Nov. 8, 2009 - FIAR Field Trip

Our Five in a Row group studied Madeline this month.  To go along with our study I decided to coordinate a field trip to our local kids science museum.  They have an exhibit right now called, Grossology~the impolite science of the human body.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was a little boys dream come true and my girls loved it too. 

Did you ever want to know the science behind a sneeze?  Well, this exhibit not only explained the process but then the giant nose you stand inside of sneezes on you!!!

This lovely fellow explained all about allergies, sniffles, colds and anything else that can cause you to have a runny nose.  Yes, his nose ran frequently! See what I mean about a little boys dream....

The kids spent lots of time at the life size operation game.  Remember that game? What a concrete way to learn where all the body parts go.  It didn't hurt their eye hand coordination either.

The girls could have stayed in the digestive system playground all day.  Yes, they crawled through the whole digestive system.  The joke of where they came out of the digestive tract was not lost on them either. Yucky!!

The skin climbing wall was loads of fun too.  While they climbed along they were supposed to guess if they were climbing over a pimple or mole or hair follicle.

I did not take pictures of all the things to smell.  Really gross things to smell.  Aren't you glad this is not a scratch and sniff blog. LOL!  Somehow I missed pictures of the statue that you crank up and make burp or the tooting machine.  We will have to go back when it is less crowded.  The exhibit just got to us and lots of the school groups were there.   All in all it was a really cool and gross exhibit.  Hey, IT"S GROSSOLOGY!

Blessings,

Dawn

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Nov. 7, 2009 - Featured Blogger ~ DiamondsInTheRough

This week's Featured Blogger is Diamonds In The Rough!

"Mrs. Diamond" and I have been getting to know each other through our blogs. Her "Diamondettes" (I refuse to cal them lumps of coal), have been blog friends with my girls for awhile now. It's fun to meet families as a family on HSB!

Now there are TONS of blog posts I could link you to, but I had such a hard time deciding what to go with. I've opted to link to categories, that way you can see a bunch of posts at one time.

The first category up is Emily's 400 Questions, and Mrs. Diamond isn't kidding when she makes that claim! Some of the questions her daughter comes up with will surely make you chuckle and wonder where that question came from. Others are very thought provoking. All are fun to read! Now if Mrs. Diamond would put the answers she'd have her own Q & A Encyclopedia!

Ever wonder what it's like to live in the desert? Then the category Life in the Desert is what you want to click on! It's hot, it's cold, and it's always full of blessings--and lessons from the Lord.

With the holidays coming up you are more than likely looking for some new recipes. Try this little recipe "book" Recipes From My Kitchen. The recipe that is a family favorite for my family is the Dutch Baby. Yummo!

My all time favorite category though is Diamonds and Other Gems. Wow! There are some lessons to learn here! Like the worth of diamonds--and souls.

Please click on over and say hello to my friend, DiamondsInTheRough!

Tia Linchied
Senior Editor of HSB

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Saturday, November 7, 2009 - Party Post III: The Grand Event

 

Kaira was a very excited princess when the big day finally arrived.  We were were joined by Lady Beverly, Sir Richard, the Bowman James, Lady Lorelle, the beautiful princess Kaitlyn, and the delightful jester Sirhc!  The games were underway when the Royal executioner showed up, escorting a servant girl he had found fleeing the Manor of Lord S and Lady K. 

The servant girl threw herself to the ground and begged the princess for mercy, and the executioner inquired what should be done with the servant, who was no doubt an accomplice in helping the Lord and Lady escape.  Kaira looked upon the groveling servant girl in mercy and answered the executioner emphatically, "Let her have fun!" 

And so, have fun we did.  The games included a quest for the grail, tests of archery, musical chairs, and tiara and shield making.  James the Bowman provided a demonstration of his skill, putting arrows through our bales with such force that we found broken shafts the next day!  The Lady Lorelle even brought along her pet draglet, whom Kaira took to immediately. 

Kaira's cousins attempted to present her with her very own prince, (who had journeyed all the way from Prague) but alas, her mischievous cousin, the wee jester Sirhc had enchanted the poor fellow and turned the Prague Prince into a Frog Prince.  The counter enchantment required she recite "Prairie Frog Fairy Prince" seven times in succession before kissing him three times.  (Seven plus three adding up to ten--her age, of course!)  Poor Kaira failed to recite it properly each time, and he remained amphibious.  Fortunately the fellow seems content to remain a pet.  (She's too young for a real prince anyway, so I'm secretly relieved.)

"Kenneth O'Laughlan" read the Fools Prayer, and the wee jester Sirhc did a Sirhcus act for us!  We feasted on shish kabob and raspberry cream filled cake. 

