Footprints on the Fridge

We're Going to Find Some Fall

As much as I love being a Louisiana gal, it really distresses me every September and October when the rest of the country is reveling in apple-picking and spiced cider and the glorious colors of autumn leaves and we are here, enjoying some truly lovely weather, but essentially missing out on all of autumn's glory. 

When major life changes that took place over the past week made it possible for us to plan a getaway this week, the choice of San Antonio seemed a no-brainer.  The kids have been enthralled with our studies of the Alamo and are thrilled to go see it in person.  It's not a bad drive from here, Greg's sister is along the way, and Greg's aunt and uncle and his cousin who was the best man in our wedding live in San Antonio.  We've been itching for the first camping trip of the year, and there is a nearby state park where Greg took the boys last year that he has been dying for me to see.  Voila!  Trip planned.  A few days in San Antonio and then five days camping here.

I was excited, truly.  But ever since last year's trek up the East Coast , I've prayed we'd get the chance to experience fall's splendor every year.  This trip is likely to be the only one of the season, so I was a little sad--until this morning, when my darling husband served me my coffee, sat me on the sofa with the laptop, and showed me this list of nearby attractions.  We began clicking on links, eagerly discussing all the fun things we could do and see with our adventurous band of brothers, but I've got to tell you, when he clicked on this link, my heart skipped a beat.  God in heaven, the Maker of me, knew just how much my soul needed that flood of beauty, so He showed us where to find.  And find it we will.  We've got a day of hiking there all planned out.  And for an added bonus, an afternoon spent here, enjoying nature's autumn bounty. 

God is also quite aware that there are some rough and rugged boys in this bunch, so He made sure there was plenty of fun for them too.  All that along with lots of time talking by the fire and gazing up a the stars will make for some amazing family time.

And even though it's technically vacation, we'll be "studying" history, geography, astronomy, literature, nature and science, physical education, and, of course, our faith, (The Lord even sent us a couple of cool field trips in that area) which we take with us wherever we go.  I'll never cease to wonder at how easily real life begets real learning.  And for that, for the life God gave us, and His intimate presence in it, I am ever grateful. 

Now we're off to find some fall.  Photos when we return!

Have a Party Without Leaving Home

Don't the sunny, breezy Friday afternoons of autumn put you in the mood to celebrate?  They sure give me the urge to spread my blanket out in the grass somewhere, gather up some friends, and listen to some good music.  That's why I'm thrilled that our favorite outdoor concert series begins next week, and that our favorite Catholic Cajun family band is playing the first concert.  But since it's not today, and since most of you won't be able to join me on my blanket next week, spend five minutes watching this video...it's like having a little party without ever leaving home (or your bed, if you happen to be my friend Elizabeth--enjoy your party, my dear). 

Loveliness of Leaves

                                                                                                      The almost November air is putting a crisp layer on the weather, and for many of us that means our trees are aflame with the colors of autumn.  The red and gold beauties are beginning to let go of their hold on the branches and make their flight to the ground below where they give themselves up to us to be raked into piles for joyful jumping and crispy, crunchy stomping.  Lovely indeed, these leave are.  In some instances, they are truly breathtaking.  And because the moment passes so quickly, and we are all about to move forward from the leaf phase of autumn to the turkey phase, it is nice to celebrate them here. 

In our Southern Louisiana climate, there are no fall leaves to speak of.  Trees generally hold on to their summer green until the first cold week and then fade into a nondescript brown and fall lifelessly to the lawn.  I was determined not to miss out on the autumn fun this year.  First we crafted some leaves of our own, like these.  We also had a great time using our backyard leaves to make some cute foliage friends.

But our favorite autumn leaf fun has to be that we enlisted some 4real friends to help us out.  Mary and her family were willing to help by sharing some of their beautiful Aspen golds with us.  We have used them relentlessly!  They have been math manipulatives, we have formed our letters with them, we have crafted with them, and we have examined them over and over again.  They joined us last night when we studied Colorado in our Monday night football unit.   Soon, we will use them to welcome November by making a banner that spells out November in various nature finds from our autumn nature walks.

Just as our leaves were arriving, Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight posted this post for poetry Friday.  We adapted her suncatcher craft by using self-laminating sheets and made some fun decorations for our dining/learning room windows.

Meanwhile, back in Colorado, Mary and her family were getting crafty themselves. 

Andrea and her family went beyond crafty and used their leaves for some real learning.  Don't miss these ideas, they are so cool.

Lots of families are enjoying the leaves right in their own front (and back) yards.  See how Marianne and her family made backyard clean-up fun.

And how Laura W. and her family are enjoying the the changing colors at their new California home.

Andrea shares her thoughts about how quickly fall's colors came and went from her yard.

When fall leaves aren't abundant in their yards, some families have found a way to use other foliage for some autumn fun, like Rachel and her gang.  Alice and Amelia found a great way to use those piles in their front yard. 

Speaking of Alice, who, like me, is deprived of natural autumn leaf glory, look what she created to have a little leafy joy.  God paints the trees north of here, but Alice did a fabulous job for a Southern gal!

Nori sent me a note that she had a post to share with us, but I could not make the link work.  Nori, would you please leave it in a comment here so we can all take a look?

And don't miss Elizabeth's post about how the colors of autumn at the Rotunda on the campus of U. Va. inspired a breathtaking poem.

