Texas Hill Country: Thoughts on Being 'Home'

"I'm an American by birth, but I'm a Texan by the Grace of God." - Larry Gatlin

I keep wanting to pinch myself as I drive around town and look out at the landscape. It almost seems unreal that I am here in the Texas Hill Country. I'm not sure I could describe the feeling to someone who hasn't seen the area themselves or lived here for very long. I've never known a Texan that didn't like the area (especially around Austin and San Antonio) if they spent long enough there to get off of a major freeway and explore. It truly is a wonderful sight to a post-homesick native Texan - especially this year with all of the green lush grass from the unusual rains that we've had. Creek beds that are dry most of the year are trickling, the temperature is mild, and deer are all over the place. When the sun has come out in the past few days to paint the sky blue, it has been almost enough to make me cry. When I think of sunny days, I always think of this area. Of course, I know that the sun shines elsewhere... but my "geographical" heart has always been here: "deep in the heart of Texas".

Instead of taking pictures for you myself, I've borrowed a lovely painting off the net. It has such a pretty view of the type of landscape that makes up much of the hill country. You have varying degrees of hills in the Hill Country (tall cliffs such as the famous one that houses the Mexican restaurant "The Oasis" next to Lake Travis, and the rolling hills you see in the background of the painting). Often you will pass an old barn and windmill - the last signs of the glory days of ranching in Texas - as you drive through the Hill Country.

I love windmills and tin roofs. I grew up in a house built over a creek in the Hill Country for quite a number of years. When it rained on our tin roof, it sounded like a herd of cattle stampeding overhead. After the rains, the dry creek under the house and deck would rush with foaming water and listening to it lulled us to sleep. In the late evening and night, the whippoorwill's ghostly call reminded us that the day was nearing an end. If we were lucky, there would be a hundred fireflies twinkling to make the starry sky seem to fall into the canopy of twisted oaks and cedars around us. We might hear a coyote or wolf bay at the moon or see a silver fox try to make off with some garbage at our fire pit in the dusky morning. The mist might spin a skirt of fog around the hills so thick that you couldn't see two feet in front of your face. I used to run down a limestone driveway to catch the school bus through the morning mist and I knew every rock on the path above our house leading up to that terrific view of the valley.

To me, this place is home. The smell of the earth after it rains here is as entrenched in my memory as my grandma's Estée cologne. I love the road runners, the live oaks, the lakes and hills, the cowboy hats and friendly faces on local people, the limestone and cedar ranch fencing and the amazing food. I know why Lady Bird Johnson loved it here so much. I know why so many people keep moving here (although it is sad to see so much beautiful land destroyed by builders and businesses). The Texas Hill Country is my favorite place to live.
I hope to have some interesting photos and field trips to share with you soon as we begin our new adventure here. I hope we get to stay forever... or as long as God allows. I am so thankful to Him for all the blessings that He has given us. Sometimes I just can't help get tears in my eyes, filled with amazement that I am here - in this beautiful place... and Kevin loves this job, and we like our new home, and we are surrounded by wonderful people and close to family. What a joy... and what a sweet thing to know that the God of the universe cares not only about our needs... but also our desires. He has given me so many desires that I have had in my life. He is amazing.

Psalm 37:4 ~ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.


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Buzz Words: memories, growing up, travel, Austin, Texas Hill Country, nature, summer, Texas, paintings, west, America, southern, life, personal, God, Christianity, home, blessings

Field Trip Foto Friday: Wild-Connections Butterfly Farm

In the sunny Texas Hill Country, nature is calling. There are wild flowers, butterflies, dry creek beds (and wet ones), ocean fossils (the Hill Country used to be under water), swaying pecan trees, and lots of interesting bugs and spiders... an endless list of things that kids can study and awe over.



We visited Wild-Connections in November of 2004 with our homeschool co-op. It was worth the drive, and the children really enjoyed it. I got some great butterfly shots with my digital camera. They even passed out fruits to the children so that the butterflies would land on them. They saw an educational video, had a lesson about Monarch butterflies and how to NOT touch or hold a butterfly and why, and got to see many other neat creatures.

Here's what the website for the site says:

Wild-Connections is a working butterfly farm dedicated to educating our youth about our native plants and animals. It is our hope that children become so intrigued with their experiences at Wild-Connections that they choose to explore the world around them and, in time, develop a sense of awe and empathy toward all life. We invite you and your family to come explore the great outdoors!

and...

"Wild-Connections...
began as the idea to educate children about the wonders of nature. We opened in March 2004 as a butterfly farm and nature center. We are open for tours of the butterfly house, picnicking, hiking, and strolling through the gardens."

The history of the farm there is also interesting. It was originally owned by two Confederate soldiers who are buried there in a small cemetery donated to the Daughters of the Confederacy. They claim that the 56 acres that makes up the farm today is just "a mere shadow of the ranch it once was".



So if you want to get out in the sunshine and go explore some Texas Hill Country, visit an enclosed butterfly farm, shop in a pretty little gift store, see some neat wildlife, and have a picnic with your homeschoolers... Wild-Connections is the place to go.


Other Interesting Links:
Visit TravelTexas.com for breathtaking views of the Texas Hill Country.
See a butterfly I photographed on this field trip.
See the list of field trips we took during the 2004-5 School Year.
Learn more about homeschooling.

