Sunday, November 21, 2010

Very Interesting (Sunday Links)

This past week I've, of course, been thinking about what to serve Thanksgiving day. My list is long and abundant, as is traditional, with lots and lots of side dishes. Turkey is on the list, but low priority and I won't be cooking it (Thanks Mom!). If I had my way, we'd have soup...my favorite fall meal.

In the next few days, we will take advantage of the end of our grading period and spend lots of time exploring our own interests. I'm hoping someone in this house will join me to make a little drippy art or enjoy Aaron Copeland and Martha Graham. Maybe we'll try a new project after our fun felting lesson with Ms. Kathleen. Maybe we'll construct a tree in the classroom. Who knows what we'll get into?

This year, we've adopted a science-everyday philosophy...including multiple experiments each week. Embree has declared it her favorite subject (no surprise there, really). We have devoured our Earth Science curriculum and we will be finished before Christmas break. Looking over this list of new Science Trade Books for ideas for next semester. I'm thinking our first order of business will be to explore the Kerulos Center. This center conducts initiatives relative to animal abuse and trauma, loss of wildlife societies, and human disconnect from nature. A friend (Thanks Kristen) told us about it this week and it is of special interest to Embree. In a related note, we are planning a visit to Home At Last Animal Sanctuary next semester. I bet I know some friends who would like to join us!

Have a lovely holiday...stay out of trouble on Black Friday...and count your blessings!
Namaste,
Jeannie


 

Five Fun Things Fridays (Nov 12-18, 2010)

Five Fun Things We Did This Week
1. We learned all about the soil and the life within
2. We learned finger felting
3. We played Candy Land...a lot!
4. Three of us learned to play Twist and Shout on the guitar
5. We started reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas


Five Fun Things Fridays
Homeschooling is a huge undertaking. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming. There are difficult moments; moments when we all think about a quiet retreat or a clean house. But homeschooling is  more often heartwarming and gratifying to all involved. Our goal in our little school is to remember why we do what we do and focus on the joys. A spoon full of sugar for those challenging moments!

Play along! Leave a comment with five fun things you did this week!
Happy Homeschooling!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Very Interesting...

I am subscribed to over 200 blogs. So many now that I usually scroll through to see if my favorites have posted and mark the rest as read. I have thought about deleting some of my subscriptions...then I occasionally take the time to look through them all and run across something I really like and so I keep them all in the horde. Yes, I am hording blog subscriptions!

So, I thought I'd start sharing some of the ones that I save each week. There are always some recipes and kids' activities. Sometimes, if I'm feeling ambitious, there might be a crafty post or two. And there will usually be an article about education, ethics, or politics...or all combined :)...Hope you enjoy!

Gotta try these cookies and this from-scratch green bean casserole for Thanksgiving.

Interesting articles about cultivating uniqueness in education, "seeing" special needs kids, and how to address the appropriateness of animals in captivity with our kids.

Finally, some things I'd love to share with the kids this week: a Thanksgiving mural, melted crayon drawings, and a story of the life cycle of a one dollar bill.  

Have a great week...do something fun...get off the beaten path and onto a backroad!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Five Fun Things Fridays (Nov 5-11, 2010)

Five Fun Things We Did This Week

1. We attended the Savoy Opera, The Gondoliers, by Gilbert and Sullivan.
2. We stayed in our pajamas all day on Saturday.
3. The big kids attended an art opening and basketball game with Daddy.
4. We attended a lecture about reptiles at the Salato Wildlife Education Center and played in the leaves with friends afterwards.
5. We studied rocks and minerals in science and made edible igneous rocks (brittle), metamorphic rocks (rice krispie treats), and sedimentary/conglomerate rocks (haystacks). Then shared a lesson and some candy with our neighbors across the street.


Five Fun Things Fridays
Homeschooling is a huge undertaking. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming. There are difficult moments; moments when we all think about a quiet retreat or a clean house. But homeschooling is  more often heartwarming and gratifying to all involved. Our goal in our little school is to remember why we do what we do and focus on the joys. A spoon full of sugar for those challenging moments!

Play along! Leave a comment with five fun things you did this week!
Happy Homeschooling!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Five Fun Things We Did This Week

Oct 30-Nov 5
1. We attended a fun Halloween party with our best buddies and watched a Thriller parade on Main St.
2. We cheered for the Rangers in the World Series.
3. We finished Embree's 10 week marathon grammar course (Whew!)
4. Embree bought her first pair of high heels.
5. We made an impromptu and surprise trip to see Nana and Poppy in TN while Daddy traveled.

We'd love to hear about your fun week!