Chinese Babies

This morning at church a Chinese couple was dedicating their baby daughter. The family sat right in front of me. The baby, about 2 or 3-months old, was sheltered in her mother's arms, round and pink. Her thick black hair was pinned back with a felt clip. Her eyes were thoughtful and serious, watchful. She was calm and trusting, unafraid of the strangers around her. She bore a striking resemblance to Arielle as a baby. And I couldn't hold back tears.

The baby quietly observed us from the safety of her mother's shoulder and I studied her perfect features. Why the tears? Because when my precious daughter was that age, she was not yet mine. I wasn't able to hold and comfort her. I grieve for that lost time. This baby is so blessed. She seems to have everything. I protest again the circumstances that tore my daughter away from her birth family. But then, if not for that, Arielle would not be my daughter. I can't imagine life without this child! She has so enriched my life with her ideas, her laughter, her calm spirit. She has challenged me with her questions. She asks so many questions! She wants to know everything and she makes me reconsider, re-evaluate.

I'm sad as I look at this baby because my baby is gone. The sweet little face with the bright smile that greeted me each morning from her crib. The curious little girl so fascinated with life that she would page through picture books for hours before her world really exploded when she learned to read. The child with the shiny black hair that I danced with in the kitchen while dinner cooked. But look who has replaced that baby--my gracious, poised, intelligent 11-year-old. The girl who is wise beyond her years. She is a deep thinker, still watchful and serious, yet so confident and courageous. I still study her perfect features and imagine the woman she will soon be.

Outdoor Education

Once again we trekked to camp for the twice-yearly Homeschool Days. The girls look forward to meeting up with friends and canoeing in the creek and riding in the haywagon through the fields. Moms enjoy a peaceful day in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in Pennsylvania. We also like the hands-on educational session. In the past there was a chemistry and physics demonstration. The kids have also learned about wetlands and conservation and plant identification. Today's program was about trees. We could sign up for special classes on creation or raptors or even the Underground Railroad. This camp was once a stop.

We had a wonderful day in the bright sunshine and fresh air. The kids had some freedom to roam and explore, race up mountains, play tetherball, and practice their skills on a wire bridge across the creek. Liana has become quite good with rowing and Arielle enjoyed wading in the cold water. But weather conditions were just right for the majestic, lovely trees to disperse their pollen. Liana and I were sick by the time we got home with itchy eyes, drippy noses, headaches and coughing. Two days later, another price to pay for our wonderful day: poison ivy. Oh, you say I should have been more careful? I am careful to the extreme when it comes to poison ivy. I touched NOTHING. I still haven't figured out how I manage to get it every year.

Bird Lapbook

Liana finished her study of birds and completed her lapbook. She said, "I'm sad it's done because I enjoyed working on it." I told her she can make many more lapbooks in the future.

Liana's book answers these questions: Why did God make birds? What helps a bird to fly? What makes a bird a bird? How does a bird know witch way to go? Why is a girl bird so plane? (I don't make corrections on her lapbook. This is her creative work.)

Liana has information on how birds are classified in the animal kingdom. She has a diagram of the inside of an egg, pictures of different nests and which birds make them. She has pictures and descriptions of different types of feathers. The most fun we had on our bird study was to actually watch the birds at our feeder. Liana began her "life list" of birds and she made drawings of them in a chamois-covered journal. (Like John James Audubon did.) But for the lapbook we photocopied pictures and identifying features into a section called "Birds in Our Backyard." She listed 14 birds! We never knew before we had such a variety.

Our main text on birds was Jeannie Fulbright's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. From the author's website we printed a page called "Migration Route of the ______." The page has a place to glue a picture and space for a short report, plus a map to chart the route. Liana chose the puffin and the arctic tern to study.

The importance of this lapbook is that Liana knows her book. She can easily explain all the information to anyone who would take the time to listen. She is proud of her work and is excited about learning. A lapbook is a great teaching tool for right-brained, hands-on learners.

In addition to our textbook, we used:

How Do Birds Find Their Way? by Roma Gans

Science and Nature Guides: Birds World Book

Eyewitness Books: Bird DK

The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Night of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan

Ducks and Ducklings by Anita Ganeri

Woodpeckers by Julie Murray