Nov. 22, 2009 - Intentional Training - Bootcamp
This morning I looked through my blog for some links for a friend so I thought I would share them here with you too.
Intentional Training - bootcamp - an intense period of training for a purpose.
These blog posts are simply my thinking processes. I share them on my blog not so much to be copied (as each child will have different heart attitudes) but rather to share the thought process and the intentionality that is needed if we are to help our children succeed.
Training Notes - Boot camp - Obedience
Bootcamp – final report and here
Training notes – Boot camp – Diligence
Nov. 22, 2009 - Lafayette Hat Part II-Soon Available at CW Historic Stores
Friday we went to Colonial Williamsburg for the grand opening of the Coffeehouse, which I'll blog about later. One of our favorite parts of the day involved some unexpected news involving my son's Lafayette hat!
Now that I had the French American Alliance cockade made, my son wanted to return to the store where the hat shaper formed his Lafayette hat to his precise specifications a few weeks ago. As soon as we walked into the shop, the lady who shaped his hat welcomed my son by name! I was impressed that she not only remembered my son but also remembered his name. I explained that we needed her help tucking the cockade behind the lacing like the CW Lafayette wears his. The problem was that the lacing was too tight. Also we thought the lacing should go over the top of the brim. Additionally, my son wanted a button at the base of the lacing, like Lafayette. We discussed the possible options to make it happen.
She said that the other day Lafayette himself walked into the store and she asked him if she could look at his hat. (This is getting contagious. There is another CW employee who has been analyzing the Lafayette costume because of all of our questions!) She explained to Lafayette about my son's visit to the shop a few week's ago to have the hat shaped exactly like his. When she told us that Lafayette knew exactly who she was talking about, we laughed. I can only imagine how that conversation went. (Wherever we go in America, people know my son!)
The lady said that Lafayette's cockade didn't look anything like the one I had made. Instead his was black and more of a T shape. Hmmmm, I told her that he must not have been dressed as Lafayette then. My son explained if he's not Lafayette, he's Mann Page. She seemed a bit confused. I told her that I modeled the cockade after a picture I took during Prelude to Victory when he stood a few feet from me. Even though I have the picture on the computer and I can enlarge it, I cannot see the black on black. I was not able to figure out the precise shape of the black backgound of the cockade, nor was I able to tell precisely how the lacing went. However, I thought I got a fair representation of the white part of the cockade, which is more circular shaped instead of T shaped. She was thinking of threading a new set of lacing into the same holes in the front of the brim. I told her I thought that the lacing actually goes over the brim and ties somehow in the back. During all this discourse, my husband pulled up some Prelude to Victory pictures of Lafayette in his camera. After enlarging one, he handed me the camera and I handed it to her. In fact, my husband found several pictures this way and we showed them to her. Ah...she saw what I was talking about. There was white in the cockade and it was circular shaped. She had not seen that particular cockade.
Finally, she had a recommendation and showed it to my son. He talked her into setting the lacing over the brim of the hat and they had a plan. After the lacing was redone to accomodate the button and cockade, she put some special pins into the cockade to hold it securely in place. She also gave him extras, in case they would be needed in the future. The entire fee for this was quite small, which my son paid for. He tried to tip her but she wouldn't take it. She was definitely worth far more than the tiny fee he paid for this service. All he really paid for was the lacing. We already had the button. We were profoundly grateful for all of her patience and help. She was wonderful to work with, listening to my son and being certain of his exact specifications. She told my son to come back for future visits. Also she told him that they are going to start carrying these Lafayette hats in the store, because of him! How exciting! Leave it to my son to start something!
Now I am about to start my son's Lafayette coat. The one he has is falling apart and not accurate. I've agonized for weeks over how I am going to do the buff facings. This afternoon my son and I analyzed pictures together while he tried to explain how the facings work. Finally I got it! It is all one piece of wool. I'll use felt since it's cheaper and washable. The outside is blue and the inside is buff. Those millions of buttons actually have a purpose. The general can keep his coat in a buttoned yet opened position in summer. In winter he can button the entire coat closed. How clever! Now my son can be even warmer this winter.
