The Forest Room

Chess and Ducks

2012-01-28T18:39:00.003-05:00

Larkin had his second chess tournament today. Jeremiah took him to his first one, so this was my first time to take him. Unlike the first tournament, we didn't know anyone there, so it was kind of confusing for me at first, but everyone there was very nice and helpful, so it ended up going smoothly. There were a lot of kids there and 28 in Larkin's division.

First game was over in about ten minutes. Larkin lost.

Second game was fun to watch. I couldn't see the board very well or the pieces being taken by either of the boys, but I could see Larkin's face, and that was plenty. He started out so confident, as you can see in the picture below, but then his opponent captured his queen and his whole body language took on a completely different demeanor. But after a while, he suddenly perked up, moved two pawns across the board to gain two queens. I didn't even know you could have two queens. Neither did his opponent, but the moderator okayed the move and Larkin went on to win the game.

I was glad for the sunny weather and sent the kids out to play in between games.

He ended up winning 3 games, losing 2.

Admiring the trophies with the other boys.

Accepting his trophy for 2nd Unrated.

Larkin really had a great time and was thrilled that he earned a trophy.

Afterward, we had a picnic at a little park.

Madagascar

2012-01-26T19:20:00.004-05:00

This week, we learned all about Madagascar, the Vanilla Island.

Lots of books, of course.

We shared some of our fun with our Tuesday co-op friends, starting with a video from the library and a snack of banana fritters. Then we watched leaping lemurs and tried some leaping ourselves.
The kids made drawings based on descriptive imagery by Maya Angelou.

Baobabs and the tsingy.

Imagining what's in the egg.

Making landforms with playdough.

Coloring pages of the Madagascar flag and animals.

Madagascar dot-to-dot.

World map and Africa puzzles.

We finished up with a Malagasy meal: varenga with rice, greens and tomato, fruit salad with plenty of vanilla, and burned rice drink.

Additional activities from our Madagascar week:
Reading a map
Videos about aye ayes, the fossa, lemurs, sifakas, more lemurs, plants (at about 2:40)
Pictures of the Malagasy people and money
And just for fun - Song of the Zebu

Some Loveliness

2012-01-25T19:55:00.004-05:00

Guess what we've had.

Sun! And temps in the 50's.
The kids enjoyed some barefoot time, building an outdoor kitchen.

Jeremiah gave the kids a lesson in changing brake pads and rotating tires.

It was even warm enough for a car wash.

Jeremiah and Miah started some seeds.

Larkin lost a tooth, and the one next to it looks like it's about to go too.

I had some time alone with Larkin today. We played chess. He beat me.

Then we went for a walk, and Larkin took some pictures.

He brought home a tiny flower to examine under the microscope.

Then he played and read while I purged the school room and the girls' room.

Jeremiah wanted to know if I was nesting. I guess so. This is the first pregnancy that I've had the energy and the stomach to do it. Next up, the bathrooms and my room. And I would love to do the garage too. But that's kind of scary. We'll see.

Preschool Science: Airplanes

2012-01-21T19:35:00.004-05:00

Making an airport, complete with hangars and a control tower.

Airplane coloring pages: here, here, and here.

A lesson in how airplanes fly and making the shape of airplane wings out of clay.

Dot-to-dot and maze. Rohan loved the maze and kept asking for more.

Falling paper experiment. A ball of paper falls faster than a flat piece that catches more air.

But a parachute slows the ball of paper down.

Paper wing experiment.

Airplane rhymes and fingerplay.

Playing with paper airplanes.

And a paper helicopter.

Airplane art.

Windsocks made of toilet paper tubes and streamers.

Playing mechanic and pilot.

I used google maps to show the kids how long it takes to get to different cities by walking, driving or flying.
And we read plenty of books on airplanes. I especially liked The Little Airplane by Lois Lenski. It is geared toward young children but the text isn't babyfied. It's full of information in a story format and would be good for preschool on up through elementary.

The Excitement of January

2012-01-20T20:40:00.002-05:00

January is always the most exciting month of the year for us. The gorgeous weather makes for such exciting outings and beautiful photography, as you have surely noticed. We have an abundance of gray clouds and rain, which of course gives us plenty of mud. None of the fussy white stuff for us!
OK. OK. In truth, we would love some snow, but it's really not so bad. We get lots of downtime and time together. We're not yet running around being busy. January is a month to relax, and I have, over the years, learned to deal well with the weather and not get down in the dumps about it. I just try to focus on what is good right now and remember that the sky always brightens up after a few weeks. Most of all, I simply refuse to be depressed by January. I know it sounds like I'm oversimplifying things, but really it was a definite decision I made two years ago, after moping around for the month. It's sort of a live-in-the moment, be-happy-with-today kind of attitude, because if I count up how many days of gray skies we've had or how many days until spring, it just doesn't help anything.
So, anyway.
Without further ado.
Presenting . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Our most exciting photographs of the week!

Working with numbers.

Clay play.

Zahana's Girl Picking Apples.

Trying to make something that floats.

New playdough! Miah's creation.

A discovery! Miah found Civil War paper dolls in the garage!

And Zahana found a phonics workbook and spent about an hour on it this morning.

Learning ballet positions.

"The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer. Minute by minute they lengthen out. It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change. It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a
twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour."
- Vita Sackville-West

Friends and Play

2012-01-18T09:02:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we had friends over to play games.

Afterward, Larkin used the Sumoku game for what he uses all games for: war.

A tea party.

Helping Mama.

Paper bag puppets.

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.”
~Tennessee Williams

A Trip to the Airport

2012-01-16T10:40:00.005-05:00

This week's preschool science is all about airplanes, so we started the week out with a trip to see Papa at work.
First, a look at the tools of the airplane mechanic's trade.

A look inside the airplanes that are being worked on.

Then into the sheet metal shop to use all the big rollers, brakes, drills, cutters, and a scary-loud saw.

They each took home a couple of their aluminum creations.

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." ~George Santayana

Week in Review

2012-01-14T17:29:00.009-05:00

This week, several of our activities started up again. Sunday, we had church small group, and Tuesday we had co-op. I meant to bring my camera to co-op but forgot. The kids did several activities to learn onomatopoeia and alliteration. Then they did a group art project which you can see here and here. (I'm glad other people had cameras, because I really liked the end result of the art project.) Thursday, Miah and Larkin had scouts, and today we had some friends over to play.
Socialization: check. ;)
We've been doing lots of learning on the Civil War, but I'll save that for its own post.
Miah and Larkin are getting used to doing their math, grammar/letter writing/story writing, daily devotionals, and personal projects independently. They worked much more efficiently this week.
In Artistic Pursuits, Miah is learning about line and space.

For his rain forest project, Larkin read Afternoon on the Amazon and the accompanying Rain Forest Guide (both Magic Tree House). He drew this snake, made a couple of paper puzzles and pockets for them for his notebook, and a pop-out rain forest picture.

We've also been watching Into the Amazon, which Larkin received for Christmas. We are all enjoying this DVD series, and I recommend them. They are full of fascinating information, and it is all from a young earth creationist perspective. We also got the Jonathon Park Goes to the Amazon CD's for him, but I do not recommend them. While I am absolutely a young earth creationist Christian, I get frustrated with some of the educational materials available. If I buy something that says it's about the Amazon, it's because I'm looking for material to help my children learn about the Amazon. Only about 10% of these CD's are actually about the Amazon (as if there wasn't enough to learn on this subject!). The rest is religious dogma. And even though it's my own religion, I got tired of it. (I was also disappointed in the lack of emphasis on stewardship.) I have had the same problem when looking for creationist dinosaur material. So what happens is, we end up having to pick through secular, evolution-saturated texts to find any actual information on the topic. We are already young earth creationists; we don't need to be convinced. What we want is information about God's amazing creation! I guess evolutionary books and videos are the same way. You can find some that are so bent on selling their position, you can't get through to any meat. But most are actually about the topic stated and just sprinkle evolutionary sentences throughout. It really makes me want to write good kid books from a young earth creationist perspective that are actually FULL of intriguing information about God's wonderful creation. (Yeah, maybe in another life!)
(P.S. This was my first experience with Jonathan Park, and I've heard that they are really good, so maybe this one was an exception. Additionally, I have always been very happy with material from Apologia.)
Well, enough of the ranting.
We've had lots of gray, wet days this week. Thursday especially was so rainy, except for an amazing 5 minutes, when the sun came out unexpectedly and brilliantly, and a beautiful rainbow shone fleetingly in the sky.

"I saw the lovely arch
Of rainbow span the sky,
The gold sun burning
As the rain swept by."
~Elizabeth Coatswort

We've had a fairly steady stream of little birds visiting our deck since the kids put out the bird food.

