Our science textbook this year was Apologia Elementary's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day.  Here are a few things from our study.

For the second lesson (on whales),  we tried out the sample lesson from the Live and Learn lapbook. I really liked the layout of this lapbook. It was, for the most part, easy to follow and the booklets were all easy to cut out and assemble. I have already ordered their General Science lapbook for next year and am considering ordering the Botany one as well. The owners of Live and Learn promise these will be on sale in July, so I'll wait and see how good the deal is. 

When we studied sharks, we completed another lapbook. This one was the Sharks lapbook from Hands of a Child.  We decorated them with additional clipart which we found at LearningPage.com.

I really like the HOAC lapbooks because they come with a study guide, so you can use them by themselves or use them to supplement a textbook. Some people prefer to have their students do their own research, because they will learn more from the experience.  While this is a great idea if you are making a lapbook from scratch, we've not had good experience doing this with premade lapbooks. The children get frustrated trying to figure out what information was intended to go in a booklet, Mama goes crazy trying to help everyone at the same time, and the lapbook gets put away unfinished. If you don't have time to make your own lapbooks, Hands of a Child is definately the best choice. My one complaint about HOAC is that their fondness for shapebooks often makes the cutting a bear. (I do all the cutting for the kids, so I had to cut every book out five times!) However, it does make for a really cool looking lapbook.

We haven't really done any  of the experiments listed in the book because we didn't start science until (way too late) later in the year, but we have done a disection and some observing. Having a creek has really come in handy for this study. When we discussed swim bladders, the kids went down to the creek and caught a small fish which we proceeded to disect. Not only did we get to see the swim bladder, but we also got to see some eggs she was carrying. Unfortunately, I was filmimg this so I don't have any pictures of it. 

Our study of  crustaceans led us back down to the creek for a crayfish.  Notice how one of the front claws is bigger than the other? In the lesson, we learned that they will sometimes lose one of their cheliped (claw feet). This is one defence God has given them to escape from preditors.  This missing claw will then begin to grow back. Our crayfish had obviously lost a claw and it was now growing back. 

The children  boys wanted to see how crayfish eat, so a couple of minnows were added to the bucket.  Here you can see that he has grabbed ahold of  a minnow.

Jeannie Fulbright recommends making an "ocean box" during the study. We never got around to making ours, but the children did make some sea creatures out of clay. They also did a  little notebooking. (Although it wasn't as much as normal.)  Here's one of the drawing asignments my 11 year old completed. (Sorry, the pencil didn't scan very well.)

I hope you all have your own creek to explore. But if you don't, here's a little "I Spy"  fun. I took this picture of our creek yesturday. This is in a pool above a "dam" that the children built.

Can you see the animal hidden in the mud?

Last Sunday my husband invited some friends to go mountain climbing. So, while everyone else in the world was enjoying Easter dinner, we were on a two hour hike. I admit, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it was a perfect day for climbing- clear and quite warm- and I'm glad I went. I hadn't been up there in several years and it was so beautiful.

This is a view from the parking lot. That doesn't look so bad, does it?

Here are a couple of nature finds along the way:

We have a lot of pileated woodpeckers in the area, so I'm assuming that's what made these holes. I'm not sure what else would have made a hole that big. 

My son found this feather, but we weren't sure what kind of bird it was from. As I was taking this picture, I noticed that the dark edge was actually matted with blood. Poor bird!

And here we are at the top. (The brown place on the right side of the photo is the top of the trail.) And if you look at the picture below, you can see the county where we live. (Please excuse the graffiti. There's always someone who likes to spoil the view for others.)

This is the top of the mountain. The four people in front are our friends who hiked with us. Their son, who is almost two actually walked almost the whole way up. 

For those of you who didn't know, we are in the middle of "birthday season." Our family will be celebrating five birthdays and an anniversary between now and the end of May. We got the idea for these cupcakes from the latest issue of Family Circle Magazine. (Directions available online.) Ours didn't turn out exactly like theirs, but we thought they were cute anyway.

