"His little bit of knowledge is real science, because he gets it at first-hand..."
"All the time he is storing up associations of delight which will come back for his refreshment when he is an old man." -C. Mason
Where the Blacktop Ends |
|
Winter is starting to feel really L.O.N.G. around here. We decided encourage spring thoughts and add a little bit of fresh and green to our table. I had been reading in these two books how this quick, easy and yummy little project is a great thing to do with kids. I have to agree. My 5yo thought it seemed like magic! We purchased seeds at a local food co-op but they came from Johnny Seed Catalog. We didn't buy a special container or lid, but just used leftover cheesecloth that came with our cheese making supplies and a mason jar. These homegrown alfalfa sprouts are tastier & more crisp than store-bought. We began sprouting them on Thursday morning and had our first taste by Monday. Yum! "...the function of education is to put the child in the way of relations proper to him, and to offer the inspiring idea which commonly initiates a relation."
"His little bit of knowledge is real science, because he gets it at first-hand..." "All the time he is storing up associations of delight which will come back for his refreshment when he is an old man." -C. Mason
0 Comments
A lot of time and thought goes into one of these lessons that I teach to our Truth,Beauty,Goodness Co-op/Community. To be honest, some of it is spent at my frustration level as I am figuring it all out while trying to be mom to little ones at the same time. But there is SO much about the planning/making process that gives me great satisfaction, particularly the point of inspiration! (see pix below) Not to mention that, being made in the image of The Creator, the need to create is inside of me. It's something I/we simply must do in one way or another.
Our most recent project is Lazy Stitch Indian Beadwork. We'll make an arm band using traditional methods. It should take us 6 sessions, from cutting the leather, waxing our thread, drawing our designs, to actual stitching (and humming Home on the Range all the while *wink!*) Here's the book I am using. Truly inspiring. Please check it out at the library and let your little boys (in particular) dig in! "I think a man has missed a very deep feeling of satisfaction if he has never created or at least completed something with his own two hands." -Dick Proenneke I relish Fall. To me it's not just about preparing for winter; it's about settling in and savoring the sights and sensations of a world slowing down. And each day brings something new. So far, in the new school year, we have completed 2 handicrafts in our Truth, Beauty, Goodness Community. I try to choose our projects thoughtfully in accordance with these principles, and often in correspondence with the season we are in. In our first lesson we canned tomatoes. We used a very simple recipe from the Ball Blue Book of Canning. Listening to the lids "pop" as they seal, and feeling the skin peel away from the flesh of the tomato after blanching it, were two favorite parts of the process. "Having a sampling of summer sunshine in mid-winter satisfies more than just tastebuds." -B. Olson Next, we made wreaths out of dried soy beans. Both of these lessons were 'group effort' type of projects. I am thankful for everyone's help and participation. Each wreath took approximately 13-20 stalks of beans. We soaked the stalks in tubs/sleds of water overnight to get them pliable for working with. It was nice to do this project on the cement, and in the sunshine. Otherwise our hands would have been C-O-L-D! Making sure the stalks all faced the same direction, we used twine to tie bundles of 3-4 stalks together. Then we tied 2 and then 3 bundles together overlapping the ends slightly to cover the twine. We bent this long tied-together set of bundles into an approximate wreath shape and tied the ends to hold it in place. After this the process was up to the individuals. Some wanted theirs thicker, so they intertwined more soy bean stalks and twisted and tucked them into place. Some shaped theirs into hearts or spheres. Some doubled their wreaths, by putting 2 on top of each other and bound them with more stalks.
