Know Your Farmer

We have a new farmers market in town this summer...the offerings are from local farmers...so all around the market you will see signs that read "Know Your Farmer".

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I got that chance.  We visited some "farmer friends" to get a kitten and ended up getting to experience a day on the farm!

We visited All One Farms in Rineyville.  All One Farms boasts a lovely flock of Shetland sheep--complete with playful spring lambs, two beautiful dogs (they make you feel like family right away), three proud roosters, countless felines--by the way there are three litters of new kittens if anyone would like a kitten or two or three.  Oh yeah...there are also the resident farmers: Aunt Luna and Uncle Alan.  Maybe you are familiar with Luna and Alan from the yarn and wool boutique in Elizabethtown-- Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks but here is what life is like after the shop is closed...imagine this with cool refreshments on the lush lawn.

Aunt Luna gives the tour of their magical yard complete with its own apple tree tunnel!

 Uncle  Alan gives a riding tour of the farm...funny he got to be the rider :-P

 A botany lesson?!  Maybe I should record this as a field trip?  A lovely grand pecan tree shades the front lawn and there is so much to learn about nature from our farm friends.

Day 1 of School!!

Our Latin lesson for the day:

to one of you: Salve!

to all of you:  Salvete!

"Hello"

It was a lovely day of school!  I over slept.  And the boys woke up so they purposely let me sleep in...how quick they learn. :-)

 None the less...we got started and had a successful day.  Ben started his third grade studies, Nate first grade and Eli is following along with the boys Science, History, Christian Studies, and Latin...but for him we will still do Montessori activities along with follow the Highlands Latin Schools 2 day a week Jr. Kindergarten.  In a short while we will begin learning the memory work for Classical Conversations and attending the Friday school.

Here is a picture of Nate starting his History notebook for Story of the World Vol.One....I am sooooo excited about a history that has hands on projects all along.  This is going to be a fun year.  I feel a little guilty about getting to learn along and enjoy the experiences with the boys.

chickens? Chickens!

Back in early spring I asked someone what they suggested I do about the bugs eating my peaches every year before I got a chance to pick them. {{disclaimer:  I knew this person might be able to give me a chemical free solution}}  And so they suggested chickens.  Easy enough we got some chickens.  And let them out of the cage to see what they would do...

 I have yet to figure out the getting them back in the coop for the night....but these past three evenings I have managed after chasing them around ....which feels as silly as...

this!  Glad no one has videoed the nightly chicken bedtime struggle!!

Montessori #4!!!!!!!!

Friends this is endless!  And I am searching around on the web I am finding so many more ideas!!  Please note:
~~yes do use the little trays...the confined area is part of the whole space
~~this is work and lessons--not play
~~lessons should be rotated out and in about every couple of weeks...and objects can be mixed around into a new lesson

Most of all--HAVE FUN!!!!


This is one of the awesome kits that I purchased from Debbie Fox of   The Bottom Shelf

BUBBLES!!!

Gather...

plastic bowl

couple of straws

a wire wisk

egg beater

mix a small solution of 1/3 dishwashing liquid to 2/3 water

pour into bowl

blow through straw to see how the straw creates bubbles

next work with the wisk

then the egg beater.

loads of fun and the bubbles will be different with each.

Montessori #3!!

Sorting!!

This one is a winner!!  Right now these divided trays are everywhere!!  I picked this one up a the Dollar General for $1.  

Again this idea was from the workshop with Debbie Fox from The Bottom Shelf.  If you ever get a chance to attend one of her workshops do...her knowledge is so workable. { She even shared the basics of dinner swap clubs!}  There is info on her site on how to book her as a workshop speaker.

 Word of caution...I picked up beads from the Dollar Tree...I plan to use them in another lesson also...but pick 

items that is safe for your childs age.  Other sorting objects could be...dried beans, buttons, colored marshmellos...just look around...see what is available!  Enjoy!!

Montessori #2!!

Hammering!!

Eli loves this!!

This kit I purchased from Debbie Fox ~~the Bottom Shelf~~

It has ten wooden golf tees

a lobster wooden mallet

non drying clay

and a plastic bowl.

yes he did hammer his fingers a few times...but he did catch on and played quietly hammering, hammering, hammering!!

Tips from Debbie:

~~these lessons are only available to him during lesson time

~~ he must put the lesson kit back neatly on the shelf

~~lessons are rotated to keep them fun and fresh

~~assign each of the older schooling children a 30 minute time to spend "working" with the preschooler.  {I used that idea the day after the workshop and all three boys enjoyed "Eli time".}

Homeschool Montessori #1 (or how to get a 30-45 minute break!!)

