Back to school : Movable alphabet for young and old

Chers Amis,

The turkey has been carved, the pies relished by all, and suitcases unpacked, so it is back to school. It always seems to be difficult to restart the engine after a long holiday, especially when Advent and its beguiling purple promise is only a week away. But start we did and it went amazingly well- surprise! Luckily I found the time before we left to make a few new Montessori style, hands-on materials to try. New is always fun.

Speling - or is it spellng? Either way, it can be a challenge - for proof, try to do without automatic spell check for a week. Pippin is just learning to read and spell and Caddie continues to struggle with spelling. She is a very auditory and kinethetic learner whereas Scarlett is very visual and has no problem spelling. The words just look right to her once she has seen the correct spelling. For the record, spelling is not my hihg siut - I mean, high suit :-)

Caddie and I have tried many different approaches to understanding how words are put together in this crazy language of moth and mother, broth and brother. We liked the Writing Road to Readings phonograms last year, but working through the word list seemed random and ineffective. In early spring we switched to Christian Liberty Press Building Spelling Skills as it was recommended by Cathy Duffy. Yes, a workbook. No cringing CM'ers. I like how the lists are laid out and the exercises are well designed to help students understand the phonetics behind the spelling. Even mom is learning. Aha! tu, tch and ch all make the CH sound. I could read them all but I hadn't grouped them together. Still spelling was not clicking with Caddie and she has been so frustrated as Scarlett breezes through her work while too much purple ink stained her best efforts.
In the meantime I had started to implement more Montessori materials with Pippin. I had been interested in trying a movable alphabet so he could start to spell the words he was reading. (Yay!) Being my usual thrifty self, averse to spending, I found this printable movable alphabet at montessorimaterials.org and printed out several copies as well as the pink vocabulary cards. I separated the pictures from the words and put it all in a great beading container I found at the craft shop - with a 50% off coupon. Here is a picture of it all set up and ready to spell. I lay out a series of picture cards and pull aside the matching words cards. Pippin uses the alphabet tiles (yet unlaminated argh!) to spell out the word and when he has finished the tray he matches the word tiles to his work and can grade himself. I love how the compartments fit the alphabet/picture pieces perfectly and the cover holds the cards too!

Caddie loved Pippin's new toy, so I thought I would make a grown-up version for her -minus the picture cards :-) I used my word processing program to make tiles of the same size for all of the Spaulding 2 letter and greater phonograms/digraphs color coded to show how many sounds they make. I added a few more phonograms that were used by her spelling book such as tu and age. I also made tiles for the 4 silent e's (ge, ce, ve, ue) and the best known prefixes and suffixes (not shown on board yet). I attached them to a foam core board with Velcro and voila! Now Caddie can spell out her words with her own movable alphabet (and Pippins). It has REALLY made a HUGE difference. She loves to use the board and it helps her see the structure of each word. Now if I cood ownly lern too spel to.

-- Marjorie

PS - If anyone is interested in the phonogram tiles, let me know and I will send them via e-mail. I haven't figured out how to upload files to Blogger yet.

Happy Thanksgiving

Chers Amis,

I have so many things to be thankful for this holiday season, so many people that deserve a special word of gratitude, and so many suitcases to be squeeezed - I mean - carefully loaded into the aging minivan. I promise I will write a proper post on my many blessings, until then, consider yourselves hugged, eat well and thank our Heavenly Father for all his gifts. As St. Therese the Little Flower so aptly said, "Tout est grace." Everything is a grace, a gift: the turkey and stuffing, the warmth of the central heat, the dry roads, the explosive laughter from the children's table, the creaking joints, the dirty platters and pie plates, the commaraderie of shared dishwashing and drying in the kitchen, the seemingly endless hours of college football, the lack of internet access, Uncle Fred's favorite story retold yet again, the empty chair, the trip to the cemetary, the snuggle with the newest tiny cousin, the price of gasoline, and the tears of greeting and departure. Let us be thankful and appreciative for it all. Have a wonderful, delicious holiday!

Here is a lovely Thanksgiving poem to enjoy by Eve Merriam

Giving Thanks Giving Thanks

by Eve Merriam

Giving thanks giving thanks
for rain and rainbows
sun and sunsets
cats and catbirds
larks and larkspur

giving thanks giving thanks
for cow and cowslips
eggs and eggplants
stars and starlings
dogs and dogwood

giving thanks giving thanks
for watercress on river banks
for necks and elbows knees and shanks
for towers basins pools and tanks
for pumps and handles lifts and cranks

giving thanks giving thanks
for ropes and coils and braids and hanks
for jobs and jokes and plots and pranks
for whistles bells and plinks and clanks
giving giving giving THANKS


-- Marjorie
P.S. Here is a Thanksgiving Card for you to click and enjoy:-)

I am Thankful for . . .

