Hi, I'm Heidi and I homeschool my two sweet kids. I want them to know that learning is an exciting lifelong adventure! We love great books, unit studies, notebooking, lapbooking, and hands-on learning.Nature Study ~ Focusing on Insects and Spiders
We enjoy nature study using the gentle leading from Barb at the Handbook of Nature Study blog. When I purchased her “Getting Started” ebook and read in Challenge #4 about picking a focus area the idea made so much sense! When her September newsletter came out with a focus on insects and I saw that arthropods were coming up in our formal science curriculum, picking our first focus area was easy: Insects & Spiders.
I gathered related books, field guides and flashcard sets, our magnifying glasses, some specimens (purchased in acrylic and ones we’ve collected in jars). I placed all these items on a sofa table that I dubbed our “Nature Table.” The kids were intrigued and I saw a lot more handling of the specimens and flipping through the books with them all on display. It also made it easy to identify bugs we saw with all the insect books in one place.
Using the September newsletter planning chart I mapped out topics I hoped to cover. She said picking a focus area helped her family learn much more in their area of concentration and that they would see more of whatever item they were focusing on, and I found this to be true in our family. Here are some of our nature study highlights for the month:
- We did a lot of reading, finally going through all the wonderful introductory pages in our Complete Guide to Insects and Spiders book.
- We watched some great videos. We always watch the YouTube links in Barb’s Outdoor Hour Challenge posts because we can see things we don’t have the good fortune of observing, like a spider spinning a web or cricket making it’s “music.” National Geographic Kids also has fun short videos and slideshows.
- We went on focused bug hunts, but also found ourselves pointing out insects to each other everywhere we went! Sometimes it seemed like insects and spiders were just waiting to be observed by us.
- Barb’s September grid gave us some things to look for on our nature walks. We found insects of many different colors, looked for ways they camouflage themselves, watched bees, and turned over rocks and logs. One of the challenges also involved looking at things through a bug’s eye view, which my son thoroughly enjoyed.
- This large spider is the perfect example of why a nature study focus area worked well for us. This exit door we’ve walked by a hundred times, but last week I noticed this spider and we stopped to observe and take photos. We admired her web (and knew it was an orb web after our studies). The most exciting part was searching all around for her children after reading about how the young spiders cast out on a line of silk in the wind. A few were in the same window! We then went outside and searched around the building, finding lots more smaller spiders that looked just like her.
- We went on a few bug hunts in our backyard. We placed a Japanese Beetle and earwig in jars and the kids both completed a notebooking page (free from Primary Possibilities) for their journal. My daughter loved the organized format, once again my son preferred the blank page and just turned his over to draw on the back! That’s the beauty of notebooking: flexibility.
I’m not ready to wrap up this area yet–I’d like to talk about grasshoppers and flies. Barb mentioned spending six to eight weeks on one focus area and I think that will be a good time frame for us. At four weeks we still have more I’d like to cover, but after a couple more weeks we’ll be ready to move on.
Have you tried having a focus area for your nature study?
Our Homeschool Journal: Changing Furniture and Curriculum Already!
In our homeschool this week…
It was a great week! After last week with my husband gone and lots of extra activities, this week felt like a breeze.
- We worked on decorating cardstock to slip into the clear covers of our school binders. Note to self: do not leave a mischievous six year old boy with an ink pad while you put in a load of laundry.
- In our study through American History we’re at the War of 1812. My son loves to build things and here is his version of the U.S.S. Constitution, a.k.a. “Old Ironsides.” Since he used geometric shapes can that count as math and history?
- Our formal science curriculum (RSO Life) and nature study aligned perfectly this week and it was all about arthropods. Barb’s suggestion in her Getting Started ebook of choosing a nature study focus area worked out extremely well for us this month, and it was just good luck that our science studies coincided. This large spider was one of our study subjects that we noticed. I’ll have a full post on our study of insects and spiders coming up.
