From the Inside Out

Free Autumn Unit Study

2009-10-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Owen and I will be enjoying a new Autumn unit study and lapbook from Amanda Bennett (yay!) in the next couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to learning and making lots of memories with my guy, and I'm sure the older kids (and the little one too) will want to join in on some things too. :) Check it out...it's free! Autumn Treasures.

Apostles Creed H.C.C. Champions

2009-09-28T15:58:00.001-07:00

This is Owen's Sunday School class...

Granola

2009-09-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite foods to have for breakfast is Peanut Butter Granola. I got this recipe from the Five in a Row boards a couple years ago and we have making it several times a month ever since. I usually triple the batch when I make it so we're sure to have lots leftover.

Peanut Butter Granola

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

Melt these two ingredients until smooth, over low heat)

Then stir in:

1/3 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

When all the ingredients are warm and smooth, stir in 3 cups of rolled oats until well coated. Put the oat mixture on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until crisp. At this point you can toss in raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, etc. if you like. Then cool and store tightly covered.

Science Lab in a Supermarket

2009-08-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

We have been working through the experiments in Science Lab in a Supermarket, and today we spent some time learning about how water travels through plants.

In Experiment #1 we used colored water to observe how the water travels through the celery's capillaries.

In Experiment #2 we made a cut in one side of the celery stalk and then observed that the part above the cut section was not red like the other side after being in the colored water.

In Experiment #3 we compared two pieces of celery that had been left in the refrigerator for a few hours - one with water, and one without.

Comfort Food

2009-08-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Jordan has been making dinner once a week, and this week she decided to make Zucchini Chowder. This is a recipe I found years ago in a Taste of Home magazine and is definitely one our family's favorites.

Zucchini Chowder

2 medium zucchini, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

pinch sugar, optional

1/4 cup chopped parsley, optional

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, saute the zucchini, onion, parsley and basil in butter until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in water. Add the bouillon and lemon juice; mix well. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, milk and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Just before serving, stir in cheeses until melted. Add sugar and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Yield: About 2-1/2 quarts

She also made Rosemary Bread, which tasted sooo good with the chowder. If you have ever had the bread from Macaroni Grille, this bread tastes very similar...yum!

Rosemary Bread

1 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon basil

1 tablespoon rosemary

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select white bread cycle; press start.

Gag Me!

2009-08-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

Today we dissected owl pellets. For those of you who may not know what that means, let me explain a bit. Owls usually eat their food whole. The parts that cannot be digested, like bones and feathers, are formed into a ball called a pellet. These pellets are then coughed up, basically. By dissecting a pellet, you can see exactly what the owl ate.

I found a chart on the internet to help identify the bones and what animals they came from.

When we were done I had the kids list what they found. They found shrew skulls, jaws, pelvic bones, ribs, and scapulas; mole skulls, pelvic bones, scapulas and ribs; bird pelvic bones and hind limbs; and rodent skulls and jaws (with teeth in some). Like I said...gag me!

Where's Brandt?

2009-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've followed a guy named Brandt Russo online for a couple of years now. Brandt lives on the streets and does whatever he can for the people he comes in contact with. He says, "I just try to love. Everyday." Brandt is a beautiful example of what it means to love like Jesus. Earlier today on Facebook he linked to an amazing article he wrote for Enoch Magazine and I wanted to share it here.

Most Christians Don't Listen to 'Jazz'

written by Brandt Russo

About a year back, I was in New Orleans with a youth group that wanted to learn how to serve the homeless. Earlier that day, they had made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and brought apples and water hoping it would bring a smile and some hope to someone with an empty stomach. Being that I’d spent a year homeless to better understand the homeless and urban poor, I get asked often to take groups out to teach them how to love practically.

