A Simple Kind of Life

Homeschool Week 5

Sunday~ Church. Carter got to go on stage and share his experience with Ramadan dinner. After we met my parents at Fall Festival in Kensington. There we saw animals, the kid’s cottage, made cider, watch as logs were prepared for a cabin and just enjoyed the outdoors! We also crafted; painted pumpkins and made candles. So much fun! After we went to dinner at mom and dads.

Monday ~ Friend, S, came over and helped me create a Nature Table We had lunch and the kids played. I also took the time at home to die some playsilks.
They really turned out well!

I’m happy with the results and they make a nice backdrop for the nature table

Our table includes goodies we have found in the wood and on our streets. Including; acorns, pine cones, wheat’s I picked from a field, some gem stones, pumpkin. This table will change as we find more goodies and seasonal as well.

Tuesday~ We met some friends at our church to explore the nearly 6 acres with trails there. It was also a nice spot in the woods. We sang songs about homeschooling and had a ton of fun! After we swooped off to Nankin Mills for a homeschool nature study, leaf and tree identification. We went for a walk with the naturalist then stamped t-shirts. After we picked Paul up from work we went to Hay Day in Farmington. Hay ride (3rd trip to the woods that day!), roasting marshmallows, pumpkin painting, and more fun!!

Wednesday~ I had morning plans that required me to be solo, so I dropped the kids off at a friends house. I came back we had a delicious lunch of grilled cheese and applesauce. Seriously, yum. Then off to say goodbye to friends who are moving out of state, and help pack a bit too. After we got home that night, we just sort of crashed.

Thursday~ Library, then storytime, then off to open gym. We had the option to go to Belle Isle homeschool class, but we passed. It’s been a long week and I needed to get some @ home stuff done.

Friday~ The kids and I went to one of our favorite cider mills for doughnuts and cider and playing. We also happen to be lucky enough to be there when a HUGE box of day of doughnuts were brought out. They had such fun feeding the ducks!


in the evening we went to a corn maze and enjoyed fire. Carter got to ride a school bus he was soo happy!

Saturday~ Farmers market, then a surprise free breakfast at Starbucks, YAY!! Off to Tai Chi at the library. Carter’s wasn’t that into it but I really liked it, so did Skye! After we picked up daddy we went to a friends awesome birthday party and had a great time!!

It was a crazy busy week. Just the kind I like. We went lots of fun places and had a great time! We feel so lucky to be able to do so much and have such fun. And yes, we truly enjoy everything we do!

We started Bee Tree for homeschooling but with a schedule like that, we didn’t get much done

More pictures on flickr too!!

Stuff I love; Nankin Mills

It’s hard to believe that it was only one year ago that I discovered Nankin Mills and their wonderful programs. Carter has enjoy the Nature Tots program they offer and we look forward to taking homeschool classes in the future. Here is my latest review I submitted to show just how I feel about the program

Nature Tots Review

We are just finishing up our 4th round of nature tots. This is such a wonderful program for little kids. In today’s culture of NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder*) it’s so nice to have a program that gets kids excited about nature and the planet! Matt and Carol are ambassador of the earth and what they share with the children is a gift that will last a lifetime. It should be said that during the class they didn’t only teach the children, they taught the adults too. Their passion is contagious! They helped me find my way back to nature and now I will be able to knowledgeably include nature studies in my homeschooling lessons.

I hope you continue this program for many years. It will be a wonderful service to the children of the area.

Carter says;

I really like the turtle part because it’s all about turtles and other things. I really like taking nature walks.

  Thank you so much Matt and Carol for another fantastic program!

Here is a great video to explain some history of the mill.

Nature Bangles

I read about this idea in several places so I’m not going to site one source. The idea is you either use double sided tape or (like we did) make a tape bracelet with the sticky on the outside. Then simply walk and collect anything you’d like! We also brought along a bigger bag to put big stuff in. Simple, and fun!