May 26 2014

Mom Monday Week 21 – Summer Reading Program

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

Everywhere I turn these days, somebody mentions how summer means diving into books. Naturally, as a homeschooling mom, you will take your children to the library and sign them up for the summer reading program. I know because I will do that. I assume we match.

You might want to sign yourself up for some really cool reading, too – the kind that you never had time for through the school year. I know I will.

What kind of books sound good to you? Personally, I like nonfiction, biographies, inspirational, and the classics.

Speaking of classics, I’m at 7% through “Les Misérables” on my Kindle. I found it for free, in French, the complete saga, and could not resist. Now I must finish what I started – eek! Continue reading »

May 23 2014

L’Alliance Française de Knoxville

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

About a month ago, I took a more intentional approach toward teaching my children French in our homeschool. I started gathering resources to teach my children French.

Books and language lessons lay the foundation of mastering another language. Immersion and interaction with other speakers of French continue the process and solidify the vocabulary.

So I joined L’Alliance Française of Knoxville.

We attended two get-togethers already:

(1) Picnic and petanque tournament (pique-nique et tournoi de pétanque) at the Cove at Concord Park

(2) Immersion meal (table française) at the French-Belgian restaurant called “Northshore Brasserie” in West Knoxville.

The window of Northshore Brasserie

Through the Alliance Française, we met people from Québec, France, Iran, Switzerland and even the United States (ha!). The conversations cover a multitude of topics and we all enjoy the interaction in the language of Molière. We definitely plan to join them for Bastille Day, our next “réunion.”

Here are the details…

During the first event, we met everybody and played pétanque. Then, we had a picnic. Most of the dialogue was in French, but some of our spouses spoke to each other in English because they do not speak French at all.

Pétanque is a game like its Italian cousin, bocce. The difference is that, in bocce, you run before tossing the ball. In pétanque, you don’t. You stand and toss your ball from the launching spot.

Even though the weather was cold and my children were not too sure about speaking French to any of our new friends, we had a good time.

To say that I was inspired by the fellowship in French would be an understatement. I went home and worked on some more resources for our homeschool, like subscribing to different TV5 Monde newsletters and reaching out via email to a French family living in Knoxville, who were recommended by the members of this group.

By the second meeting, the immersion table, my children had more courage to interact in French. I am surprised by how quickly they pick up a language, but I should not be. Children under 12 are biologically wired to pick up multiple languages.

Alliance Française of Knoxville members enjoying lunch and French conversations at Northshore Brasserie

After one month of teaching them, they understand simple phrases (what is your name? how old are you? come here, look at me, please, thank you etc) and they can count to ten. My son already uses “Eh, voilà!” when he brings me something.

When asked how old he was during the immersion table, he answered he was six years old. He constructed his sentence half in English and half in French. Progress.

Here’s another observation: their third language, French, is pushing their mother tongue, Romanian, to the forefront.

I spoke Romanian with my children since birth, but they answer me in English 99% of the time.

Today, my son and I were watering the garden. My daughter came over and asked to help, too. We took turns. When she asked to go over her allotted time, my son said, “In nici un caz!” in Romanian, which means “No way!”

I had never heard my son say that phrase before. Ever.

I knew he knew what it meant when I said it, but I did not know he could pronounce it so well and use it in an appropriate context. So I am really, really encouraged to see a bit of the fruit of my labors.

À bientôt!

May 21 2014

Wonderful Wednesday – Roses

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

The Outdoor Hour Challenge last Friday was about earth worms. Hmmm… I don’t want to go there. I chose roses instead because, well, they have inundated my life in the last seven days.

Our rose bushes have exploded. Then, my husband came home with yellow roses, too.

My husband and I are celebrating our ninth anniversary tomorrow. He brought me a dozen yellow roses and a card.

Bouquet of yellow roses and baby’s breath my husband brought me for our ninth anniversary

He said we already have a garden full of pink roses. And, we do. Continue reading »

May 19 2014

Trident Case Review

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

This post is a review for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew of a product called Kraken A.M.S. Case for Apple Mini 1/2.

Trident Case produces different shapes and colors of these rugged cases for many of your electronics. We have been using a Trident Case for our mini iPad for a few weeks and it just so happens that we got a red one. But the color, of course, does not matter as much as the question, “Will this case protect my iPad?”

This blue one, for instance, is super cute. I suppose the answer to the above question depends on what you plan on doing with your iPad. It also depends on your environment, how old your children are and how much you travel with your mini iPad.

