Rocks & Minerals

When people find out we're homeschooling, one of the first questions is usually "what curriculum are you using?" This may change in the future, but at this point we are unschooling (i.e. learning by living and playing) and doing interest-led learning, so when one of the boys becomes interested in something, I support and encourage the interest and help them find additional resources and information.

Henry's newest (and biggest) interest right now is rocks and minerals. Luckily for me, this is something I loved as a girl - I still remember the little guide I used to identify the stones I found in my yard or bought from gift shops on vacations. A couple weeks ago, Henry and I went to the local toy shop together and he picked this out:

Over the next couple of days, he made his own rock guides:

He has also been spending a lot of time digging up rocks in our yard and at various parks by himself and with anyone else he can convince to help him!

I had already been planning a trip to DC to see the cherry blossoms, so once Henry became interested in rocks & minerals I added a visit to the Natural History Museum to the itinerary.

 He took a lot of pictures and a video of the exhibit so he could look at everything more closely later.

 After viewing the exhibit, we visited the gift shop where he got "all the rocks you can bag for $6." I also bought him a couple guide books and a DVD for further exploration.

...and this is where my meter had run out so we needed to get to the car fast and I said "every boy who sits in the stroller gets rock candy."

Here he is at home checking out his guide books and counting his rocks. I think he fit almost 30 in that tiny bag!

I am planning a trip to Luray Caverns for future exploration...let's hope his interest in this topic lasts at least until then!

Easter 2013

We've found a wonderful group of homeschoolers and have been meeting up with them most Fridays; on Good Friday we joined their Natural Egg Dyeing co-op.

Here are the eggs back at home - I think they turned out great! Felix enjoyed rearranging his eggs in the carton.

Our sprouts on Easter

 It was rainy on Easter, so we had our egg hunt inside.

After collecting half a dozen eggs, Felix plopped down on the couch and promptly ate all his candy. Good thing I didn't put much in each egg!

Jude sporting the tattoos from the egg hunt

Some firsts and other things

I don't really have a cohesive theme for this post, just a few odds and ends - some of these things are "firsts" for us, others just seem important for me to remember.

I've been working on making my own version of an iced caramel macchiato brewing extra-strong pour-over

Henry adding jewels to his treasure box

Setting up the rocket Henry got last week

Getting ready to blast off - it is reusable with baking soda & vinegar!

Starting seeds indoors for the first time with my little makeshift "greenhouse"

With Henry's hoodie complete, it's time to start a new project!

Winding the yarn for Felix's new sweater, using this pattern (thanks Beth!)

Our first visit to Irvine Nature Center. They have an amazing outdoor play area that the boys loved. We played outside for 2 hours with friends despite the chilly weather Friday afternoon!

Henry has really embraced springtime!

Palm Sunday artwork

And one more. I think I am going to frame these and hang them every year for Holy Week. Seriously, I know I'm his mom and therefore biased, but this kid's talent is amazing.

And finally, the first (and hopefully last!) snow in springtime!

Spring Equinox & Henry's Rainbow Hoodie

One of the reasons I've chosen homeschooling is to allow us more time to be aware of and observe the changing of the seasons. We had a wonderful, simple "celebration" today.

Probably the most exciting part of today was that I finally finished Henry's rainbow hoodie that was promised to him first at Christmas, then his birthday...but now it's done, just in time for spring!

In the end, today wasn't all that different from any other - we went to the chiropractor, then gymnastics, back home for quiet time, and then played outside until dinner - except in our mindfulness and awareness that this marks the first day of a new season. Henry was so excited and made cards for everyone.

Henry posing with Felix & his newly completed hoodie

I felt rather like the mother bunny in Goodnight Moon, whispering "hush" and knitting in Henry's room last night as he went to sleep

Henry helps Jude open the card he made for him

Playing with a neighbor friend this afternoon

After our friend from across the street went inside, Henry made a "path" that I think was part of a map or secret something-or-other. Everyone watched hm with great fascination.

 And then...the moment we'd all been waiting for! We planted our flower seeds. (We picked up the seed packet yesterday at our local hardware store, just a traditional flower mix.)  I've heard you can start seeds in egg cartons, so I decided to give it a try. We'll see how it goes!

I just had to include these pictures of Felix...after dinner, when his brothers were running around, he was meticulously coloring in all the eyes, noses, and mouths of the people in these pictures. It was amazing how long he sat there - at least 20 minutes, to be sure.