Beginning SWR

       Some friends came over today to talk about Spell to Write and Read. Although I don't think I was much help, I enjoyed having them over! They even brought lunch!They are not the first moms I've talked to who were confused and intimidated by SWR- infact, I have been one of those moms. I still don't have it mastered, but mastering it is not a requirement for teaching it. Baby steps will get you there.
     I thought I would write a little encouragement for those starting out in SWR, as well as some pointers. I am not a trainer, so I'm not endoursed by the author. But these may help.
Make sure you find time to read the SWR manual (the red one). Then, put it away for a few weeks. Then, read it again. You can start teaching in between there. Not EVERYTHING in the manual must be retained by the teacher (you) before beginnning. Many things- I learned along the way. There are still many I will learn as we get to the upper levels- I just don't need to know them yet!
Once I started teaching (even though I didn't know everything about it, still) it became easy to teach, and easy for my sons to follow.

PRESCHOOL (or non-writers):
You do not begin the daily lessons in the Wise Guide until the child knows the basic (single letter) phonograms AND can write them. He does not need to write perfectly- just as long as you can tell what it is. So, for preschool-aged children OR one who cannot write letters* these are your main goals:

1.Teach all the sounds of the single letter phonograms (the flashcards with only one letter on the front.)
It can be a fun game, or just flip through and have them repeat. My 5 yo can say all these sounds- it took him just a couple months to get them all with only a couple minutes a day. For example, c says /k/ and /s/. /K/ is its first sound because it is used more frequently. But we teach both sounds so it will come naturally to recall when the child coms across a word and /s/ won't work. He can easily try the second sound, /k/, and succeed!

2.Teach how to write the single letter phonograms. Choose cursive or manuscript and go for it. I have found cursive to be the best start for us for many reasons. SWR suggests teaching clockface letters first.** Use a markerboard, chalkboard, write it in sand, or pudding, paint it on the sidewalk with a wet paintbrush, mix it up! ***

After these goals are completed by the non-writer, you are ready to teach lessons from the Wise Guide. That is another post altogether. I would be happy to answer individual questions if there are any.

*If you are starting out youngsters on SWR, I would suggest getting Britta McCall's DVD "You Can DO IT!" She has several children of many ages, and gives a peek into her home. She gives ideas on how to teach young ones with SWR.

~"Hidden Secrets to Language Success" is an instructional DVD put out by the author of the curriculum. While I do think it is helpful, I would not suggest starting out with it. It seems very overwhelming. It seems to be a good resource to keep around as you teach the Wise Guide.

~"An Introduction to SWR: A Blueprint for Language Arts Success" is more of an inspirational DVD instead of a how-to. It kind of peps you up to learn SWR. And, " Modified Teaching Reading at Home Training", is the older version of "Hidden Secrets to Language Success".

**Where do you find out which letters are "clockface","loop", "uphill", and "hump"? Answer: look on page 230 in the SWR manual; also on the back of the cover sheet that comes with the phonogram cards. Keep it handy until your child has learned to write the letters.

***Once you pick your style of handwriting, stick with it. SWR's suggest not letting your child use any other style. At first, I thought that was a bit strict- but I soon saw that my 7yo son was not advancing when he would use print on his non-SWR projects. It was a little but of a battle to make him use cursive when he was writing for fun, but it helped him pregress. Down the road, when it is mastered, he can used something else for fun times.

I hope that is helpful in some way, I plan on posting again soon to give suggestions on the next steps. Lord bless you in your SWR adventures.

Update:  I found this article by Britta McColl (the woman who made the "You Can Do it!" DVD).  Good article on the subject of SWR with preschoolers and other non-readers. And she is a certified SWR trainer, so she actually knows what she is saying.

Handmade Soap

My last post has photos of different handmade products (click here to see). Here are some more photos my brother took a while back.  This time, they're all of soaps we've made.  I've made so many different varieties, its hard to remember exactly what herbs, powders, and essential oils I used for these specific soaps, but I'll try my best. 

