I’ve written a lot about the Science Museum of Minnesota over the past year. In January, I shared photos of the kids conducting DNA experiments, and in August I introduced you to Collector’s Corner. But Friday was our last visit for a while. Our annual membership expires this week — yet another reminder of our family’s journey beyond homeschooling.

I could rave about Collector’s Corner forever — the dedicated volunteers, the interesting natural pieces that get traded, and the love for learning it fostered in my kids. But our regular visits also encouraged family and friends to look for wonderful objects as well. Continue Reading »

***THIRD GRADE GUEST BLOGGER***

The first time I went to Canada it was the best trip. I enjoyed it the most in my five years of going to Canada. I caught my first fish and I could not reel in because I was only four. Then we caught about 20 fish so we went back to camp and fried the fish. When we got the walleye fried we ate lunch and talked.

Sooner or later we went back in the boat, then we went to Sandy’s Inlet for about two hours. We hauled in 25 walleye and two northern that sunk the net and filled the live well and pulled down the stringer so we had to go back. We filleted the walleye we ate them for dinner.

That night we made a fire. Dad offered Greg some of Papa’s beer and Dad drank his own beer. Really early in the morning we went out on the lake. We did not catch anything the whole entire day. We wanted to eat so we fished until 9:30 at night and we caught 13 nice ones. We had dinner, but 13 fish was not enough to eat so we scarfed down left overs from yesterday.

In the morning we went in the boat but on the way we hit a rock. Papa and Dad looked at the propeller. They said one fin had broken off. It should still move just not as fast. Once we got to the camp site we put on a new propeller and headed back out.

I’ve hired my kids as weekly guest bloggers. Please join us as third-grade Craig and fifth-grade Darla write about their adventures.
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She turns eleven today.Just one year ago, I posted this, celebrating the growth that brought her into a double-digit age, not knowing just how much would change in the next 365 days.

The girl I see today looks the same as she did before. I don’t think most people would say they noticed a tremendous change in her hair, her face, her body. But her soul? That’s really blossomed.

It’s hard to put my finger on what’s happened here. Was it our family’s close-knit relationship during the homeschool experiment? Or was it the floodgate of opportunity she’s experienced since moving to our new school? Or was it some predetermined force of nature, cosmically timed to turn my little girl into the responsible, self-assured, creative, and empowered young leader I see today?

I know “nature” is behind so much of our being. Regularly, I’m smacked with the deja-vu of the ways she behaves just like I did — like her love of books, or the way she approaches schoolwork, or the way she interacts with friends, or how in frustration she fights back tears when she struggles to learn a new dance step. I don’t think she couldn’t have learned these behaviors from me, because I don’t really model them now. It’s eerie.

I can only hope she’s inherited more of my good qualities than my bad ones. I know she’s smarter, prettier and more confident than I was. And she’s exhibiting leadership skills far more expertly, at a much younger age.

It’s fun to watch her grow.

Happy birthday, Eleven Year Old.

You can join me each week, and pass the torch. Just share a simple or stupendous time kids make you proud, or a way you see adults passing the torch. Blog your story or share it in comments. My comment plugin will leave your link automatically. Former PTT posts. Complete Guidelines.

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My friend Robin is hosting a monthly poetry project, and I hope to join her from time to time. Her first challenge is a limerick about Thanksgiving. I wrote a poem last year at this time about gratitude, so I think it’s the perfect subject.

Here’s my best shot:

Thanksgiving’s much more than the yams
And the turkey and stuffing or ham,
It’s everyone there!
Here’s my grateful prayer:
That you are as blessed as I am.

Visit Robin’s place on Sunday to read more Thanksgiving limericks!

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Yesterday, I wrote about Darlas’ fun BookWorm Wednesday activity she did for Halloween. Today, I’ll tell you how she made her potion. It was based on science experiments we did last year during our Homeschool Experiment.

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