full of learning

Sometimes I’m astounded by how much each week holds and where each path leads.  Some recent examples of our every-day learning adventures:

*Listening to the Magic Tree House- Civil War on Sunday and becoming very interested in Clara Barton.  Checking out library books about her.

*Realizing the civil war discussion has generated questions about all the nation’s presidents which leads to more books from the library and another Magic Tree House Book, Abe Lincoln at Last.

*Connecting that discussion of earlier times to renewed interest in pioneers and do-it-your-self living.  Requests for re-listening to some old audio favorites like the Little House series, My Side of the Mountain and the Kaya series, all while finger knitting long useful ropes.

*Rocking noodle-making, of course!
 
*Listening to big questions (always at bedtime!), and then reading this book, which is really well done and well, helped, with some of those big questions.

*Studying well-know artists with our Monday home school group.  So far we’ve done self-portraits like Leonardo Da Vinci  and tried out the colors that are found in the paintings of Georgia O’Keefe.

*Enjoying Friday Homeschool Workshops at the KVR.  Last week, awesome spider life cycle projects with Miss Julie.

*Discovering the Eastern Screech Owl who has taken up residence in our barn this winter and much to Elsa’s delight, is leaving behind owl pellets!  We think we found a vole skull in this one!  (We sterilized the pellets by baking them for 350 degrees in aluminum foil for 30 minutes, so the surgical gloves aren’t necessary, but make it much more exciting I’m told!).

*Exploring ice caves at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Iris has really enjoyed skiing this year and took a long journey this week with Andy off trail at KVR!

*And just yesterday, creating story machines.  The machines themselves are a little futzy.  We found that if you cut a piece of cardboard tube and tape the end of the story strip to that (and then wind it up around the cardboard piece) it stays together better when exiting the machine).  It was fun to build and decorate the boxes, write (or dictate) the stories and then watch them appear out of the machine! 

Hope your week is full of exploring too!

finishing touches

Andy squinched up his nose about me using these photos.  He’s a bit shy and humble, but I think his table turned out so great I just can’t help it.   We moved it inside today to put some finishing touches on and take video of him putting it together so that when it arrives in Atlanta, his brother Matt and Matt’s finance Rebekah, can put it back together (Andy will ship it in pieces).  The table is made from reclaimed pine barn board- likely old rafters that held up a barn floor. 

I with you could see it in person.  Our little house doesn’t fit a 10 foot table so well, and the light wasn’t at its best, but it really turned out lovely.  It’s all packed up now and awaiting its freight ride to Georgia on Thursday.   Andy had lots of fun giving new life to this table, and we hope Matt and Rebekah will love gathering their family and friends around it for years to come.

And then the snow ninja’s just had to feel what -20 degrees is like, so out they went (for 10 minutes!).

Stay warm all. 

autumn weekend

Last weekend our schedule cleared unexpectedly. That always always gives me pause, but what’s not to like about an unscheduled weekend?   With a quick check of my pile of lists (ahem) I decided that what I really needed was a walk- alone.  Solo.  Even Lily stayed home.    

 

Like most unscheduled time the weekend filled up easily.  We worked in our perennial gardens, clearing, cutting, moving and dreaming. The kitchen was filled with smells of vegetables baking and herbs drying.  I was able to spend time with a friend who wasn’t feeling well.  We were inspired by this to make these:

Tonight there are some sniffles around here and some catching up on sleep to do.  So I’m off with my cup of tea and a book, to settle in for the night.  

Wishing you a wonderful week.

getting ready

I know that the weather this year is really more typical of normal, and truly I’m glad for that (and the bit of extra winter project time it buys us), but still with cardinals singing their spring song, and robins showing themselves…we’re getting a bit antsy.  It was a good weekend for egg dying.  Sweet springy colors.

A friend and her little son came over to help with the fun.  In a lovely tangle of kids and questions and chatter we managed to get several eggs dyed. From left to right:  onion skins (mottled yellows and orange), red cabbage (blue) and black beans (!) for the purple.

Saturday brought just enough warmth to shed coats during our hike and we couldn’t help notice that the sun is clearly lengthening those shadows.

