Kids Can Cook

In our busy lives, it is sometimes easier and quicker to just have the kids set the table instead of having them help you cook dinner!  But when the kids ask, “Can I do that?” the teachable moment pops up and you can feel guilty passing it up!

Baking is always an easy way to get kids to help in the kitchen, and it involves careful measuring with a practical look at fractions.  Sometimes it’s harder to come up with a main course that they can cook.  A simple chili is a good start.

There are some rules to follow first:

1.       Wash your hands well.

2.       Gather up all the ingredients and pans, utensils, etc. that you will need before you start.  There is nothing worse than getting a recipe half prepared to find out you are missing an ingredient.

3.       Read the recipe through before you start so you know how to proceed.

DICK’S SIMPLE CHILI

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 small onion chopped

3 cans (15 oz) chili beans in sauce

1 can condensed tomato soup and 1 soup can filled with water

1 can chopped tomatoes Mexican style

1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)

Salt to taste

1.        Brown ground beef or turkey in a non-stick 3 quart saucepan, crumbling the meat as it cooks.  This may need to be done for younger children.

2.       Drain the fat off the meat.  (For calorie conscious people, you can actually put the cooked ground beef in a colander and run hot water over it, rinsing off the fat!  That way you can purchase the least expensive ground beef and have an almost fat free entrée.)

3.       Chop the onion.  For younger children, a food chopper works well.  If you are using a knife, cut the onion in half from stem to root.  Then cut the half into quarters.  While holding the quarters together, cut across the onion in 1/8 to ¼ inch size pieces.

4.       Open all the cans.  In the pan with the ground beef and onions, add the 3 cans of beans, 1 can of tomato soup, 1 soup can full of water, and 1 can of chopped tomatoes.

5.       Mix together and heat on high until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add chili powder and salt to taste.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.

6.       Simmer for a half hour or more until the chili thickens, stirring occasionally.  Be careful when lifting the lid so you don’t get burned by the steam – always lift the lid away from you.

This chili tastes good with fresh carrots, celery, and cornbread.  Or you can sprinkle it with fresh chopped onions and grated cheese and serve with corn chips.

Equipment you need to make this recipe:

3 quart saucepan with lid

Cutting board and sharp knife or a food chopper

Can opener

Rubber scraper

Colander

Tablespoon

See our HMHS Community Refrigerator for more pictures of cooking with the kiddos!

To discuss Cooking and other Homeschooling topics and ideas, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.

Apostrophes and Contractions

Apostrophes are used to show possession, and they’re also used to indicate missing letters in contractions. Sometimes, these two uses can be confused. For instance, its is the possessive of it, but it’s is a contraction of it is.  Example:  It’s too bad its fur got wet.

An apostrophe can indicate the possessive case of both singular and plural nouns, either jointly or separately.  Examples:  This is our team’s playground, but it’s Bobby’s ball, not Bobby and Billy’s ball.

An apostrophe can also indicate the omission of numerals.  Example:  We are the class of ’08.

An apostrophe is normally used with s in expressions of time, measurement, and money (Examples:  a dollar’s worth of apples; a year’s subscription; a week’s vacation), but is not used with a plural noun used as a modifier (Examples: earnings statement and systems analyst).

An apostrophe sometimes indicates “understood” possession.  Example:  The book is at your bookseller’s.

The use of an apostrophe plus s with words ending in s or z sounds usually depends on whether a pronounceable final syllable is thus formed. If the syllable is pronounced, the apostrophe plus s is added. If no final pronounceable syllable is formed, the apostrophe is retained, but not usually the final s.  Examples:  Mr. Gomez’s store; Knox’s products; Moses’ law; for righteousness’ sake.

I have searched for some good resources to solidify your student’s understanding of contractions and possessives.  Enjoy!

