Help Me Find Art Appreciation Resources For Kids

Art was not my favorite subject in school. As a matter of fact, I'd have to say that phis ed, with all its requisite horrors, even ranked ("ranked") above art.

So when it comes time to appreciate art with my kids, I have to put on a Real Song And Dance.

"Yes!" (blink blink blink blink blink) "Let's get out the art book! My faaaavorite! Love! It!"

Not.

There are lots of fun books out there that teach my kids how to do art. But I've yet to find much that helps them appreciate good art.

What I've mostly found are a lot of reference books that aren't so much about art as they are about ummmm, howshallwesay, "anatomy."

That doesn't work for me.

What I am looking for are resources that familiarize grade school kids with great art, and pique their curiosity to want to know more.

I'm not looking for just books, but for websites, postcards, and the like.

Any ideas?


For a whole list of people asking for help, check out this week's "backwards edition" of Works for me Wednesday.

Thanks!

Much Ado About Poo Poo

I don't think you can find a classier topic than "toilets."

I've already stated my admiration for the Dual Flush Toilet, and get a little giddy each time I see one. But(t) while reading the ever-entertaining book, Toilets of the World, I came across a variation on that theme:

Now, come on. Does that make your day, or what?

(That photo is of a toilet located in Alberta, Canada.)

Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The March 28, 2009 Edition

Just finishing up spring break week in the Pacific Northwest. Which means--I stayed at home, took care of the kids, and squeezed about 10 minutes of free reading time in during my "break." Here's part of my stack.


Touch Me, I'm Sick: The 52 Creepiest Love Songs You've Ever Heard :: How can a romantic like me not enjoy a book about creepy love songs?

Involving Parents in Their Children's Reading Development: A Guide for Teachers :: To puff up my knowledge about what it takes to get kids to read.

Evangelical vs. Liberal :: Honestly, there isn't much I understand about Churchianity anymore--especially since it looks so different in various parts of the country. This book is a bit heady, but I couldn't resist it. I grew up with "conservatives" and now live with the "liberals." I'm hoping this book clarifies my thinking in some small way.

What Would You Do If You Ran the World?: Everyday Ideas from Women Who Want to Make the World a Better Place :: I call this my "American Idol" book--the one I scan through during commercials and Paula's talks. And yes, I am still in the Dark Ages and own nary a VCR nor a DVR or whatever the honky-tonk those things are called. Anyway, it's a quick read that refreshes me with the theme--"this life is not my own."


Anyone reading something good? Or perhaps something mediocre?

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

Household Emergencies: Blood, fire, and the death of my crock pot.

Not necessarily in that order.

I am in desperate like with my crock pot. She sits on my counter so unpretentiously, working alongside me as I bustle about my day. And then! As if by magic, dinner is ready.

This crock pot lentil soup recipe will warm you right up. It's frugal, it's filling, and it's friendly to the environment. (Why? Because a crock pot uses far less energy than traditional cooking methods and the soup is meat-free.)

But did I mention that this soup is fabulous? So without further ado, here's the recipe.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

1 pound dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) vegetable broth
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1/2" pieces, optional
4 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8-9 hours or high heat for 3-5 hours or until lentils are tender. Stir well before serving. 8 servings.

Note: For the truly streamlined, empty-pantried folks: This recipe works just as well when you combine only the lentils, water equal to the amount of broth plus water, salt, and pepper.

Check out some recipes for my other soups:

• Chili Con Carne
• Potato Chowder (crock pot)
• Split Pea Soup (crock pot)
• White Bean Chicken Stew
• Black Bean Soup (crock pot)

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A School Schedule Fit For A Circus

Most of my world started to unravel when the third child came along. Oh, she's delightful, for sure. But she's busy. And did I mention "busy?"

There are days I dreeeeeaaaaam about what it would be like to "do school" without a two-year-old jumping on the couch beside me. Or stealing and scribbling all over our books. Or brushing ripping out my hair while I teach.

It was her entrance into our home that made me create a schedule. She also "taught" me to relax my restrictions on TV, give up having a clean house, and work like a dog when she's (appropriately) occupied.

Here's the schedule we usually ignore stick to (click to enlarge):


That schedule makes me look quite organized and perfect, doesn't it? Yes?

(*cough*)

I posted that Excel chart hoping it would help someone else figure out how to manage three or more monkeys at once. It's a circus, no doubt. But it's doable.

For those of you looking into homeschooling and wondering how anything can get done with small kids at home, here's hope: School at home does not take nearly as long as school at "school." The efficiency of homeschooling is one of the reasons I love it.

