Homeschooling

As a homeschooling mom, I'm always worried that I'm not giving my child enough.  I know this is a lie that I buy into, but none the less, it is a common question my husband hears.  "Am I doing enough?  Will our children be okay?"

One of the things I don't feel capable of teaching,  yet want my children to have is art.   I have no eye for art and creating things (beyond food) is not where my creativity is expressed.  I can mimic, but the creation of things is beyond me.  Several years ago Steven's art teacher (Jennifer Edwards at school, but Jennifer Lipsey is her published name) gave me a copy of her book called, I Love to Draw.  It took me awhile to realize its value.  But I soon found my kids would fight over this book, and loved books demonstrating how to draw.  So my first step was checking out books from the library, but the quality varied.  So finally I just went online and bought 4 more from his old art teacher (whom we love!).    This week they have been excited about the one she has on collaging.  They have loved it.  And it has given me the tools I need to pull out things for my children so that they can create!  I feel so proud of myself!  And them!

 They started by creating window art resembling stained glass.

 Then they moved to wax art creating patterns between wax paper.  It was so much fun!

I have actually decided to help them work on their own self-portrait.  This is something their art teacher did each year.  Thanks Mrs. Edwards!  We miss you!

Another thing I will never do is create Science experiments.  It is not that it is beyond my capabilites, it just never occurs to me!  Luckily I have a friend who finds this fun.  So she came over and we created a dozen experiments with kitchen ingredients.  We are focusing on molecules on our home school group this semester, so we have been talking about water and alcohol molecules at school.  We extended that to soap molecules and focused on water tension with our friend.  It was great!

 The boat zoomed across the pan as a result of the breaking of water tension because of the soap.

 We also looked at solids and liquids forming gas using baking soda and vinegar.  Here we created "dancing raisins."

 ....volcanos.....

It was great.  My children (mainly my oldest) decided we should start a Science Club!  I love it when I get creative and divert from my spread sheet!

The Circus

Speaking of our library.....they ran a promotion that if your child read 5 books they got a free ticket to the Circus!  So off we go to the greatest show on earth!  It was pretty fun.  And I saw at least 10 PETA people protesting, which was a small reminder of home!

 My mother also had the brilliant idea of going to the dollar store to get glow sticks before we went, which I was SO thankful for!  The base price for a glowing/flashing toy was $22!

 Not to mention cotton candy was $14!  And those snow cones the people in front of us are holding were $15.  Frugal-ness from my mother also had me sneak in snacks in my purse.  Thank goodness!

 We sat with some of our friends.

It was actually a really great time.  And we all had a great time.  I'm sure none of my Asheville friends would approve- but we had a really good time.

Our Library

Anyone who has talked to me about our library knows it is CRAZY!  The programs there are amazing and they are essentially weekly.  We go to the story time for the boys every week and it is one of their favorite activities.  ONE of the activities they did this month was an after school program called Pirates or Mermaids.  They had multiple stations, which included free food, prizes, a picture taking station with ship or rock,and a professional face painter.  I honestly have no words for it.  Is it is just....over the top.  And we take advantage of as much as we can and know our librarians by name!

Did I mention it is free?  We LOVE our library!

Family Field Trip

One of the great things about being home schooled is creating your own learning experiences as a family.  Birmingham was originally known and even started as a mining city.  People were drawn here because of the massive amounts of raw resources (specifically Red Ore).  Well, when those mines were abandoned, eventually those sites became parks, forests, and even preserves.  One such place is Ruffner Mountain (which happens to be incredibly close to our house).  So on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we were able to take a family trip to that mountain.  It contains the remnants of a quarry and a below ground mine -and you can even see old machinery they used.  We were able to visit both sites, as well as have a 5 mile hike as a family in the Appalachians.  We then came home and researched the process of making steel from the ore, and how that had affected (and essentially built) the city of Birmingham.  We found it fascinating.  And we can log it as a field trip!

 Hiking to the Quarry

 On top of the Quarry

 In the Quarry

 Breedlove male exploration

 A view of the crusher (what they put the raw rock in to crush it before sending it off to be melted down)

 This is an open cave to the below ground mine.  I wish we'd brought a head lamp!

Look at that tree in the rock!

Then we printed off pictures and did an oral report for our home school group.  What a fun way to spend a day with Dad!