Pinewood Castle

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Witnessed by Chance!

Steam train passing through our town on the way to Train Festival 2009

Circle Time at Pinewood Castle - Advent Through Epiphany

Raise your hands if you love Advent! I thought so!

My children love Advent almost more than Christmas thanks to the plethora of beautiful traditions that aid in preparing our hearts for Christ.

Here are the plans: Download Circle Time Plans - Advent through Christmas

These are the books I use specifically for my Circle Time plans:

• The Christmas Star by Mary Thienes Schunemann (with CD)
• Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme by Heather Thomas
• The Big Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions by Beth McNamara Branigan
• Sing a Song of Seasons by Mary Thienes Schunemann (with CD)
• a Catholic Hymnal
• Download Advent Songbook - hand copied by me and scanned in
  

Yes, a few years ago I wanted some Advent-specific songs all in one place so I copied them out by hand. With the help of a three-hole punch and some purple ribbon they make a lovely song collection!

The first song in the book (Advent Wreath Song) is not actually used in my Circle Time plans but one we use every day at dinner time when we light the Advent wreath candles. Even if you are not planning to use these Circle Time Plans you may as well print out these songs to use!

 

I don't mean to re-invent the wheel with this installment. The Circle Time plans are meant to organize the songs and books into somewhat weekly themes. There are so many resources for celebrating this season.  I say "somewhat" because they are a bit varied; Advent is action packed with Feast days!

• Week 1 - Gingerbread, St. Nicholas
• Week 2 - Santa Lucia, Guadalupe
• Week 3 - Christmas Trees, Gifts, Nutcracker
• Week 4 - Winter Solstice, Donkey
• Week After Christmas - Stars, Epiphany, Mary Mother of God

With regard to the closing prayer, we often depend on the prayer-on-the-back-of-the -holy-card, but you might want to write in pages numbers of prayers in your own favorite prayer books as well as when to begin novenas, etc. Maybe next year I will compile a Prayer Supplement to Circle Time!

Here are a few of my favorite resources for more specific book, menu and craft ideas to use outside of Circle Time:

• Advent, Christmas and Epiphany in the Domestic Church by Catherine Fournier
• Catholic Mosaic by Cay Gibson
• Christmas Mosaic by Cay Gibson
• Cay's Christmas Booklist in A Picture Perfect Childhood
• Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss - Advent and Christmas Unit p.131
• Seton Art1  for Young Catholics
• A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz
• Catholic Traditions in Cooking by Ann Ball
• Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf
• Book of Feasts and Seasons by Joanna Bogle
• don't forget Catholic Cuisine and Alice's Tea in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe!
  

I have included the Jesse Tree for the Bible Story segment of Circle Time. There are dozens of ways to make them, here are a few:

• I modeled mine after the photos and article in Faith & Family
• Some make them out of felt like Jessica and the ones here at Serendipity
• the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany book has instruction and templates for paper ornaments, also Catherine Fournier's version is here

Also, there are many ways to do the O Antiphons:

• Advent, Christmas and Epiphany has instructions and templates
• Elizabeth's wooden O Antiphon House
• a "parade" of O Antiphon houses on this 4Real thread

I know it's early to be thinking about this so thoroughly, but I would be amiss if I failed to mention that there is an entire blog devoted to Advent and Christmas - O Night Divine!

Another popular Advent tradition in our family is the Star Path. I did a post last year on how to set up a Star Path here. This is extra - outside of Circle Time for us. I set this up on my dining sideboard and the children usually move Mary and Joseph before breakfast.

Overwhelmed? I hope not! Just pick and choose what is most meaningful to you and your family. Perhaps adding one tradition each year would be a comfortable way to enjoy the beauty of peace of the season. Hopefully singing with your children will be one of them!

Hey, Sarah! (my cousin Sarah)

Look what the girls (and I) finally got around to making ~

It's unanimous - we all want to move into this thatched cottage. How much would a place like this go for in the English countryside?

(My cousin sent these to me from England - English Village Designs - aren't they charming?!)

Nature Notes

 Time for some honesty here. I've been grumbling when it comes to being in the out-of-doors this summer. In a big way.

This summer I have taken up Volume 1 of Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series and have been consequently reinvigorated about getting the family out for nature hikes. "Never be within doors when one can be without," she says.

 So one fine Saturday afternoon we packed up the children and their corresponding backpacks and head out for a three mile hike to the Refuge. My high hope was that we could stop along the way and sketch in nature notebooks now that the girls are getting older and less resistant to this activity.

