A Place Like This......

Some Things To Be Excited About

Tonight Elizabeth from So Wabi Sabi and Threading Light is giving a tele-seminar over at The Mindful Connection at 8 pm Eastern time. Tonight's topic is finding the Sacred in everyday life. I can hardly wait to hear this. The whole series started on May 4th and has had a great list of speakers. You can join in listenting today and if there is someone that you missed but really wanted to hear, you can purchase the whole series.

Donna Ashton, who is the creator of both The Mindful Connection and The Waldorf Connection is such a talent and really has a way with organizing online events which brings us the information we are all wondering about from the speakers who have already figured it out. Donna is having a home-expo over at The Waldorf Connection filled with the most incredible speakers about home schooling. This starts on May 27th and it's free. Go head on over and sign-up if you are interested in Homeschooling and Waldorf.

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The last something on my excited list is one that is near and dear to my heart, and that is Jump Into A Book. A year ago I started a blog which would let my family share the love of reading which we have experienced as a family, a bookclub, and as a community. For the last 12 years we've had a parent/child bookclub which has us reading our chosen books outloud to each other in our family settings, and then we  plan an entire adventure based on the characters and storylines of our book.

For years people would say,"You should write a book so that other people can do this too." This seemed like a daunting task. First, because there are so many great books and how do I choose a few and second could the adventures translate into written form?

After thinking long and hard it became clear that the blogging format was the perfect one to share our love of reading and how our books come alive. It has been a great year and we have met so many other book jumpers, librarians ( a book readers best friend), authors,illustrators, teachers, homeschoolers, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and so many who love to read books and want to be part of the story.

Summer is here!!!!! Tomorrow 5th grade is finished and it's time to jump into our favorite summertime reading, the only difference is that this year we are inviting you to jump into a few good books with us.

It's time to celebrate !!!!

It's with the spirit of this celebration that I announce our Jump Into A Book Summer Reading Adventures!!!

Please join us in the pages of

• Treasure Island ( Week of June 21st 2010)

• The Swiss Family Robinson (July 29th -August 3rd 2010)

• Heidi (Week of August 16th 2010 )

Each adventure includes:

• Feasting
• Dressing for the Occasion
• Things to Make
• Let's Get Moving
• Singing Along
• From the Garrett of
• Circle Chat
• Another Look ( Links,films, and other media)

Our book jumping adventures started with "The Classics". By sharing the books that my grand- parents shared with my parents, and my parents shared with me, we are able to all hold a memory of some of the greatest book writing there ever was.

Our activites are geared for children of all ages and can be enjoyed in mixed age settings. Please come and join us, and become part of a growing community of readers who experience what they read. Don't worry if you reading skill isn't at the level of these books. These are read a-loud stories, so if you can listen, you can live inside these pages.

If you would like to join us,please leave a comment below with your name, ages, and an email so I can send further info. Oh and please be sure to tell your friends.

 Here's to Jumping Into Books!

More info to come at Jump Into A Book.

Journey North

17 years ago when the girls were still small, I connected with an on-line group called Journey North. Twice a year we would watch the migration of the monarch butterflies,robins,gray whales, tulips, and wolves. Oftentimes, I will be watching two or three migrations at a time but the one which has always been consistent is that of the monarch butterfly.

Today opens the migration season. Every Thursday ,new videos and field data are posted from Mexico and then moving northwards until the monarchs have returned to the U.S.

 

Journey North started as a citizen's science project to engage children in observing the seasonal changes all around them and the world. Watching the migration patterns the interconnectedness of our planet.

It's such a wonder to watch the monarchs in their cocoons in the mountains of Mexico. There are millions of them. We watch and watch and watch and then finally they hatch. When they fly away the sky becomes monarched colored. It is just a thrill. It's so much fun to watch spring make it's way North. Daily getting updates from fellow observers until one day you see a monarch and it's your turn to give a field report. It never gets old.

Video and migration maps are live. Also included in each migration are authentic field observations from citizen scientists, photos of the week, and other great Journey North lessons and links. It's really a living migration experience.

Journey North is free and everyone is welcome. Happy Migration Season!!!!

Meet n'Greet Little Acorn Learning

Sometimes life hands you something so wonderful and unexpected that you just have to share it. That's how I feel about Eileen. I first met Eileen, via blogland, when we both had summited articles for Rhythm of the Home. As I read through the e-magazine I was thrilled with all of the great writing, projects, and reflections to a conscious/creative life.

Eileen is a bright light in this world. Not only does she have her own daycare/preschool but she has created a program for childcare providers,home schoolers,co-ops,parents,daycare centers,schools and teachers called, "Little Acorn Learning".

