Mission: Homeschool

There are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. The flexibility that is possible is just one of the many reasons that this style of learning fits our family so well.

In California, 4th graders study California History. That means missions, ranchos, and the gold rush. Oh, and did I mention missions?

We started our study of our state's history last year, when Jelly was in 6th grade and Doodle was the official 4th grader. Because we split our Social Studies time by also finishing a study of World History, we decided to give California History a little more time this year. It fits perfectly this way because at Wonderwood Academy, the explorers have now found the New World, and the colonists have arrived on the East coast. So we're learning about what happened with the Spanish padres and the Native Americans on the West coast while the settlers were working things out with the Eastern Woodland "Indians" in Jamestown.

Last week our learning adventures took form as one of our extended field trips, and managed to combine it with some great family visits. We learned a lot, had a great time, and made some wonderful memories.

Since we covered the missions to the south of us last year, it was time to go north. Saving the two closest to us, because we can do those in a couple of day trips sometime when we need a spur-of-the-moment get-away, we left Friday after work and drove up the coast to Lompoc.

No offense to Lompoc, but there isn't much there. Well, there's a federal prison, an air force base, and a mission. Our visit was confined, pun intended, not to jail or base, but to pursuits historical.

We got to our hotel in time for the girls to enjoy the pool.

After a breakfast that would have been more satisfactory had I been able to enjoy it WITH my family, rather than at the bottom of the stairs above which the breakfast room was located (NO elevator, thus no access), we trekked out to the La Purisima Mission State Historic Park. Our visit was timed to coincide with very infrequently held "Village Days." In retrospect, it was the girls' favorite of the trip. Location allows it to feel more like it probably felt during the mission era than the other missions we've visited so far. AND, Village Days are highly interactive. MUCH to see and do... with DO being the keyword. The girls carved soapstone charms, wove baskets, made reed ducks, tried their hand at a Chumash game, decorated toy bull roarers with pictograms, created palm frond brooms, chatted with costumed docents and authentic mountain men, and explored top to bottom. It was a blast! See for yourself.

It sprinkled, almost, as we were on our way to Buellton, CA, home of the famous Andersen's Restaurant. It poured buckets while we sipped split pea soup, gazing out through a beautiful picture window onto a rain-washed garden. When we were ready to leave, the downpour slowed to a drizzle and then was over.

Perfect timing. There was a wedding going on at Mission Santa Ines, so we enjoyed the gardens before going inside the mission church.

I have no picture evidence, but our next stop was Goleta Beach. The girls enjoyed their customary pier walk with Papa, and then we enjoyed his and his wife's hospitality for the night. The girls were introduced to the story of "Brigadoon" and it made us wish even more that we'd been able to see goddaughter SwimChick, who lives in Vancouver, WA, in a recent youth production of the musical.

More traditions kept as the girls picked fresh citrus the next morning before we said our so longs. We like to take oranges and lemons from Papa and Dorothy with us to the cousins, who are usually our next stop.

We couldn't leave Santa Barbara, though, before a visit to the Queen of the Missions.
It was exciting to learn that the lone woman of San Nicolas island, on whose life the book Island of the Blue Dolphin is based, is actually buried in the cemetery of the Santa Barbara Mission. We are currently listening to/reading, and very much enjoying her story as part of A New World of Adventures unit study curriculum.

Our last night, but NOT our last evening, was spent with the aforementioned cousins. We had a great visit, and since the twins weren't starting school until Tuesday, we extended our visit time by taking them with us to our final mission of this trip.

I can't believe it, but again I have no pictorial evidence for this part of the trip. We did, though, thoroughly enjoy visiting with the twins' family, including a loving mama, a big brother who introduced Jelly to the awesome world of rpgs, a big sister who has since started her first term at UC Berkeley, and a new baby brother, adorable but with one of those sensitive level sensors that activate fussing unless he's being held by someone completely vertical, slightly bouncing, and who is preferably serenading him softly so that he knows he has their complete attention. Their daddy, unfortunately, we did not get to visit with, as he was on the road. One of our tradtions here is to exchange hand-me-downs. It's a wonderful system. Oh, for the record, the lemonade and orange juice, freshly squeezed by the kids, was delicious, as always.

Before heading home, we spent our last evening of this mini mission trip visiting with family on the Woody side. I think the girls were suprised at how much fun they had with just boy cousins. LOL The kids were having the kind of fun that moves too fast to be caught on film. I believe it involved an uncle and the kind of fear that induces laughing so hard you almost can't breathe.

Our mission for this mini mission trip was a complete success.

Living Dolls

Costumes, make-up, and pretend are not solely the domain of those Hollywood and Broadway folks who work so "hard" to make sure we are entertained. Dressing dolls is an entertaining passion for some. Our dolls dress themselves.

This post is just a small sample of some of the (I was going to say FREE ! LOL Anyone with kids knows how NOT true that is!) ways the girls have entertained us over the past year.

We participate in the traditional HUGE party, carnival, and Trunk or Treat at church every October, usually the Saturday evening before Halloween. Then, since the girls have already had a chance to stock up on sweets in a safe environment, we started a NEW family tradition to replace Trick or Treating. On the actual Halloween, the girls dress up in their costumes and then we go on an adventure. In 2008 we used our annual pass to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. The colors in their costumes rivaled some of the gorgeous tropical fish we saw.


Doodle decided that we should have a Native American at our Thanksgiving feast. Here she’s helping to sauté the aromatics that will flavor our dressing. Doesn’t she have amazing eyelashes? My brother has eyelashes like that, too. No make-up needed there!

The Sunday after Thanksgiving finds us at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA, welcoming the Christmas season with a traditional Messiah Sing-a-Long. It may not be the White House, but the roses are beautiful and the smiles are sweet.

December runs the gamut from silly to sublime. Most of what you see here is the silly.


Jelly, at ALMOST age 12, got this sunny rose at her New Beginnings program – perfect for our sunshiny blondie. She is growing up wonderfully! (The roses in the background are in the planter at the front of our home. Jelly’s own bedroom window is just out of the top of the frame.)


This collage represents the months we all spent preparing and sharing the production of the Savior of the World. Everyone who knows us agreed that the girls were the most angelic angels!


Woody Family Vacation 2009 was dubbed “The Big Loop Trip.” We traveled over 5000 miles in a very lopsided figure 8.


We went so that we could participate in granddaughter Tamara’s (she’s the cutie wearing the pink jacket and belt) baptism, (and being so close, we couldn’t NOT go to the Mall of America),

*Jelly*

*Doodle*

and we stopped at many National Parks, monuments, and memorials, and kid-friendly museums along the way.

Salt Lake City was the last stop in the loop that provided dress-up opportunities of a HUGE variety, including not-pictured-here dressing up to go to a live broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – Music and the Spoken Word in the company of the most wonderful senior missionary couple serving!


