Making and Canning Applesauce

A few weeks ago I had apples coming out my ears...At least that's what it felt like.  I had bought a few 20 lb.  boxes of "juicing apples". The apples were small and had ugly skin, but for the most part, not a lot of spoils, just branch rubs.  There the boxes sat...and then it dawned on me.  Why not have a "life skills" day and teach all the kids how to can?  I had just canned cranberry sauce a few days earlier with my 13 year old daughter so she was familiar enough with the process to aid me in teaching the younger children how to do it.

My oldest two helped quarter the apples, I manned the stove, having the apples boil lightly in the water, then I transferred the cooked apples to the food mill.

  The younger children loved taking turns squishing the apples down the hopper or cranking the handle while watching the hot applesauce come out.  

 The older two ladled the steaming mush into the jars, wiped them clean, then put the lids and rings on. I transferred the quarts to the canner.

 A 20 lb. box of apples made just over 7 qts. It was perfect for a full batch in the canner and enough left over to enjoy the fruit of our labor. 

Working together as a team was a great experience for us and it's been nice to see the children appreciate the work that went into making the applesauce.  It makes it taste all the sweeter!  The next thing will be teaching my daughter how to use the pressure canner.  I was terrified of it for years and finally became brave enough to do it myself this past year.  Ever since, I've been canning dried beans, and I've loved having my own canned beans.  They make dinner so quick and easy, and not to mention, easy on the budget. What kind of "life skills" are you teaching in your homeschool?

Jenny is the nutty mother of 6 kids, and is married to a psychologist (it's great to have psych help on site). Her varied ramblings are found at We don't call people poopyheads. Her interests are basically anything that makes her abnormal, such as homebirthing, homeschooling, herbalism and natural healing, holistic iridology, being a certified Emotion Code practitioner, and a survivalist wanna-be, to name a few.

Big Week for Children's Literature

The following are excerpts from a Press Release about the ALA Awards, which were announced this week. I added Amazon links. I'm not familiar with many of these (shamefully), but I'm excited to check them out.

NEWS
For Immediate Release
January 23, 2012

Contact: Macey Morales

American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners

DALLAS - The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Dallas.

A list of all the 2012 award winners follows:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

“Dead End in Norvelt,” written by Jack Gantos, is the 2012 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Farrar Straus Giroux.

Two Newbery Honor Books also were named: "Inside Out & Back Again," written by Thanhha Lai and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; and "Breaking Stalin’s Nose,” written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, and published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

“A Ball for Daisy," illustrated and written by Chris Raschka, is the 2012 Caldecott Medal winner. The book is published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Three Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “Blackout,” illustrated and written by John Rocco, and published by Disney · Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group; "Grandpa Green" illustrated and written by Lane Smith, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership; and “Me … Jane,” illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell, and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

“Where Things Come Back,” written by John Corey Whaley, is the 2012 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon& Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Four Printz Honor Books also were named: “Why We Broke Up,” written by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group; “The Returning,” written by Christine Hinwood and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group Young Readers Group USA; “Jasper Jones,” written by Craig Silvey and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.; and “The Scorpio Races,” written by Maggie Stiefvater and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of “Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans,” is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Two King Author Honor Book recipients were selected: Eloise Greenfield, author of “The Great Migration: Journey to the North,” illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and Patricia C. McKissack, author of “Never Forgotten,” illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon and published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award:

Shane W. Evans, illustrator and author of “Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom,” is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book is a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership.

One King Illustrator Honor Book recipient was selected: Kadir Nelson, illustrator and author of “Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans,” published by Balzar + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement:

Ashley Bryan is the winner of the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime achievement. The award, which pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton.

Storyteller, artist, author, poet and musician, Bryan created his first children’s book in first grade. He grew up in the Bronx and in 1962, he became the first African American to both write and illustrate a children’s book. After a successful teaching career, Bryan left academia to pursue creation of his own artwork. He has since garnered numerous awards for his significant and lasting literary contribution of poetry, spirituals and story.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:

The Jury chose not to award a book in the category for children ages 0 – 8 because no submissions were deemed worthy of the award.

Two books were selected for the middle school award (ages 9 – 13): “close to famous,” written by Joan Bauer and published by Viking, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group; and “Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures,” written by Brian Selznick and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic.

The teen (ages 14-18) award winner is “The Running Dream,” written by Wendelin Van Draanen and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:

• “Big Girl Small,” by Rachel DeWoskin, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• “In Zanesville,” by Jo Ann Beard, published by Little, Brown & Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
• “The Lover’s Dictionary,” by David Levithan, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• “The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens,” by Brooke Hauser, published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
• “The Night Circus,” by Erin Morgenstern, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. 
• “Ready Player One,” by Ernest Cline, published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.(ISBN: 9780307887436)
• “Robopocalypse: A Novel,” by Daniel H. Wilson, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
• “Salvage the Bones,” by Jesmyn Ward, published by Bloomsbury USA
• “The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures,” by Caroline Preston, published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
• “The Talk-Funny Girl,” by Roland Merullo, published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults:

Susan Cooper is the 2012 Edwards Award winner. Her books include: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: “Over Sea, Under Stone”; “The Dark Is Rising”; “Greenwitch”; “The Grey King”; and “Silver on the Tree.”

