Where we live, there are libraries running under two separate library systems (i.e. no trading books back and forth). The big library downtown is under a different system from the library that's closer to us--the point being, we don't get to use that system as much because it's hard for us to get down there.
But when we do...we fully appreciate how much this library has held on to that other libraries either never had, or have discarded. (Even WITH the big booksales every year.) After the library sale yesterday, we went upstairs to the children's room and borrowed some of the books that we don't usually get to read.
The library closer to us has All of a Kind Family. The downtown library has all the sequels.
The library closer to us has The Moffats, Rufus M., and I think Ginger Pye (we just finished reading our own copy of that). (We're on an Eleanor Estes kick right now.) The downtown library has The Middle Moffat, The Moffat Museum, and Pinky Pye.
The downtown library has Rumer Godden's Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, and the sequel.
And so on.
How they've managed to hang onto all of this stuff, AND find room for The Tiara Club books (I'm not joking--I didn't even know there were such things), I don't know. But I'm grateful.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Library Sale
The big downtown library had its annual sale this weekend, and we brought home a box and a bagful of books, about forty in all. Some were Crayons' choices, some were mine, and a few The Apprentice picked out. Some we've read before, and some just looked interesting.
A Story of the Group of Seven (Hunkin--about a well-known group of Canadian artists)
Cornelius Krieghoff (Hugues de Jouvancourt) (one of our term's artists)
Adventures of Richard Wagner (Opal Wheeler)
Young Brahms (Sybil Deucher--same series as the Wheeler music bios)
Elisabeth & the Water Troll (Wangerin)
Meet the Malones (Weber)
Beany Malone (Weber)
The Glass Slipper (Eleanor Farjeon--her version of Cinderella)
Go With the Poem (Lillian Moore)
The Unbroken Web (Richard Adams)
The Cuckoo Clock (Mary Stolz)
The Story of Holly and Ivy (Christmas story by Rumer Godden; we already have a copy of this, but this edition has illustrations by Barbara Cooney)
The Coat-Hanger Christmas Tree (Eleanor Estes)
'Round the Christmas Tree (Corrin)
The Alley (Eleanor Estes)
Doctor on an Elephant (Kroll)
Diamond in the Window (Langton)
Harry's Mad (Dick King-Smith--about a parrot)
Ben and Me
Backyard Vacation: Outdoor Fun
Mountain Bluebird (Hirschi)
Thanksgiving Fun
An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving (Alcott)
Cat's Cradles, Owl's Eyes
Crystals and Crystal Gardens
Sugar Free Kids' Cookery
Make Clothes Fun!
Miss Patch's Learn to Sew Book
Dancing Is (Ancona)
Ballet Company
Have Fun with Magnifying
The Past of Pastimes (Bartlett)
World of Swans
Music for Very Little People
Winners! Super Champions of Ice Hockey (don't ask)
Not Much News: Ruby's Letters from Home (Edna Staebler)
These High Green Hills (Jan Karon)
A Story of the Group of Seven (Hunkin--about a well-known group of Canadian artists)
Cornelius Krieghoff (Hugues de Jouvancourt) (one of our term's artists)
Adventures of Richard Wagner (Opal Wheeler)
Young Brahms (Sybil Deucher--same series as the Wheeler music bios)
Elisabeth & the Water Troll (Wangerin)
Meet the Malones (Weber)
Beany Malone (Weber)
The Glass Slipper (Eleanor Farjeon--her version of Cinderella)
Go With the Poem (Lillian Moore)
The Unbroken Web (Richard Adams)
The Cuckoo Clock (Mary Stolz)
The Story of Holly and Ivy (Christmas story by Rumer Godden; we already have a copy of this, but this edition has illustrations by Barbara Cooney)
The Coat-Hanger Christmas Tree (Eleanor Estes)
'Round the Christmas Tree (Corrin)
The Alley (Eleanor Estes)
Doctor on an Elephant (Kroll)
Diamond in the Window (Langton)
Harry's Mad (Dick King-Smith--about a parrot)
Ben and Me
Backyard Vacation: Outdoor Fun
Mountain Bluebird (Hirschi)
Thanksgiving Fun
An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving (Alcott)
Cat's Cradles, Owl's Eyes
Crystals and Crystal Gardens
Sugar Free Kids' Cookery
Make Clothes Fun!
Miss Patch's Learn to Sew Book
Dancing Is (Ancona)
Ballet Company
Have Fun with Magnifying
The Past of Pastimes (Bartlett)
World of Swans
Music for Very Little People
Winners! Super Champions of Ice Hockey (don't ask)
Not Much News: Ruby's Letters from Home (Edna Staebler)
These High Green Hills (Jan Karon)
Plans for this week's school (Grade Two)
This week's list of school work looks long but most of the lessons are very short--there's a lot of review going on right now. We're starting the last third of the term and there are some new things coming up--but I need to make sure we're finished with what we've been doing so far.
It may not look like we're reading that many different real books this week, either--actually we are, we just made a library trip and also went to a book sale (I'll post about that later), so there's other reading going on--it's just not all during school time.
Monday:
Bible: 1 Samuel 14 & 15 (begin these chapters)
Hymn: Trust & Obey
Spelling: Create new list on Spelling City
Mr. Popper's Penguins, Chapter 4
Math: learn 2-dimensional geometric shapes (including rhombus etc.)
