RECENTLY// Our Keepers Group -
Croquet
Posted on Oct. 15, 2009
What a fun night we had tonight. Those of you who weren't able to come, you were missed and we hope you all feel better soon.
We started off our meeting going over our verse, purpose, goal and we even got part of the song in. We then talked about our hymn, It is Well with My Soul. We went through each stanza, line by line, talking about what it means and what a wonderful gift Christ has given us, he will never leave us. No matter what life throws our way, It is Well with Our Souls! Sammie shared with us what the author, Horatio Spafford, experienced that prompted him to write the hymn. Such a tragic accident to lose all his children on what was supposed to be a fun trip.
After talking about our hymn Mrs. McDaniel took over and shared about the history of croquet. We all learned it is a really old sport, dating back to the 14th Century and was originally called Pall Mall. When the french took over the game they changed the name, Paille Maille, to Croquet and that name has stuck ever since. We also learned that the shopping center "malls" come from the original Pall Mall which were the covered courts in which they played. Really fascinating history. Thanks Diane for sharing with us.
After the history and a brief run down on what to do, the girls hit the yard to learn how to play croquet, as they played. :) The girls did great and were cheering each other on. So proud of their sportsmanship. The eventual winners were Tessa and Emily. Anna and Peter were second. Hannah came in third. Sammie and Elizabeth were fourth with Rebecca coming in right behind them. Great job to everyone and a big thanks to Diane for teaching us how to play.
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� End = Croquet
Astronomy
Posted on Sep. 14, 2009
It was great seeing everyone again after the summer break. We welcomed our new members, Tessa and her mom Diane. We are so happy to have you both in our group. Rachel and Suzanne, we missed you both! Hope to see you next month.
"Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!" Job 22:12
"Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?"
"Knowest thou the ordinances of Heaven?" Job 38:31-33
"Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?"
"Knowest thou the ordinances of Heaven?" Job 38:31-33
After reciting our purpose, verse and goal we sang our hymn for this month, How Great Thou Art. You all did a great job singing along w/ the CD, even though the singer was a little low for everyone! LOL Keep listening to the CD you took home so next month we can try to sing the song w/o the CD. :)
We learned how to read a starmap, talked about the North Star or Polaris, named the planets as we looked at great images from NASA then we went outside! We took our red filtered lights, so we didn't lose our night vision w/ bright white lights, and our starmaps and headed into the darkened backyard.
Fortunately, the moon hadn't risen yet, so we had a pretty good sky for this area. There were some clouds around the horizon as well as a lot of light pollution, but a good portion of the sky was unobstructed.
We first found The Big Dipper as it's handle arched over the Carob tree. From the Big Dipper we used the pointer stars to find the Little Dipper. Unfortunately, the only part of the Little Dipper that we could really see well was Polaris. Which is a good star to find and one of the requirements for the badge! From the Little Dipper we followed the northern sky to the east until the large W was seen. The W was on it's side and resemebled a 3 more than a W, but we all knew that was the great, beautiful Queen, Cassiopeia, another requirement for our badge. Perseus was lost in the light pollution but we did find Pegasus, the great winged horse looking suspiciously like a baseball diamond. ;) Hanging onto Pegasus we saw some of Andromeda, the beautiful princess who was just saved from the horrible sea monster by her hero, Perseus. Down along one of the lines that make up Andromeda you'll find M31, which is Messier object 31 or the 31st deep sky object that was classified. M31 is also known as the Andromeda Galaxy. The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to us and is a spiraling galaxy, like our own Milky Way. I couldn't find a public domain picture but here's a link to a picture you can check out.
The Andromeda Galaxy
We also looked at the Zenith, or the very center of the sky. We saw The Summer Triangle, made up of the 1st magnitude stars, Vega, Deneb and Altair. In The Summer Triangle we picked out the constellation, Cygnus, the beautiful swan w/ his wings outstretched. A couple others also found Delphinus and Lyra.
We then looked over to the Southern sky. Low on the horizon we found the Teapot, also known as Sagittarius. I mentioned the Trifid Nebula, which is an area of star formation. The Trifid Nebula is located just above the spout of the teapot, right where the steam would be if it were set on the stovetop. Away from light pollution you can see the the Trifid Nebula with just your eyes, it would look like a wispy cloud (or steam). Here are some NASA images (aren't they cool):
The Center of the Trifed Nebula
An area of star formation
We learned how to read a starmap, talked about the North Star or Polaris, named the planets as we looked at great images from NASA then we went outside! We took our red filtered lights, so we didn't lose our night vision w/ bright white lights, and our starmaps and headed into the darkened backyard.