We are planning to go to the Grand Illumination. I'm afraid I am going to be too cold. Last year it was in the 30's during this CW outdoor Christmas event in the evening. The Grand Illumination showcases special fireworks, music and entertainment. Some people have told me it could be 82 degrees. Hmmmm, yes, but there is no guarantee. It's the possible 32 degrees that worries me. My son really wants to wear this Lafayette costume and I want him to stay warm. Therefore I am going to try my hardest to crank this out while getting our unit celebration put together. Hmmmm, Thanksgiving is around the corner too. And my husband will want to put up the Christmas decorations, not that I know where any will go in this new house. And I am getting a new stove and refrigerator today. Talk about a new learning curve for roasting a turkey. Then after the unit celebration there are the lesson plans and studying for lessons. I'd best get to work figuring out this coat!
The trick will be two things. First I have to size down a man's small pattern for my son. Second I have to figure out the extensions for the button closure in front. The cuffs though are still confusing me. I am going to do what the milliner and tailor have told me to do all along. I am going to use muslin (or scrap broadcloth from past costumes) to make a prototype, which I can cut down, pin and fit to my son's body, basically creating a custom pattern just for him. Theoretically, at that point I can merely whip out the Lafayette coat on the sewing machine. I am excited now that my son helped me figure out some key elements! Stay tuned!
Oh, I also figured out the new flounce on my son's shirt is wrong. In the meantime it makes him happier since it works better than that cravat he was using to fill up the blank space due to the wrong kind of vest. Well I can only do one thing at a time. I'd best get to work!
Nov. 21, 2009 - Eliza, meet Nutella.
We love Nutella around here. If you've never tried it before, I highly recommend it. Just be aware that it is a highly addictive substance, it comes in a tiny jar, and if you eat too much of it, you'll be as big as a barn in no time.
Eliza had her first encounter with Nutella the other day.
Eliza, meet Nutella on whole wheat.
Nutella, meet Eliza.
Besides being highly delectable, Nutella also makes a lovely false beard if you want to impersonate your daddy.
I just can't stop taking pictures of Eliza, no matter what she's eating. You'd think I'd be over the whole cute-kid-eating-and-making-a-mess thing, but I'm not. I love me a messy baby eating spaghetti.
And Eliza? She loves her some Brian Williams. Really. He draws her like a moth to a flame.
I prefer Nutella, personally.
Nov. 20, 2009 - Parenting Think Spots
I've just created a new page on my website: Parenting Think Spot - a collection of short parenting tips, ideas and thoughts.
Two short thoughts are already uploaded
5 Keys to Consistency The key to training our children is consistency - but how do we maintain that?
Instructions or Example? When we are teaching our children what is more effective? Our Instruction or our Example?
Nov. 20, 2009 - Internet Reading
I’ve had several pages open in my browser for the last little while waiting to share them with you. Since I have to shut down my computer for a while now seems like a good time to post them.
I love the idea of these Narration bookmarks. These prompts help the children to think as they are reading. Most of my children are sharing their narrations in their reading journals these days, but they go through seasons of needing prompts. This post was listed in the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival – if you haven’t read it yet – there’s plenty to read!
I love this list of what a true friend is like – as per scripture. These are good scriptures to remember for anyone – not just us ladies!
Not sure how I came across this site though it has been open for a week or so – neoK12 – Educational videos and lessons for k-12 school kids. This will be a handy link to keep!
I’ve printed this off to keep in my Bible study folder. Not sure when I’ll get to this study but I’d like to do it myself or help my older ones to do it as their Bible Study. Getting to know God through His Names and Titles. I like the list in that it is just some prompts/scriptures – you have to do the thinking and applying.
Also need to be more diligent with Scripture Memorisation with my younger two – not sure how I’m going to do this yet, but with AmblesideOnline’s list and this one I think we’ll have enough to work with.
Nov. 19, 2009 - Lafayette Hat
In researching the Lafayette hat that my son would like to have, I stumbled upon the history of the French American Alliance Cockade, one of the distinctive features of the Lafayette hat. Traditionally the British had black cockades in their hats, which the American colonists wore too. When America declared independence from England, they continued to wear the black cockade. The French on the other hand, wore a white cockade. When Rochambeau arrived in America with his French army, he told them to take a bit of black fabric and sew it onto their white cockade to represent the alliance. When General Washington discovered this, he had his men take a bit of white fabric to sew onto their black cockades. (As far as I know, the web site linked above is historically accurate. However, I will ask about the veracity of this story when the opportunity presents itself.)