Memory work: work on Matthew 2:1-12
Singing: When I First Came to This Land; Leatherwing Bat
French: parts of a jack-o-lantern face, Alouette
Copywork
Poems
Review parts of a Canadian dollar (some old flashcards we have)
An Island Story: Henry Plantagenet
Short nature study
40 Fun Ways (a list of physical activities--I'll post about this later)
Work with me on sewing nightgown
Tuesday:
Bible: Matthew 12 (half)
Hymn
Manners: phone manners, some Bible verses on manners
Printing book
Spelling practice
French
Canada Eh to Zed (alphabet book): I page
Review geometric shapes
The Little Duke
David Thompson geography workbook pages 34-37 (about salmon)
Singing
Multiplication
Telling time
Work on crocheting while I work on slippers
Map skills (in Miquon workbook)
Among the Forest People
40 Fun ways
Wednesday:
Bible: finish Old Testament lesson from Monday
Manners: continue same as Tuesday
Copywork
Spelling
Memory work
Artist: finish Cornelius Krieghoff
French
Short keyboard lesson
Review geometric shpaes
Pilgrim's Progress
poems
Singing
Multiplication
Fairy tales
Crocheting
Thursday:
Bible culture book: houses, women, children, family life
George Washington's book of manners (e-book)
Printing book
Spelling
Short language lesson about words that sound almost the same
Composer: Stravinsky
French
Keyboard lesson
Review geometric shpaes
The Little Duke
Singing
Number Stories (e-book; we may not get to this)
Prime numbers, telling time
Crocheting
Art
40 Fun Ways
Friday:
Matthew 12 (finish)
Reformation Day Hymn: A Mighty Fortress
Uncommon Courtesy for Kids: review
Copywork
Spelling test
Memory work
French
Review geometric shapes, parts of a dollar
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Poems
Singing
Prime numbers and begin Miquon review worksheets
Crocheting
Map skills
Child's History of the World: Knights and Chivalry
Nature study
40 Fun Ways
Get ready for some family time planned for this evening (make snacks)
It may not look like we're reading that many different real books this week, either--actually we are, we just made a library trip and also went to a book sale (I'll post about that later), so there's other reading going on--it's just not all during school time.
Monday:
Bible: 1 Samuel 14 & 15 (begin these chapters)
Hymn: Trust & Obey
Spelling: Create new list on Spelling City
Mr. Popper's Penguins, Chapter 4
Math: learn 2-dimensional geometric shapes (including rhombus etc.)
Memory work: work on Matthew 2:1-12
Singing: When I First Came to This Land; Leatherwing Bat
French: parts of a jack-o-lantern face, Alouette
Copywork
Poems
Review parts of a Canadian dollar (some old flashcards we have)
An Island Story: Henry Plantagenet
Short nature study
40 Fun Ways (a list of physical activities--I'll post about this later)
Work with me on sewing nightgown
Tuesday:
Bible: Matthew 12 (half)
Hymn
Manners: phone manners, some Bible verses on manners
Printing book
Spelling practice
French
Canada Eh to Zed (alphabet book): I page
Review geometric shapes
The Little Duke
David Thompson geography workbook pages 34-37 (about salmon)
Singing
Multiplication
Telling time
Work on crocheting while I work on slippers
Map skills (in Miquon workbook)
Among the Forest People
40 Fun ways
Wednesday:
Bible: finish Old Testament lesson from Monday
Manners: continue same as Tuesday
Copywork
Spelling
Memory work
Artist: finish Cornelius Krieghoff
French
Short keyboard lesson
Review geometric shpaes
Pilgrim's Progress
poems
Singing
Multiplication
Fairy tales
Crocheting
Thursday:
Bible culture book: houses, women, children, family life
George Washington's book of manners (e-book)
Printing book
Spelling
Short language lesson about words that sound almost the same
Composer: Stravinsky
French
Keyboard lesson
Review geometric shpaes
The Little Duke
Singing
Number Stories (e-book; we may not get to this)
Prime numbers, telling time
Crocheting
Art
40 Fun Ways
Friday:
Matthew 12 (finish)
Reformation Day Hymn: A Mighty Fortress
Uncommon Courtesy for Kids: review
Copywork
Spelling test
Memory work
French
Review geometric shapes, parts of a dollar
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Poems
Singing
Prime numbers and begin Miquon review worksheets
Crocheting
Map skills
Child's History of the World: Knights and Chivalry
Nature study
40 Fun Ways
Get ready for some family time planned for this evening (make snacks)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Yes, it's worth the trouble (memory work)
Crayons has memorized the 23rd Psalm this fall (she enjoyed watching the video of that cute little girl saying it) and most of Christina Rossetti's "Caterpillar, brown and furry." (For some reason she does better with Scripture than with poetry.) I've also started her working on Matthew 2:1-12 (the story of the Wise Men).
The poem "Indian Summer" that I posted here came to mind because my children's Sunday School teacher used it as part of a children's moment in church, and mentioned that she had memorized it (more years ago than she preferred to say) during elementary school.
And in this beautiful post, Queen Shenaynay reflects on what her lifetime accumulation of poetry and Scriptures has meant to her, especially over the past couple of years.
The poem "Indian Summer" that I posted here came to mind because my children's Sunday School teacher used it as part of a children's moment in church, and mentioned that she had memorized it (more years ago than she preferred to say) during elementary school.
And in this beautiful post, Queen Shenaynay reflects on what her lifetime accumulation of poetry and Scriptures has meant to her, especially over the past couple of years.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
When there are no fairy godmothers
Someone at church loaned me a copy of Maeve Binchy's novel Whitethorn Woods. I'm only partway into it so I don't know how the rest of the book will be, but the first couple of chapters were worth a book in themselves. (Some adult situations, so not for young maidens below a certain age.)