- Geography Club focused on Brazil and we brought these Brazilian treats called “Brigadieros” …and dropped the leftovers off with my husband at the fire station so I wouldn’t have to bring them home and possibly eat them all.
- I rearranged the furniture…again. Our large schoolroom table is now in the family room and provides a great together workspace to really stretch out. We are supposed to eat meals there so I’ll have to clean it up now and then. The desks the kids had upstairs in their rooms (that they never used) are now in the schoolroom. I’ll have to take a photo once I clean it all up!
Places we went and people we saw (which is also my favorite thing this week)…
Our favorite activity this week was geography club. Last year I was part of a small group that met for a book club once a month. We decided to meet every week this year with one meeting a month still being a book club, and the other meetings being a geography club where we’ll spend the month focusing on a country. We all bring something to share at the meeting: a food, a bit of knowledge, a game or activity. Our first meeting we discussed Brazil and had such fun! We’ll be continuing to study Brazil throughout the month, so I’ll post our resources and what we shared at the end of October.
My favorite resource this week…
By chance we ended up watching several videos on National Geographic Kids, and I realized it’s a treasure trove I should check more often! We watched a very informative short video on Brazil and then clicked over to the animals section and watched short clips on some creatures we’ve come across in our science studies. The site has gorgeous pictures and an information slideshow for various animals and countries, and many items also have quality videos.
What’s working and not working for us…
Our schedule really is working well. We have four weeks under our belt and I feel like we’re rolling along nicely. I never get everything done on my own to-do list and my house seems to be constantly messy, but I’m really happy with the learning taking place for both of my kids. Their individual work is going so smoothly, and my daughter’s weekly assignment sheet is helping her be more independent and productive. As always our studies together are favorites and we’re knee deep in exciting topics!
As far as something not working, that would be our math plan for my daughter. This deserves a post of its own, which I’ll get to later this week. I’ll just share this photo, and tell you that my daughter and I practically ran to meet the mailman on Thursday for this box:
Things I’m working on…
I think I may have a sickness to be rearranging furniture again when it’s been just over a months since I rearranged the whole house for those cool lockers. Why rearrange again? No good reason except my daughter (mini-me) and I got an idea and just had to try it out. It involved yet another multi-step furniture moving process, and one can never be sure how it will work out until everything is in it’s new spot. My husband made me promise not to carry any heavy furniture up or down the stairs when he left for his 24-hour firefighter shift, so currently all I accomplished was making the house look like it traveled through a tornado like in The Wizard of Oz. Why do I do this to myself? Why can’t I leave well enough alone and actually give myself time to dust or clean the bathrooms once in a while?
We’re reading…
Same books as last week:
- I’m still working through For The Children’s Sake by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay.
- My daughter is reading Poppy by Avi for her book club and Sacajawea: Guide to Lewis and Clark by Della Rowland and has shared many interesting tidbits with me.
- We’re reading Treasure Island and listening to Cherry Jones read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We just got to Nellie Olson and are cracking up. We’re enjoying both books immensely and I’m constantly begged to read “Just one more chapter!”
- For poetry we’re reading through Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, a nice mix of verses with beautiful watercolor artwork.
Other Happenings…
I shared our recipe for homemade play dough this week. It’s almost time for a new batch and I’m thinking orange or red for fall.
We celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day by watching the Scholastic video for the book Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh (it’s on the Scrambled States video) and eating apple bread. Do you subscribe to the Homeschool Share blog and get their “Making the Days Count” monthly activity calendars? We always find something fun to add in to our schedule!
Thank you to the wonderful hostesses with fun link-ups on Fridays. Be sure to join the fun and see what other homeschoolers are up to!
Easy Homemade Play Dough and Its Many Uses
I received a recipe for homemade play dough years ago from a kindergarten teacher and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made it. It is soft and squishy and entirely satisfying to sink your hands into. It’s quick and easy to make and I think you’ll agree it’s far more fun than that store bought stuff!
