Looking backward

Here are a few pictures of some of our adventures last academic year.  It's fulfilling and good to think back on the fun we had while learning this past year.  Lately, however, I feel like I know more than humanly possible to know about breaded dragons.  Bear is in love with them.  Me, well not so much.  Oh the joys of home learning!

This picture pretty much sums up how Bear approaches learning and life:  With wild love and abandon.  She loves learning about what she is passionate about.  She loves creating things from her own imagination.  She loves hunting for fairies, pirates, dragon flies, and reindeer.  She loves being an adventure girl.  She has a crazy streak and a sweetness all rolled into one package.  She's our Bear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the day, even adventure girls have to rest and rejuvenate.  What better way to it then cuddled up on the couch with your favorite Tinker Bell blanket? 

 

 

My Bear will be 6 years old on Friday.  Happy Birthday to my adventure girl!  Mommy and Daddy love you VERY BERRY MUCH!

 

Pony Bead Sun and Wind Catchers

Pony Bead Sun Catchers were so much fun to make!  It was a nice after project with pretty fast results.  Something both Bear and I liked! (feel free to "Pin" me!)

For this project you need:

• one bag of plastic pony style beads.
• scissors
  
• oven
  
• goggles


• drill and very small bit (really helpful)


• Foil pan


• Fishing line

We placed the beads in a thin layer in the foil pans and placed them in the oven at 400 degrees. Removing them after a short time (about 20 minutes). One thing to make note of is that not all plastic beads are created equal when it comes to melting properties.

After the beads "baked" for approximately 20 minutes I let them cool and then took a drill bit (a very small one) and drilled a hole in the "sun catcher", threaded through the fishing line and then we hung them outside, to swing and sway in the breeze. Be sure to wear goggles when working with power tools. 

 

 

The special beads I got for Fourth of July sun catchers didn't melt as well as the bigger rounder beads.  I bought the beads used in our project at Joann's, but any craft or discount store should carry them.   I used my 40% off coupon to buy the beads at Joann's. Keep the discounts in mind while shopping for crafts to do with kiddos. 

 

I think they would make great "medals" for kids if you did them in solid colors and used a cupcake pan and ribbon to hang them around the children's necks rather than the fishing line we used for sun catchers.

 

The beads go a lot further than one might think. I see a wonderful gift in the making for Aunts and Grandma's. You could even attach magnets to the backs of small ones and have magnets. I think next I will experiment with Bear and doing different shapes, attempting to make little soap dishes and the like. 

 
 

 

Linking up with:



Raising Reagan

Fudge Pops

Who doesn't love a fudge pop?  Anyone?

Ashley over at Life with Moore Babies recently posted a recipe where she made fudge popsicles for her kiddos.  Well, it looked like fun, so we decided to try the experiment ourselves in our push-up pops.  SUCCESS. 

I didn't take a bunch of pictures, since we are packing tornados and the kitchen is a chaotic mess of dishes as we speak, but I will verbally walk you through what we did.  If you want to check out how Ashley did them please do!  She did post pictures of the steps she took.

Now anyone that knows me knows that I generally wing it as far as recipes are concerned.  I take a general idea and run with it.  I added a lot more cool-whip than she did, because I forgot to write it down and thought what the hey...... 

I had one of the big boxes of instant pudding in the pantry so I used it.  I followed the recipe for making pudding and then into the bowl I added the carton of cool-whip (the 16 oz. size I believe), and I mixed and mixed....  per directions...  somewhere around 3 minutes total.  To a 5 year old it seemed like eternity. 

After the mixing was done I poured (ok more like scooped) the fudgy goodness into our handy dandy push up popsicle makers (which we still love!  They have held up very well!) and froze them until hard; that was an awesome feat itself... Bear kept checking on them every ten minutes.  I did have to run the outside of the push-ups under hot/warm water for a few minutes to get them pushing up when they were done, but they worked really well.  Bear enjoyed one on the front porch in the sunshine, another in the back yard in the sunshine, in her fort in the --you guessed it--sunshine.  We all enjoyed one....or two.  *grin*

 

Mean Kids...

