Homeschooling 4 growing boys in Canberra, Australia and having the time of our life! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:19:00 -0600 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:19:00 -0600 What's unusual about this photo? Those of you have have been to the ASF will know that this picture is not out of the ordinary... Daleks are common place in this arena.  Andrew doesn't usually come with us to the Science Festival because we go during the week.  This year, they decided at the last minute to hold it in May, rather than August, so we came on the Saturday to book into some of the things that interested us. There was still some "fun" things in the main hall.  Mark got to dress up at the fire brigade stall: and NICTA had a great exhibit.  The boys tested out their endurance and speed, the results being recorded by use of sensors. Zac tried to build a sustainable environment on "Catchment Detox", drawing the others into the game. and the boys got to see how cotton is taken from the plant and processed. After a short lesson in areodynamics, and some rocket building, we went to a seminar on "CSI: Fact or Fiction?", learning about the work of forensic scientists.  The boys also went to a session on The Square Kilometre Array. Unfortunately, Andrew didn't get to the Science of Beer seminar and after a full day at the convention centre, we decided not to go out star gazing that night.  They did have some light hearted fun at the end of the day though: ...all in the name of Science!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/746798/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:19:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/746798/ Back in May, we went to the CSIRO for an excursion, looking at "mini beasts".  In this category are some rather large insects and spiders!  We asked Oma to come along... and Mark, being the grown-up boy he is, joined in too.  In this photo, he's making the sounds of a cricket.  It was a "hands on" affair, and some, like Adam, got taken aback at some of the little creatures: some things required closer examination.... some puzzles had to be solved... and some things were just a lot of fun... so, if you are not "squimish" in any way, and want to see some these creatures in action, a hands on workshop like this one, is a great way to learn more. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/746791/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:09:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/746791/ Back in June, we had another Geography Night with one of the homeschooling groups here.  Each family chooses a country, does some research and brings things along on the night.  Each country has a designated space and we set up a display to showcase them up the back.  We had fun finding things on Belgium and even went to the Embassy to get some brochures and information guides.  I think our display was frequented more than the others because of the Belgian chocolate but hey, why not make the experience more enjoyable? We had a fantastic dinner with traditional cuisine of all the countries available to sample... I made "Water Zooi" for the main course.  Literally, it means "watery mess" and it's a rich Belgian chicken stew. I found a recipe online so if you want to try it, go ahead and look it up.  It's REALLY nice.  Our dessert contribution was chocolate and of course, Belgian waffles. After dinner, the children presented a short talk on their chosen country.  Unfortunately some went a bit long, but the talks were informative.  It was Adam's first time up the front and he did well with his part, despite being nervous.  It was good practice anyway. ...and of course, the reason WHY we chose to do Belgium? We did learn a lot more about Belgium than just comics... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/745546/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:39:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/745546/ I know that I have not blogged in a while and have about six month's worth of entries to put in.  It's been hard to be motivated, then technology has let me down a few times and the moments I could have used are gone. Anyway, I do want to try and catch up as I can. Back in May, my mum invited us to join her and Bill in Nowra.  Having never explored this area before, it sounded like a great idea. One of the first places we went was a small, historical craft village called Jindi Andi.  There were some things left over from convict days and it was a nice afternoon spent in the sun, poking around the old fashioned "lolly shop", craft store and souvenir shop.  Here's some photos: This grain mill was built with convict labour in the 1830s. Interesting tree in the gardens... and other "interesting amenities... On the next day, I took the boys to the "Fleet Air Arm" museum.  Though it sounds strange, I think the boys quickly caught on to the idea that the Air Force doesn't have all the planes - the Navy needs to have its own complementary force. It did take us a while to get into the building because a helicopter was just getting readying for take-off and we HAD to stop and watch that. The favourite exhibit was the helicopter simulator - the boys had to try and make it land on a carrier out at sea.  