Living and Learning

living and learning: 1.31.12

2012-01-31T21:29:00.002-06:00

Breakfasting.

Cleaning and computer time (me).

Litter box cleaning and playing (gerrick).

(While making a book related to his Indiana Jones-inspired play, he asked me about Roman numerals. Other than the making of the book, I'm really not sure what else he did this morning.
I like to leave him to himself and his own ideas as much as possible.)

Just before lunch we decided to go to the lake.

The rest of the day involved...


Listening to poetry.

Eating lunch.

Listening to a chapter of A Child's History of the World.

Listening to the next chapter of Fred's Life
and doing some additional mathematical figuring.

Reading aloud about knights.

Listening to a chapter of The Wind in the Willows.


Finding flowers and feathers.

Exploring independently (gerrick).
Quiet reading (me).

Pretending and...
Painting of the face with smut from an old campfire spot.


Wandering.

Birdwatching.

Digging, examining, pondering.

Snacking and
listening to two chapters of The Burgess Animal Book
(his request, I thought I was done with read-alouds).

Questioning.

Balancing.

Movie watching (Indiana Jones, of course).

Dinner eating.

Showering.

Listening to Daddy read (now).

Sleeping (hopefully, soon).

Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Company

2012-01-20T21:32:00.001-06:00

This evening Gerrick and I went on a group tour of the Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Company, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker in Nashville. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and even included samples! Do check out this well-made video for a glimpse of their chocolate-making genius:

Olive and Sinclair Artisan Chocolate from josh anderson on Vimeo.

a fox hunt

2012-01-19T20:38:00.000-06:00

We've seen a red fox from our windows twice this winter. We've wondered if it was the same one we saw last year. Today we decided to go on a fox hunt to see if we could see any signs of him in the fields and woods in the back of our neighborhood. Of course, we saw lots of other interesting things...

I didn't realize what he was doing here at first.

When he commented on how wet the branch was,

then I realized he had been feeling it with his cheek.

We saw bird feathers and remains in several different places;

maybe our fox sat here and had a meal?

Whoa! What's this? Could it be fox scat??

And then we noticed there was scat all down the top of this tree!

"Fox will usually deposit their scat on a prominent object such as a rock,

stump or log to mark their territory."
Gerrick was very excited to make this discovery!!
He wondered if it sleeps in the hollow tree,
and he told Rick all about it later this evening.
We continued to look for tracks. Though we never saw any,
we did, as usual, see lots more of nature's beauty...

Oops! Should have worn the boots.

a nature walk

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000-06:00

Sellars Farm

--chickweed--


--gall in which a bird has pecked a hole in order to reach the insect--

--Hickory bud--

--vine-damaged trees--

--an empty moth cocoon--

--American Beech--

--American Beech leaves and bud--

This spider was about the size of a quarter.

a nature walk

2012-01-06T19:07:00.000-06:00

Radnor Lake

Blogging Changes for 2012

2012-01-02T12:31:00.000-06:00

Lately Gerrick hasn't been wanting me to take many pictures of him or his things. He has specifically said on numerous occasions, "Don't put that on the blog." He didn't want me to take a single photo of him opening gifts on Christmas morning. Honestly, it was quite nice to be in the moment without thinking about positioning myself for the best photo angle. This may (or may not) be the last photo you see of him for awhile; he was reading aloud to me while I was cooking dinner recently and Fia came to listen:

Gerrick thinks I spend too much time on the computer and has been complaining of this for some time now. He's right. I do. Browsing the web has been my go-to down-time activity for a long time. It was worth the time when I was needing ideas--needing to figure out how I wanted to homeschool. But now that I'm comfortable with our path, I realize that the web time has just become a habit. This year that habit will be broken; my time on the computer will be intentional. With the time I'm gaining by dropping the mindless internet wanderings, I'm looking forward to reading more books and nature journaling more often. I've even started an art/doodle journal with which to relax and explore my own creativity...

(My first page was inspired by this pin.)

I'm also ending Nature Connections. To those of you who have faithfully linked, thank you! Be sure to check out Friday's Nature Table and the Outdoor Play link parties, but most importantly, keep going outside!

