Strawberry Shortcake

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As a breakfast food or as a dessert, strawberry shortcake does not disappoint. I like mine in the morning, for breakfast, with the sauce over it and topped with banana slices. The picture does not do it justice, but then I have already told you this is not a food blog, right? Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Strawberry shortcake

Strawberry shortcake

 

Ingredients

1/3 c oil

3/4 c non-dairy milk

2 Tbsp. Sugar-in-the-Raw

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. aluminium-free baking powder

1 lb. strawberries, fresh or frozen

2 Tbsp. cornstarch Continue reading »


Mind the Math Gap

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When I visited London in the late 90s, which, by the way, seems like a lifetime away, I learned a phrase they use on the subway (or underground) every time doors open and people get on and off. The recording says, “Mind the gap!”

The gap refers to the hole between the platform and the inside of the train. It’s a small gap, but nevertheless people can get caught in it if they step a certain way, or if not people, their rolling luggage or a pet or whatever is dragging behind them on the floor.

I will have to ask my friends who live in London if they still say that on the underground. It’s very catchy, especially if you hear that seven times in the morning and seven times at night on your daily commute. I suppose one blocks it out after awhile.

Math Mammoth First Grade

Math Mammoth First Grade

When I recently read about the homeschool math gap, I remembered the London underground. But then I came back to my homeschool reality. This is some serious research and some good information to have, my dear homeschooling friends.

Continue reading »


The Beauty of Homeschooling

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The beauty of homeschooling is that no two days are alike and you never know what is around the corner. Six months from now or even six days from now you might be switching curriculum and things get better in whatever subject your child was struggling or not thriving. It’s never too late or too early to learn anything.

Logic of English Foundations

We will give Foundations a try.

When you homeschool, you have a committee of two: you and your spouse. In some cases, you don’t even need to discuss it. Spouses should trust each other with decisions, but it’s always nice and encouraging if you share in the decision-making process.  Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 37 – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the fifth volume of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The Dawn Treader is a Narnian sail boat which belongs to Prince Caspian. Lucy and Edmund join him on this ship and end up going to the end of the world in it.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

One of these days, you will have to sit down and read this book. Especially if you miss the seaside and it’s cold outside and you just got overwhelmed by wanderlust. It’s an adventure and most children will enjoy it, too.  Continue reading »


Calendar Activities

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Calendar activities help small children grasp the concept of time, as divided in days, weeks and months. For older children, calendar activities can be a five-minute reading on what happened this day in history. It does not have to take long and the benefits speak for themselves.

Calendar

Today, for instance, is the birthday of Western Civilization – an event marked by the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and acknowledged by most historians as the turning point in the Greek-Persian wars. Because they won the Battle of Marathon, the Greeks started believing in themselves as a nation and as a culture. After this battle, the Greeks started developing what we today call classical Greece, which is, of course, the foundation for Western thought and civilization.  Continue reading »


15 Years Ago

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Fifteen years ago, I was working in Stockholm, Sweden. A colleague walked over to my desk and told me a plane crashed into the World Trade Center. For the rest of the day, we tried in vain to get news from the overwhelmed site of BBC, which was loading very slowly. I suppose all of Europe and beyond was desperate to find out what happened.

World Trade Center

World Trade Center (image courtesy of Wikipedia.org)

So much has happened since that fateful day. Our lives have never been the same. As I homeschool my young children, it is hard to decide at what age I can talk to them about what happened on 9/11/01. The tragedy seems so senseless.  Continue reading »


Scrambled Tofu

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If you like scrambled eggs but your cholesterol is over 200 overall, you might want to learn how to fix scrambled tofu. You get 0 cholesterol and all the benefits of lean protein. The taste, while not close to eggs, is savory and delicious. You can put it on toast and serve it with tomato slices or, even better, on a bagel, with your favorite orange juice or warm morning drink. I like Kaffree Roma prepared with rice milk. If you add a teaspoon of honey, it tastes better than hot chocolate.

Scrambled tofu and toast

Scrambled tofu and toast

As you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A hot breakfast based on lean protein helps your homeschooling day go much better than a high-sugar cold cereal one.  Continue reading »


Homeschooling Is Parenting

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I know, I know. Blanket statements do not stand the test of real life. Let me explain my title. “Homeschooling is parenting” means one cannot homeschool without being really good at parenting. You don’t have to be a certified teacher to teach your own children at home, but you do need to be a good parent to homeschool. Academics, believe it or not, are not as important in homeschooling as parenting skills.

Girl with lion statue in Gatlinburg

My daughter in The Village, downtown Gatlinburg

That does not mean your child will suffer academically if they are homeschooled. On the contrary, most homeschoolers score higher on standardized tests than their peers who attend public or private schools. But it does mean that unless you have some parenting skills, you will never even get to the table to teach junior how to read.  Continue reading »


7 Misconceptions About Homeschooling

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The homeschooling movement may be growing, but homeschooling misconceptions still abound. The more I talk to people about it, the more I see how prejudice and misconceptions have kept many from looking into homeschooling. Here are seven misconceptions about homeschooling I have encountered: Continue reading »


Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 in The Story of the World Volume 3 deals with the struggle to look for a Northwestern passage. Hudson and Champlain are the main heroes of the two stories in the chapter. I did not exactly have the milk cartons required to make the craft boat – we drink non-dairy milk which comes in a totally different shaped-carton.

LEGO friends in a boat

Floating cakes of ice during the search for a northwestern passage. Yes, LEGO friends in the boat…

So I set the kids on an adventure with LEGO people and boats. We used white LEGO bricks as the floating cakes of ice mentioned in the stories, an expression which made them laugh. Cakes of ice? They kept repeating it. This is why we read extensively. They learn new ways to use words and to put them together.  Continue reading »