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Field Trip: Whitecrest Mushroom Tour

11/24/2015

Did you know that people with penicillin allergies generally cannot work at a mushroom farm? NO? You didn't! That is just one of the many fascinating facts about mushrooms that I didn't know before.

The reason people with penicillin allergies tend not to be able to work at mushroom farms is due to the sheer number of moulds that mushrooms are susceptible to. Green and cobweb mould are the most common types.

Hmm.. what else did we learn?
Mushrooms can carry a variety of diseases, so growing them in a sterilized environment keeps them clean. The farm we went to had a big fire a while back and since then moved away from wooden beds (which apparently are still quite common) to these metal beds we see here.

They were stacked I think about five high with about two feet clearance between each row. The higher ones are accessed with a lift (more on that later). Whitecrest only grows cremini and portabella mushrooms and these mushrooms can double their size in a 24 hour period. I got the impression that if you buy these types of mushrooms any where in southwestern Ontario they are most likely from Whitecrest, just sold and packaged differently depending on the needs of the marketer.

Three pickings are taken before the bed is retired. People often come on Monday mornings to pick up the leftovers as it makes a great bedding for gardens and what not. Each picker has a number and puts it with the bin that they pick. Not all bins are the same, depends on what the order is calling for.

This section of the bed has been treated with salt. It kills the mould and gets rid of "wet spots". The picture beside is another illness mushrooms get, I just can't recall the particular name they used to describe it. They have to keep a strong handle on mould because if they don't it can quickly overwhelm a mushroom farm. That gets really expensive really quickly.

I happen to love mushrooms and made that fact clear to the presenters and they graciously allowed my son and I to sample their merchandise.   Mmmm... Fresh picked creminis... YUM!    We had a hard time restraining ourselves after we got permission to enjoy them.   I thought it interesting how many of the moms along didn't like mushrooms and the noses wrinkled at me when I (and my lad) enjoyed them.

Did you know that if you leave a mushroom in the sun for five minutes you will get your daily dose of Vitamin D?

You can even run them under a UV light (at least I think that's the light they used) and they will get 300% Vitamin D which will carry over into the store until they are purchased?   neat huh?

They are also investigating ways to make more use of mushrooms, from putting them into burgers, grinding them into a powder and adding them to breads, stews, soups, and other things.   They are such an excellent source of vitamin D that it's a great way to add vitamin D into your food. And if you grind them up, seriously.. are you going to notice??

Above is the lift. Each of the children in our group was able to enjoy a life up and down the racks. My son tried hard to convince me to go on it but I'm not into heights and therefore declined the invitation.

Things my son remembers
1. It's not good to inject mushrooms with water
2. Whitecrest ships alot of it's mushrooms elsewhere to be used by other companies
3. mushrooms can pick up Salmonella from the ground

We were taken through the various sections of the plant. From the growing rooms, to how they move the mushrooms from one part to another, the chilling room (if you change the temperature of a mushroom too quickly you will lose one week off it's life), to the packaging area. It was quite a fascinating tour. I have to admit, I hoped that they would send us each home with a package of mushrooms but it was not to be. :) It was a good field trip and if they do it again next year.. I'll happily attend (and munch on mushrooms again). You do know they have only 19 calories in one cup right?

Missionary Monday: Anthony Norris Groves

11/23/2015

Anthony Norris Groves was a missionary within the Brethren Church. If you read up on him you'll find he was a rather amazing fellow. :)

He is known as the "father of faith missions". Started one of the first missions to the Muslims. He believed the churches should be given over to indigenous peoples as soon as possible, so that they don't have to rely on outsiders to run their churches, or do their training. Indigenous believers should be responsible for their own churches and methods of finance, training and authority. He declared, “My earnest desire is to re-model the whole plan of missionary operations so as to bring them to the simple standard of God’s word."

