In Case You Haven't Noticed...

In case you haven't noticed, I've been a little missing in action! Well, I'm back from a physically, emotionally and spiritually rejuvenating trip and I'm ready to get back in the saddle again! This week I have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday planned (PHOTOS GALORE!), one or two book reviews, a Frontporch Chat and who knows what else I might throw in there! The Munchies Monday will resume next week and I'm hoping to have a few more things to share with you too!

So stick around and check back in so you don't miss anything!

Now I need to go do more laundry...sigh.

Strengthening the Sibling Bonds through Homeschooling~Guest Post by EHM

Today I have another guest post treat to share with you! Here is a great post about the benefits of homeschooling in relation to the bonds between siblings...brought to you by Enchanted Homeschooling Mom!

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If you are like me you sometimes get the comments around your activities or at the park that since your children are homeschooled they are not getting enough social interaction and that they will become anti-social or something along those lines. I know that I try to ignore those comments because I know better. I also know that family is important too. To me, homeschooling has actually brought my family closer together, especially Beck and Elizabeth.

It may be true that as homeschoolers my children do not have all the friends that brick and mortar school children will, but there are other ways that I compensate to afford them the opportunity to make friends. These range from park days, to sports, our co-op round-ups, and to other activities that those same children are all doing. And then there is the one thing that everyone else neglects: they have each other. Beck and Elizabeth are not only classmates and siblings, but they are also the best of friends.

Every child deserves to have as many friends as they want and should be able to choose them. That is a good philosophy, but we all know that children have a knack for finding and developing friendship with almost any other child they meet. I know that Beck wears his heart on his sleeve most of the time. This is even true when he is at the park because he loves to just play and have fun. I do worry that someday he will get hurt, but each and every time he plays with someone else at the park he has fun. They play this or that, or even just run around playing some game. The bottom-line is he is interacting with the other children. I see no evidence that he is isolated from other children and is antisocial. It is even better too because I see a lot of other children out there that will not share their toys or even playground equipment. Beck just rolls with it and finds something else to play with or on. I am proud of him in those moments because he has the skills to see what is happening and just move on.

Elizabeth on the other hand is not as open with others and tends to be shy in nature, but when her best friend, her brother, is around you will find them both playing with others. They also look for other children to play with them. They do not care about the typical boundaries either. They love to play with and try to make friends with children older and younger then themselves, but they do have some conditions, they must be having fun. This is always inspiring to see that when they are together they love to play with others too, and they always seem to find a way to share. So I guess having your brother or sister as a best friend makes it easier to make other friends then, since children feel they can be more open with each other in small groups? This might not be the case with every sibling pair, but with Beck and Elizabeth it is usually the norm.

Another big thing is that since Beck and Elizabeth are siblings they do not get to go home to separate places, besides being fortunate to have their own rooms for those rare occasions that they want to play or color or do an art project by themselves. They have learned to respect each other enough to see when the other needs a little space. Sometimes they need to be reminded that they are brother and sister and should not just do what one wants, but as their sibling bond strengthens with each day; they are becoming each other’s best friend more and more and learning to read each other. As brother and sister they are already close, so when school time starts they do tend to help each other out too. This helps me when they are helping each other out too because I find I am not being run ragged at those times. Since their sibling bond is so strong they are also each other’s sounding board. There have been times when my husband or I have noticed that they have gone unexpectedly silent so we go check on them. Sometimes they are getting trouble, but more than likely we will find them sitting on one of their beds reading a story to each other, or building a Lego construct together or playing a video game together. And sometimes when we go looking to see why it has gotten so quiet we will find them simply playing nicely and quietly together, having a blast and only annoyed because dad came into the room and stepped on or knocked something over on accident. I am just glad their sibling bond is so strong that they will also protect each other.

Now do not get me wrong and think that everything is peachy-keen all the time. There are most definitely times where one or the other just needs to play by themselves or read their own book or just simply does not want to do what the other wants to. This used to be video games for Beck, but now Elizabeth likes the occasional video game too. Conversely Elizabeth loves to play with her dolls, princesses in particular, so Beck is always finding ways for his Star Wars Clone Troopers to guard the party or have his ninja turtles crash the party and fight off the bad guys. Let’s just say that when your children are best friends and play together a lot there will most definitely be days that are better than others. But as in any friendship, it will have its ups and downs. It has been my experience that as Beck and Elizabeth grow closer they are also learning how to interact and respect each other and that translates into how they act around other people out there.