Fortunately, the moon hadn't risen yet, so we had a pretty good sky for this area. There were some clouds around the horizon as well as a lot of light pollution, but a good portion of the sky was unobstructed.
We first found The Big Dipper as it's handle arched over the Carob tree. From the Big Dipper we used the pointer stars to find the Little Dipper. Unfortunately, the only part of the Little Dipper that we could really see well was Polaris. Which is a good star to find and one of the requirements for the badge! From the Little Dipper we followed the northern sky to the east until the large W was seen. The W was on it's side and resemebled a 3 more than a W, but we all knew that was the great, beautiful Queen, Cassiopeia, another requirement for our badge. Perseus was lost in the light pollution but we did find Pegasus, the great winged horse looking suspiciously like a baseball diamond. ;) Hanging onto Pegasus we saw some of Andromeda, the beautiful princess who was just saved from the horrible sea monster by her hero, Perseus. Down along one of the lines that make up Andromeda you'll find M31, which is Messier object 31 or the 31st deep sky object that was classified. M31 is also known as the Andromeda Galaxy. The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to us and is a spiraling galaxy, like our own Milky Way. I couldn't find a public domain picture but here's a link to a picture you can check out.
The Andromeda Galaxy
We also looked at the Zenith, or the very center of the sky. We saw The Summer Triangle, made up of the 1st magnitude stars, Vega, Deneb and Altair. In The Summer Triangle we picked out the constellation, Cygnus, the beautiful swan w/ his wings outstretched. A couple others also found Delphinus and Lyra.
We then looked over to the Southern sky. Low on the horizon we found the Teapot, also known as Sagittarius. I mentioned the Trifid Nebula, which is an area of star formation. The Trifid Nebula is located just above the spout of the teapot, right where the steam would be if it were set on the stovetop. Away from light pollution you can see the the Trifid Nebula with just your eyes, it would look like a wispy cloud (or steam). Here are some NASA images (aren't they cool):
The Center of the Trifed Nebula
An area of star formationRight next to Sagittarius (to the west) is Scorpius, the gigantic scorpion residing in the southern summer sky! I pointed out Antares, a reddish first magnitude star, which is said to be the heart of the scorpion.
In the western sky a bright star was pointed out. That star is the first magnitude star, Arcturus, which is located in the constellation, Bootes. An easy way to find and remember several constellations in this area is to find the big dipper handle. Follow the handle from the bowl to the tip of the handle and "arc to Arcturus", now you're in Bootes, the protector of the Great Bear (The Big Dipper is just a small portion of the constellation Ursa Major). Draw a line from Arcturus towards the zenith and you'll see another bright star. Not quite as bright as Arcturus but brighter than the majority of stars in that area. That star is located in the constellation Corona Borealis, or The Northern Crown. This constellation looks like a smiley face, or a skate board ramp. If you use Corona Borealis as a skateboard ramp towards the zenith (away from Arcturus), you'll jump right into the middle of Hercules! Hercules looks like a lot like an open book or a butterfly. There are several deep sky objects in Hercules. M13 is known as the Hercules Cluster. It's a globular cluster of stars. You can check out a picture and some info here.
Have the girls go outside and find the constellations as much as possible. The more they look for them the easier they will find them. Have them share what they have found with other members of your family!
We almost completed the badge. There are just a couple of things left for the girls to do on their own. The Moon Phase worksheet I handed out is not a requirement. That was just something for them to do if they wanted to.
Requirements for the Astronomy Badge:
Some of us went to the Stargazing Party put on by the Phoenix Astronomical Society the next evening. They had their telescopes set up to view the moons of Jupiter. There was also a man with his collection of meteorites. Very cool. For those who went to the Star Party, leave a comment and share what you learned and what you liked best! (those who didn't go to the party, leave a comment and let us know what constellations you've been looking at and which one is your favorite). The astronomical society has star parties every second Thursday of the month. They are free to the public and are a great family outing. Just a reminder, they are scientists and you will be hearing things that may not jive with your views of how life, the earth, the universe, etc. came into existence. We used our experience as a great discussion on our drive home. :)
Our next unofficial meeting will be on September 21st from 2-4ish. Come hang out and play at our house.
