Keeping It Simple

This is the same picture I used at this time last year, but I just love it! We do have a weird dog- and yes, he really is sitting at the table playing with us. It is that time of year! Time to focus on family- wrapping presents, reading books, playing games, sipping hot cocoa.... I pray that everyone has a most blessed holiday season! I am going to have this post double for my "helpful homeschool hint". Allow yourself time away from school and the computer to focus on the holidays- however you celebrate them! I am linking to  Many Little Blessings Helpful Homeschool Hints .  

One of the first "made for homeschoolers" curriculum that I came across was Beautiful Feet Books . Back in the day (1993 or so), I purchased their CA history study guide. In my second year of homeschooling, just having had a baby, and still not completely sure what in the world we were doing, this study guide helped make our homeschool successful. A few years later, I purchased a geography study guide from Beautiful Feet Books to use with my now 24 year old daughter. She was a very "hands-on" kid, so I thought creating a map with our study would be perfect for her. And it was! Fast forward to today. I have wanted to use this study guide again for a long time. I also wanted to try it in a group setting. This year I took the plunge and asked two families to join us- making for 9 children between the ages of 7 and 13 years old. About the study guide: Using 4 Holling Clancy Holling books- Paddle-to-the-Sea , Minn of the Mississippi , Tree in the Trail , and Seab...

My kids wanted to have a Christmas card picture with just "the kids left at home" (not that they don't love the others, but getting them all together would be almost impossible). So, they made the arrangements with their sister, a photographer, and went to get their pictures taken. I have not seen the  finished Christmas card yet (Erin also made the card), but I cannot imagine how this rowdy bunch did "sitting" for a photo. I can't wait to see.

This lovely store  is having a very generous giveaway. One lucky person will receive $100 to spend on the item (s) of his/her choice. To enter, just stop by and leave a comment. There is not an item in this store (that I saw) that I would not love for one of my children or grandchildren. The giveaway ends on Monday December 13th at 3pm MST.

Could a whole week possibly have passed already? That truly takes my breath away. Monday: Theme for Monday was St. Nicholas . We had cousins over to learn about this man who really did live, play some games based on the same theme, watch some movies (also about St. Nick), and create some fun crafts. Tuesday: Tuesday was a special day. We spent the whole with Grandma. Sadly, we have no pictures. We went to a spectacular "Creche Exhibit" with over 1500 creches from 500 different countries. There are no words to describe how magical it was to walk around the beautifully displayed creches (often set in materials native to the country the creche is from) while listening to the harp play Christmas music. Even my wild and crazy boys were enthralled. But, pictures are not allowed. This is just my nativity- who wants a post with no pictures? Wednesday: Was a special feast day in our church, so we spent a good portion of the day reading about that and making crafts to go wit...

Our week- actually I am starting with the end of last week because we had so much fun. First Stop (day 1): Visit to the Redwood Grove Paul (12yo) standing next to one of the trees. He's the blue plaid speck to the left of the tree. ;)  Next Stop (day 2): Picnic at the Beach and Tide Pools     Final Stop (also day 2): Visit the Monarch Butterfly Winter Home Those clusters are not leaves- they are Monarch butterflies keeping close for warmth. As the sun warms them, the clusters break a part. My hubby- also known as "grandpa". :) We may live in the crowded crazy city, but there are some beautiful places to visit just a mere 20-30 minutes from us! Other than that, this week was mostly business as usual: We did some seasonal math activities from Mathwire , had our geography co op , worked on "All About Spelling", tried to get some housecleaning done in preparation for Christmas, continued drawing with Mr. Stebbing , and attempted to work o...

I enjoyed reading the link ups from  this " Helpful Homeschool Hints " post at Many Little Blessings . I love the link up idea and thought that it would be fun to join in. But, I honestly couldn't think of an single thing to share. Then it came to me- something my sister-in-law's father said to her after dropping by her house one day (as he frequently did). "You know how I know homeschooling is working for your family?" he asked. Perplexed, my sister-in-law just sort of looked blank. "Because you are doing it," he said. It is that simple. Every day when he popped in, the boys were sitting at the table "just doing it". I do think that is half the battle- whether you are doing it "right" or "well" is not the most important thing. Just doing it is. This post has been submitted to Helpful Homeschool Hints .

All About Spelling: I have avoided writing too much about this recently as I tend to get over the top when I really love something. After a few weeks off, I'll say it again- I love this program. I love that is spelled out (no pun intended) down to the last detail for me, that the information sticks (you have to do the review cards) with my boys, and that my boys are still progressing. This program is a matter of "just do it"- I just need to sit down, open my book and start. I don't try to plan or anticipate how long a "step" (lesson) will take. We work for about 20-30 minutes (used to be 10-20 min.) or until I can see that my boys are not staying focused- then we close our books and come back to it another day. It is just that easy. Beginning Drawing: I mentioned in a recent post that I would update on how we are liking Barry Stebbing's beginning drawing video. It is still a big "thumbs up" with our family.  I purchased the recommended...

I tend to think of myself as "relaxed homeschooler". By that I mean a "wanna be unschooler" but just can't quite do it. Even still, I fall prey to all the usual stresses. I start to feel like we can't do certain things because we are "behind"- we have school work, laundry, chores, and more that should be getting done. I forget that I homeschool in part so that we can experience the world!  But, when my sister plans I field trip, I have to go. So last week we were off  to the Marine Lab. First stop was to the classroom where marine biology students taught the kids about shark anatomy, senses, how they lay their eggs, and what types of teeth different sharks have. From there the kids got to learn a bit about marine mammals and visit some dolphins (no pictures were allowed), and then back to the center where the kids got to pet a shark - yes, those are real live sharks in the tank and my son is over the moon excited to be petting one. And, we go...

Art--7yo style: Each morning this week a new drawing appeared on my whiteboard- it made it difficult to do school, but I did not have the heart to erase them until I had to (for co op). We did actually begin   Barry Stebbing's Beginning Drawing DVD  this week too. I'm Thinking "Hot Wheels Physics" (or Engineering): Being the lucky recipients of several hand-me-down Hot Wheel track sets, there is no limit to the fun the boys can create. The best part is that most of the sets don't have directions, so it really is up to them how to put things together. PE Backyard Style:  The boys love playing football with dad in the backyard. Field Trip (a.k.a.: Adventures with Dad): Dad had a day off of work and decided to head out with the boys. They were going to try to explore some new destinations, but road construction sent them towards one of their favorite haunts, the Marin Headlands. There are old military bunkers, open spaces, beautiful views,...