Our homeschooling year has closed.  But at the end I came across a HUGE secret for success that somewhere along the way everyone had forgotten to share with me :-(  Montessori--Tot Boxes what ever you want to call it...hands on skills play.  

Our homeschool co-op FAITH sponsored a speaker to do a workshop on what to do with that preschooler while you are schooling your other children.  Of course work with them too...but sometimes they have got to get constructively busy.

So Debbie Fox from The Bottom Shelf came and shared with us how to make these montessori lessons, use them, organize our time, our life,and she offered some kits that she had already made!  I will be sharing those also.  But for now I am sharing one that I made!--her idea :-) Thanks Debbie!!

Pouring and Funneling

Kit:

tray walmart $1.98

funnels dollar tree $1

measuring spoons and cups dollar tree $1

small bowls my kitchen

rice

Eli played with this at least an hour..totally mesmerized.  He only gets to play with the kits during lesson time.

word strips

The school year is winding down but I wanted to share this really inexpensive and fun phonics tool.

Paint chips!!
{{{thanks Walmart!!}}}

Special Days

Special Days...actually any day is best marked with festive pancakes!

Necessity is the Mother of Invention!

Yesterday Eli and I went to Target to get some totes...and what should we find but some molds to make blocks for snow forts!  So far we haven't had snow for forts...but while we wait Eli has found another use for these!

Proud Mommy Momemt

This happened a few weeks ago...but I never want to forget it.  And if something happens to me I want someone to share the story with Nate.

Before Christmas Nate decided he wanted to go Christmas shopping. This was a big surprize.  Because Nate had been only worried about getting for himself for Christmas.  Ben had worked hard and earned money then got a shopping day with Mommy.  Let me take a moment here to explain something about the generous Ben...he went and bought two nice Lego sets "for his brothers"<---which he planned "to help" them build.  Then he went on to the Dollar Tree to find treasures for the other important people in his life :-)

 Now Nate suddenly decided he needed to do Christmas shopping.  We started and ended at the Dollar Tree--I have learned that my money is really easy to spend!  He started his Christmas shopping with a few things for himself ;-P then took alot of time picking out the gifts for others.

As we left he had the biggest winning smile on his face and he said " Mom...this has been the greatest day of my life!  You did the money and I did the shopping!"

I know honey...it was one of the greatest days of my life too!  I love you Nate.

100 DAYS of School!!!

When Ben was in Kindergarten he went to a public school and on the 100th day they had a celebration.  I made Ben a special shirt to wear to school that day.  Nate fell in love with the shirt!  He called it the "party shirt" and wore it proudly every time he could find it in the closet.  So with Nates' 100 day of Kindergarten nearing I made him a a special shirt!  {{and one for each of the other two boys :-)}}

Magic Traveling Suitcase!!

Mrs. Wizzle may have a magic traveling school bus...but she is a cartoon charactor and I cam a real, breathing, likes to eat cold cereal mom! And the other day I found a beautiful leather suitcase at a yardsale for 50 cents...it came home with me and it is going to "travel" all the land of Imagination ;-)


I packed the suitcase with secret supplies....


We took our "school" outside to the nearest cool shady spot...

---yeah someone is wearing their pjs...hope you like their uniform!!

Then we climbed up in the learning tree to read the story of Madelines Rescue


Back to the desk...so that we would still be in school...we learned about France where Medeline lives...we enjoyed some french food...koolaid(wine) and cheese(cheese sticks).


Thus began our lapbook about Madeline and our study of France:




travel courtesy of Magic Leather Yardsale Suitcase and Imagination Voyages

Lego Master

Nates favorite subject is Legos...seriously!  It is part of his daily work...and why not?  So many lessons to be learned from Legos...and so creative.

22nd Day of School!!

I am so behind on posting about life, school, ect.....but here is a go!

So far we have had three field trips!

The first one was to the Louisville Zoo!  Funny but the boys favorite things about the zoo are the playground and the african culture exhibit!!












The next week we went to the Kentucky State Fair...their favorite exhibit was the 4H bug collections and the fossil digging from Mammoth Cave!


I was totally taken by the winning 4H cake!!


This Monday we went to the Air and Space Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio.


I will have to find more pictures of that later :-)

My little knight

Last week I finally went to one of Bens fencing sessions.  Lets just say...he has a big heart and I hope that he makes a man of valor.