Games

• Contraction Pick-Up:  Using index cards, write the contraction on one card (ex:  it’s) and write out the full words on a separate card (ex:  it is).  Do this with as many contractions as you are learning.  Mix them up and spread them on the floor.  Have your student pick up the matching sets as quickly as they can.  Time them and have them try to beat their own time.
• Contraction Matching:  Using the same index cards as above, turn them all upside down and play a matching game.  Turn up one, then another.  If they are matches (ex:  do not and don’t), they keep the cards.  Play until all have been matched.
• Contraction Bingo:  Again, use the same index cards for the call cards.  Fill in a blank Bingo sheet, like those at DLTK Kids, with the opposite of what you are calling.  For example:  If you are calling the full words (ex:  were not), then fill the cards with the contractions (ex:  weren’t).  Play with any manipulatives you have available (beans, coins, etc..).
• Dry Erase:  Using a dry erase board, write out the full words next to each other (ex:  cannot).  Let the student use a different color and wipe away the letters that are taken out and fill in the apostrophe (ex:  cannot- student would erase one “n” and an “o” to end up with can’t).

Books

Alfie the Apostrophe

If You Were a Contraction

Online Games

• Exploring for Possessives is a fun, interactive game to learn to recognize possessive forms.
• Quia has a set of games on contractions and possessive nouns.
• Treasure Trove is a fun, interactive game to learn contractions.
• Here is a game for singular possessive nouns.

Worksheets

• Enchanted Learning has plenty of worksheets on contractions.
• CREATE for Mississippi has a free lesson plan on possessives.  Handout 1 is a pdf printout on apostrophes.
• Get grade level specific worksheets on apostrophes and contractions from Ed Helper.
• Print customized worksheets on possessives from Worksheet Works.

Remember to write me at Contact HMHS to submit any questions related to Language Arts! I will answer them in upcoming blogs.

To discuss Grammar and other Homeschooling topics and ideas, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.

Hello fellow Homeschoolers.

After much thought and planning, we at Homemade Homeschoolers are ready to launch a new (and possibly the most fun) feature: The HMHS Podcast Network! We need your participation, though. Our desire is to feature homemade podcasts from “do it yourself” Homemade Homeschoolers everywhere. Not sure of what a “podcast” is? Watch this video on YouTube called “Podcasting In Plain English” for a simple, easy to understand explanation:

Not only would this be a wonderful learning experience for our children (and parents too, in many cases), it will also be a great way to showcase the talents of your families and children! Some suggestions on podcast material and subjects are:

• Audio Theater
• Talk Radio
• Comedy Sketches
• News Programs
• Family Music Recitals
• Singing
• Book Reviews
• Movie Reviews
• Educational Material

We can also host video on the HMHS Podcast Network. Some ideas for video include:

• Plays
• Documentaries
• Music Videos
• Educational Tutorials
• Nature Studies
• Conference Trips
• Extracurricular Activities

These are just suggestions; the possibilities are truly endless! Let your children and family’s creativity shine through on the HMHS Podcast Network.

Each family that joins the HMHS Podcast Network will receive a direct link to their own program such as “hmhomeschoolers.com/yourpodastname” to make it easy for grandma to keep track of all your “episodes”. There will also be a subscription option for people to have new episodes sent directly to them whenever they are posted (much like subscribing to the Homemade Homeschoolers RSS Feed), for extra convenience.

Podcasting really is very simple. I should know; I am a “podcaster” and my shows have been downloaded over 75,000 times. If you are interested in joining the HMHS Podcast Network, or have any questions, please contact us through the website and I will assist you in any way that I can. And remember, friends: these podcast don’t have to be “professional” quality; and they can be as short as 5 minutes, or as long as half an hour to an hour – though I wouldn’t suggest going much longer than 30 minutes.

Please join the HMHS Podcast Network, and let’s have some fun while learning!

To discuss this and other things about Homemade Homeschooling, please visit our community forum.

It’s just a touch chilly this morning and that thrills me!

