Handwork (a posting from Lisa Cadora)

To see the crochet stitches, go to www.knit heaven.com.  Though it does say "knit", there are illustrated crochet directions and patterns as well. I'm sure there are YouTube videos available with instructions as well.

Parents who are doing this at home:

* Be sure your child has the right size hook for the kind of yarn they are using. A slightly larger hook with a slightly smaller yarn works well for starters.

* Some yarns are more difficult to work with than others because the strands separate easily.

* It's helpful to do the second row of single crochet stitches for the child as the first row of chain stitches is difficult to hold and twists easily, causing the foundation to be off from the start.

* A fun pattern to look up online is "The Magic Square" which involves only single stitches in a continous round that really do turn into a square eventually! Fun!

* The ear warmer directions are as follows:

Row 1 Chain stitch length just short of circumference of the head (you want to leave room for stretch)

Row 2 Turn and single crochet back across; chain one and turn

Row 3 Repeat row 2

Row 4 Repeat row 2; at the end of the row, chain TWO and turn

Row 5 Double Crochet in the top of the second single crochet from row 3.
>chain one, skip the next single crochet, double chain in the top of the next single crochet<repeat >< until you come to the end of the row; chain one and turn

Row 6 Single chain in the top of each double chain from row 5 and in the single chain in-between spaces from row 5 all the way across; chain one and turn

Row 7 Single chain all the way across; chain one and turn

Row 8 Repeat row 7 and tie off.

"Doing Words," ages 5-7 (a posting by Lisa Cadora)

Last Friday (October 21) at Great River, I worked with the "Youngers" on a version of Charlotte Mason's Transcription and Dictation that I came across in my Language and Literacy grad program. I read of the work of Sylvia Ashton-Warner, a New Zealand-born educator who worked with the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maoris, in helping them develop what she called a "key vocabulary." This vocabulary, built on the people's "native imagery," formed the basis for imparting all aspects of orthography (written language) -- letter formation, spaces between words, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, etc. Sylvia's ideas were later developed into a program called "Doing Words" by Katie Johnson.

The idea is that in listening to children's spontaneous narration of events in their lives, the adult teaching them can pick out (or have the child pick out) the one word that sums up the experience. This word is often a noun or verb (of course the child doesn't know this and need not at this point) that captures the most emotionally charged point of the narration. It's the word that soaks up all the other details of the story.
Once the word is decided upon, the teacher writes the word slowly, deliberately on sentence strip, drawing the sounds of the word out to match the letters she writes. He models correct formation of letters and leads the child in the appropriate strokes as they trace the letters with the index finger of their dominant hand, or later hold a pencil correctly to do so.

The student then "reads" the word to the teacher and to 2-3 other students, then places it in the basket to be passed around later so that each child can find again his word and read it to the class. Words are then filed in individual envelopes or ziplock bags for each child. ANY WORDS THAT ARE NOT REMEMBERED AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED ARE LATER DISCARDED. These words have not proved significant enough to be useful to the child.

Envelopes or ziplocks that contain each individual child's accumulated words are gone through once or twice a week and culled for forgotten words. These cards are discretely eliminated so as not to upset the child. While the teacher is working with children one-on-one to get their words the next day, others may get their envelopes out and use their words to illustrate pictures or to tell the stories from which they come to other students.

The teacher refers to students' words during other writing and language experiences of the day as they surface. (S)he may pull a student's word to talk about a certain spelling, or have all student reach into their envelopes to see if they have a word that starts with 't', for example, or has a vowel pattern or 'ea'. Students can put their words together to form sentences or pull their words when they need spellings of them or similar words. There are endless possibilities for these words' use in other language activities.

As children become proficient at writing correct letter forms and sound-letter association, the teacher will enlist them in getting their word down on the sentence strip, guiding their handwriting and collaborating on spelling. (A word about spelling--do not make it all a matter of phonics. English orthography incorporates some consistent letter-sound correspondence; the remaining correspondences have too many exceptions to be remembered by 'rules'. Recalling what the word LOOKS like as well as using what it SOUNDS like helps children develop a visual recall of words they have read in meaningful contexts and lets them explore spelling patterns that have more to do with parts of speech and print consideration than phonics. Help a child spell a word by saying "What does it look like?" and "Where could you see it?" as much as you help them by saying "Sound it out.")

Of course, the next step is the child giving the teacher more than just one word. An entire sentence is next, written collaboratively. After this, one can move onto lined pages with space for illustrations, and then into journals.

My next "Doing Words" session with the Youngers will begin with them finding and "reading" their names, then placing these in zip-log bags. Next, I'll solicit a narration on some common subject from one or two children, modeling getting The Word from them, and then I'll ask parents present to work with 1-2 children in that manner.

Recitation for Ages 8 and Up (a posting from Lisa Cadora)

Most important for Olders, regarding recitation, is to make the piece visually accessible to them. Posting copies of it in prominent, oft-frequented places - so that they can see it and check themselves as they recite - is the way to get 'er done. Of course, reading the piece aloud at meal times (and other in-between times during the day) allows them to experience again the language and ideas within the piece, and invites them to join in where they remember. Let it be relaxed and fun--they'll be sucked in and you will, too.

