PA State Parks: Sand Bridge

I've always liked miniatures. As a child, I spent hours building doll house furniture from spools, Jell-O boxes, tiny gift boxes, and other foraged items. Now an adult, I pour over books about famous doll residences.

This past weekend, a different kind of miniature garnered my affection read more

Interview with Karen Lange: Homeschool Author

Welcome back to my blog, Karen.

Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by!

What prompted you to write Write for Life?

The lessons in Write for Life Volume One are ones I use with my teen homeschool students in an online writing co-op. I’ve long wanted to convert the lessons into book form for use at home or with student groups. These are lessons I wish I’d had when homeschooling my children. They break writing the research paper down into more manageable, less intimidating steps, offering tips, advice, and insight into the entire process.

What do you hope readers will take away from this book? read more

Homeschool Project: Cut-and-Assemble Buildings

Toy men used to be his passion: cowboys, Indians, soldiers, and farmers that were supposed to be attached to the tractor but he always managed to pull off. When Suzanne and I started a cut-and-assemble building, I didn't realize that it would be a playscape. Matt occupied himself for hours playing pretend with tiny men and our cut-and-assemble buildings.

Let me back up and explain about cut-and-assemble books read more

Homeschool Project: Ducks

“You want to hatch duck eggs? Sure!”

Those words sealed my fate for the next five months, caring for ducks on top of preparing for a wedding in the family, homeschooling a sophomore, and helping with an aged mother-in-law. I know, the fifteen-year old who asked if we could hatch duck eggs should have been doing all the work. I understand that I should have been wiser about saying yes so easily. I realize that I shouldn’t have ended up in the predicament that I ended up in, but don’t you sometimes make mistakes too? Besides, I thought it would be a great biology project! read more

PA State Parks: Cook Forest

Sometimes, scheming plays a part in making something wonderful. On a vacation to Erie, I found a wonderful book at a local library. Yes, I go to libraries on vacation. They are delightful places. The book, Cook Forest: An Island in Time, told of determined men who wanted to preserve a forest of virgin timber. To do so, they needed to raise money to buy and to maintain it. The men found ways read more

Pennsylvania Animals: Eastern Wild Turkey

Gobble, gobble, gobble. Do those words make you think about Thanksgiving? Besides the honorable holiday, turkeys remind me of a magazine article I once read by Peter Lord. He used the contrast between turkeys and eagles to teach spiritual truths.

Male turkeys are called gobblers and the females, hens. Gobblers grow to be about two and one-half feet tall, three to four feet long, and 25 pounds. Females are much smaller and weigh half as much. Males have spurs for fighting and beards up to twelve inches long. A few females also have beards. Only males gobble. Both sexes read more

Greenwood Furnace: Iron Master

Greenwood Furnace Visitor's Center Mural
of the Original Furnace Operation

One person stood at the head of the hierarchy that made up the system of workers at Greenwood Furnace—the iron master. In the early days of the furnace, the iron master owned and oversaw all of the operation of the business. Later, Read More