Friday Favorites : Thomas Jefferson & Breaking the Rules

The question this week is where to begin?

#1 -- The favorite book I'm reading right now is The Real Thomas Jefferson by Andrew M. Allison.  I'm learning so much about Jefferson that I'm seriously considering a series of posts on him.  Stay tuned!

#2 -- Okay - so, high on my list this week is the day out with my amazing husband to see The Avengers.  On an IMAX screen and in 3D.  And just the two of us.  (No kidlets!)

And two words that capped off the day:  Rally's fries.  Yum!


#3 -- Our homeschool co-op has started a weekly park day, so the kids and I got to visit with our friends Wednesday.

I cannot stress the incredible importance of support when you undertake to educate your children.  I know - there are some families that don't want or need outside support, but I am definitely not one of them.  I schooled for a long time without connecting with other homeschoolers, and I know, that for us, meeting occasionally with like-minded moms and kids is vital.

I'm so thankful to be able to meet with them through the summer!

#4 -- Last night, I did a bad thing.  *grin*  I crashed line dance class.  (Don't tell on me, ok?)

I wasn't sure how much I'd be dancing, given that I'm at 26 weeks and definitely feeling very pregnant.  But it was great.  And a bonus?  I can still walk today!  I'm really hoping to get back into attending (like, officially) this fall after the baby is born. 

Also - the class exposed a strange pregnancy conundrum.  Apparently, I can, in the same week, be (relatively) graceful on my feet while dancing and fall over while slipping on my sandals.  I don't know how it can be, but that's my reality right now.

#5  -- We're looking at the end of the school year approaching rapidly.  I think everyone can agree - no matter how much you enjoy education - summer is definitely a favorite!

(Even for those nerds like me who have been compiling literature lists and government class assignments for the fall with entirely too much excitement!)

Linking up with Rachel

 

FMF : Beyond... & Friday Favorites!!

It's time for Five Minute Friday!

Today we are writing for five minutes flat on the prompt:

beyond...

So, limber up your word-weaving fingers and share some thoughts!

(Don't forget to link up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama and then leave some fabulous and encouraging feedback for fellow posters!)

Ready?

Here          we          go.

Beyond…

beyond my expectations –

an awesome morning

at our homeschool co-op today,

with the kids loving their classes

and loving their friends,

and I loving the companionship

of moms who live this same life everyday,

life lived with books on every

available surface,

and math done on couches

and beds and sometimes even

in the aisles of the grocery store,

and big kids helping their littler

brothers/sisters

and beginning to frame up

the dreams that stretch seemingly

forever and will be here

before you can blink,

and amazingly attentive little kids

in my classes today,

bubbling over with joy

at making volcanoes

out of empty water bottles

and one asked,

“where did all these bottles come from?”

{there were 12 or 13}

and I said, “I saved them just so you all

could do volcanoes today”

and her eyes grew wide

with wonder

© Victoria L. Banks

I'm also linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy for Friday Favorites,

because homeschooling, writing,

and enjoying the wonder of children learning

about God's Creation

are all some of my favorite things!

MM : Robert Ridgway Grasslands Nature Preserve

I know, I know…another nature walk?

It was just too nice to stay indoors today.

And now that I have a blog

{and somewhat of a captive audience…hehehe}

I feel compelled to take pictures and post them.

{Even though I will never argue that I have any skill

for taking good pictures.

Holding the camera just makes me feel…

professional.

And bossy.}

Today we went with Grandma and Grandpa

to the Robert Ridgway Grasslands Nature Preserve.

{You’ve heard of Robert Ridgway, right?}

The last time we were here, it was summer,

and everything was in bloom.

This time,

everything is drying out.

Fall is on the way.

The pond is much smaller than before,

due to the lack of rain in the last two months.

But it was by far the greenest place on our walk,

and there were still frogs on the bank.

And tracks, of course,

from thirsty raccoons.

We also spotted this track through the grass.

Can you see the break in the stems, just to the left

of the sign post?

We think it might have been made

by a turtle – giant snapping or box,

we’re not sure which.

{Thankfully} we didn’t see any of those today.

We saw lots of milkweed…

in the pod…

bursting from the pod…

and covered in little orange bugs.

In fact, there were a lot of tiny creatures

and specimens to examine.

Cocoons…

strange little berries/seeds the size of my fingertip…

{or, as my 4yo insisted, “pumpkins”}

tiny milkweed-pod-bug…

{why, yes, that is the scientific name for this critter!}

and thistle…beautiful…

and prickly.

But mostly just beautiful.

