Themes & Calendar Days for Jan. 2011

There are tons of things to study and have fun with in the month of January!  It is Eye Care, Hot Tea, National Blood Donor, National Braille Literacy, National Hobby, National Soup, National Staying Healthy, National Thank You, and Oatmeal Month.

The boys and I may not be able to recognize all of these days, but I am sure we will get creative with a few:

1-1    New Year's Day; Paul Revere's Birthday (1735)
1-2    Boo Boo Bear's Birthday
1-3    J.R.R. Tolkien's Birthday
1-4    Isaac Newton's Birthday; Jakob Grimm's Birthday; Trivia Day
1-5    National Bird Day
1-6    Epiphany; Cuddle Up Day; Bean Day; Sherlock Holme's Birthday
1-9    Static Electricity Day
1-11  Milk Day; Secret Pal Day
1-14  National Dress Your Pet Day
1-17  MLK Day; Ben Franklin's Birthday
1-18  Winnie the Pooh's Birthday
1-19  Popcorn Day
1-20  Cheese Day; Penguin Awareness Day
1-21  Hat Day
1-23  Handwriting Day
1-24  Compliment Day; Gold Discovered in CA at Stutter's Mill 1848
1-25  Opposite Day
1-26  Australia Day
1-28  Ernie's Birthday from Sesame Street
1-29  National Puzzle Day
1-30  Franklin Roosevelt's Birthday
1-31  Backward's Day

Big T's Book Picks for December 2010

Sometimes it is a little difficult to keep up with my voracious reader.  It is not that he complains when he runs out of new books though.  As a matter of fact, he will go back and read all of his books over again.  I love his spirit and attitude about reading too, he is always excited to share tidbits about what he has read.  And my heart just melts when he decides to place his precious book aside in order to find me in the house, so he can include me in all the good parts.

Many of the books this month are light reads for Big T, but nevertheless, he enjoys them just the same.  The first book listed is something we stumbled upon by chance.  I was shopping in a small town and the author happened to be at the shop we visited.  She was a very sweet woman and kind enough to sign his book.

In no particular order:  Bo and the Christmas Bandit by Lynn Sheffield Simmons, Brer Rabbit collected stories by Joel Chandler Harris, Christmas Stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne, The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming, The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean, and The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Christmas Stories and Brer Rabbit were great read "out louds" for Little T as well.

Putting on a production

TnT got parts in the "Our Lady of Guadalupe" play and loved every minute of it. Big T played the Bishop and Little T landed the part of a precious flower.

                                                           Our Bishop (in red) at prayer.

                                                         The Bishop and San Juan Diego talking.

                                                          Little T is facing the camera & has quite a look on his face.

We act out our history lessons at home, and I'm glad they got a chance to be in a play with other homeschoolers.  This was right up their alley and they had two showings in one weekend....bravo! 

Artful Pinecones

The boys had so much fun today decorating pinecones with craft paint, glitter, bird seed, and shiny gold ribbon.

The only thing I helped with was affixing the curling ribbon on the pinecone branches.  This project was well suited for 2-10 year olds.  We keep a precious toddler during the week and Little B got right in there and busied himself just like TnT.

Tis the Season

Teaching compassion to children is so very important and one of the best ways to do so is caring for others that are less fortunate.  When you see a homeless person on the side of the road, what action do you take?  Do you give money or ignore them?  Perhaps you are not sure what can remedy the situation in the first place. 

I have talked to TnT at length about the homeless people we see quite often.  I explain that they are children of God just like we are and that they need extra special prayers.

We also make care bags to give out, and I was delighted to take the boys down to the Hancock Recreation Center where a group of homeschoolers were putting together 75 care bags for Mary House.

We have made our own care bags for several years now, but it was such a treat being with other children making personalized Christmas cards and filling the bags.

The Feast of Saint Nicholas

TnT learned about the Bishop of Myra, also known as St. Nicholas.  I love coming across pictures or figurines of St. Nicholas on his knees and praying to Jesus, just warms the heart.  His great compassion and devotion to Christ is what I want the boys to remember.  In giving to children and the needy, Christ's message of love prevails.

Today was a delightful one when the boys placed their shoes by the fireplace and waited for a small treat from good ol' St. Nick.