A Nest in the Rocks

Chinese New Year Party with Winter Promise

July 19, 2014 by Amy

I received a free copy of Winter Promise’s Children Around the World curriculum in exchange for a series of posts about how we are using it. This is one such post. For my complete review and disclosure policy, click on the ‘Full Disclosure’ tab above.

We recently spent several weeks studying China for our homeschool Geography Fair (more about that to come). The kids were super excited when we read in our Winter Promise materials that extended family is typically invited to a Chinese New Year dinner, and so our simple homemade dinner morphed into a full-fledged dinner party.

Fortunately for me, Winter Promise made this easy. With menu ideas, customs, and much more all included, this was an easy way to add an element of fun to our study.

My Big Helper created a beautiful invitation on red paper, written with a golden-inked pen.

My Little Man made these beautiful lanterns for on our chandelier. He decorated them with that same golden pen, and the effect was quite stunning.

After quite a bit of research, we planned a menu that we felt incorporated many of the traditional Chinese elements we were reading about. We made sure to include as many of symbolic foods as we could, and there were lots. For example, we served long noodles, which is symbolic of the hope for along life, and seafood, which is symbolic for the hope for wealth. This made our table look somewhat like a buffet, but it gave us a good opportunity to try new things.

Despite our research, our food was not exactly authentic. I don’t have the right sort of pans or kitchen set-up to cook many dishes at once, so we planned semi-correct things – dishes that would give us the right flavors but prepared a different way. The kids prepped the main dishes, Mongolian Beef and Sesame Chicken, and while My Little Man had a blast doing it, My Big Helper decided that raw meat is ‘yucky.’

Despite our lack of woks, everything came out well. Most of the Mongolian Beef was devoured.

There were even fewer appetizers left – apparently dumplings, egg rolls, and rangoons are a bit hit with this family.

We had a great time at our Chinese New Year feast and discovered several new talents. My Little Man is an expert chopstick user. Egg rolls are easier to make than I thought.

The best part, though, was talking afterwards. We talked about how the Chinese culture was lots of fun to study, but about how happy we are to know that our futures are not dependent upon serving the proper foods or appeasing the right gods. We can’t change our future by eating long noodles or short ones, but we do know the One who holds our futures, and there’s freedom in knowing that He’s planning a good one for us.

Although, as good as those long noodles were, we’ll probably eat them again, anyway – just for fun.

Thanks, Winter Promise!

Chalk Paint

July 19, 2014 by Amy

At the beginning of the summer I made a list of fun and creative things for us to do over the warm months. Chalk paint was on the list, and a few weeks ago we finally tried it out. I wish we had done it sooner!

This is definitely a fun art project, and it’s one that we’ll do again and again. It’s easy to make, couldn’t be simpler to clean up, and you can use it on lots of mediums.

To make your own street paint, you’ll only need a few things: water, cornstarch, and food coloring.

Mix equal amounts of water and cornstarch, and then dye to your favorite colors with food coloring. It can’t get much simpler than that!

As the paint dries, it whitens and lightens in color a bit until it resembles chalk. Once dry, you can almost brush it away, and a good rain wish wash it all off. If you paint with this outside, you have absolutely no cleanup to do, and spills won’t matter!

We painted my parents’ driveway when visiting a few weeks ago.

We also used this paint to create large cardboard masterpieces on our recent Art Day. We painted the cardboard black in advance to help the paint show up.

Who’s up for some outside art?

I think we’ll go paint the neighbor’s driveway this morning. Fun times. 🙂

World Tour: Our Japanese Dinner (with Korean Chopsticks)

July 18, 2014 by Amy

Our tummies enjoyed Germany so much that we decided to make some Japanese food, too. Now, if you’re Japanese, I mean no disrespect, but I’m not and know very little about it, so our foods are, maybe, Japanese-esque. We had grilled chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce, steamed broccoli, and noodles. Ramen noodles of the Oriental flavor. (The package said they were Japanese, and it’s the only sort of Japanese noodle I know. The kids have never had them before, so they don’t know if it’s wrong, and it seemed to work.)

