Extreme Frisbee Golfers

The snow had put a chill on the daily frisbee golf routine since last week,  but the course had thawed out enough for my husband and son to able to return today to try for an ace.  Apparently, others had already had the same idea as there were plenty of footprints in the snow. 
It was a [...]

Snow Day, Snow Igloo

When I was growing up here in Virginia, the snow fell regularly pretty much every winter.  Now, it only snows occasionally and usually not as much as we got last night (about 14 in.)  The children are absolutely loving it, although the little ones have found it much too cold. 
 After shoveling the driveway and [...]

Land Art with Rocks

While searching for an activity to do with the rocks which we collected several weeks ago on a field trip, I stumbled upon this beautiful land art for kids website.    As those who are regular readers already know, the River City Homeschoolers are always outside!  Making designs out of leaves, twigs, pine cones, and rocks [...]

Mom in the woods alone?

After reading and contemplating the blog post, Mom in the woods, by Your Wild Child about finding me time by getting outside even once in a while by yourself, I felt unsure if I was comfortable with doing that alone.  Don’t get me wrong I truly love being outside, but like Your Wild Child explained it isn’t about your outdoor [...]

River City Rock Hoppers

Originally, we had planned to visit the Belle Isle part of the James River Park System in the city of Richmond as a  science field trip to examine the huge rocks in the earth.  Allah is the best of planners and due to construction and a closed parking lot, we ventured over to the south [...]

Autumn at Lake Anna State Park

 

 

The weather was a bit overcast and chilly, but quickly became sunny and enjoyable as we journeyed to Lake Anna State Park to explore this water-oriented state park for the first time.  We were delighted to have visited in the autumn as it is  very popular with those who love water sports  in the summer.  So, for us the park was almost [...]

Giddy Up

The first horsebacking riding lesson went well for the children, alhamdulillah.  Their instructor is very keen on safety, so we all spent most of the initial lesson learning the rules and touring the farm. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After they groomed the pony by brushing and cleaning its hooves, the three oldest helped saddle it up and learned how to mount.

These [...]

Extracurricular Activities and a Large Family

Managing extracurricular activities such as sports and physical education can be a bit challenging with many children, but it is possible.  We have found from experience that the easiest way to handle this is to have them participate in the same activities preferably together.  In previous years, the children who were old enough all played [...]

Volunteer as a Family

Volunteer opportunities for families at Virginia State Parks. 
“A commitment to a lifelong ethic of volunteer service is an important message to your children. In a society that often champions over consumption and greed, it is vital to teach our children the concept of giving back. A steady stream of studies continue to warn of [...]

Snorkling in the James River

We have yet to try this, but it looks like it would be right up our alley. 
“There is nothing quite like grabbing your mask and snorkel, plunging into the refreshing James River and coming face to face with a huge catfish.”  Read the whole article here. 
Check out the slide show here.  There are [...]