They love this tree at church!

Friends Outside!

The past couple of months the weather has finally been nice enough not to be cooped up indoors! We met a fellow homeschooling family for a picnic lunch at the neighborhood park one day (my photos turned out mysteriously blurry--very sad), and the girls have spent almost every afternoon outside playing with our backdoor neighbors. Their preschool son has been thrilled to have playmates that he's dubbed "my girlfriends" (it's easier than keeping their names straight when you're three). They have imaginative "adventures," dig for worms, play on his swing set, go for rides on the tractor (Mr. M has a riding lawn mower with a trailer), and they even invited us to join them for s'mores around their fire pit one evening. So much fun!

Three R's

Monkey acquired a set of Revolutionary War
army men, and she and Bug spent quite a bit of
time staging reasonably accurate battles
(note the Redcoats all lined up nicely, and
the blue Continentals scattered around the edge)

The three R's continue! Goose appears to have decided she's a kindergartner. In the span of about a week (maybe two), she completed all three preschool math workbooks I had for her! I printed up a few simple math worksheets at her request. She completed them, handed them back, and informed me that I really needed to find harder problems for her to work on. Well, ok then! She also seems to have succeeded in swallowing the alphabet whole using worksheets, a dry erase workbook, the Starfall website, and participation in her sisters' spelling lessons. The other day I watched over her shoulder while she played a game that required her to spell 3-letter words (like cat and man) after hearing the computer say them. She was terribly disappointed when we had to return her Dick and Jane anthology to the library, and she's been having me do a lot of repeat reading with her, while she reads the sight words she knows already. Starfall is also conducive to her determination to sight read because to get the site to say the instruction for each activity she has to click on the words individually.

Monkey and Bug have both reached that exciting point where they can pick just about any picture book and read it with minimal help. Lots of words are still tricky, but not enough to deter them! I still sit with each of them to read particular books, but they do a lot more reading on their own now. For writing they've been enjoying picture story prompts using free printable coloring sheets I find online as well as writing about our out-of-town adventures. For math, Khan Academy supplemented by math facts worksheets continues to be working well for us. Both big girls have completed just over 70% of the Early Math curriculum (kindergarten through second grade skills)--exactly where they need to be for the end of first grade. They've certainly slowed down their rate of mastery at this point as they're running into new and more difficult concepts, but I doubt it will take them an entire year to finish that last 30%.

Life Skills

Bug hand stitched this cozy
jacket herself using the sleeves
from a sweatshirt we turned
intoa pillow.

Academics aren't everything, and the girls have been learning some other important skills recently. They've gained further independence over bathtime (Goose is the only one who really needs help now). I've introduced kitchen clean up as a daily chore (they've been clearing their places after meals for awhile). Now they all help unload the clean dishes in the morning, and they take turns being my helper after dinner--scraping plates, loading the dishwasher, rinsing dishes, sweeping, etc. It's so nice to have help speeding up the process! 

The other thing they've learned how to do is work the scanner. I recently pointed out that their numerous artworks would not be able to come back to the West Coast with us, and Bug came up with the idea of using the scanner to create a digital portfolio she could keep on her netbook. I was happy to teach them how to use it, and they each created their portfolios and cheerfully tossed the hard copies into the recycling bin!

So this technological history lesson actually happened on our drive to Maine, but I forgot to write about it. We were getting some wiggles out at a rest stop and walked past a bank of pay phones. "What are those machines, Mommy?" Daddy and I laughed really hard when we realized they had no idea, and we explained the whole concept of phones having wires and not being mobile. They were also puzzled by phone books (they've probably never seen one of those before either). "Why would you need that?" We also made them figure out how you would listen and talk on them. They usually Skype or FaceTime for their own long-distance communication, so even having to hold something up to your ear and mouth was a bit of a foreign concept.

