This is What Homeschooling Looks Like... Today (again)

I realized this weekend that we hadn't gone to the local state park with a sand beach all summer, and summer was just about done (officially- we were past Labor Day so it was already unofficially over). I checked the weather hoping for a warm day. Behold: Tuesday was supposed to be sunny and warm. 'A' did her tablework first thing in the morning. Then, we attended a Mommy & Me class for G before packing up for the "beach." We brought history and science with them. As I sat at the picnic table reading a missionary story as we ate our lunch, I knew I had made a good choice to come. It was so beautiful and peaceful! After lunch, the kids grabbed the sand toys and started what A called art class. After some free play, I started to read history. Just perfectly, today's lesson was about mud huts and round houses. The girls made an African village resembling the one in our book, with "mud" walls, round homes, and thatch roofs to keep the rain off the walls.
Later we read about sea anemones and clownfish while sitting on the playground climber. They even went into spontaneous role play pretending they were baby loggerhead turtles hiding from their predator, the red fox (yesterday's science lesson). Today was a good day for homeschooling.

The County Fair

Our local county fair was this past week. It was a great opportunity to see different animals, foods, and expand on our skill set. Unfortunately, there was major flooding, so the only animals we saw was a horse from a horse show and a kangaroo from another show. Normally there are goats, chickens, cows, rabbits and i think pigs. (Fortunately, we had gone to a smaller fair the previous month just to see animals).

As you can see, there were all sorts of vegetables and eggs to look at. It was amazing to see the different sizes and colors. There were rows of baked and jarred food and a separate building for flowers and hay.

The cool thing was, not only could we learn by seeing, but we learned by doing. "A" made cookies solo for the first time and took first prize in the youth under 19 category (she's six). I only helped by reading the recipe and putting the pan of cookies she scooped in the oven. She also entered photography, art (honorable mention), an apron she sewed (grandma supervised- 2nd place), a napkin holder (4th place), marigolds (5th) and a flower arrangement (2nd). G also got an honorable mention for her art.

Paired with the food and entertainment, it was a relatively inexpensive fun family event! Check one out near you!

More carrots please!

I'm a broccoli person. Not so much into carrots, but I bought some on a whim last shopping trip. Had a craving. As I was boiling some of that veggie pasta, I pulled out the baby carrots and cut them into smaller sticks. I then arranged them into a sun around some ranch dressing and gave each girl a plate. I didn't really expect them to eat much. I was wrong... They asked for seconds!

What happened next surprised me even more. Taking a tip from my friend Michelle @ MichellesCharmWorld, I then cut up the rest of the bag and put them into individual baggies. Later that evening, the baby went into the fridge looking for some cheese as a snack, but instead grabbed a bag of carrot sticks, and ate almost all of them!

Unintended Homeschool Benefits

When we started homeschooling this year, I never really thought the toddler would get much out of it. She wants to do everything her sister does! Here you see them doing math together. Sure, she's not really doing a math worksheet, but she's pretending to write numbers. While doing handwriting, I printed a letter sheet just for fun and was shocked she traced it! It'll be interesting to see her development now that she's learning right along big sister!

Tip for Drinking More Water

Homemade chicken noodles soup...and water!

I struggle with drinking enough water each day. When I don't drink enough I feel sluggish and dizzy, but yet I still don't drink! Two tips I've discovered to help keep me on track are drinking first and hot sauce.
First, I try to drink a nice tall glass of water first thing in the morning before having anything else. It usually goes down quite easily in just a few gulps.
Second, I put hot sauce on some things. Here you see my lunch: some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup with several drops of hot sauce and water to calm down the heat in my mouth! Yum!

What Homeschooling Looks Like... Today

 

Girls enjoying homeschooling at the kitchen table

I am loving the flexibility that comes with homeschooling. The day I took this photo we started out the day with a special breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. After schooling for a bit, the girls finished the day with a trip to an amusement park with their grandparents! You see the two year old is eagerly doing school right along with her big sister.

