The original writers of the children's software JumpStart are looking for beta testers for their new software "My Reward Board" I was contacted directly by Barton Listick, CEO of the company. He is looking for some parents to help test out their new software program.
I don't know anything about the software other than what I am including in this post. We have decided to try the software and help work out bugs. If you are also interested you can contact him at beta@trylonix.com, let him know that Tenniel from SCHOOL@HOME referred you. Here is the information I was sent:
Peace,
Tenn
My Reward Board" Beta Test Program
-------------------------------------
As parents we all struggle to get our kids to do the things they should (or need to) do. Some tasks are practical, like helping with dishes or doing homework, while others are behavioral, like not teasing a sibling. The reason we care at all (beyond the benefits of a clean room!) is that we want our kids to grow into responsible, healthy and happy adults.
That’s where My Reward Board fits in. With reward coupons, fun animations and achievement certificates, this unique program turns chores and goals into fun and games. Before long your kids will be striving every day to do their best as they eagerly await the end of the week and their star points reward. The program is very configurable in order to accommodate different parenting styles.
Participants will receive a free copy of the program when it's released in 1-2 months.
The only requirements for participation are that you have children ages 5 to 12, and a Pentium II (or better) computer, running at 400 mhz (or faster), with the Windows operating system (Windows 98 or later).
If you agree to help out, the most important thing we ask is that you use the program frequently, try out all of the features, and give us as much feedback as possible. The first priority is to find and fix any bugs (problems) in the program, but we also want to hear your ideas on what you like and what could be added or changed to make it better.
If you'd like to apply please send an email to: beta@trylonix.com
January 28, 2005
January 27, 2005
Mother Goose and Frogs
Sirah and I went through the Mother Goose book we have and I did actions and sang some of them to her. She especially enjoyed Old MacDonald and anything that had a picture of a dog. She kept coming back for me to read her more. She also played on the slide and trampoline with Ciaran and kept trying to color pictures and their floor playmat while her siblings were using markers and crayons. She has wanted to nurse continuously today. She also played several games with Ciaran. It is nice when they get along so well.
I asked Ciaran what he wanted to do today because he asked me to do "schoolwork" while Rhiannon was. His answer of course was frogs. So I printed out a life cycle book for him and he colored the entire book. He did a good job staying in the lines, though by the end he was wanting it to be done and I noticed the quality of his work decreased. He definitely does better with coloring if he is only working on one thing and he knows that is all he needs to do.
We started to do the art lesson with him, I thought he would be into coloring under his desk, but I was wrong. So he played with Sirah while Rhia worked on art. This afternoon we will finish his H collage and read some books together.
Peace,
Tenn
I asked Ciaran what he wanted to do today because he asked me to do "schoolwork" while Rhiannon was. His answer of course was frogs. So I printed out a life cycle book for him and he colored the entire book. He did a good job staying in the lines, though by the end he was wanting it to be done and I noticed the quality of his work decreased. He definitely does better with coloring if he is only working on one thing and he knows that is all he needs to do.
We started to do the art lesson with him, I thought he would be into coloring under his desk, but I was wrong. So he played with Sirah while Rhia worked on art. This afternoon we will finish his H collage and read some books together.
Peace,
Tenn
Ceiling Art
No Serona, relax I did NOT let them paint on the ceiling! We are talking about Raphael and Michelangelo today and I thought it would be fun after learning about them for them to try to paint like they did. Now I am not a glutton for punishment so neither paint nor a real ceiling was involved. Instead I taped a long piece of craft paper underneath their desk and gave them markers to lay on their back and make their great masterpiece with.
First I had them flip through pictures and review some works from the great artists. Rhiannon noticed that there were lots of naked people running around and angels. We talked about how much of their work was for ceilings of chapels and churches. She wanted to know why our church did not have such artwork!
Rhiannon sketched and then colored a picture of me and her in heaven singing and praising to God. One of our dogs was also in the picture. She wrote My God love on it as well as mommy and kaity. She drew a frame around it. She sketched with markers and then colored in with crayons.
Then we talked about how it felt to work on our backs and what it must have been like for them and how amazing it is that those beautiul works of art are on celings.
First I had them flip through pictures and review some works from the great artists. Rhiannon noticed that there were lots of naked people running around and angels. We talked about how much of their work was for ceilings of chapels and churches. She wanted to know why our church did not have such artwork!
Rhiannon sketched and then colored a picture of me and her in heaven singing and praising to God. One of our dogs was also in the picture. She wrote My God love on it as well as mommy and kaity. She drew a frame around it. She sketched with markers and then colored in with crayons.
Then we talked about how it felt to work on our backs and what it must have been like for them and how amazing it is that those beautiul works of art are on celings.
Math Equations Lesson
This morning we had a great math lesson. I need to give Serona all the credit for the lesson and the creativity behind it. I have noticed that Rhiannon is getting stuck with the concept of equations and reading math sentences. If it looks at all different then she thinks it should it is hard for her to get her head around. Especially if the answer is on the opposite side of the equal sigh then she is expecting (ie 3=10-7 instead of 10-7=3). Last night Serona and I had a great conversation about how to illustrate it complete with him drawing examples on our chalkboard wall.
So I began by talking about the equal sign and what it really means and how both sides of the equal sign should be the same even if they are written differently. I used flash cards to illustrate this with each part of the equation on a different flash card (10-7, 3, =,) I made two sets of each and then an additional set that separated 10,-, and 7 on their own cards. I began by putting the cards in the usual order 10-7=3 and then talking about the equal sign. I was not asking her to do any answering of math problems during this lesson so she could just focus on understanding. Then I showed her how if we switched the numbers so it read 3=10-7 it was still the same. Then I took a second set of cards and showed both sets of equations on top of one another with the equal sign lining up
10-7=3
3=10-7
We talked about how those are math sentences and I had her read me both sentences until she could get it right. I handed her another set of flash cards with different problems (this time addition) and her go through the same process. After she got it I let her test me.
Then we added cuisenaire rods into the picture to show her it could be done with things other than just the numbers and to help her conceptualize it better. We placed the right rods on each part of the equation and then using the rods showed how the answers were even on both sides.
We ended this lesson by playing a game with the rods and only the flash cards of +,-, and =. She made problems for me to solve and then she had to reorder the equation so it still meant the same thing even if it was said differently. Then I made equations for her to solve and I had to rearrange them.
She finished math today by showing all the combinations that add/multiply up to 6 with her rods. She does not fully grasp multiplication she uses language more like if you have three sets of 2 it equals six and I fill in the multiplication language for her. I have no expectation that she would grasp this yet but it doesn't hurt.
It was a great math lesson and nice to be away from worksheets. It taught so many different lessons in a carefree way. It introduced concepts of algebra and word problems, illustrating that math can be a spoken language as well as a numeral language as well as represented by items. Try it at home if you have little ones.
Peace,
Tenn
So I began by talking about the equal sign and what it really means and how both sides of the equal sign should be the same even if they are written differently. I used flash cards to illustrate this with each part of the equation on a different flash card (10-7, 3, =,) I made two sets of each and then an additional set that separated 10,-, and 7 on their own cards. I began by putting the cards in the usual order 10-7=3 and then talking about the equal sign. I was not asking her to do any answering of math problems during this lesson so she could just focus on understanding. Then I showed her how if we switched the numbers so it read 3=10-7 it was still the same. Then I took a second set of cards and showed both sets of equations on top of one another with the equal sign lining up
10-7=3
3=10-7
We talked about how those are math sentences and I had her read me both sentences until she could get it right. I handed her another set of flash cards with different problems (this time addition) and her go through the same process. After she got it I let her test me.
Then we added cuisenaire rods into the picture to show her it could be done with things other than just the numbers and to help her conceptualize it better. We placed the right rods on each part of the equation and then using the rods showed how the answers were even on both sides.
We ended this lesson by playing a game with the rods and only the flash cards of +,-, and =. She made problems for me to solve and then she had to reorder the equation so it still meant the same thing even if it was said differently. Then I made equations for her to solve and I had to rearrange them.
She finished math today by showing all the combinations that add/multiply up to 6 with her rods. She does not fully grasp multiplication she uses language more like if you have three sets of 2 it equals six and I fill in the multiplication language for her. I have no expectation that she would grasp this yet but it doesn't hurt.
It was a great math lesson and nice to be away from worksheets. It taught so many different lessons in a carefree way. It introduced concepts of algebra and word problems, illustrating that math can be a spoken language as well as a numeral language as well as represented by items. Try it at home if you have little ones.
Peace,
Tenn
Too Cute!
This is a great audio post from a great site. Thicket Dweler, frequent commentor here is an inspiring homeschool mom. She is spending 24 hours blogging her day today, check her out at Today's Lessons.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
The Slow Creep of Commonality
All of sudden you wake up one day and you realize that your good intentions and convictions have gone past you and you are just living your life the "normal" way. It did not happen in a way you were conscious of, it did not even appear to be happening and you did not realize it until it was over. This is what has recently happened in our family with regards to nutrition.
Those of you who have known me for years know that I have some pretty strong convictions about nutrition and the food we eat. When it was just Serona, Rhia and I we were VERY good about eating proper nutrition and eating the "right things". I can remember not understanding why others would not make the simple choices that we were making for their own families. I could not understand what parents were offering their kids as snacks and why my own would eat healthy snacks and like them. This attitude of judgment continued after I had Ciaran as well. Then something happened, and I find myself with a kitchen that includes Teddy Grahams, Honeycombs, apple juice and pudding! To many of you this may seem like no big deal but to us when we realized it was a big deal.
