Memories, part I

Following on from my last post, where I posted lots (and lots!) of photos I'd taken from this house - yes, this house that will soon no longer be our house - our home - this post will not concentrate on what I can see from my window, but rather on some of the memories that have been created over our years here.

Of course, they are so much more precious than even the most stunning of sunsets. Wouldn't you agree?

(When I actually began to write this post, I realised I have far too many memories for just one post. This one will specifically look at specific annual events. In another post, we'll look back at some of the memories that stem from folk who've stayed with us. And in yet another post, well, we'll take a wander down memory lane at some of the memories made simply because this was our home.)

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On the Saturday closest to the 5th of November each year, our kids and The Cousins would begin to build a bonfire.

Normally, as much fun was had in the building of the fire, as in the burning of it.

Poor Guy .... erm, or .... maybe not!

There is no doubt that one of best aspects of our kids living here has been the proximity of these cousins.

This kinda sums it up:

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 Some of our homeschool get-togethers have made wonderful memories for me. Because there are so few of us homeschooling on the island, the bonds between us are strong.

At times, we celebrated British events, like Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

(Aye, you Americans can kid us all you like, but we know you love our Queen, and would swap her for most of the Presidents you've had over the 63 years she's been our Head of State. Go on... admit it!)

The preparation was always fun

the looking back at history was always fascinating,

the making, and especially the eating of food was pretty good too,

but the people is always what made the day special. On this particular day, the sunshine made us abandon the house and head to 'our beach'.

Definitely a good choice :)

*     *     *

We also, as y'all know, celebrated some American events. 

And sometimes, we were even privileged to have Americans join us!

And we would end the day with the signing of the Constitution. Aye, for all the fun involved, we never forgot we were homeschoolers. 

Or something like that ;)

Sometimes, during our (fairly frequent) American celebration, Jackson would forget himself, and would appear to be supporting the wrong side.

Or ... right side?

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DR's birthday falls in July, and the way in which we celebrated his 18th birthday became a bit on an annual event.

Of course, we had cake ...

and food ...

And of course ... people!

Lots of people always make for a fun time,

but sometimes it only takes a pair of ... well, you know the kind of folks ... 

*     *     * 

Thanskgiving Day became another excuse reason for us homeschoolers to get together.

We can surely say these words from Psalm 136: "Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good". 

The children always had fun filling the tree with 'thankful for...' leaves.

And treasure hunts for letters to make up a sentence went down a treat too.

Stories of the Mayflower, of the first Thanksgiving, and placing the tail on the turkey made up part of a very happy and fun homeschoolers' get-together.

*     *     *

Boxing Day family get-togethers were also an annual event, with the Builder's side of the family gathering for much merriment and laughter.

This past Boxing Day saw all the aunts and uncles and all the cousins together. Given the way our lives are going, we were keenly aware that such a gathering may not happen again for quite some time. 

My advice to y'all? Get together! 

Just do it. Make excuses. Or feel the need for no excuse - even better!

*     *     *

Get-togethers like the one photographed here had no real reason. Just kids deciding to go ten-pin bowling, come back here for a buffet, and then spend some time playing Articulate, blethering, and then worshipping God together.

See ... no event needed!

But plenty memories made.

Red Farmhouse's Guest Post on Why we Homeschool

Here's another post from my Drafts folder. This one has been sitting there for a long time, and it comes from Kim at her lovely blog, Life in a Little Red Farmhouse. 

Kim and her husband and three sons live on a homestead in Oklahoma. Head over to the blog and see how they live their lives.

Here's a post that Kim posted on her blog quite some time back ...

  

Homeschooling - it sounds like a hard thing to do. Honestly, sometimes it is. But often difficult things are the most rewarding. And homeschooling has been rewarding for our family.

We are on our eleventh year in our homeschooling journey. I call it a journey because it is an ever changing road that we decided to walk down. I never thought we could make it this far. Somehow it has just worked for our family. Now it just seems a normal part of life. Teaching our boys spelling and math has been an extension of teaching them to eat with a spoon and to walk. Each year we evaluate each boy to decide if it is best for them. So far, homeschooling has been successful for each of them and so we continue on our road of learning together. I must admit, over the years I have learned as much as they have, not only about phonics and history but more importantly about myself.

