Knowledgeable - How many words have you found?

Remember a couple of weeks ago I challenged all my bloggy friends to find how many words they could make from the word KNOWLEDGEABLE?

Well, here is my list in alphabetical order:

A
able, abode, age, aged, ale, an, and, awake, awaken  (9)

B
bad, bade, badge, bag, bake, baked, bald, bale, ball, ban, band, bang, bank, bawl, be, bead, beagle, beak, bed, bee, beg, bell, bellow, blank, bleak, bled, bleed, blew, blond, blown, bog, bond, bondage, bone, boned, bow, bowel, bowl, bowled  (39)

D
dab, dale, Dane, dangle, dank, deal, dean, deed, dell, den, dew, do, dog, dole, doll, don, done, down  (18)

E
eagle, edge, eel, ego, elbow  (5)

G
gable, gale, gall, galleon, gallon, gaol, glad, gland, glebe, gleen, glen, globe, glow, glowed, goal, gob, god, gold, golden, gone, gown  (21)

K
kale, kedge, keel, keen, keg, ken, kid, knead, knob, knoll, know, knowledge  (12)

L
label, laden, ladle, lake, land, lank, law, lawn, lead, lean, leaned, led, ledge, lee, leg, legal, lend, lodge, log, lone, long, longed, low  (23)

N
nab, nag, need, no, nod, node, now  (7)

O
ode, old, olden, on, own, owned, owl  (7)

W
wad, wade, wag, wage, wager, wake, walk, wall, walled, wan, wand, we, weak, weal, wean, weaned, web, wed, wedge, wee, weed, week, weld, well, wok, wold, won  (27)

There are a total of 168 words. (Please note that I have used British English here and words could vary from other areas of the world where English is spoken.)

How did you do? Please let me know if there are any words which you have found that are not on this list.

10 things to know about salt

1. Salt helps to maintain the fluid in our blood cells and is used in the transmission of information in our nerves and muscles.

2. Salt is essential in the prevention of sunstroke.

3. Salt helps your body digest food.

4. Salt stimulates the adrenal glands and keeps calcium and other minerals flowing in the bloodstream.

5. Add salt to fried, griddled or grilled meat just before serving. This prevents the meat from losing it's juices and will be more tender.

6. Adding salt to your curry dishes when you add the curry, enhances the flavour.

7. Add salt to pulses AFTER cooking. This prevents the skins from hardening and digestion will be easier.

8. Add salt to already boiling water and not before, as it will take longer to reach boiling point.

9. Mediterranean cooking needs salt. All cooking needs salt. Don't overdo it but don't underdo it either.

10. Avoid the use of table salt as this has too many additives. Using a good quality sea salt gives your cooking a professional taste and will add real minerals to your diet. 

Munchy Monday #29: Haricot bean omelette

Back in the good old days, when I could eat everything, this was one of my favourites. Maybe it isn't the first item which might occur to you use when you decide on omelettes for supper, but I can guarantee that you will enjoy it and that you will feel full having eaten it. I serve it with a light soup, salad and tomato bread. Serves 1 or 2, depending on individual appetites!

You will need:

2 medium sized eggs
3/4 cup cooked haricot beans
Salt
A little oil to fry

Method:

Warm the beans in a non-stick frying pan using a little oil.

Warming...

Lightly beat the two eggs together, adding a little salt. Add a little more oil to the pan, turn the heat up and when hot throw the egg over the beans, making sure that both egg and beans stay evenly distributed over the whole pan base.

Ready to be covered...

Almost immediately, turn the heat to low, cover the pan and let the egg gently solidify, about 2 minutes. Loosen the omelette from the sides of the pan and carefully flip it over using a flat saucepan lid or a plate. Gently brown the other side for a minute or so.

Flipped!

I like to serve it beans side up.

Ready to eat!

This is a typical supper from the past, when the farmers of Catalonia came in tired and hungry from the wintry fields, they needed something warm and filling to satisfy their appetites! It also had to be easy to eat and economical and this omelette was everything in one! Enjoy!

Peg pan stand

This is a pretty straightforward craft project that I can recommend for children from eight years and up. It is best done over two or three days. This gives time for the glue to dry thoroughly and the pieces are less likely to come unstuck. Be sparing with the glue so that it doesn't squeeze out the sides when the peg pieces are being pressed together.