For years I have been very into organic food and feeding kids whole foods and healthy snacks. I even gave a talk about how to get your children to eat healthier things. I called it moving beyond Goldfish, which for some reason seems to be the child snack food of choice. Then we started spending a lot of time around other kids and I found myself getting a guilty mom complex and my actions weakened while I knew my convictions were true.
You can only make your kids eat fruit leathers and tofu so long while others are eating chips, candy, and cookies all around you. The kids start to balk and you start to question your right to withhold those things from them. I found my standards weakening just a little bit at a time. First it was letting them share some of what their friends had brought, then it was buying some special things to have just at those times when we would be with friends who were having them. Then suddenly it became picking it up to have as treats around the house. It took Serona gently chastising me for some of my purchases for me to wake up and realize what we had been doing.
I balked at first, saying I only got this as a treat. Then he gently showed me all the "only as a treat" things I had recently purchased. It was when he helped me realize that I was allowing Sirah to have things like juice and pudding at 18 months that I realized what had happened. I would so rarely have let Rhia or Ciaran have these things that seem to becoming part of Sirah's diet. I know I need to loosen up some from our strict standards but we have moved far beyond that point. It was a slow creep but we are at the point now where it will quickly devolve into more if it is not curtailed.
I don't want you to get the impression that our children will never be allowed to have treats, but rather that I need to get back into the habits I once was in. A positive step this week. When we were in the grocery store (a mistake to begin with) for a treat I allowed each child to pick one item from the produce aisle. They were so excited. Rhiannon came home with a cantelope stuffed with grapes and Ciaran with a whole pineapple. It was better than chocolate to them and they can't wait to share them with us as a family.
I also don't want you to get the impression that I am judging your family or your choices, I am not. I have many friends who make very different choices for their families and feel they are the right choices. I totally respect that and feel strongly that each family needs to make the decisions that are best for them and other families are not likely to understand them. Especially in areas where morality is not at stake, people are truly free to choose whatever is best for them. This criticism is placed squarely on my own shoulders as Serona and I have made choices for our family with good reasons behind them and I have let them slip away slowly until I no longer recognize myself in this area.
I have to remember there are alternatives and more common ground than jumping to the Teddy grahams, goldfish, and candy. We can still have healthy treats, and it is not that they take more time or effort, just that you need to remember to do them and then stand up to the pressures around you. I have found that the problem is not so much my kids as it is my own guilt as a mother.
Part of me wants to allow them to enjoy what other kids do. Yet the bigger part of me needs to remember the reasons we made the choices we did in the first place. Do I really want them to be like everyone else? No, I do not. There are good reasons we have decided to be vegetarians, eat organic food, avoid pop and juice, not watch TV and eat healthier food. I need to remember them, be strong and teach my children the reasons behind the decisions we have made so they can embrace them as well. There are many advantages to the choices we have made and I need to keep them in perspective when the downsides rear their heads.
It is interesting to me that I have found this so easy to do when it comes to television and being a vegetarian, and yet in this one area it seems to have been a struggle for me. I know some of it is the convenience factor, much of it is becoming lax, and just a small part of it is wanting to give my kids what everyone else seems to have. But nutrition is an important area for our family and I need to reclaim and retrain my family in this area, starting with myself of course.
Now do we throw out the Teddy Grahams and cherry pie or eat it first?
Peace,
Tenn
Those of you who have known me for years know that I have some pretty strong convictions about nutrition and the food we eat. When it was just Serona, Rhia and I we were VERY good about eating proper nutrition and eating the "right things". I can remember not understanding why others would not make the simple choices that we were making for their own families. I could not understand what parents were offering their kids as snacks and why my own would eat healthy snacks and like them. This attitude of judgment continued after I had Ciaran as well. Then something happened, and I find myself with a kitchen that includes Teddy Grahams, Honeycombs, apple juice and pudding! To many of you this may seem like no big deal but to us when we realized it was a big deal.
For years I have been very into organic food and feeding kids whole foods and healthy snacks. I even gave a talk about how to get your children to eat healthier things. I called it moving beyond Goldfish, which for some reason seems to be the child snack food of choice. Then we started spending a lot of time around other kids and I found myself getting a guilty mom complex and my actions weakened while I knew my convictions were true.
You can only make your kids eat fruit leathers and tofu so long while others are eating chips, candy, and cookies all around you. The kids start to balk and you start to question your right to withhold those things from them. I found my standards weakening just a little bit at a time. First it was letting them share some of what their friends had brought, then it was buying some special things to have just at those times when we would be with friends who were having them. Then suddenly it became picking it up to have as treats around the house. It took Serona gently chastising me for some of my purchases for me to wake up and realize what we had been doing.
I balked at first, saying I only got this as a treat. Then he gently showed me all the "only as a treat" things I had recently purchased. It was when he helped me realize that I was allowing Sirah to have things like juice and pudding at 18 months that I realized what had happened. I would so rarely have let Rhia or Ciaran have these things that seem to becoming part of Sirah's diet. I know I need to loosen up some from our strict standards but we have moved far beyond that point. It was a slow creep but we are at the point now where it will quickly devolve into more if it is not curtailed.
I don't want you to get the impression that our children will never be allowed to have treats, but rather that I need to get back into the habits I once was in. A positive step this week. When we were in the grocery store (a mistake to begin with) for a treat I allowed each child to pick one item from the produce aisle. They were so excited. Rhiannon came home with a cantelope stuffed with grapes and Ciaran with a whole pineapple. It was better than chocolate to them and they can't wait to share them with us as a family.
I also don't want you to get the impression that I am judging your family or your choices, I am not. I have many friends who make very different choices for their families and feel they are the right choices. I totally respect that and feel strongly that each family needs to make the decisions that are best for them and other families are not likely to understand them. Especially in areas where morality is not at stake, people are truly free to choose whatever is best for them. This criticism is placed squarely on my own shoulders as Serona and I have made choices for our family with good reasons behind them and I have let them slip away slowly until I no longer recognize myself in this area.
I have to remember there are alternatives and more common ground than jumping to the Teddy grahams, goldfish, and candy. We can still have healthy treats, and it is not that they take more time or effort, just that you need to remember to do them and then stand up to the pressures around you. I have found that the problem is not so much my kids as it is my own guilt as a mother.
Part of me wants to allow them to enjoy what other kids do. Yet the bigger part of me needs to remember the reasons we made the choices we did in the first place. Do I really want them to be like everyone else? No, I do not. There are good reasons we have decided to be vegetarians, eat organic food, avoid pop and juice, not watch TV and eat healthier food. I need to remember them, be strong and teach my children the reasons behind the decisions we have made so they can embrace them as well. There are many advantages to the choices we have made and I need to keep them in perspective when the downsides rear their heads.
It is interesting to me that I have found this so easy to do when it comes to television and being a vegetarian, and yet in this one area it seems to have been a struggle for me. I know some of it is the convenience factor, much of it is becoming lax, and just a small part of it is wanting to give my kids what everyone else seems to have. But nutrition is an important area for our family and I need to reclaim and retrain my family in this area, starting with myself of course.
Now do we throw out the Teddy Grahams and cherry pie or eat it first?
Peace,
Tenn
January 26, 2005
Round-Up
I've been trying to limit my computer time lately and I hurt my back, pulled a muscle I think so I have been longer between posts. We have had a good school week. We are not involved with any activities out of the home this week, especially since next week will be a big week for us.
Ciaran has been really into play-doh and coloring this week. He made some neat "people" and has colored some nice frogs and owls. He also painted one of his big letters and hopefully we will finish our collage tommorrow. He has been on again and off agian with his interest level and I am going with that these days. Today he picked up our big Spectacular China book and looked at all the pictures, he was excited for them. He has also been into being read to. Rhiannon has stepped up as well and for the past two nights she has read to him in bed until he has fallen asleep from Frog and Toad and Little Bear.
Rhiannon has been reading quite a bit and we went back to daily Phonics drills as I noticed an increase in her whole word reading and an avoidance of sounding unfamiliar words out, she uses context and often will sound out the beginning and then guess until she gets it right. We just finished up working on different endings (ink, ank, unk, onk) and (ing, ang, ung, ong) and began work on long vowels. We are both enjoying working through Phonics Pathways. It is easy to follow and has the right mix of words with no context and words in sentences. She asked to do an extra page today. We have also finally added in the spelling portion of the book. Up until recently I felt she was too young to have to try to spell any of the words. I am not hard on her but she does need to do spelling from diction as part of each of her phonics lessons now.
She has been very into making little books and writing us letters. This week she made two books "The Story of My Life" and "A Book about Mom" she wrote a full page that she sounded out (spelling was sometimes difficult to follow) and then illustrated the book with her special pictures. She also made each member of the family, including younger brother and sister a special picture of her with them on a summer day. These have been precious to receive and a lot of fun.
Math this week has been exciting. We had been in a routine with Miquon math on the subject of addition and subtraction but on Monday Rhiannon asked if we could do math with blocks and we had a great time! We used our big unit blocks to show fractions and how different things can equal one another. We used blocks to represent half, quarter, and eigths. I showed how that worked with both vertical and horizontal blocks and we played around with it for awhile. Then we moved to money and I showed one dollar, half dollar and quarters. After she got her mind around this we set up both the blocks and the money on her desk so she could see the relationships. I also wrote the fractions on the board for her to see adding fractions and how they become whole numbers and then made flash cards with the fractions written on it. We ended this by playing a game where I would hold up either a coin or a block and she had to find the right flash card that represented it. She had fun with it and I think she really grasped it.