Today, I wanted to answer a few questions about homeschooling that I have been asked over the last decade...

1. Why did you decide to homeschool your children?

I had an excellent example, my sister in law, that homeschooled before me. Silently, I observed them for years mulling it over in my mind. I would ask myself, "Can I do that?" When our oldest, went to Pre-K, he started getting in trouble. He was a very sweet boy and obedient but wiggly as most boys are and so he became very unhappy. We decide to give homeschooling a try. And then I knew, "I really can do this!"


2.What is your philosophy of education?

Our philosophy is simple: Build a foundation of faith. Add to that the basics: math, science, grammar and writing. Polish it off with an understanding of history and good age appropriate literature.

Teach them they can pick up any book at any time and learn something from it. Encourage each one in their strengths and help them along in their weaknesses. And have a little fun along the way.


3. What has been the best thing about homeschooling for you?

That's hard to pick just one thing. I'll give you the top two:
Character development has been the biggest plus in homeschooling our boys. It has given us the opportunity to know them better as they have grown, deal with issues that arise (and they always do), and mold and shape their character in a way that we never could have without homeschooling.
And second, they remain the best of friends to the point that they all still want to share a room together at ages 17, 14 and 11. I hope that this will last their entire lives. The truth is that friends come and friends go but close brothers last a lifetime.


4. What has been the hardest thing about homeschooling?

The knowledge that we are soley responsible for their education. It can be an overwhelming thing if you dwell on it. Now that I have one that will soon be off to college, I realize that taking one step at a time down a long path is the best way to get there.

I  when I feel like I'm failing, I comfort myself in the thought that no one wants my children to succeed more than I do.


5. How do you know what to teach?

Now days, there are endless options for curriculum. Most are very user friendly and require little work for the mom-teacher. This is a great thing especially when you have multiple ages. Whenever we can combine history, literature, or science and still be age appropriate for each child, we do.

Here is my list of go-tos: 

• Math U See
• Apologia Science
• Easy Grammar
• Institute for Excellence in Writing
• Spelling Power
• Wordly Wise Vocabulary
• and my favorite - Sonlight literature and history

6. What do you do if there is something you just don't think you are qualified to teach?

It wasn't until high school that this even became an issue. With our oldest son reaching that stage a few years ago, we started taking advantage of private and group tutoring for science and math. Letting some very qualified ladies teach the things that were out of my comfort zone has worked out great for us. It has allowed me to still oversee the completion of the schoolwork and step in to help if needed but leave the heavy teaching to someone else. This year, I am trading off a subject with another mom. Her girls come to take drawing from me and she teaches writing composition to my boys. I love that. I also love that she doesn't mind teaching them outside even if it's on a fence post.


7. What about socialization?

There are so many opportunities for socializing with other homeschooled kids that you can not have enough time to do schoolwork. Over the years, my boys have been involved with a homeschooled Boy Scout troop and a weekly PE class as well as art classes, pottery, playgroups, book clubs, and even a Shakespeare club. I had a woman ask me once how my children were going to learn to stand in line. Funny, we were at that very moment in a check out line at Walmart. Is that really socialization anyway? Good socialization, in my opinion, is a child being able to relate and communicate with any age of person, something that homeschooled kids often do well.


8. If "school" doesn't take as long at home as it does in a classroom, what do you do with the rest of the day?

Oh, that has been the fun part and one of the reasons we built this farm. Keeping kids busy is important. Boys, especially as they get older, need something to do that makes them feel important. And they sure don't need more time in front of a screen. We have tried over the years to encourage life skills and hobbies.

Doing things like properly saddling your horse and taking it for a ride,

building something on their own,

  

caring for animals (yes, even falcons),

playing thinking games,

or even working for spending money, are all ways that our boys spend their days.

"Find something that you love, and do that", is what our boys hear us say on a regular basis. Education should not be all about the books.

