Logic Resources before the Logic Stage: Part 2

A continuation of what we're doing with logic before beginning formal logic in 5th grade in the fall. (Part 1 here.)

Logic Resources before the Logic Stage: Part 1

While we have been doing things differently than a strictly classical education approach in the last few years, I still like to "check in" with The Well Trained Mind to get an idea of what our goals should be close to. I started Builder Boy's 4th grade year with the goal of having him ready for the classical approach for 5th grade as laid out by TWTM. Not sure if we'll actually get there or not, but I do like the idea of introducing formal logic in 5th grade. But I didn't want to just dump it on him with no warm up, so this 4th grade year we have been having some fun with various playful logic resources to introduce him to the concepts.

Wordly Wise A, B, and C Review

We recently completed the Wordly Wise series A, B, and C and have moved on to Wordly Wise 3000 workbooks. We first started these workbooks sometime in Builder Boy's 2nd grade year, after they took the DORA for the first time and the results showed that they were ready for a vocabulary program and would benefit from one. I asked around my online homeschooling groups and purchased the first book from Rainbow Resource online. I purchased the answer key (sold separately) as well, but it really wasn't necessary. It was pretty obvious to me what the answers were most of the time.

Architecture School: Day 6

Demonstrating Compression

So today we deviated from the book's lesson and built upon what we either didn't cover or only vaguely covered yesterday.

Architecture School: Day 5

Demonstrating Columns and Beam

I do intend on getting more than just one day of Architecture school done a week. But since it's summer, we're being flexible for play dates and other activities.

Teaching a Kid the How's and Why's of Hammering a Nail

(I really, really hope I'm doing this right. If you're an expert, and I'm not explaining this right, please comment so I'm not giving out the wrong information!)

Architecture School: Day 3 & 4

We did do another day of Architecture School last week, but we also had errands and a doctor's appointment, so it was shorter than usual. We did more today out of the book, but didn't work on the art project, so I'm combining them into one post.

Architecture School: Day 2

 

For Day 2 we worked from the Kindergarten level, Lesson 3 from Architecture: It's Elementary! . (Click here for Day 1)

How Did We Do?

So, our main schooling part of the year is over, and we're on to our lighter summer program. This was The Plan set up at the beginning of the "school year."  And here's what really happened.

So. I try to be honest on here. Honest about my short comings, my failures, my mistakes. By doing so maybe you can avoid some of my same mistakes, or learn something about the process. I'm not perfect; and I don't want to ever come across like I have it all together to such an unattainable level of perfection.

With that in mind, do you remember that gardening project I started? I was going to teach my kids about companion planting. Even though I have a black thumb. Remember that pretty little patch of dirt? Well, this is what it looks like now:

Yup. Pretty sure those are thistles, which is NOT what I planted. What happened, you ask? Well, first I noticed my seeds kept appearing out on the top of the soil. A few weeks of replanting and I finally realized a cat (or several) were pawing away at my dirt patch and bringing up the seeds. I purchased several items to help me solve this problem, but never put them out. Then we went on a big car trip, and then I had a month of depression and dealing with PTSD reactions, and.....yeah....

Now we've been given the information that we're going to have to move. Maybe; sometime this year; probably. We're getting a lot of mixed information. So do I weed and re-plant, in the hopes that something can still be accomplished before we have to move....IF we do end up having to move? I am undecided. But next year (eternal optimism!) I'm planting in giant pots or something. Yes, even corn, beans, and pumpkins.
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Architecture School is on hold until Early Bird recovers from a fever.

Supplementing FLL1, Lessons 91-100

A continuation of how we're adding to First Language Lessons Level 1 to make it more kinetic learner friendly. (Click here for my posts on previous lessons.)

Right before we started this last section of FLL1 we happened to read the book Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. This is an excellent book. On the surface, it gives kids a better understanding of the expression behind various punctuation marks. On a deeper level it addresses trying to fit in when you're clearly different and embracing your inner awesome. Having read this book the boys had an easier time understanding and applying the four different types of sentences. I highly recommend it. We found it at our public library, but I intend to purchase it.

(Lesson 92) Definition of a sentence. Hand gestures are a mixture of actual signs and our own gestures.

A sentence is a group of words      (with "w" hands, tap together near your chest, then make a circle or group with them, tapping your "w" hands together in front of you.)

that expresses      (open hands palm up touching your torso, then pushed out away from yourself)

a complete thought.      (tap temple with one finger.)

