Hounds In The Kitchen » Parent

Give Them Real Tools!

Rachel — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:49:40 +0000

A huge segment of the toy industry makes kids cameras, plastic hardware tools, faux art supplies, and character-branded naturalist equipment. The motivation for such things might be pure, but they are often cheaply-made, useless imitations of adult tools.

I can’t tell you how many ‘kid’ versions of tools have met their end in our donation bin. We toss the plastic screwdriver that doesn’t actually work with screws, the cheapo watercolors that have no pigment, the child-friendly measuring cups that are cute but hard to use.

Use the Real Thing
What’s wrong with allowing children to use the real thing? If your child is distractable, keep your hands on the binoculars as they use them. Use the DSLR camera together or give them an outdated but still functional digital camera. Your ancient point and shoot is far superior to the kiddie version.

Buy genuine artist supplies at the craft or art store. Paints and brushes might be more expensive but they outlast and outperform the kiddie versions. While you are there, invest in some real artist paper or canvases.

Provide lightweight but real hammers and let children practice aim with the possible natural consequence of hitting their thumb. Because they are performing a real and honest task, chances are good they won’t even complain about a small hurt.

Process Not Product
Young children (and most adults) learn more from the process of an activity than enjoy the eventual product. Sure, kids have great imaginations and should pretend to fly rather than actually attempt it. But when we can give our children real experience in the process of creating something, they will feel empowered. They will gain true skills and competence that faux tools do not allow.

Too Young or Too Expensive?
I have high expectations for my six year old because she has been handling real tools from the moment she could handle tools at all. She has used sharp knives since she was three and power tools shortly after. Her mastery of one tool is rewarded with the next.

I believe that all kids can handle real tools when they are presented with supervised experiences from a young age. Expectations for safety must be held in the highest regard. If a child cannot handle themselves, the tool should be removed without punishment but a simple “you’re not ready for this right now.”

Some might argue that real tools are more expensive than the kid version. While this might be true, I think of purchases as an investment over time. It is not unrealistic to think that the genuine 6″ santoku knife I bought for Lil last year will travel to college with her. Same with her quality flash light, sewing kit, and binoculars. Perhaps I actually saved money by skipping over the kiddie junk.

So what if something breaks? First, naysayers might be surprised at the durability of adult tools. Lil has dropped her ancient Canon PowerShot camera dozens of times and it still functions well.

If something does fall to pieces, so be it. Adults and children make mistakes that cause glasses to break and knives to bend. I use damage incidents to talk about whether we have a budget to replace it or if we can try to fix the broken part or if we might need to be creative and do without something for awhile. These are all natural consequences to an inevitable part of living.

It’s a Tool, Not a Toy
The above phrase echoes around our house. Scissors are a tool and I expect Lil to use them safely or the privilege of using them is revoked. Matches must be consumed for a purpose – they are not play things. Use the strap to secure binoculars and cameras.

Lil approaches projects with sincerity towards the tools she might need. She isn’t afraid of fire or sharp things because she practices using them safely under supervision. She still struggles with things that her small size body can’t manage, like heavy hammers. If she comes across a project that requires a tool she isn’t ready to handle, we assert ourselves as keepers of her safety and assist.

Does my daughter have good awareness because of something innate or because we encourage her to explore and create using tools? It’s probably a little bit of both.

Each parent knows their child and must estimate how their child will handle a certain tool. Place safety at the forefront. Set them up for success by giving them new tools when they are fed and full of focus. Allow them to make mistakes and take time away from the project.

I know that I am not alone in raising a child who uses real tools. There are preschool classrooms of children who use saws and other mature tools. Why?

Because kids want and deserve the chance to make things.

Because trusting a child to operate a tool encourages them to trust themselves.

Because we don’t know who will illustrate the world with watercolors or build inspiring houses or take amazing pictures or cook incredible dishes when they are given the right tools.

