Distinctly Different

• Jul. 6, 2008 - 2008-2009 Curriculum Needs

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Here's my "I need it" list and my wishlist for next year.  Now I don't have to think about them anymore, until I buy them, updated now for my convenience!

Math-U-See
EmBlem-Zeta TP and SB
GirlofGod-Delta TP and SB
BlackSpidey-Gamma SB mid-year
Trixie- Gamma SB mid-year
Polly-Alpha SB
Jack-Primer

Year 3.5 Books from Amazon
Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (substituted)
Heroes Every Child Should Know

The Story of Napoleon (substituted)
Stories of Don Quixote Written Anew for Children
(substituted)
Ways of Wood Folk (Illustrated Edition)
(substituted)
Stories From 1001 Arabian Nights: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, The Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Others
(substituted)
The Story Book of Science
A Little Brother to the Bear (substituted)
Thirty More Famous Stories Retold (on audiobook)
Fifty Famous People
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates

Year 5 Amazon
Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt
Abraham Lincoln's World, Expanded Edition
(substituted)
The Reb and the Redcoats

Others
The Bears of Blue River
Unknown to History: a story of the captivity of Mary of Scotland

Book of Centuries
:
History Through the Ages Collection CD

Ann Voskamps's Geography

Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science (plus I got Physical Science, Biology and Chemistry, so all of middle school and some of high school is covered!)
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• Jun. 27, 2008 - Buzzing Bees

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We have been camping, hence the blogging hiatus.  Pictures and stories of that trip will be forthcoming.

Before camping, we took a field trip to our Bee-Guy's Warehouse.  We get our local, raw honey from him, and were delighted to be invited to watch the collection process.

The hive boxes had been picked up that morning to be taken to various fields, but many, many bees were still around.  They were especially thick near the line where the honey is extracted.  All the children behaved just as I told them to and did not swat at the bees that came near.  No one was stung during our visit; they didn't even seem to notice them after the first few minutes.

There were thousands of frames waiting to be emptied.  There was lots of orange honey, some sage, even some avocado!


Here's a look at the line where the honey is extracted.  The frames were put into one end of the line.  They met "The Capper" which quickly saws off the wax cap that keeps the honey in the individual cells.

Then the frames go down the line and are put into a centrifuge. Many frames fit in at once.  The spinning forces the honey out of the cells, onto the walls of the centrifuge.  It then drains to the bottom and is collected.


The children were given spoons and allowed to taste the honey oozing out of the cells after then were opened.  Yummy!  We were able to taste more after it was strained, too. 


We were given a bucket full of honeycomb.  Most of the children liked the honey, but  not chewing the wax.  I guess that is a pleasure of a by-gone age.

The fragments of wax cut off the frames, and all that is removed when the frames need cleaned are collected in 50 gallon drums.  Not very pretty, is it?  The dark spots are dead bees.

It is heated and strained, and collected in buckets.  When cooled, the wax is gathered on pallets, ready to be shipped off for candle making.  Some also goes to cosmetics companies.


Here is our group in front of the warehouse.Have you any idea how hard it is to get a picture of that many little ones looking at you?  Sorry to those who have silly expressions;  this was the best one :) .
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• May. 19, 2008 - At the Farm

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We took a trip recently with some friends to another friends farm.  This friend is supplying our family with fresh, fertile eggs and -wow- are they delicious!  She is enjoying our homemade freshly ground wheat bread in exchange.  I love barter! 

Here are "our" chickens.

We discovered a duck, secreted away, laying on her eggs.

She has an aviary, complete with nesting doves, like this one, parakeets and other lovelies.
Here is a guinea hen, who gives us small, very hard shelled eggs.

Here are some adorable chicks.

And one of the many goats.  He is in need of a good shearing, but he's so handsome!

Here are a few of the children near the dear donkey.

We had a great day!  Thanks for the invitation, Tammy!
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• Mar. 24, 2008 - Rosetta Stone Giveaway

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What could be better than a free Rosetta Stone program?  I know I want it.  Jen Ig  is giving away one!  Just follow the directions below .

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE! 

This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.

This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program.  Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking.  Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included!  For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports. 

 

To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these (orange) paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/  and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it.  And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it.  And good luck!  The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg.   And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win.   Yay for free stuff!
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• Mar. 17, 2008 - Diane Stanley

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Recently we were blessed to be able to visit with renowned children's biography writer Diane Stanley.  Her work is used extensively throughout the homeschool world.  Have you used her books?  She's written on Joan of Arc, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth, Cleopatra and many more.  We have most of her biographies. 

