Above is Laurel, age 5, twinkling at the piano, sometime in December. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is the first song she has learned to play since her “pre-reading” piano lessons began one wonderful week in late October with Miss Amanda.
Miss Amanda actually only taught her the first half of the song. Laurel learned the second half from Linnea’s piano teacher the day before our homeschool Christmas program, at which she performed the song before a live audience. It followed quite nicely after Linnea’s performance of “We Three Kings.” You know, “Star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright…”
In typical Laurel fashion, she played the entire song with complete confidence and generously added a few extra notes whenever she pleased. It made for quite an entertaining version of the song.
If you read my last post about our backyard snowfort, this picture might confuse you.
Here are my coat-less, mitten-less, hat-less little pioneer women, in a snow-less prairie landscape. Their Pa put ’em up in that wagon.
Don’t they look refreshed and happy to be up there?
“Hey, Toto. We aren’t in Minnesota anymore.”
Nope. We’re in Kansas. Swept all the way down I-35 and beyond to this prairie home of a very famous pioneer woman.
(Although, I’d sure like to visit with a certain other famous Pioneer Woman, that’s another story… Did you hear there’s a movie of her life in the works?)
Well anyway, this is the Ingalls’ home — the Little House on the Prairie in Wayside, KS, — near Independence. We got to go inside, too. It’s cozy.
My very own Pa lives across the border and down the road just a piece. I don’t usually call him Pa and no, he doesn’t play the fiddle, but we love him a lot.
For the record, fellow Pioneer Woman readers, I’d like to apply as a substitute writer for that other Pioneer Woman. You know she’ll be waaaay too busy to write home once that movie thing takes off. So as a native Oklahoman, blogger, baker, and homeschool mom, don’t I qualify? Oh yes, I happen to have a few ties to the beef industry, too.
So, what do you say, Ree?
Also, just so you know, I can’t watch the Wizard of Oz. Flying monkeys freak me out.
Tomorrow I have the honor of leading our homeschool group’s preschool storytime at the library, and this month’s theme — just in time for Thanksgiving — is thankfulness and contentment.
In my research and preparation for storytime, I keep coming across the “Five Kernels” tradition in various places. I’ve never heard of it before, but it’s a simple and meaningful little tradition that I plan to incorporate this year in our family’s Thanksgiving meal.
The Five Kernels tradition is based on the Pilgrim’s “starving time” during the spring of 1623. Some say all that was left to eat was five kernels of corn a day for each person. Likewise, the tradition is to put five kernels of corn on each plate at the beginning of the Thanksgiving meal. One by one, each person gives thanks to God for five specific blessings, puts the kernels in a basket, and passes the basket to the next person.
I’m also going to give this a whirl during storytime, but we may just do two or three kernels since the audience is so young.
Of course storytime will feature some great lessons on thankfulness, too! We’ll read about God providing bread, quail and water for the Israelites (in Mighty Acts of God). We’ll also read about a discontent little bird, Gertrude McFuss, one of the “other” stories in Dr. Seuss’s Yertle the Turtle. At the end, everyone will get one feather to take home.
Storytime will also feature Lydia Maria Child’s classic Thanksgiving poem, “Over the River and Through the Wood,” and Laurie Berkner’s song, “I’m Going to Eat on Thanksgiving Day.”
Laurel’s week was full of high-flying, High-five! moments.
1. On Tuesday, she had her very first piano lesson. High-five!
Prior to the lesson, which was at 3 p.m. with Miss Amanda, Laurel was very, very excited. I was certain she couldn’t possibly be that excited about anything else ever.
I was wrong.
After her piano lesson, Laurel was even more excited. I literally had to give her a long hug to restrain her from possible accidental self injury. She was that excited.
She loves Miss Amanda. She loves her new book. She loves practicing her song. And she loves music.
2. On Wednesday, after her reading lesson, I told Laurel I thought she was ready for the Bob Books. High-five!
Older sister Linnea fondly remembers these books in great detail, even though it’s been three years since she last read them — and so she had created for Laurel an intense curiosity about the books several weeks ago. Needlesstosay, great anticipation preceded this literary milestone.
3. Laurel immediately fell in love with the Bob Books. High-five!
She read two of them right away and two more later that day. She carried four of them around all day and even read them in the car!
