Apr. 2, 2007
Home Spun #80
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 FYI- The cuatro is a Puerto Rican guitar that has 10 strings. I remember during one of my trips to Puerto Rico when I was a child, my father took us to visit this very old man who made cuatros. At least, he seemed old, but I was a kid. My favorite was a guitar shaped like a rooster. Funny, when we were kids it used to bother us that my father would play the cuatro when we were trying to watch T.V., and now I constantly encourage him to play for my kids and try to inspire them to learn. |
Mar. 30, 2007
Home Spun strip #79
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 I remember a quote, but can't remember who said it--If you choose not to decide, the choice will be taken from you. The closest I could find from the TPCN- Quotation Center is: If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. |
Mar. 28, 2007
Home Spun strip #78
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 I've been so busy these past few weeks that we completely missed seed starting this year! *Sigh* Oh well. I guess we'll plant directly in the yard this year and see what happens. There was a variation on this strip last year (I think it was last year). The sprouts were doing so well and I started setting them outside to harden off...and then there was a torrential downpour. There's nothing like watching sprouts bobbing in their peat pellets in a flooded tray. Reminds me of Bilbo Baggins floating down the river on a beer barrel. By the way, if you've never used peat pellets, you must try them! They are the best invention for planting with kids. They look like brown poker chips when you buy them. You soak them in warm water and they swell into a little planting cell. All the kids have to do is put a few seeds in each and keep them moist. When the plants sprout you can plant them directly into the soil. No worries about potting soil messes or easing delicate sprouts out of seed starting trays. Some of the plants we started this way are still flourishing in our garden years later! One caveat-the squirrels will sometimes dig them up thinking they are flower bulbs. I mulch with wood chips after I plant them to discourage digging. |
Mar. 26, 2007
Home Spun strip #77
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 Spring is finally settling in here in the Northeast. Birds are singing, crocuses are popping up, and my fingers are itching to dig in some dirt. This week is our adventures in seed starting. |
Mar. 23, 2007
Home Spun strip #76
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 Just as we all have something to learn, we all have something to teach. Driving into the city was never my strong point. When I only had two kids my mother would take Marina or Chase and head to Manhattan to take them to the Met or the Natural History Museum. We learned quickly that it was best if she took them one at a time, since my kids run at different speeds and have different interests. But I'm so glad I have my mother nearby to take them on these special trips. (Yes Dad, I will do a set of strips for you, too! Be patient.) It's nice to be able to use all the family resources to make homeschooling a success! |
Mar. 21, 2007
Home Spun strip #75
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 Happy Spring, everyone! This strip is based on an actual event when Marina was 6. |
Mar. 19, 2007
Home Spun strip #74
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 I know after last week all of you were desperate to know what Gramma's museum visits are like! So this week Gramma takes the kids on a field trip. |
Mar. 16, 2007
Home Spun strip #73
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Mar. 14, 2007
Home Spun strip #72
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Mar. 12, 2007
Home Spun strip #71
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 Time for a field trip! |
Mar. 9, 2007
Home Spun strip #70
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 Wow! I just realized that not only have I just posted my 70th strip, this is also my 150th entry. Cool! A note on these last two strips: These are actual ideas that I used to help teach my son to read and spell. I guess I should have kept up with it and I might not have had the phonetic spelling problems I've had since then. Unfortunately, after 4 letter words you either need to have an extra person or extra limbs. I think I remember one of them using their head for five letter words. I guess it depends on what you use for your letter board. I found that taping down construction paper letters didn't work for long since they ripped apart. We did eventually invest in one of the foam alphabet puzzle mats. That was much more useful for this particular game. |
Mar. 7, 2007
Home Spun strip #69
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Mar. 5, 2007
Home Spun strip #68
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 All kid are different. How often have you heard that? So simple, so often repeated, and yet so unheeded. After all, isn't the whole purpose of school to fit all these square pegs into neat round holes? Even I've been guilty of trying to use the same teaching techniques on Chase simply because they worked with Marina. Schooling seems to be an endless experiment of trying out different tools to satisfy each child's unique learning style. Now that I've begun teaching Sierra I find that I'm starting out new right alongside her. At least I don't get bored. There is a wonderful talk by Sir Ken Robinson on creativity and public education. I highly recommend it. I've been trying to incorporate it into my education philosophy. The talk is about 15-20 minutes. http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=ken_robinson |
Mar. 2, 2007
Home Spun strip #67
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Feb. 28, 2007
Home Spun strip #66
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Feb. 26, 2007
Home Spun strip #65
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 Painting. Don't you just love it? Kids are so artistic it's almost unfair to limit them to a sheet of paper. My favorite canvas is skin. No, seriously. I used to be a face painter at fairs and parties when I wasn't juggling. I loved the different textures of skin, the challenge of twitchiness, and also the impermanence of the whole thing. My joy has always been in the doing. Once I've finished, I move on to the next thing. I would have so many people comment about how beautiful my artwork was and what a shame it'll wash off. I loved it for that! People could admire it, wash it off, and then always have that memory of how nice it was! |
Feb. 23, 2007
Home Spun strip #64
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Feb. 21, 2007
Home Spun strip #63
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Feb. 19, 2007
Home Spun strip #62
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
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Feb. 16, 2007
Home Spun strip #61
Posted in Home Spun comic part 4
 I just want to reiterate that this is an exaggeration. I never drank directly from the pot. I have hoarded the pot, but I always use a large mug to drink.  |