Darn! Busted Again!

I've been battling Mitchell all day.  "Do your chores!"  "Get along!"  "Do your schoolwork!"  Sigh.  Finally I decided that I would leave it alone.  His Dad could deal with his laziness when he got home... not much of an anniversary gift but it hasn't been great for me, either!

mitch... ready for anything!

So here I sit in judgment when Mitchell pipes up and says, "Mom, what's your temptation?"  Choosing honesty over nobility I said, "Feeling sorry for myself and complaining."  "Oh," he says.  "Mine is messing around and playing when I should be working."
Shoot.  He got me.  We all struggle with something, don't we?  Where did my compassion go today?  When did I start yelling instead of guiding and teaching?  As difficult as Mitch can be, there is no denying that God speaks thru him straight to my heart. 
I have been sufficiently humbled.

Mini Unit Study: Fire Safety

max standing by the "wee-ooo" (his word for any vehicle with a siren!)

Well, since we had moved into our new house quite some time ago, we were clearly overdue for some fire safety training in our new locale!  I set up a mini-unit study on fire safety and we established our place to meet, fire safety rules and floor plan.  We installed two more smoke detectors and learned about the fire escape ladder located upstairs in Janie's room.  We talked about fire safety in the kitchen and throughout the house.  We got great ideas from www.sparky.org including a checklist and a printable floor plan.  They also have games on the site that reinforce what our kids learned.  We stretched the unit study to about a week and finished with a trip to the local fire department with our local homeschool group!  Clearly unit studies don't have to be big and involved.  Pick a little subject and try it for a week.  I love it!  They're really fun!

"It's All Over Over There!"

Finally!  The end of World War Two!  Yikes!  When we began this journey, we had no idea where it would take us.  Because I took on the whole war at once, we merely scratched the surface.  If you choose to do a unit study on World War II, I suggest breaking it up.... study the homefront, rationing, a few battles, a single country... there is so much to this subject that taking it on in bits and pieces is more effective than trying to digest the whole!

props for the presentation

To do this unit study, we did a half hour activity (or active learning) first thing and then 30 more minutes of me reading aloud to the kids.  We decided to read "Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl" during this time.  While I read the kids worked on the timeline (more on that later) or drew pictures of what they were hearing me read.  It was tough getting a lot of reading done in that half hour with a three year old and and infant demanding attention.  We found the book to be interesting and boring all at the same time.  It was interesting how they were forced to live during their time of hiding, but naturally repetitious.  Because it became a bit of a drudge and because the kids had watched a movie based on the book, we settled for reading only half the book and then the epilogue.  We spent an hour one morning whispering to see how difficult it must've been for the residents of the Secret Annex on a daily basis to protect themselves from discovery.  In retrospect, I would've tried "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom instead.  Actually, I've never read that book but I was disappointed that Anne Frank made little or no reference to her faith in her diary.  It was sad to me that they hid, suffered and died because of their religious beliefs and yet it did not seem to play a pivotal role in their daily life.
Alright, beyond Anne Frank, we learned a lot through a movie that we watched called "The 1940s House".  The movie was a bit of a documentary that chose a modern family to place in a house and situations fashioned exactly like one would find in England in the 1940s.  It's about a three hour movie but well worth the time.  We also watched "D-day to Berlin".  This is a much shorter documentary that moved along rather quickly and showed real and up-close footage of the war.  It certainly made an impact with the children.
Aside from movies and books, the kids did a trivia game, made yellow Stars of David out of popsicle sticks, a model of a bomb shelter and made a rather impressive timeline!  During the presentation, Mitch did a sock puppet show that was the fastest summary of the war ever given!  Janie did a detailed report on Anne Frank.  Her read aloud was excellent!  That was super exciting for me since reading aloud is really far out of her comfort zone.  Mitch figured out how to drop a "bomb" on his shelter with a straight pin and grenade shaped balloons with a couple of beans in them for weight... that was a big hit with Josiah and Hailey who were here as guests!
We learned a lot, but I have to say that I'm totally burned out!  Maybe next year we'll take on just a portion of the war, but it's gonna be awhile before I have the energy to invest in this subject again!

Parenting Pearls

All of my life I have worked with kids.  From babysitting to preschool teacher to being the owner of a child care center.  Most of the time my clients would come to me for parenting advice.  The truth is, I know a lot... on paper!  Putting Parenting Pearls into practice, and into practice consistently, is far harder than giving the advice that's for sure!  As the mom of four kids that have personalities that run the gamut, I've picked up a few things here and there... some on my own, but a lot from some amazing friends and family.  Hope one or two inspire you and I hope you add some of your own!

