Morning Star Learning - Homeschool Blogger

Getting Settled In

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:07:00 -0500

Hello to all my blog friends. We moved this summer to our Castle Rock Farm on the banks of the Mississippi River. There is a lot of work to be done on the house and barn, but we love our little two acre "farm", the two milk goats, and 11 chickens! The kids get up early to help me milk the goats and feed the chickens. I will write more later when we are more settled in. Britta McColl

Beginning Grammar Readers by Wanda Sanseri--New Release!

Mon, 2 Jul 2007 10:42:00 -0500

Beginning Grammar Readers

Beginning Grammar Readers

Set includes Book 1 and 2

By Wanda Sanseri

Hot off the press!

Beginning  Grammar Readers by Wanda Sanseri are designed so that the student will be  the co-author and illustrator of the book. Each page has a  sentence or two made up of early words taught in WISE Guide. The  student reads the sentence and then draws a picture to show that he  understands the meaning. Next the student is gently exposed to a  basic grammar concept.

Recommended for Kindergarten on up. Wanda�s original plan for these booklets was for K-1st. She almost published these age recommendations in the book until she informally tried them out on nine and ten year old children. They could easily read the key sentences but none of them had learned the simple grammar concepts. These books clarified the ideas for them in a natural, easy to understand way. The nine and ten year olds also showed an amazing degree of excitement over illustrating the book. As with many of the aspects of SWR, while these books can be used with the early beginner, they address basic concepts for all ages including the teacher. One of the first parents who saw these books at the Washington State Homeschool Convention could not believe that children as young as K-1st could understand grammar. She did not know the concepts and she found it incredible to think that she could present them to children so young. Here we are again, learning along with our kids!

A Beginning Grammar Reader: Book 1

I Can Run! – Subject/Verb $4.00

The first book is called, I Can Run! Each page has a sentence or two made up of early words taught in WISE Lists A-E. The student reads the sentence and then draws a picture to show that he understands the meaning. Next the student is gently exposed to a basic grammar concept. In book one, the teacher is given questions to guide the child to find the simple subject and verb. A line is provided where the student can write these words where directed. A vertical line bisects it.

One page, for example, has the sentence, "We go up the hill by Jill." The teacher asks, "Who goes?" The student answers, "we." The teacher says, "Write the subject 'we' before the dividing line." Next the teacher asks, "What do we do?" The student answers "go." The teachers says, "Write the verb, go, after the dividing line."

This exercise gives the child a mental framework to understand the idea of a complete sentence. Personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we) are used as the subject throughout the book. This prepares the student for changing the verb after the third person pronouns (he, she, it). On the last page the student can read subject verb combinations with all thirteen verbs covered in the book. Example: I run. You run. He runs. We run.

One of the teachers who taught Wanda years ago, successfully did this abbreviated form of diagramming with her first grade classes. Wanda was amazed by the idea of teaching at such a young age something that she had found helpful in high school. She tried it with young children with the same success

A Beginning Grammar Reader: Book 2

Up, Over, and Out—Prepositions $4.00

In this book students will read sentences using words from Wise List A-H. They will also diagram the preposition/object in each sentence and draw an illustration for each sentence.

All the selections in Up, Over, and Out, deals with pets or would be pets. Several are animals observed in the wild. Wanda field tested the grammar readers with on students of various ages. The children were all delighted with them.

Some grammar books consider preposition to be a difficult concept to teach, but these books helped children who did not know how to identify a preposition to do so with ease.

Wanda knows of nothing else on the market quite like these booklets. A side benefit is that the beginning grammar readers also gently teach grammar to the teacher who feels insecure in this area.

Only $8 for both books!

Phonogram Game Cards

Only $10

New Release!

Wanda Sanseri just published her first Phonogram Game!

She writes: I designed it to play the memory games, but soon realized  that it could be used with other applications as well. I have a  set of small white playing cards with all 70 phonograms in book  face. Then I have a set of yellow playing cards with all 70  phonograms in cursive. On the back of the cards I have a triangle  with the point facing in the direction that would be the tope of the  letter on the other side. You can select specific phonograms that  need extra review (or use them all). Put the yellow ones in a  orderly pattern on one side and the white ones that make a pair with  them on the other side. The student turns over a yellow one, says  the phonogram sound(s). He next turns over a white one and says the  sound(s). If he has located a pair, he gets to keep the cards and  take another turn. If he does not find a pair, the next person gets  to take a turn. The winner in the end is the one who finds the most  pairs.

The Phonogram Game Cards could also be used with other  games. For example, you could use them to play Go Fish. Ask, "Do  you have the cursive form of /b/?" They could even be used to play Old Maid. However, I have never liked that name for a game because I know some lovely women who never married and I do not like to see any one pick on them. You could use the Old Maid rules but call the game, Don't Be a Donkey. There are several blank cards in the set. You could draw a donkey on one of them.

You could also use Phonogram Game Cards as individual cards while  working with the board games in the Phonogram Fun Packet or with  other favorite games like Candyland or Shoots and Ladders. To earn  the chance to move on the board, the student draws a card and says  the sound(s) correctly. You can tailor the draw pile for each  student. A beginner may have only the basic alphabet while a more  experienced student will work with multi-letter phonograms. Someone just learning cursive could concentrate on cursive cards.  Wanda Sanseri

My four year old, Fiona, has been enjoying the game cards very much! We brought them on vacation. I sat next to Fiona in the car and we played with Wanda's cards. /ough/ is her favorite phonogram! (Daddy always praises her when she says it!!) So after she said all six sounds of this phonogram she took her finger and traced the cursive version of it all in the proper direction. (With no prompting from me!)

This was easy for her, because she can already trace all the sandpaper letters in the proper direction. But I realized that Wanda's cards can also be a large motor way of teaching the kids to make connected cursive letters. This is always a concern for moms, how to teach how to connect the cursive letters. Wanda's Phonogram Game Cards also address the concern I hear from many moms who wonder how their kids can read book face if they are taught with cursive first. All the games with her cards will ensure that they can read the phonograms in both ways.

Britta McColl

Morning Star Learning

www.morningstarlearning.com

SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters—New release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/310294/

Excerpt: We love the SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters. My youngest girl just turned 4 and can write nearly all the letters--large motor with these sand letters. The red stop sign at �two o� clock� is great. She understands to stop there and go back! It is so cute. She picked up an �F� to trace and before she started said in a cute little squeaky voice, �This is a tricky one.� She then traced it with her finger perfectly! The other day I played Phonogram Bingo with my two youngest girls aged 4 and 6. They each had two cards. One extra bingo card for each of their dolls. After the game they got out the SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters and were holding their doll�s hands, helping them write the letters in the correct direction. What little mothers!!

FREE Shipping on all orders of $150.00 or more!

www.morningstarlearning.com

To read more about Spell to Write and Read follow these links:

You CAN Do It-Spell to Write and Read DVD-New Release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/151329/

Cursive First

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74689/

SWR and Preschoolers

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/

How I Got Started With SWR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66558/

What Is Spell to Write and Read (SWR)?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

Spell to Write and Read and Special Needs

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/93920/

Does SWR Work for Wiggly Willys?

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/64551/

Spell to Write and Read vs. Spelling Power

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/110789/

To purchase a full line of SWR products go to: www.morningstarlearning.com

FREE Shipping on all orders of $150.00 or more!

Nature Bundle

Thu, 7 Jun 2007 10:21:00 -0500

This Nature Bundle includes four handy resources

This Nature Bundle includes four handy resources.

ALL for only $65.00

Handbook of Nature Study

By Anna Botsford Comstock

Only $26.00

Paperback, 887 pages

I have a large collection of science and nature books. Yet I often open The Handbook of Nature Study as a first resort. It is the most unique because of the sheer volume of information in a sort of encyclopedia of nature. And it reads as a personal conversation, not as a dry boring text.

The author has a contagious awe for the world around us, from caddis fly larvae to little brown bats. Curious about what to feed a cricket? Ever wonder why a lightening bug lights up? You�ll find this and much more all delivered in the most personal and readable writing style.

