Giggles, Wiggles and Wonder

Enormous Mushroom! Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T14:28:00.000-04:00

This mushroom might be bigger than a little boy's brain!

Two Are Better Than One!

2011-09-26T15:30:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I can say that I've got it all figured out with having two boys at once since my nephew has joined us a few days a week, but I can say that it's much more lively around here! They keep me on my toes, to say the least. We're all having fun so far.

Shenanigans of all sorts are just part of the routine.

Hands-On Equations as part of our math is a big hit here. Shirts optional.

Both boys are reading Holes. What a fun book!

Walker's bobblehead sculpture: an alien from a video game.

Cullen's bobblehead sculpture: a camouflaged duck.

I appreciate the quiet moments!

Wordless Wednesday: DeSoto Falls Hike

2011-09-21T14:49:00.002-04:00

Cloudy and Drizzly Sunday Afternoon

2011-09-04T15:21:00.001-04:00

Justin is here in the basement playroom with Cullen, and they have been making so much noise. I just went down to see exactly what they were playing and found that the the yelling and shouting was actually coming from the little Lego people. Imagine that.

Cookie's idea of how to spend a Sunday afternoon is a little more appealing to me personally.

Well, I might stretch out on the sofa since I'm allowed on the furniture.

Hands-On Equations

2011-09-01T14:03:00.003-04:00

Last summer, I bought a kit from Hands-On Equations to use as a fun supplement to Cullen's math curriculum, but never actually got very far into using it. He is taking enrichment classes this year through the Timothy Ministries at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, and I was excited to see that one of the available classes was Hands-On Equations using these same materials. So he gets to work in a small group with beginning algebra concepts and simple equations once a week, doing follow-up work and practice at home with me.

Cullen likes very much the logic of math, the assurance that if certain rules are followed, then the outcome is predictable. The visual and hands-on elements of these materials make it much easier to grasp the concepts of working with an unknown quantity, and keeping both sides of the equation balanced feels more like play with colorful little game pieces. The word "variable" can sound intimidating the first time you hear it, but it looks kind of cute and very non-threatening as a little blue game pawn.

I was really impressed with these teaching materials when I came across them earlier. Now that I see how well they work with a young mind, I am even more enamored. After two weeks, my nine-year old is solving equations that I was never exposed to until 7th grade.

The best part is he thinks it's fun!

Starting With a Bang! New School Year Begins

2011-08-26T12:52:00.004-04:00

Not one but TWO field trips made for an exciting first full week of school for us. This year, my nephew, Walker, will be joining us a couple of days each week. You've seen him here on the blog before many times for special events and outings. Now he'll be part of our regular days sometimes.

Monday was a day for outdoor adventure. Along with new friends and also some favorite cousins, as part of the Genesis 1:ten club, an off-shoot of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Homeschool Support Group, we canoed down a six-mile stretch of the Chestatee River. Most of the river was smooth and serene, but there were some mild rapids. Being late in an unusually hot and dry summer, the water was a little low, which meant greater danger of getting hung up on the rocks. Since our canoe was first in line, we pretty much found all of the rocks to get hung up on!

Taken by my cousin, Jamie, or her husband, Ken, as they paddled by.

At the halfway point, everyone beached the boats and got out to explore the river, play and snack a bit.

Kathryn and Cullen looking for gold, unfortunately finding only mica.

Catching a cool ride on the current.

Gorgeous!

Wildlife spotting was fun, especially counting turtles before they plopped into the water at our approach. We even floated by a beaver home, which was a first for me. The boys learned a great deal about the physics of paddling a canoe - the law of equal and opposite reaction, resistance, velocity affecting the size of the impact when we hit something in the water, etc., etc. Of course, to them it was just figuring out how to make the boat go where we wanted it to go and that dragging one's paddle in the water while Mom's in the back trying to make us go will cause her to growl and grumble.

Then Thursday we made a visit to the Tellus Museum with more homeschoolers from the JFBC group. The Tellus is a favorite of ours and close enough that we've been several times. New this visit was a planetarium show featuring wild rollercoaster rides (virtual, of course) on various planets and moons in our solar sytem. Each was designed with special regard for the surface and atmospheric conditions, which made for some really cool rides. At least it felt like we were riding!

The pendulum is beautiful and mesmerizing - demonstrating the rotation of the Earth.

At the solar house on site, a volunteer explains the water heating system.

"Don't eat me!"

Hands-on exploration of light and reflective properties.

Petrified wood. Stone or tree?

We did manage to get started on the more mundane reading, writing and arithmetic, but I'll save it for another post. It all sounds pretty boring next to this!

Wordless Wednesday - Jamestown and Yorktown (a little late!)

2011-04-06T15:52:00.002-04:00

Exploring a recreated Powhatan home near the Jamestown fort.

Learning how to make rope and all the ways it was used.

Scraping a hide with sharpened oyster shells is tougher than it looks!

The ships were very exciting to tour, with sailors on hand to answer questions.

Belowdecks, our guide explained different types of shot used with the cannon.

The reenactors were so authentic and eager to talk with us.

Except we couldn't understand a word from these two.

Everything was hands-on!

We each got to test the weight of the sword.

Boys.

These two were entirely in their element here!

On to Yorktown and forward in time to the American Revolution...

Learning all about a REAL musket. (Note the toy one.)

Possibly the highlight of the trip for my son.

Details about the camp surgeon's work were a bit difficult to hear.

I especially liked the camp laundry area! Very interesting undergarments.

Colonial Williamsburg - Biggest Wordless Wednesday Ever!

2011-03-09T11:51:00.004-05:00

Walker, my nephew, and Cullen with the local newspaper editor and his horse.

Our guide for Mechanics of the Trades tour demonstrating a lever.

Couldn't miss this photo op!

Blacksmith making nails.

Doctor's office.

Apothecary. Note the chocolate bar on the shelf with the medicine.

The re-enactor at the Capital was terrific.

A quiet moment.

These kids were really great!

Believe it or not, this is a candid shot. He is a serious fan of George Washington!

A"new" piano-forte and an "expensive" cotton slipcover over a silk-upholstered chair- before cotton was grown here.

Fancy heater in the Governor's Mansion.

The boys stayed in character nearly the whole visit.

See what I mean?

Looks like a real Minuteman!

This horse is obviously a little boy at heart.

The gunsmith shop was especially interesting to the boys.

How to make your own bullets is useful information!

I almost couldn't get them out of the armory.

All of us - me, Walker, my Mom and Cullen - taking a carriage ride.

It was difficult to choose from a thousand pictures! There were so many shops, interesting people and examples of Colonial architecture. We were there two days and didn't manage to see it all.

Next up, highlights of our visit to the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center.

Wordless Wednesday - Chess Buddies

2011-03-02T16:31:00.002-05:00

Cullen in center with Nathan, Brandon and Coach Norm on trophy day

Coming soon -full recap of our trip to Colonial WIlliamsburg, Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center!!!

Quirkiness

2011-02-20T10:57:00.000-05:00

Math at our house requires a few things:

an action figure for company,
a snack for brain power,
and a really rad hairstyle for general coolness!

I love it!

What odd things go on during your homeschooling?

A Quick Peek Into Our Day

2011-02-17T13:24:00.004-05:00

I am listening to Cullen read Because of Winn-Dixie aloud to me this week. He's loving the story and enjoying the chance to say the word "ain't" without correction. This is a terrific story and new to me. Don't miss this one, if you haven't read it.

This morning he mastered long division, with and without remainders. It is clear by his smile that he feels a great sense of accomplishment today! (Me, too!)

While I am heating up some soup for our lunch, my little guy is having a quick Pokemon break. He is currently fascinated with these - and no wonder, really. They are adorably cute AND they are constantly pairing up to do battle. What little boy wouldn't find them appealing?

After lunch, we have a bit more work to do - a little language arts, piano practice, and some reading on American history from Liberty!: How the Revolutionary War Began (Landmark Books) which we both really like, recommended through Tapestry of Grace:

Late next week, we head to Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown in Virginia for our biggest field trip ever. Yes, I'll be sharing plenty of photos when we get back. I may be more excited about this trip than Cullen, but I'm pretty sure he will end up having a blast and learning a few things along the way.

Writing Challenges

2011-02-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Writing - not handwriting, but composing thoughts and getting them down on paper in a coherent manner - is currently my primary focus for Cullen this semester.

He will tell you adamantly that he doesn't like to write. That's not entirely accurate, however. He loves to write, as long as I don't ask him to make an effort at correct punctuation and sentence structure. In his opinion, the words "edit" and "revise" are the most dreaded in all of the English language.

And don't even bring up the topic of spelling! If a reader can manage to work out what the word is most likely supposed to be - well, that's good enough. Never mind years of 100's on spelling tests. It's not important enough to even make the attempt to remember correct spelling!

Other than those pesky mechanics, he will work for hours on his own little books and comics and lists, etc. He presents his ideas very well. Just take it slowly if you wish to read them!

Amazingly, his own distinctive voice is quite clear in his writing. It usually reflects his sense of humor, his habit of intentionally interrupting himself with asides, and creative use of punctuation (as he understands it at this point) to include rhythm and pauses...like this...you get it... right?

We've just finished reading through Grammar Island, taking our time and discussing along the way. I am so glad to have found this series! It takes a completely unconventional and refreshing approach to grammar with beautiful, playful language and artwork. Word nerd that I am, I just adore this book! Even better, though, is hearing my eight -year-old beg to do more grammar!

While it was originally created for gifted learners, its light-hearted conversational/narrative style is perfectly suited to the one-on-one setting of at-home learning. We made our way through at an easy pace, having fun with every lesson. Next, we'll continue with the companion, Sentence Island, which has a greater focus on writing and building sentences, and also review concepts with Practice Island at the same time. The entire MCT Language Arts Curriculum can be found here at Royal Fireworks Press.

I feel confident we are on the right track with grammar and mechanics. Now if I can just convince him that spelling really IS important... He thinks so independently, and just because something is a priority to me, he feels in no way obligated to adopt my way of thinking

Actually, he's been asking to start his own blog, but I've just been putting it off. Maybe if someone other than Mom will be reading, he might raise his standard on his own. Oh, I hope so!

Friday Favorites

2011-01-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to share a few favorite things:

I bought several books from this series not long ago, but this is the first that I've shared with my 8 year-old. He's enjoying and learning from it! I'm enjoying and learning from it! The tone is light and playful without compromising important ideas and information.

Cullen is finding his current reading selection to be one of his favorites so far.

And while we're talking favorites, I am completely enamored with this:

Now back to work. We still have math and music to go today.

Told you it would be quick!

Pics from Family Ski Trip

2011-01-27T10:22:00.000-05:00

After taking much of December off from schooling, an easy start in the new year and a much-needed family vacation last week, I am raring to hit the books again! I can't, however, speak for the little guy. It looks like a few more days may be necessary before he settles back in to a routine.

So there being no school-related updates to share with you, here are a few photos of our time at Wolf Ridge, NC, last week.

Cullen in blue with his cousin/pal, Justin

A very patient instructor!

Yipeee!!!!

Big sister, Taylor, with zero falls!

Big brother, Eric, is too much the daredevil to say the same. ;o)

Sunset from Wolf Ridge

Wordless Wednesday - My Sister's Softball Team in Special Olympics State Games

2010-12-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

Tia at bat

Coming home!

No lack of confidence here!

Cullen was thrilled to serve as bat boy for final game of playoffs.

Bronze Medal!!!

Wordless Wednesday - George Smith State Park

2010-11-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

Little sis, Tia, with Cullen

Wordless Wednesday ~ Watercolors

2010-11-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

I'm looking forward to updating more here very soon! My computer died recently, but I've almost got this new machine set up the way I want it. Almost.

Hope you're all having a geat week!

