Friday Freewrite

Tuna and I are using Brave Writer as a language arts program. I really like it. Some aspects, I like better than others. I love poetry tea times and movie afternoons, and I love reading great literature with Tuna. 

Writing has never been Tuna's favorite thing to do. Brave Writer affords Tuna the chance to write judgement-free, just letting her thoughts flow onto paper, and progress at her own rate. I love that. I don't judge her based on what any other kid is doing. That's the beauty of homeschooling: We get to do our own thing. 

Free writing is completely autonomous. She doesn't have to go through the revision process if she doesn't want to. Her free writing can be seen as the final piece, mistakes and all. Of course, if she loves a piece, she is free to edit it if she wants. Right now, writing is about getting thoughts on paper and enjoying it. 

If she was not enjoying it, we would stop immediately. 

Here is her Friday Free Write from today. We limited it to five minutes so she didn't get bored. Some day, she will tolerate longer. Not right now. 

Gantic Bugs , There was a gigantic spideron my porch, it was a wolf spider although they are not venomis they are scary we had to shoo it away because my sister was afraid of spiders. She screamed very loudly

          There was a humungo ant on my bed it was the size of my thumb's nail . I killed it with my boot though

          There was a Huge beetle on a mans shoulder. It could leave a mark with its bite. It looked about 3 inches wide and 6 inches tall!!!

          All Together those were pretty big bugs...

Off Topic: A teen needs our support

There's a teenager suffering with digestive issues, using a feeding tube, with no diagnosis. Her story includes court and CPS involvement (why are doctors so quick to assume parental fault?), pain, pain medication, surgeries, feeding tubes, ER trips, and more. 

She could use some support. And she could use the world networking to figure this out. 

Go check out her story here. 

Travel is a Wise Instructor

I can think of no better way to learn than to learn by doing, by experiencing, by seeing the world, tasting the cuisine, hearing the sounds, touching the history, walking along the city streets and taking it all in.

I'm so very thankful that my husband and I are able to show our daughters the world. At least, portions of it. 

Yesterday, we went to the Alsace region of France. Wine country. Gorgeous, historic, culture-rich, Alsace, France. 

Some of our experiences:

Le Montagne des Singes is a sanctuary for Barbary Apes. We were able to interact with them. We fed them popcorn, read their nonverbal communication cues, watched how they interacted with one another, and took lots and lots of photos. 

It was so cool to feel their fingers grab the popcorn, ever so gently, from our hands. 

They seemed to get just as much pleasure out of watching us as we did out of watching them!

This was an experience we will never forget. 

This dude hopped right up onto the bench and sat next to Tuna!

They all look different and all have distinctive personalities. 

This guy wanted to be near people but on his own terms. If you got too close, he let you know with an "O" shaped mouth, which is a "get the heck out of my space" warning. You don't need an interpreter to know that, either. It's obvious. 

It was very neat to see the families interacting. This one just got done grooming one another and were having a sweet cuddle with their children.

We wandered the streets of Centre Ville in Colmar and Eguisheim, France. Just being there was an experience! We learned a bit of French, and said "Bonjour," "Au revoir," "S'il vous plait," "Merci," and "De'viation" as much as we could. That's really all we managed to pick up. French is not as easy a language as German. Very pretty language, though. I thought my high school French would come in handy. It. did. not. It is quite humbling to realize how inadequate the American educational system really is. Living abroad has taught me that even more than I already knew. Kids here learn at least two languages, it seems, aside from their native tongue. 

Bay was so disgusted by her daddy eating escargot. Really, we all were. But that was his experience, and one he very much looked forward to. He loved it. We all enjoyed another regional favorite: tarte flambee, which is a delicious, rustic, sort-of pizza on cracker bread. 

Some of us are more food-brave than others. Tuna always gets fries. She did enjoy some tarte flambee, though.

We all had our very first macarons. Having them in France made them all the more special!

The region looks a lot like Germany. We noticed the similarities right away. It's not far from the border, for starters, and also, it has changed ownership several times.

"Little Venice" was very pretty. We marveled at the buildings, the canals, the language, the vegetation, ever thing. Here, Tuna is holding a ladybug, and Bay, our macarons. 

Simply being here is such an experience. 

Looking for, and trying to name the varieties of, fish in the canal

There is a lovely covered market where vendors sell fresh cheeses, breads, cakes, meats, wines, and more. I loved walking between the stalls. 

Sausages

baguettes

We love looking at statues and old works of art. Tuna gets embarrassed when the statues are nude but otherwise enjoys them as well. Bay especially enjoys the shops. She meandered in and out of almost all of them, speaking to the shopkeepers and admiring the fashion. 

