This week in immersive learning: Food in our environment

Busy busy week!

Branching out in cultural explorations a bit, James took Cadence and Hazel out for Sushi (Calliope and I opted out of this excursion due to food allergies...we hit up Shake Shack instead!).  They thought the little conveyor belt thing was pretty cool, and James reports that they did a decent job sampling foods outside of their comfort zone...even if they didn't eat all of it.

You can tell they enjoyed the experience!

We also went with our friend Laura and some of her friends on an apple picking adventure!

it evoked much emotion

Adventure it certainly was, as we hopped to multiple orchards and ended at a (kid friendly) vineyard.

Callie liked that she could reach some apples herself

Going to more than one location is exciting since we get to explore the similarities and differences in how the different orchards grow their apples - what types they have, whether they use chemical pesticides or not, how they handle their picking operations - and the reasons behind those differences.
Afterwards (of course) it is exciting to taste all the different varieties and see how they differ from one another.

unexpected camouflage

We also stumbled on this vine with what looked like wee melons growing on it.

Our attempts at identifying it were mostly futile, it might be mouse melon - but they seem too round for that!

We had a little picnic at the vineyard, and were joined by this spider.  The kids thought it was cute and asked me to take a picture so they could identify the species later.

Add caption

The kids went across the field to visit the resident horses and goats, but Calliope got tired of walking about halfway back.  Score one for having awesome older sisters willing to carry you back!

Still slightly unwilling to believe that Cadence is big enough to do this.

Back at home, Kelly came bearing...even more fresh apples.  (Not knowing of our picking adventures, she had procured a bunch of apples to bring us from the farmers market where she was working.)

obligatory group shot...that we almost never remember to take.

The haul...clearly many apple-y dishes are in store.

I have asked the kids to try to document their work even if I am not involved.  My thought is that it will give them a sense of ownership over their educational journeys, as well as providing me with an opportunity to see elements of it from their perspective.  I was very pleased to come across this photo, which I am told was part of a 'wild safari' they went on to learn about how to rescue animals.  This photo lead to discussions about ferrets, mink, weasels, and the fur trade.

The big main event this week, however, was the 4H homeschool camp, which the kids COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY ADORED.  (Yes, all caps necessary for that one.)

These were full days of classes and workshops held at the VA 4H headquarters.  The activities were roughly structured by age and everyone was invited to participate. They ranged from simple things like making model animals out of play dough:

To more complex topics, like insect anatomy:

We actually found this mama  on our way *to* the insect class, but it was too good not to share. Can you see all the babies on her back?

"The bug guy" brought lots of specimens to show the class, and delighted in talking to the kids about his work.  He talked to them about studying different species/families, collecting specimens for study, and even brought his "pets" - some live critters - to let the kids meet and handle.

Afterwards he had then take butterfly nets and try their hand at specimen collecting. Most kids didn't find much, but one kid caught something noteworthy, and he used the opportunity to show the kids the complete collection process...which, yes, does involve killing and preserving it, which my kids were not exactly thrilled by. (They much preferred the buggy meet-and-greet.)

Cadence and Hazel with their butterfly nets

The next class pushed them to think about their food sources better than most of what we have previously discussed:  Cooking with Bugs 101.  The first half of the class was a lecture/discussion on global diets, in which we learned that 80% of the human population on the planet consumes insects as a major source of sustainable protein.  The teacher did a good job of playing up the fact that, however weird this class of American kids might think that is, we are actually the weird ones for not partaking in buggy delicacies.

And to that end, she shared some recipes from around the world with us, and then, using the limited resources at hand (mostly portable hotplates), helped the kids to cook up three different bug-based dishes.  While Calliope and I refrained from tasting anything because of food allergies (there were some "spice mixes" that I didn't entirely trust...I didn't want to take a chance) I encouraged my allergy-free big kids to give it a try.

Cadence liked the spiced meal-worms, but was not as much of a fan of the fried crickets, and everyone agreed that the silk worms (which, to be fair, were canned - the teacher insisted that they are really good when fresh...but it is hard to come by fresh food grade silkworms in the US.  She was lucky to find even the terrible quality canned ones here, she said, but you can find them in most asian groceries) were rather unpleasant unless cooked in a significant about of sauce.

Dinner's on!

