Rockaway Beach, May 2010

I've finally gotten a chance to pull up some photos of our Memorial day beach trip with the Braaten Family. Enjoy the photos, maybe I'll get you a commentary later. For now I'm packing for the next trip....

(but I must introduce sweet baby Gentry...) Sweetie cheeks!!

LEGO Quest Kids

Really, is there anything more interesting for three little LEGO-loving boys to do that a little LEGO challenge here and there? The boy's have just participated their first LEGO Quest "Wrapped Objects." The challenge was to make something with your LEGOS, then wrap it up. We enjoyed the work of it so much, and fully intend to make this challenge part of our weekly life.
And, yes, they don't wear shirts around here, much.

The boys all three enjoy LEGOS so much but sometimes we hit sort of a dead end. The toys are purchased and put together, then taken apart again, inspiration for putting them together in unique ways doesn't always come. I've been looking for a way to challenge the boys for awhile now, so you can imagine that I was happy to have discovered this blog.

Join us over at LEGO Quest Kids to see theirs and other creations hosted by Sam up in Canada. What a wonderful group to participate in!

(See the post below to see what else will be keeping us happy-busy this summer!)

Summer Fun

While the boys and I are certainly taking a summer break. But what I know after a few trial breaks is that we at the Perko house need to be busy-boys.

So though we're not doing much seat work this summer(I may load them up when we're sitting in the car for long drives) we plan to participate in several fun projects and investigations to keep hands and minds busy here at the Boy's Noise School.

Mondays offer a LEGO challenge over at LEGO Quest Kids. The boys love a challenge, and they love LEGOS. There's always something fun for them to build and share with other families that are participating.

Tuesdays Barb over at Sketchy Tuesday offers a challenge to sketch each week. My boys love the weekly slide show & the anticipation of the next subject to draw.

Then on Fridays we'll be participating in Outdoor Hour challenges with Barb at Handbook of Nature Study. We've been loving our studies so far. I'm learning with the boys new questions to ask, new techniques of of observation. It's wonderful.

Hopefully these fun activities, plus a lot of camping & visiting in between should fill our summer nicely & yet leave enough time to swim, watch some fun weekend movies, play games, and of course, read, read, read....

What are you planning for the summer?

Backyard

We've had so much rain and hail this May, it's amazing. While I'm ready for it to dry up I know it's fantastic for our yards and all the grass we keep in this desert, and of course the wildfires that plague us come summer.

Anyhow, I slipped outside today to see what's buzzing in our backyard.

My sweet peas are already so very sweet. Nothing un-sweet about these little leaves and tendrils:

Our three year old lilacs are blooming this year...for the first time. What a dream come true!
This little spider found a home in the lower part of our treehouse. We've been watching him for a few weeks. I don't mind spiders a bit.

I had a lovely time photographing this bumble bee. These huge bees come and stuff their pockets full of pollen every year when this bush blooms. I love how he tucked himself in the petals. He moved so quickly it was tricky getting a good shot. Enjoy your long weekend!

Outdoor Hour: Snakes & Why We're Making the Hour

This week for our outdoor hour the boys and I checked out snakes. We brought home a handful of books from our local libraries and read some interesting facts about snakes. We looked at dozens of photos in those books and those of the snakes that are listed as native.

Snakes that are native to the area are;

1. Rattlesnakes. Enough said. For that very snake we did not go poking around in the Canyon to find snakes. We leave rattlers alone.
2. Gopher snakes. Gopher snakes gain much respect too, as they have a mock rattle to scare away predators. It works.
3. Rubber snakes...the boys & I found these to be quite interesting b/c they really look rubbery.

There are a few more, but on to a bit of what we've learned about snakes in our reading and research.