Impromptu Nature Study/Writing Session

2010-10-21T10:37:00.000-04:00

Frankly, there are some days that I feel I'm dragging my child through the day's schoolwork.

Then there are days that he jumps in of his own accord, with his own interests and questions and ideas. Like this day.

In early morning, wearing pajamas still, he went out with binoculars, paper, pencil and clipboard to do a little nature study from our back deck. Then he wrote a fictional, but realistic piece on the hawk that frequents our back yard. As he shared it indoors with us later, he was quick to point out that his spelling was a mess, but that he intended to edit it and make corrections soon. I couldn't say a word - only smile and give him a hug!

Wordless Wednesday - Learning to Tie Shoes at Age 8, Thanks to the Wonder of Velcro!

2010-10-20T12:11:00.001-04:00

Photos from Orlando, FL, Trip

2010-10-19T09:50:00.002-04:00

Finally learned the difference between Chip and Dale!

The bus stop was just as much fun as any ride.

Some Minnie Mouse sweetness!

Some frozen, fruity sweetness!

Some undersea awesomeness!

Same shot I took of my oldest two about 15 years ago - unconcerned Dad and all.

The new Harry Potter area was incredibly crowded, but cool.

Gun show!

The Lego-ness Monster

Chuck made his acting debut in a big way! Go, Dad!

The Lego store was a daily stop for us.

Cullen on safari. It didn't actually smell bad at all; he's just really good at dramatic anticipation!

The unavoidable waiting-around time gave us a chance to rest our feet and enjoy hanging out together. Overall, it was a terrific get-away!

Camping with Cub Scouts

2010-10-04T23:20:00.005-04:00

Along with some of our fellow scouts and their families, we enjoyed gorgeous weather while camping together this past weekend. Other than chilly nights, it was the perfect time to do this - no mosquitoes or gnats!!!

Here's our favorite Cub Scout being his usual dramatic self. There's no telling what he's doing here.

The first morning, the scouts raised a tattered flag that my father-in-law had asked us to retire for one last fly. Cullen got to help his Cubmaster raise it. Later that evening, it was retired and burned along with three other old flags in a respectful and meaningful ceremony.

Along with the expected running around, football tossing, frisbee throwing, stick whittling, game playing, fishing and fort building, the boys (along with several sisters and one little brother) split up into teams for a nature-themed scavenger hunt, learning how to identify local trees during the process.

Several boys tried fishing a bit with their dads, though I'm pretty certain no one caught a fish. They surely heard all of the noise and swam to another part of the lake! Chuck and Cullen tried to find a quiet spot.

Good thing for Cullen that Dad has excellent balance for getting a snagged line free when necessary!

There was a perfect balance of time together with the group...

and time one-on-one with Dad.

Of course the most anticipated part of camping was by far cooking over the fire.

Cullen perfected the art of roasting hot dogs and after a little practice, of not burning his marshmallows. I love burnt marshmallows, so I helped him out with those.

One of the highlights for me was finding an owl pellet! If you don't know, the pellet is the ball of fur and bones and other odd bits that the owl regurgitates after digesting all that it can of whatever animal it most recently ate. Disgusting, I know, but fascinating. I consider the discovery a reward for not sleeping much because of the owl's hooting ALL night long!

As much as I wanted to keep it and bring it home to add to my collection of odd things, one of the scouts in Cullen's den who is more of a nature-fanatic than even I am was just about beside himself to add it to his own collection, offering me all sorts of incredible things in trade. I did the right thing - though it really should have been easier - and let him have it free and clear - no trade required. I did get a big hug, though, which I accepted gladly. I also insisted that he not take it out of the ziplock bag I put it in until one of his parents could spray it with disinfectant or get him some gloves.

I absolutely love being outdoors. It heals and feeds me in ways that are difficult to describe. Watching the kids enjoy and explore what I already love so much was rewarding, too. I consider this to be time very well spent.

However, I must admit that I have a new and deeper appreciation for indoor plumbing. I'm just saying...

Weekly Wrap-Up (in which we don't have much to wrap-up)

2010-09-24T15:47:00.005-04:00

Local schools have been on a week-long fall break. I've discovered that it's a losing battle to keep Cullen's attention while squeals and laughter of playing neighborhood children can be heard from outdoors. Actually I'm not mean enough to keep him in while all of the fun is obviously out there!

Though we still managed the basic reading and math almost every day, as well as reading about and discussing our solar system and early colonial life, this has been more of a break than not. I just remembered that we also learned about direct objects in grammar. Okay, maybe we actually did more than I thought!

Here is a quick shot I snuck of the kids, my little guy as catcher, working out the details before a game of wiffle baseball. Cullen has spent so much time on his bike and scooter and running up and down the street, that I suppose I could count extra P.E. for the whole week!

Weekly Report (a light week and a cemetery)

2010-09-20T09:50:00.003-04:00

This past week, we really only had about a third of the usual academic work. Then there were days that I call "Life Skills Days" in which we cleaned out and reorganized Cullen's drawers, closet and various piles of stuff.

While there isn't much to report as far as school work goes, other than we made a bit of progress in the usual subjects, we did have a memorable, impromptu outing. Finding ourselves near the Marietta National Cemetery with a little time to spare before an appointment, we drove in, parked, then walked around to explore. There are veterans buried here from the Union Forces during the Civil War and from just about every war since then. Near a beautiful marble pavilion at the top of the hill is a section of closely placed stones in memory of those whose remains never made it home from World War II. One of these is for my grandmother's brother, George E. Walker, who was held as a prisoner of War for some time, then lost at sea. His stone is in the first row facing the walkway. I was surprised at how easily we found it.

Cullen was in quiet awe at the sheer number of graves. He made a point to read as many of their names as he could when we passed by. We have yet to study a war with any detail, expecting to get to the Civil War in our curriculum either late this year or next fall. While I want to be careful not to overwhelm him with too much detail for his age, I would very much like for him to understand that war is nothing like the video games portray - that there are real people, real families affected in terrible ways. In learning about someone in our own family who was lost and terribly missed, I think he understood just a little bit better.

The 25th Annual Great Allatoona Lake Clean-up

2010-09-19T10:32:00.002-04:00

Early Saturday morning, Cullen and I joined some fellow scouts at Proctor Landing in Acworth as part of the longest-running organized conservation project in the country. The clean-up covered the shore areas of as much of the lake as possible, including a couple of counties and an huge number of volunteers.

We scoured the ground for even the smallest bits of trash...

mostly finding bottles, cans, plastic food wrappers and thousands of cigarette butts. Our most unusual finds included a camouflage t-shirt, a dangly earring made of can pull tabs, a couple of rubber balls and a boiled egg yolk hardened to the point that it felt like a rock. (You would think some animal would've eaten that.) We watched a group of scouts from another pack toting, inexplicably, a stray door from a port-a-potty up from the water's edge!

I only had my phone for photos, and this is by far the oddest shot I've ever taken. I think I was moving forward as I snapped. Looking at it makes me a little dizzy! Anyway, this is Cullen and his Cubmaster, Rob.

We live very near the lake, as do most of the scouts in Cullen's pack, so it was easy for each of us to really care about taking care of the area. After we had covered our assigned area, we gathered at a picnic table. The boys were most surprised and incredulous that there so many beer bottles had been thrown into the woods.They had trouble understanding why those folks didn't use one of the very evident trash cans. Honestly, I wondered the same thing.

Here's our group of kids - the boys and a few sisters that joined in. They seemed to each have a sense of accomplishment, as the difference they had just made was very evident to the eye. Of course, they were eager to get a commemorative patch, too. I have to say, the whole event felt as much fun as work.

Weekly Wrap-up

2010-09-13T10:48:00.002-04:00

I've been struggling with whether or not to do weekly wrap-up posts, as they are not easy to make interesting most of the time. They are a great way for me to see that we actually did accomplish a few things, despite my paranoid version of perfectionism! So if you'll bear with me, I think I'll give it a whirl.

The biggest hits for the week with Cullen all had to do with our unit on space and the solar system. We've been reading from several sources, and got in on an astronomy workshop at the Tellus Museum nearby. Even though it meant staying up really late, this event was very interesting and informative. Though the cloud cover prevented us looking through the big telescope at Jupiter, we did get to see inside the observatory, learn about the night sky in the planetarium, (good weather guaranteed in there!) and hear talk on Jupiter and its moons - with giant photos on screen - by an astronomer. Cullen ran down afterward to ask for his autograph. The classic styrofoam model was fun for me, too, because my little guy let me paint a planet or two!

You are here...

Our history study has focused on early colonists and Native Americans for the past couple of weeks, with Jamestown, Pocahontas and the Powhatan the week prior and with the Mayflower, Separatists & Strangers, Squanto and the Puritans this past week, with a bit of map work included. Some of our favorite books have been:

For math, we are primarily working from Singapore 3A and learning multiplication facts. The computer game Timez Attack is Cullen's favorite way to practice - no surprise here. We currently only have the free download, but I'm planning to purchase the full version just because he enjoys it AND it's working!

We are using some new things this year for language arts, which I'm very pleased with so far. Look for more detailed posts soon on All About Spelling and especially about MCT Island level series. I am LOVING both, and Cullen asks often to do lessons from these. We are also giving Wordly Wise Vocabulary a try with an easy, unrushed schedule. Cullen is currently reading The Whipping Boy.

I've not yet added in Latin, but plan to do that this week. Also, we'll get back on track with some memory work with a poem and scripture verse. Enrichment classes are still a favorite part of his week, with chess, acting and a Lego simple machines class every Wednesday.

It seems I've misplaced my camera somewhere, and I'm lost without it! Hope to have it in-hand very soon. My phone doesn't take the greatest photos, as you can see. Maybe it's in my car...

Wordless Wednesday - Cullen's Favorite Things

2010-09-08T09:27:00.000-04:00

Cub Scouts...

A new super-cool comforter for his bed...

Playing chess with big brother...

My Excuse

2010-08-31T09:29:00.001-04:00

This is the biggest reason that I didn't get a wrap-up post done at the end of last week...

My oldest son, Eric, and our little grandson, Gavin, spent time with us this past weekend. Cullen got to work on becoming the coolest uncle ever!

I'll catch up soon!

Moments That Shine

2010-08-19T16:47:00.003-04:00

There are moments of this journey that just seem to rise up above the everyday - moments that encourage me and keep me motivated to do this work. If you teach children, you know exactly what I mean!

One example from our week: After riding in the car for just a few minutes with the local public broadcasting station playing, Cullen asked me what we were listening to on the radio. I answered that I couldn't tell yet.

"It sounds a lot like Bach," he offered.

Music lover that I am, my heart just swelled up that he even cared! My grin got even bigger when I realized that it was indeed a piece by Bach. Way to go, kiddo!

I wish I knew the story on this particular image!

School Room Pics

2010-08-13T14:43:00.005-04:00

For School Room week at the Not Back-To-School Blog Hop, I'm sharing pics of our classroom. If you caught my earlier post in which I revealed the huge mess this room was in, I especially hope that you'll take a moment to see these "after" photos! Although, if you are one that doesn't tolerate visual clutter very well, you may not see much difference in the before and after shots. This room is a party for the eyeballs, thanks to inexpensive posters, old artwork, favorite toys and other oddball decorations.

Though we truly do use the entire house - kitchen table, couch, a bed, even outdoors when the weather suits - most of Cullen's seat work is done here. Our school room is also a playroom and the puppy's bedroom, which makes keeping it neat a bit of a challenge! (Cookie posed for this photo.)

You want to see what? Inside the closet? the cabinets?

Umm...how about I save that for another post. ;o)

Third Grade - Seriously

2010-08-09T14:48:00.001-04:00

This is our first day of school this year. Cullen is a big third-grader now.

No more baby-stuff. Time to get serious.

Don't let that photo fool you for a minute! There is still more than enough goofiness around here!