Hazel couldn't bring herself to taste anything, not so much because they were bugs, but because the mealworms had been cooked live, and she couldn't bear to eat them knowing that.  I thought this was an important lesson, actually, because it is one thing to know that your hamburger used to be a cow, but it is a totally different thing to actually see something go from being a live animal to a dish on your plate.  I can totally relate; I actually became a vegetarian at the age of 12 for similar reasons...anyway, we used this as an opportunity to discuss (on the long car ride home) the idea of food ethics, and why our family tries to get what we call "happy meat"...meat sourced from animals who were raised as naturally as possible on small farms, and not in big streamlined factories.

Cadence offering hazel a handful of spiced mealworms

Next, we moved on to a lesson about owls and (drumroll please)...dissecting owl pellets! Both big kids did a really good job with this, though afterwards they reported that they hated it with a passion because of how it smelled.  But then they wanted to keep the bones they found...but they wouldn't hold the bag they were in.  I think they were a little conflicted about it all.

our intrepid researchers hard at work

The teacher for this class supplied these handy charts showing which bone fragment was likely to be from which animal, and what bone it actually was.  This was actually a really fascinating way to not only get an idea of the variety in an owl's diet, but also to get a feel for the shape of different bones and how they were similar/different in various different species - and how you could tell what kind of bone it was, and what kind of creature it came from just by observation and a little bit of practice.

Hazel's pellet ended up having quite a few skulls in it, once she dug them all out.

On to leaf art! The idea was to make animals out of leaves, but the kids took some liberties and created some pretty cool stuff.

Calliope got pretty into this one.

Cadence and her butterfly

Calliope's abstract creation, great composition!

Hazel's pine forest of leaves

And they got to meet the chickens!

Big chicken!

This is a terrible picture, but I had to include it because it was such a wonderful moment...as we were closing out a long, soggy day of exploration, and discussing what each 'H' in 4H stands for (Head, Hands, Heart, Health), a huge, gorgeous, picturesque rainbow spread over the hill.  Everyone stopped to take it in, but I unfortunately didn't get a good shot of it.

I just love this shot of these three.

Another day, it was back to the classroom for a skeletal anatomy lesson.

And to the hills for a hike through the woods!  This was a really informative hike, where we stopped to discuss all sorts of things, touching on various topics related to orienteering and survival to simple environmental awareness, though of course we didn't delve too deep into any one subject.

Discussing berry types

If I recall, this started as a discussion on lichen but quickly changed upon the discovery of an inchworm in the bark.

The view from the bottom of the hill we hiked.  Pretty spectacular!

Next up, some light mineral explorations! I actually missed much of this lesson because Calliope needed some attention, but the big kids had great fun exploring the different properties of the various mineral types.

Cadence enjoyed learning that baby powder comes from rocks.

Then it was time to play in the mud!  Actually, it was time to study dirt, and what dirt was made up of.  After the discussion, they were given a 'recipe' for dirt and sent off in groups to make it.  It was raining, so it was more mud than dirt, but no biggie.

Dirt in progress.  I think at this point it had leaves, twigs, rocks, and an earthworm.

They also did a big craft project whereby they made holiday ornaments to send to soldiers overseas.  Some of the kids got really into it.

Hazel's wreath

This was a particularly interesting bit of teamwork...The kids had been getting a little crazy, and instead of threatening or yelling, the teacher gave them what was essentially a listening exercise: walk down the very steep stairs, backwards. It worked pretty well.

I admit I was a little fearful for my tiny kids, but they were totally fine, and not a single kid fell or acted up at all.

At the bottom of the stairs was arguably the most exciting event of camp (at least as far as Cadence & Hazel were concerned.)  CANOEING.  They did some dry instruction on the ground before they got anywhere near the boats, and then they were off. And oh MAN did these kids love it!! They can't wait to do it again.

If I hadn't snapped this myself, I'd assume it was staged for a brochure!

trying out a different grip

Hazel's turn with the oar

Calliope slept through the dry instruction and boat launch, and thought it was very strange to wake up to see her sisters paddling around the water.  She didn't seem to mind not riding herself, and had a grand old time playing with the rubber ducks they had on the shore.  She enjoyed lining them up like the kids had been in line earlier!

Row of ducks!

After boating, they all made their own pizzas (no bugs this time!) though they had to be trucked away & back for the actual cooking portion, so while we waited, it was time for classic camp songs/games.

And after dinner, of course, came gathering around the campfire for s'mores.

soooo stiiickkyyyyyy

A special little visitor showed up as we were finishing up, and the kids were really excited to see this deer after having seen numerous sets of tracks but no animals on our hike and walks.

There was actually supposed to be much more, but we got rained out -flooded out, actually, as the road leading to the site was washed out, so no one could get through!  We were disappointed not to get to do everything on our agenda (like launching rockets!) but hopefully we will get to make those up.  

