Monday, May 23, 2011

Life Of Fred Math


I don't remember when this was purchased, but it is a GEM. Dan has looked at it a few times but I think he'll probably engage with it as he gets better with fractions. It is right up his alley as he loves kittens and this character (Fred) is a professor at Kittens University (even though he's only five)!

This math book has a wonderful way of explaining concepts and the writing is simply hilarious!

As a non-consumable math resource, this is a bargain at $19.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

How We Planned our First Road Trip-Seattle to Redwoods

Ever since we got married in 1990, we've "joked" about the adventure of driving an RV to visit each state in the USA. Have you ever traveled in an RV? We never had the opportunity, though both of us took summer vacations to the Oregon Coast with our families growing up. Never camped, never RV'd. Even though we haven't had any experience with RVing, we thought it might be fun to do with our own kids.

In April we took our very first family RV road trip! It was more than exhilarating to decide on a whim to take off for 10 days. We did very little planning. Rented an RV online from CruiseAmerica.com (GREAT experience) and read the "how-to" manual as we drove out of the lot! We were blessed with a rainbow the day we left.

The kids kept complaining that they were cold while we were driving from Seattle to Portland. I kept telling them to put on their coats until we realized the rig had a HEATER! I was surprised to learn that RVs have air conditioners AND heaters! We were so grateful to use the heater in this cold spring we've been having.

RVs are interesting (for several reasons). There are several systems that supply power and it is important to know which system relies on which power source. There's the main battery, the generator, the propane and water supply. I actually took pictures when we filled the propane tank in Oregon on the way home because the mechanism was like one of those old style gasoline pumps where the numbers click by!

One super important thing that helped us in planning our first road trip was to identify OUR VISION for our trip. It really made a difference when it came to deciding what we wanted to do and spend money on. We decided the purpose for our trip was 1) to get out of town and do something adventurous (for us) in the fresh air 2) be together as a family 3) see the majestic Redwoods-that was the extent of our expectations. We ended up purchasing a netbook and took advantage of wi-fi down the coast. In fact, while south of Portland while filling the tank at a gas station, I was able to get online and find that night's "lodging" while using the free wi-fi connection offered by McDonald's which was across the street! I suppose if you have an iPhone, that's not a big deal, but it was to me!

Here's how our itinerary turned out:

Day 0 Wednesday: picked up the RV, parked in our driveway and loaded it with our stuff
Day 1 Thursday: Seattle, WA to Portland, OR on I5, stayed at Columbia River RV Park, got there late and did our first hookup in the dark (oh, and the POURING rain)! Serious delay due to a terrible traffic accident.
Day 2 Friday: Portland to Grants Pass, OR on I5, stayed at Moon Mountain RV Park
Day 3 Saturday: Grants Pass through Crescent City, CA (twisty, winding road along steep cliffs!) and south to the Arcata Airport (McKinleyville, CA) where we rented a car and then south onto Eureka, CA, stayed at KOA in Eureka for 3 days
Day 4 Sunday: Drove rental car south to Leggett, CA to see the Chandlier Tree, visited the kitchy (but TOTALLY FUN!) Confusion Hill's Gravity House, drove back "home" northbound through the Avenue of Giants and Weott, CA to see the campsite we DIDN'T occupy (so glad!)
Day 5 Monday: Drove south to Myers Flat, CA to see the Shrine Tree and the "treehouses" in the POURING rain (did I say it was WET?) We could have spent the entire afternoon playing in the treehouses, the kids especially loved it! Headed north again through Avenue of Giants stopping at various points of interest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, loved the Visitor's Center and wished we had made more time for this trail: Drury-Chaney Loop I think, returned rental car at 10pm
Day 6 Tuesday: packed up from Eureka and headed north to the Trees of Mystery (so glad we took the time-and money-to ride the Sky Trail gondola, tremendous experience, gorgeous walk to the Sky Trail and fabulous ride, excellent family memory for us!), saw Grandfather Tree (amazing!) even though we were too late for the Log House, stayed at KOA in Crescent City, CA
Day 7 Wednesday: said goodbye to the Crescent City KOA and drove north, stayed at KOA, Oregon Dunes/Coos Bay
Day 8 Thursday: said goodbye to the Oregon Dunes KOA and drove north on Highway 101, GORGEOUS drive along the Siuslaw National Park and wished we had more time to explore the beaches along the Oregon Coast but we enjoyed a quick stop at the Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center (awesome view!!) and a nice short hike down to the Devil's Churn (great trails and adjacent beach), we also visited the Sea Lion Caves where we could see the Heceta Lighthouse but didn't have time to stop at the lighthouse
Day 9 Friday: we should have just made this a travel day but we stopped for some beach time at Kelowna State Park, , drove north through Tillamook (gorgeous drive through farmhouses and green grass) and Highway 6 to Banks, a surprise because it was a gorgeous, gorgeous drive!

