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June 2006

Just in Time: Friday Photos!

This is week 2 in an ongoing series of pictures taken by the boys. Enjoy!

Daddy's Coffee Cup by Earlybird (text by Mama)

Earlybirds_coffee_mug

This is my dear husband's favorite coffee cup. It is Earlybirds' mission in life to seek out any vessels containing liquid (any kind will do) and when no one is looking, sneak them off to the sink, to dump and mix to his little heart's delight. In our house, you know better than to leave your cup left unsupervised like this (especially when it's filled with oh-so-precious morning coffee). After I helped EB snap this shot I beat him to the chase and returned dear husband's mug to him unharmed. Said Earlybird: "Silly Daddy."

Our Keyboards by Bookworm

Bookworms_keyboards

"These are our keyboards and our Nana's piano book that she gave us. She used it when she was a little girl, and so far I've learned to play one song in the book called "Cherry Blossoms." I've been practicing for a few months, and now I can play more than three songs! I like to try to make up songs on the keyboard sometimes and improvise on the songs I already know."

A Pen-Pen Picture by Crackerjack

Crackerjacks_penny_1

"Penny (aslo called Pen-Pen) usually comes out in the middle of the morning, I'd say just about near lunch. She likes to sleep on Mama and Daddy's bed and she's the only girl in our family. Hey wait a minute - we have you in our family! You're a girl. I like it when Penny rolls over because she keeps on meowing and meowing. She likes to be scruffed on the cheek. Why do I love her? 'Cuz she's our cat, of course!"


And Speaking of 7 ...

Homeschool_bloggers A fun blogging bandwagon is trundling past By Sun and Candlelight, so before it's gone, I'm jumping on!

Encouraged by Maureen at Trinity Prep, many blogging friends have been posting their 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homeschool Bloggers, and though I'm no blog veteran, I thought I'd follow their lead and share my own thoughts on the subject! So, inspired by Theresa, Meredith and Alice, here are my own ...

7 Habits of (Hopefully) Effective Homeschool Bloggers:

1. Be positive. Try to be a bright spot in someone's day. Find the grace and goodness in the little things, whenever you can, and reflect on the big things now and then. Shine a light on life's blessings, and hope that perhaps someone who needs it will be touched.

2. Be personal. Post lots of pictures, especially of your children's work. Pictures really brighten your page, add interest and personalize your presence. Reflect your own style with your color, graphics and artwork - make it a place that you are happy to visit! :)

3. Be helpful. Offer reviews and talk about the resources you use and like. Homeschoolers are always looking for good recommendations. What works for you might be just the thing for someone else.

4. Be in touch. Connect with other bloggers through comments, links and hat-tips. Visit lots of blogs and join in on the conversation - submit to carnivals, or start one of your own! (And I just may do that - details soon!)

5. Be honest. Pleasing everyone would be ideal, but pleasing yourself is important too. Talk freely about things that make you smile - for example, say you're nutty about squirrels (I'm not naming names!), then indulge yourself - this is your blog after all! It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you might make someone out there smile.

6. Be consistent. Regular postings appeal to regular readers, but I also think of my blog as my homeschooling journal. It's the easiest way I've found in six years of homeschooling, to record what we do "on paper." This week, as I prepare our yearly reports, I find my blog to be a treasure trove of details - a reminder of books we've read, field trips we've taken, poems we've memorized, and nature we've observed.

7. Be proud. Share the joy and pride you feel in your vocation and encourage others to find their own calling. Show the world how vibrant and exciting it is to be part of this great big adventure called homeschooling!

Well, there you have it - my thoughts on homeschooling blogging! I have much to learn, but thankfully, many wonderful bloggers to learn from!


7 Excellent Points to Keep in Mind

A while back I posted about how it's that time again - when we wrap up one yearWinter_promise_1 and make decisions about, and provisions for, the next. Well, now the pressure's on, because the school dept. letter came today, requesting our end-of-the-year reports ...

