Book Club

Our middle school students are reading and reading. Here's what on their list for this semester:

• Holes
• Hatchet
• Kit's Wilderness
• The life of Pi

Thanks Christi for leading the book club!

Great Idea!

Snow really, really is a great part of God's creation. We see it so rarely around here, I am extra thankful for this particular Great Idea of God's.

To continue our month of Snow in Art Class, we are painting with SNOW tomorrow. I found this idea on the web, ummmm, somewhere.

Equal parts flour, salt and water. (I will use 1 cup each)
food coloring
blue or black construction paper
small Dixie cups
cotton swabs
plastic spoons

This is a finger painting project. The spoons and cotton swabs are to help the children along. Once you mix the paint, separate it into the small cups. Stir in a few drops of food coloring. Then let the children use the spoons to scoop up a little onto their paper. Use the cotton swabs and fingers to spread the paint into shapes.

Once this drys, it is very white, sparkly and a little puffy.

Save a Tree?

Well, not sure about that but the kids in Science learned about the many different ways people use plants. One of those ways is my favorite: PAPER. Kathy H. was brave enough to lead this group in actually making recycled paper! Thank goodness she had an extra pair of hands to help with all the mixing and pouring. Laura K. also guided the little ones in this very exciting class. Even the babies were captivated by the mixer whirring.

This activity is certainly one to do with a crowd. If you go to the trouble of tearing the paper and mixing the slurry, you might as well make as much as you can. Thanks Kathy and Laura for all the prep work, the memorable lesson and the speedy clean up!

(If I had to choose between all the activities the kids have done for "the one with the most potential to make a HUGE mess", making paper might tie with last semester's "panty hose digestive system". Fortunately both Kathy and Katie were well prepared to maximize the learning and minimize the mess.)

Homeschool Art!

Art is back and I am so happy to be able to participate this time, leading a class. On our agenda for Art this semester is "God's Great Creation". We will explore all the great things about earth through Art.

For January we will learn about SNOW! You can too, here! We may attempt some really cool paper snowflakes, but will defnitely learn about snow all month long.

Anna and I enjoyed a day or two of snowflake making this week. Especially since we aren't likely to see any real ones!

New Year, New Schedule

Can the Spring Semester really be here already? The other teachers are on the job sending out assignments and posting syllabus (or is that syllabi?) for courses about to begin. Here's the new schedule for spring:

Look forward to seeing everyone again!

Other Greater thoughts about St. Nick

If you read my post on St. Nick, you really must read this. Karen Edmisten's post is sooo much more meaningful. I'll have to add her to my favorites! Not to mention she quotes C.S. Lewis! Who can top him?

Happy Epiphany today!

Yes, There is a Santa Claus

His real name is St. Nicholas.

Boy, do I wish someone had said that to me when my FIRST child was born. Navigating the tricky waters of Faith and Advertising during the month of December is an no little ol' boat ride.

Especially since we began homeschooling. Homeschoolers are a mixed bag when it comes to St. Nick. Some go all out, others tow a tighter line. Here are a few thoughts I have distilled and have tried to communicate consistently to my children to help make sense of what they see on TV and what they hear in Church or around our Jesse tree.

1. Is there a Santa? Yes, There is a Santa Claus. His name is St. Nicholas. He lived in Greece around 300 AD
2. Does he live at the North Pole? Now he is a Saint in Heaven with Jesus. Much farther North than even the North Pole!
3. St. Nicholas loved Jesus so much that he made many miracles happen.
4. Those miracles are still happening today.
5. Does Santa come down the chimney? Santa probably doesn't come down the chimney. Some people don't understand miracles, so they write stories to explain how they think a miracle could happen. Just like a reindeer with a red glowing nose. I love that movie, don't you? It is one way people try to explain Christmas Miracles.
6. How can those presents show up? It's a miracle, isn't it?
7. Do you believe in Santa? Yes, I believe.
8. How can Santa get presents all around the world in one night? It's a miracle, isn't it?

They ask some pretty tricky questions don't they? In the beginning I tried answer with the explanations given in stories like "Twas the Night Before Christmas" but that got more confusing to me over the last several years.

St. Nicholas is real, he does make Christmas Miracles come true. I know that too! Much better to focus on him. We love the video "Nicholas, the boy who became Santa". A beautiful tale of St. Nicholas' life, and very compelling to remember Jesus this season.

Teaching our children to believe in Miracles is extremely important because of course, one happens every day at Mass! But knowing the difference between the Real Power of God and say the not so real power of Superman is equally important.

Merry Christmas, may your children experience a few miracles this season too!