Indoor Camping

I absolutely LOVE to camp. I love to be out in the wilderness, explore, and get dirty with my boys. However, we just don't get to go often enough. This summer we thought we would just camp out in the back yard, that way we would be close enough to the house for potty breaks or for anyone who happen to get spooked in the middle of the night. My youngest, whose 2, had never been before.
To bad we had planned our adventure in the midst of all the storms that hit the US. After seeing the boy's disappointment, we decided to have an indoor camping adventure.
We brought the tent inside and with 8 little hands helping, we set it up in the basement. I thought we were going to have to sleep on top of it being that the little ones were having more fun tearing down.

After the tent was set up, we did an indoor scavenger hunt. I pair them into 2 teams of 1 big kid and 1 little kid. They would not get the next clue until the previous item was put in their teams basket. The first team to finish their list won.
Some of our scavenger hunt clues were:

• Something small and round
• Something green
• Something that is the same object, but different sizes
• Something you wear
• Something that comforts you when you sleep.
• A red car
• Something that tells or shows time
• Something that stars with "L"

Once our scavenger hunt was over we made s'mores on our gas stove burner.

Once we made ourselves 'unsticky', I sat down all the boys to watch Scooby Doo Summer Camp. This gave me a few minutes to get the kitchen and dining room cleaned up.

No camping trip is complete without a campfire, right? So, we made one. We laid a floor fan on its back and taped pieces of red, gold, and yellow streamers onto different sections. When the fan is turned on,  the papers blow upward giving the 'fire effect'. Kids had way more fun taking the papers off and letting the wind float them high above our heads.

We sat around our paper flame and read a few books and learned the Kumbaya song.

Then bed time! Everyone grabbed their favorite pillows and blankets and came down to settle in. I was able to find night time noises online. I hit repeat and it played throughout the whole night. It was actually very soothing. My four year old loved listening to the bugs and would say "SHHHHH" and you could just see the concentration in his eyes as he tried to listen.

We had a blast with this indoor camping adventure!! This is a great idea for any time of the year! If you don't have a tent, use furniture and blankets and let the kids make their own.

Do you do indoor camping?  What is your favorite indoor camping activity?

Summer School Courses

Summer is a great time to offer extra curricular classes for your children. This summer I have decided to do 2 different classes with our boys. Basic Cooking and How to Clean. (not pick up, but clean). This is something that I would like to do every summer. It is also something that can advance with their age. I decided to do these classes because at some point the boys will be moving on and out of our home. They are going to have to know how to do the basics for themselves. That knowledge will be a wonderful asset for them once the enter into marriage.

Here is how our weeks will go:

Week 1~
Basic Cooking:
Day 1:
            Following directions
            Clean as you go
            Boiling water
            Cooking noodles
Day 2:
            Measuring properly
            Scrambled eggs
            Frying Bacon(Different ways to cook)
           
Day 3:
             Stove and oven safety, burn treatment
             Homemade chicken noodle soup
             Grilled cheese

Day 4:
             Sanitation
             Baking chicken breast
             Boiling raw vegetables
             Rice
Day 5:
               Cooking temperatures(eggs, meat)/Uncooked food illness
               Sausage Gravy
               Biscuits(refrigerated containers and homemade)
Extra: Learn about meals that freeze well(lasagna, tuna casserole). Make some meals for some families in need.

Toward the beginning of the school we plan to attend Mixing Bowl Academy. Mixing Bowl academy offers live cooking classes that are made just for kids. You have the option to look at the menus ahead of time and pick out a month of live classes that sound the most interesting to you. The best part is its an inexpensive and fun way to introduce your kiddos to cooking.
              
Week 2:
Basic Cleaning

Day 1:
       Germs and bacteria
       Bathroom Cleanliness

Day 2:
       Why we clean/Whats in the air
        Laundry(separating, loading)

Day 3:
       Whats Dust?
        Dusting and sweeping
        Windows

Day 4:
        Organized cleaning(All toys in correct bucket, laundry in correct drawers)
        Clean as you go

Day 5:
        Create our new chore charts
        Discuss rewards
        Discuss initiative and teamwork
Extra-  "Adopt" an elderly widow/widower and help them clean their home a few times a month


What extra curricular classes do you enjoy doing with your kiddos?

2011/2012 Curriculum

Finally..I am am finished determining curriculum! Back in February, I had decided on all of my curriculum. Then after attending 2 homeschool conferences, I changed mostly all of our individual studies and altered some combined studies. I was able to find all of these used(except for our Bible because its a new series) and even found a couple items at goodwill. Buying them used saved us nearly $250-$300.

Combined:

Art:(2nd and 4th gr.)

