Hi, again! Our journals are pretty exciting these days, with this week's entry thinking about the first sailors to come across to North America. One of the ships in our stories was called "The Sea Adventure." Here's our take on them:

Nate, June 7:
About Sailor Nate

Hi, I'm sailor Nate. I am on the "Sea Adventure." You know I have fun on the crow's nest but to get to the fun is the rigging and I am afraid of the rigging. I'm afraid of the rigging because I can go overboard, and I could be drowned by the big waves.

Pete, June 7:
The Sea Adventure

If I were a sailor, I would put the mast up. I would look for a new island.

Each boy writes in his journals while the other one is reading to me, and I am so proud of how they get into their writing projects!

So many things I wish I could post as well. We made our own compasses from needles and magnets, and used graph paper to draw compass roses today, and they turned out great! The boys are also having a hard time waiting for history to get to cowboys, so we have some great shots of them dressed up in cowboy hats we found for them recently. Some great art work from the Saturday art class they attend once a month with their long-standing friends Noemi and Jonas.

And Dad's got a great science program going, and we're having fun learning keyboard and how to read music... Now all we need is a coach for a neighbourhood soccer club... That's our latest prayer request. We even have a tournament to attend on July 17.

So after our long silence, we've got some good things to post!

Early days of North America

Hi! I now have a few journal entries to share. Nate is now writing on his own so I'll log in his words, but edit spelling and punctuation. I wish I could log in the pictures he's drawing to go with his entries! Pete is dictating to Mommy and then copying what I write, also drawing fun and creative pictures. We've been studying First Nations/Native Americans as our introduction to American History (with a few strategic detours into parallel Canadian history). This has included reading a book on the Blackfeet people called "Om-kas-toe" and watching the bison/buffalo hunt sequence of "Dances With Wolves." They're loving it, as you can tell:

Nate's work, May 10: The Moose
The moose is big and tall and eats water plants.

May 17: Buffalo
Buffalo were usually in big groups. They could be in groups of thousands. Sometimes they had First Nations come and attack them and kill them.

On his own initiative, in the following days, he added:
The Native Americans
Sometimes the first people would hunt for buffalo. It could be very dangerous. The first people lived in teepees or wigwams, and the first people would sometimes fight each other and lots of men would get injured.

May 24: Our Family
I'd like you to meet my family. I can play with Pete very well and my Dad can make a crossbow very well and you should see my Mom teach me and my brother. She can teach me very well.

May 31:
I am a native American. Today I saw a white man. He had a firestick with him. He showed his family and he showed me how to shoot it. I shot a tree and it made a hole right through it.

Pete's entries, May 10: Philip
Philip is a cowboy horse.

May 17: Big Bison
The bison is very big. One day he got caught but he broke the fence and escaped. The End by Pete.

May 24: Our Family
I'd like you to meet my family. My brother Nate is good at math and good at using a bow and arrow. Daddy fixes stuff very good. Mommy teaches very well.

May 31:
I am a native American. Today I saw a big, long canoe. The white people on the canoe stared at us.