Happy Fall ya All

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I have a few children born in the season plus the trips to the apple orchards and pumpkin patch. I don't look forward to the cold but I do enjoy the signts and scents of the season and quick approach of Thanksgiving.

The Weeks are Flying By

It's hard to believe it is fall already. Our weeks are going by quickly. Last week we were learning about the Panama Canal, Albert Einstein, President Taft and Wilson. We are beginning a study of World War 1 following Tapestry of Grace (loosely for my younger 3) and incorporating lapbook projects from Hands of a Child. They are a unit based type company that produces lapbook study guides that are very easy to follow.

In addition to that we finally found time to start up our study of Shakespeare. We haven't gotten to far along but have talked about where he was born but that we have to use his baptism date for a general idea of when he was born because no one knows for sure about that. Here is a list of the books we are using for our study of Shakespeare.

We started the first lesson in Institute for Excellence in Writing level A for the younger two girls and level C for the older. This went really well. I wasn't sure if Annaliese would be able to follow the video and concept but she came through with flying colors.

1 Down and 35 to Go

We completed our first week of school for the 2009-2010 school year. Among our regular subjects the kids will be learning about poetry and Shakespeare. For the older two girls we will be studying Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Mid Summer's Night Dream using Parallel Text from the Perfection Learning Company. I'll do those same plays with the younger three but using the Shakespeare Can Be Fun Series that most libraries carry. I haven't decided on our composer or artist studies yet this year because our weeks will be busy now that we added an extra trip to Eau Claire (an hour away) for the kids to participate in a co-op. The older two will be getting drama and writing while the younger kids are enjoying PE, a science craft, and a class on the human body.

We are in the 20th century for history. So this week the kids learned about the Wright Brothers, Teddy Roosevelt, and Henry Ford.






Some of the things were learned about Orville and Wilbur was they were from Dayton, Ohio but also lived in Iowa and Indiana. Wilbur was the oldest. They opened a bicycle shop first before trying their hand at building an airplane. They tested their gliders in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and in 1903 they have the first controlled, engine powered glider the "Flyer".



Teddy Roosevelt was married twice. His first wife died after the birth of their daughter. We also learned he attended Harvard (our home state). Then we learned a fun fact that the the toy, a teddy bear, was named after him.

We also learned about Henry Ford and the Model T car. I was trying to post Natania's writing about Ford but I can't seem to get it to copy and paste correctly. Any other bloggers out there who can help me???

Now only 35 weeks to go! Happy Homeschool journey to all you fellow homeschoolers.

Take a Dip

I'm joining in the fun and posting a dip recipe from a recent southern living mag. Here it is: Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
7 bacon slices chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 packages cream cheese softened
1/3 cup half and half
4 oz crumbed blue cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat walnuts in a skillet over medium low heat 3-5minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove from skillet. Cook chopped bacon in skillet for 10min or until crisp. drain. Wipe skillet then add garlic and saute one minute. Beat cream cheese on medium speed with mixer. Gradually add half and half. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives. Spoon mixture into 2 (2 cup) individual baking dishes. Bake at 350 for 20-25min. or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Serve with grapes, pears, flatbreads or crackers. Enjoy!!