living, and loving learning

why can't we just respect our differences?

2009-10-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

I realize that this post is a bit different from what I normally post here, but I just needed to get it off my chest.

As we were sitting talking about Banned Books Week the other day, it dawned on me just how many banned/challenged books Annie and I read for school. It's not that we single them out for that reason; it's just that so often the books that deal with the tough, real-world issues are the ones that some feel the need to try to keep others from reading. And yes, I admit that I often pick our mutual reads just because of the discussions I know they will lead to.

I don't for a minute think I have any right trying to dictate what another family might choose to allow their children to read at any given age. Annie and I read To Kill a Mockingbird when she was ten, but I can understand that not every child might not be ready to tackle some of the issues in that book at that age. When my boys reach that age, I may not feel they're ready. Not that I would stop them from reading it if they felt the desire to, but I can't yet say I will be recommending it for them at that age either.

Each child is an individual, with their own needs and their own desires! And no two families are identical; they each have their own varying values and histories and financial situations and support systems, etc., etc., etc.

And that's why the efforts of some to keep books off the shelves of public libraries is so upsetting. Are there books that turn my stomach? Sure. That doesn't mean that I will try to keep anyone else from reading them.

And this whole issue of the right to choose what's right for our children and our families extends far beyond the shelves of our local libraries. In this country, it is legal to homeschool our children. (The number of hoops you must jump through varies from state to state, of course.) But just because it's legal, that doesn't mean one won't constantly be judged. When we pulled Annie out of public school, we expected to receive some flack from people. And we did. Because there are people who always think they know better. Doesn't even seem to matter that they don't personally know your child or the situation in general.

Refer back to words in bold!

The thing we didn't expect was the vitriol we sometimes receive from other homeschooling families because Gray and Max are in public school. How can it be that some of the people who argue so strongly and passionately for their right to educate their children in the manner they find appropriate, can turn around and so easily dismiss others' rights to do the same?

Refer back to words in bold!

Is it simply human nature to judge others? I'll be the first to admit that thoughts like, "How could they let their child do that?" pop into my mind. But I'm very happy to say that those thoughts are almost immediately followed by, "Because it's their place, not mine, to choose what's in the best interest of their child." Yes, I do try to refer back to those words in bold myself. (And I'm sure we all know this does not apply to neglect or abuse here, but the right to teach our children the values that we hold dear.)

--Yes, I allow my children to read banned/challenged books. We're a family of readers, and the discussions that follow from reading books are some of the most wonderful discussions we have.
--Yes, I have two children in public school and one child who is homeschooled. We weigh the pros and cons of all available educational options for each of our children individually. We take into strong consideration their personal desires. We reevaluate regularly.
--Yes, I have two children who choose to be vegetarians. We make sure they eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
--Yes, we will be getting our children flu shots. Two of our children have "lung issues," so the potential negatives of the flu vaccine pale in comparison to the potential effects the flu could have on them.

(Just a few of the ways we've been judged as of late.)

You can accept my brief explanations or not. But they are our decisions to make. I will try my hardest not to second-guess your decisions for your family, and I'd like to hope you will do the same for me.

And hey, Happy Read Banned Books Week!

what's in store...and those first day photos

2009-09-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Sheesh...why can't I get my act together and keep this blog up-to-date?!!

"School" officially started a few weeks back. And I did take those obligatory first day photos. (Poor munchkins...rarely a day goes by when I'm not taking their pictures.)

Oh, how I love those gorgeous little mugs! And oh, how sad it makes me when they head off on that school bus each morning. :( They began school this year on the 9th. And so far, they are having a lot of fun. I just can't believe how incredibly lucky we are that they both have such amazing teachers (they each have the same teacher as they did last year). Both have joined Chess Club again. And Gray has started the violin and joined the Math Olympiad team. Barring disaster, Annie will never be going back to public school, but we all feel confident in the decision to have the boys in public school again this year. Next year? Who knows.

Annie officially started the school year on the 8th. Off to MCC she headed for her Children's Lit class. Um yeah, she's loving it! Hardly a surprise. :D

This year, we're also tackling geometry, using a DVD series from The Teaching Company. Though I've bought a few of their courses, this is the first one we've used. (Will hopefully use a couple more next year.) And we are absolutely loving it...I can definitely see why people recommend these courses so highly.

And for science this year, we're delving deeply into the world of environmental science. We're actually using the same textbook, Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, that Rich uses in teaching it at the community college. But we're just using it as a jumping off point. Since we're devoting the entire year to it, we've got lots of time to explore in all kinds of ways. Added bonus: Annie's Children's Lit class is on the same day as Rich's environmental science lab, so since she's already on campus that day, she's doing some of the labs with his class.

For U.S. history, we're exploring the 20th century. No textbook or anything. Just using a myriad of resources. Including continuing with our "history through literature" explorations. Annie just finished The Jungle by Upton Sinclair...and YAY!...she liked it. Here's her review. (I'd hate picking out a book she despised, but luckily that hasn't happened yet.) We're still deep into the turn-of-the century period, and will be for a few more weeks.

This first quarter of the school year, we're focusing on HIV/AIDS for health. We've been over the basic biology and whatnot in the past, so this year we're focusing on the history of the epidemic/pandemic and on personal stories. Among other things, we've watched movie And the Band Played On and read the graphic novel Pedro and Me by Judd Winick. (Annie's review.)

(As usual, PBS's Ed.Online has provided a wealth of resources! We've already watched videos for both history and health this year. Anyone homeschooling in NY is able to set up an account and have access to a wealth of free resources. I'm guessing that other states have similar programs through their PBS affiliates as well.)

Another wonderful resource we discovered is the National Gallery of Art's loan program. They have a variety of materials that they loan out for free. The length of time one can keep the packets varies. (We're using their Art Since 1950 packet, and are allowed to keep it for 9 months.) While we're adding many additional activities and resources to our unit, it is a wonderful base. This particular packet contains a book, both with history and art appreciation information, but also with suggested activities for various age groups, a collection of slides, and several prints. We're currently exploring abstract expressionism, and have watched two different videos about Jackson Pollock (one biographical, one dealing more with his oeuvre), read a short book on Willem de Kooning, and completed an action painting project.

Music will be much as it was last year. Annie's continuing with her flute lessons. Oh how I love listening to her play. :D She already loves an extremely wide variety of music, so we feel no need to push her in that regard. As usual, we plan on attending at least a couple of live concerts each quarter, as well as watching several specials on Ovation TV. We watched one already about Lang Lang, the Chinese pianist.

For the most part, her phys ed requirements are going to be met through her everyday life. Bike-riding, soccer, tag, swimming, ice skating, hiking, jogging, etc. She will, of course, be playing organized soccer in the spring as well. She has a "time sheet" she fills in each week recording her activities.

Quarter one for practical arts this year involves sewing. We started with a simple hand sewing project--a yo yo Christmas tree ornament. Annie then learned the basics of using a sewing machine and has nearly completed her next project--napkins.

And for library skills, the final required subject, Annie is doing a series of four independent projects. Each quarter she is choosing a different religion to research, and then is completing a project. She's chosen Wicca for her first project, a 10-ish page report written in MLA style.

She hopes to take another language course from MCC during the spring semester, either continue with Spanish, or ideally, if it will fit in everyone's schedule, Arabic. As Arabic is what she really wants to learn, I hope we can find a way to make it work for her.

Annie has also become quite involved with the local library...but I'll save that for another post.

summer reading goal wrap-up

2009-09-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Master Gray is the only one of us who met his goal! HOORAY GRAY!!!!

Final tallies:

Gray--36 books out of 30

Max--13 books out of 20

Annie--46 books out of 75

Debi--25 books out of 30

Rich--quit keeping track halfway through :(

summer reading goals

2009-08-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Afraid to say, with the exception of Gray, none of us are doing all that well. The exception really makes me smile though! While he's always been a very good reader (in the sense that he reads well-above grade level), he has not always been an enthusiastic reader. At least as far as fiction goes.

Here are the goals we set for ourselves, along with our progress to date:

Max: 20 books/6 read

Gray: 30 books/19 read

Annie: 75 books/30 read (she's been coming on strong as of late, so there's still some hope for her)

Rich: 25 books/12 read (he thrown in the towel...quitter!)

Debi: 30 books/6 read (despite the pathetic-ness of my progress, I refuse to give up)

**Our "summer" runs from June 24th-September 7th this year.**

still alive and kicking

2009-07-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Not sure how I managed to let this blog slide so. Oh, who the hell am I kidding. It was the same way I seem to let everything else slide. You know, the whole squeaky wheel thing. This blog has not been demanding my attention, so it has not be getting my attention.

So, why am I back now? I just miss it. And I'm going to try to do better by it. I think Annie will one day treasure this record of her homeschooling experience. And I'm going to try to be better about including what the boys are up to, too. After all, just because they are currently in public school, that doesn't make their educations any less important. It just makes it harder to capture. So I shall just try harder.

We took the summer off from official schooling. I think Annie needed it. I know that I did. And of course, homeschooling has still been taking up enormous amounts of my time, even if it hasn't the kids. I've been hard at work planning, and planning, and planning, and planning, and...yeah, you get the idea.

The kids?

Well, Annie just finished up soccer season last week. She's going to miss it. A lot. And I'll miss watching her games. Rich, as assistant coach, I think has a mixture of relief and sadness going.

She also participated in a track and field camp earlier this month. And loved it!

The boys have started karate. After just a couple classes, they're still rather unsure of themselves. I hope they grow to enjoy it.

Gray will begin learning the violin this year in school. They're having a little mini camp for strings this summer. Gray seems to be enjoying it, and taking it quite seriously. Such a relief to us, as he tends to become so incredibly anxious when it comes to trying new things.

And of course, there's been unstructured family fun and learning, too. Like painting.

And bowling.

And hiking.

And reading.

But we'll save that for another post...

this week's winning sentences...and game 3 comes to an end

2008-12-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

First of all, here's a look at the sentences Annie chose this week:

Debi might have been more SOLICITOUS, but she knew all too well Rich's tendency to MALINGER to avoid even the few duties required for his SINECURE. (Jean)

The THESPIAN was RANKLED bu the critic's review, noting that it contained many a CLICHE but not a single BON MOT. (Jean)

That arrogant, annoying, narcissistic, moronic, stupid, supercilious jerk actually told me that he would never be confuted. (Rich)

The dog was indignant when I told him that it was cliche to pee on a fire hydrant. (Rich)

I was once arraigned for putting a chink in the wall of the White House with an errant shot from my catapult. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: nostalgia (Jean)

Okay, and now for the imaginary drumroll...the winner of Game 3 is...

Jean!!!

