Tea Cups in the Garden
• May. 8, 2008 - How We Use The Bridge to the Latin Road
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My friend, Pam, has also been asking me about the The Bridge to the Latin Road.
This is a new product that arrived on the market last spring. Because my son had excellent grammar skills, I was considering starting him in LRTEG I this year. He is a brilliant thinker who is easily bored and needs a challenge. Yet he was fearful that Latin would be too challenging for him, even though he wants to study it. My main concern was his ability to do the copy work, which he detests. When we looked at the Bridge last year, we decided to use that this year. It is sold by the same company that sells LRTEG and is the bridge between their phonics program and LRTEG.
Although I do not feel it is essential to do the Bridge before starting LRTEG, I do see some positive results from doing it. The Bridge incorporates lots of dictation into the daily work. DS has learned to hold large chunks of information in his head by copying dictation. At the beginning of the year he struggled to hold a simple sentence in his head. Now he can hold large chunks of information. This ability to hold large chunks of information is a skill rarely used in today’s society. However, our forefathers were able to do this with ease, since they had to rely on auditory skills more than we do today in our visually driven world.
In addition, ds has conquered the copywork issue! It’s still not his favorite thing to do, but he has disciplined himself to copy. This is a kinesthetic aspect to learning that can engage the brain more actively than reading. In addition, he is building an impressive English grammar reference notebook!
The idea behind the Bridge is compared to that of a journeyman, who has learned basic foundational skills as an apprentice in learning phonics, spelling, etc. The word picture used for the journeyman is one of a builder who learns framing codes, scaffolding, framing keys, and design codes. The imagery doesn’t go into detail within the lessons. However, certain "journeyman" terms are used for grammar concepts.
The student gets a notebook, construction pencils (regular, red and blue) and a scaffolding tool (6" ruler).
The notebook is in three parts: Framing Codes, Sentences to Analyze, and Design Codes. The teacher notebook looks the same as the student's, except the pages are the answer keys. Also, the student's pages only have writing on one side, whereas the teacher's pages have writing on both sides. I think this makes room for the lesson plans and DVDs to be stored.
In front are the lesson plans. In front of that are the DVDs for each week (for the teacher). There are usually only 4 days of lessons in each week. There are 36 weeks of lessons.
The Framing Codes are divided into parts of speech as well as sentences, phrases and clauses. Each day I dictate a definition and then a sentence, which ds copies.
Then he marks and labels, using his red pencil for some special parts. Marking is done differently with different programs. I marked one way in high school, another way with A Beka, and yet a bit differently with the Bridge. Marking is basically identifying the part of speech of each word, usually with symbols. The value of the marking with the Bridge, is that it is the same marking that will be used in LRTEG when parsing sentences and working on translations. When dd and I started LRTEG some of this marking was new and took a little getting used to, although it was not a problem. It is now second nature to us. Here’s an example of a marked sentence and the diagramming underneath.
In our daily lesson, after ds marks the sentence, he reviews or learns to scaffold, or diagram that part of speech. Then we’ll usually go to the Sentences to Analyze section for more sentences to dictate, copy, mark and scaffold. I’ll dictate 3-6 sentences a day for him to copy, mark and scaffold, reinforcing the concepts he has learned. When scaffolding, the scaffolding tool (ruler) is used to make straight lines. However, my son prefers not to use this. 
The Design Codes are introduced later in the year and teaches Latin prefixes, bases and suffixes. There are vocabulary cards to move around (kinesthetic) to study these. (My son prefers not to use them. His learning style is to talk about everything he does!) There is a regular pencil for the base word, red pencil to copy the prefix and a blue pencil to copy the suffix. (My son does use the pencils! Hooray!) A few prefixes, bases and suffixes are taught each time. Many of these he will see again in Latin. All of them he learns to use to form nouns or verbs in our daily language. The flash cards are meant to be manipulated to try to form the words from the prefixes and suffixes. He learns about assimilation, when a word part doesn’t match the flash card. This is usually because something like "ob-pose" was difficult to say so it assimilated into "op-pose." This answers the questions he always used to ask me about some of our English spelling rules not lining up! Then there are the word parts that don’t follow the rules because it changed through the French and got tweaked. Spelling has made a lot more sense studying language of origin!
Included are cute grammar tunes to learn the parts of speech. My son doesn’t enjoy these and prefers to get to real work! There is also a set of flash cards to play a verb memory game to learn irregular verb forms, though he wasn’t interested in that either! (You can see these in the photo above of the teacher book and DVDs) I don't worry about the parts my son doesn't enjoy to learn with. I like a curriculum that has lots of options. What doesn't work for one child might be the hip thing for a later child. Also I just take a good solid curriculum and match that to how my dc best work. I think this is the best flexibility of all. Curriculums can often be tweaked to match a child! =)
The Bridge is meant for grades 3-6. It can be a boost before LRTEG I, but it is not essential. Yes, wonderful skills are taught like dictation, copy work, parsing and diagramming sentences as well as the study of affixes to build vocabulary. However, if a junior high or high school student was looking at this before starting LRTEG I, I would highly recommend just starting LRTEG I. My dd and I started LRTEG I before the Bridge even came out. However, I do feel that any strong grammar program, and there are many, will adequately prepare a child to begin LRTEG I. =)
Nevertheless, I feel that the best value of the Bridge, is the dictation. Although we have previously used an excellent grammar program, it was merely a matter of looking at the sentence and parsing it. The Bridge takes parsing sentences to a higher level of thinking through dictation. While holding that information in the mind, the brain has to actively engage and interact with the sentence, and the student becomes more aware of what the sentence is actually saying and doing. This in itself, is precisely what my son needed to be fully prepared to start LRTEG I next school year!
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• May. 7, 2008 - How We Use LRTEG
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I chose Latin Road to English Grammar for our Latin studies. Liking the reputation it had for being clear and through for the teacher, I was sold! Also it had exactly what I wanted my children to do without a lot of extra map work and history readings on ancient Rome. It is a multisensory program for the older child. My children do not like lots of fingerplays, dittys or color sheets. They want the real thing. So this was perfect! LRTEG is so thourough in comparing Latin to English grammar, that no other English grammar study is required. It sounded to me as though this program would effectively and clearly teach Latin while relating it to English grammar. We are now almost done with Book II and we have found all of the above to be exactly what we expected.
For books I and II, I have purchased the Big Fat Latin Special! LOL It comes with the teacher set (notebook with lesson plans, answer keys and charts, tests, worksheets, textbook, vocabulary cards and audio CD), student set (notebook, colored paper, colored pens, textbook, comprehensive reference guide), DVDs (for the teacher) and Latin dictionary. This reference guide is full of everything we learn from the three volumes. Yes, there is more information on the back.
My friend, Pam, was asking me how I use LRTEG. I try to begin my preparations for each chapter by first reading through the chapter in the textbook. Then I read the lesson plans. Then I watch the DVD. The DVDs are only for the teacher. Here the author further explains the lessons to be taught. Then she translates several sentences. This has been the most beneficial to me. I get to see how she analyzes a sentence and makes choices. If there is more than one correct answer, she discusses that and explains why both work. If one is better than the other, she explains why. Wow, this has been the most phenomenal part of the teaching package!
