The Leaves are Falling!
Autumn is by far the best season ever! The weather is chilly, but not too cold. The foliage is amazing, too. Then there are all of the great fall activities that we love to do like apple picking and hiking. We have focused on nature and the seasons this year, so we’ve read many books about fall so far. There is a downfall to this great season, though. The raking that needs to be done is a huge burden for us. Our yard is surrounded by our neighbors’ trees, and all of those leaves fall into our yard. That means lots of work for us in the autumn. My hubby and I decided to make a little game out of it with the kids, and it turned out to be a great teaching opportunity.
We had the kids walk around the yard and put leaves into their buckets to put them leaves into our compost pile. As they were doing this, they noticed that the leaves were not all the same. Daddy showed them what a maple leaf looks like. We have two other kinds of leaves in our backyard, oak leaves and an
other one that we didn’t recognize. Daddy suggested that the kids walk around the yard and sort the maple, oak, and unidentified leaves. They emptied the sorted leaves into the compost pile, and on our way back into the house, I brought several leaves inside for an art project. When we got inside, we found an interactive website at About.com to help us identify the last leaf and discovered it was an elm. Then I had the kids sort the leaves into oak, elm, and maple leaf piles. Then we used the leaves to make collages of the different types of leaves. The kids were so excited about this project from start to finish, and we all had a lot of fun!
I liked a lot about these particular activities. One thing that stands out is the kinesthetic nature of the work. The kids sorted the leaves in a very active way by collecting them in the yard, and then they re-sorted them when we got inside. I was able to show the kids how they can research on the internet as well. I also like the visual and tactile piece that came with making the collages. The kids manipulated the leaves in order to make their collages, and touching the leaves in this way gave them a clearer picture of the shape of each type of leaf. They also have these art pieces to refer to now to remind them what the different types of leaves look like. In the end, they will remember how to identify these leaves particular leaves in the future.
Filed under Lesson Plans | Comments (2)Fall: Apples and Pumpkins, Oh My!
In New England it is a tradition to go apple picking, and we definitely take the opportunity to enjoy this tradition. We think that it is really important that the kids see how apples grow and experience picking them on their own. We love the beauty of the foliage and the apple orchard, too. We wouldn’t miss the chance to make memories like these! If you can, try this out with your family.
Since I knew that we were going to the orchard, we started talking about apples and pumpkins a few weeks ago. In anticipation of our favorite season, we attempted to grow pumpkins in our garden this year. I’m not sure that we will ever get pumpkins, but the flowers on the plants did bloom. We have great plans to follow up on this trip, too.
Apples:
- We will bake an apple pie together. All of that measuring, pouring, peeling, and cutting is great for kinesthetic and tactile learners to learn about math and science.
- We’ll cut an apple in half along the equator. There is a star shape in the middle of the apple. We’ll use that as a stamp with paint.
- We will learn about what oxidization is by cutting an apple and watching the color change.
- We will also read the book, How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, and make a lapbook to go along with it.
Pumpkins:
- Of course we will carve our pumpkins. This is a great kinesthetic and tactile learning experience. We will learn what the seeds are like inside the pumpkin, and see if one pumpkin has more seeds than another. After we’ve cleaned the seeds, we will group them by 10’s to count them. We’ll roast them, too.
- We have the book called Pumpkins by Ken Robbins. It has beautiful photographs of pumpkins. It tells how pumpkins are grown and gives some information about how they tie into the season.
- We will bake pumpkin pies with fresh pumpkins. (Pies made with roasted pumpkins are so tasty!) This is another opportunity to teach math and science.
If you have never gone to an orchard during the fall, I encourage you to look into it. It is worth the experience!
Filed under Lesson Plans | Comments (3)Family Traditions
My family has survived planning and hosting yet another birthday bash - this time for a two year old. We really had a great time at the party, though! This whole process got me thinking about family traditions. We are a relatively young family, and we’re still developing our family traditions. I can’t help but think of one of the many talks that I have heard at Mom-to-Mom, a local ministry for mothers, about this very topic. Jo-Anne, the administrator, has spoken about how families form traditions and create memories along the way. I hope that the traditions that my family establishes now will make a life time of memories! There are a few family traditions that we have established that are worth mentioning.
Fall is our favorite season, and every fall my family goes to Stowe, VT to see the foliage. My husband and I actually started this tradition when we got married as we went there for our honeymoon weekend. We just love visiting this quaint town and taking some time to enjoy God’s creation. The cooler weather is great for hiking and biking. We love the slower pace of the area, too. We also take our family apple and pumpkin picking in the fall. We have a particular farm we visit every year that has animals and great picking. It is also centrally located so that many other families can join us. I love how the kids see the reality of where their food comes from. I love watching them try to find the best fruit and how they love climbing high up with Daddy. My father and nephew also join us on the adventure. The kids eat apples in the wagon and we scurry to finish filling the bags. My dad loves the apple pie there, too! We spend time baking and freezing our apples, too.
