Homeschool tip: learning to tell time plus random tips

Hunter is 5 1/2 years old.  For the past 2 years he has asked to "do school" and has really loved using workbooks.  Wow - that made things easy!  No prep work necessary with a workbook - just open it up.

But a few weeks ago, Hunter suddenly stopped liking all workbooks except his lower case letter practice workbook.  I think we were both surprised at his sudden dislike.

I do NOT want to do anything to quash Hunter's love of learning, so I put the workbooks away.  Now I'm finding ways to continue teach him the same things - but without those newly shunned workbooks.

On thing is in telling time. Hunter made it up to the "minutes" part in his workbook before we put that away. He still wanted to finish learning.  So I bought a cheap clock at Walmart and handed it to Hunter to take apart.  Once he got it disassembled, I took the white clock face and a black sharpie marker, and wrote the minutes, 0-60, around the clock.  Hunter put the clock back together and we hung it low where he could easily see it.  It is working out perfectly!  He goes to the clock many times a day and announces what time it is.  A second benefit of this is that he is learning the double digit numbers that he was not sure of before.  For example, it he says "it is 11:5-3" and I can tell him it's "11:53."

3:00 means snack time!

Another idea I had was for Hunter to make some lapbooks.  You can read a summary of what a lapbook is here, but basically it is a file folder filled with information on a particular topic.  I figured I'd start with Hunter's obsession with washing machines.  I printed some related pictures from Google images, then we cut them out, glued them into the folder, and Hunter labeled the pictures.  (This was a good way to sneak in writing letters and numbers.)  I also found that as I handed Hunter pictures, he would tell me details he had learned about washing machine parts (from Repair Clinic videos on YouTube.)  For example, until he started rambling about agitators having "directional cogs" - I had never even heard of those things.  Ha!  (Best thing about being a homeschool teacher is that you get to learn so much too!  My public school education is severely lacking.)

There was room on the back of the folder for Hunter to draw his own happy washing machines, complete with detailed control panels and electrical hookups.  He spent about an hour doing this!  (C.W-H - if you're reading this you will see his tribute to soap nuts below.)

For math we are just playing around with manipulatives, using Inchimals, and working through the book Gobble Up Math.  I call Friday's "science Friday" and we do projects from his snap circuit kits, or something like this experiment with yeast:

In a container with a small opening, add 1/2 c. warm water, 1 T. sugar, and 1 T. yeast.  Stretch a balloon over the top.  The yeast will eat the sugar, creating a gas, and after awhile your balloon will look like this:

I got that experiment idea from The Big Book of Homeschooling by Debi Pearl.

One other thing is to read a lot together.  We've been having fun reading through the Frog and Toad stories again - Hunter and I both take turns reading pages to each other.  But also lots of non-fiction books.  Books on animals and of course anything about electricity is popular.

Finally, he spends a lot of time on his own making his own inventions and taking things apart and putting them back together (usually).  I think this learning stage is crucial for him.  Here is one fun thing he did for me - he was listening to a cd in the living room that I wanted to hear too, but I was in the kitchen.  (The walls of our old farmhouse are so solid that sound doesn't carry too well across the house.)  So he set up his baby monitor set (yes he bought his own set to play with) and put part by his cd player and brought me the receiver.  Now I could enjoy the music too while working in the kitchen.  (We're currently obsessed with Brother Down's cd "Old Paths New Feet" which is the psalms set to music (guitar, drums, violin).  We sing all these psalms on the cd at church, so the songs are familiar.)

yummy deviled eggs from our chickens!

One things I've learned from homeschooling is that it's important to be open to changing things.  Seems I'm always tweaking things.  I admit this is not always easy for me.

Tabby has her homeschool work, plus lots of self-imposed chicken learning and work.  Yesterday the boys and I watched her Silkie Bantum chicks for her while she cleaned out their home.

The puppies wanted to help gather up the chicks too!

Soon the chicks were back in their cozy temporary home in Tabby's room:

Notice the mirror - Tabby got the idea from the Fresh Eggs Daily blogpost "Brooder Box Boredom Busters."  The ideas cracked us up, but her chicks really are loving the mirror!

