Author Archives: Kim Halloran-Fry

Speed Math

Posted on by

Every Tuesday morning Julie and I sit in my schoolroom while her daughter takes her piano lesson with Alannah upstairs.  She knits, we talk, the littles play.

Last week she brought me a set of her newly printed and packaged multiplication game. We don't have a lot of math games.  I wasn't sure how well this would go over either.  But after playing daily all week, and the kids' enthusiasm continuing to grow, I think she really is onto something. 

There is a video at her site which shows the game in action.  Basically you have a set of cards with the multiples 2-9 of a given "Speed" illustrated like strings of beads. (Actually it struck me much like the Montessori golden beads)  The cards truly would be painfully tedious to try to replicate on your own.  You play the game sort of like War, laying down cards which are one step above or below the card on the table.  So if a 9 is laid down you can play a 6 or a 12 for instance.  The first player to play all his cards wins. Check out the video for clearer instruction. 

The premise is that the child becomes very familiar with all the multiples through playing the fast paced game.  This really does work. The more you play, the more familiar you are.  The better you know those "steps" the better you play. 

 Julie worked as an engineer before becoming a homeschool mom to three children.  Those same creative problem solving skills necessary in her career field have served her well at home.  She came up with a really novel idea.  If you want to play at home you can pick up a set at Amazon.  You will be supporting a truly home-grown family business. 

Speed game

Fall Daybook – strength and inspiration

Posted on by

Outside my window:

Fog most mornings, as is common to autumn in Germany.  I watch the sun rise most mornings since it is getting later and later.

sunrise door
horses
From the kitchen:

Amish Friendship Bread.  Friends gave Alannah some starter several weeks ago and she made her loaves up this weekend. It multiplies.  Trying to think of ways to rehome starter ; ) 

Thinking about these words:

 "In our big, active family, it seems there’s a major or minor crisis about every thirty minutes, but most…  get resolved according to our most frequent advice: wait a minute; it’ll pass."

– Jim Bob Duggar, A Love That Multiplies

Stuff happens.  If you have a good sized bunch of kids you are nodding right now. Sometimes it helps to know its not just you. <g>  I have revisited Michelle's story of her gallbladder trials and emergency surgeries lately.  Meantime, one of our son's broke his arm (not badly) at football practice.  I thought that meant our schedule would open up some, but now all his school lessons will be oral or with me transcribing.  'Cause why?  Cause this isn't heaven folks.  We work now and rest later.  And it helps me a LOT to read about strong women doing just that with a good attitude.  Keep fighting the good fight. <g> On that note…

Book Basket:

The one book I read this past month was Joyce Swann's homeschooling memoir.  I was so excited when it arrived.  It might just be my era.  I am guessing younger homeschoolers have no frame of reference here.  Joyce was my homeschool hero though.  She took her ten kids through master's degrees at home by their teen years.  (largely because they worked 3hrs/day and went through summer so she didn't have to reteach concepts each fall)  Every. One. Of. Them.  And she didn't meet another real homeschooler until she had been at it for EIGHT years. 

Their family life, which began rather comfortably, eventually endured longterm unemployment, premature birth, life threatening illness, and her near fatal accident.  It's all found in her book and her daughter's.  They have gotten their share of flack over the years for acceleration, but you have to admire determination in face of daunting odds.  Bottom line, they have ten great kids, a strong marriage, and a good story to tell.  

You can find more of Joyce here and here. 

apple tree morning(more from sunrise)

Picture inspiration: 

AE_AtFirstGlance(shared from Ali Edwards) 

when last I checked

Posted on by

September has come and gone, without a lot of input on my part. Donna Marie wrote this week and encouraged me to pick up the camera.  I am trying here and there.  First thing was to dig out what was in there before I got sick.  It was our last walk a month ago. 

When last I checked around the village, they were haying…

hay wagon

The sheep next door were getting wooly and their pen is growing up again.

sheep
The cows had moved to the north end of the village.

cows

The apples were ripening.

apple

and my breath was taken away by the setting sun shining on my kids…

field
field
My husband tells me the weather is supposed to change this week.   It seems this may have been the end of Indian Summer. If so I am glad I caught a bit of it. 