This year, however, I am feeling a little more - no, a LOT more pressure as far as academics are concerned. I'm a bit of a perfectionist in recovery. (If I'm fighting the worry now, can you imagine what middle grades will be like!?!) Over and over, I keep reminding myself that this should and can be fun. Forgetting that will never be a problem, really, because I am quite certain that Cullen will be quick to remind me!

Today was an easy first day for us, with only about half of what will be a full day's workload. Fun hands-on math, silly drill for facts, a little handwriting, a little... you get the idea.

Alhough Cullen loudly announced several times this morning his great displeasure at having to do any schoolwork, my husband and I both noted that he seemed awfully happy to be so miserable!

8th Birthday

2010-08-07T22:49:00.004-04:00

Cullen is now 8 years old! I'm still a little puzzled at how the years have flown. Here's the birthday boy with two of his buddies:

This afternoon, his party was at a nearby place with the usual giant jumpy things and also an indoor playground in a huge sand play area. We had a beach playground with air-conditioning!

This is our last big hurrah for summer break. We begin school on Monday - whether I'm ready or not!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little work to do!

Curriculum for 2010-2011

2010-08-06T14:18:00.003-04:00

It's Curriculum Week for the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter. Of course, I am posting my entry on the last day possible! Here is our plan for the year:

Bible/Devotional - Explorer's Bible series, 365 Days to Knowing God for Guys

Memory work - scripture and poems

Handwriting - D'Nealian Cursive, copywork

Spelling - All About Spelling levels 2-3

Math - Singapore 3A-3B with selections from Horizons Math (because Cullen likes it!) Hands-On Equations and plenty of games

Latin - Latin for Children A

Language Arts - MCT Grammar Island, Sentence Island, Music Hemispheres (poetry) with additional poems, Practice Island, Building Language (vocabulary,) IEW Writing incorporated throughout LA, science & history, reading from Junior Great Books and selected novels with some read-alouds from me, as well

Geography - Geography Songs, mapwork

History - Tapestry of Grace Year 2 (second half) Beginning American History (We may or may not get into Yr 3 this year.)

Science - Lego Simple Machines classes, Real Science 4 Kids level 1, space and ocean units, plenty of time in nature

Art & Music - various projects from Artistic Pursuits, artist & composer studies via Harmony Fine Arts, piano, boys choir,

Other - Critical Thinking and Logic with Critical Thinking Press software, keyboarding skills, Etiquette, Chess, gymnastics, acting & improvisation class

Mix in a generous helping of field trips, fun outings and pajama days for an exciting year!

I've been asked more than once if I've finished the big clean-up project! Every time I think I'm close, I end up pulling another stack of things out for planning. You know how that is! Photos coming very soon!

Wordless Wednesday Warrior

2010-08-04T19:03:00.000-04:00

100% boy...

Even George isn't safe.

Guess who stayed VERY close to me while all of this was going on?

Oooops! I wasn't supposed to use any words. ;o)

Life Happens

2010-07-21T16:24:00.001-04:00

No, I am not finished with my big clean-up project yet. Though I've definitely made some headway, I am too much the perfectionist to just shove things in the cabinets. Every single item just really needs me to handle it, to think about it and to find a home for it. (Sometimes that home is the trash bag!)

My uncle passed away yesterday, and there is no way we would not drive back to my hometown to be with family to celebrate his life together. We are packing now to leave in the morning and won't be back here again until late Sunday. Though it will be wonderful to see some of my favorite relatives, I so wish my uncle could be part of the fun, cutting jokes left and right, as usual. I am certain, though, that we'll hear him in our hearts through the whole weekend.

The unfinished project will still be here when we get home, and it really doesn't seem as important anymore. Though I kinda wish I had waited to show you all those photos, so I could post the "after" pics within a day or so and you could just think I tackled it all in a whirlwind of efficiency. ;o)

Keepin' it Real - The Big Clean-up

2010-07-17T11:34:00.003-04:00

Our school year begins in just a couple of weeks. The school room IS NOT ready!!! So instead of diving in to tackle the mess, I took the time to record the chaos in photos and write this post, sharing the ugly truth with you. Keepin' it real, yes, but I am also quite aware that this is just another clever method of procrastination!

Most of my planning was done last May. Most, maybe all, curriculum had already been purchased. I left stacks of books out in the school room because I still need to do the detailed plans for the first six weeks or so. Then summer happened. Everything just sat contentedly waiting for me to get back to it. I wish!

Cullen also uses this room as a hang-out/play room. My neatly ordered stacks were shoved aside to make room for comic books, Legos and assorted and sundry action figures. You can see that our body boy on the door no longer sports any lower legs. I'm fairly certain that the puppy ate them at some point.

The play table has been piled high with just about everything to make way for a fort, for which Cookie obviously does not have the necessary password.

Culling through books for the "give away or save for the grandbaby" box has been only half finished for several weeks now, and though it really shouldn't surprise me, I'm wondering where all of this stuff came from!.

The closet actually isn't as bad as I expected as I opened the door, but still ...

The old entertainment center with art supplies and the tv/dvd setup (which we use for educational purposes) as well as the video game system (which Cullen wishes could be justified as an educational use of time) shouldn't take too much to make neat. Look at the oddball things up top, though. Why have I kept that dancing chicken?

Okay. I'm off to the kitchen for a fortifying snack, (I know, more procrastinating.) then we'll tackle the mess. Now that you've seen the "before" pics, my personal sense of pride will require "after" photos as soon as possible. Thanks for the motivation!

Wordless Wednesday - in which Cullen tries to appear really, really smart

2010-07-14T13:52:00.001-04:00

Chess Camp Hocus Pocus

2010-07-13T13:59:00.002-04:00

When I picked up Cullen this afternoon from day 2 of chess camp, I had to wait a few minutes for him to finish up a game with his friend Scarlett. They were playing on the coveted giant floor set, so there was no chance of stopping the game.

Apparently Cullen is trying some new tactics these days. This looked a great deal like the air bending moves from Avatar! Not sure how effective that actually was for him, but he did win the match. There is something to be said for distracting your opponent!

Blue Angels at the Beach

2010-07-12T14:26:00.005-04:00

What a whirlwind the past few days have been! We just returned from a quick trip to Pensacola Beach to visit with a few family members and to see the air show. Cullen and I drove down with my mom and my youngest sister, Tia.

These two are big buddies.

Though we didn't find an intact one, there were plenty of sand dollar chunks to discover in the seaweed.

My Dad, my brother and his family and one of my cousins and his new family came over on Saturday to watch the air show. We were a bit away from the center of the action, so the beach wasn't too crowded for us to play. My Dad spent some time showing Cullen and his cousin, Alec, how to properly bury someone in the sand.

I wish I were a better photographer or that I had a video camera handy to better capture the planes flying for the show. Here are a couple of quick shots of the Blue Angels. They flew so fast, it was hard to catch up with them!

I think my Mom enjoyed the air show more than the kids!

Though the water was pretty much clear to the eye, except for the usual seaweed, Cullen did bring me a small tar ball from the waves at one point. I found a shell with a coating of oil inside, and there were a few times that we could clearly smell it on the wind. I love the ocean so much that it hurts to even think about damage from the oil spill. Knowing it is out there made this time enjoying the waves and sand even more precious.

Lazy Days. So lazy, I don't have much to say!

2010-07-06T10:50:00.004-04:00

Days have been filled with the expected summertime fun; evenings, as well. I've been terrible about remembering to get out the camera lately. All I have to offer today is a just-before-bedtime father-son game of Battle.

Tomorrow we leave to visit the gulf coast, to see my Dad, brother and his family and other relatives. We're hoping the beaches aren't terrible, but don't really expect to get in the water just in case. The Blue Angels are scheduled to fly in the Pensacola Beach Air Show this weekend, which will be exciting for Cullen. I hope to get a few good photos!

The Dad at Our House

2010-06-20T08:00:00.005-04:00

My husband, Chuck,

who is smart and strong and loving,

who has the ability to focus, the will to accomplish,

and the heart to share,

who takes personal pride in doing a job well,

who is not afraid to learn new things,

who tolerates my quirkiness,

(I think he secretly loves me because of it!)

and who would do just about anything for his family.

I am grateful to be so blessed!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

2010-06-19T23:24:00.002-04:00

We drove down to the Braves game this past Thursday evening to meet my husband's aunt, his cousin and her daughter, who is the same age as Cullen. The two kids vaguely remember meeting once a few years ago at a wedding when Kaylee wanted very much for Cullen to dance with her, but he couldn't bring himself to try that yet! Neither of them being a bit shy, they became fast friends before the game.

They each managed to get a ball during batting practice, and since there were no players available, they had their balls autographed by Homer, the mascot.

After a brief rain shower, which was very welcome because of the heat and for the opportunity to run around in the rain while the adults all huddled under cover, we settled down to watch the game.

Cullen's interest in baseball has really become serious lately, so he followed closely while trying to encourage his dad to show some spirit when the wave came around to our section! During the fourth inning, as we walked around looking for something to eat, I spotted the perfect place for a photo. I had Cullen stand so that the field could be seen beyond and below him from right behind home plate. As I snapped pictures, Heyward hit a home run, and you can see exactly how much of a Braves fan our little guy actually is.

If you look closely, you can also see that he had just finished off a blue snow cone!

Lazy Days of Summer

2010-06-15T23:36:00.004-04:00

We have been lazy around here lately. Busy, but lazy. Crazy busy having fun, actually, but in a lazy way!

Though Cullen is on a break from official schoolwork, we're trying to keep those brain cells from shriveling up too much. He's been reading The Velveteen Rabbit to me, and I am reading The Adventures of Robin Hood to him. The plan is for us to work on fluency in his math facts over the summer and to dig into Hands-On Equations at a leisurely, fun pace, taking advantage of his recent interest in balancing equations.

Weekly piano lessons are still on, with his teacher's masterful use of Cullen's interest in the musical themes from Star Wars, working them into as many ear-training exercises as possible. This same instructor has begun a new boys choir for our area, which Cullen is really enjoying. I'm tickled that he likes to sing, as that's one of my own favorite modes of expression.

Gymnastics has stepped up a notch with two days per week sessions at the pre-team level. That may sound like a lot, but I assure you, he has more than enough energy left over for quite a bit of THIS whenever the weather allows!

Wordless Wednesday - Cobb Youth Museum

2010-04-21T21:53:00.007-04:00

This trip to the Cobb County Youth Museum with our friends from GA-EPH and my nephew, Walker, was one of our best field trips ever! American History leading up to and including the revolution came alive as the kids acted out key events.

I think some of the kids had more fun with this than they expected!

Bayou Boating and a Shipyard Tour

2010-04-20T10:51:00.008-04:00

Cullen and my youngest sister, Tia, and I drove down to the southernmost part of Mississippi this past weekend for a family reunion and some time hanging out with my Dad, known as Pop by the grandkids. Tia is a kid at heart, and she and Cullen have a great time together.

We always look forward to paddling around in the little aluminum boat, but this time Cullen got to take it out solo for the first time. Well, sort of solo, because we kept a long rope tied to the dock just in case we had to pull him back.

My Dad gassed up the motor boat, and we piled in for a ride.

Not far from his house, there is a "ghost ship" washed ashore many years ago by a hurricane. I won't be at all surprised to see this popping in up in Cullen's creative writing. He thought this was awesomely creepy!

These two had the best seats on the boat.

Riding out toward the shipbuilding and port area at the mouth of the river, we got to see and hear a train run over the water.

Several ships were in for repair, and it looked like one was under construction. Even on the weekend, there were a number of cranes running and workers all over the ships. Cullen is crazy for ships of any kind right now, so he thoroughly enjoyed this! Though it was pretty hard to get photos from a moving boat with the sun so bright in my eyes, here's a favorite:

This oil rig was in for some work. The sheer hugeness of it was incredible!