We continued with work in First Language Lessons, today we focused on aunts, uncles and cousins and for copywork she wrote the names of all her aunts, uncles and cousins, 9 in all. We talked about common and proper nouns and she worked on memorizing a new poem.
We have been reading through "Tell me the Story of Jesus" and "ABC Memory Verse: Hiding God's word in Little Hearts" for bible studies. Just tonight when we arrived at church for our midweek service she informed us that she thinks she is ready to be baptized and we should talk about this weekend. It was very matter of fact and not in the context of anything else from the car ride. We have been reading about John the Baptist during our bible study time though and she has been asking a lot of questions about how I came to be baptized. On the way home Ciaran was so excited about his class and what he learned and asked to keep coloring his sheet from class and shared all about the story they learned tonight.
Both Ciaran and Rhiannon have been very inquisitive this week, especially about my education and marriage. Today at lunch I spent the entire time answering questions about our wedding, honeymoon, how we met and how long we went to school. They also wanted to know if I ever had a job like dad before I stayed home with them. It was fun sharing all those things with them and interesting to me that they were suddenly interested. It was also suprising to me that the answer to how long I spent in school was 20 years!
Sirah has been a lot of fun. She is starting to use more and more words and finding different ways to communicate her desires and needs. She still does not want to sleep until nearly 11pm each night and naps are becoming more of a fight with her as well. She picked up a stack of books and climbed on my lap tonight before bed. We have also been playing peekaboo - it is very cute to see her play and cover her eyes. She gets so excited when you play with her. She knows almost all of her body parts and can tell the difference between my eyes and her eyes. She is learning her animal sounds and LOVES to color and play with playdoh. She was so proud this week when she colored a picture for me, it was so special to see her standing there holding out this piece of paper for me and realizing that she made it. It was cute to see her proud of herself. She is also very into taking off all her clothes especially her diaper. She has taken to putting her diaper into the toilet! If she were not so little I would see this as time to start potty training her. She keeps taking off her diaper and putting on Rhiannon's underwear!
I've been trying to take it easy to recover from hurting myself yesterday. Keeping laundry going, the house picked up, playing with Ciaran and Sirah and Rhia's school has been enough for me. I've also gotten some personal reading time in, a little crocheting and our 2004 taxes completed (HOORAY!). Serona is working hard on some preojects for work including some presentations he needs to finish. We are in the middle of painting our living room and we need to finish tommorrow as we are hosting bible study here on Friday!
Peace,
Tenn
Ciaran has been really into play-doh and coloring this week. He made some neat "people" and has colored some nice frogs and owls. He also painted one of his big letters and hopefully we will finish our collage tommorrow. He has been on again and off agian with his interest level and I am going with that these days. Today he picked up our big Spectacular China book and looked at all the pictures, he was excited for them. He has also been into being read to. Rhiannon has stepped up as well and for the past two nights she has read to him in bed until he has fallen asleep from Frog and Toad and Little Bear.
Rhiannon has been reading quite a bit and we went back to daily Phonics drills as I noticed an increase in her whole word reading and an avoidance of sounding unfamiliar words out, she uses context and often will sound out the beginning and then guess until she gets it right. We just finished up working on different endings (ink, ank, unk, onk) and (ing, ang, ung, ong) and began work on long vowels. We are both enjoying working through Phonics Pathways. It is easy to follow and has the right mix of words with no context and words in sentences. She asked to do an extra page today. We have also finally added in the spelling portion of the book. Up until recently I felt she was too young to have to try to spell any of the words. I am not hard on her but she does need to do spelling from diction as part of each of her phonics lessons now.
She has been very into making little books and writing us letters. This week she made two books "The Story of My Life" and "A Book about Mom" she wrote a full page that she sounded out (spelling was sometimes difficult to follow) and then illustrated the book with her special pictures. She also made each member of the family, including younger brother and sister a special picture of her with them on a summer day. These have been precious to receive and a lot of fun.
Math this week has been exciting. We had been in a routine with Miquon math on the subject of addition and subtraction but on Monday Rhiannon asked if we could do math with blocks and we had a great time! We used our big unit blocks to show fractions and how different things can equal one another. We used blocks to represent half, quarter, and eigths. I showed how that worked with both vertical and horizontal blocks and we played around with it for awhile. Then we moved to money and I showed one dollar, half dollar and quarters. After she got her mind around this we set up both the blocks and the money on her desk so she could see the relationships. I also wrote the fractions on the board for her to see adding fractions and how they become whole numbers and then made flash cards with the fractions written on it. We ended this by playing a game where I would hold up either a coin or a block and she had to find the right flash card that represented it. She had fun with it and I think she really grasped it.
We continued with work in First Language Lessons, today we focused on aunts, uncles and cousins and for copywork she wrote the names of all her aunts, uncles and cousins, 9 in all. We talked about common and proper nouns and she worked on memorizing a new poem.
We have been reading through "Tell me the Story of Jesus" and "ABC Memory Verse: Hiding God's word in Little Hearts" for bible studies. Just tonight when we arrived at church for our midweek service she informed us that she thinks she is ready to be baptized and we should talk about this weekend. It was very matter of fact and not in the context of anything else from the car ride. We have been reading about John the Baptist during our bible study time though and she has been asking a lot of questions about how I came to be baptized. On the way home Ciaran was so excited about his class and what he learned and asked to keep coloring his sheet from class and shared all about the story they learned tonight.
Both Ciaran and Rhiannon have been very inquisitive this week, especially about my education and marriage. Today at lunch I spent the entire time answering questions about our wedding, honeymoon, how we met and how long we went to school. They also wanted to know if I ever had a job like dad before I stayed home with them. It was fun sharing all those things with them and interesting to me that they were suddenly interested. It was also suprising to me that the answer to how long I spent in school was 20 years!
Sirah has been a lot of fun. She is starting to use more and more words and finding different ways to communicate her desires and needs. She still does not want to sleep until nearly 11pm each night and naps are becoming more of a fight with her as well. She picked up a stack of books and climbed on my lap tonight before bed. We have also been playing peekaboo - it is very cute to see her play and cover her eyes. She gets so excited when you play with her. She knows almost all of her body parts and can tell the difference between my eyes and her eyes. She is learning her animal sounds and LOVES to color and play with playdoh. She was so proud this week when she colored a picture for me, it was so special to see her standing there holding out this piece of paper for me and realizing that she made it. It was cute to see her proud of herself. She is also very into taking off all her clothes especially her diaper. She has taken to putting her diaper into the toilet! If she were not so little I would see this as time to start potty training her. She keeps taking off her diaper and putting on Rhiannon's underwear!
I've been trying to take it easy to recover from hurting myself yesterday. Keeping laundry going, the house picked up, playing with Ciaran and Sirah and Rhia's school has been enough for me. I've also gotten some personal reading time in, a little crocheting and our 2004 taxes completed (HOORAY!). Serona is working hard on some preojects for work including some presentations he needs to finish. We are in the middle of painting our living room and we need to finish tommorrow as we are hosting bible study here on Friday!
