in which i elect to make a change

*

there have been big changes in our homeschooling this past week. as wonderful as the charter was, it just was not a good fit for thehobbit. over the summer we had discussed pulling him, but ended up renewing for high school (gasp! my wee hobbit is a high schooler.).

only two months into the school year, & it was obvious that we had made the wrong choice - so we pulled him. rather, i, pulled him, & later informed manlyman. that is what he gets for abandoning us for a week-long pga thing in florida. i can get up to all sorts of mischief when left on my own.

now we are free to homeschool as we once did, with thehobbit studying what he likes, at the pace that suits him best. he is more thrilled than i can say. thehobbit was never happy making the switch to the charter, but we had our reasons for insisting. those reasons crumbled in the face of an increasingly miserable hobbit.

no longer tied to the charter's requirements & schedules, we have been poking through our personal library, looking for what to study. first up - the election! the timing is perfect, what with the presidential elections looming.

i found some general election information for thehobbit, as well as a few other things that i thought would be interesting. enjoy! (if i stumble upon anything new, i'll edit this post.)

* the electoral college (kids discover) - printable.
* everything american government - book.
* presidents - fandex.
* suffragists (kids discover) - magazine. (free resources go along with this - scroll to bottom of that page.)
* the donkey & the elephant - article.
* presidential election (brainpop) - mini movie & printables.
* the democracy project (pbs) - website.
* election 2012 (scholastic) - website.

~peace.

on a mission

*

if you get a chance to visit the santa barbara mission, do not pass it up. it is the most beautiful place, with gorgeous crumbly bits everywhere you turn.

i confess that i did not listen to anything our guide was saying, as i'd had my fill of mission tours back in elementary school. plus, the idea of people coming to a place to convert the native inhabitants makes my skin crawl. instead i followed along, snapping photos of the gorgeous crumbly bits, & humming quietly to myself.

thehobbit already knew the history of the california missions, & our feelings on the subject, so i wasn't worried that he'd come away thinking how wonderful that those selfless spaniards came here to take such lovely care of the natives who clearly could not care for themselves.

in any case, being a lover of crumbly bits himself, he was paying more attention to the sites than the guide. he did say that she was very nice though.

the interior was just as gorgeous, filled with artifacts. a bit dark, so most of my photos did not turn out well.

except for photographs of windows. just look at how thick those walls are!

i loved this window most.

before long we were back outside. the cemetery was my favorite place. so pretty. so hauntingly pretty.

~peace.

ancient greece studies (the books)

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photo :: found on pinterest

thehobbit  is studying ancient greece over the summer with friends. instead of meeting for classes, they'll do the work on their own time, then meet twice monthly for activities, games, & a party. sort of a freaky, backwards summer camp, i suppose.

because we have so little time, i decided to stick with just a few things: the basics of when & where & who, mythology, & the olympics. that last would not be one of my choices were it not an olympic year.

like i did with our middle ages studies (here & here), i thought i would share resources with you. here are the educational books we are using - in no particular order:

10 best greek legends ever!

groovy greeks

groovy greeks activity book - i've not yet looked through this one, i only just ordered it.

usborne greek myths

ancient greece! 40 hands-on activities - borrowed from auntiepaper.

classical kids - ditto this book

top 10 worst things about ancient greece

oh my gods!

she's all that!

what a beast!

you wouldn't want to be a slave in ancient greece

you wouldn't want to be a greek athlete 

& those for (more importantly) fun:

percy jackson series

the lost hero - i know this one is a series, but book 2 is roman-themed. we'll save this for autumn :)

the fire thief series

whew, that was a lot of linking! links & ideas will have to wait for another day.

