Chickens and Eggs

I worried that the baby might disrupt school this year, but other than a bit of fussiness and screeching when she is ready for her morning nap, she does quite well overall. She often plays happily in the pack-n-play or eats her breakfast in the high chair while I teach. Even better, once she goes to sleep in the morning, she sleeps through almost our entire school day before waking up for the afternoon and evening. I have even been able to run between 1.25 and 1.75 miles each day after lunch while the kids have their recess time, and it helps me feel refreshed and ready to finish out the school day.

No, the baby has been quite compliant this year so far. Instead, our biggest distraction has been our chickens! They like to come to our front door and peck at it to get our attention. If we are working in our school room in the basement, they actually peer in our basement window at us!

Poor Kitty

In addition, we began getting our first eggs this week. Elsa, the biggest barred rock, laid us a perfect little egg around lunch time on Monday.

Just a tiny egg - they will get bigger, though

Amazingly, Rosie, one of our black australorps, also laid her first egg on Monday afternoon. She came to the front door squawking anxiously at me, but then ran back to the woods. When I went for my run a little later, she was hanging out alone by the coop. I talked to her softly and showed her the fake eggs in the nest boxes, and she climbed in to inspect them. By the end of my run, she came running out of the coop, leaving a tiny egg in the nest box behind her.

On Tuesday, we only got one egg, but Wednesday through Friday, we got two eggs each day. Now, the kids are obsessed with checking for eggs, which would cause enough of a distraction by itself. However, the hens cause an even bigger distraction with the ruckus they make every time they lay. I had heard of the egg song, but I had no idea just how loudly those hens could sing. We can often hear them squawking in the coop, while we are working down in the basement.

Adding to the noise, Rosie and Elsa had quite the battle over the favored nest box. Elsa has staked her claim on the nest box in the darkest corner, and she will often lay in there for an hour before she gets around to depositing her egg. However, Rosie prefers this box too. On Tuesday, Rosie ended up not laying because Elsa refused to vacate the box. On Wednesday, we spent the day at Cedar Point and left the chickens in the coop all day. Both hens somehow managed to lay in the same box, so I assumed they had worked out their dispute. I was wrong.

On Thursday, we heard such a disturbance that we rushed out to make sure nothing was attacking the flock. We found Elsa in the nest box with Rosie yelling at her frantically at the top of her lungs. We came back inside, only to hear the egg song a moment later. Thinking Elsa had finally finished, the kids went out to check, but Elsa was still in the nest box, working on her egg. Rosie, on the other hand, had finally given up and laid her egg in a neighboring box. Silly hens! We have six nest boxes and six hens, and yet, they fight over the same box!

With all the noise and distractions, I have to fight with the chickens to keep my kids’ attention on their school work. On a positive note, though, they are learning quite a bit about chickens and where food comes from. As I was making dinner yesterday, Ben asked me if I was going to use chicken eggs or store-bought eggs in my recipe. He realized his mistake immediately, and we both laughed. Before this year, however, eggs only came from the store. Now, through the crazy distraction of our little flock of happy hens, our kids know the joy of getting their breakfast straight from its source. And, I suppose, that is part of a good education as well.

Another Asian Adventure

We just completed our study of Japan, as we work our way through Asia in Galloping the Globe. The kids learned the meaning of the word "archipelago" and added it to their geography notebooks. They learned that Japan consists of 6,852 islands and contains 108 active volcanoes. The red dot on the flag symbolizes the sun.

In addition, I found a wonderful site called Kids Web Japan, which has illustrations, articles, and games about Japanese culture, all geared towards kids. We read a few Japanese folk tales and learned about Japanese houses and meals, sumo wrestling, origami, bonsai, kimonos, and bento boxes.

Last week, we made an Americanized version of a Japanese meal for dinner. I made a large pot of Ramen noodles in beef broth and served them with matchstick carrots, shredded napa cabbage, and sugar snap peas to mix into the soup. At the beginning of the meal, the kids said, "Itadakimasu (I receive this food)," and at the end, they exclaimed, "Gochito sama deshita (It was quite a feast)!"

