Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Vegetables

 

We spent the entire morning continuing to prepare our vegetable garden for planting. Because I cannot do any bending the kids really do it all with just a little direction from me. Musa is getting so big and strong, he really helps with the heavy stuff. Retta was born to garden. She totally gets it, and does planting so well, with such care.

After we did some soil preparation we finished up Retta's Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden. She picked out all the flowers herself and decided where to plant them. Around the back of the tree she planted wildflower mix. The pot on the trunk is growing chives, basil and chamomile. I thought she had a great idea to put the pot on the trunk, don't you?

                                               

eBay Math and World Studies

Musa asked me the other day if he could sell a few of his old toys on eBay. (We frequently sell used items or handmade items for extra cash). My initial response was one of discouragement, as I thought it would be quite complicated and over his head. Then, I started thinking...hum...to sell something on eBay you would have to do the following: read, have computer skills, work with a digital camera, type, spell, understand money, profit and loss margins, record keeping, customer service, understand the bidding process, weighing and using a scale and shipping, catagorizing. The more subtle hidden learning could be endless....social studies, geography, the list goes on.

Musa is very computer savy and I apologized for not believing in him. I sat down showed him how to enter the information, how to keep the records, and he got it first time around. He now can independently check on his auctions and see how they are doing and last night entered an item for sale with very little assistance from me. Some of the...*understanding money*....struggles he was having are gone...it now seems to all make sense to him. So wonderful.

I flashed back to John Holt's teachings of letting your children be very involved with family money and budgeting. eBay seemed to fit right into that way of thinking. 

Last night Dad was working on an invoice for his book business and had the calculator out and was adding numbers sort of out loud. He said the amount $8.38. Retta went running over to his desk and said..."Dad, you don't need that" and grabbed the calculator out of his hand. She pointed to the invoice and said, "First you write the 8, then you write a dot, then write the 38 cents. The cents always go to the right of the dot and the dollars go on the left." His mouth dropped open and he just stared at me. (When Musa and I were working on eBay, she was sitting playing with playdoh at her desk. She obviously overheard the conversation Musa and I were having and retained the information.) 

These moments make such a strong arguement for unschooling. I can't imagine going back to the days of workbooks and struggles. I am so thrilled to be able to give these children the opportunity to be free.

            

Birding

We have all become quite avid birders. It all started quite innocently with a couple of feeders, then came the bird idenfication books, and next the binoculars. Next thing you know everyone is into the game.

There seems to be alot of new birds in the yard in just the last week. It is not uncommon for Musa or Retta to go running for the book and try to identify a species. So far we have positively identified the following birds:

 

Tufted Titmouse:                

Carolina Chickadee;

 

Dark eyed Junco       

 

American Goldfinch:    

(Female with breeding plummage)

 

Male and Female Cardinals:       

Carolina Wren: 

 

Northern Flicker WoodPecker: 

 

We also have a pack of aggressive squirrels that are driving me crazy. We have rotating squirrel patrol. They seem to be less and less afraid of us all the time. I have tried all the "squirrel proof" feeders and none of them work. The squirrels are smart, not to mention greedy. I have tried feeding them.....OMG, it makes monsters of them. I shall prevail.  

Thunderstorm Science

 

          

                    

 

   

 

We awakened this morning to dark sky and thunder and a severe weather alert. It was a reminder that spring is here in Maryland. I stepped outside and..boom....there is was, that old familiar, southern style, humidity. I am sure folks from the South would tell me that I have never felt humidity, but being from the Northwest, I can't even handle humidity, Maryland style. It pounded rain all morning. My front yard completely flooded. It rained heavily until about 2pm.

Musa noticed that there was a creek running down the side of the drive. On went the boots and the rest of the day is history. The kids had a blast with the addition of the creek. Retta took many water samples...she loves to fill up test tubes with water, and then classify them according to clarity, color, ect...Musa raced boats and built dams.

This was one of those days that I am reminded how fabulous it is to homeschool. So much freedom to learn and explore the world around them. Most often these days lead us back to the computer or to books to answer questions that the world gave to the children. These days really drive home the message, that when the kids ask the questions, the answers mean something.

