min
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Posts posted by min
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No suggestions, but I have put my breadmaker away in favour of using my bench mixer (I imagine it is the same idea as your Kitchenaid).
I was finding that I was making dough in the breadmaker and then baking it in the oven as I find it gives a better loaf. I don't have the counter space to have two appliances out all the time, so the mixer won!
Min
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What about Pride and Prejudice, or other books from that era?
Min
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I use a very simple recipe:
600grams (bread) flour
1-1/2 tsp yeast
350mls warm water
splash of olive oil (optional)
I do it in my bench mixer, so I put the flour and yeast in first and mix them a bit. Then I add the water (I fill a glass measuring jug to about 250ml with cold tap water, then I top up the rest with boiling water), and the olive oil.
(MIL does it differently - she puts the flour in and makes a well, puts in some tepid water and the yeast and leaves it until it has activated, mix it up a bit, adds rest of water (which might be hotter).)
Mix it all up well. Let rise until about doubled - I just leave it in the mixer's stainless steel bowl with the spatter guard down, but you can put it in a mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel. Knead (I use the mixer). Rise in plan until about doubled. Cook at about 180-190degrees C for about 35 minutes.
It rises nicely, but is a much denser loaf than the more spongy loaves you buy at the shops. The olive oil is optional - I think it makes it keep a bit longer.
Last of all, in winter I preheat my mixer's stainless steel bowl. I live in a hot climate, so it isn't an issue for much of the year, but if it is cold it will help the bread to rise better.
Miranda
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I said "for pleasure" but I could equally have picked most of them...
Min
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We always get tomato plants growing from compost. My BIL got a great crop off one of these volunteers last year!
Min
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"Cancelled" is correct in Australia.
Min
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Do you have one of those children's dictionaries? The kind with the 300 most common words kids use in writing, and room for their own words?
I just got one (we afterschool) as they have them in the classroom. It seems as though it might be useful, but will see if they stop long enough to look words up. Still, it might be another tool.
Min
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I didn't learn at high school, but I did go to a commercial college after that. Touch typing remains the single most useful thing I learned in any of my education after about grade 6!
Min
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In Australia we double the "l" as in the UK.
Min
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We also love the Life Of... series.
Thanks for this thread! My kids are a bit older, but I'm looking at a long road trip a bit down the track and want to have *lots* of this kind of thing up my sleeve.
Min
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We got through book 1 in a month, becuase it was largely review, with just a small amount of new stuff in it. It was worth it, though, as it laid strong foundations for later. I was pleased that we bought books 1 and 2 at the same time!
Later - and it was different for each child - we found that we naturally slowed down. As we got to new stuff, more review was required, sometimes it took longer to get through each step etc. The lovely thing about AAS is that it automatically customizes for each child.
Bye
Min
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Dawn, thanks! I hadn't seen them there. I'm busily subscribing to a bunch of them. Haven't found Anne of Green Gables yet.
There's also a K-12 (or something) section in iTunes U.
Miranda
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Ooh, and there's lots of Discovery Channel stuff there too... Must stop subscribing to things...
Miranda
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The iTunes store has a bunch of podcasts there - oodles, really! There are some video podcasts you can download from National Geographic (there's a dangerous encounters one that looks good) or NASA. Heaps of others too.
I have a cable so I can plug my iPod into the TV and we can all watch together. I was surprised at the clarity of the little screen though - it is such a crisp picture that I have actually watched on the iPod (I've got a Nano, so it's a little screen).
Also, depending on the ages, check out iTunes U. Stuff there from universities on all sorts of topics.
Happy New iPod!
Miranda
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Thanks Helena. It looks as though you either get the workbook on a disc to print off, or download it to print off. The coloured pencils are a great idea!
Min
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Hi again
Helena - since you've used them - would you recommend starting with the grammar or punctuation, or do you think it wouldn't matter?
Min
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Thank you ladies, for your input! It sounds as though this will be a good fit for us. I will get the kids to watch her online before I purchase, as suggested. It took me a couple of minutes to get used to her style, but after that I thought she was gorgeous.
Helena, I was thinking of having the kids do the workbook in the car also, and just accepting that it will be messy. I asked DS about this and he said that would be okay as long as we shredded the workbooks afterwards, so that there was no chance of anyone seeing the messy work!
We're actually planning a very long road trip, and there will be many days with hours in the car. I'm hoping to get into a system where we do some schoolwork in the car on driving days, and leave the teacher-intensive stuff (like AAS) for when we get to the campsite. I'd like to make the most of that "dead" time in transit and have maximum time when we're there for local stuff.
Thanks
Min
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I've just been drooling over the collection on iTunes...
Min
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Hi everyone
I'm looking at Cozy Grammar, and it looks like it might be what I'm looking for. I want a curriculum choice that can be done entirely in the car, which means that I won't be able to present the information, though of course I'll be there if they want to pause the DVD and discuss. I do AAS, so I'm not opposed to teacher-intensive curriculum choices, it is just I want to be able to use the car time usefully.
If you've used it, can you talk to me about it? Specifically: For a child with virtually no formal grammar, would it be okay? I don't mind the lack of diagramming etc - what I want is to see good grammar used in their writing, if you kwim. (When I say no formal grammar - they know noun, verb etc.) The idea of the DVD and then workbook look ideal, and they'll all (more or less) be of an age to use it, so again, that's a plus.
I have looked at some of the videos online and they look good. I'll have to adapt some of the punctuation to reflect our, more English, usage, but that's okay.
Thanks!
Min
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I've got both.
The Billy is great for regular sized books, you can adjust the height and add an extension bit to the top for even more storage. :)
The Expedit is great for things other than standard paperback-sized books like files or bigger, deeper books. Or boxes of lego. :) Looks neat from front or back and the 4x2 size can be put on its side and still looks neat. Not adjustable, though.
Min
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That's interesting. I know a teacher who commented that her own children seemed to "improve" with a break. That conversation was in regard to swimming lessons - they seemed to need that break in lessons then when they returned to it they were more "able" than they'd been before the break.
Interesting that it seems to be much the same thing that you're talking about.
Thanks!
Min
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Hi everyone
At one point I recall seeing a grammar curriculum which looked to be a bunch of dvd/videos. It was a lady (maybe a retired teacher?) and it looked like she was chatting with the audience. Now, for the life of me I cannot recall the name of the product. :(
So, do you know what it is; and if you've used it, did you like it?
I'm planning for long car trips and wondered about using something like this.
Thanks!
Min
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I've just discovered you can buy individual episodes (and whole seasons) from iTunes.
Min
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Peela, I went to a talk the other day about worm farms/composting, and a couple of people raised the heat issue. The lady said on those really hot days to put a frozen bottle of water in the top of the worm farm. She said to open the lid just a little so the water drips out as it melts.
We do something similar with our rabbit when it is hot, except we don't want the water to drip out, so we keep the lid tightly closed. We use a plastic milk bottle, usually.
Miranda
Taking a family trip to Germany
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
We found it challenging to find accommodation even for a family of five. In the end, the best thing most of the time was to get an apartment off VRBO.
I love Germany... Am very envious...
Min