FI♥AR: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

 Wowee, has it been a LONG time since I wrote a post here! I started this blog when my oldest child was three as a way of documenting his learning journey. He is nearly 19 now, but I continue to homeschool my other children.

Recently, we returned to a beloved curriculum called Five in a Row. Aidyn and I have such fond memories of it, and I want to gift that same joy to my younger children.

The first book we rowed was How to Make and Apple Pie and See the World.

We opened the unit study by visiting a local apple farm for some good ole apple picking, cider tasting, and a tractor ride.

Social Studies: Geography

After our first reading, we listed all the places the narrator visited in order to gather ingredients for her apple pie. I bought an inflatable globe from the Dollar Tree and printed icons to represent the locations.

We took turns finding and labeling all the locations. This was a good way of practicing memorization as well as learning parts of the world. You can find the labels and more ideas HERE.

Language:

We discussed the humor in the writing and what made certain lines funny (exaggeration, unexpected conclusions, actions, and ideas).

We also explored some of the vocabulary words 4-square style. On a large whiteboard, I made a cross to create four squares. In the middle, I wrote the word ("elegant," for example). In one square, we defined the word. In another square, we wrote a list of synonyms. In the third square, we brainstormed a sentence with the word. And in the last square, we drew a picture illustrating the word.

Art: Street Scenes and Apple Stamp Painting

For art, we looked at the city scenes in the book and compared them and talked about the different types of buildings and store fronts. Then we drew and painted our own.

On a different day, we made apple stamps and painted with them.

Science:

We learned about the life cycle of an apple trees and how apples grow using these books:

We modeled the life cycle of an apple tree using Play-Doh.

We also made apple crisp and apple cake and filled the house with yummy apple aromas!

Reading Instruction:

For my emerging reader 1st grader, I made sight word cards from the book Ten Apples Up on Top. She learned them and then independently read the book.

Writing:

We did copywork of apple quotes and drew pictures of apples. We also brainstormed adjectives to describe apples.

More:

We watched a throwback episode of Reading Rainbow in which he reads How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.

https://youtu.be/yiiNObASSCM?si=TTcyDgCEaHErXkGF

Resources:

If you are interested in rowing How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, here are some helpful links to get you going:

https://www.schooltimesnippets.com/2011/10/lets-travel-world-with.html

Apple Resources at Homeschool Share

https://www.123homeschool4me.com/how-to-make-apple-pie-and-see-world_37/

Upcoming Projects

 The new homeschool year is in full swing, and we are happily busy with learning, growing, and fun activities.

But with my scraps of free time, I am working on a few projects.

First, I am creating a Pirates of the Caribbean unit study (meant to run a week or two) that I want to make available for free. It will include reading, writing, crafts, history, science, and trivia and scavenger hunts specific to the attraction itself.

Throughout the year, I am going to be creating a grand, year-long unit study all about Walt Disney World encompassing all the Parks and the many themes and attractions. My goal is to carry my children through the curriculum for next year and then take them to WDW for their very first time. 

Another project I am working on revising and updating is my global "it's a small world" preschool- kindergarten curriculum. Right now, it's pretty bare bones (just read-alouds and some geography), but I want to include phonics, writing, arts and crafts, memory makers, songs, and extra magic moments so that it can be a near-complete curriculum for preschool, TK, and kindergarten.

Sometime soon, I also want to put together a proper Disneyland unit study (like the ones we have done for years) for all ages and grades as another near-complete curriculum and make it available to others. 

Stay tuned!

Another Long-Overdue Update

It's been about FOUR years since my last update, so I'd say it's time for another! SO much has changed in our family since I started this blog in 2009. It started as a way to journal my son's homeschool learning adventures. Eventually I began to share all my ideas, my favorite being my Disneyland-inspired unit studies.

Since 2009, we have added four more kiddos to the mix, and my little learner who inspired me to start this blog is now nearly seventeen years old! 

Aidyn is now in 11th grade and working through a year-long ancestry curriculum that I made for him. 

Jack (7) is in 2nd grade and a full-fledged reader who is enthusiastic about learning. 

Natalie (6) is in kindergarten and our most active, bouncy learner who struggles with focusing. This year she is using a reading curriculum called Ti and Mo that was created by a local kindergarten teacher. It has absolutely captivated her! 

