S'Mores Costume Idea

If you don't participate in Halloween, you can just skip this post. For anyone else who is interested, take a look at this great costume idea. You'll need three kids to make it work. One is the marshmallows, another is the graham cracker, and the third one is a Hershey bar. If you've got a fourth, I guess you could figure out how to make a campfire costume.

How to Knock Down a Cold

About 4 years ago, I was sick practically all winter. I would just finish one cold when another would start. I still have four kids ages 4-10, so colds are part of life around here. However, I am now approaching 10 months without having a cold. Woo Hoo!

Since my winter horriblus, I have stumbled upon a system for fighting off those nasty colds. This is my three-step plan for knocking down a cold that is threatening:

At the very first sign of a cold, start fighting it! Don't let it get ahead of you by even a couple of hours.

1. Gargle warm salt water if you have a scratchy or even slightly-sore throat. Salt water is the most potent weapon in your anti-rhinovirus toolbox. Use the warmest salt water you can stand. This is especially good to do right before bedtime, so the salt water can work uninterrupted for awhile. Repeat several times during the day. You may have to repeat for several days if your throat keeps twinging. If the cold is starting in your nose/sinuses, you can snort the salt water. I know it's gross, but it works.
2. Use Cold-eeze zinc lozenges. Three or four over the course of the day ought to be sufficient.
3. Drink a large (16 ounce) glass of orange juice. I can't comment about whether a vitamin C supplement would work or not, but I really think getting a bunch of OJ into your body helps. A second glass later in the day is optional if you feel you need it. The Cold-eeze package says not to consume citrus for 30-minutes before or after using a lozenge, so you may have to schedule your OJ & lozenges.

That's it. Make sure you go to bed at a good time, so you get a full night's rest to give your body a chance to finish off that virus.

On a related note, here are some other things that I think help keep those germs from gaining a foothold:

1. Purell! We keep it in the van. Everytime we leave a store or other location, we all use it.
2. As soon as you walk in the door after going somewhere, send everybody to the bathroom to wash their hands.
3. Change your kitchen & bath hand towels every single day, even when no one is sick.
4. Avoid the pediatrician's office. If you must go, take only the kid who needs to be seen. Immediately remove and launder the clothes you wore while there. Don't play with the toys or read the books and magazines there. Take your own books.
5. Don't touch any part of your face with your hands. This is especially hard for me, but I've heard that it works wonders.

Happy Winter!

So, What Curriculum Do You Use?

This is one of my favorite questions when I am talking to a homeschooling acquaintance. I enjoy hearing how various curricula work in different families. Nothing beats a first-hand curriculum review. In that vein, here is what our family is using this year:

5th grade daughter
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Adv.
Sonlight Core 4
- History
- Readers
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science 4 (minus the experiments)
Horizons Math
Rod & Staff English
Spelling Power & studying from the spelling bee guide
Institute for Excellence Writing
Student Writing Intensive - A
Dale Seymour Critical Thinking 4-6
Speedy Spanish - see my review
Typing Instructor for Kids
Abeka Cursive

4th grade daughter
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Int.
Sonlight Core 4
- History
- Readers
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science 4 (minus the experiments)
Horizons Math & math drills
Rod & Staff English
Spelling Power & studying from the spelling bee guide
Dale Seymour Critical Thinking 4-6
Speedy Spanish - see my review
Handwriting without Tears Cursive Success

1st grade son
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Beg.
Egermeier Story Bible
Sonlight Core K
- History
- Readers
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science K (minus the experiments)
Horizons Math
Dale Seymour Critical Thinking K-3
Bob Jones 1 Handwriting
Alpha-Phonics

4-year-old daughter
Bible Study Guide for All Ages - Unit 3 Beg.
Egermeier Story Bible
Sonlight Core K
- History
- Read-Alouds
Sonlight Science K (minus the experiments)
Frank Schaffer Preschool Activities

Chick Flick! Pride and Prejudice - Part 1

Pride & Prejudice
A&E's film of the novel by Jane Austen

Warning: this film is addictive! Don't wait until 9 PM to start it, or you will be up way past your bedtime. Since seeing the movie, I've started reading the book, and I've been amazed at how closely the film follows the book. The full-length five hour movie is worth it!

