Thailand: Cooking School

When we decided to come to Thailand, one of the things I knew we wanted to do was take a cooking class. At the time, I thought I would just do it with the older kids, but Raphi and Pearl wanted to join in, and Erik thought it would be fun as well. We found a local restaurant that offers private classes and were able to all go together.  We chose four dishes to make and Nok, who runs the restaurant with her partner, Jo, walked us through the whole thing. The kids were a bit in and out, more interested at some times than others, but it worked out well. Raphi was all about pounding our spices into a nice, thick paste with the mortar and pestle! 

Mise en place. This makes cooking so much easier! (I need someone to come prep all my ingredients and clean up after me at home!)

One of our choices was panang curry, a dish we've been enjoying here in Thailand. We started with slices of fresh lemongrass and galangal root (similar to ginger), garlic, shallots, keffir lime skin, dried mild chilies and hot fresh chilies. Lots of pounding resulted in a wonderfully fragrant, thick paste. The addition of a little bit of shrimp paste added to its characteristically Thai smell!

We heated some nice, thick coconut milk to a boil, and when the oil began to separate, added in our curry paste. 

Oh, the delicious smell! Here Poppy stirs the coconut milk and curry paste into a thick mixture, adding coconut milk a little at a time.  

A little fish sauce, some salt, sugar, and chicken bouillon get added to the mix. (I'm pretty sure this is not a traditional ingredient, and wonder if it's got MSG. I will leave it out at home!) Thinly sliced chicken goes in next, stirring until it's all coated and "dry", at which point we dump in enough coconut milk to cover it. 

I add in some kaffir lime leaves, and then we cover and simmer for a while. When it's time for plating, we garnish with thinly sliced strips of more lime leaves and red pepper. Beautiful and delicious, and hey, that was easy! (Having someone do all the prep work and clean-up makes it seem like it, anyway! I know that at home it will not seem so simple, nor will it taste quite as yummy, but that won't stop me from trying!)

Meanwhile, Nok has a big pot of chicken stock simmering, and she's carefully skimming the scum as it rises. She uses it for soups and sauces, including the pad thai sauce that we're making next. I'm a big fan of bone broths, so I'm excited to see this!

The pad thai sauce starts with fresh tamarind simmering in chicken stock. The tamarind gives it a wonderful sour flavor that gets balanced out perfectly with salty and sweet notes from fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and palm sugar. While the sauce reduces, Peregrine chops garlic to fry in a generous amount of oil along with thinly sliced chicken. 

Nok brings out a package of fresh rice noodles but includes instructions on how to properly soak the dried ones we buy at home. (And I've been doing it all wrong... maybe that's why my noodles never seem quite right!) The noodles are added in with the chicken and garlic and then you stir, stir, stir until they are soft, adding in the sauce a little at a time as it's absorbed. Nok likes to add cabbage and carrots to her pad thai along with the traditional bean sprouts and green onion. I'm a fan of veggies, so I like that. A little more oil, a few eggs, some peanuts, and chili flakes are thrown in the skillet, and the heat is turned up for one final stir. Mmmmmm..... it looks and smells wonderful!

Erik in the kitchen... now there is a sight I like! He plates the pad thai like a pro, and Nok and some other women rush in with garnishes, fanning out lettuce and bean sprouts. We also made larb gai, a delicious dish made with finely chopped chicken and lots of fresh herbs. I have attempted to make it at home before but was quite disappointed in my results. It has roasted rice, which I did, but Nok taught us to toast uncooked sticky rice along with galangal, kaffir lime leaf, and lemongrass until the rice is brown, then pound it in the mortar and pestle. It gives larb the taste I was missing when I tried it before. 

Last, but most definitely not least, Poppy and Peregrine each make a small pot of warm, sweet coconut sauce to pour over fresh mango and sticky rice. I was introduced to the amazing-ness of this dish on my first trip to Thailand in 2000 by some family friends who lived in Chiang Mai. My life has never been the same since. Seriously, it might possibly be the most delicious sweet treat ever. I'm not kidding. I don't think I've ever made it at home, but really, it's simple. (And it costs $6 or $7 at Thai restaurants in the US, so it's maybe a once a year treat!) But, like so many other things, now that we know, we can make it ourselves!

