Old Sturbridge Village Homeschool Day

This morning we packed up and headed to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. Brian was able to take the day off too and come along for the fun. The weather was, well not quite perfect, but good for March! The clouds and sky were so beautiful all day long. At one point we had hail! It was tiny and we headed into the Asa Knight Village Store to talk to the interpreters so it didn't disrupt us.

My 2 favorite people!

Isn't the sky wonderful?? The clouds! 

This sheep wants Maddie to come back!

Can you find the robin?

This is maple sugaring time so we got to learn about the process as it was done in the early 1800s. Almost all the sap was boiled down into hard sugar which could be stored for the year rather than syrup that needs refrigeration. 

Maple sugar cones. The ladies in the house said they would've preferred the lighter colored sugar since they used it for everything. It has a very light maple taste compared to the darker colored cone.

Making the syrup. Once it was syrup it would be taken into the house to finish off by boiling further to hard maple sugar.

spile and trough to catch the sap...more on spiles in a minute!

Baking at the farmhouse. Using the maple sugar to make an apple pie.

Maddie took 2 classes today. One was on making a penny rug which actually turned out to be a maple leaf not a true penny rug. She still enjoyed it quite a bit!

Then she took a class on carving a wooden spile which she loved! She asked on the way home if she could make one of those benches with Daddy so she could carve some more. Ummm...I don't think so. The man teaching this class was a retired shop teacher and he kept sprinkling in other things while talking. He told the girls that he knew they wanted Prince Charming to come along but it would be really good to find something they loved to do, a passion, a career goal and see if they could learn more about it. The other girls had a bit of deer in the headlights look but Maddie was nodding her head and grinning away at him. That advice is probably easier to understand when you have your goal already all set! Maddie did like the kids in her group. At the end after they had cleaned up the teacher asked them to assemble back on the benches which got one of the boys to yell "Homeschoolers Assemble!". 

First they had to poke a hole through the center of their wood. It was sumac which is very soft so it was not too hard but....

still required a little Daddy assistance.

Then on to the carving. This is the bench she wants to have! I do not know where we would put such a thing even if we managed to produce one! 

Checking in with the teacher.

Ta da! 1 Wooden Spile

Here are some more photos of our fun day!

The shoemaker...who turned into the printer in the afternoon! 

I love the squashes scattered about with the toys like a child had been playing with them.

Aren't these horses just beautiful?

Maddie carding wool.

A traditional spot for a photo! To see how much Maddie has grown check out this post...the video at the bottom of the page

Despite hail spring is coming! 

I had to take a photo of this because my own knitting was in our backpack with needles in a similar holder! 

Maddie wants to go back again...so we haven't outgrown this yet!

Science Experiment and Public Presentations

This has been a busy week! Maddie did a first science experiment involving fire (in the form of a candle) and was prepping for her 4H Public Presentation. The experiment was fun. We were testing sugar and salt to see which contained carbon. Carbon is part of Organic Chemistry which is her new science unit this week. We tried to use the fancy tongs from the chemistry kit but they just didn't hold the spoon handles well. I had a pot holder at the ready but the handles didn't get too hot.

sugar has carbon!

salt does not...

On Saturday we went to 4H Public Presentations. I know I am her mom and all that but I think Maddie did an excellent job! I am so very proud of her. She managed to figure out how to create a powerpoint presentation all on her own as well as researching and writing her own paper on John Muir. I can honestly say it was all Maddie with just a little bit of hints and helps from Brian and I. She got a blue ribbon award and was very excited.

Bonnie introducing Maddie

grin of relief at the end...including a dimple!

talking with the judges

Video of the presentation! 

Didn't she do GREAT!

When Maddie was done another parent said to us "I had NO idea she was only 12. I thought she was 14 at the least.". We told him not to feel bad, it seems to be a common problem. So that is all off the list now and on to other projects! 

Yarn Along

Maddie and I just started reading Robinson Crusoe. I thought it would be best if we shared the reading so I read a part of the chapter then hand it over to Maddie to finish it up. She is doing quite well with the language! 

I thought I would share my temperature scarf since its the start of March. Lots of 30 degree weather showing up there in the last two months with a few spots of the temperature going up to the 50s! Its an interesting project. 

