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The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs is my favorite book for fall. This was Anastasia's book of the week this week. We read lots of fall themed books and picked some pumpkins at the farm. It was a great week. Some of my favorite fall books this week: Tristan just finished reading Dash, by Kate Klimo. Another of the dog diaries series. This is the story of a Pilgrim dog. It's a little premature to begin reading Thanksgiving books, but he enjoyed the story. We also enjoyed Thanksgiving Day Thanks, by Laura Malone Elliot. Gwen is up to the letter J. She is doing so well learning her alphabet. This week: J is for Jack-O-Lantern.

The weather feels like summer! We have had the warmest start to fall here since 1970 - according to the weather people on my local radio station. We enjoyed the first day of fall at the pool. That's what I love about homeschool. I'm a seize the day kind of person. We are still getting our lessons done, and we have had a few fun field trips. Due to my aversion getting out in cold weather (even museums bum me out, because there I am with five coats in my arms. Aaagh!!!). I prefer piling all the fun into the time when the weather accommodates. Last week we visited John James Audubon's home in Audubon, PA. The home is called Mill Grove . This field trip fit into our study of birds in science, and Anastasia's study of Pennsylvania history. It was a nice little afternoon trip. John James Audubon is known for his paintings and documentation of birds. He is the first person to tagbirds. He made some monumental discoveries about bird...

Last week began with the Monday holiday, so we had a short week. It was still productive. Gwendolyn learned C is for Cookie. Anastasia loves math! We focused on Language and reading last week. Tristan conducted quite a few experiments about eggs using the suggestions from Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day, Fulbright. The jr. Journal is exceptional! We are loving the mini books, coloring sheets and copy work that are part of each chapter. We completed the biography of St. Augustine. I enjoyed learning about Augustine, and the children enjoy most stories that I read aloud. This book went along with our history of the end of the Roman Empire. We are working our way into the early middle ages and will read a fun story next. Stay posted! This week Gwen is learning the letter D. D is for Dog and Dinosaur. Anastasia's book of the week: Amelia Bedelia's First Library Card , by Herman Parish. Ana got her first library card and will check out her own books at our own town librar...

Continuing with our week on, week off, schedule through August, the kids and I enjoyed week 2 of school and then we enjoyed a week of vacation in Williamsburg, VA with the grandparents. For our week of school, Anastasia's book was Doug Unplugged, by Dan Yaccarino. This is a really fun book about a robot boy who lives in the city. He learns both intellectually and through experience about city life. Ana can now map the major cities in PA, she learned about Pigeons, and emotions. She also learned about the subway. Tristan really enjoys history and reading. Math, science and writing are not as exciting for him. He is a good student, and I'm hoping to find some success in writing assignments focused on what we are learning in history. We enjoyed David Macaulay's Cathedral on DVD. That was a fun addition to our school week. Gwendolyn is learning her letters. We have covered A and B so far and she finds those two letters everywhere. It's really cute to see her growing a...

Start... Stop... that's the story for our school this August. The older two children spent the beginning of last week with their grandparents, and I met up with them later in the week, (I wasn't about to let them have all the fun!:). We visited Mt. Vernon , George Washington's Estate in Northern Virginia. It was so great! We spent the whole summer two summers ago learning about George Washington, but we never got out to Mount Vernon. This trip refreshed our memory about George Washington and we were able to experience history first hand. We touched the same railing on the staircase that George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, George Mason and other founding fathers like Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson would have touched.We saw the bed in which George Washington slept. Amazing! The fife player met us in the parking lot when we arrived. We began our day to the tune of "Yankee Doodle".  We listened to story time in the education center while lear...

The last book I read this summer: I Contain Multitudes, by Ed Yong. This book was about the microbiome, all the microbial communities that make life on earth possible. Mr. Yong investigates microbes living on and in animals and insects as well as microbes that benefit and endanger plant life. He explains microbial life in an holistic way as an essential, though sometimes harmful, part of life on our planet. This book rehashed a lot of what I learned in college. It was exciting to review some of the amazing symbiotic relationships that make our planet so marvelous and also the research to protect and understand these relationships. The last two chapters of the book blew my mind! Mr. Yong explained some of the cutting edge research and how humans might harness the power of microbial symbiosis to cure disease, lose weight, become more intelligent, you name it. There is a lot of amazing research ongoing. I disagree with Mr . Yong because I...

Last week school began. Anastasia is so excited about first grade, and Tristan is prepared for third grade. We didn't push hard in week 1, but I tried not to skimp either. We completed math, reading, science, history, latin, language, art and a field trip to the apple orchard. It was a bit early for apple picking, but Anastasia's book of the week, The Biggest Bear, Lynd Ward is about Johnny Orchard's bear, and Gwendolyn began learning her letters, A is for Apple. The trip needed to happen. We were able to pick Ginger Gold apples and we had a wonderful time. The kids favorite book of the week was not actually a school book, The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, By Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Adam Rex. Both of the kids loved this book, though I had a few moments where I questioned the content slightly (ex: rock tells apricot he looks like a butt). Anyway, this is a fun book and it inspired the children to write and create.

