Down on Grandpa's Farm

As a farm girl, many of my favorite songs and stories that I remember from childhood incorporate that lifestyle.  This is one such song:

Down on Grandpa's Farm
Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown cow.
Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown cow.
The cow, she makes a sound like this: "Mooooooo."
The cow, she makes a sound like this: "Mooooooo."

We're on our way.
We're on our way.
On our way to Grandpa's farm.
We're on our way.
We're on our way.
On our way to Grandpa's farm.

**Repeat with other animals and sounds.  I always try to include animals that may show up in the keybook.**

Story Time - The Otter Who Loved to Hold Hands

This summer, we have been focusing our curriculum around a "water" theme, which works well since water is one of our basic materials.  In addition to having water available in multiple areas of the classroom, we have also chosen keybooks and songs that incorporate the water theme into our group story time.

I chose to read The Otter Who Loved to Hold Hands by Heidi and Daniel Howarth, a sweet book about a young otter who is afraid to let go of his parents.  This is a great book for children adapting to the new situation of being in school and separating from their parents, maybe for the first time.

With this book, I chose three songs to complete our story time.  The gathering song was "Everybody Have a Seat."  I then taught a song that incorporates rhythm and counting with several well-known nursery rhymes:  "Oleanna."  My final song was "Five Little Otters Went Out to Play," a modification of the popular "Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play."

Quick Candied Walnuts

Candied nuts are another of my weaknesses.  There's just something so satisfying about the sweetness and the crunch and the savory nuttiness all rolled into one.  AND you can add them to a salad, making any salad that much more satisfying.

I kept forgetting to pick up more candied pecans at the store - or regular pecans, couldn't remember those either - and I needed nuts for a salad I was planning.  I did have a huge bag of walnuts in the pantry - for granola purposes, of course! - so I set out to make my own candied walnuts.

What a satisfying experiment!  They were simple and perfectly delicious, one of my favorite combinations.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnut halves and pieces
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions:
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on a counter or baking sheet.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add walnuts, sugar, and butter.
Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.
Transfer immediately onto parchment and spread the nuts apart with a spatula.
Let the coating harden for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl or container.

What's Up Wednesday

This week I'm trying out "What's Up Wednesday," a linky party that one of my favorite bloggers participates in.

1.  What we're eating this week...

This is my last week in South Dakota for the summer, so I'm trying to make sure I eat all my favorite Midwestern things before I go.  

My favorite breakfast treat of all time comes from the Royal Bake Shop in Centerville, SD.  They are most well known for their "zebras" - a thick glazed donut with a layer of chocolate donut in the middle.  Zebras are great.  However, not my all-time favorite.  That title goes to their filled maple sticks.  Yummm!

This little treat is a long-john filled with a maple cream and topped with mapley, crumbley goodness.

Next on the list...

On Monday I finally got my Taco John's fix.  Every time I come back to visit I crave some potato ole's!

There's also the good old-fashioned Midwestern comfort foods - basically anything Grandma makes!

2.  What I'm reminiscing about...

While I've been back at the farm this summer, I have been going through the house and purging all the crap that has accumulated over the last 130+ years.  I have found a lot of junk, taken a lot of things to Goodwill, and found a few treasures along the way.  Just yesterday I found some school writings and art projects of my grandpa's from 1937 and 1938.  Reading his papers, and just seeing the way he signed his name again has brought back so many memories of my first best friend.

3.  What I'm loving...

Bachelor in Paradise!  It's my favorite trashy TV show and guilty pleasure.  And right along with it come Sheaffer's weekly recaps!

I laugh so hard during the show, then on Wednesdays I get to laugh at it all over again when I read her take on the week's events.  

Normally I watch every episode of Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise with my friend Heather, then we read the recaps together after.  We love the nicknames and comment on so many of the same things that show up in the recaps.  Having been out of town for nearly two months, she and I have had to settle for texting each other after we've confirmed we've both watched the show (different time zones are a pain), and for reading the recaps together.

We'll be back together for it next week though!

4.  What we've been up to...

We just finished our county fair, where my family was named the 4-H Family of the Year!

