Handwriting: The importance of repetition and perfection.

A few months ago I wrote a post about cursive and the art of handwriting.  I had not yet re-entered the classroom when I wrote it.  Now that I've been there for almost 3 months, it is something I see as essential.  My experience thus far is difficult to write in a short post, but what I will say is how it has made me love and appreciate the Montessori materials and philosophy even more.

From my experience before and now, and even seeing my own child's development in language and handwriting there are somethings I have come to realize.  I will try to summerize.

Today language is viewed as reading.  It's more important to read than write.  Whereas in Montessori, we teach children to write before they read (another post I wrote).  I see that reading is vial in most traditional education since children need to read and comprehend for test taking so they can color in a bubble.  Not to simplify this issue, but it has come down to test taking and finding that right answer, so reading and reading comprehension is valued over writing abilities.

The results are valued rather than the process.  Not so in Montessori.  In our classrooms you have all the time in the day/week/month to work through the task.  There is no rush.  We invite the children to take their time, take care and pride in their work, take the time in between to work on something else, and work on things at their pace and pleasure.  It is not a task to be crossed off a list or be weighed down by.  It is the process of doing, and re-doing (repetition) that builds the synaptic network.  A young child is joyous when doing a task that is of interest to them.  This is part of what we call "following the child".  We are guided as teachers by their interest and so we provide them the opportunity to further their interest in that field.


Bringing home "work" and homework.  Often we find ourselves telling parents not to give children workbooks and apps that "help" children learn at home.  This is mostly because when a child is doing all this work at home, coming to school where they have freedom to choose their work and friends gives them the opportunity to also choose to socialize instead of choosing work.  Mostly because they are already exhausted from working at home.  Every child needs a break from work.  This is why you will see a child working for hours with the moveable alphabet or the addition strip board and after they put it away, they are calm and collected and choose "lighter" work where they color or do some sewing, or just sit and watch others work.  They need that time to process what they have done. 
So, why do Montessori children not bring loads and load of paperwork?  Two reasons; 1. Dr. Montessori was an early conservationist.  She believed that we do not need to waste.  She found that using materials like the sandpaper letter, moveable alphabet, and other hands-on materials allowed a child to work and not have pages and pages to take home. 2. The children perfect their work in the class with the materials, with the chalkboard, they practice their handwriting with the sandpaper letters and various alphabets, then when they are ready, the take out a small piece of paper and transcribe their intentions and ideas onto that paper.  As they become more proficient, they can lose the materials and simply move onto paper, but that takes 3 years of being in a classroom. 

Handwriting.  As I wrote and copied the authors essay in the handwriting post, handwriting is a lost art.  Children are comfortable and choose to write in print.  They see print around and find it easier to copy.  Handwriting is not simply about copying written symbols, but a means of expression.  Just as it is individual and personal so should our handwriting be.  It is an expression of who we are.  The typed/ printed word is static even with the myriad fonts out there.  A handwritten note is still valued over a typed email, why?  The personal touch.  So, why do we not encourage a young child to develop that ability and sensibility?
Is it really worth it and beneficial to teach a child the easy way or the short-cuts?  What are the long-term effects when we have adults who are lacking these skills, sensibilities, and executive functions?

One of the key philosophies of Dr. Montessori was “Never give more to the mind than you give to the hand.”  And this is why a Montessori classroom looks the way it does!

Holiday Cultre Exchange

My apologies in not writing as frequently, but with work and home, time in front of a computer is even less- that's because I choose to sleep instead. 

Our first culture exchange of postcards was a better turnout than I expected so thank you to all who participated.  I didn't get much feedback and would love to, so let me know how it goes either here or on our Facebook page. 

This time we will have a holiday exchange.  I hope this will be a very special and engaging experience for you.  Our holiday theme will include a wide variety of options.  Please share something of the following list or as many as you like, be sure to tell us a little something about the holiday you wish to share.  As many holidays are rooted in religious practices, please be open and accepting in sharing and receiving, see culture exchange details for more info.