Today, as we wrap up our study of Japan and move on to India, I surprised the kids with homemade bento lunches. They loved them and ate every bite, even Becca who normally doesn't eat raw peppers or cabbage!

Contents: Egg yolk and cheddar cheese sun, egg white clouds, bread land, grape and cheddar cheese flower, shredded mozzarella dandelion, green pepper leaf and stems, and napa cabbage grass.

We enjoyed learning more about Japan, and we look forward to "galloping" the rest of the way around the world as well. What a fun way to learn about geography!

A "Taste" of History

One Saturday in September, a sudden rainstorm hit the farmer's market while I shopped. I quickly ducked from tent to tent, purchasing my normal fruits and vegetables. The last booth just had sweets, which I normally never purchase. However, because of the weather, I set down my bags and talked for a while with the vendor. As we spoke, I noticed some beautiful, molded cookies for sale and asked about them.

The baker told me that the cookies were called springerle cookies and that they originated in Switzerland and southern Germany as far back as the 14th century. He explained that each family would have handcrafted wooden molds and would make these cookies on special occasions, such as weddings, engagements and holidays. In fact, people would often give springerle cookies in the same way we give out Christmas cards. Traditionally, bakers flavor the cookies with anise, but many also use flavors like orange or lemon. After the wonderful history lesson, I decided to purchase three lovely, orange-flavored cookies to teach the kids a little about German history.

A few days later, I made each child a cup of hot tea. Now, I know that Germany is not known for its tea, but I decided that I would rather not give my kids any coffee! I set the table with nice teacups and allowed each child to choose a cookie. Then, I told them about the history while we enjoyed our tasty snack. 

The kids' beautiful cookies:

The kids really enjoyed the tea party, and they learned quite a bit as well. As a lover of history (as well as a descendent of German immigrants), I love giving the kids a "taste" of history and culture that they will remember long after they forget the facts they read about in books.

Pi Day

Yesterday, we celebrated "Pi Day." Since the number "pi" is rounded to 3.14, Pi Day occurs on 3/14, or March 14th. Of course, my husband explained that geeks invented Pi Day, but since most of us in this family likely fit into the "geek" category, that works for us!

Even though my kids are a bit young to fully understand the concept of pi, I decided to celebrate it anyway. Early in the day, I made a big deal out of the date, relating it to the concept of pi. Because of that, Hannah and Ben now easily associate pi with the number 3.14, although we had to work on saying "three point one four" instead of "three slash one four" like the date. They also can explain that we round to 3.14 because pi goes on forever without repeating in a pattern.

For fun, I introduced the parts of a circle: circumference, diameter, and radius. I showed them my coffee mug and used a ruler to measure the diameter. Using that number and the calculator Ben requested for Christmas, we multiplied pi times the diameter to find the circumference. "Hmmm...," I wondered aloud, looking at the ruler, "How can we check our answer?" Ben jumped up and down excitedly. "I know! I know!" he exclaimed. He ran upstairs to his room, returning in a moment with his tape measure. I grinned. "Perfect!" I told him. We measured the circumference of the mug, and the kids squealed happily when they saw that the answer was correct.

Next, I showed how to calculate the circumference of a two-inch circle on paper, including explaining to Hannah how to multiply 3.14 x 2 without using the calculator. When I saw that Hannah and Ben both seemed to grasp the concepts, I decided to attempt a slightly more difficult problem. "OK," I told them, "Tonight, I am going to make quiche for dinner. Quiche is a kind of egg pie. So we will have pie for Pi Day!" After the cheers subsided, I went on, "I make my quiche in a 9-inch pie pan. Why don't we try to calculate the circumference of the pie?" I drew a diagram of the pie on a piece of paper, and I had them tell me how to find the circumference - pi x 9. Now, Hannah understands the concept of multiplication, that 4 x 9 is the same as 9+9+9+9, but she hasn't yet memorized the facts or covered multiplication in her math curriculum. Amazingly, I wrote out 3.14 x 9 and demonstrated how to multiply 4 x 9 and carry the 3, and Hannah finished the problem herself!