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Give Them Real Tools! is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Unschooling Scope and Sequence

Rachel — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:49:09 +0000

One of the requirements of the state of Ohio is that we notify our school district that we are educating at home. Another is to provide a general outline of our plans for the year. The list I sent superintendent Gene Harris was imbibed with eduspeak. Our real scope and sequence is more like this:

Lil painting a canvas ala Chihuly in art class

Scope (the variety of what we ~~teach~~ practice together)

Life:
contribute to our family and the community by daily participation in chores, projects, and social interactions
feed ourselves well
exercise our bodies daily
monitor and provide for the plants and animals we keep
develop friendships, learning to resolve conflicts, negotiate, and hear other viewpoints
communicate with friends and family around the world via phone calls, text messages, and paper letters
explore community norms by exchanging money, understanding traffic laws, voting, and supporting local businesses

Appreciation:
observe nature, measure and count, and accumulate identifications of what lives around and among humans
question the past, using first hand experiences and many sources to understand history
listen, dance, and make a variety of music
play and experiment with art mediums
visit museums, parks, historical sites, and libraries
ask questions about the world and find answers
read, read, read

Sequence (how we choose what to study and when)

We follow Lil’s development as a natural guide for choosing what interests and activities to pursue. She is currently fascinated by the natural world, exotic places like Africa, and movement.

Alex and I empower Lil to make decisions about herself and find answers to her questions in all aspects of our daily life. We help her learn to use tools such as books, rulers, calculators, encyclopedias, cameras, maps, computers, knives, and logical reasoning to find answers. Our home, garden, and neighborhood are hers to explore.

Students in the Japanese Culture class I'm teaching at the homeschool Co-op

To ensure that Lil experiences a variety of social learning, we daily learn with others outside our home. Our weekly activities include:
Monday – morning class and play with a friend
Tuesday – two classes at our homeschool co-op
Wednesday – afternoon at Gram and Tompa school (Alex’s parents)
Thursday – gym and pottery at rec center
Friday – field trip with friends
Saturday – home, field trips, family
Sunday – home, field trips, family

If Alex’s work travel schedule aligns with my cooking class schedule, we will travel at least every other month this year. We may be able to accompany him to India, Philadelphia, Arizona, and/or France this year. Family trips to Athens, Ohio (October 2011) San Salvador Island (February 2012) and Hawaii (June 2012) are already in the works.

With a month of official homeschooling (but no travel other than Urbana, boo) under our belt, I am loving the freedom and opportunities we have with this learning situation. Lil is not the only student – her questions prompt Alex and I to inquire, study, and take on new projects. We truly enjoy building our lives around this fascinating world.

What’s the scope and sequence of your current life?

PS. Lil is recording some of her experiences in her own words at her blog, Lil’s Dot Com.

Added to Simple Lives Thursday.</em>

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Unschooling Scope and Sequence is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Freshwater Farms of Ohio {Profile}

Rachel — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:00:29 +0000

Freshwater Farms of Ohio was one of the stops in our Urbana, Ohio field trip. Click the link to read about the rest of our trip.

Since our first trip to Freshwater Farms of Ohio for the 2009 Shrimp Fest, I can’t help but return every so often.

Where else can you pet a sturgeon?
And pick up toads?
And view native fish and stream species?
And purchase fine smoked trout for use in your mousseline?

Freshwater Farms of Ohio is an educational destination and purveyor of farm raised trout to local home cooks and restaurant chefs.

I believe that the energy used to farm fish indoors is not sustainable in the long view. However, Freshwater is very clean, the animals are treated humanely, and waste is processed cleanly. In my opinion, low fat, high protein trout raised in such a manner is the next best thing to catching your own.

The large fish barn, a short walk from the parking lot near the store, is open to the public Monday – Saturday. Groups can self-tour, reading about species on well designed signs on each tank. Children are welcome to pick up toads, pet the sturgeon, and feed trout in outdoor tanks.

Frozen, fresh, and smoked fish is available for purchase at the farm store visible from Rt. 29, a few miles north of Urbana. Our family loved the trout smoked on site, a completely natural fish+woodsmoke only product. The shop includes a small selection of local food items including crunchy, delicious Mumford’s Potato Chips. Pond and aquaculture equipment and stocking fish are also for sale.