A friend who has been to Korea lent us her wooden chopsticks. We had a blast!

Daddy got it right away.

It took the Big Girl a few minutes …

but soon she was going to town, even on the noodles, the hardest part to eat. She decided that they looked “just like Rapunzel’s hair!”

My Little Man never quite got the hang of it. He proudly announced that he only needed one chopstick and then proceeded to stab his chicken and broccoli. When he got to the noodles, he held it out like a sword, wrapped some noodles around it with his other hand, and then slurped them up like Lady and the Tramp ate their spaghetti.

We wouldn’t have won any etiquette contests – and we learned that manners are very important to the Japanese – but we had a blast. We laughed and played our way through dinner. I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed a meal more – and both kids are already asking when we can eat Japanese food and use those “sticks” again.

The kids are having fun and learning about other cultures.

Success.

World Tour: Fruit Galette

July 18, 2014 by Amy

We really had fun with French foods, but one of our favorites was the galette. A large free form fruit tart, it was sweet and fun to make. Because this summer has been so crazy hot, we changed the recipe up a bit to make our own individual galettes instead of one big one – this way we could bake them in the toaster oven instead of turning on the big one.

We began with Emeril’s fruit galette recipe. After reading it carefully and understanding how it was supposed to work, we pretty much tossed it out the window and made up our own. First, we prepared our fruit.

We peeled and sliced 4 ripe peaches and added two handfuls of washed blueberries. So precise, aren’t we? We added 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and several dashes of Fruit Fresh. My Big Helper stirred it up and then we moved on to the crust.

My great-grandmother made fabulous pie crust, so while I’m sure that Emeril’s is good, I see no reason to mess with perfection! We made a half-batch of Grandma’s crust for this project. For her crust, mix together 1 1/2 c. flour with 1/2 t. salt. Cut in 1/2 c. shortening and then add 3 tablespoons of water.

Using clean fingers, gently press the water into the mixture. Form a ball and then divide it loosely in half. We divided that yet again, and then use one ball for each galette. This made tarts about the size of a salad plate.

On a well-floured surface, roll out a ball of dough. Gently transfer it to a foil-lined baking sheet, sprayed or buttered to prevent sticking. With a slotted spoon, transfer some of the fruit mixture to the center of the dough circle. Fold up the edges of the dough to contain the fruit, adding more fruit to the center as you fold up the edges.

Repeat until you have made all tarts. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until crust just begins to brown at the edges and the fruit is cooked through when poked with a fork.

We meant to take a picture to show you the finished project. We wanted to take a picture of the finished galette … but we were too busy eating them. My Big Helper and I loved these tarts. Very similar to a peach pie, these were cute, could be eaten by hand if necessary, and would be amazing topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

My favorite part of making these tarts was that I didn’t have to make the crust fit anything. However it rolled out worked. This is a very flexible crust, but I do like my pies to be pretty …. but these tarts are pretty in their rustic–ness. The imperfections make them beautiful – thus, no stress over patched crust or a crooked center. 🙂

We will definitely be making these again!

World Tour – Italian Lasagna

July 18, 2014 by Amy

Lasagna isn’t something I make often, simply because my family just isn’t that fond of noodles. I love it, though, so when we began our study of Italy, I knew it had to be on the menu.

After collecting all of the ingredients, I started planning out our day and realized something: this was a meal that my children could make almost entirely by themselves. They both love to help in the kitchen, but they are both at that stage where they are really proud to be able to tell Daddy that they made a dish entirely on their own. I determined that this meal would be theirs.

To prep it, I browned the meat for the lasagna and allowed it to cool a bit. I set out all of the ingredients for the pasta dish and then called my Big Helper. She put up her hair, tied on an apron, and set to work.