See you next month, at my home, where Diane will be teaching Croquet!
In the western sky a bright star was pointed out. That star is the first magnitude star, Arcturus, which is located in the constellation, Bootes. An easy way to find and remember several constellations in this area is to find the big dipper handle. Follow the handle from the bowl to the tip of the handle and "arc to Arcturus", now you're in Bootes, the protector of the Great Bear (The Big Dipper is just a small portion of the constellation Ursa Major). Draw a line from Arcturus towards the zenith and you'll see another bright star. Not quite as bright as Arcturus but brighter than the majority of stars in that area. That star is located in the constellation Corona Borealis, or The Northern Crown. This constellation looks like a smiley face, or a skate board ramp. If you use Corona Borealis as a skateboard ramp towards the zenith (away from Arcturus), you'll jump right into the middle of Hercules! Hercules looks like a lot like an open book or a butterfly. There are several deep sky objects in Hercules. M13 is known as the Hercules Cluster. It's a globular cluster of stars. You can check out a picture and some info here.
Have the girls go outside and find the constellations as much as possible. The more they look for them the easier they will find them. Have them share what they have found with other members of your family!
We almost completed the badge. There are just a couple of things left for the girls to do on their own. The Moon Phase worksheet I handed out is not a requirement. That was just something for them to do if they wanted to.
Requirements for the Astronomy Badge:
- Read a book about Astronomy
- Name the planets - finished
- Name the planets from smallest to largest
- Find and identify the constellation The Big Dipper - finished
- Find and identify the constellation The Little Dipper - finished
- Find and identify the North Star - finished
- Find Cassiopeia - finished
- Find another constellation that may only be up at a certain time of the year - we found a bunch and will continue to throughout the year.
- Demonstrate how to tell directions from the sky - face the north star. Using Polaris as the top of your circle, go clockwise around and don't forget to Never Eat Slimy Worms!
- Try to find either Jupiter, Venus or Mars (find all if you're able but only one is required) - finished, we found Jupiter.
Some of us went to the Stargazing Party put on by the Phoenix Astronomical Society the next evening. They had their telescopes set up to view the moons of Jupiter. There was also a man with his collection of meteorites. Very cool. For those who went to the Star Party, leave a comment and share what you learned and what you liked best! (those who didn't go to the party, leave a comment and let us know what constellations you've been looking at and which one is your favorite). The astronomical society has star parties every second Thursday of the month. They are free to the public and are a great family outing. Just a reminder, they are scientists and you will be hearing things that may not jive with your views of how life, the earth, the universe, etc. came into existence. We used our experience as a great discussion on our drive home. :)
Our next unofficial meeting will be on September 21st from 2-4ish. Come hang out and play at our house.
See you next month, at my home, where Diane will be teaching Croquet!
� End = Astronomy
Welcome Back!
Posted on Sep. 14, 2009
I'm looking forward to another great year as we learn new skills, grow closer as a group and deepen our relationship with Christ.
We have another fun and exciting year ahead of us. Here is the line up for the year!
Linda
Diane
Jenni
Megan
Lori
Terri
Suzanne
Jen� End = Welcome Back!
How our Keepers Group came to be
Posted on Jun. 29, 2009
People often ask me about our Keepers group. How it was started, how we organize and run it, etc. Since we've had new families join our group this past year and another family joining in the fall, I thought I'd share the story of how our group came to be again. :)
Back when Emily was 5ish and we were starting her Kindergarten year, I joined a wonderful homeschool support group in our town in Ohio. It was there that I first heard of Keepers of the Faith and the group, Keepers of the Home. The woman who was sharing about Keepers was a veteran homeschooler. Her daughter was hitting junior high age and this Mom spent a lot of time encouraging and mentoring us newbie homeschoolers. She was talking about how important it is, as homeschooling moms, to find your community. Find a group of like minded people and make it a priority to form friendships with them. We get so wrapped up in schooling our kids and running them around to various activities that we neglect a vital part of our homeschool, our own personal relationships. She then talked about Keepers and how when her daughter was 8 she started a group that turned into the most wonderful group far beyond anything she could have imagined. Through the years these girls formed and strenghtened their friendships, as did the moms. These were the Moms that were there for her when her husband had a heart attack. They took care of her, prayed for her and with her, brought meals, stood vigil. They were her tangible proof that God was right there beside her loving on her and helping her through an incredibly painful time. When her husband had a second heart attack, those friends were right there again offering the same comfort and support. In short, they were there for each other through all of lifes ups and downs, joys and sorrows and it all started through her forming a small Keepers group.
