School Projects, Fall Leaves, Fall Photo Shoot – and in between we managed two major surgeries, two minor surgeries, lots of physical therapy, and many other tests. We’re looking forward to break and we’re looking forward to being on a routine and *home* during the New Year!
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So, children really do grow up and we’ve felt that in our home this fall. With our fourth now squarely beyond the at-my-side stage of schooling we have new freedom. Well, I should honestly say that I have more freedom. Their school days have grown longer while mine have shrunk. What I thought might be quite the stretch hasn’t worked out that way. Sarah, Hannah, and Holly are all on a weekly school oversight routine and a weekly Tapestry meeting now. (Leave it to H. and H. to accomplish that developmental step at the same time – as always!). Abby’s workbox system allows her to do quite a bit of school and enrichment independenttly. That leaves me doing our together time and Abby’s daily instruction in language arts and math. While she works through those assignments I have my Montessori time with Beret Anna. It makes for heavenly mornings.
The afternoons are changing too. After enjoying history, literature and Minimus Latin with Abby, I’m finding another mostly open space of time as they’re also outgrowing their need for my help in daily music practice. What ever wil I do? 
(You might not know that I’ve practiced up to four hours a day with my girls in various seasons – so glad I got over the practice thing in high school). So, all of that to say that we’re actually doing Nature Study this year. We’ve fallen into a routine of noticing whatever is worthy of note while on a trail with their Dad as he always has us on a trail. They do a bit of research and a sketch the following day. I’m also using some of the worksheets from Harmony Art Mom (Barb)’s blog.
These are from one of our recent walks. We saw a zillion duck couples much to my delight. I love ducks! Then, we observed a trout trying to get over the rocks. He jumped out of the water several times!
Loved the leaves while they lasted.
Many Duck Couples
Quite the active trout!
I saw huge white bird too, but I’m not sure what it was and didn’t get a picture.
I have been seriously art challenged all of my life. I remember loving the process of creating art as a child, but the results were discouraging. A few of the art classes I tookin school taught a specific technique and I loved those, but most of my art experience would rightly be classified as seasonal crafts.
I planned on outsourcing our family’s art needs when we started home schooling, but reading Drawing With Children (Brooks) when Sarah was in first grade opened my eyes to new possibilities. Over the years we’ve done some outsourcing, but have ended up working on most of our art together. We’ve used and enjoyed the Artistic Pursuits curriculum. The 4-6th grade books that allow students to work independently cover a lot of material even though my girls haven’t felt inspired by quite a few of the projects.
I’m taking us on a bit of a different path this summer. I’ve been spending some time on Harmony Art Mom (Barb)’s website and have been inspired by her practical suggestions in areas of my weakness (art and nature study!). I was already planning on cataloging the trees, birds, and animals that live on our property this summer. Now we will do so and take or find pictures to use as a basis for art copywork. I’m excited to pull our nature study and applied art together in a purposeful and refreshing way. I am planning to alternate weeks where we use Artistic Pursuits with weeks where we copy a work of art from our history studies or from nature.
This one is mine. Sarah has declared that I’ve moved beyond preschool and into elementary school. I’m humming one of the songs from Peter Pan and inserting the words, “I can paint, I can paint, I can paint, I can paint, I can paint!” It looks like a bird!
In our backyard a week or so ago. Our neighbor pointed out this newborn fawn – absolutely precious and the girls got a fairly close look!
Colors of late winter…
Spotted…
Crazy Kids…
Breaking up ice
Crashing ice on rocks
Enjoying the creek
Now, someone motivate me to identify and classify…
When studying trees:
Sketch – noting branches and bark
Observe – what birds and insects live in or visit the tree
Discover – what the tree is used for (wood, syrup, nuts, fruit)
Compare – lengthwise and crosswise cuts, natural and finished
We think he was an owl.
The girls had fun investigating this last week!
