Farmer Boy=Doughnuts

One of the free reads we've been working through is Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We've sort of skipped over the beginning in the Little House series as I wanted them to connect to the stories and I thought starting with Almanzo's story (being a boy) would foster that.

Tigger absolutely loves this book. It's his favorite. Pooh on the other hand suffers through it waiting for Peter Pan's turn to come up. He says Farmer Boy is "boring".

Weeeelllll, about 2 weeks ago we got to chapter 7 entitled 'Saturday Night'. In this chapter Mother makes doughnuts. We were just drooling with the thought of those doughnuts! Hot, crisp and sweet! Oh wow, I think I'm drooling again!!! Anyway, by the time we were done with that chapter I was looking up doughnut recipes on Google. (Who can live without google? Not me!) I tried looking for a recipe that would tell me how Mother did it. The book describes hers as twisted doughnuts that were twisted just right so that they would roll themselves over while frying. I did find that there is a book published with loads of recipes from the Little House series. You can find it at Amazon (another place I wouldn't want to live without.) However, I decided I wanted a recipe where I could throw the dough into the bread machine. I looked around and found one I thought looked easy enough (I'm not going to recommend it for doughnuts though because it just wasn't sweet enough.)

From the different descriptions I found while googling, this is what I came up with as far as making our doughnuts:

Once the dough is ready (remember! i used a machine), roll it out about a half inch thick. Cut into strips of half an inch thick...

Fold the strip in half and twist it like you would with two pieces of yarn.

Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise.

Fry, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!!!

Mine didn't come out like Mother's. LOL First, as I mentioned, the dough wasn't a sweet dough. I plan to find another dough recipe I can use next time. Also, when I had mine frying they didn't turn over by themselves. However, the texture was really good and they rose well, so I'm not complaining. The heavy dose of powdered sugar compensated for the lack of sugar in the dough. I was really surprised by how dark they came out but a friend who just recently made her own doughnuts said hers were dark as well. I'm guessing that's normal? It would be fun to see if any of you try it how yours come out. Let me know if you do!!!

I don't have any photos of Chapter 8 but let me tell you, it was another chapter that had us drooling. It started out with a big stack of fluffy pancakes with syrup and everything. Then it moved onto chicken pies and hop n john. Oh My!!! I didn't make my own chicken pie. I cheated and instead got 4 of those little chicken pot pies from the store. Those were a big hit with Pooh. He ate his and asked for another. LOL I didn't have any more that day but I now have 4 more sitting in my freezer.

I know Farmer Boy isn't supposed to be about the food but we sure are having fun with that aspect! It's a great book for seeing how hard children used to work for their families. Life lessons in an enjoyable format. For those that may be like me and have never read any of the series, you're in for a great education and great treats by delving into this book!

How We're Doing AO Free Reads

We're actually just starting to work through AO Year 1 Free Reads. I've been reading Pinocchio for a while now, but it's slow going. Having to do readings for both of them everyday leaves me with a lot less motivation to do other readings again later. We only have about 6 chapters left of Pinocchio, then I'll start reading Peter Pan.

I had tried getting Pooh interested in reading some of them on his own but was unsuccessful until recently. I've been having him read Stuart Little to me. I think a big obstacle with Pooh was that he would come across words he didn't know and if I'm not there to ask, he'd prefer not to read it. Also, there is the interest factor. It's not as exciting to him as history is so he feels he has to work harder. He had already read part of Stuart Little months ago but never finished it. Thankfully, the day we started back on it was a day where we were reading about Stuart at the dentist's office. Pooh giggled all the way through that part because of the man in the chair trying to talk. I was reading that part and made sure to make it just as if I were in that chair and the dentist's tools were in my mouth. Very funny indeed!

I'm assigning Pooh his free reads from now on. His next assignment will be Little House in the Big Woods. I'm hoping that eventually he'll get to the point where I start the book with him, but then he follows up with it in his own time. Although, I've never read any of the Little House books so I'm anxious to hear the stories. LOL

I found a copy of The Tale of Despereaux the other day and he started reading that book all on his own! He reads everything out loud. Everything. Exactly when does the silent reading start in child development? I've been curious about that. One nice thing about him reading aloud is that it keeps Tigger entertained!

