Walking Therein

Our Winter Homeschool Time

What in the world have you been up to lately? Are you homeschooling on through the end of the year or taking a break? Do you plan outdoor activities? Is it warm or cold where you are?

We seem to be doing what we always do. I feel like that is what I say a lot. "We just keep homeschooling, learning as we go...." we are writing a lot, drawing and coloring a lot. Some are doing some math work in books, and we are all reading the Bible and some good books or stories. I think my children know each of the different kinds of birds that visit the birdfeeder each day, many times a day. Hannie's beloved Mr. Crooked Beak(the chicken) died this past week, so there is a life-learning experience.

There is rarely a time you will walk in our door and hear absolutely nothing. You will either hear playing with legos and riding through the room shouting "Hi-ho, Silver, away!" or maybe a "Lu-u-cy! or someone, usually Eric, singing Amazing Grace. Sometimes there is bickering and sometimes there's a scream, but be sure that learning will soon follow.

I make no excuses for the girls doing most of the cooking around here. I don't think I could keep them from cooking if I wanted to. Sometimes they do consider it a chore, but there is always one- of the four oldest- who *wants* to serve her family by cooking up something delicious. Rachel has been trying new recipes, and Hannie is proud to make a full breakfast or an entire dinner. Even Eric loves to make fried eggs for breakfast. Yummmm.

Speaking of eggs. We have eggs. There is not a day that they aren't bringing a dozen eggs in after morning barn chores. A dozen. A day. Need eggs? I have loved having our chickens, and I hope that this winter cold doesn't bring any hard lessons about life on the farm. Last year's lessons were enough to last me a good long time.

Jocelyn made goat's milk soap last month. I took the pictures. She is trying to cure it, and I am not sure she is having the best luck with it, but hopefully it will harden-up soon. She is also learning some things about her new blog, A Pondering Heart. Mr. Eric N is helping her out a little learning some, as it is not the same as html is. Paulie is also helping her with her template, and he is helping Amanda too. We are having him transfer all of our files to our own server as time allows. This will give the girls a chance to see how all of that works as well as coding css and such. Computer classes... it's all good.

Amanda and I are checking off her list on her transcripts and getting her final paperwork in gear to graduate. She is looking forward to learning all the Lord has for her right here(or wherever we move to) in our home until God brings her her future husband. That is not something I have brainwashed her into believing. Amanda is a very independent-thinking young lady who has to bring herself in and to conclusions about God's plan for her. This is just one of those things god has brought around in her heart. As for me, I am learning so much of how to have an almost-adult young woman who is still my child in the home, and it is a blessing and a struggle as I learn things too.

Eric, who "just learned to read at nine" is so excited he only has *this much left* in The Fellowship of the Ring. He cannot wait for Amanda to pick up The Two Towers from the library.

Hannie, well she turned 8, and she gets to draw and read and write her stories every day. That is her learning. She also does math. I think the 'subject' she likes the most - aside from cooking- is holding and watching over LucyLillie. She and Rachel have been writing and studying from Polished Cornerstones too. It is a lovely Bible study, and they are each learning a lot.

I hate to take a break at this time, not because it is so hard to 'get back into the swing of things', but rather because we will miss so much learning if we do quit for awhile. I am a teacher at heart, and I will take any circumstance I can to teach God's truths or science or history as we walk and talk with them.

The only thing I plan to do for sure is get them all out in the fresh cool crisp air and build a snowman. Or something like that. We got eight inches of snow; we might as well learn something about it!

Blessings, and enjoy those Living Learning Moments!

~Jacque

Untitled Comment

12:56 PM, Wednesday, December 19, 2007 .. Posted by Vicki

I'm going to let the girls kind of direct me as to whether they want a break or not. If I plan a break, a lot of times during the break they will ask me if they can do schoolwork...Who am I to say no?? *LOL* So we'll have to see.