Blog Archives

bread baking

2/24/2014

I'm re-posting from an old blog again. Enjoy!

There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh baked bread. Mmmmmm.....

We invited a lovely local bread baking expert to our TBG meeting;
she showed us a few tips and shared her love of baking.

We learned all about the grain of wheat and what the different parts of it are used for.
We learned all the nifty tricks and tools to use for mixing, kneading, and baking bread.

We made a basic loaf as well as a no-knead sweet loaf she called Challah.
She showed us how to make a beautiful braid on top of our sweet loaf
by folding over slices of dough to cover up the sweet sticky jam.
The church kitchen smelled amazing!
We were sure to share with the passersby in the hallway :)

Here and here are two titles she recommended for further learning and more recipes.
And a kids book about the history of bread in other cultures (with recipes.)

Doing a handicraft that you can eat too! is a big hit with the kids.
And there's just something wholesome about kneading a loaf between your hands.

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In the midst...

2/17/2014

4 Comments

"Let my words then begin in labor.
Let me sing a work song
and an earth song.
Let the song fall upon me as it may..."
-Wendell Berry

Just a sampling of our full life these days. Thanks for stopping by!

I also wanted to share an interesting article on the Common Core standards
that are making their way through the nation's educational system.
I'm still learning about this topic, but find it fascinating to read how these new norms can be so quickly established and put in place, as well as what kind of thought went into formulating them.
I encourage you to take a minute or two and stay informed!

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on handcrafts

2/10/2014

7 Comments

I'm re-posting some handcraft thoughts from an old blog. Enjoy!

"Take your needle my child, and work your pattern- it will come out a rose by and by.
Life is like that... one stitch at a time, taken patiently. " - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Handcrafts mean so much more to me than just a learned
skill. It is a creative outlet, an expression of self, a gift that can be given,
a discipline that carries over into other aspects of life, and yes a skill that
can be relied upon and even used to support a life and family.

Charlotte Mason’s brief words on handicrafts: “The points
to be borne in children's handicrafts are: (a) that they should not be employed
in making futilities such a pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like; (b)
that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do; (c) that
slipshod work should not be allowed; (d) and that, therefore, the children's
work should be kept well within their compass.” She also says that they, “should
form a regular part of a child’s daily life.” 1/315, 316.

And, oh, how much patience and persistence I have learned
from knitting! Tearing out a whole day’s worth of stitches after finding out I
had added a few too many to each row as I went along. But in the end having a
quality piece of work show for it made the journey that much sweeter.

I didn’t really begin to see the value in such things as
woodwork, gardening, preserving food, knitting, sewing, quilting, or photography
until I had my first son. For some reason having this little life next to me made it
all take hold inside. Maybe it was the concept that one income was going
to have to stretch just a little bit further now, and I might like to make a few
things myself instead of buy them. Maybe it was the desire to see my child in
those cute little knitted hats that I saw on the cover of every parenting
magazine. I know a little part of it was that I didn’t want to see a
handicraft end when Grandma passed away. I wanted to be the one who grabbed a
hold of that family heirloom of needle and thread. I want to pass it on to a future
generation. I look forward to teaching even my son the art of
knitting as Charlotte says, “slowly and carefully.”

“Again we know that the human hand is a wonderful and
exquisite instrument to be used in a hundred movements exacting delicacy,
direction and force; every such movement is a cause of joy as it leads to the
pleasure of execution and the triumph of success. We begin to understand this
and make some efforts to train the young in the deft handling of tools and the
practice of handicrafts. Some day perhaps, we shall see apprenticeship to trades
revived and good and beautiful work enforced. In so far, we are laying ourselves
out to secure that each shall "live his life"; and that, not at his neighbor's
expense; because, so wonderful is the economy of the world that when a man
really lives his life he benefits his neighbor as well as himself; we all thrive
in the well being of each.” –Charlotte Mason, 6/ 328

I find this quotation particularly helpful when choosing
where to focus my energy. It emphasizes that the outcome is so much more than a
cute little decoration to hang up for a holiday. What we create has to have a
sense of purpose, a duty to fill in order to be worth our time to learn and do
it. It can even benefit our neighbor. There’s just something about a handmade
gift that warms the soul knowing the love and time put into it.

During wintertime it's nice to have something to keep hands busy.
Working on some of these things gives a sense of
accomplishment and value. I have something I can do well and even give to
others. Every child needs to have something they enjoy and can do well,
something of value. I have often seen kids at school who don’t and it’s sad. If these kids had that sense of accomplishment inside them, I believe it
could even ignite their desire to learn in other subject areas and motivate them
to be a life long learner. It has for me.

7 Comments

Chicken Scratch Love

2/2/2014

2 Comments

I'm re-posting some handcraft ideas from an old blog.
Some of you had a chance to do this with me a few years ago
at the Living Education Retreat. Ahh... I like to remember that lovely day
when we ditched the indoors and sat in the cool grass. I remember being impressed by the dads who joined our group stitching that day!
This project was also lots of fun to do with our home school group.

A cozy chair, needlework in hand, and a glorious sunbeam!

I read a little story about a wife who wanted a lace edging on a dress, but had no money to buy any lace. So, she got creative and decided to use the thread she had to create her own lace-look. That night she showed her husband her handiwork and asked his opinion.
To her he replied, "It looks like a bunch of chicken scratch."

You see this type of embroidery work often on vintage gingham aprons.
Here's some more info about this, and a tutorial for the bookmark above.
If you try this out, I'd encourage you to let your children get out some graph paper and try their hand at designing their own pattern if they so choose. Lettering works well.

Olders helping the littles is a sight that warms my heart every time!

Happy Stitching!!

2 Comments

Welcome!

"I am recording this so that future generations will also praise the Lord for all He has done." -Psalm 102:18

I am a mama to 2 sweet brothers who aspires to a "thinking love" toward my children.

Take a peek into our journey towards a living education inspired by the writings of Charlotte Mason.

Be sure to leave me a comment if you're inspired!

I prefer to keep my text and images right here. Please don't copy without permission. Thanks!

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Previously...

Our Story

Our Year 1 Rhythm

Cloth Diapering

Century Chart

Learning to Read

Wool Felting

Nature with Little Ones

Playful Learning ABC

Living Math

Raising Tadpoles

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

From Caterpillar to Butterfly

Beginning a Foreign Language

Animal Tracking with Kids

Beginning Preschool

First History Lessons

Maple Sugaring with Kids

Children in the Garden

Sloyd handwork

Monarch Miracle

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"In this field small efforts are honoured with great rewards, and we perceive that the education we are giving exceeds all that we intended or imagined.”
- Mason