Nature Day at Greenway Farms

We had to adjust our schedule and start

Today’s prompt for our nature day suggested we find a new spot to explore. We are always finding new spots, so we decided to go to a spot we normally reserve for hikes with friends.

A flooded trail at Greenway Farms made our hike today take a little longer (we decided to take a detour).

Jack and I had fun trying to find frogs in the wetland areas and Jack is always game for stomping in puddles.

While the groundhog prediction was for 6 more weeks of winter, nature seems to have other ideas.

We saw lots of flowering trees and birds. The air was fragrant with the smell of those trees and also wild onions. It was a gorgeous morning and I continue to treasure this time with Jack.

Notes from the hike:

Location: Greenway Farms in Hixson, TN
Date: Feb. 27, 2018
Time: 10:50-11:50
Weather: Sunny, 60F
Observations: Heard lots of frogs and birds. Saw plenty of flowering trees, as well as cardinals ad squirrels in the forest. Smelled flowering trees, wild onions, and a fish smell right next to Chickamauga Creek. Our favorite spot was flooded from all the rain. Jack enjoyed wading in the mud and water in his rain boots.

Check back on Tuesdays to see where our nature studies have taken us...
Previous Nature Hikes with Jack:  

September: Green Gorge, Althaus Park, and Mabbit Springs

October: Reflection Riding Center (Monday Nature Day with friends) ⎮ Joyce Kilmer Wilderness Among Trees (hike we did as a family) ⎮ Greenway Farms Nature Day (family archery lesson and hike)
November: Glen Falls ⎮ Mushroom Rock (with Mommy and Daddy) ⎮ Raccoon Mountain

December: The Boulders ⎮ Toccoa River (family hike)⎮ Amnicalola Falls (family hike)

January: Green Gorge ⎮ Rainbow Lake
February: Stringers Ridge ⎮ Green Gorge ⎮ Mushroom Rock ⎮ Family Hike to Mushroom Rock ⎮ Family Hike to Possum Creek

The House at Pooh Corner

*all photos of the play via the Youth Theatre at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre Facebook page

I have written before about our Friend Fridays and the important role they play in our homeschool. One of the many activities that has fallen on Friend Friday is attending a local children's theater to see performances of some of our favorite children's books.

Back in October we joined friends to see a production of Charlotte's Web – and we all loved it. Then the Children's Theater did a production of Beauty and the Beast that we chose to skip, but our friends enjoyed seeing, and last Friday we had the opportunity to see The House at Pooh Corner with some of these same friends. Next month we hope to see A Year with Frog and Toad – which Jack and I have just started reading together.

The morning of the play, we finished up the book and the stories about Winnie-the-Pooh were still fresh in our minds. Since the book is by an English author, I found myself having to explain more to Jack. There were also more characters to keep up with. I kind of wish we had chosen to listen to an audio version of this book... maybe another time.

While the showing of Charlotte's Web was packed, The House at Pooh Corner was only about two-thirds full when we saw it. The play was cute, but the kid that played Tigger made the play. Isaac and the other little guy in our group thought Tigger was hilarious and they couldn't take their eyes off the stage!

While Charlotte's Web really followed the storyline from the book, I found The House at Pooh Corner blended story lines and left out a lot of (what I thought were) important elements. Either way I don't think the kids noticed and we still had an enjoyable time with our friends.

Afterward, we were able to walk over to Good Dog for hot dogs with one other family. Then we let our kids run wild at Coolidge Park, before ending with a carousel ride. Have I mentioned that we love where we live... and Friend Friday?

I will leave you with one of Pooh's poems/songs from the book since it has been in my head all week:
The more it snows (Tiddely pom),
The more it goes (Tiddely pom),
The more it goes (Tiddely pom),
On snowing.

And nobody knows (Tiddely pom),
How cold my toes (Tiddely pom),
How cold my toes (Tiddely pom),
Are growing. 

 

If you've been following along, here are our previous Friend Friday adventures this school year:

August: Coolidge Park
September: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ Greenway Farms Picnic ⎮ Chattanooga Zoo ⎮ Big Soddy Gulf
October: Reflection Riding Center (Monday Friend Day) ⎮ Charlotte's Web

November: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ Pioneer Days at Audobon Acres

December: Christmas Cookie Party ⎮ Christmas Cookie and Bird Ornament Party

January: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ High Point Climbing Day ⎮ Challenger Center
February: Hidden Hills Farm Maple Syrup Day ⎮ Valentine's Party

Valentine's Day Cookie Party

This time last week, we were wrapping up our Valentine's Day Cookie Decorating Party.

