May :: A Month in Review :: Large Family Style

Aargh!  It's already time for a May month in review.  Finishing off the school year strong was my top priority along with preparing for Nick's graduation party along with getting the garden planted along with, along with.  Doesn't it seem like there are so many along withs?  Most days my head is just spinning with all the to do right nows.  My notebook system to do list wasn't working - the notebook was always getting buried in the paper mess that is my life and the to do list became a never do list.  I needed something more in my face than a notebook so I bought a magnetic white board for the fridge door similar to this:

And it's always in my face because #1 I like to eat and #2 My family likes to eat so I'm always reading the list and working at shrinking it.  It's been a good thing and I still use the notebook for shopping lists and menus.

In my April month in review I shared a picture from Nick's turkey season.  He's a huge protein nut and cooks plenty of his own food.  Well, the day he shot the turkey I was with Amber at the hospital while she recovered from her appendectomy.  He breasted out the turkey and baked it just as he would for chicken breast.  It was so tough, basically inedible for those of us with average jaw strength.  Hah!  I suggested he turn it into crockpot turkey and rice soup.  I walked him through the process, but he did all the work of chopping vegetables, etc.  The turkey tenderized pretty well in the crockpot and the soup was delicious.

The season changeover called for a great big shoe cabinet clean out.  With a family of 9 we have a ton of shoes, not because we believe in excess, but we all have a number of interests and many of those interests call for certain shoes.  And country life requires a good stash of junk shoes so we tend to keep shoes for gardening, lawn mowing, cranberry planting, and all sorts of outdoor activities until they fall apart.  I know, that's very green of us.  Below you can see what we took from the cabinet; we sent seven pair off to Goodwill, 10 pair went into the trash, and the rest were placed neatly back in the cabinet.

Maria and I baked a giant 2.5 pound of whole wheat bread in a very old pan found in my Grandma's basement.  I wish I knew the story of the pan - where she got it, if she used it, why it was in the basement and not in her kitchen cupboard.  I suppose I'll never know; even though, using it still brings out stories.  Stories I share with my littles who never knew their Great-Grandma.

Mother's Day flowers - we spied three huge Bumblebees pollinating this day.

One of Joseph's favorite games is jumping on the trampoline with toys.  This day he grabbed his horse, but he's also jumped with balls and sand pile trucks (that one I put a stop to, I don't want him to fall on a metal truck - that'd probably hurt).

Amber loves finding paintings on Pinterest for inspiration and painting them with her own style.  She uses this fold-able easel and a variety of supplies to create some really fun paintings.

It is rhubarb season; I've been baking with rhubarb and juicing it.  This weekend I put up 15 quarts of rhubarb juice.  I'll share a post on how I do that soon.  This little number, though, is so good.  I doubled the recipe and reduced the sugar.  That way there was enough to go around and it still tasted like rhubarb should - sour and puckery.

The virtual homeschool program end of year field trip took us to Circus World Museum.  See Maria clinging to Dad; she was nearly scared to death of all the newness.  She warmed up a bit for a carousel ride.

107 year old carousel

Circus snacks:  popcorn and ice cream

 Apparently we raised a little lady.

Fishing....always fishing around here and an endless supply of cheesy smiles.

He's not riding yet.  Matter of fact, a couple weeks back he actually punched me when I lifted his foot onto the pedal.  I'll give it some time before I try again.  Until then, though, he walks the bike around the yard every chance he gets.  And in the background was my Memorial Day treat, a tilled garden ready to plant.

That's a wrap for May.  Another blink of an eye and it'll be the end of June; all our much anticipated events of early summer will be over.  Enjoy every day, each is indeed a gift from God.

May Can't Be Over Already

It's hard to believe that May is coming to an end.  My last blog post was May 12 and here it is already May 28.  So many of life's event trigger an idea for a blog post; however, there simply is not enough time for picture editing and writing.  Memorial Day weekend is starting out wet - the perfect time to edit pictures and share a tiny bit of our May with you.

Sam and Joe are part of our local school district's virtual program.  They were given the opportunity to participate in a science fair.  Joseph (and Peter) put together an Animal Tracks display.

I wish I could say I remembered to take pictures at the actual science fair, but I can't say that.  It was a busy time, lots of stuff to remember to take that day and to top it off we had to be to school extra early for "Pastries with Pals".  I forgot the camera!  For an average American that would be no biggie because they'd just take pictures with their smartphone.  I'm not an average American; therefore, I do not have a smartphone.

Between school and violin rehearsals Emily made iced coffee; we all enjoyed it one hot afternoon on the patio.

Joseph's favorite time of year is here - baseball season.  He's anxiously awaiting Rafters Baseball.  In the meantime he watches 

and then reenacts the movies outside.

There you have it - a tiny bit of our May.  Stay tuned for more to unfold as time permits.

