Bethany Douglass, Former Contributor

Handmade, Eco-Friendly Valentine Cards

By Bethany Douglass, Former Contributor 1 Comment

I loved celebrating Valentine’s Day in elementary school. Each student would share cards or treats with the other, stuffing them into carefully decorated shoeboxes, anticipating what was in their own. I looked forward to this holiday each year, so as a homeschooling parent, I still make priority for this holiday with colorful crafts and baking infused into our typical school routine. My children carefully create their own handmade cards to share with their friends, which makes them a bit unique each year.

This year, I wanted to find a way to be more resourceful, to repurpose materials and use tools or supplies we already own. Since we order most of home goods and books online, I always have a regular supply of craft paper, paperboard, and cardboard boxes. I pulled out other necessary supplies for them to use, and as often happens, they took it from there and created their own sets of unique cards.

These cards can be strung together to make garland or layered onto another card, or used as a card all on their own. It was easy and flexible for different ages. Even better, it was economical and an environmentally friendly way to celebrate this playful holiday.

SUPPLIES
cardboard or paperboard
scissors
non-toxic paint (strong enough to see on cardboard)
paintbrushes
heart-shaped cookie cutter or stencil
pencil
marker

DIRECTIONS
Cut the paperboard or cardboard into flat panels.
Let the kids paint as they will. I encouraged my own kids to touch colors but not overlap too much, to avoid brown blobs.
After the paint dries, flip each sheet of cardboard over and trace as many heart shapes as possible.
Cut out the hearts.
Write little messages on the front and back. If you have a young writer, you might write for them.
String them together for garland, layer them onto another card, or use them as a small note of kindness on their own. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Schoolkins // The First Thanksgiving

By Bethany Douglass, Former Contributor 1 Comment

I first purchased this book, The First Thanksgiving, when my oldest children were quite young, and it is still a favorite we read again together each year. Although beautifully and simply told, it is not a sugar-coated version of this pilgrimage. Jean Craighead George, the author of two more favorite children’s books Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain, gives an honest and artful voice to the hardships endured both by the pilgrims and the Native American tribes in this read. Gently, she introduces more complex topics into the story of this feast, such as the freedom of religion, the freedom of a person (European slave trade), the Plague, life aboard a transatlantic ship, establishing agricultural life, and of course Squanto’s peaceful help in these settlements–giving more context to this intermingled, multi-day feast we now call Thanksgiving.

The First Thanksgiving is a broad picture of this bit of history more than anything, an introduction to early colonial America, a springboard for other reading and learning and conversation. As it is a picture book, the illustrations carry their own part of the story as well–gorgeous, emotional paintings of dark stormy seas, lonely Squanto in the colorful woods, the Mayflower, and the golden harvest and feast to name a few. They are excellent fodder for budding artists to copy.

Naturally, we cannot discuss every topic thoroughly each year. This is the joy of returning to this window in American history again annually. When my children were quite young, I may have simply read the story aloud while they played on the floor around me. Some years we have added a project, and other years, we may have simply discussed it. As my children and their context for history grow, our discussions do, too. This is one of my favorite parts of parenting.

This year, as we are re-reading this story together, each is doing their own project with it. One of my children created simple models of the pilgrim ships using clay, small craft sticks, and paper. While the other three illustrated from the book or from their own imagination with pencil or watercolors.

I am adding more writing this year, too. The older boys will write a summary paper, possibly including a bit from other history readings since we’ve been studying some early American history this fall. My oldest daughter, who is still learning about paragraphing and summarizing, will narrate the story to me, which I will write down, and she will copy on her own. My youngest, who is still an early writer, will copy one to two sentences from the story itself. Although the specifics may vary year to year, sharing the origin of Thanksgiving with my children during this season helps deepen both our understanding and gratitude.

Schoolkins // Memorizing Poetry

By Bethany Douglass, Former Contributor 3 Comments

When the subject of poetry memorization begins, it generally conjures scenes similar to Chardin’s late 18th century painting The Good Education: frilly dresses, bonnets, serious expressions, and an open book in hand. Although I love that painting (and even have a postcard-size copy of it on my bookshelf), poetry memorization looks quite different in our home full of raucous happenstance. Still we do have a process of sorts for this memory work. Here’s a bit of what it looks like for us:

READ A POEM TOGETHER DAILY // Before we begin memorizing a poem, we read it and talk about it together. Sometimes the poem has unfamiliar words or phrasing, so we’ll talk about those a bit, too. I keep a small collection of poetry books on our shelf, and often read a poem during our snack time or our daily language lessons. Everyday, we read a new poem, even if we are not intending to memorize it. Sometimes the poem is funny or small, and other times, it is confusing or too abstract. When the last bit occurs, we might re-read it to see if we understand it better, but mostly we move on. At my children’s ages, I don’t want them to be bogged down in analysis. That will come as they grow older. For now, the purpose of poetry is to experience language in a new way.