This soap has has powdered frankincense and myrrh and red clay powder...and maybe calendula petals. 

Cinnamon, oatmeal and clove oil.

Pine tree, comfrey powder and some herbs.

Lavender soap.

Soon, I'm going to try making handmilled soap- they say it is a harder, nicer soap.  We'll see......

Handmade products

Among many talents, my brother takes great photos.  He took these and many others a few years ago when I was experimenting with different homemade products and packaging them.  I thought it would be fun to post some of his photos. 

Below, is a lotion bar.  It is so awesome for cracked, dry skin like the heels of your feet, knees, elbows, etc.

These are my lip balms.  They feel so good!  But, I prefer using a stick now, rather than applying it with my finger. I make different kinds- winter tingle and citrus are two favorites.

I bought some natural vapor rub once, then tried making it myself.  It turned out just the same!

I do not want to go back to store bought lotion.  My face reacts better to this all-natural, herb-infused lotion better than any I've tried (and I've tried MANY store brands.)  If I put it on right after I wash, it is so smooth and I can feel it nourishing my skin.  It is a bit greasy- feeling if I put it on at other times, but it eventually absorbs. Its also the most fickle of all the products I make..and it takes the most work.  For that reason, I don't make it very often.  In fact, I've been out for quite a while and NEED to make some soon! I haven't been using any lotion at all!  Good thing its not winter, or my skin would be really dry. 

Skin salve is so nice to have around.  Its full of a bunch of different healing herbs and oils.  We use it on so many different things- scrapes, bites, chapped lips, rashes-just to name a few. (My sister-in-law used it to stick those little newborn baby bows on her daughter's head- I thought that was creative.)

That about covers my non-soap handmade products.  I'll have another post for the nice photos my brother took of the soaps (click here to see them).

Precious Lives

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Pray for the lives of (at least) this many babies.  Represented here are the estimated number of lives aborted each HOUR- and that's only in the United States.  I'd love to hold these little boys and girls and kiss each soft cheek.  If you know someone who is pregnant, maybe not even under the best of circumstances, give her some encouragement.  Her baby is a blessing, not an inconvenience.  The troubles of life will remain with or without a little baby.  But, a tiny baby has a way of bringing new joy and love into the world with her.  So many families are blessed by adoption, too.  The home can be filled with love and utter thankfulness for life.  Troubled times? They will come and go- that soul living in the womb, it will exist forever.  And only God know the plans for her life. 

1 Peter

 We've been studying 1 Peter as a family and at church lately.  We are participating in the Bible Bee this year.  They send participants a curriculum for the summer.  It is an in depth study of a book of the Bible- this year its 1 Peter.  Along with the study, participants are given lots of verses from various books to memorize.  It is a lot of work and commitment!  My husband and I have been able to join in the memorizing, too- what a blessing.  It is so easy not to take the time to memorize Scripture!  How else can we hide His Word in our hearts?  While memorizing so many verses all at once, I can't help but meditate on them, too.  It is so life- giving and joyful and peace- provoking.  Now, will I remember all of them...I've already forgotten a few.  But I've still benefited a great deal. 

3yo boy loves to hold a Bible if our family devotions end up being late (past his usual bedtime).  On more than one occasion, he has grabbed one just to snuggle up with.  I think its cute. 

My favorite verses, so far, in 1 Peter are:

1 Peter 2:4-5  Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

There is so much depth to this passage.  We run this race for great purposes!!!!

Lamplighter Theater- followup

I posted earlier about Charlie's Choice, which is a great audio drama!  We decided to buy more Cd's and a book.  We thought it would be fun to read the books together, then listen to the story.  So this is a follow up of that post for anyone interested in exciting, godly, morally outstanding literature. 

