We concentrated on History today in our homeschool. History in the making!
What an exciting day for our country! Happy Inauguration Day!

I'm not a big fan of any the major holidays. I don't really enjoy Christmas much or Halloween or any of those. Nope, I like the smaller, less celebrated holidays. For example, I get really excited about Earth Day. Just ask my kids. I like to plan family Earth Day activities or Fall Equinox parties or May Day fieldtrips. Some of that is just the tree hugger in me. I can't help but love anything that celebrates nature.

But I also love Martin Luther King Jr. day. I really love a holiday that celebrates a man, a movement, that changed the world using nonviolence and peaceful protest! A holiday that not only remembers a great man, but reminds us of how far we've come as a nation, inspires us to keep fighting for what is right and encourages us to do better, be better human beings.

Again, just ask my kids. They asked me if we were going to take the day off from school in honor of the holiday. As homeschoolers we don't always take the same days off as the public schoolers so they knew there was a chance we would still have school even if the rest of the neighborhood didn't.

I really had to fight the temptation to have school just so I could make it a MLK day. You know, decorate the schoolroom, have thought-provoking discussions (did you know Ronald Reagan strongly opposed and threatened to veto honoring Martin Luther King jr with a holiday?) We could read books about him, watch MLK videos on Youtube, etc... But that sounds boring (well, sort of...)

So no school but we're still going to celebrate in other ways. Barack Obama has asked Americans to commemorate it with a day of service. So we'll see what we can do to answer that call. I love that idea.

It's been a crazy winter so far. I mean I know the midwest isn't exactly known for having mild winters, but I think this one has been a bit harsher than the last few. It seems like every few days there's another snowstorm, an ice storm, even a thunderstorm here and there, or below freezing temperatures. But I guess that's how winter is supposed to be. It's definitely made homebodies out of us this month.

Trying to ward off a bad case of cabin fever, we decided to take advantage of today's sunshine and head out for awhile.

First we made a stop at the library so that when we get back home we can huddle under warm blankets and bury our noses in new books.

Then we decided to check in on our favorite park. At least our crazy govenor (yes, that crazy govenor) did one good thing before his public downfall and decided to take down the gates to let us back in to a few (but not all) of our wonderful state parks.

We didn't stay long since it's only 9 degrees today. But like I said the sun was shining strong reminding us that Spring will return. We just have to be patient and hang on a little longer. At least it's pretty to look at.

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

It finally happened. He's officially taller than me.

The holidays are over and so is our winter break from school. The kids complained a bit about starting up again but I can tell they're relieved in a way too. Long breaks get boring after awhile. And with both of our cars being in the shop at the same time (what luck,right?) we're stuck at home anyway. Here's some bits and pieces from today as we get back into the swing of things:

Critical Thinking

working hard at learning to read

The Basics of Quantum Physics- he was reading this during his free time. What am I gonna do with this kid?

The 3 yr old took advantage of her own free time to pad the hallway with pillows. :-)

Then it was time to go outside and play! This was Babybird's first time playing in the snow and I'd say he had a pretty good time!

Thankfulness

To anyone who opened their homes to us, shared a meal, gave a gift, or sent warm wishes to our family over the holiday season, thank you. May you have a blessed 2009!

Something I am pondering this Christmas Eve day:

the definition of the word enthusiasm = inspired by the presence of the God within.

Have a very Merry Christmas. May it be filled with... enthusiasm. :-)

Ten Years

I remember 10 years ago today, being in labor and driving myself to the hospital. I remember walking the halls and watching Drew Carey and Dharma and Greg on the hospital room tv until it was time to push. I remember hearing "it's a girl!" for the first time and being so excited to have a daughter.

What a blessing you've been to us these ten years. You're such a sweet and talented kid and we could't be more proud of you. Happy Birthday to my biggest little girl!

The Longest Night

It is December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. It was an even longer one than usual for us since we lost electricity and heat for a few hours due to the severe weather. As the 7 of us sat in our very dark kitchen getting colder and colder(it was also the coldest day of the year at nearly 30 degrees below zero with the windchill) we contemplated our many blessings. We have shelter, our health, food, and each other. We thought of those who might be without those things and said a quiet prayer that they might find warmth tonight. We kept each other entertained by telling stories, playing card games by candlelight, and finally a game of flashlight hide and go seek. Just as we were considering finding someplace else to spend the evening, the power came back on and all the children ran around cheering for the light's return. After dinner, we decided to relight the candles and give thanks with a meditative solstice celebration. We gave thanks to the Sun for all it does for us and we look forward to it's return, bringing with it longer days and shorter nights. Happy Winter Solstice to you and yours!

Gold!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, we've been going back in time to join in the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898. Having scaled the dreaded Chilkoot Pass (aka the sledding hill out back) and finally staked our claim, yesterday was the day to start panning.

The kids had so much fun with the gold panning kit. After sifting through all the sand, we first found a few nuggets of Fool's Gold, then some small pieces of silver, copper, and hematite. We kept at it but after a long time started to lose hope that we'd find any actual gold. But then my 5 yr old spotted something bright and shiny and picked out a true gold nugget. It's tiny, but it's real!

Today's the day...

Grandpa's Care Package arrived this morning! The kids love getting this big box full of coloring books, art supplies, videos, school stuff, toys, etc.. . He sends it with love all the way from AZ as an early Christmas present. I think it will keep them busy for awhile. :-)

Thanks Grandpa! We miss you!