BEGIN WITH SMALL, FUN POEMS // When you are first beginning memorization with your children, choose simple poems they will enjoy reciting. Shorter works will help them feel a sense of mastery and confidence to do it again. My six year old began the year with a two line poem Happy Thought from Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verse. She has since moved on to a bit longer poem by Christina Rossetti–another poet who is a perfect start for young children, as her descriptions tend to be more concrete observations or comparisons with nature.

COPY + ILLUSTRATE THE POEM // If your children are little, this might be more difficult or even unnecessary yet. My children span the grade school years and are all practicing writers, so this works well for us. Copying poetry helps them notice the poetic form itself–capitalization, punctuation, rhyme, and so on–and how it differs from prose. Illustration provides imaginative space for my children to transfer the meaning. Plus, it makes for a beautiful keepsake or reference as they continue memorizing.

CELEBRATE // When our children complete a poem, they recite it for all of us and we applaud them. Sometimes they forget a line or need a helpful nudge, and that’s okay, too. Make note to return to those lines again later. Memory work is difficult, and we love to celebrate their hard work and accomplishment.

COLLECT YOUR FAVORITE POETRY BOOKS // There are so many wonderful poems, so I love anthologies that give a diverse sampling. Here’s a few of the books on our own shelf:

Poetry for Young People series, various poets

A Child’s Anthology of Poetry, Edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword

Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection selected by Michael Rosen

A Child’s Introduction to Poetry, by Michael Driscoll

A Child’s Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Schoolkins // Studying Nature

By Bethany Douglass, Former Contributor

Although I spent much time outdoors playing and camping as a child, I never would have termed myself a naturalist. My family and I loved nature, but in all of our time there, I never recall formally studying nature together. Of course, I learned about the natural cycles in elementary school, and in my older school years, I studied animals and plant parts with more detail, but somehow in my young mind, the two worlds remained entirely separate: one part formal academic study and another part an environment for our family life. Years later, when I first began homeschooling, I always wanted to find a way to incorporate more connection between our love of the outdoors and natural learning. Can children and adults enjoy nature without formal study of it? Of course! But what a gift to connect both a love and knowledge of the world around us.

But let’s be honest. Nature studies can feel intimidating. If you’ve browsed social media or the internet, you’ve already discovered beautiful nature projects parents and children are creating together, and it can feel paralyzing if it’s not your own strength. I’m letting you know nature studies do not have to be intimidating or paralyzing. During our many years in homeschooling, we’ve studied and enjoyed the natural world in a variety of beautiful, yet casual manners. The most important part is including it in your routine in a manner which fits your own style and home rhythm. Here’s a few ways we’ve included our love of nature in our own days.

Walk.

Whether you live in a city neighborhood or a rural countryside, walking is the best way to slowly discover. You may simply notice the types of flowers that are blooming or discuss why the leaves fall. Why are leaves different in shape? What is their purpose? Is the grass in the field the same as the grass in your own yard? Do all the bird songs sound the same? Is one louder than the others? These type of questions can be conversational, and most importantly teach you and your children to pause and notice.

Collect.

Grammar and preschool-aged children might enjoy collecting various leaves or bugs to touch and observe more closely. Use the internet or your own books to help identify them. We often do this in our garden to identify bugs as friend or foe.

Read.

Each library trip, we pick up a few new books on science and nature. In early years, they went through their own interests thoroughly and might not move on until they had read/looked at every book our library had on the subject, be it sharks or turtles or penguins or whales. As they have grown older, I’ve noticed my children are more interested in the processes. For instance, how does a tree grow or a bird lay an egg? Some of our favorite books are: anything by Steve Jenkins, Animalium, Nature Anatomy, and Farm Anatomy and vintage nature books we discover in used book stores.

Draw | Paint | Write

We have not consistently kept nature journals in our home. Like most children, my own love art, so they often draw or paint what inspires them in nature, but we have not organized this in a very tidy way. I’m trying to change that this year, as they’re all getting a little older and are able to keep their own work organized. Our family rarely carries notebooks around with us on our walks or hikes. Instead, we take photographs or collect plants or small insents in paper bags or jars to bring home with us. Sometimes we simply observe and then look at images in books or online afterward. Do whatever style works for you.

As for supplies, if you'd like to bring your notebooks along, make sure to find a bound notebook. Strathmore makes lovely ones in various sizes. We use individual cardstock found at an office supply store and collect paintings and drawings together in one binder (per child). We use Lyra colored pencils–the Ferby tri-grip for little hands and the Rembrandt for the older children–and Stockmar watercolors for our paintings. The children label what they illustrate and often write a sentence of something interesting or even silly they learned about their creature or plant. When it dries, they slide it into a sheet protetcor in their binder.

Form a nature group.

When my children were younger, I met with a local nature group weekly to have a walk with our children and then have lunch together in the park. We met in different parts of our town, and when possible, had someone specific share about the habitat. This was perfect for that part of our life. We don't formally meet with a group in our community now, but we've learned to enjoy one another in this way. As my children have grown older, I realize they want to grow in their own relationships with nature. I'm grateful for our time of study that helps foster it.

Handmade, Eco-Friendly Valentine Cards

Schoolkins // The First Thanksgiving

Schoolkins // Memorizing Poetry

Schoolkins // Studying Nature

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