Happy Halloween!

What would Halloween be without those grinning Jack-o-lanterns?  After cutting off the top, the most fun is reaching in and digging out the seeds – eeewwww!  But don’t throw those seeds away – make pepitas instead!  Toasted pumpkin seeds can be a favorite treat – with no tricks involved!

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Fresh pumpkin seeds

Olive oil

Salt (or other seasonings such as seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper)

1. Rinse the pumpkin seeds, removing the stringy pulp.

2. Spread the seeds out on some paper towel and let dry overnight.

3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with some non-stick foil.

4. Put the seeds in a bowl and toss with enough olive oil to coat the seeds.

5. Spread the seeds on to the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and any other desired seasonings.

6. Bake for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until nicely browned.

7. Allow to cool completely.  They can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 months, but they never seem to last that long!

To discuss recipes or any homeschooling topic, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.

We have a fun craft project that we have available in our new store!  Mr. Skeleton is about 5 feet tall and very easy (and cheap) to make!  We have had one in my parent’s home that I can remember hanging every Halloween as a child.  My mother informed me yesterday that that particular skeleton has hung around for 36 years!  Even your youngest can easily participate in this craft and it can be a keepsake tradition for your family.  For the older kids, I thought that it would be an opportune time for learning the real names of all those bones.  So, I have gathered some links to learn the names and test them as well.

Vocabulary

Defining terms you will be using throughout a study is a great way to introduce vocabulary words and an important part in understanding new concepts.  Besides the names of the bones, there are some other terms you may encounter.  Have your kids take turns looking these up in a dictionary as a good way to develop dictionary skills as well as finding the answers.  You can look in an online dictionary, but I prefer the paper version to teach the kids research skills.  My kids write vocabulary words on index cards (word on one side, definition on the other), to use as flashcards throughout the study.

• osteology, joint, tendon, ligament, axial, appendicular, irregular, sesamoid

Naming the Bones

Next, I would learn the names of the bones.  My favorite is a cute, but very informative movie at Science With Me.  You must register on their site, but it is completely free and well worth it.  To see the skeleton movie, go to animations and click on Stanley the Skeleton.  Turn up the volume and enjoy.  I think this works well even for older kids, but, if yours want something more “grown-up”, there is a labelled diagram of the skeleton you can use.  I would label index cards with the names of the bones, mix them up, and have the kids lay them out as though they were building a skeleton.  Breaking them up into groups can also help.  The two groups of bones, based upon where they are located, are Axial and Appendicular.  The five types of bones, based upon their shape, are Long, Short, Flat, Irregular, and Sesamoid.

Once they have the names down pretty well, there are some good links to interactive skeletons to test themselves and solidify their learning.

• BBC Interactive Body has a Skeleton Game.
• Get Body Smart has an Interactive Skeletal System.
• Label the bones on this animation.

There are also free printable worksheets available at Science With Me and Lesson Tutor.

Here is our skeleton craft: We’re sorry, the Mr.Skeleton craft is no longer free. But, you can purchase it for only $1.49 from our new store!

Also, be on the lookout for notebooking pages and complete unit studies coming soon from Homemade Homeschoolers!

To discuss science, crafts, or other homeschooling topics, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.

In the Los Angeles Times newspaper today, there is a wonderful article on cooking with kids!  They have some good recipes and tips on making pasta with your homeschool helpers.  I remember when I was a kid and my mom would make homemade chicken noodle soup.  We would have noodles hanging everywhere drying.  Not to mention how wonderful it tasted when I had contributed in making it.  Projects like these can become lifelong memories in your child!  Enjoy.

Homemade Pasta in the L.A. Tmes.

To discuss cooking, daily life, or any other homeschooling topic, please visit the HMHS Discussion Forum.

I promised I would finish writing about our day.  By the way, Jane Austen was wonderful; Persuasion is absolutely my favorite story!  Okay, I left off at free reading time following lunch.

1:30pm:  After reading time (about 30 minutes), we gathered together again; this time at the computer.  I have a list of questions written out that they need to find the answers to online.  Questions like “Who did Madison campaign against?”, “What are the three branches of government?”, and “What are the seven duties of a President of the United States?”.  They find the answers (with some help) and write them down in their notebooks.  Any information that they do not understand, we discuss further.