• Family traditions: send a note of what you do and how you celebrate your cultural and holiday event.
• Recipes: send in an old or new family recipe that you make for your chosen holiday.
• Ingredient(s): Send in an ingredient that is unique to your recipe or something that makes you think of the season/ holiday
• Songs: is there a song or songs that have significance to your holiday
• Trinkets: a holiday trinket or something either home-made or local. 
• Treats: are there specific treats that are sold during this time of year? (Turron, panettone, speculaas, vanillekipferl, tamales, alfajores, Buñuelos,etc) Whatever is possible to mail meeting international regulations.  
• Decorations: garlands, papers, or anything else that is used to decorate your house at this time of year.
• Clothing: a picture of holiday attire, or if you feel generous, send a garment to your lucky recipient! 
•  Let us know if we're missing something to add here. 

Be creative, this is a wonderful time to share traditions, cultures, family life, city life, holiday treats, and a glimpse of our values with others.  Send in pictures, postcards, or anything else you'd like.  Please include your children when doing this, as this is an opportunity for them to learn and share their joys.

If there is a tradition you'd like to know more about, request it, and let's see if someone can volunteer to send you a package.  If you'd like to send more than 1 package, let me know or post it in your comment. Sometimes, if you're making 1 package it's just as easy to make multiples. 

Thank you in advance for your courage, enthusiasm, interest, and willingness to participate.  I think this will be a really fun experience for us all.  Feel free to share this post with anyone you think would like to participate. 

New Rules- for sign up on Facebook:
This time when you sign up on Facebook, be sure to number it so we can see the order in which you commented.  I think there was a bit of confusion with who came before and after.  So:

1. Homegrown, CA - Sri Lankan holidays
2. Megan, NJ -
3. Mary, Sweden
etc, etc.


Thank you again for participating and I hope to see pictures or hear about your experiences.  Feel free to post one on our FB page and let us know how the experience of sending and receiving goes for your children. 

ENJOY!
Happy Holidays :)

Links to get you excited:
List of Christmas food from around the world: Christmas Dishes
Saveur: Holiday recipes

"What is Montessori" 3.0- Sense of Order

Order.

When we think of order, most often the image or idea that comes into mind is things in a row, things perfectly lined up, clean, neat, tidy, structured, etc.  There is a bit of a confusion when culturally (today) we refer to things having order.  In some ways, it's militant.  Children are supposed to be "orderly".  Things are supposed to be in order.  We must obey orders, so on and so forth.  However, when Dr. Montessori referred to a child having sensitive periods and one of the earliest and strongest being their "sense of order," she did not imply my previous descriptions. 

So, what is a child's sense of order?  To understand this sense of order, it is best to understand the sensitive periods or "windows of opportunity".
From birth to 6 during the absorbent mind the child goes through creative periods or windows of opportunity which are transitory blocks of time in which he is passionately absorbing with one aspect of his environment to the exclusion of others.
            These (passions) actions allow him to acquire a certain skill or capacity. The sensitive period has well defined activities guided by an unconscious inner drive towards the environment. The child looks fascinated with what he is doing. It makes the child repeat and repeat with enormous interest so he can establish the function.

Dr. Montessori talked about 4 main sensitive periods: language, order, refinement or movement, and refinement of senses.  They are characterized as transitory: they will only remain for a definite and limited time and disappear to never return. They will disappear if the skill has developed or not, and they all run parallel for those initial 6 years.  ALL children have and go through these periods.

Specifically then, a sense of order is by repetition; providing the proper steps for success and allowing a child to do it over and over.  Once perfected, a child knows how to do something with the appropriate steps needed to finish a task. It's allowing a child the opportunity to do it on his own. This gives him his own sense of order that is more valuable than emulating someone else. A sense of order is from within, and will manifest in various ways.  Each child will have their own unique sense of order that is different and varied than the one we originally presented them.

A child will know, to sweep up a mess the steps are: to get a broom, sweep all items to a pile carefully, place the boom back, get a dustpan and brush, take the brush out, sweep it many times catching the dirt in the pan, emptying the pan into the trash can (the trash can may need to be opened, then closed), then place the brush back on the dustpan, and then return it to it's place.

This is a sequence of steps, but mostly as an adult we just say "sweep up" or "clean up", but to a child this is a sense of order in which he must repeat his/her actions to accomplish something, and that something being a lengthy sequence of steps. Therefore, for a child, order contains within it a sequence, and  they are in need of repeating those sequences.  It is when we disturb this need to repeat these sequences and offer them a "short-cut" or see the repetition as unnecessary that children yell and scream and put up tantrums.  Allowing them the chance to finish this sequence as often as they need to, in as many ways as they need to, this will lead them to success in mastering a task and mastering themselves. Doing things for them is a disservice as we don't allow them to obtain the skills necessary for life.

