Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Georgia~Jimmy Carter

As I am writing the lesson plans for Georgia, and reading about Jimmy Carter, I am amazed at how much of the issues during his presidency, are issues today. Have we gone full circle or not progressed in 30 years? His presidency was plagued by inflation, energy crisis and rising oil prices, a war in Afghanistan, unrest between Israel and Egypt and the Iran hostages...Hmmm...we are facing inflation like this country has never seen before, our unemployment rate is at a high, oil prices are spiking new records everyday, we are still at war with Afghanistan and energy is still a problem. Israel and Egypt are still at odds with each other...

Just makes you stop and think...or at least I did!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Where is God??

As I plan the next couple of months worth of lessons plans I am taken back at how far our country has come from the design of our founding fathers. Where has God gone? How far away have we pushed Him? How different would our country be if He were still the center of ALL? Just wondering. How awesome would it have been to live during a time where most everyone around you believed in the One True God?? Whether Amish, Quaker, Christian or Catholic (the major religions during colonial times) all believed that Jesus was the son of God...how awesome...

Just my ramblings for a minute!!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Schedule~revised

Please note...if you are helping us with packages...I am one week behind...so you have an extra week to gather your things and get them mailed to us!! I hope to catch up over the summer...but for now we are behind!

I need a family for Mass if you know of anyone that can help us out...it is coming up shorty so I would love to get someone soon.

I also have had several families that have chosen not to help out at the last minute or just didn't send anything. The kids are really working hard on this unit and these packages are a great addition...so if you can not assist us, we do understand, but can you please let us know in advance so we can find a family to take your place....thanks!!

New Jersey

Well we finally have internet at home...so I can update this much more often...even if it is snowing...Being without full internet access for over a year has really been a challenge for our schooling.

We finished New Jersey today...yes, behind as usual!! I knew that I wanted and needed a full day for Indians, so I merged New Jersey Native Americans, the Lennapi, and the Georgia (this week) Indians, the Cherokee, and we did an all day unit. We studies them and what their life was like then we made Native American outfits. They made baks for collecting nuts, vests, skirts for the girls and small clothes for the boys. Head bands (they did not wear full head dresses) with a couple of feathers and moccassins. Tonight for dinner we will making 'authentic' indian food. The kids will dress in their customs for dinner. I will be sure to take and post pictures.

Blueberries are the state fruit of New Jersey so many of our recipes had blueberries in them. The kids love them so they were excited for that. However, the price of blueberries is kinda high so mom wasn't so happy! We made chicken with a Spicy Blueberry BBQ sauce...it was really good! (recipe posted below) We had Atlanic City Boardwalk Fries with the chicken. Paige really didn't like the Malt Vinegar that went on them...she said "I can't live in New Jersey if this is how they eat their fries!' We all laughed. Blake on the other hand loved it. Jim's mom (now in heaven) always put vinegar on their fries, so she would have loved to see the kids enjoy them this way. We finished off our dinner with blueberry banana smoothies! I even put some in a sippy cup for Chloe...so downed it!!  Yesterday morning we made a large blueberry breakfast. Blueberry filled Dutch pancakes, homemade blueberry syrup, bacon, sasuage and blueberry juice. There wasn't much left when everyone was done!!

We continued our learning on slavery, the Underground Railroad and what led to the Civil War. Paige gave a great orral presentation on the book she read on the Harriet Tubman. I was really surprised at how she remembered even the littlest details. She held the book up and showed the kids pictures as she spoke. I was really proud of her. She is really doing well with this unit.

We did a lapbook for Bald Eagles, Honey Bees and for the state of New Jersey. The honey bee is the state insect of New Jersey. We taked about what things that God calls us to 'bee'. Thankful, kind, compassionate, trustworthy and wise. New Jersey has 90 nesting Bald Eagle pairs. Did you know that the Bald Eagle mates for life? The parents work together to take care of their young. We talked about how this is similar to human couples.

Bryce is our Dino Lover...and the first nearly whole (didn't have a skull) dinosaur fossil was found in New Jersey. We went back to Genesis and talked about the creation of the flying, land and sea creatures. Some of them large like the dinosaur and some not. We drew some pictures and played some games. Then we colored about 30 little dinosaurs and hung them from the ceiling. Bryce loved 'walkling with the dinosaurs.' Bryce really enjoyed this portion of New Jersey...but he kep saying, me go there mom, me go there! So, maybe someday we can go there and he can see the hedrosauraus.

We enjoyed a package from New Jersey that had salt water taffy :) The kids enjoyed that special treat. We also had some M&M's, since Mars is in NJ and Cambells soup. It was first created and still manufactured in NJ.

We learned a lot and wish we had a couple more days, but that was not to be....so now onto Georgia...the peach state...YUM!!!

SPicy Blueberry BBQ Sauce
from the blueberry council web site

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbs molasses
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients, simmer until boiling stirring constantly. Reduce and let simmer until thick.