Buzz Words: Homeschooling, Learning, Field Trip, Fun, Butterflies, Nature, Homeschool, Texas, Wildflowers, kids, Teaching, hiking, photography, Children, Parenting, Foto, Photo, hill country

Postcard From Texas: Hill Country

I wish I had a graphics program and a lot of time on my hands. As it is, I'm spending precious few moments with friends and trying to enjoy this short vacation... so you'll have to do without fancy graphics (or original photos since I forgot my camera!). Today's quick postcard is the Texas Hill Country (my favorite place on planet Earth).




You can learn more about the Hill Country at the link under the title of this post!
Happy Wednesday y'all! I'm off to enjoy my time in the Lone Star State!


Photo by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department


Buzz Words: trip, tx, hill country, Austin, buddies, vacation, central Texas, friends, postcard, travel, family, scenic, country, fun, Texas, road trip

KONOS Rock Unit Fun

Post Updated: 4/26/06!

I have been saving some of our favorite rock-related links and ideas from this unit to post... but quite honestly, I have not wanted to do it yet because we've been doing more academic workbook stuff lately than fun hands-on activities (shame on me). I'm working on getting out of my workbook rut and back into a KONOS hands-on fun routine. I go in spurts with getting to the fun stuff. I blame part of it on the fact that we've moved around so much since we began our school-year this year... from house to hotel to relatives' houses to apartment (from one state to another)... and with our new schedule changes (Tuesday and Wednesdays for weekends instead of Saturday/Sunday due to Daddy's work schedule), and me having to adjust from eating out every meal to cooking every meal... I've been having a hard time getting our permanent routine to STICK.

Kids really need routine. I think we adults need it almost as badly. So, with that in mind... I'm giving myself the go-ahead and writing this "ROCK POST" to inspire myself as much as I want it to inspire you. I need to get busy and finish this unit with a "BANG!" - since we are a bit behind schedule on our lesson plan calendar this year (understandably)... and we are eager to move on to Planets/Seasons/Solar System next!

This post will be especially helpful to those of you studying about Texas and Arkansas Rocks... since we have plenty of both and tons of links about them! Below are some great links that I have gathered while doing planning and research for this unit.

ROCK UNIT LINKS:

• Gem by Gem Gemstone Link (wonderful photographs and history on gems)


• Texas A&M College Virtual Geo Field Trip of the Texas Hill Country


• Pretty Hill Country Photos


• A favorite website: Travel Texas (virtual photo tours of the Texas)


• Enchanted Rock near Austin, TX


• State of Arkansas Geological Society (mailed us a geo map and brochures)


• Great Rock Lesson Plan Link


• Another website with lots of kid-related rock links


• Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas


• Awesome Rock and Mineral Photography Website (they shoot for magazines)


• HOLY COW, there's a lot of neat stuff on Enchanted Learning!


• A Rockhound's Favorite Website: US Geology


• Texas and Gulf Coast Geological Links Page


• Rocks for Kids (everything you ever wanted to know about rocks, I'm pretty sure it's there!)


• Rocks and Minerals Slideshow and Lesson Plans/Vocabulary


• Rock and Mineral Challenge

Rock Unit Activities we've done so far:

• Collected rocks locally


• Read lots of neat rock books from the library


• Gone rock climbing


• Learned about the rock formations in our state/general area (looked at a rock map of the state sent by the Geological Society)


• Looked at a multitude of gemstones online


• Learned that there's a beryl named after my daughter - "Morganite"!


• Mail some crystals we found to friends


• Rock Vocabulary Words


• Look through Enchanted Learning's extensive Rock section


• Learn and write rock Bible verses from our unit


• Identify as many of our rocks as we could, pick our favorites of each specimen and number/list them for display later


• Write about our favorite mineral/metal


• Find some rocks to paint (some dollar stores carry nice round river rocks) - paint rocks (great book on this "Painting on Rocks for Kids" by Lin Wellford - see link below)


• FIELD TRIP! Digging for crystals in Hot Springs, AR


• Requested that our friends and family mail us rocks from other states (map these as they come in)

Igneous Rocks are Created by Volcanic Action! Here's Kaden's (age 9) Volcano Artwork which is as priceless as Van Goh to me! He really loves volcanoes, and could have stayed on this unit all year.

Rock Unit Activities we plan to do still:

• Visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park (hopefully find a huge diamond and get rich)


• Use acid to clean crystals we've collected


• Meet up with a Geologist in Arkansas


• Classify our rocks by color, texture, luster, hardiness, cleavage, and streaks tests


• Group our rocks by igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary


• Make a rock display and number our favorite specimens to add to it


• Finish painting our rocks (great book on this "Painting on Rocks for Kids" by Lin Wellford - see link below... we're going to buy this one!)


• Finish our Rock Lapbook (that is turning out to be more of a scrapbook/notebook) and post a photo of it in this post!