The last time we were at Colonial Williamsburg, my son used his birthday money to purchase a Lafayette hat which is a differently shaped triangle from the traditional tricorn. In fact, the one store that had these hats were not perfectly shaped. When he found out he could have one made, he took the hat shaper up on this opportunity. The lady was extremely nice and patient as my son told her exactly how he wanted it shaped. She started with a black wool hat with the brim flat. She formed the sides exactly the way he wanted and strung the lacing exactly where she thought it would be best. He liked her recommendation on the lacing. Then she took it to the back to do something with it for about 30 minutes, at which time he was told to return to pick it up.
She also gave him further instructions on how to finish shaping it. I had meant to take pictures of that process, which included spraying water on it and bending it some more in the appropriate places and situating it with weight to let it take shape. However, the day after he got the hat, I shopped for fabric for early 20th Century (Y4U1) Unit Celebration Costumes as well as fabric and patterns for his Lafayette costume upgrade (that will keep him warmer this winter). While I was gone he worked on the hat. By the time I got home, I found the hat on the stair railing with a little sign that said, "Ta da!" It looked great!
The next step was the French American Alliance cockade. We looked through all the cockades for sale at CW, but none were for the alliance. We were trying to remember precisely what it looked like, so we looked on the front cover of our weekly schedule that had General Washington's picture. Alas, it showed the side of his hat that does not have a cockade. I decided to buy a black cockade to see how it was made and compare it to the pictures I had taken of Lafayette on previous visits to CW.
When I was on my costume shopping trip, I bought black and white ribbon in three sizes. I wasn't sure exactly which combination I would need. I bought a roll of each to have enough to experiment with. The other night I settled down with the rolls of ribbon, needle and threads and analyzed pictures of the Lafayette hat. The one best photo I have clearly shows the white part of the cockade, but the black background blends into the black hat and can barely be seen. Therefore I played with various combinations until I got the right look.
This afternoon I made the actual cockade. This was not as easy as it appeared. (Nothing in this costume is as easy to make as it appears.) The white part of the cockade is merely an accordian fold, which I quickly discovered is a bear to do with grosgrain ribbon which is a tad bit slippery. I made several today before finally settling on a final look.
In analyzing the photo of the CW Lafayette, we confirmed what we had thought. The cockade slips behind the lacing. When I finished the cockade, I confidently grabbed my son's Lafayette hat to slip the French American Alliance Cockade behind the lacing, but it's impossible. It's too small a space and the lacing is too tight. My son's plan is to take the button from the original cockade we had purchased and take it to the store where the hat was shaped. He would like to buy some more lacing and see if the hat shaping lady can sew new lacing onto the hat for the cockade to slip behind it. This is not easy to do because the hat has a solid brim. She uses an awl to poke a hole for the lacing. In the meantime, we are using a corsage pin that came with the orignial cockade to secure the alliance cockade from behind through the lacing. Ta da!
Tonight, I used the flounce of a historic shirt pattern I had purchased on my costume shopping trip. I added the flounce to the shirt my son already has. This is a temporary fix until I make a new shirt for him. He is outgrowing the one he wears now. It is funny that he even wanted this flounce. When I orignally purchased the shirt with the ruffled sleeves that he wears now, it was for his French Musketeer costume. At the time, he did not appreciate the ruffled sleeves, despite my telling him it was not only historic but French. Since then, he has come to realize that. Now he wants more ruffles so that he will be more historically accurate! I must admit, his costume has seemed severely lacking without a flounce around the neck. He begged me to make a quick ruffle to add on to the neck of his shirt right before our last visit to CW. I told him it's not as easy as he thinks and I needed a pattern, because it is curley-cue shaped. He wasn't aware of that. Now that I have a pattern for a historic shirt with a flounce, I worked on that when everyone went to bed tonight (the only time I seem to find to sew). I have everything hanging on the hanger, ready for the next time he wears it. I had a bit of trouble with the hem of the bias edge. Also, it still isn't right, because the vest isn't right. Well, I think the vest needs to wait. I need to finish the unit celebration costumes, then make the Lafayette coat out of a heavier fabric to keep my son warm this winter. Last weekend I sewed my son's Y4U1 costume and now I am having doubts over my ability to make another Lafayette coat correctly. We'll see. At least I think he will be thrilled to see the flounce on his shirt in the morning. That's what counts...right?