If you happen to have a mini iPad 1 or mini iPad 2, you will want to look into a protective case for it. These sturdy iPad cases may seem like a lot of money – this particular one costs $59.95. But when you just shelled hundreds of dollars on an Apple product, you will naturally want to protect it.

This product is for all ages, of course, because, these days, all ages use mini iPads. In our home, my husband uses it more than anybody else. I am more of a Kindle gal while the kids – well – we keep them away from media as much as possible. The only thing they do on the mini iPad is an occasional Crossfingers puzzle or watch a short funny cat video with daddy – as a reward for good behavior.

Personally, I don’t travel much with my iPad, but my children are small. So the danger of breaking it comes to us at home. Even though the kids follow most house rules, they do have those days when they behave like children, carefree and carelessly. One day, daddy allowed our daughter a few minutes of puzzles on the mini iPad. He walked away to take care of something for a few minutes in another room. When he came back, the iPad was on the floor. She was done and had gone on to play with something else. He almost stepped on the iPad.

Good news: Trident cases are made to military standards when it comes to dust, vibration, drop, sand, and rain. The tests were done independently. More good news: they come in five colors – red, black, green, blue and pink.

With a weight of only 0.47 lbs, you will not add too much to your purse should you choose to carry it with you as you leave the house.

Regardless of color, Trident cases are green, i.e. eco-friendly green. I find it interesting that this case is so green, it is made of components that are recyclable, degradable and compostable. Wow!

If your lifestyle takes you biking, never fear, there’s a mount for your Trident case (which you must buy separately). If your lifestyle includes kids on the back seat, asking for the next French lesson video while you drive them to their violin lesson (and whose kids don’t?), there is a special holder for your Trident case (which you must buy separately).

They have so many of these accessories, you can even get a hand strap. That’s called flexibility and freedom in my book.

The screen is protected as well, though if you sat on it, it would not protect your device. Everything has its limits. The back of the device is protected by two layers – an inner layer made of silicone, which absorbs shocks, covered by an outer later made of hardened polycarbonate.

The corners are also made of the same double layer to protect it as much as possible. Great feature: the Kraken A.M.S. protects speakers, audio jacks and power ports from dirt and debris.

All in all, you should seriously give this device a chance and, at the very least, put it on a list next to its competitors to consider its pros and cons.

Here are the social media links for Trident Case:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tridentcase
Instagram – https://instagram.com/tridentcase#
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/tridentcase
Google+ – httpss://plus.google.com/+tridentcase
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/tridentcase
Vine – httpss://vine.co/Trident.Case
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/TridentCase

May 19 2014

Mom Monday Week 20 – A Happy Marriage

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

My husband and I got married in our early 30s.

By then, we knew who we were, what we wanted out of life, and how to communicate it. As such, our marriage started out blissfully happy and it has only gotten better as time went by.

Time did go by. This week, we are celebrating our ninth anniversary.

Bride and groom kissing in the church doorway

One of our wedding pictures, in the doorway of the stone church where we got married

We have had some challenges along the way, of course. We are people, faulty and broken, surrounded by other people, faulty and broken. But, through the challenges, our love for each other has only gotten deeper and richer.

We remodeled a home and had great fun with it. Continue reading »

May 15 2014

7 Ways Modern Technology Helps Me Raise Multilingual Children

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

We live in the United States, but my European background inspired me to raise my children with at least the languages I am fluent in: Romanian, English and French. It’s one of the reasons I homeschool.

I have been speaking to them in Romanian since birth. I introduced them to French about a year ago, when I started speaking to them during our normal routine.

My husband and I made the decision to limit our children’s screen time to 30 minutes per day and, instead, read to them extensively. We read to them mostly in English, but I also read to them in Romanian and French books. Lately, I have been more intentional about reading to them at least one book per day in Romanian and French.

What I realize more and more though is that my kids need more immersion into the sounds of French and Romanian. So here are some ways that I have allowed media into my children’s life. I call it “screen time with a purpose.”

1. Free books online

The Internet – the ultimate modern technology – has put me in touch with multilingual bloggers who inspire me and share their own findings. I also research the Internet to find book titles and ideas and methods. I even found a free bilingual book on Little Bilingues.

When my kids’ vocabulary picks up, we will read more advanced books in French. I found some free ones on Children’s Books Forever.

2. Google searches

A simple Google search for French books helped me find Schoenhofs, the bookstore which boasts the largest selection of foreign language books in North America. It is located in Cambridge, MA, on the campus of Harvard University. For orders over $50, shipping is free. Some of their titles begin cost under $5. So affordable.

