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Pepper and Pine

All things food, paper and education

Month: April 2016

Chicken Kebabs | Ancient Egypt Recipe

Chicken Kebabs | Ancient Egypt Recipe

Posted on April 26, 2016April 26, 2016 by Hana
For our Ancient Egypt unit study we decided to make some ancient Egypt inspired dishes using the book “Food and Cooking in Ancient Egypt” by Clive Gifford and illustrated by Paul Cherrill.... Read More
Virtual Homeschool Coop | Boxed Curriculum | Assignment #3

Virtual Homeschool Coop | Boxed Curriculum | Assignment #3

Posted on April 25, 2016June 9, 2016 by Hana
What are the highlights and challenges of using a boxed curriculum? I’ll share some insight on the benefits of using a boxed curriculum as well as using curriculum ‘a la carte’. Just... Read More
Archaeology Pyramid Dig | Ancient Egypt

Archaeology Pyramid Dig | Ancient Egypt

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by Hana
We continue our Ancient Egypt unit study with this excavation project by Thames and Kosmos: National Geographic’s Archaeology Pyramid Dig available from Rainbow Resource. What we liked about thi... Read More
Pyramids | Chalk Drawing

Pyramids | Chalk Drawing

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by Hana
For our Ancient Egypt unit study, we did a series of chalk drawings for our main lesson books. I drew a scene on the chalk board, then the kids drew it in their main lesson books. Each drawing accompa... Read More
Virtual Homeschool Co-op | Homeschool Convention? | Assignment #2

Virtual Homeschool Co-op | Homeschool Convention? | Assignment #2

Posted on April 24, 2016June 9, 2016 by Hana
This is the Assignment #2 for the Virtual Homeschool Co-op! Listen to me talk about the homeschool conferences and whether they are worth it to attend. It turns out that I’m a big fan and suppor... Read More
How to Make Vegan Dukkah Dip | Ancient Egypt

How to Make Vegan Dukkah Dip | Ancient Egypt

Posted on April 24, 2016April 24, 2016 by Hana
For our Ancient Egypt unit study we decided to make some ancient Egypt inspired dishes using the book “Food and Cooking in Ancient Egypt” by Clive Gifford and illustrated by Paul Cherrill.... Read More
Shaduf and Papyrus Boat | Ancient Egypt | Chalk Drawing

Shaduf and Papyrus Boat | Ancient Egypt | Chalk Drawing

Posted on April 17, 2016April 25, 2016 by Hana
For our Ancient Egypt unit study, we did a series of chalk drawings for our main lesson books. I drew a scene on the chalk board, then the kids drew it in their main lesson books. Each drawing accompa... Read More
Dig Discover and Display | Ancient Egypt

Dig Discover and Display | Ancient Egypt

Posted on April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 by Hana
After our last ordeal with Dig, Discover and Display, I was pretty sure we were never going to do another excavation kit again! I’m glad I took my chances because this kit was awesome! It was on... Read More
Virtual Homeschool Co-op | Collaboration Intro | Assignment #1

Virtual Homeschool Co-op | Collaboration Intro | Assignment #1

Posted on April 13, 2016June 9, 2016 by Hana
Want to join other homeschooling YouTubers for a weekly collaboration? Why not join the Virtual Homeschool Co-op? In this video, I’ll introduce myself, tell you a little bit about our homeschool... Read More
Main Lesson vs Unit Studies

Main Lesson vs Unit Studies

Posted on April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 by Hana
This video is an excerpt from my Virtual Homeschool Co-op video; it was deleted for length, but it was informative, so I’m putting it here for you. No intro or outro! Just an excerpt of me talki... Read More
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Hello! I live in California & I homeschool using a Waldorf curriculum. www.pepperandpine.com

