Posted by: Maureen Spell, guest blogger on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 12:00:00 am
Have you checked out the Good Manners: Everyday Etiquette Past and Present exhibit yet? This exhibit compares etiquette rules from the past to modern-day rules. My family and I stopped in to see how well we measured up.
Good manners are just a way of showing other people that we have respect for them. ~Bill Kelly
Miss Minne Manners walks you through the ins and outs of etiquette. She explores manners through four areas of American life:
- Table Manners
- At Work
- Out and About
- Entertaining at Home
You can even email her any questions you might have about manners.
We learned that manners are not just a list of rules we need to follow, but rather a way to show other people that we respect them. The rules of etiquette have changed over the years, but the purpose has stayed the same. Whether you are dining with the president or meeting someone for the first time, knowing how to handle the situation properly can make the difference between developing the foundation for a relationship of mutual respect or being misunderstood.
Each area has displays showing items from various time-periods. A favorite of ours was the tableware section. We learned how to set a table for various situations. Who knew there were so many ways to set a table? Well we do now! My children loved setting the table with real dishes. While we were there we took pictures of some of the treasures hidden in the displays. We challenge you to find them in the exhibit when you come to visit.
(click to download)
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Maureen Spell is a former elementary school teacher who now has a classroom of 6 at home. She blogs at Spell Outloud sharing early education activities and homeschool highlights.
Posted by: Guest Blogger, Maureen Spell on Monday, November 28, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Is there a holiday event, meal, or decoration that you look forward to seeing every year? More than likely, that something has become a tradition for you.
As a child I can remember laying down under our Christmas tree watching the Bubble Lights bubble while I played with a plastic-canvas train set that my mother made. My brother and I enjoyed taking turns rearranging all the components of the little plastic Christmas village. Year after year this set became a normal part of our holiday season. I’m sure at the time my mother thought she was just creating a holiday decoration, but now it’s my kids that play with the same set while visiting their grandparents. When I see it, I am reminded of all those Christmas memories of years past. I wanted my kids to have the same type of fond memories, so I started intentionally planning and setting aside time for special holiday activities. Some of these events have gone on to become new traditions for us.
One such holiday tradition that my family began several years ago is attending The Enchanted Luminaria Walk. We bundle up and head to Minnetrista to soak in the beautiful music, view the spectacular Christmas decorations, and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. My kids look forward to this event each year. Though the cold weather may be frightful, the warm cherished memories we create are simply delightful.
I created a Family Planner to help keep track of our special traditions. What holiday traditions does your family enjoy together?
Here are a few ideas:
* Play a board game as a family.
* Read a Christmas book each day during the month of December.
* Bake cookies.
* Do a craft together.
* Attend The Enchanted Luminaria Walk (Dec. 2-3) and the Gingerbread Workshop (Dec. 10)
* Listen to holiday music.
* Do something kind for a neighbor.
* Share a meal with friends.
* Learn about Christmas traditions from around the world.
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Maureen Spell is a former elementary school teacher who now has a classroom of 6 at home. She blogs at Spell Outloud sharing early education activities and homeschool highlights.
Posted by: Guest Blogger, Maureen Spell on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Did you know that what we eat today can affect our bone health in the future? Our family recently learned this and many other fascinating facts about bones when we headed over to the Bone Zone at Minnetrista!
We were greeted by Mr. Skeleton who encouraged us to step right up and come right in to learn the importance of diet and exercise for healthy bones. The exhibit is based around a carnival theme and has several different games and displays teaching about the importance of calcium and weight-bearing exercises for good bone health.
Students will learn:
- They need the daily calcium equivalent of 3 cups of milk through their teenage years.
- Various sources of calcium.
- How important weight-bearing activities such as walking, dancing, or playing soccer are to healthy bones.
- That eating poorly and not exercising now can lead to broken bones and osteoporosis in the future.
If you have a group of students K-8th, you can set up a Bone Zone field trip. The exhibit runs now through January 8th.
Things to do after visiting the exhibit:
1. Read a book about bones. Here are a few suggestions:
Dem Bones by Bob Barner
The Search for the Missing Bones (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 2)
The Skeleton Inside You (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Philip Balestrino
2. Participate in the “Name the Bones” challenge.
3. Plan time for some family bone-strengthening activities each week such as walking, running, biking , or even family tag.
4. Plan and cook a new-to-you calcium-rich meal.
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Maureen Spell is a former elementary school teacher who now has a classroom of 6 at home. She blogs at Spell Outloud sharing early education activities and homeschool highlights.
Posted by: Maureen Spell, guest blogger on Monday, October 10, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
This is the first in a series of fun, educational posts by guest blogger Maureen Spell. Maureen is a former elementary school teacher who now has a classroom of 6 at home. She blogs at Spell Outloud sharing early education activities and homeschool highlights.
I love Fall. The beautiful colors of the changing leaves beckon me to walk among them before Winter comes. My family enjoys strolling through the various gardens and walkways covering the campus of
Minnetrista, and my young children especially like to visit the Children's Garden. For a fun twist on our nature walk, I created fall I Spy cards to take along.
The I Spy game encouraged my children to intently observe their surroundings. We have been to that garden many times before, but by turning our visit into a game, it made it a new experience. My girls were excited when they found each of the objects printed on the cards. We thought you might enjoy playing too.
To join along in the fun:
1. Print out the I Spy cards onto cardstock.
2. Cut out, laminate for durability, punch a hole at the top and place on a metal ring.
Tip: If you would like smaller cards, change the print option to reduce the size or to print two pages on one page.
Create your cards now and come enjoy a Fall Nature Walk at Minnetrista!
Maureen Spell is a former elementary school teacher who now has a classroom of 6 at home. She blogs at Spell Outloud sharing early education activities and homeschool highlights.
Posted by: Stephanie Fisher on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 12:00:00 am
Apples and cider are part of a long tradition at Minnetrista. Have you ever wondered why?
It all began 140 years ago when the matron of Delaware County Orphanage, located on the southeast corner of what is now Minnetrista's East Lawn, decided that the children needed to earn a little spending money. An orchard was planted, and the children were responsible for selling their produce. What happened next?
- Frank C. Ball bought the property next to the orphanage in 1894.
- The orphanage moved and Ball bought the entire site, including the 10-acre orchard.
- In 1917, Ball hired Roland Webb to manage and develop Minnetrista Orchards. Webb cared for the orchard and gardens until he retired in 1977.
- Webb expanded the orchard, added new varieties of apples, and began selling apples and cider. By the 1940s the sales barn was quite popular.
- The cider was initially pressed by hand, but by the late 1960s, cider making was partially automated.
The process of making cider was
always highly visible. Generations of school children have enjoyed watching
cider-making and apple sorting demonstrations conducted by Webb and his crew
and now by theMinnetrista educators and grounds crew. Webb was known as the
“Johnny Appleseed of Muncie” to the hundreds of school children he talked with
about apples. Currently, many children participate in the Johnny Appleseed school tour each autumn.
Now our grounds crew and volunteers make all of our cider in the apple barn (the back part of the The Orchard Shop building)—sorting, washing, pressing, and bottling. Take a peek at how we make cider today, or stop in for an Apples & Cider tour during the fall months.
