Field trips, fun, and family

We've been taking a week off from school every 5 weeks or so.

During our first break in October, we had several fun outings.

We started off with a day trip to hike at Huntsville State Park.  While eating lunch near the nature center, we listened to a park ranger talk about squirrels and alligators. We learned why not to feed the wild animals and how to tell how old an alligator is.

Then we took a trip to the Houston Police Department Mounted Patrol barn to feed the horses carrots and apples.  One of the officers even let the kids help hose off his horse.

After oldest daughter got her braces off, we visited with some good friends, eating pizza, playing ping-pong, Lego, and video games, and petting the dogs and talking:

We spent an evening canoeing and fishing at a local nature preserve.

We learned about building the transcontinental railroad and had a race to see which side could finish first.  We were on the team that had to blast a tunnel through the mountain...

And we took a hike around the lake at another local park.  God was gracious to give us beautiful weather for being outdoors during this week!

We took our second break during the week of Thanksgiving.  We celebrated oldest son's baptism, youngest son's 6th birthday, took a quick trip to Goliad, Texas to explore some Texas history and canoe on the San Antonio river, and spent time with family on Thanksgiving Day.

The birthday boy made his own cake, with the help of older sister.  They made it in the shape of his favorite stuffed panda bear.

CAmpsite at Goliad State Park.

Cactus in a tree.

The mission at Goliad.

Someone needs some help before he can be a legitimate conquistador....

A layout of the mission and outbuildings.

The chapel at Presido La Bahia.

The Fannin Memorial, where Col. James Fannin and his soldiers are buried.

Launching the canoe on the San Antonio River.

Enjoying a cousin's beagle at Thanksgiving.

November books

The total for November was 9 books and 6 magazines finished, and 0 abandoned.

That brings the total for the year to 202 books, 61 magazines, and 5 abandoned.

Eighty-Dollar Champion : Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation

by Elizabeth Letts

In 1956, Dutch immigrant Harry De Leyer spent $80 to buy a plow horse who was headed for the slaughterhouse.  He used him as a lesson horse at the private boarding school for girls where he worked.   Always on the lookout for a horse who might be able to participate in horse show competitions, especially jumping, Harry tried teaching the horse to jump, but Snowman always stumbled and tripped over the smallest jumps, even poles just laying on the ground. Although Harry loved the calm, gentle giant, he couldn't afford to keep him if he couldn't jump.  So he sold him for $160 to a farmer six miles down the road.  A few days later, Snowman was back in Harry's yard.  Harry figured a gate must have been left open, so he took him back.  A few days later, Snowman was back again.  And again.  And again.  Somehow the horse was jumping out of pastures and paddocks to make his way back home.  Harry finally got it, bought Snowman back, and began training him again -- on higher fences this time, fences that the horse thought worth jumping.  Two years later, Snowman racked up win after win in the show ring and continued for several years.  A fascinating story. It is filled with history of the horse world at the time, America in general, and Harry's experiences in Holland during World War II.  If you're only interested in the story of the horse, you might find the history tedious, but I found it to help give an understanding of what Harry and Snowman faced and why it was such a big deal when he won the championship.  A clean read, nothing objectionable.

We also watched a documentary on DVD called "Harry and Snowman" that covered much of the same material.  There's also a juvenile fiction book by the same name that focuses just on the story of the horse.

Rolf

by Kate Klimo

Number 10 in the Dog Diaries series, this is the story of a dachshund named Rolf who loses one leg in an accident, but goes on to become an excellent therapy dog.

Tiny Tim

by Kate Klimo

Number 11 in the Dog Diaries series, this is the story of a little Havanese who belonged to Charles Dickens.

Susan

by Kate Klimo

Number 12 in the Dog Diaries series, this is about Queen Elizabeth's first Pembroke Welsh Corgi, which she got for her 18th birthday.

