Busy, Busy Bees

Baking day.

Kookaburra made a new homemade ice-cream recipe courtesy of my gourmet homeschooling neighbouress, Saminda, from Ferns by the Fireside Blog (sorry, I'm not a techno wiz, so I'm clueless on how to do the linky thing :). A lot lighter on taste, so much creamier and way easier to make then my old recipe. Kangaroo then used the leftover yolks from the icecream to make these super little mandarin muffins above, also a Fern recipe. (Thanks Min!) My faithful, turned faithless companions deserted me at this stage to play in the sandpit, leaving me to make a double chocolate cake, an absolute favourite here and a double batch of chewy anzac cookies, also much requested by all my boys. Whew! Now I can feel prepared for guests in our home. I always like to have something to offer and I know Mr E loves to have a regular supply of treats (in moderation please Mr E!!!).

Printmaking.

Looking at patterns on the soles of our shoes and why are they there? Ridges and ripples for gripping or to look nice?

Working Away.

Literacy/ Language Arts and Mathematics are an everyday occurrence in Kookaburras' homeschool. This week has seen Kangaroo start a little language arts as well, which pleases Kookaburra no end. We've begun Language Lessons for Little Ones by Sandi Queen. Printed on the front of his book is the following;

An informal course in the language arts with a Charlotte Mason flavour for beginning students.

A beautiful book with poetry, art work and as it says a beginning literacy/ language arts course. We're taking this very gently, less than a minute whenever we remember to pull it out.

Because Kangaroo has brought it to me, we've been identifying and sounding out letters from Get Ready, Get Set, Go for the Code Wall Chart by Explode the Code. No other formal learning is happening here but we do play games at identifying letters in books or out and about. To make it easy for him to understand all these letters with capitals and lowercase, I explained to him that for example 'm and M' are a baby and mummy 'm' and they both say 'mmmm ' like in mountain. Then we look at the 'm M' and talk about the mountain in the letter 'm'. We also say that 'm' is the name of the letter, just like 'tiger' is a name of a big cat and the 'm' makes its own sound, 'mmmmm', just like a 'tiger' makes a sound, 'grooowwll'. Kangaroo gets this and its been so much easier to teach Kangaroo than it was Kookaburra and I firmly believe it's because we're not trying to teach him. We're leaving him alone mostly and giving him time to make sense of the world in his own way and we are right there to guide him as he needs it.

Hope that makes sense?!

Questions.

During Kookaburras' bookwork time, Kangaroo got out our Usborne Encyclopedia of World History to look through. Why...? Why...? Why...? he asks. Seriously, he is so lucky to be second born. What Kangaroo doesn't learn from myself, Dada or Kookaburra, he will find out from our library. So much learning goes on through our discussions. I often find I can take a back seat as Kookaburra teaches Kangaroo through his answers to the questions, I also find that through this process Kookaburra is a reaffirming and owning his knowledge of a subject.

Sillies.

Kangaroo's had enough and wants Kookaburra to come play aliens. This has been inspired by a book we finished tonight, 'The Magic Treehouse #8 Midnight on the Moon'.

Patience is rewarded.

A long overdue package, a few months since I ordered, has arrived. I considered ringing and chasing the item up but instead I chose to trust the supplier who is another homeschooling family. Very glad that I did :)

Giving.

While Kookaburra is at tap dancing lessons, one of Kangaroos' favourite ladies in the world, who also works for the fire brigade, patiently listens to his every gabble. Smiling and obliging, this lovely lady makes the wait for his big brother so much easier. I wanted Kangaroo to thank her for her loveliness with a gift of cookies. Such a busy, busy lady would appreciate it. And she did. Her praise for my small boy is a little step towards teaching my children how to be selfless and love others.

Stewardship.

I hope that's the right word. Daddy spending time with Kookaburra after a long day at the office, showing him how to care for his bike.

Little eyes are always watching, small hands are quick to copy. This makes me very aware of how important it is for me to set a good example.

Late baths and late dinner means extra playtime. Waahoo! says Kangaroo.

The view...

from my kitchen window :)

Peals of laughter rang through our back yard this morning and right into our high set house. After our morning readings over breakfast and piano practice for Kookaburra were over, both our boys escaped into the backyard for some creative play. Together, they have carved out an entire city in the sandpit, complete with a river system. What caught my attention, as I went through the morning clean up, were our boys giggling over a 'dancing disco digger' puppeted by Kookaburra. The dancing went on for a while and little Kangaroo loved the fun thus encouraging Kookaburra to continue. It gets so silly around here sometimes! But I am glad they have this time to grow together. Our goal is for two brothers to be great friends. So far, the foundations are looking good.

Sprummer has Sprung

I tell ya, its heating up here in our little corner of the globe. Goodbye Winter and hello Sprummer, you know, not quite Summer but somehow we've skipped gentle Spring. Kookaburra has created a little garden plot beside the boys cubby house and has keenly planted out a variety of veges and flowers. Now all we have to do is remember to water them regularly, which we are getting better at, I have a successful crop of corn and bananas to testify this :)

mmm... what to plant?