~peace.

well that explains it

*

just as thehobbit's medieval studies class comes to an end, i discover my own bit of medievalness (real word) -    i managed to trace one line of my mother's family back to some muckity-mucks the middle ages! yes, about six months ago, i joined the ranks of amateur genealogists, & began researching my family. in fact, that research is one of the things that has kept me from blogging on a regular basis. that, & a certain pesky toddler.

so! the short of what is a very long story: tinker (who has been addicted to genealogy vastly longer than i) thinks she may have found one of my ancestors on the bayeux tapestry. let me interrupt myself here to say that the more i learn about my the places & players in my family history, the more i am convinced that we are drawn to what is in our blood. if that makes no sense, i apologize. i'll explain what i mean more fully another day. back to the topic at hand - this morning i showed the bayeux tapestry to thehobbit, which led us to some fun. enjoy!

firstly, for those who may not have heard of the bayeux tapestry read this. 

some activities at britain's bayeux tapestry. our favorite is the interactive create your own tapestry link. (note :: this is not the original tapestry, but a victorian reproduction, that is housed in england.)

& now watch this wonderful animation, created by students at goldsmiths college.

~peace.

hello from the middle ages - the oops

*

i meant to post this last week, then promptly let life get in the way of things. our last medieval studies class did not go as well at the previous had. what happened? i forgot that i am the world's most dreadful baker, so attempted to make bread dough. but i am getting ahead of myself. here is what we did:

the kids watched the documentary clarissa & the king's cookbook, to which i linked here. they then gathered in the kitchen, excited that they would get to bake rose petal bread. imagine their surprise to find that they could not, because the dough had not risen even a smidge. sigh.

tinker saved the day, by suggesting they deep-fry little bits of the dough. excitement returned, & the kids spent the next hour rolling little balls of dough in sugar, & cooking them in hot oil. they were not the most delicious things i have tasted, but they were not bad. when you bit into one, you encountered a faint rose aroma, then tasted a sugary fried bread. 

the recipe came from knights & castles. in case your library does not carry the book:

rose petal bread

1 package of active dry yeast

1.5 cups lukewarm rose water (i bought mine at an indian grocery)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3-4 cups flour

cornmeal and butter

food dye

1 egg white

to begin, make the rose water by simmering rose petals in a small amount of water. remove the petals.

in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the rose water. stir sugar, salt and some flour into the yeast. with clean hands, knead the dough. add more and more flour until it won't take anymore.

push the dough around on a floured board. when the dough becomes smooth and elastic, cover the bowl with a clean cloth and go play for an hour!

when you return, the dough will be bigger. punch down the dough, and divide in half. form each half into a circle, oval, heart or long loaf. place the loaves on separate buttered baking sheets that are sprinkled with cornmeal. 

next comes the art part. mix a food color with a little bit of egg white to make "paint." paint vines, leaves, flowers or any other art on the top of the loaves. 

bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes at 400ºf.

~peace.

hello from the middle ages - part two

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cartoon :: property of  ???

today i am sharing the videos i have found. i hope to find many  more, & if i remember to hahaha, i plan to update this post. let's get straight to it, shall we?

lost castles of england i mentioned this one yesterday. the kids loved it. the documentary discusses the wooden castles that were built for about 250 years, beginning in 1066. the gore-factor is moderate. i found it on netflix, instant watch.

the dark ages this documentary is fabulous. i recommend it for middle school & up, as the gore-factor is seriously high. also netflix, instant watch.

clarissa & the king's cookbook is a short bbc show about what is possibly england's first cookbook. even if you aren't studying the middle ages, you should see this - it is so interesting. gore-factor is zilch.

part one

part two

part three

terry jones' medieval lives  i have yet to watch these, therefore do not know if they are child-friendly. it's terry jones, so they are bound to be wonderful. amazon has books that go along with this short series, by the way.

enjoy!!! (happy leap year!)

~peace.

hello from the middle ages - part one

*

photo :: property of miss paper

i did not mean to be away for so long,my dear one & only reader. did you know that a pestilence can go through four people in the same home, at different times, & drag the whole blasted affair out for weeks on end? it was not the most fun few weeks of my life, i will say that much. however, all are well now, & i am slowly getting us back to our normal goings on.

one thing we are getting back to is medieval studies; thehobbit & some friends began studying together, just before the dreaded pestilence hit. the above photo is from our first class. they watched the documentary lost castles of england, then set about building a motte-&-bailey castle from pretzels & icing.

over the past few weeks, i have been compiling a list of books to add to our collection. in case your kids are interested, i thought i'd share the list with you. i'll begin with what we already have:

the measly middle ages

living long ago

time traveller books (tinker's book)

knights & castles (paper's book)

the door in the wall (tinker's book)

& now the list:

you wouldn't want to live in the  middle ages

plagues, pox, & pestilence

archers, alchemists, &...

terry jones' medieval lives

the forme of cury

it's not a complete list by far, but it is a good start. if you can only afford one book, i recommend measly middle ages. the horrible histories books are brilliant.