If you go:

Bring the kids! Freshwater Farm folks are friendly and open to questions.

Carry a few quarters to the barn to purchase trout pellets if you wish to feed.

Keep a cooler in the car for transport back home. Even the smoked fish is recommended to stay refrigerated.

There is a public restroom with a sink for hand washing in the store building.

Schedule a tour with snacks for your group for $3/person.

Self guided tours are free.

Consider visiting on Shrimp Fest Weekend. Entertainment, food vendors, tastes of Ohio farm raised shrimp, and guided tours are available the third weekend of every September. We’ll be there!

Freshwater Farms of Ohio
2624 North US Hwy. 68, Urbana, OH 43078
1-800-634-7434
Open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm

Read about additional Urbana, Ohio destinations:
Johnny Appleseed Museum
Cedar Bog Nature Preserve

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Freshwater Farms of Ohio {Profile} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Cedar Bog Nature Preserve

Rachel — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:00:20 +0000

We visited Cedar Bog Nature Preserve as part of our day trip to Urbana Ohio. Click the preceding link to read about all of our stops.

Cedar Bog Nature Preserve is a large and rare fen, preserved by the Ohio Historical Society and the the Cedar Bog Association. It is fifty miles from central Ohio, accessible by driving west on 70 and north on 29 to just south of Urbana Ohio.

Visitors can view the unique habitat from a mile-long boardwalk that winds over the fen and through boreal forest. Engaging signage explains the natural features and some of the creatures expected at stops along the way. Though I have hiked all over the state of Ohio, I was delighted to learn about this new-to-me environment.

With stops for observation and discussion, walking the trail took Lil, exchange student Anna, and I about one hour. We witnessed many species of birds, several kinds of dragon and damsel flies, land snails, a salamander, and a baby northern brown snake. There was a light breeze during our hike; the trail is likely very buggy on days without such air flow.

The newly opened eco-friendly nature center offers accessible and clean restrooms, well designed exhibits, classroom space, and a small gift shop. The staff person there when we visited was extremely knowledgeable, helping to identify the snake based on our description and view screen on the camera. He offered us a program of their upcoming activities including nature walks, lectures, and a family Boo-in-the-Bog on October 14 and 15.

Admission to the park is $5 for adults, $4 for children 6-12 and free for children five and under and Ohio Historical Society members. The boardwalk is open during daylight hours. The center is open 10 am – 4 pm Wednesday – Sunday.

If you go:

Bring a water bottle and perhaps a snack. There is no food service.

Wear light long sleeved clothing and pants or bug spray to prevent mosquito and black fly bites.

Leave your pet at home.

Bring your camera to capture the beauty of the diverse species that inhabit Cedar Bog.

Call ahead to schedule a tour for your school or civic group.

Consider bringing your bike; the bog is adjacent to the Simon Kenton Bike Trail.

Cedar Bog Nature Preserve
980 Woodburn Road
Urbana, OH 43078-9417
Phone Number: 937-484-3744

Additional Urbana, Ohio Field Trip Destinations:
Ohio Fish Farm
Johnny Appleseed Museum

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Cedar Bog Nature Preserve is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

(Not) Back to School

Rachel — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:42:22 +0000

It’s official. As the sidewalk fills with students walking to the school on our block, we are choosing to homeschool.

Mixed Feelings

Until a few years ago, I judged that homeschooling was crazy and relegated to people who want to indoctrinate their child in some religion. I feel that same judgment now from some with whom I share our choice. Thanks to friends who homeschool and the books they’ve recommended, I now believe homeschooling is a good fit for us. I still feel like an outsider to the ‘normal world’ by taking on home education.

Most of Lil’s friends are starting kindergarten and her social options are changing. Because I generally hang out with the parents of her friends, my social life is changing too. I like my current friends. I don’t want to extend my neck and make new relationships, yet I know this will all work out.

On the very day I mailed our notice to homeschool, we were notified that Lil’s lottery number came up and she could go to the informal school down the street. I hesitated but ultimately declined the opportunity.