2:00pm:  We head down to the school room for an art project.  We have been studying lines (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curved).  So, today we combine curved and straight lines to make a picture.  They are given two lines on a 3.5″ by 5″ paper, either two straight or one straight and one curved line.  They then imagine a picture involving those lines and draw it.  Some of their results are pictured below.  I got this idea from Evan Moor’s Teach Art to Children.  We have been enjoying this book as a way to cover all the elements of art: line, shape, color, etc. without a lot of preparation and research by me.  We also make cards weekly to send out for birthdays, get wells, holidays, and just thinking about yous.  In that way, we keep in touch with everyone and still get art in our lessons for the day!

Hailey's Line Drawings

Micah's Line Drawings

3:00pm:  Time for science.  We are using Considering God’s Creation and are on the Plant Kingdom.  Today we reviewed photosynthesis, vocabulary words, and plant structure.  Then we collected plant specimens to draw.  The kids do remarkably well at drawing plants by sight.  Even my 5 year old can produce a very good botanical drawing for her age!

3:30 – 5:00pm:  Clean up time and free time.  After cleaning up all school-related items, the kids usually just play outside.  Today, my son and younger daughter are fascinated by harmonica because Daddy has been playing it off and on all day.  So, he spends a good hour teaching the two of them to play some rhythm and  melodies like “Dirty Dog” and “Chugga Chugga”.  I am very pleased because my husband is a life long musician, but up till now has not really sparked an interest in the kids.  (As I write this, my son can now play harmonica along with my husband playing guitar and they sound great!  We will hopefully get that onto a podcast very soon here. )  During this time, I am cleaning, vacuuming, doing laundry, reading, checking email, etc.  They get a warning at about 4:30 to get all toys cleaned up outside and inside.

5:00pm:  Meal time.  I have the kids assigned weekly to help prepare dinner, set the table, or clear the table.  Today, my eldest daughter is kitchen helper.  We make tacos, burritos, fresh veggies with dip, and chips and salsa.  This is a weekly repeat dinner enjoyed by everyone.  The littlest one sets the table and my son clears.  All get showers before dinner if at all possible.  Today we actually accomplish that!

7:00pm:  Dessert is hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Teeth are brushed, dishes done, and jammies on.  Now is the time they all settle down to listen to Daddy reading Lord of the Rings.  They have been doing this most of the summer, starting with The Hobbit.  We are getting so close to the end!  The kids are absolutely enthralled with it!  See my blog entitled Hobbit Mania for more on that.

8:15pm:  The kids are finally in bed.  However, I allow them reading time at bedtime (I can’t deny them time to read – they found my weak spot!)  So, they aren’t usually asleep until about 9:00.  Except the little one, who falls asleep with the first book!  After their bedtime, my husband and I have quiet time together or (as I am doing now) blogging time!  I am usually in bed by 10:00 on a good night!

Hope you have enjoyed hearing about our day!  To discuss daily life or any homeschooling topics, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum!

I am always curious how other homeschoolers spend their days.  So, I decided to post a typical day in our household for anyone else as curious as I.  Here was our day today.

7:09am:  I am woken by 5 year old daughter, as usual.  She follows me to the bathroom and sings me songs while I shower, with me shushing her every few seconds not to wake up Daddy.  She watches me get ready, asking me a thousand questions of which she already knows the answer.  (I love this time in a child’s life and I know it will be gone much too soon.)

7:30am:  We head out to the kitchen.  She gets chocolate milk and I get coffee.  I make banana bread and she chit chats some more.  Then I get to check my emails and print off anything I need for the day while the other kids wander out.  Once awake, they dress up like Hobbits and head outside to play Lord of the Rings.  This is very typical each day.

8:00am:  I call in the Hobbits and we all sit down for Bible Time.  We decided last year that our Bible Time needs to involve consistent reading.  So, we read a chapter each morning from the New Testament.  Today we started Luke 1, each of us takes a turn reading aloud, including my 5 year old.  They greatly enjoyed today’s reading.  As part of Bible Time I will generally pick a song from our hymnal to work on each week.  In this way, they get used to following sheet music and become very familiar with songs we sing at church.  However, recently we have been learning the books of the bible in song.  I am using Wee Sing Bible Songs.

