Double Chocolate Biscuits

Ingredients

• 175g (6oz) butter                           
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup ground raw sugar        
• 1 cup fresh whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa                                 
• 1 tspn bicarbonate soda
• 1/2 cup choc chips (optional)

1. Cream butter, extract and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add flour, cocoa and bicarb. Stir until mixture forms a soft

     dough. Add choc chips if you're using them.

3. Roll mixture into balls and place on a greased tray. Flatten

     slightly with fork or your fingers.

4. Bake a 160C for 12-15 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

Homeschooling on $12.80 (per child,per year)

This article is not a ‘how to’ guide for the best way to homeschool, it is simply an example to show that if you had a shoestring budget and nearly no money, you could still homeschool. That being said, while this is bare bones, you would still have an excellent curriculum.

So, how do you do it? Firstly, as with any frugal attempt, we need to

differentiate between needs and nice extras. What skills and subjects are

nonnegotiable when it comes to teaching our kids? I think it would be safe to

say that the four essential subjects would be reading, writing, mathematics

and Godly training. These are the four that you can’t get through life without.

Below is a description of what you need to teach these subjects and some note

s on how to do it.

Materials

-Pencils x 10 = $2.00

- Exercise books 128 pg x 10 = $7.80

- Manipulatives (rocks, buttons, pencils, fruit, etc,) = $ Free - you must have

   some rocks to spare =D

- Bible x 1 = $Free if you already have one or sometimes op shops will give

   them away

- Library Card

- Sharpener = $1.00

- Calculator = $2.00

Reading

The first step to reading is to learn your alphabet. This need not be extravagant. It can be as simple as writing all the letters, lower and upper case, on a few sheets of paper (from the exercise books) and then sticking them on the wall somewhere in view. Then, work through the letters, one a day or week depending on how your child learns, until they have become subconsciously familiar with the sound and shape of each of the 26 letters. After this is accomplished, begin to write down ( in the exercise book) letter combinations such as st, ch, pl, ca, be, sa, br, etc, and simply teach the sound that goes with them. During these stages it can be helpful to keep the learning sessions often but short. One initial 5-10 minute teaching time followed by simple revisions throughout the day (or longer) should suffice. This helps to make the information sink in while not boring or frustrating the child with long tedious 'book-work' sessions. After these combinations are learnt, it should be a natural transition onto short words such as cat, box, peg and mop. There are lots of early reading books that can be borrowed from the library and worked through. Once your child has learnt to read, a great breakthrough has been made. Celebrate! When a child knows how to read, he can now begin to read to learn. The library is a wonderful resource for books on any topic. Once reading is learnt, they only get better with practice.

Writing

Writing can either be taught at the same time as the letters are taught or any time after that. Once a child knows their letters or a letter, they can begin to practice writing it. This can be done in the exercise books by first writing the letter once or a couple of times neatly and then having your child copy them. After your child has learnt to write letters, they can begin to copy words and simple sentences. Remember, at this stage one neatly written letter is worth ten poorly written ones, but, either way, encourage them and don’t squash any enthusiasm, just channel it=D. I would suggest sticking with one kind of font to make consistency easier. Inspiration for your child’s copy work can be taken from anywhere, scripture verses, library books, letters and newspapers are all examples of different things that can be used. Try and get them to do at least one writing activity a day, neatly written, and your child’s writing ability will become smoother and more fluent each day. When the time comes for essays, reports and creative writing, both instructional books and subject matter can be borrowed from your library. As far as grammar is concerned, the basics will probably be picked up subconsciously if they are doing a lot of reading, and the rest can be learned from library resources. I think people underestimate the amount of learning tools and information that can be accessed through the library. Most librarians are more than willing to order something in if it is on their files (and that’s nearly everything!).

Mathematics

The concept of counting itself and all the four operations of whole numbers, (add, subtract, divide and multiply) can be taught using manipulatives. These could be anything from beans, buttons and fruit to pencils and rocks etc. When counting has been established, you can move to written numbers and start working in your exercise books. At this time, you might want to research what maths textbooks you would like to start your child on. This does not need to be straight away. Studies have shown that when formal math instruction has been delayed until third or fourth grade (or even later), children do just as well as, if not a bit better than, children who were started on a math textbook in first grade. The choice is up to you, the parent. Either way, when you have decided on your preferred textbook, you should be able to borrow this textbook from your library. You can then work through the textbook with your child, but have the working out, answers and marking done in an exercise book. This may seem like a strange arrangement for the long term, but it can work if you are prepared to do it, and certainly until you can save up the funds to work out another arrangement.