(source: hollie chastain, flickr)

In other words, this blog will not be a big priority for me in 2012. I'll still post from time to time--whenever I feel inspired to do so, but don't be surprised if it isn't that often. I'll still be sharing on facebook and Pinterest, but maybe not as much as I have in times past.

I wish you all a peaceful new year! May we all focus on what is truly important to our families and ourselves and find that magical point of balance.

Art with Friends

2011-12-16T09:03:00.002-06:00

Hanging out with friends at The Frist is a great way to spend a Monday--

even better when there happens to be an Ancient Egypt exhibit!

A Village Advent

2011-12-15T16:54:00.002-06:00

I have been surprised by how much Gerrick has enjoyed Activity Village's 2011 Advent Calendar. He has asked to print the buildings daily. Even days that we haven't been home, he's worked on them before bed: colored, cut, and taped them to the baseboards around his bedroom. He plans to leave his village up forever.

Have your children been enjoying a special countdown to Christmas?

Art Caddy

2011-12-08T10:16:00.001-06:00

This may be the best thing I have ever done. Gerrick makes things all over the house: playroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, garage, back porch... He was forever getting angry because he couldn't find his scissors or a specific color Sharpie. All those frustrations have vanished this past month since I made him an art caddy out of a six-pack carton! Now he can easily carry everything he needs, wherever he goes.

I simply reinforced the bottom with some clear packaging tape and taped some other pieces of cardboard inside on the sections that had large spaces small items could fall through. You could easily cover the box with contact paper or decoupage, but Gerrick likes the look of the barrels and pumpkins on his caddy.

Now when he wants to work on something, he only needs to find his caddy (and usually the tape dispenser). Sharpies haven't been getting lost. Scissors haven't been vanishing. It really has been fantastic!

a nature walk

2011-12-02T15:05:00.001-06:00

We went for a short walk at a local park today.

A Mermaid and a Ship

2011-12-01T16:39:00.001-06:00

Gerrick spent two days on this drawing for a special friend.

I think she really liked it.

♥ ♥ ♥

Nature Connections (11.11)

2011-11-30T10:46:00.001-06:00

Share some of your family's November nature connections with us!

Your link(s) must include at least one photo related to child(ren) and the outdoors in November.

Please adhere to this simple guideline or your link will be deleted.

Consider using a button or text link so that your readers will know where to join us.

Leave the direct URL to your post(s) below. Visit other participants & leave some comments!

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Rain Gutter Bookshelves

2011-11-29T13:56:00.001-06:00

When Gerrick was a toddler, I was inspired by Jim Trelease in The Read Aloud Handbook

to hang rain gutter bookshelves in our apartment. We loved them!

We've lived in this house over three years now, and I've finally hung some

in the playroom in the otherwise wasted space behind the closet door.

He can easily reach all the books here. As he gets taller, I may add 2-3 more shelves.

A Dreamcatcher for Gerrick

2011-11-28T15:51:00.001-06:00

Gerrick has been plagued by nightmares lately. Today we decided to make a dreamcatcher.

From materials we had on hand, he chose charcoal gray yarn, blue twine, several beads, and two feathers.

I found a 7" plastic lid and began following instructions by that artist woman. (He wanted me to make it.)

Eventually I gave up on the directions, took a deep breath, and just did what felt natural.

He was happy with the results. Let's hope it catches those bad dreams!

Thanksgiving at Fall Creek Falls

2011-11-26T10:28:00.001-06:00

This year we decided to spend Thanksgiving Day at Fall Creek Falls State Park.

We ate lunch at the restaurant and then went for a hike!

Kentucky Down Under & Kentucky Caverns

2011-11-12T10:31:00.001-06:00

The last Saturday of October, Rick and Gerrick enjoyed a day trip to Kentucky Down Under.

They observed animals native to Australia:

Tawny Frogmouth

Red Lory

Umbrella Cockatoo

Galah

Sulpher-Crested Cockatoo

Rainbow Lorikeet

Papuan Frogmouth

Zebra Finch

Laughing Kookaburra

Dingo

Red Kangaroo

Grey Kangaroo

Baby Red Kangaroo

While at the park, they also toured Kentucky Caverns.

They had a great time together
(and are glad I finally got around to posting their pics!).

2011 Homeschool Blog Awards

2011-11-07T09:06:00.003-06:00

The nominations are up for the 2011 Homeschool Blog Awards.

