Thursday, February 9, 2012

My Homeschool Week With The Boys

In our homeschool this week… 


                         Our homeschool this week was for the birds! 


Yes- REAL BIRDS with feathers and all!!


They were loud enough we could not ignore them 
and they were swarming 
Swallows 
(we can't tell exactly what kind) 
They are most likely - Tree Swallows


They swooped down in groups to drink from the water behind the house
dipping and streaking - fast across the water - then back up 
to the sky - They eat insects - They are roosting in the pepper trees on 
property surrounding our house - and now they are part of our 
homeschool study! I'm proud that our boys get excited about 
Exploring God's Creation 
and participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count!
Free printables from Spell Outloud! 


"Drink Up" Project 52 - drinking up life's little surprising moments!




Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
    Go with the flow.  When distractions pop up - whenever possible just go with it - use it to your advantage to be creative. If the kiddos seem to be having a real problem being cooped up inside - bundle them up if necessary and get them out. Even if it is for a few short bursts - it can change their whole outlook - and yours!
 When it rains - make a rain gauge - go with the flow

Also - check out the awesome resources provided by MomsMustardSeeds and Founders Academy
They have provided links and information to study the Mayflower Compact by reading the document, a 
video link, and free worksheets to do with your kids! This week's assignment is
 The Declaration of Independence   - Click any of the links provided to go to the main site! 

I am inspired by…

Curriculum from GeoMatters 
We are having so much fun with our Paths of Settlement curriculum.
 I don't stick right to the plan - of course - but use it as a guide as it is meant
 to be used. We were inspired to paint a continent map 
*I'll be giving away a set of the Paths of Exploration Curriculum 
later on this month in support of the Teach Them Diligently Convention
Excited about this giveaway - I'll be attending the convention
 - hope to meet you there! 
What’s working for us…
                   Searching for Gopher Tortoise burroughs 

Finding Gopher Tortoise "friends" 
they are on the protected list of endangered species - 
live mostly in Florida - and can live to be 60 years old - 
this one is a beautiful specimen 


Nature Walks in between rain storms 


       Not Working. . .  . 
 um - self directed "fashion" statements 
He's 6 y'all - and he really likes to dress himself - I pick my battles -
that one is not worth it!

      Working . . . . 
finding the biggest baddest Tortoise home on the block! 
"Tortoise Cave" 


Things I’m working on…
"Drink Up" Project 52 - drinking up the sunshine and
Exploring God's Creation with my family 



Playing with the texture features on Picnik -
 even the premium features are free until April when Picnik closes 
I’m reading…

It's up for an Epic award for 2012 - Donna Sundblad is a friend of mine from way back. She was like a 'nother mother' to me when I first moved to the island. I'm so proud of her novel. It's a wonderful cross between a 
Pilgrim's Progress and The Giver meeting the Hunger games 
but is a fantastic tale in it's own right. I'm using it as a read aloud in our 
homeschool and the boys LOVE the adventurous story unfolding. 
(there's a link on my side bar if you are interested 
available in both ebook and hard copy)

I’m grateful for…

A wonderful husband who loves me and homeschool community
who encourage me every day! 
Also grateful for our family time and time with friends spent in 
the outdoors - we love making special memories - looking forward
to seeing more homeschool friends for a visit soon! 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
                                          "Drink Up" by Project 52
Loving my new coffee cup from DaySpring - enjoying green tea with honey 
and a bit of coffee in the mornings! 

Special Giveaway going on from DaySpring -
here on my blog $50 coupon code and free shipping!
John 16: 24
"Ask and you shall receive, and your joy will be complete"
3 in 30 Challenge:
1. Health:  I've gotten outside several times for a bit of exercise this week and I'm drinking water and cutting down on coke zero -n- not doing so well still with sugar. Cooking meals at home except 1. 

2. Quiet Time: My walk is going well, studying Ephesians although I haven't kept up with the whole SOAP style study - I'm keeping up w my reading. It's funny how it is fitting perfectly into place with several other things I have going on. 