Peace,
Tenn
January Reading List
Black Beauty - Sewell Anna
Why Do Horses Neigh - Holub Joan
Bedtime for Frances - Hoban, Russell
Quick as a Cricket - Wood, Audrey
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go - Scarry, Richard
Robots: The Movie Storybook - Egan, Kate
Alice the Fairy - Shannon, David
Wishes do Come True - Capalija Ann Marie
Amelia Bedeilia - Parish, Peggy
Peter Pan - Barrie, JM (classical illustrated adaptation)
Frog and Toad are Friends - Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad Together - Lobel, Arnold
Shapes - Sparkly Board Book
Horses Wear Shoes: I Wonder Why - Kingfisher
My H SoundBox - Moncure, Jane Belk
Casey's New Hat - Gardella, Tricia
Horses - Klingel, Cynthia
One Gaping Wide-Mouthed Hopping Frog - Tryon, Leslie
I am Not Going to Get Up Today - Dr Suess
Sun Girl and the Moon Boy, The: A Korean Folktale - Choi, Yangsook
Wide Mouthed Frog, The - Faulkner, Keith
Clifford's Puppy Days - Bridwell, Norman
Clifford Gets a Job - Bridwell, Norman
Disney Princess CD Storybook - (includes Little Mermaid Cinderella, SnowWhite and Beauty and the Beast)
Empty Pot, The - Demi
Hygeine and Good Health - Gray, Shirley
Hershey's Kisses Addition Book - Pallotta, Jerry
Napping House, The - Wood, Audrey and Don
Horse Show - Hayden, Kate
How Do Dinosaurs Say GoodNight - Yolen, Jane
Wish-For Dinosaur, A - Moncure, Jane Belk
Good Morning, Good Night - Mitchell, Melanie
On Mother's Lap - Scott, Ann Herbert
Harvest Home - Yolen, Jane
Haystack- Geisert, Bonnie
Abuela - Dorros, Arthur
Helen Keller - Klingel, Cynthia
House in the Mail, The - Wells, Rosemary and Tom
Sky Hops and Belly Flops - Barber, Lynda
Harvest Time - Waters, Jennifer
Helen at Home and the Letter H - Klingel, Cynthia
Little Red Hen, The - Zemach, Margot
China - Pluckrose, Henry
Hippos - Markert, Jenny
Touch and Feel Kitten - Dk Publishing
Playing Poohsticks Milne, AA (adapted)
God Made all the Colors - Lion Publishing
Blessings Everywhere - Mackall, Dandi
Your Heart - DeGezelle, Terri
Welcome from China - Waterlow, China
Owl Babies - Waddell, Martin
Owls: Wild Birds of Prey - Kops, Deborah
Owl and the Pussycat, The - Lear, Edward
Owls - the Silent Hunters - Miller, Sara
Owl Moon - Yolen, Jane
Helen Keller - Walker, Pamela
China: Enchantment of World History to 1949 - McLenighan, Valjean (read portions)
Little House on the Prairie - Wilder, Laura Ingalls (in progress)
Touch and Feel Pets - DK Publishing
Oso pardo Oso pardo que vas ahi? - Martin Jr, Bill
Where the wild Things are - Sendak, Maurice
Bear Snores On - Wilson, Karma
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See - Martin Jr, Bill
Home safety - Raatma, Lucia
You are Special - Lucado, Max
Stellaluna - Cannon, Janell
Little Sibu - Grindley, Sally
Animal Lives - The Frog - Kitchen, Bert
Curious George's Dream - Rey HA
If You Give a Moose a Muffin - Numeroff, Laura
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear - Carlstrom, Nancy White
Blessings Everywhere - Mackall, Dandi
Kisses - Szekeres, Cyndy
God Made all the Colors - Lion Publishing
Mother Goose - My First Treasury
Runaway Bunny, The - Brown, Margaret Wise
I'm Gonna Like Me - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Quick as a Cricket - Wood, Audrey
Hooray for You - Richmond, Marianne
My Favorite Book - Good Will Publishers
God Made you Special - Metaxes, Eric
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melom - Lovell, Patty
Best of All - Lucado, Max
Library, The - Stewart, Sarah
Pocketfull of Kisses, A - Penn, Audrey
Reads in Progress:
By the Shores of the Silver Lake - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Farmer Boy - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Tell me the Story of Jesus - Beers, V. Gilbert
Rhiannon's Reads
Owl at Home - Lobel, Arnold
You Read to Me and I'll Read to You
GingerBread Man, The - (retold by Roxanna Marino Knapp)
Little Red Riding Hood - (retold by Roxanna Marino Knapp)
Three Billy Goats Gruff, The - (retold by Roxanna Marino Knapp)
Friendship, Garden, The - Walt Disney Winnie the Pooh
I'm Gonna Like Me - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Clifford's Good Deeds - Bridwell, Norman
When I was LIttle - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Green Eggs and Han - Dr Suess
Shoe: Sound of SH - Ballard, Peg
This and That: Sound of TH - Ballard, Peg
Word Bird Makes words with Hen - Moncure, Jane Belk
Home Tools - Snyder, Inez
Hamsters - Klingel, Cynthia
Father Bear Comes Home - Minarik, Else Holmelund
Froggy Goes to School - London, Jonathan
Honesty - Kyle, Kathryn
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea - Peck, Jan
Company's Going - Yorinks Arthur
Bear Wants More - Wilson, Karma
LIttle Bird and the Moon Sandwich - Berkowitz, Linda
Bear Stays Up - Wilson, Karma
Arthur's Family Vacation - Brown
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies - Numeroff Laura
Story of Jonah The - Wickenden, Nadine
Good-Night Owl - Hutchins, Pat
Owl and the Pussycat The - lear, Edward
Bear Snores On - Wilson, Karma
It's Hard to be five - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Frog and Toad are Friends - Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad Together - Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad All Year - Lobel, Arnold
Hockey - Klingel, Cynthia
Homes Around the World - Hall Margaret
Little Bear's Visit - Minarik, Else Holmelund
Snowy Day, The - Keats, Ezra Jack
Love You Forever - Munsch, Robert
What If the Zebra's Lost Their Stripes - Reitano, John
Tiny Seed The - Carle, Eric
Put Me in the Zoo - Dr Suess
Mommy Reads
Anna Karenina - Tolstoy, Leo
Christmas Promise, A - Kinkade, Thomas
Debt Proof Your Life - Hunt, Mary
Jedi Trial - Sherman, David
Reptile Room, The - Snickett, Lemony
Last Updated Jan 26, 2005
Why Do Horses Neigh - Holub Joan
Bedtime for Frances - Hoban, Russell
Quick as a Cricket - Wood, Audrey
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go - Scarry, Richard
Robots: The Movie Storybook - Egan, Kate
Alice the Fairy - Shannon, David
Wishes do Come True - Capalija Ann Marie
Amelia Bedeilia - Parish, Peggy
Peter Pan - Barrie, JM (classical illustrated adaptation)
Frog and Toad are Friends - Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad Together - Lobel, Arnold
Shapes - Sparkly Board Book
Horses Wear Shoes: I Wonder Why - Kingfisher
My H SoundBox - Moncure, Jane Belk
Casey's New Hat - Gardella, Tricia
Horses - Klingel, Cynthia
One Gaping Wide-Mouthed Hopping Frog - Tryon, Leslie
I am Not Going to Get Up Today - Dr Suess
Sun Girl and the Moon Boy, The: A Korean Folktale - Choi, Yangsook
Wide Mouthed Frog, The - Faulkner, Keith
Clifford's Puppy Days - Bridwell, Norman
Clifford Gets a Job - Bridwell, Norman
Disney Princess CD Storybook - (includes Little Mermaid Cinderella, SnowWhite and Beauty and the Beast)
Empty Pot, The - Demi
Hygeine and Good Health - Gray, Shirley
Hershey's Kisses Addition Book - Pallotta, Jerry
Napping House, The - Wood, Audrey and Don
Horse Show - Hayden, Kate
How Do Dinosaurs Say GoodNight - Yolen, Jane
Wish-For Dinosaur, A - Moncure, Jane Belk
Good Morning, Good Night - Mitchell, Melanie
On Mother's Lap - Scott, Ann Herbert
Harvest Home - Yolen, Jane
Haystack- Geisert, Bonnie
Abuela - Dorros, Arthur
Helen Keller - Klingel, Cynthia
House in the Mail, The - Wells, Rosemary and Tom
Sky Hops and Belly Flops - Barber, Lynda
Harvest Time - Waters, Jennifer
Helen at Home and the Letter H - Klingel, Cynthia
Little Red Hen, The - Zemach, Margot
China - Pluckrose, Henry
Hippos - Markert, Jenny
Touch and Feel Kitten - Dk Publishing
Playing Poohsticks Milne, AA (adapted)
God Made all the Colors - Lion Publishing
Blessings Everywhere - Mackall, Dandi
Your Heart - DeGezelle, Terri
Welcome from China - Waterlow, China
Owl Babies - Waddell, Martin
Owls: Wild Birds of Prey - Kops, Deborah
Owl and the Pussycat, The - Lear, Edward
Owls - the Silent Hunters - Miller, Sara
Owl Moon - Yolen, Jane
Helen Keller - Walker, Pamela
China: Enchantment of World History to 1949 - McLenighan, Valjean (read portions)
Little House on the Prairie - Wilder, Laura Ingalls (in progress)
Touch and Feel Pets - DK Publishing
Oso pardo Oso pardo que vas ahi? - Martin Jr, Bill
Where the wild Things are - Sendak, Maurice
Bear Snores On - Wilson, Karma
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See - Martin Jr, Bill
Home safety - Raatma, Lucia
You are Special - Lucado, Max
Stellaluna - Cannon, Janell
Little Sibu - Grindley, Sally
Animal Lives - The Frog - Kitchen, Bert
Curious George's Dream - Rey HA
If You Give a Moose a Muffin - Numeroff, Laura
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear - Carlstrom, Nancy White
Blessings Everywhere - Mackall, Dandi
Kisses - Szekeres, Cyndy
God Made all the Colors - Lion Publishing
Mother Goose - My First Treasury
Runaway Bunny, The - Brown, Margaret Wise
I'm Gonna Like Me - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Quick as a Cricket - Wood, Audrey
Hooray for You - Richmond, Marianne
My Favorite Book - Good Will Publishers
God Made you Special - Metaxes, Eric
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melom - Lovell, Patty
Best of All - Lucado, Max
Library, The - Stewart, Sarah
Pocketfull of Kisses, A - Penn, Audrey
Reads in Progress:
By the Shores of the Silver Lake - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Farmer Boy - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Tell me the Story of Jesus - Beers, V. Gilbert
Rhiannon's Reads
Owl at Home - Lobel, Arnold
You Read to Me and I'll Read to You
GingerBread Man, The - (retold by Roxanna Marino Knapp)
Little Red Riding Hood - (retold by Roxanna Marino Knapp)
Three Billy Goats Gruff, The - (retold by Roxanna Marino Knapp)
Friendship, Garden, The - Walt Disney Winnie the Pooh
I'm Gonna Like Me - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Clifford's Good Deeds - Bridwell, Norman
When I was LIttle - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Green Eggs and Han - Dr Suess
Shoe: Sound of SH - Ballard, Peg
This and That: Sound of TH - Ballard, Peg
Word Bird Makes words with Hen - Moncure, Jane Belk
Home Tools - Snyder, Inez
Hamsters - Klingel, Cynthia
Father Bear Comes Home - Minarik, Else Holmelund
Froggy Goes to School - London, Jonathan
Honesty - Kyle, Kathryn
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea - Peck, Jan
Company's Going - Yorinks Arthur
Bear Wants More - Wilson, Karma
LIttle Bird and the Moon Sandwich - Berkowitz, Linda
Bear Stays Up - Wilson, Karma
Arthur's Family Vacation - Brown
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies - Numeroff Laura
Story of Jonah The - Wickenden, Nadine
Good-Night Owl - Hutchins, Pat
Owl and the Pussycat The - lear, Edward
Bear Snores On - Wilson, Karma
It's Hard to be five - Curtis, Jamie Lee
Frog and Toad are Friends - Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad Together - Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad All Year - Lobel, Arnold
Hockey - Klingel, Cynthia
Homes Around the World - Hall Margaret
Little Bear's Visit - Minarik, Else Holmelund
Snowy Day, The - Keats, Ezra Jack
Love You Forever - Munsch, Robert
What If the Zebra's Lost Their Stripes - Reitano, John
Tiny Seed The - Carle, Eric
Put Me in the Zoo - Dr Suess
Mommy Reads
Anna Karenina - Tolstoy, Leo
Christmas Promise, A - Kinkade, Thomas
Debt Proof Your Life - Hunt, Mary
Jedi Trial - Sherman, David
Reptile Room, The - Snickett, Lemony
Last Updated Jan 26, 2005
January 24, 2005
Productive Weekend
This weekend was a big weekend. We were supposed to be in Duluth owling, but the snowstorm kept us here. We ended up making a homemade ice skating rink in our backyard, we are still working on it. Serona has been out there for a few hours each night spraying and smoothing the ice down to make layers of ice. First we shovelled off the snow into a large rectablge, then raked it then smoothed it with downspout plastic tubing. Then Serona flooded it. Our water pipes were too frozen to attach the hose outside so we had to run it from the sink in our laundry room!
