Please Watch this Video

Please watch this (and you can hate me later...):

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2384105525501310962#

[It took a couple of sessions but well worth the hour invested. I just had it running in the background while I worked through my pile on top of the filing cabinet tucked into the corner of the schoolroom; glancing at the screen once in a while to see the charts. An aside: I got a banker box sorted and put away while I watched it - woohoo!]

Shut the Box Addition Game

There is this really cool-looking game in an old Lakeshore Learning catalog called Shut the Box. The directions in the catalog say, "Roll the dice and count the number of dots rolled. Then, flip the numbered levers in any combination that equals the number rolled. The lowest final score wins. Grades 1+" I just made little number cards for us to flip over as we take our turns. Each player will get their own set of cards #1-12. You use 2 dice to play. Not as nice as the $17 game but it will be fun practice for some math facts. Plus, we won't use it long enough to justify buying the game anyway. When I did an image google search to find the link to the game I found quite a few different versions, including a computer version.

http://tinyurl.com/yflhbyf

http://decafbad.net/projects/shutbox

What's Cookin'?

- I roasted a chicken following this recipe I googled by Emiril. Well, I sort of followed the recipe. Imagine my surprise when I pulled the neck and giblets out of the cavity, lol. Here I must confess that I've never roasted a whole chicken before (I see you rolling your eyes!). Then I had to google about what to do with those. It took longer than the recipe said but I had to lower the temp. I added a bit of flour to the gravy and did it in a pan on the stove. I had no rosemary so I skipped that. Dh commented several times on how good it tasted. I served it with potatoes and peas. Dc commented on the mashed potatoes and put up with the peas (I love peas with mashed potatoes!). BTW, Dh beat me on the wishbone pull (see, I can admit defeat!).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe/index.html

- The bones are simmering for broth and there was just enough meat left over to make a casserole or skillet dinner or chicken spaghetti or... something. We tossed that in the freezer. Oh, about the innards: I ended up just boiling them and putting that in with the rest for the broth hoping to get some nutritional value from them. Dh snatched the gizzard and gulped it down. I told him how much I admired him - I know organs are healthy but I STILL have hangups about eating them. So, 2 meals for a family of five PLUS 2 batches of bone broth all for $4 is not bad at all. If I were brave enough to eat the organs it would have been even better.

-I need to make some cream of mushroom soup if I'm going to use the leftovers for chicken spaghetti. I try to make several batches to keep some handy in the freezer. If you watched the video I'm begging, yes begging, you to watch you'll see why I now make my own cream of- soups. It really doesn't take long at all and one little bit of mushrooms go a long way.

- I'll be getting the bread dough ready for the week using the artisan bread in 5 minutes recipe. Instead of 4 cups luke warm water like they say, I use 1/4 cup whey and 3-3/4 cups water. Then I let it soak overnight. Do you think that's enough whey for 7-1/2 cups flour (5-1/2 is wheat)? Last week I did the 3 loaves instead of 4 or 2 and it was perfect. Apparently my bread loaf pans are not 1 pounders. Right now I'm using a food-grade plastic bucket that I got from the local bakery to make/soak it because I don't have anything else big enough. This is waaay too big. I'll keep my eye out for something that will work better. Here is the master recipe, although I've been using a different version. I need to try this one some day.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

Guinea Pig Pads/Little House Unit continued

Well, this post is certainly keeping with the name of the blog. We finally finished getting the guinea pigs' permanent cage done with grids and coroplast. We switched to fleece/mattress pad bedding. We made two so we can change it out (but I'm seriously considering just making them disposible and making one a month). I read a lot about it and got the instructions on this site:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

I'm not completely sure this will work for us in the long run but it sure looks cool! Unfortunately, when I had the sign company trim the coroplast so that it would fit in the van it was too short for the size I had planned. We had to take out a square. It's really still too small for an ideal home but it's much better than how they had been living. I built a little kitchen/bathroom box out of extra coroplast that slides into the cage. Presumable this will be easy to clean and more hygienic. That proved to be too small once we got them in because Alfalfa wanted to hog the space and not let Skipper in. Change of plans: I got a dishpan and put that in instead. The size is great but there is a little too much space on the side and they can get behind it and push it around. Otherwise it's working better than the coroplast insert - mainly because Skipper had started chewing on the first insert plus the size is perfect for them both to fit at feeding time. I'd like to try a better fitting coroplast insert though.

