Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - Post from the Past: Things to do for Thanksgiving

For those of you looking for some things to do for Thanksgiving (whether homeschooling or not)... check out some of the following ideas from a post from the past:

FREE Thanksgiving Unit Studies and More!

Please feel free to share any of the ideas or traditions you do in your home for Thanksgiving!

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Monday, November 16, 2009 - Daybook: Monday November 16th, 2009

Outside my window…  the sun is low in the sky, casting a beautiful light over the snow-covered fields.  

From the learning rooms… we are wrapping up a Tapestry unit this week and preparing for a week off as we enjoy Ken's vacation days!

 

I am thankful for…  Ken having two weeks home and my restored health!     
 

From the kitchen….   a pan of water begins to boil on the stove--we'll have spaghetti for dinner    

I am hearing... the washer and dryer running, pages turning as the girls read from the book baskets.  

 

I am wearing … a white blouse and a windowpane denim jumper with a long 50's circle-style skirt.  

 

I am reading… Goodness and Mercy by Esther Davison

I am creating… another flannel petticoat.  I think this winter is gonna be cold!   

 

I am praying…  to be faithful in the small things, daily, hourly, and minute-by minute; for the big things are often just small things compounded. 

 

Around the house…  I'm finished with fall cleaning except for a few light fixtures.  I hope to do those this week.    

           

One of my favorite things… a cup of tea, a good book, a quiet evening and a gently glowing candle.  (Ok, that wasn't one thing, but I like them all together.)     
 

A few plans for the rest of the week…  Ken's off this week and next.  This week is a family work-week, next week is play!  

A picture thought to share: Double Bubble Trouble

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Saturday, November 14, 2009 - Back to basics

All my children are a bit prone to careless mistakes in their school work, but Kendra won the prize yesterday for the most extreme absent-minded error  to date.

I'd just started to grade her math drill when I noticed she'd gotten the first question on the page wrong.  Not the frist math problem, but rather the frist question on the page; the blank marked, "Name______________".   

I would have understood if she'd forgotten to fill it in, but she answered--incorrectly.  In hasty Kendra-scrawl, she'd written, "Kaira."  

She was surprised and bemused at herself when I pointed it out.  The only explanation she could think of was, "Well, it is a timed test, so I was in a hurry."  She must have been hurried indeed to have forgotten her name!

I'll occasionally say the wrong name, but this is the first time one of the children has mistakenly called herself by a sibling name! 

Throughout the day I've been sneaking up on her and giving a pop quiz, "Quick, what's your name?"   She usually even gets it right--at least when she can stop giggling long enough to answer.

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Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Positive or Negative?

This is an audience participation post. (Actually all my blog posts are!)  I have a practical question at the end, but I can never simply and directly get to the point.  I've got to ramble first and show pictures.  Speaking of pictures--have you ever noticed that photo negatives are rather disturbing?  They have a disquieting way of turning familiar people and animalsinto freakish creatures with black cavernous mouths and spooky white eyes.    These particular shots were eerily fascinating to me in negative form:  (Fun tip for Photoshop users--converting a normal image to a photo-negative effect is as easy as pressing the "Control" key and "i" simultaneously.  Just think "i" for invert.) The "positive" of these pictures are less otherworldly and marine.  (I live in Wyoming; marine life is otherworldly.)  In fact the photos are commonplace, flat and the lighting was awful.  These pictures were taken in the loft of our barn, not because I think they'd be interesting photographic subjects, but because I'm hopeful that others can help me identify them. We are cautious going up to the barn loft these days, choosing cool days when the wasps will be sluggish.  Attached to the door of the loft are the following homes. Ok, so here's my question: what inhabits these dwellings?  I'm pretty sure at least one of the types is a wasp nest.  We'd like to evict our unwelcome waspish tenants, but we don't want to mistakenly vanquish any little honey bee friends.   In short, are they positive or negative?

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - Wordless Wednesday ~ Etch A Sketching

(Click here to view collage larger)

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