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The slideshow below is of our day with some friends at The Rock Ranch. Princess Poodle and Triple H are wearing the cowboy hats. We had a great day of riding trains, getting lost in a corn maze, jumping on a giant pillow, and seeing all types of animals. I am so happy Autumn is here. It is my favorite season. Something about the coolness in the air is a gift from God and it refreshes me; body and spirit. Thanks for stopping by.

A Day at the Rock Ranch

A Look Back at September

This week was a good week at Hazel"nut" academy. We are in the middle of a kitchen revamp(pictures coming soon) and this along with the homeschooling has our house a little topsy turvy.

Language Arts: We completed our read aloud A Cricket in Times Square. Next week we meet here at our house for our first Detectives Book Club meeting. (I'll post some pics)Princess Poodle practiced on her two vowels and silent e rule and read in her readers. She is also practicing a Presentation book that she reads all week and then presents to the family on the weekend. I got this idea from Jennifer at Smooth Stones Academy.
Math: We are starting to memorize math facts and Princess Poodle seems to be handling this new challenge.
History: We talked about different types of leaders and how Hammurabi conquered lands in a much more peaceful way than the Assyrians. Next week we are off to Ancient India and will try our hand at making a mud brick. I'll be sure to post pics of that event. How much fun will that be....an excuse to play in the mud!
Art/Music: At crosspoint academy Princess Poodle is learning about the works of Claude Monet. She seems to love her one day at school.

Triple H has had a couple of good days but continues to be a challenge. He is learning his letters so fast considering I'm not really teaching them. Mostly he loves to ride his bike, play with his racecars and his trains, and he loves all three of these even more if I or Papa Bear can play too. We love our little man!

And now for the great news. Papa Bear surprised us all with a trip to Disney World coming in October to celebrate our 10th anninversary. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Really, I have butterflies in my stomach and find myself smiling at the thought of it. Oh and the kids are excited too. Any one with any good Disney advice feel free to pass it on. Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

A Look Back

Here is Princess Poodles's Nile River model we made together when studying Ancient Eygpt. The first picture which I can't figure out how to rotate (ahhh!) is Princess Poodle in her "coat" of many colors. Princess Poodle is loving history. She is fascinated with other cultures and how God was working way back then. I am doing my best to weave God's plan of redemption and salvation into our studies.

We have also been working in Saxon Math. I'm not sure how this program compares to others other than what I have read on the internet. So far it is working and she loves math too. I was very proud of the picture she made with her pattern block shapes. This was her first time using them and she had no direction. I think she might be more spatial than I am. Way to go Princess Poodle!

The first few weeks of school have been a joy and have been challenging. Triple H at only 3 wants so badly to do everything his big sister is doing. Sometimes our days are smooth, other times our days are rocky...everyday I pray for patience and wisdom. Maybe this whole homeschooling adventure is more about what God wants to teach me than them. Check back later for this weeks Look Back and thanks for stopping by.

Sheryl

Hazel"nut" Academy

Family: Myself, my husband of 10 years (lets call him Papa Bear), my daughter 6 (lets call her Princess Poodle) and my son 3 (lets call him Triple H).

Hazelnut Academy: This is our first year homeschooling officially. We homeschooled Princess Poodle for two years of PreK. This year she is Kindergarten. We are using The Well Trained Mind, Sing Spell Read Write, Saxon Math, and Story of the World: Ancients. She attends a private school one day a week for Music and Art. We also have a book club that meets once a month. I am still trying to determine what to call our type of schooling. I am still finding my way. Right now we are Christian, Classical, with a little bit of "I have no idea what I'm doing"!

Our mission: To raise children who will love and fear the Lord, to be a family that is happy and a good example of Christ's love, and for me to continue to find that simple truth and simple love go very far in this life and to pass this on to my kids.

A blogger...no it can't be!

Ok...I admit it...I thought bloggers were odd. I mean why would anyone have nothing better to do than read about what your kids are doing, or what new wall paper you hung in the bathroom...but then I became a homeschooler ...officially..and I started to visit other homeschool blogs and what did I find? Inspiration...determination....emotional support...creative ideas...the list goes on and on. I became somewhat jealous of the ability to share ones homeschool life with others. I mean nobody got to see how hard I was working or what cool thing I did with the kids. And the truth is I have always kept a journal ...at least until the busyness of life with two toddlers set in..so here goes my attempt at blogging; for me more than for anyone else. Next post I will talk about our family, our school, and why we are Hazel"nut" Academy.

Sheryl