Work And Play, Day By Day

Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:47:00 +0000

Well after a hectic and exhausting week we are officially moved in. It has been crazy and chaotic...and did I mention exhausting? In the end we found a house that is actually much nicer than our old house.

Maybe someday I can stay awake enough hours in the day to enjoy it?

I have so much to say and share and right now all I want to do is take a nap, so there you go.

Someday soon I shall come back and share all of my thrillingly entertaining thoughts with you.

In the meantime anyone have any good suggestions for when my son hides under his desk and cries for an hour? I have realized I officially need to get over this idea that he is going to "outgrow" it. I've been waiting for, oh I don't know 3-4 years for many of these behaviors to magically disappear and I've been told by so many friends and family to just be patient and wait and he would outgrow it, but yeah. He's not going to, at least not on his own, anytime soon.

Thinking about that makes me tired too.

Why oh why oh why....

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:40:00 +0000

I don't like to think of myself as stubborn...thick headed....slow....

I think it must be true, though. See, through the day Monday Tim and I went back and forth on this school thing for Caleb. We ~~beat to death~~ discussed the subject of anxiety medication and how we feel about it. I would even say we had a reasonable peace about moving forward on both counts, even if just to explore our options further.

And then, in an unexpected twist of fate our landlords showed up (in the middle of a late dinner and harried bedtime) to inform us they have decided to "pursue other options for their property." Our lease expired yesterday and as of Sunday we were still planning on signing another years lease (and had talked to them about this too, so they knew it was our intention and hadn't said anything).

So well, I guess we're moving?

This week or next?

As soon as we find somewhere?

I mean, I haven't had any significant drama in my life since we moved to Utah so we were due, right?

So this is where it comes back to me and my thick head. I mean, if this school we live by now (or school at all?) was not the right decision for Caleb, I have to think there must have been a better way to get that message through to me, right? We do attempt to discern these types of things before rushing headlong into them!

Of course, what do I know. Maybe there is some other better reason we need to move like RIGHT NOW. (Because, I mean we really had talked about moving in a year anyways if it looked like we were going to stay in Salt Lake for fellowship opportunities, etc.) My very smart (much smarter than me, really) friend Gretchen sent me this encouragement, "Oh goodness! An adventure! I love when things like this happen because I know it is God working. He is going to change your circumstances, your direction, your point of view. Open yourself up to change and good things will happen :)"

Can I have her attitude? I can be adventurous and flexible to an extent but I suspect that the next 2 weeks will be strenuous on my patience. There is already a really good chance that we aren't going to be able to make our summer Minnesota trip because this whole moving last minute business is going to probably drain the money we set aside for that. Plus Tim may have to work full time this summer instead of part time as a good number of the properties we have looked at thus far involve an increase in rent and transportation costs (distance to church, activities, etc.).

Oh yeah. I'm also pregnant.

Not exactly the announcement I intended, but it somehow seems relevant that you should know this information in order to fully appreciate the situation. (Not feel sorry for me, please don't do that, but to understand why this is going to be somewhat trickier in the middle of exhaustion and nausea.) I'm due at the end of summer sometime and I have an appointment on the 17th to hopefully see everything going along quite well. I have had several miscarriages so I wasn't sure about going quite so public while I'm still in my 1st trimester, but it seems like the timing is appropriate somehow.

Now, to go pack some more boxes and see what surprises today brings!

K5 Learning Review

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:12:00 +0000

We recently had the opportunity to review the K5 online learning program. In exchange for an extended free trial, we are posting our honest review and feedback of the program.

From the website, "K5 Learning is an online after-school study program for kids in kindergarten to grade 5. We build reading, math and study skills to last a lifetime." We used K5 with Caleb as a supplement to his other instruction. It was a great program for him because he is more successful when he is focused on one thing and computer based programs are quite helpful for him.

Pros
Caleb was easily able to figure out navigation
Has the ability to add in weekly spelling words
Basic fact mastery tables
Placement tests
Clear parent feedback
Automatic advancement/review built in

Cons
Flash based- does not work on iPods, iPads, iPhones.

Final Verdict
My final verdict is mixed. I thought the program was honestly significantly better than others that we have tried. The content was relevant, well organized, and flexible. The graphics were fun without being over the top, same with sound effects. This is the first program that I would have spent out of pocket money to continue using on a regular basis.