Orderliness is NOT a sense of order. 

In my own two children I have seen their sense of order come and go, I have seen them stronger in one, then at times stronger in the other and both at different ages.  My older daughter had a very strong sense or order when she was really young, and at times still does.  We had to do the same routine.  My husband and I would joke that she would be upset if we did something differently, and we'd have to walk back and repeat the motion in the way in which she knew it should have been done.  Now, my second child who is two and a half is exhibiting very similar patterns now.  She had other things which she was captivated by in her younger months.

I wish I could take a photo of their 'sense of order' as I do with other things.  In fact, I was tempted to post a picture of how at a very young age the older one took all our shoes and lined them up.  And yes, in some ways, that is order, but that is the need to see things in order.  Order will manifest itself externally, but as mentioned before, it's the repetition and the innate desire for repetition that allows for that order within to develop.  Forced orderliness, is just obedience, and often when a child is forced into obedience at a young age (0-6) what manifests in the later years (12-18) is often disobedience.  We must allow a child to develop their sense of self early and rely upon their abilities in knowing and trusting who they are.  This way, the tools have been given early and we can trust that they know what to do with those tools later in life.

Since a photo can capture order, but a video can give you a sense of their movements (exhibited and inhibited), repetition, and order by which a sequence of actions lead to a task, I wanted to share a few which have captured their sensitive periods. 




https://vimeo.com/39742817

Sweet Goodbye!

As my time home with the girls has come to an end and I return to work I am saddened by our days together being more stressful.  However, I am thankful that we will still be together (in a way) through the day.  I couldn't be luckier to have my girls with me in the same school with amazing teachers.  But, it is with mixed feelings and a heavy heart that I say goodbye to the life I've had for the past 5 years.  It is a life I wanted and talked about at length before accepting my husband's hand in marriage.  It is a life I dreamed about but did not know how it would be.  It is a life that I worked and still work very hard to maintain.  It is a life blessed with children who are more than beautiful to me because I know their innocent hearts and hear their tender voices, hear their silly conversations, and join in their contagious giggles. 

 I am at peace with my choice to go back to work.  I'm happy and excited to be a part of an amazing community and the possibilities that are yet to come.  I am excited to share all that I have learned and the wisdom that I have gained due to my years at home.  Had I not had this experience, I'm not sure I would be the teacher I'm bringing into this new classroom.  This is a tremendous gift that I was given, the chance to see my children grow and to see all that I learned manifest in their eyes, hands, and body.  I will forever cherish my time at home and for no amount of time will I regret not having worked or furthered my career. 

It is with joy that I now accept this new routine and a life that will now change our family to something new.  I hope to find a way to balance the new workload with what I have already established for our family. Sadly, I'm giving up the garden- for now.  I hope that once I'm established in the school and a routine, we will get back to gardening once again.  Our saving grace is the CSA we joined years ago who have welcomed us back with open arms and much more!

I look forward to sharing the new and changing Montessori journey for our family.  I suppose we are a unique bunch being a 3rd generation of Montessorians.  At this point, I think it's in our blood.  I look at pictures of Dr. Montessori like she were my own grandmother- family.

I am beyond thrilled and excited for our culture exchange program and hope to grow it and continue with it for my class.  I hope you can join us at some point.

Here's to the future and a new (school) year!


Becoming a mother will change who you are, and you will never be the same.  The meaning of Love is truly realized as it is a bond that no one can take away from you.  I am, now, who I am because of the two girls in my life. To this, I am thankful to them. 

"What is Montessori?" 2.0 - Practical Living

If you have heard of Montessori, you probably know some terminology.  One of the more frequent terms is "practical life," referring to a set of materials and exercises in the primary and toddler classrooms.  It is one of the more difficult areas for a parent to grasp,  and one of the more important areas for a child to master.  So, why is it there?