No prizes for guessing what happened if they didn't quite make their landing :) The museum had a great collection of planes and the boys learned about the sinking of the HMAS Sydney, World War 2 bombing raids launched from the sea, and how a plane can be collapsed to fit in storage on a ship. We were there for most of the day and had a great time. On the final day, we had to pack up and leave - but not without seeing the beach!  Those of you who know Nowra, it's just inland from the coast.  So we, traveled out to Shoalhaven Heads, had a run around on the beach, morning tea and then headed home. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/745478/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/745478/ Well,  after mucking around for over half an hour, I've updated my bookshelf on Facebook and here on the blog.  Facebook has more of the books I'm reading for pleasure and the blog has the ones that either I'm reading or the boys are reading. We love books here and always have one on hand.  I bought a Roy & Matilda book today but forgot to add it to the shelf.  These books, as well as the Katie ones, are great for Art appreciation.  I like it that there's some Aussie ones too.  Unfortunately, it's harder to get the Roy & Matilda ones but The Gallery Mice, pictured below is still available.  I got mine through the National Library bookshop.  Roy & Matilda have adventures in three Australian Art Galleries.  The Gallery Mice is set in Melbourne, The Mysterious Music is from the Queensland Art Gallery and The Golden Locket features the NSW Art Gallery.  They are worth looking at with younger ones, though check and see if your library has them.  Our library has The Golden Locket and The Mysterious Music. You can investigate further at: http://www.edwinapublishing.com/titles.html http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/733942/ Wed, 7 Oct 2009 01:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/733942/ Canberra Theatre Centre in association with the Royal Military College host the Music at Midday Concerts six times a year, with proceeds supporting many local charities.  This celebration of the Big Band sound has grown from its humble beginnings and now attracts hundreds of Canberra residents at each performance. The lunchtime concerts, held at 11am and 12.30pm showcase the talents of the RMC Band and presented with Canberra Theatre Centre provides an opportunity to give something back to the community. Entry to the concerts is by gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to a local charity. (Taken from the Canberra Theatre website) What do Guinness, Waterford Crystal, Robert Boyle and the Irish Ambassador have to do with Music at Midday?  Well, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Guinness, the band decided to hold an Irish style concert and invite the Ambassador along.  They talked about all things Irish, and many things that were not, as they joked, laughed and played their way through the concert. The band played two national anthems, not one and some great pieces:  An Irish Rhapsody, St Patrick's Day March, Finnegan's Wake and Riverdance.  Joined by a male soloist, some ballads were sung:  "What would I be?"  "What's in a Kiss?" and "Danny Boy", all adding to the Irish flavour. Toward the end of the program was a surprising number : "The Irish Blessing". This sort of item should be expected but I'll explain why it touched me.  During the concert, the versatility of this group easily became apparent and several musicians changed instruments and positions within the ensemble.  When they reached the blessing, they stood as one, instruments down and sang accapella, with some nice harmonies.  I wasn't prepared for that and it was just lovely. We enjoy going to these concerts as the conductor has a great rapport with the audience and the band shows how much they love their music and performing it for us. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/731806/ Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/731806/ Yesterday, I took the boys to see the McCubbin exhibition on the the National Art Gallery. Though Frederick McCubbin is most well known for his earlier works depicting the Australian Bush (see picture below), this exhibition was more about his later works. "The Pioneer" McCubbin went on a trip to Europe and England in the early 1900s, saw many of the Impressionist and Pointillist paintings on display there and came back with a new vision for his painting.  His work became less about telling a story, such a in "The Pioneer" and "Down on His Luck" and more about the scene, the landscape, being the focus. The guide who took us through the tour was just wonderful.  She spent time teaching the children how to study a painting - the foreground, middle ground, background, the underpainting that would have been done on canvasses, and tools used to paint and create certain techniques.  She also got them to examine colour, especially the use of complementary colours throughout his later work.  One painting "Violet and Gold" even has those aspects highlighted in the name. "Violet and Gold" 1911 Our guide was enthusiastic, focusing on the atmosphere, light, the reflections and moods of each picture.  