She had a very interesting presentation; shared about her childhood, her early career as a medical illustrator and how she researches and creates her books.  She travels extensively, visiting sites where the person lived and uses the actual architecture photographed to construct her paintings.  Everything included in the illustrations is historically accurate down to the smallest detail.  She even gave us a tour through her newest biography: Mozart.  It is a lovely book with an interesting detail, his story is told through a play performed using marionettes.  I learned quite a bit about him from the preview she gave.

She autographed all our many books with a kind smile and thoughtful words to the children.  We enjoyed our visit with her
very much.


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• Feb. 24, 2008 - What Our Day with AO Looks Like

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I use Ambleside with six of my eight children. I have my very nearly 12 yod in Year 4, my 10 yod in Y3, my just turned 9yod and nearly 10yos in Y2, my 6.6 yod in Y1 and just turned 6 twins in Y0, with his twin sister listening in, but not doing any academics. I also have a 2 yos and I babysit a 2 yog.

My day can be long, as I read everything to the Y2's and under, and some to Y3 and 4, but much is done together. In fact, my older children often sit in on the stories of the youngers, since they enjoy them so much!

Here's my usual routine:
We start the day with breakfast, then clean-up, then we gather together. I read the Scripture, and the commentary (I use J. Vernon McGee) and then we practice out memory verses (currently Ps. 1) After prayer, we do math, all together. Then the older children begin their independent reading, and I call one group of kids to me for aloud reading. When they are done, I send them to do copywork or drawing and read with another group of children.

We do this until lunchtime. The older children who are not reading with me play things with and supervise the babies quietly. I have certain toys and activities set aside for schooltime. They are usually within eyesight of me.

After lunch and clean-up, we gather together for more together studies, like Shakespeare, Pilgrim's Progress, art or something, then we get back to the individual readings/work. The Babe's nap time is 2:00-2:30 until 4:00 or so, and during that time we finish up, then have free time outside if possible. I get dinner ready for 4 PM (but it's often closer to 5..). The Lambies have free time all evening, after kitchen cleanup.

I broke the AO schedules up into four days of work, and made check off sheets, so they always know what to do each day. Anything not finished by Thursday can be finished on Friday. Fridays are service day and Park Day with other homeschoolers. I haven't ever had anyone miss service projects or parkday for not finishing school.

It took awhile for us to get into the swing of this routine, but it works really well for us now! I do take one week "off" every six weeks, and use it to catch up with housework that may not get done otherwise. Things like shampooing the carpets, The Great Toy Sort, The Great Clothes Swap, gardening, painting, dusting (one of my hated chores!)etc.
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• Feb. 5, 2008 - It's a Carnival!

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It's time, it's time!  Westward has put up the 10th Edition of the Charlotte Mason Carnival!  She's done a marvelous job, so make sure to go visit.

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• Jan. 31, 2008 - Of Friends and Fellows

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We have been busily finishing our last week of our second term of school. I am stunned at how fast this year is going; we have just a trimester left of our school year! 

Wrapping up books is an interesting thing using Ambleside.  It's like the end of a visit from a dear friend.  We are saying goodbye to Otto, to Richard, and dear Emily, the poet.  A. A. Milne's funny poems will be replaced with a strangers, and we won't be hearing from William, Humphrey, Arrietty, Bess, and the rest.

But, as I told my Y1 daughter, Polly, today, we can meet them again. We can go during free time and visit Christopher Robin.  We'll be seeing Paddle next term, too. We will always be friends with the books we read.  And we can visit any time we want!

I had to remind her that she felt the same last term about "losing" A Child's Garden of Verses.  She protested getting "The World of Christopher Robin" out instead.  I told her, "P
erhaps in the evenings, we can read again the lines of  Robert  Lewis Stevenson and swing high over the garden , but now we need to meet someone else". Now it's repeating.  A. A. Milne will make way for other friends.

The turning of a page...
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• Nov. 19, 2007 - Why Do We Homeschool?

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After going through public school myself, I worked in the school system from the time I was sixteen until I was twenty four years old.  I was an aide in  special education classes, taught speech and language to preschoolers, worked with mentally and physically disabled people from birth through adult, and was sign language interpreter.  I have worked in many, many different schools in two states and saw many things that disturbed me.

