Kristina | Heart of the Matter

February 16, 2010 By Kristina 2 Comments

This is one fun project that I did with a group of boys, last year, to present at an art show in our town. The first thing I had the students do was a lesson from one of my personal favorites: Drawing Textbook, by Bruce McIntyre. It doesn’t look like much on the surface yet it packs a mighty punch of information that you and your family can use from age six to adult.

You can read more about it here: http://www.avdp.com

I then reviewed the Seven Laws of Perspective. This is what I taught, in a nutshell:

Surface ~ things that are closer to the eye are drawn closer to the bottom of the picture
Size ~ things that are nearer to the eye should be drawn larger
Surface lines ~ these lines wrap around the object you are drawing to give it three dimensions
Overlapping ~ things that are closer to the eye overlap the further parts
Shading ~ this is used to give volume to the object that you draw
Density ~ things that are closer to the eye are drawn with more detail than things farther away
Foreshortening ~ the whole object is foreshortened, to give proper dimension

I have found that students really like the fact that there are rules to art and once you learn them, you get to have fun “breaking” them! We often know what looks good to our “untrained” eye, but not why certain things work for us and others do not. The Seven Laws of Perspective lend a lot to helping a person appreciate a particular piece of art or not.

The lesson for this particular day centres around Impressionism, using acrylic paint on paper.

What you hope to achieve: students will attempt to create an Impressionist painting following the directions given from the DickBlick lesson plan. You can find a ton of lesson plans at the site: www.dickblick.com or go here, specifically: http://www.dickblick.com/lessonplans

Think of this project like pixel-izing the image, in a way, breaking the image down into pieces that come together to create the whole.

Webster’s Dictionary defines a pixel as “a discrete element that together constitutes an image”.

Small brush strokes make us think of Seurat. More like pointillism, with very fine strokes. Large brush strokes imitate Van Gogh. Larger brush strokes are also very visible, individually, but together create a full picture.

What you need:

Paper to paint on
Brushes
Water to clean brushes
Paper towel to dry brushes
Acrylic paint in the following colours (or whatever colours you have handy), if I am going to go technical on you:
Marseilles Yellow (put on your best fake French accent to say that one)
Scarlet Red
Lapis Blue
Olivine Green
Mummy Brown
Ivory White

Now, I’ll let you in on a simple secret … I went to the Dollar Store, here in my small town, and picked up dollar acrylic paint. Easy.

You can choose to mix colors, copying what is shown in the sample, or actually buy paints in the colors you want to have in your finished painting. We also liked the idea of having our work framed so I bought cheap canvas boards to paint on, also at the local Dollar Store. You can paint on cardboard, painted white first, if you want something more stiff than paper. Get creative! Just because I suggest you go out and purchase paint does not mean you have to!

The biggest challenge is in the brush strokes you must use. All your strokes must be vertical and on the small side. Paint the flowers first, entirely in yellow. To apply the paint, all you have to do is touch the brush to the canvas or paper, laying down the bristles of your brush, then pick the brush up again. The paint should be fairly heavily applied in order to imitate the impressionist brush strokes.

You also need to continue painting wet. Don’t let the layers of your flowers dry out in between colours. After the yellow petals have been painted, use the orange that you either mixed (yellow and red) or bought. Leave some areas of the flower solid yellow.

Then add the red, leaving some spots solid yellow and some spots solid orange.
The leaves are formed first in yellow, then greens.
Water is a combination of blue and white. Use the white paint to “highlight” certain areas, mimicking light.
Shading is done by using brown mixed with blue.

Hope you are equally impressed!

Kristina is a happily married wife in her eleventh year of homeschooling the flybytheseatofyourpants method. So far her two boys seem intelligible and relatively unscathed. She is an intern Educational Therapist with NILD and in her spare time loves to scrapbook, paint, make linoprints and write novel study guides. In your spare time, check out her blog On Fire at: www.kristinacamp.blogspot.com

January 6, 2010 By Kristina Leave a Comment

Last time I wrote, I encouraged you, as a family, to try some different watercolour methods (like the salt, plastic wrap or sponge techniques) and make predictions about what the results might be. I hope you took some time to toy with textures!

Now I will talk about painting fruits and vegetables. I suggested that you set up a display of one to three fruits or vegetables and begin your project by making a rough sketch of them. Practice adding shading and depth if you have not yet, thinking about the 7 laws of perspective, but save one sketch that is mainly the outlines, like this:

I trust you can see where I roughly outlined a squash, only putting down lines for areas I am going to shade. The idea is to delineate darker and lighter areas, keeping the actual painting fairly simple. Our goal is to experiment with shading and painting with watercolour in general, not making a masterpiece (though you might be pleasantly surprised with your results!).