After all that cooking and sweating (did I mention it was HOT?), we are hungry! I wish I could share the smell, and more importantly, the taste with you! Under Nok's expert guidance, I think we did a pretty good job! It will certainly go down as one of our most memorable meals here, because we made it ourselves! 

I know you're not supposed to feed the wildlife, but.... feed the hungry monkeys! 

Peregrine disappeared for a minute and came back with a tray of soft drinks for everyone. We enjoyed our meal, and our cooking class with Nok, immensely! I'm so thankful for family experiences like this.  

Learning: Panama Edition

There are so many butterflies in Panama! We were happy to catch many glimpses of iridescent blue as huge Blue Morphos fluttered in the sunshine. We stayed at a hotel that had a butterfly habitat, and got to see their beautiful chrysalis', as well as the caterpillars munching away on banana leaves. 

    One of the best things about traveling is that learning happens so naturally. I consider our family to be pretty relaxed about homeschooling, not too hung up on grade levels and such. I try to take advantage of and jump into the learning opportunities that present themselves as we go about our lives, and traveling offers so many of them. I wanted to share a few of the many wonderful learning moments we had during the time we spent in Panama. This is no small part of why we travel and an integral part of what we want for our children's education. I love that I'm learning right along with them, seeing firsthand things I've only read about! 

Poppy and Raphael looked closely at a snake during our visit to El Serpentario in El Valle, a reptile refuge and educational center run by a man named Mario. We enjoyed our afternoon there, learning about turtles and various kinds of snakes. Mario was very knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing his world with us. 

Dan was an interesting character that was staying at the guest house part of the time we were there. He was painting some art around the grounds in exchange for lodging in the gardener's shed. One of his claims to fame, and he had several, was that he had been an Olympic fencer. Peregrine, of course, jumped on that one, and Dan offered to teach him fencing while we were there. I think one of the best parts of traveling is that the kids get so much real life interaction with people who are doing things they're passionate about. We meet many people who are going after their dreams and working hard to achieve their goals; how could my kids not be inspired when they're growing up seeing this? I want them to believe they can dream big and work hard and do anything they set their mind to!

There is always cooking! Poppy is getting more interesting in baking and cooking, and she created this Panama Sunshine Cake, aka a pineapple upside down cake. I love walking through markets in different places and enjoy the challenge of cooking with what's available and trying new things. 

There was a small stream running through the property, and the kids liked to go down there at night to catch and examine the toads. Of course we read up on them! 

Bird spotting! Armed with a local bird book and a pair of binoculars, we spotted many species of birds and tried to learn a bit about them. Panama, being an ithsmus, is a haven for migratory birds and one of the top birdwatching spots in the world. We were privileged to see many beautiful birds. 

Interacting with different cultures is a huge part of  the education we want our kids to have. We want them to know that people do things in many different ways, and yet, in the things that matter, we are all the same. Our hosts were a lovely Swiss/Colombian couple who were so gracious and kind. Harry made this balance board for Peregrine, and it was easy to imagine children in a Colombian village playing with it! 

In Panama City we stayed in Casco Viejo, which had been the seat of the French Government at one point. Walking through the streets we could see the different types of architecture as we learned a little about the history of the city. 

Books, always books! We carry more books with us than is possibly sane. On this trip I brought picture books about sea life and coral reefs, the rainforest and jungle animals, and the Panama Canal. After spying leaf cutter ants in the forest one day, we read about them in our rainforest books. The older kids kept a small journal, drawing pictures and writing about things we saw and did along the way. 

Visiting zoos, wildlife refuges, and museums helped us to absorb more about the local flora, fauna, and history. This is an endangered frog we saw at El Nispero Zoo in El Valle de Anton. 

And a panther. Looks like an overgrown housecat with some powerful jaws! 

Getting up close and personal with history is another highlight of learning on the road.  We explored the ruins of a fort in Portobelo and could easily imagine the showdowns between colonists and pirates like Sir Francis Drake, who is said to be in a leaden coffin somewhere near this spot.