Being from Southern California, we didn’t have distinct seasons.  For 10 months out of the year we had blistering dry heat, with seemingly relentless sunshine.  And no, that doesn’t mean it’s better than humid heat-it sucks you dry till you’re a walking prune with no energy!  For the other two months, we would have sporadic rain and overcast.  Since moving to Tennessee, we have been able to see each season as it approaches.  We are amazed at the distinctiveness of each one.  But, the one season that I love above all others is Fall.  I feel it coming today!  Do you know that ineffable feeling when the air changes just a little?  I know it’s coming soon, and that means my favorite cozy sweaters, fires in the fireplace, cuddling with a good book, the beautiful colors of the trees changing, nature walks, turkey and deer around every bend, Harvest festivals, and warm, delicious comfort foods are just ahead!  It makes me feel so cozy and happy!

So, to celebrate that wonderful Autumn we are about to have, I decided to share with you my very favorite soup recipe.  Served with some wonderfully warm sourdough bread, this dish will knock your socks off!  Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

1/2 cup  butter

2 Tbsp  olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

4 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2-1/2 pounds diced fresh ripe tomatoes or 2 cans (16oz each) Italian-style tomatoes with juice

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3-3/4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 tsp sugar

1 cup heavy cream

In a large kettle, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and seasonings.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.  Add the tomatoes and paste.  Stir to blend.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Place the flour in a small mixing bowl and stir in 1/4 cup chicken broth.  Stir into the tomato mixture.  Add the remaining broth.  Simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  Allow mixture to cool and run through a sieve, food mill, or food processor.  Return the pureed mixture to the kettle.  Add the sugar and cream.  Heat through, stirring occasionally.  Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

To discuss Recipes and other Homemaking or Homeschooling topics, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.

Remember to write me at Contact HMHS to submit any questions related to Language Arts! I will answer them in upcoming blogs.

Now, go write something!

To discuss Grammar and other Homeschooling topics and ideas, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.

We are so excited to share our newest feature on Homemade Homeschoolers:  the HMHS Community Refrigerator!  It is a photo gallery designed for homeschoolers to showcase their accomplishments and inspire others with their ideas.  Our hope is for the Refrigerator to be yet one more way for us all to connect and truly become a sharing community.  Display your creativity!

The HMHS Refrigerator is set up in three separate sections.  We have a section for Homeschooler Artwork in which to display your child’s finished drawings, paintings, coloring pages, crafts, lapbooks, notebooks, timelines, or any other artwork.  We have a section for Homeschoolers Photos in which you can upload pictures of field trips, conferences, family vacations, group activities, and other fun stuff.  Finally, we have a section for Homeschool Classrooms in order to show others your classroom or study area, as well as, much needed ideas for organization!

Registered users have a wide variety of options:  uploading photos including captions and titles, as well as leaving friendly comments on other users’ photos.  By going in to edit the photos after uploading, you can give them each a title and summary that will link them for easy reference.  If you register for the Blog, you should automatically be registered for the Refrigerator as well.  You will utilize the same username and password.

At any time when browsing the HMHS Refrigerator, you will find a direct link back to the HMHS homesite and a link to the Refrigerator hompage in the banner for ease of navigation.

We have also added two sections to our Forum.  Homemade Homeschoolers Website Help to ask any questions regarding the use of features on any of the HMHS webpages and Alert HMHS to alert us of any problems that you encounter while visiting Homemade Homeschoolers.

We hope to see you there!

For more information on the HMHS Community Refrigerator, visit the Homemade Homeschoolers Discussion Forum.

Boy oh boy, we have had a full house!  As Michael had updated a short while ago, we have had friends (Jason, Chloe, and Jake) staying with us as “refugees” from New Orleans.  Their home made it through Hurricane Gustav with minor damage, thank the Lord.  They were set to leave when Hurricane Ike showed up!  This one is a very large storm, so even getting hit by the outskirts of it is going to be a bumpy ride.  Finally, on Tuesday, it appeared that Ike would mostly bypass New Orleans, so they headed home.  We were truly sad to see them go.  We have even renamed their evacuation as their “evacation” and look forward to hurricane season next year!  We enjoyed them so much.  (Lesson Plans 4 Teachers has some great links to lessons on hurricanes and Enchanted Learning has fun printables related to hurricanes as well.)