Chers Amis,

I asked the girls to write a list of what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving. Pippin narrated his. Here are their lists.

I am thankful for:

1. My Guardian angel.
2. My family that loves me so much.
3. My dog that I could pet all day.
4. The woods in my yard with all their colorful leaves.
5. The peachy sunsets of summer.
6. The swift gusts of wind on a winter day.
7. The wonderful scent of daffodils in spring.
8. The food and shelter we have to live on.
9. The ice cream we get to eat on the first day of summer.
10. And most of all, God. (by Scarlett)

I am Thankful for:
1. My family.
2. My dog.
3. The creek with all its fish.
4. The green anole lizards whose scaly skin glimmers in the sun.
5. My house.
6. My woods with its mushrooms.
7. My brother and sister.
8. The oak trees in our yard.
9. My Church.
10. The animals. ( By Caddie)

I am Thankful for:
1. Ice cream because it is cold and sweet and all kinds of colors.
2. Going on vacation to Gramma’s.
3. Lego.com because it has lots of fun games.
4. Alden, Evan, Andrew, Lucas, Christopher, Parker, Tyler and my cousin James.
5. My pirate ship because I have the mateys.
6. My dog. She is a good dog.
7. Daddy because he is funny and I like it when he plays with me.
8. My room with my dinosaur bed. (By Pippin)

Mom will have to take her turn!
-- Marjorie

Fait a la Main

Chers Amis,

Handmade gifts hold a special place in my heart. Inspired by my Mama and Papa, I am making more gifts this year. Nothing as intricate and splendid as their work, but simple and from the heart. If you are on my Christmas list and want to be surprised (oui, je te parle Mme. O:-), please stop reading now . . . cliquez on another link, please, go check your e-mail. Au Revoir, a bientot . Farewell. . . Okay. Where was I? . . . Homemade gifts. In years past I have mostly used needle and thread - quilting & applique work. This year les cadeux faits a la main from my moulin are much simpler and are mostly edible. (So far.) I love to cook and everyone loves to eat, so this week I have been concocting and packaging batches of three tasty spice rubs to include in various themed gift baskets as well as a few special holiday crunchables. I picked a trio of spirce rubs that we have personally used and enjoyed: Cajun, Mediterranean and Cocoa-Cumin-Allspice. Each marries well with at least one of several meats - chicken, fish, lamb or steak. Last night we had tilapia with the Cajun rub - yum!

1. First, I wrote down the recipes for each of the rubs, scanned the pantry and the spice rack and purchased the necessary ingredients. (I can't post the full recipes here do to copyright laws :-( but you can find many excellent recipes online.
2. I found these small bottles at at a craft store that would hold 1/3 to 1/2 cup. The perfect amount. Wash and dry well
3. Mix up the various rubs and pour in prepared bottles. Make sure you know which rub is in which bottle!
4. I had great fun making holiday lables using MSWord, scrapbooking supplies and Avery full sheet lables. After I formatted my shape and added the text in the font that I liked (that fit) , I found a nice scroll clip art image here and pasted it into my design. Then I printed the lables on some lovely two-tone paper, cut it out, glued it to a holiday paper with a holly motif, cut it out with "torn-edge" scissors to add a frame, color copied it onto the lable sheets, cut out and voila! I saved my master copies in a special envelope so I can use them again. Appy lables and a bit of ribbon and they look quite nice.

Using the same fonts and motifs, I made a card describing the rubs and how to use them. I used this same technique to lable spiced pumpkin bread mix, mixed nuts, holiday biscotti, double chocolate biscotti . I still have a few more additions up my sleeve, but I don't want to give it all away yet, lest some people are still reading :-) Well, my kitchen is chocolate-cumin-cajun-sprinkle encrusted, and we are going out of town for Turkey day, so I had better get cleaning. Bon Appetit!

-- Marjorie

French Word a Day - or a couple a week

Chers Amis,

Notre moulin is not in France. Ca se voit. If you would like a little taste of life in France and to learn a few phrases at the same time, visiter Kristin Espinasse at her blog French Word-a-Day . A "desert-rat" from the American Southwest she met and married her husband Jean-Marc and settled in France. Now their house is a vendre and they are moving north to the Vaucluse to live their dream of working their own vinyard. I don't think they have a windmill, but her dispatches are colorful and worth a try.

-- Marjorie

O Night Divine - Advent approaches

Chers Amis,

Advent is just around the corner, over there, behind the turkey. See? If the Loveliness Fair has whetted your holiday spirit, you must visit
O Night Divine: A blog devoted to the celebration of Christmas - and Advent! The creativity displayed is so inspiring. Don't miss Alice's Advent blocks. Fantastic. I am so glad they just opened a Michaels 5 min from the house. For more ideas Catholic Culture is a liturgical treasure box year round. Remember, the holidays are just a pumpkin pie or two away!

