For my children

Enchanted Storybook Forest

We visited an amazing place called Storybook Forest

Storybook characters and their palaces, homes, and cottages had been constructed for play under a canopy of tall pines in the middle of a forest.
Isabela and Abigail were pretending to be Cinderella and her Prince

The swing on the side of the castle was a thrill for the girls.

Abigail is behind the bars of the house made of cookies and sugar where Hansel and Gretel were held.

The inside and outside of this home was crooked and covered with chalkboard for creativity.

Isabela is bringing us a treat that she made in the home of The Seven Dwarfs. Inside was a table and seven tree stump stools for Snow White and the Dwarfs. The children could make mud pies with the dwarfs’ bowls, spoons, and dirt.

This place was so fun…
It was a place that both adult and child would enjoy. All of the classic stories we have all enjoyed as children were brought to life. This place gave a whole new meaning for pretend play! We were able to step inside of the story and become the characters we have read about.

Inside of the Dr. Seuss Club there were literary messages from the stories for inspiration.

Isabela was having so much fun bouncing from area to area, she did not want to pause for a quick photo!

At least these two humor me and smile at their mommy.

Rapunzel!

A fitting photo for Abigail and her long hair!

Her Prince to rescue her…Jackson was excited about the play castle. He sweetly calls Abigail Rapunzel when her long hair gets in his way.

One of the fun play areas was a Spanish ship. The life size parts of the ship were a lot of fun. Playing pirates was a great opportunity!
By the way Papaw…They want one of these on their playground someday!

The ship required the most energy from their bodies. It required them to go up and down rope ladders and had cool slides and hiding rooms throughout the ship.

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Ronald Dahl

October 13, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Literature Favorites, Moments of Joy, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Our Gift to the Aquarium

Amy and Stephanie invited and treated us to the Aquarium on the last Saturday in September for a fun visit.

We had so much fun.

There was even a special dinosaur exhibit.

Jackson thought it was pretty cool that he could pick it up.

Daddy’s Girl!

Brave enough to enjoy the dinosaurs he loves.

It was a fun day playing and enjoying the penguins.

My own little penguins! Despite the huge crowd, we had a great visit with two of our favorite people and a great look at ocean life.

Abigail in the penguin tunnel with Amy.

Jackson and Isabela crawling with “Snefanie”

Goofy girls

Beautiful fish, handsome and toothless little man

One of my favorite photos. Great memories.
Thank you Amy and Stephanie for inviting us to the aquarium. Jackson, Abigail, and Isabela had so much fun! Thanks too for sharing some of your awesome photos.

October 1, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Asheville in Fall

After harvest we were lucky enough to take our lessons to the road while we helped mix some business with pleasure.

Love my family so much

Thank you for the energetic eyes and smile.

Miss Abigail

We love playing in this green flat field.

Isabela was enjoying this sunny day.

Great tree for climbing.

The last time I sat on this wagon I was pregnant with Isabela!

Isabela finally gets to meet Chester the Horse

She wasn’t too sure of his size!

This was Cotton the Goat. Cotton stayed on this bucket the whole time we were visiting.

First up close look at hens and roosters.

Wooly worm, dark black on both ends

Sitting on a really old John Deere

I would love to have one of these old desk

Tea time for the girls.

One more look at Chester

You can usually always find a truck or tractor in his hand.

Special time with Daddy is always a treat.

There were fall flowers everywhere. Abigail is standing with Mums waiting to be planted.

A successful day if you find a playground!

A better day if you find a slide!

A tunnel slide!

So special to me…

Squishy grapes between her toes

Glad to see this smile. Jackson was four months old the first time he tried this…he was furiously crying.

Crush those grapes!

A fun thing to do

This rooster was so gentle.

Every animal was friendly.

A good place to learn about farm animals.

Jackson holding a baby chick

Abigail’s turn

Together

I’m so happy that Abigail can find the hearts tucked away in nature. She excitedly found this heart leaf.

