Bartlett Lake Fishing Trip and Hike

Homeschool field trip Scottsdale

The day was beautiful! Altogether there were 18 of us homeschoolers out on the lake fishing, canoeing, and enjoying the mild February weather that we call “winter” out here in AZ! My son was even bold enough to jump in and give it a go…it was so very funny. He got about 5 steps in – took a 1 second pause and then did a quick 180 and high tailed it back! It was still just a little bit too cold! It felt like ice water. But for some reason Read More …

Valentine’s Day Party 2020

Homeschool co-op valentines day party

There were some things in public school that just weren’t all bad. Some things were actually pretty great. Valentine’s Day parties were one of them. And Valentine’s day parties can be a little hard to do as a homeschooler–especially if you are an only child! Some things you just need a good handful of kids for! And…this is one of many reasons why you need a co-op in your life! (Psst…Did I mention we have an open house coming up? Message me and I’ll send you details!) Growing up in Read More …

Scottsdale Philharmonic February Concert

Scottsdale Homeschool co-op

This concert was truly wonderful. It is also so amazing that it is free! While not as big as the Phoenix Symphony it was every bit as incredible. The talent surpassed any and all expectations and it was very family friendly. They played quite a few familiar songs – many of which show up in movies and cartoons. They are always about a 2 hour performance and that was a little long for my 2 and 4 years olds, but no biggie, we just stepped outside and they played. They Read More …

Art Class – Pastels

Art is one of those things I absolutely love but don’t make nearly enough time for. There was a time where I was intentionally doing watercolors and oil painting. Every Saturday I’d make me (and the kids) do a little free art time. But then we moved and my paints got packed up and stored. But more likely it was my routine that got packed up and stored. And like most things, life gets busy and it gets put to the wayside. For a short few years of my life, Read More …

The Rosson House, Rose Garden Tour, and Mapping Early Phoenix at Heritage Square + Book Review of “Vanished Arizona”

Rosson House homeschool Phoenix co-op

The book above was a recommendation by the docent that gave us the tour and I absolutely loved it. Such an easy and delightful read. Vanished Arizona is about a New England woman who marries an army man and they are stationed out here in AZ to control the indian “problem.” This was while Arizona was a territory and the indians had been forced onto reservations, many didn’t want to go, they would hide in the mountains, etc. They could be very violent to pioneers and military alike, so the Read More …

The Sears-Kay Ruins Nature Outing

classical homeschool co-op in scottsdale

The Sears-Kay Ruins hike was just what I was hoping for. A short hike (only 1.6 m round trip–enough that a toddler could walk it holding my hand) with lots to explore and look at and plenty of space to run wild and free. It delivered on all accounts. It was an easy 45min drive from my house in Paradise Valley. But once you got there it was felt like you were in the middle of nowhere. The city was nowhere to be seen and we really got to experience Read More …

Wee Gillis

Bag pipes at our classical co-op

Wee Gillis is a story about a little Scottish boy with a love for bagpipes. It is written by Munro Leaf. You might know Munro Leaf! He also wrote Ferdinand the Bull, the beloved story about a bull who did not like to fight but only wanted to smell the flowers. Which…..they made into a movie in 2017 and is totally different than the book! And of course it would be–how do you take a picture book and make it into a full length movie without adding a whole lot Read More …

Book of the Trees Nature Outing: Cave Creek Botanical Gardens

Our 7th graders at co-op use the classical curriculum Book of the Trees from Memoria Press. As we are approaching the end of the curriculum it wants us to go out and nature journal a tree each week. This is exactly why we formed the Cardinal’s Nature Club – so we could see what we learn in science first hand. The Cave Creek Botanical Gardens is a free outdoor paved nature walk of all kinds of desert type botanicals. We saw lots of really interesting things and learned four new Read More …

Cardinal’s Culture Outing: Handel’s Messiah at Trinity Cathedral

There are no words to express how beautiful this is. Driving home, even the best of Christian musical just sounds like “twaddle” in our ears. It is such a wonderful tradition to start the Christmas season. This particular Messiah was also a sing-a-long so we brought our books to follow along and sing our parts with the choir and orchestra. Trinity Cathedral is a real gem. The acoustics are amazing, the organ and musical talent is exceptional… and it also happens to be where Derek and I got married! It’s Read More …