Unsolicited Homeschool Advice

I will be honest with you; while so many other people are struggling to find the new "normal," not much has changed around our house. We are still homeschooling, plugging along as best we can. 

With so many folks involuntarily homeschooling these days, I wanted to share some unsolicited homeschool advice. 

Here it goes.

Homeschooling doesn't need to look like it does at school. Sometimes homeschooling is assigned bookwork.

Okay, so perhaps something more than math was going on at this table. . . 

And sometimes the learning just happens without the teacher. Recognize those moments for what they are-- organic learning. Here are a few examples of what that looks like at our house.

I did assign a book for my older two boys to read-- Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France. But I didn't ask them to do anything with that. Last Wednesday, one son found something in Burke that resonated with him, and he surprised me with a little note on our whiteboard. This led to an impromptu discussion. It was unplanned, but it was learning.

We have a sad little piano in our basement. It is somewhat broken and a little out of tune. We don't have a piano teacher or lessons. I don't know how to play. But lately my students have been plunking away at favorite tunes. A few have taught themselves to read music the last few weeks by reading a piano instruction book. All by themselves and because they want to.

Sure, I teach music and music appreciation, but this was something I hadn't planned. (I promise you, I did NOT plan to hear so many thousands of renditions of "Ode to Joy" each day for the last 2 or 3 weeks.) And it has been very good for the children.

The big deal this week at our house is bees. We got a call on Monday morning from the post office; they wanted us to come pick up those boxes of bees that were waiting for us. Imagine that!

So we picked them up, and with no prior experience, my eldest installed the bees in the two hives he built by himself (maybe with some help from his younger brother) with materials he bought with his own money. 

Why bees? I don't know exactly why, but he became fascinated with them from reading. So he read more and more and more. It wasn't an assignment; it was his own interest.

So this week our entire family has learned about bees from the hands-on experience. We've learned about how to install bees in a hive. And we've learned something about disappointment.

Hello, dead queen bee.

I'm not saying that while your children are home they need to pick up an expensive hobby like beekeeping or that they need to learn to play a musical instrument. But you should allow your children to explore their interests-- on their own. Learning happens all by itself sometimes, and overwhelmed parents who are trying to work and teach school from home can take comfort in that.

While learning happens on its own, don't completely ignore your children. If you notice an interest, try to give your child time and resources like books or craft materials or free rein in the kitchen to follow that inclination. And don't be disappointed if the interest only lasts one day. Learning happened. Really, it did. 

And if your child is more interested in laying out all those educational books Grandma bought him on the floor so the army soldiers can have a better surface for combat, so be it. Yes, independent play like that can be learning, too. 

So don't stress too much. Do what you can*, and then allow your children a little independence. Learning will happen without you. I promise. 

This picture is from almost 9 years ago when I was very pregnant and had 2 preschoolers. While the boys were outside for recess, I was inside having a meltdown because I hadn't planned a fun activity for the boys to make a model of the solar system.  The next thing I knew, the boys were running inside and dragging me out to show me their creation-- a sidewalk chalk model of the solar system. And they explained to me all about it using big vocabulary words and everything. The best part was that it was completely their own idea.

*Please make sure your children read or are read to (by you or by audiobooks or by Grandpa on the phone) while they are not in school. It can be assigned by school or it can be a newspaper or an old fairy tale. Keep them exposed to words!

Cakes-- Impressive and Not

It's fall birthday season again around these parts. Last week we celebrated the first two birthdays. The new 10-year-old wanted a volcano cake, and we also happened to be studying volcanoes in school. Therefore, I decided to make his party "explosive" by having the children build their own "exploding" volcanoes during the week. Right after the fiery campfire lunch of hot dogs and just before the cake eating, the kids "set off" their creations.

And here is the volcano cake.