There are tons of nominees, so click on the button above to check out some great blogs!

“You may only vote ONCE per category per person in your home

& No more than 5 votes per network/IP.”

*****

Living and Learning has been nominated in two categories; thank you!

Best Homeschooling Methods Blog

Best Photos Blog

Halloween 2011--The Year of the Zombies

2011-11-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

Nature Connections (10.11)

2011-11-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

Share some of your family's October nature connections with us!
Your link(s) must include at least one photo related to child(ren) and the outdoors in October.

Please adhere to this simple guideline or your link will be deleted.

Consider using a button or text link so that your readers will know where to join us.

Leave the direct URL to your post(s) below. Visit other participants & leave some comments!

Halloween Day at Shuckle's Corn Maze

2011-11-01T13:52:00.000-05:00

Bottom View Farm

2011-10-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

We had a fun day with friends at Bottom View Farm!

Checked out a flyer about the haunted woods.
(We'll wait a few years for that!)

Donkeys!

Went on a hayride.

Picked some pumpkins.

Went on a rolling train ride around the farm.

The slide!

Played in the corn crib...

and on the merry-go-round.

Watched a Pumpkin Launcher!

Milked a fake cow.

Got lost in a maze.


Enjoyed treats at The Inside Scoop, where everyone fit on one bench! Linking at: Outdoor Play

Wicked

2011-10-23T19:38:00.002-05:00

We thoroughly enjoyed our Wicked experience today at TPAC!

Homeschool Resource Meme

2011-10-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

Sarah at The Forest Room tagged me, so here goes...

1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed.
Playful Parenting--not exactly about homeschooling, but it is focused on giving children what they need, and isn't that what it's really all about?

2. One resource you wouldn't be without.
(Non-resident) Nashville library card and the online reservation system. We live in an adjoining county, and our library system simply doesn't meet our needs.

3. One resource you wish you had never bought.
RightStart Math--neither of us liked how parent-intensive it was, so we only made it through a few lessons. We have continued to use the abacus and clock from time to time, so it wasn't a total waste. :)

4. One resource you enjoyed last year.
Headsprout Early Reading

5. One resource you will be using next year.
Teaching Textbooks-Math 3

6. One resource you would like to buy.
Appleseeds--this magazine looks amazing! The only reason I hesitate in purchasing it is because we have had a subscription to Click and now have a subscription to Ask, and though I think they are excellent, Gerrick, surprisingly, has never been that interested in them.

7. One resource you wish existed.
An iPad that supports Flash.

8. One homeschool catalog you enjoy reading.
I can't choose one over the other--Home Science Tools and Acorn Naturalists. I've never ordered anything from either, but they sure are fun to peruse!

9. One homeschooling website you use regularly.
Ambleside Online

10. Tag other homeschoolers.
I'm going to keep it simple and tag a few of my (in-real-life) friends. Play along if you like!
Mandy at a bona fide life
Amy at A Hundred Happy Things
Christy at The Abundant Life
Shannon at Discovering God's Creation

Building Our Tribe

2011-10-17T17:15:00.000-05:00

On Friday, we met friends at the Annual NAIA Intertribal Pow-Wow & Fall Festival. We browsed the craft booths, listened to music, and watched some dancing, but the best part was the hours the children spent in freeplay in and around the teepees while we mamas sat on the grass and enjoyed the day together. Later we heard all about the battles they had fought and there was even mention of the passing of a peace pipe. We are thankful to be growing great friendships through experiences like these.

One of several teepees where the children played.

Fierce Warriors

"Wherever you are, it's your friends who make your world." -William James

Fire Nation Ship

2011-10-10T18:25:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't remember the last time Gerrick played with something in the house that he didn't create. He is constantly building things (usually inspired by Star Wars) from egg cartons and cardboard. He spends most all of his free time doing this and even often works on them while I am reading aloud to him. Lately he has begun to draw inspiration from the series Avatar: The Last Airbender as well. He puts great details in his creations by drawing with Sharpies and building compartments with working doors that hold weapons, etc. I don't usually blog about these toys and models because I just don't feel I can do them justice. He is considering making more videos like this one to share with others. But until then, here is a short video of him playing with his "Fire Nation Ship"--shooting fireballs at the cat.