So, I figure I better put my feet up by this fire just a few more times, because spring is on her way.  Ready or not!  Happy first week of spring!

snow day

It snowed!  We’re back to winter here in Wisconsin.  The girls are in heaven, sledding again.  After hours of deliciously fat snowfall, we hiked under the heavy boughs. The crystals glittered everywhere.  It was lovely.  I took so many photos.  Then my beloved Nikon D70 started giving me the dreaded “File does not contain image data” message.  What??  Seriously?  I’ll admit there was a tad bit of late night use of not-so-nice-words as I tried to upload these potentially incredible photos.  The long line of suspicious Sicilians in me were loudly whispering the whole while “in the future do not gloat about your lovely photos lest they be taken away from you”.  Yes, I had to deal with them too.

In the end, the photos you see here are, alas, not the glittering laden boughs of last snowfall, but some old stale photos from another year.  Sigh.  But, all is not lost, for on the heaviest day of snow, we crafted for hours.  The bright and lively (and slightly blurry) middle photo you see here was the result of our good labor (and mysteriously spared by the Nikon D70).  The girls had such fun adorning the wooden peg people with scraps of fabric, ribbons and paint.  And then they played with them for hours.  Another important lesson for mama:  magic happens whether you catch it with your lens, or not.

Hope winter is glorious for you too.

weekending

 Early morning german pancakes, always a good start to a weekend.

And then, by the fire I watched Iris read to Mae and I found myself worrying that maybe when she really learns to read, she won’t read so much.  I so love these long sessions of snuggling, just the two of them, while Mae hangs on every word that Iris reads/remembers/creates.  So sweet it is.

Fun and snuggles by the fire aside, we installed the “project desk” late last week and settled into it this weekend.  I still need to thrift a couple of desk lamps and maybe a few more baskets for holding odd art materials, but in the meantime it’s ready to roll.  The girls took to it right away, crafting, drawing, creating as usual, but now in their own space instead of the middle of our dining room table.  I loved having them at the dining room table, right in the thick of things.  The trouble was, just as artistic creation began to reach its height, it was invariably time for dinner and the creation had to be cleared (and was seldom picked back up).  Oh how I know that feeling, its hard to get back in the groove once you’ve been interrupted.  So we found space for a rather long desk (you can’t be crowded by a sister when you are doing important work) tucked into our already cozy study.  But it feels just right there.  Art materials, and books and all kinds of inspiration.

To help that inspiration along the girls and I did a quick bulletin board project.  A few squares of cork, some hot gun glue, thumbtacks and buttons now

make for an easy place at the project desk to pin art, scraps, ideas, and whims.

We also relocated the dress up hooks under the shelf at the base of stairs that lead to my little studio space.  A few tote bags on tree branch hooks and the space was instantly more organized.  Ah.

Further weekend adventures found us in Houston MN, picking up our wool from Mary at English Gardens Fiber Mill.  She was kind enough to give us a tour.  She even showed us how to skirt a fleece properly (I’ve still got a lot to learn!). 

Our two little sheep brought us over 35 hanks of yarn this year.  Beautiful dark and light heathers, a combination of the wool from our black sheep, Robin, and our white sheep, Primrose.  My mom and I will split the yarn and she’ll likely get right to work!  Iris and I are eager to try our hand at dying some of the wool this year.  Apparently these heathered yarns take well to dyes and Iris already has her eye on a shade of blue just like Pelle’s. 

Last year’s yarn was knitted up into these two gorgeous sweaters by that amazing Nonnie.  The girls seem to really feel the magic of wearing clothes made from their own sheep’s wool and they pull these sweaters from their closet quite often.  

As for me, like most projects around here, progress is slow, but row by row….Andy may too have a vest from our sheep’s wool one day.  

Have a wonderful week all. 

weekending

A long and restful weekend.  Andy was slated to go winter camping with a friend but well laid plans fell through when his friend came down sick.  Everyone was disappointed but he made the most of it and spent the weekend in his shop working on a fun project we hope to have moved inside the house soon. 

