my throat feels like i've eaten a box of razor blades. not from yelling just projecting. who knew 28 kids make so much noise or not so much noise just......okay noise..... and there was only like 24 of them there today! apparently i have spoken louder than a whisper for the past 7 weeks of holidays.
in other news, after the 3 days storm-cyclone-flood the drinking water is now running out. seriously, what is up with this weather. and, is it friday yet?
29.1.13
21.1.13
Visual Timetable
As the beginning of the school year rapidly approaches (I start on WEDNESDAY) I am trying not to panic, cry, scream, have an anxiety attack to get organised. This year I have committed to the visual timetable. I tried it last year but I hated my pictures and didn't follow through with it. That said, a few students did mention that having the pictures on their books made it easier for them so there is merit in this and there will be a lot more merit if I do it right. Right?!
So my opinion on the visual timetable is this: In my experience, visual timetables are something that are placed within a verified students Individual Education Plan and never really addressed. I know that when I first started teaching my opinion often consisted of this "Are you kidding? I have enough stuff to do, now you want me to compile a bunch of pictures for one kid?!" Now, my opinion is like this "Are you kidding? I have enough stuff to do....but I know this is important for all the kids I teach."
How I do my visual timetable: well...as I said earlier, I didn't do it so great last year but this is the basic premise of mine. I have a large set of pictures that every morning I put on my whiteboard. I bluetack them because I'm not fancy. Some students might ask to do this job but I feel it is more important that I do it because it helps me really focus on each of the pieces I have planned for my day. My large set of pictures have an image that represent the subject and the subject name on them. The large set is slightly smaller than an A4 sheet of paper, it is laminated for durability and they live in a folder that sits on my desk.
As well as my large set of pictures I print a small set (6cmx7cm) on sticky paper. This small set I cut out at the beginning of the school year and distribute to students. Students stick the small set onto their designated subject books. This way, when the student sees we have "History"on the whiteboard they know they have to find the book that has the picture that matches the one up on the board (does that make sense - the pictures match so it is easier for students to find the right book as well as know what to expect for the day).
As an added bonus, when I was working in a rural setting, I would quite often have students who would come in late (I'm talking like, school started at 8:30 and they would be there at 11:42). Having the visual timetable allowed me to simply say "Name" or make eye contact and tap the picture of the subject we were currently doing. I find this is a timesaver and allows the student far less embarrassment than having to stop the whole class and say, "Name....we are doing Science right now, please find your book and catch up with us."
The technicalities: visual timetables take a little time. Mine took about an hour and a half. Most of that time was spent searching the internet for the appropriate visual. Some people like them basic and are happy with Word Clip Art. I like mine to be just a little bit nicer so I use Phillip Martin's Clip Art. It's free, and the way it stays free is through donations. So...donate because the pictures are great and applicable to a wide range of school related things.
This is an example of my large pictures (obviously copied from MS Word doc). I will get some shots of them displayed in my classroom and students books once the school year starts.....so....soon I guess (gulp)
So my opinion on the visual timetable is this: In my experience, visual timetables are something that are placed within a verified students Individual Education Plan and never really addressed. I know that when I first started teaching my opinion often consisted of this "Are you kidding? I have enough stuff to do, now you want me to compile a bunch of pictures for one kid?!" Now, my opinion is like this "Are you kidding? I have enough stuff to do....but I know this is important for all the kids I teach."
How I do my visual timetable: well...as I said earlier, I didn't do it so great last year but this is the basic premise of mine. I have a large set of pictures that every morning I put on my whiteboard. I bluetack them because I'm not fancy. Some students might ask to do this job but I feel it is more important that I do it because it helps me really focus on each of the pieces I have planned for my day. My large set of pictures have an image that represent the subject and the subject name on them. The large set is slightly smaller than an A4 sheet of paper, it is laminated for durability and they live in a folder that sits on my desk.
As well as my large set of pictures I print a small set (6cmx7cm) on sticky paper. This small set I cut out at the beginning of the school year and distribute to students. Students stick the small set onto their designated subject books. This way, when the student sees we have "History"on the whiteboard they know they have to find the book that has the picture that matches the one up on the board (does that make sense - the pictures match so it is easier for students to find the right book as well as know what to expect for the day).
As an added bonus, when I was working in a rural setting, I would quite often have students who would come in late (I'm talking like, school started at 8:30 and they would be there at 11:42). Having the visual timetable allowed me to simply say "Name" or make eye contact and tap the picture of the subject we were currently doing. I find this is a timesaver and allows the student far less embarrassment than having to stop the whole class and say, "Name....we are doing Science right now, please find your book and catch up with us."
The technicalities: visual timetables take a little time. Mine took about an hour and a half. Most of that time was spent searching the internet for the appropriate visual. Some people like them basic and are happy with Word Clip Art. I like mine to be just a little bit nicer so I use Phillip Martin's Clip Art. It's free, and the way it stays free is through donations. So...donate because the pictures are great and applicable to a wide range of school related things.