Nov. 19, 2009 - Outdoor Hour Challenge & Free Notebook Pages
Nov. 18, 2009 - Fall Bible study invites and Thanksgiving Devotion From 08
Thanksgiving Devotion
Nov. 17, 2009 - Reflecting on my boys birth day.
The boys birthdays are always extra special for me. Yep I said me, probably more so then for the birthday boy. It's a day I spend reflecting on the day of their birth, my pregnancy with them and how they are growing. Am I making each day count, am I taking every opportunity to show them how far and wide the love I have for them flows.
Do I take the small moments to create lasting memories. Birthdays are always joyful with a tinge of sadness; they are growing up too fast. My time with them feels like sand slipping through my hands, it runs out fast.
Today is Ashton's 5th Birthday, he is my tiniest boy weighing 5 lbs less than his younger Brother Noah (2). He is my feistiest and funniest of the 4. He is precious in every way if I do say so myself! :-)
We had an early Birthday party on Sunday so that Troy could celebrate with us. Today we had our Birthday breakfast with Ashton's favorite... cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa! :-)
Find more photos like this on The Homeschool Lounge
Nov. 16, 2009 - Our Homeschool Resources
I was recently asked what do we 'use' for homeschooling so I've compiled a list. It isn't a complete list as it would take me forever to walk around the house and list everything that the kids use, or have used over the years. I prefer to use resources other than curriculum (at least I make this distinction in my head). When you use a resource you are in control, you use what you want, what you find helpful and what solves your problem and then you move on. With a curriculum we tend to have this inner commitment to use it all, to be solely dedicated to it, to be honour bound to it (obviously that is a bit extreme but there is a glimmer of truth there!) So we these are some of the resources we use:
Bible - I have not used a set curriculum for Bible though I have drawn heavily from Heart of Wisdom's approach - read, discuss, research, record etc. We've done both chronological readings as well as topics. We cover a lot of our language arts in the writing/notebooking/narrations that happen in Bible. By older two (15/16) have been doing Bible independently for a year or so - they have used various studies but our main goal has been to teach them to use Bible study tools for themselves.
Character - we study one character trait a month and have done so for many years. We use primarily Character First material.
Language - We've used a variety of methods for teaching to read, but largely guided by Ruth Beechick (even if we were using a curriculum such as Jolly Phonics, or an Australian one - LEM) For writing we've used Charlotte Mason's ideas of oral narration and then written narrations. We use notebooking or Lapbooks. Once the children are comfortable with writing we've used Institute of Excellence in Writing.
Math - our core is Math U See though I supplement that with math literature, drawing on livingmath.net
Science - this is one of my weakest areas. I have largely relied upon Magic School Bus dvds, and anything Peter (dh) wants to show them. He is the scientist. We have probably focused on Creation Science in the primary/elementary ages and used magazines, dvds, audios to help the children see the importance of this aspect of science. As the children have got older we've used Noeo Science and Apologia for different children. Next year I intend to use God's Design for Life by Answers in Genesis as my spine/core guide. I also use Topscience intermittently - it also covers some math concepts.
History - Josh has used Diana Waring as a spine/outline. Jess is using Mystery of History. We read lots of historical fiction, biographies and non-fiction books. Notebooking is our primary output for history (and science)
Geography - another weak spot for me and a strong point for Pete. We do a lot of this by talking around the dinner table as well as taking notice of things in the books we read. Currently we are reading through Exploring the World around you by Gary Parker.
Each of our children pursue a variety of different interests and we've all sorts of curriculum and resources but this covers the main stuff.
If you are thinking about homeschooling I have some thoughts and ideas for you over on the homeschool section of my website, Lifestyle Homeschool
If you are looking at curriculum and wondering, then this article may help you: Choosing Curriculum
<- Last Page • Next Page ->