Then I cut out the vocabulary cards for the chapter and start studying them. Ideally, I would have cut all of them out at the beginning of the year, then had them laminated. (I knocked over a glass of tea on night while pouring over a map with dh for our summer vacation, and guess what got wet? sigh) I store the cards in a pretty box I purchased for half off at Hobby Lobby. Looks like I'll need a bigger box to add next year's cards from Book III.
These vocabulary cards are wonderful! They are color coded for part of speech, stimulating the brain’s visual areas. The nouns come in three different colors, depending on whether they are masculine, feminine or neutral. The color coding definitely helps cue the memory in the brain. On the front is the Latin. On the back is the English, a derivative (to expand vocabulary), and the chapter number when the word is introduced.
I try to review all vocabulary daily. When I can’t do that, I do the new vocabulary daily and the rest at least weekly. Memorization is essential to quickly completing the translations. Because my brain does not memorize like it used to, I make use of the charts and vocabulary cards when doing the translations. All of the charts are stored in the teacher's notebook in page protectors.
I paste the verb charts onto foam board. These portable bulletin boards are easily pulled out when needed, then easily slipped between the wall and cabinet when we’re done! It is so cool to look at these charts and see the patterns and relationships of each of the verb forms. Seeing the charts in this arrangement helps us to see the patterns and that helps our memory.
My dd uses the audio CD daily to drill new vocabulary and information, which targets the audio portion of the brain. Then she starts her lesson. Usually on day 2 of the chapter she learns her new vocabulary. She copies these on color coded paper with color coded pens for her Latin notebook. There is also a way to fold the paper after copying, to allow for ease of studying derivative forms and from Latin to English or English to Latin.
When learning new Latin syntax, LRTEG compares it to the English first. This makes a terrific review of English, and forms a bridge to learning the Latin. In the end we realize we understand the English grammar better than before!
There is copy work for the first few days of each chapter, which targets the kinesthetic portion of the brain. Each day dd is building her Latin notebook more and more. This will be a wonderful reference tool while studying more Latin, digging into English, or learning other foreign languages.
Translations start in the second half of the chapter in small bites. Instead of translating a complex sentence, we usually start with phrases, or decline nouns or conjugate verbs. We eventually work towards translating Latin sentences to English which is pretty easy. The most challenging is translating English sentences to Latin, yet doable! LOL
In Book I the student follows a reading on the CD. This might be "Adeste Fideles" at Christmas, the Pledge of Allegiance, Scripture, or something from ancient Roman writings. In Book II we start actually translating these. We are always surprised at how much easier these are than we first feared! DD did one of the readings, The Lord's Prayer in Latin, at our TOG Year 1 Unit 4 celebration of Ancient Rome.
Then we do a worksheet for each chapter. This does a terrific job of reviewing every concept taught in the chapter. Every other chapter has a test.
I have my own copies of the textbook, notebook, worksheets and tests. I do my own work and I follow along with dd.
LRTEG is so well laid out, that if we ever forget how to use a part of speech in the Latin, we can easily look it up in the table of contents from our textbooks.
Here is my Latin, all spread out. DD has everything memorized so she doesn't need to spread out! LOL I have the answer key to my left, the textbook in front of me and the vocabulary cards to my right. I'd do this a couple of times a week, while I am popping up and down doing other things like cleaning house, helping the dc, answering e-mails, etc.
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• May. 6, 2008 - Why Latin?
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My friend, Pam, has requested some information on our Latin studies. Four years ago I never dreamed that something like this would happen. I never expected to learn Latin much less tell anyone else about it. I knew homeschoolers who actually studied Latin, but I never understood why. Then I started learning about the benefits of classical education and I was sold! My 15yod began her Latin studies 2 years ago. I’ve been studying to keep up with her and I am convinced that Latin, indeed, has many benefits, including preparing a student for the SAT exam and even impacting our world. Here are some of the reasons why.
Latin study increases vocabulary skills. Because much of our language is derived from Latin, it makes sense to study our roots. After all, the ancient Romans did conquer the known world, including the European continent and the British Isles. They left more than architectural monuments that can be visited today; they also left behind their language which seeped into the cultures they left behind. From simply knowing one Latin root, such as nauta, nautae meaning sailor…a host of other words can easily be understood like nautical, aeronautics, nautical mile, and nautilus. Obviously this is a big help with SAT study preparations!
Since Latin has pervaded many languages from ancient times, the study of Latin enhances other foreign language studies. Recently we read a literature book about the French voyageurs in Canada. Despite the numerous French words in the book, dd and I were able to understand some of the words merely from our Latin studies. We are surrounded by much Spanish influence in our city. Without any previous Spanish studies, dd correctly translates some of the Spanish vocabulary because of her Latin knowledge. Even my previous Spanish studies have been clarified by Latin.
Logic skills are also enhanced while studying Latin. Because there can be more than one correct answer when doing translations, one must analyze the sentence to see if the chosen translation is clear or if there is ambiguity. Latin is like a verbal puzzle, moving the pieces around until there is clarity. Through much practice in Latin, my dd now understands the importance in applying this to her papers. She is learning how to scrutinize the word order in her sentences to find the best meaning which she is trying to articulate.
English verb tenses that we have chanted for years in our English grammar books have given us pause in Latin. We have had to carefully analyze their precise function before doing translations. Little studied concepts like indirect objects and passive verb tense are magnified in Latin usage. It wasn’t until our recent study of passive verb tenses that I finally understood how to strengthen verbs in writing assignments. My dd now has clear understanding of passive verbs versus strong verbs and is learning to apply this. In her weekly papers I am challenging her to replace unnecessary passive verbs with strong verbs and she has been delighted with the results. Language comes alive when lifted from a workbook page and applied to writing skills. Latin has been the bridge to make this connection easier for us.
Of course one could simply learn English grammar by listening and speaking the language itself. After all, that is how toddlers first learn their language. Like looking through a window and viewing the wonders of the outdoors, English grammar is practically learned through experience. Discovering and interacting with a living language gleans as much wonder and joy as in sitting on a window seat and observing clouds drifting through a summer sky, lightening flashing from a storm cloud and leaves rustling in a tree.
The next level of learning grammar is with an actual curriculum, learning parts of speech and their proper use and order in a sentence. Training our use of words to have strength and power, one can engage more effectively in communicating with the world. This could be likened to lenses that allow us to see things from afar. Powerful lenses such as field glasses allow one to see the precise coloring of a bird in the distance and amazing rock formations in glacial valleys viewed from across a gorge. Further studies in formal grammar continue to solidify the power of language to more effectively communicate difficult ideas in the same way telescopes allow us to see distant planets and stars in the night sky. One of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin had little formal schooling. Apprenticed as a printer, he became skilled with his hands by using a trade. Yet, a deep desire for learning drove him to study on his own. "I fell far short in elegance of expression…I…thence grew more attentive to the manner in writing, and determined to endeavor at improvement." (From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin) We remember him today with a smile as we recall his experience with lightening, wise and witty sayings, and his contributions to society and our country. He encouraged the signers of the Declaration of Independence when they committed treason in signing the document by declaring, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."
