we usually school year round but in the summer we try to pull back a bit and do a lot more as far as natural science and outdoor-friendly activities. we recently went camping and had a great time taking pictures of all the different bugs and creatures that surrounded us. we would discuss things like species and habitats and what this or that thing would eat. (the mosquito diet was obvious--US!)

we talked about trees and flowers and grasses, birds, insects and all sorts of nature related things. we also talked about camping and outdoor survival, fishing, and canoe use and safety. Love pitched her own tent and took care of all her belongings. we even got some history in while talking about how camping 'began' and what it was like to camp in the past. all in all i'd say it was very fun and very educational!

when we arrived home we were very tired, hungry and itchy. we unpacked and talked about lists and storage and cleaning things and taking care of things right away. laundry and cleaning coolers as well as food and meals and how a menu isn't just for while you're away, you need to include the days preceding and proceeding your trip. a whole lot of general, practical skills that make for a well-rounded lady were reinforced. yay for camping 'field trips'!  

i'll post some pics soon and i'll also show you how well my first ever veggie garden and my flowers are doing! :D

lately we have been doing all we can to keep on track with our schooling so we can get an early start on 9th grade this summer. that means a lot of time at home and a lot of 'nose to the grindstone' time. i'm pushing Love a bit more than i normally would and requiring more from her the closer we get to 9th grade. if i start ramping up now, i'm hoping it will be an easier transition once we start to really have things count and when the requirements for mastery are greater. that's the plan anyway. she's complained a little at times but i know she knows it's necessary. i also know she understands it WILL get harder and i think she's becoming more content with where she's at for the time being.  :) 

Love really has been doing great at trying to stay on task this year. i help her when she needs (and when I can) and when i can't, dad steps in. well, ok, he helps continually with Math and Science. i am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who takes time out of his day to help with school. he doesn't criticize me for not being fluent in those subjects either! he's usually pretty patient and tries to make learning fun for the both of them. it's been a great bonding time and i think they are actually enjoying eachothers company. isn't that sweet?!

So, I've always been intrigued by the 4H club and was always wanting to join but never really had the time or money to add one...more...thing! Some friends joined awhile back and that sparked my interest again. Then even more recently ( last week actually) we decided to jump in and join! We've been to one meeting and one workshop and it's been a lot of fun. Love is really excited about learning more about all sorts of things, but we are starting with horses and photography and then we're adding a communications curriculum as well. I think it will prove to be very interesting indeed! I just got the books and I'm looking forward to going through them w/Kayla. She does have a lot of other things she's working on (Math is a big challenge for her right now), but she says she wants to give it a go.

Sooooooooo, here we go!!!

traci  :)

so, school has been back in session and so far...so great! we have completed most if not all of the subjects and a few extras every day. I am so determined to be better at things this year than ever before-with everything really. I am using a few things to help/encourage me. I just got a copy of Teri Maxwell's Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit and I have been reading a borrowed copy of her Managers of Their Homes (thanks Ali). Along with a few other things from the Maxwell's and my list of 'to get to' books(Charlotte Mason Companion, Shepherding A Child's Heart  , Raising Godly Tomatoes and visiting The Woodshed Message Board, others) and my new Bible devotion time I have been/things have been changing...for the better.

I took the summer 'off' from blogging, people and anything extra with church so I could find a focus for my life and home. I am still discovering what that whole picture is going to look like, but I have a much clearer picture to start with. I think as I go along things will start to define themselves more and more and I will have a firmer foundation to draw from. The key to all of this is building on the cornerstone. My faith in Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior is the beginning point from which all other things must start and flow from. Without that, all is in my own strength and in vain.

I only have a moment to spare as I haven't quite gotten my personal schedule to the point where I can do a whole lot of 'extras' yet. YET. I do plan on coming back around a bit more frequently as I really see this as a tool to grow in and share with. This is a good Christian Homeschool community and I'm so glad to be a part of it!

blessings,

traci  :)

Last week we had our final orchestra concert for the season-until summer. the kids were fabulous and Kayla played her heart out. She has been working really hard to get the songs right and she sure showed it. There were even some newer songs that were a bit more challenging that she tried to play along with instead of sit out (which was an option for the newer kids). We are so proud of her! She looked great too.

The day started about noon and we got to the church with just enough time to put some rollers in her hair. She wore them all day and was a good sport about it. It really paid off too because she looked so sweet with all those curls bouncing around her shoulders and back! My little baby is growing up so fast!

I got some knitting time in too and of course visited with the ohter mommies while practice was going on. We have a few weeks off before summer lessons start up so that will be used to get things wrapped up for the 'school year'. We homeschool year round, but we try to have the grade we're in (7th-I'll explain in another post.) completed so we can work on some extra fun stuff, review and testing. We've had a really productive year so far and it will be great to end on a high note!

blessings,

traci  :)

I love this time of the year. Time to get out and Explore Minnesota!

