School at home, part 1

I'm grateful for learning that takes place in just everyday living. It's really the best kind, isn't it? We have worked on some awesome life skills lately. It may not be traditional school, but that's what we need to do, apparently.  Plus, it's just fun to not sit inside a classroom all the time, or much of the time, when the weather is so lovely. I would prefer this type school ALL the time, to be honest! Here is the first in a couple of installments on school at our house, this fall.

Lawn Maintenance: I've been teaching Isaac (12) and Abigail (9) each to use a push mower. Since it's not self-propelled, they are getting quite a workout on the multiple slopes of our yard, and are very proud of themselves. I love cutting the grass, and have always done it, but am glad to share the job with them, since for now, they're really enjoying it. They're getting so big and despite their skinny selves, they're both really strong.

 

Our brief lessons have included: basic info on priming the engine and its function/design, fuel, cutting technique, patterns, personal safety (notice the safety goggles, ear protection, and close-toed shoes), attention to surroundings, and awareness of large rocks. They retained and applied skills well!

O had to get in on a photo

Abi with Scarlett, Elijah with Eugene, and Isaac with Domino

Chicken Farming: Our recently acquired chickens are entertaining, and we love learning more about these animals too. We are working hard to protect them from predators and though the coop and original two hens were given to us, we have done some serious coop strengthening lately. We have added more chicken wire to the sides, tightened up any tiny gaps with additional wire, woven by hand from piece to piece, as well as burying chicken wire around the perimeter of the coop to deter anything that might want to dig under, since we don't think they can get in the coop from the outside.

Miss Scarlett and Little Red

I love that the children are so aware of the potential harm, valuing their lives, and are serious about our responsibility to care for these animals. They check out the window, and run up the hill "just to see the chickens" a few times a day. It's really precious how diligent they are with these creatures. All four kids have shared feeding and watering duties, and love to check for eggs. Elijah especially loves to gather grasshoppers and worms for them, and eagerly feeds those treats too.  After a fatality within the first few weeks, and the addition of 2 more pullets and a young rooster since, we are learning that chicken farming can take its toll on our emotions. The circle of life is really true, and painful, but we are hoping to even have learned some life lessons from that experience. 

A tale of 2 kitties, and a bike riding girl

It was beautiful here today - a mild late summer day, with a cooler afternoon that was perfect for playing outside. And, we did a lot of that! We splashed in the pool, played with the dog, had a game of catch, enjoyed loving on our cats (and a neighbor's), and watched Abigail showed off her new skill of riding her bike without training wheels.

The background on this, is that the other night we all went to the thrift store, and Abi quickly found a bike she loved, and wheeled it over to me. She said, "Isn't this perfect? And, it's a great price too! How much is it?" It was $9.99, and in good shape, and she really did need a newer bike, so James and I agreed to get it for her. Since Isaac learned to ride his big bike without training wheels, she's been a little envious, and has recently become more motivated to learn how to ride like him. On the last visit to my parents', Mom remarked that it wouldn't take her long, because she has good balance, and once she's made up her mind, there's no stopping this kid. Well, she certainly knew what she was talking about, and the first day home with the bike that it wasn't raining, my girl got to work. She's now taught herself how to zoom around, with no help at all. She wouldn't let me hold onto her, and kept declaring, "I know how - I just have to practice!" And, she has practiced, till today she was so confident, we made 3 laps around the neighborhood. It's pretty amazing, and so much fun for she and Isaac to be able to ride together now. The training wheels slowed her down a lot, and her old bike was small and she had to work so hard to pedal up the slightest slope. I'll have to put some video on here so you can see her fly! At one point this afternoon, she was demonstrating her competence to James and said, "Watch this trick!" as she tried to do something fancy, and he said, "Whoa - no tricks on the first day of riding!" She quickly answered, "This isn't the first day - it's the second, and that's trick day!" :-)

The big black cat in the pictures is our sweet Merlin, who is a 12 year old, very sweet, boy. The little black kitten is a neighbor's cat, Midnight, who prefers our yard and loving kiddos, and hangs out here all the time. Merlin tolerates him well, but Midnight is pretty playful and can be aggravating to the old fat feline. We laughed as Midnight tried to engage Merl today, only to have Merlin tag him a couple of times for being too pesky. They love to lounge in the herb garden near the catnip, as you'll see here. Midnight fits right in, being extremely patient with our exuberant animal lovers, as demonstrated by Abigail trying to place him in her new bike's basket.

It was such a nice day to relax at home, and we thank God for the gorgeous weather! Fall is almost here!!

O.k., I think I figured out the video thingy, and here are Isaac and Abigail riding. She said, "Watch - I'm so good, I can do opera and ride my bike."