She almost got it right! I especially love the talking bubble...
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Tiny Food (Fun)
We were gifted THIS cute little book from a friend whose girls are Ian's age and older (it doesn't take long for them to grow up, does it?)
Fiona was inspired to create a tiny meal for her dolls (which turned out to be her siblings instead). She had to pick a maximum of three recipes from three different categories and hand-write a shopping list for me. (See what I did there?)
She chose Mini Subs:
Strawberry Milkshakes:
and S'mores:
When she got tired of assembling tiny food (this seriously works those fine motor skills) and wanted ME to finish making them for her, I said no. She is now working on her focus. And cleaning up skills.
The final grade:
Fiona was inspired to create a tiny meal for her dolls (which turned out to be her siblings instead). She had to pick a maximum of three recipes from three different categories and hand-write a shopping list for me. (See what I did there?)
She chose Mini Subs:
 |
| Breadsticks, pepperoni, cheese, lettuce, and cherry tomato slices |
 |
| Don't forget the fancy toothpicks! |
Strawberry Milkshakes:
 |
| Pink lemonade mix, strawberry yogurt, and Cool Whip |
 |
| Golden Grahams, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips |
When she got tired of assembling tiny food (this seriously works those fine motor skills) and wanted ME to finish making them for her, I said no. She is now working on her focus. And cleaning up skills.
The final grade:
A+
Monday, July 25, 2016
TJEd Checkpoint #2
We are nearing the end of July and this is when I really get going on my school plans for the year. I love planning my year, but I have had enough failures that planning needs to involve more than just my dreams. This is when the TJEd (Thomas Jefferson Education) philosophy comes in to play. HERE is a link to the four phases of learning. Jason up through Daniel are in Core phase. Fiona and Genevieve should be in Love of Learning phase, but I think Fiona is still lingering in Core. Shane is in Transition to Scholar phase. And I hope Ian is in the Scholar phase, but I'm not sure because he hasn't been a TJEd-educated kid and I'm pretty sure I killed his love of learning over the last few years (sad sad mama).
I sat down and made a few lists, starting with Shane. I asked, What does Shane NEED? What does he want? What can I do to help him reach his goals? I spent some time brainstorming and I came up with a pretty decent plan. He is very motivated to succeed in school and he wants to make sure he is at grade level if/when he goes mainstream. He has a desire to learn, he prefers organized checklists and schedules, and doesn't mind workbooks. I've offered to set up a quiet space for him to study in my new office. At his request, he is going to learn World Geography, General Science, Algebra 1, and Language Arts (he wants to score higher on the standardized test). The electives he chose are typing, Spanish, logic, and he might try learning some guitar. When Bookshark releases their History of Science level, he would like to explore that as well.
I asked the same questions, but for Genevieve. She only loves horses right now, so the only thing she wants to learn about is horses. And art. She loves structure and routine and doesn't really care about test scores or future successes...yet. But she will! She is used to having required schoolwork, so she is thrilled to be studying The History of the Horse and making a scrapbook of her learning. We are also going to go through drawing lessons together. And math. Everyone is inspired to be required to do math.
My Lower Core kids (Lula and Heidi) are going to hear stories and stories and stories. That's all they need. My older Core kid (Daniel) is going to hear stories and stories and stories. And some other stuff, we'll see. Right now his favorite book is The Arabian Nights. He told me that he was going to marry Sheherazade so she can tell him a story every night before he goes to bed. Everyone at all ages needs to hear stories.
And Fiona. Hmmm. She doesn't have any subjects that she is excited to learn about and she is easily distracted with her play and siblings. She loves to read to herself though. I've read that the oldest sibling sometimes progresses through the phases slower because they need the next oldest coming up behind them to motivate them. Fiona isn't the oldest, but she is the oldest of the second subset of kids. Daniel coming up behind her may be what she needs to settle down and memorize her math facts. (And Lula reading may be what Daniel needs to get him reading on his own-hahaha)
But the best is what I'm going to do! Check out #7 HERE. One of the hardest things about homeschooling older kids is they reach the end of their parent's knowledge. I didn't like Ian asking me questions about politics and current events and having to say, "Go ask Dad." My education has a hole, right at high school level. School for me was more about socialization than education. I've invested in some of my favorite homeschool company's high school levels for myself and I spent afternoons doing what I want...and it's lovely. I'm reading about the history of the Christian church and American Government. I'm reading classics I've never read before. I've purchase a workshop on DVD that teaches me how to teach writing, a subject I have always struggled with.
