Tissue Paper Flowers

I discovered a used copy of a book called Tissue Paper Flowers by KLUTZ. Allie was instantly intrigued and has really enjoyed learning this new handicraft. The flowers are so pretty and realistic looking too. I told her if she started now she could have all paper flowers for her wedding. Now if that isn't handy I don't know what is.

It's a boy!

Well, my sweet husband just can't resist making our oldest daughter Allie smile. Her 12th birthday is in a couple of weeks and all she has been wanting is one of our neighbor's kittens. He said no rather matter of factly, but then surprised her with it Saturday evening as an early present. Our new addition, Milo, has been receiving an ample amount of attention.

Here he is in the watering can.....

and the doll stroller.....

and finally, the laundry basket for a cat nap.

mmmmm......

Allie made strawberry shortcake today - one of my very favorite desserts. Her baking just keeps getting better.

The Book Summary

Allie read Johnny Tremain as part of our Revolutionary War study. I had her do a written narration after each reading with the intent of having her condense her writings into a short book summary. You see, Allie has the gift of writing. She can write stories that go on and on, full of lively characters and vibrant details. However, when it comes to summarizing, she has trouble. She just doesn't like to leave anything out. We have been working on this skill and she has come a long way. I limited her summary of Johnny Tremain to one page and this is what she turned in to me. CLICK HERE :O)

An old fashioned Sunday picnic

Ring around the Rosie

Allie made a sweet clover necklace for our beloved cow Rosie.

A nifty grammar book from 1920

If you like M.L. Nesbit's Grammar Land, then I'm sure you will like this elementary grammar text from 1920. It is called The Child's Own English Book: An Elementary English Grammar by Alice Eliza Ball. You can download a free PDF copy at Archive.org.

On nature study and heartbreak

Today we learned that nature study can be sad. Yesterday evening Caleb found a young meadowlark fluttering in and out of the tall grass near the cow pasture. When he caught it he took it to show Allie. Allie discovered that it had a broken wing and looked as if it had had a brief run in with one of the cats. They immediately brought it in to me with hopes of patching up the young bird's wing. I was right in the middle of fixing dinner, but having a tender heart, I got down a small box to put it in and gave it a dish of water and a bit of parakeet seed (desparate times call for desparate measures).

After dinner we got out our handy copy of The Handbook of Nature Study and read about Meadowlarks. We quickly learned that they enjoy a diet of grasshoppers and other creepy crawlers, not seeds(oops), and that they are out of the nest in only 10-12 days. We did not read whether or not the baby bird is still dependent on it's parent for food. Allie got her bug jar and proceeded to go outside to rustle up some nourishment for our new feathered friend. While she was outdoors, I fashioned a new home out of a large box and a piece of screening. I thought is was nice, but the bird was scared and kept flying up and running itself into the screen. Allie returned with one grasshopper (not much smaller than the bird) and three pill bugs. The latter was not on the list from "The Handbook", but they were easy to catch.

We dropped the bugs into the box, but the bird was not interested. We only managed to further frighten it. The meadowlark was bright eyed and energetic and appeared to have no other injuries, so we decided to leave it alone until morning; maybe it would calm down and eat. Morning came and all of the bugs were still intact and crawling about the box. The bird was chirping and still very frightened. I feared it would injure itself further if left in our care, so I made the decision that we would let it go. This was not popular. Allie took the box back to the tree line on our property and found a spot where the meadowlark would be able to jump up to some low branches for safety. Many tears were shed in our home this morning. Yes, nature study can be sad.

Rock Painting

It was a beautiful day outside today - 75 degrees and sunny - PERFECT for painting some rocks on the deck. After lunch we scanned the driveway for the best specimens, trying to imagine what each rock "looked" like. Ashlyn eventually ended up wearing more paint than the rocks. Caleb painted 2 or 3 before he was ready to be off playing pirates again. Then there is Allie, my perfectionist, she painted dilegently for close to an hour. I'm sure you will be able to tell which rocks are hers.

From Humble beginnings...

Praise for Simply Charlotte Mason

If you are new to Charlotte Mason's teachings or just haven't discovered the gem that is Simply Charlotte Mason, then I encourage you to hop over there immediately after reading this post :O) Sonya Shafer has put together a wealth of information for the CM style homeschooler. Her two FREE e-books Education Is and Masterly Inactivity have so much knowledge to be gleaned from them, that I learn something new every time I pick one up. Sonya's writings are extremely readable and she has a true gift for making Charlotte Mason's ideas seem doable for today.

The SCM website has also been republishing some treasures of yesteryear. I recently picked up Boy of the Pyramids , for a short study of Ancient Egypt, and Outdoor Secrets because I just LOVE nature stories. Neither has been a disappointment. Boy of the Pyramids is fantastic for oral narration and has left my 7 and 11 year old both begging for more each time I've finished a chapter. Outdoor Secrets contains several short stories about Mother Nature and her many wonders. It is so charming and is enjoyed by all including my 3 year old Ashlyn. You can see samples of both books at the SCM website.