Paul Klee (Fourth Quarter Artist Study)

Woah, did I drop the ball on our artist studies this past year.  We've done one so far, and that was because I really didn't want to school year to end without having done any.  But the beauty of homeschooling the way we do it, is that it's never really over, and we already have our next batch of books on their way from the library so that we can continue on into the summer :)  

Last month we had quite a bit of fun looking into Swiss-born painter Paul Klee (pronounced "clay").  He was the first very abstract painter we had studied, so it was interesting to get the kids' take on his intentions and artistic suggestions.

The books we read were...

Paul Klee (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists), Mike Venezia
Paul Klee for Children, Silke Vry

The Cat and the Bird: A Children's Book Inspired by Paul Klee, Geraldine Elschner

                 

Our "prints" were from calendars from calendars.com   (as always!)

And we did two projects, one inspired by Klee's painting "Castle and Sun" (we used oil pastels)....

I used this Pinterest-found project for inspiration.

And another was sort of a mash up of his works "Cat and Bird" and "Head of Man" (with chalk pastels).....

I used this "tutorial" for creating the face.  It's on Pinterest, but links to nowhere :( 

And I'm proud to announce that today we started a little Degas study (the boys are very suspicious of all this ballerina stuff and infinitely prefer his paintings of horse races ;) )  and soon we'll be cracking open our Gustav Klimt calendars.  So like I said, summer makes up for all sorts of opportunities lost during the actual school year ;)  

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I occasionally Pin projects I find that will fit into our "home brew" artist studies.  You're welcome to follow my Art for Kids Pinterest board and you'll most likely have a sneak preview at what we'll be doing next.... ;)  

DIY Coconut Oil and Sugar Body Scrubs

Last Christmas, my sister gave homemade vanilla sugar body scrub as gifts.  Although I love handmade gifts (and her scrub in particular), the gift had one major flaw - it was gone altogether too soon.

I was out shopping with my mom a few weekends ago when she mentioned she was going to buy some sugar scrub because she'd run out of her Christmas stash a while ago.  It was an inspired moment when I said don't buy scrub, let's make our own!!!

This morning after Mass and Second Breakfast, my mom, sister, and I got to work making bulk amounts of uh-mazing sugar scrubs.  This brilliant stockpiling of scrub could become a regular thing.  It was so very fun and efficient with the three of us working together.  (Actually, I think my mom and sister did most of the work...I drank coffee and supervised.)  

We had intended to make a simple sugar scrub with coconut oil and a vanilla essential oil.  However, the creative juices were surging and we ended up concocting four scrumptious boutique aromas.  

If you're in the market for some body scrub,  I highly recommend my sister's basic recipe and the variations we created.  Gather some friends (or sisters.  or your mom.) and turn it into an event like we did!  It was much more efficient to make a lot at one time.  And let's be honest - it's was just fun girl time, plain and simple.  At one point, my sisters said, "Too bad it's not the evening, we could be having wine."  Too bad, indeed.  If you have your scrub making party at night, it's a perfect wine-sipping event :)  

BASIC SCRUB RECIPE...

* The base recipe for each scrub is 1/2 c. coconut oil and 2 c. white granulated sugar.  

Whisk together until the oil is incorporated and the sugar is somewhat fluffy.  Adjust amounts if necessary.

We used organic unrefined virgin coconut oil.  It retains its coconut-y scent and it's wonnnnnderful.)  Just so you know, it doesn't matter one bit whether the oil you use is in liquid form or is solid.  Ours was mostly solid, but slightly softened from the warm weather.

This base makes enough scrub to fill three half-pint-size mason jars.  (So make this amount of each scrub if you're working with two friends ;) )  

These were the fancy schmancy scrubs we made...

#1 Orange Ginger... 
Add in the zest from one large orange and approx. 1 T. ground ginger (or an amount to your taste) (photo shows 1 tsp, but it really is 1 T :) ) 

#2 Lavender and Lime...
I had a jar of culinary lavender, so I ground some of it in my coffee grinder.  We added 2 T. of ground lavender and the zest from two lemons into the scrub.