As a new homeschooler amongst a bevy of friends who weren't homeschooling, I was all over that! I couldn't wait for Emily to be old enough to start our own group. Well, I blinked and when I opened my eyes after a split second, there she was, an eight year old. :) We were now living in Phoenix and I had met some people through Eastside but mainly they were moms of boys. Not exactly the demographics I was hoping for.
I prayed about starting a Keepers group and felt led to put some feelers out there. I sent out an email to the support group to find moms of daughters in the approximate age range of 7+ to see if they were interested in 1. a Mother/Daughter bookclub 2. starting a Keepers group or 3. Both. I had a pretty decent response to the bookclub, a mediocre response to Keepers and a couple who were gung-ho for both. My thoughts were to start with the bookclub and see where it progressed from there. (as a side note, we've been meeting now for 4 straight years! :) ).
God's timing is always perfect whether we are aware of it or not. Shortly after I sent out those emails I became pregnant with Jacob. Most of you lived through my last pregnancy w/ Katherine (some of you lucky ones got to experience both Jacob and Katherine!) and know I get really, really, really sick when I'm pregnant. There was no way I could have started a Keepers group with all that was going on during my pregnancy.
I shelved the Keepers idea putting it aside but not entirely out of reach. Our bookclub group in the meantime was doing really well. The girls were making friends, I was adjusting to a newborn and all was good.
Fast forward to Spring of 2007. I started praying again about forming a Keepers group. My 5 year old was now going to be 10 and I really wanted to give this a try. I put out emails again through the two support groups, Eastside and Cornerstone, to see what the interest was in starting a Keepers group for girls ages 7+.
Again I say that God's timing is impeccable. The response was incredible! I had two separate informational meetings where the moms came, I explained about the program and what my hopes were for the group. From those two meetings there would be over 20 girls participating! I will be honest and say, that made me nervous! LOL I had never started or led anything like this before. It was all new territory and I knew I was going to be learning as we went along. With all meetings held in my home, the majority of badge work being taught by me, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit intimidated.
Through the whole process I prayed and turned our group over to the Lord. I told Him, this is not MY group, it's Your group. I prayed that He would put the girls in our group together in only the way He can. I was nervous with that large number but if that was what God wanted, I was willing to go along with it. Within a couple of days of turning everything over in prayer about half of the people interested decided to start their own group. They all lived further north and thought it would be better that way.
There was a part of me that was disappointed as these were great moms and girls that I would have loved to have gotten to know better but another part of me sighed a big sigh of relief and said a huge "thank you Lord!" ;)
When our group first gathered it was special from the begining. The girls are all just incredible kids. I was blessed our first year and blessed again our past year and I'm expecting to be blessed some more this coming year.
As we prepare for our next year and are planning on coming together to discuss what we're doing, I'm again in prayer that the Lord will bless us beyond belief this year. My prayer is that friendships with the girls will blossom as well as the friendships between the moms. I know some of you are pretty close, it's my hope that everyone will feel that same closeness. That this group is a group of moms you can call on if you need anything, from a soup recipe to a shoulder to cry on. For encouraging words when our homeschool days get long and you swear the kids are using their knowledge of world history to form a coup as well as a sympathetic ear to listen as we all begin to enter new stages of motherhood as our kids enter the exciting yet challenging years of adolescence.
It is exciting to see what has become of that little spark of excitement I had so many years ago when I sat in the basement of Fairhaven Church in Dayton, Ohio listening to a mom talk. I fully believe that our group has been carefully knit together and I'm excited to see what all God has in store for us through the years.
That's the story of how this group came to be. Through a testimony and lots of prayer and waiting on God's perfect timing. Those are the best ingredients to any new beginning, lots of prayer and patience waiting for it all to fall into place according to His plans. :)
� End = How our Keepers Group came to be
Our Year in Review
Posted on Jun. 17, 2009
I hope you enjoy looking back at our past year! See you in August.