The framework of the novel seems to be a contemporary (read poorly-attended?) Irish church, a curate, and a place called St. Ann's well which tourists and locals treat as a kind of wailing wall. The curate doesn't care much for this but can't seem to fight it. At the end of the introduction, he sends his own thoughts to St. Ann, asking that he would be able to "hear" what people are asking for at the well, so that he can help them better. Then the book picks up that thread and moves into pairs of short stories about the people of the town.
Twice within the introduction and the first set of stories there are characters who make the most of what they have, no matter what they have. To begin with, we have a pair of immigrants who thrive on doing what nobody else wants to do:
The second example is the above-mentioned Neddy Nolan, who describes himself as "not the sharpest knife in the drawer." Someone online compared him to Forrest Gump; I think he's also like the Simple Jack, youngest-brother character in many fairy tales--the one who shares his loaf of bread and usually gets rewarded for it. He's honest and somewhat naïve, particularly when it comes to understanding that not everyone else is as honest and well-intentioned as he is--especially his older brother who tries to take advantage of him and ends up losing. There are no fairy godmothers in this story, and Neddy has to make his own luck, with the same kind of creativity and determination that got Forrest Gump his own shrimp boat.
Neddy's first payback comes when his old father can't take care of their house any more and needs a caregiver. The solution is simple: Neddy moves back to their hometown and buys the house, to the astonishment and fury of his always-broke brother (who eventually ends up in jail).
And unlike Forrest Gump, he ends up with a woman who, although she has her own issues, doesn't want to run away and be a folk singer; in fact, she wants to teach, and she's happy to let Neddy keep doing what he likes to do: taking care of stuff. He even manages to take care of his fiancee when she's being blackmailed--now that's real chivalry. She and he both agree that sharp knives can sometimes be too scary--the world needs more Neddys and fewer Older Brothers.
The framework of the novel seems to be a contemporary (read poorly-attended?) Irish church, a curate, and a place called St. Ann's well which tourists and locals treat as a kind of wailing wall. The curate doesn't care much for this but can't seem to fight it. At the end of the introduction, he sends his own thoughts to St. Ann, asking that he would be able to "hear" what people are asking for at the well, so that he can help them better. Then the book picks up that thread and moves into pairs of short stories about the people of the town.
Twice within the introduction and the first set of stories there are characters who make the most of what they have, no matter what they have. To begin with, we have a pair of immigrants who thrive on doing what nobody else wants to do:
By the time he got back to the priests’ house, Josef, the Latvian caregiver, had arrived and got Canon Cassidy up, washed and dressed him and made his bed....Canon Cassidy liked soup for his lunch and sometimes Josef took him to a café but mainly he took the frail little figure back to his own house, where his wife, Anna, would produce a bowl of something homemade; and in return the canon would teach her more words and phrases in English....Josef had three other jobs: he cleaned Skunk Slattery’s shop, he took the towels from Fabian’s hairdressers to the Fresh as a Daisy Launderette and washed them there and three times a week he took a bus out to the Nolans’ place and helped Neddy Nolan look after his father.Josef and Anna have plans to open their own shop in a few years, and you have no doubt that they will do it.
Anna had many jobs too: she cleaned the brass on the doors of the bank, and on some of the office buildings that had big important-looking notices outside; she worked in the hotel kitchens at breakfast time doing the washing up; she opened the flowers that came from the market to the florists and put them in big buckets of water. Josef and Anna were astounded by the wealth and opportunities they’d found in Ireland. A couple could save a fortune here.
The second example is the above-mentioned Neddy Nolan, who describes himself as "not the sharpest knife in the drawer." Someone online compared him to Forrest Gump; I think he's also like the Simple Jack, youngest-brother character in many fairy tales--the one who shares his loaf of bread and usually gets rewarded for it. He's honest and somewhat naïve, particularly when it comes to understanding that not everyone else is as honest and well-intentioned as he is--especially his older brother who tries to take advantage of him and ends up losing. There are no fairy godmothers in this story, and Neddy has to make his own luck, with the same kind of creativity and determination that got Forrest Gump his own shrimp boat.
"And cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin it so much, I cut that grass for free."--Forrest GumpWhen Neddy moves to the city and unintentionally exposes some kind of pilfering scam on the construction site where his brother has gotten him work, he is told to stay back at the flat from now on and "clean up or something." Taking his brother at his word, he goes out and swaps some cleanup work and painting for a box of paint and cleaning supplies, then comes back and starts fixing up the apartment for Older Brother and their roommates. He even manages to scrounge them a television. The guys agree that if he'll just stay away from their job site (I guess to keep him from exposing any more of their scams), they'll pay him a salary to "manage things." And this goes on for years--they spend, drink, and scam, but Neddy socks his money away and takes care of them all, makes friends all over the place, helps people out, and never seems to feel he's being taken advantage of.
Neddy's first payback comes when his old father can't take care of their house any more and needs a caregiver. The solution is simple: Neddy moves back to their hometown and buys the house, to the astonishment and fury of his always-broke brother (who eventually ends up in jail).
And unlike Forrest Gump, he ends up with a woman who, although she has her own issues, doesn't want to run away and be a folk singer; in fact, she wants to teach, and she's happy to let Neddy keep doing what he likes to do: taking care of stuff. He even manages to take care of his fiancee when she's being blackmailed--now that's real chivalry. She and he both agree that sharp knives can sometimes be too scary--the world needs more Neddys and fewer Older Brothers.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sounds too good not to pass on (Pumpkin Pie Dip)
A Year of Crockpotting posted this Pumpkin Pie Dip recipe--perfect if you have one of the Little Dipper mini-crockpots, and it's gluten-free too (depending on what you dip, of course).
I do have a mini-crock. I bought it at a yard sale awhile back but haven't used it, and I've been watching Steph's ongoing dip recipes and thinking I'd like to try some of them. This one might be fun for Thanksgiving weekend (yes, that's this weekend in Canada).
