Friday field trip

Darren and I decided last night that it would be fun to take the kids on a field trip today. So this morning, after bible songs and breakfast, morning chores, and math and language lessons, we loaded up the van and headed over to Dripping Springs, a beautiful trail system located just a short drive from our home. Dylan and Caitlyn were so excited, and both wanted to take their new backpacks along for the hike! Dylan studiously enclosed his butterfly and bird books, while Caitlyn chose to leave hers empty so she could store found treasures along the way.

The visitor's center had so much to see that we lingered there for a long while, first outside, where we were enchanted by the panoramic beauty, the number of butterflies, grasshoppers, and hummingbirds, and the lovely gardens.

When we finally made our way into the center, we were greeted by the kindest lady, who generously showed us around and took special care to point out and explain things to both Dylan and Caityln. At last we ventured out onto the trails, where again we encountered numerous grasshoppers and butterflies, many of which we had not previously seen. My kids thought it was so hilarious to discover that some butterflies are actually attracted to animal droppings! But actually, even I have to admit that it really was rather fascinating to see in nature that which I had only ever read about in books. Kind of gross, but neat!

We hiked for a while, stopping many times to investigate all the critters that crossed our path. We turned back when it got too hot, but agreed that we will definitely head back once the weather begins to cool a little more!

Day Two.

The overly anxious side of me is worried that this whole business of homeschooling might be just a little tooo easy...either that, or I'm doing something wrong. Or not doing something that I should be doing right. Or something.

At any rate, I am just amazed at how well it seems to be going. Today's pace was entirely different than yesterday's, but in many ways I think I liked it better. I think I had placed such high expectations on yesterday's performance, and was so worried about staying on "schedule". But really, that's just ridiculous. Yesterday was nice, and we did a lot, but today I really tried to work with the rhythm of our day rather than just fitting everything in.

For example: Dylan has been getting up really early lately, between 6:00 and 6:30, while the girls aren't usually awake before 7:00. So, remembering the difficulty we had yesterday trying to complete workbook pages with Meghan climbing repeatedly onto the table to "help", I decided this morning to use my quiet time with Dylan to complete the second lesson in his spelling workbook. This worked out so much better, and I really enjoyed the peaceful time spent snuggling with Dylan on the living room couch. We were finished by the time the girls woke up, and then we all had a simple breakfast, after which we reviewed yesterday's bible story and read today's.

Later in the morning, Dylan and I re-read Apples, and I had him draw and label the parts of an apple. He absolutely loves drawing and labeling, so this didn't really feel like an "assignment". Our math lesson today was conducted on the floor of the schoolroom, with their linking cubes scattered among us. I thought I'd start with a few simple problems, asking Dylan to snap together "x" number of blue cubes and then add "y" number of red cubes, making a total of "z" cubes. But he was just so quick with these! I was surprised, really, because, although I knew he was good with numbers, I had no idea he could solve problems with such ease. So I livened things up by creating story problems, with the cubes playing central roles. (Dylan has been thinking a lot lately about Halloween, so our orange cubes represented Jack-o-Lanterns, the black ones were black cats, the brown ones were owls, etc.) Again, this just felt like fun to me. Am I doing something wrong?

I think my favorite part of today was when Dylan came to me and asked, "Mommy, is it time to read more of Little House in the Big Woods yet?" This just made me so happy. We read chapter two, which was so wonderfully descriptive...and thankfully, unlike chapter one, it did not describe butchering meat. This, to me, was a much more serene chapter, describing cold winter nights spent inside their little log cabin, listening to Pa tell stories by the light of the crackling fire. It describes the chores the girls helped Ma with on a daily basis (and now we all want to learn how to churn our own butter!), and it tells of the little paper dolls that Ma would sometimes make for Laura and Mary. I'm embarrassed to say that prior to this, my kids had never heard of paper dolls, so they were quite charmed by the concept. When we finished reading, Dylan asked if we could try making one of our own, and a quick Google search revealed a simple template with coordinating outfits. But to be a little silly, I first opened the paper doll template in Adobe Photoshop and modified it to feature Caitlyn's face! Dylan thought this was hilarious, and he carefully colored the clothes, cut out each piece, and helped me assemble the doll, which he then presented to Caitlyn. So sweet! So fun! So...educational? I don't know. I sure hope so.

And, just so you know, there might actually be a day in the foreseeable future when I'll have something other than lessons to write about. I'm just bursting with things to say! But school! It's just so fun! :)

Stained glass butterflies

Because they are currently filling our home with such beauty and my heart with such joy, I wanted to share our weekend craft project here with you, my friends. As I'm sure you all know, I love fall. I love everything about it: the sights, the scents, the feel of the air...and I was thrilled to finally reach September. To celebrate, I wanted to create a pretty, seasonal window display in our dining area, so we hung a fall leaf garland and mini white lights. It was beautiful on its own, but I wanted to dress it up a little more, and it occurred to me that butterflies would be a perfect addition!

I had recently read about a stained glass cross project on Elizabeth's blog, and thought I might adapt it to make some butterflies for the window. I found these templates online, and I really liked them. They were just the right size for the project. I cut them out and traced them onto black construction paper, then cut out patterns from the wings of my solid black butterflies. The fun part was coloring the coffee filters for our stained glass effect! First we tried using markers and a spray bottle as the instructions suggest, but we encountered a bit of a problem when all of our color soaked right through the filters! I decided that I might just have to resort to our trusty method of wax paper and crayon shavings, but I really wanted the kids to be able to participate, too.

