All Saints Day(November First)

Customs:

In Mexico, Portugal and Spain, offerings (Portuguese: oferendas, Spanish: ofrendas) are made on this day. In Spain the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed.

All Saints' Day in Mexico, coincides with the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebration. Known as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents), it honours deceased children and infants.

Portuguese children celebrate the Pão-por-Deus tradition, going door-to-door where they receive cakes, nuts and pomegranates. This only occurs in some areas around Lisbon.

Hallowmas in the Philippines is variously called "Undás" (based on the word for "[the] first"), "Tódos los Sántos" (literally "All Saints"), and sometimes "Áraw ng mga Patáy" (lit. "Day of the Dead"), which refers to the following day of All Souls' Day but includes it. Filipinos traditionally keep the two days by visiting the graves of deceased relatives, offering prayers and flowers, light candles and clean and repair the graves. People typically spend the day, sometimes even the whole night, picnicking and holding reunions at the cemetery near their loved ones.

In Argentina, Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and American cities such as New Orleans, people take flowers to the graves of dead relatives.

In Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Catholic parts of Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives.

In English-speaking countries, the festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn "For All the Saints" by William Walsham How. The most familiar tune for this hymn is Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Catholics generally celebrate with a day of rest consisting of avoiding physical exertion.

Source

I'll be thinking about my grandparents who have passed away - such great memories. I miss them very much.

Backing Up, Leaning Toward Unschool

The novelty of structured school work wore off fairly quickly for my daughter, so we have backed up into an unschooly approach for English. So it happens like this now:

She wants me to sit with her while she draws pictures and tells me stories about them. So while she draws, I work on primer level school work, and she watches. Every once in a while she'll copy what I'm writing, or begins spelling what she sees me write. Her handwriting has gotten so neat. She is watching me out of the corner of her eye as I write and spell the words aloud, over and over. I weave my own stories and drawings as I work on these vintage reader pages. Each of us share our own picture stories, and it's creating some wonderful memories of happy relaxed times together. I've seen her writing some of the primer words with her soap crayons on the bathtub walls in the evenings, so she's absorbing what she sees and hears as I work the primer sheets.

What a funny way to learn, and it happened by accident. One day I got antsy, and felt I had to do something with my hands while I was sitting at the table as she drew, so I began doing her school pages! I'm enjoying the primer(giggle).

I'll be doing the same with numbers because she burned out on the Rod & Staff math book as we finished up the number nine. We've got a Think Fun Math Dice game which she has played a few times. I'll probably figure out a way to use the dice along with a story drawing as well.

We are still working on this vintage primer, printed out from Google Books .

The letters(in the picture) are from Appletters, picked out by my daughter at Barnes & Noble.

A Step Toward a More Humane Society - Respect Starts at the Beginning

There was a Life Mass today, and for the first time, we could not get in the church! It was packed and parking was set up three blocks away at our church center. It was beautiful that it was packed, and I wish we could have gotten in for mass.

“The poor may possess little, but the unborn child possesses nothing . . . These are the poorest of the poor, and it is these that we have sought to help with our work.” Steven Mosher, Population Research Institute

"Every step we take in publicly witnessing to the sanctity of life is a step toward a more humane society. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Almighty Father,
give us courage to proclaim the supreme dignity
of all human life and to demand
that society itself give its protection.
We ask this in your name,
through the redemptive act
of your Son and in the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

This Week's Public Library Book Favorites: Early Learning Health Education(K-3)

A few public library books we enjoyed about germs and wounds. These address common lapses in manners and hygiene issues in children:

Germs Make Me Sick! (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) (Reading Rainbow book) Good for children who cough and/or sneeze and forget to cover their mouth. Among other things, it explains why you should wash your hands and not share cups.


Ouch! A book about cuts, scratches, and scrapes Good for children who bother their wounds. In addition to other important facts, it explains what a scab is, and why you shouldn't touch it.

Both are very good at explaining physiology, first aid, and hygiene at a very simple level with quite a bit of detail. The cartoonish drawings such as the white blood cells who eats up the germs and the picture book like pages were just enough to keep the attention of my wiggly six year old.

On the Patio Today

A few things I found this afternoon on the garden patio:

A shell display in the cat's extra water dish.




A Leaf-footed Bug in one of my kitchen plastic-ware containers(woop-woop-woop, mini-unit study opportunity!). Their back legs have what looks like a brown crinkled leaf piece attached.

Big Cat Rescue Snail Mail Cards

I have an older family member who likes receiving snail mail cards and is a devoted champion of cats. She really doesn't need or want anything, and I do not live close enough to do something special for her. I wanted to give her something meaningful. This charity, Big Cat Rescue, fit the bill for an appropriate gift and had a nice option for a mailed card with a personal message(donation of $3.95). When I signed up, I discovered that the first card was free! I ended up donating a days worth of food for a lion(on another area of the site) in the name of the recipient, and mentioning this on the free card. She will really like this, and it was so easy for me to do this all online.

