Education Pays. Sometimes.

Abigail and Collin were recently given writing assignments in which they had to write to a company that they liked. Abigail chose JustBorn candy company and told them how much she enjoyed their products, their packaging, etc. She specifically told them that she liked Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales. Several weeks passed and an express mail package arrived with her name on it. She was thrilled to open it and find a letter along with an assortment of candies.

Collin received a letter back today. His company, which shall remain nameless, clearly did not read his letter thoroughly. They wrote about something entirely different than what he addressed. And he didn't get any coupons or samples. Bummer. I'm happy to report, that even before Collin got his letter, Abigail was kind enough to share, counting every last candy and making sure that everyone got their share. She doesn't need candy to make her sweet. She was JustBorn that way!

Photo Challenge: Learning

Because we are a homeschooling family, learning never stops. It happens at the dining room table, in the kitchen, at a desk, in the car, and in the yard. I love that!

This week I'm learning patience. The above picture is a hat that I've been trying to crochet all week. I've ripped it out no less than 15 times. Sometimes, the ripping out comes just as I get to the last three rows.

Each night after supper, my husband reads to us from God's word. We all learn something.

What are you learning?

Join us at Rebecca's House for more Foto Friday pictures.

Smallmouth Salamander

Returning from his morning run, Collin spotted this salamander on our driveway far from any body of water. We took quite a few pictures, studied how he moved, and researched online until we sure we had found the correct species. Though he's studying chemistry this year, he got a bit of biology in today as well.

Back to School

Everyone was up early this morning, bright-eyed and ready to begin the new school year. Geometry, American Government, English and such were done in a timely manner. Then it was out the door to piano lessons, and back home to delicious grilled pizzas shared with Autumn and Jon.

Jon went to work, leaving Autumn to visit with us for the afternoon. We decided to burn off those pizza calories by implementing a new physical education unit: Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii. Collin seems to be the dance champion around these parts. No one can beat him!

Who says school isn't fun?

Never Stop Learning

One the the most valuable things I have tried to teach my children is to never stop learning. Life isn't about graduations so much as it is reading and doing.

Want to learn a new skill? Read about it and give it a whirl. If you don't succeed, try again. There is nothing more satisfying than reading about something and accomplishing it yourself.

Twitter

Collin is my bird-man. He's had this interest for several years, filling feeders, reading field guides, and even following these feathered creatures. Earlier in the spring, he discovered a robin's nest, and kept careful watch.  

Soon there were four eggs in the nest. And the countdown began. He checked the nest consistently, until one day he found three babies, and one unhatched egg. Several hours later, the fourth baby appeared. 

He watched them so closely,  they thought he might be their mama! And then one day, just as our book predicted, they jumped from the nest when Abigail checked on them. Oh! How worried were all were. They ran all over the yard, this way and that, and even went under the deck. 

And just when we were sad to see the baby season go, he found another nest. 

This time, it's a chipping sparrow, and she has parked herself in one of our barberry bushes.  

Her eggs were gorgeous! She's been quite protective, but moved to allow us a peek at her new little brood!

Aren't they adorable? The one on the left has quite the striking hair-do!

Reading Fun: The Mitten

*This is a re-print of a post that I wrote for Me and My Girl last year.



I believe that reading to your children is crucial at all ages and stages of their lives. Years ago, I would hold my tiny babies on my lap, and read softly to them each day. As they grew, we would sometimes read the same book 10 times a day, or more! I still read to my children. Abigail is 10, and cuddles up with me while I read long chapters to her. Autumn is 16, and still sits near by so that she can enjoy the stories, too.

This is the perfect time of year for this cold-weather story but, The Mitten, by Jan Brett, is a book that can be enjoyed year round. It can be enjoyed even more when you complete this fun and easy craft, and allow your child to tell the story back to you!

You'll need:

• Jan Brett's book, The Mitten
• 2 pieces of construction paper or felt
• a hole punch if you're using construction paper
• yarn or embroidery thread
• colored pencils or crayons
• a thick needle, such as for embroidery
• a printer
• this file and this file

Read the story.

Print out the files containing animals. Have your child or grandchild color the animals how ever they would like. If they are very young, you can cut them out after they are colored. If they are older, let them do it. Perfection is not what we are after.

In the meantime, freehand a mitten shape onto the construction paper or felt.


Cut around your drawing, leaving you with a large mitten.


If you are working with a very young child, you can punch holes into the construction paper mittens.


and show them how to whip stitch them together.



An older child might enjoy learning how to blanket stitch on the felt.


Abigail sat at the table for about an hour working on her mitten. She's got a pretty good attention span. Make sure the child has fun! It's okay to help them if they need it, but don't fret if the project isn't perfect.



