Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts

Blow Pops & Family Trips



With getting the strawberries in last fall, seeing them through the winter, harvesting them in the spring, and getting the vegetable harvest this summer, we have not been ANYWHERE. Prince Charming travels for work (and it is all work), but that is the extent of our travels for the past year. I told him that to have a family trip that did not involve cows would be fine with me. I know you probably think that is treason around here, but I’m the Queen and I can set the rules.

This weekend, we took a day-trip to Virginia. Now, since we are a homeschooling family, you probably think that we went somewhere educational like Jamestown, Williamsburg, or Appomattox. As Southerners, perhaps we would go to The Robert E. Lee Memorial. I hate to disappoint you, but we went to none of those places. 

We needed to go to a ranch to retrieve a bull and deliver it to another ranch closer to home. Exciting, huh? 

Anyway, we made it a family trip and that at least provided a change of scenery. We sang some family favorites along the way to pass the time. We left our home at around 11:15 a.m. and returned around 9 p.m. So, there was a lot of time to pass.  We made one stop along the way to pick up a piece of equipment from another friend and visit for a few minutes. That made lunch be at 2 p.m. … WAY late for us. We got to our next destination around 3 p.m. Recharged and ready for play.

While Prince Charming visited with Rancher Ray and loaded the bull, I followed the prince and princess and Rancher Ray’s children as they explored e-v-e-r-y inch of the barn area. This was a really great experience for the prince. On our farm, he is usually the tour guide. This time, he was the tourist. It was a really great old barn with multiple levels and hidden treasures throughout. Rancher Ray’s children were great hosts and very tolerant of all of our questions.

An hour and a half later (did I say Prince Charming was visiting?), we were loading ourselves back in the truck to head home. The prince and princess were asking to stop for a drink. When we got back out to the main road, we stopped for a drink and snack. The princess picked a drink and a Blow Pop. Since she usually chooses regular lollipops, I mentioned that it was a Blow Pop and asked if she was sure that was what she wanted. She assured me she did and to the cashier we went.

A little while down the road, all was quiet (we know the secret now) and out of the back seat (and out of the mouth of a little princess) came this words …

“Look at the color.
It doesn’t make you blow up at all.”


Sometimes, I marvel at the brilliance around here.
And I still desire a family trip with no cows involved!


I’m linking to Tiny Talk Tuesday to thank her for hosting.


The grass is green. It’s good to be

date Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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Weekly Wrap-Up – Week 5

I thought I would let ya’ll in on our homeschooling by sharing about our week. We had a really good week and got a lot done.


We started the princess on My Father’s World Kindergarten. She has already been working with us on handwriting, doing simple addition, and chiming in on discussions. So, we started the formal lessons. We’ll see how much she stays interested to see how to proceed. Mostly, she will be learning about letters and numbers and be included in the “heavy” stuff with the prince.

Bible

We continued our memory verse from last week: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 We talked about what the verse means and how we can share God’s light.



On Wednesday, my father-in-law stopped by to drop some things off. I told him that we were gathering our recyclables to put by the road for pick-up. He joked (I think) that we could come get his too. So, when we took ours to the road, we went over to his house and carried his out too. We shared God’s light by helping elderly people.
IMG_5353On Friday, we made a sun out of waxed paper and crayon shavings. This was a project for Bible as well as Science.

Spelling

We started to learn about consonant blends.  These were a little tricky to get a grip on. We did our two days of practice and our two days of quizzes. There just wasn’t a good grasp. So, we took a third quiz on Friday. As we read back through the list before “turning in” our paper, we looked for letters out of order, extra letters, and letters what were turned the wrong way. The prince was checking the word “drop” and proudly (also jokingly) announced that “the ‘O’ is not turned the wrong way.” Gotta love him.

English

We finished up our handwriting review. Come back on Monday for the Queen’s review of the product we used. We started real grammar lessons.  I found some of the dictation hard to teach because his spelling is not up to some of the words in the dictation lesson. I see it as a challenge for both of us and will work itself out.