Molten sweetness

When he saw it, my birthday boy's eyes lit up. That made all the effort worth it. But really, it wasn't a hard cake to make, so it was really worth it. Plus all those dirty crumbles are no-bake cookie crumbles, and that makes any effort super-duper really, really worth it. All 10 candles went right in the crater and made a huge flame that looked cool spewing out of the volcano.

The 2-year-old's cake is a little under-whelming. I originally had plans to make two bundt cakes, stack them with one upside down, and frost it orange to make a pumpkin. Life got in the way, and I was too tired to stay up and make another cake. Instead, the morning of the birthday, I was struck by inspiration: my daughter's favorite thing is blueberries. She wants to eat them all the time. Also, I was really tired of frosting already. That could only mean one thing-- blueberry filling.

Pumpkin pound cake with blueberry filling

It's not creative or beautiful, but the birthday girl's eyes lit up as she realized those were blueberries. And that's what it's all about. 

And those are the first two cakes of fall birthday season.

Making Lemonade (or Rhubarb Custard Bars)

Dressed in my pajamas and an early morning sleepy stupor, I wasn’t the most aware Mommy. I suppose I knew the two preschoolers weren’t happy with each other, but their argument hadn’t yet penetrated my mental fog. It’s possible I might have mumbled out of habit a half-hearted, “No fighting, kids,” but I didn’t pay attention until 3-year-old Peter asked a big question.

“Mommy, is I the boss?”

I focused my brain and guessed that his older sister had just told him otherwise. I tried to break the news to him in a gentle voice.

“No, Peter, you are not the boss.”

He was completely unconvinced.

“Yes, I is! I is the boss!” he insisted.

Poor kid. Life’s lessons are not easy to learn. I’m still trying to figure it all out. I want things to turn out a certain way, but then I can’t make it happen no matter how long I plan or how many lists I make. What then?

Well, today my daughter attacked a cardboard box and a couple of toilet paper tubes with scissors, tape, and her vision of creating a car, complete with a steering mechanism, for her little brother to drive around the house. She worked on it all day long.

By evening, after several different designs failed, she realized the truth: those toilet paper tube wheels simply could not provide the support the car needed. 

What did she do? Well, she cried out her broken heart. Then she came up with another design-- a cardboard box car powered by the driver’s feet instead of wheels. She accepted reality and made lemonade out of her lemon car.

So when life throws a wrench in your plans, remember who’s the boss. Here’s a hint: it’s not you. Some things are simply beyond your control. But you can choose to salvage the broken pieces of your dream and shape them into something even better and more beautiful than the original.

*******************

Everybody knows that when life hands you lemons, you should make lemonade, but what do you do when a friend hands you bags full of rhubarb? I suggest trying this recipe for Rhubarb Custard Bars. My daddy made them for Easter, and they were delicious. His special tip was to keep the butter cold or the crust will turn out too hard.

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

Filling: 

2 cups sugar

7 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 large eggs, beaten

5 cups finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb (thawed and drained)

Topping:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

In a bowl, combine the 2 cups flour and 1/4 cup sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 350℉ for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Whisk in cream and eggs. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at 350℉ for 40-45 minutes until custard is set. Cool.

For the topping, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream. Spread over the top. Cover and chill. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 3 dozen.

*This column ran in The Hancock News on April 26, 2017.

**This post was shared at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth for The Art of Home-Making Monday.

Around Here

Around here life has been happening. Chores, school, and even some fun.

My eldest one day wanted to make breakfast for me. It was his "food helper" day, and he wanted to make pancakes. This was the "Good Morning Sunshine" pancake he produced for his family.

Blueberry pancakes with yellow maple whipped cream smiley face

Back in January I bought a pair of leather black boots for $10 at an outlet. I was pretty excited about the price, but the bonus was that my girls also have black boots. Last year we enjoyed a pink croc date, so the new boot situation seemed to call for a Black Boot Date. And that's what we did after church on Sunday. We went to Buddy Lou's, a new-to-me local restaurant. It was delicious with generous portions. I want to go back often, but I won't because it is a little on the upscale side for around here. But if I had lots of money, I'd willingly spend it because the food was really a step or two above average. The girls' mac and cheese was the best, and it was a kids' meal.