#3 Vanilla Rum Espresso...
We knew we wanted to make a coffee scrub, and had decided we were probably going to add vanilla, but because we were really trying to be fancy I thought "why stop at vanilla when I have rum extract in the cupboard."  We did a sniff test of the three scents together and basically it was heaven.  
Add in 4 T. of ground espresso beans, 1/4 tsp. of rum extract, and 1 tsp. of vanilla essential oil.

#4 Rose and Basil...
Add 1 tsp. rose fragrance oil and 6 - 8 finely chopped fresh basil leaves.  Such a beautiful combination!

Don't these sound amazing?!  I wish blogger had a scratch n' sniff option.  They smell divine.  I can't wait to get in the shower in the morning!  (Wait, can you say that on the internet??)  

Summer Crafts (Projects are Planned and the Supplies are Stashed)

I mentioned last week that in summers past, I had pre-planned some craft projects to do with my kids.  It only just occurred to me today that I've really been doing this sort of thing for a long time.  When I was in junior high and high school, I'd babysit my younger siblings on weekday mornings and we'd do lots of crafts.  They remember it, er... fondly.  And even if they don't (which they better), they probably at least appreciate the life skills they learned early on - like using a glue gun, making pop-poms, wrapping pipe cleaner friendship dolls with embroidery floss (remember that?!?!), and making friendship pins. 

It's clearly part of who I am to encourage people to get crafty with me :)  This summer is  looking to be no different.  Some moms look at June, July, and August and see an opportunity to let their kids roam the neighborhood and hang out on street corners.  I look at June, July, and August, and see hours of opportunity for Forced Family Craft Time!  Believe me, they love it!  (Have you ever noticed that when someone says "believe me," you probably shouldn't believe them??)

Anywayyy...  I spent an evening scoping out Pinterest, making a shopping list (and a gather-from-around-the-home list) for the supplies we'll need and we're ready to go!   Here are our options for this summer... 

(links to original sources)

Sharpie T-Shirt Art...

Cup Weaving...

Pony Bead Sun Catchers ...

Fabric Scrap Bowls...

Glitter Bottles... (the boys have made these before, but I think it would be a nice project for the girls this year)  

Circle Loom Weaving...

Sharpie Decorated Ceramic Mugs...

The Books I'm Going to Read This Summer (Basically, I'm Delusional)

I identify myself as "a reader" but the truth is, I used to be a reader.  I rarely read anything independently or for myself anymore, meaning I read to my kids and for my kids.  But because reading used to be a big part of who I was and what I did, I still believe that I read a lot.  Especially in the summer.  I get all sucked into the must-read summer reading lists of bloggers and I start ordering books from the library like I did in the old days.  I genuinely believe that I'll be reading what I take out of the library in the coming months.  I maintain a fixed and false belief (that I am a reader) even when confronted with facts that speak otherwise.  That is the definition of delusional.  And that is me.  

The past several summers I have done very limited reading.  Experience tells me I will not read these books this summer and yet...

I can't let go of the fact that I'm not a reader anymore.  I just can't admit that it isn't a priority for me anymore or that it's not possible for me right now.  

So here it is the first week of June and I have my summer reading list all lined up!!!

Abandonment to Divine Providence, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas, Stephanie Barron

The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor 

Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside, Martin Walker

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Marie Kondo


What are you going to read this summer??

A Gently Structured Summertime

We do well with structure.  Even in the summer.  There, I said it.  If we have too many days in a row with no routine or plan or advanced expectations, things can go south pretty quickly.  I lose my patience quicker than usual, and the kids are less likely to keep themselves occupied and play well together if they've been left to their own devices for days and days in a row without order or routine.  

