A Good Homeschooling Day

The children were busy today! And it is only two in the afternoon...

So far, lots of creative play. Big Sis enjoys privacy on her bed/nest while playing with the tree house toy.

Little Brother has finally put away his Playmobile Roman Colloseum set long enough to discover the more open ended Waldorf materials I set up last month.

Above is the finished 'Seascape' with beach on the left and deepening waters grading to the right. The brown splotch is a sandbar with a mermaid!

Our little mermaid in her Hawaiian coral chair. I made her from felt, yarn and wires.

A Lakota woman poised atop the basket-house/bird nest. She is also made from felt. Little Brother set up and snapped these last two closeups. He is informing me that we need more 'boy' fairies. He is correct. He left his boy fairies outside last fall...

Little Brother setting up.

On another topic, this is our Lenten Give Away basket. I meant to get it out... you know... three weeks ago. But better late than never, right?! The children each chose a movie to get rid of. We already have another copy of School House Rock, and it might be that I pushed a little to get rid of The Golden Compass. The children were resistant to giving this movie up. So I was honest with them. I explained that the author of the book might be pushing his religious views on others in an offensive way. I will always stand up for another's right to his own religious views. But I wont tolerate oppression by another.

I admittedly was fascinated with the three books and read them all. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the author's point was, as his message was very confusing. Does he find value in our Judeo-Christian and Catholic traditions? Or is he telling us something else?

I finally decided that whatever his message, his use of religious reference was not uplifting or honoring that religion. Now that it is MY religion that he is picking on, I am making a stand. I dont believe the man is the anti-christ or anything. But the words subversive and needling are two ways I would describe his work.

And earlier, Little Brother asked me to take a picture of him cutting his own orange. Here it is! I am proud of this little boy. He values receiving services from others and it is a big deal for him to do this by himself, for himself.

And if this were not enough in our day, the children REALLY wanted to play in the creek. I did not get a picture of them, but instead recorded what I hear when they are in the creek. Mama Bear checks on her cubbies frequently.