signal fires

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

"If there is more important work than teaching, I hope to learn about it before I die." – Pat Conroy, My Reading Life

We had about a half hour early morning session of (not) back to school pictures, so these are rife with imperfections. No re-do's at this school though. <g> I am happy enough to capture us as we are this year – grades K, 2, 5, 7, and 10 plus one mom who is also learning as she goes.

The quote is one of many I have transcribed from My Reading Life which I grabbed blindly off the shelves. I have not read Prince of Tides nor any of his other work, nor even watched the movies. The memoir thus far is gripping even without that background and I found myself unable to see the type for several minutes this morning as he shared the story of his beloved English teacher's death.

His mother instilled in him a tremendous love of literature, introducing him to classics by the armful. The first few chapters are tributes to these two great influences on his life. Definitely lots of food for thought to mothers who are also teachers.

"She read so many books that she was famous among the librarians in every town she entered. She outread a whole generation of officer's wives but still wilted in embarassment when asked about her college degree. She talked of Pasternak and Dostoyeysky."

"My mother hungered for art, for illumination…She lit signal fires in the hills for her son to feel and follow. I tremble with gratitude as I honor her name."

" A library could show you everything if you knew where to look."

"She checked out large art
books from the library and and spread them out for Carol and me and read
out names seething with musicality and strangeness."

"Pat, don't you think the passage of time is what all literature is really about? Poems, plays, novels, everything?"

"I think so Gene."

"Mr. Powell seems to think it is a dance. Do you agree?" (referring to Powell's 12 volume A Dance to the Music of Time)

"I wish I'd thought of it before he did."

"You walked into my class in 1961."

"Our dance began."

It is good to think about our own dance through time with these children. What will they remember? What treasures will they store up in their hearts and minds?

This is what I am thinking about this week.

piebald

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Such a pretty face. Our game was rescheduled so instead I ran outside when we got back home for a quick visit before dark.

There is a touch of divinity even in brutes, and a special halo about a horse, that should forever exempt him from indignities.

– Herman Melville

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

They are harvesting onions in a nearby field this weekend. When the wind kicked up yesterday the whole area smelled like it was marinating. It became so irresistable we had to make a salad last night. : )

Early fall day book

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Out my window: wind. It is sunny with high cottony clouds wafting across the sky. The crab apples are all blushed and swinging wildly from the tree in the orchard.

Listening to: “Blue 42 – hike! Floor to table. Hustle hustle hustle!” Kieran is leading schoolroom pickup. Chores are just more fun during football season. ; )

Musically- am loving BBC radio. Loving it. I am picking up a radio for the kitchen so I can bring all that fun out of the car where I linger in the driveway when we get home. New fave – Jerry Douglas.

Reading: finally finished Jane Austen’s Emma since I have been reading other things with it. It really picked up after page 300 fwiw. It was a fantastic read considering nothing actually happened in all 400 pages. Not an action title to be sure, but spot on characterization. You will see people you know in those pages.

Afterwards I began “Horses Don’t Lie About love”. Sorry no links. Story about a woman who moved out west and began a horse farm with some nearly feral stock. Totally different tone from Ree Drummond but I love a good memoir.

From the learning rooms: making new file games. Journaling. Lots of art. Tess’ reading is taking off.

Creating: embroidery. Tess has been working on a back stitched pear for a tea towel. I had Moira sit with her supervising when I had to leave the room. Moments later Moira announced she wanted to sew. And she did. A butterfly, a shamrock and finally a large DANCE on her dance shorts.

Around the house: been here long enough to have to clean the cabinets out in the kitchen. Feeling much tidier now.

Plans: football practice – the new normal. A date which will likely net a new computer set up this weekend. Which means all kinds of fun for my camera with the over flowing memory card. ; )

Encouragement

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It always seems to come in unexpected ways and at just the right time. Life expands and contracts and our circles do the same in this ever changing landscape of our mobile life. Giving birth to a life is like that. Labor and rest. Confidence and doubt. Peaks and valleys. Very often it is those dips into the valley that spark the most progress.

This week was frustrating without my camera or software. My card is full and the computer must go to the shop. I don’t dare clear my card til I can back up the images. But I don’t sit on my hands well making nothing. I ended up trying two things. Instagram and film.

I pulled out my old film camera which I only used in automatic mode all those years ago. It was a good camera, however, with a couple nice lenses which I knew nothing about when I won that auction on eBay 8 years ago. My phone yielded a PDF manual to bring me up to speed and locate all the functions. I very happily dropped off a roll of film with a very nice British gentleman the other night.

