Family Schooling Summary: Back to Co-op School

 The kids had their first day back to co-op school this week.  I didn't take any pics until lunch time when they were playing on the playground. I am teaching pre-school science. A and M are taking a microscope class "Mysteries of the Unseen World", then Spanish, and "See How They Run" (about politics and government). M and S are both in my pre-school science class.  L is in the nursery the whole time. It went well.  I think everyone liked their classes. We'll see how things go.

Another week of soccer practices and games. A has two practices/week and M has one.  Then they both have games Saturday morning.

A is very crafty and while we were outside gathering nuts as part of our nature study we started talking about all the fun non-edible uses for them.  She decided that she wanted to make an acorn wreath.  I helped with the glue gun, but this was almost 100% her project.  She did such a great job! It is on the front door now.

Family Schooling Summary: Soccer Season Kicks Off

This week launched us into Fall busy-ness. We had riding lessons and soccer practice.  There was a ward camp-out on Friday night. Saturday morning hubby helped with the pancake breakfast and then we had to quickly pack-up to get back in time for soccer games.

 First soccer game for brother M went well.  He was so excited that they won.  He played goalie for awhile.

 At this age it is mostly a pack of kids all trying to get the ball.  Not much passing.

A's first game went well too. Though she is more shy about wanting to play, she is fast and has better team skills.

Big sister A wrote a play about Under the Sea Adventures this week for part of her school work. They also practiced guitar, did history lessons (Early Christian Martyrs and Rome), dictation work and Math (word problems for A and telling time for M).
Oh and a new hobby - hand stands against the wall. Everyone wants to try it.

There was also an International Night at our old ward.  We enjoyed the delicious feast of international fare and looked at booths from all different countries.  I did one on Brittany this year.

A picture of baby L with the other kids dressed in Vietnamese Ao-Zai.

Recommended Reading: July & August

1. Dragon Slippers Series: Another lovely plot unwinds through this series by Jessica Day George, with tons of likable characters and hair-raising hijinks. It's story about a talented seamstress who saves the day. Great for kids 8 and up.  
2. Sea of Trolls: A deep plot line with quests and battles.  I would catalogue this book with The Lord of the Rings and The Once and Future King.  The kids listened to it with interest, but I think it is complicated and violent enough to be better for ages 10 and up. 
3. Her Royal Spyness Series: I don't usually like murder mysteries, but I became addicted to and absorbed this series very quickly.  It is set during the great depression in England and Ireland. The protagonist, Georgie, is 35th in line to the throne, but penniless. It is light hearted with rich scenery and menu descriptions that made me want to make tea and scones every night. Adults only though- there are a lot of references to sex and of course, descriptions of murder scenes.
4. Cheaper by the Dozen: I have read this book 2-3 times now. It was fun to share it with my kiddos. I love the efficiency and humor of the family.  I don't think I realised the last time I read it that it was written by 2 of the 12 children and is mostly non-fiction. 
5.  Titanic: Voices from the Disaster: I was worried that this book might be too serious for the kids, but they seemed to enjoy it. It is non-fiction and summarizes what happened on the Titanic's maiden voyage through first hand accounts. 
6. Searching for Bobowitz: This tongue-in-cheek story is about summer vacation in Hoboken. I laughed out loud, but they storyline was a bit too crazy for me to really enjoy. 
7. Alchemy and Meggie Swan: Lovely historical fiction about a pair of misfits in the days of alchemy.

Farm Fresh: Turkeys, Grumpy Rooster, and Berry Picking

 Our rooster suddenly became aggressive a couple weeks ago.  The internet says that this is just a phase as he adjusts to his raging hormones. Experienced chicken raisers suggest that we gentle his rage by carrying him around and showing him who's boss. The kids are still scared to go near him. I agree that he needs more time, but as I tell him regularly, if he doesn't grow out of this soon he is dinner.

 The turkeys are about 8 weeks old and ready to move outside to their new home.

 Here is the new turkey house - neighbor to the duck and rabbit hutch.

The design improvement on the turkey house is a chicken wire floor lining to keep animals from digging under and getting in. We probably need to add the equivalent to the old house.

One of hubby's best friends came to visit with his family.  We went raspberry picking at a local orchard. They have some fun tunnels, slides, animals, and sand boxes for the kids. 

These kids are experienced berry pickers. 

 Baby L was mostly eating. Picking some for herself and then taking all the ones I put in my bucket.

Family Schooling Summary

 Back to school time for us is exciting because the kids get to start their new books and workbooks.
Here are some of the new ones for this year:

 We do school work over the summer, just less rigorously than during the school year. I like to keep to our routine and make sure that they don't forget what they are learning.
Last week big sister A played "teacher" and made some assignments for the younger kids.

 

We had a big baking day with all of our zucchini and squash.  I made chocolate zucchini cake, yellow squash bread, squash apple cranberry muffins, and savory squash muffins.  I put most of it in the freezer. I like muffins as a healthy snack for on the go.

 I took a video of these girls bouncing with daddy and laughing, but this is the only good photo. Baby L is getting so big. Talking all day long. Singing and dancing.

 
One of her cute words now is "Shep-up". The kids like ketchup on their eggs in the morning. Baby L likes a little egg with her ketchup, which she calls shep-up.

Philadelphia Temple Open House

 Sorry for the blog being behind. My new camera has not been loading pics to the computer they way it should be. This weekend we took the kids to Philadelphia for the temple open house.

It's right in downtown Philadelphia. We had some trouble with traffic caused by bridges being closed and a convention that had brought a big crowd. 

The decor was beautiful.  I felt that it had an early american theme in the textiles and furniture styles.

The stair railings and doors were beautiful dark wood.  

The Welcome Center has a nice rooftop garden.

 

 

After the drive and the reverent temple tour we let the kids run around Smith Park. Their playground huge and tons of fun.