Some friends of ours gave us a coconut from Florida, so my husband opened it up for the kids. He had never seen a coconut in the husk before, so I think he learned as much as they did. Unfortunately, this coconut was fermented. We will be purchasing another one (minus the husk) from Wal-Mart so the kids can try the fresh coconut. Yummy stuff!

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  James 4:14b

I've known for a long time that I would eventually have to face the death of my mother's parents, but I was still unprepared for the shock of that phone call four Sundays ago. "Grandma's dying, " my sister-in-law told me between sniffs. As I probed her for details, we both burst into sobs. How could we face the loss of this woman who had meant so much to us all? 

"When will you be heading up?" I asked. She wasn't sure yet. My brother had told her they might leave the next day to give them a little more time to recover from the stomach flu. I thought about the two day drive they had ahead of them. I was pretty sure they wouldn't wait.

Four hours later, my own family was packed and on the road.  It was a ten hour trip to Michigan. A phone call to my brother's cell phone confirmed my suspicion. They had left two hours before and were also speeding down the highway, hoping for one last chance to see the precious soul we couldn't ever imagine being without. Every one else was already gathered at the hospital.

"It isn't fair!" my mind argued. "After all these years of living so far away, when my husband finally decides to move to Michigan, why now? Why couldn't our house have sold? She was so excited when I told her we were coming. And I really wanted the kids to get to know her better. I'm not ready to let her go. It isn't fair!" Yes, I know that life isn't fair. If it were, things would be much worse. Still it was hard to grasp this news which came with so little warning. Flu . . . hospitalization . . . pneumonia . . .kidney failure . . . heart attack . . . congestive heart failure . . . only days, maybe hours to live. It was just so sudden.

We arrived at 2:00 AM. My husband dropped me off at the hospital and stayed in the car with the sleeping kids. I woke my aunt, who was sleeping in a chair by Grandma's bedside. Grandma was sleeping peacefully and I hated to wake her, but Aunt R. did it anyway. This might be my only chance to say good-bye.  "Mom, Melissa's here."

 I kissed her as the tears ran down my cheek. "Hi, Grandma. It's Melissa. I'm so sorry! I'm going to miss you so much."  I wasn't sure she could recognize me. Her breathing was ragged. Her voice weak and horse. It was hard to believe that this broken, suffering body really belonged to my dear sweet Grandma. I couldn't bear to see her, but I couldn't bear to leave.

Grandma drifted back to sleep and my aunt and I chatted. "You can stay the night if you want, " she said. I breathed a sigh of relief and called my husband so he could take the kids to the hotel for the rest of the night. Coming was hard, but leaving was harder. 

"Thanks." I told her.  Something about her response made me think she was glad for the company. None of us wanted to face Grandma's death alone.

The hours ticked by and none of us got much sleep. Grandma squirmed restlessly,  her back aching from days spent in bed, her breathing tube irritating her nose. I watched my aunt massage her back and offer her occasional sips of water.  We watched the clock, hoping my brother would make it in time.  "Tom's coming," my aunt told my Grandma. "he'll be here soon."  She seemed to be waiting for him.

After a couple hours of sleep, squeezed in between interuptions as we sat wedged into uncomfortable chairs, we noticed that Grandma's breathing had changed.  My aunt suggested we have the family members come to the hospital as soon as they could. It was about 5:00. I called my brother. They had stopped for the night and wouldn't be there until after lunch. We were getting nervous.

My aunt stepped out of the room to get some coffee. I sat by the bed, stroking my grandma's swollen hand. Her arm was covered with bruises where they had failed to insert an IV. Her ventilator  let out a steady beep. Her breathing slowed. Where was my aunt? I couldn't face this alone! Should I call someone?

My worries were in vain. Grandma continued to live (for a whole week in fact), and soon the room was full people. Grandma asked if she could go home.  "Not yet. You need to rest," we told her. She tried to climb out of bed, but my mom and aunts restrained her. "You aren't strong enough to stand up," they told her.

I'm sure the sight of the family standing in a ring around her bed must have startled her. "Why are you all here?" she demanded. "Everyone out!" she waved us out of the room.  We all filed into the hallway, insisting that Grandpa should stay. We weren't sure what she was going to do. I think she just needed some time to think.