Since I’m really really not good at taking pictures,

you can’t get a sense of the incredible

life

of all the rustling grasses, reaching in all directions

as far as the eye can see,

bending and waving in the wind…

or the sky,

filled with clouds

and slanting sunshine

and blue peeking through

like your favorite little boys’ eyes…

or these amazing little treasures,

like miniature roses,

nestled in among ferns and big blue stem

and Indian grass…

seemingly dried out and hard,

but so delicate that this one nearly

crumbled in my fingers.

And isn’t that an interesting picture of us?

Walking the path we’ve decided is best

for ourselves, ignoring the beauty around us

through our tunnel vision,

ignoring the Creator who put it there,

and who put us where we are,

right now,

until we’re dry and shriveled up

and worn out

with trying to be tough enough

and ready to fall to pieces

at the merest touch.

But just remember…

there is a way home.

And He is waiting for you,

and there is new life,

eternal life,

that is yours for the asking.

Linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for

Miscellany Monday

Friday Favorites : Mini-Field Trip!

The kids and I went to the park twice this week to play, now that public school is in session and the playgrounds aren't overrun.  Of course, it was such a nice week that there were a number of moms out with little ones in strollers.  I hate to be an equipment-crasher, no matter how well-behaved my kids are.

What to do, what to do?

We decided to take a nature walk along the "creek" instead.

Where there are floating trees.  {grin}

(It's more like a big drainage ditch that runs the whole width of the park.  But I'm not about to go trekking through the woods in search of something more authentic.)

It was so much fun that we went back today.  This time, armed with cameras!

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It turns out there are a number of little ponds that have formed in the creek bed, between dried out spots.  Little enclosed ecosystems you can look down on from the bank.

We saw lots of minnows.  Are minnows really fish, or just overgrown tadpoles?  The boys had a recurring argument discussion about this as we went along.  (I'll have to google it later.)

According to Wikipedia:
"Minnow is a general term used to refer
to small freshwater and saltwater fish...
it refers to small freshwater fish
 of the carp family."

There you go!
Some of those minnows looked big enough to catch with a hook!

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We also spotted a water snake, hanging out near the edge.  Until he caught our scents.

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Photo from National Geographic.



In one little puddle-let we saw a little creature all curled up on himself.  I thought it was a snake, but the kids got out the nature guides when we got home to prove me wrong.  They concluded that it was a mudpuppy or similar type of salamander.

 (Not my picture, of course, since silly me didn't foresee the possibility that we would be in need of photographic evidence of the critters at the pond in order to categorize them properly.  I only expected some tadpoles.)

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We saw several butterflies which are yet to be identified.

We also hit the library on day two, and all anyone wanted to do when we got home was dig into their new books.  (And eat lunch, of course!)

(This one, my 10yo informs me, is a buckeye.)

Mr. Monarch hung around for a while too.

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On day two, we spotted another water snake, this time in action.  It was swimming into the school of (pretty large) minnows, and caught one!  Very exciting!  He shook it around and then swam back into his home.  We waited a while, but he didn't come back out.

(And of course, I didn't catch him on film.  Although, I did keep my 4yo from ending up in the water with the snake, so I'll call that a victory.)

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photo credit

Later, (meaning: after I had put the camera away) we spotted a woodpecker who looked a lot like this.

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The kids loved it.  Especially the part where we had to climb down into the creek bed and back up the other side.  Boys love their adventures!

Mom, on the other hand, was just glad we didn't meet up with any creepy-crawlies while we were crossing over.

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So what did we learn about on our little adventure?
food chains
snakes
fish
water currents
weird little green tennis-ball-like fruits
tetanus shots
obedience
(as in, No, you cannot pet the snake!)
enclosed ecosystems
life and death in the animal kingdom
patience
weather
attention to detail
teamwork
salamanders
thankfulness
(as in, We're thankful we're not strapped down to a book right now.)

Really, who knows all that they'll take away from this experience?  Maybe in a month, or a year, or when they're 46, they'll remember walking along the bank, feeling the warmth of the sun and the sweetness of the summer breeze, and remember the thrill of watching that snake attack the minnow, and the longing to stay just a little longer, please.

I love books, but hands-on experience is also a very good thing.

All in all, another successful and fun episode of homeschooling!

Linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy for Friday Favorites

I Spy … Home Education

 

I was observing last night, as my 4yo and 10yo sons read through an I Spy book from the library.

My 10yo son wants to read the poem, then find each thing listed, in the correct order.  There’s a lot of discussion:  if you’re supposed to find three apples, do they have to match exactly, or can one be whole and one have a bite missing?  Do they have to be the same size?  The same color?

