7 Quick Takes (Vol. 1)

I just wrote up my first 7 Quick Takes post at our family blog Wonder and Will, but thought it might be fun to do one just on what the kids are exploring in Jammies School of late:

~1~

Nina and Luke both need me to create some pounding work for then. They have been using the golf tees from their former hammering work activity into just about everything, including cardboard boxes and – much to my chagrin – a couple holes they noted in the walls. Then – yikes! – they absconded with a meat thermometer from the kitchen drawer and tried to start pounding it into the kitchen floor while I was putting laundry away. Oh no! Follow the child, Mom! Get that new pounding work activity put together, soon. (And, yes, that pciture is an old one - of their former hammering activity.  I was too --um, angry, dumbfounded to take a photo of their self-created ones lately.)

~2~

Nina loves her practical life work. As soon as she sees me doing any spray-cleaning, she runs for her little spray bottle and cloth to do doorknobs and light switch plates. Too cute! And, a great boon for keeping winter germs at bay.

~3~

Luke is ready for career exploration at four! This week he informed me that he no longer wants to be a priest. He wants to be a paleontologist so he can be around “lots of dinosaurs all the time”. But, since Nina wants to be a Mommy who marries God (a layperson of some sort perhaps? Or a Mother at a Convent working with orphans???) he is going to be paleontologist Daddy. And, he wants a big house. Why? For all his children. How many? Sixty! Yep, Luke thinks big!

~4~

Nina loves practicing homemaking skills already! I just mentioned baking the other day and she ran for her apron and kerchief. I didn’t even have the ingredients and bowls on the table when she told me she was ready – and she was... so cute in her cooking attire. My little lady!

~5~

Nina needs me to put together some fine motor work for her. Otherwise, I am going to continue to find her doing cute, but annoying things like sticking paper clips into the little hole at the bottom of the plastic leg from a Lego table or sticking Hi Ho the Cherry Oh “apples” (she calls them apples, not cherries) into the base of Luke’s punching bag. Again, follow the child, Mom! Provide the work they crave so they don’t create their own...

~6~

Luke has started reading – a little. Mat. Cat. Sat. He read me the entire first Bob Book the other day even when I covered the picture cues on him. It’s slow going, but so exciting. As much as I cannot wait for him to just explode into actual reading, I also treasure this just-beginning stage.

~7~

The kids chose to sit in the car the other day while I unloaded groceries, so they could watch the birds flying to and from the bird feeders we put out. Well, when I unbuckled Luke, he immediately got out to follow a “chickadee-dee-dee” while excitedly telling me he’d seen a titmouse and a black crow. It’s so much fun to have them learning to name and appreciate God’s many creatures... Then, when we called Daddy later in the day to say hello, Luke told him he doesn’t want any scarecrows anymore, because he “learned to like them” by feeding them. I guess been internalizing something about kindness to all God’s creatures as we say our prayers and read about saints. Yay!

See other folk's 7 Takes over at Conversion Diary.  Fun to see what is on everyone's minds...

Thankful Thursday (Vol. 1): The Gift of Reading

This week, I am feeling especially blessed by the gift of reading! As the kids and I have spent ample time sorting through our collection of children’s books, dividing them into “keepers”, “freecyclers” and “Paperback Swappers”, I have been pleasantly overwhelmed by just what a treasure trove of children’s books we have. I have also thoroughly enjoyed finding forgotten gems amongst the piles.

Luke and Nina have shared my excitement! It has been a usual scene this week to find a pile of books missing here, or a box half-emptied there, only to discover, a few minutes later, Luke and Nina hiding themselves among the missing books, pouring over one after another after another... As a matter of fact, this morning, the first thing Luke did upon waking was abscond with a book from the sorting pile.  I could not have been happier than to witness my little literature (and, admittedly, fluff) lover make this his first activity choice of the morning reading a book.  And, I was happier still when, just moments afterward, he began "reading" the book to Nina!  Not only was he pretending to read by using the picture cues, but he was occasionally sounding out a word here and there.  Yes, our little man – with great thanks to Bob Books that I borrowed from the library for my tutoring students – has started to dabble in "real" reading, concentrating on sounding out consonant-vowel-consonant words

So it is that this morning I find myself praising God for blessing us with ample access to great books – from our own stacks to those at our local library – and, likewise, for granting us many hours to snuggle and enjoy them. I recognize many families do not have such resources and time and pray that changes so that children able to enjoy a love for reading. As such, I am also grateful for opportunities we have to share our wealth, by passing some of our treasure trove of books along through freecycle, paperback swap and donations, as well as through lending ones we aren’t ready to part permanently with yet to tutoring students, friends and family alike. God’s Word, of course, is prime among all the books we treasure, but the rest are pretty enriching, too. Thank you, God, for giving us such a wealth of words and pictures to entertain and enlighten us!

