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Welcome! My name is Mary. I help parents educate their children at home one day at a time. This site offers LEGO printablesfree music lessonsunit studies,  and much more. Use the tabs above to discover what Homegrown Learners has to offer. You will be equipped and encouraged to travel a most amazing path in your home!

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Entries in collage friday (125)

Friday
Jun152012

I Don't Fit the Stereotype - Collage Friday

 

 

 Why is it so shocking to me that my children are growing, and growing quickly??   This past week we got rid of their beloved playhouse.  This playhouse has seem a gazillion hours of play in the past eight years.    As I went to take a picture of it and put it up for sale, I had GMan stand by the house.    

That's when it hit me:  My time with these children is running out!  Yes, I know I have more time with them, but the baby days are over.    I'm sad.   I know the next stage is new, different, and wonderful, too - but I'm still sad.

I found myself wanting to spend a lot of one on one time with my children this week.   Miss B and I went to get "coffee" at the bookstore (just the two of us) and then did a little shopping at Claire's.  GMan and I had an evening to ourselves and ate grilled peanut butter and jellies and cinnamon apples.  We also read a wonderful series of books together.

Click to read more ...

Friday
Jun012012

The Week of the Rather Nasty Fieldtrip ~ Collage Friday




It was quite a relaxing week around our house.  We did do a little bit of math, science, Bible, writing and history.   The kids also spent a ton of time playing our new favorite resource:  Rocket Math - a great app I put on the iPad.  Factor in the holiday, a day away on a field trip, and I'm not quite sure where the week went!  


I do have some exciting news:

  Homegrown Learners will be moving TOMORROW!    



I don't think there should be too much upheaval, but if you subscribe by email or Google Friend Connect you will need to resubscribe.  You can read all about the transition in a post I wrote earlier this week.  


Also.... more exciting news:

PicMonkey now has a photo collage option!   I LOVE PicMonkey - it's free and if you want to make great collages it is easy.   

Click to read more ...

Friday
May252012

When You Can Finally Let Down ~ Collage Friday



We've been going since last August.  Non. Stop.


Even our vacations were learning adventures.  California.  North Carolina... great memories, but planning "lessons" every bit of the way.   


We did take a little trip to Disney World, but somehow when you are traveling, it's not always relaxing.  


{Please don't think I am complaining... I am blessed to have these opportunities}

This week I've finally given myself permission to just take a break.  Relax.


I've let the kids sleep in (no 7:30 a.m. alarms this week), and I get up ahead of them and sit on the porch for Bible study, coffee, and quiet time.   


The bunnies, chipmunks, and birds have a regular meeting each morning in my front yard.  They don't even know I'm here!   I love watching everything come alive so early in the morning.






There are several home projects that need my attention around the house.  Painting is going on this week.  The house is getting pressure washed.  The deck and driveway are going to be sparkly.   I deep cleaned downstairs.  There is something therapeutic about washing windows - inside and out.  


A freshly painted upstairs bathroom {Sand Fossil} and Miss B's bedroom {Sparkling Waters } are long overdue.   




We have been cleaning out my daughter's room.  She's picked things to give away, sell, and keep.  I'm taking this picture she had in her bookcase and putting it in MY room... look at my sweet *little* girl.   
  


Speaking of my sweet girl -- we found out this week that she was accepted into a SPECTACULAR children's choral program in our area.  


She will be in the Young Artists' Choir (there are three choirs total).   I'm so very excited for her.  She auditioned nearly a month ago.   The rehearsals will be once a week, and there are almost an hour from our home.  This is a BIG COMMITMENT, but I feel certain this is just one of those experiences that will shape her in a big way.   If you're interested, you can listen to the Spivey Hall Children's Choirs online - it's a treat!  Children singing always reduces me to tears.  I imagine I will be a mess at her first concert next year.  


The kids have been happy to have a break this week, too.   To my delight they have drifted in and out of the piano room all day to each practice their pieces.   We've been swimming laps, reading aloud, and not really sticking to a schedule.  


Here are a couple of collages from our week... no fancy resources this week or fabulous learning links, just lots of "letting down" and regrouping.


1.  An early morning nature walk at a local park and lake


2. The American Girl dolls in a basket ~ in cleaning out Miss B's room she has decided to keep them all in a basket in a corner of her room and pack away all of their accessories.  {She's growing up!}


3.  A little bit of Elemental Science this week - an experiment: "Which Weighs More?  Hot Air or Cold?"


4.  Lots of "friends" at the bird feeders this week - we have the same brazen chipmunk that visits each morning!




1. This was the scene every day in the backyard - GMan practicing his batting and pop flies.   I am SO thankful for a big, level backyard with plenty of room to play baseball!

2.  Miss B has been picking and arranging flowers a lot.  These blue Hydrangeas were her favorite.  

3.  The Apple and the Arrow  is our current read-aloud.  Notice the LEGO Kingdoms sets to match.   It makes me think of Stacey's guest post this week:  Empowering Children To Narrate Through Play



And, in case you missed some of the events on the blog this week:


1.  Did you enter to win a copy of SWIPE (Middle Grades Fiction) from Thomas Nelson?


2.  I participated in the iHN's 10 in 10 blog hop... did you read all of the great posts about our favorite online resources? 


3.  Are you making math fun?  I shared some ideas about teaching the Metric System this week, too.


4.  My daughter had her piano recital last weekend - I was such a proud mom... and this post ("Mom MADE ME Quit") was born.

How was your week?  I'd love for you to join me.   You don't need a formal "collage",  just a collection of pictures that tell us about your homeschool week.    Be sure to grab the button below, sign the linky, and then visit others on the list to offer encouragement and gain ideas.  

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