Columbus Day Craft

Today is Columbus Day, so we read "COLUMBUS" by Ingri & Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. It was a wonderful story! I love these books so much, and I really appreciate the fact that the lessons include a time of "narration" from my children so that I can know for certain that they understand what we are learning. The books help to stimulate deeper thinking, and we can reflect on each character's strengths and weaknesses. Of course, we end the lesson by tying all that we have learned to what God did through that person to shape the beginnings of our great nation! I am eagerly anticipating the next set of books to guide us through America's Providential History!

Autumn's Touch

Cooler weather is starting to reach our "neck of the woods" now, and here is a picture of my favorite tree in our side yard:



Here is the same tree, a few days later:

Our Happy Home

The picture above is sunrise as seen from our huge living room window at our house! I always love being able to look out my window and see the expansive farm field and the various colors that God paints for us in the morning! This sunrise was actually more dramatic and beautiful earlier, but I didn't think about getting my camera out until most of the colors had faded away. However, it made me think of how thankful I am for my wonderful home! It was new when we bought it, and it is still so nice and just the right size for our family! We have a lot of yard space to play in, and a huge deck that we put a safety gate on so that the boys can play safely. Even though we don't have a fence around the yard, the girls are old enough to know to stay away from the street. Not that the street is a problem, because we get only a few cars a day back here in the "boonies"! We only have three neighbors close to us, and they are very nice. Our neighborhood is very nice as well, and we feel safe and happy here. This Summer, we thought about moving, but decided that it just isn't worth it. We love our home, our location, our neighborhood, and the fact that we can homeschool and live off of Eric's income without having to stretch our dollars too thin. It would take a major change in circumstances to make us move, and I have "peace like a river" when I think about staying here and enjoying life with my wonderful family!

Potty Peril

Sam's potty training is going GREAT! I'm so pleased with how well he is doing, and I'm especially pleased that he will go on his own, without being told! No timers, no reminders, nothing...he just GOES! However, the key to all of this potty training bliss is that he has to have HIS own potty chair, in HIS own little room (the laundry room), and it has to be easily accessible 24/7. He will go, on his own, and now he's to the point that he won't even announce it anymore. You would think that this is a good thing, but I have a very mobile and curious 9-month-old who seems to have a knack for knowing when his older brother just "went". He has really been keeping me on my toes, and we've had a few close calls. Easily accessible potty chair and silent stealth-like baby = an accident waiting to happen!

Hands-on Science

We have been using the "God's Design for Science" curriculum from Answers in Genesis, and it has been great! This week, we have been learning about how to tell if something is alive, how living things are classified, and the different characteristics between plants and animals. We took a trip to the Minnesota Zoo (that is a membership worth having!) for more in-depth studies. We also made a game on poster board with "clue cards" describing a characteristic of a living thing, and the kids had to decide if the card belonged under the plant, animal or "both" category. It has been great fun, and we are all learning so much! :-)

Becca and Sam loved this new "Tropics" exhibit!



Christy really liked these black-and-white monkeys, but I thought they were skunks at first glance! ;-)



A diver was cleaning the rocks in the aquarium, and that was fun to watch!



Here is Daniel...happy in his swing while we set up the game!



Here is a close-up of the books we are using this year:



Some of the clue cards for the "plant" category were: Chlorophyll, photosynthesis, needs sun, cannot move around, needs carbon dioxide, created on the 3rd day of creation, etc.



Some of the clue cards for the "animal" category were: Moves around, cannot make food, carbon dioxide is a waste product, no chlorophyll, etc. Some of the clue cards for the "both" category were: Alive, cells, reproduces same kind, needs oxygen, designed by God, eaten by animals, etc.



All done!

Ahh...Autumn

I know that I have posted before about the fact that Autumn is my favorite season, but I just HAVE to say it again! ;-)

Saturday Morning Snuggles

Eric and the kids had fun this morning just snuggling together on the couch. What a great time to rest, relax, and reflect on how good God is to us!