This particular time broke my heart. One of the girls from the group approached a lovely black elderly fellow we called Jazz. Jazz was about 60, and the wrinkles on his face told many stories if you stared long enough. Jazz played the sax in the French Quarter every day hoping to make enough to spend the night in the local shelter (yes they charge every night after week’s free stay). “Hungry, anything helps” read his tattered cardboard sign, dampened by the morning rain. She walked up without asking him his name or how he was and handed him an apple. With a grin, he politely refused and she walked away grumbling something under her breath.

When I approached her to ask her what she was upset about, she had already started telling her friends that “all that homeless man wanted was money. He is probably an alcoholic.” I asked her to walk back with me, and as I walked up to Jazz I offered him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the biggest, TOOTHLESS smile came on his face as he thanked us for the sandwich. You see, Jazz hadn’t been able to eat an apple since his teeth had been knocked out in a street fight twelve years back. It’s incredible the stories you will hear if you take the time to get to know these beautiful, broken street people. This girl had walked away changed.

I find it simply amazing the chasm between class lines, especially in the “Christian” world. Jesus had this amazing idea that if you mix class lines, they tend to dissolve. That if we fall in love with someone’s heart, they are no longer homeless in our eyes, but become family. It’s a beautiful transition that happens when we take the time to extend ourselves to those whom we are “most afraid” of . If you were to take a group of kids from the ghetto camping in the woods, they would be terrified of every sound, praying not to get eaten by a bear. If we were to take a group of suburban kids to the ghetto, the same would happen (replacing the bear with a gunshot). We are all so afraid of what we don’t know, and sadly, we are usually more afraid of our preconceived ideas of that fear than we are of the “fear” itself.

The media has done wonders dehumanizing the poor, so it’s no wonder that we do all we can to ignore them. If you walk downtown, don’t make eye contact, they say. Don’t carry cash. Walk on the opposite side of the street.It’s amazing the lengths we take to avoid the very people Jesus spent His life serving. I think what we tend to forget is that every “poor” person is somebody’s loved one. A grandfather or grandmother, son or daughter. We live our lives for our own flesh and blood, and would do ANYTHING we can to fix theirbroken lives, and yet Jesus made it clear that we are ALL FAMILY.

In Genesis 1:27 (Message), it says that “God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature’ “. We are all sons and daughters of the creator of this world, all as splendid as the sun and worthy of honor and love. My life has been changed, not only by the stories of these broken people, but by sharing in their joys and sufferings. I’ve found Jesus in the eyes of many a homeless person. We can’t ignore the poor, because as Mother Teresa said, “In the poor, we find Jesus in His most distressing disguise.” Be love to someone today, and find your own “Jazz.” It will change everything.

When they're "bored"...

2009-08-10T06:28:00.001-07:00

So this is what happens when we take a break from tv, computers, and video games for over a month...

Building an Insect Zoo

2009-08-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

We have been reading and learning about insects this week and one of our activities is to make an insect zoo. Basically we're just collecting different bugs in some containers we've been saving, and then identifying and learning more about them. We went out for a while today to search for some insects to add to our zoo. Jordan managed to find a small Leaf Bug on Owen's back and we have it in a jar with a blackberry leaf, which we read they are fond of. Owen chased a grasshopper around for a while trying to catch it, but finally gave up! We also found a blackberry bush and picked a small handful of berries. Yum!

Playing Dress-Up

2009-08-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here is what Sage looked like today after spending some time upstairs with Brandon. She loves to dress up and I am definitely going to be adding to her "dress up" collection. She came down the stairs saying, "Look, Mommy. I'm a princess."

What's Your Homeschool Philosophy?

2009-08-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

I love this blog post because it sums up so well what we are trying to put into our children, not only in our homeschool, but in every area of life.

How to Amuse Them Today

For 2500 years the world has watched as two competing philosophies of education have vied for prominence. The Greek philosophy exalts knowledge above all else. Socrates said, “There is only one good, knowledge, and only one evil, ignorance.” The Greeks spent hours debating truth and arguing among themselves.

