ski weekend

Last weekend a friend and I went away for 4 days skiing the Maine Huts and Trails system.  It was a repeat of last year's adventure, only longer!  I was hoping to find something poetic to say about it, or to tie it into the nature journaling and phenology work we're doing around here....but, I can feel the time slipping away, and wanted to share these photos.  If you live nearby and can figure out how to make it happen, I think you should go.  

It was a wonderful weekend with such good company, amazing strangers to talk with, good food, a bit of sweet knitting, nice weather, and long days of good hard skiing.  Certainly an annual tradition.  

    Lunch break, trail side

   Near-Arctic Explorers

      Lung Wort Lichen

Trip Highlights:

* Bob cat and possibly Fischer tracks
* amazing weather, single digits in the mornings and warming to near 20's.  It was perfect weather for non-stop movement.
* 40+ miles of terrain covered
*Not having to wash dishes or prepare food at all for 4 days.
* Due to a boot/ski malfunction I got to borrow a slipper (to cover my socked foot) that had climbed Mt. Everest 3 times! (can I now say my foot has touched the Mt. Everest summit indirectly?)
*Due to said boot/ski malfunction I now officially need new skis (I'be been long overdue, and now its truly time.)
* Having a companion in complaining for the better part of 15 miles of icy, steep up and down skiing, who skied along with me when we should have clipped out and walked (when I couldn't take off my skis without also taking off my boots due to aforementioned malfunction) and who still had a fabulous time through it all.
* No injuries
* After that first hard day, we had 3 more long ski days on well groomed snow with set tracks, and saw no more than 4 people or so for most our time on the trails.
* Spending 4 days away and coming home feeling renewed by the good company, good exercise, quiet woods and fresh air.  No jet lag and very little unpacking.
*Coming home to a clean, quiet house with dinner already prepared for the evening.

The View From Here

This is a moment for sharing , inspired by SouleMama's "This Moment".  In her words,  "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."  To play along go to the SouleMama blog.

                          From a few weeks back...wishing for a little fresh snow this week

Homeschool Thursday: How to make a song

A collection of far too many photos depicting some schooly and unschooly learning from the past couple of weeks..... 

Last summer a friend and I planned that our families would gather once a month or so throughout the year for our kids to present research projects to a small, familiar group, over dinner.  The request came from her girls who were new to homeschooling, and said they would miss the research projects and presentations they had been doing at their Montessori school.  It hasn't worked out as regularly as we hoped, but Juniper did finish her Blue Jay project a few weeks ago, and was excited, though a bit nervous to share her work with our friends.  

This was her first experience presenting something to a group, and it was so fun to get to see her in that role.  She was clear and loud in her presentation, and remembered to look at the audience as she presented the information.  The other kids were patient and respectful, and asked questions about blue jays at the end. 

Kale was not to be left out.  He brought along his favorite book, a small collection of jokes and limericks (which he has memorized) and "read" through the book with great animation and appropriate timing.  It was a hoot.  He repeated his performance the following week on stage in front of our homeschool group (of about 40 people) during a potluck/coffee house.  He's already planning his presentation for the next one; either a group collaboration of his second favorite book, "Borrowed Black", or a solo performance of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" from Frozen.  (Our kids are crazy about the music from this film).   

We'll definitely be continuing with this tradition of presenting formal projects and may even branch out and include other friends and relatives to get more practice at public speaking. 

We continue to work regularly with RightStart Math.  I have liked this program from the beginning, and is the only curriculum we have stuck to throughout the years. (am I starting to sound like a commercial?  I swear I'm receiving no sponsorship--but maybe I should look into it!)  Kale is working on very early visual math, recognizing groups of 5 and 5+ numbers--when he wants to.  I would never push school work with kids this young.  For older kids RightStart introduces new concepts, but continues to emphasize practice of older skills as well.  So, while she's working on multiplication some days, she's also still building and adding 4 digit numbers in her head and on the abacus.  The other day I realized she had never done any graphing, so we took a 1/2 hour in the morning to graph all the measurements Kale was busy taking around the house (he's really into the tape measure right now).  She still wanted to do more, so we moved onto pie charts and line graphs.  When it was time to go to piano she cried because she hadn't had time to finish her line graph.  I guess we'll be doing more of that soon, and maybe we can figure out how to incorporate graphs into her next research project.   

In history we are slowly working through Story of the World, Ancient Times.  Kale loves the coloring activities.  Here he is in a tiger mask from ancient India.  We are also using history to introduce some geography lessons.  We keep the atlas and globe handy, and start at Maine when reading about any other country, and travel by finger over to that country, while naming the continents on the way.  

Kale isn't so interested in this, but Juniper enjoys it.  

As I've mentioned before, "school" work takes up only a small part of about 4 days each week.  Otherwise there's all kinds of good stuff going on without me.  Last week Juniper decided to put together an activity book as a gift for a friend.  It includes a coloring/cutting page, learn to draw pages, and this page on "How to make a Song".  The book required more writing than I had asked her to do in the past week, and she did it all on her own accord, asking only for spelling advice.  I love it.  