-- Marjorie

The Loveliness of Homemade Gifts

Chers Amis,

If you haven't already, please stop by Dawn's at By Sun and Candlelight for the latest Loveliness Fair on Handmade Gifts. It is a very creative selection of gifts from the delectable to the delicate for the crafty and the clutzy (me!) alike. Many thanks to Dawn for hosting yet another great Fair.

-- Marjorie

Peace amidst Chaos

Chers Amis,

Shh! I am afraid to move and break the silence and peace. It is one of those moments of consolation that make the rest of the chaos worthwhile. Scarlett burst into tears a little while ago as the girls finished their American History notebook on political parties. She had a Monday afternoon meltdown and couldn't remember who was a Republican or what a Federalist was - it all blurred together. I told Scarlett, sodden with her tears, to go upstairs and take a nap. She had started the day overtired and needed down time. I told Caddie to go do her own quiet reading and forbade Pippin from turning on the TV or touching my computer in my absence. "Go upstairs, but DON'T bother Scarlett!"I warned. Up they all went like Ping and his cousins waiting for the dreaded swat. No swat,I was busy piling yet another load of still-warm laundry on the bedraggled couch.

A few minutes later I mounted the stairs to survey the scene. Scarlett was a bit pink around the eyes, but was relaxing. Monday's are always the hardest days as we switch from weekend fun to school without the benefit of a change in scenery. I tucked her in, smoothed her hair and she happily agreed to take a nap and and melted into her bed. So what were the other two up to? Had they emptied the toy chest in Pippen's room? No, I found them cuddled up in my unmade bed, bereft of linens (on couch:-) covered with my pillow shams. Caddie was reading our next book club selection - the story of Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio aloud to Pippin who was curled up next to her happy as could be. Much to their delight, I covered them up with my comforter that had fallen in a puddle on the floor and left them to their reading. Peace amidst chaos is brilliant! Oops! I hear feet. It is also fleeting!

-- Marjorie

A Gift to Love and Remember

Chers Amis,

Everyone has that special gift that fulfilled a dream or ignited their imaginations. A gift you never forget and just recalling it brings the child in you rushing to the surface in a bubble of joy and elation. The very best of these gifts are made by the hands of someone who loves you.

When I was a little girl, my Mama and Papa (gramma and granpa) made my sisters and I the most beautiful handmade gifts you can imagine. Mama was an artist who designed crafts for major ladies magazines in the 50's an 60's. She was a veritable Martha Stewart of her day and Papa was a retired doctor who loved to woodwork. Together, they were Santa's North American elves and their handiwork, extrodinary. There were wooden puzzles, pull- along camel's and horses with a real fur manes, jointed, painted wooden dolls in matching outfits, a fully-furnished Barbie doll house with a bathtub that drained, custom cabinets, upholstered couch, and even mini framed artwork on the walls. One year they lead us blindfolded into a tiny oak grove on the hillside where we found a wooden deer with leather ears and a tiny tea table and chairs shaped from old logs for outdoor parties. It was amazing.

My very favorite Christmas gift came in a pink cardboard carton. It was a box of dress-up clothes, marvelous, ridiculous, fabulous clothes that Mama had carefully selected, sewn, hemmed, tightened, clipped and fitted for my sister and me. I can't even remember if I was 7 or 8 when we received them because they were used for so many years of fantasy and play of all sorts. Here are some of the things she included:

• long calico wrap-around aprons with matching sun bonnets
• bouquets of plastic flowers
• a bridal veil
• a white dress
• petticoats and crinolins
• a shawl
• a mink stole - with a head!
• a fur cape
• a purse
• gloves - white, long purple, mittens
• high heel shoes - probably size 4 or 5
• a dressing robe
• a blazer
• dresses
• bracelets and necklaces, pins
  
• a lei
• wigs
  
• hats for tea parties
• assorted blouses and skirts
• glasses
  

If you have little ones who love to play dress up and act out scenes from their favorite books, this is one gift that they will treasure and that will hold a special place in their memories. The key is to tailor the pieces to their size and to include a variety of items that will allow them to become a whole host of magical personalities.

1. Make a list of themes/characters/books that they would like to explore and list clothing items or accessories that would bring it to life. This is your consignment store, Salvation Army, garage sale shopping list.
   
2. Measure the arm and leg lengths and waist measurements of their current size. Keep these measurements with you as you shop so you can determine if a piece can be resized easily.
   
3. Go shopping. Have fun and never rule out a funky item if the size and price is right. Look for props too - a cracked tea cup and saucer, plastic house plants, gardening gloves, rope, lunch boxes, lace curtains, etc.
   