Within the Jewish culture however, there was a different priority. First was a search for relationships. The Jew wanted relationship on two planes- both the vertical and the horizontal. The first quest was to love God. The second quest was to love your fellow man. These two truths were inseparable. John says in 1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

After these relationships were firmly established, THEN Jewish philosophy began to pursue wisdom and knowledge. 1 Cor. 8:1 says “…knowledge puffs up, but love builds ups.” Within these few words Paul clearly articulates the contrast between knowledge and relationships. Loving edifies while knowledge for the sake of knowledge only makes one prideful. And without doubt- the Greeks prided themselves on their knowledge, thinking of themselves as better than anyone else in the ancient world for this very reason. But Paul argues that knowledge apart from loving relationships is a waste of time- foolishness that only blinds us with crippling pride.

So which philosophy is the foundation for your homeschool? Are you following the Greek model in the headlong pursuit of academic achievement and knowledge above all else? Or are you following the Jewish model that stresses loving God and loving others as the safeguard which prevents the pursuit of knowledge from turning us into proud, arrogant fools?

Different curriculum publishers, homeschool speakers and book authors have all made a choice as well. It shouldn’t take you long to discern whether they have built upon a Greek or a Jewish philosophy of education. One seeks to exalt the human mind and it’s potential first and foremost- while the other seeks to ground us in a knowledge of God and a love for others to avoid the pride which inevitably results from the relentless pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

Share these truths with your children today. Talk with them about your priorities in education. Ask them what we mean when we say someone is a “know it all.” Even a child knows that someone who has lots of knowledge but doesn’t care about the feelings of the people around him quickly becomes despised because of his pride and arrogance.

Before you crack open the math, history or science book today, think of at least one way for you and your children to express your love to God, and at least one way to express your love to another human being. Perhaps a simple prayer or worship song might express your love to God. And perhaps cleaning up a sibling’s room for them, or offering to help weed an elderly neighbor’s garden might be a practical expression of love for others. NOW you can dig deep into geography or grammar knowing that your priorities are rightly grounded today.

Go back and look over the verses above and talk with your children about them.

And please- don’t ever say that Steve is against knowledge and education. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am 100% in favor of academic excellence and achievement- as long as it’s in its rightful place after we have nurtured a relationship with the Lord and a love for others.

Electronics Fun

2009-08-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Jerid bought the kids a circuit board a couple weeks ago and they have been having tons of fun learning how create things with it (shhhh, don't tell them they're learning). We had a friend over today and Owen was teaching Alex how to use it.

Sage Singing

2009-07-31T05:41:00.001-07:00

Hosanna

2009-07-21T13:38:00.001-07:00

How He Loves Us

2009-06-15T06:46:00.001-07:00

Look What My Big Girl Did...

2009-06-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jordan and her friend Grace donated their hair to Locks of Love. We went to the salon Friday night and they put their hair in ponytails, then we headed over to the high school track for the opening ceremonies for the Relay for Life. They had their ponytails cut off there. Jordan donated 14 inches and Grace donated 12! After that we headed back to the salon for styles and highlights. What fun! The girls (and I) had a blast. Saturday morning it was back to the salon to restyle their hair and add some makeup, and then back to the track for the closing ceremonies and showing off their new look. I am so glad the girls had a chance to donate their hair in a bit more personal way than just going to the salon. Seeing all the survivors leading the way in the relay was a real blessing, and I think it made Jordan really think about what she was actually doing. I am so thankful that we had a chance to do this and I am so proud of the girls for doing it!

Chemistry in Cooking

2009-04-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

This week Owen been rowing Mrs. Katz an Tush for his Five in a Row unit. In our story Mrs. Katz is Jewish so we have been learning about persecution of minorities, immigration and also touched on the Jewish exodus from Egypt. We have been reading lots of books about Jewish traditions and customs. For science we talked about yeast and how the bread of Passover contains no yeast so it is flat. We also learned about the different properties of yeast and how it grows in things containing sugar. To demonstrate this we tried an experiment I found in the Five in a Row archives.

