Friday Favorite Things {14}

It's Friday!

And I have a whole week of favorites to share with you!

(I think this is how it's probably going to happen on the blog this year since I'm finding it harder to find time for individual posts for everything! So if you see something you want to know more about, please - ask away!)

Our days were very full but we got so much accomplished!

One day was rather difficult.

A certain little girl just didn't want to do her lessons and it kind of threw me into a panic that I had chosen all the wrong curriculum or something!

Alas, it was simply a bad day.

My girl went on to conquer a story she had been working on, finally grasped a math concept she'd found difficult and printed the alphabet and numbers 1- 10 like a pro!

In the end, these words from my friend Heather's blog greatly encouraged me and helped me to focus on what we are aiming for: 

 "I don't want learning to be fun. I want it to be interesting and satisfying, and at times it will be exhausting, but completing difficult work is rewarding and it stretches our minds in good ways. A well written narration, a carefully drawn map, a successful Latin translation, a verse or poem recalled from memory, all of these take effort but give so much satisfaction when completed."

I have so much to learn myself when it comes to this whole homeschooling gig!

But I can honestly say that despite the struggles and difficult days, teaching my kids is so rewarding and such a blessing!

Here is a peek at the week gone by:

This is my very favorite picture from our nature walk!

Taitum yelled, "Mom, look what I found! Can I bring it home?!"

Pure excitement over a stick!

The path we took was a little rugged and full of puddles so Ren travelled in my arms - delighted to have a whole apple to munch on!

Nature walks are not always as peaceful as they sound!

Poor Piper was well loved by the mosquitos and she made sure we all knew about her misery.

Note to self: ALWAYS bring bug spray!

Our findings in a jam jar!

Golden rod and cow vetch really brighten up the kitchen!

We had leftover cake batter and icing from the girls' birthday party last Saturday so I used it to make mini cupcakes for our tea time.

(You know what they say -Waste not, want not!)

Their task was to learn how to pipe icing onto the tops.

They loved doing this!

And insisted on sprinkles to make them extra pretty.

Tea time and artist study.

This week we looked at another painting by Copley - Watson and the Shark.

This one is very captivating and a little eerie if you ask me!

It did, however, capture the girls' attention and imagination.

Piper's take on it - "Maybe the man was a mermaid but then he got turned into a person with legs and so he couldn't swim and so got attacked by the shark!"

Hmmm, remind you of anything? A particular Disney princess perhaps?

It gave me a good chuckle anyway!

Piper's art project for this week was this smiling sun!

She was pretty proud of the final product and is seriously obsessed with the Home Art Studio lessons!

 We finished our week with our co-op group at a trail that encircles a beaver pond.

(We've been there before and love it! Worth checking out if you're in the area!)

The kids had an opportunity to go 'critter dipping'!

They were provided with nets that they used to dip into the pond and haul up all kinds of different critters!

In the first picture Piper is observing a leech that the guide is showing to her.

Those things can move fast and are huge! 

We even got to see one attach to a minnow and fill its belly.

Pretty interesting stuff (but I kept my distance! Yuck!)

Piper caught some minnows herself as well as a snail and other critters.

 The guide led the group in some games to learn about the wetlands and the importance of each element found there.

A selfie of Ren and I having a grand ol' time.

I'm pretty sure her favorite part was snack!

This is my favorite picture of the trip.

Piper was so into this activity.

She would have stayed there all day, catching critters!

When we got home I had to wring the water out of their socks and turn on the heat so I could dry their boots out!

If those aren't signs of a successful field trip, I don't know what is!

Nature Study: Getting Started

Although last week went smashingly, we did not get a chance to go for a nature walk.

The kids play outside constantly but it is nice to set out together with the goal of "finding something interesting" (as Piper would say!).

Today, the weather was lovely so we nabbed the opportunity!

We're following the Handbook of Nature Study Getting Started Challenges and the very first one states: 

Charlotte Mason knew what she was talking about when it came to nature study. Somehow in our modern life we have forgotten the simple pleasures of outdoor time. For this challenge, just go for a walk. Don't worry about taking any tools or supplies with you. Enjoy the outdoors and your children and then spend some time talking about your experiences together.

So simple!

Too often I make such things more complicated and stressful than they need to be!

We set out for a nice afternoon walk down our street and then down another that leads to an open space where there are lots for sale.

Nothing too crazy or difficult but the girls made some great discoveries and had a fantastic time!

We found caterpillars.

And beetles that were too quick for me to catch with the camera!

Specific plants caught Piper's eye.

I quite liked this one too!

I'm not sure what it is yet although I have been searching...

Something in the willow family perhaps?

At the very least I think those fuzzy little things are called catkins!

Daisies are always attractive!

We came across a multitude of deer tracks!

This was pretty exciting and Piper knew that it belonged to a deer right away!

Pipe just stood here and took it all in for awhile.

Then she turned to me and said, "Mom, it's beautiful!"

I think that just may be the point of nature study...

Many items were gathered on our nature walk and added to our nature tray.

It makes for a nice centerpiece at our kitchen table and a great conversation starter!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar {Tot School}

A couple of weeks ago, Piper attended a summer camp at a local church.

That meant that for 5 mornings in a row I was down to 2 kids!

Considering that the babe naps for much of the morning, it ended up being quite the break everyday!

