Homeschool Mother's Journal, July 29

 

In my life this week…

We found out this week that my grandmother has lung cancer. She is in the process of being staged and she and the doctors will be deciding on her treatment in the next week or so. Last week my father-in-law started radiation therapy for his prostate cancer. This is not our first experience with cancer, but the kids are older so they are starting to understand it a bit better. The older ones vaguely remember when my mom went through her treatment.

In our homeschool this week…

We will be changing things up in our schooling this year and switching to a more Charlotte Mason style of teaching/learning. I'm actually very excited. A friend of mine has been using this style with her six kids, and she has been sharing her nuggets of wisdom with me. I've been researching and ordering some great books and am very excited to try this more gentle approach with the boys.

I am inspired by…

My friend and the amazing way she teaches her six kids. Here's her blog.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Outside of visiting my grandmother in the hospital, we also attended a magician show at the library (gotta love free shows), and had a great playdate with my friend's kids while I got to browse her wonderful library and be inspired by her curriculum.

What’s working/not working for us…

Last year was a bit crazy in the homeschool department. Too much time away from home, too many co-ops. I'm looking forward to trying a Charlotte Mason approach this year.

I’m reading…

In my Bible: book of Judges
Finished (last 2 weeks): Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
                                       Delirium by Lauren Oliver
                                       Ballad by Maggie Steifvater
Reading: Standing on the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing
Starting: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

I’m praying for…
My grandmother and my father-in-law.

A photo to share…

Our beach trip last week to Leo Carrillo Beach:

Leo Carrillo Beach, Malibu

Last week, the boys and I enjoyed a lovely day at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu, CA with some friends. It was slightly overcast, but the temperature was perfect. We tried to get there close to low tide to check out the tide pools, but we weren't able to get there early enough. But the boys had a great time hanging out with their friends, digging in the sand, collecting seashells (and parts of lobster shells?), climbing on the rocks, running an obstacle course, playing in the water, and just having a good time.

Beware: My husband told me I posted too many pictures. Believe it or not, this is what I narrowed it down to. There's something so wonderful about seeing my kids out in nature. Besides, isn't that what digital cameras are for - to take lots and lots of pictures? * smile, wink*

Field Trip Blog Hop

"E" is for Elephant & Egg

This week, Bode and I read Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss. It is a very cute book that teaches about Horton's positive character traits like faithfulness, diligence, perseverance, gentleness, and kindness. In the end, Horton was rewarded for his faithfulness, which was very encouraging. We spent three days working on these lapbook activities. Bode did a variety of things, including printing practice, coloring, patterning, paint dots, cutting and pasting, sequencing, matching, and learning. I must say that doing the little bit of cutting each week has definitely improved his cutting. Every little bit counts.

Lapbook Resources:
Homeschool Creations: Cut and paste, Upper and lower case tracing cards, Do-a-dot
Enchanted Learning: Circle 10 words, I can color, Matching words
Homeschool Share: Horton Hatches the Egg lapbook pages
Homeschool Share: Egg lapbook pages

Bode at work:

Finished Lapbook:

Nature Drawing at the Huntington

The boys and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon at The Huntington Botanical Gardens yesterday. It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect. I recently bought the boys new sketching journals so we were excited to find a good place to break them in. The Huntington has so many gardens to visit, giving the kids many drawing options. We have yet to visit all the gardens. This time we chose to spend most of our time in the Lily Pond garden. The kids took their time sketching in their journals. In addition to the flowers and plants, we were visited by ducks, fish, turtles, and baby squirrels. After the Lily Pond we walked around the Desert Garden, looking for a nice cactus to draw. Unfortunately, Bode tripped into a cactus and cut our visit short. He had a handful of needles including a thick one that drew blood after being stuck in his vein. Ouch! Bode learned the hard way that he needs to listen to Mom and not run near cacti. But outside of that, we had a nice visit. Since we have a membership, we hope to visit frequently and see what else the boys can sketch.

Need more ideas? Check out:

Field Trip Friday Blog Hop

Field Trip Blog Hop