• Post info on our two Rock Field trips on the blog's Field Trip Foto Friday series (some time in the future)

Rocks in our collection:
We have pyrite (fools gold), shale, sandstone, granite, limestone, flint, shale, quartz and calcite (amber colored - from Texas). We also have a few rocks we haven't identified yet. Kaden has a piece of pumace (volcanic rock full of holes and very light) from the pocket of his "stone-washed" jeans which is his treasured possession as well (pumace is the only rock that "floats"). Here in Arkansas, there is a ton of sandstone and shale, which is where we got most of those types. When shale is heated and pressurized the sedimentary rocks becomes a metamorphic rock called slate. It is so awesome to find slate layers in a mostly sandstone and shale hill... some of the slices of slate are as thin as paper and black as night (see photo below). The crystals we found yesterday at the Crystal mine in Hot Springs (tons of them) are covered with an orange chemical (iron) that must be removed to make the crystals white and clear. We're working on meeting up with a geologist to learn about this. I have a phone number of someone locally. Maybe we can go do it at HIS lab instead of at home. I'll come back at a later date and post the rocks and minerals we have received through the mail on this post as well. Of course, we also have "exotic" bags of rocks which have been polished from rock stores... many different colors, shapes, and sizes. Mommy even has a Brazilian Amethyst and a Garnet that I keep for Kaden and Morgan (birthstones). I miss our things in storage even more now, because Kaden and Morgan have a rock tumbler in a box somewhere in Texas which really would come in handy right now!

This picture is of a shale and slate formation in the layers of a hill in Arkansas. Kaden said, "It looks like someone caught those rocks on fire and burned them up."

Rocks Across America Project
(Sent By Fellow Homeschoolers and Friends):

Amazonite from Morefield Mines - Amelia, VA
River Rock (? not sure what kind) - Lake Ontario, Canada
Gypsum -Wyoming, MI
Ton of Rocks (all types) - NC - not sure if these actually all came from NC (no labels or info)
Some kind of seashore conglomerate and grey sandstone - Atlantic Beach, FL
Rock and Mineral Set (10 numbered and identified rocks & minerals) - Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
Granite, Agates, Quartz, and lovely rounded River Rocks (some of our favorites) - WA (Birch Bay)
Black Limestone with Quartz or Calcite veins- Lancaster County, PA

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Rocks: Texas, Arkansas and beyond...

Texas is covered with a lot of limestone, but they also have petrified wood, iron ore, halite, aluminum, marble, sulfur and many other rocks. The Austin hill country is formed by beautiful rugged white limestone hills covered with cedars, twisted oaks, cactus and yucca plants. There are lots of ocean fossils from when the flood covered the earth in the hills surrounding Austin. We found lots of huge spiral shells that were completely fossilized and petrified rock animals when we went on a field trip to search for rocks there! There are also rock clam shells and pretty amber calcite crystals we have from that area. In the central farmlands, there is an abundance of iron ore and petrified wood. My son even has an arrow head from this area. Near the gulf coast there is black gumbo clay and on the beach, you can find seashells. I have heard of halite mines there and wanted to go to visit one, but we have not done that yet.

We took a trip to Hot Springs yesterday to dig crystals out of the ground. I'll have to post a separate post about our field trip and include some photographs later. It was really fun. The great thing about this unit is that the knowledge we gain will go with us forever... because it is one of our favorite things to do (collecting rocks) and we plan to continue it into the future. I can't wait to get the rest of our rocks in the mail from those who promised to send them. I'm expecting rocks from Ohio, Florida, Washington State, Tennessee, etc. We'll have fun mapping them together and seeing lots of interesting rocks we may have not seen before!

Happy rockhunting and homeschooling!

This post updated on 2/14/06.

Buzz Words: Homeschooling, Fun, Arkansas, Texas, Geology, Educational Links, Homeschool, Field Trips, Home School, KONOS, Teaching, Lesson Plans, Rocks, Children, Parenting

Crispy in Texas - The Worst Drought in Decades

I don't ever remember Austin looking this dry. Even the cactus is suffering. I thought I would get the camera out and take a few pictures of the terrain to remember it by. However, what REALLY would show the shortage of water is a good look at the rivers, creeks and lakes. Sorry I can't share those types of shots just yet. Haven't been down to the lake in a long while, but I hear that it is bad.

I took the kids on their first "Photo Shoot" for our homeschool a week or two ago and we I took the kids on a photo-shoot a few days back. Their photo favorites (pictures the kids took on our shoot) are over at the Post today. I also talk about our Photography with Kids 101 plans for the school year over there - don't miss it! Mine (the photos I took on our shoot) are below:



Mesquite, barbed wire, dry grass, dark cedars, and scenic rolling hills; the hill country gasping for water. I feel sorry for the animals and plants... especially the really old twisted oaks that have been dying lately. So sad to see a trophy oak turning brown (or being chopped down for yet another ugly, unnecessary transportation 'project'). I remember when the hill country was pristine in most parts out here. My heart aches to see more and more of it being eaten up by suburbia and commercial zones.



Something about this particular cactus really stood out to me as I drove by. Had to stop and get out to take a picture. Not that there aren't plenty of cacti around here. I mean, we've got cactus. And a lot of it. Did you know that white tailed deer eat cactus during a drought as a source of water?



The fence was rusted. That cactus is in the background. It was pretty far off. That's some hot bokeh - in more ways than one. My new 15x zoom lens rocks, baby.

So what do you think? Pretty crispy, eh?! Pray for rain!

What are You Up to on Memorial Day?

We have enjoyed a lazy morning around here, but our day is about to get really busy. The cat may be the only one who has a "relaxing" holiday. The yard won't be the same after we are finished with it today. Daddy is going to dig up the sod for us to put in a large flower bed, a raised garden, and a gravel pathway along the driveway out front. I read through the "Square Foot Gardening" book at Half Price Books this past week and we decided to go with a raised garden. It may not be the cheapest way to start out, but if you do the work yourself and get creative, it isn't that expensive. We already have quite a few plants started from seed, and are excited to do more. This will be our first garden experience with the kids (besides at friend's houses, family's houses, and field trips).