Studying Latin fine tunes the study of English grammar. Like using a microscope that proves the existence of microbes, germs, and the amazing complexity of the human cell, so Latin scrutinizes concepts easily taken for granted in a familiar language. Understanding subtle nuances of word choice, part of speech and verb tense allows us to strike a chord in the human breast when conveying matters of importance. Many of our Founding Fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, used their Latin and other classical studies to influence the world and shape a nation historically unique from any other. They are remembered today for their understanding, power, clarity, and eloquence. In fact, Thomas Jefferson himself, as a 17 year old law student was spell bound, along with other members of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765, when Patrick Henry condemned King George for his treatment of the colonies. Ablaze with passion, Patrick Henry challenged the House, "If this be treason, make the most of it."
Jefferson later described Henry’s speech as "torrents of sublime eloquence" which he had "never heard from any other man."
As microscopes have proven new worlds in drops of pond water and onion root stems, so has Latin proven the rhetorical skills of famed speakers of the past who helped to form a new nation.
Our Founding Fathers were used by God to form a nation. How does God plan to use my children? We live in turbulent times. As citizens of our country, we are free to speak about a Christian Worldview everywhere we go, from our government to our neighbors. Yet how much weight do our words carry? Are we capable of speaking clearly? I think this is the benefit of Latin. While impacting general knowledge, and improving SAT exam scores, most practically, it allows us to be prepared to be used by God in the situations He has placed us.
Read more about the benefit of Latin.
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• May. 5, 2008 - Awana's Scholarship!
Last Friday night, my children had their Awanas award ceremony. They are on target, having finished each book for each year. DS has completed four handbooks, so he got the Timothy Award. He'll advance into the junior high group in the autumn.
DD has completed 6 handbooks, so she got the Meritorious Award.
Of course, the most wonderful award of all, is hiding God's Word in one's heart. This they have done. Numerous times I have looked for a verse and they know it by heart or they know the reference. There are numerous verses in each book. Awanas usually brags about how quickly most children are able to memorize. That may be true for most, but not my children. For them it has been a struggle. It has taken my children hours of study to learn each one. Of course, there has been much fruit from the labor. "The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." Psalm 119:72
Next year dd starts the high school program where she will not only learn verses, but will also read the Bible all the way through and write summaries for each book of the Bible. She will also start the LIT (Leader in Training) program. She'll help with one of the younger clubs and then attend her own club for high school on a different night. This will require more sacrifice on our part to drive far to church two nights a week. However, the fruit will be wonderful. I am extremely excited about her being an LIT!
The time commitment does not go unnoticed by colleges and universities. Many recognize and reward such diligence with scholarships. I was aware of this, but was not aware that dd has already met the requirements for the base Awana scholarship! That was a huge surprise to me the other night! The university that she is interested in would award her an $8000 scholarship for earning the Meritorious Award, which she got the other night. If she perseveres for four more years and earns the Citation Award, that scholarship becomes $12,000!
For dd, who has had her share of developmental delays, this has been a significant boost in her thinking that God can use even her! Praise the Lord!
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• May. 2, 2008 - Warning-Basketweaving 101 More Difficult than Once Thought!
When I was in college, if there was a simple class to take, we used to joke around that it was Basketweaving 101. I have since been educated as to the error of that thinking and have changed my mind!
It all began a few years ago when we went to Colonial Williamsburg. One of the crafts we saw was basketweaving. My son must have been 8 at the time and was fascinated by the process. He asked tons of questions. At the gift shop, I purchased a kit thinking we could all enjoy the project together. However we never got around to it. Then last Christmas, a family member gave dd a colonial basket kit from the same company that we got our first kit. I decided to save these for our TOG Year 2 Unit 4 studies of the American Revolution.
When we started unit 4 in March, the first craft we pulled out was the basket kits. We laid everything out.
We laid out ds's kit and figured out what all the various pieces were. Good. I figured ds could get started on his and then tell us how to do ours (because I would help dd). DS always figures things out and always tells us what we are doing wrong. ;) He always knows. He is very good at this type of thing. =) I was very happy to defer to his skills, because I had a lot on my "to do" list and I was getting a bit confused with the directions. However, I just knew my ds would save the day! The next step was to soak the reeds. They must remain wet in order to be flexible enough for all of the bending.
While those were soaking, dd and I got her kit set it but we were confused. Some of the pieces were different and they weren't as easy to identify as ds' were. We called ds over to help....and he was equally confused. Hmmmm. Well we soaked hers in the other sink. Meanwhile ds got started on his...and got stuck. He was clueless. He needed my help. What???? I was depending on him! Well, I took a look at the two sheets, looked up the web site, which didn't seem to be much help to me or him.
I was ready to make a momentous decision. I was ready to throw everything away! We needed a life! Who needs basketweaving anyway? Basketweaving is for the more intelligent genre of people of this would, not for us lowly types who can't read directions. Of all the crafts I have tackled in my entire life, of all the self taught things I have ever done, I was ready to admit defeat! I was not ashamed to concede that basketweaving is a highly intelligent skill. I was prepared to repent of my sins of Basketweaving 101 put downs in college. But the look in my children's eyes reduced me to give it the good old college try. I always tell them to do their best, to not give up...what did we have to lose? We could just go for it and make something to share at our unit celebration, no matter how pathetically it turned out.
So we did the next thing; we took one step at a time, not worrying about too many steps ahead. This is the foundation part of ds' basket. We used a ruler to measure and set the pace for an even grid. Who knew math would be involved?????
Getting the foundational grid even on dd's basket...
Does it look like a basket yet? Hmmm....
DS' basket, turning up the ends...
Meticulously working our way through the weaving. Believe me, this is not as easy at it looks. I had to pull out dd's weaving quite often and help her a lot, because it would get confusing. I even had to pull out my own work more than once.
DD's basket in the home stretch...
DS's basket at this point...
He got a little further than this when we had to put things away to sing at the nursing home. The next afternoon after church I crashed onto the bed and slept all afternoon. DH finished the basket with ds.
Ta da....
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• May. 1, 2008 - Tag-Top 10 Things I Love About My Husband
I got this tag from MayTheyBeMightyMen. These are in no particular order. =)
1. When I first met him, I was elated he was from the Northeast. I love the mountains and forests! I thought we'd take lots of vacations to those mountains and forests. Sadly, my husband's career has not allowed for as much of this as we would have liked, either due to an NCO's pay or the USAF schedule to accomplish the mission.
2. Then I found out he has a degree in building construction. He's built great things for us!
3. He came home from his latest TDY finally and safely!
4. When he got home he fixed everything that broke while he was gone! Since he was waiting and waiting for his luggage for days, he walked around and looked for things to fix! Yea!
5. After everything was fixed, he bought a new cover for our grill. Then he called me down to see the surprise. BTW, have I told you that the Longhorns won the Rose Bowl in 2005? They sounded great at the Fiesta parade the other night! Hook 'em horns!
6. Yesterday he came home from work and told me that he did some research and figured out exactly when he'll retire and how many days of leave he has. (It is difficult for him to do any sort of planning, so I really appreciated this!) He also gave me 14 days to plan a summer vacation to the east coast!
7. Last night when the children and I walked into the master bedroom for prayer time, we caught my husband listening to pastor James McDonald, whom he discovered on the radio.