Thanks, Kim, 

Happy Independence Day!

This is from a couple of years ago, and is re-posted to prove that us Brits hold nothing against you Americans for your treasonous patriotic acts over 200 years ago.

After all, why would we care that you felt willing to fight and die just to get rid of our governance over you? What is it to us that you preferred liberty over security?

As I say .... not offended at all.

...

Happy Independence Day, all you American-not-wanting-to-be-British-any-more ....er, friends.


Yes, today, in this corner of the United Kingdom, from which you wanted freedom (not that I'm offended or anything), we celebrated.


Mostly we ate:

These cookies were made by a real, authentic American, so they tasted extra special.


We then sang your National Anthem. Who decided on this tune, may I ask? It must have been someone with an uncommonly large singing range. Down to your boots the notes go, then up to the stars. 


Phew! You could still decide to go with God Save our Queen. You know, if y'all decided you were mistaken with all that 'No taxes without representation' stuff back in the 1770s, and if you did a wee bit of apologising, maybe a little grovelling.... we'd take you back I reckon.


Just think, you could be singing our National Anthem next year. Just think how easy it'd be on y'all.


After our attempts are your anthem, we decided to head to the beach. Wait for this: we had temperatures of 21C today. Twenty-one! It was actually warmer outside in the garden than in the house. I could almost have been in America.

 I think this girl was guilty of a treasonable offence.

Calum was too: he said something nasty about George III (I can't think what on earth he might have against King George III. After all, he was an okay guy, wasn't he. All he did was lose us America, and what's that between friends.)

Calum, I charge you with making derogatory comments regarding King George III, who, after all, never caused any harm to his nation.  

Guilty as charged, m' lud.

 This year, we signed the Declaration of Independence.

And so it's Goodbye from all of us for another year....

.... even from Jackson (who didn't seem to treat the flag with the greatest of respect, despite all my warnings).  

Sshhhh. I know this is not appropriate on Independence Day, but when I asked Jackson to show a bit more respect to The Flag, he very snootily said, 'Er, remember who I am? I am Jackson. Enough said.'

I am sorry. I do try, but sometimes a dog makes up his own mind.

Happy Independence Day to you all!

Great Discoveries for a Homeschooler - Study Guides!

One of the best discoveries us homeschooling mums can make is materials that have been published along with ready-made study questions. 

Here are just some of our ready-made-by-the-publishers-study-guide-included stuff!

We are using Economics for Everybody from Ligonier Ministries.

This is what the blurb says:

Everybody talks about it. The news is full of it. But most Christians know very little about it. Economics: it’s everywhere, influencing everything, yet so rarely understood.

Economics for Everybody seeks to remedy that through an insightful and entertaining exploration of the principles, practices, and consequences of economics. Thoroughly unconventional, it links entrepreneurship with lemonade, cartoons with markets, and Charlie Chaplin with supply and demand. It’s funny, clever, profound and instructive.

If you want to know why economics is so important to understand, this is the series for you. In our day and age, it’s a message every Christian needs to hear.

The printed workbook comes with information on each lecture; appropriate Bible readings; copious lecture notes; and ...

a selection of questions: multiple choice, Short Answers and longer Discussion Questions.

I'm hoping we'll come across thoughts that provoke us to dig more deeply to really know what we think; that send us to Scripture to really know what it says; and thoughts even that we disagree with. Disagreeing with what confronts us normally forces us to question why we think what we think. 

If there is anything I'd love for my kids to be able to do it's to think. 

~       ~       ~

This set of DVDs called Reformation Profiles is not expensive at all. We were able to download the DVDs and the Study Guide, and so we did not even incur postage costs..... always a bonus when you're buying from Across the Pond.

The site's summary says:

People new to Reformed theology may wonder just what it was about a five-hundred-year-old historical movement that affects our thinking so much today. So join Dr. Stephen Nichols for an inviting, approachable take on “Reformation 101,” as he explores the events of the Protestant Reformation from the perspective of important figures from each of four key countries in this new seven-part teaching series. More than a history lesson, Dr. Nichols helps believers understand why the Reformation mattered then and matters now.

