Evening in the Park

A little listening:

A little dancing:

A perfect evening:

Little Things #1 and 2

#1

#2

Summer quilts

and fresh white peaches sliced over natural vanilla ice cream.

This is the life.

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.

~Celia Thaxter

A Favorite Spot

Escaping the 95 degree heat of the valley, we ventured into the mountains to my second favorite spot on earth (as opposed to my first). We couldn't have had a better day (75 degrees) for a full day of swimming, tubing, and hiking. Lovely. Perfect.

On the Wall

Sometimes the beauty is easy. Sometimes you don't have to try at all. Sometimes you can hear the wind blow in a handshake. Sometimes there's poetry written right on the bathroom wall.

~Ani Defranco

The post you've been waiting for...

I've heard from so many of you that you want to decorate your walls, but the actual 'what, where, and how' of hanging things on the wall has you stumped. I've got just the thing for you today. Head on over to my guest post at Simple Mom to find 10 Project Heidi tips for hanging decor.

When you are finished enjoying Simple Mom's excellent site, head back here and stay tuned. I have a terrific Project Heidi post on creating wall groupings coming within the next week. You won't want to miss it!

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby

Right round like a record, baby.
What do you do with a huge box of

old Victrola records?

If you are Heidi, you hang 15 of them
in your hallway.

(I must have been going through circle withdrawl after taking down my circle collage.)

Although it is close to impossible to get a decent picture of anything hanging in this hallway.
Now what shall I do with the remaining 30 records? (I almost placed three larger ones within the frame above my piano, but decided on the larger grouping in the hallway.)

Thanks for the treasure, hubby!

Don't forget to check out my guest post over at Simple Mom tomorrow!

Climbing

A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view halfway up is better than the view from the base, and it steadily becomes finer as the horizon expands. ~William Lyon Phelps
I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

Holly's Homeschool

My sister, Holly, invited us over for a homeschool mom chat and play date. Her house and gardens are incredible. The bright sun was shining, making a less than perfect photo opportunity, but I'll make up for it some other day.

Since my school room/library is in a state of chaos, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to show you her school room. I think Holly looked at me in a state of panic when she noticed I was taking pictures, and I purposely neglected to ask for permission to post them...

Come on in! (Don't you like how I invite you into someone else's house? She's my sister, though, so she'll forgive me.) (Oh, and ignore the crooked photo. That is my next trick to master in photoshop: straightening photos.)
Holly used a bookcase to divide the space and diminish the distraction between Ilex and Drake. The bookcase does double duty as a chalkboard (a little chalkboard paint works magic). I am always battling a fit of jealously over her gorgeous built-in storage!
(The wall opposite this next picture holds bookcases and the computer desk. Holly has made every inch of this room work for her.)
The far corner of the room makes a wonderful reading nook.

Ilex's desk and art projects:
We spent most of the time outside. The kids disappeared.

The ladies chatted. It was wonderful to get together with Heather (from Becoming) again!
Luke followed Ilex's bunny around.
Drake (without peers) found alternate activities such as dirt bike riding and guitar playing. He'll have to ride his bike over to his friend's house another day to get in his social requirements.
Altogether we had 5 ladies, five young ladies, Drake, 3 girls, and six boys! Thanks, Holly, for hostessing!

Dawn in a Cotton Dress

But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her,

barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window

in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor.

She will look in at me with her thin arms extended,

offering a handful of birdsong

and a small cup of light.

~William Collins

Rather than a small cup of light, the sun has entered my unadorned kitchen window like a strobe light in the early mornings of the recent oppressively warm days. My beloved window needed a simple cotton dress.

I can hear the handful of birdsong now.

This window is a favorite of mine. In the autumn, winter, and spring, the sun streams in unhindered. I love seeing the trees in the various seasons. I love the bright light it adds to the kitchen atmosphere.

Mid-summer is a different story. Our house has no air-conditioning to speak of. We try to open everything up at night to cool off, closing windows and blinds as soon as the mid-morning heat makes its appearance. The kitchen window is the only window in the house that has (had) no curtain. I realized that the sun was heating up this room much too quickly.

I wanted something temporary, so that I could take it down when autumn comes. I wanted to purchase items that I could repurpose in other areas when not in use in the kitchen window. I wanted something very simple because my kitchen is often more cluttered than I would like, and I didn't want to add to the chaos. I wanted something that would still allow me to peer over the top to keep an eye on playing children and view the trees and birds. I wanted something easy and inexpensive. (Do you blame me?)

