Week of Feb 7, 2011

This week rabbits are our connecting theme. Lyra's fable is How Brer Rabbit Lost His Fine Bushy Tale. We will all be hopping about ( and getting some winter energy out) to songs and games about bunnies at circle time. Lyra has been making pom poms for a valentines garland, but these week they will turn into little bunny rabbits.

The riddle of the week:

What can you hold without ever it touching you hands?

From a Future American Farmer

Lyra's letter to the President regarding GE alfalfa.


Dear Mister   President  Obama:
I hope you stop the GE alfalfa  for  the organic farmers and people like me.  It is not  good  for  you  to eat  them.  We want to eat food that is from nature not from scientists.
I want to be a farmer  when I grow up and to grow seeds not tainted by GE plants.

Thank you,
Lyra Cauley
age 8

riddle of the week

Several weeks ago, I started giving Lyra a riddle at the beginning of every week. It serves many wonderful purposes. First, I read her the riddle instead of writing it on the board. She spends time trying to make sure she has written it correctly and practices her spelling.  Secondly, I do not give her the answer- but she may ask anyone we see all week. Thus, involving all the friends and family in our life into her schooling. I find this nice, honestly, because it shows a bit of what she is learning and how we teach her. And thirdly, she must think from outside the box, inside the box and underneath and above the box.  So much fun, and so much brain and character development.
This week's riddle was found on Our Little Nature Nest



It hasn’t any windows
It hasn’t any doors
Although it has a ceiling
It hasn’t any floors
‘Twas built without a builder
A hammer or a nail
Because you see this funny house
Belongs to ___________.

beautiful bread

I wanted to share this post from Susan at farmgirlfare.com . I've learned so much, actually almost everything I know, about bread making from Susan's posts. She's actually the very first blog I ever read. At the time I was looking for information on kitchen gardening. Lyra and I had just rented a garden plot and I needed info on making it work out. She is a wealth of information on all things wonderful from the earth and oven.

Celebrating Our Snow Day

There are very few days that we end up with a spontaneous day off. We got a few in the very big snow season last year. But of all those, our papa was always gone for work. Now that we have our own business  we have been waiting and waiting for a snow where he can be at home. Today, we have no childcare children because of the snow and are now anxiously awaiting David's arrival, hoping it will be before the worst of the storm and before "Mariah's Now Famous Cinnabuns" are ready to eat.




 We are also hoping that we will all be tucked in snug at home tomorrow. We have made the most of our day. Watching Little Women twice.  Sledding and shoveling. And we brought out the sewing machines.  Lyra and I do not have a place to leave up our machines and our fabric  (though I think I may have devised a way in the near future). Getting everything out is a bit of a hassle that requires more bits of time and space. She wanted to make a special bag for a special friends birthday. And I took a minute after we were done to whip up some of those snack bags Heather from Shivaya Naturals made this week. I do not use plastic bags and foil, so yes I often have sandwiches in napkins and pyrex in my purse.  I made mine in a large size, since I  feed a whole handful of children. Plus, they could hold just about anything. So now I am fashionably green. Or, at least my food is.

Below are several photos of the time between Christmas and now when my computer would not let me upload photos.

wax ornaments (lyra)

(Hazel) santa got all the credit

Rhys

Lyra lovin' Rhys

Hazel and her Reindeer food ( popcorn, cranberries and sanding sugar)

Ice skating for New Years

paper snow flakes to replace our christmas decor

impromptu yoga class lead by Lyra

Mariah and I were invited to join as students, we didn't resist.

becoming a Brownie

math, we love fours.

and turning eight.

ice skating party with friends

making the purse today

in the middle of the night Hazel woke me up " warmers, warmers". I said well you need to keep the covers on. She said "no, you promised to make me warmers, and you haven't". Needless to say- I got right on that!

And, our daddy made it home.

so we went to play in the snow

the girls have never gotten to play with daddy in the snow

the house will be covered by morning!

now its time for some toasty tea

and, Little Women- one more time.

KIM: this post is for you.