Ember (4) is doing TK activities and joining us for circle time, tabletime, arts and crafts, some classes, and field trips. 

Raven (almost 1) is our newest little learner. She is working on standing, crawling, eating at the table, and joining us on field trips.

As you can imagine, blogging our learning adventures has been practically impossible for me these last 7 years because we have had little ones and babies. 

But now that we are done in that department, I am debating returning to my dusty, old blog to share our journey and all my zany ideas. 

It's a blast looking back at all of Aidyn's activities throughout the years, and I would love to be able to have that for my other children. Plus, I want to share what we are doing, what's working for us, and curriculum that I have been creating to spread a little magic in our homeschool. 

We still adore Disneyland and use it as a source of inspiration in learning. 

When Jack was in kindergarten, I created an "it's a small world" global curriculum that gently introduced countries, cultures, and children from all around the world. I would love to flesh out that curriculum and make it available to others.

I am also in the midst of planning a year-long Walt Disney World curriculum with a capstone getaway to the Magic Kingdom for everyone. So stay tuned!

Disneyland-Inspired Mouse Books Unit

With a Disneyland getaway coming next year, we are exploring Disneyland-inspired books and activities to get us excited, reading, and learning!

I've done similar units with Aidyn when he was 3, again when he was around 7. Now, with Jack and Natalie in tow, we're diving in to an enchanted, magical, and fun learning adventure.

Here's what we did this week. Since it all started with a mouse, we began with mouse books, tailored for preschool age and middle school age. Take a look at what we read!

*Note* The following unit is very light and gentle because 1) I believe in gentle learning at the preschool age, 2) It's officially summer time so Aidyn isn't required to do any in-depth schooling, and 3) I am in my third trimester and simply don't have the energy/mobility to do all the things I'd like to.

Preschool Books:

Jack and Natalie loved these mouse-centric books, especially Mouse Mess and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. 

Middle School Book:

Aidyn read through Redwall independently. After each chapter, he wrote a 1-2 sentence summary of the story. We discussed it together throughout and when he finished we critiqued it. Out of a scale of 1-10, he rated Redwall a 100!  


Inspired Activities:

Frederick by Leo Lionni led to a fun collage activity. Lionni is known for his collage-style illustrations, so I cute out some simple images of mice, rocks, sticks, and plant life for the littles to play with.
 

 
 They constructed trees and nature scenery, but soon Jack discovered that some of the leaves looked more like alligators, so he pretended his alligators were eating all the other shapes!

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Matthew's Dream by Leo Lionni immediately inspired Jack to paint. Unfortunately, Natalie had already gone to bed, so Jack had a solo paint session.

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Mouse Mess inspired some fun discussion about Jack and Natalie's penchant for mess-making, especially with food! This became a book we read over and over (I think because they identified so much with the messy mouse!)

Music:

This week we filled the house with classic Disney songs, just to get into the mood. Jack and Natalie especially love The Three Little Pigs song and reenacting the whole story of the wolf attempting to blow down the pigs' homes.

  

In Other Happenings:

Jack and Natalie both love reading books, with or without me! They're both super active, playful, and curious. Best buds, they often take off together to jump in the trampoline, play with their water table, cook in their pretend kitchen, share their love for dinosaurs, and cuddle together.


Aidyn has grown into a sophisticated learner. He reads well and comprehends more difficult books, but his first love is gaming and creating YouTube videos. I am excited to see what is around the corner for him in junior high and high school.

 

Long-Overdue UPDATE!

I started this little blog almost ten years ago.

It was meant to be a journal of sorts for our homeschooling journey, starting when Aidyn was only three years old.

And now, hard as it is to believe, he is twelve years old and now has a little brother and sister (and soon a second sister!) who has joined him on his learning adventures.

It can be a hectic life, but it's filled with love, learning, and constant growing.

For the past nine years, we have mostly homeschooled in a relaxed, classical and literature-based way. We have read through many of the great books, rousing adventures, solid classics, and books of fantasy and imagination.