8:30am:  Breakfast is ready.  After we all eat, the kids clean their beds, return books to the school room, brush teeth, and complete morning chores.

9:00am:  We all gather in the school room.  We begin the day with what we call Basics.  Math, Grammar, Spelling, and Copywork.  Generally we include writing as well, but the unit study we are in the midst of requires lots of writing in itself.  Most of this can be completed on their own, with the exception of Spelling.  My 10 year old daughter is much faster than her siblings.  If she finishes ahead, which she did today, she reads her selected novel and/or works on 4H activities until everyone else is caught up.  My 5 year old does Math, Copywork, and reads me a story.  Today she is pretty fussy about completing her work, but on average is very interested in school.

10:45am:  Short break time to ride bikes and jump on the trampoline.

11:00ish am:  Return to the school room for group work.  We are studying elections using Amanda Bennett’s Elections Unit Study.  We watch a program on James Madison from the library and read his biography in our Scholastic Encyclopedia of Presidents, then the two eldest write a paragraph about him.  They complete a rough draft, which I correct in proofreading marks, then they write a final draft on Notebooking paper with Madison’s portrait.  While they work on this, little one is on the computer and I am folding laundry.

12:00:  I begin lunch preparation and they get a break.  They ride bikes for a while until it starts raining, then come in to eat lunch.  Today it’s Dad’s World Famous Sandwiches, crackers, cucumbers, and sugar free lemonade.  After lunch, they get a little more break time, then read independently.  My 10 year old is reading the second Harry Potter (I know there will be some frowns because of that, but she just finished Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and likes variety), 8 year old son is reading Wishbone: Be A Wolf, and 5 year old is reading Boomer Goes to School.

Okay, I truly intended to finish the whole day in one post.  But, it is now 9:00 pm, I am only halfway through the day, the kids are finally in bed, and I really want to watch Jane Austen’s Persuasion that I just got from Netflix today.  Soooo, I will give you the second half of the day next time, I promise

Table setting seems to be the first “job” we give our kids when they are old enough to help us in the kitchen.  If we give them that job to do, we should also teach them the correct way to do it!

The correct table setting is actually quite simple and is based on what is used first, from the outside towards the plate.  Forks are always on the left with the salad fork first, since salad is usually served first; next comes the dinner fork; and, if used, the dessert fork is closest to the plate.  On the right, closest to the plate is the knife – with the cutting edge towards the plate.  Then come the spoons – teaspoon to the right of the knife with the soup spoon on the far right, since soup is usually served before the main course.

The napkin should be set to the left of the forks with the folded edge towards the plate.  It is best not to set the silverware on top of the napkin, because you would have to remove all the silverware to get to the napkin, because it is the first item used at the table..  It can be placed on the plate or where the plate goes to eliminate using too much table space for one place setting.

The Emily Post website is an excellent source to use, with diagrams of place settings and tips on how to remember whose bread plate and drink glass belongs to whom!

And what is a well set table without a centerpiece??  The main thing to keep in mind with centerpieces is that you don’t want them interfering with your conversation to the people across the table.  Either make them low enough so you can see over them or raise them high enough so you can see the person across the table from you.   Depending on the size of your family, the centerpiece could be set on one side of the table if you use the other 3 sides for place settings.  That way the centerpiece could be any height, since it does not interfere with conversation.

Imagination can be your guide for a centerpiece – and kids have great imaginations!  You don’t need fancy, cut glass vases.  Some ordinary bottles are unique enough to hold a some flowers.  Use several small jars or bottles with just a flower in each one.  With fall in full swing, pumpkins, gourds, leaves, etc. can set a theme for your table.  You do not need to use flowers as a centerpiece.  Some of your class artwork can become centerpieces to be enjoyed by the whole family.

I love candles and usually have many candles lit for a dinner!  If using candles, of course, safety is your first concern.  Tapers are most likely to be tipped over, so I like to use several votives when I want candlelight with children at the table.  You can even purchase battery run tea lights that look like the real thing with no fire involved!  As the kids get older, it was an honor to light the candles and to be the one to snuff them out.  A candle snuffer is a safer way to put out a candle rather than blowing it out, since hot wax get blown along with the flame!

