Saturday

Final Analysis Friday: Repeating History

I’ve had a niggling sensation in my head for a while that I wasn’t really happy with most of the history programs for homeschoolers. I never could put my finger on what I felt was wrong, so I finally decided that it was me (as a former history teacher) being too close to the subject at hand.

About six weeks ago, a couple of things happened that helped me clarify my thoughts on history and how I wanted us to study history in our homeschool.

Event #1: I stumbled upon a discussion about the book Why Don’t Students Like School. The book is not written for homeschoolers, but for public school teachers, however, the subject matter was fascinating to me so I quickly picked up a copy. Imagine my surprise when I’m reading this book about how repetition and memorization are keys for children to succeed and enjoy school. Probably the thing that struck me the most was how little importance a child’s preferred learning style (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) impacts their ability to learn!

Event #2: A member on The Well-Trained Mind Forums (great resource even if you are not a classical homeschooler!) shared her history plans which utilizes a history spine (one world history and one American history) that is read each year, then she chooses what topics to dig into that year. She covers both world and American every year.

Both of these things allowed me to see what I don’t like about most history approaches. I don’t like that you only cycle back around to certain historical events once every three, four, five, or six years depending upon which approach you choose. After reading Why Don’t Students Like School, I realize the value of having children hear and repeat information consistently so that it is imprinted on their brain. I don’t expect my kids to remember every. single. thing, but I do want them to have a ready recall of the general order in which historical events took place.

I also didn’t like that American history is only touched on in certain years of the history cycle. Since our family does reside in the United States, I think that learning the history of our country should be studied every year in some aspect. So next year, we are leaving our beloved Heart of Dakota (which I still love and recommend), but it will definitely be my back up plan if my genius plan totally falls through!

Since I am a planner, I decided to lay out the history books I want to read through as read alouds for the next few years. I haven’t planned beyond that because I’m not sure what I want to do once Monkey gets in first grade which is when I would start history with him.

My future plans as of right now are:

2014

World History Overview: Story of the World Volumes 1-3 skipping any chapters pertaining to American history

American History Overview: The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History

2015

World History Overview: Builders of the Old World and Our Island Story

American History Overview: Makers of the Americas

2016

World History Overview: M.B. Synge's The Story of the World series skipping any chapters about American history.

American History Overview: A Child's First Book of American History by Earl Schenck Miers

2017

World History Overview: A Little History of the World

American History Overview: Mara Pratt’s four-volume American history series

At this point I’m not sure how I’m going to work our history spines. Do I want to go back to the beginning of the spines I used since Monkey will be listening or do I want to continue to ramp up the listening level of the spines to hang with Chipette? Not sure on this one.

Logistically the way it will work is that the first half of our school year will be a world history book to read aloud and roughly the last half of our school year will be will be an American history book to read aloud. Every day I will read a chapter out of one of spines during Morning Meeting to the girls. 

Over the coming weeks I’ll share more specifically what our plans are for history, science, and our full-blown attempt at Charlotte Mason next year. I’ll really looking forward to starting our new school year and seeing how my grand experiment turns out.

Keeping history on repeat for the next few years in the tree house,

Chelli

Thursday

Thursday's Thoughts: Week of June 16, 2013

Cooking

Making Mexican Chicken tonight for supper. This recipe has been served at every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember in my family. Don’t ask why because I’m not sure what it has to do with turkey and ham, but I do know that it’s delicious!

Reading

I finished a great romance book last night…think Jane Austen…called Edenbrooke. The author’s second novel is coming out this summer and I can’t wait. Great writing and no sex scenes, just a good ol’ fashioned love story.

 Listening

To Franklin and Bash playing in the background. Summer TV shows have started up, and I’m excited. Some of my favorite TV shows only have summer series (Rizzoli and Isles, Covert Affairs) Any summer TV series that are your favorites?

Thinking

About what I need to finish around the house tonight. Folding laundry and our 30 minute family clean up being the two big ones.

Planning

Vacation Bible School. I haven’t even started getting ready and we start next Monday! Our theme is fun (county fair), our topic is great (fruits of the Spirit), but I’m stalled with being overwhelmed at all I want and need to do. Every year I swear that I’ll give myself a month to prep for VBS, but then I never do. Ugh.

Pinning

Feel free to follow me on Pinterest using the button in the sidebar. I wanted to share some of my favorite finds this past week:

Homeschool: I’m planning on studying Botany next year with the girls for one semester and I found this fun demonstration of how plants grow toward light. I know that they will love this one!