The Books:  While it WAS fun to read together, then listen to the story, the level of vocabulary used in the Lamplighter book we chose was very high.  We decided to get some more of them -when our children are a little older.  If you are looking for something to increase your vocab, or that of an older child, these will be awesome for you.  Our children would sit quietly, but not pay much attention to the story.  Even we had a hard time following every now and then. It will give us something to attain to in our literature studies.   

The Audio Dramas:  I would recommend these to anyone.  There may be some intense moments in a few of them, so that is up to your discretion.  We have listened to 6 of these so far and have enjoyed each one (Charlie's Choice is still my favorite.)  7yo boy says The Wanderer is HIS favorite- but then again, that is the latest one we've listened.

What's Been Happening Here?

We have been keeping busy with all sorts of things around here.  Aside from the normal stuff, here are some of our adventures. 

We had a time of encouragement for one family in our church who are expecting a baby soon.  I hadn't decorated a cake in a while, so it was fun to do this one.  Its like sculpture that you don't have to find a place to keep, because it gets eaten up.

Our girl has been keeping me busy, but she's no trouble at all.  Quite the cheerful and easy to please baby at the moment. 

We went to the zoo last week.  It was a great time. Before we went, our 2yo boy had to reassure himself that the animals would not be eating him and that Daddy would keep him safe.

Granny came over one day.  While she was making lunch, it was funny to watch all three boys trying to peek over the counter at what she was doing.  Then, she helped them plant some greens in the earthbox. They had a great time!

Lastly, friends let us bring home a new baby pig.  It was so cute (even though I'm not really a pig person).  It liked to follow 7yo boy all around the yard until he would sit so the pig (Rosie) could nuzzle into his lap or on his back.  Sadly, Rosie did not live very long.  But we enjoyed her while we had her- and our friends were understanding.  A few days after, I saw the boys sitting by the spot where my husband buried Rosie.  My 5yo boy said, "We put flowers (dandelions) on her grave...because we loved her."

Never a dull moment!

Grandpas are Fun

Last week, our boys enjoyed visiting with BOTH sets of grandparents.  Grandpa took them fishing.  2yo caught a fish! (with Grandpa's assistance, I'm sure)  Also, Papa built a birdhouse with them and they got to drcorate it.  They enjoyed ALL of it.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I've always enjoyed the smell of clean laundry.  I try to make wise choices about the chemicals we use in the house.  There are some cheap and easy options to at least reduce them. I had to evaluate our laundry detergent. I made some with Fels Naptha soap. I made some with Dove or something like that. It was cheaper, but the "chemical" aspect was still there. I bought some Charlie's Soap- which is very safe and I liked it just fine, but after buying it a few times, I felt a pain in my wallet. I switched back to Tide somewhere in there to see if it was any better at cleaning the clothes- it wasn't, really. (I only see cleaner clothes when I treat stains, it doesn't seem to matter which detergent.)

So, when I ran out of Charlie's the last time, I remembered I now make my own natural bar soap- so I could use THAT in homemade laundry detergent! Wow, that took me a long time to figure out, since I've been making soap for a long while now. So, here's a quick version of how to make Homemade Laundry Soap (There are a lot of recipes out there):


#1. Grate a bar of soap. You can use any kind you'd like. (Even if it is not natural, your homemade laundry detergent- per load- will save you a LOT of money.)

#2. Melt the grated soap in a pan of water until ALL the soap is melted and you have a pan of slimy water.

#3. Pour the slimy HOT water into a buck- 5 gallon if you have it. Add 1Cup of Borax and 1 Cup of Washing Soda. I did not have any at the moment, so I used baking soda. They say DON'T use baking soda- but I DO...sometimes. Stir. (I recently learned how to make BAKING soda into WASHING soda, thanks to a friend)

#4. Add more hot water to make the bucket full and stir. (I've actually been making a more concentrated laundry soap by using a 2.5 gallon bucket. Then, I just add less laundry soap per load.)

