Visit to Botanical Gardens

Went to the Botanical Gardens last week and enjoyed the lilac festival. We also had the pleasure of meeting a very frisky woodpecker (I think). I couldn't get over how friendly and playful he was. If anyone knows what he is I'd be interested in hearing back from you. I must look him up. We were waiting for chick-a-dees but this little guy appeared. Great day.

Around the World Expo

Yesterday we had our 3rd annual Around the World Expo. 30 families participated. It's the one major event I plan for the homeschool group each year. I was pleased with how it went. All families put so much work into their exhibits. They choose the country they want to study and prepare a table top display. Each family also provides a snack from their country and a stamp or sticker for passports. Each child is given their own passport and when they visit a country they get a sticker or stamp. The food and the passports are by far their favourite part of the Expo!

What Are Your Thoughts on Chores?

A few weeks ago we had a little friend over to play with Mickey. She was telling us that she gets to do grown-up jobs at home which are referred to as chores. In return she gets paid. Firstly, I really dislike that word chore. It's a horrendous word. Not that vacuuming is all roses and bubbles, but if I personally had to think of everything that I was doing around the house as a chore, nothing would get done! In our house, these jobs are just expected. They're what each member of the family does to contribute. If a job needs to get down, someone fills the position. There are no monetary benefits. If my children need something and the request is reasonable, it's bought. At some point, we'll have to figure out how to handle the issue of allowances, but at this point they're not needed. The money in their bank is from gifts. In the future I see paying them for jobs done that are above and beyond the normal every day expectations.

Our Homeschool Learning Room

Our learning room is in our basement and no, it is not a classroom. We use it sporadically; more often in the winter. It's primary use is storage and organization. I keep all of our homeschool resources, craft supplies, my teaching supplies and my haven't-seen-the-light-of-day scrapbooking supplies in this room. It's just a great space for returning everything to it's spot.



There's a reading chair...


a shoe organizer which I use for organizing all of the little stuff...


and cupboard doors covered in rolled corking. This stuff was a nightmare to apply. No More Nails finally did the trick. Do not use a spray adhesive!


We have bins for toys,


bins for finished curriculum,


and bins for work in progress.


Our can't-live-without item is this rack. We separate and store all of our essential drawing tools.


We always have a never ending trail of completed masterpieces lying around the house. I choose or the kids choose their best ones and they are stored in these boxes. It makes me feel less guilty for throwing away the other masterpieces!


We have our reading nook,


and our work table. I love the shape of this table because it allows me to get a little closer to both kids.


Thanks for coming on a tour of our workspace.

Tree Planting at the Lake

A Beautiful Spring Day