A little about Big Cat Rescue:

Big Cat Rescue is the largest accredited sanctuary in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats.
The sanctuary began rescuing exotic cats in 1992.
The non profit 501c3 sanctuary is home to more than 100 exotic big cats
The cats at Big Cat Rescue are here for a variety of reasons, including:
Abandoned by owners who wrongly thought they would make good pets
Abused by owners in order to force them to perform
Retired from performing acts
Saved from being slaughtered to make fur coats
Rescued as babies after hunters killed their mothers
Big Cat Rescue has 14 species of cats, many of whom are threatened, endangered or extinct now in the wild, including:
Tigers, Lions, Leopards, Cougars
Bobcats, Lynx, Servals, Ocelots, Caracals
Big Cat Rescue’s mission is to provide the best possible home for the animals in our care and try to stop the flow of exotic cats needing sanctuary by educating the public about the plight of the animals and supporting stronger laws to protect them.
The non-profit organization is:
Accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries
Certified by Independent Charities of America as a “Best in America Charity”
Member of the World Society for Protection of Animals
Rated 4 Stars by Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management
The sanctuary is situated on 55 acres in the Citrus Park area of north Tampa.

TripAdvisor ratings: 4.5/5 for top notch educational park tours. Highly rated for nature science education.

Snails and Printable Early Reader Work Sheets

A few vintage early reader pages:


Readers here and here. Simply right click on any page image that you want to save/print.



My daughter also played with her pet garden snail today. We found this big fella in the vegetable patch last week. His favorite food is sweet potato plant leaves. He's really fun to watch.

Other posts on snails.

Vintage Cut and Paste Stand-up Boy and Girl at Table Eating Lunch

Here is the original which I cropped and lightened for better coloring. It's from an early 20th century newspaper. Right click on image to save and print. This might be good for a table manners unit study. We did it for fun today, gluing it to the back of a light weight cardboard food container box. The girl and boy and items on the table do not stand up, so I taped them. Only the table and chairs have cut-out folding stands, so if you want freestanding play you'll need to fashion your own support for the dolls.

Vintage doll stands: the first one is printable, the other an idea.

DIY Dollhouse Bookcase

Source: style-files.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

I would love to make this for my daughter's room. Click on link(style-files.com) under picture for directions.

Planning Next Year's Garden

Source: thisoldhouse.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

I'd like to try a more formal approach to a vegetable garden next year. In years past, I've planted all willy-nilly in a little side garden. These raised beds with gravel look wonderful - less weeds!

DIY Children's Tent

Source: ana-white.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

We are going to make this for my daughter, and give it to her on Christmas day. I'll be sure to post pictures. Click on ana-white.com under the image for the directions.

Switching Gears: Homeschooling with Public Library Resources

We've used Rod & Staff, Schoolaid, and a bit of Christian Light Education(Learning to Read) as our core curriculum since Kindergarten. They are very close in content to early to mid-20th century school books, and that appealed to us. They are also bargain priced and efficient(basics) without any frills. We've filled in learning with some great online resources, using free helps and public domain books and texts. In the eighth and last year of Rod & Staff schooling, my son is more than ready(antsy, really) to spread his wings and learn less formally. We are already looking ahead to the next school year, and this year we dropped the Rod & Staff eighth grade reading curriculum in favor of independent reading(with summaries and a vocabulary list) this year.

Next school year, we will be using only one prepared curriculum, and that will be Christian Light Education Math(Rod & Staff ends at grade eight); the rest we'll get from free online resources and the library. There are stacks and stacks of history and science books* at the library, more than enough to choose from for reading, books reports, and vocabulary lists. We go to the library every week, and I already have a section and titles in mind.

Rod and Staff English is advanced, so my son will be well versed in the formal rules of English at the end of this school year. He will be ready to focus on reading and writing. I remember reading only classics for ninth grade English, and writing report after report on them. I really learned to write and comprehend well that year, and the best part was that I was able to choose which classics to read. I chose mostly romantic classics written by Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, E. M. Forester, and Edith Wharton. We did nothing else but read, write, and keep vocabulary lists. It was a small overseas private school, so the teacher was able to get away with this. It is my best remembered and was my most enjoyable year of schooling. I'm planning to open up this possibility to my son as well - the ability to choose favorite classics or quality literature to spend the year with.

I'll be sharing these teen resources and our books here on my blog. Finishing up eighth grade will feel a bit like finishing up second grade, where you move from learning to read to reading to learn. It's like taking the training wheels off, and moving into the adult realm. How fast they grow, and what precious time we've spent learning together as a family. I love homeschooling!

*We'll begin Apologia science in the tenth grade.

Inexpensive Eye Glasses

This is our third time ordering from Zenni Optical, an online optical store. They have great deals beginning at $6.95 for frame and lens. My prescription is fairly high, so I have to pay extra for a special thinner lens; however, my son is able to get a thinner lens for free. You don't have to choose the thinner lens, but at my prescription strength, it's much more attractive and comfortable. I just purchased my son's frame and lenses for only $10.90(includes shipping), a great help for keeping the budget in check.

