Beginning the New School Year

So we started out the new school year with a bang.  The new year began on the first day of our new Charlotte Mason co-op's first meeting.  Our co-op meets just once a month.  Other's who have done co-ops before thought that once a week just gets too overwhelming. We've never been in a co-op before, but I would agree that once a week would be too much.  For now at co-op we do the following;

Together we...
sing our hymn of the month
children give recitations
sing our folk song of the month

The olders and youngers break for:
Shakespeare...the olders will be reading their assigned roles for our chosen play, the youngers are read the play from Lamb's Shakespeare

We have a lunch break, which gives all the kids a chance to run around and chat.

Then we separate again into olders (close to high school age and up), and youngers for..
science...the olders are doing biology and this time is for a group lab
the youngers...go for a nature walk and do a craft

Afterwards they were let loose to run and play.

It was a great success!  I had the youngers for the nature walk.  I had them make a fairy loom (found HERE) before we took our walk.  I wasn't sure how well it would be received, but all the kids loved it!  Then after our walk they painted.

As for the rest of our regular schooling.  Um, well, lets just say I'm still not all prepared.  Kind of hard when we don't have all of our books!  We really need to make sure to buy ahead, which is hard to do when we are behind on....well, everything!  ha!  I was pretty upset about it all.  I don't relish having the kids having to read week 5 on one book, week2 on another book, week 1 on a third, etc. Makes for a confusing day...every day.  But waiting until we get all the books in isn't an option either as we are behind as it is.  Like I said, we are behind on EVERYTHING.  You name it, and we are behind.  Thankfully this morning I was able to take a deep breath and convince myself that we can make this work.  (though part of my brain thinks I'm lying...hee, hee)  But, unless money starts to grow on our trees, behind we stay.

I have a bunch of pictures to share.  I really, really wish I had gotten pictures of our co-op  meeting, but alas I was too busy :-)  Most of these pictures are taken by Moira, or Flannery...since I don't have a camera.  I have to sneak it away from Moira to get a turn :-)

We've lived close by to a nature trail for the past 6 years.  It was only this past month that we made a visit to it for the first time!  We all loved it so much we visited it again the following week, which is when these pictures were taken.  Here we are starting on our walk.

There are two trails.  The first one is supposed to take you by a water falls.  However, there was no waterfall.  A sign posted said the water was dried up due to the 3 year drought.  Bummer!  And scary all at the same time.  This time we took the other trail, which has this pretty lake on it.

 Oops, pictures out of order.  Here we are on our way to said lake.

 An overlook view of the lake.



Aubrey was pretty fascinated by the water.

Saoirse, don't fall in!  Not that it would have been a big deal as the lake at that point is a mere 2 feet deep.

Time to get this kid new shoes!!!  Seriously!  Not because he is outgrowing them, but for my sanity.  These are hand me downs, so the velcro on the sandal is worn out.  On top of that Jonah insists on having the shoes on tight.  This was only the thousandth time I stopped during our walk (we are only half way through the walk) to refasten the velcro strap.   I'm telling you, if I had some duct tape I would have taped them on!

 Change of shoulders.

Pictures out of order again.  Ugh.  Well, first we came across the below...very odd mushroom.  Twenty yards later we came across this fellow...

See, odd mushroom...and that gave us the idea to do this:

 Ha, ha!  The mushroom was already fallen over, though I think putting this plump fellow in it did the mushroom in.  Sorry mushroom.

 Oooh, a bamboo "forest".  This stuff is so interesting.  I love bamboo made things.  I would love to grow some of our own, except that it is very invasive.  Behind this is a hill that leads to a waterfall and creek.  It is amazing to see the roots of this thing!!  Wow, I could see this totally overtaking our whole hillside on our property!  Yikes.  Maybe if we had 100 acres I'd consider it :-)

 The waterfall behind that stand of bamboo in the above picture.

 Thank goodness he's so cute :-) This was stop 2 million and 52 to refasten velcro strap.

Alrighty, off to get a start on our day.  Never mind that it is almost lunch time.  Non the less we shall try to get a handle on our day and try to figure out how we will do all this school stuff in an orderly fashion.  Wish  me luck...wait no...pray, yes, pray for a miracle :-)