B is taking soccer lessons once a week.  He just plain loves it.  (Photos to come soon - just got a new computer and don't have all my programs loaded just yet.)  He gets his physical education and socialization all in one.  hee hee

I'm taking six credit hours at Purdue this semester:  Environmental Sociology and Sociological Aspects of Health & Medicine.  Both are looking like interesting courses, although we haven't done much so far (only week 2 of 16).

I also have a job interview tomorrow afternoon with the local natural foods grocery.  I am really excited about that, because not only will I get a 10% discount all everything I buy there, I will get out of the house and possibly meet some new people. 

We did a 2nd co-op at our apartment last week.  The theme was the Arctic and the kids got to see how it feels to have blubber (shortening) and polar bear fur (cotton balls) when in the cold.  They thought that was too cool.  This week the topic is Penguins/Antarctica.  I still haven't pieced it all together....  I am going to work on that today while the boys are watching football.  Next week another home school parent volunteered to do the planning!  (Whew!)

We had a co-op at our apartment yesterday.  The theme was SNOW, and I think we all had a great time.  I did not take any photos while the kiddos were here, but I snapped a few shots of the crystal snowflake B made.  The photos do not even BEGIN to show how beautiful this thing is!!!

(In fact, I am thinking about making another crystal tonight...but in the shape of a Christmas tree.)

B spent a few hours at Lakeside Learning Garden for an art class.  (This was a few weeks ago...yep, I am JUST NOW getting around to posting photos...hee hee)

The children learned about the primary colors, and made color wheels.  B's is supposed to be Tweety, his pet parakeet. 

B has been studying the hippopotamus.  We watched Hippo Beach on PBS, a video called Kenya Safari, and read several books (fiction and non-fiction). 

Just a little fall project we did this evening. 

This is Brem's, obviously. 

This is the one I made. 

And this is the one DH made.

This is an illustration of the poem "The Caterpillar" by Christina G. Rossetti.  (The brown line in the bottom left corner is the caterpillar.  The blue circle is a pond with a rock, and a toad on top of the rock.)

This is a rubbing DS6 did at Science Central.  (It's a dinosaur.)

As a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, our family was given the opportunity to "Be A Tourist In Your Hometown!" today.  We picked up a "passport" at a local grocery store, and hit the road at noon.

There were ten different locations open to the public entirely free today.  DH, DS6, and my mother and I only chose to go to four of them.

We just had to start at Science Central.  This was DH's first time there.  I was a bit disappointed, as DS6 was too short for the bicycle experiment and for the timed slide.  (He was disappointed, too.)  There were several M. C. Escher prints on the walls of the lower level, and a few from Salvador Dalai (both of which I LOVE!). 

Next stop was the Fort Wayne Firefighter's Museum.  Our family doesn't have a particular love for or connection to firefighters, but it was fascinating to see old models of fire trucks, an old-style ambulance, awards received in Fort Wayne, and even an old "trampoline" (AKA The Atlas Life Saving Machine) for jumping out of buildings that are on fire.  (hee hee)

We spent some time wandering The Lincoln Museum, and then climbed to the top of The Lincoln Tower (okay, we took the elevator to the 19th floor, but climbed the rest of the way).  We had a great view of our city!

I can't resist a free field trip!  hee hee

Yes, we took today off from school.  hee hee

Yes, I'm doing okay.  I'm back in college full time, so that is definitely keeping me extra busy.  I'm taking Intercultural Communication, Principles of Persuasion, Intermediate Expository Writing, and Reporting, Writing, and Editing.  These all require a lot of writing, which is extremely time-consuming. 

DH is supposed to be doing a lot of the home schooling for awhile, but he is pretty darn clueless, so I have to do the prepping and planning (which is MOST of the work, sheesh!).  So far Explode the Code and Think-it-Through Tiles is just not enough school work, so I am hoping to find the time tomorrow to page through some more material and make some lesson plans for the boys.

  So much for helping.  lol

I had quite an eventful summer, complete with a two-week vacation in the hospital.  (I laid around and had my meals brought to me, but it wasn't very "relaxing"...)

This year, DH said he wants to help with the home schooling, which is WONDERFUL since I am still mentally recovering from my hopsital stay, and the events surrounding it.

Today B did a few pages of Explode the Code Book 3 and a few pages from his second math book that goes with the Think-It-Through Tiles. 

It was an easy day, but it will get worse!  ha ha 

I forgot to mention we went to the Botanical Conservatory for their Bugs and Butterflies exhibit.  DH even went with us.  It was just too cool! 