The Best Friends... 
Sunshine was the victim of someone's
 "little angels" bully her,
because of her looks....
What do you think?
What would you do?

Kids being mean.   KIDS BEING MEAN.

I know we can't really blame the kids, we need to blame the parents.  The parents need to stand up to their kids and tell them their behavior reeks of rotten liver that has spoiled and soured.  Yet, do they?  Are parents really that afraid of their kids?  Or are they really oblivious to the pain they can cause with a few mocking words and laughing mouths.   Why would anyone not stop a bully when they witnessed it.  Why would an adult allow a child to bully another? I'm not talking the petty squabbles about who gets the slid first that occurs in young childhood at three or four; but rather out right bullying.  I am hearing all sorts of talk about young friends at six or seven being bullied by other boys and girls in the same peer group....  This not good.  This is something that was once reserved for third or fourth grade, even highschool....  not kindergarten...or younger.

 Oh, I am upset.....  Its a good thing I wasn't there to witness what happened to Bear's BFF on Saturday at Kandel Park......

Sunshine was born with a cleft pallet.  It doesn't matter though, not one iota.  She's beautiful.  My wee babe has never questioned her beauty and friendship, she loves Sunshine just the way she is.

Sunshine recently went to a local spray park with her mom after a ballet recital.  Its been warm, and Sunshine, like Bear, loves the water and playing with children.  We were unable to join them, chores at home, but now I am unsure if it would have been wise for us to join them; maybe God was keeping me away from the hate filled behavior that kids displayed toward Sunshine. 

I decided to use what happened as a teaching moment.  So we discussed bullies Sunday morning.  Bear was unable to fathom how anyone could even see Sunshine as not looking like herself.  She said, "we look a like except I have short hair and Sunshine has long hair."  Bear has never noticed that Sunshine has some scars.... or if she has, they have never made an impression.... maybe because she is raised around people with scars, and so it normal and natural that everyone looks different.  Maybe she looks beyond appearances and sees the heart, the way children should.  But whatever the reason is, Bear was sad and upset about what happened  to her friend.  Bear sees nothing to not adore about her BFF, well except that Sunshine can ride a bike and she is still struggling with it.  *grin*    Bear and I discussed what happened and how mean it was toward Sunshine; what she should do if she witnessed behavior like that or if someone treated her like that.

BFF's and their AG's

Parents:  If your children get caught up in the gang mentality and bully because everyone is doing it, NIP IT IN THE BUD.  Stop being afraid to parent your children.  Its not funny, its not normal, its not a phase.  It isn't a rite of passage in childhood to be bullied or be a bully.  Teach your child to stick up for those being bullied.  To get adult help, to tell their friends its mean to pick on kids just because they might look different, dress different, live in a different house, or come from a different social-economic class.  People are people and we need to remember the golden rule.  Treat others as you would wish to be treated. 

It breaks my heart that Sunshine had to endure this.  Despite this, it didn't break her spirit; at least not that we grown-ups have seen.  I wish no child had to endure being bullied.  Today it is rampant, and the only solution I can see are parents rising up and taking back control of their homes and setting good examples.  You place a high importance on setting a good example on eating, exercise, school/education... how about teaching/showing some moral examples?  When you hear about or witness a bully, address it.  Talk about bullying at home, role play situations with your kids.  Find out more info at Stop Bullying--Kids.

Have you encountered a situation where your child was bullied?  Was friends with a victim?  Or the bully?  What have you done?

Momschool...

When Bear was about 2 1/2 or 3 we made the official announcement that we were going to homeschool as long as it was what we felt called to do as a family.  As the end of the year approaches and we look to the year ahead we reaffirm our decision.  Our journey has been bumpy at times, but I know I am not alone in it.

