Our family's website, PeacefulHome.net, is in the process of changing hosting companies and is currently inactive. Our plan is to move this blog over once construction is complete. Please stay tuned for updates!
This year I’m taking a different approach with science. As Meg is entering the middle school years, I thought she should be allowed to have a year or two of fun before she needs to get a little more serious.
A friend told me about Little Professor Science Kits (thanks, Kristie!). She recommended them because everything is included in the kit (except water!). When it’s time to do the experiments, just grab the labeled baggie and go.
Since I’m allergic to any curriculum that is instructs “gather the following materials,” it sounded good to me!
We will do two labs per week with the four elementary students (1st-6th grades). On the “off” days, Meg and Caleb will fill out the lab reports. More tests can be done online to earn prizes.
These kits aren’t cheap – each box is around $90 and contains 12 experiments. It does appear that much can be reused or easily replaced so not only can I reuse in years to come, I’m hoping to trade kits with another family so we can both get more science for our bucks.
Here is a recipe for one of our favorite side dishes. And since my niece asked for it specifically, that was the kick in the pants I needed to finally post it. It's another great use for leftover rice.
Disclaimer: This isn't the most authentic recipe for fried rice you can find. The original came from a cookbook written by someone from Kokomo, Indiana. Hence the bacon. However, I dare you to stop eating it once you start!
Quick Fried Rice
· 6 Slices of Bacon
· 1 Cup Frozen Peas
· 1/2 an Onion, chopped
· 3 Eggs, whisked
· 4 Cups Cooked Rice (white or brown)
· 3 Tblspn Soy Sauce (we like Bragg's Liquid Aminos
)
In a large skillet or wok cook bacon until crisp. Spoon of all but about 2 Tblspn bacon grease. Saute onion until tender. Push bacon and onion off to the side. Scramble egg. Add peas, rice, and soy sauce. Heat through. YUM!
This week the Stumpf kitchen will be serving...
Monday - Baked Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit
Tuesday (Homeschool Mom's Meeting) - Cheese Enchiladas, Spanish Rice
Wednesday - Smoked Sausage Sandwiches, Baked Potatoes
Thursday (Karate) - Taco Salad
Friday - Bible Study
Saturday - Korean Egg Rolls, Asian Noodle Salad
Our menus for past years can be found at our website. Breakfast menu is here; lunch menu is here.
Circle Time has been a fixture in our school day for several years. You can read more about what we've done in the past under the "Our Day" tab.
I love that it brings everyone together to learn some things and sets the tone for our day. It also provides a time to cover subjects that might otherwise be overlooked.
Since we're finishing up our two-year study of American History, we are also singing selections from Wee Sing America 
and History Songs
. I'm always amazed at how much the children retain from songs. They're still singing the songs from last year!
Lastly, we're spending some time with art appreciation through a few books that have we haven't used as much as we should.
This school year I was looking for something new to do with Heidi (age 4.5). She knows her letters, sounds, and numbers, and she loves to "do school." I wanted something that was more "fun" and less academic than what we generally use for Kindergarten (A Beka phonics and Math-U-See Alpha) since she's on the young side.
I'd heard some positive reviews of My Father's World and, after researching it, knew it was what I was looking for. It contains all the main subjects. The first two weeks focus on the creation story from Genesis, followed by 26 hands-on, thematic units that focus on the wonders in God's creation. The sun, moon, rocks, vegetables, elephants, butterflies, and dinosaurs are just a few of the topics.
While buying the kit can be pricey, I knew that the other children would also enjoy the science and literature components of the program. I'm getting whatever books we don't own from the library.
I've scheduled my time with Heidi from 9-10am. The next four oldest children will be working on some of their seatwork at the same table from 9:30-10am. This will give them plenty of opportunity to "listen in" to what we are covering.
Happy first day of school! Stumpf University officially opened today with much enthusiasm on the part of all the students. Even Bryan noticed the energy level and extra-loud volume in the house when he came home tonight. I'm so thankful that the children enjoy our school times here at home!
Here's one of our family favorite recipes. It is similar to the Hashbrown Casserole served at Cracker Barrel, but I think this version is even better! It's very rich, so we only eat it about once every couple months.
Hashbrown Casserole
· 2 lb. Frozen hashbrowns
· ½ cup melted butter
· ¾ teaspoons salt
· ¼ teaspoon pepper
· 1 can cream of potato soup or cream of chicken soup
· 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
· 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
· 2 cups sour cream (I usually use about 1 cup)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix well. Spread in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
This week the Stumpf cafeteria will be serving...
Monday - Black Bean Quesadillas, Skillet Corn
Tuesday - Hashbrown Casserole, Peach Cobbler
Wednesday - Chicken Nuggets, Popcorn
Thursday (Karate) - Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese
Friday - Bible Study
Saturday - Greek Ham Wraps, Micro-roasted Potatoes
Our menus for past years can be found at our website. Breakfast menu is here; lunch menu is here.
We're under 40 days until we leave for our trip to "The World." We're so excited, we talk about little else. Bryan and I were trying to put our finger on it the other night - why do we love it so much?
It pretty much boils down to complete escapism. He works so hard every day, and Disney is such a radical change of pace. And since I was sick during last year's trip, everyone agrees that a "do over" is in order.
It's relatively cheap for us - per capita, per day. Plus since it's all been paid for a couple months before, we don't worry about the cost while we're there. We spend almost $0 while on property.
It's something that the whole family loves. Everyone. Big and small. We try to think about other vacations. We really do. But we keep coming back to the house of the mouse.
This is a glimpse into the lives of some Disney groupies.
 |
Every morning the children race to see who
can put up the countdown number of the day. |
 |
Star Wars has been abandoned as
preferred LEGO subject. |
 |
| And dressing like a rodent is cool! |
continues to be a a huge hit. The little ones have come up with cute names for all the bears. 
from Ted's old set. The youngest have never had the chance to play with it, and it keeps them busy for a long time.
set. Another fun building set that can really hold attention.
that we all played with as children. Add a metal cookie sheet, a mixing bowl and spoon, and they happily play for some time!
Posts