What you need: (many of these items were used in Part 1)

Watercolour paper, watercolours, water for rinsing brushes, paper towel to blot with, brushes, assorted seasonal gourds, fruits and vegetables, pencil, tape, imagination

To reiterate, while watercolour paper is, obviously, ideal, you can experiment with different sorts of papers, keeping in mind that watercolour paper will allow for the best absorption of the colour. If you do not have a watercolour set (no, you do not need to run out and purchase the most expensive tubes of watercolour paints), the “cheap” dollar store watercolour paint sets are perfectly fine for playing with colour.

Teach your child(ren) about the difference between value or tone, in colour. Simply put, it is how light or dark a colour really is. Help them to understand and see that by adding water to the paint, you make it lighter in value (tone). A great lesson for this is to take one colour, like the blue, and try to make a value scale, using nine different values, starting with the lightest and ending with the darkest. The darkest value will be created with the paint straight out of the tube, no water added. You will likely have to do this exercise a few times before you are happy with the results, but it makes a valuable (groan) statement!

Now, for the painting:

To make a painting with realistic colours, first wet your whole drawing with water, lightly, leaving any sections you think should be highlighted untouched by the water. They will stay the white of the paper, receiving no paint. Choosing the lightest shade of colour you intend to paint with, colour the rest of the fruits. Without rinsing your brush, add a different colour, such as red over yellow or green, green over blue or purple. Think about the true colours of the vegetables or fruits you have drawn, and stick to those colours. Remember what the combinations of colours will produce (red over yellow will make orange, red over blue will make a purple, etc.) when layering them.

If you would like, instead, to experiment further with values (tones), then focus on hightlighting and shading, using the value chart you created earlier, selecting values only (meaning one colour in various tones) to paint your fruits and vegetables with.

Here’s to a happy new year of applying art!

Kristina is a happily married wife in her eleventh year of homeschooling the flybytheseatofyourpants method. So far her two boys seem intelligible and relatively unscathed. She is an intern Educational Therapist with NILD and in her spare time loves to scrapbook, paint, make linoprints and write novel study guides. In your spare time, check out her blog On Fire at: www.kristinacamp.blogspot.com

November 18, 2009 By Kristina 3 Comments

Fall is one of the most perfect seasons as far as I am concerned; I only wish it lasted longer. I love to breathe in the scent of warm soil, slowly decaying leaves, and the myriad of spices begging to be added to purees of pumpkin, squash or apple. How can one spend any amount of time outside and not be inspired to at least attempt some form of art, be it painting, photography or poetry?

When my husband and I taught art lessons, one of our ideas came from all those vegetable displays that are so rampant at this time of year. What a wonderful way to glorify God by portraying or replicating His creation. This is, artistically speaking, the hardest art form for me, so if you also discover that watercolour painting is harder than you first thought, don’t get discouraged. Practice makes perfect, so they say. In any case, you will be trying something new and exposing yourself to new avenues of expression. I hope you will enjoy both the fruits of your labour and the “fruits” of the season, afterward!

What you need: ( some of these materials will not be used until Part 2 )

Watercolour paper, watercolours, water for rinsing brushes, paper towel to blot with, brushes, assorted seasonal gourds, fruits and vegetables, salt (preferable coarse salt), plastic wrap, sponge, pencil, tape, imagination

While watercolour paper is, obviously, ideal, you can experiment with different sorts of papers, keeping in mind that watercolour paper will allow for the best absorption of the colour. If you do not have a watercolour set (no, you do not need to run out and purchase the most expensive tubes of watercolour paints. The “cheap” dollar store watercolour paint sets are perfectly fine for playing with colour)

If you can find a copy of a watercolour for beginners type book at the library, check it out! My personal favourite is: Watercolour for Absolute Beginners, by Bill Whitsett.

What you do:

Ask your child(ren) some questions about watercolour painting, like:

Q. What supplies do you think we need to paint with watercolour?

Q. What kind of brush do we need if we want to paint details?

A. small, thin, round brushes that can hold a point

Q. What kind of brush do we want for painting with watercolour, in general?

A. large round brush

Q. What if we want to paint a large area, like the sky?

A. a flat brush, about 1 inch, for large areas

Q. What are warm and cool colours?

A. Warm colours are yellows and reds. Cool colours are blues and greys.

Q. Why do we need water containers?

A. We need two water containers, one for rinsing and cleaning paint colour from the brush, and one for getting clean water on the brush. This way, our colours don’t end up looking like mud!