Here’s the no-fail recipe for perfect play dough:
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 1/2 cups flour (more may be needed)
- 2 cups boiling water
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add boiling water and oil. Stir quickly and mix well. When cool mix completely with your hands (I usually have my two willing assistants do this job). Add more flour if the dough is too oily. Store in an air tight container.
Using Kool-Aid packets to color the play dough also adds a fun scent. We keep it in a plastic container, and it lasts a month or so. Having a large amount of one color has worked out much better than individual containers of store-bought play dough in different colors. And you just can’t beat the squishiness!
My six year old son plays with it the most. Not only is it good for long periods of creative (and quiet!) play, it actually has been quite handy for schoolwork. It’s a way for my hands-on learner to practice letters and words.
When we were working on letter names and sounds I purchased a set of alphabet cookie cutters and would ask him to cut out certain letters for me. I also made frequent use of the ABC play dough mats by Jolanthe of Homeschool Creations. Print them up, pop them into a page protector or laminate them, and they can be used over and over. I would have my son make snakes and then form the letters for me. This worked especially well when he was mixing up letters (like B and D) because the picture on the mats helped reinforce the letter name and sound.
Now that he’s older I’ll ask him to make words for me. It’s fun hands-on practice that doesn’t involve writing on paper. There is only so much writing I can get him to do in a day, but if school involves getting out the play dough he’s pretty agreeable.
In case you’re wondering, he uses the play dough for hours outside of our school uses. His current obsession is tanks, and he uses the play dough to build tank armies. In the photo you can see his book on tanks in the background. After all, even when playing one must be accurate when it comes to tanks.
The funny part is that just the other day I realized there was more than just a battle going on–he was testing! Do you see the tank without a turret that he’s still building? The little object sticking out of the hole is the man. (Or should I say crash test dummy?) After the battle he pulls off the turret or cuts into the tank to see how the driver fared.
A lump of play dough unleashes creativity: leave a fresh batch on your counter and see what it becomes!
Our Homeschool Journal: A Week Without Daddy
What a week! My husband was away four days for a training, and our home just isn’t home without Daddy! He’s a firefighter/paramedic so we’re accustomed to his 24-hour shifts at the fire station less than a mile from our house, but having him be in another state for four days was much harder.
In our homeschool this week…
In our R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey curriculum it was all about worms! Our favorite activity was a lab testing worm senses.
We’ve continued with a focus area of insects and spiders for nature study. Barb posted a fun notebooking page that had my kids thinking like a bug!
We were also busy with outside-the-house activities:
- My son had his first Boy Scout den meeting and is SO proud to be a Tiger Cub. He looked so cute in his uniform!
- Our town homeschool group met and had fun crafting with Duck tape. At that once a month meeting we’re also giving the kids a chance to make a presentation. It was our first time trying it and it was a great experience for everyone! The kids could share anything they wished: an item that is special, something they learned, a poem. It was a small, relaxed group and good practice speaking and listening for all the kids.
- My daughter had her first meeting of a new after-school book club at our local library. Her two very best buddies that attend public school are also going…much giggling occurred in my back seat on the way.
Places we went and people we saw…
The day before my husband left we took advantage of the perfect fall day for our favorite fall tradition: pumpkin and apple picking. We have a wonderful pick-your-own farm a short drive away and had a great time with friends picking pounds of apples and perfect-for-carving pumpkins.
I followed up later in the week with Hodgepodge’s apple chalk pastel tutorial. Always a fun, messy time. If you haven’t tried their tutorials you must! All ages can produce hang-it-on-the-wall-worthy art.
My favorite thing this week was…
My husband’s return! We all missed him terribly. I missed his companionship and help with the kids and household…and his cooking. The kids missed his wrestling, tickling, and cuddling…and his cooking. They had a “welcome home” prepared for his late-night arrival. My favorite parts were the balloon kids awaiting hugs and kisses.
