A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

hands-on learning

Recipe: Jam Pork Fry

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Today I confused my sweetheart.  He had this thought I was going to make honey garlic pork and here I was adding stuff to pork in a pan and not making a marinade.   I told him I wasn’t making that but was replicating a meal I used to make when I wasn’t hungry but needed to eat something.

This is what I did.  MIND… no real measurements happened here as I was just tossing stuff in.   I’ll give approximates where I can.


One pork tenderloin cut into bite sized pieces.
Toss that into a fry pan,
add  
Thin jam jelly mixed half/half with water.   About… 1/4 cup jelly.  (I used beet jam)
3 tsp of minced garlic
Soy sauce…I aimed for about a tbsp but ended up with about 2  tbsps.
1/4 of a medium onion diced.
add some seasoning: I used parsley, oregano, montreal steak spice and salt. But you know.. add whatever you like, everyone has different taste buds.
Let that cook a spell.
Then add
About 4 tbsp of a whole berry jam…. I used Saskatoon berry today but have used gooseberry and blueberry in the past.
add 1/2 diced apple just before it’s cooked through.
Let it cook down a bit as you want it to be saucy not overly runny. 

Give it a taste test and then add more seasonings if needed.   This part was fun today as I had my lad taste testing it with me.  We ended up adding a bit of lemon pepper and then deemed it good.

How to serve?
In the past I’ve done it on bread (like a sandwich), or served over a bed of rice or mashed taters.  Everytime I make it, it’s a touch different, depends on the species used.

Today I served it over sliced skin on boiled potatoes.

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Friday Fun: Cow Art (learning acrylics)

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 Not feeling so well today, so simply posting a pic of my lad with his latest project.  He’s taking a class in acrylic paints.

Will be linking up with Kym’s Art post… you can find that here. 

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Fun Friday: Mudworks Part One

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Did you know that I am teaching an art class at my homeschool groups Co-op days?   The class is called Mudworks.

I have this cool book (called Mudworks) that I did a art book post on… hold on while I find that. Ah, here it is.  Anyways, when I looked at this book I thought, how much run would it be to do this with a mixed ages class, so when HOPE days came up  I said SURE, I’ll do this!  🙂


21 kids in my class!!!!!   It’s loud and noisy and a whole lot of fun…though admittedly… if I don’t really understand a recipe in the book, it lends me well to mental confusion…but that’s part of the fun of the class right?

Anyways, for day one we worked with…. MUD!  🙂

I grabbed up some garden dirt and offered the kids a challenge… see how much water you need to add to one cup of dirt to make it workable.   You need to be able to build a sculpture from the dirt.  I was ATTEMPTING to teach a bit of the scientific method but forgot one important factor… 6 year olds just want to be play in the mud…. 🙂

We also made cotton ball and flour sculptures but I don’t really know how they turned out…they had to dry.  So time will tell eh?   And hey…. it’ll be a post for another day.  

A preliminary glimpse for you though.

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Review: Marine Science for Kids

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Marine Science for Kids is part of the for kids series put out by Chicago press. These books are fantastic resource for helping children explore a particular topic, in this case Marine Science.

In this book you will find career highlights, 21 different activities, clear well-developed images that show the vast variety of fauna and flora in the underwater environment.  Did you know there was such an animal as a tripod fish?   I had no clue a fish could use it’s tail for balance… did you?

Explore careers such as whale researcher, an aquarium director and others.  I really appreciated the human element they showed in these career highlights, giving the path the individuals took to get there, and what inspired them along the way. 

Walk with me as I show you how great a resource this is for your classroom whether you are in a public school or in-home school. The myriad of activities include writing assignments, hands on science experiments, art and many more.  There are 21 activities to expand your learning and cement it in well.

Seven chapters highlight our journey through Marine Science, with lots of pictures, readable text that draws you into the Marine environment.

The table of contents spells out the activities contained with the chapter making it easy to choose which one you want to work with.  Geared for a variety of ages making this book a delight to use with multiple students.

The clearly written activities spell out well the items you need to complete the activity as well as step by step walking you through what you need to do for successful completion.

I had a firm appreciation for all the images found throughout, breaking up the text nicely and adding sight to what words can’t fully convey.

My 12 year had little difficulty reading the passage that I had him test out, but I don’t know if he would be able to read the whole book and understand it all.   The text is definitely geared for middle school and up.   The well written headings, and good chapter outlines would make it easy for him to find the information he was looking for though.   The glossary and index at the close of the book would definitely be of aid as well. 

I am sure that you will be delighted with this book as much as I am.  I am looking forward to using this book with my lad, probably in grade 8 or 9 to teach him marine science. 

Marine Science for Kids: Exploring and Protecting our Watery World
Josh and Bethanie Hestermann
Series: For Kids
Publisher: Chicago Press
Pages: 132
Type: Science, Activity, softcover,
Elementary to Middle School
Reviewed for: Chicago Press

Where can I find it?
Amazon.ca: Marine Science.
Amazon.com: Marine Science for Kids: Exploring and Protecting Our Watery World, Includes Cool Careers and 21 Activities (For Kids series)

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Review: The Superhero Handbook

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 I have to admit, this is a cute book. Written in bold, easy to read font with quick easy instructions to get children on the road to making their own Superhero gear.   The Superhero Handbook is just that, a handbook made just for your average superhero, reminding him/her of all things important to superheroes.

Clear Text.   Easy to understand. Easily read by most children in the 7-11 years old bracket. 

Materials lists.  I like how they added the images to add clarity.   As face it, not all children read at the same level.

Clear instructions.   Again with illustrations to keep it straight-forward. Stickers as well to help you embellish your creations.