Here are pictures of what we made:

~We're on week 3 and I can't believe that it doesn't stink! Yeah! We "poop scoop" the fleece area (usually) daily; refresh the "kitchen/bathroom" area daily (the dishpan); and change out the dishpan as needed. It still looks gross but not any worse than if it had the regular pine bedding in all of it. BTW, the bag of pine bedding says to freshen daily and change out GPigs' bedding once a month! It seems too long but here we are on week three for the fleece/mattress bedding. It seems that we've been changing out the dishpan at least twice weekly with daily freshening. The fleece really does keep the surface dry and it doesn't move around when they play tag like I thought it might.

~ I started giving them diatomaceous earth for parasites.... just in case. It's ironic that I would have these animals in the house (along the kitchen wall, no less!!) with my germ fanaticism. I've had issues with parasites in my own health (we all have them, but the ones held in check by my immune system had a great party while it was busy with Lyme) plus they gross me out, like, totally :).

Little House in the Big Woods:

~ We're done reading the book but not done with our lapbook/projects. Now we're reading the next book in the series: Little House on the Prairie. Maybe by the time we're done with the last book we'll finish our unit for the first book! Anyway, last night youngest dd and I made Molasses Candy using a recipe I found at cooks.com. I don't think it's the exact recipe from the book but it worked fine. I do NOT have a sweet tooth. Give me chips over cake anytime (unless it's chocolate cake!). I have to say, though, that this candy was so good that I had seconds and thirds - teeny tiny pieces, but still... It reminded me of the "Black Cow" candy I had as a kid. It was a mix of Black Cow and "leche de burra," a candy dh loves from El Salvador. Here is the link and a picture before I individually wrapped tiny pieces in cellophane. This batch should last all year since I cut the pieces so small. Enjoy; just make sure you suck it and not chew it!!


http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,167,147169-236204,00.html

(I didn't choose a pull candy on purpose to try to stay close to the story line)

What's Cookin'?

- I cooked a veggie mix of broccoli/cauliflower/carrot in plenty butter and palm oil shortening with spices. Then I added cooked ground meat and cooked rice. When it was hot through I poured milk in to make the gravy. Since I couldn't think of a name I didn't link it to Real Food Weds. While that was simmering dd and I made the candy.

- My batch of yogurt worked again, yeah! I used the freshest milk instead of waiting to see if we had enough. It was very watery so I drained it just enough to be thick but not getting toward cream cheese. I also got a good amount of whey to use for soaking, adding to dd's almond milk (just a few drops), and drinking for my immune system.

- Usually if I have leftover oatmeal from breakfast we'll make scrapple with at a later time. I cook dallops in butter until it's lightly browned. The dc love it. Well, today is Real Food Wednesday at Kelly's blog. I found this recipe that I'll be trying next time I have leftover oatmeal - I'll plan on making extra!

http://nourishyourchildren.com/blog/2010/01/soaked-oat-breakfast-2-for-1/

- I browned 2 pounds of ground beef and got the following meals from it: the skillet meal described above; oldest dd made hamburger pizza; spaghetti (and we're having leftovers tonight so I guess that counts for 2 meals); and sloppy joes using Kelly's recipe here with a few changes served on homemade rolls [I used a can of tomato sauce instead of ketchup because we were out, was out of onion/pepper so used powdered onion, added powdered garlic].

http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/12/organic-sloppy-joes.html

Guess I'll go stick the sketty leftovers in the oven and work on my "zone" for 10 minutes, which happens to be the schoolroom this week. I love quick dinners :)

Goodbye Board Books!

