…by the shores of silver lake…

Sharing a Good Book - Compartiendo un Buen Libro

2012-01-30T18:12:00.000-05:00

We began reading this book, as a read aloud, at bedtime, and have been speeding through it. The children are loving it, and even I find myself laughing hysterically at moments. It really is a great, silly story, that children will love. I think too many people opt for the movie instead of the book, but even the author himself had a thing or two to say about this ;-)

Many of Dahl's books are available in Spanish! (and other languages too.)

An Art Class for Mama ~ Una Clase de Arte Para Mamá

2012-01-30T02:59:00.001-05:00

I have been working on improving my skills, and finally have a bit of motivation. This one is from a book called Teaching with the Fables, a holistic approach. My rendition of it at least.

Block Crayons & Fine Motor Development ♫♫ Los Colores de Bloque & el Desarollo de Motricidad Fina

2012-01-27T17:19:00.009-05:00

In a previous post, I wrote about noticing how my ds holds crayons and similar items, and some things I had read about the reasons for this, and how to help. We are experimenting with block crayons, and they seem to be the way to go, for now. I have also seen little crayons in the shape of stones, which also are good for fine motor development. When little man reached for a pencil the other day, I handed him one of these instead. They totally do away with the need for 'proper grip' since they are incredibly short and square, perfect for a small little hand.

En una entrada recién, escribí sobre el asunto de como mi hijo agare lápices de color, y articulos parecidos, junto con información que he leído para ayudarle. Hemos usado entonces los colores en forma de bloque , y parece que son una buena solución por el momento. He visto también los colores en forma de piedras, que hasta mencionen que son muy útiles para niños con ese tipo de problema de motricidad. La forma cuadrada, ayude que el niño lo agare de manera correcta, lo cual es más facil... y también ayuden al desarollo de los musculos.

Cuando mi hijo quizo agarar un lapíz el otro día, le ofrecí un bloque en su lugar. No requieren una forma tan especial para agararlas dado que son tan cuadrados y pequeños. Son justos para la mano infantil.

Sharing a Good Book - Compartiendo un Buen Libro

2012-01-18T01:36:00.000-05:00

Muy adecuado para el invierno, o las epocas más grises...

A cute, simple tale for the winter.

Helping your Child with Proper Pencil Grip/ Aydudando a su Hijo Agarrar el lapíz Correctamente

2012-01-16T01:01:00.010-05:00

I was a little surprised to notice how my youngest was holding his crayon recently. He uses all five fingers in a way that is actually difficult to describe. I decided to offer fatter crayons, skinnier ones, etc... to see if any would help the problem. I tried to show him how to hold it correctly. He tried, but could not, and held it pinched between the two appropriate fingers, but in a rather unusual way. Nothing seemed to help remedy the situation. I try not to bring much attention to it, although every now and again, I do gently tell prompt him, How do we hold our crayon? He tries but he cannot. I think I will even give up on telling him that, at least for now.

Me soprendí cuando vi como mi hijo menor aggaraba a los lapices de color apenas. Usa todos los dedos, de una manera que es dificil describir. Intenté con lapices más gruesos, menos gruesos, etc... para ver si el problema solo se resuelve. También le mostré como aggararlo de la forma correcta, y lo intentó, pero realmente fue cosa que no pudo hacer. Decidí mejor no señalar tanta atención hacia el asunto.

After a bit of research, I have come to a number of conclusions. The inability to hold the crayon (or pencil) correctly, is often due to weak hand and finger muscles. He needs to do exercises that strengthen his muscles, a prerequisite to proper grip of the pencil and crayon.

Después de un poco de investigación sobre el tema, he llegado a los siguientes conclusiones. La inabilidad de aggarar bien al lapíz tiene que ver con musculos debiles (en parte). El niño se requiere ejercicios de motricidad fina, para fortalecer la mano, un requisito previo de poder usar los lapices.

Exercises to help fine motor coordination and muscle development:

Los siguientes ejercicios se pueden ayudar a la motricidad fina y el desarollo muscular:

1. Lacing cards - Bordando tarjetas o fieltre con cordón
2. Stringing beads, macaroni, etc... - Encordar macarones, eslabones, u otras cosas pequeñas

3. Doing any other activity with the pincer grip. - Haciendo otras actividades con agarre de pinza

4. Squeezing lemons, oranges, garlic, etc... using a hand press - Usando esprimidor de limones, naranjas, o ajo (haz jugo!)

5. Using scissors/ cutting activities - Usando tijeras

For the meantime, I thought to experiment with block crayons, or other more ergonomic shapes, such as the rock crayons. While he may not be able to hold the crayon appropriately, it would also not be good for him to develop a habit of inappropriately holding it either. So, it may be best for him to avoid some of these items for a time. Yikes. Drawing seems to be his new thing. He never had any interest in at all, until quite recently, and then sat and drew pictures, page after page for a tremendously long time.

Seeing this comparison of the blocks, next to skinny little sticks, it seems logical that it might help. Had I realized sooner!

Revisiting my Bookshelf/ Revisitando mi Biblioteca Archivado

2012-01-06T01:14:00.005-05:00

I am realizing how a blog can be a resource unto yourself, as I can search out some of those same wonderful books and activities for the second time around.

I have also updated the shelves a bit, as I neglected this for a long time. I try whenever possible, to review all of the books we read. The shelves are at the very bottom of the page. But here is the preschool shelf which we will be updating as we visit this again, with our youngest.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

Knitty Kitty by David Elliott

Each Living Thing by Joanne Ryder

Updated First Grade Language Arts ♫ Clase de Primer Ciclo Lenguaje y Literatura

2011-12-11T13:41:00.001-05:00

I finally got a chance to upload many of the photos from our First Grade language arts blocks, and will continue to add to them, as time permits. I just added them to the original post, rather than create new posts. They are here: http://bytheshoresofsilverlake.blogspot.com/2011/08/first-grade-language-arts-blocks.html

We enjoyed the lessons, and it was a great way to introduce letters and reading, and some of the different concepts associated with reading. It really involved all of the senses and the multiple intelligences, and was actively engaging.

Por fin, tuve la oportunidad poner varias fotos de nuestros trabajos de primer ciclo - bloque de lenguage y literatura, de hecho, fueron todos los bloques del año escolar. Voy a seguir juntandolas al original en vez de crear una nueva entrada, para que todo este en el mismo lugar.

Disfrutemos bastante de la forma en que fue presentado, las materias. Hicimos los primeros pasos hacia la lectura al final del año, dado que la lectura en ingles es muy distincta - no es tan fonetica como el espanol - y tambien, nos fue muy bien.

Tracks in the Mud

2011-12-10T02:14:00.001-05:00

Autumn Apples - Manzanas del Otoño

2011-11-30T13:29:00.001-05:00

We spent a few days in October, really focusing on the changes Autumn brings. We took a trip to an apple orchard, which has become a regular annual tradition for us. I think this is so important, as children have really become distanced from the processes involved in food production and other 'regular' household tasks of yesteryear, to the point where they really believe bread is just something that comes off a supermarket shelf wrapped in plastic. These trips help the children to see and know, in an intuitive way, with no overkill of lecturing, not only where their food comes from, but the effort that goes into producing it. It gives them a connection to the land that could otherwise easily be missed. Today's children more than ever need these grounding connections, in an effort to counterbalance the fast and furious pace of modern life.

Besides, they love it!

Gastemos unos cuantos dias en octubre, enfocando en los cambios que trae el otoño. Hicimos un pequeño viaje hacia las granjas de manzanas, ya una tradición anual, en que los niños pueden recoger sus propias manzanas, y jugar bajo los arboles y en el campo. Siento que tiene un valor de sumamente importancia, por un multiple de razones. Sin ninguna enseñanza directa, y tampoco aburrido, aprenden demasiado, como los origenes de su comida y hasta el labor y fuerza que se requiere para producirlo. Hoy en dia, cuando muchos niños en el mundo desarollado, piensan que pan nada mas viene en plastico del supermercado, es mas importante que nunca, darles oportunidades saber los fuentes y origenes de los productos.

A parte de eso, lo encantan!

We did a form drawing in the shape of apples. I am beginning to see some of the differences with drawing and form drawing. For the forms, you are not supposed to lift your crayon from the paper, for the entire length of the form, so you really have to 'know' the shape, and it causes you to see it in a new way. I guess it could be similar to when artists draw negative space instead of the actual objects, it forces you to look at things with a new perspective.

Hicimos unos dibujos de las formas de las manzanas. Empiezo ver las differencias entre dibujar en si, y dibujar formas. Para las formas, no se debe levantar el lapiz del papel durante toda la forma. Eso requiere que uno realmente conoce bien la forma, y lo veras de nuevo punto de vista. Es parecido a cuando artistas aprenden dibujar el espacio negative en vez del objeto actual.

Table Top Puppetry ♥♥ Titeres de Mesa

2011-11-27T14:00:00.001-05:00

A Needle Felted Princess Puppet
Un Titere de Mesa Princesa Hecho de Lana

One of the ways we often 'review' our stories for our lessons, is through tabletop puppetry. We set up a scene from our story, using simple props: pinecones for trees (the flat bottomed sort), little peg people or felt dolls, or other 'people', animal figures, silk scarves (blue ones make great great rivers), felted wool playmats (a farm scene) and little wooden houses that the children have painted (often these are bird houses from the craft store.)

Una de las maneras en que 'repasamos' nuestros lecciones, es por medio de titeres de mesa. Formamos una escena, usando accesorios simples, como pinos, personas de madera o lana u otras personajes, figuras de animales (plasticas o de madera, telas de seda (azul forma un rio o lago perfecto), casitas de madera, que los niños han pintado.

We embellish this with little stones (flat ones that we have found at the seaside make nice stepping stones), and other little odds and ends.

A eso añadimos piedras pequeñas (las que encontramos al lado del mar, y que son planos forman un paso bonito por el bosque), entre otras cositas chiquitas.

In this way, we can recreate a scene from a story and act it out. The children LOVE to do this, and enjoy adding figures and details to the scene. It really draws them in, even when they would rather not do schoolwork.

De esa manera, podemos recrear cualquier escena de libro o cuento infantil, y realmente trabajar con ello. Los niños lo encantan, y disfrutan poner sus propios detalles. Se puede incluir hasta los más peques.

Time to Make the Playdough - Hora de Hacer la Pasta de Sal

2011-10-20T02:47:00.003-04:00

Today we had some simple fun, after taking a little break from schoolwork, and regrouping my thoughts, listening to the Boys Alive sessions, and just thinking, thinking, thinking. I have decided to simplify our structure a bit.

Hoy divertimos de las cosas sencillas, despues de haber tomado una vacacion de los deberes escolares, poniendo mis ideas en orden, y escuchando una sesion de Boys Alive, y pensando, pensando, pensando.... He decidido simplificar nuestro dia un poco.

We decided to make a few batches of playdough, and wound up with a beautiful purple one, and a light pink. We used natural dyes, which we made, so it was a nice process. We are working on some Earth dough, basically the color of mud. It should be good for making mud pies in the winter.

Hicimos un poco de masa de sal, uno que salio un hermoso color lila, la otra rosa. Lo hicimos con tintes naturales, mejor decir, usemos plantas para lograr los colores, que fue todo un proceso, pero muy divertido. Tambien vamos a hacer una masa de lodo o tierra, bueno, se hace de chocolate ;-) Nos serivira para hacer tortas de lodo durante el invierno si hace mucho frio afuera.