Since this portion of the lesson went so well, I also briefly touched on the area of a circle and how to calculate that as well. We used the calculator to figure out the area of the pie and learned the difference between inches and square inches. Then, I turned the kids lose with the rulers, tape measure, and calculator and let them experiment with what they had learned. Surprisingly, I think they learned a lot, even though the topic is a bit beyond their current level in math.

Finally, for dinner, I did make a delicious quiche, and the kids told Josh all about their lesson, while happily eating their Pi Day pie! Today, Ben wrote this in his journal:

"Yesterday was pi day and we ate pie for dinner"

Overall, I think Pi Day turned out to be quite a success!

Strolling Through China

For the past couple of weeks, our geography curriculum has focused on China. We colored and labeled maps, explored China on the globe, and read through a few non-fiction books and a student atlas from the library. The kids learned what the flag means and colored the flag for their geography notebooks, and I pulled out an old BBC movie about pandas for them to watch. They have learned quite a bit about the country.

On our visit to the library, I also decided to get out a handful of fiction books about China to add some literature to our geography study. The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wise takes place on the Yangtze River, which the kids labeled on their maps. The Empty Pot by Demi tells about an emperor seeking his replacement and teaches about honesty and the courage to do what is right. Huy Von Lee has written a wonderful series of books teaching Chinese characters and where they come from, for example, how the symbol for fire looks like a little campfire. We chose In the Leaves because it focuses on autumn and harvest time, and it fit in well with the time of year. However, I found another favorite book in the new edition of The Seeing Stick by Jane Yolen. The story begins by telling about an emperor's blind daughter and the search for something that might help her see. An elderly man treks to the inner city with his special "seeing stick" that helps the young girl see - not with her eyes but with her hands. The illustrations are stunning, black and white in the beginning and becoming colorful and vibrant by the end. And, the end of the story is simple and lovely. I think I will be adding this book to my Christmas list!

Additionally, when I purchased my geography curriculum this summer, I stumbled across a kids' cookbook with simple recipes and activities from all over the world. The book's section on China includes instructions on making your own chopsticks and writing numbers 1-10 in Chinese. I decided that the chopsticks activity would better suit older children, but we did practice writing the numbers.

As a new family tradition, every Friday night, we have family game night, so we turned this past Friday into our "China party." The cookbook had two delicious and very easy Chinese recipes - honey-glazed chicken wings and birthday noodles with peanut sauce. On Friday morning, the kids and I made the noodles, so we could serve them cold as the recipe indicated, and we prepared the marinade for the chicken. Friday evening, I broiled the chicken and made a salad with an Asian dressing, and we all ate a delicious Chinese dinner. We even ate with chopsticks (the kids at least tried!) and had fortune cookies for dessert. For our game night, we taught the kids how to play Chinese checkers. It was such a fun way to learn about China!

Finally, we are beginning to wrap up our study so we can move on to the next country. I may still spend a little time discussing the Chinese new year and learning about parades, but we are just about finished. At this pace, I think we are strolling, rather than "galloping" around the globe, but I feel sure that the kids will remember these experiences, instead of packing them away at the end of the year with their old notebooks and completed worksheets. Their learning has not been all fun and games, but the fun and games have definitely helped with their learning!

Gardening Season Begins

This year, I got an early start on my garden, and I have been very pleased so far. In early spring, I planted peas, onions, carrots, radishes, spinach, broccoli transplants, cauliflower transplants, and brussels sprouts transplants. Oh, and lettuce... lots of lettuce. Actually, I attempted to remove the seeds from the packet and slipped, spilling the tiny seeds into the dirt. I sighed, decided not even to try extracting the nearly invisible seeds from the soil, and waited to see what would come up. As the picture shows, I will be doing quite a bit of thinning, but at least I can tell which kind is which, so we will have a variety of lettuces this year. I also planted strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries in various locations around my house and yard.

