Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Finding Time for Reflection


As the new year quickly approaches, I find myself a little desperate for some time to sit quietly and reflect on this past year. Finding a moment to myself, though, is very hard to come by these days. But before I begin the new year, I want to stop and think about this past year and all the challenges and blessings it has brought me. I want to think about what I want to change in the coming year, and what I want to keep the same. I want to think about what is best for my children, for me, my husband, our marriage, my friendships, and my relationships with my extended familia. I want to think about this blog, and the LBBC, Latin Baby and anything else to which I devote my time.

Mi amiga, Angelica, recently mentioned some of her goals for the coming year. This is something that I think is important to create. But setting goals, for me, is not something I can easily do without thinking about where I've been, where I am now, and where I want to be. It's also something I can't accomplish alone anymore. Since becoming una mamá, I no longer have only my own life to consider, but also two others. I know that my actions impact mis niños, because they are watching me closely everyday and modeling themselves after me.

I also feel (self-imposed) pressure to clean up the house. It's silly, really, pero at the end of the year, for some reason I feel this tremendous urge to organize and purge mi casita of all the STUFF that we don't need. All the clutter strangles me, because I always want to start the new year off clean and fresh, with a positive outlook and an open mind that is receptive to change for the good of my familia.

So here are my goals for the next two days:

1) Find 30 minutes to sit quietly and think about the past year.
2) Make a list of the good things I want to keep or develop.
3) Make a list of the challenges we've faced.
4) Create a list of goals for 2011. This list can be as complex as "train my daughter to have a positive attitude," or as simple as "paint the trim in the living room."
5) Think carefully about our homeschool schedule and format these past 4 months.
6) Create a new approach or make changes (if necessary) to our homeschool plan for the rest of this school year.
7) Make a trip to Goodwill/Salvation Army and drop off donations.
8) Decide which area of the house I most want to organize and just do it. 

What about you? Have you already thought about your goals for the coming year? Have you spent time thinking about this past one? Or is it hard for you to find time to just sit quietly alone to reflect?

Con mucho cariño....

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Bright Hub Offers Homeschool Lesson Plans and More

Technically, we are still on our holiday vacation from schooling. But I am still keeping an eye out for great lessons, units, products, articles and more. Not only to share with you, but also for my own kids.



One of my favorite sites is Bright Hub. I am routinely surprised by some of the great information and ideas that I get from them. For example, this week I read the article, Homeschool Winter Units: Coldest Places On Earth and Winter Sports, which has some great suggestions for two unit studies, which I enjoy because they cover a broad range of subjects. And this particular article, couldn't come at a more appropriate time of year, as we continue to shovel snow outside our door.


For those of you who are taking some time off, these unit studies are an easy and fun way to keep your children learning, without worrying about following a curriculum or a strict schedule. I especially appreciate the book list and web references given.


Another great idea for holiday vacation time is using the time to explore art. Last week, Sunny Griffis published the article, Art Competitions for Homeschooled Students, which includes several ideas and contests for the artistically inclined child.


I frequently pass on articles like these on the Mommy Maestra Facebook Page, so if you aren't already following me there, you may want to think about it.


Con mucho cariño...

Monday, December 27, 2010

Nieve, Nieve Everywhere...

Whew! We've made it through the holiday weekend, and I hope you all enjoyed a beautiful holiday. Saturday was full of gifts and food, squeals and laughter, hugs and besitos. Then yesterday we awoke to this...


Gack! It actually was beautiful. And it didn't stop snowing all day. Out came the old sled that used to be my grandfather's...


And for those of you experiencing similar weather conditions, here's a little recipe that you might enjoy, too!

Snow Ice Cream II (We made this with chocolate milk!)

Monday, December 20, 2010

A Lunar Eclipse and a Last-Minute Gift

I think that this will be my last post on Mommy Maestra for this week. Things are getting terribly busy around here - especially for me as I race to finish sewing several gifts for family and friends!

But I have several things I want to mention...

FIRST, if you don't know about tonight's lunar eclipse, you should! While I know this would be a fantastic learning experience for my kids, this magnificent event takes place at 3 am our time (the peak is about 3:17 EST), and once my daughter is awake, well, you can just forget it. There's no going back to sleep afterwards! And we have a very busy day tomorrow, so my husband and I decided that we will be the only two to wake up and catch a peek of the red moon. I'm going to try and take video. I'm pretty excited, but really sad that I can't share it with my kids, or we will all be a disaster in the morning.

However, if you'd like to read more about this fascinating phenomenon, check out the following links.

Solstice Lunar Eclipse - Nasa Science 

5 Things You Need To Know About Lunar Eclipses

Shadow & Substance

Catch the Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight


NOW!