We also painted two walls in our living room, or I should say Serona painted them while I helped with the kids. We have valuted ceilings and lots of wall over our split level staircase so this was challenging!
I made 5 scarves this weekend and did some work on a poncho, blanket and a prayer shawl. WE had a relaxing family weekend. We still ate takeout like we would have in Duluth. We watched movies, went sledding, played in the snow and shoveled. We made it to church and just got some things done around the home. Hope you had a good weekend.
Peace,
Tenn
We also painted two walls in our living room, or I should say Serona painted them while I helped with the kids. We have valuted ceilings and lots of wall over our split level staircase so this was challenging!
I made 5 scarves this weekend and did some work on a poncho, blanket and a prayer shawl. WE had a relaxing family weekend. We still ate takeout like we would have in Duluth. We watched movies, went sledding, played in the snow and shoveled. We made it to church and just got some things done around the home. Hope you had a good weekend.
Peace,
Tenn
January 22, 2005
Round-up
Rhiannon is getting back into the swing of daily work after a nice break with unit studies, horses, Little House on the Prairie, owls to name a few. We went back to Miquon math and she seemed to be thankful for the structure of it. She used a number line and cuisenaire rods to work through some subtraction problems today. It is nice when you see that she is going beyond being able to do the work to understanding what she is doing. For handwriting she wrote out the entire alphabet in uppercase and then in lowercase and then worked on H's and O's. She also made some pictures and cards that she wrote on. For reading time today she read me four books while I folded laundry. She also chose to read Ciaran and Sirah a book. I have noticed that she prefers "whole word reading" though so I think we will be pulling back out Phonics Pathways and working through that daily again. It is not that I object to her understanding words in context and recognizing them. The point is more that she needs to be able to sound words out and she has gotten further away from them as she has grown into a more confident reader. She keeps picking up more challenging story books each day to challenge herself. I am surprised at what she chooses and how well she can read many of them.
Ciaran asked to paint his letter H and then we worked on some math together. Practice recognizing sets of numbers from 1-9. Also on number recognition though the numerals still seem to not stick with him much. He did enjoy counting and playing games with the cards we were using. We also built a train and played with it together. We read and snuggled as well.
Sirah and I played with her farm today and she was trying to imitate my animal sounds. She got very into her play and it was fun. We also did some puzzles together, she is starting to get better at realizing the pieces can go back in instead of just come out. She prefers puzzles with the big handles. We also read together and played the body parts game. She sang and danced to something we were listening to and she kept climbing up on Rhiannon's desk trying to do "school" herself.
Tonight we had a family movie night after playing in the snow. We had pizza and watched the second half of The Happiest Millionaire. Then we got the kids to bed and Serona read on the couch while I finished off two scarves I was crocheting for friends. A few quick blogs and then off to bed to get rest for tomorrow.
Peace,
Tenn
Ciaran asked to paint his letter H and then we worked on some math together. Practice recognizing sets of numbers from 1-9. Also on number recognition though the numerals still seem to not stick with him much. He did enjoy counting and playing games with the cards we were using. We also built a train and played with it together. We read and snuggled as well.
Sirah and I played with her farm today and she was trying to imitate my animal sounds. She got very into her play and it was fun. We also did some puzzles together, she is starting to get better at realizing the pieces can go back in instead of just come out. She prefers puzzles with the big handles. We also read together and played the body parts game. She sang and danced to something we were listening to and she kept climbing up on Rhiannon's desk trying to do "school" herself.
Tonight we had a family movie night after playing in the snow. We had pizza and watched the second half of The Happiest Millionaire. Then we got the kids to bed and Serona read on the couch while I finished off two scarves I was crocheting for friends. A few quick blogs and then off to bed to get rest for tomorrow.
Peace,
Tenn
Finally! Snow!
The kids could not be more excited it is finally snowing. We are used to having much more snow by this point in the year. They have wanted to go sledding all winter and tommorrow they finally can. They got to do just a little bit of playing while I shoveled our long two car driveway! I got my workout and was exhausted. Tomorrow we will have a play day just enjoying the snow and shoveling some more.
Unfortunately the snow did make us cancel our mini vacation we had planned for this weekend with friends. We were going up to Duluth to see the owls. However 6-9 inches of snow in the Twin Cities and 16-20 in the Duluth area and hazardous winds made us decide it was not worth the drive. We were disappointed but we will have to just enjoy tucking in and enjoying the weather.
Peace,
Tenn
Unfortunately the snow did make us cancel our mini vacation we had planned for this weekend with friends. We were going up to Duluth to see the owls. However 6-9 inches of snow in the Twin Cities and 16-20 in the Duluth area and hazardous winds made us decide it was not worth the drive. We were disappointed but we will have to just enjoy tucking in and enjoying the weather.
Peace,
Tenn
Mall of America Scavenger Hunt
We had a scavenger hunt at the Mall of America this past week. Here was our search list, the kids did very well, they made it to 410 points - they needed 300 to get ice cream! We had alot of fun and I would recommend this activity to others. While we do have the advantage of having MOA right here it could be easily adapted for other malls. We did our hunt with a digital camera and the kids needed to take their picture with each item - they did NOT find the ones in bold (it was easier that way)
Picture of you with ...
10 points
tree
feather
recycling can (like the trash can not a pop can)
jango fett
harry potter
all on an escalator
in front of a fountain
a big fish tank
an alligator
all stuffed into a photo booth
20 points
a person dressed as an animal (can repeat with up to 3 different total)
a person dressed as a cartoon character (can repeat up to 2 different)
up on a stage doing a funny pose
some people you do not know waving with you
wearing funny hats
darth vader
a janitor doing his/her job
live animal
30 points - one winner per category
Biggest choc chip cookie
the biggest ice cream cone
the biggest dinosaur you can find
with the funniest sign you can find
the biggest box of cereal (try to be creative here)
the tallest lego tower you can build
the tallest structure you see in the mall
the largest stuffed animal you can find
the biggest car you can find
largest photo/painting of a movie star
store with the longest name
store with the shortest name
50 points
each child touching the brass replica of Met Stadium's home plate
We also added a few things as we went along to try to keep their attention focused. In addition they found a penny, ball, frog, rock and some other odds and ends.
Try it some time and enjoy.
Peace,
Tenn
Picture of you with ...
10 points
tree
feather
recycling can (like the trash can not a pop can)
jango fett
harry potter
all on an escalator
in front of a fountain
a big fish tank
an alligator
all stuffed into a photo booth
20 points
a person dressed as an animal (can repeat with up to 3 different total)
a person dressed as a cartoon character (can repeat up to 2 different)
up on a stage doing a funny pose
some people you do not know waving with you
wearing funny hats
darth vader
a janitor doing his/her job
live animal
30 points - one winner per category
Biggest choc chip cookie
the biggest ice cream cone
the biggest dinosaur you can find
with the funniest sign you can find
the biggest box of cereal (try to be creative here)
the tallest lego tower you can build
the tallest structure you see in the mall
the largest stuffed animal you can find
the biggest car you can find
largest photo/painting of a movie star
store with the longest name
store with the shortest name
50 points
each child touching the brass replica of Met Stadium's home plate
We also added a few things as we went along to try to keep their attention focused. In addition they found a penny, ball, frog, rock and some other odds and ends.
Try it some time and enjoy.
Peace,
Tenn
January 20, 2005
The Value of Play Silks
For years I have gone back and forth over the value of purchasing these playsilks. I always heard wonderful things about them but could not see why they were so special. I tried replicating it with a variety of blankets and cloths, which my kids did play with. I never saw them use these substitues the way people say kids use the playsilks so I could never justify the investment.
