Book Club - Farmer Boy

The past few weeks we have been reading Farmer Boy.  Boop and EG are really enjoying it.  I try to read about a chapter a day and they usually ask for more.  There are so many interesting chores etc. in the book. Like making candy and ice cream and butter.  Or storing food.  Things, nowadays, we take for granted.

A few weeks ago, while we were reading the book, we ran across the chapter where the author describes how a farm family back in the 1800s would keep ice frozen throughout the summer.  They go to a frozen over lake, cut out chunks of ice and then place it in an ice house and pack it hard with sawdust.  And, supposedly, it would keep ice frozen throughout the summer.

So, I got this great idea for book club to give it a try.  The night before book club, hubby sawed some wood so we could get a bunch of sawdust.  The next morning we got a container, placed sawdust on the bottom of the container, placed some ice in the container and packed a bunch of sawdust around it.  We filled the container over the top so when the top was place on, it packed the sawdust down even more.

Then we took it to the park during lunch time and book club time.  After lunch and presentations, we unpacked the ice.  And it was still frozen.  Not the least bit melted.  The sawdust was not at all moist.  I really had been doubtful that it would work.  But it did!  I realize this was just a couple of hours but I was amazed but the outcome.  As were the kids.

We had another family rig up a plastic glove and a bucket and they demonstrated how a cow is milked.  The kids had a blast doing that!  The ended up with milk everywhere.  It was fun to recreate how some of the chores were done back then.  A new appreciation for a freeze and gallon of milk!

I am thinking we might try making butter next. . . .

Sawdust in the bottom of the container.

Ice in the container.

Container packed full of sawdust.

After we checked if it had melted, we took the sawdust covered piece of ice out and let it melt in the sun.

Book Club

For our book club we have been reading about our state's history and a lot of other fun stuff.  And, as I am sure I have mentioned before, we have been taking field trips around the area that pertain to our history.  

These are pictures from our last book club get together.  As it turns out there is an historical state park about 10 minutes from our home.  The park tells the history of The Lake Jackson People.  There are about 3 Indian mounds on the site and we arranged a guided tour with the park ranger.  I think we all learned just a little bit more about our local history.  Plus, it was a beautiful day and the kids had a great time playing in the park.  I think we stayed until early afternoon!

Park ranger explain the history of the people.

Replica of the pottery they made.

The stairs up to the top of one of the mounds.

Picture of Boop because he finally lost a tooth.  (The other two bottom teeth had to be pulled.)

The kids giving their reports.

I think book club is one of the kids' favorite parts of school.  I know it is one of mine . . . 

Book Club

We have got a great group of peeps that we gather with for book club.  I think we are in year three and our little group has grown.  Nine families and like 20 plus kids.  In our little homeschool we don't have many opportunities to write reports or get up and talk in front of others.  So, when I noticed that deficiency a couple of years ago, I created the Book Club to fill in the gap.  Plus, I love each and every family and their children. So, it has also become quality time with friends!

Anyway, this past book club's book was Men of Iron written by Pyle, the author of Robinhood.  It wasn't an easy book.  A lot of "methinks" and other such words.  But the story was fabulous.  I think it is a must read for all elementary age boys.  The main topic of the book is honor and loyalty and chivalry.  At least that is what I got from it!!

In an attempt to really do a little bit more with book club each kid has been filling out a passport with the "places we have been" through the books.  We also have this great Felix book and it has different activities that the kids can do based on a place or time period.  Things like word searches and missing pieces puzzles. More work book type stuff.

This time, when I first started reading the book to the kids, I had an idea to build a sugar cube castle.  I like to say I was divinely inspired because honestly I am not all that creative.  And another thing we don't do a lot of is busy work or hands on stuff.  Anyway, I googled a "how to" and then the day before book club we stopped at the grocery store and got a bunch of boxes of sugar cubes.

We all helped, even EG.  When we were done it didn't look like anything I saw on Google but it was ours and we did it together.  I hope it helps the kids remember a little something about the book . . .

Summer Book Club

A week and a half ago, we had our summer gathering of book club.  We decided to meet at a state park.  We swam, had lunch and the kids did their reports.  I am pretty sure every family was present.

It was a beautiful day.  The park has a spring fed lake which means two things:  very clear water and very cold water!  Of course, the kids didn't mind.  The park also had a diving platform.  I can proudly say I jumped off of it!  With hubby!  Nature Girl jumped twice. The first time she jumped she had held her arms out and it kind of hurt.  So, she was a little hesitant the second time.

Little Mama would walk up to the edge and then chicken out.  Which I told her was absolute fine.  Not everyone has to jump.  She would walk up again, look down and then back away.  There were a bunch of teenagers waiting to jump and they were very patient with her.  Finally, with her daddy by her side, she did it!  And at the top of the platform the teenage girls were all clapping for her.  It was so sweet.  I was proud of her too, for not giving up!  I think she jumped many more times.

The high platform was not Boop's thing, which was totally cool with me.  He hung out with his friends.