"This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

The Book List - January, February, March

In a recent post, I mentioned that I started keeping a "books I've read" list last year.  Several people were curious about what I was reading and asked me to share.  So I thought I would share most of my "book list" once a month.  Since it's already April, I'll post the first three months of this year all in this post to "catch up."

"I like when Mama reads books about dump trucks to me!"

 JANUARY:
My Son: "Behold the Lamb of God" by Jim Baumgardner - A historical fictional book about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  I liked that this book got me thinking more deeply about Mary than I ever have (well other than when I watch the wonderful movie "The Nativity"), though I didn't really care for the author's writing style.

Alone Yet Not Alone: Their Faith Became Their Freedom by Tracy Leininger Craven -  Set in Pennsylvania in the autumn of 1755, this historical fiction book tells of the Penn Creek Massacre which happened in the French and Indian War.  Two sisters are kidnapped by Indians and hold fast to their faith in God during this terrifying time.  I really enjoyed this book!  It was actually assigned to Tabby for her Veritas Press history course (online) but I always read all the books assigned to her too.


Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood by Rachel Jankovic - I think the subtitle describes this book well.  I enjoyed the short chapters - some of which really hit home with me - just as I enjoyed Rachel's first book Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches. 

The Vision by Debi Pearl - Set in east Tennessee, this book pitted Islamic Terrorists and White-Supremacists against a group of Bible Believers.  It was not like any book I've read before but I got hooked into the story and am curious about the next book in the series.  Though the story was fictional, there was a lot of factual information both in the story and footnoted on the pages.

Thankfully no race or religious wars with our chickens!

FEBRUARY:
Guardians of Purity: A Parent's Guide to Winning the War Against Media, Peer Pressure, and Eroding Sexual Values by Julie Hiramine - This is another sub-title that describes this book well.  I did learn some useful things.

Orange Blossoms Everywhere: The Story of Maud & Delos Lovelace in California by the Betsy-Tacy Society - Tabby and I really enjoyed reading through Maud Hart Lovelace's "Betsy-Tacy" series a number of years ago.  We actually both have our own set of the books since we enjoyed them so much!  This particular book, is a factual account of Maud and her husband's semi-retirement in California. 

The Big Book of Homeschooling by Debi Pearl - This book is chock full of lots of great homeschool ideas.  I have several pages of lists I made from it of activities to do with each of my kids.  I love reading about the homeschooling ideas of others - both successes and failures.

The DaVinci Road: Observation and the Art of Learning by Rebekah Joy Anast - I learned about this book in The Big Book of Homeschooling.  Rebekah shares glimpses into their homeschooling days of how they teach by using the five senses and observation.  This book gave me some interesting ideas to ponder.

Holy Cow by Rebekah Joy Anast - I bought this book at the same time I bought The DaVinci Road.  It is written for teens and is about a Navajo farm girl and her family set in New Mexico.  In many ways it is an autobiographical book for the author and her current life.  I learned a lot about raising animals, herbs, agriculture, and genetic modification and really enjoyed the story.  Caution: if you are thinking about giving this book to your child, know that there are a few strong curse words in the book. 

From Ruby Ridge to Freedom: The Sara Weaver Story by Sara Weaver - Do you remember the terrible tragedy - known as "Ruby Ridge" - that happened in Idaho in 1992?  Sara was a teenager at that time and her brother and mother were both killed by government agents.  (Her brother's dog was also killed and her dad and a family friend were shot.)  This book is about Sara's story and about the healing she finally found in Jesus Christ.  Note: If everything you know about Ruby Ridge is from what you saw on T.V. - then let me say you don't really know what happened.  The Weaver family should not have been the ones demonized.

"No one better mess with Exhaust Pipe or me!"

MARCH:
Lost on a Mountain in Maine by Donn Fendler - I read this book out loud to Tabby and Hunter.  It is a true story of a 12-year-old boy that was lost on a mountain for almost two weeks.  The courage and perseverance of this boy, along with his faith in God, was remarkable.  Note: if you get a copy of this book, get an older copy.  I read that the Christian content was deleted out of the later versions by the publisher.

Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark by Gail Langer Karwoski - This was another historical fiction book from Tabby's Veritas Press history course.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Before it I hardly knew a thing about Lewis and Clark.  Now I am fascinated with them and their Corps of Discovery.  We have one little chick that likes to stand on top of My Precious the hen.  We've named him "Meriwether" after Meriwether Lewis.  :)

Sacagawea by Judith St. George - This book was about the Indian woman that traveled with Lewis and Clark.  I read it because I wanted to know more about her.  Interesting book!

Jumping Ship: What To Do So Your Children Don't Jump Ship to the World When They Get Older by Michael Pearl - This book is full of wisdom in ways to keep you close to your children and keep their hearts turned towards home and God.

Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes - Frank actually read this book to us as a family, after supper at night.  But it was such an enjoyable book, I am including it here.  It is the story of an immigrant Norwegian family living in San Francisco in the early 1900s.  The author based it on her family (think Little House on the Prairie books).  Mama was such an inspiring, resourceful woman.  There was also an older movie made from this book called "I Remember Mama" which we saw and enjoyed. 

Once on This Island by Gloria Whelan - Veritas Press history course!  When the war of 1812 broke out, the British took over Michigan's remote Mackinac Island.  Some of the American's left, including the O'Shea children's father, to join the American army.  The three O'Shea children were left to run the family farm in their father's absence.  (The children were not that little - I think 12 years and up.)  It amazes me that children used to be able to successfully take on this type of responsibility.  (People just seem to stay "children" so much longer these days.)

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris - This book builds off my last sentence above!  This book is to inspire teens to put down the video games and iPhones and get busy doing things that really make a difference and will help them later in life.  The book has lots of amazing examples.  (And if you didn't already know this, the world did not have "teenagers" until the 1900s.)  I gave this book to Tabby to read and she whizzed through it in 2 days.

Tabby's new chicken coop.  For her Silkie Bantams - not her brothers!

Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time by Donna Otto - This book was recommended to me by my friend C. from Haven Enterprises.  Since I love any book about organization and how to try and save time and accomplish more, I devoured the book.  Got some good ideas to add to my arsenal.  :)  Included in those ideas are ways to better my Home Management Notebook.  (Anyone have one of these?  Perhaps I should blog about it sometime - it's helped me so much.  C. has a recent blogpost about hers - which she calls "My Brain" - on The Haven's blog here.)

Finally - this has nothing to do with books - but I wanted to share some photos of my Lilly-colored garden.  (This is different than her memorial garden which is on the other side of the house and full of lily flowers starting to grow.)  I planted bulbs last fall and now everything is red-white-and blue!  (The fencing is to keep the chickens out!  We can probably take it down now.  I was leaving it until the flowers were well established.)

What about you?  Do you have some favorite books you'd like to share or good books you've read recently?  If so - please leave a comment!

Note:  This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links.

Quick chick update

The poor little chick I mentioned in my last post, didn't make it through the night.  Tabby buried Sunni (the name we gave it) by her famous prideful rooster, Chanticleer.  She blogged about the little chick, and her new Silkie Bantum chicks, in her post yesterday.

My Precious got to take her adopted biddies outside yesterday.  She was a very proud, watchful mama.  It was so cute seeing the little chicks scratching the grass alongside her and following her everywhere.

I feel like we're getting a crash course in baby chicks with problems.  (In a way it was like the crash medical course we got with learning to take care of Lilly and her special needs.)  After Sunni's death, we decided to pull out the remaining eggs under My Precious because they were over a week too old we didn't think anything would happen.  But as I started to get rid of the eggs, I heard a very distinct "peep! peep!" coming from an egg.  Oh my - I certainly couldn't toss those eggs then. 

