American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Four

This year we’re trying something new. Instead of a taking a full week for spring break, we’re taking a day or two off here and there spread out over the course of several weeks. This week, we had three days of school. In algebra, Chickadee learned how to show inequalities on a number line and learned what conjunctions are outside of grammar. We discussed the Korean War in history, which gave me an opportunity to bring up several examples from M*A*S*H. Chickadee finished reading As You Like It. In science she learned about the difference between refraction, polarization, and scattering of light. We baked Southern Tea Cakes inspired by Addy from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook…they were light and buttery and delicious, and we also added some lavender, which gave Chickadee the opportunity to practice muddling.

Chickadee also got to go to the teen craft night at the library this week…they did a really cool art project based on Monet’s paintings!

And speaking of the library…the chicks hatched this week!

I have something really fun I’m hoping we’re going to be able to do in two weeks…stay tuned!

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Three

This week Chickadee solved more word problems in algebra, and also worked with direct and indirect variations in equations. In science she started a chapter on light and learned about the spectrum of light waves…we were really hoping that with all the rain we’ve been having, we might get a good lesson in the different colors of light in the visible spectrum, but we didn’t find a rainbow. She read about the Suez crisis, Marshall Plan, and apartheid in South Africa in history. In religion, we walked through the Divine Service, talked about the architecture of church buildings, and looked at the different visual symbolism found in churches. She continued to read As You Like It. She wrote another short paper, this time about FDR. This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook was a super-moist “Chocolate-Caramel Bundt ‘Election’ Cake” inspired by Felicity and the presidential election of 1788.

It’s almost field trip season, and I have a few exciting ones planned in the coming weeks!

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Two

This week in algebra Chickadee focused on word problems, especially those using the i=prt and d=rt formulas. She wrote another short paper, this time about WWII, in writing. In history we discussed the aftermath of WWII, focusing on the partitioning of India and Palestine. She continued to read As You Like It. In religion we discussed the history of education in the Lutheran church. She finished the sound on chapter in science. We also finished going through the amendments to the US Constitution, and also discussed the Equal Rights Amendment. Now that the Olympics are over, we’re back to making recipes from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook. This week, we made a Fruit and Cream Pavlova inspired by 2021 Girl of the Year Kira. I’ve wanted to make a Pavlova for years, but was always afraid it would be too difficult. Not only did we discover it’s actually pretty simple, Chickadee got to practice separating eggs, which is a very useful kitchen skill!

Our library is incubating chicks again! Last year we missed the first candling, which takes place at one week, so we made sure to make it to this year’s initial candling…it so cool to see them developing and even moving around in the egg!

We’re hoping to visit the zoo soon…there are painted dog puppies that are going to be introduced to the public!

2025-26 School Year–Week Nineteen

This week Chickadee graphed quadratic functions (including parabolas) in algebra. We read about the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler in Germany in history. In science, we talked about how work, force, and energy are related. She read most of the second act of As You Like It. In religion we discussed the Sacraments including Confession and Absolution. We wrapped up the main lessons in our study of the US Constitution and read through the Declaration of Independence before we go amendment-by-amenedment through the Constitution itself. Our recipe for the week from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was “Mac-&-Cheese Cups” inspired by Kit, which is timely give our study of the Great Depression

We also began preparing for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics by making our favorite edible Olympic torches…we did some other food prep as well, but you’ll have to stay tuned for the details on today’s full day of Italian dishes!

We’re looking forward to really immersing ourselves in the Olympics over the next two weeks!

2025-26 School Year–Week Eighteen

This week started with snow, which was definitely a good beginning! And we needed it to put us in a good mood before we worked on algebra, which was all about quadratic equations including completing the square and the quadratic formula. Chickadee finally began her first Shakespearian literature study with As You Like It. In history we continued making our way toward WWII, learning about Chiang Kai-shek in China and Hirohito in Japan. In science we began a chapter on energy, learning about gravitation potential energy and elastic potential energy. We discussed the difference being being treated equally and being treated fairly by the government and how the US Constitution guarantees our right to both. We also discussed the amendments that deal with voting rights for various groups of people. For our recipe of the week from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook we made “Peanut Butter-Chocolate Buckeyes” inspired by Kit, a native of Ohio.

And today we braved the cold for a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden, because we really wanted to see it while it was still covered in snow! It did not disappoint!