Even before I had made a commitment to Christ, my husband and I KNEW that out children wouldn't go to public school.  Since we met when I was fifteen and he had just turned sixteen, we were able to grow together to that decision as I worked and shared my experiences with him.

Besides the obvious reasons relating to being Christians, being sure then Lord called US, and not the State to teach our children, and not wanting all our values undermined and ridiculed at school, some of my experiences helped form our decision:

I saw kids as young as fifth grade making out "on the sly" during recess.  Kids in first and second grade had "boyfriends" and held hands.

There was a pregnant 12 year old in one class.

I interpreted high school lessons that made me wish I could afford to stand up and walk out. Disturbing values clarification taught before my very eyes, and going off my fingers into the brain of a teenager.  I *wish* I had been brave enough to refuse to interpret that stuff...

I saw a first grader stab another first grader with a pencil in between the eyes.  It was done in anger because the victim answered a question the stabber could not.  By the grace of God the pencil hit the bridge of the boys nose and did not go in his eye.

I saw the Pledge removed from the morning routine in a fourth grade classroom.  The memo from the principal said not to mention it, just stop doing it.  And we did.  And not one child asked about it, nor did any teacher do anything more than complain in the staff room for a day or two.  Nor did I do anything...

I saw the special education kids be herded out after lunch time to clean the campus.  Regular kids would throw their trash all around, leave half eaten food on tables, gum on the ground, spit everywhere... just generally trash everything, and then go to class when the bell rang.  Out came the "re*ards" to clean up.  Every day, day in and day out.  Is that what the parents sent their kids to school to do?  Be unpaid janitors?  They called it "Life Skills" and gave the students class credit for their time served.  Sheesh!

One teacher stands out in my memory.  He wished-outloud- that a particular students mother had aborted him.  Told him the world would be better off without him.  Can you imagine?

I could go on and on.  Please don't get me wrong...most of the teachers were great people, and really cared about the students.  They just had to teach the worse things!  The relationships between the kids were just sad.  You could see the way kids were "classed' as early as kindergarten.  The nerds, the popular ones, the tough ones...so sad!  The loving teachers couldn't do much about it, either.   The class hierarchy  reigned.

I'm so glad the Lord used my years there to  shape me and ready me to teach the gifts He would give me in the future.  He showed me the gutter so I wouldn't end up sending my kids into it!

This post, by the way, was inspired by Ginger at Clark Chatter.  Thanks for your great blog!

Momma

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• Aug. 2, 2007 - Homeschool Open House

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Tiany is hosting a Homeschool Open House

I am Momma, a 35 year old homeschooling SAHM.  I have 8 children:
EmBlem aged 11
GirlofGod, aged 10
BlackSpidey, aged 9
Trixy, aged 8
Polly, aged very nearly 6
Miss Banana, aged 5.5
Jack, aged 5.5
and BabyJ, aged 2

Click here for their pictures.

We also have two Lambies rejoicing in Heaven with their Lord.  I always told my husband that I wanted 22 children, but would compromise at 10.  Now we have 10 and feel so blessed!  We adopted BlackSpidey, Miss Banana and Jack from state foster care.

We have homeschooled from the beginning.  I was blessed to work from the age of 16 to the birth of my eldest in many various public schools as a sign language interpreter and aide for disabled children.  I *knew*, even before becoming a Christian , that MY children would not be going to public schools.  I had to interpret many things that made me very uncomfortable.  This was in the midst of Clinton's "Goals 2000".  I couldn't believe some of the things that were being taught.  Most of the teachers hated it too, but they had no choice in what to teach.

I began, unknowingly, using some techniques from Charlotte Mason, then, when EmBlem was 4, began using The Weaver's Interlock.  We used Weaver for several years, until I discovered Ambleside Online.

Our day follows a routine, rather than a schedule.  We get up, have breakfast, read the Bible and have devotions, then do math, then our AO readings in various order and in various places around the house.  I read with the Lambies as they need, first one, then another, until everyone has marked off all the day's work.  We usually finish up about 1 PM.  That's with a lunch break and clean-up, too!  I love AO, since we have free afternoons, and lots of time for swimming and free play.

Our curriculum choices are Ambleside Online, Math-U-See, Handwriting Without Tears.  We use some websites for things like Spanish, Typing and Sign.

