Indoor "Sand" Box

This is so easy!  I emptied some rice into a casserole dish.  I found another container to keep next to it (it's an aluminum dish).  We added some spoons and measuring cups and tubes we've been saving for another project and the 6yo has had so much fun!:

5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Day Off

So, I think February and March are the Wednesday of the school year.  That is, like a work week Wednesday, not a swanky vacation kind of Wednesday.  You know, the excitement of Monday (or insert here: new pencils and crayons) is over, and Friday (summer vacation) seems so far away.

If you're paying attention at all to the school calendar of your local school district you may notice a peculiar thing this time of year:  random days off.  Why shouldn't we do the same?  We've just taken about a day and a half off for no particular reason at all, no holiday to celebrate or get ready for.  Why, then, take a perfectly good weekday and NOT do school??

Here are my top 5 reasons:

How to make Kale, in Pictures.

Hungry for Color

February, March, April, sometimes even May.  These are hard months for me, avid gardener that I am.  I think plants and I were always meant to be friends.  And although there is nothing so satisfying as growing your own food there is something equally pleasing about growing something beautiful.

This time of year I turn to houseplants, and this year in particular I've been especially blessed.  I have, not one, but two plants blooming in my home during this bleak, cold, outdoor season.

How to Keep them (and you) Going.

This is a great time of year for schooling.  We've been stuck indoors for weeks and we've waved goodbye to Christmas a long time ago.  It's perfect for getting so much done academically.  It can also begin to drag a bit right about now.  Summer seems far away.  Spring break, too, is not close enough for motivation.   Even I find myself dragging through lessons with little excitement.  Enter:  beach party day!

Could this be any more low tech???

What is Beach Party day?  Are we taking an expensive Florida vacation?

skip counting magic

Ahh, multiplication facts.
How you eluded me.
Your numbers jumping all around in my head like popcorn in a pan.
Frustration and tears.

This and That. Doing something New.

Hello Dear Reader.
I'm in a quirky mood this evening and my mind is hopping along from topic to topic.  Hopefully, you don't mind a bit of this and that! :)

The Saddness of Snowflakes

notice the hexagon?  and the teary eyes?

 

We had our first "real" snowfall yesterday, so the youngest and I skipped around in our Science curriculum to do the short unit on seasons.  This sweet youngest child of mine is so tender and so, well, six years old, that when we talked about each snowflake being unique and made only one time- she wept.  She crawled into my lap and put her head on my shoulder and felt the heavy sadness of beauty lost.

That's when I remembered the website k12 had linked to for another lesson.  It has the most stunning photos of real snowflakes!  So we made paper snowflakes and then visited this website to view pictures of real flakes.  Beautiful!

The Perfect Class Size

The best defense I've ever heard for home schooling has come from one of my best friends.  She also happens to be a teacher by trade.  Also, she is married to a high school science teacher.  Together they have four children whom they home school.  Together they also rub shoulders with a lot of teachers, teachers who sometimes question them, understandably, about their decision to home school.

 A great blog post on what I really have realized I aspire to.  Good, simple cooking.  Leaving time and energy for life.  Enjoy!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/a-recipe-for-simplifying-life-ditch-all-the-recipes/