History

The Pilgrims were the main focus of our History of the U.S. studies. This went right along with our read-aloud since week 3 – Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims. We finished the read-aloud on Thursday, but the prince and princess just wanted to start it over again. We made an oiled paper window to see what it would have been like for the Pilgrims since they didn’t have glass. We also planted corn and beans like Squanto taught the Pilgrims to … sort of.
IMG_5343


I don’t think Squanto’s fish were quite like these…IMG_5348
This corn planting led to (pop)corn eating while watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving … in August … why save it for only once a year? The Queen needed the quiet time to regain her sanity today. 


When we were showing God’s light by helping the elderly, we saw some magazines that would be of help in our studies. He told us to take all we wanted. We were also allowed to take the non-recyclable item too … a dreamcatcher from the Native Americans of the Great Plains. This gave us a chance to talk about legends. 

Music

We started learning America, lyrics by Samuel Smith in 1832. Did you know he wrote all four verses in only 30 minutes?

Science

We have been talking about our universe. This week, we learned about the sun, Proxima Centauri, Betelgeuse (beetle juice), and constellations like the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor.


The prince has been complaining about his back hurting lately. After not finding a reason for it, we decided that perhaps he should start seeing our wonderful chiropractor. This also gave us a chance to talk about how all our muscles are attached to our skeleton (and how chiropractors don’t like you saying “crack” when talking about their work.)

Math

We are doing a lot of review. Last Spring, when I tried to give the prince a placement exam, he wouldn’t cooperate. So, I started him at a level below where he really should be. It is a good review though and he is speeding through a lot of it.


This morning, I had the opportunity for some quiet time outside before everyone else woke up. I should have taken my camera! I heard and then saw (what I call) a ringtail hawk on a fence post about half-way up the driveway. I tried to get my cell-phone camera out, but the bird flew away. I also found four pumpkins that looked ready for fall. They are, however, on plants that are dying. So, they may not be real hardy for keeping. I think they just turned orange because the plant is dead and the pumpkins haven’t reached full maturity.


This has been a really fun week. I’m linking to I’m Lovin’ It, Friday Farm Girls, Weekly Wrap Up, Feature Yourself Friday, and Weekly Wrap-Up.




The grass is green. It’s good to be

date Friday, August 27, 2010
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Farm Alphabet and Making Hay

Making hay around here has been pretty challenging lately.


The power take-off on the haybine broke while Prince Charming was cutting the hay. The haybine is the implement pulled by the tractor to cut the hay -- much like a lawn mower ... a really big lawn mower! The part was not in stock at any of the surrounding stores.


Prince Charming decided to continue the hay-making process with the hay that was already cut. He tedded the hay. This fluffs it up so that it can dry properly. That afternoon, it rained! Prince Charming asked it to stop. He even asked the prince to turn the rain off. The prince replied, "Daddy, you have to ask the Lord to turn the rain off." It rained some more. It stopped and rained again at 1:30 a.m. 

Have you ever heard the phrase "Make Hay While the Sun Shines"? It means to do something while the conditions are right. "Rain" is not any of the right conditions for haymaking. Wet hay can not be baled and used for animal fodder. One reason is that the moisture in wet-baled hay will cause the hay to rot and be toxic to cattle, if they will even eat it. The second reason is that those reactions produce heat that can lead to spontaneous combustion that can lead to losing a whole barn and its contents.

After a few days of more raking and raining, the hay was baled. The royal children and I spent a couple of hours helping get the hay out of the field and into the shelter of the barn. Our (really, my) responsibility was to drive the truck that pulled the wagon load of hay. Prince Charming's job was to load and unload the wagon with the tractor.

While the children and I passed the time, we started playing the Farm Alphabet. I made it up based on hearing about environmental alphabets. Environmental alphabets are helping your children spot the alphabet letters in their everyday surroundings -- store signs, newspaper print, food packaging, etc. Well, our Farm Alphabet isn't so simple. It is more of a scavenger hunt. You have to find the hidden letters on the farm. Can you see the "L" in this picture?

Here is a "J"
As we were unloading the last wagon of hay, the wagon broke.

We found another "V" -- Thanks Prince Charming.

After we get all of our letters found, we will make words, like...

H-O-T ... Which is what it was that day!

I'm loving this way of teaching my children to be observant of their surroundings. I'm linking to I'm Lovin' It.

The grass is green. It's good to be

date Friday, June 18, 2010
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Day is Done



I'm linking to Wordless Wednesday and Live and Love Outloud. Jump over to see more photography.