This is an example of my large pictures (obviously copied from MS Word doc). I will get some shots of them displayed in my classroom and students books once the school year starts.....so....soon I guess (gulp)
16.1.13
Carrot Muffins
Mathematics is difficult. carrots are tricky things to plant, you have to work the soil well to make sure there are no lumps so the carrots grow straight. Planning for teaching maths is like planning to teach Swahili. carrots originated in Afghanistan. I can never seem to concentrate long enough on one topic and the topics seem all over the place anyway. carrots never used to be orange, they were purple, red, white and yellow. Geometry. Chance & Data. Measurement. Number & Place Value. And what's the other one? the orange carrot we know today was invented to honour the Dutch Royal family, known as "The House of Orange". Patterns and Algebra, that's the one. The most horrible one of all. I think that you either have a maths brain or you don't. There's no halfway with maths like there is with English. beta-Carotene is the substance that gives carrots their orange colour. it is in a lot of different fruits and vegetables and if you eat too much sometimes your skin will start to glow orange....natural tan much. The tricky thing is, maths is exactly like learning a new language. If you don't get the basics you can't do anything else. people used to wear the leafy tops of carrots as hair or hat accessories. Trying to plan to teach something I don't enjoy is very challenging and makes me want to eat. one cup of carrots contain 52 delicious calories. I don't know much about maths. i know a lot about carrots and i know you should make these because they make planning to teach maths a little bit bearable.
Carrot Muffins
1 3/4 cups wholegrain self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sultanas
1/4 cup walnuts
2 or 3 grated carrots
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius and line a muffin tray.
In a large bowl combine the flour, bicarb soda, sugar, cinnamon, sultanas, walnuts and carrots.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs, milk and oil. Tip the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine (don't mix the heck out of it, just gently fold it together).
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tray and bake for 15-20 minutes. Once they have cooled slightly you might want to top them with cream cheese icing (30g butter, 80g cream cheese, 1.5 cups of icing sugar beaten and dolloped on top), I did this while mine were still warm and so the cream cheese became extra melty and delicious. They are also amazing served with butter and just on their own with a nice glass of iced chai tea.
1 3/4 cups wholegrain self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sultanas
1/4 cup walnuts
2 or 3 grated carrots
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius and line a muffin tray.
In a large bowl combine the flour, bicarb soda, sugar, cinnamon, sultanas, walnuts and carrots.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs, milk and oil. Tip the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine (don't mix the heck out of it, just gently fold it together).
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tray and bake for 15-20 minutes. Once they have cooled slightly you might want to top them with cream cheese icing (30g butter, 80g cream cheese, 1.5 cups of icing sugar beaten and dolloped on top), I did this while mine were still warm and so the cream cheese became extra melty and delicious. They are also amazing served with butter and just on their own with a nice glass of iced chai tea.
22.12.12
16.12.12
Datelicious
I made this just a few days before the removal crew came to our house. I was trying to empty out my cupboards which meant lots of creative meals and making things that I have been putting off for some time.
The week seemed so long that I felt I needed dessert to spice things up a bit. I had a packet of dried dates in the cupboard and thought it would be a great idea to make date loaf.
After a bit of contemplation I asked myself when did I start considering date loaf to be dessert? Tragic. So instead I walked down to the shop and purchased a tub of ice cream and came home to make a REAL dessert - Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce!
What you need
200 grams pitted dates (more or less!)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
125 grams butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of raising flour
Caramel Sauce (the best bit!)
1 cup brown sugar
300 ml cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 grams of butter
How you do it
Place the dates and the bicarb soda into a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let sit for around 15 minutes.
In another bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Sift the flour over this mixture and then add the dates and water (which should now look like chunky brown glue) and use a spatular to combine.
You can make this as a large pudding or individual puddings. Spoon the mixture into your desired pan and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for approximately 35 minutes.
For the sauce - place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until it begins to boil. Simmer for a few minutes. The sauce will be runny and delicious and this MUST be served with ice cream.
The week seemed so long that I felt I needed dessert to spice things up a bit. I had a packet of dried dates in the cupboard and thought it would be a great idea to make date loaf.
After a bit of contemplation I asked myself when did I start considering date loaf to be dessert? Tragic. So instead I walked down to the shop and purchased a tub of ice cream and came home to make a REAL dessert - Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce!
What you need
200 grams pitted dates (more or less!)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
125 grams butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of raising flour
Caramel Sauce (the best bit!)
1 cup brown sugar
300 ml cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 grams of butter
How you do it
Place the dates and the bicarb soda into a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let sit for around 15 minutes.
In another bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Sift the flour over this mixture and then add the dates and water (which should now look like chunky brown glue) and use a spatular to combine.
You can make this as a large pudding or individual puddings. Spoon the mixture into your desired pan and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for approximately 35 minutes.
For the sauce - place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until it begins to boil. Simmer for a few minutes. The sauce will be runny and delicious and this MUST be served with ice cream.