This past Christmas I suggested them as a gift idea for Sirah and she received an entire set of 7 bright rainbow colored ones. Now I see that what people say is true, they are probably my children's favorite thing to play with (and they have many things to play with). I would say Rhiannon and Ciaran enjoy them even more than her. I actually hardly ever see Rhia without one when we are home and it is only because I won't let them take them out of the house that they do not go with us.
They have been one of the most played with toys the kids received this Christmas. It is hard to believe I mean they are just squares of silk right? Yep, that is all they are, nicely colored, soft pieces of silk that are in big squares. The kids use them for everything. Yesterday alone these playsilks were: magic carpets, picnic blankets, sleeping bags, scarves, cloaks, skirts, hoods, capes, coverings, tents, spinners, curtains, doors and tablecloths!
So I guess if you are like I was and you are on the fence and you have kids that enjoy playing in imaginary worlds they are very worth it -atleast I found that to be the case with my own kids and I was in denial that they could rally be that interesting of a toy.
Peace,
Tenn
This past Christmas I suggested them as a gift idea for Sirah and she received an entire set of 7 bright rainbow colored ones. Now I see that what people say is true, they are probably my children's favorite thing to play with (and they have many things to play with). I would say Rhiannon and Ciaran enjoy them even more than her. I actually hardly ever see Rhia without one when we are home and it is only because I won't let them take them out of the house that they do not go with us.
They have been one of the most played with toys the kids received this Christmas. It is hard to believe I mean they are just squares of silk right? Yep, that is all they are, nicely colored, soft pieces of silk that are in big squares. The kids use them for everything. Yesterday alone these playsilks were: magic carpets, picnic blankets, sleeping bags, scarves, cloaks, skirts, hoods, capes, coverings, tents, spinners, curtains, doors and tablecloths!
So I guess if you are like I was and you are on the fence and you have kids that enjoy playing in imaginary worlds they are very worth it -atleast I found that to be the case with my own kids and I was in denial that they could rally be that interesting of a toy.
Peace,
Tenn
Owl Lesson Plan
It recently came to our attention that the great gray owls and northern hawk owls have migrated further south and we are planning a weekend long feild trip/vacation to go owling in Duluth with another family of friends from our hs support group. In preperation for the trip I pulled together some of the following resources.
We seem to have fallen into a unit study pattern these past few weeks and I think it works well for us in the winter months when everyone is bouncing off the walls.
Facts, Information and Lesson Plans
Owls
North American Owls
Owl Lesson Plan
Kids Summary
Crafts and Coloring
Craft
Tracing Page
Paper Plate Craft
Flying Owl Craft
Ballon Craft
Craft
Video and Sounds
Owl Video
Owl Calls
Online Game and Activity
Owl quiz
Jigsaw Puzzle
Books
Owl Babies - Waddell, Martin
Owls: Wild Birds of Prey - Kops, Deborah
Owl and the Pussycat, The - Lear, Edward
Owls - the Silent Hunters - Miller, Sara
Owl Moon - Yolen, Jane
We seem to have fallen into a unit study pattern these past few weeks and I think it works well for us in the winter months when everyone is bouncing off the walls.
Facts, Information and Lesson Plans
Owls
North American Owls
Owl Lesson Plan
Kids Summary
Crafts and Coloring
Craft
Tracing Page
Paper Plate Craft
Flying Owl Craft
Ballon Craft
Craft
Video and Sounds
Owl Video
Owl Calls
Online Game and Activity
Owl quiz
Jigsaw Puzzle
Books
Owl Babies - Waddell, Martin
Owls: Wild Birds of Prey - Kops, Deborah
Owl and the Pussycat, The - Lear, Edward
Owls - the Silent Hunters - Miller, Sara
Owl Moon - Yolen, Jane
January 19, 2005
China Endangered Animals Lesson
The second half of this weeks coop class on China was dedicated to learning about animals. My teaching partner started talking about different species and how you could tell a species based on whom they would mate with. Then she talked about how many endangered species there were in China. She explained what threatened, endangered and extinct meant through a game. She had us all (parents and kids) sit in a circle on the floor and wear panda bear masks. Then she asked several to move out of the circle and suddenly wer threatened. Then she asked more of us to move out until there were just two pandas left and they were endangered, then she had them move out of the circle and they were extinct this really hit home with the kids.
Then she brought out plastic dinosaurs and asked if they had ever seen real dinosaurs and explained how they were extinct now and how many believe an asteroid landed and killed them. She talked about other ways animals can become extinct, through hunting or destruction of their habitat. Then she brought out little plastic play figures for several endangered species in China including the snow leopard, panda, red panda and tiger. Then she had a big map of China that had small squares cut out with pictures of people and animals. She played a game with them – when they had a person they had to take an animal off the map to illustrate how the large population threatens certain animal species. This really seemed to hit home with many of the kids and they were passionate about not wanting the animals to become extinct.
As they were playing they were saying things like “This is so sad”, “those poor animals” and “we need to do something”. They started trying to come up with solutions they thought we should call China and tell them not to hurt the animals, or build really big zoos there to protect the animals. We talked to them briefly about things they can do here to make a difference and how there are animals in our own country as well that are endangered.
They finished by making a “Time is Running Out” clock with pictures of endangered Chinese animals for each hour. They could move the arm of the clock around and realize that as time goes by without changes animals are in trouble. They also had a visual reminder of some of the animals that are threatened and endangered in China.
This class went well, there was a lot of information presented. But we tried to do it in an interactive and fun way. This unit on China overall has been successful and for some reason I have noticed that the kids seem to remember more from this country than they did in other months when we focused on Israel and Iraq.
Peace,
Tenn
Then she brought out plastic dinosaurs and asked if they had ever seen real dinosaurs and explained how they were extinct now and how many believe an asteroid landed and killed them. She talked about other ways animals can become extinct, through hunting or destruction of their habitat. Then she brought out little plastic play figures for several endangered species in China including the snow leopard, panda, red panda and tiger. Then she had a big map of China that had small squares cut out with pictures of people and animals. She played a game with them – when they had a person they had to take an animal off the map to illustrate how the large population threatens certain animal species. This really seemed to hit home with many of the kids and they were passionate about not wanting the animals to become extinct.
As they were playing they were saying things like “This is so sad”, “those poor animals” and “we need to do something”. They started trying to come up with solutions they thought we should call China and tell them not to hurt the animals, or build really big zoos there to protect the animals. We talked to them briefly about things they can do here to make a difference and how there are animals in our own country as well that are endangered.
They finished by making a “Time is Running Out” clock with pictures of endangered Chinese animals for each hour. They could move the arm of the clock around and realize that as time goes by without changes animals are in trouble. They also had a visual reminder of some of the animals that are threatened and endangered in China.
This class went well, there was a lot of information presented. But we tried to do it in an interactive and fun way. This unit on China overall has been successful and for some reason I have noticed that the kids seem to remember more from this country than they did in other months when we focused on Israel and Iraq.
Peace,
Tenn
January 18, 2005
China History and Government - Week Three
Today we had our week three of our homeschool coop on China. I will split this entry into two posts because we covered a lot of ground. I began the class with a review of some of their favorite things they remembered about China. This included the great wall, chow mein noodles, counting to ten with their fingers, lanterns and dragons for their festivals.
Then I did a brief overview of some of the inventions of China highlighting some items the kids would be familiar with such as the abacus, silk, fans, and paper. We talked a bit about how people lived in the beginning and the kids were able to come up with needing to scavenge for food after trying the marketplace, a refrigerator and farming. I had hid fruits and little animals (fish and cows) throughout the room and the boys pretended to hunt and found the animals while the girls gathered and found the fruit. We talked about how they would need to do this every day to eat and how much work it could be. We talked about how they would use fire to heat their food and how they would live in caves. We compared it to camping as we all go camping together in the summers.
Then we moved into farming. I had the kids split into two groups and farm their land and build their villages. Then they elected a leader for their group and we talked about how tribes turned into villages and then it lead to dynasties. To explain the concept of a China dynasty to them I said it was when the rulers all came from the same family. Then I had each child fill out their own personal family tree back to their great-grandfathers and showed how each dynasty would have had leaders from each generation and often more generations than that.
Then we moved into the challenging part of lesson, teaching them about the many dynasties of China while keeping their interest. I decided not to cover all of the dynasties, but to highlight certain ones and certain interesting facts from each. I moved through them chronologically as quickly as I could trying to integrate activities and artifacts for them to pass around.
Here is a sample of what we did for China Dynasty Lesson
Hsia Dynasty - passed around a silk cloth for them to examine
Shang Dynasty - passed around a bronze armillary for them to examine
Chou Dynasty - passed around chopsticks
Chin Dynasty - had them build the great wall of China out of big cardboard blocks
Tang Dynasty - talked about the female empress, schools and equality
Sung Dynasty - passed around an abacus for them to look at
Mongol Dynasty - had the kids knock down the wall they had built and reminded them that children would have started fighting at their age
Ming Dynasty - passed around a tea bag
Then we talked about the rise of communism. I reminded the kids of our kibbutz lesson from Israel. We talked about how life on a kibbutz could help us understand communist life. We talked about government control and redistribution and then reminded the kids of our lesson on Iraq's government and how the people were unable to speak out in opposition or the consequence could mean jail or worse. We finished this discussion with a brief overview of China's one child policy and answering the kids questions about that. We also encouraged them to think about what life would be like without their siblings.