Plenty of time for play.

Zahana has been working on CVC words and reading 2-digit numbers. Rohan is not so interested, but I'm sure he's absorbing.

We did actually have a bit of snow Thursday night. This morning I read some snow books to the little ones and made them some snow dough. I thought it was very pretty. Recipe found at The Imagination Tree via The Chocolate Muffin Tree (Zahana's favorite blog.)

"If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may want to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning." ~Carl Rogers

Learning About Ethiopia

2012-01-13T19:33:00.008-05:00

"Ethiopia didn't just blow my mind; it opened my mind." Bono

I have been looking forward to doing geography lessons with my younger two for a year or two. I had been planning on starting the lessons when they start kindergarten, but I decided I want to get used to doing lessons with them before the new baby is born.
We started this week with a country that Zahana and Rohan are already familiar with, Ethiopia.

Monday
We started by watching this Video of Ethiopia and praying for the people of Ethiopia.

We read lots of books throughout the week, cuddled under the blanket Jeremiah had specially made while he was in Ethiopia. (Beds are smaller there, so he had to ask that a larger one be made to fit our bed.) Some of our books were from the library and some we own. A good place to find Ethiopian books and products is AmharicKids.com.

I printed off some Coloring Pages and pictures of Ethiopia to cut and glue.

Wednesday

Africa Geopuzzle

Philip and the Ethiopian lesson. We used the felt board instead of acting out the story. For the scroll, I printed out the words of the Ethiopian when he wanted to be baptized: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Thursday
Ethiopians celebrate two major holidays in January. One is Ganna (Christmas).
To celebrate, we played a game called ganna, which you can read about in the above link. It's like hockey; the kids used brooms and a balloon.

We also played mancala . . .

and a rock game. Well, we tried to play the rock game. The little girl in the video makes it look a lot easier than it really is.

For lunch we made injera, beef wat, and coffee. I read this article about coffee to everyone. (Rohan is mixing the spices. Zahana is chopping the onion, but it is burning her eyes so she keeps closing them.)

The kids dressed up in white. According to tradition, the wise man who carried the frankincense was Ethiopian, so Rohan was our little Ethiopian wise man carrying frankincense (found at health food store, very cheap.) The other kids carried candles, and they all sang Silent Night in our little Ganna procession.

Friday
The second January holiday celebrated in Ethiopia is Timket, which you can read about in the above Ganna link.
Sometimes children receive a gift of clothing for Timket, so I bought white t-shirts for Zahana and Rohan to decorate with an Ethiopian design, which I found on this Art project video (the design is around 2:20, but the whole video is worth watching for ideas.)

Playing yeferas guks. This time the brooms are horses and the foam swords are lances.

The story of Jesus' baptism, which is the purpose of the Timket celebration.

Dancing to Ethiopian music (youtube.)

We concluded the week by making some cookies out of teff, the grain grown in Ethiopia. It is very tiny, as you can see (compared to wheat.)

"Ethiopia confounds every expectation. You arrive expecting a vast featureless desert and instead find yourself overwhelmed by majestic landscapes and climatic abundance. You expect a land which has been ravaged to the point of ruin by years of civil war, and instead you find close to the best civil amenities in Africa and almost no obvious signs that a war ever took place. You arrive expecting to see human degradation and abject poverty, and instead find yourself immersed in a culture besotted which itself and its history, and marked by a sense of unforced pride that is positively infectious." ~Philip Briggs

Preschool Astronomy

2012-01-09T07:56:00.006-05:00

Our homeschooling looks quite a bit different now than it has in the past. The main focus for Miah and Larkin is to work more independently. We have time all together for Bible study, spelling, and history. Then Miah and Larkin work on math, grammar/writing, and daily devotionals. They each also have special projects to work on. Miah has Artistic Pursuits or her own drawing. Larkin is working on a rainforest project of his own design. As they finish each assignment, they bring it to me for immediate correction.
That leaves me with more time for Zahana and Rohan. Along with some math and reading, I've decided to alternate weekly units of science and geography. Zahana requested we start the first week out with astronomy. It was lots of fun for me to see how excited and interested Zahana and Rohan were over everything. I took a lot from Miah and Larkin's year of astronomy, but found some new ideas too that were more suitable for preschoolers. Along with all the books we read, here's what our week of preschool astronomy looked like:
Monday
Zahana knew I had bought a freeze-dried ice-cream sandwich (astronaut food) and we weren't going to get anything else done until she had that, so we started with space exploration.

Space letters coloring page.
We did a few simple experiments from Astronomy For Every Kid.

We watched some youtube videos (via The Homeschool Den) of astronauts and learned about gravity. This was a fascinating topic for them and they talked a lot about it.
Bunny Hopping on the Moon
Astronauts eating, living, moving
How to Use the Toilet in Space

Tuesday - The Sun

Despite the bit of snow on the ground, the sun was out. We melted butterscotch chips with a magnifying glass, made sun tea, and construction paper sun prints. We practiced revolving around each other like planets around the sun, did a few other experiments, and I bought our very first prism ever.

Wednesday - The Moon
We made marble paintings which were for cutting into the shapes of the moon's phases. And we made moon pudding. It was also easy for us to observe the moon and stars throughout the week since it gets dark so early.

Thursday - Stars

I still had the foil constellations Miah and Larkin made, so we looked at those in the closet and did some experiments which turned out to be duds.

An easy, successful experiment was drawing chalk stars on an umbrella and then using it to demonstrate how our view of the night sky changes.

Constellation dot-to-dots

Friday - Planets

A vinegar and baking soda volcano for Mars and butter volcano for Venus. Making a swirling storm for Jupiter.

Making craters in a playdough Mercury. An underwater volcano (for just another volcano demonstration.)

Making clouds for Neptune. A solar system model.

Saturday was baking day, but Zahana kept asking for more astronomy. So I guess that meant the week was a success. Better leave them wanting more than wanting less.

The First Week

2012-01-08T21:11:00.003-05:00

It's going to have to be another random picture post. I need more sleep these days, and this kind of post is quicker.

I set myself a goal of one skein of yarn per week and one silk painting per week. In the first week of January I have a half finished skein (above. It's a really long rainbow single I plan to coil.) and a drawing of the the silk I want to paint. I tried.
Miah has become interested in the guitar so Jeremiah taught her a few chords.

Jeremiah and Larkin building bridges. And memories.

Jeremiah built this beautiful corner shelf this week. It makes the dining area look so bright and fresh.

Miah made a necklace and some felt creations.

Playing, playing, playing.

Bird watching and cooking.

More.

And more.

Such a good, full week we had together.
"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!" ~Albert Einstein

I Want to be Shiny

2012-01-07T21:25:00.003-05:00

Well, this year is off to a roaring start. After a month of visiting with friends and family and taking it easy, I was ready to get started back with schedules and school. I made myself a new schedule (something I'm forever doing), and I feel like I've accomplished so much this week. Except for blogging. It's there on the schedule, but I never got to it except in my head. There are lots of thoughts and pictures to be shared though. So I'll start with a little of the thoughts for now. Pictures tomorrow, hopefully.
I'm not much for New Year's resolutions. Never really have been. Maybe it's my non-conformist attitude about pretty much everything. Maybe it's just that I don't feel like I can suddenly be something different just because I turned a calendar page. Whatever. But something's been sticking in my head lately, and I'd really like to make it a big focus of my life, call it what you will. It's just this:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
I'm not the shiniest person in the world. In fact, I think I look pretty gray. If I'm in the room, you're either not going to notice or you're going to want to leave. (You don't think so? Well, blogs are deceptive. It's true.) I stink as an ambassador of heaven. I think a smile would help. I think focusing on what is best for those around me rather than myself would also help. I think a big sign on the inside of my brain that says, "I AM NOT HERE FOR ME!" would be very helpful. But can I really be something different than I've always been? Can I put myself out of my comfort zone in public? In my own house?
"But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.'" Mark 10:27
He's looking at me and He knows just what I am, but He loves me and He's working on me. Praise be to God!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
This verse always seemed like a one time deal kind of thing. We are lost in sin, God changes our hearts, and Ta-da! All new and shiny and that's done. But I think He continues the renewal, because we always need it.
"This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“ Therefore I hope in Him!”
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him."
~Lamentations 3:21-25
See! Every morning! So I hope in Him, and I trust in Him. To make me new and to make me shiny. Not for my sake, but so that He may be glorified through me. Oh, that He would use me for such a thing, for what is greater than to be a reflection of His great glory and goodness?