Before we left to come home, Cullen spotted this small piece of driftwood floating in the bayou, so we paddled over to pick it up. Once I'm sure it's bacteria-free, he can keep it in his room. (Which reminds me that I need to get it out of the back of my car and spray it down with Lysol.)

On our next visit, I really want to visit the Pascagoula River Audubon Center and take a swamp tour with a naturalist. The birds in the area are plentiful and so beautiful, and I would love to know what they are.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T14:11:00.001-04:00

Lazy D Farm's Sheep to Shawl

2010-04-11T13:07:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, we drove up to Ball Ground, GA, to the Lazy D Farm for their annual Sheep to Shawl event. The weather was absolutely perfect for spending the day outdoors.

Of course, the new lambs were the center of attention!

Though the sheep were not eager to be held for shearing, they remained relatively calm once it began. That is probably a really good thing, considering their horns!

The shearer took a great deal of care not to hurt tender bellies.

Washed wool was then carded and spun. Visitors could try a hand at a drop spindle or just handle the wool. Smaller children could make a small woolly sheep to take home. This spindle operated on foot power. I was surprised at how quickly the whole process worked.

A local scout troop was involved with parking for the event, and they also made peach cobbler in cast iron dutch ovens over a fire. Helpings of cobbler were sold to raise money. My husband told me later how incredibly good it was. I'm not sure how he managed to buy a serving and eat it completely without me even noticing! Apparently, he didn't feel like sharing. Here is one of the scouts working a loom with dyed yarns.

The Lazy D Farm raises Angora Rabbits as well as sheep. This cuddly bunny sat in the lap of a lady who spun tufts of his shedding fur as she pet him. She would just pull off a bit here and there, then add it to her spinning.

Cullen tried washing clothes the old-fashioned way.

Some of the kids had never seen a gourd before. We enjoyed an informative talk on all the ways a dried gourd could be useful. Simple, but interesting.

Our friends, Hannah and Amber, looking through the crocheted items on display.

Cullen and his Dad were interested in the carvings and wooden toys.

This gentleman demonstrated chair caning. I wouldn't mind learning this myself!

A potter worked at her wheel alongside a booth selling some of her finished pieces.

One booth featured bees and honey-making. I almost couldn't get Cullen away from bee-watching. He has decided that he's no longer afraid of them!

My dream of having a small hobby farm was really stirred up by this outing! Maybe one day...

An Overdue Update

2010-04-09T15:11:00.008-04:00

This has been our Spring Break week, and we've both been enjoying a break. Tuesday through Thursday, Cullen spent most of each day at a mini gymnastics camp where he takes his regular classes. He came home each day completely exhausted, but raring to go again the next morning! I felt pretty strange to be without his company for so long, but did manage to clean out a particularly messy closet. Yes, it took me all three days.

The previous week, we spent a little time in the Elizabethan era, just beginning to learn about Shakespeare and Galileo. Cullen is reading Frindle right now to go along with part of a unit in our language arts. A great story with plenty of humor, it has us talking about how words are made. I foresee a bit more willing use of the dictionary as an aftereffect.

A highlight of the week was a tour of the CNN Center in Atlanta with our friends from Wednesday enrichment classes. My nephew, Walker, joined us for this one. Here are the two of them hamming it up at the anchor desk.

The basic subjects are moving along nicely. Math was a little more exciting because of the most basic algebraic equations being introduced in his Horizons math curriculum. Figuring out the value of a variable is more like solving a mystery than just filling in a blank. Cullen likes treating each side of the equation equally to keep it balanced.

In addition to his assignments from me, he's been writing in a new journal (inspired by the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, of which he blew through all four, plus the movie edition over the past several weeks on his own) and composed a paragraph about boats. He also completed his short chapter book, Star Navy: Rise of Abor.

During our Easter Sunday worship at church, Cullen was baptized as an expression of his recent decision to follow Christ. He was so excited, and we are so proud of him! After church, most of our family gathered at our house for lunch and just enjoying time together. I didn't eat, though. There was our cute little grandbaby, and I'd much rather hold him!

Weekly Update

2010-03-13T16:53:00.009-05:00

The basketball season with our local Upward organization wrapped up this week. Cullen loved the pace of the game and learned quite a bit. This is definitely something we'll do again.

A new session of weekly enrichment classes began this week, with the usual Fun With Chess class and a second round of a clay art class. He recently started piano lessons with a terrific teacher and really seems to love learning to play. ( I made an effort to find a male teacher for the role model benefits.) We also bumped gymnastics up to two afternoons per week. There is plenty going on for our little guy in the enrichment/physical ed./social opportunities department!

As far as the basics are concerned, we've had an odd turn-around lately. In the past, Cullen would drag his feet and moan about being required to write anything that I asked of him, but would do math all day if I let him. Complete about face! Math (which is currently just review actually) has become a chore, but he's been writing a paragraph here and there, as well as a handful of requested sentences, without the slightest complaint. Reading over what I've just written here, I think I see a clue - "review" in math. Time to spice things up again, I guess!

The three R's are chugging along, with a greater emphasis on writing. My usual pattern for reading, as we don't use a ready-made reading program, has been to challenge him about three-quarters of the time, then allow some fun, easier reading from time-to-time. I want him to ENJOY reading! He's been reading selections (short stories) from Level 2 of the Junior Great Books anthology, which does a terrific job of stretching his vocabulary and also giving us some very interesting topics to discuss after he reads. I like that the stories represent a broad range of cultures. Wednesday, Cullen got to start a fun book, Jake Drake, Bully Buster, which he's loving. It is a funny take on a topic with which he can identify easily!

We've done no science at all, which is something I will try to remedy next week. For one part of history, we read this book about Martin Luther and the Reformation. Cullen actually found the subject interesting enough to have an extended conversation, especially as he realized that one man's actions so long ago had an effect on how our family worships today. (We are Baptist-flavored Protestant, in case you wondered.)

On his own, Cullen is working on writing and illustrating another book. This one is a space adventure with plenty of appropriately epic language (and a 7 year-old's spelling) called, Space Navy: the Rise of Abor. There is already talk of a sequel! ;o) I'll share more as he goes along.

Puppy and a Poem

2010-03-05T10:53:00.004-05:00

Our new puppy, Cookie, has brought an enormous amount of extra giggles and wiggles to our house this past week! She's an almost 8 week-old Miniature Schnauzer named after the crushed-up Oreo that she looks like. Just listening to the constant laughter makes the extra hassle worthwhile. She is already becoming a good buddy to our little guy.

You can imagine any progress we've made toward my longed-for school routine has been shot to pieces by this new addition. Oh, well...

We did begin a new unit in Cullen's language arts studies called Beyond Words, which focuses on imagery in language with an overarching theme of "change" throughout. It was designed for classroom use, but it hasn't been difficult to adapt to a one-on-one setting. We've actually had some very interesting discussions through this. One of Cullen's assignments was to write a poem in which a thing is described by comparing it to something else and in which the item undergoes a change. The book suggested using a tree as the subject. Cullen had another idea altogether. Here is his poem:

A bubble is like an angel in the sky.
It sparkles.
It floats.
It looks like the earth
right in your eyesight.
It goes left.
It goes right
and then
POP!
It's gone.

He recites this with his usual dramatic flair!

Cullen is an uncle!

2010-02-24T15:01:00.004-05:00

My oldest son's firstborn made his appearance Monday, the 22nd, at 9:51 PM. The new mom and dad are exhausted and ecstatic! Little Gavin is adorable and quite comfortable in his big buddy's arms!

Cullen's already making plans for all the things he will teach his little nephew as he gets older, including "how to get a girlfriend." I pointed out that Cullen really didn't know much about this himself. He is quite confident, however, that by the time Gavin needs to know, he'll be an expert!

I'm having trouble thinking of myself as a grandma, but I am thoroughly enjoying loving this little grandchild!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T20:21:00.004-05:00

Flash Card Circus Act

2010-01-29T22:49:00.006-05:00

This little guy has always been energetic, to say the least. Being at home for school, we can accommodate his need for extra wiggle time throughout the day, while still working to increase the amount of time he can manage to sit upright in a chair being relatively still. He can usually do 20-25 minutes of seatwork before needing a break, longer if the seat is comfy, and he can behave well through a church service. For his age, I think that is perfectly fine. I can actually see evidence that his mind is free to work better when it isn't putting so much energy into trying to stop movement. The wiggles don't usually interfere with his learning anything. The challenge has been for me to remain unaffected by them!

Some examples of wiggles while learning: The entire first semester of his first grade year, phonics was done always and only under the table. He often fiddles with small things in his hand when he listens to a read-aloud and will sometimes wallow around on an exercise ball for thinking-intensive work (never handwriting practice though!) We move from table to floor to couch to table during the course of the day. The latest craze has been lying on his back on the floor, balancing his chair on his feet as I quiz him on math facts. He claims it helps him think better.

I'm wondering if things like this can count toward P.E.

Weekly Report

2010-01-29T16:16:00.010-05:00

Though not quite what I'd call a perfect week as far as work is concerned, I've decided to lighten up on myself a little after putting together thoughts for this post. Apparently we accomplished a little more than I realized!

The Renaissance has been exciting to read about. There will be a few more weeks for us to dig into this era. Cullen is very interested in the artists of the period, so quite a few projects are in the plans. Leonardo Da Vinci got most of our attention these past few days. There is a special exhibit here in Atlanta at the High museum on him that we should really go see.

Cullen read The Littles this week. What a cute book! Spelling, phonics, Bible Explorer lessons went nicely. We added in a little review of map skills and began a focus on adjectives. For memory work, Christina Rossetti's "Who Has Seen the Wind?" is almost ready for reciting for others.

In the area of writing, we paid special attention to choosing specific and interesting topics and in choosing good details that pertain to it. Today, Cullen did a pre-writing exercise for a paragraph on "The Life of the Blabbering Boot." Does his choice of title catch your attention!?! After he wrote out lists of details he would include, he announced to me that he thought he might go ahead and actually write this. I smiled and decided not to mention that that is exactly what I have down in my planner for next Monday. He can claim that as his own idea if he likes!

For math, he finished up Singapore 2B workbook and we just today began Horizons 3, with plans to supplement occasionally with Singapore, especially the word problems.

The human body study wrapped up today, as well. The life-size model and all readings are done. I imagine we'll have to keep this guy up on the door for awhile. We've gotten somewhat attached to him!

Wordless Wednesday (really - not a single word)

2010-01-27T12:24:00.003-05:00

Legos and Bach

2010-01-26T12:29:00.003-05:00

After a session of seat work with heavy pencil involvement, I usually allow Cullen a play break. He's enjoying one now with his Legos and a cd of Bach, our composer for the month, that I turned on for him. He just called out to me a few minutes ago, "Mom! You have to come hear this!" Of course, I wonder if he has switched to a different cd. The player was quiet when I walked into the room. He made sure I was ready to listen, then pressed a button. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, loud and enormously dramatic, filled the room. Cullen was completely enchanted with this big, dramatic piece! I hear it playing again from the next room as I type.

Don't get me wrong. He absolutely loves a hip hop beat and old 70's music. I am just thrilled that his mind is still open to finding what is beautiful and moving in classical music.

A few weeks ago, my husband said to me with a bit of amazement that Cullen was "so...(pause to search for right word) cultured for a kid his age."

I laughed, and answered, "I'm really trying!"

There are sometimes moments in this home-learning journey that make up for all the work and the difficult days. This little bit of wonder at a truly impressive piece of music was definitely one of them!

