Blog - The Learning Basket

Miniature Storytelling Props

August 8, 2012 by The Learning Basket 5 Comments

The rain is POURING over Manila, and my heart goes out to those who are affected by the floods. We are on guard ourselves, not knowing if history will repeat itself, when tropical storm Ondoy ravaged homes in our area almost three years ago. When grownups worry, though, children can’t help but feel the tension and the fear. The mother hen in me comes to the fore and makes me … [Read more...]

Down Down The Mountain: The Last of Our Appalachian Themed Books

August 1, 2012 by The Learning Basket 1 Comment

I found a rare, out-of-print book in my treasure trove that’s perfect to round out our Appalachian reading experience – Down Down The Mountain by Ellis Credle. I won it a long time ago in an ebay auction and have actually forgotten about it! Down Down The Mountain is set in a part of the Appalachians and features Hank and Hetty who have never owned a pair of shoes in their … [Read more...]

Going Back To The Past – Life At Home Then and Now

July 23, 2012 by The Learning Basket 1 Comment

We continued our exploration of life in the Appalachians through the book When I Was Young In The Mountains by Cynthia Rylant. This time, we latched on to the idea of home life "then," as depicted in the illustrations, and "now." I wanted to go to a museum to look at "old things." But hating Manila traffic and avoiding it as much as possible, I decided to stay home. I … [Read more...]

The Rag Coat: Quilt, Dulcimer, Mining

July 10, 2012 by The Learning Basket 1 Comment

Our “school week” starts on a Monday. Saturdays and Sundays are for crafting my lesson plans based on the “Five in a Row” manuals and/or other resources, and Mondays are for starting a new book. It takes me two to three hours to plan the week and to gather our materials, which all go to our Learning Basket. Selecting Similarly-Themed BooksCramming Not preparing for weeks in … [Read more...]