The New Bible

So, we were at a used curriculum sale the other night and my daughter's were frequenting the ever-popular "free table." My 8 year old came back to me very excited.

"Mom, I've needed a new Bible and this was on the free table!!"

I looked at the compact-sized Bible and read the front: New American Bible.

Hmm...New. American. Bible. Yep, everything she was looking for.

Well, sort of.

For those of you who don't know, we are KJV-only users. Not only was this Bible not KJV, it wasn't even our "religion."

She found the Catholic Bible. On the free table. Macabees, Judith, the works.

So, what would you do? I must admit, I originally explained to her what it was and sent her to put it back on the table.

Then, I called her back. We're keeping it.

Why? What better education than to actually see the holy book of another's religion? What better way to really learn the differences in our beliefs than to have it right in front of you? We are firm believers in preparing our children to have an answer for every man and this is a great way to help them.

I must say, that "Bible" may have been the best find at the sale!

Switzerland

We're studying the Renaissance and are getting a bit of a European tour in the process. We are loving it - especially trying some of the yummy foods!

Today, we stopped over in Switzerland. I never knew that Fondu originated in that European country. The word fondu apparently comes from a French verb meaning "to melt." Usually, as they are a big dairy country, cheese is the melted delicacy of choice. However, they are known for another favorite food group...

CHOCOLATE!!!

So, guess what our afternoon project was. Oh yeah!!! Chocolate/peanut butter fondu in which we dipped and smothered strawberries, bananas, and marshmallows.

Can you say "OUTSTANDING"?!!!




The best part - the kids won't be hungry for supper meaning I can get away with serving left-overs!:)

Oh - in case you want the recipe:

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. peanut butter

Mix chocoate, sugar, and milk and microwave until chocolate melts (watch carefully so chocolate doesn't burn). Add the peanut butter and blend. Pour into fondu pot. Skewer fruits, etc., dip, and enjoy!!

Next stop - France. I see dessert crepes in the menu!

A Quick Summary of the Last Couple of Months!

It's been forever!! No we haven't decided to send our kids to public school. Or private, for that matter. Though, we've thought about it at times.:)

We've just been crazy busy. And having fun.

We finished Rome ages ago and completed the Middle Ages a couple of weeks ago. LOVED our end of unit feast. We ate roast chicken, rolls, salad with herbs and fruit tarts. YUM!! We were entertained by minstrels, jesters, a couple of miracle plays, and the readings of poems and essays done throughout the unit.

Can I just say how I LOVE my husband for his participation in our craziness? These feasts are a ton of work, but we both agreed that our kids learn so much from the "doing" part of school. Eric is a huge encourager and it helps the children look forward to surprising daddy with all of our festivities.

We are now studying The Renaissance & the Reformation. I am looking forward to giving my children a closer look at some of the true heroes of the faith. We are studying astronomy for science and we are all looking forward to a visit to the planetarium & science museum in a couple of weeks.

The food is awesome in this unit. We learned about Italy last week and enjoyed a wonderful Italian meal. Not to mention we discussed that sardines were first caught off the coast of Sardinia - so, of course we had a bit of a treat that day as we delved into a can of sardines. YUM! (well, the kids loved it, anyway). That same day, we discussed the Milky Way in science. What better way to make it memorable than by washing those sardines down with Milky Way bars?

Today, we studied Germany. Dinner was bratwurst, sauerkraut, potatoes, salad, and a delicious Black Forest Cake for dessert. Who knew that Germany has the Black Forest region which is known for its cherries? I love that I am learning right along with my kids!

On top of all this fun school at home, we have been busy with our homeschool co-op. This was our first year and we've loved it! Our last day of classes is this Thursday and it will be followed by a curriculum fair and a presentation about our co-op. We are very much looking forward to that.

I have also been taking kids to the library for book discussion groups 3 Thursdays/month. The girls go to an American Girls group while Mike, Katrina, and Seth go to groups appropriate for their age groups. We have loved being a part of these groups.

FYI - I do preview the books my kids are assigned before they read. This month, I have had to turn down 2 of the books. The wonderful thing is, the kids are still allowed to take part in the group. Their part of the discussion is just why they didn't read the book. I hope they don't just say, "because my mom wouldn't let me." They have an opportunity to be a witness. Please pray that they will politely tell the truth with conviction. What a great education!

It is late and this mom has much more to do. So glad to stopped by. I hope to talk with you again real soon!

Volcano Dessert!

Yes, we're still learning about Rome - almost finished, actually. It has been quite interesting seeing how the Roman Empire parallels the history of the United States.

But, this post is not meant to make you lose your appetite, but whet it!