8. My husband is working on reading through the entire Bible. He hasn't normally had quiet time, so this is a major feat. He is amazed with the things he's learned so far and I think he's up to Leviticus now.
9. He lets me homeschool and gives me the freedom to make the decisions!
10. He's willing to go shopping with me to cute little towns. He even suggests it once in a while!
11. (I had to throw this one in!) He finally gave up on his luggage coming in so he finally broke down and bought a shaving kit. After shaving he came into the school room and gave me a big smooch! His 3 day old beard was getting more prickly by the day and it was hurting me to kiss him. He's now kissable again! Oh, and when he got home with the shaving kit, we got the phone call that the luggage was on the way to the house from the airport. |
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• Apr. 29, 2008 - He's Home!
My dh finally came home a few days early! The one Saturday dh was there, he went to a place the dc and I have been begging him to let us go to. Does this remind you of a famous children's book?
Ever read Misty of Chincoteague?
Here are one of the wild ponies on Assateague Island.
Assateague Island is a barrier island. Marshes face Chincoteague Island...
Whereas the other side has the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean...
Assateague Island is a nature preserve with many animals like bald eagles...
blue heron...
wild deer...
and even ducks...
This is the area where the ponies swim across the channel between Assateague Island and Chincoteague Island every Pony Penning Day...
Here is the fire department that sponsors Pony Penning Day...
You can even ride some of the tamed ponies...seasonally. April is not the season, but summer is.
My dh had promised to take us out here as well as Colonial Williamsburg and Washington DC for our summer vacation this year. He had told me I had 14 days to allot for the vacation, so I had already spent a lot of hours planning lots of fun. Then he said we had to add Chincoteague to the list. I didn't know how to fit that into 14 days. So while he was stuck at the airport (more on that in a bit) he finally sat to figure out how much leave he would have and yet have terminal leave for retirement at the end of the year. Terminal leave allows him to interview for a job. He's already gotten a few offers, but sometimes those are empty promises. Well, he found out he only has 4 extra days for vacation! The dc and I were trying so hard not to be jealous when he was in Chincoteague and now we are heart broken as it looks as though there will be no vacation out of the huge state of Texas. It takes an entire day just to get to one end of it. Oh well, maybe we'll go to the beach. Hopefully we can avoid the tar from the oil rigs. =/ Then once he starts working for a company, we wonder what the benifits will be...as in how many vacation days will he have a year. There might not be enough to go out of state. sigh That might be the end of our traveling out of state.
Anyway, the next day, he attended the same church the TOG writers attend. He met one of the uncles, who is one of the pastors of the church. He suggested coming to the next service the following week to meet the Sommervilles. But dh ended up being in Denver....more on that later.
DH had been TDY at a place that would like to hire him when he retires. He's been trying to talk me into moving to this area. He kept telling me the traffic would be better than here. Everything would be better. I was dubious. We had, after all been on vacation out there a few years ago and the traffic was awful! I liked the scenery and the historical places to visit in this area. But it is so expensive. I have a TOG friend who lives near there and that would be an incredible bonus. Well, after a few days there on the TDY the traffic quickly made dh irritable. DH couldn't believe that our traffic was better! He had trouble finding places to eat. No trouble with that here. The people in the restaurants were, unfortunately, rude. Not here. And he was surrounded by liberal thinkers the entire time and went absolutely bonkers!!! I wonder how my conservative friend makes it up there. Anyway, he was not super impressed with the teeny weeny work spaces of this company, nor with the benefits. He was even advised to stay here where we already have a house and retire here. That is sounding good. I would hate to burn our bridges and move and decide we had it better before. Therefore, this was a productive trip.
Although dh was supposed to come home the 30th, the guys got the project done early! That meant they all got to come home last Saturday. Unfortunately, dh picked the last flight home. It was a direct flight and would land here at 930pm. Severe thunderstorms hung over the entire East Coast and his flight was delayed to 11pm, 1130pm, then midnight, until finally it was canceled. He tried to retrieve his luggage for the night but they said it had already been sent to our airport. He cat napped in an airport chair. He finally flew to Denver then here Sunday afternoon, but no luggage. No one knew where the luggage was. They kept say IF they find it, they will send it to the house. Finally the luggage arrived yesterday afternoon! Whew! There were extremely important items in there, not to mention gifts for us. ;)
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• Apr. 25, 2008 - Going Green with...Green!
Although the world seemed to be caught up in Earth Day the other day, I didn't give it much thought. I guess I try to be a good steward of my environment every day, so I don't do anything different on Earth Day. I am thankful that my city has a curb side recycling program which has recently expanded to be easier and include more recyclable materials. I do other things, like reusing old clothing for rags. Better used clothing gets donated to charity. I send unused things to the thrift store for a small price which I set and earn back. When we purchased our house in 2000, it apparently met some green standards which saved us some money but I don't remember all the details. I do remember that it was built with Hardiplank which is made from cement, has a 50 year guarentee; it's quite durable! This is probably the best product on our house. However, being a gardener, I can't imagine being more green, than going literally green with plants!
To go green with plants, one needs to select the ones best suited for their area. Around here that means Xeriscaping. That usually conjures images of cactus and stones. It doesn't have to. I took pictures of my garden yesterday to show where it's at now and to show what is "green" about all the green! And they are all green, despite the heat (over 100 degrees in the summer, sometimes for weeks), despite the sun (almost daily), and despite the droughts (which we are in now...only 3" of rain since New Year's and not much since last September.) In other words, Xeriscaping can be very green!
I have antique roses (peach) which are called such because they have withstood the test of time. They were found neglected on the sides of the road or on deserted properites, flourishing with blooms. Salvia greggii (red) is quite drought tolerant. After a few months it gets scraggly looking so I cut it back and it comes right back again. Summer phlox is so drought tolerant, that all of mine are transplants from my mom's garden in the middle of the summer, and then future divisions spread throughout my gardens over the years. When they are completely spent in the autumn I cut them back and they pop back in the winter. My phlox is not yet blooming, it is still growing, in the front.
My herb garden. I have chocolate mint, orange mint, regular mint, lavendar, lemon basil, lime basil, French thyme, rosemary and more. These are Mediterranean plants that have endured dry growing conditions from ancient times. It's also green to save gas from driving to the grocery store, buying plastics full of herbs from off the shelf and saves money! As an added bonus, they add more flavor to cooking than dried herbs! Also see all that stone! Those are all the stones I have dug out of the property (dh was in Korea for a year when we bought the house; he hopped on the plane a few hours after we signed the papers and got the key! We had just enough time to drive to our first house, he carried me over the threshhold, then we picked up the kids at my mom's and drove him to the airport.) Anyway, dry creek beds are part of the Xeriscape scenery around here and I didn't have to pay a penny to haul them in. I chose to put it here, because that is where the dripline from our 2 story roof is. We had a lot of rain when we first moved in and there had been a lot of erosion going on. That is no longer a problem! 