Not every piece you choose to experience and explore will be ones that pique their interests, but offering pieces to them in this way will furnish their minds with rich language and fruitful ideas, whether or not they memorize the entire piece.

We'll spend the rest of this term on "The Spider and the Fly" and move on to another piece for Term 2. Term 3 ends with a Poetry Picnic--great time to pull out these and any other pieces your children have worked on this year!


The Spider and the Fly
Mary Howett (1799-1888)

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high.
Well you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest a while, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no," said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed!"

Said the cunning spider to the fly: "Dear friend, what can I do
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome - will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "kind sir, that cannot be:
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"

"Sweet creature!" said the spider, "you're witty and you're wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings; how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf;
If you'd step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And, bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly;
Then came out to his door again and merrily did sing:
"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple; there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer grew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes and green and purple hue,
Thinking only of her crested head. Poor, foolish thing! at last
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast;
He dragged her up his winding stair, into the dismal den -
Within his little parlor - but she ne'er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the spider and the fly.

Recitation for Ages 5-7 (a posting from Lisa Cadora)

Hello! Here is the selection for 5-7s for recitation.

This is a perfect selection for this age because of it's repetitive structure ("to buy him" and "But when she came back"), the meter (duh DUH duh duh DUH duh duh DUH duh duh DUH), and the rhyming last words of the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza.  All of these, in addition to the rather ridiculous images (a dog riding a goat?!), make it easy to memorize and fun to recite.

Read the entire poem aloud, with expression. Repeat the opening stanza and ask them to listen carefully. What do they imagine when they hear the words? What pictures do they get in their heads? Read it again and stop short of the last words on the 2nd and 5th lines. Can they fill those in? Repeat the stanza again, this time stopping short of the last words on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th lines, waiting on them to supply these words. Finally, read the stanza again and stop short of all last words of each line, waiting for them to supply.

At the end, ask them what they remember of the poem.  Then, read the entire poem again.

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD

Old Mother Hubbard,
Went to the cupboard,
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she got there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread,
But when she came back,
The poor dog was dead.

She went to the fruiterer's
To buy him some fruit,
But when she came back,
He was playing the flute.

She went to th fishmonger's
To buy him some fish,
But when she came back
He was licking the dish.

She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig,
But when she came back,
He was dancing a jig.

She went to the cobbler's
To buy him some shoes,
But when she came back,
He was reading the news.

She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat,
But when she came back,
He was riding a goat.

The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant,"
The dog said, "Bow-wow."

A Sense of Accomplishment!

I am still processing our time with Julie Bogart. She said many things that resonated, shook me, and are rattling in my brain. One of them popped out this morning. She said that one of the downfalls to Unschooling is that there is no sense of accomplishment, or no record of it. Even though I don't consider myself to be Unschooling, I suppose I am in that I don't have a set weekly plan for school. I have found that as a teacher, I work best throwing out the guidebooks (thank you Maura for that tidbit 2 years ago!) and just buying living books & materials that I want to get through eventually in the next 1-2 years. However, Julie is right too, there is not a feeling of accomplishment because my plan is pretty vague.

So today I got inspired to create a very short and simple 1-page tracking device... what my old job would call a dashboard. I have the three subjects that I want to do this year: Bible, Nature Study, and Language Arts. I decided to set realistic goals for this term, to correspond with Term 1 of the Great River. I have 12 checkboxes for each of those subjects, so I know I've done them once a week and then I have lines on the right side of the page, so that I can fill in what books we read, etc.

Time will tell if I can stick to it for the whole year! If I can, I'll be able to see at a glance how much we accomplished this year and what resources we used, which will help me determine what to buy/plan for next year.

Nature Study notes for parents

Nature Study Lesson 1 of 2 : Dry Brush Technique

Supplies :

Prang Watercolors, Semi-moist

Brush # 1 or #2

Small amount of water

Two ply of paper towels, more on hand

Card stock or other paper heavier than copier paper OR your Nature Journal

Note : I have compiled most of this from reading and attending Nature Study workshops at Childlight conferences, mostly from Debra and Holley-Ann Dobbins. Love them. Please check the Childlight blog for excellent posts from Holley Ann about taking Nature Study to Cambodia and integrating Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain ideas.

Dry Brush Technique

We do nature study using the dry brush method. Watercolors are used for the painting, but they are not applied in the common wet-on-wet technique. Instead, minimal water is used so that the paint must be applied slowly and carefully.

Paintbrush : In dry brush, we want to capture lots of details, so we hold our brush like a pencil ( try it ) and we keep our brush end at a neat point. If your brush is treated carelessly and is smashed, it quickly becomes unusable and will have to be replaced. You can keep your brush pointed like a pencil by gently turning the brush on its side on a piece of scratch paper or paper towel.

Water : Painting with the tip of the brush helps you use the proper amount of water. The paints and your brush should be wet enough that the paint slides easily off the brush. However, there should be no puddles in the paint set or on the paper. Puddles in nature study are messes to deal with.

