We have been studying Latin on and off for a few years.  Last year we joined a co-op with Latin as the main focus.  We are ahead of all the other students in memorization but practice is needed by all so we don't mind.  We had a meeting with the organizers and it seems one of the other older children is interested in moving on with us (well, my oldest).  This would be wonderful, and confusing.  I'm already beginning to be confused with the thought of mixing Prima Latina and Latina Christiana I.  I'm sure it will work.  Knowing the other ladies there will be plenty of support while we figure out what we are doing, but the figuring it out will be a challenge.

Well, if I become a bit of a challenge to understand it's either the Latin or the baby is having another medicine reaction.

 

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So here we go merrily along and then....bump...the youngest has a fever.  Well we made it about a month before the first real disruption to my plans.

 

The best laid plans of mice and men...and moms and teachers...

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This is one of my favorite annual events.  The t-shirts are on sale now for $5.99.

Great Homeschool T-shirts

This is one I've bought for all my kids in the past and everyone comments on them, and I don't feel bad when it's accurate.

 

 

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I saw this wonderful back to school give away.  I really don't want to tell you all how to enter but the only way I can enter is to share so here it is (wink).

There are 9 contests but I'm trying not to be greedy and only enter a few.

Kodak Printer

Quaker Sports Bag

Hanes Kids

Preschool Computer Games

Sony Cybershot Digital Camera

 

Enjoy, but don't tell me if you win after following my link and I don't (grin)

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We have started back to school.  The 3 weeks of absolute chaos is over.  I'm so happy, the children aren't exactly happy but they are still children and they still enjoy life so I suppose that's as good as it will get.

 

We are going to do "Story of the World" this year.  My oldest is in 6th grade and really too old for SOTW but with all the supplements listed, and the internet linked encyclopedia, and IEW for ancient history, and whatever other tangents take us to fill in the time I am sure he will be well occupied even with this course. 

My 3rd grader is beginning IEW this year (only about 3 months behind his older brother) and I am very glad that we are moving at a relaxed pace.  He HATES writing in any form.  He has been VERY resistant to doing anything that involves writing.  Two weeks into the IEW program he actually did his assignment today without any whinning.  I'm not going to have a party yet but I am going to say a prayer of thanksgiving and another of petition that this is a trend that continues.

 

We are lucky enough to live in the town that Usborne books calls home.  We will be going on a tour of the distribution facility on October 7th.  I LOVE the books.  We have two of the internet linked encyclopedias.  One of the encyclopedias came from the last tour I was able to go on (about 4 years ago and the kids don't remember it!).  I am going to try and get the internet linked science encyclopedia this trip.  Looking at random pages on the website internet link site I found this great states of matter game.  The second boy will really enjoy this, the oldest will have fun but it's too simple for him to enjoy as much as the younger.    (I'm trying to embed it but just incase I don't get it right the webpage is states of matter game)

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The boys are in class 2 times a week (each) and we have been going to library shows as they are close and interesting.  Why does summer seem so busy?  One boy has finished his math book, the other we have given a break.  I'm working on getting an example lapbook (tm) together to show a friend how we do them.  Swimming lessons are (thankfully) over for this year.  Camping with Grandma is this coming weekend (the older 2 only). 

 

Why is it that we usually school year round.  This month of madness where we are doing so many things that I can't keep up.  Is Summertime really a vacation?  For me it's more work.  It's harder to control the children when they have unlimited free time.  When they have 1-2 hours school work they feel like it's a "school day" and behave differently.  Do you think we could just plan on doing school everyday for the rest of their lives?

 

Back to trying to get everything done and be where we are suppose to be without my beloved (albeit dysfunctional) schedule.

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FREE!  Election Lapbook foranyone gathering resources you'll want to visit this blog.

 

more later, diaper emergency!!!!

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We have been doing unit studies about animals lately.  My kids didn't realize they were doing school at the zoo so when I put their notebook pages about South African animals together they were shocked and amazed.

I think they enjoyed this bit of school, even if they didn't know it was science.

 

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As the school year draws to a close my children start asking about "summer vacation" and I begin to question how the year has gone. Our summers are very much the same, and very much like the rest of the year really. We go to library shows more often and the boys are thrilled to have 1/2 days...but the 1/2 days usually have the same workload as a normal day in the core subjects. We do change up some of our flexible subjects, we will be doing reading related to our science study for example. Am I better at sneaking learning in during the summer? Do I have a better support system during the summer? I'm not sure what the difference is. The boys still HATE to write but they get it done much more quickly during the summer. Incentive maybe?

As I am going over all these thoughts another minor storm has hit. Branches that were damaged by the ice but hadn't fallen yet are now down. One fell on our roof after the storm was over. It's really not bad but here I am with the summer depression and the thoughts are going through my head. I can't call my mom and DEMAND that she help. I am a grown woman and it's not her job to help me. She offered to help but obviously things got in the way. I'm just a bit depressed that being the only child of a single mother I have no one else to call on. My grandparents are dead. My Aunt and Uncle are busy helping my cousin. That just leaves me. My husband of course will be stuck with most of the work. He can't do it alone though. I suppose I'll have the older boys watch the younger boys in the house while we go and do the work. It's completely do-able and I know many people do things this way....I just really am feeling the loss of family...family I never had. I'm glad that my children will have each other. I never missed having siblings as a kid, but I sure miss them now.

