Outdoor playgroup and October 6, AO year 1, week 19

A year ago today, we officially started our outdoor playgroup. It started with a few moms and kids getting together to go outside and play, and then, a year ago, we decided to promote it within our community. At our highest days, we have had over a dozen moms and over two dozen kids.

It has really been a wonderful year! It has been an awesome place for Fina to stretch out and grow, to try new things we would NEVER had even thought to try on our own and to spend some quality time, playing freely in nature.  Here are some pics that show her in different environments and seasons. A handful of these pics were not taken at our outdoor playgroup, but for the most part, these are the kinds of things we do. I can not tell you that strong friendships that have been made here. Incredible. Check out this year in review. It's a pretty good year, I'd say. I'm so thankful for homeschooling. It has really allowed us to spend this kind of time out in nature.  (Here is my chance to remind you of the 1000 hours outside website too.)

Sometimes, I just can't believe how blessed my Manitoba life really is.

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We started our school day today with listening to some Schubert over breakfast.

We have been reading from Lang's Pink Fairy Book every day, either in the mornings, or at bedtime, or both. They are many Japanese fairy tales in this collection, and we have been enjoying them.

Fina did some handicraft throughout the morning. Surprisingly, today, she was able to concentrate on her narrations while doing this handicraft. (The handicraft is a surprise hat for her baby cousin, L. So, T, don't let on you know!)

I read Joshua chapter 3, the crossing over the Jordan to the promised land. Fina gave an excellent narration.

From Now We Are Six, I read the two poems "King Hillary and the Beggerman" and "Swing Song."

Fina recited "What country friends is this" perfectly, in time for tomorrow's co-op. And she was able to *nearly* perfectly recite "Out o' tune, sir" as well. We will continue working on that.

We sang our folksong, which she actually participated well in today.

We reviewed direction, north, south, east and west, comparing them to our house. She did great!

I read two nursery rhymes from our Italian book, "L'omin di panpepato" and "La gallinella rossa." She enjoyed them today.

We sang our hymn, "Canticle of the Sun." She participated well in this today as well.

We read the story of Shakespeare's "Winter's Tale" from Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. I knew nothing about this story. I read it in chunks and Fina gave some wonderful narrations from it.  We read the whole thing.

Fina read a few pages of "The Gingerbread Boy" aloud to me. She is doing a great job with her reading.

Fina did 9F from her math, as well as the extra activities for lesson 9. She is ready to take her test for this lesson, adding +9.

Throughout the morning, she finished the hat.

Is she happy or what?

She has now begun on loom knitting a matching scarf for baby L.

It is so cold here, we are both feeling very wimpy about the temperature today. It is plus 6, feels like plus 2. We have a few errands to run this afternoon, and I was planning on going outside to play and to do some nature study. But I think we will bake something warm and yummy instead.  We aren't usually afraid of the temperature, but we are just taking a wimp day today. Do not be afraid, we won't be like this often!