We start by finding all there is to do in this great state of ours. From history to science and everything in between, we relate it to home school. The wonderful adventures of living your learning hands-on can't be duplicated at home. Besides, my cabin fever must be quenched! I must get some fresh air and sunlight!

Many things we plan are done every year. They've become traditions of sorts and some of our fondest memories have been made at these times. Even dad gets to come along to a lot of them so he can experience with us. Making memories is a big part of life and I don't want to sit back wishing I would have done something more. I would rather come home in the evening, put my feet up and fall asleep in a few minutes from exhaustive fun than waste the time away doing nothing! Rest assured, I am very frugal when it comes to finding activities for us. I go where the free and discount things are as much as possible. There are a few things however, that are very much worth the expense.

The great thing about a blog is you can post as you go through life. So stay tuned for our home school field trip adventures! (maybe I'll get a digital camera soon so I can post more pics...my birthday IS in June...are you reading this honey? I love you!)

So, look out calendar, look out Minnesota, here we come! 

blessings,

traci  :)

It's springtime here in Minnesota and that means MACHE! it's the annual Minnesota Association of Homeschool Educators conference and yours truly will be attending. i wasn't going to be able to go at first but now we are just making a way so that we can host a booth for Lampstand Press!

We have been using Tapestry of Grace as one of our core curricula for about a year or so now. we love it and love telling others about it. so being able to host a booth for them at the MACHE conference this year is the perfect fit! Asa and Kayla will be joining me as well as another homeschooling mom that i met over the phone last week. she is starting this year with TOG and sounds just as excited as i am. you know what that means right? we are going to have a great time! the only thing that would make it better is having the TOS and fellow HSB'ers there to meet and mingle with! (come on jen and gena, it's not THAT cold up here in april!)

when we got home from orchestra practice today the kit was waiting for me. there's a small box, a large tube and a REALLY huge box. it's so big it needs wheels. no kidding! this will be interesting to go through and take inventory and see all the goodies i get to play with this weekend!

so, that said, i will bid you all adieu!

blessings,

traci  :)  

A few weeks back for Botany class we planted a few different types of seeds. We have these clear tubes that we planted a radish, carrot and onion to watch the growth of their roots. So far we have a radish and an onion. The carrot was a casualty of my clumsiness so we'll have to replant that one. We also have 4 green bean plants that are growing very fast and a few tomatoe plants that are about 2 inches tall already. I made an 'Observation Data Sheet' to track the plants progress and we will be drawing pictures at different stages of the plants growth for our notebooking. So far we are doing ok with remembering to chart. It is hard to get used to even though we check on them every morning for any signs of change. Honestly, I think partly it's laziness. It's so much easier to just check on the plants and walk away!  We'll get the hang of it...

Another project is getting more soil into the big wash tubs we got from grandma. We'll attempt a mini-garden while the weather is still trying to figure out what it wants to do. We have two so I may have flowers in one and some veggies in the other. That will also give us time to dig out all the rocks in the backyard to clear a spot for a real garden! I'm very excited about that. This is my first yard since I moved out of my parents home a LONG time ago and I'll finally be able to garden! I will be able to plant flowers and anything I want. It's ALL MINE!!! It's such a sweet blessing. I thank the Lord OFTEN for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me. It's been a long time waiting for some of my dreams to come true, but oh was it worth the wait! The Lord's timing is perfect and His gifts are ALWAYS better than anything we can make happen ourselves. I am learning to just relax and not put my hands and plans into everything. Trust me, that is MUCH easier said than done sometimes!

blessings to you and yours,

traci  :)

Sometimes I think I'm in a dream. Is it really legal to have this much fun homeschoolong?! I am a very blessed woman to be able to homeschool AND I get to co-op with my best friend in real life!!! Somebody pinch me! When I first started this adventure, you would've had a hard time convincing me it would be this fun and rewarding. I was such a deer in headlights. I'm surprised we've made it this long. And I even think Kayla's learned a few things along the way!

Using the books The Silk Route:7,000 miles of History by John S Major and Marco Polo:A Journey through China by Fiona MacDonald, we had our own version of what it was like to be in a caravan travelling on The Silk Road. Our journey starts in the Taklamakan Desert.  The real starting point was Chang'an, a major city during the Tang Dynasty southwest of present day Beijing. Some other places we travelled through were the Gobi Desert, Lo-Yang-Shih and down the Yellow River to Peking(Beijing).

Check some of the fun pics we took on Ali's Blog.

We also had fun with spices. We talked about their importance, where they came from and why people wanted them and were willing to go to such great lengths to get them. Then we blind folded eachother and tried to guess which spices we were smelling!

hey, where's your blind fold? no cheating girls!

way to use that nose Ali! 6 out of 10!

and the winner, with 9 out of 10....traci! who knew?

(i'm not sure yet if that's a cool thing or just plain weird!)

Another successful day of co-opping on the books! YAY!  

blessings,

traci  :)