Bringing Literature Alive: Breadcrumbs

During August, we read Breadcrumbs by Minnesota author Anne Ursu. Today, we met with a few other girls as part of a book club that we hosted during the summer.We did a variety of activities that tie into reading the book.

Painting

Sophia's trio of trees.

Since the majority of Breadcrumbs took place in the woods, the children created paintings using watercolors and crayons. The idea for the project came from this pin which leads to Art Projects for Kids. The pin and instructions said to divide the background into three sections. None of the girls wanted to do that - they all wanted to have one-color (rather than divided) skies.

We also didn't use paper-punch holes as snow. Rather, some of the girls used white or silver color crayons to make dots or snowflakes in the sky. This was a nice touch to their paintings.

The first step was to trace three different triangle shapes onto a piece of paper. Then, add a squiggly line at the bottom to represent the snow.

Olivia was painting the sky while 

another book club participant drew her design.

Next, add a line from the ground up through the tree to represent the trunk. Then, add "V" shapes to the trunk to represent branches.

Sophia rinsing out her brush 

as she painted her trees.

Now, it's time to paint. The girls used natural watercolors - some the color straight from the little circles and in other cases, they blended a couple colors to create their own shades.

Olivia painting the trees.

All of the girls painted the trees first and then the sky.

Sophia putting the finishing touches 

on her painting.

I'm always fascinated by watching children do art. Given the same art supplies, each comes up with such different images. It is a joy to watch them creatively express themselves.

Olivia's finished watercolor and crayon painting.

Origami/Paper Folding

On page 82 of Breadcrumbs, the author wrote about photographs of snowflakes taken by Wilson Bentley over a hundred years ago. They called him “Snowflake” Bentley, and he was the one who discovered that no two snowflakes are alike.

The children listened to the book Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin read to them. They also were able to see some of the snowflakes that Bentley photographed. The book, Snow Crystals by W.A. Bentley and W.J. Humphreys, has over 2,450+ illustrations of Bentley’s work.

After that, the children made an origami star/snowflake.

Olivia and another participant making a window star/snowflake

from German kite paper.

This is a simple and alternative version of paper snowflakes that some people hang in their windows in winter.

Sophia's trio of snowflakes.

To hang the star, the children will place a few loops of clear tape on the back of the star and press it onto your window. The light from the sun will illuminate the pattern.

Paper Cutting

Sophia making an origami snowflake and 

Olivia making a paper-cut snowflake.

Using origami paper in two different shapes (a square and circle), the children created two paper snowflakes by cutting shapes out of the folded paper.

Olivia's trio of snowflakes.

They found the square one easier to fold and cut while the circular one was more difficult to fold and conceptualize for cutting. Yet, the girls were almost equally split between preferring the square versus circular snowflakes.

Math

We played “Melt a Snowflake” – a dice/board game that involves shaking two dice, adding the total dots, and coloring in a part of a snowflake on a game board. The pin for this idea leads to Mrs. Samuelson's Swamp Frogs and has PDF game boards to use.

Playing "Melt a Snowflake."

The children took turns and whoever colored in the most spaces on the game board won the game.

Counting the dots on the dice and 

finding the space to color in on the game board.

There are different versions of the game - one that can be played with two dice and one with three dice (to result in smaller and larger sums respectively).

It was a fun way to squeeze some math into the summer...disguised as a game.

Sports

Several times in the book, the author writes about Joe Mauer and the baseball that Jack gave Hazel. We looked at The World’s Greatest Baseball Players by Matt Doeden, and read a little about Joe Mauer.

The reason why he is such a great baseball player was lost on the girls. However, more interesting for them was the fact that he is 6 feet 5 inches tall!

Dance

The children were able to touch and try on (if they wanted to) a pair of pointe shoes that were mine when I was in junior high school.

Examining the pointe shoes.

This tied into the part of the book (on page 171) that was about the red “dancing shoes – real ballet slippers” that Hazel found in the woods. The shoes make reference to Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale called Red Shoes.

Trying to stand on her toes.

We looked at some photos from the book Ballet for Beginners – Featuring the School of American Ballet by Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller. The girls tried doing each of the basic positions (first, second, third, fourth, and fifth).

