Living and learning

Even though the boxes are mostly gone, I still haven't gotten in the mood to do school with the girls. It's been a good 6 weeks since we have done any formal school stuff. And now I am feeling more like getting out and doing summer stuff than hitting the books. Of course, my mom keeps asking me when I am going to start back up with school and "won't they be behind" if I don't.

Here are just a few of the educational things my girls have done in the last 6 weeks:

*learned about how a car engine works while watching their dad fill up the oil in the car before the 8 hour car ride (Sierra)

* listened to the entire book Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry during the 8 hour car ride from Colorado to Utah

*began copying entire chapters of Magic Tree House books into a notebook (Sierra and Kali)

* watched Cyberchase

* watched Time Warp Trio

*planted a garden

* Sierra read the first Magic Tree House book to Arwen.

* listened to 3 books on tape in a single afternoon

* found an ant hill and got out the magnifying glasses and spent an afternoon observing the little creatures

* wrote stories to go along with their princess coloring books that they bought with the $1 of allowance that they mathematically convinced me that they still had left after the previous day's spending.

Those were the moments I observed. I am sure there were many learning moments that I missed. At least right now, I feel confident the my kids are not "behind" - whatever that means. Let summer time beginning! There may be some learning moments planned by me, but there will be many more that happen on their own during this lovely time of year we call summer.