It seemed that the trees were there to play host to a variety of orchids, bromeliads, and other plants, insects, birds, and more. We enjoyed learning about how frogs lay their eggs on bromeliads, and their tadpoles actually live in the pools of water collected in the leaves.

Visiting the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal was a fantastic experience as we learned not only about the history of the canal, but about global shipping and how this is really a hub for the world. Over breakfast the other day we wrote down the countries where our ingredients had come from, and then looked at our map and tried to discern which might have passed through the Canal on its way to our table.

  

A walk in the forest was a time to explore and discover things we'd read about in our books about the rainforest. The little green bits in the picture were carried by leaf cutter ants, an important part of the rainforest ecosystem. 

Peregrine has been studying Spanish the last few years, and it's great to watch him try it out and interact with people in real life! 

Shopping and walking through markets provides an interesting look at similarities and differences in cultures. 

Trying street foods is a fun adventures as we learn about how people eat and get used to different flavors. 

Browsing a local artisan market gave us a chance to interact with some of the people who are indigenous to Panama. This San Blas Kuna woman proudly showed off her intricate and beautiful handwork. 

Simple Science

    Poppy informed me the other day that she doesn't like Science, which I took with a grain of salt. As you can see here, she doesn't seem to mind it one bit. This is a simple and fun project we did for the first time a couple years ago to help the kids learn their primary colors. I'm not sure that Poppy remembered it, so it was like doing it for the first time with her.

We started with the primary colors, and a little plain water in the other three jars.

I asked her which two colors she thought would make orange, so this was her answer.
She was surprised to learn that blue and yellow make green, not orange!

Aha! Red and yellow make orange!

Uh, I'm not sure this is going to make purple...

I did it! I made a rainbow! 

Thumbs up from Peregrine!

Raphael, aka Superman, got in on the action too. You can see yellow droplets
of water dripping off his face. Might be kryptonite. 

    After the camera was put away, the kids had a blast playing "chemistry lab". There were colorful explosions all over the place, and skin turning all kinds of funky colors.  If you're ever in our neck of the woods, watch out for my mad little scientists and their "Formula 14"!

    

Lessons Learned

    A while back my friend Cindy, who lives in Costa Rica, wrote me, asking if I’d share with her what we were doing for school.That was, oh, about nine months ago, and I thought it would be good to recap what we've done this year. (Sorry this took me forever, Cindy!) 

    To start with, I should say I’m a very relaxed homeschooler, and getting to be more so all the time. I don’t think much of grade levels or boxed curriculums or making sure they’re learning certain things at specific times. The more I’ve hung out with my kids and watched where the best learning happens, the more I’m trusting that it happens, and often without much instruction from me. I try to let them explore their interests, giving them the resources and tools to discover the world around them. I’ve learned that often, just by waiting until they’re ready, they will learn it on their own, instead of pushing them into it because that’s what “your kindergartener needs to know”. I try to keep myself open to the real life learning opportunities that are happening all the time, and gently share knowledge, ask questions and allow learning to happen gently and naturally. 

Sometimes Grandma stops by and reads a story.

    A typical day in our home is not highly structured, although we do have a rhythm. We usually only spend 1 1/2 to 2 hours "doing school". This usually consists of praying together and reading some small portions of Scripture, followed by poetry, a story of a saint, or something from our history book. After that I often do something individually with either Peregrine or Poppy, or we’ll do an art project together, like making a page in our poetry or saint books. The rest of their time is spent playing, helping around the house, etc. We do lots of reading outside of school time, and I'd say that most of their learning happens in a fairly natural, relaxed way. 

    My school aged kids, Peregrine and Poppy, are 8 and 6, and would be in 2nd grade and kindergarten this year. A lot of what we've done this year I've been able to do with both of them together, although I usually expect a little more of Peregrine. Here are a few of the specific resources we've used this year:

    History We've enjoyed going through ancient history with The Story of the World Volume 1. I've appreciated the lively narrative and it's engaged the kids' imaginations nicely. We've used the companion Activity Book as well, which provides maps, activity suggestions, and book lists for further reading. We usually have a basket of these extra books from the library. In addition, the kids have each done a History Portfolio, which offers an outline in a notebooking, Charlotte Mason style. Peregrine really enjoyed this.