Dr. Montessori observed that the daily activities- ones that we as adults see as a chore, are the most beneficial, crucial, and most interesting activities for a child.  The fundamentals of taking care of oneself, the immediate environment and the greater one, cooking, cleaning, moving, not moving, the basic "how to's" are what a child craved.  These activities not only mimicked adult movements but they also had a deep history that was part of the human culture as we evolved to becoming independent.  What was once in a home, became obsolete as people moved into cities.  Over the past century it has only become worse as more and more "conveniences" in the form of electronics and technology have become part of our everyday living.  It helps an adult become more efficient, but it denies the child the opportunity to learn the fundamentals.  Practical Life, therefore, is one of the most important areas and is one of the first areas introduced to a child in the classroom.

What about the home?  In a home, until recently, all that was available to a child was practical life exercises.  If we allow our children to participate in the daily tasks of maintaining and assisting in the home and family life, we give them the opportunity to master these skills.  From eating by themselves, changing their own clothes, helping with dishes or laundry, folding clothes, making the bed, etc, a child masters his own body and is able to function in a mini-society.

As these things are fully available to every child, and for the most part free, somehow, this is still denied, belittled, or seen as a hindrance to the adult's pace of living, or as a potential hazard.  Instead, cognitive activities, flash cards, electronics, and other such "task oriented" things are placed before the child believing it will aid the child's development far greater than simple home chores.  As challenging as it is to incorporate the pace of the child, if we see it as a benefit to them rather than a hindrance to us, we can approach this with a better view and attitude.  All research new and 100 years ago points to the benefits of working with the hand.  So, before we give them something for their minds, let's give it to their hands, as this is the only and most important way it will embed in their minds.


I had meant for this to be a post of images, but alas I got carried away with text.  So, instead of going on, here are some of our daily activities which are not given as lessons, but as part of everyday living.

For more check out kids in the kitchen, and Road to Independence. 
Also, check out The Full Montessori's post on how to LIVE Montessori.  She does an excellent job explaining the developmental planes a child is going through at the 0-6 stage. 

 gardening

 cooking

 saving seeds

 hanging up laundry- cleaning rags. 

 washing their muddy shoes

 washing dishes

 Lots and lots of gardening

 choosing, and packing their clothes and toys before a trip

  concentration

 helping put clothes in the washer

 loading the dishwasher

multi-tasking.  Cleaning and caring for friends.

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Cultural Exchange, Stamp Collecting, Letter Writing, and More...

Hello There,

Have you ever wanted to receive a package or letter filled with goodies, or something just fun.  Well, think of how fun it would be for your kids at home, or for you classroom. After looking into many (MANY) sites and exchange groups, I've decide to go ahead and set one up myself.  I'm not quite sure what I'm getting into and from the activity level on the Facebook posts, it's likely not much.  I'm hoping it's mostly due to lack of clarification on my part.  So, let's get into the details.

How will it work: 
Each month or quarter, we can come up with themes.  Based on this, individuals will exchange their home or school mailing address (get permission) and send appropriate items keeping a budget in mind.  We do not want anyone to feel burdened or feel that this is costing them an expense in participating.  The wider the reach the better- think global.

We can start with something basic like post cards or a simple letter with a unique stamp.  This will encourage children to write, keep a small journal of stamps, and track where the letters are coming from and going to.  This is a wonderful geography and culture lesson.  I'm really hoping to enhance my geography folders in the classroom through this.  Teachers, this is an ideal way to ask for something specific like photographs of monuments, or other cultural landmarks, costumes, food, native plants and animal, etc.  The sky is the limit.

As we grow and have a group we can figure it out better.  You will not be sending letters and packages to everyone.  Instead it would be one or two, and you would receive the same.

For international packages, you will need to check what is allowed as certain items are not allowed to be mailed (seeds, meats, cheeses, and such). But, we have time to get there.

If you are interested, please comment here, but be sure to join us on Facebook as that may be our fastest way of communicating for now. In your comment let us know where you're from, and if you hope to join as a family or as a school.  This way, it will help with whom to partner or exchange with.

Once a "session" or exchange is open, comment on there saying you're interested.  You will then contact the person before you and get their contact details.  You will send them the item of the session.  When the session ends, I will send the last person on the list an item. This way, everyone is covered and relatively in the order that you signed up.  Please ask questions if this is all unclear.  This is new to me as well, so we're working it out as we go.

