Lionden Landing

We "officially" start our new school year with Rosh HaShana.  But since we obviously can't do our "first day" pictures or any school stuff that day it a soft start to the year.  This year it was apparently an even softer start since during Chol Hamoed, Froggy was still referring to herself and her friends as rising third graders.   After all, the chagim came the celebrated First Day of School when Froggy started back at Religious School. (Granted that was almost 2 weeks agon now, and I am behind in my posting) Froggy put on a show hamming it up for the camera.  She loves Religious school and is very proud this year to be working on Anim Zemirot with her Tefillah chavruta .  It is neat for her to see other kids learning the same stuff we are working on at home.  Here is a rough outline of our learning this year.  Limudei Kodesh Davening - This year in Religious School, the students receive their own grown up Shabbat siddur.I am working on sel...

We have often made a summer bucket list, a set of fun things to do to fill our long summer days.  This year I decided to create a Fall Bucket list as well.  I hope it will help keep me focused as well as maybe provide some insipration to whomever I hand Froggy over to when I am no longer allowed to go out.  I don't know how many of these I will get to do with her but hopefully she will get to do most.   Visit a pumpkin farm Visit a corn maze Take fall walks and collect leaves and acorn Make leaf  stained glass Make apple butter Make a scarecrow Pick Apples Go leaf peeping Decorate our pumpkins Make "Boo" treats for our neighbors and friends Roast pumpkin seeds Make popcorn balls Make caramel or candied apples Plant mums and pansies Set our bird feeders Make gourd birdhouses Make hot apple cider Build our Sukkah Make Sukkah decorations Eat as many dinners as possible in the Sukkah Take evening walks to see the fall and Hallow...

Summer is just around the corner and I am getting very excited.  While technically we school year round, we go easier in the summer and do more learning through projects and trips.  There are so many fun things that I want to do having a list helps pick each day.  Every day things like swimming and playing with friends and picnics are a given.  As well we have two big trips planned and some concerts and events already on the calendar.  Red List - Full Day Activities Visit the Wild Ponies Swim in the Ocean Visit the Baltimore Science Musuem Go Blueberry Picking Go tubing on the river Go to the Amusement Park Visit the Zoo Blue List - Half Day Activities Play at Pirate's Cove Go Hiking Play at the sprayground  Visit a new National Park  Visit Monticello Go Strawberry Picking Make Strawberry Jam Visit the Art Museum Yellow List - 3 hour or less activities ride bikes learn to skip rope play tee ball go creekwalking make ...

It is that time of year again when all the homeschool moms around here start planning and ordering their curriculum for the Fall.  I think a big part of why all the moms are working on this now is that the state home school convention is happening the end of March.  It is a great time to purchase curriculum and save on shipping if you are prepared enough to do so. I am pretty happy with our reading and math choices.  We will continue with HWT and Singapore Math.  I hope to pick up the next level of both at the convention.  I am not thrilled with Science or History.  The main reason is that we have not been consistent in doing any.  For history, we are going to try Story of the World again. We started it in the Fall with a coop and then stopped when the coop stopped.  We have been following the Charlotte Mason guideline more and more over time as it fits our family and this is in keeping with that. For science I am seriously considering using...

We have two semesters each year.  One that starts with Rosh Hashana and one that starts with the secular New Year.  I use that time to start new units, activities, and classes.  The new items for this semester are a big focus on science and history and more responsibility for Froggy.   We are starting a unit on Early American History which will cover through the Revolutionary War.  We are doing a new science class on Physics as well as a big push on nature study.  Also, Froggy will go back to  swimming and PE this semester although not until Spring. The best part though from my perspective is the new responsibility.  With the addition of Acorn to our learning environment, I really needed Froggy to step up and take charge of certain aspects.  So we created a chart where she is responsible for making sure things happen.  The first two are old and well under her belt.  Shacrit is a joint activity and only on the list to show its ...