It's too strange not having all my kiddies with me every day but I took advantage of the alone time with Taitum and planned a whole week of activities surrounding The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Here is what we did!

First, she created the leaf with the egg on it by do-a-dotting a leaf green and adding a marshmallow as the egg.

I put this little counting activity on the fridge for her.

Each leaf had a number and she had to put the correct number of eggs (pom pom magnets) on each one.

Another day she made the classic egg carton caterpillar by painting the egg carton strip and adding anntenae and eyes.

She then helped me prepare a game to go along with her caterpillar by cutting out the pictures of food I had printed.

For the game, she would find and count the right food that the caterpillar ate as I came to it in the story.

It was pretty simple but she loved it especially since I added eating noises as she fed the caterpillar!

(Find the food printable here!)

Next, we went to work on a chrysalis.

I thought Tait would love paper mache since she adores sensory play but she ended up being totally grossed out by the feel of the water and flour mixture and I ended up doing the grand majority of it!

Piper helped her paint it after it had dried.

It's hanging on the wall in the kitchen right now and I plan to fill it with butterfly treats to surprise them some day soon! 

Likely after my next trip to Bulk Barn!

We added a little adventure to our learning by travelling out to a local fruit stand.

Taitum was in charge of finding the fruit that the very hungry caterpillar ate and counting out the right number of each.

She was thrilled to get to push the cart around and do her very own grocery shopping!

She couldn't wait to show Piper when she got home and both girls become very hungry caterpillars and gobbled it all up!

Piper joined us in our butterfly project.

The plan was to do a crayon resist painting.

Tait opted out of the crayon part and simply painted her butterfly while Piper did the crayon resist.

So there you have it!

The life cycle of a butterfly on our kitchen wall!

Now we are keeping our eyes open for butterflies and caterpillars when we're playing outside.

We did find some eggs on a leaf a few days ago!

We also watched this video which I found simply amazing!

The whole metamorphosis of a butterfly is so amazing!

I even learned some new things from the facts included in the video!

This week made me really miss our school time.

We really do have so much fun together!

I'm trying my best to chill out and enjoy these warm summer days but truth be told - I'm quite anxious for school to begin again!

Ha!

I never thought I'd say such a thing!

But I've been working hard on the coming years lesson plans and getting so excited for what is in store for me and my little gals this year!

Project Vegetable Garden

This is our first year with a real garden.

Matt's parents were kind enough to construct a garden box for us as well as provide us with all the necessary ingredients for filling it.

My little Pipe is interested and has a green thumb.

(Yay for grandparents who are happy to invest in their grandkids' education!)

Project Vegetable Garden here we come!

Ah, the excitement!

Problem is, depending on my little green thumb only goes so far.

She knows what a weed looks like about as much as I do!

(ie. No idea...)

So instead of entertaining you with a post filled with beautiful garden pictures a la Heather, I'm putting you to work!

Go!

1. Weed or plant??

2. Beet or weed??

3. Carrot or weed??

4. Thin the lettuce?

Yes or no?

5. Swiss chard ready to pick or let it grow some more??

6. Is this a bad sign for our tomato plants or normal?

7. Did I thin the cucumber enough??

I know.

You're laughing your bum off at me now.

But I am really getting into this whole gardening thing.

I might even be considered hardcore....

That's right.

I was out pulling weeds in the rain yesterday.

Hubby thought a pic in my rainy gardening attire would be fun.

And even though I don't know a whole lot about gardening, I'm enjoying learning together with my girls!

Piper was right out there pulling weeds with me.

Plus I know that these are good signs that we must be doing something right!

(And my attempt to be like Heather, my gardening hero...I can hear her comments as I type this. Hahaha! But seriously, check out her blog! It is tres cool!)

"If you plant seeds with love, love will surely grow."

Summer Adventures: Mactaquac Beaver Pond

Our school week got 'interrupted' by good weather!

We all joyfully bounded out of the house Thursday morning delighted to have the opportunity to join some friends on a field trip to the Mactaquac Beaver Pond!

(Ok, maybe not so joyful. Piper whined the whole way there, asked to go home and worried about bears. But in the end, she just can't quench this Mama's enthusiasm and she was later thrilled about our little adventure!)

First, we discovered a tree that had been cut down by beavers.

Now that the girls knew what they were looking for, they were on the hunt!

We happened upon many interesting sights along the way!

photo by K.M.

photo by K.M.

photo by K.M.

photo by K.M.

And there were no bears to be seen except this one:

There was also the thrill of standing on a tree stump.

The view was beautiful.

This was a pond made my beavers.

I was quite certain Tait was going to end up in it.

(She did not, for all you worry warts out there.)

Renly was having fun, too!

(Because sleeping is fun.)

There were lots of plants to investigate.

The beaver huts were very easy to spot.

We saw several instances of them having been hard at work chopping down trees recently but they kept a low profile.

Some kids were on a school field trip and out in the pond with nets catching all kinds of critters.

The girls had a wonderful chance to view close up what exactly resides there!

A catfish.

Leeches.

(Seriously.)

Dragonfly nymphs.

(I nearly lost it when I first saw them and thought they were spiders that could breath under water...)

It was a fantastic day with friends!

We'll certainly be back to hike the other trails!

photo by K.M.

We love summer adventures!

(Special thanks to our friends for sharing this one with us!)