I added 1/2 cup blueberry pomegranate juice mixed with a little corn starch. It added a little tartness with the spicy and thickened it up a little. I cooked my chicken in it and it lost some of the intensity...so next time I will BBQ or broil my meat and then our the sauce over it to serve it.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Pennsylvania Mining

disclaimer typing from my phone so no capitals or punctuation. sorry. trying to make the most of my time at the laundromat.

well we had authentic mining camp recipes for dinner. must say that they tasted really good. we had bryces girlfriend jenni over for dinner and she really liked it also. here are the recipes
mining region bbq
3 lbs ground turkey
salt pepper garlic powder season salt to taste
4 tbsp wht vinegar
4 tbsp mustard
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups ketchup

brown meat. season to taste. mix other ingredients in small bowl. add to meat when browned. heat throigh. serve on bun tortilla or plain. it was so simple but so goodn we hope you enjoy it. we served it with garlic bacon mashers strawberries and salad.

for dessert we honored hersheys. rocky road brownies and smore clustersn super yummyn

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Hello Pennsylvania

Well on Tuesday we started Pennsylvania. Wow!! There is so much history in this one state. It seems overwhelming to try and cram everything into only 1 week. I think this will be another school over the weekend week.

On Tuesday we were going over a worksheet that I printed off the internet and learned about the Three Mile Island Nuclear incedent. I found it quite interesting that we are watching the current incident in Japan and how similiar it is. I was only 4 years old when the blast in Pennsylvania happened so I don't really remember it, but it was interesting to find out how the melt down in Pennsylvania happened and is giving us a better understanding as to what is happening in Japan. There is a movie called The China Syndrome that depicts a nuclear melt down. I have it on reserve at the library and am looking forward to watching it.

Today we learned about the history of cola mining. How the coal companies would set up these small communities, including general stores, barbers, theaters, a doctors office houses for the miners. They owned everything and rented them out. The miners were paid in compnay script and could only be used at the company stores. This allowed the mining company to have higher prices on their supplies and the miners had to pay it. It wasn't long before the miners were in debt to the mining companies. So they risked their lives working really long days and weren't making any money. They didn't own land or their homes.

Baseball was a popular past time in the coal camps. Every Sunday they would play against other coal camps and sometimes against major teams like the Chicago Cubs. The coal companies would hire good players just to insure them wins against their competitors.

Tonight we are going to have Coal BBQ (the recipe reminds me of sloppy joes) and bacon mashers. Both common dishes of coal camps. Last night we combines lessons and had Navy Bean soup (miners) with applesauce bread (Amish). The kids loved the bread so much that we made 2 more loafs after dinner!

Tomorrow we will be learning about the historical figures in Pennsylvania and the great inventions from the state...including HERSHEY'S chocolate!! Yum! We have bought several of the inventions and I am going to surprise the kids with a package tomorrow morning with them. It should be fun to watch their faces!! I will list the items later along with pictures.

We opened our first package yesterday from Jeanie and her family. It included a map for the Battle of Valley Forge...it was a great resource for that lesson. Chloe loved how it crinkled and made noise when she touched it!!

Well, running out of time here at the library! Will post more this weekend!!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Delware is finished!!

Well after a long week, even longer weekend and an extremely long Monday we have completed Delware. What a learning experience. I have never written complete lesson plans to encompase all subjects before. What a challenge and lots and lots of time and notes. We have used this first week as a compass as to how we will continue with our next 49 weeks. I have learned a lot about the kids this week. Paige is very creative and likes to use her imagination. Blake will do the absolute bare minumum to get the job done. Bryce doesn't want help with anything and Samantha wants help with everything. Paige loves to read aloud and Justin doesn't. Justin likes the fact that I found coloring pages and cutting projects on a kindergarten web page and Blake doesn't. They all like to cook and bake and none of them like to clean up. Bryce loves to show his dad everything that he done that day the older 2 boys don't really care. It is funny to watch their reactions to the different assignments. I have always known that I have 6 kids with 6 different personalities...but am witnessing that fact everyday.

We learned alot about the history of our country and the battles that were fought to keep us free and give us our liberties. We compared how the soldiers were treated then and how they are treated now. Sometimes it doesn't seem like we have progressed very far. Our soldeiers still aren"t appreciated near as much as they should be and we don't prepare them for battle with all that they need to succeed. They are left to just make do with what they have and hope it all works out. So sad to see.

The kids enjoyed the cooking parts of the lessons and having 5 new dinner recipes in one week. We also got dessert several nights, a real treat in our home. Justin made and baked his first loaf of 'real' bread. Having to knead it and let it proof 3 times before baking. One loaf was gone before it was hardly cool enough to cut. Bryce loves dumping the ingredients into the mixer and of course licking the beaters. He also really liked the gingerbread!