4. Wednesday evening was Parent Night for Awana Cubbies. High-five!
Both Mom and Dad “shadowed” Laurel throughout the evening as she went from crafts to puppets to coloring to snacks to songs and to story time. Not only did she earn Lov E Lamb patch for her vest, but she also was selected as flag bearer during the Pledge of Alligence. I’m pretty sure her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. (Photo courtesy of my hubby’s cell phone.)
5. After Awana, we picked up and installed a headboard for Laurel’s bed. Don’t ask me why her bed didn’t already have a headboard. I really have no idea and only vaguely remember moving her to a big bed. Was she 2 or 3? I don’t recall. But evidently,when you are 5, receiving any furniture — even very dull furniture — in one’s bedroom is exceptionally exciting, especially when it is late at night.
6. Thursday morning was Laurel’s dance class, during which Miss Desiree had all the girls act out a very lively and imaginative fairy dance adventure. High-five!
Only a few days before Laurel had seen the new Tinkerbell movie, and she and Linnea have been fairy-crazy all week. Hooray for dance instructors who are completely in step with what little girls love to daydream about.
7. On Friday morning, Laurel launched construction on the Starlight School spaceship. High-five!
She busily glued buttons on the control panel and helped me tape together cardboard, styrofoam and aluminum foil. Later, Linnea joined the fun. Together they made a space mural as a backdrop for their intergalactic playtime inspired by the book Regards to the Man in the Moon. The mural even has glow-in-the-dark stars. Like any professional astronauts, they packed extra fuel, food, flashlights, a camera, two healthy imaginations and two Tinkerbell dolls.
When you are 5, that’s a High-five! kind of week.
Oh, LORD, the heavens declare Your glory. Thank You for encouraging and inspiring Laurel this week as she studies the stars, learns how to read, hides Your Word in her heart, praises You with dance, and learns to make joyful noises for You on the piano.
I goofed. This month I got so busy posting about Laurel’s expressiveness, posting photos on Facebook, posting about the Dead Sea Scrolls, and posting about the apple orchard trip that somehow I skipped blogging about our first day of school!
So without further delay, here are my lovely students at the park on the first day of school.
classy sistersLinnea turning......into a second grader! Gasp!Laurel taking off...in Pre-K!
We — and by that I mean my husband — shortened the school table and purchased new chairs for all three of us. I could not be happier sitting in any other chair. Yes indeed, I am sitting in a child-sized chair. But it is from Pottery Barn, and it fits me better than our dining room chairs, thank-you-very-much. I also booted two little desks out of the room entirely, which frees up a lot of space and makes the entire room more pleasant to occupy.
On the first day, I gave the girls some lovely new picture books by Tasha Tudor, new Ticonderoga pencils, and little round boxes of M&Ms — because doesn’t everyone deserve chocolate on a regular basis?
Oh yeah, I also gave them some of those silicone shape bracelets that are all the rage right now.
God keeps bringing Psalm 145 to my attention lately — a timely reminder to pass on to my children all that I know about the one true God.
First, as part of our homeschool curriculum this year, I purchased a fabulous new family Bible story book by Starr Meade called The Mighty Acts of God.The author’s note for parents explains that the book gets its name from Psalm 145:4. “One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”
Meade goes on to explain that the purpose of telling stories of God’s mighty acts isn’t for entertainment value or good moral examples. The purpose is to make known the wonder of God’s great character. What a great verse Psalm 145:4 is for parents and grandparents!
One way of declaring God’s mighty acts is by talking about them, and another is by writing about them. Psalm 102:18 says – “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.”
Over Labor Day weekend, our family had the privilege of seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls at our local science museum. How amazing to see those ancient words of God that He miraculously preserved in jars inside of caves for two thousand years. What a mighty act of God! And how thankful I am for those men of long ago who obediently and diligently wrote those precious words down on scrolls so that my generation could see them and praise God!
My daughters also were quite inspired by seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls, and they were eager to create their own scrolls at home. (We just glued parchment paper to wooden dowels to create them.)
