Full Circle

Funny Food Entries

Cantaloupe Cab by Middle Brother


The Watering Hole by Big Brother


The Neighborhood by Sister


Vegetables Underwater World by Little Brother

Above are the kids' entries for The Crafty Crow's Funny Food Contest. They had so much fun with it. We just put a bunch of food out on the table and they went to work.


the palette


Middle Brother knew what he wanted to make from the start. His first idea was a double-decker bus, but after realizing it might get too heavy on top, he changed it to a cab for strawberry people.


We've been going to the pool a lot, so I'm guessing that's where Big Brother got his inspiration. We all got a kick out of the little carrot person in the mushroom floatie!


Sister tried out a few ideas first... butterflies, a garden, a hospital... before settling on her funny neighborhood. We thought the green onion guy didn't really care for his loud-mouth radish neighbor ;)


Little Brother jumped in with both hands without an end result in mind. He liked trying a variety of fruits and vegetables, exploring the feel and smells of each one. In the end, the rest of us thought it looked like coral and seaweed on the ocean floor, hence the name.

Check out all the other great entries here. The polls close Thursday at midnight. I know my kids would appreciate a vote in their direction if you're so inclined ;)

Funny Food and Nature Art

Lots of busy-ness going on around here!
We're participating in two blog events that are sure to be
a good time:
the Funny Food contest at The Crafty Crow and
the Take Only Pictures, Make Only Art challenge at Kidmade.
Check them both out and join in the fun!

What the Dandelions Gave Us

As we were plucking dandelions out of the yard the other day, I noticed my hands were beginning to turn yellow. I remembered that dandelions can be used to make a natural dye and since we had SO MANY, I thought we should put them to good use. You know, the "making lemonade out of lemons" idea ;)

So, we separated the heads from the stems...


and put them in a large pot.



Since this was an impromptu craft, I wanted some simple directions and found them here. I liked how they just added the mordant (alum) directly to the dye (step 5 in the instructions) instead of getting out another pot and doing it separately as I had read in other directions. The mordant is the ingredient that sets the dye and an easy one to use is alum. It can be found in the spice section of the grocery store. 

Little Brother is stirring his white T-shirt in the dye...



The finished T, dyed a light dandelion yellow!



We thought we'd take it one step further and add a freezer paper dandelion stencil to the front.

Little Brother has very limited vision and had to get up close to make his drawing. There are lots of good freezer paper stencil tutorials, here's a link to get you started. He's drawing directly on the freezer paper.



I helped by cutting out the drawing to make the stencil...



Then, I placed it on the T-shirt and ironed it on, shiny-side down...



Now, it's time to add the paint. Put a piece of cardboard between the front and back of the shirt so the paint doesn't bleed through to the back side. Little Brother started dabbing on the fabric paint and then I helped to make it complete.





Pull off the freezer paper, let the paint dry (follow directions on your fabric paint bottle for drying) and you have one happy customer!



A dandelion drawing on a dandelion-dyed T-shirt!

A Solitary Plant: How We Homeschool

I was thinking for a homeschool blog, I don't write very specifically on how we "do" school ;) I suppose it's partly because it's so entwined with our regular day that it's a little hard to separate and describe, and partly because it's always evolving and morphing to suit our whims. But, I thought I'd try to devote a few posts explaining how we do things around here.



Since spring hit and with all our recent trips to the river, we've been concentrating on our Nature Journals. Little Brother likes this plant because of its soft, furry leaves so we decided to learn more about it. Boy, were we in for a surprise! This little plant supplied lots of lessons and connections to previous discussions that I never would've imagined. I have to admit, I'm somewhat obsessed with this flannel-like weed now. From this solitary plant, we were able to discuss science, art, Latin and a bit of history, not to mention exercise our brains with observation skills. I enjoy researching on the internet first so I can introduce a few facts to the kids, then as questions come up, we do further research together. Besides the internet, we used several wildflower references guides and the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock. Following is a condensed version of of our most recent Nature Journal study.