More scheduling tips can be found over at the 8 Ways to a More Organized Homeschool carnival.

Roasted Asparagus

I saw my first asparagus of the season at my grocery store the other night. Course, I also saw my first RAT at the store that night too, so...THERE IS THAT.

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

She was in the produce section, picking up some salad. I have no doubt she then headed home to her family and was promptly asked "Whatjya getme? Whatjya getme? What? You bought lettuce? LETTUCE?! Where are the chips? The dip? And for rat's sake, THE CHEESE?" And then all the little ratlings would have run off to play while Mama Rat spent the next three hours putting her lettuce away.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

ASPARAGUS!

Is in season!

Here's one way I like to make asparagus, especially when I have too many other things happening on the stove. You might also like my Asparagus and Rice Salad, Spicy Asparagus Spears, and a tip for separating the woody part of the stalk from the good part.

Enjoy your asparagus. And remember: WASH IT FIRST.


Roasted Asparagus

2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup butter, melted
2-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place asparagus in a shallow baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the butter and green onions; spoon over asparagus. Sprinkle with salt. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

More recipes over at Ann's Food on Friday and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Simplify Your Mornings: Breakfast Rotation

Child #1: "But I don't want oatmeal! I want cereal!"

Child # 2: "But IIIIII want oatmeal! With sugar!"

Child # 3: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

And so went our breakfast time, day after day after day. Each person wanted his favorite thing for breakfast, and he wanted it day after day after day. And this Mama, being a rather uptight kind of sort, wasn't really into the "short-order cook" gig, nor did she want her kids to miss out on the nutritional excellence in say, a bowl of grits.

So I came up with a plan--a weekly menu that looks like this:

Weekly Breakfast Menu

Sunday - Scrambled eggs and fruit
Monday - Oatmeal
Tuesday - Hard-boiled eggs and fruit
Wednesday - Grits
Thursday - Cereal
Friday - Cereal
Saturday - Waffles or pancakes

And I posted it on the refrigerator for everyone to see. Course, one can't read, and another has no concept of what day of the week it is, but that's beside the point. I've got a seven-year-old Rule Nazi, and he makes sure this menu is The Law. There is no varying from The Menu.

It took the troops a few weeks to get with the program, but since then, our breakfasts have been complete and utter bliss.

Oh, I dream.

But really, it has added a measure of order and calmness to the morning, where at one time fighting was the norm.

Now my kids just fight over something else.

For more ideas about organizing your morning, head over to the 8 Ways to a More Organized Homeschool carnival.

Ending World Hunger Through Free Rice 2.0

By now you've probably all heard about Free Rice--the site that quizzes your vocabulary and donates grains of rice to the hungry for each word you get right.

I thought it was fun before, but now it's even better!

The vocabulary game is still there, but there are other quizzes for art, chemistry, geography, grammar, foreign languages, and math.

So please take a minute from your Other Highly Important Duties to play a short game over at Free Rice. You can end world hunger and feed your internet addiction at the same time.

Why not?

Have a heart. And go get smart.

Thai Chicken Salad

Thai food is quickly becoming my favorite Asian cuisine, even racing ahead of the dishes from my beloved daughter's homeland--China.

(Don't tell.)

But since I can't afford to fly to Thailand and back every time I need a fix, recipes like this have had to make do. But you can go wrong with a load of veggies, and a simple Thai sauce you can easily make at home.

Enjoy!


Thai Chicken Salad

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
10 ounces spinach, torn
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

Dressing
1/3 cup peanut butter, creamy
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in oil until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm. In the same pan, stir-fry carrots and red pepper for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. In a large serving bowl, combine the spinach, onions and cilantro; set aside. In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients; cover and process until blended. Add chicken, carrots, red pepper and dressing to spinach mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately. Will serve 2 as a main dish, 6 as a side salad. [Source]


More recipes over at Ann's Food on Friday, and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Recommended Resource For Kids Learning To Read: We Both Read

Helping my children transition from "not reading" to "reading" was by far one of the most magical moments of mothering.

It was also one of the most excruciating.

There were times I'd be snuggled up close with my son, just waaaaiiiiiittttting foooooorrrrr the neeeeeeeeeeext wooooooooooord to be said.

Stabbing a fork in my ear would have been less painful.

And yet, working through a stack of choppy early reader books is just part of the package.

Or is it?

I ran across a series that rethinks the beginner books for kids. It's called We Both Read, and the layout of each page allows for both parent and child to...read.