We got one packge from Danielle and her family from Wilmington Delaware. They sent us a large Delaware flag, that is currently hanging in our home, a Delaware magnet, several postcards and a book on Delaware with beatutiful pictures. It was a great addition to our lesson. I was able to show the kids pictures of DuPonts Mill, Cooch"s Bridge, lighthouses and other things that we were dicussing. The kids really enjoyed opening the package and seeing their goodies...thank you Danielle and family for participating in our journey!!

Well, on to Pennsylvania. The history in this state is absolutley amazing...be sure to check back towards the end of the week to see what we have learned!!

Thank you for following our blog and journey across the country!!

Blessings!
Jennifer

Friday, March 11, 2011

peach shakes

peach trees were first brought to delaware in the early 1600s by the spaniards. they quickly became a large profitable crop. in 1875 over 6000000 baskets of peaches were shipped. in the early 1900s farmers faced many problems that forced the collapse of the peach industry and many farmers faced bankruptcy.

put all ingredients in blender.
1 can peach nectar
1 can of milk
3 to 4 scoops vanilla or peach  ice cream
half can sliced peaches or 1 fresh peach if available

blend together. top with whipped cream before serving. can garnish wil peach slices if you wish. serves 2 to 4.

Delaware's Fishers Caramel Corn

disclaimer when i enter blogs from my phone i cannot use shift. so i cannot capitalize or ese punctuation. sorry. i will try to enter most at the library

while researching foods from delaware i discovered a favorite for locals is fishers caramel corn. tourist make it a big seller and it is shipped around the world. i could not find the actual recipe but this is said to be very close. we have made it several times and it has become a household favorite.

ingredients
half cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
half cup corn syrup
1 tsp salt
half tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
5 quarts popped popcorn
preheat oven at 250. place popcorn in large bowl. grease baking dishes. in medium saucepan melt butter. stir in brown sugar corn syrup and salt. mix well and stir until boiling. boil without stirring for 4 min. remove from heat and stir in vanilla and soda. puor over popcorn and stir to coat. place in baking dishes and cook in preheated oven. stir every 15 minutes for 1 hour. remove from oven and put back in large bowl. stir it until it cools down. this prevents it from clumping together. 
does not save well so enjoy it all or share with a friend.

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Delaware

Well we are on day 4 our first state, Delaware. So far the kids are having a great time. I am enjoying seeing their creativity and personalities come out during the different activities.

On Tuesday we touched on slavery and what impact it had on early Delaware. It was heart wrenching to see how this effected Paige. She had tears in her eyes and we talked about the life of a slave. The writing assignment for that day was to write anything they wanted about slavery. Of course, the boys wrote the bare min. to get by...but Paige wrote an amazing story about the life of a 10 year old slave and pictures to go with it! I was so proud of her.

Bryce (3) is wanting to do everything the older kids are doing. His tissue picture of a peach blossom (the state flower of Delaware) was really cute. And he did not want my help with it at all! He wants to do it all himself...just like everything else in life :)

We made peach chicken and dumplings for dinner last night! The chicken was awesome but the juice I cooked the dumplings in burned...so they tasted burned! Of course noone would let me get over it and I am sure that will be a major memory from our lesson. I did make up for it with peach shakes for dinner.

I will be posting more about our week along with some recipes (that were a hit) along with pictures on Saturday.

Thank you for your interest in our journey and any and all help you are to me!!

Tentative Schedule

Here is a tentative schedule for when we will be studying each state! Of course this is subject to change~a mom of 6 can not plan a year in advance without leaving some room for change ;-)
We will need your package (if participating) at least the week before we study your state!
2/28: Delaware
3/7: Pennsylvania
3/14: New Jersey
3/21: Georgia
3/28: Connecticut
4/4: Massachusetts
4/11: Maryland
4/18: South Carolina
5/2: New Hampshire
5/9: Virginia
5/16: New york
5/23: North Carolina
5/30: Rhode Island
6/6: Vermont
6/13: Kentucky
7/11: Tennessee
7/18: Ohio
8/22: Louisiana
8/29: Indiana
9/12; Mississippi
9/19: Illinois
9/26: Alabama
10/3: Maine
10/10: Missouri
10/17: Arkansas
10/24: Michigan
10/31: Florida
11/7: Texas
11/14: Iowa
11/28: Wisconsin
12/5: California
12/12: Minnesota
If you happen to know of any other families that would like to help us out, please give them our information!!
Blessings!
Jennifer

Welcome to our 50 state study!!

Welcome to our 50 state study. We are so glad that you have to decided to take this journey with us.
We will be starting with Delaware on February 28. We will then be learning about 1 state every week in the order accepted into the union.
We will share with you our recipes, craft ideas, post pictures and tell you what we got in our “package” from other families like yours. We would love to hear your comments and feedback as we go along!
Please check back here in March to see our first actual blog!!
Blessings,
Jennifer, Jim, Justin, Paige, Blake, Samantha, Bryce and Chloe