#5. It is supposed to thicken a little if you leave it overnight. Then shake it and pour it into whatever container is convenient to use.

#6. Opinions vary as to how much to use per load- Seems like 1/2 C to 1 C is a good range for the 5 gallon recipe.

It hasn't made the folding and putting away any easier, though.

Update:  I'm soon going to try the dry powder version of homemade laundry soap- to take up less space.

Beeswax

My love of beeswax began with honeycomb left over from a honey extraction my father-in-law let me help with. He gave me plenty of the comb and I studied up on it. There are many healthy qualities to the comb, like these, but I really like to use it in topical recipes. I use it to make lip balms, salves, and lotions.

For some strange reason, I find it rewarding to refine the comb into a beautiful yellow solid mass of pure beeswax. I have no need to refine beeswax, since I have all I need for a while stored up. It is a messy process, a little too messy to do when I don't actually need it, yet.

Here is a run down of how to refine beeswax (without how-to pictures since I'm not planning in doing it at the present.) After I've gotten as much honey out of the comb as I can, I place it in a double broiler of some sort. I use a small pan resting in a larger pan with enough water at the bottom for the small pan to float. FYI- I now cannot use the small pan for anything except honeycomb because it sticks like glue and I can never get it all cleaned out.

Let the honeycomb melt down in the double broiler. There will be pollen, gunk, even bee parts floating around. Now, I make a strainer from one of those cross stitch rings and sheer fabric (like sheer curtains). Holding the strainer over a container that can handle the heat of the melted wax, I carefully pour the wax through it, into the container. I often use old cottage cheese tubs.

I let it cool for a while, usually overnight. It will pop out if you use a flexible plastic container. Be careful, it can get stuck in non-flexible containers. For smaller chunks (which are easier to melt down when I need them), I pour it into styrofoam cups which can be torn off if need be. It is also fun to use those little flexible ice cube tray with shapes, but I line those with shortening first for easier removal. Any small particles and honey sinks, so it can be cut off after it cools.

Seeing this goopy slop turn into a solid chunk of beeswax somehow makes me feel accomplished. Its a calming process in some way. Weird, I know.

Here are a few more cautions when working with beeswax:

It is a great fire starter- so be care not to get it on a burner or flame. I've never had a problem, but maybe that's because I've been cautious. In fact, some people have coated paper towels with it and taken it along for a fire starter on camping trips.

It sticks, VERY stubbornly to many surfaces and dishes. It is like a glue. Don't plan on using most of the same utensils for anything else. Disposable, wooden chopsticks are great for stirring.

A homemade solar wax melter can be made for low cost if you want to keep the mess out of the kitchen. I did not find it as effective, but I don't think I used the best method. Maybe I'll try again one of these days.

Learning Piano

We have been having SO much fun with piano lessons. I know the basics of playing piano- most of them, at least. But I am not "qualified" to teach it. However, with the piano books I bought a couple years ago, it is easy to teach. 6yo is doing great! I was going to wait and start my 4yo when he turned 5, but he was begging me to do it with him, so he started a couple months ago. He loves it, too.

The lessons are as long or short as I want them to be and it takes no preparation. (I've done lessons as short as 5 minutes and the boys still progressed.) The boys each feel accomplished after they practice, and its a little one on one time where I get to praise them for their efforts.

Even if I didn't know the basics, with this I could teach piano. It covers the things I wouldn't think to teach and at a good pace. I'm sure a higher level of instruction is eventually beneficial. I hope to get through them all. After that, I can better tell what level these books reach. If you're thinking about getting them, I would suggest getting at least the first few so you can see where you're headed. Here's the website-Have fun!

http://pianimals.com/index.htm

Update:  I exacto knife-ed the pages and put them in clear plastic page protectors, then in a folder.  They were getting kind of beat up with all the kids around!  Now, we can also write on the assignments with whiteboard markers and wipe off.