~peace.

lost & found

*

i thought i had long ago lost this cartoon, but found it today! actually, i did lose the original paper version, but hadn't realized i'd taken a photo of it. how fabulous, to stumble upon it!

fellow homeschoolers will recognize this scene instantly. it's a scene played out daily, at libraries the world over, by overly excited parents upon discovering a child's interest in something. i don't think that last sentence even hinted at being grammatically correct.

i sure do miss drawing cartoons. enjoy!

~peace.

(not on) thursday things - homeschooling

*

this week's thursday things (ha! do you see how i act as though it's been going on weekly all this time?) is about homeschooling. specifically, things that have enhanced thehobbit's experience this past year. by the way, i'm writing this post on a monday for 2 reasons: 1) i am going to be too busy this thursday, & b) because. 


* murderous maths are amazing books! there are some of them, pictured above. they are clever, silly, & ofttimes obnoxious - perfect for my hobbity teen. we get ours from this website, which also sells the horrible histories  (likewise fabulous for homeschooling). i should say here that thehobbit loathes math, yet still enjoys these books.


* brain pop is a great resource for learning all manner of things. i ate too much, so am too sleepy to explain how it works. i'll let them instead (from their website), "brain pop creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement.". to access the majority of their lessons, you do have to pay an annual fee. that said? there are still enough free lessons to make visiting worth your while. 


* netflix. no, seriously! the site is overflowing with documentaries, plays, & educational television series. just spend some time poking around, & you'll see what i mean.


* google earth blows my mind. it's one thing to read about the annex in which anne frank lived, it is entirely another thing to see it, & be able to scroll your view around however you like. we were able to see the gum, on the sidewalk, in front of the building. touristy gum! don't ask me why this thrilled us so.


which reminds me, you can use a few of these together to create a fabulous experience. an example: thehobbit read the diary of anne frank, watched the bbc's version on netflix, looked up the places she mentioned on google earth, then ended with the brain pop lessons (anne frank, adolf  hitler, holocaust). 


of course this way of teaching may not be your cuppa. or you may not be homeschooling. or have children. or like children. however, if you do have (& like) homeschooled children, & this style appeals to you, give some of these a try. let me know in what adventures you find yourself!


~peace.

of listings & contemplations

*

i've put more goodies in theshop! don't think i've gotten my act together - no happy dances just yet. these were all created & photographed weeks ago. i've only just gotten around to listing them. but! i have listed  them, so that has to count for something. perhaps a happy shimmy?

pictured above is a pair of funky acorns. as cute as they look in the photo, it's nothing to how cute they are in person. the caps remind me of illustrations from the 70s.

also listed today are the trios of mushrooms, large & small. these are painted the same as my minis, but their shapes are very different. they also are more than just toys - i shan't say how, you'll have to see for yourselves :)

*

to my local belfry-ettes: i have been contemplating holding open house days. i don't yet have the details figured out, but when i do, i'll let you know. i am very excited by this!

that is all for today. i need to help thehobbit with some words in cyrano. sigh. homeschooling was so much easier when he was little. (read: kat is so lazy.)