Library Days

All three girls have continued enjoying story time here, and have been active participants in all the songs and activities and have even piped up with relevant questions and comments. (I'm curious to see if this new-found confidence translates to other more populated story times.) I haven't kept track of the dozens of books we've checked out over the past month or so, but we've continued our usual wide selection of subjects: science (lots of books about rocks lately), poetry (some Robert Frost and A. A. Milne), art (storybooks and information books about the life and work of Claude Monet), and picture books (contemporary stories as well as classics and fairy tales). 

Music

The girls had a very positive experience singing with the children's choir during a service! We were particularly proud of Monkey for facing her fears and doing a beautiful job. Having Daddy present this time definitely helped boost her confidence.

The girls have all had their last music lessons here as well. Bug gained another real song, "Lightly Row," and Mr. D says she's acquired the solid foundational skills that will make her transition to a new teacher easier. Goose has also reached a good pausing point--she's reached a plateau where she needs to master the skills she has before moving on, and she really just wants time to play on the piano at her leisure (she is really looking forward to getting her own little keyboard when we return to the West Coast!). Monkey has been doing great with her drum teacher--making good progress and looking forward to starting up with a new teacher!

The Maine Coastline

For our final New England adventure, we decided to do something a little more low key and headed for a waterfront cabin on Sebascodegan Island, ME. The girls decided they liked that little cabin a lot better than the house we're currently living in!

(Left) Posed at the edge of Land's End!
(Right) We read a Magic School Bus geology book before our
trip, and the girls were excited to admire all the layers of
metamorphic rock.

On Saturday morning we drove out
to Land's End first to do a little rock scrambling and had the opportunity to watch a small group of beginner scuba divers heading out.

From there we went to the Giant's Stairs Trail. The lady at the inn mentioned it as a hiking spot, then eyeballed our trio of little girls and noted that it was very steep and right on the water, so maybe not a very kid-friendly outing. With that "recommendation" we decided it was just our speed! Sure enough, our experienced boulderers had a blast conquering the rock formations along the coast.

After lunch and quiet time at the cabin, the girls did some more exploring of the rocky shoreline outside our cabin. The tide had gone out by now, and they found all kinds of cool things!

(Left) This is what happened at low tide right outside the cabin.
(Right) "Moon jellies! I see moon jellies down there!"

(Left) They gleefully discovered that if you squeeze the seaweed, it squirts!
(Right) A crab carapace with the eyeballs still attached! So exciting!

(Left) Somebody left old lobster traps around for us to poke at.
(Right) This beach had snails too!

We eventually headed out for another short hike--this one a woodland trail through a coastal research area maintained by a local college. Lovely.

moss and a twisty vine from the hike

On Sunday we headed back to urban areas to go shopping at the L.L. Bean flagship store, eat lobster rolls and seaburgers on the wharf at the Portland Lobster Co. overlooking Portland Harbor, and pop in and out of shops in the Old Port district. Our final stop before heading home: Portland Head Light.

Boston (And Nana!)

"Look at his little eyeballs!"

Nana got to join us in our New England adventures this past weekend! We started off her stay by bringing her along for a classic boiled lobster dinner. The girls were very excited about having a whole lobster plopped in front of them to split. They all agree: Lobsters are indeed delicious!


The highlight of the weekend was our day trip to Boston. We left first thing in the morning, and spent our first hour in the city exploring the Boston Public Garden: the Make Way for Ducklings statue as well as the real ducks, the other statuary throughout the garden, the bridge, the swan boats, the real nesting swan, the glorious tulips, the street musicians (playing fascinating unfamiliar instruments), the variety of dogs, the weeping willows, and other climbing trees, etc. etc. Beautiful.

"Make way for ducklings!"

Then we crossed Boston Common to meet up with our guide for the Freedom Trail tour. "Josiah Quincy" in full colonial attire was there to meet us along with 30 or so other tourists. He was an entertaining and knowledgeable guide, so we decided to join him again after lunch (clam chowder at Quincy Market) for the second trail tour.

Having trouble keeping up with the tour?
If you couldn't see "Josiah" with his brass topped cane,
you could usually find Daddy topped by an inquisitive girl.