The section on the dandelion is priceless! We finally found out how the dandelion got its name, from the French �dent-de-lion� which means teeth of the lion. The edges of the leaf are notched in a way they resemble the profile of lions� teeth. I read portions of this section out loud to my children during our morning read aloud time. Then I took a break and they all ran outside to pick their own dandelion flowers and leaves.

When they brought their dandelions back to the table I continued reading about the dandelion and the kids got out their Beinfang Notesketch books and carefully sketched the details of both the flowers and leaves and colored them with our Faber-Castell Water Color Pencils. There is even a charming poem in the Handbook of Nature Study about the dandelion that we copied into our notebooks after we made our drawing. All day long I would see my kids outside admiring the fastidious qualities of the dandelion. We had a dandelion salad for lunch and two of my boys even transplanted some into their own garden! How sweet!

For more information on the nutritional properties of the dandelion visit:

http://www.edibleweeds.com/generic.html?pid=6

Comstock brings us into the world of nature, and helps us see that we don't have to go far to find it, after all. Her anecdotes about her personal experiences and her study questions that end each section keep this book from becoming just another field guide.

The poems taken from great literature about many plants and animals are worth the price of the book alone. We often follow a color pencil drawing with a beautiful poem about our subject.

The Oak

Virgil

Full in the midst of his own strength he stands

Stretching his brawny arms and leafy hands,

His shade protects the plains, his head the hills commands.

A Pocketful of Pinecones-

Nature Study With the Gentle Art of Learning

By Karen Andreola

Only $17.00

Pocketful of Pinecones is the fictional account of Carol, a mother living in the 1930s, and using Charlotte Mason's methods, particularly her nature study methods. I really enjoy the fact that the story is based on Karen Andreola's experiences with her own children. It reads as a real life homeschooling experience. The trials and temptations are there, but Carol thinks before speaking so as not to be harsh to her family.

In all our educating we should remember as Carol (Karen) tells us,

"...that not all of what they will learn about God's creation will conveniently fit into my lessons. My students have a lifetime ahead of them in which to observe and discover - to become self educated in their leisure, so to speak. My job is to allow their feet to walk the paths of wonder, to see that they form relations to various things, so that when the habit is formed, they will carry an appreciation for nature with them throughout their lives."

When I first started Nature Journaling I was sometimes a bit �frozen� and not sure what to do next. This book gave me direction on nature study ideas and a whole new mindset towards observing God�s creation with love and care. I am grateful that Karen gives us 100 examples of what to look for on a nature walk, along with Latin names for the items observed, study questions and nature poems and verses. Karen also makes many references to Comstock�s Handbook of Nature Study in this work and you will be happy to have these resources to use side by side.

Beinfang Notesketch

Large 11 X 8 ½

Only $10.00

As the Learning Log for SWR is to the study of our language, so is the Beinfang Notesketch to the study of our natural world. As our children learn to draw what they see, they truly learn to see the natural world. I�ve always loved tulips, but the first time I drew one from looking at it, was the first time I really saw a tulip. No more half circles with three points on top tulip drawings for me! Tee hee! J

My husband is an art professor and teaches many college students who have not drawn since 3^rd grade. He believes that one simple drawing from an observed object each day will set any student up for success in art and/or science. You don�t need a professional art teacher sitting there saying: �do this, now this!� But your children will self teach themselves to draw as they become regular at this practice. If they should choose art as a profession they can refine their skills to a much higher degree with the help of a qualified teacher in later years. But if you omit drawing on a regular basis, they will not have the skills in later years should they choose art as a career path. Plus drawing together as a family is just so much fun!

This spiral-bound, paperback book combines the best of a notebook and a sketchbook. The paper is durable with a fine �tooth� (or texture) to it that will pick up the color pencils nicely. With the top half blank for drawing and lines on the bottom for a poem or description of the natural object the Beinfang NoteSketch makes a great nature journal. It is sized at 11 ½ by 8 ½ with plenty of room to record natural beauty and write a poem or description at the bottom lined portion. With sturdy cardboard backing it is made to last for years to come. Now you won�t loose all those precious drawings your kids are making!

We use this largest Beinfang NoteSketch as our morning inside nature sketch book and copy book. We use the Beinfang NoteSketch which is small-- 8 ½ X 5 ½ -- to carry out in the field for sketching. Keep shopping for additional Beinfang NoteSketch for your other children and/or for that easy to carry smaller outdoor sketch book.

24 WaterColor Pencils in a Metal Tube

Includes a paint brush

Faber-Castell

Only $12.00

Your children can both draw and paint with these pencils. When brushed with water, the bright saturated colors wash evenly over the paper and drawings come alive as beautiful watercolors. These long-lasting pencils have strong thick leads that resist cracking. They come in a handy metal tube with a brush, and a plastic top cover and separate plastic bottom cup which can serve as a water dish, should you want to turn your pencil drawing into a water color. Hint: When creating a watercolor in your note book, place a piece of cardboard in between the pages to pick up the extra water that may come through.

You will not want to be without these pencils. Ours came on a stormy spring afternoon. We broke them out of the boxes and got right to work on some drawings that soon became paintings. As the lightning got progressively closer the kids decided to turn off all the lights and draw/paint by candle-light. This cozy day of creating artwork by candle-light will be forever etched in their memories.

Bundle of all four of the above for only $65.00!

Now take a peek in your back yard (my children found grasshoppers hatching out of their eggs in our yard) or a tromp through the forest with your kids --- combining the love of nature with the study of art and literature! Some days we draw and write �out in the field.�

But other times we draw when we get home. If you find your children being too distracted by the wonders around them to draw, simply bring back a few favorite specimens and draw them during your read aloud time. This works great for my energetic crew! In only ten to fifteen minutes at the kitchen table they can create such lovely drawings.

Note: There is a book called Watercolor Pencil Magic by C. Johnson which shows the most impressive array of creations made with watercolor pencils. Perhaps you can find the book at your library or amazon.com.

Many of the world�s greatest naturalists and scientists kept nature journals. Our children so enjoyed the story of Carl Linnaeus Beloved Botanist by A. Stoutenburg. Carl Linnaeus is the father of taxonomy (classifying plants and animals with Latin names) and our children loved hearing the first hand account of how he loved to walk in the woods of Sweden and draw his observations. They were amused that his mother and father were worried about his attachment to nature—and where this would lead him. Our first girl, Linnea, is named after the beautiful and dainty twinflower, that Carl Linneaus named �Linnea borealis.� Each time we walk in these northern forests we try to spot a �Linnea Borelis� as according to our sources they grow well in these climates.

I try to draw with my children as much as possible. One day I sat next to my 9 year-old son on a sandy island on the Mississippi River. We were both drawing the same green and yellow caterpillar that my son had found. After our drawings were complete, I had to chuckle. My caterpillar was �flat� looking and had absolutely no perspective to it at all. (I tried!) But my son�s caterpillar was drawn with great perspective and looked so much more like the real caterpillar we were both looking at! He was so proud as I praised him and exclaimed that he was a much better artist than I am. This happens again and again as I draw with my children. They are not hampered by a life time of inactivity -- in regards to drawing-- as I am. They look at the world in a fresh way and can still see things as they are. I know that you will find the same as you make time to draw real objects with your children on a regular basis.

Keep shopping to purchase an additional notebook and pencils for another child and have fun discovering the wonder of God�s creations as a family.

