Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have posted about our homeschool studies. It’s not as visual for the blog as it was when he was younger! However, we are still working hard and doing some fun things.
Before Christmas, we finished up the Revolutionary War. I lingered way too long on that topic. I always joke that I spend way too much time on history but I can’t help it – I love history, and it is what my degree is in. That and literature. Wyatt loves history now too, and it cracks me up what he holds on to sometimes. He loved the story of Paul Revere, and loved shouting “The British are coming!”, which Revere actually never did but we talked about actual history and then also, this fictionalized version. He made a lantern with a tealight, and we just had a great time with it.
After Christmas, we moved on to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and westward expansion. This is a whole new adventure and he has been enjoying it. We are about to head down the Oregon Trail, and we are also reading Little House on the Prairie for Language Arts. When we finish that one up, we are going to start The Cabin Faced West, which I have actually not read yet myself!
I mentioned that we are reading Little House on the Prairie. I learned this morning that Friday is Laura’s birthday, so I am planning a few fun celebrations for that, like a mini Pioneer day.
Wyatt and I were both done with modern, abstract artists so I am starting a whole new unit with him in art – architecture! He is already excited over it and we have only been working on it for a week. We needed something new and fresh to liven things up! Wyatt loves houses and building things so it seemed like a good fit.
We started last Saturday with Billy, and talked about foundations, how important they are, the difference between shaky and solid. He got to do a little experiment with both as well, trying to float a foundation and building on it to see the difference. Then he and Billy built a “floating” building, the Sydney Opera House. It was a lot of fun, and he had a blast. We did have to crack up because the non-technical parent (me) bought the supplies and did not pick a large enough “harbor” for our opera house to float in. It more or less rested on the sides of the container. But, he got the idea!
We are using a slew of books for this, but there are a few that I really like.
For the first time since we have started homeschooling, our year was more of an amble than guided hike. I must be getting more used to this homeschooling thing and Wyatt and how we work together! I didn’t stress as much about sticking to arbitrary timelines that I just decided on, and let ourselves explore as we wanted. However, that does mean that we only made it as far as the brink of the Revolutionary War this year! Did Ben Franklin really need two weeks dedicated to him? Probably not, but Wyatt was enjoying learning about him so we really spent time on him, which is one of the perks of homeschooling.
Since I started with American History, I might as well talk about that for a minute. I have been rolling Michigan history up with American history, adding in the lessons about Michigan as necessary in the timeline. I feel like we are walking the timeline of history here. What do you expect from a woman who has a history degree though? We really dig in here. We started with the Native Americans of Michigan, specifically the Anishinabe. We read Birchbark House, which was fantastic, and made a birchbark house, a winter cabin, and learned more about the way of life of the Anishinabe. From there we wandering into the fur trade, and read The Littlest Voyageur, which I felt was a less traumatic way to learn about this time period. It was less historically accurate, as it was told from the viewpoint of a squirrel, but my introduction was Eagle Fur by Robert Newton Peck which was extremely violent, honestly, and I was maybe 12 when I read it. It has stuck with me forever. (As a side note, his book A Day No Pigs Would Die also has haunted me forever)
From here we segued into the 1600s over there on the East Coast, the puritans, the 13 colonies, and colonial life, which we apparently lingered over for a while, but I wanted to be thorough. We ended the year in the years leading up to the Revolution, and our last study was good old Benjamin Franklin. We read a lot of good books, like The Courage of Sarah Noble, Who Was Benjamin Franklin, Your Life as a Settler in Colonial America, Explore Colonial America, and we started Sign of the Beaver but we just couldn’t finish it, as we had just finished two books about kids surviving on their own in the wilderness. ( My Side of the Mountain and The Courage of Sarah Noble) and couldn’t do another.
Wyatt loved history this year. I will say his one of his favorite things was learning about the different jobs that were available during the Colonial times. At the end, we pretended that he was getting ready to move out as an apprentice (since kids did at like 11 in that time) and had him choose his job. He had a hard time choosing – first he thought silversmith, then thought about blacksmith, before deciding on printer, which I thought was a good choice.
We did put history on hold in March while we did a whole month of Irish legends, folktales, and culture. I mixed things up a bit here and there.
