Playing at Their History

Highlights from our timeline studies.
The early Christian church. I read the kids some of the StoryKeeper stories about the underground church in Rome. To make it come alive for them, we closed all the shades and pretended we were having a secret meeting. The kids all listened intently.


Larkin kept checking out the window for Roman soldiers.


He informed us that there were soldiers at the door, so we made our escape through a hidden door.


Larkin got into it and started fending off the soldiers with his sword. Zahana and Rohan started to think maybe there really were soldiers after us, so we ended up leaving Larkin in the basement to carry out his battle alone. It went on for a while down there, but he finally emerged with all bad guys vanquished and doors sufficiently barricaded.
We also watched a couple of the StoryKeepers movies from the library. Usually, we use books instead of TV, but it's pretty hard to find good children's books on the early church. I really didn't even like the StoryKeepers book (though the movies are great). I thought it skipped around too much and was hardly coherent. The kids liked it a lot though and keep asking me to reread it.
At our library, you can make requests of books or movies for them to buy. I had tried this once and it worked great, so I asked them to get the Drive-Thru History DVD series, which follows Paul through his missionary journeys and talks about the early Christian church. They ordered it 5 weeks ago, but it's still not on the shelf. We're looking forward to watching that whenever it comes in.

The Golden Age of India.




Dhal, golden rice, naan, and chai. Also there was some ground beef, because I know from experience that the ethnic foods don't always go over so well. I tried to choose nonradical recipes and toned them down a bit. They liked everything except the dhal, which I expected. I liked it though.







The Rise of the Maya.
Atole and tortillas with honey.


Making headdresses.




As soon as I snapped their picture, they all ran upstairs to play "The Mayas and The Spaniards." After some screams of terror and a punched nose (an "accident" apparently), I persuaded them to play the quieter domestic side of the Mayan culture - farming, hot chocolate, music. That was much nicer. For everybody.

"In Charlotte’s philosophy of education, history is the study of people’s lives, not just dates and events."

“The end result of a Charlotte Mason education is the children ‘find knowledge so delightful that it becomes a pursuit and source of happiness for a lifetime.’” -Catherine Levison

“Charlotte Mason strongly believed in focusing on the story part of history while children are developing their powers of imagination.” -Karen Andreola

The Eagle and The Eft

"Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."
Psalm 103:1-5

While my mom was here, we went back to Douglas Lake to search for crystals and enjoy the sun and sand. I was thrilled when a bald eagle flew by and landed on a rocky outcrop in the middle of the lake. I was elated when a second one flew up. At home, I tried to find out more about bald eagles in the area. Apparently, two were released at the lake last year. My first bald eagle! And I have pictures! But not great ones. The camera kept focusing on the background instead of the eagles. Oh well. Yesterday, Jeremiah found a little red eft in the driveway. Larkin quickly identified it with an amphibian field guide and made it his pet.

Adventures in Cheese

". . .Shobi . . . brought . . honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” 2 Samuel 17:27-29

My mom came over to make cheese with me. The cow who normally gives us our milk is not producing at the moment. We've been craving good raw milk. I thought it was just me until Larkin said one morning over a glass of store-bought milk, "If I drink it really fast, it's kind of like fresh milk!" So when my mom brought six gallons of raw milk, we were really happy. Three of those gallons were for our first attempt at making cheese. Armed with Ricki Carroll's book on Home Cheese Making, we tried ricotta, mozzarella, and quark.
We started our quark first. Neither of us had heard of it before, but it looked easy enough and sounded good from the description. Just dump a packet of buttermilk starter into a gallon of 88* milk and let it sit for 24 hrs.


Then we started the ricotta. Dissolve 1 tsp. citric acid in 1/4 cup cool water. Pour it and 1 tsp. cheese salt into 1 gallon milk. Heat to 185*-195*, stirring often.


Curds. Exciting!


Then we had a problem. The curds and whey were supposed to separate until the whey was no longer milky. It was supposed to get clear and bluish. It never happened. We tried holding the temperature at 193* for several minutes, but the whey wasn't really changing. Maybe we stirred too much? I have no idea. Anyway, we finally gave up on the whey getting clear, since we did have a lot of curds. So we took it off the heat and let it sit 15 min., then drained it in cheesecloth.


Then we hung it up to drain for about 30 min.


And ta da! Ricotta! It had a good wholesomeness to it but wasn't really flavorful. We decided it would be good on salads with dressing or baked in dishes to soak up the flavor, which I guess is what it is used for. Next time, I think I'll add a couple Tbs. cream, which was optional and we didn't use this time, because it ended up being kind of dry the next day.


The next day, at the appointed time, we checked on our quark. When we lifted the pan lid, it looked like a solid gallon of plain yogurt and tasted similar too. We dumped it into a cheesecloth-lined colander to drain.