14.12.12
Gingerbread Boxes
how I felt about my gingerbread box project
how it actually turned out
My mum and I had a fantastically hilarious two nights in the kitchen constructing these four little (dare I say) "masterpieces"!
It was our very first attempt with gingerbread-like cooking. It involved a lot of rolling and cutting and baking not to mention the huge amount of patience it took to actually put the things together. As well as baking all the tasty, delicious treats to put inside the boxes.
As a side note, I keep calling these 'gingerbread' ....here's the thing. Gingerbread burns my throat and mouth. It smells weird. It sometimes makes my eyes water. So instead of using ginger I used cinnamon. Best. Choice. Ever.
My Gingerbread Box Recipe
(3 batches of this made four boxes)
125g butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 egg, separated
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger (or more if you like)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more if you like)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
Icing
3 egg whites
3 cups pure icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (or 160 for fan forced) and prepare baking trays.
Beat the butter and brown sugar. When it is nice and creamy add in the syrup and the egg yolk and continue to beat lightly. Sift in the flour, ginger & cinnamon and bicarb soda and use a spatular to combine.
Tip the mixture out onto baking paper and knead gently then split the mixture in half. Put one half to the side. Roll the other one out. I find rolling very tricky. I put another piece of baking paper on top of the dough and roll over the top if it to stop the dough sticking to the rolling pin. I rolled my dough to about 3mm. I think this might have been a bit too thin but at the same time I don't think it really matters. It rises slightly as it bakes plus ....do what you feel is best, it always works out better that way!
After the dough has been rolled cut it to size. You can use some pre-cut cardboard as a guide or save yourself some hassle and get a Gingerbread House Cutter Set. After the pieces have been cut put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes. I don't know why but every recipe I have read recipe I have read suggests this. Also some suggest you put the dough in the fridge after you roll but before you cut it.
After the pieces have been chilled put them in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes and the let the pieces cool. If you're not making the houses or boxes straight away put the cooked pieces in the fridge. I left mine in a container on the bench over night and found they became a bit soggy making the construction part much harder.
The Icing
(this was a real test of skill!)
Beat the egg whites until peaks start to form. This takes a while so be patient! Slowly add in the icing sugar constantly beating until it the mixture becomes thick.
Think of this as glue - everything it touches will become sticky, it also dries quite quickly so it is important to do things fast but carefully!
I put the icing into a piping bag and piped it onto all the pieces of my boxes. This was very tricky and I'm so thankful I had an extra set of hands (my mum!). I began by placing the base onto a piece of cardboard I had wrapped in aluminium foil. I then piped icing along the bottom edge of one long side piece and using a tin can held it onto the base. I did the same with the other long side. I then added the two ends and used tin cans to help hold it all together. I piped inside and outside the edges just because I had no idea what I was actually doing. Basically just fill in all the gaps and hope for the best!
Again, if you have space put the boxes in the fridge otherwise they become a bit soggy. We filled ours up with Hedgehog Baubles, Maple Nut Tarts, Rocky Road, Red Velvet Christmas Trees and White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (recipes to come!).
Seriously, I had so much fun doing this and, on reflection, I am super impressed with them and loved giving them to friends and family as gifts. I feel next years efforts will be better but, as a first attempt I'm pretty darn happy!
11.12.12
Spicy Lamb in Coconut Sauce
Yay!! We have finally got our new life started. After a 5 hour flight delay we are finally back together in our "old-new" house and it is great. The best part: the kitchen! I'm talking bench space. Dishwasher. One and a half ovens!! And to top it all off - Christmas is just around the corner (but more on that later). Tonight I cooked my first meal in the kitchen I designed - Spicy Lamb in Coconut Sauce.
I always get a bit funny about lamb cutlets. Sometimes they are really fatty or there isn't much meat on them and I never seem to cook them quite right but I totally committed to cutlets tonight and it was awesome. Also, they are called "spicy" but they really aren't and you can decide how spicy you want them to be anyway.
Spicy Lamb in Coconut Sauce
What you need
250g pumpkin
1/3 cup peas
small tin chickpeas
coriander leaves
parsley leaves
lamb cutlets
1 teaspoon curry powder (more or less!)
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons chicken stock
What to do
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius and dice the pumpkin into about 1cm chunks. Pop in chunks into an oven dish with a splash of oil and put into the oven for about 10minutes.
Rub the lamb cutlets with curry powder (as much as you like) and place into a lightly greased fry pan on medium heat.
Meanwhile add peas, chickpeas and leaves to the pumpkin and return to the oven on a 140 Celsius until the cutlets are cooked as desired.
Once cutlets are cooked, put on top of vegetables and leave in the oven to keep warm. In the fry pan add the coconut milk, garlic and stock and bring to the boil. Let the sauce simmer until it is as thick as you like.
Serve the cutlets layered on the vegetables and drizzle sauce over the top.
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