3. Amazon Prime

Amazon remains a great source of books as well, especially because we have a Prime membership. While Amazon cannot rival Schoenhofs in selection or prices, Amazon carries certain bilingual books which Schoenhofs does not.

4. Youtube.com

Youtube helps with French nursery rhymes (comptines) and cartoons like Caillou, Léo et Popi and Trotro. These are wholesome cartoons in French which use simple vocabulary and short sentences. The dialogues help my children hear French spoken in a conversation and retain it.

Very important note: I sit with them and translate expressions and repeat the French terms. Not for everything, but for the most important words and phrases. I do it in Romanian. That way, they practice two minority languages at one time.

The other day, my son was imitating Mousseline, Caillou’s sister, who was saying, “Moi, moi, moi!” while holding her empty bowl up. Then he looked at me and said, “Mousseline is so cute. What does ‘moi’ mean, mama?”

Bonus: they don’t even realize they are having a French lesson while watching.

Even though it helps them learn French, I still limit their cartoon time to 30 minutes a day. That way, if they watch some English cartoons as well, they spend a total of one hour daily in front of a screen. I counterbalance that with three hours spent outside every day.

5. Petra Lingua

Last but not least, I have found Petra Lingua to be a fun way to allow modern technology to teach my children French. Try their free sample lesson and you will see how much your children enjoy the experience. I will have a more thorough review of this site in July, so make sure you sign up for updates from Homeschool Ways on social media or via email.

So far though, this site has boosted my children’s confidence with French. My daughter told me the other day, “I understand THIS French, mama” as we were going through the fruit and vegetable lesson for the third time.

Repetition is the mother of learning, and children know it instinctively. They ask to repeat the same lesson several times and they love that I oblige. In the process, they have just memorized 20 French words.

6. Skype

We Skype with my family who live in Spain, Sweden and Romania. Even though my children still answer my relatives in English and I have to translate, now and then they will answer in Romanian – miracle of miracles! If we keep this up, I think we will see even more progress.

7. Radio France Internationale

Listening to RFI has become a daily routine in our home. Even if it is just Le Journal En Français Facile, which takes 10 minutes, I make it a point to turn it on when the kids are playing nearby. They don’t get any of it at this point, but, over time, they will start hearing more and more familiar words.

I remember learning Swedish while living in Sweden (from TV, radio, conversations at work and at language school) and not understanding anything. After a few weeks, I could catch a phrase here, a word there. In the meantime, I learned the rhythm and the melody of the Swedish language. Four months later, I could carry on a conversation with the natives.

So, based on that experience, I immerse them into the sounds of French. Hopefully, a few months from now, I will be able to report some major victories on another multilingual blog carnival. Until then, I say au revoir!

This post is included in a Raising Multilingual Children blog carnival hosted by Rita of Multilingual Parenting.

May 14 2014

Wonderful Wednesday – Irises

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

The Outdoor Hour Challenge last Friday was about snakes. We will keep it in mind, should we ever run into a snake. I am not necessarily scared of or grossed out by snakes, but I would not want to seek them out either.

So, instead, I chose a subject that is closer to my heart and my house – the iris. Another name for it is, of course, fleur-de-lys (also spelled fleur-de-lis), which translates to flower of lily. The word iris means rainbow in Greek – because the flower comes in so many colors.

Iris in my garden

We live in a home built by my husband’s grandparents. We remodeled it and its garden during our first year of marriage, before moving in.

We kept some of the plants and trees, which had been planted by my husband’s grandmother. Among them, a patch of iris plants – white and purple and perfect in every way. This is the time of the year they are in full bloom.

We enjoy these flowers for their sheer beauty, as well as for the memory of our children’s great-grandmother, although neither I nor the children ever got to meet her. To bring it all full-circle, my mom re-planted some of the irises along our driveway last year, when she came to visit.

A symbol of French royalty since Clovis, the iris can be found on coats of arms throughout France and England. Apparently, English kings wanted to show their claim to France by putting an iris onto their coat of arms.

The fleur-de-lys survives as a symbol on some coats of arms today, like those of the King of Spain, the Duke of Luxembourg and the House of Bourbon. Incidentally, Queen Anne of Romania belongs to the House of Bourbon.

Irises in our garden

They say French kings received an iris instead of a scepter during their coronation ceremony. As such, it is a symbol of perfection, light and life.

Anna Comstock says the iris contains a great lesson for all of us “because nothing in it is what it seems.” The pistil looks like leaves, the leaves look like stems and the petals hide under the sepals. Somehow this arrangement creates perfect tunnels for bees to do their work.