UPDATE: I made my own version this afternoon, and it's good too!
I do have a mini-crock. I bought it at a yard sale awhile back but haven't used it, and I've been watching Steph's ongoing dip recipes and thinking I'd like to try some of them. This one might be fun for Thanksgiving weekend (yes, that's this weekend in Canada).
UPDATE: I made my own version this afternoon, and it's good too!
Monday, October 06, 2008
Crayons' Grade Two plans for this week
Still a bit sketchy, but this is the basic plan.
Monday
Bible: 1 Sam. 10: Samuel anoints Saul as ruler
Singing
Math, printing, spelling
French
A Pioneer Thanksgiving
Poems 225 and 226 from Come Hither
Composer: Mark O'Connor, Strings & Threads Suite
Canada Eh to Zed: F page (Fleur-de-lis, fiddlehead, [Terry] Fox, Fogo)
Owls in the Family (2 chapters)
Tuesday
Singing
Bible: half of Matthew 8 (Jesus heals a man, Jesus heals a Roman Officer's Servant, Jesus heals many people)
A Pioneer Thanksgiving; weaving a doll-sized basket
Math, printing, French, music, spelling, language page (word meanings)
An Island Story: William Rufus
Through the Year (nature reader), pages 20-23
Pilgrim's Progress, four pages
Nature notebook
Wednesday
French songs
Bible culture
A Pioneer Thanksgiving; play "Peach Stones" (Iroquois game)
Math, printing, French, music, spelling, language page (word meanings)
Among the Forest People: "The Bees and the Kingbird"
Poems of James Whitcomb Riley
Picture study: Cornelius Krieghoff, using a coffee-table book from the library
Cooking: read about pioneer breadmaking, make rolls
Thursday
Singing
Bible: 1 Sam. 10: Saul is acclaimed as king
A Pioneer Thanksgiving
Understood Betsy
Math, printing, French, music, spelling
Night Prowlers, pages 41-45 (wildlife you might see at dawn)
Geography activity book: pages 24-27
Fall art projects
Friday
Bible: finish Matthew 8 (Jesus Calms a Storm, Jesus heals two men with demons)
A Pioneer Thanksgiving
The Old Nurse's Stocking Basket
Math, printing, French, music, spelling quiz
Poems from Peacock Pie, pages 13-15
Sewing (working on nightgown with Mom)
Go look to see if any chestnuts (conkers) are hard yet
Monday
Bible: 1 Sam. 10: Samuel anoints Saul as ruler
Singing
Math, printing, spelling
French
A Pioneer Thanksgiving
Poems 225 and 226 from Come Hither
Composer: Mark O'Connor, Strings & Threads Suite
Canada Eh to Zed: F page (Fleur-de-lis, fiddlehead, [Terry] Fox, Fogo)
Owls in the Family (2 chapters)
Tuesday
Singing
Bible: half of Matthew 8 (Jesus heals a man, Jesus heals a Roman Officer's Servant, Jesus heals many people)
A Pioneer Thanksgiving; weaving a doll-sized basket
Math, printing, French, music, spelling, language page (word meanings)
An Island Story: William Rufus
Through the Year (nature reader), pages 20-23
Pilgrim's Progress, four pages
Nature notebook
Wednesday
French songs
Bible culture
A Pioneer Thanksgiving; play "Peach Stones" (Iroquois game)
Math, printing, French, music, spelling, language page (word meanings)
Among the Forest People: "The Bees and the Kingbird"
Poems of James Whitcomb Riley
Picture study: Cornelius Krieghoff, using a coffee-table book from the library
Cooking: read about pioneer breadmaking, make rolls
Thursday
Singing
Bible: 1 Sam. 10: Saul is acclaimed as king
A Pioneer Thanksgiving
Understood Betsy
Math, printing, French, music, spelling
Night Prowlers, pages 41-45 (wildlife you might see at dawn)
Geography activity book: pages 24-27
Fall art projects
Friday
Bible: finish Matthew 8 (Jesus Calms a Storm, Jesus heals two men with demons)
A Pioneer Thanksgiving
The Old Nurse's Stocking Basket
Math, printing, French, music, spelling quiz
Poems from Peacock Pie, pages 13-15
Sewing (working on nightgown with Mom)
Go look to see if any chestnuts (conkers) are hard yet
Friday, October 03, 2008
New use for gravity boots
In Pilgrim's Progress, Christian visits The Interpreter's House, where he sees several strange things that are analogies for the Christian faith. One of the things he sees is a fire in a fireplace, with someone (said to be Satan) continually pouring water on it, yet the fire doesn't go out. It's revealed that there's someone (said to be Christ) standing on the reverse side of the fireplace, pouring oil on the fire to keep it going.
Crayons drew a picture of The Interpreter's House on the narration scroll she's making for the book. In the room with the fireplace, you see someone pouring the bucket of water, and another guy hanging upside down from the ceiling. When I asked her about it, that's what she said: he's wearing special boots so he can walk on the ceiling and pour oil on the fire.
John Bunyan might have enjoyed that idea.
Crayons drew a picture of The Interpreter's House on the narration scroll she's making for the book. In the room with the fireplace, you see someone pouring the bucket of water, and another guy hanging upside down from the ceiling. When I asked her about it, that's what she said: he's wearing special boots so he can walk on the ceiling and pour oil on the fire.
John Bunyan might have enjoyed that idea.
I'll keep it in mind
Crayons' narration of the Sermon on the Mount:
"Watch out for false prophets wearing sheep costumes."
"Watch out for false prophets wearing sheep costumes."
