Categories
This Week on Instagram

This Week on Instagram: Feb 15-21, 2014

This Week on Instagram Feb 15-21 2014

This week has been slow & relaxed and we’ve LOVED it! We spent the weekend with family in Riverside, CA and then headed out to Casper’s Wilderness Park just south of LA. We needed to get away from the city, get caught up on work school. Done, done, and done. We’ve also started to finish potty-training Cara and the poor girl has been pantsless in the Airstream for 4 days. Not much success so far, but we are pretty determined this time around. We’ve also arrived in San Diego and are staying at an RV park in the city. Not the best views, but the beach, the zoo, Sea World, science museums and other fun activities are all under 30 minutes away. Can’t beat that.

Categories
Homeschool

I’ve Unexpectedly Fallen in Love with Homeschooling

I've Unexpectedly Fallen in Love with HomeschoolingI never thought I would, but I absolutely love to homeschool my kids. Even more than that, I love to roadschool my kids. True, there are very frustrating moments (more than I’d care to admit) but mostly it has been the most amazing learning experience for all of us.

I’ve had many people ask HOW we do it. How I (we) spend all day with our children, how I figure out what to teach them, how I get time for myself. The truth is, we just do. There’s no magic secret, mostly just good old fashioned, shoulder to wheel… work.

In complete honesty, however, I’m not sure I could homeschool in a house. The easy part about roadschooling is that our surroundings are always changing. Each week we have a new city. New science centers, new hikes, new museums, new beaches, new playgrounds, new National Parks. We are not visiting the same ones over, and over, and that definitely makes the same type of activity more interesting.

At the same time, roadschooling does make other aspects more difficult. I would LOVE to be part of a group. I know there are plenty of families out there that homeschool and do music groups, PE groups, or group lessons. That would definitely alleviate the pressure of doing everything myself. However, that also comes with the price of a schedule.

More and more I realize how grateful I am to be currently homeschooling my children. My favorite aspect is the FREEDOM. Its like I can suddenly breath again. We are not tied to anyone else’s schedule. I get to see my kids ALL day (and yes, I consider that a perk. Most days.). My kids can PLAY. Kids learn best when they play, so why don’t we let them? As I sit in science center after science center in city after city, watching them explore, fiddle, and experiment, I wonder if they really are learning anything. Then my kids will surprise me with an observation and I’m just floored. They DO learn. While discussing California with Rachel today for Geography, I mentioned that its nickname is the Golden State and did she know why? Andrew, sitting across the table, pipes up with all sorts of information about the gold rush, why it was important, and what people were hoping to accomplish by coming to California. What the? I asked him where he learned that, and he simply said, “My Tag Reader Puzzle”. He picked all of that information up while playing a game.

Is homeschooling right for everyone? No. I don’t think so. Will it always be right for our family? I don’t know that either. Is it hard? Incredibly. Do I always have the answers? Definitely not. I figure we just take it one step at time, we pay attention to what our kids need, and we go from there. For now though, I’m just going to enjoy it.

Categories
National Parks Pennyslyvania

Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia

I remember visiting Philadelphia as a young teenager, but don’t remember many specifics. I’ve always wanted to go back, so when the opportunity arose to visit some friends while we were living on the East Coast we jumped at the chance!

When We Visited: November 2013
Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3
Tip: If you want a tour of Independence Hall on a weekend, get there EARLY. We had no idea and didn’t actually get to go in.

We spent a Saturday morning exploring downtown Philly, and one of our favorite stops was Independence National Historic Park, or more commonly known as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

We arrived via train, and walked the last two blocks or so to the visitor center to pick up our Junior Ranger books. This was our young friend, Matty’s first experience with the program, so my kids deftly showed him the ropes.

IMG_2135Surprisingly there was quite a long line to see the Liberty Bell, but the kids really wanted to, so we worked on our books while daddy stood in line.

Afterward, we went into Independence Square and toured a couple of the outbuildings that used to house the House of Representatives and the Senate. Unfortunately, our guide was dry and boring and the kids were restless, so we snuck out about halfway through the tour. After talking with another family we encountered, we realized it was just our guide as their experience had been quite pleasant. 🙁

My favorite part was the printing shop in Franklin Square where we saw how Ben Franklin used to set the type on the old printing press, ink the type, and then press into the paper.

Overall, it was a great day! There is much more to see as the “park” is actually quite the collection of buildings and other historically significant areas in the downtown area. I felt we did the important parts though and the kids were excited about their badges.

Categories
Homeschool

Our Top 10 Favorite {Kid Friendly} Board & Card Games

Looking for simple board or card games to play with your kids? Check out this list of our 10 favorites!

We are not nearly the intense gaming family I once envisioned. Growing up holidays were spent with cousins playing game after game while munching on ridiculously yummy food. Sam grew up pouring concrete on holidays (or some other such work project) and thought holidays playing games were a trifle…boring. As a family, we’ve settled somewhere nicely balanced in between.

A good portion of our cupboard space in the Airstream is filled with card and board games – many of them intentionally purchased for homeschooling purposes. In no particular order here are our current favorites:

Ages of Kids: Rachel (8), Andrew (6), Cara (3.5)

Robot Turtles: We already blogged about this one and it definitely makes our list. Teach kids the basics of programming while they navigate their turtles through a maze to find their jewel. All 3 of our kids love this one and can play simultaneously at different levels (although that requires some seriously thinking on Sam’s part to set up the maze).