Because of our family's technology usage, however, I can't whole heartedly endorse the product. I understand developing new technology takes time and that the iPad is only one system, but the fact that they program is Flash-based is a biggie for us. The programming required is different, but relevant. Tim was just reading in the paper today about a school district in Wisconsin who purchased something like 1500 iPads with settlement money from Microsoft. One of our local high schools provides and iPod Touch for every student. The adaptive technology of the iPad is quite frankly unbeatable in any of the other tablet/touch platforms and it is what we have chosen for our family, which makes the product irrelevant to us. I personally believe that programs wishing to be competitive are going to eventually have to move this direction.

Back (again)

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:11:00 +0000

I once again have left you hanging for far too long! This last week has been all about Caleb's official Aspergers evaluation and the ideas/thoughts/emotions that have lead up to and come after.

I think the hardest piece for me is that when we put him in school this fall it was because we knew homeschool wasn't working for him. Don't get me wrong, he is smart as whip and learns things quickly but unfortunately I don't need a 6 year old who reads 4th and 5th grade books and does crazy math. Ultimately, who cares if he can do that and continuing to advance academically is just putting a bigger wedge between him and his peers.

We knew that when we were asked to leave our school this fall that homeschooling again was probably temporary. Today's "final" (is it ever really final?) meeting affirmed my thoughts along those lines and I think we are going to start looking at going back to school. We haven't made any decisions for sure, though as among other discussions today was the possibility of medicating his anxiety, which is fairly high. I have a hard time saying, yes lets give him anxiety meds, just so he can get through his anxiety enough to go to school when I don't see school as a requirement for life success. But on the flip side what purpose is homeschooling serving right now for him?

I really wish I knew a few more people who had faced this choice. I seem to know a lot of moms who homeschool their kids with Aspergers who pulled them out of school but they are mostly older kids, but I don't know many who put them in (especially who put only their Aspergers kid in school). Either way, by the end of this week we should have our dictations, paperwork, and IEP modification suggestions (which our evaluator sends with all of his dictations I guess). Then we get to decide what we do with it.

Living History- Utah Museum of Ancient Life

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:51:00 +0000

The Physics Demonstration Room

I think we could have spent hours just in this room

Science teacher dream land here

Giant turntable showing centripetal motion

Everything had stools so Logan could reach

The teacher starts attracting random students as he explains things more in-depth to Aidan

Dinosaur Themed Toddler Play Area

The shape sorter was a big hit

Shifting Landscapes
Canal building and sand/water play

Hands On Dino Exhibits

Measuring bones like an archeologist

Assembling Skeletons

A giant I-spy panorama display

Creature Displays

What do you think Kylee thought of the Megalodon?

A favorite of the boys- The Wooly Mammoth Hunt

Quarry Dinosaur Dig

We forgot the stroller but it didn't matter- plenty to keep this guy busy!

We have been doing one museum membership/year in addition to our zoo membership and we are thinking we might go with this one for next year. It is a little pricier and further away than our current museum (the Clark Planetarium), but it includes the gardens and a working farm (with pony rides).

Wait- Time Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:45:00 +0000

No, not the kids.

This mom needed a time out.

Maybe because I realized we hadn't left a 30 mile radius in almost 9 months.

Just sitting in our winter pollution filled smoggy valley.

Cabin fever to the extreme.

So I made a plan.

Aidan had a gymnastics meet we had to be at 8:00 sharp on Saturday, over an hour away.

I loaded up the overnight bag straight out of the dryer.

(The kids never saw me do it.)

When Tim got home we told them we would be running errands.

Our first stop was the Museum of Ancient Life** on our way out of the Salt Lake Valley.

We followed up with dinner at Applebee's.

(The kids still thought we were going home after that.)

Instead we watched The Princess Diaries and ate popcorn in our last minute hotel room.

Everyone was so worn out they stayed in their own bed the entire night.

(I didn't actually know that was possible, but now I suspect a conspiracy afoot.)

Morning didn't come quite as early since we were only 5 minutes away from the meet.

There was an awesome play area for preschoolers & up that was totally worth the $3.00/kid.