Yeah, like anyone's surprised, huh? :)

Deeply felt thanks to everyone who played, be it for one week or all eight! You have no idea how much we appreciate it!

Game 4 will begin in January, and will be held over at Nothing of Importance. If anyone would like an e-mail notice of when we get started, just leave a comment here.

Thanks again! And congratulations Jean!!!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 8

2008-11-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

So are you ready for the final round of Game 3? I guess we already know who our winner is, but I do hope you'll play anyway so Annie gets the benefit of hearing her words in use.

*abase

*solicitous

*malinger

*rankle

*cliche

*insolvency

*truncate

*pastiche

*eponymous

*sinecure

*pater

*bon mot

*bete noire

*agglutinate

*agitprop

*fulminate

*confute

*indignant

*arraign

*chinks

*errant

*ponderous

*nostalgia

*thespian

Good luck! And thanks for playing!

this week's winning sentences

2008-11-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

The wolf pack's SOLIDARITY was evident in its well planned and executed INCURSION into Farmer Johnson's cattle pen. (Jean)

The clown was DISPIRITED, as the PARESIS of his JOWLS made it impossible to smile. (Jean)

The Republican candidate pounded the podium and PROGNOSTICATED that RECIDIVISM would rise were he not re-elected (he was wrong). (Jean)

I was certainly in a quagmire when I became overcome by paresis while climbing the crag, but the mountain climbing ecclesiastic saved me and carried me to safety. (Rich)

I became wan and despondent when I discovered that my work was moot and that my students were still idiots. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: horripilation. (no points awarded)

*Special note: Rich is being penalized 3 points for posting a sentence (which I deleted) that was wholly inappropriate for a home schooling blog.

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 7

2008-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

My sincerest apologies. Again. Rich just called me to ask where this week's words were. I know I typed up the post Monday morning, but he's right...it's definitely not here. (Wonder if I put it on the wrong blog or something?). Anyway, since I'm such a ditzoid, you now have until Monday to do this week's sentences. (Which actually works out okay, because there wasn't going to be a list next week due to the holiday anyway.)

*grandiose

*dispirit

*abate

*closure

*solidarity

*prognosticate

*incursion

*recidivism

*horripilation

*wan

*moot

*jowl

*promiscuous

*despondent

*quagmire

*remonstrate

*paresis

*crag

*badinage

*ecclesiastic

Sorry! And good luck!

this week's winning sentences

2008-11-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, better late than never, huh?

This week's winners:

Rich thought his lecture on the fusion of ROCOCO and ABORIGINE art was truly ENGIMATIC; to his class, however, it was merely HYPNAGOGIC. (Jean)

Women have a predilection to be enigmatic. (Rich)

When I finally cajoled an answer out of him I could tell it was a lie, as his story about being grabbed by armed gunmen, taken to France to join the resistance, and finally abducted by aliens was simply too rococo to be true. (Rich)

I glowered at the student, whose grade was in the lower echelon, when she divulged that my lecture was extremely hypnagogic. (Rich)

The fish was lubricious but delicious. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: cajole (Jean, Rich)

Thanks for playing!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 6

2008-11-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

Please forgive me for not posting this earlier. Things have been a tad stressful around here, and frankly, I just forgot. :(
(To make it up to you, Annie won't be judging until Saturday morning.)

This week's words:

*glower

*dissipate

*rococo

*cajole

*predilection

*echelon

*aborigine

*skulk

*putative

*gleek

*lubricious

*gamine

*hypnagogic

*pyre

*voluptuous

*enigmatic

*divulge

*implacable

*snood

*immolate

Again, I apologize. And good luck!

this week's winning sentences

2008-11-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Our numbers have dwindled, as for the second week in a row we've just got Jean and Rich duking it out. We certainly do miss Raidergirl3 and Awesome and Carl and Medbie...you all write such fabulous sentences. Hope you'll think about coming back, at least from time to time.

But for now, I suppose we shouldn't keep Jean and Rich in suspense any longer. Let's see how they've added to their point totals:

Joe's excellence at MASONRY was more than offset by this tendency to GOLDBRICK. (Jean)

The demi-god's ICHOR turned VISCID and PUSTULANT just before it TRANSMUTED into gold. (Jean)

You really can mummify a Cornish game hen without its becoming PUTRESCENT if you just follow my directions. (Jean)

She yelled at me and ran to her room to cry when I told her that her new boyfriend appeared to be feral and jaundiced. (Rich)

The woman tried in vain to transmute her putrescent goldbrick of a husband into a man she could view with approbation, but eventually she gave up, moved out, got a dog, and lived happily ever after. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: feral (Rich)

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 5

2008-11-03T06:04:00.000-08:00

I apologize for being late again once again. And because they are late, we'll extend the time to get your sentences in. The judging won't take place until Friday morning this week.

Well, we're half-way through Game 3. And I do believe that despite Jean's lead, anyone could still win. So PLEASE keep playing!

(Oh, and here are the updated rules, in case you haven't seen them.)

*cachet

*mellifluous

*jaundiced

*rancor

*dilatory

*paramour

*feral

*abrogate

*approbation

*culmination

*putrescent

*ichor

*transmute

*viscid

*pustulant

*conduit

*profane

*masonry

*goldbrick

*doleful

Good luck, everyone!

homeschool highlights

2008-11-02T04:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since the last update. Mostly because we've had a lot of interruptions to the schedule. We've spread two weeks worth of work out over three weeks. Of course, one of the advantages of "officially" schooling year-round this time is that we've got the leeway to do that without having to make up a lot of work on weekends.

So what has Annie been up to since the last update?

*Her English class is still going well, and she's still enjoying it a great deal.

*She's learning a lot of great new vocabulary. We love our "klatches" and the vocabulary game. A huge thank you to everyone who plays! And she's donated several thousand grains of rice.

*We've read and discussed a plethora of dark and eerie stories, including among many others, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs and "Jerusalem's Lot" by Stephen King.

*Real world math has had Annie working with living expenses and budgeting, and algebra has seen her working mostly with inequalities.

*We're still traveling through time in the history of western science, and have met people such as Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, William Gilbert, Galileo, Rene Descartes, Pierre Gassendi, Christiaan Huygens, Robert Boyle, Francis Bacon, Marcello Malpighi, Giovanni Borelli, and Edward Tyson.

*The Civil War is still our focus in U.S. History...Annie can't seem to get enough! Grant and Lee have finally met, battled intensely, and are now outside Petersburg. And we learned about battlefield medicine. Yikes.

*She's completed the first two packets for the quarter in DBQ, and written essays on political parties in the blossoming nation of the U.S. and on the differences between the North and South leading up to the Civil War.

*We're continuing to explore Africa, looking at the physical and human geography of the continent. We're about to start looking at some of the history and some of the current day issues. And by the way, thank you Jean, for sending us the e-mail about your dad's experiences. We actually haven't read it yet, but are looking forward to getting to it when we start exploring current day Africa.

*Still focusing on elections in U.S. Government. Along with learning about the candidates, their positions on the issues, and the elections process in general, Annie participated in a on-line mock election for school age kids.

*Music consists mostly of fluting. But Annie did also watch a video, Music and Culture, which featured the musical traditions of some Polynesian, African, and Native American cultures.

*She's still taking an art class on Thursday evenings. Since last post, she's completed a watercolor painting and a painting using acrylics. We're also looking briefly into the lives of selected artists, so far looking at Da Vinci and Michelangelo.

*We're still learning about HIV/AIDS in health education, doing some demonstrations of how most viruses are spread as compared to how HIV is spread, and learning about risky behaviors. We've also read and discussed articles on the importance of sleep, autism, and vandalism.

*At Camp Arrowhead, Annie took classes on fire-building, outdoor cooking, and outdoor survival skills.

*As far as phys ed goes, Annie is also still enjoying swimming lessons on Wednesday evenings. She also continues to jog with Rich on a semi-regular basis, and has been hiking twice. And of course, bike riding never gets old.

this week's winning sentences

2008-10-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

Down to two players this week...I do hope that's simply because everyone has been busy and not because you're dropping out for good! Anyway, we missed you!

So, here are this week's chosen gems:

The plump FACTOTUM ABSCONDED as fast as his chubby legs would carry him, before his master's MERCENARIES realized his PERFIDY. (Jean)

Besides DESPOILING you toys or even DESECRATING your diary, little brothers can be quite PESTIFEROUS when they aren't being just BANAL. (Jean)

As the moon rose over the prairie, the warriors DISSIPATED to the CADENCE of the drums. (Jean)

As he walked toward the edifice at Hogwarts School, Harry was weary from being harried by the perfidy of Voldemort and the Deatheaters. (Rich)

Americans now demur the desecration and despoiling of our nation by the nefarious man known to the world by a single letter...W. (Rich)

And this week's bonus word: banal (Jean, Rich)

Congrats to both of you! And do come back everyone!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 4

2008-10-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

So, what did you all think of the new rules? Annie and I thought it worked out pretty well, so we're going to stick with them for now.

This week's words:

*banal

*mercenary

*abscond

*spurious

*cadence

*perfidy

*despoil

*harry

*edifice

*pestiferous

*vestibule

*desecrate

*redoubtable

*equanimity

*demur

*dissipate

*edema

*factotum

*interregnum

Good luck...and have fun!

this week's winning sentences

2008-10-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Not sure how you all felt, but we think the new rules worked out well. Think we'll stick with them for the time being and see how things go.

The winners:

The wolf cub studied his sire's visage, seeking a clue to his mood. (Jean)

Rich tried to establish close rapport with his students; unfortunately, his garish dress, peremptory manners, and cumbersome lectures repelled them. (Jean)

The disrepute that the dog felt after it was discovered that he could not chase cats or pee on fire hydrants was a personal travesty. (Rich)

I wrote my powerful new theory on why fish swim on the whiteboard only to have it effaced by a careless custodian while I was out having a celebratory aqueous martini. (Rich)

The dog's loud flatulent miasma caused the woman and her cats to flee the room in search of fresh air. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: scion. (Jean, Awesome, Rich)

Thanks everyone! As always, we really enjoyed your sentences, each and every one. Hope you'll all be back next week!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 3

2008-10-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

O.K., as I explained in the last post, we're in need of a change in rules here. You all are just too darn clever for your own good. ;) So let's try these out for a bit, and see how it goes...

1. You may use up to, but may not exceed, 10 vocabulary words.

2. No more than 4 vocabulary words may be used in any single sentence.

3. You may use less than 10 words. If you just want to write one sentence, using just one word, that's perfectly fine!

4. Annie will choose her five favorite sentences. Each vocabulary word in these sentences earns a point.

5. A "secret" bonus word will yield everyone would happens to use that word an extra point.

6. Sentences must be posted in the comments by late Thursday afternoon (EST), as judging will take place Thursday evening.