     Alpha Omega Life Pac

Science:(2nd and 4th)

     Apologia-Water creatures of the 5th Day

History: (2nd and 4th)

     Story of the World- We use the audio.

Bible: (All)

     Telling God's Story

Foreign Language: (2nd and 4th)

     Learn in your car(CD)

     EnchantedLearning.com

Pre-K

Hooked on Phonics: Beginning Reading with Bible Stories-Ages 4-6

Fruit for the Tender Heart(Teachmejoy.com)

2nd Grade

Math-

Saxon 2

Spelling-

Rod and Staff 2

Scholastic- Portable File Folder Word Walls

Writing-

A Reason for Handwriting-Transition

Reading-

Home Created Reading List

Grammar-

Houghton Mifflin English Text

Evan Moore-Daily Language Review

4th Grade

Math-

Teaching Textbooks- 4

Spelling-

Harcourt Family Learning- Spelling Skills 4

Writing-

Miscellaneous Cursive Work books

Handwriting without Tears

Reading-

Home Created Reading List

Bob Jones- Reading for Christian Schools-

Skill Builders- Reading Comprehension

Grammar-

Rod and Staff-Building with Diligence-4

Oral Daily Language ( Carson-Dallosa Publishing)

What new curriculum's are you trying this year?

Crazy, Un-socialized Homeschool Family and Proud of it

One of the first question you get asked as a homeschooling parent is, "So, How do your children get socialized?"or " Wont they be weird if they aren't around children their own age?"
I have always had patience with this question, as many people do not know or understand what goes into homeschooling a child. At first, I struggled to answer these questions or statements in a way that proved them otherwise.
Something my father always taught me was to be strong enough to defend yourself and your beliefs. To have a full understanding of why you believe what you believe and how to express it in a knowledgeable and fearless manor. Though I am sure he was referring to my faith, I am taking full advantage of the advice. Having that in mind I sat down with a pen and my notepad in efforts to remind myself of the positives of homeschooling and the benefits of socialization that a homeschooling child receives over public school students. If I gave you my whole list, you'd get tired of reading. So in effort not to be used as a method of sleep medication, I am listing the ones I feel that are the most noticeable reasons to me. :)

*My children participate in community sports(soccer, football, and basketball), their own grade level in a co-op, separate and combined clubs and church functions. Actually, they participate in more than most public school children because we have all day for activities and do not have to squeeze activities into a time period 4 hours between school ending and bed.They are not stuck in a house all day, deprived from life kids.
*No way in public school would you see a 3rd grader helping a preschooler do a game, learn a lesson, do a project or offer to keep one entertained while mom does a chore. And not often in home school do you see a 3rd grader who thinks its 'uncool' to be around kids of a lower grade.
*Bullying isn't part of our school routine. It, beyond the shadow of a doubt, isn't going to make my children socially inept to do with out it.
* My kids learn about airplanes and how to fly model airplanes from the old Vietnam Vet who lives alone. At the same time getting a history lesson from someone who lived it.
* My children learn gardening and how to get more suckers out of the girls at the bank from the elderly couple across the street. And how to make homemade chicken noodle soup to take to them when they are ill.
* My kids don't worry about wearing the perfect thing or trying to impress the popular clique. They are able to focus on their studies because who cares what their siblings think, right. They are not constantly confronted with on-going school based socialization, peer pressure and standardization.
* My kids do go beyond the kitchen table and into their community. They gain experience from opportunities like reading to younger kids at the local library, volunteering at a local nursing home, or handing out blankets and speaking to a homeless child or family.

What people fail to see is that children being around kids their own age all day, everyday is okay, but it is the experience with people of all other ages that will help them to grow in understanding of people as a whole. A child will not always be around their 'age group' for the rest of their life. Once they reach college and head into the workforce they will come in contact with people in all age groups, people from different 'times'. I have confidence that my children will be able to walk out in the world and not only be able to be able to fit in with their age group, but will be able to understand, interact, and handle situations with people, in general, no matter what age or year they graduated. I have had the joy of hearing the conversations my 9 year old has with our elderly neighbors or the folks at the nursing home. He is able to walk into situation and know how to have a proper dialect with any age group. You just cant learn that sitting in a room with 20-30 other kids of the same age. I might add that public school they get in trouble when they 'socialize' in class, so I in guess they do some double duty during their 20 minutes of recess. :)

Are my children odd? Yes, by the standardization of the non-homeschooling community. Yes, in a sense that they do not comply with the social mediocrity that is expected of them. Personally, I feel that is something to be proud of. They stand out because they are different from the norms of society. They have an individuality that has not become processed by social expectation, but by their own will to be who they are and who God wants them to be. If that is considered to be un-socialized, then watch out, we are a crazy, un-socialized, homeschool family and proud of it. Get over it! I am glad my children can be different from everyone else!