If you suddenly find yourself in need of a last-minute gift for a child (yours or someone else's), check out TheToymaker.com. This beautiful site has some wonderful paper toys that you can make yourself. Or download, print, and wrap so that you can present it to your favorite niño o niña and let them make it themselves! Marilyn has so many beautiful toys available for download, many of them free (please consider a donation), and she also has some books available for purchase. Here's a short video she's made for The Toymaker's Christmas:


"No School" Doesn't Mean "No Learning"

We have officially caved in and declared a holiday vacation from homeschool. But just because we are on vacation, doesn't mean that there isn't a little bit of learning still going on! Here are some of our activities that I consider to be enriching learning experiences even though they are not a part of our official curriculum...


Grammar & Spelling

For the past week, my daughter has been writing out her holiday cards. This is her first time to do so. She wanted to do them after she saw me writing out mine. So I picked up a couple packets of festive Mary Engelbreit note cards ($1 at Michaels) and then helped her write out her message on a dry erase board, which she then uses for reference as she writes out her 10 cards. This also has provided me with the opportunity to teach her how to address a letter with both a mailing and return address.


Reading

Earlier this year, we enrolled in Pizza Hut's Book It! reading program. Each month, we set a goal as far as how many books to read, or how many minutes each day, and if my daughter completes the goal, I give her one of the coupons that Pizza Hut sent me, which entitles her to one free personal pan pizza. She did great the first month (goal: she reads 12 books, and I read her 5 harder, longer books), so we made the second month a little harder (she reads 20 books, and I still read her 5). We squeaked by, so this month we kept that same goal. I ordered some new readers from Scholastic, and to ensure her participation, I am having her read one to me every night before bed (because our days have been disjointed and off schedule!). So far, this is working out great. In fact, tonight she redeemed her second pizza, as we decided to have a family night out. She takes great pride in her accomplisment and insists on personally handing the cashier her Book It! certificate/coupon.  


Math

Baking, baking, and more baking! Learning how to measure is never as much fun as when you actually create something edible and yummy. On our list this week: blueberry bread, lemon cake, gingerbread cookies, and my special homemade fudge for gift giving!

We're also planning to work on patterns (recognition and creating) as we assemble some cranberry/popcorn garlands for our little feathered friends, who have been extremely busy at our feeders the last several days during our snowy weather.


Science

Project Feeder Watch is in full swing. The observation table is set up next to the dining room windows, and it includes binoculars, field guide, pencils and data sheet. We've also been conducting a little science experiment by growing lima beans in plastic bags (wet vs. dry vs. cold vs. warm) and then carefully recording the data. I'm thinking we might try some of this with a few of the seeds from our bird feeder and see what kind of results we get.


Arts & Crafts....and Character Building

Some of the other homeschooling parents in the area were receptive to the idea of a gift exchange among the kids. So I assigned each child a number and then used Random.org to draw names. Each child is responsible for giving another child a gift. Our only rules? Each gift must be handmade, using household items or materials that cost $5 or less. The goal is to promote creativity, thoughtfulness, consideration, and a giving heart. I'll post soon about what gifts my children have chosen to create for their friend.


How are you encouraging your children to learn during the holiday break?


Con mucho cariño...

Friday, December 17, 2010

Weekend Links: Bilingual Books to Villancicos

• Bilingual Books for Navidad :: Latin Baby Book Club

• Winter-Themed Picture Books Perfect for Snuggling by the Fire :: Homeschool Classroom

• 25 Gifts Kids Can Make! :: The Crafty Crow

• Holiday Rice Krispies Trees {Giveaway} :: Modern Mami

• Am I a Bad Homeschool Mom if I Don’t Use Hands-on Projects? :: Jimmie’s Collage

• Huerto Casero / Home Garden :: 2 Pequeños Traviesos

• The Gift of Slow :: Simple Homeschool

• Building a Family Culture Through Holiday Traditions :: Simple Homeschool

• Ice Lanterns :: Ordinary Life Magic (For those of you attending or hosting posadas, this may be a lovely handmade decoration!)


• La Música de Navidad :: YouTube (Everyone give Ana from Spanglish Baby a big round of applause for finding and sharing this amazing YouTube channel that features villancicos navideños!!)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Handmade Gifts from La Cocina!

Photo by D'Arcy Norman
When you make a gift, it shows how much you care about a person. You invest time, energy, and maybe un poco de dinero.
Here are some regalitos deliciosos that you can make together with your nenes. Straight from la cocina Latina!

• Why not give the dry ingredients to make Mexican Hot Chocolate using this recipe by Clementina over at A Little Cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate? I think it would be great to put chocolate shavings into a decorative tin or jar and add a little pouch with the other dry ingredients. Attach a pretty recipe card and away you go!

