Magic spoons

This is just a fun experiment/art/magic activity I found on Pinterest. :)
Easy!
Simply use 3-4 clear cups or glasses on a cookie sheet with about a 1/2 cup of vinegar in each. Put a few drops of food coloring on each spoon and cover with baking soda. ( do this without kids seeing if you want to surprise them)
Have them take a spoon and stir the vinegar. :) a color erupts! Fun!

Boys, mud & floods

In the wake of our recent rains, Wyatt was asking about floods. So, after trying to unsuccessfully create a river & flood in our sandbox I brought them to a local creek to recreate a riverbed, lake & flood. Of course boys + water + mud is always fun! :)

In the course of this we had a discussion about panning for gold, throwing rocks, dams breaking & not going to Target afterwards because 2 boys are covered in mud. :) I should have known better.

Who says learning has to happen at home?

Need proof that homeschooling is becoming much more mainstream than it has been in years past?

Red River Ski Area in Red River, NM had a whole week

deemed as "Homeschool Week" and offered great deals on lift tickets!

It just so happened that we were looking for a good excuse to go skiing and that was it! ;0)

Before we began homeschooling, I found myself using opportunities while on

vacation to teach. Any parent can do this, whether you homeschool or not.

Going to the beach or mountains or NASA or NYC? There are a million opportunities to learn!

Yes, we had fun skiing on this trip but we also had opportunities to learn & teach along the way.

No better or more fun way to learn if you ask me! :)





Reading & Math got done during our very long  drive.
Roadtrips are a great way to incorporate Geography too!



This natural rock formation sparked some good conversation....

Art in the snow? Why not!? :)
Simply fill bottles with food coloring & water
and let the kids paint in the snow! :)

Both boys skied and that's something they can't do in Texas!

Seeing the pride and excitement on their faces was all I needed from this trip.

Until next time..........

Blessings!



Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

I'm finding that we all love 'school' best when we are out and about rather than sitting at our

classroom desk. The boys love learning that way (I think MOST boys prefer that) and I love

teaching that way. Again, homeschooling is really just an extension of parenting.

Life is a classroom.

Since we only have 'school' 4 days a week, we usually take 1 of the weekdays to go on a

nature walk or some sort of outing. This week we chose the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.

I wanted the boys to see it in winter when the vegetation is lacking as a comparison

for when we go back in the spring/summer.

(and admission is free in January - Deal!)

We had a great time exploring the plants, finding seed pods, learning about native plants 

and hiking along the trails. We enjoyed a snack at the cafe on site complete with Hibiscus Mint Tea and gluten free chocolate cake. Oh My! YUM! :)

Minnows!

Following big brother....

Interested

the boys

End of a hike



Welcome semester #2

We made it through our first semester of homeschooling and are now beginning our second.

It hasn't been without challenges, which I knew I would encounter from the get-go but overall

it has been rewarding and fun! Wyatt has zero interest in going back to 'regular school'

which reassures me that we have made the right decision.

The Lord has blessed us in this journey and despite the days that I

question myself and my abilities I am reminded that He led us here

and He has a plan and that when it comes down to it, plowing through

workbooks and math problems and spelling lists is not the goal.

Raising respectful, God-loving boys who have a life-long love of learning is.

And I am beginning to see Wyatt's spark return to his eyes in learning now.

Finally. 

Bees & Honey!

We had the opportunity to go to a 'bee farm' (is that what they're called?) for a beekeeping class with our homeschool group and I'm always up for an adventure so I decided to take Wyatt. Honey ranks in the top 3 of his favorite foods so this was perfect for him! :0) (It ended up that Steve had to take Wyatt instead as I needed to make a trip to Oklahoma for my grandfathers funeral.) They had fun and both learned about bees and honey in the process. Kudos to my hubby for not only remembering to take my camera but also getting some great pictures!  

Gift from a former teacher! (and stuff)

It is so nice to have people in our lives who are supportive of our decision to homeschool.....especially those who are educators in the public school system. Wyatt had a great 1st grade teacher last year so a few days ago Wyatt and I went up to the school to visit her. It was a sweet surprise that she had a GIFT waiting for Wyatt! A volcano kit. How neat! (it was great timing because we were just talking about volcanos during a geography lesson last week --- Map of Washington, Mt Saint Helens)

Thank you Ms Jones!

Here are a few pictures of the volcano-making process and the eruption! :)

Jonah enjoyed it too

There it goes!


On another related note, its really neat to hear different people mention how much they think we made the right decision to homeschool. I've heard from more than one person how much happier Wyatt seems now as opposed to when he was going to 'regular school' or how great it is that we can speed up or slow down based on Wyatt's learning rather than having to conform to what the state says he has to do. There are a few rough days here and there. But this is working for us. I have asked Wyatt more than once if he misses school. His answer every single time has been "No". When I asked him if he misses his friends (who he still gets to see) his response was "No mom. But when I went to school, I missed you." This is where my heart melted and I knew we were doing the right thing. :)
Blessings.....