Homemade Homeschoolers is all about finding creative ways to enrich our children’s education on the homeschooling journey.  So, while our friends were here, I jumped on an opportunity!  Chloe is an artist by trade and I requested that she teach art to the kids while she was here.  She was happy to do so, and we had so much fun in the process.  For one lesson, she used the color wheel to teach primary, secondary, and complimentary colors, shading and tones.  The kids also had fun with a project at the end of the lesson.

Color Wheel Lesson for elementary grades:

• First, draw a large circle for each child (we used rolled art paper, but any large paper or poster board would work as well) and divide the circle into wedges labeled 1 through 6 (like a pie).
• Begin with wedge number 1 and have the child paint it red.  Tempera paints are the most “child friendly” type to use in these projects.  Follow with painting wedge 3 yellow and painting wedge 5 blue.  These are the primary colors.  Have the child write out the primary colors on the paper margin and dab those colors next to the names.
• For the secondary colors, have the child mix the colors used in the bordering wedges.  For example, wedge 2 would mix red from wedge 1 with yellow from wedge 3, then paint wedge 2 with the resulting orange.  Do this for wedges 4 and 6, painting them green and purple.  *Have the child do the mixing on a separate palette (we use paper plates), this is a fun part of the learning process.*  Write out the secondary colors on the margin of the paper and dab the colors next to the names as well.
• Next, explain complimentary colors as the colors opposite each other on the color wheel.  For example, yellow would be complimentary to purple, orange to blue, and red to green.  Also indicate these on the margin of the paper with dabs of those colors as visual reminders.  In this way, the child has a study guide made by themselves that can hang in an area they visit often.

Finished Color Wheel Project

Lesson on Shading and Tones:

• Shading is changing the color you start with by adding either the lighter or darker primary color next in line on the color wheel.  Take a strip of paper and color one rectangle in a primary color (ex: red).  Next, add a drop of an adjacent primary color (ex: yellow to go lighter or blue to go darker).  Mix on a pallete and paint a rectangle of this new color next to the first rectangle.  Continue by adding drops of the second color to the initial mixture and painting rectangles after mixed.  You will end up with a visual gradient of shading either going darker or lighter dependent upon the colors you use.
• To change the color tone you will follow this same procedure, except you will add drops of white for lighter tones and drops of black for darker tones.  You will end up with a visual gradient of lighter or darker tones of the original color.

Finished Shading Project

Art Project using Primary and Secondary Colors:

• Have children choose a partner.  On a large sheet of paper, each child will trace their partner’s head and shoulders.  They will then paint the features of their partner on the paper.  (For a solitary child, you can trace them and they will paint themselves.)  The only rule is this:  they can use only the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple) and they must use each color at least once.  They can paint seriously or have fun using their imaginations!

For more pictures of our lesson and the kids’ finished artwork, visit our new HMHS Community Refrigerator!  Feel free to add your own pictures as well.

This is very basic art and color theory, but my kids had never had lessons in it before and I know this is true for many other homeschoolers as well.  We had lots of fun and the results are hanging in the schoolroom for reference.  I think using the opportunity of Chloe being here with us turned out to be a great idea.  We all need to think of people we have contact with that may have talents they can share with our children.  Approach them and request a time for them to teach you something new, or swap times with another homeschool mom or dad!

To discuss more about Art and learning opportunities, please visit the Homemade Homeschoolers Forum.

Hello friends.

Just a quick note to let you know why we haven’t updated the blog recently. We have some old friends in town – refugees from Hurricane Gustav.  We have a house full of adults, kids, and a whole pack of dogs! It is a wonderful time of rekindling old friendships and family fun. We also just sent home Grammy Sheryl and Big Den from their two week visit. That’s a lot of action here at Homemade Homeschoolers Headquarters!

In the meantime, make sure you check out the new Carnival of Homeschooling Labor Day edition.  We submitted Shelly’s “famous” article on a mouse unit-study.  Plus you’ll find a bunch of other neat articles regarding Homeschooling.

Make sure you join us over at the Homemade Homeschoolers Community Forum, and please tell a friend.