Please vote: just a few more days to let your voice be heard ...

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We are very small at Mater & Magistra... but we are holding at 10% against big national magazines such as America... take a look! Please vote! We know we don't have a chance against Magnificat for example, but every vote gives us visibility! We can vote everyday until March 15, click here and scroll down to vote!

mater et magistra ... the ONLY Catholic homeschool magazine ....

... needs your help.  Margot, publisher of m-et-m, received word that the magazine has been selected by the readers of the About.com Catholicism GuideSite as one of the five finalists for Best Catholic Magazine in the 2011 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards! 
Starting at 12:00 A.M. EST on Friday, February 11, 2011, and running until 11:59 P.M. EST on March 8, 2011, Catholics from around the world will cast their votes in this category (and in nine more). The competition will be fierce; I encourage you to get the word out to your supporters as soon as you can after 12:00 A.M. EST on Friday, February 11, 2011.

Here's the form to vote for m-et-m (as well as other great Catholic sites) as the Best Catholic Magazine. 
The winner will be announced on March 15, 2011. Please help m-et-m and chose it as the Best Catholic Magazine, because it is!

Hey all you knitters ... a preview and jump on Easter knitting ...

As many of you know, I write the handcrafts column for the quarterly Catholic homeschool magazine, mater et magistra.  I'm just putting the finishing touches on the column for the Spring 2011 issue, an issue with a large chunk of editorial space devoted to Easter celebrations. 

Whenever I write the column, I try and include a bit of knitting content and this column is no exception.  In fact, I created a design just for Easter:  a set of nested fabric baskets knit using a re-purposed sheet cut into strips.  To get a free copy of the pattern, subscribe to this wonderful magazine ... if you just can't wait till then, I have the pattern available for immediate download from my Raverly store ($4.00 for the design with all info necessary to recreate this one-of-a-kind Easter decoration). 

 

Of course these baskets would be wonderful for a new baby's room, or powder room, or wherever you want a splash of color and distinction.  [I'm thinking of making seasonal sets as well as a set that will coordinate with the dining room decor!]

mater et magistra ... FREE downloadable issue ....

As many of you know, I write the handcrafts column for the quarterly Catholic homeschool magazine, mater et magistra.  If you've never seen a copy of the magazine, or just want to take a peek at the lovely things going on inside the cover .... Margot has produced the Fall issue as a free, downloadable pdf. 

And it is gorgeous!  Article include an overview of the "discusson method" by Jean Rioux, head of the Philosophy department at Benedictine College (Atchison, KS), summer programs for high-schoolers (many require application NOW, so if you want some great enrichment activities for your high schoolers, check it out), Advent reflections/decorations/crafts, book reviews, and much more.

Check it out and let me know what you think ... and if you have the urge to subscribe, do!  All us writers work for this magazine free, contributing our time and talents because we believe that there needs to be a Catholic presence in the homeschool magazine market ... m et m is the only one out there!

mater et magistra ... a great publication needs YOUR help

Some of you may know that I am a regular contributor to the only Catholic homeschool periodical out there ... mater et magistra.  I write the quarterly handcrafts column as well as contribute reviews and other editorial assistance.

Margot, the publisher, and all of us on the editorial staff are attempting to make the magazine more accessible, more available to all Catholic homeschoolers.  In light of that, there is a poll we'd like you to take (whether or not you currently subscribe to the magazine) to understand what our current and potential customer base would like ... click here for more information about the magazine as well as a link for the survey.

Thanks for your help with this as we strive to continue to make this magazine consistently useful to all our readers.

 

AMAZING resource for Catholic homeschoolers ...

... is just a subscription away.

The Spring 2010 issue is arriving in mailboxes as I write.  This issue includes a great unit study on learning about world geography with little kids (altho the unit would work with older siblings, too!) while the articles carry-through the theme of picture books and the wonder within childhood. 

Of special note, is a wonderful review of my book, In His Image.  Check it out and let me know what you think ... and if you haven't subscribed yet, what are you thinking?  mater-et-magistra is the ONLY Catholic homeschool magazine published and is well-worth the subscription price.   I write the quarterly column on handcrafts ... but there are always great articles with teaching tips, resource suggestions, and supportive stories to "educate the heart and the mind of the Catholic home".  There is always a pull-out unit study as well as reviews of wonderful books for young and old.

 

Knitting: a felted backpack

Back on Columbus Day, I mentioned that I was designing a simple knitted backpack for a class I was teaching the next day. 

Here are pictures of the before felting

and after felting

here's the front:

here's the back:

The overall size decreases by about 25%, depending on how much you felt -- or shrink on purpose -- the bag.  BTW, at a certain point, the yarn will not felt anymore -- once that happens, you can wash and dry in the machine!

I love felted projects for beginners -- the irregular stitches are hidden and the knitting tends toward the rote.  Also, once the item is felted, the knitting can be cut (!) without fear of raveling and the resulting fabric can be made into whatever you'd like.

When I finished the design, I realized that this could also be used in an article I was writing for the January issue of mater-et-magistra, the ONLY Catholic homeschool periodical in publication.  The article covers some cool crafts for co-op participants ... different crafts (sewing, painting, knitting) that can be called into play to make useful items for co-op classes.  The article will have a link to a pdf I created for this file.  If you just can't wait for the January issue to make this fun project, email me (or comment below) and I'll be happy to email you the pdf ...

... but don't forget to subscribe to the wonderful mater-et-magistra ... for all the articles, columns and great information (and the advertisers are a treasure trove of wonderful Catholic products)!

Writing: latest issue of mater et magistra

I just got my copy of the Summer 2009 mater et magistra issue down here in the wilds of Virginia and I'm very impressed and proud to have a part in bringing out such a great magazine!

The articles are great ... the theme this issue is preparing for college and beyond and there are some great articles about choosing a Catholic college, getting to college in an unconventional way, going to conservatory instead of college and (the one I wrote) about sending them off with hand-crafted items to help them remember hearth and home.

There is also an amazing unit study, put together by Alicia vanHecke (who manages the amazing website Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers), about Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth . Alicia's unit study, the pull-out in the center, pulls in many different resources (videos, books and games) to help the kids really understand the concepts covered in Juster's classic. All of this is done in such a fun and interesting way, the kids won't even know they're learning about math concepts, science and grammar!

What more could you ask for?

Check it out ... I'm sure you'll be impressed. And if you don't subscribe to THE only Catholic homeschool periodical available, go on over to the mater et magistra website and subscribe! It's well-worth every penny!