This is some of the poetry she shared.

Nothing like dressing up for you big performance!  (Insert rolling eyes.)  The poster in the back was a display teaching the audience (her family) about poetry forms and the tv is on because it was playing soft music.

Yummy banana bread.  Every coffeehouse poetry reading needs food!

This week and next, the kids are working on presidential projects.  I’ll share them with you soon!

Mahayla’s is titled The Mountain Trail and is about a horse riding incident.  She submitted this story to the Girlhood Home Companion and we think it’s going to be published!

Caleb’s is called Josh the Ice Skater and teaches us all a lesson about skating on a not-so-frozen pond.

This week, I asked each of them to choose a children’s book with predictable patterns.  They had to study the pattern and write their own version of the story using the same pattern.

Mahayla chose Fortunately by Remy Charlip and Caleb Chose Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews.  We sewed the inner pages of the books then used Gorilla glue for the covers.  We won’t use Gorilla glue again!

Publishing certainly isn’t for every story, but it’s valuable experience at least a couple times a year.  I’m considering asking the local preschool if we can come read these to the children.  I think that, too, would be good experience for my children!

How exciting!  The Crafty Crow featured my tutorial for making homemade journals – Lewis and Clark style.    If you’ve never visited The Crafty Crow, you’re missing out on a super site!

Below is a call for submissions to an E-Book on Creative Nature Study that I’m putting together for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  It’s going to be a compilation of wonderful ideas that have sparked nature study time for real moms!!  (Believe me, it’s going to be good –  there are already several contributors whose ideas are outstanding!)  If you’ve ever wanted to “have your name in lights” or just have an awesome idea for nature study that you’d like to contribute, now’s your chance!  (If the staff  – not me – at TOS approves your idea, not only will your writing be included in the book, but you’ll have a chance to include your bio as well.  This could mean more exposure to your blog and/or business. )  Read on below…..

I’d love to see all my CM friends submit something!  Hint, hint…

We are looking for contributors for more E-Books. If we use your idea(s), your name will be included in the E-Book and you will receive a $5 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store, up to three copies of the E-Book, and a copy of the audio book, once it is finished as well!

Check our our current E-Book offerings in the Schoolhouse Store!

So, without further ado, please read through this topic and send in your responses to gena@tosmag.com - Important: send to Gena, not me.

NATURE STUDY
Do you love nature study?  TOS is compiling a new E-Book that will be bursting full of ideas regarding nature study.

1. Have you implemented some really creative ideas to spark nature study time?
2. Share your ideas for creative nature walks.
3. What are some fun activities to do during nature study?
4. Where are some interesting places to go?
5. Please send in your ideas for focused walks, activities, art, writing, places to go and anything else you have used during nature study that was creative.

Yes, as you can see we do trick-or-treat.  I know it’s a controversial topic among Christians, but I hope it won’t become controversial here.  Our children enjoy dressing up and eating candy.  That’s all.  No more, no less.  :)

I found the 10×10″ spiral notebooks in the scrapbooking section at Walmart.  The covers are plain and colored, so they will decorate nicely when we get around to it.  Inside, there are 50 card stock, archival quality pages just the perfect size for a memories journal.

I copied several pictures from the trip in wallet size.  Then, gave the kiddos the pictures, some brochures, scissors and glue sticks, and let them have at it.  The only thing I asked was that they write some of their memories on each page.  How’s that for a secret writing lesson?

They loved this “assignment”!  We all agreed that we should try to do a page or two for each of the field trips we take this year.  What a great keepsake these will make!

We had such a good time!  Sorry, there are no pictures from the party.  My digital camera decided to stop working on this important night!  There are plenty of pictures on my Mom’s camera, though!

My sister put together a Power Point presentation of all sorts of pictures my Mom dug up from the past 60 years of my Dad’s life.  She put it to ”oldies” music.  It turned out beautifully!

My Dad doesn’t need a thing materially, so I struggled for quite some time with what to give him for such a momentous birthday.  My friend, Jody, told me of an idea she did for her dad that turned out to be a hit, so I grabbed the idea and ran.  I wrote my Dad a letter with 60 memories I have of him.  I printed it on pretty scrapbook paper and put it in a leather scrapbook journal.  It’s a gift I hope he’ll treasure for years to come!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!