So does that mean my Love of Learning kids won't be doing the rest of their subjects (like history and science)? NO! We are finally getting to the Eastern Hemisphere level that I've been wanting to do forever and Anatomy for science. The whole idea behind loving to learn is the teacher being enthusiastic about what she is teaching. And I'm enthusiastic and inspired, that's for sure! I can't wait to get started.
I sat down and made a few lists, starting with Shane. I asked, What does Shane NEED? What does he want? What can I do to help him reach his goals? I spent some time brainstorming and I came up with a pretty decent plan. He is very motivated to succeed in school and he wants to make sure he is at grade level if/when he goes mainstream. He has a desire to learn, he prefers organized checklists and schedules, and doesn't mind workbooks. I've offered to set up a quiet space for him to study in my new office. At his request, he is going to learn World Geography, General Science, Algebra 1, and Language Arts (he wants to score higher on the standardized test). The electives he chose are typing, Spanish, logic, and he might try learning some guitar. When Bookshark releases their History of Science level, he would like to explore that as well.
I asked the same questions, but for Genevieve. She only loves horses right now, so the only thing she wants to learn about is horses. And art. She loves structure and routine and doesn't really care about test scores or future successes...yet. But she will! She is used to having required schoolwork, so she is thrilled to be studying The History of the Horse and making a scrapbook of her learning. We are also going to go through drawing lessons together. And math. Everyone is inspired to be required to do math.
My Lower Core kids (Lula and Heidi) are going to hear stories and stories and stories. That's all they need. My older Core kid (Daniel) is going to hear stories and stories and stories. And some other stuff, we'll see. Right now his favorite book is The Arabian Nights. He told me that he was going to marry Sheherazade so she can tell him a story every night before he goes to bed. Everyone at all ages needs to hear stories.
And Fiona. Hmmm. She doesn't have any subjects that she is excited to learn about and she is easily distracted with her play and siblings. She loves to read to herself though. I've read that the oldest sibling sometimes progresses through the phases slower because they need the next oldest coming up behind them to motivate them. Fiona isn't the oldest, but she is the oldest of the second subset of kids. Daniel coming up behind her may be what she needs to settle down and memorize her math facts. (And Lula reading may be what Daniel needs to get him reading on his own-hahaha)
But the best is what I'm going to do! Check out #7 HERE. One of the hardest things about homeschooling older kids is they reach the end of their parent's knowledge. I didn't like Ian asking me questions about politics and current events and having to say, "Go ask Dad." My education has a hole, right at high school level. School for me was more about socialization than education. I've invested in some of my favorite homeschool company's high school levels for myself and I spent afternoons doing what I want...and it's lovely. I'm reading about the history of the Christian church and American Government. I'm reading classics I've never read before. I've purchase a workshop on DVD that teaches me how to teach writing, a subject I have always struggled with.
So does that mean my Love of Learning kids won't be doing the rest of their subjects (like history and science)? NO! We are finally getting to the Eastern Hemisphere level that I've been wanting to do forever and Anatomy for science. The whole idea behind loving to learn is the teacher being enthusiastic about what she is teaching. And I'm enthusiastic and inspired, that's for sure! I can't wait to get started.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Cuddle Bug
We've had all sorts of summer time learning today, even though it was Sunday. Daniel, yesterday, noticed the air pocket inside the egg shell after he had helped make breakfast and wanted to know why it was there. Today he wanted to know if the developing chick breathed that air. We did some research on that because I didn't know. And now I do.
Fiona, this evening, saw a bee drop a larva. Whether the larva was a bee larva or going to be food for a bee larva we don't know. But to Fiona, it was a baby bee and she was going to adopt it. She decided to feed it "Bee Formula" on a toothpick instead of a tiny, bee larva-sized baby bottle. Oh, you don't know what Bee Formula is? Honey. From the honey bear. Brilliant. And the larva actually ate it. Fiona and Daniel were cooing over the little larva until Fiona put it in a jar lid and promptly forgot all about it. She doesn't practice attachment parenting. It'll be dead by morning. Never mind, it already is.