Here are my other Pride & Prejudice reviews:
The recent 2-hour-ish version with Keira Knightly
The 1940's version
The 1980's BBC miniseries

Or, you could always read the book:

The Secret to Perfect Rice Krispie Treats

Two words: fresh marshmallows

Book Review: My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon
By Ruth Stiles Gannett

If you are in need of a short chapter book to capture the interest of a boy, My Father's Dragon is a great place to start.

It is a fanciful tale of a young boy, Elmer, who is persuaded by a stray cat to travel to Wild Island to free an enslaved baby dragon. The animals of Wild Island are notoriously vicious, and the cat warns Elmer that no explorer has ever returned from Wild Island. Undaunted, Elmer packs a backpack full of odd necessities and stows away on a ship to begin his journey. Once he has arrived at his destination, he uses his sharp thinking skills and the contents of his backpack to outwit animals on the island one by one.

The ten chapters are short and can each be read aloud in about five minutes. To further stimulate the imagination, the book includes a number of whimsical black and white illustrations.

I recently read this book to my 6 1/2 year-old son and 4 year-old daughter. Purposely, I chose to read them only one chapter per day. This kept them on the edge of their seats begging for more. As with any wonderful tale, they enjoyed it so much that they were sorry it had to end. The good news is that My Father's Dragon is the first book in a trilogy, so more literary adventures await them.

Here are the remaining two titles in the trilogy:

Curriculum Review: Speedy Spanish

We began homeschooling our oldest child when she entered kindergarten. From the very beginning, Spanish instruction was part of our curriculum. Back then, I had big, big plans. We would achieve fluency in Spanish before junior high then dabble in French during 7th and 8th grades. In high school, we would get a working mastery of German and the rudiments of Latin and Ancient Greek.

You are probably not surprised that things haven't worked out quite the way I planned. In the beginning, the kids couldn't even grasp the concept of a foreign language. Why would you call it a "gato" when it was plainly a "cat"? We practically had a mutiny when I brought home a Spanish-language Blues Clues video from the library. So much for the theory that it is easy for little kids to learn a foreign language. I had swallowed that one hook, line, and sinker.

Along the way I've spent a fair chunk of change on Spanish curricula that I hoped would get us closer to my vision of multi-lingual high school graduates. I've tried the biggies (PowerGlide and Learnables) along with some of the lesser-known ones. We've tried paper-and-pencil lessons and computer games. Nothing stuck. The kids just didn't care, and Spanish always seemed to get relegated to the back burner of our studies.

As I planned for this school year, I did one last desperate internet search for the perfect Spanish curriculum for elementary school children. I saw a few mentions of a program called Speedy Spanish. Looking at the sample lessons, I began to think this program could actually work for us. Once again, I plunked down my credit card and ordered Speedy Spanish I with CD's.

We have begun our 6th week of study with Speedy Spanish, and I have to say I am pleased. I have two children using the program: a 4th grader and a 5th grader. There is very little teacher prep involved. The lessons are driven by the student workbook and the accompanying CD's. We have been disciplined to use the program daily. Part of our success is due to the fact that each day's lesson rarely takes more than 15 minutes to complete. So far, the lessons have been conversation- and vocabulary-oriented with little or no grammar instruction.

The program could definitely use a little more professional polish to improve the graphic design and remove a few minor inconsistencies and typos, but overall it is a great program. It has exactly what I was looking for in a Spanish curriculum: simplicity and consistency (daily lessons).

My Workout Record

I've really been debating about whether or not to post this, but here goes. You can take a look at the Excel spreadsheet I use to record my workouts. It sounds silly, but keeping a record like this really helps with the motivation. See mine here.

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Speak

Another thought from this morning's sermon:

Is what you are about to say:

True?
Helpful?
Inspiring?
Necessary?
Kind?

A Full Cup of Coffee

A thought from the sermon at church this morning:

If you have a full cup of hot coffee, what comes out of the cup when it is bumped? If you are full of the Holy Spirit, what comes out of you when you are bumped?