Here's how it works:

We Both Read books feature pages that alternate in reading difficulty. The left-hand pages, which you read, have more complex text. The right-hand pages, which your child reads, feature text that is appropriate for your child's reading ability.

I found these books to be far more palatable for both of us to sit through. Here are a few reasons why:

• The stories have more depth
  
  
• The story moves along, thus lowering frustration
  
  
• The reading experience promotes teamwork between parent and child
  
  
• The child gets to hear a more complex sentence structure and vocabulary
  

The books are also perfect for an older child to read alongside a younger child who is just beginning to read.

These books were a big hit in my home when my second son was learning to read. Because of that, I asked the publisher for some copies to give away, and they sent me six! The titles and levels are as follows:

My Day (Level K)

We All Sleep (Level K-1)

Just Five More Minutes (Level 1)

About Space (Level 1-2)

A Pony Named Peanut (Level 2)

Endangered Animals (Level 2)

So take a look at those books (each link will give you a close-up of the level of text) and let me know if there's one you'd prefer. I'll pick some winners in the future at some appointed time, still unknown to me.

This series of books is what Works For Me This Wednesday, now over at We Are THAT Family.

Portable Storage For School Books And Supplies

One thing I've learned about homeschooling is that "school" happens in every corner of the house. My son reads on the top bunk, spells while he hangs off my bed, and hides in the john when it's time to do math.

I used to keep all our school books on a shelf, but then I had too few shelves, too many students, and a toddler who turned "order" into "trash."

Because of those reasons, I finally decided to do "school in a box." Each school-aged kid has his own box, filled with books and supplies for that particular week of work. Because their boxes are so FAIN-CEE, they even have handles, which makes for easy carting from room to room.

As for the pile of books that my kids aren't using that week--I keep those stuffed away in a closet. For their own safety.

Talking about the books, of course.

These school boxes force me to organize the kids' work each week--which eventually makes our days run more efficiently. Plus, there's the added bonus of not having to reshelve books at the end of each day. The kids can just grab and toss their books as needed.

Now, once my kids are all out of diapers, WHICH WILL BE NEVER, I might have to move on to a more attractive system.

Naaaahhh.

It wouldn't be me.

If you're looking for additional tips like this, check out the Organized Homeschool Carnival going on over at Heart of the Matter Online.

An Important PS To That Adoption Update

It's good to know that so many of you enjoyed laughing at my expense.

I realized that there was an important part of one of those stories that I completely left out.

Probably because I couldn't stand any more humiliation.

But, I've recovered some of my pride in the past week, and decided it's time to shoot it back down.

Okay.

So while the social worker was supposed to be interviewing the boys (7 and 4), they took off and hid in the coat closet to play. "Spaceship" was their game, as you might remember. I heard them hollering "We're going to see a planet! We're going to see a planet!"

I'll bet you'd never guess which one.

Mmm-hmmm.

"I see Yer-ANUS! Yer-ANUS! Yer-ANUS!"

And that's exactly what I felt like just then.

Help. Us. All.

Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The March 7, 2009 Edition

I need to start reading during American Idol commercials. That's the one thing I plan to accomplish next week.

"If you're gonna dream, dream big."

All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America? :: I was shocked the first time I heard that many of the kids in my area eat one meal a day--the lunch they get at school. I picked up this book to sweep another layer of dirt off my innocence.

People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It! :: Some people read poetry. I read books about idiots.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to High-Fiber Cooking :: Even better! Idiots and poop!

Grand Canyon: Views Beyond the Beauty :: I picked up this book to balance out all the rest. And to experience the Grand Canyon without all those "going to fall in" types of fears.

Anyone else got a good book they're ignoring on the shelf?

Quick And Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I've mastered about three things in my life:

1. Being moody
2. Eating for comfort
   
3. Hating myself
   

You might have noticed that "making pie crusts from scratch" was nowhere on that list.

Big surprise.

But chicken pot pie, one of the quintessential comfort foods, involves a pie crust.

Never fear. An easier recipe is here.

Whenever I look at the ingredients in this recipe, I think, "Uh-wha? That's it? That can't possibly taste good."

But it does. And even though it calls for some cans of this and a package of that, it's marvelous. Just like Grandma used to make.

Only, my Grandma used to make tomato pie instead.


Quick And Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans cream of potato soup, condensed
1 can (13-14 oz) mixed vegetables, drained
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package of two (refrigerated) pie crusts

Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into pie crust, top with second crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool and let set for 10 minutes before serving. 6 servings.

