We were kind of stalled with our science curriculum, so I decided to set it aside and try something fun.  And we are having so much fun I just had to share it with all of you!  I bought the following book:

Tops Learning Systems GREEN THUMBS: RADISHES #38

Not a very exciting name, I know.  But what is inside is what counts.  There are 20 days of activities involving radish sprouts.  I had no idea that radishes will sprout in 12 to 24 hours.  So, each day we have a neat surprise when we take a look at our experiments.  My 8-year-old son loves this science project.  And I love it, too, because it only takes 10 to 15 minutes a day and uses common household items.  The only things I had to buy were a few baby food jars, radish seeds, and a light bulb made for plants.  If the temperature was a little warmer and if we had a better window in which to grow the plants, I wouldn't have needed the bulb.

I bought the book through Sonlight ( http://www.sonlight.com/3S15.html ), but it looks like you can also get it from the author here: http://www.topscience.org/Book_samples/radishes.html.

You need to start the book on a Monday, and you need to be able to check in with the project every day  (taking a break on Saturday and Sunday) because these little sprouts grow so fast.  So far we've graphed the sprouts' growth patterns, set up several different growing environments, and even built a little greenhouse (out of a milk carton and a jar)...and we're only on the second week!   I really haven't seen my son so excited about anything school related in a long time.  So, after radishes, we might just move on to another TOPS book on corn and beans!

You should try it!  It is so much fun!

I'm not going to go into all the gory details, but six and a half weeks ago I was in a car accident.  It was not my fault, and the other driver was not hurt.  I was, though.  I had injuries to my upper body and my right ankle was broken.  I spent several weeks just managing pain with very strong medicine.  I have had to use a wheel chair to get around the house.  And, what is even worse for a home school mom....I haven't been able to drive since the accident!! 

I have spent all of those weeks pretty much confined to the bed or the couch.   But, last week I was able to start walking with my ankle that is still in a cast.  It felt good to be upright again.  The past couple of days I have been growing stronger and feeling less pain in my ankle.  This morning I decided to dust off the ipod and play some music.  I was tottering through the house singing along to Matthew West.  A song came on that just makes you want to move and praise God for all that he does for us broken people.  I found myself tapping my toes, then swaying a little bit, and then before I knew it...I was dancing!  Raising my arms to Heaven.  Bouncing around as well as I can with one cast-covered foot planted to the ground.  The heart rate was going up for the first time in weeks.  I was doing all kinds of funny moves that would embarrass me to no end if someone were watching.  I felt free and joyful!  I'm going to be healed!  I'm going to get my life back!  I'm going to be "normal" and goofy and silly again!  Praise God!!!

...now....I must rest.  :o)

Have some free time?  Or just want to try something fun for a few minutes...or more?  Try this website:

http://thisissand.com/

It's computer sand art!  When you get to the site, there will be a little grey square in the upper, left-hand corner.  Click on that square to see the directions.  It is also fun to view the gallery, which can be accessed in the instructions area.

One warning!  This can be addictive!  Have fun!

I was in a car accident several weeks ago.  Because of my injuries and our totaled vehicle, life as I knew it came crashing to a halt.  I will say, though, that out of the pain and suffering I've endured, good things have come.  My boys, ages 8 and 5, have been an immense help to me over these weeks.  I've learned that my 8 year old can make lunch for he and his brother on weekdays when Daddy isn't here to help. I've learned how loving and compassionate my young children can be to their mom when she's in pain.  My boys have learned to adjust to life with absolutely no routine.  Some days mom was able to teach, others she was out of commission.  They both have really enjoyed being "grown up" and taking care of Mom. 

With all of this time I've had not being able to move around the house as usual, I've had lots of time to think.  I reorganized and rearranged the entire house--in my mind--many times.  I invented new routines to implement once I got up and running again.  I wanted to share one of the ideas I was able to put into practice a couple of weeks after the accident. 

My boys really do not care what they wear each day.  And, if leave them to their own devices, they will come up with some very strange and comical combinations of pants and shirts.  And, actually, my youngest would be quite comfortable not even wearing pants!  So, I was in the habit of picking out their clothes each morning.  After the accident, I was in no shape to travel up and down the stairs to do laundry and to pick out clothes each morning.  My husband took over the laundry for me (thank you!), and I came up with a new way of handling the "what to wear" issue.

I had my husband buy me a few boxes of 2.5 gallon ziploc bags...the kind with the sliding zipper pull on top.  Into each ziploc bag went a day's worth of clothes:  pants, shirt, undies, and socks.  I wrote the boys' names on the bags, and voila!  Two weeks worth of "what to wear" were finished.  Now, the boys just grab a bag when they wake up and get dressed.  This has worked out so well that I think we'll keep doing this even after I'm healed!

