The Wizard of Oz The Official Cookbook

2024-25 School Year–Week Fourteen

Fun things first…we spent a morning at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and checked out the Holiday Flower and Train Show while we were there…it was excellent!

Ladybug identified fallacies with proof by lack of evidence in logic. In psychology she read more about memory. Her study of US geography and culture focused on the Spanish-American War, unions, and WWI. She continued to read A Tale of Two Cities. In writing, she practiced writing both a thesis and an anti-thesis for different topics. We read Benedict of Nursia and Benedictine monasticism in religion.

Chickadee solved for mean, median, and mode in pre-algebra. She learned more about the fossil record in science. We continued to read The Trojan War. In history, she learned about some of the European wars that spilled over into the New World…we’re getting close to the American Revolution! We finished reading The Wizard of Oz, and made a special recipe from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook…”Magic Granita Slushies.” The slushy itself was made with lemon and lime juice and zest mixed with a simple syrup, but the magic was the effect of the blue butterfly pea tea syrup turning the concoction purple!

Just a short week next week…Happy Thanksgiving!

2024-25 School Year–Week Thirteen

We started the week with our annual fall field trip to Cahokia Mounds…it was a beautiful, but fairly muddy, day!

This week Ladybug learned to identify the weak analogy and post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacies in logic. She read about the Sherman Anti-Trust Act as well as Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and U.S. Steel and John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company in her study of US culture. She continued her 30-day photography challenge. In psychology she focused on memory. She read more of the second book of A Tale of Two Cities. We read about Popes Leo I and Gregory I in religion.

Chickadee figured profits and royalties and drew different types of graphs in pre-algebra. We read about the British colonization of India in history. She started a chapter on the fossil record in science, learning about molds and casts as well as the process of petrifaction. In writing she worked on writing about the function of a Venus Flytrap by answering questions about it. We started reading The Trojan War. We’re almost done with The Wizard of Oz, so we made a pair of special recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook: “Up High Picnic Pie” and “There’s No Place Like Home(made) Apple Pie.” I’m hoping to make at least one more recipe from that cookbook before our Thanksgiving break.

We’re planning another outdoor field trip next week…hopefully the weather cooperates!

2024-25 School Year–Week Twelve

First let’s take a look back at our annual fall field trip to Creve Coeur Lake, where we walked the almost 4-mile loop and Ladybug took a bunch of pictures:

Ladybug identified hasty generalizations and analogies in logic. She started Book Two of A Tale of Two Cities. In writing she worked with the dictionary and thesaurus. In psychology she read about classical and operant conditioning and Pavlov’s dogs. She read about slave uprisings, the Civil War, and the Trail of Tears in A People’s History of the United States. In religion we discussed Augustine of Hippo. She started a 30-day photography challenge. She received her ACT scores…she was very pleased, as am I!

Chickadee learned how to calculate simple interest in pre-algebra. We finally finished Tom Sawyer! In history she read about Peter the Great in Russia. She learned about the different types of unconformities in science. We continued reading The Wizard of Oz and also made a pair of recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook: “Monkey Goes Bananas,” a beverage with the unusual flavor combination of coffee syrup, spice syrup, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, banana, and chocolate, with a lemon-cardamom sugar that rimmed the glass, and lemon “Always on Hand Cake,” served with a dusting of powdered sugar, cream cheese whipped cream, and strawberries.

Next week, we’re planning on our annual visit to Cahokia Mounds…I can’t wait!

2024-25 School Year–Week Eleven

Hello November! We’re solidly in my favorite time of year in terms of weather, holidays, and school events!

In logic, Ladybug was introduced to the either-or fallacy and generalizations. She finished book one of A Tale of Two Cities. In psychology she learned about the effects of different types of drugs. She started reading The Lively Art of Writing, a book that was foundational to my high school writing career. In religion we discussed the liturgy and John Chrysostom. She continued to read Understanding Exposure…there are going to be a few great opportunities for photography on field trips in the next few weeks! In social studies she read about women’s rights in A People’s History of the United States.

Chickadee learned how to calculate percent decrease and increase in pre-algebra. She read about Isaac Newton, John Locke, and the Enlightenment in history. In science she started a chapter on geology, learning about catastrophism, uniformitarianism, and the different types of rocks. She read “The Monkey’s Paw” for analysis in writing…always a dangerous proposition, but especially good for Halloween week! We only made one recipe from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook this week, but it was a good one…the “Mountain Climber,” a blend of citrus juices (orange, lemon, and lime), combined with a lovely spiced simple syrup that tasted just like fall!