We also noticed that the swamp sounds are back. Crickets and frogs. It as if the forest came alive over night. Spring has sprung!! 

                                        

Point Lookout State Park

 

 

 

 

 

This is a late entry for Friday, March 18th:

We were supposed to be attending a homeschool movie, Robots, and as we left the house we all commented on what a warm, beautiful, sunshiny day it was. Musa then looked at me and asked if instead of the movie, could we go to the beach. Retta joined in, pleading to go to the beach. I was thrilled, that instead of spending the afternoon in a theater, they choose to be outdoors.

We decided to go to Point Lookout State Park. They took their buckets and shovels and such, I took my binoculars and birding guides, we threw together some snacks and off we went.

We started at the picnic area, the kids busily playing in the sand. Retta was in rock/shell collectors Heaven. She found so many beautiful rocks, one which was perfectly shaped like a heart.  We had the entire beach to ourselves. We had fun being very quiet and listening to the different sounds of nature.

We could here the Loons and Grebes off shore. Musa enjoyed watching them dive for fish and would count to see how long they could stay under. It was quite remarkable. We could her a woodpecker, but never did locate him. I saw a beautiful bird, medium sized with a bright yellow tail. It appeared to be a type of warbler, but flew away before I knew for sure.

Musa found several flat rocks and asked me how you throw them to make them "skip."I explained to him, cautioned him it sometimes takes some practice, therefore not to be disappointed if he wasn't immediately successful. He walked to the water threw it and it magically skipped about 6 times. He gleefully danced a jig, teasing me unmercifully (which I deserved) that I should have more faith in him. He continued to skip rocks with little difficulty.

As we left the picnic area and headed to the truck a large raccoon sauntered by. Retta was so excited.

                                                       

As we left we noticed a small house that appeared quite old. It was a small smokehouse that was used in the late 1800's-early 1900's to smoke meat. Musa was intrigued with the idea there were no refrigerators. We imagine how the meat must have tasted.

On the way out of the Park, we stopped at all the historical sites. We we so intrigued with all of the history. We often comment, since moving to Southern Maryland, that at times it is as if you can feel the history of the civil war under our feet. This is the feeling we got as we were were reading the history and imagining how the area must have looked during the Civil War.

One historical site mention the word "redoubt." Musa asked me what that was and I honestly had no idea. We decided to look up some things when we got home. We saw signs about Fort Lincoln and also about a smallpox hospital that had been built during the Civil War. There was also a prisoner of war prison.

When we arrived home, we had a blast looking up things online and furtheringour education of Point Lookout, the Civil War, Hammond General Hospital, what a Redoubt is, what a Sibley tent was, what smallpox was like, POW's and the frightening conditions they faced. I think it really struck Musa that he had just been walking around the very area where all of these things had taken place before him. That sort of history lesson one tends not to forget.

To our delight we also learned that Point Lookout is notorious for being haunted..to the degree that the Rangers are required to keep records of sightings of ghosts and mysterious sounds. We also learned that there is a cabin you can rent.....we decided we HAVE to go and spend a night and see if we can see a ghost!!!

                                              

 

We're Back

We have had a long absence from our journal due to some illnesses. We are all feeling better and getting back into our routine. I will catch up with some old entries and get back into a regular habit of journaling our experiences.

Spoon People

The kids made up names for their spoon people they made and put on a puppet show. It was quite involved and eventually the tribal spoon people became drum sticks and we did rhythms throughout the house. It was a great work of fiction.         

 

Signs of Spring

Retta came running today to tell me she found flowers. Although there was a chill in the air, it was clear that spring is just around the corner.  She just sat and talked to these flowers for about 15 minutes. She welcomed them to the Earth, talked to them about the colors they choose to be, and told them jokes.

Precious childhood, pure mindfullness.

Good seeds

Man, these seeds are growing. I can't believe how strong and healthy the plants are looking.

C'mon sunshine. We need to get a little higher temps before I put them in the ground.

I also planted a large container of chamomile, so I can make my own tea. It is already up about an inch.