At this point we were really excited, because the quark was so smooth and had a very pleasant flavor. It would have been good in smoothies or just eaten with berries. But we wanted to see what the final outcome was going to be, so we went ahead and finished the recipe. Since there was so much of it, we took off about a third and put it in its own cheesecloth and hung it up to drain. The other two-thirds was so big we just left it in the colander to drain.

We let it drain for a few hours and then put it in the fridge in colanders. On top of the small batch, we placed a little plate and stacked some thick bowls on top for weights. We tried to put some weights on top of the bigger batch, but they kept slipping off so we just let it sit in a colander in the fridge.

And then we turned to "30-minute mozzarella." It actually took us much longer than 30 minutes, novices that we are. This recipe was slightly more involved and even used rennet.
Here are the curds coming out of the pot.


Kneading the mozzarella.


Miah forming it into balls.

It was OK. The flavor was alright, but I didn't like the texture. It was pretty tough. Next time, I'd like to try using lipase, which was optional. It's supposed to give the cheese more flavor and make it softer. I think I would like that better. It was fun to make though, and I'm sure that it would go faster with practice.

This morning, we unveiled the quark.


It was good. It was really good.

Actually what we unveiled was the smaller portion of the quark. It was rich, smooth, and creamy. It could be sliced into lovely little triangles and served with honey and blueberries. It was sublime. It was hard to stop eating - even all the kids thought so! Later we tried out the bigger portion. It had the same flavor but the texture was not nearly as nice. Next time, I'll divide it into three portions, save one portion as it is, and hang, then press the other two well. This quark was especially exciting for me. I can't usually eat soft cheeses like cream cheese, because I'm lactose intolerant. Since this was made from fresh, raw milk and used a starter culture, my tummy was just as pleased as my mouth. (And my mouth was very pleased!)


"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains, cheese, milk's leap toward immortality."
Clifton Fadiman -American writer

Braids and Beads

This post is especially for Shonya and anybody else who needs the info. I know this sort of thing would have helped me tremendously a few months ago. I learned how from the book, Kinki Kreations, and pointers from friends. Since it's a little difficult to braid, bead, and take pictures, Miah helped me out with the camera.
Now let's get started.

You will need a regular comb, a bristle brush, hair grease, beads, and ouchless elastics (I don't really know what these are called. They aren't rubber bands. They are plastic and don't damage the hair.) You will also need a very thin wire. I use a thin flexible covered craft wire. The towel is for wiping your comb and hands. They get greasy. The comb with the really pointy metal tip is what I use to take the braids out. The braids look good for a couple weeks. I tend to leave it a little longer, because I'm lazy.
By the way, I just use regular plastic craft beads. If anybody knows of something that may be softer, I'd love to hear about it. The beads have never bothered Zahana, and she even likes to shake her head to hear them click together. When she sits in my lap and leans her head against my chest though, they hurt me.

Wash and condition the hair immediately before fixing it. It's easier to comb through that way. I set Zahana up in a high chair with food and a movie. This keeps her from moving her head around so much, distracts her, and keeps her happy. It generally takes the length of a whole movie for me to finish. Larkin keeps her happy by bringing more food. She still cries and jerks her head around some though.

Begin by parting the hair. Don't part in the same place every time. Vary your pattern. Get creative.

Section off the first piece using the comb. The bigger the braids, the less you have to do, but don't make them so big that the beads don't fit.


Apply grease to the scalp all the way around the section. Just rub it along the line. You can smooth a little of the excess up into the hair with your finger.


Comb the section. This is where we get the tears. You can start at the ends of the hair to get the tangles out more gently. You want to eventually be combing all the way from the base to the ends to bring that grease up through the hair. Use the bristle brush if you need to remove any lint, etc. from the hair.


Braid the section all the way out to the end. Your hands will be getting greasy and working the grease into the hair while you braid too.


Loop your wire and slide on the desired number of beads. I like to use four. Whichever bead you put on first will come out on top.


Put the end of the braid through the loop in the wire.


Slide the beads up onto the hair. Pull out the wire.



Slide all the beads up except the bottom one. Fold the end of the braid up over the bottom bead. You just need enough overlapping to secure with a band. Don't get too much or you'll have a big puff of hair between the braids.


Wrap a band around the hair directly above the bottom bead. You'll be securing the folded up end to the main part of the braid. Wrap your band around as many times as you can. Slide the other beads down. Try to push them down over the band, but sometimes it's too thick.


And there's your finished braid. Repeat until the whole head is covered.





Kiss away the tears, clean up, and go take a breather!

Treasure

Today was much too beautiful and warm to stay inside. Friends called, and we went in search of Douglas diamonds. It was our first time, so they showed us the ropes.


