We've done the first couple of lectures, and so far, we are enjoying this series. The best of this type of situation is that you can use the same questions but have different expectations from the different age groups. I may ask for a detailed written answer from one of the older ones, but simply sit and talk about the answer with the Wee Guy.

Perfect!

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One more.

These books - the Crown and Covenant series - are great historical fiction books, but when I bought them online, I realised there was the added bonus of ...

a downloadable Study Guide.

Have you made discoveries like these?

What are some of the discoveries you homeschoolers have made that have made life easier for you? 

Spill the Beans!

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse

We had the most fascinating visit to the Arnol Blackhouse today. It really was such an interesting visit and I am now in awe of those who lived here without all the modern amenities to which we are all accustomed.

We'll begin in the Living Room. This fire in the centre of the house is what makes this house so unique, and is what made Historic Scotland take the house over around 50 years ago. There are many other thatched houses preserved, but they have their fire in a fireplace and have a chimney.

This one - as you can see - has the fire on the slab in the middle of the floor, with the smoke rising to fill the house. 

And we'll begin with the smoke. When I went in the main door, the smell of the peat fire was the first thing that hit me. By the way, if you've never smelt a peat fire, you really are missing out on life. Big style.  I have to say that my own first thought was how bad this smoke must have been for those living in the black houses, but the smoke isn't all bad ...

If you look at the photo, you can see how blackened the rafters are. The soot actually helped preserve this wood. Even more fascinating, though, is that this same smoke which filtered out through the roof thatch killed bacteria which would have rotted the thatch. With the fire in the middle of the floor, the wood and thatch was protected and the lifespan of both was extended. 

In the photo you can see the partition between the living area and the bedroom. Notice that it doesn't reach the ceiling: that is so that the smoke is able to spread through the whole area of the house, and the benefits of the smoke reaches the whole roof area.

These dried plant stalks were used as hooks at times, but at other times, the folks hooked salted fish on them. They were hung from the ceiling and ... yes, you guessed it - they were smoked! 

Back to the first photo ...

The curtains surround the box-bed. The actual bedroom is through the doorway, but the blackhouse also has a box-bed in the living area. This bed was for anyone who was ill or elderly. In this particular house, this was the granny's bed. Having the granny or an ill person here meant they were close to the fire and were kept warm, but - most importantly - they were part of the family throughout the day.

This dresser was in the original house too, and all the dishes are exactly as the last occupants of the house had them. What is really interesting about the dresser is that it is made from driftwood. If you have never been in Lewis, you will not appreciate how tree-less the island is. There were simply no easy ways of finding wood for rafters, for box-beds or for furniture. And so driftwood was sought, and utilised. In fact, when a young couple were getting married, some driftwood was one of the best wedding gifts they could be given. 

If you look carefully at this wood (again, this is all exactly as the house was when it was being lived in) in one of the box-beds in the bedroom, you will see deep grooves in them. These grooves were made by sea worms and experts who have examined them have confirmed that the worms which made these grooves are found in the South Atlantic. This driftwood was swept from the South Atlantic to the shores on the west coast of Lewis. I guess that's the Gulf Stream for you!

The bedroom, with two box-beds, a table and two clothes chests.

Our fascinating and informative guide, here keeping the fire alive

At the other end of the living area from the bedroom was the byre. The two stalls here kept the cows, while the straw-filled boxes at the end were for the chickens. The opening above these is where the chickens  sauntered in and out at their leisure. 

Evidence has been found of similar houses to this in Norway and in other Scandinavian countries. They are also to be found in all the areas in which the Vikings ruled: Iceland, Scottish islands such as Shetland, Orkney and Lewis, and as far away as Newfoundland in Canada. The Vikings were in the north-east of North America long before Columbus discovered the continent. 

We had such a good time visiting this blackhouse today. A huge thank you to our guide, and a definite recommendation to anyone who hasn't visited and is able to.

Go visit! 

And ask for a 'live' tour guide. As we found out on the London buses - there just aint nothin' like it.