Kids in the Kitchen - 31 days of Homeschool Encouragement - inspiration via the taste buds!

I've mentioned a time or two that one of my goals in homeschooling our kids is to inspire a love for learning in them. I like to see them fired up about what we are studying. I love for them to be excited to dig deeper and learn more.

One of the ways we inspire them is by enjoying time together in the kitchen. By incorporating homeschool into our family meals - and visa versa - we are adding another element of inspiration and one that offers skills they will carry with them throughout their lifetime.

They simply think it's fun!



This past week in our family homeschool - we traveled to France (virtually - that is). After the boys stamped their pretend passports :

Gotta love those cheesy "not another picture. . . " smiles! 

 They found France on the map - added it to their own maps - and we read about the country from several of our homeschool books - and then we headed to the kitchen.

We used our book from GeoMatters by Jamie Aramini called "Eat Your Way Around the World" 
to come up with recipes from France and learn a little about French food. We made a yummy pot of French Onion Soup - which was a big hit for the whole family & we used up some leftovers in the process!

Our soup was a little different. I had no beef broth - so we used our left over steak from fajitas to make some and left the beef in our soup for good measure. Technically- I suppose it was actually:

French Beef and Onion soup: 

What we did: 

     We filled a large pot with water and added our leftover steak to boil. The steak was already cooked,

      flavored with taco seasoning. We also added 2 tablespoons of coconut oil because it's good for you. 

We added about a tablespoon of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. After chopping an onion - we added that to the soup as well. That is all. It was very simple - we slow cooked it for over an hour and everyone loved it. The recipe in the book is a bit different - it's probably better - but we worked with what we had on hand (another good lesson for the boys).

We use as many organic ingredients as possible. I'm teaching the boys about nutrition at the same time. 

Last week - I shared some more ways to use the kitchen in your homeschool and a recipe for baked apples. You can read more about that here.

Please let me know if you find these reminders and information useful or if there is something else you are looking for. I am happy to share what God has led us through (some pretty big challenges) and how He continues to carry us through each day.

 - visit others participating in 31 days series from The Nester here -
- Read my other posts of encouragement for your homeschool here-

I'm linking with these fine blogs: Comfy in the Kitchen  Shrinking Kitchen Titus 2 Tues
I heart Naptime Nourishing Treasures  The Better Mom  Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling Food Renegade Try New Recipe   Happy LiL Hearts   Hip Homeschool Hop  Creative Mondays healthy2day TastyTues Beyond The Peel Heart and Home

Link Up: 

I hope you'll join us by linking up a family recipe. I partner with my friend Carrie@ YoungLivingOilLady each week to bring you the Kids in the Kitchen link up. You are not required to homeschool - or to even show kids in the photo's of the recipe link up - Please link back to me,
and leave a comment, it is customary to visit at least one or two others who are participating.
 Feel free to Pin -I cannot always make it to every page but I try.
 I'm pinning and sharing your recipes! 

Grab the button below or from the code on my side bar (text links are also fine): 

31 days of Homeschool Encouragement . . . . . when things are hard

It's easy enough to be the happy mom when things are all hunky dory.

When children are eager to learn, sitting quietly in their seats, diligently soaking up the wisdom you skillfully impart to them from the homeschool lesson you've prepared ahead of time (of course) - when everyone is smiling, and even the birds are singing - you know you are doing it right.

During those times it's simple to see that you are the person, teacher, mother your children need. 

Clearly, you are the woman God intended you to be. You know it. They know it. Your husband knows it. Even the neighbors know it. 

Surely, everyone can tell from the peaceful expression on your face, bouncy hair, and totally stylin' ensemble - not to mention -  your perfectly well behaved little angels - how pulled together you are! 

You probably feel sorry for that other mother. You know the one. She looks frazzled, a bit disheveled, tired, and completely stressed out. Her children can be wild, they even fight with each other.

 She is obviously not even hearing those birds as they sing. She can't seem to manage to get through the check out line at the grocery store without having to talk between her teeth at her children (who, by the way appear to be rather unruly).  How could she possibly conduct a peaceful homeschool (like yours)? 

O.K. so, here's the punch line - I may or may not be that woman - at least every once in awhile.

The truth of the matter is - we most all have those times when we at least feel like that woman. 

Some may not admit it. And, this may or may not be a picture of my son laying in the floor - right out in front of God and everybody - at a Christian homeschool conference - while I was working

 - in the front of the room - in the front - middle - of - the - room. 

I may or may not have just finished talking through my teeth while he completely ignored me.

I want you to know - I don't often think to pull out the camera to take a picture of my little cuties when they are whining or disrupting - but sometimes they do. 

We don't allow our children to fight with each other - but sometimes they do. 

I don't believe in raising my voice or yelling at my kids - but - I totally have. 

Most of the time, my children are helpful and cooperative at the grocery store. They take part in finding the things on our list, they stay by my side, and wait patiently during the check out line. Usually, I get comments about how well behaved my boys are. Sometimes they follow all the rules. Sometimes they don't. 

I have boys. 3 little boys under the age of 11. Four years ago, they were all under the age of 7.

I love my children. They are cute. Sometimes - that is what saves them. It's a good thing they're cute! 

They are full of testosterone - they are boys.

They are good boys, but they are all boy, and some days are hard. Some days are really hard. 

It is easy to be the happy mom when all is hunky dory. It's the other days when it's really hard. 