Also in the mail was a beautiful new catalog called Winter Promise. I savored its lovely pages, and - in light of my task at hand - found these seven points, based on Charlotte Mason's philosophy of home education, particularly inspiring:

DO's:

  • DO provide intelligent reading in abundance.
  • DO introduce your student to culture and things of beauty ~ music, nature, poetry and the arts
  • DO teach your children to narrate, telling you back about their learning experiences in their own words. Notebooking is a part of narration.
  • DO build habits that shape your child, and teach the discipline of self-education for joy's sake.
  • DO allow free time to develop as a person instead of heavy homework load, especially in the younger grades.

DON'Ts:

  • DON'T teach your student to succeed for the sake of a grade; instead, introduce them to things that keep capture their interest and they will try their best.
  • DON'T plan on lecture times of teaching; instead embrace learning together with discussion, experimentation, and narration.

Sounds good to me. :) Here's to happy planning!


Japan Week 4: Sayounara!

Though as I understand it, the Japanese usually just say, "Bye!"

However we say it, our coop wrapped up our unit study of Japan today. For our fourth and final installment, we took it easy, and brightened up a dark and rainy day with fun crafts and a special tea party (please see Harvest Home for all the food details) ...

Cherry_blossom_tea

Usually the kids are allowed to start the day off with some free play time - running around and reconnecting - but after a sudden downturn in the weather dashed any hopes of time spent outside, we got right down to work. :) First up - some coloring pages (fans, kimonos and traditional Japanese scenes) and making colorful origami. I think the scented markers were the biggest hit!

Cherry_blossom_coloring_1

Cherry_blossom_origami

Today our focus was on the cherry blossom, the much beloved and (unofficial) national flower, called sakura in Japan. We created paper blossoms following instructions in Martha Stewart Kids (above, Beth is illustrating the technique). Another activity that we did not do as a group, but that I plan to have my boys work on today, is drawing the Japanese kanji for sakura. We also used a cherry blossom rubber stamp to create colorful bookmarks.

Cherry_blossom_artwork

The kids next decorated their own paper fans that Lisa brought. Vibrant markers and rubber stamps of Japanese kanji were used to embellish the plain simple fans ...

Cherry_blossom_fans_working

Cherry_blossom_fans_kurt_1

The kids were really proud of their efforts! Here are a few of the finished products:

Cherry_blossom_fans

So we ate, we crafted and a few of us engaged in some Samurai swordsplay (remember it was raining out, and there were 10 boys under 1 roof!). I had intended to play a CD of beautiful Japanese music I found (Sakura: A Musical Celebration of the Cherry Blossoms) but we ended up listening to the sound of the drenching rains on the roof instead. And so we ended our day - and our time in Japan - on a high note. And what did we all think of our study? A resounding "sugoi!" (cool!)

Cherry_blossom_fans_group

For a recap of our study of Japan, please see my earlier posts: week 1, week 2 and week 3. This summer our coop will be taking a break from "serious" study, to meet instead at the movies, the park or the pool - but we plan to pick up again the fall!

Ah, but this is not the end of the road for world culture appreciation in our house! For it's onwards to France with the ladies at 4Real! Helen has organized a wonderful Tour de France study group (see details in this thread). Here at By Sun and Candlelight, we'll be hosting Stage 8 on July 9th ...

So until then it's Vive la France! Or is it le France? (I guess I'd better find out!) ;)

Au Revoir!


June 14: Flag Day!

Today is Flag Day, a holiday started back in 1885, by a Wisconsin schoolteacher. Many years later we still pause on this day to honor the stars and the stripes, our beloved national emblem. Me_flag_day

This afternoon, our co-op will be meeting here for our last Japan study. As we tidy up that unit on a culture very different from our own, we will look at the connection between our history and theirs - how one nation affected the other. As always, there will be a post on our co-op day soon!

In the meantime, I will be perusing the many wonderful links posted by Mary M. at 4Real; lots of patriotic ideas for our family's American history! Thanks, Mary!!!