My favorite resource this week…
We stumbled upon the Math Is Fun website while helping my daughter with subtracting negative numbers. The Khan videos had explained how to do the problems but she still hadn’t grasped the why. Math Is Fun had a real-world explanation that clicked for her.
We’re reading…
I’m still working through For The Children’s Sake by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay and still really enjoying it. My daughter is reading Poppy by Avi for her book club and Sacajawea: Guide to Lewis and Clark by Della Rowland. We’re reading Treasure Island and listening to Cherry Jones read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder. For poetry we’re reading through Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, a nice mix of verses with beautiful watercolor artwork.
In case you missed it…
I posted about our plans for a government and elections unit study. I’m looking forward to starting it in about a week and connecting my kids with what’s happening in the news.
Thank you to the wonderful hostesses with fun link-ups on Fridays. Be sure to join the fun and see what other homeschoolers are up to!
Capitalizing on the Excitement of a Presidential Election
I’ve mentioned how we watch CNN Student News every morning over breakfast when I wrote about our daily schedule. It is a routine we all enjoy and a great way to introduce my children to current events. They’ve been asking lots of questions since the beginning of the presidential primaries, so I knew this was a great year to do a unit study on U.S. government and elections.
I took the time to put together an elementary-level unit study and lapbook. I am ever grateful for Homeschool Share and the people who put time and effort into making resources that others can use free of charge. I was able to find all the minibooks for our government and elections lapbook from free HSS lapbooks or their blank minibook templates. I compiled a list of books to cover the topics–quality books are always the backbone of our studies. Lastly, I enjoy rounding out our units with educational videos, websites and songs, so I found some fun additions to reinforce concepts.
Are any of you hoping to capitalize on this election-year excitement to teach your kids about our system of government and the election process? If you’d like you can read the details on what we’ll be doing for a government and elections unit.
We’ll work on this lapbook in early October so the information will be fresh in their minds as the campaigns really ramp up before election day. We’ll continue watching Student News each day, watch debates and speeches together, and take field trips to see and candidates that visit locally. It should be an exciting, educational election season!
Our Homeschool Journal: A Full Week!
In our homeschool this week…
It was a busy, productive week. Our Time Traveler’s history focus was inventions of the 1800’s, and we had a lot of fun learning about the cotton gin, revolver, sewing machine, and steamboat and how these inventions impacted life in early America. Daddy, a licensed amateur radio operator, stepped in as a guest instructor for Morse Code. I need to arrange guest instructors more often! It was a highlight of the week.
We studied the phylum Cnidaria in our science curriculum (RSO Life Level 1), with a hands-on model of the jellyfish lifecycle.
In other science learning, nature study was part of nearly every day! I’m so thankful Barb makes it easy to implement nature study because it adds so much enrichment to our homeschool. The kids checked a few more things off the Last Days of Summer grid while I worked in the garden. We took a little walk another day and did Challenge #1 from the Outdoor Hour Challenge ebook.
Our item of interest ended up being mushrooms and we learned about them after returning home. The topic that intrigued us was related to our earlier science studies about plant cells and chloroplasts–why are mushrooms not green? Using the Handbook of Nature Study we learned it’s because they don’t have chloroplasts to manufacture their own food, but use decaying plant matter for food, thus doing the world a great service in addition to feeding themselves!
We also did the weekly challenge on ants. Our backyard ant hills are a bit quiet this time of year, but we tried to stir them up a little and noticed we have a least two different kinds making a home near our gardens. It was fun, as usual, to see the differences in what my kids were interested in: my daughter loved the structure of ant hills with separate rooms. We read the information in our books and then also did a little internet research to find some diagrams. My son was intrigued by the information in the Handbook of Nature Study on ant battles and how they can go on for days and involve fighting to the death.