A beautiful day filled with many memories to cherish!

September 25, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Memories, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Harvest 2013

2013 was the first harvest that Jackson was given a tool for removing the grapes! He was very excited.

This was the first year that Abigail was able to use the tool (refractometer) for checking the sugar within the grapes.
The grape juice is squeezed on the screen. You hold it to the light and look in the opposite end to read the sugar content.

Isabela was happy to just be in the field.

We harvested for two weekends. Once for personal consumption and once for the market. The grapes hung on the vines until the second week in September this year, a couple of weeks later than normal. A rough year getting the sugar where we wanted it because of the rainy cloudy days without the sun’s nourishment.

My girl helping me

Sweet as sugar. She usually is just happy to be

Jackson truly is one of the hardest workers I know!

Jackson with one of our favorite blessings…Janice…our vineyard neighbor.

We decided to make our own grape juice for the children.

We loaded up the truck with our grapes to take home

Jackson emptied about 400 pounds into the crusher.

The grapes were crushed and then added to our press. We took the juice and canned it. Our first big canning project!

Isabela tried to take a bite of the leftover skins!

The community sign that announces we are open for business!

Harvesting with Nana

And Aunt Amy Jo

This day is our hardest all year but because of family, one of the most blessed ones!

Isabela picked the grapes one by one

Happy to put her grapes and juice in a holiday bucket

Love our help

Nana and Jayden

Brooke joined our day of work

Elijah enjoyed using the tool to cut the grapes

We love our cousins!

We love harvesting our grapes.

Papaw really does enjoy carrying all of those buckets, especially with Jackson helping.

Bins ready to roll out….

Additional bins ready to roll out . . .

Papaw ready to roll out too . . .

Morning of delivery . . .

Jackson watching out for yellow jackets . . .

Too much fun!

We were happy to have Nana join us for this experience.

1/2 ton macrobins dumping into the crusher/destemmer . . .

We were able to watch the entire process. About 10,000 pounds of grapes were unloaded, emptied, de-stemmed, crushed into juice, and put into the containers for the waiting. It’s an awesome thing to watch start to finish…especially if you’ve babied the vines and grapes ALL year!

Thankful Papaw was able to help us for our early morning delivery.

Thank you three sweet birds for helping us work in the vines all year long. You were always helpful in everything we did and humble to be in the field with your family. Each of you are a tremendous blessing!

Just like your Daddy, always try to be extraordinary with something special…

September 22, 2013
Categories: Memories, Vineyard . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Make Summer Last Forever

Playtime on the back porch

Pool Fun

Isabela in the fun.

Sweetie Pie that loves playing outside

Ijams Nature Center Homeschool Field Trip

Pictured with part of our homeschool group

We enjoyed our nature walk. The best part of the trip was carrying clip boards during our treasure hunt.

This is how I found her…sitting alone and whining

Whining for her sister to pull her

Jackson doesn’t look too happy for the tight squeeze!

Abigail playing silly at one of our summer weddings

Always time for a little learning.

Isabela trying her tiny fingers with scissors. More ripping the paper than cutting.

First time squeezing sticky white glue in craft time. She insist on doing everything she sees Jackson and Abigail doing.

Abigail using a color code to complete her picture.

Back at Dollywood picking up ducks and frogs.

Holding our winnings.

Nana with Jaydie and Abigail

Papaw with Jackson and Elijah

Happy Grandparent’s Day! Thanks for the Dollywood Summer Memories!

September 20, 2013
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Log Cutting

Jackson has been super excited all summer.

We have been able to watch this heavy equipment daily work to remove select trees from Papaw’s property.

As quick as the logs were cut from the forest they were brought out, stripped down, and then carefully loaded. Here is one loaded and another backing in for his pickup.

Headed for a long trip to the factory.

One of the unexpected good things from the logging is the great trails that have been created on our land.