We used an empty plastic bottle, warm water, sugar, yeast, and a balloon.

We filled the bottle about 2/3 of the way full with warm water, added some sugar and shook the bottle so the sugar would dissolve. Next we added the yeast and gently swirled the bottle to mix it into the water/sugar mixture.

Then we put the balloon around the opening.

The kids were amazed to see the balloon expand over the next 20 minutes or so. Fun stuff!!

A New Coat for Anna

2009-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

This week we have been using the book A New Coat for Anna to learn about patience, bartering, and a little about World War II among other things. The story takes place in Europe just after World War II. The main character, Anna, needs a new coat, but there is no money to buy one. Her mother decides to barter with some of the local merchants to have a coat make for Anna. They traded a gold watch for some wool, a lamp to have the wool spun into yarn, a necklace to have the wool woven into cloth and finally a teapot to have the cloth made into a coat. As a part of an art lesson on weaving, Owen made a placemat by weaving construction paper strips. As usual, Brandon wanted to join it to. ;)

Sage's "School"

2009-03-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sage loves to play with the math manipulatives while we are doing morning lessons. This activity actually keeps her busy enough that I can usually get a math lesson in with Owen..yay!

Bye-Bye Binky Baby

2009-02-07T13:38:00.001-08:00

Last night Sage went to bed without her beloved binky. We weren't sure how she would do, especially since we've been sick and she has a lingering cough that tends to wake her up, but she fell asleep great! She woke up at 5:30 a.m. which is way out of the ordinary for her, but I'm hoping tomorrow she'll be back to her 7:00 schedule...we shall see. Her nap was great today too. She talked to herself for a bit and then dozed right off. I'm so proud of my big girl.

I am a Great Aunt!

2009-01-31T09:55:00.001-08:00

Antonio and Rachel had their baby girl!! That makes me a Great Aunt! Azizah Maelynn was born on January 14, 2009 at 12:55 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long! Isn't she just precious?!

Your Name High

2009-01-19T08:45:00.001-08:00

Making Christmas Treats

2008-12-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

Each year I like to try to find at least one new holiday recipe for the kids to make, and after some searching we decided to try a recipe from the Family Fun website. This was a great simple activity for the kids to do together and we will definitely be adding this to our yearly baking.

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

2008-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

We finally made some time today to make our apple pie from when we rowed How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World earlier in the school year. This is one of our favorite books and I think we've revisited it at least twice in our years of using Five in a Row. Every time we find more things to learn about. The kids had so much fun and this is the first year that they've all been old enough to pretty much make the whole pie by themselves, and the results were delicious! I can't wait to do it again next year.

School Time

2008-11-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Sage loves to sit at the table with us when we are having lessons. She looks like such a big girl when she sits up with her pencil and paper. :o)

Sleepy Girl

2008-11-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is the way I found Sage in her crib when I went to check on her before I headed off to bed...

Fun at the Apple Orchard

2008-10-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the apple orchard with some friends from church. The kids enjoyed the wagon ride and the tour showing how they make apple cider and also watching the sorting machine. Our trip was pretty late in the season so most of the apples were gone from the trees, but they were able to pick a couple to take home. Next year we will plan an earlier trip so we can pick more apples and hopefully can some apple butter...

Botanical Gardens

2008-10-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Today the kids and I headed to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens while Jerid was working. It was a beautiful day and the gardens were gorgeous. The kids enjoyed the children's garden, and were especially excited to find a re-creation of Peter Rabbit's home and Mr. McGregor's garden...what fun!

Zoo Atlanta

2008-10-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

After Jerid was done working for the day we headed to the zoo. I am so glad we went ahead and purchased the City Passes for our trip. It is so nice to have our tickets ahead of time and has really helped us to plan our days.

Centennial Olympic Park

2008-10-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying our time in Atlanta. Today the kids and I walked to Centennial Olympic Park so they could play in the fountains. They had so much fun and no one wanted to leave when it was time!