4. The hard part - hem sleeves and skirts to a comfortable length allowing a wide hem that can be let out as they grow. Adding velcro or hook and eye clasps in place of broken zippers can make them easier to get in an out of which can be very important to Moms. This does not have to be expert sewing, Ladies.
   
5. Collect the sundries that make play convincing - old monopoly money in a worn wallet, a small spiral notebook and pen, broken calculator or camera in a bag can help a reporter or business person. Old place mats or table cloths and a votive candle, a restaurant make. Be creative!
   
6. Fold and arrange the pieces in a durable box that will survive the adventures.
   

Voila! A handmade gift to love and remember.

-- Marjorie

PS - I will be sharing more homemade gift ideas later this week, check back.

Peeking Snakes and Slimy Salmanders

Chers Amis,

It is a warm Indian Summer day in Georgia and our house snake has reappeared. Here he is poking out of the siding on the back side of the house for a sun bath. We saw him last month poking out of the siding on the front of the house. Thus the name "House Snake". We will have to come up with a more creative name. I am not bothered by this little fellow as I am sure he will take care of any mice that might want to share the crawl space this winter. One year they decided to nest in my basement linen storage and I lost quite a bit of my quilting fabric. Now it is in a Rubbermaid bin and Snakey is on patrol. Sorry, mice.

It is so beautiful I think we are going to put the rest of our book work on hold and go for a walk around the property. We ate lunch out on the deck today and it will be all but impossible to corral the cats (kids) and bring them back to the table without the promise of future wiggles. The only thing that kept them from escaping during meal time was The Children's Homer. Pippin really loves it. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches- not so much. While I was clearing the table, Caddie jumped the gate from the deck and decided to lift up all our flagstones under the wild persimmon tree to see if what she could find. This is usually a good way to find an earth snake - small and cute. Today she found a large slimy salamander ( Plethodon glutinosus. He was especially sticky today and you could see the mucus exuding from his tail. Caddie was thrilled. Well, lunch is over, time for math and then a romp in the woods. Who knows what we will find. I'll keep you posted!

-- Marjorie

Book Club Bulletin Board - A Single Shard

Chers Amis,

After reading this wonderful post by Dawn about what they were up to, I have had bulletin board envy, but unfortunately I do not actually have a bulletin board chez nous. (We do have an enormous cork board wall, but that is our timeline and another post :-) It was a fun exercise to ask myself, "What have we been up to lately? What would we display?" Book Club! Last Friday the girl's monthly Book Club met at our house to discuss A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, so we were well into medieval Korea and all things pottery last week. For a start there would be:


A postcard of a 12th Century Korean celadon vase - Scarlett made and painted a paper-mache model of a prunus vase using these instructions for a Greek vase. She is my little artiste who loves careful detailed work. Drawing is like breathing for her, effortless and essential. Didn't it turn out very well!

Recipe Cards for Bulgogi and Chap Chae- Caddie is learning about Korean food so she and I made these dishes for a Korean feast. We both love to cook! This was the first time that Caddie has made a lap book so she also included lots of pictures of Korean snacks like dried squid and dried persimmons, rice and of course, tea.

Scarlett's sketches of Traditional Korean dress , the Hanbok.



A flag of Korea -Both girls are making copies and learning the symbolic meanings behind the corner markings and the importance of the Buddhist and Confuscist ideals of balance.


A map of the Korean Penninsula and articles from God's World News on the nucluear conflict.

We had a lot of fun with Korea and A Single Shard.

-- Marjorie

Biology 101 - Lapaz Farm Style

Chers Amis,

You are in for a biological treat! Theresa at Lapaz Farm Home Learning is starting a systematic study of biology starting with a montessori style study of invertebrates. If you haven't already stop by the farm and read what she and Superboy are doing. I couldn't do it justice if I tried. It will make you wish she had taught your highschool and college bio classes! Theresa has also graciously started a yahoo group called Lapaz farm bio project where she is sharing her materials. I can hardly wait to start printing them out for Caddie and Scarlett. They will think Christmas has come early. Merci milles fois, Theresa!

-- Marjorie

PS - I love this photo. It is from Wilkipedia Commons of a Blue damselfly - an invertebrate :-)

All Hallows Eve and the OCTC Inc.

