Happy Birthday Party!

We had a little party at Grandpa and Grandma's house for the big 7 yr old. He chose an army cake and we enjoyed soy ice cream! Grandma did all the hard work for mom putting everything together......mom's just been too tired and worn out lately! Thanks for the help Grandma!

Sighting!

We've had some recent sightings of those famous little woodland creatures and I thought I would share for those fellow gnomers!

Golf....Fore!

We had an eventful time at the golf course with Alec today. Wayne's father joined Alec, Wayne, William and myself and we had a little scramble with Grandpa and Alec as partners and Wayne and I. I am elated to say our team was a bit better....of course any team Wayne is on is favored...why do you think I married him? Alec is really quite the little golfer! He is following in his father's footsteps with all that athletic talent! I really enjoyed watching Alec hit the ball. He's quite the little man!

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge!

We had a little "birthday ceremony" for Alec to honour his turning 7. We took him to a bridge and had him cross over alone to represent his turning this special age. This age brings a lot of new changes into the child's life with the change of teeth and growth and I wanted something concrete to represent and honour that for him. When he had "crossed over" I presented him with a plaque I had made for him with a different wooden symbol for each year of his life. The first year was a sun to represent the light he brought into our lives and that he was our "sun." The second is a gold crown to represent the royalty and honour he brought us as parents. The third is a fish because he was very big on fish at this age and that was a big part of him then. The fourth year symbol is a train to represent the trains which were so much favoured by him at this age and fifth is an airplane to represent the blue angels which he was in awe of at this age. The sixth year symbol is an orange picture frame of a picture of him at a farm with a smile that I adore and lights up my heart when I see! For his seventh year,this coming year, I chose a lion because I wanted his courage and strength to grow and for him to be as brave as a lion! I put a beautiful wooden 7 in the center at the bottom. In the frame I put this poem to represent his journey;Rainbow Bridge from babyhood to a world unknown.Rainbow Bridge, a path your own journey will unfold.To a land of new and old secrets all revealed and told.Journey now the path your own adventure will unfold.

As he walked across, tears grew in my eyes, I am so proud to be his momma and watch him grow! I am honoured to be able to teach him and have him with me and watch him grow and be such an integral part of his childhood! I love you son!

Happy 7th Birthday Alec!

Alec turns 7 today! I can't believe he is 7 already!It seems like just yesterday and he was a babe in my arms! We have a magical day planned for him. He is going to play tennis with some friends and then a special lunch and then off to the golf course we go. Suprise party at Grandpa and Grandma's later....sssshhhh!

Farm Field Trip

This past spring our homeschool group had a fieldtrip to a local farm and we got to see and learn firsthand about animals on the farm. Here are the kids watching the baby sheep. Oh were they adorable!

Woodworking and science

Here is just another typical day in our classroom! As you can see they love each other and I'm certain the fact that I pulled out the camera had nothing to do with the spontaneous hug! We studied a block on seeds and new growth and on the table you can see the wooden plant holder Alec built all by himself!! My little woodworker! They planted marigold seeds in these planters and then we put organic bush bean seeds in our window greenhouses so we could watch the seeds sprout and study the root system and the plant grow. They were pretty neat to watch sprout! You will notice the indians and turkeys on the window in the background......I think it was May when we did this......and embarrased me....they are still up........we like indians and turkeys all year....not just November!

Alec doing math.

Here Alec is doing a math lesson. We use a variety of manipulatives for hands on learning and here he is using stones to make outlines of the numbers 0-9. We did a unit on the secret Land of Numeria and I told the kids several stories revolving around characters of this magical land. We packed some backpacks and made a map got in the car and drove around looking for clues (ie. numbers!) to break into the entrance of this mysterious land. Our Objectives with this unit were: Functional Math Activities, Money, Counting, Graphing, Predicting, and the 4 processes.

Owling in Big Bay!

We went up to Big Bay for the day early this spring, searching for the elusive morrel mushroom to no avail. We had a spontaneous lesson on owls! We, and when I say we I mean my husband, spotted a beautiful Barred Owl in one of the trees along the trails we were on. Yes, folks that's owl puke and in school the kids and I dissected a sterilized one of these! We found the remains of a disgusting little mouse...eck!

Gnome-B-Que!

Well, I happened to come across a very interesting little booklet on ebay called "On Gnoming" and it outlined the principles of hunting and cooking these small, malignant, and particularly tasty woodland creatures. Well, those of you who know me know that I have a fabulous (self-coined!) sense of humour....so I thought we'd give it a try! Here they are on the broiler pan fresh out of the oven! They were delicious and a bit chewy! A dear friend is going to try the gnome kabobs this evening and I will be anxiously awaiting her review!

Last but certainly not least, Sweet William!

Sweet William with his beautiful smile!

Nick not to be left out!

We couldn't leave Nick out of the mix! He doesn't participate in any organized sports yet...just tags along with the eldest two! As you can see, he has a very individualized idea of what is appropriate to wear when he is about to leave the house. Many a time we have left with him dressed as various super heroes or his sisters pink cowboy boots and winter gear in the dead heat of summer! The bike helmet is always a nice personal touch!

Elysa's athleticism!

Elysa would not be left out! She is NOT an athlete...that's for boys...she's a girl! She is a figure skater and quite talented as well as a budding ballerina! The picture of her in the gray outfit is last year's ballet portrait and the pink is this year's portrait.

Alec the Athlete!

Alec has requested that I post pictures of his athletic ability on here and so here they are! He is quite the athlete...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree 'eh dad?

Exploring Carp River Falls!

We had a grand time this summer exploring the Upper Peninsula and all of it's lovely attractions! Here we are exploring Carp River Falls in all of its natural splendour! There is a medium sized cliff we had to climb down to get to it and I in perfect attachment parenting style did with my little babe snug in his sling!

About our homeschool.

Every homeschool is different and each home educator has their own philosophy of education and pedagogy. Ours is a unique combination of materials I have coined Holistic Eclectic! There is a multitude of philosophies and a variety of curriculum for each philosophy in the homeschool curriculum market. The sheer hours of research I have put into each philosophy to determine which one fit our family is exorbitant! It is important to me to have the ideal education for my little ones. Each one of my children learn in a different way and therefore need to be taught in a way that meets their individual needs and benefits them. I am lucky to have the opportunity to give each one of my children an education that is tailored to them and their learning styles. We are currently using Oak Meadow -www.oakmeadow.com-as our base curriculum for Alec. We will supplement and enrich with other pieces as we see fit. Elysa and Nick will be following Enki Education-www.enkieducation.org. We have found that a rhythm-not so much a schedule-but a rhythm is essential to harmony in our homeschool. Each day we have one set thing we do no matter what. ie. Monday is Baking, Tuesday is painting etc. etc. This gives the children a sense of time and continuity. We are striving to teach the children "HOW" to learn....not just filling their heads with useless facts,but truly how to learn.

Searching for tadpoles on Black Rock!

Here are the three eldest searching for tadpoles on Black Rock at Presque Isle! We had studied the lifecycle of a frog in school and this was a perfect complement to that. There is nothing like "real life" situations to complement what we have learned at home! It sure beats a textbook picture!

Our official homeschool blog!

Okay, here it is...our official homeschool blog! I'm finally breaking down and starting our own blog to record our lives as a homeschooling family and share with our friends and family just what goes on in our little homeschool...Lake Superior Children's House!