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I'm a part-time clinical psychology researcher and full-time mother to Alex (4/05) and Colin (2/09). We are secular homeschoolers following a modified neoclassical curriculum.
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Current Read-Aloud
The Borrowers Aloft
Mary Norton-
Category Archives: excursions
Wordless (almost) Wednesday
The Farm Experience program is going swimmingly.
Posted in BHCC, excursions, field trips
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Kayam Farm experience!
This week the kids started a new activity through the Baltimore Homeschool Community Center: a “Farm Experience” at Kayam, an organic farm north of Baltimore that focuses on environmental and Jewish education. (The homeschool program is secular.) For the next … Continue reading
Posted in BHCC, excursions, field trips
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An afternoon of skulls.
On the third Sunday of every month, the Maryland Natural History Society has a sort of an open house. A theme is announced (this month it was “skulls”), and various naturalists bring their collections for informal show-and-tell. It was remarkable. … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, field trips, nature study
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Victorious! A guest post by Alex.
Today, for the first time, I got to experience the highlight of Alex’s week: Outdoor Games. A group of about twenty homeschooled kids meets every Wednesday in the park to play games like kickball, capture the flag, dodgeball, flag football, … Continue reading
Posted in excursions
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The curriculum of love, continued.
As we have done before, we took off from school today for a Civics lesson. For two and a half hours, we stood in the cold outside an early voting site and campaigned on behalf of Marylanders for Marriage Equality. … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, field trips, social studies
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Park Quest update
I had intended to document our Park Quest experiences, but alas, thanks to my blog hiatus I’m seven parks behind. Since I last posted, we’ve completed Quests all across Maryland, from the western border to the headwaters of the Chesapeake … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, park quest 2012
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A busy Saturday.
Today we went to Roman Days, a living history demonstration run by a group calling themselves Legio XX (the 20th Legion). Our friend Bill was there in a Senatorial toga, hearing cases as a magistrate when he wasn’t showing us … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, nature study, park quest 2012, social studies, sotw vol. 1
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Park Quest #2: North Point State Park.
Last Saturday was a beautiful day – breezy and cool. A perfect day for Park Quest! Michael had an all-day retreat for the church Board, but the kids and I headed out to North Point State Park on the Chesapeake … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, park quest 2012
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Park Quest #1: Sandy Point State Park!
Today, the Questing Sand Crabs ventured forth on our first Park Quest mission: Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, right at the foot of the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore. The park was massively crowded with boaters and families … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, park quest 2012
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Park Quest 2012!!
Excitement in our house has reached a fever pitch: Park Quest 2012 registration opens tomorrow! Park Quest is a genius marketing effort by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. You sign your family up to participate as a team containing … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, park quest 2012
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Smithsonian Air & Space Museum!
We wrapped up our study of The Glorious Flight with a trip to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. It was our first trip to D.C. since before Colin was born – with very young kids, there isn’t much that … Continue reading
Climbing Maryland mountains.
Okay, so “climbing a Kansas mountain” was metaphorical. We still thought it would be a good idea to climb a Maryland mountain this week. “The thing that makes a mountain is a high, quiet view,” the boy’s father says, and … Continue reading
Nature study: Fungus and rot.
We’ve been having outstanding fall weather lately. The kids spend hours and hours outside. One of their favorite places is the Arboretum not far from our new house. They went there with Michael on Tuesday and came back with excited … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, field trips, nature study
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Islands.
There’s a mention in The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar that the island of Sweetbriar used to be part of Nantucket, until the ocean broke it away. This weekend, on the beach at Assateague Island, the kids played endlessly with the … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, experiments, field trips, five in a row, science
Tagged wild horses of sweetbriar
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The Komodo dragon room.
Yesterday Michael took the kids on a field trip to the Carrie Murray Nature Center. In addition to looking up close at their collection of lizards, snakes, raptors, and turtles, Alex got to help feed crickets to the tarantulas. Oh … Continue reading
Finding the Drinking Gourd.
The weather hasn’t been very good for stargazing lately, but I couldn’t imagine leaving Follow the Drinking Gourd without going out at night to look for the “Drinking Gourd” in question – the Big Dipper. Friday night we decided that … Continue reading
Gone fishin’.
Yeah, not much posting happened last week. I meant to post pictures of our trip to a Pow Wow, and talk about our language arts lesson on historical fiction, and report on the Magic Tree House book club’s session with … Continue reading
Posted in excursions
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Building.
In Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, the basement of the new Town Hall is dug single-handedly by Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne. In search of a slightly more realistic view of construction careers, yesterday Michael took the kids to … Continue reading
First day of first grade!
I know it’s a holiday, but we had school today anyway because Alex was terribly excited about starting first grade. (We started kindergarten on June 1st, 2010, so that makes this week promotion time.) Here’s her “off to school” picture: … Continue reading
Posted in excursions, field trips, five in a row, languages, nature study
Tagged make way for ducklings
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Flowers.
One of the major features in “Miss Rumphius” is the flowers that she spreads around… so we decided that we’d do some flower-related things on Tuesday with Dad. The weather was actually nice, although it looked like it might get … Continue reading
