Long-Overdue UPDATE!

I started this little blog almost ten years ago.

It was meant to be a journal of sorts for our homeschooling journey, starting when Aidyn was only three years old.

And now, hard as it is to believe, he is twelve years old and now has a little brother and sister (and soon a second sister!) who has joined him on his learning adventures.

It can be a hectic life, but it's filled with love, learning, and constant growing.

For the past nine years, we have mostly homeschooled in a relaxed, classical and literature-based way. We have read through many of the great books, rousing adventures, solid classics, and books of fantasy and imagination.

Aidyn's brother, Jack, already expresses eagerness to "do school" like his brother. He enjoys painting, drawing, writing, and being read to. He claims his favorite book is The One and Only Ivan though I haven't read it to him yet; he just likes carrying the massive book around with him.

Aidyn's sister, Natalie, is a full-on explorer extraordinaire! She is constantly making messes, dumping water, touching things she shouldn't, and knocking over objects all in effort to understand and explore her world. She is insatiably curious and employs an impressive range of vocabulary.

We also have a baby girl, Ember, due in just a few weeks.

I am beyond excited to see how they all continue to learn and grow together. Now that Jack is expressing more of an interest to tag along with his brother, I'm going to start him on a fun learning adventure, harking back to when Aidyn was only four and we explored the same topics.

We have a Disneyland trip planned for next year, and I want to take them all on a Disneyland-inspired learning journey over the course of this year. Of course, it will be gentle, fun, and exploratory (no boxed curricula or forced table time or worksheets here!).

We will be using the many lands of the Disneyland Resort to inspire our learning adventure. When in Adventureland, we will read books about the jungle and savanna, exotic animals, and tropical fruit. When in New Orleans Square, we will read about pirates and their plunders, ghosts and spooky mansions, and explore the creole culture of Louisiana.

Now that Aidyn is an independent and strong reader, he can enjoy many of the classic works that inspired these stories and lands.

I am going to do my best to continue my little blog-journal, so we can record all of our children's educational journey. It is heartwarming to be able to reach back and read what Aidyn was doing so many years ago and how much he has grown. 

Nature School~ Easter Hike and Benefits of Outdoor Education

Forest School Nature Hike 

 As Jack grows up, it becomes more and more important to spend time exploring the outdoors. We spent Easter Sunday hiking at a local riparian forest. Goals included:

• free exploration
• immersion in nature
• multi-sensory exploration (listening to birds, touching plants and sticks, smelling the fresh air, observing our surrounding, etc.)
• natural movement and exercise
• nature therapy
• nature education

 We traveled without a curriculum,  plan, or  specific objective.

We simply explored.

 Jack loved the bridges.

We heard many woodpeckers chiseling away in the treetops.

 We identified poison ivy (thanks to a helpful park sign) and learned to avoid it.

We used a plant identification app on my phone to identify local flora.

Below is a video of our Easter hike:

                                  

If you've been thinking of spending more time in nature, here are some wonderful benefits (from Wikipedia- Forest School (learning style):

• increased confidence and independence
• increased self-esteem
• abstract learning of mathematics and communication
• reduced stress
• improved concentration

Other benefits include:

• learning to overcome adversity
• increased problem-solving skills
• enhances teamwork and group solidarity
• develops leadership skills
• new understanding of natural environments

A Peek at Our First Few Weeks of 4th Grade (with a tag-along Jack!)

These first few weeks of homeschool 4th grade whizzed by like a runaway steam train, so I'm lucky that I snapped a few good pictures to remember it by. I'm a tad late, but look back at our first few weeks of fourth grade with me.

 Fourth grade is the year of the home state. Since ours is California, we are spending a whole school year exploring our majestic and exciting state through history books, novels, documentaries, and loads of field trips.

As some of you know, our first day at school is similar to a Homeschool Christmas. The week before I tend to haunt the local thrift shops, finding educational goodies to gift my eager student.

This year, his presents were arranged to spell our state's name. I reminded him, off the bat, how lucky he is in this situation that we don't live in Iowa.

 Happily ripping open presents.

 Baseball mitts for "O," as in "outdoor time."

 An ice shaver for "I."

 Jack lent a hand.

 Cranium.

 Scattergories! "L" is for "language games!"

 What I have recently learned is a "rip stick." Aidyn is still learning to master this board.

 Jack, playing with a pirate ship nearby.

 Aidyn immediately put his ice shaver to work.

And he seems to enjoy it quite a bit.

 We sometimes start the morning with LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow.

Jack enthralled by Reading Rainbow.

 Language Arts.

 Vocabulary.

4th grade language arts is no joke.

 But we still find the fun with goofy language arts games.

 Working diligently on grammar.

Jack exploring the outside.

 We usually start the morning oooing and awwing at this cute face.

 Brotherly bond.

 Word Sorts.

 Hands-on learning.

Hands-on math lesson (Aidyn was less than pleased that I stopped him for a picture.)

 Sometimes Grandma steps in and spends time with Jack outside.

 4-Square Vocabulary. In the picture above, "boycott" is illustrated by a man stopping a customer from purchasing a defective Whoopie Cushion. There was an entire back story here.

 Writing 4-Square Vocabulary in his notebook.

 Jack pre-approves all curricula.

 Hands-on math.

 Jack quietly listens to lessons.

Watching a Cesar Chavez documentary.

 Math bingo game.

 Aidyn loved calling the numbers.

 Painting a landform map of California.

Buoyancy science experiment.

 Aidyn tested the buoyancy of several objects, like a ball of dough, an empty bottle, a metal lid, and eraser, etc.

Jack actively participated, mostly by dumping a container of water on the floor.

 But he was all eyes for his brother.

 Testing the buoyancy of a ball of dough when asked, "Can we change the shape of the object to make it float?"

 Aidyn squashing the dough to find a shape which would allow the dough to float.

 Attempts #1 and #2 resulted in sinking.

 Until he folded up the sides like a boat.

 He struggled to make the perfect shape.

 Success!

 Jack, Grandma, and Aidyn testing dough-boats.

 We continued the buoyancy experiment outside in a kiddie pool. Again, Jack was a willing participant and played the role of baby Godzilla, smashing any boat Aidyn set out to sail.

 The cutest baby Godzilla I've ever seen.

 Eventually, the baby Godzilla was won over by science and tested his own sink/float theories.

 How Jack tries to stay busy while Aidyn does school.

 Hands-on dice game to practice writing large numbers.

Jack played his own dice game, which mostly consisted of resisting the urge to eat them.

And there you have it: the first few weeks of homeschool! We have a busy year ahead with loads of exciting ventures (as I continue to navigate homeschooling with a soon-to-be-toddler in tow!).