Learning about Maple Syrup

We had the privilege recently to learn how Maple Syrup is made.  A local Maple Syrup group gave us an informative demonstration about the history of making maple syrup...

From the time of the Algonquin Indians, and the legend of how maple syrup was discovered and shared.

Woksis, the Indian Chief, was going hunting one day early in March. He yanked his tomahawk from the tree where he had hurled it the night before, and went off for the day. The weather turned warm and the gash in the tree, a maple tree, dripped sap into a vessel that happened to stand close to the trunk. Toward evening Woksis's wife needed water in which to boil their dinner. She saw the trough full of sap and thought that would save her a trip to get water. Besides, she was a careful woman and didn't like to waste anything. So she tasted the maple sap and found it good-a little sweet, but not bad. She used it to cook her venison. When Woksis came home from hunting, he smelled the unique maple aroma and from far off knew that something especially good was brewing. The water had boiled down to syrup, which sweetened their meal with maple. Woksis found the gravy sweet and delicious. He spread the good news how the Great Spirit had guided his wife in making the delicious new food, Sinzibuckwud (meaning, "drawn from the wood" in the Algonquian tongue). Soon all the women were  "sugar-making" ("seensibaukwut"), and the braves began performing the "Sugar Dance." Thereafter, maple sugar was produced and celebrated each spring after the long, cold winter during the "Season of the Melting Snow."

To the earliest ways of collecting...

 How the colonist bought sugar.

An older tree tap.

A more modern tree tap.

 Different styles of buckets used....

Maple sugar.  The way that Native Americans and Colonists would cook down the maple syrup to this form.

The Sugar Shack....

Running the evaporator....this smelled wonderful!!!

 Testing to see if it is ready.

 This is a sleeve that sap would go through to strain it.

Did you know that the maple tree can heal itself?  The only tree that can.  These are tree tap examples. The trees heal themselves each year.

Various taps that have been used through the years.

Trying their hand at tapping  

We were able to see them cooking sap over a fire, the pioneer way.

Maple syrup facts:

• It's higher in calcium than milk.
• Only made in North America.
• Ohio is 5th in the US for Maple Syrup production.
• Canada (of course) leads in production in North America.
• It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
• Maple syrup is made in the spring, when the temperatures gets below freezing at night and above freezing during the day.
• Maple syrup is a great "natural" food. It contains no colors, preservatives or additives.
• A gallon of maple syrup weighs 11 pounds.
• Nothing is added to the sap-only water is evaporated away - to make maple syrup.

Here is a fun blog about maple syrup legends in America:

All Things Maple Syrup...

This was such a yummy trip, and of course for dinner we had maple syrup with pancakes!!!

B - Big Field Trip Appeal

Thinking outside the box……Life learning……Living History……..how do most homeschoolers teach this?  One of our favorite ways of doing this is …. a field trip.

Our kids used to get excited when I said field trip.  Now they cringe…..they seriously say, “Do we HAVE to go?”  As homeschoolers, there are so many opportunities for learning.  I love planning field trips for our local groups.  I dig and dig through area websites looking for unique opportunities.  I also have several people that send me ideas.  I even watch a show on our local PBS channel about area attractions to get ideas.  I do this work though, because going to fun places to learn is always more fun with friends.

Planning field trips entails a lot of work of planning and organizing.  I start out researching by scouring websites for unique opportunities.  I also look at a list of suggestions that people have given me.  I have been known to spend a few hours scouring websites.  Then there’s phone tag with the place I am thinking of setting up a trip too.  Tracking attendance and ages of the attendees.  Some places cap the attendance, some only allow certain ages, some want the admission fee collected early and the list of questions never ends. 

I have been a little too relaxed lately on these matters.  I guess I have gotten a little burnt out because of some issues lately.  After thinking about it, I decided that I need to reach out to the homeschooling community.  To implore to you and see if these issues are something that you all are feeling and see if we can change things to make them better.

The biggest issue that I have experienced lately is last minute cancellations. 

This wouldn’t bother me so much, except they wait until the morning of the trip to decide they are too busy.  Didn't they realize a week ago that their children have sports practice at the same time or they are going on vacation the day after the field trip and they might be running behind. (These are all hypothetical by the way.)  This is frustrating because when you need to verify a set number of attendees and have already called totals into the field trip location it produces a bad situation with the field trip location.  They bring in extra help to handle a specific number of students.  When a group shows up with drastically less numbers, we as a group look unappreciative of the location's efforts to help us and a complete disrespect for the docents' efforts and time.

Another issue with field trips is people that just do not show up.  

They respond, and are counted in the totals.  The group waits and waits at the location and the tour starts late because we waited for them.  This affects both our group’s time and the docents' time.  It creates a real inconvenience for everyone involved.  Again remember most places have brought in extra people.  Then they are standing around and have nothing to do.  I always feel so bad and apologize profusely for those that didn’t show.  

