American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook

2025-26 School Year–Week Thirty

Fun things first…after we went on the Busch 360 Tour last August, I promised Chickadee we’d go on a classic tour of the ballpark this spring…Monday was the day! We also toured the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, where Chickadee got to hold a game-used Yadier Molina bat, and I got to hold one that belonged to Stan the Man! If you’re looking for a great way to learn local history, visit your nearest ballpark if you can!

We finished up a few final new concepts in algebra, including the mid-point formula, and then began a review that will take us through the end of the year. We discussed both the water and rock cycles in science. In history we read about the Chernobyl disaster, perestroika, glasnost, and the end of the Cold War. Chickadee began one final writing assignment that includes creating an outline based off a short story. We started a short, fun literature study of one of my favorite books, The Phantom Tollbooth. This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook was Chocolate-Vanilla Sandwich Cookies inspired by Rebecca…yes, we basically made homemade Oreos!

Just two more weeks of the 2025-26 school year to go!

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Nine

We started the week with a somewhat unexpected field trip to the St. Louis Zoo. We were supposed to go to the Missouri History Museum, until I remembered that they’re closed on Mondays. Since we always go on an end-of-the-year field trip to the zoo anyway, I just swapped them around. It gave us the opportunity to see the lanterns for Animals Aglow in the daylight, which is always a fun experience, and now we’re really excited about going to see them at night sometime soon!

Chickadee reviewed the Pythagorean Theorem in algebra, and then used what she knows about it to solve some geometry problems. In science she started a two-chapter unit on earth science, and we got to make “plastic rock” with cornstarch and water! She read about India and Pakistan after the partition and the Bhopal disaster in history. She finished one of her last big writing assignments. We wrapped our study of Lutheranism in religion. This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was Strawberry Icebox Pie, a delicious no-bake dessert perfect for spring inspired by one of the dolls in my personal collection, Melody.

Next week we’re hoping to go on a field trip that’s a follow-up to one we had at the beginning of the school year!

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Eight

There’s a new exhibit exploring the connection between art, science, and nature at the Missouri Botanical Garden! Today we were there for the opening day of Patterns in Nature: The Art of HYBYCOZO:

We also stopped by Eckert’s to try the Tulip Lovers Sundae we weren’t able to get when we visited the Tulip Trail last week…the combination of lemon and lavender, not to mention the darling purple tulip lollipop, felt like it was custom made just for me!

In algebra, Chickadee solved literal problems, including ones involving interest and distance. She also found the limits of exponential equations and graphed them. We read about the Six-Day and Yom Kippur Wars, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the rise of terrorism in various countries in history. She continued to work on her big writing assignment. In science she learned about magnetism. We discussed missionary work at home and abroad in religion. This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was Cosmos Doughnuts, inspired by 2018 Girl-of-the-Year and space enthusiast Luciana. Chickadee has been wanting to make this recipe all year, but I’m glad we held off until now, because they were also the perfect treat to celebrate the journey of Artemis II to the moon and back!

There’s also a new exhibit opening at the Missouri History Museum this weekend, and I’m hoping we’ll have time to go explore it next week!

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Seven

Fun things first…Chickadee and I went to Eckert’s to experience their new spring event, the Tulip Trail!

Chickadee worked with exponential growth and decay functions in algebra, and learned how to graph them. In history, we read about JFK, the Civil Rights Movement, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam War. She is re-reading one of her favorite books in preparation for one of her final writing assignments of the year. In science we talked about currents and resistance, and did a fun experiment with a battery and aluminum foil. And for this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook, we made plum fruit leather (using three different kinds of plums), inspired by 2019 Girl of the Year, Blaire!

Now that it’s April, the end of the school year is coming fast…I can’t believe Chickadee is almost done with 8th grade!

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Five

This week in algebra, Chickadee identified more conjunctions and also disjunctions. We read about Juan Perón in Argentina and the Belgians in the Congo in history…it’s really starting to sound like “We Didn’t Start the Fire!” In writing she analyzed a short story (“The Garden Party”) and a poem (“Death Be Not Proud”). She finished the chapter on light waves in science. In religion we talked more about the liturgy as well as the organization of the church year. We did one final review of As You Like It. We also got to see the 10 chicks at the library one more time!

This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was “Almond Energy Bites” inspired by Maryellen. This was my first experience with flaxseed and I was a little nervous about it, but the combination with almond butter, almonds, oats, chocolate chips, honey, and coconut was addictive!

We have something fun planned for next week…stay tuned!

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!