So while most of us are beginning to move forward in our thoughts to turkeys and pumpkin pies, before you do, run outside.  Rake up a big pile of whatever is blanketing your front yard, choose a few of the best specimens for some crafting fun, then dance, jump, throw, crunch, and crisp the rest 'til your heart's content!  Leaves--how truly lovely they are!

Fun with our new Camera

Here are some recent moments we've been able to capture with our new camera:

During "B Week" (which was actually last week), we learned that

B is for BAKING

B

R

E

A

D

BANANA

BRAN

MUFFINS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

BOUNTIFUL

BLESSINGS

(We shared these with our neighbors.)

And B is for BRENDAN (both the saint and the boy) and his BABY BROTHER in a BUMBO SEAT!

WE ALSO LEARNED SOME NOT SO CONSTRUCTIVE WAYS TO ENTERTAIN A TODDLER DURING SCHOOL TIME.

LEAVE AN ORANGE MARKER AROUND SO HE CAN CREATE HIS OWN PUMPKIN COSTUME......

GIVE HIM FREE REIGN WITH

A BOTTLE OF BABY POWDER AND LET HIM.....

                                                                                                                  FRESHEN UP EVERYONE'S SHOES!

LET HIM LEND HIS ARTISTIC TOUCH TO THE DINING ROOM WALLS

JUST BEFORE YOUR NEW FURNITURE ARRIVES TO FILL IT.

In Our Main Lesson Books

Well, the weather simply refuses to budge down here in the Deep South.  I've done everything I can to prod it along.  I've shopped for cool weather clothes for the children and dutifully hung them on hangers waiting to be worn.  I laid out a lovely seasonal display and sprinkled the kitchen with decorations.  I started cooking hearty, comforting meals and stacked up the ingredients for great a great autumnal baking festival.  And still the thermostat reads 90 degrees and the air conditioner blasts artificially cool air at my face.  I looked for gourds and mums for the front steps yesterday, but got too hot and left.  The extended forecast bears no good news.  However, our main lessons wouldn't even hint at the fact that autumn has not yet really arrived here.  They're bursting with seasonal fun.

My initial thought when I planned to do the seasons was to let everyone make his own book for each season, but as I thought through the lessons, I realized it works quite nicely for us all to contribute to one collective book as some of the children are able to do more than others.  So, while my new plan sways quite liberally from true Waldorf main lessons, it is working beautifully for us.  We are doing something different and interesting each day, and the kids are really enjoying recording it with beautiful beeswax crayons and watercolor paints.  I thought I'd share a little of what is going in to our autumn book. 

Autumn Stories and Poems

• Narrations and illustrations from the picture books we are reading (see side bar) : Quinn and Gabriel both contribute a picture and narration for each story
• Poetry copywork: Quinn copies the poems from Elsa Beskow's around the year as well as some other Autumn poems and Gabriel decorates the edges of the pages.
• I write out some of our circle time songs and rhymes and Brendan colors the page.  We have reworded some old classics to fit with the season.  If anyone is interested I can post them tomorrow.

Autumnal Foods and Recipes

• I have had the kids notice what items are on special display at the store, what foods are pictured on the fronts of magazines, and what produce is available.  We are keeping a page of autumn foods, small drawings of different foods that are associated with the season.  As of now there are apples, pumpkins, yams, turkey cranberries.  More will be added as the kids discover them.
• We are baking together at main lesson time once a week and then Quinn copies the recipe onto a card which one of the smaller kids decorate.  These are added to our book.

Local crops and culture

• Because we live in a rural area and drive past farms every day, I want the kids to notice what is happening with the crops.  We have been simply watching as we drive here and there and recording things with drawings, but next week we are going to visit some farming friends and get a more detailed idea of what is happening.
• In Louisiana, fall is festival time.  There is a festival every weekend celebrating everything from cattle to rice to meat pies and back again.  Quinn has drawn a map of Louisiana and labeled the cities where the festivals are located and Gabriel is drawing small pictures of the items around the edges.

Calendar Holidays, Church feasts, and family celebrations:

• We are creating a page for each holiday as it passes and including it in the book.  And we are doing the same for saints' days.
• We are going to make a page of family birthdays, name days, and other celebrations that take place in the fall with the dates to remember.

Autumn Around the World:

• We are researching autumn festivals from other parts of the world and including narrations and drawings in our book.

Family Journal:

• We have been taking a lot of family outings on the weekends and really enjoying them.  We hope to get in a few camping trips (if the weather would ever cool), and we are planning a trip to Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts in November.  The kids are making pages with drawings, recorded narrations and memories, and little mementos from these trips t include in our book.

I think you can probably see by now what I have noticed as these plans solidified: we are not only learning  a lot and making a main lesson book here.  We are also creating family traditions and memories and this book, I hope, will become a treasured piece of family history.  That being the case, I have decided to use a page protected scrapbook and either watercolor paper or acid free cardstock for the pages.  I chose a neutral colored one and we added these leaves to the front.  I am not using patterned papers or other scrapbooking doo-dads.  I want the feel of it to be totally natural and only the kids' work to be featured, but I needed something that was going to facilitate every one working on different items and also last through the years as a family keepsake. 

Can I just say, I love this path we're on...thanks to my inspiration moms.  I've linked you enough, you know who you are ;  ) !