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Crayons' Grade Two: Thursday and Friday plans
At first glance these might look like unusually long lists (for us, anyway). And they are...each one has about three hours' worth of things to do. I don't know if we'll get through everything.
But I really am trying to stick to the weekly schedules I made, and this is what needs to be finished to keep us on track this week. We're on the fifth week of school, and the plan really does seem to be working out--we're getting through most of what's planned for each week plus sometimes a little more. (Getting used to homeschooling just one has taken some adjustment!)
Thursday
Bible--Matthew, on fasting
Pilgrim's Progress, four pages, draw narration on scroll
Math lesson
Poems from Peacock Pie, pages 6-10
Singing and music: Pumpkin Pie song, Canada songs, keyboard exercises
A Pioneer Story: Christmas chapter (I know it's out of season, I can't help that)
Printing page "C"
French lesson
Among the Forest People
Word puzzles book, puzzle on page 56
Work on weaving or choose an activity from A Pioneer Story
Read Rufus M. (our just-for-fun book)
Drawing--work on round things
Tea time
Friday
Bible--Matthew--on judging
Geography: work on David Thompson activity book and read the E page from Canada Eh to Zed
Math lesson
Poems from the James Whitcomb Riley book (special for fall)
Singing: Leatherwing Bat, other songs, keyboard exercises
A Pioneer Story: New Year's chapter (end of the book)
Printing page "D"
French lesson
Nature reading: Night Prowlers, pages about spiders (other spider books on hand to look at)
Scrabble spelling
Weaving or Pioneer activity
Read Rufus M.
Drawing challenge: Apples
Tea time
But I really am trying to stick to the weekly schedules I made, and this is what needs to be finished to keep us on track this week. We're on the fifth week of school, and the plan really does seem to be working out--we're getting through most of what's planned for each week plus sometimes a little more. (Getting used to homeschooling just one has taken some adjustment!)
Thursday
Bible--Matthew, on fasting
Pilgrim's Progress, four pages, draw narration on scroll
Math lesson
Poems from Peacock Pie, pages 6-10
Singing and music: Pumpkin Pie song, Canada songs, keyboard exercises
A Pioneer Story: Christmas chapter (I know it's out of season, I can't help that)
Printing page "C"
French lesson
Among the Forest People
Word puzzles book, puzzle on page 56
Work on weaving or choose an activity from A Pioneer Story
Read Rufus M. (our just-for-fun book)
Drawing--work on round things
Tea time
Friday
Bible--Matthew--on judging
Geography: work on David Thompson activity book and read the E page from Canada Eh to Zed
Math lesson
Poems from the James Whitcomb Riley book (special for fall)
Singing: Leatherwing Bat, other songs, keyboard exercises
A Pioneer Story: New Year's chapter (end of the book)
Printing page "D"
French lesson
Nature reading: Night Prowlers, pages about spiders (other spider books on hand to look at)
Scrabble spelling
Weaving or Pioneer activity
Read Rufus M.
Drawing challenge: Apples
Tea time
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
What's for supper?
(Relating to this week's menu plan)
I was going to make turkey chili and have apricot meatballs later in the week...but I had a craving for regular old chili, and besides, turkey meatballs taste great with sweet-and-sour apricot sauce. So I just switched them around. Tonight we're having your standard-style chili (but made with lower-salt ingredients), no-salt tortilla chips, pasta for those who want it, and carrot sticks. And carrot-apricot-bran bars, which aren't that low-sodium, but sometimes with baking it's more about portion control than ingredients.
I was going to make turkey chili and have apricot meatballs later in the week...but I had a craving for regular old chili, and besides, turkey meatballs taste great with sweet-and-sour apricot sauce. So I just switched them around. Tonight we're having your standard-style chili (but made with lower-salt ingredients), no-salt tortilla chips, pasta for those who want it, and carrot sticks. And carrot-apricot-bran bars, which aren't that low-sodium, but sometimes with baking it's more about portion control than ingredients.
Where our garden's at
There's still some chard in the garden--I picked most of it, but what's still there is still green.
The bean plants are starting to dry up, which is fine because we just leave the too-big beans on the vines to dry and then use them for next year's seed.
We still have quite a few green tomatoes, and we may get a few of them turning red before the frost gets them. Our zucchini plants dried up a couple of weeks ago.
The funny thing is that a friend a few blocks away with a large garden still has zucchini plants that are trying to pop out a few last squash; but her tomato plants are finished. Figure that one out.
The bean plants are starting to dry up, which is fine because we just leave the too-big beans on the vines to dry and then use them for next year's seed.
We still have quite a few green tomatoes, and we may get a few of them turning red before the frost gets them. Our zucchini plants dried up a couple of weeks ago.
The funny thing is that a friend a few blocks away with a large garden still has zucchini plants that are trying to pop out a few last squash; but her tomato plants are finished. Figure that one out.
Wearable Krieghoff
She designed two Krieghoff nighties with attached slippers. If you can't make out the details (click to enlarge them), the green nightie has a horse and snowflakes, and the blue one has a pine tree with a red "K" above it.
(Mama Squirrel suggested KriegCough Drops...maple-syrup flavoured with a hint of rum.) (Or whatever it was that the habitants drank.)
Picture by Crayons, September 2008, using Paint
Picture Study: Cornelius Krieghoff
Our second painter this term is Cornelius Krieghoff, who was born in the Netherlands but became one of Canada's most famous 19th-century painters.
Some resources I've found:
The National Gallery of Canada's "preview" page from an exhibition several years ago
Another preview page, which looks at his development as an artist
A page of gift-shop items based on Krieghoff's paintings (I found this amusing)
(Hey, that would be kind of a cool idea for a picture narration, wouldn't it?--Design something else inspired by Krieghoff's work. Besides a T-shirt or a Christmas card.)
