October's Moon and Verses to Share

It's a beautiful month for moon watching and charting.  Maia's 5th grade class is keeping a Moon Phase log and the timing couldn't be better.  

Yesterday there was a total lunar eclipse of the Full Hunter's Moon.  Native Americans called it the Hunter's Moon as it signifies a time to go hunting in preparation for the winter cold.  We are preparing for the cold and a new season.  We've decided to buy a wood stove to help with our heating costs and because I love making fires each day when it's cold outside.  And for a new season in life, I've been trying to prepare an office space for full time writing after I'm done working on a big fundraiser that ends at our middle school next week.  

Here are a few sweet verses you can share with your children this month:

~Moon, So Round~

Polish Folk Song

Moon, so round and bright,

Looking from on high,

How I love to see you there,

Shining in the sky!

Where are you at morn,

When the night is past,

When the sun comes peeping down

Over the hills at last?

 ~My Guardian Angel~

Folk Song, arranged by Johannes Brahms

My guardian angel, pure and bright, 

God's face forever seeing,

Protect me and guide my path aright,

While I have breath and being.

When day departs and night is near, 

Thy light in me be shining; 

Teach me all evil deeds to fear,

My heart too good inclining.  

I remember when Keira had this project in the very same class.  While I do not believe in homework the way it is structured in our society, I do appreciate this type of learning at home because it bring children closer to nature and fosters a connection to the rhythms of the earth.  And it also brings the family together which should be done more often.

  ~The October Huntsman~

The huntsman through the greenwood came,

His heart was bent on finding game;

He wandered here, he wandered there,

He wandered here, he wandered there,

A-hunting, A-hunting through greenwood fair.

His faithful hound was by this side,

They searched the greenwood far and wide;

The hound was keen,the hunter gay,

The hound was keen, the hunter gay,

Together, together A-hunting through the long, bright day.

The Little Acorn Learning October Photo Contest has also just begun!  This month's theme is *Scarecrows and Pumpkins*  

Photography by Melissa Patton -Williams

Send us no more than 3 photos correlating to our theme and then ask family and friends to LIKE them on our Facebook Page!  The photos with the most LIKES wins a free e-book from Little Acorn Learning.  Contest ends 10/19/14

Good luck!!!!

Mushrooming

We had such a fun experiment with this mushroom kit.  The mushrooms grow in recycled coffee grounds right on your windowsill in less than 10 days.  The process really amazed the girls and it was so much fun to watch and chart the progress.  

The mushrooms seemed kind of yuck to us at first and we weren't really sure that we wanted to eat them at all!

But as the days passed, we started getting excited about eventually being able to harvest the mushrooms and see what they taste like.  The process is nothing short of a miracle.  If you really think about all of the potential that is held within small seeds or, in this case, spores; it is truly amazing.  

 These types of activities really open my eyes and heart back up to the universe and the truth that I hold within that there is something greater than ourselves.  

When the time was right, each one of my girls took a turn snipping off our mushrooms right before I cooked dinner.  

I made a stir fry with a bunch of different veggies I had on hand and served it alongside of rice.  The mushrooms were delicious and there weren't hardly enough.  The girls were asking for more.  

I guess if children grow their own food, they eat it.  

When Brian's grandmother died, we found this vintage mushroom identification book in her home and were told we could have it.  This was a perfect time to really dig into it with the girls.  Mushrooms are beautiful and unique.  Some are very dangerous and some are delicious.

The best thing about the kit is that after one side grows you simply repeat the process for the other side to grow mushrooms too.  So, we are anxiously waiting for our second batch of homegrown oyster mushrooms to eat.

And the company will donate a free kit to a classroom of your choice if you post pictures to their facebook page of your growing mushrooms.  My hope is to pick a classroom that is underfunded and in need of some nature.

Have you ever grown your own mushrooms? 

Metamorphosis

"There is nothing permanent except change."  ~Heraclitus

I believe that the universe is always speaking to us through nature and it is our job to pay close attention and listen. Over the past few months, we have been noticing many dragonflies and butterflies around us. Both symbolize change and transformation and there is plenty of that going on around our lives right now which I cannot talk about yet but it requires a lot of trust, faith and patience from all of us. 

"Caterpillar asks what stage of metamorphosis are you in. A symbol of the beginning stages of transformation. Preparation for growth, natural harvest. All things come in nature's time. A caterpillars's movement is not fast, it is slow and shows us that patience is required."

 Two weeks ago, Brian's great-grandmother passed away. More transition, more change.  She was 97 years old and lived an amazing life... but still, we all loved her so and it was very painful to say goodbye. Brian and I went to visit her with the girls when she was ill and unfortunately we were the ones to find she had already passed on.  This was extremely difficult to experience with my four children in the room but I also knew intuitively that they will not be protected from the truths of life and death during their time on earth and it was my job to be with them and guide them through understanding, feeling and accepting the reality of death and reinforcing our faith in an afterlife. 

The day after she died, we found three Swallowtail caterpillars on our dill weed in the garden. The girls were so interested in them as they are truly so beautiful and we decided to take them inside and raise them into butterflies together - learning as we watch the amazing metamorphosis take place first hand.

Every morning the girls checked on the caterpillars and brought them more dill and parsley to eat. 

 Then one day in our driveway we found a single butterfly that had passed on and left its beautiful body behind.  It was a good opportunity to explain the changes that occur in all living things and that even though the butterfly's wings are still here - its 'being' is not... and it has moved on to a new beautiful place that we cannot yet see.  Again, my belief is that these are all symbols being sent to us to assist us in what we are going through in life right now and I am so grateful to help my girls be mindful and aware of the messages they are being sent each day as well.

 Our caterpillars were very active and very... HUNGRY!  They eat quite a lot and poop even more!!!!

 Not long after, we saw the caterpillars get into position to turn into a chrysalis.  They stayed like this for quite some time hanging by just a thread they created to attach to their body to the stick.

 Our first chrysalis was so beautiful - a green transparent color that was truly amazing.  We were so surprised to see the caterpillars 'skin' had shed and that the chrysalis actually happened from the inside out not the other way around.  Change should occur from the inside out I guess... so it makes sense.

 The next two were brown with black.  We didn't think they were still alive but when touched they  moved!  Now we patiently wait to see what they look like when they turn into butterflies and if the dark ones will be different than the green one.

 What signs are being presented to you lately?  Have you been paying attention? 

Considering Celery

This is a very fun science experiment to do with children. Fill about 1/2 inch of water into a glass and add food coloring. Place a piece of celery with leaves still attached into the colored water and keep an eye on it for a day or two.

Watch how the water travels up the stalk to the leaf and changes color. As you can see, we had the best luck with the color red.

Cut the stalk across and show children where the coloring is showing the tubes that carry the water up the stalk of the plant. This is an example of capillary action.

Enjoy!