Noah's Ark in the Park

Back in the fall, I took the boys to the park to measure out the size of Noah's ark. It is an idea from our Student of the Word curriculum while we were studying Genesis 6-9. We took orange cones and a measuring tape with us. We measured out 450ft. for the length and 75ft for width. We just imagined the height. (Of course, the ark may have been bigger- Noah's "cubit" was probably bigger than ours'. But this is the average measurement.)

I didn't take any pictures, so when we were at the park yesterday (I can't believe how fast all the snow melted!) we took pictures. In this picture, you can see my husband holding 5mo daughter, 2yo, and 6yo all standing by the light pole. That is where we started measuring.

The second picture is the other end of the ark, where 4yo is standing. You might be able to see my husband still standing in the same spot way back there.

We also "built" a little paper model of the ark that I found online to show what it probably looked like. I have tried to save it from total destruction long enough to take this picture. I took it just in time, too, because 4yo completely smashed it in the mud when he was "driving a race car" to get back to where the rest of the family was, and wiped out.


It was kind of amusing to see the looks on people's faces the day we were measuring the ark's dimensions after I told them what we were doing. They didn't know whether to take me seriously. And one little boy had never even heard of Noah's ark- or the Bible.

Sweet, Yummy Rocks

Last week the boys and I made a cake. We decorated it with chocolates that looked like rocks. Why did we do that? We studied rocks, why else? Okay, maybe that has no real value in learning about rocks- except possibly to teach my 2yo that its okay to eat rocks. But it was fun and raised interest in the older two boys.

After we made the cake, the boys decided they were worn out.

We really did study rocks. 6yo was so excited about matching the rocks from our kit with a book we have.

We had been collecting rocks to study when we got to it. We kept them all together in a spot outside, but I didn't want to dig them out from under all the snow! We'll be able to do it soon since its all melting away. YEAH!

Oil infusions

When I make lotion, lip balm, or skin salves, I like to infuse the oils with herbs. I use one of two ways of infusion. They are called cold and hot. Today, I will post about cold infusions with dried herbs.

I will be (finally) making some more lotion very soon. I have put this off WAY too long, so my oil has actually infused for an extended amount of time.

First, I put the dried herbs I want to use into a jar. There are exact measurements out there, I just eyeball it. This time, I used calendula petals and lavender flowers. Both of these herbs have great qualities for skin. I put some dried herbs in a jar and covered it with oil.

The oils I will be using for my lotion are sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil. They're not as greasy as other oils. They're also more delicate than other oils, which is why I'm choosing the cold infusion method.

Okay, on to the second step. Stir the mixture around and poke out any air bubbles around the petals and flowers. Put the lid on the jar and place it in a very sunny window. Even though this is called cold infusion, it actually gets hot sometimes. (I guess some don't put the jar in a sunny window, but rather a dark place.)

Shake it every day, at least for the first week or more. Leave it there to let the oil keep extracting the herbs' qualities for 3 weeks or more.

Last, strain out the herbs with a fine strainer or cheesecloth. That is what it takes to make calendula and lavender infused sweet almond and grapeseed oil.

Just pictures

Kefir jello

A long while back, I wrote about making kefir smoothies and said I would blog about kefir jello. Here is a quick run down of what to do. This is not an exact recipe- so be creative.

When your kefir is ready, boil a little water (about 3/4 C). Add some plain gelatin to the hot, hot water (about 1 teaspoon, depending on how stiff you want your kefir jello- mine is usually still a little runny). Mix it until all the gelatin is dissolved. While the water is still warm, add enough raw honey to make it sweet (maybe 3T or more). You don't want the water too hot or it will kill some good properties in the raw honey. Then, just add ingredients that are good and healthy. Examples:

ground flax seed
cinnamon
fruit (I used pomegranate seeds this time)
ground pecans

(I added all the above to this batch.)
Pour the mixture into the strained kefir milk- but make sure it has cooled down so you don't destroy the kefir's healthy qualities. Just put it in the fridge to cool and gel. I like to stir it or shake it a few hours later to mix up all the ingredients that may have sunken to the bottom or floated to the top. Good stuff. Eat it the next day or it will start to get a stronger kick to it. Hope someone likes it!