Our science for this unit has been geology - focusing on the 3 categories of rocks and then on to earthquakes and volcanoes. What's the connection to Rome? The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 occurred during the Roman empire in Pompeii.

Of course, we did the age-old volcano eruption using baking soda and vinegar, but my favorite project is our volcano sundae! Be warned - the picture doesn't do it justice!

I'm telling you, one of the best things of Learning Adventures are the awesome recipes we get to try! This Volcano is made with 1/2 gallon vanilla ice-cream, 1 C. peanut butter, 1 C. chocolate chips. You mix in your mixer and then pour it into a graham cracker pie crust. As the ice cream is softened, you mold it into a volcanic shape (I had my children do this all by themselves - hence, the charming imperfection). After you finish sculpting, put it in the freezer for a couple of hours or until dinner. Then, take it out, form a crater in the top and pour hot fudge into the crater, until the "lava" begins to flow down the mountain. A mixture of powdered sugar & chocolate milk powder dusted over it makes the appearance of ash! Add a few volcanic bombs (chocolate chips) and dig in!!! YUM!!!

WARNING: By the time you finish this delicious dessert, your stomach will feel like it's about to erupt!:)

You can make this dessert without creating the volcanic shape, etc - just in pie form. This way, your guests won't think you've totally lost your mind!

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our science class and wishing you all a wonderful school day!

Olympic Festivities

This was the day of our Ancient Greek Finale! What a wonderful few weeks it has been studying Greek culture, myths, history, people, along with the human body (for science). There is SO much more to learn in these areas - which is part of the beauty of unit studies. We walk away knowing so much more than we used to but realizing there is so much more knowledge to gain. We have just whet our children's appetites for more.

Today, the children held the Olympic Games at Mount Olympia. Well, the Mount looked much like our hay barn, but with imagination we were champions at the place of champions! I read through the names of the participants, the athletes repeated the Olympic pledge (they each wrote one and voted on the best pledge to repeat), and I began each event with the trumpet fanfare (otherwise known as the screeching of a recorder). Races were run, ropes were jumped and tugged, relays were...relayed. Fingers and feet were frozen, but all walked away winners.

The Olympic banquet consisted of Greek pizza (pitas topped with ricotta & feta cheeses, spinach, tomatoes, & olives), Greek tortellini salad (tortellini marinated in red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, & salt and mixed with fresh spinach, red onion, and feta cheese), and, for dessert, Greek lemon cake. A very different meal, but one that most of us enjoyed. Best of all, it was a huge success with my husband!

Once we cleaned up from the banquet, the children presented the play they wrote together based on the fable, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." It was quite good and it's always fun to see them successfully work together. I never enjoyed doing skits or family plays, but our children seem to live for it!

Then came the awards ceremony. I presented the medals for each race, always beginning with the bronze and ending with the gold. Of course, the gold medalist stood on a stool between the other two medal winners.

We then had a group recitation of Psalm 139:1-15. There are 24 verses in the chapter, but we had a rough time with a couple different verses. It is our goal to have the entire chapter memorized soon.

We topped the evening off with a reading that concluded Book 3 of Mary Pope Osborne's "Tales From the Okyssey" entitled "Sirens and Sea Monsters." This is an abridged version of Homer's Illiad & Odyssey written for children. It has been a great evening read aloud for the family and we will begin book 4 as soon as we can check it out of our library!

I am actually sad to say good-bye to the ancient civilization of Greece, but I anticipate a great adventure beginning next week in Ancient Rome!

Raising Story-tellers

This evening, my 3 year old daughter wanted me to read her a story. In fact, her favorite phrase lately has been, "Read me a story, Mommy." My "favorite" phrase is, "Later, honey." However, even though I don't drop everything and run to read to Gloria whenever she requests a story, I do spend a lot of time reading to this little girl.

Tonight I was too tired to read. So, I took the "easy" way out and made up a story. Of course, the main character's name was Gloria. It was a silly story involving flowers, birds, toads, and jungles but she was entranced. A few more of my children gathered around to listen, as well.

When I finished, Gloria and my 6 year old daughter both wanted to try telling a story. Theirs were even more silly than mine, but I enjoyed listening to the girls develop their creativity. It's hard to make sense of a 3 year old's story, but, with time and practice (if allowed) she will become a great story-teller.

Much better than her mother.

What We're Doing Today

Really, when you introduce your kids to their new best friend, how can you get any school done? Let's call it, Learning to Care for a Pet Day!!

Name: Hunter (unless a better name is found)
Breed: Yellow Lab
Age: 10 weeks
Adopted: December 2, 2008

Merry Christmas to us!!!!:)