It's Not Over 'Til It's Over

2011-12-29T15:37:00.004-05:00

Every year, after we celebrate Christmas in Kentucky with our families, we come home and have our own cozy, slow little celebration. I went to the store to get some food for our special day, and the cashier asked if I had a good Christmas. It feels strange to me every year that the whole rest of the world is done with the celebrating, and it feels only just begun to me.

I forgot to charge the camera batteries and didn't get to take pictures of the kids opening their stockings, but I got some later while they were playing.

While the boys were sword fighting, the girls sat in the warm bathroom and made sculptures out of modeling beeswax.

For breakfast, I made everyone else homemade caramel rolls and bacon. For myself, I made some simple and delicious glazed almonds.

I put my bacon on GAPS-friendly cheddar rolls. Yum!

We ate, sang Christmas hymns, and read my favorite children's version of the Christmas story.
Then we opened presents, watching the kids play before opening more. That really draws it out and makes it relaxing.

I am SO glad we got this peanut ball for Zahana. It gives her something to take her energy out on in the house. She loves and it and said she wanted to use it even when she sits at the table.

Miah (sporting the new hair feathers she's been asking for) and I learned how to make angels out of roving. These were our first ones, then Miah made three more.

This book was my gift. I promptly made the yummy chocolate shake recipe.

The rest of the day was just spent playing and being together.

So that was yesterday. Today, I've been on a cleaning rampage, and Jeremiah and the kids put away the Christmas stuff. Most of it. I see a few forgotten items. No sense in removing all the cheerful memories just yet.
After all, the Spirit of Jesus, His humility, His sovereignty, His love, His sacrifice, it's not just for a few days but our whole lives. So whether you feel like it's over or not . . .
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Celebrations

2011-12-28T13:00:00.005-05:00

At my grandma's and my parents' houses.

Gathering at my grandma's house with my brother and sister and their new spouses. My sister-in-law is pregnant too, so the family is rapidly growing this year. Christmas breakfast, the Story, and presents. More fun at my parents' house. Making gingerbread houses and going on four-wheeler rides. Miah was excited about her jewelry making kit and made a necklace. Christmas dinner.

At Jeremiah's parents' house.

Dinner, the Story, presents. Lots of play with all the cousins. Hair braiding, games, a tea party. Family pictures.

Some of the homemade gifts.

A basket of homemade foot scrub, freshening powder, bath soak, soap, and lemon balm tea. (Free jar labels here.)A seasonal tree with bird ornaments made from clay. I'll get some better pictures of this once we have it up in our house. Clay rings. Handpainted owls, available for sale her e. Sorting toy. Refurbished jewelry boxes for all the girls. A giant adorable monkey for Zahana. My mom made me leg and wrist warmers from the angora wool I spun from my rabbit, Sheherazade. Paper star and felt owl ornaments.

Silks and Stuff

2011-12-23T09:58:00.003-05:00

I did not make many handmade gifts this year, but I did make a few silks. It was inspiring as I've been in an uncreative mood for the past several months. Now I'm ready to jump in again with spinning and silk painting full force.

We let the kids open one present yesterday, because there were some things that would be great for the trip to Kentucky. Larkin opened some Jonathon Park story CD's to listen to in the van.
And he's been playing with his birthday gifts.

A bascule bridge.

Miah's MP3 player. She likes to listen to KLove, and she picked out some stories to download.

The little ones got their own Webkinz or "Wekkins" as Rohan says. Stuffed animals are about Rohan's favorite things to play with.

Happy 8th

2011-12-22T08:23:00.003-05:00

Larkin had his first birthday party with friends this year. He usually wants to celebrate with family when we go up to Kentucky for Christmas, but this year he wanted to do things differently.
Zahana helped make the army guy cake.

He had lots of fun with his buddies and took advantage of all the attention by being a complete goofball. My boy is full of extremes. He's not halfway or sort of or a little bit. He's very indecisive, very bossy, very boy, very focused, very smart, very sensitive, very thoughtful, very helpful, very fun, and very, very affectionate. Verily. He loves anything to do with the rain forest, loves being right, loves constructing, loves bugs and rocks and ocean critters, loves chess and any type of battle game or book or talk, loves boy scouts and his family.
And I love him.
As my kids grow and develop, I see a little part of me in them that I can connect with. Oh I see parts of me in them that I do not want to see, for sure, especially in this one, but they each seem to have a part that I really get. I'll never be into his battle games or boy scouts or constructing, although I love seeing him so into them and love helping him or encouraging those interests, but his love of science I can totally connect with. I can have fun with him and be fascinated right along with him. I can connect with him. I can understand the way he thinks or why he's so intrigued.
I thank God for this boy, my Larkin. I thank Him for the opportunity to really know my son, to be able to see him and teach him and love on him every day. I thank God for the person He is making in my son, for the plans He has for him, for the relationships He is growing in him. And I pray that God will continue to grow him in wisdom and knowledge and stature and use Larkin for His glory, now and his whole life.

"My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path." Proverbs 2: 1-9

2011-12-22T08:19:00.002-05:00

Jessica at Bohemian Bowmans is giving away free copies of her ebook, Parenting Wild Things, today. Click here for details.

Desultory December

2011-12-21T06:58:00.004-05:00

It has been a relaxed and busy week, each finding his own thing to do, resulting in not much to blog about and a post filled with complete randomness.

Fingerpaint in the bathtub and discovering the jets.

Selling the jewelry made in class to benefit Women at Risk.

A gift - lots of girl baby clothes!

Another gift - a beautiful handmade angel.

Making concoctions.

Drying lemon balm.

Stirring the egg nog.

Making pop-out cards.

Crystals are done growing.

Painting silks.

Leftover salt from silk painting.

Just playing.

And reading.

And painting.

There's also been lots of play with friends and crafting and getting ready and shopping and being cozy together and thinking and feeling the baby move and . . . . living life!

Hot Lava, Picture Play, and Other Randomness

2011-12-13T09:44:00.005-05:00

For a few days, the kids have been playing a game where they pretend the floor is hot lava and they have to figure out how to get around without touching the floor.

Then Miah got out the oil pastels, and she and Larkin drew volcanoes.

I took my cue from the kids and went upstairs to look through our books for any volcano or earth science books. We enjoyed one together. The kids were amazed by some of the stories in the book, and we looked up several places on the globe.

Larkin brought home more rain forest books from our last trip to the library.

Rohan has really been enjoying looking at books and being read to lately.

Random crafts involving hot glue, the kids' favorite.

Writing a letter.

Searching for inspiration.

She made several beads out of paper clay and drew some kolam designs.

Snow play with more experimentation this time.

Making pancakes together.

And since Mama was playing around with pictures, the kids wanted to play too.
Miah's:

Larkin's:

Zahana's

Birthday Fun

2011-12-12T18:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to the birthday party of one of Zahana's friends. The kids had lots of fun doing crafts and playing, breaking a pinata and decorating cookies. Larkin even got 8 candles in his piece of cake since his birthday is this month. They came home with little prizes from the the pinata, including several tattoos. They disappeared into the bathroom to put them on and came out with tattoos in unusual places. Tattoos that won't come off. Even when Mama scrubs them. So I have some interesting-looking children for a few days. I don't think the kids mind a bit.

Interest-Led Moments

2011-12-11T16:31:00.003-05:00

Larkin is pretty much obsessed with his cub scout book. He carries it everywhere, and reads it every chance he gets. This morning he had to tape it up, because it's falling apart.
This past week, he's been working on some of the belt loops.
Art.

Marbles.

And Citizenship.

Miah has not been obsessed with American Heritage Girls. She loves going to the meetings, but hasn't been interested in earning any badges this year. But she finally decided she was ready, and picked out the cake decorating badge. She earned this one as a Tenderheart, but as an Explorer, there are more requirements for each badge. She has been working really hard and was able to do most of it herself with just a bit of direction from me.
Here she is making a cake, reading the directions, finding the ingredients, measuring. She didn't actually have to make a cake for the badge, but it's kind of hard to decorate a cake without a cake to decorate.

She had to make icing and play around with the consistency. Here she's piping a design on top.

Then she made drop flowers. She had to make two batches of frosting to have enough to do everything, but she stuck with it.

I think her cake turned out beautifully. Next up: learning to frost a layer cake . . .

Miah and Larkin made some crystals earlier in the week with a kit from Hobby Lobby. Zahana asked to make some too. I had planned on making borax crystal ornaments for our co-op Christmas party, but we missed that, so I just happened to have the perfect thing for her to do.

These were really wonderful. We are used to waiting days or weeks for crystals to form (and we've tried several different kinds). These made nice thick crystals in about 3 hours. Perfectly satisfying for little kids.

While we waited for the crystals, the kids asked for bubbles. So we made bubbles and Zahana and Rohan played with them in the tub.

