Winter Picture Books on Sale at Amazon!

What's Schoolin'?

Here are some deals currently on Amazon.  I just love picture books!  I don't think children ever get too old for picture books! [Actually, I just checked out several picture books for our study of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales! :) ].  Enjoy!

20th Anniversary Edition of The Mitten by J. Brett; this hardcover is 38% off:
 


Snowmen at Night (Hardcover) is 32% off:



 Over and Under the Snow (hardcover) is 32% off:



 The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder (hardcover) is 32% off:



 Snowflakes in Photographs is 21% off:



 Snow (hardcover) by Cynthia Rylant is 32% off (I haven't read this book in particular but I love C. Rylant books and use them in my writing classes - even with older students!):






Any referral fees generated from affiliate links help to support our homeschool.

Letting Go... of Books

What's Cookin'?

Here is a great tutorial for homemade mozzarella from Cultures of Health.
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/30-minute-mozzarella-cheese-recipe

What's Schoolin'?

Does it sound totally ridiculous that I actually got teary-eyed when I first pulled out all of my picture books to sort through into keep/sell piles?  It hit me that I can easily say how my in-laws need to down-size and let go of what impedes their current needs, yet I hold tightly to something as insignificant in the scheme of salvation as some picture books!  So, yes, I got a little teary-eyed, gave myself a mental shake and what-for, and set to the task.

Here is a picture of the contents of 1 of the 2 shelves I sorted (and my ubiquitous coffee mug - adrenal crutch!).  Somehow the "keep" pile keeps getting higher and higher!

I feel like I'm letting go of a professional stage and past, but don't really have a new 'professional' stage or niche to fall into at this point in life (but I need one!).  I'm not sure whether to stay where my old strength was or to branch out into the new.  Work with building elementary curricula and support materials; or move into high school curricula/support... or even something out of my 'professional profession' (I like making up words and phrases!) - something really new like physical items to sell or the real food movement... I'm sort of like a meandering teenager who is not sure what to do with his/her life... but needs to do something.  Anyway, enough of the philosophical ramblings :).

What's Going:
Amelia Bedelia, Berenstein Bears, Clifford, easy readers, easy chapter books, even a Jan Brett book (!), seasonal books, etc, etc.  I culled over 100 books!!

What's Staying:
All of my Spanish picture books, anything that had an inscription or was a gift to one of the children, books I use for writing workshop lessons or personal narrative lessons, books that I remember specifically reading with the girls when they were little, books with topics youngest has yet to really delve into (like more complicated picture books for any of the habitats/biomes or the Magic School Bus Earth Science ones), books that I used for really cool lessons, and copies of books that I had when I was a little girl (not the actual books, just the same titles).  It could use another culling... 

How would you cull out your picture books?  Do you dare?  Are you ready?  I wasn't ready, but I dared, and now I'm glad I did :).

Here is a picture of somewhat sorted piles:

Top 12 Montessori Posts in 2012

Being an eclectic living blog, not every post is about school.  Of those about school, not every post is about Montessori... or are they??  Just how DOES Montessori look for a mixed aged group of 11, 15 (almost 16!), and 17 year olds??

Even what looks like regular curriculum has a Montessori aspect in our school: our daughters are involved in the choices and are actively engaged in directing their learning.  Right now, middle dd is in a sensitive period for driver's ed (seriously, she's excited about it right now, but just like other things, if we let this time slide by without meeting her readiness then her willingness and excitement will be gone)... time goes by waaay too quickly!  I still remember her enthusiasm for the bead bar works (sigh).

Another high school example: we are headed back to Teaching Textbooks for the rest of Algebra 1 because we tried Life of Fred and it is not a match for dd.  So, on the surface it looks like just a curriculum choice.  The Montessori slant is that dd was very involved in that decision as we explored and defined her learning style and needs.  No, I'm not thrilled to be buying back the same set that I just sold several months ago to get the new curriculum (Life of Fred) that didn't work out; however, it's just what we need to do to have dd's prepared environment for Math right now.

That said, these are the most popular posts that have a definite Montessori focus :).  Enjoy!

Hands down the most popular Montessori post was this one in which I shared my 3-Part Card Template.  What wonderful works have you all made with these?

3-Part Card Template:

Prime Numbers:

Antartica:





Detective Adjective Game:

Adjective Extensions: 

Fractions:





Montessori Globes:

Regions of Texas:

Binomial and Trinomial video links:





Plate Tectonics:

General Geography Works:

Violin 3-Part Cards: 

Any referral fees from affiliate links help to support our homeschool.  Thanks for clicking!

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

What's Schoolin'?



Here are sample files for The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle.