Builder Boy and Early Bird loved practicing the different types of sentences and played the wonderful new game "Command" daily for over a week. I let them jump up and down or wiggle or dance when they were exclaiming (just like the exclamation mark in the book) and we tilted our heads when questioning. Even though it only took two weeks to get through the last part of the book, the four types of sentences, thanks to the book and the movements, are well cemented in their memory.


And.....we're finished! We started FLL1......wow, almost two years ago. If you don't have a horrible pregnancy, and aren't complete slackers, it should not take you this long. Unless you want it to, which is totally fine.  It goes by level, not grade. We enjoyed it, my kids learned a lot, and they don't hate grammar. That's a curricula win if ever there was one! I thought about starting FLL2 this summer, but since we're doing Architecture School, I've decided we'll wait until fall. I have an idea for when we reach adjectives and adverbs, so I will probably continue supplementing FLL2 with more kinetic activities.  I hope this has/will be a help to the parents out there who really like First Language Lessons but need a little extra for their kids who learn a little differently than just what the book has. ___________________________________________________________
The lessons and the definition we got from FLL1. The original link is an affiliate link for buying it straight from the author, the picture is a link to the Amazon listing. Thank you for supporting our homeschool and my curricula habit by clicking on affiliate links.

 

Architecture School: Day 1

Last summer we did Space School; or at least tried to until my pregnancy with Lady Bug got to be too much and we had to stop. I asked the boys if they wanted to finish it this year and sadly their enthusiasm had waned. So this summer it's Architecture School!

We call him "Builder Boy'' for a reason!

Builder Boy has been talking about becoming a builder for almost four years now. So this summer I decided was a good time to start building the basic skills and knowledge to further that aim. I have been very intentional to tell him multiple times that if he ever decides he wants to do something else with his life that is perfectly fine; that he is not stuck with a choice he made young. So far he continutes to be interested and as time spent on this skill set is not wasted, even if he eventually chooses another profession, I am happy to devote some time and resources to it. Early Bird is happy to be included, even though it is not his ambition.

Our main resources for this summer will be the free to download book Architecture: It's Elementary! generously put out by the American Institute of Architects and Michigan/Michigan Architecture Foundation. Our first two weeks we will also be using 123 I Can Build! which I got for $6 on Amazon.com. I have purchased other books in the series before and I like them very much for beginners like my kids. Or myself.

Architecture: It's Elementary! has lessons for grades Kindergarten through 5th Grade. We will be starting at the K level and go through until it becomes too much for Builder Boy. At the Kindergarten level there are actually a lot of vocabulary words that are new to all of us, so it's a good place to start, even if that's not Builder Boy's grade level. Because it is still relatively easy, we did both lesson one and part of lesson two today. (For lovers of the Oxford Comma, be warned: they do not use it. At all.)

Builder Boy's Finds

Level K, Lesson 1 is a review of basic shapes; square, rectangle, triangle, circle, and semi-circle. We did a quick review, defining the shapes, then I had them go around the toy room and find those shapes. We were flexible and generous in the shape finding, as not all elements of architecture in real life are perfect shapes, either.

 

Early Bird's Finds

They also looked at the provided pictures that I printed out from the book and identified basic shapes in the structures shown.

We skipped tracing and drawing and cutting out the shapes for today.




Level K, Lesson 2 we did not do all of today. But I did have Builder Boy replicate the street scape pictured in the lesson with his blocks. Taking a two dimensional picture and translating it into a three dimensional object is a skill that will prove very necessary if he is to be a builder, so I thought this would be good practice. He did a very good job, and I appreciated how intentional about scale he tried to be. Here's a picture of his results:

After that we moved outside for the first project in 123 I Can Build! The project served to emphasize the need for a strong foundation and to show how strong cylinders are. We used rubber cement to glue a large, heavy rock onto cut toilet paper rolls. On top of the rock we built a city using air dry clay. (I couldn't find our play-dough!) Tomorrow when it is all dry we will paint it. Or rock was very rounded on top, so we could only make two small buildings each. Builder Boy and I made rectangular prism and cylinder buildings, and Early Bird made a dome and a triangle "tent" looking thing.

As an added bonus for Christians, this rock foundation project is a great time to sing the Foolish Man/Wise Man song and talk about Jesus as a strong foundations on Whom we build our lives on. The boys talked about this and came to the conclusion that Jesus is also like concrete, since modern homes are usually build on a strong concrete foundation.