Yesterday morning, I asked the kids what they wanted to do for the day. Zahana and Rohan said they wanted to go to their animal class at Monday Fun. I suggested we have our own animal class (since it wasn't Monday and classes are over for the semester anyway.)
"Yes! We can learn about elephants and hippopotamuses and lions and giraffes and . . . " So African animals it was. We went to the library and found some books to read together. And Rohan was very insistent that we make a giraffe. So we did.

I love this time we have to do what they really want to do. It reminds me that, when we started out, one of my reasons for homeschooling was that each kid could have an education tailored to his own interests, strengths, and needs. Wow! Where did that idea go?! I've gotten a little bit hung up on what I want to do with them, which has definite roots in what I would have wanted for myself. That's not exactly the way I should be doing things.
So I'm grateful for this time to step back and analyze what we've been doing and where we will go from here.
Step by step, that's how this goes.

"I also learned that the kids who turned out best had high parent involvement and individualized instruction. Sounds like interest-led learning to me."
"My mantra throughout the years has been 'maintain the joy of childhood and the joy of learning.' Life is an endless fascination. Let’s capitalize on it."
~Jena @yarnsoftheheart.com

Oh yeah. that "joy of learning" thing. I kinda forgot about that one too.
Time to get back on track.

Christmas Cookies and Other Fun Stuff

2011-12-10T17:45:00.004-05:00

We have been enjoying some at-home days this week. Plenty of time for reading and playing and making cookies.

"I'm being very careful," she said when I found her unwrapping the porcelain nativity my grandma made. It's true; she was.

And Rohan said he was making a courthouse on the etch-a-sketch.

Miah's and Rohan's.

Larkin's and Zahana's.

Treasure Hunting

2011-12-09T08:55:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week, we went on our annual treasure hunt to Douglas Lake.

Searching, searching . . .

Busting open rocks and geodes.

Showing off her little clam.

Climbing and playing.

Land art.

A few of the day's finds.

The kids love looking for and finding crystals in the dirt. I've tried searching on the internet for other places we could do this, but it seems to be a big secret among rock hounds. So I thought I'd ask you all. Does anybody know of some other great spots to hunt for crystals or cool rocks in the east Tennessee area or even somewhere relatively near I75 going up through TN or KY?

It's a . . .!!!

2011-12-08T11:42:00.003-05:00

I had an ultrasound this week. The baby looks healthy in every way. It was pretty active, moving its hands around, yawning and sticking its tongue out. The legs were crossed and its precious little feet were right in the way of the area we especially wanted to see. Then it fell asleep. So we waited. And poked around on my belly a little. Until finally, we could see.

This picture gives you big clue. Can you guess?

It's a girl!!! (The boys weren't really that upset. It just took a while for them to process the information.)

At home, Miah added Baby Girl to our Christmas cards.

Feasting and Decorating

2011-12-05T17:57:00.003-05:00

This weekend, the girls and I decided we wanted some Swedish Christmas food. While I made Swedish rye bread (Jeremiah's grandma's recipe) and Swedish meatballs, Miah and Zahana made saft glogg.

And Swedish apple pie and pepparkakor. Miah had some good practice with dividing both recipes in half and measuring.

Dress-up while waiting for the yummies.

Mmmmm!

Larkin made sure we had a Swedish flag on the table.

Mr. Pathetic didn't enjoy the food as much as some of us!

But everybody enjoyed the desserts. (Well, I enjoyed smelling them. I'm not on GAPS anymore, but I'm not eating gluten or sugar.)

I tried out some authentic Swedish coffee and had some rice pudding. The coffee wasn't really significant, just more difficult to prepare. I think I'll stick with my coffee maker.

Later, we took the kids to pick out a Christmas tree.

Jeremiah got the kids some potted spruce trees to decorate and plant later.

Our forest animal advent calendar.

The kids love to play with the little animals.

The Chess Tournament

2011-12-05T16:53:00.004-05:00

Jeremiah took Larkin to his first chess tournament on Saturday.
First, a warm-up game.

Then down to business.

Must have been a tough game. Everyone else finished and these two were put on a clock.

Check mate! Larkin won 2 of his 5 games. Not bad for his first tournament.

Rohan played a few games with Papa.

Oh yeah! Little Buddy's got skills too!

Leaving a Legacy

2011-12-05T15:48:00.005-05:00

I was only around her a few times. And of course I was married into the family. It's not like I have all the growing-up memories the rest of the family has. But there are people in life that touch your heart and your soul no matter their relationship to you or even how much time you spend together. People you will always miss when they are gone.
Jeremiah's grandma gave us some wonderful memories by getting the entire (very large) family together this summer. The kids will always remember that wonderful family time. They had a chance to meet cousins and aunts and uncles they might never have seen.
But it is more remarkable that she always made you feel welcome and loved with just a few kind words and a pat on the knee. She lived out the love of the Savior. To everyone around her, she gave that love and showed us what it looks like to live a life devoted to Christ. A life which she now continues in His glorious Presence.

About the Goats

2011-12-03T08:13:00.005-05:00

Remember my goats? Well, we had them for one whole month. I loved having them and thoroughly enjoyed milking (not to mention the milk!) However, it quickly became obvious that two dwarf goats would never be able to give enough milk for 6 (going on 7) people. We would pass the jar of milk around and each get a little sip. We don't have enough space for more goats, unfortunately. Plus, I was missing out on family trips in order to get two cups of milk a day - not exactly worth it. So our goat adventure was short-lived. I sold them to a friend who has other goats and doesn't need as much milk as us. A couple weeks ago, Sapphire had twin bucks, and I took the kids (my kids, the human kind) to see them.

They were so tiny and sweet and fun, and Sapphire is an excellent mother.

This big tom turkey was the king of the barnyard.

It's so nice that we are able to go visit the goats when we visit our friends. It's also really nice to be getting plenty of raw milk, which we are now able to do again. And one day, things will get even better:

And it will come to pass in that day

That the mountains shall drip with new wine,

The hills shall flow with milk,

And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;

A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD

And water the Valley of Acacias.
Joel 3:18

A Day of Pretty

2011-12-02T08:59:00.004-05:00

Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
Praise the LORD!
~From Psalm 147

The Last of November

2011-12-01T09:44:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, after Grandma went home, I spent the day with my little ones, soon to be my middle ones.
We made fruit salad, but of course we didn't call it that - just fruit, no salad.

We watched some guys working next door.

And just played.

And rode bikes.

And chopped.

Rainbow and Indigo.

Sheherazade, free ranging.

This game was called "See Who Can Throw the Animals Farrer."

Some times I have really simple meals. As in "Here's a chicken. Eat it." Am I the only one? The kids actually seem to enjoy it.

Bathtub paints.

War and Uno.

Making glass jar and tissue paper lanterns.

Homemade peppermint playdough.

Enjoying nature.

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
- Elizabeth Coatsworth

Beginning the Festivities

2011-11-30T11:53:00.002-05:00

While waiting for Grandma and Miah to arrive on Sunday, I made star lanterns with Zahana and Rohan. I have been wanting to make these for some time and really enjoyed the whole process. (I do have to add a word of caution. One of them caught on fire, so we decided to light these only at mealtimes when they can be closely supervised.)

Larkin began the annual flurry of snowflake-making.

And the little ones helped me make an apple cake (with extra cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.)

Finally, after being stuck in traffic for hours, Grandma and Miah arrived safely. Grandma played games and made puzzles with the kids.

She also knitted me a pair of leg warmers out of some very fluffy angora I had spun. They are so soft and warm! Miah started knitting a scarf out of some pretty rainbow yarn Grandma gave her.

They liked the star lanterns, so we all made some more together.

We had two different kinds of hot chocolate: a delicious one we first tried two years ago and a new yummy one that I tweaked a bit by substituting most of the water for milk.

Hmm . . . looks like he's taking after Larkin.

After a bit, we set up Zahana and Rohan with some cardboard cut out in various Christmasy shapes and a bunch of crafty stuff to decorate them.

So that the older set could make ornaments. We made these stars out of 3" squares of paper, much smaller than I've made them before.

Then we painted small drawer handles for mushroom ornaments.

Making Polish Angel Wings and singing "Angels We Have Heard on High". This dough was excellent for the kids to work with. It was very stretchy, so it didn't fall apart easily.

Grandma read lots of Christmas stories.

And played Christmas songs on the piano with Zahana.

We had our first snow yesterday. It was over before the kids could get their coats and shoes on. But we played with faux snow. This usually keeps them busy for about an hour.

Which gave me time to make a dodecahedron star lantern.