So, no matter the ages, I have found that in my family and other homeschooling families that I know personally, the children all have a stronger bond with their siblings then some of the other families we are friends with. I do not know the true reasons why, but I do know that in our family Beck and Elizabeth are the best of friends and I would not want it any other way.

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Jill of Enchanted Homeschooling Mom is the homeschooling mother of 2 awesome children (Beck and Elizabeth), a loving wife, who brings readers along on her family’s homeschooling journey in their rural setting. She enjoys blogging about everything related to her homeschooling experience, from the daily happenings of Beck and Elizabeth, to the adventures in nature around them, to her family’s 4 rescue dogs, to just about anything that makes their homeschooling journey magical. Jill also takes the time to create printables for her homeschool classroom that she provides at her EHM Member’s Only Website. She has a wide variety of printables, curriculums, unit studies, and holiday related items that everyone is sure to find educational, useful, fun, and appropriate. You can follow with Jill’s magical homeschooling journey at enchantedhomeschooling.org, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch for September 24th

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How well do you handle change?

Bwahaahahahah....well it totally depends on what KIND of change! Sometimes I embrace it and sometimes I run away from it. I think I embrace it pretty good. Of course my husband might tell you otherwise... LOL!

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What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Mmmm. Well my husband is currently in the kitchen fixing it for me. Yep, you read that right...MY HUSBAND is making it! ;) Looks like it's country fried potatoes with chunks of summer sausage, scrambled eggs w/cheese and toast! Sounds good, huh?

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What's your favorite kind of nut? (Almond, pecan, peanut, walnut,cashews, macadamia, brazil, etc)

Um. I really like a lot of different kind of nuts. I think cashews are my favorite!

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Do you have a pumpkin in your house or yard?

Actually right before we left, all our Jack-Be-Little pumpkins were ripe so we picked them and made a big row of them. I love the tiny pumpkins!

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Would you like it if I changed the format of these Chats? What do you think would be good? Would you enjoy fill in the blanks, one big topic to discuss, or something else?

I like the way the chats are set up, but I always love the "fill in the blanks" style or "finish this sentence" ones too!

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Hope you all have a fabulous week!!

Benefits of Pets: Life with Moore Babies (Guest Post)

Happy Sunday! I am tickled to share with you a post from a blogging friend, Ashley of the blog Life with Moore Babies! Enjoy as she shares her thoughts on pets and family!

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Animals have always been an important part of my life. Like most kids, I loved all furry creatures, and I was very curious about all animals. I remember begging my parents for a kitten when the neighbor down the street had some; somehow I convinced them and got my first inside kitten. My little kitty, Marbles, got me through a lot including my parents divorce, my mom's remarriage, and the death of my grandmother. I always leaned on him when it came to anything difficult in my life even if it was normal teenage drama. Since then I have always had kitties around, and now as a veterinarian, I can truly see what a difference all pets make in people's lives.

We all know that many animals are able to help disabled people and some even save their owners in emergency situations, but pets improve our lives in numerous other, less obvious, ways. These include improved physical health, better mental health, and character development for kids.

Some of the physical benefits of owning a pet are obvious. If you have a dog you likely walk it and get the benefit of extra exercise. But both dogs and cats are associated with decreased blood pressure, decreased cholesterol, and a decreased risk of heart attack. Indoor animals in particular are also linked to a lower risk of asthma and allergies in children.

Pets also lead to improved mental health. This doesn't just apply to dogs and cats although we definitely see it with them, it applies to birds, fish, horses, and any other companion animal. The simple act of caring for an animal can help those who suffer from depression, anxiety, or Alzheimer's. Pets are non judgmental which makes them easier to talk to then other people. This can be very helpful for anyone of any age! For children in particular, having pets is associated with decreased stress levels and increased self esteem when pets are part of their life.  I think I benefited from this one the most as a child; my kitty was always the "person" I went to with everything!

For kids having a pet can help encourage responsibility as they help you in the daily care of the animal. Having a pet around also means you have to teach kids to handle the pet properly which helps them to learn to be more empathetic. They can see that the animal needs specific things to survive and also that it likes to be handled in a gentle manner.  The skills they learn from dealing with animals will extend into how they treat other people.

Once the child is school age it can be helpful for them to read (or perform) to the pet. That same non-judgmental characteristic that makes people confide in their pets also allows children to openly practice a new skill in front of them, increasing their confidence.