One, showing two men using a double saw to cut down a fallen tree, she described as "mesmerizing".  The absorption of the men, the rhythm of the work was instantly evoked in this painting.  I loved the fact that our guide didn't talk down to the children but rather explained terms and descriptions as she went along. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the art work.  My younger two, with me in this group, found it interesting as well and they want to see McCubbin's earlier work.  We'll have to schedule that in when we next visit Melbourne, which houses the best collection of Australian Impressionists in Federation Sq.  For those who can, go to the exhibition, it is a wonderful collection, set out beautifully in the temporary exhibition hall.  You have until 1 November but I would suggest NOT leaving it until the last minute! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/730171/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/730171/ Well, Andrew is changing laptops, the iPhoto libraries need to be merged between computers and I just haven't had the will power to sit in the kitchen at night, in the cold to catch up on photo bound entries. We did have a homeschooling meeting this week and were asked to think about what books/curriculum was working for us.  I only had a few to bring along and I'll share them here as well. We've just finished using "Small Talks on Big Questions" for our night time devotions.  The book goes through the questions of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, eg.  Who made you?  What else did God make?  Why did God make you and all things?  Who wrote the Bible? These Q & As give a great summary from the Bible and it's up to you whether you want your children to learn them.  After going through a few questions, there are two stories based on that theme - usually one from the Bible and one from History - told in a narrative form.  There's great questions at the end to get you thinking further. Availabie in Australia from www.reformersbooks.com.au or Amazon in the US We did about 25 minutes of this workshop video, "Logic in 100 minutes" this week.  Even though it is a great resource and gives a wonderful overview of logic and the various arguments that you need to identify, it's too much info in one go for my children right now.  We also own "The Fallacy Detective" so I'm going to go through the section on Propaganda with them as a discussion and then we'll flick the video back on.  Older kids would cope with moving through this video at a faster rate. Available from christianbook.com. We've also been making our way through this 3 volume series called "Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution"  WE just did the second DVD this morning.  It is providing a Christian perspective for the boys and countering some "fact" statements made by evolutionists.  We're also borrowing David Attenborough's series "Planet Earth" from the library so they are hearing the evolutionist side and seeing some stunning pictures as well. This is available from Word in Australia at a great price and is readily available in the US ( Christianbook, AiG, etc) Another resource that we've been enjoying is the newly reprinted "Our Sunburnt Country".  I've long admired this work but we are now using it in our Australian History lessons and I'm appreciating having such a good spine at my fingertips.  It gives brief and yet detailed information about the main events in our history.  Told in an easy to read style, it can stand alone or be the base from which you add more to a topic. The boys are liking it and I can't recommend it enough for those with children aged 8 and up.  Available from downunderlit.com in Australia. The last book is one that I have recently purchased but have not found time to use as yet.  Christianbook had some sample pages you can look at.  I liked the idea of having a starting point from which to build for story writing. Got any top picks of your own? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/702588/ Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:53:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/702588/ I am WAY behind with my blogging and hope to do some back-dated entries soon to catch up.  I've finally uploaded a whole stack of photos onto shutterfly, so I'll get onto this soon! On Friday 29 May, we had the long awaited "Pearls of Lutra Day".  It had effectively been postponed twice, so it was great to finally celebrate this book with a group of friends. The Redwall Book Club here is always changing as some move away and others join so it was lovely to see that dynamic at play. As usual, we started with introductions but this time, I asked the children to mention their fav part of the book.  We got some interesting and hilarious answers!!  Food and a naughty little Arven rated highly in the responses. Stevie as Clecky, Zac as Rasconza, Adam as Gowja and Mark as Arven After some indoor games, we walked down the street near the dam and had a sword tournament.  One of the mums had asked for the swords to be more than decoration, so we put our thinking caps together and came up with the tournament idea.  