Home: I found these cute truck pictures that you make out of your child’s foot print. Monkey would adore these in his room since he’s into all things with wheels. I might have to make them soon before his foot gets too big for the smaller canvas!

Cooking: The recipe I’m most excited to try this week is found here. It looks so light and delicious. Perfect for summer time Italian food.

Loving

Our local farmer’s market. I botched our garden again this year so I’m trying for round two after our summer trip back home. In the mean time, however, the people in our little town grow some delicious vegetables with great prices!

Remembering

My high school graduating class. This past week one of my high school classmates began uploading yearbook pictures onto her Facebook page which started a huge walk down memory lane for some of us. It made me remember how much fun high school was for the most part and how much I wish I had appreciated it while it was happening. I’m the fabulous looking one with bangs on the far right side of the photo, fourth row up. J


Looking forward to a new week of productivity, loving, learning, laughing and cooking in the tree house,

Chelli

Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Got a Problem? Yo, I'll Solve It

When I asked Magpie to vacuum the living room, she decided it was too loud…..
  
  
So she found daddy’s shooting muffs to finish her chore.

Raising problem solvers (and Vanilla Ice lovers!) in the tree house,

Chelli

Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday: Berry Perfect

Most of the time I bite into something and I immediately start thinking, “Hmmm….how could I make this better?” The recipe I’m sharing with you today does not need improvement. It’s perfect. Seriously. My mother has been making this dessert since I was a child and when they were down here in May I begged politely asked her to share it with me, so I could share it with all of you. And she was more than happy to. J

Here is what you need to make Strawberry Pizza:
  

1 stick butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. sliced, frozen strawberries in juice, thawed

First, you make the crust. Melt butter and mix with powdered sugar.


Add the flour and mix well.


Pat out on pizza pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. *Sorry no picture of this because of my non-working camera and I forgot to take a pic with my phone.* Imagine a big piece of dough on a round pizza pan.

Let the crust cool completely. Now you make the filling. Beat the cream cheese and condensed milk together. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well. Pour filling over cooled crust.


Put in the refrigerator for an hour or until firm. Now you make the topping. Put thawed strawberries and juice into saucepan on medium heat. Add cornstarch. Cook until bubbling and thickened. 


Set aside and let cool for 30 minutes. Spread on top of cream cheese layer and refrigerate until serving.


I have no individual picture of this dessert because when I took it to our church small groups it disappeared in a flash! Suffice it to say….it’s a perfect dessert.

Strawberry Pizza

1 stick butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. sliced frozen strawberries in juice, thawed
4 Tbsp. cornstarch

Melt butter and mix with powdered sugar. Add the flour and mix well.Pat out on pizza pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let the crust cool completely. Beat the cream cheese and condensed milk together. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well. Pour filling over cooled crust. Put in the refrigerator for an hour or until firm. Put thawed strawberries and juice into saucepan on medium heat. Add cornstarch. Cook until bubbling and thickened. Set aside and let cool for 30 minutes. Spread on top of cream cheese layer and refrigerate until serving.

Finding perfection in the yummy things in the tree house,

Chelli

Sunday

Scripture Sunday: Family Resemblance

Best Buds: My Dad and Monkey
When I was in college I worked as a front desk clerk at a hotel. Inside the hotel we had a restaurant that was popular with both locals and our hotel guests. One evening when I was working, a man came through to pay his restaurant bill. He looked at me for a while and then asked, “Are you related to XXXXX (my dad)?” I said, “Yes, I’m his daughter! How did you know?” He replied, “Well, I played baseball with your dad back in high school, but I haven’t seen him in probably 20 years. You look just like him.”

And it’s true. I do look like my dad. He definitely can’t deny that I’m his daughter, and I definitely can’t deny that he’s my father (even though at times we probably both wanted to!). We’ve all seen siblings and family members with a strong family resemblance. Maybe it’s the way their nose looks, or their hair color, or even the way that they walk. Genetics is sometimes a difficult thing to disguise.

With today being Father’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to stop for a minute to think about the spiritual application of “genetics.” Just like I look like my father and Chipette looks like Preacher Man, Christians should look like their Heavenly Father:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

“Being holy” and “being perfect” means that we should be like our Father. We should value what He values, we should love like He loves, we should be full of grace and mercy like He is graceful and merciful.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Or do we look more like people who are not the Father’s children. Do we value what they value? Do we enjoy what they enjoy? Do we speak like they speak?