Volcano time!

Exploring the ruins of a church in Mascota, Mexico.

    Language Arts I take a very gentle approach to teaching language. My thought is that if we read lots and lots of good books, our kids will develop both an ear and an appreciation for language, as well as the desire to read. I introduce them to basic phonics, show them how to sound out words, and then wait until they "catch" it. I don't remember exactly when this happened for Peregrine, but at 8 1/2 he's an excellent reader. Poppy is at the stage where she can sound out 3 or 4 letter words, and I anticipate that she'll take off with it soon; I trust it will happen when she's ready. I've used the Language Lessons for the Very Young with Peregrine and Language Lessons for Little Ones Volume 2 for Poppy. These are available from Queen Homeschool Supplies. I love these gentle, Charlotte Mason style books; they offer a sweet introduction to poetry, picture study, phonics, and in the older levels, parts of speech, etc. The kids have both enjoyed them. I've posted a couple things Peregrine has written as part of this curriculum here and here.
    We also enjoy reading poetry aloud, and they've both memorized a few poems this year. They have a blank Waldorf style book for the poems they've learned, and enjoy making a nice illustration to go along with them. My hope is that after several years they'll have a nice volume of poetry they can recite. Robert Louis Stevenson was a favorite this year.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame meets Godzilla.

    Math I've had Peregrine do a few Kumon workbooks this year, mostly just working on basic addition and subtraction, as well as counting money, measurement, telling time, etc. I feel strongly that it's important for them to grasp math concepts well before trying to do too much "bookwork". I don't want to drill them with facts before they can understand the beauty and logic behind it. In the younger years, this may put them "behind" their peers a little, but I believe they will catch up with no problem. I've seen this already in so many areas, that just waiting until they're ready gives them the advantage of greater understanding as well as motivation. I try to talk about math concepts in our every day life, read living math books, play number games, etc.

No child is left behind around here! It's never to early to start learning.

    Science We've kind of slacked on this one, unless you count reading lots of books about animals, plants, the solar system, the human body, rocks and minerals, and volcanoes. Or things like raising caterpillars to butterflies, observing weather and seasons, growing things, gathering eggs from backyard chickens, cooking, hiking, etc. Again, we haven't really used a curriculum here, but I believe they're doing just fine. I plan to do some fun science type projects with them over the summer, as well as going through Exploring Creation With Astronomy and stargazing. They've both expressed a lot of interest in this, so it will be a good time to let them explore it further. Hopefully we can include a visit to the planetarium as well.

An eyed click beetle that Raphael found and kept for quite a while.

All the kids love to help in the kitchen and the older
two  are  able to make some things by themselves.

An eel we watched for quite a while at the beach in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico.

    Faith I try to read aloud to them a Gospel and an Epistle reading, as well as pray with them throughout the day. Here again, our faith is woven into our lives, not limited to a certain time or topic. We  live the liturgical year of the Orthodox Church, and through it revisit many of the events in the life of Christ, his apostles, the prophets, and saints down through the ages. Sometimes this involves corporate worship and other times we might read a book together, learn about a culture, or even make special food from a certain place or time to help make it real to the kids. One of my favorite things we've done this year is that each of the kids has begun a saint book, where they make a page for different saints we've learned about. Sometimes they color a picture, draw or paint one of their own, or even make a collage. 

Peregrine's collage of St. Mary of Egypt. 

    Extras Peregrine enjoyed taking a horseback riding class at a nearby ranch, which was an excellent experience. Poppy danced at a local studio for the second year in a row, and was a lovely little ballerina! We also get together regularly with other homeschool friends for open gymnastics play times, park days, and special field trips. Throw in a couple weeks in Mexico, and I think the kids have had a pretty well rounded, fun, and educational year! 

Poppy dancer!

Peregrine was thrilled to get to sit on a police
motorcycle on our outing to Public Works Day.