Kookaburra chose sunflowers, sweet corn, beans, nasturtians, cottage flower mix, zucchini, lettuce, beetroot for this plot and will be putting together some little tyre gardens later in the week to hold carrots, rockmelon, tomatoes, watermelon, potatoes and strawberries. I really haven't got much of a clue what to plant when so we've just followed the general instructions on the seed packets and have our fingers crossed for the best. Kangaroo hasn't escaped the gardening bug, he put together a little plot a few weeks ago with lavender and sunflowers, which are both surviving nicely after we did a little rock barrier to keep out our free ranging guinea pig which really does eat everything!


If this new heat keeps up I'll take our boys to the beach later in the week and do a spot of swimming and some nature study. Over the weekend we read a book about tides, the sea and beach combing which has spurred Kangaroo and Kookaburra to get back to the ocean and check it all out again plus they can't wait to have a splash.

Well, enjoy Sprummer everyone :)

Smile, life is eggscellant

As always, it seems, I've been thinking. I want to be so much more than I am. Calm, in control, peaceful, content. I want to be happy with what I have and where I am. I want to live right here, right now and not be somewhere else in my head making enormous mental to do lists or creating discontent within myself and my family because I think the grass is greener elsewhere. That just makes my family and I miserable.

Maybe things do happen in their own good time. Maybe... there's a plan for me that I can't see.

I've begun to read Seasons of a Mother's Heart by homeschooling, Christian Mother, Sally Clarkson.

Under the heading of Celebrating Life and Thoughts on the Living Word, Christine writes;

God never assures us that the Christian life will be easy. Quite the opposite, it seems he goes out of his way to let us know it will be difficult. On the other hand, the Sciptures are filled with promises and expressions of the joy that is ours as believers. That seeming paradox is nowhere better expressed than in our Lord, "who for the joy set before him endured the cross." Christianity does not give me an easier life, but it does give me an easier way to live. It does not make me a happier person, but it gives me a reason to be joyful. The joy of the Lord - born of the hope of eternal glory - should be the mark of every true believer.

It's difficult to think I may believe in something I can't see. But as Kookaburra points out, "We can't see the wind but we know it's there because we can see what the wind does and we know that there is a God because we see His work in every non man made thing." Yep, my eight year old philosopher boy really said that. Sometimes I just know he's smarter than me :)

For now, I'm just going to keep on thinking.

food farce

He trusted me :)

Kookaburra thought he would be having yummy, scrummy sweet chocolate fudge that Mummy had just made.....


He was, except it was fudge with a twist! Having recently tried some new healthy recipes, the fudge was going to become my guarantee of getting our boys filled with delicious goodness under the guise of a treat.


You can see that he's thinking about this new taste.



Oh no! Do you think he knows it's not 'fudge'?


'I'm sorry Mum, the fudge doesn't agree with my tongue.'


Darn it :)

the things they say

Whilst deliberating over breakfast details this morning, happy little Kangaroo declares in his sweet innocence, that he loves his Daddy and I ssooooo much that he wants to marry us both when he grows up. Quickly interjecting with his own opinion of things, before I could get a word in edgewise was Kookaburra, full of eight year old wisdom and knowledge. Oh no, you can't do that he says, you'll end up with weird babies with fifty fingers because your blood is too close. Ahh, the joys of having two very different ages in the house :) Knowledge shared by the older with the younger before I can get a chance to sensor or edit.

Another beauty from the mouth of my babes today, was while I was trying to cuddle Kangaroo off to sleep. He's staring into my eyes going through the usual presleep ritual, lovingly whispering such endearing things as, 'Mumma I love you :) and, you're not alseep yet (he he), why aren't you alseep.' But Kangaroo threw me curve ball when he tells me , 'Mummy, why are your teeth yellow?' I know I've been addicted to coffee since his birth four years ago, but yellow?! Slightly miffed I redirected Kangaroo to what I thought was actually yellow, his favourite snakey torch with a bright yellow underbelly. No, I'm told, that's mustard!!!

Well, gotta go, seems I need to make a trip to the dental section of my local supermarket :)

i she we he they and don't forget uuuuu!!!!

Are you looking for an easy way to teach nouns?

Kookaburra is 'in' grade two here in the land of Oz and whilst I'm trying to educate according to his level of learning, I'm still painfully aware of what he 'should' know if he was in the system, and so therefore we have begun to tackle the formidable grammar (I'm kidding, it's really not difficult with good materials and using our own awareness :). Following are a few resources that have helped us immensely with Kookaburra's understanding of what nouns are.

First has been a beautiful old book 'The Little Grammar People', authored by an Australian lady Nuri Mass, which was first published in 1942. Mrs Mass brings grammar alive in a fantastical adventure centering on two small children who meet the 'grammar people'. These sweet little characters have all and sundry explained to them regarding grammar, without seemingly to have to learn it at all. The children are so busy having a wondrous adventure that the learning is naturally occurring and right along with them, has been Kookaburra. As with all great books, Kookaburra feels that he is in their place and is also learning without realizing. We are only a few chapters into this book , the reading has become more complicated as we've gone deeper but I'm happy to take our time and have this new knowledge really owned by Kookaburra before we move on.

To support the book I've found some 'Old School House Rocks' clips from the eighties to watch. I love to include music as much as I'm capable of here in our homeschool, especially if there's a catchy tune to help cement new knowledge.

Enjoy :)

Nouns



Pronouns



Use that as a nice intro but for the real fun try this personal pronoun tounge twister. Both my boys loved it!!!! and we hope you do too :)