A Perfect Fall Day

This week we started a new unit study on *Autumn*. We're enjoying learning all about the seasons and much more! The study guide we're using is a freebie unit study that I received from The Old Schoolhouse magazine (love them!) and its really fun.

Each day there are tons of fun outdoor activities suggested, so we decided that *nature walking* at Nana and Papi's house was in order. Yesterday was the perfect fall day, the weather couldn't have been nicer.

My parents' house is built on a lot that is less than an acre in size, but you would not believe the trees they have! Literally hundreds! So there are leaves in abundance~much to my children's delight!

Every fall they talk about how they can't wait to jump in the leaves at their Nana and Papi's house. And jump they do!!

Besides walking in leaves, jumping in leaves and picking leaves (I have a project I'm working on that I'll show you soon), we also did a little gathering of acorns and even checked out some *walking stick* bugs.

After that it was nature journal time. The journals that they're keeping are turning out great! They really enjoy them and I love looking at them. They're going to be a great keepsake from our year. I can tell this will probably become a project for each year from now on.

What are some of your favorite fall outdoor activites? I'd love to know!

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year. This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning. But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom. Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming. It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility. And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year. So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important. How do I do this? Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom. Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...

my blessed life

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