In the spirit of that, we celebrated Appreciate a Dragon day, and had a school day dedicated to dragons.
Science was another area we really lingered! I had only planned for dinosaurs to take like 6-8 weeks tops, and we spent much longer on them. We started at the very dawn of existence though, with the Pre-Cambrian period and trilobites and worked our way on up. After that we sort of dodged around, talking about the environment, conservation, and then even the experiments of Ben Franklin, so no formal unit the last few months.
Our book studies were pretty awesome this year too, with the exception of Alice in Wonderland, which I hated although I tried to like it. I think that trickled down to Wyatt a little as well. Neither of us cared for it. Next we read The Phantom Tollbooth, and Wyatt loved that book so much. I think that was his favorite book this year, hands down. (He also loved Fortunately the Milk which was also that same absurdist type style) From there we leaped to My Side of the Mountain. This book was so crazy to me as a mother to just think this kid did that, his family knew and were like ok, see you later. Wyatt liked that one. Then I wanted to read a “fun” book, so we read The Wolves of Greycoat Hall, which was the book that generated the interest in conservation. Plus it had wolves for Wyatt.
Art – I was disappointed in our art this year. We learned about some great artists- Hundertwasser, Maud Lewis, Charley Harper, Emily Carr – but we just didn’t get as much time to work on art as we usually do. We had to focus our attention elsewhere, which is fine, but I missed it and so did Wyatt. Hopefully next year we can add it back in more. We will see, as every year is different and fun in its own way.
We of course worked on reading and math and English type things as well, but those are not super interesting to talk about here. Just, we did them. I think I am going to write a post about homeschooling resources soon, maybe next week, and these will come up there too.
I have started planning for next year, of course. I usually do this time of year, so we can be ready. It is even more important to be ready this year, as next year we will be jumping in post-surgery and I don’t want to have to worry about planning school during his recovery time. I am also working on planning out Cub Scouts too, for next year. This is such a time of getting ready for us!
And with that, I am going to go do just that before we start school for today!
Whatever you do today, try to do something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone!! This week has been beyond chilly and I am so grateful that I have not had to venture out into it too much. I did see that a lot of the country is cold right now too and I hope you are all staying warm!
After New Years, we were able to just relax a bit more. We had a few commitments but for the most part, we spent time just hanging out at home together.
We did go out twice, at least. Wyatt was invited to go bowling with some of the kids in his old preschool class, so we went and did that. He loves bowling so much! And strangely, the very next day a local adaptive group posted that they were forming a bowling league, so I signed Wyatt right up, immediately! I think he will have so much fun!
Speaking of Wy-guy, he has been kicking butt and taking names at therapy! He is working so hard at walking. This kid is tough. Like seriously tough. At his last therapy appointment, he walked 48 feet before he needed a break. Yesterday, and with a two week break because of the holidays in between, he still walked 112 feet before needing a break! He is making significant improvements every week and he is so proud of himself, as he should be! This is an older picture, when he was first using this system back in September, and has been making such big gains every week since then!
We have also been working really hard in our homeschool and Wyatt has been making some gains there too! He is just kicking butt all over this week. We started all new books this week too which is fun. In literature we are reading My Side of the Mountain which is super interesting, from my perspective as a parent, because this kid just takes off to live alone on a mountain? Are his parents looking for him? What is happening? That is all I can think about as we read this one together. Wyatt likes it, but has said he would not like to sleep outside in a bed a leaves and branches and I told him that was a good choice.
In history, we are covering the colonial era, and our book to accompany the lessons we are doing is The Courage of Sarah Noble. It is so funny to me that I didn’t read either of these books as a kid. We are also going to read Sign of the Beaver and also The Witch of Blackbird Pond. My degree is in history so this kid of mine will be learning about American history probably this year and next, with how long I spend on each time frame. We move slowly through time over here! I also need to add in a week or two of Michigan’s place in history during this time frame, because Michigan looked pretty different from New England during this time frame. I found a fiction book to accompany some of the history we will be discussing about the French and Native Americans here, and Pontiac’s War. The park, which was once the land where Pontiac and his people gathered before their attack on Detroit is like a mile away from here. I feel like I am rambling!