And before I go, here is an excerpt from Scouting for Girls: The Original 1920 Girl Scout Handbook. According to this little volume of nostalgia, we have come a long way in how we are expected to treat our national symbol!

Respect Due the Flag

"The flag should be raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. It should not be displayed on stormy days or left out overnight, except during war. Although there is no authoratative rulling which compels civilians to lower the flag at sundown, good taste should impel them to follow the traditions of the Army and Navy in this sundown ceremonial. Primarily, the flag is raised to be seen and, secondarily, the flag is something to be guarded, treasured and so tradition holds it shall not be menaced by the darkness. To leave the flag out at night, unattended, is proof of shiftlessness, or at least carelessness ... (Oops)

An old, torn or soiled flag should not be thrown away, but shoud be destroyed, preferably by burning.

The law specifically forbids the use and representation of the flag in any manner or in any connection with mechandise for sale. (Guess we'd better toss those Old Navy shirts!)

When the "Star Spangled Banner" is played or sung, stand and remain standing in silence until it is finished.

The flag should, on being retired, never be allowed to touch the ground. (Ummm ...)

The flag should not be raised before sunrise, nor be allowed to remain up after sunset. (Again, oops.)

In placing the flag at half mast, it should be raised to half-mast position, from which it should be again raised to full mast before lowering. (I'm not sure we've ever had it at half-mast to begin with.)

The flag should never be draped. (Check.)

When the flag is hung against a wall, the blue field should be in the upper left corner if the stripes are horizontal; in the upper right corner if the stripes are vertical.

In the case of flags hung across the street, it is necessary to hang them by the points of the compass instead of right of left, because the right or left naturally varies according to whether the spectator is going up or down the street. When the flag is hung across a north and south street, the blue field should be toward the east, the rising, when across an east and west street, the field should be toward the north. (Never planned a parade, so I'm clean on this one.)

The flags of two or more nations displayed together should always be hung at the same level, and should be on separate staffs or halyards.

In the United states, when the American flag is carried with one other flag, it should be at the right. When it is carried with two other flags, it should be carried in the middle.

When the American flag is hung against a wall with other flags, it is placed at the spectator's right, if it is one of two; and in the middle if it is one of three.

The flag at half mast is a sign of mourning.

The flag flown upside down is a signal of distress.

On Memorial Day, May 30, the flag is flown at half mast during the morning and is raised at noon to full mast for the rest of the day."

Enjoy your day! God Bless America!


Mother Hornet Went to All That Trouble ...

but with little apology - and despite protests from the boys ("Wait for Daddy!") - I yanked down that nest this afternoon! First I made very sure there was nothing inside it. Although we had seen the hornet early today, hovering near the nest, she never went back inside; the smell of the Raid must have deterred her.

So here's what it looked like once we had it inside:

Hornet_nest_whole

And of course in the name of good science, what else could we do but take it apart?

Hornet_nest_disassembled

On the far left you see the thin outer shell, while on the far right is the dense, inner structure. In between are remnants of the would-be colony's beginnings, including many little white eggs:

Hornet_nest_eggs

There was even the start of a honeycomb structure at the top of the nest, just below the spot where it was affixed to our house. And speaking of that spot, there's still a bit left behind (see below). You can't imagine how strongly it held - I couldn't get it off cleanly! You have to admire the ingenuity and ability of something so small, and seemingly insignificant ...

Hornet_nest_remnants

So for follow up, the boys colored pages from The Dover Backyard Nature Coloring Book. There was a whole page devoted to Bald-Faced Hornets! Here is the text that ran underneath (and at right is Bookworm's coloring):

"Bald-faced hornets live in lawns and meadows and on the Hornet_coloring_page_scanedge of woods throughout North America. They have short, wide heads, and a pattern of white markings against the black background of their face, thorax, and abdomen, and on the first segment of their antennae. Mature hornets drink nectar and fruit juices. The larvae eat insects that have been prechewed by the adults. In springtime female hornets chew wood to a gray pulp from which they build small, hanging nests. The nest is constructed of many layers of cells and has an opening at the bottom. Adults are very protective of the nest and will sting any creature that approaches it."