This question was posed on our local Homeschool group~~  What is your definition of a successful homeschool year?

Did we survive it?  Yes.  *grin* but we did more than survive.  We learned a lot about ourselves along the way.  We learned the importance of habits, more specifically, good habits.  I guess for me the best way to define a successful homeschool year is did we continually strive forward?  Yes.  Even when things have been hard we have looked for other ways to do things.  Perhaps we even evaluated if Bear was ready for what we were trying to learn. 

Did we reach a few of our goals?  Yes, and then some.  Our goals this year included:

• Write our letters --have we mastered it no, but after months of struggle we are doing it.  The biggest problem is getting a wee Bear to have the patience. 
• Write our numbers (1-20)--See above
• Count to 50 and work on counting by 5's and 10's (to work on telling time next year)--we can count well above 50, and are still working on 5's and 10's. 
• Work on lacing and tying --- she has actually tied her own shoes a few times.  Not perfect, but not bad!
• Simple math from living skills --measuring, counting, subtracting, adding...yep all that.
• Education from the counter study  --we have made a lot of fun things and performed a lot of fun experiments!
• Explore Right Start Math concepts--still really weighing it all and deciding if I want to purchase it this year or wait one more year to start formal math. We will actually be starting Right Start this year. We felt we would be better to wait another year with formal math.
• Bible Studies ( incorporating a new book I bought about tea parties too, and using those lessons to work on our major theme... and manners) --Habits....  still working on forming good habits and since beginning Charlotte Masons studies I am seeing an even greater importance to it.
• Using the Bible for some Science lessons as well --we talked about God's creation a lot in our experiments. 
• Bible Buster Club --Not as often as I would like. 
• Social Skills--sharing, being kind, listening, etc.
• Arts and Crafts--  We have done more than I can list.  We did a raft again this year, made snowmen, filbert babies, Jack and Jill crafts, and more.  It has been fun! 

That being said here are some things I have learned this year. 

• Don't over schedule.  Everyone is happier spending more time relaxing at home than doing a zillion activities.  There is always next year
• Don't place high expectations on yourself or others.  Expectations often make people feel like they have failed when they are unrealistic.  Make realistic goals instead!
• Each day we learn something even if it isn't what I had planned.  Nothing we learn is for naught.
• Simple is better.
• Be quiet.  I am still working on this. Being quiet is more of a spirit thing too and I think having a quieter spirit would settle well with the life goals we have. 
• Stop comparing our learning experience with others.  This is hard, but I am learning to understand I can admire but need to keep our family's needs and wants in the forefront.  What works well for another family won't work well for anyone else.  What it does do is foster creative juices as I think about things that MIGHT work for us.  How can I adapt some trait or experience I see in another family to fit our family.
• If I don't know it I can learn it.  I am not worried about telling my daughter that I don't know "and we need to look it up!"  Homeschooling teaches you and your child that learning is life long and admitting you don't know something is ok.  No one laughs, no one yells, no one gives you a bad grade....  you just find a way to learn it.  This is why homeschooling teaches HOW to learn.
• Outside the box is great.  And it can be fun.  We don't think in neat little square blocks so why would we learn that way?

John T. Gatto once wrote:  Schools were designed by Horace Mann and Barnard Sears and Harper of the University of Chicago and Thorndyke of Columbia Teachers College and some other men to be instruments of the scientific management of a mass population. Schools are intended to produce through the application of formulae, formulaic human beings whose behavior can be predicted and controlled....When children are given whole lives instead of age-graded ones in cellblocks they learn to read, write, and do arithmetic with ease if those things make sense in the kind of life that unfolds around them.