When we’d recovered from the trip, we didn’t wait long to further our adventures. The girls enjoyed most of the attention they got (they weren’t thrilled at the idea of being sold to pirates!) in their costumes at the German Renaissance Festival, Koroneburg, in Corona, CA.

Dressing up, dressing down, costumes, make-up, stylish do’s --- there are no end to the possibilities.

As Lucy Maud Montgomery, writing Anne of Green Gables said, "Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"

That’s what dressing up or playing with dolls does – provides extra scope for imagination as we adventure along!

And if you’re entertained in the process, so much the better. ;o)

Wonderwood Academy 2008-9

Jelly – 6th grade
Doodle – 4th grade

Math-U-See
Learning Adventures –- A World of Adventure & A NEW World of Adventure
Piano Classes
Nature Walks
Swimming
LOTS of library books on LOTS of topics,
because we’re still quite partial to Charlotte Mason and her living books!

Our main course of study:
Learning Adventures – A World of Adventure
Middle Ages and Botany
Renaissance and Astronomy
Explorers and Marine Science

After last year’s late start, it was especially good to get back to school in August, as we are accustomed to doing. We had just gotten started, though, when we took a time out for the Summer Olympics. How could we not?

Check out what’s on the screen in the background. (The braids, btw, are a fun-and-more-comfortable-than-curlers way to get gorgeous wavy hair for church on Sunday.)

In trying to figure out how to do our school year in review, I decided that this year it would be easier to do by subject. If you read this to the end, you’ll get a good idea of how we covered things. We don’t always go from A to Z, but we get there!

Here we go!

We use a combination of things for our devotionals, including personal scripture study as well as the Bible study in Learning Adventures. Add in the Faith in God program and more recently Personal Progress, and fairly regular Family Home Evenings. Jelly is getting really good at planning those! The girls really made some wonderful strides in growing their testimonies this year.

Reading and other language arts (vocabulary, grammar, spelling, writing, etc.) are also covered in our unit studies. (Thank you again, Dorian!) Reading good literature, no twaddle, really has been a fun way to learn what CAN be not-so-fun skills. We did add in regular journaling, which the girls usually enjoy very much.

We continue to use Math-U-See, and both the girls are making good progress. Math probably will never be their favorite subject, but at least it doesn’t cause tears anymore.

We made it through three complete (more on the incomplete later) units in our Learning Adventures this year, which means we have finally finished the first volume, A World of Adventure. We studied the Middle Ages and Botany, the Renaissance and Astronomy, and Explorers and Marine Science.

Jelly wasn’t ready to give up learning about the ocean when we finished that unit, so we’re going to continue that next year. We’ll use Jeanne Fulbright’s Exploring Creation with Zoology 2, Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day.

So we covered science: in our unit studies (Botany/Herbology See post 9/13/2008) and also added Beach/Pier Nature Walks, and picking fruit (botany) with Papa, and swimming (marine science), swinging (physics - centrifugal force), and making juice (more botany) with cousins whenever possible!

We took field trips, like hikes at the El Dorado Nature Center (both in the fall and in the spring), checked out the Irvine Park Pumpkin Patch and Orange County Zoo (10/15/2008 post), traveled north for a Liahona Field Trip to Griffith Park Observatory, and took a tour of a local PetCo in February with a knowledgeable animal specialist as our guide. We celebrated Woody’s 25th Anniversary at Boeing in April, and a couple of days later, Jelly also had a chance to go with him to the Boeing Plant in Huntington Beach for their annual “Take Your Kid to Work Day.” Next year Doodle will be old enough to go, too!

Some of our favorite science adventures this year came about because we bought a membership at the Aquarium of the Pacific when we went there for Homeschool Day. (See post 9/12/2008) We tried to get there once a month and enjoyed every visit except our last one. It was recent, during the summer, and was just too crowded for us. We are so spoiled to being able to go places for school when most other kids are “in” school.

Our Social Studies started this year with the Middle Ages, (See post 9/19/2008), but we also began our concurrent history study of the California Missions when we went to San Diego to celebrate Woody's birthday. Later, in the spring, we also toured the mission at San Juan Capistrano. We have plans to visit many more, if not all, the missions in the next year or so.

For Halloween, Jelly and the Doodle dressed as Renaissance witches, probably influenced by our Middle Ages/Renaissance studies. Another dress-up opportunity came when we went to Koroneburg, the German Renaissance Faire in Corona, in May of this year. The girls were both “knighted” into the Order of the Fabled Readers. Great fun!

We actually try to avoid some “Current Events”, but in November we did a Civics Field Trip. After discussing the issues, we voted and then watched the returns come in. You win some, you lose some. It was a learning experience. Enough said.

We had a HUGE focus on Fine Arts this year, mostly because of the fact that the entire family was involved in the Savior of the World production (See 10/13/2008 post.) In addition to weekly angel choir rehearsals, the girls took piano lessons beginning in September. Our holiday concert season began, as usual, with the Messiah Sing-Along, sponsored by the Yorba Linda Arts Alliance. Because Woody is their tenor soloist, it's a tradition that has opened our Christmas season on the Sunday after Thanksgiving for five years now. During December, the entire Woody family was busy rehearsing, singing for or attending special Christmas concerts.

Rehearsals for the SOTW intensified after the holidays, exponentially each month until opening night, March 25, 2009. Jury duty for Mrs. Woody (and MANY field trips to the court house) complicated everyone’s lives beginning the last week of February and continuing three to four days a week through the opening week of the production of the Savior of the World. There were 10 shows. We are SO thankful that we were able to share that amazing experience as a family. It is something we will always treasure. We also were able to share the experience in May of attending a live broadcast (on Mother’s Day) of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir -– Music and the Spoken Word. What a blessing! Concert season ended for this school year with the annual Patriotic Community Concert in Anaheim Hills –on the Saturday before the 4th of July. We are blessed to be Americans…………. . . and occasionally proud, too.

Life skills are daily events at Wonderwood Academy but we had a few focus events this year. In November, Liahona took a free field trip to Albertson's - with a focus on learning to be "Healthy Eaters". That same month, Liahona had a quilting class under the trees at Heritage Park. We got a fabulous intro and mini history of quilting, a hands-on opportunity for kids and grown-ups to use a rotary cutter, and made decisions on what kind of quilts we wanted to make. We had planned on actually MAKING quilts this year, but family difficulties for our instructor left us hanging. The new plan, at least for our family, is to make a quilt square as we study each state this year and put a quilt together when we finish the 50th one.

November was definitely the month for a focus on life skills. On the 15th, the Freeway Complex fire burned closer than any fire we've experienced before. Our bishop's family, as well as two other families at church, lost their home. Half the ward was evacuated. Jelly was packed and ready to go. Doodle handled her fears by escaping into one of her favorite movies. Though it's been amazing to see the strength and love of our ward family as people step in to serve each other, I hope we never have that experience again. If we do, we ARE more prepared to handle it. We continue to work on our emergency preparedness supplies and plans.

