Senses

I see the wasps. I hear the bats, yellow tailed black cockatoos, cuckoos and cicadas. I taste the blueberries, watermelon, mangoes and strawberries. I feel the heat, sand and sea. I smell cut grass and smokey skies. Summer.

Paper Dust Covers

These are worth a look!

http://www.bookcityjackets.com/blog/about/

Have fun!

How to Read Aloud, by Mem Fox

This is a great section on how to read aloud:

http://www.memfox.net/reading-magic-intro

Most helpful in our reading aloud endeavours!

And this section:

http://www.memfox.net/reading-magic-and-do-it-like-this

and this one:

http://www.memfox.com/ten-read-aloud-commandments.html

Enjoy!

Secret Society (Reading Magic by Mem Fox)

This is a very interesting read!
So much of what she says strikes a strong chord with me.

"...I'm most passionate when I speak as an ordinary mother. Reading aloud to my daughter was a fabulous experience. We bonded through all sorts of marvelous books. We came to know and love each other better through the variety of stories we shared. I hadn't realised that reading aloud regularly would mean Chloe would learn to read without being taught...

When we take the time to read aloud to the children in our lives, we bond closely with them in a secret society associated with the books we've shared. The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks that fly when a child, a book, and the person reading make contact...We have such a rollicking good time, and we relate so warmly to our kids as we read together, that it becomes a delicious 'chocolate' kind of experience...

Reading aloud and talking about what we're reading sharpens children's brains and helps develop their ability to concentrate at length, to solve problems logically, and to express themselves more easily and clearly. The stories they hear provide them with witty phrases, new sentences and words of subtle meaning...

Because words are essential in building the thought connections in the brain, the more language a child experiences - through books and conversation with others, not passively from television - the more advantaged socially and educationally that child will be for the rest of his or her life...

One of the unsung but cozy effects of reading aloud is the private language that develops in families through shared language and shared book experience...We were knitted into the same familial fabric by a book language that meant nothing to people outside our immediate little trio. It was a private 'togetherness' code that connected us all...

So great is the power of reading aloud that Moreen Fielden, headmistress of The Gillespie School, a private elementary school in San Diego, reads aloud to her entire school every Friday..."


There'll be more on this, later.

from Reading Magic by Mem Fox

CS Lewis books

Earlier this month Captain picked up Prince Caspian off our bookshelf.
I said...'Stop', and purchased the first three in the Narnia series to complete our set.

He has since read
The Magician's Nephew...17-20 July
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe...20-24 July
The Horse and His Boy...25-27 July

and has now begun Prince Caspian.

I also managed to find another book in the Swallows and Amazons series, and he began Pigeon Post yesterday.

Fireproof

Never Leave Your Partner Behind

A lovely couple from our local church put on a special Candlelight Dinner followed by the movie Fireproof.

A great inspiration for the married couples in our church, with a strong gospel message.

At the same time our latest Challenge newspaper had an article entitled:

Avoid The Top Reason For Marriage Failure

"It has been my experience that the number one reason behind the collapse of marriage is plain, old fashioned selfishness...

Marriage is not so much about finding the right person as it is about being the right person...

As simple as that statement is, it has enormous consequences for you if you decide to put it into practice because it forces you to stop focusing on yourself and to begin focusing on the other person, which is the essence of true love...
I find this kind of wisdom about relationships in the Bible, especially the Proverbs.

Here are just two for you to think about:

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones."

Excellent here refers to a virtuous woman - a woman of tremendous class and quality. A woman who is proud of her husband; one who shows him respect and is unashamed to do so. Such a woman has the highest place in a man's life - she crowns it! But a woman who openly despises her husband and is constantly critical of him and his decisions is like an infectious disease. Simply put, a woman can make or break her man. If she is going to "make"him, then she will need to be unselfish.

And husbands are also told "to rejoice in the wife of your youth".