Although I do not think this is a good reason to get a pet, they can teach kids about life and death. Since animals are only with us a short time it is likely that kids will experience the loss of a pet before the loss of a relative. It gives you a chance to get them more comfortable with the idea that life here ends at some point.

I know I am extremely grateful for all of my pets, past, present, and even future! I am also thrilled knowing my kids can grow up loving animals in our home too!  Pets are only with us a short while, so hug your pet today. Please consider adopting one if you don't already have one (after making sure you can commit to it of course):  they will be a great addition to your family!

Want to read more on the benefits of having animals around? Visit HelpGuide.org, WebMD, or Animal Planet.

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A classic strong-willed child, Ashley, fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian in 2005; only to realize a new dream had formed, having a family with her husband (another strong-willed child). After much heartache, they were blessed with two daughters and a son, who are all proving to be just as spirited as their parents! Though she is still working part-time, she fills her days off with fun activities and lots of learning with her three kids. And this is where the blog comes in. Life with Moore Babies is where she documents the activities they do and the places they go in hopes that someone might be inspired to do some “fun learning” with their kids.You can find Ashley on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

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I hope that you enjoyed Ashley's post! I look forward to sharing another guest post later this week!

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Hello Hello! I just wanted to pop in really quick and announce the winner to last week's giveaway of the fabulous book

Rafflecopter has drawn #17 Michelle as my winner! Michelle Gibson--you will get to enjoy this fabulous art resource! Please send an email to me at melissasmelodies@yahoo.com to claim your prize!

If you haven't seen my review of this great resource yet, then please check it out HERE!
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Ms. Wood's Wild Art Adventures Review and GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Today I am excited to bring you our family's review of Ms. Wood's Wild Art Adventures AND I have a FREE copy to giveaway! You can get entered to win at the end of this post, but first I want to share with you our family's adventures using this book.

When the opportunity became available to review this book, I jumped on it! I am NOT a paint/draw artsy kind of person. My Mother-in-Law is our "art teacher" because she IS. She is actually an art major. Highly convenient for me, huh? I thought it would be fun to review this book and include her in our review.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Ms. Wood in return of my review.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

We have at this time completed two of the five lessons. For this review, we were using the eBook version of the magazine.

Which meant I had to haul my laptop wherever we were going to work...not the best scenario, but it worked out fine. If I had an eBook reader it would have been infinitely better and easier! LOL!

I included my mother-in-law's thoughts on this book in this review since she is an Art Major and was an art teacher for the Boys and Girls Club here locally. I thought having her perspective would make this review even more valuable. We did our lessons at her house. (Hence the reason having a print copy would have been so much nicer! LOL!) My Baby Britches ran into her house the first day yelling "Peent! Peent!" because he knew we were going to be using paint. I included him in the lesson too.

The first thing that I loved was the colors of the book. It is so vivid and bright it just makes you WANT to open it! I know that if we had the print copy, my son would have been tearing into it immediately. The writing style of the book is easy for someone to read aloud, or for an older student to do independently. We loved the dialogue as it talks about Ms. Woods going on an adventure so it's written like a story in parts.

The first lesson of the book is learning how to draw clouds using watercolor paints. The step-by-step process for the painting is great for someone lacking artistic inclinations teach a lesson like this. It was nice to start off with something easy that anyone can draw. Ms. Wood even describes how to mix colors to get new colors so that you don't have to have a lot of different colored tubes of paint. We chose to use cheap Crayola watercolor palatte's for our first lesson. (But I did later buy tubes of paint for future lessons.)

Here are some photos from our first lesson...

Little Britches drawing his cloud lines

Adding in the sky colors

Baby Britches adding his sky

Adding in some shadows

Adding PLENTY of color to his sky

Our three "cloud" paintings

At the end of each lesson there are sample paintings done by the author in the likeness of three different Master Artists about the topic that was painted. So like for this one there were three artists versions of clouds. Little Britches liked the paintings at the bottom of the lesson and after looking at each one told me that he liked the middle one the best because it looked the most real. But he liked how each style was different. This was a great lesson on how each person has a different style.

My mother-in-law likes that the book starts off simple…clouds can be abstract and simple and are a good place to start.  The three paintings at the end of each lesson shows the student that there is no perfect way to do something…something she notices in her art classes that children struggle on. Accepting that there are more than one impressions or designs of something and that there is no WRONG way to do things in art because we all see things differently. She loved this aspect of the book.