I'd love to hear more about your garden tips, success stories, and maybe just some sympathy for us starting out on a new quest. I'm one of those "black thumb" people that can manage to kill perfectly healthy house-plants. I already feel sorry for my plants (not just because of my lack of talent with horticulture and agriculture, but because our soil is about 98% rock). We are having to truck in 8 yards of garden and flower bed soil (properly aerated with sand and compost) to fill our cedar-boarded garden and the flower bed beside it. The vegetable garden will be about 8 inches high (big enough to grow a few carrots and sweet potatoes above ground) and surrounded by a gravel path to keep weeds at bay.

I'll probably post some before and after pictures if I have any energy left later. My mother-in-law and I dug a hole for a rose bush this weekend back there and went through solid rock. It took nearly an hour for one small rose pot and I got about 20 good landscaping rocks out of the ground UNDER the spot the rose is sitting now. I am not sure how these oaks grow out here in the Texas Hill Country. It certainly gives you a new respect of any of the native plants that make this area their home. Hardy would be an understatement when describing the flora around here.


So, here's our yard plan for Memorial Day Weekend:

Dig up the soil with a sod cutter
Lay landscape fabric (5 year warranty - cheapest stuff) inside garden boxes
Build Cedar garden boxes with brackets and untreated cedar lumber (2x6x8 & 2x4x8)
Lay landscape fabric on pathways to garden, between both 8x4 garden boxes
Lay landscape fabric along driveway path
Return sod cutter
Tomorrow - buy dirt, crushed granite, mulch and lay over pathways, garden, flower beds
Plant already growing veggies and flowers in beds and garden
Clean up messes
Buy and plant seeds, herbs, veggies this week


I better get going so I can go down and help when Kev gets back from the lawn and garden store. Be sure to leave your tips in the comment section if you have some ideas I haven't thought of. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day and don't forget to pray for our military and the families who have lost loved ones in war.

Let us know what you are up to. I'd love to know how you spend your Memorial Day!


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Buzz Words: homeschool, weekend, gardening, Texas, plants, landscaping, Texas Hill Country, backyard, yard work, horticulture, Memorial Day

Late Thursday Challenge: (Mountain) PINK

Here's a pastel gem from the Texas hill-country for your viewing pleasure in honor of Valentines week. I shot this fading beauty just as the stems began to turn from green to pale brown. When you pull these lovely flowers up from the roots, they make a single bouquet and stay pretty for quite a few days in water. Mountain Pink is one of my very favorite wild-flowers that grow on the rocky Texas limestone hills. To learn more about this pretty, pink plant, click the link under the title of this post for access to a printable PDF file from Texas A&M University.


Buzz Words: flowers, wild flower, Texas, plants, nature, teaching, Austin, Hill Country, Central Texas, photos, photography, Thursday Challenge, pictures, pink, Valentines

Field Trip Foto Friday: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Even in the cold months, there are grasses and flowers in bloom somewhere in Texas. The weather is sure to change on a dime; and you never know if you'll be wearing a sweater or a tank top in the winter months. We Texans whine about the weather and wish for the cool fronts when the holidays come around (and even in the summer), but there is an UP side to the warmth. Most all of the year, you can take field trips - despite the weather!



The field trip in this Field Trip Foto Friday Spotlight was taken in April of 2005 with our homeschool co-op. It was a long drive, but worth the trip! There were hundreds of different wildflowers and photo opportunities galore! I have at least 50 photos from this trip and all of them are wonderful. It was so hard to pick just a few for this post. You'll have to check out the links at the bottom to see a few other shots that I've already posted on the blog previously that were also from this trip.



On the day that we went to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center they were offering a very interesting Lady Bug educational scavenger hunt and allowed us to do lady bug crafts in their education room after our hike. We had a picnic lunch before we started out and stopped along the path to smell the flowers (no picking, touching, or frowning upon them allowed). Most of the plants had identification markers so you could learn about them along the way. They had wonderful limestone rocked grounds, towers to climb (OH! The VIEW!), a small museum to visit, and clean restrooms. Over all, this was one of my favorite field trips of the year... just enjoying the beautiful outdoors and stopping to take pictures along the way!



Because of the mild Texas winters, the center is only closed to the general public on Mondays each week, New Year's Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, for a nominal fee you could technically plan a field trip there any time of the year. I would suggest going in the spring when you can take advantage of the lovely bluebonnets (like we did), however. It looked like they light the plaza up for the holidays from their website (very pretty!), so maybe a winter trip would be fun, too. Visit their website at the link above for more information (volunteering, native Texas plant information, field trip group rates, events, classes, etc). The website also has information about their magazine and gift shop, where I'm sure you can learn about Texas wildflowers even more!



This is one Texas hill-country field trip that you definately won't want to miss.

Quick Links:Bluebonnet Blues
Thursday Challenge: Golden


Buzz Words: Homeschooling, Learning, Field Trip, Fun, Butterflies, Nature, Homeschool, Texas, Wildflowers, kids, Teaching, hiking, photography, Children, Parenting, Foto, Photo, hill country

Went to Texas. Be Back Later.

Who said there weren't any fall colors in the south? I am not sure who took this photo, but it is lovely. I found it looking up "Texas Hill Country" on the internet. I'd love to give them credit, but that's what happens when you find photos on Google... you rarely can get enough info about them unless they appear with a personal blog url.

I needed a breather... had some business to attend to. Sorry for the absence and blog neglect! See you when I return.