I do have one last cool project to share from you from camp week, though.  During down times between classes/after lunches/etc, the kids were invited to help make this amazing group project.  They made this bottle cap (and soda tab) mosaic in the spirit of environmental awareness...I thought the result was really beautiful!

4H homeschool day camp 2014

It was a busy week, and I know I am leaving a lot out, but I think I will stop here regardless.  On to the next adventure!

This week in immersive learning: Over and Under

This week saw a lot of making, and a lot of gift giving. The kids figured out how to weave hair ties together to make useful cords, and then took it a step further to make the cord into other things, like jewelry - such as this bracelet!

To be fair, it did eventually fall apart, but it lasted quite a while before my normal wear destroyed it.

 Hazel has been working very hard on making realistic depictions of the scenes that play out in her imagination.  This was one of the few works that she did not destroy in a frustrated huff for not being good enough.  She was pretty proud of this one, as she should be...the scene below is of her birthday party. She and Cadence are in the lower right next to me - I'm pregnant with Calliope - and James is on the left (the only figure not in a dress), and the rest are friends.  There are balloons and party poppers and the hearts are there to show that there is a lot of love...I love it.

Displayed on the wall in our bedroom...albeit at Hazel height, but hey, we'll take it.

 This week also saw a lot of magna-tile creations...I found this rocket ship that Hazel made particularly impressive, as it was complete with separate compartments for cargo, passengers, and fuel/supplies. She was really determined to see her vision through, even though it took a surprising number of redesigns to find a way to make her vision manifest.

Kangaroos destined for space!

This week our 4H club hiked Turkey Run, and I discovered (confirmed?) that hiking is one of Calliope's favorite things ever.  She was beside herself with excitement that we were going on a "HIKE!!! We goin' for HIKE!" ...and she saw something approximately every quarter of a foot along the way to stop and marvel at.

Selecting the perfect hiking stick is a vital step in the process.

There were some steep climbs in this one, which presented a new sort of challenge since we haven't done a lot of serious hiking yet - but for little legs this was probably a pretty impressive challenge.  There was a creek along the trail, too, which allowed for some splash-stomp-wading and rock explorations, too.

checking out her submerged feet among the leaves

At the bottom of the trail, the woods opened up to the river, which provided some really awesome views.  We watched for various types of wildlife and examined how the soil was different along the shore than it was just a few feet back into the woods.

Definitely not a sight we would have seen in the big city.

The kids have been doing parkour, as well, and it was kind of neat to look at the environmental aspect of the art form as we traipsed over roots and under branches.  I admit to being ignorant of the environmental aspect of the parkour philosophy until *after* our hike, when Calliope found this book at the studio and became entranced by the photos.

Makes me love it even more!

As the month draws to a close, October looms, bringing along all that it contains, which for us is...a lot.  In addition to halloween and the usual fall festivities, it will also mark the first anniversary of my mother's passing.  I am anticipating this to be a difficult time, so while I want to allow us space to breathe, I also want to find a way to meet it head on. 

My sister and I have long known that we would be creating mom an altar for día de los muertos, so I decided to expand on that to teach the kids a little bit more about the holiday, and the culture around it.  We haven't really delved in that far yet, but we had talked just enough about it that, on our usual run to Michael's for project supplies, they found these paper maché skull masks and asked if they could get them to paint like sugar skulls.  I admit I balked at first because I'd rather make our own paper maché skulls, I ultimately decided it was better to let myself off the hook (we have a full plate of projects) and so I relented.

Scary Callie 

Creepy Hazel

I did not, however, agree to pay for a decorative cardboard hat. Sorry Cadence.

I think the grump face was actually because the hat didn't fit, anyway.

But the main focus this week has been on sewing.  Cadence decided she wanted to get back into sewing -something she had been introduced to in her 4's class at the blue school - and asked me for the necessary supplies.  She was a bit rusty so we had to go over the basics again first, but she quickly took to it and improved quickly.  Once her first pillow was complete, she got out the fabric markers to put the finishing touches on:

Front

Back

Not to be outdone, Hazel wanted to give it a shot, too.  A simple square wouldn't do for Hazel, of course, so she dove in with a heart. (I'm noticing a strong theme in Hazel's work...)

Not sure why the thread didn't show up in the picture...but here is is hard at work.

Cadence at work on her second (or third?) project of the week.

Calliope didn't really sew her own project this time around, but he sisters did make sure to keep her involved by showing her what they were doing at each step along the way.

Cadence shows Callie Hazel's heart while Hazel went to work on her next project.