"Nothing beats a haunted moonlit night on All hallows Eve... And on this fatal night, at this witching time, the starless sky laments black and unmoving. The somber hues of an ominous, dark forest are suddenly illuminated under the emerging face of the full moon." Kim Elizabeth

Chers Amis,

Oh, to have the honey light of a full harvest moon on All Hallows Eve, alas, it was but a third glowing through the scattered clouds. But it was spooky enough as we clamoured through our back woods and scrambled over a rusted and flattened barb wire fence to emerge like dark phantoms into the street light of the adjacent subdivision. What? Let me explain. The houses on our street are widely spaced and sparsely populated by trick or treaters and there are no sidewalks for goblins. In 10 years chez nous we have had but 2 or 3 knocks at our door. So every Halloween we make the candy corn pilgrimage down our mossy lawn, along a back path, across our little footbridge, up the leafy embankment, over the barbed wire fence of farms long past and into the shiny, fancy, elegant subdivision behind our property. I often wonder what people think when they see us approaching, flashlights cutting the inky black. It makes for a slightly eerie hunt for goodies.

Here are my goblins - Caddie the gypsy/pirate, Scarlett a Southern belle/ American girl and Pippin the ghoul. I did not approve of the ghoul mask. His father did. I shall remain silent.

Thus began a joyous, high sucrose loop through the subdivision during which I admired the beautifully lighted and decorated homes. I marvel at the gardens and decorations and lights. Our own mill is very simple and humble. We chose wooded acreage, a HUGE deck and a hot tub over post 1979 kitchens and neighborhood life. I still like to take a peek during our yearly jaunt :-) When we returned the OCTC Inc. activity began. Caddie took charge as the contents of each bag were examined and valued. "Mom, this is the OCTC - the Official Candy Trading Company!" No trader on Wall Street or Appraiser on the Antique Road Show could out do her. She proceeded to make multiple trades with her siblings while doing a running play by play inventory and worth. "Grunts are very valuable, they are worth two Crunches and a Jolly Rancher. Scarlett, you see, has a fine collection of lollipops. I will trade her this orange pop for her Reese's pumpkin cup. This was an excellent deal, I got a chocolate covered carmel eyeball for only one Tootsie roll!" So it continued until the closing bell rang. After hours trading continued as they discussed their candy assets en route to tooth brushing. It makes me wonder if Caddie will become a biologist or an MBA. All in all it was a warm and dry evening and best of all, Mom has dibs on all dark chocolate!

-- Marjorie

Praying Mantis Mom

Chers Amis,

Look what Caddie found creeping around our bushes - a very gravid Stagmomantis carolina or Carolina mantis. Carolina mantids are very easy to identify as their wings only extend 3/4 of the way down their abdomen. Hers is very swollen and she was in no mood to be handled, which was obvious when she nipped Caddie. We wish that we could have followed her to see where she would lay her ootheca or egg case. (Isn't that a great scrabble word!)

-- Marjorie

Involuntary Nature Study

Chers Amis,

There are a few phrases you do not want to hear however nature friendly you are. "Mom, there is an opossum outside our door," qualifies.
"No, Pippin, there couldn't be a possum out there. That is the doggie run. The dog would let us know. Come back here and do your math."
"Really, Mom, there is a possum - right THERE," he insisted, pulling his head back through the doggie door. "I think it's dead."
"Pippin! Are you telling the tru. . . Oh. My. Yup, a possum."

Thus began the official "Is it REALLY dead countdown." Scarlett informed us that possums can play dead for over an hour. We did not get very much done during the next 59 mins. due to the plate glass window, two-way child-sized doggie door and close and tempting proximity to one allegedly, possible, hopefully dead possum.

Now, as you all probably have discerned by now, I have come to appreciate most of God's creations. Flying stinging insects are still low on my list of favorites, but snakes, lizards, even spiders fascinate me. Possums don't. I have memories of growing up in a very different type of woods where possums regularly tipped over and ate our trash. Nearly every day after school I had to pick up possum gnawed refuse. This continued until a cross-bow toting friend of a friend came over one afternoon. It wasn't pretty.

This new possum chez nous was quite small and quite dead. RIP. Luckily, my dear love of a husband came home unexpectedly for lunch that day and he and the kidlets disposed of the carcass. You know you are a homeschooler when you make sure they mark the location of the shoebox grave so that next year you can clean up the bones and use them for a unit on the skeletal system. Here is a coloring page and word search on opossums from the Oppossum Society of America. We did not sketch our surprise visitor, but we won't forget him!

-- Marjorie

PS - We found what we think is an opossom pelvis in a hollow tree, any ideas on how to determine if it is from a possom or a raccoon? We have both on our property.

Tag, You're it! - Ten Random Things Meme

Chers Amis,

I have been tagged by Angel in the 10 Random Things meme. Hmm. Most of my life seems random :-) which ten things to pick. . .

1. I once spent a magical summer working on an Etruscan and Roman archeological dig in the countryside of Chianti. Heaven.
   
2. I love to eat adventurously and adore trying new dishes, the spicier the better. There is something about Thai food I especially enjoy. Red wine, good cheese, bread, dark chocolate and coffee are also on my A list.
   
