52: 8

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of February 19, 2017

nature learning

Today, in the middle of some weekend let-down bumps, we took ourselves out to our favorite local park land. It was chilly and windy, but not actively raining. (We were sneaking in some nature time in between storms.) It was nearly perfect, truly.

I had everyone pack for a light hike and asked the kids to please bring their sketch books. We started off with the immediate hit of a successful geocache find, then we hiked up to the ridge for some exercise. Along the way, both kids, Little Brown Mouse especially, pointed out plants he was familiar with, rocks, and other things easily overlooked. He had so many observations and curiosities.

Once we had walked along the ridge a little way,  Little Brown Mouse found a spot, plopped down on his sit-upon (a lightweight, waterproof mat that Lala Bug made for each of us), and we all sat for a bit. He brought his pocket knife, the kids whittled sticks and wrote in the dirt, we snacked, and then I asked if anyone wanted to sketch with me. To my surprise, Lala Bug didn't. (I think we had a tired/lost-in-thought girl today.) Little Brown Mouse was up for it and accepted a challenge to find and record a plant using certain information I asked him to include. If I could guess the plant based on his entry, he won. He did and I guessed and he won! (I got this idea from a recent John Muir Laws workshop I attended-another highlight this week. You can find videos online or similar ideas in his nature journaling book. He also has a free nature journaling curriculum.)

We chatted for a bit, observed the different types of clouds we were seeing and what that meant about our weather (this has been a great book), and then Lala Bug called out that she saw a Turkey Vulture. I set my timer, and for the next 15 minutes, we watched for birds and counted them for the Great Backyard Bird Count. This is our third year participating in the count.

We had just the right dose of fresh air, movement, and exploration, and I was struck by just how much my kiddos are seeing, learning, taking in, and excited about in nature.

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.

- John Muir

52: 7

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of February 12, 2017

"Orange you glad it's Valentine's Day?" (attached to an orange) and "You are just PLANE awesome!" (folded into paper airplanes) were the little tokens my kiddos exchange with homeschool class friends this week.

52: 6

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of February 5, 2017

learning period 3: 2016-2017

We school through a charter (more here and here), which organizes us in 2-month chunks called learning periods. Here are my posts for Learning Period 1 (August/September) and Learning Period 2 (October/November). I share about Learning Period 3 (December/January), below.

Social Studies:  During this learning period, which included December and January, we continued to explore celebrations of the Jewish faith for Little Brown Mouse. While Rosh Hashanah is among my favorites, I believe Hanukkah might be the kids' favorite. We made latkes and applesauce, read many books and stories, wrote poetry (Hanukkah haiku, anyone?), dipped candles, and each child lit a Menorah each evening. Lala Bug lit the Menorah she made in 3rd grade (how could that have been 3 years ago?!) and Little Brown Mouse made himself a new one using his hand drill and a piece of driftwood he found on a trip to the beach. We began to learn about Elizabethan England and Shakespeare for Lala Bug. (And Brown Mouse, because who can resist Shakespeare and his inventive use of language, invented language, and lyrical insults?) Lala Bug is participating in the Shakespeare class and play offered through our charter school each winter/spring, and this year they are performing A Midsummer Night's Dream. We have read various versions of the story, read many books about Shakespeare, watched a performance, and are immersing ourselves in Shakespeare fun. I remember seeing Shakespeare live in Oregon when I was about Lala Bug's age, so the memories are sweet right now.

Math: Lala Bug is enjoying the playfulness of the charter school math club she is in. It is making me wonder if I should be hiring a math teacher now! Mostly, this learning period, for both kids, we stuck with Beast Academy and the Key To series, as well as games!

Science: We mostly finished up a block on geology, did a short block on sound and light, and then spent January studying weather. Our weather has been fascinating, including thunder and lightning, hail, and a lot of rain, as well as sun and clouds. In the mountains, there has been a lot of snow.  We have enjoyed books, exploring outside, and we have been enjoying Mystery Science. For the weather block, Little Brown Mouse kept a weather journal and then charted the weather systems he observed. Lala Bug is finishing up a weather blanket she knit for her doll, with each color representing a type of weather, so the pattern matches the January weather, chronologically.

Writing: Writing continues to be tied into what we are learning. It is frustrating for Little Brown Mouse, although I can see that it is the mechanics he dislikes. When asked to dictate so I can scribe, he has a lot to say. I do believe it is time to carve out more time for both kids to practice typing.

Language Arts: I might have to refer to the writing paragraph above, with the addition of commenting that I have been working, slowly, through The Wand, from Brave Writer, with both kids, in large part because it is teaching phonics, grammar, and writing in a more systematic way than I had been doing previously. We have also be sporadically using Daily Grams, which are short and simple and help me catch gaps. We have been really enjoying the Little House series as a read-aloud and just finished The Long Winter. In January we participated in The Read Aloud Revival read aloud challenge and each kid read out loud for at least 25 days. It really boosted Brown Mouse's reading fluidity and confidence and it helped Lala Bug to read more loudly and enunciate a bit more.

In addition to the core topics at home, we incorporate lots of play and nature exploration, and 4-H still met for the community service project the kids chair. We gathered a group of volunteers and got out to plant native plants to prevent erosion and invasive plant species. Many activities were quiet or on hold through the holidays. We still managed to stay quite busy, so as we rolled into the new year, I have needed to re-evaluate our home school again!

around the sun

I'm starting another turn around the sun. My family knocked it out of the park for me this birthday. I got to start my day early and quietly with exercise, just as I like, but then I got sent back to bed, where I snuggled under and fell asleep to the sound of rain. Sometime later, I was awakened with tea and breakfast, flowers, cards, and smiles from my husband, kids, and my brother. We had a normal sort of quiet day, with lots of happy birthdays and yummy foods, wrapping up with dinner at my parents' house. It was lovely...

52: 5

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of January 30, 2017