* A note about gelatin- In "A Nourishing Tradition", Sally Fallon writes about many of the health benefits of using it. She says it is good to use gelatin without free glumatic acid- which is similar to MSG.

Suffering

The last few weeks there has been a topic on my mind. I heard Paul Washer speak in Texas in Nov. about suffering for Christ. Do I suffer for Christ, do I teach my children to do it? There are different ways to “suffer”. There is persecution. American Christians may soon join the ranks of Christians in other countries in physically suffering for choosing to live uncompromisingly for Jesus. Do we prepare our children for that possibility?

There is suffering in the sense of taking up our cross daily to follow Him. Take up your cross, die to self, let your mind be transformed from what the world calls right- or maybe what you call right. What if you have your heart set on something, but He has a different plan? Do you push and prod to try to change it? Do you fold your arms and refuse to change yourself? Or do you suffer through it because His ways are always best?

I don’t believe we should walk around dreary and oppressed. I don’t believe being a Christian is an instant prescription for permanently wearing sack cloth and mourning. I don’t think fun is secular. But I’m learning that I often need to suffer through something that isn’t going the way I would think best. From that situation may come character I didn’t have beforehand. It may produce attributes in me that I don’t naturally possess.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2-4


Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil 4:11-13

It can be difficult to have joy and praise a God who put us in a position we did not hope for. Have I learned to put aside my own ambitions when they don’t align with Scripture- and to rejoice while doing it?

My answer to these questions is, “no”. I have not learned to do these things. I would be embarrassed to even mention MY “sufferings” in comparison to what many true believers have and are going through. But, as miniscule as they are, I still struggle with them. I want my will to be done. For me, even a brief moment of suffering through something with joy is a great victory. It seems to be an important way the Lord works on His people. My strategy, as it probably is with most, is to find the quickest and easiest way to save ourselves from anything difficult that is contrary to my desires. So, instead of trying to somehow go around difficulties, I will be asking the Lord to help me go through them when it is His will.

If an unwanted situation never resolves, if God never “saves” me from it until His return, I’ll try remember words from a man who went through terrible things:

And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

Charlie's Choice

We bought this dramatized audio CD by Lamplighter Publishing. They sell quality books, many from the 1800's. They choose books that will emphasize Biblical themes and character building. Some of them are even edited in places to reflect solid doctrine. From what I see on their site, they seem to be sound. After listening to it, my husband told me to buy more of them. He hardly ever asks me to buy more of anything except food. He thinks (and I have to admit, he's right) we need less of everything, not more. So, I took it to mean he REALLY liked it.

It is exciting, interesting, emotional and portrays wonderful yet hard to come by character qualities. The voice actors are professional and the music is well preformed and well placed. Our 6yo and 4yo have already listened to it a second time- although some of it is over our 4yo's head, it is exciting.

I cannot vouch for the actual book, since we didn't read it yet, but the CD was very good. (Not sure if the Cd is exactly like the book or condensed.) We ordered another book and CD. The plan is to read the book together as a family, then listen to the dramatization. (Click here to see how it worked out) If we like it, he wants to buy many more of them! Since our oldest LOVES to read, and hopefully the others will also, it will be nice to have many quality books around.

I'd love to hear from anyone else who's read or listened to any of these. I will post in the future about how we like them in case anyone is interested to know.

My arms seem to always be full, and my lap cannot hold everyone who wants to be held at times like storytime. When I'm in the kitchen, I can't seem to move to the left or right because of all the chairs pulled up to the counters by small helpers. I just realized, I'm popular! I guess that doesn't actually mean I'm cool, though.