This REALLY is one of the best toys a child could have. My children can spend hours, of uninterrupted, often intense play, just with playdough and a few small objects (peg people, cars, animals, etc...) They love the feel of the flour, the kneading, and finally the ability to CREATE. It is so therapeutic, its actually quite amazing.

Realmente es uno de los mejores juguetes que los niños pueden tener. Los mios gastan horas haciendo figuras o cualquier cosa, creando, explorando. Es tan terapeutico en el mundo rapido de hoy en dia. A veces me asombra que tanto.

The Textures of Autumn - Las Texturas del Otoño

2011-09-20T00:29:00.004-04:00

It's the time of year to pull out the woolens!

A Day Scavenging the Forest/ Un Dia de Busqueda en el Bosque

2011-09-19T23:44:00.002-04:00

We spent the day, sort of impromptu, scavenging through the forest, seeing whatever we happened upon. Acorns, all sorts of fungi, which has really become an interest suddenly, since our receiving a giant puff ball mushroom recently, and of course the birds and fauna that are there.

Beatrix Potter was an amateur mycologist, and some of her earliest writings are about mushrooms!

We will be attempting to identify some mushrooms in the next few days/ weeks. Nothing extremely scientific or complex, just some collecting and print-making for comparative purposes. Here is one resource for our 'study'. http://americanmushrooms.com/

http://www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/mushrooms-meadow-mushroom.htm

¿Porque el Educar en Casa?

2011-09-14T01:36:00.001-04:00

While homeschooling may not be the most popular educational choice within the Spanish-speaking community, it certainly is GROWING!

This is so important, given today's educational climate. Hispanic students in the United States consistently receive some of the lowest marks on standardized exams, are often placed into special education, and have some of the lowest graduation rates.

If home education has helped African-Americans to score on par with White students, I am curious to see the statistics trickle in, in regard to Hispanic students.

Aunque el educar en casa no es la opcion más popular en el mundo hispano-hablante, las cifras estan creciendo! Eso es muy importante!

Tambien, es una manera clave ayudar a los ninos ser bilingues y estar orgulloso de ello, algo que curiosamente, y hasta tal vez, unicamente en los EEUU, esta mal visto.

First Grade Language Arts Blocks

2011-08-31T18:07:00.004-04:00

These were our drawings for the stories we did for introducing the letters. It was good to go through them in this way, despite earlier exposure to the alphabet, which is almost unavoidable in the modern world, and certainly not a terrible thing either.

This was different though. It was really taking the time to bring each and every letter alive through story and movement and verse, as well as other tactile and artistic experiences. They did come to life in a more joyful, lively way, and many children at this age, do tend to mix up a lot of their letters. I think it was enjoyable, even though there was definite overlap. When issues of letter recognition did arise, as they do, the ability to recall a character, facilitated the recall of the sound. This was especially the case with W, and I would just always remind Miss of the Wise Woman from the World of Waves.

These were the drawings I presented, as well as some of hers, so there is both the child's pictures, which are simple. I did have her do quite a bit more writing than many might, but that is because of her personality and nature. It really depends upon the child.

Jolly Jester Letter J

A simple sentence to copy.

I made a stop sign at the end of the sentence and used the rather British term, full stop, to teach what a period is. I think it makes more sense to the child, as they see stop signs in real life.

Introducing the vowels

Practicing letters in a sand tray

A great tactile experience

Summer Dreams

2011-08-22T01:03:00.000-04:00

Summer is speeding by, and I have been in absentia rather intentionally, trying to be more present in the physical world, and less so in the virtual one, not always an easy task I admit, since the computer tends to call out to us moderners for so many different reasons. But I have decided to look up things in books when possible, rather than run to google in front of my children every twenty minutes, and for this reason, the computer has been taking a summertime siesta! I have found this necessary in our life, and will be trying to model this behavior increasingly in the near future. When people discuss daily rhythms and schedules, I have finally come to admit (for I had long realized) that the computer was the number one thing killing any attempt at having a real daily rhythm.

Though we have had a rather local summer, I have had dreams of a far away place, of which I have fond memories. The sand, the sun, the people, the sounds, the smells. If I could jump into a painting, this would be it.

Finally! the Fireflies Return

2011-06-24T11:08:00.001-04:00

We finally had the chance to see fireflies again. We had been anxiously awaiting their arrival. We pulled an old book off the shelf - a lovely story about fireflies from my childhood, The Fireflies, by Max Bollinger. I put this in a much older post, two summers ago: Firefly Watch

When we were down near the beach, Monday evening, there certainly were many more fireflies, and the children were elated to finally see them. Little Man was so happy to have one crawl on him, though I had to help him out a bit, he wasn't able to catch them.

A good Book to Share - Un buen libro para compartir

2011-06-11T19:56:00.006-04:00

I saw this book at our public library, which opened the same year Neruda was born. I thought, what a wonderful addition to the cultural discussion on bilingualism and biculturalism that I have been having lately (will post).

Essentially, the issue is showing children positive and beautiful depictions of the culture you are trying to embrace, whether it is your own native culture or a language you have chosen to teach for any number of reasons. One must be careful to shield young children from negative stereotypes and show them the beauty of the chosen culture and language, and also remember to use the language in natural ways...via poems, songs and familiar stories.

Encontré este libro en nuestra biblioteca pública, la cuál se inauguró en el mismo año que nació Neruda, el famoso poeta Chileño. Pensé, ¡qué maravillosa adición a la discusión cultural sobre el bilingüismo y el biculturalismo que he estado teniendo últimamente (se publicará).

En esencia, la cuestión es enseñar a los niños representaciones positivas y hermosasde la cultura que está tratando de adoptar, si es su propia cultura nativa o en una lengua que ha elegido para enseñar a cualquier número de razones. Hay que tener cuidado para proteger a los niños pequeños de los estereotipos negativos y mostrarlesla belleza de la cultura y el idioma elegido, y también a acordarse de usar el idioma de forma natural ... a través de poemas, canciones, y cuentos.

Picasso in the tub - Picasso en el Baño

2011-06-08T20:13:00.003-04:00

We made some homemade bath paint! What fun bath time became!

The recipe is very simple. Add boiling water to flour and *a few drops* of food color, stir, and add cold water until it reaches desired consistency. Voila.

Hicimos pinturas para el baño, hechos en casa, que hizo convertir el bañar en algo muy divertido.

La receta es muy simple. Agregar el agua hirviendo y colorantes a la harina, remover y añadir agua fría hasta que consiga la consistencia deseada. Voila.

Curriculo en Español - Spanish Language Homeschooling

2011-06-08T13:39:00.003-04:00

This school is based in Puebla, Mexico. I was excited to find it. The platform is online, which is not my particular style, but it is nice to see what is out there, especially in the Spanish language, since so little is available in terms of homeschooling materials.

Esta escuela tiene su sede en Puebla, México. Me alegré encontrarlo. La plataforma está en línea, que no es mi estilo particular, pero es bueno ver lo que está ahí en el mercado, sobre todo en el idioma español, ya que tan poco está disponible en términos de materiales de educación en el hogar.

MamaMoontime: Today, do something unexpected

2011-06-07T12:46:00.002-04:00

MamaMoontime: Today, do something unexpected

Photo: Allsorts Pininterest

This was so poignant! So I created a link. I hope that is okay. And we DID do something unexpected! We left our schoolwork and romped in the sprinkler, since it was nearly 100 degrees! The feel of grass between your toes is nature too! Quite possibly, the best kind!

Charlotte Mason en ESPANOL!!!

2011-06-07T01:26:00.006-04:00

This Blog is excellent! All the information and ideas I am used to seeing in many of the English language blogs, but in Spanish. A real resource for Spanish speaking homeschoolers!

Este blog es excelente! Toda la información y las ideas que estoy acostumbrado de ver en muchos de los Blogs sobre Homeschooling, pero en español. Un recurso verdadero para los que eligen educar en el hogar de habla hispana.

Because the right to homeschool is not a given everywhere!

Educacion en Casa - un articulo desde Mexico

2011-06-07T01:06:00.000-04:00

Ese articulo contiene bastante información que muchas veces, solo se encuentra en ingles. Kudos a quien lo escribio!

http://www.articulosinformativos.com.mx/Educacion_en_Casa-a854268.html

A Blog from Spain, with posts about Homeschooling/ Un Blog de España, sobre el Educar en Casa

2011-06-07T00:42:00.002-04:00

http://www.elblogalternativo.com/2010/08/16/educar-en-casa-homeschooling-entrevistamos-a-la-experta-laura-mascaro-sobre-todos-los-aspectos-de-esta-opcion-educativa/#axzz1OYm623ql

This blog has some wonderful information in Spanish! Ese blog tiene mucha informacion en espanol, sobre el educar en casa, y es muy genial.

Global Girlfriend

2011-05-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

I put a new shop link on the sidebar there - Global Girlfriend! Check it out. They have some absolutely fabulous things, and all made by women artisans in different countries. Some of the stuff is just gorgeous.

Añadí un nuevo buton, una tienda - Global Girlfriend. Sigue el enlace haciendo clic sobre la imagen. Tienen cosas super geniales, y todas fabricadas por mujeres en various paises.

Learning through Story - Reading

2011-05-03T11:40:00.003-04:00

I was very pleased and a little surprised to come across this in my reading, and so I thought I would share. (I am always happy when I find little bits from scholars that give credence to the approach I have taken on education. It is a little sigh of relief coupled with a feeling of yeah, just maybe I am doing something right.)

In their book, Einstein Never Used Flashcards, Pasek and Golinkoff talk about the building blocks of reading, in a section about literacy. There are several keys that they point out as absolutely essential to reading, one is a good command of oral language. This includes having an extensive vocabulary.

The second was Storytelling. Yes! Storytelling.

"It turns out that storytelling is one of the bridges that move children from language to reading."

The authors then cite research and testing results that further corroborate with the thought that learning through play and via story is in fact the best way to learn to read.

Aprender por medio de Cuentos - La Lectura

Estuve muy contento y un poco soprendido leer lo siguiente, entonces, lo pense compartir. (Siempre estoy contenta cuando enceuntro evidencias de academicos que apoyan el acercamiento al aprendizaje que he escojido. Es un pequeno suspiro de tal vez, si lo estoy haciendo bien.)

En su libro, Einstein Never Used Flashcards, los autores, Pasek y Golinkoff hablan sobre los conceptos basicos de la lectura. Identifican varios elementos essenciales que son un absoluto para la lectura, uno es un buen dominio sobre el idioma oral - incluyendo buen vocabulario. La segunda es la narracion de cuentos, tanto el escucharlas que la habilidad de contarlas. Eso me facino - Narrar Cuentos!

"El poder narrar cuentos es uno de los puentes (enlances?) que lleva ninos desde el idioma hacia la lectura."

Los autores despues muestran estadisticos y estudios que verifiquen la verdad de esos. LA MEJOR MANERA APRENDER LEER ES POR MEDIO DEL JUGAR Y ESCUCHAR CUENTOS CON VOCABULARIOS EXTENSIVOS!!!!!

