Soulard

Tullaia takes art history with a neat lady in Soulard. For instance, the first class was on prehistoric art. The children ground up berries and used twigs to paint on rock. They listened to drums playing in the background and ate fruity pebbles for a snack. I am super-jealous, but the boys and i have a good time exploring Soulard each week. These are pictures of the community garden. It is huge!

Lemonade and Cookie Stand

Tullaia spends a fair amount of time making items to sell. She has sold a few items to neighbors and friends, but most of the crafts have been bought by brother Jasper. We got together with Isabella and her sisters a few weeks back to sell lemonade and cookies. If you notice the fine print. It says, "...it'll warm you up on a cold winter day."

Why Do We Homeschool?

This is a question we are often asked. Here are some of our thoughts...

• Time is a huge reason. Life is so busy and we always have so much to do. I understand that sad reality. But, I also want the kids to practice being still and quiet. We don't spend as much time in "school" because we have less students. It frees up time for other things, like dance class, swim lessons, playdates, and contemplation. I want to encourage them to be still and hear God in the midst of life. I feel i am giving them this opportunity.
• I enjoy teaching the kids. (Most days...) I wasted high school and never went to college. Learning with kids is fun because they are little sponges.
• We have so many valuable and free resources in STL and this allows us to connect the dots between books and real life. For example, we can study trees in our textbook, visit the Botanical gardens to see a tree exhibit, and then we can head over to Forest Park to locate them on our own.
• I can tailor their education in a way that a teacher cannot. We can speed up on some subjects and slow down on others. We avoid spending time with discipline issues for 20 kids.
• I can teach holistically. They have the opportunity to learn how to do laundry, garden, wash dishes, cook, care for pets/babies, help neighbors, clean. And all the while, we can incorporate math, science, home economics, social studies, language, history, music and P.E.
• We have the flexibilty to be spontaneous. We can go for a mid-morning bike ride on a cool fall day. We can break in the afternoon for a metro-link ride. We can walk to the zoo and spend a wintery day in the warm, fragrant, and tropical butterfly house.

We will homeschool as long as we are able. I may be useless to Tullaia pretty soon. But that is where the virtual school will be helpful. http://www.connectionsacademy.com/

An Afternoon Zoo Walk

Jasper and Tullaia rode their bikes over. After going to the zoo for 6 years of her life, several times a week, Tullaia said she didn't want to go. What a lovely thing to have the option of denying!
But, it was a gorgeous day and it is worth going if only to see the plants. They do a wonderful job keeping everything beautiful. Here is hibiscus at the entrance.
Here is Avery right before he crawled into the giraffes home. He crawled under the fence over and over and over and over. We finally had to leave. Please note how filthy he is. This is him after bath number 2 for the day.

Crawdaddy

We camped at Hawn State Park this weekend.

Poor crawdads never had a chance for peace! The kids (and adults) had buckets of them, made homes for them, and held them like puppies.

Litzinger Ecology Center

Today, we spent a cool, misty morning on a field trip with Tower Grove Homeschool.
The Ecology Center is a secretive parcel of land in the middle of Ladue.
It is part of the Botanical Gardens, but not open to the public.
We had a lovely time discovering new things, most especially Jelly Ear Fungus!

When He Grows Up.....

Tonite Jasper told me he wants to be "a person who kills endangered animals" when he grows up.

Here is a picture of him at his Water Warrior Birthday Party.

Birds

We are studying scientists.
So we practiced by trekking through the wetlands in Forest Park. (One of our favorite excursions.) The kids are learning the calls and looks of several birds.
Forest Park is a 1,371 acre park in our front yard and in the middle of the city. It is lovely...
Here are the birds we recently saw in one visit:
Of course, Starlings, Robins, Grackle, House Sparrow, Pigeon, Geese.
And then birds i am a bit happier to see,
Red-winged Blackbird, Cardinal, Nighthawk, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Wood Duck, Mallard, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Mockingbird, Green Heron, Goldfinch, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, American Crow, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Chimney Swift.
Neat!

Adaptation

I feel refreshed by a new rhythm. Avery is moving to one nap, friends are starting school, we are learning new things.
If it doesn't become a burden, i hope to jot down a bit of what we are doing. Enjoy...
Oh, and we are not part of a Hispanic street gang.