Day 1, 1 June, 2012

So I think I'll write a post about the name of this blog later. Suffice to say, yes, I did rip off Virginia Woolf. It, no doubt, won't be the last time. And although pretending to be anything like her would make me fraudulent beyond belief...she does inspire me so.

So let's jump right in and say, it's Day One of Homeschool, the Summer Session. Yesterday was the last day of public school. A kindergartener no more, Gus was a bit sad to not be donning his pack and heading off to school this morning. Fridays were his only full day of school (being duel enrolled and spending all other mornings at home with me and Saxon math) and it seemed a sad way to end the week with not even a short day of school, but no school at all. So he declared it to be school at home. Not just homeschool, but school, in the formal, speak with deference to your teacher, sit up straight, recite all together now, school. And since I had already planned a trip to the strawberry patch, the teacher joyfully announced a field trip. Students scrambled to get dressed. Water bottles were filled, diapers were checked, last minute breakfasts scarfed down, and we sped away to Nevada, Iowa, to the Berry Patch Farms where pick your own strawberries is not a chore, but a treat and an adventure.

They were amazing little harvesters! Not one complaint as they followed the rules and stayed, mostly, in our designated row. Little man sat perched in his pack and shrieked until he was awarded strawberry after warm, fresh strawberry. He ate the WHOLE time it took us to pick our nine pounds. And you can't really pay for what you eat in the field (that's value)! The kids so easily slipped into 'farm mode' upon arrival. This is what they've learned to be at my folks' house. They are very self sufficient and agreeable when in farm mode. They don't always listen perfectly, but what's new? Here is a great shot of them being perfectly agreeable with each other. This level of harmony mostly occurs outside.

Ok. Not super sure how the photos load up in this mobile blogger app. We will just let it be what it is.

To finish. The field trip was a roaring success. My mom stopped over after school (her school) and played with the kids and gave Gus a violin lesson. He is trying to learn to play happy birthday for Di's b-day in one week. It's so hard to convince him that it is time for a lesson but once he gets into it, he enjoys it so much. He stays so fully engaged and is obviously not only listening, but activating his imagination and really digesting what she has to teach him. How to get past that initial stubborn streak. I just don't yet know.

And to really finish, I should note that we used the car trip to listen to some zydeco music and Audible books. (Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones and Matilda by Roald Dahl).

A super full day.

And now I'm off to bake a strawberry pie...