are on to better and different things and we are SO HAPPY. 

Here's a brief list of what we started with and where we are now. 

Grammar: First Language Lessons is on hold for the 7yo and scrapped entirely for the 11yo. Aries will pick up FLL2 next year (maybe. We may be outgrowing it), Sagittarius starts KISS Grammar  this week.

Imitation in Writing was a big fail. Too rigid, too critical, too demanding, no fun. Sagg chose to do Write This Book instead. He read the full Pseudonymous Bosch series and wanted to finish with this. It turned out to be an excellent experience for him. He enjoyed it, and no longer HATES writing. Two similar resources we will use are Writing Strands and NaNoWriMo Kids workbook. But not till next year. 

Sagg is loving Life Of Fred for math. He does still enjoy Khan Academy, but we have found CK12 Braingenie is a better resource for focused skills practice.
Aries enjoyed LOF Apples, but we set it aside to work on Funnix Math. He will return to Fred after he completes Funnix.

Funnix offers free downloads of their Phonics, reading and math programs in December. I downloaded it on a whim. Aries needed a little extra skills practice, and while Explode the Code was OK, he wasn't loving it.  He LOVES Funnix. LOVES like he has never enjoyed school before. 

We changed out our reading list from Ambleside Online to Mensa For Kids. Shorter, but more modern, more fun, still high quality.

History is still Story of the World. Always and forever. 

We are using Countdown to Logic and loving it. Fun, challenging, but easy enough for my 7yo to join in. 

English From the Roots Up is going well. It's a little fun bonus that Sagg does once a week. 

The biggest change this year is in our schedule. After talking with friends over the summer, I set aside our long-lived rotating schedule (history on Tuesday, Science on Wednesday, etc). We switched to a block schedule. History for a month. Science for a month. Art/music/poetry/creative writing for a month. I LOVE this change. We cover more material, dive deeper, and immerse ourselves in the subject fully until it's finished. 

This month, we are learning Japanese using Mango, free from the library. Aries asked to learn Japanese so that he can watch anime without translation. yesterday was our second lesson. This morning he greeted me with "Ii denki desu, ne?" I think it's working. 

In addition to continuing all of the above, I am adding some new elements. 

Charlotte Mason style composer, artist, and poet studies, and Nature Journals.

A Writer's Workshop  

Little 4 yo Gemini is teaching himself to write his letters. We started Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading yesterday. I hadn't planned to start this early, but he is asking and asking and asking and asking for it, so why not. 

The major shift this year has been away from scripted, prepared lessons toward more free-flowing, spirited, DIY type of lessons. In my earlier post, I asked, "Where is the love?"

It's here. We found it. 











  

Loose Parts Playground

A hose reel, assorted bricks and stones, a stick, and wire mesh shelving. Black smith shop.

Not long ago, I started seeing mention of Loose Parts Playgrounds.  As I read the descriptions of giant blocks, boards and spools, it occurred to me that we have many of those elements in our own back yard. I have since made an effort to have them more accessible to my children. We will continue to add pieces as we come across them.

Everyone loves a cardboard box.

The concept behind a loose parts playground is simple. Instead of, or alongside, traditional playground equipment, provide children with large, heavy building materials that they can use to build life-size constructions.

Kids love blocks. They love to build, to create, to design. These materials allow them to build on a large scale. To build things they can walk on and climb into. Unlike tiny Legos and unit blocks, they can interact with their creations using their entire bodies.

Many of the pictures and descriptions I have seen are composed largely of specifically designed large scale toys, or carefully landscaped play areas. They are beautiful. And pricey. But we have built our collection out of scraps salvaged from our property and our home improvement projects.

Scrap wood- minus nails, screws, or obvious splinters- becomes a ramp, a bridge, a door, a wall. Assorted sized and shaped bricks are huge, weighty blocks, building muscles and increasing awareness of ones position in space. And boxes. We all know about boxes. 

Bottom line: Scraps+creativity= loose parts=fun.

Hands-on Studies: Playdough Labyrinth

By the kids' request, we have been studying ancient Greek mythology. We used a variety of picture books, but the bulk of our study comes from D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. 

I can't say enough about this anthology. It is beautifully illustrated, simply and appropriately presented for children, thorough and complete. 

I have found that my children sit and listen better when their busy little hands are busy. I often hand out art supplies and have them recreate or illustrate some aspect of the story. Reading during mealtimes is a popular choice, as well. 

They have painted Heracles' feats, drawn the hydra with markers, watercolored Aphrodite rising from the sea, and now, built a labyrinth-complete with Minotaur and Theseus waging battle and Ariadne waiting by the door- of homemade playdough .

