Let Them Help YOU!

Who really wants to just get thier projects done without happy little interferences from sticky little fingers?
Who, you?
Me?
Well, of course.
It is so much faster and more efficient if we just do it ourselves.

Or is it????

I tend toward the independent, just get it done way of doing things...
but this old dog is learning some new tricks.
Boy am I glad I am!

We had a Ladies Tea at church Monday evening.
Mrs. Rabe and I worked together to host it...
she more than I.

Anyway, I, being the idiot that I am said that I
would make sausage balls and fudge. I guess that it
didn't occur to me that we would be spending a large portion
of the day at the church decorating and that I would have a
last minute inspiration to get a pretty tree and decorate it.

Let me tell you that my daughter came to my rescue that day.
The beautiful thing was that she didn't know that I was out
of energy...she just wanted to make the sausage balls and the
fudge because she enjoys these things. She has been doing more
cooking and baking this year and is getting quite good at it.

So...if I stop and think about it...all of those very messy
times when I gritted my teeth and let her "help" were very
well worth it and there was a payoff on Monday as I snuggled
in my bed for a 15 minute nap while she stood in the kitchen
and made tiny little matching sausage cheddar balls.

Want the recipe?
From Cyndi Allison on the Suite101.com site.

2 cups Bisquick
1 pound sausage
10 oz. pack of shredded cheese (or just shred your own from a block of cheddar)
Directions:

Put everything in the bowl and mix. This is easiest to do with your hands though it feels pretty gross at this stage.

Roll the mixture into balls, a little smaller than golf balls.
(We make ours smaller)

Place the sausage balls on a cookie sheet (We put ours in a cake pan...no grease drips in the oven).

Bake at 350 degress F for about 20 minutes. The Bisquick balls should be lightly browned wtih the meat cooked through.

YUMMY!

Anyway, what I learned from this was that it was worthwhile to let those little hands "help" even before they were really capable.
So, grit your teeth and invite them to help you cook, clean,
fold the laundry...one day it will be done the way you wanted,
or even better!

Smiles...
Becky K.

Recommended Video..Madame Curie

We watched this in two sittings due
to our crazy schedule and needing to
do more than just science in the morning...

But let me tell you that this is a very
well done video about Madame Curie.

I recommend it for your middle to high
schoolers, primarily.

While it was made in 1943 and is in
black and white...it should not be
ignored for those two facts. You'll
have to look long and hard to find anything
of this quality and interest in a biography
of this woman's incredible life.

I don't know where to tell you to find it
except Netflix, which is where we rented
it. It is also where I got the above photo.
Giving credit where credit is due...

If you do use this video, I would love to
hear what you think of it.

Becky K.

Home Ec

My home needed attention.

In my mind I was formulating a
list of things that needed to be
accomplished.

I wondered...would my kids know
what daily activities should be
done to keep a home? I am sure
that Chelsea would but what about
the boys?

So...this morning's schoolwork became
primarily about the responsibilities
of housekeeping and maintenance.

We made a list.

Each child with their own notebook.

We took a day...from the beginning...
and broke it down into steps that should
be taken daily in every well cared for home.

We moved on to the regular things that, while
not necessary on a daily basis, need to be done
regularly or the home will not function, smell
or look well.

Our list grew to cover nearly two pages.

There were items such as the obvious:
Vacuuming, mopping floors...to the weeding
and mowing out of doors.

Soon, I had three helpers folding a completed
load of laundry in front of me.

Imagine their chagrin as I told them how to
"properly" fold a bath towel. Huh????

I guess we need a bit more practice on that
one.

Finally, I wrote three assignments each on
separate slips of paper. I had each of them
pull three. Then complete the tasks assigned.

This was good because while the all have chores,
those things are what they are accustomed to doing.
It has been simple to keep those things as each
child's responsibilities but this morning they
drew tasks that were unfamiliar to them. Fun!

There was an attempt at grumbling...but all three
went above and beyond in carrying out their assigned
duties.

Hopefully, they will have a better appreciation
for what it takes to keep a home. Not just the
perspective of those things we ask them to help
with.

Becky K.

Ideas for Schooling During The Holidays

Yesterday I posted about the great Ruby Doll Kit, and how that would be a fun way to do school during the holidays.

I am going to put on my thinking cap and try to get this ball rolling!

Let's see how many we can think of:

1. Read aloud from great Christmas stories! If you find books set in the same time period you are studying history, so much the better! I don't know if you do oral reading during your regular home school routine - we do all our history this way! My kids learn so much from getting involved in someones story! Even if you can't find good Christmas type stories, you could find historical fiction, maybe something you haven't read before and read aloud.

2. Make Christmas cookies for your neighbors. I found a set of Nativity cookie cutters at Berean Bookstore and we are going to make our neighbors cookies that tell the Christmas story. This could count for math and science (measuring and the chemistry of cooking), history, art.

3. Have your children make Christmas cards. Let them write the a verse inside that pertains to Christmas. This will give them practice on copywork, penmanship, art.

4. Divide up basic household chores. This makes your load lighter and can count as Home Ec.

5. Assign your children a writing assignment on what the Christmas season means to them.

6. Have your kids send Christmas cards to missionaries, especially if the missionary family has kids. This will be so encouraging to the missionaries as well as possibly develop a pen pal relationship for your kids.

Your turn to give me ideas!!!!

More Christmas Schooling Ideas

This time of year always leads us to doing baking, crafting, sewing, knitting - all great Home Economics projects!

I found a great resource from Doorposts - The Ruby Doll!

This great kit gives you all the materials for making Ruby - a Proverbs 31 woman and her family! They give enough material for Ruby, her husband, 5 kids and a baby! Having 6 children myself, let me tell you most doll sets only include 1 boy and 1 girl! This is great for the larger family!

This kit also comes with lessons on sewing, stitching, baking...so there are lots of possibilities for fun as well as real skills to learn! I really like this idea for Christmas learning - not only do your children end up with dolls they can play with over and over (these would make great church dolls) but the lessons can be used during the holiday season for learning. Who needs to do regular math when you are learning measuring, who needs to do language arts when you are studying Proverbs 31? Bible? Of course! You can find this kit here.

I love to do some different kinds of learning during the holidays - it helps make it a special time for us all. We have plenty of time during the winter months to "hit the books." Break out and try something different!

It may just ease the stress of the season for you all!

I'd love to hear from you about what kinds of things you like to do during the holidays, to make learning fun!

So, How is School?

Has the "Holiday Bug" bitten you yet?

Is it hard to focus on the
school work at hand?

How about making your Christmas Plans
these last few weeks before Christmas
Day fit into curriculum?

You could do a history unit on the
time period surrounding the birth
of Christ. This is a time that
we often ignore in our usual Curriculum
Planning. But much happened and it
goes a long way to helping our students
with Apologetics. So often the Bible is
so familiar that we forget that it was a
real time with real problems and people.
Governments that operated well and poorly.
It is neat to figure out why something worked
or didn't. I love getting to know the background
of those who are mentioned in the Bible.
So many resources...so little time!

The younger ones could sculpt a Nativity
from clay or Play-Doh.

The olders could do a fine art piece of the
Nativity in pencil or paint.

The music offers much opportunity for learning.
It is a great time to mesh music and community
service by caroling in a Nursing Home or even
around the block!

Have fun with this time of the year. Know that
the regular curriculum may be looking dreary in
comparison to all of the excitement that the
Season brings. Roll with it....get to the Library
and take out books that are stories relating to
Christmas...see I just can't stop.

Blessings!

Becky K.