>

Magnet Mania at the Tellus Museum

2010-01-22T13:39:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week, Cullen took his first homeschool class at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville, not too far from us. The staff did a terrific job, offering a mix of interesting demonstrations and hands-on exploration of magnets and how they work. There were some new friends there, as well, that belong to the same homeschool group, some that take weekly classes with Cullen, and a couple of good friends from church, Amber and Hannah.

The kids explored electromagnets in small groups, using the scientific process of predicting, testing, observing and recording conclusions. Here Cullen and Amber work along with another little girl to see just how many paper clips their electromagnet can lift, trying to discover if the number of wire coils on the nail affect the power of the magnet.

Hannah's group graciously allowed her Dad to get in on the action!

Of course, we love this museum, so we spent another hour wandering around the exhibits. I was very pleased with the class. We will definitely be signing up for more of these. If you are in the Atlanta area, you can see details of their monthly homeschool programs here.

Dookie, the Amazing Aquatic Frog

2010-01-15T16:17:00.009-05:00

I'm too wiped out to type up a weekly report, and I did let on earlier in the week what was on our agenda, so I'm letting myself off easy this time.

Not to leave you walking away empty-handed, here's an updated photo of Cullen's aquatic frog, Dookie.

Stretched out, she is a bit longer than my hand, and you can see how plump her belly is. We probably feed her more than she should have, but it's so much fun to watch her pop up out of the water to take her food from our fingers or a little plastic spoon! Visitors are impressed that we've trained her so well, but she is actually just very determined and assertive when it comes to eating! She has her priorities perfectly straight.

Dookie came to us two years ago as a tadpole from Grow-a-Frog. The company tells us that these frogs can live more than 7 or 8 years!

I just hope she doesn't grow any bigger.

What's Really Going Around Here

2010-01-11T13:52:00.004-05:00

Not that you can tell from my last two posts, but we are actually doing some intentional learning around here. This is some of what's happening this week:

For science, Cullen has begun a month-long unit on the human body that I've pulled together from multiple sources - those shown in the photo, as well as activities from the R.E.A.L. Life Science curriculum. So far, this has been fun for both of us.

Here is the life-size model he is putting together as he goes along. It so far only has a brain and a heart. Cullen thinks this thing is hilarious, speaking to it and addressing it as himself!

Every Wednesday this quarter, he'll be participating in a WeDo Lego Robotics class, which satisfies his craving for technologically-based science. (Did I just make up a term?)

This will be a relatively light week for history, but one book I am looking forward to is this on Gutenberg's printing press.

Spelling, Explode the Code bk. 5, Bible Explorers, assorted reading assignments and vocabulary are all moving along with no surprises or changes. I am finishing up plans with some new writing and literature resources which we should begin next Monday, or maybe later this week because I'm excited about it. Watch for a post on this soon.

For math, we are doubling up on topics in order to keep things interesting. Cullen is beginning to work with fractions while doing some intensive practice with counting money and making change. Of course, as long as I let him use his play money, this is a game, not work!

Personally, I am struggling with getting back to a routine, though I desperately need to get this habit firmed up again. This is my goal to work toward for the week, and as scattered as I can usually be, it is seriously challenging!

Experiential Science

2010-01-08T11:37:00.006-05:00

This morning, Cullen got some hands-on experience with GRAVITY, RESISTANCE and PROPERTIES OF ICE.

Seriously, with all of the local schools out today because of the icy roads and the neighborhood full of squeals and screams as the kids slid around, there was no way we could tackle any of our regularly scheduled learning until we joined in for a while. So we dug out a cardboard box, which is what passes for a sled here in the deep south, and headed outside.

It is so cold and I am such a wimp that we didn't manage to stay out too long. The older kids across the street were experimenting with pouring water on their sloping drive to make a faster place to slide. I wanted to get my kid inside before the serious daredevil runs began. He thinks he can keep up with anyone and anything, but I don't think I could watch that. I told you I was a wimp.

Now Cullen is warming up with a cup of hot chocolate, and I'm thinking some snuggle time on the sofa with a couple of books and a blanket would be just about perfect. At least until he starts begging to go out again!

Jedi Training

2010-01-05T13:45:00.003-05:00

Cullen argues that this is not a toy, but science, and should count as school time. Maybe we can do a little research on the technology of amplifying brainwaves and potential ways this can be used to help people or something. It really is fascinating!

I want a turn to play now.

Accidental Unschooling

2009-12-30T10:02:00.006-05:00

After almost six weeks of silence here in the blog realm, I'm a little unsure of how to get back into posting again. Our homeschooling has been pretty different than usual over these weeks. For some time now, my general health had been deteriorating, but I couldn't quite figure out why. In November, my doctor (Why did I wait so long to go see her?!?) figured it out for me, and began ordering further tests and treatment. I'm now recovering from a simple surgical procedure with the assurance that within the next month, I should be back to my usual, high-energy self. I am more than ready for that!

With quite a few doctor visits, preparations for the holidays and my need for a ridiculous amount of rest, our regular schedule of fairly rigorous, but varied, learning for Cullen sort of fell apart. But one of the perks of homeschooling is the flexibility, right? I knew I could make up for time missed later, even through the summer, if needed. I was in for something of a surprise, though!

The philosophy of unschooling, which is almost completely child-directed, has been interesting in theory to me, but I never truly believed that it would work for my child or that I could tolerate not being in control, if I'm honest here. I was not at all expecting it, but Cullen stepped up on his own to cheerfully fill in the gaps when I let up on his regular schedule. I still required the very basics from him, but organized science disappeared altogether, along with most history and geography. Any formal writing instruction stopped, as well.

His recent fascination with drawing was in full force, so he worked a great deal on that, not just scribbling the same things, but actively working on foreground, background, perspective and dimensions. Then he wrote stories and illustrated them, creating four or five books. While his spelling is still that of a seven-year-old boy who thinks if you can figure it out, then it's good enough, his stories were very detailed with surprisingly dramatic elements, a clear beginning, middle and end, and strong characters. He is incredibly proud of the result of his efforts. He also wrote letters, made lists for me, planned out a few businesses that he wants to start with his cousin and a friend - things that would be great writing assignments, approached with so much enthusiasm because he thought of them himself!

We did the minimum from his math workbook, but he enjoys problems just for fun. Often he will ask if I'll "play math" with him, where we take turns making up problems for each other. This has been a prime opportunity for extra practice and more than once, a great way to fill time when waiting for the check at a restaurant!

Our birdfeeder right outside the back door has provided a constant source of fascination as we keep up with birds and squirrels that visit, learning names of the different species and noting how their behavior differs sometimes. A new type of bird gets both of us excited, and we have to look up what it might be right away. Breakfast and lunch usually look something like this in our kitchen:

Some of our favorite visitors were a surprise to me. I thought woodpeckers only ate insects, but three different species have frequented our feeder. The resident red-headed woodpecker tries to keep the others shooed away, but they manage to slip past him often enough. Here is one that I haven't identified yet. He is the only one of the woodpeckers that wasn't scared away by the sound of camera through the glass.

This coming week, I plan to steer Cullen back to a more structured day, but I am so relieved that the extensive make-up time I anticipated may not be required. He has kept his brain sharp on his own initiative and saved me a great deal of guilt! So to all of you unschoolers out there, I apologize for doubting you! Though I still prefer a little more structure, I have learned that it can actually work very well!

Wordless Wednesday (well, there are some words, actually)

2009-11-11T12:04:00.004-05:00

From our visit to my Dad's on the Mississippi coast this past weekend.

View from the roof of the boathouse:

A swing at the end of the dock is everyone's favorite place to sit:

Cullen pushing his little cousin, Scarlett:

A new fall hair-do:

Clowning around with Pop:

Note his unique paddling technique:

Much easier to get around with some extra man-power:

Sending an "air five" to Pop:

One of my favorite places:

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T16:01:00.002-05:00

Sudden Obsession

2009-11-04T12:34:00.004-05:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that Cullen has suddenly gone crazy for drawing and writing. The level of this new interest is almost frightening in its intensity! He begs for breaks between his usual work in order to draw his latest ideas. I have wondered if this is really the same child!

There are sixty or more drawings just from the past couple of weeks. Most of these are intricate and filled with a number of things happening. You can tell he rushed to get it all out onto the paper, including little speech bubbles with characters interacting with each other. Each of these has a story that takes him several minutes to get through! Then there are a few drawings which he obviously slowed down for, taking greater care in the way things look. This farm scene took him about half an hour earlier this week.

I sometimes - okay, frequently - get somewhat obsessed with a new interest or a revived old one. I know exactly what it feels like to have a thousand ideas frantically running around in your head and the terrible urgency of trying to capture them on paper before they frizzle out.

Today, I am letting Cullen write the book he so desperately wants to work on - something about a boy and his "Boat of Youth." It sounds like the beginning of a real adventure story! The only other formal work this afternoon will be pared down to the basics. It is so easy to double up on history or science another day.

This day, we follow inspiration!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T11:35:00.003-04:00

This little guy lives in the bushes beside our front porch and comes out to sit in the sun some mornings. He's becoming a little less fearful of me as long as I'm quiet.

Weekly Report - Taking It Easy

2009-10-25T22:08:00.007-04:00

This past week was a break of sorts for Cullen. I had a few doctor appointments and wasn't feeling altogether all together, so we did no formal lessons. Not a single one. There were plenty of the impromptu discussions and life-lessons that are part of everyday life around here, however, and he was a great help with the laundry! Other than his chess and art classes and the weekly gymnastics class, he was able to play as he liked. (With the exception of video games this week.)

Of course, he spent a great deal of time with the usual action figures and in cartwheeling through the house, but I was really pleased that he decided to write two letters to his cousins. I was absolutely thrilled to see that they were composed of more than two sentences each! He edited for spelling and clarity with a little help, and the handwriting, though not neat by any stretch, was legible - mostly!

Friday evening, my husband left work early, my daughter joined us, and we drove across town to Medieval Times for dinner and the show. Cullen was so excited, he had a hard time keeping his feet on the ground!

I couldn't help but grin when his Dad said something about Cullen being a knight, and his response was, "I can't be a knight! I'm not even old enough to be a squire!"

The sword fights sent sparks flying, the jousting was impressive with lances splintering left and right, and the good guys won in the end. Of course, my own favorite part of the evening was seeing the horses show their stuff. Beautiful!

We were seated in the Green Knight's section and were told to cheer for him, which we did heartily, but Cullen was a little bit distressed when he figured out that the Green Knight was the bad guy! The knight was really good at being the bad guy, though, and he also flirted a little with Cullen's big sister, so we managed to get past any moral dilemma in a way that I hope never happens in real life!

Before the show began, we killed some time walking around the Discover Mills mall where Medieval Times is located and found a Lego store. If you've read many of our posts here recently, you can imagine Cullen's face when he saw it. To make the surprise even better, there was a life-sized Lego statue of Darth Vader right at the entry.

We almost didn't get him out of there!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T12:46:00.002-04:00

Cullen took plenty of photos entirely on his own during our recent trip to Florida. There were the usual dozens of nostril shots and photos of my Mom's dog with a plastic pirate gun, etc. These few surprised me a little.

Breakthrough!

2009-10-19T14:22:00.003-04:00

My pencil-phobic child just asked me if I would teach him drawing lessons every day! Well, he actually asked for every day at 2:14 PM. He has always been a nut for a schedule!

This borders on the miraculous!

I do know that some boys take a little longer to really get into written expression, but my oldest was so into writing and drawing from such an early age, that I have not been entirely sure how to best handle Cullen. I kept reading to just allow him time. Apparently, that was good advice. In the past two weeks, he has produced at least 50 pages of drawings and lists all on his own.

Can you tell I'm excited?!?

Weekly Report

2009-10-18T17:45:00.005-04:00

We are still enjoying the Middle Ages in our history reading. Here are a few of our favorite resources from the past week or so. The Minstrel in the Tower is only halfway done. We're reading this one together!

