Back to School

Normally we do some educational time during the summer. This summer it just was not possible with the travel schedule that we had. So we took a break. There was some learning along the way and that counts as part of our school. Traveling can teach so many things. My kids ate new foods, like dragonfruit, HP Sauce; they learned how big the world is, flying around the world gave them the opportunity to visit some new countries. Some learning just happens.

Some learning is a bit more intentional, like the Bird Park fits great with science, a morning at King Henry VIII’s palace, Hampton CourtPalace helped to visualize history.

Now we are back to the books and structured learning. I had to make some last minute adjustments to my plans for this year. I have a master plan that has rough books and/or subjects for the next few years.  I had everything we needed but it is boxes waiting to be shipped and as we can’t move yet. I needed to make some adjustments.

I have put together my objectives for each child. My objectives are general in some areas like continue to work on math skills and specific like work on letter sizing for Miss K. I also have written some expectations. The objectives give me the direction that we are heading and the expectations help me to know what I am looking for along the way. Some of the expectations I will tell them and some I don’t.

I have also looked at what we are doing this year and determined how many days each week we need to do that subject. I have also tried to put together what is an assignment amount so math for J is a lesson a day. Using that chart my expectation is that he will be able to plan a large portion of his learning.

So it is time to unpack the books that arrived and find our math books in the boxes that we stored at a friend’s house while we traveled this summer. Now we are back to school.

Some years I have done fun things on the first day of school like take photos of the kids and all their books or fill out a page about me but this year we are just jumping in and getting started.  Grandma has an old school desk and some decorations which was perfect for some photos. 

This is my 5th year homeschooling J. 

I have told Miss K that 2nd graders do lots of school. She only wants to do a tiny bit. We usually begin with math and then do handwriting and reading/phonics. Last spring she decided she wanted to do school backwards. This morning when we began she asked to do school backwards. Her memory amazes me at times.

 So we are back to school. What fun things did you do for back to school?

Beth

Not Yet Back to School

We have not yet begun our school year. I think we are ready to begin except for the fact that we are still traveling and don't have our books yet. So this week we are celebrating "Not Yet Back to School". We have been enjoying a week with Grandma and doing fun things with her.

I think everyone is back to school here. Even the children in the one room schoolhouse.

On Tuesday we went to the Science Center. It is was empty and so we were able to enjoy things there.

Wednesday we stayed home except J was able to spend some time with one of his friends. We did play some games. Notice the double blockade there in Parcheesi. I think our Parcheesi game might be one of the originals. My mom read the instructions and if you mailed a 3 cent envelope you could get a copy of the rules. I think the copyright was 1938 or so.

Thursday we went to a cheese farm. It used to be that you actually went to the farm but now they have a shop. You could see a bit of how they make cheese.

We enjoyed all the samples. I think the roasted garlic cheese curds were my favorite or maybe it was the garlic and dill.

It was a scenic drive to the cheese farm. Even though I grew up in this area, I still enjoy the sights.

Friday was just getting some things done here before we head west. We also spent some time visiting some friends. Miss K had a friend that she talks about and someone she wanted to visit and today worked for that visit.

I think next week we will be back to school. It is beginning to feel like fall. I walked in the yard yesterday and crunched a number of leaves that area already on the ground.

Beth

That is my weekly wrap-up. Linking up with 

Science Center

Yesterday was the first day of school for a number of schools in the area. Since we are still visiting family, we have not begun school with books through there is still quite a bit of learning going on around here. We decided to go to a Science Center. Our membership from the Museum of Flight allowed us to get in free.

Miss K loved this. She would just stand and swing the last ball and then watch the balls. She did have to remember to move or else she would get hit in the face when the ball bounced back.

We have gone to a number of science centers and it is always fun to see what things are new. This was a new one -- showing how the pendulum moves. You filled the funnel with sand, swept off the surface and then started the pendulum moving.

The designs were so interesting.

They changed depending how we swung the pendulum. It is a great visualization of how the pendulum swings.

Grandma showed Miss K how to stuff the parachute in the tube. It went out the top so fast I couldn't get a photo of that. Miss K stood there and it is over and over again.

I asked J what was one of his favorite things. He said, "building the dam". He has some of his father's engineering genes. There were some blocks there and you could build a dam. He was able to feel the water pressure build up.

To keep the whole things from overflowing and make a mess at the science center there were some drains at the bottom. J did have fun building and trying various configurations to see what is the best dam he could create.