I plan on us being 'behind' on free reads. That, to me, is perfectly ok. I want to take them slowly, not only for my sake as regards time, but for Pooh's sake with his readiness to read them. I've got two boys to read to and myriads of things going on all the time, so it's good for Pooh to be able to work on some of the easier free reads himself. I'll continue to tackle the heavier duty ones myself. Some books I know he'd take one look at and completely freak at the thought of reading them. Pinocchio was one and Peter Pan, while catching his interest, looks quite a bit wordier than Stuart Little. Pooh still likes pictures here and there in his books too. Really, who doesn't appreciate a well drawn picture to go along with a great story?

Some of the other free reads like Charlotte's Web and King of the Golden River I'm still hunting down. I keep hoping they'll turn up in the used book shop I frequent, but so far, nary a sight of them. We have a home school conference coming up and I plan on hitting the book fair so maybe I'll find a few treasures while I'm there.

Well, that's how we've been handling things so far. Got questions/tips? Leave a comment or shoot me an email!

A Candid Review of AO Year 1 Books...So Far (Part 3)

This is a review by Pooh. I asked him what he thought about each book separately and these are his responses. If I had let him, he would have told you a story from each book, but I really just wanted you to get an idea of what he thinks about each book in general. These are written exactly as Pooh talks so you have an idea of that as well.

An Island Story: It's a great book because it has history of Britain. The part of Britain which is now called England.

Parables from Nature: Weeeeell, it talks about nature. A lot about animals. I hate it because it's boring.

James Herriot's Treasury for Children: I like that one because he takes care of animals like Moses, the kitten.

50 Famous Stories: That's a good book. They have sometimes about ships and artists and heroes and different leaders.

Just So Stories: I like the part of how the Alphabet was made because Taffy was funny. I like it because it has the whale who swallowed the man.

Burgess Bird: I like that one because it has cardinals and the downy woodpecker and Bully, the English sparrow.

Paddle to the Sea: I like that. It's about an Indian in a canoe and it had to get through some lakes to get to the sea. It even went through Canada and the United States.

Ben Franklin: I like it because he was a great American. He was trying to tell the government to have peace with America but they wouldn't listen. He even met King Louis.

George Washington: It's cool!

Pinocchio: It's great! He has cool adventures. He has to see his Papa.

Stuart Little: It's cool. I like the part where he does the sailboat race on the schooner called The Wasp.

Aesop: It's cool because it has some wolves in it. I love wolves.

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare: I like the stories like The Midsummer Night's Dream.

Poetry: I like Robert Louis Stevenson. There are some ships on his poem books and castles.

There you have it. It looks as if the only book on Pooh's black list is Parables from Nature. Not a big surprise.

Waiting

When the King got home yesterday, we decided to go for a walk while the boys rode their bikes. We were outside and Tigger was asking where the King was. I told him what the King was doing and said we'd just wait for him to finish.

Pooh says: "Mommy, we're waiting just like the cricket had to wait, right?"

See, even though he 'hates' that book, he's still learning from it. Amazing.

(He was referencing our latest story from Parables from Nature.)

A Candid Review of AO Year 1 Books...So Far (Part 2)

Well, I got the hard part over with. Now onto some lighter material.

What we've discovered this year is that Pooh. Loves. History. He really, really, really, really, loves it. LOL His reading took off a few months ago, we started some Year 1 books such as An Island Story and 50 Famous Stories, and now he's taken over the history aspect of his learning.

He checks out history books (with a little dinos and pirates mixed in. ;D). A lot of them are centered around colonial times. He will talk about bible history too. He draws the city of Jerusalem with the biblical beasts that attack (representing world powers). He wants to know who was governor of Rome when and what part. And he'll remember it. He helps me remember stuff I never would without him.

Needless to say, the aforementioned books are his favorites of the year. He's even taken to carrying them around and re-reading chapters that we've already read. I do allow him to do that. Once we've read it as part of our school day and he's given his narration, he can re-read those chapters. He's very good about sticking to that rule. also, Pooh loves anything to do with England, so studying the history through An Island Story is thrilling for him!