Fiona, this evening, saw a bee drop a larva. Whether the larva was a bee larva or going to be food for a bee larva we don't know. But to Fiona, it was a baby bee and she was going to adopt it. She decided to feed it "Bee Formula" on a toothpick instead of a tiny, bee larva-sized baby bottle. Oh, you don't know what Bee Formula is? Honey. From the honey bear. Brilliant. And the larva actually ate it. Fiona and Daniel were cooing over the little larva until Fiona put it in a jar lid and promptly forgot all about it. She doesn't practice attachment parenting. It'll be dead by morning. Never mind, it already is.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Wild Goose Chase
Mark has been working so hard to make up for the losses in his goose population. He added three toulouse geese and one buff (B3G1 deal) to the three embdem geese he already has. But to get these new geese, he had to wait and drive and sell the wrong goslings that were actually African geese and wait and drive some more...
 |
| What, no cage? At least he put a tarp down! |
 |
| Love Heidi's face here |
 |
| Love Mark's face here! |
 |
| Working |
 |
| Also working |
 |
| Welcome to McDownen's Farm! |
Friday, July 22, 2016
Butcher Day: In Pictures!
We don't hide the fact that the meat birds get butchered from the little kids. Anyone tall enough to work, works.
Nine chickens down, ten left to go...
 |
| No food for you! You are now food! |
 |
| Lula and Heidi were told to use the word "interesting" instead of "gross." |
 |
| Genevieve doesn't like feathers getting in her hair |
 |
| Lula and Heidi were catching the "snow." |
Nine chickens down, ten left to go...
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Promises
Yesterday evening as the sun was setting, a magnificent rainbow (and its double) appeared in the sky.
By the time the kids fetched me and I got my camera out, the brilliant colors had faded, but it was still a beautiful reminder of God's promises. I borrowed the following from a facebook post written by my dad's cousin and my sister's response about finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow: "God made an infinite promise and therefore made the rainbow a circle. What we see is only the part of his promises we are meant to see." I'm so thankful for the little glimpses I see because the rest can be so hard.
By the time the kids fetched me and I got my camera out, the brilliant colors had faded, but it was still a beautiful reminder of God's promises. I borrowed the following from a facebook post written by my dad's cousin and my sister's response about finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow: "God made an infinite promise and therefore made the rainbow a circle. What we see is only the part of his promises we are meant to see." I'm so thankful for the little glimpses I see because the rest can be so hard.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Birthday Boy
My baby boy turned one year old today!
Jason is such a sweet little guy. He pretty much has everyone wrapped around his little finger and is the perfect "baby of the family." His sisters and mama love his little curls and we don't mind (too much) when he pulls our hair. His oldest brother taught him how to "high five" and calls him Buddy Boy. He makes the funniest talking noises that come from his diaphragm instead of babbling. And he loves music; he dances and pretends to sing. I love snuggling with my little teddy bear baby. He has been such a great blessing and this has been a wonderful year.
 |
| Ice cream is cold! |
 |
| One with the candle |
 |
| I made the cake chocolate to match his eyes *swoon* |
 |
| The plate was as good as the cake...really |
Saturday, July 16, 2016
TJEd Checkpoint #1
Here is a list of things I like about TJEd:
The philosophy combines all my favorite educational philosophies and encourages you to read the original writings of all the early education professionals (Maria Montessori, Charlotte Mason, John Taylor Gatto, and more). You are encouraged to develop the core of a child and inspire them to love learning by teaching right/wrong, good/bad, true/false, family values, family responsibilities, accountability, and loving work. Memorizing Latin declensions is not on that list.
After the student "graduates" from being a child and starts acting more adult-like, they give themselves a classical education because they desire it. TJEd teaches us to lead by example and spend time every day educating ourselves (learning never ends). It focuses on developing your inner genius, finding your mission, or discovering what God has planned for you (pick one, they are all the same) by leading yourself. (And what of the teen that refuses to learn? They are held back to do childish chores until they are ready to grow up, being loved on and met with and loved some more and hopefully inspired by a rich learning environment) TJEd forces me to really think about what each child truly needs and not what I think they need each year for school. All those details will be revealed in a later post...