So Mother Hornet survived to build another nest, but this one, parked as it was in such an inconvenient place (for us) is history. The nest is a keeper for the nature collection, but we were concerned those little white eggs might cause trouble down the road, so for insurance:

Hornet_nest_in_freezer2

It's temporary home is in here. It's there in the upper left corner, safely sealed in the Ziplock bag next to the waffles. Now, will this do the trick, or is Nature made of stronger stuff than my Maytag? :)


Oh Dear ...

What to do, what to do ...

Wasp_nest

No really, what do we do?

Wasp_nests

This is a Bald-Faced Hornet making his home right outside our back door! The kids are so terrified they won't even go out in the yard this afternoon. What's all the fuss you might wonder? Here's the deal:

"This black and white wasp is a short-fused animal that can sting repeatedly. Bald-Faced Hornets build large, hanging, enclosed nests out of chewed wood, grass and cardboard. They forage for nectar and softening fruit at edges of woods." (source: Peterson's First Guides: Urban Wildlife)

And since the jury is still out on Earlybird's tolerance to bee stings (never been stung, but mosquito venom makes him swell up like a balloon) I'm not taking any chances. Besides, we have several summer parties coming up and I don't need this extra guest! Now, the challenge for dh is to get rid of the hornets without getting rid of the nest (because that would be neat to look at close up!) ...

MORNING UPDATE: Dh sprayed the nest last night with some "Raid" we keep on hand, only for such dire situations. This morning the nest is empty - but the hornet is still buzzing around the doors - probably looking for another good spot to call home! When I get brave a bit later, I'll pluck the nest down from its spot - and post the pictures soon after!


It's Been (4) Real ...

I mention the 4RealLearning Forums so often, I thought today (my one-year anniversary as a member!) would be a good time to stop and talk a bit about them. It would take me a whole other post to describe the grace and goodness of Real Learning, so for today I will focus on the message board that bears its name ...

A little over a year ago, as I was looking for a more focused direction in our homeschooling, I came upon a beautiful, life-changing book written by Elizabeth Foss (see this post for more on her book and my journey). Elizabeth's book showed me a whole new home learning lifestyle, and it also led me to a wonderful place known as the 4 Real Forums ...

At this time a year ago, I belonged to a few homeschooling e-groups, but I was new to the message board format. For quite some time, I "lurked" at 4Real, reading posts, slowly soaking in the wisdom and all the interesting ideas expressed there. But soon the warm and welcoming atmosphere drew me in, and I found the courage to introduce myself to the other board members ...

And oh, how glad I am that I did!

This past year has been, for me, a time of new ideas, confidence and support. I check in there daily to read and post and pray and laugh and learn and discuss - and sometimes debate! The Board simply never wants for "hot" topics. :)

I value 4Real for so many things, and I am forever grateful to Elizabeth, Alice, MacBeth, Mary Chris, Janette - all of the kind souls who are responsible for creating and maintaining this haven and hub for CCM homeschoolers ...

I hope you dear ladies (and Tim!) know how much you have meant in the lives of so many! The list of names who make the board what it is could go on and on - and if I could, I would list all 600 + names because it is every one of you who makes the Board what it is.

But for now - for today - I'll just say thanks to all my "friends at the forums" (many who are listed in the blogroll at left) - for a wonderful year! Thanks for listening to me, humoring me, answering my many (many!) questions, praying for my intentions, and simply for being real friends in so many ways ...

I look forward to many years more with you all! :)


Leapers and Creepers!

First of all, before I dive into the nature study du jour, I have to take a moment to publicly thank my dear husband. Over the past few days, every spare moment he found, this patient man was working on our seemingly broken camera. And late yesterday afternoon, he finally had it fixed! We still don't know just what it was that went wrong, but happily, his jiggering and figuring resulted in a camera as good as new! Phew!