But, the real reason we were there was to discuss Black Beauty.  The kids all gave wonderful reports.  Standing up in the middle of the park and just talking away.  Little Mama did an especially good job.  Her report was on all the types of equipment needed to care for a horse such as a curry comb and brushes (she brought some of my stuff from when I owned a horse.)  She also talked about the frog which we learned from our friend is part of the hoof.  She tied it into the book where Beauty had gotten a stone stuck.  She also talked about horse feed and had printed off a picture to show of the different kinds of feed.  She did it all on her own.

Nature Girl did her report on the different breeds of horses in the book and then talked about her favorite breed of horse.  Boop pointed out the different parts of a horse.   The each had tie ins to the book which is what I am hoping we will do more of in the future.

Little Mama after jumping off the high platform.

Nature Girl after jumping off the high platform.

Boop wasn't quite ready to jump yet.  But, hubby and I jumped together.  He was worried about the very cold spring water.  I was worried about how high up we were.  But, we both survived to tell our story.  ;)

We ended our book club day with getting ice cream with a couple other families.  It was such a good day.  And I just love our book club and that we can call it school . . .

Just Horsin' Around

So, in an attempt to a more effective homeschool mom (ha, ha) I decided to take extra steps to learn a little bit more about the most recent book club book we were reading, Black Beauty.  So I decided that we would go ahead and explore a little bit more about horses.

We have a lady in our Sunday School class who just happens to own a couple of horses (and at one time was our babysitter.)  I emailed her to see if she would mind getting together with a few of us and telling us all about horses.  From their upkeep to body parts.  And she was thrilled.  She use to give lessons and ride all the time.  But, she has since gotten married, gone back to school and has two young children.  So any horse time she can get, she loves!

She showed all the kids the tools needed to groom a horse and then let them go to work.

All the kids got a chance to clean the "frog" of a horses hoof.

Surprise number one:  all the kids got to ride.

Surprise number two:  all the kids got to paint the pony!!

Washing off the washable paint.

Bestest buddies!

The finished product.

Ms. L showing the kids how to measure a horse with a special "hands" ruler.  Then there is a tape you wrap around where the saddle girth goes and it estimates the weight of the horse.  Even though this horse looks kind of short, it is still a considered a horse.  If he had been one inch smaller he would be classified as a pony.

The kids (and I) had a blast.  I love horses myself and marvel at what amazing creatures they are.

The kids are going to take what they remember from the book, our field trip, do a little research and then hopefully give a pretty good report at our next book club meeting.

Hopefully we can do something fun like this for a few of this year's book club books . . .

Book Club

About two weeks ago we had our last "official" meeting of our book club.  We read a short, informative book on Marie Curie.   We managed to read it in one sitting but it was packed with information, that I didn't even know!  (Not all that surprising really.)  This year we read biographies so I learned a lot, right along with the kids.  (One of the reasons I love to homeschool.)

Anyway, we met out at a local state park.  The kids did their presentations and we even included a science expo for some of the kids who were unable to do our homeschool science fair this year.  After the expo we ate lunch and then SWAM.  It was such a great day.  So relaxing and just so encouraging to be around like minded moms and their kids.

My reasons were four fold when I decided to start a book club.  First, we don't belong to any type of co-op, so I wanted to do something regularly with the same bunch of families.  Second, because we don't belong to a co-op, one of the things my kids "miss out on" is the opportunity to get up and speak in front of peers and others, so this filled a need.  Third, it gave me a great way to stay in touch with a bunch of women that I love.  And to watch their children grow right along with mine.  Lastly, it gave us a really great reason to read a bunch of books we might not normally have read.

I a lot of time last weekend working on book club stuff.  This year's focus is going to be on children's classics.  Although I hate to call them children's classics because many of them I have not read and are just as interesting to the parents!  These are the books we are going to read:  Anne of Green Gables, Iron Men, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Christmas Carol, The Swiss Family Robinson, Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates, At the Back of the North Wind, My Side of the Mountain and Theras and His Town.

We are going to start off by having a summer club meeting at a state park about 45 minutes away and we will read Black Beauty.  The park has a spring fed lake and swimming and diving areas.  Field trip, relaxation, socializing, reading and learning all rolled into one.  Right in the middle of summer!

We love, love, love book club.  Below is a picture of all of the kids who participate (minus two teenagers).  The ages range from a about 6 months to 12 . . . 

Book Club

About two weeks ago was book club.  We read Archimedes and the Door of Science.  Normally my kids just get up and do and impromptu report.

But, this month, responding to some of the cute things the other kids do, they each decided to do a little bit more.  All on their own.

Boop had Daddy create a pulley type system in the backyard and he told everyone just a little bit about the pulley.  Then everyone got a chance to try it out.

Then the girls did a little interview skit and it was so adorable.  Little Mama dressed up and pretended to be Archimedes.  Nature Girl was an interviewer named Carly Vinson.  NG would ask questions and LM would give answers according to what they had read in the book.

I was proud of all three of them.  I had been thinking to myself that we needed to be a little more prepared for book club.  Really take advantage of some of the learning that we do when we read.  And, before I could even verbalize it, they had come to me with their ideas.

One of those great parenting/teaching moments. . .