back into rhythm...

I am so ready to start our new homeschool year. Well, except I'm not physically ready to start because I'm still doing the planning part. I had the bulk of this coming year's books ordered by the end of last May. I was patting myself on the back. I had great intentions of starting our Latin study the first part of July and getting multiple days under our belt and on the clock before our official term started in September.

Then I had a kid sick with Lyme's for weeks as well as an intestinal virus for another week. Then the other kid got that virus as well as another one. We spent many days in the car running from here to there (and how is it that I cannot exactly remember where I was even driving to on those days????) And I'm not complaining about this, although I am feeling a bit depleted and out-of-sorts. It was a full, busy, fun summer. We got to spend a lot of time with friends. The kids had opportunities to volunteer. It was amazing being out and not cooped in the house. It was a pretty amazing summer, despite the few bumps. 

But Latin? Didn't happen. All the read-alouds we were going to do? Didn't happen. (Although I read a TON of books myself.) Field trips? Nah. (Unless doctor offices, hospital ER's, and grocery stores count.) 

So August 1st rolls around, and I'm feeling the heat. The "I haven't even clocked any school days yet!" voice was screaming in my frustrated little head. 

Okay, okay. So the kids did volunteer. Ian put in thirty-seven hours so far. And they did have their music lessons, not to mention the hours they put into practicing and playing at home. And, of course, there were many other learning opportunities that occurred that I didn't document. In other words, I reminded myself to chill out.

This morning during the drive to church, I announced to Brad and the kids that this week was going to be my dedicated homeschool planning week. It's gotta be. We're starting next Monday. Time to get serious about this thing.

After church, the boys went to ultimate frisbee and Lily went to play with her cousin, so I sat down at the kitchen counter with my planner, my papers, and the laptop and got started. I'm definitely not a rigid planner. I am definitely not one of those homeschooling moms that plans out the year or even a month at a time. I find that kind of planning too restricting and stressful, and then I completely feel overwhelmed when I get off of schedule a day or two. I cannot handle that type of scheduling.

Instead, I like to sit down and get a general overview of the year. I like to figure out how many days we will need to finish each curriculum. I like to pick out our read-aloud books (some based on what we are studying in history, music, and art and others just for fun) as well as books for the kids to read on their own. 

I like to get a very casual planner put together with pages to keep track of attendance, document the reading log and field trips, write down goals and aspirations. Just a laid back guide book that works well for me. 

So after spending an incredible two months full of laid-back, come-as-we-want, take-it-easy days, I'm ready to bring some order back into my days. And to speak the truth, so are the kids. 

We'll still be taking advantage of the warm days of summer, and the garden, and outdoor time. We have a Maine trip coming up next month, and I have a few painting projects here at home that need to be done. But, wow, am I looking forward to waking up in the morning knowing that our day will have more of a regular rhythm. I always appreciate the long summer break, but I also really appreciate the start of a new school year and the routine it brings.

Where the wild things are...

Yes, well apparently the wild things are in my house.

The kids found a baby cottontail rabbit in our back field yesterday. One of our dogs had gotten a hold of it. Besides being covered in saliva, it seemed to be all in one piece. We couldn't locate the rabbit nest so my kids brought it into our nest.

Of course, the kids were elated at this opportunity as we just finished reading The Green Ember last week!

I did some research and found that if they still have the little white "blaze" on their forehead, they are too young to be left alone in the wilderness. I could not, in good conscious, let this little furry ball of cute be put back out in the frigid temps (it snowed here again, people) and especially knowing that it was absolutely too young to make it on its own.

So I found a recipe for milk replacement for wild rabbits, and we mixed some up. Thankfully, I had a syringe that I had washed and saved so we used that to feed the rabbit the milk.

Lily has taken on the role of surrogate mother, and she is fulfilling her duty quite well. She's feeding it, massaging its belly (that is supposed to help its digestion), talking to it, reassuring it, making sure it stays warm (we filled a couple of old socks up with beans and are heating them up and putting them under the towel in the box to keep him/her warm and cozy.)

Oh, she's in her element, this daughter of mine.

And, of course, Brad and I didn't argue with any of this. Why would we? We're past that by now.We just chalk this things up to wonderful learning experiences and wonderful ways to teach our children to care for God's creation.

collecting coins

We've been studying early American history this year, particularly the time period of the mid to late 1700's (the time of the French and Indian War and then, later, the Revolutionary War.)

All three of us have really enjoyed learning about our nation's beginnings. I'm sure I learned it as a child too, but I always seem to remember a very fragmented history education in public school. And textbooks? UGH.

We've been using Queen Homeschooling Supplies' A Living History of Our World Volume 1, and then I've been supplementing with the many "living" books on early American history that I've picked up over the last few years. I have learned far more about our country's beginnings in the last seven months than I can ever remember learning in my twelve years of public education.

Since both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War were fought in the area in which we live (Fort Duquesne is only about 40 miles south of us as well as other battlegrounds that surround us), the kids have developed quite an interest and desire to explore the surrounding land. Ian's already requested a metal detector for his birthday this year, and Lily was out in our backyard yesterday digging holes looking for arrowheads. lol.

Monday, my brother-in-law found a coin from the late 1800's. Since Monday night, my kids have collected all of the pennies in our home and have set to cleaning and inspecting them. Of course, we don't have coins that date back that far. I think the farthest back they've found so far was 1962, but they've been having so much fun and we've turned it into a bit of a lesson, researching how the chemical make-up of the penny has changed over the years. The kids also thought it very interesting that the good 'ole penny has been around since the end of the Revolutionary War.

Now Ian's set on finding pennies for as many years as he can. And we hardly had any room to eat our dinner last night as our only table was covered in pennies.

I'm excited to visit more early American war reenactments this year. We always try to hit one or two each summer. And I'm even more excited this year because we'll have a year of the history behind it under our belts and fresh in our minds.

I love history.

Sewing lessons

Lily had her first formal sewing lesson last week. A sweet friend of mine (who also happens to be a nearby neighbor) offered to come to our home once a week and give Lily lessons on the sewing machine. My friend has been sewing for many, many years, and so I have been very excited for these lessons to commence, as has Lily.

At the end of last year, we sold some of Lily's larger toys that she no longer played with and used that money to buy her a small table and chairs that would be used as her sewing and crafting table. It was definitely a wonderful idea as she has been crafting and handstitching to her heart's content and the table has been a useful and functional addition to her hobbies.

During her lessons she will be learning how to make a beginner's patchwork quilt. During her first lesson, they cut out all the squares, and Lily learned about her machine and how it works. She also did some practice runs on it. Lily has used a sewing machine multiple times in the past, but always with me actively guiding her through it.

It had gotten to the point where I felt that getting Lily formal sewing lessons from a well-practiced seamstress was a necessity. For one, I hardly sew anymore on my machine as it is old and not operating very smoothly. It probably needs cleaned or oiled, but I've been too intimidated to try to do any of those things. Second, my sewing abilities are very much limited. And reading a pattern? Goodness, I have extremely limited experience with that. I've always been one to "wing it" when it came to sewing. And last of all, Lily has really shown a deep interest in sewing and has been proving herself talented in that skill so I really wanted to make sure she got proper instruction and lessons.

And this is another instance where I'm reminded how well homeschooling fits our family's lifestyle. We are able to fit these lessons (and any other enriching experiences) into our days because we aren't constrained by a traditional school schedule. I love that my kids can pursue their talents and interests and seem to have more time to do so without being constricted with a seven-to-three school schedule. I'm thankful for that. It's a perfect fit for our family.