Words at your disposal for this week:

*disrepute

*travesty

*cumbersome

*efface

*rapport

*acclamation

*peremptory

*garish

*cerements

*adamantine

*interstice

*pabulum

*scion

*coeval

*importunate

*matelot

*pullulate

*miasma

*gamut

*denigrate

*visage

*pique

*rend

Good luck, everyone!

Game 3, Round 2 Points

2008-10-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

O.K., it's obvious that we're going to have to change the rules, aren't we? Since you all are so talented, and so willing to risk going down in flames for the big score, it's sort of making things boring, isn't it? What fun will it be if everyone uses all 10 words in one sentence, so Annie is forced to choose every sentence? (And Rich, I apologize for handicapping you this week by asking you to write more than one sentence, but otherwise it just would have been pointless.) Anyway, we'll be sure to let you know the updated rules when we post the next list.

Now, on to this week's point winners:

Donald gamboled through life, his bibulous bonhomie contrasting sharply with his brother Steven's bellicose diablerie, a trait their mother disavowed as leading only to the gibbet, and which she not so trenchantly attributed to Steven's ill-gotten wealth rather than to her poor parenting. (Jean)

Much to my dismay, the dog was a Republican, but he disavowed the party after 7 years of George W. Bush. (Rich)

The dog dabbled in diablerie in an attempt to get the Master to cook some bacon. (Rich)

On Monday, the much maligned monkey migrated to Montgomery, Mississippi. (Rich)

Russet faced and bellicose at the memory, I, a humble fakir--a liaison of Allah--hereby bequeath to you this tale of diablerie, with all bonhomie, of that malign night whence that roly-poly rascal, my so-called brother, didst eat the last of the jelly donuts and then, to my great horror, proceeded to gambol about the room, wiping his rubicund face on my most cherished antimacassar. (Carl) I think I pulled off the melodramatic ominous part, but I'm afraid my English accent was a total failure.

This week's bonus word: russet (Carl)

As usual, great sentences everyone! Hope to see you all next week!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 2

2008-10-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

First let me apologize for posting these a bit late this week...Miss Annie was at a sleepover so we couldn't klatch last night. So as not to shortchange you on time, judging won't occur until Friday morning this week.

Anyone new playing along? If so, you might want to check out the rules here.

And here's this week's list:

*liaison

*enjoin

*bibulous

*russet

*accede

*disavow

*peregrinate

*bellicose

*diablerie

*bonhomie

*trenchant

*gambol

*expostulate

*depute

*gibbet

*inculcate

*rubicund

*fakir

*presumptuous

*malign

*antimacassar

*ill-gotten

*attribute (we're focusing on the verb, but feel free to use it however)

*broach (again, we're focusing on the verb, but feel free use it however)

*fusillade

Good luck to one and all!

home school highlights

2008-10-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Week one of quarter two is now behind us. There's always something fun about starting a new quarter. While we always try to keep things fun and interesting and relevant, at least as much as possible while still "following the rules," there are definitely times when we're just ready to move on to something new.

For example, under the heading of literature, our focus has moved from poetry to short stories. (I knew before we started the year that quarter two was to be set aside for short stories, because that's when Halloween falls. Not only do both Annie and I simply love dark, eerie, spooky type stories, but I also ran across a pre-planned unit using the short stories of Stephen King. It looked great, and anything to save me a little work is a definite plus.) Anyway, we spent this week reviewing the elements of short stories. And Annie is reading "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs this weekend. That's one of those short stories that has vividly stuck with me since the first time I read it back in my school days.

As far as English goes this quarter, Annie will be in her Advanced Composition class through the end. Good for me because I don't have to do all the work. But really great for her...she's loving this class. And it's definitely keeping her challenged! And of course, we're still handling vocabulary in the same way, with weekly lists, our vocabulary klatches, our weekly games, and FreeRice.

Math...still plugging our way through algebra. And in "real world math" this week, Annie worked with input/output tables.

Our new unit in science is "the history of science". We're using The Scientists by John Gribbin as our "sort of" textbook, and going off on tangents from there. (By the way, so far at least, we're both enjoying the book.)

The original plan was to finish up with The Civil War last quarter, but Annie has been so fascinated with it that we've gone in a lot more depth than originally planned. (One of those home school perks!) This week we spent mostly comparing/contrasting Lincoln and Davis, now that we've had a chance to really "get to know them". We also watched a biography about each of them.

In geography, we've switched to world geography, and our starting our journey around the world with Africa. To this point, we've focused mostly on Africa's physical geography and climate.

We've set the U.S. Constitution aside (seems to be a popular thing to do these days) for the time being, and are focusing on elections for a while. Would be a shame to pass up this timely opportunity. This past week we learned about primaries and caucuses, and spent some time "meeting the candidates".

In addition to regular reading/listening/watching of the news, we're still focusing on the issues of poverty under the heading of "current events".

For phys ed, swimming lessons have started again (one night a week). And Annie continues jogging with Rich, as well as spending a lot of time bike riding with her friends.

Annie is still adjusting to her braces when it comes to the flute, but she thinks she's about back to par. She's been practicing away for a mini-recital she's giving us tomorrow.

For visual arts, Annie started taking classes with a friend at a local art studio (one night a week).

In health we've begun a unit on HIV/AIDS.

And if we did anything else this week, well, it's just not popping to mind right now.

Game 3, Round 1 Points

2008-10-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Whoa, you people are impressive! Annie had the hardest time weeding down to five sentences...she even asked if we couldn't just bend the rules and pick more. But she finally did manage to stick the rules and narrow it down to five.

This week's point winners:

The blogger was lauded throughout the internet for her "What's in a Name?" challenge. (Raidergirl3) Looks like flattery pays off. :)

She did not thing she would ever ACCLIMATE
To her master's tendency to VITUPERATE
And belittle her attempts to CEREBRATE
Unless her heart she could somehow INDURATE. (Jean) Oooh, and poetry nonetheless!

The chef on board the CANARD denied that he had served chicken rather than CANARD as the poultry course, and attributed the CANARD to his jealous assistant. (Jean) And you taught us two additional meanings to the word in the process!

The Vatican police chief let out a saturnine sigh as he read the file; while most of the criminals he dealt with were disgruntled votaries caught practicing the rudiments of purloining in the refectory at supper-time, this man was the apotheosis of his art, a pinnacle of sangfroid and sleight-of-hand, and the chief knew he was more than just a tenebrous canard. (Awesome) The big gamble paid off!

When Dr. Feelgood, the facinorous mad scientist and much lauded votary of dance music, asked Professor No-Body, a brain kept alive in a tenebrous jar, what his favorite song was he replied with sangfroid, “Why, Cerebrate Good Times, of course!” (Carl) Annie's favorite for the week!

And this week's "bonus" word was saturnine. (Jean, Awesome, Rich)

Thanks everyone, for playing! Hope you'll all be back!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 1

2008-10-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but Annie is mighty excited about starting a new game. In case, I haven't said it before, a huge thank you to all who play! It really is a fun way for Annie to see her vocabulary words in use, which is obviously a lot better than just reading a definition.

In case we've got any new players, here's a brief recap of the rules:

1. Write as many sentences as you wish, but use no more than 10 of the vocabulary words. (That is, you can write ten sentences each using one word each. Or you can write one sentence using ten words. Or you can write six sentences using one word each and two sentences using two words each. Etc. You choose.)

2. You may use less than 10 words. If you just want to write one sentence, using just one word, that's perfectly fine!

3. Annie will choose her five favorite sentences. Each vocabulary word in these sentences earns a point.

4. A "secret" bonus word will yield everyone would happens to use that word an extra point.

5. Sentences must be posted in the comments by late Thursday afternoon (EST), as judging will take place Thursday evening.

6. Once again, the game will consist of eight rounds. Don't worry if you have to miss a week or two or even more...it is definitely still possible to win!

*Please feel free to ask, if anything is unclear.

*The prize for this game will be a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate.

*Again, just a hint...playing to Annie's passions can pay off! (She still loves wolves, ravens, and most any other animal. She still loves fantasy. Halloween themes are likely to be well-received. And she definitely seems to go for humor.)

And now for this week's words:

*disgruntled

*vituperate

*purloin

*canard

*subterfuge

*rudiments

*acclimate

*tangential

*semaphore

*sangfroid

*facinorous

*cerebrate

*refectory

*lauded

*egalitarian

*tenebrous

*apotheosis

*saturnine

*halitus

*deliquesce

*prognathous

*votary

*ambuscade

*indurate

Good luck everyone!

a fresh start

2008-10-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I did a really lousy job of keeping up-to-date on our homeschooling blog last quarter. Even missed reporting on the big event of Annie's starting her first class at the local community college.

I did post this picture over on my regular blog, but it really should be here. This is Annie headed out to her first day of Honors English 200 (Advanced Composition). She was so excited that morning, and a bit nervous, too. But no one can fault her for that.

The good new is that after five weeks of classes (a third of the way through), she's still loving it, and is excited about going to each and every class. And she's holding her own, too.

We completed lots of other things as well, but I'm just too overwhelmed to do an accounting. I am going to try to do a much better job of posting here, now that we're about to embark on our second quarter of the year.

(The first post for quarter two should be up later today when we'll get the words up for round 1 of the new Using that Vocabulary game.)

And the winner is...

2008-09-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

First of all, here are this week's winning sentences:

I thought the EXECRABLE, RUGOSE, CHIMERA to be one of the most ELDRITCH beings I encountered in that INSULAR world, a creature so INELUCTABLE and ATAVISTIC that I suffered from URTICATION just thinking about it in its DORMANT phase let alone its RECRUDESCENT one. (Jean)

Make sure you buy the rugose chips that hold the dip so well in their grooves. (RaiderGirl3)

Two roads diverged in a wood and I had a choice: parsimony or affluence for the rest of my life which really wasn't much of a choice. (RaiderGirl3)

The constantly cranky chimera was glad of his sudden recrudescence, for now his execrable younger brother could not refer to him as a rugose old fart. (Carl)

When the execrable and affluent lothario returned home, he felt sure that his alibi would satisfy his empathic wife, but after he fell asleep and began to snore as she was talking to him, she let her gravamen be known by gluing him to the couch as he slept, loading the couch onto the truck, driving it to the sea, depositing it in the tidal pool of her insular retreat and awakenening her dormant octupi and jellyfish which she let enjoy their recrudescence by giving the sleeping idiot a good urtication. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: eldritch (Jean, Carl)

Well, both Jean and Rich went for the gusto this final week, and it paid off for both of them! The winner turned out to be Rich, and though I swear it was entirely above board, we want to avoid the appearance of impropriety and are going to give the second place finisher, Jean, a $10 Amazon gift certificate as well. And don't worry, Rich, we're giving you one, too!

