New use for a homeschool supply

We have a new whiteboard on the refrigerator that lists work for the day. Calvin adapted it to share his feelings. You'll notice that he was sad and needed to finish lunch.

We're already homeschooling!

The kids and I are really excited to start doing the projects that we've talked about. We have always had summer work, which is usually boring math facts, reading comprehension worksheets, etc. But because homeschooling is billed as less boring, and Eleanor and I (at least) have the personality to get really into something, we're on our way!

This week the kids and I are learning about ants. We want to learn how ants communicate and do an experiment to learn what they like best to eat. We still don't know how they communicate, despite checking out several books from the library. Jenny, of our fabulous Clifton branch of the library, knows of our project and found a documentary about ants for us. We picked it up this morning, but haven't watched it yet. If it doesn't help, we'll move to looking on the web.

We have learned what they like to eat. With my grad student giving an exam for me, I took the morning off to do ant research and experiments with the kids. To our surprise, ants like fig bar and cookie best. The kids hypothesized banana and marshmallow. We only added the cookie to the experiment after realizing that they don't like foods that they can't break apart (e.g., peanuts, hot dogs) or sticky foods that might kill them (e.g., honey).

The food is still out in the driveway. We realize that other bigger creatures are likely to eat it soon!

School is out!

The kids have finished school at Xavier. Calvin had his birthday last week. Eleanor's is today!

The adventure has begun!

I feel the excited and nervous. It's hard to believe that it's really beginning. I've been imagining this for a long time!

Matt has checked a bunch of travel books out from the library. We chuckled when we discovered that we're still "Let's Go" travelers (rather than a guidebook for adults). I got some folders and the kids labeled them, one for each of our stops. We've already started putting notes in them with ideas for good places to eat or see or tour. Reading about the places we'll be going, especially the ones we've never been to, is really fun. For example, I hadn't really thought about what to expect of the sliver of New Hampshire that we'll pass through between Vermont and Maine. Now I know that there is a fabulous gorge. However, I refuse to pay $34 to see a natural wonder in a state park! Anyway, even with that, it is fun to read about things.