To be enriched by reading about others' blessings this week, check out the links at Grace Alone.

Works for Me Wednesday (Vol. 2): A Homemade Gift for the Birds

Yesterday, I posted at our family blog about what fun it was to feed the birds with the kids this past week. Just as fun was putting together a birdfeeder birthday gift package for one of their little friends who “has everything”, but likes to craft.   This was a great activity for our Jammies School time, and, perhaps others will be inspired to make their own versions of this economical, green and enjoyable gift. Here’s what ours included:

• 1 repurposed frozen lasagna tray from a study my husband is involved with at work (to hold most of the gift together, as well as to hold birdseed when doing the craft)
• 1 bag of birdseed
• 1 jar of inexpensive peanut butter (could be swapped out for honey, lard or other similar sticky products for those with peanut allergies)
• 2 plastic knives, for spreading peanut butter
• 1 bag of pine cones that we collected outside
• 1 bundle of colorful pipe cleaners to hang the pine cones with (string, yarn, thread, etc. all work, but pine cleaners tend to be easiest for small hands and, we think, the colors of them might attract the birds)
• 1 bag of repurposed toilet paper tubes
• 1 bundle of colorful ribbon lengths (to thread through the tubes in order to hang the feeders)
• 1 homemade Local Bird Bingo card on cardstock in a page protector (could be laminated or traded out for a bird book, picture cards, etc. - see thumbnail below, which, I beleive, if you click on, will bring you to a full-size verion you can print.)
• 1 instruction sheet with pics of the kids making birdfeeders to inspire the mom and child receiving the kit (see thumbnail at the bottom, which, I believe, if you click on, will bring you to a full-size version you can print.)

We hope our little friend -- and whoever receives your economical gift for the birds -- has as much using the gift as we did creating it. We know the birds will appreciate it!

To see more tips on everything from blogging to family almanacs, check out the links at We Are THAT Family.  To find other fun crafts to do with your kids, check out the links at Red Ted Art's Kids Get Crafty.

A Quick Study of the Creative Curriculum® Learning Environment

Okay, recalling last Tuesday’s Creative Curriculum® post, my current goal is to move from dogma to practice in my role as a home educator and to begin this by reorganizing my home. Now, not to backstep into theorizing instead of doing as soon as I have begun, but for those who are also theory-and-curriculum addicted right now, let’s put on our study caps for a moment for a quick synopsis of what the Creative Curriculum® is and what it has to say about Learning Environments:

The Creative Curriculum® is a comprehensive play-based program, built upon recognized early childhood development research and theory, including that of Maslow, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Gardner and Smilansky. Its framework includes five basic components – How Children Learn and Develop, the Learning Environment, What Children Learn, the Teacher’s Roles and the Family’s Role. These five components are applied within 11 interest areas for children – Blocks, Dramatic Play, Toys and Games, Art, Library, Discovery, Sand and Water, Music and Movement, Cooking, Computers and Outdoors. In essence, through its components and interest areas, the Creative Curriculum® offers a blueprint for planning and implementing a developmentally appropriate program for children ages 3-5. It provides a comprehensive guide for this play-based program, where practitioners are encouraged to stay true to the program’s philosophy and decision-making framework, while still incorporating their own interests and teaching styles, as well as information about the children they are teaching, in order to meet success. Implemented with continued dedication and reflection, the Creative Curriculum® most certainly offers opportunities for children to acquire both the social competence and also the skills they need for successful learning and growth.

One component of the Creative Curriculum® is the Learning Environment. Basically, the Creative Curriculum® looks at the Learning Environment from three perspectives: setting up and maintaining a classroom, establishing a structure for each day and creating a classroom community.