This weekend we also went to Home Depot for some basic supplies for Builder Boy to learn how to hammer a nail. We've been putting out feelers in our church, looking for a retired carpenter who would be willing to pass on skills to a youngster (hopefully for free.) So far we haven't found a teacher, but I promised Builder Boy this would be the summer he learned how to hammer two pieces of wood together, so went to the store. I purchased a small tool box, a small hammer, some nails that an employee recommended, and a 2x4 that they cut down for us (first 2 cuts free!) Home Depot offers free kid classes the first Saturday of every month, 9 am to noon. Builder Boy is very much looking forward to doing that on the 5th with Principal Daddy.

We already had some scrap particle board, so we had Builder Boy learn to set and hammer a nail into that first to get the hang of it. Then he tried hammering a nail into a 2x4 and he learned that that is much harder! I hope I am am teaching him correctly, and am not instilling bad habits that he will have to break once he has a proper teacher. I've made a Kid Carpentry board on Pinterest for ideas for learning and projects he could do. If anyone knows of a good YouTube video or other website with good, extremely basic instructions, I'd love to hear about it!

If you have a young child who is interested in building structures, but isn't quite ready for hammering real nails and wood, then check out my post on how to make a PVC Pipe Building Kit.

Right Start Math Drop-out

Okay, I'm finally ready to admit it: we are Right Start Math drop outs.

I love Right Start Math. Truly I do. It helped me improve my own mental math, just teaching Builder Boy the first level! It had great hands on stuff that Builder Boy needed and the way it dealt with numbers really worked for Builder Boy.

But.

It took too long. There was too much stuff to look ahead and plan and get out (even though it's all laid out for you.) And Builder Boy could not just do a set time limit. Oh no, we had to do an entire lesson. And then we had to add on something from a previous lesson that he just LOVED. So that even when it was easy for him, it was still taking much longer than I was willing to spend on it.

We didn't even finish the first book. And I got so sick with Lady Bug's pregnancy, and...yeah. After Lady Bug was born I tried to start it with Early Bird, and it worked for a while. But again, too long. Especially now that I have two students.

I wanted so much to go through the whole program. But the best curriculum isn't one or the other, but rather the one that gets DONE. So I'm not going to be buying the next level. (Which is a bit of a relief money wise, though I still believe that if you have the money and it works for you, you should totally do it.) So what now?

Working on Dreambox

Well, sometime before I had Lady Bug I signed Builder Boy up for a free trial of Dreambox online. I knew after watching for just two days that this was something I was willing to pay for. (And it wasn't too expensive, either!) The on screen abacus they used was the same as the Right Start Abacus, which was good. It also introduced other things that were new to Builder Boy. I was very happy with the way that they presented most things. I had heard that there was an assessment test, and I was confused when nothing I saw him doing looked like an assessment test. The "tests" were actually sprinkled in with the other activity choices. When a new concept popped up with a star on it, it was a test. If you knew it, you moved on and didn't do any more. If you didn't "pass" high enough, or pushed the "I don't know" button, then they teach it to you. Very low key, and perfect for test anxious kids. I really loved the progress reports sent to the parent's e-mail, and the ability at any time to see where exactly he was in various sub sections of math. Also, it was cartoon-y and fun. It had a built in reward system and other "games" (that were actually math application practice and logic games) and little stories and videos that the kids earned by doing enough activities. It was perfect for Builder Boy and he loved it. Until he didn't. I don't know if it was a lack of practice, scaffolding, or teaching, or if he just wasn't developmentally ready; but somewhere at the end of the 2nd grade materials Builder Boy hit a mental wall and just couldn't go any further and started crying every time I asked him if he wanted to do it.

He'd been playing quite a bit for several months at that point, so I gave him a math break. He'd almost completed 2nd grade math before Christmas, so I wasn't worried about him being behind. Plus, Dreambox saves the child's progress, even if we dropped our membership for a while.

December is when I was dealing with the worst of my postpartum depression, so math got dropped for several months. In February I purchased the first six Life of Fred books (grades K, 1, & 2.) Builder Boy devoured them up in a week. We've started going though them a bit more slowly now together, once in a while.

Around that time we also started working on telling time. I mostly made stuff up and got Pinterest ideas for that.

Sometime around March I picked up Second Grade Math in Action (Sylvan Workbooks) (Math Workbooks) at Costco, and we did whatever Builder Boy felt like in that for math.

