Yep. That's right. I'm a glutton. I take 20-minute showers. When people hear the number 20, I know what they are thinking (wasteful of resources, wasteful of time, glutton, consumerism....)
I also shower the entire time with my eyes closed. Why!? Because water in my eyes stings. No, I'm not ultra-sensitive to pain - I am ultra-sensitive to sensation though - I did manage to give birth with no interventions and can honestly say, it was not the worst pain I've ever felt, not by a long shot!
So back to the showers. I'm blinded the whole time, I invariably still get water in my eyes and yet I take showers that long?
Well, now let's look at the bigger picture - I do a (homemade, crocheted cotton) washcloth bath every day with a small bowl of water; a larger bowl once a week to take care of the hair. I only actually shower once a month.
It saves on resources, saves on time, ensures I'm being ecologically-aware, doesn't dry out my skin (showers dry out my skin and especially my face, which then produces MORE oil than necessary, leading to acne; I rarely wash my face because of the acne issue - once the oils balanced out, it stays clean with a splash of water 1-2 times a week - I don't wear make-up or other items that need to be washed off either); and allows me one indulgence: a 20 minute hot shower massage, once a month.
If that's gluttony, bring it on!
;)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Astronomy - March Almanack is Available!
I am now a CurrClick affiliate - be sure to click on the banner ad to the right column OR this link when you are going to purchase something (you have to go through this link every time or I don't get credit....)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our current top favorite: The Celestial Almanack from Classical Astronomy - only $3 per month for user-friendly nightly information on the sky (and even daily information!) - my son LOVES this Almanack!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our current top favorite: The Celestial Almanack from Classical Astronomy - only $3 per month for user-friendly nightly information on the sky (and even daily information!) - my son LOVES this Almanack!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Keys of the Universe - 1 Month Giveaway
http://montessorinuggets.blogspot.com/2012/02/bonus-post-giveaway.html
Available over at Montessori Nuggets!
Available over at Montessori Nuggets!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Lenten Fasting
We are Roman Rite Catholics (usually attending the Traditional Latin Mass, but we'll go where needed).
For fasting, we follow the older fasting rules. No, older than what you first thought; and probably older than the second thing that you thought of ;)
We follow the original fasting rules. They can be found in the Didache, written sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries. The Eastern Rite churches still follow them.
Food-fasting during Lent: no meat or animal products (including dairy, eggs, fat, gelatin), no olive oil, no wine.
Yes, this goes beyond no meat on Fridays - far beyond, since anything with a back-bone is considered meat. Yes, that means most fish. We can have shellfish, but nothing with a backbone.
It means we focus on simplicity, careful planning, and we then have ample time for prayer and almsgiving. Any of these three without one or the other, is useless: fasting, prayer, almsgiving.
Now, this means we don't give up anything else for Lent. We simply choose to DO something extra.
The official rule of the church is that you should follow something very close to the above, OR give up something (in the way that people are used to doing) and at minimum avoid meat on Fridays.
So we choose A. :)
It's fun every year to see how creative we get with our food. And we do allow for some flexibility on Tuesdays and Thursdays (I have to have yogurt for health reasons - needing the bacteria, and whole foods are better for a person than a supplement, when available.)
Sundays in the Western Church are not actual days of Lent (although historically they were included in Lent too, but that is another discussion). As a family we choose what we give up for Lent (the fasting outlined in the Didache is our choice), but we do follow the calendar of our Rite.
Also, in charity, we do have to accept what is given to us by our hosts when we are visiting. However, if we have a choice between milk and water to drink, we will choose water. This is a humbling situation because one doesn't want to say too much and appear arrogant, but there is an interesting history here that is fun to discuss and learn from.
I hope that answers the questions I've been receiving this past week :)
Now. We do modify.
For fasting, we follow the older fasting rules. No, older than what you first thought; and probably older than the second thing that you thought of ;)
We follow the original fasting rules. They can be found in the Didache, written sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries. The Eastern Rite churches still follow them.