• Maybe you can make some buñuelos with your children and then deliver them fresh to friends and family? Wrap them in a pretty cloth napkin and a gift basket y ya! Although an adult will have to fry the buñuelos, children can help knead the dough and form the balls. Check out this delicious recipe for Buñuelos Colombianos from Erica over at My Colombian Recipes. It is mouth-watering!

• Erica also has a great recipe for alfajores with dulce de leche. Warning: If you decide to make these yummy cookies as a gift, they might mysteriously disappear before you can even make it out of your casa!! But I think these would look lovely in a decorative tin or even a holiday-themed Chinese take-out box.

• Natilla is originally a Spanish custard that quickly spread throughout Latin America and evolved into a variety of versions depending on the country. Personally, I love this recipe, found at InMamasKitchen.com. I think these could be made in advance and delivered fresh!

• Don't miss Elizabeth Belkind's Mexican "Hot" Chocolate Sandwich Cookie recipe on LAWeekly's blog, where they are in the middle of a 12 Days of Cookies series.

• For the most creative families, consider a little marzipan fun! Here is a simple recipe. Have your children create holiday-themed marzipan pieces and place in decorative tins, boxes lined with colored foil, or recycled candy boxes.

• And my homeschooling friend, Marta, over at the Tiki Tiki, has graciously shared recipe links and free downloads for some super yummy dulce de leche (and crema de vie!) and packaging ideas.

Con mucho cariño...

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Taking the Day Off...

Queridos Amigos,

Tomorrow - Wednesday - my son performs a solo in his preschool's Christmas play. This is my son's last year in school before we start his homeschooling, and I am grateful he's had this opportunity. Anyhow, I am sure in the morning my daughter and I will be busy getting ready to go and cheer him on, and then I will dedicate the rest of the day to them. And now as I write this, the Theraflu I have just taken, is making it difficult for me to stay awake. (I do not have the flu, just a rotten cold that picked the wrong time to visit.)

So I will be back Thursday with algo un poquito mas interesante.

Un abrazo a todos!

~Monica

Handmade Gifts for Your Kids to Make

My 'Buelita was a master gardener. Not officially (this was back before they had such titles and programs!), but she loved to garden. Her backyard was lush and green, and lovingly tended. I remember spending hours out there digging, watering, planting, playing, and daydreaming. I can remember the gloriously giant roses she grew along her back fence, the rows of corn that grew tall in the summer, the bird-of-paradise flowers that bloomed so strangely in pots on her back porch, and succulents out the ying-yang. And she would often trade plants with her friends and family.




This is the first thought that came to my mind when I read Lucia's post, Gifts from Nature: Gifts of Green, over on The Magnifying Glass blog. I have been a devoted reader since it's inception, and for those of you looking for nature-themed gifts that your children can create on their own, be sure to head over there and take a look at their Gifts from Nature series. They have a lot of simple, but beautiful, ideas, including:

• kindling bundles for papi or abuelo
• cinnamon scented pinecones for 'buelita
• sand and shell candles for las tías!
• and much, much more!

Con mucho cariño...

Monday, December 13, 2010

Foreign Language Friends: A Unique and Educational Gift for Children

Are you still looking for a unique, educational gift to give your child? Or maybe you need a last minute present for a niece or nephew? Stop and take a look at this!



Over the last few months I had the opportunity to review a new website for children. Foreign Language Friends is an interactive site that promotes Spanish learning and is a great supplement for a child’s Spanish studies. It is a tool to introduce and/or reinforce language learning and should be used in conjunction with a full Spanish curriculum. Designed to encourage full immersion learning at home in a fun and inexpensive way, FLF allows children to methodically work their way through basic concepts and vocabulary.

The site is theme-based, and covers topics such as colors, shapes, numbers, body parts, transportation, and many more. Each theme is then covered in great detail with seven activities including a vocabulary builder, matching game, Spanish-only animation, sing-along, a unique game, spelling, and printable activities/worksheets.

I think that families will love how the site can be used by a single child or multiple children, who create their own ID so that they can login and then work at their own pace. One of the best parts of the site is the Progress Tracker, which not only remembers where the child stopped working so that he or she can begin at the same spot the next time they log on, but also allows parents to see what their children have learned. Parents can simply enter the child’s name and then review their progress.

It is no surprise that most of Foreign Language Friends users are homeschooling families that want to start integrating foreign language into their curriculum while their children are still young. But I think that even parents with children in public or private school, would greatly benefit from sharing this with their children. And Spanish teachers might also consider recommending this site to their students - or using it in class to supplement their lessons.