Since beginning our homeschool journey, it has been really important to me that we meet up with friends as often as possible (for both fun and learning), and also make sure we take the opportunity to celebrate and have parties so the kids don't feel like they are missing out on these elements of school.

I guess it's my way of making sure we have the best of both worlds.

Back in December, we hosted a similar Christmas party with a group of our friends, and we had such a good time that Jack wanted to know when we would be having friends over to make cookies again.

Luckily for him, he made the suggestion right before Valentine's!

So I sent out an informal invitation to bring some of our friends together on Valentine's Day.

I followed pretty much the same plan as before, but this time around, the boys and I made all of the cookies before everyone arrived. This freed up more time for play for the kids. And let's be honest, most of them just wanted to decorate the cookies, make a mess, and eat icing!

Since it was Valentine's Day, we also wanted to exchange cards. Everyone came with boxes decorated and cards made, and had a lot of fun distributing their cards.

When they weren't eating or decorating cookies, the kids could be found running amuck, trying on various costumes and acting out all kinds of imaginative play. Kids would come running through with capes and swords, then police and fire fighters or various super heroes.

The kids all had a blast and the mamas had a chance to visit. We had 16 kids ranging in age from infants to first grade, along with 7 mamas.

I look forward to sharing more celebrations together. Jack is already dreaming up the next party we can host... maybe we will celebrate the end of the Olympics with a little field day.

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On the note of Valentine's, Daniel was out of town for work the entire week of Valentine's, so he took the boys to buy me flowers on the Saturday before, and they hid a vase in the storage room in the garage. After the Valentine's party was over, Jack told me he had a surprise for me in the garage. I was definitely surprised.

Later Jack couldn't find the card he had picked out for me. Daniel talked to him on the phone and let him know where he could find it. The next thing I knew Jack brought me a sweet card that he had written in. I couldn't help but laugh when I opened it, because the card was actually the one I had bought to give to Daniel that I had not had a chance to write in yet! We still have not solved the case of the missing Valentine card...

Isaac also celebrated Valentine's Day at his preschool on Thursday. He had fun with his classmates. Coming home he told me that they had juice and cupcakes and loved looking at all the cards and candy that he received from his school friends.

If you've been following along, here are our previous Friend Friday adventures this school year:
August: Coolidge Park
September: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ Greenway Farms Picnic ⎮ Chattanooga Zoo ⎮ Big Soddy Gulf
October: Reflection Riding Center (Monday Friend Day) ⎮ Charlotte's Web
November: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ Pioneer Days at Audobon Acres
December: Christmas Cookie Party ⎮ Christmas Cookie and Bird Ornament Party
January: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ High Point Climbing Day ⎮ Challenger Center
February: Hidden Hills Farm Maple Syrup Day

Take Your Kid to Work Day

One of the things that made me think I could handle homeschooling was that Jack would be attending a program at the Y once a week. Yesterday we found out that the participation was too low and the program was cancelled.

I was pretty bummed, but I felt really bad for Jack. So Daniel and I talked it over and decided this week would be a great week for Jack to visit Daniel at work on Tuesday (to help us transition out of the loss of the Y day).

This turned out to be a really cool day for Jack.

I dropped him for lunch with Daniel. When I picked him up, I got to hear all of the interesting things about daddy’s work. Lots of use of the phrase, “Guess what, mommy?!??” 
 

He was especially excited to tell me about the “fancy door” that he needed his own badge to walk through. He told me about the impressive floor-to-ceiling art and the fountains in the atrium. He loved the tunnels and walkway over the street between the buildings that make up TVA. And he thought it was pretty cool that they got to buy their food in one room and eat in another. 

They ran into some of Daniel's co-workers that knew him since he was a baby, and also one of his Sunday School teacher's from church. Daniel said he was a little shy and spoke really quietly, but they had a really great experience together. Jack thinks they need to go back and take Isaac with them. I'm sure we can arrange that.

On a happy note, I  followed up with a Y that is across town and begged for a spot for Jack. I was in luck –– they were able to squeeze him in. We know several kids in this program so I know Jack will have no problem transitioning to the new program. It is on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays, so we will have to rearrange our schedule a bit and do our hikes on Tuesday instead of Thursday, but that is no biggie.