� End = Our Year in Review
Sign Language
Posted on Apr. 8, 2009
Suzanne led our last meeting of the month, Sign Language. What a fun and informative meeting. Suzanne worked as an Audiologist before kids and had studied sign language for many years. She did an awesome job teaching all of us not only the history of sign language but how to sign John 3:16, Jesus Loves Me and we all learned the alphabet. What has been so cool is since our meeting we have witnessed sign language on several occasions now out in the real world. Such a beautiful language.
Thanks Suzanne! It was an awesome way to wrap up another year.
� End = Sign Language
Miniatures
Posted on Mar. 11, 2009
Tonight Jeni taught the girls how to make miniature scenes out of clay. Again, I wasn't there for the night and if anyone wants to add what happened, please do so! :)
Jen graciously sent me a couple of pictures from Elizabeth's project. Thanks Jen and
Elizabeth. :) I also have a picture of Anna's creation with the extra clay.Thanks Jenni for hosting. The girls had a lot of fun creating w/ clay.
Elizabeth's creation at the meeting
Elizabeth's Solar System
Anna's Village
� End = Miniatures
Latch Hook
Posted on Feb. 11, 2009
Here are pictures from our night of latch hooking. Since I wasn't able to stick around, I can't share any more details than these pictures. Anyone who was there want to add anything? Please do so!
Opening:
Singing our hymn for the month
Working by candlelight, like Laura Ingalls Wilder
Finished!More Pics!
� End = Latch Hook
Ceramics part 2
Posted on Feb. 8, 2009
For our second get together in January, Jen sent out an invitation to any who could make it to come and paint their pieces. A few of the girls were able to attend Again, I couldn't make it so I can't talk about it (anyone want to share, please feel free to :) ) but Jenni graciously offered to take my girls so they didn't miss out! They came home on cloud nine so I could tell they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
We were able to pick up our pieces after they fired them again this past week. I wish I had my camera with me so I could have snapped a shot of everyone's pieces, they were really, really good!
When you all go to pick up your pieces, make sure to take some pictures and send them to me and I'll add them here. :)
Pictures!!
� End = Ceramics part 2
Ceramics
Posted on Jan. 12, 2009
Tonights meeting was organized by Jen. Jen organized a lesson on a potters wheel at a local ceramic studio. The girls all got a chance to throw some pottery and to make clay creations. I wasn't able to attend but from the excitement in my girls when they came home, they had a lot of fun! If anyone else wants to share about this evening, please do so! :) I'll post pictures of the event as they come in from the gals who attended.
Thanks Jen for organizing this fun outing!
Here are the pictures from Jen. If anyone wants to add anything, let me know. :)
� End = Ceramics
Tea Party
Posted on Dec. 10, 2008
Lori led our meeting tonight where we learned about hosting a proper tea party. The table was beautifully set when we all arrived with all sorts of scrumptious looking treats to tempt us all.
Waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive
There were place cards laid out for each girl as well as a beautiful ornament that they will be able to keep to remember this special time in their lives.
The girls enjoyed their tea party, sampling all the different food and chatting.
Giving thanks.
Lori serving tea
A little too much of a good thing! :)
Giving thanks.Lori serving teaWhile the girls ate and chatted, the moms were busy having their own tea party. :)
A little too much of a good thing! :)After the girls ate and drank their tea, Lori had a game prepared for the girls to get to know each other better.
Singing our hymn for the month
Lori leading the girls in their devotion. We're continuing on with Patience.
Singing our hymn for the monthLori leading the girls in their devotion. We're continuing on with Patience.
Friends. :)
The girls all had a wonderful time. Thank you Lori and Alexandra for hosting this month and teaching us a little about tea parties! :)
Saying Goodbye - serious pose
Saying goodbye - natural pose
Saying Goodbye - serious poseSaying goodbye - natural pose� End = Tea Party
Teaching
Posted on Nov. 12, 2008
Our meeting tonight was on teaching. The girls came prepared to tell the group their favorite verse and why as well as their favorite Proverb with a visual to explain the Proverb.
Terri led our meeting tonight and opened with our prayer, verse, goal and purpose. Then she read some more from our book on Patience (is everyone practicing what we're learning? :) ).
Terri led our meeting tonight and opened with our prayer, verse, goal and purpose. Then she read some more from our book on Patience (is everyone practicing what we're learning? :) ).