Aidan had a great meet.

We all came home.

The end.

**More museum pictures tomorrow :)

Brotherly Love

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Little Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:40:00 +0000

I'm breaking the rules a little bit by doing two Kylee posts in a row, but it's ok.

She's cute like that...even with straight out of the bath hair.

This year for Christmas we splurged on a pair of Bitty Twins from the American Girl company for Kylee. Actually, we used our insurance money because I had an American Girl growing up that was lost in the fire, but I couldn't replace her exactly because the girl I had is now retired (Kirsten) and I didn't want to buy just a random used one off of Ebay. I wanted something nice for Kylee, which is what I would have eventually done with mine, but it seemed silly to buy a historical girl and store her for 4-5 years until Kylee is old enough. So, we decided to give her boy-girl Bitty Twins instead.

Kylee hasn't always been the most gentle with her dolls so I was a little worried about buying such expensive dolls, but I shouldn't have been. She has cherished these dolls up down left and right, even waking up in the middle of the night crying because one of them fell out of her bed or is otherwise missing. She has a pair of pajamas that match Sarah's pajamas and for many mornings she carefully changed both her and Sarah's pajamas and folded them into her drawer and then dressed them both for the day. At night she would reverse the process. She doesn't play with Pokey (the boy) quite as much but she is always willing to share him with a brother who wants to play too.

But they aren't allowed to play with Sarah.

She is much too in love for that.

I don't know what it is, but Pokey and Sarah have definitely brought out the little mom in my little girl.

*Anyone notice she gave her dolls 5 letter names in alphabetic order? I swear I had nothing to do with it. Good job, Kylee!

Knock- Knock

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:20:00 +0000

I have posted before about certain materials that seem to attract the other kids even though they are well past their use. Materials like the pink tower, Race to 100 Game, and other things just bring everyone over for "lessons"! In our house, one of those other things is the Knock-Knock Game.

The Knock-Knock game is really a variation on the 3rd step of a 3 period lesson (naming). Using the sandpaper numbers or letters, we turn all of the ones that we are working on upside down, then knock on the back saying, "Knock, knock! Who's there?"

Then we turn it over and say the letter sound or name of the number.

Simple, but always a favorite. Even our little one enjoys knock-knocking and flipping over cards with a big grin just to show us how he knows this game too! I remember when that little girl above used to do the same thing to her older brother.....

Today's Daily Dish

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:13:00 +0000

You can catch me slinging ink with the Sistas this morning!

Hear my thoughts on Contemporary Christian music and a little bit about how this music influenced and has been influenced by our conversation to the Catholic faith.

Back tomorrow with more interesting updates from the life of Heidi and small children!

Montessori Monday With Free Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:24:00 +0000

I knew if I started writing every day again I would get out of my rut and get back to the topics I really like to write about, including of course, Montessori Monday!

It is really no secret that the area my boys struggle in most significantly is writing. They are excellent voracious readers...who can barely compose simple sentences some days. They both have different issues with why they struggle so much, but before Christmas I started rethinking our approach to language to see what I could do to foster these skills. Especially for Aidan when scouts, religious education, and other activities occasionally require him to write something now, he is struggling to write clearly enough to pass along good information. We ended up having to do part of his Parvuli Dei booklet dictation style because there was just no way that Father was going to be able to read through it!

We have gone back to advanced phonics (word lists and spelling sorts) and Dwyer cards to practice spelling. We have also gone all the way back to noun/verb and are working our way through all of the grammar symbols and word types again. (For Aidan this is a complete repeat, for Caleb it is a mix of review and new material.) I have also put together a writing self evaluation checklist based on this chart I found on Pinterest, and we are doing weekly creative writing (blank papers downloadable below) where they self evaluate their quality. This is really encouraging them to slow down and think before they write instead of just rushing through.

Source: docs.google.com via Heidi on Pinterest

We practice sentence coding with another writing paper I designed (also see below). We actually used the same paper for several weeks as we worked through all of the word types. First we cut out a picture from a magazine and described it with an article- adjective- noun family, then the next week we added a verb, then an adjective, then a preposition (and another article/noun), and so forth.

It is slow going at times, but we are seeing improvements!

