Nature

This morning after DH left for work, the kids and I bundled up and went for a nature walk out at our local fairgrounds.

DD just kept saying isn't it beautiful! Too cute. DS just kept talking about how he wants us to buy some property and build a house on it. He wants "about 50 acres but 22 will do". He's so funny. I wish I could do it for him. I would in a heartbeat if we had the money and some property to buy!

We saw a couple of different types of birds and we watched the water move along wondering what was underneath that we couldn't see. We walked for quite a ways. We looked at the different trees. Did I mention that our Fairgrounds is an arboretum? Well, it is and they had some wonderful trees. The magnolias were the only green trees and then there were a couple of American Holly bushes that were green. They were all lovely. Some of the other trees had little buds on them still tightly closed. There was one tree (not marked with a name) that had these furry little buds all over it.

I only wish I had remembered to take the camera!! The pictures would have been great! They love going on these walks. We had been doing weekly but some how got out of the habit. I need to get back into it!

Today...

Good morning dear friends. I hope you all are doing well this morning. I've got the kids started on their morning chores and such and thought I'd just jot a few notes here.

Yesterday, the kids put some of their art work in our little online store to sell. They are prints of their originals and they are very good. DD's would be cute framed in a little girl's room and DS's would look very nice in a music room or framed on a piano. I'm very proud of them both.

We've had a difficult month, so we decided to try to help out a little with our little store. We have some used books and what not in it.

Today we are have a little catching up to do, but it shouldn't be a problem. We're only behind if we think we are so.... We'll be doing more on our Pioneers. We finished reading "My Side of the Mountain" last week. We loved it!! We have started another book now called "On to Oregon!" by Honore Morrow. We've only read the first chapter. We are hoping to read several more today. We'll see how our other work goes. My reading aloud to them is treat for when they finish their other work.

Well, I best get to work. I have some dishes I need to put away before I start breakfast. Have a glorious day and stay warm!

Let's see...

Well, last Friday we went to the Roxy Regional Theater to see a play of Beatrix Potter's stories. It was really cute. Of course it was too young for DS but I heard him laugh a few times. DD loved it. They both came home and made scrapbook pages. We printed off some pictures of some of her characters from online and then they wrote a little about it. They did a great job on them.

This week are moving on with our pioneers. Yesterday we talked about Jedidiah Smith. Interesting fact, he was a Methodist! So are we!! Anyway, they both wrote very nice little paragraphs (DS's was several) on him. Today we will start down the Oregon Trail. I think they are enjoying it and I think it going much better taking it slow. We are doing what the unit calls a week in about two. They just really need to spend more time on each subject in order to retain it.

We just got home from doing our church work and the library. They are now getting busy with their core subjects, and begging for an early lunch. I guess I will go and find them something. Have a wonderful day!

This week

This week has been rather slow. DH was home on Monday so we spent the day with him. It was very nice and we all enjoyed it.

Then Tuesday we did our "community" work. We filled the Fuel Bags at our church and then we filled the children's folders for Sunday morning. Afterward, we went to the library and checked out the books we need for the next week or two in our Pioneer Study.

Wednesday we worked hard on our lessons. DS has started doing some more structured grammar and a little geography and science along with his math. Of course our history is the Pioneer study. I think they are enjoying it. We've been learning about Sacagawea, Conestoga Wagons and the Monroe Doctrine. DD and I are reading "Little House in the Big Woods" and she is loving it. We are all almost finished with "My Side of the Mountain" which we all love. It's a great story.

Today has been more of the same as yesterday. Tomorrow we are going to the Theater to see "Mittens, Tom Kitten and Moppet: More tales of Beatrix Potter ". It's a little young for DS but I think Live theater is good for everyone.

We are busy busy busy. I need to do some more planning and such but I think we are doing pretty well.

Have a wonderful day dear friends and let me hear from you!

Field trip!!

That's what we did yesterday! We had a wonderful time! We went to the Meriwether Lewis Site on the Natchez Trace Parkway. We are talking about Lewis and Clark and their expedition so this was really neat.