I finished our curriculum review and finally have at least some goals for the upcoming school year. But now the issue is how do we get that to actually happen. Judaica and Math will happen every day. Science, Geography, Art/OT, and Music Appreciation will happen one day each week. To help me, I created a file system. The idea came from Dawn . She uses file folders but I am using duotangs instead so that the folder for each can easily travel with us. We do much of our schooling on the road and I need her stuff to travel well. I will use a folder for each week and a hanging file for each month. The reason to have everything laid out in the beginning is to mark the double parsha weeks as well as file the holiday stuff where it should be. Geography, Art and Music all work as multi-month units so this helps me plan them out and organize them. The plan is that no later than Friday morning before Shabbat I can lay out the upcoming week using this template. The folder will give me...

Themes & Plans for April April brings Pesach ... And April also brings us (at long, long last), the first true days of spring: mild, soft and alive with sound and color. Nature is finally shrugging off its winter shawl, and showering us with its warm and friendly welcome. It feels so good to open the windows again, and to leave the house with just a sweater - or none at all! I have been trying to introduce more nature study into our lives now that Froggy is able to particpate better and our plans reflect it. There are many, many joys to explore with our children this month, and what follows is but a sampling, just my own thoughts for the season. As always, I'd love to hear yours! But for now, please join me as I consider ... ~ Themes and Plans for April ~ Nature Tulips start to bloom. Skunk cabbage grows in marshy areas. Bears are waking in the (deep) woods. Cherry blossoms everywhere. The skies are gray one minute, blue the next ... ... and so rain...

Themes & Plans for March March brings breezes loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil ... So tell me friends, how does March greet you today? As a LION or a LAMB ? Or perhaps somewhere in between? Here in my little corner of the world March is a lamb this year. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory as I type. It has been a bizarre winter with teases of spring sprinkled through and no where near enough snow for my tastes. I am definitely feeling ready for spring. And though he is a fickle friend, March does bring with him spring's first tidings - a mild breeze, crocuses and early tulips, and the all important Cherry Blossoms And so, with faith in spring's return, I offer you some ... ~ Themes and Plans for March ~ Nature Draw plans for Sunflower Garden a landscape reawaking, with color popping out to say hello the old March wind arrives to blow winter away blackbirds returning (that squeaky gate sound) drip, drip, drip - rain lots of rain fors...

Nature : Full Snow Moon (9) seeds begun indoors - Part of Tu B'Shevat the trees in their bare winter glory spring birdsong begins for some species - investigate which ones snowdrops poking through the snow - can we find any? slowly but surely, lengthening days Food : humble winter roots - parsnip citrus still in season - yummy clementines pancakes (or paczki ) on Shrove (or Fat) Tuesday cherry cake for Washington's birthday a jelly roll on Lincoln's birthday Chumash/Liturgy: TuB'Shevat (8) Rosh Chodesh Adar (23) Begin preparing for Purim by Rosh Chodesh Weekly Parsha (Parsha book and My Weekly Sihdar Home & Garden : declutter ahead of Passover cleaning purchase Valentines (or any last minute materials) pick up seeds for spring garden; file in index card box order summer flowering bulbs take an inventory of garden tools and equipment Finalize spring planting order prune where needed stock up on bird feeding supplies launder all throw blankets Life : Am...

Nature : snow hopefully - some time to see, taste, touch and explore each flake ice - terrible, treacherous and yet beautiful the seed catalogs arrive; time to plan the gardens by the fireside try to find or make tracks in the snow A winter woods hike birds at the feeders in droves the Full Wolf Moon (10) Food : Clementines Lots of beans soups and stew pot roast oatmeal Chumash/Liturgy : Parsha (My First Parsha and Torah Tots) - now each morning with Breakfast Begin learning V'ay hafta Introduce Shacarit - very abbreviated (after washing up but before breakfast) Rosh Codesh Sh' vat (25) Prepare for Tu B'Shvat Home pack away Hanukkah decorations begin a Hanukkah '09 folder finish baby quilts for the new arrivals due this month send thank you notes update address book Put up new calendars enter all important dates purchase greetings cards for birthdays this year tuck in file folders purchase seed starting supplies stock car with winter emergency supplies org...