One of the bushy green plants is a Sky Plant which grows prodigiously every year! It gets purple flowers in the summer and turns to yellow berries in the autumn. The hummingbirds and butterflies love this plant. Well, they love all of the flowers. The pink flowers are more antique roses. My vegetable garden is in a row at the bottom of the hill. This area gets a lot of sunlight. When we first moved here, I had this hill and I knew it would be unsafe to mow. So I took the extra bricks from our house construction that I found in the garage and laid it around the perimeter of the yard. There are now railroad timbers at the bottom of the hill to hold the dirt in. The beauty of this is that it allows for raised bed gardening. This allows one to easily amend the soil (around here it is heavy clay filled with all those rocks (that you saw in the previous picture). Then I layer with mulch (more on that later) to conserve water. You might even be able to notice some black hoses in the gardens. These are drip hoses. Merely watering by hand is not as efficient as drip irrigation. With drip irrigation, you can allow lots of water to slowly settle deeply into the ground, where you want the roots to grow to obtain moisture. These deep roots will survive drought. Shallow roots from light hand watering results in plants that beg daily for water in the summer. They can become more easily diseased also. In addition, having one's own garden saves gas, less packaging purchased at the store, saves money and tastes better! I have tomatoes, peppers, eggplant (kids can't imagine what I'll do with that), onions, yellow squash, zucchini, spaghetti squash and sugar pumpkins. Maybe even cucumber but I forget.
Mexican Heather likes sun and shade, and looks quite fernlike when full grown. In the autumn I just cut them back and they come back every spring.
Bougainvillea is a favorite of mine for containers. These are extremely heat and drought tolerant! That way I don't have to water my pots as often!
Blue Plumbago has taken over my garden! (As many other plants have that I have had to tame! I now have a sprained arm!) Those roots are really deep (as many other of these plants.) These and many other of my plants can get over 5 feet high if I let them! My mom can't get over how big my plants get.
Skullcap is another wonderful plant that is drought tolerant and spreads, making an attractive border and garden filler. The more flowers, the less room for weeds!
Lemon Thyme I love to put between the cracks of my stepping stones. Everyone tries to avoid walking on them but I tell them that is why I put it there! Step on them...and enjoy the delicious lemon scent that wafts through the air! This is some thyme that has endured drought and winter! I set some aside in a garden for cooking purposes!
Our mulch pile from 2005! The children helped me haul that around the yard. After about a week of labor, we headed for SeaWorld to swim! Mulch is incredibly essential to a "green" garden, to help it stay green. It retains necessary moisture in the soil and an added bonus, inhibits weed growth. Before I never had enough mulch, and I spent all my time weeding, never getting caught up. I had so much mulch, I laid about 3-5" throughout the gardens. We tend to take 1-2 week summer vacations during the peak of summer heat and drought. My parents check on things while we are gone and they were stunned at how well most of my plants did with very little water. There would be only a plant or two (that was not yet well established) that needed water (and the container plants). My mom gardens too but wanted to know my secret. Drip hoses and mulch. I don't think she's invested in the drip hoses, but she had to get down on her hands and knees to see how thick the mulch was. She couldn't believe it. That's a lot of mulch and it is still going strong. It is starting to thin out in places and it is still quite thick in others. One of ny necessary garden chores is to redistribute the mulch and replenish. Mom might have discouraged me from doing this at all, but now that she's seen the results, I notice a lot more mulch in her gardens! ;)
Of course it would be even "greener" to make one's own mulch. I would love that. But with our tiny property, there really isn't a place to do it. I would love to buy one of these handy dandy gadgets. I haven't convinced my dh yet. I would like to use it behind the shed, but there are already 5 garbage cans back there...3 of our old ones and 2 of the humongo new ones provided for automated recycling and garbage pick up. We are left with those 3 oldgarbage cans that the city has not provided us an option to "greenly" get rid of. We have no more use for them and I wonder if dh could hack them down to put in the humongo recycling container. Then maybe we'd have room for a compact easy to use handy dandy mulcher! |
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• Apr. 21, 2008 - Fiesta!
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It’s that time of year again! Fiesta! This yearly event in San Antonio commemorates the victory of Sam Houston in capturing Mexican dictator Santa Anna on April 21, 1836. During the Battle of San Jacinto (in present day Houston), the Texian army yelled "Remember the Alamo", "Remember Goliad." This victory freed Texas from Mexico. At that time, Texas became a republic, sort of a country of it’s own. Sam Houston became its first president. We are the only state in the union to have ever been a republic. That is why we are the Lone Star State.
Every year during the week of April 21, San Antonio throws a week long party! We have a lot of fun participating as best we can. Here are a few of the highlights during the week. On Monday night, the Texas Caveliers River Parade floats down the San Antonio River! We got to go to our first one last year! More on that in a bit! On Thursday night the high school bands gather for Battle of the Bands. On Friday all the public schools take a holiday for the Battle of Flowers held in the afternoon. Over a hundred years ago carriages were bedecked in flowers and everyone threw flowers at each other. (We learned last year this is a tradition that originated with the Ancient Romans during the triumphal marches.) The Texas A&M band (boo hiss) come to play if they don’t have other commitments; one year my college band was featured. Of course all the high school bands and queens and other bands and various guests from around the country come too. We even have a drum and fife corps visit from VA! I have been to this several times, one time viewed from the top of a Victorian house and the other times in front of the Alamo. Then on Saturday night, we have the Fiesta Flambeau Parade which is the largest illuminated parade at night in the country! It is led by the best college band of them all, The Texas Longhorn Band! Woo hoo!!! Hook ‘em Horns! Here is a video clip I found of them at the parade. It's not the best audio or best setting. This is the very start of the parade before dusk. Maybe someone will post a better one after this week. Here's one with better quality sound, but being night time already, you can't see them. Here's a memory from the Rose Bowl Champions! Anyway, I got to see this parade once and it was a dream come true to see the Longhorn Band. The funny thing was I never got to see any of these parades until I was dating my future husband from upstate New York. He dragged me to my first Fiesta parades.
Last year the Caveliers, who host the river parade, honored the military with free tickets! We could never have afforded these otherwise! We arrived early to be assured of good parking down town and to beat the traffic. I was surprised that there was no traffic! The city offices must close early for the big party! Since we had plenty of time before the parade, we walked down to the Alamo. We were surprised to see a special ceremony there, called Pilgrimage to the Alamo. Various military and civic groups and schools lay flowers in front of the Alamo and have a special ceremony to honor those who died fighting for freedom.
Then we walked back to the part of the river where the Caveliers were honoring the military. We got free dinner, free medals, program, etc. These medals are a big deal. You collect all you can. My children were elated they now have a collection!
Here is the Fiesta stuff I've collected over the years. The ladies all get decked out in colorful flowers and ribbons. The top medal is from El Rey Feo (he collects the most money for charity) when I was a public school teacher. The bottom two I got from the Caveliers last year. The one on the left is their parade theme medal, "A Fiesta of Film." The one on the right is the King Antonio medal.
Then we had free entertainment from one of the military bands playing jazz.
They found a helper in the audience!
Then we got our seats right on the edge of the river! We kept telling the lady in front of us not to worry, the water is only knee deep.
King Antonio!
Here we are!
US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson...
Fun float...
One of the queens...
Looks like a sailor?
More queens...
The weathermen floated down individually on innertubes! Actually they had little motors on them. They could even shoot water at us!