Try this:

Paint a picture using only one colour, (monochromatic), but experiment with shading, making some parts of the image darker than others. Things that are in the foreground should be shaded more than those in the background.

Put some watercolour on a small section of paper, perhaps cutting the paper into a 3×5 card, making sure that it is wet enough for salt to be absorbed into the paint, but not so wet that the salt alters the paper. Sprinkle the coarse salt (you can try table salt, but often the result is less than impressive) over the paper. This is an example:

Try sponging on paint, then try painting, but using the sponge to remove some of the paint, trying to allow the sponge to leave a mark in the paint, as only a sponge can do.

Put some watercolour paint on another small card of watercolour paper, then press down on the paper with plastic wrap. Do not smooth the plastic wrap out as though you are coving a dish before putting it in the fridge. Leave it wrinkled and smushed up (is smushed a word?). leave it on for quite a while, “forgetting” about it for a few hours usually ensures a great result! Here is my husband’s example:

Try other ideas you come up with, as a family, and make predictions about what the results might be. Next article I will talk about painting fruits and vegetables. In the mean time, set up a display of one to three fruits or vegetables and begin making a rough sketch of them. You can practice adding shading and depth if you like, thinking about the 7 laws of perspective, but save one sketch that is mainly the outlines, like this:

September 3, 2009 By Kristina Leave a Comment

If you are like me, saying goodbye to summer isn’t as difficult this particular year since the summer weather we are used to simply never arrived. Sad in some ways, but makes you switch gears quickly enough if you aren’t a year-round schooler. We usually *do* some form of school during our summer “break” but this time, we ended up doing a myriad of other things. Change can be good!

We formally begin school this week, a week earlier than normal in our neck of the woods, going by the Public System’s calendar, and in my mind there is nothing sweeter than starting school off with “something fun”. I managed to track down a ton of treasures for this posting; hope you enjoy, and remember, they’ll hardly cost you a thing!

I first saw this game being played at an Historical re-enactment village, then found the instructions in an old book of mine, no longer in print, called Things to Do. Who can pass that title up? The “thing” is Bowling Hoops, and here is how you “do” it:

This is a traditional autumn game and the idea is for the bowler to perform as much as possible with as little effort on his or her part. The difficulty comes in challenging the bowler to run through the rolling hoop, if the hoop is large enough. Parents, do NOT get the notion that you are still young and sprite enough to also do this. Do not ask me how I came to this conclusion.

What you need: if one player, you only need one hoop and a stick or some other item with which to make the hoop roll on its side. If two players, one small hoop, one larger hoop. Two players can attempt to bowl or roll the smaller hoop through the larger one. Simple fun.

Another game involving the hoops is called Turnpikes.

What you need: one large hoop, two stones and several players. The object of the game is to set two stones a bit wider apart than the width of your hoop and the hoop itself needs to be rolled through them as quickly as possible, without touching either of the stones. If it touches or misses the stones’ mark, the next player takes a turn until he or she misses.

One last idea is to play Posting.
What you need: as many players as you can muster up, one large hoop. Have the players stand, ideally, in a circle, at various points. Having players stand in a line will work, too. Choose a player to begin the game, having him or her run with the hoop, rolling or bowling it as quickly as they can, to the first “post” (where the next person in the line or circle is standing). That player then takes the hoop and rolls it as fast as he or she can to the next post and the first player then stands in the vacant spot. The idea is that as the players become more familiar with rolling the hoop, there is no stopping play. The hoop will continue to be rolled from post to post (player to player), picking up speed, making for a very active and fun game.

SO, what about fun for the more sedentary folks? I haven’t forgotten … art ideas abound!

What about the tried and true painted seed pot? All you need are: empty yogurt pots, baby food jars, or another type of container that isn’t needed for anything else, like a purchased clay pot if you choose, some scouring powder (if you wish), pencil and poster paint. These would be a great give to teacher idea, if your children attend any kind of Sunday School program or club. They will also look great decorating a table if you simply cannot bear to part with the finished product.

If you do not want to use the scouring powder, to rub away any lettering on the yogourt pot, you can use paint to cover the entire outside of the pot before sketching out your design. Sketch what you would like to paint onto the pot then paint with colour remembering to not make your brush too wet. Allow the painted pot to dry.

This last art idea requires parent supervision at all times but was just too cool not to share. It is called Paper Butterflies.

