Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Thank you!!!

When I posted our apple study yesterday, I was surprised to receive a couple of lovely comments congratulating me for being nominated for the Home School Blog Awards! Thank you, Heather, for nominating me for Best Nature Blog! It is humbling to even be on the same list as my nature study hero, Barb, whose Outdoor Hour Challenges are the topic of most my nature posts. We've only been doing formal nature study for a little over a year, and I'm certainly not very knowledgeable about most of our topics, but our nature walks really are the highlight of our week.

Blogging about our nature study is especially beneficial to me, because it encourages me to learn more. As I look through my pictures I find a number of things to google:

What kind of snake is that?

Why did all those fish die?

What's the difference between a mushroom and a toadstool?

What are those bumpy things hanging off the tree?

And my most googled nature topic:

What kind of bird is that?

Once I've found the answer, I share what I've learned with the kids. And that's the beauty of nature study -- we don't have to be experts! Just go pick one of Barb's challenges and get started. Our family is blessed to live on an almost two acre wooded lot, but you can do nature study anywhere. We even did one of our nature studies on the highway exit near our home! You can see all my nature study posts here, but I encourage you to visit some of the other bloggers participating in the Outdoor Hour Challenges. I am continually amazed at the things I learn from them.

Okay, now about that other nomination. I didn't even see that one until later in the day -- it was even more unexpected! Whoever nominated me for Best Homeschool Mom Blog needs to email me her phone number right away. I must put you on speed dial for the times when I feel like the Worst Homeschool Mom Ever -- then I can just call you for a pep talk. Don't worry, I only feel that way about twice a day. Three times on Mondays. Seriously, thank you for thinking of me and making my day.

I have one more thank you. For two years I have been begging the people at the blog awards to add a category for blogs about special needs homeschooling, and this year they finally did it!!! I love getting to know other moms of special needs kids through their blogs and have been so blessed by hearing their stories and seeing their day to day lives. I was excited to see several of my favorites nominated and can't wait to visit all the other nominees. Thank you, HSBA!

Being nominated is a little like having unexpected guests show up at your door. I'm so happy to have new visitors, but I'm painfully aware of all the dust in my sidebar, and I feel a sense of urgency to get caught up on my blogging. I still have a nature post from two weeks ago to finish, my October monthly review, and (if we're really keeping track) an autism series from the summer that never made it past the first post! So if you'll forgive my unpreparedness, I'd love to get to know you!

Oh! And don't forget to vote! I'd love it if you'd vote for two of my bloggy friends, Dawn of Olive Plants (nominated for Best Encourager) and Ruthanne of Eclectic Whatnot (nominated for Best Homeschool Mom and Best Photos and Artistic Content). There are so many other great blogs too, but I haven't even had a chance to look at all the categories yet!

3 comments:

  1. I love nature study, though we have been sadly lacking in accomplishing much of it so far this year. This is my 1st visit to your blog, but it's lovely! Congrats on the nominations!

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  2. Yea! Thanks for linking to me. I am listed in the Special Needs blogs, Kingdom Arrows.

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  3. We have sorely lacked in our nature study this year but I am always encouraged to see yours and know how simple it can be to learn so much about ANYTHING the kids are curious about or that we come upon!
    I also agree with you on the special needs blog and am always thankful when I can find a blogger with whom I can share struggles as well as encouragement & ideas!
    Andrea

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