Simple Sanity - The Family Cleaning Hour

About two years ago, our family started a new habit that has been a wonderful blessing.

We have a weekly "Cleaning Hour." Everyone participates: Dad, Mom, and all the kids including the four-year-old. We vacuum all the carpets, mop the floors, dust the furniture, clean the bathrooms, empty the trash cans, etc. We pretty much just cover the basics in one hour. To tell the truth it usually ends up with being closer to 70 minutes than to one hour, but it helps to think of it as only an hour.

Cleaning Hour is for serious, basic cleaning. We work quickly, but thoroughly. It is not a time to deep clean, but it is OK to be on the lookout for some cobwebs to knock down. It is also not a time for teaching the kids how to do their assigned chores. We train them at another time so that we are free to spend the whole hour doing actual cleaning.

Before the hour starts, we make sure the house is picked up. It is too hard to vacuum and put toys in the toy box at the same time. We start off with a family huddle, put our hands in the middle, and chant, "Clean, clean, clean!" Then everyone scurries to get their dusting rags sprayed with Endust so they can start on their rooms. As soon as we're done cleaning, we re-gather our huddle and chant, "Done, done, done!"

The kids all dust the furniture in their rooms. Then most of them have vacuuming chores with a small canister vac: the stairway, hardwood floors in the hallway, and louvered doors in front of the laundry area. The six-year-old and four-year-old empty all the trash cans and replace the liners. The older girls have more dusting to do in the main areas of the house. And, they all act as vacuuming assistants. They move chairs, toy boxes, etc. out of the vacuum's way and then replace them after that section has been done.

As the kids have gotten older I try to think of neglected chores to add to our list. Our almost-11-year-old is about ready for more Cleaning Hour responsibilities, and I'm thinking of having her dust the light fixtures. By giving the kids a chore that is currently neglected, I don't get so uptight about the job being done perfectly. At least it's being done, which is better than it was.

Dad and Mom do things that involve major chemicals like the shower & toilet. We also do the carpet vacuuming and floor mopping to ensure a thorough job.

When we first started Cleaning Hour, it was always on Saturday morning. That worked well, but it was a drag to spend our precious weekend time on cleaning. Cleaning Hour has since migrated to Thursday evening most weeks. There are so many times that we really don't feel like doing it. But, once it is done, we are so glad we went through with it. It is so nice to have the house all clean and picked up. It helps Mom's sanity, too! And, the work of cleaning is easier if it is done faithfully every week.

Do we miss a week here and there? Sure, we do. Life happens. People get sick, the calendar gets crazy, etc. But, we try to miss as few weeks as possible, and we make this a priority in our schedules to ensure that it happens.

The final benefit is teaching the kids that there is no free ride. We all have to contribute to the household chores to make our home a nice place to live.

A Plug for HSLDA

If you are a homeschooler, I bet you've visited the website of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Among other things, the website provides overviews of the homeschool laws in every state in the nation.

If you're a member, great! If not, here are some reasons why you should be:

• If you belong to a local or state homeschool organization, you probably qualify for a membership discount. Sometimes curriculum purchases will qualify you for a discount (Sonlight, for example). There is a very good possibility that you qualify for a discount in some way.
• If you are ever if need of HSLDA's legal services, it is a bargain. You'll pay a whole lot more for the services of a local lawyer. HSLDA attorneys are well-versed in laws related to homeschooling all over the country. Their expertise just can't be beat.
• If you never need their legal services, it is still a bargain. The lawyers and staff at HSLDA keep track of legislation that could affect homeschoolers. They monitor proposals at the federal level, in all 50 states, and even in municipalities. Your continued freedom to homeschool is not guaranteed. It must be protected, and HSLDA does that for all of us.
• It is the right thing to do. HSLDA can only protect homeschooling if they have the necessary resources available. If you don't shoulder your small share of the load, it hinders the ability of HSLDA to help us all. Your membership fee helps support all they've done for your family so far and all they will continue to do.
• It is very comforting to know that an HSLDA attorney is just a phone call away. What would you do if a social worker joined by a police officer knocked on your door tomorrow morning?

