Eclectic Unschooling
Monday, June 1, 2009
A family update ...
Posted in Miscellany
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It has been so very long since I've posted anything that I see all mentions of family members are far, far out-of-date. We've always used nicknames here for our children, due to family preferences for a measure of anonymity. I have often wondered if that kept my readership low. But no, my lack of posting has done that! We're going to switch to using their names now (still no photos) and those who know us will finally know just who we're talking about! The Great DH is managing a retail store in the heart of our little downtown. He is great at what he does, and has the happy customers to show it. He'd rather be roaming the countryside with us, though. Work pays the bills so we can afford the little luxuries like nature drives. Our oldest daughter Mara is now 15 years old. She is a sophomore on paper. She's on a college level in everything except math. Pesky, pesky math! She loves birds and fancies herself an amateur ornithologist. She loves photography, especially when it involves photographing birds! Her high school coursework has been a work in progress since I have experimented to find an approach that works for her. She is working independently from a syllabus with a primary text and required coursework. Our second child is 10 year old Leah. Her loves are history and horses and anytime the two mesh, she is thrilled. She has an eye for design and loves to crochet. She is learning to be a great help to me, just like her older sister. She's reached that stage where "little girl" is slipping quietly away. I was prepared for that with Mara, but I'm going to miss my "Baby Bougie" as Leah grows. Sara is 8 years old now and a real spitfire. She is perfecting her reading skills and regularly surprises me with her advancement while it seemed I wasn't looking. Her great academic love is math and she can outwork her older sister in that subject. Her other love is music. We tried a sampler computer CD of Alfred's Music Theory and she gobbled it up! If only it wasn't so expensive! Sara is learning to crochet, too. She is quick to help with the baby whenever he wants a free ride to the next thing that grabs his interest. Noah is our 5 (nearly 6) year old, and our first son. He stands as proof that boys ARE different from the very start, regardless of what the feminists might claim. He loves tools and cars, grilling out and making strange faces, burping and going places with Daddy or Grandpa. We haven't pressed any academics with him beyond preschool play because his personality and vision issues are markers to show he isn't ready for that just yet. Jada is our adorable 3 (almost 4) year old. She is the little cutie who was doing basic addition at age 2! Somehow that stage only lasted a short while and now she seems content to be a regular sweetheart, minus the math wiz part. She loves all things pink and Pooh Bear is her dearest friend. Judahis our 12 month old baby boy. Boy #2 is more proof of the uniqueness of male children. He has been enamored with vehicles in motion since he was four months old. He loves dirt and crayons (yum!) and pulling Jada's hair. He wants nothing more than to be outside whenever he is awake. He is our doll-baby-man and never lacks arms to hold him. He is thoroughly spoiled and we delight in his sweet self. That's the eight of us, so far ... ;o) |
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Monday, June 1, 2009
I really do like to blog ...
Posted in Miscellany
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No, really, I do. You can't tell it from here, though. No entries since January of 2008?! I was just considering the deletion of this blog when I saw that I've received more than twice as many comments as I have made posts. Someone had been reading. A few someones. I'll try to get back into the swing of things here! |
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
A new vocabulary word ...
Posted in The Family Bugle
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chosen by Bougie deMoose, age 8 Conversazione, noun A meeting of company |
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Recommended Music ...
Posted in The Family Bugle
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chosen by The deMoose Children “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov |
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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Please recommend a microscope ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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We have an inexpensive microscope purchased at a big box store a number of years ago. It's difficult to focus and isn't standing up well to use. The lighting is never sufficient, even though we've tried to devise different methods for supplementing the lighting. We also have a digital microscope (the Intel QX3) but the drivers don't work in newer computers so we can no longer use it. Please leave your suggestions in the Comments for both conventional and digital microscopes! |
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Saturday, January 26, 2008
King Tut
Posted in The Family Bugle
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by Bougie deMoose, age 8
Tutankhamen was ten when he became ruler over Egypt. He then died at sixteen. Four large gold boxes held his sarcophagus and coffins inside. There was, in his tomb, a statue of the jackel god Anubis. His tomb was crushed by the stone of the tomb of Rameses the Sixth. Historical Fact: Howard Carter, who led the party of Egyptian workers that found Tut's tomb, said that there was "a wall of gold" in the tomb. It was the four gold boxes.
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Friday, January 25, 2008
Facts on Butterflies
Posted in The Family Bugle
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Butterflies are very pretty. Their colors are very different. Some butterflies, like the Karner Blue, have blue on them. Monarchs have white, orange and black colors on their wings like Viceroys. If you look close, you can tell a monarch from a viceroy by their markings. Sometimes you get mixed up between butterflies and moths. You can tell butterflies from moths by looking at their antenna. The moth’s antenna is fuzzy. The butterfly’s antenna is not fuzzy. Butterflies are very fragile. A lot of butterflies get hurt bumping into cars. They have powdery wings and if you touch their wings you’ll hurt them and they can’t fly. If their wings get wet they can’t fly. They’re not their whole life a butterfly. Butterflies are an egg, then caterpillar, then cocoon, then butterfly. |
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Saturday, May 26, 2007
Contest at NatureBackpacks.com!
