B.Y.U. M.O.A. is F.U.N.

I love Brigham Young University's Museum of Art. But I think I really fell in love with it the night my mom and I went and laughed till we cried at the book Unlikely Pairs in the reading room with Minerva Tiechart's murals.
But wait, it gets better. We were admiring a crackled painting of an angel and my mom wondered outloud if it was really crackled-or just looked like it. "Just touch it mom-you can tell then" (I am wicked)
--AND SHE DID!! (she is wicked-er!)
Instantly there was a security guard behind us telling her to keep "20" away from the artwork Ma'am."
"Geez, I'd think you don't know anything about art" I mumbled--getting the incredulous mom face as she feined innocence then burst out laughing at my mocking. (she is an artist)
And the security guard followed us untill they closed...
Good times, good times.

So we've been going to the BYU MOA  Adventures in Art Workshop since the beginning. It is really perfect. Geared to 4-12y/o children are led on a 30 minute guided tour of one of their new exhibits. The programs really speak to their audience by asking questions and having lots of search-and-find experiences, usually with manipulatives involved.

My kids have learned about  texture in paintings then done a rubbings of an elephant's foot, tried on an indian headdress like the portrait behind them, and made clay genie lamps after a tour all about Islam.

I love to recommend it to others but find myself looking sideways to see who's nearby first, because-while it's really great-I don't want that many people going. I mean-then there might not be space for my kids.

Summertime Girl's Sewing Group

Mockingbird embroidering a red rose on her tea towel

 

I suggested a Girl's Sewing Group to friends because

1. I wanted my 9y/o dd to learn to sew on a machine

2. I wanted her to learn from better seamstresses than I

3. I'm addicted to starting groups, let's face it.

-andt was just a fun social something for us to go to in the summer.
Three other moms and I organized  a Little Girl (with 6-8y/o's) and Big Girl (with 9-11y/o's) group. We met everyother week in the afternoon this summer, alternating houses and groups--2 moms to a group.  The 6 Big Girls did projects on the sewing machine, planned by the host house while the 3 Little Girls did hand sewing at their other host house. The Little Girl host house also baby-sat the 11 younger siblings and older brothers.

I was totally excited for our first Big Girl project and had the directions for our pennant outlined on a chalkboard.  I started to go through them and at "Step 2-trace around your template" I quietly hear behind me "I'm bleeding."
I thought it was a joke--we weren't doing anything yet.
"Yep, she's bleeding." another girl confirmed.
I turned around to see a 9y/o with a pinking rotary cutter in one hand, and a deep cut in the other. They had to have been in my home less than 10 minutes!

On another day I saw my friend jump back and I heard that 'composed mom voice' as she cleared her throat and told her daughter, "Um, the next time someone is helping you closely, you probably want to tell them when you are going to start the machine..."

...so I would recommend Safety instructions before anything else...

But by the end of the summer the Big Girls Group had made:

bookmark with raw edges

1. Cloth & ribbon bookmarks
2. 18" doll fleece sleeping bags
3. Pendant banners
4. Handmade Pillowcases with (far too many) pockets

pocketed pillowcase in progress

 

The Little Girl Group made:

1. Red-thread embroidered tea towels
2. Crocheted necklaces and bracelets
3. Bean bags/hand warmers
4. Sock-dolls with curly yarn hair and button eyes

Mockingbird's doll made of socks and baked-yarn hair

It worked really well. By the end of the 3rd project 9y/o Bowery Bird would ask to sew. I'd bring out the machine and set it up, and she would be sewing on her own before I realized it.

At the end of the summer we had a simple party and the girls displayed of their our finished projects on a table outside.

  White-tailed Kite, a friend/relative of the girls, generously gave us a full bag of gorgeous scraps for the girl's projects. Then at the party she had gift bags for each girl with more scraps and notions--her mother even made each girl a crocheted pin cushion! It really made the girls feel special to have their own supplies.



Girls going through their loot & trading pin cushions.

In fact, Mockingbird, who dragged her feet to every group meeting and grumped as she finished her projects the day before--promising to "Never sew again in my Whole Life!!" proudly took her bag home, pulled out all the pins, and buttons, and swatches--twice. Then the next morning demaded we cram her entire bag in the stroller to bring with us all the way to the park just in case she wanted to work on her new project more...

