Spring is my favorite season. The weather starts getting warm. Everything is in bloom. There's lots of insects and wildlife to observe. It's a beautiful time of year. One of the best things about spring is that my kids can start spending lots of time outdoors again. Outdoors they have space to burn energy and play freely, like kids are meant to do. It also gives them a lot of opportunities to explore and learn about the natural world around them.  This year I decided to put together a bucket list of all the fun outdoor activities I'd like my kids to get an opportunity to do this spring. Spring Bucket List: - Go puddle stomping. What kid doesn't love a good puddle to stomp in? - Search for four leafed clovers. My 8 year old has already found one this spring! - Fly a kite! - Explore a field of wildflowers. You could even turn this into a nature study lesson by trying to identify the different flowers you see. - Catch a tadpole. - Find a caterpillar. ...

We've been studying various ancient civilizations this year. So far we've covered Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome and have plans for China and the Aztecs. We had an especially fun time with Rome so I thought I would share some of the activities we did and resources we used. Activities: Laurel Wreath Crowns The ancient Romans wore crowns made of Laurel leaves as a sign of status. We made our own Laurel wreath crowns out of a paper plate and construction paper.  Fo r this activity you will need: -Construction paper in two different shades of green. If you don't have more than one shade of green, you can use green and yellow like we did. -A paper plate -Scissors -School glue or paste Start by cutting the edge off the plate. Discard the inner part, the edge is the part you will be using. Cut a slit in one side of the paper plate so it will better fit your head. Look at a few pictures of Laurel leaves online (Google Images works well for this). Then...

Spending time in nature has a plethora of proven health benefits. Nature is soothing to the soul. It's also a great way to incorporate more science into your homeschool day. Time spent outdoors, surrounded by nature, encourages children to learn about and care for the natural world, and it's fun too! Here are some simple nature study ideas to try: -Raise caterpillars and observe the process of metamorphosis - Build a compost bin and learn about soil -Go bird watching - Make a Weather Tree - Learn about bird eggs -Collect fall leaves and compare their different shapes, sizes, and colors -Collect some pond water and look at it under a microscope -Dissect an insect -Photograph spider webs -Make nature art -Collect pine cones and compare the different types that you find -Start an ant or earthworm farm - Make a Phenology Wheel -Photograph spring wildflowers -Build a shelter out of natural items that could protect you from the elements - Build ...

My 3rd little girl made her way Earth side last week, right at 40 weeks. While it was another very healthy and uneventful pregnancy, I was far more uncomfortable in the final few weeks than I was with my first two. I'm a firm believer in waiting for babies to come when they're ready, but waiting this time was tough. My hips and my lower stomach muscles were in constant pain.  I'm glad I held out though, and didn't take my midwife's offer to sweep my membranes in an attempt to jump start things, the week before. Natural deliveries are an intensely beautiful experience, and I am so thankful I got to have another one. Here is our story: I woke up Thursday morning, the day before my estimated due date, to very regular but fairly mild contractions. I spent about a half hour timing them on my phone. They were already coming every 5-7 minutes, but didn't feel very strong yet, so I knew we likely had plenty of time. Then I tried to distract myself by going about our n...