We all went down to a family waiting room and sat chatting, catching up with each others lives. I couldn't help thinking how Grandma would love to be a part of this, and yet she was all of it. It made no sense. And yet, it made perfect sense that this woman who was the glue of our family should bring us together even in her death.

And so began one of the most horrible weeks of my life, and yet one of the best. Life is full of contradictions: That I could spent almost thirty-three years of my life taking from my Grandma, and receive a greater blessing from one week giving back. That watching her die to us was like watching her being born into heaven. That I could spend precious time with my family while losing an important part of it. That I could become closer to my Grandfather as my Grandmother drifted farther away.  And that I could miss her so terribly and yet be glad that she is no longer here.  

I do wish you all could have known her. She was quite a woman. And while she,  like the mist,  has slipped away, her legacy lives on.

Below is a tribute I wrote for her two years ago. Thanks to everyone who expressed their sympathy. It has been a comfort.  Melissa

Grandma,

When I think of you, I think of how you have devoted yourself to making those around you feel special and loved. Almost all my memories of you involve you giving something- money, gifts, time, or attention. If there was ever anything you knew we needed or wanted, you would try to give it to us if there was any possible way.

You made yourself a part of our everday lives. You came to the important events: baptisms, grandparents days, plays, graduations, soccer games, professions of faith. You went on outings with us, took us along on errands, and picked and canned fruit with us. You invited us for sleep overs and let me sleep on the floor by your bed when I got scared and cooked whatever we wanted for breakfast. You kept a special drawer with special toys just for us and you had another drawer filled with candy that you were always happy to share. You baked cookies and cakes and bought donuts and came and had coffee with us. You bought groceries and clothes for us. You saved bones for our dogs, toilet paper tubes for our hampsters and gerbils, greens for our rabbits, scraps for our chickens, and the last piece of steak from your dinner for Mom. You spent hours knitting us mittens, socks, sweaters, and washclothes. And you were always there when we needed you, like when Mom cut her hand cleaning the cupboards and you not only took her to get stitches, but came back and finished the cupboards.

You were always patient with us. You never got upset when we were loud or wild. (Yes, I know I was loud and wild.) And I can only remember one time that you punished me, and I cannot remember what for, only that I was shocked that I had actually done something bad enough to deserve it from you. You always gave the impression that we were the most wonderful and important people you knew, and we never felt like we were a burden to you.

Holidays would not have been the same without the care and trouble you took to prepare special meals and add special touches (like Andes candies on the buffet). Even if we were not there to celebrate with you, you did all you could to bring the celebration to us by sending Valentines, Easter candy, Christmas cookies and such. And you were always glad to provide anything we felt was necessary to our enjoyment of the day.

You showed us an example of generosity through your generosity. And you showed your love for us through your actions. You have sacrificed for us, worried over us, laughed and cried with us, worked and played with us. Some people are worthy of love and honor simply because they are what they are- a grandmother. But you have set a higher standard for all the others. You have shown the love of Christ to us, and like Him, we love you because you first loved us.

We picked up this bamboo infused rice at the health food store because it looked like fun. Don't you think this would have been a great meal for St. Patrick's day? Ofcourse, since the 17th of March happens to be one of my children's birthday, we usual don't do much in honor of Ireland's patron saint. However, I did put green food coloring in the milk one year. My husband, who hates rice as much as I love it, surprisingly had a much milder reaction to the bamboo rice than he did to that milk. 

OK, just for fun, I have an assignment for you.

When a recent hail storm broke the stems of some of my budding daffodils, I brought them inside and placed them in a vase on the table.  Just a few hours of warmer temperatures was enough to encourage them to bloom.

Now, I can think of several analogies I could make using these flowers; analogies dealing with life and suffering and analogies dealing with education. But what do you think?

If you're feeling philisophical, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

I recieved an email two days ago from the administrater of a website that offers free Children Bible Activities Crafts & Printable Games. He told me about a 3D Tabernacle Model  they have available. It is really nice. I haven't had a chance to look the site over, but I though you all might be interested in it. 