The physical indoor space includes 10 interest areas, which offer multiple opportunities for children to explore discover and grow. In each, furniture and materials are thoughtfully arranged to encourage children not only to learn, but also to care for their classroom and what’s in it. (Whoo hoo – much like Montessori – a favorite educational philosophy of mine!)

Structure in the environment is defined by daily routines and schedules which create a sense of order. This outside order helps children maintain inner order. Children know what to expect and what is expected from them. They are assured that their environment is predictable and familiar, allowing them to settle more freely into learning and interaction.

Creating community is part of the children’s social/emotional environment. Educators relate to children in positive ways and help them to do so with other children. With such an affirming social climate, children feel good and are motivated to learn to the best of their abilities within their community.

Whew! Sounds good in theory, but how about in practice? Well, it all begins with a step. So, please excuse me while I take off my study cap and to don hiking boots for a jaunt around my home. While I am at it, I think I will grab a thinking cap, to help me make Step One: Declaring Areas for Interests.

And, by the way, if you would like to join me on this journey, please leave comments.  Grab a copy of the book yourself to review and let me know what you're getting from it.  Or, use my summaries as a starting point for thought.  Tell me how you're moving from theory to practise in your own home.  Cheer me on (or give me constructive criticism) about how I am doing.  Or, simply jot down whatever comes to mind.  Deep conversation or silly banter -- my adventures have always been all the better for sharing both along the way.  Thanks! 

Celebrating St. Brigid's Feast Day

Happy St. Brigid’s Day! Since we so enjoyed our Lady of Altagracia tea, I was hoping to do a St. Brigid’s Day tea today with the kids, but, to be honest, I am not prepared for one. We had a busy weekend and grocery shopping day isn’t until tomorrow, so I never got together the ingredients for for the recipes I want to use: Boxty Cake,  St. Brigids Oaten Bread and St Brigid’s Oat Cakes and sweet butter, among others. So, the tea will have to wait until later in the week...

We have, however, been enjoying using Brigid’s Cloak for our book study since Saturday. We’ve read it several times already, chatting about the pictures and plots. And, since the story is set in Ireland, we found Ireland on the kids’ globe. We also used the book as inspiration for our latest liturgical table, since the backdrop of our Lady of Altagracia one was beginning to fall of the wall.

Luke noticed that there were stars on that backdrop, just as there are on St. Brigid’s cloak at the end of the Brigid’s Cloak story. So, we decided to repurpose the cloth for our newest display. He also said that we needed another blue cloth for the “before” cloak, so we used a plain blue scarf for that. Now, I had something simple and delicate in mind for the table, but the kids had other ideas. In the spirit of “following the child”, I went with theirs.

To begin, Luke went to our scarf drawer and found a green-brown one to use as the base of the new display,  Then, while Luke wrapped one of the kid’s dollies in the blue scarf to represent baby Brigid, Nina got a basket to put the baby in. She happily placed this on the table, before Luke got a “girl doll” to wrap in the star-scarf to be the older Brigid.

The kids then said they needed lambs and sheep, since Brigid was a shepherdess in the story. So, I dug out their stuffed ones at their suggestion. They put these in front of “Big Brigid”, leaning the doll in a praying position over the sheep.

At this point, I thought the table was getting crowded, but Luke felt that the Brigids needed a hut/manger, just like in Brigid's Cloak, so he brought out the fort house from their doll house and placed it between the two Brigid’s. He and Nina also felt “Baby Brigid” needed a toy, so they put gave her a small stuffed dog.

I, then, tucked our library copy of Brigid’s Cloak behind the scene on the table and printed out an image of St. Brigid to hang above it, as well as a poem that I found about the saint. (Click on the image to the right and you should get a full-size version you can print out.) We’ve read the poem several times and talked about how St. Brigid was so generous and how we might love others in similar ways.
Thus, our St. Brigid Feast table is complete – and rather interactive, too. I keep finding the kids drawn to play with it! Learning about the saints at their level on their terms. It is so special to be a part of...

Later today, I hope to have the kids carry their St. Brigid dolls around the house as we pray the House Blessing I stumbled upon at The Daily Weaving.  Also, after reading more about the saint at Saint Brigid Catholic Church’s website, I am hoping to honor the idea that “St. Brigid loved to wander the woods befriending the animals” by bundling the kids for a woodsy walk, where we might distribute some bird seed. And, since, “she was renowned for her generosity, giving much of her father's wealth away to the poor”, I am going to encourage both children to pick something to donate or freecycle today. We might also color or make some sort of replication of a St. Brigid’s cross if time and inspiration allow.  We shall see how the rest of the day unfolds...