Our artist this month is actually one I didn’t know much about either! Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who was an Austrian artist and architect. He was influenced by Gaudi, who we studied a few years ago, and you can really tell by looking at his designs. I love how colorful and and interesting his shapes are! Wyatt is enjoying him as well – loves to draw houses and trees and builds houses all the time with his toys so I thought he would enjoy Hundertwasser, and he does. I am actually pretty fascinated with him as well.
So, it’s slow days around here! Lots of school, lots of art, lots of hanging out at home. In fact, Saturday is our first Cozy Crafternoon Zoom! It will be frigid here on Saturday so I am ready to just get cozy and work on my embroidery while chatting with the other ladies on the zoom.
And that is really it from around here for now! Whatever you do today, try to do something that makes you smile!
Here are some random photos from the old camera roll!
If you have ever homeschooled, or know someone who does, then you probably know just how much time, effort, research, conversations, and comparisons go into picking the curriculum your child uses. Our position is unique – we do not need to choose something that will be effective for an entire school district of children all with different needs. We need only choose based on our own child and their educational journey. However, despite having a much, much smaller student body, it is just as important and just as time consuming.
After weighing Wyatt’s needs, where he is academically, and how he best learns, I FINALLY made my choices and started purchasing them, always with the slightest trepidation and anxiety about making the wrong choice. And then I remind myself, when I start doubting myself, that if it doesn’t work, then we find something that does. Wyatt’s education is probably our biggest expense outside of our actual bills, and it is something we sometimes make sacrifices for. But it is 100% worth it.
The homeschool world has so many options. Secular, non-secular, nature based, wildschooling, unschooling, roadschooling. We sort of take a little bit of everything over here, and have a very eclectic approach.
Let’s start with Language Arts!
This year I am going with Blossom and Root Year 3. I am super excited! There is just so much diversity and depth included in the year 3 curriculum, and when I spoke with other parents in the Blossom and Root Facebook group, so many told us that their children loved both years 3 and 4 and not to skip them. I had told them that this year Wyatt and I did our own thing and I didn’t know if I should just skip year 3 and they emphatically said no way, it is too good. So, I am listening!
Math is the most challenging subject for Wyatt, and we tend to go very slowly and really spend time on it to make sure he understands a concept before moving on. One of the perks of homeschooling! I don’t care what “grade level” he should be at, he doesn’t need to keep up with anyone, it is all about Wyatt learning and understanding at his pace. We have found he responds very well to the math teaching style presented in The Good and the Beautiful, and then if we need to supplement for a concept it is is easy for me to just make stuff myself for additional material.
History this year is also a mix of topics and creators. I wanted to focus on two topics, Government and Michigan history. I know that in Michigan, fourth grade spends a lot of time on these two areas in public schools, so I wanted to make sure we cover them. I found some great looking materials on Teachers Pay Teachers and Living Books Curriculum.
As for art and music, we are going to stick with my own studies. I have so much fun making them for Wyatt and he seems to really enjoy them. Although, I would love to hear suggestions for artists to study. We have covered so many and so many different styles as well. We haven’t done Warhol or Pollock, and they are on my list. Who else do you think I should I add? I would also like to add more women artists, we have only covered a few. I would love to hear your suggestions!
And finally, a present for me, to keep myself all organized. With all the different hats I wear, and now adding in Cub Scouts, I need to be organized, and I am a person who needs it written down. I am not into digital planners. So, I use a Passion Planner right now for my overall life – meetings, appointments, etc, and I treated myself to a Clever Fox Teacher Planner for next year. It is so cute! The one that I bought last year was really nice but was more than I needed. This one looks to be about the speed I need. It is undated which I like because we school all year, with breaks here and there so I can make the dates work for when we are actually actively in school. It has stickers, monthly and weekly pages, extra blank pages for notes, and an events area where I will plan field trips. It does have a bit more than I need, but the one I purchased last year had way more pages than I needed, and it was designed for homeschool. So although this is designed for a traditional teacher, it still will be more practical for my particular needs.
And of course I got it in the dark green, because it is my favorite and matches my Passion Planner. Lol.