My tip?  Ease up on the workbooks and increase the good literature!  Children really do learn all they need from great, classic, well written books!  I'd love for everyone to read A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola.  It sums up our educational philosophy.

Thanks to Tiany for hosting this little get together and hope everyone has a great year!

Momma



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• Jul. 18, 2007 - Our School

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We have had two full days of school now, using the schedules provided by wwww.Amblesideonline.org.  I have Lambies in Years 4,3,2,1, and 0.  I am quite pleased with how things have gone.  We've read each portion of each book, spent much time snuggling and reading together, I have heard some delightful narrations, and we have had free afternoons!  It seemed like a lot of work to cram in the morning, but it really has gone quickly and smoothly!

Each Lambie claims to have found a new favorite book, but they haven't been introduced yet to each book we'll read this term, so I will not share their choices-yet. 

Polly gave a surprisingly wonderful narration on the first section of "An Island Story" by H. E. Marshall.  I didn't even have to teach her how to narrate.  It's a natural skill! 

EmBlem began a typing course, and LOVES it!  She asked to do it during free time...repeatedly.


Everyone remembered how to do their math!  Even with two+ months off! WOO HOO!

We have been watching "America's Got Talent" on TV on Tuesday nights as a family.  Last night was the first time to vote.  We cast most of our votes for "Jonny Come Lately".  I just love that those 15 year olds are so talented and obviously take care to use their time with something other than video games!

Well, between grocery shopping, attending to the pool and surrounding weedbeds, and housecleaning, and, of course, school, we have lots to do today!  See ya' later!

Momma-who has weekend guests coming on Friday!
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• Mar. 8, 2007 - Curriculum choices

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I'm beginning the search for next year's curriculum.  DdE will be in 6th grade, and I think I'll have her begin a typing program.  Does anyone wish to share their favorite?  I have heard of Mavis, but as of yet haven't investigated.

We'll be using Ambleside Online next year (as I'm sure I have shared before) using most of thier book suggestions and schedules.  I have found MANY of the books at thrift stores, used book stores, library sales, E-Bay and garage sales.  I have most of the others in my cart at Amazon, waiting for me to purchase them!  I know many works are free, online, but reading from the computer is not my favorite thing to do...I love to curl up with a book and the proper illustrations!

I will continue using Math-U-See...it works so well!  I figured up our needs this morning and that will be about $180-$200 for all the student books, teacher books, and manipulatives if purchased new.  I love how the cost goes down year by year, since I have the teachers books for the younger children already.  EmBlem's math will be the most expensive at $75.  She's entering Zeta, and as the eldest, I haven't any of the supplies or manuals!  E-Bay, here I come!

I plan to use Janice van Cleeve's science books instead of the hard to find and harder to afford Friedhoffer selections.  I already have all of JVC's books that I need.  I keep them on an upper shelf due to my Lambies high interest in science.  They'd never do anything but experiments if given free reign with those books!

I found that Dover has art card sets with famous painters and their works.  I haven't seen one of them IRL, so I am not convinced that we *NEED* them, but I have them in my cart just in case...

We'll also get some more Handwriting Without Tears books.  Everyone but ddE will need their next book, including ddR and dsA. 

I think that that's about all we will be purchasing for next year.  Now that it's all written out, it seems like a little more than when it was only in my head!

How are your plans coming along?

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• Feb. 23, 2007 - Art Giveaway

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This is today's Friday Freebie from TOS:

http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?VkXC1lw4tXbZ9t0mknZDRg

You take a quick survey about art and how you teach it and receive a free e-book.  It was a nice survey, and the 20 page e-book had good ideas in it.  Worth your time! But hurry!  It's only good until the end of the month!

Momma

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• Feb. 6, 2007 - Sager saga

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Photo of the 3 Sager children that survived to old age: Catherine, Elizabeth, and Matilda

 

Catherine Sager Pringle, Elizabeth Sager Helm, and Matilda Sager Delaney.
Taken at the 50th anniversary commemoration, November 1897.
(Photo identified by family members and historians.)

I have read "Seven Alone" by Honore Morrow many times as a child and an adult.  It was one of the few good books I had as a child, so it was loved.  My copy was burned when I was in high school, along with other books (we had a house fire while in the process of moving out...not too much was lost, and we were all safe, PTL!), but I found a copy on good ol' E-Bay a while ago.  My sis-in-law has it now, and doesn't want to give it back.  I guess I'll have to find another!!