The other idea from Barb’s Getting Started ebook was to pick a Focus Area, and for us the next month or two will be all about Insects and Spiders! I really like the idea of a nature focus area, and we have a catch-all console table that I’ve now turned into our nature study table. I combed our shelves and came up with several books and flash card sets. My son has a few interesting specimens in acrylic and we have a few insects we’ve collected in jars. I’ve set these all up on our nature table and we’ll be on the lookout for opportunities to study insects and spiders in our nature study.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
No need to be derailed by minor illness! My youngest was starting with a cold one morning. I’m always thankful I don’t have to ask myself: “Do I send him to school or not?” That used to be so tricky, trying to weigh how they felt or if they were infectious with what they were missing. We don’t call off school at home for minor illness, but try to make adjustments to continue learning and give comfort to whoever is under the weather.
First step: The Sick Couch. That’s an official family name for the cozy spot we bestow upon the sick member, loaded up with pillows and blankets and stuffed animals. We pull the table closer and stock that with tissues and treats. This time I made a homemade hot chocolate that was well-received.
Then we continue with the things we can (all from the “sick couch”) and usually make adjustments like extra reading aloud or an educational show. This time we brought out our popular Magic School Bus Human Body DVD and he watched “Inside Ralphie” while I worked with his big sister.
Places we went and people we saw…
Did you know that a little town in Maine was involved in the War of 1812? We had a fabulous time at Hampden Heritage Days, a free event put on by the historical society at a historic home.
We learned about the Battle of Hampden and a chambermaid who threw the contents of a chamber pot on some British soldiers attempting to gain access to the home. We were able to step inside Hannibal Hamlin’s law office (vice-president with Lincoln during the Civil War). We also enjoyed many glimpses into life in another time period, and imagined what it would be like: sleeping on a rope bed, having to hand-make so much of what you needed, and handwriting that was really an art form. Some of it looked hard, but some of the simpleness of the time is always appealing. I loved the “Nanny-Rocker” where a mother could lay her baby to rock while having her hands free for handiwork, or how the spinning wheel was made to be portable so women could bring them when they socialized.
My favorite thing this week was…
Good friends coming to dinner! I love the flexibility we have to schedule social time as a family, and I also love when we have guests because my husband cooks the not-so-healthy meals that we generally avoid like creamy haddock chowder!
My favorite resource this week…
Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler posted her World’s Greatest Artists study for FREE this week. The printables and activities are a great addition to our Harmony Fine Arts curriculum and I was excited to download it and go further in our study of Renoir this month! I’m continually amazed and appreciative of homeschool bloggers sharing their hard work and talent with the rest of us!
Things I’m working on…
Putting together our first unit study for the year: it’s a little mix of Elections, Government and the Presidency geared for elementary age students. I’ll post my plans as soon as I finalize them–hopefully within the next few days after I receive all the books I’ve ordered.
We’re reading…
My 10-year old is still working on Nancy Drew and the Clue in the Crumbling Wall, while my 6-year old pours over a book on Tanks. Our read alouds are On The Banks of Plum Creek from the Little House series, and Treasure Island. Yes, the full, unabridged version! I was wondering how my six year old would do, but it is pirates after all! I found an audio version but it was read too quickly, so I’m reading it with as much panache as I can manage, and going slowly enough and stopping often enough to be sure they understand. As we’ve gotten into the story we’re all really enjoying it. I love the opportunity to read all the great books I missed!
I’m reading For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. I have it on interlibrary loan but will be adding it to my shelf when I can: it’s one of those I could see myself re-reading frequently for inspiration and encouragement in the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
Thank you to the wonderful hostesses with fun link-ups on Fridays. Be sure to join the fun and see what other homeschoolers are up to!
Our Homeschool Journal: Back to School but Still Flexible
In our homeschool this week…
We’re officially back to school full-time! Though we school year round it’s more relaxed and about half-time in the summer. Maine’s weather seemed to change from summer to fall overnight, and it felt good to jump back into our normal school routine.