OK, I just went and looked through some of the files there. (I figured since I was recommending it . . .) Oh, wow! There is some really great stuff there! You really ought to check it out!

Currclick Grand Opening!

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Mothers too often use their busy schedules to excuse themselves from any mental excersize. But just as muscles atrophy without use, so a mind that is not excersized soon turns to mush. Continuing to learn new things will not only benefit your family by making you better equipped to fulfil your duties, but it will also send a message to your children that learning is not just something one is forced to do until they are old enough to do more important things. Here are three ways you can use "mother culture" to nuture your child's love of learning.

1. Set educational goals for yourself.

Think of something you want to learn and then make time to learn it. Your goals could include learning new skills or increasing your head knowledge. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

•  Learn a foreign language
• Build a web page using trial and error
• Do a research project on that topic from the kids lessons that you wanted to know more
• Make a lapbook (use a kit from the HomeschoolEStore or design you own)
• Learn how to sew, knit, etc.
• Take a photography class

2. Read something besides fiction (or the kids school books).

Consider these your "textbooks which can be read and reread for insight and encouragement. Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Shaffer
• Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentis (This is actually fiction, but instructional none the less.)
• Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
• Christian Living in the Home by Jay Edward Adams
• Instruments In the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp

Or, read something that will help you to reach the educational goals you have set for yourself.

3. Nuture your own curiosity.

 No trivia is trivial when it provided the opportunity for a great educational experience.  Children will naturally ask questions, but they will not always know how to get the answers unless you show them. A great way to do this, is by keeping track of those times when you say "I wonder . . ." and making the effort to actually find the answer.

Remember, learning is a lifetime experience. Enjoy the adventure!

OK, I admit it. I get a little lazy this time of year. We are supposed to be studying Japan this week, but I didn't really feel like doing much on Monday. So, I handed the kids a pile of books and told them, "Read these, design some minibooks, and make a lapbook using the information you read."  I was really impressed with what they came up with. (I did the actual design work on the computer, but they chose the titles, type of book, colors, and graphics.) I'm in the process of refining and adding in some other things and I will eventually offer it for sale. I told them I will use the profits to buy more fun school stuff. LOL!  If you are studying Japan, you might also want to check out my Japan Unit Study page.

My 9 1/2 year old made this one. She designed the Japanese arts, haiku, geta, kimono,  and musical instruments books. It was also her idea to add the oragami project to the lapbook.

My almost 12 year old made this one. He still needs to add an oragami project to the blank space. He designed four of the minibooks- Japanese sports, inventions, food, and characters.

My almost 11 year old made this one. He was content to let his siblings design his minibooks for him. The "animals of Japan" was the only one he designed.  He still needs to make his cover.

Have you been wanting to try doing a unit study, but don't have the time to pull together a list of resources, look up websites, or plan the whole thing out? Or maybe you don't even know where to start? Do you just wish you could pay someone to do this for you? Well, now you can!

Heather Langston of Hip To Homeschool has just released a new series of units that are laid out so well that your kids could almost do them without you! These include book and website lists (just click on the link in the pdf document), and project ideas incorporated into a daily lesson plan.  They even include daily notebooking assignments!

You can check them out here: Hip To Homeschool Unit Studies.

The newest Little Laplinks theme is Penguins, which works out great since we just started a penguins lapbook anyway. My two little girls LOVE penguins! We are using Scholastic's Easy Make and Learn Projects: Penguins. It has some wonderful printables! It's not free, but I think it was worth the money I spent on it. I also made a few extras to add to it. They are posted in the files section of the Lilliput Station Yahoo Group. I also posted several penguin links on my blog last April, and here are a few new ones to add to them:

• Penguin Theme Gander Academy is one of my favorite sites. There's lot's of good information here.

• Penguin Theme  Another great information site. Has some good pictures too.

• Science Surprises  A one page printable with a few penguin facts.

• Emperor Penguin Board Game

• Penguin, Penguin  An easy reader on the Starfall site.

• Rumble, Grumble, Gurgle, Roar  An online storybook. Not printable, but very cute.