My favorite favorite part? All the reading I get to do for myself. TJEd is far greater than these points. It is merely a finger pointing to a moon.
The philosophy combines all my favorite educational philosophies and encourages you to read the original writings of all the early education professionals (Maria Montessori, Charlotte Mason, John Taylor Gatto, and more). You are encouraged to develop the core of a child and inspire them to love learning by teaching right/wrong, good/bad, true/false, family values, family responsibilities, accountability, and loving work. Memorizing Latin declensions is not on that list.
After the student "graduates" from being a child and starts acting more adult-like, they give themselves a classical education because they desire it. TJEd teaches us to lead by example and spend time every day educating ourselves (learning never ends). It focuses on developing your inner genius, finding your mission, or discovering what God has planned for you (pick one, they are all the same) by leading yourself. (And what of the teen that refuses to learn? They are held back to do childish chores until they are ready to grow up, being loved on and met with and loved some more and hopefully inspired by a rich learning environment) TJEd forces me to really think about what each child truly needs and not what I think they need each year for school. All those details will be revealed in a later post...
My favorite favorite part? All the reading I get to do for myself. TJEd is far greater than these points. It is merely a finger pointing to a moon.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Lula is Four
Lula is my Vacation Bible School girl. She was born on the second day of VBS four years ago. She had her first birthday hanging out in the nursery with her pregnant mama. She celebrated her second birthday on the fourth day of VBS, which coincided with Boy Scout camp, so her dad and brothers were gone. Her third birthday was the last day of VBS and her oldest sister was visiting and her mama still sat in that same chair in the nursery super pregnant and due a week later. This year, her birthday fell on a Sunday.
I had an idea based on a memory I had from when I was in preschool: a teddy bear picnic. I remember going for a walk with my class and coming across all our favorite teddy bears from home in a clearing, waiting for a picnic. It was magical. I wanted to recreate this, but using my girls' favorite Beanie Boo stuffed animals.
I took Lula to church with me this morning to keep her out of the way. I nearly choked when her name tag printed off with the class "PreK/Kindergarten" on it. When did she get so big? While I was gone, Genevieve, with Fiona and Daniel's help, made my vision reality. They arranged fake flowers (bargain bin at Michael's) and hung balloons and set out a blanket with all the Beanie Boos.
I also brought out an old tea set that belonged to my grandmother (don't worry, I looked it up online and it is not a high quality set). I've had this set in a box for 20 years and I am so happy that we used it! I have always wanted to do a real tea party with my girls, but the ones that would climb on the table and break pretty dishes outnumber me. Luckily Heidi was down for her nap during the party (Jason was too).
Genevieve was the perfect hostess and Fiona was the perfect assistant. I cannot tell you how much I love having these older girls help me make my ideas work. Everything was just as I imagined it.
Even Daniel graced the tea party and served as a polite little gentleman. He was just there for the food (his sisters said he wouldn't get any cake if he did help set up).
And no Downen party would be complete without a couple of well-behaved guard dogs...but who invited the hundreds of mosquitoes? They chewed me up within a few seconds, so I quickly headed back to the house as soon as the tea was gone.
I had an idea based on a memory I had from when I was in preschool: a teddy bear picnic. I remember going for a walk with my class and coming across all our favorite teddy bears from home in a clearing, waiting for a picnic. It was magical. I wanted to recreate this, but using my girls' favorite Beanie Boo stuffed animals.
I took Lula to church with me this morning to keep her out of the way. I nearly choked when her name tag printed off with the class "PreK/Kindergarten" on it. When did she get so big? While I was gone, Genevieve, with Fiona and Daniel's help, made my vision reality. They arranged fake flowers (bargain bin at Michael's) and hung balloons and set out a blanket with all the Beanie Boos.
I also brought out an old tea set that belonged to my grandmother (don't worry, I looked it up online and it is not a high quality set). I've had this set in a box for 20 years and I am so happy that we used it! I have always wanted to do a real tea party with my girls, but the ones that would climb on the table and break pretty dishes outnumber me. Luckily Heidi was down for her nap during the party (Jason was too).