~peace.

hobbity happenings

*

when the dinky bébé joined the family, it became too easy to forget to gush about my older (or, as tinker's middle girl calls him: used) child. i am a dreadful mama.

thehobbit has been a busy bee of late. he now takes classes: lego engineering, english, & science. it feels strange, after so many years, to hand over bits of his education to others, but he's enjoying it.



autumn sunrise

 i cannot recall if i ever told you of thehobbit's karate lessons. he began earlier this year, & recently competed in his first tournament. in his age group, he took 2nd place in kata! isn't that exciting? they gave him a medal, on a pretty red ribbon, which we've proudly draped over his daddy-o's largest golf trophy.

he has another tournament later this month, as well as his second belt test in december. my very own karate kid.

scary goose

painting has become a huge part of his life. he watches the various how-to shows on pbs each night, & paints as often as he can. so far he prefers watercolor, but has begun using acrylic more in the past week.

his grammie gave him a box, filled with her old brushes, & i gave him my travel easel. yesterday i ordered fan brushes & various types of paper from dick blick. i may order a catalog, & have him circle everything he wants - sort of a giant wish list. it should come in handy this holiday season, that's for sure.



tiny flowers

 another new happening is french lessons, on his own, using the rosetta stone. he balked at first, but he does that with most things that he thinks will be too hard. only a few weeks in, & he loves it! in fact, he is already correcting me, cheeky little brat.

lastly is thehobbit's new love affair with photography. perhaps i should instead say taking photos, because he's yet to show an interest in learning how to use any feature other than the macro setting. still! he enjoys it, & has taken some pretty good photos. all those in this post are his, by the way.

so you don't envy me my amazingly perfect son, let me tell you what else is going on at thebelfry. puberty, that's what. oh my maude! puberty is brutal. it is horrid, foul, & nasty. i am sure puberty brings with it many joyful changes in a child as well, but i cannot say what they are at the moment ;)

see? not so envious now, is it? you're welcome.

~peace.

a give-away of gigantic proportions!

*

head nope, you procrastinated again, & missed the deadline. how do you expect to ever win a prize? on over to soulemama for a chance to win one of three gift bundles, by the talented artisans of natural kids! don't tell the others, but i hope you win

as i mentioned yesterday, the pouch i created for this give-away was the victim of scatterbrainitis (real word), so did not get taken to the post office in time. that's it in the above photo. if you want it for your very own, it's in theshop. although, those dinky pencils are so swoony that i may keep it for myself!

the specials are still going on in my kid shop, with free shipping on orders over $40 being the most fabulous one! ok, so go enter the drawing, then pop over to my shop to see all my new pencil pouches & stuff. by the way, i have decided that i'll refund $2 to those who want pouches sent without the pencils. i recognize that some people don't want colored pencils, only pouches. weirdos.

oh, & one more thing: good luck! nope, no one more thing. shame really. i was hoping you'd win.
~peace.

the return of hogwarts

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homeschool, that is. enjoy!

~peace.

thursday things - 4

** leave a comment here, to win a wonky birthday bunting!**

is it thursday already? is time set to fast mode? it does seem like the days have flown on by. how is it then, that the hours of those days drag on forever? it boggles the mind. well, my mind at any rate. i'm easily boggled these days.

this week's thursday things has to do with kids. life's master mind-bogglers! here are a few of the websites that have inspired many a homeschool adventure over the years:

* kids off the couch is great fun. i love their popcorn adventures. they find local goings-on, & pair them with family-friendly movies. even if you don't live here, you can use their pairings as inspiration for your own adventures.

*kids gardening - check out their teacher's room & family room for ideas & tips for gardening with children. if you too are homeschooling; or want to dig (ha!) more deeply into things, this site is a great resource.

* dad can do simply rocks. there are so many fantastic crafts, that i never leave the making section. it's no longer a totally free site, but the dues aren't high, & you'll really get your money's worth. we used them quite a lot when doing hogwarts homeschool. (which i shall be re-opening in the spring!! that's a chat for another day.)

that's all the things i have time for today. where, on the web, do you find inspiration for family adventures?

~peace.

you say potato, i say wow!