Aidyn's brother, Jack, already expresses eagerness to "do school" like his brother. He enjoys painting, drawing, writing, and being read to. He claims his favorite book is The One and Only Ivan though I haven't read it to him yet; he just likes carrying the massive book around with him.

Aidyn's sister, Natalie, is a full-on explorer extraordinaire! She is constantly making messes, dumping water, touching things she shouldn't, and knocking over objects all in effort to understand and explore her world. She is insatiably curious and employs an impressive range of vocabulary.

We also have a baby girl, Ember, due in just a few weeks.

I am beyond excited to see how they all continue to learn and grow together. Now that Jack is expressing more of an interest to tag along with his brother, I'm going to start him on a fun learning adventure, harking back to when Aidyn was only four and we explored the same topics.

We have a Disneyland trip planned for next year, and I want to take them all on a Disneyland-inspired learning journey over the course of this year. Of course, it will be gentle, fun, and exploratory (no boxed curricula or forced table time or worksheets here!).

We will be using the many lands of the Disneyland Resort to inspire our learning adventure. When in Adventureland, we will read books about the jungle and savanna, exotic animals, and tropical fruit. When in New Orleans Square, we will read about pirates and their plunders, ghosts and spooky mansions, and explore the creole culture of Louisiana.

Now that Aidyn is an independent and strong reader, he can enjoy many of the classic works that inspired these stories and lands.

I am going to do my best to continue my little blog-journal, so we can record all of our children's educational journey. It is heartwarming to be able to reach back and read what Aidyn was doing so many years ago and how much he has grown. 

Nature School~ Easter Hike and Benefits of Outdoor Education

Forest School Nature Hike 

 As Jack grows up, it becomes more and more important to spend time exploring the outdoors. We spent Easter Sunday hiking at a local riparian forest. Goals included:

• free exploration
• immersion in nature
• multi-sensory exploration (listening to birds, touching plants and sticks, smelling the fresh air, observing our surrounding, etc.)
• natural movement and exercise
• nature therapy
• nature education

 We traveled without a curriculum,  plan, or  specific objective.

We simply explored.

 Jack loved the bridges.

We heard many woodpeckers chiseling away in the treetops.

 We identified poison ivy (thanks to a helpful park sign) and learned to avoid it.

We used a plant identification app on my phone to identify local flora.

Below is a video of our Easter hike:

                                  

If you've been thinking of spending more time in nature, here are some wonderful benefits (from Wikipedia- Forest School (learning style):

• increased confidence and independence
• increased self-esteem
• abstract learning of mathematics and communication
• reduced stress
• improved concentration

Other benefits include:

• learning to overcome adversity
• increased problem-solving skills
• enhances teamwork and group solidarity
• develops leadership skills
• new understanding of natural environments

15 Ways Homeschooling Warms My Heart

It's pretty clear that I heart homeschooling.

I do not think everyone should homeschool or learn at home in the exact same way. What I love about learning is that we can individualized the process for each child based on their needs and wants.

When we first started homeschooling during the preschool years, I made many, many mistakes (and hopefully learned from then by now!). I freaked out during kindergarten and sent him to public school, afraid I could not be so radical to go against the grain. But now that we have homeschooled for years, it has become our family's lifestyle. And it so warms my heart.

Here are 15 ways homeschooling warms my heart:

1. My children have a voice in their education.
Although I plan 90% of our home learning, Aidyn exercises his thoughts and opinions on curricula, our daily plan, outside classes, and his views on our book selections regularly. He's pretty much on the school board. I love that he owns his education and knows that it's his to use and grow from.


2. Hearing my child read aloud is the most beautiful sound to me.
I adore driving in the car and hearing Aidyn's voice read aloud from the backseat. I loved when he read in short, quick little syllables and how he progressed to more fluid reading. I love hearing when he uses a bookish cadence when he reads, or stops the story to comment on something with vigor.


3. My little one is immersed in the lifestyle of learning.
Jack, now 14mo, has been in the thick of our home learning since day one. He's been in my wrap while I write on the board, snuggled in my arms while I read history books to his brother, playing with geometric shapes while we do math at the table, and tagged along on several field trips. Now that he's walking, he toddles to our alphabet chart and babbles out his own lessons (where did he get that from?) and pretends to write lessons on the wall.