Thank you all so much for playing! Not only do we really enjoy reading all your fabulous writing, it really is helpful to Annie as well! I was amazed at how close a game it was all along. I really, really, really hope you ALL will come back and play Game 3! Annie has a review test for the quarter coming up next week, and then has a couple weeks break before we begin her next vocabulary unit. But please come back the first week of October when the first round of Game 3 will be posted. Thanks again!

using that vocab-game 2, week 8

2008-08-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

Last week of Game 2! Good luck everyone!

*gravamen

*empathy

*recrudescence

*affluence

*insular

*dormant

*parsimony

*chimera

*supernumerary

*eldritch

*execrable

*rugose

*atavistic

*ineluctable

*concatenation

*urtication

*lothario

*alibi

winning sentences (game 2, week 7)

2008-08-31T06:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in judging/posting this round's winners. Blame is fully mine (not Annie's) with equal parts busyness and disorganization involved.

This week's winning sentences:

Alyson stomped her feet and cried at her husband, "Your orange sweater, green pants and purple hat have completely ruined the aesthetic of this room and you will rue the day you tried to dress yourself!" (RaiderGirl3)

Conflate 'lunch' and 'breakfast' and you get my favorite meal: brunch. (RaiderGirl3)

Dude, only someone with hypoxia would think skateboarding down a mountain is a good idea. (RaiderGirl3)

The wolf SUCCORED his mate, licking her SUPPURATING wound to help it heal. (Jean)

I rue the day that I tried to bamboozle the mummy of King Rootentooten and had to suffer the incurable malediction of forever being a peripatetic moron with no sense of the aesthetic. (Rich)

Secret bonus word: malediction. (Carl, RaiderGirl3, Jean, Rich)

I can't believe how close this game is going into the final round! That $10 Amazon gift certificate could go to anyone. Anyway, this week's words should be posted this evening...and we'll try to get the judging done Thursday evening. Again, I apologize for being late this week.

using that vocab-game 2, week 7

2008-08-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Just two more lists before we "crown" our winner. Shorter list of words to choose from this week. And a couple extra days to write. (Judging will take place next Thursday, August 28th.)

*bamboozle

*malediction

*peripatetic

*aesthetic

*rue

*succor

*embroil

*conundrum

*penury

*suppurate

*propitious

*conflate

*hypoxia

*interlocutor

Good luck, everyone!

point winners for week 6

2008-08-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots of points to be awarded this week. The winning sentences:

Though you may accuse me of a puerile quibble, the sycophant Big Bad Wolf did indeed prevaricate when claiming that he was not a wolf, but a mere practitioner of the art of lycanthropy…this just before he gobbled up my grannie. (Carl)

Lord Chauncy was feeling a bit dauncy until the adventitious event of a craven raven’s fealty granted his daughter Harriet her manumit. (Carl)

{must be sung to the tune of Ebony and Ivory}
Apogee and perigee,
round and round go the planets,
in harmony,
Near and far pulls the sun,
for infinity. (RaiderGirl3)

"Do you dare to prevaricate on the stand?" the lawyer demanded of the witness, who helplessly howled at the moon as he tried to deny the lycanthropy charge against himself. (RaiderGirl3)

The teacher said my poem about a fish who had a wish that he was a girl named Trish was doggerel, but I knew otherwise. (Rich)

And this week's bonus word was lycanthropy. (Carl, Jean, RaiderGirl3, Rich)

Sheesh, Carl really wracked up the points this week!

As we're headed out of town again in the morning, the next list is going to be posted late. I hope to have them up by Tuesday evening (the 19th), but the judging won't be until the following Thursday (the 28th). Only two lists to go before we have a winner for this game!

field trip fun

2008-08-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Gettysburg National Military Park was such fun! Annie loved it so much that she wanted to hit the library as soon as we got home, so she could find some more books about the battle. It was all the more fun because Jean met us there. Not only is Jean just an incredibly sweet, fun person, but she epitomizes a love of learning!

Anyway, here's a few shots from the battlefield and cemetery:

The Philadelphia Insectarium was interesting. Much smaller than we had pictured, but it contained a lot of cool stuff.

And tomorrow we're off on more field trip fun to see the sights of Ithaca, NY.

using that vocab-game 2, week 6

2008-08-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Since we're headed out of town in the morning, I decided to go ahead and get this week's words posted. And you'll have a little extra time this week as well, as the judging won't occur until Friday afternoon.

This week's words:

*recumbent

*perigee

*doggerel

*ostensive

*quibble

*craven

*sycophant

*adventitious

*manumit

*dauncy

*frisson

*abjure

*puerile

*fealty

*prevaricate

*fatuity

*lycanthropy

And just to let you know, you all (well, with the exception of poor Carl, that is) dodged a bullet last week. I read the sentences aloud to Annie so she can't see who wrote them. (She can, of course, sometimes guess the author of a particular sentence.) Anyway, although I read Carl's sentence to her a couple of times, she didn't quite understand it. Which makes sense to me, as I had to read it to myself a couple of times before it "clicked". Anyway, after the judging, she sat down and read the sentences. And as soon as she actually saw it in writing, she blurted out, "Oh, now I get it. Man, if I had understood that one, I would have chosen it for sure!" And that would have meant 10 points for Carl! Count yourselves lucky! And Carl, count yourself ripped off. :(

just can't do it

2008-08-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Those weekly round-up posts, that is. Boring to read. Boring to write. We'll just stick to the highlights from now on. So what was fun this week?

Still really enjoying Ken Burn's The Civil War, which we're slowly working our way through. Learning about women in the Civil War. Reading The Killer Angels.

Watching two episodes of Life in the Undergrowth (David Attenborough). A nighttime field trip to check out aquatic bugs. This was the coolest find:

It's a hellgrammite (dobsonfly larva).

Learned about a few new forms of poetry, the Kyrielle, the tetractys, and the tanka.

point winners for the week

2008-08-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

A little less competition this week. We missed you, Medbie and Awesome! And even so, Annie had a tough time weeding the sentences down to five. But here's what she ended up with:

Samwise Gamgee was every bit as doughty as Gollum was bilious. (Jean)

The pack grew restless at gloaming, awaiting the good hunting the knew the night would bring. (Jean)

In the gloaming, the cat went roaming. (Rich)

The dog was not especially aerodynamic and when he jumped off the cliff after the cat, he fell like a rock into the ocean below. (Rich)

Under a gloaming light, the fox nabbed his dinner from the porch with a surreptitious move. (RaiderGirl3)

And this week's secret bonus word was pariah. (Rich, RaiderGirl3)

We were extremely tempted to give Carl a bonus point for using all 10 words in one sentence, but we figure that wouldn't be fair to "change" the rules in the middle of a game. I admit it, I did have to read the sentence three times before I understood what it said, but dang if it isn't a great sentence!

using that vocab-game 2, week 5

2008-08-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting this last evening. I have no excuse...it was just pure laziness. Anyone new to the game may want to check out the rules.

*inveterate

*desiccate

*surreptitious

*mendicant

*advent

*pariah

*conjecture

*fastidious

*doughty

*avuncular

*obstreperous

*gloaming

*asceticism

*aerodynamic

*speleological

*bilious

*victuals

*somniferous

Good luck, everyone...and have fun!

homeschool happenings--weeks(ish) 3 and 4

2008-08-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

We've been plugging along at a pretty steady pace, sort of have a rhythm going for our weeks. Definitely takes a bit longer to get through some things with the boys around 24/7, but Annie and I both love having them here. The boys each do about an hour's worth of "lessons" each day as well. During that time I get a glimpse of how incredibly hard, and yet how incredibly satisfying and wonderful it would be to homeschool all three of them. But for now, we're playing that one by ear.

So, what has Miss Annie been up to the last two weeks?

Vocabulary: Two more rounds of "using that vocab" with lots of incredible sentences to judge, and more importantly, learn from. We're now half-way through this game, and it's quite a tight race. As usual, Annie also wrote sentences using her words each week, as well as wrote a story each week using at least 12 assigned words. And kicked butt on both vocabulary tests. Our weekly vocab klatches continue to be fun, and even Gray has joined in! And finally, Annie has "donated" another 6,000 grains of rice.

Literature: Lots and lots and lots of poetry reading. We reviewed persona poems, catalog poems, and free verse. A couple favorites that made Annie's anthology: "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear and "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe.

Math: Evaluating algebraic equations. Mathematical modeling. Intersections and unions of sets. Subsets of real numbers. More on number lines and absolute value. An intro into using a scientific calculator.

More puzzles.

Science: Making pitfall traps. Lecture on what makes insects different from other arthropods, why insects are so successful, how insects are helpful, major orders of insects and their characteristics, mouth parts of insects, complete and incomplete metamorphosis. Examining differences between bee and grasshopper life cycles. Two episodes of Bug Attack. Continued work on insect defenses database.

Social Studies: Watched more of Ken Burn's The Civil War. (Along with more highlights discussion, note-taking, and quote collecting.) More reading in companion book (The Civil War by Geoffrey C. Ward). Learned a bit about Civil War photography. Currently reading a book about Matthew Brady (Matthew Brady: His Life and Photographs by George Sullivan). Learned a bit about Civil War spies. Did some activities using a cipher square.

For history through literature, Annie wrote a book review of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

For the geography portion, Annie watched two episodes of Principles of Geography, "Physical Features of Earth" and "Natural and Man-Made Wonders." Lecture and note taking. Finding and labeling physical features assignment. Quiz. Explored website about the seven wonders of the ancient world.

For the government portion, Annie watched "Standard Deviant School: The Constitution." Lecture and note taking. Read article titled "The Constitution and the Bill of Rights." Quiz.

For the document based questions portion, she began packet two by reading the documents and completing the short answer section. Packet two is about early exploration.

For current events, read and summarized article daily from Ed On-Line website. Read chapter 3 in What If We Do Nothing? Poverty. Worksheet. Writing assignment about obstacles to getting a good education in developing nations.

Music: Still fluting. Has now chosen all 10 of her songs for her informal recital in September. Watched two shows (What Is Music? and Is It Music?) about the elements of music...things like rhythm and melody and harmony.

Art: Finished up nature photography class.

Phys. Ed: Finished up the soccer season with the last two games (and their pizza party!).

Went hiking twice.

Health: Completed four more pages in Health Science. Two more rounds (noninfectious disease and fitness) of Trivia Showdown against Rich. Two more butt-kickings.

She also completed 3 pages in Get Smart About Drugs. Watched The Truth About Tobacco, and completed related assignment.

Practical Arts: Pet care--feeding, bathing, cleaning up after. Shortcuts in the kitchen. Made deviled eggs.

