{This and That}

First, since I have had a couple more inquiries: yes, CM West :: Retreat at the Beach is full!  If you're interested but didn't get a chance to sign up, we do have a waiting list going, so feel free to add your name.

There are a couple regional conferences in the works for the West Coast in 2017, one in Northern California and one in Seattle.  Amber has more details over at Charlotte Mason West, including an offer to save your spot with a small refundable deposit toward one (or both!) events.

And one last note: CM West is now on Facebook!  Head over and "like" to get notice of upcoming events and plans for West Coast Charlotte Mason homeschoolers.

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I shared this podcast with John Muir Laws on the Joyous Lessons Facebook page last week.  It's short but packed with encouragement.  I particularly liked the prompts he recommends asking oneself when in the field.  It has me adjusting my journaling style a tad and eager to learn more!

Speaking of, I got his new book in the mail a couple weeks ago and it's a fantastic resource!  Meaty, inspiring, detailed.  He has some great tips and tricks for drawing in there, but more important than that, he presents a way of looking at the nature journal that is super helpful for those of us without artistic backgrounds or a wealth of nature knowledge.  He encourages questions, annotations, sketches in a variety of media, very careful observation.  He emphasizes process, practice, and patience.  It's an all-around great book, and I know Charlotte Mason mamas will get a lot out of it.

His website is full of other goodies, including links to his blog tutorials and YouTube videos and a set of lesson plans for school kids.  Have you seen those plans yet?  I used them a bit with the kids when I first came across them a couple years ago, but I just pulled them back out as I plan our spring.  It would be a great way to jump start your spring nature studies!  (And like I said, it's free!)


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Last week was a long week of rain, so we decided to head to the aquarium for a bit of nature study...

moon jellies

puffins

My favorites are always the deep sea tank (with hammerhead sharks, pelagic rays, huge tuna, and thousands of sardines!) and the jellyfish, but this time we spent some time watching the plovers in the aviary, whom we see in flocks at the beach all the time but never get very close to since they're skittish in the wild.

And hey, it's Minn!

Actually, as my kids pointed out with exasperated sighs, "Minn is a snapping turtle, Mommy."  But we had a great time examining this guy up close--apparently we have passed him by on previous visits.

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On a less rainy note: all in all, the weather here has been amazing for late winter, and we're back to our weekly beach trips.

After a few months away from the coast after Justin's birth, we're noticing how different the sandscape is since the last time we were there in October.  We were going so often back then that it was more difficult to notice those bit-by-bit changes.

But now we find we have come back to a very different-looking beach.  Very little seaweed, no "cliffs" of sand separating the dune from the water's edge, huge mussels and clam shells washed ashore.  I'm taking notes and hoping to compare the February-March coastline to next year's.

Like I mentioned over on Instagram, we usually have the place pretty much to ourselves.  I am so thankful for my husband's current work schedule that allows us to take mid-week treks there together.

And you know what that means: more {Nature Study at the Beach} coming up soon!

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Baby Justin turned four months old!  He spends the day scooting himself backwards under sofas and chairs, chewing on his newly-found fingers, and attempting to grab his sisters' hair with his slobbery hands...

See?  Hands in mouth, all the time!

This week he got an impromptu first haircut this weekend because his "bangs" were getting in his eyes.

See?  Long bangs!

He's rarely out of someone's arms, even while he's sleeping.

See?  This is how we  do narrations!

And he's thisclose to crawling.  I am so not ready for that!
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A friendly reader, Erika, was kind enough to email me about how she organizes her nature collection, and I think you'll agree it's neat, usable, and beautiful too:

those cubbies that I love, and a nature tray too!

It got me thinking: if any of you that don't blog or post on Instagram would like to share your nature collection, email me a photo (with permission to share) and I'll put them into a little round-up post here.

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In case you're wondering how we observe the Holy Week, you can see a pretty detailed description of our family's traditions a few years ago: Welcoming Holy Week.  Do you have any favorite Holy Week observances that you think we would enjoy?  Let me know.  I'm always looking for ways to grow our prayer and practice.

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Later this week I'm hoping to finally get up my recap of our Year 4 and Year 1 exams from a couple months ago.  Yes, I'm late on those, and I know a few of you are waiting. :)  Next week at the latest.

And don't forget about Keeping Company--if you'd like to jump in, please do!