Food-fasting during Lent: no meat or animal products (including dairy, eggs, fat, gelatin), no olive oil, no wine.
Yes, this goes beyond no meat on Fridays - far beyond, since anything with a back-bone is considered meat. Yes, that means most fish. We can have shellfish, but nothing with a backbone.
It means we focus on simplicity, careful planning, and we then have ample time for prayer and almsgiving. Any of these three without one or the other, is useless: fasting, prayer, almsgiving.
Now, this means we don't give up anything else for Lent. We simply choose to DO something extra.
The official rule of the church is that you should follow something very close to the above, OR give up something (in the way that people are used to doing) and at minimum avoid meat on Fridays.
So we choose A. :)
It's fun every year to see how creative we get with our food. And we do allow for some flexibility on Tuesdays and Thursdays (I have to have yogurt for health reasons - needing the bacteria, and whole foods are better for a person than a supplement, when available.)
Sundays in the Western Church are not actual days of Lent (although historically they were included in Lent too, but that is another discussion). As a family we choose what we give up for Lent (the fasting outlined in the Didache is our choice), but we do follow the calendar of our Rite.
Also, in charity, we do have to accept what is given to us by our hosts when we are visiting. However, if we have a choice between milk and water to drink, we will choose water. This is a humbling situation because one doesn't want to say too much and appear arrogant, but there is an interesting history here that is fun to discuss and learn from.
I hope that answers the questions I've been receiving this past week :)
Now. We do modify.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Narnia Studies - Once Again!
We have re-started our Narnia Studies.
Over a year ago, my then barely 6 year old saved up his money for the Narnia Unit Study Guide: Further Up and Further In. I'd heard it might be too academic or too dry - several families had used it after using their Little House on the Prairie Study and found that Narnia didn't live up to the same expectation. Since we've not done Little House, I thought we'd be ok.
Well, nope.
My son, though young, could DO all the work; it just wasn't what we anticipated. We thought there would be more activities corresponding to the activities in the book, and while these are certainly present, it just wasn't what "enough" - the activities are GREAT - it's just SO much conversation, rather than doing. Maybe it's because we're doing the books in order (having read them at least 10 times through in publication order already!) and Magician's Nephew is sort of "Eh" on the interest scale. It is interesting in that it is a precursor to the rest of the storyline, but it does by itself hold the same magic as the others stories. (Sorry Mr. Lewis - we still love the story - just not the same way!).
Anyway, we're back at it again with more tools at hand. We have the downloads from Currclick for all of the books (a series of workbook pages with some activities like letter-writing from a character's point of view, etc) and we have the lapbook for Magician's Nephew from In the Hands of a Child (some of their items can also be purchased at Currclick for a lower price *and* I get affiliate kickback if you click on the Currclick link, then order HOAC items from Currclick).
I've already listed out resources ahead of time; so we can spend our library time looking up and reading related books. We're making a list of food as we go and adding those foods to our menu plans; and he's creating a binder with all sorts of goodies. Lots of artwork and timelines!
My son is also putting together a timeline of his own based on his reading - Earth timeline versus Narnia timeline. When we're done we'll check the "official" timeline in our book Companion to Narnia (our cover does not match this one, though we got it from them - it's been updated and revised).
How does this fit with Montessori? The Montessori elementary is a framework with a LOT of meat within it - and it allows so much time and freedom to utilize outside resources as are appropriate to the situation - not every child could or should study Narnia the way we are, so this pertinent for us; other children should study the literature that fits with their families, their culture, their interests. Rich literature should be a part of every child's life - and how that plays out will look different for every family.
We could study Narnia without any of these study guides. We just choose to start with them and adapt. This is also how we are taking "outside requirements" and learning how to adjust to them, something that is a key component of every good Montessori environment: sometimes we have outside requirements to fulfill, and we learn responsibility to fulfill them in a healthy manner, so that we can live within our society.
All this to say - I'm excited :)
Over a year ago, my then barely 6 year old saved up his money for the Narnia Unit Study Guide: Further Up and Further In. I'd heard it might be too academic or too dry - several families had used it after using their Little House on the Prairie Study and found that Narnia didn't live up to the same expectation. Since we've not done Little House, I thought we'd be ok.
