Herkimer Diamond Mines

Mike took Elijah and Luke to the Herkimer Diamond Mines to experience the fun of rock collecting. Mike's brother, Kris, an avid rock collector, met them at the mines to search with them for the day. The boys have a great rock collection consisting of random rocks they've found around our yard, people's driveways, etc. Uncle Kris would likely call most of their collection "leaverights" as in "Leave 'er right there." But to young boys sometimes it's not the quality, but the quantity, color and shape that matter most. After getting the hang of spotting the "diamonds" (actually, they are quartz crystals), the boys were on a roll, working very hard all day long. In fact, after spending 6 hours of searching, pounding, climbing and retrieving, they did not want to leave for home.

Daddy and the boys on the rock pile where they searched all day...with blue Gatorade stains around their mouths!

A diamond still intact in the rock

The diamonds they were able to free from the rocks. A valuable and treasured addition to their rock collection! This trip was a great way to whet their appetites for our study of Earth Science planned for the fall.

Budding Musicians

The boys have been taking piano lessons this year and really seem to enjoy it. Our teacher, Miss June, is a pleasure to work with and she makes learning the piano fun. We had been using a large keyboard, but decided it was time to find a piano. We found this one on Craig's List at a reasonable price. The body is a little scratched up, but that works for our lively household and all the active play that takes place in our livingroom. All we need to do now is get it tuned and keep practicing!!!

Big Brother Reads

Elijah has gotten to a point where he can sit with his brothers and read stories to them. We attempt to have independent reading time for 20 minutes everyday as well as reading picture books, supplemental school reading (mostly for history and science), and family read alouds. But I think Isaac especially loves it when Elijah reads to him.

Elijah reading "This Train" to Isaac.

Franklin stories are some of Luke's favorites.

Mancubs

Here's to homeschooling our mancubs!