Learning the different positions.

This one is second position.

Music

Since the story makes many references to snow, ice, and winter, I thought about one of the common ballets performed in December: The Nutcracker.

The Washington County Library has CDs available of different orchestras playing Tchaikovsky’s music. We listened to the CDs while the children worked on their activities. Two pieces that directly tied into the book were: Nutcracker and Marie Depart of the Pine Forest and Waltz of the Snowflakes.

Food

We sampled two different types of food today: Turkish Delight and Meringue Snowflakes. In the book, there were references to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

In one part, the White Witch asks Jack if he wants some Turkish Delight. This is a recipe the children tasted. It’s from Aslan - Adapted from The Chronicles of Narnia by Frederic Thomas.

Turkish Delight

Turkish delight.

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
½ cup cold water
½ cup hot water
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon extract
About ½ cup confectioners’ sugar

Soften the gelatin in the cold water. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring the hot water and granulated sugar to a boil, stirring all the while. Lower heat. Add the salt, and stir in the softened gelatin until completely dissolved. Cook at a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon extract. Rinse a 6 inch square pan with cold water. The pan should be wet but not have standing water. Pour the mixture into the pan. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to stand in a cold place overnight.

Sift some of the confectioners’ sugar onto a plate. Moisten a knife in very hot water and run it around the edges of the pan to loosen the candy. Invert the pan over the plate. It may be necessary to work on the edges a little to loosen them enough to turn the candy out on top of the sugar.

Cut the square into equal-width strips. Roll each strip in sugar; and then cut into cubes. Roll each cube in additional sugar to coat well.

The girls ready to taste the Turkish delight 

at the same time.

The children also tried meringue snowflakes that were flavored with mint extract. They were a hit! The girls all asked for seconds...and thirds. The pin for the recipe leads to a lovely image of a meringue snowflake. None of ours turned out as well visually. Oh well...the children didn't mind.

Meringue Snowflakes

Meringue snowflake that Sophia made.

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon flavored extract, such as lemon, peppermint, orange, or almond
2 tablespoons colored sugar or edible glitter

Heat the oven to 200º. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, about 3 minutes. Set the mixer speed to high and beat another 3 minutes or so until the eggs whites are fluffy.

Add the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes. Then beat in the extract.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a pencil to draw snowflake patterns on the paper. The meringues will not spread, so they can be drawn fairly close together. Turn the papers printed-side down and stick them to the baking sheets by dabbing a little meringue in each corner.


Spoon the meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip and pipe it, erring on the thick side so the snowflakes will be less fragile, onto the paper-lined sheets following the patterns. Sprinkle the meringues with colored sugar or edible glitter.

A meringue snowflake.

Bake the snowflakes until dry but not browned, about 1 hour. Carefully slide the parchment paper from the baking sheets to wire racks and let the meringues cool completely.

Using scissors, cut the paper between the meringues to separate them. Then gently peel away the paper from each one, keeping one hand under the snowflake to support the edges. The meringues will stay crisp for up to 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container at room temperature (do not refrigerate them). Makes about 20.

Olivia checking out the meringue snowflake.

Theater/Play

Breadcrumbs referred to many fairy tales in the story as well as has one part in which Hazel and her friend are creating their own fairy tale.

The girls in costumes.

So, today the children were able to try on a variety of costumes and have fun creating their own story based on Breadcrumbs as well as any other ideas they came up with.

Enjoying an impromptu play.

This was the last book club meeting of the summer, so having a chance to dress up and play together was a highlight of the morning for the girls.

Having lots of fun with the costumes and 

play they are making up as they go along.

To hear and see how quickly they could come up with a story and act it out was fun to watch.

Sophia the fairy queen holding 

a fairy princess.

Thinking back to the first book club meeting we had in June, the girls were so quiet and reserved since they didn't know one another. Seeing the smiles on the girls faces this morning made me realize how much they had enjoyed spending time together this summer learning and doing activities with one another.

Celebrating Lammas

I've been planning the upcoming school year, and have been looking at celebrations and holidays that occur throughout the year. One I had not heard of before is called Lammas.

