Fall Fest '09

For the second year in a row, the building we use for our homeschool co-cop was not available for one of our meeting dates, and we decided to have the group to the 100 Acre Wood instead. It has been dubbed "Fall Fest."

We never did get a count of how many people came. Most of our co-op were here, and there were also several other homeschooling families that came, and one family that pulled their kids out of public school for the day. We are guessing there were close to 100 people on the farm yesterday.

Much of the group went on a nature walk and hike to the creek. We visited the animals, played games, took hay rides, and roasted two small hogs for lunch. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but here are a few. I know that some of you were happily snapping away. Can't wait to see the shots you got!

The Hogs the Night Before.

5:00 AM Lighting the Fire.

12:00 Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Donut Eating Race

Who Needs a playground?

The Kittens were very popular. Why didn't anyone take them home?

Should I be Concerned?

I am a little concerned about Nolan. I think perhaps there is something wrong with his feet, or maybe his legs. He just doesn't look right when he walks. I wish I could say that this was a one time event, but he has been doing this for weeks. For some reason though he only behaves this way in our house. Do you think I should take him to the doctor?

One of My Pretty Girls

Wordless Wednesday

The Nina and the Pinta

Last week we had a little pre-Columbus Day field trip. The Nina and Pinta replicas were in town, and we joined some fellow homeschoolers for a tour. It was very interesting. I was a little shocked at how small the ships were, considering the voyage that they took. Our guide shared a little history with us about the ships, the voyage, Columbus, and navigation at the time. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

Now Entering the Pre-teen Years

Kellen and I have been butting heads a bit lately. He is showing us some glimpses of what the teen years may be like. It ain't pretty. But sometimes it is rather funny.

Part of his school work includes a daily writing prompt. He picks from random prompts at Writing Fix. Today his prompt was, "When was a time you laughed when you shouldn't have?" He chose to relate an incident that occurred earlier today. Imagine you are hearing this story, it will make more sense. This is what he wrote, "A time I laughed when I should not have was when mom was talking to me and told me I was habitual. I asked her what that meant. She asked what the root word is. I told her it was bitch."

Now what he didn't explain is that we were having a serious conversation about how he habitually has to be asked to do everything multiple times. And that after we finally got to the real root word of habitual, he continued to giggle throughout the whole conversation. When I would look at him and ask why he was giggling, his response was, "Oh nothing." Of course we all know exactly what he was thinking about. I am sure he heard nothing that I said after that incident, and the conversation will need to be repeated. Right now he is watching me type while he has a permanent marker dangling from his nostril.

Lord, help me! I don't think both Kellen and I will survive these next few years.

Fall Fun

The Fall Festivities are in full swing. Wednesday night we went to the Corn Maze with a group of people from church. I've never seen such tall corn in my life. We entered the maze with family friends, four adults and eight kids. It was quite the adventure. We were the first of our group to enter. We were the last to exit. I know some of you are heading there also. All I can say is the route from #3 to #4 is killer. Good luck, and don't let the kids navigate!



Today we went to the Pumpkin Festival with our homeschool co-op. All the kids got pumpkins to decorate. Vivian made a bunny. Nolan and Lydia made deer. They had a lot of fun decorating the pumpkins. Kellen carved his.






After the pumpkin decorating fun, we walked around to see the exhibits. We mostly hit the historical ones. We watched a potter, a spinner, and a blacksmith. We saw a few animals and looked at some animal hides. We watched apple butter and sorghum being made while enjoying time together and with friends.





I love fall and all the fall festivities that come with it. Soon we will be hosting a fall festival of our own, and roasting our first pig here in the 100 Acre Woods. You can be sure I will be posting more about that later!

Death and Destruction

Some time ago a friend mentioned that she'd like to learn how to butcher chickens. A pretty normal desire considering that she has chickens of her own.

Then another friend, who has no chickens, mentioned she like to learn the process too. She was more interested in the educational value of teaching her children where their food comes from.

We recently met another family, who is homesteading, and they expressed a desire to learn the butchering process. So, we decided to have a butchering party.

We set a date and invited everyone to bring a covered dish to share, and butchering knives if they had them. Then last Friday night two of the families we originally talked to plus a neighbor of one of the families ventured to the 100 Acre Woods, in the rain, to enjoy time with one another and butcher poultry.

It wasn't the best of nights as far as weather goes, but the company was fabulous, the food delicious, and we got rid of a few pesky roosters in the process. I never did count, but the guys butchered chickens and rabbits until it was dark outside.

Not everyone who wanted to come was able to make it Friday. We will be doing this again soon. Susan was the party photographer. If you're not squeamish, you can find her photos here.

****

Almost exactly one year ago, we tore down the barn of a stranger. That wood and roofing has been used to build a pig house, and part of a chicken house. But I guess a year is enough time to forget how much work tearing down a building is, and run out of lumber, but either way we are back at.