Next summer we will start with the basics (safety, sewing tools, stitches, etc. ), focus more on quality than quantity, and perhaps have the Big Girls teach the Little Girls so we are all doing the same projects--Oh, and a service project would be nice.

Cure for the Common Lunch

I got really tired of sitting down to Math (30 min) after luncheon and hearing "I'm hungry."
Really tired.

I decided packing a lunch like 'regular' kids might help.
So this year I bought 5 insulated lunch bags, and made sure we had enough little Tupperware containers for sandwiches, a fruit/vegetable, and dip/yogurt/pudding stuff. I know this is what most people do--it had just never occured to me before since my children are home and can sit down to a nice hot homecooked meal-right?

 

I also took 2 hours and made 7 reusable snack bags from scraps with Bowery Bird. (That Summer Sewing Group is already paying me back!)  I used a tutorial from Cotton Bottom Mama. My friend, White-tailed Kite has an Etsy shop and sells these and other fabric bags--with much better craftsmanship, I assure you.

Snacks keep surprisingly fresh in the double-lined cotton bags, are environmentally friendly of course, and easy to wash after turning inside-out. The kids love having their own bag of the day.

I knew we would zip through snacks if I let them, so I started filling 20 snack bags a week. Variety is the spice of life, so I actually set aside some for the future, after I measure out the serving sizes from a bulk bag of things like:

• sesame seed cheddar cheese sticks
• yogurt covered and regular pretzels
• granola bars
• peanut butter cracker sandwiches
• caramel popcorn and peanuts
• fruit leather
• plain and chocolate covered nuts & raisins
• homemade granola bars

I keep all the baggies in a big bowl to choose one from daily when they make their lunches--so the shift to all cloth is gradual till I make more.

Every morning after breakfast I have out a sandwich station, snack bowl station, and fruit & vegetable station. They have to let me check their lunchbags to make sure there isn't a fruit leather and 5 tangarines in there (true story). It is their responsibility to fill their lunch bags enough to last till 3pm when they can have a home-baked snack from under the cake dish. They can't open their bags till 11 o'clock when we have lunch, but can eat as little or much as they want after that point. Oh-and vegetables have to be eaten & bags emptied cand put on the counter before they can have that cake-dish snack. .

Lunch is sooo much more relaxing now, as is the rest of the day in regards to food stuffs. Saved me a mess o' time & energy and also makes us ready for whatever the day brings.

Composer 2012-2013

Composer Study

Term 1
Medieval Music
AO background information
Chants of Templars and cathedral/knight footage
Gregorian Chant and knight paintings 2:30mn
Medieval castles and ruins with music 9:37min


Term 2
Aaron Copland
Simple Gifts from Appalation Spring with Ansel Adams stills
Billy the Kid (partial) with western/outlaw stills. full 15min -just music
Rodeo scene 1 part 1    poor quality, amazing ballet-18min
Fanfare for the Common Man-just music 4min



George Gershwin
film-him playing I got Rhythm
I got Rhythm Gene Kelly clip
'S wonderful An American in Paris clip



Term 3
Franz Josef  Haydn
Symphony live

Hymns 2012-2013

Sept:
Sweet Hour of Prayer

background and simple tune
hammered dulcimer
background article


Oct:
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Mormon Tabernacle at Mt. Rushmore 1962
cathedral stills and music
background and music


Nov:
All Creatures of Our God and King
stills and nice music
Carillon demo
mormon channel episode 2 of History of Hymns series (audio only)

Dec:
Once in Royal David's City
Mormon Tabernacle choir with Nativity video
boys choir video
in Cathedral with lyrics
wiki background

Jan:
How Firm A Foundation
chimes video
LDS background article
Presbyterian film on this hymn


Feb:
I Stand All Amazed
lyrics and simple tune (differ from LDS hymnal version)
informal trio
Elder Holland talk on Christ's life


March
Down to the River to Pray
(African-American Spiritual/American Folk Hymn)
Alison Krauss and black & white stills
King's Singers
Mormon Tabernacle Choir outside


April:
Nearer My God to Thee
lyrics and simple tune
A Night To Remember film clip-docudrama of the Titanic (sank April 15th 1912)
cello
Sam Cooke with Soul Stirrers variation-music only
Eastern Europe a capella-another variation
mormon channel episode 7 from a History of Hymns series (audio only)

May:
Amazing Grace
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Harlem G
ospel Choir
Soweto Gospel Choir (South African)
background