Well, I knew the day would come some day. This week, while cleaning up her room (basically she does a "ten minute tidy" to make sure the floor is picked up and then she moves to her cubbies to organize/clean if there's more time left) youngest dd brought me the cloth drawer full of board books that she hadn't wanted to get rid of before. She would use a few for her dolls but really she didn't even do that.

I went through them after she went to bed thinking it would be traumatic but then realized that it was only traumatic for ME :). As I looked through titles seeing which I wanted to keep for any possible future grandkids I realized that I really didn't need to keep a single one. Wow, what a release! I bagged them up and took them to the used book store. They didn't take many (just enough to get a few new books), but now dd has a Larry Boy chapter book that had her giggling during rest time AND more space in her cubbies - for which she already has plans.

What's Cookin'?

- Chicken broth is in the crockpot.

- Last night we ate leftover baked potatoes and homemade chicken soup with elbow macaroni and corn in it. I love having bone broth going in the crockpot because I can just scoop some out and make a quick meal/snack, add water, and keep it going. BTW, Dh's soup was a can of Campbells (his choice)! Not a gourmet meal but nourishing and dc said it was delicious. They're so encouraging! I knew they were going to have treats out later that evening so I just wanted simple and healthy.

- Today I'm going to slice up and dehydrate some mangoes if they can last long enough to make it in the dehydrator. That way they'll have some for lunch boxes without having such messy hands.

- Nothing else really exciting. I'm going to defrost a flank steak that was gifted to us but I'm not really sure what to do with it...

Gardening

~Well, it's getting to be that time again. Last year was a real experiment for me. I learned a few things that hopefully I'll remember this time around. I had to undo my little garden patch and am in the process of building raised beds. I only finished 2 small ones (previous post has pics) but hopefully after tax time I can get the other 2 done. Unfortunately by then it may be too late to plant what I want in them. One has the walking onion; the other has the strawberries. We'll add to those beds.

~This week I got a variety of seeds and some seed potatoes. I want to get my potatoes in my container today. I cut 2 up last night to plant today but the other ones I'll leave whole and see which do better. This morning I'm researching potato planting (again).

~This weekend I want to go ahead and spread some molasses and corn gluten meal on *my* side of the front yard... Yes, once again the competition is on as to which of us can keep a better yard in the front. My area is beside the driveway and his is the rest of the yard. My side is organic; his side is... not.

~Last night I started going through my gardening notebook where I keep notes from different gardening books. I have notes about companion gardening in there. Last spring I made a bunch of little cards with the plant names on them and the dc arranged the plant placement on paper as we read through which go together and which don't. We did that today for this year and it REALLY helped to make things a bit clearer for me. When we were done I glued the papers on. That will be my blueprint for this year's gardens. I'm posting a picture below. On one page are the raised beds. On the other are flower beds that run behind the house in which I plant edibles interspersed with the ornamentals (Dh puts up with it - he's such a good sport!!) as well as containers that I'm using around the small back patio.

College Readiness Standards

This is a totally selfish post because I don't want to loose this url! If you download the document it has the standards. If you scroll down the standards you will find the standards with "performance indicators" that give a better idea of how the standards can be implemented.

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=EADF962E-0E3E-DA80-BAAD2496062F3CD8

I am printing the appendix with the performance indicators to keep as a reference. No matter your curriculum choice, nor your type of schooling (home, private, public), I think this is good info. I've only taught 2 courses to juniors and seniors in college so I didn't see entering freshmen. However, dh has taught the gammut in college and it really is sad to see students unprepared for college - not only in subject matter but also in areas of critical thinking, analysis, writing skills, *responsibility* and just plain umph.