Truly,

Britta McColl

Mother to 7 exuberant children

Endorsed SWR Trainer

�Morning Star Learning

To purchase this Nature Bundle and see photos of each item visit:

www.morningstarlearning.com

My Schedule

Thu, 7 Jun 2007 10:15:00 -0500

School tasks

My Daily Schedule

Britta McColl

Endorsed SWR Trainer

Time	Task
8:00	Bible – mom or dad read aloud
8:20	Bible – you read/memory work
8:30	Sing-hymns/rounds/Latin songs
8:40	Read aloud -kids draw in Nature Journal
8:50	Copybook-Bible verse/Latin/ or poem
8:55	Latin-Latina Christiana I
9:00	Kids- Empty dishwasher and recess
9:30	Math (MUS & RS Math) Scott/Linnea
10:00	Spelling (SWR) Scott/Linnea
10:30	History notebook Wed/Thurs-Ben/Bruce
11:00	Spelling (SWR) Ben/Bruce
11:30	Math-MUS Ben/Bruce
Anytime in AM	Silent Reading (History/ Science/ Literature) They go off and read while I work with the others.
Anytime	McCall-Crabbs Wed/Fri
12:00	Lunch
	Lunch Clean-up
1:00	Kids play in backyard or nature walk
2:00	Silent Reading (History/Science/ Literature)
2:45	Practice Piano
3:00	Run laps
3:15	Typing Instructor-2 days a week
3:30	Schools out--Play anything
4:30	Children/Mom Clean Downstairs

I am putting this schedule up because a lot of people ask me about my schedule. I am not saying that this need be the schedule for your homeschool, but just letting you know what is working well for us. Each family is different and we all have a unique call from the Lord in our lives, so please set your own schedule according to your call. But within that call remember that children work well with a regular schedule. They know what to expect each day. By helping them regulate their life now, you are giving them life long skills of getting up at a regular time and completing regular tasks.

The times on this schedule are approximate. We school 5 days a week but there are only 4 squares for each child because that�s all the space we had. They mark each square like a tally mark with four marks and then a slash across all 4 marks on Friday. We generally wake up around 6:30 to 7:00 am and start school at 8:00 am each day. Sometimes we don�t get our morning work done until about 1:00 PM or later and lunch is pushed back.

In the first hour of the morning we cover many subjects with about 6 of the children ranging in ages 4 to 14 all at the kitchen table. If you look closely, you will see that we cover Bible, music, art, Latin, and science (nature study) all during this morning time of only one hour. We also have a before bedtime read aloud which is not listed on this schedule. I choose from a variety of read alouds in the category of missionary stories, biographies of great composers, literature, to nature and science readings. Next fall we plan to read aloud Pilgrim�s Progress by John Bunyan in the morning. Each child will act/read an assigned part in the play. I also plan to add picture study, in the Charlotte Mason fashion for the morning hour next fall.

This streamlined schedule reflects our work in early fall and late spring. I have a lighter schedule during these times because I want to be able to spend more time outdoors with the children. When it gets colder outside around mid October we add on more subjects such as grammar (Beginning  Grammar Readers by Wanda Sanseri or Easy Grammar by W. Phillips) and Geography (Modern Curriculum Press, GeoSafari etc.). In addition, the schedule does not reflect the work my oldest high school age students are doing. They have their own schedule and work that I help them with as needed. The written schedule reflects the work of the children ages 4 to 10 at this writing who are still being taught with SWR.

By the end of this year all my kids (ages 6, 7, 9, and 10) doing SWR were up to 40 words per week. I review phonograms, dictate 10 new words a day, do any called for chart work, and quiz on those same ten words plus a few extra words immediately after the dictation. If there was a chart that day, select chart words appear on the quiz. This means they get 10 new words Monday through Thursday, for a total of 40 new words each week. On Friday I give the test on the 40 words. In nice weather we sometimes sit at a table in our backyard for spelling and I confess we watch birds in between spelling words.

We are able to complete our SWR work in about 30 minutes each day, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. One time my 8 and 9 year-old boys wanted to see how fast they could complete 10 words from dictation with a 10 words quiz. As they worked their very hardest at their List M WISE words, I timed them, and they were able to complete this task in only 11 minutes! But on the average day-especially if we have some chart work, they usually stretch out their SWR work into 30 minutes. I remember our first year with SWR. I had heard that some people could get their SWR work done in only 20 minutes and I felt so discourage as our SWR work often took 45 minutes or more to complete. What was I doing wrong? Nothing, really. It was just that learning this new system was taking us all some time. I also learned to pace our work better. In subsequent years I would break up the Consonant-Vowel Reference Page into three days for my youngest learners. As the years have gone on my kids write faster and they know the SWR system so well that they can reason through a dictation much faster. So, if you are that beginning mom and feeling discouraged, take heart! It does get quicker each month and year. You are building a foundation of stone that will last through the ages and enhance every subject area of study for your children.

Q. What do my other children do while I am teaching one group with SWR?

A. Play, read, or make something!

For example, when I am working with Scott and Linnea, Ben and Bruce are either doing silent reading on their own—usually in their room, or building legos, watching grasshoppers hatch from their eggs in our backyard, doing a science experiment or making a �paper world.� When I am working with Ben and Bruce, Scott and Linnea are reading or building legos or making something. In five minute snatches of time I am also teaching Fiona, age 4, her phonograms and how to write letters using large motor. For more on this go to:

SWR and Preschoolers (And non-reading beginners!!!)

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/

SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters—New release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/310294/

How do we fit in history, literature, and science?

I do some read alouds (Apologia- Elementary makes great read alouds!), but mainly my children read living books on their own in the subject areas of history, literature, and science. My high school aged students also have some traditional texts in science (Apologia, top choice!) All the children who are fluid readers have two �silent reading times� in the morning and afternoon which they do independently. Starting at about 2^nd grade- 3^rd grade on up all the children read at least one living book of novel length per week in the category of history, science, or literature. I make up each child�s book list in the summer and they follow it through the year checking off each book they read as they go along. In the afternoons I snuggle up under the covers with the youngest kids who are not yet independent readers and we �trade read� books together. I read a page, and then they read a paragraph or page (depending on their ability.)

As you see, our schedule is light in the afternoon allowing for plenty of time outdoors to play, gardening, or going on a nature walk. I do the main teaching in the morning and by afternoon the learning is informal or the child learns by reading a book on their own, making something on their own, or by helping me pack boxes or with a baking project or sewing project.

Whatever method you choose to school your children with, I highly recommend that you provide them with a corner stone of Bible and a heavy dose of �living books� for their reading as well as time to explore their own interests. Children who are taught with SWR will have the skills to read a wide range of books with ease. As a result of being taught with SWR and surrounded by living books, my children love to read and are self learners. They read outside of their required reading in their areas of interest. My 9 year old does extra reading on the topic of horses and my 10 year old loves to read about bees or any kind of living creature. My 14 year old is currently reading the unabridged version of BeoWulf and a Shakespeare play (both unassigned) for fun! He has studied Greek and Latin, and wants to study Italian next year. My oldest son is about to graduate from homeschool and told me he wants to keep on learning, and if I could provide him with some more books when he is done, he would read them.

Don�t Put the Cart Before the Horse!

The biggest hindrance I see to success with SWR is not following the suggested schedule for grade level on page 64 of SWR. There is a chart that suggests 10 new words a week for Kindergarten, 20 new words a week for 1^st grade, and 40 new words a week for 2^nd grade on up. Some people are at their 3^rd or 4^th year with SWR and still at only 20 words a week and their children are not spelling and/or reading well.

Some moms tell me that their kids cannot handle 40 words a week. They are fussing at this load. In this case I say, that the child needs to gradually be built up to 40 words and see that the mom will not waver on this. Once they get the idea that this is "the program" they will follow along. I look at the building up to 40 words as a type of physical conditioning. Naturally we can't expect a child to run a mile without gradually conditioning up to it, but we can practice little by little at a regular time each day and build this ability to run far or "write 40 words a week."

I interact with some of the most devoted moms who want to give their children the best education. There are SO MANY valuable things to teach our children, but in the course of choosing, I find many hard working moms are getting ahead of themselves by teaching a foreign language* or detailed facts about history or science (at 2^nd grade) long BEFORE their children have mastered the English language. These other activities have greatly reduced and modified their time at SWR. This is the "cart before the horse" as I see it. Time spent doing SWR as it is laid out will pay back 100 or 1000 fold! Yes, foreign languages and history and science are very important, but if you build from a solid foundation (SWR), these subjects will be more quickly taught at a slightly later date.