With one lesson we were all hooked! 

The next lesson in the book moves us to the rainforest. The illustrations are stunning and very detailed! We enjoyed using a different medium for this lesson. Little Britches used his new colored pencils, I use my watercolor pencils and Baby Britches used his new box of color crayons. The step-by-step drawing of a leaf was oh so easy to go through and instruct.

Tracing his pencil lines of his leaf

Little Britches working on a new technique of shading

My leaf progress

Making lines so precise

Baby Britches really got into it...

A work of art!

My leaf and a few flowers from the illustration...

Little Britches loved how simple it was to draw an “elephant leaf” and then after he was done with the leaf, he decided he wanted to try drawing more from the big rainforest picture. So he did. He loves to draw and kept looking at the book picture for ideas. He added vines, snakes, flowers…and then when he saw the little jaguar face hiding in the leaves, he drew an entire jaguar. He even was inspired to draw “Ms. Woods”! He REALLY enjoyed this lesson.

Once again there were the author's replications of three famous paintings of leaves and trees. Little Britches immediately declared which one he liked the best—it’s always the one that is easy for him to tell what it is. I don’t blame him there. LOL! He's not one for the abstract.

My mother-in-law liked the simple shading technique as well as the instruction on contour lines with just basic explanation and then incorporating it immediately in the drawing lesson. She also liked how this second lesson was a small step up from the first lesson incorporating slightly more detail to the pictures but keeping it simple enough for young children.

The next lesson moves to drawing a toucan...we will be attempting it at our next art class with my mother-in-law next week.

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After using it this far, here is a summary of my thoughts on the book.

WE LOVE IT!

It's perfect for a group to work on together, or for a student to do solo. If the children are young, a parent can easily read the tutorials and guide the lesson. If the student is old enough to read on her own, than it's a perfect independent art study!

Not only are you going to get five art tutorials, but you are going to learn about Master Artists and their styles, art vocabulary and definitions. Not to mention the illustrations are a real treat! At the end of the book there is even a list of "hidden" things in the illustrations that can be found by the student as well as a few other activities.

Our primary con was that it was just too short! I'd love to have a full curriculum done in this style! We will definitely be keeping our eyes open for Ms. Wood's next Wild Art Adventure!

My #1 recommendation would be to buy the PRINT copy! I think it would be sooo much easier to teach and use. You could ultimately even take this book outside to use as resource during Nature Study! Again, though that's hard to do if you have it only on an eReader. So it's a great buy--but buy it in print!

Ready for the Giveaway?

Ms. Wood's has graciously donated a copy for me to giveaway to one of you! Please use the Rafflecopter widget here to get entered to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't want to wait? You can head on over to Ms. Jan Wood's website and snag yourself a signed copy of the book or order the eBook to use right away!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal Post for September 15th

•  In my life this week…
Ooooh so much going on! We are flying out on Monday to be together with my family to worship and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles this week. My boys are so excited to see their grandparents and their great-grandmother for several days. Needless to say I’ll be missing-in-action for a few days on my blog, but I have some guest posts set up for you to enjoy!

•  In our homeschool this week…
We aren’t doing much. I do plan on taking some books for reading aloud, but it’s mostly going to be about “real life” homeschooling. Because we are visiting a lot of scenic sites I plan on doing a lot of Nature Study. I’m throwing in our colored pencils and our sketchbooks. I am also going to take some copywork…but other than that we are just going to learn more about Oregon.

•  Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
LOL! See above answers…

•  My favorite thing this week was…
Hmmm.  I’m not really sure. Probably having my husband come home and knowing he won’t have to go back to work for 2 weeks…that is DEFINITELY a most excellent thing.

•  Things I’m working on…
Packing, packing, packing, scheduling blog posts, packing packing…repeat. LOL!

•  I’m cooking…
Not too much. It’s more like cleaning out the fridge right now…so I’m only cooking the normal basic stuff. But I did make a delicious batch of yeast rolls on Friday night. Nom Nom Nom!

•  I’m grateful for…
Beautiful autumn weather!!! I’ve been waiting all year for it! It’s definitely my most favorite season!

•  I’m praying for…
Safe travels for all of those also traveling to their various destinations to celebrate the Feast this year…and for excellent weather!

•  A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…

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Sabbath Silence for September 14th

Photo Source Unknown

May you and yours have a most blessed Sabbath and Day of Atonement!