3. I am notoriously clutzy. My dh calls me "Grace" as a joke as I have been know to run into trees, corners of walls, doors - don't even mention me on skis!
4. I am addicted to reading. I read constantly, books, poetry, the Wall Street Journal, magazines, cookbooks, cereal boxes, labels, receipts. I HAVE to have something to read at all times. I am getting pickier as the years go by and eschew novels with disfunctional families or dark themes. See #5. I also enjoy writing.
   
5. I have vivid dreams every night that are very affected by what I see and read. My dh, who almost never remembers a single dream, finds this very strange and loves to tell the story of how after watching a HGTV piece on painting murals of Orcas in a children's room, I had nightmares about, well, whales. I do not watch scary movies or read Stephan King.
   
6. I have read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (and the Hobbit) a ridiculous number of times - I stopped counting at 8x - or was it 9. No, I have not named any of my children Elbereth, Sam, Eowyn or the like nor do I write Elvish. I don't know why I love this work so, but I think that there are certain aethetics that resonate with each person. Tolkien was a renown scholar of Beowulf which I also enjoy. Go figure.
   
7. I like music (I played clarinet for 12 years) but can't listen to it while I study or write. The Mozart effect doesn't work for me, too distracting.
   
8. I lack the female shopping gene. I hate shopping (especially for shoes!) - The exception is shopping for food and books. I do like window shopping in galleries and shops with lovely or handmade objects. Online shopping and catalogs is much better - it is like reading! See #4
   
9. I taught myself to recover a sofa, quilt and make curtains (none perfectly!).I am a bit of a tightwad. When I saw how much they wanted to do the sofa I decided that I should at least try my had at it. Seven years, three kids and one puppy later, the sofa is no longer with us. The quilts are curtains are holding up. (Dog can't reach them) I really enjoy making things by hand - I just have to be careful. I put a sewing machine needle clear through my thumb last time I pieced a quilt. See #3.
10. As you can tell from my blog, I love France. I love the language and the country is beautiful, so varied and rich. The food, the literature, the architecture, the mountains, the memories, the friends, they helped to define and shape me.
    

I thing that everyone on my blogline has been tagged. If not, tag, your it!

-- Marjorie

Liberte! Linguistic Get Out of Jail Free Card

Chers Amis,

This school year, I have given myself a "get out of jail free" card and it feels SOOOO good! No, I am not in trouble with the law. I have escaped from the bonds of trying (and failing) to teach myself and the kids Spanish. YEAH! I know I should hablo espagnol, that it is the second language of this country and the first of Cervantes (as well as most of the Americas,) but I don't speak Spanish and it was making me crazy. It was like wearing a left shoe on the right foot and trying to run a marathon. I have held off teaching the kids French until now for a myrid of reasons, but no longer, cette annee, on apprend le francais (et le latin). Liberte! How sweet it is.

I am really enjoying it too! Not only is French a lyric language, a language of diplomats, a language entwined with English thanks to William and his Norman crew, but I actually speak French (more or less), so teaching it is a joy. Making flash cards has never been so much fun. So, to parody Dr. Seuss, I will speak it with a mouse, I will speak it in the house (all the time) and in the rain, and on a train (preferably le TGV), and in a box and with a fox, and on a boat and with a goat (cheese), I will speak it here or there, I will speak it anywhere. :-) Can you tell I am excited? It is just so much easier to teach a language you know and mes enfants are learning so quickly - really important phrases like, "Clear off the table. " " Put your plate in the dishwasher, please." "Sit down, now." And the all important, "Where are your shoes?"

Adding to the enjoyment, mon mari promised that if I can actually teach the children to speak French, we can go to France! No timeline or skill level specified. Of course that little problem of budget will come to play too - but un de ces jours! I haven't been to France since before Caddie was born and I would love to take the kids - mostly to visit with a dear, dear friend and her family. Our youngest boys are only one day apart and I can almost see them giggling together plotting unknown adventures while the three older children explore, where? Maybe, Cirque de Garvarnie? Sigh. Some day.

Until then, we will hit the books. As a text I purchased Skoldo I as a simple workbook. Caddie and Scarlett like it because the vocabulary lists aren't very long and they have to "colorier les dessins" quite often. Coloring is like recess :-) We are also in a bi-weekly French Club this year and that helps provide a bit more structure, gives them a chance to talk with other kids and hear another (better) accent - native. For each meeting they choose a letter from the alphabet and learn to write, pronounce, and use words that begin with that letter. They also make an illustrated page for their French notebooks. Even Pippin loves to do this. He picked "S" as his first letter so he could draw a beetle - un scarabee, skeleton - le squelette and a snake - un serpent. I am always surprised at the words they choose and how well they know them once they have been embroidered on their memories ( and pages) in Crayola magic markers. Like her Gramma Juli, Scarlett is a little artist. She reminds me of a little monk on Iona, hunched over her work as if working on an illustrated manuscript. This Wednesday is French Club again so I will be putting together more activities and will write more later with some useful links. Ca me fait du bien!