Groves was born in 1795 in southern England, where upon graduation trained to be a dentist. Got married, became a believer of Christ and started to become interested in mission work but was stymied by his wife's resistance. Over time he grew in his faith (as did his wife) whereupon her resistance faded

While engaged in dental practice, Groves became convinced from his reading of the New Testament that Jesus intended his disciples in every age to take literally the instructions given in the Sermon on the Mount. The result was a small booklet published in 1825 with the title Christian Devotedness, in which he encouraged his fellow believers to give away their savings and possessions, and assist in proclaiming the Gospel throughout the world. (source)

click image to go to source

Originally he sought ordination within the Church of England but became convinced that ordination was not necessary in order to do missionary work.    So off he went along with his family,ending up in Baghdad, where the next two years were spent in turmoil from civil war, plague and floods.   Unfortunately there were many dead among the local population along with his wife Mary.

Groves called upon other missionaries to live lives of simplicity and to trust that God would supply what they needed, he called them to live by faith.   Many were unhappy with him over this, but some listened. One named, John Aroolappen, lived as a missionary by faith and successful ministry in South India, leading to a mini-revival and several new churches being formed.

Groves was less of a church builder and more of a steady evangelist and teacher.    His focus was on helping people understand God.

He left behind a legacy to emulate on trusting God and being devoted to one's calling.

Sources:
Wiki.
Boston University School of Theology.
Brethren Writers.
Path 2 Prayer.
Brethren Archive.
PDF Letter.

Review of Smithsonian Discover : Space

11/23/2015

Denise Baggett has put together a neat spiral bound book called Discover: Space. I have to tell you what a neat book this is, with a two-sided poster, 12 fact cards, over 75 glow in the dark stickers, my lad was quite impressed. They even have paper cut outs of the planets, moon and stars to tape to your ceiling. Within the pages you will find copious real life pictures with text to bring them to life.

Three major sections, divided into shorter chapters. The major sections are
1. The Mysterious Universe - covers the stars, measuring space, milky way, meteors and much more.
2. The Solar System - each of the planets, the sun and icy worlds are discussed here.
3. Space Exploration - Space stations, explorations, satellites etc

Book Synopsis:
Take a spectacular journey into the farthest reaches of space with the Smithsonian. This engaging and informative guide to the galaxy, the planets, and the universe brings the incredible experience of a visit to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum into the pages of a fun and fantastic book. Smithsonian Discover: Space is organized as a virtual trip through outer space, starting at the edges of the expanding universe, continuing into the spiral Milky Way galaxy, then arriving in our solar system to explore each planet in turn.

Our Thoughts:

My son learned a thing or two. :) He was very happy to look through the book and read snippets here and there. Did you for instance know that if you put all the planets together they wouldn't equal the mass of Jupiter? Last year we had learned abit about the different shapes of galaxies, it was neat to see them displayed in colour.

I enjoyed how they displayed our place in the milky way with the different arms labelled.

The solar cards are printed on a heavier paper and should stand up to children rifling through them. The cards are labelled with pertinent facts on the reverse side. Each planetary body gets a two page spread filled with facts and numerous full colour images.

Recommendation

If you want a book on space that is loaded with images and has practical things to help your child(ren) engage in their learning, then this book will do the trick quite nicely. It's a good book and well worth looking into. Thumbs up.

Product Details:
Received: Spiral Bound hard cover
Title: Smithsonian Discover: Space
Author: Denise Baggett
Pages: 64
Type: Science Book
Age: 8+
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

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Banana Fritters

11/22/2015

So here I was, clearing up the kitchen, only to discover three bananas badly in need of attention. I asked my hubby to find me a recipe to make...thinking muffins or bread or something along that line only to hear "but I don't like banana bread!!!"

After 13 years of marriage NOW he tells me he doesn't like banana bread?!?!?!?!

With that shock behind me, I came up with banana fritters. :)

This recipe comes courtesy of AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

Mix together:

2 ripe bananas I used THREE bananas
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon margarine, melted

In a separate bowl mix together:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon I doubled the amount of cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg I doubled the amount of nutmeg

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Mixed until well blended. Then drop by spoonfuls into the hot oil. The directions call for heating it to 375 but I didn't find that high of temp necessary. Cook them slowly and evenly. Works well.

1 quart oil for frying

One definitely doesn't use all the oil for frying, but it's good to have the dipping depth. Get it hot enough it bubbles when you drop a spot of water in it. Turn down the heat after the first few are done so they don't cook as fast.

I had two coating available. Icing sugar and Cinnamon Sugar. We liked both, but oddly enough I preferred them with the cinnamon sugar. (odd because I don't tend to like too much cinnamon).