This year we won’t go to the festivities. That’s not something I’d tackle with dh being TDY. So I have lots of Mexican food. We’ll watch the parades on tv this week! Looks some of the parades are available for viewing through web cams in the links above.
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• Apr. 18, 2008 - Interesting Book Quiz
| What Kind of Reader Are You?
Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane.
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| Dedicated Reader |
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| Book Snob |
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| Literate Good Citizen |
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| Fad Reader |
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| Non-Reader |
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What Kind of Reader Are You?
Create Your Own Quiz |
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• Apr. 16, 2008 - Surprise TOG Book!!!
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Ever have a bad day? Ever had a bad book order? Ever received a bad book? Ever pay full price, only to receive a defective copy? Surprisingly, that happened to me.
Last autumn, I was ordering a couple of books from Tapestry of Grace for an upcoming unit. When they arrived, I anxiously opened the package. After all, what homeschooler doesn’t open boxes left by the brown truck in eager anticipation? Delightfully, I thumbed through one book and it looked crisp, new, and full of fascinating details! I couldn’t wait to dig into it. Then I picked up the other book. As I thumbed through it, I was shocked to see red markings throughout the book, in random fashion. Hmmmmm….. I know Tapestry of Grace to be a reputable company and would only ship quality products. Surely there was a reasonable explanation for this! I imagined that a child had been loose in the warehouse, picked up a book and started pretending to be a college student, making "thoughtful" marks throughout the book.
I e-mailed TOG to let them know about my, ahem, red inked book. ;) Juli, at customer service, was horrified! She couldn’t imagine how a marked book ended up at my house! She promised a clean copy, which quickly arrived by the end of the week. I opened that one and it was fresh and clean! I e-mailed Juli to let her know I had received the new book and to thank her. She then told me an interesting story. ;)
When the TOG staff were at a meeting, Juli mentioned how a customer received a marked copy of Courage and Conviction. Suddenly, Marcia (author of TOG) got a sheepish look on her face. Everyone said, "Marcia…." Apparently I had received her working copy! Those were her marks! Those were her thoughtful ponderings while writing Year 2! She inadvertently left it in a stack with other books in the warehouse! LOL
When I realized the history of this book, everything changed! The previously unwanted marked copy was now hot stuff! Uh-oh! Maybe Marcia wanted it back? Regretfully, I did as I knew I ought and asked Juli if Marcia wanted it back; I would mail it. No, no, she was done and I could do what I wanted with it. I could even sell it on e-bay! She had to be kidding! This is my copy! LOL I was even given permission to blog about it! =)
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• Apr. 16, 2008 - Not Quite Right
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Things aren’t quite the same at our house. We took dh to the airport recently. We hugged goodbye and I tried to remain stoic as I climbed into the car and drove off. I could not cry. Tears threatened, but they did not fall. Tears can cause my eyes to sting and then I can’t see; that is not good for driving.
We came home and pursued school. I put airflight tracker on the pc and we tracked dh’s flight. It's nice for the dc and I to be that much more connected to him, to know when he takes off and lands, and everything in between. We can see which states he flies over and what storm systems he has to avoid. If he calls later to say he has a delay due to weather, I can tell him exactly what the weather pattern is and where it is going. Then he lands, and after that we move on.
It’s not the same. No one to expect home and talk to. One plate less at dinner. The entire bed to myself. Waking myself up in the morning. Trying to get up out of bed and start the day without anything to look forward to. Well, that’s melodramatic. I try not to think about it. I start the morning in the Word and prayer. I tear myself from the bed to awaken the dc. I force myself to pursue the day. There is plenty to do to keep me busy. My parents have long felt this is my best therapy for when dh is gone. They feel I get too overdramatic about things.
I really have nothing to be depressed about. He will come home! He calls every night! We have cell phones that allow us to talk daily from across the country, for this very reason. Although I am not a gadget person, I am thankful for this one. They are expensive and are rarely used, but they are priceless when he has to go out of town. The dc are teen agers now and that is a big help. I am thankful for their daily presence in my lives.
He calls at night. We have good chats. We talk about how much crazier the traffic is there than here. We talk about the pond he found to take a walk around. We talk about how he pigs out on free food for lunch, then thinks about his waistline. Then he eats soup and salad for dinner. The dc catch him up on the day. This is very good. They go to bed with smiles on their faces. When he tells me goodbye, he tells me he loves me. Then the tears well up in my eyes again.
Praise God, I have much to be thankful for. Even so, things aren’t quite right around here.
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• Apr. 12, 2008 - Presidential Kitty?
I have a friend who has told me all about her kitty, named Mr. President. There's a funny story as to how he got his name, but I don't remember it. But I do remember that he gets into everything. She even sent me a picture of him IN their Christmas tree! LOL Can you imagine waking up in the morning, looking at the cat and saying, "Good morning, Mr. President?" LOL I told my husband about it and he can just imagine every time the kitty goes by, breaking out into "Hail to the Chief." We've been hoping to meet this kitty (and see my friend and her family) this summer while we are on vacation. In the meantime, I must honestly say that I've been jealous that I don't have a "Mr. President." LOL
Well that may have changed. Something funny happened Saturday morning. Before I get into that, I must preface with a bit of family history, in order for this to sound funny! LOL
My husband's favorite president is Theodore Roosevelt. I don't know how it happened. He didn't read about him, I don't think. My dh did not come into our marriage with a love for books. In fact, it was the opposite. He is more of a hands on guy. However, since I have a elementary education degree in reading specialization, I set out to remedy this unfortunate situation. =) I started reading books out loud to him! I read the Peter Jenkin's books on his walk west and Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place. I forget some of the others. DH had to admit, there were a few interesting books out there.
Then somewhere along the way, he became fascinated with Teddy Roosevelt. I think it was because of a movie we watched starring Cary Grant called "Arsenic and Old Lace." We love to watch this movie every autumn. My dh is from upstate NY and misses those nostalgic autumns of his past. Our autumns are not quite the same down here. So we watch lots of movies with autumn scenes in them every autumn. My 15yod has not seen this movie yet, although she'd probably love it. My 12yos however might ban it from the house! He would not approve of Cary Grant's two elderly aunts. They are the sweetest ladies you could meet; except they have one problem. They feel their mission in life is to put lonely old gentlemen out of their misery with a little bit of arsenic laced elderberry wine. Cary Grant stumbles on this bit of horrifying news on his wedding night, when he tries to make things right. Meanwhile, Cary Grant's uncle is not quite "right in the head". He thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. Every time he goes upstairs, he has to run up and yell "Charge!", because he thinks that is San Juan Hill. The elderly ladies have even put their insane brother to work burying the old gentlemen, by telling Teddy when it's time to dig the Panama Canal (in the basement) to bury another yellow fever victim. Of course, Teddy has no idea what he is really doing. In the meantime, Cary Grant goes absolutely nutty trying to figure out how to best remedy this problem.
Word got out that dh was a TR fan. So 7 years ago for his birthday, my brother bought him a biography on TR. It is a tome! DH, the man who detested books, loves this one! He's been diligently working through it in between studying for USAF promotion tests, college, house remodels, etc. DH excitedly shares the latest facts with us after he reads a few more pages each month. 
