Experimenting with Tea

Our relaxed summer schedule is so awesome.

DD13 decided to see what our different teas tasted like over ice.  She brewed several glasses of tea and we were able to come in and sample each one.  Pomegranate Pizzazz was a favorite.  I liked the Earl Grey.  Acai Berry was popular as well.

I think the Vanilla Caramel Truffle would have been good as a latte. 

Who can drink tea without cookies?  Chocolate & White Vanilla Chip cookies that I made yesterday are on the counter. 

 

When Screens are Shut Off

I often ponder the technology in our house [which consists of one - yes, one - TV, computers (3 of those)  and a Wii console.]  When I ponder these things, I wonder how much do we really need them.  A few years back, I put a block on the Disney Channel because I did not want my kids to start talking to me the way Hannah Montanna talked to her dad.  Many people laughed when they heard this, but we held tight to the ban on Disney. 
Recently, I started reading a book by Jen Hatmaker called "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess".  Wonderful, thought-provoking book.  We have so much in this country that we take for granted.  I daresay, we have too much.  Much of what we have distracts us from the important stuff. 
Although I limit "Screens" at our house, I have taken a stronger approach since the weather warmed up.  It's fun to see what the kids will get into when they are not allowed to veg out in front of a screen.

Big sister cutting little brother's hair.

Cooling off with the garden hose.

Today, DS8 prepared a stir fry for me.  Can you guess the ingredients?  Let me help....

Cucumber, celery, and romaine lettuce

He also added some spices to it.  (We wouldn't want a bland stir fry, would we?)

He said he chose spices that looked like they went on steak. 

Red pepper, pepper, parsley flakes.

I ate the whole thing with an appreciation that only a mother can have and gave some constructive criticism by letting him know that the next time he didn't have to use so much red pepper.  It's an hour later and my mouth is still on fire!

Summer Journaling

We started our summer journals on Memorial Day and it has become part of our evening routine that I think may go on indefinitely.

We get PJ's on, brush teeth and cozy in to write a couple of words about our days. Each of my children has their own "style" for journaling.

DD12 is writing a story in the 3rd person, often writes poetry and enjoys making lists.

DD10 writes a sentence or two and draws a picture

At the beginning of the summer, DS5 drew pictures and dictated several sentences to me. More recently, he enjoys doing copywork. Usually he copies the titles of his favorite books. He seems to be enjoying writing his own letters in his journal rather than having me write words for him.

DH also seems to be enjoying this activity. It is a real bonding time for our family because we get to hear what happened during the day that is important to each of us.

The cat wishing he had opposable thumbs so he could write about his napping adventures in a journal. Instead, he enjoys listening to us read our journals each night.

Each person may write what he or she wishes.

What we include in our journals:

A narrative about the day

A list of favorite things

Poetry (either original or copied with appropriate credit given)

Bible verses

This list could go on and on.

Once everyone is finished writing, we will share what we have written.

Summer Blast

I like "festivals". You know what I'm talking about - The Strawberry Festival, The Apple Blossom Festival, the Maple Syrup Festival, Dutch Days Festival, and so on and so on. My husband teases me and says they are all the same. They all have funnel cakes and Italian sausage and booths with games and vendors. Okay, I like the funnel cakes and Italian sausage - so shoot me! I also like to find the festivals that stick to their theme. Those are the kind that hold some educational value. With that said, I feel that these festivals are part of the American experience. It's part of our culture.


Our local state park, Codourus, hosted their annual Summer Blast Event this weekend. It could also be called a "Summer Festival". It's an event our family looks forward to each year. The rangers at the park set up a tent with all sorts of native live animals and display animals that can be observed and touched. Other highlights include Dock Dogs, Civil War encampment, live music, crafters, vendors and food (Italian sausages and funnel cakes - my favorite). This year, they added carnival rides. The weather was perfect and as I watched the fireworks, I just had a deep appreciation for the opportunity to do this with my kids. The pictures here only scratch the surface of all we did and saw at this event. In my opinion, it was a good homeschool day.