*A bit more about teaching foreign languages to young learners. I would like to qualify that I mean to avoid teaching the written form of a foreign language in a child�s youngest years. Naturally there is also a window of opportunity for hearing and speaking a foreign language and by all means, please expose your young learners (babies on up!) to the oral form of a second language if you are easily able to do so. And especially if you are a bilingual family—keep both spoken languages fresh on the tongue! Simply wait a few years until English is mastered through the steps in SWR to introduce the written form of this second language.

For instance I am teaching my youngest children (ages 4 on up) Latin through singing and we orally do the Latin flash cards of Latin Christiana 1, but wait until the children have at least a mastery of WISE S or above before they do any written work in Latin. Since I am following the suggested guidelines on page 64 of SWR, my children don�t have to wait long to start the written form of a second language. Last year my 3^rd and 4^th grade boys were able to start the written portion of Latin because they had a mastery of List S in the WISE Guide.

Wanda Sanseri, author of SWR, writes:

�Children have a natural prime time when they can most easily master this material. The longer you wait the harder it will be to teach, the more you will need to undo, and the less likely it will become truly second nature. The optimum window for implanting this type of thinking is small. Ideally the student will master all the WISE words by fourth or fifth grade. This needs to take priority over a host of other subjects that can be delayed with little damage. We recommend as soon as possible teaching 40 new words a week. The dabblers decide that 10 or 20 words a week will do nicely. When someone tells us that they have been doing the program for one, two, or three years but are not seeing the progress, we can pin-point the reason why with one basic question. "How far have you gotten in the program?" Consistently they are way behind the recommended schedule. A little dab here and there will not give you the results you crave. Please make SWR a major educational priority. Teach this with commitment, resolution, and joy. You will be glad that you did.� (End of quote by Wanda Sanseri.)

Q. When should we start writing?

A. Day one! J Your children are writing when they complete their first phonogram with large motor. Expand this to writing their first word �top� and then expand into sentences. Do as much writing as possible as a part of their SWR work. When I scanned both the book SWR and WISE Guide I found dozens of writing exercises. Since these are a direct outgrowth of SWR you can maximize your efforts and improve their mastery of the words in WISE.

I see a lot of people spending time and money on writing programs for children who are behind in SWR. They may have only a mastery of List J or K WISE Guide but will be spending an additional 30-40 minutes a day on some detailed writing exercise.

This seems a terrible waste of time and efforts to me. I'm not saying don't write at all if you are only at list J or K. Yes, of course write sentences from the WISE words (do the many enrichments on writing in WISE) and perhaps keep nature journal or write a few sentences about a book you like, but I mean in the early years go easy on major writing curricula that require a lot of time and money.

Nature Journal Bundle

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/339336/

Your efforts would be better spent getting your child to a mastery level of a higher list in the WISE Guide. Then they would have a larger pool of words to write from with ease.

Laura Ingalls Wilder in THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS didn't write her first composition until she was 16 years old. She spent the previous years learning reading, and writing, and arithmetic and her first composition was a great success according to her teacher! And of course she went on to become a famous author.

Now I wouldn't go as extreme as waiting till a child is 16 to refine composition skills, but I would certainly wait until they were quite high in the WISE Guide on mastery. (I'm not sure I'd set a required level, but somewhere around WISE Section R or S for mastery seems like a fair bench mark for a highly demanding writing curriculum.)

I really like the Charlotte Mason way of teaching composition (a natural outgrowth of reading and narration) along with the recommendations at Step 33 of Spell to Write and Read. With these two combined and a high mastery in WISE Guide you could save a lot of time and money, while spending the early years most wisely in building spelling and reading skills through regular work in SWR.

Again, each family has a unique call and needs to prayerfully decide together how to arrange the details of their schedule. I couldn�t resist sharing a few of my observations and thoughts about where to best place SWR in your children�s education.

Wishing you great joy in your endeavors to train a generation of God seeking life long learners!

�Britta McColl

Morning Star Learning

Endorsed SWR Trainer

Mom to 7 exuberant children

www.morningstarlearning.com

I am continually growing as a mom/teacher. Our school seems to be a mix of Charlotte Mason and Classical at this time, with the heaviest leaning toward Charlotte Mason.

Recommended reading:

A Charlotte Mason Companion- Karen Andreola

Disclaimer: Though I love every other part of A Charlotte Mason Companion, I do disagree with the Charlotte Mason method of teaching spelling and reading! Stick to SWR for these topics!

The Original Home Schooling Series Charlotte M. Mason

Pocketful of Pinecones-Karen Andreola

Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss

For the Children�s Sake- by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Combining Charlotte Mason with Classical Education methods

http://home.att.net/~bandcparker/methods.html

Visit: http://amblesideonline.org/WhatIsCM.shtml

Books on a Classical Education:

Teaching the Trivium Bluedorn

Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education by David Hicks

SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters--New Release!

Fri, 6 Apr 2007 11:32:00 -0500

SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters

SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters

New release!

Only $34.00

Sandpaper Letters are a tactile approach used in many Montessori schools to teach children how to write the English alphabet. SWR Lowercase Cursive Sandpaper Letters were created by sandpaperletters.com with the help of Wanda Sanseri, author of Spell to Write to Read (SWR).

SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters have guidelines showing the baseline, a dotted midline and solid top line. All letters have a starting point at the base line, a red stopping point at 2 o�clock and connectors to further the understanding of the proper way to write the English alphabet in cursive. The 27 Cursive Sandpaper Letters are mounted on sturdy white painted pine and come in two colors with blue for vowels and green for consonants. The �Y� comes in both blue and green because it acts as both a consonant and a vowel. Because the boards are made from pine these letters also have that nice pine smell. My kids often pick them up and take a big �sniff� that somehow takes them back to their favorite pine forest!

We love the SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters. My youngest girl just turned 4 and can write nearly all the letters--large motor with these sand letters. The red stop sign at �two o� clock� is great. She understands to stop there and go back! It is so cute. She picked up an �F� to trace and before she started said in a cute little squeaky voice, �This is a tricky one.� She then traced it with her finger perfectly!

The other day I played Phonogram Bingo with my two youngest girls aged 4 and 6. They each had two cards. One extra bingo card for each of their dolls.

Phonogram Bingo-SWR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/90140/

After the game they got out the SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters and were holding their doll�s hands, helping them write the letters in the correct direction. What little mothers!! I thought that was quite darling! :)

These high quality SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters will last for years to come and are a bargain at only $34.00! Visit http://www.morningstarlearning.com to purchase a set of these beautiful letters and/or a full line of SWR products. The SWR Cursive Sandpaper Letters are included in the Deluxe Primary Bundle.

Britta McColl

�Morning Star Learning

Endorsed SWR Trainer

FREE Shipping on all orders of $150.00 or more!

FREE Shipping ENDS on April 30, 2007.

To read more about Spell to Write and Read follow these links:

You CAN Do It-Spell to Write and Read DVD-New Release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/151329/

Cursive First

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74689/

SWR and Preschoolers

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/

How I Got Started With SWR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66558/

What Is Spell to Write and Read (SWR)?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

Spell to Write and Read and Special Needs

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/93920/

Does SWR Work for Wiggly Willys?

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/64551/

Spell to Write and Read vs. Spelling Power

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/110789/

To purchase a full line of SWR products go to: www.morningstarlearning.com

FREE Shipping on all orders of $150.00 or more!

FREE Shipping ENDS on April 30, 2007.

Phonogram Fun Packet

Tue, 6 Mar 2007 19:44:00 -0600

The Phonogram Fun Packet

The Phonogram Fun Packet

By Beall�s Learning Games

only $29.95

q Based on the 70 Basic Phonograms & 29 Spelling Rules of Spell to Write & Read

q Works beautifully with most ANY phonics program!

q Kids MEMORIZE while PLAYING GAMES!

q Takes away stress, and ADDS FAMILY FUN!

You and your kids will LOVE it!

The Phonogram Fun Packet includes:

Laminated Reversible Gameboard: 

Teddy Bears on a Picnic & Tubin' Down the River

Go The Row (Bingo) Cards (3 levels) 

Phonogram playing cards (2 sets) 

Spelling Rule playing cards (2 sets) 

Reference sheets (phonogram sounds & spelling rules) 

Playing pieces (6 bears, 100 chips, 1 die) 

DIRECTIONS for 9 Games!