Now about our kitty, she has become hard of hearing in the last year. A year ago as I'd walk around the house, I'd find her under my feet all the time. Confused, I finally realized she was deaf. After numerous mishaps, she now meows as she walks through the house, announcing her presence. She's been accidentally stumbled on too many times and she's putting out sonar for us to be aware that she is underfoot.
So, what does this have to do with a presidential kitty? Because with a big smile on my face Saturday morning, I went to my husband and told him that Slipper kitty has a new nickname. Theodora. He gave me a strange look. I told him that as I walked down the stairs and reached the bottom, I heard a polite meow. Slipper was walking towards the stairs. "Oh, good morning, Slipper!" I told her. I know she can't hear me but it's hard to break the habit and not talk to her. Then she started charging up the stairs and went "M-E-O-W!" all the way to the top!
Our own Theodora Roosevelt! My husband's reply? "Deee-lighted!" |
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• Apr. 11, 2008 - Piano Time!
For years I have had a goal to teach my children how to play the piano. I knew all the brain benefits. But with their Sensory Integration Disorder, they didn't seem ready. Nevertheless, in preparation, I purchased some Bastien piano books.
They had been recommended by a homeschooler I knew when my dc were 3 and 5. My husband and I were raised on John Thompson; I wasn't committed to remaining with this series. I don't remember what I had heard about Bastien, but they sounded great. A few years ago I purchased the Primer series.
Then one of the aunts gave the dc and I each a recorder with a lesson book. Although I had initially taught myself piano and guitar, and later took lessons, I had no experience with a wind instrument. The book confused me! I had been using A Beka and they had a music theory program with flutophones. So I bought those books and some flutophones for each of us and we learned to play a wind instrument. My dc had no care in the world for timing. They got emotionally frustrated (SI) with dealing with formal lessons and timing. So I made it more laid back and they learned how to finger and play beautiful songs, although they had unique rhythms. I told them for the familiar songs, to simply imitate the rhythm they know. By the end of 2 books, when I planned to transition them to the recorder, they decided they were all winded out!
They wanted to do piano. In fact, they like to sit at the piano and create their own "tunes". Being quite peaceful in their playing, I never minded. Yet, how were we to ever incorporate formal piano lessons into our busy days. And our days are only busy because they choose to d-r-a-g everything out!
Finally....we just did it. I have finally figured out that the more I take out of my children's schedule, the s-l-o-w-e-r they get. I've had enough people tell me they are the same way. I just don't understand this. To me, why don't we all just get the necessary things done and move on to the fun stuff! LOL Oh well. I am no longer a softie! LOL My dc have gotten behind in school because I have felt sorry for them but the more I take out of their day, the slower they get. So our schedules will be a consistently well balanced schedule. It's up to them to learn to manage their time well. So, on that note...
We began our first day of lessons on Monday! You can barely see the baseball behind the sheet music holder. DD needs to be reminded of curved hands while playing.
We did lessons together for the first few days. Most of it was a review, since they already know a bit about music. Thankfully they don't mind that these books are meant for 7-11 year olds. I love these books. They were written for my children! They guarantee success at the beginning. The first homework assignment was to "compose" their own piece! That delighted my children. My dc have never been ones to enjoy coloring books, lap books, notebooking, much less toys used in the traditional way. They have always preferred either inventing their own way or reinventing something tried and true.
DS is picking up the timing and precision quickly. As a result, yesterday began separate lessons. He is now a page ahead. I do hope this does not become a problem. DD, however, is struggling. She has praxis, or motor planning issues. Therefore I need to spend all of my time with her to count out the notes, remember the fingering rules, etc. This can take a long time. But usually, once she has it, she's got it! She is the one who is usually found creating her own pieces at the piano. She does not want swim lessons (fear of getting wet in the face), nor amusement parks with wild rides or most anything along those lines. She would love to shine in dance...but can't figure out different moves. I would just love for her to shine in piano. It'll take time... |
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• Apr. 7, 2008 - TOG Year 2 Unit 3 Celebration-Native Americans, Thirteen Colonies and Europe
Yesterday we had our Year 2 Unit 3 celebration. I guess my M&D couldn't wait to come, they were here nearly an hour early!
The foyer is our time machine area. ;) I post a sign (red cardstock) with the era of our celebration. (Don't we usually like a road sign telling us where we are going? These signs tell my parents where they ended up! lol) On each side of my year plan are the TOG binders my children use. They contain all of their Accountability and Thinking Question sheets, maps, papers, etc for history and literature for the year.
Here are the literature and history books we read. DD did the display.
Here are extra literature books that were read. They are excellent but unfortunately out of print. We read these a few years ago. However, since all of our other literature books had been read, these were a terrific review into some history of the Puritans in Salem before the witch trials. One of the books is missing from the stack because ds was reading it.
Here we are! DD was Pocahontas. DS was Squanto. I was a praying Indian. The children each gave speeches on who they were. We were extremely busy last week with finishing up the term paper and power point presentation; I didn't have time to supervise the construction of these character speeches. The first I heard them was during the presentation. They were excellent! Then when it got to my turn, I used Socratic questioning to help pull details from the children on who I represented. Since I didn't have a name, my dh and dc named me. DH decided to name me Running Deer, because I am always running around and he always calls me dear. LOL The children went through many names for me...Evening Primrose, Sweet Primrose, Quiet Waters, Rippling Brook. I'm not sure what they ended up with but I liked them all!
Ds studied animal tracks and made a model.
Here is the display table. Their term papers are on the left. A Squanto audio CD from Focus on the Family is at the bottom. This was excellent! To the right is a rabbit skin and some oyster shells they had collected while in Willliamsburg and Jamestown a few years ago.
They wore most of their projects. DS made mocassins for himself and me. He helped dd make hers. DD designed and made this wampum/seashell necklace. I did not have much involvement in this and I was quite pleased with how it turned out! DD's work is usually quite random. I've been encouraging her to use patterns in her beadwork. This time she showed me the pattern in her beadwork she had designed. I loved it!
DS made the hatchet, drawstring bag, bear necklace and wampum.
He designed and made the bear claw necklace with an arrowhead, seashells and wampum. He had made several extra strands of wampum, tied together on his belt. Grandpa asked him if he had wampum and right on cue he showed him the wampum. Now we can't find it anywhere!
The bulk of their time the last few weeks was invested in a 10 page research paper on the settling of the Thirteen Colonies. They then used that information to do a power point presentation.
We had lots of food. DS helped make the New England clam chowder. DD helped roast the turkey, bake pumpkin bread with walnuts and cranberries, cook cornmeal mush with cranberries topped with maple syrup, prepare trail mix with pumpkin seed, dried cranberries, dried blueberries and corn nuts, and bake blackberry cobbler with cornmeal crust. We served apple cider to drink.
Then we closed with what is considered the first Christmas Carol written in America, "Twas the Moon in Wintertime." Written with imagery the Huron Indians could understand, it is a carol about the Christ child written by Jesuit missionary Jean de Brebeuf. He was later tortured and killed by the Iroquois Indians. Here is the history and words. Here is the tune.
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• Apr. 3, 2008 - Home Education Week-In Their Own Words
Dana has been hosting Home Education Week with writing prompts and daily surprises!