Gears

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

We started our day working with our gear kit. I really underestimated Retta's engineering skills. She kept getting frustrated and I was busy with Musa, so I kept telling her to hold on, reminding her I would help her in a minute. I kept reminding her to breath, not to get frustrated and to keep trying. Next thing I new she said, "Yay, it works." She had made a complete circuit, with lights! Then she worked for a long time with a rubber band, and finally got it hooked up to the motor so it turned the gears. Musa and I were still back in beginners alley, trying to get gears to hook together.

Musa did make a car, I would not even have thought of that. He was thrilled when he saw that it actually moved. Now, he is trying to figure out reverse!

I am so glad I invested in this set....I purchased it used from another homeschooler, such a good deal. There are a few on eBay.  Exclusive Educational Webpage

 

Sprouts

The sprouts are up!!! Retta was so excited when she woke up and checked her plants.

We are planning a garden with the square foot design, and we are going to try it on a hill, in sort of a terraced fashion. We are hoping this will work better for me because of my limited bending abilities.

We will document the progress along the way.

Good Friends

Thursday we spent the day with our good friends. We had a great lunch together, the kids got to make their own deli sandwiches and fruit parfaits for dessert. While the little ones busied themselves activities around the house, the older two ones spent the majority of the day outside.

Mary, Sarah and Retta had a big painting session. They quickly became tired of the paint brushes and came to realize it was much more fun to paint with body parts. This lead to a group bath and a good ole' snuggle fest to get warm.

Musa and Rachele picked up a long piece of rope outside and you could just see the wheels turning in their heads. It wasn't long before wood and a drill got involved. They attempted to make a simple pulley type seat, but without an actual pulley, they learned it wasn't so easy. This lead to the computer to look up pulley systems and we figured out the problem was friction. Too much friction with the rope against tree bark. It was fabulous to see the kids out there just having a good time and experimenting with different ideas. Such freedom to explore.

This was one of those...."I am so happy I homeschool"....kind of days. Kids being kids, learning their way, snacking at will, resting at will, heck..even bathing at will. I really needed this day. I felt whole again.

                                       

For Amy

I guess this one is for Amy----the answer...drum roll please, is:

A baby hamsters kidney cell magnified 1,500 times.

The players

Carla---I love this...only because you are a professor and spend your entire life researching.....I did not even see the print at the bottom of the page...I still can't see it well until I find my reading glasses. Cheating? Not. I give the kids the same daily message---all you need to know is WHERE to find information. (even when it is in teeny, tiny print @the bottom of a picture.)

BTW, you are never ever allowed to share the version of eenie, meenie, minee, mo that we grew up with, LOL

 

Amy---Sorry Charlie

Shirah---Yeah, because you have AOL and were probably reading the link about the radio waves from space, and then saw this picture, right????

PS  It is not radio waves or anything from space.

Anyone else wanna take a shot?

Guess

                        

Can you guess what this is?

She Blows

                             

Shirah and Amy just called to let us know that Mt. St. Helens has blown her top again. I wish I was there.

Ahhhhh..... the power of Mother Nature.

King Five Home Page (For Coverage)

A new version

RETTA's VERSION:

"Ennie, Meenie, Minee, Mo

Who I'll pick, by a toe.        

If he hollers

Buy a bow

Ennie, Meenie, Minee, Mo"

 

 

It's a blizzard!!!!

So........it is snowing. Heavy and horizontally. Can hardly see across the drive. Wind is howling. Has to be 50 mile an hour gusts. I sure hope we don't lose a tree.

Have had a couple of flickers of power. Have a feeling we might lose power. But we aren't concerned...we have our handy dandy flint kit....help, we will freeze to death.

One of those days I am so glad I don't have to go outside.

                            

Planting, Picnic and The box

It was so pretty out today. It felt like a spring day. We spent the whole day outside. We went to the local farm store and bought a great variety of vegetable seeds and a few new garden tools. We had a great little picnic on the deck and got busy with the seeds.

The kids quickly grew tired of planting in the containers and disappeared with handfuls of green bean seeds and I noticed them planting them in various places around the yard. If they all grow it could be interesting. We planted our herb container also.  

Retta decided she needed a fabric covered box so we went to work and created one for her. She loves it. It has been her bed, an airplane, a cave, a train, a cage, and a table....all in the first hour.