Buzz Words: Texas, trip, vacation, break, home, hill country, friends, business trip, fall, road trip, scenery, life, photo, photography

Six Flags and Texas Snobbery

Not just a theme park, the national flags that have flown over Texas are a colorful part of Texas (and U.S.) history. Each flag symbolizes an era of the state's past and a country which staked its claim to Texas soil. Since 1519, when Cortez explored the region, the following countries have flown their banner over the Lone Star State (in order by year of claim):

• Spain


• France


• Mexico


• THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS


• The Confederate States of America


• The United States of America

For more information about each of these eras in Texas history, you can click this link: The Six National Flags of Texas, and for more interesting history and facts about Texas, please click the title of this post!

Of all the other states, Texas and Hawaii are the only states which were previously their own "country" (you could substitute REPUBLIC or KINGDOM here) before becoming a part of the United States of America. There is a deep-rooted legend in Texas that because of this fact, Texans "are able to fly their flag at the same height as the American Flag". As a Native Texan and Texas Patriot, I have been known to propagate this rumor myself! I did some research this morning on the subject, however, and would like to share with you a quote from Wikipedia about the Texas Flag Legend (aside from a word I have chosen to bleep out)...

"It's an urban legend. However, current Texas flag code specifies that if the Texas flag is flown on a pole alongside the US flag, both flags should be on poles of equal height (3100.055). Note that both US flag code and Texas flag code specify no penalties or enforcement provisions, and as such are merely guidelines. Given that, Texans are going to do what they **** well please when it comes to flying flags. -- Cyrius 08:32, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC)"

I agree with Cyrius here when it comes to the Texan spirit of pride in state and flag. Without penalties in violating flag laws, there's not a Texan I know who would fly their flag below the U.S. flag. In fact, I doubt there is any state in America that displays their state flag as much as Texas. Many homes and businesses do not even fly the American flag at all while they proudly display the Texas flag on their property. There are many in Texas who hold dear the "Spirit of Texas Independence" the same way we all celebrate "American Independence". At the root of all this snobbishness is just a deep-seated root of love for the state and the ideal of wild-west, cowboyish freedom that it embodies.

Although Texans seem a proud and loud-mouthed brood... there has never been a state full of people with bigger hearts towards guests than the "Friendship State". Of course, you'll find varying degrees of hospitality in different cities (and everyone is entitled to a few bad days). As a general rule, we would ask that you not judge us just on the basis of one place you visit, but a culmination of all of the state as a whole.

Each Texan is partial to his or her own stomping grounds, and (for the sake of preventing any hostility) you should always find a little something nice to say about it before you tell them what you disliked! Chances are, if you haven't gotten off of a major Texas highway, you really have no idea what the state is all about anyway. Probably the most ugly and embarrassing scenery in the whole state is the part you'll see traveling all the way down Interstate 45 and all the way across Interstate 10. What a sad shame that visitors can drive through the state and shake their head, wondering why we are such a loyal bunch. Even Highway 35 can be a little pathetic at moments, and it certainly keeps visitors to the Austin area completely in the dark about the area's rugged, beautiful hill country that is not visible unless you travel west from the interstate.

I thought I would share these interesting facts with you after our long drive into (and out of) our home state over the weekend. My husband actually asked someone out of state if they had to take a class on "Texas History" when they were in high-school. Ha! I hope you'll enjoy this little history lesson and we Texans hope you know that although we LOVE our state fiercely, we certainly aren't hostile towards any of the other great states in this united country we share! May God bless Texas, America, and the World! Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth!

Technorati Tags: Texas, Austin, geography, History, Texas History, houston, dallas, metroblogging, fort worth, san antonio, flags, patriot, independence, travel, road trip

Homeschooling: First and Second Grade Learning Enrichment

I warn you, this is a long list and an even longer post. By the time you finish reading this, you might have gray hair and need spectacles. You might have a headache. You may need therapy. Either way, there are some great ideas here, so maybe you should just save your eyes and HIGHLIGHT and PRINT this post instead?

WHAT IS this POST? Well (assuming you know what a 'post' is), first off there's a photo here for Thursday Challenge (today's challenge was to spotlight 'Occupation' in picture-form). In my case, my job is also what I LOVE to do: Homeschooling my Kids. Secondly, I have included a list of Learning Enrichment ideas from when the kids were in First and Second Grade. These are fun things we accomplished during the school year of 2004-5 that were NOT part of our regular curriculum. Some of the ideas may be IN KONOS somewhere, but they weren't the particular unit we were studying.

Without further ado, here is my Thursday Challenge photo (and this photo happens to be a snapshot of one of my learning enrichment ideas!)...



That's my buddy Lizbeth and her lovely brood there with my kids. [BOY, this photo makes me miss Texas.] We were building a volcano out of a coke can and some clay so that we could fill the top with chemicals and LIGHT THE SUCKER UP. Real flames and real ash, baby! It was so fun! Of course, it is highly toxic, so you have to stay upwind and clean up properly... It makes the COOLEST green ash crater. It was really neat!

And FINALLY... HERE is the Learning Enrichment List for my 2004-5 school year. If you use my list and love me dearly, leave me a tip in the tip jar up top. Ok, you don't have to love me dearly to leave me a tip. You don't actually even have to use my ideas. You can leave a tip any time you want.