I added several books to the nurtured life favorites on amazon and also added a link to the blog on the right. And, I've added the list of blogs I follow to the left.  So, between those resources, and the others already added to the blog, I think you'll have a real good start and be reading for the next year straight!  Plus, if you have questions you can post them here. And others, like Mariah, can give you links to resources they have found helpful.  Mariah- I showed her some of the resources you have lent me, but if you wanted to highlight the pros and cons of Oak Meadow for Kindergarten, I'm sure Kim would love to hear.

and on several different notes.

First, I would like to offer the link to Heather's beautiful post that has touched me and many others. Often times when you do things in a slower, old-fashioned way, or are just plain happy with what it is you do- you hear comments that can be hurtful. This is an honest offering of the feelings that come up with in us. And the comments after the post offer much support and insight into so many other mama hearts.

Secondly, I need to express how very happy I am to have chosen to homeschool Lyra and to have trusted in myself and the Waldorf inspired method I follow. We have just started our saint legends as Lyra will be turning eight this month. When I finished telling her the story, she handed me her knitting " Can you please fix this, I got so distracted by that story,I don't know where I am any more."
The next day she spent a half an hour drawing the story. We haven't even written out the summery. At first, I started to rush her along (we don't have all day to do her schoolwork!) and then I realized that this is what she is supposed to do. This is why we do this! She will remember this story for a very long time after drawing and thinking about it for so many days.
And math- ahh, I love math now. I love its beautiful patterns and connections. I am almost brought to tears that my children will truly understand the beauty of the world from this perspective. And I can't wait to get started everyday.

Thirdly, I've been asked to share this absolutely wonderful gingerbread recipe. Its just so good. The babies were following me around trying to get the crumbs from the dustpan. We've made it twice this week and only stopped because we are out of molasses.

Circle for the week of January 10th, 2011

This week Lyra is doing her first Saint legend with the story of Kentigern and the Robin. She will be making some origami twirling birds to go with the story, which I think the younger girls will like as well. When they are done twirling we will turn them into a mobile.

She is going to read the fable of the Peacock's Complaint to the smaller girls at circle time. We will do some peacock stories and yoga in circle as well this week. The stories all have a theme of recognizing with gratitude our own strengths and strengths of those around us.
And finally, our songs for the week involve the cold winter outdoors and keeping ourselves warm and healthy.

The New Year

The christmas things are packed away, and the new year rhythm has begun at our house. We had a beautiful quite week between Christmas and New Years. The only little glitch is that I can not load my pictures to my computer. I have some new software and there seems to be something wrong with iphoto. I am anxious to see those magical pictures of my girls on Christmas morning. We have a very eventful tradition of waking up extremely early ( as early as 4:30) and enjoying what Santa has brought to our house.  Then we gather up the girls and bundle them into the car and arrive before sunrise at my father and step-mother's house ( they live one neighborhood over). My sisters moan and groan about how early we come ( they are not married with babies yet), but my dad has been up all night waiting and everyone really is so excited. This is one of Lyra's favorite traditions, going to grandpa's in the dark. We spend all morning there, and then around lunch head to my mother's family Christmas. We spend Christmas Eve evening at my mother and other step-mother's house but Christmas Day we attend the family Christmas I grew up with, every family member in attendance, all but Grandma, who passed away in October of 2008.  Reminds me of the Whoos in Whooville, Christmas comes all the same- with out packaging and bows and even without Grandma.
So yes, it is a busy day full of shifting and some driving. And I know many people complain about this part of the holidays, but to us- it is the tradition. It is the holiday. And in the past, this is what people did on special days, go visiting. My children were obviously covered in packages and treats. And they were so gracious and lovely, I am very proud of them.  Each time they were surprised and enjoyed the generosity of their grandparents and relatives.
Throughout the following week we visited with our Jordan counterparts and stayed in jammies.  I even managed to NOT follow my rhythm while still staying in good spirits. I left the house in its post- holiday state all week long. Then on New Years we went ice skating. AND then I cleaned up, put the decorations away and we started preparing the celebration that looks like everyday life.
For our first day back to school work we did some fable reading, worked on our 4xs tables and started a calendar for the year. We made paper snow flakes to fill the house that looked so bare without its christmas trimmings. Lyra and I started planning our year wheel, and later this week she will do a week wheel.  The youngsters don't seem interested in circle, and I don't have January back from maternity leave till next week, so I think circle can wait until then. Hazel said she wants to learn the song but can I just sing it while she plays blocks. Yes, yes I can.