Something else fun--which of these two is the real Krieghoff painting, and which is the fake?
A book I want to get from the library: Krieghoff: Images of Canada, by Dennis Reid
And not totally helpful, but a tie-in anyway (and the library has it): a CD of folk music called À la claire fontaine: Music in Krieghoff's Quebec.
Some resources I've found:
The National Gallery of Canada's "preview" page from an exhibition several years ago
Another preview page, which looks at his development as an artist
A page of gift-shop items based on Krieghoff's paintings (I found this amusing)
(Hey, that would be kind of a cool idea for a picture narration, wouldn't it?--Design something else inspired by Krieghoff's work. Besides a T-shirt or a Christmas card.)
Something else fun--which of these two is the real Krieghoff painting, and which is the fake?
A book I want to get from the library: Krieghoff: Images of Canada, by Dennis Reid
And not totally helpful, but a tie-in anyway (and the library has it): a CD of folk music called À la claire fontaine: Music in Krieghoff's Quebec.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Books read in September
About the only book I can remember finishing this month (besides school books and low-sodium cookbooks) is Rumer Godden's Kingfishers Catch Fire. (Time Magazine's original 1953 review)
OK, it wasn't a great month for reading. I promise to do better in October.
OK, it wasn't a great month for reading. I promise to do better in October.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Why the sea is salt (dessert recipe)
That, I don't know, but sometimes it seems the whole food world is salt. A half-cup serving of commercial instant chocolate pudding mix contains 310 mg of sodium.
I have a non-dairy "chocolate dessert" recipe from Food That Really Schmecks. We've made it many times but never particularly considered the sodium content.
The ingredients, as written, are 1 heaping tbsp. cocoa, 3 heaping tbsp. flour (this is an old recipe!), 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, 1 tsp. vanilla, and some butter to stir in at the end (I figured 2 tbsp.).
This recipe doesn't make very large servings (I'd say it serves 3-4), but counting it as a 4-serving dessert, one serving as written would have 295.9 mg sodium. About the same as the commercial milk-based pudding, although at least it's free of all the other additives.
If you use 1/4 tsp. salt, it brings it down to 149.1 mg.
If you cut it to 1/8 tsp. salt, it brings it down to 75.609 mg.
And if you leave the salt out altogether, you end up with 2.175 mg per serving.
Obviously, almost all the sodium in this recipe comes directly from the salt. The question is just how far back to cut it! I think I might try it with just a pinch of salt.
Oh, you wanted the recipe? It's a little inexact, but goes better with experience.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and cocoa, and salt if using. Mix with a little cold water to form a paste; then add in about 2 cups boiling water (less if you had to use more cold water). Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly or at least frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter or margarine. Chill before serving.
I have a non-dairy "chocolate dessert" recipe from Food That Really Schmecks. We've made it many times but never particularly considered the sodium content.
The ingredients, as written, are 1 heaping tbsp. cocoa, 3 heaping tbsp. flour (this is an old recipe!), 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, 1 tsp. vanilla, and some butter to stir in at the end (I figured 2 tbsp.).
This recipe doesn't make very large servings (I'd say it serves 3-4), but counting it as a 4-serving dessert, one serving as written would have 295.9 mg sodium. About the same as the commercial milk-based pudding, although at least it's free of all the other additives.
If you use 1/4 tsp. salt, it brings it down to 149.1 mg.
If you cut it to 1/8 tsp. salt, it brings it down to 75.609 mg.
And if you leave the salt out altogether, you end up with 2.175 mg per serving.
Obviously, almost all the sodium in this recipe comes directly from the salt. The question is just how far back to cut it! I think I might try it with just a pinch of salt.
Oh, you wanted the recipe? It's a little inexact, but goes better with experience.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and cocoa, and salt if using. Mix with a little cold water to form a paste; then add in about 2 cups boiling water (less if you had to use more cold water). Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly or at least frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter or margarine. Chill before serving.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Crayons' Grade Two: September Notes
Referring back to Crayons' Grade Two Outline
Favourite folk songs: "When I First Came to This Land". We also (very selectively) use some songs from Festivals, Family and Food (the ones without too much Mother Earth in them), and have also enjoyed the first volume of Michael Mitchell's Canada is For Kids. Crayons likes the video version of Mitchell's "Canada in My Pocket" (about the symbols on Canadian coins).
I also give her short follow-the-leader lessons on the keyboard.
Recent reading: A Pioneer Story (story interspersed with facts on life in the backwoods), Owls in the Family, Understood Betsy, "The Gorgon's Head" from A Wonder Book, The Old Nurse's Stocking Basket, poems from Come Hither, William the Conqueror chapters in the history book, Among the Forest People, Hiawatha's Childhood, Pilgrim's Progress (up to Mr. Worldly Wiseman), Bible stories about Samuel and the temptation of Christ, and two stories from Stories for Canada's Birthday. Today we read the "D is for dory, dinosaur, Dan McGrew, dulse" page from Canada Eh to Zed, which inspired us to watch the Historica Minute about Joseph Tyrrell (finder of dinosaur bones in Alberta), and Crayons showed me her favourite online dinosaur game.
She has been doing pages in the David Thompson activity book, which is not terribly in-depth about his work but has some fun worksheets; we borrowed a National Geographic issue with an article about his travels, and I read some of the basics from an online biography. David Thompson seems to be one of the most under-appreciated of Canadian explorers and mapmakers, but he is definitely worth studying.
