Oct 19 2020

Our Weekly Bread: 11 of 36

Posted on by

This week, we used the sourdough starter to make sourdough bread. When you have a bread machine, you skip all the kneading. It only took ten minutes to measure ingredients into the machine and push start. Three hours later, we had this amazing bread loaf which everybody loved. I tried a little piece to see if I will react to the gluten. Since I did not, the next day I had a bigger piece. So far, so good.

Sourdough bread

The kids and I made this sourdough bread.

Next time I make it, I will use bread flour, just to see the difference. This first time, I used all-purpose flour. The recipe allows for either, or. Continue reading »

Oct 18 2020

Wild and Free – Facebook Live

Posted on by

This week I spoke about the Wild and Free Community. It is a co-op of sorts, but without books. We just go hiking. We keep the group small, no more than 15-20 families, depending on the number of children in each family. That is already too large to manage. Imagine a group of 30-50 people walking around through a city park or a trail in a state park.

Andrews Bald

My children on the Andrews Bald hike last week

Realistically speaking, not everybody can make it every week. Therefore, we have never had all 15 families show up. The biggest I have seen it in my 14 months of Wild and Free was maybe 7 or 8 mamas with their children. Continue reading »

Oct 11 2020

Our Weekly Bread: 10 of 36

Posted on by

The kids and I have started on a sourdough bread recipe. This week, we made the sourdough starter. This will have to ferment for at least two days before we can make sourdough bread in the bread machine.

Sourdough Starter

Making sourdough starter

People either love or hate sourdough bread. I happen to love it. However, I have had to stay away from gluten for the past four years, due to gluten intolerance. As I have progressed more in my allergy treatment, it seems that I can timidly have a serving of gluten once a week or so, without pain and bloating. Continue reading »

Oct 11 2020

Our Weekly Bread: 9 of 36

Posted on by

We had zeppoli at Olive Garden a few weeks ago. I told the kids we can replicate it at home. They said, “Probably not, but we can try it.” Thanks for your confidence, kids! I looked for a recipe online.

Zeppole

Zeppole – Italian doughnuts

It turns out, the real name is “zeppole,” not “zeppoli.” Now I realize that Italian doughnuts do not exactly a loaf of bread represent. Hey, it’s dough raised with yeast. That counts for something. Continue reading »

Oct 11 2020

Service – Facebook Live

Posted on by

Your homeschool must provide your students with service opportunities. Yes, strong academics are vital. Manual labor also helps students learn specific skills and, more importantly, work skills. But service keeps students balanced. Life is more than the accumulation of skills that can be exchanged for a profit in the future. Giving back rounds up the character and keeps students humble.

Bear-proof your campsite

By following regulations, we serve our fellow men and wild life.

In this Facebook Live event, I talked about why we need service opportunities for our students. It goes back to the Moore Formula: service time + manual labor time = academics time. The time you spend learning subjects equals the sum of the time spent in manual labor and the time spent in service. Continue reading »

Sep 29 2020

Our Weekly Bread: 8 of 36

Posted on by

The kids cannot get enough of focaccia bread. Finally, they were ready to sprinkle cheese, rosemary, and Italian seasoning on their focaccia dough before baking it. This is their third time making it. Third time’s a charm indeed.

Focaccia

Focaccia with sharp cheddar cheese, rosemary, and Italian seasoning

I also suggested that, when the bread is ready, they dip it in marinara sauce, warm or cold. They loved it. See? Taste buds can be trained and educated. When we hear so many parents complain their children will not eat vegetables or whole wheat bread or fruit, it’s a matter of patient education. Continue reading »

Sep 21 2020

Math Options – Facebook Live

Posted on by

After our camping trip, I found I had no time for the weekly Facebook Live event. Sorry I missed my weekly rendez-vous live with you all last week. So this week I spent over 20 minutes talking live. The topic? Math options.

Math Mammoth

Our favorite math curriculum, Math Mammoth.

Love it or hate it, math is essential. I happen to love it. My kids like math. Like reading, the more you do it, the more you love it. Continue reading »

Sep 21 2020

Our Weekly Bread: 7 of 36

Posted on by

The kids cannot get enough of focaccia bread, so they decided to make another one this week. However, we had run out of all-purpose flour. What to do? We still had whole wheat flour and bread flour, both organic. I suggested they make it using the two flours, half and half.

Focaccia with marinara

Focaccia with marinara

This is a great exercise in “real life” for the kids. Many times the pantry can miss an item and, as a parent, you have to improvise to put food on the table. Plus I wanted them to see the difference in texture when using different types of flours. Last but not least, whole wheat flour gives you extra nutrition. Continue reading »

Sep 20 2020

Our Weekly Bread: 6 of 36

Posted on by

The kids made focaccia bread by using the pizza crust recipe from last week. They used the bread machine, as usual. The dough cycle takes one hour and 20 minutes, so you set it and go do some homeschooling. But don’t forget it. The dough will keep on rising in the machine and it makes a mess, sticking to the lid and the sides. You don’t want that.

Focaccia Bread

Focaccia Bread

To avoid having to clean more than I want to, I usually set an alarm on my phone. The kitchen is pretty far from the school room and I cannot hear the beep on the machine when it announces it is done. Continue reading »