My favorite on-line homeschooling resource is doing 9 days of giveaways!!! WOOHOO! Check out Montessori Print Shop blog for all of the details of how you can enter and hopefully WIN!!
Today's Giveaway- Animal Kingdom Bundle
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Homeschool Year Overview
Sooooo, after much tweaking, I think I finally came up with an overview I'm happy with, at least for now! HERE is the word document. I left it in word so you can make notes/change/etc. to fit for your homeschooling. It's on Google Drive, so I hope I uploaded it to where you can have access. Also, I think if I make changes/additions on the document throughout the year, it will save there as well. At the beginning, you can see where I have added notes for the first few weeks. I will continue this throughout the year, I hope, lol!
We do year-round school, with a longer break in July and then in December, with shorter breaks throughout the year. I have 34 weeks for homeschooling. We also have some camps scheduled. Eli is 4 1/2, and is above basic preschool, but not quite up to Kindergarten level. I'm using this basic overview as a spiral, from last year (started using WFA last Spring) through the next year or two- each year going more in depth for Science and Social Studies. LA and Math will be more linear type learning.
Subjects and what we're using:
Language Arts: BOB Books, Before the Code, Montessori Pink Language Series
Math: Montessori at Home book until we can purchase RightStart Math
Science: Montessori at Home, Montessori Print Shop, Wee Folk Art, Missouri Conservation Department (our state conservation department has amazing resources, including K-12 curriculum!)
Social Studies: Little Passports and Montessori Print Shop for Continents Study
Practical Life Skills: Montessori at Home
Here are all of the links I've used for this year long overview, plus awesome resources I will use to supplement:
Wee Folk Art Homeschooling Guides- LOVES these guides! Abbreviated WFA and is the 1st- sometimes 2nd column. I think of this as our "circle time".
Montessori at Home Book- A must have for us. I've used these activities last year and will continue through this year- and probably next. A great guide for Practical Life Skills, Math, Science- there are additional subjects as well, but I've used it mostly for those. EXCELLENT!
Montessori Print Shop- reasonably priced, beautiful printable materials. Another must have!
Additional resources:
KidsSoup.com- I have found it to be well worth the monthly membership. You can create folders to slide activities into for later use. Easy to use, easy to organize.
KidAdvance- one place where I have purchased homeschool supplies- love their puzzle cabinets- I have the Botany, Animal and Insect cabinets. I also purchased the sandpaper letters and numbers and colored beads for math.
Montessori-N-Such- another place where I purchased some materials- I really like their pouring/scooping/sorting sets. I also purchased the leaves puzzle which is just beautiful!
TeachPreschool.com- I love her ideas, and how she pulls lessons together. Great for ideas and lessons!
1+1+1=1 and Homeschoolcreations.com- They have excellent literature based printables. They have other things as well, including religious supplement for those wishing to incorporate that aspect into homeschooling. We don't, but I do love the rest of the materials they have! There are even Kindergarten add-ons for many of the packs.
Counting Coconuts- another great blog on pulling together lessons/themes/units. LOTS of inspiration here!
Living Montessori- another great site for inspiration and lesson plan ideas.
Montessori for Everyone- printables, much like Montessori Print Shop. For me, these seem to be geared more for the elementary ages, even though I have found some to use and I loved them! They also have great Scope and Sequence Comprehensive Lists.
The Helpful Garden- has great free printables covering all subjects- including a Scope and Sequence List.
I'm pretty laid back about homeschooling- we do about 30 min, sometimes 45 min., 3-4 times a week. I also add in play based learning throughout the day. I will admit that the TV is on way too much, even though it is PBS Kids, and Eli loves playing Angry Birds on the Kindle!
So, that's what our homeschooling looks like!
We do year-round school, with a longer break in July and then in December, with shorter breaks throughout the year. I have 34 weeks for homeschooling. We also have some camps scheduled. Eli is 4 1/2, and is above basic preschool, but not quite up to Kindergarten level. I'm using this basic overview as a spiral, from last year (started using WFA last Spring) through the next year or two- each year going more in depth for Science and Social Studies. LA and Math will be more linear type learning.