You can read the details on a day in our home schoolroom in an earlier post. Today I’m happy to report that so far my plans and schedule seem to be working well! We got a lot accomplished, and continuing our afternoon quiet time habit that we’d started in the summer helps to give us all time to recharge and come back together to enjoy the rest of our day. Our two new additions, WriteShop and Harmony Fine Arts, are starting off with two-thumbs up from me and my students.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
There are certain things I don’t want my kids to miss, and one of those is the excitement of a new school year and the first day. I did my best to make the first day special: we wore special outfits, took pictures, and I made special meals that went along with our history studies. I also saved some curriculum and school supplies to begin using on the first day so it really feels like a new beginning, not just another day. Maybe for you first-day excitement isn’t important. Maybe you don’t want your kids to miss school parties, pictures, or plays…my advice is to try and recreate whatever it is (and make it even better!) through homeschooling. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity.
I am inspired by…
I listened for the second time to Andrew Pudewa’s Nurturing Competent Communicators. It’s such an inspiring talk that speaks to one of my major goals in homeschooling: raising children that can communicate well. It moved reading aloud to the top of my to-do list the first time I listened to it, and a refresher was good as we started the new school year so I don’t get my priorities out of order.
Places we went and people we saw…
I love a flexible schedule! We went on another day-trip adventure this week to visit a Maine-based business in person, Casey’s Wood Products, a manufacturer of wood craft parts.
The main reason was for my daughter, who is working on furnishing a wooden dollhouse we built. She was able to buy a bag full of fun accessories at a price far below a craft or collectible store.
The store itself was a terrific experience. First of all as a crafter I was in heaven with all the possibilities! The variety and quality was astounding and the staff made it extra enjoyable. We were the only shoppers there, since Casey’s does a lot of online bulk orders for businesses, but the staff didn’t treat us like we were in the way–it was like we were guests and they were very helpful and friendly. I bought quite a few things I just couldn’t resist (thimbles and jump rope handles), several items for homeschooling (geometric shapes, a wooden jail), and got an early start on craft projects for Christmas (trees, snowmen, mini spools).
For those of you that use All About Spelling and know about putting words that don’t follow spelling rules in jail–won’t this be fun?
Since we were in the area we made a pit stop at a famous Maine eatery: Red’s Eats. Another benefit of our flexible schedule–we didn’t have to wait in the usual hour long line.
My favorite resource this week…
This isn’t exactly school-related, but it’s definitely home-related. The ever-inspiring Mary at Homegrown Learners posted about Plan To Eat and I was intrigued. Meal planning was on my must-do list in order to be more efficient with my time. I’d meal planned before and enjoyed knowing what’s for dinner and what I need to buy at the store, but it was time consuming to choose the meals and make a shopping list so eventually I’d get busy and fall out of the habit. With Plan to Eat I could drag and drop meals into my meal plan, then print a shopping list organized by store department AND it took me less time than meal planning ever has. Hooray!
What’s working and not working for us…
In addition to Plan to Eat another new organizational item is working well: I made a get-ready morning checklist for my kids. I started with the idea from Tricia at Hodgepodge and her Before 8:45 checklist, customizing it for what I wanted my kids to accomplish on their own while I was getting myself ready. Not only do my children enjoy checking items off (they’re drawing different things in the check boxes each day), but it saves me the time and energy of verbally reminding them of each step.
Things I’m working on…
Making sure I take care of myself along with everything else, and trying to slow down enough to really enjoy life. My dear grandmother was completely type-A and drove herself so hard all her life that she didn’t often enjoy the everyday. I am very conscious of my similarities to her and try to keep my personality in check. I know I need my eight hours of sleep each night to function well. I know that I may be able to check a couple more things off my list if I stay up an extra hour, but I also know that I’ll be less patient and joyful if I do that every night. And too often lately instead of enjoying down-time with my family I’m hopping up to do housework or work in the schoolroom. I’m really trying to work on these bad habits.