We visited the ice rink for the first time since last winter, and both Ladybug and Chickadee did a great job staying upright…I don’t think they wanted to leave!

We’re hoping for another field trip next week…and probably one the week after that, too! It’s great time of year to be outdoors!

2024-25 School Year–Week Ten

First up…a glimpse of our trip to Legends and Lanterns in St. Charles, MO, last weekend. A highlight of the event was a stop in Oz where we met the Wicked Witch of the East, and admired her silver slippers…we were glad she was representing the book we’ve been reading!

Speaking of Oz, we also stopped by Starbucks so we could try their new Wicked drinks:

On to the schoolwork, including some of the stuff we worked on last week. Ladybug learned about whole-to-part and part-to-whole fallacies in logic. She started a new literature study of A Tale of Two Cities, and also continued reading Paradise Lost. We read about Ambrose and Jerome in religion. She continued reading A People’s History of the United States, including the arrival of Columbus and the beginning of slavery in the Americas. In psychology she read about sleep cycles and different theories about dreams. Tomorrow she takes the ACT!

Chickadee solved problems using ratios and proportions in pre-algebra, and also converted decimals to percents and vice-versa. She read about the Kingdom of Prussia and New France in history. We discussed the internal, external, and bibliographic tests in science. She worked on writing an analysis of a short story. We’re getting closer to the end of Tom Sawyer (thankfully). We continued to read The Wizard of Oz, and made a pair of recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook…”Oh, Look! Apples and Walnut Salad with Shrub Vinaigrette” and “Apple Shrub Cocktail,” with flavors of the apple shrub we worked on all week, plus lemon juice, hibiscus syrup, and seltzer.

We have plans for a few outings we want to go on in the coming weeks…stay tuned!

Tasty Tuesday–Cooking with The Wizard of Oz

If you’ve been following my homeschool weekly summaries, you may have noticed that we’ve been having a lot of fun with The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook. We’ve made quite a few recipes so far, so I thought I’d take a look back at everything we’ve tried.

  • Ruby-Red Punch
  • Dinner on the Farm Rolls
  • Marvelous Campfire Spread
  • Twister Shakes
  • Savory Pinwheel Lollipops
  • Auntie Em’s Crullers
  • Wicked Cruel-lers
  • Old-Fashioned Lemonade
  • Good Witch Pink Lemonade
  • Wicked Lemonade
  • Peach Iced Tea
  • I’m Losing My Hay
  • Grilled Sausages with Marvelous Campfire Spread
  • Follow the Spiral Omelet
  • Cornstalk Cheese Straws
  • Glinda Strawberry Jasmine Bubble Tea
  • What a World Spheres
  • Wicked Black Bread
  • Badwitches

I really like how many drink recipes there are in this cookbook, especially because they’re all non-alcoholic. That can be a struggle when looking for fun and different beverages for a family with underage children (or teetotalers for that matter). I have also really enjoyed learning some new cooking techniques while using this book…I do a lot of cooking, so anytime something I haven’t tried before comes my way, I think it’s pretty exciting! There are still plenty of recipes left, too, so we still have lots to look forward to!

2024-25 School Year–Week Eight

Ladybug identified equivocation and loaded questions in logic. She finished The Merchant of Venice. In psychology she finished the unit on the senses. She completed the March trilogy and began reading A People’s History of the United States. She also started Paradise Lost. We also took a nighttime walk last night to see if we could get a glimpse of the Northern Lights so Ladybug could photograph them, and we were actually able to spot them (even somewhat with the naked eye)! These are my photos taken with my iPhone, not the pictures Ladybug took with the Canon Rebel, but I think hers came out even better!

Chickadee continued reviewing fraction math, including improper fractions, mixed numbers, and dividing by fractions, in pre-algebra. She learned about the six classical simple machines in science. We continued reading Tom Sawyer. In writing, she worked on brainstorming for several different kinds of topics including history and science. Speaking of history, she read about Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate in England, and also about the Black Plague and the Great Fire of London. In religion we discussed Athanasius of Alexandria and the Great Cappadocian Fathers.

We continued reading The Wizard of Oz…we especially like the maps that are included in the book, because they really help us understand where everything is taking place. We also continued making recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook. We baked “Wicked Black Bread,” which was a pretty unusual recipe for us with additions of baking cocoa, espresso powder, and apple cider vinegar to the dough, but it was really good! We also tried “Ruby-Red Punch” with flavors of grapefruit and hibiscus, and “Badwitches,” which used the black bread we made, topped with blackberry jam, chocolate chips, brie, and basil. They sound a little strange, but they were very good!