Subjects and what we're using:
Language Arts: BOB Books, Before the Code, Montessori Pink Language Series
Math: Montessori at Home book until we can purchase RightStart Math
Science: Montessori at Home, Montessori Print Shop, Wee Folk Art, Missouri Conservation Department (our state conservation department has amazing resources, including K-12 curriculum!)
Social Studies: Little Passports and Montessori Print Shop for Continents Study
Practical Life Skills: Montessori at Home
Here are all of the links I've used for this year long overview, plus awesome resources I will use to supplement:
Wee Folk Art Homeschooling Guides- LOVES these guides! Abbreviated WFA and is the 1st- sometimes 2nd column. I think of this as our "circle time".
Montessori at Home Book- A must have for us. I've used these activities last year and will continue through this year- and probably next. A great guide for Practical Life Skills, Math, Science- there are additional subjects as well, but I've used it mostly for those. EXCELLENT!
Montessori Print Shop- reasonably priced, beautiful printable materials. Another must have!
Additional resources:
KidsSoup.com- I have found it to be well worth the monthly membership. You can create folders to slide activities into for later use. Easy to use, easy to organize.
KidAdvance- one place where I have purchased homeschool supplies- love their puzzle cabinets- I have the Botany, Animal and Insect cabinets. I also purchased the sandpaper letters and numbers and colored beads for math.
Montessori-N-Such- another place where I purchased some materials- I really like their pouring/scooping/sorting sets. I also purchased the leaves puzzle which is just beautiful!
TeachPreschool.com- I love her ideas, and how she pulls lessons together. Great for ideas and lessons!
1+1+1=1 and Homeschoolcreations.com- They have excellent literature based printables. They have other things as well, including religious supplement for those wishing to incorporate that aspect into homeschooling. We don't, but I do love the rest of the materials they have! There are even Kindergarten add-ons for many of the packs.
Counting Coconuts- another great blog on pulling together lessons/themes/units. LOTS of inspiration here!
Living Montessori- another great site for inspiration and lesson plan ideas.
Montessori for Everyone- printables, much like Montessori Print Shop. For me, these seem to be geared more for the elementary ages, even though I have found some to use and I loved them! They also have great Scope and Sequence Comprehensive Lists.
The Helpful Garden- has great free printables covering all subjects- including a Scope and Sequence List.
I'm pretty laid back about homeschooling- we do about 30 min, sometimes 45 min., 3-4 times a week. I also add in play based learning throughout the day. I will admit that the TV is on way too much, even though it is PBS Kids, and Eli loves playing Angry Birds on the Kindle!
So, that's what our homeschooling looks like!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Make It How You Like It Granola
After hours of searching for the perfect granola recipe, I finally gave up!! Armed with several I liked, I decided to create a new one. I call it Make It How You Like It Granola, because that's just what I did! And, oh how yummy!!! And, for those of you who really don't like to follow a recipe, like me, you will love this. For those of you who need more direction, you will love this! Also, Eli loved helping make this- scooping, pouring, stirring- all the things he's really good at doing :) And, he loves to help eat it!
For the recipe:
First, choose 6 cups of nuts and/or seeds: pecans, pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds) raw sunflower seeds, almonds (whole or slivered), walnuts, flax seeds. For mine, I chose 2 cups of slivered almonds, 2 cups walnuts (which I chopped in my food processor), 1 cup pepitas and 1 cup sunflower seeds. If you choose whole walnuts, almonds, and/or pecans, coarsely chop them in a food processor.
Next, choose 5-7 cups of the following- oats, unsweetened coconut, almond meal, flaxmeal. I choose 2 cups of oats and 3 cups of coconut. If I were choosing 7 cups of almond meal and flaxmeal, I would use whole almonds/flax seeds and chop them finer than coarse but not as fine as fine in a food processor. I like my granola to be a bit chunky.
Add 1 t cinnamon and 1 t salt.
Add the wet ingredients: 1/2 cup raw honey, 3 tsp vanilla, 1 cup oil- I used coconut oil in a liquid state. I'm sure safflower oil would be good too, or any other better grade oil.
