Jul. 26, 2008 - Our Creative Projects at the Show
The local Agricultural Show plays a big part in our homeschool plans. We spend around 3 weeks finalising creative projects for display at the Main Pavilion, plus a photo poster for the Homeschool display. My rules for putting anything in the Show is that the kids have to do all the work themselves plus they have to want to put it in. I provide the materials and time, they have to have the desire.
This year they all did well with over 40 items between them all, and a nice collection of firsts, seconds, thirds and highly commendeds.
Josh, who has previously decided making creative projects just isn't his thing, decided this year to put in 2 items - free form clay angels (he made me for Christmas) and a wood work project.
Joshua's catapult
Jessica's embroidery for which she received a Highly Commended
Nomi made this bear and received first place - truly well earnt!
I don't have a close up of an individual project of Daniels but here is his collection!Over the last 9 months or so we have met with a few other homeschool girls regularly and learnt applique and quilting. We call this time Keepers, or our Creative Club. The girls worked hard to complete their quilts for the Show.
Each of the quilts were different in some way - but all the same colour scheme and pattern.
Jul. 26, 2008 - Kununurra Agricultural Show
We have fallen into a bit of a habit of how we "do" the Show. We try and get their reasonably early Friday afternoon, race around the Pavilion and see how the kids all did with their handicraft/art enteries. Look around at other things, including the Youth Pavilion where the Homeschoolers have a display. We then buy burgers from the local Rotary guys and sit down - shivering and freezing - till the fireworks, after which we go home and rest so we can repeat it all again the next day!
I must clarify the "shivering and freezing" because it was probably only just under 10degrees so that isn't very cold but to us who live in the tropics it is cold!! It is a night to remember the woolies!
Our Saturday varies a little - but we mostly head off mid morning in time for the dog show. We eat lunch while watching dogs walk, jump and parade. The kids then have some time off roaming with their friends. By mid afternoon we are all tired and decide that it is time to head home. We leave the Saturday night at the Show to those who like partying and loud music.
We call in at the local grocery store to buy an icecream, head home, and crash! But very happy.
Sunday morning we have to head back into the Show grounds to pick up all the entries. I have worked out a system to keep this organised. Each year our family puts more and more entries into the main pavilion so a system did have to happen else we would have had people, and projects and bits all over the place! But more about the children's crafts another post.
The other thing that happens for our family at the Show is that I co-ordinate a pavilion called the Reg Bolten Youth Pavilion. It is named in remembrance for a clown that spent many years entertaining our children at the Show with balance tricks. Our children went to a couple of his workshops and had a ball. He died one year, at Show time, so the pavilion is named after him. This pavilion is a place for the youth services and groups in town to show their presence. The homeschoolers have had a display every year.
We have two aspects to our display - a poster display showing the lifestyle learning opportunities in our family life and second is a 3 dimensional display of varying themes each year. This year our theme was "Learning from Books". It was a very simple display to put together - each family brought a 3d project that their children had made as well as a laminated photocopy of a book - fiction or non-fiction that they had studied.
Sunday morning was a bit rushed this year as I had to pack up the Youth Pavilion as well as pick up all the kids projects (all 45 of them) and then get to church. As it turned out lots of folk arrived to help so it really was a case of many hands make light work.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Show this year.
Jul. 24, 2008 - Show and Tell
Here are some pictures from a restaurant that we enjoy going to.
For more Show and Tell, check out Mary's blog.
Jul. 24, 2008 - I made a Widget!
Have you visited my website, Lifestyle Homeschool? You can see the most recent articles/web pages added in the blue widget box to the left.
I have been absent from this blog over the last few weeks as we have been focusing on other things. Over the next few days I hope to have some time to update with all our doings (including photos!)
* Ag Show
* Creation Ministries visit
* Camping
But right now - I need to go for my exercise walk, have breakfast, washing washing washing (all those camping clothes!)
Jul. 25, 2008 - Show and Tell Friday...
Today it's time for Show & Tell Fridays with Canadagirl. If you have something you would like to share with us all, please go visit our lovely hostess Mary. Thank you, Mary!