Cafe curtains. Tension rod. Clip rings.

White cotton floursack kitchen towels. Perfect.

...Accented with quilted-glass jam jars,

simple flower bouquets,

and milk glass tea cups

I mysteriously found in my husband's office area.

Speaking of mysterious objects in my husband's office space, what do you think of this terrific glass batter bowl? I love it!

It seems he (my unpredictable husband) bought a few boxes of 'stuff' at an auction the other day. I never know what that guy is going to do next. Happily, though, I've made off with another exciting treasure that I can't wait to reveal to you. I know you are on pins and needles, but you'll simply have to wait until Monday. Not to mention that it will be a perfect segue to my guest post over at Simple Mom on Tuesday. For all those who have been waiting, I'll finally be giving you my best tips for hanging things on walls!

Homeschool Planning the Heidi Way

I have had a few readers ask about how I approach lesson planning within our homeschool. I know that quite a few of you are just starting out with Kindergarten or 1st Grade (as are we), and wondered if it would be helpful for me to share the steps I've taken to plan our lessons the past two years.

I don't create elaborate spreadsheets or highly specific weekly or daily lesson plans, but it is important for me to know where we are headed and have an idea of what it will require weekly to take us there as smoothly as possible.

Education Planning: The Heidi Approach

[Kindergarten and 1st Grade]

Define Your Big-Picture Educational Goals

For me, this was an easy one. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise connected with me so perfectly, that I have in book form a complete 12-year educational plan. You might start with a book on homeschooling methods such as Charlotte Mason, or you could sit and write out your own goals for your child.

Will you be homeschooling just a year or two, taking it one year at a time, schooling through middle school, or going all the way through to graduation? What are your reasons for homeschooling? What do you want to accomplish in the lives of your children? What do you want them to learn? Will you be using a particular method or style?

Start Breaking it Down

After I had a good idea of our 12-year overview, I knew that I could start focusing on a 4-year plan. The Well-Trained Mind addresses three stages of learning, the first four years being the grammar stage. It also introduces a chronological study of history with a 4-year rotation, around which is centered literature, science, and even art and music. I knew what basic skills were a priority to our family, what history period we would be studying each year, and what science subject we would focus on.

Make Goals for the Current Year in Each Subject

When I planned our Kindergarten year I placed reading (phonics), handwriting, and math as our foundation. I chose to add in a relaxed selection of American history, knowing that it would be a few years before we got back to it. The rest was gravy.

For our 1st grade year reading, handwriting, math and grammar made up our core skills. History and literature (Ancients) and science (biology) were our secondary subjects. Art, music, and geography rounded out the list. Bible and physical education are a part of our natural family life and were not specifically planned as school subjects.

Time to purchase any necessary curriculum.

After you have your subject list and curriculum, it is time to figure out what you would like to accomplish within the year. What material would you like to cover? What lessons books would you like to finish?

Plan Backwards

::Figure out how many weeks you will be schooling throughout your year. Be sure to leave enough wiggle room for unexpected illnesses, activities, or vacations. The average school year is 180 days or 36 weeks. You could plan 32 weeks of lessons with 4 for review, catch up, or educational activities.

::Calculate what you need to complete on a weekly basis to accomplish your yearly goals.

::Start with your basics.

Phonics. I didn't want to have a goal of finishing a certain number of lessons in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading so that we could go at Levi's own pace. I did want to be consistent about phonics lessons, though, so I planned to do something (a lesson, review, a phonics reader, etc.) 4 times minimum each week.When we finished the phonics book, I planned to have Levi read aloud to me to replace the lessons.

Handwriting. Same thing. I wanted to practice handwriting 4 times minimum each week. When we finished the Handwriting Without Tears book, we replaced lessons with copy work (various selections from history, science, Bible memory work, poetry, hymns, or pen pal and thank you letters.)

Grammar. First Language Lessons has 100 lessons for first grade which means we needed to schedule 3 lessons per week to finish the book by the end of the year.

Math. RightStart Math B has 106 lessons. 3-4 lessons per week.

::Add in your secondary subjects.

Ancient History and Literature. The Story of the World has 42 chapters. Rather than squeezing those into a 34-week plan, I planned to cover an average of a chapter a week and study history during our breaks as well. (Lucky for us we love history and literature!) I knew that we would need to plan at least two days to cover any color pages, map work, projects, and additional reading.

Science. Christian Kids Explore Biology has 35 lessons. One a week plus a day for additional activities.