Spider Lapbooking Booklets ($2):
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzY-sfWD2RgpNnJudXdIb3JIN28

Sequencing 3-Part Cards ($3):
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzY-sfWD2RgpMHdZclpmUmxfTjQ

Parts of a Spider 3-Part Cards ($2):
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzY-sfWD2RgpU1puMjdhX2VWVG8




Any referral fees generated by affiliate links help to support our homeschool.  Thanks for clicking!

Lit-Mont Learning Resources Sample Files

What's Schoolin'?

Here are 2 sample files from my humble little online shop Lit-Mont Learning Resources...

The concept is to merge Montessori-style 3-Part Cards with children's literature.  I absolutely love literature. I absolutely love Montessori.  Why not combine the two??  This concept can work in regular classrooms to support literature even if it is not a Montessori environment.  This concept can expand an existing Montessori environment to support literature.  Either teaching style/learning environment wins!

I've waited and waited (4 years!) for "perfection" before offering any of these files for sale.  Meanwhile, children are getting older and outgrowing the phase in which they would benefit.  So, setting my perfection aside, I'm going to try to figure out some way to get them online so children in home, public, and private schools can enjoy using these support materials.

This file is for sequence cards that go along with Mercer Mayer's Just Me and My Dad.  Cost is $3 and can be payed via Paypal using the donation button at the top of the sidebar.  Once paid I will send you the pdf file without the 'sample' watermark.  If you need it sent to an e-mail other than the one that shows up in paypal, you can put it in the paypal comments or e-mail me.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzY-sfWD2RgpQkEtcVpaUEtSVlU

This really simple file is for Parts of a Tree.  The cost is only $1 (mainly because I'm not happy with some of the shading)!
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzY-sfWD2RgpSTBqUENPYlh4UTA

If there is enough interest I would LOVE to make more of these and it would be worth my clipart subscription to know that people are enjoying these materials.  My children had already outgrown this phase when I started making them :( but with over 20 years teaching experience and Reading background I feel confident that these will add to any learning environment.

I also have files for some other Mercer Mayer books and several Eric Carle books.



Any referral fees generated by affiliate links help to support our homeschool.  Thanks for clicking!

Bath Time!

[For the goat, that is!]

Boy, this would fit right in with Erdkinder, I think :).  The older girls were giving oldest dd's 4-H goat a bath a while back.  He is so tame (usually!) and takes it much better than our big dog does.  We'll see how he does at showtime.  I just had to share these pictures :).


I haven't decided how this will fit in on her transcript; probably animal science.  She spends about 2 hours every day taking care of the goat (feeding, walking - yes, down the street! - trimming his hooves, brushing, drenching with dewormer medicine, and of course: bathing).  That doesn't even include shopping for feed, researching and learning about goats, workshops, etc.  She also keeps records, measures him, keeps track of expenses, and photographs him.  She will most likely submit her annual 4-H Record Book in the Goat category this year.  It would take less time if he didn't have emotional issues and only eats with her standing next to him!  She can't just feed him and leave.  She has to feed him and keep him company while he eats.  He gets upset if he doesn't get his way and paws at her to take him for walks (he use to jiggle the collar hanging from the gate but now she puts it on him as soon as she gets in so he found another way to ask).

He likes hanging out in the pasture with the dogs while the children are playing volleyball or playing with the dogs.  He jumps and runs and forages.  He has to stay on a leash held by dd, though, because he's a jumper and can get over the 4 ft fence (you know, the grass is always greener...).  She can't even leash him to a post to play volleyball because he goes nuts to get next to her and can hurt himself.  So... she has to have him next to her while she plays volleyball!  He doesn't mind the dogs, even when the little one tries to get him to play with her.

Gottatries

Before getting to the Gottatries, take a peek at this great video explaining safety in cosmetics.  It also has a nice list of the baddies with simple explanations.  It's so nice to have all of this in one place!
http://realfoodforager.com/your-skin-is-a-window-to-your-health-dont-douse-it-with-toxic-chemicals/

Here are some ideas for (literally) clean tooth care options (I was already planning on trying the Redmond's Earthpaste so was glad to see positive feedback for it - I have the wintergreen in my wishlist 'cart'):
http://www.actualorganics.com/how-to-look-after-your-teeth-and-gums-naturally/

Crispy potato wedges:
http://vedgedout.com/2012/12/14/truck-stop-jo-jo-potatoes-with-vegan-ranch-dressing/

Poached pears with molasses [update: tried this and everyone liked it!]
http://www.fresh4five.com/2012/12/poached-pears-in-pomegranate-molasses/

Molasses Gingerbread:
http://naturalandfree.blogspot.com/2012/12/12-days-of-christmas-goodies-grannys.html