3. Writing/ Blogging: I'm more organized and following my list - I'm keeping to my schedule pretty well, but not entirely - I'm not a rigid schedule kind of girl -but having one helps! 
I'm not doing the 28 day Special Feb Challenge although I think I'll get the book & see if it 
helps me organize a bit - I have a semi-house cleaning schedule going on but need to be a bit 
more rigid in THAT department - it's just not as much fun as blogging and nature walks :) 
But - I do so love a clean and organized space - I'll be thrilled if I get my closet done this month & 
do a better job of sticking to my little cleaning schedule! 


Linking with: 


Mothers of Boys  The Homeschool Mother's Journal Mustard Seeds 3in30
project 52 p52 weekly photo challenge my3boybarians.comFavorite Resource This Week

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! Look at all those birds! Could you identify them? We've been having LOTS of Dark-eyed Juncos lately, but nothing like you had!

And how neat to look for tortoise holes and TORTOISES!

Chareen said...

Those bird photo's are amazing ! Wow. Thank you for posting all your nature walk pics. I need inspiration to start my nature journal with Sir N.

Your advice is excellent and very timely. Thank you :)

Jenn @ Monkey Butt Junction said...

Wow - those birds! Beautiful photos. I especially loved the tortoise. That had to be something to see close up. As for the fashion sense of your one child, well, those photos make great conversation pieces later in life. My mom certainly had fun with her photographs of my fashion experiments. :)

Have a beautiful and amazing day!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a wonderful week of school!!!

Lisa Boyle said...

Wow! What amazing photos of the birds! Awesome! :-)) And, great, great advice! I need to revisit it myself sometimes when things are just not going as planned. Your children are blessed to have such a wonderful mom who provides them with activities that are fun, hands-on and educational! Blessings for a great weekend! :-)

Stephanie said...

What a terrific week! I love all your gorgeous nature pictures. I'm looking forward to following your blog.

Unknown said...

What a lovely week!! Your pictures are making me wish that Spring would arrive so we can spend some time outdoors!

ThaiHoa Burroughs said...

I always enjoy your pics and see your wonderful tips on homeschooling. I am still debating it. Good thing my daughter is only 2 so I still have time to think about it.

Gidget said...

I'm afraid those birds would have freaked me out! But, I bet they would have been awesome to watch from inside ;)

It's so funny that you mention Inheritance - I JUST put that on hold at the library after happening across it in an Amazon breadtrails session :)

I'm so glad you and the boys had a great week!

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

Looks like a fun and memorable week. I can't believe how many birds are in one spot. What a breath-taking experience to be able to see that! You've done a lot of work towards your 3 in 30 goals as well! Congratulations!

msdewberry said...

I have never seen that many birds in one spot such as these photos! It reminded me of the movie "Birds" with Tippy Hendren I believe. The movie the first time I saw it scared me.
Cool to see the Tortoise and its home too!!

Susan said...

Thanks for linking up with Favorite Resources! You have what looks like some very good resources listed!
Hope you're having a nice weekend :)

Heathahlee said...

The first part of your post reminded me of the pin I recently saw..."Keep Calm and Pretend It Was on the Lesson Plan." HA! I love it when moments like that come up, but I have a hard time integrating them into our lesson plans. Maybe I need to loosen up a bit. :)

Traci's Teaching Times said...

I love to see huge flocks of birds together. About 6 years ago during the fall a flock of birds began passing through by our house. They or at least some flock has come through every year since. We look forward to them each year.

Gina Kleinworth said...

Love that set from Dayspring- how cute!!!!!!!!

Adena said...

We've been going on a lot of nature walks lately and finding gopher tortoise homes. I didn't realize that they were endangered when we first moved to Florida. One was crossing the road very slowly and so my hubs was getting ready to get out and move it. I was talking on the phone with my friend, a Florida native, at the time and she told us there is a $5000 fine if you touch them. btw, I just accessed comments on my blog from the past five months and working my way thru them; you asked what digital scrapbooking software I used - Scrapbook Max, it's a digital download, Google it. It's super easy!!

Mozer said...

I want to go on a nature walk in Florida! Love the pic. of the tortoise. How cool!