Use a tiny cup of water, because you will need so little water to rinse your brush between colors. If a puddle develops in your paints, gently blot the excess up with a paper towel.

Paint Set :

Remember that your paints are not toy paints. They are artist quality paints and brushes. It would be a good idea to keep them just for the purpose of Nature Study.

The colors in your paint set should be kept clean. You will need to always rinse your brush when you are changing colors. To make a new color, you will use your mixing tray, which is the lid. Save the large center section for mixing green, because that is the most commonly mixed color.

Color Mixing

Note about Green : we have found it best to avoid using Pre Mixed Green that comes with paint sets. ( just remove it from the tray ). That green is NOT the color of any plants , and you will find you can match the green you need for your specimen almost exactly with a bit of practice. In fact, green is what we will learn to mix first.

At the end of your nature study for that day, do not clean your mixing tray off. Let it sit open and dry just the way it is. You can use those colors again another time.

Nature Study Lesson 2 of 2 : Studying Nature

Steps of Nature Study :

1. Find some Nature to be in. Your yard. A park. Hiking trail. Walk for a bit if you are on a trail.

2. Share a scripture .. even if it is short. You or a friend or a parent can read something out loud, or even recite something you have put to memory.

3. Choose something for your study : leaves, acorns, sticks, rocks, flowers, insects, webs, cacoons, seed pods, etc ….

4. Spend your One Minute Observation. No talking during this time, just notice everything you possibly can about the thing you chose.

5. Share your observations with others .. telling back ( narrating ) with words

6. Use your pencil to write the Name, the Latin Name, the Date and the Location in the four corners. You can do this later if you don’t have the information with you ( meaning a field guide or book ). This can make good copy work. Also, a short description of the place, or the day, or who you were with, or a poem or lyric that your child connects with the time can be included on a facing page or another part of the page if it is large enough

7. Use watercolor Dry Brush technique to paint your specimen ( see above ).

We should only paint what we see on our specimens, without adding any other colors or extra things. Try matching colors by mixing as much as you can. Younger students will greatly benefit from an adult helping with a light pencil sketch/outline to guide them. Olders can freehand.

Remember that the point of nature study is not to create a perfect copy of the specimen. It is time to give some full attention to creation, thereby learning more of who the Creator is. Dry Brush watercolors are a great way to slow down and notice the subtleties of creation, but a pencil sketch or colored pencils or watercolor pencils can also bring the same internal results: drinking in beauty and capturing it in the mind.

Great website to check : Handbook of Nature Study ( the above photos were are from this site )

Listen to Debra and Holley-Ann Dobbins presenting a workshop at the Childlight USA conference on Nature Study here. ( scroll down to bottom of page to find them )

Go to Nature Study book : Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study ( shop around and if you can afford it, find a hard cover version ).

I know many of you have other great Nature Study resources to share with us .. and that is what this blog is for, friends ! Share away, please !

Great River Fall Folk Song and Hymn plus Emily Dickinson

Below are the links to our Folk song and Hymn for Fall Term, with an Emily Dickinson piece thrown in for good measure. Information about the songs is for your use only .. you might find a piece of information that makes a good connection to something you are studying or you may want to skip looking for connections and just listen to the music ... your child being able to listen to the songs and learn them without opinions or steering from us is the goal. Blessings on your week. Looking forward to seeing you and singing with you this Friday ! .. Janet

Folk Song : The Ash Grove

Wikipedia link

Listen :

Very slow and simple version. Includes lyrics on screen.

Instrumental version, played by a group called Ballycastle .. lots of bagpipes .. very fun.

Simple version, Nana Mouskouri singing, still slow

The Ash Grove

The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking,
The harp through it playing has language for me;
Whenever the light through its branches is breaking,
A host of kind faces is gazing on me.
The friends of my childhood again are before me,
Each step wakes a mem'ry, as freely I roam;
With soft whispers laden, its leaves rustle o'er me;
The ash grove, the ashgrove alone is my home.


Down yonder green meadow where streamlets meander
When twilight is fading I pensively roam
Or in the bright noon tide in solitude wander
Amid the dark spaces of that lonely ash grove.
‘Twas there while the black bird was cheerfully singing
I first met my dear one the joy of my heart
Around us for gladness the blue bells were springing
The ash grove, the ash grove that sheltered my home.

Hymn : Shall We Gather at the River

Information about the song

Listen ( choral version )

Shall We Gather at the River Words & Music: Ro­bert Low­ry, 1864

Shall we gather at the river
Where bright angel feet have trod;
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

CHORUS.

Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy, golden day.


On the bosom of the river,
Where the Saviour-king we own,
We shall meet, and sorrow never
'Neath the glory of the throne. Cho.


Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. Cho.


At the smiling of the river,
Rippling with the Saviour's face,
Saints, whom death will never sever,
Lift their songs of saving grace. Cho.

Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace. Cho.


Fall Poet : Emily Dickinson

Miss Dickinson's poem entitiled Hope was set to music recently by a singersongwriter from Nashville, Tennessee named Julie Lee. You can listen to the song here .

Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.