Here are some more resources:

http://www.act.org/standard/infoserv.html
(use left tool bar to see standards that they test for in the ACT)

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/k-12/standards
(I need to update my adobe so I couldn't view it but it looks good!)

http://www.hecb.wa.gov/collegeprep/CollegeReadinessProject.asp

http://tinyurl.com/yzsmx9x

If you google college readiness standards you will get tons of standards. If you add your state to the search you should find more specific standards to your state. I would think that they would generally be comparable since college bound kiddos could go anywhere.

Homeschool Connections

There is a really exciting resource for highschool courses called Homeschool Connections. Dual credit at your local college would also make a smooth transition and something we will be looking into as time gets closer.

http://homeschoolconnectionsonline.com/

[UPDATE: Here's another link worth exploring. I haven't spent time on it yet but it looks promising.
http://academicearth.org/ ]

What's Cookin'?

I've had several fiascos in the last few days.

-My attempt to "nixtamalize" corn meal at home and make corn tortillas to THEN make corn chips where a flop. I miss corn tortillas and corn chips!! I followed Ann Marie's directions at Cheeseslave adjusted to corn meal. However, the masa was too wet so I drained it a bit longer. But it was very sticky so really didn't work well. Finally I went the opposite direction and added water to make it pancake batter consistency. Those were the only 2 that came out like tortillas! I'm trying to remember if the tortillas back in El Salvador had lard mixed in with the masa. I should look into that and maybe add something? We make flour tortillas all the time and they have lard. Hmmm. Well, since my plan was to use them to make chips anyway I guess it won't matter. As I'm typing I'm frying some smoked bacon tips I got Sunday (uncured). I had great plans for them but the days are slipping by and I don't want them to go to waste so I just dumped them in a pan to cook them. I'll fry the corn chips in that so maybe I'll have feedback before this post is posted :). [Dc liked them and I thought they were good after all! Now to see if I react...]

- My yogurt flopped also. I ended up making cheese!! Very sour cheese, lol, so I added a bunch of sea salt and left it draining in the fridge. Still not palatable. I'll try again tonight with fresher milk.

- My bread even flopped! I guess I just wasn't paying attention and didn't cook it enough. It was raw in the middle - that's NEVER happened before. Sure, I've overcooked lots of bread but never undercooked it! Since it's wheat it *looked* done and was starting to pull from the edges but was a bigger loaf and not ready.

- On the other hand I made some baby back ribs with homemade BBQ sauce with some rolls that were good. :)

Coffee Creamer

Let me preface this by admitting that coffee creamer is the one thing I have not even looked at changing yet. I know, it's full of trans fats and...other yucky things. I've made a lot of changes and this is the one major trans fat that I haven't made a move to let go yet. I don't use regular milk/cream because it upsets my stomach. I used to think I had lactose intolerance but actually raw milk doesn't bother me at all. But, I frankly don't like it in my coffee. Real cream, I mean REAL cream, clumps a bit (although I thought it was so cool in a Europe trip eons ago) and it isn't s-m-o-o-t-h and creamy; plus it is expensive. Yes, I like non-dairy coffee creamer.

This morning I was blissfully ignoring the ingredients in my new brand (Community) and enjoying a cup of coffee after the wonderful breakfast dc made for us (they were so cute and had it all planned out the night before). As we're sitting there dh, of all people (!), was looking at the ingredients and said in a quizzical voice, "Titanium dioxide?" "ACH! You're kidding me???" was my response as my head hit the table and I groaned. When I ventured to look up he said, "You've heard about this?" At this point my voice got a little shrill and I told him that I had even blogged about it, it was poison, not the same as the titanium used for implants and I couldn't believe I was drinking it several times a day! I think I blacked out at that point, lol, and the dc were snickering.

So, here I sit with my plain green tea; a dreamer for creamer.

So what's one to do???

I WISH I simply used liquid coffemate flavored creamers, specifically french vanilla. Why? Because here is the ultimate recipe for a replacement:

http://www.modernbeet.com/archives/120

So simple!