In other words, instead of moaning and complaining about what she does and does not do, remember why you married her in the first place and keep on encouraging those good things in her today. How easy it is for us men to forget all the good things about our wives and only focus on the negatives that we see.

If we want to change our relationship for the better then we must stop focusing on ourselves and begin asking ourselves how we can better serve our partner - this is called unselfishness and it has the power to transform both you and the other person."

(Rob Furlong, from Challenge newspaper, edition 315)

Whittington

by Alan Armstrong
Captain finished this book last week. He just has to have a book to read.

Brighty of the Grand Canyon

by Marguerite Henry
Captain has just finished this book.

Getting Organised

Well I haven't been here for a while, and its for a few reasons. One of them is that I am getting organised. And I have just found the organisational tool that I have always dreamed about. This sounds too good to be true.

I was checking through my Yahoo groups yesterday, and on AmbleRamble found a link to this.

It's called, wait for it....(drum roll) Sue Patrick's Workbox System. One homeschooling mother describes how its going for her on http://www.enduringprize.com/.

This inspired the purchase of the ebook, and 5 minutes later, I had the user's guide on my screen.

I'm up to page 38 of the 122 page manual, and have already learnt an incredible amount of excellent ways to get some order and structure in our homeschool. This is becoming increasingly important with a 4 year old and 20 month old seeking attention as well as Master 8 and Missy 6.

Will post you further on this.

Whack the Word (or phonogram, or whatever!)

A friend of a friend (FoF)who is a remedial teacher in a local school, and also does private tutoring has taught me a few great tricks of the trade - games. Lots of fun, wild and whacky ones.

She teaches children to read using the original Spalding method. This was introduced by Romalda Bishop Spalding, whose book The Writing Road to Reading I have on my shelf. I remember my mum looking into it when I was little. She completed a Spalding course, but I'm not sure what became of it. It was to help some of us with our reading, I know that much.

Anyway FoF was saying some of the elite schools in Sydney where she used to work would only allow those who utilised the Spalding method were admitted to teach little ones to read. She is so passionate about the phonics system, and sees its benefits over and above the sight word method for both spelling and reading. She has been asked to do remedial work in the school to help those who are struggling with the sight word method.

I use LEM phonics to teach reading, which is based on the Spalding system.
To try to memorise these phonograms, FoF recommended a number of games, one of them being Whack the Phonogram.

Today I stuck the latest four or five phonograms on the wall. Then I grabbed a new, clean fly swot, called out the phonogram, and Possum whacked the correct phonograms.

We love it! What we love, we learn, really well!

Other games she uses are:
Brain Beans (jelly beans for great work)
Tongue Twisting Words
Snakes and Ladders (with phonograms)

The key is to keep the game short, and stop whilst the children are still having a GREAT time. Hey, this sounds familiar! Its a bit like reading only one chapter at a time, and resist the temptation to continue, even when the children are begging for more!

I have found this 'keep it short, keep it fun' method invaluable in the last few weeks in particular.

And from the depths of my memory, I hear my cousin, a wonderful infants and primary school teacher, saying always stop the game while they are having fun.

I find I can't wait for the next chapter of a book, using this method. It works for me. It works for the children, too!

PS I must remember to give the children a five minute warning as to when the game will end, to ease any frustration. It wouldn't be right to finish up without sufficient warning. I suppose it's to prepare them emotionally that the end is near! (Thanks Growing Kids God's Way!)

15 Books That Stuck

Hey Oh Peaceful Day! I like your idea, and I've posted mine here:

Fifteen books I've read that will always stick with me. First fifteen I can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

Can you do it too??? Post your books here under comments, if you like!