As you can see, my son thought they were great and said "Good job Mom, you did a good job with these."

Review: Ellie's Story - A dog's purpose novel

11/21/2015

Ellie's Story...what a great introduction to the life of a search and rescue dog. :) Told from the point of view of Ellie, this book is the children's version of "A Dog's Purpose".

Book Synopsis: Every dog has work to do. Every dog has a purpose.

From puppyhood, Ellie has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog. She can track down a lost child in a forest or an injured victim under a fallen building. She finds people. She saves them. It's what she was meant to do.

But Ellie must do more. Her handlers - widowed Jakob and lonely Maya - need her too. People can be lost in many ways, and to do the job she was born to do, Ellie needs to find a way to save the people she loves best.

My Thoughts

I have to admit, it took me a bit to get into the story due to the nature of how the story is told. The story is told from the dog's perspective.... from puppyhood through to retirement. Ellie becomes a Search and Rescue Dog. The more I read it though, the more I wanted to know what would happen with Ellie.

I have to admit, I found the training process to be quite interesting. All the different things that Ellie had to get used to. From how to find someone, to walking over different types of terrain, to being calm when being lifted in a harness, and more. Ellie, a shepherd, excelled at having a job to do. She became a good search and rescue dog, and then had life become difficult for her... (I won't give away the story)... rescuing people was something that Ellie wanted to do throughout her life. Being with her people and then helping other people gave her a sense of purpose.

It's a book worth reading.

Interested in Learning More?

If you would like to know about search and rescue dogs, here are some places to start.
Hound and Found.
Sardus.
Canadian Sardus.
Canadian Search Dog Association.

Product Details:
Received: Hardcover Copy
Title: Ellie's Story : A Dog's Purpose Novel
Author: W. Bruce Cameron
Illustrator: Richard Cowdrey
Pages: 208
Publisher:
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Ellie's Story is a heartwarming and inspiring tale for young animal lovers by W. Bruce Cameron. Adorable black-and-white illustrations by Richard Cowdrey bring Ellie and her world to vibrant life. A discussion-and-activity guide at the end of the book will help promote family and classroom discussions about Ellie's Story and the insights it provides about humankind's best friends.

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My Winners of TOS Crew Review Materials

11/20/2015

A couple days ago I posted what who the winners were in the TOS blue ribbon awards.

I thought I would take the time today to tell you who the winners were in our household. :)

StarToaster is our overall winner.

We haven't quite finished this program yet due to busy schedules and other priorities, but my son returns to it determined to finish it off. :)

Caring for Orphs while practicing math, memory retention, logic and vocab skills. It's all good stuff for children.

We've also made favourites of the following.
IEW. Writing skills that are easy for a lad to complete. Grammar taught using a story. It's a good fit.
Cursive Logic. My lad is getting better with his letters, though he still struggles with what some of the written letters really are. It's a struggle at times, but it's become a daily activity to work through.

Even though my son struggled with doing his first official study guide, it was a good experience overall for him. Stone Fox Study Guide that we did from Progeny Press worked well at helping him look at the book more deeply. At the end though he HATED the book Stone Fox because the dog died...and my soft-hearted boy just really struggled with that aspect of the book. Knowing it was based on a true story helped him with the processing of it all.

Next up was Brookdale House with their Drawing around the world: Europe study. Though the set up of the study itself wasn't a great fit, the opening up of opportunities for learning about the countries of Europe...Being spurred on to cook, watch videos and such is such a great fit and we're having so much fun doing so.

Brinkman Adventures brought us Christian Stories that made us think, sometimes laugh, and definitely share.

Visual Learning Systems and SmartKidz Media are both programs we enjoyed using, it's sometimes difficult to remember to work them into our schooling though.

For math we worked with Great parents academy and Stinky Kids Math. My son's comment when asked to choose which he liked most was "I kinda liked both mom". We haven't continued with GPA Math since as we progressed through the program I found that he was too often skipping the practice part and saying the tests were too easy so we moved to a workbook approach. Stinky Kid we continue to use.

The game Wonky continues to be a huge favourite in our household and beyond. It frequently travels with us and I am so glad that USAopoly was one of our review products this year. Wonky is a great game.

