{this moment} :: hike

image(s) from the week. no words. via soulemama.

black friday, rainbow saturday, cyber monday...

I am horrible at promotion, coupon codes, email blasts, marketing plans, etc. So here it is:

Buy some mama merit badges. 

You can do that here.

I will mail out badges as soon as I get the order. And if it matters, I use the money on good things: like books, music, art supplies, good cheese, and my kid's many interests (one son can not have enough mason jars for bugs and the other is a fledgling ballerino, and my daughter is whipping through fantasy/girl adventure/dragon books quicker than I can keep up). 

So, buy one for yourself, or better yet for a mom friend to brighten her day through this hectic season. 

Thanks!

Amy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Source: tumblr.com via Wendy on Pinterest

make quills for writing

This just might a perfect activity to keep kids busy while you are cooking cranberries and chopping pecans this week. 

How about making some quills and natural ink - and then letting the kids make the place tags for Thanksgiving dinner?

We have a big collection of feathers because we live near a very populated duck lake. If you do not have any access to feathers, you might need to buy some at the craft store. 

To make a quill you simply cut the end of the feather into a point and then split the point a bit (this allows some of the ink to store so you can write a few letters before having to re-dip it). That is it really. Half the fun is experimenting with different tip shapes to see which works the best for you. If you need better instructions, you can look here.

For ink, simply mash some berries in water and boil a bit, then strain. Add a splash of vinegar and salt to impede nasty bacterial growth and mold and you are ready to write. Experiment with blueberries, cranberries, walnut shells, coffee... again, the experimenting is the fun part. You can even just used watered down paint if you do not want to make homemade ink.

This is one of those childhood crafts that once learned, will continue to pop up in children's play. It shows up here a few times a year, always for different purposes and with different results.

Have you done this? Any spectacular tip to share?

one day vacation :: Gainesville, FL

We had a wonderful day trip to Gainesville, FL this week. We have not been to Gainesville for a dozen years, since before having children, and we have been missing a lot!

This trip was initiated by a homeschool co op trip to the Florida Museum of Natural History at University of Florida (thanks Kim!). The museum was really good. In the last year or so, we have been to the natural history museums in Washington, DC and New York City and while obviously not as big as either of those, it was pretty impressive.  For us, it was destination worthy and we highly recommend it for natural history buffs. We enjoyed the beautiful butterfly garden, even managing to locate the elusive Atlas moth, but even more interesting to our family was watching research students in the entomology lab pinning butterflies. 

I was personally impressed with the fossil collections, especially the huge megashark jaws and the mammoth and mastodon skeletons. We studied the ice age a few years ago, so it was fun to see the fossilized bones of the giant sloth, saber toothed cat and glyptodont (an armadillo as big as a VW bug). 

A special music exhibition captivated everyone for an hour or so. The stone xylophone was a hit!

Lunch was at local institution, Burrito Bros. This is my kind of place! Owned by the same family for 35 years, the burritos are fresh and filling. I loved the red rice and just spicy enough chicken. And what is not to love about a place that lights its neon sign when they have guacamole!

We had to work off that huge lunch, so we headed to Devil's Millhopper State Park for a hike.  At this ancient sinkhole, visitors can walk down a few hundred steps to the bottom and be surrounded by a mini rainforest. Small waterfalls, and lush vegetation, make you feel like you are far removed from the bustling city. 

Our last site to see on this jam packed day was the bat houses at University of Florida. Apparently, at dusk at least 100,000 bats emerge in a very dramatic exit. Unfortunately, it was a bit chilly, so the full explosion of bats did not happen. We did see a few hundred and the camaraderie among the others waiting for the event was fun. 

 This lake across the street from the bat houses was full of alligators and huge soft shelled turtles - all of which have been fed a lot by people, so they were keen to see us. Other than that, this would be a great place to hang out before watching for the bats. Just keep your eyes open :)

On our way out of town, we loaded up on warm, cheesy pizza at another local institution, Leonardo's by the Slice.  The line was snaked all the way through the restaurant, but the pizza was great and well worth the wait. With a big variety of toppings and very friendly staff, we will definitely stop by again when we are in town.

This was such a great day trip from central Florida. And a good reminder, that my wanderlusting soul does not always have to get on a plane to be inspired, amused, educated and sated. 

when my children decided to built a cave in the backyard

The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible - and achieve it, generation after generation. 

Pearl Buck

This project took many hours on several days last week.


These kids worked together and got filthy. They chatted and dreamed together and would then pop in to let me know what was changed and what new ideas were brewing.


Plans were made and revised, work loads were divvied up, and observations were shared (how the shovel worked best, what sort of bugs they were running into, how the little artifacts (midden) they uncovered got there). At one point, Indian brave costumes were made and worn.


We even learned about sewage systems when we hit 2 different pipes - one new (PVC) and one old (clay).


Some days we do really typical things; like take a science class, write some poetry  or play math games on a hundreds chart.


But the days where we learn the very most are when we are just digging holes.


This post is my reminder to say YES and let my kids fully pursue their projects, as often as possible and with whatever support they need. 


If you are a family of free range learners - I would love to hear your stories of how you support open ended, dirty projects. Just leave a story or link in the comments.

lake morton :: day 20

wood storks followed us 

circling through the tree tops

too many to count