This summer we discovered Tannersville Cranberry Bog , a national, natural landmark. We visited the bog while in the Poconos for vacation. It was neat! The bog walk out on the board walk was super educational (we had a knowledgeable guide) and we were able to experience a bog. I thought that real peat bogs only existed in Scotland and places far, far away, but Tannersville was not too far for a morning out with the kids. Discussing our time there later, I got some of the children's brilliant take-aways, like: seeing otter scat, holding a salamander and the stinky odor of the bog. I hope they remember our time there, and perhaps, we'll visit again sometime. We finally got out to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area this week . We enjoyed the visitor's center and the conservation trail that begins at the visitor center parking lot. The visitor's center is full of activities for children and there is a viewing room for watching birds. We enjoyed watching the swallows dar...

I read Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus , by Nabeel Qureshi in less than a week. I am not a fast reader, it is that good! It is the best Christian book I have read in a long time. I loved the honesty in which it is written, straight from Qureshi's heart. I learned about Islam and was totally captivated by Nabeel's journey to Jesus. This book reminded me how much I love Jesus, how great is our God, and what a privilege it is to read The Bible, His Living Word!

I read in my spare time. Haven't had much of that in the last few years, but I get a little bit now and again. These two interesting books I read just for fun. Over the school year, I read a book by a material scientist entitled Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape our Man-Made World, by Mark Miodownik. This book was interesting. I learned a lot about the chemical composition and physical properties of stuff in our every day life. The chapter on porcelain was particularly insightful since I read that one while deciding what type of dinnerware to purchase after Christmas. I enjoy the cohesiveness of this book. All the materials he discusses are present in one photograph of the author on his roof. Each chapter begins with that picture and then breaks down the history, composition, and social relevance of the material under discussion. He discusses everything from concrete, to chocolate, to paper. Miodownik includes a few biographical...

Summer is on! We have enjoyed  vacation Bible school, baseball games with fireworks, lots of swimming, a day at the lake and a golf clinic. Hard to believe it's only just fourth of July! With all of these fun activities going on, we still find time to read. Some of my favorite books we've stumbled across so far this summer are: The Secret Life of Squirrels, and The Secret Life of Squirrels: A Love Story, by Nancy Rose. These books blow my mind! Ms. Rose builds tiny sets for wild squirrels to interact with and then photographs squirrels who find these sets on her deck. I think this is such a neat concept. I found a few books to add to the kindergarten curriculum. The first story,  Pictures at an Exhibition, Ann Harwell Calenza, will pair with Another Celebrated Dancing Bear by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk or Babar: To Duet or not to Duet, Elaine Waisglass, This story introduced us to the music mentioned in the Babar story and told about artists in Russia. The second book will p...

Last week, in kindergarten, we enjoyed the story Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polocco. This is such a sweet story and it was nice to learn about Passover right here before Easter. We also learned about Cats, Yiddish, New York City and Immigration. We enjoyed lots of fun activities that were simple, for example we learned how to draw a cat. We learned to count in groups by using the patterned clothing in the story and we enjoyed reading the story of the first Passover in Exodus 11-13. Patricia Polocco's G is for Goats, is a lovely companion book to this for younger siblings who are learning their alphabet. Also the Beautiful Yetta: the Yiddish Chicken, series by Daniel Pinkwater. These are super fun books. What I enjoy about these stories is that they come from a real place and each of the authors are telling stories about what they know to be true, even if the characters are fictional. Second grade is also going well. We are tracking along with our curriculum . We fi...

Teaching Kindergarten, Five in A Row, again is a blast. I am not following the order of books as the curriculum recommends, however. We just pick books that I feel are seasonal, or when we need something lighter, I choose a week that will suit. It has been fun to revisit some old crafts and activities, and we've enjoyed adding new ideas to the mix as well. I feel that we are learning together, and that is what really matters. Ana is a very different student, and her interests are taking us in different directions with the same curriculum. Very interesting. Two weeks ago we read the story Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen. This story is about a young girl going owling with her father for the first time and seeing a great horned owl. We listened to Jane Yolen read this story on CD; that was really nice. We enjoyed learning about owls, and John James Audubon. Coincidentally the Local Library had a John James Audubon themed art class that we enjoyed that week. This story led us to discussing...

Two weeks ago, Anastasia's theme for the week was Snow. Book of the week: Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. We also enjoyed a documentary on Wilson Bentley. We had fun learning about snowflakes and their hexagonal configuration. We learned about Vermont and made paper snowflakes and shaving cream art, and we learned about Penguins at library story time. But outside it never snowed. It rained a bunch! but never snowed. Then last week we enjoyed the story Truman's Aunt Farm, by Jama  Kim Rattigan. This is a beautiful story that brings us into Spring. It is full of fresh color and outdoor activities and fun! The Latin word for Spring is Ver and from it we derive the French word Vert (Green), Spanish Verde (Green) and English Verdant (very green). This story is flush with the fresh green of Spring. After our first reading I closed the book and asked, "So if you could describe this book using one color, what would come to mind?" The answer, "G...

If you ever find yourself in Washington D.C. for the holidays, here are a few fun things to do (almost for free), that we enjoyed. Botanical Gardens Train Display . We were not able to get into the official display due to the line. The tip we were given is to arrive 20-30 minutes before the building opens and get in line. Then you can get in on the first group and you only have to wait the 20-30 minutes out in the cold. We enjoyed walking through the building. I was impressed with the art displays made entirely of plant material. Amazing! This is a picture of one of the pieces made to celebrate the U.S. National Parks 100th birthday. Willard Hotel Gingerbread House. The National Christmas tree is a must-see; while you are on Pennsylvania avenue take a few minutes to drop by the Willard Hotel lobby. This is such a historic place, which has hosted many great Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr. when he made his "I have a dream" speech. The pastry chefs...