I rounded it up with a summary of some of the main points I wanted them to remember. That China was made up of many dynasties or ruling families. That there were times of war and chaos often followed by times of rebuilding and good. To remember some of the great inventions that came from China and about what the government was like now.
We ended this portion of the class with an abacus activity - where the kids put beads on sticks and made their own abacus, it as a nice activity. At times I felt like the history portion droned on but I tried to keep it as interactive and interesting as possible, there was so much to cover. Overall I think the class went well, their favorite part of course was building and knocking down the wall.
Peace,
Tenn
Then I did a brief overview of some of the inventions of China highlighting some items the kids would be familiar with such as the abacus, silk, fans, and paper. We talked a bit about how people lived in the beginning and the kids were able to come up with needing to scavenge for food after trying the marketplace, a refrigerator and farming. I had hid fruits and little animals (fish and cows) throughout the room and the boys pretended to hunt and found the animals while the girls gathered and found the fruit. We talked about how they would need to do this every day to eat and how much work it could be. We talked about how they would use fire to heat their food and how they would live in caves. We compared it to camping as we all go camping together in the summers.
Then we moved into farming. I had the kids split into two groups and farm their land and build their villages. Then they elected a leader for their group and we talked about how tribes turned into villages and then it lead to dynasties. To explain the concept of a China dynasty to them I said it was when the rulers all came from the same family. Then I had each child fill out their own personal family tree back to their great-grandfathers and showed how each dynasty would have had leaders from each generation and often more generations than that.
Then we moved into the challenging part of lesson, teaching them about the many dynasties of China while keeping their interest. I decided not to cover all of the dynasties, but to highlight certain ones and certain interesting facts from each. I moved through them chronologically as quickly as I could trying to integrate activities and artifacts for them to pass around.
Here is a sample of what we did for China Dynasty Lesson
Hsia Dynasty - passed around a silk cloth for them to examine
Shang Dynasty - passed around a bronze armillary for them to examine
Chou Dynasty - passed around chopsticks
Chin Dynasty - had them build the great wall of China out of big cardboard blocks
Tang Dynasty - talked about the female empress, schools and equality
Sung Dynasty - passed around an abacus for them to look at
Mongol Dynasty - had the kids knock down the wall they had built and reminded them that children would have started fighting at their age
Ming Dynasty - passed around a tea bag
Then we talked about the rise of communism. I reminded the kids of our kibbutz lesson from Israel. We talked about how life on a kibbutz could help us understand communist life. We talked about government control and redistribution and then reminded the kids of our lesson on Iraq's government and how the people were unable to speak out in opposition or the consequence could mean jail or worse. We finished this discussion with a brief overview of China's one child policy and answering the kids questions about that. We also encouraged them to think about what life would be like without their siblings.
I rounded it up with a summary of some of the main points I wanted them to remember. That China was made up of many dynasties or ruling families. That there were times of war and chaos often followed by times of rebuilding and good. To remember some of the great inventions that came from China and about what the government was like now.
We ended this portion of the class with an abacus activity - where the kids put beads on sticks and made their own abacus, it as a nice activity. At times I felt like the history portion droned on but I tried to keep it as interactive and interesting as possible, there was so much to cover. Overall I think the class went well, their favorite part of course was building and knocking down the wall.
Peace,
Tenn
Weekend Round-up
We had a great family weekend. We just spent time all together enjoying ourselves. On Saturday we worked on household chores and ran errands and wrote letters to the grandparents. Saturday night we watched a family movie all together, we let them watch Alice in Wonderland while we ate homemade pizza.
Sunday we went to church and then to the MN Zoo where they had Froggy from the Jonathan London books which of course Ciaran loved, Clifford was also there as were all the animals. It was nice to go with Serona as well as we usually go by ourselves.
The walk from the car was numbingly cold (the kind of cold where your nose hairs and teeth feel like they are frozen) but it was nice once we were inside.
We stopped at a friend's house on the way home where we had cheese and crackers and great conversations. We also got our baby fix. We headed home to have a pancake dinner and then watch another family movie all together. This time we watched The Princess Diaries II. It was cute but not as good as the first. I enjoyed it, Serona thought it was a bit contrived.
Yesterday we tucked in and got some things done around the house and I put together two lesson plans, one to study owls for our upcoming field trip and another one for today's coop lesson on the history of China. Check back later for the resources when I get a chance I will post them. Off to teach the entire history of China in a nutshell. Hope all is well with you.
Peace,
Tenn
Sunday we went to church and then to the MN Zoo where they had Froggy from the Jonathan London books which of course Ciaran loved, Clifford was also there as were all the animals. It was nice to go with Serona as well as we usually go by ourselves.
The walk from the car was numbingly cold (the kind of cold where your nose hairs and teeth feel like they are frozen) but it was nice once we were inside.
We stopped at a friend's house on the way home where we had cheese and crackers and great conversations. We also got our baby fix. We headed home to have a pancake dinner and then watch another family movie all together. This time we watched The Princess Diaries II. It was cute but not as good as the first. I enjoyed it, Serona thought it was a bit contrived.
Yesterday we tucked in and got some things done around the house and I put together two lesson plans, one to study owls for our upcoming field trip and another one for today's coop lesson on the history of China. Check back later for the resources when I get a chance I will post them. Off to teach the entire history of China in a nutshell. Hope all is well with you.
Peace,
Tenn
January 14, 2005
Little House on the Prairie Lesson Plan
Another friend and I have been talking about how much the kids enjoy these books and I offered to pull together some resources. As we live in the heartland we will be planning trips to her homes and museums as well (though many will have to wait until the spring) such as this one we took this past summer to Little House in Big Woods.
Here are some of the Little House on the Prairie series resources and lesson ideas I found. Some could be made into entire curriculums or Little House unit studies.
Little House History
Visit Laura's Past Homes
Simple map of her travels
Interactive journey
Time line
Slideshow of museums and locations
Activities and Lesson Planning Resources
Lesson plan ideas by subject
Prairie Primer Resources
Songs and Lyrics from the books
Activity sheets
Build a pioneer town
Make a boys straw hat
Quilt pattern - you could do this with material or magazine pictures
Counting book
Crossword and Word find puzzles
Prairie Primer - this is a substantial purchase - 40.00 but it seems to be well reviewed and well cited, personally we have not used it.
Activities to Do
Make butter
butter made the old-fashioned way (churning!) We shake the heavy cream
in a jar as we chant:
Come butter come!
Come butter come!
Peter standing at the gate
Waiting for a butter cake.
Come butter come!
Venn Diagram and Wall Quilt
Discuss that even though the people of this time period went through many hardships,
they still found various ways to find joy in life. Using the background information above, tell the class the forms of entertainment that Laura Ingalls Wilder had on the frontier. After discussing these forms of entertainment, have the students list different forms of entertainment in their community on the board. Students may need to look at brochures and phone books of the community to give them ideas. As a class, make a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences in the
entertainment during Laura's time with the forms of entertainment found in their community.
Give each student an 8X8 inch square cut out of construction paper. Squares should be different colors. Using the list of entertainment forms from their community as a reference, students should create a poster advertising entertainment activities
in their community on the quilt square. After students have completed their poster, they will display their projects by putting together a patchwork quilt with their squares. (Adapted from Mahoney, A. [1996]. My Town's Wall Quilts.[On-line]. Available: online
Quilting was a popular craft among pioneer women in the 1800's. Patchwork quilts were also made by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This should be mentioned as the reason the students are putting their posters in quilt form. This will be a visual dichotomy between our time period, and Laura's.
activity taken from
here.
Corn Cob Dolls
1. Save your corn husks and silk hair from your corn on the cob. Dry
them in the sun for 3-4 days. (You will need around 13 leaves per
doll).
2. On the day of doll making soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes.
3. To make the head: crumple a husk into a ball (about the size of a
large marble) . Fold another husk over the ball like a large hood.
Gather the husk snuggly just under the ball and tie tightly with
string. We used jute rope. The husk should extend several inches
below the tie.
4. To make the arms: Roll up a husk in a pencil. Pull the pencil
out keeping the husk tightly rolled like a drinking straw. Place the
arms in between the husk that extends below the tie. The arms should
be centered just below the head. Then take a crumpled up piece of
husk and place it under the arms inside the extended husk piece. Tie
the husk pieces together below the stuffing to form the waist.
5. Now to make the shoulders: To make your doll more sturdy take two
pieces of corn husk. Criss cross them on either side of the head and
over the arms. The husks will be criss crossed on the front and on
the back of the doll like sashes. Tie again at the same place on the
waist.
6. Now to make the skirt (The skirt can easily be turned into pants
for your sons): The skirt is attached to the doll upside down.
First make the back: take three large smooth husks and spread them on
the table like a fan (the leaves will overlap). Place the doll face up
over the point of the fan. The skirt appears to be upside down behind
her. Tie tightly at the waist. Do the same for the front. Carefully
bend the husks down over the tie and voila you have a skirt. To turn
into pants just separate your skirt into two and tie at the bottom.
Carving
In the book Little House in the Big Woods, Pa carves with wood. A much
safer idea is to give children soap and butter knives to carve with.
Jonathon (9yo) really enjoyed this.
