What a mess! We began moving nearly two months ago! No phones, no computers, "camping" in various houses...Now we are in our new home, but the piles of boxes seem endless!

What have we learned during this time of craziness? Vacation can be school!

We have visited new and intriguing places: laundromats, fast food restraunts with playgrounds, postoffice annex buildings, canyons...

We have learned new things: we really like AC, the car is a tiring place to be, 2 dogs and 2 cats do NOT belong in the same vehicle, country dogs do NOT know what to do in the city!

But in the midst of all the chaos, confusion and frustration, we have learned. We have learned to better function as a team, working towards the same goal. We have learned how to efficiently camp in a kitchen that doubles as a dog run. We have read books that we normally would not have had time to read. We have sat in the dark and giggled at fond memories from times past. We have learned what we can do without, and what we really would like to hold on to.

So now as we unpack, we find ourselves with a growing "goodbye" pile and LOTS of books. We didn't realize how many books we had! And just as we open the flaps of another box, here arrives Fed Ex with our shipment of school books for the upcoming fall! (Yes, the children are still wondering how the nice lady found us in our new home!) Is there such a thing as too many books? I'll have to get back to you on that! :)

In the meantime, as we get back to our regular school routine, and many of you now begin your vacations, see what YOU can learn as you spend time together. Go places you have not gone before and then spend the time talking about where you are. Even the strangest places can be a learning experience (have you seen a two-story outhouse?!). Spend time remembering previous trips or places visited.

Even if a big family vacation is not in the budget, there are plenty of free places to visit all over our wonderful state. Find a local home building site and walk through the skeleton structure of a house. Talk about where the rooms are, why you do or do not like the plan, what you would build differently... Go through houses in various stages. The process is fascinating, and gives a great education to children.

Find a stream, river or lake and look for anything living. Look for tracks in the sand or dirt, talk about what might live in the water if you can't see any water life. Have children draw what they see or come up with a new species that could inhabit the water.

Contact a local grocery store or lumber yard and ask if you can do a homeschool tour. Many love to have children come, and often hand out freebies such as stickers, samples, or items with their logos (we love our Albertson's trucks!). If you live near a factory, check with them!

Have you thought of visiting a local public school? School is out for the summer, but administrators generally have no problem giving a tour to homeschoolers to show them what a public school day is like; where students eat, where the bathrooms are, where they go for various classes...It is a really big impression to see how far the bathrooms are from some classrooms!

Whatever you do, have fun as a family! Take pictures (and develop them)! Enjoy the time you have together away from your normal routine.