I am looking at insects in a different light .. hee hee .. they don't seem so "creepy crawly" anymore.  ha ha ha ha

I'll post some pics of our field trip soon.

The school year is officially over, although we all know the learning never stops. 

B has been having fun with the refrigerator magnets.  He leaves me messages every day.  Today's message "mom is beautiful".  AWWW!

Yesterday's message was "mom is a beautiful" - but he thought it said "mom is a BUTTERFLY"!  ha ha  Too cute....... 

Too much stress in my life right now to sit down and plan for 1st grade.  I have a few thoughts....of course we will use Math-U-See, as I already have the first year on DVD.  And we have quite a ways to go in Story of the World.  But everything else is up in the air.

I am soooo leaning towards an unschooling approach next year.  Classical is wonderful for ME, but not for him.  And my life just isn't one where I can make a schedule and expect it to fly every day.  Something always comes up (or someone always sleeps in too late...... ).

I finished two college classes this summer.  Was supposed to take another one, but again, too much stress right now.  I'm signed up for full time in the fall, and I'm not even sure I can manage that.  I'm really disappointed in myself.  But I'm not going to pretend I can handle things that I know I can't. 

We didn't exactly "do school" yesterday, but B helped me bake cupcakes!  We used a box mix for the cupcakes, but we made the frosting completely from scratch.  It turned out pretty darn good!  What we made, though, are called Caterpillar Cupcakes - to go along with the insect unit!  B thought that was just too cool!  The pics below are of the first Caterpillar Cupcake we assembled, and then B eating one this morning.  (Yes, I allow my son to have cupcakes for breakfast!)

B didn't even know we were "doing school" today!  ha ha  We watched a Reading Rainbow video, and a Magic School Bus video on bugs.  (He is watching the Magic School Bus one again right now....)

We read a couple books on insects.  I had him do a simple addition worksheet that involved cutting and pasting (which he loves). 

We both cut out pictures from magazines and cut them into squares.  We then pasted the squares onto cardboard with spaces between each square.  This was to show how a fly sees objects with its many eyes.

We finished the day with an insects' parts of the body worksheet, and an insect word search.  We are still pretty darn far from completing Kindergarten!  ha ha  He's doing fine, and I'm not concerned.  I've got more insect stuff planned, although I have no clue when we'll do it!  ha ha

Do parents make picky eaters?

Of course I'm scrambling to get Kindergarten finished at the same time I am scrambling to do twenty other things.... 

I had a friend over for lunch today, at the same time as my internet class meeting (which I couldn't do any other time, since we are leaving tomorrow for Missouri), at the same time as I am TRYING to get B to do some Explode the Code...  Then after I somehow manage all of that, I have to leave to get the cruise control switch replaced in the car (good thing to have when you're taking a 10-hour road trip!). 

Now I am home, B is playing, and still have tons to do!  I have to finish my college assignments ASAP, then pack, then clean.  OH and somewhere in all that I have to make dinner, too.  blah  Why do I procrastinate....? 

We did some school today.  hee hee 

B did two pages from his math Think-It-Through book.  He learned the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence".  And we read about The Baroque Period in music.  We looked up Venice, Italy on his map and also looked up photos of Saint Mark's Cathedral online.  He now wants to take a gondola ride!  ha ha

I promise, he'll finish Kindergarten before he's 20!  I am just not good at managing my time!!!  You'd think I'd have it figured out by now....

Just got home from our nature walk at Fox Island.  B had a good time, although it was a bit soggy out. 

Our walk was a search for signs of animals (and bugs).  We saw chipmunk holes, woodpecker holes, deer tracks, etc.  We also saw two green frogs, and a water snake, which the kids just LOVED! 

We have been slacking so much! 

Yesterday B did three phonics worksheets and some math with his Think-It-Through tiles.  And we have been working on reading The Horse and His Boy. 

Next week we have a field trip to Fox Island planned, but the weather probably isn't going to cooperate.  I'm really frustrated!!!

Sorry this is so short....  Saturday we spent a couple hours at Civil War Days, and Sunday we went to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.  Fun times!

This week's sight words:  ate, did, help

B started on Lesson 8 in Explode the Code, Book 2.  I only planned to have him do 3 pages, but he kept on working through 4 pages before he asked to stop! 

We read some cute books about money, and now he is working on a comic book for history. 

My Spring Break is over, so I have my own school work to focus on.  I am reading "The Dreadful Lemon Sky" - which I am enjoying.  And I have some other reading to do for school - not as enjoyable.  ha ha