In December, our baby, the Doodlebug, turned nine years old!! This was a year for a family celebration, so she got to plan the entire day's menus. She developed a love for hand sewing when she was tiny, watching her Grandma Joy, and still talks about how she used to "help" put in some of the stitches. Watching Aunt Debby work on her current project revived Doodle's desires for a project that she can do "by herself." So, her special birthday gift was to select a printed cross stitch project. She's making a pillow case with a princess design.

Also in December, Christmas School was in session at Wonderwood Academy. We participated (along with God daughter, SwimChick) in a special HOAC Co-Op on the Twelve Days of Christmas and combined that with Christmas Around the World. In conjunction with that, for at least the third year (I need to check on this) we attended the Orange Stake's Creche and Christmas Concert. It was especially fun this year to look for nativities from the countries we studied in our Christmas unit at Wonderwood.

The New Year, and January 2009 brought renewed goals, 15 min. at a time!!!

Having survived the spring, we made plans for and took what we called the Big Loop Expedition – It was a HUGE Field Trip, motivated by our granddaughter’s baptism in Minnesota. We traveled and explored for nearly three weeks., which included visiting MANY national parks, monuments, and memorials. That trip really deserves a post all its own.

Add in Girls’ Camp, and nearly weekly Mutual activities for Jelly now that she has turned 12, cooking, continued trips to our local libraries (two of them now), and play days and family adventures whenever we can arrange them, and you have what we are pleased to call a very well-rounded school year.

Can’t wait for the next one to begin!

Adventures I Should Have Blogged

No posts in nearly two months means that LOTS of life here at the Woody Hacienda and Wonderwood Academy has not been documented. There have been way too many adventures between then and now to attempt to even highlight them. I have to be satisfied with a list. Here it is, in chronological order:

October 12, 19, and 26 Angel Choir rehearsals - We're loving the experience!

October 17-19 Trip to San Diego to celebrate Woody's birthday. Of course, it was also an "extended field trip." We had a great time adventuring at Balboa Park, Old Town, the trolley tour, missions, the Point Loma lighthouse, and the Wild Animal Park.

October 23 The girls had their last piano lesson until after the holidays. Life is already starting to get crazy!!

October 25 Aunt Debby hung out with us and then joined us for the annual Trunk or Treat party at church. Jelly and the Doodle dressed as Renaissance witches. (Possibly influenced by our current Middle Ages/Renaissance studies, and the fact that Jelly wanted something a bit more "Halloweenish, but not scary." When Doodle saw the pretty costume, SHE wanted one JUST LIKE IT! To Jelly's credit, rather than being annoyed, she immediately responded that, "No, I don't mind. We can be twins!" I just pray that their close relationship endures the teen years.

October 29 Liahona Field Trip to Griffith Park Observatory - We're studying astronomy and this was our first trip to the observatory since it reopened after a HUGE renovation. It is amazing!

October 31 Our new family Halloween tradition is to let the girls dress up and then we have a family adventure. This year we utilized our membership to the Aquarium of the Pacific and hung out with our aquatic friends. Pumpkin pancakes at IHOP were a tasty treat to top off the holiday. (The girls definitely didn't need more candy - more than sufficient was obtained at the church Trunk or Treat.)

November 1 Woody began rehearsals (as the tenor soloist) for the 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along, sponsored by the Yorba Linda Arts Alliance. It's a tradition that opens our Christmas season the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

November 4 Civics Field Trip - We voted and then watched the returns come in. You win some, you lose some. Enough said.

November 5 Liahona had our first quilting class at Heritage Park. We got a fabulous intro and mini history of quilting, a hands-on opportunity for kids and grown-ups to use a rotary cutter, and made decisions on what kind of quilts we want to make. We'll get supplies over the holidays, and begin in earnest after the first of the year. Cool.

November 8 and 13 Woody auditioned, was called back, and got the part of Zacharias in the Savior of the World presentation. Our enthusiasm continues to build as we share this experience as a family. His beard is really coming in and it's going to be a busy winter and spring!

November 9, 23, and 30 Angel Choir rehearsals continue as we prepare for a concert in December. Everyone is still enjoying the experience and the girls are getting an awesome musical education. It's a little daunting, but they're loving it!

November 12 Liahona takes a free field trip to Albertson's - with a focus on learning to be "Healthy Eaters". We weren't sure what to expect, but a great time was had by all, and we gots LOTS of free stuff!

November 14 The Primary kids had a special practice for their Sacrament Meeting presentation, "I Am a Child of God." This was Jelly's last. Next year at this time she will have been in the Young Women program for several months already. She is truly growing into a wonderful young lady.

November 15 The Freeway Complex fire burned closer than any we've experienced before. Our bishop's family, as well as two other families in our ward, lost their home. Half the ward was evacuated. Jelly was packed and ready to go. Doodle handled her fears by escaping into one of her favorite movies. Though it's been amazing to see the strength and love of our ward family as people step in to serve each other, I hope we never have that experience again.

November 16-19 Though the smoke was still in the air, we knew we were safe. After a unique Sacrament Meeting (folks were still evacutated from many areas) Woody traveled to San Francisco on business.

November 23 The Primary Sacrament Meeting Program, having been postponed a week due to the fire, was a resounding success. Both Jelly and Doodle put their whole hearts into singing and their speaking parts. Looking back on past programs, my mama heart was prilled (proud and thrilled) to see the way they have progressed each year to overcome their shyness and fears. Yes, the shyness and fears are still there, but did NOT stop them from sharing their growing testimonies through music and words.

November 27 We have SO much to be thankful for!!!

November 30 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along. Aunt Debby spent the Thanksgiving holiday with us and joined us for the first seating of the sing-along. The girls and I are Woody's best fans, so we were there for BOTH seatings. We love supporting Daddy and we also love the way this experience helps to usher in the Christmas season with a jubilant spirit.

December The entire Woody family is busy rehearsing for special Christmas concerts, but none is busier than Woody himself!

December 1 Christmas School is in session at Wonderwood Academy. We are participating (along with God daughter, SwimChick) in a special HOAC Co-Op on the Twelve Days of Christmas. More on this later.

December 2 Our baby, the Doodlebug, is nine years old!! This was a year for a family celebration, so she got to plan the entire day's menus. She developed a love for hand sewing when she was tiny, watching her Grandma Joy, and still talks about how she used to "help" put in some of the stitches. Watching Aunt Debby work on her current project revived Doodle's desires for a project that she can do "by herself." So, her special birthday gift was to select a printed cross stitch project. She's making a pillow case with a princess design. So far, she's stitched two of the butterflies and is VERY happy.