Laurel writes in her scroll.Linnea uses hieroglyph stamps on her scroll.We wrap each scroll in felt to help preserve it.our jar of scrolls
Another way to pass along truths about God is through song. And that’s actually another way God brought Psalm 145 to my attention. While my husband was leading worship music at church a few weeks ago, he found this fantastic song for a Sunday morning offertory. Our very talented friend Mia sang “The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate” beautifully. It’s one of those songs that you can’t help but sing along to, and the words are right from Scripture. Many are right from Psalm 145. Listen to this version from Vineyard Church and you’ll see what I mean:
Putting Scripture to music usually helps greatly in attempts to memorize it. So when the fall Sunday School classes kicked off at church this week, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that my oldest daughter’s weekly memory verse comes from Psalm 145. It’s verse 9: “The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.” She came home from class with it already memorized, thanks to that song she’d heard over and over!
What’s more, my youngest daughter and I have been studying the seven days of creation in Genesis this past week, so “all He has made” has been at the forefront of my mind. Her memory verse isn’t from Psalm 145, but it dovetails nicely into this message of God’s mighty acts. Luke 18:27 says, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Preserving words on paper for two thousand years would be impossible for man, but it was possible with God!
So, as we dive deep into a busy new school year — teaching the next generation about God — I am thankful for the fresh encouragement in these ancient words of Psalm 145. When I am tempted to be angered by my children’s attitudes or behaviors, I cling to those words “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love.” Lord, help me respond to my children the way You respond to Yours!
I am so thankful that God is good to all and compassionate on all He has made. I am thankful that He provides for my needs and watches over me. He is worthy of praise for ever and ever!
Psalm 145
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1[a] I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [b]
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made. [c]
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
By the way, the girls and I have been reading The Mighty Acts of God aloud, and it’s really well done. I highly recommend it.
While our oldest daughter has been quiet and reserved since Day 1, our youngest has been, well, much louder and much more expressive. On Day 1 in the nursery at the hospital, one of the nurses told me, “Wow! She’s a pistol!” We spent the next 4+ years fully realizing just what that nurse meant!
If you saw these photos last summer, you know our expressive one makes lots of faces in the backyard. Truth is, she makes lots of faces wherever she roams. Here are some that I caught at the park our first day of school.
I threw together two little preschool booklets for my littlest one to complete, and I thought I’d share the downloadable files I created. I printed them on cardstock so they will hold up to paint dots, markers, etc.
Laurel gets to pick exactly what she wants to do with hers, but some of the options might be decorating the number cards with a corresponding number of colors or paint dots. For the abcs book, we might decorate it with something that starts with that letter, such as glitter for “g,” buttons for “b,” you get the idea. Stickers are also an option.
Here are PDFs of the abcs book and the number book. Just print, color, cut on the dotted lines, and assemble with a stapler. Or punch a hole in the top left corner and slide a book ring through it.
Laurel will be counting up to the 100th day as part of our preschool plan. She will be making a construction paper chain with these 100 links. They are 1 inch by 9 inches long and maybe I’ll even convince her to do a rainbow pattern with them! She’ll also be adding mini-sized popsicle sticks to a jar each school day, and on the 100th day we’ll go do something fun to celebrate.
9:30 a.m. – oldest works on spelling and handwriting lessons while Mom works with youngest (craft project, abcs, reading a book, or doing dot-to-dot)
10 a.m. – oldest does math lesson with Mom while youngest listens to a book on CD and then plays with puzzle or blocks or Lincoln logs or dress up
10:30 a.m. – snack/recess break
11 a.m. – history lesson (mom reads aloud to both) and/or science lesson
11:30 a.m. – oldest does language lesson with Mom while youngest is free to play or look at books
noon – lunch break and clean up
1 p.m. – oldest practices piano while youngest reads with Mom
1:30 p.m. – quiet time for Mom, oldest reads in her room while youngest rests/naps in her room
3 p.m. – oldest briefly narrates/summarizes her reading to Mom; all enjoy a light snack
3:15 p.m. – errands, chores, various extracurricular activities and dinner prep
5:30 p.m. – dinner and clean up
6:15 p.m. – girls play while Mom and Dad talk
7:15 p.m. – read-aloud chapter book (read by either Mom or Dad)
7:45 p.m. – bedtime chores
8 p.m. – prayers and kids tucked into bed
Whew! It makes me tired just when I type it all out! And since we don’t start this school year until Sept. 1, this is basically last year’s routine, which will need to be adjusted to make room for new stuff, like a reading lesson for my youngest. Every year and every day is different, and I strive to be flexible and welcome God to interupt our day. After all, He knows exactly the number of days planned for us and He is the ultimate homeschool planner, as I blogged about here.
God bless your school year and happy blog-hopping!
Starlight Writer 
