Charleston Tea Plantation

A small group of home schoolers, including our family, decided a field trip to the Charleston Tea Plantation was a must!  This tea plantation is the only one in the United States!  

 After going with our friends, the children decided their daddy, who was TDY at during our first field trip, simply must go with us.  So off we went again!!!
 

The first part of the tour is free and is inside the factory.

Then we walked around outside for a little while, before our trolley ride.

Then we started the trolley ride to see the rest of the plantation.  Only the tops of the bushes are harvested for tea.

Some of the blooms off the tea plants that the trolley guide passed around.

This is where new plants are being started.

If you ever make it to the Charleston area, in the Summer or early Fall especially, try to make plans to go and see the Charleston Tea Plantation!  You will not find anything else like it throughout the United States!  I can assure you we will be going back again!!!

Apple Picking

In the Fall, our family enjoys going apple picking.  We get enough apples to last us until the following season.  For our family, this means lots and lots of apples.  So every year, we pack up our five children and a picnic lunch and head to Justus Orchard in Hendersonville, North Carolina, for some of the yummiest apples in the area!  First, though, we must stop and get some pictures taken :)

Now it is time for some apple picking....

And we only lost one to the youngest.... though we did make him share it!

And then it was time for the yearly height measurements...  They are all getting SOOO big!

Ben wasn't interested in getting measured...

he wanted his apple back!

Looking forward to more fresh apples this Fall!

Update

Sooooooo much has happened since I last blogged!!!  In response to quite a few e-mails (love you guys !)  Over the next few days, I am hoping to update my blog on the various crafts and activities we have been doing, including preparing for Christmas (YES I realize I am MONTHS behind, school projects, and preparing for Easter.  But in the meantime, I want to share some exciting news for those who have not heard...

In the beginning of July or so, we will be welcoming our newest blessing!  We are all quite excited!  The ultrasound shows it is a little girl, so we will be naming her Alyson Michaela, or Aly :)  We are all super excited to be adding her to our family!!!

So look for posts coming soon, with pictures hopefully, of our past adventures :)

Rowing Peter Rabbit

For our first grader, we are using Five in a Row as his reading.  The first book we have chosen to row is "The Tale of Peter Rabbit."  What a great book on natural consequences for disobedience!  I generally like to do crafts and/or activities to go along with the books to help things stick in their minds, and because quite honestly, I just enjoy crafts :)  Our activity today was extra special.... we made a scarecrow.  But what made it really special was rather than it being an activity with momma and her kiddos, Daddy was the main contributor :)  To add to it, not only did Daddy do it with his kiddos (specifically his boys), but he leaves here shortly for another TDY.  Daddy is active duty military and about to go overseas again, here soon.  This gave his children a fond memory to cling to and something tangible to look at, that they did with him, until he returns home safely, once more.  It is things like this that make motherhood so spectacular - the everyday ordinary projects that makes your heart melt 

2012-2013 Curriculum

Yet another school year has started for us.  This year there are 4 littles being schooled, with the fifth keeping us all entertained, by climbing onto chairs, tables, and the living room furniture, dumping out crayons and markers, and emptying out his siblings' drawers for their workbox systems.  Thankfully we can get  him to sit still occasionally for a book, playing with shape sorters, and some other preschool geared games.  More or less, he just makes a mess, but honestly, if the games keep him happy and occupied, it is so worth it!  Considering he is only 15 months old, i'm not too worried about educating him yet :)

His older sister is three now.  Normally, this would still be a year of play for her, with no structured learning.  After watching me do school with her siblings last year, however, she was adamant that she needed to do school this year and that her busy bags were not enough.  Soooooo we decided to try something new.  Before Five in a Row was highly recommended to us, so we decided to go for it.  What a great investment!  She and our 5 yo are thoroughly enjoying doing the books together!  In addition to reading the books and the activities that go along with them, I keep her busy with busy bags.  After that, she is free to play :)

Her older brother is 5 now and in kindergarten.  We are using ACE 1st grade curriculum with him, along with BFIAR.  The next boy is 6 and in 1st grade.  He is using Five in a Row for reading and Bible.  For math, he is using Math U See, for Handwriting he uses Handwriting Without Tears, All About Spelling, and English is Shurley English.  For science, he and his older sister who is now in the 4th grade (gasp) is completing Apologia Zoology II.  They also are doing history together, which is the second half of Mystery of History Volume 2.  All four children are studying Geography together, focusing on some of the countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa.  They are also using the music and art curriculum that Erica of Confessions of a Homeschooler designed.

Our oldest, as I said, is in 4th grade.  In addition to the courses she does with her brother and siblings, she has a full schedule.  She too uses a program from Math U See, All About Spelling, and Shurley English.  Her Bible curriculum is Veritas Press.  For reading, we are utilizing the Prairie Primer.  Once a week we also work on the American Girl studies, Health which entails learning about herbs, and Keepers at Home.

Here is our schedule:

	(4th)	(1st)	(K)	(PreK3)
800	History	History	BFIAR	BFIAR
830	Geography	Geography	Geography	Geography
930	MWF - Spelling	MWF - Bible	BFIAR activity	BFIAR Activity
	TTh - Zoology	TTH - Zoology
1000	Math	Handwriting	ACE	Play with 1 yo
1030	Bible	Math	ACE	Play with 1yo or Busy Bag
1100	English	English	Finish any other work and then play
1130	Prairie Primer	FIAR
1200	M - Music	M - Music	M - Music	M - Music
	Tu - American Girl	TThF - Spelling	TuThF - Free	TuThF - Free
	W - Art	W - Art	W - Art	W - Art
	Th - Health
	F - KOH
1230	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1300	Finish school if needed or free		Nap	Nap