Wylie picked up on her enthusiasm, and got right to work on his own paper work, a DIY inspired project in which Juniper could complete certain tasks to earn her "bookmaking badge".  He sewed the badge himself with some scrap felt.  

Another day involved disassembling a remote control car and mounting his iPod to the top to take videos as it drove.  Pretty fun.  (Don't worry Mimi, the car still works fine--even better depending on who you ask).  

This guy, who I call Hank, was an out of the blue gift I couldn't resist.  Some friends had received this puzzle for a Christmas gift, and when we played with it at their house I knew I had to order one for another little friend whose birthday was approaching--and get another one for ourselves.  We ordered him on Amazon, but I think some toy stores carry him too.  He comes with a great booklet that tells about all his parts, and he can completely disassemble/reassemble.  Our friends have a brain model too.  Also super cool.  We haven't done a formal Anatomy study since Wylie was very small, but Juniper took a class with our homeschool group recently. Hank however, has inspired a few "know your body" videos (by Wylie and Juni) and we are all learning a lot from just hanging around with him.  

What day is complete without a bit of Hula?

The dramatic play around here has been non-stop and over the top ridiculous.  Juniper and Kale spend half the day in their underwear pretending to be "pinchampeez" (as Kale calls it).  Then they are cannibal kings (don't ask), followed orphans, veterinarians, and some game that involves walking in the snow in their socks.

Playmobil guys continue to be a staple in most play.  I love them because they are so willing to be a part of any game, be it Jenga blocks built into a tree fort, parachuting with handkerchiefs, a skate/surf club with shape sorter blocks or sailing in the bath tub.  These little guys are so versatile and cooperative.  And they always have a smile on their faces.

This was Juniper and Kale's handiwork.  

If this doesn't make you sing, I don't know what will.

Grey. Finally.

I can't seem to find it in my back log of posts, but I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my inclination this time of winter, each year, to paint everything grey.  It may be the clean, quiet white world beyond our windows, (and its harsh contrast to the busy, cluttered space in which we live).  Whatever it is I find myself wishing for white and grey, maybe a bold accent or two, but otherwise clean, quiet, calm.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this desire.  

Well, this year I've managed a bit of it.  Below you see December's living room wall (tree and all) in "Orange Sherbert" a color I loved when I painted it 8 years ago, and loved for many years.  But not so much any more--at least in the winter.  With the eventual go-ahead from Rob, I think his final decree was "paint anything you want, as long as I don't have to see it happen" (a girl could have fun with permission like that!) I got to it.  In bits and pieces during his work day, while he was curling, or while sick children napped, or play mobile adventures dictated our day, the living room got painted.  Grey.  

There are a ridiculous number of grey options in the paint world, each with surprisingly different effects.  I sampled several in those $1.99 sample jars and found them either too dark, or too harsh--like cement.  

 The final color is Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter (recommended by a friend for its warmth--despite being grey).  It has a brown undertone, and looks a bit blue in some lights, nearly white in others.  I'm loving it.   

Yesterday Rob asked, "you're not going to paint the dining room are you?".  

"No, Honey".  (not yet anyway).  

Pigs!

We welcomed two sweet piggies to our homestead last week.  Mac and Cheese are 5 month old brother and sister, American Guinea Hogs.  They are a small heritage breed, easy to keep due to thier small size and excellent foraging abilities.  My sister raises this breed down the road at  Toddy Pond Farm and her family has enjoyed them so, we thought we'd try our hand at raising a couple.  This is our first adventure in raising our own meat but so far we all seem comfortable with the understanding that these cuties will be breakfast someday next fall.  We chose a food inspired name (Kale's choice) to help us all keep in mind they they will be food as well as pets.  But for now we are just enjoying their fuzzy bodies and funny ways.  

For winter months they are living in our well fenced garden, but when the snow melts we'll run electric fencing in the woods so they'll have space to forage for acorns, grubs, etc. with plenty of room for play, a small stream, and shade.  They don't seem to love the snow, but also seem unfazed by the cold.  

Pretty much they enjoy one thing...food.  And the occasional good scratch on the back.  

Here they are...

Something Good About School

I haven't written much lately, and I think it is in part because of my inner conflict about Wylie's school situation.  I don't feel great about it, but I struggle to find the words to say exactly how I do feel.  It isn't terrible, but it isn't what I want for my kid either.

I could go on and on, and still not be clear about all that I'm feeling.  But, what I really want to say is this--

There are a few good things about Wylie experimenting in school this semester, and here's one of them:

 Last week he received, at an assembly in front of the school (along with one other child from each class) a "star" from his teacher, thanking him for being such a kind person.  Its always great to know that your kids is being appreciated.

"Its my blog and I'll brag if I want to..."
(to be sung to the tune of "its my party"-- you know how it goes)

Homeschooling Thursday....schooly stuff we're doing

I've been a bit remiss in the documenting of our school type work around here--so bear with me while I unload a bunch of detail for my own personal record keeping.... it always helps me take the time to record it when I feel accountable to all of you.  Hope you don't feel too used.