December 5 For at least the third year (I need to check on this) we attended the Orange Stake's Creche and Christmas Concert. It was especially fun this year to look for nativities from the countries we have been and will be studying in our Christmas unit at Wonderwood. We'll be adding some of the pictures we took to the girls lap/notebook projects. The concert, featuring the Anaheim Mormon Chorale (where Woody sings tenor), brought even more of a truly tangible spirit to our holiday season.

December 6 In a new joint effort, the Chorale joined with the Yorba Linda Orchestra for a combined concert. We weren't sure just what to expect, and so were VERY pleasantly surprised at the quality of the orchestra's sound. Conditions were less than ideal for the chorale members, but in spite of staging challenges we thoroughly enjoyed yet another wonderful holiday musical experience.

December 7 An amazing testimony meeting set the tone for a special Sabbath. We then basked in the spirit of a quiet afternoon at home, followed by an earlier-than-usual Angel Choir rehearsal. Only one week left before we sing in our stake's Christmas Concert. The day was capped by the First Presidency Christmas Devotional broadcast from Salt Lake. We normally watch it at home, on BYU TV, but since we were already at church, we stayed to share the experience.

There is a place in our family traditions for the secular side of Christmas, but I've been really pleased with the out-of-balance emphasis that we've been able to maintain with the sacred, spiritual, "real reason for the season" so far this year.

Not to worry - the girls have had and will continue to have opportunities for the just-plain-fun parts of the holiday, too. Our tree is up and has lights on it, so far, and our family tradition of holiday movie watching has also begun. (A little later than usual this year, but finally begun.) We're decorating a bit at a time, so there are red and green boxes stacked in a couple of corners. Shopping is almost done, and crafting and baking are on the horizon.

Stay tuned for updates. :o)

Irvine Park Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins have been a part of our family's fall tradition for what seems like always, but visiting a pumpkin patch has not. Oh, we took the girls every year when they were little, but shortly after we moved here we became disenchanted with patches when the cool one we liked to visit closed down because of unruly teens. I won't go into details, but apparently it had something to do with inappropriate and even illegal behavior in the corn maze. Jelly was SO disappointed; we kind of avoided pumpkin patches after that because NONE of them had her favorite attraction, the corn maze.

Fast forward to this year. I was recently asked to coordinate activities for our small homeschool support group, Liahona. Our goal is to have two park days and two field trips each month. In order to make that feasible, the field trips need to be mostly relatively low cost, and free is always good! We already had a trip to Griffith Park Observatory planned for later in the month, so something more local seemed to be a good idea for our other October group trip.

Long story short, we decided on a visit to Irvine Regional Park. I'd heard good things about all the fun options it offers, but in our almost-seven-years in Anaheim we'd never checked it out.

We're really glad we did!

As I mentioned, many local pumpkin patches seem to be geared to the younger kids. The Irvine Park Patch is, too, but they have more to offer than the usual. After getting some of the kids to pose for this pic...

... we explored the half-mile trail to the little Orange County Zoo. The Zoo's focus is on animals and plants native to the southwestern United States.

Jelly, her special Liahona friend, and Doodle at the duck pond.

On the trail back, the girls had a great visit with the horses and ponies at the park. You can ride them, for a fee, but just hanging out is free and lots of fun.

Back at the patch, the girls decided to check out the hay bale maze. It wasn't as cool as we hoped (we were duped by a bit of exaggerated advertising), but the haunted house was good for LOTS of laughs.

Doodle plans to scare her sister.

Okay, so they're not scared, but they ARE having fun!

"Let's go do it again! That was cool! Did you see me get them?"

We opted this time not to ride the train, saving it for another visit. Instead, we ended the visit with an informal picnic - each family providing their own version of a yummy lunch. We had a great time because we made our own fun, enjoyed simple pleasures and just being with our homeschool friends, and we made some good memories.

Maybe next fall we'll try another patch - and maybe it'll have a corn maze. Even if it doesn't, I bet we'll be glad we went.

Preparation for a Surprise!

When you rely heavily on someone to do physical things for you, managing to do something for them that is a complete surprise is a bit tricky.

BUT...

The girls and I are going to take Woody/Daddy for an overnighter next weekend because it is going to be one of his significantly-numbered birthdays on Saturday. So this morning, after HE cooked breakfast for us, we did a choral reading of the following poem for him:

A Birthday Surprise, October 2008, dedicated to our own Woody

To the Daddy that we love the best,

Way more than we love all the rest,

We want you to know,

That you’re going to go,

On a trip to a place that you know.


Your birthday will be tons of fun,

We hope that we’ll see lots of sun.

This Friday we’re leaving,

So don’t you be grieving!

A surprise for you now we’re achieving!!

So it's not great poetry - something like a modified limerick form - he loved it anyway. We had to tell him that much to make sure that he's clear as far as work goes. It IS a regularly-scheduled Friday off, but that doesn't always mean that he TAKES if off. That is, unfortunately, one of the side-effects of having him work from home most of the time. Also, he'll have to help with the packing, even if it is for just one night.

We're so excited!

Hopefully he'll be over his bronchitis by then, and even more hopefully, noone else will get it.

By the Beautiful Sea

You can read Woody's version here.

MY version goes like this:
We all woke up this morning in high anticipation of participating via satellite in the 178the Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We so look forward to the spiritual lift that comes as we listen to words of guidance and counsel. Last Monday night as part of her Family Home Evening lesson, Jelly provided a special conference packet that she and Doodle will be using to keep their focus during the four two-hour general sessions we'll watch this weekend, right from our cozy living room.

Did you catch that? FOUR TWO-HOUR SESSIONS in two days!! It's wonderful for the soul, but it does require sitting fairly quietly for a LONG TIME!!

So, to prepare our spirits to be ready for a feast, we decided that we needed to prepare our bodies to be receptive. We spent the day today "by the beautiful sea!"

We aimed the Wonderwood Academy Schoolbus at Long Beach, the only "aimed" driving that took place today until it was time to aim for home. Utilizing our membership to the Aquarium of the Pacific today means that in just one more visit it will have paid for itself already, with still almost a year to go! Hurray!!

Upon arrival, we asked the girls what they wanted to focus on today. With no hesitation, they said the wanted to see the lorikeets and the seals and sea lions.

Jelly was first up to offer the lorikeets some tasty $3 nectar. Almost before we had completely entered the aviary, this cute guy took her up on her offer.

When we had moved a few feet farther into the enclosure, it was Doodle's turn. While one lorikeet drank its fill, another sang not-so-sweetly right in Doodle's ear!

Today's visit was not our first to the lorikeets, but it was the first time the girls fed them. It was unanimously decided that this will be a new-and-improved family tradition. The giggles and smiles were clearly visible outward signs of inner joy!

After spending some awed-reflecting time with the sharks (Daddy's request, though we all enjoyed it immensely!), we moved to the seal and sea lion tank. The view from above is wonderful, but if you hang out in the underwater observation area, you are treated to some amazing displays. This tradition is already well-established!

