Bits and Pieces

• This morning I overheard a conversation between Chloe and Max in the living room. It went something like this:

             Chloe (bounding in from the classroom downstairs): Boys, I wrote you a letter!

             Max: Is it about bugs?

             Chloe: No, it's about love.

             Max (ignoring her answer): Why is a fire beetle called a fire beetle?

             Chloe (ignoring his question): It's about love, and about how God loves us. Here, I'll read it to you.

             Max: Mom, can I watch that show about bugs?

             Chloe (cue authoritative voice): Dear Max, Sam, and Charlie, I wanted to write you a letter                               about how much I love you.

             Max: In the show, a spider does a really mean thing. He traps a baby grasshopper. It's really sad.                  Can I watch it right now, Mom?

            Chloe: I love you, but not even as much as God loves you!

            Max (now paging through a book): Look at this picture of a beetle eating poop! Did you know that dung means poop Sam? (cue hysterics)

•  I listened to a podcast recently on educating boys called "Teaching Boys and Other Kids Who Would Rather Be Playing in a Fort."  Fascinating, fascinating stuff. A must listen for all mothers of boys, especially homeschooling mothers of boys. It is amazing how different boys and girls are, and how gender affects the way they learn. 

• I'm putting the finishing touches on a 10-week art history study that Chloe will be doing primarily with my dad. I am so, so excited about this that I can hardly sit still. Way back when I first decided to homeschool, one of my biggest dreams was that my parents, with their knowledge, patience, wisdom, and maturity, would have the opportunity to spend some time teaching my kids things that interested them. My dad happens to be a fantastic artist, so I thought art might be a neat place to start. I will be chronicling their learning adventures here on the blog. They are starting with Leonardo da Vinci!

• The sun is out! Pittsburgh evaded the much lamented 3-6 inches of snow that were supposed to arrive as a late-spring present, and the thermometer is slowly but surely climbing back up past 50. Hurray! Enjoy it as much as we will today, sweet friends.

"He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!"

Psalm 113:9

Just in Case You Were Wondering...

 

Wildebeest are herbivores.

Wildebeest grow to an average of 400-600 pounds, are usually about 4 1/2 feet tall, and live for about 20 years.

Wildebeest are also called "gnu," and got their more common name from the term wild beast in the Afrikaans language. 

Wildebeest migrate nearly 1000 miles every year across the African savannah in search of food, water, and grassland. It is called The Great Migration. Fascinating stuff!

Wildebeest babies are called calves.

Wildebeest are quite ugly (in my humble opinion), almost to the point of being creepy. They look like really ugly  bearded bulls. I had a nightmare about one last night, but that's a story for another day.

My son broke his arm because he was pretending he was a wildebeest as he raced down the driveway.

Hence, this week we are studying wildebeest. All week. At his request, it's wildebeest in the morning, wildebeest at noon, and wildebeest when the sun goes down, people.

This is his current abiding passion. Not history. Not mathematics. Not even Spiderman or cowboys. Wildebeest. So I am learning more about them than I ever hoped to know.

Just in case you were wondering.