The bad things have been the snakes and of course the black bear!

A long way from home!

What a fun journey hiking.

Not only could we see the mountains all the way around us, we could see the lake, and were even able to identify what part of the lake the vineyard was on.

You never know where you might see the shape of a heart! Keep your eyes open!

I love to be a part of their real life nature study.

May you soar as tall as the trees.

We do feel some sadness watching the massive pieces of timber leave our property. We are hopeful they will be used to build strong creative structures!

September 10, 2013
Categories: Memories, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Question Me Please… 9/2013

Again for fun, I conducted an individual interview with Jackson and Abigail. Some of their answers have changed, some have stayed the same. I enjoyed watching their thought process before they answered. It really made me smile and feel so lucky to be a part of this new stage in their lives.

My name is JACKSON SAWYER HALL.
I am SIX years old.
My favorite color is RED.
The best things about school are READING and PAINTING DURING ART.
My favorite books are BIG TRUCK BOOKS.
Something that frustrates me is when ABIGAIL AGGRAVATES ME AT BEDTIME.
My favorite thing to do is PLAY TRUCKS and HIT BALLS.
The best places to go are DOLLYWOOD and THE INTERSTATE.
My favorite foods are PIZZA, STARBUCK’S STICKY BUNS, and STRUDLES.
I don’t enjoy eating ONIONS, MUSHROOMS, or COUSCOUS.
My favorite TV shows are MIKE THE KNIGHT and MAX AND RUBY.
Something special for me is GETTING TO HELP DADDY.
I am really good at DRIVING(STEERING) DADDY’S TRUCK AND THE TRACTOR.
When I was little I used to CRY A LOT!
My best friends are ELIJAH, JAYDEN, AND MY SISTERS.
What makes me the happiest is IF I GET A NEW TOY.
What makes me the saddest are TIME OUTS.
My favorite song is CRUISE.
Something that scares me are BEARS.
My favorite animals are BUNNIES, DEER, and TURKEY.
Jesus DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS.
Three words that tell about me are SIX, JACKSON, FUNNY.
Someplace I hope to visit one day is THE ZOO.
When I grow up I want to be A LOG CUTTER.
This year I hope to learn ABOUT BONES AND THE BODY.

My name is ABIGAIL JULIENNE HALL.
I am FOUR AND A HALF years old.
My favorite color is PURPLE.
The best thing about school is COLORING and CUTTING.
My favorite book to listen to is THREE LITTLE KITTENS.
Something that frustrates me is WHEN JACKSON “BE’S” MEAN TO ME.
My favorite thing to do is PLAY DOLLS WITH ISABELA AND MOMMY.
The best place to go is THE BEACH.
My favorite foods to eat are CHEESE and PASTA.
I don’t enjoy eating MUSHROOMS.
My favorite TV shows are PETER RABBIT and PONY SHOW.
Something special for me is ABC MOUSE and COOKING WITH MOMMY.
I am really good at HOOLA HOOPING!
When I was little I used to LOVE MY BINKEY.
My best friends are ISABELA and JACKSON.
What makes me the happiest is PLAYING WITH MOMMY.
What makes me the saddest are THINGS THAT STING, TICKS, and CRYING.
My favorite songs are TREASURE and RUMOR HAS IT.
Something that scares me are BEARS, THUNDER, and YELLOW JACKETS.
My favorite animals are BUNNIES, KITTENS, and PUPPIES.
Jesus TELLS STORIES CALLED PARABLES.
Three words that tell about me are NICE, SILLY, LOVE.
Someplace I hope to visit one day is A PET STORE.
When I grow up I want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER and A VET.
This year I hope to learn how to READ.

You can refer back to the last “Question Me Please” on 8/21/12.

Aggravating her big brother

As always, he gives in

Although they list the other as their major source of frustration, they truly are INSEPARABLE!