::Make provisions for the fun stuff.

Music. I didn't have a yearly goal, but I did want to read about an instrument, composer, or musician each week. I planned two days for music so that we could read one day and listen to a CD or find an internet source another day. Because we don't have record of many composers during the Ancients (grin) I chose not to tie music (or art, particularly) to history this year. Levi also takes weekly piano lessons. We try to fit in 5 practice sessions each week.

Art. Again, no yearly goal, but I planned to read one art book (mostly picture books about various artists) each week. Eventually I would like to add a second day for art projects.

Geography, fun Read-alouds, and Free Reading were added to the list so that I could keep track of what we did, without any specific goals at all.

(Spanish got left by the wayside this year after completing La Clase Divertida last year. Hopefully we'll get something added back in.)

Create a Weekly Goal Sheet

Now that I had an idea of what we needed to accomplish each week, I typed up a weekly goal sheet listing each subject with goals. Something like: Math 4x, Grammar 3x, Handwriting 4x, Phonics 4x, History (and Literature) 2x, Science 2x, Music 2x, Art 1x, Geography, Reading.

This is where you can make detailed plans or leave things open-ended. I prefer open-ended. I leave a space next to each subject where I write in what we did rather than what we hope to do. At this stage of the game (and with two younger and unpredictable children) I would rather not feel constantly 'behind' or 'off kilter.' I don't want to rewrite the plans 100 times when Leif doesn't take his normal nap or Luke heads to the ER for stitches or Levi gets the stomach flu.

So, be as detailed as you want to be. If you want to make a weekly schedule that tells you when to do each subject or a plan for exactly what lessons, chapters, or projects you intend to complete, go for it!

Our plans will certainly increase in detail as Levi progresses in age and the other two boys follow him. It will take a little more scheduling to fit everything in!

Set Aside Time Each Week for Preparation

Each week I try to find time to sit down and review what we did the past week and plan the next. I make sure I have the books and project materials I need. I might glance through any lessons so that I am familiar with them. I make sure we are relatively on track with our yearly goals. I look ahead in science and history to see if I need to order any books or add project materials to my shopping list. I make a want list for our library trip.

I print off a new weekly goal sheet and add it to my 3-ring planning binder. If I need to make any notes on the goal sheet, I do so. Most of the books we'll be reading are placed on the desk behind the couch so that I can just grab them during the week as we sit on the couch.

Allow Yourself Flexibility

Making guidelines and setting goals help keep me motivated and moving forward, but I have to be careful. If I lock myself into detailed plans, it isn't very long before I begin to feel the stress of keeping up. It is easy to get down on myself for everything I didn't do, rather than realizing how much we learn while still enjoying ourselves!

There is a fine balance between aiming high (as it seems we all should when it comes to the education of our children) and finding something that works well in our very real lives.

Set realistic goals. Planning is worth nothing if the doing doesn't happen.

You are the only one who knows your family, yourself, and your children. Don't expect your homeschool to look like another. If you need a curriculum that does planning for you, give that a try. If you want more freedom than my plan suggests, do what works for you!

Feel the freedom to create a successful education for your children according to your own values and goals.

Any questions?

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.

~Gail Godwin

She knows what is the best purpose of education: not to be frightened by the best but to treat it as part of daily life.

~John Mason Brown.

The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys caught my eye at the library. I think it might have even screamed at me somehow. The cover is perfectly charming, and, oh, the author's name! Lois Lowry. (Author of one of my favorites: The Giver.) I read the back flap:

Influenced in her childhood by a mother who insisted on surrounding her with books instead of roller skates and jump ropes, Lois Lowry grew up lacking fresh air and exercise but with a keen understanding of plot, character, and setting. Every morning she opened the front door hoping to find an orphaned infant in a wicker basket. Alas, her hopes were always dashed and her dreams thwarted. She compensates by writing books. Today she is a wizened, reclusive old woman who sits hunched over her desk thinking obsessively about the placement of commas.

Yes, indeed. The book was screaming personality. And it had to be next on the list of read-alouds.


Playing (and I do mean playing) off old-fashioned and well-known children's books, Lowry has created an unexpected masterpiece of humor. Witty, sarcastic, and downright irreverent, The Willoughbys delivers: an abandoned infant, villainous parents, adventure, orphans, tragedy, rich benefactors, and a nanny to boot. Do not read this book if you are in ill humor and ill-prepared to take a joke.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Levi and I love words. The cover of this book reads, 'A Novel: Nefariously Written & Ignominiously Illustrated by the Author.' Promising, yes? The book is complete with a glossary. Not just any glossary.

