Serendipity-do-dah!

Is your family traveling down the serendipitous path of delightful and directed learning with us this year? Can they sing the fairy songs and sign the alphabet and count in unison with silly gnomes? Do they have an appreciation for wildflowers and plant families that is growing every day? Do they paint and draw and model with beeswax? Are welt felt folk your new best friends? Are you loving this?

Me too.

I enjoyed the fall so much and so did my children. We've brought beauty into our lives and established a rhythm that works for us. Much of that joy emanated from a home in Texas and the infectious enthusiasm of Katherine and her children. We had established a synergistic relationship that made homeschooling a big bunch of children a whole lot less lonely. Real life co-ops aren't practical in my life for a myriad of reasons, but this virtual co-op was a blessing beyond compare.

Honestly, I'm feeling a bit sluggish without Katherine walking the Alphabet Path with me.It's a little lonely. But I've been so encouraged by the kind words and enthusiasm of women who have shared that they've caught the Serendipity bug, too.  I think it might be time for us to "co-op" a bit.

If you are using Serendipity, please send along a link with a blog post about what you're doing and how you're doing it. (elizabeth.serendipity spam @ gmail.com--scrape off the spam and close the spaces) If you don't have a blog, send me an email and pictures, too, if you'd like. Put "Serendipity-do-dah! in the subject line. Even if it's only remotely related to what's on the Serendipity blog, consider sharing so that we can all ride the wave of your enthusiasm. I'll gather them all together and we'll have a Fairy Fest on Monday, January 21st. It's mid-January; we're rapidly approaching the lethargy and  burnout of February. Let's not let it catch us.

Serendipity Update

There is a new Alphabet Path story at Serendipity today and the fairies and gnomes around my house are tickled that it's time to skip down the path again. My kids are pretty psyched, too;-). There will be some changes at Serendipity during the next couple of months. Katherine's father is ill and will be having surgery for cancer. Understandably, this will take her away from her computer. The gnomes story is Katherine's, created for her little boy, and so it will await her return. In the meantime, the Foss gnomes will be busy learning some things on their own and I will share that with you as I'm able.

Look for another installment of Lively Language Lessons next Wednesday.We are still using our Fairy Tale Christmas Book and plan to use it until Candlemas. For younger children, mom keyboards as the children tell the story. Older children are encouraged to write or keyboard for themselves. An older child's story is a great place for proofreading and editing practice. Older children are also exploring the imagery and symbolism of the genre. 

Stories written by younger children can be used for reading practice. The written narrations are used by all the children in our families for Lively Language Lessons.

This week, Lively Language is moving along to study verbs.

I've discovered that Botany is HUGE:-)! This a yearlong study and then some and it promises to become a passion for some of my budding botanists. The Foss Family has begun to use Shanleya's Quest for all and Botany in a Day for the older children. There is so much to discover in the field and at home with our books. We're following Rebecca's lead here.

Thanks for hanging in there with me as I write these lessons for my children and share them with you. I will sorely miss Katherine's daily presence in my life. She has blessed my learning room abundantly and her absence will be felt keenly. Please pray for her, for her father, and for the whole family as they face the challenges ahead.

Lots of Nutcracker Links

Dani has a post full of links perfect for Nutcracker Week.

More fairies and Christmas

I have reviewed the Huron Carol before, but this year, I'm looking at it with fresh eyes. First, let me tell you a little about the Huron Carol:

"The HuronCarol" was created by Jean de Brebeuf, missionary to the Huron nation, some three hundred and fifty years ago. In it he described the Nativity in terms relevant to the native peoples. Thus, the three kings from the east bringing costly gifts were replaced by "Chiefs from far" with with gifts of fox and beaver pelt. The Bethlehem shepherds became "wondering hunters" and the humble Bethlehem stable "a lodge of broken bark. The essential message - of the miracle and promise of new life and new hope in the midst of dark and bitter winter - was very acceptable to the Huron people, and is one we can all share to-day.

It was so acceptable that, even after Jean de Brebeuf's death at the hands of the rival Iroquois, the destruction of the Ste. Marie settlement, and the dispersal of the remaining Huron people, they still celebrated the nativity each winter and kept the carol alive through the oral tradition. It was translated into French about one hundred years later, and into English in 1926."

The mother of the illustrator of my lovely version of the Huron Carol has directed me to the artist's website. There, I found more picture books, and fairy prints (including one called "Gypsy Caravan," which reminded me of my favorite Gypsy blog) and paper dolls. Best of all, check out the Fairy Gazette. It looks like Victoria went to Fairyland:-)Brew a cup of tea and click away. It's serendipitous delight!

Fairy trails and Fairy tales: Week One

This week, we'll diverge from the Alphabet Path, and begin to  travel along a Christmas trail. To start, we'll become acquainted with the Christmas Tree Fairy. We'll copy and learn her song. Then, we'll study coniferous trees and learn the botanical information we can glean from looking carefully at Christmas trees:  Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Noble fir (Abies procera), and Norway spruce (Picea abies). We'll draw and illustrate the fairy and narrate the folklore. I think this fairy is likely to be crafted out of beeswax.
Then we'll move on to the Christmas Fairy Tale book. Since Katie and Mary Beth are dancing in The Nutcracker at the end of the week, it's an appropriate week to watch old DVDs of past performances and to read up on the story. Nutcracker music is likely to be heard all the time around here this week.  We'll read the story of The Nutcracker in The Fairy Tale Christmas book and in this Susan Jeffer's edition and then I'll read and discuss the notes about the story which the author of Fairy Tale Christmas has made. The older children will write critical papers discussing the story. Everyone will draw and illustrate The Nutcracker. We're planning a "tea" which will include Arabian coffee, sugarplums, and snow cookies. It's going to be a very sweet week.