So... summertime.  I've been gently structuring it for the past several summers with much success.  And the measure of success here is sanity saved.  Sanity is important, especially during the months of squirt guns, mud pies, and sunscreen in the eyes.  Another of the benefits of coming up with a plan for the summer is that I'm less likely to let all the days slip by without accomplishing some of the things that are best accomplished while the calendar is free and clear.  

I say that I "gently"  structure the summer and that I have a "flexible" plan of what I'd like to accomplish, because after all, it's still summer vacation.  And childhood is, to a great deal, lived out in the freedom and possibility and adventure afforded by summer days.  We definitely try to balance things here, because structure is good for our family, and freedom to explore and play are good for the souls and characters and bodies of my kids.  (In fact, I do pretty well with a little exploration and play, too!)  

I've spent some recent evenings jotting down my thoughts for the summer.  Here's what we're going to do...

BOOKISH PLANS -- 

Read aloud time - hopefully every day, but more realistically, every other day.  The boys and I will read The Last Battle to finish The Chronicles of Narnia this summer!  The girls and I will read Little House on the Prairie.

      
We're going to listen to a few things we have on Audible too... The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright,  The Moffats, by Eleanor Estes , and a few other books that all the kids can enjoy together.  (Need some budget listening ideas for the summer?? Here's my list of classics under $6 on Audible.)
   

Summertime Author Binging. (picture books from the library) - During the year, we often book binge by topic, but during breaks I love to to author binge.  If we've enjoyed a picture book by a particular author or illustrator, we'll request everything we can by that author from the library and read through all the books.  We've found a lot of treasures and family favorites this way, so I'm looking forward to sharing with you some of what we uncover this summer!

INTENTIONAL ENTERTAINMENT / SCREEN TIME --

There are plenty of rainy days and hot evenings in summer that are perfect for family movie viewing.  Last summer we weren't very intentional about what we watched and it felt like a missed opportunity to do some special memory-making.  

Last summer we read about the American Revolution and had watched a few episodes of Liberty's Kids .  We're in the process of finishing that series now.   If you don't have Liberty's Kids, stop reading this right now, click here, and go buy it.  Right now.  It's great and it's only $5 for the complete series.  I'm serious.  

We're not huge Disney animation fans here, but I'm thinking about letting the kids watch Tangled after hearing some good reviews from friends.  We're also planning on our first family viewing of The Princess Bride which I'm very excited about!  (Incidentally, it too, is also only $5 on DVD :) )  

When the boys and I finish reading The Last Battle, I think we'll get the audio version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for a refresher, and then let them watch the movie for the first time.  Until now we've felt it was too intense and scary for them, but I think with some advanced prep, they might be ready for it this summer.  I have similar thoughts about the original Star Wars Trilogy, too.  We may watch them with the boys, with lots of pausing to explain and discuss.  Haven't totally decided on these yet, though.  Still mulling...


CRAFTY ACTIVITIES and SUCH --

A few summers ago I picked out five or six projects from Pinterest, bought all the supplies at the beginning of the summer and we did one project every other week or so.  I might try this again - the best part about it was having all the stuff already on hand.  When a day arrived and it "felt" like a crafty day, I didn't have to sit at the computer trying to find some project to do and I didn't have to run around like a crazy person trying to find materials because I had all supplies for the projects I had pre-selected. 


SUMMERTIME BINGO --

No part of this is my creation.  My dear friend introduced me to summertime BINGO a few years ago and today I typed out our third summer of BINGO boards.  A lot of what I have on our boards comes straight from her - even the rewards are her idea!  If she ever gets a blog (*hint, hint*) you can be sure I'll give you links to the source of all this genius.

The awesome thing about summertime BINGO is you get to decide what your kids will focus on over the summer -- Math drills?  Practice tying shoes?  Helping with younger siblings?  Physical fitness?  Piano practice?  BINGO cards can be customized for each child.  And if a child completes a board early in the summer, a second board can be customized to focus on different things during the rest of vacation.  

Our boards don't include too much school work since the kids will be doing lessons over the summer anyway.  I tend to focus on helping a little extra around the house, playing with siblings, and independent activities.  