At any rate, lest I digress, I read in the preface that it was a true story.  Therefore, I had always accepted that it was!  As I was researching for school this morning, I came upon this page which tells the TRUE story of the Sager children.  I should have thought about it, as an adult, that my favorite historical novel had fictionalized portions...

Still a great story that I will be reading with my Lambies.  We'll be reading "The Stout-Hearted Seven" by Neta Lohnes Frazier since I haven't a copy of "Seven Alone" right now. 

Momma

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• Dec. 4, 2006 - School news

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Ahhh...December.  The coldest month of the year.  We have touched 32 degrees for a couple of hours at night a few times, now.  The citrus growers are worried about their oranges, the weatherman on the local news is urging everyone to be extremely cautious with how they heat their homes in this frigid time of year, there are cold-related accidents on the freeway....My, what would they do if it ever got really cold-- or  *gasp*--snowed??  I love how the media over-reacts to the weather, no matter how hot or cold it really is.

 

Back onto the point of what I had planned to write about....

We slow down in December.  We allow for those cozy days that you just want to lay around in front of the fire and read all day.  We drink hot cocoa, with marshmallows!  We just enjoy the cold (it doesn't last long here!)

 

We will not be doing Math-U-See pages this month.  Everyone stops where they are and we practice math facts, building speed and skill.  We use computer games, flashcards, beans, Calculadders, and other interesting ways of doing fact practice.  If you have any favorite sites or methods, please feel free to share!

 

We will pause in our journey through American History.  We have finished learning about Colonial times, and will pick back up in the Revelutionary period in the new year.  We are going to move quickly through the Revelution as we studied it in depth last year, and verbal quizzing proves the the oldest three recall much of what we learned.  Then we will proceed through the War of 1812, and into slavery, the Civil War, Lincoln, etc. and finish the year with Westward Expansion, cowboys and Indians, pioneer life, etc.

 

For December, we will row a couple of books, beginning with "The Clown of God" by Tomie de Paola and do a geography/folk tales unit study on "Paul Bunyan Swings His Ax" by Dell J. McCormick.  This book is not available in my library system, and isn't cheap on E-Bay, either, so I am going to purchase it new. 

 

We will continue science in our usual manner: observing and interacting with the world around us.  BTW, ddE's praying mantis is still alive!  To have one survive into December is a record!  She laid an egg case, but hungry uneaten crickets devoured it.  We'll have to watch baby mantids hatch on the wall outside instead of in our own tank.

 

Cooking will be up front, of course.  I plan on a variety of Christmas cookies, breads, and treats (I am a dessert baker by nature!).  I have a recipe for layered mint fudge that looks yummy and easy enough for the Lambies to do.  We have a turkey with all the fixings on Christmas Eve for our big meal. 

 

Well, I hope I have updated everything.  Now, I am off to make breakfast for the little Dearies and then, the grocery store.  I'm going to stock up so I can stay home more later in the month!

 

Blessings,

Momma

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• Oct. 13, 2006 - New Auction Site

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I am probably behind the times, but I have just visited the new HSLDA auction site.  It is free to sellers and buyers!  A simple registration gets you in if you want to sell.          I have posted a couple of lots: Weaver curriculum and Caldecott and FIAR books).  You can even post Teacher's Manuals!  Imagine that!!!


The address is:  http://market.hslda.org

Enjoy!

Momma

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• Aug. 21, 2006 - Mental Game

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I have an old set of children's encyclopedia called " The Book of Knowledge".  They are a recommended set from  http://www.valerieslivingbooks.com/livingbks.htm. My mother aquired the set back in the late 1950's.  I have loved them since I was a child, though I was unable to touch them without permission.  My mother finally gave them to me when I was a young adult. I have since gotten another set off of E-Bay for only $30!  I am "The Book of Knowledge" rich!  

 

 I was leafing through Volume 10 last night before bed and found a cute little thinking game called "Doublets".  I will transcibe it from the book:

    

     The game of doublets is an interesting word game that gives plenty of scope for skill and ingenuity, and enables us to exercise our memories and to make good use of our knowledge of words.  Two words are chosen, each containing the same number of letters, and the words sould be quite opposite such as right and wrong, good and evil, rise and fall, and so on,  or they should stand for things quite different from one another as wood and iron, butter and cheese, soap and grease.