What you need: thin paper, a postcard (or piece of cardstock), a sheet of butcher paper, pencil, crayons, glue, cotton balls (or, preferably, the cotton you buy in bags that is already stretched and more like tubes), tape, a hot oven. Where we live, you are permitted to have an outdoor fire as long as you have a source of water or fire extinguisher nearby and are cooking (marshmallows totally count!), so an open fire in a backyard is nothing to blink an eye at around these parts and would be, in my opinion, the preferred method of burning for this idea.

What you do:

Draw some lovely butterflies on thin paper (like tracing paper), colouring them and then cutting them out.
Glue a piece of 3 inch long cotton to each butterfly
With the tape, fasten the end of the cotton to the postcard (or cardstock cut into a rectangle approximately the same size of a postcard)
Heat the sheet of butcher paper in the oven for a few minutes
Take the paper out of the heat and rub it swiftly using one way strokes
Quickly hold the brown heated paper over the butterflies on the postcard or cardstock and they should fly. As soon as the brown paper is cold, they will drop. To make them fly again, simply re-heat the butcher paper.

August 5, 2009 By Kristina 2 Comments

This week has been super crazy in our house, with appointments and a funeral when we were, technically, supposed to be on vacation. Many are the plans of a man’s heart, but the Lord’s will prevails. How true.

The week’s fast-paced intensity finally came to a screeching halt in the form of a hiatus from the phone and email yesterday. Even my Facebook had me quoting “sometimes life just HAS to stop.” Ever had one of those weeks?

It is during times like that where I am reminded that once upon a time, I thought I would become an art therapist. Only a select few know that about me (well, until now, that is).

I have said it before and I will say it again; sometimes plan B is better than plan A. MY plan B came to fruition as I recently became an intern educational therapist since my years of homemaking and homeschooling lent itself to the opportunity beautifully. July was an insane month but, as always, God is good. I experienced so much of His peace, patience, kindness and goodness that I just knew I had to share with you a neat art experience I had with a group of 26 homeschooling kiddos … yep … I LOVE a crowd!

Try this mixed media project for yourself.

Here is what you need:

Paint,

markers,

cardstock or other heavy weight material that will hold glue and assorted ephemera,

pages from an old book or dictionary,

sticker letters or stamps of letters (optional).

My students had completed six weeks of art lessons which led up to the collage, but you can start anywhere you happen to be; young or old, new or seasoned. All you really require is some imagination.

Here is my sample:

Start with a favourite Scripture for inspiration. In the case of my class, we used the fruits of the Spirit, as it had been the theme for our lessons. Choose colours of paint that you feel reflect the words you are going to be adding to your image. The first thing I did was to lay down the page from an old dictionary, on the right. Next, I added some paint around the edges, spreading it with a sponge rather than a brush, to obtain a more free-flowing look. You can experiment with watered down paint in spray bottles, like I did or lightly wet a sponge and spread the paint. Be careful not to use too much paint or water, or your cardstock will ripple. (This may or may not be good in the end, depending on how often you like to hear yourself saying “I meant to do that”.) My stamped linoprint came next, one pear on each side. You can draw a piece of fruit or find one in a magazine, cut it out and glue it wherever it looks pleasing to you. Then I used a combination of sticker letters, stamped letters and my own handwriting to print out the fruits of the Spirit.

Since I cannot guide you step by step through linoprinting on this post (though I am really itching to do it!), I will show you another way to make a print, should you like to try it out.

You need a Styrofoam meat tray, washed of course (or better still, ask at your grocery store for some clean, never used ones. My butcher was more than happy to give me a stack of them once he realized what it was I wanted them for). With a pen, press down into the Styrofoam, leaving an indent of whatever image you chose to draw. In my case it was a pear, again. Simply brush ink or paint on top of your Styrofoam image and press it onto paper. Voila! Instant print! You can also cut out your image and re-glue it on paper, in sections, spaced lightly apart, repeating the same inking instructions. Both examples are shown here, the one on the left in black ink and the one on the right in black, light blue and light brown paint:

August 3, 2009 By Kristina 1 Comment

I eagerly signed up to review Educator.com, since I have one son in grade 9 this year, and another trailing only slightly behind, in grade 8. Perfect!

I have to admit that I didn’t know anything at all about this site before testing the waters. Would they be rocky? Would the level be over our heads? Most importantly, what would the cost be?

Well, I am happy to say that I concur with the writing on their own wall, if you will, where they boast that Educator.com has over 500 math and science subjects, is a self-paced learning program, able to pinpoint exactly where your subject of interest is explained (incredibly important to those of us who simply cannot stand wading through myriads of information when we already know just what it is we need) AND you get unlimited access to every course they offer for one price.