Stevie then took over and worked out all of the rounds, based on the child's age/ability.  Here's a couple of photos from that: The contest of the tournament.  These two were locked in combat for most of the tournament until we finally had to institute "sudden death". We only had one sword casualty, and it was Stephen's sword that cracked in half.  Most of the children survived in good humour, so that was good. The next item on the agenda was a pearl hunt.  The children were divided into groups and given clues to start them off.  Following the clues in the book, they then had to find where all the other pearls would be hidden, either down by the dam or at the Burnet's house.  It was a good idea, in theory, but in the rush to get it all organised the night before, I numbered the clues incorrectly which threw everyone out.  A bit of re-explanation en-route saw most groups able to continue and work out the rest of the hiding places. We then went inside, compared notes and each group had a turn at saying the Sister Cicely tongue twister on a time limit.  After this, the fav part of any Redwall Day occurred - the feast!! The horde listening to Mrs Kirky give the wonderful food introductions... ...and of course, some quick snaps of the food on offer - We had a lively quiz time after lunch - with chanting that has been louder than I've experienced before - they really got into it!  Then, in the same groups as earlier, teams went out and practiced acting out a scene from the book to present to the rest of us.  This was a lot of fun and there some great choices. At the close, we probably shouted out the neighbourhood by doing all the war cries from the books - my ears were certainly ringing for a while! Most took their time packing up and going home and one little Dibbun just couldn't wait any longer for a sleep... We had a great day and thanks go to the kitchen crew and the Burnets for hosting us.  That family has been sick this week, so thanks for rising above the oncoming symptoms to have us for the day. A special mention to some of the older ones who really helped out and my own older boys.  Stephen and Zac typed out a lot of clues, the door welcome was Zac's creation this time and Stevie organised the whole sword tournament.  All these things made it easier for me and much more fun for everyone. So, until next time.........REDWALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/695994/ Thu, 4 Jun 2009 18:38:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/695994/ Well, we didn't sing the song but the rain has stayed away from us during our first three days in England and it looks like it will be sunny for the last day we are here too. We arrived late Friday night, and although it was slightly overcast on Saturday, it really has been fantastic here. Saturday was spent looking at some sights in the local area.  Down the road is Fishbourne Palace, an excavated site with extensive Roman ruins.  That was interesting both in inside the building and also for the gardens.  After a quick lunch,and because it was starting to get very windy, we moved on and went for a walk in Bosham Hoe.  This walk takes you down to the harbour, where you can see a lot of small villages dotted along the landscape and the boats, which go from being dry docked in low tide, to being well anchored for high tide.  There's even some streets on the harbour's edge that warn that cars parked in the area will be flooded in high tide. What better way to finish the day than at the local pub?  Well, almost the most local one...  This one was a good family pub and the meals were large and well priced.  We had a great dinner there before feeding some ducks at the water's edge and going home. Sunday was spent at church in the morning and visiting my brother-in-law's parents in the afternoon.  We walked along a stretch of beach near their house and even saw some people engaged in beach cricket!  Later on, Maya went to a birthday party and we just came home to rest - after all, we had a big night ahead of us...we were going to have wine, cheese, olives, grapes and other nibbles in a shared meal. Yes, it was a nice night.   Today, we woke to another sunny day.  We travelled in to London, which took just over 90 minutes from the south coast.  We had arranged to go to the British Museum and then after a couple of hours, meet up with our friends, the den Dulks. It was great that they made the effort to travel almost 90mins from north of London to meet up with us and we then spent the rest of the afternoon together, in the British Museum and walking around London. After saying goodbye, Andrew & I then headed back to Waterloo Station so that we could go south again.  Not quite ready to end our day, we walked around the Southbank, behind the London Eye and had a quick dinner in the area.  We then began the long train journey south, surrounded by more people journeying home at this time of day! Tomorrow is our last day here before we begin our trip back home to Australia.  I won't write about it now but will leave it until we get back. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/681059/ Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JocelynJames/681059/