CONTEMPLATING means thinking about something very calmly and seriously. Sometimes you will hear the phrase 'contemplating your navel,' which of course means thinking very seriously about your bellybutton, and makes no sense at all, because what dolt would do that? There is a whole order of nuns, incidentally, called contemplative nuns. They spend all their time thinking very calmly and seriously, but not about their navels. Maybe nuns don't even have navels. There is no way to know.

You will have to read the book to find out the definitions of bilious, auspicious, winsome, surreptitious, obfuscate, and expostulation among others.


Do not miss this star of a book!

Wahoo!

You Can Find Anything...

... On the Internet. Seriously.

Our science lesson from Christian Kids Explore Biology covered bird diets today. The suggested activity was dissecting owl pellets. I wasn't prepared. We'll have to purchase or find real owl pellets ahead of time in four years when we revisit biology, I guess.

Russ (my brilliant husband) suggested performing a Google search for 'virtual owl pellet.' I couldn't imagine, but agreed to give it a try. At worst, I would have wasted about ten seconds.

Voila!! My boys had a blast (Luke in particular) performing the 'New and Improved' Virtual Pellet Dissection at KidWings. It seemed so strange to hear him repeating 'caudal vertebra, scapula, pelvis' as he matched up the bones.

So, there you have it, my labor intensive science lesson for today. Grin.

Blackberry Beginnings

A Favorite Author

"He was enjoying his trip immensely. It was beautiful weather. Day and night he moved up and down, up and down, on waves as big as mountains, and he was full of wonder, full of enterprise, and full of love for life."

Although William Steig is often associated with his picture books Doctor De Soto and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (and now possibly Shrek), Amos and Boris has the distinction of being on the list of my top five recommended picture books for boys. Brave Irene is also right up there on my list of great picture books.

The first thing I noticed about Steig's books was the vocabulary. He has an incredible way with words, never dumbing down content.

Steig's characters (often animals) possess an amazing spirit, spunk, and zest for life. They face trials with resourcefulness and courage, asking deep questions. They see possibilities in every situation.

While hunting for books recently, I stumbled upon Abel's Island. The only Steig books I had read up to this point were picture books, and I was delighted to find a chapter book (with the author's quirky illustrations) knowing that it would have great pizazz, life lessons, and tremendous vocabulary.

Abel's Island is a story about a newlywed mouse caught in a storm and stranded on an island. His efforts to survive and ultimately get off the island make up the rest of the book.

I read the first chapter or two to Levi, and he read the rest of the book to himself. If I had it to do over, I would continue to read the book aloud rather than handing it over to a young child (and I most certainly will read the book aloud to all the boys in the future). While I am sure that Levi caught the gist of the story, I am equally certain that he did not accurately catch a large portion of the words or adequately catch the transformation of Abel's outlook on life.

Because Levi and I love words, we have in the past kept a list of favorite or exciting new words we have come across in a book we read together. Had we made a list from Abel's Island, we would still be reading weeks later. This would be our list from page 11:

turbulent, plunged, maelstrom, churning, gasping, indrafts, subjected, abide, bandied, writhing, exasperated, fortitude, unyielding, drenched, pelted, moored...

pg. 34

Was it just an accident that he was here on this uninhabited island? Abel began to wonder. Was he being singled out for some reason: was he being tested? If so, why? Didn't it prove his worth that such a one as Amanda loved him?

Did it? Why did Amanda love him? He wasn't all that handsome, was he? And he had no particular accomplishments. What sort of mouse was he? Wasn't he really a snob, and a fop, and frivolous on serious occasions, as she had once told him during a quarrel? He had acted silly even at his own wedding, grinning during the solemnities, clowning when cutting the cake. What made him act that way when he did?

Full of such questions, he went to wash his face in the river that kept him captive, and drank some of its water. It was foolish, he realized, to harbor a grudge toward this river. It had no grudge against him. It happened to be where it was; it had probably been there for eons.