Tell the story again. Refer back to the book if you have to.

In The Mitten, Nicki's grandmother, Baba, knits him snow white mittens. As he goes out to play on a snowy day, one of his mittens falls off. Animals come, one by one, to squeeze into the mitten for warmth.


First comes a mole.
In hops a rabbit.
Along comes a hedgehog,


followed by an owl,

and a badger!
They all make room for the fox.


And believe it or not, they find room for a bear!


The last little creature to squeeze in is a mouse.

She tickles the bear's nose, and all of the animals come flying back out of the mitten because of the great sneeze.


Once all of the animals are safely inside the mitten, make a loud, drawn out sneezing sound, and shake the mitten to release the animals. Young children will enjoy doing this over and over again!


Have them retell the story to you. And to their daddy when he gets home from work. And to Grandma and Grandpa, and anyone else that will listen!


I didn't find this idea there, but you can visit Jan Brett's website for other fun activities that revolve around reading.

Vote!

The girls and I had errands in town, and I stopped by the polls on the way home. We're in a rural area, and there was only one woman in line ahead of me. I asked the woman behind the table if it would be alright for me to take the girls into the booth, to explain things to them. She sighed, and replied, "I guess so... as long as they don't touch anything."

So, our turn came, and we ducked behind the screen. I explained to the girls that you can push a button, and if you make a mistake, you can change it. UNTIL you push the red button that says CAST YOUR VOTE, that is. And just for good measure, I pressed the write in button for president. And wouldn't you know that it WOULD NOT let me change that particular button. And so, after talking with the ladies who were running the booth, and getting very frustrated because they told me that I needed to just push the big red button, and that I actually would not get to vote for anyone because I had been stupid and pushed the wrong button, I decided to write in my choice even though they were already on the ballot.

Lesson learned. Apparently, you CAN change your mind, unless you push the write-in button. I'll remember that next time.

Lessons

♦Bible Study
♦Biology
♦Cello
♦Geometry
♦Home Economics
♦Literature
♦Typing
♦Worldview History


♦Breadmaking


Autumn woke early this morning and began her day in the kitchen putting supper in the crockpot, and making picnic buns. Then she sat down to the rest of her studies.

Nature Girl

Abigail is constantly taking herself on nature field trips right in our own yard. I often hear the door slam followed by the likes of, "Mom!!! You've got to come quick and see this! There are two grasshoppers mating on the front porch!", or "Mom, there's an all black woolly worm on the side of the house."

She's been observant of the natural world around her since she was very young. She's watched a caterpillar spin its chrysalis on our fence, and then just happened to be there when the butterfly came out, and she has watched a horsefly lay eggs on the side door through the window pane.


This morning I heard the familiar slam, and then "Mom! There's a praying mantis eating a moth on one of the zinnias." She ran back outside, camera in hand, and watched the poor moth be devoured. Each time I hear that slam I think I should be calling National Geographic or Animal Planet.

Olympic Fever

This is definitely a time where I'm thankful for homeschooling. If the children had to be on a bus by 7 AM they certainly couldn't be up until past 11 PM each night watching the Olympic games. We've been enjoying gathering in the living room each evening and cheering for the red, white, and blue. We do usually pull the plug before the coverage is over, and for this reason I'm thankful to have DVR. Well, that and being able to rewind live TV. Especially when a contest is so close as in tonight's 200m butterfly. DID YOU SEE IT? Oh my! We were all cheering!


Not only have the Olympics been on our TV, but they've been with us throughout the day as well. Abigail and Collin play Olympics in the backyard and in the pool. Autumn is constantly keeping up with the medal count.


During the 2000 summer Olympics, we opened our school year with a unit on the Olympics. Verne and I worked together to really make it grand. Each morning, Verne would go to work, and we would work on language, science, and math. Each child had to pick a country that was participating in the Olympics. No one was allowed to pick the United States. They had to research their country learning about climate, way of life, imports and exports, etc. They had to make a country flag and design a uniform to wear while they competed in our Olympic events.


Late in the afternoon when Verne arrived home from work, the games would begin. First, Verne taught a unit about Olympic history. The children were tested on the country of their choice, and Olympic history. Then the fun really began! We had gymnastics, track and field, etc. The children participated in long jump, a mini-marathon, high jump, a sprint, broad jump, triple jump, Frisbee (discus) throw, softball (shot put) throw, rings, balance beam, and hurdles. We had medal ceremonies after each event and played the National Anthem of the winner (found on the Internet). While our children didn't go to Sydney, Athens, or Beijing, those are two weeks that I don't think our children will ever forget.