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May 9th

Appetizer

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I found out today that not a single caterpillar survived.  The ones that survived longest didn't like the last plant and were about 1 week short of metamorphis.  It's kind of sad....but mostly I don't care.  I only wanted my kids to see the cycle of life complete and they saw the caterpillars hatch.  Now I've explained to them that the reason the butterflies lay 300 eggs instead of only 30 is because the majority don't survive.  Makes me sad only if I think of having 300 children die.  As long as I keep things in perspective, this is why animals and humans are different.  The butterfly doesn't protect and raise her young, she just produces as many as she can and dies.

 

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I am finally caterpillar and butterfly free. I didn't realize how much I was still working on the science project that we had finished. The children considered the project over as soon as the eggs began to hatch. They had seen the complete life cycle and were content to put the project behind us. I had passed on caterpillars to the people that I had promised them to and thought that would be the end...then I had so many left to contend with. Yesterday I took the remaining caterpillars (most died) to the school and a 3rd grade class is now trying to help them grow and thrive. I took the butterflies along, those silly things have lived 3 days past the "normal" life expectancy. I will pick the container up on Sunday or Monday...hopefully the butterflies will be done with it by then. After I clean it up and pass it on to my friend I will be very glad to not repeat this process for about 5 years. I won't hesitate to do it again them but I am ready to be past it myself.

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I'm quite sure many of you know my dear friend Mr Murphy.  His law has been a factor in many a life.  I finally found a good (and excited) home for some of the caterpillars I have...pushing the edge on how long I could maintain them but hopeful at least and in walks Mr Murphy.  I have arrangements to take about 80 caterpillars for 40 students on Wednesday.  They are very excited because they are currently studying caterpillars and metamorphis.  They need time to build the mini habitats so I will endeavor to keep them alive until then.  Monday morning I awake to find about 200 caterpillars still moving all over the container though it looks like I need to buy another plant just to keep them fed.  Monday evening when I get home the container appears to be empty!  OH MY!  I just bought another stupid plant!  So when all the kids are in bed I get out a container and a put in some fresh leaves to feed the critters.  I get the entire plant out of the container I have been using and start searching and counting.  I have about 70 caterpillars still alive hiding in the plant.  I'm thrilled!  I've got 50 in a separate container now and fresh leaves to try my best to keep 40 alive.  The 40 children will only get one caterpillar each (I was hoping for 2 incase 1 didn't make it) but there are at least enough for one each.  My husband says that if they don't live we can buy one of the school kits to donate next year.  Like the kids will care about next year if they build the habitats and then don't get caterpillars this year right.

 

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That's what my 3 year old insists on calling them.  If you look closely at the top of the flower you can see one moving around.  The one inch red line is to let you know how incredibly small these critters are.

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So I've noticed up to this point that the eggs we have are a very pretty blue.  Today some have turned black.  With an incubation of 3-5 days and being laid Sunday...I expect critters to be crawling everywhere tommrow.

 

We also were able to release 3 of the butterflies today.  2 are mating, again.  We wanted to keep one so that we can look more closely after natural death so it will be okay to have one of each gender instead.

 

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I want to warn any parents that think seeing the complete life cycle would be good that butterflies are similar to rabbits.  The females are either wiggling their wings to attract the males, laying eggs or sleeping.

They lay these eggs one at a time...eggs on our plant 

and go right back to mating after the eggs are placed...pictures of butterfly laying her eggs

it's a short productive life.

 

Anyone that knows me IRL and wants caterpillars to raise let me know.

 

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LOTS of them!

It's sort of difficult to see in the pictures but all of the white dots or bumps on the leaves and stems of this little plant are eggs.  This is from 1 day and it appears we have 2 pairs of butterflies (with a third wheel that may be another girl) laying.  The butterflies should live about 1 more week and now that they have started laying eggs I'm not sure what to do with them all.  I had planned on releasing all but 1 after the first batch of eggs but a cold spell hit and they can't be released right now.  I'll just have to watch so that we don't have caterpillars EVERYWHERE in 3-5 days.

 

I'll try and keep you posted.

 

DS#2 has managed to fracture his foot and tommrow we will be calling the Orthopedic Surgeon, he may get a cast.  It could be an interesting week!

 

 

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our results to view the slide show you'll have to click the link as I can't figure out adding it here.

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LOOK WHAT I CAUGHT!!!!!  I was catching up on reading while pinned by the baby.  Time well spent I believe.

credit to:  LaPaz Farm

In June of 1744, commissioners from Maryland and Virginia invited the Six Nations of the Iroquois to send a half dozen youths to William and Mary College for a ”proper” education. The next day, Canassatego, speaking for the Iroquois, had this response :

We know that you highly esteem the kind of learning taught in those Colleges, and that the Maintenance of our young Men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced, therefore, that you mean to do us Good by your Proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you, who are wise, must know that different Nations have different Conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our Ideas of this kind of Education happen not to be the same with yours. We have had some Experience of it. Several of our young People were formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces; they were instructed in all your Sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods, … neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, nor Counsellors, they were totally good for nothing. We are, however, not the less oblig’d by your kind Offer, tho’ we decline accepting it; and, to show our grateful Sense of it, if the Gentlemen of Virginia will send us a Dozen of their Sons, we will take Care of their Education, instruct them in all we know, and make Men of them.

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I'm beginning to try and get caught up on my record keeping.  I'm not required to keep records by the state but my family chooses to have a record for our own purposes.  To achieve this very difficult goal (what is not required is always difficult to maintain) I use Homeschool Tracker.  I used the free version for 3 years before deciding that I really needed to support the family that is so generous as to make the software available for free.  If you need a program give the free version a try.  If you like it consider purchasing the advanced software to show your support.

Homeschool Tracker!

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