In the original discussion we wanted to sleep in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, so I had reserved a campsite online in Weott, CA. By the time we reached Eureka, CA, we discovered we really liked our electricity and water! This campsite deep in the Redwoods had NO hookups. When we embarked on our trip, we didn't know what a hookup or a pull-through even was!! So we cancelled our reservation and stayed in Eureka instead. THANKFULLY because when we eventually went to Weott and saw the spot we didn't know how we would have even made the tight turns in the campground. We were able to "shuttle" from Eureka in our rental car down to where we wanted to do the drive through trees and Avenue of Giants.

Discovering KOA was a blessing. When we left Cruise America, they gave us a KOA directory. This was so helpful and we actually used their map of the coast more than any other!

Since we have been to Cannon Beach, OR many times, we didn't take the time to go there on this trip. But if you are planning an Oregon/California Coast trip, Cannon Beach is a MUST.

Helpful RV Road Trip Links:
RV Park Reviews
Road Trip America
Trip Advisor
KOA
Reserve America
Cruise America

It was challenging to find an itinerary from Seattle to the Redwoods online that suited us, so please let me know if this post helped you with your trip by leaving a comment! Happy trails!

photo:
Kelowna State Park, amazing beach and mini-Haystack Rock

Where do YOU take family vacations?

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Tow Truck



The truck wouldn't start. It wouldn't jump. So we got a tow. Dad and Dan had a great time together and Daniel documented much of the adventure with lots and lots of photos!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Day in the SUN! MORE Legos!


What a glorious day! Sunshiney! We met with some LOL friends at the Broadway park and then home to delight in new lego sets!

We recently decided that Legos are an important part of our Lifestyle of Learning (aka-curriculum!) So we treated the kids to some special choices this afternoon at Target. They had a BALL diving in and building! I love Legos!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Socialization Links

Before I became educated about homeschooling, I had a lot of questions about how kids could possibly be "socialized" if they didn't experience the typical modern classroom model. By "socialization" I mean that if my kids aren't around other kids all the time then they won't learn how to get along in society. My thinking was SO WRONG! I have found that idea to be totally false because it is based on several false assumptions. In fact, I've found that the TRUTH is the exact opposite...how can my kids learn to get along in society without the constant loving instruction and wise correction from me?

My friend, EG (a veteran homeschooler), told me when we first started to "not worry about what people say about socialization, it just isn't true. There are so many opportunities for kids who are schooling at home to experience relationship with others".  I have found her advice to be true!

The classroom experience is certainly contrived and artificial...really nowhere in REAL LIFE is life like the classroom EXCEPT IN THE CLASSROOM!

Now I realize how seriously crazy this idea is...putting 25+ children of the same age in a room all day with one or two adults...I now call that "shared ignorance"!

Here's a few links about homeschooling and socialization that I read when we were considering educating our children at home. I continue to add links that I find interesting:

The Socialization Question

How Do You Answer the Socialization Question

It Does NOT Take A Village To Raise A Child

That is Which Not Seen


Various definitions of socialization go here:
http://www.homefires.com/glossary/s.asp

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Blog Pics From Previous Blog

Photos from my old blog so I can enjoy them easily here. Shows photos of our first LOL days starting in October 2010.

MAY 2011:


FEBRUARY 2011:





JANUARY 2011:













DECEMBER 2010:








NOVEMBER 2010:






OCTOBER 2010:




SEPTEMBER 2010:


JANUARY 2010:


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