I hope to add a plaid fall-colored ribbon to mine, and maybe tuck in a few bright leaves before I hang it on the front door. It's a pleasure to watch people think and create with their hands busy at work. You can see the satisfaction in their faces when they finish. Ahhhhh... when I awoke this morning I let out a deep sigh- A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP! That hasn't happened in a long while. {thank you, baby!} :) And while we were resting soundly upstairs, something exciting was going on downstairs, unbeknownst to any of us. A tiny miracle was taking place... ... this little one emerged from a 20 day sleep. Talk about well-rested! From: March 17: the Saint Patrick's Day finding of Fuzzy, the Wooly Bear Caterpillar To: May 25: the mid-night emergence of Fuzzy, the Isabella Tiger Moth Let's just say there was an excited little boy at the breakfast table! A little naptime sewing in honor of new fabric and new tastes. Another tiny discovery- in Grandpa's bushes. A handful of wildflowers he picked for me found their way to my kitchen window sill. "Two small arms to hold you tight,
Two small feet to run, Two small eyes full of love for you, One small son." -Unknown Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good..." Delivering May Baskets
It's such a charming tradition, yet is forgotten for the most part. Louisa May Alcott wrote about it in "Jack and Jill" (Chapter 18): "The job now in hand was May baskets, for it was the custom of the children to hang them on the doors of their friends the night before May-day; and the girls had agreed to supply baskets if the boys would hunt for flowers, much the harder task of the two. Jill had more leisure as well as taste and skill than the other girls, so she amused herself with making a goodly store of pretty baskets of all shapes, sizes, and colors, quite confident that they would be filled, though not a flower had shown its head except a few hardy dandelions, and here and there a small cluster of saxifrage." (a type of herb called Greater Burnet). Quote from here Here is a simple tutorial for making your own. Our most recent handcraft endeavour has been Pysanky or Ukranian Easter Eggs. It is such a beautiful and thought-filled process to step-by-step create these one of a kind eggs. I would like to share with you some of the resources that we used for our lessons. This wonderful site and kit are what I started with. I ended up ordering all our supplies here. Helena, the woman who you will probably talk to if you call their store with questions, is as friendly and helpful as can be. She is also a masterful artist and sells her creations on the site. This video is a great introduction to the tradition. Their class looks like lots of fun! I looked up some fascinating and strange folklore behind this tradition on wikipedia and google to share with the kids. This book was also helpful. I liked how the women of the house would prepare all day for their evening of egg creation. They spent the day cooking and cleaning, thinking good thoughts and being extra kind to their families. Then, that night when everyone was asleep, they would congregate at the kitchen table, spread out their things, and work late into the night chatting with the other women and designing unique eggs. Each color and symbol has a meaning. Each egg was made especially for a certain person in mind. They were given as gifts, and used to bring good will to the homes. Here are the basic steps to making pysanky eggs. 1. Blow out the egg and clean it. 2. Use this beginner design as a starting place for decorating. (I found that my farm fresh green/blue eggs took the dye much better than the white store-bought kind.) 3. After dying, finalize your egg with a coat of glossy varnish. We wore plastic gloves for this step. Our group took 3 meetings to complete our eggs. They turned out very pretty. I'm always impressed by the work these kids do. This is a fascinating look at a gifted Pysanky artist- One in a Million. From huge ostrich eggs to chicken eggs, her intricate designs and Ukrainian heritage shine! Oh, the hours she has spent at her craft! These varnished eggs are resting on our handmade drying rack.
Eggs can be "displayed in many forms of wire egg stands, baskets, egg plates, brandy snifters, egg cups, shot glasses and even rubber washers." "Do not display in direct sunlight or atop fireplaces." "Store in a cool dry place in a regular cardboard egg carton, not in an airtight container." -Eggs Beautiful by Luciow and Kmit Warm, drippy, ooey-gooey chocolate. Little acorn shaped molds and ones that looked like fall leaves. Oreo truffles dipped in pots of chocolate. There was dunking, painting and sprinkling- Yum! Colorful puppy dogs and chocolate shapes of flowers. We had ourselves a little chocolate making extravaganza at our last Truth Beauty Goodness meeting. Need I even ask the question, why? I think I do, because it's really not about the chocolate. Really! It's not even about making something yummy, beautiful or useful, although that is part of it- for sure. And it's not solely about teaching a new skill to enrich our children's lives. Mason says, "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 he 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.” – Vol. 6, p. 328 Can you see how it is bigger than just the chocolate or the lesson? Doesn't the Bible tell us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us? I am always amazed and awed when I read in the Genesis where it says that God created man in His image. (Gen 1:27) Wow! To be made in the image of the Ultimate Creator- who spoke into being light, form, beauty and breath! No wonder modern craftivists out there today say that man has an innate need to create, whether that is in an auto shop, a kitchen, behind a computer screen or with brush in hand. Some also say that it is especially evident in little children. See for yourself: Mason also says,"And this, not for the children’s amusement merely: it is not impossible that posterity may write us down a generation blest with little imagination, and, by so far, the less capable of great conceptions and heroic efforts, for it is only as we have it in us to let a person or a cause fill the whole stage of the mind, to the exclusion of self-occupation, that we are capable of large-hearted action on behalf of that person or cause.” -Vol 1 p 151,152 Thank you, Miss Mason for reminding us that this process of making something, using our hands, is about much more than just ourselves. Let's not forget to use the gifts God has blessed us with to reach out to others and raise up a generation who will leave behind a legacy! How are you teaching this to your children? And one last thanks to our fabulous, patient and vibrant choclate making expert who so vividly reminded us how not to get hair in your chocolates! :)
Did you know that due to the lack of trees in Mongolia, some houses are/were made of felt for warmth? Felt making- talk about a useful handicraft! I had a chance last year to go inside an actual yurt (ger) from Mongolia. We have friends who are missionaries there. Last winter when they were home for a visit, they brought a house with them! It was night time when we went in. This is the layer of felt showing inside at the top of the structure. I had so much fun doing this felting handicraft with my son last winter, I decided to share it with our group this year. We experienced the process of felting raw wool roving into these adorable acorns. I used the step-by-step instructions for felting in this book. (I love so many if the ideas in here!!) Then when our balls of wool dried, we hot glued the acorn caps in place. Here are our supplies: a big bowl with hot water and natural soap, wool roving in some fun colors (no I didn't dye my own, but I've seen some awesome ideas using natural dyes with leaves and roots from outside, or even using kool-aid!) and also the story I read to my son before we began. Here we are layering the wool and rolling it into balls in the warm soapy water. You can feel it felt right in your hands! There are some fun children's story books about the process of wool becoming garments etc. Warm as Wool, and The Goat in the Rug, and Charlie Needs a New Cloak and A New Coat for Anna.
