Free Printable Short Story: Rhine Country Germany, Song of the Lorelei

To print simply right click on the image of the page at the link and "Save as",  or to print directly, click on "View image of page". This story is a read aloud for younger children or for the independent reading of older children. From a 1903 Primary Education periodical, free and in public domain. Click here. Pages 326 - 327.

More Printable Rhine Country Stories:

The Two Bells

The Rat Tower

The Christ Child and The Boy

The Change in Time

The Golden Shoes

The Necessity of Sleep

The Necessity of Sleep, by Alice Marsh, Detroit, Mich., 1903, Primary Education Magazine, Health Talks with Youngest Children I.

"...I wonder if we realize how much lack of sleep is responsible for the irritability and nervous restlessness that we see, not only in children, but in adults as well. It is simply the nerves crying out for rest and nourishment, and they cannot get the one without the other. For some unexplained reason, the human is the only animal that rebels at bedtime. We have all seen children so sleepy that they are pained in trying to keep awake, begging to sit up a little while longer.

...How long should little boys and girls sleep? If they are eight years old, or younger, they need at least twelve hours. That means, if you get up at seven o'clock in the morning, you should be asleep at seven o'clock the night before. And why should you stay up longer? To play? You can do that before the sun goes to bed—between the time when school closes and supper. That is the very best time of the day for playing."

I guess my children are old fashioned. They always need(ed) an early bed-time - asleep by 7 p.m. and up twelve hours later.

Free Curriculum-based Instruction Online

Myrnie of I Wonder Woman directed me to Head of the Class, a curriculum-based instruction with videos, multimedia, applications, and worksheets for free. I tried the Kindergarten level samples and liked it. The programs are described as supplements to education, so it won't be an all inclusive learning resource. Currently they offer content for preschool - fourth grade with grades five through eight coming soon. There are no downloads, but there is a required free sign-up for a password.

"Head of the class Mission

To create and provide curriculum-based instruction on the Web which enhances and improves the way PreK-8 students learn.

To provide parents and teachers with the Web-based interactive tools and resources they need to accelerate learning and improve educational performance in the 21st century.

Curriculum-Based Instruction

Head of the Class provides curriculum-based instruction by grade level. We have aligned our instruction to the various state curriculums.

Within Head of the Class you will find thousands of pages of instruction, hundreds of videos, hundreds of multimedia presentations, thousands of worksheets, as well as application programs which target learner success.

Individualized Instruction

Head of the Class provides a curriculum which parents and teachers can customize to individual learner needs. If you want your learner to have more math or reading, you simply select the levels you desire.

Head of the Class provides built-in assessment tests, the results of which customize the learner's curriculum. In other words, Head of the Class will automatically adjust a learner's curriculum to maximize learning. "

A Variation of Ernest T. Bass' Chicken Thief Stew

From Debbie's blog:

"... a recipe from my "Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook". The original recipe is much more trouble than the way I made it. Here's how I made it":

1 whole chicken. 3 to 3 1/2 pounds
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup of water
salt to taste (you won't need much)
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp sugar
1/2 medium onion cut into slices, separated
1 14.75 oz can whole kernel corn
1 14.5 oz can cut green beans
1 29 oz can whole potatoes

I already had the shredded chicken in the freezer from cooking a bird last month, so I just added this to the remaining ingredients in a big pot for a slow cook. This was good and easy. No chickens were thieved for my stew. ;)

The Big Purple Ball

Taken in our pool. We ended up purchasing a 350 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank this summer, an upgrade from the toddler pool. My daughter has really been enjoying it. I think I saw a heater for this stock tank online. Two adult can easily fit in this "pool" and use it as a hot tub during the colder months.

September in the Garden

Click on image to enlarge.

The Armchair Traveler

"Now that it’s early September and we’re officially in the dog days of summer, what better way to spend this hot, sultry period than to take a refresher and travel to exotic lands afar? Even if you’re working through the summer or are more of a staycationer, you can take a trip around the world by exploring different countries through Google Books!

Courtesy of books scanned via our library project, anyone can stroll through China, experience ninety days' worth of Europe or get to know South America.

With the plethora of travel-related books available in full view on Google Books, you can explore the world and be visually enlightened with sights from afar from the comfort of your couch and a frosty glass of lemonade!" Read more here.

And it's free. So many books, so little time!

Free Vintage Cursive Alphabet Printouts

I found these in an early 20th century book at Google Books. Click on images to enlarge and print and/or save. These are in public domain.

Free Beginning Cursive Penmanship Book

The New Vertical Script Primer.

Free lined paper. More here.

Spend a Little, Save a Lot on Utility Bills

"Try these energy-efficient gadgets -- six moderate options costing $19 to $50 -- to trim your gas, water and electric bills." Read article  here.

Interesting ideas, but I'm not too sure about the motion sensor light bulbs with pets. I think it would freak out my cat, and I could see the lights going on and off all night. We work at living with low lighting at night, and remember to turn off lights and televisions when we leave a room.