New Year's Day recipe of black-eyed peas and sweet potato and greens patties:
http://nourishedkitchen.com/black-eyed-pea-cakes/

Fermented cranberry sauce (fresh cranberries; pecans; 1/2 C apple juice; honey; whey; juice of an orange and  lemon; raisings):
http://ohlardy.com/fermented-cranberry-sauce

Baked Pasta casserole (pasta, ricotta, tomato sauce, cheese):
http://realfoodrealdeals.com/2012/12/24/baked-pasta-casserole/

Homemade Ricotta:
http://realfoodrealdeals.com/2012/12/04/homemade-ricotta-cheese/

The chocolate/cheese 'frosting' here looks fantastic:
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/chocolate-cheesecake-chocolate-cake.html

Cream cheese danish:
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/cream-cheese-danish.html

Crescent rolls:
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/homemade-crescents.html

Crockpot Molten Lava Cake [Youngest dd had mentioned a lava cake for her birthday - we may give this a try soon!]:
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/crockpot-molten-lava-cake.html

Bagels (these are chocolate chip but can be plain):
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/chocolate-chip-bagels.html

Gardening:

Interesting blog post:
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/how-much-land-is-needed-to-be-self-sufficient

Books to check out from the library:
How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons for info on biointensive mini-farming.  Our library has it checked in (for now!).

The Backyard Homestead.  I've had this checked out before but didn't give it a good read... Time to revisit it.  There is one for farm animals also.

Letting Go... of Materials

What's Schoolin'?

Youngest went through our Math/Language shelves yesterday to see what she has outgrown and we don't need anymore.  I also went through our Montessori storage boxes.  Wow... she's close to reaching the end of what I have for her regarding manipulatives in Math.  The Language materials now only take up a little bit of space.  I actually emptied and folded up the bank boxes I use for storage for both Math and Language so now we only have what's out on the shelves for those subjects.  The few things left to do with the olders I put out on my teacher shelf (sentence analysis things).

It seems silly to be emotionally attached to teaching materials, but some of them were much harder than others to sell, lol!  The hardest for me to let go were the small wooden number cards, the teddy bear counters (oh, my sweet dc had SO much fun with those through the years, and my classroom kids before them), the relational geosolids (they filled them with rice and especially our youngest spent hours with these when she was little), and the moveable alphabet (mine was plastic) (although they didn't use these much I thought they were just so cool :) ).

I just asked asked my 17-yr-old if she would like to play with the teddy bear counters before I packed them up :).  She just smiled but she agrees that it's not just about the object but about my memories of them with the objects.  I always had it in the back of my mind that I would go back to work once the youngest was grown and we were done homeschooling.  That was another reason to keep them.  I spent a lot of personal money through my teaching career on classroom materials and books.  However, I have to be realistic and acknowledge that my health may not ever be optimal enough for such a long and grueling day to teach again. However, said I, I may teach part time or university courses again where these materials can be used with children or to show future teachers some great teaching practices.  Well, reality is something else.  Right now we need to declutter and buy other teaching materials (like buying back a copy of Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 which I sold to get Life of Fred Beginning Algebra which is not working so dd wants to go back to TT and I agree - LOF is not a match for us ~ sigh).

What's still on our shelves in Language [We are reviewing the R and D manual of Language Arts 1 because we had such a gap with last year's move and I wanted to redo before moving on.  It's actually been a good thing because the review presentations go pretty fast and I can see her advanced cognitive development from when we started it so long ago.]:


- Parts of speech 3-D shapes (I made these with air-drying clay a billion years ago)
- Little plastic 2-drawer organizer to be rotating the cards from the manual presentations
- Spelling Power Task Cards (they never use it but none of my children ever want me to sell it!)
- Tackle box with our Farm environment for labeling
- Language books like Cache of Jewels and other books by Ruth Heller
- Parts of speech cards for labeling sentences
- Little cut-up sentences for them to put in order and label with the cards (then copy in notebook and draw symbols above the words)
- Thesauruses and a dictionary (although I keep the 2 bigger dictionaries on another shelf)

I'll be putting out some ancient Spanish lotto and rhyming cards I found in our storage box and some American Sign Language cards .  I re-discovered our Learnables Book 1 in the shelf that she never chooses but she wants to do it now so I've pulled it out for her and it's on the school table.  The olders are going through Clase Divertida Level 3 and she sits in on it so she's jazzed about Spanish right now.

I've decided that (sniff) my children are growing up, we need other materials, and if I need any of this professionally again I will remake, rebuy, or make do without. [Audible sigh] I am letting go...

Here are some links to some of what I mentioned:





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