The grass is green. It's good to be The Cow Queen.

date Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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Family Tradition

Family traditions run deep in many families. Traditions usually center around holidays and food. The same activities are attended and the same foods are prepared, or "it just isn't (insert holiday)."


Well, in some families the traditions center around the annual livestock show. Yes, LIVESTOCK! You know ... cows, pigs, sheep, goats, etc. In the royal family, livestock shows are a tradition on both sides of the family. The Queen grew up in 4-H activities. She had home economics and civics projects, but probably enjoyed the livestock projects most. Prince Charming grew up in 4-H and had livestock projects as well.


The past two days have been filled with activity at our local livestock show. This is the 65th year for our local show. Students came from surrounding counties and presented their animals for judging. Now, this particular show is a family tradition for the royal family because Prince Charming and his father showed here as children. Prince Charming's father was actually an exhibitor in the first show for this organization.


Now, it is the prince's turn to carry on the tradition. He is what they call a "Cloverbud." He is allowed to exhibit a small animal. He's too young to compete, but is allowed to participate for the experience. And what an experience!



At the tender age of 6, he is completing his second project year. Every day, he had to feed and water his goats.




He had to teach his goat to walk and lead with a halter.


As show day neared, he had to groom his goat and prepare it for it's debut.


He had to show it to it's best advantage and his best ability.


Now, the prince and Prince Charming arrived at the show approximately three hours before the Queen and the princess. This gave the prince plenty of time to work the crowd and make new friends. The Queen wasn't out of the car five minutes, when two pretty little girls came over to say hello to the prince and his goat. Not long after that, the freckled-face little girl at the stock trailer next door caught his attention. So, by the time the show got started, he may have been a bit tired and distracted from the morning's activities.

I'm linking to I'm Lovin' It, Friday Favorites, and Feature Yourself Friday.

The grass is green. It's good to be The Cow Queen.

date Friday, April 23, 2010
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National Ag Week

National Ag Week -- it is not a holiday declared by the Queen. It is a real-life program to recognize the importance and abundance of agriculture. National Ag Week runs from March 14-20, culminating in National Ag Day. Check for local events in which you can participate -- or just thank a farmer.


Ninety-eight percent of American farms are owned by individuals, family partnerships or family corporations.  Only 20 cents of every dollar spent on food go to those hardworking farmers and ranchers. (source: American Farm Bureau)

In addition to the food you eat and the clothes you wear, here are some ways that agriculture touches lives everyday. (source: www.agday.org)
"Agriculture is Part of Your Life


Products we use in our everyday lives come from plant and animal byproducts produced by America's farmers and ranchers: - Health care: Pharmaceuticals, surgical sutures, ointments, latex gloves, x-ray film, gelatin for capsules and heart valves.

Construction: Lumber, paints, brushes, tar paper, dry wall and tool handles.

Transportation: Fuel, lubricants, antifreeze, tires and upholstery.

Manufacturing: Adhesives, solvents and detergents. Printing: Paper, ink and film.

Personal Care Products: Shampoo, cosmetics, lotions, finger nail polish and toothpaste. Education: Crayons, textbooks, chalk, desks, pencils and paper.

Sports: Uniforms, baseball bats, leather equipment and shoes."
  Some interesting numbers: (source: www.agday.org)
"The Food We Eat


In 1996, each American consumed an average of 77 pounds more of commercially grown vegetables than in 1970, 63 pounds more grain products, 54 pounds more fruits, 32 pounds more poultry, 10 gallons more milk lower in fat than whole milk, 20.5 pounds less red meat, 73 fewer eggs, and 17 gallons less whole milk.

It takes just 40 days for most Americans to earn enough money to pay for their food supply for the entire year. In comparison with the 129 days it takes the average American to earn enough money to pay federal, state and local taxes for the year.

More than 96 billion pounds of edible "surplus" food is thrown away in the U.S. Each year. It is estimated that almost 27% of our food supply is wasted.

Americans are eating about 14 pounds of turkey a piece each year, more than double the rate 20 years ago."
This message has been brought to you by a fourth-generation agriculturist. Proud to be providing food and fiber to America and raising the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

date Monday, March 15, 2010
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