We made it to Vero Beach and in time to have dinner with Mom and Dad, read a chapter of Narnia with them, and walk on the beach before sunset.

We're on our way to visit Dwayne's parents in Vero Beach, Florida. We made it to North Carolina, stopped at a hotel there, swam in the pool, and then had dinner (sub sandwiches from Jersey Mike's) outside on the hotel deck area before heading back to the room to rest until tomorrow. 

Camping Again

We took the girls camping at Macedonia Brook State Park again.

We stayed in a different site this time, one surrounded by the brook on three sides with several footpaths leading to the water. It was magical. 

We played a lot of cards. The girls like the game Garbage right now, and they showed us how to play. 

With no running water and hot weather, we "bathed" in the brook in every sense of the word. 

I often sat in this spot with coffee or a book enjoying the sounds and sights of the brook.

The morning sun came through the clouds onto my face. It felt divine. Adele, sitting with me at the time, caught it on camera. 

We took the girls over to see Kent Falls. On the way, we passed a huge, outdoor book sale at their local library, so of course, we lost our minds and stopped and bought lots of books.

The falls were magical, too. We played in the pool at the bottom and climbed into the falls, hiked all the way up and back again, and then played in the water some more.  

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek seemed an appropriate book to bring to read next to the brook. 

We came home with a lot of bug bites, but also general itching, so we are suspecting we might have encountered more than mosquitos. But seriously, it was lovely and totally worth it. 

 

Homeschool Book Swap

A mom in our homeschool group hosted a book swap recently. Moms could give books away that they no longer wanted, or they could take books they'd like. It was totally free to participate. I didn't give away any books, but my daughters came home with several books to read. And we all enjoyed the time with friends. In the photo above, Adele's reading one of the books she came home with. 

Draw Write Now Class

I'm teaching a Draw Write Now class for one of our co-ops next year. 

It'll be for the youngest students in the group, the third graders, and it's mostly just for fun. 

Kids that age will still be learning how to hold a pencil and form their letters in print, so those are skills I plan to review in each class. 

I'll probably teach them a rhyme about holding a pencil correctly, and we'll trace the letters A-Z in print, lowercase and upper case every class.  

There's a drawing exercise with each lesson followed by sentences to copy that go along with the pictures. 

So I also plan to read a children's picture book to go with the lesson. 

For example, on the day when we draw a barn and write sentences about barns, I'll read the book The Big Red Barn, etc. 

Finally, we'll color the pictures. 

I'll probably save everyone's work and give them a book of their work at the end of the semester. 

It's obviously not a difficult class to teach, but I'm looking forward to it. 

I think it'll be fun. 

For now, I'm having fun finding children's books to go with the lessons. 

 Adele, my youngest, made me a "Best Mom Ever" badge. I'm using it as a bookmark. 

Thank-you Notes

So many graduation gifts; so many thank-you notes!

We try to take the time to send thank-you notes (or make phone calls of thanks) as soon as gifts arrive, even if we end up doing less schoolwork or chores because we are taking that time to do so. 

For what profit it a homeschooler if he or she learns all the facts and grows up to get a great job, but isn't even courteous enough of an adult to send thank-you notes?