Copy work

We've been studying Manet and Copely over the past two trimesters, and I thought it would be fun to try and "copy" a painting.  I let everyone choose their favorite picture and study it, including as many details possible.  Ha!  It was quite a job, and a lot more difficult than I was thinking.  It was one of those on-a-whim ideas, and I wasn't even thinking about the fact that we've been studying two realist painters who painted pretty intricate scenes.  Songbird was smart in choosing the little boy playing the flute - it was the simplest picture, and I actually love how hers turned out.  Benjamin's picture of the Red Cross Knight was a bit more difficult, but I was really surprised at how long and carefully he worked on him.  I can definitely see the resemblance, and this is pretty much the first time I've seen him paint a person, so I was impressed.  I did the nativity scene, and after working on Mary, Joseph, and the cow I was too tired to go on.  Let's just say I don't think I have a second career in painting waiting for me :)  Anyway, I think it was a valuable lesson in attentiveness, and I think we'll definitely do this again with paintings, though maybe next time we'll do some impressionists :)

Kindred Spirits

When traveling South,

good friends can stop

along the side of the road

at any old strip of woods, 

and create, in an hour flat,

the most beautiful Fairy world 

with nothing more than sticks,

hands,

and memories,

and leave that strip of woods

as full as a three-course meal.

Okie Grandkid Photo. Takes 1- 3

Global Village

We took a field-trip to the Habitat for Humanity Global Village in Americus Georgia.  Everyone was given a passport book to take around and stamp at each house throughout the village.  I think there were around 20 different houses representing Habitat houses around the world.

Go team Okie!

One of the poverty houses which inspired the kids to make better forts in the backyard (not sure this is the reaction they're going for).  

Open-aired school-room where the children are pretending to be students.  Notice Little Miss Raindrop taking it very seriously in the back-row.

Taken from the roof of one of the houses

Lots of Family

Clarkson Grandkid Christmas Photo. Takes 1-9

November (Yeah, I know it's already December)

Ha!  And now it's January.... but I don't want to let November go unnoticed :)

The kids and I made our own growth chart.  I worked on the numbers, and Songbird had the idea to paint a lovely flowering vine up it.  It worked out perfectly because she painted the vine and then everyone could paint flowers here and there.

Thanks to a gift of starter from my friend Rachel, making sourdough bread has become my new hobby.  We are enjoying having delicious and fresh sourdough bread whenever we want!

I love Songbird's Fall pictures.  She had a series of houses with outdoor tables and trees with falling leaves.  She is such a creative little artist - always drawing such intricate stories.

We had fun doing leaf rubbings.  We took it a step further and after we rubbed the outline on the paper we colored it in with crayons or painted them in with watercolors.  It was such an easy project to do, but everyone's always turned out so lovely looking.

Got these wintry treescapes from Claire's blog.  We put washi tape down, painted the background, then took the tape off.  Afterwards we etched the bark with pencil.

Paperwhites!  We actually planted so many paperwhite bulbs in so many different rooms of the house that once they were in full bloom the aroma was almost overpowering. :) But they were so beautiful, and now the flowers are being pressed and preserved.

We also did a lot of leaf hunts and leaf waxing.  

And of course pumpkin pie... 

We enjoyed a sweet visit from my Grandmother thanks to my Aunt and Uncle.

These two were battling a cold together and fell asleep on the couch.  I know they weren't feeling well, but they looked soooo sweet all cuddled up!