We’re hoping to visit the sculpture park next week, and Ladybug is planning on taking more cool photos!

Tasty Tuesday–Breakfast-for-Dinner Week

Following the success of “Sandwich Week,” I decided to go with another themed series of meals, this time one of our family’s favorites, breakfast-for-dinner! We started with a pair of recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook…”Follow the Spiral Omelets” with “Cornstalk Cheese Straws.”

We were originally going to have waffles the second night, but I found out my German recipe for the month was Kaiserschmarren (the Kaiser’s torn pancakes), so I made that instead, with a homemade cherry compote on top:

Of course we had breakfast sandwiches, this time on croissants with a side of tater tots:

I made one of our old Disney dinners of “Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Pizza” with tropical fruit on the side:

And we had breakfast burritos with blueberry-peach smoothies:

It’s been quite some time since I made breakfast casserole, so we had that with homemade blueberry muffins:

And for the finale I made French toast and bacon.

I’m trying to decide what theme I might do next…Tex-Mex is looking popular!

2024-25 School Year–Week Seven

First a fun outing…we got to attend our favorite Oktoberfest and connect with our German heritage!

Ladybug identified assumptions in her logic course, as well circular reasoning, which she was very good at it…I’m not sure if that should concern me! She finished the fourth act of The Merchant of Venice. She also finished reading 1491, which ended with a look at the ecological impacts of colonization, and began the March trilogy by John Lewis. In psychology she read about the physical structure of the eye and how sight works. She read Fahrenheit 451, a book she really enjoyed. In religion, we discussed how the creeds were written, and also spent some time on the Arian Heresy. She began a course on photography, and I handed over my old Canon Rebel for her to experiment with.

Chickadee worked with metric conversions and reviewed fractions in pre-algebra. She had her third science test, and demonstrated her knowledge of creating and performing experiments. She then started the next chapter, and learned the difference between science, applied science, and technology. In history she learned about Japan isolating itself from Europe, the rise of the Manchu empire in China, and the building of the Taj Mahal in India. She continued to read Tom Sawyer, and the farther she gets into the book, the less she likes Tom! She created a three-level outline in writing, and also wrote a short essay about the Wright Brothers.

We made quite a few recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook this week. We started with a “Follow the Spiral Omelet,” featuring spinach and a hint of curry powder, with “Cornstalk Cheese Straws” on the side…the perfect meal for “Breakfast-for-Dinner Week!” We also had “Glinda Strawberry Jasmine Bubble Tea,” which I made with popping boba I found at Target. For dessert tonight, Ladybug made “What a World Spheres” which were served on ice cream with a homemade chocolate sauce that Chickadee helped me prepare.

We’re hoping to go Laumeier Sculpture Park and/or the Missouri Botanical Garden soon so that Ladybug can practice some photography, and it looks like the weather is going to be very amenable to it!

2024-25 School Year–Week Six

This week in logic Ladybug read about one of the most well-known fallacies, the straw man fallacy. She started a chapter on energy and momentum in advanced physics. In history, she read about mound-building societies including the Mississippians, whose settlement is local to us, as well as the builders of the Poverty Point mounds. She finished the third act of The Merchant of Venice. In religion we learned about Perpetua and Felicitas as well as Eusebius of Caesarea.

Chickadee multiplied and divided by powers of ten in pre-algebra. She read about the Defenestration of Prague and the 30 Years’ War in history (spoilers…it did not last 30 years!). We continued reading Tom Sawyer, and she really doesn’t like Tom! She wrote different types of introductions and conclusions in writing. In science she learned about experimental variables, blind and double blind experiments, and how to create graphs to share data. She also did an experiment involving an egg and salt water, and was very excited when it worked as advertised!

The three of us continued reading The Wizard of Oz…it’s been such a long time since I read that book, and I am continually surprised by just how different the Judy Garland movie is from it. We also made “Grilled Sausages with Marvelous Campfire Spread” from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook. The spread we had made before for another recipe, but we learned a new cooking technique for brats, which was very fun!

For a fun outing this week, we went to the grand opening of our new independent bookshop (which is located conveniently close to the library). I’m very excited about all of the events they have planned, and their selection of new, used, and rare books!

We’re looking forward to going to our favorite Oktoberfest this weekend!