January

Nature Study in our backyard:



Now that colder temps have settled in our area, the dove population taking sanctuary in our yard has increased tremendously! They are beautiful to watch. On this particular morning last week, there were over 50 dove visible; 25 in each of the two trees just out off our back patio, and more in the grass foraging for food. When we returned home from worship service on Sunday, we sat in the driveway and watched them for a good five or eight minutes before disturbing them to go in the house.




Ah, the routine is back underway again, so I find myself looking forward to those moments in the day when I stumble upon something interesting to photograph or that chance to read before falling asleep. I also look forward to spending time with hubby during the weekend and working on book restorations. I have picked up two new projects to add to my list. I generally work on these projects on the weekends.

In our home school, we are doing a modified, simplified CM/HEO schedule of Year 7 offerings. It has been six years since we did year seven the first time.

This new semester, I am reading Shakespeare's "As You Like It" with our youngest, and hopefully our Freshman will join in on the fun, as well. They have gotten back on their math and algebra studies and added a few neat classes at our hs co-op.

12. 5 yos is taking:

Improv class (whose line is it, anyway), performance ensemble, a dancing class, volleyball, and a "brain benders" class.

14.5 yos is taking:
a cooking class, Algebra I, China Painting, and Tennis.

16.5 yo daughter is working and getting prepared for dual-credit classes through the community college to help finish out some of those required high school courses.

At home, we are continuing with a high school Spanish class, which 14 yos and 16 yod are taking with me and a few other friends. 14 yos is also working on literature and lit analysis and grammar studies with his Dad. At this time, they are reading The Two Towers and Machiavelli's The Prince together. 16 yod is working on Year Two of David Quine's Worldviews of the Western World.

We're studying Handel as our composer this year, and still hooked on Da Vinci for picture study.

19 yos is packing up this week to move to Nebraska for college.

I find that we are in a bit of a "suspension" while waiting for J to get himself packed up and moved out. Some things will be much easier to accomplish once we've launched him on his next step into adulthood.

I will likely be offering one more beginner's high school Spanish class for friends' kids after J moves. We will also be able to add in more HEO books after he moves. I just don't want us to miss anything this last week of him living at home, even though he is still wrapping things up with friends and working, so not always "at" home. It is just too difficult to plan much around his changing schedule at this time. We can add the other things in a week or so without taking away from his special departure.