Purchasing the Phonogram Fun Packet along with Spell to Write and Read is an investment in your child's education. You'll see the true value of it in a very short period of time, and be SO glad you bought it! So many moms tell me they couldn't believe the difference it made in their children's cooperation to memorize the phonogram sounds and spelling rules, because they wanted to play the games!

My children between the ages of 4 and 10 have really enjoyed playing the Teddy Bear's Picnic and Tubin� Down the River included in this packet. The laminated game board is so colorful and well crafted. Each of my children likes to pick their favorite color Teddy Bear as their game piece. There are fun Wild Cards that add intrigue to the games. We shake the dice and move the Teddy Bears along. Each time they land, the child picks up a phonogram card and says its sound(s). Whoever gets the most cards at the end by saying the sounds correctly, wins! You can also choose to do a spelling rule version of the game where they pick up a card with a spelling rule containing a few missing words that they fill in orally to keep the card. You can set the �level of play� for each game to use only the phonograms or spelling rules that your child has been taught. This way they are always a winner!

We have a lot of fun with our little Teddy Bears. Sometimes they all land on the picnic spot together and we �have a little picnic� and have our Teddy Bears talk in squeaky voices about the good food, and hot weather! Other times the Teddy Bears jump into the river for a swim and we yell, in squeaky voices, �Oh, boy! It�s cold!�

One night the kids asked Dad to play Teddy Bears Picnic with them and he was so impressed that even our 5 year old knew all 6 sounds for the phonogram /ough/! (Dad wasn�t sure how many sounds there were, or just what they were.) This was a fun moment for Dad to praise the kids in their learning, and for them to feel proud!

I think you could easily get an older child (ages 11-14) to join in the some of the games in the Phonogram Fun Packet. There is a game called Go the Row (Bingo) in the Phonogram Fun Packet and my 2nd son would regularly show up to play this game even when he was 12 or 13 and knew all the phonograms. I didn't even specifically invite him, but he would hear us playing and come over to the table and ask for a bingo card. I bet it helped that we were using m & m's, or peanuts, or cheese crackers for bingo markers, that they could eat when the game was over! I think an older child could enjoy the board games as well, especially if you said you needed his help with the younger kids for the game.

I�m really happy to have games to go along with SWR that both practice the building blocks of our language and build family memories.

�Britta McColl, Morning Star Learning

http://www.morningstarlearning.com

Endorsed SWR Trainer

Mom to 7 Exuberant Children

To see other Beall�s Learning Games such as Math Bingo, A fun Clock Game, a U.S. Geography Game and the full color photo of the Phonogram Fun Packet game board and cards go to:

Beall�s Learning Games

http://www.beallslearninggames.com/1308803.html

To read about Spell to Write and Read click on the following links:

What Is Spell to Write and Read (SWR)?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

How I Got Started With SWR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66558/

Spell to Write and Read and Special Needs

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/93920/

You CAN Do It-Spell to Write and Read DVD-New Release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/151329/

Cursive First

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74689/

SWR and Preschoolers

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/

Does SWR Work for Wiggly Willys?

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/64551/

Spell to Write and Read vs. Spelling Power

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/110789/

To purchase a full line of SWR products go to: www.morningstarlearning.com

Easy Grammar

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:52:00 -0600

Easy Grammar and Daily Grams

Easy Grammar and Daily Grams

Hot off the press, newest edition 2007 copyright!

I am really excited about the brand new editions of Easy Grammar and Daily Grams by Wanda Philips just released this January 2007.

The good teaching and well planned out format of the original texts have been maintained, while additional concepts have been included. For example, the new Daily Grams books (grades 5 and 6) include 6 items per day (rather than 5); this allows for more review. Also, the new texts (grades 5 through 7) include analogies (and how to do them) and spelling rules (with cyclic review).

The great thing about the spelling rule review is that the author reviews spelling rules in the Daily Grams books (starting at the 5^th grade level) as per Spell to Write and Read, because she is Spalding trained. This is an excellent feature for all SWR users. Everything I have seen in the books matches up with SWR so far. Ie. She does a lot of adding on a word ending �ing� or �less� and you have to apply different rules for 3 different words. Y�s exchange rule, E�s dropping, or the 1-1-1 and 2-1-1 rule etc! She even defines the rules in the same terms that SWR users are so familiar with.

Easy Grammar texts use the prepositional approach combined with effective strategies. This helps students to understand grammar, a tool for speaking and writing properly. The Easy Grammar text is the teaching text where all new material is presented and practiced. The Daily Grams text is the review text, intended to be used for the first 10 minutes of a grammar lesson as a warm up.

However, many homeschoolers have not found it necessary to use the two texts at the same time. In order to get more mileage from these corresponding texts, many homeschoolers do Easy Grammar Grade 3 (for example) in the first year. Then in the next year, they do Daily Grams Grade 3, which is a review year with even shorter work to do, but still good teaching. Then you go back to Easy Grammar Grade 4 the following year, then Daily Grams Grade 4 the next year. Another option would be to do Easy Grammar during the school year and save the Daily Grams as a summer review book.

I decided to try this every other year approach with Easy Grammar with my own children to start with. I didn�t place them by exact grade level in Easy Grammar, but am using their mastery level in the WISE Guide combined with their grade level placement on the spelling diagnostic test to decide placement. My youngest two school age children are ages 5 and 7 and do their SWR lessons together. At this writing they both place at section L in the WISE Guide with a grade level of 3.5 on the spelling diagnostic. They are starting the Easy Grammar Grade 2 book and doing very well with it (even ask to do extra pages some days!)

The next set of boys, ages 9 and 10, take SWR lessons together, and place at about section S in the WISE Guide and average a 6.0 grade level score on the spelling diagnostic. This lively pair of boys (come and see!) are starting the Easy Grammar Grade 5. Prior to working in this Easy Grammar book they learned grammar through the enrichments in the Wise Guide, and through writing. They have fallen quite easily into this Grade 5 Easy Grammar book and I am both pleased and amazed at how quickly they are learning all the parts of speech, and effortlessly diagramming sentences. I really like this prepositional approach to studying grammar. It seems to me that when I learned grammar (if I ever did) in public school they always taught us the noun and verb first. Then a bit about adjectives and adverbs (which I never could get straight as a child.) I recall looking at sentences and wondering what all the other parts that seemed to be just �hanging there� were. (They were prepositional phrases, of course, and if I had been taught to cross out the prepositional phrases first as in Easy Grammar, I might have had an easier time finding and labeling all the other parts of speech.)

Next year when the 9 and 10 year old are done with Easy Grammar Grade 5, I plan to have them work through Daily Grams Grade 5 for review. Since they will have a light year of grammar the year they do Daily Grams, I am going to give them a �heavy load� of writing with formal study through IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing). For more information on IEW go to http://www.writing-edu.com/

My older high school boys, ages 14 and 17, who have had a lot of grammar in years past are doing the Junior/Senior High Daily Grams book for review and use it in conjunction with Learning Grammar Through Writing, which is a dictionary of language rules and practice. We have tabbed the most used sections of the book such as capitalization and punctuation rules and the boys look these up as they do the corresponding sections in Daily Grams. If you cannot easily obtain the Learning Grammar Through Writing, you could also use another complete grammar book that you have on hand at home as a reference while doing Daily Grams.

By far the most thorough way to use these books is first with Easy Grammar as the teaching text, and Daily Grams as the review text. Do your research as see which combination of these grammar books will work best for you and your family!

�Britta McColl

Mom to 7 exuberant children

Endorsed SWR Trainer

Morning Star Learning

www.morningstarlearning.com

A homeschool mom who just started both Easy Grammar and Daily Grams with her daughter wrote me:

At first I was contemplating just skipping the assessment test as I don't do many tests with them, but then I thought it might be fun to be able to look back at our progress, so Sarah took the assessment test.