So I set them up in a box, under a heat lamp.  One was already starting to hatch.  (see middle egg below)  Hunter and I excitedly watched it off and on throughout the morning.  The chick seemed energetic as it slowly pecked it's way out of it's shell.  And it was "peeping" like crazy!  So of course we named it Peeps.  However, about noon, it suddenly stopped.  We were hoping it was just napping.  But hours later we had to admit it was dead.  :(

There was a live chick in the egg with the big crack (left side in photo) but it too was dead by afternoon.  I "egg-topsied" the remaining eggs and found they were half formed chicks that had stopped forming at some point  So sad.

Well, we'll focus on all the healthy animals around here now.  And we're looking forward to baby goats being born next month!

Peep! 2014

I mentioned recently that we had a dozen fertilized chicken eggs and put them under our broody hen, a Buff named My Precious.  She is a good mama and immediately adopted them. 

We waited.  And waited.  And waited. 

The eggs should have hatched at day 21.  Or, occasionally if the weather is very cold, they could hatch at day 25.  This past Monday marked day 27.  We figured there was no hope so we headed up to our local feed store where I proceeded to pick out 11 chicks.  (A mix of Chantecler's, Brown Leghorns, Barred Rock, and Brahmas.)

 

Tabby is hoping to go into the Silkie Bantum breeding business and she bought herself 8 Silkies:

 

When we got home, Tabby set up her Silkie's in a big bin in her bedroom.  They're so cute!

Then we took my box out to the coop and Tabby carefully slipped the chicks under the hen.  She quietly watched to see if the hen would accept them.

The chicks popped in and out for awhile, then all snuggled under her to sleep.

During this process, Tabby found the strangest thing.  An egg was hatching!

Soon a little dark colored chick finally cracked it's way out of the egg.  What?!  At day 27?  The next day we "candled" the rest of the eggs to see if we might expect more super late hatching chicks.  (We took the eggs into a dark room and shined a flashlight into them.)  We found a couple bad eggs, and several that had furry looking creatures in them.  Not sure if they are alive or not so we stuck them back under the hen.  We'll leave them there several more days to see what happens.

 

We all keep going out to peek in on the hen and chicks.  It is remarkable how big the hen can spread her wings out to snuggle 12 chicks and a bunch of eggs under her.  She looks so proud and protective.  Seeing things like this really help make more Bible verses come alive for me.  Like this one:

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." - Matthew 23:37

I mean before seeing our hen and chicks, I certainly could imagine this verse.  But seeing it in person is different.  Much more meaningful.  I feel so blessed for our little farm and the chance to be surrounded by all these animals and nature.  I am able to feel God more, if that makes sense.

This evening I found one little chick is doing terribly.  I immediately called Tabby, our resident chicken whisperer.  She flew into action, telling me about all the things she read and what might be wrong and what we should try.

First she gave the chick some water.  Then she noticed it had "pasty butt."  (OK - I know several of you are laughing at that - they really call it that.  Their messy bottoms get hardened up and clogs them up and they have to be cleaned off.)  Tabby cleaned up the chick.  Then we fed it some more water and some scrambled egg.  Then put it under the mama hen to rest. 

Oh that pitiful little chicken just pulled at my heart.  It's so sweet and floppy. Tabby said a foot seemed crippled.  We're afraid it will be dead by tomorrow.  I think we are much too tenderhearted for all this animal business.  Yet at the same time - it sure makes life a lot more interesting!

By the way, Tabby's favorite chicken book is Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele.  She pours over it and takes notes from it and tells me all about the information.  (She's even giving her Silkie chicks apple cider vinegar in their water and has plans for all sorts of healthy additives like garlic.)  I need to read the book myself.  We both read the author's blog, Fresh Eggs Daily at:  http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com  The author cracks us up - she loves her chickens so much she even makes curtains for their nesting boxes!  She has tons of great information though - both for chickens, ducks, and herbal stuff for humans.  :)

I guess we'll see what tomorrow holds for us, in the furry, peeping world of chicks!

A beautiful Lilly collage

Lilly collage by C.T.

I had a special treat in my inbox today - the above beautiful collage by one of Tabby's online friends, C.T.   I think she did such a wonderful job!  Thank you C.!

