Ponderization..."And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly," Isaiah 5:26.
Bibliophilia...Because I teach a little boy with midline issues, I re-explored Brain Gym. He's already showing a bit of improvement with coordination. This put my on a search for an abridgment of the whole thing to give to his mother. I found it in The Learning Gym. I bought several used copies to give to a few parents of children with similar issues. I've been buying used picture books (Mrs. Rumphius, My Shadow, Clipper, The Story of Little Babaji, A Tree Is Nice, etc, for my students. A few of the children are past Bob Books; they need real beauty and real literature. Sure, easy reading non-fiction is interesting, but the beauty of language isn't found there. Additionally, I re-read Marva Collin's Way, who used the old Open Court readers as soon as the children could read at all. Because I teach reading to preschool/kindergarteners, I bought the set in anticipation (used for pennies on the dollar of course). A couple 5-year-old girls in my class read at the second grade level. Last week, I began using Reading is Fun along with Merrill Get Set with these two. Classic and other good literature/poetry in these old Open Court Readers makes listening a pleasure. Knowing the children will soon graduate to these lovely books and classic picture books, eases the tedium of two or three hours of listening to children sound out Bob Books each and every morning. Really, though...watching a child unfold as a reader is a joyous adventure each and every time. So far all these resources have been a boon.
Teaching Little Children...Two of my little pets (actually I love them all as teacher's pets, but that's another story) had difficulties this week. Because the head teacher is out of town leaving me on my own to teach, both were a bit weepy. A few hugs repaired one little soul, but the other needed a big dose of tlc. Because I couldn't stop teaching the child at my desk to attend to her issue, I sat her down by my chair and handed her a few picture books from my bag. (They all want the books from my bag.) After looking at books for ten minutes, she was completely restored. She asked if I had anymore books, which I didn't. So, she tootled over and got out a dressing frame. I love how Montessori principles inspire peace in children.
Yorkie Yarns...when we got home from church, I opened Dash's doggie door. She loves to run, chase quail, and jump over large rocks in the backyard. Occasionally, she barks like a crazy dog, so I call her in. I don't like yappy dogs and don't intend to let her become one. So, she was barking like crazy. I opened the door to call her in and saw a red shouldered hawk staring at her from the fence. After she bolted inside, I grabbed my phone to document the bird. Apparently, it's pretty rare. Anyway, after clicking a few pics, I heard another hawk scream as hawks do from the mesquite tree behind the fence. They both lifted off and flew away. Needless to say, with owls, coyotes, and now hawks stalking my little dog, Dash won't be allowed outside without supervision. It's a shame, because she loves cavorting and dancing out there. Still, I'm removing the dog door today.
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| It's hard to see, but this is the rare Red Shouldered Hawk I caught drooling over my yorkie, Dash, this afternoon. |
Cucina Fresca...We both absolutely loved this dish as a main course with a side of crispy, steamed cabbage.
Herbed Potato Bake with Tomatoes
Adapted from a Forks Over Knives recipe by Lucy Fairweather
8 small Yukon gold potatoes, washed
8 campari tomatoes
dried Italian herbs
salt
pepper
coconut aminos or tamari
1/2 cup water
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange potatoes and tomatoes in a baking dish so they are very crowded but still in one layer. Sprinkle lightly with aminos or tamari, herbs, pepper, and salt. Bake for 30 minutes. Add water and cook for another 30 minutes or so until potatoes are sort of crisp, golden and very tender. To serve, place half of the potatoes and tomatoes on two plates. Cut each potato in half and spoon a bit of the sauce from the bottom of the baking dish over each potato.