Traditionally, Lammas marked the closing of one growing season and the safeguarding of another through the winter. Lammas is recognized as a Christian holy day, and is celebrated by the church on August 1st. The celebrations often took place the last day of July or the first day of August, with the harvesting of grain. The sacredness of grain has been noted as far back as humanity itself.

Variety of wheat berries and grains in the cupboard.

It is also a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays or Greater Sabbats of Paganism. "Lammas" was the medieval Christian name for the holiday and it means "loaf-mass," for this was the day on which loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings. Associations of grains to the Gods or Goddesses of death and resurrection were also present.

This year we tried a variety of recipes to celebrate the holiday. Several came from Pinterest while others came from recipe books I own.

For lunch, we enjoyed Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad. Actually, it included everything except the avocados since I didn't purchase them far enough in advance for them to ripen. At any rate, the salad is flavorful and uses ingredients that are being harvested in this area.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad that we made.

Heirloom Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Adapted from Yummy Mummy
Source: Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/212795151116276456/ and Yummy Mummy.
Serves 12

Ingredients:
5 cups mixed heirloom tomatoes wedges
2 small English hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 bunch fresh basil, sliced or torn
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Instructions:
Place tomatoes, cucumber, avocados, and basil in a large serving bowl or platter. Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the top of the salad and mix ingredients. This can be made several hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated.

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Four-Grain Batter Bread that we made.

This is delicious! We will definitely make it again.

We also had Four-Grain Batter Bread from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 packages regular active or fast-acting dry yeast
2 cups very warm milk (120°F to 130°F)
1/2 cup very warm water (120°F to 130°F)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
Cornmeal

Instructions:
In large bowl, mix 3 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour, the sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast. Add milk and water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. (Note: I didn't use a mixer; I mixed everything by hand.)

Stir in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, oats and enough remaining all-purpose flour to make a stiff batter.

Grease 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans with shortening or cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide batter evenly between pans. With floured hands, pat tops of loaves to round. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover; let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until batter is about 1 inch below tops of pans.

Heat oven to 400°F. Bake about 25 minutes or until loaves are light brown. Remove from pans to cooling rack; cool.

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Blessed Berry Lemonade that we made.

For the beverage, we had Blessed Berry Lemonade. The pin leads to Wiccan Wonderland. I'm not sure the image on the pin is the correct one for the lemonade since it turns out to be a bit more frothy with specks of blueberries throughout it.

Nonetheless, it is a refreshing drink. It is sweetened only by honey, so it not a super-sugary drink. It tastes very natural.

Blessed Berry Lemonade for Lammas
Source: Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2009 to Mabon 2010
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1 cup lemon juice
3 lemon chamomile tea bags (we used 2 chamomile tea bags and one lemon tea bag)
2 cups blueberries
6 cups water

Instructions:
In a small saucepan, dissolve the honey in lemon juice over low heat. Place tea bags in a blender and pour lemon juice over them. Allow to steep for 9 minutes.

Remove tea bags and puree with blueberries and water. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve over ice.

The blueberries starting to swirl around 

in the Vita-Mix Mixer.

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The girls ready to have dinner.

For dinner, we had meatballs which have a variety of whole-grain bread crumbs (to tie into Lammas). The recipe is one that I often make. I had to make them in the afternoon since the girls had an equine vaulting lesson later on. When we came home from that, they were ready to eat. We also had more of the tomato basil salad from lunch.

Meatballs for dinner.

Meatballs
From Kinderhaus Cooks

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (we didn't include this)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, well beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Form 1 1/2 inch meatballs and bake on greased cookie sheet (with sides) for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.

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Muffins with white chocolate chips, 

mandarin oranges, and coconut.

We also had Lamb's Inn Chocolate Chip Muffins. The oranges in it reminded me of the warm summer days, so I thought it was an appropriate addition to our Lammas dinner.

Lamb's Inn Chocolate Chip Muffins
From Kinderhaus Cooks
Made 12 muffins and an 8" pan

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup orange juice
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate chips)
11 ounces mandarin oranges, drained and cut in half
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:
Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In separate bowl, mix orange juice, oil, eggs, chocolate chips, and mandarin oranges. Mix try ingredients into the orange juice mixture. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray. Fill 3/4 full.