Greenwashing - Beyond a "Green" Label; Mas alla que una clasificacion "verde"

2011-04-23T14:03:00.001-04:00

I was in the craft store recently, looking for some felt, hoping our local craft stores might catch on to the trend for natural fiber materials, when I saw a cheap imitative pass - in attempt to convince consumers that the junk they were selling for 29 cents (big clue there) was ecologically friendly. Yes, perhaps it is an ecologically friendlier idea to recycle plastic bottles, (as opposed to dumping them in the ocean) but why would anyone want to give this item to a child? I wonder what sort of dust particles are released when cutting this material. hmmnn?

Hace poco, estuve en la tienda de materiales para arte, buscando fieltro, con la esperanza de que la tienda local habra llegado al coriente con la moda de usar cosas mas naturales, cuando vi una imitacion de lo cual, que tambien trataba de pasarse como un producto ecologico. Se vende por veinte nueve centavos la pieza (un gran indicacion de sus origenes). Tal vez, si es un granito mas ecologico reciclar botellas de plastico, que tirarlas al oceaon, pero porque daria un material hecho de ellos a ninos? Estoy curioso saber que tipo de particula se caen cuando los ninos trabajan y cortan el fieltro hecho de plastico? BPA?

This product is really being promoted as a wonderful green option. Not the case. I will be sticking to wool felt, a real 'green' material from completely natural sources, despite the expense.

Se promueven ese producto como si fuera realmente una opcion 'verde' cuando no es nada mas que un gran engaño.

A Spring Poem to Share - Un Poema de la Primavera para Compatir

2011-04-20T22:43:00.003-04:00

We are going to be learning this one, since it seems simple, with themes that a young child (first grade) can relate to. Vamos a aprender ese, ya que parece simple, con temas adecuadas para ninos chiquitos.

“Spring” by William Blake

Sound the flute!

Now it's mute!

Birds delight,

Day and night,

Nightingale,

In the dale,

Lark in sky, -

Merrily,

Merrily, merrily to welcome in the year.

Little boy,

Full of joy;

Little girl,

Sweet and small;

Cock does crow,

So do you;

Merry voice,

Infant noise;

Merrily, merrily to welcome in the year.

Little lamb,

Here I am;

Come and lick

My white neck;

Let me pull

Your soft wool;

Let me kiss

Your soft face;

Merrily, merrily we welcome in the year.

Handwork teaches resilience

2011-04-05T02:09:00.000-04:00

I was just reading something I had written, and thinking about how often I ask my child to do things that might be challenging, even difficult perhaps. They are outside of a comfort zone that we set for ourselves. Her personality is such that she often meets challenges with a downhearted "I can't." together with a good deal of frustration, often walking away. While I am not really sure the best way to handle this, I do sometimes tell her, do you remember when you thought you couldn't do that?

Finger-knitting and knitting with needles have both been such sources of frustration and anguish. Yet, with perseverance, we are moving towards a sense of accomplishment - slowly. It would be better if we did these things as readily as we should - but we are improving (I hope).

Miss M. decided to do some finger knitting this evening, and proudly came to tell me that she had knitted a very long cord.

March Breezes - Brisas de Marzo

2011-03-17T00:55:00.000-04:00

One of our activities recently was to make a calendar for the year, as part of our Nature Block. While we have not yet finished, we did get a few months pages done, nicely and will return to this shortly.

We have certainly been feeling some of those shrill breezes ;-)

Birdcount Continued

2011-03-15T01:11:00.002-04:00

Well, the robins returned last week. It is so nice to see them hopping about, which Little Miss pointed out. Then this morning in the field outside our window, there were tons of birds of all sorts. There were little black birds, robins, and they were so VERY excited to see a cardinal in the group. Even little man got to see him, and he often misses things like that, so he was definitely happy. :-)

So we did a watercolor drawing with some watercolor crayons.

We cheated a bit and used a template from Enchanted Learning. Sometimes mama just needs to make life simpler.

First Grade Math - Matematicas de primera clase - Number Cards

2011-03-11T01:09:00.000-05:00

We did these simple cards for our introductory math block and will use them for the four processes as well. I had seen something similar done commercially, but they were too expensive.

Adding Color to a Dreary Winter Scene

2011-03-11T00:54:00.000-05:00

We just needed a bit of color to look at once again.

First Grade Math: Sums - Matematicas de primera clase

2011-03-09T22:15:00.001-05:00

Here is something that I found pretty neat! Triangle sums (and differences too.) These are fact families, written on a triangle. We used old watercolors, and cut them into little triangles. Each corner gets one number. It is a nice visual for the child to see that the three numbers are related.

Aqui es algo que pense era bien divertida! Sumas en triangulo (y para restar tambien.) Usemos acuerelas viejas y la cortemos en triangulos. Se pone el numero en cada esquina, y es buena manera para el nino ver la relacion entre los tres numeros.

The Great Backyard Birdcount

2011-02-20T11:04:00.003-05:00

Here is an email I received - I just copied and pasted. It is interesting and I imagine, can be done at different levels, for different ages, and modified for different educational approaches.

Winter continues to rage here in Ithaca, New York... but the birds have started singing on the warmer mornings, indicating that spring really is just around the corner!

Great Backyard BirdCount, Going on Now!

For birdwatchers, there’s another reason that February is the month of love. No, I’m not suggesting that you send a valentine to that elusive Indigo Bunting (I doubt it would appreciate the sentiment). I’m talking about the Great Backyard Bird Count, or GBBC! Each year, bird watchers of all ages go outside and count the birds that they see. This gives Cornell Lab scientists a snapshot of winter bird populations and distributions all around North America. The GBBC is going on NOW through Monday. Beginning birders can easily participate, so if you can spare just 15 minutes to count birds, please visit the GBBC site.

BirdSleuth Homeschool Blog

Bird-friendly Coffee...Resurging Bald Eagle Populations...Dead Blackbirds in Arkansas! These are just some of the stories that we've highlighted on the BirdSleuth Homeschool Blog in the past month. Many stories include suggested activities that will help you and your family learn more or go further. Check out our blog, and if you find it useful, don't forget to follow it!

Finally, stay tuned for the next newsletter or watch the BirdSleuth facebook page for upcoming announcements, including new curricula materials!

Happy birding,

Jennifer Fee
Education Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Winter Nature Block - Unidad sobre la naturaleza en el invierno

2011-02-16T22:41:00.003-05:00

We are beginning our nature block, trying to spend time out of doors, and at least the weather is behaving better ;-)

Things we are looking for:

1. Cardinals
2. Blue Jays
3. Other interesting birds
4. Food sources in winter
5. Signs of animals (tracks, nibbling)
6. Things to add to our winter wreath

We will be making some very simple paper puppets with a template from Enchanted Learning. We'll glue them to a large craft stick. Of course, this could be done by mama the day before, since it is not the least bit aesthetic, but it does give you a few pieces of info to weave into a nice story.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-01-31T02:42:00.000-05:00

We really enjoyed this version of Beauty and the Beast retold by Max Eilenberg. It is set in the Victorian Era but otherwise true to the original tale. Very well done.

Pinkdelicious ~ Rosadelicioso

2011-01-29T00:33:00.002-05:00

Baking 101: Daddy Makes Cupcakes (with little miss of course)

and what a lovely Morello Cherry (all natural - thanks to Trader Joe's yipee! - hence a little fun and a lot of delish, without the junk)

There are Nine Planets in Our Neighborhood - Hay Nueve Planetas en Nuestro Barrio

2011-01-29T00:15:00.001-05:00

We have finally finished up our Math Block and moved on to our second Language Arts Block. Here are a few of the last photos (forthcoming) of what we covered.

Number Nine - The visible Planets was suggested for number 7 in our curriculum, but I thought that might be a bit confusing (Sun, Moon, etc...) and since 7 had so many options, and 9 so few, I felt it best to leave the planets for 9, and at some future time (light years away) we can discuss the controversy over Pluto.

There are 9 planets in our Neighborhood!

And Miss M. really enjoyed the little My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies. I was surprised that she really recalled it and even the names of the planets so well. I wasn't even sure if I was going to bother with the names and order, but she really wanted to know them, and after only one telling, had them down.

For anyone interested in painting a wall with chalkboard paint, as I did, here, you will notice that it is VERY difficult to clean really well. :-( We are hoping to have a new chalkboard up for spring. But, here, I finally found a nice way to divide up our space on the board to have a few things up there. I took some hints from an actual classrooms chalkboards that someone was kind enough to post. The vowels are those that we have covered so far and will stay up there for a while. Then there is a scene of our current season, and under that the work of the day.

A Quiet Moment - Un Momento Tranquilo

2011-01-11T00:12:00.000-05:00

I recently read something about the need to exhale so to speak, after taking in and taking in, and taking in, information, ideas, etc... And me, well I do A LOT of that. Constantly reading and looking for ideas, it was time to let some out. So I spent an evening painting all by myself, after the goslings were off to bed (miracle!) It really felt renewing! These were actually done on two separate evenings, and both were inspired by paintings in books that I have on hand, but it is something to create it oneself, to add ones own perspective, and to achieve that sense of - I can. I had done a few more watercolors, but I haven't yet a photo of them. They are now on display on our shelf, adding to a sense of the season that is upon us.

More First Grade Math - Mas Sobre Matematicas de la Primera Clase

2011-01-10T23:36:00.000-05:00

Some pictures from our lesson block - an introduction/ review of numbers. Some numbers were done more than one day, or more than one drawing. And since we are endeavoring to be a wholly bilingual family, some are written in Spanish. We are also learning Mayan numerals alongside Roman and Arabic, since for us, it is more culturally relevant.

Unas fotos de nuestro bloque de matematicas, que era una introduccion y repaso de los numeros. Algunos, hicimos mas de un solo dia, entonces hay mas de un solo dibujo. Ademas, como queremos ser una familia bilingue, algunos se presenta en espanol. Tambien estamos aprendiendo numeros Mayas junto con los Romans y Arabes.

The King, the Queen and their Baby are THREE!

El Rey, la Reina, y su Bebe son TRES!

Three is a triangle.

Tres es un triangulo

Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall

Four seasons to share

one and all!

Six is the honeycomb I eat with my bread!

Seis son las abejas que la miel nos den.

Some practice drawing stars. The five pointed one is finally doable for Miss M.

Seven had so many possibilities it was hard to choose. We did the days of the week and the colors of the rainbow.

Siete tuvo tantas possibilidades era dificil escoger. Hicimos los dias de la semana y los colores del arco iris.

Winter's Icy Breath - El Suspiro del Invierno

2011-01-05T01:32:00.001-05:00

A glimpse of beauty.

Un instante de belleza.

First Grade Math - Matematicas de la primera clase

2010-12-18T23:35:00.008-05:00

We introduced Roman numerals via a nice story about a shepherd tending his sheep and needing a way of counting them. For V, we traced our hand, showing the V that easily makes 5.

I, II, III, IV, V

Apenas empezemos nuestra primera bloque de matematicas esa semana pasada, en lo cual, repasemos los numeros. Los numeros Romanos fueron introducidos por medio de un cuento de un pastor contando sus ovejas. Para el V, dibujemos la mano, mostrando el V que facil se entiende como 5.

We counted to 100 as we went for a walk, and then started to count backwards too. Maybe we should walk backwards next time we do that. ;-) Contemos hasta cien durante una caminata en el bario, y despues contemos de 100 hacia 0. Para la proxima, lo haremos caminando de espaldas ;-)

We then worked with some pine cones and acorns and things, and just played with them, seeing how many are five and so forth, and working out the different combinations that make up five. Despues, trabajemos un poco en la mesa, con conos de pino y bellotas que habiamos recolectados. Juguemos con las varias agrupaciones de cinco. Cinco son dos y tres....cinco son cuatro y uno....etc...