Here's what we're working with this summer... (sorry for the ghe-tOH photos and lack of printables, etc...  I just wanted to get this post done with so I could start on my crocheting for the evening ;) It would be awesome if you're reading this on a big screen and you can actually decipher some of the ideas...)

ENRICHMENT and TRADITIONS --

June - we do strawberry picking and jam making

July - we do blueberry picking and jam making (and make blueberry muffins for the garbage men)

August - we go to the County Fair on the first day when it's cheap cheap cheap.  It's our thing :)

all summer - explore and splash in creeks, keep our tiny herb and vegetable gardens, take nature walks 

this summer we're going to use some of our CSA bounty and learn how to make our own pickles!  

and finally, SCHOOL LESSONS -- 

We've always done lessons through the summer and I suspect we always will.  We usually take a few weeks off here and there, and when we are doing school, and daily lessons are short, so don't worry - they're actually getting plenty of free time outside despite the list you see here :)

Everyone will:

* Re-listen to Story of the World, Volume 1  The boys covered this in history over the past year, so we'll listen to it again to hopefully "cement" some of it, and also because it's good and the kids love it.  We typically listen to this when we're in the car. (Maybe start Vol. 2??) 

* Review and master the songs and maps for the Middle East/Southwest Asia and Southern Europe.  Begin to learn the song and map for the British Isles and Western Europe.  

* learn some Latin Prayers (this was on my plan for last summer but we never got to it.)

* Memorize two new poems for Popcorn and Poetry Night (PPN 2014).  This year, I'm using these poetry CD's as well as the books I mentioned in this post (PPN 2013).
      Classic Poems for Boys 
      Classic Poems for Girls  
      Favourite Poems for Children 


Individual plans:

FOR AARON
- Math (finish Math -U- See Gamma book)
- Handwriting (including letters to his pen pal)
- Start All About Spelling, Level 2


FOR DOMINIC
- Math (finish Math-U-See Alpha book, drill facts, and please God, please, start Beta.)
- Handwriting (with this insane pencil gripper he got from an O.T.)
- Reading (still using and loving the Books to Remember series from Flyleaf Publishing)
- begin to memorize the grammar chants from Shurley English, Level 4


FOR RUTH:
- Math (continue in Math-U-See Primer)
- Handwriting 
- Continue working through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
- begin to memorize the grammar chants from Grammar Songs  or First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind Audio CD (haven't decided yet)  


I've also selected some new Apps for the kids to use this summer - you know, for all that learning-disguised-as-fun that parents are into these days.  Summer is the perfect time to try out new Apps and learn new games.  Buuuuuut, you'll have to wait for another post for those juicy tidbits!  I promise to share all my favorite educational apps and games soon :)  

Do you provide any structure to your summer?  What do you have planned for your kiddos this year?  

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and shopping to support my Amazon addiction my family :)

Summer -- Time to Ramp Things Up, Homeschool Mom!

Dear Friend and Fellow Homeschooling Mom, 

I was flattered that you turned to me in your recent confusion and uncertainty, but I admit I wasn't too surprised to get your Facebook request for summer activity ideas for kids.  You're not alone.  Every year around May I start to ponder the changes that we'll make now that the end of the official school year is nigh and summer is nearly upon us.  

Summer brings a lot of changes for homeschooling families, and it's the moms who typically have to make the most adjustments to survive.  It's not just the temperature and humidity levels that are fluctuating -- schedules change, expectations change, work load changes.  School year to summertime can be a tricky transition to navigate, so don't feel like you're alone in your confusion about how to handle these next several weeks.

First and foremost, it's important to look back on the past year and take stock of all you've accomplished in your homeschool.  For the past nine months or so, your primary responsibilities have included lounging on the couch in your pajamas, checking Facebook, keeping your sleepy eyelids open just enough to determine if what's going on around you is Instagram-worthy, scanning Pinterest for recipes involving chocolate and peanut butter, perusing homeschool curriculum catalogs for all the latest get-smart-quick materials for next year, and texting your friends to set up homeschool mom get-togethers (for socialization's sake).  