Its wise to remember this and understand that as a homeschooling parent we don't want to raise formulaic children with behaviors and thoughts which can be controlled.  We want to raise free thinking people.  We have the ability to give our children a wonderful gift.  We can raise them with our values and ideals.  This isn't a bad thing, regardless of what society teaches.  Its not bad to raise your children to hold your values and ideas dear.   In fact, to not raise your children to hold your values (as long as they are loving values) is a tragic injustice.   This is something I have learned.  This is something we are still learning.  Do we cower to society and its ways or forge ahead holding fast to what we ultimately want for our family? 

"Object-lessons should be incidental; and this is where the family enjoys a great advantage over the school. The child who finds that wonderful and beautiful object, a “paper” wasp’s nest…has his lesson on the spot from father or mother.” Charlotte Mason

"Boys and girls must have time to invent episodes, carry on adventures, live heroic lives, lay sieges and carry forts, even if the fortresses be an old armchair; and in these affairs the elders must neither meddle nor make." and one last wonderful quote by Miss Mason, "Education is a life. That life is sustained on ideas."

The question remains:  What is your definition of a successful homeschool year?

Did we learn?  Yes we did.  We learned to love more.  We learned to live better.  We learned to hope.  We learned to lean on God.  We learned to live our own path.  We learned to own our mistakes.  We learned to have joy and hope.  I'd say we had a very successful year. 

How about you?

 

 

Fizz Experiments:  Kitchen Science!

 

 

Fun Foto Friday

A look into our week of fun and learning.....



Bear enjoys painting and sometimes being funny and painting her face
It does make me grin....How about you???? 

Hard at work making her first ever peach pie for daddy.
Daddy enjoyed it BTW

 

 

 

I was awarded an Outstanding Student of the Year (2013) award, just as this chapter is nearing its end....  Wonderful program and instructors.  Looking forward to the next chapter, and yes, you can congratulate me now.  *Grin*  It been a fun road being a student myself as I have been homeschooling Bear.  Sometimes its been rocky as the waves have tossed our little boat to and fro; sometimes the only ripples we've encountered  have been made by my oar cutting through the surface as I continually strive for the shore.  Its a bit bittersweet, but my daughter has seen the importance of doing your best and most importantly, sticking with it even when its hard.  Yes, this chapter is nearly complete and we look forward to the next...  and seeing what God has in store for our family. 

After a long hard day of  learning and play,

falling sleep on the couch is in order.... 

can we say NAP!

 

Northwest Summer Bucket List

Well more specifically, Western Washington Bucket List.  Check your local area though for fun things to do for not too much money in your area this summer.  This is our wish list for summer fun activities in our area.

1. Shakespeare in the park  Information here and here
2. Camping (one is already scheduled with other homeschool friends!) and two more are roughly scheduled!
3. Archery with friends
4. Picking Blueberries at Charlotte's Blueberry Park. 
5. Fly kites
6. Visit Longbeach, WA
7. Fishing on Saturdays!
8. Mt. St Helens
9. Fort Warden near Port Townsend, WA
10. Look for Tide-pools
11. Have BBQ's with friends
12. Learn to ride a bike (Bear)
13. Bike ride as a family and with friends
14. Look at stars
15. See a Rainer's game
16. Go Geo-caching!
17. Pioneer Farm
18. Make icecream!
19. Eat an icecream from a truck!
20. Have a water fight!

Here's to summer!  Bring it on!!!!

What kinds of things do you want to do this summer in your area?

Ice Pop Molds

When we started doing more juicing and whole foods I found a brief mention on a web site about a product that allowed one to make their own push up pops at home, with GOOD FOR YOU JUICE, and thus the hunt begun for the product, Silicone Ice Pop Maker Molds.  I located these silicone dynamos on Amazon.  You can see them below.

There was a brand that was more expensive, but I know with the way Bear goes through Popsicles that we would need two or three ready during the day.  Since I had plans to use healthy juice and smoothies in the push ups I wasn't worried about her having a few each day. 