Library Skills: Completed almanac scavenger hunt. Watched The Animated Almanac and The Animated Encyclopedia. Several encyclopedia worksheets.

And that's it for all the required subjects. In addition, we learned about the Spanish alphabet and pronunciations of the letters. Added about 50 words to our Spanish vocabulary. More computer basics, terminology and such. Completed the first chapter in Critical Thinking. Completed a self-assessment in our study skills unit. Made a concept map.

this week's winning sentences

2008-08-01T06:56:00.002-07:00

I apologize for the delay in posting this week's winning sentences. Our internet service only continues to get worse. Someone's supposed to be coming to check things out though, so hopefully the frustration will soon end. Anyway, here's this week's point-winning sentences:

After Mutt was accidentally dyed blue, he expected to be ostracized by the other dogs in the town. (RaiderGirl3)

A viand here and a viand there and a banqueting we shall go! (Jean)

I’m often accused of misogyny, but really, I hate everyone. (Awesome)

His adulation of Hannah Montana worried his parents, as he was 42 years old. (Rich)

The dog did not seem contrite when I caught him buying dog treats with the twenty dollars that he stole from my wallet while I slept. (Rich)

And this week's bonus word was contrite. (RaiderGirl3, Rich)

Congrats, everyone!

Using that vocab-game 2, week 4

2008-07-27T17:57:00.001-07:00

Who's up for another round?

In case we've got any new players, the rules can be found here.

This week's words:

*ostracize

*efficacy

*misogyny

*adulate

*hallowed

*dogmatic

*prolix

*cynosure

*vociferous

*dotard

*ennui

*anthropocene

*intonation

*indenture

*connubial

*wantonly

*prostrate

*contrite

*emaciated

*derelict

*subsidize

*residuals

*viand

Good luck, everyone!

a few more kid stuff reviews

2008-07-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Mr. Duey Class Dis-Missed CD.

I'm willing to bet that nearly all of my fellow 40-ish crowd remembers Schoolhouse Rock, right? Those fun educational snippets stuck in between Saturday morning cartoons. (Because much to my children's horror, that's the only time during the week that cartoons were available.) Anyway, I, for one, absolutely loved Schoolhouse Rock, and I definitely learned from the catchy little songs as well. I can still to this day recite the Preamble to the Constitution thanks to good old Schoolhouse Rock.

But why am I talking about Schoolhouse Rock when I'm supposed to be reviewing Mr. Duey Class Dis-Missed? It's just that I simply can't help but think back to good old Schoolhouse Rock, when I listen to this CD...the similarities are obvious. But then again, they are two very different creatures. Mr. Duey Class Dis-Missed is an educational CD aimed generally at the upper elementary and possibly even at the middle school set. It contains 17 songs, covering a wide range of subjects...everything from integers to adjectives to atoms to the branches of government.

Our family has listened to this CD a few times now. In general, the reviews are positive. The kids seem to enjoy it a great deal more than Rich and I do. But that's both understandable (as the musical genre is rap, a type of music neither Rich nor I enjoy) and okay (as the CD isn't aimed at adults, but at kids). And despite the fact that Rich and I don't particularly enjoy listening to it, we both definitely see its educational value. In fact, Rich even plans to play a number titled "Cells" to his non-majors biology class both for fun and because they may actually pick up something from it.

Bottom line, while this CD may not be for everyone, we definitely see its potential as a fun, educational tool, both at home and at school. Which for some of us is all the same thing. :)

*****

The Rabbit and the Snowman by Sally O. Lee.

The boys (aged 5 and 7, as most of you know) and I have some differences of opinion on this one. Gray and Max both really enjoyed this story. I, on the other hand, found it lacking that special charm I want to experience with a picture book.

It is a story of a snowman built in the woods by a bunch of children one snowy day. But the children go home at the end of the day, and never come back. The snowman can't help but wonder what is wrong with him that all his friends would desert him. Then he meets a rabbit, and the two of them become friends and enjoy one another's companionship until spring. Then, of course, the snowman melts. And the rabbit is left wondering what is wrong with him that his friend would desert him. When winter rolls around again, the snowman reappears, and he and the rabbit pick up where they left off.

This may sound a stupid thing to say, but I couldn't help but feel that this story either needed more words or fewer. There were passages that I really enjoyed, like this one:

They talked about how the snow made a crunchy sound when it was a few days old. And how the sun trickled through the trees to make streams of light.

They talked about how the birds made their nest high in the trees so that no one could find them.

They talked about how the stars lit up the sky when it was dark.

But much of the book felt quite choppy to me. It also didn't "feel right" to me how the snowman just reappeared the next winter. When I asked the boys if this bothered them, Gray replied, "Mom, haven't you ever heard of magic?!!" Guess he put me in my place, huh?

So, here we've got a story that I found lacking, but the boys enjoyed. But this isn't where our differences of opinion ended. Because I thoroughly enjoyed much of the artwork, and the boys didn't like it at all! In fact, I had to bribe Max just to get him to hold up the book so I could take this photo:

This is an example of the art that I love so much...I wish I had a print of this one to frame and hang in the boys' room. Though they don't like it, so I guess that idea's a bust anyway. :)

Bottom line, the boys (target audience) loved the story but didn't like the art. Mom not impressed with the story, but found much of the art perfectly delightful.

*****

Cat by Mike Dumbleton.

And finally, in one of those last but definitely not least situations, we have this wonderful picture book. I ordered this one on Becky's suggestion. This book was perfect for Max in so many ways, not the least of which, of course, was because it featured a cat!
The story was simple, but very cute! And it was written at the perfect level for Max to read. He hasn't picked up reading nearly as easily as his older brother and sister did, but he enjoys it very much. It's always gratifying to find a book that challenges him without frustrating him. And in addition to all that, the artwork by Craig Smith is positively wonderful!

Bottom line, this was our favorite of all three of these kid offerings! Max and I were in complete agreement that this book is a definite winner!

more points to award

2008-07-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Trying to get this published before we head off to Annie's soccer party, so forgive me (or secretly cheer!) for my brevity here. This week's winning sentences:

Eremite that I am, my doormat says "LEAVE" rather than "WELCOME." (Jean)

As Carmine ushered Chloe back out into the rain he yelled, “You’re not wanted here, sachet on home to your maw!” (Carl)

Parents around the world screamed for joy when one of the Jonas Brothers left the band to become an eremite and the group split up. (Rich)

To win the gold medal, the lissome high jumper practised and practised (and then fed her opponent rancid cheese before their competition.) (RaiderGirl3)

The vedette's horse shied as the dragon swooped down, but without fear the sentry faced the monster's toothy maw, trusting in the acuity of his pike. (Medbie)

Good job, everyone! And some of you used more than one word in your winning sentences, so we've got lots of points to award. In addition, this week's "secret" word was nepenthe, which several participants used. (Jean, Carl, Awesome, Medbie)

Thanks to everyone for playing! Hope you'll all be back next week!

Using that vocab-game 2, week 3

2008-07-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

Everybody ready to write some fabulous sentences? Actually, if you wouldn't mind, try not to be quite so fabulous this week, okay? Last week's judging was rough on Miss Annie!

Anyone new to the game, you can check out the rules here.

*proclivity

*acuity

*rancid

*unregenerate

*efflorescent

*iniquity

*connote

*senescent

*susurrus

*pillion

*maw

*vedette

*expiate

*oligarchy

*eremite

*nepenthe

*lissome

*mien

*sachet

Good luck everyone!

Homeschool happenings--week(ish)2

2008-07-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what Miss Annie's been up to this past week...

Math: Finally hitting the very beginnings of actual algebra. Lots of terms introduced. Properties of real numbers. That sort of stuff.

Also finished up the first section in real-word math (working with schedules).

Couple more math puzzles.

English: Another round of judging on the vocabulary game. Another aced vocabulary test. Plus her weekly sentences and vocabulary story, of course. And another 3,000 grains of rice donated.

Getting 15 hours of writing class in last week, has left us ahead of schedule there. Annie, of course, still works on stories on her own though. I don't think she could stop writing any more than she could stop reading.

Literature: Still reading poetry. Talked about odes, narrative poems, and sonnets this week. Learned some new terms, like meter and feet and iambs and trochees. Among Annie's favorite poems this week were "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe and "Bad Weather" by Ralph Fletcher.

Science: Annie continued work on her insect defenses database. She watched Eyewitness Insects video. And did a bit more field work...1. another field trip to Mendon Ponds Park for butterfly and dragonfly identification work and 2. building and placing "nests" in hopes of attracting parasitoid wasps.

Social Studies: We watched more of Ken Burn's The Civil War. (Along with more highlights discussion, note-taking, and quote collecting.) Annie has also begun reading companion book (The Civil War by Geoffrey C. Ward). Annie also read Alexander Stephens Cornerstone speech, and did an associated writing assignment.

For the geography portion, we watched an episode of Principles of Geography titled "Maps and Globes: A Thorough Understanding". Lecture and note taking. Map scale exercise. Latitude and longitude exercise.

For the government portion, Annie took a quiz on the article she'd read last week, did a writing assignment about what it might be like if every state had their own currency, and watched a program titled "A Little Rebellion: Prologue to the U.S. Constitution".

For the document based questions portion, she finished up packet one with an essay based on the provided documents, along with her prior knowledge.

Music: Still fluting away.

Art: Still clicking away. Obsessively. My personal favorite of the week...

Phys Ed: Two more soccer games.

Health: Annie completed another two pages in Health Science. She also played another round of Trivia Showdown against Rich. This time it was about infectious diseases, and she got her butt kicked.

She also completed 4 pages in Get Smart About Drugs.

Practical Arts: We discussed healthy menu planning. We came up with a number of strategies for easily making meals healthier.

Library Skills: Annie completed an Atlas Scavenger Hunt and an introductory assignment about almanacs.

And that's it for all the required subjects. In addition, we watched "Understanding How Stuff Works: Computers" and Annie took a short quiz. Some basic terminology discussed.

round two's point winners

2008-07-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Damn, you all are so talented! But come on guys, you really have to stop writing such great sentences! I'm serious...you had Annie rolling with laughter, complete and total giggle fit! And she had the hardest time yet weeding them down to five sentences. With great effort, she got them weeded down to nine sentences and then just totally got stuck. It took almost an hour to determine the point winners this week! But we've got lots of points to award. I found it somewhat surprising that none of the winner sentences had more than a single word in them, as so many of this week's entries used two, or even three, words apiece.

