Thursday, 1 August 2013

Oh man...forgot about this again!



     Oh, blogging. I find myself falling into a terrible habit of updating on Facebook and assuming that's enough. Now that we're gearing up to get back into a formal learning schedule, I figured I should become more diligent about the blog. :)

     We've had a lot going on lately! We bought and moved into the new house back in April. The amount of work going on is crazy! In the first two weeks we renovated the bathroom -- the kids had an awesome time learning how to peel wallpaper. The best part was filling/sanding/priming/painting the walls. I was surprised, but Lauren really took to it and did a great job. Reese put in a great effort, but home renovations clearly aren't his preference.

     In the next two weeks, our classroom will be set up. It's also been a lot of work - peeling more wallpaper (EVERY WALL IN THIS HOUSE.), tearing carpets out, redoing floors and walls...lots of stuff to do. The kids have been incredibly patient - I think they're just loving the free time though.

  
     There have been some great learning experiences, but we've taken a less formal approach. During the school months, the majority of our work is documented. The kids have really enjoyed learning without 'work'. The kids found a few bugs in the garden and were excited to learn more about it. Reese has learned the magic of Google, and taught Laur how to search for info. It was great seeing them spend the day outside with the Ipad...and only using it to read!
     During the nice days we spend our time outside enjoying picnics and painting, or reading. Both kids have found peace laying on the trampoline with a good book. Since July, Reese has read 7 chapter books. Lauren is now reading easy readers on her own.

I have a million pictures and proper things to update with, but it is late, and I need sleep. ;)
In the middle of August I'll pop on for a while with our plans for the upcoming school year...and hopefully pictures of the hard work the kids and I have put into the new class!

Here's a few pictures for now.

Cheers!




 Reese's first attempt at making burgers. He did a great job!
 Lauren's gluten-free/dairy-free/nut-free cupcakes to celebrate summer.
 Reese loves Minecraft more than anything in the world right now. So I've been painting Creepers for his walls. :)
 Lauren being crazy and doing her wheelies!
 Another one! The girl is tough!
 Reese enjoying some quiet time while painting.
 Lauren working hard.
 Our paintings together.
 This one is pretty awesome. It's Lauren's 'Magic Tree'. She's been working on writing a story about it in her free time.
 We camped out in the backyard for the Canada Day weekend - the kids had a riot, and we had the benefit of indoor plumbing just a few steps away. haha!
 Still up and going at midnight! Backyard camping is great.
 We've kept up our River Valley bike rides for most of the summer. 10km on the way there, then we usually stop at a park and run off some steam before heading home.
Lauren is such a little stunt girl!