One of the stories Grandma read to the kids was Elsa Beskow's Around the Year. The verse for November goes like this:

"Grey is November,
cold as cold.
Stormy November,
wind and rain.
No snow.
No ice.
No glittering sun.
Grey is November,
except
by the bright fire
with a story,
a cushion for the cat,
the dark shut outside
and
the light in the flames
where mysteries lie
and
we dream."

It felt very fitting as it has been very grey, but we were thoroughly enjoying our little fires and stories. I hope the kids always remember and cherish the special times they have with Grandma and Grandpa and other extended family members.
". . . For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." James 4:14

"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." ~Chinese Proverb

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." ~Jesus, Matthew 5:16

Natural Bridge State Park

2011-11-29T07:24:00.003-05:00

Saturday, we had really, really wonderful weather for the end of November, so we visited Natural Bridge with my parents. There are tons of amazing rock formations there, and the hike is just right for the kids. We talked about the different kinds of rock we saw and how they could have formed by the worldwide flood and subsequent erosion. I hate to make the pics so small when there are so many cool things to show, but I have way too many pictures to make them all big. So if you want to see just how awesome the rocks really are, just click to enlarge. Miah ended up spending the night with Grandpa and Grandma, which was a nice treat for her. The other kids missed her, especially Larkin, and they're glad she's home now. Zahana even said, "Thank You that we got Miah back," in her prayers Sunday night. I'm so glad they love each other and can really be friends.

The Creation Museum

2011-11-27T19:34:00.003-05:00

We've been wanting to go to the Creation Museum for a long time, and my dad took us this week.
First thing in the door was a couple of people holding snakes and a tuatara, which they quickly passed to whoever wanted to hold them, which included me and Larkin.

There were lots of skeletons and dinosaur replicas.

An archeological dig exhibit.

Many exhibits explained how all scientists have the same evidence (fossils, rock layers, etc.) but begin with different beliefs that shape the way they explain what they find. Evolution is a belief just like creationism is. After all, none of us were there to see how the earth began, and the big bang theory is not testable, repeatable science.

Adam and Eve in the garden.

Noah's ark.

A fun dinosaur to climb on.

After lunch, we went back in to see some of the films they had showing and there was a story time for the kids.

Then we went over to the petting zoo.

A zorse and zedonk.

A very friendly wallaby.

Larkin took several pictures of the fish.

Miah and Larkin were thrilled to find these pitcher plants in the garden.

One even had a bug in it that was trying to get out but kept slipping back down inside.

It was a perfectly lovely day, a memory we will cherish.

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-27T08:24:00.003-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving with my parents, grandma, sister and her husband.
The girls helped Aunt Beks with side dishes.

Then they went out to find some decorations for the table.

The boys had a ride on the four-wheeler.

The belly: 19 weeks.

The pretty table decorations the girls collected.

My grandma.

Pre-dinner entertainment.

Homemade pies and tea.

Almost ready . . .

Dig in!

A belated birthday present.

Just visiting.

Clean up time.

We are thankful to God for each other, warm homes, cars that work, good food, and His mercies that are renewed every single morning.

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
~1 Chronicles 16:34

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T10:11:00.001-05:00

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.

He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

~Psalm 107

Random Pictures and Plans

2011-11-22T07:36:00.008-05:00

Last week, we visited our farm friends. I always take my camera and intend to take pictures of the kids playing, but I never do. The kids run off with their friends into the woods, and I don't see much of them until I call them to leave. They have so much fun there.
Afterward we went to Bald River Falls since we were fairly close. It was almost dark by the time we got there, and we just had a quick hike.

Rohan found a turkey feather at the farm and wanted to turn it into a quill.

Rohan's play.

Superman learns about fractions.

Games with Mama.

Risk - every day.

Zahana helped out with the laundry.

My farm friend sent me home with some golden beets from her garden.

I roasted them with potatoes, carrots, butter, onion, and garlic and sauteed the greens to go with them Yum!!

Yesterday we had our last Monday Fun class for the semester. The kids in my class did a pony express relay race and worked together to build the transcontinental railroad. We also finished our Saxon math book and science book and reached the halfway point in our history studies for the year. We have lots of plans for the next month: triops and art projects and growing crystals. Reading rainforest and butterfly books, working on badges and belt loops, fancy schmancy origami. A nature scavenger hunt, games, puzzles, Christmas cooking, hiking, shadow puppets, a chess tournament. And friends!
Sounds like fun to me!

Learning about the Flag

2011-11-20T15:11:00.005-05:00

Photobucket is being a pain at the moment and not allowing me to edit the pictures in my old album, only the ones in my new album. So - three big pictures and the rest are little. Oh well.

Larkin is a Wolf this year in Cub Scouts. At the meeting this week, he received his bike belt loop. When he got home, he was pretty excited to tell me that his group helped retire old flags at the court house and put up new ones.

Gold Rush

2011-11-19T16:13:00.004-05:00

We've been learning about the major trails west and the California gold rush.
The kids loved this panning for gold activity, using spray painted rocks.

Random activities from our week:

Library books for history, sewing, studying the cub scout handbook, clay play, fire play, math, Risk, learning letters, looking at field guides.

Learning About Bats

2011-11-18T10:02:00.004-05:00

We had a lesson on bats at our Tuesday co-op. After talking about how many insects a bat can eat every night, we all agreed that we like bats.
Bats have an excellent sense of smell, and bat mothers use their noses to find their own babies in the "bat nursery" after a night out hunting.
We did an experiment to demonstrate sort of how that would work. We gave each kid a cotton ball with a certain scent on it (vanilla, lotion, acetone, etc.) There was a matching scented cotton ball in the center of the table, and the kids had to find the match to their "baby" by using their noses.

Some of those babies didn't smell so good!

With only 10 distinct smells, it was still pretty tricky for our non-bat noses to find the matches.

The kids played a couple games to learn about echolocation. The first was Marco Polo except the kid with the blindfold was the bat and had to say "beep" while the other kids were bugs and had to say "buzz."

Then they did a little experiment to show how sound can bounce off of an object and come back.

To solidify the concept that bats are nocturnal, the kids played red light/green light with a twist. The caller said, "Nighttime!" for go and "Daytime!" for stop.

On a sheet of plain newsprint paper, each kid measured the wingspan of a different bat, including the smallest and largest bats in the world.

Finally, we talked about bats living in caves and how caves are formed. Each child was given a piece of clay and a few sugar cubes. They flattened the clay and wrapped it around the sugar cubes, leaving a small area of the sugar cubes exposed. Then the clay was dropped into a bowl of water where the sugar dissolved, leaving a little clay cave.

2011-11-17T08:13:00.002-05:00

Spelling and snow play.

Monkey math.

A phonics game.

Drawing for a magazine contest.

Finding a little outdoor friend.

Leaf play.

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T19:08:00.007-05:00

Today we went to the Knoxville Veterans Day Parade for the first time. It was really a beautiful day for a parade.
Rohan and I watched.

Miah marched with the American Heritage Girls.

Larkin marched with Boy Scouts.

And Zahana rode in the wagon for smaller scouts and little siblings.

When we got home, Miah and Zahana had a "girl party" with leftover birthday cake.

While Captain Spitbath and The High Commander threatened to break up the party. Which didn't work out so well for them, so they decided to be the girls' defenders instead.

Then there was some running around and shouting about "the British in the castle!" and outside play and supper.
Then grammar, spelling and math. Miah and Larkin have started using Grammar Rules!, which they can work on independently. I'm working on gradually giving them more they can do on their own to give myself more time for teaching the younger two.
And history via Into the West. We're still on the first episode, and I have to keep my finger on the fast-forward button, as there are some pretty intense scenes. So I'm not sure if we'll continue watching this or not. For older students, though, this would be a good supplement for early 1800's American history. There's even a teacher's guide available.
Meanwhile, Zahana and Rohan played with penguins in the snow.

Happy Birthday, Zahana!

2011-11-10T07:46:00.004-05:00

Making the cake.

Waiting for party time.

Friends and games.

Cake time!

Presents.

Play!

Happy birthday my sweet little girl!

Friday

2011-11-04T11:31:00.006-04:00

Breakfast. Bible. Chores. Spelling. Math - parallel lines and function rules.

History - Sequoyah.
Reading Kaya for Miah. Discussing oceans with Zahana and Rohan. Miah comes to tell me about a Bible verse she read.
Lunch. On the Shores of Silver Lake and legos. Nap for Mama. Liberty's Kids.
Just talking. Doing hair. Mad Libs.
The Annual Scout Cook-Out and Hayride.

Wednesday and Thursday

2011-11-03T08:33:00.009-04:00

I find, at the end of the day, that it's kind of hard to remember all the little moments that made our day special. And so these daily posts look a little mechanical to me - less real than I'd like.
But here's what I have for Wednesday:
Spelling, of course, and "Do you have to take a picture of me doing my spelling every day?"