After a yummy brunch at IHOP, we somehow ended up ON the Seal Beach pier, all of us! Pier walks have LONG been individual AND family traditions in our immediate family as well as in our extended family. I don't usually get to participate anymore, because most piers aren't terribly "accessible." I try not to complain, but I do have to admit to often getting wistful as I watch. There are just so many things to experience and when you can share them the magic of the ocean just seems to multiply exponentially!

A spontaneous snuggle with this sun-warmed seal guardian of the pier was a sweet end to a marvelous day.

Except, um, I guess the Sonic slushes we picked up on the way home were pretty sweet, too. ;o)

I declare us ready for conference!

Taxi Dad

I know, I know... it really ought to say "Taxi Mom", but if it did, it just wouldn't be true!

We are SO blessed in our home to have a Daddy that puts his love for his family right out there where everyone can see it! One of the blessings that makes that possible for more hours of the day is a job that allows the man of our house to work from home most days. No, he doesn't have a wonderful home office where he can close the door and seclude himself from the world to focus on his assignments/teleconferences/etc. He usually works, as of late, in the dining room, sitting in a definitely-not-ergonomic-very-ancient-swivel chair that has a part in his personal history and that squeaks whenever he moves, allowing the girls and I to take over the much more comfortable living room for school. (The girls either sit curled up on the big, comfy couch, with a clipboard when needed, or use some beautiful tray tables as their desks.) If Daddy Woody needs focus, he puts on his headphones. More often, though, he listens with one ear to what is going on at Wonderwood Academy. Many times he contributes to the discussion for a while, and then goes right back to "work."

Jelly, Doodle, and I left him there, trying to make his point in a virtual WebEx meeting, and went to a Relief Society cooking class. We spent the morning having a totally fun time learning how to decorate cupcakes from a real pro. Stacy De La Vega just started a new home-based business called Sugar Rush Sweets & Bakery. She gave us all kinds of great tips for decorating cupcakes that look like you bought them. Between her helpful demonstrations and the fellowship with the other ladies in the class, the girls and I had a fantastic time as we decorated our 18 cupcakes. We did some fancy swirly ones with sprinkles, some with hearts and flowers, some that looked like a day at the beach, a special holiday ornament, and one (limited frosting of the right color) that looked like a jack-o-lantern. So we left for home equipped with dessert for the next few days and an icing bag with two tips so that we can make more artistic cupcakes.

When we arrived at home, Wonder Daddy was ready and waiting to rescue me from my taxi duties. I knew without a doubt that my arthritis was NOT going to allow me to be the chauffeur for other adventure we had planned. Donning his chauffer's cap, (uh, his tan canvas not-just-for-fishing hat) he whisked the cupcakes to the safety of the air-conditioned kitchen while I willingly transferred to the passenger-side seat of the Wonderwood School Bus.

A brief stop to pick up a car-picnic-lunch and with Daddy at the wheel, 45 minutes later we had arrived at El Dorado Nature Center to meet our homeschool support group, our Liahona friends.

Equipped with a grid-map of the trail and a nature-based scavenger hunt list of items, Doodle, Jelly, their friends, moms, and our Wonder Daddy headed out for an afternoon of science combined in the best way with P.E. My sweetheart was willing to push my chair, but I didn't want the noise to get in the way of spotting timid wild creatures. While the group explored, I spent time in the little museum at the center attempting to read (in preparation for a discussion with the girls) but truly being hopelessly distracted by the gorgeous view of the small lake and meadow just outside.

When the nature walk had ended, I was greeted by an excited group. In spite of the unseasonalby warm weather, a great time was had by all. While the kids discovered the delights of the little museum, including hanging out in the kid-friendly reading corner, I chatted with the other moms.

Woody did some adventuring of his own, never once complaining, and discovered and purchased a few small surprises for the Woodyettes. He found a patch representing the center to add to Jelly's collection, and for the Doodle a rainbow-colored butterfly eraser for her pencil and a cute turtle pencil sharpener. (Watching the turtles lounge in the sunshine on the rocks as we cross the bridge to the museum here is a favorite tradition when we visit.)

But that isn't all he found. The girls have been fascinated by owls ever since Harry Potter got Hedwig from Hagrid. Wonder Daddy is planning an extension of today's science experience - he will be supervising the girls as they do owl pellet dissections. I promise to take pictures!

So, no taxi mom here. That title belongs to Daddy, and we are SO grateful that he enjoys the work so much.

A Passion for the Pacific

Our entire family, individually and collectively, has had a life-long love for the ocean. We are very aware, from the crowds that invariably compete for parking space, that we are not alone in our passion. Sharing the fascination with so many others can intensify the feelings - the good and the frustrating. We definitely prefer less-crowded, more peaceful ocean adventures. Even though we are at times required to join the masses, our passion just seems to build.

All this to say, we were not at all surprised when Jelly asked if we could study the ocean in school this year. Though we've visited lots of ocean-themed nature centers, aquariums - from tiny ones to Sea World, rescue centers, harbors, and even gone whale-watching twice, we have not yet made a focused/formal study of marine science. There was absolutely no hesitation before she received a resounding, "Of course we can!"

As I mentioned, being blessed to live so close to the coast, we have taken many field trips over the years relating to the ocean in lots of different ways. Simple beach trips can be amazing and provide an abundance of scientific opportunities - wading/swimming/body surfing, tidepool investigations, pier walks, nature "hikes", bird watching, people watching, sand-castle building, shell/driftwood/rock collecting, kite flying, dog/frisbee exhibitions, surfer/wind-surfer/sailboat observing, and so many other activities. Anyone who has ever experienced just relaxing and absorbing the mystical healing effects of the water and waves becomes an instant ocean fan!

How does that work? Something so huge makes you feel so small, but somehow NOT insignificant, rather a part of something completely wonderful.

So, in addition to the science studies we do in conjunction with our Learning Adventures curriculum this year, we will be learning more about our beloved ocean, and all things related. We're not putting a timeframe on this particular study - it will most likely NEVER end! :o)

We did give it an "official" beginning, however. We joined with many other homeschoolers for one of two days (The year they did just ONE day, they found out just how many homeschoolers there are in this area!) set aside just for us at the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, CA. In addition to their regular exhibits, on homeschool days they set up demonstrations and hands-on experiences and experiments that add to the learning opportunities and adventures.


Touch tanks, for example, and the famous "blubber" experiment (involving putting your hand into extremely cold water) to name just a couple. We found ALL the employees/volunteers to be extremely helpful and extra friendly. One kind lady, just because we were there, came out from "the back", and caught us as we were walking away from a tank to tell us that she was just about to feed the fish/eels in that particular tank. As we watched, fascinated, she told us more about the tank's inhabitants, including the fact that one of the new eels had been named after her, in honor of the 500 hours that she had volunteered. Just a little thing, but a nice personal touch.