We have begun to march out our two times table just counting, emphasizing every second number:

one, TWO, three, FOUR, five, SIX, seven, EIGHT....

Hemos empezado marchar la tabla de multiplicacion para 2. Empezemos contar, emfatizando cada segundo numero.

uno, DOS, tres, CUATRO, cinco, SEIS, siete, OCHO...

I presented it as a frog hopping across two lily pads. In our next warm up lesson, we will play a hopping game for this, and a table version, with a little beeswax frog or something. Lo habia presentado como una rana brincando dos lirios en el agua. Para la proxima, vamos a jugar eso en vivo y tambien en la mesa con figuras de cera.

We began a little woolen sheep during one of our handwork lessons, making the frame with some pipe cleaners, and then wrapping some wool roving about it. It was really very easy, much more so then I expected, although I haven't finished him just yet.

The knitting is just not coming together yet. We finally did sand down some dowels though...actually, they were chopsticks from a local Asian restaurant.

Confessions of a Bookaholic ~ Confessiones de un Biblioholico

2010-12-11T02:05:00.000-05:00

Today we took a little trip to the public library in our neighborhood.

Although, come to think of it, we were at the library yesterday too, but that was a different location. We spent about an hour there, reading stories, making selections, and then finalizing those selections, since by that point, our little table was just about covered with books. Now of course, they were all wonderful, and it is always hard to decide! Some had gorgeous watercolors, others had sketches. Some were new with shiny covers, while others were old with worn pages. But I am certain they all had wonderful stories waiting to be told. We brought them to the checkout woman, who suddenly announced,

"But you have 47 books on loan already!"

She suggested that we return some before taking any others home. So we turned and left, with no new stories to carry home. :-(

Hoy fuimos a la biblioteca publica en nuestro barrio, y despues de mas o menos una hora alli, habiamos encontrado varios libros bonitos. Repasamos las selecciones varias veces para realmente llevar solo las que realmente quisimos, porque eran muchas. Libros hermosos con aquarelas o dibujos, unos con tapas brillosas, otras con paginas ya viejas, pero todos con cuentos aún para conocer. Las lleve a la senora encargada de prestamos, y me medio anuncio -

"pero tienes 47 siete libros ya prestados.!"

No pudimos llevar los libros a casa hoy. :-(

What Happens in Autumn? ~ Que Pasa en el Otono?

2010-12-10T00:52:00.003-05:00

Our Autumn Nature Block has taken a while to really get full swing, we have gotten so behind, and have been so busy with many things as well. We were able to take a few nice nature walks, but then the weather took a real dive. We do try to go out everyday, but it doesn't always happen as we plan. It just seems so cozy to stay inside. We are trying to re-establish a good rhythm, and get back into our lessons with much heart and soul. We decided to spend two weeks on our Autumn Block, and read some really wonderful stories. One very cold afternoon, we just all piled together and read one after the other. We read:

(I don't care for this series generally, very analytical science, but this one is okay)

It was really a sweet moment to share....a memory in the making. Nuestro Bloque (Unidad) de Naturaleza en el Otono nos ha costado un poco tiempo y esfuerzo....hemos estados muy atrasados!!! Fuimos a unas cuantas caminatas en el bosque, antes de que cambio hacia un frio drastico y rapido, el clima. Intentamos salir de la casa cada dia, pero no sucede siempre. A veces es mas comodo quedarnos adentro. Estamos tratando re-establecer un ritmo bueno en nuestro escuela-hogar, y regresar a las lecciones con mucho entusiasmo. Estamos alargando este bloque a dos semanas para realmente entrar al fondo en el tema. Una tarde muy fria, decidimos leer muchos cuentos de animales uno tras otro. Fue un momento lindisimo, y una memoria en su nacer.

We have managed to do some cooking lessons, which are our scheduled Lesson A for the Nature Block, and when I came back home yesterday evening, the two little ones were in the kitchen making cookies on their own. Miss M. had pulled out a cookbook, asked Daddy what his favorite cookies was and sort of set off to making it. I arrived just in time of course, to help her actually know what was in the recipe, besides the word 'egg' that she was able to figure out on her own. ;-) Hemos logrado hacer muchos de las lecciones menores, que para esa bloque fue cocinar. Cuando regrese anoche, los dos peques estuvieron arriba de una silla haciendo galletas juntos. Era la imagen mas hermosa. Preguntaron a Daddy cual era su galleta favorita, y lo empezaron hacer. Yo llegue justo a tiempo para ayudarles con el resto de la receta.

We did this first Autumn page two years ago or three, I don't quite remember - time goes so quickly.

A drawing I did for Little Miss after a Nature Walk about four years ago.

From a Nature Story last year.

And now this year! A story about a squirrel.

Salt Dough Recipe and Decorations/ Masa de Sal Receta y Decoraciones

2010-12-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

Well winter is nearly upon us, and suddenly, it is even beginning to feel that way. Being stuck inside when we'd rather be outside doing our nature explorations led us to make some autumn and winter inspired crafts. An attempt to hold on to autumn and infuse some last bits of her into our home. Bueno, el invierno esta casi, y de repente se siente asi. Teniendo que quedarnos en casa cuando queremos estar afuera en la naturaleza nos dio la idea de hacer unos crafts con el tema de esa estacion en que nos encontramos.

We had a recipe for salt dough, which is just your basic recipe (I used this years ago even, when I worked with children.) Tuvimos una receta para masa de sal, que simplemente es la receta basica que use hace anyos cuando trabajaba con ninos.

Salt Dough

2 c. flour

1 c. salt

1 c. water

Masa de Sal

2 tazas de harina

1 taza de sal

1 taza de agua

Some recipes say to add a few spoons of oil, but it is not necessary. You roll this out and cut with cookie cutters and bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours. Algunas recetas indican anadir unas cucharas de aceite, pero no es necesario. Despliegue la masa y corta con formas para galletas. Hornear a 200 grados Farenheit por mas o menos 2 horas.

***If you wish to hang them, you will need to put a hole in the cut out dough before baking it.***

***Si quisieras colgarlas despues, tienes que poner un pequeno agujero en ello antes de hornearlo.***

We then painted them with glossy acrylic paints, but enamel might work better.

Las pintemos con pinturas acrilicos brillosas, pero tal vez sera mejor esmalte.

When it is Raining - Let it Rain ~ Cuando esta lloviendo, dejalo que llueve

2010-12-02T00:11:00.001-05:00

Well our beautiful unseasonably gorgeous weather, has turned to rain and bleak skies.........

It reminds me of the Elsa Beskow poem that we have been reciting all November....

Gray is November,
cold as cold
wind and rain......

But then again, its not actually November anymore, is it?

Nuestra clima hermosa ha cambiado a lluvia.......

Me hace acordar de un poema de Elsa Beskow

Gris es noviembre
tan frio, frio
viento y lluvia....

Pero, pensando bien en ello, ya ni es noviembre, no?

Nature Week - Una Semana en la Naturaleza

2010-11-30T02:29:00.002-05:00

This week, our lessons focus on nature and autumn, so I figured we would just head outside, and really do something special and a bit out of the ordinary, because life sometimes just gets TOO ORDINARY!!!

We set off to find the oldest tree in our county, which actually isn't too far away.

Well, the little goslings didn't know this until after we were at the park, but I was (am still) on a mission. I had looked up information online, and nearly got discouraged. But instead of giving up, which I nearly did, I really pushed myself out the door, seeing what an unseasonably gorgeous day it was.

When we got to the park, we saw some park workers, and I asked one of them. After about three people, who were all very helpful, we found someone who knew what I was referring to.

Well, turns out, we were in the wrong part of the park, but that was okay. I almost got into the car to drive to the other part, when it occurred to me, the longer the walk, the better - after all, it is

NATURE WE ARE SEEKING!!!

I did not regret the decision. We saw:

Geese

Ducks

another strange looking bird, that I honestly could not identify

two miniature cascades

listened to the sound of a trickling brook,

horse prints,

moss covered rocks,

giant fallen trees,

a stump or two to climb and jump off of,

a grassy hill to run and roll down,

squirrel friends,

sunshine,

lots of fallen leaves to rustle in,

and plenty of fresh air!

It was a much needed change of pace. We came home and drew a picture of what we saw, and that was that.

We didn't find our tree, but we will try again tomorrow. ;-) After all, we have a whole week!

Off To See La Luna

2010-11-29T02:23:00.001-05:00

A little Mexican lullabye to go with that theme:

Mira la luna
Comiendo su tuna;
Echando las cáscaras
En la laguna.

Aquel caracol
que va por el sol
en cada ramita
llevaba una flor
que viva la gala
que viva el amor
que viva la concha
de aquel caracol.

We took a little trip to a local astrophysical observatory on Monday, and saw Jupiter and her moons! That was just too cool. We stood in a long line of astronomy students, knowing very little about astronomy ourselves, but enjoying the unseasonably warm evening, the kids giddy because of the late hour....

and then we peeked into an enormous telescope to see a far off dot, that I would have imagined a star.

Fuimos a un observatoria astrofisico el lunes, y vimos a Jupiter y sus lunas. Fue super padre! Estuvimos alli entre muchos estudiantes de astronomia, sabiendo muy poco del tema nosotros mismos, pero disfrutando del aire en la noche con una luna brillante....

Learning to Write, Well Sort of - Aprendiendo Escribir, de una manera

2010-11-28T00:30:00.000-05:00

Little Miss was playing store yesterday afternoon, and so after raiding my cabinets for items to line her store shelves with, she wrote a little announcement for her store on the chalkboard. When I looked over, this is what I saw, and it was just so cute, I laughed out loud. It was *perfectly* backwards, like a perfect mirror image. (hmmn....???) The sections of her store were just as cute, though it didn't occur to me to take a photo as well. She had the foodstuffs lined up, then the dolly clothes.

Finally, the type of play I have been long awaiting is beginning to show its head once again. Creative, imaginative, free play.

Sharing a Good Book - Compartiendo un Buen Libro

2010-11-08T23:39:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed (re)reading this book, especially since we have been working with wool and with dyeing as of late. We found it in our local library, hopefully you can too. It is all about a shepherd caring for her sheep and her garden, and using the plants to dye the wool, and then weave it into a beautiful tapestry.

Ese libro se trata de tintar con plantas la lana de las ovejas, que se utiliza para hacer un hermoso tapiz.

The Budding Photographer's Trip to the Botanical Garden

2010-11-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

Little miss seems to like taking photos of flowers, particularly. So, this was a real treat - even part way through October, these were a pleasant surprise:

On the Farm - En la Granja

2010-10-25T00:38:00.000-04:00

We took a trip to a nearby farm to pick some apples and pumpkins too. This year, we went to a different farm, which was lovely, and the weather was just wonderful! We were excited to see some deer on the drive there, nibbling on some grass.

The tractor was lots of fun! Little Man's favorite part of the day.

Apples come from trees - go figure! (not from the supermarket ;-)

Pumpkins!

You had to be able to carry it to bring it home ;-)

In the Land of the Peg People

2010-10-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

We had some fun painting these, though with all the tiny features, it can be quite a challenge! ;-) They are great figures for all sorts of imaginative games and board games too.

Divertimos pintar esos, aunque con todos los detalles pequenos, fue un reto! ;-) Son buenos juguetes para cualquier juego imaginativo - y uno que los ninos pueden hacer ellos mismos o con un poquito ayuda.