This weekend, Josh built me a second box garden next to the one we built last year. We even used some of our worm compost when filling the garden! I have so much more space now, and I also have more opportunity to rotate crops a bit to reduce pests and diseases. I could not believe how easily I filled the extra 32 square feet of space, though! I added butternut squash and two kinds of bush beans to the side garden, and I planted cucumbers, swiss chard, and celery in the old box garden with my spring veggies. I also put one asparagus plant along the side of my house, to see if it does well there. I would love fresh asparagus in the spring, but I do not want such a large perennial plant in my box gardens! In the new garden, I transplanted three kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of bell peppers, swiss chard, and a bunch of herbs, leaving myself plenty of space for a few more staggered plantings of bush beans.

Before we put in the side garden last year, weeds abounded in that spot next to our garage. Once I pulled out all the weeds and put in the veggies, however, I noticed something that was not visible before. The water run-off from our garage roof poured right into the middle of that garden, leaving a trench that eroded the soil from around any plants in that location. On Saturday, as I shopped for herbs at my favorite local greenhouse, I noticed watercress for sale. The sign said that the plants propagate themselves well in wet locations. I explained my garden situation to a person on staff, and he told me that his watercress has grown into a small waterfall in his yard and that it loves water! So, now I have watercress growing all along the edge of the trench in that garden. I hope that it will utilize previously unusable garden space, as well as hold the soil in place to prevent erosion during heavy rains. I really hope it works!

The kids, of course, love the garden and willingly eat anything we harvest - including onions, radishes, and leafy vegetables! They already love raw veggies, but they will even eat food that they typically dislike, as long as it comes from our own garden. I cannot wait to see how everything grows this year. I chose plants more wisely this year, after seeing what pests and diseases struck last year, and I think we will have a better harvest because of that. In a society in which many kids cannot even identify common vegetables, I love that my kids beg for things like eggplant and radishes! I cannot imagine a better way to teach kids about healthy eating than allowing them to harvest their own food directly from the family garden. Now, if only we lived in a neighborhood that allowed me to raise chickens...

A Little Yeast

Today began as a plan-less day at home, but the kids quickly began bickering and getting into mischief with nothing to do, so I did a quick inventory of my cabinets and then asked, "Who wants to help me bake bread?"

"Me! Me! Me!" they all exclaimed.

I brought them all into the kitchen and then carefully measured the yeast into a tiny cup. I explained to them that yeast is alive and that it "eats" the sugar and creates bubbles that cause the bread to rise. Ben carefully studied the tiny, beige grains and seemed very disappointed when I stirred them into the warm water. When I questioned him, he told me that he was upset because he did not get to see the "bugs" moving! I had to convince him first that the yeast was not "bugs," and second, that living things are not always moving things.

Once I had combined the ingredients in the bowl and added enough flour to make the dough the right consistency, I allowed the kids to take turns helping me mix and knead the dough.

They enjoyed helping very much and patiently stayed with me through the whole kneading process. Finally, I shaped the dough into a nice ball and placed it in an oiled bowl to rise.

While we waited, I opened my Bible to a verse about yeast. I told them that a small amount of yeast mixed through the dough makes the whole thing rise. Similarly, sin in our lives, such as anger or selfishness, is like yeast - even a small amount can have a large effect on who we are and what our lives will be like. I explained that we want to work on becoming pure, meaning without "yeast" in our lives that will keep us from being who God wants us to be.

Two hours later, I lifted the towel and showed the kids the much larger ball of dough. "Wow!" they squealed, amazed at the difference in size.

In the afternoon, I took Ben to get his new glasses frames. When we were driving home, he began talking about the yeast again.

"Do you remember what I said that yeast is like?" I asked him.

"Sin," he replied.

"Yes," I said, "Just like a small amount of yeast can make bread rise, a small amount of sin can affect our whole lives. Do you remember our Bible time the other night, when we were talking about the tongue and said that it was like a small spark?"

"Uh, huh," he answered, "and a small spark can set a whole forest on fire."

"Right, Ben," I said, "and little words or lies that we say can hurt other people a lot or cause big lies to get out of control. That little spark is just like the yeast we were talking about before, how something small can do big things, so we have to be careful about what we say and do."

Ben nodded and agreed with me, and I think he really understood. I try very hard to use everyday activities and examples to teach spiritual lessons, just as Jesus used parables to convey larger spiritual truths. I hope that even if the kids never fall in love with making healthy, local, homemade foods, that they do fall in love with Jesus and His truth and that they learn to live "yeast-free" lives of integrity.