First, we mixed one egg with a 15 ounce carton of ricotta cheese. We opened a jar of tomato sauce and added a oregano, basil, and garlic, crushing the first two between our fingers in order to release the flavors. She added a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acid, then stirred it up and pronounced it ready.

After spreading the bottom of the baking dish with a bit of sauce, she grabbed a lasagna noodle and used a child’s table knife to spread it with the ricotta mixture. I measured and cut several noodles and then let her have at it. When she had a layer ready, she laid them in the pan and topped them with more sauce. Then she added some of the browned meat (we used sausage, but ground beef works just as well), a sprinkling of mozzarella, and then began again with the noodles. Repeat four or five times.

After topping the whole dish with another layer of cheese to top it off, we covered it with foil and put it in the oven at 350 for about an hour. At that point we removed the foil and gave it a few more minutes to brown the top.

I had fully prepared myself to be cleaning sauce off the ceiling by the time she was done, but not so. Aside from a bit of ricotta that had dripped from the noodles, the counter was in very good shape. Impressive!

When the lasagna was nearly finished baking, I called my Little Man to come make the salads. He pulled a chair to the other side of the counter, and as I chopped the veggies, he arranged everything on each person’s plate. (I think he ate as much as he distributed, but still.) He was quite proud of his efforts, and we all got our salads made to order that night.

Having stuck the makings of Italian herb bread in the bread machine that morning, we were soon ready to eat.

My Big Helper’s lasagna was excellent, and she was so excited that she passed up her usual sandwich the next day at lunchtime in order to have leftovers.

This meal was perfect for her to prepare because everything (barring the meat) was assembled cold – and with a bit of prep beforehand, that could be, too. I definitely need to get more meal plans ready that they can do – they were so excited to help,and they’re learning valuable kitchen skills at the same time!

What do your children help you with in the kitchen?

World Tour – The Beginning

July 18, 2014 by Amy

We’re going to Disney World in the fall, and so for months we’ve been talking about saving and spending, the kinds of things we might do while there, and what we might see.

We don’t watch TV, but the kids know about the basic Disney characters – Mickey, Minnie, etc – and many of the princesses, and at ages 4 and 6, they are very excited to go meet them. We’re sure that they will love the Magic Kingdom.

Both children also love animals, My Little Man in particular, and so we know they’ll be fascinated with the Animal Kingdom.

We don’t expect Hollywood Studios to be one of our favorite places due to their young age, but after some research, we found several things we think they’ll get a kick out of.

That just leaves Epcot.

Epcot is different. It has wonderful exhibits and several neat rides, but the majority of Epcot seems to be the World Showcase, featuring 11 countries from all parts of the world. With a variety of native foods, performers, rides, and shops, it’s said to be amazing.

Our kids know nothing other than ‘regular’ American life near the Atlantic coast. But they do love maps.

So, this summer we’re setting out on a tour of the world. We’re going to touch down in many of the countries of Disney’s World Showcase, letting them locate each country on a map, read native children’s stories, learn a few words in that language, prepare a food from that land, and in general have fun learning about another culture.

My goal is that when we walk into the World Showcase and see the dancers, the jugglers, smell the croissants and see the lederhosen, instead of asking, “What’s that?!” they’ll be able to say, “Wow, Mommy! Look at that great _____ from ______! I know where that is!”

Won’t you join us?

World Tour – Origami

July 18, 2014 by Amy

While shopping a few weeks ago, I stumbled across an animal Origami kit for only $0.50. Who could beat that? I decided that we should definitely add Oriental paper-folding to our Japanese unit.

Our kit had pictorial directions and contained 8 sheets of paper to make 4 different animals. I ‘practiced’ on a ladybug and didn’t think it seemed too difficult.

Then my Little Man decided to make a hornet. It was more challenging, but doable.

