As surely as autumn follows summer and winter follows autumn, the cadence of the seasons alerts us to the passage and cycles of time. And for very young children, observing and celebrating the changing seasons helps them develop a better understanding of how days and months turn into years. It teaches them of life and nature, and it also makes them aware of the special attributes and joys of each season. They learn to appreciate the beauty around them all through the year.

One of the best ways to celebrate the different seasons is to create a rotating tablescape or tableau. This is easily done by designating a small table or shelf as a spot for a “nature or seasonal” display. Some people may even choose a windowsill to house their tableaus. The point is to set aside a special area solely for the purpose of showcasing a specific season.

The Waldorf, Montessori, and Charlotte Mason methods of education all encourage the use of “nature tables,” but delighting in the changing seasons is for everyone. In fact, many families simply call this display a “seasonal table” which can encompass and include a wide variety of things—from pinecones to pumpkins, handicrafts to photos and drawings, or even favorite books about the season. The possibilities are endless!

However, these seasonal tables are certainly not a new idea. According to Sarah Ban Breathnach in her book, Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions: “Victorian families let the four seasons weave the fabric of their family life together in harmony and creativity with handicrafts to beautify their homes.” (pg. 66) In fact, their seasonal tables were a place to display items they discovered on nature walks or things they’d made. Although simple, the table was a focal point for families to enjoy seasonal treasures and concentrate on specific times of the year.

Ms. Ban Breathnach went on to say of this old tradition that we can still enjoy today: “…the Seasonal Table helps children develop a sense of the year’s rhythms and an appreciation for the four seasons. We know that there will be paper snowflakes and evergreen branches in winter; pussy willows and a bird’s nest in spring; seashells in summer and autumn leaves displayed in the fall.” (pg. 66)

So why not take a lesson from the past and set aside a corner, table, shelf, or windowsill to designate as a specific place to exhibit seasonal displays? Children will take pleasure in finding, choosing or creating items for the tableau, and the whole family will enjoy this timeless and special tradition!

*Quotes taken from Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance Press (Scribner), New York, 1990.

Every family has a story, and children are naturally curious about their heritage. They like to hear about the ‘olden days’ when their parents or grandparents were little boys and girls. In fact, they are usually amazed that there was actually a time when there were no cell phones, microwave ovens, televisions, or even indoor plumbing.

But more than that, learning about their own special lineage, culture, and heritage gives children a connection to the past, a foundation, and a stronger sense of belonging as they pursue their futures. It also creates a fun opportunity to delve into history while providing a glimpse into the lives of their ancestors. This makes history seem real or come alive for them.

Here are a few ideas to help spark some interest in learning about your family’s special story:

1. Create a family tree to give the child a visual aid. If possible, use photos along with names and dates. Help the child distinguish his relationship with each person. Can the child find any similar physical characteristics between himself and his ancestors?

2. Create an oral history resource. This can be done using audio or video, but let the child interview family members (grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) about when they were young, what they remember about their ancestors, what was happening in the world at the time, or any special memories. Encourage the child to make a list of questions and give them to the interviewee beforehand so that they can think on their answers. The audio interviews can always be transcribed and put into a special book.

3. Create a family photo album or scrapbook. Many times, older relatives will have lots of photographs that have been passed down through the years. Try to borrow as many of the pictures as you can, make copies, then help your child create a family album or scrapbook. Create captions telling who, what, when, and where. You could also insert other pages to correspond with the photos (if you have enough information about dates) telling what was happening in the world or nation at the time. You could even include newspaper clippings if you have them. Put history in its proper place!

Note: This would be a great time to discuss good photo preservation techniques, taking special care of items that belong to others, and responsibility to return what is borrowed.

4. Create and label a family map. Display a world/country map and use little flags or stickers to label each country, state, or town where ancestors lived. If your family came from a distant place, study the area, the culture, the food, and the language. Check out travel videos, books, and cookbooks to learn more about the special ‘flavor’ of the homeland.

5. Create a family cookbook. Many families have special or secret recipes that are handed down through the generations. Why not create a family cookbook to keep these recipes in one place? Have relatives contribute their favorites, but also include information about where the recipe originated, who taught them how to prepare it, or any special story associated with it. Add an ancestry tree page in the front of the book, and you have a great family heirloom. This would be a wonderful summer project to do with your child, and it would also make a thoughtful gift for each individual family who contributes!

6. Introduce your older child to genealogical research. There are many online websites and databases where you can access records and information. Some are subscription based, but there is also a lot of free information out there as well, if you know where to look and enjoy digging for nuggets. An older child might be bitten by the ‘genealogy bug’ and discover an enjoyable lifetime hobby. A good starting place is www.cyndislist.com where you’ll find lots of lists and links to genealogy sites on the internet.