Speaking of Mary, she and I decided to encourage each other this week to finish projects we each had been dragging our feet over around our homes. She needed to move her hutch from floor to floor (I get tired just thinking about it, Mary!), and I needed to go through our personal library, cull some books, find room for last year's books, make room for new books, and clean up old school year stuff. I finished my project, but wouldn't have without Mary's encouragement. Thank you my friend!! Ü
So, without further ado, here are my before and after photos:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
As you can see in the first 'After' photo, I even cleared a shelf to hold some of this upcoming years' books. I like to keep them separated, otherwise my voracious readers will go through their school books for fun, lol! Also, I was unaware of the yellow papers hanging out of the bookcase until I saw them in the pictures, lol! They have since been taken care of.
So, that's my Show & Tell for this Friday. I hope you enjoyed your visit, and I look forward to visiting you! Have a great weekend, everyone!
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - A Rambling, Stream-of-Consciousness Post With No Particular Title to Speak Of
Well, I feel a bit silly. Rather than pose this big photo-sharing question on my blog, all I really had to do was ask my teenager. She didn't know the answer, but she knew how to find out.
(Which, to chase a little rabbit here, reflects the goals of my educating endeavors with my children. They don't need to know all the answers to everything off the tops of their heads, but I do want them to know how & where to find answers & information when they need it.)
Anyway, SoyCheez grabbed my computer and held my hand just long enough to get me started, then left me to play around and get it all figured out. Just like a good teacher ought to do. I'm taking mental notes here.
Teenagers are handy like that for technological questions; that is, provided they are actually around and available. Which is probably why I went to my bloggy friends rather than the teenager in the first place. Bloggy friends are generally easier to get a hold of. :-) But last night the teenager and I just happened to be talking about the relatives at the reunion, and I just happened to mention a particular picture I'd taken of one of them, and she just happened to want to see it, and while we were looking at it, I just happened to think to ask her my photo-sharing question. So see, it all just sort of happened. That's sometimes how it is with teenagers.
Anyway, I just thought I'd mention that. But I'm not going to turn this into another boring blog post about photo-sharing. If you are interested in knowing what I found out, go to the comments section of my previous post. I decided that was the best place to relate my findings.
As for this post, I'd rather continue on this rambling, stream-of-consciousness course by mentioning how much I appreciate those little moments with my little-girl-almost-growed-up. As she gets older and more independent and closer to the time when she will leave the nest, I've come to cherish little things like sitting on the sofa together looking at pictures and figuring out photobucket. Not because she is helping me, but because we are doing something together and talking about something other than what chores she needs to do and how much of her own gas she should pay for and whether she should watch a particular movie and all those other potentially-volatile issues of Life With Teenagers. And I hate it that we have to spend so much time on those not-so-fun conversations, and I realize that I need to work harder at making sure they are far outweighed by the casual, enjoyable moments. Of course, as I previously noted, those sorts of moments often just "happen". I just have to set the stage to allow them happen more often.
Which is a good reason for me to get off the computer and get started on my day. Because the Teenager wants to make hummus today, and if I don't get too far behind on the other things on my to-do list, I can help her. And then there is that sewing project and that scrapbook project we were going to do together, neither of which will happen during the remaining weeks of summer if I don't start guarding my time a little better.
Besides, I have a little-girl-NOT-so-growed-up-yet waiting for my lap. And I think I'd better take advantage of that while I can.
Jul. 23, 2008 - I Just Want To Say...
that as of this evening, I've walked 52 miles. I figure out how far I go in my new walking routine using this website, then I plug that information into this website. The first is a Google site which allows you to use a map of your city to calculate to the nearest hundredth of a mile how far you went. The second site is a fun, cool virtual walk across America starting on the coast of Virginia and ending on the coast of Oregon. You input your miles each time you walk (or run or bike), and it shows you on a map exactly where you are. It even shows you a real photo. Anyway, like I said I've gone 52 miles. I'm both amazed and pleased with myself. And I'm getting some muscles!
Sue
Last Page | Next Page