Why We Homeschool

Alex and I have good reasons to homeschool and do believe it is best for our family right now. Here’s why:

I am an experienced teacher. I am confident in my ability to produce learning opportunities for Lil. I like exercising my brain in this way.

Alex, too, excitedly does experiments with Lil. They recently discovered together that a simple aluminum foil airplane flies just about as well as a paper one. Next, they will approach how to build a house. They will use the study to design and create our new chicken coop.

Columbus has amazing experiences for young minds. When homeschooling, we can take advantage of our many great parks, museums, and programs when they are least crowded during the week. Many of these resources are now offering homeschool specific classes that we will take advantage of as well.

With no responsibility to attend daily school, we can take full advantage of travel opportunities. Alex travels for business every few months and we hope to accompany him on domestic and international trips. We are also planning short driving trips to further explore the Midwest.

How We Homeschool

We are generally following an unschooling way of home education. This means that we follow Lil’s lead about what she wants to learn and use life experiences to teach academic skills.

We began ‘practicing’ homeschooling in December of 2010. With a simple mental shift, we started accepting responsibility for Lil’s education. We interrupt daily routines to explicitly explain is happening and challenge Lil. For example, I recently showed her how to read a nutrition label in the grocery store. I challenge her to find the difference in nutrients between two brands.

I set up a homeschool shelf in our dining room for more formal education. I gathered four baskets and filled them with math manipulatives, writing supplies, science tools, and art supplies. A file box holds workbooks, lined paper, graph paper, and a dry erase board. Lil and I work on writing and math from these resources every day.

The shelf also holds a three ring binder with plastic sleeves. I periodically insert stories that Lil writes, pages of math work, and brochures from our travels. This binder will serve as documentation for the certified teacher who will review Lil’s progress at the end of the year. Lil and I also like to page through it to see how well she is learning.

As far as socialization, the primary argument against homeschooling for many, I have no concerns. We eat dinner and play with family and friends three to four times a week. Lil will see friends at classes, play dates, and around the neighborhood.

Homeschooling on the Blog

I promise not to change the direction of Hounds in the Kitchen but I will be including some more homeschool-related material. I have several posts in the works about field trips that are exciting and educational for families and those without children. I am starting a website redesign process that will hopefully allow me to create separate feeds for the basic categories of the blog so you can completely ignore the homeschooling posts (or feed on them only) soon.

Thanks for reading my thoughts on homeschooling. Take a gander at Lil’s ideas if you wish. Are you back to school?

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(Not) Back to School is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

THANK YOU times two

Rachel — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:54:48 +0000

Kids Linked just announced winners of their Best Parent Blogger award. Thanks to your votes, I am the first runner up! I very much appreciate your support in selecting me among a field of awesome Columbus bloggers.

I also owe thanks to the fantastic Hounds in the Kitchen community on Facebook. We are only 15 ‘likes’ away from 600! Thank you to everyone who participates in sharing and learning about food and gardening from each other.

In gratitude,

Rachel

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THANK YOU times two is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Fathers

Rachel — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:32:10 +0000

I am surrounded by fantastic fathers. These inspiring, caring men enrich the lives of Lil and I:

l to r – Mitch, my dad; Mike, my uncle; Tom, Alex’s dad, click to enlarge

My dad, Mitch, is patient and funny. He encouraged his four girls to be strong curious women, enduring the resulting loud and confusing dinner conversations. I clearly picked up Dad’s love for the outdoors, good food and strong drink.
Speaking of eats, allow me to add home cook extraordinaire Uncle Mike to this list. While not a biological father, Mike opens his heart and home my cousins and myself with as much generosity and kindness as a father would. He’s a fun-loving man, always creating something, always ready for an adventure.

Tom, Alex’s father, inspires me to think and question. He has been a father figure in my life as long as I can remember. I admire that he is a life long learner, fearless traveler, and hard-working artist. Most of all I thank Tom for his part in raising his son, my partner.