Give it a go and let me know how it goes :).

I tried this dried buttermilk but it tasted awful:

http://www.sacofoods.com/culteredbuttermilkblend.html

I don't want non-fat powdered milk.

I don't want sweetened condensed milk.

I don't want hydrogenated soy oil (or any hydrogenated oil or any type of soy oil).

I don't want corn syrup solids.

I don't want unpronouncables.

I don't even need flavored or sweetened (I just use one drop of stevia per cup)

I just want a decent-tasting creamy cup of coffee.

Here is a non-dairy coconut-mocha creamer:

http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/recipe_Non-Dairy_Coconut-Mocha_Coffee_Creamer.htm

I wonder how this would taste?
http://www.enerhealthbotanicals.com/Coconut-Milk-Powder-p/cp.htm

These are not coffee but may be coffee substitutes for a nice warm drink - sort of like warm eggnogs:

http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/01/nourishing-vanilla-steamers-like-crme-brule-in-a-glass.html

(since I don't get fresh eggs right now, just conventional, I would not add the egg, same for the recipe below)

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/winter-comfort-warm-vanilla-soother

(I like the idea of arrowroot for a thickener. Anything wrong with arrowroot other than carbs?)

Basically, I'm going to have to try straight cream again. The problem with me having cream in the house, I mean real cream, is that it finds its way into everything and I'm sure a pint won't even last a week. Mmm. I love real thick cream on my eggs, in my soup, on my beans, by the spoon, you name it!

Slavery Mini-Unit for olders

I decided to make a more literature-based mini-unit for slavery instead of a full unit/lapbook. Basically with lots of reading of nonfiction and historical fiction and oral discussion. However, when you look at my "mini-unit" it may look more like a "unit," lol - I just can't help it!

These are the resources that I used to compile our independent study unit. The actual paper I'll give to the older dc are uploaded in googledocs with the link posted below.

- In the Hands of a Child lapbook unit. I had already bought and printed this unit (forever and a day ago!) so I didn't want it to go to waste. It's actually very helpful even though we're not going to lapbook it because a lot of the necessary info is in there in a clear and concise way. If you haven't tried any of their products yet, look at their quarterly freebie. I especially love the range of age-appropriateness for their products.

http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/Slavery-in-North-America-Project-Pack-P420.aspx

- Okay, I cannot say enough good things about Dinah Zike books. I used this to quickly get some key names/concepts that I listed and used those to make the charts included in the doc. BTW, for some weird reason the bottom line of the last chart got cut off but shouldn't matter since it would be trimmed there anyway. The first link has the same cover as mine and the second book is (my guess) probably the same book only a newer version.

http://www.homeschoolfcgs.com/product_info.php/cPath/5/products_id/928190?osCsid=1m7b2ia55g7g58jkpm3o83cir4

http://www.tobinslab.com/product/DZ-BBSO

- The rest will come from our local library/home library. If I come across some outstanding books I'll try to post them. One book we read last semester was Amistad Rising and it was excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Amistad-Rising-Freedom-Veronica-Chambers/dp/0152018034

Here is the link to our mini-unit.

http://tinyurl.com/ylqm2uw

What's Cookin'?

- Black beans are in the crockpot. I soaked them overnight in water and lemon juice to neutralize the aflatoxin. This morning (late because I kept doing other things) I rinsed a few times, filled the crockpot with water and added salt, onion powder (I went to pull an onion but they looked so pathetic from our recent freezes that I left them alone), garlic powder, and 2 chunks of ham. I still get excited because I can eat beans again :). Too bad I can only eat them at home though - better than nothing.