The rain we received after a June drought has helped the wildflowers and mushrooms flourish. We would have stopped to sketch them but for the swarming and biting insects encountered every step of the way. Instead of wandering around the "Enchanted Forest" we high tailed it through there swatting at bugs. I might have been heard grumbling something about how Charlotte Mason must not have encountered gnats and deer flies and mosquitoes in the Lake District.

We finally reached a clearing by a marshy lake with enough breeze to make a comfortable stop. We sketched a little, changed a diaper, ate our trail mix, tanked up on water and made the decision to either:

1. Relocate somewhere there are decidedly fewer bugs (suggestions anyone?)
2. Resort to using Deep Woods Off instead of the natural stuff. At least on clothing and hats.

In the meantime I am sticking to our trusty nature path across the street. In June I was afraid that poison ivy and tent caterpillars were taking over but now we are seeing all of our old friends. Fewer bugs = more nature journal entries!

Here they are:

Knapweed

Lead Plant

To me, this is a weed, but it showed up in our CSA share earlier this summer as "Lamb's Quarters"! We dutifully steamed them with rice.

Black-eyed Susan

Hare Bell

Spiderwort

Butterfly Weed

Butter & Eggs - these are like little snapdragons!

Ox Eye Daisy

Spreading Dogbane

Canada Hawkweed

Raspberries

Blackberries

Hazelnuts forming

And could it be? Buds on the Goldenrod?

These are our old wildflower friends. I do love them. I would like to make new ones someday!

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Quote for the Weekend

"A life without love is like a year without summer."
—Swedish Proverb

Locals . . .

News from Heppner's Legacy:

Summer & Fall In-store Workshops - We are excited to again be offering in-store workshops this summer and fall. As seating is limited, pre-registration with a non-refundable $10 reservation fee is required on a first-come, first-served basis. Workshop attendees will be given a $5 credit toward any purchase made the evening of the workshop. All workshops will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. and will last 1½ - 2 hours. Call today to register! 763-241-HOME (4663). More information about our Workshop Schedule is also available on our website.

· July 21st (Tuesday) and July 28th (Tuesday) - Where do I begin? A workshop for new and prospective homeschoolers, Nancy Bjorkman
Considering homeschooling? Not sure where to begin? This workshop will help define several different learning and teaching styles found in homeschooling families. We will then explore resources and curriculum to fit your family's particular style. We'll cover some common roadblocks and misconceptions about "what school should look like" and also discuss many of the stages that homeschool families experience as they walk through the years. There will be a time for interaction and questions.

 

· August 18th (Tuesday) - Ten Deadly Myths About Homeschooling Math, Steve Clark
Most homeschoolers feel uneasy when planning math courses for their children.  We learned our math a long time ago, or we learned it a different way, or maybe we learned it not at all!  How can we know if the methods we are using will achieve the desired results in our children?  In this seminar, Steve exposes ten deadly myths about teaching math, and counters those myths with solid, practical help for parents.  You will also leave with a checklist that you can use to determine the best math course for your students.  Don't be surprised if Steve challenges some of our normal ways of thinking about math.  For example, you might just find out that "Practice Makes Perfect!" doesn't apply to math!

Weather Report

Temp: 76

Dew Point: 55

Humidity: 48%

Translation: Too cool to turn on the air conditioning, too humid not to!

Charting a Path to Sanity

Now that we I made peace with unfinished workbooks and are fully immersed in the business of enjoying our cool and short summer it seems we have traded one problem for another.

The problem seems to be this: the children think that since they are not doing school work that they are off the hook for everything else household and routine related.

Does this happen at your house too?

Hence, the spool of red tickets emerged from the depth of the pantry this week. (Remember Jessica's Ticket to Summer Fun post?) Last summer this system worked wonders. I have high hopes this summer as well. But we are doing things a little differently this year.

Tickets will be earned for the following items that are hot on my mind - it's back to basics this summer!

• complete Morning Routine before breakfast
• complete daily housework
• lend a Helping Hand throughout the day
• finish a chapter book
• finish a "fun book" on their shelf (to make room for next year's school books!)
• be caught doing good and wonderful things

Here are my charts just revised and re-posted:

• Morning Routine - my girls know what to do by know. My son has a picture chart, as in  photographs of him doing each step.
• Daily Cleaning is posted upstairs in the hallway: Download Chores - Upstairs Copy
• Helping Hands is posted in the kitchen: Download Helping Hands - kitchen
• House Rules are posted too: Download House Rules
• and the Ticket Exchange chart: Download Tickets to summer fun

*** I might add for clarification that I do work alongside the children and "inspect what I expect" whenever possible, especially with the 6yo!

