Nature Table: end of July

Here is our current nature table, enjoy!

A day of watercolor..

Yesterday we had a day of watercolor ing and water play. While Audrey worked on painting strips of paper for a growth chart, I painted a picture as a gift for a dear friend.

Here is the completed growth chart:

It's interesting to have a visual interpretation of her growth and to see that she grows 6" a year and now stands 40" tall nearing her 3.5 birthday, we plan on celebrating next month with homemade pancakes and a walk on the lakefront.

Mimi's Back!

before leaving

So, poor Mimi had to take a trip back to Canada to get her hair and nose fixed. She was gone for approximately 2 weeks and was greatly missed by AE, even some tears were shed. But now she is back and looking better than she ever did before, must be the fresh Canada air...

Thanks Bamboletta Dolls!

Organizing: Workspace

Now that we are in the last half of the month, I've been feeling like there is a big time crunch to start prepping everything to homeschool AE. Although I am not planning to start Coast School until September, I am one who likes to get things done, quick and easy...We'll also be traveling for most of August, so there is no time like the present to begin "Restoration Workspace".

Before:

Before, everything was piled into one box and the only thing that was truly organized were my sewing supplies. I started by taking everything out and arranging everything on the floor into categories: paper, notebooks, seasonal and random items. I then measured the cupboards of the working space and estimated how many containers I would need.

After:

... Now all that is left is the homeschooling room.

Flashback to "Nola"

Work has taken us many places and today I was reflecting upon my experience in New Orleans Parish, Louisiana. In a perfect world I would absolutely love to buy a home and live there for a couple years, mostly because there is so much rich history and the city has an energy that I have never seen before... sadly I am completely allergic to everything there, the bugs, the plants and sometimes the food.

Aside from the California grown allergies to Louisiana, I firmly believe that everyone should visit Nola at least once in their lifetime. It's almost indescribable the amount of "life" that is still there, despite the tragedy of Katrina, I can only describe it as a place that is starting new and building on what they little there is left and now is a great time to see the progress it is making. 

3 year old favorites

Now that it has become dangerously hot outside (I had a bit of heat stroke the other day), we have been spending lots of time at home. I have been observing AE and noticing what she is drawn to and what keeps her attention, which is mostly her imagination, as I usually hear her talking non stop around our home about castles, princesses and babies. Besides that I do see certain items constantly reappearing on our antique coffee table in the living room...

Currently her summer days consist of coloring paper, cutting paper, going to castles with princesses, making "cake" for new doll May and making tea for her wooden dog. 

Items from:

                                           

 

                 

Two corners of my home

This is inspired by other blogging homeschoolers that I follow. I was in a cleaning mood today and was  so overcome by the warmness the rearranging brought, I hope this leaves you with a feeling of inspiration.

...Dining room corner...

...Bedroom corner...

Summer Heat

So one thing I did not miss about California, is the summer heat. I sometimes find myself looking up some of my favorite day cation getaway spots: Solvang, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Sacramento (which I just realized all unusually start with an s). I am pretty set on Santa Barbara, as there is a free class for parents and children over the summer that we may attend. I also have my heart set on moving near the beach for 6-12 months, most likely San Diego because it is closer to her doctor at Sears Pediatrics, which is a wonderful family practice.
Other than that, our homeschooling plans are moving in positive directions, where AE will be exposed to different cultures, mostly Japanese.

a photo of AE in the summer heat

Star for you to wish upon, and a kiss from me...

Audrey resting with her dolls Mimi and Alice. Truthfully, May arrived a couple days ago, but AE is loving the dolls she has so much now, I am enjoying the time she spends with them. We are planning a trip to get some "gifts" for May, so the day will be extra special, whenever that may be. 

...on another note, I am planning on beginning our preschool home study/ unschooling with a weekly craft that I know we both will be excited to do. Aside from that I am looking forward to making a couple mini road trips to schools nearby, who are holding public events over the summer. 

The very beginning

So begins our path of homeschooling, which will officially begin in the fall, I have already begun to accumulate articles pertaining to my teaching style of choice. Next step is to order a few books from Amazon within the coming week. I will also begin to research how to construct a chalkboard for the dining/ learning area of the house.

Right now we are looking to find "transparency paper" to make window stars to help add warmness to our new home.

Aside from all that, I'm here to help those, living primarily in suburban areas, discover confidence in finding resources all around.