Blank Sentence Coding Paper

Blank Creative Writing Paper

Noun Family Card/Image from Montessori Materials

As always, feel free to share these materials but be sure to link back to the original posts, not directly to the documents on Google. If I find that my materials are being distributed without credit I will stop sharing them publicly.

Quilting Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:19:00 +0000

In addition to my I-Spy quilt tutorial, I have kept true to my plans to work on my quilting this year. One of these days I will need to post pictures of my laundry room again so you can see how I've made it sewing-with-kids friendly. Here are a few of the things I have been working on:

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along

All six blocks I have done thus far.

I'm going to have to start over on this one. You can see above how off it is from the rest.

My favorite of all of my blocks so far- Churn Dash

This is another one of my favorites.

My pieces didn't line up very well on this Bow Tie Block

1600's Jelly Roll Quilt In Flannel

Front

Back (my favorite part)

Kylee quickly claimed this as hers. In fact she said very pointedly to her brothers, hands on her hips, "Actually, it is MY little quilt."

(1600s tutorial here)

Weave Table Topper

I don't know what that strange reflection in the middle is... I'm unsure what I'm doing with this one because I ended up without enough strips to do what I actually wanted with it so for now it is about a 2 foot square top that has no further plan. I'm going to keep thinking about it for a bit longer!

Hawaii Quilt

I haven't made any progress on this, design or otherwise but here is the fabric so if anyone has any good ideas, feel free to post! I think and appliquéd front with one or more of the flowers from the fabric and then backed with this.

If I'm going to finish this project this year, I need to come up with a plan and start looking for fabrics. I suspect it will be tricky to match these colors.

One Day At A Time

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:16:00 +0000

This is actually yesterday's update. I couldn't update yesterday because I was busy in the emergency room with a toddler with a cut that wouldn't stop bleeding. It was really a minor cut, too small to stitch, but it just would not stop! Hours and hours later (we're talking about 7-8 total, both before and after our ER trip) it would start bleeding if Logan got his wrap off. Since he's one, that kept managing to happen...I can't imagine why!

Several friends in the know suggested super glue, but thankfully around dinner time he gave up and kept the wrap on. Tim changed the dressing this morning and he said it looked pretty good and did not start bleeding again so it looks like we finally turned a corner on that one!

Moving forward I would like to formally request that none of my children give me anything too interesting to blog about today!

Short On Time

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:19:00 +0000

My blogging time seems to continually be cut short these days by some sick kid (or sick me), a fellowship deadline, or some other unplanned event.

I guess that's motherhood, right?

My new goal is to post something every day, even if it is just a picture or a kid quote. I will work on getting through my list of "posts to write"when things calm down a little bit around here.

Or when I get better at time management or something!

Quilt With Me- I Spy Style

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Hanging behind glass on a wall in our clinic's waiting room is a quilt. Not just any quilt, by a search and find quilt. Next to the quilt is a list with dozens of small things to find while you wait for your appointment. I fell in love with this quilt the first time I saw it and wanted to put together something for us to use at home. A quilted game board of sorts... not a search and find, but an I-spy quilt.

This was a great end of year mini-quilt for a fabric junkie like myself. Perfect for all of the odds and ends leftover from my projects over the past year.

To make the size above, you need 36- 4" squares but the nice thing is that this quilt is flexible. You just need to make sure you have a square number (same number of rows and columns) and your squares are all the same size. A little larger or a little smaller will only change the difficulty of the game.

Don't worry if you need to double up a few squares or put in a few "filler" fabrics that don't appear to have much value, as you play you will discover all sorts of tiny things you never noticed before and your play mates will practice their describing skills as they describe a blue fabric with shiny gold dots. I actually used 2 squares each of 18 different fabrics, cutting from a different section for each piece. Do not buy fabric! Your cousin, sister, neighbor, mom...somebody has leftover scrap fabric for this, even if you don't. Send me an email, I have plenty!

Sew your 4" squares into strips of 6 and then sew all 6 strips together, keeping your seam allowance equal.

I added 4" strips of the backing fabric to frame the game board and then used the cheater method of binding (hem rolled the backing and folded it over the top and stitched it down). I used a scrap piece of fairly poofy batting, but you could use something like an old flannel sheet too (although it will be much denser that way) or leave out the batting since this isn't actually a quilt meant for warmth.