They arrived and we immediately put the product to use with  juice and even yummy smoothies.  They do a great job.  I do find for them to push up easily a little warm water splashed on the outside is needed.  The product has held up well so for.  A few people mentioned a smell and taste from the silicone but after a wash or two it has not been noticeable at all.  I would suggest hand washing, even though they appear to be dishwasher safe. 

The cons: 

Carrot and apple juice with kale

You can't buy this goodness

at a store!

• The lids can be hard to keep track of.
• They can't be filled to the "brim" and have the lids go on nicely.
• They have to be placed in a cup or laid sideways in the freezer.  If you want nice round push ups you need to place them in a holder or cup. 
• We were only sent one strap with our double order.
• Lack of care instructions in packaging.
• You have to have them upright to fill and because of the tapered bottom they must be held while pouring the liquid in.

But the pluses can be summed up like this.....

Berry mix, spinach, flax, yogurt,
apple, carrot, and almond milk
Even Hubs enjoys them!

With summer fast approaching with its warms days, these could be just the hit for your family.   They could hold so much more than frozen products and could be fun for kids for several years.

 

 

 

 

If you click on the amazon link, I do get an affiliate fee.  Thanks!!

 

The Laundry List

There has been a laundry list of things Bear has learned with her cousins.  It has been fun!

We kind of put "formal" learning on hold while we did "social learning" with cousins.  At least I thought we were putting learning on spring break, but I was wrong!  Very very wrong.  Those of you with more than one child already know that playing with siblings or other family members develop skill sets, but those of us with an only can only gaze with wonder at the imaginative play that can develop when children are allowed to play, mostly unhindered by time and space. 

Nothing we did could be called non-educational, even rousing games of Mario Cart taught Bear skills.  Her imagination leaped into overdrive as she and her cousins, Wonder Boy  and Spy Boy, began elaborate stories and play.  We learned about swords, shields, battle axes, and had many days filled with adventures in the house and outside as they explored wilds created in their world.  It gladdened my heart and encouraged my spirit to see their rough and tumble play full of learning and adventures.  I am going to be sad to see my brother and his family leave. 

 Children's children [are] the crown of old men; and the glory of children [are] their fathers.  Proverbs 17:6

 

For Grammie this verse holds weight as she interacts with her grandchildren and witnesses their play together.  My father's crown are running amongst the weeds in the yard, playing spies and dragon slayers in the fallow of the garden soil......  I think my Dad would be smiling if he could see them.  No greater legacy can a man leave.   

 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:4

 

The crusading trio!
Photo credit Trunks Photography

Obstacles everywhere

This is a repost from 2/1/2012--Have a great weekend!  We still love obstacle courses, and just did one yesterday, and today she is creating one with a set clear Geometrics.   she is using  them to create castles and castle doors for cars to drive around in.  Our favorite courses are outside though...  where she can use all sorts of found objects to create tons of new things to twirl around, in her tutu or blue jeans....  my adorable wild Bear! 

 

We love obstacle courses, ok maybe we is a strong word. Bear loves obstacle courses. It serves an educational purpose as well and it's really easy for you to create your own, even inside in a small space and with just a little imagination.

What we did (with items we had on hand): We got out our wooden blocks and created "piles" to walk around, a length of rope (or if lacking that, a dog leash--yes we have walked a tightrope on the dog leash before, purely by accident....) you could even use a belt. Just whatever you have on hand for the "balance beam"--good for gross motor skills. Bear used the rope to walk on. It wasn't big, just a few feet in length. Then we used a big spoon and carried a Christmas ball that somehow missed getting packed away while we walked (OK one of us walked and the other jogged) through the course. I gave up after once, I didn't go fast enough. 
 

