We're having a SNOW DAY!!

In our area, this winter has been "the winter that wasn't."  We've averaged temperatures in the 50s and less than an inch of snow the whole season.


Well, today we got our first real snow of 2-3 inches.  For those who know snow, you know that's not an extravagant amount.  In fact, some of the grass still shows through.  But when you haven't had any snow, it's a big deal!


SO IT'S A SNOW DAY!


Here are some photos.

Snowballs are first thing, of course.

Hold still Daddy so I can throw this at you!

Sledding down the hilly street with a trash bag.

Awesome!  I just hit mom with a snowball!!

In case you want something a little more educational for you snow day visit Snowflake Bentley to find out more about "The Snowflake Man."

Snow Plans

Tomorrow, we're expecting a blizzard.  Expectations are for six to twelve inches with thunder snow.

We are just getting over being a sick family, so want to take it easy, but do some "schooling." 

I'm planning on a snow day tomorrow.  A day that we do snow/winter related things.  Here are some of the things I'm digging up.  Maybe it will give you somethings to springboard from as well.

• I made a word search using spelling words in the shape of a snowman.  I made it at abcteach.com.  I don't think it's one of the free things on the site, but you can go to A to Z Teacher Stuff and probably make one there.
• A friend mentioned I should make sure to mention Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley.  We'll probably go to the site there and find out about him.
• I'm going to grab some ideas from Snowflakes--A Thematic Approach.  I'm getting some picture of actually snowflakes and we'll fold symmetrically and will draw some simple pictures symmetrically, as well.
• I went to Activity Village for tons of ideas for winter.  I think we are definitely going to need to finger paint snow scenes and maybe weave a snowflake. Oooo, how about making a snowflake from hand prints?
• It'll be fun to watch some videos about snow and Wilson Bentley. 
• Hot chocolate with marshmallows are a definite must. 
• Tomorrow's the first day of February as well.  Probably should go make a calendar at Starfall. 

Well, I think that's probably plenty. I want to focus on Mr. Snowflake and make sure we remember that snowflakes have six sides and are symmetrical.  I want to review our spelling words with the word search and make the calendar. Rewarding each word found with a marshmallow might be fun. Then I think we'll go back to watch some videos and do crafts.

Thoughtful Thursday---Handling Moving Hurdles

(Warning: this is an extremely long post. If your short on time, read the beginning, skim the bullet points and jump to the end!)

We have needed to move for awhile. We knew Christmas would be the Rubicon. Once it was passed, we needed to seriously start looking for a new place to live.

Well, God provided a great 2-bedroom apartment for us. It was the first place we looked at, in fact. It’s part of an old elementary school building that has been revamped. What makes it’s really cool is that at one point, it was the elementary school for the Christian high school from which I graduated. 

But getting here has not been an easy process.

 We were supposed to be move in on the 18th, but between a creditor putting a hold on the checking account, a garnishment on my husband’s paycheck AND an error on his paycheck all in the same week, we had to put it off until Feb. 1.

 Another paycheck error with the continued hold and garnishment put the move in jeopardy again. God provided this time. 

 A winter storm brought about 3 inches of sleet postponing the move about 5 hours in hopes of better road conditions.

 Because it was postponed, we couldn't use the free moving van we had planned on, and ended up having to rent a moving van. Of course, we hadn't planned that expense.

 We get the moving truck back to the house only to get stuck in the ice/mud! Took about an hour, kitty litter, and a tow from a friend’s truck to get it out of the yard.

 My husband falls off the ramp of the truck messing up his left side and muddying up our mattress.

 We woke up Sunday morning and have to take the moving van back. Started our car to find the cold and ice had gotten into the door that triggered the car alarm—which we didn’t know we had! Not a great introduction to the new neighbors. 

 Because we had to work on the car alarm issue for an hour in the single digits, we didn’t get a chance to gas up the moving van before returning which resulted in astronomical additional charges.

 Did I mention that except for the day of the move, my husband continued to work 12-hour shifts throughout this process? The only reason he didn’t work on Saturday was because he was so sore from falling off the ramp!

 As a result of sleepiness and soreness, and a small car, we were unable to totally finish up on Sunday and Monday. I mention the small car because we still had a lot of small things left to move. 

 We were unable to finish up Tuesday or Wednesday thanks to the 10 INCHES OF SNOW that fell on Tuesday.

We obviously live on an Emergency Snow Route! ;-)

So, here we are almost a week after the move preparing to deal with snow covered streets, in the midst of hubby’s 12 hour shift, on a day when the high will be a single digit, we will return to the house one last time to finish moving and cleaning and hoping that our few remaining belongings are not out on the curb.
(For extra credit, have your child diagram the previous sentence!) ;-)

Needless to say, all those bullet points can lead one to question and even doubt the move.

I asked my hubby why he thought we were dealing with so many hurdles.

