The Homeschool Mother’s Journal~ Week 18

May 27, 2011 By 10 Comments

 

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…

Has been crazy and rushed.

In our homeschool this week…

We’ve been evaluating our past year. We’ve discussed what the kids liked, what they haven’t liked and things they’d like to do differently. Though we’ve pretty much been unschoolers while we’ve traveled and the kids have enjoyed having time to learn about their own interests, they would like a bit more structure from here on out. So we’ve been planning accordingly. 

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

After our incredibly busy schedule last week that took us to Disney World in Florida on Thursday, home to Alabama late Friday night, to Nashville early Saturday morning (where I promptly locked my keys in my vehicle) and back to Northern Alabama Saturday night for a concert, I thought we deserved a break.  

My favorite thing this week was…

Sleeping in Sunday morning. What a blessing it was that my oldest son drove himself to Sunday School and my husband took the other two and let me sleep in.   

What’s working/not working for us…

My kids want to meet more people and go on more field trips (imagine that)- but they’d also like to take some classes. I was shocked by some of the topics they want to pursue; psychology and sociology. Surprisingly, I’ve managed to find a couple classes that may work. My kids are ecstatic. 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

DISNEY 043

Vincent, our dog, didn’t travel with us last week. Though he was happy to visit his friend Clifford while we were away, he still missed us. He sat on my son’s lap and licked him the entire drive to our house.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

Until next week ~ Happy Homeschooling!

Don’t forget to stop by The Homeschool Chick to be encouraged by other journal entries or to add one of your own.

Many people are wrapping up their school year (even if next year is only a week or two away) what changes are you looking forward to making in your home?

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Field Trip Friday: Alabama Constitution Village

May 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

Field Trip Friday button

When we lived in Ohio, a good part of our field trips were focused around Ohio History. We visited the Ohio State Building, many Ohio Historical sites and local attractions that focused on educating the public regarding local history. What better way to learn than by actually experiencing places of historical significance and hearing about people that had made Ohio great?

When we moved to Alabama, it was only natural that I would decide to enhance our state study with field trips. When we learned about the early inhabitants of the state we visited Oakville Indian Mounds and Russell Cave National Monument. We’ve learned about the early settlers in Alabama, visited some historic towns and buildings, learned about some famous Alabamians, like Helen Keller, and even saw a few quirky sites along the way.

Constitution Village

One of our favorite field trips so far has been our visit to the Alabama Constitution Village in Downtown Huntsville, where we were transported back in time by costumed interpreters to the year 1819. Forty-four delegates had gathered from all over the state to draw up a constitution, making Alabama the 22nd state.

We learned many interesting facts and tidbits. Did you know that traveler’s at that time wouldn’t rent an entire room to rest, but rather rented bed space? Just imagine how much sleep you’d get sharing a bed with three other adults on a hot July evening in the South!

Historical Marker of Constitution Village

The convention met not only to draw up the Constitution, but also to determine if women or slaves could vote and where the state capital would be. Many had hoped that Huntsville would be chosen as capital. People also questioned if voting should be a privilege of the educated. Could you be permitted to vote if you were unable to read the ballot? Who would help you make your selections and how could you be sure that the person helping you was a trustworthy person and not out to further their own agenda?

Costumed intrepreter at the Constitution Village

We visited the Federal Land Surveyor’s office and learned how the State was divided into counties, saw some of the tools that were used at that time to measure the land and learned that the Huntsville Meridian is in Maple Hill Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Huntsville. The meridian is the point by which all of North Alabama is surveyed. Of course it’s on our list of places to discover one of these days.

Surveyor's Office at Constitution Village

We also toured the printer’s where we learned how the printing press was operated and we met the sheriff’s wife in his place of residence.

In the post office we discovered that at that time, postage was not paid by those sending letters, but by the recipients, who actually paid for their mail when they picked it up. They were charged per piece of paper so in order to be as frugal as possible, the sender would write across the page normally then turn the page and write on top of the words they’d just written. It was easy enough to decipher if the recipient would lay a piece of plain paper under each line as they were reading.

constitution village post office

Throughout our visit we were encouraged to join in the presentation by pretending to be one of the residents or signing the constitution with a quill pen.