When I told my husband I had nearly convinced myself to switch back he listened quietly. Then said he still wanted also push forward with the new computer and software and equipment we have been planning for. A both/and solution to the either/or scenario in my head. : ) You can do this and more he said. And more. And we are going to make it happen.

Then came a long overdue phone call on a slightly crackly line to an old friend who can be counted on to always say oh yes you can! You can can apples. You can read more Jane Austen. You can tend a cutting garden. You CAN.

This morning I listened to that yes you can and pushed myself out into chilly morning air to jog (jog-walk-jog-walk) with Toby Mac. I came back thinking how beautiful the clouds were over my chimney and how much I love the kitchen door. And geraniums. And being brave. And saying yes.

I checked mail and found a sweet comment from the wildly creative Jennifer and clicked back to catch up with her doings. Turns out it was the National Day of encouragement this week. I missed it. Officially anyway. But certainly enjoyed all the perks in practice. I paid it forward by taking a couple extra minutes to tell her what I often think when I read her notes – thank you.

She got me thinking about how the Internet rather encourages a bit of consumerism. We click in and out. We glean. We use ideas and off we go. Those people don’t often know how much they have blessed us or just how amazing they really are. I am trying not to forget that as I visit and learn.

If you haven’t visited here before you are in for a treat:

http://studiojru.com/2012/09/12/national-day-of-encouragement/#comment-15591

Without an H

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

More street photography today. This time we go to southeast Asia.
http://jonsanwell.wordpress.com/

A walk with my camera

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Not my camera this time. This is the name of one of the few blogs I actually follow right in my inbox. I look forward to the images and stories of his walks around his community in the Philippines taking pictures that move you and make you think.
On an unrelated note we have had a series of technological disasters which I am hoping do not spell the loss of several weeks of work. No picture posts here until this is resolved. But I am happy to share links for a while. And this is a good one.

Random People

heart healthy

Image | Posted on September 8, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Hands on learning

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Sharing some cheap and easy manipulatives today.

This is one of the power tower games I mentioned yesterday. (link in yesterday's post) You write the memory fact on the end. I put the answer inside the cup for self checking. These aren't real neat because his brother wanted to help so he wrote all the math facts for me. Can't refuse willing workers. Especially when they volunteer. Done is better than perfect.

A big sister cut these base ten cards for these two to play war with. (its all linked up on the pinterest page – button over to the right sidebar) It wasn't much of a stretch for Brendan obviously but they are all really good about playing with a sibling. We have also used flash cards and given an older sibling a harder set of facts so the playing field is level. Whoever has the highest answer on the card collects.

I don't love the graphics on these printables but it was a hit for obvious dental reasons. <g> Tess, at 5, is losing a lot of teeth already. She loved this game. The graphic has ten teeth. You black out however many you are subtracting from ten in your math problem.

Usually they complete a regular math book page and then quite happily spend another 15-20 minutes playing more math games.

We made a DIY version of this activity years ago but it was a little wonky due to slight variations in the cuts in the wood made by hand. When I was at the craft store this bucket of dowels in assorted widths caught my eye. Since it was discounted and we have no power tools with us I grabbed it up. Abbie spent a long time this morning sorting and making dowel trains. It requires careful comparing to sort the narrower widths. Much less expensive than Montessori sensorial materials and my heart won't break if one goes missing. Eventually one will. ; )

School’s in

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Or on or how do we say that? All I know is I am having so very much fun. So much fun I haven't time to post the things I thought I would. Suffice it to say the pinterest board is filling rapidly and just as rapidly we are making what we see there and trying it out. Power Towers? Big hit. Bible memory? Check. Art trays. You betcha.

We hit the jackpot when we found the craft store on base this week. Let me just say I haven't been in a proper craft store in 2 1/2 yrs. YEARS. We're talking significant withdrawal. I found myself longing for floral foam bricks and styrofoam balls and embroidery floss and origami paper and…. you get the picture. Well, the wait is over. I walked out of there with an armful and promised myself to use it all before I go back. It's been two years though. I am making no promises. I lost so much of last year right after we started that I want to get all our ducks in a row. No day of wellness and strength is ever taken for granted. While I keep telling myself this year is not last year, I know how quickly things can change and I want to bullet proof the year where I can.

Anyway man oh man it is late and these people start the day unreasonably early. I would be in bed myself but making things makes me want to make more things and here I still am. I do have a scrapbook page to show for it though.

I hope your 2012 school year is starting strong and you are learning something new right alongside your little people. There is always something new to learn.

Starry Sky Journal

Reflections from Starry Sky Ranch