**don't forget to enter the celebratory give-away! click here**

this is a photo of poe tater. thehobbit & i began growing him eons ago, but never did we find the time to plant the poor thing. for awhile we worried the lack of soil would kill our beloved poe, but that was not what happened.


do you see all those tendrils? that's not hair, my friend. that would be freakylong (real word) roots! the cup filled with roots, & i suppose once there was nowhere else left to fit, the roots decided to grow out into the air. wild!

wilder still? do you see the teeny red dots at the ends of the roots? those would be...



baby potatoes!! yes way! who knew that they could grow out in the air like that? not just without soil, mind you, but literally hanging in the air. we watched them grow for a week, then planted poe in 1 of the extremely over-grown with weeds farm beds.

i recommend you give this a try. don't forget to keep replenishing the water in your cup, & keep it in a sunny window. other than that? ignore the crud out of it until you start seeing air taters. let me know how yours turns out!

~peace.

thursday things - the second

it's the one week anniversary of thursday things! i decided we should celebrate this momentous occasion by holding it a day late. oops. so, without further ado...

as you know, i'm getting things ready for thehobbit's japanese birthday party. though i'd made sushi on many occasions; a few times even with children; i was feeling a bit flummoxed. lucky for me, we have an excellent public library. i was able to get 2 books i just may have to add to my own library one day.


* Vegetarian Sushi is a fabulous book! the recipes are easy to follow, & the photographs are beautiful. one recipe i think will become a regular at the belfry is sushi salad. basically you put the sweet, vinegared rice in your bowl, top that with all the finely chopped sushi bits, & use squares of nori to pick up your bites. no rolling!

that was something i dreaded; trying to help a handful of kids roll their sushi. now i won't be offering the sushi salad in place of the rolls, but (thanks to the book) i will be having them do sushi cones instead. much easier for me, & still fun for them.

* Japanese Vegetarian Cooking: From Simple Soups to Sushi may just be the most amazing japanese cookbook ever! there were only a few photos, which i did not like. without a photo, i am not likely to try a recipe. i don't know why that is, but there you have it.

even without photos, i am in love with this cookbook. i wanted to stop reading constantly, so i could rush to the kitchen to give something a go. do not read this book when hungry. trust me.

* origami club is chock-full of origami instructions. so far, my favorite page is titled useful. having creatively homeschooled for the past 8.5yrs, i can honestly say i am sick of the clutter. crafts & projects are so amazing to do, but my maude they do drive me mad!

creating little works of art that can then be used sounds perfect to me.

* obento! as usual, in searching for something specific, i have gotten sidetracked. i bookmarked the following to peruse during today's nap times. please note that i haven't done more than peek thus far, so if the sites are dreadful, or if they are covers for money laundering, i apologize.

just bento

lunch in a box

i've more japanese party things to share, but the wee elfling is no longer tolerating his big brother (& vice versa). perhaps i'll save them for next thursday. with photos even! until then, ciao! (that's me, in too much a rush to look up "bye" in japanese.)

~peace.

edited to add :: i spent a few bebe naps looking at the 2 obento sites - they are amazing!!! have fun poking about.

morning & afternoon

after a morning of homeschooling projects, & studio decluttering; we spent the afternoon creating. it felt wonderful to get things checked off the pesky to-do list.

i got most of the birthday crowns embroidered &/or beaded. then; whilst looking for something in my sewing cabinet; i came across a few labels. this enabled me to finish the pencil pouches that i'd begun the other day. woohoo!

thehobbit didn't want to be left out of the creating part of the day, so i dug out the kit purchased on our last thrifting expedition. other than my hands to steady things occasionally, he completed this project all on his own.

it's meant to hold tools, but he's decided it should be used as a remote-caddy instead. i'm not the least bit embarrassed to say that it will definitely get more use from us watching television, than from us using tools.

i hope your day was as productive & creative! may i nap now?

~peace.

the arboretum

i've only been to the arboretum twice, but it's one of my most favorite places to visit. the first time was with oddsox & her boys. we made a marathon of the day, trying to see everything. it was great fun - we nearly accomplished our goal, & probably walked a zillion miles in the process.

this trip was with thepapers; a vastly shorter day, with vastly less walking. we focused our attention on a few gardens near the entrance, & attended the la garden show.



the event had not only booths for purchasing plants & garden items, but workshops, & garden displays as well. here are thehobbit & minipaper enjoying one such display. by enjoying, i mean they found it extremely entertaining to dip their hands repeatedly into the green water. green! ew.