- Yesterday oldest dd made tortillas from the dough I had prepared the day before. Now we'll be set for bean and beef burritos tonight for dinner (the cooked ground beef is in the freezer)

- I made coconut bark yesterday so I have been munching on that. Day 3 and I've hardly thought at all about Coke other than to realize that I haven't been craving it like I thought I would. I wouldn't mind one right now though! When my adrenals slump this afternoon and I'm out I might cave in (sigh).

Speaking of Coke (and thus sugar!)... I'm watching this video right now; well, I watched 20 minutes yesterday and haven't gotten back to it yet but hope to watch a bit more after lunch or this evening. We already avoid high fructose corn syrup as much as possible (except dh) but I'm assuming it'll get into the evils of high amounts of any sugar for our health.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Will you take the challenge and watch it??? It's called Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Regrouping

I meant this title regarding youngest dd's math (as in: dynamic addition) but it actually applies to most areas of my life right now as well, lol. Here is a definition for "regrouping" that I found online: "reorganize: organize anew, as after a setback."(wordnetweb.princeton.edu)

~I have to admit that I enjoyed the junk food this holiday season (even if it made me feel yuck and affected my overall healing/health!) but it is time to chunk it all - or at least most of it.

~It's also time to refocus on lesson plans; although with their enrichment classes I'm only left with math, reading, grammar and spelling. Regardless, we still do history and montessori shelf work because we can't let it go. I have had a hard time letting go of the bulk of teaching but at the same time I love every curriculum choice that the enrichment programs have made.

~It's time to regroup in my spiritual life as well and get back on track. As I pray for a renewal in our country I include myself!

~Our schedule needs some definite tweaking to include the dreaded maintenance of the progress made during the holidays regarding the home. I still have a lot of decluttering/organizing to do.

~I also need to regroup our food choices and prep time.

Gee, have I left anything out?? Now on to regrouping in Math!

Regrouping (Dynamic Addition)

Youngest dd transitioned into abstraction with regrouping (exchanging) in addition very smoothly. I started her out playing Race for a Flat (directions are in a previous post). The next day we did some problems on a little chalk board using the Base 10 Blocks. I used colored chalk to write the numbers so they would correlate with montessori place value colors but not necessary, I guess. Near the end I mixed in some problems with no regrouping and did a few that went into the hundreds place (but only exchanged in the ones place). Today I gave her the practice page from her regular curriculum that had a couple of dynamic addition problems mixed in with everything else. She did fine and later did the quiz smoothly. By the way, I passed over the lessons in her math curr teaching regrouping and did the above instead.

I need to go through the cards that I have out on the shelves to make sure they fit her level and that there are some dynamic in there.

Next related concept: Exchanging in the tens extension

Next materials related to this concept: Dot Game; Stamp Game

Materials not related to this concept that she's familiar with but I want to revisit and move forward with other concepts/materials: Hundreds Board; 100 and 1000 Chains

What's Cookin'?

-The dehydrator is busy right now with almonds, peanuts, almond mush for flour, and breakfast cereal.

-I getting ready to make up the batch of bread dough for the week but I need to remember to use it for 3 loaves instead of 4. In the meantime I'm really going to enjoy eating avocado on my special treat of sprouted 7-grain bread from Sprouts today for lunch. It was the only one on sale (either sprouted or organics) that I could eat - sheesh.

-More than cooking today I need to: clean out the fridge; organize the freezers (I am sooo thankful for the overflow freezer and can't wait to make good use of it!); make a menu, which is more a list of meals than daily plans; and organize the cupboard in the kitchen/overflow shelf in the garage.

-Later in the week I'll make granola bars and almond crackers for lunches. I'm going to try using parmesan cheese in the crackers this time.

Feliz Dia de los Reyes

Happy Three Kings Day!

Today we had "crown cake" for breakfast and opened Christmas stockings before Dh went to work this morning. I have to admit: getting up at 5:00 to pop it in the oven wasn't easy! At least that was all that I had to do since I had made it the night before. The dc got up about 6:00, eager and ready. I followed the recipe I posted a link to previously for sourdough monkey bread and it was fantastic.