Well, nope.
My son, though young, could DO all the work; it just wasn't what we anticipated. We thought there would be more activities corresponding to the activities in the book, and while these are certainly present, it just wasn't what "enough" - the activities are GREAT - it's just SO much conversation, rather than doing. Maybe it's because we're doing the books in order (having read them at least 10 times through in publication order already!) and Magician's Nephew is sort of "Eh" on the interest scale. It is interesting in that it is a precursor to the rest of the storyline, but it does by itself hold the same magic as the others stories. (Sorry Mr. Lewis - we still love the story - just not the same way!).
Anyway, we're back at it again with more tools at hand. We have the downloads from Currclick for all of the books (a series of workbook pages with some activities like letter-writing from a character's point of view, etc) and we have the lapbook for Magician's Nephew from In the Hands of a Child (some of their items can also be purchased at Currclick for a lower price *and* I get affiliate kickback if you click on the Currclick link, then order HOAC items from Currclick).
I've already listed out resources ahead of time; so we can spend our library time looking up and reading related books. We're making a list of food as we go and adding those foods to our menu plans; and he's creating a binder with all sorts of goodies. Lots of artwork and timelines!
My son is also putting together a timeline of his own based on his reading - Earth timeline versus Narnia timeline. When we're done we'll check the "official" timeline in our book Companion to Narnia (our cover does not match this one, though we got it from them - it's been updated and revised).
How does this fit with Montessori? The Montessori elementary is a framework with a LOT of meat within it - and it allows so much time and freedom to utilize outside resources as are appropriate to the situation - not every child could or should study Narnia the way we are, so this pertinent for us; other children should study the literature that fits with their families, their culture, their interests. Rich literature should be a part of every child's life - and how that plays out will look different for every family.
We could study Narnia without any of these study guides. We just choose to start with them and adapt. This is also how we are taking "outside requirements" and learning how to adjust to them, something that is a key component of every good Montessori environment: sometimes we have outside requirements to fulfill, and we learn responsibility to fulfill them in a healthy manner, so that we can live within our society.
All this to say - I'm excited :)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Montessori Homeschooling Blog - for Elementary!
One *more* new blog for everyone!
Montessori Trails
Like Montessori Nuggets, this is another blog where I will schedule posts out in advance - so please do ask if there is something you'd like to see.
Montessori Nuggets - daily Montessori treasure, tidbit, bite of wisdom, something to ponder, or practical information
Montsesori Trails - our homeschool journey, from my discovery of Montessori through all the ups and down of our experiences, good, bad, ugly, beautiful, scary and otherwise.
Since we're officially at the elementary age, there will be plenty of that age too!
Montessori Trails
Like Montessori Nuggets, this is another blog where I will schedule posts out in advance - so please do ask if there is something you'd like to see.
Montessori Nuggets - daily Montessori treasure, tidbit, bite of wisdom, something to ponder, or practical information
Montsesori Trails - our homeschool journey, from my discovery of Montessori through all the ups and down of our experiences, good, bad, ugly, beautiful, scary and otherwise.
Since we're officially at the elementary age, there will be plenty of that age too!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Reading Programs We Like
Caveat: I'm a Montessorian (and an AMI keys-based one at that) - so I'm not keen on any reading program in its entirety.
See this blog post over at Montessori Nuggets about learning to read steps for children without severe other issues going on.
Keys of the World will soon be offering a keys-based Montessori guide to reading (i.e. it does not use the pink/blue/green (and now purple?) reading series - which can be used as a supplement if you so choose ;) ).
However, I have found the following resources quite helpful in particular situations:
Would I recommend anything else? No not really. I've used other programs, series, games, curricula, and never been satisfied. They are all too gimmicky or chore-like, inappropriate for the ages intended, and modifications are difficult.