After combing the beach a while, the kids decided some good ol'-fashioned play was in order.












At home, the kids washed up their finds - some beauties for the nature table. (Actually, ours is more of a nature shelf, but I wanted to share some beautiful nature-inspired blogs with you.)

The fun didn't end there. It was back outside for us. Larkin was feeling mischievous and thought he was pretty funny to top all these stakes with sod. Guess what the stakes are for. . . (tell you later.)




Miah said she had a story in her head that she wanted me to write down for her. Then she illustrated it.

Want to hear the story?

The Blueberry Man
by Miah
There was a guy, and he wanted to get everything out of the town and then put blueberries in each building. So the blueberry man went to a different town and got some different kind of food. Then the bad guy didn't know what to do. Then he thought and thought and thought, and then he just went to a different town and got all of the stuff out of the town, and he put blueberries in every single place of that town. Then the blueberry man went to a different town but not that town and got some different kinds of food, and then he brought it all back to those two towns. And then he became a king, because he did that to the towns. And then he wanted to have a bath. He went into the pool. Then he went out and his feet were all dirty. "I want my shoes," he said. So a guy gave him his shoes. He went into the tub. He got out, and then a guy just threw a mudball right at him then he ran away. It was the bad guy. And then he went back into the tub, got out, and then he noticed that mean tricker guy just got the whole town full with strawberries. So the king just got all of the strawberries out and put strawberries with other kinds of fruits and vegetables in the town. And then he wanted to search for gold. He dug and dug and dug. Then he thought he found some treasure in a box. Then he pulled a mirror out and looked right into his palace! So he dug a different way. He thought that was a box. He pulled it out. Then he saw some treasure in it. And then he saw some coins and gems in it. And then he brought it to his palace, and then he wanted to hang some on the walls, and he said to his servants to hammer it to the wall. But then it cracked a big crack right into the wall. And then the servant put another one above it and hammered it in and it did an even bigger crack. And then the whole kingdom just fell to the ground.
The End

More digging for treasure.

And looking through this:


And kissing worms.






Catching ladybugs.






And blowing kisses.




"The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure."
-Isaiah 33:5,6

Refill

Yesterday, I needed HELP! I was already having one of those days, when this lovely incident occurred.




Obviously I did not take these pictures. I was not amused. Thankfully, Jeremiah was there to tend to the perpetrator, while I cleaned up the mess. The mess was a pile of games and puzzles thrown into a over-full bathtub. A pile of games and puzzles that I had just arranged and organized away from curious little children who are not old enough to play with them but have apparently learned how to unlock doors with straightened paperclips.
Somehow, I made it to the end of the day and quiet time to read and, thankfully, to refill.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-24

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:7-10

"'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. . . . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:26,27, 30-32

". . . do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. . . . Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:4, 10-18

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31

After the healing Word, I decided to see if the Duggars had anything helpful to say. ( If anybody should, it's them.) I found this quote by Michelle to be valuable:
"Encouragement goes a long way in good behavior. Saying comments such as, 'I’m so happy for you, what a big girl you are you practiced self-control and went potty all by yourself! Great job!' or 'Thank you for taking out the trash without even being asked. I’m so encouraged by your initiative. You saw what needed to be done and just did it! You encourage me to have more of a servant’s heart.' These kind of positive statements will make our children seek to become even more of who they should be.
Remember anger outbursts from parents will push our children away and undermine the very right character that we are trying to teach them. Asking God and others forgiveness when we react in anger is the first step to learning to respond correctly. One thing that helped me (Michelle) was to purpose to lower my voice when I felt myself getting angry. (A soft answer turns away wrath. The wrath of man will not bring forth the righteousness of God.) Meaning my anger will not bring about the right behavior I desire to see nurtured in my children."

And so today was much better.

Better but not altogether sane. Who hotglues things to themselves?!!


A beautiful sunshiney day for tumbling in the grass.




Twaddle schmaddle . . . we like Dick and Jane! Especially when read by Miah!


And apparently we like going underwater too!




"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Mars

Our Mars study centered around robots and the possibility of people colonizing the planet. The kids made this ecosystem for people to live in on Mars. There are lego buildings, and the green things are supposed to be plants. You can see a little rover outside near a red Martian mountain.

Since the solar system's largest volcano, Olympus Mons, is on Mars, they made an erupting volcano. Inevitable but always a hit.








Lapbooking.

Miah's.

Larkin's.

NASA has a program for kids called Rock Around the World. You can send in a rock, and they will analyze it and compare it to Martian rocks. The kids were really excited to send off their rocks to the scientists.

You can see Miah's and Larkin's rocks here. They haven't been analyzed yet, but you'll see others that have been.