As I said, for now, I'm going slow, so if you think you'd like a post card leave a comment here with your location.  Hopefully, we can get everyone mixed up and get a variety of postcards sent out.  Ideally, a PC from your city showcasing it's beauty would be best.  If your children can write, have them do it, if not, have them narrate it.

For stamp collecting:
Have a small blank or ruled notebook and divide it into continents.  This way you can put the stamps on the appropriate section.  If you want to be more organized, you can sub-divide, or for the US or your own country, you can divide into States.

Theme ideas:
Local Post Cards
Unique stamps, with a simple letter and photo of your city, school, local building, etc
Pressed leaves or flowers unique to your region (photo if not)
Flag of your country - and anything else you'd like to add
Buttons or pins
Songs sung at home or in classroom
handmade craft
yarn, felt, fabric, or something to create
Favorite recipe
Local Sweets, or Chocolates (keep in mind allergies)

So, I open this up for your comments, suggestions, feedback, finger-wagging, nods of approval or disapproval (negativity shall remain in your own domain).

I hope to have at least 1 successful and fun run with this.  If it doesn't work then at least we tried.  No one says you need to do such a thing for life, even if a child recalls the 1 time he/she received a postcard or package from someone, it will remain with them forever.  Even if it's a notebook of 10 stamps, well then it's 10 more than he will ever collect again.  Trying is half the fun. 

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Home Grown Crew

P.S. No weirdos allowed.  Nothing graphic or inappropriate for children.

Note:  See above page tab for "details".  The first exchange has begun and runs through Sept 30th.  Join us on Facebook to sign up.  If you are a teacher and would like to participate as a class do let it be known. 

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"What is Montessori?" 1.0

I thought I'd share a quick overview of Montessori.  My mom and I have been helping my sister with a project, and this is a summery of what my mom emailed her.  Since I've been writing similar things in my head and hoping to write up "What is Montessori" I figured I'd break it up into a series.  I'm considering having a few friends and colleagues contribute to this endeavor. Hopefully we can cover some questions out there in the next few months.

The Montessori  method of teaching was originally used with disadvantaged children. In a Montessori environment each person must be considered as a whole. All aspects of the individual are equally important and inseparable regarding his or her interests and needs. These aspects are:        

• Physical: needs are addressed in the environment by having furniture  of  an appropriate size. For example the chairs /tables shelves, bathroom fittings, sinks, etc are all at child level. In the case of disabled children their needs are accommodated.

• Emotional:  The material calls them to work. It is appealing, and self explanatory and brings about a sense of peace and harmony. Montessori referred to this as 'normalization'

• Cognitive: The concepts  have already been absorbed wholly in the young child. Materializing these concepts now make it more meaningful. E.g weight, textures, dimensions,sounds to name a few.

• Social: The children are of varied age groups resembling a family and a  home-a perfect social environment  Older children play the role of models to younger children who like to emulate them. In the 3 year period, every child gets to be a follower before being a leader. 

• Spiritual: Children are taught to respect the material. Every piece of material  has to be handled appropriately. Misuse is never allowed. They learn to treat people around them the same way.

• Aesthetic: The material is beautiful, clean, fragile and delicate, appealing to to the senses

Written by J.E and V.E

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Cursive and the ART of Handwriting

While rummaging through the garage this afternoon I found this piece of paper.  It really struck me since this too is a tad dated.  I think it's an important piece of information to share.  As I type this, it emphasizes the lack of handwriting and the loss of this art.  We are in an age where we type, skype, facetime, email, and text.  The use of our hands is limiting and limited.  We feel more "intelligent" due to the pace of technology and the information it brings us, but giving up  and under-utilizing a valuable aspect of our human development, are we really that much smarter?

There is a debate about writing and the use of cursive writing in the Motnessori classrooms.  Depending on when and where you did your training, you were taught to use either print or cursive.  AMI has now brought cursive back into the classrooms and it is how we teach children to write.  In a previous post I discussed why we introduce children to writing before reading.   In this handout below the author will explain why we introduce cursive to the young child instead of print.  I have typed the text as is, but italicized and bolded the text myself.

The Art of Handwriting

by unknown author and presented as a handout during AMI lectures.