Whatever ideas we do not get to today, we may in the week (or years!) to come.  For there are many ideas buzzing in my head, inspired by the varied things that St. Brigid is the patron saint of: babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle, chicken, farmers, children whose parents are not married, dairymaids, dairy workers, fugitives, infants, Ireland, Leinster, Ireland, mariners, midwives, milk maids, poultry raisers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travelers, watermen, creativity, scholars and poets. And, Irish recipes abound!  So, of course, we will be including some Irish-inspired dishes in our weekly menu, both in honor of St. Brigid and of our own heritage, saying either an Irish blessing or a prayer to St. Brigid (below) at some of our meals.  With all this in mind, it is sure to be a full, fun and blessed week.

Prayer to St. Brigid

Brigid, You were a woman of peace.
You brought harmony where there was conflict.
You brought light to the darkness.
You brought hope to the downcast.
May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious,
and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world.
Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.
Strengthen what is weak within us.
Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens.
May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit.
Amen

If you are doing something special for St. Brigid's day, want to share any Irish recipes, have ideas for our Brigid’s Cloak book study or simply want to share something, I would love it if you’d leave me a comment. Thank you, and have a blessed St. Brigid's Feast Day!

Frugal Fridays (Vol. 1): Play Dough in the Tutor’s Toolkit

If I had to make a list of must-haves for my tutoring and home educator toolkits, play dough would be high on it. And not just for molding and crafting. Truly, playdough is an adaptable, effective learning tool! And, if you stay away from store-bought Play-Doh, it is extremely cost-effective, too. In less than a half hour, you can easily make a batch of homemade playdough right from your kitchen cabinets. Or, if you, like me, have a mostly organic kitchen pantry, you can do so after a quick stop at the store to pick up generic brands of flour, salt and cooking oil.  (See recipe at the bottom of the post.)

Once your playdough is made, you are ready for a wide variety of planned and impromptu activities to practice reading, writing, arithmetic and other skills. How, you might ask. By keying into children’s learning styles and emerging needs. With a keen eye for how a student learns (we’re talking through games, songs, kinesthetic learning, tactile learning, visual learning, etc.) and a sense of what a student needs to practice (letters, numbers, spelling, math concepts, etc.) or desires to explore (creative retelling of stories, concepts of size, weight and measurement, etc.), plus a bag of playdough on hand, you are ready for fun, effective lessons.

Some examples of activities I have done with playdough  in the past few weeks while tutoring are:

• tossing a playdough ball back and forth while chanting the ABC’s at different paces and rhythms with a first grade who is very kinesthetic and tactile and still struggling with simply knowing the alphabet.
• passing a playdough ball back and forth while skip counting by 2’s, 3’s and 5’s with a fifth grader who doesn’t know her multiplication facts yet, but loves games and seems to benefit from auditory learning practises.
• stamping consonant-vowel-consonant words into playdough with a young boy is just learning phonics, but who is “done” with ‘real books’ by the time I meet with him each day, wants to ‘just play’, even if his mom and I know he needs to practice spelling and reading.
• breaking a large portion of playdough into parts to visualize match concepts like fractions, number facts, etc. with a gal who learns best ‘by seeing’.
• rolling playdough into snakes and shaping these into letters with a tactile/visual student who is still trying to discern p/b/d/q, m/n, w/v, etc.

And, at home, we have used playdough to:

• explore big, medium and small sizes.
• make snowmen to go along with our book study of The Biggest Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler.
• familiarize ourselves with letters and write our names, by stamping different letters into rolled out playdough (so much neater than using ink with young ones!)
• create all kinds of winter creatures.

Truly, the number of learning activities that can be enhanced and effectively taught using playdough is only limited by one's imagination. As such, I always try to keep some playdough on hand when teaching.

If you want to as well, but don’t have your own favorite recipe for homemade playdough, you can try this basic one  that I used the other night between making dinner and running out to tutor:

Measure 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 tablespoon cream of tartar and 1 cup of water into a cooking pan. (Add your choice of food coloring to the water if you wish before adding it in.) Then, stir constantly over low heat until the mixture starts to stick together, pulling away from the sides of the pan and forming a ball.  It will be less wet-looking at this point.