A bientot,

-- Marjorie

How Combustible Are You?

Chers Amis,

Some chemicals are unable to play nicely together and should not be allowed in the same test tube - at least at certain temperatures; they are just too combustible. Take water and sodium. They co-exist very well in oceans all over the world (with the mediation of chlorine), but according to chemists, "If you drop sodium in water, you'll see it dance as a fireball on the surface." It is like that at my house sometimes with the clash of personalities. I am very much a meloncholy-choleric by temperment, I like order and eschew chaos whenever possible. Rules are not my enemy and coloring inside the box doesn't crimp my style. I just want to get things done effectively and efficiently without confrontation. Pure fun helps the medicine go down. Caddie is my direct opposite. She is phelgmatic and sanguine. Rules? What are rules but gravel in my shoes, which I shouldn't have to wear anyway! The purpose of life is to have fun whether or not you are accomplishing anything that can be checked off on a list.

At most temperatures we work very well together. At others. . . On days when I am trying desparately to keep the house from totally degrading, when I have to do school, grocery shop, return books to the library, prepare for witnesses - I mean houseguests, when I really don't want math manipulatives, felt board pieces and scraps of paper mingling on the floor, it gets very hot - and loud in the crucible. Luckily my sweet Scarlett is neutral - a noble gas. She rarely reacts and tempers all around her. Caddie's molecules speed up and she decides, like today, that she would prefer to sit in yoga position on the tiny painted chair in a corner, math balanced on the removable doggy door cover, than in her new desk. When reminded that she should sit in the desk she protests and moves to her desk chair (not at the desk but in the middle of the room) and uses the dog crate as a table, papers strewn about her. She cannot understand why I want her to sit at a desk, or wear shoes, or write neatly with the holes on the left hand side of the paper. What difference does the margin line really make in life? This makes me want to hyperventilate. No, it is not a big deal. It is silly, so why does it have to be a struggle. Why does it have to be so loud?

Some people find time to do their daily meditation before the kids get up. I find that a morning offering or spiritual communion is all I have time for and that I really need a mid-morning break for grace. Quiet reading time for them, prayer time for mom. It is a good reminder that none of this is about me. Why do I get so angry? Because I am trying to make the pieces fit according to my design, my way, my will be done. Oops. He graciously reminds me that I am here to serve, that flexibility is a virtue, that one of the beautiful things about homeschooling is that we can change approach mid-stream if we are willing. It is about educating not ruling. "Be still, and love deeply." Often I write a little code on my palm to remind me of the resolution that comes out of my meditation. I scrawled HUM - humility, understanding and mercy. A holy priest I know once joked that the HP in Hewlett Packerd stands for Humility and Patience. As I sat back down at my computer and glanced at my printer, its insignia reminded me that I have more to learn somedays than my children do.

Yes, Caddie, you do have to do neat work, respect margin lines, know how to sit in a real chair and wear shoes when ask to do so. But, I need to take a deep breath, do a little"spiritual yoga", be willing to bend, ask nicely, and HUM if I want to avoid explosions.

-- Marjorie

Sloppy, Drippy, Wonderful Science

Quick electrons zip

zoom and spin madly around

the lonely center
-- An Atomic Haiku by Scarlett

Up, Down, Charmed, Lucky

Who are these strange particles?

Quarks, atom's centers
-- Particle Haiku by Caddie

Matter, what could it be? Listen and I shall tell thee. Matter is made up of particles -- and don't forget the energy! -- Matter II by Caddie

Chers Amis,

If it is drippy, sloppy and school, it must be time for Adventures in Science! our weekly science experiment club. This term we have been focusing on chemistry, elements, atoms, the periodic table, and most recently, charges. We have adopted elements, built models of atoms, and even written poetryabout the humble building blocks of our universe. (Yes, Caddie knows that the center of an atom is the nucleus, she insisted that since protons and neutrons are formed by quarks they are the true centers. Argh!)

Last week's experiment sought to answer the question, "Are molecules affected by charges?" by using balloons, water, paper cups, a plastic pen, bubbles, a silk cloth and our heads - in more ways than one ;-) We based the experiments on several in Adventures With Atoms and Molecules: Chemistry Experiments for Young People and this activity at the Atom's Family. Vocabulary included: polar and nonpolar molecules, neutral, attract, repel and electrostatic charge.

