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| The Nettle Spinner |
Saturday, April 30, 2011
"a brave and good woman"
Enjoy one of my favorite stories from Andrew Lang's Red Fairy Book - The Nettle Spinner
Monday, April 25, 2011
Job Description - Home School Mom
In honor of home school moms, I wrote up a sample job description:
Applicant must demonstrate skill, experience, or aptitude in many of the following areas (Amateurs preferred):
Applicant must demonstrate skill, experience, or aptitude in many of the following areas (Amateurs preferred):
- Spiritual Guide
- Nurse
- Chef
- Historian
- Mathematician
- Bus Driver
- Literary Critic
- Poet
- Artist
- Janitor
- Musician
- Naturalist
- Plumber
- Coach
- Scientist
Degrees required from institutions of higher learning: NONE
Personality traits: adventuresome, loves children, loves to learn
Job Title: Home School Mom
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Stolen Wisdom
A Friend once brought her brother to see Mother Macrina. He was a well-known theologian, a university professor, and an author of many books. He was not very keen on coming at first, for he did not think highly of holy women and had no patience with fools. But his sister persisted and once he came, he seemed to enjoy himself and was in no hurry to leave.
His sister later told Mother Macrina that when she asked her brother what he thought of the visit, he replied that Mother seemed to be a very intelligent and well-read woman, but that nothing she said was in fact new, for it was taken from the writings of the Fathers of the Church and the saints.
When she heard this, Mother burst out laughing and said, "Your brother is perfectly right, of course. Everything I know, I steal from the saints! But this does not worry me at all, for they themselves stole everything they knew from God."
(from God Is Not Reasonable and Other Tales of Mother Macrina)
His sister later told Mother Macrina that when she asked her brother what he thought of the visit, he replied that Mother seemed to be a very intelligent and well-read woman, but that nothing she said was in fact new, for it was taken from the writings of the Fathers of the Church and the saints.
When she heard this, Mother burst out laughing and said, "Your brother is perfectly right, of course. Everything I know, I steal from the saints! But this does not worry me at all, for they themselves stole everything they knew from God."
(from God Is Not Reasonable and Other Tales of Mother Macrina)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Best Children's Toys
Most toys stifle the imagination instead of encouraging it. Have you noticed how kids prefer "real" things, stuff they see Mom and Dad using? Here are some "toys" that allow a child's imagination to play:
1) A big cardboard box. May have a couple of windows cut out. (makes a house, car, sled, fort, castle, cave, etc.)
2) A stick. (makes a gun, sword, torch, staff, etc.)
3) Dress-up clothes.
4) Kitchen cabinet or shelf with containers of various sizes.
5) Dolls/Stuffed Animals
6) Lego. Lots of plain legos. (makes almost anything)
1) A big cardboard box. May have a couple of windows cut out. (makes a house, car, sled, fort, castle, cave, etc.)
2) A stick. (makes a gun, sword, torch, staff, etc.)
3) Dress-up clothes.
4) Kitchen cabinet or shelf with containers of various sizes.
5) Dolls/Stuffed Animals
6) Lego. Lots of plain legos. (makes almost anything)
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Monday, April 18, 2011
What a lot of books! Have you read them all?
If you have a substantial library, you will inevitably get the question "have you read them all?" Umberto Eco provides my favorite answers to the question:
"In the past I adopted a tone of contemptuous sarcasm. ’I haven’t read any of them; otherwise, why would I keep them here?’ But this is a dangerous answer because it invites the obvious follow-up: ’And where do you put them after you’ve read them?’ The best answer is the one always used by Roberto Leydi: ’And more, dear sir, many more,’ which freezes the adversary and plunges him into a state of awed admiration. But I find it merciless and angst-generating. Now I have fallen back upon the riposte: ’No, these are the ones I have to read by the end of the month. I keep the others in my office,’ a reply that on the one hand suggests a sublime ergonomic strategy, and on the other hand leads the visitor to hasten the moment of his departure."
From A Passion For Books: A Book Lover's Treasury
"In the past I adopted a tone of contemptuous sarcasm. ’I haven’t read any of them; otherwise, why would I keep them here?’ But this is a dangerous answer because it invites the obvious follow-up: ’And where do you put them after you’ve read them?’ The best answer is the one always used by Roberto Leydi: ’And more, dear sir, many more,’ which freezes the adversary and plunges him into a state of awed admiration. But I find it merciless and angst-generating. Now I have fallen back upon the riposte: ’No, these are the ones I have to read by the end of the month. I keep the others in my office,’ a reply that on the one hand suggests a sublime ergonomic strategy, and on the other hand leads the visitor to hasten the moment of his departure."
From A Passion For Books: A Book Lover's Treasury
Saturday, April 16, 2011
A Question Journal?
One of the great benefits of home schooling is the flexibility it provides for learning. Instead of trying to make our home look like a school, we try to allow enough space for the interests of the child and make learning a part of everyday activities for all of us. I've begun to ask my children to make a list of questions they have (about anything) and a list of things they want to know or learn. I may even have them keep a journal specifically to record their questions as they come up. As a result of their lists so far, my 8 year old and I are studying our Church's liturgy and my 10 year old wants to learn about the inner working of computers. So, we're off to the library. I hope they keep the questions coming.
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