While none of the above are complete-enough in my estimation, they serve a very strong purpose and I can recommend them in their entirety, without qualms; but I do not say they are complete by themselves; they all must be part of a life that includes daily life experiences in reading: recipes, lists, notes from parents and siblings, cards from relatives and friends, street signs, reading for enjoyment, and any other reading that takes place in a typical daily life for that particular child. Combined with the tips at Montessori Nuggets, and a solid keys-based approach to reading, there is no reason a normally developing child should not be reading at a second grade reading level or higher within 2 months of starting to put two sounds together in the same word.
See this blog post over at Montessori Nuggets about learning to read steps for children without severe other issues going on.
Keys of the World will soon be offering a keys-based Montessori guide to reading (i.e. it does not use the pink/blue/green (and now purple?) reading series - which can be used as a supplement if you so choose ;) ).
However, I have found the following resources quite helpful in particular situations:
- Catholic Heritage Curricula - Little Stories for Little Folks
- Each story focuses on specific skill sets - so little bits at a time. There are word/letter games as well as opportunities for drawing, coloring and vocabulary-building.
- If you're not Catholic, they're still great in their step by step, keys-approach to reading. The stories more intrinsic to the Catholic faith that can be modified or removed, assuring you cover the "new" material in another way.
- Follow up with their supplemental readers if you like (corresponding with specific levels) as children plateau at the various stages, then Bigger Stories for Little Folks, Devotional Stories for Little Folks, Devotional Stories for Little Folks Too, all of which follow a Catholic homeschooling family through the usual experiences of family life.
- Scripture and church life are included.
- These are great for learning to read, moving ahead pretty quickly, then going back to "review" but have the child read the earlier levels aloud to ensure pronunciation and practice voice tones, inflections and other read-aloud skills - with words they already know and understand.
- Christian Light Publications - Learning to Read and Reading to Learn series
- Gentle faith-based stories without being preachy in any way; illustrations are of Mennonites; can be used by families of any faith
- Includes poetry, stories and Bible passages
- Vocabulary sections teach dictionary pronunciation in the earliest levels - a very nice feature, especially from a Montessori perspective
- The included light-units are easily modified for use by a Montessori student using these only as a supplement, or can be completed in their entirety (my son did them all! He loved them!)
- Heavy emphasis is placed on reading comprehension not just reading skill - also a nice feature from a Montessori perspective - children may be able to read and understand the stories of upper levels with ease, but the light-units encourage the child to really think about what is going on.
- My son and I even used the Bob Books (I thought I'd never use them! But I'll admit - Montessori-wise, they use the line drawings, they entice a kindergartner's sense of humor and they are easy for the child to re-create).
- We modified them a bit and turned them into a reading *activity*.
- I photocopied them onto plain paper, and cut the words from the picture.
- He would read through the booklet; then take the copies and match up each line of words to the corresponding picture.
- This is a very Montessori-like activity done much more inexpensively (we bought the Bob books used)
- While it helps with reading comprehension, even adding this activity, does not make the Bob books a complete learning to read series on its own. The child could memorize the shape of the words or have a photographic memory to know the length of the lines on each page. So this is where reading-aloud after some silent reading practice with the booklet comes into play.
Would I recommend anything else? No not really. I've used other programs, series, games, curricula, and never been satisfied. They are all too gimmicky or chore-like, inappropriate for the ages intended, and modifications are difficult.
While none of the above are complete-enough in my estimation, they serve a very strong purpose and I can recommend them in their entirety, without qualms; but I do not say they are complete by themselves; they all must be part of a life that includes daily life experiences in reading: recipes, lists, notes from parents and siblings, cards from relatives and friends, street signs, reading for enjoyment, and any other reading that takes place in a typical daily life for that particular child. Combined with the tips at Montessori Nuggets, and a solid keys-based approach to reading, there is no reason a normally developing child should not be reading at a second grade reading level or higher within 2 months of starting to put two sounds together in the same word.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Catholic Items on Etsy
Tired of searching on Etsy for inspirational items and finding a bunch of Wicca and other anti-Catholic, anti-Christian items!? Are you seeking purely Christian, or even specifically Catholic items? Shops owned by the devout faithful who want to upload the message of the Gospel, without compromise?