This love does lead him to some static conversations. I use several different 'tactics' to deal with that. Ignoring it. Asking him to stop and continue later. Throwing him curve balls with misinformation. Singing a silly ditty that one of the words reminded me of. (Ex: He was reading a Step into Reading book about the ship Endurance getting stuck in the South Pole (i think--you'll have to ask Pooh for the details because I don't remember) and he mentioned something about the 15 men. I started singing the ditty from Treasure Island-15 men and the Dead Men's Chest... "Mommy, what are you doing?" "You said 15 men!" ) Ok, I know, I'm weird, but it keeps Pooh on his toes. ;D

So, the history readings are going very well. He can focus on listening and narrates beautifully.

The Burgess Bird Book: Not a favorite, but not horrific either. Pooh has good and bad moments with this book. I have a feeling that the Burgess Animal Book will go better. I don't think that the bird stories really captivate his interest. His favorite is still one of the first ones we read. He really likes hearing about Bully, The English Sparrow. sigh

Just So Stories: This writing style is soooo different. I never heard these until this year. I like them but wasn't really sure how it would go over with Pooh. This is another so-so book. He finds parts of it amusing and parts of it just don't interest him. He's getting a kick now over the stories of The First Letter and Alphabet because of the little girl in it. Her nickname is Taffy, but her whole name stands for something along the lines of "little girl with no manners who ought to be spanked". He had me say that several times and would just laugh! LOL I did manage to watch a film recently on pbs about Rudyard Kipling. It was the one where his son goes off to war and dies. In it there are a couple of scenes where the actor is reading bits and pieces of Just So Stories for some neighbor children. Listening to him, I understood more of the grandeur behind the stories. How richly they can be told aloud. I always use voices in my readings. For Taffy, I try to sound like the little girl she is. It's nothing compared to the actor's readings but the boys enjoy it.

James Herriot's Animal Stories for Children: The first one we read did not go well. At all. However, each story has gotten progressively easier and better. Pooh is enjoying each one more. He loves dogs and so receives a special treat when we're reading about one of the dog stories.

Paddle to the Sea: This is a really good book. We're enjoying using the map in the book to track Paddle's adventures. Pooh and I both learned that Lake Michigan is shaped like a wolf's head. Thrilled him to no end to understand that! ;D These chapters are only one page and the book is loaded with pictures.

Pooh also loves the Du'laire biographies recommended for Year 1. Big surprise. :P

Next I'll post Pooh's responses when asked about his different books and I'll also do a post on how the free reads have gone.

A Candid Review of AO Year 1 Books...So Far (Part 1)

Last month I almost threw out one of the books we use for our AO Year 1 schedule. Almost. I even said, "That's it! We're not doing this one anymore." Any of you who've used AO Year probably know which one it was.



Say it with me: Parables of Nature. Yep, week 24 of our schedule and I'm ready to hurl the thing across the room. Why haven't I given it up altogether you ask? Replace it with Among the ______ People? I can be a little stubborn at times. (cough, cough!) That's part of it. The other part is realizing that all the stress is coming from HELLO!, ME!!!

I've read on the AO Yahoo boards that this book is a difficult one for many kids to get used to. For a child with autism, it is extremely hard. A huge part of it is the language. Pooh has language delays and CAPD (central auditory processing disorder). He doesn't always know what is going on or he'll get things backwards (who is talking to who(m)?). At other times, he can give me a very good rough narration.

One chapter we've read is called Training and Restraining. It's basically about the wisdom behind being guided by principles and rules. It is illustrated through a story of flowers in a garden who are tied up and guided to grow certain was being tricked by the Wind. The Wind convinces them that they don't need these restraints, that they can be 'free'. Of course, the Wind then blows hard enough to completely destroy many plants, making a complete mess of the garden.

I like this book. When I'm not trying to help Pooh narrate from it. LOL I like how the author uses nature stories to teach us life lessons. It reminds me of some of Jesus parables from the bible. It will make you think. Which is the whole point really.

