4Real Forums: If you are doing Along the Alphabet Path

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Topic: If you are doing Along the Alphabet Path

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Bookswithtea
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Posted: Aug 13 2008 at 5:03pm \| IP Logged

I have some questions for you! Didn't someone once post a link to some Alphabet Fairy Flash cards,and do they correspond with the same fairies in the book?

Also, I am new to the felt "wee folk" thing. I saw the tutorial on making a saint, but if we did several, wouldn't they all look the same (brown monks and nuns in black

)? Can anyone give me some pointers on making these look different?

Finally, if you are combining this unit at all with modeling beeswax, I'm all ears to hear what you are doing???

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~Books

mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and

due 9/10

Cindy Mac
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Posted: Aug 13 2008 at 7:13pm \| IP Logged

Books -

I'm with you on the "trying to figure out how it will look" page. Have you checked out theAlphabet Path Art on Serendipity? There are some examples of wee felt folk that look different and beeswax figures as well.

I don't know anything about the flash cards - although I would love to hear about them if they do exist!

I did make some 3-part cards with all of the different flowers used on the Alphabet Path. Let me know if you would like to see those.

Good luck!

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missionfamily
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Posted: Aug 13 2008 at 7:15pm \| IP Logged

Books--In our family, we have done our wee felt saints in batches instead of one at a time, that way we don't end up with three of each saint. We work on making them look different with small symbols. For example, St. Dominic is holding a little embroidery floss "rosary" and St. Vincent de Paul has a doll house sized basket with miniature loaves of bread for the poor. WE write the corresponding letter of the alphabet on the bottom of the saint for reference. It also makes a fun self-check activity...match them to the pages in the book, then put them in alphabetical order. Check yourself by looking underneath!
We use beeswax extensively at our house. It is soothing and keeps busy boys focused uring read-alouds. I encourage my kindergartener to mold the letter weare working on, and each of my older two to try the fairy or the flower, then we leave them on display for a while.
I don't know about the flower fairy flash cards, but it would be kind of fun to print the letter, the flower fairy, and the flower and make a three-part card set! I may have to give it a try.

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Colleen
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msclavel
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Posted: Aug 13 2008 at 8:11pm \| IP Logged

We did similar to Colleen and tried to incorporate symbols of the saint. My son enjoyed doing this and even stitched up the clothes himself. We've also made tiny flower fairy dolls using cotton pipe cleaners, embroidery floss, felt and wool roving.We've made a bunch of little figures with beeswax, but they only stay around a little while, then we break them down again. I don't think I have any pictures. I've also had younger children make the letter with beeswax. I'll try to post some pictures of our little fairies tomorrow.
Cindy, I would love to see the three-part cards you've made.

Cindy Mac
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Posted: Aug 13 2008 at 8:34pm \| IP Logged

Now I have to find them!

I'll post them as soon as I can.

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Cindy Mac
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Posted: Aug 13 2008 at 10:03pm \| IP Logged

So I haven't found the botanical cards (although I swear I remember making them and talking to Elizabeth about them

), but you have inspired me to make some 3-part cards using the flower fairies. I made them in Word, but can't figure out how to post them here. If you want to PM me I can email them to you.

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websterm
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Posted: Aug 14 2008 at 2:40pm \| IP Logged

I just made my binder to follow along the alphabet path. For those of you that have done it, or are doing it, I would love to hear "how" you have done it. I printed all the stories w/pictures, put them in protective sheets and put them in a binder. Then I went in to each one and copied, pasted, and printed the lesson plans, and put them in a seperate binder. I don't know how this will work...

I might be homeschooling my step children soon, so I have started planning. It all makes me nervous.
I would love to see the 3 part cards! I think the whole alphabet path is beautiful!

Marcia

msclavel
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Posted: Aug 14 2008 at 4:26pm \| IP Logged

Here are some wee felt saints

Here are some wee flower fairies

Bookswithtea
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Posted: Aug 14 2008 at 4:35pm \| IP Logged

I was up last night way past midnight, planning everything. I made a list of fairy tales/tall tales by ABC too that will be one of our read alouds for the week.

I am really starting to get excited. This is so much more beautiful than what I was going to use. I bought card stock in a cream color to print out the stories on. It just seemed like the whole fairy montage would look better on cream than on bright white, kwim?

We aren't doing everything. I am skipping the botany lessons in favor of the seasonal FIAR nature studies I already purchased and planned for, and our poetry is going to be related to that. I am doing the music and the Museum ABC, though.

Are those fairy songs that are printed in the story the same ones that are on the CD? So I can read the story and then start the CD when we get to that part of the story?

Marcia, how did you print the pictures to go along with the story? At the top of the page or was there a way to have them on the left side with some of the print on the right hand side?

Maria, thanks for the links! I'm going to check them out now.

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~Books

mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and

due 9/10

missionfamily
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Posted: Aug 14 2008 at 5:08pm \| IP Logged

Books--The songs on the CD are the same ones in the book. We read the lyrics out loud then play the song...and the kids listen to the CD all the time even when we aren't doing it formally. They love it.
I'm so glad to hear you having so much fun getting started. Be forewarned: it is addictive!