The fleur-de-lis is the national flower of France. It is also the state flower of Tennessee, where I live. Two hours away from my home, in Greeneville, TN, they have an annual Iris Festival. In fact, it is this weekend, should you want to go.

For other Wonderful Wednesday nature study posts, click here.

May 12 2014

Where Am I From? Romania

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

I place a strong emphasis on foreign languages in our homeschool because I am a European. More precisely, I am from Romania. I learned French and English in school like most Romanian kids. Two foreign languages were mandatory school subjects grades 5-12. I am not sure what they do now, but I expect they still do two languages. We also took one year of Latin in the eighth grade. That’s when we learned “Gaudeamus Igitur” by heart.

Romania used to be a Roman province – hence the name and the strong presence of Latin words in our language.

Latin poet Ovid was exiled to Tomis (modern day Constanta, Romania, a Black Sea port). Back then, he complained nobody spoke Latin. Little did he know how much the local language would be influenced by Latin over the centuries.

Statue of Roman poet Ovid in Constanta, Romania – about two blocks from where I used to spend my summer holidays

Indeed, the Romanian language finds itself in the same group as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French – the Romance languages of the world.

Just to give you a glimpse into the similarities… We say “casa de moda” – like in Spanish, “fashion house.” We say “merci” like in French for “thank you.” We say “noi” for “we,” just like in Italian.

We do have some Slavic words, naturally. We are surrounded by Slavic nations: Bulgaria to the south, former Yougoslavia to the southwest, Ukraine to the North and the Republic of Moldova (a bit of Russia) to the East. But we use the Roman alphabet and have been called an island of Latinity in a Sea of Slavic Languages.

No wonder Romania is part of the francophone world and even hosted one of their summits a few years ago. Here’s a map of the Francophone countries of the world:

Map of francophone countries, with Romania being one of them

My husband (who is American) jokes that we Romanians like to get in the news about once a week and, alas, he is right. Sometimes it’s good news. Most of the time, it’s not. Ever since we started dating, he noticed that American media reports on at least one weekly incident involving Romanians. You watch and tell me if it’s true.

They say there are a lot of Romanians working for Microsoft in Seattle. In fact, they say Romanian is the second most spoken language in those offices – after English. That’s according to this youtube video which extols some other great facts about my country. A world without Romania would be, well, not exactly what we have today. You will have to watch to believe. (Viewer discretion advised for some references to alcohol and a short provocative collage of Romanian fashion models.)

If you want to listen to some of Romanian pop/folk music, just youtube names like Angela Similea, Gabriel Cotabita, Mircea Baniciu and Tudor Gheorghe – these are some of my favorites from the 80s. I left Romania in 1993 and have returned several times, but have lost touch with most of the culture. For traditional Romanian music, look for names like Ion Dolanescu and Maria Ciobanu. I have never been a fan, but my mom loves it.

I am proud of my heritage – for the most part – and want to pass on to my children some of the things that made me “me”. Recently, my son told me, “Mommy, I wish I had been with you in Romania when you were growing up.” He is six.

This post is part of a Multilingual Kids Blog carnival, hosted this month my Stephen of Head of the Heard.

May 12 2014

Mom Monday Week 19 – Get Outside and Play

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

How many hours a day do you spend outside? They have a saying in Sweden – I lived there for three years – “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

It’s so easy to come up with excuses about not being outside: the mosquitoes, the wind, the rain, the snow, the cold, the heat, the gnats, the noise of the neighbor’s mower etc etc etc. The thing is, fresh air does so much for our minds and bodies, we should be thankful it’s freely available.

I love this blog that challenges families to spend 1,000 hours outside each year. I’ll spare you the math… That comes to two or three hours every day. What do you think? Is it doable? I think we were doing that already, but not consciously and, maybe, not every day.

Since we took the challenge, we have been outside even in the rain and even when I had a sore throat. The kids put on their rain boots and coats and ran around in the rain. I allowed them to play with umbrellas – which are usually off limits for them. I sat under the roof overhang, on a comfortable outdoor chair, with a wet cotton sock covered by a wool pashmina around my neck (natural remedy against sore throats). Continue reading »

May 11 2014

Karen Whiting Books – A Review

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Adriana Zoder

This post is a review of five books by Karen Whiting:

1. Nature Girl – A Guide to Caring for God’s Creation

This book is the Christian answer to the going green movement publications which stem out of New Age principles and progressive political agenda. Rebecca White co-authors with her mom, Karen Whiting. The book opens up with the ABCs of going green and the corresponding chapter that deals with it. For instance, Q is for Quiet yourself, sit outside, and listen to the sounds of nature (Chapter 1). One does not have to read the book in order. Just pick a topic you are curious or passionate about, look up the chapter and go.