This cabin is where the old Grinder Inn was located, which is where Lewis died. They had a nice exhibit in there talking about the expedition and about Lewis mostly. The kids really enjoyed it. There was a "Pioneer Cemetery" . This is where Lewis was buried. It was too cute because since it was called a Pioneer Cemetery, DD thought that all the pioneers we had read about should be there so she was looking for Daniel Boone. We had to explain that one to her. They were very excited to be there.

After we looked at all this, we went for a picnic. We found a table right by the river. It was beautiful! The kids said they didn't even mind the cold! It was in the mid to low 40s.

After lunch we went hiking. The kids had a great time. Me too! The trip was better than I imagined. It was about a 2 hour drive down there and we didn't mind it a bit. We visited and visited this whole way. DS talked and talked and DD pointed out every horse, cow, chicken and goat like she had never seen them before. Now they can't wait for it to warm up so that we can camping out there. They think it is the neatest place ever for camping. They loved the river. That was their favorite thing. I'll post some more pictures. Enjoy!

I'm still down on my back but wanted to say that we are really enjoying our Pioneers unit. If you are interested here is a link to it and there are lots of great resources here too! Go check it out!

Pioneers Unit Study

Mommy is down on her back...

Yes, I am. We got through most of our school day but then out of no where the pain was unbearable! We didn't get any of the fun stuff done today but they did get their core work done.

Then because it was easy we watched a thing on History International on the French Revolution. DD left after about 30 minutes. She watched more than I thought she would! DS and I watched all 2 hours of it. I had DVRed it a while back so we could fast forward through the commercials.

Now we are having a home living class. DS is helping to cook dinner. He's really doing it all. I keep getting up to show him how to do something or to add that motherly touch but he's doing most of it. He's fixing Green Enchiladas. He just finished. He did a great job. We were just getting it ready so that later all we have to do is put it into the oven.

Now, I'm back to my couch for a while. Send all the healing thoughts you can!

Pioneers day 1

Today we have done all the regulars and then some. The regulars are math, language, science and so on...

For our Pioneer study we made a beanbag target game. They loved that and we took it outside to play in the driveway until started raining. They fussed because they didn't want to stop playing.

They copied their quote into their Pioneer journals, "I have never been lost but I will admit to being confused for several weeks." Daniel Boone

They did their words of wisdom. DS - homestead and challenge. DD - home and trail

DS wrote a short paragraph on Daniel Boone and what he did that was important to the Pioneers. (Finding the Cumberland Gap.)

They both read books about Daniel Boone and we read one yesterday that really chronicled his life quite well.

Tomorrow we will go on an Internet field trip along the Wilderness Trail.

Should be fun!

Unit Studies

That's what we are trying for now. We did the Veterans Day one and then the Thanksgiving one. We are now starting a Pioneer one. I'm really looking forward to it. So are the kids.

I am kind of revising it though. Well, not exactly. I'm just going to do it my way. I tried doing our own unit for Christmas but it didn't really go to well. I need the the structure already done for me for now but I'm going to take this one and make it ours.

Last year, when DS and I first started we would pick a book to read together and then we study the time in which it took place. We really enjoyed doing that. (Not sure if picked the book first or the time.) That was a wonderful time when we both loved doing our homeschooling. It was fun but then I started worrying about if we doing it right or enough and decided to change things. Well, I think that was a HUGE mistake.

So for our Pioneer study, we have chosen a book to read together again in the same manner. I'm also going to go much slower than the unit study is set up for but I think we need more time for each subject. This unit pretty much does a person a day and I don't feel like the kids get enough or able to retain as much that way so we are going more slowly. It will be more fun I think too.

I've also checked out some books that have crafts and projects for us to do to see how the pioneers lived and what they did. I hope it will be lots of fun.

We will also be doing math and language arts and some science.

Well, best get back to my wonderful children. DS is taking a little test for practice. He's getting ready for the state standardized test in the next few months. DD is busy doing math, fractions!!

Have a wonderful day!