Montpeculiar.

First off FALL!  There are no words that have been left unsaid about this wonderful season in New England.  We took a drive to our state's capital and I couldn't help filling with a sense of pride and love cruising through the mountains with the wild gray clouds above.  Fan-bloomin'-tastic. 

We went to Montpeculiar to go to the History Museum, attending our first official "home school" class was enlightening.  I looked around at the other creatures of home school and felt reassured and intimidated..that's a smart group of kids.  One parent started talking to me about a classical education which I promptly came home and googled.  I had assumed she meant reading classic books and so on but it turns out it's more of a movement including studying Ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and Reformation.  I have barely begun to look into it so I feel very naive at the moment....more on classical education to come I'm sure, since (apart from the learning Latin part) it's piqued my interest..

Sailor and Kitten on the capital steps

Our days are much more peaceful than a month ago.  A typical day now looks like this...

Between 8-9am -up and dressed and breakfast
Math for an hour or so
Work on our ghost stories
Reading with Sailor
Reading a chapter a day of Animal Farm with Dodger-good for discussing topics like socialism vs communism and when he reads out loud I can really get a feel for his understanding and pronunciation of the text.
Lunch
Free time-LEGO, computer time, cooking, art, walks.

Lemon Raspberry Meringue!

Usually an evening soccer game for Dodger.
Dinner
Bath and more reading before bed...still on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe with Sailor though he's requesting Harry Potter instead.  I can't blame him, C.S. Lewis is pretty dark and humorless.  And, although I'll probably get in trouble for this, I have to say I don't remember enjoying the books much as a child and the movies (like the books) are really violent.  Dodger is working his way through DCF books...voraciously.

I've added some pics of how our fossils turned out as well as our trip to the capital.  We made a couple of fun stops while we were in Montpeculiar, picking out yarn for Sailor's mittens...luminous green and red, at least they'll be easy to find even if they make me queasy!  And a visit to the NECI bakery which was especially fun since Dodger has now decided he'd like to be a pastry chef.  He's always loved baking and I am behind this decision all the way!  Last weekend he made us a chocolate caramel tart...sorry, no pics we ate it too fast.  I think he is newly inspired by the graphic novel we borrowed from the library called "Bake Sale" by Sarah Varon...Cupcake is now Dodger's hero.

Homemade fossils

Impressions in clay of found objects from our walk....

...painted in acrylic and then finished with sparkly Mod Podge.