With Wylie trying school this semester our days have changed quite a bit as you can imagine.  Juniper requested that we focus on two subjects a day, for longer amounts of time--rather than the 3-4 subjects we'd been doing.  So, Monday and Thursday we do math and history, Wednesday and Friday we do literature, spelling, and usually some project work. Tuesdays is our homeschool coop day, this session Juniper is taking a class in both Anatomy and Physics, so we're not really looking at science right now at home.   All of this of course is subject to any amount of tweaking and variation, which happens more often than not, but its nice to have an overall plan as a guide.  In general we spend approximately 1.5 hours total on focused school work per week day.  More some days, less others, depending on our social schedule and the weather.  

Math:

Typically when Juni and I do math together Kale plays by himself, or sits on my lap and is all kinds of distracting.  But, more and more he has been asking for his own math, so I dug out our RightStart, and home made manipulatives from when the big kids were this age and we've started some very short, game and song centered math work.  The "Shut the Box" game I picked up at a 2nd hand store has been a huge hit with the whole family, and is a great way to work on simple mental addition and number recognition.  

Juniper and Wylie are both working to memorize multiplication tables (Wylie for homework), Juni on her own, though she is also working through RightStart book C.  In general I value understanding the process and knowing how to apply it over rote memorization, though memorizing  is something I have encouraged Wylie to do for the sake of practicality (he's been doing multiplication for years, but never has memorized the tables and is now feeling like he must, for school.)  It's interesting to see Wy and Juni's different learning styles as they approach the memorization process.

    favorite early math tools...

History:

Before Wylie decided to try school I had prepared to start Story of the World part 3, Early Modern Times, as well as continuing our readings about colonial America.  But, since Wylie will likely be home for next fall I decided to wait on that--and instead we're going back over Ancient Times (SOW book 1).  Juniper was only 4 when we first read this book and did the activities, so it's fitting that we do it again, and this time Kale gets to hear the stories.  We do about 2 chapters a week, along with the map and coloring pages from the activity book.  We also look for picture books from the library supporting the stories we read from SOW.  

So far the kids haven't shown a particular interest in any one subject in Ancient history, so we haven't delved deeply into any history inspired projects, but just briefly cover the chapters until something jumps out at them. 

More and more often we've been able to incorporate friends into the work we do.  When the kids were younger any social time became instant play, but its nice to see the collaborative work/play that is developing during play dates these days, whether it be history activities that are parent directed, but become part of the continuing game, or child directed and produced movies and plays that take hours to complete.  Its a new dimension of play here, and its pretty sweet.  

Exploring hieroglyphs and cuneiforms (the first writing) with friends...

Reading and Writing:
Wylie has been reading so much these days.  I've had faith that despite his coming to reading late, that he would eventually become an avid, natural reader.  So far this seems to be the case.  A year ago he was struggling through easy reader books, and now finishes short chapter books in a week or so.  He reads aloud with inflection and mostly appropriate timing.  I don't get the impression that he's reading much at school, but certainly having to do 20 minutes of reading each night for homework is helping him improve quickly.  Juniper is following in his example, and enjoys reading to herself early in the morning before we are up.  She also reads to Kale throughout the day, and Kale will tell anyone about how well he reads (he doesn't officially, but man can that kid memorize).  I'm excited for the changes in project work that (I anticipate) will develop around here with 2 kids reading on their own.
Wylie is writing more than ever before (though not enjoying it anymore than usual) at school.  Juniper continues to write daily narrations of whatever we're reading, either history or our read aloud book, as well as working independently through a cursive writing workbook. We do formal spelling work 1-2 times per week.

Art:  

Juniper still spends a good part of everyday on some kind of art work, whether making board games for friends, birthday gifts, paper dolls, or just drawing.  We occasionally attend Open Studio at Sweet Tree Arts in Hope--if you're local check it out! But I also try to always have interesting materials on hand here for impromptu projects (a bit about our puppets coming soon).   Both big kids are still working on music (piano for Juni, flute and voice for Wy).  He's taking a break from formal lessons for a bit while adjusting to the school schedule, but the two of them each have been incorporating music into their movie making ventures, and have had some self-directed jam sessions that make me smile to no end.  I love that they are feeling a mastery of their musical skills enough to branch out and play with their songs.  

While not at school, or doing homework (man school takes a lot of time!) Wylie has been diving into movie making.  We borrowed some editing software from a friend and he's been experimenting with "green sheeting", other editing, musical effects etc.  I haven't had much luck loading his videos here, but I'll try again.  

  

Whew, hope that wasn't too boring.  

I'll leave you with a happy vignette from last week.  Wylie was making pop corn, but then wished aloud that he could watch the kernels as they popped. Suddenly he remembered an old piece of thick glass from a photocopier he once disassembled.  He dug it out of the depths of his work bench where it had been stashed for years, and used it as a viewing lid  to watch the kernels pop away (though the steam made it a bit foggy). One of my fears for him in school is that his creativity and joy of learning may be squelched.   It is reassuring to see Wyguy's ingenuity and creativity shine through even after the rigors (or boredom, or both) of a long school week.

    Observation Popper in action