Needle Felted Pumpkin - Calabaza de Lana

2010-10-23T00:09:00.000-04:00

Well, at least needle felting is one handcraft that I find rather easy. Here is a little pumpkin I made to bring a bit of Autumn in. It fit nicely since we recently went to get some real pumpkins at the farm. It was really quite simple. I was happily surprised.

Minimo, felting con lana no encuentro tan dificil. Aqui esta una pequena calabaza que hice para llevar un poco de otono a la casa. Junto bien con el hecho de que acabamos de ir a la granja a recoger unas verdaderas. Fue tan facil - me dio alegria poder hacerlo. Me gustaria hacer varios arboles y mas cosas pronto.

Learning to Sew & The Importance of Handwork - Aprendiendo Coser y La Importancia de Trabajar con las Manos

2010-10-22T18:42:00.000-04:00

I enjoy so many exceptional blogs written by so many TALENTED mama's. They sew, they weave, they knit, sculpt, paint, invent stories. And I feel like I have SO far to go, in those areas. These things do attract me though, and I feel they are an important element in our lives - to slow down, to listen, to hear wisdom of century old crafts, to know origins.

Obviously, some of these crafts come easier than others. But here are some of my first efforts at sewing. It involved a short, straight line. Ha! Can't get more simple than that I suppose. I had bought the sewing machine at least a full year prior to actually pulling it out of the closet and using it. Just threading it and getting that first stitch was a major hooray for me. I am beginning to understand the benefits of handwork for children, seeing my own small results.

Felt Bacon Strips!

First Grade Work - Trabajo de la Primera Clase

2010-10-20T02:09:00.002-04:00

I have been so busy and unable to edit photos and then post them as much as I wanted. We also seem to be missing photos. Here is our first grade work thus far. I am excited as it really gets underway, and especially when we have 'good' days. (Trying to make those happen more frequently).

Form Drawing - Our First Block

We began with straight lines and curves. Which she enjoyed doing on the white board. I wasn't a fan of the white board, but she loves it! We were able to find the markers in a whole rainbow of colors, and someone had just given us the white board/ chalk board. She enjoyed using all the colors!

After the white board practice, she did a good copy in her Lesson Book. She isn't always thrilled about having to do it 'again.' We are working on that.

We also did a little pedagogical story about a little boy who had to have a perfect garden, who only later came to appreciate the beautiful flowers, each of which were unique.

Disappointing Library Visit/ Visita a la Biblioteca Publica

2010-10-20T01:53:00.000-04:00

I recently visited a different branch of our library system, only to return to our local one today, to realize that the book choices were a bit disappointing. We spent an hour and a half there, and while I did find some long lost treasures, especially a picture book about dyeing sheep's wool. Aside from that, and a few staple children's classics, I noticed that the local taste for books is, well, at least in my humble opinion.......... hmmmn. what is the word even that I am looking for? gimmicky? corny? okay, granted, I am not a kid anymore, but how many copies of Walter the Farting Dog does the library need to carry? and at the expense of what 'might' be considered real literature.

I went to the library looking for some picture books about squirrels, autumn, and things along those lines. I found one book, which we read last year, and I did like, but that was it. I wanted to make a theme out of it. I realize I have to use the interlibrary loan system to find anything at all. I am also going to start visiting some other local libraries. I have been wanting to do that anyway. I thought it might be a nice experience for the children.

I have resorted to buying books increasingly,. but of course, that gets increasingly expensive! ;-)

The Farmer's House in Autumn

2010-10-18T14:15:00.000-04:00

Here is the cake we made with Grandpa. We tried as much as possible to have an autumn theme. We wanted to decorate the background with the apples and pumpkins, but it was hard to get the cake to stand up. :( It was lots of fun anyway.

Aqui esta el pastel que hicimos con el abuelo. Intentemos mantener el tema de otono, y quisimos decorar el plato como la granja, con las calabazas y manzanas, pero fue dificil quedarse de pie. De todos modos era muy divertido y delicioso!

Marzipan Pumpkins - Calabazas de Marzipan

2010-10-18T03:58:00.002-04:00

We made these with grandpa, to decorate an autumn house (cake) after spending the day at the apple orchard/ pumpkin patch (a first for him). We made little apples too, but I think they were eaten before they could be photographed. ;-) I was really amazed at how quick and easy these were to make. I had never worked with marzipan before.

Hicimos esas calabazas de marzipan junto con el abuelo, para decorar un pastel con tema de una granja en el otono - eso fue despues de estar un dia en la granja actual recogiendo manzanas y una calabaza - un primero por el abuelo. Me soprendi mucho que tan facil eran de hacer, y que rapido tambien. Fue primera vez trabajando con el marzipan.

New Puppet for Playscapes - Nuevo Titere para Tableau

2010-10-12T11:54:00.001-04:00

Here she is! A lovely needle felted old lady, who can take on an infinite number of roles, as suits the children's fancy. She is available at my ETSY shop.

Aqui esta. Una muñeca hecho de lana, que puede servir un sin fin de papeles en las imaginaciones de los pequeñuelos. Esta disponible en mi tienda de ETSY.

Beginning First Grade - Empezando El Primer Grado

2010-10-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

We began our school year with a pedagogical story about a little boy who wanted a *perfect* garden. None of his flowers were just right. Indeed, he was mad at them, and would pull them out and toss them aside. Empezemos el año escolar con un cuento sobre un niño quien quizo el jardin *perfecto*. Ningun de sus flores le gusto. De hecho, se enojaba con ellos y hasta las arrancaba y las tiraba al lado.

We may need to revisit this story occasionally. ;-)
Tal vez tendremos que revisitar ese cuento de vez en cuando. ;-)

I did a chalk drawing for the story, and Miss M. made a version of it in her lesson book.
Hice un dibujo en tiza por el cuento, y la pequeña hizo una version propia un su cuaderno.

Plant Dyed Silks - New Etsy Shop

2010-09-15T01:32:00.000-04:00

This was great fun! We really got to experiment with what things would make pretty colors. We had some surprises too. We filled a great huge pot with water, and boiled our various plants, one at a time of course, then when they cooled, we put them in the bathtub, and Little Miss got to dip the new white silks into the color pots.

What colors do you think they will be? Well, after a bit of guessing, we were able to see the results. We had a nice warm yellow, a pretty pink, a light tan.

Very exciting! We will do this again soon, and experiment even more.

I did put one on my new etsy shop, Childhood Wonder. Please stop by for a visit!

The Essence of Summer - La Esencia del Verano

2010-08-11T01:03:00.000-04:00

Seeing bright cheery Sunflowers abuzz with bees, smiling at all who pass by

Viendo Girasoles sonrientes, con abejas buscando su almuerzo

Picking Raspberries and other Yummies right from the bush, and eating until you can't fit even one more...
Aggarando moras y otras delicias directo de la planta, hasta que ya no puedes mas...

Following Mama Goose and the little gosling, and watching him grow...

Seguiendo a los gansos con sus pequenos y viendo les crecer.

Finding a quiet moment to rest, under the shade of a great big tree
Encontrando un momento tranquilo, para descansar, en la sombra de un arbol enorme.

Watching the moonrise over the beach
Viendo la subida de la luna sobre la playa

Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away.

2010-07-26T14:33:00.000-04:00

I had found a wonderfully long piece of bark, I think it is birch. At any rate, it was the kind that peels off the tree in long, thin sheets. Habia encontrado una pedaza larga de la corteza del arbol, tal vez de abedul.

I called Miss M over and exclaimed, Oh look at this wonderful piece of bark. We had it in the car for a few days before we actually went somewhere that we could use it. One of the crafts in our Earthways craft book required a piece of bark, and I had wanted to make this for some time. We went to a lovely fountain, and I remembered the bark, et voila, we made some little boats and set them sailing. For some reason I imagined it would be more complicated, but some of the cutest things really are just so simple. We made three little boats in about a minute a piece.

Llame a Senorita M y exclame, ay mira ese pedazo hermosa de corteza. Lo tuvimos unos dias en el coche, antes de pudimos utilizarlo. Una de las actividades en nuestro libro de actividades, Earthways, require igual una pieza de corteza de arbol, y quise hacer el proyecto por un tiempo ya. Habiamos ido a una fontana en un parque, cuando acorde de la pieza de corteza, et voila, rapido hicimos tres barquitos de vela, y los pusimos a navegar. Por una razon u otra, imaginaba el proceso mas dificil, pero la verdad es que cada barquito solo tomo un minuto en fabricar. A veces las cosas mas lindos realmente son tan faciles.

And so we cast off.....

and set sail.....

under a sunny blue heavens with puffy white clouds..........
bajo un cielo azul con nubes de algodon.

Play dough fun!

2010-07-22T01:34:00.001-04:00

Little man thoroughly enjoys sticking his hands into the bowl of flour and just pushing it around, patting it down, and letting it fall through his fingers. I was amazed at how each step in making the play dough was thoroughly enjoyed in its own right.

El pequeno hombrecito disfruto mucho hacer nuestra propia plastellina. Tan solo el recipiente de harina era suficiente divertido, y jugaba con eso, cayendo de sus manos, moviendo lo, sintiendo la textura. Me asombro que tanto cada parte del proceso era un descubrimiento propio, entreteniendole por un buen tiempo.

Adding water added a new dimension of fun, as did color and scent (we put some lavender essential oil.) Of course, the play dough itself was wonderful too. Little Miss enjoyed making one of her favorite new forms - hearts. Here is a link to the recipe.

Al anadir agua, fue todo una nueva materia, tanto como el colorante y perfume (usemos aceite de lavanda que huele muy bonito cada vez que lo usan). Y al final, el producto del plastelina mismo, tambien era algo con que jugar. La pequena hizo muchas formas de su nuevo 'favorito' corazones. Aqui esta un enlace hacia la receta (esta en ingles).

A Short List of Spanish Circle Time/ Storytime Resources - Una pequena lista de recursos en espanol para rimas y canciones

2010-07-01T12:20:00.000-04:00

These are Spanish picture books mostly, and are chock full of rhymes and little poems. I will add them to my amazon shop, so you will be able to browse them.

My Mexico - Mexico mio - this one has some really nice authentic artwork, in very soft, muted tones.

Pio Peep has even more variety of poems, (real traditional ones, as opposed to translations of English rhymes). I personally find this very important, since rhymes have to do with history and culture, and thus one can learn a great deal through them, especially children, who will absorb these things in a natural way.

Mamá Goose is very similar in scope and style to pio peep

Arroz con leche - again rhymes and poems, but very authentic artwork

Those might make a nice starter shelf for anyone wishing to add some Spanish to their daily routine or circle time.

Beauty really IS everywhere - La belleza si se encuentra en todas partes

2010-06-23T10:53:00.002-04:00

I stepped outside my door one evening recently, on what had been a dull, drab, overcast day, and saw something that made me smile and reach for my camera. Some days I feel as though I struggle to find nature and beauty as I see more houses go up, more lots cemented over.... but this brought me a feeling of joy. Moments such as these are what I try to share with little Miss, to share a sense of awe at the beauty of things that are around us (even in a semi-urban environment). I think I just tend to say, Wow! Look at that! Isn't that amazing, and share a quiet moment in reflection.