Because of the men I grew up with, I expected that Alex would be an engaged dad. He is. Alex includes Lil in his interests, patiently answers her questions about history and language, and is a great friend to her friends. He is a curious cook, keeping us in bread and sausage, and always pushing us to try new things.

I am painfully aware that many, if not most, women never experience such strong and loving fathers. I am thankful for Dad, Uncle Mike, Tom, and Alex every day, but especially this day. Happy Father’s Day, y’all!

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Fathers is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Visiting The Wilds {Wordless Wednesday}

Rachel — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:18:28 +0000

We checked The Wilds off our summer fun list on Monday June 13. Visit Lil’s blog to read her story and pictures about our visit.

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Visiting The Wilds {Wordless Wednesday} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Great Stories Early June {Friday Five}

Rachel — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:50:50 +0000

Unrelated to anything else, I made a strawberry rhubarb pie this week.

It’s shaping up to be another warm day, with thunderstorms crashing through the sky already. I recommend lazing near a fan and reading these thoughtful articles from across the Internet.

1) When Adventurous Eating is Really Just Picky Eating in Sheep’s Clothing by The Yummy Mummy could have been written about my daughter, and quite possibly your child(ren).

2) I have met the venerable Lori, aka Twixlen, the subject of Kate’s new series, The Food In This Town. I can’t wait to see who Kate profiles next.

3) CMH Gourmand featured Latitude 41 last week, one of my favorite restaurants in town. I totally agree with his assessment that Chef David Maclennan brings great substance to the downtown dining scene.

4) The summer issue of Edible Columbus arrived this week. The bright and juicy cover photo reminds me that this wild weather will yield handsome crops soon.

5) On the more serious side, Laurie David reported that the Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, and other groups sued the FDA in late May for allowing factory farms to overuse antibiotics in meat production and the expense of human efficacy for such drugs.

Share your Friday Five and link here:

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Great Stories Early June {Friday Five} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Strawberry Picking at Schacht Farm Market

Rachel — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:24:17 +0000

We picked strawberries today at Schact Farm Market. Given the interest on facebook and twitter, I wrote a quick profile for those looking to pick strawberries this season.

Schacht is a family farm located in south east central Ohio. The easy drive to their location took thirty minutes from our home in Clintonville.

The farm is well organized as a pick your own operation. Guests are invited to bring their own baskets (yay for reusing!). Buckets are for sale for $1 each if you do not have your own. Wheeled carts are available for families or those wishing to pick a large quantity.

Ample signage directs pickers to the open rows and friendly staff are ready with recommendations about the best place to find berries. The rows are clear of weeds and hazards.

Each pound of strawberries costs $1.99 when picked yourself. In a half hour of picking, I collected 8.5 pounds of berries (the large wicker basket pictured above) for $16.92. I later measured this quantity to be about eight quarts which made two half sheet trays (two gallon bags) of frozen strawberries.

When I asked about pest management, the owner told me they aim to be a low impact sustainable farm. They do use chemicals (mostly fungicides in the case of strawberries) when necessary to minimize crop loss. Some applications they use are common to organic farms, though Schacht Farm is not certified organic. Schacht prefers to rely on healthy soil to create strong plants resistant to pest problems.

The farm also sells pre-picked home grown produce, including rhubarb I couldn’t resist. Eight quarts of pre-picked strawberries are sold in a flat for $30 first come first served, meaning you save about 50% by picking your own.

Strawberry season will last only another week or maybe two for 2011. View seasonal updates on the web or call 837-4663 to find out what is ready to pick next.

Schacht Farm Market
5950 Shannon Rd.
Canal Winchester, Oh 43110
http://www.schachtfarmmarket.com

If you go:

Call ahead to be sure they are open for picking.

Bring water to stay hydrated.

Wear sunscreen and clothing to be protected from the sun.

Bring your own baskets or buckets.

Visa, Mastercard, debit cards, checks, and cash are accepted. SNAP benefits and senior coupons are available.

Need ideas for strawberries? Here are the Hound favorites:

How to Freeze Berries

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Honey Berry Jam

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Strawberry Picking at Schacht Farm Market is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!