This is my 14 year old daughter, Miriam's, specialty... she loves to make it this shape rather than the traditional braid.

Ingredients;

1 package yeast

¾ cup (110 degree F) warm water

3 cups of flour (plus extra if needed, and enough for flouring the kneading surface)

¼ cup sugar

1 egg plus one egg white

(reserve yolk from second egg and add 1 Tbs water to it for egg wash)

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ tsp of salt or to taste

Also needed; aluminum foil.

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in ¾ cup water and let stand for about 5 minutes until bubbly. Stir in half of the flour, the sugar, egg and egg white, oil and salt. Stir till combined and then add remaining flour and continue to stir.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes until dough is soft and elastic, add more flour if needed. Shape into ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Turn dough over once to grease dough surface. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour in warm place until double in size.

After first rise, punch down dough and divide in half.  Let set for 10 minutes. Shape each piece into a long rope (about 30-32 inches). On greased baking sheet, shape one rope into a triangle and pinch ends together.  Weave second rope over and under first triangle to make a second triangle opposite to the first and pinch ends together.  Make six balls out of the aluminum foil and place in the holes that form the points of the star. This will help the Challah keep it’s unique shape.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until nearly double.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine egg yolk and 1 Tbs water and brush over Challah. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, covering the loaf with aluminum foil after 15 minutes.

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Today is the Jewish holiday Tu B'Shvat. The words Tu B'Shvat mean the 15th day of the Jewish month Shvat. It's also known as the New Year or "birthday" for Trees, kind of a Jewish Arbor Day. Tu B'Shvat is the new year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees for tithing. 

The Torah states that fruit from trees which were grown in the land of Israel may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year's fruit is for G-d, and after that, the fruit can be eaten. (Leviticus 19:23-25) Each tree is considered to have aged one year as of Tu B'Shvat, no matter when in the year it was planted. 

This holiday is one of the minor holidays so it does not require fasting or other observances that the major holidays require.   Tu B'Shvat is usually observed by planting new saplings and having a ritual meal similar to the Passover seder, with the focus of the seder being fruits and nuts that come from trees.

The proper blessing before eating any fruit is:

Baruch Atah Adod-nai Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam boray pri ha-aitz.
Blessed are you G-d, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.

On Tu B'Shvat, it is also customary to eat a new fruit (a seasonal fruit that you have not yet tasted this season), and to say the following blessing:

Baruch Atah Ado-noi, Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam, sheh-he-che-yanu vi-kee-yimanu vi-hee-gee-yanu laz-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You G-d, King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Today is a great day to taste a new fruit, and plant a tree.  Bring home a fruit that you've never had before and enjoy.

Not all school projects require a pencil and paper. My 12 year old has taught herself to crochet. My mom tried to teach me for years and I was a lost cause, I just couldn't get it. About 2 weeks ago my DD started a blanket for her soon-to-be new brother and she finished it today.  We are all really proud of her and I thought I should share her accomplishment with you. We rewarded her with some new crochet books, new hooks and more yarn to continue with her new found hobby.

We got a little distracted the last few days.  One of our chickens was killed so we needed to get the new coop ready for the rest of them so they would be safer.  I put off our Feb. curriculum for a few days since we were busy with that.

The kids enjoyed a little candy making project the last two nights, they made gummy candy.  Unfortunately it's gone as soon as it's done being made LOL!! They want to know how to make lollipops next so I'll need to dig up those supplies.  I'm too tired to make candy for Valentine's Day this year, so maybe making the lollipops will make up for it.

I'm working on adding a little lesson in a few days to my homestead blog on making Challah. I think I'll post it here too.

*Writing: Report on what they want to grow and why.

I am a homeschooling (unschooling) mother of 6. We are expecting another in May. My oldest child is a boy and he's 16. We have 5 girls, ages 14, 12, 10, 5 and 2.5.  New baby is a BOY!!  We'll be having another UA home waterbirth.

My kids have a very unstructured school day.  I feel learning life skills is more important than vomiting information. I do have one child that attends public school.  My 10 yr old is LD and has sensory integration disorder.  I was finding it very difficult to teach her at home and decided that a public school would be best for her because they have access to tools and resources I just can't provide for her at home.

My son has Tourettes and homeschooling has been a blessing to him.  It's hard to learn in public school when you have a disorder that is quite obvious and distracting.  He has a great interest in computers and graphics design, especially video game design.

I'll be back to start blogging about our "school" activities.