Make topping by mixing coconut, melted butter, and sugar. Top each unbaked muffin with the topping. Press topping down lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

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For dessert, we enjoyed Panna Cotta. The pin leads to Cafe Johnsonia. We don't have blackberries growing around here as shown in the pin, so we used strawberries.

Strawberries on panna cotta that we made. 

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 1/2 of a vanilla bean)
Fresh fruit, for serving

Instructions:
Place 1 cup of buttermilk in a heat-proof bowl or top of a double boiler. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let sit for 5 minutes.

Bring 2/3 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a small pan. Pour over the buttermilk and gelatin. Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water (or double boiler) and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 5-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2/3 cup buttermilk and 1/3 cup heavy cream, and the vanilla extract. Stir and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup (1 quart). Pour into six 4 oz. ramekins or custard cups. Place the cups on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

To serve, unmold panna cotta by dipping the ramekin in hot water for a few seconds and run the tip of a thin knife around the edges and invert onto a platter, or alternately serve the panna cotta in the ramekin. Top with fresh fruit. Best if eaten within 2 or 3 days.

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Other highlights from Lammas:

The girls went out to look for monarch eggs and/or caterpillars. We have an abundance of milkweed this year and have noticed the butterflies flying around it.

Sophia and Olivia looking for monarch eggs or caterpillars.

They found three monarch eggs.

Hopefully they hatch soon so we can watch the caterpillars grow, and 

then transform into butterflies.

We always enjoy raising and releasing them each summer.

They also were working with Cooper on training him. They want him to learn some basic commands before they start agility training with him. He has lots of energy, so this is a great way to burn some of it off.

Cooper focused on the stick as Sophia throws it.

We had many birds visiting the feeders today. The highlight, though, was a hummingbird who seemed to excited to drink from the feeder. It would land, drink, flap its wings quickly, visit another hole, and repeat the process over again.

It's not a great picture, but a hummingbird 

visited the feeder today.

The girls had their final lesson for equine vaulting for this session.

Sophia balancing on the back of Willy.

Many of the skills they do are hands-free of the horse.

The horse, with the hands-free activities, 

is almost like a balance beam.

They did a show with other class members for family members. 

Olivia standing on Willy's back.
She is able to do this when Willy is trotting.

The girls do individual skills as well as work together. Since they have taken equine vaulting for the longest time out of the class, they work as a team. It's been a nice way for them to do a sport together they both enjoy; build trust with one another; and learn to work and communicate well together.

Watercolor Project on Pinterest - Saw It/Tried It!

Recently I've been looking on Pinterest for ideas for Sophia and Olivia for the upcoming 4-H county fair. One of the ideas I found was a watercolor painting that Olivia wanted to try. The original pin on Pinterest led to Artsonia.

Olivia's finished watercolor painting.

According to Artsonia, "American artist, Jasper Johns was the inspiration [for this art project]. He is known for his drawing and painting numbers in an abstracted way."

One of Jasper Johns' paintings.

 Photo source.

To do this project, Olivia first drew a spiral in pencil on her watercolor paper.

Drawing a spiral.

Then, she wrote the alphabet multiple times around the spiral, with the top of the letters touching the spiral. Some of the letters are close together, while others are spread out more.

Adding the letters.

The next step was to use watercolor paint to fill in the shapes that were part of the letter as well as that were created by the space between the letters.

Painting the spaces.

Olivia painted a variety of colors in random spots so they would be spread across the spiral.

Adding more color.

When the piece was dry, she took a thick Sharpie marker and outlined each letter and the spiral. It was amazing how much the defined, black line added to the picture.

The letters and spiral outlined with 

a black Sharpie marker.

Artsonia also noted that pieces done like this "look like stained glass. Rose windows, from the Renaissance period" were looked at so Olivia could compare and contrast her work with these antique windows.

Olivia thought the project a lot of work to do (this took many days for her to complete). However, the result was worth it. She is very happy with how it turned out.

Olivia with her finished painting.

She will be entering it into the "fine arts" category of the 4-H county fair.