I should have required a few guests stand still for a quick photo op.  I didn't manage to capture my niece and nephew's beautiful costumes as fully as I'd like, and somehow the Lady Beverly managed to avoid the camera lens.  I also neglected to capture my own wee knights, Sir Keegan and Sir Kieran before they shed their armor.  (And, I was behind the camera instead of in front of it.  Which is all very good and well.)

A good time was had by all!  Huzzah!

 

 

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Nov. 7, 2009 - I love the Fall

Here are a few of my favorite things.

This is me in front of my grandmother's sideboard that I inheired as a young bride. I like to change the nick-nacks on it seasonally.  I'm wearing my favorite apron I made from an Edwardian pattern by Sense and Sensiblity Patterns. The crocheted afgan was an antique store find on my yearly shopping trip with my husband for our aniversary.

This is the huge maple tree that shades our home.  See how it dwarfs our house in comparison.

These are my favorite little boys. We've had a lot of fun raking and playing in the leaves this Fall.

I love the Fall.  Thank you Heavenly Father!

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Saturday, November 7, 2009 - Party Post II: Attendants Respond

After mailing out the invitations, Kaira was delighted to see her courtiers respond.  Here are a couple of the more interesting replies:

To the Attention of Princess Kaira,

It is my grievous duty to bring a matter of utmost importance to your attention. Reliable sources have informed me that the party invitees of (Lastname) Manor are planning to be late for the festivities. Such blatant disrespect for the royal Princess needs to be dealt with quickly and harshly to keep order in the kindgdom.  Therefore, on the appointed date, I will personally apprehend the culprits and bring them in haste for you to make a ruling on their punishment. I pray this will not cause too much disruption in the roayl festivities.

Signed in my own hand

X

His Majesty's Royal Executioner

And a little later, from her Aunt:

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Friday, November 6, 2009 - Party Post Part I: The Invitations

She sent invitations: sealed in wax, and delivered by national courior:



Most PrairieFrog birthdays are quiet affairs, with just our own little family.  Every ten years, however, for the entire duration of their childhood, we'll treat each child to a party with other guests! 

This year, as Kaira celebrated the completion of her first decade,  we hosted our first such event! 

I'll confess that the date gave me pause.  Although we do give a nod to Reformation day, the 31st of October is typically just another day for us.  We don't recognize the event our neighbors celebrate, or do any "alternatives".  But, with Kaira's birthday falling on Sunday, the day prior became a perfect choice.  (I think we've celebrated Ken's birthday on that date as well--He was born on October 29th--but it was a quiet family affair.)  Hosting a costume party on the 31st was new for me!

Stay tuned, for the courtiers' responses!

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Weekly Wrap-up

This week we were able to do all the things that we were supposed to. I have been trying to keep a cold off bay. Johann had a cough from last week, but is getting better. And dad is trying to keep it all away from him (getting sick with his illness is not recommended).

Here is what we did though:
Science, we moved on to species and Zach seems to be quite interrested.

Reading, we are continuing on with our BJU readers and narration. This week we did retelling of story and summary of ideas.

History, we moved on to the times of the Pilgrims. Zach was very excited to realized that we had visited quite a few of the original colonies.

Math, we finished the Singapore 1A and we are both exited about that. We did weight and measurements this week and Zach had fun. Here is Zach measuring the wall with his hand.


Here he is measuring the desk using a pen:

Here he is measuring his truck with blocks:

Spelling, I had held back in doing it, because of all the writing involved, but surprisingly on Monday Zach wanted to do spelling, so, we had a nice spelling session using a board and markers. I forgot to take a picture of that. Hopefully he will do it again next week and I will remember to take a pic.

This week we have moved on to a different topic in our FLL: Sentences. That`s exiting. We love FFL but sometimes it tends to get repetitive, which in itself is good but  . . . Anyway, this week was a bit more exiting.

Here he is putting some sentences in order


I had also forgotten to mention that since we came back from our vacation 2 months ago, we have started doing Daily Geography once a week, and Zach has been enjoying it very much.




As for Joho he has been doing his reading with dad as well as his regular math games, as shown here, and this week he also did some sight word matching, which you can see here.

Last week I mentioned that the boys have been into firefighting these days. Here is a pic of them rescuing a house (that they built).

Another thing that happened this week was on Monday when Johann was hanging on my arm as usual while I was getting a dish out of the fridge, and blam, on the floor it went with the freshly, as of the night before, baked apple crisp. I let out a shout, of course, but by God's grace, and only His grace, managed to keep it together. My husband reminded of how this would be a perfect chance for me to demonstrate forgiveness and so I did. This was one of those dishes that goes both in the oven and on the stove. Both my husband and I loooved it. Anyway, today, my husband brought home a cast iron dutch oven (we've never owned one before). Thank you hubby!