Taking the ADAM

Around this time I started looking into Math Mammoth workbooks. I really liked that they had not only grade level books, but subject specific books to work on areas that needed more practice. Since we'd been practically unschooling math, I thought it would be good to get a better idea of where Builder Boy was. So I signed him up for the ADAM K-7 by the same company that produces the DORA. Like the DORA it was online, so no writing (yay!) and adaptive, which means less time wasted, and you're not stuck in one grade level only. His scores left me a bit more confused, however. (I still recommend it! Worth the $20.) But as part of the report it offered the Khan Academy lessons that corresponded with his lower scoring areas.

I've been hearing about Khan Academy for years; since I first started reasarching homeschooling online. They're free (yay!) so I signed Builder Boy up. It is not a cute and there's no play like Dreambox. It is just plain math. But you can earn badges, which fills Builder Boy with pride. And the teaching videos are great.

Builder Boy has been working faithfully on Khan Academy since early April, and he's almost finished with the Early Math (K-2nd Grade) stuff. Their assessments make you prove more times that you can do it, and I like that. It makes advancement a little bit slower, but so far it hasn't frustrated Builder Boy. There are things that the videos, which teaches, I'm thinking, a more traditional way, that sometimes aren't everything Builder Boy needs on his own. But because I'm watching a little bit, and I watched some of Dreambox, I can tell him "remember, it's like __________ on Dreambox?" And that different way he learned months ago he can then apply to the Khan Academy problem, and then he's good. It's only been a month and a half, but I've seen a great jump in his confidence and his ablity.

So now the plan is to finish the Early Math and then continue to 3rd Grade Math at Builder Boy's own pace throughout the summer, taking a break near the end of the summer. (We school year round. At least, that's always the plan.) In the fall we will do Math Mammoth 4 days a week and Khan Academy on the 5th or for extra fun or to earn extra rewards or something. I'm looking forward to having Builder Boy take the ADAM again next year and see the difference.

I don't know if Math Mammoth is going to be the curriculum for us or if we'll have to go looking next year. At least it's pretty inexpensive in comparison to Right Start. (I'm planning on buying the pdf and printing it out.)
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Links in this blog post will either take you to the main website of the company mentioned or another blog post of mine with further information. Only the Amazon.com link for the workbook is an affiliate link. The rest are linked purely for your convenience.

Writing With Ease 1

We are now over a third of the way through Writing With Ease 1 so I thought it was time to blog about it.

Writing With Ease is an elementary writing curriculum by one of my favorite curricula companies, Peace Hill Press (printing company of Susan Wise Bauer: co-author of The Well Trained Mind, and a leader in the homeschooling world.) I purchased both the 4 year guide and the Level 1 workbook, though most people can use just one without the other. The 4 year guide is better for if you want to use your own literary sources, the workbooks are if you want it all laid out for you; which I prefer.

I have noticed several of the same questions being asked  about this curriculum on the Well Trained Mind Forum, so I thought I would answer the ones I am able to. (Please note, my experience is only with the WWE1 and FLL1, and not with any of the higher level volumes.)

Do I have to start Writing With Ease: Workbook 1 in 1st grade?

My answer: no. The books are labeled by level, not grade, for this very reason. We actually did not begin WWE1 until halfway into our 2nd grade year (for Builder Boy.) Here is why:

Handwriting, despite progress, is still a weak area for Builder Boy, and I did not want to overwhelm him. If he's struggling to form the letters, he's going to miss the forest for the trees, know what I mean?

Also, I was uncomfortable having Builder Boy writing words that he could not yet read. I did not want him just memorizing words, and it did not make sense to me to have him writing something he could not read. We we started WWE1 his reading level was around 3rd-4th grade.

 

Do you really need to do both Writing With Ease and First Language Lessons?

My answer: yes. There is some overlap. If you are doing both, unless your child is a strong writer, the copywork in FLL1 can be skipped. WWE1 does cover the same grammar that is in FLL1, but at a more accelerated pace, and with less instruction, practice, and review. I actually think you should not begin WWE1 until your child is at least halfway though FLL1.

 

Do First Language Lessons and Writing With Ease lessons match up? Do they have to be taught at the same time?

My answer: no. I recommend beginning WWE1 after you have finished at least lesson 50 of FLL1. When you get to WWE1 there will be some minimal review, but it's good practice and application. 

 But if you don't start them at the same time, won't that mess up your schedule?

My answer: if you're flexible, no. One way to do this is to start with the first half or so of FLL1 only your first year. It is gentle enough that if you skip copywork and do it completely verbal, and with some extra kinetic activities added, that it can be done with kindergartener or 1st grader. Then the next year you can finish FLL1 and continue with FLL2, while beginning WWE1.

