Climbing ladders, hunting for treasure, football and cleaning

It's 7 p.m and I'm in bed. Exhausted. Utterly exhausted. Junk drawers have been cleaned, cabinets have been polished, woodwork has been wiped, clothing has been sorted and windows have been washed. All in anticipation of spring. It was a beautiful day and I spent most of it indoors but I did get a chance to take a walk through the fields by my house and take in the sights and sounds of another winter ending.

The kids had a full day too. B had a friend over and they spent a good amount of time hunting for "treasure". They found marbles, gems, pictures and magnets under the fridge along with quite a few dust bunnies. B also got to try out his new football. . .what do you think, future NFL star????

Today. . .

We watched March of the Penguins, read Spitfire, read The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, worked on Math Rules! and played with some new sciency toys. Oh, and I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed.

Signs of spring

Today was a wonderful, windy day. We looked for signs of spring and found bulbs emerging from the earth, small patches of melting snow, pieces of litter which either blew into the yard or were left over from the fall and little lost toys. And of course bunny droppings. . .lots and lots of bunny droppings.

We explored our yard and then ventured through the trees and bushes and over the barbed wire fence and into the field beyond. The kids felt so free. We often take walks from the bottom of our street(a few houses away) into the acres and acres of fields but this was the first time we crossed the fence. We discovered (or rather our friends who were visiting yesterday discovered) that there is a spot where you can quite easily step over the fence. Arriving in the field reminded me of going through the wardrobe to get to Narnia in The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. It was especially exciting because the wind was blowing so fiercely. The kids love that they've found a "secret" entrance to the fields. When I mentioned cutting back some of the dead branches the kids were disturbed that someone might see a path and "that would spoil everything". Isn't childhood great!

Morning, noon, night

We had some visitors today!

A squirrel, a woodpecker and some new homeschooling friends.

A day in the life. . .

Today was a fun, creative day. We were a little slow getting up -you know, with the time change, certainly not because we're lazy:). We were excited because this was the first day of our 6 week learning co-op. Today's theme was electricity. The kids had a fantastic time. They made these bugs out of a battery, wire and a light bulb, played with snap circuits, read a book about Thomas Edison, did an experiment, and used something called an energy ball. It was a great kick-off to the co-op. I'll be doing the chemistry portion in a few weeks (my 11th grade chemistry teacher, Mr. Snow, would be so proud!)

When we came home the kids watched This is America, Charlie Brown while I prepared lunch. After lunch, J read from The Penderwicks and I read to B(a Magic School Bus book about sharks). Then we did an art project. I was inspired after going to the flower show to make little fairy houses. J and I made little cave houses while B made a shark house.

Then it was time to deliver Girl Scout cookies, do some errands and plant some seeds. I'm exhausted!

Go ahead, compose a symphony!

What was school like for you? What memories of school do you have from childhood? Thinking back on my early years at school (and my later years too) I have very few memories. I remember building a Tyrannosaurus Rex out of chicken wire and paper mache in 4th grade. We built it so high it almost touched the ceiling! I remember it rained really hard and the library got flooded. Then something mysterious happened-a huge bump grew out of the floor. I was fascinated by this! I remember doing presentations on such things as foxes and the ear. I was so shy and was terrified of getting up in front of class to present. That's about it.

I have no real memories of junior high-I think I was just trying to keep a low profile. I was happy to make it through junior high without my friends ever "turning" on me.

High school was about getting into a good college. There were few classes that interested me and I skipped many. But, surprisingly, I pulled it off. I was good at cramming information into my brain and then forgetting everything after I took the test. I have a distinct memory of asking my dad for help in pre-calculus. He was frustrated because I had no interest in understanding the problems. I just wanted to be able to do the problems, get the A, and move on. Move on. I'm amazed that so much education could produce so few memories. You couldn't call those years a symphony, lip-syncing was more like it. Please visit http://radiofreeschool.blogspot.com/ and view their video on Music and Life.

I couldn't resist

Just a few more pictures from the flower show today. Doesn't B look cute? He's trying to be a bunny. I'll be back to the flower show again this weekend but I promise (really) no more flower pictures!