Somewhat unrelated, but Ladybug finally had her first official snow day this week, because the weather cancelled college for a day!

2025-26 School Year–Week Seventeen

This was another busy week! In algebra Chickadee did a lot of review of complex fractions and factoring, which I know is because the quadratic formula is looming on the horizon! She finished her movie review in writing. We discussed the role of women in church in religion. In history we read about the formation of the USSR and also Il Duce in Italy. She learned about Newton’s laws of motion in science. We finished Treasure Island! In our study of the US Constitution we discussed freedom of expression and freedom of religion. We made homemade Moon Pies inspired by Luciana from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook…they actually weren’t terribly difficult!

We’re hoping for snow this weekend!

2025-26 School Year–Week Sixteen

Back to work following a nice (long!) Christmas break!

We got right back into it with adding and subtracting rational expressions with different denominators in algebra. In history we read about the Easter Uprising and Indian nationalism. We picked up where we left off in Treasure Island. In science we started learning about forces, beginning with gravity. We talked about different denominational beliefs regarding the Sacraments in religion. She began a two-week project writing a movie review. We continued our overview of the US Constitution (and also discussed some of the power given to state governments). For our first week back, I chose what I foolishly thought was going to be an easy recipe from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook for Ice Cream Bonbons inspired by Addy. It was NOT an easy recipe, with every step being a different exercise in frustration, but we made a memory with the disaster it ended up being!

We also visited the St. Louis Zoo, and spent some time in the primate house, where the spider monkeys were very obviously interested in Chickadee’s hat!

We have one more week of math before the quadratic formula makes an appearance!

2025-26 School Year–Week Fifteen

This was a busy week of school following our Thanksgiving break (and also our only full week of subjects before we shift gears to learning about Christmas in Italy!).

This week I taught the lesson I hate most out of all of the years of math…Factoring trinomials of the form of ax² + bx + c. I don’t know why, but I have a major mental block about teaching it, but Chickadee did a fabulous job! In religion we discussed the role of the pastor, as well as the meaning behind the pastor’s “uniform.” She learned about the difference between distance and displacement as well speed and velocity in science. In history we read about the Russian revolution and the end of WWI. We continued reading Treasure Island, and I realized there’s no way we’re going to finish it before Christmas. And this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook was also a seasonal favorite…ginger cookies inspired by Felicity.

Next week is Christmas school, a little more math, and general catching up on anything we need to get done before our vacation!

2025-26 School Year–Week Fourteen

This week was very social studies heavy! Not only did we continue our regular survey of history, focusing on WWI, but we also continued to study the US Constitution, and dove into the history of the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving. We had plenty of other work, too. Chickadee divided polynomials and started factoring in algebra. We continued reading Treasure Island. In science she learned about catalysts. And this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was “Ice Cream Sandwiches” inspired by Molly, with a festive twist…we filled the homemade chocolate-chocolate chip sandwiches with hot cocoa ice cream we found at Target!

Next week we’re just going to wrap up a few things before Thanksgiving!

2025-26 School Year–Week Thirteen

I’m not going to lie…this was another kind of weird week, starting with the fact that I went on a field trip without my single student. We had already planned to make our annual autumn visit to Cahokia Mounds on Veteran’s Day before Chickadee broke her ankle, and she wasn’t up to that kind of trail walking, so Bunny, Ladybug, and I had to go without her. It was a beautiful, cool day, and I guess I’m counting it as a teacher inservice? I promised Chickadee we’d go back in the spring, too.

To make up for Cahokia Mounds, we went to the St. Louis Art Museum to check out the Native American art, and we saw some cool things, including this bowl and necklace, but a lot of those galleries are currently undergoing renovations, so that didn’t really work as planned either.

But we did get a lot of regular work done. Chickadee reviewed the FOIL method in algebra and also multiplied larger polynomials. She learned about synthesis & decomposition reactions as well as single & double replacement reactions in science. In religion we discussed the Office of the Keys and the difference between the releasing and binding keys. She read about the Balkan wars in history…WWI approaches! We continued reading Treasure Island. We began a study of the U.S. Constitution. And our recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was a good one…we made “Day at the Beach Cupcakes” inspired by 2020 Girl of the Year Joss…they were delicious and cute!

Next week we get to delve into all of our favorite Thanksgiving stories!