I was actually kind of surprised at how much of the other grammar program she hadn't retained (I didn't tell her that though). I think this mastery approach without all the bouncing around will be much better. I�m planning to have her do all the preposition worksheets so she memorizes the prepositions well and then go from there. Then I'll have her do one worksheet of Easy Grammar per day and one Daily Gram per day, so she doesn't forget her capitalization etc. while she is learning new concepts. She is super happy with Easy Grammar as this is still FAR less than she was doing in the other grammar program everyday even though I had let her do every other problem.

Several days later she wrote:

I timed Sarah on the Daily Grams and Easy Grammar. The Daily Grams took her 2 minutes and the Easy Grammar took her 7 minutes for a grand total of 9 minutes. Pretty painless, huh? I didn't need to present anything new that day, but I estimate that it would be around 12-15 minutes total if she had a new concept. Does she EVER love this!!!

Christina Firezar, home school mom of 6

You can go to www.easygrammar.com and read more, see sample pages of the books, and look at video clips of the author, Wanda Philips, explaining her program.

For a complete line of Easy Grammar and Daily Grams at a discount visit www.morningstarlearning.com

Easy Grammar:  Daily Guided Teaching and Review for Grade 2 

Hot off the press, newest edition 2007 copyright!

This book is a teaching text with the Daily Grams format. It is the only book in the series that follows this format. The rest of the books in the series are separated out into either Easy Grammar, which is the teaching text with practice exercises, and Daily Grams, which is the review text.

q an ideal introduction to the understanding of language usage and skills 

q 180 short, enjoyable lessons--one per school day 

q concepts introduced and reviewed throughout 

q capitalization taught or reviewed every day 

q punctuation taught or reviewed daily 

q also includes usage, dictionary skills, sentence combining, etc. 

I recommend this book for a second grader who is very well established at spelling, writing, and reading. If your child is weak in any of these three key areas, I would concentrate on their SWR work and wait to begin this book until they are in 3^rd or 4^th grade. In terms of SWR, I would not place them in this book unless they had a mastery of about List K--- List M in the WISE Guide.

This is a charming first grammar text for your beginner. Pages are clean, well laid out; the student begins to see the patterns of each lesson, and knows what concept is being worked on in which section of the page. It should only take about 10-15 minutes a day, and a lot of ground will be covered!

In this bundle you will get both the Teacher Edition with answer key and the Student Workbook. If you need to purchase a Student Workbook for an additional student, keep shopping. You will find it listed separately.

Daily Grams

Hot off the press, newest edition 2007 copyright!

Daily Grams: Guided Review Aiding Mastery Skills texts have been designed as a 5-10 minute, daily review to be used at the beginning of every lesson along side the Easy Grammar text. Students use concepts learned in capitalization, punctuation, and other areas on a daily basis. This process promotes mastery learning.

The format of these books are clean and predictable which helps to eliminate those �what next?� questions that sometimes slow down learning. The first question will have capitalization errors to correct, the second question will have punctuation errors to correct, the third section has a parts-of-speech question, the fourth may be a usage question, and the fifth section may include three words to apply to a spelling rule, or a dictionary skill, and the sixth section may include two or three sentences to be combined together.

For a complete line of Easy Grammar and Daily Grams at a discount along with detailed product descriptions of each level visit www.morningstarlearning.com

If you are a home school mom or teacher and need help with how to teach spelling, reading, or writing visit these other links on my blog:

What Is Spell to Write and Read (SWR)?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

How (and why) I Got Started With SWR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66558/

Spell to Write and Read and Special Needs

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/93920/

You CAN Do It-Spell to Write and Read DVD-New Release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/151329/

Cursive First

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74689/

SWR and Preschoolers

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/

Does SWR Work for Wiggly Willys?

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/64551/

Spell to Write and Read vs. Spelling Power

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/110789/

To purchase a full line of SWR products go to: www.morningstarlearning.com

Sourdough Bread

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:02:00 -0600

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Bread

I�ve been making sourdough bread for about 4 months with pretty good success now. We all like it for the great flavor that reminds us of bread we have eaten in Hungary or Sweden. It stays better for longer and does not get all crumbly after 3 or more days. It is moist, tangy, and sweet all at the same time! When it does get a little �old� it makes great toast!

Also, it is better for you! It contains no sugar and may be tolerated by many who are unable to eat wheat, who suffer from celiac disease, and is especially good for those with diabetes. I first read about sourdough in the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. Sourdough bread is made with a natural leaven process, which is in harmony with nature. �When yeast (what we now use as commercial yeast) was first introduced in France at the court of Louis XIV in March 1668, scientists at that time already knew that the use of yeast would imperil the people�s health. It was strongly rejected.� [Nourishing Traditions p. 491, Jacques DeLangre]

Sourdough and Celiac Disease

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/healing-celiac-disease.html

�Scientists have learned that the proteins in grains, especially gluten, are very difficult to digest. A diet high in unfermented whole grains, particularly high-gluten grains like wheat, puts an enormous strain on the whole digestive mechanism. When this mechanism breaks down with age or overuse, the results take the form of allergies, celiac disease, mental illness, chronic indigestion and candida albicans overgrowth. Recent research links gluten intolerance with multiple sclerosis. During the process of soaking and fermenting (sourdough et. al.), gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.� Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, � 2001 New Trends Publishing, p. 453.

As explained in Nourishing Traditions, the recommendation of nutritionists to eat whole grains as our ancestors did, instead of refined flours, can be misleading (and possibly harmful.) Though our ancestors DID eat whole grains, they didn�t consume them in the form of quick rise breads, and other hastily prepared concoctions. But across the board soaked or fermented them before making them into porridges, breads (sourdough), and cakes.

I tried a few batches of sourdough after being inspired by Nourishing Traditions but I didn�t have a great starter and never let it rise long enough (only a few hours—yikes!!) The bread made a nice doorstop! Then an email friend who was having success with sourdough gave me a few pointers, such as-- let it rise all night (12-14 hours!!) and it turned out much better.

Nancy Campell in Above Rubies further explains why sourdough bread is better for you, �It is much healthier than yeast bread. Sourdough uses a fermentation process to raise the bread which predigests the grain and completely destroys the phytates which are nutrient inhibitors.� [Above Rubies, August 2006, No. 68]

Phytates (also referred to as phytic acid) are a substance that significantly blocks, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc absorption. Phytates, which are really nutrient inhibitors, are present in all grains that have not been soaked. So by eating sourdough, all the good minerals like magnesium, calcium, and zinc can get through to be used by your body. Also, don�t forget to soak your rice for at least 7 hours to get rid of the phytates!

I finally have a much better starter for my sourdough and this makes our bread raise all the better! You can find many �recipes� for starter on the web. I got a chuckle out of someone who wrote: Buying a commercially made starter is like buying air! You simply don�t need to do it! Just make your own! How true! The best starter I�ve made goes something like this:

1 cup unchlorinated water (we use filtered water but you can also use bottled water)

½ cup rye flour

1-2 Tablespoon wheat flour

1-2 Tablespoon white flour

Stir and feed the starter everyday—adding a tablespoon or so of each of the above. I estimate each time. For most of the day I keep my starter warm in a medium sized mason jar, which sits in a pan of water on a turned on coffee maker. (Where you usually sit the glass pot.) The temperature stays at around 100 degrees, which is not too hot for the starter. If you do not have a coffee maker to keep it warm, you could wrap a heating pad around it and secure it with a rubber band. (Don�t leave it on overnight in case of fire.)

I put cheesecloth over the top—rubber band holding it on. Read on the web for more details. Before I found this solution for keeping my starter warmer it was not doing much. My house is pretty chilly in the winter. Not good for growing starter. Once starter takes off you can keep it in the fridge, but I haven�t done that because I usually bake with it every two or three days and always add to it and stir it. But put it in the fridge if you are going to ignore it for a while.

For some reason, my starter seems to loose it potency after about 2 months or so. It doesn�t smell bad, and it still makes a nice tasting bread but it rises less and less each time. Then I throw it out and make a new starter and my bread rises nice and high with the fresh starter. I have a feeling that I am not �managing� my starter properly—and that the bad bacteria have overtaken the good bacteria for some reason. I�ll have to study up on this topic some more, but for now throwing it out and starting over has worked fine for me.

