Wednesday, late August

August 29, 2018 @ 3:54 pm | Filed under: ,

Ahhh. We got a good rain and the air has cleared up. Have been able to resume my long walks with no burning throat and streaming eyes. Felt like years since I’d made my favorite trek to the dog park and back, a meandering route that takes me past my favorite gardens in the neighborhood. (Note to self: plant zinnias next year. This cutting garden, about a mile from my house, took my breath away.)

Here at home: the tide came rushing in and carried my high-school freshman (!!) off to his new school this week. I dove straight into high-tide lessons with Huck and Rilla (Beanie gets another week). This is one of the ways I cope with long hours closeted away, writing furiously (or more likely, gnashing my teeth at the screen and clutching fistfuls of hair): filling our mornings with good, rich homeschooling adventures before I slink away behind the closed door.

(When I finish: autumn. It’s already ablaze in my head; it will be glorious. This time last year, I was in radiation treatment.)

A glimpse of our high-tide mornings (sans photos because I haven’t remembered to snap any pics):

—stretches & math facts (we recite times tables while doing planks: not easy for this spaghetti-armed mama)

—German (continuing with Felix & Franzi; this year we’re doubling with ASL, learning signs as we add new German vocab. Each one reinforces the other.)

—Shakespeare memorization (continuing with Twelfth Night)

—singing (currently Irish & Scottish folk songs and some German songs)

—nature walk

—readalouds: Farmer Boy; The Penderwicks on Gardam Street; The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs; tales of Ancient Greece (various)

—study of ancient counting systems (an Earthschooling lesson block—we started this a while back and picked it back up this week. It’s Rilla’s favorite thing. She’s fascinated.)

—breadbaking and sourdough starter

—sewing beanbags (I found the sewing machine power cord!!!! after a year!!!)

—embroidery and cross-stitch projects

—composer study: this week Scott picked Debussy

—watercolor painting

Not all of that every day, of course!


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Comments

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  1. Penny says:

    I love Tidal posts – high or low, they are always so very inspiring.

    Good luck with your book, can’t wait to hear all about it! 🙂

    Zinnias. I’m putting them on my list too. Beautiful!

  2. Jennifer says:

    Wonderful. And zinnias: Highly, highly recommend Botanical Interests Cut and Come Again variety. Absolute faves. I’ll try to snap a pic of my tiny little cutting garden today. I tend to allocate far more garden space to veggies and fruits but those will always have a spot in my garden.

  3. Nancy says:

    I’ve been wanting to ask: if your kid (13) could do *one* thing/program for foreign language, what would it be? My son has dabbled with French on DouLingo and Babble; looking to try something new. Thanks!

    • Melissa Wiley says:

      How about a Skype instructor via iTalki? I tried a couple of sample lessons a while back and enjoyed the German teacher I worked with. And I really like Memrise for vocabulary practice.

  4. tanita says:

    As always, just reading about your Tides makes me want to swim over. I am doing Dutch right now, but Felix & Franzi are tempting me. A great deal. Also, the ASL would be amazing! I need to find an app or something for that.

    Man! I wonder if zinnias planted in autumn would survive our mild winters??? Those are amazing.
    I’m excited you all got rain; it’s been cloudy here all week, and hope springs eternal in Northern California…

    • tanita says:

      PS – Tech Boy just sent your original post about Felix & Frazi to several of his friends with Littles; since college in Germany is FREE to everyone, even non-citizens, he’s been urging people for years to teach their kids German (although depending on the school, some places have English-language studies) and let them go to college abroad, after JC to save money. Obviously, kids who know German would have a huge leg-up socially…

  5. sarah says:

    I love to read of your homeschooling, even though my own is long over now. You always so inspired me, back in the day! But surely there is no way Wonderboy can be going to high school? He is still a wee lad!!

  6. Penelope says:

    Boy of Wonder in high school! Astonishing how the time flows …. I remember the video you posted of him learning to stand and take steps, and the wee girls cheering …

    Love homeschool notes and thoughts 🙂 thank you for sharing …

    A year since radiation! Blessings my dear. Blessings.