Here it is as it came out of the oven:

Here it is flipped on the plate. No icing was necessary. Oldest dd got the almond and got a little box of animal toys (that was on sale for $1 at Tractor Supply, yeah!).

So, now Christmas is boxed up, furniture is moved back, the tree is on the porch, and eventually I'll crawl out of this sugar crash.

What's Cookin'?

Last night I once again tried to squeeze in some nutritious food amongst the chaos and once again resorted to chicken noodle soup. The dc love it, which thrills me, and we actually ran out. I simply poured the broth in the pot (straight from the crockpot because I hadn't yet strained/jarred it), added some diced sweet potatoes (about 1/2 sweet potato), and cooked for about 10-15 minutes. Then I added the noodles and cooked for another 10 minutes. It was delicious and satisfying. We ate some pita crackers on the side (from Archer Farms with only flour, oil, and salt - the oil is either sunflower or safflower and NOT hydrogenated).

Tonight we'll have spaghetti and I'll have the sauce on the spaghetti squash. I will do it like last time and serve some of the sketty squash with butter as a side for everyone else.

I had such a hard time finding the organic candy canes this year that I got extra. It's the only kind that I've seen withOUT the dyes. Anyway, now I need to decide how to keep them until next December. I think freezing will be the best way, but let me know if you have any other ideas. I was so glad that I took a box to my in-laws over Christmas. I mixed them in with hers and the dc would just make sure to grab ours when they took one.

Place Value Math Game and More Christmas Cookies

This week I played one of my all-time favorite math games with youngest dd. It teaches/reinforces place value and best of all: it teaches and reinforces regrouping/exchanging. It prepares them for dynamic addition and helps the transition seem seamless. It's called Race for a Flat. I use Base Ten Blocks but you could use Golden Beads as well. I use a quickly sketched place value chart for each player but you could use a fancy laminated one :). Other than that you just need one die (or one per player). It works best with 2-3 players. In the classroom if the groups had 4 or more children it took longer and seemed tedious for them to wait for their turn. Since I emphasize them taking their time, counting, and watching each other during their turn as well it gets too long for some with 4+ players. On the other hand, we could play it in our family of 5 a little faster after youngest dd has played it slowly a few times. I've used it with first graders through 4th graders - so far all have enjoyed it.

Race for a Flat

Materials:

- Base Ten Blocks

- Place value chart (one per player)

- Die

Instructions:

1) Roll die. Put that amount of ones (units) in the ones place. You only add ones each time you roll. Go to next player (one roll per player).

2) If, after you put the ones, you have 10 or more units in the ones place then exchange it for a ten and put the ten in the tens place.

3) The first player to exchange their tens for a hundred (a flat) wins.

More Christmas Cookies:

Here are some pictures of youngest dd's Christmas cookies. She was actually pretending that different dolls (which have different personalities) decorated different cookies so keep that in mind when you see the one-eyed gingerbread boy and such .

I experimented with *trying* to make some colored icing using things I had in the kitchen. Dd got a kick out of it and was very encouraging. Elderberry actually made a nice purple color. We used beets and blueberries as well. When I used beet water it turned sort of brown and didn't emulsify very well (left one in first picture). When I just smooshed softened beets straight into the icing (and scooped them back out) it turned a very pretty dark pink and didn't loose any texture (right in first picture).

What's Cookin'?

- I need to make a new batch of the bread in 5 minutes a day so it will be ready for our Monkey Bread on Wednesday (Dia de los Reyes).

- I need to cook a spaghetti squash. I can't decide between pesto or sketty sauce for this.

- My mom gave me a couple of Weight Watchers cook books for Christmas. I made the chicken and dumplings recipe the other day and it was so delicious. The upside down veggie pizza last night, on the other hand, barely made the grade. Next time I will NOT cook it on the lowest rack as they said and I won't use the yogurt dough for that particular recipe.