Then, turn the mixture out onto your countertop and knead for a few minutes, or until very smooth. (It dough will be warm when you start kneading, of course, so wait a few minutes if you need to.  Also, some dough will likely be stuck to the sides of the pan.  Just soak the pan for a bit and it should come off without too much trouble.)  While kneading, at scents, glitter or other enhancement sif you wish.

Finally, cool and store in a covered plastic container or a Ziploc bag to have on hand for planned and impromptu lesson activities.

That's it.  PLAYDOUGH -- an economic, effective and engaging tool for teaching!

(For other folk's Frugal Fridays tips on everything from laundry to outfitting a minivan, go to Life as Mom.)

Pro-Life Preschoolers: Five Things the Kids Do and Say about Baby

This morning, when Nina was finishing her Breakfast 1 – sliced apples – she handed me her bowl of skins, saying,  “Here, Mama.” I told her I didn’t want her leftovers at the moment, but would eat the skins later. She replied, “But, Mama, the baby wants them!” (She often tells me to eat things for the baby in my belly.) Then, she proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to the baby. It made me smile.

Since the day I found out I was pregnant with Number 3 and shared the news with the kids, they have been full of excitement, questions and funny little things that they do and say.

The first five that come to mind are:

1. The Baby Won’t Come Out

Luke: Mommy, you can’t go to the potty.
Mommy: Why, Luke?
Luke: The baby will come out.
Mommy (realizing that Luke reasons that since food that goes into your belly eventually goes out the other way, he thinks that the baby in my belly might come out that way, too.): No, Luke. It’s okay. The baby won’t come out when I got potty. God will keep the baby in.

2. Kisses for the Angel in the Waters

One of the kids’ Christmas books was the wonderful little pro-life kids’ book, Angel in the Waters. One of the first times we read it, Nina spontaneously leaned over and kissed the baby pictured in the book. Since then, whenever we read it, she doesn’t allow me to turn a page until she has given the baby in the book kisses. Then, at the end of the story, insists on blowing kisses to our baby in my belly.

3. How the Baby Get Inside Mama

Luke: Mommy, I know you and Nina have eggs, but how did God put the baby in the eggs. (Horrors to some, I know. But, our kids knows about the eggs because one day they overheard me remarking to Mike how incredulous I found it that Nina was born with all her eggs already inside her.)
Mommy: Well, Luke, when God knows a man and a woman love each other and thinks they are ready, he lets the baby grow, kind of like when we plant seeds and sun, rain and good soil are there.  They seeds grow.
Luke (after a pause for thought): No, Mommy. That’s not how He did it.
(Mommy holds her breath wondering just what Luke knows.)
Luke: He did it when you were sleeping. He opened your mouth and put the baby in.
(Mommy sighs with relief that, at four, Luke does not know everything about the birds and the bees yet!)
Luke: Now, open your mouth.
Mommy: Why?
Luke: Because I want to blow baby a kiss.

4. Happy Birthday to Baby

The other day, when we were driving in the car, Luke and Nina were chatting. Out of nowhere, it seemed, they started talking about the baby and decided that they are going to have a cake the day the baby is born so we can celebrate his or her birthday, just like their own and Jesus’. Then, they broke into rounds of the Happy Birthday song. It was so incredibly cute.

Now, I just have to remember to add “cake” to my hospital overnight bag list so they won’t be disappointed.

5. Everyone Has Likes

The kids like to talk about what the new baby might be like and what he or she will enjoy.  Today, they said:
Luke: I want a boy. If it’s a boy, I will like it... The baby will like dinosaurs, moose, unicorns and Puff... All the things I like, Mommy.

Mommy: I want a girl... I want the baby to like Lukie and Nina... I love baby...


Conversations and moments like these make me laugh and smile. They also make me feel blessed. I am so glad that even at their tender – and sometimes self-centered – ages, Luke and Nina already show a love for new life.  No child – even one in a belly – is too young to understand love. To receive physical and spiritual hugs, kisses and words of affirmation and encouragement. To get the message: “You are valued. You are special child who is dearly loved.” I am grateful that all three of my children enjoy such experiences.

God gifts us life.  May we all appreciate it.