Right now both are practicing handwriting while singing the ABCs. Special requests for today: more about animals from the little one and more science experiments from the big one. I'm sure we can accommodate this. I'm also enjoying less rushed mornings and the wonderful morning chore routine the older one has mastered.

Adventures in Cumberland Falls and Corbin, Kentucky! Moonbow!

Its been my husband's dream for years to see a moonbow.  Apparently, the only places you can see a moonbow (defined as a rainbow in the light of the moon) are Cumberland Falls near Corbin, Kentucky and Victoria Falls near the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.  We chose Kentucky.  Its much closer than Africa. You have to view it within 2 days of a full moon.

We arrived to Corbin about 6pm, quickly checked in to our hotel (a Hampton Inn...yummy free cookies) and then started the drive into the park.  We weren't sure how accessable the falls were.  The answer is: very accessable.  We parked in a spacious parking lot, walked down the sidewalk past the visitor's center and gift shop, and then down the sidewalk to the moonbow viewing location.  Once we got close to the falls, we were able to walk out on a flat (as in grade) but bumpy rock formation to get a better view.  It had a cable fence to keep anyone from venturing too close to the water, but it was just cable. (As in, the toddler stayed in the back carrier the whole time).

The falls during the day

My husband set up the camera and tripod and waited.  The rest of us visited the Visitor Center, which was quite educational.  It had samples of many different native trees and a case with dozens of arrowheads and their approximate time period. Some were even BC! There were displays of native wildlife and descriptions of several endangered native species.

About 10:30 PM (the toddler was fast asleep in the back carrier) it was Moonbow time.  The moon finally reached above the trees and was shining on the spray from the waterfall...and there was a moonbow.  We stayed and snapped photos about 15 minutes.  (By snapping, I mean super long exposure because it was night time).  Also by this time there was quite a crowd.  They were very happy to fill in our spot when we left.

Moonbow photo taken in August 2011 at 10:30pm.

Saturday morning we ate the yummy hotel breakfast and returned to the falls.  My husband had considered white water rafting with the 6-year-old, but later decided she wasn't quite ready for that.  Instead, we chose a Rainbow Mist boat ride.  This was provided by Sheltowee Trace Outfitters who have a pavilion right inside the park. The raft ride takes you right up to the base of the falls...thus the mist.  When we went, the price was $12 for people 13 and up, $10 for kids 6-12, and $7 for kids 5 and under (but over 25 pounds).  We were very fortunate to be the only people on our raft.  This could be because there was a thunderstorm an hour before our ride. Our tour guide was super...but I can't remember his name, just that it had 5 letters and was tattooed on his back.

After the raft ride we headed up to the horse stables on park property.  Here, the 6 year old and I rode our very first horse ride!  She was on a lead.  I was not.  The first 10 minutes or so of the guided ride was very relaxing.  Then, my horse realized I didn't know what I was doing and became as ornery as a toddler.  He kept stopping for snacks and twice tried to go off on his own trail instead of staying with the group.  I tried my best to steer him.  It was still fun, but I learned that horses have quite the personality. Cost was $18 a person.

That evening we went for a quick swim and enjoyed David's Steak House & Buffet.  Everyone was SUPER friendly.  The manager even stopped by our table to chat for several minutes.  The food was good, too.  I discovered I really like corn bread salad.

Sunday morning after church we visited KFC in Corbin.  But it wasn't just any KFC...It was the site of Sanders' Cafe.  This was where Colonel Sanders first sold his fried chicken before going on the road selling his special seasonings nationwide. There was a little museum inside too.  Again, everyone here was SUPER nice.  I remarked about how I'd never seen chicken livers and was curious to try them, but didn't want a whole meal.  So, the employee was kind enough to throw in a couple for free so I could try.  My reaction:  the coating was good... but not a fan of the liver.  Now I can add that to my list of odd foods I've tried (ox tail, fish eyes...etc).

We spent some more time by the pool this day and ordered pizza for dinner (Snappy Tomato Pizza). Then, we got ready to depart in the morning...Next stop, Gatlinburg, Tennessee!