Mealtime Geography

Good morning, friends,

I've been trying to think of a away to expose my children to more geography. We have plenty of maps, but no wall space. So I decided to use the dining room table instead. 

Here's how I did it....

I went to the fabric department at Walmart and bought a piece of  heavy duty, clear  plastic to fit our table. It was really cheap - only $2.77 per yard. So the entire piece cost about $8.00.

Then I chose the maps I wanted to use and arranged them on the table. And covered them with the plastic. (You can secure the corners of the plastic with tape to prevent it from moving around.)

Our dining room table went from this...

To this...

Not very Martha Stewart-ish, is it? 

But we love it!!  :)

Here are some of the maps I used...

I also included a cut-away of the Old Testament Tabernacle...

And some works from Renoir...

And the parts of a flower...

I alternate the maps after a week, and add new ones. But the possibilities are endless. You don't have to use only maps;  you could use math charts, science posters, timelines, etc. Anything printed on paper will work!

And the most important part is that your children will love it!

You will find your children pouring over the table,  having fun and learning - all at the same time! And mealtime conversation will be very interesting. :)

Some of my children's comments have been, "Mom, we just saw a fly walk all the way across the Sahara Desert!"

And, "Oh, I just love Renoir's Le Grenouillere!"

 

By the way, for all you AO moms, this is great way to study artists. Next year, I'm going to print the pictures for each term's artist study and put them on the table. 

 

Have a blessed day!

 

"Show me your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths." ~ Psalm 25:4

sharing this week at The Modest Mom

and Deep Roots at Home

Lavender Jelly (Re-post)

Happy Friday, friends!

Ever heard of lavender jelly?

I made some about 2 years ago, and we loved it! And while I was in my herb garden yesterday, I caught a whiff of my lavender, and remembered how delicious the jelly was.

So for those who missed it 2 years ago,  here's my recipe for lavender jelly:

Lavender Jelly

3  1/2 c. water
1/2 c. dried lavender flowers
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 box  (1 3/4 oz.) powdered pectin
4 c. sugar




In a large saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat.  Add flowers, cover and let steep for 20 minutes.  Strain mixture into a deep kettle, discarding flowers.  (Your house will smell wonderful after this!)

Stir in lemon juice and pectin, making sure that pectin is dissolved.  Over high heat, bring mixture to a boil; add sugar.  Stir well.  Return mixture to a rolling boil; let boil for 4 minutes.

After boiling, ladle hot jelly into clean jelly jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace, wipe rims, adjust lids and rings. Process in hot water bath 10 minutes.

Makes about 5 1/2 pints.

                                                                            

"Ointment and perfume delight the heart..."   Proverbs 27:9

Sprinkler Art

Hello, friends,

I hope you're having  a wonderful summer! We have been enjoying our time off from school lessons, although I try to keep the children somewhat engaged in during the summer months. 

We do Math once a week so they keep the concepts fresh in their minds. We participate in our library's summer reading program. And we also do some crafts. 

One of their favorites is Sprinkler Art. It's super-easy, and the children create a masterpiece and cool off in the summer heat - all at the same time!  :)  All you need is a sprinkler, paper plates, and food coloring.

Here's what you do...

 Set up the sprinkler, and turn it on. Keep the pressure on low.

I put our sprinkler on a chair so it's easier reach.

Then, take a paper plate and put several drops of food coloring on it. 

  

Next, run the paper plate through the sprinkler.

 

Lay the plates in the sun to dry.

How easy is that?! 

Here are some of masterpieces that we created....

We're going to hang these beauties in our school room. :)

Now for some tips....too much food coloring makes all the colors run together and look like one big ugly blob (ask me how I know), so 3 or 4 drops on each plate is plenty. And contrasting dark colors and light colors works best.

Also, running the plates under heavy water pressure makes a GIGANTIC mess on your arms, hands, etc. (ask me how I know - I still have green hands). So keep the water pressure on low.

And lastly, use real paper plates - no styrofoam, or coated plates. I used cheap ones from the dollar store.

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Eating Daylilies

Two years ago, I posted about eating daylilies and I think it's worth another  re-post. The lilies are in full bloom here at our house and we're taking advantage of that by having them for lunch with egg salad and chicken salad. Yum!  :)

So, for all my new readers, here's the post..

Daylilies for Lunch??

Imagine the looks on children's faces when you serve up a platter of these beauties for lunch!  They are quick and easy to prepare, and are delicious stuffed with egg salad, tuna salad, or chicken salad.

But first, some nutritional info about the daylily.  All parts of the daylily are edible. The buds provide more vitamin C than green beans or asparagus,  have more protein than these two vegetables, and contain lots of Vitamin A. The flavor of daylilies is similar to lettuce - crunchy and slightly sweet.

In the Orient, daylilies have been considered medicinal. The roots are known to have pain-killing properties. And they have been used to treat various illnesses such as jaundice, fevers, and some tumors.

NOTE:  When you harvest daylilies, only harvest the ones in your garden - not roadside daylilies, as they are usually treated with chemicals and pesticides.  I am referring to daylilies only. Some other lilies contain alkaloids and should not be eaten. Daylilies can act as a laxative or diuretic;  so please eat in moderation.

So all you need to do is gather daylily blossoms from your garden. Wash them in cold water to remove any insects or dirt. You can wash the pollen off, as well, unless your children don't mind the orange powder on their faces.  :)  Gently dry the blossoms with a paper towel.  Stuff each blossom with a heaping tablespoon of your favorite lunch salad.


As you can see, my children had no problem with eating flowers for lunch................

You can Google "Daylily Recipes" and find lots of other ways to prepare the beautiful flowers.  Happy flower - eating!

Luke 12 :27  "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Have a blessed day, friends!

Under His Wings

As you can see, Banty is a very protective mama to her babies. And even though she's not their biological mama, she doesn't know that. She protects them as if they were her very own.

 If she senses danger, she gathers them under wings to keep them safe.

 

When she does this, it reminds me of Psalm 91:4 :  

"He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

I'm so thankful that we can find refuge in the Lord when troubled times are upon us.

Have a blessed day, friends!

Our Surrogate Chicken

We have been trying for 2 years to hatch our turkey eggs, but the hens just wouldn't co-operate. We made them a nice, secluded, cozy nest lined with cedar twigs and pine shavings. The hens would sit on the eggs, but not long enough to hatch them out. 

So after 2 years of disappointment, we decided to go unconventional and use a surrogate to hatch the eggs. 

Enter Banty, our Bantam hen. She might be small, but she's an excellent setter. And when went she broody a few weeks ago, we decided to give her a chance at hatching the turkey eggs. 

From the beginning, she was consistent and diligent, only leaving the nest occasionally to get a drink of water and eat the clover we were feeding her.

We waited and waited. 

Then yesterday morning, while the children were outside doing their morning chores, I heard Natalie yell, "Baby turkeys!!!"

I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

And this is what I saw..

Banty had hatched all four eggs!

One little turkey was looking a little sickly, but we hand feed him a few times. And by last night he was on his feet and acting fine.

So, our turkey flock has increased by four. 

Next up - enlarging our chicken flock by hatching out some baby chicks, and Banty just might be the one to do it.  :)

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Memorial Day, 2013

(source: The Fraternal Order of United States Marines)

Enough said.