Please also if you are responding to a field trip calendar, check the location and time, and payment options if there are any.  Some places require one-payment, and not multiple ones.  Bring exact change.  Dealing with large groups and collecting payments is a bit stressful.  Please do not heap more stress on the person planning the trip.   Location is important.  If you don’t like to drive long distances, please do not respond.  Mapquest or Google map the location to check and see if it’s even a possibility. 

We all live busy lives.  As homeschoolers though, I feel like we overlook and take things for granted.  We are very fortunate to have many “outing” opportunities.  I actually need to really look at the calendar carefully before making a commitment now.  I can very easily overbook myself.  I have to catch myself before I respond to the calendars, and really look at my week and see if the activity will work out for the kids and me.

I have had to cancel a few things last minute lately and I feel horrible.   I personally know how much work is put into field trips, and I feel like I have wasted that planner’s time.

But I am making a conscious effort to make sure to respect those outing planners and their time.  I ask you fellow homeschoolers, would you please show respect for your field trip planner’s time also?? 

Before you respond to an invite:

• Check your schedule and look to make sure that you can attend or want to attend.  
• Check the location.  
• Check if there is a fee  

Write these things on your calendar so that you can budget for the trip better.   Respond to the person posting the event with how many students and adults will be attending.  If payment needs to be mailed, get it done ASAP.

Last minute illness and family emergencies do happen.  We all know that, and that is not what I am referring too.   But please think twice before you cancel last minute on a field trip for reasons other than these.  How would you feel if you spent the time planning and making arrangements and was left standing apologizing to a group of docents? 

Linking up with other moms at Blogging through the Alphabet....

Our Week - Week 48

What a week!!!  We are in Houston this week with Joe.  He is traveling again and this is our first week back in that mode.  I have never been to Texas, but tried to prep the best I could in a short amount of time.  I wanted to explore, relax and get work done.  Well we explored, I didn't relax and I got minimal work done.

We did do school work this week.  Since we will be traveling more now, I needed to come up with an easy way to carry schoolwork without an entire suitcase just dedicated to school stuff.  So I organized 4 backpacks/bags for the kids.  One for each child.  I made sure their schoolwork was in there with a checklist and whatever books they needed.  I made sure to have copies of all their worksheets and favorite pens/pencils also.  I had a small lunch sack that held the children's supplies perfectly.

We also pack a suitcase with kitchen items we use a lot.  Knives, skillet, pot, and some of the kids favorite items, just in case we can't find them there.  Of course, they usually find something else and 80% of the time I don't use these items.  But they are there, just in case.

A lot of our life has to be planned as a "just in case".  Because if Brayden misses something that he is used too, he will destroy a day very quickly.

I do think that he may have broken himself of his obsession with his mini-fan.  But we will wait and see how that goes this next week.  I may forget to unpack it and see what happens.  Caty also broke herself, we think, of her pacifier.  Although she is like Tommy from Rugrats and has stuff hidden everywhere.  

We did finish up all the schoolwork I had down for them to complete.  (I was nice though and kept it to a minimum.)  And we saw some great museums, which I will be blogging about this upcoming week.


Brayden had fun playing on his laptop all week.  He refused to get in the pool so he would play in the lounge area where I could see him.

We had to take Daddy shopping for a new belt while we were here.  So the girls found new sunglasses and sandals at the mall too.

Baking in the hotel room....gluten free allergen friendly chocolate chip cake pops.

Being silly at lunch while we waited for the van to get fixed.

The manager at our hotel was so nice.  She gave these to each of the kids.  They loved it.

Our last night, we drove to Galveston and ate on the beach.

 The music at the restaurant and the wind was a bit much for Brayden, but he loved the food.

 The girls loved a play area.

Doing schoolwork in the hotel room between museums.

We had a great week.  As always it was full of ups and downs.  But that is what life is all about!!

Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K-3 - Book 3: Modern Painting and Sculpture Review

Product Name:  Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K - 3 Book 3 Modern Painting and Sculpture
Price:  $47.95
Age Range: Ages 5 and up

Art is a favorite subject for the girls.  They love sculpting things with their hands, drawing and painting.  All forms of art are favorites.  So we were very excited to try out  Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K - 3, Book 3 Modern Painting and Sculpture from Artistic Pursuits

Artistic Pursuits is a homeschool hands-on art program that teaches art in both a technical manner while still allowing students to be creative.  This very to easy to use book helps you to show students about fine art and teach them the same technique that those famous artists used.  Instead of "re-creating" each art piece of these artists, Artistic Pursuits encourages your child's creativity.  

These easy to use lessons, allow parents to introduce new art mediums to your students.  The art supplies that I needed to purchase to go along with Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K - 3 Book 3 Modern Painting and Sculpture were easily found at my local Big Box store.  Yet there was paint that I had never heard of, and now the girls LOVE using it.