Each kid made his own version. I love seeing the variations in their individual interpretations.

Gemini's is a bit more abstract.

Giving them something to do that relates directly to the lesson engages different parts of their brain, creates new information pathways, holds their interest, makes the lesson more enjoyable for everyone, preserves mom's sanity, provides inspiration and an outlet for their creativity, and knocks out 2 subjects at once. Everybody wins!

Racing Ramp

1 piece of scrap wood + 1 monkey bars + toy cars + little boys = super intense fun

A Quick Lesson on Perspective

Perspective is everything. 

Here's a quick lesson I gave my 10 yr old on Thanksgiving, as I was trying to get him to take a decent picture of me. 

Here is a picture taken from waist height. He's two inches shorter than me. This perspective makes him look huge. 

This is the same picture, taken from a high angle. He looks teensy. 

Here's the final picture he took of me. Actually, it's supposed to be a picture of my dressy clothes. My head wasn't critical, I guess. 

We'll keep working on it. 

Hi.

Strawberry Cupcakes and a Mad Hatter Tea Party

What is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? Frosting. 
For Gemini's 4th birthday Mad Hatter Tea Party, I adapted my Vegan Blueberry Muffins to make these moist, tender, juicy pink cupcakes.
For the sake of simplicity, I used store bought frosting. Vanilla or cream cheese frosting pair perfectly with these strawberry cakes. 

3/4 cup sugar

1 TBS flax meal

2 TBS water

1 TSP vanilla

1/4 cup olive or coconut oil

1 1/2 cups flour (All Purpose or whole grain)

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 TSP salt

3/4 cup Almond or other milk

approximately 1 pint fresh or frozen strawberries

1-2 TBS flour

In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flax meal, water,  oil (melted if solid), vanilla, baking powder, and salt.

Add 1 1/2 cups flour. Stir until just combined.

Add milk, stir until just moistened.

Do not over stir these 2 steps. Over mixing will make your cupcakes will be hard and chewy. Batter should be thick and slightly lumpy.

In a separate bowl, lightly toss berries in 1-2 TBS flour. This helps evenly distribute berries in cupcakes, and prevents them from settling at the bottom.

Fold into batter. Spoon into prepared muffin pan, filling 3/4 full. 

Bake at 350 for 15-22 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cupcakes should be pale and very moist.

Cool slightly. Remove from pan. Move to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost, decorate and serve. 

The set up.
My collection of tea cups, a camping mug for the baby, tea, cream in a squeezy bottle, hats from the Dollar Tree, snacks. 

"Drink Me" Post It tags on Capri Suns

"Eat Me" egg salad finger sandwiches
Post It tags wrapped around tooth picks

Even the teapot is dressed up. I made this cozy just for the occasion. 

The Birthday Kid. Happy as a hatter. 

Party time! D was a good sport. <3

Gifts wrapped in kids' artwork. 

First Haircut

Taurus had his first haircut at 2 years and 4 months old. I was a little nervous about cutting his curls, but they are still going strong. 

He was intrigued by the whole experience. He kept turning around in his chair, trying to look at the scissors while I was cutting. 

Neither of us was traumatized by the experience, and now his hair stays out of his eyes. He looks good, don't you think?

Easy Homemade Scented Play Dough

Play dough is so easy to make, smells better, feels better, and costs almost nothing. You can make it with items you already have in your pantry. 

The ingredient list is out of order, because the ratios are easy to remember- 2: 1: 1/2: 1/2.
2 cups flour- all purpose or bread flour work well
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cooking oil
a few drops of food coloring of your choice
Scents listed below (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. 

Add oil, boiling water, color and scent (if desired). Stir until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth, adding a pinch of flour if needed. 

Dough will be very soft and warm. It will firm a bit as it cools. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Because there are no preservatives, dough is not shelf stable. 

Scents:

You can any essential oil, extract or candy flavoring that you like. Here are some of our favorites.

Tangerine Essential oil
Lavender essential oil
Peppermint essential oil or extract
Rose essential oil
Lemon essential oil
Orange essential oil
Grapefruit essential oil
Spice blend scented oil
Blueberry scented oil
Cinnamon scented oil
Chocolate scented oil
Citrus spice scented oil
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Coconut extract
Lemon extract
Butter flavoring
Chocolate mint flavoring
Apple flavoring
Grape flavoring
Cherry flavoring
Watermelon flavoring

Strawberry Preschool

This year, I have two preschool aged children to keep busy, entertain, encourage and enrich. These two are a dynamic little duo. If I don't find them something to do, they will find themselves something, and I probably won't like it. 