It wasn't too long before I started finding things like this laying around, even when I wasn't directly involved with project oversight.

Proud hazel shows off her work 

 All in all, this week saw a lot of over, under - sewing, parkour, hiking, weaving, engineering...it was a pretty full (and pretty great) week.

Calliope shows off her ridiculous core strength and proper shoulder alignment during a hang.

Not Asking

Last night, for whatever reason, I couldn't sleep, and I decided to try doing some work recording voice overs...I couldn't focus on that, either, and ended up recording an improvised song in the middle of the night.  I more or less intentionally left it ambiguous, but in my gut it feels very much about grief, and I post it here, flaws, hokey garage band processing (because my adobe audition wouldn't cooperate) and all, in memory of my mother.  She wouldn't care much about the weak spots, and would probably leave some comment about how I used to sing improvised operas non stop as a kid, and try to remember the lyrics to the "where's my purse" song she inspired me to sing as a four year old.

Miss you, Mama.

This week in immersive learning: Water & Fire

Cadence created this out of a box of recyclables and some masking tape.  She says she's not sure what it is called, but it is a form of mass transportation and it has a built - in telescope.

In addition to the (quite usual but still) ridiculous amount of reading that has taken place this week, we've had the great fortune to spend a great deal of time out-of-doors this week.

Cadence has reread several boxcar children books, tackled a few new novels, and threw in a few non-fiction books (mostly about small fuzzy animals) this week.  Hazel has been improving her reading and writing skills at an incredible rate lately, consistently sounding out words and continuing her months-old habit of passing the time by trying to guess how random words are spelled.  She will sit quietly by herself contemplating it until she thinks she might have it right, and then approach the nearest grown up (or even sometimes Cadence) and ask, for example, "Is this how you spell heart?  H-E-A-R-T, heart?"  (The fact that she has self generated this spelling-bee-style amuses me very much.)

Anyhow, she is now capable of reading well enough to identify certain words on a page, and can sound out simple words like it was no big deal, but staunchly refuses to try reading any book - even easy reading books like Dog is Hot - if they aren't board books.  I think it is simply anxiety - they seem more grown up and therefore more difficult, and she is afraid to purposefully set out to read one of them.  She would much rather catch herself reading them by accident.

Personally, I find her writing almost more impressive than her reading.  Her penmanship is pretty derned remarkable for a 4-year old, and her understanding of word groupings has skyrocketed overnight.

Hazel wrote a letter to Papa, and wrote "Hazel to Papa" on the back. She pointed out a mistaken squiggle after the 'to', and said the heart means "with love".

Cadence still struggles a little in her writing, and it relates back to a quirk we noticed when she was first learning how to read...she found it much easier, at the outset, to read her books upside down.  Though she rarely does so these days, I do still notice her flipping a book over to interpret a particularly difficult word here or there.  It's because of this that I don't find it all that surprising that she still defaults to writing her letters (and numbers) backwards and/or upside down.  Usually gently pointing out the error is more than enough for her to go back and correct it without any issues, but we are still working on consistently writing them with the correct orientation the first time.

To this end we have been doing more writing stuff at home.  Cadence has been labeling stuff all over the house, (because taping the paper to the thing makes writing down the name of the thing ridiculously fun) and has written in her diary (which I don't read) and several letters this week.  I also asked her to write a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and she produced a fun little page long story called The Hunt.  It's about our cat, Puy, going hunting because she was hungry, catching some squirrels, and feeling good after eating them. She even specified that while Puy lived happily ever after, the squirrels...well, they'd been eaten.

Cadence working on a puzzle.  She was pretty upset with me for introducing her to such a frustrating endeavor.

Around all of that, we had some pretty fun outdoor adventures, too.  At our settled exploration with the 4-H club, the weather was just right for some good river stomping.  A whole gaggle of kids ranging from roughly 1 to roughly 10 worked together to find as many clam shells as they could in & around the shoreline.  By the time the bucket owner's mom called her home and the endeavor was ended, they had filled the thing about halfway - and it wasn't a small bucket. After most everyone else had left, these three found walking sticks and went for a wet, in-the-water 'hike'.

One of the older kids caught some fish with a bucket and brought it over to show the younger kids 

Shell gatherers at work

close up of the shells after they dumped them out of the bucket

Adventurin'!

Also this week, we attended a block party and got to meet a ton of local families.  The neighborhood kids all bonded in the bounce-house while the grown ups chatted around tables full of homemade goodies, and once the sun went down (and the truck took the bounce house away) everyone gathered for a little bon fire in the street.  Someone broke out some sparklers and small fireworks, and the kids had a blast exploring the brief, volatile nature of the flames.