I even thought the price tag was right on the money, at a $200 yearly subscription or a monthly $20 option. Not bad considering the cost of a tutor (used to be one and it sure helped me through University!) or an individualized program elsewhere, that also has you leaving the house.

The first time through, for some weird reason, I was unable to watch or hear any of the videos. The second time I tried, a few days later, I was only able to hear. I am persistent, though, and found that the third time truly can be a charm.

The videos are well put together, informative and easy to understand, even for a non-math person like me. Having just returned from school, where I became a licensed educational therapist, these courses hit the nail on the proverbial head for me.

I know that it is important to learn the basics and form a solid foundation in key subjects, math being one of the most important, if a student is to succeed academically. The video for Order of Operations gives a great illustration:

Imagine you are driving and you reach an intersection … there has to be some agreement so you know what the rules of the road are. Without that rule, nothing would be clear, right? Well, on Educator.com, you find simple examples of rules that everyone MUST learn, in order to function well. Just as you need a rule for who goes first, next, etc, at a four-way stop, you also need rules in math (or any other subject) so you know what to do and in what order.

I also appreciated the “Quick Notes” found underneath all the instruction videos. It would be great to have your child not only read out the note, but also to add it to a workbook so it could be reviewed at a later time.

Some of the videos are quite lengthy, more than 16 minutes. It would be a great idea to play the video for one lesson, perhaps practice a few questions afterward, and talk about what was learned from watching. I would have my son make some notes in his workbook, rewording what he discovered, then I would leave it for that day. The next day, you could tackle a regular lesson, putting in to practice what had been learned the day before. The video could always be watched again, for review, or to catch what might have been missed the first time. I like to add videos into my learning because it is refreshing to not always be the “only one” explaining something. I also like the idea of someone else’s take on a subject being part of our school, too. I may be multi-talented, but I certainly don’t have the inside scoop on EVERYthing!

Another thing I liked about Educator.com’s videos were the questions it got me asking myself. Ruth Beechick talks about the importance of posing questions you would like to answer when reading new material. In asking questions before you read something, your mind focuses on finding the answers AS you digest and process the material, guiding the learning process. You automatically filter out the unnecessary information and are likely to connect new material with knowledge you already possess, making the transition from short term to long term memory. In the Chemistry video, What is Chemistry?, we learned how significant chemistry really is. It helped us to think about the subject in new ways and defined things neatly.

Did my fourteen year old love it? His first quote was: “I could imagine falling asleep to this”, but we are on vacation from school for the time being, so take his opinion with a grain of salt. He has yet to actually fall asleep in school! He also changed his tune after watching different subjects, not just Biology.

The Quick Facts videos were pretty cool, too. We reviewed some things we already knew and learned new ones, without any trouble. Good times!

We all love to reach the right conclusion … in my humble opinion, Educator.com is a great solution!

*****

We are happy to announce that Educator.com is a sponsor for the 2009 Heart of the Matter Conference!

Conference Attendees will have four chances to win a subscription to Educator.com:

Three – 3 Month subscriptions
(Value $60 each)
One – Annual Subscription
(Value $200)

It’s still not too late to register!

July 7, 2009 By Kristina 3 Comments

I sat down at the computer today and wondered: what would come up in a Google search if I simply typed in “homeschool trends in July”. Wow! I got so distracted I almost forgot that I was supposed to still be homeschooling myself! That is definitely one thing I have loved about the whole homeschooling community in general; you don’t have to live next door to each other or even in the same town to become informed, inspired and energized. The web is a wonderful tool for connecting ourselves with fellow, like-minded, gluttons for punishment … I mean homeschoolers! You know you love it!

For us, this summer is going to look a little different than others simply because we spent part of last “break” and the rest of 2008 overseas, as missionaries. The boys started school with the other missionary kids back in late July rather than our usual September. When we had to leave the field, we needed a longer break to reassess and recuperate before starting up our own homeschooling again. It wasn’t a big adjustment for the kids because I was still their teacher overseas and let me tell you, we had a blast turning a regular old classroom into a big homeschooling family environment. The whole class got closer as a result and we look back on our time in Papua New Guinea with much fondness.

Schooling through summer is pretty normal for us, in one way, since we always find a few subjects we simply don’t want to put away. I hope to inspire you, similarly, at least in the area of art.