The Bible
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson (Selected Verse book)
The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
Return to Gone Away by Elizabeth Enright
The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe by CS Lewis
Farmer Boy by LI Wilder
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Anne of Green Gables LM Montgomery
My Place by Sally Morgan
Mister God, This is Anna by Fynn
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Outback Women by Melissa McCord

Dragon Breath and Shiver Me Timbers

Beanies in bed
Electric blanket
Wheat bags
Dry cracked hands
Ugg boots
Dressing gowns
Deck schooling
Hoodies
Dragon Breath*
Porridge
Soup
Hot coffee
More hot coffee

Shiver me timbers, it's COLD.
Pardon the pirate lingo, we're reading Treasure Island.

I don't think we could have done any schooling had it not been for the gorgeous sunshine on our deck today.

*Dragon Breath: The steam coming forth from one's mouth on a chilly day. The children have a great deal of fun puffing around the house!

Teepee Kids

Captain and Possum spent a delightful sun bathed afternoon with Mrs C. and her two munchkins. Thanks a heap, Mrs C!

I asked the children to tell me all about their adventures:

"First, we went into the bush and made two teepees, and pulled one down. We made them with sticks and paperbark, and then Mrs C. took photos of us. On the way back Captain and our two friends went walking on water, and I was waiting for them on the deck. After that we had an icy pole each. We made mud Easter eggs on the dirt pile. We had green jelly with lollies. When we first came we had a caramel Koala each, then we went home."

Possum


"First we caught a few chickens to hold. Big Foot (ginger coloured) and Princess (shiny blue black) followed us into the bush, so we had to chase them back to the house yard.

We made two teepees. One was about chest height, one was waist height. We dismantled one which we had made last Saturday (it was a bit crooked). This left us with four teepees, one for each of us to shelter from the wind. As well we like pretending to be Indians.

On the way back to the house we chased Big Foot again - this time off the pond. We trod on normal green grass that grew on top of the pond water. It felt like walking on the height of a wave.

Most of us got over the electric fence without touching it, even though we didn't know it was off. Possum stepped onto it with her shoes on, but she was touching the ground without a shock, so it must have been off.

After we came back to the house for our ice blocks, Mrs C. said we could play in their dirt pile. We made little waterfalls with water from the creek and small mud balls.

We all ate some of my mum's lovely jelly. It was time to go home, which was too bad."

Captain (with lots of editing from Mummy!!)

Blurb Books

I'm so excited to have found Barefoot Voyage blogspot:

http://barefootvoyage.blogspot.com

Recommended on this blogspot is:

www.blurb.com

a very convenient way to make your own books!!
Can't wait to start.

On The Banks of Plum Creek

We have finished Little House on the Prairie. Sigh. But, we have a great book to continue our read-alouds with! Yay.

Warming Treats continued

We have a couple of other traditional Dutch recipes, which are particularly delicious in the cooler months.

Here they are:

Boterkoek - creatively decorated by Captain (a non-traditional approach)!

and

Oma's Biscuits (as they are affectionately know to the entire family)

Mmmm

Honey For A Child's Heart

Thanks to CL, I have a great book to read. Very inspiring, thank you very much! A book by Gladys Hunt.

I'm already practising one of the suggestions:

Quoted from chapter 1. Bequest of Wings:
Well-chosen words need only be few in number, and they help store away the pleasure of the adventure.
We have awakened a small boy at midnight to see the marvel of the northern lights. We have stood on hillsides and described the numerous shades of springtime greens across the landscape. It's a marvelous game of awareness and words.
It's a game that can be played anywhere at odd moments. How do you think a barn in Nebraska looks? One child may answer, "Red, with cows around it." Another may say, "Gray and lonely, with no trees near." A third child may light up and say, "The barn looks gray and tired, weathered from the summer's blast of heat and weary from icy winds that blow across the flat plains in winter."

Each answer is a good one. Yet those who saw less will be pleased by the contributions of those who saw more in their minds. They will sense the living substance of a touch of imagination and try to increase their own awareness. You may be thinking at this point, I handle words so poorly myself. How can I help my children? This game will teach you as well and bind you to your children as you share what we call "imaginings."