When someone sees us it should be immediately apparent whose child we are. The “genetics” of God should be clearly visible in all that we do, all that we say, and all that we think. If someone acts shocked to find out that you claim to be a Christian, then that is not good. It means that you have let so much of the filth and dirt of the world rub off on you that your true resemblance of your Father is being taken away.

After people have been around us for a while, they should say, “I recognize that you are a follower of Jesus and a child of God.”

This Father’s Day and every day make it impossible for people to deny that you are your Father’s child.

Thankful for my father, both earthly and heavenly, today in the tree house,

Chelli

Thursday

Thursday's Thoughts: June 9, 2013

Cooking

Quite a few recipe posts I’ve been getting ready for the blog especially some delicious desserts. I have a love-hate relationship when I decided to make a dessert for the blog. I love to eat it, but I hate what it does to my waistline. But I am willing to sacrifice a pant’s size for my readers! Tonight I’m making French Dressing Chicken which is one of my all time favorite recipes that I made up when Preacher Man and I were first married.

Reading

I’m on a YA dystopian kick lately so I’m finishing up the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie this week. I have to share a great book I read last week, The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. Wonderful book! I stayed up way later than I should have to finish it. I’m definitely going to be looking for more books by this author.

Listening

To the fish tank gurgling in the back ground and the refrigerator running quietly. It’s blessedly quiet around here for a few minutes. The girls are in the backyard with friends and Monkey is running around town with Beauty Queen. I’m waiting for the back door to slam open any minute and chaos to ensue again.

Thinking

About what to get Preacher Man for Father’s Day. I have no money and I’m quickly running out of time. Any suggestions?

Planning

Future studies for the girls. I’ve been radically changing how we are going to cover history and science around here. I’ve had books arriving daily at the house as I prep everything for 4th grade and 1st grade which we will start up in January. Can you say, “Planners Anonymous?” J

Pinning

Feel free to follow me on Pinterest using the button in the sidebar. I wanted to share some of my favorite finds this past week:

Homeschool: I’ve wanted to make Chipette a planner for a while so that she could have a way to keep track of her independent assignments. Each year I am slowly adding more and more independent work for her. I found a great weekly template that I think will be perfect. You can find it here.

Home: I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to making something like this, but it looks so cool that I’d love to find the time. Think steam punk meets gardening.

Cooking: Do you love bacon? Preacher Man ADORES bacon and would probably eat just about anything if bacon was involved in some way. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to pin it. This will be on the menu sometime this week. Probably for Father’s Day!

Loving

My now deceased digital camera. It was my first major purchase after Preacher Man left preaching school. I accidentally jerked it off the counter (the strap had gotten wrapped around my hand) and the parts of the lens popped out, so now it will no longer zoom. I’m saving up for a new camera, but until then if you notice that my pictures look a little off on the blog, it’s because they are all being taken on my camera phone. RIP Kodak Easy Share Z650.

Remembering

That the days with my kids seem to be getting shorter and shorter. As Chipette walked into the kitchen the other night wearing my robe with her hair wrapped up in a towel and stated, “Look, Mom, I’m a big girl!” Unfortunately that’s only too true and getting bigger every day. Must. Hug. And. Laugh. More.


Looking forward to a new week of productivity, loving, learning, laughing and cooking in the tree house,

Chelli



Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: The Next Generation


Finally understanding why Monkey kept carrying stuffed toys into the backyard….they were yard-schooling their babies in the treehouse,

Chelli

P.S. Picture was snapped during lunch time at the “cafeteria”.

Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday: Steak It

Summer is officially here! That means it’s time to fire up the grills around the country. I wanted to share with you my favorite steak marinade EVER. It’s super easy. You don’t have to preplan. And it gives your steak a delicious flavor without overpowering the natural beef yumminess.

Here is what you need to make Grilled Pepper Steak:


1 stick of butter, melted
4 tsp. dried parsley
¼ cup dried minced onion (spice aisle)
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. dry mustard
4 sirloin steaks about 1 inch thick (or steaks of your choice)
  
First, combine all the ingredients in a bowl.


Reserve ¼ of a cup of the marinade.


Brush the marinade onto the steaks while cooking for about 6 minutes each side for medium doneness.


Drizzle the reserved marinade over the steaks and serve.


So simple and so yummy!


Grilled Pepper Steak
1 stick butter, melted
4 tsp. dried parsley
¼ cup dried minced onion
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. dry mustard

Combine ingredients in a bowl reserving ¼ cup. Brush steaks with marinade while cooking for 6 minutes per side. Drizzle the reserve over the steaks and serve.

Nothing better than steak cooked over an open flame in the tree house,

Chelli