• Snakes are cold blooded, which means they have no control over their internal temperature. So in order to keep warm they lie in the sun or on sun-warmed rocks. Snakes have to get warm enough just to eat or move.
• Snakes shed their skin as they grow. The shedding starts at their mouth, the skin peels off over their body and they wriggle out of their old skin.
• Snakes are carnivorous. Meat eaters. Some snakes are egg eaters. They eat the eggs, crack them and eat the nutritious meat of the egg. Then they spit out the shell.

We read billions of new things, then the next day we took a field trip to our local pet shop to get a better look at some real live snakes. This proved to be an interesting visit. Both the gals that were working in the shop were happy to let us look at the snakes but not interested (loathed & hated) in snakes, therefore, our list of questions that we brought went unanswered. They were, however, willing to unlock the cage so I pulled out a ball python for the boys to touch and hold. I didn't get any photos, as I was doing the handling. :)

The most interesting things we learned in the pet shop were;

• "I thought that snakes weren't slimy!" Joey said. Snakes are so soft and smooth that they can feel and appear slimy. But they aren't. They're smooth and dry.
• Pythons, even babies that are a a foot long, squeeze their prey to kill it before they unlock their jaws to swallow their food in a single "bite."

The boys have had a wonderful time reading about and checking out the snakes, I'm hoping we'll see some on our hikes in the future...or at least be looking.

LOOKING. Why we're looking.....



I'm starting to see why it's important for us to be doing this hour. The art of observation.

Little boys, little sweet-two year old boys are incredible observers. I think it has much to do with their inquisitive nature, and the fact that they're down low to the ground and not moving too fast. But big kids...they move so fast. Teaching these bigger ones to slow down and observe...and what to look for is so important. Now that we've been taking some time to observe, the boys are naturally starting to slow down and observe nature themselves, pointing out lichens and birds, identifying flowers and types of rock. I love when a boy comes screaming in the door, "Mom! We found a bumble bee! I know it was a bumble bee because it had little pollen pockets on his legs!"

Today life has a hard pull on people to stay indoors. This is the other great part of the Outdoor Hour for us. We are encouraged to get outside for just a bit, and it usually leads to more time outside. Being outdoors is so important. Connecting with God through His creation never gets old and He reveals Himself through nature. Creating competition with technology and lethargy is the work that this hour can accomplish. I'd encourage you to join us with Barb at Handbook of Nature Study for her Outdoor Hour.

thoughts on school....

C.S. Lewis said that we should teach far fewer subjects far better. Dorothy Sayers said that we should teach a student the tools needed to teach one subject and then show them how to use those same tools to study any subject.

Even the Stones Cry Out

Luke 19:38-40

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

The way I see it....

the rocks do cry out.

They simply are.

They only exist.

They were made, and they are all they were made to be.

It makes me rethink what I think it means to be all that I can be, all that I should be for God.

How much do I work, or think I have to work to be what God made me to be, to be a reflection of Him. I want to be a conductor of His love, His grace. And sometimes I just try too hard.

But then one day I was running and looking at the lichen growing on the rocks, and I thought of this truth. The rocks, they do nothing but exist...and they reflect God perfectly. His beauty, His creativity, His love for things large and strong and small and delicate.

And I think of how if I were to simply be who I was made to be, that I would be perfectly glorifying God.

How much freedom is there in that?

To be, is what God wants for us.

To exist as you were made to exist is to His Glory.

To do as He called us; to love Him, to love people is His will for us.

I was wondering, what does it mean for me to be? I pondered this. To be for me, a mom and a wife....

it's to love my husband. To encourage him, to pray for him.
It's to nurture and teach my kids. To love them and care for them.
To build my home, to be anchored in God so that I can be peaceful and fun for my family.
It's to be a loving, available friend to my friends. To encourage.
And to look others in the eyes, to see people and not look past or through them. To be kind and gracious to all the folks I meet.

A rock for my family, friends and to God. A rock that is beautiful just because it is, and who lives free from the worry or trying to be what I'm supposed to be. And my life too will cry out in praise to my great God.