Out of the Middle Ages came masterpieces of decorative writing.  Early manuscripts, such as the Book of Kells, were mostly products of Christian monasteries.  These illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment with a fine metal pen or a goose quill and were complete with letters decorated with miniature paintings made of rare pigmentation colors.  Until 1450 C.E. and the invention of the Gutenberg printing press with movable type, all writing was done by hand.  It was a painstaking and time-consuing task which required the hand of an artisan.  Fortunately, much of this work was accomplished by monks who thereby preserved much of the oral tradition of ancient times.  The beautiful decorations had the purpose of drawing the reader more deeply into the test, as if mesmerized by the written word.

Since the invention of the printing press, beautiful handwriting has nevertheless continued and is often considered an art and referred to as calligraphy.  In Japan, calligraphy is a highly respected art form and it is gaining greater appreciation in other countries as well, including the United States.

The recent wide-spread use of typewriters, word processors, the telephone and other technological advances have brought our present-day culture to neglect the hand-written word.  Handwriting is considered unnecessary, an obstacle to efficiency and old-fashioned.  Even today, however, we can derive a great deal of pressure from this very personal form of communication.  We are in a much faster-paced era, where we prefer to use the telephone instead of writing a letter, when we take photographs of trips instead of keeping a journal, etc, and as a result, we have come to tore easily form the use of a pen.  We no longer take the opportunity to let our innermost thoughts flow easily with a hand-written communication.  Our handwriting is such a personal experience that each person, with their own unique hand, writes in his or her own individual writing style.  All movement and gestures are a creation of our own unique personality. So is our handwriting.  Therefore, our handwriting is as unique as our finger prints.  Graphology analyzes a person's character, as well as his intelligence, from his handwriting. 

One of the advantages of handwriting is the possibility to write down our thoughts whenever and wherever we are.  We can bring to life a bland piece of paper with these magical little marks which the Phoenecians invented.  Even if we are not poets, writing can be everyone's craft.

In teaching children to write beautifully, we are not attempting to eliminate the use of modern conveniences, such as the typewriter.  We must prepare our children to live in their culture and use the technology of today.  However, the ancient art of writing will give the children an added dimension to their self-expression which they can use all of their lives.  The Montessori teacher herself must develop a consistent style of cursive writing which will serve as a model for the children.  Much of the teacher-prepared material in the environment should be in beautiful cursive style and we must take every opportunity to expose the child to cursive writing.  Even letters to parents, messages and signs for the class should be in cursive style.  Whenever appropriate, the written message should be decorated in some way, using a colorful border of some type.

One should use the exact same cursive writing style as is used in the local country or region.  The cursive alphabet to be used is usually easily available on written tablets sold in local school supply stores. 

We are often questioned as to why we introduce the young child to cursive rather than manuscript (printed) letters.  Here follow some of the reasons:

• The young child is in the muscular-tactile stage when he enjoys manual activity. 
• The hand does one continuous movement left to right with cursive.  
• The shape of the letter is easier to write in the flowing cursive form and the sandpaper letters are easier to trace in the natural flowing style.
• Because of the continuous movement from left to right, children do not reverse letters as easily, such as do children who have inclination to dyslexia.
• The hand is lighter in the flowing movement and therefore does not tire as easily.
• The child is in the sensitive period for small detail, for refinement of movement and for language.  This unique natural combination is the ideal time for the child to begin writing.  Cursive writing allows the child at this stage to enjoy the process of writing, not only the finished products of the written message.
• Children are very susceptible to the art form of writing: thy are attracted to beauty.
•  All letters begin on the base line, and with few exceptions (dotting the i and crossing the t), the child need not pick up the pen.
• Compared to manuscript letters which have many of the exact same ball and stick characteristics, the cursive letters are shaped more uniquely and therefore are easier to differentiate from one another.
• The child can easily pick up the manuscript form of writing after he has mastered the cursive style. 

The Illuminated Letters from the 8th Century Book of Kells

Reading this document made me realize how much has changed since then.  Typewriter?  Oh my!  That has become as vintage as writing except that both have been used to create new typeface and a new following has come out of it- I suppose.

Also, just typing this out has caused both my wrists to lock up and made me think about how carpal tunnel is now a huge issue.  As I paused to give my wrist a break, I moved my hand in a cursive motion and noticed the ease and fluidity and relief it gave my wrist.

