“Ugh…” is the typical reaction we have when we see a lot of kelp in the water at the beach. It sloshes around in the waves and wraps onto your legs and sits on the shore in stinky piles attracting millions of annoying flies. Lately I’ve felt differently. Which made me wonder: What is it […]
Nature Study – Kelp @ San Clemente Read More »
Have you heard? AmblesideOnline is in the process of transitioning to a new forum community! Previously, the hub of AO’s curriculum support was their Yahoo group, now they have put together a full fledged forum where there is room for conversation to expand beyond curriculum support. The forum is organized by Form (School Year) and
AmblesideOnline Forum Read More »
Following is the general method of Charlotte Mason’s writing lessons as outlined in her 1st Volume: Home Education, pp. 233 – 243. BEGINNING WRITING LESSONSThe initial focus of writing lessons is careful work. Begin with short lessonsof five or ten minutes practicing capital letters in a font of your choice. Theexact letter he is copying
Copywork, Transcription, Spelling and Dictation Read More »
Here’s my almost-nine-year-old’s nature journal drawing from this morning – salvaged from the trash can after being torn out of his nature journal, crumpled up and put in the trash. I thought it was one of his best paintings. Unfortunately, jumping in the waves all day, getting too much sun, and staying up late
Crumpled Up Attitudes Read More »
And dew-bright webs festoon the grassIn roadside fields at morning. ~Elizabeth AkersThe general shape of the web is like that of a broad funnel with a tube leading down at one side. This tube is used as a hiding place by the architect, the grass spider, which thus escapes the eyes of its enemies, and
More Funnel Web Spiders Read More »
Now that our fourth child is just over a year old and toddling around on his two fat wobbly legs which carry him to investigate whatever interests him in the moment, I am finding myself back in the throes of training once again. Just to name a few things that have been of interest to
Training the Will of a One Year Old Read More »
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is full of blooms and ticks at this time of year. Here’s a list of what I can remember seeing in bloom today: White Sage Black Sage Bush Mallow Wild Grape California Everlasting Chalk Dudleya Night Shade Caterpillar Phacelia Jimson Weed Mexican Elderberry California Sunflower (Encelia) There were other yellow, telegraph
Nature Finds – 06/14/12 Read More »
A while back our friend from South Africa invited us for tea. What a pleasant surprise when we arrived to find fresh scones, or biscuits as she called them, homemade cream, jam, and other treats all arranged beautifully on a table with tea cups and saucers – each with a different floral pattern – little
Caspers Wilderness Park, located on Ortega Hwy (a freeway alternate to the Inland Empire that winds through the Santa Ana mountains and spits you out in Lake Elsinore) is one of the places that really starts getting you into the local mountains of Orange County. I recently took the kids to their Wildflower event and
One of my favorite things about reading Robinson Crusoe was his thoughtful reflections on what was happening in his life. The author gave us a window into the thought process in Crusoe’s mind as his character is forged through circumstances hand placed in his life by God Himself. I was reminded of this today as