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Colleen
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websterm
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Posted: Aug 14 2008 at 6:03pm \| IP Logged

Bookswithtea wrote:

Marcia, how did you print the pictures to go along with the story? At the top of the page or was there a way to have them on the left side with some of the print on the right hand side?

I printed the saint pictures - on some there was a link to download the picture, on others I just clicked on the picture and copied and pasted it over to a word document to print. The way I put it in the binder was the saint picture then the story. I wish I would have printed mine on cardstock...I had a ton of copy paper though...

Marcia
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Connections
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Posted: Aug 14 2008 at 6:16pm \| IP Logged

Thanks for the reminder to incorporate fairy tales, Books.

I am having such a great time Along the Alphabet Path. You are right Colleen, it is addictive. I can see adding more and more as we go.

I have decided to use the alphabet path as a framework for science topics, language arts, saint stories and music (and I want to add in fairy tales). I printed all of the stories and have them in a binder. Then, I put pages behind each story for brainstorming topic ideas. My DS are 6 and 7 and science, for us, is an introduction. I choose about 3 topics and look for books using Picture Perfect Childhood, the library, etc. For example, we are on B now and are reading about bridges, the body, birds (and backyard nature). We are taking about 3 weeks per letter so that means I have about 2 years worth of an outline for these areas. I love that.

I am teaching them cursive as we encounter a new letter. I also am incorporating grammar. For instance, we read about angels with A and we brainstormed adjectives to describe them. They drew a picture, chose a couple adjectives and copied them onto the page with the picture for their notebooks. It is so great for me to have this framework!

I was able to add in living math with A and am hoping to do the same as we go along.

Another big hit here is that they each (and Dad, too) choose a topic based on the letter and they "teach" or present to the rest of us.

We are all really enjoying this. Thanks again for the great ideas to those who worked on (and continue to work on) Serendipity!

I SO want to add the poetry and music ideas- I better get going before we are too far along the path!

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Tracey

Bookswithtea
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Posted: Aug 15 2008 at 10:30am \| IP Logged

So where is the best place to get supplies for the Wee Folk? Should I try locally at a craft store or is online the best option?

I'm thinking some new colored pencils may be in order too, given the amount of drawing we are going to be doing this year...

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Blessings,

~Books

mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and

due 9/10

BlessedMommy
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Posted: Aug 16 2008 at 2:09am \| IP Logged

I found a link for the wee felt saints here (part 1) and here (part 2)

HTH!

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Cindy Mac
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Posted: Aug 16 2008 at 3:41pm \| IP Logged

I figured out how to post Word documents to my blog. If you go to my learning blog St. Anne's Academy you can find the links to the 6 Word documents that make up the Flower Fairy 3-part cards. Hope these are helpful to people.

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CandaceC
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Posted: Aug 16 2008 at 9:20pm \| IP Logged

Cindy, when I click on your blog it says link not found? I tried the link in your signature line too??

thanks! :)

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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)

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CandaceC
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Posted: Aug 16 2008 at 9:22pm \| IP Logged

Ok, I got there through the link on your other blog. Those fairy cards are BEAUTIFUL!!

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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)

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Cay Gibson
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Posted: Aug 18 2008 at 6:03pm \| IP Logged

Okay, so I'm reading the beginning of the story to Annie this morning while she colors the Mrs. Applebee picture.

She finds the A in the dress and traces it. Then she colors it in red, purple and yellow. She has the colored picture from the website in front of her as a visual but I don't say anything.

As I continue the story the dress is described as having apples on it. Annie proceeds to color blue circles on Mrs. Applebee's dress.

"Blue apples, honey?" I ask, not wanting to intrude on her creativity.

"Nope, my Mrs. Applebee has blueberries on her dress."

I say nothing but read on.

When I look over at Annie's picture I noticed the once blonde hair is now black, with a ponytail.

"Sweetie, the story says she had 'golden hair'. You colored it black."

I mean, how much can we divert from the storyline?

Annie just nods her head and keeps coloring. Next thing I know she's putting lots of sparkly fairy dust of all different colors in Mrs. Applebee's hairdo. .

"Wow, Annie, you're Mrs. Applebee looks very different from this Mrs. Applebee."

Well, she's my Mrs. Applebee, isn't she?"

I don't know. Should I be correcting her or allowing her to illustrate what she sees in her mind's eye?

Cindy, thank you for the lovely fairy cards. I've printed the first four out and laminated them. I hand them to Annie when the fairy gives the young boy the flowers for his mother.

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Cay Gibson
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CandaceC
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Posted: Aug 18 2008 at 7:41pm \| IP Logged

Cay, I'll be interested to hear what others say on your question.

My first inclination is to tell you to let her color the picture how she wishes. Did you directly tell her you wanted her to color the picture just as you describe? I don't think it's really a matter of her listening skills...she just wants to be unique. :)

I will say that my MIL homeschooled all 5 of her children and several of the kids have a hard time today feeling like they can do anything right because their mom corrected every.single.thing...like coloring pages.

So, that thought might be clouding my judgement...like I said, I'd like to hear what others think too!

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Paula in MN
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Posted: Aug 18 2008 at 7:47pm \| IP Logged

I'm going to agree with Candace.

I use the original illustration as an example, but the pictures my kids come up with are definitely their own creations!

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