Gardening Fun...

Or maybe I should clarify and say picking weeds...and getting the garden ready.

We've been getting a lot of rain lately so today we were sure to get outside and do some yard work while we could. Hoping for another nice day this week so we can perhaps try and get to the beach! It's been that warm!

Zoey finally got to planting a plant that she got from her grandmother a few weeks ago...

I always love seeing everything blooming! We are certainly in the throes of spring right now here in the northwoods! While outside today we saw a swallowtail butterfly and two monarchs as well as lots of dragonflies. Thank goodness for the dragonflies, as it means less mosquitoes!!

It's Officially in the Books!

Our first official year of homeschooling is in the books! It definitely was a learning experience for Zoey and I BOTH...and we are totally and completely smitten and in love with this year and our experience with homeschooling in general. Were there some bumps along the way? For sure. There will be some curriculum changes next year and subject changes here and there. For example, she's not in love with Spanish and has really been interested in Latin lately. I think we're both feeling more confident in our expectations from everything to what it is that we think school will or should "look like" to what expectations we should and can have of one another.

Zoey has grown so very much in this past year. Not only physically and emotionally but her mind has just cracked open and she's made me so proud with how it is that she is thinking about people, the world and life in general. This is what it is that I was wanting for her!! The safe space for thinking original thoughts as well as the space to explore interests that she may not even have had the chance to know about before now. Just in this year alone she's confident and even enjoying math, something that was so not happening while in public school and she's actually retaining what it is that she's learning! We love Math-U-See and Mr.Demme so much! So very thankful we went with that curriculum for math. She also discovered an interest in drawing and sketching, something that she didn't have the confidence enough in to express while at her public school, (at least it didn't happen in the past). Growing up in a family with an artist as my father, there are days when I see Zoey sketching and drawing and I can't help but get a bit teary eyed. She NEVER used to do that and she does it all the time now. I love that she has so many ways of expressing her creativity and that drawing is now one of them.

Her favorite subject this year hands down, was science. Both what we did for school and her independent projects. Reading was a close second and she enjoyed free writing as well. She read a TON this year! So many books that I lost track of them all, (we originally were trying to keep a list). Makes me so happy. Something kind of quirky to note, she loves finding words that she doesn't know the meaning of and then looking them up and then finding ways to use them in everyday conversation. She cracks me up.

My one big worry about homeschooling her last year was, are you ready for it...socialization!! I know, silly right?!?! I had all sorts of concerns and worries. Well, guess what? She is just fine and in fact, had perhaps even a busier social calendar than had she still been in public school! Weekends were busy with friends coming over or her visiting friends. She knows more kids than ever now with the homeschool group kids in the mix of things now as well. Having dance classes twice a week and hanging out at the library after school hours helped too. She even attended two out of three middle school dances this year, which was awesome too! Very thankful that her friends have stuck around and remained friends despite our rearranging our lives a bit and that we've been able to make some new special friends through homeschooling as well.

She's happy that it's summer break, that's for sure...but interestingly enough, she mentioned that she was sad that the routine of "school" would now be over and that she was looking forward to next year already! Over the summer she'll be taking part in a day drama camp, taking some summer dance classes, babysitting and she has a potential job assisting at a gymnastics summer camp as well. She will be continuing working through math (I don't want to lose her foothold on things) and we'll be doing a somewhat lighter botany course as well. It's safe to say that reading will be on her agenda as well. There's no stopping that! I'm hoping to get her to be involved in the teen book club at the library that I work at, as well as participate in the summer programming.

Feeling so very thankful that we took this leap of faith last year and just DID it!! Thankful too for our friends and family that have shown so much support.

Feeling pretty blessed.

We'll be sharing our happenings here on the blog yet this summer, so stay tuned for what's to come!

Some of Zoey's Sketches...

I am just smitten with her sketches as of late...loving them! These from a girl who dreaded art class when in public school. Who pretty much endured them due to having one art teacher who was not a nurturing and positive role model to her. Who actually asked her once if she was "proud" of a drawing and when she replied that yes, she was, the teacher took her paper, crumpled it up and threw it in the trash and told her to start over. Thankfully, the two years before we started this homeschooling journey she had a new and amazing art teacher who I feel started to build her confidence back. Anyways, to see my daughter having fun with art again and feeling free, is a remarkable thing.

Wishing you a creative rest of the week!

Easter Hike

“Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.”  ― C.S. Lewis

For Easter this year we ended up staying home and taking it easy. I worked on Good Friday, (Ethan had off) and he and I both work tomorrow. Thankfully today was an absolutely beautiful day and we made sure to enjoy it!

The morning started off with waffles made by me, some Easter basket hunting (with help from our dog!) and then Zoey and I read outside until after lunch, we decided to trek our way to a new trail for some hiking.

It was 2.5 miles and it was lots of hills and steps going UP!! Thankfully it wasn't too hot out and we were able to cool off here and there while in the shade of the trees. There was SO MUCH to discover on this hike. Lots of marshes and bogs to check out and the hike itself was around a lake.

We didn't see the beaver that did this but it was apparent that it had been there recently as the wood was still wet!

I'm going to just share photos here for now...

Once home, I quickly got started in on dinner. Salads, turkey (vegetarian), mashed red potatoes and fresh green beans never sounded so good!! Now I'm completely wiped out!! Felt so very good though to get some exercise and spend the day enjoying our world, together.

Happy Easter!

Lately...

This has been a productive week...Zoey's been continuing with her art exploration when it comes to sketching. Here are a few more interesting faces that she's been working on in her sketch book.

This morning when out walking the dog around the house we discovered some bear tracks which was pretty exciting! They went right through our yard in-between the house and our garage and then meandered off into the woods. We had to take some pictures quick before the snow melts!

Zoey just started reading the book I Am Malala for her geography and literature studies and most recently finished reading Habibi. For fun, she most recently finished reading the book Tuck Everlasting and is currently reading The Secret Garden. She also has read the complete series of Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices and the book Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. It's safe to say that I've long given up on trying to keep track of the books that she's reading for the blog. I now keep track on our library request list that is attached to my library card check-out history.

Tuesday, Zoey and I both went to a school board meeting in a neighboring community. This was Zoey's first school board meeting (kind of funny that she attended it now that we're homeschooling!) and it was a major learning experience for her. We went to support a teacher who is a friend and who also has a daughter Zoey's age who is a friend of Zoey's. This teacher has taught for over twenty years at this school and is getting a non-renewal this year with nothing worthy in her personal file for dismissal. The meeting was packed with community members (we had to move to a different room) and was very passionate/high energy in nature. We stayed for two hours (on just this agenda issue) and left around 8:15pm so we could eat dinner and walk the dog! It felt good to show up and do the right thing (I spoke) and to hear so many people showing support for this teacher. It didn't feel good to witness and hear the lack of compassion and empathy of the school board or the administration of this school. Zoey was astounded that the individuals sitting as the board, were representatives of the school to the community. I have to agree with her, there was one individual on the board that showed compassion and interest when people spoke, everyone else looked annoyed, bothered, uncomfortable and/or, put out. I do think that things could have at the very least, been handled in a more empathetic manner so that the public could have felt as though they were being listened to. Regardless, we had some great/tough conversations afterwards and then again once Ethan got home from working late as well.

Zoey is continuing working through her second math book at lightening speed, still enjoying her logic workbook and is working through her beginners spanish book. Health is included in her science curriculum and she is working through that and is approaching the heavier portion of that unit here quickly. It's kind of amazing to look through all the we have done this year and know that we almost have our first complete homeschooling year under our belts!

Life learning at it's finest!