Can be assembled in advance and frozen. Thaw before baking.


Note: I often deliver this (unbaked, sometimes frozen) pot pie to moms with new babies.


More recipes over at Ann's Food on Friday and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Teaching Kids To Care For Homeless People

A short while back, I wrote about creating simple care packages to hand out to the homeless people you might see around town.

I also mentioned that I was in the middle of a project related to this--and would get back to you when it was done.

Well.

IT IS DONE.

Would you like to know about it?

Too bad. I'm going to tell you anyway.

I asked the adults of my church to donate a big pile of practical items: things like bottles of water, granola bars, antibacterial wipes, pocket Kleenex, and socks. A few weeks later, I then had all the kids (age 3+) in the church form an assembly line and pack the items in several gallon-size Ziploc bags.

The kids drew pictures, and they included those personalized art pieces in the bags as well. In addition, we tucked some info on the local rescue mission into the bags, to point the homeless men and women to a place where they could get additional help.

Once the care packages were done, the kids gave them back to the people in the church, for them to keep in their cars and hand out as needed.

This is a great project for a group to take part in, and I always like it when kids can serve and practice what it means to love.

For more information on this idea and a couple others, see my article over at KATU.com.

If you like this idea, be sure to pass it on! It's quick and easy and makes a positive impact on not only the people being helped, but those doing the helping.

Adoption Update, Alternately Titled: Just Humiliate Me And Get It Over With

Our second adoption (fourth child) keeps moving along. We finished our visits with the social worker today, so here's a little update of all that's going on.



What's Been Done

We've collected official documents, filled out scads of forms, and had our backgrounds checked approximately 472 times. Hubs and I each met separately with our social worker in her office to play what could easily be called, "The Newlywed Game."

The social worker then came to the house where she got to see the two of us interacting together, all the while wrestling three howler monkeys. We're just thankful she didn't come at bedtime, where she would have seen a whole new side of our parenting skills. And by that I mean, "the sweet bedtime prayers and stories."

And since that two hour show wasn't entertaining enough, our social worker had to come back for more. Recently she visited us again--to inspect our home, and to interview the kids.

!!!

I'll just give you a few snippets from that visit and let you imagine the rest.

* * * * * * * * * *

Social worker to seven-year-old: "Which would you rather have, a brother or a sister?"

Seven-year-old: "Another sister, so my current sister doesn't bother me so much."

* * * * * * * * * *

Social worker to seven-year-old: "What does your two-year-old sister like?"

Seven-year-old: "She likes attention. But Mom never has enough time to give it to her."

* * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, both boys (ages 7 and 4) headed to the coat closet to hide play "spaceship." My two-year-old girl took that opportunity to put on her own little show. She ran to get her doll, and quickly came back to her "stage" and started whacking her doll's face on the table.

I said, "Like mother, like daughter."

No one laughed.

And I wondered, once again, who had run off with my Filter.

* * * * * * * * * *

Eventually, my four-year-old exited the closet with a toy broom in hand. He soon got bored with sweeping the floor, so he moved to the couch. First, he took the cushions off. YES. THE CUSHIONS. The cushions that I was certain the social worker would not lift up and look under. Once he got that part of the couch cleaned, he got down on the floor and stuck his broom under the couch. OH YES HE DID. And he pulled out so many items that I eventually lost count.

But I'm sure the social worker has that exact number of items burnt to her brain. Seeing as, my son proudly displayed each treasure to us all.

* * * * * * * * * *

WELCOME TO MY WORLD, PEOPLE.


What We're Waiting On

From here, our social worker will write a long-winded report about our family, which will then be checked, revised, mocked, checked, laughed at, and finalized.


What Comes Next

About a month from now, we'll be handed the files of EVERY child available for adoption in our state. I'm guessing that number is in the hundreds. Maybe more. New kids are added to that list each week, and their bios will be e-mailed to us each Friday.

From there, it's just a matter of us finding a child we "like," and "applying" to be his/her (or their!) parents. Since we're requesting a child younger than three, we'll be applying with about fifty other families each time.

With each child, a committee narrows the pool down to three potential adoptive families, and then that committee spends a lot of time choosing the best of those three from there.

It's certain that we'll apply for a child and be "rejected" on more than one occasion.

SO YES. YOU CAN PRAY FOR US.

And I have no doubt I'll be sharing the turmoil of it all here and on twitter. Make sure to subscribe to the e-mail updates if you aren't a "tweeter" (yet), or simply add that feed to your reader.


Thanks for asking for an update. Even though none of you did.