Artist Study - Thomas Kinkade

This month Sophia and Olivia focused on the work of Thomas Kinkade. I had difficulty finding a book that showed his work as a collective body, so instead I used book covers. Several of Kinkade's paintings appeared on the covers of books that he wrote. Thus, the writing superimposed on one of the images.

The girls looked at each of the six images for a while and then shared what they remembered from each one.

Background

Thomas Kinkade (January 19, 1958 – April 6, 2012) was an American painter of popular realistic, bucolic, and idyllic subjects. He is notable for the mass marketing of his work as printed reproductions and other licensed products via The Thomas Kinkade Company.

He described himself as "Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light," a phrase he protected through trademark but one originally attributed to J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851). It is estimated that 1 in every 20 American homes owns a copy of one of his paintings.

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Cobblestone Christmas, 2003.

Sophia remembered:

=> There is a row of houses on one side of the river and almost all of them have colored lights - red, yellow, green, and orange.

=> There's a stone bridge that goes from one side of the river to the other; and it has a wooden hand rail.

=> The bridge is kind of tall so boats can sail underneath. 

=> The river isn't quite iced over. It is grayish green in color.

=> On the other side there's another house with lights along the eaves.

=> There's a big church at the end of the row of houses.

=> The sun is setting because the clouds are all peach and orange.

=> If you look down past the bridge, you'll see weeping willows and they're hanging over the river.

=> There's a tall pine tree with a bird that's flying.

=> There aren't any people outside.

=> The people are inside and you can see their silhouettes.

=> On the bridge, there are wreaths that are on the bottom of it.

Olivia remembered:

=> There are a couple of houses that don't have lights on them.

=> The outside Christmas tree has a star on it.

=> The lights reflect off the ice on the water.

=> In one of the house windows, you can see people.

=> There's a big tree with an eagle soaring a couple inches away.

=> The stone bridge has a couple of wreaths on it.

=> On one side of the bridge, there's a couple of hedges.

=> In the clouds, it looks like a person rowing a boat and a person riding a horse.

=> A house has two willow trees in front of it.

=> There's a church with a cross on it.

=> Underneath the snow, you can see a little grass.

=> Nobody is outside.

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Home Song, 2004.

Sophia remembered:

=> There's a stone bridge crossing two parts of the river.

=> Next to the bridge on either side are bushes of red and pink roses.

=> There's a man fishing with his gray terrier.

=> There's a man painting by a house with a girl by him.

=> There's a lady in the house looking at him.

=> There are a lot of houses surrounding the river. It reminds me of canals in Vienna.

=> All around the houses there are lanterns placed in the bushes to light up the area.

=> There's a man rowing a boat.

=> The sky is a pretty purple with yellow, gold, and a little bit of peach.

=> There's a path leading to the bridge. There might be a crossroad and a sign by the path.

=> There aren't a lot of people around because they are all at home.

=> It's a beautiful spring or summer evening.

Olivia remembered:

=> A man is painting a picture with a girl.

=> There's a boy or person rowing a boat.

=> There's a man fishing and a dog beside him.

=> There's a stone bridge crossing the river.

=>  There are a lot of flowers.

=> There are houses in the distance.

=> Some of the houses have smoke coming out of chimneys.

=> There is a big mountain in the back.

=> It looks like it is almost night time.

=> Some of the lights are orange.

=> The water sparkles.

=> It is clear water.

=> The sky has purple, pink, and a little yellow in it.

=> The buildings are made of stone.

=> There's a church and lots of houses.

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Hometown Christmas Memories, 2008

Sophia remembered:

=> In front of the house is a dalmatian.

=> A fence is around it and a dog is in it.

=> A tree's trunk is wrapped in white glittering lights.

=> Across the street there was a man getting out of his car with a briefcase and a heavy overcoat.

=> On the sidewalk, there's a lady who is a walking a medium-size dog. Next to the woman is a cat in mid-jump as it goes across the road.

=> The road is really slushy and you can see a little bit of it. What you can see is shiny so you can see the lights reflected off of it.

=> On the road is a red automobile. 

=> The fence wit ha dog inside it - has a small bush with top tendrils wrapping around the fence.

=> The sky is a dark pink with peace and a bit of red. It's snowing so it's kind of cloudy.