Embracing the rhythm of each day Little Acorn Learning, gently guides the nurturing adult and child through a holistic and whole life program.

In her monthly guides, Eileen has every day planned out to reach the goal of reconnecting children to nature while supporting the caregiver. Inside each issue are stories for children,celebrations of seasons and festivals, crafting, handwork, children's activities, seasonal menus, cooking, baking and recipes. Also included in each e-book are book recommendations, morning talk suggestions, and teacher classroom work.

These 3 or 5 day programs are so imaginative,genuine, and creative. My first thought was WOW what a great way to create a community and continue the connection of sharing this planet. Everyday is an experience at Little Acorn Learning.  

So when Eileen contacted me a few weeks after the Rhythm of the Home came out I was utterly thrilled. In her kinds words she asked if I would write an article for her e-newsletter. Happily I agreed and this week the newsletter came out. The newsletter itself is a full experience of February. Complete with songs,quotes, stories,art, the celebration of Candle-mas and a jump into a book called "The Blizzard Robe", you could not enjoy a month more than February. Please be sure to sign-up for her newsletter so that you will not miss out on any month of the year. Each is an exciting adventure into what the month holds.

The Brain is Wider than the Sky

 

It is such an exciting time, after all of the parenting hours to watch your child get ready to go to college. Their senior year is filled with so many "last" moments and so many new ones. There are always several trips to visit universities. Last weekend saw us at Vanderbilt.

While visiting Vanderbilt University we had the great pleasure to be inspired to continue our love of learning. Every brick,leaf, and building exudes the breath of learning. What a suprise it was to find this lovely quote of Emily Dickinson on the outside of this building. As we entered, her entire poem waited for us carved in the wall.

 
 
From this we continued our walk into a cathedral of learning

 
 
  
 Before we continue our tour of Vanderbilt I want to say something really important. Vanderbilt is so completely dedicated to learning that they offer admission to those who can contribute to their academic community actively. As a whole person, not just academically. Yes, Vandy is very expensive but I heard something from this University that I haven't heard from another. Regardless of what their tuition is, an admitted student will only pay what they are able and the university will meet the rest of the expenses. It is the universities wish that no undergraduate will graduate with loans. They admit to their school blindly, which means they don't know your financial status until after admission is granted. The extended support they give each student will only allow them to go out and create a better world. I was so impressed with this school.

Here are a few more snap shots of Vanderbilt University. Enjoy!

  
 

The Summer List

Pancakes are made. Three children sitting around the table, and I with my pen and paper to write it all down.

        

It is a long standing tradition of making a list of what we want to do during the summer.. There are usually way many more things to do than there are days of summer,but that doesn't matter. Dreamin's free so dream big. The intention is always the same, however, and that is to make sure that we do not say goodbye to summer feeling that we haven't "lived it well."

                              

This year's list contains the usual hiking, biking, swimming.

• It also includes some reconstruction of fairy houses, in trees this time. 
• Tables, chairs, workbench,flag and "deck stuff" are to be lovingly constructed for the treehouse.
• Campfires which include s'mores,songs, and spooky stories.
• Learning how to cook family favorites
• Watching fireflies turn on and off. Did I mention in a group? not us ,the fireflies.

Book Jumping (More on this later)

"O" boy will finish writing his book"Arnold the Nerd."

Gardening

Putting up the harvest.

Working at Children's Hospital

What kind of birds are those in our backyard?

Traveling to far away lands.

Learn Hindi.

And..........The Big Project.

There is always the "Big Project". Remember last years big project? One of the requirements for the project is that is takes more than one person to pull it off.....usually a whole village. It's learning how to work in a team and be inspired by the group. This year we were greatly inspired by the box car over at Wisecraft and the Buffy Porson.

                             

Luckily, we ran into a copy of this great book at our used bookstore. It's fate!:) The dreaming has begun, modifications are being made, supply lists be written,helpers being contacted.In our spare time we have named our new creation to be "The Little Red Ride". There have been many drawings fashioned and drawn for us to model our car after. Some of us are so excited we can't even sleep.

                             

                          

                         

We are happy to be participating in This Vintage Chica's Summer Unschool this summer. For us the most important thing about "Unschooling" is the idea that the kids direct and choose their "learning" experiences . We are so happy to be sharing this journey with so many wonderful blogging families.

Welcome to the first days of Summer!!!!!!

                      

How to measure a tree.

We've been spending a lot of time in the forest and walking the greenbelt looking for trees on our scavenger hunt list. As we discover trees and all they hold for us, one of the questions that came up was, How tall do you think that tree is ?

There's an easy answer to this question.

         

          

                         

                         

And now let's measure the diameter.