They mention using a Smart Strip surge protector priced between $29 to $40 to cut down on energy sucking electronics which have standby modes. We use a regular inexpensive surge protector strip, and just flip the switch when we need to use the electronics. It comes on in the morning for a few items like the computers, and off at night. Some only get turned on occasionally, like the television/dvd player in the guest room.

Establishing a Rhythm

This cooler weather is wonderful! I think it's giving me a boost, and we've gotten a rhythm down with my new homeschool student, my kindergarten daughter. She is really enjoying the structure and one-on-one attention that comes with the formal table learning. These initial  sessions have been very short, but it has been fun to work with her toward those first steps to reading. We are doing a letter(or two) a week with review along the way. When we finished today, we continued to sit at the table coloring, drawing, and chatting together for at least an hour - so relaxing. I'm enjoying this nature coloring book from Rod & Staff(giggle). I color while she practices her letters and numbers. She doesn't like being watched over, so this takes the pressure off her.

My son, a seventh grader, is an independent learner, so he needs very little supervision or formal teaching. I spend a little time with him going over corrections or filling in the weak areas, but otherwise he keeps up with his learning. He was tough to teach when he was younger, but he hit his stride around third or fourth grade. We spent quite a bit of time on character development in those early years.

Dieting Success

I haven't posted much about recipes lately because I've been de-emphasizing food in my life while I diet. I love cooking and creating recipes, but it had gotten to the point in my life where my days were revolving around food. I had lost balance, so I've had to push it out of my life for a while. I've been eating very little, and very simply. Portion control and not baking has really helped. I was in such a state of lack of control that I felt I needed to leave my frugal zone and try Nutrisystem for a while. While it was pricey it helped me get back that balance. I love food just a little too much. It's not any one particular group of foods either. I love different tastes and textures. Variety is important for me. This is why the Nutrisystem weight loss program was a success for me. They offer all that taste and texture sensation in their foods and meal plans, so that it never gets boring. I did the diabetic Nutrisytem because I figured the extra protein and low carbs would be better for me. I've only been really hungry a few times. The diet has been fairly easy to follow.

I'm keeping up with the weight loss by maintaining that portion control that I learned, and continuing to follow the plan on my own. I found an older 1992 Nutrisystem cookbook that has been very helpful. I think it's the only one that has been published for following the plan on your own, or at least pointing you in the right direction with recipes and meal planning. I found a copy at my library.

The Nutri/System Flavor Set-Point Weight-Loss Cookbook


I've lost about 16 pounds so far. It's been slow going, but I have not been gaining back any weight, so that's success for me. I plan to lose another 18 pounds in order to get me within range of a normal weight for my height and build. This will be my pre-baby weight. My daughter is five years old, and I've been carrying this weight since she was born, and then some.

It has been an expensive weight loss journey, but I'm gaining back my health and control over my body. I quit Nutrisystem(prepackaged meals) after two months. This was enough for me to get back my balance, and gain an understanding of how I need to cook and eat in order to continue with the weight loss.

Breakfast on the Run

Easy on-the-go breakfast bars: recipes for
Peanut Butter Granola  and Raw Brown Sugar Granola
Muffins would be good as well, but I make these for my non-muffin eating husband.

Dover Classic Art Cards on Sale

Dover 6 to 24 art card sets are on sale at Dover Books. A few 24 piece sets are less than $3.00, and the Tissot six card set is only .60 cents. I found a few Dover sets on sale at Amazon.com. You can purchase these free with your Swagbucks, virtual bucks(points) earned for using their search engine. I use my points to purchase Amazon gift e-cards. I check both sites to see which is the best deal.

These art cards are wonderful for homeschool studies of fine arts(copy work), art appreciation, and/or art history. I am purchasing the American Impressionists set and a few others in order to round out a big set that I purchased last week.

Dover September $10.00 coupon code with purchase of $50.00:  SeptW

25 Household Uses For Salt

Read here.

A Mother's Life Giving Love

"The baby was born at 27 weeks, just 2 pounds. His twin sister, Emily, was delivered first, breathing on her own and full of life. Then came Jamie. According to an interview in the Daily Mail Online, doctors worked on him, trying to get him to breathe. After 20 minutes, they declared him dead. The heartbroken parents say they took their lifeless son into their arms to say goodbye. They cuddled with him, not wanting to let go. After a while, Mom Kate Ogg unwrapped him to hold him against her skin and something miraculous happened. He began to show signs of life. " Read more here.

Old Fashioned Frugal Fun: Cardboard Castles

Make a Paper and Cardboard Castle: Neuschwanstein 

Great ideas here. Twigs and colored cellophane for the doors and windows.

A simple one for younger children.

Another simple one with instructions at Enchanted Learning.

Just think what you could make with some discarded refrigerator boxes!