A wide variety of art topics are tight on the Artistic Pursuits 

Each lesson is in full color and comes with information to help you plan.  It provides information on specific artists.  It helps you to explain things out to the students (which is helpful if you are art illiterate).

Step by step instructions are given for each lesson.  A list of materials is provided, so you can prepare ahead of time.  

Each project/lesson does not require a lot of time.  We read over the material together and the girls work on the project.  You can do most lessons in under an hour a week, and I am adding time to that.  My girls like to paint multiple paintings in each session.  So we easily spend at least an hour in working on technique.  

The girls are really enjoying using Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K - 3, Book 3 Modern Painting and Sculpture.  This is one of their projects.  Their assignment was to draw and paint a special person to them.  They used the Gouache paints (which were new to all of us).

They chose to paint me, from their perspective.

I really LOVE using Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K - 3, Book 3 Modern Painting and Sculpture.  I absolutely love the ease of use, and right now we are having a year where I need things pre-planned for my own sanity.  Artistic Pursuits makes it easy for me to take 5 minutes to read the lesson and get out the materials, and we have art class.  I don't need to research the projects and look for extras. I can add extra projects easily if I want to spread out the lesson over several days.  

The layout of the suggested project is also well done.  It's easy to understand and you do not need an art degree to figure out what the student should be doing.  It's detailed and simple all at the same time.

I also really like that Artistic Pursuits - Early Elementary K - 3, Book 3 Modern Painting and Sculpture covers both artists, time periods and many various mediums all the books.  I really think that it provides a well rounded choice for children.  

The books are well made with sturdy paper and binding.  I really like when lesson books are spiral bound.  Makes holding the books open for lessons so much easier for me.  It's funny how something so simple and not that expensive, really helps out teachers.

Artistic Pursuits is available for Grades Kindergarten through High School level.  

I have loved using Artistic Pursuits for a few years now, and will continue to use the Artistic Pursuits program with our children.  It really does help students to love art and be creative.  Creativity is a skill that I need to encourage in our boys and will continue to help them throughout their lives.

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew had the opportunity to try Artistic Pursuits products.  Take some time to see the various levels in use in their homes.

Our Life - Week 47

I have to admit, I know I am way behind on my blog and keeping up with the number of posts.  I have been just not feeling my best lately.  I don't know what is wrong, other than typical fibro stuff.  I had some blood work done last week, but haven't heard back yet.  Life is so up in the air right now.  I guess the only reason I went to the doctor was that the exhaustion is getting overwhelming. 

I am experiencing issues with not wanting to do things that I love, such as cooking.  The idea of cooking just exhausts me.  I do try, but I know the family is missing some more expansive meals and not just the quicker stuff that I am doing.  I also realized that I am not taking as many pictures as I used too.  My interests are not changing, it's not like I am thinking about giving these things up.  I just don't understand why my energy levels are low.  I have to find out something, because I know how I feel directly impacts our family life.

I definitely feel overwhelmed daily just trying to try to keep up with all that needs to be done.  And it doesn't help that I am daily reminded of some of the boys limitations.  At almost 14, I remember doing things that the boys cannot do or I cannot trust them to do.  Joey does try to do somethings, like attempt the laundry.  He knows what buttons we told him to push.  But he forgets a steps and we end up rewashing it.  We are working on life skills with Brayden, but he is pretty limited right now in what he will try to do.  I just keep working on him.

We have been doing schoolwork and an unschool type thing also.  I have 3 kiddos working on memorizing their additions facts.  I think we have found something that works for Joey.  He has been struggling for so long.  Who knows why this worksheet based system is working, but it is.  Caty and Lydia are doing it also.  Lydia was already working on memorization of her facts.  But I wanted to make sure she was set before starting her 3rd grade math.

I honestly do not have a ton of pictures from this week.  I also have found that I haven't been taking as many pictures lately.  It's really been a rough few months.  I know the majority of the issue is most likely stress, but it's taking a huge toll on my body.

Joe took the girls to the Wilson Football Factory for a tour.  They all thought it was a great trip.  And the girls are loving trying to throw a football with daddy.

Lydia and I read Felicity Book 1 to go with her Homeschool with Minecraft classes.  She and I made baked pumpkin pudding....yummy!!

Lydia started back horseback after a year long break.  She got back on like she had been taking lessons right along.

Life has been very hectic and crazy.  We have to find a new niche for ourselves really quick with some drastic changes that we will be making.  As we move forward on the new ventures, we are going to keep working together and encouraging the kids to work together and improve on their life skills.  I hope this means less stress for myself, but I know that's only a dream.  

We'll keep posting about our new adventures.  Exciting things in store as I am able to reveal them!!!