Parents who are not fluent in Spanish can use FLF to help their children practice their pronunciation at home. In fact, families are encouraged to work together, learning together while having fun. Although, children can also use the program on their own.

FLF can also play a big roll helping overcome the problem of children who refuse to speak Spanish at home with their parents. This learning tool can easily be added to a child’s routine and reinforce what they are learning in a fun and interactive way.

Kultural Kids owner, Denise Leitch, and her husband created FLF after three years of research and failing to find a similar site available. They have worked very hard to bring it to life: Denise created the content and curriculum, while her husband developed the web design and technical side of it.

Denise states, “With Foreign Language Friends, we also try to make every activity interactive and welcoming, fun and challenging, so that the child can feel accomplished and wants to learn more.”

She says that active learning is the key, and passive learning will not work 100%. INTERACTION is a necessary part of the learning process.

A subscription to Foreign Language Friends would be a really fun gift for children (my daughter really loves this site!), and parents can appreciate its educational value. Individuals and families can purchase a monthly subscription for $9, or a yearly one for $99. This plan allows up to 3 computers to be logged in at the same time. School plans are also available. ALL the plans come with a 7 day free trial. MommyMaestra readers can enjoy an additional 25% discount if they use the promo code: LATINBABY


Con mucho cariño...

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Weekend Links: Music to the World's First Mariachi Opera

• 10 Quick Music Enrichment Ideas :: Heart of the Matter (Love this post!!)

• How to Bake Bread (Teaching Life Skills in the Kitchen) :: Five J’s

• Ornament Advent Day 6: Stained Glass Poinsettias! :: Crafty Crow

• How to Make Yarn Dolls :: Living Creating Believing (Very neat idea. I think my 'Buelita made me one once...)

• Desert Lesson Plan for Preschool and Homeschool Students:: Associated Content (Sort of the wrong time of year, but hey, the desert is always there! Save it for later.)

• Transitioning into the Big Kid Years :: Simple Homeschool

• School Week 11 and 12 :: Montessori Spanish


• And don't miss the winter edition of Rhythm of the Home, a digital magazine featuring "a huge gathering of projects, reflections, traditions and good food for every family to share." It is wonderful and also delves into the Waldorf tradition, so those of you considering this method of homeschooling, especially, should check it out.


And here are just a few more giveaways this week…

• Latin Baby Book Club

• Spanglish Baby


Last, but not least!

• A Trumpet's Note of Hope in a Mariachi Opera :: Houston Chronicle (Story behind the world's first mariachi opera. A moving story and a must read!)


Con mucho cariño...

More Educational Gifts for Christmas

My list is still growing and I have been shopping. Here are some more of my favorite gifts for this season....



3-D Solar System

Today I bought these glow-in-the-dark planets for my daughter's room. She is a space fanatic and already has the stars that glow all over her ceiling. Both my kids, actually, enjoyed learning about the planets last year, and continue to ask questions about the cosmos. I recently found out about the astronomer's club that meets every month at our local museum, so I'm hoping to introduce my family to this fantastic opportunity later next year when the nights get warmer!  Available from $7.99 here.

And on a similar note...
 
 
 
 

I think this may be one of the coolest astronomy products for little kids out there right now! This moon night light turns your child's room into an authentically detailed 3-D lunar landscape. After your child is all tucked in for the night, Moon in My Room creates a peaceful, glowing effect for a night full of sweet dreams.  It hangs on your wall and includes an automatic or annual function that shows 12 main phases of the moon, auto shut-off, and an infared remote control. This product also comes with a 15-minute audio CD that provides a guided tour to the moon!  Available from $14.99 here.





Playmobil has this fun portable theater that comes with 6 characters, 20 props and 2 interchangeable backdrops. It also includes a mini sound machine that plays background music, audience/children's laughter and applause! I think this would be a great toy for developing your child's imagination and storytelling skills Children can use almost any characters (or make more puppets) with this theater, thus expanding the creativity and longevity of this piece. Available from $39.00 here.
 
 
 
 
This complete set features over 100 pieces to assemble and decorate your very own dollhouse of your dreams! The dollhouse is made form recycled cardboard and even the box it comes in features a play mat on the inside! Decorate each room with the accessories provided but don't forget to add your own personal touches. This kit contains 1 sturdy cardboard dollhouse (Assembled measures 21" x 17-1/4" x 9"), 1 color-in playmate printed on inside of box, four sheets of creative color-in cut outs. Decorative papers, three sheets of punch-out and put together furniture, (1) glue stick, adhesive foam squares, more than forty stickers, 12 washable markers in assorted colors, and instruction/idea booklet. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Available from $22.50 here.
 
Con mucho cariño...

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