Understanding Food

In a previous post, I wrote about my desire for my kids to know more about their food and its origins. In the past few weeks, we have experimented with food in several exciting ways, and the kids are experiencing the joy of eating food we have produced instead of food bought at a store.

We began by trying a new whole wheat bread recipe. My last recipe turned out quite bland, and the bread was only slightly edible when loaded with jelly or peanut butter. This recipe, however, resulted in two wonderfully light and tasty loaves of whole wheat bread. The kids enjoyed watching the whole process and look forward to helping out more next time, now that I know that the recipe works.

Additionally, I had a bunch of mushy apples and plums that we accidentally froze by turning down the temperature in the fridge drawer too far. I found a delicious recipe for Plum-Apple Butter and made some of that as well. I cut the sugar in half and estimated the amount of apples and plums because I do not have a food scale, and it was very yummy - much better than any apple butter I have purchased at the store. The kids love it with peanut butter on a sandwich instead of jelly.

I also splurged and bought myself supplies for making yogurt, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, and sour cream. I have not attempted the cheese or sour cream yet, mostly because of a lack of ingredients, but I have already made two batches of yogurt. Hannah and Ben love the homemade yogurt, even plain or sweetened just with fruit, like bananas, berries, cherries, or peaches. Becca will eat it in small amounts, but she has never liked yogurt much. She does eat more of my yogurt than she does of store-bought yogurt, but it still is not her favorite food. I made the first batch while the kids were sleeping, but I encouraged them to watch me make the second batch. They were amazed that simply heating milk, adding a small amount of plain yogurt or yogurt culture, and then letting the mixture sit in an insulated container all day resulted in a fresh batch of plain yogurt. I am still learning the best way to culture the yogurt, as my second attempt came out a bit more sour than the first, but I am excited about the health benefits (and cost benefits) of making my own yogurt instead of buying it in the store.

Finally, after a productive trip to the farmers' market, I taught Hannah and Ben about preserving an abundance of food. I began by measuring a bit more than four cups of blueberries into a bowl. Then, I handed Hannah a potato masher and told her to crush the blueberries as much as possible. When she was finished, I gave Ben a turn and then did the last little bit myself. When we had four cups of mashed berries, I combined sugar and pectin in a bowl and then mixed that with the berries. Following the recipe on the back of the pectin, I stirred for the required length of time, poured the mixture into plastic "jars" and allowed it to rest and thicken for 30 minutes. Voila! Freezer jam! The kids love the taste and enjoy eating something that they made on their toast and sandwiches each day. I also found an excellent recipe for freezer pickles, which Hannah and Ben also helped me make and love to eat.

So, now the kids have a bit more understanding of what goes into the jars of food on supermarket shelves, and I have begun having healthier and cheaper options for our family by making a lot of it myself. Amazingly, the recipes are very simple and tastier too! Not bad for a couple of fun and productive summer afternoons...

Worms Love Coffee, Too

I have a thousand worms in my basement. I keep them in a special, layered bin filled with wet coconut fiber and moist, shredded newspaper. I feed them and check them regularly to ensure that they are healthy. Am I an invertebrate-lover with an odd affection for earthworms? No, though some think I am strange when they see me cuddling my pet bearded dragon. On the contrary, these worms work for me, eating my food scraps and creating rich compost for my garden.

I discovered vermicomposting, as it is called, sometime last year. I forget where I first read about it, but after quite a bit of research and some glowing first-hand success stories, I decided to order a worm bin. I could have chosen to build a worm bin using large plastic totes nested inside each other, but many reviews praised this model as the best for maintaining the right amount of moisture and keeping out fruit flies. Since Josh only reluctantly agreed to let me try worm composting, I decided that I would rather spend the extra money in order to reduce the nuisance of fruit flies, which might cause Josh to change his mind about the project.

The kids, of course, loved the idea of keeping worms in our basement. They celebrated when the bin arrived and helped me set it up and prepare the worms' bedding. Then, after I placed the order for one thousand red wiggler worms, they asked me every day when the worms would get here. Finally, about two weeks later, FedEx's website showed that the worms were out for delivery. I decided to make the whole day "Worm Day" in anticipation of their arrival.