Then there are Christmas traditions that we are trying to build. I must say that we have not perfected the Christmas season like we have the fall season! We do pick out our Christmas tree at the same place every year. I never had a live tree growing up, so I really want this for my own family. We also take our extended families to church with us for Christmas performances and on Christmas Eve. We have tried several scenarios for Christmas day, and when it works out perfectly, I’ll let you know! One tradition that I am trying to keep is to read the Christmas story together every year. I have the complete story printed out in a little booklet so no one has to leaf through the Bible to find the scriptures. I think that this act speaks volumes about what Christmas is actually about, the birth of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
That brings me to the birthday traditions that are so important to me and the whole reason for this particular post. Birthdays are a celebration of life, and I really want my family to feel like we are living life to its fullest. For every birthday I bake a cake related to the theme of the party. I am not a trained pastry chef. I have never taken a cake decorating class. I use a box mix for the cake, but the decorating is the part that I spend time on. I think that the cake is the most memorable part of the party for kids. I want my children to remember that Mommy made the cakes that they wanted. It is an expression of my love. I also want the children to be surrounded by their closest family and friends. A birthday only comes once a year, and I want each child to feel like a star on that day! We try to do everything possible to make that happen. The parties are carefully planned with the components that each child wants included. I try to get extended family involved in the party in some way, too. My dear husband also takes millions of photos to commenmorate the day. This particular party had a garden theme. My dad and I made homemade games to fit the theme: butterfly bowling, pin-the-petal on the flower, catch the bubble, paint a butterfly magnet, & garden hopscotch. Kids filled their own goody bags with bugs, flower rings, and/or ladybug stickers after playing each game. I made a flower shaped cake out of cupcakes, and the kids decorated their cupcakes. The day was fun for us and the kids. I know that we made some very special memories at that party and in preparation for the party.
Family traditions are special since they provide activities that involved the entire family. Everyone looks forward to (or dreads, I suppose!) those special traditions. Traditions also define your family, so when your children look back on their growing up years, they will remember those times the most - even if they don’t continue those same traditions. Make a few memories this year!
Dreamer in Need of Focus
I have been thinking about how the fall is fast approaching and I have done nothing to prepare for it. My office/school space is a disaster, and I have no idea where anything is. The kids are not cutting me a break either as they have been coming in and rifling through everything. My stuff is somewhere in all of these piles!
This summer we have had school in session on and off depending on vacation plans and what have you. It has been so great to have a really flexible schedule. (I know they are learning no matter what.) Starting this fall we are combining home school with a part-time Montessori school. (I have tons of paperwork to fill out for that!) I have not gotten my act together for our home school yet, though (At least I know part of what will be happening with school this fall.) What is keeping me from getting things in order?
I am a big picture kind of gal - a real dreamer. I love to think about all of the possibilities there are, but I find it hard to get down to the details. That is where I am right now. I am overwhelmed by the many things that we could do this school year, but I can’t seem to focus on what is important. I also can’t seem to find the time to get it all planned and organized either!
Are you in the same boat? Here are few things that have helped me in the past that you might find helpful, too:
- Write down all of your ideas. Basically make a web of your ideas. It helps to be able to get it all out and see the possibilities. You will also have the ideas available for future reference.
- Break the work down into little pieces. If you take one idea and make plans for it every day, you will feel more accomplished. You’ll even have something finished by the end of the day!
- Ask the kids what they want to learn. You can use this as a starting point to get back into the groove of things. They will be more invested in what you are doing because it is based on their interests.
- Establish some valuable school work that will run by itself. What I mean is find a few things that do not require daily or even weekly planning. For example, the children could have diaries that they write about anything they want in. They could have independent reading accompanied by book reviews they have to write. You don’t have to make any plans for this kind of work. The kids already know what is expected, and they do the work. Then you will have some time to do a little research, setting up, planning, etc instead of planning everything now.
- Ask for help. Perhaps you have a friend who is more organized than you are. Friends who love order are great for this kind of task. They often really get into the project because it is what they love to do (and they often need to see the task to completion). Maybe your husband can help you out, too. Could he take on some extra responsibilities around the house to free you up? Could he do some preparation for the school year for you? Even if he is not around (traveling, etc.) maybe he can do a little research for you. He certainly can encourage you and help you get your head in the game!
- Pray. It seems so simple, but God will help you in times of trouble, even if you think that the request is insignificant. I often forget to pray, but it is such an important thing to do.
I hope that this post helps you get back on track! Enjoy the last bit of summer, and I hope that the beginning of the school year goes well for you. Happy learning!
Filed under Homeschooling Life | Comment (1)