Optional 1/2- 1 cup dried fruit- I used cranberries.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix everything together. Spread mixture on baking sheet (either on 2 or do in batches). Bake for 10 mins and stir. Do this 1 or 2 more times. I like to cook mine for 30 min. You're looking for a nice light golden color. It will darken just a little when it cools, it will also dry as it cools. Once cool/dry, store.
Before baking
Packaged for Christmas Presents!
For the recipe:
First, choose 6 cups of nuts and/or seeds: pecans, pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds) raw sunflower seeds, almonds (whole or slivered), walnuts, flax seeds. For mine, I chose 2 cups of slivered almonds, 2 cups walnuts (which I chopped in my food processor), 1 cup pepitas and 1 cup sunflower seeds. If you choose whole walnuts, almonds, and/or pecans, coarsely chop them in a food processor.
Next, choose 5-7 cups of the following- oats, unsweetened coconut, almond meal, flaxmeal. I choose 2 cups of oats and 3 cups of coconut. If I were choosing 7 cups of almond meal and flaxmeal, I would use whole almonds/flax seeds and chop them finer than coarse but not as fine as fine in a food processor. I like my granola to be a bit chunky.
Add 1 t cinnamon and 1 t salt.
Add the wet ingredients: 1/2 cup raw honey, 3 tsp vanilla, 1 cup oil- I used coconut oil in a liquid state. I'm sure safflower oil would be good too, or any other better grade oil.
Optional 1/2- 1 cup dried fruit- I used cranberries.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix everything together. Spread mixture on baking sheet (either on 2 or do in batches). Bake for 10 mins and stir. Do this 1 or 2 more times. I like to cook mine for 30 min. You're looking for a nice light golden color. It will darken just a little when it cools, it will also dry as it cools. Once cool/dry, store.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
We're still here!
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in awhile!! But seriously, the June/July updates would have read like this:
It's hot.
Yep, still hot.
Garden is baking in the sun.
Still hot.
Had to turn the hose on mist to help keep the chickens cool.
Chickens are miserable.
Hell, I'm miserable.
Eli wants it to snow.
I hate this weather.
Back porch temperature says 108 degrees.
And again today
And again
And again, etc.
August was better. September was nice. And now, in October, it's turned off rainy. We've even had our first frost- VERY early this year!
Yesterday, I made 15 pint jars of pesto. Not too bad since I thought we had lost all of the basil, but the plants made a nice recovery in August.
So, here's to nicer weather and MORE UPDATES TO COME! A little peak for upcoming posts... our turkeys are beautiful!
It's hot.
Yep, still hot.
Garden is baking in the sun.
Still hot.
Had to turn the hose on mist to help keep the chickens cool.
Chickens are miserable.
Hell, I'm miserable.
Eli wants it to snow.
I hate this weather.
Back porch temperature says 108 degrees.
And again today
And again
And again, etc.
August was better. September was nice. And now, in October, it's turned off rainy. We've even had our first frost- VERY early this year!
Yesterday, I made 15 pint jars of pesto. Not too bad since I thought we had lost all of the basil, but the plants made a nice recovery in August.
So, here's to nicer weather and MORE UPDATES TO COME! A little peak for upcoming posts... our turkeys are beautiful!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
YES YOU CAN!
This post is inspired by the Play At Home Mom YES YOU CAN photo album on facebook.
YES, you can help Daddy spread dirt and then have some to play with in a bin. YES you can dig for worms. YES you can use your hands, or a scoop, or even dump some in your hair. YES, YES, YES, please explore your world, enjoy and have fun learning!
Toothpaste, Mouthwash and Deodorant
I'm needing to make some toothpaste, mouthwash and deodorant and thought I'd write up a quick post with the recipes.
Toothpaste
We use the pretty basic recipe floating around out there, with of course our own little twist on it.
2 Tablespoons melted Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Xylitol- I prefer xylitol over baking soda. It sweetens it plus is thought to help restore minerals to the teeth! I use the flat blade of our Silver Bullet blender to grind it finer for toothpaste
1 teaspoon Nixall- optional but it makes it even more anti-bacterial
About 10-15 drops of Essential Oil- I use Peppermint Oil- it gives it that minty fresh taste plus is anti-bacterial
Mix everything together. The Coconut Oil will solidify when it cools. I keep mine in a small plastic container.