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Come visit NatureBackpacks.com between now and June 30, 2007 and you can sign up to win your own copy of the book Fun With Nature! Please share this contest with your homeschooling friends. |
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Monday, April 16, 2007
Some photos to share ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
The signs of Spring are popping out all over the place. Most of the trees have budded out. Lilies and daffodils are coming up in the yards. We're anxious to plant, though we have another six weeks to wait for the danger of frost to pass. We had the opportunity to watch a pair of nuthatches preparing their nest. They took possession of a woodpecker hole in a birch tree. As we watched, they would disappear into the hole and emerge with a mouthful of the inside wood. The bird would fly up to a nearby branch and drop all the shavings out of it's mouth, then return for more. We are looking forward to seeing babies, if they don't abandon the nest.  We have seen the same type of butterfly on the Trail the last two times we've walked there. It's the only kind we've seen so far. Our oldest daughter wanted a picture so she could more easily identify it. This is when a good zoom lens comes in handy.  A creek parallels the Trail where we walked today. A lone duck was paddling his way upstream, sometimes walking more than swimming because of the shallows. He took to the far bank when he passed us, but soon resumed paddle-walking his way upstream.  I couldn't resist taking pictures of a pretty cardinal and he was kind enough to sit still for the photo session. The scrub will soon be leafed out making this type of picture more difficult to capture.  This crabby fellow meandered his way across the road and into the brush, obviously annoyed with our presence. Thankfully our pictures of this porcupine were snapped from the Suburban along the highway, rather than on foot on the Trail.  |
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
Backyard Visitors ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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The outdoors comes alive each morning with the sounds of chirping, squabbling birds. It's a glorious time of year! This is our first Spring in this area and we have been treated to a new group of backyard friends. Cedar Waxwings have found our treeline and taken up residence. They hop about constantly, always in motion, so I can only guess that there were at least a dozen while I was out snapping pictures. They freely mingle with the robins. I believe they are picking at the remaining elderberries on the ground. We placed a berry-based suet cake in the tree outside the living room window in hopes of attracting them to our direct line of vision. I imagine it may take them a few days to discover it. Particularly when there are elderberries available 'free choice" at the moment.  |
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
Read-Aloud ...
Posted in Curriculum Choices
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It has been three months since I've posted anything to my blog. It's so difficult for our family to motivate ourselves at this time of year. Though we love Wisconsin and all it's beauty, we simply are not "winter sports" type of people. We hole up in the house and wait for the Spring thaw. We have been reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy aloud in the last few weeks. All of the children are enjoying it, but particularly our three year old son. It is his job to bring the book to me and he insists on sitting on my lap. Often his little sister wants to battle him for the position. The children want to plant fields and gardens as described in the book. Our tiny lot here in town isn't going to accomodate their plans, I'm afraid. What have you been reading aloud lately? We need some inspiration for our next choice. |
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Saturday, December 9, 2006
Joining forces ...
Posted in Educational Multimedia
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We recently purchased a set of six DVDs entitled "5000 Years of Magnificent Wonders". A few nights ago we viewed Disc 4: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World*, stopping at different points for further discussion. The entire family enjoyed it from age one on up to Daddy! For entertainment during a necessary car trip two days later, we brought along Diana Waring's CD set "What in the World's Going on Here" Volume 1. We were thrilled to find ourselves listening to a description of the same time period we had just covered in the Seven Wonders DVD! It all worked together so seamlessly. I am continually amazed at the natural love of learning the God has instilled in children. It's a joy to redisover that love in myself and in my husband. GOOD NEWS! I loaded Diana Waring's HomeschoolBlogger blog to make sure I had the correct link and discovered that the CD set I mentioned is on sale for Christmas. I promise you that this would make an excellent family gift! You can go directly to her website for more information. * Please be aware that ancient deities are discussed in the DVD. We do not study these cultures deeply with our younger children, but we found the information presented to be acceptable. As always, please preview what your children are going to see and hear. |
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
HomeschoolBuy.com ...