I've stuck with this book for several reasons. There is the usual 'finish what I start' mentality I've got going. I like the book. Pooh has been able to narrate small portions of it without help, so I know the potential is there. It is challenging for him. (a good thing--I'll explain why soon.) It's stretching his thinking and narration skills.

What I've discovered is that:

1. I need to take this book in small sections on a more regular basis. I can't do one story in 1-2 days like many. It's too much. The stories are too long. The both of us get stressed about it. What I'm doing now is taking 2-4 pages at a time (with several stops for narrations) and just doing it every day until the chapter is done.

2. I need to remember to let Pooh read this to me more. He seems to pay better attention on this book when he reads it aloud himself. Because the book is harder for him, it's too easy for Pooh to allow his mind to wander when trying to 'listen'. Reading himself helps keep his focus. Today I saw a big difference when I did that. He still got a little confused over some details, but he was able to give a narration instead of saying "I forgot to listen. I'm sorry!"

3. I have to do some narrating myself with this book. It helps Pooh to get the story a bit better.

4. Keep him on track. Today's story had a paragraph that mentioned a volcano. That was all it took for him to start going off about the volcanoes in Hawaii. A gentle "Ok, but we need to narrate what's happening in this story right now." is all it took for him to refocus.

5. Accept that what he does get out of the story is 'enough'. He may or may not get all the deeper meanings behind these stories. He may sorta get it. One thing about Pooh is that one little tidbit will sometimes connect with another tidbit a lot later on and then he gathers enough to come to some excellent conclusions. I have to learn to wait for that. (Incidentally, today we finished the story about Waiting. How appropriate!!! ;D)

6. Explain some of the unfamiliar words. Today as he was reading, Pooh asked me what a crone was. "An old lady" I said. Let us hope that that word stays in our literary world. I can just hear it now "Mommy, is grandma a crone?" Within earshot of said Grandma, of course. LOL

I'm glad that I have so far persevered with this book. Do I think that Tigger will get much more out of it when it's his turn? Yes. However, I like that Pooh is getting his 'tidbit' and maybe when he hears it again for Tigger, he'll pick up some more 'tidbits' and it'll help connect some missing pieces for him. Today ended well. He told me that "mole had good advice" and "the crickets had to wait just like we have to wait". Those were two of his own observations just from what he understood. Even though he didn't capture many other points, he captured two important things and that was wonderful. (Whew! Somebody have a towel?? I can wipe the beads of sweat, I mean glow, off my forehead. ;P)

Access to this book online is here. You can also find it on Amazon.

I started this with our hardest book first. I have seen a lot of progress and wonderful things since beginning this journey with a CM education. I'll share how the other books are going soon.

Books and Art--Pooh

Pooh is coming along in his reading. He flies throught the level 3 readers he finds. He likes the ones about whales, sharks and dolphins. (of course! anything to do with the sea remember) He likes to read his favorites over and over again and since he does those on his own, I let him do that.

After last weeks dental appt (which went great, I'll blog it!), we went to Barnes and Noble because he really wanted to get Moby Dick. Well, I just had no idea the size of this book!!! LOL For some reason it's never appealed to me to read it. I think because I've seen parts of movies that just didn't do it for me. Anyway, we found the unabridged book and Pooh flipped through it. He was upset that it didn't have any pictures in it. He got a little ticked off at me about it, so I said we'd just put the book back. "No, I want the book." Ok.

Well, as I'm walking through the store I kept thinking about it and what to do/say to him. I finally decided to just explain to him that I thought this book was too big for him, that it was a book for older kids (it was in the adult section after all). His response, "You're trying to trick me, Mommy." ROFLOL We worked it out. He very calmly accepted that perhaps he wasn't ready for Moby Dick and we ended up with Stuart Little. Whew! Dodged that bullet!!

I wanted to slowly start working him into chapter books, which is why I went looking for Stuart Little. The chapters are short and the reading is on the easier side, but still challenging for Pooh. He's not quite ready to read it all on his own, so our 'scaffolding' is to have him read one chapter each night to Dad. That way he's doing the reading and just getting help on those few words he has trouble with.