 We re-arranged our little corner study in anticipation and

I found a few hours in my little studio to craft some tote bags that we’ll be needing.

But the best part of the weekend was the friends with which we shared it.  Thanks Amy, Ava, and Liam for driving down to keep us company.  Our “girls” weekend turned out pretty sweet I’d say.  Here’s to many more hours of playing baby and legos, drinking tea, knitting (here and there) and discussing the ways of French eaters.  We miss you already. 

winter work

The girls and I got Andy a spoon carving knife for Christmas from this great little outfit in MN, Pinewood Forge.  When I called them in early December to order they told me they were running behind, orders were up, and they-meaning the owner-makes each knife by hand!  They told me they’d do their best, and I was happily surprised when the knife landed on our doorstep a few days before Christmas.  It’s really a beautiful knife (I know you can’t see it in the pictures) but if you are interested you can see it here, it’s the 1 3/4″ hook knife.

Andy has been fishing around for a winter time craft for a couple of years.  He’s done a bit of birch bark work, tried his hand at a willow basket, and politely declined my invitations to help him learn to knit.  Even though there is plenty of manly inspiration out there. But it looks like he’s on to something now.  I can see that this spoon carving thing is a little addictive.  There have been nights when I pad off to bed only to listen to the gentle scratch, scratch, scratch of the knife as the fine chips pile up next to the fire. 

We’re settling into winter around here.  Now for some more snow please! 

letterboxing adventure

Today our Monday homeschool group ventured out for a little letterboxing.  We’re new to it, but I think we’re hooked.  Time outside, some art, some treasure, some running in the woods.  Good stuff.

For those of you new to letterboxing here’s how it works.  (You can get lots more details here and here–be sure to check out the history of this hobby which began in England in 1854!).    Most letterboxers create their own stamp, that is unique to themselves (we did this last week using simple gum erasers and the end of a pencil-without the eraser-to carve), they also create a book in which they collect stamps they find in letterboxes.  Then you can print off from the internet a letterboxing course (we were at Wildcat Mountain State Park) that suits your likes.  Then with stamp pad, stamp and blank book in hand you set off.  The directions you print from the internet will tell you how to find the letterbox(es) along the trail.  Think “20 paces past the wooden bridge under the root ball of the fallen tree”.  Once you locate the letterbox you open it to find a handmade stamp and booklet.  You add your own personal stamps and perhaps a note about where you are from to the booklet that stays in the box, then you add the stamp that lives in the box to your booklet, along with the date and place you are, if you like.  On to the next box on the trail.

Letterboxes are located all over the world, so it’s a fun thing to do when you vacation to new locations and a great way to see lovely natural places.  Of course there is a code of conduct to make sure the environment and its sensitive places are protected. 

The kids loved it.  Mae was especially thrilled when all the big kids raced past one of the boxes and she was able to locate it herself.  Next week we plan to make our own boxes and create a course to share with other letterboxers.  It will be fun for the kids to check the boxes we place to see who has visited.  Designing and carving stamps, following mapping directions, and working as a team.  Kindergarten at its best!

May your week be full of new adventure too.

benjie and the turnip

Today was the culmination of 5 weeks of hard work by this little homeschool group. 

In review:

Week 1: set design.  Papermache on the giant turnip.  

Week 2:  Learning the “score”, kindly written and played on banjo by a talented parent (forgot the camera that day).

 

Week 3:   painting the backdrop

and the giant turnip. 
Week 4:  a bit of costume design (mostly by parents) and further play practice.
Week 5:  the dress rehearsal and final performance (complete with audience of parents and 2 grandparents).

 “Backstage” practicing the soundtrack to Benjie and the Turnip

 “Mother” and “Benjie” trying to pull up the giant turnip

And finally the cast on stage (except for the root gnome whose toes are stage right and the wily 2-year old caterpillar who had something better to do). 

This was such a fun experience for children and parents alike.  The kids seem to thoroughly enjoy each week and shone in their performance today. Thanks for sharing the fun all!

 The rest of our homeschooling week looked something like this.  Hope yours was a good one too!