Snow doesn't usually make me happy, but it did last week. It came down and covered our neighborhood just in time to line up with our History lesson. We've been reading about the Yukon gold rush of 1898, and after learning about the icy mountains they had to climb we decided to try to simulate the experience. The kids loaded their backpacks with lots of heavy books to be able to sympathize with the enormous loads of equipment the gold stampeders had to carry. Then they bundled up in their warmest clothes and began their ascent up the hill.

No gold was found that day. We are saving that for next week when we'll pull out our gold-panning kit and hope to sift out a nugget or two.

Parks saved!

That was the frontpage headline in the local paper this week. The kids and I celebrated for a moment until we read the whole article. There is a chance that the state parks that we have been fighting for may re-open in the Spring. For now, they are closed and gated. But the Governor is considering the possibility of re-opening just a few of the sites that he has recently shut down due to budget issues. Many of the other historical sites will most likely remain closed.

My kids are learning some valuable lessons here. Not only about the whims of local government, but about the importance of standing up for issues that are meaningful to them. By participating in public rallies, letter-writing campaigns,and spreading the word to their friends and neighbors, they are learning how people can come together to work for a common cause. They are learning how to make their voices heard and finding out that indeed someone is listening to them.

How cool is that?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

Back to Blogging

Hopefully our many computer troubles are over now (or at least for awhile.) We took advantage of the Black Friday sales and finally got a new one. Merry Christmas to ourselves! I just couldn't take it anymore. Although I do have to admit that not having internet access was nice in some ways too. I got more reading done. And my house was cleaner than usual. But I missed that instant connection to friends and family. And homeschooling without a computer was just a big pain in the you know what.

Wordless Wednesday

It's a few days late, but Happy First Birthday Baby!

I tried and tried to come up with some field trip ideas for today. It's not easy finding fun, easy- to-get-to, kid-and-husband-pleasing outings that are also free. Oh and indoors would be good too since the weather is still a little iffy from all the rain/flooding. And something educational couldn't hurt. Well anyway while I was trying to think of something to do today, the kids went out and did something without us. They put on their shoes, grabbed their bait and poles, and went out fishing. Mostly in the grass since that's how high the lake has risen:

In fact, they couldn't even get to the pier unless they had wanted to swim there:

While they were out there they had their first encounter with the LAW! The lake is right behind the house in what I consider our extended backyard so the big kids are allowed to go by themselves. While they were out there fishing, a police man rolled by in his patrol car and stopped when he noticed the kids outside in the middle of the day. "Are you homeschooled?" he asked. My oldest child replied that yes, they are. The policeman said "okay" and drove off. Whew! I'm glad he didn't give them a hard time. I guess there are enough homeschoolers around here that the police are used to seeing a few kids out and about during the day. I felt bad that the kids had to deal with the cops without me, but apparently they handled it just fine.

After that adventure, I took the girls shopping or maybe I should say they took me. I handed them the list, gave up control of the cart, and let them pick out the things we needed. They even scanned everything themselves (we used the self-checkout) and bagged it up too. They had a great time doing the grocery shopping on their own. One of the store clerks noticed and rewarded them with stickers for all of their hard work.

We returned home to where Daddy was getting ready to bake a pumpkin pie. The kids all pitched in and now can't wait for dessert.

So we never had our fieldtrip, but the kids learned plenty of life lessons today. Shopping, baking, law enforcement. Never a dull moment in the life of a homeschooler.

Remember this picture that I posted a couple of weeks ago? (if not, just scroll down a bit, it's still there along with a few other from the same place.) We had found the perfect picnic spot. My kids talked about the beauty of this spot for days after we spent the afternoon there. They loved it and want to know when we can go back. I am sorry to say I'm not sure if we'll be able to go back. Just a couple of days after our picnic there, the govenor of our state made an announcement to shut down the park as well as several others in the area. I could hardly believe it. How could it be that these beautiful, natural places could be closed?

Children need more time outside, enjoying the good things in life like trees, rivers, exploring animals homes and wildflowers, learning from nature. They need this park. All of us need these parks. If we cut off access to these natural spaces, what sort of message is this giving to kids about how to love and care for the earth? How will they learn to appreciate what is good and natural and free about our state?

It really saddens me to think we may not be able to visit this park again or any of the others on the list of state park closings. Budget, smudget. It just doesn't make sense. We worry about childhood obesity. We worry about childhood nature-deficit disorder. We worry about the kids who are turning pale and drooling on their video-game controllers. But then we take away the living, green places, where children -and adults- can play, exercise, hike, climb, splash, paddle, explore...

In school today, my 12 year old played several games of chess, had a political debate, and began writing a movie script. My 9 year old made squash and corn muffins that we'll be eating for dinner tonight. My 5 year old learned how to write her name in Russian and enjoyed some Russian snacks. And my 3 year old played some fun musical instruments and made a brand new friend.

This is yet another thing I love about homeschooling. Our homeschool co-op provides a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn and do things they may not do in traditional school or even at home with me. We started a new semester today and the kids were thrilled to be back. We're all looking forward to another great year at the co-op.

My 5 year old is going to be published! She wrote a poem a few weeks ago and it was so sweet I decided to enter it into a poetry contest. Well, we got word today that they are going to publish it in a book of poetry collected from school children across the country. Most of the entries come from older kids I think, but hers was accepted and she couldn't be more proud of herself.

Here's her poem, exactly as she recited it to me and how it will be in the book:

Cold, I don't want to be with you. You are like a block of ice.
Hot, I can't be with you. You are like a burning fire.
Warm, I like to be with you. You are just right.
I want you to cuddle up with me in my bed at night.

Here she is with her letter of acceptance. I'm very proud of my little girl!