Olivia remembered:

=> There's a fire dog in a yard.

=> There's a person walking a chihuahua and a cat streaking across the road.

=> There's another walking with her child to a house.

=> There's a red car driving down the road.

=> Almost all the houses have lights on them for Christmas.

=> There's a tree that has lights wrapped around its tree trunk.

=> A person is getting out of the car in their driveway. 

=> The snow is very white and sparkles in the light.

=> There's a church in the background. There was a cross on top.

=> The sky is pink.

=> It is snowing.

=> The road had a glow on them.

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The Village Lighthouse, 2002

Sophia remembered:

=> It looks like it's late spring. Things are still in bloom.

=> There are big potholes in  the road with water in them.

=> It's evening because the clouds are pink, red, and fluffy.

=> Gulls are flying in after a day of hunting.

=> There's an older man walking a granddaughter down to the beach.

=> Houses are made out of birch and have thatched roofs.

=> There's a little girl sitting outside a home. She has a pretty yellow dress on.

=> There's a big shaggy dog and two cats looking at each other smugly.

=> An older man is coming around the corner.

=> Higher up the beach, there's a lighthouse and the light house keeper's family's house.

=> Out farther there are bigger rocks.

=> An older couple is coming into a house and they look happy.

Olivia remembered:

=> There's two trees by the stone house. They have purple and pink flowers on them.

=> There's a girl sitting on the stone step in front of a bakery. A couple feet away there's a Persian cat with two kittens by it.

=> There's a mother and son walking by the house.

=> There's a house with a hedge with orange flowers.

=> A fence has red roses growing on it.

=> There's a couple of rocks with water splashing up on the side.

=> There's lights in every house.

=> There's a tree with a house with red flowers near the lighthouse.

=> The sky is a light pink.

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Village Inn, 1993.

Sophia remembered:

=> There's a two-story white house. On the second story there are two windows with green shutters. Above each window someone has painted little sprigs of holly.

=> There are flowers everywhere.

=> There are pink trees that entwine the porch.

=> There are bushes in front of the house.

=> There's a nice looking orange tabby cat.

=> Behind the cat there's a dog with a white chest, muzzle, and paws. The rest of it is black.

=> It's twilight and the sky is a peachy color and a little fog is coming down from the trees.

=> From the house, there's an orange and reddish light coming out. It makes it look homey.

=> There's a lawn table and chairs on one side of the house. It's white.

Olivia remembered:

=> There are two cats.

=> There are lots of red flowers.

=> There are two tables with white chairs around them.

=> On one table, there's a pot of flowers.

=> One cat is an orange tabby cat. The other one is black and white.

=> It's dark out and looks like it is almost night time.

=> The sky is a peach color.

=> There's a white house. It has windows. There's a sign post and the sign says, "Welcome."

=> There are two stories in the house.

=> There were lots of squares in the window. They were lit up.

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Evening Carolers, 1991

Sophia remembered:

=> There's a house that has three stories. It's white.

=> On the front porch there are three people - a male, female, and a boy watching the carolers.

=> On one of the upper stories there's a man in a blue coat who  is watching the carolers.

=> There's another person watching the snow fall.

=> Outside, behind the carolers, there's an older man with a walking stick and red scarf.

=> There's a little dog running around everybody.

=> There are big hedges and bushes around the house.

=> There's snow everywhere on the houses, bushes, and carolers.

=> One woman has a blue hat and dress.

=> Some people are wearing red mittens and scarves.

Olivia remembered:

=> There is a dog by an old man.

=> There's a man on the first floor looking out the window with a brown coat and tie.

=> All the carolers have a piece of paper to look at while they are singing the song.

=> There's a lamp post with a wreath on it.

=> There's a caroler who looks like Abraham Lincoln because he has a top hat and looks fancy.

=> There's a young lady wearing a red hat.

=> Most of the people have red scarves.

=> The trees look very dark with all the snow on them.

=> There are three chimneys with smoke coming out of them.

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Summer of Color - Week 5 - Candy Apple Red and Yellow

For the fifth week of Summer of Color, the color inspiration was Candy Apple Red and Yellow. I am happy with this color combination since I have translucent kite paper in both colors.