Our interest in The Alabama Constitution Village program, Up for Debate, led to an invitation to attend Earlyworks Children’s Museum for the President’s and Patriots program the next day. You can see a list of field trips that are currently offered at Earlyworks, the Alabama Constitution Village and Earlyworks here.

Our experience to The Alabama Constitution Village living history museum was very pleasant and I look forward to more visits in the future. This living history museum is appropriate for a large number of ages but is probably best for mid-elementary age and up if attending as a field trip. Though the walkways are paved, some of the buildings require that you climb stairs (some of which are steep) so this isn’t the best outing for wheelchairs or strollers.

You’ll find more information on their website or by calling 256-564-8100. You’ll find the village at 109 Gates Avenue Huntsville, AL. It is open Tues.-Sat., March through October.

If you want to make a day of it, you may enjoy visiting the Harrison Brothers Hardware Store, which is located right around the corner, or nearby Weeden House.

Have you been on a field trip lately that you really enjoyed? Why not link up to Field Trip Friday and share what you learned? If you’re new here you may want to read the guidelines, otherwise, feel free to jump right in.



Filed Under: Alabama, Field Trip Friday, Field Trips, Historic Attractions, Huntsville, Living History Museum
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The Homeschool Mother’s Journal –Will You Join in the Fun?

January 24, 2011 By 2 Comments

The Homeschool Chick

Sue, a.k.a The Homeschool Chick, inadvertently started a fun new meme. I don’t think she intended it to be that way, but her readers sure thought it’d be fun to participate. As a result, she’s added a linky to her post and each week you’ll have the opportunity to answer the writing prompts and link up your own blog post. Sound like fun? I thought it did!

In my life this week…

I have to admit that I’m a bit heavy hearted. This morning my husband called and shared a difficulty that one of our family members is experiencing. I don’t want to share any details, but they’ve been on my mind and in my prayers throughout much of the day.

In our homeschool this week…

We are re-evaluating. We’re a bit slow getting back to the daily grind and I think part of that is because we’ve struggled so much this year to find a daily routine that works for us. Our focus is on spelling, math and writing, with some foreign language thrown in. Pretty much the basics.

My husband also finished previewing The Young Man in the Mirror and has insisted that our boys begin reading it right away. If you have a teenage son, my husband can’t recommend this book enough.

We’re also attempting to spend an hour at the YMCA, three times a week. If my children weren’t so insistant, I know it would be easy for me to slack off on this but we all have a desire to work on getting fit. Okay, that’s a lie. I want to get fit. My boys just want to get six-packs.       

Places we’re going & people we’re seeing…

If you regularly read my blog than you know we’re ALWAYS heading out the door for a field trip. This week we’ll be exploring one of the National Forests here in Alabama with a naturalist. We should be able to see some waterfalls, scenic bluffs and hear about some of Alabama’s Natural History along the way.  We’re hoping that the forecast is wrong and it will be a bit warmer than the 36 degrees that is predicted!

We’re also excited to expect friends over to share a meal tomorrow night. We love to open our home to others so that is an especially special treat.  

My favorite thing this week was…

Okay, since I’m getting in here a wee bit late, I’m going to share my favorite thing that happened last week. Ready? Here it is: I reached my goal of working out three times and discovered that I’m really loving our Y membership, more than I ever imagined! Another benefit? While I’m there, I clear my mind and pray and give praise to the Lord the entire time I’m walking. I leave relaxed and refreshed. Amazing.

What’s working/not working for us…

Right now? Nothing seems to be working- which is the reason for the re-evaluation. Hopefully I can respond a bit more enthusiastically and positively on Friday.

Homeschool questions/thoughts that I have… 

I wonder if every other homeschool mom has the same fears that I have.

A photo to share….

Last week was my husband’s birthday. We bought him a super girlie purple, pink and yellow cake because it was the only one that was half white and half chocolate! We also bought those trick candles that you blow and blow and they still don’t go out. Hmmm…it’s a good thing that not all of the 39 candles were trick candles! I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to extinguish those flames. Oh well….it seemed like a fun idea at the time! 

birthday cake

There’s a peek at our week. This has been really fun! I hope that you’ll consider joining The Homeschool Chick and linking up your own journal pages. Until Friday~ Happy Homeschooling!

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