Sunny

By Kate Klimo

Number 14 in the Dog Diaries series, about a Pekingnese who survived the Titanic.

Fido

by Kate Klimo

Number 13 in the Dog Diaries series, this is about Abraham Lincoln's dog.

The Critter and Other Dogs

by Albert Payson Terhune

A collection of dog stories from the 1920s and 1930s, most about collies, some about other breeds.  Several are "variations on a theme"  -- the same basic plot of a dog gets locked in a house or car and the owner meets with unfortunate events that leave the dog stranded for a time, but all survive.  Or, a domesticated collie gets lost or runs away and returns to a wild state, then briefly comes out of it to round up a flock of sheep.

Matthew : The Gospel of Identity

by Michael Card

Basically, a commentary on the gospel of Matthew.  Each chapter in the book corresponds to a chapter in the gospel.  The text of the gospel is included, followed by brief commentary on each section.  He begins by describing the followers of Jesus in Galilee in the early years after Jesus was resurrected, the struggle over their identities as fully Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah, and their persecution by those who did not believe.  He concludes with noting that both in some of the first words about him and in his last words, Jesus defines himself as the One who is with us.  ("He shall be called Immanuel, which means God with us" and "I am with you always.")  Two other points that struck me: 1) Jesus is never praised when he performs miracles.  He always wins praise for the Father.  2) No one who asks Jesus for mercy is ever turned away.

Introverted Mom : Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy

by Jamie C. Martin

This author gets me.  She starts off with a list of "You might be an introverted mother if...", and I checked off all 20 items.  This book helped me understand a bit more of how I perceive and cope with things, how to balance my needs with those of my family, and how to embrace the personality God gave me to fulfill his purposes for me, especially as a mother.  She clarifies that introversion/extroversion is not whether someone likes or doesn't like to be around people.  Rather, it is about what energizes  or drains a person. I underlined quite a bit of the book.  If you are an introverted mother, or want to better understand someone who is, I highly recommend this book!!

Although selected quotes simply cannot convey the impact this book had on me, here's a brief sample:

"We aren't attempting to make our lives calmer out of selfishness.  We are mothers, called to lay down our very lives for our children if necessary.  We are here because our families deserve our best.  Because we deserve to understand ourselves, our strengths, and our weaknesses....When we understand ourselves as introverted women, we can respect and value how God made us, and we can push beyond our natural boundaries when he calls.  We don't want to use our personality as an excuse to avoid hard things or as a license for selfishness.  We want to honor ourselves, but we don't want to limit ourselves.  Figuring this out  is an art, not a science, requiring a flow that we get better at through taking chances and making mistakes."

Read alouds for school (second term 2019-2020)

We completed our second term of school just before Thanksgiving.

Here's a roundup of the books we read aloud together.

In astronomy, we studied the Earth:

Feel the Wind 

by Arthur Dorros

This picture book explains what causes wind and the terms used for different types and speeds of wind.

How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World

by Faith McNulty

A long time favorite picture book of my kids.  A boy explains (and demonstrates) how to dig a hole through the earth, describing the different layers of the earth and the problems one might encounter trying to go through them.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth

by Kathryn Lasky

The story o fa Greek philosopher and scientist named Eratosthenes who put together the world's first geography book and accurately measured the circumference of the Earth.  Very interesting.

Northern Lights

by Martha Rustad

A colorful book that explains how particles from the sun interact with the Earth's magnetosphere to cause the Northern and Southern lights.

And we read a bunch of books about the moon landings.  These were all checked out back in July during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, so I waited until the rush was over to get them.

A Computer Called Katherine

by Suzanne Slade

A young girl with a gift for numbers and geometry grows up to help make the calculations needed to send man to the moon and back to Earth.  She overcame discrimination based on the color of her skin and broke into the male-dominated engineering field to become a trusted member of the team.

Counting on Katherine

by Helaine Becker

Another picture book about Katherine Johnson and how her calculations helped save Apollo 13.

Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon

by Suzanne Slade

Briefly talks about each of the Apollo missions that went to the moon.

The Darkest Dark

by Chris Hadfield

A boy is enthralled with the idea of space travel, but is afraid of the dark and the monsters he imagines.  But after watching the Apollo 11 moon landing, he begins to overcome those fears and ends up becoming an astronaut himself.

Eight Days Gone

by Linda McReynolds

A fun picture book with short rhyming text.  Geared more for the younger set with somewhat cartoonish illustrations.

The First Men Who Went to the Moon

by Rhonda Green

From a literary standpoint, this picture book was a fascinating example of a "chiasm" : the first rhyme is repeated at the end, the second rhyme is also next to last, etc.

Hidden Figures

by Margot Shetterly

Brief biographies of four black women whose mathematical calculations helped make the space race possible.

Margaret and the Moon

by Dean Robbins

Another picture book about another woman (a software engineer) who was instrumental in the Apollo program. 

Marty's Mission

by Judy Young

A fictional account based on the true story of a boy who helped get an antenna in Guam unstuck so that it could relay necessary communication from Apollo 11 to mission control.

One Giant Leap

by Robert Burleigh

Reading this book with its gorgeous illustrations really made me think about how strange and amazing it must have been for the astronauts to actually be on the moon, looking back at Earth.  It also made me wonder if God was enjoying watching some of his creatures hopping and jumping and having fun on this strange, new world.

The Night the Martians Landed

by Kathleen Krull

Tells the story of the panic that ensued during Orson Welles broadcast of "War of the Worlds" on October 30, 1938.

Several  books about recycling:

Jennifer and Josephine

by Bill Peet

An old car is bought from a junkyard, driven hard, then left abandoned when she goes off the road.  A small boy finds her and, with his father, rescues and restores her.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

by Simms Taback

When his overcoat gets ragged, Joseph turns it into a jacket, then a vest, and so on until nothing is left but the story.

Curious George : Trash Into Treasure

by Bethany Freitas

Curious George participates in the neighborhood competition to clean up trash and recycling, with his own twist.

And about mail...

Mail Carriers

by Cari Meister

A simple picture book about mail carriers.

Seven Little Postmen

by Margaret Wise Brown

An old golden book about the travels of a letter carried by seven different postmen.

Snail Mail

by Samantha Berger

Four snails carry a letter from a girl to the Boy She Loves through all kinds of weather and terrain.

And banking....

Just Saving My Money

by Mercer Mayer

Little Critter learns about saving his money in the bank.

Lemonade in Winter

by Emily Jenkins

Two children decide to start a lemonade stand in the middle of winter.  They don't make any money, but they do have fun.

The Fisherman and His Wife

by Rachel Isadora

A fisherman finds a magic flounder who is able to grant wishes.  He is content with a simple request, but his wife is not.  She keeps asking for more and more and more, till finally the fish returns everything back to the way they were.

Don't Le the Pigeon Drive the Bus

by Mo Willems

A bus driver leaves the bus for a while and warns the reader not to let the pigeon drive the bus.  The pigeon then proceeds to try every trick from sweet talk to pouting to demanding to drive the bus.

Last Stop on Market Street

by Matt de la Pena

A little boy rides on a bus every Sunday after church.  He has lots of questions about what he sees and especially about why they have to take this ride every week.  Turns out that they go to serve in a soup kitchen.

Maybelle the Cable Car

by Virginia Lee Burton

And some miscellaneous books:

First Day Jitters

by Julie Danneberg

Sarah doesn't want to go to the first day of a new school and drags her feet all the way.  At the very end, we find out Sarah isn't a student, but the teacher.

Dominican Republic

by Laura Sullivan

An overview of the land of the Dominican Republic.

On the Other Side of the Hill

by Roger Lea MacBride

The fourth book in the series about Rose Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter growing up in the Ozarks.