We will be ending for the month of June very soon now and I am looking forward to the next school year already! We will be starting these particular curricula in the fall, and finishing up this school year over the course of 6 weeks in the summer. I would not change what we do for the world.
Hello everyone! It is snowing here. Snowing. It is not sticking thank goodness, but I am so ready to just be able to leave my house without layering Wyatt and I all up to go outside. I long to step outside barefoot and in a t-shirt again! I mean I guess I could do it now but I would freeze my toes off!
It has been cold here for days, and we have been sticking close to home. And honestly, I complain about the weather but it does have its benefits. I love all the family time we have been having here at home together. Lots of game nights with popcorn, or on the couch tucked into a book, or all the creations we have been making together!
On Saturday we spent quite a bit of time together sitting at the table, making these little creature portraits. Billy made the badger, the rabbit is Wyatt’s, and mine is the fox. We actually loved making these so much that we have been eating eggs all week so that we can make more! They were so simple to make. Just a few simple supplies are needed to make them, just paint and glue and cardboard and egg cartons. I found them on Instagram and we put our own spin on them. This woman’s Instagram is filled with super adorable craft ideas!
Billy has also been making his little miniatures for me too.
I am still on my older book binge. I can’t stop with these old books, and I love the vintage copies the best. I intentionally seek them out from the library, over the more modern copies of the story, with the shiny new covers. I love a shiny new cover, don’t get me wrong, but for these books, I like reading the older copies, because then you find things like this. Isn’t this beautiful? It’s from the end pages of Thimble Summer, and it was just such a happy surprise to see this artwork when I opened the book.
I was also going through the millions of boxes of my books I have in storage, and found a book that was my mom’s. I don’t think I am going to read it, but the cover…sigh. So pretty.
The main event of the weekend however was my little niece’s birthday party! This little nugget turned one! I can’t believe it. We loved celebrating her first year around the sun! It was a fun afternoon spent with family, watching the presents getting opened, cake being smashed and eaten, albeit very daintily. My favorite part was her face when we all stood around her and sang Happy Birthday. She was looking at us like we were all crazy, and it cracked me up.
Finally, I added a new printable to my Etsy store, all about frogs, just in time for spring – and world frog day, which is today!
If you are interested you can pop over here! (Use code SPRING to get 20% off until Saturday the 22nd)
And I am off! Wyatt and I have a full day today! We have school of course, and then after I want to make cookies and visit the library before I go to my mom’s later this evening to help her with a few things. I don’t usually book my days like this anymore but.. I am sure we can do it. I am thinking start the cookies before school, pop them in the oven and while we work on one of topics for today they can bake – then we can eat them!
I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!
It’s that most magical time of the year, when homeschool families all over start to convert their curriculum entirely over to Christmas! Holiday and winter themed everything – science, math, history, geography, language arts.
I did this for a few years with Wyatt, preschool through about Kindergarten. Now though, I just weave some magic of the season into our regular curriculum, just a sprinkle, enough to make some whimsy alongside our regular learning. And, I am super excited to say that I have everything all lined up! Now printed and ready – well, we are not quite there yet!
However, I am super excited to share what we are planning!
The Waldock Way is one of our very favorite creators to get homeschool curriculum from. We used her Traveling the States curriculum last year and it inspired a love of states and geography and state birds in Wyatt that still lasts now! And since she is having a 40% off all of her curriculum sale right now, I splurged on a special (and tasty!) Christmas geography unit study! This takes you around the world, and includes history, maps, and recipes! We won’t finish the whole thing but we can probably add a few countries in every year for a while to come. And since there is a sale, I bought the Who Was Claude Monet unit study as well, since he is the January artist of the month!
Next up, I found a few fun looking unit studies for Language Arts over on Teachers Pay Teachers.
These are all from the store Lashes and Littles, and I can’t wait to use them. I bought The Polar Express, Little Red Sleigh, Dasher, and 5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas, and I am sure Wyatt will love them! They are all 40-50 pages and since I plan on doing one a week I am sure we won’t do everything, again, but I will pick and choose from the many activities. These studies include comprehension, crafts, cause and effect, noun and verb work, writing prompts, coloring sheets – the list goes on and on. I am super excited about The Polar Express. Wyatt has not watched that movie yet and this year we are going to watch it. He loves trains and all things transportation so I am sure he will enjoy it, so that is going to be our big finale.
