Around the World

This year the little kids and I are taking a look at world geography with Trail Guide to World Geography. To make things interesting, we get together with a few friends periodically to play games and eat food associated with what we are studying.

Here's Kelsey making Rice Krispie treats that look like the earth.

They were a little sticky and I still have blue food coloring under my fingernail.

Kim spray painted these ball ornaments blue and the kids painted the continents on the 'earth' balls.

The kids' cousins from the west coast gave them this Map Tangle Game several years ago. It came in handy for reinforcing where the continents are located on a map.



Time for a snack.

A Week of Firsts

This has been a week of firsts for Kelsey. She is the baby and likes to have mama close by, but this week she cut those strings just a little.

Community Bible Study began this week and Kelsey was a little nervous. She cried, but not for long. Her teachers were patient with her and she straightened up quickly. When I picked her up, she was having fun and wants to go back next week. She says she won't cry next time.

Gymnastics also started this week and I must admit that I was afraid I would be out on the floor with her. After all, I was out on the gymnastics floor with Lindsay at this age. But Kelsey did not flinch and she did not cry. She got dressed for gymnastics, in a pink leotard of course, and walked right in. She looked a little nervous, but when the teacher called the class, Kelsey went without hesitation. I do think it helped that her cousin was there. Everything about gymnastics was her favorite.

I didn't take pictures during the class this time, but here's one of her just before class.

6th Day - Land Animals

Boys and animals seem to go together.

Jonathan and three friends, boys only, are participating in a co-op. We are using the book Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day.

The Collages

The Experiment - extracting DNA strand from peas

DNA Model - Gummy Bears and Twizzlers

Not a fan of having his picture taken, but he did have fun.

Back in Full Swing

The lazy days of summer are over and our school year routine is back in full swing. We have been easing into the routine for the past couple of weeks adding all the 'extra' stuff this week (Bible study, gymnastics, piano lessons).

In early August, I began to feel a little panic as to how the routine might play out. With four kids on four different levels in all subjects, I had visions of schooling little people from sunrise to sunset every day of the week. I also had visions of accomplishing nothing and those four little people just doing their own thing all the time and growing into adults who were proficient at video games and could write excellent movie reviews. The other vision that played out in my obviously warped mind was one of me consumed by school work and kids with absolutely no time to shower, eat, or do anything I might want or need to do. None of these visions were very pretty.

Well, I am happy to report that at the end of three weeks I have not been completely consumed by school and little people, we have kept video games and movies to a reasonable limit, and I have had a shower and even food now and then.

Now mind you these first weeks have been hard - Ken has worked late a lot, almost everyone has had colds (with two trips to the doctor), and there has been something unexpected every week that has tried to throw us off. After one week, we had to switch Alex's geometry books, and after two weeks, we switched Lindsay and Alex's foreign language program.

We have not adhered to a strict schedule, but we have a plan for each day with the goal being that we help each other tackle the plan. It's not perfect, but so far I am pleased with what we have accomplished.

So what have our days looked like? The teenagers are usually up early and the little kids sleep in a bit. Lindsay likes to get advanced math out of the way first and since the little ones are sleeping, I can think clearly to help her. She needed a lot of help the first week or so, but this week she has done well on her own. Then she works on her own and helps a lot around the house. Alex likes to work independently and then find me when he's ready to complete geometry. He's also our yard man. When the little kids are up and ready, we read Bible out loud and then I help Jonathan with his work (Kelsey tagging along). Jonathan and I usually work until his list for the day is complete. There are some days that we take a break in the middle of the day and finish later and some days that we don't get started until after lunch because of various activities. At dinner we try to discuss what everyone is reading and writing. It seems to be working for our family.

We try to function with the mentality that we will work hard four days, catch up and clean up on Fridays and have fun on the weekends. So today is Friday and all the kids are sleeping in a bit - meaning a little extra quiet time for me.

Happy three-day weekend!

Summer is Fading

The days are already getting shorter. The air is even cooler this week - a hint of fall.

Of course all of this means a new routine, one that involves math, Latin, French, history, science, and more writing. More writing? Yes, maybe even I will write more.

But for now here are a few glimpses of our summer:

Great Sunflower Project

We planted Lemon Queen Sunflowers as part of the Great Sunflower Project and they started blooming this week. They are mighty tall flowers - wonder if the little kids will be able to see the bees way up there.

Take Down

Summer is keeping me away from the computer.

I love this sequence of pictures from a baseball tournament a couple of weekends ago.

Setting up for the catch.

Take down!

Held on to the ball - he's out!

And yes, it was a bit painful for Jonathan and very painful for his parents to watch.