By following Josiah around for most of the day we got to see and learn about all of these places:

•  Boston Common
•  Massachusetts State House
•  Park Street Church
•  Granary Burying Ground
•  King’s Chapel
•  King’s Chapel Burying Ground
•  Benjamin Franklin Statue & Boston Latin School
•  Old Corner Book Store
•  Old South Meeting House
•  Old State House
•  Site of Boston Massacre
•  Faneuil Hall
•  Paul Revere House
•  Old North Church
•  Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

The tour ended across the river from Bunker Hill, and we settled in to hear the tale of that battle before setting off on our own to visit the Charlestown Navy Shipyard and the USS Constitution. Unfortunately, the old ship herself was closed for renovation, but the museum was fantastic. The upstairs in a hands-on, kid-friendly exhibit that walks you through what it was like to be an enlisted sailor, an officer, or a marine in early America. Among other activities, the girls answered recruitment questions, examined the contents of a sea bag, swung in a hammock, "cooked" in the ship's galley, and watched a video about the battle that earned "Old Ironsides" its famous nickname. The downstairs of the museum involved more traditional exhibits about the ship's construction and history. 

They were sad not to get to board the USS Constititution,
but that didn't keep them from being recruited to the crew! (center)
And, who could resist hoisting the goat aboard. (right)

The new sailors try out their hammocks, climb the rigging, and tie down the sail.

We can build boats too!

Next we set off on the long walk back to our car, but not before a fortifying stop at an ice cream parlor before crossing the river and climbing Beacon Hill. Crossing the Charles River proved much more entertaining than expected when we happened upon the Charlestown Bells, a melodious installation by Paul Matisse. I think we about wore Nana out (Daddy estimates we did at least 5 miles of walking), but we had a great day! And thanks to Nana, it was even well-documents with photos!

Plymouth, MA

Plymouth Rock is housed in the bottom of that pillared canopy.

We finally circled back around to this site! (Daddy was injured when we first moved to New England, and a day trip with lots of walking didn't sound like fun.) Our first stop was the Pilgrim Hall Museum, the oldest public museum in the country and home to the largest collection of Pilgrim artifacts. It was a small museum, but very well done.

The canopy isn't a good spot for a photo op, but the girls realized
that if I stayed above, and they climbed onto the beach, we
could get this fun photo.

The girls had a "treasure hunt" to complete throughout the museum--half a dozen pages with photos of artifacts to find and check off and questions to answer, pictures to draw, etc. It made for a much more fun and interactive visit! We got to see artwork inspired by the Pilgrims' story (including a huge, 190 year old painting undergoing restoration), examine objects they brought with them or made once they got here, take a look at important documents like their patent for colonization, and watch a video retelling their story.

After lunch we visited, Plymouth Memorial State Park, a lovely landscaped park on the waterfront that includes Plymouth Rock itself, along with several memorial statues and sculptures. Usually the park also features the Mayflower II, a replica of the Pilgrims ship open for tours. It's currently under repairs in Connecticut. We were very disappointed.

The girls make sad faces about the missing boat, while fighting back giggles
about taking a picture with something that isn't there.

One of them asked a question about why all the statues
were of Pilgrim men, then we rounded a bend and found this:
Memorial for the Pilgrim Maidens.

 We happened to be there at low tide, and the girls also managed to find a way down to the beach. They had a great time running around on the beach and rock scrambling before we climbed into the car again.

On the way home, we passed a number of strange-looking, dark fields that we figured out were cranberry fields. This, of course, led to a brief science lesson in the growing and harvesting of cranberries.

Washington, DC

Last week was spring break where we live right now, and even Daddy got a few days off. We took advantage of the break to visit Aunt S and Uncle J in DC. In homeschooling terms, this means we had two and half days of American history intensive, a day of science, and an afternoon of art appreciation along with a slew of life skills lessons sprinkled along the way.

All aboard! We managed to score facing seats with a table!

The adventure started with the life skills of packing for the trip (I check their stuff, but I don't pack for them) and experiencing a seven hour ride in a passenger train followed by changing trains a time or two in the Metro, then walking several several blocks to S and J's apartment at midnight.