Genevieve was the perfect hostess and Fiona was the perfect assistant. I cannot tell you how much I love having these older girls help me make my ideas work. Everything was just as I imagined it.
Even Daniel graced the tea party and served as a polite little gentleman. He was just there for the food (his sisters said he wouldn't get any cake if he did help set up).
And no Downen party would be complete without a couple of well-behaved guard dogs...but who invited the hundreds of mosquitoes? They chewed me up within a few seconds, so I quickly headed back to the house as soon as the tea was gone.
We love our Lula Joy.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Launching to Cub Scouts!
Daniel has been so excited to start Cub Scouts. Yesterday was his first day and what better way than launching a rocket?
He was ready and waiting in the car a good half hour before they needed to leave.
Since we didn't know if he and Mark would make it to the launch, Mark had to run to the store at the last minute and buy a rocket that was pretty much snap together. Then he had to drive to another store to find the right engines.
We'll save the fun of building rockets together for another day, when all the kids are a little older. Genevieve acted as my photographer and she took over 200 pictures!
But this one is my favorite. Daniel has been MY boy for the last six years. I had a hard time not packing all the girls up and making his first day of scouts a family event (which it was). I sighed and silently passed my invisible Daniel baton over to Mark. The time has come to let him grow and learn with his dad.
He was ready and waiting in the car a good half hour before they needed to leave.
Since we didn't know if he and Mark would make it to the launch, Mark had to run to the store at the last minute and buy a rocket that was pretty much snap together. Then he had to drive to another store to find the right engines.
We'll save the fun of building rockets together for another day, when all the kids are a little older. Genevieve acted as my photographer and she took over 200 pictures!
But this one is my favorite. Daniel has been MY boy for the last six years. I had a hard time not packing all the girls up and making his first day of scouts a family event (which it was). I sighed and silently passed my invisible Daniel baton over to Mark. The time has come to let him grow and learn with his dad.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Indepedence Day: Fun Family Photos
 |
| The Holding Pen |
 |
| Preparing the Roasting Sticks |
 |
| Crazy Dance Moves |
 |
| Jason wouldn't participate |
Then Daniel got in this crazy mood where he was like some wild animal or something. He crawled out of the holding pen and started screaming...
 |
| So intense! |
 |
| So scared of her brother! |
 |
| Screaming! (Check out his neck) |
 |
| Fierce strong hands! |
 |
| Neck tendons! |
 |
| Self satisfied Smirk for making Lula cry |
 |
| What the heck is Mark doing??? |
 |
| Helping herself to two bags of marshmallows |
 |
| Still working on burning the maple stump |
 |
| Heidi's first marshmallow |
 |
| Another one??? |
And finally it was FIREWORKS time. FINALLY! Waiting is so hard! We debated about buying fireworks this year. We had none last year because of the drought and Independence Day just wasn't the same without celebrating. The year before we had "kids" fireworks and went to bed early because we were still grieving the loss of Mina. (And if it weren't for this blog, I wouldn't remember the details) I'm glad we spent the money this year. The little kids shouldn't have to miss out on their early childhood memories just because I'm old and cynical about burning perfectly good money that I could spend on something else.
 |
| It's great to have Ian around for anything that needs lighting |
Kai is a fire dog. Mina couldn't leave young chickens, binkies, or stuffed animals alone. Kai's weakness is crows and fire. He loved the sparklers.
 |
| Don't pretend you aren't having fun Mister! |
 |
| Lula got scared and dropped it |
 |
| Lula's face-Ha! |
 |
| This is the growing snake kind, not the exploding kind in case you were worried |
And finally, FINALLY, the loud, exploding, in-the-sky kind. I switched from photos to movies because hearing the little kids exclaim, "Do it again!" and hearing Heidi sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star was a priceless memory.
(Ian and Shane lit most of these too, but they shared a few with Mark)
And now we've lived here for seven years. Half our marriage. Half our kids were born in Bellingham/Ferndale and half down here. Part 1 and 2 of our lives are over. What will Part 3 bring?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)