 

school days

Posted on by

We had some beautiful ones before the hospitalization, one of the loveliest back to school seasons of all.  I am grateful for that smooth start because it did get bumpy after. Our 'before" mornings were spent in the schoolroom which opens onto the patio and yard so the little girls could float between the two spaces.  Tess is a strong K4 this year however and very much enjoys her 'work' with us, particularly adding and adding and adding some more.  Brendan is reading and working through a strong mental math program.  

chalkboard

I moved between the bigger and smaller people as needed.  The boys bring  their assignments so I can do a quick lookover before they begin.  Then I return to the littles next lesson.  When they are finished I stopped and checked the boys' work and set them to the next thing. All in all it was a strong start.  

tower
watercolor
They have carried on during our harder weeks.  I watched a documentary in the hospital about kindergartens testing an ipad integration program.  We had been using educational app's during the older children's practices to great gain already.  I downloaded several more Montessori and other app's after the show and these have blessed tremendously, being portable and mess-free.  (can be done on the couch with mommy)

watercolor
 Much as we wish to provide our children with a seamless, bump free existence, I have always felt it to be a more practical life skill to learn how to roll with the punches.  Life is more likely to bring those and we have to learn to adjust and thrive anyway, especially as Christians.  It seems once you desire to be more Christ-like He obliges by teaching you how to suffer just like He did. So we flex, we press on, some times one way, some times another, and we meet our goals. It is the blessing of learning together.

chalk
read
In the middle of all this another cool thing happened.  I was contacted by Barilla Pasta's Italian website wishing to feature our site and link to our family learning.  Some of these images can also be seen there. 

chips
I hope your school year is moving along nicely despite whatever bumps you may have at your house. We all get something after all. : ) 

life – interrupted

Posted on by

Dear friends, many of you know something of the crisis we have faced this month.  I am writing here to explain a bit. 

Two weeks ago I walked into the kitchen on a sunny morning to make my husband coffee.  We sat and talked like we do each morning before work. He left as usual and I woke up the children.   All very normal things for what began as a very normal morning. 

However, in short order my health deteriorated and I found myself in the ICU with inexplicable pancreatitis. (ie no gallstones, no alcohol use ever, nothing typical) There was initial recovery, however a grave error on the staff's part led to a more dire relapse leaving me in worse shape yet, hence the protracted stay there. 

It has been a rough patch so say the least.  But I have returned home again and am holding my own at this point.  There are problems, but I am grateful.  I am here, for starters.  My father, who coincidentally died at this same age of an eerily similar episode, was not so lucky.  The children have stayed the course at home in my absence.  The big kids rallied.  They sweetly and capably helped the house routine to chug along and the littles have been well cared for and happily busy every day. (Montessori ipad apps, I heart you)  Friends have reached out from across town and across the ocean and have assured us of fervent prayers.

Mostly I am grateful for this man who took off work to juggle the children's schedules and keep things afloat here.  He bought groceries, put in hair bows, talked with big kids who worried. Every day he made his way up to the hospital, climbed into that bed next to me, carefully wrapped up my broken body and told me over and over that I was still beautiful – though I tell you with certainty I was not that. He advocated for me with doctors and met every need of mine he possibly could with great gentleness.  

We don't really know what the long term prognosis is.  But that 'longterm' is still an option is enough today.  We are home together.  We will do this. 

Thank you for your concern and the love sent this way.  Please understand my correspondence is very limited at the moment, but I read and treasure your mail. It has helped me through some trying hours.  You bless me.  

I will be back when I can. 

berry stained

Posted on by

abbie
Many now are past their peak, but there are still berries ripening along the trails as just the right height for Abbie Rose who, yes, was allowed out walking in the outfit she assembled herself – from her sister's wardrobe.  <g> We so adore those sisters.

berries

The big kids have appts and practices all day but the little girls and I took a nice long walk in a little window of time we had. Well worth it. 

I hope in your busy fall days you find pockets of peace such as this. 

Shopping in Alsace

Posted on by

Alsace will likely be covered in several posts.  I do so love it there – the storks, the pottery, the linens, the architecture. Just a short drive over the border and yet a world away in many respects.  

pottery
I thought you might like to take a look at the famous Alsatian pottery. It is completely different than the pottery across the Eastern border into Poland.  It is primarily in reds, yellows, blues, and blacks with designs painted freehand versus stamped. And no, I did not buy any.  Scouts honor. ; )   But it was cheerful to see in the store windows.  

pottery 2

What I did buy was a small Hansi calendar and some cards to frame.  Hansi, whose real name was Jean-Jacques Waltz, was an artist-illustrator from the early 1900's.  He was caught up in the first and second world wars and the battle between Germany and France for his homeland.  His satirical illustrations of the German occupation drew the ire of the Gestapo. Today, his renditions of daily life in the Alsatian region is widely available in the local gift shops, for which I am exceedingly grateful.  I adore the colors and the simple storybook style.

Another surprise was that this secular calendar still features all the Catholic feast days which you can see if you follow that first link.  You can also see the typical linen patterns widely available here. 

pottery balcony