Goslings...

So as we were sitting on the bank of the Taunton River discussing the herrings, geese, and other wildlife, Rich was trying to engage Leah in some thought provoking questions. The conversation went something like this:

Dad: Hey guys look at the geese and the goslings.

Ben: Oh, that must be her mate. He's more colorful.

Dad: Yep, they mate for life, not like some other animals.

Leah: Oh, look how cute those babies are.

Dad: Hey guys, look, there's a mother goose with a father and their goslings, and there's another family, and another. But look at that adult one, he's all by himself. Why do you think?

Ben: I don't know, maybe he's retired.

Hmmmm, maybe?

Worms, worms, everywhere...

If you spent any time with us in the last few months, you would know that my children were quite...should I say...engrossed with earthworms. So, what does a homeschool family do when we are interested in a topic?...we make it into a thematic study. So we headed to our local library, checked out nearly every book about worms and "creepy crawlies" we could find, made our KWL chart (what I KNOW, what I WANT to know-or WONDER, what I LEARNED), explored worm hang-outs, collected many, many worms, observed worms, dissected worms (that had already met their demise), raced worms, measured worms, petted worms, listened to worms (yes, we listened to them), named worms..........however, we did not eat them. I know, I'm a party-pooper! We did make worm desserts. See below for Benjamin and Leah's recipe.

(picture of habitat coming soon)

Recipe for Worm Habitat Dessert
by Benjamin and Leah Daniello
a sprinkle of pebbles (chopped nuts)
two scoops of very moist soil (chocolate pudding)
a layer of drier dirt (crushed oreo cookies)
a layer of sand (crushed graham crackers)
some gooey stuff (yogurt, represents nothing, we just wanted a touch of nutrition)
and lots of worms (gummy worms or sour worms--your choice)
for best results, repeat process!
Enjoy!

Meet Sally Jr. (the original Sally resided in Murfreesboro, TN at the wilderness station at Barfield Crescent Park). Sally Jr. resided under a rock in out back yard and is checked on daily. Can i just say that I love that my children are interested in all things nature. And that my daughter is dressed in her PRINCESS dress and rain coat digging for worms and creepy-crawlies. Now that's well-rounded!

We're moving on to birds next. I wonder where that will bring us???!!!!

KOA Kampground, Middleboro, MA

We spent the holiday weekend camping with my parents and my brother, Craig, and his beautiful family. My father-in-law joined us for a night as well as my younger brother Mark and his fiance Jenn. As typical for holiday weekends, the campground was packed with folks escaping everyday life at home. (In fact, we usually avoid holiday weekends for that reason). None-the-less, it was fun to spend time with my family. My dad spent every waking moment with his grandchildren and they ate it right up. He truly enjoys spending time with them and every minute is "child centered." So with quality, safe entertainment for our children, Rich and I had time together (alone) as well. Usually "mom breaks" or "dad breaks" means that the other picks up the slack for a while. But this weekend, we got to relax TOGETHER. WOW! It brought back old memories of camping in the before-children-era. Here are a few shots of the weekend:

My younger brother Mark and fiance Jenn

Rich's dad (AKA Papa) at the campsite

So we camped in Middleboro, (which was the town over from where we lived prior to moving to Tennessee). We often used to visit Oliver Mills Park, the site of an old industrial mill along the Taunton River. Every spring we'd check out the "Herring Run" as thousands of herring run upstream to spawn. Its quite an amazing event to witness. The park is located across Route 44 from the campground. So we ventured there for a mid-morning stroll. Here are a few shots of the river and the old mill walls.

Rich and kiddos peeking through a wall of the old mill

Benjamin (he was balancing on the edge of the wall with his eyes closed)

Rich, Leah and Benjamin on the river bank (they were quietly watching some geese and their goslings--see next post for gosling story).

Leah, carefully inspecting a maple tree seed

My sweet niece, Emily, splashing in the river

Mating

Many of you know that we spend lots of time reading about animals, watching nature shows, observing animals and living creatures, etc... And hose nature studies are all inclusive--animal habitats, animal behavior, diets, defense mechanisms, and matter-of-factly, reproduction.

So here is a recent morning conversation while we get ready for the YMCA:


Mom: C'mon kiddos, we've got to get moving so we can get to the Y.

Leah: Mom, (with a handful of babydolls), these are my babies. I mated to get them.

Mom: Oh, they are beautiful babies.

Ben: Yeah, but who's your husband?

Leah: He died {get this} in the Civil War. And his parents, too. Yeah. I love him.

Mom: Oh you must be so sad. I'm sorry that your husband died.

Ben: {in his I-know-so-much-more-than-you voice} Leah, the Civil War was over in like 1863 or something {close}. How could you have mated with him?

Leah: I don't know. Ben I am going to marry you, 'cuz I love you.

Ben: Leah, you can't marry me. We have the same genes and our babies would come out with two heads {evidently, he listens to some of the things I say, and puts his own spin on the rest}.

Mom: I'm not sure about two heads, Ben, but you are right, you... {interrupted by that really inquisitive tone of voice}.

Ben: Mom? {Oh dear, here it comes} How do humans mate anyway? Do they sit on each other or something?

Mom: {thinking to self...yeah, something like that. Was I ready for this question? No! I should have been ready if you have read some of my other posts, but I wasn't. So how did I respond...} We've really got to get to the Y, get dressed please. {Yes I pulled a "Rich" and avoided the question, hoping I can buy more time to think through a well-formulated, age-appropriate, scientifically-based, Christian response.

I suppose it was better than lying to him like I did about the movie ratings. I guess if I take the approach that "mating" is strictly for reproducing with a husband/wife that you love right now I am covered for a few years, right? Does anyone else have these conversations with their children? HELP!

I'm working on it...

Now that we are pretty well settled in to our new home, our new routine, new job, new family dynamics, new school curriculum, new YMCA, new phone numbers, new ...(well, you get my point),
I promise to work on updating our blog. Thought it might be time for a new look to that, too. So be patient with me as we update things and add some new photos, links, and recent stories.



Whew, the past few months have been somewhat of a whirlwind and the dust has just about settled. Rich and I are finally sleeping through the night. The kids are enjoying some comfort in routine. We're exercising and eating healthy again. And spending a good amount of time with family.



I'm loving our new curriculum (for its intended purpose...classical education to prepare Benjamin for that particular teaching approach he will see in school). Its not necessarily my optimal homeschooling approach (but I know best for Benjamin). I'm still leaving the science topics open for their interests. We should zoom through the 2nd grade math pretty quickly, since Benjamin has been doing most of the skills this past year. And the reading has been a breeze so far. The only area he needs work in is the writing...which he hates. But the writing approach of this program so far has been fun. Leah is picking up some great stuff as a result of listening in on "Benjamin's lessons." (She's been singing the 7 continents or as she says them "the seven consonants"--close enough for now.) Its core is in history and literature, and Rich is really engaged in the history readings with the children (which is great because in the past most of the educating has been left up to me alone.)



We (the children and I) have been going to the Y three days a week. And get this...I leave my children for an hour at the child watch while I work out!!! It has taken me seven years, but I've come to the healthy conclusion that my children can spend three hours a week in "babysitting" while I take a little mental/physical break. And as expected it has given me the much needed energy to give back to them. Leah is taking a gymnastics class for a few weeks and Benjamin will start swim team soon.

Our new schedule is pretty jam packed and doesn't allow me much time on the computer. I can enjoy early mornings on-line (the kids are now sleeping until almost 7!) or late nights (the kids are now staying awake until 8). So be patient with me while I catch up on stories (I have a few) and update my blog look--I'm trying a few looks out.

Look forward to sharing again.