A Nice Peoria Landmark

On a walk at Bradley Park by the bridge we like to cross a lot (and play Pooh Sticks on)! 

Caught in the act of building ;-)

Gregory started in earnest with the Legos after we had done the erector set.

And I began in earnest with the erector set (as in, I invested in it) when I saw him first interested in Legos.  

Catching the "Reading Bug"!

Not quite ready to read himself to sleep, but he was settling into the covers after a day of activity. I caught him in the act of "reading!" 

Investigator by day...

...and you'd have to ask her to find out what she discovered! 

Investigator by night!

David was racing around trying to imitate his siblings and catch a lightening bug. In the end, he looked at their catch with greater interest than they showed! 

Crane by Gregory :-)

Gregory with a "creation" from the erector set!

He chose it himself from the 24 projects we have directions for making. By the time we finish those all up, we'll have ideas for more, I'd say!

He was so eager to make it that I had to stop everything I was doing to help him! We did it in three installments, so I could help and keep everything else running.

It was a lot more fun than I had thought it would be. We need to do another, only then, we'd need to tear this one down... 

Ready for Takeoff!

This "rocket" glides and one needs to hold on. She didn't like it before but now does it.

I love all the trees in the background. Peoria is having a record breaking summer: last summer the highs didn't get into the 100's, yet this month we have already had eight days of 100's. Shade and water are now greatly valued by all of us!



Here is Daddy giving the example. He got a good workout too :-)

Seal Sand...

David Joseph was putting sand carefully on a seal. He asked here (with a wave of his hand) to please not be interrupted.Later, he ran and ran all over the park, up to the slides, down a ladder (Steven didn't know David could do that!), down a ramp, over to the swings, into the sand. The amount of sand collected in the hair was astounding :-)  

Mommy jewels!

Can't you just see the energy in them--with maybe a trace of tiredness in me!

I happily asked for a picture with the two who would slow down enough for a photo :-) I don't often get photos with myself in them.

It was a fun evening at the park--we met up with some homeschooling friends by accident (a mother and her seven children).  

A Lamb of God

Katherine was smiling so much that I asked her to let me capture that smile!
She agreed, in between the horsey back rides on me, trouncing around the park with her extending her arms out--"I'm flying!" :-)  

Father's Day!

Steven on Father's Day (David J asleep) with his two happy children. 

Written in clay letters...

Gregory has been practicing his name. He is more active than Katherine, so I don't leave him with a pen and notebook as much. I've added in making letters with magnets, clay, sticks. Lately we began a math course having him go outside and collect some rocks himself and then count out piles and add them, moving the rocks around. I love the pride in his eyes! 

Working the Cards!

David Joseph got in on the action! He wanted to do some "homeschool" too, so I had him practicing matching Disney characters. It turned into just seeing about getting them right side up! I can see where they are "at" developmentally and then adjust for that, filling in gaps, bridging concepts together with a third. It helps that I know the foundation they have and can build on that. 

Educational Toy fun!

Right away in the morning the children will grab something and start working--since it is play, too! (And then they learn something and come show me. I've been presented several very nice pictures that way!)

Katherine was working to figure out the system to this educational toy today after waking up when she was nice and fresh and full of energy.

It is self correcting, so she can do it on her own. And she told me "this is not a toy. It is work. I need to find the tiles that match. And it IS fun! Especially when it is done and it makes sense." 

Little Writer in the Making

Katherine is getting comfortable with letters and words. Thousands of read aloud stories and made-up stories lurk in that little brain of hers and will be coming out somehow...

Somedays, I write down some of the stories she invents, so I have a "published" version of her thoughts; and she knows writing is about what is inside her head that she wants to share. 

Notebook Scribbler

Katherine has her notebook and does doodling and practices writing. She has gone through several notebooks, some small and some large like this.  

Another Reader joins the family

David Joseph was by himself on the bed, looking at a book he had gotten to "read."

Mostly, you just see him and only the sideview of the book, but he does look comfortable with that book! 

Block by Block by David!

David Joseph is doing Lego-type blocks here 

Building blocks!

David Joseph is imitating his brother, Gregory. He is putting some small blocks together!

Legos and other work

Steven is at a G.K. Chesterton conference up in Minnesota. So, missing some great moments of children's innovations and discoveries, I videotaped yesterday. I should have taken ephotos, too!

I have not sent out letters to the family lately with all the children's art or photos of them or what we are doing. I've been hoping to keep family updated via this blog.

Katherine has started drawing on her own, such as our bread machine, complete with labelled "stop" and "go" buttons, time display, and three-dimensional sides to it. She used sidewalk chalk yesterday to make train tracks down the sidewalk leading up to our steps. David, of course, very interested in any vehicle (he calls them all "toot-toot"s), had a lot of fun using it. It had curves to it and was a whole little system in itself! I've been practicing drawing myself to pass that on to her.



Gregory really has started to like Legos. We have got some erector-type sets and are building things with him. During Quiet Time (also know as "Down Time", "Mommy Time", "David Naptime"), he uses them. He still likes Spiderman a lot and has commented that he isn't interested in Veggie Tales or Tigger anymore. Gregory has let David "take those over." And David has!

David's favorite DVD is the classic Pooh Bear. He even says "Poo Ber" and he also likes Larry and Bob now. Since David likes tools (and anything that takes him outdoors!), Bob the Builder is fun for him, though we haven't done much with that lately. However, we have been using the stroller a lot for David in the evenings. We take walks around the block and David thinks it lots of fun to get a ride. Of course, he gets out after awhile--there is too much to explore and do--but while he is in the older two have fun pushing the stroller with my help. This extra walking worked out well when it began raining and we had to run home. Katherine said it was easy for her since she's been out on stroller walks with David.

Gregory and I built a functioning crane with some construction set about two weeks ago. It has a great booklet with instructions for 24 things one can make--400 pieces--and it was a great find: a $75 value for $4 at a garage sale Steven noticed down our block! Following the directions was really a good experience for me to see how things are put together and work together. Seeing the sewing machine, the bulldozer, the mixer one could make, I just had to jump in and figure it out!

I wasn't the type of child to take things apart, think something through logically. I would frustrate my father by asking "What do I have to do with this word problem: just tell me if it is division or multiplication or what, and then I can do it!" I didn't want to think it out. Now I am thinking in terms of how things are put together. Drawing has required me to see things in terms of shapes and building requires going step by step. It's fun learning with the children--staying that one step ahead of them to pass on what I am catching onto!