mozart & mud pies

December 13, 2009 - Illuminated

:: Haleigh & Kevin light the candles for our annual neighborhood luminary lighting to benefit the families of sick children at UNC Hospital ::

Let us be at peace within ourselves.

Let us accept that we are profoundly loved and need never be afraid.

Let us be aware of the source of being that is common to us all and to all living creatures.

Let us be filled with the presence of the great compassion towards ourselves and towards all living beings.

 



Realising that we are all nourished from the same source of life, may we so live that others be not deprived of air, food, water, shelter, or the chance to live.

Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be a cause of suffering to one another.

With humility let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.

May God kindle in us the fire of love to bring us alive and give warmth to the world.

 


amen.


~from the NZ Prayer Book with Maori Texts

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December 6, 2009 - handmade Christmas

Today, we began our nice long Christmas break.
Class dismissed!  Hurray!
Now we'll have more time for baking, and crafting,
and just savoring all of the small cozy things that make a home happy at Christmas time.
Here is my collection of crafty favorites-- these photos and most of the corresponding tutorials
 have been previously published here over the past few years, but I decided to corral them
into one big post for your convenience.


:: nativity figures ::
(directions for making your own here)



:: homemade Christmas cards ::


And since I come from a long line of Swedish women, here are some really good...
:: ginger cookies ::

And some very pretty and simple...

:: Swedish heart ornaments ::



:: translucent paper stars ::



:: clothespin ornaments ::



:: graham cracker cottages ::



:: sock snowmen ::

 
I hope that you find a bit of inspiration here.
Please enjoy the process and don't stress about the finished product.
Relax and approach this time playfully with your children.
Whatever you make will be just beautiful!

Happy Christmas, Dear Ones.

xoxo Ann
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December 2, 2009 - December Lessons (or Homeschool Lite)

Early December Days We Love To Celebrate:

St. Nicholas (Dec. 6th)

St. Lucy (Dec. 13th)


Here's a recipe for Lucia Bread that my family likes to make. Super easy.


A few lesson plans...

Poetry:

We're sharing a fancy tea party with friends at The Washington Duke.  Have you ever been to a high tea? We went one year on my birthday and loved it very much.

All the children have been asked to bring a poem to share. Kevin is still trying to decide if he'll write his own or just read something else. In any case, it's nice to be invited to something so festive-- and a good reason to teach boys about table manners ;-)


Book Club:

This month we're reading Three Cups of Tea along with our book club pals. We'll be getting together for a discussion followed by Christmas cookies and (of course) tea. Hmmmm... this month seems to be one tea party after another.

I'm good with that.


Geography:

Pakistan and The Middle East

 

Math:

It's my hope to use this month to make a big jump ahead in our math studies.

But really now. Who am I kidding?

 

More soon...

xoxo Ann

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November 4, 2009 - November Lessons


Dear Friends,

The Liturgical Calendar holds such treasure to inspire our children this month. Themes of gratitude, remembrance, and preparation help our hearts stay open and receptive to the needs of others. I've assembled some of my family's favorite resources and traditions here.

Please help yourself to anything that might be nourishing to you.

On The Liturgical Calendar for November:

All Saints Day ( Nov. 1)

Commemoration of All Faithful Departed (All Souls, Nov. 2)

A beautiful reason to make a Saints & Souls Tree

(This is nice way to decorate the dining room for Thanksgiving, too.)

St. Martin (Nov. 11)

This is one of my favorite days of the church year. Here's an especially lovely version (thank you, Lisa) of the story of Martin, Bishop of Tours.

Today, the children and I will be culling warm layers from closets and dressers and taking these donations to the thrift shop, making soup, and lighting our lanterns to enjoy on the supper table.


Advent Begins (Nov. 29)

From the archives:

Advent Inspiration

Advent, Part 1

Advent, Part 2

Advent, Part 3 

Advent, Part 4

Lighting the first candle


St. Andrew (Nov. 30)

 Another beautiful story to share with your children.


Poetry: Poetry For Young People Series: Walt Whitman


Geography: European countries and capitals


Natural History & Science:

These topics are combined this month as we finish up Biology class with a project; Kevin has chosen to study the garden spiders who are weaving amazing orb webs all around our yard these days. So far, he's been creating art in several different media and taking lots macro photographs. We've found a chapter in this book to be very helpful:        Discover Nature Close to Home by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

Oh, and honey bees! Our art teacher's husband is a beekeeper. His delicious honey won a prize at The State Fair this year. It was so kind of him to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with the children yesterday. We read about bees beforehand in Jean Henri Fabre's, Storybook of Science. The bee stories come near the end of the book-- so wonderfully told and informative-- a must read for Charlotte Mason-inspired folks like us.


Math:

Continuing Saxon 6/5


Book Club: Our theme this month is "Hard Times". And who knows hard times better than Dickens? We're reading The Cricket on the Hearth,  Librivox has a free audio version that is very good-- grab a cup of cocoa and read along!

On the recommendation of a friend, we're also enjoying a lovely biography by Michael Rosen-- gorgeously illustrated by Robert Ingpen.

 

Picture Study:

Yesterday, we toured the Picasso exhibit at The Nasher Museum of Art. The docent was wonderful and our small group of children was very engaged. They allowed us to stay and sketch for a bit after the tour which was very cool. Kevin ended up sketching a study of the child's feet that Picasso had done for this painting:

First Steps, 1943

I love the face on this baby ♥

 

Happy Learning, Dear Ones.

xo Ann

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November 1, 2009 - November Abiding


Well now. If I were able to stop time, I would do it today.
Our pretty little town is nicknamed "The Southern Part of Heaven," a name that suits it well.
When we first came for a visit many years ago, my husband warned,
"If I take you there, you will never want to leave."

That was, and still is, true.

As daylight savings time ends, I relish this downshifting into "the slow time." The mornings are misty
and chilly; the afternoons are brief, golden, and ripe.  Long evenings are the time to pull on a sweater and inhale the ancient smell of woodsmoke and fallen leaves. I want to walk fast and far,
on and on-- forever-- in the damp forest. Instead, I come home and kiss my sweeties, stir the soup, light the candles, and feel a longing for something that I cannot name.


Since I can't stop time, I promise to savor every single hour.
And I hope that you are happy, well, and soaking up the blessings that rain down all around us
every golden day.

xo Ann
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These are the reflections and plans of a family trying to live simply, with gratitude and God's fresh graces every day. + + You are warmly welcomed to our Episcopal homeschool. + + +

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All original photography and text by Ann L. Collins, copyright 2005-2009. Feel free to link to this site. For any other use please request permission by email. Thank you.