7. Encourage your child to keep a journal. After delving into his family history, your child will see the importance of recording things that are happening in his world, the weather, special memories, or even just the little details of daily life. Who knows—one day his descendants may decide to research their family history and they’ll already have a fantastic resource right at their fingertips. A priceless gift for future generations!

Check out these resources for more information about researching family history:

· The Great Ancestor Hunt: The Fun of Finding Out Who You Are by
Lila Perl Yerkow

· Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney

· Family Tree: Writing Historical Fiction Based on Family History by
Jennifer Johnson Garrity

· Climbing Your Family Tree by Ira Wolfman

· Who’s Who in My Family? By Loreen Leedy

· Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors: A Step-by-Step Guide to
Uncovering Your Family’s History by Maureen Taylor

· Roots for Kids: A Genealogy Guide for Young People by Susan
Provost Beller

· Creating Jr. Genealogists: Tips and Activities for Family History Fun
by Karen Frisch Dennen

· My Family Tree Workbook by Rosemary Chorzempa

I have really been enjoying the Ultimate Writer’s Expo hosted by Cindy Rushton! This particular writer’s seminar was entitled Getting Started (or RE-Started!) on the Right Track! And I must tell you how spectacular all the speakers have been. There has been something for everyone–from the actual craft of writing, to marketing, to creating information products, to starting your own membership site! So much information, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s included! The current price for the set is $29.95, but that cost will be going up to $99.95 after tomorrow (Sunday). So if you want to grab a ticket, check out the UWE page now!
Here is a list of the speakers:

• Alice Seba
• Angela Wills
• Cindy Rushton
• Crissy Heron
• Donna Partow
• Elizabeth Potts Weinstein
• Felice Gerwitz
• Holly Lisle
• Janice Campbell
• Kathy Grubb
• Kelly McCausey
• Lucia Claborn
• Lynette Chandler
• Maridel Willer
• Marnie Swedberg
• Michelle Waters
• Milana Leshinsky
• Nicole Dean
• Stephen Beck

Welcome to your new Blog.

If you’re reading this, you’ve got a brand new blog that’s all your own. Here’s what to do next…

1. Sign up for these great related affiliate programs:

http://www.momstalkaffiliates.com
http://www.justaddsweat.com/affiliates.php
http://www.shelancers.com/affiliates.html
http://www.reliablewebs.com/affiliate-program/
http://twitterwebs.com/affiliate-program/

2. Update your affiliate links by editing your .htaccess file.

Find and open your .htaccess file. (Either via FTP or through your Cpanel File Manager)

(There’s a video here if you need some extra direction.)

You’ll see lines like this:

Redirect /sweatreview http://justaddsweat.com/go.php?offer=zzzzz&pid=5

Each line is a redirect for a specific product promoted in the articles on this blog. In all of the links that contain a zzzzz you’ll replace that with your affiliate ID from the appropriate program.

(Until you make this change – the links will not work!)

3. Where it says

*Redirect /shelancers http://www.shelancers.com
*Redirect /reliablewebs http://www.reliablewebs.com
*Redirect /twitterwebs http://www.twitterwebs.com

simply replace each link with your link for that program.

Please note that you’ll ONLY change the URL, not the part that says “Redirect /easy” or “Redirect /she” as that’s telling the hosting to redirect all links on your new blog that end with those letters to the appropriate sites THROUGH the link that you’re entering into this file.

4. Update your Button Ads

The four button ads shown on the sidebar can be edited through the ’sidebar.php’ file. (If you have updated all of the redirect links in your .htaccess file you don’t have to make any changes.)

5. Optional but highly recommended – Get Custom Graphics!

There are four graphics being displayed in the header. You can create your own graphics of the same size and upload them into the ‘img’ folder of the ’strides’ theme. Then go into the ‘header.php’ file and change the file names. This will update your site. The wide top graphic is 900 x 75 and the three smaller graphics are 300 x 175.

If you need help and want to outsource, Girly Blog Designz and FreshNets have offered a special $50 customization deal to our loaded blog customers. Just submit a request through their contact form to initiate an order.

6. Read this free report about how to get started: Making Money with your New Blog

7. Once you do that, then simply delete this post, create an introductory post from you and start promoting your new blog.

I have an article up today over at The National Writing For Children Center about teaching personification by using picture books. And as I mention in that post, Virginia Lee Burton was a master at using personification in her books. The Little House is a favorite at our house, as is Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Katie and the Big Snow. The imagery in Mrs. Burton’s books is beyond description, and her writing style is exceptional! She was a true icon in the picture book industry, so I thought I’d share a little bit about Virginia Lee Burton here.

She was born on August 30, 1909 in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, but her family moved to California when she was seven. When she was older, she received a scholarship to study art and dance at the California School of Fine Arts. But after about a year, she returned to Boston with her father. She had an opportunity to travel with a ballet troupe, but just before she was to leave on tour, her father broke his leg. So she stayed behind to care for him. In her own words, “that was the beginning and end of my dancing career, which was just as well, because I wasn’t very good anyway.”