I did not quilt the top, although I have considered tying it if I get a chance someday. It is small and wouldn't take too long. Without quilting, this is an under an hour project with a sewing machine and it could be done quite simply by hand as well.

When you are done, you will have a great multi age, portable, family game board. Even Logan got in on the New Years Eve game night action!

Fundamental Needs of People Follow Up & Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Last month, I shared the Fundamental Needs of People presentation as part of my series on Core Montessori. I have more Core Montessori posts planned, but I wanted to quickly update with the downloads I created for us to use with our follow up work.

Our plan is to continue with the fundamental needs of people as the lens through which we study geography and culture for the next few months. Currently the boys are finishing their personal needs charts and next week(ish) we will be moving into study of specific cultures or groups. In order to accommodate the different writing abilities of my boys (and provide variety in general), I created two blank charts. One designed for pictures or ideas (less writing) and one in an outline format for more complete ideas.

The blank picture chart can be found here and the blank outline can be found here. Both print on 8.5x11 paper. As always if you would like to share these resources with your blog readers, friends, or family please do so by providing a link back to this post instead of a link directly to the documents.

Enjoy!

2012 The Year of The Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:08:00 +0000

2011 was the year of knitting. Although I only made it half way to my goal of 12 sweaters in 12 months (plus 2 still in progress), my knitting skills increased greatly over the course of the year with so much practice! I learned new stitches and techniques, switched over almost completely to natural fibers, and have twice the needle stash. I was able to share my knitting with my own family and also with a few special new babies we know. I actually have another pile of knit gifts (mostly pixie hats) just waiting for the right owner.

I knew how to knit before 2011, but focusing on improving my skill was so much fun I've decided to do it again...this year with quilting. Just like knitting, I already know how to quilt. I probably did half a dozen simple quilts this year, but they are far from high quality (don't look to closely at my quilting or binding)! Since the best way to get better at something is to practice, I have decided that this year I am going to practice quilting.

I don't have a specific goal like I did last year, but I do have several ideas for quilts and am doing some reading on new techniques. I got a few new toys for Christmas (a binding foot and a bias tape maker) that I look forward to practicing with soon. My mom also gave me some fabric she got on a trip to Hawaii a few years ago and I think it might be the inspiration for an appliqué quilt...the trip was to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary so turning it into a quilt I could gift to her would be pretty special I think! I have to admit I'm scared to do anything to that fabric yet so it's going to wait until I do a little more practicing first.

My friend Lindsey is also hosting a quilt along and I have hesitantly agreed to give it a whirl. There is a lot more detail than I have done before in piecing (I tend to do quilts that are large pieces or repeat the same things over and over again), but I'm excited to give it a try. I don't think I am going to do all 111 blocks, but who knows what might happen in time! I've already started on the first two blocks and am enjoying it so far.

I will try to post pictures of any quilts I manage to finish or at least an end of year blooper reel. If any of my readers are expert quilters I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:37:00 +0000

For me, 2011 will always be the year that I got a chance to breathe and keep my feet underneath me. After several years of moving, babies (3 in 4 years including Kenna!), job uncertainty, and a house fire, this was a very calm year indeed!

Tim has continued working towards his PhD in Educational Psychology and plans to be ABD (All But Dissertation) by this time next year. This fall he was able to get his feet wet with collegiate level instruction and he is already talking about what he will do differently next time. Higher education, preparing future teachers, is definitely where he feels called to go next. He has had this goal for so long, it is wonderful to see him achieving it!

Aidan is 8 now and began competitive gymnastics this year. I love seeing his love for a sport that holds a special spot in my own heart. His coaches and older teammates are excellent role models and he has had the chance to meet new friends as well. He continues in scouts and is currently working hard on his Parvuli Dei religious medal. He completed reconciliation for the first time a few weeks ago, preparing for First Holy Communion this January.

Caleb has had a bit of a rough year and we are still working on several things, but we are finding our way together. He turned 6 this year and is also in scouts and tae kwon do. He is currently ranked as a camouflage belt in the Tiny Tiger program for 4-7 year olds. His instructor is amazing with him and he has grown in confidence as a part of this program. He says sparring is his favorite part because he gets to “show off his moves.” He is looking forward to moving up to the Junior ranks soon, where he can work towards that black belt!