"But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works."

Psalms 73:28

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Fresh from the Bookshelf: Tattler's Branch by Jan Watson (Book Review)

If you have followed the life of Copper and her family through the Troublesome Creek series...and then walked in her daughter Lilly's shoes as she experiences life as a female doctor in the mining town of Skip Rock then you will be happy to read this latest novel by Jan Watson! And if you've never even HEARD of Copper or Lilly or Skip Rock or Troublesome Creek--you will STILL enjoy this book!

Tattler's Branch (Print)
Tattler's Branch (Kindle)

Now if you have been a reader of my blog for awhile, you know that I have this thing about reading books that are part of a series. I have to read them in order. I don't like starting a book only to discover it's really part of a long line of books. I hate missing all that backstory! Well, I have NOT read ANY of the Troublesome Creek series. No, not a single one! So getting this book to read meant going against everything I do! LOL! But I think that gives me a good edge on the review, right?

So here goes...
Lilly Corbett Still is a small-town doctor of Skip Rock, a tiny coal community in the Kentucky mountains...

Let me say that it was this first sentence on the book summary that caught my attention because I LIVE in Kentucky! I KNOW about these small coal towns because they still exist!

The book begins in the year 1911 with Armina, Doctor Lilly's good friend and neighbor who accidentally witnesses a murder of a woman by a man. She passes out and when she wakes up a bit later, she discovers that a baby is alone in a house near the scene of the crime. She sees the male perpetrator leaving the house to obviously bury the body, so she grabs the baby and a few diapers off the clothesline. She is discovered in the next chapter lying on the floor of her home after having a seizure like episode...and she now has NO memory of the day before. It is about this time that Doctor Lilly discovers the baby on Armina's bed. Not just any newborn baby...this baby has Down's Syndrome, Cleft Palette and a Heart Murmur...most definitely a special needs child.

From here the story takes off...we see inside of Doctor Lilly's mind as she ponders how she can best help this precious handicapped child. Armina starts to get better as the book continues, but still has no memory of the day and so throughout the book you are just waiting to know when it will come back to her...if it will! Then a few chapters in you meet Shade Harmon who is the baby's father--and murderer of her mother and we see the complexity of his character...his love for his missing child, his desire to get her back, and yet his careless attitude towards the fact that he's just committed murder.

Thankfully there was PLENTY of backstory worked into the book to satisfy me since I have this THING about jumping into series at the middle or end. I didn't feel like I was missing too much. 

The characters of this book are mostly women and they are STRONG women...doing more than the stereotypical roles that society placed on them. This was a very nice aspect of this book--I also liked that the book didn't play down the fact that the community was a poor one. The people were scraping by. I loved the language and references--definitely in character with the Kentucky mountains.

The only character I really had an issue with was Armina. We are told at the beginning that she is just twenty years old...but throughout the book you have to keep reminding yourself of that because she comes across as an old woman. I would have like to either had her age been increased or to keep referencing things that show us that she really is just a twenty year old girl. And just six years younger than the Doctor. You can still have an "old soul" and be twenty years old...without it coming across like you are elderly.

So how do I rate the book?
I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. It was intriguing. It held my attention and yes, it can stand alone for any poor reader who grabs it unaware that it's #7 in a line of books. LOL!

Interestingly enough I had considered reading the Troublesome Creek series but had put it down not intrigued enough by the plot summary. Now that I have read this one, I am finally willing to go back and start at the beginning to see HOW Doctor Lilly becomes the amazing woman she is...by meeting her mother Copper. LOL!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale Press as part of their book review bloggers program.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Here are the other books which tell all the backstory of Doctor Lilly's life and about her family...

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As a side note---I just realized that the author Jan Watson has been writing for Kentucky Living...one of the magazines that I get being that I LIVE in Kentucky. Very nifty. ;0)
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Here is a bit of Q&A between Tyndale Press and the author about her novel!

About the Author
Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include being named the Best Kentucky Author in 2012 by Kentucky Living magazine, a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006, and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Tattler's Branch is Jan's seventh novel. As a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, she incorporates her nursing experience in the hospital’s mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.
Visit Jan online at www.janwatson.net

Q and A with Jan Watson about Tattler's Branch

(courtesy of Tyndale Press)

1. What was your inspiration for this book, Tattler’s Branch?

I wrote this book because the people from Skip Rock Shallows had more stories to tell. I was reading my local paper one morning and came upon a story concerning something dramatic that had happened on a creek called Tattler’s. I could see Armina there.