First, we curled up together and read a book that my parents' gave Ben for his birthday - Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin. The kids love the silly story about the adventures of an earthworm, and though the story mostly just entertains, it also briefly explains how worms help the earth. Then, I brought all three kids over to the computer to show them a website I found that demonstrates how vermicomposting works. The Adventures of Vermi the Worm is an educational game created by the California Integrated Waste Management Board to teach school children about worm composting. Although the "game" is more of an interactive demonstration, the kids really enjoyed watching it and learning how the worm bin would work.

At last, the worms arrived. Amazingly, one thousand red wiggler worms fit into a tiny canvas bag about the size of a ziplock freezer bag. We brought the worms down to the basement and dumped them into the bin. After allowing them to settle in for a bit, we buried some food scraps in their bedding. In order to avoid rotting and an unpleasant odor, we started off with just a small amount of food - some crushed egg shells, chopped banana and cucumber peels, an apple core, and a few tea bags. However, the worms also eat and compost something that I, too, enjoy every day... coffee! Actually, I drink my two cups of morning coffee and then the worms enjoy the leftovers. They happily eat the coffee grounds, filter and all. You can see the tiny worm nestled in the damp coffee filter at the top of the picture below:

This morning, after our weekend away, I went downstairs to check on the worms and make sure that they are still alive and eating. I found them throughout the food scraps, busily converting my trash into castings that will nourish my garden next spring.

I love that something this simple helps the environment by reducing my waste and helps my garden by providing a rich, organic compost. Hopefully, my kids are also learning fun and easy ways to be good stewards of this planet, which they will one day inherit from us. If my kids learn this lesson well, I will gladly share my morning coffee with thousands of slimy pink invertebrates!

Good News from "Bad Bugs"

During the kids' nap times today, I went outside to work in my garden. I often use this quiet time of the day to do a bit of weeding and check on all of my plants. Today, I noticed what appeared to be a large red wasp buzzing around my summer squash. At first, I avoided it, as I am rather afraid of wasps and bees, but then I remembered reading about a common garden pest that looks like a wasp but is actually a moth. When it landed at the base of a squash plant and began to deposit its eggs, I realized unhappily that it was, in fact, the dreaded squash vine borer.

I chased it away repeatedly, its resemblance to a wasp making me afraid to kill it with my bare hands, even though I knew it could not hurt me. Finally, after the moth left for good, I returned inside to read a little about eradicating these bugs from my garden. Armed with photos, a bit of knowledge, a box cutter, and a pair of tweezers, I went back to the side garden ready to do battle to save my plants. I do not really mind if the borers get the zucchini, since I doubt those plants will produce any fruit this year, but I definitely do not want to lose my pumpkins or my butternut squash. I had read that the butternut is resistant to the vine borers, but that pumpkins are very susceptible to being damaged by them.

When I reached the garden, I began examining the base of each vine. I plucked a few eggs from one of the summer squash, but I could not find any on the other plants. Then, I noticed what I had hoped I would not find - a small hole near the base of my only healthy pumpkin vine. I debated whether I should operate on the plant and risk killing it if I were wrong, but I decided that leaving a vine borer inside the plant would be worse than cutting it open a bit. I carefully sliced open the vine, beginning at the hole, and removed a fat, squirming vine borer from the stem.

I checked a little further down and could not find any more of the caterpillars. I shoveled a few scoops of damp soil over the cut stem and over a few of the leaf joints on the vine, where I knew the plant had been putting down auxiliary roots. Hopefully, the plant will survive the surgery, since I caught the bug before any damage had occurred.

Next, I examined the other squash plants in my garden and removed a smaller borer from a zucchini plant. The rest of the plants appeared to be okay.

When Hannah came downstairs from her quiet time in her room, I showed her the picture I took of the squash vine borers, and I brought her outside to look at the plants. I explained that just one tiny caterpillar could kill an entire plant. Together, we checked, but could not find any more of the "bad bugs" as Hannah called them.

