October ideas:


His store of nuts and acorns now
The squirrel hastes to gain,
And sets his house in order for
The winter's dreary reign.
Joyce Cary

Eagles soaring in the air

We had a chance to watch a pair of eagles while out camping in our favorite spot. The kids couldn't believe how big they were. The eagles spent about half and hour circling above hunting or fishing above our heads.

Corn husk dolls

Kids Made corn husk dolls from the sweet corn husks while camping.

Forage fun for our native american studies

Wild Food in Season August

 Blackberry,  Common Comfrey, Common Mallow, Crayfish, Elderberries,  Giant Puffball,  Gooseberry, Hazelnut, Horseradish,  Milk Thistle, , Rabbit, Raspberry, Rosehip, Salmon, ( Wild Chicory Flowers,  Wild Mint, Wild Strawberry, Wild Thyme, Venison, Yarrow

Wild Food in Season September

Beech Nuts, Blackberry, Burdock Roots,  Common Comfrey, Crab Apples, Crayfish, Dandelion Roots,  Duck,  Elderberries, , Giant Puffball, Goose, Grouse, Hawthorn Berries, Hazelnut,  Horseradish, Juniper, Rabbit, Raspberry,  Rosehip,  Wild Chicory, Wild Marjoram, Wild Mint, Wild Service Tree, Wild Strawberry, Venison,  Yarrow

Found a peanut!

Found A Peanut
- child’s song (to the tune of Clemetine)
Found a peanut, found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now,
Just now I found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now.
Cracked it open, cracked it open,
Cracked it open just now,
Just now I cracked it open,
Cracked it open just now.
It was rotten, it was rotten,
It was rotten just now,
Just now it was rotten,
It was rotten just now.
Ate it anyway, ate it anyway,
Ate it anyway just now,
Just now I ate it anyway,
Ate it anyway just now.
Got a stomach ache, got a stomach ache,
Got a stomach ache just now,
Just now I got a stomach ache,
Got a stomach ache just now.
Called the doctor, called the doctor,
Called the doctor just now,
Just now I called the doctor,
Called the doctor just now.
Penicillin, Penicillin,
Penicillin just now,
Just now I took Penicillin,
Penicillin just now.
Operation, operation,
Operation just now,
Just now an operation,
An operation just now.
Died anyway, died anyway,
Died anyway just now,
Just now I died anyway,
Died anyway just now.
Went to heaven, went to heaven,
Went to heaven just now,
Just now I went to heaven,
Went to heaven just now.
Wouldn’t take me, wouldn’t take me,
Wouldn’t take me just now,
Just now Heaven wouldn’t take me,
Wouldn’t take me just now.
Went the other way, went the other way,
Went the other way just now,
Just now I went the other way,
Went the other way just now.
Didn’t want me, didn’t want me,
Didn’t want me just now,
Just now they didn’t want me,
Didn’t want me just now.
Was a dream, was a dream,
Was a dream just now,
Just now it was a dream,
Was a dream, just now.
Then I woke up, then I woke up,
Then I woke up just now,
Just now I woke up,
I woke up just now.
Found a peanut, found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now,
Just now I found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now.

My sister taught me this when I was little.

Science rocks!

I found a website to order an kit of coal samples to use in our science rocks geology studies.
 http://teachcoal.org/energy-and-you/
We are studying Michigan history and industry so this will fit in nicely. It takes 2 weeks to get here so I can't wait.

Hartwick Pines, Old growth trai, and logging museum

Today we tired out the kids by going to Grayling, MI to the Museum at Hartwick Pines State Park. At least I can say that the park pass on my plate got used this year. The kids really enjoyed it. Although littleman and Camryn had more walking than they bargained for.  The Museum was small but hands on. They also had several tanned hides the kids could touch. Live animals we saw included birds, a chipmunk, a grater snake that almost ran into Jon, a badger hole, minnows, and two black squirrels. The logging museum was interesting. There were two men in old time clothes cooking on an open fire at the museum. It was all free with our pass on the license plate. Not a bad way to spend a saturday morning exploring.