And there is so much MORE available! The discount and benefits offered were too good to pass up, so we're now annual pass holders and will be going regularly to the Aquarium this year. Our plan is to make LOTS of visits and focus on a different section each time, though I'm sure we'll be regular guests of the seals and sea lions. The girls have a special friend there. :o)

It is just so incredible to experience the ocean's magic - it has caught us, hook, line, and sinker!

Finally, a LOOoooonngg Weekend

Since we've got a long weekend in front of us, I decided I'd better blog the last one before this one is over. We'd been trying to get away and visit family to the north for nearly two months, and we finally made it last weekend!

The process of getting ready always turns into more of big deal than it should be, but we always survive it somehow. We laugh about my lists, but every time I don't make one, we forget something. This time it was actually quite rewarding. We were able to take LOTS of hand-me-downs with us, and they'll make great school clothes for our sweet niece. PLUS there is more room HERE now. The whole hand-me-down process is really worthy of a post all its own. Another time.

We got out of town within 30 minutes of our goal, which I consider an amazing accomplishment. It was a long but not too traffic-horrific drive to our first stop - Papa's house in Santa Barbara. Papa and his wife, Dorothy, were as excited to see us as we were to be seen!

After deciding to keep with our tradition, we headed to Goleta Beach for a picnic and pier walk.
While we were waiting for Papa and Dorothy to arrive with lunch, an incredibly beautiful flock of pelicans flew by in the traditional V formation. I've seen lots of pelicans at that beach, but NEVER a flock in formation. SOoo cool!! We actually ALL saw them again later in the afternoon.

My sister and three of her kids joined us after they got out of school. (Our beach day WAS school!) The kids swam, boogie-boarded, and played in the sand, and the grown-ups soaked up the sun and scenery. We spent Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday together and had such a good visit.

On Sunday we got to spend time with part of the other side of the family, with Woody's middle sister and family. Again, it was a great visit.

We know we're where we need to be, but it sure would be nice to be closer.

The Secular: The OC Fair

On a lighter note, we took the girls to the Orange County Fair on Friday, July 25th. It was the first time they’d been to a fair, so we all had a marvelous time!

We saw (and smelled) lots of animals, some gorgeous quilts, table settings that inspired the girls to pay a bit more attention to that small detail, a small one-ring circus (only three performers, but fun), crafts galore, a beautiful demonstration garden that also inspired us to keep going with our own small efforts (a botany/herbology-inspired school project), a couple of carnival rides for the girls, and even pig races!!

Doodle chose to ride an elephant as her special ride. Originally she wanted to ride a pony, but ANYONE can ride a pony! How many can say that they've ridden an elephant? That's her, the adventurer with the big grin, in the pink cap. She is now officially the only member of our family to have ridden an elephant.

Jelly's pick was the Sky Ride. Because Doodle isn't quite tall enough to ride that one without an adult, Jelly had a marvelously independent adventure! She saw all kinds of amazing things from her lofty perch, but don't ask her about the, um, birds-eye view of a gross trashcan. I wanted to post the pic of her WAY UP HIGH, but she was really backlit in that one and so you can't see her awesome smile.

We managed to get our fill before the evening craziness began. It was a wonderfully learning-adventurous kind of day!

Learning, Living, Loving, and Sharing

“There must needs be opposition in all things." (2 Nephi 2:11) When there is, it’s nice to have days like this one to pull out, reflect on, and then build upon.

Woody was able to make working from home today work, even though this week he’s filling in for his boss (who is cruisin’ with his wife for a couple of weeks to Hawaii). We were able to take advantage of an afternoon field trip sponsored by one of our local homeschool group moms. (Thank you, Phyllis!)

Starting our day together, including Daddy, just feels right. Our devotionals are simple - a song, a prayer, and scripture study (personal and together)- but they sure make a difference!

The girls took their math tests in the van (Hurray, carschooling!)
as we drove (thank goodness for HOV lanes!) to the coast. Woody and I saw a gorgeous hawk fly right overhead, so we had a really close-up and detailed view of its feathering and structure. Awesome! The girls even finished in time to enjoy some of the scenery, too, as we got closer to the ocean.

We visited a small aquarium, in San Pedro, CA, that we had not even been aware existed – a little hidden treasure. At the Cabrillo Aquarium we saw sea animals, birds, and other creatures. Nature Studies sketchpads added to the adventure fun as the girls drew some of the things they saw and documented their sketches with notes, scientific names, and the date.

We watched some jellies getting their lunch – a specialty shrimp soup concocted to best meet their nutritional needs. They eat, um, the brine shrimp that are the sea monkeys Jelly keeps in a special tank in her room!
I love the reflections in this picture - Jelly's profile, and an awed Adelle, a little member of our homeschool group.

Jelly especially wanted to visit the sea horses where a helpful marine biologist in the Aquatic Nursery taught us how to tell a male from a female. The girls also had their eyes opened as they studied shells, and their own hands, under a microscope. I think Doodle’s favorite parts were the hands-on mud flats you could crawl through and explore and the tank you could crawl under and then stand up and view from the inside out.
We had planned to experience the touch tanks, but a HUGE crowd of public school field trippers changed our plans. Now that we know it’s there, we’ll go back and explore the aquarium and its inhabitants at a less-busy time. (We made sure we got that very useful information from a very helpful young lady in the Exploration Center.)

Leaving earlier than we had planned turned out to be a blessing. Daddy Woody gave us a guided tour of the area where his grandpa had moored his boat, the Seagull 3, when Woody was but a lad. Some things have changed a lot, others not at all. Woody was able to locate the exact area where he spent to many happy times making wonderful memories and even having learning adventures as he shared Grandpa’s passion for the sea. He told the girls stories, and they were as enraptured as they listened as he was in the reminiscing and the telling.

Today was full of learning, living, loving, and sharing – things good for the heart and soul.

Wonderwood Academy 2007-8

Jelly – 5th grade
Doodle – 3rd grade

Math-U-See
Learning Adventures – A World of Adventure
Hogwarts Correspondence School Yr. 4
Typing Instructor Deluxe
Rosetta Stone Spanish
Piano Classes
Swimming
LOTS of library books on LOTS of topics,
because we’re still quite partial to Charlotte Mason and her living books!

Our main course of study:
Learning Adventures – A World of Adventure
Finishing Greece
Rome
Middle Ages ?

