I wish all school days could be as wonderful as this day was. Ryan is studying the Kingdom Monera for science; Connor and Cailin are learning about biodiversity and the biomes of the world. So we took a few hours of the day and headed off to a local pond to gather samples for Ryan's lab experiments and observe the biodiversity of a pond.Of course, we had a picnic lunch--I'm always hungry and food eaten outside is always fun. The pond happened to be in the area Barry was patrolling for the day so he joined us for his lunch break.
After lunch it was time to get to work. Ryan's lab experiments required pond water....from the bottom of the pond. Here the kids are gather 4 samples of water using our makeshift ladle. he will feed the 4 samples with different "food", let it culture and observe the bacteria growth in a few days. I wonder what we'll get?
Connor received a child's microscope for his birthday. It came with tools to gather different samples with. Here they are busy gathering algae and other items to look at under the scope. Someday, we'll get a more advanced microscope, but this one seems to do the job for Ryan's work right now. Connor's also having fun looking at different things (salt, sugar, hay, pond water, etc) under the scope and drawing the structure of the items.
Now we take some time to sit, listen, look and observe all that's going on around us. The kids are keeping lab journals for their observations (so very Charlotte Mason :) It was nice to sit and relax for a while.
Liam even got into the fun of journaling...."I color too Mommy."
What a cute kid!
After lunch it was time to get to work. Ryan's lab experiments required pond water....from the bottom of the pond. Here the kids are gather 4 samples of water using our makeshift ladle. he will feed the 4 samples with different "food", let it culture and observe the bacteria growth in a few days. I wonder what we'll get?
Connor received a child's microscope for his birthday. It came with tools to gather different samples with. Here they are busy gathering algae and other items to look at under the scope. Someday, we'll get a more advanced microscope, but this one seems to do the job for Ryan's work right now. Connor's also having fun looking at different things (salt, sugar, hay, pond water, etc) under the scope and drawing the structure of the items.
Now we take some time to sit, listen, look and observe all that's going on around us. The kids are keeping lab journals for their observations (so very Charlotte Mason :) It was nice to sit and relax for a while.
Liam even got into the fun of journaling...."I color too Mommy."
What a cute kid!Sometime during our outing at the park an older couple came to chat with us. It turns out that they had just moved to the area from a nearby county so that the lady could go to RU for a doctorate in education. She loved to chat with the kids and see us homeschooling. She told us that she was doing her thesis on homeschooling and other schooling philosophies and how she was quite against homeschooling when she started, but has since changed her mind and loves it. It was nice to hear and helped give me further encouragement to go on.
A game of balance beam 'follow the leader'.
A game of balance beam 'follow the leader'. 
I, too, used to be more against than for homeschooling. As I've learned more, partly through your blog, I'm starting to see more and more of the benefits and neat things you can do that aren't offered through public education. Also, your kids may be interested in this as well... I've worked in college admissions for 5 years and we occasionally see home-schooled students and we've noticed that they typically outperform their peers in test scores and intellectual capabilities (they are usually especially strong in 1-2 subjects). So keep up the good work!!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, Liam is so super cute in these pictures! I can't wait for Breeley to say adorable things like, "I color too, Mommy"!
Wonderful post! What a great example. I feel like such a novice sometimes. We homeschoolers have our strengths and weaknesses. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have so much admiration for home schoolers. Your dedication is truly an example.
ReplyDeleteI learned from this post, too. I had to google Charlotte Mason ☺.
I love how Liam said he wants to color, too. What a cutie. He is learning so much from being at school everyday with his siblings.
I have been wondering if I should home school...the crude things that Evan hears at middle school are breaking my heart.
I'm glad that you were able to capture this day in picture and writing to go back and remember it on those "other" days.
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