Salí de la puerta de mi casa un día reciente, en lo que había sido un día gris y nublado, y vi algo que me hizo sonreir y buscar mi camera. Algunos dias siento que es una lucha encontrar aun la naturaleza y belleza, ya que veo cada vez mas construccíon y lotes cubiertos con asfalto....pero eso me trajo un sentimiento bonito. Son momentos de ese tipo que trato compartir con la pequeña, para demonstrar un sentimiento de reverencia para la belleza que tenemos a nuestro alrededor (aun en un ambiente semi-urbano). Creo que nada mas digo, wow! ostras! mire eso! es asombroso, verdad! y calladmente, lo compartimos.

A Wonderful Week - Una Semana Maravillosa

2010-06-19T00:40:00.010-04:00

We discovered a cherry tree..............even in suburbia

We visited our ducklings and noticed their feathers are filling in.

We took a really special trip to a really special zoo - with some friends, and saw some elephants and camels, and tigers too.

We visited our ducklings again...and practiced riding our bicycles.

We read some stories, drew some pictures, made animals out of clay, painted and well....just played.

We visited an old farmhouse and made some butter, perfume, and cider, and cooked over an open fire. Oh yes, and we picked lots of berries there too.

and now we are off to sleep and our week is through.

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Descubrimos un arbol de cerezas....aun en la suburbia.

Fuimos a visitar los patitos, y nos dimos cuenta que ya tienen mas alas.

Fuimos de un viaje muy especial, a un zoologico especial, con unos amigos. Vimos a elefantes, tigres y camellos.

Visitemos a los patitos de nuevo, y practiquemos andar en bicicleta.

Leimos varios cuentos, dibujemos, pintemos, hicimos figuras de animales con plastelina....y juguemos.

Visitemos un viejo granjero, donde hicimos mantequilla, perfumes con las hojas de plantas, y jugo fresco. Cocinemos sobre un fuego en las afueras. O, y tambien recogimos moras y fresas deliciosas.

Y ya fuimos a dormir, y la semana ya termino

Chasing Fireflies/ En Busca de Luciernagas

2010-06-12T23:58:00.002-04:00

We were able to spend the evening with relatives at a barbecue, the most relished part being the open space, the tree swing, some ducks that came for a visit, and the chance to see fireflies! Little man figured out the tree swing soon enough, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

The fireflies were also probably something new for him, and for little miss, well, we tried to catch them without harming them, but I think we may have squished a wing or two accidentally, before deciding to let them go. I was reminded of doing the same, not so long ago, and how exciting it was to run around in the dark. The children seemed to occupy a world parallel to the adults chatting around the table. Now I am one of them, but for an instant, I feel like a child again.

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Pasemos la tarde con familia y amistades, en una cena en el patio. La más bella parte siendo el espacio abierto, un columpio colgado del árbol, los patitos que nos vinieron a visitar, y una oportunidad ver y correr tras de las luciernagas. El hombrecito chiquito se dio cuenta suficiente pronto, como funcionaba el columpio y pronto dejo de caer de ello, disfrutando el viento en su cabello.

Las luciernagas probablemente eran algo nuevo para el, dado que tal vez, no acuerda de ellos desde el verano pasado. La pequena tambien disfruto de ellos, y intentemos capturar algunas, pero creo que aplaste una alita y decidimos mejor verlas en su ambiente natural.

Todo me acordaba de ser como ellos, hace un tiempo no tan distante. Que divertido era correr en la oscuridad de una noche del verano, occupando un mundo parallel a los adultos, con sus platicas...cosas de ellos. Ya soy uno de ellos, pero paro por un instante, para ser nina de nuevo.

German Children's Song/ Deutsches Kinderlied/ Cancion Alemana Infantil

2010-06-12T10:41:00.003-04:00

This is a little German children's song that I learned while I was in Germany. I have made one simple change to it. I thought to post this after reading my last song that I posted in Spanish, since it is basically the same song, but the German version. It too, is to the tune of TEN LITTLE INDIANS. The original German version, says eins, zwei, drei kleine Negerlein. I have switched out Negerlein, since I find it a bit offensive and archaic. Plus, it suits me better to switch up the song to reflect the moment. You can basically substitute any number of words there, I usually do animals, as I did with the Spanish version. This might also be a good way to go through learning a slew of animals with young children. When you are out and about and see an animal, it would provide a very natural way of spontaneously learning language.

Here is a base version, using little ducks:

Eins, zwei, drei kleine Entchen

vier, funf, sechs kleine Entchen

sieben, acht, neun kleine Entchen

Zehn Entchen im Wasser/ im Teich/ im See

You can switch out ducks for geese, swans, fish, etc... and that would make a nice little song for a trip to the lakeshore.

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Cancion Alemana Para Ninos

Aqui esta un pequeno cancion para ninos que aprendi mientras estuve viviendo en alemania. Hice un pequeno cambio para hacerlo mas al nivel de lo que es correcto y incorrecto en ese epoca, porque el original habla de negritos, y eso no suena con muchas personas. Se puede utilizar cualquier animalito en vez de tal palabra y di el ejemplo de los patitos, ya que la ultima cancion en espanol que puse aqui en el blog era la misma, pero la version en espanol.

Eso sera una buena manera, y de forma espontanea y natural, aprender los nombres de muchos animales, y todo mientras uno esta de visita al lago. La version basica esta arriba, y se puede cambiar las ultimas palabras como en el ejemplo: (Entchen - patito, por pez o gansos, etc...)

10 Little Duckies - Diez Patitos

2010-06-07T00:34:00.000-04:00

We invented our own song to go with the duckling theme. We are not doing any 'official' block on them, but we do go see them all the time. Maybe I will try to turn it into something a wee bit more formal (very wee). :) But we did come up with a nice little song for it. It's in Spanish and is to the tune of 10 little Indians, but its ducklings instead of Indians. Very simple.

Uno, dos, tres patitos,
cuatro, cinco, seis, patitos
siete, ocho, nueve patitos,
Diez patitos en el agua.

Inventemos una cancion para juntar con nuestro interes en los patitos. Es muy simple, y va al ritmo de 10 indianos.

Ducklings! - Patitos!

2010-06-07T00:28:00.000-04:00

We had been without a working camera for the longest time! (Could you tell - not much to post) I was missing way too many photo ops, and just had to buy one. Here are some gorgeous little duckies that we have been going to see every few days. Today, we noticed they had more feathers, and are really starting to fill in. We also learned by observing, that they like to eat mulberries. So do we! The smell of them reminds me of my own childhood.

No tuvimos una camera que funcionaba por un buen ratito ya. Pero ya compre una nueva, y puedo poner fotos aqui en la pagina de nuevo. Aqui ves unos hermosos patitos que hemos estado visitando cada par de dias. Han crecido mucho, y hoy nos dimos cuenta que tienen mas plumas ya, y estan llenandose. Tambien aprendimos por observarles, que les gustan comer unas frutas de la selva 'mulberries'. Nosotros tambien. Me acuerde el olor de ellos, de mi ninez.

New Quote/ Neues Dichte/ Nuevo Refran

2010-05-31T02:12:00.000-04:00

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

La imaginación vale mas que el conocimiento.

Die Fantasie ist mehr wert als Wissen.

- Albert Einstein

You may have noticed that I recently changed the epigraph on my blog. I think it is more in line with where I have come to be at this stage in homeschooling. Things change, our homeschool life is very much fluid and moving forward and every other which way.

It is interesting how and where I initially saw this quote....I have since seen it many other places....but this epitomizes what it says. Imagination is worth more than knowledge. We were walking along the boardwalk at the beach last summer when a man on a bicycle went past. He had on one of those old fashioned caps with the little helicopter spinner on top, sort of like dennis the menace or something from yesteryear. His bicycle was even more eye catching, the sort of thing that made everyone stop, and total strangers smile at each other, and even laugh out loud, in a good natured sort of way. His pedals were connected to a large fan at the back of his bicycle, which, as he pedaled, spun and some other stuff that I don't remember. This quote was attached. The sort of thing to make a person stop and think. We will be on the lookout for that man this summer, and by the way, he must be at least seventy years old!

Tal vez, le ha dado cuenta que recientemente cambie el refran que tengo en la pagina principal de mi blog. Creo que es mas un reflejo de donde estamos en nuestro camino de educación en hogar en este momento. Las cosas cambian, y nuestros estudios sigan adelante, y tambien en cada direccion.

Es interesante donde y como vi ese refran por primera vez. Desde aquel entonces lo he visto en otros lugares, sin embargo, aquella occasion representa bien el sentido y el grano de lo que esta diciendo. Estuvimos caminando en el malecon de la playa hace un anyo, cuando paso en frente un senor en su bicicleta. Ahora bien, tuvo puesto el senor un goro como el tipo que usaria Dennis the Menace, esos que tienen el pequeno helice arriba, que mueve en el aire. Los pedales de su bicicleta estuvieron connectados a un ventilador que cargaba en su espalda y con un carton que esas palabras. Lo mas que el senor pedalaba, lo mas que movia su ventilador, dandole aire. No es necessario decir que el hombre atrayo mucha atencion, y causaba a las personas reir y parar, de forma buena, claro. Vamos a estar buscando el senor este verano, a ver si puedo agarar una foto. Oh, y ademas el senor tenia como setenta anyos!

Haben Sie bemerkt das meine Blogpage habe ich etwas verandert? Genau! Dieses neues Dicht verkoerpert besser das Geist unsere Heimatscule in diesem Zeit. (ich werde das Morgen fertig schreiben.)

Holistic Education and Learning to Read/ Educacion Holistica y el Aprendizaje de la Lectura

2010-05-05T00:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, during a lecture in a graduate special education course, the discussion focused on children with reading, writing and spelling difficulties. I was amazed to see how many things the professor stated, in terms of what good practice or necessary prerequisites for being a good reader are, and how many of them are already an integral part of a holistic approach to education, and at the same time, how many of these things seem so novel to educators.

Two of the key points under becoming a good reader were *having a good memory* and * having a good attention span*. I feel bad for so many kids and parents who are almost being set up to fail (without knowing it of course). These are integral parts of holistic education (in most cases), the memory - well, for example, I have held off on reading and writing and work primarily through memory in the early years, developing it, like a muscle, or any other skill. It gets better over time, and thus it is part of pre-reading, albeit, in a holistic rather than abstract way.

Having a good attention span was the second point. Here again, many forms of holistic education would advocate the elimination or at least minimization of screen time and gadgets, as well as exposure to the fast paced world. These all help with the development of attention span. In the end, I was pleased with seeing the parts of the whole :) finally, or perhaps I should say, the logic behind some of the methodology, the real nitty gritty reason and benefits of some of the seemingly 'finer points.' Unfortunately, many of these things are merely thought of as 'ideals' in mainstream education, and are seldom put into practice, or worked into the curriculum in a consistent way. It really made me step back and say to myself, hey this methodology that I am following really does have some strong points, even to those on the outside. And it is nice to know what those specific points are, just in case I am in need of a defense one day. I imagine that I will since I often hear, well does she read yet. No. No she doesn't.

Then there was the topic of spelling. Spelling words should come directly from the curriculum, rather than abstract or random words. Well of course!