We started this school year almost a month later than we usually do, but still started when “most” public schools do – the week after Labor Day. Due to my recuperation, we started off with only half days, but it didn’t take long to work back up to our usual school schedule. The girls got used to taking impromptu breaks, as we didn’t always know exactly when the home nurses were going to come. It’s nice to be back to “normal” now. :o)

A typical day looks something (we are not at all rigid, but do function better with a basic plan) like this:

* Wake up, breakfast, get ready, and chores done by 10:00 a.m.
* 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. Devotional and Scripture Reading/Study (On Mondays, we also do the Nat’l Anthem or another patriotic song, and the Pledge of Allegiance.) Sometimes this includes the Bible portion of the Learning Adventures curriculum.
* 10:45 – 11:15 a.m. Copywork and Memorization
* 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Math-U-See
* 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch and “Recess”
* 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Learning Adventures or other Unit Study, including Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Fine Arts – It isn’t really a non-stop, two-hour block, because it includes reading aloud together as well as our notebooking, lapbooking, hands-on, and sometimes extra Hogwarts classes or projects. (We used to do “Show and Tell” every Monday right after our lunch break, but it isn’t a regular thing anymore – I hate to think that the girls are growing out of it. Maybe I need to call it something else, and get us going again. It is great practice for giving talks, speeches, or presentations.)
* 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Typing and Independent Reading (While one dd does a lesson on the computer (Typing Instructor Deluxe), the other reads silently. (Sometimes Doodle likes to go in Mama and Daddy’s room to read “out loud” to one of her dolls.) Then the girls swap places. We’re also planning to add Rosetta Stone Spanish into this time slot, but I still haven’t figured out the Management software yet, so for now, Spanish is informal, with an occasional bit of notebooking.

We go to the library as a family quite often. The Learning Adventures curriculum relies heavily on living books, which is one of the reasons it fits us so well. When the girls were little, we went once a week at Storytime, and just checked out books then as well. We don’t really have a regular day anymore, but still are VERY faithful library patrons. The girls were thrilled earlier this year when they got their OWN library cards. Now they use the self-checkout machine like seasoned veterans. :o)

We meet with our local support group, Liahona, on Wednesday afternoons. If we have a field trip, we may not “do” any other school that day. If it is a park day, we try to get in our usual morning stuff before we go.

We officially finished our study of Ancient Greece in November by sponsoring a field trip to the Getty Villa, in Malibu, CA. It was a bit last minute, but some of our homeschool friends were able to join us.

A wonderful time was had by all - even when it sprinkled on us a bit it did NOT dampen our spirits. We also had a Greek feast at Daphne’s Restaurant, in Anaheim Hills, CA. The girls want to go to Getty Villa again, so we have plans to celebrate there when we finish our study of Ancient Rome - we’ll just change our focus from Greek to Roman exhibits, tours, and presentations. No problem. :o)

For the 4th year in a row we participated the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the Yorba Linda Messiah Sing-Along at the Nixon Library. Daddy Woody is the tenor soloist. The girls are already VERY familiar with some of the Christmas selections, so it has been easy to add a study of Handel and the Messiah to our study of Rome. The life and ministry of Christ occurred within the timeframe of the Roman Empire, so studying the oratorio now is working out well.

Since Doodle’s birthday is in December, and since our family loves trains, it was just a natural for a very special party theme – a Polar Express Pajama Party! I’ve already blogged lots of details about it, so you can get more info here.

Polar Express Pajama PartySnuggled in and ready to watch the movie,with their stockings full of movie-watching goodies.
At Christmastime, we continued to work on the Symbols of Christmas lapbook we started last year. We listened to music, sang, read LOTS of holiday stories, crafted, and baked. We did a LOT of gingerbread, in honor of our Mawgs.
The girls each put together and decorated a house from a kit.
One was a Wilton, and the other was from Trader Joe’s. I think they both turned out great!

Because we were actually at HOME on Christmas Eve, we had a special celebration. The girls received Owl Post, with directions, supplies, and gifts for “A Hogwarts Holiday – Christmas in the Great Hall.” They had fun decorating 12 mini trees with different themes after a breakfast of cauldron cakes and other British breakfast items. Lunch was pumpkin pasties and butterbeer, and we had Quidditch Players Pie for dinner, washed down with pumpkin juice, of course. During the course of the day, the girls brewed potions, made treats from Honeydukes recipes, and played games including a variation on Wizards chess and Harry Potter Scene It.

A magical holiday.

Our focus this year was to have a JOYFUL and peaceful holiday. We attended two Christmas Around the World celebrations - our plan is to make that our holiday theme next year! So cool!

2008 started out with a bang! For three years now the girls have actually stayed up playing family games and listening to Daddy Woody read aloud (Inkheart) until midnight to welcome in the New Year by banging on pots and pans, blowing horns, and pulling “poppers” that explode with bursting confetti streamers. Good, um, not-so-clean, fun! ;o) Those things are messy like crazy, but not too bad to clean up. Especially if the girls decide to pick up all the streamers and decorate Daddy! Everyone gets a big hug and kiss at midnight, and this year we toasted with Martinelle’s Sparkling Cider. Yum.

In January, we celebrated a milestone event. Doodle and two of her cousins have all been baptized within the last six months. There is another picture of these three as babies, each in a car seat – three in a row in the middle of Grandma’s living room. If I had a digital copy, I’d post it here. Hmm… maybe we can scan it.

This one was taken at the celebration party after Ben’s baptism. (His was the last of the three.)
Definitely cute cousins.
February fun has included making and delivering chocolate rocket valentines for friends and family. We got the idea a couple of years ago when some friends launched and landed Livesaver rockets at our house. We adapted the idea, making ours from Rollos, Hugs, tissue paper, tape, and a bit of hot glue to hold the nose cones in place.

These are the lapbooks (all from Hands of a Child) we’re working on right now. They coordinate with our Learning Adventures – A World of Adventures. We’re in the Ancient Rome unit, with rocks, minerals, and volcanoes as our science topics.
Ancient Rome
Gladiators
Rocks & Minerals/ Rodney Rockhound
Volcanoes

The plan is to finish Rome by the end of March, and start the next unit, the Middle Ages, at the beginning of April. It probably won’t happen quite that way, though – we enjoy rabbit trails and extra projects too much!

We also have plans to do these lapbook studies in HOAC coops this spring:
Cinderella Stories Around the World
Mythological Creatures Around the World
Art Appreciation
Music Appreciation

We continue to add timeline figures and other entries to our Book of the Centuries. The girls really enjoy looking through them and at their finished lapbooks.

Home and school, for us, together are most definitely a magical adventure and a winning combination.

I can’t wait to see what adventures await!

Wonderwood Academy 2006-7

Jelly – 4th grade
Doodle – 2nd grade

Math-U-See
Typing Instructor Deluxe
Learning Adventures – A World of Adventure
Hogwarts Correspondence School Yr. 3
Medical, Magical, and Marine Science
Hiking/Swimming
MANY library books on MANY topics, because, because, because!

Because of the girls extreme fascination with pioneers, and the virtual Oregon Trail trip we made last winter, we started our school year off with an “Extended Field Trip.”