If you're the type that just HAS to finish a book a year, and doesn't want to finish one early in the year and continue on without finishing a second, then my advice would be to stretch FLL1 over the kindergarten and 1st grade years and then start FLL2 with WWE1 for 2nd grade.

 

Does it matter if I do the lessons within the week out of order?

My answer: not at first. WWE1 is broken up into 36 weeks, with 4 days of lessons for each week.

1. Day 1 is copy work
2. Day 2 is a narration exercise
3. Day 3 is another copywork
4. Day 4 (for the first three weeks) is another narration exercise. 

Day 1's copy work is connected to Day 2's narration story, and Day 3's copywork is connected to Day 4's narration, all coming from the same literary source.
It was weird to me that the kids do a copywork not knowing the context, so at first I flipped it and did

1. Day 2 Narration
2. Day 1 Copywork
3. Day 4 Narration
4. Day 3 Copywork

At week 4, Day 4's lesson is both narration and copy work. They same flipped schedule can still work. An alternate schedule that we have used successfully is:

1. Day 2 Narration + Day 1 Copywork
2. Day 3 Copywork
3. Day 4 Narration + first part of copywork (my boys tend to have longer narrations than they are comfortable writing in one sitting.)
4. Finish Day 4's copywork. OR nothing if it got finished in the first attempt.

Now that we've gotten comfortable with the program, I think I will try the original schedule and see how it goes.

What if you have an early learner who isn't up to a lot of writing, but loves making stories and would benefit from this curriculum?

My answer: the same way I include Early Bird in most of Builder Boy's subjects. I outlined my philosophy for adapting curriculum for young, early readers on Dusty's blog here. How I include 5 year old Early Bird with 7 year old Builder Boy is this: they both listen to the story and take turns answering questions. They both give a narration sentence.  All done orally, no problem.

For Day 1 & 3 copywork Early Bird chooses which ever word from the story he wants. I put it on K paper with crayon and allow him to write (or not) as he chooses. Sometimes he does, sometimes he asks me to write part of the word, sometimes he just doesn't. All of that is acceptable. For the Day 4, I have him draw a picture illustrating his narration sentence.



Here's a look at what we did for Week 12 (which actually covered two different poems/songs.)

Narrations dictated to me.

Builder Boy, "Day 1" Copywork

Builder Boy, "Day 3" Copywork

Builder Boy, Day 4 Copywork of his own narration sentence.

Early Bird's copywork, self chosen words

Early Bird's illustration of his narration sentence. (He requested that I label it.)

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The original link is to the author's business page where you can purchase Writing With Ease not only in workbook form, but also in PDF if you prefer to use their illustrated writing pages instead of writing paper, but don't want to scan and print that many pages. The picture is a link to the Amazon.com listing for the workbook, which is often (but not always) less money to purchase. Both are affiliate links.

Supplementing FLL1, Lessons 81-90

A continuation of how we're adding to First Language Lessons Level 1 to make it more kinetic learner friendly. (Click here for my posts on previous lessons.)

(Lesson 82) Mr. Nobody Poem

Thanks to the few hand signs we worked out for this poem, the boys memorized it in record time! They even performed it together as part of our local library homeschooler book club Poetry Month get together. I made a video of Builder Boy saying and signing it. (Only a few of the signs are official signs.)

Mr. Nobody, by Anonymous
   

I know a funny little man,      ("y" hand tickling nose)

    As quiet as a mouse,      (pretend you're nibbling cheese and talk quieter)

Who does the mischief that is done

    In everybody’s house!      (use hands to show the slant of the roof, then the walls of a house)

There’s no one ever sees his face,      (shake head, stroke face)

    And yet we all agree      (nod head)

That every plate we break was cracked     (make a circle shape with your hands, break it apart)

    By Mr. Nobody.      (use thumb to point to someone behind you)

’Tis he who always tears out books,      (make a book with your hands, pull one hand away)

    Who leaves the door ajar,     (sign door as shown in video)

He pulls the buttons from our shirts,     (pretend to pull button off your shirt)

    And scatters pins afar;      (pretend to scatter)

That squeaking door will always squeak,     (sign door again)

    For prithee, don’t you see,

We leave the oiling to be done    (twisting motion with fist)

    By Mr. Nobody.      (use thumb to point to someone behind you)

The finger marks upon the door   (pretend to make finger marks)

    By none of us are made;     (shake head)

We never leave the blinds unclosed,

    To let the curtains fade.