Another point, later on in the lecture dealt with children with special needs lack confidence. Why don't we just state that many children lack confidence, whether or not they have special needs. That being said, the professor suggested doing exercises and activities to build confidence. Here again, I saw the connection in holistic approaches, and had an aha moment. Knitting, sewing, baking, wood projects, obstacle courses, you name it, our kids are getting lots and lots of opportunities to build confidence as well as find an area of expertise or something that they are good at and that 'calls' to them. Which by the way is a whole other topic that hopefully I will write about in another post. A child who has just had their confidence soar watching themselves accomplish a task, will carry those feelings over into the more academic sphere, whence is born an eager learner. Now if only mainstream education would REALLY implement these ideas. ha! I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.

Educacion Alternativa/ AERO Conference

2010-05-04T01:05:00.000-04:00

I just found this through a page by John Taylor Gatto that I was reading. It is an amazing resource of information....here is their own intro in their own words: http://www.educacionalternativa.org/

The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) was founded in 1989 by Jerry Mintz. AERO is a branch of the School of Living, a non-profit organization founded in 1934 by Ralph Borsodi. AERO's goal is to advance student-driven, learner-centered approaches to education. AERO is considered by many to be the primary hub of communications and support for educational alternatives around the world. Education Alternatives include, but are not limited to, Montessori, Waldorf (Steiner), Public Choice and At-Risk, Democratic, Homeschool, Open, Charter, Free, Sudbury, Holistic, Virtual, Magnet, Early Childhood, Reggio Emilia, Indigo, Krishnamurti, Quaker, Libertarian, Independent, Progressive, Community, Cooperative, and Unschooling. One of AERO's areas of expertise is democratic process and democratic education, but equally important is the networking of all forms of educational alternatives. It is through our work and mission that we hope to create an education revolution.

I am doubly excited that it is all in Spanish. Estoy super entusiasmada que esa pagina y organizacion tiene muchisima informacion sobre muchas pedagogias alternativas disponible en espanol.

Esta aqui http://www.educacionalternativa.org/

Spanish Rhyme/ Rima en Espanol

2010-04-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

Here is one that I learned when I was rather young, while visiting some friends in Latin America:

Los pollitos dicen "pio, pio, pio"
Cuando tienen hambre (touch tummy)
Cuando tienen frio (shiver)
La gallina busca el maiz y el trigo (with two fingers like a beak, peck ground)
Les da la comida (touch mouth)
Y les presta abrigo (imitate putting chicks under wings)
Accurucaditos bajo las dos alas (ruffle wings/ feathers as a bird would)
hasta el otro dia duermen los pollitos (motion sleeping)

translatiion: (translation is for mama's understanding only - RESIST temptation to translate for your child, even when they ask. It would be better to demonstrate an item then to verbally translate it.)

the little chicks say, peep, peep. peep
when they are hungry
when they are cold
the hen looks for corn and wheat
she gives them food
and she keeps them warm
huddling under her wings
they sleep until the next day.

Breakfast on the Go/ El Desayuno Rapido

2010-04-10T01:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to a wonderful homemade granola recipe that we will try, maybe tomorrow, especially since we would like to be out of doors the whole day. This might work perfectly. I think it is so important for children to know that food doesn't just come out of a box. So we will be learning what actually goes into our cereal. ;)

Anyway, here is the link: and I LOVE their recipe collection

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/06/29/crunchy-granola-breakfast-meets-lifestyle/?go=RT100409D3&utm_source=RT100409&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&spMailingID=2921908&spUserID=MTEwMDMzNTQxNDUS1&spJobID=176216402&spReportId=MTc2MjE2NDAyS0

Aqui esta un enlace para lo que se ve una rica granola (la receta), que a lo mejor ententamos manana, ya que necesitaremos algo que podremos traer con nosotros en nuestras dias en las afueras. Creo que es muy importante para los ninos de hoy en dia saber que la comida no viene nada mas de una caja.

:-)

buen provecho! (bon apetit)

Schooling Out of Doors / Escuela al aire Libre

2010-04-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

We have had some wonderfully warm weather which has finally gotten us out of the house. I think we will try to do most of our lessons outdoors for the rest of the year. I read of a forest school that does this. It seems this is more popular in Europe than in the US, but we will attempt it.

Por fin hemos tenido clima muy bonito y caluroso, que nos llevo hacia afuera. Estoy pensando que intentaremos tener las lecciones en las afueras por el resto del anyo, cuando se permite. Lei de escuelas asi, creo que sera divertido.

Here is a beeswax flower Miss M. made with grandma. It is interesting how it brought focus to both, and the chatter died down soon enough.

Aqui esta una flor de cera que la nina hizo con la abuela.

How quickly they came and went.

Que rapido vinieron y se fueron.

Our Springtime display thus far.

Nuestro mostrador de primavera.

A little beeswax bird in her nest. It's a robin, with a blue egg.

A Wonderful Spanish/ English Resource - Un bonito recurso en espanol y ingles

2010-04-03T11:44:00.001-04:00

I have a book that is rather old, that is full of traditional Spanish language nursery rhymes and lullabies, with very authentic artwork. (Tortillitas para Mama) Since these are traditional, non-copyright rhymes that just about every child in Latin America, and maybe even Spain, learns, I will post them here. I think I will try to post one per week, since I can't all at once.

Tengo un libro, un tomo medio viejo, que esta lleno de rimas y aruyos tradicionales en espanol, con arte y dibujos muy autentico (a la cultura). Ya como son tradicionales, cosas que cada nino en Latino America aprende, voy a ponerlas aqui. Creo que voy a poner una cada semana.

RIMA DE CHOCOLATE

Uno, dos, tres, cho-

Uno, dos, tres, co-

Uno, dos, tres, la-

Uno, dos, tres, te-

Bate, bate, chocolate

(You would count the uno, dos, tres, on your fingers, and bate bate, would be a hand motion like mixing hot chocolate - though the mexican method for doing this would be to rub your hands together as though you had a wooden spoon in them, because they use a special tool called a molinillo)

Molinillo

Coloring Resource - for Parents; Recursos sobre Crayones de Bloque (para los Padres)

2010-03-29T03:36:00.002-04:00

Here is a wonderful book about how to use block crayons, and basically how to create pictures with them. I had looked at it for a while before buying it, and am very happy with it. I had been practicing a bit, and will get back to that endeavor when I find a bit more time. I do find the blending of the three primary colors a bit difficult, i.e. to create brown, particularly, but it may be the type of drawing paper that I have been using. I will test that out.

(This particular story served for the letters G and V - a Goose in V- formation)

I am a Linguistic Naturalist, what about you?

2010-03-19T23:37:00.000-04:00

Go here and take the Birmingham Grid Multiple Intelligence test

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

It was really cool.

Soy linguista naturalista? y que de ti?

Puedes tomar el examen de inteligencias multiples aqui, fue muy padre!

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

How to draw a daffodil

2010-03-16T21:33:00.000-04:00

I wanted to draw a daffodil and came across this post:

http://apaintingcourse.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-draw-basic-daffodil.html

Fairytales by Age

2010-03-10T07:54:00.000-05:00

I finally found a list that separates some of the more common fairytales by age - and I must have just somehow skipped over it not realizing, since I long ago printed out the collection for four years olds. Today I looked at the others ( five and six year olds) and realized that this is precisely a list that I have been searching everywhere for. Though I did finally find a list somewhere else, I didn't need to actually reinvent the wheel after all. It was right here after all. Even if in the end, you use another version, just the listing is nice to have as a guide.

Encontre una lista de cuentos seperado por edades. Cuentos para ninos de 4, 5, y 6 anyos. Esta aqui y son gratis. Casi me volvi loca buscando tal tipo de lista, y aqui estuvo todo el tiempo. Hasta incluyendo - imprimi el libro para los 4 anyos hace unos anyos.

Signs of Spring/ Senalamientos de la Primavera

2010-03-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

I happened to wake up particularly early today. The day is just gorgeous, with everything you would expect - a buzz of excitement, birds chirping, and a lovely sweet smell, telling me spring is nearly here. I think this will be the focus of our nature walk today.

A Sonnet for Spring - Not that it's here Yet.

2010-03-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

Sonnet 98 by William Shakepeare

From you have I been absent in the spring
When proud-pied April, dress’d in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laugh’d and leap’d with him.
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odour and in hue,
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew:
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seem’d it winter still, and you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.

The Smell of Spring/ El Olor de la Primavera

2010-03-04T20:56:00.001-05:00

We finally had a day that was not freezing cold, and so we headed over to a nice park, and after a little bit of time on the playground, we explored the more 'natural' areas of the park. It was lovely, though quite muddy. Little Man wanted to chase the geese, and then a squirrel. This led us to finding a nice little area that is perfect for play and a whole lot of activities - even lessons in the park. It almost looks like a little backyard, something I sorely miss having. I grew up digging in the mud. This part of the park was so lovely and private, Miss M. actually did start digging - She found some baby onions, which I was finally able to convince her to let them grow, though she wanted to yank them out. The crocuses are just starting to pop up too, and maybe some daffodils as well, we will have to check back. I think we all felt as though we were in our own space there. We will definitely be spending more time there as the days warm up.

Por fin tuvimos un dia que no era helada, entonces fuimos a un parque muy lindo, donde despues de un rato en los juegos, exploremos las zonas mas naturales. Fue muy bonito, aunque llenemos de lodo. El nino quiso seguir los gansos y despues una ardilla. Eso nos llevo a encontrar un trocito del parque mas retirada que seria perfecto por muchas actividades - hasta lecciones en el parque y lecturas, claro, cuando mejora mas el clima. El nino empezo subir los arboles y la nina quiso jalar unas cebollas de la tierra, hasta que la convince dejarlas crecer. Tambien estan naciendo flores, y con el tiempo averiguaremos cuales son.

Baking Day Resource - Libro de Hornear Pan

2010-03-02T19:00:00.002-05:00

We have a wonderful new book, Baking Bread with Children, that we have started to use for our baking day, which we are trying to implement as part of our new weekly rhythm - which I am struggling to accomplish! ;) So far we have read a nice nature story about a grain of wheat, written by the author, and the gingerbread man. Yesterday, dh made gingerbread with the children, which was nice.

This is just full of stories, most of which are pretty standard (Gingerbread Man, The Little Red Hen), nursery rhymes and songs, and the history and evolution of bread. Every recipe lends itself to a cultural study, and the author gives lots of ideas to take them further.

Hemos empezado usar ese libro de pan para ninos para nuestro dia de hornear. Es muy lindo y lleno de cuentos folkloricos relacionados con pan y granos. Tambien da la historia de pan, y se puede usar para un estudio cultural. Tambien tiene pequenos poemas y canciones infantiles. Todos si estan en ingles.

The Moments Childhood is Made of

2010-02-28T12:16:00.002-05:00

I just had to post as I sit here checking some emails and things, and her Miss M. conducting story time with Little Man, songs, rhymes and even a story (which she is making up as she goes). It was just too cute. Imitation truly at work. :) It is amazing to see what she has absorbed simply through repetition. I am pleasantly surprised.

Tuve que escribir, porque mientras que estoy leyendo unos correos electronicos, escucho que Senorita M. esta haciendo el 'circle time' con el nino, todo desde canciones, rimas, y hasta un cuento (que tengo que anadir - esta inventando) Todo fue muy gracioso. Es asombroso ver (escuchar) lo que ha aprendido solo por medio de repiticion

German Children's Songs - Germany - Mama Lisa's World

2010-02-27T16:17:00.001-05:00

A truly wonderful website, chock full of goodies for FREE

1, 2, Polizei, 3, 4, Offizier - German Children's Songs - Germany - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World

Un sitio de internet maravilloso - lleno de tesoros - y todos GRATIS.