J and Grandma worked together to build a trestle bridge. We are planning to do a bridge study this fall just for fun.

One of the interesting things was the catenary arch, just like the St. Louis Arch. The blocks were numbered and you build the arch on the board. You do need to make sure that the wooden base is in place and you are building it with that there. When you have all the pieces in place. Then you take the board and stand it up.

You just flip the board up with some care and then place it down and you arch is standing.

The science center was small but it had a number of exhibits that were new and different. Since for most schools it was the first day of school it was empty. I think I counted three other children in their and by the time we left around 1:30 it was just us. (They did say they are closing next week for cleaning and renovation.) This particular center says that they are for grades 3-8.  It was a fun morning.

We then went to Math-U-See to get some more blocks and stopped at Sonic for Happy Hour and a bite of lunch. Sonic is a treat for us as we don't have one on the West Coast.

What is your favorite thing at a science center?

Beth

Happy Birthday, Peter

Peter Rabbit that is. Today marks 120th birthday of Peter Rabbit. On today in 1893 Beatrix Potter first told the story of Peter Rabbit in the form of a picture letter to Noel Moore, the son of Beatrix's former governess.

Beatrix had a rabbit she named Peter and that was the inspiration for her letter/story. The book was published in 1902.

Just a fun fact for our British Children's Author study.

Do you have a favorite Beatrix Potter book?


Beth

Pooh Sticks

When we were at Hopewell, we had a few minutes to wait for the sand blasting demonstration. Grandma decided it was time to teach the kids how to play Pooh Sticks. There was a small creek with a bridge which was just perfect for playing Pooh Sticks.

Pooh Sticks is the game that Pooh and Christopher Robin play. All you need is a bridge, some sticks, and a creek that moves. You stand upstream and then together everyone drops their stick in the creek. You go to the other side of the bridge and wait to see who is the winner.

I am not sure who won but the kids played a number of time. Miss K found a branch and wanted to use that but we told her that was too big.

I decided this fit in with our British Children's Author study. As we were playing, someone came by and knew what we were doing, playing Pooh Sticks.

Did you know that there are official rules for Pooh Sticks? There is a World Pooh Sticks Championship.

Have you ever played Pooh Sticks?

Beth

Hopewell Furnace

We wanted something to do this afternoon and so we decided to go to Hopewell Furnace which is an old iron plantation. It is close to my parents' house so close that we didn't go through any traffic lights but I guess since they live in a rural area that isn't saying much.

Anyway this is an old iron plantation that was in operation 1771 - 1883.

This is a National Historic Site and they have the Jr. Ranger Program. The kids both got the paper to complete the program. I have to say that for J there were quite a bit of questions. He really did have read and pay attention.

Miss K's paper was not as quite as difficult. She did have to find some animals the horses and chickens were easy but the sheep well they were in the field as we drove in and we missed them until we were leaving.

In the furnace they were having a sand blasting demonstration. One of the items that was made here were stoves. They also did make some cannons.

As they were pounding the sand, they asked for volunteers. Miss K was eager to volunteer. I think that might have been therapy.

Daddy even tried his hand to "go pound sand."

There is a water wheel in there.

Miss K was busy in the tenant house -- cleaning the floor

and then in the spring house she was making some butter. Making butter is perfect for her. If you don't know she loves butter. I think she eats bread so she can have the butter. We have found sticks of butter with teeth marks that matched her mouth.

It was a fun afternoon. It was interesting to know that this was beginning production around the same time as the Iron Bridge.

Beth

"I'm Back"

That is what Miss K told her aunts and uncles when she saw them on Friday. She was so excited to go home which at this time was going to Grandma's house.

But first we had to do all the packing. Why is it that things always seem to expand when you are packing at the end of the trip? We walked through the house where we were staying and found this animal that tried to stay behind. We grabbed him and stuffed him in the suitcase. We didn't want him to have to stay until we return in January.

We flew home via Iceland as Icelandair had the best price. We did have a layover there in Reykjavik. Here is the view as we were coming into the airport.

I will say that the air was nice and clean. We did learn from reading the inflight magazine that winter is not as cold as you might think. We walked off the plane into the airport and our flight was taking off at the next gate and we had an hour till the next flight was taking off.

Icelandair was good. One of the things that they learned from the US airlines is to charge for meals. So if I were flying Icelandair again, I would pack a lunch. Then again the cost of the meal we purchased was less than the difference in the cost of tickets on another airline. They did give the kids meals so that is nice.

We are back here spending some time with family before we head on.

Beth