We let the black patent leather shoe come along, too, because she's a girl.

Next was a project on the to-do list for quite some time. The U. S. map that kept falling off the dining room wall because poster putty didn't work needed a solution. After more than half a year, this is our  (cheapest) solution.

Yard stick frame!

Kids are now free to learn U. S. geography at the dinner table again.

We took advantage of nice weather last Friday to get out and hike as far as 3-year-old legs can hike. My husband took us on some beautiful country roads up into Pennsylvania to a pretty place. I honestly can't remember for sure the name of the location. . . Buchanan State Forest? Dickey's Mountain area? The map said this:

I hope that helps you out if you want to go.

The kids liked crossing over Cove Creek on a bridge. There was lots of fishing happening. We even heard spring peepers. In February.

With mostly flat terrain, we didn't really see much other than some wet spots, the creek, vines, and trees. I did hear something scurry off into the underbrush, but I didn't catch a glimpse.

Vine grown around tree

Incidentally, we also learned that the baby also gets carsick on twisting roads. And she won't wear the SeaBands yet. Yay! If you're keeping count, that means four out of seven kids get carsick to some degree.

And we had a fat, fat Tuesday this week. Homemade apple fritters, doughnuts, and bacon for supper. Afterwards, I felt fat.

Fritters and doughnuts frying

I can't imagine why.

Baby Love

Yesterday morning's visit to the guinea coop left me unsettled. You see, now that we have guinea fowl, I fully understand the term "pecking order." The recipient of the pecking in our flock is the guinea we've named Baby. As in, poor Baby, they're being so mean to him. 

And the others are. They peck at him, they jump on him, they chase him. They try to keep him from the food. We've noticed bloody toes and ruffled feathers that seem to be from the abuse. Even the cat joins in when Baby's out of the coop. It's not for the tender-hearted. 

We've been watching out for baby for several months, shutting the others in the coop while he comes out to eat, hand-feeding him some yummy millet when he's too scared to come out of the coop. We just didn't know what else to do.

Here's Baby. Not the best picture because I couldn't get the camera in to him/her.

Well, yesterday morning was the worst. Baby was huddled on the ground of the coop, not moving a bit. I was worried he was dead. I called, "Baby, Baby, time to wake up!"  He finally moved and hobbled out to greet me and gobble up some food (the others usually won't come out of the coop when I'm in their enclosure). He seemed to have lots of feathers missing on his back. I shut the others up while we could figure out what to do because I was certain he would not last much longer.

I told my husband all about it, and he spent the better part of his day off, and by better part I mean until the sun went down, making this ramshackle lean-to for Baby.* It's off to the side of the main coop and is completely separate so he can still see the other guineas by day, but they can't get to him to be mean.

It's rough, really rough.

We were worried last night that one of the cats or another predator would get in or that Baby might freeze, but this morning, all seemed okay.

I know that we should probably just let nature take it's course. I know farmers have to cull their flocks and such, but it's just not in me right now to let go of this one. I want to give him a fighting chance.

On a side note, it's been pretty cold lately. We had a couple of inches of powdery snow earlier this week. We trekked out to the coop and back several times, packing down the snow. The wind blows really hard here usually, and this week was no different. It blew away most of the snow from our driveway. But the ice prints were left. In the picture below you can see human bootprints next to the tiny paw-prints of our cats.

I can't believe the little cats packed the snow enough to make ice.

*It has been noted that perhaps the picture of Baby's shelter isn't really fair to my husband's skills. He really only had a few pieces of rotted plywood and some spare boards to work with, and the lean-to is quite nice. Of course, I noticed after publishing the post, that you can't actually see the lean-to part because it's covered up in spare boards to keep predators out of the places where there are holes in the rest of the contraption.