Bringing in Bits of Winter

2010-02-15T22:12:00.001-05:00

I have not had as much time to focus on our Winter display as I did for our autumn one, but have pulled a few things together here and there. I started to make a felted bear, but we lost him....hopefully he will turn up soon.

No he tenido tanto tiempo para eso como el otono (o tal vez la inspiracion) pero hemos colectado varias materias representativas de la epoca.Empeze un oso de lana pero no le encuentro...

We made a little cave and 'steingarten'.

Hicimos una cueva y steingarten (jardin de piedras).

The missing bear. This was my first needle felted project, and it was so easy, I was just thrilled.

Getting out and Enjoying Winter/ Disfrutando el Invierno

2010-02-15T22:03:00.001-05:00

We have been trying as much as possible to get outdoors, though, sometimes that is much easier said then done, especially when the sky is overcast and ominous - bah humbug! But here are some moments that we managed to capture in between.

Hemos intentado disfrutar lo mas posible el invierno, qunque no ha sido facil cuando se mire hacia afuera y todo es gris...sobre gris...sobre gris.

A trip to times prehistoric

2010-02-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, we had some time on our hands, and it was a beautiful sunny day, though freezing cold, and so we decided, quite spontaneously, to go and do something fun and out of the ordinary. We found ourselves driving to the city to see some dinosaurs, a particular favorite of Little Man. These giant creatures never cease to amaze me.

El domingo pasado, tuvimos un poco de tiempo libre, y ya como fue un dia soleado (aunque helado) decidimos de repente irnos a la ciudad y hacer algo fuera de lo comun. Fuimos al museo de historia natural a ver los dinosaurios, lo favorito del ninito. Esas creaturas gigantescas nunca dejan de asombrarme!

Once in a Blue Moon

2010-01-30T00:27:00.002-05:00

I thought it was funny that I said to dh, oh look how bright the sky is tonight, only to come online and read that is the biggest and brightest full moon of the year, and since that was the topic of my very first blog post, a little over a year ago, I thought I would post on that topic tonight. :-) It seems each month's full moon has a name, and here was an interesting website about moon-lore and legends, and of course, there is always NASA too. I remember being on the beach in Spain trying to capture an image of it over the sea.

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/full-moon-names-2010-100127.html

Hoy es la luna llena mas brillante del anyo. Me acuerdo de estar en las playas espanolas, tratando capturar la imagen de ella sobre el mar.

I think I can....I think I can

2010-01-29T18:43:00.001-05:00

I realize that most posts (and most of our work) is about Miss M. but here is what Little Man found to do while we were busy. I thought it was cute, since he had to take the books and toys off the shelf, and practically stand on tip toe to do it, but he was thoroughly entertained for a good while.

Me he dado cuenta que la mayoria de lo que escribo (y la mayoria de nuestro trabajo) en este momento enfoque en la nina, pero me heche un ojo al pequeno senor, y es lo que vi. Habia quitado todos los libros y puesto sus trenes. Lo mas gracioso es que tuvo que estar de putitas para jugar alli, pero aun asi, le entretuvo un buen rato.

Alphabet Bread/ Pan de Alfabeto

2010-01-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

This was a simple whole wheat bread recipe, which I would like to say that I make a bit more regularly, (like every week), but, unfortuanately, I don't. I have learned a few things about bread lately though, thanks to my good friend, Mrs. Chef, who helped me to realize that my pan was what was wrong, and the reason all my bread was coming out badly (smelled like beer - the metal and yeast were oxidizing!) We tried a gluten free sandwhich bread, but will have to try that recipe again, since, of course, it oxidized. The letters were about the only things that came out well, since they were made free hand, by rolling 'snakes' of dough on the table.

Esa receta fue suficiente sencilla, un pan integral, que me gustastaria poder decir que hago mas frequente, pero no es el caso. He aprendido sin embargo, unas cosas sobre el pan en si, ultimamente, gracias a una amiga que es chef.

First the Dessert and then the Dinner!

2010-01-27T16:40:00.001-05:00

Well, darling hubby made a wonderful dessert - a flan, which on his second attempt in recent times, I must say, came out much better. The last recipe had too much cream cheese, which seems to be a new trend in flan recipes, but came out quite like a cheesecake as opposed to a flan. Then I made some nachos and we had a lovely little Mexican Fiesta Friday night, which was way better than take out (which we have been trying to avoid). And by the way, took very little effort. ;)

Bueno, mi esposo hizo un flan, en su segundo intento recien, y esa vez, salio mucho mejor y mas al flan original, sin queso crema, que es de moda ultimamente en las recetas de flanes. Despues yo hice unos nachos y tuvimos una fiesta mexicana el viernes pasado (bueno una cena mexicana) que fue mucho mejor que comida rapida, que he estado tratando evitar. Ademas, fue facil y rapido.

Hours of Play

2010-01-24T01:43:00.000-05:00

After a tiny bit of inspiration from a story scene on someone's blog, I offered Miss M. some very simple materials last night, when she seemed unable to figure out what to do with herself - a very common occurrence lately, which nearly has me at my wits end. (Go play is almost a punishment it seems.) She was excited though to have new 'materials' to work with, and amazingly, her imagination took off, with very little in the way of suggestions on my part. I intially suggested that she re-create the story of Briar Rose that we had just read, which she did very briefly and then moved on to other things. I almost interfered a number of times (big bad habit) but really tried to hold back. She was doing exactly what I wanted her to do - create - imagine - play. She went through a number of stories and was so engrossed with this, that we ate around her setup on the kitchen table which she continued on. (She had to finish putting the swing together.) I realize that it is very easy to get caught up in nitty details and lose the big picture. The nitty detail in this case would have been my insisting that she do only the story we had just read. I am glad I didnt, we would have both lost so much. This was a joy to watch unfold. The scarf was both a river and a waterfall. The dollpins were people, rafts, a swingset, the von trapp singers, and a fence. The train tracks were a footbridge, a slide in the little playground she built and a seesaw. The nuts were rocks and a path. I'll translate tomorrow - I am exhausted. Lo traduzco manana. voy a dormir.

A Doe - A Deer - A Female Deer

2010-01-24T01:20:00.000-05:00

It is good to have songs to refer back to for comprehension. We read a story about a deer, and when I mentioned the doe, Miss M. commented - oh - like the song. Well, here is a winterscape chalk drawing with a little verse for the sound of D. (beginning, middle, and end). We used this same drawing for another verse too, which is part of a months poem that we are learning -

January brings the snow, makes my feet and fingers glow.

De verdad, es bueno tener canciones para ayudar con compresion. Leimos un cuento sobre un venado, y cuando mencione la mama venado (doe), Miss M. commento, oh - como en la cancion. Bueno, aqui es una escena del invierno junto con el verso que estamos haciendo para el sonido de la letra D. Usemos el mismo dibujo para otro verso, que es parte de un poema para aprender los meses

Enero trae la nieve, que hace mis dedos y pies ---?

…by the shores of silver lake…

Sharing a Good Book - Compartiendo un Buen Libro

An Art Class for Mama ~ Una Clase de Arte Para Mamá

Block Crayons & Fine Motor Development ♫♫ Los Colores de Bloque & el Desarollo de Motricidad Fina

Sharing a Good Book - Compartiendo un Buen Libro

Helping your Child with Proper Pencil Grip/ Aydudando a su Hijo Agarrar el lapíz Correctamente

Revisiting my Bookshelf/ Revisitando mi Biblioteca Archivado

Updated First Grade Language Arts ♫ Clase de Primer Ciclo Lenguaje y Literatura

Tracks in the Mud

Autumn Apples - Manzanas del Otoño

Table Top Puppetry ♥♥ Titeres de Mesa

Time to Make the Playdough - Hora de Hacer la Pasta de Sal

The Textures of Autumn - Las Texturas del Otoño

A Day Scavenging the Forest/ Un Dia de Busqueda en el Bosque

¿Porque el Educar en Casa?

First Grade Language Arts Blocks

Summer Dreams

Finally! the Fireflies Return

A good Book to Share - Un buen libro para compartir

Picasso in the tub - Picasso en el Baño

Curriculo en Español - Spanish Language Homeschooling

MamaMoontime: Today, do something unexpected

Charlotte Mason en ESPANOL!!!

Educacion en Casa - un articulo desde Mexico

A Blog from Spain, with posts about Homeschooling/ Un Blog de España, sobre el Educar en Casa

Global Girlfriend

More on Reading - Más Sobre la Lectura

Learning through Story - Reading

Greenwashing - Beyond a "Green" Label; Mas alla que una clasificacion "verde"

A Spring Poem to Share - Un Poema de la Primavera para Compatir

Handwork teaches resilience

March Breezes - Brisas de Marzo

Birdcount Continued

First Grade Math - Matematicas de primera clase - Number Cards

Adding Color to a Dreary Winter Scene

First Grade Math: Sums - Matematicas de primera clase

The Great Backyard Birdcount

Winter Nature Block - Unidad sobre la naturaleza en el invierno

Beauty and the Beast

Pinkdelicious ~ Rosadelicioso

There are Nine Planets in Our Neighborhood - Hay Nueve Planetas en Nuestro Barrio

A Quiet Moment - Un Momento Tranquilo

More First Grade Math - Mas Sobre Matematicas de la Primera Clase

Winter's Icy Breath - El Suspiro del Invierno

First Grade Math - Matematicas de la primera clase

Confessions of a Bookaholic ~ Confessiones de un Biblioholico

What Happens in Autumn? ~ Que Pasa en el Otono?

Salt Dough Recipe and Decorations/ Masa de Sal Receta y Decoraciones

When it is Raining - Let it Rain ~ Cuando esta lloviendo, dejalo que llueve

Nature Week - Una Semana en la Naturaleza

Off To See La Luna

Learning to Write, Well Sort of - Aprendiendo Escribir, de una manera

Sharing a Good Book - Compartiendo un Buen Libro

The Budding Photographer's Trip to the Botanical Garden

On the Farm - En la Granja

In the Land of the Peg People

Needle Felted Pumpkin - Calabaza de Lana

Learning to Sew & The Importance of Handwork - Aprendiendo Coser y La Importancia de Trabajar con las Manos

First Grade Work - Trabajo de la Primera Clase

Disappointing Library Visit/ Visita a la Biblioteca Publica

The Farmer's House in Autumn

Marzipan Pumpkins - Calabazas de Marzipan

New Puppet for Playscapes - Nuevo Titere para Tableau

Beginning First Grade - Empezando El Primer Grado

Plant Dyed Silks - New Etsy Shop

The Essence of Summer - La Esencia del Verano

Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away.

Play dough fun!

A Short List of Spanish Circle Time/ Storytime Resources - Una pequena lista de recursos en espanol para rimas y canciones

Beauty really IS everywhere - La belleza si se encuentra en todas partes

A Wonderful Week - Una Semana Maravillosa

Chasing Fireflies/ En Busca de Luciernagas

German Children's Song/ Deutsches Kinderlied/ Cancion Alemana Infantil

10 Little Duckies - Diez Patitos

Ducklings! - Patitos!

New Quote/ Neues Dichte/ Nuevo Refran

Holistic Education and Learning to Read/ Educacion Holistica y el Aprendizaje de la Lectura

Educacion Alternativa/ AERO Conference

Spanish Rhyme/ Rima en Espanol

Breakfast on the Go/ El Desayuno Rapido