Then the Big Helper decided to make a butterfly. Wow. It was really, really hard. After folding and refolding over and over again, we finally decided that this project called for Daddy’s special math skills – or, at least, something that I don’t have. We pulled the sample out of the box – it, too, was a butterfly – and she played with that.

Ultimately, we decided that there’s a reason that the Japanese spend so much time perfecting this art. It’s hard! We have a new respect for their talents – but we’ll probably stick with scissors and glue from now on.

Now, on to a brief stop in America before heading to China!

World Tour – Mount Vesuvius

July 18, 2014 by Amy

As we’ve studied the Epcot countries this summer, we’ve done more than study their most famous landmarks and desserts (although we’ve done a fair amount of that). My Little Man loves animals and science, so we went to the National Geographic website. Their kids’ site is great and includes short videos of issues within many countries and popular animals there. The scenic photos are wonderful, as well.

Since science and weather are some of his favorite subjects, we couldn’t study Italy without studying Mount Vesuvius! We read Magic Tree House’s Vacation under the Volcano and the Magic School Bus Blows Its Top: A Book About Volcanoes. (The MSB book actually gave lots of information about the science behind volcanoes and the terminology for all of the parts. I was very impressed with this book. For days afterward, my Little Man was correcting his big sister’s scientific vocabulary!) We also read a book that described the parts of a Roman household and what daily life was like (sorry, I can’t remember the title) – and then it was time to act!

We moved this project outside to the driveway, where my Little Man digs everything up daily. Armed with shovels and rakes, I asked the kids to outline their own Roman city with the rocks in the driveway.

Surprisingly, it took a little while – but then they began to build Vesuvius off to one side and to use leaves, rocks, and twigs to outline streets, houses, and the Roman baths (they loved that part of the city!).

Then came the true test of its strength. I added some baking soda to the inside of the volcano, and they took turns pouring vinegar into it. They LOVED how it bubbled and flowed, and they theorized how much of each they would need to add to get the “lava” to flow down the mountain and into the city.

Acid/base volcanoes aren’t anything new, and my kids have made them before – but when their own city faced certain ruin, this project took on a whole new meaning!

How do you teach earth science to your little ones?

World Tour – Michaelangelo & The Kitchen Ceiling

July 18, 2014 by Amy

Italy is well known for its art, and so we had to study Michelangelo. We started by reading Michelangelo by Mike Venezia. The book was wonderful – it was basically a child-friendly biography of the artist that included many photographs of his most famous works. Being fascinated with the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel, we looked at more photographs online for more information. We then decided to put our newfound knowledge to use.

We got out a small folding table that had a flat underside. I measured a large piece of easel paper so that it would cover the entire bottom of the paper and used masking tape to fasten it to the table.

Each child chose a few colors of paint, and after giving them large brushes, they set to work on their masterpiece.

My Big Helper painted Jesus’ face (the pink and purple spotch) and a church (seen as the triangular outline with the pink cross on top). My Little Man painted a fire, of course.

When it had dried, we removed the paper and taped it to the ceiling in the kitchen. Seeing those bright colors upon entering the room definitely added color to our otherwise rather plain room!

The kids were proud of their work and decided by the end that Michelangelo must have had very strong arms because it was hard work to paint over one’s head!

What creative projects have your children done lately??

World Tour – Black Forest Cake

July 18, 2014 by Amy

We decided we couldn’t study Germany without making one sweet treat, so we settled on Black Forest Cake.

We used this recipe as our starting point.

Since we don’t drink coffee, we subbed hot chocolate for that ingredient and swapped out some of the flour for whole wheat. My Big Girl loves cherries, so we decided to bake our cake in two round pans, although the author’s Bundt looked yummy.

After baking and chilling, we spread cherries on the bottom layer and then topped it with the other one. I quickly made the ganache according to the recipe’s instructions and poured it over the top. YUM!

The cake would’ve been much prettier served on a white plate, but these are plastic and we picnicked outside, so … we dealt. You get the idea, though – rich and goo-y and quite decadent!