Learning about Trees With Friends

PE Class

How our Life became a Story

We've been reading.
They read books by themselves and I read books individually but we always read as a group. We read My Side of the Mountain and are now reading The Other Side of the Mountain.
All about Sam who runs away from home to live in a Hemlock forest that was his grandfathers. Sam's wonderful tale of living off of the land, in a 6ft. wide Hemlock tree, catching trout, skinning deer and rabbits....has set my boys in wonderment. They love the idea of living out in the woods, catching food by day, making traps, tanning deer skin rugs and doors, gathering berries, crushing acorns for flour to make their own pancakes and simply living outside with nature all around.
They have listened intently to these stories and Jacob decided last week that he could live out in woods alone. Trying to not discourage my son, I played along....how will you keep warm, what will you eat, where will you live and keep your food storage. He had a reply to it all...I'll build a fire, eat nuts and kill rabbits and squirrels, I know which berries are safe, I'll live high up in the trees and store my food in the holes.
He was convinced he could make it on his own. Jacob is determined, he packed his bag with the necessary essentials, not over packing, keeping it light. He had a plan and was setting out to do it.
Once I realized that he was for real....I had to put on the brakes. Jacob you have to eat supper first, let's make sure you are clean before you leave, brush your teeth one last time, lets have our Bible study before you go.
Then as everyone was headed to bed, he was heading toward the door. WHOA, I yell....why don't you try sleeping on the deck for a little while before you venture off. He wasn't to crazy about this idea but settled on making his bed on the deck and snuggling up.
The boy slept out there with me peeking out the window every few minutes. Two dogs guarding him and wondering what he was doing sleeping outside with them.
He eventually came in a few hours (yes hours) later, saying he kept waking up because his feet were freezing.
But the next day he started it all over, with me finally saying when you are older you can run away into the woods, 13 he says and I finally nod my head.
My boy dreams of living in those woods and living like Sam Gribly did.
All this came from a book....reading.

Trees and Leaves

We are learning about the forest.

The differences in deciduous and evergreen trees.

So today we took some time to learn what certain trees were.

We made leaf presses with ink.
And are drying our leaves to make leaf tiles.

John's Drawing

Coup Stick

Did you know....Over 100 years ago, the Sioux Indians did not write their stories down like we do today.

They painted pictures on rawhide.

Then tied them to sticks.

This way they could tell stories of the events gone by.

Insect Festival

Apple Face Dolls

We learned that the early settlers of North America made toys from natural materials.

So did we today.

Baked on 200* for two days.

It was fun watching our apples shrivel up and faces appear.