Posted in Miscellany
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Many homeschool families turn to online
auctions to purchase the homeschool supplies that they need at prices
that they can afford. Ebay's recent decision to ban the sales of
all teacher's editions has caused a lot of ruckus. A homeschool-oriented alternative has been established. HomeschoolBuy.com is the new brainchild of Paul and Gena Suarez. Need a place to sell your used curriculum now that e-bay has a ban on teacher's editions? Then check out this N*E*W auction website What makes HomeschoolBuy.com so great? It's Your Family Friendly Internet Auction Alternative Once you shop HomeschoolBuy.com you won't miss e-bay! It's designed to sell just as well as e-bay but much easier for the seller. Listings are FREE!! You pay nothing until your item has sold. |
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Making use of the time remaining ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Cold weather is on our doorstep. More
often than not it is too nippy outside to go for extended walks.
Snow flurries have been almost a daily occurence, though none has
stayed around for long. A few days ago the temperature climbed above 45 degrees, so we took to the Trail knowing it might be our last trip. We were enjoying the birds and other natural sights when we saw a deer! She was grazing near the creek. This woodsy park is located in the center of our city, so we were very surprised to see her there. We took quite a few pictures while she alternated between staring and eating.  After a while she seemed to have had enough of our staring and made her way off into the deeper brush.  I told the children to proceed quietly, because the Trail loops past the spot where she had disappeared. As we approached the corner we were nearly run over by, suprisingly enough, two wayward golf carts! They had lost their way on the nearby golf course and had taken a very wrong turn onto a foot-traffic-only trail. I'm thankful we had stopped to watch the deer, else we might have been in that corner when they sped around it.  After the golf carts whirred on their merry way, I told the children we had probably lost the chance to see the deer again. She would have been spooked by the loud golf carts. We were surprised to find her a short distance off the trail, watching us. This time she was with her twin fawns. I'm sorry the picture isn't better but at this time of year the deer truly blend into the dying foliage. If you look to the left of the tree, you can see one of the fawns. The other fawn is hidden to the right of it's mother.  |
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Our new homeschool project ...
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My Dad called last night to ask if we
wanted to take on a homeschool project. Dad is always full of
surprises, so I timidly said "yes". He stumbled upon a snake in his basement Sunday night. It's a harmless northern redbelly. We have named him Leviathan and given him his very own blog. I hope you'll visit him there!  |
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Arithmetic We Use
Posted in Arithmetic We Use
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Earlier this year I was thrilled to acquire a textbook published in 1942. It is entitled Arithmetic We Use.
The story problems are a fascinating peek into our nation's past.
I intend to use the book as a sort of "unit study" for our
homeschool. Mathematics, sociology, history, citizenship and much
more will be wound up in the bundle. I've been waiting until the
breath of winter is in the wind to start, and now is the time! Stay tuned ... |
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Audubon Bend in the Fall ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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We revisited Audubon Bend and took pictures on Saturday. If you visit my post dated August 17th,
you'll see the photograph we took then. In less than two months
the change has been significant. Bare trees and dying grasses
have replaced the lush vegetation of summer. There's a lot more moss on the trees and fungi growing from cracks and crevices now. The leaves carpet the Trail and make the hills a bit treacherous, particularly after a rain.  Considering visiting our state to see our brilliant fall colors? Click the picture below to see a current Fall Color report.  |
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Fly-over ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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We took a walk down the Trail a few days
ago. My sister-in-law joined us with her five children. We
were quite a sight, the two of us with ten children in tow and her
obviously expecting another blessing. I live in a very friendly
small town and as we passed the few blocks between our house and the
trail, lots of "neighbors" greeted us with astonishment and smiles at
the size of our collective brood. I have told them about the animials and birds and other interesting things we see along the Trail, but this was their first opportunity to see if for themselves. Not long after we reached the trail, an osprey flew downriver just above the treetops in that slow, soaring fashion they have when they're watching for fish in the water below. We shared what little we knew of ospreys, such as the fact that they will fight with eagles over their catch. We are on a quest to learn more!  |
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Friday, October 13, 2006
Vision Forum contest ...
Posted in Miscellany
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KimC has posted a contest at her LifeInAShoe blog. I'm not one who enters a lot of contests. I amaze myself that I've entered two in the very same day. However, the prize for this one is just too good to pass up. Give me your best guess in the comments section under this post and email according to the rules below,
and you might win a prize. You must email for your entry to be
valid!We'll take guesses through October 13, and the closest guess will
receive an amazing prize package of Vision Forum products retailing
over $700! And if that's not enough, we'll do a random drawing among the entries for 2 $50 Gift Certificates! Read more here! |
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Friday, October 13, 2006
No muss, no fuss history ...
Posted in Curriculum Choices
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The children have been listening to Diana Waring's
"What in the World's Going on Here?" series on CD during breakfast.
When they're done eating, they clear the table and color, write or draw
while continuing to listen. We own Sets 1 & 2, but I found out that there is a third set now available that takes you right up to the Korean War. My challenge has been to search out and print pictures that apply to what they're listening to. Yesterday they colored pictures pertaining to the Roman civilization. Here are links to information about Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3. You can also visit Diana Waring's site and her blog. |
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