       The game is to change one word into the other by changing only one letter at a time and by making a chain of words between the doublets.  Two or three examples will make the method clear: (there were many more examples, but I am only typing three!)

              cat                       black                     beef

              cot                       block                     been

             dot                       clock                      bean

             dog                       click                      beak

                                          chick                     peak

                                          *****                     perk

                                          chine                    pork

                                          whine

                                          white

     It will be seen by these examples that only one letter is altered in each word to make the next, and every change makes an actual dictionary word....(no nonscence words allowed)...Then the transformation from one word to the other must be made with as few changes as possible...It must be understood that in changing one letter to make a new word in the chain, the substituted letter must occupy the same position in the new word that the discarded letter did in the old word.  Thus we can change bean into bran, but not into barn...

 

Sounds pretty neat, huh!  I did edit a little (there are ...'s)

where the explaination was a somewhat longwinded.  Let me know what you think!  We are going to do this activity this afternoon! 

Blessings!

Momma

 

P.S. One word in the black to white line was deemed offensive by the filter...It means to stuff mud in the cracks of a log cabin, but was also used offensively to refer to Asians at one time.  I hadn't thought of that when typing!

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• Aug. 17, 2006 - The Ten Commandments

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I found this poem this morning and thought I wuld share it with you.  It had no author attached, but if you happen to know who penned it, please tell me!

 

EXODUS CHAP XX
Thou shalt have no more Gods but me
Before no idol bow thy knee
Take not the name of God in vain
Nor dare the Sabbath day profane
Give both thy parents honour due
Take heed that thou no murder do

Abstain from words and deeds unclean

Nor steal though thou are poor and mean

Nor make a willful lie nor love it

What is thy neighbors dare not covet

 

I believe this will find its way onto our whiteboard early next week!

 

We are almost finished with our mummies.  They will continue to dry out until next week, when they will be wrapped with linen (cheesecloth strips, or first aid gauze), gaudy costume jewelry will be lovingly tucked amonst the linen, heiroglypics will be written on the outer strips, they will be placed in lavishly decorated cardboard sarcaphagi shoeboxes, photographed for remembrance,  and finally interned in the backyard near Bugs Bunny and the stillborn baby Chinchilla.  Perhaps they will be excavated with archeological methods a few years down the line......

 

Momma

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• Aug. 12, 2006 - Go visit here!

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I just visited over at www.simplycharlottemason.com for the first time in a while, and was excited that they added a new feature!  It's called the CM Bookfinder.  They have catalogued over 1000 living books that meet CM expectations, and have a great search engine to look for exactly what you need! 

 

You can even search for "that one book that you saw so long ago, now what was it called???"  You can add the information that you can remember into the search engine and it will pull up the closest matches.  Soon, you will be able to add your favorites, as well.  It promises the capability to store your own book lists, too.  Hope that helps somone!

 

On another topic, Baby Chinchilla has offically been named "Cheerio" and she has ceased and desisted in her escape attempts.  It helps that My Honey has "baby wired" the cage!!  I will be reviewing a couple of books next week, so be sure to check back!

 

Blessings!

Momma

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• Jul. 25, 2006 - Herbert the Lion

Posted in School



Here's my next offering for book reviews.  I found this one at my local used book store for $5.00.  That's more than I usually pay for a book (unless it was The Yearling), but this is a great one!  This is not my own picture, but one I copied from an E-Bay ad for this book.   My copy is in new condition.

 

Clare Turlay Newberry won a couple of Caldecott awards for other books.  I have not seen any of her others, but am keeping my eyes open for them.  Herbert the Lion was first published in 1931 and has the feel of the roaring Twenties.  The style of clothes on the characters, the car the family travels in, groceries being delivered to the home, it's all so Twenties!   The illustrations are fairly simple; the color palette consists of only the two colors plus black for outlines, but the overall feel is delightful!

 

Sally is a little girl who wishes for a lion.  Her mother brings one home for her, then the adventures begin!  The problem is stated on page 8: Herbert grew, and grew and GREW!  There is even a nutrition lesson in this short story!

 

I just checked E-Bay, and there is just one copy of this story available, but it's from England.  Many of her other books are available, though.

 

Blessings,

Momma

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About Me

I'm the blessed wife of My Honey of 12+ years, and Momma to eight wonderful Lambies aged 12 and under. We live in Central CA, and use Ambleside Online for our curriculum. I'd love to meet you , so browse a while and feel free to leave a comment!

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