O.K., I'll finally shut up and post the five winning sentences:

While in his study one evening, Lord Rithven died quietly from an amorphous, and hopefully untraceable, poisonous gas. (Medbie)

Having finished his kill, the wolf settled comfortably into a state of post-prandial lassitude. (Jean)

I made the mistake of teaching my students the meaning of the word suctorial, not realizing that they would use it to describe me. (Rich)

After I quit college, my Dad launched into a discursive lecture that finally ended hours later on the subject of growing healthy tomatoes. (Rich)

And every time a fart came trumpeting out of his bum people considered it their death knell! (Jean Pierre)

Plus, many of you used this week's secret bonus word, which was suctorial. (RaiderGirl3, Jean, Rich, and Awesome)

By the way, the point tallies are over in the sidebar, if you're interested. Definitely anybody's game at this point.

I truly wish I could award another bonus point to RaiderGirl3, but of course, that wouldn't be fair, as I'm not the judge...but I just LOVED her "suctorial" sentence, and think that forever more I shall be calling straws suctorial devices!

a book review for the elementary years

2008-07-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Becoming a Superhero by William D. Smith.

I have to admit that when I read "William D. Smith tells the story of young Billy, a boy who wants to grow up to be a superhero" in the info on this book, I figured it could go either way. Of course, that's true of any book, but I really thought this one had the potential to be a real winner or a real loser. And I'm now happy to report that it definitely falls in the winner category.

It really is a delightful little book, one that both the boys and I enjoyed. Those recommended ages they slap onto books said it was for kids 8-12, but it was quite suitable for my 5- and 7-year-olds. Max wouldn't have been able to read it to himself, but it was perfect for our read-aloud.

The story is a semi-autobiographical telling of the author's life as a boy in a Pennsylvania coal town in the mid-1940s. Billy comes from a somewhat dysfunctional family, but is still surrounded by love. His constant sidekick, and oft-time nemesis, is William, his shadow.

It's a very family friendly book, and yet Billy isn't always an angelic little boy. What kid is, right? William does his darnedest to keep Billy out of trouble, but isn't terribly successful. In chapter after chapter, we get to read about the episodes that make up this 10-year-old boy's life, everything from the soapbox derby to his attempts at flying to "funeral vacations" to his first job as a paperboy to flushing his harmonica down the toilet.

As an added bonus, we get to see a slice of life during the last year of WWII. From a kid's perspective. Billy talks about how he had to save his allowance to buy war bonds, and how he collected scrap metal to help the war effort, and how he loved collecting war trophies, including his prize German army helmet.

And throughout the book, through all the stories, runs this theme of heroes. Billy wants badly to be a superhero. Hence his attempts at flying. He spends a lot of time trying to figure out how one attains superhero status. But as he grows, he learns a lot about who the real heroes are in life. And in one very scary incident, he even proves that he himself is a hero, though that was the last thing on his mind at the time.

Okay, now I have one small complaint to make. The cover really bugged me. The book is about a 10-year-old, and is supposedly aimed at readers aged 8-12. So why does the little boy on the cover appear to be about 3-years-old?!! And don't think this fact escaped Max and Gray either...they were not thrilled about the fact that I was going to read them this book "for babies". I know, I know, the whole judging a book by its cover thing. But why look for trouble, if you know what I mean.

Using that vocab-game 2, week 2

2008-07-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me say again how sorry I am about the confusion last week. Hope everyone is clear now on the directions. By the way, the tallies for Game 2 are posted in the sidebar...it's a very tight game so far, and there's plenty of time to catch up even if you didn't play last week.

A quick review of the rules:

1. Write as many sentences as you wish, but use no more than 10 of the vocabulary words.

2. You may use less than 10 words.

3. Annie will choose her five favorite sentences. Each vocabulary word in these sentences earns a point.

4. A "secret" bonus word will yield everyone would happens to use that word an extra point.

5. Sentences must be posted in the comments by late Thursday afternoon (EST), as judging will take place Thursday evening.

--Still not clear? Just ask.

This week's words:

*elicit

*purport

*dross

*salient

*calumny

*harbinger

*acquisitive

*lassitude

*retinue

*suzerain

*uxorious

*refractory

*discursive

*knell

*evanescent

*amorphous

*suctorial

*infelicitous

*derogatory

*nexus

*stenographer

*infinitesimal

*locus

Good luck everyone!

Homeschool happenings--week(ish) 1

2008-07-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the start of a new year. Just something exciting about starting in on new subjects and projects and experimenting with new ways of doing things.

So what have we been up to so far?

Math: Our main focus for this year is algebra. (Which I have to learn all over again...been 30ish years since I had it.) So far, we've just been reviewing things like working with integers, fractions, decimals, absolute values, etc. Should be hitting some new stuff this coming week. Annie's also doing a bit of work with "real world math" and doing math puzzles each week.

English: Annie thoroughly enjoying the World-Building class she took this week at Writers and Books. Like there was ever any doubt she would; after all, this is creative writing we're talking about here. :)

Vocabulary also falls under this heading. Annie judged the first round of the Vocabulary Game, and she had her first vocab test. And we moved on to List 2 this morning by holding our Vocabulary Klatch. Some interesting new words. (I will try to get them posted for this week's game later today.)

Literature: This quarter's focus is poetry. While each week, I give a short lecture about various aspects of poetry, for the most part, the time is spent reading, reading, reading. Annie fills in a sort of poetry log about all the poems she reads, and at the end of the week, she types up her favorites. At the end of the quarter, she'll print these out and we'll bind them into a little anthology. Among her favorites this week were "Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer" by Ogden Nash and "Milkweed" by Michael Teig. We also each choose a favorite or two each week to read aloud to one another.

Science: Rich is handling the first quarter here. He and Annie are doing an entomology unit. She's started an ongoing database on insect defenses using Thomas Eisner's For Love of Insects. They went on a field trip to Tinker Nature Park and got to talk to the beekeeper and witness swarming (the forming of a new colony). The also went on the first of what I suspect will be many field trips to Mendon Ponds Park to do some bug-watching, where Annie started keeping a field journal. She also made some Venn diagrams comparing/contrasting insects with spiders and insects with earthworms.

Social Studies: For the U.S. History portion, we are studying the Civil War. We watched the movie Gettysburg, in preparation for are trip to Gettysburg (which fell through for the time being). And we began watching Ken Burn's The Civil War. (After each section of this, we discuss the highlights and Annie takes notes.) She's also making a collection of famous quotes.

For history through literature, Annie read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

For the geography portion, we're starting with principles of geography. This week we watched an episode of Principles of Geography titled "Themes of Geography". Lecture and note taking. And she began work on an assignment about language and location.

For the government portion, she read a short little intro book titled What Is a Constitution? and completed a worksheet.

For the document based questions portion, she began work on a packet about Native Americans. This particular packet includes six documents, and Annie completed the short answer section of the packet.

Music: Annie continues to work on her flute using Smart Music and tackling new songs from a variety of books. We'd like to find her a new flute teacher one of these days, but for now she's doing quite well with Smart Music.

Art: Annie is taking a nature photography for kids class at Tinker Nature Park. The first of two class periods was yesterday. Each kid was given a disposable camera, which we have to get developed before the next class. Annie is so excited about all she learned that she begged us to take her to Tinker Nature Park last night so she could practice. We've decided to let her use our old digital camera...and she is loving it! Below the photo of her are a few of the photos she herself took last night.

Phys Ed: Still no wins, but plenty of effort on the soccer field. Hours upon hours of swimming at Grandmother's house, too.

Health: Annie completed the first two pages in Health Science. She also played a round of Trivia Showdown against Rich. She lost, but did fairly well considering she was playing against a biologist. She probably would have beaten me. :) Maybe next time I should let Rich be the moderator, while I play against her.

Practical Arts: Annie learned about woodworking yesterday...planning, measuring, basic use of tools...as she helped Rich build a bookcase to house all our homeschool books.

Library Skills: Annie completed an introduction to the atlas worksheet, and we watched The Animated Atlas.

And that's it for all the required subjects. In addition, we've began a unit on critical thinking using a book simply titled Critical Thinking.

this week's winning sentences

2008-07-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me say a HUGE THANK YOU to all the players! So glad you joined in Raidergirl3! And welcome back to Jean, Awesome McAwesome, and Rich! And Jean Pierre and Medbie, I'm so sorry you didn't play this week...I hope it wasn't because of the my less-than-clear instructions. We all hope you'll come back and get in on next week's action...it's definitely not too late to join in!

Okay, let's get on with it, huh? This week's winning sentences:

Debi was so upset with the commotion, she had to steep a tisane to calm her nerves. (Raidergirl3)

As doyen, the grey wolf bore responsibility for ensuring the pack’s survival through the hard winter. (Jean)

The first mate grabbed the binnacle for support as the waves whipped the boat from side to side. (Jean)

The cat burglar's well-honed skill made his larcenous incursions nearly undetectable. (Awesome McAwesome)

I was astonished as he reached into his kitbag and pulled out an African rock python that he let out into the grass to play. (Rich)

And this week's bonus word was palaver. Awesome is the only one to receive a bonus point this week. (By the way, all the sentences are now posted in the comments if you'd like to read them.)

If week one is any indication, we're going to have a very tight race! Hope to see everyone back next week! And feel free to invite others to play...like I said, it's definitely not too late to join in. I'll try to get next week's words up as early as possible Monday, or maybe even Sunday night.

Using that vocab-game 2, week 1

2008-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

On to Game 2...where some things will be the same, but some things have changed. Yes, there will still be a $10 Amazon gift card for the person with the most points at the end of eight weeks of competition. But the actual rules have changed slightly, because we're handling our vocabulary lists a bit differently this year. Rich, Annie, and I are now meeting on a regular basis for "vocabulary klatches" where we share all the new words we've run across in our reading during the past week (or so). Annie will now be responsible for learning these along with her regular vocabulary list.

As far as the game goes, each contestant can choose up to ten of these words to use in sentences. Please do not use more. But you may use fewer. Which ten words you choose to use is up to you. Five points will now be awarded each week by Annie, according to her favorite sentences. In case you're new to the game (and I do hope we get some new players!), playing to Annie's interests is definitely in your best interest! She loves fantasy, animals (especially wolves and ravens and domestic cats and dogs), and books. Humor is generally a good tool to employ as well. Anyway, you may use more than one word in a sentence, just so you don't exceed ten vocabulary words total. If Annie should choose a sentence with more than one word in it, that contestant will receive points equaling the amount of words used. In addition, each week one of the words will be chosen beforehand as the "bonus" word, and anyone who happens to use that word in a sentence will receive a point. These are in addition to the five points (If that didn't make sense, please feel free to ask for clarification.)