What are you reading and knitting?

Linking with Ginny at Small Things.

First Poetry Tea

I read about having a weekly poetry tea and thought it might be a good idea to try. Today we gave it a try with only 3 day care kiddos in attendance. We made gingerbread cookies this morning then added juice for little ones and peppermint tea for Maddie and Miss.Jenn. Yum! And we enjoyed the poetry too! We read some Robert Frost poems, poems from a book called Winter Bees and Jabberwocky (which Maddie picked out from the poem anthology in honor of Poppa Bill). Maddie and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Everyone under 4 enjoyed the cookies! We will keep giving it a try and see how it goes over time.

I also have to share Maddie's one nature journal entry from Winter Camp. I love it! She made the frozen lake and mountains behind it. Then she showed the cracks in the snow on the lake because she was fascinated with the frost she could see in the cracks. Then, just to round things out, she made her pancakes from breakfast! Sums up winter camp quite nicely I think! 

Quiet House

Its been a busy weekend here. Saturday we all took part in the Schenectady County 4H Cabin Fever Day. I worked with 1 cloverbud to make homemade tootsie rolls and felted soap. Brian and I worked together to help the kids make breakfast for lunch-quiche, home fries and baked apples. Maddie took the woodworking class and made a bookshelf.

Bookshlef done and waiting for paint or stain.

Sunday morning Maddie and I went to church and helped with the inter-generational valentine lunch. I made pea soup and helped to serve and clean up. Maddie helped to set up and ate with the seniors, something she always enjoys. Then it was off to Camp Fowler for winter camp! She was so excited. Her friend Norah was coming along and she knew another friend from church, Becca, would be there too. When we arrived we discovered that all 3 girls were in the same room! Double yay!

see the white stuff on the ground...snow! We found some! 

They are in the Fawn Lake room.

Schedule! Busy, busy! 

The final "oh lets just be quiet, let them take a picture and get the out of here" shot.

Today is also Valentine's Day! Brian and I treated ourselves to dinner at Lanzi's on the Lake on our way home. The lake was out there somewhere but it was too dark to see! The food was good and we enjoyed it. Earlier in the week Brian sent me some flowers. I gave Brian his hat yesterday since the temperatures have fallen dramatically into the single digits with nasty below zero wind chills. 

hat modeling! 

beautiful orchids!

And now we have an oh so quiet house! Maddie will be home soon bubbling with stories of all that happened so we will enjoy the quiet for now. Happy Valentine's Day! 

Yarn Along

I am working on a hat for Brian's Valentine's Day present and hopefully a scarf to go with it. This is the first time I've done cables and I am so excited that they are working! Its like turning the heel on a sock...I get excited every time.

Maddie and I are reading Cabinet of Curiosities which is a lot of fun. Plans are being made for organizing the nature shelf which would be great. The introduction is all about the history of cabinets and there are a lot that were created long ago that became the basis of museums still around today. On my own I am reading The Endless Steppe. This is a kids book and I think I will read it to Maddie when I am done. I am at the point in the book where the little girl is helping to provide for her family by knitting for other people! She is being paid with milk and eggs and bread. Its amazing and based on the author's own childhood.

What are you knitting and reading today? Linking with Ginny at Small Things.

The Weekend

On Saturday Maddie and I went to 5 Rivers Environmental Education Center for a program on identifying trees in winter. We were early and had a good time strolling around for a bit and spent a good bit of time watching the birds at the many bird feeders.

Downey Woodpecker

chickadee

The program was good because it helped us a bit with figuring out the dichotomous key. We always seem to get wrapped up in analytical discussions about the 2 choices instead of just choosing one yes or no. I think we will be better equipped next time we give it a try on our own!

I wondered what or who piled all those up...kids? animals? the wind? but forgot to go back and ask once we got into the "Which tree is this?" discussion! 

On Sunday morning we had duck eggs for breakfast! Brian buys our eggs from a co-worker who raises chickens. We decided to scramble them and they were really rich, creamy and very good.

I also finished the first month of my temperature scarf! 

So we had some fun mixed in with the work this weekend!