And that's it. For more weekly wrap-up hop on over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Have a great day,

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Homeschooling Only One ~ In Honor of Our Veterans

It is so sad that events occurred yesterday at Fort Hood, north of state capital Austin, near Killeen, Texas, during the same week that we had chosen to honor our Veterans and write about honoring them. I'm assuming by now everyone has heard that a shooter, a psychiatrist major, opened fire upon his fellow soldiers, killing 12 and wounding 31. Thankfully, he was stopped before the statistics became higher, and in this case, he survived and is in stable condition (as of Thursday night). It is sad that for whatever reason he snapped. Sadder still that he happens to have an ethnic name, helping others to automatically put blame towards domestic terrorism. (Although things are coming out that his religion, Islam, might have contributed to his thoughts and actions.)

Last night, I was at my dog class, which is held at an National Guard Armory in Fort Worth. In fact, due to the Fort Hood event, they were asking us to lock the front door behind us as we came and went. We voiced our support to them. Being there and having to be in a "lock-down" situation helped to put a face on those who serve us by being willing to protect us and our country.

You never know when your path will cross with those who have served (or who are serving). I want to encourage you to voice your support and appreciation for and to them. It can be a simple "thank you for your service;" it doesn't have to be anything elaborate or overly formal. (I usually include our police officers and fire-fighters also, since they serve and protect us "closer to home.")

Reach out to those who come across your path and show them your appreciation for their service. They deserve our respect and gratitude.

Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, Donna's mother, Charlotte, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completed his homeschooling in the fall of 2008. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One in 2003, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can find these free resources, including a message board for those who HOO, on her website at  http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC

copyright © 2009 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Special Words for Special Needs ~ Veterans Choose to Serve

Welcome my friends! Veterans Day is November 11. I have a particular soft spot in my heart for veterans, after all my husband and I are former Navy.

In researching for this post I found this quote on the VA website,

"A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good." 

VA site for kids

Why join the military? The money isn't terribly good. Starting pay is nice but it doesn't keep up with the private sector. The locations are great but even a tropical island is blah after the third holiday you don't see your family. Then there is boot camp and the continual physical tests and challenges that are just plain hard. So why join the military?

I can tell you why we did. My husband and I both chose to serve. Someone must stand on the line and say no further. I will protect my family and friends. I will stand up for my rights and those of my neighbors. I chose to serve because it is a responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America that I am able to fulfill.

Times change and now we are no longer in the military. I am glad that I had that chance. Now how can I continue that sense of service to country? This year we are looking into sending packages and cards to soldiers around the world.

American Red Cross Cards for Heroes

I would like to thank the veterans out there! Thank you for your dedication and willingness to serve and protect. God bless!

Heather lives in West Virginia. She and her husband have been homeschooling their 5 children for 8 years.  Due to a genetic disorder their children have multiple special needs. Living life to the fullest for the glory of God is their goal!  Visit Heather's page at  www.homeschoolblogger.com/gfcfmomofmany/ or at Special Needs Homeschooling.

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Time To Paint!

We are at the point in construction where it is time for us to start contributing to the process (more than just financially) to keep costs down.  I have three rooms to paint, numerous doors to paint, furniture to move, 5 or so pieces of furniture to refinish, shades/curtains to buy and hang, closets to build, oh and so much more!  Then there is Thanksgivng and, dare I say, CHRISTMAS on the horizon!  This is my favorite season, and I want to savor it somehow in the mist of all of this change.  I want my children to remember Christmas season 2009 as a great year, not the year mom went crazy. LOL! 

So to create balance, this is officially our last day of highly structured and planned school for this season in our lives.  We will still school, but in a lighter, less structured way.  The plan is to do reading, math, and tea time each day and have two goals for the week. Notice ~ I can't help but have to have a plan.  I really lack the unschooling bone, even though I wish I had it ....  The rest of the time, the kids will be learning skills in painting, weeding out toys, cleaning, playing peacefully and independently (still a challenge around here for some), and continuing to practice flexibility. 

On top of the basics mentioned earlier, the two goals for next week are to make an Arctic mural and do another outdoor challenge.  We will be studying the arctic and arctic life for the month of November.

I leave you with this picture of the kiddos!  Our outdoor challenge last week was to find squirrels and study them.  We could not find a single squirrel, but we did have fun climbing trees.

Blessings,

Dawn

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