September 1, 2013
Categories: Interview, School Related . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Our 2013-2014 School Curriculum

I can’t believe another school year is already here! Jackson turned six in May and finished his Kindergarten year. This year I have registered him as an official first grader even though last year I challenged him with a first grade curriculum. I am planning on taking the first four to six weeks to continue with some first grade Math skills. We will review our unit on time, money, and measurement of liquids before starting our second grade curriculum. I will also do the same in Reading, expecting him to work in second grade. I have the flexibility to tweak it as we go along because I just don’t feel as a six year old first grader, he is completely ready for the independence required for all second grade skills just yet.

As with Abigail, she will be an official Preschooler/Pre-K this year. She has mastered both identifying as well as writing all of her ABC’s…on most days. We will focus the year on improving her handwriting and continue to learn the sounds for each as well as blending into words. My goal is to have her reading by the end of the year…we’ll see. In her Math, she can count and write to 100 however from time to time, does forget how to write some of them and lacks a specific confidence I’d like to see. We will also work on patterns, comparing numbers, and simple addition and subtracting. Mostly I will continue to follow her lead. Some days she works very hard and is open to really trying to learn, other days the motivation seems to be lacking. She will also follow along in Science, Social Studies, and other areas with Jackson. I’m looking to expose her to the world of learning at this point rather than expecting complete mastery. With her, I am hoping to see the light click on and her feel the joy of learning something new.

Finally, Isabela is ALWAYS the one that wants school time with Jackson and Abigail. It is no pushing her to come sit with a pencil and paper or crayons. Se will continue to be exposed to life and hopefully love to learn about the world around her.

Our second journey of homeschooling awaits us!

SPELLING, daily
We will be finishing up ABEKA Grade 1, list 20-30
I will then combine list from Macmillan and All About Reading, as well as vocabulary words from other areas in our curriculum

READING, daily
We will be finishing in Grade 1 of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill before moving on to Grade 2
By Christmas I hope to be using All About Reading Level 3

PHONICS, daily
Steck-Vaugn Level C, Grade 2

ENGLISH, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
First Language Lessons of the Well Trained Mind, Level 2
I will also take from Houghton Mifflin and Macmillan/McGraw-Hill
DOL determined by me

MATH, daily
Harcourt Math Grade 2

SCIENCE, twice weekly (Abigail will be included)
Biology for the Grammar Stage, 1 and 2 where we will have 20 weeks of a study of animals, 10 weeks of studying the human body, and 6 weeks for studying plants
Harcourt Science Level 1
We will continue to observe the life around us where we live, in the vineyard, and in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

SOCIAL STUDIES/GEOGRAPHY, twice weekly (Abigail will be included)
Houghton Mifflin 1, Schools and Neighborhoods as well as map skills
We will continue our exposure to naming and locating the fifty states in the USA

BIBLE, daily (Abigail will be included)
Jesus Storybook Bible, 45 story/Lessons from the Old and New Testament
100 Bible Stories by Stephen Elkins, story/verse/song from the Old and New Testament

We will also be completing our character study using We Choose Virtues. Lessons and Vocabulary will consist of learning…I am PERSEVERANT, PATIENT, SELF-CONTROLLED, OBEDIENT, CONTENT, FORGIVING, ATTENTIVE, DILIGENT, KIND, GENTLE, HELPFUL, and HONEST.

HANDWRITING, daily (Abigail will be included)
Determined by me including copy work, dictation, and creative writing

We will be working with Literature Pockets Folktales and Fairy Tales, Grade K-1
The stories and activities we will use are “The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Gingerbread Man, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Too Much Noise”

Also we will complete Draw-Write-Now, A Drawing and Handwriting Course for Kids, Book 1, On the Farm, Kids and Critters, and Storybook Characters

SPANISH (Abigail will be included)
Introduction to Spanish Latin America Level 1 using RosettaStone Homeschool

Wish us well on our exciting adventure!

August 26, 2013
Categories: School Related . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Categories

Recent Posts

Archives