After attending a temple open house in Sacramento, visiting Donner Memorial State Park, a family reunion, and visiting with extended family along the way, we met up in Montpelier, ID, with the "Neighbor" family, at about the half-way point along the Oregon Trail. (We actually got a personal tour that started in Cokeville, WY, -a tiny town where my mom was born- from a dear history-loving uncle and aunt, before we met up.) Together, our two families followed the trail, with many stops along the way, to the End of the Trail Museum, in Oregon City, OR. Though we began with a good base knowledge, we gained new respect and admiration for those amazing pioneers AND the country they traveled and settled. We also had an incredible time!

SwimChick, Doodle, & Jelly, "Pioneer Girls"
at the Nat'l Oregon/California Trail Center, in Montpelier, ID
Fort Hall Replica, Pocatello, ID

SwimChick's grandma made her pioneer costume, but we got Jelly's and Doodle's from Kelly's Costumes. The quality is great and the girls still wear them - sometimes for dress-up and sometimes just because they like the dresses so much. :o) As we traveled, the girls worked on their Pioneers lapbooks. (They didn’t do much on them, though, because we kept them too busy! Next time around for this study, we’re planning to do a more complete lapbook on the entire Oregon Trail.) As we made our way home at the end of our vacation, we did a mini study on the California Gold Rush, with stops at Sutter’s Fort and Mill, and a boomtown (Columbia, CA). Again, we’ll be more thorough when we study US (and California) History, but it was a great introduction.

Travel for a family wedding later in the fall gave us a chance to see some great fall colors up close and personal – a great science class! On our way home, we focused on LDS history in Southern Utah. We visited Cove Fort and several historic points of interest in St. George. We love LIVING history!

Our main course of study for the year:
Learning Adventures – A World of Adventure
Finishing our unit study of Ancient Egypt and beginning Ancient Greece

To kick off this year’s studies on our unit on Ancient Egypt, we sponsored a field trip for our local homeschool support group to the Bowers Museum. They had a great Mummies exhibit called Death and the After Life in Ancient Egypt, on loan from the British Museum.

We also did some great projects that the girls really enjoyed. We had an Egyptian feast (great all except the figs, but we do like Fig Newtons!), made sugar cube, Lego, and Math-U-See block pyramids (andfigured out the total number of cubes/Legos/blocks used for each), made not-so-scary mummies (complete with sarcophagus), and read the Egyptian Cinderella and the Golden Goblet. Doodle especially liked making paddle dolls using the Hands and Hearts Ancient Egypt Discovery Kit.

We focused on our Hogwarts classes around Halloween, even correlating support group field trips to Sea World and the Aquarium of the Pacific with our study of Magical Creatures.

We finished our Hogwarts Halloween by assembling the lapbooks the girls worked on for about a week. Both Jelly and Doodle are very proud of the way they finished up, and rightfully so. Jelly especially was excited to show her origami ghost to her origami-loving friend.

The Halloween lapbooks were only our second attempt at “from scratch/on our own” folder projects. We used a different technique for assembling the base folders than we’d ever done before, and it worked out really well. We had three main topics and so the girls’ work showcased the studies we did in these three areas: History of Magic(al Holidays - Halloween); Herbology (Pumpkins and how they grow); and Halloween Celebrations and Customs Around the World (anthropology and geography). We used three folders, with the second and third inserted into the first so that when completed, it opened like a regular book rather than being shutter-folded. Of course, we also included jokes and riddles, pumpkin poetry and a concentration game, and a build-a-skeleton game (Science - Body Systems) played like the classic game of Beetle/Cootie. It was based on this free lapbook that I got from the Seiler Clan's website, and then we added stuff I’d collected over the years from ALL kinds of sources.

Halloween Lapbooks - Front Covers
Notice the tabs on the right-hand side. They are labeled with the three main topics.
First Folder Open - History (and some Botany!)
Second Folder Open - Herbology (Pumpkins)
Third Folder Open - Halloween Around the World
Halloween Lapbooks - Back Covers
Wasn’t it nice of nature to provide such a great transition into the Christmas holidays? The rainbow arched almost from one end of the world to the other!!

And yes, we DID add an impromptu study of light to our science classes. How could we not? :o) It was Christmastime, and the LIGHT of the World was a perfect topic.

The girls’ grandma/Mawgs/my mom was gravely ill during the holiday season, and passed from this life to the next on New Year’s Eve, after a long battle with cancer. We focused what time we had for school on the Symbols of Christmas and Christmas Cheer, again joining the HOAC co-op. We were able to keep our projects with us easily as we traveled back and forth from home to be with Mawgs. It was exactly what we needed during a stressful time – it really helped us keep the spirit and joy in the season in spite of our sadness and grief about Mawgs. We had a wonderful time, and we will be working on that lapbook project for YEARS of Christmases to come!

The girls loved showing their almost-finished Egypt lapbooks to their paternal grandparents, who came for a visit from Texas in mid-January.

Ancient Egypt Lapbook - Front Cover
Included minibooks from HOAC project packs for Ancient Egypt, Mummies, Pyramids, and Desert Habitat, as well as some other projects we did.

Ancient Egypt - First Folder Open
Ancient Egypt - First Extension Flap Up

Ancient Egypt - Left and Right Flaps Open

Ancient Egypt - Vocabulary Book Open

In addition to formal school, we learned a lot about life, and how it goes on even when you’re hurting. A local homeschool support group field trip to the our county’s chapter of the Red Cross helped – we saw how people help people in times of challenge. Extra cool field trips (including a whale watching trip on a sailing ship and a port tour on a modern boat and even a trip to Disneyland!) and lots of hands-on projects kept us not-quite-busy-enough. We still missed Mawgs/Grandma a LOT!

We made a HOAC lapbook about Disneyland as a thank you gift for Daddy’s boss’s wife. She works there, and with a friend, arranged to get us all in FREE!! We loved making it, and she loved getting it!

Hands of a Child Disneyland project pack - Two folders, shutter-folded

Our study of Ancient Greece actually began in the Spring of 2007. We had the following lapbook/notebook projects from Hands of a Child: Ancient Greece, Healthy Bodies, Human Body, Five Senses.

As we had done with Egypt, we combined our studies of Ancient Greece into our Book of the Centuries and intended one large lapbook and some notebook pages. Our science unit was anything related to the human body – anatomy, biology, health and nutrition, and the five senses. One of our first activities was about fingerprints – the girls LOVED investigating!

That sums up the school year pretty well - we had lots of great adventures as we spent time investigating together!

Our Family Vacation, during the Summer of 2007, included Owl Scout Day Camp (where the girls earned four badges each) and a Northwest Coast Lighthouse Tour.

Owl Scout Camp - a la Hogwarts; Making Magical Memories!

Little did we know that the end of the tour would include an injury that would change our lives for the next four months. It was still a wonderful vacation.

But that is another story.