Math. Addition for the littles and division for the biggers.

And a number game for Rohan.

Then counting to 100.

We started On the Shores of Silver Lake. Then Jeremiah took Larkin to run errands.
The other kids stayed with me. Miah started a weaving, then worked on her rag rug.

Zahana asked me to teach her to sew. I showed her how to make stitches around a folded piece of felt to make a little pillow.

Rohan made one too.

When the boys got back, I had my own errands to run to get ready for Zahana's birthday party next week. The kids watched Liberty's Kids while I was gone.

Sometime during the night, Rohan crawled in bed with me and left me about 3" of bed to sleep on. So I slept late in the morning.
Miah went out to find insect eggs and came back with three finds.

Breakfast and chore time was a little slow, then we got started on our Bible reading.

And guess what came next . . . spelling.

Zahana spelled about three words today then decided she'd rather draw.

I tried to find some Mad Lib books yesterday for the kids to practice parts of speech but couldn't find any. So we wrote a few of our own.

Playing doctor again.

After math (division) we read about Osceola together.

Zahana and Rohan ran outside to play while I fixed lunch and Miah and Larkin finished up the Osceola book together.

Then more reading together. Scouts for part of the family. Going to pick up milk for Zahana and me. And I found some Mad Libs at Hastings. Every time I go out, I am amazed at the colors this fall. Even driving home in the rain this evening, the leaves just glowed.
When we were all back together we did some Mad Libs and ate supper. More Liberty's kids. Laundry.
Bed.

***Pregnancy note: I first felt the baby move on Friday. Now I'm feeling it more and more. I'm 16 weeks today and have already gained 10 pounds.

My Little Big Girl

2011-11-01T19:53:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning with a new little five-year-old. Who wants to spell and to know what this spells and what that spells. And she did spell. Instead of just writing letters, like usual, we sounded out words together and she wrote them. I think it's time to get out the Bob books.

A very special birthday breakfast of cheerios. (Just kidding. We're celebrating her birthday next week with friends.) Building. Find the picture games. Math for littles and math for biggers. Looking at old sciencey lapbooks. Tangrams. More math. Rohan made an "R" with magnetic balls - all by himself. Working on contractions in language arts. Making waffles.
There was also spelling and reading and native American stories and puzzles.

It was such a beautiful day. Zahana said she wanted to go ride bikes at the park. Jeremiah had the great idea to go to the pedestrian bridge Zahana always asks about. The fall leaves and flowers were so pretty, and the kids had fun with cattails.

We went to the library then Cracker Barrel for supper (requests from the pregnant lady in the house.) Free cake and ice cream. Then home for a few cartoons before bed.

Typical Monday

2011-10-31T17:35:00.007-04:00

Breakfast, Bible, chores. Miah had time to read Kaya.
Then off to Monday Fun classes.
I snuck a picture of Miah in her Color Theory class.

Zahana and Rohan played a game with rhyming words while we waited for our class to start.

And matched upper case and lower case letters.

We learned about Johnny Appleseed in my history class. First, we had a story. Then everybody tried a slice from five different apples. And we played a game. I split the class into two teams and gave each kid an apple. Using a pot to carry their apple, each team member had to take turns racing to a the center of the room where I had a row of states cut out from cardstock and labeled. They were the states Johny Appleseed planted apple trees - Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. So they had to race to see which team could get all their apples to the states first. We made each round more difficult by how they carried the apple - in the pot lid, on their heads, etc.

(Last Monday's class was on slavery and was my favorite class so far. I didn't take any pictures, though. We read Follow the Drinking Gourd, then I passed out two cotton bolls to each kid. They picked the seeds out of one to see how long it took - about 10 minutes. The other one was just for taking home. Then we made mancala games using egg cartons and beans.)

Time to unwind by flying down the stairs on giant fish pillows. Then playing outside.

Suppertime. Bathtime. Nest Entertainment Bible stories on YouTube - Miah's request, I didn't even know they were on there.
Miah started her rag rug.

I fixed Zahana's hair, and we had such a good talk about letter sounds and spelling. She is just so ready for all this. First, she started talking about how to spell bathtub. I helped her sound it out, and she actually spelled it except for the "th". This is the very first time she's made the connection of sounds to letters - at least in that she was able to say which sounds were made by which letters. I love it! Then she wanted to spell several more words, so we did, together.
When I finished all the little braids with beads, it was time for bed.
Full day.

Catch-up on the Everyday

2011-10-31T06:48:00.007-04:00

I want to start posting more of a daily chronicle, including not just the funnest things we do but also the more ordinary things. I tried to take more pictures of those ordinary things last week but didn't get them posted, so I'm doing a catch-up post of last week, then hopefully I can get on a more regular daily posting schedule. We had a couple of rainy days this week, which were kind of relaxing but made for pictures with icky lighting. Oh well. Guess that's part of the everyday.
We usually start the day with breakfast at 7:00. While the kids eat, I read a chapter from the Bible to them. We are currently working through the New Testament and are in James. Then I read a chapter of Proverbs, we sing some Bible verse songs, and pray together.
Then we go up to the Forest Room. We usually start with Sequential Spelling. I sit next to the little chalk board and call out words for Miah and Larkin to spell and letters for Zahana to practice writing on the board. Rohan will look at books or play with his little animals.

Then we move to math. We're using Saxon now, and it is going well. They have a few math drills to do every day. They are supposed to see how many problems they can get done in 45 seconds.

But I recently ditched the clock and told the kids to just race. They work much faster this way.

Practicing dictionary skills. Let me tell you, using a children's dictionary (pictured here) is a lot better for beginners than trying to use a giant old Webster's version. The kids choose one of the words to write a sentence after they've looked them all up.

Zahana and Rohan play quietly while I'm working with Miah and Larkin, then I work with the little ones while the big ones are doing independent work.

We used to use these big dice and glass pebbles for practicing one-to-one correspondence. Now we use them for learning addition. This is a favorite activity for them.

Using geoboards. I'll say, "Make a shape with 3 sides." Or 4 or 5. Rohan likes to see what Zahana comes up with before he gives it a try. Then we'll just see what patterns or pictures we can come up with.

On Thursday, I had some time alone with Zahana. We cut out magazine pictures to make a book. She wrote a few words under the pictures - bluebird, rose, etc.

I've had this little activity that I used with Miah and Larkin but never got it out for Zahana. You just match uppercase and lowercase letters. I wasn't sure how she'd do, since she didn't know any lowercase letters a few weeks ago. But she did great. She knows almost all of them now. She picks up on things so quickly that it is a delight to me.

Ordering number cards.

World map puzzle, which set her off on a puzzle-making marathon.

Word puzzles.

Alphabet puzzle.

She hasn't had these blocks out for a while, and she decided she would try using the instruction booklet. And she did it!

Since I am feeling much better now, I decided to backtrack a little in history and add a little more to the subjects we had gone through so quickly when I was feeling bad with morning (all day) sickness.
A few books to review the War of 1812, the Industrial Revolution, and the American revival of the early 1800's. I really enjoyed the chapters we read in From Sea to Shining Sea and want to read the whole book now. We also watched Mill Times from the library, and it was surprisingly good. We actually didn't finish it, and the kids keep asking to see the rest of it.

Pioneer studies. We have been reading the Little House series together as a family, and really adding in more books seemed a little overkill.

I had a list of activities and let the kids each pick one. Zahana chose making doughnuts. At first we tried this recipe, because it was pretty authentic. However the dough was really thick and hard to work with. We got a few good ones, which everybody liked, but I gave up on the frustrating recipe and went for something a little easier.

While the kids were waiting for me to finish the doughnuts, they built Fort Boonesborough.

Then went out to play Moses and the Israelites.

And climb trees.

Our little pioneer meal: doughnuts, bacon, and raw milk - half-way authentic.

Rohan wanted to make the shadow puppets found in A Pioneer Sampler.

And Larkin made the "fiddle" from the same book.

I'm not sure exactly how this qualifies as a fiddle (maybe banjo?), but it was fun anyway. Miah will be making a little rag rug, but we haven't gotten to that yet.

Sunday between church and small group, I had some play time with Rohan while the other kids played outside.

Punkins and Fishin'

2011-10-29T11:41:00.005-04:00

Jeremiah took the kids to the pumpkin patch Wednesday. I opted out.

And I just found these pictures from last week, when Uncle Dallas and Aunt Megan took the kids fishing in their back yard. The kids each caught at least one fish and had lots of fun.

Work and Play

2011-10-28T10:39:00.005-04:00

Here are a few pictures of everyday, normal stuff.
Larkin working on his math.

Miah writing a letter.