Karen delivers timeless principles in a friendly and relaxed way. In Chapter 1, for instance, “Be You and Be Beautiful,” she says, “No amount of makeup brightens your face like the flash of a great smile!”

But this book is more than just a collection of theoretical advice. It contains activities (how to create recycled jewelry, how to plan a spa day with friends, how to team up to clean up a park), recipes (from whole-wheat doggie treats to kale chips and carrot-zucchini muffins), science experiments (oil spill cleanup) and games (animal signs scavenger hunt).

2. Time – Practical Direction and Tips for Women on Making the Most of God’s Precious Gift of Time

I don’t know about you, but I am a planner. Time is holy, in my opinion. It’s probably the most important gift God has given us and I do not take it for granted. I have read so many time management books, but I can never get enough of them. When I read Karen’s book on time, I knew I found a gem I can recommend to others. Why? Because, unlike other books I have recommended here about getting organized and planning your time better, this one comes from a biblical perspective.

As such, “Time” helps a Christian woman bring her workload to the Lord. Not only are the burdens left at His feet, but the assurance is there that He will help you prioritize and, ultimately, accomplish His will. From ways to schedule your day, to gracious ways of saying “no” when asked to take on one more responsibility, this book is filled with godly advice.

Even though it is a small book, the words and principles shared are deep. I found myself re-reading the same sentence over and over again. I wanted to make sure I really got the whole meaning behind the words. This book would make a great gift to any graduate. Also, homeschooling moms or any moms, for that matter.

3. My Mini Dream Room – Create the Mini Bedroom of Your Dreams

This book is part devotional and part craft projects. It is intended for tween girls, but my six-year-old son really got into this project. It’s not surprising to me because he has been building with LEGO bricks for two years now. He likes everything small. He and I built the hanging flower pot, the shelf, the books for the book shelf, and then the skateboard.

We skipped over several pieces of furniture because we did not have the necessary materials. But I put them on a shopping list and next time I go to the craft store I will be sure to equip us so we can finish this room. My four-year-old daughter was pleased to make a hanging basket and some of the books on the shelf.

I like the design of the book – very feminine. I also enjoyed the truths shared in the book (God made you special in every detail, for instance) and the parallels Karen draws between a mini-bedroom and our lives. You know all those distorted beliefs we have about ourselves? Here’s a book that sets the record straight about your identity in a gentle, non-preachy way. So either get your daughter started right, or help her correct these distorted beliefs with this practical, fun and faith-filled book.

4. The One-Year My Princess Devotions – Preschool Edition

This book will help you create many memories with your sweet daughter. What is sweeter and more innocent than a preschool age little girl? I am in awe every day at the things my daughter says and does. This book has helped me carve out time just for her. I usually do devotions with both my children, but I read somewhere that it would be a good idea to take time with each child individually. I don’t always know what to say or how to lead her mind in the paths of righteousness. So this book serves me as a guide to work from.

Also, if you are looking for a Christian alternative to Disney princesses, this book will help you. The two princesses on the cover are Elizabeth (the brunette) and Lily (the blonde). If you email Karen about it, she will send you templates so you can make puppets of the two princesses. That way, you and your daughter can have even more fun playing and learning together. Also, she has prayer cards, a princess memory game and even a coloring page.

My daughter and I have played with the cards and it’s really neat to see her reactions when she finally gets a pair of cards guessed right. The games are a great way for me to relax and connect with my daughter as peers, as fellow game players.

5. 102 Wiggly Bible Rhymes and Rhythms – Bible Learning Activities for Yong Children

Co-authored with Mary Rose Pearson, this book is a collection of teaching activities for small children. Children learn best by playing and we all know how much little ones enjoy playing with their hands and fingers. Whenever we memorize Scripture, we have hand motions and finger plays to help us. So I know this will come in handy whether you run a Sabbath/Sunday School class or do regular devotionals at home with your children.

Repetition and multi-sensory learning are methods used in this book and we know they work. There are brief instructions on how to introduce a new song or activity, if you should need some guidance.

Personally, I really enjoyed the Relaxer Rhymes. There are three of them and I have almost all of them memorized. We are not very formal in our homeschool, but sometimes I do need their full attention. These rhymes that help them relax, calm down and sit down quietly are perfect.

You can connect with Karen Whiting by visiting her website.

I received a free copy of each product above in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. The Amazon links above are affiliate links. All opinions I have expressed here are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

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