When ordering through Zenni Optical, you'll need to remember to tell your optometrist to write down the Pupil Distance(P.D.) distance on your prescription. Usually this is done by an optician when you order glasses via a brick and mortar store.

Fat Free(no oil) Pumpkin Banana Bread/Muffin Recipe

This turned out so well, and the missing oil is not missed. The sweet bread or muffin will be moist and light.

- One cup to one cup and a half of brown mashed bananas
- One heaping cup of pumpkin filling
- One cup of sugar(I used demerara cane sugar from Wallyworld)
- Three eggs
- A liberal splash or two of milk
- A splash of pure vanilla extract
- A few heavy shakes of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice
- Three cups of self rising flour

I pour this into one cake pan and one muffin pan(6), and it cooks quickly at 350 degrees. Easy and delicious.

Living Geometry, Algebra, and Calculus Books(and More)

Life with Fred Series for Math(Elementary - College)

Someone asked me if I knew of a living math series for algebra. Well, this is pretty close to living books for math. It's learning math with a humorous whimsical storyline. Review and curriculum here at Rainbow Resources. I've never tried this series, but it looks like a good solution for a child who enjoys quirky humor and suffers from math phobia.

Sample pages here:

Life of Fred Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology(PDF)

Living Book Reference Lists: Science Grades One - Eight

Classical:Grammar Stage Science Book List(grades 1-6) Compiled by Carol Richey This is a good starter list which I've used for library book searches. It's also good to use as a spine for finding similar books under topic areas using key words.

Charlotte Mason Living Books Curriculum(grades 1-8), good for reference.

From Donna Young - "A basic a skeleton outline of science topics. Use this as a study guide to look up resources in an encyclopedia or other reference books": See here, and here for a living science book list shared on a Donna Young forum.

Public domain science books shared by An Old Fashioned Education. Some texts are included; however, many are living books. See books broken down by grade level here.

Support for the Relaxed Homemaker

Home Living had a wonderful post recently for de-stressing your life as a homemaker. A relaxed homemaker can often find herself out of step with the rest of the world. Being an older keeper of the home, I relate particularly well to her slow living posts. I can never thank her enough for posting supportive and affirming posts on the benefit of an afternoon nap, or "taking to the bed", an old fashioned way to recharge and keep your body healthy when we let ourselves get run down.

She allows for printing of her posts as long as it's for personal use. A handy site is linked making posts print friendly, allowing you to delete sections, and save to a PDF.

If modern society leaves you feeling unsupported and inadequate, read Living Without Unnecessary Stress, and browse her other posts. Slow living is not about being lazy; it's about living smarter, and enjoying a quality of life that lingers, that you can savor and does not lead to indigestion of spirit and soul.

Easy Fun Little Pet

We've had this pretty orange betta since spring, and it's the sweetest little thing, always happy to see us walk by, or talk to it from above the bowl. I know he's looking for food, but he does seem to like us to pay attention to him. He also has preferences. I'm his favorite, and he runs and hides from my daughter who gets too carried away with her love.

He was just a few dollars at Wallyworld. The tank is a super large Wallyworld vase on clearance. All the other tank items were purchased there as well: a little heater, a simple pump, a bridge, large pebbles, and plants grown from bulbs. The pump is not completely necessary, but I like to think they are healthier with it. It's a bit strong for the tank, so I fold the tube in half(with packing tape) for just a little bubbles. The fish seems to like it. I purchased a small siphon off ebay which changes water in the tank in no time.


One thing I've learned with bettas is that they go not like those betta pellets. I buy the betta flakes which they eat up quickly.

Vintage 1920's Fashion Advice for Young Women

Interesting 1928 vintage fashion book, "Appropriate Clothes for the High School Girl":

Suggestions for the Stout Figure

A girl may not only improve the appearance of her face and head by the proper use of line but she may do wonders with her figure, as well, if she knows how to properly design her dresses. A dress wonderfully becoming to a slender sylphlike girl may become a tragedy on her plump classmate. Every girl should understand her physical make-up as thoroughly as she does her disposition, with its strong points and its weaknesses. She should know the kind of line she may wear successfully in her dresses, and the colors that are most becoming to her and the types of materials most suitable for her.

The stout girl should carefully avoid a design in a dress that is too cut-up or complicated. Tunics, unless long and scant, are unfortunate usually and the interest created by trimming about the waist line or elaborate belts should never be indulged in by the stout girl.

Length-producing lines should always be planned and light or colored collars should always be designed so that interest will not be created out towards the sides of the figure, creating width, but down the center front instead.

Contrasting shoes and stockings not only cut from the height of the figure but help to accent the feet and ankles of the wearer. The girl who wears white shoes with her dark dress states, by so doing, that she considers her feet well worth public consideration.

Contrasting materials for sleeves or elaborate cuffs or pockets will add width to any figure.

The designs in the accompanying illustration are most suitable for the older school girl when made up of wool or linen materials.

I may safely recommend this type of line in design for the girl of superfluous weight.

I always find these vintage fashion books interesting as they come from a time when my grandmothers were young girls. Both are passed away now, but the memories are saved in old pictures.

Download link here from Project Gutenberg.