After we returned to the house, I pulled out my Bible and read Genesis 3:17-19:

"To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

I shared with Hannah that bugs and weeds and powdery mildew and other garden ailments are all part of the curse, the punishment put on the earth because of the Fall. I explained that our sin has caused the difficulties we have in producing food from the land, but that God still blesses us and allows us to eat the fruit of our labor. And, He often gives us an abundance, well more than we need, though it does not come without effort. Furthermore, we can rejoice in the good news that we are redeemed and sin no longer defines us. Instead, we have hope for a future "in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20). And that is the Good News we can learn from "bad bugs."

Summer in the Garden

Apparently, I am too busy in the summer to update my blog much. We have traveled and played and camped and explored, and through it all, we have learned. The overarching theme of this summer, however, has been gardening.

At the beginning of last school year, I wrote out a wonderful plan of all of the units and activities I would do with the kids that year. In reality, we did more informal units, based around their interests and activities, while focusing on reading, writing, and math. One of the last units I had planned for the year was "plants and seeds," and I felt disappointed that we never studied it. Then, a few weeks ago, I realized that we have completed nearly the entire unit in the course of our summer gardening adventures. And, the kids likely learned more from their hands-on experience than they would have learned from formal instruction.

Our project began with the construction of a 4'x8' raised bed garden in our backyard.

Josh used a rented sod-cutter to remove the grass, while bug-loving Hannah rescued earthworms and white grubs from the dirt below.

Then, we measured, cut, and assembled the boards, and Josh gave each child, including Becca, a turn to help him drill holes for the screws.

Finally, we filled the box with topsoil, compost, and peat moss, and planted vegetable transplants and seeds.

Because the sod-cutter was so easy to use, we decided to create a second 4'x12' garden next to the garage.

We planted a lot of veggies throughout the summer: slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green/red bell peppers, sweet orange peppers, cucumbers, pole beans, purple and yellow onions, red and orange carrots, turnips, broccoli, romaine, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, and pumpkins. The kids have helped me plant and harvest and weed and have seen tiny seedlings develop into large and bushy plants, covered in ripening vegetables.

Romaine:

Tomatoes:

Pepper:

Onions:

Cucumber:

Broccoli:

Pole Beans:

In addition to this experiential education, the kids and I have read several books to complement what they are learning. One of their favorite books, Muncha Muncha Muncha, has taken on new meaning to them, in light of them having their own garden. They have become much more sympathetic to poor Mr. McGreely, who keeps losing his vegetables, and they dislike the "bad bunnies" who keep stealing them. They also love the book The Carrot Seed, in which a little boy plants a carrot seed and cares for it, even though everyone tells him that the seed won't come up. In the end, of course, a huge carrot comes up and proves everyone else wrong.

Finally, our Bible times have reflected our gardening theme as well. The kids' new knowledge of gardening helped them understand two parables on a deeper level then they have in the past - the parable of the sower and the parable of the weeds. Isn't it amazing how Jesus uses common experiences and objects to explain his Kingdom, so ordinary people, even children, can begin to comprehend the mysteries of faith and eternity?

I do not think I could have planned a better unit on seeds and plants! I may pull out a few of the worksheets I have from a science book I purchased, but overall, I am amazed at what my children have learned this summer simply by being included in my gardening project. I think this is further proof that "Learning is Life."

Making Butter

I asked Hannah about her kindergarten screening the other day, and she could not remember most of the questions.

"Oh, I know!" she exclaimed. "She asked me what french fries are made out of, but I didn't know, but then she told me it's potatoes!"

"Hmmmm," I thought, "perhaps my kids need to know a little more about where their food comes from... other than the grocery store!"

Josh is out on Wednesday nights, so I often look for activities to reign in some of the wildness that bubbles out of the kids in the evenings. As they began to bounce around the living room, I announced, "I'm making butter! Who wants to help?" Instantly, three kids hopped up and down at my side, yelling, "Me! Me! Me!"

I grabbed a glass jar and poured about a cup of heavy whipping cream into it. Then, sealing it tightly, I handed it to Hannah. "Here, shake this!" As she gently wiggled it back and forth, I laughed, "No, like this," and I grasped her hands and the jar together and shook as hard as I could. Giggling loudly, she began jumping and shaking all over the living room.