As far as reading on his own, Cullen finished up the Magic Treehouse book, Knight Before Dawn, as well as a couple of Star Wars titles - all pretty light reading, I know. I don't want to only and always have him read this type of book, but a few choices that are easier to read, yet still interesting, seem to help Cullen's reading speed and fluency. I try to challenge him most of the time, but also to toss some easy and fun things into the mix.

The basic subjects are all moving along pretty well. I am guilty of slacking in the area of writing instruction, mostly because he has a history of resisting in this. He will compose all day long if I am the one dictating, but he does not want to write. Seriously, there have been tears before over my request for a little drawing and two or three sentences in response to something we've read or learned. This past week, though, Cullen has been writing and drawing like crazy on his own. I'm not sure what triggered this, but I am so glad to see his enthusiasm! I've tried to just let him do whatever he's motivated to do in order to keep it fun. My challenge next week will be to gently pull some of that into an intentional exercise or practice.

Math has focused on mental calculations and shortcuts in addition and subtraction. Cullen considers this more fun than work, so no problems here this week. In science, we've read about and watched videos on reptiles and birds. The session of clay classes came to an end, but he begins a multi-media art class next week.

At the awards day for this session of chess classes, Cullen's coach told me that he has definitely been improving and learning as far as chess skills go, but that the most remarkable progress has been in his sportsmanship. This was terrific news! His extreme competitiveness and intensity makes being a good sport something that Cullen has had to intentionally cultivate. It's the primary reason I signed him up for these classes to begin with.

We've had Cullen go with no video games this week (for reasons I will not detail to protect his feelings) and very limited TV time. He has been surprised at the number of things he has enjoyed instead! We've agreed that it is a very good idea to limit screen time more than we've done in the past. Cullen's response was surprisingly positive - Good! I can make more drawings!

He also dug out the playmobil castle, knights and pirates. You can tell by listening that he knows a great deal more about the era than he used to, especially when he moans about not having a proper seige tower. Maybe we can make one with cardboard this week.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T00:29:00.002-04:00

Favorite photos of the past few weeks

End of Summer in St. Augustine

2009-10-10T22:59:00.017-04:00

It's been crazy busy the past few weeks! I'm hoping very much to settle down and stay that way a while.

Toward the end of September, Cullen and I, along with my Mom and her little doggy, too, went to Jacksonville, FL, for my cousin's wedding. This was Cullen's first wedding, and he was very taken with the whole idea. His cousin Kathryn, who was beautiful as a flower girl, taught him a little of how to dance with a girl at the reception. Her mom, (another of my cousins) Jamie, and her husband, Ken, did the photography. If you love weddings or photography, check out their blog here: www.worleyarts.com/blog. There are some gorgeous photos, including a session of bride and groom in full wedding attire in the ocean at sunrise the next morning! Scroll down enough and you can see Cullen and Kathryn dancing like crazy!

After the wedding, we stayed a few extra days visiting with my aunt and uncle and enjoying South Ponte Vedre Beach. Here is Cullen with his grandmother, Ma (my Mom!) I just realized that they both have their eyes closed in this pic!

This area of beach was unlike anything I've ever seen! There was very little sand, but there were millions of shells. Most were crushed, but quite a number whole and intact. Cullen collected pocketfuls and bucketfuls, and he had a blast doing it.

We took two days to explore nearby St. Augustine, which wasn't really enough time to see everything. I let Cullen choose the places he wanted most to see. Of course, first on the list was the Castillo de San Marcos, the old fort. There were re-enacters working on cleaning muskets that were very patient in answering Cullen's questions and in posing for photos.

The structure is constructed of coquina, which is a natural limestone composite of crushed shells, sand and calcite. Cullen got a kick out of finding coquina in buildings and walls throughout St. Augustine.

Our visit was on a Monday and the fort was not at all crowded. Cullen had plenty of room to pretend, and I just sat back and let him have fun.

Looking at this photo, I can't believe I let him sit on the wall like that! It was quite a drop to the ground!

A little train tour was fun and informative, if a terribly bumpy ride. Maybe that made it more fun for the little guy, though. He wanted to see the Old Jail from the 1800's, so we took the tour and learned quite a bit - most of it more gory and morbid than I really would've chosen for him if I'd thought about it more ahead of time. Nothing seemed to upset him, so I guess it's all right. He is all boy, after all!

Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeology Park was another highlight for us. We both drank a little of the sulfer-smelling water. I'm hoping to look younger any day now!

The talks and presentations here were outstanding - very informative, yet engaging even to a 7 year-old boy! The planetarium showed us how the Spanish explorers navigated by the night skies. Cullen was fascinated. (He took plenty of pictures, but I really need to give him a lesson how to let the camera's auto-focus do its job.) He wanted specifically to get a photo of this little wall made of "tabby" - a mixture of lime, water, oyster shells and ash. Think of it as man-made coquina. Who knew a he would be so enamored with building materials?

Within the park's 15 acres, there are quite a few ducks, peacocks, squirrels and other assorted creatures. Cullen learned the hard way to never let a peacock take food right out of your hand. Their beaks are sharp! He tossed cracker crumbs out on the ground after that, but this way the squirrels had chance to get in on the munchies.

We spent time just enjoying the beauty of the place and talking about what life must have been like for the Spanish settlers and the Native Americans that had once lived there.

This was a perfect close to summer.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T09:20:00.004-04:00

Cullen and his cousin, Walker, on Stone Mountain's Sky Hike. Conquering this was a huge confidence-builder!

Reading and Cooking with Dad

2009-09-21T21:12:00.005-04:00

One of Cullen's favorite pastimes (of the more quiet sort) to share with his Dad is watching the cooking television network. This afternoon, he discovered that I have a couple of Alton Brown cookbooks, and he brought them out to show his Dad, all excited! They sat on the sofa together to look through the books, Cullen stopping to read the entire set of instructions for baking the perfect pie crust. I couldn't help but laugh!

The reading must have inspired him a bit, because he and Dad made mashed potatoes together to go along with a roast in the oven. Cullen can sometimes be ridiculously picky about trying new foods, and I don't think he's ever eaten mashed potatoes before. (Hard to believe, I know!) Since he helped make them, he was pretty eager to try some. I think I'll have him help with the cooking more often!

First on the list of dishes to prepare... some kind of pie!

No Acting Lessons Required

2009-09-17T13:40:00.004-04:00

I had to share a typical reading session from our house:

This is new material for him, as you can tell by the couple of words that I help with, but the overly-dramatic presentation is actually his favorite, silly way to read aloud. Sometimes I have to insist that he just read it straight or we'd triple or quadruple the time it takes to read a chapter.

Dull moments around here are a rare commodity!

Weekly Report

2009-09-11T22:44:00.010-04:00

This was a really good week at our house! We kicked it off with a bang at The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. (See Monday's post here.) Overall, Cullen was cooperative and fun to be with, which as you can imagine, does help quite a bit!

Basics rolled along smoothly. Spelling, Bible, D'Nealian Cursive, Explode the Code 4 phonics - all without a hitch. Cullen memorized a few Bible verses and should tackle a poem next week. He finished reading The Sword in the Tree and is excited about beginning Adventures of King Arthur tomorrow.

Rounding out language arts, he read and wrote a response to one of Aesop's Fables and learned about synonyms and pronouns. After we read The Hero Beowulf together, he narrated a super short summary back to me. (I hope that these narrations grow a little longer as time goes on!) I jotted his sentences down, then wrote out two of them for him to copy. He added a gory illustration of Beowulf with sword in hand and a green, bloody monster arm at his feet. Typical little boy, yes, but don't get the wrong idea. He also wrote a couple of sentences with pronouns for me which read, "I have some butterflies. They are beautiful." There is a sweet side, too!

Math was pretty relaxed. He's been working hard on some fairly new concepts, so we mostly just did review work and word problems this week. On the top of the stack for this weekend's read aloud books is The History of Money from Weekly Reader Library series. Cullen saw this earlier and can barely wait to get into it. He finds money VERY interesting!

Due to time constraints last week, which means "we didn't get it all done," this week we combined some of Tapestry of Grace Yr2 week 3 with week 4 to catch up with the schedule, covering the rise of Islam, Charlemagne, an introduction to the Feudal System and what life would have been like in a Medieval village. This is such a fun period to learn about!

Crustaceans were the focus of our science, with a little reading and making a page for Cullen's notebook. Tomorrow, we plan to hunt down a pill bug, sow bug, or roly-poly as I've always called it, to get an up-close look at a land-dwelling crustacean. Now that I think of it, I guess we could spend a few minutes at the lobster tank in the seafood section of the grocery store, too.

Cullen created these clay pieces at his weekly art class - a castle and a goblet. (Perfect for our Middle Ages theme!) I was a little puzzled (silently, of course) at the castle until it suddenly hit me. It's a giant inflatable bouncy castle!

Most of Cullen's free time over the past several days has been spent hunched over a pile of legos and an instruction manual. He has made small things on his own before, but this week was a milestone. After three days, he completed this giant Coast Guard ship with all the bells and whistles - all on his own! The only assistance I provided was to help him backtrack a few steps to find a mistake, then he forged ahead to finish.

He's quite proud of this accomplishment! I am, too!

The Study of Legos

2009-09-09T21:29:00.000-04:00

Shouldn't following an intricately detailed Lego instruction manual count as school work?!?

I actually shortened math time to allow him to work on these. One of my goals for Cullen this year is for him to get a little better at continuing to work through when something is not easy, without throwing his hands up and quitting (or throwing whatever's in his hands up and quitting!) Plus it gave him the motivation to clean off his play table!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T13:16:00.003-04:00

Early morning backyard visitor
Two little ones wandered a little farther back in the trees, but I couldn't manage to catch them with my camera.

Southern Museum Visit

2009-09-07T17:44:00.014-04:00

Today, we met some friends at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History here in Kennesaw. The museum had a Homeschool Day with special activities in addition to their regular exhibits. We had never been before, and both Cullen and I had a great time!

The special exhibit featured now centers around the Native American Code Talkers of World War II. A guide led us through this area and explained the importance of the native American languages and their speakers in keeping our soldiers safe during the war. Good thing the guide was there to pronounce some of the words for us! Navaho, Choctaw - Hooked On Phonics would have been no help!

A large part of the museum houses items from the old Glover Machine Works which once manufactured steam locomotives. My little train-fanatic found this pretty interesting.

There were a couple of hands-on activities for the kids in the exhibit itself.

One of the highlights was a working telegraph station. Well, actually there were two connected across the room by real telegraph wire on real poles. Big charts with the Morse Code allowed the kids to send messages to each other, when they finally learned not to both tap at the same time. Cullen referred to this as "texting" at one point! I guess it was the original form of sending a text message!

The dress-up rooms were a big hit, too. Our friends, Hannah and Amber, decked themselves out in bonnets and shawls, and Cullen got to learn how to tip his hat to the ladies.

There were a couple of craft options for the kids also. Cullen's dreamcatcher creation doubles as an earring.

We watched a movie on the true story of the Great Locomotive Chase of the Civil War. I had known for years that there was a story, but I'd never actually read or heard it till today. It is an amazing tale! The actual General is here, just a stone's throw from where it was abducted all those years ago - only now indoors.

We bought some little packets of reproduction Confederate money in the gift shop. Cullen was so excited about this! First, he thought it was real, but didn't seem too disappointed that the bills are actually replicas. It's not like he could have spent it anyway. Actually, his word of the day has been "replica" since he read it on the package and asked what that meant. You wouldn't think you could use that word more than once or twice in a regular day, but somehow he keeps managing to slip it in.

This is a place I know we will visit again. There are layers of information that we didn't even get to today. As we get farther along in our history studies, I think Cullen may enjoy this museum even more.

Weekly Report (Two for the price of one!)