Mitch building a snowman before school

• You are responsible for your own behavior regardless of anyone else.  Just because your sister is being a snotty pants doesn't make it ok for you to be snotty pants, too.
• My friend Stacie is a mother of six and she says that it is her job to work her way out of a job.  I love that!  It is my job to train my children to eventually not need me to do it all for them anymore.
• Kids will reach as high as you set the bar.  If you don't expect much, you won't get much.
• I'm convinced that every child needs a schedule.  It's that consistency thing.  Every single one of them, regardless of personality does better on a schedule and the more difficult they are, the more they need the schedule.
• I read in a book once that getting up after the children is a form of suicide.  A bit bold but the point is well taken!  My sister gets up early every morning so she can have that time all to herself before her family needs to be up and getting ready for the day.  It's a time for her to read the paper and drink coffee in utter silence!  What bliss!
• I hate folding laundry.  Now that we live in a teeny tiny house, leaving piles of clean laundry isn't an option.  That's a good thing, I know, but I still hate to fold laundry.  Worse than that, I hate putting it away.  Well, I've solved part of that problem and, at the suggestion of a great friend, I'm on the verge of solving the rest of it!  I've decided it's time that my big boys learn to fold their own laundry.  I'm going to get a small laundry basket for each child and put their unfolded laundry in it.  I'll teach my boys how to fold the laundry and then they can take their basket upstairs and put the clothes in the drawers.  My friend Stacie pointed out that since their drawers get ransacked daily, why are we putting in all the effort to fold the clothes just to have them unfolded again??  Indeed!  With this new way of doing things, my boys will learn to fold their own laundry and maybe they'll not ransack their drawers anymore... and if they do, well, then they've wasted their time and not mine.
• School is about learning... not how fast we can get things done and not how much we can get done.  When we start checking things off our list or we're doing things just to get it over with then we know we're not doing it for the right reason.  If we focus on the learning, school becomes more fun and relaxed and we actually LEARN! ... and we realize we have time for family, friends and the fun stuff in life! 
• Families are a team.  My kids can tell you this.  They don't always emulate it, but they know the words!  Everyone pitches in to do their part and some days they pitch in to do someone else's part as well.  For this reason, we don't do allowances for chores in our home.  The work we do at home we do for our family and for ourselves.  It is our gift and our responsibility to care for our home, our things and other family members because that's what families do, not because we're getting paid to do so. 
• I have been so tired of hearing my kids bicker!  Mostly it's the 17yr old and the 9yr old!  When they get going, it makes life a near living hell in this house!  I read on another blog about a mom who makes her kids sit on the floor, hold hands and sing kum ba yah when they choose to bicker with one another so I thought I'd give it a try.  The first time I sat them down they thought it was really strange.  I sang with them like everyone was enjoying a moment with God.  Then, before they got up, I let them know that every time I hear them bicker with one another they would have to do this... and, God forbid we were in a store or other public place when they decided to be nasty with each other!  They got the picture.  Mitch immediately said, "Janie, let's only bicker upstairs where Mom can't hear us!"  Glory be and Hallelujah!  Fine by me!  They have only had to sing kum ba yah one more time since!  They've decided that bickering just isn't worth it.  Best parenting advice I've gleaned in a great deal of time!!
• Say yes more than no and when you feel the urge to say no, ask yourself why.  I tend to say no a lot.  All day long I'm bombarded with questions... "Can we go to the park?" "Do you want to play a board game?" "Can I be done now?"... and the list goes on ...  My immediate answer is either no or we'll see--which is just my way of not committing.  My kids deserve an answer and one that is thought out rather than spewed in a reactionary way.
• When mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  I know that I need to take time for myself.  To every now and then take a walk or go out to dinner with my husband, sans kids.  I know that naps are an important weekend event for me.  Taking these times makes me a happier mom who is more willing and able to share that joy with my family.

Speaking of weekend naps.... my husband is on vacation this week and it sounds like the baby is getting ready for his morning nap!  Mama's happy!

Holiday Crafts for Kids

It's that time of year when everyone is so busy and schedules are all messed up due to holiday events and company coming.  I love crafting with my kids or just handing them a pile of craft supplies and seeing what they make.  Almost nothing is off-limits to them to create with.  We have a stock of felt, construction paper, stamps and ink, scrapbooking paper and stickers, hot glue, glue sticks, glitter, beads, googlie eyes, popsicle sticks, magnets and sheets of foam... among other things... MANY other things!  There's always a mess to clean up afterward, it's true, but the kids have the best time just being able to create!
I thought I would put together a few holiday crafts that your kids could do easily without much mess.  Hope you have as much fun crafting with your kids as I do with mine.

Christmas Tree

Cut a Christmas tree out of green construction paper and let the kids stick foil star stickers on them.  I usually use a cookie cutter to cut the shape of the tree and give each child their own tree.  The foil star stickers are a little tough for younger kids to manipulate, but it's a great fine motor skill activity and there's nearly no mess.  Be creative.  Look in the office supplies as well as the craft section of your store for other stickers like dots that would make great looking Christmas balls.  Make different sized trees.  Tape them all to a string and hang them on the tree or over a window as garland.  Put a magnet on the back and put it on the fridge.  Tape them on the wall to create a forest of Christmas trees.  Take your garland to a nursing home and ask if you can place it on their tree while you visit with the residents there.  (when i had in-home daycare, we planned monthly visits to the nursing home.  we would do a craft there that the residents would help us with and have a snack.  one year, i read the christmas story and the children acted out the parts.  they simply love company!) You can use the free clip art from Carson-Dellosa to print a tree on construction paper if you'd rather.  (this website has lots!  you can save the pics to your computer and use them as coloring pages, too!)  This is a great, low mess, fast craft.

