If you follow along with me on Instagram then you know that our recent harvest of crabapples was a delight for my soul. Almost 10 years ago our neighbor gifted us 3 saplings. He told us that two were apple trees and one was pear. We planted and tended to them the best we knew how, hoping that one day we would receive a harvest for our work. A few years later a spring storm took the one that was showing the most potential and another turned out to not be a fruit tree at all! So, two years ago when our last remaining tree bloomed for the very first time we were elated. So many years later, it looked like we would have apples. That fall we did have a few apples, but not the big red juicy apples we had envisioned, instead we had small, beautiful, very tart crabapples.
This year we had a bountiful harvest and despite my wish for big honey crisps or galas I decided that this should be a harvest I embrace. So, last weekend I set aside some time to gather some of our apples and turn them into a delicious apple butter. It was much more tedious work than I’m sure it would have been with some regular sized apples, but I must say the apple butter turned out to be very delicious.
That harvest provided much of the inspiration for this months Morning Time Bundle. Through it, I have learned so much about expectations and what harvesting fruit in our own lives looks like. We all have certain realizations, hopes, and dreams for our lives but often those things don’t happen (or at least they don’t look the way we thought they should). This months theme hopefully points us to the truth that as long as we hold fast to what is true and seek God more than we do the things of this world that our lives will yield a harvest.
This month we will be dawdling in folk music and art, learning a sweet autumn poem, identifying and observing the parts of an apple, enjoying delicious apple dumplings, learning about the life of a fruitful follower of Christ, and so much more. I hope you will join us.
Click Here To Download the October 2019 Morning Time Bundle
Music
There is just something about autumn that brings out my love for folk music. In last November‘s Morning Time bundle we enjoyed a wonderful song from Jay Ungar & Molly Mason that I simply fell in love with. This month I thought it would be fun to explore their music a little bit more. Our song this month is called, Heart of the Heartland, in it they join James Galway on the flute. It is a beautiful folk song that stirs so many wonderful feelings of home.
Poetry
This is autumns country
We are riding through –
Stubble fields, pale golden;
Sky, wild-aster blue.
Goldenrod and rose haws
By the dusty road;
Water trickling wanly
Where spring freshets flowed.
Smoke from hillside clearings;
Tantalizing hints
Of orchard spices – apple,
Nut, and peach, and quince.
Red leaves on the maples,
Purple clustered vines –
This is autumns country;
These, it’s certain signs.
The author of this months poem, Ethel Romig Fuller was a huge proponent of poetry. In fact, it was her love of poetry that carved her career path. When she found out that a local paper, The Oregonian, was going to cancel the poetry column she persuaded the paper to create a weekly poetry section. She became the editor of that section in the early 1930’s and maintained it until the late 1950’s.
Art
Our art selection this month is going to build on the folk music we will be observing. Our piece is called A Beautiful World and was drawn by the famous American Folk artist, Grandma Moses.
For me, the life of Grandma Moses serves as wonderful inspiration concerning the last part of our Bible verse, specifically “bringing forth fruit in his season”. I wonder if this lady ever expected to make her most lasting contributions to society beginning in her seventies. In our hurry up and get it done society, I think that most of us would believe that at seventy our ability to make an impact would have already passed, but here we see a wonderful example of someone who followed their passion and never let age interfere.
Scripture
Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doth shall prosper. – Psalm 1:1-3
Encouraging words for the youngest to the oldest. We all need a shove every now and then to continue doing what is good and right. This admonishment to do good, to surround ourselves with Godly people, and to delight in God’s word comes with hope for the future. This scripture reminds me of Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has a specific plan and purpose for each of us. Just as the apple tree is intended to produce a harvest of apples, our lives are meant to bear fruit, too.
Science
This month we will be using pages 661 – 671 of The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock to help guide our study of apples and the apple tree. If possible, I encourage you to arrange a trip to an apple orchard early in the month so that you can observe the trees and fruit firsthand.
Lessons 182 on page 664 will help guide you through a study of the apple tree and lesson 184 will guide you through a study of apples.
Farm Anatomy: The Curious Part and Pieces of Country Life by Julia Rothman has a very beautiful section on apples (pages 102-103) that would go well with this study.
Craft
The handicraft activities this month are felt apples and weaving a paper bag basket. The instructions and material list required to complete the felt apples are included in this months download. To make the hand woven basket we followed instructions that we found here.
If you are interested here is a link to the yellow felt I used: 12×18 Wool blend felt sheet in Beach Sand. I had a piece leftover from the craft we did in April. A 12″x18″ sheet of felt will be more than sufficient for a few apples.
If you are unfamiliar with any of the stitches mentioned in the instructions, you can refer back to this blog post for help.
Civics/ Character Studies
This month we will be studying our nations 2nd President: John Adams. I am using The Big Book of American Presidents: From George Washington to Barack Obama as a guide.
- 1796 – John Adams is elected second President of the United States.
- 1798 – Adams creates the US Navy Department. George Washington is the commander of the Army under Adams presidency.
- 1800 – Treaty of Morfontaine settled the hostilities between US and France.
- 1800 – November: Adams and his family move to the newly finished President’s house in Washington D.C.
- 1800 – Adams looses re-election to Thomas Jefferson
- 1825 – Adam’s son John Quincy Adams is elected President of the United States
- 1826 – July 4: John Adams Dies at age 91.
The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know…Do justly. Love mercy. Walk Humbly. This is enough. – John Adams, in a letter to a granddaughter.
Recipe
A few weeks ago I was re-introduced to this fantastic recipe for Apple Dumplings when a mother of one of my Sunday School girls brought breakfast for our group. This recipe is delicious, simple, and perfect for little hands to help put together.
Additional Resources
Hymn Study with Happy Hymnody
Apples
- The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
- Autumn is for Apple Pie by Wendy Dunham
- Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble (technically this is a Christmas story, but I love this one so much I wanted to include it here)
- From Seed to Apple Tree (My First Science Songs) by Steven Anderson
- Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson
- Making Apple Butter and Apple Cider the 1800’s Way
John Adams
- The Revolutionary John Adams by Cheryl Harness
- John Adams: Independence Forever (Heroes of History) by Janet & Geoff Benge
- John Adams: Young Revolutionary (Childhood of Famous Americans) by Jan Adkins
- A Picture Book of John and Abigail Adams by David Adler
- The Big Book of American Presidents: From George Washington to Barack Obama
- The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents
- About the White House: Presidents – John Adams
The White House
- About the White House
- The White House: Inside Story | White House History video clip pertaining to the History of the White House.
- The White House: Inside Story video special in its entirety.
Grandma Moses
- Grandma Moses: American Modern by Robert Wolterstorff
- Grandma Moses: Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists by Mike Venezia
Activities
- Visit a local apple orchard.
Thank you all so much for your continued support of the Morning Time Bundles. Happy Fall!
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