2009-09-04T17:35:00.016-04:00

We still aren't up to full speed and a firm routine yet, but I feel like we might get there sometime soon. This past week, two weeks really, there have been complications with appointments and odd schedule busters. As I gather my thoughts for this post, though, I see that we managed to accomplish a few things after all!

Cullen is reading his first chapter book all on his own. (We've sometimes alternated pages of a book in the past.) The Sword in the Tree has been an exciting tale that ties in with our history studies of the Middle Ages.

We read about the last days of the Roman Empire through the beginning of life in Medieval times, especially enjoying making fancy letters with calligraphy markers like the monks who copied and illuminated manuscripts. I have fallen in love with this book!

Science was a little light with reading and a few activities on insects and arachnids. Cullen firmly declined any offer on my part to help him catch a few critters to bring inside. He's like his Dad that way!

We completed our overview of the 50 states. Here's a pic of Cullen's map that he filled in as we went along. He had the hardest time coming to grips with the fact that the two-letter state abbreviations were all capital letters. That goes against everything he believes about capitalization, and he strongly disagrees with the practice! He did finally agree to go along with the rest of the country, despite his objections, and make both letters upper case.

He finished up Singapore 2A Math this week, did plenty of timed addition fact drills (He loves the stopwatch!) and watched some video segments of cool math concepts on our Mathtacular dvd from Sonlight.

Our Language Arts included Spelling, (which he loves,) writing in his journal, (which he fights, but is usually proud of in the end,) working in his Aesop's Fables workbook from Royal Fireworks Press and a little in a Spectrum LA workbook. He wrote Thank You notes for birthday gifts received a few weeks ago, too. The highlight of the past two weeks of school work for Cullen has been discovering his new favorite word game - Mad Libs. He literally begs to do these. It is a great way to review and reinforce parts of speech in an absolutely goofy way, and believe me, he does take it to the limits of goofiness!

He is enjoying and learning with our Bible Explorers study. I was a little worried about the format, but it works well for him as a short daily lesson.

Wednesdays have chess class and a fun clay class; Mondays always have gymnastics and Cub Scouts to look forward to. The composer we are focusing on this month is Vivaldi, one of my own favorites. Cullen, predictably, thinks that he doesn't even come close to Beethoven, but did agree to listen a little anyway. (Maybe I should have saved Beethoven's Fifth till last!)

Birthday Party

2009-09-04T00:16:00.003-04:00

Photos only of Cullen's 7th birthday party about 4 weeks ago. (I know! I'm a slacker!)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-01T23:03:00.005-04:00

snaggled

2009-08-29T16:52:00.004-04:00

Eventful day! Cullen lost his first tooth - pulled it himself.

Actually he was attempting to pull it as we were driving home from a shopping trip, but quickly stopped and announced that he couldn't do it. He said this with the little detached tooth stuck to his lower lip.

"Son, it's already out!" I had to pull the tooth off of his lip and show it to him.

Then he just kept giggling at himself in the mirror.

I Love Math!

2009-08-27T11:58:00.003-04:00

We began exploring DIVISION today. Check out our fancy manipulatives! Yes, dried beans are fun at our house!

Cullen loves math - learning new concepts and solving problems that are challenging. I've discovered that if I go too many days with only review and drill, he becomes significantly less cooperative. (Did I say significantly?) Keeping the supply of interesting and new ideas steady keeps him engaged and happy and much more receptive to the daily review and drill of things he just needs to practice. When our Singapore curriculum doesn't have a fresh concept, I've been using some "living math" books on things like estimating, probability, really large numbers, etc.

I think we're finding our groove here!

Cullen actually burst out a few times today in shouts of "I love math!!!"

Now if I could just figure out how to draw out half this much enthusiasm for writing...

Summer's End and First Week of School

2009-08-15T14:11:00.014-04:00

Our summer break was filled with a good balance of crazy fun and lazy quiet days. A few highlights that I probably could have/should have posted along the way include Cullen's first flight in an airplane. His Uncle Drew took Cullen and his cousin, Justin, along with Papa, their grandfather, up for a quick trip in this little plane. (Yes, I was praying the entire time.)

A week-long, half-day Kid Chess camp was a highlight for our little guy in July. Here he is playing against the Caveman, who, by the way, never makes a good move. When a kid beats the cavemen (and they always do) the winning child is rewarded with a small rock as an award. Cullen displays his rock right along with his other chess trophies. He did win "Most Improved Player" for the week, so apparently he learned a thing or two.

There were a few Cub Scout events, including the pack's annual Luau and Pool Party. We also hit the pool a few times with family friends.

Our first week of school was supposed to begin Monday, but my plans were hi-jacked with a few urgent errands that came up suddenly. Oh, well! One of my goals this year is to be a little more relaxed about what we actually accomplish, as I can get a little obsessive sometimes. The first day provided a big opportunity for me to examine the importance of this goal!

On Wednesday, Cullen and I went with my Mom and my youngest sister, Tia, to the Georgia Aquarium. We all are in love with the place! Cullen has talked about it constantly for the past few days. His favorite was the male Beluga Whale that spent so much time entertaining spectators by blowing air bubble rings, then catching them in his mouth! I didn't realize how expressive these creatures are. I could have stayed right there all day.

By Thursday, our new routine was beginning to gel, and Cullen was enjoying himself with his favorite subjects. He even worked ahead 7 extra exercises in his Explode the Code Phonics on his own! He read Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie and A Long Way Westward this past week, and reviewed a few math and grammar topics that might have been forgotten over our break, even though he repeatedly insisted that he did NOT need to. Over the summer, he has been enjoying learning the states. We are only about halfway through the 50 right now.

One book that we both enjoyed was this from the library about large numbers. We both like this one so much that I might buy it just to have on hand all the time.

Outside activities this year include Scouts, gymnastics, weekly classes in chess and art, as well as church and a new playgroup through a local co-op. When we are home late in the day and he still has energy to burn, which is more often than not, Cullen usually spends some time on the trampoline in the yard. He jumps until he is exhausted, but then a trampoline is a great place to lie back and look for pictures in the evening clouds.

Sometime over the next few days, I'll share our curriculum plans and field trips for the year and show a few photos of our school room. I have to finish cleaning first!

Slimey Fun

2009-06-19T09:41:00.008-04:00

Of all the critters I've kept in jars over my lifetime, I've never had the opportunity to observe snails this closely. Though our science this past week was planned for Cullen's benefit, I've been delighted to learn a few things myself!

We kept three snails for several days in a large jar with air holes and a moist dirt floor. They didn't appear to be terribly afraid of us and would tolerate some handling without even retracting into their shells. Cullen and I were both surprised at how quickly these little guys can move! Of course, being the little boy that he is, Cullen was most fascinated with snail poopy - hard, dark and shiny left all over the jar. I have to admit, it didn't look at all like I would have thought it should!

Cullen wanted very much to see how it felt to let a snail crawl on his hand. This was a great deal of fun, but he did wash his hands two or three times afterward!

The most surprising thing that he discovered while playing with the snails amazed me. Did you know that you can actually hear a snail eat? Their tongues grate off bits of leaf (or cucumber peel in this case) as they lick. When we were very quiet and held our hungriest snail close, it was easy hear a soft, rhythmic rasping as it munched away.

He made a couple of pages for his science notebook - one specifically on snail observations and body parts, the other on mollusks in general. We are leisurely moving along to echinoderms then insects next. Getting a little science worked into summer fun is easy around here. Cullen considers this more fun than anything else. Me, too!

Scout Stuff

2009-06-18T10:34:00.012-04:00

Long time since last post, but we've been busy! April and May and early June were filled with some fun and interesting Cub Scout happenings. Here are the highlights:

Our pack did a small service project, planting some perrenials at the church that charters us and allows us the use of their facilities. The boys had a great time digging, planting and searching out the fattest earthworms!

One small activity at our last den meeting of the school-year really was a hit with Cullen and several other boys. The elective suggested in the Tiger Cub Scout handbook was to learn to sew on a button. We decided to make bookmarks with oversized plastic buttons and felt. I was actually worried beforehand that the boys would roll their eyes at this and call it a dumb idea. Boy, was I wrong! Here is Cullen's button bookmark. He asked if he could make more at home to give as gifts.

In May, there was the annual pack picnic at a nearby park. A cookout, flag football and a ceremony for promoting the scouts up to the next rank were part of the agenda, but the highlight was making rockets out of soda bottles, then shooting them up in a clearing with the use of water and an air compressor. (I really wish I'd had my camera; my phone won't take photos quickly enough to capture anything fast.) Here are the scouts, with a few siblings, lining up for launch. Cullen's rocket flew surprisingly, amazingly high, and as far as we know, is still resting about 80 feet up in the top of a pine tree!

The very first week of June, Cullen got to enjoy Cub Scout Day Camp, and I had the privilege (and grueling job!) of being one of his camp den leaders. The camp was very well run with tons of fun and challenging things for the kids. I took my camera, but I was usually too busy to even remember to pull it out of its case. I did get a pic of Cullen trying out soap carving, using a real pocket knife for the first time. Check out the red duct tape finger protectors! The older boy scouts working this station told our boys that they chose red so the blood wouldn't show. Makes perfect sense...if you're a boy.

The boys really enjoyed the BB gun and archery ranges. Cullen did surprisingly well at archery, even getting a bulls-eye once and coming pretty close to a second one. At the end of the week, each boy received little awards based on what they did well, tried hardest to learn or enjoyed the most. Cullen was tickled to get an archery award and one for knots.

There are several pack activities scheduled for the summer, so Cullen will have time with his scout friends. He is very excited about his new status as a Wolf Cub and is looking forward to August when our regular weekly den meetings resume. I have to say that the whole scouting experience has turned out to be a very good thing for him. And I've been having a bit of fun with it at the same time!

Photos from Biltmore

2009-04-22T09:58:00.010-04:00

My cousin, Jamie, has posted about our visit to Biltmore Estate in more detail than I have time to manage today. She has great photos, too. See her post here.

Cullen took photos everywhere. Here he tries to capture the rainbow in the fountain spray.

I'll just share a few of my favorite photos. Here is Cullen and his cousin, Kathyrn...

Learning to orient a map and use a compass...

Hands-on demonstration of the way a system of pulleys and ropes can help a couple of kids move a thousand-pound log...

Cullen takes a turn at the butter churn...

Then gives a wink of approval for the finished product!

The gate into the walled garden at sunset...

I'd love for this to become an annual trip!

Weekly Report

2009-04-03T17:36:00.003-04:00

We discovered very early this week that even a loose routine is critical to a smooth day here! Our time off recently got us completely out of whack, not that we generally follow a tight schedule by anyone's measure. Here it is Friday, and I am finally feeling like we might make it now! I tend to be very random and can float all over the place with no concern on my part. Cullen, however, is much more like his Dad in his preference (need) for some structure and predictable sequence to his day - at least if he's going to cooperate on any level!

We did manage to cover most of the bases this week, but not as much as I'd hoped. I am fighting my urge to "catch up" to my penciled out schedule of when we'll cover what. As resistant as I am to a daily routine, I am surprised at my own need to check off the list! Main lesson for me this week: relax!

Math, reading, phonics - all going along very well. We are just begining to look at cursive after a year of begging and pleading. I am not entirely convinced that Cullen is completely ready for this, but there are plenty of folks who introduce it early with success. We'll see. All work for notebooks, copywork, writing, etc. will still be in manuscript for some time still, so he'll have continued practice there.

For History/Social Studies, we continued learning about Ancient Greece, reading some myths, a few of Aesop's Fables and making a couple of colorful paper theatre masks. Cullen read a book from the library about our state and learned a few things that he didn't already know about Georgia.