He is 4

On Saturday May 14th 2011 my 3rd son will be the big 4. I only blinked...really. He was only 1 yesterday...really!
My big guy is one of the funniest, smartest, loving, crazy, WII playing children I have ever known. I once wrote a post about him being near pretty close to a feral animal. Some of the statements in the post still remain true. However, I am happy to announce that he has grown out of many of them! I guess the extra prayers for sanity didn't bounce off the ceiling.

I will say that the last year of 3's has been incredibly, wonderfully INSANE. It has also been a blast and a learning experience. It still amazes me that after 2 other children I still learned something.
That being said, I am excited for his pink panther birthday and thank God that he has given me another year with this amazing little, curly head, ball of fire! I can't believe I will have my 3rd Kindergartner this time next year...ekkk!

Happy 4th birthday to to one of the greatest blessings in my life.

We love you so much Keegy-bops!! You are my joy, my comedian, and the one who can always brighten my day, when the day has gone wrong! You are so smart, loving and so courageous. My prayer for you is to use those God-given character traits to be a warrior for God, for those in need, and most importantly for yourself! Always love yourself because you are you and you are amazing!!!

Making Double Meals

I love pictures like the one above. It makes you think of how the '50's' era made being a house wife look so easy and enjoyable. Oh, how Mrs Cleaver and Mama Walton make me cringe. Though I wish times as a homeschooling housewife could be as easy as they were portrayed to be, they are not. So, why not find some easy techniques to make life easier. One way is making double meals.

When I sit down to make my menu for the week, I try to combine main ingredients so that I can create more than one meal at a time. This technique is a huge time saver for us. It really helps on those days when we have many things that unexpectedly come up!

Basically, as you are making dinner for the night, you will use the main ingredient to make a second (or third) meal to use for another lunch or dinner. Here is a double duo I made this week.

Main Ingredient: Chicken Breasts(Feeding 6)
You will need 9-10 chicken breast for these recipes. I simply used one of the bags of frozen breast from Walmart.

1. Bake chicken breast on a cookie sheet at 400 for about 20-25 minutes. Until cook completely through.
2. Cut half(4-5) of the chicken breasts into small bite size pieces.
3. Shred the remaining chicken breast. This is done best by allowing the chicken to cool and then using your fingers to tear the shreds.
4. Prepare you meals

Barb-Q Chicken Sandwiches:

• Put the shredded chicken into a bowl.
• Add your favorite barbecue sauce and mix well.
• Refrigerate to use for another meal.
• When ready to use: Warm chicken in a microwave safe container until heated well.
• Serve on a hamburger bun with fries, fruit, corn, potato salad, pasta salad, or cole slaw.

Enchilada Casserole:

You will need:

1 Package corn tortillas
1-1/2 lbs cooked, cut up chicken
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 C. sour cream
1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stack the corn tortillas. Cut lengthwise, then width wise to form triangles. Loosen well
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.
Pour into a well greased casserole or baking dish.
Cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Serve with brown rice and corn.

The color of this dish is kind of drab, so I suggest adding some chopped green peppers or pimentos for color! Just add them in the mix before baking.

So there you have it. Just one small way to make your life a little bit simpler!

If you already use these recipes, what do you do differently?

This Weeks Muffin Recipe

Recently, I started making a new, from scratch muffin recipe every week for our breakfast(to go with smoothies). Since my family has enjoyed the new muffins so much, I wanted to share them with you so that your family can enjoy them too!!

Here is muffin 1: Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

What you need:
1 C fresh raspberries
1- 3 oz packet of cream cheese
3 eggs
6 TBLS of butter
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 C. milk
2 C. flour
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pans or line with 'cupcake' cups
*Beat together cream cheese with 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 egg, and 1/2 tsp vanilla until smooth. Put to side for later.
*In sauce pan combine milk, butter, and remaining vanilla. Stir over medium heat until butter melts.
*Cool mixture until warm to the touch. Then beat in remaining eggs, one at a time.
* In a bowl, combine baking powder, flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and milk mixture. Stir to blend.
*Fold in raspberries. Divide into muffin pans.
*Spoon 2 tsp of cream cheese mix on top of each muffin.
*Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Variations:
*The raspberries do tend to be kind of tart. Consider sprinkling some sugar on them and letting letting them sit for a few hours.
*Any type of berry, such as blackberries and strawberries, would work well with this recipe.

Please let me know if you tried any different variations to this recipe.

Our muffin for next week is an: Apple Muffins
Stop by and check out the recipe.