Hana
What’s the difference between a main lesson bloc What’s the difference between a main lesson block and a unit study?
A main lesson block, from the Waldorf perspective, isn’t just about presenting daily lessons in a subject area for several weeks before moving on to another main lesson block.
It’s about presenting subject matter that’s developmental appropriate. It’s chosen to support the child as she grows taking into account the changes she’s going through. 
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One of my favorite years of study is the 9 year change & the subjects that are presented in grade 3 to support this transition that’s a bit of an upheaval in the child’s development. It’s a milestone that’s marked with a sense of being lost & needing to find who one is. It’s a time of needing to feel secure & capable. 
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In this year, the curriculum offers stories about Moses & Hebrew stories. It’s a time when Moses & his people wandered the desert lost. And after 40 years they were delivered to their new home. This mirrors the feelings of the 9 year old child. 
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There is a main lesson block on shelter, farming and clothing. Three essential skills for survival which provide a child a sense of stability & safety. 
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In grammar, the past tense is learned for the first time because this is when children understand what it means to have a past. Until then, they have not experienced having a past enough to relate to what it means to have a past. It also marks the milestone when time appears to speed up. It may be the first time a child can sense that a week, a month or a year has gone by quickly. 
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While I stray far from the typical main lesson blocks, I try to retain an element of the spirit of the main lesson block even as I depart & make my own. 
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Often I include multiple students into one main lesson block which means at times I’m bringing in lessons that are unique for each child while maintaining the main lesson. 
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In our Ibn Battuta lessons, we focused this spirit of adventure & travel that in some ways reflects the feelings of being lost, of discovering and of belonging. 
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We included food & projects as well as a lot of read alouds & work in our main lesson book for this unit. 
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#waldorfinspired #muslimhomeschool #waldorfhomeschool #homeschool
Our homeschool is life. Our life is our homeschool Our homeschool is life. Our life is our homeschool. There are pros and cons to merging the two until the borders are smudged beyond recognition. This means our kitchen and the cooking are an extension of our homeschool. 
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When I put together a new unit, I include time in the kitchen. Time to explore new recipes and cultivate menus the family will love. 
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Not every new dish becomes a regular addition to our diet, but simply trying them out and pairing new spices with old ingredients or new ingredients with favored spices always invigorates our meals. 
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This time around we used an older Moroccan cookbook to try the recipes you see. 
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Our Ibn Battuta unit study (on YouTube and my website) is heavy on the food. 
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I’m actually glad we had fewer projects because it encouraged me to make more recipes. 
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Of the six new recipes I made this day, the fish soup was hands down the favorite! It was such a success that before the soup was even finished, I was chopping up onions and defrosting more cod to make another batch. 
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Check out the blog post for all the recipes we made for this unit, as well as the hands on projects. You can also find a complete list of books we used with a convenient shopping guide. 
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Recipe tutorials can be found on my YouTube channel. Be sure to check out the playlist to see the complete list of videos. 
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#homeschooling #pepperandpine #waldorfinspired #cook #charlottemasonhomeschool #waldorfhomeschool
I used the book “The Traveling Man The Journey o I used the book “The Traveling Man The Journey of Ibn Battuta” by James Rumford for the chalk drawing that accompanied this mini unit on Ibn Battuta and the 1300s. 
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I really love the way this drawing turned out, Alhumdulillah, and found every illustration in the book inspiring. 
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I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both picture books we have for this unit and even looked up the book that is referenced in the Rumford book so I can dive deeper into Ibn Battuta’s journey. 
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As always I go down a rabbit hole when exploring and setting up our units. While I usually end up with too many books and projects, I feel this unit is appropriately balanced. Well that’s until you see for many Moroccan recipes are part of this unit!
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We feasted on familiar and new dishes. Some became family favorites, others were passing tourists in our menus.
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As my children fill their main lesson books with illustrations and narrations, I’m tempted to make my own because I’m so taken by the illustrations in the pictures we have for this unit and want to write my own versions of his journey. 