I also want to share a blog with a really neat story and fun pictures! that I showed the kids, of how one family raised their own sheep, sheared the wool, spun yarn and knit their very own sweater for one of their children. Check it out here. Have you ever tried this? "Pressing flowers is a technique that has been in existence since the Victorian Era. The process was used to preserve plant specimens for cataloguing and identifying, as well as for art. Lewis and Clark collected and pressed many specimens on the Discovery Trail, a feat in itself when you consider the hardships they endured. This link takes you to a site that still contains preserved plants from their journey. Many of their plant specimens were destroyed before they returned to the East Coast. I was able to view an herbarium from the early 1800′s at a local museum, and it was amazing to see the color was still present in the specimens. The collection was very well preserved, every leaf and petal was in place." Quote taken from this site. This is the press making information and general tutorial we used to make our flower presses for this week's handicraft. Each family made a press, and each child made a card using a pressed flower I had done ahead of time. This one is also a lovely tutorial!! Instead of phone books, we cut 5 sheets of cardboard to layer inside, along with paper towels to lay the flowers on inbetween the cardboard. Water color paper would also work instead of paper towels. However, I have also pressed flowers using only thick books with no press around it. So don't let your lack of a press or ability to make one, hold you back from pressing flowers. Our flower presses are 10x10 in. and the cardboard inside ours is 8x8. The 3/8 bolts are 5 inches long. Great instructions for applying pressed flowers to paper can be found here. We used glue sticks and contact paper for basic supplies. I'd love to hear your ideas on flower pressing. Please share!
Did I mention that I teach twice a month in a Charlotte Mason homeschool co-op called Truth, Beauty, Goodness? It is wonderful to be surrounded by like-minded families striving to provide their children with a rich feast of ideas! If you're not able to be involved in a group like ours, I hope you will find my blog posts this school year to be helpful and encouraging- the next best thing. This week began our first school term this year, and I was excited to give my lesson about DECOUPAGE! Have you ever tried it? I thought I’d share my simple lesson idea here with you. Maybe you’d like to try your hand at it with your kids too! You can do it on almost any surface: a notebook cover- which we did, a shoe box, a clay flower pot, a 3 ring binder, wood picture frame, a cookie tin, even furniture! the list goes on. Next you need a bottle of Modge Podge glue, a foam brush, magazine pictures to cut out or photographs, scrapbook paper or even a patterned napkin, and some newspapers to protect the table.
The step-by-step instructions can be found here. Click on the Essential Modge Podge Techniques slide show in the center of the page. We didn’t quite finish ours in our 40 minute lesson. It’s simple, fairly cheap (I could even afford to do it in college), and it provides a great opportunity for the individuality of each kid to shine through. Let me know if you give it a try! |
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! Categories
All
SubscribeMy new posts delivered straight to your inbox!
Search HereLoading
Instead of T.V.Librivox free audio books
Seeds of Family Worship
Bible verses put to song Storynory free audio stories for kids
Storyline Online- famous faces read books to kids Mister Rogers- episodes online Previously...Archives
August 2018
I Participate"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 “It may be that the souls of all children are waiting for the call of knowledge to awaken them to delightful living.”
- Mason |