So, with our camera working again, and a pleasant afternoon unfolding outside, we were all soon out in the backyard enjoying the remainder of our day. Right away, Bookworm found an interesting caterpillar. At first I thought it was the infamous Gypsy Moth caterpillar of my youth, but a bit of research leads us to believe it is the no-less hazardous Forest Tent Caterpillar, a silk-spinning, tree-damaging critter:

Caterpillar

Ooh, but he's lovely to look at and hold ... According to The Beginning Naturalist, tent caterpillar populations are kept somewhat in check by the hungry cuckoo bird, but really it's the bugs that have the upper hand in the overall equation:

"Watchful human beings and hungry cuckoos should be able to keep tent caterpillars in their place. Their reappearance in great numbers each spring, however, is testimony to the species' reproductive and adaptive capacities. Tent caterpillars are a humbling reminder that insects have the edge in the ongoing competition for food and space in this limited world we share."

A few moments later we had another nature mystery on our, ahem, hands ... These little buggers were jumping all over the top of a decayed tree stump behind our fence.

Baby_grasshoppers

And here's a closer look ...

Baby_grasshoppers_and_sap

Click on the images for an even better view. Would these things be grasshopper babies, or - more scientifically phrased - nymphs? At the least disturbance, they sprung into the air, landing, deftly, somewhere else on the stump. A few of them seemed to be actually fighting over a small dab of sap ...

Whatever they were, they were so cool to watch - and I was so glad to have my camera back in action! :)

If you have any thoughts on the caterpillar or the bugs, please let us know in the comments below!


June 11: Today is The Most Holy Trinity

And in honor of this feast day, I've posted a delicious Trinity Pineapple Cake over at Harvest Home. No picture just now (until I get my camera straightened out!), but a it's a yummy recipe all the same ...

We'll be saying extra prayers of gratitude this morning at Mass for my dear husband's father who had successful open-heart surgery this week. Grampa Bill, as he is lovingly known by my children, will be heading home today, and we'll continue our prayers for his speedy and comfortable recovery ...

We're keeping many folks and friends in our hearts these days; our thoughts and prayers are with them so often. I guess that's what they mean when they say a heart's so full it's near bursting ...

The wonderful thing about hearts is, though, the fuller they grow, the stronger they hold. :)

God Bless you all and see you next week.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee:

Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty!

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.

~ Hymn (source Magnificat, June 2006)


So Where's the Nature?

It's been cold and rainy here for days (upon days) ... Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is June, yes? You might be wondering where all my nature Magenta_wildflowerstudy notes have gone. (Or you might not, but I'm going to tell you anyway!) Well for various reasons (mostly the inclement weather), we haven't been getting outside much of late, though we have seen lots of interesting things through the windows. I'm working on a new Nature Notes Re-cap; but in the meantime, here's a quick preview: We saved yet another injured critter (injured by whom you can probably guess!), the morels have met their timely demise, our garden toad found a few new friends, and a mysterious bird has been visiting the feeders .. he's gray and black; any guesses? A_childs_book_of_insects_1

And speaking of nature study, for the time being, we're focusing on the indoor variety. There's a great thread of ideas started by Angie at 4Real, and after reading a wonderfully wicked post at Alice's Cottage Garden, the boys are now clamoring for, of all things, an Ant Lion Farm! I'm not sure my excitement matches theirs - though I think I prefer ant lions over Water Tigers! - but in the name of good science I'm giving it some thought. In the meantime, we found more information on ant lions in the book you see pictured above; the boys were tickled to learn it belonged to my dad years ago!


And Speaking of Time Spent Indoors ...

