Our Homeschool Journal: a Fort, a Farm, and Family Fun

In our homeschool this week…

We finally hit our summer groove (I know, it’s almost time for heading back to school full time!):  having lots of fun enjoying summer weather and activities, but still accomplishing the schoolwork that I had planned.  The favorite at-home school activity was watching our monarch caterpillars form a chrysalis (much more to share about that in another post).

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

One thing I love about summer in Maine is the plethora of free or low-cost activities.  Maybe it just seems like so many activities because our warm season is short and everyone is trying to fit things in!  Anyway, we had a couple very educational days on the road this week.  The first was “Pirate Day” at Fort Knox, a historic fort we usually visit each year anyway.  An organization put on a show pretending to attack the fort under cannon fire.  The pirate activities were fine, but my kids ended up having much more fun just exploring the fort:  cannons, amazing stonework, passages you could get lost in, powder magazines…what’s not to love?  A sign at the fort mentioned that the granite to build it came from a mountain nearby, so we drove there and hiked up to the quarry.  It was amazing to see masses of granite and talk about how those square blocks of granite for the fort had been made.  Plus the pond that formed in the excavation hole was home to some very cute frogs.

Another day was Open Farm Day in Maine, a day when farmers all over the state open their doors to the public for tours.  We headed to an organic dairy farm, where the farmer was incredibly nice and filled our heads with what it’s like to run a small dairy farm including milking, making cheese and yogurt, and selling products at Farmer’s Markets.  My summary:  a whole lot of hard work.

My favorite activity this week was…

My favorite activity was most definitely being licked by a cute little calf at the dairy farm.  Jo-Jo the calf was only about a month old, and for some reason loved licking us.  This had us all in stitches, but I drew the line when Jo-Jo got to my elbow and began to nibble.

My favorite resource this week…

A new-to-me app called Mathopolis has both my kids practicing their math facts in their spare time.  Really!  Math facts during free time, isn’t that what homeschool moms dream about?

What’s working and not working for us…

Finally getting all the schoolwork I had planned for this week checked off my list (for the first time all summer) is completely working for me!  I love lists, and especially love crossing things off.  What’s not working is going to bed too late trying to catch up on my other lists.

Things I’m working on…

Finalizing next year’s curriculum is at the top of my to-do list.  I’m SO close…just rethinking math and ironing out scheduling.

I’m reading…

The kids and I are reading the Little House series aloud together and right now we’re enjoying Farmer Boy.  I’m going back through Home Learning Year By Year by Rebecca Rupp and Honey for Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt as I formalize my plans for the year.

I’m grateful for…

A camping trip with my parents this weekend…and that there isn’t torrential rain in the weather forecast like there has been for our two other trips so far this summer.  We love camping, and a trip with Grandma and Grandpa is double the fun!

Thank you to the wonderful hostesses with fun link-ups on Fridays.  Be sure to join the fun and see what other homeschoolers are up to!