Adoring Abel's Island was cause enough to borrow Dominic from our library. This time I read the book out loud in its entirety. Dominic was probably a more endearing character to a young child than Abel, the vocabulary was not quite as heavy, and the story was teeming with adventure.

pg. 60

Dominic woke in the morning, a blissful smile on his face. The gentle radiance of a rosy sun pervaded the air, and little birds sang so lyrically that he took out his golden piccolo and joined them in their music. The world was suffused with peace and warmth. Dominic danced through the grass. Then, overcome with exultation, he flung his spear high in the air, where the early sun painted it pink for a moment.

pg. 64

The boar began crying again. Not out of sorrow this time, but out of excruciating joy. "How can I ever, ever in this world, not to mention the next, and disregardless of unforeseen contingencies, adequately thank you!" he said. "I can't even begin, let alone work up a proper preamble to a beginning, to tell you how unendurably happy you've made me. But I'll try..."

Next up-- The Real Thief.

Happy 4th

Books Everywhere

TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown

The time to read is any time: no apparatus, no appointment of time and place, is necessary. It is the only art which can be practised at any hour of the day or night, whenever the time and inclination comes, that is your time for reading; in joy or sorrow, health or illness. ~Holbrook Jackson

If you have never said "Excuse me" to a parking meter or bashed your shins on a fireplug, you are probably wasting too much valuable reading time. ~Sherri Chasin Calvo

The Year of Miss Agnes

We recently finished up reading The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill. Told in the voice of an uneducated ten-year-old girl living in an Alaskan fishing village in 1948, the story was simple and unadorned yet somehow tugged at a certain place in my heart.

The children live in a world where hard work is valued and education is often perceived as a frivolous pursuit, taking from their contributions to their families and the village. Teachers are hard to come by and rarely last a year in the harsh environment.

Miss Agnes became the exception to the rule, enlarging their world and kindling a fire of curiosity and wonder.

pg. 111

It seemed like everything reminded me and Bokko of Miss Agnes. Everthing had something to do with what we learned from her, as if we just woke up to see the world around us, and way beyond us.

Miss Agnes reads Robin Hood, points out places on a map, learns sign language and teaches it to the whole class so that a deaf girl can join it, finds the strengths of each child, writes personal books for each child to read--with his own interests and at his reading level.

My only slight (very slight) hesitation with the book was the way the incorrect grammar grated on my nerves. It wouldn't have been authentic otherwise, but it was difficult to read aloud to my son who is still forming his language skills. 'Me and Bokko went...,' drove me crazy. Levi had just finished a grammar lesson on that usage specifically, and when he was reading it aloud to me he paused and re-read it, 'Bokko and I went...' Warmed my little heart. I don't think I would have been as bothered by the grammar had I been reading it alone. (Now I am searching back through my post, wondering how many grammar errors I made. Please go easy on me. Grin.)

The Death of Me

Just look at these two adorable, innocent, perfect little boys playing on an old teeter-totter at their grandparents' house. What you don't know is that they are in league together. I am positive they made a pact to see how difficult they could make life for their mother. And it might be the death of me.

Leif has figured out how to open two different child gates blocking the kitchen. There is now nothing to stop him from wrecking havoc in that sacred place and he must be watched 24/7. What does he do in the kitchen? You may well ask. A couple mornings ago he got a cup out of the drawer, got the OJ out of the fridge, unscrewed the cap, and poured himself a cupful. And then poured a great deal on the floor. (This trick is even more amusing with the grape juice.) He scoots a chair over to the counter and climbs on up (plays with the hanging light, dances on the counter, gets into whatever might be placed on the counter....), or he throws things in the clothes washer while it is on spin cycle, or.... well, really, the possibilities are endless for this kid. This is all. day. long. I'd put him in the play pen for a break, but he climbs right out....

Then there is Luke. My mother bought him a shirt that says, 'I do my own stunts.' That pretty much sums it up. A month or two ago he jumped off the porch railing. I won't even tell you how high it is. Now he is all over the place with his bike and wants to 'do tricks.' Lovely.

Poppy (grandpa) introduced him to 'the ditch' when we were visiting yesterday. Luke took one look at it and rode full speed down and back up again without hesitating, the grin never leaving his face. He has been without training wheels for a whole month. And he just turned four. I am not going to live through his childhood.

When he had his fill of bike riding, he switched to the bar and rings on the play structure. He has amazing upper body strength and has always enjoyed playing on it, so I wasn't paying much attention until he asked me if I wanted to see his trick. Sure. (How bad could it be?)
Oh, hanging by his feet. No hands. No problem. I'm picking out my headstone right now.

Levi, of course, is no exception. He was climbing on everything and jumping on a mini trampoline by his first birthday. How did I end up with three (make that four, counting Russ) crazy boys? Where is the quiet life I signed up for? HELP!!