As the new “school” year begins, I thought I would write a little about what we will be doing this year. Some things will stay the same and some things might be slightly different. I feel that we have been learning at home long enough that we have discovered things that we like and things we dislike. Sometimes we have a particular curriculum that seems to have become stagnate, and while we still like that curriculum, it feels as though we are just treading water and really getting no where. So what’s a home school mom to do?

It has been so long since I blogged that I felt the need to add something to this blog.  It has been a busy year with so much going on that I just haven't taken the opportunity to write here.  I hope everyone out there in Blogland has had a wonderful year.

We did have a snow day here on March 13, 2009.  To say the least we were excited.  I know to some snow may not be a big deal, but when you go for years rarely seeing it stick to the ground, you find yourself and your family excited over an inch or so of th fluffy, white stuff.  I thought I would show some pictures I took of our Snow Day.

I really hope it is okay to post this link to the fight the Freedom of Choice Act Petition here. Here is the information from their website and the link which they sent to me in an email after I signed the petition myself. 

I'm writing to let you know about a terrible piece of legislation called "The Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA).

FOCA would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right (like the right to free speech) and wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide.

It will eradicate state and federal abortion laws that the majority of Americans support and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

Please read the expert analysis by Americans United for Life (AUL) and sign the Fight FOCA petition at

October has been a fun as well as busy month for our family with Harvest related festivals, our first game night with the church school, and just the many activities that are all over the place this time of year in North Alabama.  One such activity was the yearly opening of Peinhardt Living History Farm to the public this past Saturday, October 25, 2008.  Peinhardt Living History Farm is located in Cullman, Alabama, and such a beautiful place to visit.  They had all kinds of old time ways of doing things for us to see and do.  Plus there were many old buildings from early settlers on the farm to visit.  I will post a few pictures of some of the things we saw there.

Well, while I didn't get any pictures of the pumpkin patch, barns or anything else except our children, I did get a picture of a butterfly that was flying around the white fence at The Great Pumpkin Patch in Hayden, AL. I am always amazed at the beauty God has put in nature for us to enjoy.

I decided to go take some pictures of our chickens and ducks again.  They are all growing up.

This green head duck is what I believe is a West Indies and the brown duck is a Rouen.

The is Ruen the Indian Runner.

This is Hercules our little Banty Rooster.

The is Jersey our Jersey Giant.

This is America an Ameraucana.

This is Snowball an Ameraucana Rooster.

This is Spike a Partridge Plymouth Rock.

This is Red a Buff Plymouth Rock Rooster.

We have more chickens and ducks, but these are the pictures that turned out the best.  We enjoy watching our animals and learning about them.

We had our first Park Day with the local homeschoolers and the children had a really good time.  Then Friday, September 12, 2008 we went on a field trip to Noccalula Falls, 1500 Noccalula Road, Gadsden, AL  35904; Admission: Adults--$6.00 and Children (4-12)--$3.00.  Noccalula Falls is the home of a 90 foot waterfall, named for a young Cherokee maiden who plunged to her death over the falls rather than marry a man she didn't love.  The park features her statue, a pioneer village, an animal habitat, a sightseeing train, botanical garden, and hiking trails.  Here are some pictures from our field trip.

Meeting and School House

Sightseeing Train

One of several fawns within the park

The Waterfall

Well, it has been so long since I left a blog entry I thought I would stop by and type an update. 

We have been trying to plan for the coming year, and it looks like it will be an interesting year.  We actually never stop in May like public schools do.  We learn year round.  In the summer months, we do slow down.  We continue our math, Bible, and some history.  So we'll just be adding a few sujects this month.  Then hopefully we get to go on a bunch of interesting field trips. 

All has been going well with all our animals.  Our cat had five cute little kittens.  Two of them were born bob tailed like their mother.  The ducks are huge now.  They are still loving the kiddie pool and are trying to fly and land in the little pool.  I am occasionally worried that they will hurt themselves, but so far, they seem to know what they are doing.  The chickens are quiet large as well.  We have about five that are small to medium breeds.  Four of those are hens and have been laying eggs for a long time. The remaining eleven chickens are large breed and are still quiet young.  Some of our young hens have begun laying eggs so we are never without fresh eggs.

Well, I guess that is all there is to update at the moment.  I hope everyone is doing well out there

Our ducks really enjoy their in ground kiddie pool.  They are so funny to watch.  Even the chickens enjoy watching them from their chicken run which is separated from the ducks pin by chicken wire.  The ducks were much smaller when we got this pool so we are going to have to get them something larger to swim in before too long.  I am not sure what type of ducks these are except maybe one blue swedish, some West Indies, but the others are a mystery to me.

We went on another wonderful field trip, and although I have a few more pictures of other field trips to add, I'll just add pictures from Burritt on the Mountain. This living history museum is located at 3101 Burritt Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35801.  You may reach them at 256-536-2882 or visit their website at www.burrittmuseum.com.  

