Homeschooling: At Home and Out and About

If you can't tell, the above picture is "Josie" in pecans. We went to the temple, and Patrick found a neat neighborhood park close by that looked like it just grew out of open space there. He took the kids there while I went in to the temple, and then I decided to take them back while he went in. We began collecting these nuts, and we decided to spell words with them. Somebody stepped on one, and we discovered they were pecans! I didn't figure anyone was counting on that harvest, as the park was nearly empty on a beautiful day,  so we cracked a bunch and surprised Daddy with a treat when we picked him back up. Josie later tried to sell them at the end of the driveway at 3/$1. She discounted them and sold them to her brothers, who bummed the money from me. Funny how that works! She has also tried to sell her drawings with the help from neighbor friend Rubi, who went door-to-door. Reminds me of when I sold rocks and the produce from my friend's grandpa's garden as an 8 or 10 year old.

That temple day in January we also took the kids to Toys R Us on the way home, where they used Christmas gift cards from Uncle Max and Aunt Jeanie. The boys added to the LEGO collection, and Josie bought a Frozen character. (The obsession is now waning.)

Some of my favorite moments are quiet at home, especially around dinner prep time when everyone is outside playing except one hangs around in the kitchen with me. One day it was Kyle, and I got him some lime water (lime juice in water with a drop of stevia in a "special" skinny jam jar cup). It is really pretty hilarious that I like quiet so much because I hardly ever get it!

 He graciously shared it with Taylor. These two are best friends. Sometimes in the car, Kyle will reach over and hold Taylor's hand for a while. Kyle is the quiet "middle child". So, he enjoys someone listening to him and trying to be like him.

Thinking of the relationships between our children brings to mind how protective they are of each other. I count on this for the teenage years, when I hope they will go places together quite a bit. When Simon was three, he stood up to an 8 or 10 year old at the park who was growling at Josie and her friend and bullying. Simon walked right up to him and said, "She's my sister, and I'm gonna keep her!" Go, Simon!

And one more: at a friend's house, when Taylor was trying to go back downstairs when the older son of my friend was there. whom he did not know, Kyle would not let Taylor go back down. When I asked why, he responded, "There's a man down there".

I love that they have that kind of loyalty and instinct to protect each other.

Sometimes I take pictures when we have a really successful school time without conflict.
This week Josie and Simon have been helping me do "pre-school" with Kyle and Taylor. This venture is mostly an effort to help Kyle get solid on letters and sounds. The bonus is Simon gets to practice writing the letters too, which he doesn't particularly like, probably mostly because he hasn't been immediately talented at it, like he is with many other things. He is a natural percussionist, bicyclist, friend, etc.

I've been pretty busy teaching the older kids, and especially Josie with her official bookwork, that I worry about neglecting the little ones. I will really miss the happy toddlers playing when everybody is big. 

I adore Automoblox.

Outside of a building on UNT campus is an area displaying statutes of animal life native to the area. The kids think it's really cool. We took them up one time and they said hi to the jackrabbit, coyotes, snake, snapping turtles, etc. They even went so far as to call the scientist, "Dad" (it has evolved to "Grampa"). When it got cold, we noticed that the animals all had coordinating sweaters and other winter wear. If it doesn't happen next year, I think we need to make it happen! What a cute tradition. We took a bike ride up there for a closer look.

Taylor is a little leery of "Grampa".

We wonder if Kyle is ambidextrous. He seems to eat with his left hand and colors and writes with both. But when I was having him write the letter "a", he was really wobbly with his right, so he switched to left and seemed to do it with more ease. He will color with one, then with the other awhile.

Simon took a few pictures when I was making honey cookies around Valentine's Day. The kids are so close in age, that it seems they each must get a turn at everything. So, each got to help cut out the cookies. These are my mom's variation on sugar cookies, and I like them so much more. I can just pop and pop and pop them into my mouth :) I've never liked frosting and decorated cookies. It's shaped like a heart, and that's enough for me!

I call this part of the counter the Peninsula, because it's not an island, but it's not a bar. And I don't want to just call it the junk counter!

 We made some simple refrigerator pickles. They take a week or so of sitting in the fridge. We like the crispy kind anyway, so we will probably make a lot of these next summer.

A cemetery called IOOF is near our house. For some reason, the kids affectionately call it Little Town. They have been asking me to go, so last Thursday afternoon, I obliged them. We definitely live in town, but on researching the cemetery, I discovered that at some point in its history, it was described as being "in the country". Funny how things change.

I took some pictures of interesting gravestones. Some had family names similar to some in mine and Patrick's family history. One lady was named Annie Love Storrie- how cute! We did some rubbings with crayon, played Hide and Seek, and Kyle even knocked over a small gravestone which was only perched on a base. This last event was my greatest fear coming true, because my cousin has a broken leg from a gravestone's fall. But the small one did not break and was easily propped back up. Phew!

Oh, I almost forgot! The cemetery visit happened to fit right in with our grammar study. We have been learning about initials and abbreviations of months. This was a perfect outing for real-life application.

hilarious!

cool candid kiddos

Now when we pass Little Town, it is familiar. And when my neighbor gets to feeling better, she is going to take us to another cemetery, where her family is buried. 

I hope my kids grow up knowing they are loved, and knowing my faith and how it guides my actions. I really really want them to learn to make their own choices and become all they can become. I hope that the things we do lead to this. I pray every day for help in doing my job as a mother the best I can.