Try other questions: How does a summer night sound? How does a rainy day feel? ...each child (can see) the "possibility of words"...it will help train the ear to listen and the heart to feel beauty and emotion as it comes out in stories that the children later read. The benefits work both ways.

End of quote.

I'm having a lot of fun with this!

And what does Captain think of me reading this book?

I'm glad you're reading it, then I'll get more books onto my bookshelf!

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Captain is into another book...he began reading this one on Monday.
He has finished the book today...Thursday, 11 June 2009.

Backyard Nature Study

These are some of the birds we have seen in or from our backyard. We observe the bird for a while, find a photo on the web, and the picture is drawn from a photo on the computer screen. All illustrations by Possum, using aquarelle pencils.

Butterfly Birthday - Joyeux Anniversaire Possum!

Our little Possum celebrated her 6th birthday by way of a
butterfly/fairy/princess party. We played a few games of Caterpillar, Caterpillar, Butterfly (variation on Duck, Duck, Goose), pass the parcel, pin the wings on the fairy, made a butterfly finger ring, ate caramel butterfly cake and had a tour of a butterfly house. We finished the party with a read aloud - Isabella's Secret by Jane Tanner. Even though Possum knows fairies aren't real, she has a great time imagining they are!

A Lovely Gift for A Little Artist

We love this birthday gift! These Lyra pencils (made in Germany) are soft, vivid, easy to apply, and great to hold! All of the colours are beautiful. But my favourites are the gold and silver!
When I was little I was the proud owner of a wonderful collection of around 60 Faber Castell Polychromos (also made in Germany). These were truly treasured, and the children are now using them. However, they are down to the last couple of centimetres, so these make a timely addition to our colour pencil collection.
Thankfully these are an affordable luxury, because once you have used really good pencils, you just can't go back to the supermarket brand.

Frontyard Find

One Autumn Afternoon

With the school work done, Captain constructed his very first camp fire - in our front yard! He had learnt all the tricks from his dad the day before, and was just aching to try it out for himself. The conditions were perfect - being overcast, a little drizzly, with no breezes, and safe - the platform for the fire, a freshly excavated clay clearing.
I decided to prepare a bread dough, to serve with our chicken soup. The delightful crust just shattered in our mouths. All this reading Little House on The Prairie has gone to our heads. We could smell the smoke in our hair and just imagine the prairie breezes, and truly taste delicious prairie-style cooking. Captain's scones were so golden with cream, butter and glorious free range yellowy yolks.
Another unplanned pleasure was that our next chapter for the bedtime read aloud was A Fire On The Hearth, Little House on The Prairie.
One memorable afternoon.

PS A hose was kept at hand, just in case.

Bits of Inspiration

I used to carry around bits of inspiration in my pocket, but now its easier just to blog the bits as they come to mind.

To Do

Must get a timeline and book of centuries going asap.

The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work

I just love this simple bread. A child can make it.

Here's the weblinks:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html

and

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

Enjoy.
This weather is making me think hot bread.
And let the children make it!

This Is What I Like

When Captain casually takes a J.S. Bach CD off the rack at the library, to take home.

When we are shopping in a home decor shop, and Captain says, "Look mum, la plage" (the beach) pointing to the writing on a deck chair.

When Captain says, "Mum, who was that artist again, who painted on his back?" He was referring to Michelangelo. This was whilst reading the Elizabeth Enright book, When We Were Five, weeks after studying this artist in our Artistic Pursuits book.

When Captain asks, "Mum, can you please put Mozart on? It helps me go to sleep".

Treasure Island by the brilliant Robert Louis Stevenson

We're about one fifth of the way through this read aloud, and the children keep begging for more.
Some of the dark descriptions contrast sharply with the same author's mostly sunny A Child's Garden of Verses, which we read in the mornings. They beg for more of these poems, too!

We finished reading this book on Saturday 20th June.