Some of the ideas are downright clever!   Giant hands! Hoverboards.  Blasters and Electro-magnets.  Let’s make them all!   What perfect fun for a child during summer holidays!

With it comes certificates needed. Oaths to make to protect and serve.   To help each other.  To have a great sidekick.

 My Thoughts:
This is a fantastic book that will be a great boon and idea maker for all the young superheroes among us.   It would be easy to extend the ideas in this book into learning opportunities (should you as parent/teacher desire to do so).  But frankly, I’d had this to my young superhero and say “here’s an idea book for you… run with it!”
 

The Superhero Handbook.
Janet Doyle and Jason Ford
Laurence King Publishing
144 pages
ages: 7-11
Approximate size: 6 x 8

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Where can you find it?
 Amazon.ca: The Superhero Handbook: 20 Super Activities to Help You Save the World!

Amazon.com:  The Superhero Handbook: 20 Super Activities to Help You Save the World!

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This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Art Book: Miniscapes – Create Your Own Terrarium

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I recently contacted my “person” at Raincoast and mentioned that my lad was into making terrariums lately so she very kindly sent me a book that she thought might be a boon to him… and it was!   Let me tell you about Miniscapes: Create your own Terrarium.  I know I know..not your typical art book, but making a terrarium is a form of art you know?   Can you put different mediums together in a way that will balance and create something beautiful?   Miniscapes helps you to gain the know-how to do this yourself.

 
 I love the logical step up in Miniscapes.  Walking the reader through what a terrarium was and how it worked.  Being walked through all the parts of a terrarium, learning why you need the different layers, the types of plants you can use and more.  The Close of Miniscapes leaves you with several projects you can complete to get your feet wet, or to at least give you ideas for creating your own.   It’s a rather neat book.

The first half of Miniscapes is devoted to teaching the reader about the various plants, and parts of a terrarium.  The different styles of glass bowls, types of rocks, plants, substrate, tools, and accessories . 

I found the text easy to read and understand.  The author was very good at explaining how everything works, making this an ideal book for a novice to terrariums, while including lots of projects to intrigue the more seasoned.

 
The Projects, more than 15 projects, each with an ingredients list, with step by step instructions for completing them.

My Thoughts:
This is a helpful little book, full of ideas and images and creations.   It’s great to look through to garner ideas for different types of terrariums, or to actually create one of them as written.  My son liked it and didn’t want me to add it our “let’s rehome it” pile so it will sticking around for a while.  🙂  (not many books make it to that status which tells you something eh?)  🙂

But it’s a great book to teach you how to make your own garden art form. 

Oh!   And check it out!   My lad made his own terrariums!!!

Miniscapes – Create your own Terrarium
Clea Cregan
Hardie Grant Books
Pages: 160
Approximately 8 x 8 inch square 
Type: Hardcover

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Where to find it: 
Amazon.ca: Miniscapes: Create Your Own Terrarium

Amazon.com: Miniscapes: Create Your Own Terrarium

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This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Recipe: Beef Stew with Bread

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Yesterday I decided to try out a bread in a box recipe and needed something to go with it.  I thought stew would be good thing to go with it and was right.
 
The fellows helped me put it together since I’d just gotten home from a walk and my feet were sore so I didn’t want to stand too long.  Wasn’t that lovely of them?

How to toss it together.

First off .. make the bread.  I used a box from Sunset Gourmet called “Cheesy Garlic Beer Bread Mix”.  I made it using a strong ale that hubby said was getting a touch old.   This bread needs to sit for half hour before using.  It’s great for dips, soups and stews.

In the store, show the lad how to price out the cheaper cuts of beef since we’ll be making stew we don’t need fancy meat.   Let him pick out the right package and tell him GOOD JOB.

At home, ask hubby to cut up the beef into small pieces as you dice up 1 1/2 onions and three stalks of celery.  Dump it all in the stew pot.

Liberally add some salt and pepper.  Brown in a little touch of oil.

Get the lad to wash up some potatoes for dad to dice (I think he did three large), and then set him to shelling the garden fresh peas.

Meanwhile dig out the carrots from the fridge and dice them up.. ended up with about four large carrots.   

When Dad is done with the taters watch in amazement as he tosses in tons of different seasonings and then bumble around saying.. don’t we have a thickener of some sort I can throw in here?

Suggest three bay leaves to add to the pot as you dig through your stash of seasoning packages and find some dry chicken gravy mix to toss in.  Explaining to the lad that adding gravy will make it a stew instead of soup as stews are thick with less liquid.

Throw in a box of chicken bouillon/stock (the liquid stuff Campbells makes).. though if my rabbit stock had been thawed out I would have used that instead.  🙂

When it’s all in the pot look and say “oh, need a bit more celery” so do up two more stalks.

Discover a couple of tomatoes going soft so turn them into mush before adding to pot (saucing them before adding to the pot means a boy child not turned off by cooked tomato).   Dice up one orange bell pepper as well.

Let stew for two hours.

In end come up with a stuff slightly on the spicy side (oops.. forgot the sundried tomato mix has some chilis in it hun).   But realize the bread counteracts the spicyness quite nicely…so doing what I intended was an excellent choice with this stew.   The lad exclaims “Mom!   We need to make this again, it was good!!!”  

One of the things I love about stew is it comes out differently every single time, and when hubby and son help, makes it even better.  🙂

All told we put in
1 package of stir fry beef strips
four large carrots
1.5 onions
3 bay leaves
5 stalks celery
About a cup of green peas
3 large potatoes
a variety of seasonings : salt, pepper, sundried tomato, basil, oregano, garlic and more.
one box liquid bouillon/chicken stock
package of dry chicken gravy
about a tablespoon of corn starch
two tomatoes
touch of oil for browning

If you make it, tell me what seasonings you would use.  🙂

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This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites