Decoupaged Plates

Our hands on project this week is a decoupaged plate. We have been studying Ancient Israel this year, and our Tapestry of Grace curriculum suggests that we hold various family feasts as we learn about Israel. We’ve already done a Sabbath meal (Shabbat), and soon it will be time for our family Passover Feast. We’re […]

Mayan Feast

As is our custom, we ended our study of the Mayan culture with a Mayan Feast. Here was the menu: Tamales Pozole De Pollo (traditional pre-columbian chicken soup) Corn Bread Smoothies Honey Vanilla Fruit Compote Hot Chocolate Tamales We love tamales, so I make them frequently. This was the first time I’ve made the dough […]

Studying the Mayans

We studied the Mayans this week. All the kids agreed that the best history book we studied was Your Travel Guide to Ancient Mayan Civilization by Nancy Day. They enjoyed learning about the Mayans while pretending to prepare for a journey back in time. My oldest son and I read Chris Eboch’s The Well of […]

Making Paper the Easy Way!

To finish out our study of Ancient China we made our own paper. I was determined to do this as easily and inexpensively as possible. Virtually every set of instructions I found on the internet required the use of a deckle or, at the very least, a picture frame. This did not fit my definition […]

Teaching Children about Other Religions

When and how much to teach about other religions is a sensitive subject. Each parent will need to make their own decision, taking into account the age of their children and the child’s own spiritual maturity. We live in a culture that is bombarding us–and our children–with the lie that every belief is equally valid, […]

Indian Feast

  Knox chose to build the city wall with some structures inside. We just finished our study of Ancient India, and we capped off the week with an Indian Feast. Mema and Papa came over to join in the fun. The kids were excited to share some things they had learned about India, as well […]

Indian Feast Recipes

We studied Ancient India this week. Our study culminated with an Indian Feast. Here are the recipes we used. Menu: Basmati Rice Tandoori Chicken Chicken Curry Indian Naan Bread Green salad Kulfi (Indian Ice Cream) If you decide to prepare an Indian Feast, plan ahead. The ice cream needs at least 8 hours to freeze. […]

Celebrating Shabbat

We’ve been studying Ancient Israel and reading through the Old Testament. This week we read about (and worked to memorize!) the Ten Commandments. As we began to learn about the importance of honoring the Sabbath (Shabbat) we wanted to have a Shabbat Feast celebration in our own home. Our six year old son Colin was […]

Shabbat recipes

Here are several recipes we used during Shabbat, and the details of our complete menu below. Again, we were not observing a strict Jewish Shabbat, as we are Christians. I did not concern myself with whether or not we were meeting dietary laws or whether these foods were Kosher. To read exactly what we said […]

Our Shabbat Script

  I put together this Sabbath “script”, drawing on many of the ideas and prayers I found in Martha Zimmerman’s book Celebrating Biblical Feasts. I wanted to follow her recommendations as to the elements and order of a Shabbat feast, since I had never participated in one before. Some of the prayers we read follow […]