Pinewood Castle

Weekend Rambles

I hope some of y'all Twin Citians made it to the Scottish Ramble. Maybe you were there Saturday?

Sunday was the day our family took it all in. Without a single drop of Scottish blood between us, I marvel at how enamored we are with this festival!

Here are the highlights:

The Thistledown Dancers performing in the cortile of the Landmark Center

 

The Highland Dancers - sorry I did not get a photo, but I borrowed this one -

My new favorite local musician Ross Sutter singing songs from his Songs for Children CD

Ross Sutter this time with  Laura Mackenzie - she is playing the quieter indoor Uillean bagpipes here

 

Sunshine narrating the story of Wee Gillis to the master storyteller Sir Gustav Doc'tain

 

Dino acting in Sir Gustav Doc'tain's storytelling session

The Macalester College Pipe Band

My favorite shortbread of all time and a local company - Bramblewood Cottage. I love the orange chocolate chip and the lavender-ginger versions. We will be serving these for our next teatime!

Other Scottish fare we enjoyed were the Scotch Eggs, Haggis with Tatties & Neeps, Babies' Head and Cheese & Onion Pie.

If you feel you missed out take note of the date of the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games Saturday May 9th.

It's Official

I am an eclectic homeschooler. I have tried to stick to one method/curriculum program and just can't do it. After a few years of tinkering I have found some combinations that are working and at least for now I'm sticking to it!

Math-U-See cubes with Singapore math (when needed).

Wooden Montessori letters with Explode the Code (for kindergarten).

This semester we are doing Five in a Row Volume 2 and keeping a notebook in Waldorf-style main lesson notebooks with lapbooking elements, Draw Write Now illustrations and Charlotte Mason style narrations. If only we could keep up with poetry memorization and Prima Latina!

Here are some samples I'm sharing from Dancer's notebook from The Giraffe Who Walked to Paris, Three Names and Wee Gillis:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's an old plaid skirt of mine that no longer fits will fit again in a few months LOL!

We are also adding menu ideas from the FIAR Cookbook, making animals from Sculpey and incorporating field trips like the Scottish Ramble coming up on Sunday.

A very happy St. Valentine's Day to you all! Have a great weekend - I know I am looking forward to the plans we have and can't wait to tell all about it!