Teacher's Prayer Mug

There are just some things that are so  meaningful that they have to be shared. Here's one that I don't think that I have posted. My son gave me this mug as a gift a year or so ago. Then it was misplaced. Today I found it. He was so please that I can use it again.... and I'm pleased too.

The front simply says "Prayer for a Teacher".

On the back there is a prayer:

"Dear God, bless this teacher 

with words to inspire children's creativity, 

ideas to spark their imagination, 

a kind heart to cultivate their compassion, 

and the wisdom to help them to grow in the courage,

and determination they'll need,

to one day build a better, 

more caring world."

On the inside of the mug is printed, "Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord... 1 Corinthians 15:58"

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
 1 Corinthians 10:31

Awesome Outlining Curriculum

Outlining (Grades 5-8) by Remedia Publications promotes itself as a "Step-by-Step Outlining Instruction and Practice" workbook. We used this great workbook last year and everyone loved it.

Outlining ~ Grades 5-8 ~ by Remedia Publications

I was originally looking for a workbook outlining how to write a book report and stumbled onto this little gem. While only the last page covers book reports, the rest of the 44 pages teach outlining in a very easy to understand way. Each page builds on the information already covered. My, then, 5th and 6th graders found it very easy to understand and complete one page a day. Since then, they have had few issues regarding writing an outline or writing a paper from outline notes.

Outlining ~ Grades 5-8 ~ by Remedia Publications ~ Back Cover

I see that they also offer Beginning Outlining for 3rd and 4th graders. I'm seriously considering picking up a copy for my youngest who will be in 3rd grade next year.

I hope this post has been helpful to you.
Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
 Proverbs 22:6

PA Farm Show ~ Poultry & Rabbits

Today's post is a really fun one for me because I'm sharing a few of the pictures that we took at the Pa Farm Show of poultry and rabbits. After looking through my pictures, I'm seeing a trend; I'm always more attracted to heritage breeds. They are just more exciting to me because they are rarely plain.

African Goose at the PA Farm Show 2018

This large fellow is an African goose. You can find a lot of really good information from the Livestock Conservancy website (here) about this heritage breed goose. This is not my personal favorite breed of goose but this guy impressed me with his size, such a beautiful bird.

Toulouse Goose at the PA Farm Show 2018

I think this goose is absolutely gorgeous!! I fell in love with this breed, the Toulouse, after seeing on for the first time at our local fair. This breed is originally from France and is used for it's fatty liver. It's a huge breed that I think would do wonderfully on our property. However, purchasing a pair is quite expensive. We will have to wait and see if we are able to acquire some.

Sebastopol Geese at the PA Farm Show 2018

These fancy feathered geese always catch my attention. I love how they look but I'm sure they take a bit of care to keep them so clean. They are called Sebastopol geese and are another example of a heritage goose. More information is available (here) on the Livestock Conservancy website.

I have no idea what type of miniature chicken this is but it was so cute I had to snap a picture on my way past it. If you know what it is, please comment below. Thanks.

Peacocks at the PA Farm Show 2018

These beautiful Peacocks and Peafowl were on display as well. They are beautiful with their colorful feathers.

Peacocks at the PA Farm Show 2018

Giant Chinchilla Rabbit at the PA Farm Show 2018

Last but not least I'm including a picture of the Giant Chinchilla rabbit that was on display. There were row upon row of rabbits but I didn't take any other pictures besides this one. It seems that this was the only Giant Chin exhibited this year. Such a shame because they are an amazing breed of rabbit.

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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 "I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field [are] mine.

" Psalms 50:11

Paper Mache

I would like to make sculptures and things with paper mache as one of our weekly craft projects. Here is a great recipe for paper mache clay that I found (here).

Ingredients:

1 roll of toilet paper
3/4 cup of white glue (Elmer’s glue-All)
1 cup of joint compound
1/2 cup white flour
2 tablespoons linseed oil

 

Tools:

You’ll also need a large bowl, (use one with high sides so you don’t splatter clay on your cupboards), an electric mixer, a measuring cup and a tablespoon measure. To keep t he finished clay from drying out, you’ll need an air-tight container. The recipe makes approximately 1 quart of paper mache clay.

 

Note about Toilet Paper:

The artist that came up with this uses Angel Soft, regular 2-ply rolls. Each roll contains approximately 1 1/4 cup of paper.

 

Step 1. Fill a high-sided bowl with warm water. Remove the toilet paper from the roll and throw it into the water. Push down on the paper to make sure all of it gets wet.

 

Step 2. Then pick up the paper and squeeze out as much water as you can. Pour the water out of the bowl and put your paper mass back in.

 

Step 3. You will want to break the paper into chunks about 1″ across. This will allow your mixer to move around the pieces and break them apart.

 

Step 4. Add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix, using an electric mixer. The mixer will pull the fibers of the toilet paper apart and turn it into pulp. Continue to mix for at least 3 minutes to make sure all the paper has been mixed in with the other ingredients. If you still see some lumps, use a fork or your fingers (with the mixer turned off!) to break them apart, and then mix some more.

Book Binding

We have this great book on sewn book bindings and another great book that has many ideas for making small, fancy books. I would like to use these resources to make some gifts for family and friends during our weekly craft time.

Dipping Candles

I would like to make dipped candles for one of our weekly craft projects. We have done this project before and Little Man really liked it. For this project we have to get some suet from the butcher and render it down, strain it, and then we can use candle wicking to dip in the hot fat. The last time we did this we didn't have enough fat so our candles are very short.

Coloring Tip - A friend of mine has made candles and a fun thing that they did was to change the color of the wax. They grated crayons and added it to the melted wax, mixing it until the wax was a solid color. She said that they even made candles that were dipped in several colors, as layered candles. Sounds fun, I think that we are going to try this.