Luckily for us, she did pursue her art career. In the fall of 1930, at the age of twenty-one, she began taking Saturday morning drawing classes under George Demetrios at the Boston Museum School. They must have gotten along pretty well, because they were married in the spring! The couple lived in Lincoln, Massachusetts for a year, and their son Aristedes (Aris for short) was born there before they moved to Folly Cove, Gloucester (MA) in 1932. A second son, Michael, was born in 1935. Mrs. Burton lived in Folly Cove until her death in October of 1968. She was only fifty-nine years old.

Her Writing Career:

Although, she did write an unpublished manuscript entitled Jonnifer Lint, Mrs. Burton’s first published book was Choo Choo, published in 1935, a story of a runaway train engine. This book set the pattern of animated machinery stories. Her second book, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, was a story of a steam shovel made obsolete by newer technology. It was published in 1939 and has become a true classic.

Calico the Wonder Horse was published in 1941, but it was her 1942 book, The Little House, that really drew attention to Mrs. Burton’s work. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1943 and has generally been regarded as her most famous book. She went on to write and/or illustrate quite a few more great books (listed below), and earned her reputation as one of the picture book greats!

Children’s Books Written and Illustrated:

• Choo Choo, Houghton, 1935.
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Houghton, 1939, Faber, 1967.
• Calico, the Wonder Horse, Houghton, 1941.




• The Little House, 1942, Faber, Houghton, 1968.




• Katy and the Big Snow, Houghton, 1943.




• Maybelle, the Cable Car, Houghton, 1952.




• Life Story, Houghton, 1962.

Children’s Books Illustrated:

• Bontemps, Arna, Sad-Faced Boy, 1937.




• Bontemps, Arna and Conroy, Jack, Fast Sooner Hound, Houghton, 1942.




• Park, Leigh, Don Coyote, 1942.




• Malcolmson, Anne, Song of Robin Hood, Houghton, 1947. (Caldecott Honor)
  




• Andersen, Hans Christian, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Houghton, 1949.

Other Work:

In addition to being a prolific writer and illustrator , Mrs. Burton (known as Jinnee to friends and family) was also a gifted textile designer. She taught classes to others who wanted to learn the art of block printing. In 1940, she established the Folly Cove Designers, a textile collective in Gloucester, Massachussetts. But to differentiate her textile work from her writing/illustrating, she signed her name Virginia Lee Demetrios.

Books/Media About Virginia Lee Burton:

A Life In Art by Barbara Elleman (Biography)

A Sense of Place: Virginia Lee Burton (DVD Documentary)

You can also find more about Virginia Lee Burton, her books, and even activities that go along with some of her books at the following links, so be sure and check them out:

Virginia Lee Burton

Houghton Mifflin (This site has biographical info and activities)

Women Children’s Book Illustrators (Great biographical info)

Below is a list of links to reviews I have done on different homeschooling products, including books, DVDs, CDs, MP3s, games, curriculum and more. Most of the reviews are listed on The Old Schoolhouse Product Review site here. They include:

Minnow and Rose: An Oregon Trail Story by Judy Young

Wordly Wise 3000 Book 4 Set by Educational Publishing Service (EPS)

The Essential Guide to the SAT Test Prep/ACT Test Prep by Club Z In-Home Tutoring Services

Family Tree: Writing Historical Fiction Based On Family History by Jennifer Garrity

A Day in the Salt Marsh by Kevin Kurtz

Creating Ballet Fun with Rochelle by Ballet Ovations

Hands-On Essays by Bonita Lillie

Mysteries of the Forest Trivia Board Game

Pins and Needles and Pintucks and Lace by JoAnn Gagnon (sewing books)

Money and Making Change DVD by Rock ‘N Learn

Big Fun Christmas Crafts and Activities by Judy Press

Dance With the Animals DVD by Rock ‘N Learn

Smart Draw

True to the Old Flag Mp3 Narrated by Jim Hodges; Written by G.A. Henty

The Dragon and the Raven MP3 Narrated by Jim Hodges; Written by G.A. Henty

Shakespeare for Everyone to Enjoy by David R. Brown

Homeschooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rockett

Homeschooling With TLC in the Elementary Grades by Tamara Chilver

Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer DVD and CDs Various Collections

Honeybees: A Homeschool Field Trip to Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries (DVD)

Maple Syrup: A Home School Field Trip to Brown’s Syrup Shack (DVD)

The Gulf Coast: A Literary Field Guide edited by Sara St. Antoine

Fresh From the Oven Favorites by Nathaniel Smisor and Crystal Paine

Liberty’s Kids Boxed DVD Set Shout Factory!

Educating The Whole-Hearted Child by Sally Clarkson