My 4yo son finds some things from the list, but he’d much rather pore over the picture and exclaim over each surprise and treasure he finds.  There’s a bear, and a pencil, and a spoon, and a truck, and another truck, and a Santa, and a cat …

I think this is an interesting way to think of home schooling.  A lot of standard school seems to be finding out what needs to be learned to pass the test, and then drilling it to the exclusion of everything else.

Home educating gives you an opportunity to slow down and explore the bigger picture.  In our school so far this year (2 weeks), we’ve been reading about biology, and the Gettysburg Address, and music, and cooking, and Spanish, and French, and computer coding, and algebra, and fractions, and division, and the letter K…just to name a few.  The kids have been observing the birds in the backyard and the Venus fly-trap my 14yo just bought.  We’re going to start reading some Astronomy next week too.

Sure, there are certain things that need to be covered, and we study those basics.  But school is a lot more fun when you can slow down and *spy* a surprise or two along the way!

“Summer School”

We don’t actually “do school” in the summer.  Honestly, though, do you ever stop learning?  My cousin (Hi, Cally!) graduated with her teaching degree last month; is her head filled with all the knowledge she’ll ever need?  Of course not.
We all learn continuously throughout our lives.  So when my kids have teachable moments, I grab that opportunity and utilize it.  Even if it’s summer time.  (And even if they don’t actually realize that they’re learning.) 
Also—I document the undercover lesson to add to next year’s portfolios.  *grin*
So, thanks to the public library’s summer reading program, they spent some time planning and constructing castles.  (This year’s theme is “A Midsummer Knight’s Read,” and they have many Middle Ages themed activities planned.  Coincidentally, guess what my little boys are studying in history this fall?  Sweet!)

Here’s my 4-year-old’s vision of Bowser’s Castle, from a video game. (With some LOTS of help from his 14-year-old brother!)

This one is titled “Mozzarella” (a take-off from Cinderella) by my 10-year-old.  The blue mouse is fleeing the Mouse Ball and has lost a slipper; the red mouse is in pursuit of his rodent fair.

This one is Castle Grayskull, by my 8-year-old.  He was going to include an action-hero He-Man toy, but three-dimensional He-Man was twice as tall as our drawbridge opening.  So he used two-dimensional He-Man instead.  (Many thanks to Dad for printing that up!)

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But we’ve been up to more than just medieval architecture.

I put these place-mats charts of the Presidents and the states and capitals on the cork board next to the kitchen table.  You would not believe the memorization that’s been going on, just because they see it so frequently!  The older boys have even taught the 4yo the first few presidents.  Since I have 4 boys, everything they do becomes a contest, and it’s not unusual to hear, “Quiz me!” while waiting for dinner to be served.

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And now we pause for one of those moments that make me so thankful that we homeschool.

My 4yo was drawing this morning.  Here’s his picture of Grandma’s barn.

He wanted to know how to spell barn, so I told him.  The he looked at the word for a minute, and I could see the wheels turning in his head.  He sounded out the letters, and his face lit up as he connected the sounds with the letters, and the letters with the word, and the word with his picture and the actual building at Grandma’s house.
And he wanted to know more.

Silly me couldn’t think of anything else that rhymed with “barn” off the top of my head, so we did “farm” and “warm" before switching to the much easier “dog.”  (And of course, he had to write his name multiple times for good measure.)
Ahhhh, I love an impromptu phonics lesson masquerading as fun on the dry erase board before lunch!  But I have to run—we’re building bald pirate mother potato head people this afternoon!  When is naptime, again?


linking up to Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters

Miscellany Monday

1.  I recently got a straightening iron…or flat iron…whatever you want to call it.  Love, love, love the new ‘do.  I’ve never been much of a makeup-and-perfume type girl, but I have a feeling this little miracle-working appliance is taking up permanent residence in the bathroom.
2.  Is it spring yet?  I mean, how can I have a mountain of muddy clothes to wash and a backyard swamp behind the house and it not be spring yet?
3.  Just did a walking workout DVD by Leslie Sansone.  A lot of fun, and really got my heart rate up there.  Personal prediction : many miles of fun in the foreseeable future.
4.  My son put up the newest addition to the schooling area (otherwise known as the kitchen table) in our house.  A wall-mounted white board and bulletin board.

How cool is that!?!  (Triple punctuation is allowed in instances of extreme nerdy ecstasy.)  We are studying (among other things) the presidents and state capitals.  And we always have the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance up.  (Good job, son!)
5.  Here’s my feet.  Very interesting, no?  I include them only because I am thankful for them.  They carried me 2 miles this evening.  Way to go, toes!  Can you tell I’m tired?  ROFLOLSCOMM…not really.  I don’t have any soda in the house right now, and I’m way too tired to clean up the ensuing mess if I was actually doing that.  Good night!