Words for Week 1:

*acerbic

*prosaic

*ineffable

*draconian

*soporific

*unimpeachable

*consign

*empirical

*doyen

*parlous

*cudgel

*arrogate

*recrudesce

*littoral

*propitiate

*tisanes

*triturate

*arenicolous

*saxicolous

*tropism

*deus ex machina

*limn

*centripetal

*caveat

*palaver

*thralldom

*concomitant

*sanctimonious

*larcenous

*placate

*tumescence

*brigand

*plangent

*abstruse

*soupcon

*binnacle

*kitbag

You have until Thursday morning to post your sentences in the comments. (I tried to enable comment moderation so no one would be able to read anyone else's sentences until after the judging, but I don't think it worked.) Good luck everyone!

And so begins a new year...

2008-07-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

I guess technically our new school year began a week ago, but we took last week off. Mostly, anyway.

So, what kinds of things do we have on slate for the coming quarter? Algebra. Poetry. A creative writing class at Writers and Books. The Civil War. History through literature. Entomology. Flute. Soccer. Vocabulary klatches, games, and free rice. The U.S. Constitution. Current events. Lives of artists. Critical thinking. A nature photography class. And probably more that I'm just not thinking of at the moment.

Should be a fun quarter!

School's Out!

2008-06-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

But not for summer, I'm afraid. At least not for most us.

We delivered both our fourth quarter report for this year, and our IHIP for next year. WooHoo...that means no more paperwork until late September.

And two happy little boys had their last day today. Frankly, that makes their mom very happy, too...I love having them around all summer. Though I'm guessing it may make it a little harder for Annie and I to get through our school days. Especially since Rich will soon be starting his second summer session and has some longer days this time.

Anyway, we went out for our traditional last day of school pizza at Pizza Hut, albeit a bit early as Annie has a soccer game tonight.

Ahhh...

On the trail of...

2008-06-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

...mammals. A trip to the park netted Annie deer tracks, squirrel tracks, and raccoon tracks! And this evening, if the weather cooperates, it will be time for a bat walk!

pop art project

2008-06-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Warhol.

a book review for the little ones

2008-06-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Tiniest Tiger by Joanne L. McGonagle.

When I read the e-mail asking if I might be interested in receiving a copy of this book for review, I couldn't believe my eyes. From the brief description of the book, I would have sworn that this book was written specifically for Max. But of course, there are many little cat lovers out there, and I suspect a great many of them would thoroughly enjoy this book.

The book tells the story of a little stray kitten who wanders into the zoo one day. Upon seeing the tiger, she hopes that maybe, just maybe, she's found a home. But the tiger, while friendly, points out the reasons why she can't be a tiger and sends her along to the lions. The scenario repeats itself time after time as each of the wild cats explains to the kitten why she can't be of their species. We visit not only tigers and lions, but cheetahs, clouded leopards, pumas, jaguars, bobcats, and ocelots as well. Throughout the book, as the kitten visits each new cat, we get to view their zoo fact sign and learn more about each wild cat--things like its status, its size, its lifespan, etc.

So, what did the viewing audience think of this book? In his words...

Me: So, what rating does this book get? (The boys always rate picture books on a 1-5 scale, with 5 being the highest.)

Max: A million!

Me: What did you like most about this book?

Max: I liked the kitten. And all the cats.

Me: Did you learn anything from this book?

Max: The signs told me all kinds of things. But I was sad that all the cats were are endangered.

Me: Do you think that other kids would like this book?

Max: Yeah.

Me: Anything else you want to say about the book?

Max: I love it. And I want you to read it to me again.

And as for my favorite thing, let me just quote from the book's introduction:

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of The Tiniest Tiger will benefit conservation projects for endangered wild cats in Africa, Asia, North America, and South America, through the Conservation Fund of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

still kicking

2008-06-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last night, Annie had what was probably her personal best game of the season so far. Still it was a losing effort overall for the girls, but I think they're smart enough to realize that what was really important was how well they actually played.

And the winner is...

2008-06-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Jean!

Game One has now been completed. It turned out to be quite a close game, but Jean came out on top. (Steve, where were you this week?!!)

The winning sentences, by the way, for this final week of Game One were:

*Twitching her tail, Demona thought pointedly that she would trade any or all of her plethora of human-bought toys for one large, live mouse with which to play.

*Is mendacity a requirement for employment in the current White House?

*There are a plethora of wonderful spiders in my house, but Annie doesn't like any of them.

Jean, you should be receiving your prize shortly...enjoy!

And please, everyone come back and join in Game Two, starting on July 7th!

using that vocab-game 1, week 7

2008-06-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Okay folks. Final week for game one. Jean, I guess the worst that can happen is that you end up in a tie, huh? We'll see how it goes...good luck everyone!

*plethora

*serendipity

*accost

*mendacity

*fractious

*cant

*redress

*disquiet

a big day

2008-06-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

CTY Awards Ceremony. I tell you, sometimes we just can't help but be proud of this kid.

more on mammals

2008-06-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

We're continuing with our mammal unit. Still enjoying David Attenborough's book and series of the same name, The Life of Mammals. Annie gave her power point presentation on the Canadian lynx.

(Please don't kill me for posting this picture, Annie.)

And she did some more small mammal live trapping, though with no success this time.

in uniform

2008-06-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Three games down. One win, two losses. But still in good spirits.

the final weeks

2008-06-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm getting so far behind in posts for this blog, but I'm going to try to catch up with a few for today. Annie had her last two Camp Arrowhead classes for the school year. Two weeks ago, they had their big camp out. Annie was a bit nervous about it, but ended up having a ball! (As we knew she would.)

This is the before photo. In typical empty-headed fashion, I forgot to take the after photo.

And then this past week, they had a Civil War reenactment group come in. They also tried out a few crafts of the era, such as quilting and tin-punching. Unfortunately, no pictures from that. But Rich got a few shots of Annie at the end of year party thrown after the day's classes.

using that vocab-game 1, week 6

2008-06-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Just two weeks left for Game 1...and I know all of you could make good use of a $10 Amazon gift certificate. So good luck!

*convoke

*plaintive

*dissidence

*ingenuous

*bohemian

*anterior

*sullen

*extrapolate

teeth and potatoes

2008-05-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit lax here about getting photos posted...combination of laziness and forgetfulness. Here's a few from last week:

First, we've got Annie doing a mammal skull lab in which she is examining mammal skulls and trying to determine the animal's diet:

No surprise that Annie is really enjoying our mammals unit. We're using David Attenborough's Life of Mammals as our unofficial textbook, and we've been watching the series on DVD as well. And though we've done it before, we'll probably do some live small mammal trapping in the yard, and head out to somewhere to make some plaster casts of mammal tracks. I'm personally looking forward to Annie's power point presentation, where she can teach me a bit about one of her favorite mammals, the Canadian lynx. A field trip the American Museum of Natural History sure would be a fun culminating activity, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to swing it.

And here she is cooking up a recipe, potato pancakes, for Idaho:

They were quite yummy, but not nearly as much as that apple pie! Annie and I are a tad jealous...we'll soon be moving on to New Mexico, but while we're reading and watching videos and cooking, Jean will actually be there in person! Not a chance we can fit in her luggage either.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Annie had her first soccer game of the season last night, but her frazzled old mom had forgotten to take the camera.

using that vocab-game 1, week 5

2008-05-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we're taking the day off from school today, so Annie hasn't even seen her vocabulary words for the week yet, but I thought I'd go ahead and get them up in case anyone is in the mood for writing today...

*simile (Is it just me, or does this one seem "too easy" in comparison to the ones usually included? Whatever. Easier to just stick to the book.)

*ingratiate

*charisma

*expurgate

*renascence

*animadversion (Hanging head in shame here, as this one is totally new to me.)

*parody

*blithe

Good luck, writers!

using that vocab-game 1, week 4

2008-05-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I hate these weeks when I have to admit that I don't already know all her words. But this is one of those weeks. Inveigle...totally new one on me.

Anyway, good luck contestants! Here are your words for the week:

*animus

*recrimination

*inveigle

*sophistry

*misanthropic

*ebullience

*blandishment

*paroxysm

in the kitchen

2008-05-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've done any of our "state" cooking, but when we got to Washington, we decided that we just had to make an apple pie. Annie's first pie ever, and let me tell you, it was the best darn apple pie I've ever had in my life!

Well done, Annie!

Science Exploration Day

2008-05-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

This event, hosted by St. John Fisher College, has long been a hit with Annie. Gray got his first taste this year, and he definitely agrees with his sister. Each year, area colleges and science-related businesses come together for this event, each setting up some sort of fun science exhibit. Most are hands-on type things.

Rich and a colleague always man the MCC booth in the evening. This year their booth had owl pellets for kids to dissect, pond water to examine for microscopic organisms, and a frog call game.

At other booths, they were able to silver-plate pennies, make a screwdriver, mix concrete, examine a variety of skulls, hunt for shark teeth fossils, see a variety of animals, like coatis and giant millipedes, up close and personal, and numerous other things (there were about 40 booths this year).

(Gray with a model of a real murder victim's skull.)

these glorious spring days

2008-05-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

One of the many benefits of homeschooling:

Ahh, who wouldn't love having class outside in this beautiful spring weather, especially with one's trusty beagle at one's side.

In other news, added to the old phys ed column, was an all day archery class last week, and the soccer season officially started last night.

O.K., now we're off to watch another episode of The Life of Mammals.

using that vocab-game 1, week 3

2008-05-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

We sure would love to gain some new players...come on, give Jean and Rich a little competition!

It's really quite easy. Listed below are Annie's vocabulary words for this week. Your challenge is to use them in sentences. Choose one and write one sentence. Or write eight sentences. It's up to you. Each one used is a separate entry. Just write them in the comments on this post. And remember, Annie is the judge, so playing to an 11-year-old fantasy/wolves/books/cats and dogs/history loving girl is to your advantage. Humor never hurt either.

*rollick

*drawl

*inure

*sedulous

*anneal

*candor

*guffaw

*void (focusing on the verb "to cancel; to retract")

using that vocab-game 1, week 2

2008-05-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Almost forgot to post this week's list. Oops. For a quick recap of the rules, click here.

*amenable

*interface

*bivouac

*predisposed

*drone (focusing on the verb "to buzz")

*rook (focusing on the verb "to swindle")

*frangible

*sporadic

trash collectors

2008-05-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another Camp Arrowhead day for Annie, and again she had a ball. Hiking day is always one of Annie's favorites, but today there was a bit of a twist...they cleaned up the woods as they hiked. They managed to gather up over 100 pounds of trash!

Click here (and scroll down a bit) for a picture of Annie and the rest of the class with their haul.

nature, and lectures, and black bears...oh my

2008-04-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

One of our local favorites, Tinker Nature Park, held their Earth Day Celebration this past Saturday. So off the kids and I headed. (Rich couldn't join us because he was off at "soccer coach school".)