I mentioned in my last post that my dear friend, my camera!, had broken.  A camera shop in Raleigh was highly recommended to us by a number of people so Frank took my camera there for me.  Well apparently I own a pretty ancient camera!  They wanted to know how old it was and then said they couldn't fix it.  (It is a Kodak EasyShare Z980.  I bought it - refurbished - in June 2011.)  So I found an out-of-state camera shop that said they could fix it.  But they wanted $120 to do so!  I could buy the same camera - refurbished - for less than that.  So I'm not sure what to do.  In the meantime, Tabby kindly loaned me her old camera, which I'm thankful for.

Today Bongle found a new home.  Tabby and I were delighted with his new owner.  She is a young woman who said she and her mother have been looking for a puppy.  When she saw my ad and pictures about Bongle on CraigsList, she felt a connection with him.  She even had a present for him waiting for him the car - a big fuzzy pink pillow, which he promptly snuggled up on.  Seeing how happy she was with him made it easier to let him go.

Bongle

Today I heard from the family that took Watsonia.  They asked for an extension of a few days of the trial period they wanted to give her.  I said yes.  But at this point, since they are still questioning her fit with their family, I feel like maybe they should just bring her back.  (I guess I want to  know her owners instantly loved her.)  If they do bring her back, Tabby and I decided we will keep her, and find a home for Sherlotta instead.  That would be too traumatic for Watsonia to be hopping homes.  (OK - maybe that's too traumatic for us!)

Watsonia and Sherlotta

I had to spend a lot of time in the kitchen yesterday and Solomon was there to "help."  I finally decided it was easiest to give him his own bowl and spoon to play with.  So I gave him a few scoops of baking soda and some water to pour in.  He had fun and I got to accomplish my tasks quicker.

Solomon was also thrilled to be able to join his big brother and sister last week for one of our character study stories.  He wants to do everything the "big kids" are doing:

Hunter likes using our couch to create all kinds of things.  Last week he made part into a washing machine.  He used a whiteboard for the washer's control board.  (Our current dryer plays a song - Shubert's The Trout Quintett - which is why there is a song reference on Hunter's "control panel.")  Hunter asked me to put the pictures on this blog - LOL he thought the readers would be very interested (especially C. W-H. - our soap nuts lady):

control panel

inside the washing machine - the blankets and pillows are around the "agitator"

Have a blessed week!

The Goat Chick's Udderly Natural Goat Milk Soap

In case you missed Tabby's blogpost earlier this week, we have about 9 bars of goat milk soap left to sell.

From Tabby:

Soap is $4.50. (Plus shipping.)  This is VERY high quality soap.  The ingredients are:  Goat's Milk, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Shea Butter, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Eucalyptus and Spearmint Essential Oils.  

This is a very moisturizing soap. 


This soap smells really good too.  We've been using it this winter.  Thankfully Christa's milk supply is slowly increasing again, so hopefully we'll be able to start making soap regularly.  

If you're interested in purchasing some, just let one of us know.  FYI - the cost of shipping on one bar is $2.50.  Several bars could be packed into a priority mail small flat rate box for $5.80 shipping.  (I haven't yet figured out how many bars would fit.)

I need to get a more up-to-date picture of Tabby milking Christa (the goat that supplied the milk for the soap we made.  But here is one from last summer:

In the chicken world, we are still waiting for the chicks to hatch.  Chicks normally hatch at 21 days, which would have been yesterday.  I did read that it can take 25 days during cold weather.  I hope that that is the problem.  It will be so very disappointing if no chicks hatch.  A friend told us that we should be able to hear the chicks peeping inside the eggs.  We can't hear a thing and one egg was sloshy sounding.  :)

Earlier today a family came and got Watsonia to take home.  They have a dog and are going to keep Watsonia if she gets along with their dog.  As Tabby and I tearfully watched the family leave, we agreed we could never be dog breeders.  We'd be too sad every time a puppy left.

Watsonia (left) and Exhaust Pipe (Hunter's dog)

 Bongle is the last puppy needing a home.  I've had a few inquiries so we'll see if any pan out.
 