It was so much fun to be back at the Turner County Fair for The Four Best Days of Summer!  I grew up going to the fair every year and spending all week there.  We showed sheep and always tried to outdo our total number of head from the year before.  It was fun - but a little strange - to be there for the sheep show without having any sheep of our own to show!

I've gotten to spend so much nice time with my family this summer, but the fair last week also gave me a chance to spend time with my "fair family" - those people that become like parents and siblings because of the amount of time you spend with them in the barn.  Papa Flint is one of those people that I've known for so many years and he has always been like another father to me.  I know that he and his family will always be there for me in any situation.

We can goof around and have fun just like I do with the rest of my family.  Papa Flint still likes to give me a hard time about having a bony butt when I was growing up, so I had to sit down on his lap and see if anything has changed.  This picture was snapped right as he was tickling me!

5.  What I'm dreading...

Packing!  I've been in SD for 6 1/2 weeks now and I'm finally going home on Saturday!  I'm happy to be going home, but I'm dreading having to get everything packed back up into my suitcase!

6.  What I'm working on...

Since everyone in my family teaches, this is a busy time of year for us.  I helped Baby Sister set up her classroom for the first time, and then yesterday morning I helped my mom get hers ready for the start of the new school year too.

While going through her things, we came across this gem:

Wasn't I a cutie? :)

7.  What I'm excited about...

This week marks my dad's third round of chemo for his neuroendocrine cancer.

When we finally figured out what type of cancer it was, the prognosis wasn't good.  He decided to try chemotherapy anyway, in the hopes that it will do a little bit of good.

After two rounds, the oncologist ordered a PET scan, which happened last week.

We got the results on Monday morning and they were much better than we ever could have expected!

He's still going to complete his planned four rounds of chemo, then they will scan again.  The chemo probably won't be able to kill everything, and he probably won't be "cured," but it's working and we'll take that!

8.  What I'm watching/reading...

I just finished reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

I'll be honest, it wasn't my favorite.  It took me a long time to read it.  But it did have really great parts, as well as the beautiful language I've come to expect from Rowling.  The character development was also incredibly well done.  However, it was a bit of a slow read for me, partly because the narrator changes with each chapter, requiring me to mentally change gears more than I otherwise would have.

I've been working my way through Gilmore Girls on Netflix and am obsessed.  I would watch it all day if I could.  I watched the show growing up, but had never gotten even close to watching every episode, so it has been fun to go through them in order!

I'm also finally finishing Sherlock, the BBC miniseries.  I watched the first two seasons right after they aired, and simply forgot to watch the third, so I'm finishing it tonight!

9.  What I'm listening to...

Since I'm driving my grandma's '94 Ford Escort while I'm here this summer, and I'm spending so much time in the car with my dad, I've been pretty much restricted to whatever is playing on the two country radio stations we have!

10.  What I'm wearing...

The weather has cooled off a little bit here, so I've actually been able to wear jeans and boots for the first time all summer!  The problem with this weather is that I didn't bring home any jeans to wear with my boots, so I had to dig out some jeans that were still hanging around from my sophomore year of high school!  To my surprise (and enjoyment), they fit!

11.  What I'm doing this weekend...

I'm hoping to spend time with one of my SD best friends Friday night for a night out dancing before heading home.

Saturday will be spent flying!

And then, if plans don't change, Tall Dark and Nerdy and I will head up to Tahoe for Saturday evening through Monday!

12.  What I'm looking forward to next month...

My birthday!

13.  What else is new...

Counting down the days until I am back with my wonderful partner and my dog!

The Old Grey Cat

Sometimes I like to incorporate games into story time.  The way I play this game gives the children another opportunity to participate, as well as an opportunity to work on self-regulation and memory.  In this game, children must remember which houses have already been checked and guess a new color.

The Old Grey Cat:
The old grey cat is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.  The old grey cat is sleeping by the house.The little mouse is hiding, hiding, hiding.  The little mouse is hiding in the house.
(Hide mouse inside one of the houses)The old grey cat is waking, waking, waking.  The old grey cat is waking by the house.