... all this rain has also meant more time than usual in front of the TV screen. (I know, I know, the old TV issue; but that's another post.) But at least what we're watching is Ebs_headphonesthe good kind of TV. ;) As usual it's the 4 yo calling the shots, but his surprising movie of choice has been Patrick Stewart Narrates The Planets. It must be a space thing, because he's equally apt to request Toy Story 2. :) An added benefit of this movie-watching has been how its helped Earlybird acclimate to his new earphones, part of his therapeutic listening program. He now uses them happily at least once, sometimes twice a day. Funnily enough, staring at Venus and Mars (or Woody and Buzz as the case may be) seems to improve his earphone-wearing endurance. Here's one of the last pictures my camera took yesterday, EB in his headphones, playing under the china cupboard with Crackerjack, who (in case you're wondering) is dressed as a sword-wielding Dash from The Incredibles.


And Speaking of Missing Things ...

... it might be a while before I have new pictures to share. It seems my camera is sadly kaput! Dh is re- (de-?) constructing it as I type (following internet directions), but it's not looking good, I'm afraid. I realize now how much I rely on my camera, as I feel quite empty-handed without it! I keep waiting for some hugely amazing something to happen and there I'll be, sans camera, utterly missing the moment ...

And speaking of missing the moment, I did just that today. Much to Bookworm's Grande_gamesimmense pride and delight, he is old enough to help lead at our church's summer VBS, and this morning, as we headed out the door to our first leader meeting, BW excitedly announced that this was, in fact, his first meeting, of any kind, ever! He even told this to several people at the meeting, which led a kind lady to approach me, and gently admonish me not to miss this occasion and forget to mark it all down in his memory book! Well, his memory book has lately become my blog, and here I am with my camera under the knife! It was a proud moment for Bookworm this morning, and there I was  ... without my camera. And you just know I would have written up a whole post about it, too. Well, you'll just have to take my word for it - he was beaming. :)


Happy Birthday in Heaven ...

To our beloved Grammie, my dear husband's grandmother, who passed away this past January. She would have been 102 today! Grammie was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever known; she was always full of grace and good cheer. The delight she took in life was hardly contained, generously shared and wonderfully contagious. She is pictured here below with my Crackerjack, one of her biggest fans.

Grammie_and_cj

On special days like these, we light candles in our home, and today we placed a floating pink rose candle in a glass bowl. But Grammie's deep faith, her profound joy in life, and her love for us all are the memories that burn brightest today.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Grammie. We miss you and love you!


Friday Photos: The Boys' Turn!

The boys have become quite enamored of my constant photo-taking these past few months. In my pre-blogging days I was terrible at remembering to use the camera to capture special (nevermind ordinary!) memories on film. But these days I'm on it! The camera is always close by, and there are always fresh batteries recharging. :)

One of the best things about blogging (as Alice so eloquently points out in this post) is that, if you let it, it can help you become a better mother. Her words here could be mine:

"Little things happen throughout the day, and I recognize them as gifts - often worth posting about - rather than something to be taken for granted."

And that has been blogging's gift to me, and I hope, to my family. It has reminded me daily to slow down and take notice, snap that picture and remember that moment, possibly in a post. Our home educating lifestyle affords us many quiet days together, musing on the minute and mundane ~ and therein often lie life's sweetest blessings.

So, I'm letting the boys in on the secret. ;) Each week I will let them get behind the camera and snap a few shots of moments in their life, as they see it. And without further ado, here is their first installment:

My Brother Bookworm Waiting for Me: by Earlybird (text by Mama)

Earlybirds_bookworm

Earlybird goes to weekly speech therapy, and this week he had a special guest ~ Bookworm! We were lucky we had him with us too ~ we got stuck in traffic on the way over, and BW was able to keep EB (who gets car sick very easily) entertained through all the stopping and going. This picture was indeed taken by Earlybird ~ we had to wait a while once we arrived at the office and I was trying to keep EB busy with the contents of my purse (an old trick but it works). The camera was spotted and I let him snap a few shots of his big brother (who was talking the ear off the ladies sitting behind him!)