Cinnamon Bear Ornaments

Have the kids help you mix 1/2 cup of cinnamon, 1/3 cup of applesauce and 1 tablespoon of glue together in a bowl.  Dust a cutting board with cinnamon and roll the dough out.  It should be about the consistency of cookie dough.  Have the kids cut out Christmas shapes using cookie cutters.  Use a straw to make a whole in the top so it will be easy to string.  Place the shapes on a cooling rack that you've placed in a large cookie sheet.  Put the ornaments in the oven with a temperature of 200 degrees.  You can also let these air dry but it will take longer.  After they're dry, the kids can decorate them or they can go straight on the tree after you've put a string of ribbon through the hole.

Snowmen

There are so many ways to make a cute snowman!  One of my favorites is with paint.  Don't cringe!  It can still be a clean and easy craft.  Here's what you'll need:

1 sheet of blue construction paper per child
white, orange and black paint
a top hat cut out of black construction paper or felt (don't worry about being fancy if you don't want to... the kids don't care nearly as much as we do about that kind of thing)
2 or 3 sponges cut into circles, one a litter smaller than the other
a pencil with a full eraser
a paint brush

Pour a large amount of the white paint onto a paper plate.  Pour a small amount of the black and the orange paint onto another paper plate.  Dip the largest circle sponge in the white paint (you don't need a lot of paint to do this) and direct the child to stamp it near the bottom of the page... it's their project, so don't direct too much.  Repeat this with the other sponges having the child stack the circles to make a snowman.  Dip the head of the pencil eraser into the black paint and have the kids stamp eyes, mouth and buttons on their snowman.  Using the paint brush, you can paint a skinny triangle for the nose or older children can do it themselves.  Have the children glue the hat onto the snowman's head.
You can also draw a snowman on a piece of construction paper and allow the children to glue cotton balls or marshmallows on the snowman.  Eyes, nose and mouth can be made with construction paper, buttons, popcorn, cheerios or just about anything you can think of.  Use pipe cleaners for arms or popsicle sticks as seen here.

One more tip to give is if you have lots of kids to craft with, put a Christmas movie on and hand out popcorn.  While they're watching the show, invite one child at a time to the table to complete the craft.  That gives you great one-on-one time with your kids and makes the craft time nearly stress-free.
Make memories with  your kids.  It's this stuff, not a gift that is "bigger and better", that creates the memories that last a lifetime.

The Oregon Trail...

Since my kids are so far apart in age (17, 9 and 3), we've found unit studies to be the best way to educate all of them at once.  At first I was a little wary of my 17yr old doing crafts or my 9yr old doing tedious time lines and research but it has all worked out so well!  Since the point of school is to LEARN, we'll take that knowledge any way we can get it and the funner, the better!

Just imagine seeing this from your covered wagon!!

Our first unit study of the year was on the Oregon Trail.  I bought the Oregon Trail video game and that became a favorite teacher of just how many "hiccups" you could run into on the trail!  The first thing I learned is to not use your own kids' names members of your party!  It's kinda disturbing when the computer tells you that your baby just died!  Yikes!
Along the way we made a playdough model of the trail so we could get somewhat of a physical sense of rivers, mountains and plains.  We also made hard tack, miniature covered wagons and took two field trips.  We were able to walk parts of the Oregon Trail and see the ruts as well as a grave for a wagon master!  Can you imagine losing your wagon master??  While walking a bit of the trail in the woods you really got a sense of how courageous the emigrants really were!  Out there in the woods could be all manner of animal ready to eat them for a snack and I think I would begin to doubt that anyone knew where they were going!  How quiet and eerie and yet beautiful!  What adventurous souls must've traversed such unforgiving and untamed land in search of something better for their families and as a consequence, created something better for us all!  It was a humbling and awe inspiring experience.

Live oxen at the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City

We also read books depicting life on the Trail... we did anything to make it real.  Making it real is what allows for learning.
One field trip was to the Oregon Trail Museum and Interpretive Center in Baker City.  There were a lot of hands on displays for the kids and visual displays that were interactive as well.  We were fortunate enough to visit on the day that there were live oxen on display!  These oxen weighed more than 3,000lbs and were about 6ft tall at their back!  They were amazing to look at.  One has to have a good deal of respect for an animal of that size... and a back-up plan or two!!

max painting his covered wagon... and apparently his nose as well... and his hand... and arm...

making hardtack... or beating your brother with a rolling pin... whichever works!

Here are a few pictures of projects that we did.  If you've never done a unit study before, try the book, "Unit Studies Made Easy" by Valerie Bendt to gather ideas and inspiration.  Basically, we pick a subject and find books, art projects, field trips, movies, games, whatever... anything that will help the kids learn about that particular area of study.  We love it!  It really is great fun!