Raymond had a chance to "shoot" a canon.

Funnel Cakes!!!!!!

Lucy looking for the Chicken BBQ.

VBS

Well, another year of VBS is over and it was so much fun. The title was Truth Trek and it was great because they showed a quick video each night and all the videos were actually filmed in the holy lands. So each segment focused on a different geographic site. There was the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Masada, and the Tomb of Jesus (or at least what they believe to be the tomb).

It's also fun to see the kids getting excited about Jesus. The songs are very cool and the kids continue to sing them when they come home.

In my opinion, these days can be counted toward the 180 that the state of Pennsylvania requires. They will definitely remember the stuff they learned and subject areas include (but are not limited to) geography, history, art, language arts, and music & movement.

DD11 felt she was too old to participate. I kind of agreed because I could see her getting bored with the activities last year. So this year she went as a helper. She seems to be well liked by the kids for her ability to give piggy-back rides.

Little man had his 5th birthday on the first day of VBS. He received a Spiderman costume that he didn't want to part with that day, so he wore it to VBS. I figure these people deal with kids and they understand.

DD10 in the striped shirt putting her all into the motions of the song. She is a performer.

Different day - DD10 is in the brown skirt. These are two of her best friends.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day for us was pretty quiet. We did get up a little earlier than usual to get to the parade in the next town over. I'm so glad we did because it was a very nice parade. After the parade, we went to the store to pick up a couple of things then came home.

We cooked some hamburgers on the grill and the kids blew some bubbles and that's about it.

This evening at bedtime, we will begin writing in our summer journals. They are poised and ready in a little basket in the living room. Each evening from now to Labor Day, we will write in the journals about the day's activities. We did this in 2005 and really enjoyed it. The last couple of years, we tried, but somehow didn't follow through the whole summer. This year feels different and I look forward to seeing what the kids will be writing about.

Playground Day

Our homeschool group has playground days every summer - one each month in June, July and August. There are no planned activities. The kids just play and the moms get a chance to sit around and talk. Some families bring bag lunches. There is a pond and stream that the older kids love to explore. Today was our last playground day of the summer. I absolutely love summer (even those hot and humid days) and it makes me a little sad that summer is coming to a close already.

While at the playground, I was taken by surprise that my 4 year old son had no qualms about chasing down a toad and catching it. I guess that's what it means to be "all boy". He desperately wanted to hang on to it - tightly! We finally talked him into giving it to his 11 year old sister. As much of a tomboy as she is, she didn't handle it with the ease that this guy did.









Ahhh childhood. Embrace it!!! It's so temporary.

Summertime!!!

I don't know about you, but our summers are filled with activity. This year, we started homeschooling July 1 and it's been great. I did this for a couple of reasons.
1. It's hot and it's nice to stay in the AC
2. There are lots of free summer activities in our area (see below)
3. We started last year in Sept and had to go all the way to the middle of May. We don't want to repeat that.
4. We want a long Christmas break
5. I want to be finished by May 1 so I can completely focus on evaluations.

So , back to the topic of summer...
We started July 1. There are many activities going on this summer that I am incorporating into our homeschool.
1. My kids are taking a class at the local state park on Thursdays in July. The class is free and all about birds that you can find locally. The kids are loving it and seem to be getting a great deal from it.
2. VBS!!! They do get a lot out of VBS. For our homeschool, this covers music and art and sometimes Bible history.
3. Harp lessons - Our local state park is offering free autoharp lessons on Wednesday afternoons.
4. Free movies - We have been reading and doing activities with Charlotte's Web by E.B.White and the movie is free this week at a local theater.
5. Library Summer Reading Program - The library system in the neighboring county is offering an awesome summer reading program. They have all sorts of special programs from health and nutrition to sign language to astronomy classes and so on.
6. Fourth of July in Gettysburg - see previous post on this one.

Life is learning. These are the things my kids will remember much better than anything I can "teach" them from a textbook. Even after the summer is over, I will continue to search for opportunities such as these.