Posted in Crafting, Learning, Playing/ Free Exploration, Uncategorized on Dec 9th, 2011
Grandma Jan and Cousin Ruby got the children Perler Beads last week. I have fond memories of making Perler Bead crafts with friends as a child, and was pleased to see how much the children enjoyed them, too.
Hal spent the first few minutes just running his fingers through the beads in the pie tin. As [...]
Posted in Books and Reading, Learning, Mothering tool kit, Playing/ Free Exploration, Uncategorized on Dec 8th, 2011
The children are really enjoying this book. It’s those days where we have “nothing to do” that the kids engage in deep, meaningful learning on their own terms.
This week we’ve been playing a lot of card games (Bea’s favorite), which reinforce cooperation, strategy, addition, subtraction, memory recall for the girls, and help Hal ( age [...]
Posted in Books and Reading, Changing Seasons, Learning, O Come, O Come Emmanuel on Nov 29th, 2011
In this season, we add Advent readings, reflections and songs to our homeschool day. Some way we are enjoying this season of anticipation:
reflecting with an Advent prayer book from Ascension Presbyterian
reading from The Jesus Storybook Bible
celebrating with Family Hymns from Kortney at One Deep Drawer
playing with some of our Nativity sets on the nature table
creating [...]
Posted in Learning, Playing/ Free Exploration on Oct 28th, 2011
Many thanks to my mother for getting the kids a subscription to Highlights Magazine’s Top Secret Adventures!! Ever issue brings a new mystery to solve in a new country. It’s one of the best structured homeschooling activities we’ve ever worked on as a family.
We’re currently making our way around China attempting to solve a crime, [...]
Posted in Crafting, From my kitchen, Homemaking, Learning, Mamas Who Inspire, Moderation and Economy on Oct 27th, 2011
…reading a few chapters in Ann Voskamp’s book before the children were up…
…enjoying granola in the breakfast nook after morning chores, watching chickens, ducks mucking happily around the yard (Cran-Walnut Granola recipe at the bottom)
…quilting for a neighbor’s baby, due in 2 weeks, while the children had breakfast.
A welcome reprieve before tackling the general chaos [...]
Posted in BCS Teaching Garden/SotE Urban Farm 2011, Homemaking, Learning on Apr 25th, 2011
We’ve all been dreaming of them for such a long time, and now they’re finally here!! 3 fuzzy little day-old Indian Runner ducklings came home with us this past Wednesday.
The duckings are just about the cutest things we’ve ever seen!! They’re comical, inquisitive, interested in people, and love to snuggle their little heads in the [...]
Posted in BCS Teaching Garden/SotE Urban Farm 2011, Birding, Learning on Mar 4th, 2011
The chicks, 9 and 10 days old (Here’s hoping they all survive and none turn out to be cockerels, because the kids are just smitten and have named them all):
Cookie, the Buff Orpington. (She’s the largest and fluffiest of the chicks, by far.)
Violet (dark brown), and Nudge II (golden), the Auracanas. (You can see their [...]
Posted in BCS Teaching Garden/SotE Urban Farm 2011, Changing Seasons, Learning, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Feb 19th, 2011
On this brilliantly sunny February Saturday, we ordered chicks and ducklings from the feed store, and discovered garlic, crocus, vibrant-pink rhubarb emerging from the soil, and soaked up the first hints of spring-to-come.
In a week in which we had a lot of sickness and stress, and grief, I am doubly blessed that we are learning [...]
Posted in Learning, Locally grown, Nature Table, Working the earth/harvesting its bounty on Sep 6th, 2010
Temperatures have been dipping down into the low 50s and high 40s at night, and there’s been a crispness to the air that says Autumn is on her way here.
Many plants are waning, having set seed and beginning to shut down for the year. So, this afternoon, in the bright sunshine, we cleaned up many, [...]
Posted in Crafting, Homemaking, Learning, Moderation and Economy, Sewing on Jul 31st, 2010
The children went to a Storybook Costume Ball with their cousins last night. We had a two-day scramble to throw together some costumes, but we pulled it off just in time! Here’s a little bit on what we made:
Little Hen wanted to be Amphitrite, the Queen of the Ocean, wife of Poseiden, in Greek [...]