 This picture is from the Smith-Williams House which was built around 1869.  It was orginally built on the eastern base of Monte Sano in an area known as MaKay's Hollow in Huntsville, Alabama.

 This is one of the goats that was in its fence behind the Smith-Williams House sticking its head through the fence waiting for someone to pet it.

This is a picture of the Blacksmith Shop.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed seeing a small part of Burritt on the Mountain.  I didn't put many pictures from the Barnyard at Burritt on the Mountain, but they have potbelly pigs, shetland ponies, sheep, goats, cows, and chickens.

We had some really bad weather here in the south Saturday night and early Sunday morning.  This brought the reptiles out Sunday morning.  They were crossing the road and just generally wondering all over the place.  We were able to take a few pictures of some small boxed turtles and I thought I would share them here. 

I have been thinking a lot in the last few months about the coming year.  Our son will be entering the 9th grade, and while that doesn't scare me, it has me reflecting on what we will need to do since he will officially be in high school here at home.  I have even read two books and one ebook on the subject:  High School @ Home: You Can Do It! by Diana Johnson, Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis,and High School! Yes! It Can Be Easy Too! by Cindy Rushton. They all have a lot of interesting information and encouragement for those of us who have children entering the high school years.  We know that God is walking beside us during these years, but it is nice to know that there are those veteran home educators who are so willing to share their experiences with us.

We recently purchased some pullets and one cockerel. We bought some from another homeschooling mom, and we bought some from a local farmer.  We have had such fun feeding them and watching them.  So I thought I would share some pictures of our young chickens.

This is America.

This is Snowball.

This is Rhoadi Red with Snowball and Blanco.

This is Rhoadi Red and America.

My dad takes our children on field trips from time to time. He took them to the Harmony Park Safari in September of 2007.  It is a federally licensed nature preserve of free-ranging and exotic animals where you can just drive through and see the animals. You can find them at: Harmony Park Safari; 431 Cloud's Cove Road; Huntsville, AL  35803; 1-877-726-4625; Admission: $6.00. You may also buy a cup of feed to feed the animals as you drive a long. 

We were able to visit Clarkson Covered Bridge Park sometime in December.  This is where one of Alabama's largest covered truss bridges, a grist mill, and a dog trot cabin can be found.  It is also the site of the 1863 Battle of Hog Mountain. You can find it at: Clarkson Covered Bridge Park; 2898 Highway 278; Cullman, AL  35056; (256) 734-3369; Admission: FREE; www.cullmancountyparks.com/clarkson.htm

We have been on some fun field trips this year.  I have decided to post a few pictures of the places we have been.  I might post more later on, but I will start with these few.

One of our favorite places to go is to the Oakville Indian Mound Park and Museum.  They have a museum in the shape of a circle and two mounds; one ceremonial and one a burial mound.  There are also places to fish and picnic within the park. You can find them at: Oakville Indian Mound Park and Museum; 1219 County Road 187; Danville, AL 35619; (256) 905-2499; www.lawrencecounty.ala.nu/mound1.htm; Admission:FREE; Self-guided tour

This picture is of a basket and wood dough bowl that is inside the museum; one of the many things there for visitors to enjoy.

Our next picture is of the back of the Cullman County Museum. You can find them at:  Cullman County Museum; 211 2nd Avenue NE, Cullman, AL 35055; (800) 533-1258; www.cullmancountymuseum.com; Admission: Adults $4.00 and Children 11 and younger $2.00; Self-guided tour

I decided to add a picture of a beautiful quilt they had inside the Cullman County Museum.

This last picture was taken inside the Parham's Civil War Relics Blue and Gray Museum.  This museum has mainly Civil War Weaponry in it's displays. Parham's Civil War Relics Blue and Gray Museum; 723 Bank St. NW; Decatur, AL 35601; (256) 350-4018; Admission: Adult $5.00 and Children $3.00

Well, these are just a few of the wonderful sites we have been blessed to see this year.

I have been a little slow about coming around to the world of blogging so this is my first attempt at trying to move forward in our modern age.  I am going to give this a try so that I'll know how to be a help to my children when they decide to investigate this new electronically driven world we live in.

Considering the the title of this blog is Home Learning Explorers, you have probably guessed that we have chosen to home educate our children.  We have been teaching our own children since January of 2002.  We began as a lot of folks probably do by reacting to a lot of things we didn't particularly like about the public education system our children were attending.  I can honestly say that home education wasn't something that had ever crossed my mind as a way to educate our children until the school year 2001-2002.  A friend of mine began teaching her children at home that year and that lead me to begin researching how to homeschool when things started to deteriorate at the school our children attended.

While our home learning adventures did not begin with the realization that it was simply what God wanted us to do, it has wound up being that way.  After a couple of years of struggling with curriculum choices, we learned to turn it over to God and ask for His direction for our home.  We went from the mindset that we had to recreate public school at home; that we had to direct our children's education based on public school standards to just following God and not worrying so much about anyone else's standard.

My favorite Bible Verse over the years of our home learning has become Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.