Husky Pups

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The neighbor has two husky pups that like to come visit.  The kids keep returning them, but the puppies break out of their pen almost every day.  They are adorable, so I use them for camera practice.

Flying Kites

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KitepanThis has been a great first week of school.  The kids worked hard and I decided we all needed a break this morning.  We spent the morning at our favorite park. After getting some kites up, Mark rested on the ground, relaxing while he watched the kites overhead.  The other kids played with kites and also enjoyed the playground.

KiteAfter coming home, everyone spent time reading and working on individual projects.  It was a relaxing ending to the first week of school.

More Hummingbirds

 

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Knowing that the hummingbirds would be migrating soon, I spent more time enjoying them today. Most will hide behind the feeder to eat if anyone is outside.  The other one does not seem to be afraid of people and will flitter around watching us if we are on the porch.  She was a willing model for a few pictures today.

First Day of School

SchoolEven though we learn at home all year, during the summer we focus less on book learning, and more on personal projects.  This year the children took archery classes and Mark and Allan worked on a few projects together.  Audrey learned a lot about butterflies.  Adrian learned how to ride a bike.  Andrea did different things she was interested in.

But we always have one special day that we call “the first day of school”.  Today was our official first day of school.  Megan is a preschooler, Adrian is in third grade, Audrey is in sixth and Andrea is in seventh grade.  Mark is a tenth grader!

We are looking forward to a fun year!

Rescue

RescueAudrey has spent the summer learning more  about raising butterflies.  As a family we have been raising them for seven years, but she has done most of the work for the last two.

Early this summer, she found a caterpillar she never raised before anchored to the shed.  When it formed a chrysalis, she wanted to bring it in so she could watch it, but we could not figure out how to safely bring it inside.

We researched on how to move chrysalises safely and a few days later we went out to bring in a new chrysalis.  We discovered that something had come and eaten it.  She was very disappointed.

So she began practicing moving chrysalises.  Audrey rescued  two chrysalises that fell from the aquarium wall she keeps them in.  She practices anchoring those whose cremasters are on leaves that dry out or on flimsy sticks.

Now, when we find our next chrysalis, she will know how to bring it safely inside.

Song Of Toad

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One of the many benefits of teaching my children at home is that we discover a lot of fun poetry!

A Song of Toad
By Kenneth Grahame

The world has held great Heroes,
As history-books have showed;
But never a name to go down to fame
Compared to that of Toad!

The clever men at Oxford
Know all there is to be knowed.
But they none of them know one half as much
As intelligent Mr Toad!

The animals sat in the ark and cried,
Their tears in torrents flowed.
Who was it said, ‘There’s land ahead’?
Encouraging Mr Toad!

The Army all saluted
As they marched along the road.
Was it the King? Or Kitchener?
No. It was Mr Toad.

The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting
Sat at the window and sewed.
She cried, ‘Look! Who’s that handsome man?’
They answered, ‘Mr Toad.’

The motor-car went Poop-poop-poop
As it raced along the road.
Who was it steered it into a pond?
Ingenious Mr Toad!