Once the opening was over the girls began their presentations. I loved seeing their creativity.
After the verse and Proverb demonstrations, the girls were divided into two groups to learn and act out two parables.
The Prodigal Son Cast
The Good Samaritan Cast
Explaining their parts - Prodigal Son
The father is so happy to see his son return!
Practicing - The Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan helping
It was another fun night. Thanks girls for your efforts and thanks Terri for working so hard to put it all together.
� End = Teaching
Dough Making
Posted on Oct. 26, 2008
For our "extra" meeting this month we made Christmas cookie dough to freeze away for the holidays. YUM.
We made four different doughs, doubling the recipe, if needed, to make sure every family received enough dough for 1 dozen cookies of each type. All of our dough is now safely frozen away waiting for Christmas time to come around.
It was a fun day and a really enjoyable way to make Christmas dough. I'd love to have all the helpers come back over and make even more dough to squirrel away. 
� End = Dough Making
Foreign Language
Posted on Oct. 8, 2008
Originally we were scheduled to play croquet tonight. However, the lack of light and hard ground necessitated a quick change for our badge work. I had the girls come prepared to talk about a foreign language of their choice. It was fun listening to them as they attempted to say several phrases and recite John 3;16 in their chosen language.
We opened our evening going through our verse, purpose, goal and prayer. We then sang our hymn for the month, Be Thou My Vision. It was so sweet listening to the girls singing the hymn. We then did a brief devotional on Patience. We'll be working through the Keepers character study book on Patience. Each week we'll do a little more in the book until we're through. By then we should all have patience in every situation, right??? ;-)
Spanish
Talking about the Country Ecuador
Italian Gals
Talking about Italy
More information about Italy
Norwegian talking about Norway of course
Swahili talking about Tanzania
Germantalking about Germany
After the girls presentations we enjoyed some pumpkin fudge and running around the dark yard. :)
We're looking forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks for Christmas cookie dough making!
� End = Foreign Language
Welcome Back
Posted on Sep. 19, 2008
We had a great night of swimming and fellowship. I'm looking forward to another exciting year.
We started our meeting off going over the basics for our new girls. Memorizing the verse, goal and purpose of Keepers. I also handed out CD's I burned of 7 hymns and the lyrics to go along with them. We will be learning a new hymn every month and singing them when we get together. :) Next, I handed out gifts to our birthday girls, Anna and Hannah. Anna's birthday was over the summer and Hannah's is this month. Unfortunately, Rachel and Elizabeth, who were also our birthday girls (Elizabeth in Aug., Rachel this month) were unable to be here, but there bags were given to them a day or so after our meeting.
After the general announcements were over, we headed out to the pool where the girls had fun swimming and munching while the moms enjoyed sitting around chatting. The looming lightening didn't deter the girls as they swam. Once the wind started to pick up and the lightening seemed a little closer (and lower) we got the girls out of the water. That didn't stop anyones fun. The girls just ate and ran around the yard instead, while the moms continued to chat by the pool enjoying the refreshing cool breezes that the storm brought in.
Looking forward to next month where we're back at my house to play a rousing game (or two) of croquet! Don't forget to work on memorizing your hymn for the month, Be Thou My Vision, as well as the verse, goal and purpose of Keepers (found at the beginning of your book). Also, make sure you bring your Keepers book to every meeting.
I hope you enjoy the few pictures I was able to snap in between all the jumping and swimming. :)
Night shot
Saying Goodnight
� End = Welcome Back
New Year!
Posted on Sep. 7, 2008
We'll be starting our new year this week! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again and to welcome some new girls into our group. Here is our upcoming schedule for the year:
September: Welcome back swim party
October: Croquet
November: Teaching
December: Tea Party
January: Ceramics
February: Miniatures
March: Latch Hook
April: Sign Language
May: Banquet/Awards Ceremony
November: Teaching
December: Tea Party
January: Ceramics
February: Miniatures
March: Latch Hook
April: Sign Language
May: Banquet/Awards Ceremony
Praying for you all as we begin our new year full of changes, getting to know each other better and making new friends.
Don't forget to check back in here periodically for updates and pictures of what we have been doing. If you have something to add, let me know. This is a blog for us all to use.
Make sure to visit often and leave comments!
� End = New Year!