And your children have been working hard too.   They've had a very busy year of unschooled interest-pursuing and free range adventuring.  

It's no wonder you feel like you're ready for a change come June!  Your reports to the school district are due soon and you're starting to piece together the picture that is the last year - you've hardly done anything at all!!  

So, come on!  Get out of those pajamas, get off that couch, and get your family ready for the best summer vacation yet!  

Here are some of the things I suggest focusing on to get you and the kids out of the old homeschooling rut:

ALARM CLOCKS make for Early Risers!  And I'm not talking about a gentle-approach alarm clock.  It's the summer; the sun doesn't waste any time rising in the summer, neither should your kids.  It's up an at 'em.  An alarm clock like this one should prove that point.  There's no lounging in bed when this baby is buzzing.  Not only will your sweet little ones be startled from their pillows, they'll also get in their first task of the day - precision hand-eye coordination practice.  

CHORE CHARTS for efficiency and self-discipline. Focus on products that emphasize responsibility, duty, and household contribution.  Don't waste your money on chore charts that offer the opportunity to earn credits, or promise rewards, or have visual incentives like silver star stickers, or offer suggestions of "praise words" for encouragement.  Chores are work.  Work done well is by its very nature its own reward.  If your children absolutely must have some sort of reward or incentive to complete their household work you can remind of the obvious: Dinner.  Dinner is the incentive to get your chores done.  

RIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:  You've spent a lot of the past year letting your kids be kids.  They've done plenty of sensory playing in the sandbox, inventing new and interesting hopscotch games, and wrestling in the basement without any clearly defined rules or boundaries.  It's time to reign in that child-like energy and enthusiasm and teach focus and technique.  Put away the pogo sticks, Sit n' Spins, and dodgeballs and consider real options like pull ups and squat thrusts, or perhaps weight lifting, or using something like these for a "sensational calorie-burning, coordination-building, leg-strengthening workout."

INTENSE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT:  This is where you probably really have to ramp things up after the school year comes to and end.  The summer affords mothers and children copious amounts of free time to dedicate toward expanding educational horizons and delving into new topics hard core.  Leave behind your expectations of getting caught up in the math book, neatening up on handwriting, or regularly reviewing spelling words.  (That's what you were supposed to be doing during the actual school year, after all...)  My recommendation is to do your kids a favor and get them ahead.  Everyone knows that kids today need to know how to speak a foreign language, or three or four, to be successful in their future careers.  Check out the programs for really useful languages like Farsi, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish.  OR, solidify your child's prestige and your family's future wealth by schooling your child in a nearly extinct language, like Mulluckmulluck or Ho-Chunk.  You truly can't go wrong with those options.  Summer is also the time to get your liberal arts kids STEM-ed.  Calculus for Kids, Pre-Med for Munchkins, and Quantum Physics for Your Cuties are some programs you might want to consider.  

LIMITED SCREEN TIME and EARLY BED TIME:  Following my guidelines for a successful summer break will leave your kids little time for TV, movies, and video games.  You will have given their brains and bodies such a healthy workout, they'll practically be begging you to go to bed early in the evenings.  It's not uncommon for kids on my summer system to flat-out refuse screen time even when it's offered to them from 8:00 - 8:07 on Tuesday evenings.  There's just so much positive learning, character development, and physical conditioning happening that most students come to appreciate the detrimental side effects of entertainment.  (Plus they're burned out from all the Liberty's Kids and Bill Nye they were force fed during the year...)  An  early bedtime will ensure that your kids are ready to be up and at 'em again the next morning and it affords Mom the two to three hours she needs to prep for the next day's lessons before she hits the hay herself.  

It's really quite simple.  You've been doing the "homeschool" thing for the past year and now it's time to do the "vacation" thing.  So, if you've started counting down the days till summer, be sure you start planning out the ways to make summer count ;)  

Happy June!