We call Kylee, age 3, Sparkles because she has an infectiously brilliant smile and mischievous eyes to go with it. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have been treated to many of Kylee's one liners. This year she mastered the potty and has started doing more lessons during our school time. She loves to snuggle, read books, and play with her brothers, especially Caleb.

Logan is 1 now and reminding us what it is like to parent a toddler boy. If you stop by our house you will find many chairs, boxes, benches and anything else he could use as a stool put up high but you will just as likely find Logan up high as well, having found some other method for his acrobatics. It is a good thing he still takes good naps or I don’t know how I would get anything done! He reminds us so much of Aidan at the same age with his energy and constant chatter... indeed the two are good buddies.

All of that should give you a fairly good idea of what I have been up to this year! In addition to shuttling kid activities, homeschooling, blogging, and keeping up with the house, I have also started Tae Kwon Do. I am currently ranked as a blue belt and will hopefully earn my black belt sometime next fall. I have met some really great ladies who always keep me laughing. Our post testing parties remind me so much of the Mom’s Night Out! On my agenda next is organizing a Catholic mom’s group/playgroup/homeschool co-op. A few moms and I are hoping to meet after the first of the year for our first “official” meeting!

As our family looks forward to 2012, we wish you all a safe and warm Christmas season!

The Fundamental Needs of People- Core Montessori

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:11:00 +0000

Fundamental Needs of People
Initial Presentation: 1st Grade
Continued Review: Throughout the Elementary Curriculum

Materials: Fundamental Needs of People cards/chart, pictures representing the fundamental needs. Easily made with a printer and some magazines (see below).

Possible Presentation Methods- Do one of these initially and review yearly, or as needed.

Through discussion about needs/wants, build the chart with the children providing correct vocabulary as necessary.
Lay out the chart with words only, work with the children to sort the pictures.

If you are well versed in educational or social psychology you will see Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs reflected between the physical and spiritual needs. Note that "Art" can include a variety of art, music, literature, drama, and even sports in some places. Some things may also be included in more than one category. The shoe for example is clothing, but our feet are also a type of transportation.

Possible Follow Up Works (From most basic to most advanced)

Replicate the standard layout (above) individually or in small groups
Create an individual chart for the "Fundamental Needs of (Child's Name)" reflecting their family values and culture
Create a chart for a specific culture from another time period or geographic region
Create a timeline of a specific area (defense, transportation, etc) and how it has been met/developed over a period of time.
Social Justice- discuss the unmet needs of a specific group or culture and brainstorm ways we can help meet their needs. Websites for child sponsorship groups are a great place to start for this. In addition to photos of children in need, there is also information about how the organization uses funds to meet each of these needs.

Why I consider this presentation "Core Montessori"

The Fundamental Needs of People provide a framework for the entire elementary study of culture and correlates with history, peace/social justice, and even language. When studying a new culture, region, or period of history the fundamental needs provide a child with an instant outline for research questions. Those outlines then provide a framework for a well composed paragraph on a specific culture, tying into written language skills.

This lesson is also perfect for multi-age learning, vital to both classroom and home based Montessori. Both the initial presentations and follow up work are ideal for small group work even if students are not at the same level.

I am planning a series of posts on presentations and concepts that I find to be core to the Montessori curriculum. If you have a presentation you would like to see included in this series, please leave me a comment and I will see about adding it in!

St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

One of these days (maybe...) this will be one of those blogs where you can come before a holiday or special feast and get ideas. For now, you will have to get in the habit of bookmarking our activities for the next year if you like them!

We don't celebrate Santa at all (and never have), but we have enjoyed St. Nicholas' Feat Day for the last several years. Instead of something that we do the same every year, what we do is basically surprise the kids with something different every year.

Our Morning Table
I think the kids look forward to this most since it is always different, transformed from our Advent scene

Helping With Breakfast
(Close your eyes to my messy kitchen counters)

A Little Coloring

Let's Eat!
(Miter waffles if it's not obvious)

Self Buttering
In case you are wondering I let the amount of butter Caleb used stand in appreciation of his design

A Litte Decorating
Actually the only ornaments we have- house fire "oh yeah we don't have any of those" strikes again

Much to the disappointment of my children, school was not cancelled due to this fun feast day. Life went on with a just a little extra love for the day!