4. No subject is scary.
Home is comfortable. In our home, we've tackled some pretty intimidating topics: chemistry, Shakespeare, Latin, The Odyssey, square numbers, ancient history, The Aeneid, poetry, cursive, Norse mythology, and other subjects that would have sent me in a mild panic in public school. But Aidyn has loved and embraced each of these seemingly difficult topics. When we study Shakespeare and poetry in more depth when he's in high school, these tasks will not be mammoth and terrifying. There have been many times he has heard a reference to Odysseus or the Trojan horse and piped up with enthusiasm that he knows that person or thing.


5. My child will surprise me with the best comments.
On a field trip to the river, Aidyn said out of nowhere, "This day is adventure!" When we were thinking of something fun to do, he suggested, "Let's take Jack on a walk and look at all the trees and leaves and talk about how they are different and changing." After watching the film Robinson Crusoe after just finishing the novel, he quipped, "Eh, the book was much better." I love those expressions of his because they are unexpected and remind me that he does care about learning.


6. I can lovingly serve healthy meals.
I don't make Pinterest-worthy meals, but I love that I can make healthy, hearty, and wholesome meals, and through that, my children can learn the importance of nutrition.


7. Learning leads us on "rabbit trails" and we can meander and explore as far down the path as we desire.
Our plans are not chiseled in stone. Often a topic ignites curiosity and off we roam to explore it. Yesterday, for example, after reading about basalt and a rock formation known as Devils Tower, we watched a YouTube video showing someone driving to Devils Tower in Wyoming, something I had never heard of before. I love the constant reminders that there is much to learn and discover.


8. Every story we hear helps to build my children's hearts.
 Because we are home, we have the time to learn from Beowulf, King Arthur, Jane Goodall, and the many protagonists and antagonists in the stories we hear. We can look at their choices and form our own opinions and goals. We can observe various aspects of the human condition, practicing empathy and understanding.

9. Playing outside often leads to beautiful discussions and the care of nature.
Yes, many times my kids just want to swing on the swings, jump in the trampoline, and zoom down the slide, but often they hold and observe a pine cone, balance a pill bug on their finger and worry about it, run their hands on the trunk of a tree, and delight in looking at clouds.

10. Poetry teatimes create magical, warm moments.
We light candles, decorate the table, set out some delicious goodies, and fill the air with poetry. It's a beautiful experience.

11. We celebrate holidays with depth and reverence.
Okay, we don't always remember every holiday, but when we plan ahead we delve into a holiday and read books to breathe life into it. We have read beautiful Irish fables on St. Patrick's Day, historic texts for Thanksgiving, and so many warm and sweet Christmas stories. We tend to read in the season we're in, which helps us feel connected to the rhythms of the world.

12. My children explore a wide array of interests and hobbies.
Aidyn has an interest in sewing that I would never have guessed. He's been able to take classes in sewing and express more interests that might seem out-of-the-box. Usually when he chooses something surprising, it warms my heart because I know he's using his authentic desires to learn.

13. I can admire and empathize with their efforts.
If they were away, I might mostly see their grades, their final achievements, but at home, I can witness Aidyn struggling to get through a difficult math problem or sound out a terribly long word. I can express my admiration of their effort by saying, "Wow, that problem was a bear, but you did it!" It's not always about grades but powering through the tough stuff that warms my heart.

14. Being together makes me feel whole.
We can snuggle if need be. Pile on the couch under blankets with a book. Aidyn and Jack can play on the floor or trampoline together in the middle of the morning. Grandma can accompany us on field trips. Dad can oversee science projects. Neighborhood friends can join us for parties. We have time to be together and that warms my heart.

15. We can share in memories of my youth, and I can cycle my culture back to them.
We have spent mornings watching Bob Ross paint beautiful pictures, listened to Mister Rogers sing "It's You I Like," smiled at old Disney Silly Symphonies, read R.L. Stine for fun, and have even had whole weeks where we "went back to the 80s" and played Nintendo and lived the life of an 80s kid.

There are so many more ways that homeschooling warms my heart. As they pop up, I will add to this list and hope that it grows and grows. I want to hear about your homeschool and how it warms your heart. Please feel free to share in the comments so I can follow you! 

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