Mullein is what you'll usually hear this plant called, but it has many different names including Beggar's Blanket, Hag's Taper and Quaker's Rouge. It's a biennial. A large velvety rosette of leaves define its first year and in its second year will grow a tall stalk tipped with yellow flowers. Mullein has a long history and a cornucopia of medicinal uses associated with it. It's very hardy and prefers a sunny location in dry, sandy soil.



(I've written the facts we learned first, then highlights of our discussion are following in red.)

LITERATURE:

Thoreau refers to mullein in Walden, chapter 5 "Solitude", with this passage...

"I have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning, when nobody calls. Let me suggest a few comparisons, that some one may convey an idea of my situation. I am no more lonely than the loon in the pond that laughs so loud, or than Walden Pond itself...I am no more lonely than a single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel, or a horse-fly, or a bumblebee."

I loved being able to bring up Thoreau again. We had talked about him briefly when we went on a tangent studying the Civil War. In 1846, he refused to pay taxes he knew would go to support slavery and the Mexican-American War (he was against both) and was put in jail. He didn't believe one should have to obey a law that wasn't morally just and wrote an essay outlining his thoughts titled "Civil Disobedience". We had discussed him again when we studied Gandhi and nonviolence. Even though the mention of mullein is a small literary reference, it's a nice tie-in to Thoreau and a chance to talk about Walden which we previously hadn't focused on very much.

In Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey", mullein is believed to be the magical plant given to Odysseus to protect him from the enchantress Circe.

"Perfect!" I thought when I read this. A lucky coincidence, since we had read The Children's Homer earlier this year, it gave us an opportunity to go back and re-read the chapter about Circe. There are numerous references on the internet to mullein being the protective plant given to Odysseus, but looking at translations, the plant is described as having a white flower and black roots (not the description of mullein) and called "Moly". More research shows the herb may have been garlic or even rue. So, while our mullein plant may not have been the actual plant referred to in the poem, it was still nice to have the reference to The Odyssey.

LATIN:

The scientific name of this plant is Verbascum thapsus.

The genus name, Verbascum, is thought to be a corruption of the Latin word "barbascum", meaning "beard". (Appropriate because of its furry leaves.) The common name mullein (pronounced MULL-in) comes from the Latin root "moll-" meaning "soft". We looked at other words derived from these roots - barber, barbed, mollify, emollient, mollusk...

SCIENCE:



Mullein plants were used by Native Americans to stun fish to make them easy to gather.

Mullein contains the phytochemical saponin. Saponins are also foaming agents and have been added to a variety of products including toothpaste, shampoo, beer and soft drinks. (We put some torn leaves and water in a jar and shook it and could see some foam created). A toxic saponin is called a sapotoxin. The sapotoxin in mullein is rotenone and is a piscicide (fish poison). Apparently you can toss the crushed seeds into a fish pond and the fish will be temporarily paralyzed and float to the top, making them easy to gather. As soon as fresh water flows through their gills though, they will recover, so you have to work quickly. We're planning an experiment with this later in the summer when the plants have flowered and we can gather some seeds.

Mullein has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy.

Flowers and leaves from mullein have a large amount of mucilage. Mucilage helps the plant store water and allows it to grow successfully in dry, sandy soil. As an herbal remedy, the saponin in mullein acts as an expectorant and the mucilage soothes inflamed mucous membranes so the combination is effective for any respiratory problems including coughs and colds. A steam inhalation using torn up mullein leaves and boiling water help relieve a stuffy nose. A tea can also be made, but it must be strained first to get rid of the little hairs as they can be irritating.

I'll try and write more about the homeschool part of our life, but I hope this gives you a little insight for now!

Patterns

The kids brought home bones and flowers and such, I brought home some of nature's patterns to play with...

black and white stripes and zebra swirls



vertical ocher shades and flowing organic circles



I'm trying to copy these in my sketch book for practice.

A Stitching Time

We had a nice break from our regular routine and went with our little homeschool group for another docent tour at one of the local galleries. This one was called The Seditious Stitch. The artists in the show seek to demonstrate that fiber arts, usually relegated to domestic and decorative craft, can be on par with modernist painting and sculpture.