So I hope you've enjoyed my walk through this years reviews (at least the most memorable ones for us). Hopefully within them you find some treasures of your own.

Review: Fish Finelli - Seagulls Don't Eat Pickles

11/20/2015

Seagulls don't eat Pickles a Fish Finelli book by E.S. Farber. A great children's chapter book that should appeal to most boys. Not only is this book a story, but interwoven through it's pages are snappets of information - we learned about stingrays, Captain Kidd, lions and more.

Book Synopsis: When the Whooping Hollow town bully, Bryce Billings, bets Fish Finelli that he can't find Captain Kidd's treasure, Fish and his best buds Roger and T. J. must embark on a quest to find the long-lost booty! Between sneaking into the library to track down Captain Kidd's treasure map, stowing away on a boat, and trespassing on the legendary Lyons Island, Fish and his friends are up to their necks in goose poop" on this adventure!"

We just finished book one of the Fish Finelli Series, a boy with his friends living their lives in small town Whooping Hollow.   My son likes these boys so much that he started reading the next book in the series on his own. :)

The characters are well developed, TJ is a bit of a funny lad... "Why does he like to eat ALL the time mom?" This is the one part of the story my lad didn't like .. food is so very important to TJ. The story is interesting.    It flows well.   The rivalry between Bryce and Fish is very obvious and sets the stage for future books.

The chapters are short and are illustrated by Jason Beene.   The drawings add to the story and help develop the storyline.

When asked if he would recommend other people read this Fish Finelli book the response was a rousing YES. :)

So read the book... see how they learned the Seagulls Don't Eat Pickles. :)

Product Details:
Received: Softcover book
Title: Fish Finelli - Seagulls Don't Eat Pickles
Author: E.S.Barber
Illustrator: Jason Beene
Pages: 155
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

FMF: Dwell

11/20/2015

735 begin.
I make a point of not reading other five minute Friday posts before I write my own. I don't want their thoughts influencing mine.

I read what the word was for today I was lying abed next to my hubby this morning. I worked really hard yesterday and I woke up with a brain full of busyness.   Hubby knew and all he did was put an arm around me and I felt myself literally settling.

I am so glad that I dwell with a quiet spirited man.

He settles me.   He's good for me and I appreciate that. :)

As I lay there settling, thinking on the word dwell, it came to me that God is like this as well.   He just knows.

And like my hubby does, he settles us. Sometimes we need to make the effort, we need to talk with him, spend time with him, read his word, listen for his voice, choosing to draw near to him.

Just as I could have chosen to draw away from my hubby and seethed in my busyness of mind... we can choose to not let God settle us.

OR we can choose to let the "Word" (that which is God) dwell within us. Allowing him to settle our spirits.

740 end.

Five minute Friday.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

A head's up! Grapevine Studies will be having a black friday sale

11/17/2015

Perfect combination of short lessons and the ability to be creative. A good thing this!

So be alert.. the sale is coming up!

Review: Andi Unstoppable

11/17/2015

Last year we read Andi Under Pressure and my son thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was one we read together, but this year he was able to read it himself. I have not read it and will be doing this review based on what he told me. :)

What is the book about?
Andi Boggs and her best Friend Colin Carter are at is again. School has started and their science teacher has a great idea. He isa birder and wants his class to share in the fun, so he divides his class into group and issues a challenge.. find me birds! Lots of birds. Whoever finds the most birds gets extra points AND whoever sees the Kirtland's Warbler get more extra points. Andi, Ave (Andi's Rival) and Colin make up a group and so they are off. BUT they spot the town's ghost instead! Is the legend real or is there something afoot? And what's with the holes in the local cemetery? Read along as Andi takes on another small town mystery.

My Son's Thoughts

This was a good book I liked the characters. I liked that they figured out who the ghost was and why there were holes in the cemetery.

Can I tell them someone goes to jail mom? (I said no, he couldn't tell who went to jail).

Can I say that someone found the bird? And it made them happy to see it? (yes, but don't tell me WHO). :)

He very much enjoyed the book and would like to read another one in the series.

Product Details:
Received: hardcover book
Title: Andi Unstoppable
Author: Amanda Flower
Pages:
Type: Children's Fiction
Series: Andi Boggs
Publisher: ZonderKidz
Reviewed for: BookLookBloggers