I’m reading…
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick. So far it’s a quick, no-nonsense and practical book. Our read aloud is On the Banks of Plum Creek from the Little House series. My daughter is reading an old Nancy Drew: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall.
I’m grateful for…
Watching the big yellow bus pass by my house. I was returning home from my morning walk, ready to dive into our first day back to school. I had just watched a little boy get on the bus, his mom anxiously yelling to him what bus he was supposed to catch after school to take him to Tae Kwon Do. We were getting ready to share a special “big bacon breakfast” family tradition and spend the day learning together. We’re so lucky.
Thank you to the wonderful hostesses with fun link-ups on Fridays. Be sure to join the fun and see what other homeschoolers are up to!
Letterboxing: Treasure Hunts in Nature
We first tried letterboxing a couple years ago and after our first box we were hooked! What is letterboxing, you ask? It’s like a treasure hunt! You follow clues to find a carefully hidden box. The best parts: it’s free, easy, a hobby multiple ages can enjoy, and encourages time in nature. If you want to try letterboxing, just follow these three simple steps:
Get Ready
The supplies are inexpensive and easy to put together:
- A small notebook or index cards. I prefer index cards because we can bring extras in case we smudge a stamp. If you use index cards you’ll also want a box to hold them.
- A stamp for your “signature” once you find the letterbox. Right now the kids and I each chose a store bought rubber stamp, but my goal is for us to make custom stamps (more on this later).
- An ink pad. Sometimes there is one you can use inside the letterbox, but they’re often dried out so it’s better to come prepared.
As we’ve developed this hobby I’ve added some organization and fun: I bought small wooden clipboards for $1 each at AC Moore and we painted them. Since there often isn’t a flat surface nearby we can put our index card on the clipboard and get a good impression of the letterbox stamp. We keep our supplies tucked into a little tote bag that is ready to grab and go.
Get Clues
I use Atlas Quest, an online letterboxing community. You can search for letterboxes by putting in your location and how far you’re willing to travel. You’ll see the name (which can be simple like “Lamoine State Park” or more creative like “Birds of a Feather”) and general location (the town, park, or closest building). The handy pictures under “attributes” let you know details, like whether it’s pet friendly or how long a hike it is from a parking area to the box. Once you click on the name you’ll see more details about that letterbox and then you can click to get the clues.
You follow the clues to the box: directions like looking for a certain tree, rock formation or other landmark, facing a certain direction, taking X number of steps, etc. With letterboxing you don’t need a GPS device like you do with geocaching.
Find the Letterbox
At the end of the clues you search a bit, and the moment you see the box is exciting! Open it and you’ll find a unique stamp, usually hand carved, and a log book. You stamp your signature stamp in the log book, then stamp that letterbox stamp on your book or index card as a memento. Often geocaches have trinkets you can exchange, which takes a little more prep-work to bring trinkets to trade. Then there’s the chance that both kids want a certain trinket and it causes a disagreement. With letterboxing it’s just a stamped image for everyone. My kids are very excited to see the stamp because the hand-carved stamps are often very creative. I won’t include a photo of one because that’s kind of like telling the end of a good book!
Letterboxing has become a wonderful shared hobby for our family. We spend time together in nature, we don’t have to do a lot of planning or spend a lot of money, and we all enjoy it! An extra bonus is that although we’ve looked for letterboxes in many of our favorite spots, we’ve also been to new places when following the trail of a letterbox.
We have a goal of learning to hand carve stamps so we can make custom signature stamps. Atlas Quest has good information, and I love this great photo tutorial from Wee Folk Art on making stamps. Once we master that we’d like to place our own letterbox for others to find. Coming up with a location and name, unique stamp and directions, and then checking back to view the log book would be a great challenge.
Have I convinced you yet? Fall is a great time to try letterboxing!