For each ticket earned I write the child's initial on the back and place them all in a jar on the kitchen counter. At the end of the week we will count them up and see if, collectively, they earned enough to make an exchange.

Today they were amazingly motivated. They even invented a Nice Club that performs various acts of charity such as bringing me bouquets of Johnny Jump-Ups, giving gifts of painted rocks and wiping the porch with wet rags. Four tickets have been earned for finished Thorton Burgess and Boxcar Children books. For the first time ever, the two children not on kitchen patrol are doing the dishes and actually enjoying their time with the water and suds.

With dishes done earlier we have had more time to reinstate an evening rosary, albeit interrupted by someone's toot setting off the "explosive gas" alarm and a toddler who alternates her pious kneeling and folded hands with flinging her rosary across the room with a smile you can surely imagine.

"Habit is ten natures" as Charlotte Mason says. Hopefully the habits (the good ones) cemented over the summer will continue on into the next school year and will be applicable to their studies. I also desperately hope that our littlest one will, over time, learn from the good example of her older siblings. Especially during the Rosary!

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Did You Hear . . .

--- Catholic Spirit
   The public is invited to a presentation next month at the Cathedral of St. Paul by Pierluigi Molla, son of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who was canonized in 2004.
   Afterward, attendees will have an opportunity to venerate a third-class relic of the saint. Pierluigi Molla’s presentation is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3. The St. Paul and Minneapolis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, the cathedral and the archdiocesan Office for Marriage, Family and Life are sponsoring the event.
   St. Gianna was born in 1922 near Milan, Italy, and married Pietro Molla in 1955. A wife and mother who also worked as a pediatrician and general practitioner, St. Gianna was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child when doctors discovered an ovarian tumor that required surgery. She instructed surgeons to remove only what was necessary so her baby could live. She died in 1962 seven days after giving birth. . . .

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Wagon Wheels: Where Do They All Come From?

Jamie brakes for mailboxes - I brake for wagon wheels!

 

 

 

It's Monarch Time!

 Last summer we let some milkweed grow amid the flowers so we could learn about Monarchs. Once we figured out just how to bring the metamorphosis indoors we reaped the benefit of seeing the caterpillars ooze the green liquid as they formed a chrysalis and we caught some in action as they emerged from the cocoon.

The milkweed returned this summer as well as the Monarchs to lay eggs on the leaves.

Once the caterpillars reach an inch or more we cut a milkweed branch, wrap the stem with a wet paper towel and foil and place it in an empty glass -

and placed this inside a butterfly house.

We give them fresh milkweed every day and remove the old. In another week or so they will travel to the top, attach themselves and make a "J" shape before making a chrysalis.

The children seem even more excited this year to see it all happen again. After setting up the butterfly house inside I even witnessed what to me is an educational dream come true - Sunshine looked up Monarch in her new Peterson's Guide to Caterpillars without any prompting from me!

(I really should start doing the Small Success posts and include this as a huge success!)

(I could even share that without complaining, the girls drew a frog and toad in their nature notebooks while they watched the real things leap about in the metal tub we fill with water and big rocks for our amphibian friends. I've waited soooo long for them to get excited about their Nature Journals!)

So, go check the milkweed in your neighborhood and give this a try. You can even use a plastic storage tub or a jar with holes poked in the lid.

Here are some books we enjoy this time of year:

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost

And of course there are a bazillion caterpillar and butterfly crafts out there from which to choose.The egg carton caterpillar is always a hit!

Enjoy!

Locals . . .

You won't want to miss this FREE concert at the Oliver Kelley Farm this Saturday July 25th at 7pm. Gates open at 6:30 for picnicking!

Ross Sutter and Laura MacKenzie specialize in Scottish music and family programs, which include Irish, Scottish and English song games. His sweet baritone voice is accompanied by her performance on a dazzling array of wind-powered instruments.

Concerts are held on the front porch of the historic farm house. Visitors can bring picnics, blankets and chairs to set up on the lawn. Drinks and snacks will be for sale. Sponsored by the Friends of the Kelley Farm.

These are the same musicians I loved hearing at the Scottish Ramble. I am ever so happy to have had a hand in bringing them out this way! Hope to see you there!

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Our Turn "Up North": One Glorious Short Day, One Endlessly Long Rainy Afternoon

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Down by the River

Growing Mint?

