I just love when something we've studied suddenly becomes reality for one of the kids, when they make connections between what we've read in a book and what they experience in real life!

Anna had one such moment this evening.  The kids were outside, enjoying these wonderful autumn temperatures after a long, hot summer.  Anna came running inside after awhile, as excited as she is on Christmas morning:  "Mom!  Mom!  I just saw a bird riding a thermal!  I was watching it fly and its wings were flapping, then it just started to soar on the thermal!  Just like in our book!"

We've been studying birds this year, fully enjoying "Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day" by Jeannie Fulbright.  I know they've enjoyed their study of birds.  I just didn't realize how much of what we read is really sticking.  I guess I shouldn't second-guess our educational philosophy, eh?

Sometimes the kids even think of things on their own out of our lessons.  Take, for instance, their desire to test the quills of several goose and duck feathers we collected by our pond.

Frankly, the quills of these feathers didn't make good pens.  Either that, or paint doesn't work as well as ink!  But that didn't keep the girls from enjoying the experiment, anyway.

Yesterday, as I pulled out "Just So Stories" for Anna's literature reading, Anna leaned toward me and said in a conspiratorial tone, "I used to listen in when you read these stories to Claire and the one about the camel was my favorite--Humph!"  I just thought that was so cute, how she thought she was getting away with something back when Claire went through these books.  And how wonderful that she enjoyed them enough to remember them and get excited about reading the story again!

Count this as yet another testimonial as to why I love and will continue to use the Ambleside Online curriculum!

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