Try a formal dinner with your kids, they’ll love it!

To discuss table setting and other home economic topics, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.

I have designed this unit study to be completed with all online resources.  But, you can always add so much more by simply visiting your local library, too.

Whenever we do a unit study, I compile research objectives, activities, worksheets, music, recipes, etc. in one place to get a general plan of where we will go.  I have my children write the answers to research questions on notebooking pages and include lots of drawings, maps, and decoration.  For my youngest child, I allow her to narrate answers to me, while still drawing her own pictures, so that she has a completed notebook just like the other two.  You can choose a method that works best with your own homeschooling style.  Nothing MUST be written down, that is simply my style and my children’s practice for writing.  Number one is having fun and following the interest of your children.  If they are absolutely absorbed with the castles of Germany, but couldn’t care less about the clothing, then delve as deep as they wish into the history, architecture, and battles of the castles and just breeze through the clothing.

Visit Country Reports.org for a very condensed timeline of German history and explore the site for a photo gallery and other good information.

Geography

Find Germany on a world map.  What continent is it on?  Does it connect to an ocean?  If so, which one(s)?  What are the neighboring countries?  What is the capital city?  Print out a blank map of Germany and label major cities, mountain ranges, forests, and rivers.  What countries and oceans would you have to travel through to get to Germany from your home?

Make the German flag using strips of black, red, and yellow construction paper.

Enchanted Learning has outlne maps of Germany and Europe and flag information,

National Geographic Xpeditions has wonderful printable maps.

Worksheet Works has costumizable maps and crossword puzzles.

World Atlas has a great, large color map for overview.

Culture

Study the traditional clothing of Germany.  An easy way to see pictures of all the different types of clothing is a tour through the online catalog of Ernst Licht, but you can also search Google Images.  What are lederhosen, dirndl, mieder, bundhosen, gamsbart, and bayern vests?  Have your child choose one outfit to draw.

Make a traditional Bavarian hat out of construction paper.  The pattern is here.

Learn to say the numbers 1-12 in German at Enchanted Learning.

Tour the castles of Germany online.  Choose one castle to study in depth.  Record it’s history, date of construction, layout, architecture, location, defenses, and battles.  Try to build your own castle using construction paper, paper towel rolls, tissue boxes, Dixie cups, toilet paper rolls, chenille stems, etc., or using playdough.  Be sure to put in lots of spires and turrets!

Here are links to explore German castles:

Castles of Germany, Destination 360, and Top Ten Must See Castles in Germany.

Music

You can listen to samples of German music on Amazon.com.  There is also a selection of German music on Grandpa Schober’s MIDI Music (scroll down to the German section).  What is Polka music?  What is it’s history?  Did it originate in Germany? Listen to Polka music on 24/7 Polka Heaven.  What is an accordion?  What are it’s bellows?  What types of music is it used in?

Language Arts

The Grimm Brothers are writers that were born in Germany.  Study their lives on the Grimm Brothers’ Home Page and Wikipedia.  Read some of their original writings online.  Make a list of their most famous stories.  How many do you already know?  Which stories have been made into movies?  Have your child choose their favorite story and either narrate or write a new ending to it.  Can they invent their own fairy tale?  Draw illustrations for it as well!

There are a great multitude of famous German people.  Read lists of them here and choose one to write a short biography about their life.  Why are they famous?  Where in Germany were they born?  Did they live their entire lives in Germany?  When did they live?  Did they have children?  What contributions did they make to the world?

Oktoberfest

Finally, read about the history of Oktoberfest.  When was the first Oktoberfest?  What did it origianlly celebrate?  Why does it begin in September?  What was the most popular activity in the first years?  How do they celebrate today?  Is it a popular festival?

I would end the unit study with a German meal as suggested in Grammy Sheryl’s blog, Happy October! Then I would gather as a family with full bellies and watch Sound of Music!

Have fun!

To discuss unit studies and other homeschooling topics, visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.

Anyone with a German background like I have knows that autumn brings the delightful smells of German cooking and Oktoberfest.  The simplest German food is bratwurst simmered in beer and then grilled outdoors, served with sauerkraut and spicy mustard on a rye bun.  You may want to try a more involved German recipe, now that cooler weather should be on the way.  This might also be a good way to incorporate learning about the history, customs, and dress of another country, especially if it is part of your own heritage.

