Easter Egg Garden

My 3, 5 and 7 year old had a great time today breaking in our new set of gel watercolor sticks when they created this colorful Easter Egg Garden. Each egg is about 10 inches tall and they are taped to our playroom wall. All that is missing is some grass and a bunny or two...who knows maybe it's a work in progress. Stay tuned!

Off To A Happy Start!

Today was the first day of homeschooling all three kiddos since pulling my daughter out of public school kindergarten. It couldn't have been more inspiring! The kids wrote in their journals, read poems, stories and books, played educational games together, visited some math websites and sorted and classified some of their favorite toys. It was all child led by their individual interest and it warmed my heart to see the three of them working so well together throughout the morning and early afternoon.

Everything about this decision feels so right. Part of me wishes, I had made this decision sooner, but the other part knows that things unfold as they do for a reason. Either way, I am just thankful for this day.

After such a focused morning and some lunch, we decided it was time for play and headed off to our favorite playground in the Madison neighborhood of Seattle. We enjoyed some hot cocoa and goodies at a local cafe and then it was off for some serious play!

Thinking About My Girl

I'm thinking about my girl on her last day of public school kindergarten today.

After today, she will join her brothers in their homeschooling adventures!

But first, a surprise visit to Portland, OR for the weekend, where there just happens to be a LEGO convention happening. We will stay at our usual digs - The Marriott Residence Inn on the River Walk. Can't beat that place with their wonderful daily breakfast buffet and dogs allowed policy. Should be a fun way to kick off having the whole family on the same homeschooling page!

Yay!

One more reason I love homeschooling

I love Thursdays. It's the day where we don't have to be anywhere and can go with the flow at home. Today was a perfect example of that. After breakfast, we played a few math games, read, learned about the history of Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and tried it out using a Shodo set while listening to Yo Yo Ma play Japanese Melodies over the kitchen speakers. My son said it was one of his favorite homeschooling experiences to date. Fantastic! Always love to hear that.




My youngest usually joins in on what we are doing in his own way or plays near us. Today I cozied up with him and read while my eldest son explored online at National Geographic for kids. All was flowing beautifully in our household...but as they say, this too shall pass...

My eldest son went up to his room to put something away and discovered that earlier his younger brother had completely dumped out his large US quarters collection map board. Not only had they been dumped, but many were missing. My 3 year old fessed up and promptly returned with his blue IKEA piggy bank & a butter knife in hand.

Then my two sons went to task at putting the map back together. They discovered they were only three states away from a complete map, so I brought out the loose change jug for them to dig through.

In the meantime, my eldest son found coins from France, Jamaica and Canada, which prompted us to look on our world map to see just where these places are. He taught his little brother the names of the different coins and together they discovered one more State quarter, Arizona...now they only need Oklahoma and New Mexico.



This is one of the many reasons I love learning at home...mishaps can turn into meaning and there is the time to slow down, work together and enjoy the moment.