Driving in France is challenging. Deviation means detour, and there were plenty of them around. 

There is not a shortage of vineyards. 

Some of the buildings are just so odd! This house on the corner: look at how narrow it is!

French Coke. We like to look for "American" things in other countries. 

Storks! We learned that their nests can weigh up to 1,000 pounds each. 

This weekend, we're planning to go visit a couple of castles. We've already visited them each once, but we like them so much, we're going back for seconds. That's how Alsace is going to be. I see us going back for seconds. Also on our list: Budapest, Salzburg, Brussels, London, and Paris. We're discussing spending Christmas in London. 

Prague

We took a family day trip to Prague, Czech Republic yesterday. This was the first time we've left Germany since our arrival here, and it was eye-opening. We learned so much on our short trip. I'm thankful for the opportunity to live in Europe and expose our children to the world like this. Without the Army, we would likely not have had the opportunity to travel with our children. We likely wouldn't have left the United States until the kids were grown, owing to the economy. As it is, we have to budget so very carefully to experience things here, but we do so because it's so important to experience these sights while we can, while the Army keeps us stationed in Europe. 

I think travel is the best way to education. Getting to see, touch, hear, taste, and smell other cultures (yes, smell, sometimes good, as in the cuisine, sometimes bad, as in the alleys that are public restrooms): there is nothing equal to it. Here are some of the things we learned in our one day in Prague:

Prague is a beautiful city. The architecture is breath-taking. 

Human Statues are a lot of fun. 

There is not a shortage of ways to get around the city: tram, train, subway, segway, horse-drawn carriage, bicycle, taxis, hired classic cars, and our personal favorite: by foot. 

Driving oneself is ill-advised. European city streets are every man for himself. 

The historic Charles Bridge is said to be haunted by a baby. There are peddlers selling their wares. And the further into the bridge you get, the cheaper the wares. 

These statues tandem peeing have rotating hips, so they can spray all over. 

This teeny, tiny alley has its own traffic light. 

People lock padlocks onto this fence and throw the key in the river. Often, their engrave or inscribe their names. This is a symbol of everlasting love. The problem is that clearly the locks are cut off at regular intervals. Still, I want to do this!

Tuna tends to stick with French fries everywhere we go. They're safe and predictable. 

The Lennon wall was colorful and there was a peddler singing Beatles tunes in front of it. Great acoustics! 

We never tired of seeing the architecture. 

The astronomical clock in Prague

Sort of a miniature Eiffel Tower, the Petrin Tower offered us a great view of Prague. 

We were able to identify several of the key landmarks in the city that we had just visited hours before. The Charles bridge. The theater. The palace. 

Prague was our first trip out of Germany and has whet our appetite for travel. Tomorrow, we're off to France for the day. Seems surreal: Going on a day trip to France. 

Hands-on History: Flossenburg Concentration Camp

We took a family day trip to Flossenburg concentration camp today, in Germany near the Czech border. Above is the SS headquarters building. 

Above building used to be the camp kitchen. Now, it houses a museum. You cannot get any closer to history (without living it, and thankful we didn't) than being inside a concentration camp. This was one of the gentler introductions to concentration camps in the region, with no gas chamber and very little by way of graphic photos. There were a few scary ones that Tuna and I talked through, but for the most part, she was a quiet observer, taking it all in, asking questions as they arose in her mind. Bay was appropriately somber, and had a few questions of her own. I think the girls each took unique experiences from being in Flossenburg today. 

It was exceptionally beautiful there. A stark contrast to what once was. We read that the town has tried to downplay the focus of the concentration camp. 

The girls climbed the steps to one of the guard towers. 

There was a lot to look at, a lot to take in, and a lot to interact with. The girls spend a good deal of time exploring several of the memorial sites. 

The chapel was quiet. There was a bust of Dietrich Bonhoeffer inside. 

This was one of the places we had to stop and discuss: the crematorium. 

Walking on, in, and around history. There really is no better education than experience. 

Flossenburg then and now. 

Tuna spent some time going through the book of prisoners' names, searching surnames she knows to see if any match. She did find a person with the same surname as one of her best friends. 

I am thankful that we get to experience the world like this, by living in Europe and taking day trips to visit such historic sights. Next week, we will be enriching our lives further with three trips (yes, three, all day trips!): Prague, Alsace region of France, and Salzburg. 

PS We have officially switched ISPs and our internet issues have been resolved. Yay (and knock on wood)!