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States:

“Soldier Bear” is the 2012 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in Dutch in 2008 as “Soldaat Wojtek,” written by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman, translated by Laura Watkinson and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

One Batchelder Honor Book also was selected: “The Lily Pond,” published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., written by Annika Thor, and translated by Linda Schenck.

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:

“Diego Rivera: His World and Ours,” illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, is the Belpré Illustrator Award winner. The book was written by Duncan Tonatiuh and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Two Belpré Illustrator Honor Books were selected: “The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred,” illustrated by Rafael López, written by Samantha R. Vamos and published by Charlesbridge; and “Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match /Marisol McDonald no combina,” illustrated by Sara Palacios, written by Monica Brown and published by Children’s Book Press, an imprint of Lee and Low Books Inc.

Pura Belpré (Author) Award:

“Under the Mesquite,” written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, is the Belpré Author Award winner. The book is published by Lee and Low Books Inc.

Two Belpré Author Honor Books were named: “Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck,” written by Margarita Engle and published by Henry Holt and Company,LLC.; and “Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller,” written by Xavier Garza and published by Cinco Puntos Press.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:

“Balloons over Broadway:  The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade,” written by Melissa Sweet, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Four Sibert Honor Books were named: "Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor," written by Larry Dane Brimner and published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.; "Drawing from Memory," written and illustrated by Allen Sayand published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; "The Elephant Scientist," written by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson, photographs byCaitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwelland published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; and "Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem" written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzerand published by the National Geographic Society.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book:

"Tales for Very Picky Eaters," written and illustrated by Josh Schneider, is the Geisel Award winner. The book is published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Three Geisel Honor Books were named: "I Broke My Trunk,” written and illustrated by Mo Willems, and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group; "I Want My Hat Back," written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, and published by Candlewick Press; and "See Me Run," written and illustrated by Paul Meisel, and published by Holiday House.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

“Where Things Come Back,” written by John Corey Whaley is the 2012 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon& Schuster Children's Publishing.

Four other books were finalists for the award: “Girl of Fire and Thorns,” written by Rae Carson, published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; “Paper Covers Rock,” written by Jenny Hubbard, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books; “Under the Mesquite,” written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, published by Lee and Low Books; and “Between Shades of Gray,” written by Ruta Sepetys, published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group USA.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12 – 18, each year:  

“The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery” written by Steve Sheinkin, is the 2012 Excellence winner. The book is published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Four other books were finalists for the award: “Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science,” written by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; “Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition,” written by Karen Blumenthal, published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; “Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way),” written by Sue Macy, published by National Geographic Children’s Books; and “Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein,” written by Susan Goldman Rubin, published by Charlesbridge.

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children’s experts, the awards encourage original and creative work.  For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA Web site at www.ala.org.

Emily loves books more than chocolate cake...especially books written for kids! You'll find lots (hundreds!) of book reviews at her blog, Homespun Light, as well as other homeschool chatter.

Book Review: Handmade Music Factory

 

What a treat!  What a wealth of home made information to inspire the budding musician who also loves to work with his/her hands!

Handmade Music Factory: The Ultimate Guide to Making Foot~Stompin’~Good Instruments by Mike Orr gives instructions for making real, usable instruments out of cookie tins, making an electrified stomp box and washboard, one string washtub bass, an ironing board lap steel guitar and a soup can diddley bow.

What I really loved about this book was the detailed pictorial instructions for making instruments using tins, cans and boxes and the chapters on electrifying the instruments. You will find detailed pictorial instructions for the electrical wiring.  One “electrifying” picture shows the usage of an empty Altoid tin to encase electrical parts. You can even make a home made amplifier out of an old radio.   The Gallery holds page after page of inspiring creations, including a guitar made from an old license plate, a hubcap banjo, and other lovely boxes (I could have done well without the toilet seat guitars, but to each his own). 

My budding musician flipped for this book found in our local library.  Click here for more information and the opportunity to see inside. 

What a treat!




Teresa is a widow, with four children at home,  homeschooling 2 “disabled” adult children and one Neuro typical high school age son.  The family embraces their inner rubber chicken, leaving a puff of feathers in their wake.

Two Wonderful Apps

I have an iPad. I love it. I have to share it. Even my two year old knows how to get around on it without a problem. We have actually used it quite a bit in our homeschooling. I thought I would share two of my most favorite educational apps. Do you use the Bob reading books? My seven year loves them and they have an app for the iPad that is wonderful. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bob-books-1-reading-magic-hd/id405995002?mt=8
We also really like the Starfall website! Well, they have a great app as well. It is too easy for the child who is already on their way to reading, but for those just beginning letters and sounds and such it is really wonderful! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/starfall-abcs/id395623983?mt=8 I highly recommend both of these apps!