SPRITTIBEE'S LEARNING ENRICHMENT IDEAS (Grades 1 & 2)
Service Project - Help blind elderly lady trap feral cats and take to no-kill shelter
Trace and Color
Write a story about yourself and draw a picture
Recite and write books of NT and OT
Chores (learning more household responsibility)
Wednesday Night Bible Classes at Church
Watch movie about Jonah, study & read about him
Dance to Arabian music (Lebanese Pop)
Learn about Middle East geography and culture
Cut and glue for motor skills development
Help organize crafts and school supplies
Play with Legos
Dramatize being the teacher
Roll Change/Count Money
Study about Olympics online, see photos of opening ceremonies
Do your Bible Memory verse as a "homeboy rapper"
Sing "America the Beautiful"
Walk with parents
Relay races
Dance
Play games with other kids at Choir (musical games)
Learn the music alphabet and how to read music
Help mom grocery shop
Help mom baby-sit for free as a service project for a friend
Craft: Make Egg Heads & Decorate/Paint
Learn about Sedimentary Rocks (SLIB)
Play outside with friends
Sing Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America
Re-read lots of books you've already read because they are good
Join a local Homeschool Co-op
Go eat pizza with your co-op buddies for a back to school party
Read labels on foods in your pantry and learn what those big words really mean
Read Creation Magazine
Play Bible Bingo Card Game
Learn about Igneous Rocks (SLIB)
Build a volcano out of clay, blow it up with chemicals and fire outside
Cook a meal for church (service project)
Do a fund raiser for missionaries (sell Nicaraguan coffee for farmers there)
Role playing in Morgan's co-op class (dressing up)
Basic Sewing (Kaden's co-op class)
Creative writing
Free drawing time
Practice telling time
Singing class at church, Sunday nights
Morgan has a real rooster in her co-op class
Geography co-op class (Kaden) - 'Mother Russia'
Play kickball with youth group at church
Spanish classes twice a month at co-op
Explain and discuss upcoming elections
Pray
Play Disney's Sorry Edition for Kids
Listen to Daddy play his trumpet (discuss, learn notes)
Play outside in the back yard
Play Chess with Daddy
Work on our manners
Make play dough
Paint Russian Matryoshka doll ornaments at co-op
Volunteer to put out yard signs for political party (service project)
Help put on drama presentations at children's church
Learn to help in the kitchen cooking
Clean out closets and drawers
Sing songs in Spanish
Have cousins spend the night
Watch presidential election news footage before elections
Put a puzzle together
Play Uno
Play Checkers with Mommy
Play on Starfall.com (interactive plays & printable activities)
Show and tell Daddy's Iraq money/postcards, etc. to friends when learning about mid-East
Watch webcam of Mt. St. Helen's recent eruption/smoke
Build papier mâchè newspaper volcano, paint & add stick trees
Etiquette class at co-op
Create things out of construction paper
Co-op art class
Color a physical map of the USA (find things, name regions, etc.)
Class on Germany in co-op (2 weeks)
Eat authentic German meal (red cabbage, apple strudel, frigadellen and hot potato salad)
Discuss how elements are named in Latin
See the periodic table and discuss with Daddy
Watch robotics team and learn about their club & inventions
Bake and decorate bat cookies in co-op
Make paper airplanes with Daddy
Make a book about bats in co-op/do bat crafts
Play an "echolocation" game
Dance and crawl to music in Choir class (stop and start with music)
Sing the AEIOU Vowel Song
Learn to sing "One Tin Soldier"
Learn about different types of maps
Work on memorizing the books of the Bible
Write ten things you are thankful for
Practice tying your shoes
Do Pilates with mom in living room
Play on a moon-walk at cousin's party
Paint for fun
Learn Bike Safety at co-op (Kaden)
Learn about the country Ecuador in co-op class (2 wks)
Finger paint turkeys and a Bible story picture in co-op (Morgan)
Cooking class in co-op (Kaden)
Write letters to sponsored Compassion child in India
Allow kids to pay for things with cash
Choir rehearsals and concerts
Play Bible Trivia at church
Take a Electronic Test (Morgan) "TestLogic Grade 1, My Electronic Tutor"
Help decorate and put up fake Christmas Tree by instructions
String bead necklaces (Morgan)
Piano lessons
Learn about North American Countries
Snowman craft
Make your own books (cover art and stories)
Play in fake snow in Houston at Grandma's neighborhood
Do a Jesse Tree Poster and Bible Study
Go see Incredibles at Theater/Christmas Shop
Learn to address an envelope
Learn basic letter writing skills
Christmas Choir Carolers (craft by Family Fun Magazine)
Cook pumpkin, pull seeds out
Read at the book store for hours
Listen to Christmas music and sing along
Play Old Maid and Cranium Cadoo
Look at maps of Tsunami affected areas (current events) and learn about Tsunami (science)
Pray for Tsunami victims and survivors
Cook with Mom
Go rockhounding in hill country and mail rocks to friends
Do research on Texas Hill Country
Look at elevation maps of Texas
Learn about Central America
Do Mad Libs
Valentines parties and make cards (co-op)
Learn about Italy in co-op (make pasta)
Draw with chalk on the driveway
Learn about minerals and crystals, magnets and salts
Play outside with kittens
Grow crystals from a kit
"dissect" a chicken - check out gizzards, liver, neck, wings, legs, body cavity and bones
Make coin rubbings, learn who all the presidents on our money are
Learn about presidents day (co-op activities)
Make a collage on a notebook cover (co-op)
Learn about Igneous Rocks (SLIB)/Blow up volcano with real ash - ammonium dichromate (again)
Fill out a health chart every day for a week
Draw and label a map of Central America
Learn about Japan in co-op classes (2 wks)
Eat Miso Soup, read books about Japan
Baby-sit grandma's dog
Feed someone's cats (long term service project)
Join a science co-op
Take care of grandma after she gets out of hospital
Help mom keep the house clean for realtors
Color palm trees and mail to friends in Florida
Watch friend's daughter play grand piano
Decorate folders (co-op)
Potato stamping for St. Patty's Day (co-op)
Watch a children's play at a friend's church
sculpt with modeling clay
Learn about St. Patrick in Ireland (Morgan) in co-op
Learn to eat with chopsticks
Learn about metamorphic rocks, experiment to show chemical changes
Find an arrow head
Write scriptures for discipline issues
Go to a washateria to wash bedspreads
Make a list of rules
Collect state quarters and add them to display map
Test substances for acidic or basic
Test soils for acidic and basic
Bake Potato Volcanoes (shepherd's pie)
Help pack a suitcase for a trip
Write a story about the history of St. Patty's Day
Make a card for a friend's birthday
Object Lesson (Resurrection Eggs) for Easter at co-op
Make a home-made kite (co-op) and fly it in park (Kaden)
Dye Easter Eggs
Cut and color shamrocks
Celebrate Passover Feast & Eat Passover Foods (co-op - Morgan)
Palm leaves craft (co-op - Morgan)
Learn about chemical and mechanical erosion (do experiments with limestone)
Help mom look up library books with online system
Put together a 50 piece puzzle
Grow sponge dinosaurs from capsules
Catch a LARGE wolf spider, draw him and set him free
Make paper lady bugs with brads, colored paper, tissue paper and pipe cleaners
Learn about earthquakes, make a home made seismograph
Learn about fossils and petrification
Take a botany walk at a wildflower center where everything is labeled
Learn about South American countries
Play on a trampoline
Have friends over for dinner and cook with them to learn new recipes
Dinosaur Dioramas
Burry a dead cranefly to see how fast it decomposes (in sand)
Petrify a dead cranefly with clear nail-polish
Do a play at co-op (Morgan)
Learn about Australia in co-op (2 weeks)
Toilet paper kangaroo craft
Eat Vegemite on bread
Read an article about a roadrunner bird in a Texas magazine
Read an article about Texas bugs in a magazine
Rag art craft (co-op) for silent auction
Watch a National Geographic movie about Kangaroos
Color coral reef hand-outs
Make a map of Australia
Create a 3-D topographical map out of cork and cardboard
Ride scooters
Write a goodbye letter to Pug (our kitty that died)
Learn to ride a bicycle