Last week, the color combination was gray and pink. Looking at the supplies I had on hand, I couldn't come up with anything that I wanted to create. The translucent kite paper comes in pink, but not gray. I had gray wool felt, but not pink.

So, rather than create something I didn't need or want, I waited until this week to participate again, and was so happy to see these bright colors as the chosen color combination!

I made three window stars this week. One combines both colors and is a pattern that I used before. It is about 9 inches wide and has 19 folds per point. With 8 points, that's 152 folds to make the star.

The other two window stars are patterns I have not made before. The little yellow one is about 4.5 inches wide. For each point, there are 17 folds. With 8 points, that's 136 folds to create the star.

The red one is 6 3/4 inches wide. Each point requires 15 folds. So, with 8 points that's 120 folds to create the star.

I like the stars within a star look of both of them; and am happy I tried two new patterns this week.

Artist/Picture Study - Frederick Remington

This month for the artist and picture study, the girls focused on Frederick Remington. Remington was born in Canton, New York, in 1861. Even though he grew up and lived in the busy eastern part of the United States, he is known for his exciting pictures of America's Wild West.

Photo Source

In the 1800s, thousands of people from large cities and towns moved out West with the hope of finding a better life. In 1881, when Remington was 20 years old, he left home for Montana Territory. this would be a pivotal trip in his life.

One night, while sitting around a campfire, Remington met an old wagon driver. The older man told stories about how he had seen the Wild West quickly changing. He told Remington that it wouldn't be long before there would be many buildings and people all over the place.

Remington decided right then and there to do all he could to record the Wild West before it disappeared forever. So, from that point on, Remington frequently traveled out West to gather ideas for scenes - such as fights and battles between cowboys, American Indians, and United States Cavalry. One of Remington's favorite subjects was horses.

Interestingly, Remington always felt left out when it came to being accepted as a real artist. Many people who collected artwork for museums thought of him as just an illustrator. Near the end of his life, Remington burned many of his illustrations in a big bonfire. Today, many of his illustrations and paintings are shown all over the world. He also created bronze sculptures which are in museums as well.

Remington hoped he would be remembered for the way he could paint and sculpt horses. By the time he died in 1909, most people agreed that his horses were among the best ever.

Sophia and Olivia looked at six of Remington's paintings. One at a time, they looked at them for awhile and then shared what they remembered about them.

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Indian Trapper

Sophia remembered:
=> The bridle looks like it's golden.
=> The rider has a lot of colors - blue, oranges, browns, tans, pale colors, bright colors.
=> The handle of the rife looks embellished with paint.
=> The closest mountain has pinks, light blues, and purples - it's pretty.
=> The rider is wearing thick clothes - no short sleeves - just heavy clothes - even though it looks like spring.
=> The man's face looks weather-beaten and tanned.
=> There are two other horses far away in the distance.
=> The sky is a bright clear blue.
=> The rider is not smiling.
=> The horse looks strong but he looks like he'd bolt if something happened.

Olivia remembered:
=> The horse has a white stocking on one of its back feet.
=> The horse has a short tail.
=> The mountain is in the distance.
=> There are two other riders ahead of him.
=> The man has a furry hat that looks like it was made out of a raccoon.
=> There are lots of rocks.
=> There are lots of green bushes.
=> The man's face is rather dark.
=> The  ground is very brown.
=> Pebbles, bushes, and rocks are on the ground.

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Lt. S.C. Robertson, Chief of the Crow Scouts

Sophia remembered:
=> The horse looks like it is blind - the eyes look cloudy.
=> The horse's tail is short. It looks like it is cut to the bone.
=> The horse looks strong - you can see its muscles.
=> The man is stern and isn't smiling.
=> The guy's face is tan.
=> The man's pants are blue and it looks like he has silver or white buttons on them.
=> It looks like there is a piece of string around his wrist.
=> He has a kerchief around his neck.
=> There's a shadow of the horse.
=> He has a brown mustache.