I have been collecting quiet school time activities for them for at least a year. But, I had no plan to use them. I found myself pulling the same 3 items out of the closet over and over. 

The first thing I did was make a little structure for their day. 

1. School time activity

2. Coloring/art/craft

3. Read stories

4. Free play in playroom

5. Free play outside

Next, I took inventory of our available materials. I made two numbered lists. One for non-messy school time activities, one for artsy-crafty type activities. 

PreK Activities
1. Tangrams 

2. Sandwiches  and cookies
3. Magnets-letters, numbers, shapes, with small, metal trays

4. Links and pop beads

5. Wikki Stix

6. Puzzles-wooden board and small pieces

7. Shape Sorter

8. Lauri Primer Pack

9. Lauri Toddler Tote

10. Lacing beads

11. View Masters 

12. Crayons and coloring books

13. Hammer and tack nails

14. Fishing game

15. Pipe cleaners

16. Peg game 

17. Beans and Rice boxes- tubs filled with dry rice or beans, and miniature sand toys

18. Salt box

19. Drawing boards

20. Water beads

Creative Activities

1. Crayons and paper

2. Cut and paste

3. Craft Kits

4. Stamps and paper

5. Stickers and paper

6. Water colors

7. Finger paint

8. Markers and paper

9. Play dough and toys

10. Colored pencils and paper

Most of these items came from the Dollar Tree or Target's Dollar Spot. Many were gifts. Keep your eye out for things that look like fun, whether they are meant as toys or not. 

I have a planner for the first time this year. I made sure I had a space for the toddlers. I scheduled in one of each type of activity each day. Yesterday was cut and paste (I just introduced scissors and cutting paper. I gave each of them a used piece of construction paper and a pair of safety scissors), and wikki stix  (we got these in kid's meals). Gem also requested some Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head time, so they also did that. 

That takes care of most of school-at-the-table time. Now they need some Mom Time. 

We go to the library every 1-3 weeks. I check out 8 picture books - 4 of my choice and 4 of Gem's choice. I have over 200 children's books downloaded onto my Kindle, many of them picture books. The little people have a reasonably substantial collection of books in their shelf. 

We have a quiet snuggle, and read together. 

Each day, we read 4 books. 

1 ABC book

1 Counting book

2 story books 

Last, I set aside a little time each day to sing songs, do finger plays, and otherwise connect with the tiniest of these. I have The Little Big Book for Moms next to my chair for inspiration. We have a few other books of this same sort. 

Snacks, meals, naps and joining in with group art, science, literature, music, game time and religion lessons round out their day.

My Babies are Growing

My babies are growing, as babies do. My babies are 10, 7, 3, and 2.

It's bittersweet, leaving the baby days behind. No more squishy newborns. No more excited wondering about who this new little person will be. 

No more tiny socks and little bonnets. No more sweet, warm swaddled bundles. 

I look sometimes are these big boys and wonder where my tiny babies went. 

Then, sometimes I look at them and wonder if they were ever really that small.

Where has all the time gone? 

I won't say that it went fast. Or that I missed any of it. I was here. Right here with them, the whole time. It sure didn't feel fast. I savored all the moments, and never once wished them away. 

Not even this one.

I held onto the moments, and made it through the days, one after another, no matter what they brought. 

I have tried, and often failed, to live each day with grace. To find balance between holding them tight, and letting them go. 

I am happy to be a part of their lives. To have the chance to live and love and learn with them. 

Many days have been wonderful. 

And many days have been hard. 

There have been some days that I am glad I never have to live through again. 

And a few days that I can't believe we survived.

But through it all, I have cherished the gift or a love so sweet, it breaks my heart. 

So now, let's count my blessings.

#1. Everyone in my house sleeps all night, almost every night, in their own beds. Including me. 

#2. Everyone uses the potty at least some of the time. Most people wear big people underwear. Wet undies are becoming increasingly rare.

Diapers are quickly becoming a thing of the past. 

#3. Most of my children do chores, and do them well. 

My days of taking out trash, picking up toys, and sorting laundry are on an indefinite reprieve. 

Their "help" is actually helpful.

#4. I can use the bathroom all by myself. When I take a shower, I don't have to keep on ear open in case someone cries. I can be reasonably certain the house will still be standing when I get out. 

#5. I can have real conversations with my children. Sometimes about things other than cartoons. 

And I can see the interesting, intelligent, good-hearted men they are becoming. 

#6. I can throw them out in the back yard after breakfast and say, "I'll call you in for lunch."

#7 everyone can walk on their own feet. 

At least for a little while. 

#8 They are the best of friends. Everytime I see them together, I love each one a little bit more.