Whew! I'll be surprised if someone actually makes it through that whole list.

Be sure to read these announcements before you go!
1. Tomorrow is Spunky's last day for the Academic Superstore contest (win a free camera)!
2. Tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF FALL (be sure to visit and see my seasons change here at Sprittibee)!
3. Be sure to stop in Saturday for the beginning of my Academic Superstore contest (spread the word... free camera, again).
4. Please pray for Canon and visit his blog for updates.
5. Have a great FRIDAY!

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Finally some Photos!

Where do I begin? The last few days have been a blur - and emotional at that. Hormones are not helping. We've been spread thin between doctor visits, last minute goodbyes and digging for things in the tower of boxes we live in.



What, you thought I was kidding? That is supposed to be my school room. Now you know why school can't really happen in there as of yet.

We enjoyed a fun dinner at Pei Wei with our buddies before they left the country and spent a night at their house while they packed their last few suitcases. Here are some photos of a few of the crew:









We had lunch with Daddy in Austin at Quiznos after my doctor appointment and Morgan rode on the cement horse. (OK, I'll admit, I asked her to do it so I could take a picture. My kids are so awesome to humor me when I have a camera in my hand. They always play along.)



Also worthy of photographing (as you can tell, I DID find my camera at Nana's last weekend)... these wild flowers near where we live.



What is that thing? Anyone know? Looks like a purple pineapple weed.



These little blue beauties are the last three or four bluebonnets of 2007. It has been such a mild summer that they decided to bloom in AUGUST! Seeing bluebonnets in August is a rare treat. I was happy to see them, though - since I missed the show in spring.

Now I better get off of here and get back to my box tower. Maybe I can get a few stacks emptied before it is time to cook dinner tonight.

Talk to you soon. I promise, this will return to a "homeschooling" blog eventually. We just have to find our homeschool materials first!


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Buzz Words: personal, moving, to do, list, busy, stress, getting things done, life, Austin, Texas Hill Country, nature, summer, Texas, home, friends, flowers, photos, family, fun, pictures, parenting

Bluebonnet Blues

I've got it bad. I knew it would happen this time of year... when the roadsides in Texas are all lined with heavenly blue carpet... and the weather is Texas Perfect. I have been staying away from the blog today because we've been busy with testing (AM) and I've been particularly down about missing family and home (for quite some time now). I think it is so pretty here where we live that it's almost comical how bad I miss Texas. There's a lot to be said for pink dogwood trees, Ozark Mountains and a solid week of 68 degree sunshine-and-blue-skies! I have no idea what it is about Texas that is so completely ingrained in your marrow... I wonder sometimes if people all over the world have such fierce love for their homelands. I guess that's a silly question when the age-old struggle over Jerusalem still simmers today under the Mid-Eastern sun. My heart is broken - loving our friends here, and yet wishing for home and family.

