week #14, winter #2 summary

This has been a really LONG week! We started out being iced in and having to miss J's Monday Homeschool Classes. After all the extra work we put in on Monday, Tuesday was more bearable and we were able to get out for his museum class, which was called "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (how appropriate is that??), where they learned about all the ways animals and people stay warm (and traced and colored in a life-size outline of their bodies, dressed in winter garb, which now adorns the back of his bedroom door).

The good mood didn't last long, however, as a major snowstorm dumped 14 inches of snow on us during the day on Thursday, canceling his other museum class for the week (it's been rescheduled for the coming week, so he'll still get to do it -- weather dependent, of course!), and putting the kibosh on our planned Friday excursion.

During the snowstorm, we kept busy building and decorating a Gingerbread house and reading stories by the fire. Our curriculum story this week was the Enki Education version of The Shoemaker and the Elves, which the kids quite enjoyed. We also added a few more seasonal pieces to our movement circle. I've had time to do a bit of soul-searching about our circle this week, and I'm planning on making some major changes to it after our holiday break to help support Zoo Boy's participation while still maintaining the structure J needs. (Stay tuned for further details!)

Candy Corn, the little stray cat we brought home from the farm where we bought Pig, finally joined our household as a full, participating family member. She started her first month in our grain room while we treated her for multiple parasite infestations and fattened her up enough to be able to withstand surgery. She had her operation last week and is now recovered to the point where she can start getting integrated into the household. She's such a sweetie, and is adjusting fairly well to the life of a pampered house pet. Although she can't believe we have birds in our house.

I had intended on doing quite a bit in the way of crafts this week, but the kids had other plans. We spent most of the afternoon during the end of the week out sledding on our pasture hill. I just can't find it in me to keep the kids indoors when they want to be out. I'm sure there's a balance to strike between indoor and outdoor activities (and certainly during the height of the storms, we had plenty of time for indoor pursuits), but I'm pretty sure I'll always lean heavily towards letting them go out over indoor activities.

Our books this week for Family Story Time were a really good batch: When Winter Comes, by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by Susan Gaber; Christmas in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Renee Graef (one of our beloved My First Little House Books); and Room for a Little One, by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft (which is my new favorite manger story book). Our Special Story by the fire this week was Enki's The Holly and the Evergreen.