Our Homeschool Journal: Nature Study (No Thanks to Mom)
In our homeschool this week…
We spent most of the week camping. It was our last trip since here in Maine the nights will be getting too chilly for sleeping in a pop-up camper right next to the ocean. I said we were going to try and cross off everything on Barb’s Last Days of Summer grid, and we got a running start: seven boxes checked off!
Other than the grid I had planned on the week being pretty low-key for education. I brought along an art project (more on that later) and our current book for reading aloud, but otherwise planned to just relax before we start full-time school next week. A lucky circumstance turned this trip into an educational treasure! While beach combing we noticed a lady searching alone. My six-year-old, who we think may be a politician someday, struck up a conversation with her. Turns out she used to work in education and was here for the summer as a volunteer to work on interpretive materials. How lucky for us! She seemed to enjoy the company of our kids and we left knowing a lot more about nature at our favorite place…no thanks to me and my fabulous homeschool mom planning.
The favorite tidbit my kids picked up was when my daughter asked this kind lady what made the little tiny holes in mussel shells. Turns out it’s a snail called the dog whelk. It eats mussels, which are larger than they are, by attaching to their shell, using a chemical to soften the shell, and then using their radula (like a tongue) as a drill to make that little hole. A squirt of their special saliva drugs the mussel, then a digestive enzyme turns the mussel to soup, then they suck it out through their tiny hole. Fascinating!
Since schools in our area are back in session it was pretty quiet at the beach. We were able to witness more activity from the seagulls than usual. We became intrigued watching them feed. They would pick things up from the ocean and fly up over the beach to drop them on the rocks and eat what was inside the shell. I was able to run to catch a closer look when one gull was done, and found his just-emptied sea urchin shell. We also witnessed the demise of a starfish. We decided a gull’s life looked pretty hard, but that they appeared pretty clever, too.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Be friendly! You never know what you can learn from people you meet just by striking up a conversation. My husband has encouraged me to be more like this over the years, and I see his personality trait in our son. Honestly, when I’d seen the woman on the beach I was sitting in the shade in my folding camp chair reading. I didn’t really want to chat, and I wasn’t even engaged with my kids combing the beach. Good thing my son followed in his dad’s footsteps!
My favorite thing this week was…
The weather! We’d had a lot of rain on our camping trips this summer, but the weather this trip couldn’t have been better. Warm and sunny but not humid or too hot, and perfect nights for campfires.
My favorite resource this week…
The art project I brought along on our camping trip was a chalk pastel tutorial from Hodgepodge. Their Nana gives them pastel lessons (lucky!) and Tricia kindly posts them for us to enjoy. We had a great time attempting to capture the beautiful sunsets over the ocean. If you haven’t tried one of Nana’s pastel tutorials I highly recommend it! It’s messy and fun and easy for all ages to create something special.
Things I’m working on…
Laundry. Post-camping laundry sometimes makes me want to run and hide. I also need to pull things together for the first week of school so I am organized with things printed or copied and ready to go.
I’m reading…
We’re near the end of Little House on the Prairie and enjoying this series so much!
I finished Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling by Diana Waring. I can’t say it’s one I’d read again. I did enjoy the chapters on different learning and teaching styles and teaching multiple ages. I gleaned a bit from it, but though I don’t think the author meant it that way some sections made me feel we weren’t good enough. For example, when we visit with other families we don’t gather around the table and sing together. We try to get the kids to go play so us adults can talk. I’m looking for another, possibly more encouraging (and realistic for me) homeschooling book to read. Any suggestions?
I’m grateful for…
The seasons. I love the changes and trying to enjoy the best that each season in Maine has to offer.
Thank you to the wonderful hostesses with fun link-ups on Fridays. Be sure to join the fun and see what other homeschoolers are up to!
Hi, I'm Heidi and I homeschool my two sweet kids. I want them to know that learning is an exciting lifelong adventure! We love great books, unit studies, notebooking, lapbooking, and hands-on learning.