Sleeping Queens: We pretty much love any game by Gamewright. They do such a great job. Use a King to wake up a Queen, a Knight to steal one, or a sleeping potion to put an opponent’s Queen back to sleep. Easy to play, and the older 2 love it. Cara usually plays on a team.

Mermaid Beach: Cara has started playing her own cards on this one recently. A mix between Go Fish, Old Maid, and something else entirely. Super fun, quick, and easy to play.

Yahtzee Jr Toy Story: With a Buzz Lightyear lover, how could we not own this game? I love that its super easy to play – you just roll the dice and try to collect 5 of a specific character. It also plays fast. Cara can play this one by herself as long as I prod her to choose someone other than Buzz every turn.

Sequence Letters: This game was really great for Andrew about a year ago when he was learning his letters and sounds. Now its easier for him to play, but both Rachel & Andrew still love it. Too advanced for Cara to play on her own, but now that she’s learning her letters it won’t be long.

Spot It Jr Animals: This game is sweeping the nation. We were introduced by friends in Philadelphia, and given the game from Aunt Chelsea in Utah, while we had Christmas in Texas. Follow that? We bought the Jr. version thinking it would be a little easier for Cara. She normally doesn’t play, but I think we could start her pretty soon.

Tell Tale, Fairy Tales: Created by the same people as Spot It! this is a similar round card design. We play the version where each person adds a card to the collective story, that way all 3 kids can play. Great for writing practice!

The Scrambled States of America Game: Bought this one for Geography. Each player has a pile of states and has to find one that is “East of Missouri” or “Starts with the letter A, B, or C” or “Has a Capital with 7 Letters”. The person with the most states at the end wins.

Rush Hour Jr: Homeschool purchase designed to make my kids think. You have to navigate the ice cream truck out of the maze.

Qwirkle: We throw out the figurative scoring pad on this one and just play to see how many Qwirkles we can get. We help each other find the best places to put tiles and don’t keep score. Cara even enjoys pulling new tiles out and helping me match the colors and shapes.

ARGH!: I just HAD to add this one in. I LOVE this game. Its fast, fairly brainless, and super cute. More of a “I can’t stop drawing for jewels” and then “Crap! I just lost all my jewels to the pirate” kind of fun. Great for entertaining my kids while we wait at the laundromat. All 3 kids play this one.

Here are two bonus games played mostly by Sam & I:

Tantrix: We bought this game almost 10 years ago in New Zealand, and its actually a game we will play with the two of us. Create the longest line to win the game. Loops earn double points.

Monopoly Deal: I HATE the real version of Monopoly. This one I’ll play anytime, anywhere. Super fast, fun to play, and sometimes there’s just nothing you can do to win. (I just looked this up on Amazon and its been discontinued. 🙁 Apparently we’d better not lose it).


Categories
Maryland National Parks Washington DC

Fort McHenry and the 2013 Defenders Day Bicentenial

visiting Fort McHenry in Baltimore Maryland with Kids

Visiting Fort McHenry was a wonderful experience of connecting with history. We went with some friends from college and timed our visit for one of the Bicentennial events which celebrated the victory during the war of 1812. Although the war began in 1812, it lasted two years and ended in 1814. The Friends of Fort McHenry arranged an annual celebration starting in 2012 and culminating on the 200th anniversary in the fall of 2014.

When We Visited: September 2013

Ages of Kids: 7, 6, 3

Things to Know: The Jr. Ranger Badge is one of the more difficult ones we’ve encountered. You also need to bring your own colored pencils and a pen. Free parking, but its a bit of a walk. Definitely recommend a stroller for little ones.

While Fort McHenry is always there, additional activities included musket demonstrations, bands, plenty of folks in period clothing, and an evening of fireworks. The kids had a bit of trouble with the loud musket demonstrations, but loved exploring the fort and earning their Junior Ranger badges.

While there is plenty of history behind the fort and the War of 1812, our historical realizations focused on three things:

First, the War was all about telling the British: “No, Seriously. We mean it!” The British wanted the American Colonies and came across the ocean to bring us back under the flag of the British Empire. They soon learned that we liked being an independent nation and were not interested in their offer. The war of 1812 also involved the burning of the United States Capital.

Second, was the situation surrounding Mr. Francis Scott Key and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. Mr. Key (a loyal American) was on a British ship out in the bay during the entire event. He was aboard the ship negotiating the release of an American prisoner, and although he secured the prisoner’s release, they overheard the British plans for an attack on Forth McHenry.  The British held Mr. Key and his released prisoner on board until after the attack was over. In the morning, Francis Scott Key raised his binoculars and through the smoke saw the Stars and Stripes “gallantly streaming”. He was so inspired, he penned the words to The Star Spangled Banner, a song which would later become our national anthem.

Lastly, we learned that the “Star Spangled Banner” does not references just any American flag. The title specifically applies to the flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes. They fly the Star Spangled Banner at the fort everyday and we were able to help with the lowering of the large day time flag, and the raising of the smaller flag they fly at night.

If you happen to be in the Baltimore area in Fall 2014, be sure to participate in the last Bicentennial Defenders Day Event!

Fort McHenry Bicentennial Event