Memorization & Recitation

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Kylee

Isaiah 11:1

Caleb

Knight In Armor, A. A. Milne

Kids Making Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:23:00 +0000

Detailed procedure in a page protector.
No picture directions, thus requiring Kylee (who is 3 after all) to have an "assistant"

Dough is kept in the refrigerator in a plastic baggie. Golf ball size is perfect for 2 small cookies!
Scraps go in a jar in the fridge and at the end of the day I combine them into a new ball.

Caleb likes the sugar part!
They can each make 2 cookies per day- 1 for themselves and 1 to share.

Cleaning up is a part of the job. No cookie eating until all of the dishes are done and table wiped down.

This has obviously been a favorite work all week. The really neat part is that next weekend or the weekend after we will make dozens of sugar cookies for serving over the holidays and my helpers will be experts by then! This is not a practical life work that I took on lightly, but we had done lots of lead in work that helped me know they were ready to tackle the job. Using the oven, rolling dough, and washing dishes are all lessons that needed to happen first, over a period of time, before I could feel comfortable giving the boys this level of freedom in the kitchen.

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough

1 Cup of Butter Softened

2 Cups of Sugar

3 Eggs

2 teaspoons of Vanilla

4 Cups of Baking Mix (we used Pamela's Baking Mix)

(or 4 Cups of Flour + 2 tsp. Baking Powder)

Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Bonus photos

They all had a helper that was never to far away, especially when it came time for the "sharing".

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Cinnamon rolls have been on my gluten free to-master list pretty much since the beginning of time. (Or at least the last 4 years) Cinnamon rolls are our family's holiday tradition. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter....always rolls for breakfast from my mom. She has always used the frozen cinnamon rolls with a special sauce made from carmel and pecans. I have made numerous attempts at finding a dough that I would be able to copy cat to make a gluten free version.

But they have always fallen....well.... flat.

Literally.

And tastefully.

Until a few days ago my friend Lisa was telling me about making pizza rolls. Pizza, rolled up and then sliced like a cinnamon roll. We used our favorite Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix and they turned out amazing. They were fluffy and soft and super duper tasty.

Tim and I we think on the same wave length because when we exchanged the look I knew just what he was thinking about.

Christmas cinnamon rolls with caramel pecan sauce......

Of course, we needed to try it out first just to be sure.

In order to create a sweeter dough, we added 1 cup of sugar in the very first step of the directions. The yeast really liked this and I ended up not really having to let the rolls rise because the dough was already well stretched. I think reducing the sugar would allow them to rise further after they are cut.

Directions

Make dough according to package directions (adding sugar during the first step when the yeast is activated)
Divide dough into 2 (for larger rolls) or 3 pieces
Roll each piece into a rectangle approximately 11 inches x 8 inches (you may need a little extra GF flour)
Spread with butter (or honey if you want to make a dairy free version)
Sprinkle with brown sugar & walnuts or cinnamon sugar (omit sugar if you used honey in step 4)
Roll the dough from the longer edge
Slice into 1-2 inch pieces
You can now freeze these to take out as needed or arrange in a greased pan and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes. **
Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes

Makes 2 dozen small-medium (shown) or 1 dozen large rolls.

Enjoy warm for full effect. To really add to the experience, make a quick glaze of milk and powdered sugar. Yum......

I cannot wait to get that carmel pecan sauce recipe from my mom and give them a try!

**To prepare from frozen, take out the night before and arrange in a pan. They will raise in the fridge or on the counter overnight.

***I buy my Bob's Red Mill mix with Subscribe & Save from Amazon, using gift cards I earn from using Swagbucks!

****After I made these, I did a quick search to be sure I wasn't reinventing the wheel with this recipe (no need to point out how I could have saved myself the trouble and searched first...). The Bob's Red Mill website has a version using the same mix which is similar and also looks quite tasty!

A Plan for Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:23:00 +0000

I may have reached a new low.... First I was preparing to prepare and now I'm planning for planning.