Jessica is the happy homeschooling mother of four daughters and one little boy due to arrive any day, if he hasn't already..... :) You can read about her life and homeschooling adventures at http://pemberleyacademy.blogspot.com/

Learning Their Scriptures: The Preschool Years

     I recently authored an article for Meridian Magazine on helping our children to love their scriptures. If you’re interested, you can read the article in full here. However, today I just want to focus on the preschool years. So much of our children’s bent and personality begins early on, and while there are changes throughout their lives, a firm foundation can never be replaced. These years are magical. You are their hero, and can do no wrong in their eyes. I distinctly remember teaching my firstborn in his preschool years about sin and why the Savior chose to give His life to save ours. It was the first time he had ever contradicted me. I told him that everyone sins. He said, “Oh no, Mommy, you don’t sin.” I replied, “Of course I do, sweetie.” It took a lot of convincing. Eventually he agreed to just believe me because I wouldn’t lie to him.

     That moment stayed burned into my mind for two reasons: One, I was so touched that my son thought so highly of me, and two, the weight of the responsibility felt enormous. I was his whole world. The preschool age is one where children are so open and willing to be molded. I will admit, that is, in part, why I wince at how frequently people put there children in full time preschool. It is my personal opinion that we are doing damage to our society when our young children are molded in a mass market educational mindset. I sometimes wonder if that is what is going to lead to the indictment the Apostle Paul gave about the last days, saying, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” 2 Timothy 3:1-4

     Our responsibility as parents is great before our Heavenly Father. He’s entrusted these special spirits to us. We need to take that responsibility very seriously. I don’t want to waste any moment of it. Let’s not wait until our children are independent readers to give them a love of Scripture. Let’s do it from the moment they are born. I used to read Scripture to my children in the quite moments of nursing them. Now, I will be honest, once I got to three and four children, there were no quite moments of nursing, so that went out the window. But, I could still whisper words of my love and my Heavenly Father’s love to them.  Another step we can take is to have heavenly music playing in our home. I love Scriptures that are set to music. It helps it seep deep into our souls, and it becomes a part of us.

Being An Example

     However, if I was going to pick one thing that was the most important step you could take to help your preschooler love their scriptures, it would be to love the Scriptures yourself. Let them see you read it. Let them see you pour over and study the words.  Let them see you both weep and rejoice over the way the Spirit has stirred your heart. Scripture should change us. So let them see it change you. I realized my son never thought I sinned when he was younger, because I never spoke with him about my repenting.  All he saw was the outer mommy, who always seemed to have her act together. He didn’t see the inner struggles.  Now, when I read a Scripture that pricks my heart, I tell my children about it. I let them know when I’m convicted and have to work on something. I enlist them to help me. That also makes them more willing to share their struggles. We’re in this together.

     I will give a word of warning, though. If you’re like me and study your scriptures with a pack of colored pencils in hand, you had better have a Bible coloring book handy. Your preschooler wants to be just like you, and if he doesn’t have his own Scriptures to study with, your Scriptures will get colored with crayons at some point. After all, he wants to study too. That was a lesson I learned quickly. Mommy has her Scriptures to color in, and they have theirs.

     As they get into the older preschool years, and you start to teach them to read, add in a list of words that are common in the Scriptures. There is an interesting book that someone tossed into a pile of books they were giving me, entitled Head Start with the Book of Mormon. I don’t necessarily agree with her method of teaching reading, but in the back of the book she has a list, with paper flashcards, of the top fifty words in the Book of Mormon. She also mentioned an idea I did with some of my own children. I would buy them their own real Scriptures, and then underline the words in the verse they could read, one or two verses at a time. Then, we would read together with them watching the words carefully as I read. When they got to an underlined word, they knew it was their turn to get to read. How exciting for them to get to read the Scriptures for themselves, even when they are just learning words like of and unto. Our time with our children is so short. Let’s make sure we use it well. Even from the beginning. We really can help our children love their Scriptures.

Annmarie is a single mom, who homeschools her four children. They currently live in Little Rock, Arkansas. She’s passionate about her children, writing, learning, and classical music. You can learn more about Annmarie’s spiritual thoughts and her conversion on her blog www.annmarieathome.blogspot.com

The Golden Plates Lay Hidden

The story of the Golden Plates is as miraculous as it is real. Even though our kids have sung songs about them and seen artist's renditions, they are still a bit mysterious. We spent one family night reading the descriptions of the plates from several witnesses. You can read them as well here.

"They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metalic [sic] sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book."²² —Emma Smith

We have also made some plates with gold contact paper on cardboard, instructions here.

Another project we have done with metal plates was to make them out of rice crispy treats, wrapped in foil. We buried them in the ground (in plastic, and only right before the kids were to find them). Also in the ground was a sword of Laban, of course, some eyeglasses like the Urim and Thummin, and a pretend Liahona. We wanted the kids to see and remember that night Moroni delivered the golden plates to Joseph.

The Gold Plates made out of gold contact paper:

 Links:
The Golden Plates Song
Joseph Smith History
Maxwell Institute -- How Witnesses Describe Plates
Instructions to make Gold Plates

Deila Taylor is a homeschooling mom and you can follow her at Ridgeline Homeschool.

Deep Beauty–Elaine Dalton