Science is taking us into a study of the animal kingdom, beginning with sea jellies, anemones, etc. this week. Cullen made a little model of a jellyfish with a styrofoam cup and some colorful string. We used it to act out the sea jelly's life cycle and also to attack some action figures lying nearby. (He is a boy, after all.)

Next week we'll cover worms. We've already set up a worm farm and are both looking forward to this with some admitted heeby-jeebies!

We've had so much rain here lately that I am ready to jump at the next sunny day and take off for some time outdoors. If it were just a little bit warmer, we'd just go out in the rain! Maybe next week...

I am laughing now - I just took a peek at Cullen's journal writing for today. After the most confrontational week of homeschooling we have ever experienced, he just wrote about the two of us, closing with this: "We get along good."

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T10:07:00.001-04:00

Life and Death and an Extended Field Trip

2009-03-22T21:48:00.017-04:00

This has been a rough couple of weeks for us. My grandmother in south Mississippi passed away after several days of struggle in the hospital. I am thankful, though, for the chance to see her and to speak to her a last time. I tried to leave Cullen here while I travelled, but he was insistent on seeing his MawMaw before she died. My sister, Windee, and her son, Walker, rode with us to the gulf coast.

As difficult as it was to see my grandmother struggling so hard just to breathe, I actually think it helped the boys accept her passing a little easier. No one wanted her to have to continue suffering that way. Cullen asked a million and a half questions, so we had some lengthy discussions about life and death and heaven. He also wanted to know if his Dad and brother and sister would be driving down for the reuinion after MawMaw passed away. (Of course, they did.) Reunion is actually a good name for a funeral in some ways. We did get talk to cousins that we've gone years without seeing, some of whom Cullen was meeting for the first time ever.

One of the days we were there, we took the boys for a much-needed outing to the Explorium Science Museum in Mobile. The hands-on exhibits were really impressive; Windee and I played as much as the boys did. Here Cullen and Walker are testing how much strength is required with different placements of the fulcrum in a giant lever set-up.

A table of different microscopes with a variety of slides caught Walker's interest.

Virtual heart surgery was one of the hands-on activities that Cullen enjoyed, though he was a little squeamish at some of the graphics!

A life-size puzzle of basic anatomy was a good way for Cullen to get an idea of the size of his own brain, lungs, etc.

We watched an IMAX movie on the Colorado River that was absolutely wonderful, though it made me a little dizzy. :o) There were so many things to do here. These few pictures show such a small part of this museum. We hope to go again next time we are down that way to visit.

After the museum, we drove by the USS Alabama park. It was too late to buy tickets for a tour of the ship, but there are plenty of old military craft out on display. We let the boys run around in the late afternoon sun looking at all of them. This ship's bell turned out to be much louder than either of them expected!

This old Soviet tank was not bordered by chain to prevent touching, so the boys climbed up and played soldier for a few minutes. As they climbed down, we did notice a rather small and very faded "No Climbing" sign. Oooops!

Cullen considered the peephole in the hotel room door that evening just as interesting as anything else he had seen that day.

While waiting a day or so for the funeral, we drove over to my grandparents old home in south Mississippi, in which my aunt and uncle now live, and spent a little time with extended family. Way behind the house, past the old fishing pond, is a large area of swamp. The kids managed to get into the little creek that feeds into it before any of the parents really had time to stop it. They all required showers when they got out to get the smell of swamp mud off of them!

Cullen didn't care so much for the slimy mud between his toes when it was time to climb out!

Of formal school work, there was absolutely none the entire week and most of the week we returned home and recovered from travelling. This time was filled with learning life lessons, with spending time getting to know distant family and with seeing how people who love each other can help make even the worst hurts a little easier to bear for each other. These are lessons even more critical than adjectives or fractions.

This last photo is of Cullen, Walker and my daughter, Taylor, in the little town park in Lucedale, MS. Spring was so evident in the warmth, in the blossoms and bees. It was a beautiful reminder to me of the promises and the hope that we hold dear from our Father - of the reason we can laugh sometimes in the midst of grief, knowing and trusting the One who holds our future.

Recap of the Past Four Weeks or So

2009-03-13T19:01:00.013-04:00

I can barely believe that it's been so long since my last weekly report! What a slacker! Life has been moving along at warp speed lately, so I guess I shouldn't really be surprised at myself.

Here's a quick run-down of what's been happening lately with our schoolwork:

Math has been cruising along well with some work from Horizons and some from Singapore, which I am liking more and more. Cullen has the whole regrouping thing down and is enjoying the beginning concepts of multiplication and division. I am trying to offer more word problems, which he usually loves. Addition/subtration facts are almost completely firm; we're still drilling those some.

Cullen has been reading through 2 or 3 books a week. Here is what he's finished lately:

He helped me read much of The Magic Treehouse Book, Hour of the Olympics, too. He likes to take turns page by page.

He completed the last lesson in Spelling Workout A this week. I plan to have him study the days of the week and the months, then we'll take a break from formal spelling for a little while.

I wish I could say we've made giant leaps of progress with writing, but I will just have to be thankful for smaller, but consistent, steps in the right direction. Cullen was most proud of last week's assignment which was to write a dialog between two of any characters, complete with correct punctuation. He came up with a funny little exchange between a Coke bottle and its cap!

Our memory work hasn't been as consistent as it could be, but he's managed a few verses and poems in spite of my lack of organization. We listened to some Bach at my insistence, but according to Cullen, no one comes close to Beethoven. (grin)

Our history focus has been Ancient Greece, with a little reading from Story of the World and a few other resources, a terrific video from the library and some work on History Pockets projects. I have a handful of crafts lined up to go along with this, too.

Between other things, Cullen's been learning a little about our own state. Here is a giant book he's still working on. We do just a little every week or two.

We've just begun a study of biology that should take us through next fall. I rearranged a little of the R.E.A.L. Life Science curriculum so that learning about insects, worms, etc. and plants could be done during the spring and summer months. We'll begin the human body next September.

Cullen watched a couple of dvd's on dinosaurs and on rocks to prep for an incredibly fun museum trip. We went to the Tellus Museum not far from us along with our cousins, who happen to be friends, Jamie and Kathryn. (See Jamie's post on this trip here. She took all photos because I forgot my camera.) Dinosaur and other prehistoric creatures, an impressive collection of rocks, gems and minerals, a fossil dig and a gem-panning area for the kids, as well as a gallery of science and technology that lead up to our current space program -we didn't even get to the planetarium show. Cullen had such a great time, I'm considering a membership.

Here, the two of them are watching tiny creatures in a biosphere. (I want one of these so badly!)

Panning for gems paid off for each of the kids with a little bag of tiny but real gem stones. They also got to each keep a single fossil from the dig area.

In addition to gymnastics and cub scouts, baseball began last week. (Yes, the schedule is full now.) Here is his first at-bat in a real game. He got a hit! It was funny to see that he cannot help but dance on the field when he realizes that he's done something right! I really wish I had taken video of that!

I have to say that one of my favorite moments of the past few weeks was just last Sunday morning. As I sat down with a cup of coffee, Cullen picked up a book, settled into the sofa across from me and said, "Let me read you some poems." Then he read a dozen or so as I just sat and listened, thinking about how much I like this little boy of mine. And the camera was right beside me, so you get a peek.

Tiger Badge and a Cowboy Hat

2009-02-27T15:18:00.007-05:00

Just a quick post today to share photo and some cub scout news. Last Saturday, our pack celebrated the Blue & Gold birthday of Boy Scouting with a western-themed party. Here is cowhand, Cullen, and his scout buddy, Dylan, preparing to go round up some bad guys.

Cullen received the Tiger badge he'd earned along with a few belt loop awards. He was so incredibly excited about that little orange square of fabric!

Not-Quite Wordless Wednesday Night

2009-02-18T23:21:00.003-05:00

A pair of rubber gloves and a little imagination make amazingly realistic chicken feet. :oD

Super Sentences

2009-02-12T15:03:00.004-05:00

We've been working this week on writing sentences with plenty of detail. We begin with a short, plain and truly boring little sentence like "A pig ate." Then we brainstorm lists of possible adjectives, alternate nouns and verbs, as well as phrases telling where and when. (These exercises are from a resource book by Evan-Moor called Write a Super Sentence.) Cullen then will write a "super" sentence, either using our lists or whatever else he thinks of.

Of course, silliness is allowed and even encouraged here, so he has been enjoying this. Here are two of his sentences from this week:

A stinky girl burped in the toy box when a spider was in her nostril.

A stinky sow snorted in Daddy's shirt when I used the potty.

Can you tell the writer of these sentences is a little boy? But he does seem to be getting the point that details can make boring writing much more interesting, if possibly a little gross at the same time.

Gymnastics

2009-02-12T12:06:00.004-05:00

Just thought I'd post a couple of photos (sorry they aren't better quality - I was at some distance!) Cullen's really been excited about gymnastics and wanted to share these.

I can read his mind in this first one - he wants nothing more than to throw himself into the pit of foam!

He's learned that even though something looks really simple, it sometimes requires more strength than expected.

All in all, this is the perfect sport/activity for my little monkey child!

Weekly Report - Okay, two weeks really.

2009-02-07T13:13:00.014-05:00

This is a catch up post. You get TWO weeks for the price of one!

I'll try not to be too long-winded, though.

MATH is moving along well, but that's not a huge surprise because Cullen will tell you himself that he has a "math-brain." He loves thinking through problems and quantifying things in conversation. We've been learning how to borrow in subtraction while reviewing everything else. I've just started adding in an exercise from Miquon Math Red again most days, just to add an element of fun and to emphasise mathematical thinking as opposed to just rote learning.

READING has really changed around here lately. Cullen wants to read more than ever, so I'm a little challenged to keep up. I try to offer a good mix of easy readers and those with a little bit of challenge for him. Here are the books he's read himself over the past two weeks:

We've been doing a better job of daily WRITING, using a journal whenever we aren't doing a specific assignment. Here is a sample from Cullen's journal pages, where he gets to write whatever he likes:

SPELLING is a favorite subject. We usually do any spelling work early in the day, often in our pajamas. Here Cullen is practicing the week's words with letter cards:

HISTORY has been light this week. The Tapestry of Grace schedule we are following suggests some readings on Biblical history during the era of Samuel, David, etc., but we actually just covered much of that during recent reading for Bible study and Sunday School. I am reading aloud a book about the Trojan War, and we'll be picking up Ancient Greece within the next two weeks.

SCIENCE has settled to about 2 days a week, sometimes only one. Cullen had a blast testing various things to see if they were acid or base, then mixing them together to see how they neutralized each other. Anything that makes a mess is usually a big hit around here! I still want us outdoors more, and I'm hoping that the warm weather forecast for this coming week will help!

We did go to Stone Mountain's Snow Mountain yesterday afternoon with Dad for some wintery outdoor fun. The park filtered lake water and made snow to cover an enormous hill that is usually a prime grassy picnic area. It was warm and sunny enough yesterday that the snow was really more crunchy ice but that actually made the tube run a little more fun! Cullen worked on a snowman while a little girl watched carefully in the play area. We also played a round of miniature golf before leaving the park.

For MUSIC, we listened to Peter and the Wolf with the orchestra on cd together. Cullen has children's choir on Wednesday evenings, too. They are just beginning to learn a new mucical called "The Pirates of I-Don't-Care-abean" or something like that!

Gymnastics and baseball practice have been making Cullen a very happy kid. He loves to move!

I feel like I did a better job with music this past week, but art is the challenge for next week! I'll let you know how it goes.

Before I sign off, I wanted to share with you a song that Cullen wrote for me! Of course, I'll never be able to hum the tune from this, but it was lovely when Cullen sang it for me.

Cullen-Cam

2009-01-25T23:47:00.007-05:00

Guess what someone got as a Christmas gift!

Here are a few of my favorites out of at least a hundred or so:

I'm thinking I might actually frame that last one!