KinderArt has a myriad of methods to teach art, making it fun and user-friendly. I have incorporated some of their ideas into the lessons I have taught out of my own home (with or without my artist husband) and abroad. In one example, they ask questions about drawings in particular, helping you coax your child into seeing that you do not have to draw something completely realistically before it can be called “art”, nor does one drawing necessarily have to look just like another. There are, however, some rules to learn and follow if you want to create things that please the eye. Pictures of all kinds, whether photographs, sketches, paintings or prints tell stories, help direct us, provide explanations, communicate ideas and bring pleasure.

Look up the definitions of words like: fore shortening, perspective, shading, overlapping, texture, tone, depth and talk about those concepts while looking at a simple picture book or your favourite illustrated book. You will be surprised at how much your child already has processed about these very terms though they may not have a clue what the official title is.

Magazine Art Project. One of my favourite art projects for kids requires old magazines, for tearing, a dollar store canvas if you have one, or simply a heavy piece of cardboard, your choice of size, some white glue (or gel medium if you happen to have some), a brush for applying the glue, some tissue paper, a pencil and paper for a sketch.

Have your child tear pieces of tissue paper for their canvasses, colours of their choice. This will become the background colour. If you are using Gel Medium, be sure to supervise. Help your child to place the tissue paper on the canvas, covering with the white glue or Medium, thinking in terms of layering, tone, shading and depth. Layer the tissue more thickly on the outsides of the canvas or cardboard, imitating light/dark.
Have your child then choose a rounded object to sketch for the canvas (or cardboard). It should cover approximately two-thirds of the canvas. Keep it simple. Sketch out the outline, then cut it out of the paper. You will be layering your magazine pieces on top of this sketch, collage style.
Begin tearing pieces of magazine for the same centre image. Examine the pear example to see style, technique and shading etc.

After looking at the pear for a time, choose magazine pictures that have the basic colours you would like your centre object to be. You can see that I chose mainly brown hues, with some lighter colours for highlighting.
Once your canvas has been fully coated with tissue and glue (or Medium), including the sides, have your child work on the centre image. Remind your child to work slowly and in small sections so as not to have the Gel Medium or glue come into contact with skin as much as possible. Let your child know that he or she should wash their hands intermittently.
I also used some spray inks (Walnut Ink) to give more dimension to the work but that is not necessary. If you do use ink, use the glue brush to help spread the ink, creating more shading and depth. Remove any excess ink with tissue.

Also remind your child to think about the direction of their light source, so the light pieces of magazine colours are on the same side of the light source, and the dark colours are on the opposite side of the light source.

Kristina Campbell is a happily married wife in her eighth year of homeschooling the flybytheseatofyourpants method. So far her two boys seem intelligible and relatively unscathed. She also mentors with Setting Captives Free and in her spare time loves to scrapbook, paint, make linoprints and write novel study guides. In your spare time, you should check out her blog OnFire in PNG.

June 10, 2009 By Kristina 7 Comments

A few years ago, the boys and I went to see the Windsor Symphony Orchestra perform. The pieces to be played included: Smetana, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and two Windsor natives. Looking over the curriculum guide sent to me, I was struck by the similarities between the stringed instruments and my family.

Sound crazy?

I think you may change your mind after reading what I have to say, especially as you take the time to examine the goals you had set for the beginning of your school year and compare them with your actual accomplishments. We can all use a pat on the back from time to time– this aims to be just that!

Play your instrument well

I know this is going to need an explanation, and hopefully it comes across to you as beautifully as it came across to me. My family happens to have four strings and one percussion, so I naturally drew my conclusions based on the string section (my personal favourite). The strings are comprised of four levels, like a really great choir: soprano (but not too loud, please!), alto, tenor and bass. The violin is the instrument that carries the melody, the soprano, with a second violin to help.

In my home, I know my husband is the leader and when a problem arises that is difficult to solve, he has the final say, *whew*. When it comes to the actual homeschooling, however, I am the one at home during the day delivering the messages and helping the kids complete their tasks … I am the violin. I sing the melody, carrying the tune of our day.

I liken the second violin to my church body, my closest friends, other homeschool moms, blog posts that I read and, well, you know what I mean. The job of the second violin is to harmonize with and accompany the first violin, like the alto; so I need to choose my second violin very wisely and prayerfully. I need to really take the time to chart my days and evaluate where I am doing well and where I need to re-vamp some things (like how much time I spend online, chatting on the phone and activities outside the home).

The viola has (exactly three) strings that are similar to the violin and, like the second violin, plays to harmonize. Most days, my kids are making music on the viola, harmonizing with me in a simple song. Some days, the song can be so simple and routine that if I am not careful, I miss it, thinking we aren’t getting enough done, or my tone of voice can sour an otherwise productive and pleasant day.