Rohan and Zahana playing doctor.

Zahana practicing writing letters.

We all went to the fort a couple days ago. After picnicking, the kids didn't want to go over to the actual fort part. They wanted to draw and play under the trees and look for acorn caps and create land art. So that's what we did.

And here's a picture of my belly from last week at 14 weeks. Only 14 weeks and look how big my belly is!!

Reveling in Fall

2011-10-27T17:14:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday I had plenty to do at home, but I couldn't resist just one more trip to the mountains before the beautiful fall colors fade.
So out we went.

Soaking Up Autumn

2011-10-26T07:00:00.004-04:00

Last Tuesday, we felt the need to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather before it was too late. The kids and I met some friends at Fort Loudoun in the morning. Then in the afternoon, we went with Jeremiah to the mountains. He took pictures. The kids played in the creek, and we made some land art.

My Sister's Wedding

2011-10-25T19:44:00.004-04:00

We all had a part in the wedding, so it was hard to get many pictures. I was the matron of honor. Jeremiah was the general everything guy. He directed the kids during the wedding, opened the doors, manned the video camera, and did the music, video, and announcements for the reception. Miah was a bridesmaid. Larkin was an usher. Zahana was a flower girl, and Rohan was the ring bearer.

Getting dressed.

Rebecca's friend sang and was a bridesmaid.

Reception.

Rebecca and Rhyan met at Barnes and Noble. She was driving home from my house and stopped there to get my mom the book, Jesus Lives. As wedding favors, my parents bought each guest a copy of the book.

First dance.

Father/daughter dance.

My brother in the corner cleaning his fingernails with his pocket knife.

My dad does not dance. Ever. But he danced at my sister's wedding. I bet my mom was thrilled. I wonder if it had anything to do with the last kid leaving the house.

Larkin caught the garter.

Blessings on my sister and her new husband.

Our souvenirs: goldfish, garter, and polymers from the flower vases, as well as the book.

Here is an excerpt from Jesus Lives, which I thought was fitting for the occasion:

"Rejoice in Me always. This is a moment-by-moment choice. It is possible to find Joy in Me even during the most difficult times. Because I am always near, I am constantly available to help you. I can even carry you through times of extreme adversity.
Imagine a woman who has become engaged to a man she deeply loves and admires. Her heart overflows with pleasure whenever she thinks about her beloved. Problems fade into the background, unable to dampen her enthusiasm and excitement. Similarly, when you remember that I am your perfect Betrothed and that you are promised to Me forever, you can rejoice in me even though you may face many problems.
It is in the present moment that you find me ever near you. My Presence in the present is an endless source of Joy: a continual feast! The soul-satisfaction you find in Me helps you relate well to other people. As you enjoy My abiding Presence, you can bless others with your gentleness.

'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.' Philippians 4:4-5

'All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.' Proverbs 15:15

'My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.' psalm 63:5

'Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.' John 15:4'"

Wedding Preparations

2011-10-24T18:42:00.003-04:00

My sister's wedding was on Saturday. I was able to go up Wednesday evening to help. I was glad I could spend a few days with her, and we had fun.
Wednesday night we made the pew bows.

Then I gave Rebecca and my mom facials and massages.

We spent Thursday making chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles.

Taking a break to practice for the dance.

I love this picture of my mom having so much fun with the kids.

Zahana and Miah helped bag the cookies.

Then we made palmiers for the rehearsal dinner.

Friday. Decorating the church.

Presents for the little wedding helpers.

Setting up for the rehearsal dinner.

Rehearsing.

Dinnering.

Cleaning up and rearranging for the reception.

And tomorrow, I'll show you my sister's Big Day.

Just Another Day

2011-10-18T08:27:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took Miah to the eye doctor. She's getting reading glasses. Dr. said she'd probably grow out of it. He also said she didn't have to do her math when she got home, since he dilated her eyes.
Started to overhaul the girls room but didn't get very far. Miah and I had a conversation about high school and college, because she asked.
Can't say that I did much else the rest of the day.
The kids stayed busy though with a cookout, drawing, dress-up, and I don't know what all.

Miah made spaghetti for supper. She has been such a big help to me lately.

Homeschool Resource Meme

2011-10-17T08:39:00.003-04:00

Phyllis at All Things Beautiful tagged me for a meme about 6 weeks ago. I feel like I've been brain dead, so I'm just now getting around to it. It's all about homeschooling resources, so it requires a bit of thought. Let's see if I can manage that. . .

1.One homeschooling book you have enjoyed.
I'll just go with the most recent, How Children Fail by John Holt. Lately I've been exploring the concept of unschooling, reading books and blogs and articles. Just another step in my education education.

2.One resource you wouldn't be without.
How about the Bible? The ultimate standard, the only standard that counts.
And the internet, the library, a van, and the great outdoors. If that's all we had, we would have plenty. I can't think of one single product that we can't do without.

3.One resource you wish you had never bought.
Well, I regret buying two of the same history book. But that's not because I don't love the history book. I feel some regret over the Rosetta Stone, but again that's not because I don't like it. It's just that computer stuff frustrates me, and it's now sitting useless on a computer that doesn't work. I suppose I could wish we never bought Singapore math. We all absolutely loathe that curriculum at the moment. Yeah, I wish we had spent those 2 1/2 years doing living math.

4.One resource you enjoyed last year.
Last year we started TruthQuest history. I love it. The kids love it.

5.One resource you will be using next year.
Next year is a long way off. The only thing I'm sure we'll use next year is the TruthQuest history again.

6.One resource you would like to buy.
Geometry Lessons in the Waldorf School

7.One resource you wish existed.
Complete living math lesson plans. Something really perfect we all loved.

8.One homeschool catalog you enjoy reading.
Montessori-'n-Such

9.One homeschooling website you use regularly.
The Crafty Crow

10.Tag other homeschoolers.
At the Butterfly Ball
Jimmie's Collage
LaPaz Home Learning
Living and Learning
Mama Scout
Plot 55
The Bowling Family
The Homeschool Den

A Little Shadow

2011-10-16T20:57:00.006-04:00

“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.” -- Crowfoot, Blackfoot Chief

Cornstarch and water after breakfast.

Then bathtime. I spent the last couple of days overhauling the boys' wreck of a room. I came out with a lot more bath toys, which the kids really seemed to appreciate.

Doodles during church.
Miah's.

And Larkin's.

The sermon was on using our time wisely, because Jesus is coming. We only have so much time to redeem, so do everything to the glory of God. These days all my motivation has dwindled until I'd rather do nothing but watch TV. And I have always despised TV and the wasteful drain it is on life. Hmm. Just what I needed to hear.

So. Onto redeeming the time.

A beautiful long afternoon in the autumn sunshine.

Polymer Fun.

I love how they not only draw and write with the chalk, but they also love to make these little piles of color. Miah tried pressing the chalk powder into a bell as a mold, but it crumbled.

Rescue Hero.

No rescue hero needed here.

He can change his own tire, thank you very much.

The mockingbird that serenaded us. I often hear it way before the sun appears in the morning.

After nearly two months of no spinning, I finally sat down and spun four small skeins of icelandic. I love the creamy rich colors.

Finally time to go in. More drawing.

And chess.

And somebody said, "Give me Liberty Kids or give me death!"

And I'd had it by that time anyway. I only have so much energy and tolerance these days. Using moments wisely is more difficult than a few months ago.
I had the thought last night as I was tucking the kids into bed and saying quick prayers with them, "Would I pray like this if it were my last night with them?" And you never know.
So tonight, tucking in, I really prayed with them and for them.
Grace, grace, despite it all.

Linking up at unschool monday.

Time Together

2011-10-15T09:07:00.003-04:00

Zahana and I spent a few hours home alone on Thursday. We found a fun new blog, The Chocolate Muffin Tree, and Zahana browsed through it to find some things she wanted to do.
First, we made gak. After playing with and exploring the different properties of it a while, she decided to experiment by adding ingredients. Adding sprinkles, salt, cinnamon, and cloves didn't give any results, but baking soda did. It got all slimy and the water started coming out of it.

Then we made fingerpaint.

Then she wanted to make cut out cookies. She wanted shape cookies. She's been loving shapes for probably over a year. We mixed up the dough, then realized we didn't have enough flour to roll them out. So she just made little patties with sprinkles.

Which tasted just as good.