Mouthwash
Okay, so we LOVE Nixall. This is a CLEAN, GREEN disinfectant which is anti- bacterial, fungal, and viral PLUS it's safe enough to drink. It is EPA and FDA approved for many uses. It's more effective than bleach and has killed EVERYTHING it's been tested on, which includes every Level 1 Virus. This has been tested, proved and approved, not just wives tales and maybes. THIS STUFF WORKS!
One of our many uses is a mouthwash. In the 10:1 dilution with 10 parts water to 1 part Nixall, I add Peppermint Oil for that fresh minty taste.
Deodorant
Another one of those basic recipes, with our twist.
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil- melted
1/8 C. Baking Soda
1/8 C. either Cornstarch or Arrowroot
1t. Nixall (optional)
Essential Oils- optional- I love using Tea Tree Oil and Lavender- I use a total of about 15-20 drops
Mix together. The Coconut Oil will solidify when it cools. I store ours in a plastic container, not a reused deodorant container. During the summer, unless you keep your house really cool, it will get a little mushy. Plus, if you do any traveling, or camping, you really don't want your deodorant to melt all over everything.
Heat Rash
If you suffer from heat rash, like I do so often, you can use, guess what? NIXALL for deodorant! Just spray under your arms and you're good to go. Not only does it get rid of the odor causing bacteria but it also helps with heat rash. I'm telling you, this is our go to product for so many things!
One other note. If you're using identical containers for your deodorant and toothpaste, you might want to label them. Tea Tree Oil/Lavender Deodorant doesn't taste very well. Oops ;)
Toothpaste
We use the pretty basic recipe floating around out there, with of course our own little twist on it.
2 Tablespoons melted Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Xylitol- I prefer xylitol over baking soda. It sweetens it plus is thought to help restore minerals to the teeth! I use the flat blade of our Silver Bullet blender to grind it finer for toothpaste
1 teaspoon Nixall- optional but it makes it even more anti-bacterial
About 10-15 drops of Essential Oil- I use Peppermint Oil- it gives it that minty fresh taste plus is anti-bacterial
Mix everything together. The Coconut Oil will solidify when it cools. I keep mine in a small plastic container.
Mouthwash
Okay, so we LOVE Nixall. This is a CLEAN, GREEN disinfectant which is anti- bacterial, fungal, and viral PLUS it's safe enough to drink. It is EPA and FDA approved for many uses. It's more effective than bleach and has killed EVERYTHING it's been tested on, which includes every Level 1 Virus. This has been tested, proved and approved, not just wives tales and maybes. THIS STUFF WORKS!
One of our many uses is a mouthwash. In the 10:1 dilution with 10 parts water to 1 part Nixall, I add Peppermint Oil for that fresh minty taste.
Deodorant
Another one of those basic recipes, with our twist.
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil- melted
1/8 C. Baking Soda
1/8 C. either Cornstarch or Arrowroot
1t. Nixall (optional)
Essential Oils- optional- I love using Tea Tree Oil and Lavender- I use a total of about 15-20 drops
Mix together. The Coconut Oil will solidify when it cools. I store ours in a plastic container, not a reused deodorant container. During the summer, unless you keep your house really cool, it will get a little mushy. Plus, if you do any traveling, or camping, you really don't want your deodorant to melt all over everything.
Heat Rash
If you suffer from heat rash, like I do so often, you can use, guess what? NIXALL for deodorant! Just spray under your arms and you're good to go. Not only does it get rid of the odor causing bacteria but it also helps with heat rash. I'm telling you, this is our go to product for so many things!
One other note. If you're using identical containers for your deodorant and toothpaste, you might want to label them. Tea Tree Oil/Lavender Deodorant doesn't taste very well. Oops ;)
Friday, June 1, 2012
Bug Repellant and Bug Bites
It's that time of year again ~ BUGS!!! Here's what we use for bug repellant and then, if we forget the bug spray, we have the bug bite cream. It is possible to be outside without all the chemicals and toxins!
