Urban Cottage Homeschool Moments - Homeschool Blogger

New School Year, New Blog

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:12:00 -0500

We've started up a new blog. Please come check us out HERE.

Congratulations Harper!

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 23:31:00 -0500

Harper is finished with his Core studies for the year! Yipee!

Although it was Harper's curriculum, Hawken and I learned alot from it too! I'm keeping all the materials, because I may use it with Hawken in a couple years.

Harper did a great job and learned a lot. But, most importantly, he enjoyed learning. We're excited to begin next year's materials...after a nice summer break! We all deserve it!

Theodore Wirth Park

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 22:29:00 -0500

Today, we took Grandpa on his "Father's Day Hike" at Theodore Wirth Park. Grandma came along for the adventure too! Our first stop was the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden.

We caught a glimpse of the Indigo Bunting, and we also saw a Woodpecker. We also spied various butterflies and insects, and lots of wildflowers and plants. It was neat to notice the difference in the park since our last visit in the spring.

The Water Horsetails had grown a couple feet since we last saw them.

I can really see the impact that nature study has made on the boys. They pay attention to the smallest details, and really enjoy pointing out new discoveries along the trails. Going on a hike is always an exciting adventure for them.

Grandpa and Harper pose by the beautiful oak tree during our rest break.

Our second stop on our adventure was the Quaking Bog of Wirth Park. We were greeted by some cute baby racoons when we got there!

We watched the racoons for a while before heading to the bog itself.

After crossing the moat, we walked around Mariana's Isle. The dock and boardwalk are part of the ongoing restoration of the Quaking Bog.

We had a full adventure today, and spent some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa out in nature. We can't wait to get out and do it again!

Hero Tales

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 13:28:00 -0500

We finished reading "Hero Tales" by Dave and Neta Jackson last night. The book is a collection of of true stories from the lives of 15 Christian heroes. The kids learned valuable lessons of virtue through the stories presented in the book.

I would not have picked this book out on my own, but it turned out to be a nice piece to our curriculum this year. The stories and follow-up questions were challenging, but the lessons were kept short. We enjoyed many of the stories and learned many "character qualities" along the way.

We learned about the following heroes: Gladys Aylward, William and Catherine Booth, Amy Carmichael, Adoniram and Ann Judson, David Livingstone, Martin Luther, Dwight L. Moody, Samuel Morris, George Muller, Menno Simons, Mary Slessor, Hudson Taylor, Harriet Tubman, William Tyndale and John Wesley.

Some of these heroes were new to us, and some we learned about last year when we read the "Heroes for Young Readers" series. These are great books - well written and nicely illustrated. We'll read these books again during Hawken's Kindergarten year.

To be honest, my knowledge of Christian heroes is pretty limited. I have learned a lot from these books along with the boys. It's been fun to learn together!

A Nice Summer Day

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:23:00 -0500

Today, we had a nice summer day. The weather was perfect and we had some fun adventures.

We met some friends at Bauer Berry Farm and picked strawberries this morning. The kids had so much fun finding the best strawberries for their buckets.

No need to wash these berries - no chemicals are used on the farm!

It feels good to buy local and promote a sustainable food supply.

After picking berries, we headed to a park along the Mississippi River to explore with our friends. Even though there wasn't a playground, the kids found plenty to do and had a good time. Nature alone can keep us entertained and happy.

Next, we headed out to visit Grandpa and Grandma Karen. The kids enjoyed some outdoor games, lunch, and an ice cream treat while I ran a few errands.

We made a quick stop at home before heading to the pool!

An evening swim is just what we needed at the end of this hot day.

Showers, snacks, and bedtime stories with dad rounded out this nice summer day. Oh, and we ate LOTS of strawberries!

wall-e

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:48:00 -0500

We all got to see wall-e this weekend! We enjoyed it, and Harper wants to go see it again!

It has prompted some good discussion and some creative play! It's gotten us thinking about robots and the future!

Harper has made his favorite characters from the movie out of play dough.

Hawken made "Eve" and a couple of big snails!

Weekly Report

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:41:00 -0500

Not much traditional "schooling" going on this week, but we're nearing the end of Harper's Core program for the year. We should be done at the end of this week. We're just finishing up with our Bible study and a bit of history now.

Our school plans have changed for the summer from my original plan. I had ambitious plans to create my own schedule for July and August, but have opted to be more flexible and laid-back for the next couple months. We will, however, continue with math and science in the mornings - if we're home.

Summer goes too fast, and we'll be out-of-town at least a couple weeks in the upcoming months, so it will be nice to enjoy a break. Of course, we'll keep reading, exploring and trying new things - we are always learning something.

I tried to get some pictures of Harper at t-ball last week, but I told Hawken I wouldn't go too far from his field. As soon as I tried to get close to Harper's field, Hawken came running from his position at third base to have me put his glove on for him again. I did manage to snap a few pictures though...

Here's Harper in action!

Here, he's waiting in the field for more action.

Hawken is getting a lesson in batting.

T-ball has been fun for the boys, and the co-op is a good way to introduce them to the sport. There are two weeks left of t-ball, and then the kids will play soccer! Harper says he likes t-ball better, but soccer will be fun.

We've been busy at home too...