Another great day...just being together..connecting with nature..and each other.

Beasts, Robots and Gears

This will be short and sweet....I had a Dr. appt in Baltimore this morning so we decided to spend the afternoon at the Maryland Science Center, again.  The kids are becoming quite comfortable since we are there so much. I notice them spending more in-depth time with some of the exibits, instead of just running to see what is next. Retta had fun showing Dad around, as he usually doesn't get to go with us.

Retta and I had fun showing Dad and Musa up, as we made a robotic car (I couldn't have done it without Retta) and had it running before they could even get the tires on theirs. The look on Musa's face was priceless....GIRLS RULE!

When we got home there was a large package waiting for us....it is a huge gear set and elecrical circuit maker. The kids were so excited. Retta immediately started building. We can't wait to really dig in tomorrow.

Retta just told me that we needed to get to bed because tomorrow at 1pm Maggie and the Ferocious Beast are coming for a picnic and Hamilton the Pig and Henry the Penguin might be here and want some fish sticks.......gotta go.....

  

Flint, God and Globes

Musa and I had a long discussion about God today. He is getting so much older and his awareness of issues is really changing. He was trying to decide if 'God' took on a human form, if God was male or female, if there is a God, where does he 'live' and so on. The only thing he said he was sure of is that God controlled the weather. I resisted the urge to share my beliefs. I would certainly share them if asked, but he didn't ask...he was just sharing, and in his sharing I could see he was making new discoveries..."I don't really think God has a human form, so if he isn't human then he doesn't  live in the clouds"....he finally ended up telling me that he thinks all things are interconnected and that he sometimes thinks of God as a energy....and then he he struck on the idea that if everything is connected and we all come from the same source, then we all really depend on each othe. Then he wasn't so sure anymore if "God" controlled the weather. As Musa was talking I reflected on my own childhood and the similar questions I wondered about, and how "Church" did nothing but confuse me more. It was great to see him wrestle with some of these ideas. I was pleased I had the insight to keep my mouth shut, unless asked.

We got our flint kit in the mail the other day and spent a good hour trying to make a fire. We didn't even get so much as a spark. I ended up with a bloody finger but no spark. We laughed so hard....we would freeze to death for sure if we had to light a fire with flint. We are determined though...we will have fire.

Retta busied herself as usual with paint, glue, playdoh and string. String is important right now, she has almost everything in the house tied up in one fashion or another. The kitchen cabinets are tied together, most of the door knobs are tied with string. She also has been spending a lot of time measuring eveything in the house with her measuring tape, and even tied the measuring tape to the stair railing.

Tonight she brought the globe to her Dad and started "teaching" him. She would spin the globe and say, "This is America..Dad say, A--mer--i--ca"  Dad would say America and she would say, "Good job."  The she would spin the globe again and test hisknowledge again. She told us the blue color on the globe represented snow, and the orange continent (Asia) was where they grew oranges. She looked all over the globe until she found the letters that spell her name and the proclaimed, "See this country is Loretta!"

Her Own Desk

We had a very busy weekend, as we decided to remodel our 'office' space. We spent lots of money at IKEA and did a complete makeover. Our office/computer space is actually meant to be a dining room, but since we never use a formal dining room we have always used it as a family office space. Mom and Dad each got new desks for our computers and that left the old ones up for grabs. Before the remodel we had the two computer desks and a large folding table that housed all of Retta's art supplies so she could have access to them whenever the mood hit.

Once she saw the desks were up for grabs she asked if she coud have my old desk. She quickly went to work organizing the drawers and such. She was beaming with pride. Musa elected to have the other desk moved to his room. I notice as he gets older he has more of a need to create his own space and is spending more time in his room. He also spent several hours setting up his desk.

So....thats why so few journal entries of late. Things should return to normal now.

Musa and Retta went bowling with friends today and as usual had a great time. Retta managed to beat Musa but he was quick to point out she was using bumpers and he wasn't. He really likes bowling and is actually pretty good at it. I think I need to start taking him more often. He even mentioned wanting to be on a league.  

Tomorrow we plan to catch up on some reading. We have some new books that look so good we can't wait to get started.