  Happy Memorial Day weekend my friends.

Any plans?

How to Take a Nature Hike

Charlotte Mason, an early 1900's educator, approached nature study as though it was crucial to a well-rounded education.  Although I do not fully follow the Charlotte Mason style, I do believe nature study has its place in home education.  Most kids enjoy the freedom that comes with unhurried time spent outdoors.  Likewise, I think most homeschool parents also find they enjoy time spent in nature.  However, convincing oneself to take a nature hike with young (or old) children is similar to convincing oneself to go for a run.

I should really go for a run.

No, I really need to do laundry.

Oh, I should go for a run; I'd feel better.

Sheets need changing, I should really do that.

Finally you talk yourself into the run and afterwards you're all like:

I feel so good.

My body feels alive.

I probably should've run longer, I still have energy.

I definitely need to do that again soon.

I go through the same style of internal banter about nature hikes.

I should really take the kids outside for a nature hike.

But, we have a couple of reading lessons to make up today.

It's the first sunny day all week; a little sun would be good for us.

What's for lunch?  I need a plan.

Finally I talk myself into the hike and life's stresses are lifted, our moods lightened, we have something new and exciting to talk about at lunch.

Last week I took Joseph, Peter, and Maria out for a nature hike.  It's no easy task getting them ready to go outside.  Joe needs socks and has somehow forgotten how to get them on his own, Peter can't find his favorite shoes, Maria just wet her underwear.  Once all the situations are solved, I pretty much have lost interest, but go with the plan because, well, it was the plan and I like to follow the plan.

I love nature hikes and nature club and being outside and gardening and bird watching and wild flower identification and still, nature hikes with youngsters can be a chore.  I started to think - What about all those folks who don't enjoy nature?  Who don't think they know enough to guide a nature hike?  What tips can I share to help them take their first nature hike with their children?

The rest of this post is going to be a photo journal of our most recent nature hike.  And I'm going to share my best tips and questions to ask while nature hiking.

1.  Find something interesting.

Once outside I directed the kids down to the water.  There's a variety of tree species and some scrubby oaks.  Peter found this gall on an oak sapling.  We broke it open to reveal a firm, crispy, fluffy material.  It's not important to know all the scientific names.  Observation is what matters.  What do you see?  How does it feel?  What does it smell like?

We also spied this butterfly.  Again, observation is key.  How does it flutter?  What does it land on?  Does it rest with its wings outstretched or folded up?  Notice the coloration.

2.  Let the children have some freedom as to what to look at next.

I would've never stopped by the raggy, needs to be tilled garden, but Peter and Maria took notice of the crispy, leftover from last year, Brussels sprout plants, and away they ran to pull

and kick at them.

3.  Find water if possible.

Water is always amazing.  Whether you're watching the ripples from rock throwing or peering into the water looking for underwater plants or simply wondering why it looks blue until you scoop some into a jar (then it's greenish brown).  Kids love water.  Never walk by without stopping and gazing for a while.  Does a bigger rock create a bigger, longer lasting ripple?  

4.  Always except flowers, even if the dirt covered roots are attached.

These wildflowers were picked with love for me.  

  

We looked at each petal up close.  How many petals?  Are they clustered?  What color?  What's in the middle of the flower?  Smell them.  What about the leaves?  Are they elongated?  Spiky?  Hairy?  Remember the goal of nature hiking with children is to help them appreciate God's creation, to allow them to make observations about their world.

Peter found the hole from our maple sap tap; then he stuck the flower in it.

5.  Explore trees and bark.

Find a tree to climb.  Touch the bark.  Is it warmer on the south side?  Compare the bark of one tree to another.  Notice the similarities and differences.

We found pieces of a broken branch from a birch tree.  They tried to piece it back together.

I also found bits of bark and had them find the matching tree.  Peter matched this bark to a birch tree.

Joseph found a piece of poplar bark and matched it to a nearby tree.

6.  Discover shadows.

I love how Maria is looking up at me.  Shadows are always exciting.  Line up; can you stand in such a way that everyone is the same height.  Can you make your hand long and skinny, short and stubby?  Hold up leaves and notice their shadow shape.  Look at your shadow at the beginning of your hike and then at the same place at the end of the hike.  How has the shadow changed shape?

7.  Utilize your sense of smell.

I pointed out wintergreen and had each of the kids pick a leaf.  I told them to bend it and then smell it.  Their faces are priceless.  

This is the face of a very happy nature hiker.  Who doesn't like to see their child smiling?

Joe didn't want to give up his piece of bark.  He carried it around all day and then it mysteriously ended up outside around 8:30 pm.

That's it.  Walk.  Observe.  Touch.  Smell.  You've got yourself a nature hike.  Guess what?  Rain or shine, kids don't mind.