Now That Camping Season is Pretty Much Over...

I've just re-worked my master camping list. Want to see it? Download it and take a look.

Keep in mind that I don't take all these things on every trip. About a week ahead of a camping trip, I print off the list and start crossing off things that we will not need. The same goes for the food. I have all my ideas on the list, but we don't take all that stuff every time.

There are some things we take that aren't on the list. For instance, I have some pots and pans that stay in our pop-up camper. The lantern and tablecloth are in there, too. So, those aren't on the list. I have a wooden camping box with kitchen utensils, mixing bowl, measuring cup, matches, etc. I haven't listed out every thing in there--just consumables to replenish.

You can see the list in MS Word format or as a PDF file.

Use Your Breadmachine to Knead Play Dough

You can use your breadmachine to knead your homemade play dough!

First of all, did you know that homemade play dough is way better than store bought? It is so much more cohesive, and you aren't left with colorful little crumbs all over your kitchen floor each time the kids play with it.

Here is the recipe I use:

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 c. water
2 T. salad oil
Several drops food color

Mix dry ingredients in heavy saucepan. Next, add all liquid ingredients. Cook over medium heat until dough pulls away from sides of pan (about 3 minutes). Immediately remove from pan and place in the breadmachine to knead. Allow it to knead until it is all one even color. Store in an airtight plastic container (I use ready-to-spread frosting containers).

If you do this very often, the cream of tartar could get expensive. I buy mine in bulk at a health food store. Much cheaper than those little jars in the spice aisle of the supermarket. Make sure you use a 1/2 cup of salt (not 1/2 teaspoon). I made that mistake once, and we ended up with a moldy glob within a couple of days.

Math Drills for Homeschoolers

First, let me get up on my soapbox about elementary math education. Then, I'll tell you about some of the resources I like to use.

I was a math major in college. Specifically, the Teaching of Mathematics was my major. So, I've had a lot of math courses and a lot of education courses. The math classes were good. The education classes...not so much. My university instructors were absolutely enamored with manipulatives--hands on games, objects, and activities that were to help the kids really "understand" math.

What I've come to realize is that (for most elementary kids) manipulatives don't offer a good math foundation. Cold hard math facts can form this foundation if they are memorized. Yes, by rote. I was taught that rote is an ugly term, and that kids don't really learn that way. But, the reality is quite different. When a child knows his math facts and procedures down pat, it is easier for him to start playing with the numbers in his head, turning them around, and seeing their relationships with each other.

It is a lot easier to teach a new math concept (say, adding fractions) if those addition and multiplication facts are automatically accessible to your student right there in his mind. He doesn't get distracted by the simple operations. He can concentrate on learning new algorithms and integrating new concepts into his mental math framework.

Sure, there is an occasional time and place for hands-on activities and manipulatives. I especially like to use something concrete for teaching place value. But most of the time I do not spend much time or effort with hands-on math. But, we do math drill every day in addition to the daily math lesson. To give an example, my 4th grader does addition, subtraction, and multiplication drills every day.

Here are some things I like to use:

• Calculadders. Timed tests on a variety of math operations. I bought the MasterPak 1 CD-Rom which contains 48 tests in PDF format for you to print off. These tests cover addition, subtraction, and multiplication. A MasterPak 2 CD-Rom is enroute to my house at the moment.
• Quarter Mile Math software. I wouldn't call this a low-cost tool, and I can't say I'm really excited about it. But, my kids like it...so that helps.
• Wrap-ups. I bought mine used. They've been great for quick, easy drill. They're portable, don't need to be plugged in, and they're kind of fun.
• MathTest software. The best thing about this is that it is FREE for download. It is a simple program, but it includes a lot of different ways to drill.
• Math-U-See Online Drills. FREE to use online. You can make these drills very specific to cover any trouble areas.
• Worksheet Generator. FREE to use online. You can create worksheets for all kinds of arithmetic problems. Created using (apparently) random numbers, they are unique each time you create one. You can also print answer keys which include the problem solving steps.
• Flashcards. I made my own. Buy them at Wal-Mart or wherever. Tried-and-true.
• Marker board/blackboard. Have your student write a troublesome math fact over 10 times. Have them copy a whole multiplication table. Just use some sort of repetition to help their hands and eyes put it into their brains.
• Extra practice worksheets. Maybe your curriculum offers extra practice worksheets. If so, use them.