Math has been fairly informal, mostly following my own Miquon notes. I don't especially like the addition worksheets that go with these lessons--they're often confusing and new-Math-ish (the worst of the '60's, breaking things apart too much); so we're using coins, rods and number tiles to practice making three-digit numbers and also to practice grouping for tens. We're also doing some hundred-chart work, working on adding and subtracting nines, tens and elevens quickly.
The Gifted and Talented workbooks are working fine for a bit of language work--mostly synonyms at this point. (It was also a good chance to talk about what a Thesaurus is; Crayons likes Mommy's big fat Synonym Finder because it has more words than the children's version.) Spelling words we practice through the week with Scrabble letters, and then have a test on Fridays. The handwriting workbooks haven't yet arrived (they're in the mail, should be here this week) so she has just been doing copywork, which isn't a favourite as there are still some issues with letter formation, remembering to use lower case, and the general effort required to print neatly. She does a little each week anyway, and I am having her start a fall poem on large paper to go on the kitchen wall.
Crayons has been making nature pictures in a sketchbook (mostly as narrations of nature stories--she is interested in owls right now), and has started a scroll for Pilgrim's Progress.
And we've done a little French--mostly colours and numbers, but it's about time to begin the felt-board people.
Favourite folk songs: "When I First Came to This Land". We also (very selectively) use some songs from Festivals, Family and Food (the ones without too much Mother Earth in them), and have also enjoyed the first volume of Michael Mitchell's Canada is For Kids. Crayons likes the video version of Mitchell's "Canada in My Pocket" (about the symbols on Canadian coins).
I also give her short follow-the-leader lessons on the keyboard.
Recent reading: A Pioneer Story (story interspersed with facts on life in the backwoods), Owls in the Family, Understood Betsy, "The Gorgon's Head" from A Wonder Book, The Old Nurse's Stocking Basket, poems from Come Hither, William the Conqueror chapters in the history book, Among the Forest People, Hiawatha's Childhood, Pilgrim's Progress (up to Mr. Worldly Wiseman), Bible stories about Samuel and the temptation of Christ, and two stories from Stories for Canada's Birthday. Today we read the "D is for dory, dinosaur, Dan McGrew, dulse" page from Canada Eh to Zed, which inspired us to watch the Historica Minute about Joseph Tyrrell (finder of dinosaur bones in Alberta), and Crayons showed me her favourite online dinosaur game.
She has been doing pages in the David Thompson activity book, which is not terribly in-depth about his work but has some fun worksheets; we borrowed a National Geographic issue with an article about his travels, and I read some of the basics from an online biography. David Thompson seems to be one of the most under-appreciated of Canadian explorers and mapmakers, but he is definitely worth studying.
Math has been fairly informal, mostly following my own Miquon notes. I don't especially like the addition worksheets that go with these lessons--they're often confusing and new-Math-ish (the worst of the '60's, breaking things apart too much); so we're using coins, rods and number tiles to practice making three-digit numbers and also to practice grouping for tens. We're also doing some hundred-chart work, working on adding and subtracting nines, tens and elevens quickly.
The Gifted and Talented workbooks are working fine for a bit of language work--mostly synonyms at this point. (It was also a good chance to talk about what a Thesaurus is; Crayons likes Mommy's big fat Synonym Finder because it has more words than the children's version.) Spelling words we practice through the week with Scrabble letters, and then have a test on Fridays. The handwriting workbooks haven't yet arrived (they're in the mail, should be here this week) so she has just been doing copywork, which isn't a favourite as there are still some issues with letter formation, remembering to use lower case, and the general effort required to print neatly. She does a little each week anyway, and I am having her start a fall poem on large paper to go on the kitchen wall.
Crayons has been making nature pictures in a sketchbook (mostly as narrations of nature stories--she is interested in owls right now), and has started a scroll for Pilgrim's Progress.
And we've done a little French--mostly colours and numbers, but it's about time to begin the felt-board people.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Weaving
We're in the fourth week of school, but just getting started now on handicrafts.
I planned to do weaving with Crayons (the girl, not the Crayolas), but we hadn't had much luck with the typical flat cardboard or foam-tray looms, or even with the simple wooden frame that she was given last Christmas (a "fashion loom" kit). I think younger kids often find it tedious to fill up a whole frame with over-under-over-under, even if they have a needle or something to help it go a bit faster. Or they end up with something horribly warped. Also, the wooden frame loom came with a thick, soft, slippery yarn which seemed to be hard for her to use.
Then I noticed the weaving page in a book called Pioneer Crafts, by Barbara Greenwood; it goes with the Canadian book A Pioneer Story, which is sold in the U.S. as A Pioneer Sampler.
It suggested making a foam-tray loom but also using what the book calls a cardboard heddle, and what I've also seen called a warp separator; just a piece of cardboard, an inch wide and slightly wider than the loom, with one end cut in a point. After threading the loom, you weave the heddle in and out (rather than the yarn), stand it up on its edge, and then pull a bobbin full of yarn through the shed (the open space) that is created when you stand it up. Then the heddle goes back the other way, out and in through the strands; stands up to make the shed, and the bobbin goes back through. The heddle is also used (flat) to gently push the rows against the previous work.
I didn't bother making a foam-tray loom since we do have the wooden frame, and I was right--it worked fine. (I remember the teeth on foam-tray looms tending to break anyway, so I was happy not to have to do that.)
For some reason, this is MUCH easier for a second-grader than weaving a long strand of yarn in and out across the rows. By using a bobbin (I had a plastic knit/crochet bobbin, but you can make cardboard ones), you can also pull more yarn through at a time and do more rows without having to get Mom to add more yarn.