After a minute or two, she handed the jar to Ben, and he took a turn.

Then, Becca shook the jar for a while.

As the cream became stiffer, the kids passed the jar to each other more frequently. Soon, I opened the jar and showed the kids how the cream had become whipped cream.

Of course, everyone needed a taste!

Eventually, I did most of the work, as the whipped cream was much harder to shake. The kids and I sat on opposite sides of the room and rolled the jar back and forth. The cream became thicker and thicker, until suddenly it separated into a solid clump of butter surrounded by buttermilk.

I removed the butter from the liquid and pressed the remaining liquid out into the sink, shaping the butter into a pretty pale yellow lump.

With the kids circling my legs, I grabbed a couple slices of bread and spread the fresh butter on each slice.

The kids loved the taste of the creamy, slightly sweet-tasting butter on the bread.

I explained to the kids that the cream had fat in it, like tiny floating balls of play dough. As they shook the cream, the little balls of fat stuck together, like balls of play dough would, until eventually they formed one big ball.

Hannah finished the evening by writing a beautiful journal entry about making butter. In case you can't read it, it says (with the spelling corrected), "We once made butter. We took a can and poured some milk in the can. We shook it. It turned into whipped cream and then butter. We had toast."

Aggression Cookies

"Is there anything for dessert?" Josh asked me over the raucous noises emanating from our living room.

"I don't think so," I replied, glancing into the room to make sure that the kids were screaming in play, and not in pain. Josh shrugged. "You could make cookies," he said.

"Mmmmm... cookies," I thought, "and I have the perfect recipe for a night like tonight."

I dug through my recipe box and pulled out the card labeled "Aggression Cookies" (recipe at end of post). I cut up the butter into a large bowl and measured the dry ingredients into three separate containers. Then, I grabbed a glass and some butter, and spooned a small amount of sugar into a flat dish. Glancing out the window, I noticed the evening sunshine and remembered how warm the temperature felt earlier in the day. "Perfect," I thought, placing everything on top of a cookie sheet and grabbing my camera, "We'll do this outside."
"C'mon, guys," I called to the kids as I made my way to the front door. "Ben, get the door for me. Everyone out on the porch!" The kids' eyes lit up at the thought of doing something outdoors, and they scrambled out the door.

I placed the bowl on the porch and let each kid dump a container with dry ingredients into the bowl. Then, I pushed their sleeves up and told them to squish all of the ingredients together with their hands. Hesitantly at first, and then with delightful abandon, they squished and mashed until the dough began to stick together quite a bit.
Next, I formed the dough into tiny balls and arranged them on the cookie sheet. I only got about a dozen cookies from this recipe.
Taking the glass, I rubbed a small amount of butter on the bottom, dipped it in the sugar, and used it to flatten the cookies on the pan.
While I worked, the kids began to clean themselves up a bit, and by "clean", I do not mean that they diligently washed the sticky cookie dough off of their little hands and faces. No, they cleaned themselves in quite the same way that good little kittens would have cleaned themselves... with their tongues! Needless to say, this was only mildly effective, and I sent Hannah inside to get the box of baby wipes for at least a slightly more sanitary clean-up job.

Once we had contained the mess a bit, I carried the cookies inside to bake. "I want cookie!" Becca yelled. "How long until they are finished?" Hannah chimed in. When I replied that they needed to cook for ten minutes, Ben wailed, "Ten minutes!!! That's a really long time!"
After ten minutes, the timer beeped and I removed the cookies to cool. An extremely long (according to Ben) two minutes later, the kids happily munched on their completed cookies. "Mission accomplished," I thought to myself, "Three happy kids, a yummy dessert, and a fun activity that filled that wild hour between dinner and bedtime."
"Aggression Cookies"

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup flour
1-2 tsp sugar, set aside

Preheat oven to 350. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mash, knead, or squeeze dough to combine ingredients. The more the kids mash the dough, the better the cookies will taste. Form into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Butter bottom of glass, dip in sugar, and flatten cookies. Bake 10 minutes.