We made sure we were there in time for the Black Bear Presentation. Master Gray has long been a fan of the bear, in all its species forms. However, had I realized how long the presentation was going to be, we probably would have skipped it. It was really aimed more at adults than at young kids. But Gray amazed me...he sat totally captivated for the entire hour! (Even Max did okay, though he got a little squirmy and came up in my lap for a bit.)

Afterwards, we just headed off on a little hike through the park. Always good to blow off a little steam after having your butt planted for so long, right?

using that vocab-game 1, week 1

2008-04-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Jean had a neat idea. Well, she has tons of neat ideas, but this one involves Annie's vocabulary lists. Jean suggested that I post Annie's list for the week, and let everyone use them in sentences. I love this idea...it's always easier to get the feel of new words when you see them used in a number of sentences.

We decided to turn it into a bit of a game. Each Monday, I'll post Annie's list for the week. You can write sentences using the words. Write just one sentence using one word. Or write eight sentences, each using a different word. Or anywhere in between. Thursday morning I will read Annie each of the sentences (so she doesn't know who wrote them), and she will choose her favorite three. Each sentence she chooses will earn a point. Points will be collected throughout the entire quarter and the person with the most points at the end of the quarter will win a small prize. And then hopefully we'll start over next quarter.

And by the way, after she chooses, I will have her sit down and read the sentences herself so she can see them in print. She always has to write a little story using each of the words...perhaps I should then have her post that as well.

Anyway, a few tidbits about Annie...she loves animals, particularly wolves and ravens, as well as cats and dogs, she loves fantasy, she loves history. Mentions of these may improve your chances of her choosing a particular sentence. :)

Hope that all made sense. And here's this week's list:

*harp (focusing on the definition "to dwell on; to persist" not on the musical instrument)

*antedate

*indomitable

*coiffure

*scrofulous

*outmoded

*effrontery

*mesmerize

just keeps getting better

2008-04-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I don't think Annie ever could have imagined that today would be even more exciting than yesterday, but it has definitely proved to be just that!

First off, today is Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day. Rich's school always puts together all kinds of great things for the kids. Annie has always had a ball, and this year was no exception. Gray was finally old enough to go as well, so we also had one very happy little boy on our hands. Gray actually spent the morning with Rich as he was doing a fun animal lab with his students that he figured Gray would really enjoy.

But Annie went off with the other kids to do the "planned activities" for the morning. One of these was "classes" was on recycling. And each kid had to make a poster on recycling. The posters were later judged...and Miss Annie won first place! I wish I could post of photo of the poster, but they're keeping it hanging on campus for now (and Rich had forgotten to take the camera with him to school). But here's a picture of Annie with her prize:

(Rich is more than a little jealous...he really wants one of these hoodies, but they cost $40 at the bookstore.)

But that's not the most exciting part of Miss Annie's day...no, that would involve something she received in the mail. She was invited to the Awards Ceremony for being among the top-scoring students on the John Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth's SCAT test. Way to go, Annie! (And Jean--I'm sure you've been through this, so maybe you can give us a heads up of what it will be like...you know, like is she supposed to dress up? will she receive her certificate during the ceremony, or do they just hand them out afterwards?...that kind of stuff.)

Anyway, we will be taking her out to dinner to celebrate shortly...after she and Rich get home from a talk being given by retired Army Major General Batiste.

making friends

2008-04-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the highlight of a day is making friends and learning to lean on others. Yesterday was another Camp Arrowhead day for Miss Annie. And I think she had more fun there than she ever has before...and believe me, that's really saying something!

"Working Dogs" and "Community Cooperation" made up the schedule. Annie was most excited about "Working Dogs"...anything involving animals always gets a big thumbs up with her. Yep, she's a typical kid on that one. But it turned out to be the "Community Cooperation" class that left her full of excitement for the rest of the day. It simply involved solving problems as a group. This was not only a great life exercise, but it allowed Annie to finally feel a part of this group. Since her birthday, she was moved up to the older class and just really hadn't felt like she belonged yet. Now she most definitely does. She talked a mile a minute all the way home and for the next hour or so after. I think she may also have gained a little admirer...we'll have to wait and see on that one. But he made of point of getting Annie a chair at lunch and then asked for her phone number at the end of the day. (It was really sort of cute, though Annie might kill me for saying so.)

And then last night, the kids had their final swimming lesson of the current session. Annie wasn't so sure she would "graduate" and get to move up to Level 4, but she did. It's truly amazing to see how well she's swimming these days, after refusing to put her face in the water for so many years. :)

We were so proud of Gray as well...he "graduated" and gets to move to Level 2. He was so worried that Max would get to move up and he wouldn't. (No amount of reassurance from us could convince him that that wasn't going to happen.)

Max didn't "pass"...he won't jump into the pool, which is one of the requirements for moving up to Level 2. Luckily, he was not upset in the slightest...Whew. He just has a ball while he's there. And he's learning water safety and how to keep himself afloat, and that's all we really care about.

And to celebrate everyone's success, we went out afterward to the local ice cream shop!

free rice

2008-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today marks our official first day of the fourth quarter. Hooray!

Anyway, talk about a win, win situation. This might even be more of a win, win, win. I'm talking about Free Rice, a website that donates grains of rice (through sponsors) for playing their vocabulary game. I've been playing for a few months whenever I happen to think of it, but it wasn't until today that I finally remembered to add it to our vocabulary curriculum and get Annie playing, too. So, why the win, win, win? Well, win #1, it donates rice to the UN hunger program. Win #2, it helps expand one's vocabulary. And win #3, it's just plain fun.

And speaking of vocabulary, Annie's vocabulary list this week made me feel quite ignorant...there were two words on it that I just didn't know. Ugh. On the bright side, that's two new words (sententious and apothegm) I got to learn, huh?

a little culture...the Philadelphia Museum of Art

2008-04-17T16:50:00.001-07:00

Now this is what I call a field trip! Since the boys (both big and little) were off for spring break, we headed to Grandmother's house. Along with seeing Grandmother, we had another mission for this trip to southeast Pennsylvania...visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Frida Kahlo was Annie's latest "artist of interest," so when I found out the museum was holding a special exhibit of her life and work, I knew we had to find a way to get down there.

And it was well worth the trip. Frida Kahlo was such an incredible woman...I just can't help but admire the way she lived her life to the fullest despite the tragedies and pain she endured. Seeing her paintings in person was just the most amazing experience...one I hope Annie will always remember.

Unfortunately, photography was prohibited in the Kahlo exhibit itself, but we did get some shots while we explored other areas of the museum.

on the go

2008-04-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a fun, busy day in Annie's world. Unfortunately one devoid of photos though. Well, photos of Miss A anyway.

Yesterday was another Camp Arrowhead day. The morning was spent in a hiking class, and the afternoon in a calligraphy class...Annie enjoyed both immensely. And she made new friends as well, since she has now moved up to the next age group.

After supper came swimming lessons. Annie is really enjoying diving. Just one class left of this session. She's not sure if she'll be moving up a level or not. But we probably won't get back to swimming lessons until the fall anyway, as soccer is about to start.

And finally, last evening she headed out with Rich to view the annual salamander migration. It was harder to pinpoint "the perfect night" this year as the ideal weather conditions haven't really presented themselves. Yesterday's weather was close, so they headed out to scope things out. And sure enough, they were rewarded for their efforts.

Not sure how easy they are to see, but there are three salamanders in this photo.

They saw three species of salamander this year, fewer than last year (but that is probably because of timing, not because of a change in populations).

for the birds

2008-04-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, we already have a number of bird feeders. But one can always use more, right? And building a new one sounded like a fun little project for Annie's bird unit. It was Annie's job to choose a design...she went with the old coconut feeder.

A simple little feeder, but a mighty cute one.

for the brain and the body

2008-04-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Camp Arrowhead is an area YMCA that offers classes for home-schoolers throughout the traditional school year. Annie absolutely loves attending! They do offer some pretty fun, interesting stuff. (Unfortunately, we can only afford to send her to a few each semester...but I think that helps her appreciate them even more.)

It really is a beautiful place, set out in the woods, which allows them to offer all kinds of camping, hiking, snowshoeing, and other outdoor activities.

Yesterday she took a full day class about the Olympics. Along with learning a bit about the history of the Olympics, the passing of the torch, etc., they also competed in their own mini version of the games. Annie had her first exposure to throwing the discus and heaving a shot put. They had relays, and obstacle courses, and long jump contests, plus a variety of "silly" games.

And here is Annie (in one very blurry photo) with her Olympic medal :)

on the ice

2008-03-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

An afternoon of ice skating made a nice addition to the old phys ed column on Saturday. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos.

field trip!

2008-03-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, Annie is one lucky girl to have a Daddy who teaches at a community college. It allows her to do some things she probably wouldn't be able to do otherwise. A big for instance:

We've been studying birds this quarter for science. Rich just happened to need to set up a lab practical for his vertebrate zoology class. Hence, Annie got to accompany him up to school Friday afternoon and help him dissect a pigeon. Now one might think that
being a vegetarian and all, that this might bother her. Apparently not. She seemed to be of the opinion that since her dad had to do this for his class anyway, that it wouldn't hurt for her to learn something from it.

While there, she was also able to examine some bird skeletons.

And then, for a change of pace, they also visited the Mercer Gallery there on campus.

Yes, Miss Annie had a very fun, informative afternoon indeed.

decisions...

2008-03-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, that time of year has arrived when plans have to be made for the next school year. I have to admit that before Annie reached "school age" I never realized how many decisions would have to be made about the kids' educations. And even if I had known, I don't think I would have guessed how agonizing all these decisions would be. What's best for one child might not be what's best for another. And what's best for a child at one point in life, might not be what's best at another time.

Anyway, I suppose the biggest decisions have been made. Annie will remain at home. Gray will go to public school (at least until we see how things go there). And Max will go to public school.

But a few decisions remain in regards to Annie. First of all, should we stick with the September through June school schedule, or switch to a year-round schedule. We're leaning towards the year-round schedule...we figure that that would allow for all the things she does during the summer to "officially" count.

And secondly, and more importantly, do we skip 6th grade and move her right to 7th? Because of the way the regulations work here, we're going to have to skip some grades eventually. Otherwise she'll finish with community college and then be stuck in limbo waiting to finish high school. But is now the time to skip? We're familiar with the "subject requirements" for 6th grade, as they are the same as for 5th. But they change for 7th and 8th grades, so we would have to familiarize ourselves with the changes. Mostly, I suppose I worry that if we do skip 6th grade, something will come up that I hadn't considered, and then it will be too late to do anything about it. I know...idiotic to think that way, but my brain doesn't always do what I tell it to.

Anyway, just wanted to get those thoughts out of my system. Hopefully, the next post will be a more cheerfully learning type entry. :)