Lapbooks

Lapbooks are the bomb!  Although we do not do lapbooks regularly, they are such a fun way to illustrate information we are learning.  The kinestetic and visual learners will enjoy this format but you can easily incorporate other learning styles so it lends itself well to unit studies.  And it is not expensive!  My daughter made a lapbook for one of the U.S. states and used it as a visual aid for her oral presentation.  The images gave her quick "keys" so she could do her presentation to the class rather than read it off a paper. 
My boys are older so they do not appreciate them :)  anymore, but I have fond memories of building various lapbooks throughout the years.
 Recently, my daughter and I decided we would do a lapbook along the lines of the orchestra theme for Classical Conversations Cycle 3 content. 

You can view the progress here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/60810737@N08/sets/72157629229065784/ 
Mine is complete for a sample but she is adding to hers weekly.

One of my favorite sites for templates for lapbooks is: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php

Would love to see your creations!

A Spelling Rule changed me

Over the years I have come to appreciate some of the schools and teachers I had throughout my own schooling.  As a self-confessed Classical educator (who is still learning the ropes) for the last 7-8 years, I can look back on my schooling and recognize some of those methods employed in my own school.  Take for example, Sioux Fall Christian High School.  I attended during my 7th and 8th grade years.  I can distinctly recall every teacher in every subject having us outline our work for the full semester....we thought it was a conspiracy...it was!  I believe they were purposefully giving us the tools to organize our thoughts.  I also realize that I have some gaps but homeschooling has given ME the opportunity to begin to fill in some of those gaps.  Let's look at spelling....
I was never a poort student and I loved to read so my spelling wasn't too bad but that "e" on the end was such a tricky letter!  I knew the vowel-consonant-vowel pattern in words like cake, bike, and tire, but when the first vowel wasn't "long," I was stuck!  Words like ice, love, and Bible didn't follow that v-c-v pattern.  My aha! moment didn't come for at least 20 something more years. 
By this time I was a mom of 2 and struggling to help my own children with the same challenges but I didn't have the tools.   My friend, Corina, invited me to a Teaching Reading at Home and School workshop (now called Spell to Write and Read).  In one of the sessions, the trainer began to discuss this tricky rule....and broke it down not only into interesting jingles, but also showed me the beauty and logic of the English language when it came to this "silent final e."  I want to give you a sneak peek into those rules here:
1) Strongman E.  The most common and the one I knew best.  Strongman E helps the other vowel says its name.  So words like bite, broke, cake, and tire fit into this category. They also follow the v-c-v pattern.
2) V and U take 2.  This second rule actually overlaps with another rule that says that English words do not end in I, U, V, or J so words like lov, tru, and blu need an "e" to fulfill the complimentary rule. Still close to rule #1 but in words like blue and true it does not follow v-c-v so this brings clarity and reason to this spelling rule. And words like spaghetti?  Not an Enlish word!
3) C and G take 3.  This third rule also pairs up with a common rule that C and G have  a "soft" sound when followed by e, i, or y.  Of course G is not always that way but C is.  So letterss like "ic" become "ice" and "larg" becomes "large."
4) Wanda Sanseri, author of Spell to Write and Read, calls this fourth rule "Sidekick E."  Of course if you know that every syllable must have a vowel this rule will make sense when you consider words like Bi ble, syl la ble, or ta ble.  See that silent final E stuck on the end to fulfill the rule but its still just a Silent Sidekick.
5) O.K., Odd job E is probably the one that I am still learning more about!  If I see a word like "awe" or "ore" I realize it is giving length to a short word or distinguising it from its homonym counterpart.  These are just two reasons for Odd Job E although I know there are a few more reasons.

When I took the plunge Mrs. Sanseri's program, I knew it would require some effort on my part since I couldn't just pass the book to my kids and let them run with it.  I have never regretted it!
http://www.bhibooks.net/swr.html

Lazy Girl Cake

So you need a quick dessert for a potluck, dinner with the family or whatever.  The point is you want something quick, guaranteed to taste great and easy to make.  I have your solution!
You need:
1) Box of cake mix (I usually try white, yellow, or vanilla)
2) I stick of butter (I use unsalted)- melted
3) 1 cup of water
4) 1 can of pie filling (even the cream ones like lemon and key lime are fine)

1)Pre-heat at 375. Grease a 9 X 13 glass pan.  Pour half the dry cake mix into the bottom of glass pan.  Spread evenly with back of a spoon.

2) Next add your pie filling.  I usually spoon out "blobs" so that it most of the cake mix is covered.  You do NOT have to spread it out.

3) Pour the rest of the dry cake mix over the top of your pie filling.  I usually try to make sure there are no "chunks" in the bag before spreading the cake mix over the top of the pie filling.

4) Almost there!  The water and butter should be poured over the top of the entire thing but make sure you try to cover as much of the top layer of the dry cake mix as possible.

Pouring the butter over the top of the cake/pie filling mix

So this is what it looks like before cooking it in the oven at 375 for about 30-40 min. until its golden brown on top....not much, huh? 

I dare you to try and when you taste it you won't be saying that!
We call it Lazy Girl because its just so easy and foolproof that even a lazy girl could make this cake!   There are so many variations too!  Some would liken this to a Pineapple Dump Cake but there are not so many in my family who prefer pineapple. 

I usually keep at least one cake mix and one can of pie filling in my pantry as staple items so that I can make this at a minute's notice.

Enjoy!  Would love to hear the different versions you come up with.  Our latest was yellow cake mix with key lime pie filling which we brought to a fundraiser for my daughter's contribution.  There was none left so I assume it was enjoyed by all!

Part 2 Polish dumplings & eggs

Hey gang!

I finally took some time to whip up a Nawrocki family favorite using the dumplings from the last post.  I decided to cook a half a dumpling so I set it out to defrost in the fridge overnight. 

1) Once it is defrosted, slice it up so it can be added to the egg.  We like the pieces to be hearty but not too hearty.  Check it out here:

The pieces should be soft but firm. 

2) I took 3 eggs and scrambled them in a bowl.  Next, add 1/4 cup milk and mix this together.  Add your dumplings to this egg mixture.

3) If you know how to scramble eggs, then you will pretty much know what to do next.  I heat up my skillet and add my egg-dumpling mixture.  The dumplings do not fall apart but they will warm up with the eggs as you cook them.  Be careful not to try to smash them though and move them around just as you would the eggs so they get evenly warmed up.







4.  When the eggs are done, it's ready.  My dad always eats it with ketchup but not me!  A little salt and pepper and I am good.  A word of caution, though:  this is a filling meal!  For me this would be two meals but for my 22 year old son, a piece of toast and this is enough for a meal.  He has occasionally eaten one whole dumpling with eggs but we had to roll him away from the table!! Ha Ha!

Enjoy!  I would love to hear from some of you who try this and whether you liked it or not.

Finished product of eggs & Polish Potato Dumplings