Finally, I pulled something from my archives that I bought a few years ago. Wyatt is special needs as you all know, and while he does well in school, I often meet him where he is, and math and numbers are just a struggle for him. We continue to learn at grade level but we are always always reviewing to keep those neural pathways open, and this is just perfect for some bonus fun math in December (and maybe all winter!)
This awesome looking winter math bundle is from Raising Dinos. I did buy it as part of a mega pack a few years ago and since I save everything, I was able to find it on my computer to reprint. I think it will be such a great “addition” to our math this December!! It is on sale now for $2.80, and is 79 pages, so it is a steal!
And that is it! We will continue along with our regularly scheduled curriculum and sort of gently fold this in as we go. I am super excited about it, and I hope that Wyatt will be too!
Hello everyone! We had a very fun week last week in our little homeschool. Some weeks are more book and table weeks, some weeks are more hands on, and last week was a lot more hands on, which we both appreciate and love.
In science (we use Blossom and Root) and this year is all about the wonders of the animal kingdom – from the very tiniest on up. Last week we began discussing invertebrates, specifically octopi, snails, and worms (the curriculum picked for us). I was pretty excited, because, snails. We know I love them. But I opted to leave them out this time since Wyatt and I have covered snails pretty extensively in the past. So we focused on the wonderful octopus and worms. We read books, watched videos, including a Wild Kratts episode about an undersea octopus, filled out Wyatt’s science notebook with facts, and then, crafted one out of pipe cleaners and a foam ball. It was really easy and Wyatt loved it. Also, I felt pretty darn genius for putting it on display in Wyatt’s Catch and Release bucket.
Next we tackled worms! Same deal – read books, worked on Wyatt’s fact notebook, watched some videos, and then the hands on part of the assignment. And thank goodness we had Papa and Grandma on hand to help out! We were building a worm jar together using the instructions in the back of the worms book, and while I mostly set up and helped with layering, Papa had the hard job, handling the worms. Wyatt absolutely would not touch a worm unless Papa handed it to him. It was cracking me up. I mean not that I blamed him, I didn’t want to touch it either. And I didn’t.
We are still working on a few states that we didn’t do last year, and will intermittently do this throughout the year. Since we are reading Paddle-to-the-Sea in Language Arts, I thought it would be a good time to work on Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. We started with Ohio our first week, then moved on into Pennsylvania. We learned some neat things about Pennsylvania, like why the heck it is called the Keystone state, that their state bird the Ruffed Grouse is one tough bird, and that the “birth” of the Hershey factory shares a birthdate with Wyatt (I mean obviously much different years though). We celebrated with some Hershey’s chocolate and wondered if people in Pennsylvania get much fresher chocolate than we do. Does it taste different so close to the source? Maybe we will have to visit one day and answer these hard-hitting questions.
In art, we are still working on Van Gogh! I had planned Van Gogh for the whole month, but we did skip the other week to make our ghost pictures (“Goghst” pictures?) instead. This week we made our version of Crows Over a Wheatfield. I loved doing this one with Wyatt. We used oil pastels and focused on perspective and horizon as part of the lesson. It turned out really cool!
It was a fantastic week of learning, and this week is a little less hands on but that is ok! We still one more Van Gogh to “Gogh” (I just can’t stop) and this week it is The Starry Night.
What We Used:
This section contains Amazon Affiliate links. In addition to the curriculum I am creating for him, we also use curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful, The Waldock Way, and Blossom and Root for phonics, reading, science, and social studies.
Hello everyone! Another early morning over here…. Wyatt sure is an early bird. I mean, I am a morning person, but he is a different story altogether. Billy and I try to prolong getting up as long as we can but eventually we have to get up because Wyatt is up and at ’em in full force. Thank goodness for coffee!!!
