Shh...the prince is sleeping

Parenting sure isn't for the weak at heart. These days baby boy is requiring lots of training, which I know is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. That being said, he is wearing me out. I'm thankful because he is still wearing himself out. I took this picture a couple days ago. He climbed up on my bed, pulled the cover up and fell fast asleep.

A Buzzing Fun Bee Trail

Bethany found a bee hive in our mail box. It was dead (including the bees still in it). This sparked a 'bee trail' for us. She wanted to learn more about bees. So last week we did. It worked well, because a local park was having a honey extraction which we went to . It also has tied right into our apple unit study.


We ate honeycomb cereal, and we listened to "The Flight of the Bumblebee". I made ribbon sticks out of popsicle sticks and streamers. Bethany and Trenton used these to dance to the music.

Here are some of the sites I used for our bee study.
lesson plans
Letter B, arts and crafts including bees
Enchanted Forest has a 'hive' of activities

Bethany is an excited learner. She frequently will come ask me if we can study this or that. Currently on her list is Curious George and ice cream. :) I love this kid.

A Good End to the Week

Today was a really good day...
we went on a fun field trip. The kids each attended a class, we ate lunch outside, toured the rest of the place, stopped at McD's for an ice cream treat, rested, ate dinner as a family and now I'm listening to the fun sounds of my kids and hunny outside playing soccer.

I'm thankful to God for the good things He has given me.

The Lewis and Clark Adventure

I am busy planning a Lewis and Clark unit study and I thought I'd share some of the goodness online and also books that I've used....

First some links:
Homeschooling on a Shoestring lists lots of links and books for Lewis and Clark
Homeschool Helper Online offers a free lapbook
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation has lots of information as well as puzzles in pdf
Smithsonian Education has lesson plans suitable for grades 3-8
National Geographic has a interactive game for kids to play as well as an interactive journey log. Lots of information and pictures here.
Lewis and Clark Trail--map and lots of information
National Parks website has a with lots of teacher resources broken down into grade levels.
Jetihoja Academy posted links as well as pictures of her kids' Lewis and Clark study.
I found information and lesson plans here--on the Weekly South Dakotan site.

Here are some of the books that I've found helpful: I don't have time to link them back to Amazon or somewhere you can buy them...I found many at our local library and I borrowed many more from a kind friend.
Lewis and Clark for Kids: Their Journey of Discovery with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert
The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Join the Corps of Discovery to Explore Uncharted Territory by Carol A. Johmann
Going Along with Lewis & Clark by Barbara Fifer
Lewis & Clark: An American Journey by Daniel B. Thorp
Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West by Steven Kroll
Streams to the River; River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell
The Journal of Augustus Pelletier: The Lewis and Clark Expedition A Dear America Book
A Picture Book of Sacagawea by David A. Adler
Animals on the Trail with Lewis and Clark by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent; she has also written Plants on the Trail...

I've learned so much studying about this adventurous time in America's history; hope you do too!

A Lasting Legacy

A dear, sweet friend went home to be with our Lord today. She was 94 years old. She taught me many things; a few of them are:

• To love the Lord faithfully
• To protect my time with Him
• To serve with dedication and commitment
• To laugh often and smile more
• To serve tea and cookies to everyone who comes through your door
• To let the little ones play--they grow up very fast
• To cherish your friends and family
• To celebrate the small things

I cry because I miss her, but I smile because she is with her Lord whom she loved so faithfully. Welcome home, Mrs. Jeanette.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Lighting the Fire of Learning

That's what we are aiming to do, right? We want to ignite the passion of lifetime learning in ourselves and our children.

A friend called me just a bit ago with a great example of this very concept! Her children are also studying presidential elections. She has a son, almost 13; daughters, 11, 8 and 6. Her older two kids decided they wanted to build an election booth (out of a big cardboard box), set up a mock election and everything! She said the kids are so excited...they are getting ahead of themselves in the unit study...asking what are political parties, party platforms, etc. They are going to have two stuffed animals "run" for president. They are going to come up with what each animal stands for and make speeches.

Take pictures, I reminded her. This is learning at it's best!! I'm giddy with excitement.

My Bethany asked me yesterday if we could do something similar, however today she got more ideas listening to me tell about our friends' election fun.

Visit this site for a free sample of paper doll figures of Obama and McCain (scroll down about halfway). You can also sign up for free weekly Dover Samples.

Pictures from the Sprayground Park

The last two days we have spent the afternoon at a sprayground park. The kids have had a wonderful time. It has been so fun to watch them. Right beside the sprayground park is a playground and the kids can go between the two of them. Little guy enjoyed doing just that...he'd play in the water for a while, then go run and play on the equipment for a while. Bethany spent most of her time in the water, although she had her fair share of running back and forth.

The kids were tuckered out, as was their mom, after each day. Tomorrow we'll be home, catching up on chores and school.

School is going well. Both girls are studying presidential elections and The Young Peacemaker. We've added other subjects too and next week, we should be full speed ahead. :)