Pieces above and below by artist Sheila Hicks



Work by Stephen Sollins...



Artist Hildur Bjarnadottir stitched "moss" on this tablecloth...



Sitting in the middle of "Lost in the Tall Grass: Sunday" by local artist Stephanie Marvel...



Sister trying her hand at weaving...



Our docent had a small activity for the kids afterwards - gluing a variety of yarn, in any inspired pattern, to a piece of black construction paper. The kids enjoyed the tour and it was nice for me to be able to sit back and let someone else be in charge for a bit ;) I enjoyed being a "bystander" and observing the kids in a different setting. I was able to concentrate on picture-taking and absorb all the creativity on display. Very relaxing and a good outing for all of us!

Retablo Refashioned

We thought it would be fun to make our own version of the retablos we saw the other day. I asked my husband if he could bring home some metal sheets for us to paint and he got some perfect ones from a roofing contractor. My husband is a general contractor and has access to lots of neat materials we can use in our art projects. I realize not everyone knows a roofing contractor to get metal sheets from ;) , but this project would be just as fun using a piece of cardboard or wood for the background.

Retablos are devotionals, generally reserved for saints, but we identify with a more Buddhist/Pagan/Pantheist theology. So, when I asked the kids who they wanted to show gratitude to, they all agreed on the sun.

We used this book to get some ideas for sun designs, then we got out our acrylic paints and metal canvases and the kids went to work! Little Brother told me what he wanted to write on his retablo. I'm not sure how to add Braille to it, I'm going to try making clear label tapes, but I'm not sure if they'll stick. Anyway, everyone really liked how they turned out and it was fun to have seen something in a gallery, then come home and transform it into a meaningful project.

Retablos

We met some fellow homeschoolers at the Art Center here in town for a docent tour. The Center is featuring an exhibit titled: Retablos, Reinterpreting a Tradition. A retablo is a small painting, usually on wood or metal, representing a saint from the Catholic religion. Part of the Mexican tradition, they were purchased for the home for devotionals or as a way to show gratitude to the saint.

The exhibit had antique retablos and ex-votos as well as new work by Boise artist Alma Gomez.

I liked this painting of "Saint" Frida Kahlo...

The docent gave a good explanation of this generational painting by Gomez.



The Center is located in a historic home built in 1883. The poet Ezra Pound was born in the house in 1885. In recent years, it was remodeled in the appropriate style of the late 19th century. Downstairs is the gallery and upstairs is reserved for visiting artists and musicians. Since no one was using it while we were there, we were lucky enough to get a quick tour.

Modeling Illustrators

In Classical style, to become a successful writer, students learn by first modeling the style of great writers. In the same fashion, to become an accomplished artist, one learns by imitating the works of the masters. Today, we used this technique in our artwork, but by using great storybook illustrators as our models. I chose four books and handed them out to the kids with instructions to choose a picture and copy it as closely as possible.

I gave Do Monkeys Tweet? by Melanie Walsh to Little Brother...

I gave The Duchess Bakes a Cake by Virginia Kahl to Middle Brother...

Sister used Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina...

and Big Brother copied from Petunia by Roger Duvoisin...

Autumn Trees Craft

This is an easy craft for any age; even the youngest ones will have a finished tree they'll love.

You'll need ink with a dropper, paper, straws, glue and dry autumn leaves. I like using heavier card stock paper in natural tones. The leaves need to be very dry so they'll crunch up nicely. A little hint on the leaves... if they are not quite crispy enough, pop them in the microwave for a minute or so.

After gathering your supplies, first thing to do is crunch your leaves! Keep them in a bowl and set aside.

Now, using the dropper, squeeze out a line of ink in a simple tree design.

Pick up your straw and start blowing the lines of ink to make branches for your tree.

After it dries (it won't take long), add glue where you want the leaves to be.

Pour the "leaf glitter" on top your picture, making sure the glue is covered, and pat it down.

Now, shake off the excess "glitter" and you're done! Aren't they pretty?