Finally, I had the idea to color the coffee filters with washable paint, and this worked beautifully. I gave each of the kids a small sponge brush, which were the perfect tools for the job. We got them soaking wet before dipping them into the paint, and then, when we pressed them to our coffee filters, the color really spread. This worked so well for us! And the kids had such a great time painting and seeing how creative they could be with their patterns. We painted many filters on Sunday morning, then left them to dry while we spent the day at a local Apple Festival. When we returned home, they were ready to be glued to the backs of our butterflies! A bit of trimming around the edges completed our works of art, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I love them!

We hung them in the dining room window on Sunday afternoon, and since we still had a few painted coffee filters remaining, I decided after the kids were asleep on Monday night to make a few more butterflies for the school room window. They were so surprised to see them when they walked into the room yesterday morning! I love the way these simple butterflies bring such warmth to our favorite rooms. I look forward to enjoying their cheerful presence throughout the fall!

Our homeschool adventure begins

Day one is done, and we survived!

The morning began so very, very sweetly, with Dylan sliding right out of bed and sneaking to the kitchen to bring me (his teacher) a shiny red apple. I was so touched! Then, since we were the only ones up (Darren had just left for work), he sat at the kitchen counter and helped me make breakfast. I had him read the recipe to me, and then give me step by step instructions as I added each ingredient. He did such a great job! Caitlyn joined us before too long, and she was eager to help, too, so she took over the job of pouring and stirring. Our Apple Cinnamon Muffins were soon ready for the oven, and while they baked, we read the story of creation from our Book of Bible Stories. Meghan woke up just in time to join us for breakfast, and it was delicious!

We listened to a really fun CD featuring bible based songs while we got ready and finished our morning chores, and then it was finally time to begin our lessons! I told Dylan and Caitlyn that there was a surprise for each of them in the school room, where I had placed backpacks on the backs of their chairs (both containing small gifts for the kids). They were sooo excited! I let them play for a little bit with their new treasures, then Dylan led us through our morning routine (rotating the calendar display, reciting the pledge of allegiance, and praying an Our Father and Hail Mary.)

Dylan completed Lesson 1 in My Very First Catholic Speller with little help from me, and Caitlyn, eager for work of her own, finished three pages in one of her preschool workbooks. We read How do apples grow? and Apples, then Dylan filled in a supplemental worksheet to accompany the book. (Thanks again for bringing these to my attention, Celeste!)

Naturally, after learning so much about apples, Dylan wanted to type a story about them. :) So, while he did that, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and getting Meghan down for a nap. While she slept, I read Grandfather Tang's Story to the kids, and they practiced replicating the animals in the book with their tangrams while I made lunch. We decided to have a tea party right after we ate, enjoying leftover muffins as our dessert and reading from Little House in the Big Woods. This was ever so delightful, and by far my favorite part of our day! Dylan and Caitlyn really loved it, too, although they decided after only a few sips that they didn't really like hot Cinnamon Apple tea, after all. :)

Since Meghan was still asleep when we finished chapter 1, I decided to try an art project with the big kids. I thought it would be fun to "stamp" some apple prints onto cardstock using an apple half and paint, but they didn't really work as well as I had hoped. My kids didn't mind, though...they just painted their own pictures!

Despite a few rough moments, it really was a wonderful first day and I look forward to doing it all again tomorrow. I think we'll probably simplify things just a bit, but I anticipate another fun day of learning!

Tomorrow

My dad and brother will be joining us in a little while for a small Labor Day cookout--green chile bacon cheeseburgers, chips and homemade salsa, beer, sodas, caramel apples--and I know that once they're here, the rest of the night will just fly by in the blink of an eye. Eating, visiting, talking, laughing...kitchen cleanup, baths, bedtime stories...and by the end of it all I'll be crawling into bed just as exhausted as the kids.

And then I'll wake up, and it will be morning.

It will be Dylan's first day of Kindergarten.

I feel so unprepared for that.

I've got our lessons planned, the school room stands waiting, the supplies are ready...it's my heart that wants more time.

More time to hold on, just a little longer, to the baby he used to be.

More time to ready myself, just a little more, for the letting go I know I have to do.

I am so glad he'll be here by my side for his very first day of Kindergarten. I am so blessed to have the privilege of being his Mommy and his teacher. I pray for the grace to be made worthy of the honor.

Gym Magic

Caitlyn and Dylan had been looking forward to this morning all week long. I was excited, too! Today they each had their first class at Gym Magic, and while I had initially been a little apprehensive about signing them up, I am so glad now that we went ahead and enrolled them. They both had so much fun, and I was so proud of them! Caitlyn's class was first, at 10:00, and since Dylan's class was immediately after, we all went together so we could watch each of them in their element! Caitlyn was initially very shy, despite the fact that her teacher is such a kind and engaging young man by the same name as her favorite uncle...oops, I'm sorry, I should have said "one of" her favorite uncles! Brothers of mine, I'll leave it to you to guess his name. ;)

Anyway, once she finally warmed up to him and the class (which included only two other little girls, one of whom is the daughter of one of my friends!) she did really well. I was impressed with how well she followed instructions and with the skills she demonstrated. I can see that the next ten weeks are going to be really fun!

Dylan was a bit reserved, too, as he began his gymnastics class, but he listened really well and did a great job. I liked the fact that his class was also small, including two other boys and two girls. There were two teachers (coaches?) for his class--one worked with the girls, while the other worked with the boys. After a while spent in the Tumble Bug room (a small scale gym for the six and under students), they went downstairs to the "big gym" and worked for a while down there. I could tell that Dylan was having an absolute blast, and he can't wait to go back next week!

While we were waiting and watching Dylan, Caitlyn and Meghan were enjoying the playhouse and toys they have set up in the observation area. I really appreciated the fact that these were available for siblings, because it would have been quite a challenge to keep them entertained otherwise!

We all just had such a great time this morning. I'm really looking forward to watching my kids blossom and gain self confidence in their abilities over these coming weeks!