Here's a nice recipe for mint tea I found in the paper.

Pick about 20 mint leaves. I love sending a child out to do this while I out the kettle on!

Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.

Bring water to almost a boil.

Place 3 bags of green tea or 1 T. of loose tea into teapot.

Add hot water, let steep for 2-3 minutes. Remove bags.

Add mint and 2 tsp. sugar. Serve warm or cool and serve over ice. Nice!

Random Summertime Photography

HT: Renee

Paul Bunyan Territory

Circle Time at Pinewood Castle - Part 3 - Q&A

Q. Do I need musical ability to do these circle time plans?

A. Maybe. A little helps. Some of you know that I have a master's in music and four years of experience teaching elementary music education, but you really don't need all that to implement circle time. A little note reading ability will help when there is no CD available. But basically, if you can carry a tune you can do circle time. Even if you can't carry a tune it will still be worthwhile. Just ask my (tone-deaf) sister who used to teach preschool! She was still fabulous at teaching children songs they could enjoy singing!

Almost all of the books I use come with a CD. The Child's Seasonal Treasury does not, but there are only a few songs in that book - most of the contents are poems, finger plays, crafts and recipes. You can do it - you have my confidence!

If you do have note reading ability, a small glockenspiel, keyboard or guitar will be helpful.

Q. What ages are ideal for circle time?

A. Definitely from preschool through first grade. My girls are 7 and 9 this year and they still like to participate, even more that my 6yo boy who is the ideal age for circle time. My 2yo even loves to join in for the opening songs.She becomes a little distracting after the first song, but we try our best to keep going!

 

sitting criss-cross applesauce

Q. What if my boys really aren't into this and think it's dumb?

A. Get them started on their math or put them in charge of the toddler. Or encourage them to participate anyway and when you hear them singing the songs all day you'll know it was worth it. To be honest, my 5yo boy was so squirmy for me this year I was temped to give up Circle Time. He would lie on the floor and bother his sisters or not want to come at all. I tried to remain positive and praise his efforts to participate and he eventually came around when he realized I would do Circle Time with or without him

Q. How many days a week do you do circle time?

A. I planned four days a week because we are taking Wednesdays off next year. Where an important feast day fell on a Wednesday I added a column to include that day.

Q. How do you teach the songs?

A. Some teachers just start singing and let the children mumble the words until they catch on. This method can be surprisingly effective. More often than not I use the echo method:

• chant the words in rhythm, a phrase at a time, "My turn, your turn."
• hum the melody a phrase at a time, "My turn, your turn."
• combine words and melody a phrase at a time, "My turn, your turn."
• sing sections at a time
• point out what is a refrain, what are the verses or the form of the song

When the song is learned fairly well I let the children take out the silk scarves to wave around while they sing and dance. They love this, and as some moms have observed, music classes for little ones charge big bucks for this!

Q. How do I teach some basic singing posture during this time?

A. Here are a few teaching tips from this website:

Singing Posture

To get an erect but easy posture before singing, pretend you are a string puppet. Now between thumb and forefinger hold the string attached to the center of your puppet-skull. Gently pull your body up until `straight and tall. That’s the singing posture. Now let the puppeteer hold the string and put your hand down.

* * * I might also suggest that you go over singing posture from the bottom to top:

• feet - shoulder width apart
• knees - slightly bent
• stomach - in
• chest - out
• shoulders - back

Abdominal Breathing

For correct breath management keep shoulders still and suck in air so deep that you feel “pear-shaped”. Or swell the belly until you feel “like a giant balloon with a tiny head and chest sitting on top”. Keeping eyes closed at first helps you rely on the kinesthetic sense to know if the breath is where it should be.

 

Calendar Time

Q. How do you hold a songbook and play the recorder or glockenspiel at the same time?

A. I ask my little boy to hold the book altar boy style. The girls sometimes stand by my side to see the words. Owning two hymnals would be handy!

Q. How long should this take each day?

A. It takes us anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes depending on toddler interruptions, poopy diapers and when daddy leaves for work. Take some time to make sure you and the children are ready to start after breakfast - go potty, get a drink, check the baby's diaper, etc.!

Q. Can I use these plans every year?

A. Yes, mostly. Like the ordinary and proper parts of Mass, the liturgical parts will need to be revised next school year.

 

Our usual closing prayer (along the the prayer on the back of the holy card of the Saint of the Day):

May my hands work with care,

My heart work with love,

and my mind work with attention.

Amen.