Wyatt and I were obviously over the moon to get out and do something last week after weeks of being stuck at home. I mean, really, this summer has been a weird one, between the weather, the air quality, Wyatt’s allergies, and his bite/cellulitis/antibiotic issues. So getting out to the library was like a dream come true and we took full advantage of our time out, and got a little silly on the porch taking photos. Wyatt is such a ham, and loves his picture taken. I am not as thrilled but, for my kiddo, of course I will. We picked up a ton of books and even saw our tiny art on display!
Billy’s isopod is in the front row, while the paintings by Wyatt and I ended up in the back row…hmm. I love his sun and moon painting! My snail is pretty sad, but we had a really good time painting these together a few Saturdays ago. There are some really cool paintings actually, and I plan on going back and taking some more photos. I thought this idea was so cute.
I’ve been happily busy working on our school year plans! And extremely thankful for my electric hole punch, and that my husband works at an industrial printer who prints all the curriculum for me every year. My little bit is a drop in the bucket of what they print every week but it is always so nice of them to make time in their day for it. I very contentedly punched holes and organized and put it all in binders the other day. Then I was able to flip through and make plans for field trips and different studies and readings to go along with what he is going to be learning this year. (I posted a bit back what we are using this year if you are interested) We are still going to be filling in with Traveling the States from The Waldock Way as well, as we didn’t quite finish them all yet! We will actually begin the year with Ohio, our neighbor to the south, move into Pennsylvania, and then New York, as we read Paddle-to-the-Sea.
Speaking of Ohio, we took a road trip to a wildlife refuge over the weekend that was so much fun. I am going to do a whole post on it since I took a billion photos and videos, and feel like I have a lot to share about the day.
And now, just some random photos from the week – Wyatt is back on the bike, we have apples (and some are turning red!), Miso likes to random pose for me, the cucumbers and nasturtiums are going wild, the canopy is still up, and my neighbor cat wants some pets.
We have cooler temps and good air quality right now, and it feels like fall and it is marvelous around here. I wish you all a great day!
Hello my friends! I got a new to me laptop (Billy’s new within the last two years but old to him) and all my stuff looks weird now. Is this font different? Why? I need to do some investigating! (update – it’s not, I am just apparently crazy)
Let’s see, what has been happening since the last time I chatted? Well. We moved my mom to her new place last week and that sort of consumed the entire week, outside of school and appointments. We are still working out details of what she needs, what she wants to replace, etc. All that nesting type thing, decorating, so it is not completely done but this is the fun part at least.
Saturday we had a day without work, and it was awesome. We went to Greenfield Village to celebrate my dad’s birthday and it was hilarious at first, just pure chaos. We had no idea prior to arrival (at 10 am, mind you) that it was Thomas the Thank Engine day, where they make the train look like Thomas, and everyone on earth is there to visit. So there were virtually no parking spaces at all. Then after we all finally found a spot, my brother realized they had forgotten their stroller! So while they were making the long trek to the village from the lot they had to park in, Billy and my dad went into guest services and rented a wagon to put the baby and her car seat in. By this point, it had gotten super cloudy and it was absolutely freezing – and I only had on a thinnish t-shirt. So my stepmom and I went into the gift shop and my stepmom generously treated me to a warm and cozy sweatshirt. Phew. By this point it was now 10:45 and we could finally enter the actual village. The good part- all of the Thomas people were now inside and on the train at least. Lol.
We had a great day, hanging out with my dad and stepmom, and my brother, his wife, Mermaid Girl, and Tiny Bebe. We ate, we walked, we laughed, it was a good time. I have decided I need a version of Camp Mohwak in my yard to retreat to. Although I would like a better view than the house behind me – instead, it should be woods and a river or something, more of a view like the actual cabin pictured has.
Then Sunday I met my friends at the garden center for our annual flower shopping day!
We all had our specific goals, mine being to buy plants to spruce up the toad abode, to make it prettier and to give shade. I ended up buying a few ferns, a hosta, some tomatoes and basil and cucumbers for the garden, and then some petunias and snapdragons for fun. I also picked up a crazy foxtail fern, simply because it is called a foxtail fern. I have no idea where to put it but I love it so much. Lol. Our next garden task is to get more topsoil since we are still working on getting rid of that darn ivy our previous neighbors planted, and sprinkling wildflower seeds down. That will end up being in the area behind the toad abode and it will look so pretty when it is finally all done. But, that is gardening isn’t it? You can’t hurry it, it is something that requires you to slow down and take your time. Or at least, that is the way that I like to do it. My friend Kelly is my total opposite pretty much in all things (I call us Grace and Frankie on here all the time) and she powered through and had everything in place that she bought in like an hour and had her entire yard done in a few days. I am more of a meditative gardener, I guess. I like to think about where something is going, maybe change it, maybe do this… I am just very slow. Neither one of us does it better than the other, it’s just our ways.
