Playing in Pisgah Forest

We went on another field trip this week. This time to Pisgah National Forest with our dear friends the Kruegers! We called it the traveling field trip as we went to several places. Our first stop was the Gem Mine. Our children have never been gem mining before and had so much fun! I was impressed at their finds. 

 Next stop was Sycamore Flats. The children had such a fun time wading and exploring in the water. They were still in gem mining mode, so there was a lot of rock collecting going on. And Eleanor and Abby made a lovely mud soup. I was not one to get dirty when I was a little girl. Elle has no problem with that! In giving showers/baths later that day, Eleanor was by far the filthiest of them all! There was some serious dirt under those painted fingernails. 

 She was just so happy, as she always is, when there is water involved. 

 I say we had a beautiful backdrop for our play that morning. 

 And Thatcher Reid was happy watering everything. 

 And we had a picnic lunch to follow. 

 Our final stop was Looking Glass Falls. 

 What a wonderful trip of learning and fun!

Field Trip to the Arboretum

We took our first field trip this school year to the arboretum to go see the Lego display. We had a wonderful time. The weather was mild. And the arboretum never disappoints. The older three brought a notepad and wanted me to jot down how many pieces each display contained. When they got home they then sketched pictures of what they remember them looking like. They have also been building with Legos and making their own exhibits! We haven't been the arboretum in quire some time and it was perfect how it lined up with some other things we have been learning. We had just learned about John James Audubon and this week we have been studying insects/honeybees. Hands on learning for the win!

Eleanor Jane Turns 5

Oh sweet Eleanor Jane. I cannot believe I am writing your birthday post for your 5th year. You are a joy and delight and we have loved watching you grow and learn. Noni came for Elle's birthday and then Gigi the next weekend. She was showered with all things girl. And pink. A few things I want to remember about this little lady:

She loves the color pink. 

She is girly and feminine but tough if she needs to be. 

Sis can outrun her brothers. 

She has recently gotten very into Legos. Girl Legos of course!

She loves to do crafts. Give her a gluestick, crayons, markers, scissors, and glitter and the girl is in heaven. She keeps a craft box for all her creations.

Her favorite Disney princess is Ariel. So was mine as a little girl. 

She still is very attached to her bunny and blankie. Bunny in particular is very loved. 

She loves the water. Swimming may be her favorite thing to do right now. 

She also loves milk and buttered noodles. That was her request for her birthday dinner.

She constantly requests for her and I to have "girl time."

She sleeps well. And is a hard sleeper. Not much wakes her up. 

Eleanor has continued to exceed her height for her age. At her 5 year check up she was in the 90th percentile for height (50th percentile for weight). 

She has started PreK with me this year and I am focusing on her learning her letters and sounds. She will also be starting homeschool enrichment courses next week. 

We love this quirky, girly girl. She is sweet, sassy, and is so much fun!

Our Homeschool Room 2016-2017

We have been loving our homeschool room this school year. We have a super hero theme and it has been fun!

Our mantel where we keep our unit study books. These change out weekly. This week's study is the water cycle and fish. 

 Our desks.

 Where we keep our bins of manipulatives, extra supplies, and books for the year. 

 Our workboxes. 

 I went a couple months without a white board last school year and realized it is much needed! Happy to have it again. The boxes underneath the whiteboard houses most of my preschool supplies. 

 Spelling words on the small whiteboard. 

 Eleanor and Thatcher's letter palm tree. As Eleanor learns a new letter we put it up on the tree. 

 Super work habits!

 Shelving where I keep our extra curriculum supplies. 

A toddler and his bed

Oh this toddler Thatcher Reid keeps us on our toes! We always joke that he did not get the memo that he is a fourth child, not an only child. He is the loudest (although Hampton is a close second) of our crew and is by our side constantly. All three children can be playing happily, but Thatcher prefers to be near us. And we are okay with that!

We decided it was time for Thatcher to transition out of his crib and into a toddler bed. He was pretty happy with his crib, however recently has been able to climb out. At three and a half, it was time!

So we took off the rail and made the transition. It is now day 2 and it has not been easy! He has not napped yet, although I do believe that will catch up with him, and keeping him in his bed is a big challenge. But alas, these are the changes all the children have had to go through and is another step toward independence. He will get it down. He always does. 

And we used his crib rail as a new book display!