The violoncello, or cello as most of us know it, forms the lovely tenor section of our choir, often as a solo. I have witnessed different times when one of my children becomes the cello for a while, leading us down a path we would otherwise not have encountered. This time of listening to their individuality helps to clarify for me just how this child is “bent” and brings much confirmation and joy to my heart about walking on the
homeschool path. This is the time for the other instruments to sit back and glean as well as to offer encouragement.

The last instrument in the orchestra is the bass (officially the double bass). I could wax poetic here for a very long time, getting quite analytical as is my nature, but I will refrain (get it … the refrain?). The bass is the one keeping the steady rhythm needed to contain the music properly, anchoring everything. My husband is the bass, literally, in our rich tapestry. I love to hear him play and am completely unable to compose my songs without him. I rely on his timing and deep, concise notes to fill out what I have brought to the table, so to speak.

Take some time today to examine the orchestra that is your home, and listen to the beautiful music all of you have written together. Keep your instruments in good tune, spending time in God’s Word, with prayer, praise and supplication. Thank the Conductor, and anticipate the masterpieces yet to come. While you’re at it, listen to some classical music … I hear it increases brain cells!

You might like to get out a large piece of newsprint paper and some crayons, moving your hands across the surface of the paper in tune with the music. Don’t stop to look at what your hands are drawing, just keep moving as the music inspires you. Once you are finished, either alone or as a family, look for images in your “scribbling” and outline them in a darker colour, or fill in spaces as you like, creating a masterpiece for the moment.

May 13, 2009 By Kristina Leave a Comment

And after April, when May follows,
And the white throat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom’d pear tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops – by Robert Browning

Maybe, like me, you are thinking of spending more time out instead of in yet you aren’t quite finished up as many lessons as you were hoping to. Maybe, like me, you are already thinking of how much MORE fun next year is going to be and you are drooling over curriculum catalogues, making many excellent choices. Maybe, like me, you have one child that you are no longer going to be homeschooling come September and you are busy creating memories to last a lifetime while you still have time. Or, Maybe, like me, you are simply savouring each spring moment before the bees start steadily buzzing, the birds begin sweetly singing and the flowers fragrantly blossom before our very eyes. Let me fill you in on some great ways to create some artful beauty that won’t cost you an arm and a leg!

May is the perfect month to set up a wildflower press and start collecting. All you need are:

Several pieces of cardboard.
Ribbon or twine
Strong scissors or a utility knife
Regular white paper or waxed paper
Flowers to press

Empty cereal boxes are not the best choice for this craft; use sturdy boxes to cut your squares from. You decide how large or small to make the wildflower press, just be sure that the squares you cut out are generally the same size. You will need around ten to make a press that will have enough weight to actually, well, press!

Take the flower specimen you would like to preserve and lay it on a sheet of white paper, cut to the same size as one of the squares in your press, making sure that each petal and leaf is displayed to your liking. Lay a second sheet of white, square paper (or waxed paper) on top of the flower. If you would like to press more than one flower at a time, simply repeat the process until you have your press filled to the brim with flowery goodness. Layer the cardboard pieces on top, with some also underneath, until they are stacked and ready to tie with your ribbon or twine. Place a heavy book on top of your press to ensure that your flower (or flowers) are pressed nicely. Check your flower’s pressing business (could not help myself) after three days to one week. It may take more or less time to properly press the flower depending on how small or thick your choice was.

My boys watched a group of Nationals weaving palm fronds into cool crowns. I do not know how to describe that for you, so I give you another very fun craft, a good old fashioned daisy chain. I did not know the proper way to do this until I read it in an out of print book. Maybe you did not know the right and best way either. I hope you are enlightened! You need:

Daisies
Fingernails

Take the stem of one daisy and slit into it, with your fingernail, about an inch from the end. Thread another daisy (or other flower for that matter) into this slit. Make a slit in this second flower’s stem in the same way, sliding yet a third flower into the slit. Continue with this crazy daisy stunt until you have a chain the length that you desire. I used to use dandelions when I was a small girl. Hmmm. That must be why my mother never objected to my making ridiculously long chains.

Speaking of the fresh outdoors, when we were still missionaries in Papua New Guinea, we had pineapples growing right outside our windows. I had never known just how a pineapple grows before making a tropical island my home. I also had never quite known how to grow a pineapple plant in Ontario, Canada, but let me share with you what I discovered … you can!