Recipe for sourdough starter:

http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm

I like this person�s ideas. But I don�t throw out half the starter every day. I just bake with it every two or three days!

On two occasions I have �killed� my starter by not stirring it and feeding it every day. Good starter smells kind of like beer and/or yeast. When it goes bad it starts to smell like throw up! The worst time was when our cat dumped over a batch of bad starter right on the den rug! Argh!~ (Yes, we cleaned the rug!!) If your starter goes bad, throw it out before the cat dumps it over and begin a new starter.

You can bake with a starter after about 3 days, but it will be better after about 10 days.

Here is another great site for a sourdough starter recipe that uses pineapple juice. I haven�t tried this yet! There are actually video clips of how to do this as well as how to make other types of breads:

http://www.breadtopia.com/make-your-own-sourdough-starter/

Here�s a link to a video clip of managing your sourdough starter. I need to study this!

http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/

The recipe I use is for San Francisco Sourdough, link below. I never make it exactly, often adding a cup or two of rye in place of white flour. We raise ours overnight for a total of about 12-14 hours of rising. We keep it in the oven with a cloth over it and the oven light on for warmth.

I triple this batch below:

Recipe for San Francisco Sourdough

http://www.sourdoughhome.com/sfsd1.html

We are hoping to make a clay oven to bake bread in our back yard this spring using ideas from the book:

Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost, Wood-Fired Mud Oven; Simple Sourdough Bread; Perfect Loaves (Paperback)

by Kiko Denzer

A mom from Budapest, Hungary wrote a review of this book on amazon.com. She built her oven with her 10-year-old son in only 30 hours! Hope it goes that quick for us! J

You can easily experiment with the flour you use. The easiest and nicest recipe to start with is the one I gave on the link above-San Francisco Sourdough.

I use to bake bread regularly and had gotten a bit lax in recent times due to being busy home schooling and keeping up with the business. What I like about the sourdough is that I absentmindedly can start making it while I am fixing supper. Often I have my 3 or 5-year-old girl add the flour and stir for me! Then after supper I knead it while the kids are clearing the table (they work best while I am in the room!! Don�t we know!! :)) Sometimes my little girls each get their own loaf to knead. They feel extra proud when they spot their loaf coming out of the oven.

Finally, I place it in the oven to rise for 12-14 hours overnight and when we wake up, I bake it! Somehow this process seems easier than what I used to do with �regular bread� and I am able to make sourdough every 2-3 days.

I admire all the moms who grind their own flour, but at this point I don�t have a wheat grinder so I just purchase 50 pound bags of three types of flour (at only about $9 each from a restaurant supply company nearby) and store them in large Rubbermaid containers. I�ve kept some of the flours up to two years with no bugs at all! The three flours I purchase are a high gluten non-bleached white flour called: Bouncer Flour—geared to bread baking. Then a whole-wheat flour and a rye flour. I generally bake the bread with the highest proportion being white flour.

I�ve learned a bit more about making better bread from some books I got at the library. I found out I wasn�t kneading it hard enough or long enough. So now I get on a high stool to knead at the counter for more energy from above, and I knead for 15 minutes straight and break a sweat. This has produced even lighter and higher rising bread with better �crumb.� No more wimpy bread kneading for me!

I am also keeping a pizza stone and in the oven that has been warmed up along with a pan of warm water for raising it. This sends out humid, radiant heat. As I mentioned above, I keep the oven light on as well!

My best bread comes out of a clay dish I have. Now I�m looking for a few more of those!

I hope you can all read a copy of Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, � 2001 New Trends Publishing. You can get a copy from your library or you can purchase it on amazon.com for only about $16.00 new. I have learned so many things from this book that both make cooking easier for us, and more nutritious. I am now cooking gelatin rich stocks for all our soups for at least 24 hours in the crock-pot. We add veggies the last few hours or minutes. The book will explain why this is better for you.

Nourishing Traditions is not just a cookbook but includes research and first hand stories that back up their method of cooking and eating. This feature of the cookbook has been a real motivator for me to make some changes in the way I prepare food for my family. If it were simply a collection of recipes without the information on why to cook that way, I don�t think I would have taken up these methods. There is some very interesting research in this book about the best way to cook and eat for people with heart problems. You can apply the principles you learn in this book to all your favorite recipes. Some of our favorite soups are Chicken Dumpling Soup and Hungarian Goulash. For the soup recipes check out this site:

June Meyer�s Authentic Hungarian Recipes (free recipes)

http://homepage.interaccess.com/~june4/recipes.html

Now, a few disclaimers from me.

As a friend was reading my notes on the above, she wrote:

I'd rather see a person eat soup made in 30 minutes and get lots of wholesome veggies into it, than have people burdened by thinking the only way it's worthwhile and healthful is if you cook it 24 hours (and thus never eat the soup!)

Answer: I agree wholeheartedly! But the point for me, is that after becoming motivated to eat a bit more this way (now I don't go whole hog out on it all the time, I can't!!) is that sometimes it is easier for me to plan a meal 24 hours in advance, and add little things to the pot gradually, than to look at the clock at 4:00 and say OOPS supper is coming! Which is what I often do, of course! And if it is healthier and easier-long term- and I can slowly develop some of these new habits, then we may all be a bit better off.

In addition, I am not able to afford the raw dairy and grass fed meats that Nourishing Tradition recommends just now. (Maybe some day! Still want that goat!) We just get the best meats and milk we can at a good price at the store. We are able to get natural chicken for a good price at most grocery stores. This chicken has no antibiotics, no hormones, and was grown free-range typically.

There are so many great tips and interesting research in this book, that I think it would be a beneficial read, taken in moderation, with what your family can afford, and likes to eat. For instance, sometimes I just have to feed my family white rice because that�s what they like with stir-fry! BUT they all love my brown rice pudding! So we definitely have some give and take here. Some new food ideas I have to introduce very slowly and gradually, and some I have to wait on.

For those on a limited budget there is an appendix on how to incorporate these new eating habits if you are low on time or money. One great tip was not to buy boxed cold breakfast cereal, even those organic whole grain types because they are expensive, poor in nutrition, and difficult to digest. Instead, whole oats are recommended as both more economical and nutritious. We�ve purchase oats in bulk for the last 25 years (now purchase 50 pound bags at less than $20 for our large family) and this has saved infinite dollars, and been good for us! For those who like numbers, we spend about $10 a month on raw oats. If we purchased box cereal for our family of 9, it would be about $120 a month on cereal. Each month we save $110 by buying and eating oats. Each year we save $1,320 by eating oats. Over the course of 25 years you would save $33,000 by eating oats at this same rate. Not bad!

Finally, I am not saying that these methods are the ONLY healthy ways to eat, but the fact that the author of Nourishing Traditions has combined the study of science with the study of traditional methods of cooking and found that science supports how many healthy people have eaten through the ages, makes this a source worth looking into.

The most active and helpful yahoo group I have found to discuss Nourishing Traditions is at: discussingnt@yahoogroups.com I recommend joining in the digest mode so that you don�t get overwhelmed with emails! It is a very busy list.

Hope you have a lot of fun trying out some new recipes or ways of eating!

Truly,

� Britta McColl

Mom to 7 exuberant children! 5 boys and 2 girls

Morning Star Learning

www.morningstarlearning.com

If you are a home school mom or teacher and need help with how to teach spelling, reading, or writing visit these other links on my blog:

What Is Spell to Write and Read (SWR)?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

How I Got Started With SWR

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66558/

Spell to Write and Read and Special Needs

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/93920/

You CAN Do It-Spell to Write and Read DVD-New Release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/151329/

Cursive First

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74689/

SWR and Preschoolers

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/

Does SWR Work for Wiggly Willys?

http://homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/64551/

Spell to Write and Read vs. Spelling Power

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/110789/

To purchase a full line of SWR products go to: www.morningstarlearning.com

Genovieva-Faith-Building Literature

Sun, 4 Feb 2007 16:20:00 -0600

Genovieva

Genovieva

A True Story of Inspiring Faith

by Genovieva Sfatcu Beattie

Read the true and powerful story of Genovieva growing up in Romania. It was illegal to be a Christian. Her family was persecuted and Genovieva was treated badly in school even though she was the best student in the class. When Genovieva grew up she attended the University, but was later released when they found out she was a Christian.