We also chose some cotton yarn (Bernat Handicrafter) in variegated colours, which weaves well and looks pretty with the different coloured stripes.
I'm pleased with this discovery, since it's turned the most basic loom into something a bit more sophisticated, still simple (or even simpler) to do, but that feels more like a real handicraft than just a kindergarten activity. Of course it has its limitations--the design of the loom means that you can't make anything longer than the frame itself--but I think that's about the same measure as a 7-year-old's attention span.
I planned to do weaving with Crayons (the girl, not the Crayolas), but we hadn't had much luck with the typical flat cardboard or foam-tray looms, or even with the simple wooden frame that she was given last Christmas (a "fashion loom" kit). I think younger kids often find it tedious to fill up a whole frame with over-under-over-under, even if they have a needle or something to help it go a bit faster. Or they end up with something horribly warped. Also, the wooden frame loom came with a thick, soft, slippery yarn which seemed to be hard for her to use.
Then I noticed the weaving page in a book called Pioneer Crafts, by Barbara Greenwood; it goes with the Canadian book A Pioneer Story, which is sold in the U.S. as A Pioneer Sampler.
It suggested making a foam-tray loom but also using what the book calls a cardboard heddle, and what I've also seen called a warp separator; just a piece of cardboard, an inch wide and slightly wider than the loom, with one end cut in a point. After threading the loom, you weave the heddle in and out (rather than the yarn), stand it up on its edge, and then pull a bobbin full of yarn through the shed (the open space) that is created when you stand it up. Then the heddle goes back the other way, out and in through the strands; stands up to make the shed, and the bobbin goes back through. The heddle is also used (flat) to gently push the rows against the previous work.
I didn't bother making a foam-tray loom since we do have the wooden frame, and I was right--it worked fine. (I remember the teeth on foam-tray looms tending to break anyway, so I was happy not to have to do that.)
For some reason, this is MUCH easier for a second-grader than weaving a long strand of yarn in and out across the rows. By using a bobbin (I had a plastic knit/crochet bobbin, but you can make cardboard ones), you can also pull more yarn through at a time and do more rows without having to get Mom to add more yarn.
We also chose some cotton yarn (Bernat Handicrafter) in variegated colours, which weaves well and looks pretty with the different coloured stripes.
I'm pleased with this discovery, since it's turned the most basic loom into something a bit more sophisticated, still simple (or even simpler) to do, but that feels more like a real handicraft than just a kindergarten activity. Of course it has its limitations--the design of the loom means that you can't make anything longer than the frame itself--but I think that's about the same measure as a 7-year-old's attention span.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Crayons' Picture Study Narration
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Saturday yard-saling
Mr. Fixit was feeling well enough for a short jaunt to a church sale this morning.
He found a walkie-talkie. Crayons found a Barbie. Ponytails found a couple of things.
Mama Squirrel found books, because this particular church sale almost always has a wonderful book corner. Also a brand-new set of Christmas-coloured table runner/napkins/placemats which Mama Squirrel would have no intention of putting on her Christmas table but which might work very well for gift bags or other Christmas-fabric crafts. Also a brand-new set of two cocoa mugs plus cocoa mix, final destination still unknown. Also a couple of part-sets of nice stationery.
The books are:
Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur
Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case (Mama Squirrel and Crayons just finished Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang) (Review comments: These are fairly amusing but contain a bit too much grade-school potty humour for MS's taste. The Hooded Fang is probably the best of the three.)
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (M.S.'s copy disappeared awhile back)
Hymns for Primary Worship
Freedom and Beyond, by John Holt
Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner
Making Men Whole, by J.B. Phillips
Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook, by Joetta Handrich Schlabach (the 1991 followup to The More-with-Less Cookbook)
And my favourites out of the pile:
Selected Burns for Young Readers, published by Geddes and Grosset. Amblesiders and Martha fans, check this one out! Nice big print! Glossary of Scottish words in the back! An introductory biography of Burns, and introductions to each of the poems! Lovely.
Songs of the Saviour, and Out of Doors Nature Songs, both by Annie Johnson Flint. Paper-covered, tied-with-cord booklets of her poems, published I-don't-know-when by Evangelical Publishers in Toronto--I'm guessing the early twentieth century, though.
He found a walkie-talkie. Crayons found a Barbie. Ponytails found a couple of things.
Mama Squirrel found books, because this particular church sale almost always has a wonderful book corner. Also a brand-new set of Christmas-coloured table runner/napkins/placemats which Mama Squirrel would have no intention of putting on her Christmas table but which might work very well for gift bags or other Christmas-fabric crafts. Also a brand-new set of two cocoa mugs plus cocoa mix, final destination still unknown. Also a couple of part-sets of nice stationery.
The books are:
Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur
Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case (Mama Squirrel and Crayons just finished Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang) (Review comments: These are fairly amusing but contain a bit too much grade-school potty humour for MS's taste. The Hooded Fang is probably the best of the three.)
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (M.S.'s copy disappeared awhile back)
Hymns for Primary Worship
Freedom and Beyond, by John Holt
Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner
Making Men Whole, by J.B. Phillips
Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook, by Joetta Handrich Schlabach (the 1991 followup to The More-with-Less Cookbook)
And my favourites out of the pile:
Selected Burns for Young Readers, published by Geddes and Grosset. Amblesiders and Martha fans, check this one out! Nice big print! Glossary of Scottish words in the back! An introductory biography of Burns, and introductions to each of the poems! Lovely.
Songs of the Saviour, and Out of Doors Nature Songs, both by Annie Johnson Flint. Paper-covered, tied-with-cord booklets of her poems, published I-don't-know-when by Evangelical Publishers in Toronto--I'm guessing the early twentieth century, though.
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