Speaking of Kelly…she and her sweet daughter E. supplied the “toads” for our toad abode! Well, sort of. I have to raise them first. E. and Kelly went to a vernal pond near the railroad tracks near their house, and E. collected ten little tadpoles all by hand just for Wyatt!
They brought them over to us and hung out for a bit, and it was so fun. We exclaimed over the cute little tadpoles zooming around, E. enjoyed meeting all of our creatures, from the geckos to the isopods (although I think she liked Applejack the best). I was reminded of those summer nights when I was a kid, where time stood still for a while, the weather was perfect, the kids were laughing and playing, and it was just one of those perfect, everyday moments in time. We gave her an old praying mantis ooth to take home for her own nature collection, and for some reason it just really made me happy, tadpoles for an ooth.
So that is about it for me – I need a refill on this coffee, and I need to get ready for a big day of school with Wyatt. He is also getting a haircut, and hopefully we fit some time in for the library and then later tonight, time in the yard.
Gosh, we love Bob Ross in this house. Such a happy, gentle, uplifting soul he was. I needed some Bob Ross vibes last week and I was so happy I had planned for him to be our artist of the week all the way back when I was planning in the late fall. This time of year can get so blah you know?
We focused on Bob Ross quite a bit. We read about his life, we read as many picture books as I could find at the library about him, we watched him every night before Wyatt went to bed, and then had a family paint day. Wyatt now is a big fan of Bob Ross, which tickles me.
I did not know about Ross’ life other than watching him on Joy of Painting. I had no idea he was in the military, that he had been stationed in Alaska, that he taught in person classes that at first no one attended. When he got his television show, he was happy with just a simple little set, he didn’t need anything elaborate. He raised baby squirrels, and saved injured animals. I just adore him. He brought some lightness into our week last week, and into this week as Wyatt continues to watch him.
Our family Bob Ross inspired painting day was a lot of fun. There was no way I was using oil based paints with a 7 year old however, and knew I wanted to use the watercolors that come in the tube, to get that whole feel. I actually hit up our dollar store and was able to get everything I wanted! We usually have all of our materials on hand, but I didn’t have what I wanted for this particular project. I needed canvas boards, and instead of big paint brushes, which I thought would be hard for Wyatt to use, I opted for sponge brushes. We set up at the table, put on the Bob Ross episode “Mystic Mountains”, and got to painting!
The plan was for Billy to demonstrate in person along with Bob, and he also controlled the pause and playing of the video, in case Wyatt and I needed to catch up. I wanted Wyatt to use (sort of ) the techniques that Bob was using (although not the wet on wet since we were not using oil paints) but the brush movements, so instead of setting him free with paints and the canvas and going alone, we did a lot of hand over hand. There were parts of the painting I let him just paint freely, but other parts I helped him out, and I ended up doing the mountains because the knife work was hard for him with his current motor skills. So his painting is actually our combined painting.
Wyatt painted the water and sky freely, then I helped with the trees, clouds, and mountains, hand over hand for the trees and clouds. He also did the tree/island in the water. He was so happy!! He loves painting and asks to paint constantly. And usually, I let him.
Wyatt also learned about Idaho last week. His favorite facts were all potato based, that they grow a ton of potatoes, that there is a potato museum, and that frozen french fries were introduced to the world by J.R. Simplot in Idaho in 1953. We of course had to have frozen french fries with grilled cheese sandwiches that night.
We had a fantastic week last week!
What We Used:
This section contains Amazon Affiliate links. In addition to the curriculum I am creating for him, we also use curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful, The Waldock Way, and Blossom and Root for phonics, reading, science, and social studies.
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 