You can go ahead and call me a control freak now!

As these children of mine keep growing I keep needing to adjust the way I plan. Detailed lesson plans, outlines, goals...everything is getting more in depth as I try to keep track of what everyone is learning, where they are going next, and what materials I need to make. Montessori is organized for mixed age students, but what I have right now really amounts to an Infant/Toddler, a Children's House, an Elementary 1, & an Elementary II. (Technically by age I would have either 2 CH or 2 E1 and no E2s, but in reality it isn't coming out that way.) Some days it feels like extreme Montessori, especially when it comes to organizing and planning lessons to ensure we continue to cover a variety of interesting content areas and topics!

I've simplified my planning into a list of topics/subject areas and how frequently they need to be covered and then am looking at areas to cover those topics plus a rough outline of timing. The schedule is deceiving because lessons may only take 10-20 minutes and the rest of the time would be choice work time or finishing follow up work.

Language 10-11:30 M-F
Math 12:30-1:00 M-H
Other Subjects 1:00-2:30 M-H
(Religion M-H, Science M, History T, Special Projects W, Geography H)

Each day I choose from a list of possible topic areas for Language, Math, & Religion and then find an activity from our books and materials or find something on the glorious internet to cover that topic area. Often I will cover religion during language. I often include a sensorial or practical life lesson for Kylee in place of math. You may also notice that we only do morning school work on Friday. This is a holdover from our time in Minnesota when we took every Friday off to go to our gym co-op. We have been substituting with Friday field trips, play dates, and other special projects (such as 40 Days for Life).

Language Topics
Recitation/Memorization
Narration Practice
Reading Fluency
Writing/Grammar
Spelling
Reading Comprehension
Handwriting
Vocabulary

Math Topics
Basic Facts
Operations
Geometry
Problem Solving

Religion Topics
Liturgical Year (including Saints)
Family/Group Prayer
Our Catholic Faith/Catechism

Science (Unit Study/Montessori), Geography (Montessori), & History (Charlotte Mason/Story of The World) will continue the same as always.

For example, today during Language we are focusing on Vocabulary & Writing. I made the portable word wall folder of Advent words and we will go over those as a group and then as follow up we will each draw pictures or draw & write sentences about Advent using new vocabulary words. Kylee will draw a picture and then dictate a sentence to me, Caleb will draw a picture and write 1 sentence (first grade), Aidan will draw a picture and write 3 sentences (third grade). When the boys are finished they will use our check your own writing rubric to evaluate (with help from me) the areas they need to improve their writing.

I'm quite sure it all sounds more complicated than it actually is. In some ways, this is more of a checklist to make sure we cover everything in the course of a week than an actual plan. I promise, my last planning method was much more complex and I felt like I was trying to reinvent the wheel each week! I test drove this more family centered approach last week and Aidan declared it the best week of school he has ever had. He keeps saying I am "going easy on him".

I don't know about easy on him, but definitely easier on me!

Preparing for Preparing

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:12:00 +0000

Isn't that a mom's ultimate job? We have to be prepared for everything so that at some point we end up preparing to prepare! Here is a quick glimpse into some of the new (or new again) things that have appeared in our home this first week of Advent 2011. This is just an overview, so if you would like me to expound on any of them leave a quick note and I will try to get to those first.

This is also only just a beginning, a few years ago my friend Meredith posted (or maybe told me in person- can I tell the difference any more?) about how she likes to slowly decorate to build anticipation. That stuck with me so instead of putting out everything this weekend, we started small and will keep building as we move through these next four weeks.

For Home
This weekend we added greens to every corner we could find

8 feet of real tree beauty- there is also a new tree skirt hiding under there.

See those tiny tin advent candles? These were purchased, I'm going to see about coming up with a good tutorial.

For School

Cotton ball tweezing. We will also do cotton balls in the sensory bin for Logan this week.

Rolling and cutting sugar cookies. We are going to do this with real dough- more on that later!

Nativity Memory

File folder activities made from Raising (&Teaching) Little Saints Advent Activities Unit.

For Family
A new Jesse Tree, excuse the wrinkles. Tutorial to come, time permitting.

Link Ups (AKA lots of other even cooler ideas!)