Pooh's art is coming along nicely as well. He's been going to an art class about 45 minutes from here. I drive all that way for the teacher. She is great with him. He only is there for an hour each time because the normal 2 hours is just too much for him. Mrs. K has had 2 boys herself and has many students somewhere on the spectrum. She's very flexible. For instance, with Pooh, instead of presenting to him what to do (ie fruit, vases, etc) she lets him look through her art books and choose the picture he wants to do. Each time he goes now, he known what he's working on. I don't think that showing up and being presented with something uninteresting to him would have worked long-term.

He's been working in watercolors lately. The last picture he did was of a ship, a whale and a small rowboat. It was a whaling scene. It was great and I just got it framed. Today he finished a watercolor of a grey wolf howling. Mrs K said she's had adults see it and ask "Who did this?" because it's pretty good. She told me that she hopes I'll frame the wolf too. I'm planning on it. He's got another ship picture on tap for next time. It's a good thing I love the ocean theme too. he he

Masterly Inactivity

So yesterday I'm weeding the garden and the boys are once again 'wild chicken hunting'. They were gone for longer than I felt comfortable with so I called them back. I talked to them about being gone for too long and that I wouldn't know where they were.

Pooh says, "I have an idea. Why don't I make a map so we can find our way back?"

Me: "How will 'I' know where you are?"

Pooh, "ok, you can take the map" He also got the walkie talkies and decided that when they found the chickens they would call me and I could mark the map with an X for where they were.

I felt like saying, "You mean you want to work on one of Charlotte Mason's List of Attainments for a Child of Six? Sure, honey, you go right ahead!"

Attainment #7--Done!! He He Just kidding! We still could work on this some more, but I just love when they start this stuff on their own!!!

(For those of you unfamiliar with the list of attainments, the list can be found at Ambleside Online on the Year 0 or Kindergarten page. I would copy and paste that section but I think that's off-limits.)

The Rescuers

We all know the Disney version. Two little mice go to rescue a little girl kidnapped by Medusa (or whatever her name is LOL) who's currently residing in a swamp somewhere. Other country-bumpkin animals help along the way as well as the albatross who takes them to and from their locations.

Well, the only way it resembles the real story is the fact that there are two little mice named Bernard and Bianca. The REAL story is very interesting what with a black castle, a Norwegian sea mouse, a fat cat and the rescue of a writer.

I am now in horror at what they might do to one of my favorites, The Tale of Despereaux, when it becomes a movie.

Please read the real version of the Rescuers by Margery Sharp. It's worth it.

A Must Read (or Listen-You Choose)

The Tale of Despereaux is just fabulous. I think I enjoyed it more than the kids. We listened to an unabridged version on cd in the van. The only thing that kept me from making excuses to take off for a long trip to hear the story, was the gas prices. Otherwise, we would have been heading for the beach for a nice long story. LOL I am not, by nature, patient when it comes to a good book. Even a bad book for that matter. I usually end up reading the end first, then come back and read the whole thing over. Most times I'll read a book two times in a row just to make sure I caught all the good parts and to savor them once more. So when i actually get my hands on a real paper and binding copy of this book, I'll probably read it at least three times within the first week. Did I mention that I read fast too?

Pooh was really trying to pay attention to the story. We would discuss little pieces of it here and there. Sort of a narration. I wanted to see how much he understood. He got a little confused over who was human vs who was an animal. He thought Miggerly Sow was a mouse for instance. Tigger was fascinated by Roscuro. In fact, he saw a book about Ratatouille the other day and said "Mommy, he looks like, ummm, hmmm," I said "Roscuro?" "Yeah, mommy, he looks like Roscuro, that bad rat."

So, if you can, read or listen to this book. I found it at our local library. Your children will thank you for a great story with adventure, near death experiences, kindness, hate, deceit, good morals and most of all beautiful language. It's well written. No twaddle for any of you Charlotte Mason fans. And if you do get the audio version, a wonderful voice to listen to. His name was Graeme something or other.

I just melted in a puddle of literary bliss.