I learned some things about my little girl. When browsing through the projects, she kept saying she didn't want to do any drawing. She wasn't interested in anything that had any coloring or drawing in it at all. Those are the things I would have picked out for us to do. What she was excited about was anything messy. The messier the better. I have always known she likes a mess. Her messes are memorable and many. She far exceeds anyone else in mess-making. And this has always been a source of frustration for me. I saw her messes as either mindless destruction or outright naughtiness. But Thursday the light came on in my slow, dense mind. To her, they are not messes, they are experiments. She is an experimenter. She is a scientist.
And now that I know, I feel like I can direct her in more constructive, less maddening pursuits.
Let the fun begin. :)

Fall Festival

2011-10-14T08:44:00.002-04:00

After church on Sunday, we went over to the Fall Festival for games and lunch.

Art With Friends

2011-10-13T08:24:00.002-04:00

Line Drawings

Compass Drawings

Jeremiah brought some marshmallows home, but it was raining.

Monday Fun, Tuesday Fun

2011-10-11T17:33:00.004-04:00

My Monday Fun history class was on Native Americans yesterday. We made and played a stick game.

Made sand drawings - the easy way. The kids drew Native American symbols on sandpaper with crayons

We finished up with little tipis.

Today at co-op, we made some optical illusion drawings.

Then the kids played games.

Miah and I made some more of the drawings later on in the day too.

The Week in Pictures

2011-10-09T08:28:00.003-04:00

Sunday
We got back late Saturday night from the wedding, so Sunday we just took it easy. We tried to go to Small Group in the evening, but the van battery was dead.
Water balloon fight.

Dress up.

We watched Rivers and Tides, which was just mesmerizing. It's a documentary of land artist, Andy Goldsworthy. Larkin kept saying, "Wow! How'd he do that?" It was late, so Zahana and Rohan fell asleep.

Monday
A full day of co-op classes. In my history class, we learned about pioneers. The kids made thaumatropes and quilt square patterns.

Tuesday
We had a game day at our smaller co-op and had cupcakes for one girl's birthday.

Later that evening, Jeremiah took Larkin and Rohan to the cub scout bike rodeo.

Wednesday
After reading First Garden, which was a really good book about the White House garden, we made one of the recipes at the back of the book. The recipe, a sort of apple crisp, was pretty disappointing, especially since it was supposed to be by a White House chef, but the kids had fun helping me make it.
(I know this picture looks bad. The kids were doing a fabulous job slicing the apples carefully until I picked up the camera. Then they decided to demonstrate how to get your fingers cut off. No harm done though.)

After lunch we went to the zoo.
New baby red pandas.

Watching the elephant training.

A ride in the parking lot afterward.

Thursday I ran errands. Friday we stayed home. Nothing special. Yesterday, we played at a friend's house. I should have taken the camera. The kids were playing army in the woods. Last night, we started reading The History of Counting, which is fascinating but has some underlying evolutionary themes, so we brought out the Bible to see what it had to say about the history of counting. We talked about knowledge shared and knowledge lost and what we would choose to believe: either Adam could count to at least 930 or somebody just made up his age in Genesis chapter 5. Can we believe the Bible or not? It was a good discussion.
And so now, it's Sunday again. Hope you have a lovely week!

My Brother's Wedding

2011-10-02T12:00:00.004-04:00

My little brother got married on Saturday. It was a country wedding in a field. It was a lot of fun, being more informal. It was also really, really sweet. Dallas and Megan have been together 3 years, and it was beautiful to see how much they are in love with each other. Jeremiah was one of the photographers, so he took all these pictures.
My brother, the groom.

My mom and brother.

The kids all wore cowboy boots (not just boots. cowboy boots.)

One hillside had "Johnson" mowed into it. The other had "Dallas and Megan" and a heart but we couldn't get a picture.

My parents and grandma.

Larkin getting his boutonniere; he was the ringbearer.

The pastor.

My sister and dad.

Isn't this great? Instead of waiting quietly in pews until the ceremony starts, the kids play on hay bales. Wish I'd thought of that for my wedding. Might not have worked in a church though. . .

Dallas ushered.

Here comes the bride!

You have to click on this one because I wanted you to see it full size. It's one of my favorites. The pastor and groomsmen are not really paying attention, the crowd is excited, but my brother has his eyes fixed on the love of his life.

The first to greet Aunt Megan.

The girl in the middle did not want Larkin to put his arm around her. He tackled her the night before at the rehearsal dinner. He said she was annoying him. But notice how he makes sure to reach all the way around and touch the other little girl's shoulder. They were walking around together after the wedding, and it was cute . You know, considering he's 7.

In a couple weeks we'll be headed back up to Kentucky for my sister's wedding. What a month!

Happy 4th Birthday, Rohan!

2011-10-02T11:03:00.005-04:00

We've had a big week! My mom drove down Tuesday to take me and the kids up to Kentucky for my brother's wedding. My grandpa drove over from North Carolina to ride up with us too. Jeremiah had to work, so he was only able to drive up and back for the wedding on the same day.

But before we could celebrate a wedding, we had a birthday to celebrate! Rohan is four! Miah made pancakes for breakfast. She even made an "R" for Rohan.

Rohan asked for a star cake, so we made some star decorations too. (A couple times recently, he was outside and came running in, telling me I need to come see. When I would follow him outside, he would point out all the stars in the sky. I love this kind of excited discovery the kids make.)

When I asked him what he wanted for lunch, he said he wanted fruit all cut up and he named the different fruits he wanted. I said, "Oh, fruit salad." But he said, "Just the fruit. No salad." :)

He also asked for sandwiches and chips.

Rohan was most excited about the sprinkles. He picked them out at the store, then carried the bottle around for a few hours at home. When it was time to put them on the cake, he very carefully poured a little out, spread them around with his finger, then repeated until the whole bottle was empty.

Zahana and Larkin lit the candles.

And Miah carried the cake to the birthday boy.

Present time.

Including lots of things wrapped up by brother and sisters.

While the kids played with the new stuff, I packed for our trip. Then off we went.

Monday Fun

2011-09-27T07:52:00.005-04:00

On Mondays we go to homeschool co-op classes. This was our third week. Miah is taking a jewelry making class, color theory, and another art class. Larkin is taking chess, geography, and a science experiment class. Zahana and Rohan are taking their very first class, Animal Habitats. Yesterday, Zahana was cracking me up when I asked what she learned in class. Apparently, the lesson was on Antarctica. So I asked what animals live there. "Penguins and ghost-es," she said. Later I was asking about the picture she drew. There was a tall pine tree, white snow, and some kind of creature. "What's this?" I asked. "An animal." "What kind of animal?" "A ghost." Okay! I know her teacher would be proud. :) Rohan told me how they tried to balance paper eggs on their feet like penguins. He said it was pretty hard.
I teach a class on American history in the early 1800's. All my kids are in there with me. The first week, I wasn't there because Rohan puked in the car on the way there. A friend covered for me. They made Lewis and Clark nature journals. Last week, we learned about the War of 1812 and the Star Spangled Banner. We made giant stars to represent the stars on the flag at Fort McHenry using these instructions. The stars on the original flag were 26" point to point. Due to the size of my paper, ours were only 22".
This week, we learned about the Industrial Revolution. The kids made their own inventions out of a bunch of junk I brought. I'm always nervous about how long an activity will actually take. I was afraid the kids would be uninterested and say they were done after 10 minutes. Actually, they loved it and were disappointed when we had to clean up.
Miah made some kind of cool whirligig thing.

A bracelet Zahana's friend made for her.

Larkin made a paddle boat, and Rohan made an airplane.

After their 4 classes, Larkin has Boys Game Club. The other kids play on the playground.

The boys played some kind of dodge ball game.

And then after all that, we go home and I collapse into bed.

Sunday

2011-09-25T22:09:00.004-04:00

The kids entertained themselves with wax and fire.

After they were done melting candles into the pot, they brought it inside and plugged it in and started making new candles.

Rohan wanted to make a boat. A couple of boxes and some paint and he was happy.

More pattern block play. Larkin took these pictures.

I think these pictures where the kids put their face down by their work is so . . . I don't know . . . cheesy. But they do it all the time. It's kind of funny. But not really; he's so happy with his work. And I am too. I've never seen him actually make a pattern with the pattern blocks. It's always been random arrangements. He had some help with the outside, but I thnk he did the inside by himself.

I've had the singles for this yarn sitting around for a couple weeks. I finally plied it a couple days ago. I'll use this to make granny squares.

Camping Out

2011-09-25T08:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, we explored perimeter and area with pattern blocks.

Rohan blew bubbles while Miah and Larkin did origami and Zahana painted. Unfortunately, Jeremiah has banned pictures of half-naked kids from my blog and yesterday I forgot that when I was taking pictures. So I don't have many pictures to share today.

The kids decided they were going to camp out in the back yard. They made a little fire and drug out all their blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals.

Rohan lasted until about 8:00, when it started getting dark. The others made it to 8:50, when they got too cold. Then they drug everything back in and went to bed.