Godly Training

Fortunately, God’s got this one laid out. In James 1:5, God says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him asks of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him”. With God’s wisdom and His Word (the Bible), you have all you really need for Godly training. After all, this subject is always taught better by example than word. I’m not saying that words don’t count, but I think you know what I mean.

This is by no means an in-exhaustive guide to homeschooling on the cheap. After a quick search on the internet on ‘homeschooling for free’, you will find a multitude of information and ideas. The resources for most subjects can be sourced through the library. When you think of it, if you saved $1 per child per week, by the end of the year you would have enough to get those art supplies, maths textbook or     ?     , that you have been wanting. Your money would stretch even further if you bought reusable and/or second hand products. The ideas are endless and this is just a start. So, whether you really only have $12.80 to spend on homeschooling or if you are going through a hard financial time and can’t find much room in the budget or if you are just interested in what can be done with so little money, I hope you will be encouraged to see that it IS possible.

Your sister in Christ

Sabrina

This post has been added as part of a link up at 'A Wise Woman Builds Her House'

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour               1 egg

¼ tsp bicarbonate soda                  1 large tbsp honey

½ tsp cream of tartar                      Milk or water

Method:

In a bowl mix together flour, bicarbonate soda and cream of tartar.Add egg and honey, do not stir until you have added the milk or water.The amount of liquid depends on your taste, if you want thicker pancakes,use less liquid; if you want thinner pancakes, add more liquid. Once you have added the liquid and mixed it in, let the mixture sit for awhile to let it bubble.The mixture is now ready to cook in a fry pan or on the BBQ in your

preferred style.

Serving suggestion: Top pancakes with butter, maple syrup, fresh or frozen berries and whipped cream.

The Hope Chest Part One - History

Hope chests. What are they? Where do they come from? Why were they invented in the first place? Why a chest?

Hope chests have been around since as early as the 15th century. Originally, they were a form of marriage payment. The groom and/or the groom’s father would provide the ‘bride price’, money, oxen, promised labour, etc, as well as providing a home for the bride. The bride’s family, in return, was responsible for filling the new home. As a result, in anticipation of a daughter’s future marriage, a family would begin collecting items from the time a girl was born, with friends and relatives also contributing. For ease of storage and portability, these items were collected in a box or chest. As this was in hope of the future marriage, these boxes became known as hope chests.

Later, hope chests became more of a display of wealth among rich families than an actual marriage payment. In Italy especially, the chest themselves were very elaborate and often worth far more than its contents. In more recent history, hope chests again became something for the common people. These chests would often be handmade by the family and would house not only lovingly made clothing and linen as well as other faithfully collected treasures, but also a lifetime of hopes and dreams. This gives a second reason for the name ‘hope’ chest. Each country developed its own variation to the tradition. Americans decorated their chests with folks art, while the British dropped the chest idea and used their bottom drawers instead.

Traditional Fillers

A traditional hope chest would be filled with items that would make the new bride’s house into a home or would help her be a better homemaker.

Seeds
The seeds of family flowers would help a daughter remember her family and feel less homesick, particularly if her marriage meant that she would need to move far away. Vegetable seeds would also be collected, so that the young homemaker could grow and supply her and supply her home with ample food throughout the year.

Linens
Beautiful quilts, embroidered tablecloths and crocheted doilies were all lovely additions to a new home that could rarely be bought and almost never afforded. To acquire these treasures, a young woman would spend hours faithfully crafting with thread, yarn, needle and hook. Because of the time and energy put in to create these pieces, they often became family heirlooms, passed down from mother to daughter, generation to generation.

Sewing Supplies
Depending on the resources that would be available to the new bride when she moved to her new house, sewing supplies could mean many things. If fabric and thread could be easily obtained, it might be more likely to include only such things as needles, pins, thimbles, pincushions and special patterns. If getting hold of material and thread was difficult, one might also include cloth making equipment such as a loom and tools for making thread.

Dinnerware
In times gone by, a full, attractive dinner set was a great and luxurious expense. Often dishware was handed down from mother to daughter.

Other items such as candlesticks and special clothing eg. wedding dress, were also often added to these chests. Though these were all common items, the contents of each chest was a unique and varied as the girls who packed them.

 - Up Next

The Hope Chest Part Two - What To Put In A Modern Hope Chest