09/21/08- 09/27/08- Violin, Apples and Nails

We visited Skytop Orchard in Zirconia, NC this week and spent the better part of a day picking apples. Unlike last year, the trees were loaded. Very much as it was the year before last, the bamboo forest was tall, dark and the bane of parents trying to get their kids to sit down (just for a minute) and eat some lunch.

My legs were screaming at me the following day. Pulling a wagon with six baskets full (maybe two bushels) up a mountain proved every bit as effective as the leg machines at the gym. It was worth it though. The view was awesome.



Dd had her first violin recital. She played as faithfully and accurately as she does at home. Moreover, she seemed proud of her performance, as she should be. Biased though I may be, I’ve never heard a more moving rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Ds and I started a carpentry series this week. We’re trying out the order and projects in Carpentry for Kids. First up was getting comfortable with the tools. Ds drove and pulled a little over 100 nails with his seven ounce hammer.
Next up is the saw.

Otherwise, ds completed three math lessons and a history lesson. He logged a little over three hours making claymation shorts. “They’re a lot smoother if I increase the frames per minute.” Dd completed a language arts lesson and a math lesson. She continues to be diligent about practicing violin.

Both kids spent three and a half hours at our homeschool group’s park day. When a Friday field trip was rained out, we hung out at the library for a couple of hours. Free reading was explosive. Ds spent a lot of time drawing too.