Want to search safely for both practical and inspirational items?
Search TeamCatholic on Etsy! Over 4,000 products are already tagged as TeamCatholic!
Items for and by children: Lego Rosaries by a loving father and felt educational mats created by a child-owned shop... and so much more!
Items include the following categories (as of February 3, 2012):
Come visit and browse! Many sellers welcome custom orders as well as sales of pre-made items. Just ask :)
Want to search safely for both practical and inspirational items?
Search TeamCatholic on Etsy! Over 4,000 products are already tagged as TeamCatholic!
Items for and by children: Lego Rosaries by a loving father and felt educational mats created by a child-owned shop... and so much more!
Items include the following categories (as of February 3, 2012):
- Jewelry (1,293)
- Everything Else (693)
- Art (461)
- Children (318)
- Housewares (219)
- Paper Goods (199)
- Weddings (159)
- Holidays (158)
- Accessories (123)
- Woodworking (114)
- Dolls and Miniatures (109)
- Bags and Purses (97)
- Ceramics and Pottery (59)
- Crochet (51)
- Knitting (46)
- Clothing (45)
- Glass (19)
- Bath and Beauty (18)
- Toys (14)
- Plants and Edibles (12)
- Needlecraft (10)
- Books and Zines (9)
- Pets (6)
- Quilts (4)
- Geekery (3)
- Music (1)
- Patterns (1)
Come visit and browse! Many sellers welcome custom orders as well as sales of pre-made items. Just ask :)
Saturday, February 4, 2012
SHHHHHH! Currclick has a secret!
Latest from Currclick:
Right here, a secret page of our website, our Winter Whisper Sale and Giveaway is going on. TEN freebies are being given away, and TWENTY of our bestselling publishers have discounted all their resources by 50%, and NOBODY knows about it but you.
It's hard to keep a secret though, right? Don't worry, we won't make you. You can tell your Facebook and Twitter followers, your co-op, your neighbor, your newsgroups, even your strange Great Uncle. The only thing we ask you NOT to do is post the details on our Facebook page.
And what are the details?
People say that word of mouth is powerful in the homeschool community. Let's find out!
The CurrClick Staff
Welcome to our Winter Whisper sale!
Right here, a secret page of our website, our Winter Whisper Sale and Giveaway is going on. TEN freebies are being given away, and TWENTY of our bestselling publishers have discounted all their resources by 50%, and NOBODY knows about it but you.
It's hard to keep a secret though, right? Don't worry, we won't make you. You can tell your Facebook and Twitter followers, your co-op, your neighbor, your newsgroups, even your strange Great Uncle. The only thing we ask you NOT to do is post the details on our Facebook page.
And what are the details?
- The URL for the sale is: http//:www.currclick.com/cclick_wintersale.php. (be sure to click the link above, log-in, THEN go to the sale URL!!!!!)
- Give the secret URL and details to whomever you like. Encourage them to start whispering too.
- VERY IMPORTANT: Because this is a secret sale, sale items must be added to your cart from the sale page. If you add an item from another product listing, and not the sale page, you will not get the sale price. However, we'll note your Whisper savings in your cart, so you can be sure.
- CurrClick's Winter Whisper Sale ends February 16th.
People say that word of mouth is powerful in the homeschool community. Let's find out!
The CurrClick Staff
Friday, February 3, 2012
CurrClick Affiliate
I am now a CurrClick affiliate - be sure to click on the banner ad to the right column OR this link when you are going to purchase something (you have to go through this link every time or I don't get credit....)
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Our current top favorite: The Celestial Almanack from Classical Astronomy - only $3 per month for user-friendly nightly information on the sky (and even daily information!) - my son LOVES this Almanack!
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="324" caption="Celestial Almanack"]
[/caption]
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Our current top favorite: The Celestial Almanack from Classical Astronomy - only $3 per month for user-friendly nightly information on the sky (and even daily information!) - my son LOVES this Almanack!
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="324" caption="Celestial Almanack"]
[/caption]
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