Hazel manages to look serene even while bouncing.

Callie Bounces! and Cadence does her best not to land on her new friend...

fireworks

Not bad for a week that also saw the first illness of the new academic year - a nasty head cold that hit hard and fast, which the kids have pretty much beaten at this point, but my poor asthmatic lungs always take weeks to recover following respiratory bugs.

Here's to another busy week!

Pyrotechnics

We question our existence, our anger, our everything

So many poetic words burn through her head as she frantically looses the flood of feeling that she expertly dodges during the torrent of the day, but now the gates are down and the raging force is free, leaving her staring into oblivion without an understanding of the power of her words, her fingers fly across the keyboard but can't touch even a drop of the depth of the feeling that was dwelling in the hollow of her chest just moments ago when she let the sound keen, the faraway unimaginable depths momentarily connected to a sticky spot in her lungs where breath wasn't yet born but was destined to  carry the weight of connection, rejection, heartache, love and wonder, and yet even that is but a drop of the arch of what IS and there is no way her fingers can even begin to trace the line left behind by the shadow of the thing that she is chasing, but she isn't chasing anything, just feeling, just trying to stop doing and just be, just being, just living, just breathing just...

This week in immersive learning: Picnics Galore

Calliope exploring the dynamics of a water balloon 

This was a busy week for the local homeschooling community, as we 'kick-off' the academic year with not one, but TWO amazing "not-back-to-school" picnics.

I asked her to smile. (check out the boxes in the background-curriculum swap!)

The name sounds kinda satire-y, which is somewhat intentional...especially amongst the unschooling crowd.  We don't have formal summer vacations, since our educational philosophy becomes a sort of way of life for the family and there isn't really anything to take a break from (SIDE RANT: I also really like this aspect of our chosen path because it doesn't set up false expectation of guaranteed unlimited free time every summer before saddling them with real world jobs where you get two weeks off per year, if you're lucky), but it is still nice to recognize the rite of a new year beginning.  Fall also marks the time when we can resume group field trips and classes which often get put on hold during the time when public schools are out.  Many organizations don't offer school discounts during these times, and many homeschoolers choose to avoid popular destinations while the public school kids will be there - we can go anytime, but they can't, so let them have at it while they can and we'll take our turn when school is back in session - it reduces crowds for everyone involved.

Cadie climbs

Happy Hazel at play 

Classic!

Hazel takes Callie on an adventure!

Failed crowd shot.  too many people spread out to far to really get a good picture of how well attended these things were.

So anyway, these picnics were a great opportunity to reconnect with folks who we haven't seen in a while, to introduce new families, and chat about classes and events we may want to tackle during the coming year.  Everyone gathers in the playground with tons of food and curriculum materials to swap and share, and it is great fun.  We came away with a whole bunch of new books (oi, we have a book problem in our house - despite having given away a bunch at the picnics!), GLITTER (much to James' chagrin), paper for handwriting practice, anatomical models, puzzles, activity booklets, patterns, and even a couple new dresses for our ever-growing seven year old.  Oh - and tap shoes.

Obviously we had great fun exploring all of our new materials...and then I got to post this to Facebook: "The dark side to homeschooling: Scored some glitter at the not-back-to-school picnic & swap this afternoon, which Cadence quickly paired with her knowledge of her father's disdain for the stuff and the fact that we have been discussing pranks lately to devise her very own: She glitter bombed his workstation. Her attempt at a good and harmless prank would have been successful had she thought to move the keyboard first."

Last tax court softball game of the season!

Also this week, we received a lovely gift from my friend Tim, who, learning of the major sunburns we brought home with us from our trip to California, mailed us an Aloe plant.  The company that sent it included a second succulent as a bonus, but neither one was potted.  So, we got to get our hands dirty (literally!) creating a new home for our newest living members of the household.

Cleaning out the pot

Filling the pot 3/4 full of specially mixed soil

Finished happy(er) plants!

THANK YOU SOO MUCH! To Tim for the generous gift, and of course to all the wonderful families that make up our homeschooling community.  Some of the most giving folks you will ever meet-I am glad to be a part of it!

A typical conversation with my 22 month old...

Calliope (22 months):  Mama, I'm all ready for bed!
Me (her mother): No you're not, you still need to wash your hands, you have pretzel on your head, and you're naked except for some tap shoes.
Calli:  Let's see what baba thinks.
           (exits, tapping and clacking as she goes, shouting):
          Baba, I'm all ready for bed!

Calliope and Turtle