These are the days when we must lean even more heavily - on the Lord. In our home - we have "do-overs". On those days that are not going well - we've been known to go back to our rooms and reemerge - pretending that it's the start of a new day. The really good news - at that point - it is! Stopping in your tracks and praying right out loud doesn't hurt either. (Sometimes THAT can really get their attention!) 

Pulling out the bible to read a few verses together always helps us clear the air. 

On those days - what we need is a mantra. This makes a good one: 

 Psalm 118: 24 says - 

-printable-

Thank you for visiting  - I'll be posting daily doses of homeschool encouragement - with some detailed information about how we manage our homeschool - and struggles - daily throughout October. 

Please let me know if you find these reminders and information useful or if there is something else you are looking for. I am happy to share what God has led us through (some pretty big challenges) and how He continues to carry us through each day.

 - visit others participating in 31 days series from The Nester here -
- Read my other posts of encouragement for your homeschool here-

 Better Mom  Modest Mom  God Bumps Welcome Home  The Wellspring #ifellowship Seeds of Faith - Thought Provoking Thursday -  Gratituesday  

 Soli Deo Gloria    From My Mountain View     Titus 2's Days  Raising Mighty Arrows -

Good Morning Girls - 1000Gifts   Thankful Thurs Kids in the Word   Thursday Quick Tip   What Works Wed   Works-4-Me  Fresh Brew   

Kids in the Kitchen - Link Up #33 - Kitchen skills and nutrition

I'm joining forces each week with my friend Carrie @YoungLivingOilLady to bring you this family friendly recipe link up. No kids required in your pictures - just great recipes to encourage families to spend time in the kitchen cooking and eating together - or tips for teaching kiddos about cooking and nutrition. 

 We strive to bring you healthy recipes with REAL food! 

This Week: 

Taco Night is always a big hit at our house! It is a bit of a cheat when we use shells out of a box - but we also use fresh corn tortillas when we can. The boys get excited about taco night - and it's possible you've seen it here on the blog before! 

When cooking with kids one of the most important things to remember is to find age appropriate jobs that they can do. As they practice these skills - their confidence will grow as will their abilities in the kitchen. 

Little ones can grate cheese, and even slice onions! We use a table knife - I chop it in quarters and then let them take over to chop into small pieces for the tacos or casseroles. 

Be sure to supervise kids closely while they master their kitchen tasks. 

 

Ripping up lettuce and other veggies is a great way for children to participate! We don't have any fun or allow any silliness in the kitchen at all. That would just be silly! Silly. silly. 

Big kids can do bigger work - our 11 year old mans the stove top to stir up taco meat as it browns. We are super careful when handling raw meat in the kitchen. It is also an opportunity to teach the boys about bacteria and food born illness. We clean counters, hands, and any kitchen tools immediately after coming in contact with raw meat and throw wash rags straight into the washer. 

Whether you use fresh corn tortillas, or boxed crunchy tacos - you'll want to choose taco seasoning that is free from MSG and use products with as few ingredients in them as possible. Fresh and organic is best! 

Learning about nutrition - we use our time in the kitchen to talk about what makes a healthy body. We talk about the foods we eat and plan other meals. The more we dialogue about it - the more the boys are becoming interested in finding out more about what is and is not good for them. 

How are you teaching kids to be healthy? 

I'm linking with these fine blogs: Comfy in the Kitchen  Shrinking Kitchen Titus 2 Tues
I heart Naptime Nourishing Treasures  The Better Mom  Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling Food Renegade Try New Recipe   Happy LiL Hearts   Hip Homeschool Hop  Creative Mondays

Grab the button from below or with code on the side bar - or use a text link to link up! 

Please be sure to visit other blogs - pin and share recipes - Find me here on Pinterest  -I've been pinning your recipes to the Kids in the Kitchen board and sharing on facebook and twitter! 

Kids in the Kitchen - Link up #31 - Cooking 101 free unit study

Joining together with Carrie @YoungLivingOilLady to bring you this fun family link up! 

Our goal is to encourage families to cook and eat together - food is healthier when made at home 

Family friendly recipes welcome - especially healthy food - but treats are good sometimes too. 

We encourage real food, fresh food, and whole grains! We love to see your cuties in the kitchen 

but pictures of your children are not required for the link up - 

won't you help us encourage families to spend time together at the table? 

At our house this week: 

Walker learned a new skill - He cracked eggs by himself and scrambled them in a bowl - teach kids to break the eggs into a separate bowl so if they drop any shell it can be spooned out! 

You don't always have to be ready with a full recipe to spend time with the kids in the kitchen! They also enjoy learning one new skill at a time and knowing they played an important role in preparing the meal. 

Created for you - A new Cooking 101 Unit Study - Aa is for Apple: 

(also for older students- includes recipe and  ideas for Bible, science, language arts and more) 

Download here: 

Link up your favorite family recipe or your kids in the kitchen experience 

Grab the button below or on my side bar- please leave a comment and try to encourage others 

by visiting their links. We've had some great recipes lately - I'm Pinning away! 

I'm linking with these fine blogs: Comfy in the Kitchen  Shrinking Kitchen Titus 2 Tues
I heart Naptime Nourishing Treasures  The Better Mom  Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling Food Renegade Try New Recipe   Happy LiL Hearts   Hip Homeschool Hop  Creative Mondays