I doubt there are many Texans who understand what I'm talking about (I hear that many of them never leave the state in the first place).

I've been practicing thankfulness today... praying thanks to the Lord for each and every blessing here - to keep my mind off of the dusty trail leading home. This has been a good reminder to me that our hearts should be longing for heaven in the same way Texans long for Texas. It was credited to Abraham in the Bible for being willing to leave his homeland and go where God led him:

Hebrews 11:8-10
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

I guess Heaven has to be really special if it beats Texas. I need to be looking forward to THAT home more than our earthly one!

So tonight (while in my pity-pot), I dug up some Texas Treasures to share with you from our photo records. If you are interested in viewing professional photos of the Lone Star State organized by city, hop on over to TrekEarth. I was impressed with what I saw.

God bless Texas, America and the World! May all our hearts be directed heavenward.

Last Spring in the Bluebonnets


Deer in the Hill Country


Capital of Texas - Austin


And you thought Jackalopes weren't real!

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Monday Memes and New Beginnings

Time to catch up. I've been getting so behind at everything lately. My inbox would prove that! All four of them. I spent 6 hours this weekend tackling email and am only down to 866. The gmail box is well over 1,500 - and I haven't even checked my Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. for months.

And it isn't just emails. We have school projects that have been put off, piles of clean laundry to fold, and stacks of things needing to be done. Not to mention the produce in the garden waiting to be picked.

So while my kids eat breakfast, I figured I would at least catch up with a blogging project... the Homeschool Memoirs:



August 20th, 2008, the theme was All about You.

So here's the silly answer:

Hi, my name is Heather and I'm a fry toucher. My children make green-haired Easter people and eat volcanoes for dinner. We homeschool, carschool, and take field trips to public school. I would probably get more done if I didn't have ADD and end up on so many rabbit trails. I have two great kids - one blue, one pink - and two very pretty cats (one evil-snot, one lover-boy). We live in Texas and dream big. In my spare time, I love to take photos... put stuff on the cats... eat at Chipotle... and blog like a madwoman. I also write for The Homeschool Blog Awards, Heart of the Matter, and Gathering Manna. I blog for book money, Italian coffee, sweet tea, Godiva Raspberry Dark Chocolate bars, and for free. Mostly for free. Because I'm crazy like that.

Stick around and join me on my homeschool journey... or just hang out and chit chat. I love comments. You can also visit my Coffee Lounge and hear some groovy tunes... and see my photo slideshow.

Welcome to my little corner of the net! Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

I wrote that for the blog party last year.

Of course, there are plenty of other memes about me that I've done in the past as well (if you are just completely bored and need something to read):

Seven Things Lists
A Few Of My Favorite Things
Homeschool Meme
Bloggy Tour Of Testimonies
8 Random Things

Those are some of the older ones... but I also did one this past Saturday for Sheila. So you are probably pretty tired of hearing about me by now if you read here often. Sorry, guys!

Here's my non-silly answers to the Homeschool Memoir questions about homeschooling:

We're a family of 4.5 (I'm pregnant and due by April 1st) - and two cats. We live in the Texas hill country. We've been homeschooling since the kids were 2 and 4 (they are in 5th and 6th grades this year). We have moved a lot in the past - but we have lived in our current home for a year and love it here. It was nice getting back out of that 2 bedroom apartment we temporarily lived in while we were out of state. We finally have a "school room", which we painted and decorated this past summer - we LOVE it.



That's the latest family photo we have (taken in late 2006). Another thing I'm behind on. Oops.

You can read about WHY I began homeschooling at my About Me page, or here:
Why I Homeschool

You can view all my past homeschool series posts also. I keep a running list of our curriculums, field trips, books we read, enrichment activities, software we've used, favorite memories, and photos so that the kids will have an online scrapbook to remember it all by. Maybe one day I'll print it all out if I ever give up blogging. Who knows?

You can even read about how I put together my homeschool planner (and I keep a free copy of my unit study planner for you to download if you want). Keep in mind that my planner is an often evolving organism (unlike humans). This year I split it in two - making it much easier to carry. The old "brain" is no more. It was killing us when we tried to lift it. Now I keep my dayplanner and personal things in one smaller binder, and I keep my lesson planner in another. Each year I move and tweak things to suit my needs - but the basic format of what I keep in it never really changes too much.

So that's it about me. I can't wait to get over to the linky and read about you. Maybe I'll do that while I eat my late breakfast this morning. Might as well procrastinate a little more, eh?

And here's your extra-real-good tip for today (and the 'new beginnings' part in the title - in case you were wondering what that meant):



WE CHANGED OUR NAME AT THE HOMESCHOOL BLOG AWARDS. Yep - that's where I was blogging this past weekend. We put up the swap Saturday (so don't miss signing up for all the gifty fun). You have until this weekend to sign up. We also changed our look and our name - to better describe what we are to the homeschool community. Go see and tell us what you think! We'd like to hear from you.

It is getting really close to the time for blog nominations and the awards themselves for 2008. So be sure to bookmark or subscribe to the 'HSBAPost' and keep watching for updates! We'll have some final dates and news coming soon. Be keeping a list of your favorite blogs as you visit them in the next month, also. That will make it a lot easier when it comes time to nominate your favorites!

Have a super Monday, all!
Enjoy your homeschooling!

Carpe Diem!


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