October 20, 2011 "John Dewey Day"

Our fall collection of leaves and such :)

One of the most famous philosophers of modern education; today was his birthday.
Interesting link to read over.




http://www.iep.utm.edu/dewey/

~New~ What nature teaches us!

The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep

Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,

‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111009/GREEN01/110090306/Classroom-without-walls-Outdoor-education-an-old-concept-some-say-needs-grand-revival?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p


A great link on why children need outdoor experiences.



Richard Louv - on Education:

http://youtu.be/PY6fBRKPZKg

~ Autumn Greetings ~

Mama Kitty teaching her first lesson "catching a mouse and having supper"

Toddler kittens....

Tucker, Mary Beth, Maddie, and Nathan Hobbs

Our new "Mini-Lops" additions to the rabbit village

Gary, Selena, Brock, Cooper, and Hillary Harris.

Hillary and Brock spending time with the rabbits.





Happy Fall !

Well, this entry finds our grass growing on Little Fenway and our football and basketball areas. We are enjoying great weather in middle Tennessee! Fall is here - it is apparent in the changing scenery and animal behaviors. Today I will make post about our unique name: Barn Swallow Summer Camp. I will also include various pictures of my children and their experiences with animals and farm life in general.

The term “Barn Swallow” was derived from the migratory birds that return every year when I was a child at my grandfather’s idyllic red barn. When I was a child, I named my childhood club “The Barn Swallow Club”. Barn Swallows are considered like “summer campers” in that they return to their homes in the summer. Children in our rural community would return every year to use their enthusiastic imagination to create a world designed around natural elements. Hay served as the material for most of the furnishings. We built a kingdom of hay made into desks, tables, and chairs. The times shared in the hay loft of this club became deep rooted in our minds and hearts forever. I will never forget the feeling of the freedoms when  using my creativity and applying knowledge to the natural world around me; for that my life has led me to creating a “habitat” for children in which they too can create, imagine, and build these memories. I am joined by my life long friend and also former Barn Swallow Club member, Tucker Hobbs (& family). Our hope is that your child’s summer is filled with inspiration, self-esteem building, and warm, cherished memories!

Pictures only~

Our latest additions! Two day old kittens...they look just like their mama.

Basketball Court

Jimsonweed- part of the potato family- poison and edible! Ummmm.....

Hillary and Nana making their way through the field around sunset.....snapped a pic without them looking.

Today was a beautiful day despite the fact a very big thunderstorm came through our area late yesterday afternoon. We had many trees down on our road, and the wind scattered debris everywhere. However, I am glad we got the rain.....we needed some! So, we are all excited that the basketball court is almost complete. I've enclosed some pictures of the project :)

2/3 of concrete basketball court complete!

Wildflowers and Wiffle Ball

Well, it is the end of July and, yes, it is that time again.....saying goodbye to a wonderful summer full of "warm" memories. School will resume for many in the upcoming week, and I, too,  will say goodbye to this great summer as school teaching will become my new endeavor. With the late summer season approaching it also brings a "special" time and getting back into the swing of things. August brings the season of  routines, fall sports, deadlines, planning, but the best of it are the children, meeting and teaching new children. "While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." (Schwindt)


Before I get busy with the hustle and bustle of new schedules. I took a stroll with my daughter, Hillary, into the pasture to inspect the new wildflowers that are blooming. As we approached this beautifully constructed wildflower, I told her of the story when I had first encountered it in my grandfather's feild as a child. The discovery took place when I was about six years old, and I had ran from the field all the way home...running and slamming the doors behind me in a rush....thinking I must have discovered a rare gem of a flower. (My grandmother and grandfather's house is the place I summered every year and made many memories with my childhood friends, Kara and Tucker Hobbs, in the loft of the barn....called The Barn Swallow Club- as of course it hosted many families of barn swallows that returned each summer as did we.) As I lashed open the door, with the flower dangling from my fingertips, "Look, look what I found out in the feild!" My grandmother, being the flower expert, grinned and said, "That's  a Wild Apricot." More or less, it killed my pumping excitement that I could have possibly stumbled upon a rarity. Nonetheless, the find was exciting for me and it still is when I see them every year.
Saying goodbye to summer also means a change in our surroundings and new mysteries in nature to be discovered.....seeing my first Golden Rod today on the roadside means fall isn't too far off.
Today also brings us a few days closer to our Little Fenway (South) ball field.....we are so excited! All the posts are in the ground and next week the wall goes up. Green Monster....I can almost see it now!


Wild Apricot (Passionflower)....official state wildflower of Tennessee! Did you know it is also a medicinal herb used in 19th century to treat anxiety and mental worry/ overwork. (Ummmm.....I may need to remember this....:):)



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posts are in concrete- wall goes up next week :)

Hillary and the goats. They kept getting out so she put a stop to that.....