Summer Reading

My goal this summer is to get Drew reading above his grade level. He reads well and is at his grade level but I would like to see him reading  above his grade level.

I still read to him almost every night. He seems to really enjoy adventure stories and we have been reading the Stranded series by Jeff Probst. There was excitement when the second book in the series, Trial by Fire: Stranded Book Two, arrived in the mail from Amazon.

I am trying to get him to read a minimum of one hour daily this summer.  So, what do boys like to read about. Tough question since he's still "developing his taste" for books. If I tell him to have a seat and read for thirty minutes, he worries that I might forget to let him know when his thirty minutes are up and...heaven forbid...he may end up reading for 32 minutes!

That said, he does have very good comprehension since he's able to tell me what he has read. So, I'm guessing that I just need to hang in there and hope I find some books that really "grab" him. I know we can do this!

He recently read a book by Kate DiCamillo which had a profound effect on him. He asked for his own copy. The book is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and yes, it brought tears to his eyes. For that matter, it brought tears to my eyes. So, I ended up granting his request and I also got him Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie. I think both of these stories address  the importance of good character for all ages.

Anyone old enough to remember these?

 The books that got me hooked on reading were in the second grade. I pulled a Nancy Drew mystery off the library shelf and couldn't seem to get enough of Nancy Drew after that. I think I just dated myself too. But those are definitely "girlie" books. There were the Hardy Boys Mystery series for boys...do they still have them available?

Maybe I'll start a list of books for Drew. "Old Yeller" might be a good one...or maybe some Hardy boy's mysteries.  Anyone with grandson's have a recommendation?

Happy reading!
Mai

Wordless Wednesday - Spring!

Goldfish Farm

Drew is delighted that we have found ourselves with an abundance of goldfish on our farm. He has this ambitious idea that we will have a pet shop on our farm. We are well stocked with goldfish at this time for this endeavor.

We built a greenhouse last year to try out aquaponics. We have an above ground pool in the greenhouse that is approximately 3' deep by 15' in diameter.

Goldfish Hotel

Our intention is to try to raise yellow perch in this pool. Since yellow perch fry or fingerlings are not available until early summer, we decided we would put our pond goldfish in the pool over the winter months. We kept the pool heated with a solar panel that my husband made. They liked it. Really liked it.

Pampered Pond Goldfish

The goldfish spawned and the eggs were swept up through the pump system we have installed. The eggs were then deposited in to the grow beds and the tanks for the floating crops. It's the eggs in these tanks that have provided us with an abundance of goldfish.There are baby goldfish in all four tanks!

Goldfish Babies Everywhere!

So, anyone out there looking for some pond goldfish? You know who to contact!

Almost Summer!

What a spring it has been! I never thought I could go through such a long hiatus of not reading all the blogs that I seemed to be so addicted to!

Some serious illnesses in the family kept me on the road (and I have the gas bills to prove it!). Fortunately, my mother-in-law's surgery for her second round with colon cancer was successful and she is doing quite well now. My brother-in-law suffered a heart attack and he is also on the mend now. I feel we have filled our quota of illness in our family!

My daughter moved to a new home and Drew is excited to be able to ride around the neighborhood on his bike and play in a big backyard with new friends.

I got my spring chicks! 50 Cornish cross and 20 soon to be pullets. I just hope this year isn't as hot and dry  as last year was! We also put in a chicken run to try to keep the foxes out. Chickens miss running around the yard though so I try to let them out each evening for a little supervised free range time.

The garden is in! No pictures yet...not much to look at yet. Green house is definitely a hot house even if the weather is cooler. Found lots of baby goldfish in the water beds. Long story for another time but would anyone like some goldfish?

Drew received his Wolf achievement last Saturday at the Cub Scout Bike Rodeo! And his Mom was there to pin it on him! Awesome!

It's going to be a good summer!!