Some other options we will do when we do it again:

• A bin or basket full of items they must carry through the course. With each trip they can pick a different item until the basket is empty. I would suggest just a handful of items or it might get old and lose the spontaneity for your child.
• Add a "limbo" area. Easy with the kitchen broom over a couple chairs. It helps them with understanding getting down and crawling UNDER the stick.
• A jumping or leaping area in your course. Once again, easy with a stack of books starting low to the ground using your broom for the pole to jump over. Raise it up higher with every pass or two until they can't leap over it.
• Traffic cones (we have multicolored ones that I bought at a party store) but you could even save cans and then use them. You could even paint them bright colors with craft paint. I just didn't feel like going and digging them out, but I will soon.
• Have the child turn directions while doing the course as well. think "Simon Says." Our version is "Mommy Says" *grin*
• and more....

 

Another fun thing is building "forts." This can provide hours of play, but of course you must be willing to let your house be chaotic with blankets and sheets and more!

 

 

Cattywampus

Bear doesn't have a lot of warm and fuzzy thoughts for smoothies yet.  I am at a loss.  I am skipping her smoothie today and tomorrow when neither of us have to be up early and out of the house before the sun is hardly up I will see how she does again and without carrots and spinach.  Maybe I will have to gradually add more.  If you have thoughts on it please, by all means, let me know!

 

 

In our homeschool this past week…

 

Kites.  We have been making paper kites!  We had a lot of wind on Friday and got to witness our weather station spinning so much that the rain gauge went cattywampus! (Hows that for a fun word to write!?)

 

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Check Goodwill and other used stores for books!  We picked up a Real Science 4 Kids book that will save us some money.  We paid eighty-cents! 

 

Consistency.....  but also adaptability are keys.

 

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

 

Entertaining aunts with chatter!

 

My favorite thing this past week was...

Playing badminton in the living room!

 

What’s working/not working for us…

I am seriously close to putting up all the toys and packing them away....  until she eats her smoothies! 

 

Questions/thoughts I have…

I am trying to get the Northwest Untest scheduled.  I would like a good baseline of where we are academically.

 

Things I’m working on…

To be quiet and listen.

 

Just 17 days until our Real Food Pledge!

 

How is your week?



Garden Planning and tending my little plot

Today I have been playing around, instead of doing what I need to do in some respects, like homework!  *grin*  But I also have been trying to relax a bit this afternoon.  I want to share a web site I found for garden planing.  Not sure I will pay the money for it, but its one of the easiest to work with that I have found so far...

GrowVeg. Com is the name of the web site and you can get a free 30 day trial.  It has so many varieties of vegetables to play around with for designing your little garden plot.  It also allows you to plug in your zip code and it looks up your first and last frost dates even.  Its really rather fun. 

Also, I ventured out to the library yesterday and checked out a handful of books before wondering if I should purchase them for our home library, they are Backyard Bounty by Linda Gilkeson (recommended by Mother Earth News); Small Plot, High Yeild Gardening by Gilbertie and Larry Sheehan; Your Farm in the City by Lisa Taylor and the Gardeners of Seattle Tilith; and Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon. 

Just playing around with the prgram, but I do like the apparent ease of use.  If you buy Burpee Seeds it appears you can order them after planing your garden on this site as well, but I haven't explored that aspect.

Now on to my garden which is much more difficult to tend.........

It was a rough morning with Bear really testing limits and losing privileges.  Her guitar she just got from Daddy is gone for a while.  She has lately been having some problems with sass and attitude, she has always been strong willed, but it has been getting worse.  I think I found one culprit, though its many things of course.  If it were just one thing being a trigger, it would be easier to tend.  I am pretty lenient, but when I tell her we MUST get ready, and to drink her smoothie and brush her teeth, comb her hair and get dressed from something, she needs to do it.  I don't make demands that are overboard.  I am very close to emptying her room of everything except her bed, dresser, and clothes.  Bye bye toys and dolls.  We try so hard to give her things we think she would enjoy, its hard because she is an only child.  Today I have kept her in quiet time much of the day....  I have needed to do it.  While I contemplate what we can really do. 

Has anyone else emptied their child's room of all their things?  Is it right to take away all her toys?  I am so torn and at my wits end in so many ways.