Yesterday was another Five In A Row co-op day for us, and it was an excellent day!  We studied the book Snowflake Bentley as a group and there were many interesting activities during our morning together.

As usual, the day started with reading the story out loud.  If you have not read Snowflake Bentley, it is a really good book!  I am amazed at how much the story touches me every time I read it, even though I’ve read it many times.

The next activity was block painting.  Leslie, one of our teachers for the day, had taken florist material and cut it into blocks.  The children then carved pictures into the blocks, painted over them, and then pressed them onto paper, making some lovely prints!

It took concentration to get their designs just right.

Some of the children came up with really impressive block designs.  We talked a little bit about negatives.  And we talked about how what you carve into the block comes out “backwards” when you turn it over and press it onto the paper, something some of the children were not expecting, especially those who had written words onto their blocks!

Michaela made a pretty design.

Later we went outside for more art lessons and for a special homemade guessing game, full of snowflake facts.  Each child was handed an answer piece, while Leslie held all of the pieces with questions.  She asked a question and whoever thought their piece had the right answer would say it.  If they were indeed correct, their answer would match Mrs. Leslie’s piece and another part of the bigger picture was done.  I am hoping Leslie will post more about this on her wonderful blog!

I loved watching the children interact with each other and with Mrs. Leslie in this game.  It was quite fun.  Some answers seemed right until the real fact was read and we would all be amazed over another snowflake fact.

If you are interested, here is a link to a site about Wilson A. Bentley, the snowflake man.

Today’s a work day for me, but I am thankful to be snuggled up in a comfy chair, drinking hot tea and doing something interesting.  Seems I learn something new every day.  I have actually thought of taking what I learn about prefixes, suffixes, word combos, and grammar and making up a grammar/writing class for homeschooling children to teach out of my home.  Hmmm.

I hope you have a lovely Friday.

Ahhh, the school bell is ringing this morning.  Yes, it is.  The past two weeks have been full of fun and relaxation, and plenty of food and family and friends, but it’s time to put our thinking caps on once again.  I don’t know about you, but mine feels a little loose this morning.  Uh…

As one of my brooches says, I believe that we’ll get back into our school groove.

The brooch pins are coming along nicely.  We are working, working, and Michaela has found her own little niche, but more about that later.  I’ll let her post when she’s ready.  In the meantime, I am working on something special for my Etsy shop for Valentine’s Day.  When the Etsy shop is ready, I’ll be sure and post a link here.

For lessons today, the following is on tap:

• Ambleside Reading — will all be independent today, as I have to work
• Practice harmonica
• Math – Saxon next lesson
• Work on further training Annie
• Grammar will be copywork from Snowflake Bentley
• Review Snowflake Bentley as we have a co-op built around that book this week
• Science - Bug review sheet from a previous field trip
• Nature Study – More copywork – write the definition of metamorphosis and then glue pictures of butterfly life cycle onto cardstock for notebook – label.  (The pictures are lovely pictures from our garden from this past summer.  I think Charlotte Mason would approve.)
• Work on craft project
• Practice sketching
• Review Raphael prints for Ambleside art

I do hope you have a wonderful Monday.  Mondays are work days for me, and they are sort of hard for me — a real transition after being off with my family on Sundays.  But it is okay.  It really is.  I try my best every morning to smile out at the world and focus on everything that’s lovely and pure and of good report.  I believe God gives us grace when we really want to have a right spirit for His sake.

There’s been much activity around the doll house this evening.

We recently finished up Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal Book) for Five In A  Row, and you know how I love to finish up with a storybook souvenir for the doll house.

Let me just say that the dolls were wild with excitement to find out that Snowflake Bentley was a distant cousin on their family tree!  And they inherited the most amazing old photograph.

There’s more at homemadedollhouse.blogspot.com

Good night,
Lynn

“Little Mrs. Peter Rabbit, who used to be Little Miss Fuzzytail, sat at the edge of the dear Old Briar-patch, anxiously looking over toward the Green Forest.  She was worried.”

“There was no doubt about it.  Little Mrs. Peter was very much worried.  Why didn’t Peter come home?  She did wish that he would be content to stay close by the dear old Briar-patch.  For her part, she couldn’t see why under the sun he wanted to go way over to the Green Forest.  He was always having dreadful adventures and narrow escapes over there, and yet, in spite of all she could say, he would persist in going there.”

From The Adventures of Prickly Porky by Thornton W. Burgess.

Thus we traveled last night on another new bedtime reading adventure.  We opted for something light.  Something fun.  Something about animals. 

And while we are talking about animals, please excuse the disheveled look of old Bunny in the picture above.  He has been loved by four near-grown children and has had many bold adventures himself.

If you just cannot get enough of animals with big personalities, who talk and interact with each other in their forest and prairie homes, you’ll probably enjoy this sweet little book.

There’s even a Thornton W. Burgess Society, I was pleased to discover.   You will find some very pretty coloring pages at their website, information about the society, and more.

Unit-study-wise, we are following after, in a most relaxed fashion, the sword and the snowflake.  What is that? you might ask.

Well, Joseph and I are beginning a study of Shakespeare and Hamlet.  Though it’s been in my mind for forever, it seems, we still have not read anything by Shakespeare.  It’s time.  The child graduates in 2009.

Princess of the Universe and I are currently rowing Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal Book), using Five in a Row for lesson plans, of course. 

I am just anxious to see how the two intersect, because I know they will.  

Last of all, you might want to visit the HomeMade DollHouse to see what the dolls are up to.  Picture a little general store in Vermont where the snow is piled up underneath the windows and they sell candy canes and sleds.  (I love how the doll house gets tied into school.)

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Lynn