• Penguin Resources Various printables and crafts, penguin worksheet maker, Bible verse cards and copywork.

• Penguin Activities Several printables from Kidzone.

• Penguin Adaptations  Black and white graphics and text showing the ways in which penguins were equiped by God to survive in the enviroment where he placed them.

We will post photos when we complete our lapbooks.

I'd like to once again thank the wonderful individuals who donated door prizes for our contests:

• Betsy from Notebooking Nook. For a great deal, check out her "I want it all" package.But hurry! This sale is good only through the month of December.
• Debra from Notebookingpages.com. All her combo sets & her full package set are an additional 15% off their already discounted prices.
• Kimm, Niki, and Katie from In The Hands of A Child. Be sure to visit their brand new website and pick up your copy of their quaterly freebie, a lapbook on Deer! And while you are there, check out some of their great new products. I can't wait to get my copy of their new Veterinary Science and Animal Care lapbook.
• Jimmie from One Child Policy Homeschool. Visit Jimmie's Ancient China Unit Study page for some great information and free printables, or visit one of her other great lenses on Squidoo. 

Finally, in this week's door prize drawings the winner of the $15 gift certificate from In The Hands of A Child is colbylobrien. And the winner of the much coveted package from China, courtesy of Jimmie from One Child Policy Homeschool is Karen's Corner. Congratulations!

I am having so much fun reading everyone's entries for the Online Party! I wish we could have Christmas all year round! This week our new guests have prepared some special activities to keep your little ones busy. 

Yavonn from The Journey Continues shared some adorable (and very funny ) joke mini books to add to a Christmas lapbook.

Valerie from Little Blots of Faith fixed up some cute Bingo Dauber Coloring pages. These will keep your stamp happy kids busy for a while!

And Gerky from Wiked Pickles shares some fun Christmas traditions, including a special "TV dinner."

Speaking of traditions, I love the tradition which colbylobrien  of The Prairie Family Chronicles shared with us. Just take a look at these special stockings she hung to decorate for the party!

Finally, here's a great gift idea from Ami: a cookie of the month club! Save time on the shopping and you can spend more time here at the party!

The winner of all four quarters of the Mystery of History Volume 2 notebook and activity pages is Amy from Homeschool Highlites! Congratulations!

One of my daughters will be celebrating her fourth birthday on Christmas Eve, but we held her celebration a little early. She wanted a "peng-u-lin" cake this year, so I went to work with buttercream "paints"  to create this "masterpiece."  I was pleased that it was at least identifiable, even if I did make it a little too big. We'll just call him Happy-Without-Feet!

We have more delicious offerings for you this week. Core Foundations is fixing us a Middle Eastern dinner to remind us of the place where Jesus was born. Make sure you try her baklava. It looks yummy!

While you are eating, you can enjoy a little entertainment. Karen's Corner  has some wonderful holiday music to go with your meal.

The kids are getting really excited as Christmas gets closer and  Everything's Coming Up Roses has a great idea for counting down the days.

And I'm excited about the gifts Lynn is passing out at Eclectic Education. She has five sets of free Christmas Notebooking pages she is giving away!

This week we are also a bit sad as we mourn the loss of Betsy Stout's house to a fire. However, we praise God for keeping her and her family safe, and even preserving a few of their priceless treasures. For those of you who don't know, Betsy is the owner of Notebooking Nook and one of the sponsers of our door prizes. You can read more about the fire at Sonia's blog and if you'd like to do something to help, please consider patronizing Notebooking Nook. Betsy has some wonderful notebooking products.

Our prize winners this week were

• Lynn from Eclectic Education, winner of the $10 gift certificate from Notebooking Pages.com
• Teresa from Matz Monkey Farm, winner of the Very Hungry Caterpillar Interactive Notebook and Nursery Rhyme Notebook Pages from Lilliput Station Adventures.

Congratulations!

I also sent out copies of my new Salvation Army Interactive Notebook to all participants. (Let me know if I missed you.)

I hope you all are enjoying the party. Please spread the word. The more the merrier!