It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to…The feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.” – Vincent van Gogh
Author: Thomas
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The Language of Nature
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Love Leaves a Legacy
There are no perfect parents – only good men and women who love their children to the very end.
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Science Museum of Virginia
The best museums and museum exhibits about science or technology give you the feeling that, hey, this is interesting, but maybe I could do something here, too. – Paul Allen
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Aboard the W. G. Mather
Sailing into History
“You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her deck…I have no time for such nonsense.”
~ NapoleonAt the mention of steam power, we often envision roaring freight trains winding through the countryside. In the early twentieth-century, the power of steam was also moving massive freighters across the Great Lakes. (more…)
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On the Beaten Path
Take A Hike
The earth is what we all have in common.
~ Wendell Berry – NaturalistWeekly visits to local parks have always been a part of our schedule, but at the start of September the trips became more of a daily occurrence. The change came as we began participating in the Summit Metro Parks Hiking Spree. (more…)
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October Activities 2015
Preschool Projects for Autumn
I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green GablesA collection of our favorite October activities: Games, Poems, Crafts and more. (more…)
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Photo Walk
More Than We Can Ever Learn From Books
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. ~ John Lubbock
Turning outdoor experiences into learning experiences is always a priority. One way we accomplish this is by starting each adventure with a plan to carefully look for examples of specific organisms or earth processes. On today’s hike, we focused our attention on wood decay fungi. (more…)
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Autumn Leaves
Every Leaf is a Flower
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
― Albert CamusIt felt as though autumn snuck up on us this year, and already it seems to be fading away. We’ve had frost on the ground and nearly all the leaves have fallen from our trees. Even so, there is still time to squeeze in a few Autumn leaf projects. (more…)
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Jack-o-Lantern Mosaic Project
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials.
Art from Nature
Jack-o-lantern Mosaic It’s a slow moving rainy Saturday at the schoolhouse. Last night we filled a bag with freshly fallen maple leaves, and picked up a large brown cotton wood leaf for today’s Jack-o-lantern Mosaic project. It was the perfect night for a walk. The air was crisp and the leaves were dry. Kicking our feet through the fallen leaves is a game that never gets old.
Early this morning, before the boys awoke, we made our cups of tea and coffee and got to work. We cut the colorful maple leaves into small square pieces. Then, we created two pumpkin shaped forms from last night’s pizza box. Our final piece of prep work was cutting some jack-o-lantern face pieces from the cottonwood leaf.
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Growing For Learning
Cost effective, educational, and memorable
This year we set out to include homesteading activities in the lives of our boys. It began with a simple garden of tomatoes, peppers, egg plants and cucumbers. Before long we decided to added a second garden closer to the house with watermelon, beans, and ground cherries.
The daily task of watering, weeding, and monitoring the garden became an important part of our family schedule. The garden provided endless opportunities to encourage our boys to learn. From the needs of plants to weather conditions it was easy to include math and science activities in our gardening time.