Earlier this week when I told my family about the writing prompts for Home Education Week, my husband felt left out. He wanted a chance to say something. I assured him that Friday would be the day! My dc have been excited all week, asking me how many comments I've gotten for my posts and what the reactions were to what I had written. However, no one wanted to sit here and blog for the day! LOL So I interviewed them Wednesday night.
12 Year Old Son : "I like homeschool because we can take it at our own speed and work ahead if we need to. Usually in homeschool we have better teachers than public school. We have time to look up something if we have questions, instead of waiting until we get home and forgetting what we wanted to research. Also, I don't have to listen to evolution. My favorite subject is literature. I like the action and mystery books. I like to do hands on projects, like when I did my Greek hoplite shield and armour.
I also like to Nature Journal because I get to see new things, I can pay attention to detail, and I can be as creative as I want without being restricted to a certain assignment. "
Here's a drawing from his nature journal of the bird house he built.
Another view from the bird seed bell...
15 Year Old Daughter: "I like the Christian aspect of homeschooling because I get to study subjects in depth. Also I prefer to study Creationism instead of evolution. I am learning how to defend my beliefs and use them to witness. I like Apologia Science, because the mp3 files allow me to listen to someone read aloud the textbook. The videos help me to see what I am actually studying. The experiments help me to experience the lesson being taught." (Editor Note: Here is yesterday's experiment. She is learning about electrons while chasing a white balloon that hung from her bedroom ceiling! That white balloon had normally been hanging down where she is standing. She "activated" electrons on the green balloon so that she could "push" the white balloon around. You can just barely see that the red string from which the white balloon is hanging is at an angle.)
Back to dd: "My favorite subject is literature. I like books with girls as the main character. My favorite books this year have been Not Regina and Dr. Oma. Not Regina is about the Anabaptists during the reformation in Switzerland. Dr. Oma is about Maria, the daughter of Prince William of Orange during the Protestant Reformation. This is set in Holland while they are at war with the Spanish. Since I like flowers, I enjoyed reading how Maria learns to use herbs from her grandma, while her father is away at war. I also chose to do a research paper on Holland a few years ago, because I like their tulips. Reading a literature book about some of the history I had learned was interesting."
When she was in the children's choir at church, she helped sing back up to the Mwangzaza Children's Choir 2004. (She's hard to see but she's in the purple t-shirt, center, second row down.)
Here she is trying to keep the moves correct in the spring missionary outreach, "Acorns to Oaks". She's wearing the green bandana.
Dad/Principal: "I like having computers available for the kids to do their research. I don't think public schools provide for this. I like seeing my kids socialized across age lines. When we sing at the nursing home, the children comfortably spend time talking to the senior citizens and distrubute music. The unit celebrations are great because I get to eat! I also enjoy seeing the kids' presentations. I have enjoyed tailoring our summer vacations and field trips around the kids' studies. We've been to lots of great places. Laurie, you should post the pictures."
To accomodate my dh's request, here are some vacation pictures that he wanted me to show. ;)
We got to work at a loom at one of the Spanish Missions...
Pretending to do school, at the very spot under the trees of the very first "public" school (mid 1800's) in central Texas!
At the Sauer-Beckmann Homestead near the LBJ birthplace in central Texas, collecting turkey eggs. First, the children were not too certain about going into that dark building to collect eggs from a scary looking turkey! But they did! Then my poor son tripped over the doorway into the kitchen and all the eggs went splat. We assured him children in the 1800's and early 1900's (the era for this home of the midwife of LBJ's mother) probably had similar accidents!
One summer we went to the East Coast and experienced 3 hurricanes/tropical depressions. No wind, thankfully but we were soggy! First stop, Colonial Williamsburg (during Hurricane Alex). (They have a Home Educator Visit every autumn and fall for about $5 a day with special activities.) We had fun doing the maze at the Governor's Palace!
Experiencing cruel and unusual punishment! It was the kids' idea! I promise! They really do have big grins on their faces!
DH and ds in boot camp!
While avoiding the worst of Hurricane Alex, we met with Thomas Jefferson. He gave a great presentation to the children!
Ahhh, the hurricane went out to sea. Sunny day! Chopping wood at Good Hopes Plantation.
Carrying the water...
Getting drum lessons for the drum and fife corps...
Designing a hat at the milliner's shop...
Meeting Patrick Henry. He gave a wonderful talk and had me so worked up from his "Give Me Liberty or Death" speech, I was ready to join the militia!
Trying on armor at Jamestown...
Pounding corn at Powhaten's Village...
Scraping off fur from a hide with an oyster shell...
Keep those fires going!
Inspecting General Washington's tent at Yorktown...
A colonial soldier...
Water, please! My children simply don't work this hard at our house!!!
Riding through the lochs at the Champlain Canal on the Sadie, a turn of the century craft, in upstate New York...
Riding the Erie Canal on a barge pulled by a mule named Sal, in Rome, NY. Yes, we all sang the song while on the ride....
Visiting Mount Vernon. Hurricane/downgraded Tropical Depression Bonnie dumped a deluge of rain on us the day before and that morning. Finally the skies are clearing.
I loved the round barn that George Washington designed. The children got to run around in circles, simulating how the horses do so to step on the wheat to thresh it. The wheat sifts through the floor boards into the basement below. Then the horses came and did it. My dc slept great that night!
Boat ride on the Potomac to see Washington DC! This is a great way to see DC with little ones. Now that they are older, we are planning a vacation to go back and walk up to these places this summer!
Touring Monticello during Hurricane Charlie (downgraded into a tropical depression). By the time we left, the sun came out and no more rain the rest of the trip...home! boo hoo! I called this our ABC trip! Anyway, we did a special chidren's tour of the mansion and then dodged rain drops to see what we could outside! Here is poor dd!
Another year we hiked in Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the USA.
We saw a musical about the local settlers of Texas. There were pyrotechnics with a simulated, yet realistic, lightening strike and grass fire.
We went to the Colorado Rockies and got to see elk up close and personal at over 11,000' elevation in Rocky Mountain National Park. We experienced how elevation gain is like driving towards the North Pole! This area is like the tundra.
We got to see the Manitou Cliff Dwellings of Colorado...
Horseback riding in Rocky Mountain National Park, in the montane zone. The guide is up front, then dd, then me. The guys are behind me...
While analyzing plants in Colorado, we just missed the bear a few yards away. Hikers showed us a picture on their camera. Hmmmm, I should have given them my e-mail to send me a copy. It was a cute picture! Just imagine a cute bear a few yards away from this plant! ;)
Meeting with a marmot at the top of Pikes Peak!
In Colorado Springs we went to Focus on the Family and produced our own copy of "Adventures in Odyssey!" DH and I were the foley...
The children each had a voice part. The voices of Whit, Connie and Kris were pre-recorded. We got to take home our very own version of "Adventures in Odyssey" starring us! And it was free! Each part of FOF we visited offered us a different AIO CD. For doing the taping, we also got a coupon to buy one, so we got a couple and a few other things at the bookstore. We also went to Whit's End for lunch and got a wod-fam-choc-sod!
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• Apr. 3, 2008 - Home Education Week-Show and Tell
Dana has had a week's worth of writing prompts and surprise activities for...
I asked my children what | | |