Spring is in the Air!

March 1 - I can't believe it is already March. Things are super busy for our family...I'm starting to see a pattern, here. Every spring is so crazy busy for us! I think it is the population boom we have every spring at our homeschool co-op, spring sports, and going out often since we are sick of being inside from the winter. So, as mom, I feel like I'm treading water. Hopefully I don't sink!

My kids are taking some great classes at our homeschool co-op including Creative Writing, Native American History, gardening, cooking, drama (and a big play production at the end of April), Space, Guitar, Yearbook layout, and Art. I'm teaching Papercrafts and Set Building (for the play). I'm also taking a class this term - North American Herbalism. It is fabulous. I've already made a tincture for the first time (agrimony), and I'm in the process of making a salve with comfrey, lavender, grape root, and calendula.

I was talking with my husband last night about how I wonder if I should buy some boxed curriculum. He said I must be joking since our kids are learning SO MUCH on their own right now...more so than they would in school. He asked me how much I was learning along with them, and I answered, "Tons." What does that say about my own public school education? Well, I was a "gifted" student. I was always in gifted or honors classes. I made good grades. I paid attention. I didn't learn very much! How did that happen?

Our kids get language arts, math, history, and art regularly. Science not so much. That is my fault since I'm not a science fanatic. We have had many nature study lessons, studied various animals, and we have done some astronomy. Last night while venting this all out to my husband, we decided perhaps I should get some general science book or curriculum so that they are least exposed to it. If they take interest in an aspect of that, we'll run with it. We both agree that exposing them to vital information is important, but if they aren't interested in it, they aren't going to want to learn about it. They all love stories, so naturally they are all history buffs. Hopefully we can get them to be science nerds this year, too.

I think we are going to start using our Apologia Exploring Creation through Botany textbook. It has been collecting dust on one of our bookcases for some time. I also decided to go ahead and buy the Apologia General Science text. It is written for 7th grade, but good for 6-9th grade. That will fit my oldest son and daughter, at this point.

I like the conversational text of the Apologia books we have used so far. The books we have gone through so far are the Exploring Creation through Zoology volumes 1 and 2, which cover flying creatures and ocean life.

I have also tried to get my kids to keep nature journals. It seems we start this every spring and then fizzle out the middle of summer some time. I have 2 children that enjoy it and 2 who do not. The ones who do not enjoy it have to at least sit and be quiet and observe and take notes if they do not want to draw something. Sometimes we go out with a goal to sketch something specific. Sometimes, I let them choose what to sketch. I encourage them to date their work and describe the weather and what it is they are drawing on the page of their sketch. I sketch along with them. I LOVE this book about nature journaling:

Keeping a Nature Journal by: Clare Walker Leslie

I'd post a handy link, but I haven't figured out how to do that in a blog post, yet!

It is available on Amazon, and it is beautiful and inspiring.

For our nature journals, I get a piece of textured cardstock for the cover and several pages of blank white paper for the inside. I stack this together and use a long-arm stapler and staple them together in the center. The kids decorate their covers. They are small enough to fit in a backpack when we go hiking, too. We have taken them to botanical gardens, on hikes, and always in our yard.