My oldest son takes a fun science class once a month.  The students have learned about many different science concepts in really fun, hands-on ways.  Since we moms with younger kids always take the little ones to a local McDonald’s during the class time, I’ve never been able to stick around and observe a class.  But the kids all seem to love it, and my son always brings home something fun from the class.  Today they were talking about gravity.  This little wire and bead contraption apparently demonstrates “center of gravity.”  My budding scientist has enjoyed balancing it on fingers and noses…and even ears!  Nothing is safe from science!

I think children learn so much more when fun is involved.  Don’t you?  Now if I could just figure out how to make spelling that much fun.  I don’t think it is possible!

I really wish I was one of those moms who plays lots of classical music every day, but I'm not.  Personally, I love classical music, and I do play it from time to time.  But, I've found that my oldest son needs complete quiet when doing schoolwork.  Well...as quiet as it can be with a loud 5 year old in the house! 

However, I am still a firm believer in the power of music!  And, I get the feeling God appreciates music, too.  After all, one of His favorites, David, wrote countless songs praising God!  And besides the Psalms, there are many references to singing in the Bible.

Right now we explore music by having the boys take piano lessons.  I once heard Andrew Pudewa speak about the importance of children learning how to play an instrument.  Learning any instrument can help the child in many ways.  But Mr. Pudewa said that when you play the piano, your brain is making more connections than it could with any other activity.  You are reading music, hearing notes, coordinating your brain and your fingers, and counting time all at once! 

I had always intended on the boys learning how to play piano.   After hearing Mr. Pudewa talk about the importance of music in "growing" the brain, I was inspired to start immediately!  Last year, when the boys were 7 and 4, we found an excellent teacher and entered the world of music lessons.  My oldest wasn’t so sure about it in the beginning.  But, then he discovered that he has talent for the piano.  My youngest has loved knowing how to play, but he’s never very enthused about practicing.  I don’t push him, because I don’t want to kill it for him.  I will sweat it out every week, worried that he won’t know his songs for his next lesson.  Some weeks he’ll barely play each new song once a day.  Then, I take him to his lesson and he sits properly and plays his songs beautifully.  Whew!

 I would like to see both boys take lessons through high school.  I haven’t met a single adult who has complained that his parents made him stick with music lessons.  Usually it’s the other way around, and adults wish their parents had insisted that they continue childhood lessons rather than quit!

It is such a joy to hear my little ones play music.  Besides that,  I have seen amazing non-musical benefits from learning piano.  My oldest son has struggled with handwriting.   He would get so frustrated because his hands couldn’t write as fast as his brain could think.  Worksheets were nightmares, and forget about him writing anything on his own!   Did you know that handwriting is learned in a completely different part of the brain than things like reading?   Since he has started taking piano, his handwriting skills have improved in leaps and bounds!   He has been taking the initiative to write more and more.  He has even started drawing more!    I have always been told to teach him typing as soon as I could.  That would alleviate some of his problems in getting his thoughts out on a page.  After seeing his success on the piano, I realized that typing was quite similar in motor skill requirements, so we started him on a typing program. 

I had no idea that we would be seeing such immediate improvements in other areas of our schoolwork just from my children learning how to play the piano!   It has been a great blessing to us!

The boys are trying out Colorix crayons, by Amos. 

These three-in-one silky crayons are really fun.  You can use them as a crayon and just draw.  Or you can use them as an oil pastel and blend colors.  The third application is to turn them into watercolors by using a paint brush dipped in water.  When used like a crayon, the colors are very dark and vivid.  The red is really red, the black is really black, etc.  The crayon has a silky, gliding feel on the paper.   They work really well as watercolors, too.  But my guys haven't had a lot of success blending them like oil pastels, yet.

Here is a picture done by my youngest in which he used  water on the sky and on the dirt and grass.  The rest of the picture was done dry.

And here is one done by my oldest son.  He did not use water, but he added a 3-D element to simulate more fire coming from the fire-breathing Apollanir (Bakugan).

Try them out for yourself!  They can be found at www.rainbowresource.com!

We love to explore!  Exploring to us can mean hiking through the woods or splashing through a stream.  It can mean using a GPS to search for hidden treasure through geocaching.  It can also mean reading really great books that take us to lands we may never see in person.  We explore when we draw and paint.  We explore when we study science, history, geography, and math.  Every day can be an adventure into the unknown.

Welcome to our family's blog.  We hope to share our adventures with you.  Maybe they will spark a new interest in you or your children.  Maybe they will encourage you to find the adventure in the every day.

Have fun!