Calligraphy Drawing

I want us to do some calligraphy drawing this year for one of our weekly craft projects. Here are some things that I need to know (found here) when looking for proper paper:

1 - It should be sized to keep the ink from "bleeding"
2 - It should be acid-free so that the paper will not turn yellow or become brittle any time soon. They can be labeled “acid-free”, “archival” or “rag”.
3 - Know what weight of paper you need based on what you will be doing with it. 60lb. paper will work well for our purposes.
4 - Paper surface should be smooth or hot-pressed

We already have penmanship books that teach proper line techniques so I thought that we would practice some of those and draw pictures. Perhaps we can make our own ink as well.

Marbled Paper

7/4/2013 - We will be making marbled paper as one of our weekly crafts. I found these instructions (here) and they seem to be very easy and child friendly. I'll let you know how it goes.

What You Need:

•  Shallow Pan (like a brownie pan)
• Water
• Food Coloring
• Cooking Oil
• White Paper
• Fork
• Cups

You need one cup for each color of food coloring you have. Put a tablespoon of cooking oil in each cup. Add a couple drops of food coloring to each cup – one color in each cup. Stir each oil/food coloring mixture really good with a fork.
Now fill the shallow pan about half way with water. Take each cup and pour a little of the oil/food coloring mixture into the water. Put each color in a different section of the pan. Swirl the colors with a fork. When you like the pattern, lay a clean white sheet of paper on top of the water. Leave it for 30 seconds and then carefully lift it off and lay it down to dry. Pretty!

7/11/2013 - I would like to know what brand of food coloring the author used. My food coloring is water based and all this project has taught the children so far is that oil and water don't mix. The food coloring did not mix with the oil, to be suspended on top of the water in the pan. It simply "broke" into little bits and when the oil/food color was put in the pan of water, the oil stayed on top and the food color fell into the water and changed the color of it. This was not the effect that I was looking for.
This is what I am going to try next:

 

Supplies Needed:

Corn Starch (to thicken the water)

Water

Shallow Pan

Acrylic Paints in several colors

Rubbing Alcohol

Lidded Jars to keep the paint

Paint Brushes (lots and lots of brushes)

Tape (to tape the brushes together) 

Paper

Newspaper

 

 

Prepare Your Materials: In the shallow pan, mix water and enough corn starch to make it the consistency of buttermilk. In each jar, mix a separate color of paint and some water to thin it. Then add a drop or two of rubbing alcohol to each paint jar and mix well. Tape a handful of brushes together at the handle ends so that the bristle ends will move when tapped. You will need a bundle of brushes for each color of paint. Have paper ready in a size that will easily fit inside your pan. Cover a nearby surface with newspaper so that you will have a nice place to dry your work.

 

Directions: Dip your brush bundle into the paint color of your choice, making sure that you have enough paint in the brushes. Hold the brush bundle over the prepared pan of thickened water and gently tap the brushes to splatter paint into the pan. Move the brushes around so that there is paint spots all over the surface of the water. Continue on, using several different colors until you like how it looks. Gently lay your paper on top of the painted water, starting with one corner so as not to trap air under your paper. Pull the paper up and let the water drip off, back into the pan. Lay your paper on a covered surface for a few minutes so that the paint can soak into your paper. Gently rinse the excess water off of your paper under running water. You do not want high pressure water as it will also wash away your paint. Set your rinsed papers on the newspaper covered surface to dry.

 

Extra Materials (Optional):

Wood

Nails

Wooden Skewers

 

If you want more than just dots on your paper, you can make rakes and combs using simple materials. See the video above for inspirations for your extra tools.

 

Other suggestions for tools were found here:

 

"* WHISKS (used to deposit color over the surface of the size): Collect broom straws from an old broom. They should range from 7-9 inches in length. Tie them tightly together into a bundle. Sizes can vary from large (many straws) to small (only a few).

* RAKES (used to create patterns by pulling them through the floating colors): Rakes are made by gluing toothpicks into the corrugations of cardboard box cardboard box pieces. Cut three equal lengths of cardboard and glue them together to form a handle. Lengths can vary from narrow to wide. Glue toothpicks into the corrugations. Space them apart as needed. "

 

  Here are some great papers to inspire us

School Pictures 2012

Well, we are officially back to school with our own version of school pics. We hope you enjoy the photo update. :)

Here is our 2 year old pre-school class of one, our own Baby. His current interests include anything that has to do with trains and/or horses.

Next up is the 1st grade class of one,  Little Man. He is a proud member of the Tiger Scouts.

Curly is in 3rd grade and loves it so far. She is also a member of the local 4H Rabbit Club.

And we will end with our 8th grade junior high class of one, Sissy. She is also president of the year book club this year and vice president of CWCFC.

How many children are so blessed as to have a one on one education that focuses on their personal strengths, weaknesses and interests? Please wish them well in their homeschool education experience this year.

Rock and Mineral Show

We went to a rock and mineral show on Saturday and had a blast. I will post pictures when I get a chance.

Our 15th Drawing Lesson

The American Toad - The Lifecycle Continues

Yes, we have thousands of them. We are hoping that they stick around in the garden to eat all of the gnats that have just arrived.

Our 14th Drawing Lesson

Our 13th Drawing Lesson

Our 12th Drawing Lesson

Bug Collecting

Sissy found a Luna Moth the other day and now she has decided to start a bug collection. We talked about it and she decided that a photo collection would be better than a collection of actual bugs. Here is her find for the day.

She will have to do research to see what kind of butterfly this is and write a page telling all of her findings.



Our 11th Drawing Lesson

Our 10th Drawing Lesson

The American Toad - Tadpoles

We have tadpoles!!!

Our 9th Drawing Lesson