History lesson at the WWII Memorial

The next day we hit the ground running and visited Arlington National Cemetery, since it was relatively close by. We had a serious talk with the girls about what this place was and what behavior was appropriate, and that it was a strong reminder that freedom isn't free. (That phrase became something of a theme for much of the trip.) We visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to watch the changing of the guard, and on the way back out found a good viewpoint for impressing upon them the seemingly endless lines of white stones. We took closer looks at a number stones to talk about what information was on them, and who was buried (many spouses and a few children along with all the service members). From there we visited the National World War II Memorial. We spent a long time talking about the symbolism in the memorial and looking for Kilroy (we found him!). On our way to lunch we made a point of walking by the White House to show the girls where the President and his family live. After lunch we hit the National Air and Space Museum. The hands-on exhibit was extremely crowded, but Daddy managed to explain the basic physics of flight before heading into the historical exhibits. The displays of space

Each of the girls got to sit in the cockpit
of a small plane.

suits and space craft were probably the most popular and the Wright Brothers exhibit a close second. The exhibit about WWI aircraft included a small theater showing old Hollywood movie clips featuring flyboys. (The girls got to sit in the quiet and rest their little legs, and Goose even caught a 10 or 15 minute power nap.) On our walk back to the Metro, Monkey in particular regained a sudden burst of energy when we suggested we stop in at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. We made the guards very nervous, but the girls loved it. (Neither Daddy or I are big fans of modern art, but Monkey adores it, so of course we had to visit.)

We referred to our next morning of sight seeing as Monuments with Marines." Very shortly into our visit to the National Mall we crossed paths with a large group of Marines running in formation to visit the monuments and memorials. They would stop at each memorial, and their leader would give the typical tourist information at full volume with the standard military pseudo-profanity thrown in. We ran into them a few times as they crisscrossed the Mall (they were easy to track since they were calling cadence), and I got some neat pictures. We walked a long way that morning and were able to see and discuss all of these memorials:

The top of the Washington Monument is
up there somewhere!

Washington Monument
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Lincoln Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
FDR Memorial
MLK Memorial
Memorial for the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
United States Navy Memorial

We had lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian (Indian tacos ... yum!) We examined the displays of different types of traditional boats used by American Indians, and then thoroughly examined an exhibit of American Indian children's artifacts (clothes, toys, games, etc.). The girls were fascinated. On our way to our next destination we took a quick walk (and a rest on a bench) in the National Art Gallery's Sculpture Garden. The last thing on our agenda that day was the National Archives. Highlights included: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, and one of George Washington's notebooks. We also stopped for a bit to watch clips of 1920s industries (steel, paper, etc.) and old military recruiting ads.

For the next day of our visit, Daddy and I took off for a long day trip to visit the likely town of his next PCS. It was a highly productive visit, but would have been excruciatingly boring for the entourage. Instead they stayed with Aunt S and Uncle J in DC and visited the National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo. The girls were very excited about the butterfly garden and insect exhibit at the Natural History Museum, and any zoo is always a hit with this crew--they were especially keen to tell us about the teeny tiny monkeys (marmosets perhaps?) and the panda bears.

Our final day in DC we focused on two major museums. We toured the National Museum of American History in the morning and spent most of our time in The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. After all the topics we covered in our history studies and just touring the monuments this was a great way to give them a clearer timeline of events. They mostly focused on the changes in fashion and technology through time, but we spent an unexpectedly long time sitting on a bench in front of the recreated Berlin Wall answering questions about it and the Cold War. We spent the afternoon at the National Art Gallery. Usually the entourage takes in art museums at breakneck speed, and they want to see it all. This visit was distinctly different. The girls had been studying artists recently (Picasso, Degas, and Monet in particular), so they really wanted to see the Impressionists exhibit and they wanted to study each paintings individually to find out the title and artist and to compare it to other works by the same or different artists. Their behavior and enthusiasm so impressed one of the guards that he took the time to compliment them to Daddy and say how much fun it was to watch them.

The girls loved running around on this massive map!