Someone put an ad in the ad bulletin for an old house that needed torn down. Yesterday, the destruction began. This picture is what I found when I went to the site late this morning. There was nothing left of those corner walls by the time I left mid-afternoon. Two trailers loads of lumber have come so far. There is more to come.

Point Pleasant

Today we went with several other homeschooling families to Point Pleasant WV. Point Pleasant is a small city located where the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers meet. This area is rich in history including the lore of the Mothman. We arrived a bit early and took a minute to get a picture with him.



Next we met up with our friends at the Point Pleasant River Museum. Here we learned about the Silver Bridge that collapsed in 1967, saw various artifacts from the boats of the Ohio River, but one of the best things was the aquarium. The museum has a large aquarium filled with the fish of the Ohio River. I was surprised at the variety included in the tank, including the exotic looking Paddlefish.





Then we crossed the street to Tu-Endie-Wei state park where we learned about Chief Cornstalk and the Battle of Point Pleasant. We walked along the river to view the historical murals that are currently being painted on the flood walls. Those murals were quite impressive. I hope to return again once they are complete.






We had a good day. We all learned a little history, even though some thought football was the topic for the day. We spent time with friends, and enjoyed a warm fall day. This is my kind of homeschooling day.

Our Devout Chickens

I was not a first hand witness to this story. This may be hearsay, but the other day Mamaw went out to the chicken house to find Nolan and Lydia playing with the chickens. They were holding them and balking at with them. Mamaw asked the children what they were doing, and they informed her that they were teaching the chickens how to pray.

When the story was later related to me, within ear shot of Lydia, she quickly reported to me that the chickens were good at praying. Lydia and Nolan would balk, and the chickens would repeat the prayer. When asked what they were praying about, the children stated they were praying for the chickens to lay more eggs. That of course, begs the question of what the roosters were praying for. Apparently, the roosters larger claws, and stronger bodies discouraged the kids from giving them prayer lessons. Too bad, as those roosters will soon be meeting their maker.

Catapults and Marshmallows

This week in Mystery of History Vol 1, we talked about the Assyrians and Babylonians. A small part of the conversation included the fact that the Assyrians (or the donkey-rians as Kellen likes to call them) first invented the catapult and battering ram.

That small tidbit of information led to searching for and watching several videos on the two weapons, and ultimately to the designing of the their own weapons. The catapults were loaded with marshmallows, and war (and eating of the ammunition) was declared.




You just never know where a homeschool lesson may lead.

And the winner is....

Lu! Congratulations on winning Prelude to a Blog!

Carter Caves

Monday and Tuesday our school consisted of an extended field trip to Carter Caves. This a beautiful Kentucky state park not far from here. As you might guess from the name, the park is full of caves. Unfortunately, most of the caves are closed due to a disease that is wiping out bat populations. Even so, we found plenty of opportunities for fun, exercise and education.








You may wonder why there are no pictures of Kellen. That is because every time he saw my camera pointed in his direction he would do this.....



or this.....



For some reason though, he didn't mind posing for other people's cameras, and they were able to catch a few good shots of him....(too bad they are too small to see when I upload them. They are in Facebook albums here and here.)





It was a great trip. Now, it is back to the normal routine!

Prelude to a Blog - Review and Giveaway

Lisa Bertolini (aka Sisterlisa) is a homeschooling mom of four. She herself is an accomplished blogger. You can find her blogging at The Home Spun Life . She also works behind the scenes at Growing in Grace Magazine, a blog written by and devoted to Christian girls. Now, she is sharing some of her wisdom on blogging with us.

Her ebook, Prelude to a Blog, is a guide to help parents establish a blog and blogging guidelines for their children. My son, Kellen, keeps a blog, and I have found it a very useful tool for our homeschool. Blogging can also be a way for children to network, and interact with other homeschoolers.

We all are aware though, that the internet is not always an easy place, or a safe place to navigate. Sisterlisa provides step by step instructions on how to help your child to establish a blog, while keeping it a fun and safe endeavor. The book will help you set up the blog, establish safety guidelines, and gives tips on a broad range of topics from sharing your faith to blogging courtesies.

Her book is available for purchase via her website, or you can win one here. Just leave a comment, and a winner will be drawn randomly Wednesday September 16th. The winner will be notified by email. So, please, be sure to leave an email address if your email is not enable through blogger.

Homeschool Dynamics

The kids were begging me to start school. I was dragging my feet. It isn't that I don't enjoy homeschooling the kids, but this time year is so crazy. Tim is working 60 hour weeks. The garden is producing and that produce needs preserving, and this year I am also working. I just wasn't ready to add something else to the schedule. Oh and there was one other thing that concerned me; Nolan would be starting school.

