Cotton Museum in Memphis

Happy Monday y'all ,

We haven't officially started school yet but, have been doing some school like stuff.  

Earlier this month we went on a field trip with our PEAK Tupelo homeschool group to The Memphis Cotton Museum in Memphis.  There was a traveling Faulkner's world exhibit on display in addition to the normal exhibits.  All of the kids gave the museum a thumbs up for sure.  The staff there were extra nice and very informed on all things cotton.  It's for sure worth checking out, especially if you are able to get the group rate!

We also had fun at Alabama Splash adventure.  Sorry no pictures (didn't want to get my phone wet)  ha!  It was a splash blast for sure!  

Last but, not least Precious finally has her license in preparation for her first day of college next week.  Whoohoo!! Yeah we cut it really close.  

Hope things are getting off to a good start with you and your school year.  Check back for updates!  

The Family 

We felt like we had traveled back in time if only for an afternoon.  

Heart boxes Home Depot

I was discussing with littlest P about all of the pins that biggest P had on her home depot apron that she has been using for her workbench. She said "I don't have one mama why not?" I hate when she catches me in something like that so I said to myself that our monthly trips to Lowe's and Home Depot have to return again so Littlest P doesn't feel left out when she is looking at pictures lol. It was an extremely rainy Saturday combined with the kids really needing to get out of the house. So off to make heart boxes at Home Depot we went.

Little P refused to let me help her.

Biggest P helped Middle P with his construction.

Middle P all done and thinking about who he wants to give his heart box to. When he brought it up it really made me think about how all of these little projects started piling up around the house last time. We will definitively start a box with some creative birthday/Christmas/everyday gifts for family members this week.

J is ten and still enjoys the Home Depot Kid's workshop.

Next week Lowe's build and grow. Oh joy joy! I'm so excited. Until the next time I update,

Toni

Our house, almost

This week's art project for our art class at the C.H.O.I.C.E co-op was a house with paper bags. it was so much fun seeing the kids make their own creations. We had kids who even had snow on their lawns. I hated that I didn't get anymore pictures but, here is a sample of how we did it. I found the idea on pinterest, my newest addiction.

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Day 2

Usually day 2 goes horrible because the kids figure out school is in and it's such a sad day. Maybe that will be day 3 this year. We started the day pretty late because I had homework and I was selfish and let them sleep in. Can you believe no one complained? :) Any who, today we reviewed math facts, and added our grammar studies, did more Mystery of History, and the younger ones worked on phonics.

Preston, at seven years old, is just now doing some early reading. I am so happy! He is reading Away We Go, which is one of the books in the Dick and Jane series and is almost done with it. It will be his first book to complete that is not one of the printable type or Bob Books. I am so happy he is progressing finally. I listened to all of the other mothers who had boys who read at their own pace and drew from their experiences and stayed patient. We just continued to read lots of literature to him to increase his knowledge base while he learned on his own time.

Precious, our ninth grader, is reading the unabridged version of Huckleberry Finn and is very shocked by the language. Tre', our 5th grader, is enjoying a children's classic version of Ben Hur.

Patience, our 5 yr old, is not classified by a grade yet. She learns so much from her older siblings. I would place her at 1st grade or so. She is reading better and better by the day. I didn't teach her to write last year but, she has taken it upon herself to learn. She copies the names that are on everything into her drawings as she did in the one below.

If you look hard enough you can make out the words"Toshiba", from Daddy's laptop where Tre' did his Rosetta stone Spanish this morning. "Mississippi history" from Precious' History book, "pencil tablet" from her writing tablet, "crayon" from the box, and some other assorted words. Just in case you were wondering this picture is of her daddy driving in "BIG MAMA our conversion van. She said that is her at the table playing cards with her brother.

Tomorrow is the first day of our co-op, C.H.O.I.C.E. The kids are looking forward to their classes and spending time with their friends. I am teaching only two classes this year. One is a creative writing class for high schoolers, the other an art class for 4yr old-2nd graders. I always finish these classes wishing they weren't over. I'm looking forward to school tomorrow since we had such an awesome day today. I love homeschooling! Patience says Hill house school is the best.

Toni

Art

Yesterday and today I prepared for art for all of the kids. We do art year around so the art area is looking pretty bare. Our staples are:

• paper w/one clean side recycled from someone's job usually
• 20-25 magazines for picture cuttings
• about 10 bottles of glue 3-4 glue sticks(Precious is the only one that uses glue sticks)
• clay (I make my own recipe later), cookie cutters, etc.
• plaster of Paris
• scissors, markers, crayons, colored pencils, enough so each child can work at the same time
• construction paper, tracing paper, and sketch pads
• paint, washable of course and brushes, (we make those too)
• paper bags, fabric and yarn scraps, stickers, pill bottles, bottle caps, plastic lids, egg shells, etc.
• lots and lots of tape electrical, masking, and invisible
• spray bottle w/vinegar and water and cleaning rags
• apron per kid

I have also decided that I am selling the school desks this year. We don't use them much. It seems the kitchen table works fine for us although we do have a classroom it's crazy! Precious has a desk in her room and so do the boys so we are downsizing them since they seem to stay in the way. Also we are setting up centers all over the house, (well in the living room, hall areas, and kitchen anyway). This may become a disaster later we'll have to see but, this way each child can have their personal time without distracting the others who maybe working. More later.

Shalom,

Toni