He said he thought it was because God had great plans for us at our new place. God was allowing the enemy to challenge and test us.

That was reassuring. 

It’s one thing to face hurdle after hurdle not knowing why. It’s totally another thing to accept hurdles knowing it a promise of great things to come!

(Sorry there weren’t many humorous highlights in this post. You don’t always see the humor in a hurdle until it is history…and sometimes not even then!)

The Fridge Door Is Not Big Enough!

You know, there were certain aspects of teaching that were easier when I was a classroom teacher. The one I'm thinking about today is arts and crafts.  It's really fun and easy to do art and craft projects as a classroom teacher.  Make a mess.  Have a bunch of little hands help in the clean-up.  SEND HOME TO PARENTS.

That's right.  Let's make life-sized, paper-mache Napoleon Bonaparte statues!  AND THEN....take them home.  I don't have to worry about what where to put them!  Not my problem.  Figuring out what to do with your child's arts and crafts is part of the parents' responsibility in the well-rounded education I was providing their children!

Fast forward a few years to my home school.  In my determination to make sure my DD gets that "well-rounded" education and explore a variety of learning modes, I make sure to include arts and crafts.

Now, I have figured out what to do with her projects.  It's called her "portfolio."  Our state requires one.  It's a wonderful idea even if it's not required.  It gives you something tangible to show how much learning has taken place. 

Portfolios make it really easy to store. 

If it's flat, punch holes and put it in the portfolio!
That's what I did with her picture of the caterpillar.

If it's too big or 3D, then take a picture of it, journal about it, and then that gets put into the portfolio.

But here the quandary begins. What about me?  What about my artwork?

What about the cute groundhog I made for Groundhog's Day? Look at the wonderful shading!

Remember a few weeks ago I did a snow day?  Sure I displayed all her snowflakes on the front window of the house, but what about mine? 

And the lion I made was awesome!  Put a crown on him 'cause he's the king of the beasts.

Well, I have no answers.  All my projects are usually secretly treasured for awhile but usually end up in the trash.  I have, however, considered what all this means, and I wanted I'd share a few thoughts before I forget them.

First, I'm doing a good job enriching my daughter's education and life.  I try to integrate subjects, so science, Bible, and history lend themselves well to arts and crafts.  Things have greater meaning and impact when you make it real or do it yourself.  It also addresses different learning modalities and intelligences. 

Second, I'm attempting to set an example of striving for our best.  Do I criticize her lion for not looking as spiffy as mine?  No way! (Although, her lion was quite well done!)  But there is an issue if a decent attempt is not made. I also try to demonstrate how to "try, try, again."  Also, there are sometimes comments about how well I do things which leads to a discussion about more practice and experience (versus being old!)  I try to make sure she understands that even though we may do it differently, we should still both try to do our best.

Third, it's "quality time."  Unfortunately, I do not always stop to play checkers or Little Pet Shop with my DD when she asks.  I know it's something I should work on, but at least when we are having fun making something, I know that we are having a chance to have some "play" time.  After all, doing an art project can't really be school, can it?

Lastly, it's fun!  It's kind of like being able to re-live some of the fun of childhood.  Sure, there are all kinds of crafts and hobbies we can do as adults to help express our creativity, but is there anything as relaxing as opening that box of 64 crayons and coloring outside the lines a little bit?

So, I have a few more dust collectors or a few more recyclables.  It seems like the pluses outweigh the minuses when it comes to arts and crafts.

Currclick.com Freebies this week--Snow, Winter, Ground Hog Day

Here are some of the freebies from Currclick.com this week.


  Winter Matching Cards

  Mathbooking Groundhog Day Journal

    Snowman Shape Activities for Preschoolers

Why Begin a Nature Study Routine?
From Currclick.com's weekly newsletter 10/11/10



“Nature Study,” the term evokes either ideas of excitement and amazement, or apprehension and quandary. I remember one time several years ago of trying to be hospitable to a new homeschooling family in our community. I invited them to come over one afternoon and told them that we’d go out and do a nature study for fun with all the kids. The mom looked horrified. The kids kept asking, “What will we do?” I explained an outing where we’d go to a field full of wildflowers on our property, identify some with a field guide, maybe sketch one for a notebook entry and pick a lovely bouquet to take home. Due to their trepidation they never came! Now granted, some personalities are more suited to outdoors than others, nevertheless, all students can benefit from nature study or even just being outside. I currently teach at an environmental charter school where I hold classes outdoors. Students who could never sit still or quiet inside a classroom can be taken into the woods for class and it has a sedative effect on them. They are transformed into attentive learners.