i behaved myself at the sale booths, buying only a trinket from a vintage garden accessory vendor, & one potted plant. i know! i'm impressed with my restraint as well.



this was my favorite of the day: an enclosed vegetable garden! isn't it gorgeous?! the garden enclosure was just sturdy mesh, stretched over posts, with a door at either end. i want it. i love how they attached the doors to painted arbors, & how the beds are raised so high in the center, & that all the climbing structures are pretty (sigh). i couldn't get a shot of the entire garden, because there were people wandering within.

this would be thehobbit's favorite of the day. the arboretum has a large population of peafowl allowed to roam freely. they'd strut past us as we were strolling the gardens, & one male even came right beside me as we were picnicking. they truly are beautiful up close, & utterly unafraid of humans.

according to my research, a group of peafowl is called: a bevy, a muster, an ostentation, or a pride. if the group is only male, you can add: a cluster, a lek, a bawl, or a pulchritude to that list. i think i'll go with ostentation, simply because it seems to most suit them.

time for me to see what my little peahobbit is up to in the other room. i hear quite a bit of banging, which never bodes well. have a lovely sunday!

~peace.

huzzah!

yesterday we spent the day at the renaissance faire, with some of our most favorite people. manlyman opted begged to not go with us this year, so his ticket went instead to tinker. at first thehobbit was sad, but having minipaper, & the minitinkers there more than made up for the lack.




this dragon was a life-size puppet! i wish i'd taken more photos of it, so you could see the entire body, as well as the puppeteer. he was truly gorgeous.



one of the funniest parts of the day: i was stopped by officials as i tried to enter the privees, & asked if i had a license to use them. i showed them my pg belly, assuming they'd step aside. instead they asked my name, & issued me the above license to priv. click on the photo to read it, because it is quite funny. notice the signature? thehobbit nearly peed laughing when we realized that barnabas fife, was most likely taken from barney fife (deputy sheriff on andy griffith, known for giving ridiculous tickets). of course i kept the license. i want to make sure that all my future potty visits are legal ;-)




this set was even more adorable in person. they were carved from stone, & the chairs large enough to actually sit upon. of course i didn't, because they were made from stone, & had been sitting in the hot sun all day. both thehobbit & minipaper discovered (the hard way) what happens when rocks soak up sun - ooh their poor little bums! i suppose we could have warned them :-)



the day was hot, so not nearly as long of an adventure as we would have liked - still, it was great fun! when asked his favorite part of the day, thehobbit replied: i just liked being with my bestest friends. a mama cannot ask for more than that.

~peace.

the easter butterfly

i forgot easter was hippity hopping on its way. well technically i knew it was coming, & when - i just, well i just wasn't really paying attention. so instead of lovingly making treasures for thehobbit's basket, yesterday found me scouring the gift shop at the science center! yes i am a wretched mama.

fortunately i'd been paying attention to what he & minipaper were drooling over, so i know he'll love what he's getting. still, i feel strange not making his prezzies, & giving him tiny educational kits & toys in their place.

the easter bunny is sure to come through with an ever so squishy plush bunny, & some chocolate at least. i mean i guess that's what he'll bring in his basket.

***

before the shopping spree, we spent the morning with our r&s group. it was our annual trip to the opening of the butterfly pavilion!



the day was quite cloudy, so very few butterflies were in the air. the pavilion was filled with buttersits. ha! ok that was thehobbit's joke, but as i'm his mama i am allowed to borrow it.

the chilly weather did mean that the creatures were content to let the kids handle them, which made for a fabulous morn. of the zillions of butterflies thehobbit has managed to coax onto his hands over the years, the one that had always eluded him was the monarch. you can imagine his excitement when yesterday he finally held one!

in typical katdom (real word) i forgot my camera, so was unable to capture my boy's crowning moment, & hobbity joy. truly there is a special ring of hell just for me. luckily for you, i did have my camera last year, hence you don't have to deal with a photoless post.

& that brings today's babble to a close. if you celebrate easter, i hope yours is a happy one. if passover is instead your groove, i hope yours has been fabulous thus far. mmm now i want some matzoh brie.
~peace.