All you need is:
A packet of quality wooden pegs*
Good wood glue

Instructions:
Take away the metal spring from each peg.
Glue the pegs together in pairs, back to back and leave to dry on a tray for some hours. 
When dry, arrange the pegs to form a circle, with the fine end at the centre, to see how many you will need for your mat.
Stick them in groups of three. Leave to dry.
Then, when completely dry, stick the groups together to form your pan stand. The longer you take over this process the stronger your pan stand will be.

*Note: If your pegs are not good quality you will find that they will differ in length, width and colour making the paring up more difficult. Neither will the hole in the middle be very even.

To the work...

To the work! To the work! We are servants of God;
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.

Refrain

Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on,
Let us hope and trust,
Let us watch and pray,

And labor till the Master comes.

To the work! To the work! Let the hungry be fed;
To the fountain of life let the weary be led;
In the cross and its banner our glory shall be,
While we herald the tidings, “Salvation is free!”

Refrain

To the work! To the work! There is labor for all;
For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall;
And the love of our Father exalted shall be,
In the loud swelling chorus, “Salvation is free!”

Refrain

Webs for homeschoolers

Over the years of homeschooling, as well as teaching English, Spanish, Catalonian and maths to all who needed it, I have built up quite a repertoire of helpful webs. Below is a list of the ones I have found most useful. I have numbered them according to their topic. (see below)

1. edHelper.com
1. enchantedlearning.com
1. allkidsnetwork.com (for younger children)

2. schoolexpress.com
2. homeschoolshare.com
2. cyncesplace.com
2. notebookingfairy.com

3. makingmusicfun.net

4. coolmath.com
4. mathcats.com
4. mathdrills.com
4. mathmammoth.com

5. englishlinx.com
5. polseguera.org
5. englishforeveryone.org

6. characterjournal.com
6. openbible.info/topics/

7. historyonthenet.com
7. bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/
7. space.com/quizzes
7. australianhistory.org
7. australian-animals.net


1. Good for everything and for all ages. Information, craft ideas, printables, etc.
2. Projects, lapbooks and notebooking information, templates, printables, etc.
3. Information about composers, musical theory, instruments, quizzes and printables
4. Math explanations and printable worksheets, quizzes and puzzles, math crafts, etc
5. English grammar and printable worksheets
6. Character studies and associated Bible comments and verses
7. Specific webs for some of the topics we covered whilst studying at home

Nursery rhymes

You may have the understandable impression that nursery rhymes are little poems about everyday life in the past or imaginative little ditties to entertain when all else fails in the waiting room of the doctor's surgery. I have sung them, my mother sung them to me and Grandma to her, most likely. But have you ever thought about how these apparently innocent little rhymes originated?

Take Georgie Porgie, for example. He was King James I of England's lover. His real name was George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Georgie also had an affair with the then Queen of France. His romance with Anne of Austria is mentioned in the famous novel "The Three Musketeers", by Alexander Dumus.

Ring a Ring o' Roses is a little poem about the Bubonic Plague, more commonly known as The Black Death. The "ring of roses" refers to the patches of red spots which appeared on one's body at the onset of the disease. A "pocket full of posies" were little bunches of flowers people took around to warn people that they were ill. The sneezes were the last sign, then you fell down - DEAD.

Another rhyme based on British history is Three Blind Mice. The "farmer's wife" mentioned was the daughter of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I, a staunch Catholic who ran after any protestant she could find. So much so, she became known as "Bloody Mary". Her husband was King Philip of Spain. The "three blind mice" were three noblemen who adhered to their protestant faith and were subsequently burnt at the stake.

Bloody Mary is also the "Mary" featured in the rhyme Mary, Mary, quite contrary. The "garden" was an ever growing graveyard of protestant martyrs, "silver bells and cockle shells" were instruments of torture and the "maids" or "maiden" was the original name for the guillotine.

Goosey, Goosey, Gander is another song about disturbances between Catholics and Protestants, Little Boy Blue was Thomas Wolsey, an apparently very rich and arrogant cardinal during the reign of King Henry VIII, London Bridge is Falling Down is an allegory concerning Anne Boleyn, Humpty Dumpty was not an egg, but a cannon, or maybe King Richard III, Jack Sprat is said to refer to King Charles I, Jack and Jill were King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette of France...

I could go on. As you can see, they are not the most adequate thing to be singing to your baby!

There are some fun ones, however. For example, Polly Put the Kettle On, Little Miss Muffet and Hey Diddle Diddle, Hickory Dickory Dock, 1,2, Buckle My Shoe, Pussycat, Pussycat, etc.

Just check them out before repeating them to your little ones! Here is a useful web:

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/