There is a stillness, a quietness, almost a selfless outcome that nature study has upon the human soul. When one is encouraged to unobtrusively observe plant life, animal life, or even rock formations and weather patterns, focus changes. Perhaps all day long you and your student have been fastened upon completing a specific task, mastering a certain skill, or finishing a chore. When that student begins to observe nature, maybe a vein in a changing leaf or a chipmunk scurrying to prepare for winter; no longer are the thoughts, “I’ve got to get this done, then math is next, …” The mind begins to consider thoughts such as, “What is going on with this leaf. What might that chipmunk be thinking, or how on earth does he fill his cheeks that f ull anyway?” Through this surveillance the student becomes cognizant of a world outside of his daily-required motions. Now interest sparks. The door is wide open for the positive characteristics that can be learned from creation.


Consider examples seen in nature of perseverance, faithfulness, sowing and reaping, cycles and seasons; a bulb that has repeatedly forces its way through the snow each spring, a weed that springs through no discernable crack in the hot, dry sidewalk to produce a lovely flower, a mother bird who with skill and patience weaves the perfect home for her family-to-be, a tree that is gorgeous in a unique way during every season. These feats are all encouraging. You’ll find that students young and old pick up on the qualities displayed and through this observation find a confirmation to establish these traits in their own lives.


Nature study is worthy of our time. It has been disheartening as an educator to see many more children who can name numerous Disney characters than can correctly name a single tree or bird in all of God’s creation! As teachers to our children, we must regularly incorporate observing and studying the natural world into our lessons. Teaching our students to look beyond themselves and beyond man’s created amusements is an honorable characteristic and a worthy goal of instructors because of the attributes it develops in our learners. Passing on the learned behavior of purposefully making time to admire nature promotes thought processes worthy of leaders. This is evident from the impact of avid nature observers such as George Washington Carver, Thomas Jefferson, and others.


So how does one begin to teach nature study? It is simple, decide to make time for it, and then start by stopping. What? Yes, start by setting a time to stop all the tasks that make up yo ur school day and simply get outside, look and listen for a set time period, say fifteen minutes one or two times a week. You’ll find nature to be extremely intriguing and entertaining. Ask your student to go outside and follow an ant, watch a bird, or observe and insect in a flower. Gradually you and your student will want to have record of observations, and want to know the proper names of what you see. Your nature study will grow into journaling and identifying species with field guides or other resources. Maybe you would like to make crafts from natural items you find outside (a favorite of this author). How this discipline develops is your choice. This isn’t math or English where you are expected to achieve certain grade-level expectations. You are free! What a great teacher therapy! You need this too!


Currclick offers many resources to help with your nature study. Nature study is really nature enjoyment and nature appreciation. You can make it as elaborate or simple as you wish. However, don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed by what someone else’s idea of nature study is. You know your learner best, follow your teacher instincts and begin with baby steps.


Angie Markum holds a B.S. in Secondary Education Mathematics and has been an educator since 1985 in public, private, and home schools.  She offers art, nature and math resources here on Currclick.

Celebration of Life

Our Saturday was quite full. Mija's day was full of ballet practice because The Nutcracker is only two weeks off. My hubby and I had a full day of travel and celebrating life.

We had a friend die of lung cancer a few weeks ago, and the Celebration of Life service was scheduled for this past Saturday. Many may call it a memorial service and there is nothing wrong with that. They chose to call it the Celebration of Life because they wanted to celebrate Frank's life and the life he had in Jesus Christ.


As we were driving the three hours to get to the service, I considered what I would say about Frank if I shared. I realized I had three F's about Frank.

Fun--Whatever Frank was, he was a hoot. I can't remember a time when he didn't give me a hard time. Sledding on snow with inner-tubes. Hillbilly. Games. Loud. Never a dull moment.

Family--Even blessed with a second family to raise. The thing is not only his family was his family. Anyone he came into contact with became his family. Even this woman whether single or married. Never felt like and intrusion in their home. Always went out of the way if a "family" member needed help including changing a tie rod in an unheated garage during temperatures in the teens about an hour away from his home.

Faith--You always knew where Frank stood with God. His study and life-walk made him insightful. Encouraging in others walks and evangelizing those he came into contact with. He was so encouraging and supportive when my hubby and I were on deputation for the mission field.  

I didn't share at the service, but what was so cool was that everyone who did share dealt with the same three topics. Silly grandpa, crazy Uncle Frank, hillbilly. Not taking a job with NASA because he didn't want to move away from  family. A son who's family now fosters because of the example his father set in including everyone in his family. A man who wrestled with God and recognized and was thankful that God won. A man who enjoyed the captive audience he had on the 2 1/2 hour bus ride to get his chemo treatments. He spent that time sharing the gospel. 

Over and over, the same three facets shone through his life. How cool is that? To be so real in who you are that everyone sees the same things in your life? No masks or roles. Just real.

And I wonder if among the things I'm remembered will be fun, family, and faith? What a blessing.

Definitely want my life and especially my Lord to be celebrated when I graduate! I still think I want to have a deejay and dance floor though.

Blessed that I could celebrate Frank's life and Lord on Saturday.