Our Year in Review
Posted on Jul. 31, 2008
I hope you enjoy looking back over our past year. :-)
� End = Our Year in Review
Banquet and Awards Ceremony
Posted on May. 16, 2008
For our end of the year ceremony we had an Ice Cream Sundae party!! Siblings, grandparents and all the moms joined in the fun as we celebrated our first year of Keepers coming to an end.
My girls helped me set our table with various items that represented what we worked on over the past 9 months. It was fun coming up with something that represented our Ice Skating badge. :) Emily made an ice rink complete with a paper Zamboni. I had a fun quiz for the girls to fill out as they arrived and were waiting for everyone else to get there. The questions went over various things we learned this past year. The girls looked at the table for clues to help answer some of the questions. They did a great job filling out the quiz. One thing that has been fun for me is to watch all their different personalities as they've tackled various assignments. The quiz was no different. Some were determined to get that quiz completed! Every answer filled in. Others, looked at it, answered a couple of questions and were done. Both were perfectly acceptable ways to approach this quiz. We had personalities that varied from more intense, "let's get down to work and finish this task" to more laid back "it'll get done when it gets done" and some in between. The one thing they all had in common was how incredibly sweet and kind they all were. They all have such a love of Jesus in their hearts, it's really neat to see.
After everyone was there and quizzes were "graded"
we had our ice cream sundaes. We scooped out the ice cream (or dairy free sorbet) into the bowls and the girls, their siblings and invited guests, took them to the table where they could top it however they liked. Yum!
Once the bowls were licked clean and everyone cleaned up, it was time to hand out the badges. The girls accomplished so much this year and through it all kept wonderful positive attitudes, even when things were hard.
When planning our banquet, one of the moms suggested handing out roses to our daughters. I thought it was a great idea. I told the moms to be prepared to say something about their daughters as they presented them with their rose. It was tough keeping our eyes dry as we all took turns telling our daughters what special girls they are and just how much they mean to us. Our daughters didn't quite understand why we were all teary eyed, but one day they will.
Thanks girls and moms for a fun year!
� End = Banquet and Awards Ceremony
Week 15 Ice Skating
Posted on May. 5, 2008
For our last badge of the season we went ice skating! We had a variety of skills, from never on the ice before to pretty confident. After our half hour lesson everyone was standing on their own, knew how to come to a fast stop and could skate backwards! What an accomplishment. :) The girls spent the next one and a half hours skating around the rink practicing their skills and having a blast.
Learning how to fall down
Listening to the instructor
Lesson over, the girls are ready to skate!
Everyone did an absolutely fabulous job skating and passed their badge work with flying colors. Way to go girls!
To earn the ice skating badge the girls need to:
Learning how to fall downListening to the instructorLesson over, the girls are ready to skate!Everyone did an absolutely fabulous job skating and passed their badge work with flying colors. Way to go girls!
To earn the ice skating badge the girls need to:
- Be able to skate one mile by yourself. We decided that 10 laps around the rink equaled about 1 mile.
- Learn to skate backwards and demonstrate to your leader (or Mom).
- Learn to come to a quick stop without falling or depending on anyone or anything to stop you.
� End = Week 15 Ice Skating
Week 13 Soap Making
Posted on Apr. 5, 2008
For our last meeting we made soap. One of our Mom's led the girls in the fine art of soap making and another mom, who wanted to learn how to make soap, was her helper. Since I was outside with yet another one of the Mom's helping with the younger siblings, I wasn't around to get the details of what went on. I was able to jump in every now and then and snap some pictures so I will share those with you. Thanks Jen for leading the group in soap making. The girls enjoyed it, I could tell by their big smiles and excited responses when I asked them. 
Each girl had their own shape mold to make colored and scented soaps. These molds were theirs to take home. They also made a conditioning bar and a bar of exfoliating soap. The larger bars were still cooling at the close of our meeting, so they will be picked up when we meet again.
Bar Soaps
Molded soaps
Each girl had their own shape mold to make colored and scented soaps. These molds were theirs to take home. They also made a conditioning bar and a bar of exfoliating soap. The larger bars were still cooling at the close of our meeting, so they will be picked up when we meet again.
Bar SoapsMolded soapsTo earn the Soap Badge the girls need to:
- Make soap using fragrance and color.
- Make one body scrub soap.
- Make one conditioning soap.
� End = Week 13 Soap Making