My Gourmet Pickled Peppers Canned 

This is a small batch recipe. Great for when you get that deal on mixed hot peppers at the farm market and want to make some into salsa but what do you do with the rest of the peppers? I wrote it out so you can easily double or triple it depending on how many jars you fill with your peppers.

Supplies :  two or three pint jars, rings, and lids

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 pounds of mixed hot peppers, (or whatever will fill your jar) 1 pound makes about 2 pints.
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic in each jar
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme in each jar
• 2 bay leaves in each jar
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns in each jar

Pickling Liquid:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2tsp table salt

Boiling water bath for 10 minuets to seal jars or refrigerate.

More Rock collecting

We went garage sailing and found a geosafari metamorfic rock collection for $1.50 (still in plastic and labels intact)and Slinky Science and More! Rocks and Minerals Mini labs Science for $4.00 (not all pieces are there). Plus I took the kids to the craft bazzar at the highland festival and found two booths with rock collecting specimens so I spent $10.00 on rocks. I got a piece of geode with orange crstals, polished carnelian ($.75) and orance calcite polished ($0.75) float Copper from UP of Michigan $7.00 and 5 polished stones. Little man sat for an hour looking at the ones we got at the bazzar. "buy me more stones mamma" he kept saying. The other two also enjoyed adding to our collection. I need to build a display case or buy a display cabinet. They are getting old enough to leave stuff alone so we can display it. Not too bad for a weekend that was too cold to go out and collect stones.

Stalking the wild asparagus

I am a big fan of Euell Gibbons. I read his book and did a 6th grade project on edible wild foods. I love to forage for food in the semi-wild areas around my home. We actually planted asparagus in my yard among my flowers. If you had told me I would like asparagus as kid there is no way I would have believed you.

May
Morels
Wild asparagus:
Rail trail head on Charles Rd
across the road from Colleen's

Late July/Aug
Choke Cherry:
Behind colleens
Behind Tim and Jan's on dirt road.(Huge Tree)

Late Aug
Elderberries:
Roadside ditches along dirt roads

I miss my clothes line. Clothes always smell so fresh and clean off the line. My honey has twice rigged me a clothes line on the back porch. I am next going to use a Christmas tree stand to hold an umbrella type clothes line. If necessary I will bolt it to the deck.

useful baking substitutions

Useful Substitutions
1 tsp. baking powder = 1/4 tsp. baking soda + 1/2 tsp. cream tartar + 1/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder = 1/3 tsp. baking soda + 1/2 tsp. cream tartar
1 cup butter = 1 cup shortening + 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil = 1 tbsp. melted shortening (or lard)
1 cup corn syrup = 1 cup honey = 1 cup sugar + 1/2 cup of the liquid used in the recipe
1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp. vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 cup nonfat milk = 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk + 1 cup water
1 cup whole milk = 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk + 1 cup water + 2 tbsp. melted butter
1 cup whole milk = 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar = 1 cup corn syrup (decrease recipe liquid by 1/4 cup)
1 cup sugar = 1 cup honey (decrease recipe liquid by 1/4 cup)
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate = 3 tbsp. cocoa + 1 tbsp. shortening

Appalachian trail

Watching a special on The Appalacian Trail by National Geographic on netflicks. Kids are loving it except little man who is way to young to watch anything but cartoons.We have been using Net Flicks alot expecially shows to help us get ready for Camping this year. Don't tell the kids they are studying geography.
**2014 Update able to visit small section of the trail this spring with my sister and my daughter camryn.

quote for the day

“We may not be able to prepare the future for our children,
but we can at least prepare our children for the future.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Still here and still homeschooling. Had a friend over afterwork yesterday. I am so proud of how much better the kids are doing.

Quote for the day

“A sap-run is the sweet good-by of winter. 

It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”
John Burroughs, Signs and Seasons, 1886

seed

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed.  Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
–Henry D. Thoreau

meteor hits russia

 We used the Meteror that hit in Russia to teach some science. We watched it on TV and then got all the solar system books out. I also have a puzzle little man loved.