Here is a good menu to try, with the recipes following:

Sauerbraten with Gingersnap Gravy

Mashed Potatoes or Potato Dumplings (I use the frozen ones rather than make my own)

Sweet Sour Red Cabbage

Apfel Kuchen (German Apple Cake)

Sauerbraten

4 Pound Rump Roast

2 Onions, Sliced

2 Bay leaves

6 Whole Cloves

12 Peppercorns

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Pint Red Wine Vinegar

Place roast in a large zip lock bag with onions and seasonings.  Pour over a mixture of red wine vinegar and ½ cup water (heated to boiling.)  Marinate 3 days or more.  Turn meat twice a day – do not pierce with a fork.  Keep in refrigerator.

To cook:  drain meat and brown thoroughly on all sides in hot fat in a heavy skillet.  Add marinade, cover pan and simmer slowly 3 to 4 hours, or until tender.  (I have used the crock pot.)  Remove from liquid and allow to stand for 15 minutes before slicing.  Serve with Gingersnap Gravy.

Gingersnap Gravy

Pour off any excess fat from the liquid meat was cooked in.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 12-16 crumbled gingersnaps.  Cook 10 minutes longer.  Thicken with a flour-water paste (2 tablespoon flour per ½ cup of liquid.)  Bring to boil, and boil 1 minute.  Season and serve.

Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage

1 Head Red Cabbage, Thinly Sliced

4 Slices Bacon, Diced

2 Tablespoons, Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour

½ Cup Water

1/3 Cup Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Pepper

1 Small Onion, Sliced

Steam cabbage in a small amount of water until crisp-tender (5-8 minutes.)  Drain.  Fry bacon; remove bacon and discard half of the bacon fat.  Add brown sugar and flour to remaining bacon fat; blend.  Add water, vinegar, seasonings and onion; cook until thick, 5 minutes.  Add bacon and cabbage; heat through.

Apfel Kuchen (German Apple Cake)

4-5 Cups Baking Apples (Granny Smith or other)

1 ¼ Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Sugar

¾ Cup Sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons Flour

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Milk

½ Cup Butter

1/3 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 305 degrees.
2. Mix 1 ¼ cup flour, the baking powder, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt and sift once.
3. Cut ½ cup butter into dry mix with a pastry blender to pea size.
4. Beat egg with 2 Tablespoons milk and add to dry mix.
5. Mix thoroughly and pat dough into a greased 9X13 inch baking dish
6. Pare and core apples.
7. Cut apples into thin wedge slices and place on dough in rows until dough is covered.  We would cover the thin end of one apple with the thick end of the other.
8. Dot apples with 2 Tablespoons butter.  Mix ¾ cup sugar, 1 ½ Tablespoons flour and the cinnamon together.
9. Spread dry topping over dotted apples and bake in over for 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

Shelly will be featuring information on German culture and the history of Oktoberfest in tomorrow’s blog, so check back or subscribe to our email list or RSS feed to make a full unit study!

To discuss unit studies, recipes, or other homeschooling topics, please visit the HMHS Discussion Forum.

Pangrams

The most well-known pangram, or sentence that contains all letters of the alphabet, is “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.” Here are others (from shortest to longest):

• Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.

• A mad boxer shot a quick, gloved jab to the jaw of his dizzy opponent.

• Ebenezer unexpectedly bagged two tranquil aardvarks with his jiffy vacuum cleaner.

• Jelly-like above the high wire, six quaking pachyderms kept the climax of the extravaganza in a dazzling state of flux.

Using pangrams in daily copywork is a wonderful way to get practice in all letters of the alphabet!  The more complex sentences can be a quick introduction to new vocabulary words for both young children and upper grades as well.  Here are a couple of links to printing free copywork pages.

Worksheet Works allows you to customize copywork.  You can use block print or cursive for tracing or copying.

Notebooking Pages.com offers free blank lined copywork pages in a variety of styles (scroll to the middle of the page).

Have Fun!

To discuss copywork and other homeschooling topics, please visit our HMHS Discussion Forum.