Bug Repellant
Liquid Soap Nuts- click here for more information on where to order, how to make, etc.
You can add various essential oils for repelling bugs, but liquid soaps nuts work just fine without any EO. Some EO I like to add include: cedarwood, lemongrass, tea tree oil, catnip, geranium eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint. This isn't a complete list of bug repelling oils. Citronella is one as well, but I really don't like the smell. Neem oil is a great bug repellant, but oh, the smell :( I save that smell for the garden, away from me!
Bug Bite Cream
This is for those times we forget the bug repellant!
Green clay powder
Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix together to create a paste. Dab on bite(s).
Simple and effective itch relief.
Additional Summer Solutions...
Nixall is AMAZING stuff! Click here for more information and ordering. It's a 10:1 dilution with water (10 parts water: 1 part Nixall) so one quart will make 10 quarts!
Here are just a few uses- focusing on Summer Uses:
Poison Ivy relief- just spray on infected area several times a day. Relieve itching and clears it up fast! Milo got into hemlock and got a really nasty rash which was quite resilient. He used Nixall on it anytime it started to itch. It did take awhile for that rash to clear up, but it did and with minimal itching.
Wound care for scrapes/cuts/burns- including sunburns- Just spray on affected area. Eli is constantly scraping his knees like any active 4 yr old should be in the summer. We just spray him down. It keeps the affected area from becoming infected plus promotes healing. I've personally used it for sunburn relief. It instantly takes out the sting of a burn- sun or let's say, hot broth splashing on your arm. Yes, I did that one too, ended up with a 2nd degree burn OUCH! But with Nixall, it cleared it up within days.
Ticks- The ticks are BAD this year! This isn't a "proven" use for Nixall, but it's what we noticed. When I spray myself down with Nixall, I don't get ticks. When I don't use Nixall, I find ticks on me. Also, when I have a tick, I spray it with Nixall- they have either backed out, or been very easy to remove.
Preservative for Liquid Soap Nuts- with the 10:1 dilution rate using liquid soap nuts, Nixall will act as a preservative, keeping your solution from going bad.
Bug Repellant
Liquid Soap Nuts- click here for more information on where to order, how to make, etc.
You can add various essential oils for repelling bugs, but liquid soaps nuts work just fine without any EO. Some EO I like to add include: cedarwood, lemongrass, tea tree oil, catnip, geranium eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint. This isn't a complete list of bug repelling oils. Citronella is one as well, but I really don't like the smell. Neem oil is a great bug repellant, but oh, the smell :( I save that smell for the garden, away from me!
Bug Bite Cream
This is for those times we forget the bug repellant!
Green clay powder
Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix together to create a paste. Dab on bite(s).
Simple and effective itch relief.
Additional Summer Solutions...
Nixall is AMAZING stuff! Click here for more information and ordering. It's a 10:1 dilution with water (10 parts water: 1 part Nixall) so one quart will make 10 quarts!
Here are just a few uses- focusing on Summer Uses:
Poison Ivy relief- just spray on infected area several times a day. Relieve itching and clears it up fast! Milo got into hemlock and got a really nasty rash which was quite resilient. He used Nixall on it anytime it started to itch. It did take awhile for that rash to clear up, but it did and with minimal itching.
Wound care for scrapes/cuts/burns- including sunburns- Just spray on affected area. Eli is constantly scraping his knees like any active 4 yr old should be in the summer. We just spray him down. It keeps the affected area from becoming infected plus promotes healing. I've personally used it for sunburn relief. It instantly takes out the sting of a burn- sun or let's say, hot broth splashing on your arm. Yes, I did that one too, ended up with a 2nd degree burn OUCH! But with Nixall, it cleared it up within days.
Ticks- The ticks are BAD this year! This isn't a "proven" use for Nixall, but it's what we noticed. When I spray myself down with Nixall, I don't get ticks. When I don't use Nixall, I find ticks on me. Also, when I have a tick, I spray it with Nixall- they have either backed out, or been very easy to remove.
Preservative for Liquid Soap Nuts- with the 10:1 dilution rate using liquid soap nuts, Nixall will act as a preservative, keeping your solution from going bad.
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