The next time your family eats a pineapple, be sure to save the top, saving a bit of the fleshy part. Leave it out to dry (hopefully little brother or sister will not try to eat the last little bit!) After about three days or so, place the pineapple top in some sandy soil. The sand is important if you consider the places in the world where pineapples grow happily … places where there is a lot of sun, sand and surf. Give your plant some water but not too much, and put it somewhere warm. It should sprout some roots within two weeks. You may then replant it as you would any other type of houseplant. You may not succeed on your first try, but you know the saying: if at first you don’t succeed, keep eating pineapple because it is really, really good for you!

April 10, 2009 By Kristina 1 Comment

For many of us, “April showers bring May flowers” is our happy mantra, keeping us motivated and putting a spring (groan) into our steps. Here, the sun shines far too intermittently for my personal liking, and the winds still carry that bitter chill that sends us back inside more often than we would like. So, to help you out of your “will summer never come?” doldrums, try some indoor ideas on for size. I have a feeling they might be just what the doctor ordered (unless you are ordering something tropical!).

Raffia Napking Rings

To make some really nifty raffia napkin rings (and, yes, I believe that *is* a tongue twister), you will need:

a cardboard tube, either from the inside of an empty toilet paper or paper towel tube
different colours of raffia (yarn or embroidery floss will also work)
a pencil, some scissors and something circular to trace around that is the desired size.

Begin wrapping the raffia (or yarn etc) over the cardboard tube that you have cut to size (perhaps two inches in height is a good guide); overlapping the strands of raffia so they cover the cardboard very quickly. Whenever you run out of raffia, simply add a new strand by knotting the two together (old piece and new piece), making sure the knot is hidden on the inside of the tube, not on the outside where people can see it easily. Keep on wrapping raffia until the whole of your napkin ring tube is covered and no cardboard is showing. Weave any loose ends so they do not run the risk of coming unravelled.

Now comes the fun part!

Take a different colour of raffia, or yarn or embroidery floss, and make a design with it, either by braiding it and gluing it onto the outside of your napkin ring, or weaving it (using a needle) over and under the raffia you wound around the tube.

Use your own creative ideas for making your napkin rings unique. You can use comic strips and glue (letting the glue dry between applications allows you to still see any images but creates a shiny finish), buttons, beads and ribbons… Let your imagination run free!

Bird Feeder

Now is also the perfect time to either purchase or make a bird feeder. I know my brother told me just the other day how he decided to start feeding the birds earlier than usual this year, and he feels he has not only attracted some different sorts of birds, like finches and nuthatches as well as the usual blue jays, but he also seems to think the squirrels are paying less attention to the food. One can always hope!

I love the classic bird feeder out of a used (and empty … must specify for my kids!) milk or juice carton. All you need to do is attach some string to the top, in order to hang it from a tree or secure post, and cut a hole for the birds to take the feed from. We have hot-glued a twig on to the bottom section of the feeder in the past for a perch, just underneath the opening we cut for the food. If you do this, make sure that you are generous with the hot glue. We have also found that birds seem to enjoy a feeder that isn’t able to blow around a ton in the wind, so try to choose a semi sheltered spot for hanging, but one you can still watch the wildlife from.

Cool Treats

One last idea for today is to make some cool treats, saying goodbye to the ice and snow and thinking ahead to balmy days spent under the sun.

Coconut Ice

Image from www.bbcgoodfood.com

You need 2 ¼ cups of white sugar, 2 ½ cups of desiccated coconut, a saucepan, waxed paper, 1 cup of milk, red food colouring (if desired) and a 9×13 pan

1. lightly grease a 9×13 pan then line with waxed paper

2. put sugar and milk in the saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for about 3 minutes.

3. remove the saucepan from the stove, adding the coconut, stirring constantly. If you choose to add food colouring, add a drop at a time, until you obtain the shade of pink you like.

4. pour the mixture onto the 9×13 pan and leave it to cool.

5. when it has both cooled and set, cut it into squares or bars and store in an airtight container.

Peppermint Creams

Photo by Ben Dearnley

You need 1 ¾ of icing sugar (powdered sugar), 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, 1 egg white, a large bowl for beating egg, smaller bowl for sifting sugar, wire rack for cooling/drying

1. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl

2. Beat the egg white until stiff then add the sugar. Add the peppermint extract and mix until a stiff paste is formed

3. Sprinkle your counter with some icing sugar and roll out the paste until it is about ¼ inch thick

4. Make or cut into circles (using a cookie cutter if desired) and place on a wire tray until firm, may take over night.