So, what's the purpose of this post? I hope it just gives you something to think about and also some insight as to why we teach children cursive in most AMI schools today.

I hope this inspires teachers to use more art in language, and I hope it inspires more parents to take away electronic devices and allow their children to write more.  Keep a journal, write a letter, doodle, or take up calligraphy yourself.  Use your hands to create, and explore, and discover the possibilities of your personality.  After all, as the author says, our handwriting is as unique as our fingerprint, so, express yourself!

Shared on: More the Merrier Mondays, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Tuesdays with a Twist,  wildcrafting wednesday, Wildlife Wednesday, simple lives thursdays, HomeAcre Hop,  small footprint family, Friday Nature Table, fresh eggs daily, Transformation Thursday, Thrifty Home,  Fresh Bites Friday, Wednesday Fresh Food,  Sunday Parenting Party, hip homeschool moms,  No Time for Flash Cards, Living Green Tuesday, Montessori Monday, Farm Girl Blog Fest,  Food Renegade, Eat Make Grow, Saturday Show and Tell, Kids in the Kitchen, Learning for Life, Mums Make Lists, It's Playtime,  All Year Round Blog Carnival

Summer Love

There's something about Summer that brings out the child in all of us (OK, so I grew up in the tropics where it's summer all year round). No matter how old you are, we all look forward to it.  The anticipation for the holidays, the longer daylight hours, the relax in schedules, etc, etc.  As a parent, I think we re-live a bit of that magic too.

No matter what it is, there are some things about the Summer that are quintessential. 

What is it about the Summer that you love or remember?  Here's our list and what we enjoy doing and hope to do:

• sunset/ dusk walks
• moonlight walks and flashlights
• picnics
• summer fruit and juice running down little arms and fruit mustaches
• little tan legs with tan lines around the bum.
• late night bed times and story hours
• popsicles in fruit and crazy flavors
• nighttime zoo
• full moon and grunion runs (we have yet to get out to see them)
• hot weather, cool treats.
• watermelon jello
• ice cream
• running in undies and hoses spraying 
• listening to birds
• camping and tents
• watching stars
• music concerts and summer park events
• trolley rides and fireworks
• sand, sand, sand!
• swim lessons and dance classes
• drive in movies 
• BBQ's and shandys
• family visits and holiday travel
• national and state parks
• little sweaty bodies sleeping in undies. 
• giggles and laughter
• spontaneous dance performances (ok this one is all year round)
• pies and tarts
• tomatoes, tomatoes... and LOTS more tomatoes.
• Sunflowers
• ceiling fans and cold showers
• fireflies and mosquitoes (I'm sad we don't have the first and happy we don't have the second). 
• thunderstorms and lightning (ok yeah, I really miss this, my children have no idea what rain is)
• pressing flowers and leaves
• ice tea and falooda
• bread and butter (and honey)
• hugs, love and family fun

We hope you have a wonderful and safe summer.  Please leave a comment and let us know how you enjoy your summer with or without kids.

Shared on: More the Merrier Mondays, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Tuesdays with a Twist,  wildcrafting wednesday, Wildlife Wednesday, simple lives thursdays, HomeAcre Hop,  small footprint family, Friday Nature Table, fresh eggs daily, Transformation Thursday, Thrifty Home,  Fresh Bites Friday, Wednesday Fresh Food,  Sunday Parenting Party, hip homeschool moms,  No Time for Flash Cards, Living Green Tuesday, Montessori Monday, Farm Girl Blog Fest,  Food Renegade, Eat Make Grow, Saturday Show and Tell, Kids in the Kitchen, Learning for Life, Mums Make Lists, It's Playtime,  All Year Round Blog Carnival

Veggie Quit and Child's Apron

I just finished up some projects that have been occupying my time (more mentally than actually).  I'm still such a novice to sewing so finishing a project, especially a quilt is a HUGE deal for me.  I've started a few but never finished since the binding is so intimidating.

I got the idea from Purl Soho and fell in love with the pattern.  I didn't buy it from them but hand drew the veggies myself and then used this lovely graded Merimekko fabric that I found from the Crate and Barrel outlet shop in Chicago.  I also changed the lines of the quilt doing a free motion for the top part- I'm impatient with somethings, what can I say.  After weeks of sitting on this almost completed quilt I found a You Tube tutorial on binding.  Wow, this was so easy- I COULD DO IT.  I did, and I have to say, it was easy.  I can't wait to get started, and finished on my other ones now.