My Favorite Cat Patty, in the Morning: by Bookworm

Bookworms_patty_1

"Here is our pet cat, Patch. His nickname is Patty. Right now he's taking a sunbath. We call him Patch because he has a black patch of fur over his eye that makes it look lke he's wearing a patch. He and Pooch, our black long hair, usually sleep downstairs, so we don't get to see them at night, though we do hear them. "Mreow!" We call them the Houligans. What I like about Patty is probably that he likes me the best."

My New Bureau and Worldly Treasures: by Crackerjack

Crackerjacks_bureau

"This bureau is great! My Dad bought it for me at the mill store. It was a surprise too! The stuff on top belongs to me and Bookworm. Mostly it's a lot of stuff that was up on the top shelf that Daddy took down. There are barnacles from we-don't-know-where, some shells, a message in a bottle from Hawaii, some lava rock, a tractor that our great-grandfather made for us, some statues Damee gave us, and the white long thing came from a Saber Tooth Tiger and it's one of his teeth! (p.s. Bookworm says it was in a dino dig kit.) That turtle is not just covered with shells it is actually a bank! There is also a Krispy Kreme Donuts hat that Uncle Matt brought us and in the back is a grass-head man Bookworm made in VBS one year. Lots of good stuff!"

Please stop by our gallery again next week!


Whoops!

Please excuse the glaring Amazon ads that unbeknownst to me took up residence on my lefthand sidebar today! Apparently I am not quite as computer savvy as I thought. I must have done something wrong while tweaking my book links this morning, but strangely enough the ads didn't show up on my screen - those Sneaky Pete's! ;) So I didn't learn of the ads till dh came home from work and casually (warily) mentioned the "new look" at my blog ... Oh dear! I'll tinker some more and hopefully things will be back to normal soon! :)

(I need some of those 4Real blushing emoticons here!)


Think He's Trying to Tell Me Something?

So says Bookworm, while drawing his graph games at the kitchen counter:

"It's a funny thing about this house. When you're looking for something in particular, you find everything but that one thing. And when you're looking for something else, that's when you'll find that one thing!"

His bewildered mother asks, "My dear Bookworm, what ever could you mean ...?"

"Well, for instance," he continues, "I was looking for a green pencil and all I could find in the pencil jar were yellows, reds and blues. Then I go looking for a purple and lo and behold there's the green - but no purple!"

Graph_games

Now see, it's like I keep telling them: Everything is around here somewhere, you just have to know where (and apparently when) to look! ;)


Your Favorite Homeschooling Magazine ...?

... wonders Melissa at Here in the Bonny Glen. Heart_and_mind_2

Yesterday she passed on a librarian friend's request for recommendations. Goodness, I would be tickled pink if my library system was even aware there were such things out there as magazines devoted exclusively to homeschoolers! ;) Yes, our numbers are many ~ so many we even have periodicals of our own! Having said that, however, I would be hard pressed to think of more than two or three I read regularly ...

So, my top picks? Two tie for first ~ like Melissa, I enjoy Home Education Magazine regularly, and I also love the Catholic Heart and Mind (pictured above). What I would love to see someday is a Real Learning magazine (an idea that's been bandied about at 4Real) ~ a kind of Charlotte Mason meets Victoria meets Martha Stewart if you will, but so far that's still a hope and a wish. ;)

Of course there are lots of good ones out there - one for (almost) every taste and need; if you have a moment, please stop by the Bonny Glen and leave your picks.

And since I can't think of more, I have listed below our children's monthly homeschool subscriptions. Listed in no particular order, each one, in its own way, supports our home learning environment. :)

  1. Ranger Rick
  2. Your Big Backyard
  3. Kids Discover
  4. Highlights
  5. Ask
  6. Ladybug
  7. Cricket
  8. Click
  9. Magnifikid
  10. Bird Watchers Digest

What magazines do your children look forward to each month?


What European City Do You Belong In?

Well, I've never been to Europe - but hope to in the future! - so this is good to know. Not so sure about the "wild" pub crawl, but that bike ride sure sounds nice! :)

You Belong in Dublin
Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.
You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.