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It’s my aim to turn this unit into its own main lesson block curriculum, but my time is so limited, it may just be a wish of mine. 
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#homeschooling #pepperandpine #charlottemasonhomeschool #waldorfinspired #waldorfhomeschool #chalk #chalkdrawing #waldorfeducation #waldorfcurriculum #muslimfamily #ibnbattuta #unitstudy #homeschoolinglife #homeschool #homeschoolfamily #waldorfchalkdrawing #waldorflessons #waldorfmainlessonbook #livingbooks #muslimexplorer
When I first read the book “The Adventures of Ib When I first read the book “The Adventures of Ibn Battuta”, in 2010, I was amazed at how thrilling Ibn Battuta’s life was. Within a few chapters he had already had several near death experiences. His journey was truly adventurous, thrilling and pious. His life reads like a live action movie, and as I read these stories, I could envision what what his adventurous life might have been like. 
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I also had my reservations about the book by Ross E. Dunn and picked up on some very subtle biases. 
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So this time around, I added what I hoped was a more authentic representation of his life by reading a translation of his travel journal. 
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What a mistake! It was so dry, wordy and lengthy! We couldn’t get through two dozen page’s before we set it aside and read Dunn’s book again. 
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However, I very much appreciated the translation of Ibn Battuta’s travel journal because it’s complete and you can read all about this religious journey as well. It seems like some of those passages are omitted in other books for various reasons. They do tend to be slower and possibly for some, less interesting. 
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I will still try to read the translated journal again at some point because I like seeing what the Muslim world was like in the 1300s from Tangier through India and into China. 
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What is helpful about Dunn’s version (The Adventures of Ibn Battuta) is that he sets the stage in each chapter with what was happening in that part of the world when Ibn Battuta travelled through those regions. 
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I love both picture books we have for this unit. And love, love, love the cookbooks we are using especially the one pictured available at @sirajstore 
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We made travel journals (one from scratch and several that are altered)  to record our lessons instead of using main lesson books. I added the Sandala wood detail available at @therustikhome to store bought travel journals from a local craft store. 
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I have video tutorials for all the projects and recipes we did for the unit in the blog post and my YouTube channel. 
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Our Ibn Battuta & North Africa unit is live on YouTube and on my blog right now. Link in bio. 
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#muslimexplorer #muslim #muslimhomeschool #homeschooling #homeschool #livingbooks
When my sister found out she had brain cancer, she When my sister found out she had brain cancer, she chose a conventional method of treatment. As she learned about her cancer, she decided to support that treatment with diet and supplements. I’ve been one step ahead of her because a close friend of mine also has cancer and in these past several months, I’ve learned a lot from my friends, and from you, on alternative treatments. 
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About 3 weeks ago I did a 75 hour fast then went straight into keto. I’m doing this to support my sister, Samiah. I recently learned how fasting helps radiation and chemotherapy treatment. I decided to try these medical health protocols so I could be there when it got tough for my sister. So that when we visited, I could cook for her and eat the food she was having. 
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So on our first shopping trip to Costco when we landed in Anchorage, I stocked up on foods she could enjoy and bought plenty for us to cook for the week. We didn’t buy any junk food and limited the carbs. While I was the only one doing keto, everyone ate what I cooked but added bread, pizza or other non-keto friendly choices. 
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No one felt the loss until dessert was served at my sister’s place and at a local restaurant. That’s when she and I together abstained from brownies, cakes and chocolate. 
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But it was rough for her more than for me. We both have insatiable sweet tooths. But with our higher fat diets, we are less desiring of the sugar. What a blessing. Alhumdulillah!
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So while I cooked a high fat diet, with plenty of leafy greens, everyone enjoyed the filling satisfaction they feel from a meal rich is good nutrients and fats. 
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Our breakfasts especially kept us full so that we hardly felt hungry until 2pm. And on several days I skipped dinner or fasted for 24 hours. 
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One night I made a sweet (albeit non-keto) dessert. It’s my favorite GAPS diet dessert: butter fried dates topped with roasted almonds and fresh whipped cream. Scoop up a spoonful of hot dates dripping with salted Kerrygold butter and dive it into cool fresh whipped cream with no sugar. It’s so incredibly delicious I can’t even explain how delicious the flavors are together. And mix of warmed dates with cool cream is enchanting. 
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Enjoy!
That’s real. That’s what it actually looks lik That’s real. That’s what it actually looks like on the street leading to my sister’s house. 