We recently got a new table for our schoolroom, so we turned the old, small one into a sand table in the backyard. (It used to have a tabletop that would cover a storage area. The storage area works great for holding sand and a bit of water.) The kids have had lots of fun designing their own beaches this week!

When Hawken wears this sun-safe swimsuit, he calls himself "Action Man!"

Every year, we go to the Earle Brown Days Parade with Grandpa and Grandma Karen. It's only a block from their house, and we always have a good time. The kids were looking forward to it all week! They even chose special bags to collect their candy.

They've eaten some candy, of course, but most of the candy has gone into their candy store. They have each made a couple bucks selling their candy to family and friends. When Hawken grows up, he wants to be a "Candy Man" and own a candy store. Harper also wants to own a store, but he will sell "everything he likes" at his shop.

Hard to believe it's the end of June already! We've had lots of fun this month, and learned a lot in so many ways!

MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:44:00 -0500

For Father's Day, the boys gave the Grandpas a certificate to go on a nature hike. We took Grandpa Sally to the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge for his special day.

You're probably wondering why we call him Grandpa "Sally." Well, both Harper and Hawken's Grandfathers are named Mike, so when Harper was little he started calling them Grandpa Sally and Grandpa Karen - using the Grandmother's names instead. I'm not sure when, or if, the boys will ever switch to something else, but it works for now...and it's kind of cute!

We had a great day for a hike! It was fairly cool, with a mix of sun and clouds. We even got caught in a small sun-shower, which felt good. We were out for three hours! I think the boys were troopers to stay out on the trail that long!

Oh, and Hawken is dressing himself now. Check out his red socks!

There is a nice visitor center, with lots to investigate. Here, the boys are looking at a muskrat home with Grandma Sally.

The trails took us through prairie, hillside forest, and wetlands. We also got a peek at the Minnesota River and Long Meadow Lake.

There were many beautiful wildflowers along the trails. Hawken enjoyed pointing out the many flowers, including this wild rose. Grandma Sally pointed out, and named, many flowers and plants for us.

We saw some wildlife at the park, including wild turkeys up at the visitor center. We also saw snakes, fish, a crane, red-winged blackbirds, a goldfinch, and numerous bugs.

Harper found a snail, and Hawken spied a black caterpillar on the hike back. They both carried these critters for a while, and didn't want to let them go. It was a hard, but good, lesson to learn when we had to leave them at the park. They both chose nice spots to let them go again.

After the hike, we spent a little time in the gift shop, where they had lots of great books! Grandpa bought the boys each a little stuffed animal keychain. Harper got a mallard, and Hawken chose a loon. Hawken has been wearing the loon on his beltloop since the hike. He even wore it to t-ball last night!

We all enjoyed a nice dinner together at Chevy's before we headed home. We had a memorable time with Grandma and Grandpa Sally, and look forward to doing it again!

Weekly Report

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:45:00 -0500

Summer is here, and the boys have been up to the typical summer activities: Swimming, playing in the sprinkler, biking, parks, bug catching, hiking, and gardening. This week, they also caught toads, fed ducks, found a turtle, flew a kite, watched fireworks, and made s'mores!

Toads and boys just seem to go together, don't they?

The backyard sprinkler is always fun, cheap entertainment!

This week, we also got a season pass to the Jim Lupient Water Park. We've visited a few times already, and enjoyed it. I plan to get the boys there at least a couple times during the week, and once on the weekend throughout the summer. Tomorrow is going to be a hot one here, so we're looking forward to our visit to the water park in the afternoon!

Although we were busy with summer activities this week, we fit our schoolwork in too. We're in the final countdown of days until Harper finishes Sonlight's Core C!

Harper and I read "Granny Han's Breakfast" by Shiela Groves. This true story is about a Christian Ambassador's experience in China when God provides for her needs. I didn't think this would capture Harper's attention, but he enjoyed it! Sonlight provides lots of good books which I never would have found on my own.

Pete and Harper finished "Mitt and Minn's Illinois Adventure" by Kathy-jo Wargin. Harper likes these stories, and has now finished the series. He is hoping for another Mitt and Minn book soon!

Harper read "The Titanic: Lost...and Found" by Judy Donnelly. I love the readers that provide a lesson in history. It's like a two-for-one. This was Harper's last book in his set of second grade readers from Sonlight. Way to go, Harper!

In history, we learned about Amy Carmichael. In math, Harper worked on a review of adding and subtracting. In science, we studied weather, climate, seasons and time.

Hawken has been participating in almost everything as best he can. It will be interesting to see how he does with his own "school time" next year.

I'm looking forward to next year, but for now we're making the most of our summer!

Backyard Birding

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:47:00 -0500

Yesterday I was trimming a vine on our fence, when I noticed this cute little nest among the leaves. The boys were playing in the sprinkler, but they took a break to come see what I found.

It's always exciting to find a bit of nature in our own backyard! We have a small-sized city lot, so we feel pretty lucky when we can study nature so close to home.

Because the eggs are a pretty blue, we decided it must be a Robin's nest. We checked out a little info online at Wikipedia about the American Robin to learn about our backyard friend. Many times I'll go to Wikipedia first, then check out their links at the bottom.

Hawken is excited to go take another peek at the nest this morning...so gotta go!