Magazine Storage

The best storage for magazines is the trash can. But, if you must, must, must keep some magazines, you'll want to keep them tidy.

You can buy magazine boxes in the office supplies department of your local discount superstore. They come in cute colors and patterns now. That's what I would do if I needed only 1 or 2.

If you need more than that, you can make your own out of cereal boxes. Just start hacking away at an empty cereal box and cut it into a shape similar to the store-bought magazine boxes. If you're really ambitious, I suppose you could cover it with designer Contact Paper so it matches your decor. I just leave mine looking like cut up Cheerios boxes. They won't be quite as sturdy as purchased ones, but they are cheap and easy to replace.

These work great for my kids' Highlights magazines and coloring books. I use them for my to-be-read magazines and my file of homeschool catalogs.

Thinking About Homeschooling? Start Here!

Do some internet searching and order a lot of (free) homeschool catalogs to flip through. That's not as good as looking at the actual material, but it's still worthwhile to get a broad view of what's out there.

Take a look at Mary Pride's Big Book of Home Learning Vol. 2 (the green one). It is a little dated, but it has great overviews of the different approaches to homeschooling (classical, unit studies, etc.).

It's great to actually hold material in your hands and look at it. Abeka and Bob Jones typically schedule local displays where you can look at their materials. Check their websites for upcoming dates in your area. Sonlight may have a local representative in your area that can answer your questions or show you their material.

Check with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) online to get information about the laws governing homeschooling in your state. While you're at HSLDA's website, take a look at their information about local support groups in your area. See what resources your local group offers and subscribe to their newsletter or email group. Use the internet to locate a homeschool convention in your state. Being able to wander through the exhibit hall and handle the merchandise will help a lot.

For Kindergarten, you don't have to do a lot. You can keep it relaxed and simple. You may even be able to make up your own curriculum. If your child is ready to read, I like Alpha-Phonics by Samuel Blumenfeld. I've also heard good things about Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. My philosophy about reading is that it is best to wait until the child is ready.

I like Horizons Math. It is inexpensive, but a bit advanced.

Once you decide what you would like to use, you can try to buy curriculum and books used. I've used ebay in the past. Perhaps your local support group allows buy/sell/trade listings in their newsletter or email group.

Pico de Gallo Recipe

I made a Pico de Gallo last night to go with our turkey burritos. I didn't really measure anything, so I'm estimating the amounts here. It turned out really great!

2 fresh Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
2 T. fresh onion, finely chopped
2 T. banana pepper, finely chopped
1 t. dry cilantro
2 t. vinegar
1/2 t. sugar
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Plastic Grocery Bags

Our WalMart hands out over 16,000 of those plastic grocery bags every day. That is a lot of bags.

I've seen all kinds of cute little tube thingies to store them in, but I like this solution best: stuff them into empty Kleenex boxes. Nothing to buy, very portable, easy to replace! I always put a box in the camper to use as trash bags, a box upstairs to line the trash cans, several boxes in the kitchen for whatever.

Something to do in Springfield, IL

We were camping in Springfield, IL this past weekend. We needed a short afternoon activity to occupy ourselves, and we didn't have enough time to do justice to the Lincoln Museum or to New Salem. We found something that was just right: The Illinois State Military Museum. Admission to the museum was free.

Our kids enjoy military equipment like real tanks and helicopters, so they admired the outside exhibits. Then, inside the museum, there was an area for trying on real military camouflage. Paul even learned about a previously-unknown-to-him camo: desert night camo.

We spent an hour or so at the museum, and stopped by Lincoln's tomb for a walk-through before heading back to Riverside Campgrounds.

Rudeness

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."
- Eric Hoffer

I have no idea who Eric Hoffer is, but he certainly has hit the nail on the head. It reminds me of another idea that I once heard about character:

"Character is how you treat the people who have no power over you."