The other day we got a call from Samiah while she was driving back from a doctor’s appointment. 
She told us to go see the sunset. It was glistening in the evening sky and sparkling off the mountains. It was glorious SubhanaAllah. 
But we couldn’t get a good view of it, so we left our dinner on the table, hopped in the car and drove off in search of the sunset. 
But everywhere we looked the trees blocked our view. 
“Where can we find the best view of the sunset?” We said to one another. 
There’s only one place we know...
Samiah’s house. 
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So we drove up to her property and jumped out of the car to capture the stunning sunset. 
But the sun had already set and we had missed it. 
Disappointed, we climbed back into our car and drove away. 
Then we stopped on this stretch of street because it’s simply magical and surreal. 
And who should drive up? 
Samiah and her husband! 
Fancy that. 
We ran into them and they were as surprised to see us as we were to see them. 
After a laugh and a photo, they drive home, but we stayed. 
We stood in the middle of the street and captured the glory of the scene until the sunset so deep that the sky turned from a white blue to a dark blue. 
We piled into the car and drove back to our cold dinner. 
We were flushed with the vigor of our excursion and delighted to capture the beauty that my sister sees everyday. 
I’m so happy for her and pray she has the opportunity to see many winters ahead.
We argued at this table. We talked, discussed and We argued at this table. We talked, discussed and disagreed. We passionately raised our voices. We also listened, cried and were hurt. At times we struggled to be heard and feel validated. All seven of us gathered at the table daily and when the meals were done we continued talking. The conversations were always heavy.  But in the process we learned our truths and that of each other. 
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We are all here in Alaska to support my sister, Samiah, who has recently been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She moved here a few months ago then suddenly found out she had a brain tumor. After emergency surgery, she went home to recover. Her new home however is thousands of miles from her family. So we made the decision to visit her now with the intention to return to help her as needed. 
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And that’s when the disagreements began. We are all here to support my sister, but what we can’t agree on is how, when and who will be doing it. 
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We all had our opinions. The male and female energies really show up in these kinds of discussions. We had many challenges.  While we all come from one family, we have grown and changed, but some family traits persist and show up strong at a time like this. 
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We are stubborn, loyal to a fault, judgmental, and insensitive at times, and we are also deeply caring, generous, wanting the best for each other and doing what we can to avoid pain in others, even when it compromises a relationship. 
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We explored many possibilities on how we can show up for Samiah during this trying time. Each idea seemed good for a moment. Then something would change and we would have to start over. 
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We gathered around this table to talk things through and while we didn’t ultimately arrive at a solution, my sister-in-law, Anna, (pictures in the yellow hat) gave us one of the best compliments ever, she said, not very many families talk like this. You know how to communicate with each other. She was impressed and that made me feel good about how far we’ve come as a family.  We are learning. We are making progress. We are becoming better communicators with every opportunity we have to sit together around the table.
My sister asked us here to celebrate. To celebrate My sister asked us here to celebrate. To celebrate her decision to move from California to Alaska, to celebrate the majesty of this winter masterpiece, to celebrate her first home and the celebrate her. We think we are here for her, and yet we have gained far more from this experience. 
We have healed as a family. Still we have a long way to go. We have truly enjoyed our time and ourselves and are awed by the beauty an Alaskan winter. We have discovered new joys, new skills and a renewed love of nature. 
The short days are restorative. 
The cold weather is purifying. 
And the pristine mornings spiritually moving. 
We have smiled, hugged and shed tears. 
We have bonded, shared and argued. 
We are a family. 
And we have come together to support my sister and in doing so, we have grown in unmeasurable ways. 
The challenge of getting here has melted away, and we are simply enjoying being totally present. 
SubhanaAllah, my sister’s dua are manifesting in unimaginable ways. Her prayers are coming true. And we are reaping the benefits. Alhumdulillah ❤️
It’s was the best hug I ever had❤️ ❤️❤ It’s was the best hug I ever had❤️ ❤️❤️
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The doorbell rang. I was flipping tortillas and making soup. I popped my head around the corner and saw them arrive. But my sister was by the door and I couldn’t see her. I literally had butterflies in my stomach. But my tortillas were overcooking so I ducked back into the kitchen and flipped them and added more to the pan. Then I came around the corner again and there she was. In her adorable knitted hat. 
I walked up to her and we hugged. It was the best hug ever. Warm, snug and long. And then the tears came. And still we hugged. Then we pulled away and looked at each other through blurry wet eyes. We just couldn’t believe we were together. All of us together. We just looked at each other with happy and sad tears. 
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