The old grey cat is looking, looking, looking.  The old grey cat is looking for the mouse.
If you think that you know, you know, you know, if you think that you know, raise a quiet hand.(Ask children which house they think the mouse is in)
The old grey cat is looking, looking, looking.  The old grey cat is looking in the _____ house.(Spoken) Little mouse, little mouse, are you in the _____ house? (Open door.  If mouse is in there, go to next part; if not, repeat "the old grey cat is looking" until the mouse is found.)The little mouse is running, running, running.  The little mouse is running away from the cat.  

(Repeat game as time allows.)

I don't always do all the verses, picking and choosing as necessary.  For example, if many children want to participate and they are self-regulating well, we go through quickly to get more guesses in and to hide the mouse several times.  If the group is new to this game or style of game, I may do more singing and only hide the mouse once.

 *I drew the mouse from the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to use in this game, creating a nice tie from this last song/game right into the story I was reading at the time.*

It's the little things

As teachers, we put a lot of time, effort, and thought into the way we present our classroom to the children that join us.  We try to think through curriculum choices so that the environment is engaging and open for exploration.

We set up each table and area of the classroom to provoke children to come over and engage if they so choose.

We also have practices that may seem silly from the outside, but we feel they help us in our constant pursuit to treat children as honored guests.  One such practice is always trying to have our materials and supplies organized and presented neatly - like keeping colored pencils in rainbow order.

Inside and outside, take a peek and you'll find areas set up for exploring and learning all around.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I love pie.  And I don't mind making pie - except for the crusts.  And it just so happens that I was told by my mother many times growing up that homemade pie crusts aren't worth the work.  Sometimes I still try to rebel and make my own crust, but I also usually have a pre-made crust in the freezer for the occasion when I need pie and don't want to attempt - and fail - at making a crust.

This day was one such occasion.  I am well overdue in posting this, as I made this pie for pi day (3.14).  I woke up in the morning and realized I had forgotten to get pie supplies at the store to make the cherry pie I had planned, but I wouldn't be a true nerd if I didn't always make a pie on pi day.  I came across this recipe and knew it would do the trick.

This was quick, simple, and delicious with just enough crust to balance out the gooey chocolate chips and soft cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (if frozen, thaw completely before using)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (12 Tbsp)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat eggs in large bowl on high speed until foamy.  Beat in flour, sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat in butter.  Stir in chocolate chips.  

Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. 

Cool on wire rack.  Serve warm.

Life Lately

Here's a peek into what I've been up to lately:

Katie and I spent a wonderful day together, and I got to spend more time with her sweet kiddos.  Big Rig even got to go on the go-karts!

Papa Rist and I had a movie night together this weekend and enjoyed some of our favorite bourbon.

  

I have been trying my best to get as much cleaning and organizing done in this house as I can while I'm here.  I'm almost finished with the kitchen - finally - now that Baby Sister and I finished off the pantry!

The most recent organization challenge was the overstuffed coat closet on the porch.  Most of the things in there hadn't been taken out since we moved in 10 years ago, and others had been there longer than that.  I found hats, coats, shoes, you name it that had belonged to my grandfather.  I have 7 garbage bags full of coats, hats, and backpacks to take to Goodwill now this week!

Five Little Otters Went Out to Play

One of our most commonly modified songs is "Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play."  It's always a fun surprise when children realize a song they know has changed a little bit.  

This summer, I modified the song to use with a book about otters.  This added an extra component by not knowing what sound otters make.  I asked a child each day what sound they thought an otter would make, and we used that sound for the day.

Later in the week, I planned with some children for them to help me with the song.  My "helpers" came up to the front and played the part of a little otter or the Mama otter and acted out the song.

"Five Little Otters Went Out to Play"

Five little otters went out to play.

Over the waves and far away.

Mama Otter said “Eee, eee, eee, eee."

But only four little otters came back.

(Count down from four to zero.)

Sad mama otter went out to see

Where her little otters could be.

Sad mama otter said “Eee, eee, eee, eee."

And all of the little otters came back.

South Dakota sunsets

I always forget how magical sunsets are in South Dakota when I'm away for a long time.  Seeing the entire sky lit up in cotton candy colors as far as the eye can see is breathtaking.

Being back on my family farm is always nostalgic - it feels like almost nothing has changed about this place since my childhood, yet I have changed so much.

I've seen some incredible sunsets around the world, but the clouds and the sky in South Dakota will always have a special place in my heart.

Brio Trains

One of my go-to set-ups for the patio area or the outdoor stages during the first weeks of a new school session is a Brio train and track set-up.

Trains, in my experience, are a comfortable and familiar toy for many children, especially the boys.  As we all know, helping a child become engaged with materials helps in the process of separating from their parent or caregiver.  

I have seen trains to be very helpful in engaging a child and keeping their attention, facilitating a smooth separation.

Trains are also very open-ended, allowing younger children and older children to engage with them at the same time and in different ways, relative to each child's development.  Some children enjoy building and modifying track systems, while others are content to connect and drive trains.

Jas's granola

My first foray into homemade granola came a couple years ago with my friend Jas.  She used an old family recipe and we made batch after batch to give out as Christmas gifts.  We used gluten-free oats, so this is a very simple recipe to make a delicious gluten-free treat.  It also has no sugar added, it uses honey or agave as the sweetener for the sugar-conscious ones out there.

Making granola turned out to be quick and easy, with an end result that I liked much more than anything in the store.  Baking granola has now become a weekly occurrence in my house - fresh-baked granola is a pantry staple for us!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/3 cup flax meal
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp honey or agave syrup
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, flax meal, coconut, seeds, powdered milk, and cinnamon.

Mix honey, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Pour over oat mixture and stir until combined.

Spread on foil-lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Cool on paper towels.  

Add raisins, dried cranberries, and nuts if desired.

Life Lately

Here's a peek into what I've been up to lately:

This handsome guy is my nephew.  He was tuckered out after his baptism and needed some naptime with Auntie Jenna.

Baby Sister and I had a night out last week and saw the Eli Young Band at the Sioux Empire Fair.

Tall Dark and Nerdy is trying to make the most out of me being gone for the summer by getting in lots of backpacking miles with the boys.

Baby Sister has been working on a new patio at the farm with some nice landscaping and new flowers.  Our hibiscus has been blooming and has been stunning.

One of the great things about being back in SD for the summer is getting to spend time with my dear friends and their sweet babies.  I've been enjoying spending time with my goddaughter McKinley and her big brother Rig.

There's just something about a fire that makes it feel like summertime.  Baby Sister and I sometimes get in the mood to have a fire, so we just do it.  Living in the country is nice for that!  We start a fire, have a beer, and make some s'mores.  Perfect summer night with my sister.

Little Max is 15 now, which means he's getting a little grumpy.  His newest habit is pooping in the house on Mondays to let TDN know that he's angry for being left at home.  Poor little guy, he wishes it was always the weekend so he could have fun with his humans.

That's what's happening lately!

Oleanna

This is a really fun song that incorporates rhythm, counting, and rhyming all into one.  The chorus is very simple and the children learn it quickly.  The verses are made up of familiar nursery rhymes all sung to the same tune.

I often introduce the verses by putting up an image depicting the nursery rhyme on the felt board to give the children a chance to guess what it might be.

"Oleanna"

Chorus: 1-2-3-4

Ole, oleanna, ole, oleanna,

ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, oleanna.

(Insert nursery rhymes such as “Little Miss Muffet,” “Hickory Dickory Dock,” etc., then repeat chorus.)

Ag Family

Teaching is the family business.  Especially teaching agriculture.  Both of my parents, as well as my older sister, are full-time agriculture teachers.  My younger sister will also be co-teaching with my dad during the coming school year.  I guess I'm the odd one out!

Last week was the annual conference for South Dakota Ag Teachers.  We had the rare opportunity to have all five of us (plus my new baby nephew!) together for the banquet and auction on the last night, as some of the proceeds of the auction were to go towards my dad's medical expenses.

It was so nice to all be together for an evening with not only my "Ag Family," but also the "SD Ag Family."

Everybody Have a Seat

This is one of my favorite gathering songs.  The children enjoy the silly nature of it and the ability to provide ideas for the song, and the adults and teachers enjoy the rhythm and melody.  This song provides nice repetition and helps children know what is expected as they come in to story time.

"Everybody Have a Seat"

Everybody have a seat, have a seat, have a seat,

Everybody have a seat on the floor.

Not on the ceiling, not on the door...

Everybody have a seat on the floor.

(Repeat with other places to not sit - window, shelf, table, etc.)