The ink we never spill;   the boots   (make fist, turn to the side, sign shoes by knocking fists together)

    That lying round you see

Are not our boots,—they all belong

    To Mr. Nobody.      (use thumb to point to someone behind you)

That's pretty much all we added to this group of lessons. Coming up near the end of the book, and there is quite a bit of review. There is also some writing work that we've been skipping because that's still not a strong area for Builder Boy and we feel we are getting enough copywork with Writing With Ease. Once we start FLL2 we will start doing some of the extra copywork then. But for now, having a nice easy subject that doesn't take to long and can be done mostly verbally to start off our school day is a perfect fit for us.

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The lessons and the poem we got from FLL1. The original link is an affiliate link for buying it straight from the author, the picture is a link to the Amazon listing. I came up with the extra signs on my own. 

 

Three Sisters: Day 6, Cantaloupes & Pumpkins Day 1 (Take 2)

That's no cantaloupe sprouts....that's grass. :(

Sooooooo, I had to re-plant the pumpkins and cantaloupes. It's been a week. I haven't been out there much because it started raining and Wednesday the whole family got sick with the norovirus. I am 90% better today so I went out to check for sprouts. (I am clearly an unrealistic optimist.) The pumpkin seeds had somehow become unearthed. And where the stick said we had planted the cantaloupes, grass was growing. (This is why you don't shortcut dump dirt on top of growing grass hoping the lack of sunlight will kill it.) So today, first day out of bed, I dug up more grass and replanted the seeds. (And pruned the rose bush that stabbed me multiple times when I was only trying to help it.) This time I put sticks all around where I planted the seeds, so I don't forget.

Oh, I have also learned, a bit too late, that you're suppose to gently transition plants going from inside to outside. Oops. Sorry, cilantro.

No sprouts yet from the corn. If they havn't sprouted by next weekend, I'm going to put in new seeds.

Three Sisters: Day 1

This is what your back yard looks like when you neglect it for a year.

The seeds are in the ground! Well, in the dirt mound on top of the ground. I am starting to suspect that this is not going to be enough room for the Three Sisters, a pumpkin vine, and a cantaloupe vine. But if we didn't get them started when I had the energy and drive to do it, it was never going to happen. So, this Sunday, we got the seeds in. The boys have been bitten by the gardening bug, and I'm trying to let them do as much as they can on their own. My information was mostly based on what I read in a book last year, and some reading here.

From the book idea we made a raised, circular(ish) mound and planted two seeds in four parts of the circle in a square.  Once they've sprouted and are 4 inches high we'll add the beans and then the squash. My book did not say what kind of beans or squash, so I picked something labeled "Garden Bean: Kentucky Wonder" for my bean and Dark Green Zucchini for my squash. I've heard that zucchini is easy to grow, so here's hoping.

I'd also heard that pumpkin is easy to grow, so we planted two seeds in another dirt mound. We also planted a spot with two cantaloupe seeds. (Two seeds in case one doesn't sprout. If they both sprout we'll trim the smaller sprout.)

I probably should have done a better job getting rid of more of the grass in our selected area. I foresee a lot of weeding in our future. But I was nervous about waiting any longer. Of course, no I'm worried that I planted too soon in the year! This is NOT my comfort zone. But I know it's going to be a great learning experience for they kids.

Oh, yeah, and I also planted some already-started cilantro. Because.....I love cilantro.

Three Sisters: Step 1

Bit of earth selected.

Definition of an optimist: a person with an absolute black thumb, who keeps buying seeds and plants every spring anyway. (Or is that the definition of insanity?)

Last year I was so sick that the plants have all done whatever they wanted to do. The boys absolutely LOVE the field of dandelions that is our back yard right now. So there's a lot of catch up work to do. And I've never been in charge of landscaping before....in my entire life.

This year, we are FINALLY going to attempt the Three Sisters set up. I've got the seeds, and a yard to plant them in. I just, you know, need to plant them.

So yesterday I got my butt in gear and started the process by de-weeding an area. There were these awful, prickly plants growing that had to be gotten rid of. They poked me thorough my gardening gloves! I'm glad the dirt was very dry; that made it easier to pull out the root. And the special tool that my aunt bought us last year was a lifesaver!

20 minutes later

A LOT of weeds!

Today while at the store for better dirt than the stuff that's....in the ground.....outside, my kids expressed disappointment that we were not planting any flowers. So I let them each pick one and we de-grassed an area in the front yard and planted some pretty flowers, too.

Stay tuned for more developments! (I hope.)