Bongle - feeling sleepy in the sun

 Finally, here's a quick science experiment that Hunter enjoyed recently.  Very easy to do if you have kids that like fizzy foamy type experiments.  It has sort of a lava lamp effect.

Pour some water into a plastic bottle.  Add a few drops of food coloring - your choice of color.  Then add corn oil.  (I think this is the only time I've ever bought corn oil!  I imagine it's awful GMO stuff.)  The water and oil separate.  Then the fun part - drop in 2 alka seltzer tablets.  Fun to watch!

Hunter added alka seltzer tablets several times and really enjoyed watching it as we talked about what was going on in the bottle to cause the reaction.

March Farm Update + Tabby's Federation results

I haven't given a farm update in awhile and yesterday I determined I would do one today.  So when I took Solomon outside yesterday afternoon, I took along my trusty camera.  We walked into the chicken coop and I snapped a picture of our broody hen's adopted eggs, and then thus said trusty camera proceeded to break.  Horrors!  The off/on switch completely stopped working.

Honestly I feel almost like my arm has been cut off.  I bought that camera during Lilly's life and took pictures of her almost daily.  And after she died, I have continued to take pictures almost every day.

Hmmmm ... I'm wondering what the first picture I took of Lilly with that camera was?  Let me check!  Flashback:

Awwww ... how sweet!  It's of Tabby & Lilly on a Sunday.  (June 2011)

OK - back to the farm update.  Earlier this month, we got a dozen fertilized chicken eggs from Bentwillow Bunnies farm and put them under our broody Buff hen, My Precious.  Frank first labeled egg with a "P" for Precious, then Tabby put them under her.  They are labeled so that when Tabby goes to collect eggs each day, she gets the right egg from My Precious.  (All the below photos are from earlier this month, due to the sad state of my camera.)

 

Tabby has a funny story about My Precious's assistant here on her blog, The Goat Chick.  Once you put fertilized eggs under a hen it usually takes 21 days until they hatch.  The woman we got them from said the eggs on her farm tend to take 20 days.  Tomorrow is day 20 so we will be running out to the chicken coop a lot to check and see if any biddies have hatched yet.  A very exciting homeschool lesson in action!

Our "goaty girls" Nutmeg and Pip are doing well with their pregnancies.  Their babies are due in May.  Goats typically have twins, so it will be interesting to see how many babies these girls each have.

Nutmeg, Pippi, Tabby

Lucia had been doing really well, for at least a month, out in the yard loose every day.  She hadn't hurt any chickens.  Until recently, when Frank found Knucklehead dead.  Sigh.  (You can see a picture of Knucklehead and read more here in Tabby's blog post.)   So we're down to 11 chickens.

At first we decided to try Lucia in the goat pen, as she likes going in there with us.  Big Christa  - I don't remember how the "Big" got added to her name - didn't take anything from Lucia, and kept her in her place.

But then a few days later, there apparently was a big fight and Big Christa ended up with a hole in her ear.  So Lucia is back in her normal place, on a long cable during the day, and loose once the chickens are in for the night.

The previous owners of this house told us that well over 250 bluebirds were born here, in the blue bird houses.  Wow!  Babies were born here last year but didn't survive, thanks to Mr. Rat Snake.  The bluebirds are busy building their nests again this year.  We know for sure that at least one of the same ones is back.  A male bluebird I named "Peepers."  Why Peepers?  Because, just like he was last year, he is proving to be a regular peeping Tom!

 

I don't know how he does it but he seems to be at the window of just about every room I walk into!

On completely unrelated to the farm update (unless you relate by saying it's about the farm girl), Tabby got the results for the piano competition she was in.  (She competed in the National Federation Junior Festival under the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs.)  She got an "excellent" on her theory test.  She got an "excellent" for the two classical pieces she played by memory ("Winter's Serenade" and "Ballade."  And finally she got a a "superior" rating for the two hymns she played ("Come Though Almighty King" and "What Wondrous Love is This?")  We're so proud of her.  :)

Finally, I had to laugh when I found Solomon's cars the other day.  Just like Hunter used to, he likes to line them up neatly:

"Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion." - Psalm 103:22