2. Tell me about your main character Lilly Corbett Still. Was this character based on anyone in particular?

No, Lilly Gray Corbett Still is totally a figment of my imagination. Lilly is one smart and courageous young woman. I do love anything medical, so Lilly allowed me to indulge a bit in the medical practice of the time. If I were to live any of my characters’ lives, I would choose Lilly’s. She is so strong and determined. And kind—Lilly is very kind.

3. What lessons or truths will your reader find in the pages of this story?

A central truth in each of my books is that everyone is important and unique. Every person has a story to tell and that story is worth hearing.

4. How do you expect Lilly’s story to resonate with your readers?

I believe my readers will appreciate Lilly’s strength in the face of adversity.

5. As a writer, what did you particularly enjoy about crafting this story?

I especially enjoyed the relationship between Lilly and Armina. Armina is naturally funny and Lilly handles her prickly humor with aplomb. I also liked exploring the character of Shade Harmon. I learned a lot from Shade (including some things I didn’t need to know). The relationship he had with his first wife is especially telling.

The way he loved his baby girl touched my heart. Not to give anything away, but there’s a line in the book where Lilly says, “The ground at the foot of the cross is even.” I just love that she said that.

6. What is your hope for this novel? How would you like it to impact readers?

I want my readers to be entertained with wholesome, faith-affirming, thought provoking fiction.

7. What big questions will this novel get your readers thinking about?

I hope this humble story will inspire readers to look beyond a person’s earthly circumstance and ask themselves who that being really is and what lesson God sent them here to teach.

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Chats on the Farmhouse Porch for Sept 12th

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1. Did you ever take piano lessons, as a child or adult?

Hahahah. Yes. I am actually a piano TEACHER. But I got my "start" at the ripe old age of 5, so you could say I've been at it for awhile!

2. How many times do you eat out each month?

Well if ordering pizza counts...we do it once a week on Thursday night. Other than that--we don't eat out at all.

3. If you could snap you fingers and change on thing about your appearance, what would that be? (Temporary or permanent)

The only thing I need taken care of is this left over baby bits in my stomach. if I could take care of that, my clothes would fit a LOT better.

4. Do you like looking at art or photography? Do you go to any place that displays them?

I think I prefer photography more than art because there is just something about a perfect snapshot...and no. I don't do art galleries, though I enjoy seeing them in homes or museums.

5. Do you have new things for your fall/ winter wardrobe?

Yes! I have a couple of cute sweaters that I'm eager to wear!

Love the weekly randomness...see you on MY porch again next week!

Real Life Homeschooling Blog Hop for September~Engineering and Entomology!

I don't have a lot to share this week...now that we are back in school we don't have as much free time to allow for "real life homeschooling". I did think about doing a post showing what chaos looks like...LOL!

But when we were walking on the farm over the weekend, we had some moments of "real life homeschooling". The first was when we were sitting by the river. We watched two barges--one with 10 full containers of coal and one with 10 empty containers of coal--go by. We looked at each of the them and talked about water dispersement--harkening back to our study on it last year. Little Britches was excited to see the Plimsol Line on the empty barge and tickled he remembered it's name. 

He asked his daddy some questions about the tugboats moving them up the river and daddy provided some "engineering and mechanics" lessons.

Once we returned to the farmhouse, we went over near their rope swing and then we noticed them...the cicada graveyard. So we NATURALLY had to analyze this. I DID take a couple photos for you...though I'm sure many of you are in the midst of a cicada awakening as well!

We first noticed the empty skins on the tree. There were MANY of them on the big tree...even up high like this one.

Then we looked down and started to see them mixed into the leaves...and we realized the crunching was NOT mostly leaves...

And this was just one small spot...

Here are all the skins we found in that one spot...we piled them on top of each other.

It was interesting to the boys to find all the different size skins and talk about why some are big and some are small.

So that was our little Real Life Entomology lesson for the day...

Nature walks are the absolute best way to experience "real life" homeschooling at it's finest! I'm so thankful we live on a farm where we can do it regularly!
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Now it's your turn--link up YOUR real life homeschooling experiences! And then check out what some of the other bloggers enjoyed doing this month!

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And don't forget to get entered to win a copy of the delightful art book Ms. Woods WILD Art Adventures! Click HERE to check it out!