Local Annual Showcase

A dash to the show on Saturday was like taking a child to the world's most wonderful lolly shop, then leave with but one lick!
We had one and a half hours to pack in lunch, view our contributions to the Home Learner's Display, see the Taipan tail end of the reptile show, cuddle a chick, spy the winning show cats, view the puppies from a distance, just miss out on the working dog's workout, and round it off by one revolution on the ferris wheel. All of this fully complemented by the lemonade and sausage roll lunch tumbling in our tummies.

Phew! Glad that's over for a year.

Then it was on the go again, this time for a birthday party!

We were pretty pleased, though, to view the first prize pumpkin (Farmer Boy memories) and have the chance to ride a ferris wheel, reminiscent of our Charlotte's Web read aloud last year.

Captions for Photos:
Top: Possum's Watercolour Paintings, Rain, and Sunrise, on display
Bottom: Captain's first poem, ever, printed out, then framed, on display

Ambleside Books - Our Growing List

To date we have...most of the AO Year 1 books. I have decided to post some pictures of the covers and inside pages of some of my favourites. I like to fish around for the most beautiful copies I can find.
So here's just a couple I've come up with. If you know of any versions of the AO recommendations which you find particularly lovely, please let me know!

This copy of Aesop's Fables (above) is (text wise) recommended by AO. It doesn't have all the AO fables, but the Don Daily illustrations still make it well worth buying. The remaining fables suggested can be printed off the AO Year 1 Yahoo Group.

A Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories (Walker Books) -is a beautiful version, with different illustrators used for each of the stories, purchased recently from Dymocks.

For more advanced AO years we have purchased thus far:

Bard of Avon
Pagoo
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
The Peterkin Papers
Otto of the Silver Hand
Bulfinch's Mythology
Poor Richard
Abigail Adams
The Story of Inventions
A Wonderbook and Tanglewood Tales
Unknown to History
Madam How and Lady Why
The Door in the Wall
Five Little Peppers
The Children of the New Forest
Men of Iron
The Little White Horse
The Heroes
Thimble Summer
Swallows and Amazons
The Wheel on the School
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
The Four Story Mistake
Then There Were Five
Ralph Moody Series
Little House on the Prairie Series


more to come...

La mer bleue, le sable chaud

We're enjoying the warm long rays of l'autumne sunshine by the beach. A few hours in the afternoon to soak it all up brightens our whole day.

Enormous Earthworm

Captain found this one in the front yard today!

Chillies for Sunflowers

Possum's little friend came over today, bearing a gift... one lovely chilli plant. They really are rather pretty.
Before her little friend left, she returned the favour by way of some sunflower seedlings growing from the spilt rabbit food around Bambi's cage.

Ambleside Friend in the Flesh!!!

I have met another AO-er in the flesh!! My first one! How exciting to have met you JE!!

Anything Schooling

Someone once posted on a Yahoo group that they sometimes car-schooled. I'm adding to the list...we hammock-school as well.

Swimming, Toy Library, Sport, Circus

Had a busy busy day.

The Buster at the Beach

We had an excursion yesterday to The Buster - a shipwreck that has been recently exposed due to wild weather.
So it was Buster at the beach, ballet, then on to the new kid's choir.

J.S. Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring

Will post the Youtube link here soon, a wonderful Celtic woman's version. Thanks Jeanne for the link in the first place!

I've finally worked out how to do this!! YAY!!!

Bible Memory Verses

We are going through the 24 Family Ways by Clay and Sally Clarkson.
This is forming the basis for our devotions and Bible memory verses at the moment:
Week 1
Family Way No 1
We...
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. This is the first and greatest commandment" Matthew 22V 13-14
Family Way No 2
We read the bible and pray to God every day with an open heart.
"All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God is thoroughly equipped for every good work" 2 Timothy
Family Way No 3
We honour and obey our parents in the Lord with a respectful attitude.
"Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honour and obey your parents for this is the first commandment with a promise, that you may live long and that life may be well for you".....this all needs editing, next time I'm on the computer