Without officially being in school, Nolan has already picked up a lot. This year though it is time to be a little more structured with him. It is time to start reading. Learning that skill is intense, at least on my end. We use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. The lessons are short and relaxed, really. The intensity comes from the one on one time it requires of me. I know it really isn't that long, and I probably sound like a whiner. But I so enjoy when they are able to read and I can set them loose on a assignment.

The other concern with Nolan is he is very strong willed. We've learned to deal with that, in most cases. In fact I almost can't believe that I wrote that post about him most days. He really has become so much easier to parent in the last few years. Or maybe it just seems that way because his younger sister now is the strong will that challenges me.

Regardless of how I felt about starting school, the kids started anyway. No really, they got out their books, and only dragged me into it when they got stuck on a problem. Kellen even did Nolan's lessons with him.

Since first few days we have gotten into a better routine, and I have become a more active participant. The older kids have fallen right into the routine. Nolan is picking up his lessons easily. He really hasn't fought me on them, but there definitely has been an increase in his drama in other areas. He also has shown me a side of himself I had seen before. He has some perfectionists tendencies that I never noticed until now. It is hard for him to not make his letters perfectly. He spent a long time writing and erasing his first writing lesson. I am hoping the drama subsides after our routine becomes more normal for him. But I have this deep lurking feeling that there are many battles to come.

Then Vivian, of course, has demanded her one on one time too. She wants me to help her color and play games with her in quantities never seen before. She is learning (albeit slowly) to wait her turn, and that she can't interrupt when I am helping someone else. I have really enjoyed the one on one time with her too.

There was one thing that has surfaced with school this year that I never saw coming; anxiety. No, not from the kids, from me. It really has hit me hard this year how old Kellen is. He is in the sixth grade. This means a few quick years of middle school, then high school, and then he is gone. Though I am in no hurry to see him go, what has caused the anxiety is the educational ramifications of his age. Kellen checking out admissions requirements to various military academies was the start of my anxiousness.

We have a laid back school style. We use a lot of unit studies, and focus mainly on language arts and math. I am a firm believer that if those basics are solid in elementary, other subjects will come along easily. Kellen and Lydia's standardized tests scores show they have not been missing out in other areas.

Looking at those admissions requirements made me realize that Kellen will soon need more structured, not to mention advanced, learning. I also will have to do better record keeping to create a transcript for him. That means change, and with change usually comes stress.

I'm not in full blown panic attack about this, yet. I have a few years until we really need to make changes. It is more of this low undercurrent of anxiety that I don't exactly know how to change, and how to prepare Kellen for college. I don't know what those years should or will look like. Kellen is an incredibly talented child, and I want him to reach his full potential. Nothing like putting on a little pressure?

I guess I am thankful that this tiny bit of anxiety has hit me now. It gives me time to plan, and time to change. Time to adjust to the dynamics that are happening right now. Homeschooling, it is always an adventure.

Can it be true?

It feels like fall this morning, and I am wondering where did the summer go? This summer has been a blur. We didn't take any big trips this summer. The kids weren't involved in any extra activities this summer. Yet here it almost September and I don't know where the summer went.

Life in the 100 Acre Woods is just busy. Though this is only my third post all month (when have I ever posted so little?) there is just always something going on around here. We have new ducks. Got them from the neighbor mentioned in the previous post. They are Muscovy. Really quite ugly, but are supposed to be good layers. (the picture isn't actually our duck, but you get the idea. photo credit: Keith Watson.)

And if you aren't on Facebook, you may have missed Tim's photos of the excavator. First it got stuck on the hillside, and then it flipped when they were trying to get it out. It is right side up now, but still stuck on the hill.

Then of course there are the gardens which we expanded this year. I haven't done as much canning this year as last, but all the produce still keeps me busy. We are now trying to figure out what to do with all the sunflowers. We planted 1 1/2 rows, and they were gorgeous, but you don't really realize how many flowers and seed that leaves you with. It is crazy!

This summer there is also work off the farm. That probably is what makes everything seem so busy to me. I'm gone all weekend and Tuesday night. It really makes a huge difference when it comes to getting things done around here, but it also makes a huge difference in getting rid of debt.

But yesterday, before work, I glanced at my planner for this week, and it was blank! Blank?! I have to work Tuesday night, but other than that, no where else I have to go?! No appointments?! No co-op commitments?! Nothing! Nada! Yippee!

I have no words to describe how incredibly happy an empty schedule makes me. There is still plenty to do. I have laundry as always. There are apples to can, and fall garden to finish planting. There are a few good sales I want to organize coupons for and take advantage of, but I can do it when I want instead of trying to squeeze it in between the things on the calendar. It is freedom, I tell ya.

Different Strokes

We've all been created so differently. There are physical difference, and differences in how we think and our emotional make up. Most times I can appreciate the beauty in those difference. Other times I am just dumb struck by them, and look at people and think, I just don't get you.