Because she was �blacklisted� for being a Christian she could not find a full time job and ended up getting a job cleaning her church. Every night when she walked home the secret police tried to arrest her. To avoid arrest she began to sleep in the church every night. She couldn�t keep any blankets there because the police would discover them in a raid. She slept on the cold church bench each night for seven years.

After a time she began a children�s choir at the church. The choir became so popular that it toured all over Romania and performed at churches. But this had great risks. Again and again the secret police tried to capture and arrest Genovieva, but each time the Lord protected Genovieva. Eventually though, the government tired of her Christian activity and issued a passport and a plane ticket out of Romania.

Genovieva married Stephen Beattie, a Bible smuggler she met in Romania. They now minister to the Romanians through an orphanage and several canteens that feed hungry children and teach them about the Lord.

My children love this story and ask for it again and again.

Britta McColl

Morning Star Learning

The Children�s Choir written by Genovieva Sfatcu Beattie (with Stephen Beattie) contains additional stories of the choir Genovieva started in her homeland of Romania during the cruel dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. For those of you who have already read Genovieva, you will not be disappointed! She tells all new stories in the same engaging writing style. She starts out with some new stories of life when she was a young schoolgirl and then moves into the period when she lived at the church and directed the children�s choir. There was severe persecution of Christians in Romania for over 40 years and children were often targeted. All of Genovieva�s books make great read alouds and my children never tire of hearing of her courageous life and God�s provision! 162 pages, $12.00

Britta McColl

Morning Star Learning

My Jewish Heritage is Genovieva�s own account of growing up in a Messianic Jewish family in Romania. Genovieva�s father who was Jewish became a Christian in his late teens. The Nazis killed his entire family. He himself was headed for a concentration camp but managed to escape from the train car by digging out a hole in the bottom. There is a great deal of the history of Genovieva�s family as well as the Jewish people in Romania. You will find out how the Romanian language came to Romania with the Jewish slaves that were deported from Rome in the first century. As Romania grew and prospered word spread to other Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and an additional 600,000 Jewish people emigrated and settled in Romania. My Jewish Heritage reads in the same engaging style as her first book, Genovieva. This sobering book will also serve as a warning against anti-Semitism. 136 pages, $10.00

Britta McColl

Morning Star Learning

To purchase any of these faith-building books go to www.morningstarlearning.com

Does Research Support Spell to Write and Read?

Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:52:00 -0600

Does Research Support Spell to Write and Read

Does Research Support Spell to Write and Read?

Question: I am interesting in learning more about Spell to Write and Read (SWR). Is there any research to prove it works?

Answer: [Wanda Sanseri]

The foundational methodology behind SWR has been extensively documented for success. In 1982 my oldest son attended American Heritage Christian school. I trained with the faculty there taking a graduate level class with them from Romalda Spalding. The school was visited that year by Robert Aukerman, author of APPROACHES TO BEGINNING READING. The purpose of his book was to evaluate various phonetic approaches objectively. He had no intention of picking the best, but he writes:

"Wherever and whenever possible, this writer visits and observes classes where various approaches to beginning reading are in progress. The Spalding Method (where SWR originates) as observed in.... schools in 1967 and again in 1982. In January, for example, in a first grade class the children were reading at an almost unbelievable level of comprehension, voice inflection, knowledge of word attack.

The figures provided in the tables indicate that the classes I observed were, perhaps, not isolated examples but were representative of the significant achievement of children taught by this method. When one finds reports of performance that is consistently and significantly above the national norms, one looks for causes. Can it be that the children are specially selected?

Or that it is the teacher who makes the difference?

In addition to the firm data presented above [SAT scores from a number of schools including American Heritage], I have read scores of testimonials. They attest to the effectiveness of the method in private, public, parochial schools; military-base schools; "back-to-basics" schools; and special classes for L.D. children.

Scores that are consistently far beyond the national norms and testimonials of gains made by illiterate adults, new arrivals from the rim of the Pacific, learning disabled children, and others who had not previously learned to read in regular classrooms using standard means should be proof enough of the effectiveness of this method when taught by the precepts delineated by the author."

My son's entire first grade class that Aukerman visited scored in the upper 90% on the SAT with an average reading score of 3.6. My son himself tested at 6.0. A portion of the chart from Aukerman's now out-of-print book is reproduced in the introduction of SWR.

SWR continues with the tried and proven principles the solid foundation I learned under Mrs. Spalding. All indicators point to the same level of continuing success with Spell to Write and Read. One of my trainers, for example, taught in a small Christian school in Pennsylvania. Her little school with less than fifty students decided to enter a statewide academic competition and placed first, second, and third place in the state in spelling. I constantly get thank you notes from educators with exciting stories of success. Many failed with every other approach. One mom with a struggling high school student had her daughter jump nine grade levels in nine months after switching to SWR. This girl became an honors student in college. We repeatedly experience remarkable progress with those who other educators have declared "unteachable." I taught one such adult who jumped 2.4 grade levels after just five hours of instruction.

Please feel free to ask more questions.

Blessings,

Wanda Sanseri

Dear Wanda,

Question: I was so encouraged by the story that Mary Tanksley told at my SWR Basic Class about the man you sat next to on the airplane that had learned with the Spalding method (where SWR originates.) Anyway, his small class taught with WRTR had great success. Every time I try to retell this story, I stumble and forget the facts. Would you mind putting this in writing so that I don�t forget next time?

Answer: [Wanda Sanseri] The man with touches of white in his hair sitting beside me on the plane casually asked, "Why are you going to Houston?" I replied, "I am going to teach a seminar on phonics." He responded, "Like /a - A - ah/ and /O - OO - uff - off- aw -ow/?" I knew immediately that he had somewhere been exposed to our phonograms. I asked him where he learned that. He replied, "In grade school." I checked his memory on other things. He could list five reasons for silent final E's. They matched exactly with what we teach. Was he a teacher? No. Did he have children he taught these things? No. He was married but they never had children. He had not studied these ideas since grade school and yet he could recite them rapidly and accurately forty years later. I asked how he could do that. He looked at me in disbelief at such a question. "How could I forget? We did them every day for years!"

From the date of his schooling I could tell that he must have been a student of one of the early Spalding trained teachers. He grew up in Massachusetts and attended a small school in a stable community. All of the students with him in first grade, except one, graduated with him in high school. I was curious about how well they did. He told me that his little school with a graduating class of less than thirty students broke national records including the percentage of graduates receiving presidential college scholarships. Many received full scholarships to multiple schools. He said that four of them were National Merit Finalists. That year my son was recognized as a National Merit Commended Scholar. I wanted to make sure I heard him correctly. A National Merit Finalist is in the top 1000 students in the nation. A National Merit Commended Scholar is in the to 10,000 students. Most schools never get a commended scholar, much less a finalist. He is saying that one small school had four? I must have heard him incorrectly. "Are you sure they were FINALIST?" He nodded. He was positive. He was one of them.

As we disembarked from the plane, he told me that he travels extensively helping businesses set up inter-office computer networking. He has been saddened by the poor spelling and reading skills that he has observed even from highly educated people. He knew they were intelligent and often thought that they would not struggle so if they had been taught the way he had been. I saw tears come into the eyes of this all-business type man as he told me. "You will never be able to understand how much it means to me to have met you this day. I thought that what I had been taught was a lost art. Please keep spreading this wonderful method."

Please keep checking back on this page. I will be adding additional material that supports SWR, including test scores from a Canadian private school which uses SWR. This school consistently tests in the upper percentage on standardized tests of all Canadian schools. Details to come.

Britta McColl

�Morning Star Learning

www.morningstarlearning.com

To read more about Spell to Write and Read follow these links:

What Is Spell to Write and Read (SWR)?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

You CAN Do It-Spell to Write and Read DVD-New Release!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/151329/

Cursive First

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74689/

SWR and Preschoolers

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/74652/