 I absolutely loved the graded fabric and bought it just for this project.  I have enough to make 3 more quilts and hope to make one for the kids room.

I also copied my sister-in-law's apron she made for my kids, but used twill tape for ties and neck. 

Both these will be going to my daughter's school today as gifts for the school.

Shared on: More the Merrier Mondays, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Tuesdays with a Twist,  wildcrafting wednesday, Wildlife Wednesday, simple lives thursdays, HomeAcre Hop,  small footprint family, Friday Nature Table, fresh eggs daily, Transformation Thursday, Thrifty Home,  Fresh Bites Friday, Wednesday Fresh Food,  Sunday Parenting Party, hip homeschool moms,  No Time for Flash Cards, Living Green Tuesday, Montessori Monday, Farm Girl Blog Fest,  Food Renegade, Eat Make Grow, Saturday Show and Tell, Kids in the Kitchen, Learning for Life, Mums Make Lists, It's Playtime,  All Year Round Blog Carnival

Pumpkin Sauce - 3 tips

I know it's not pumpkin season yet but it is the time to grow them if you want them for later.  We love squash of all kinds from zucchini and crooked yellow neck to butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash. From pattypan to delicata and long of Naples.

We eat it sautéed, roasted, in pancakes and breads, and any way I can figure out. I also buy it canned from Trader Joe's.  we like to put half a can or so when we make pancakes or French toast. Sometimes i use the leftover milk and egg batter to make pumpkin pots de creme or baked custards. 

Last year we loaded up on some organic heirloom varieties from a nearby farm. I roasted a few and made homemade pasta sauce. It made a huge batch which I froze and we've been enjoying it ever since.

Here are 3 ways in which you could attempt it. 

1- Buy a jar of ready made good quality Marinara or basic pasta sauce and add a can of pumpkin purée to it. Combine and cook for 15-20 min. Simple, easy, and quick. 

2- Make homemade pasta sauce with canned tomatoes, onions, carrots, and celery, and add canned or roasted pumpkin purée and cook for 2-3 hours. You will want to look up a recipe for a pasta sauce. This is somewhat simple but lengthy. 

3- Use fresh tomatoes and make your own pasta sauce similar to above and use roasted pumpkin and purée it. This is  a solid 2 day process but well with it. 

I did not have fresh tomatoes at the time I made my pumpkin sauce so I made it as step 2. I may attempt step 3 this year if I have enough tomatoes from my garden. 

 This was a few years ago when making homemade pasta sauce from the garden tomatoes.

I've used it as pasta sauce with sausage or ground beef which the kids loved. I've also used that sauce to make "sloppy joe's". It wasn't well received by the kids this way.  I hope to try it in risotto and on pizza as well. I'm happy with this sauce because its easy once you have 5-7 jars sitting in your freezer, and it's loaded with veggies and fiber. It's a bit of work but well with it on those hurried days. 

The "sloppy Joe's" we made with the pumpkin pasta sauce.  Didn't look good but tasted amazing.  A little on the wet side for the bread but perfect for pasta.

Hope you get to try it and experiment with any of the above steps and with all the varieties of pumpkin and squash out there! 

Next venture- try all this with roasted sweet potatoes instead! I do wish I had space to grow them.

 I tried to make my own homemade pumpkin latte, too gritty.

 Pumpkin french toast stuffed with marscapone and berry compote.

 Pumpkin pots de creme with berry compote.

Shared on: More the Merrier Mondays, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Tuesdays with a Twist,  wildcrafting wednesday, Wildlife Wednesday, simple lives thursdays, HomeAcre Hop,  small footprint family, Friday Nature Table, fresh eggs daily, Transformation Thursday, Thrifty Home,  Fresh Bites Friday, Wednesday Fresh Food,  Sunday Parenting Party, hip homeschool moms,  No Time for Flash Cards, Living Green Tuesday, Montessori Monday, Farm Girl Blog Fest,  Food Renegade, Eat Make Grow, Saturday Show and Tell, Kids in the Kitchen, Learning for Life, Mums Make Lists, It's Playtime, Frugal Family,