Olivia remembered:
=> The horse's bridle is made out of silver.
=> The man looks like he is really strict.
=> The horse has black socks and his hooves are white.
=> The horse's muzzle is tan.
=> The man's coat is blue and has gold buttons.
=> He's wearing a round-brim hat.
=> He's wearing gloves.
=> His right hand has something around the wrist.
=> He has a belt with a silver buckle.
=> He has a reddish-orange-brown mixed color horse.

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A Vaquero.

Sophia remembered:
=> There's a little red mark or circle on its hindquarters.
=> The ground looks really rocky.
=> It looks like it's about to snow.
=> Next to the man's leg there's a coil or rope.
=> The donkey's ears are pointed.
=> The man is wearing a blanket as poncho.
=> The sheep skin looks warm.
=> His shirt looks like it's made of some kind of animal fur.
=> He's wearing a sombrero.
=> The mountains are craggy - there aren't smooth and foreboding.
=> The man is not smiling.
=> He has a cross on a chain around his neck.
=> There's a little basket thing.
=> There's a white sock in its back right leg.
=> One hoof is slightly up.
=> There is no vegetation.

Olivia remembered:
=> The horse sort of looks like a donkey.
=> There are mountains in the distance.
=> The man's face is really dark.
=> The sky is very gray.
=> The stirrup is very strange looking.
=> The horse's legs are very short.
=> Around his legs are sheep wool.
=> He's wearing a coat.
=> He's wearing a hat.
=> The mountains are white on the top.
=> The horse is standing on its side.
=> The horse is skinny.

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End of the Trail.

Sophia remembered:
=> There's a skeleton of someone laying on the ground. I think it was a man.
=> There aren't any birds.
=> The skull looks almost red.
=> The cabins is falling. There are pieces hanging off. There is a chip by the door hanging precariously.
=> There aren't any flowers.
=> There isn't a window.
=> There looks like there's two rocks on the side of the cabin that are falling out.
=> You can only see part of the ribs, side of the head, and part of the hand.
=> The cabin was constructed poorly.
=> Three's rough park on the trees.

Olivia remembered:
=> The house looks like it has been abandoned.
=> The forest looks dark.
=> The door is ajar.
=> I think it was a woman.
=> There are lots of shrubs by the house.
=> There's a gigantic tree by the window.
=> There's a path leading up to the house.
=> I see a lot of green.
=> There's a window by the big tree.
=> The skeleton is sort of in the ground.
=> The log cabin and the bark is falling out.
=> I see moss on the trees.
=> The skeleton's eyes are hollow.

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A Sioux Chief.

Sophia remembered:
=> The horse's tail is kind of like in a knot.
=> The Sioux Chief does not have a saddle - he's riding bareback.
=> The bridle is almost the same color as the horse.
=> The Sioux Chief has a spear and at the handle is a white and black feather.
=> All the horse's hooves except the back left has stockings up to its knees.
=> The Sioux Chief's back of the shirt has blue, green, yellow, and pink patches or beads at the shoulder by the arms.
=> He's sitting sideways or looking behind him.
=> His hair is black and very long.
=> His headdress is huge and it has black and white feathers with a tiny red patch.

Olivia remembered:
=> The Native American's horse is orangeish-reddish, and its tail is extremely short.
=> The horse doesn't look very strong.
=> The chief has a greenish outfit.
=> The horse is standing in a small patch of grass.
=> The chief has a big headdress.
=> He has a sour expression. He's not smiling and he's looking up.
=> The holding part of the spear is brown and the spear looks sharp.
=> He's sitting to the side.
=> His hair is scraggly.

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The Sentinel.

Sophia remembered:
=> The blanket faded at the end.
=> The horse looks like a mule. Its ears are larger - like a donkey's ears.
=> The trees are tall, together, and dark.
=> I can see the end of the musket and there looks like there's a streak of red. The musket is really long.
=> I can't tell if the rider is a male or female.
=> It looks like it's getting dark - like the sun is setting.
=> It looks like they were about to go on ice because it's blue in front.

Olivia remembered:
=> In the forest, there's a pair of eyes looking at them as they're going away.
=> The horse looks very strong.
=> The forest is very dark.
=> There are a lot of shadows.
=> They are walking on snow.
=> It looks like the sun is just rising.
=> The horse is black.

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