Recently a commenter at a different blog mentioned a family member who has apple trees in her yard. The family member refuses to use the apples from that tree, yet she goes to the store and buys the same variety of apples!?! I would love to have my own apple trees, and enjoy picking from the neighbors who are so kind to share with us. I just don't get letting apples in your own yard sit while you go and buy some from the store.

In an example closer to home, we have a neighbor who keeps a variety of animals similar to our farm here. They have a small breed of cows, ducks, chickens, goats, and a donkey. They have spent a lot of time, and money I am sure, to build fences for these animals. They have a small barn, and of course have to buy feed for these animals. Yet, every single one of these animals are pets. Yes, you read right, they are pets. Eggs are not gathered. Milking does not occur. Butchering is a dirty word.

These neighbors are really nice. I like them, but I don't understand them at all. They aren't vegans or vegetarians. They go to the store to buy meat and animal products. I know I tend to be a very practical person, and maybe that is why this behavior is so bewildering to me, but I just do not understand this mentality.

As a consequence of eggs not being gathered, these neighbors have roughly three dozen ducks they want to give away. We were hoping to take quite a few, some to replace the stock we lost to predators this summer, and some to fatten to butcher. It isn't going to happen. We will probably get a few for breeding and egg purposes, but our neighbor "just wouldn't feel right" giving them to anyone who will be butchering the ducks. *bewildered look* "I just don't get you."

Different strokes for different folks. People are free to grow whatever fruit or animals, not intended for consumption, they want. I know what kind of money goes into feed and fence and shelter around here. If you want to spend that kind of money on pets, I don't understand it, but c'est la vie.

I have to wonder though, how we have become so disconnected from our food that we would rather buy our food from the store than eat the food we raise ourselves. That nicely packaged T-bone in the grocers cooler also once belonged to a gentle cow with big brown eyes. Only you don't know what that cow was fed, what it was injected with, how it was treated, or anything else about it.

Yes, our animals are cute. Yes, I sometimes get a little attached. But in the end, this family needs to eat. I would much rather feed them with meat and produce that I've been in close contact with from the beginning, than to spend our hard earned money to buy the end result of someone else tending my food.

But that is just me.

I'm sure many are now looking at me and thinking, I just don't get you.

Goat is Good

Goat meat (chevron) is one of the most popular meats worldwide. Somehow its popularity has skipped America where we favor the larger cows and hogs for our meat source. Goat meat also is very nutritious. check out this video about goat meat. And this link contains nutritional information. Thanks to Goats in the Garden for the links.

Even knowing all these facts, I was a little hesitant to try goat meat. We recently had three goats butchered. So, I was really hoping that goat meat was as good as I've been reading.

When we try new meat I like to make something simple with it. I want to taste the meat, not the spices or other things added to it. The first Chevron we made was spare ribs. I put them in the crock pot with some sliced onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper. They cooked on low all day long.

They were delicious; very tender with an excellent flavor. The flavor reminds me a bit of venison, but it isn't as dry and there is no gamey flavor. It reminded me most of lamb (young lamb, not mutton which can have a strong flavor.)

Goats are fabulous for clearing out the woods and mowing the driveway. They also are very nutritious, and delicious. I can see why it is such a popular meat worldwide. I am glad to have a freezer full of it, and more coming!

I Used to Know That

Have you ever had your child ask you a question about a school subject, and uttered the words, "Well, that sounds familiar. I think I used to know that?" As a homeschooling mom of four, with one in particularly inquisitive child, I find myself in that position frequently. I think that is why the little book I Used to Know That appeals to me so.

There are lots of tidbits of information, that I probably once learned in school, included in chapters entitled: English, Literature, Math, Science History, Geography, and General Studies. Information is clear and easy to find. There many helpful tables included. Such as a Geography table that with country names, their capital and continent.

What a great resource when you can't quite remember the answer to a question the kids pose! Do you remember the answer to these questions? The answers are all in the book (and at the bottom of this post.)

1)In Einstein's Theories of Relativity, E = MC2 what does C stand for again?

2)Which were the original 13 states of the Union?

3)What is onomatopoeia?

With this book I was also sent i before e (except after c), and My Grammar and I (Or Should That be 'Me'?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English. The first is packed full of mnemonics to help your student (or yourself) remember all kinds of information. The latter of which serves as a handy grammar guide.

I really enjoyed all three of these books. They will find a place on the book shelf, and be referenced frequently.

Oh, and the answers to those questions?






1) C is the velocity of light
2) Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia. Delaware was the first to ratify the new constitution and is nicknamed "The First State" to this day.
3) A word or phrase that sounds (a bit) like the sounds it is meant to convey: buzz, purr, or Tennyson's the murmuring of innumerable bees.