First, the young scientists rubbed a balloon on their hair and recorded their observations. Did it produce a charge? How did the charge affect the hair? Did it change the balloon? How? Even Pippin recorded his observations in graphic detail. (Don't you love the eyes!) Next came a cloud of bubbles. As the TA's (moms) filled the room with bubbles, they had to determine if the bubbles reacted differently to the balloon depending on whether or not the side of the balloon approaching the test bubble was "charged". This involved more rubbing. Try it. There is a difference. Here is a good explanation of the scientific reasons the "charged" or rubbed side attracted the bubbles. In short, when the balloon is rubbed against your hair "you rub electrons onto the balloon" or impart a negative charge to the balloon. The water molecules in the bubbles are polar - having two ends like a magnet. The negative balloon attracts the positive polar molecules of the bubble. We also found that the unrubbed side of the balloon repelled or pushed the bubbles away!

In the second experiment, we poked a hole in the bottom of a paper cup, filled the cup with water and covered the hole with a finger. The scientists rubbed a plastic pen with silk to produce a charge. As the water stream was released, each girl (Pippin had evaporated) brought the pen near the stream of water and recorded her observations. Could a charged pen affect the water stream? If so how? (We also tried this using a very fine stream of water from the tap and it produced more dramatic results. ) Here is a good scientific explanation. Try this with oil. Does it have the same effect? Why not? What does it mean? (Hint: oil is nonpolar :-) .

Tomorrow is science day again and we are going to continue talking about polarity and how it produces surface tension, discuss whether or not similar molecules attract each other and if so why. Soap is involved so maybe it won't be too messy :-) For a interesting science this week, read try Q is for Quark: A Science Alphabet Book by David M. Schwartz.

-- Marjorie

PS - Next week is National Chemistry Week - To quote Ms. Frizzle, "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!"

Nature Study - What's in your Bag?

Chers Amis,

Nature study is a daily occurrence at le moulin - if you count tramping loudly through the woods, fishing around in hollow trees for possum bones, sloshing through the tiny creek in search of crayfish and caddis fly larva, or turning over every rock in the deep-shade fern garden hoping, just hoping to find a sticky salamander or earth snake before Mom stops you. Some schools have recess breaks, notre ecole specializes in "species identification breaks". Formal nature study with proper notebooks is much rarer and our instant gratification device - AKA digital camera -often replaces the patient pencil and paper. In order to facilitate more formal nature study I have put together our Nature Study Preparedness Bag (Hat tip to HSA:-). Like the "Take me to Labor and Delivery" Bag of past near-baby days, it is carefully packed and set by the door(or placed in the van) just waiting, waiting for that rush to action. So what is in the bag?

• First, the bag itself came from Grandpa - a NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Conference tote with lots of outside pockets - key for storage.
• 3 spiral ring Canson sketch books - with names to avoid squabbles
• 1 clip board in case we have a friend along
• drawing pencils (#2), good erasers and, a pencil sharpener
• waterproof drawing pen (missing- hmm)
• 1 Koh-I-noor Watercolor Wheel Stack Pack
  small paint brushes
• small tin of Derwent Watercolor Pencils (12)
• Binoculars
• Various field guides and Waterford Press Pocket Naturalist guides . The Comstock Guide must stay in car or at home - too heavy.
• plastic bug catcher or clean peanut butter jar with ventilation holes
• plastic bags for collections
• large magnifying glass
• strong pocket microscope
  tweezers
• ruler
  digital camera
• snacks and water
  

With fall in full crunch and bluster (and the bag well packed), we went out to get the mail after lunch a few days ago. (Bad idea if you are trying to remain focused on the fascinating details of 4th grade punctuation and capitalization.) It is a pleasant canopied walk down a gravel drive to the mail box and there is a lot of nature between house and box."Mom, Mom, PLEASE come see the purple mushrooms near the creek. PLEASE!!! It's just a little past that tree, a little further, down, in the hollow. No, I don't need shoes, Mom. C'mon." Happy voices fade away into Mirkwood, leading Mom away from commas and apostrophes and toward yet another mystery. Like many a hobbit before me, I follow.

Sure enough it was a huge purple gilled mushroom that begged not just for identification and a nice photo - but watercolors! Close the workbooks and open the Bag , pull out the field guide, locate the ruler and get out the paint! It's Nature Notebook Time and thanks to our bag we're prepared. I would love to hear what is in your bag. Please share!

-- Marjorie

"Laccaria ochropurpurea
Purple-gilled Laccaria "

PS. I LOVE the new watercolor wheel Gramma Juli gave us. It has a great selection of colors, is compact and the cover becomes a palette. And it is inexpensive!

PPS. We are interested parts of the animal kingdom beyond fungi. We had an amazing summer of flying insects and snakes that I will have to relate someday. Actually, the snake theme is ongoing. Caddie and Scarlett found a snake poking out of a hole in the side of our house the other day. Out of - that means the rest of the snake was IN the house somewhere. Sigh. Now you know why I prefer mushrooms. They don't slither into your basement.