Science experiments to explain what sap does
OSMOSIS: All trees draw water from deep beneath the ground right up
into their leaves, acting like a natural pump. Many trees are over
50m tall and pump hundreds of litres of water a day. You can suck a
drink up through a straw, but trees cannot use this method.
Experiment 1
To find out how difficult it is to suck up water, carefully join
together straws with sticky tape. The longer the straw, the more
difficult it is for you to suck up the drink. The best mechanical
pumps can only manage 10m.
Instead, trees use a method called osmosis to force water upwards.
Osmosis works because there is a difference between the sap, or juice,
inside the roots and the water in the ground outside. Sap contains
large amounts of sugary substances. Ground water contains only tiny
amounts of dissolved nutrients. We say that sap is more concentrated
than the ground water. Osmosis forces water from the soil (where
concentration is low) through minute holes in the root skin to inside
the root (where concentration is high).
Experiment 2
You will need: large potato, chopping board, peeler, knife, teaspoon,
2 shallow dishes , water, sugar and food coloring (optional).
1- You will need a large, smooth potato about 10cm long and 6cm
across. Carefully peel the potato using a chopping board to protect
your work surface.
2 - Cut the peeled potato in half and then slice off the rounded ends.
You will now have two round potato slices. Each slice should be
about 3cm thick.
3 - Use a teaspoon to scoop out a hollow in each potato slice. Place
each slice in its own shallow dish and fill the dishes with water to
about 1cm in depth.
4 - Half fill both hollows with water and food colouring. Add 1/2 tsp
of sugar to one hollow. Cover and leave for one day.
5 - The level of liquid in the sugary hollow has risen. Osmosis has
made more water move into this potato from the dish. The level in the
other potato has not risen.
Tough-walled tubes carry the water up the trunk and into the leaves.
The water evaporates from the leaves through tiny holes. As it
evaporates, more water moves up to take its place.
Experiment 3
Trees and other plants move water upwards through tubes called xylem
vessels. You can easily see these tubes in celery. Cut 1cm from the
end of a stick of celery. Put the stick into a beaker of colored
water for one day. Cut across the bottom of the stem to get a good
view of the xylem vessels.
Activities taken from
here.
Here are some of the Little House on the Prairie series resources and lesson ideas I found. Some could be made into entire curriculums or Little House unit studies.
Visit Laura's Past Homes
Simple map of her travels
Interactive journey
Time line
Slideshow of museums and locations
Lesson plan ideas by subject
Prairie Primer Resources
Songs and Lyrics from the books
Activity sheets
Build a pioneer town
Make a boys straw hat
Quilt pattern - you could do this with material or magazine pictures
Counting book
Crossword and Word find puzzles
Prairie Primer - this is a substantial purchase - 40.00 but it seems to be well reviewed and well cited, personally we have not used it.
Make butter
butter made the old-fashioned way (churning!) We shake the heavy cream
in a jar as we chant:
Come butter come!
Come butter come!
Peter standing at the gate
Waiting for a butter cake.
Come butter come!
Venn Diagram and Wall Quilt
Discuss that even though the people of this time period went through many hardships,
they still found various ways to find joy in life. Using the background information above, tell the class the forms of entertainment that Laura Ingalls Wilder had on the frontier. After discussing these forms of entertainment, have the students list different forms of entertainment in their community on the board. Students may need to look at brochures and phone books of the community to give them ideas. As a class, make a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences in the
entertainment during Laura's time with the forms of entertainment found in their community.
Give each student an 8X8 inch square cut out of construction paper. Squares should be different colors. Using the list of entertainment forms from their community as a reference, students should create a poster advertising entertainment activities
in their community on the quilt square. After students have completed their poster, they will display their projects by putting together a patchwork quilt with their squares. (Adapted from Mahoney, A. [1996]. My Town's Wall Quilts.[On-line]. Available: online
Quilting was a popular craft among pioneer women in the 1800's. Patchwork quilts were also made by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This should be mentioned as the reason the students are putting their posters in quilt form. This will be a visual dichotomy between our time period, and Laura's.
activity taken from
here.
Corn Cob Dolls
1. Save your corn husks and silk hair from your corn on the cob. Dry
them in the sun for 3-4 days. (You will need around 13 leaves per
doll).
2. On the day of doll making soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes.
3. To make the head: crumple a husk into a ball (about the size of a
large marble) . Fold another husk over the ball like a large hood.
Gather the husk snuggly just under the ball and tie tightly with
string. We used jute rope. The husk should extend several inches
below the tie.
4. To make the arms: Roll up a husk in a pencil. Pull the pencil
out keeping the husk tightly rolled like a drinking straw. Place the
arms in between the husk that extends below the tie. The arms should
be centered just below the head. Then take a crumpled up piece of
husk and place it under the arms inside the extended husk piece. Tie
the husk pieces together below the stuffing to form the waist.
5. Now to make the shoulders: To make your doll more sturdy take two
pieces of corn husk. Criss cross them on either side of the head and
over the arms. The husks will be criss crossed on the front and on
the back of the doll like sashes. Tie again at the same place on the
waist.
6. Now to make the skirt (The skirt can easily be turned into pants
for your sons): The skirt is attached to the doll upside down.
First make the back: take three large smooth husks and spread them on
the table like a fan (the leaves will overlap). Place the doll face up
over the point of the fan. The skirt appears to be upside down behind
her. Tie tightly at the waist. Do the same for the front. Carefully
bend the husks down over the tie and voila you have a skirt. To turn
into pants just separate your skirt into two and tie at the bottom.
Carving
In the book Little House in the Big Woods, Pa carves with wood. A much
safer idea is to give children soap and butter knives to carve with.
Jonathon (9yo) really enjoyed this.
Science experiments to explain what sap does
OSMOSIS: All trees draw water from deep beneath the ground right up
into their leaves, acting like a natural pump. Many trees are over
50m tall and pump hundreds of litres of water a day. You can suck a
drink up through a straw, but trees cannot use this method.
Experiment 1
To find out how difficult it is to suck up water, carefully join
together straws with sticky tape. The longer the straw, the more
difficult it is for you to suck up the drink. The best mechanical
pumps can only manage 10m.
Instead, trees use a method called osmosis to force water upwards.
Osmosis works because there is a difference between the sap, or juice,
inside the roots and the water in the ground outside. Sap contains
large amounts of sugary substances. Ground water contains only tiny
amounts of dissolved nutrients. We say that sap is more concentrated
than the ground water. Osmosis forces water from the soil (where
concentration is low) through minute holes in the root skin to inside
the root (where concentration is high).
Experiment 2
You will need: large potato, chopping board, peeler, knife, teaspoon,
2 shallow dishes , water, sugar and food coloring (optional).
1- You will need a large, smooth potato about 10cm long and 6cm
across. Carefully peel the potato using a chopping board to protect
your work surface.
2 - Cut the peeled potato in half and then slice off the rounded ends.
You will now have two round potato slices. Each slice should be
about 3cm thick.
3 - Use a teaspoon to scoop out a hollow in each potato slice. Place
each slice in its own shallow dish and fill the dishes with water to
about 1cm in depth.
4 - Half fill both hollows with water and food colouring. Add 1/2 tsp
of sugar to one hollow. Cover and leave for one day.
5 - The level of liquid in the sugary hollow has risen. Osmosis has
made more water move into this potato from the dish. The level in the
other potato has not risen.
Tough-walled tubes carry the water up the trunk and into the leaves.
The water evaporates from the leaves through tiny holes. As it
evaporates, more water moves up to take its place.
Experiment 3
Trees and other plants move water upwards through tubes called xylem
vessels. You can easily see these tubes in celery. Cut 1cm from the
end of a stick of celery. Put the stick into a beaker of colored
water for one day. Cut across the bottom of the stem to get a good
view of the xylem vessels.
Activities taken from
here.
Tonsils Research and Resources
A friend of mine recently asked me to help her find some resources on tonsils and children getting their tonsils out. Thought I would share some of the resources I cam up with here.
Information Sites for Parents and Kids
http://www.kids-ent.com/tonsil.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgical/tonsil.html
http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/throat/tonsils.cfm
Some follow-up worksheets and activty books
http://www.tonsilhelp.com/generalinfo/tonsilcolor.pdf
picture of tonsils
story
General
hospital stay workbook
Gorilla Tonsils Recipe
Peace,
Tenn
Information Sites for Parents and Kids
http://www.kids-ent.com/tonsil.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgical/tonsil.html
http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/throat/tonsils.cfm
Some follow-up worksheets and activty books
http://www.tonsilhelp.com/generalinfo/tonsilcolor.pdf
picture of tonsils
story
General
hospital stay workbook
Gorilla Tonsils Recipe
Peace,
Tenn
Writing Experiment
We are in the middle of conducting a history lesson and experiment. Today we wrote our names in hieroglyphics on papyrus scrolls (ok so I could not locate true papyrus so we used tracing paper to replicate the thin feel of it). After they dry we will attach dowel rods to them and roll and tie them like real scrolls would have been.
Then we will place them outside along with our dried clay cunieform writing tablets and see what happens to them. It is subzero here and the ground is wet so we have a theory. We have been talking about the advantages and disadvantages of paper versus stone and clay writings. After we bring them inside we will further conduct an experiemnt exposing them to a flood (in our kitchen sink) and see what happens.
The kids are enjoying themselves and I was even brave enough to have black paint out in the schoolroom with Sirah walking around, she did get some on one of her shirts!
While the paint is drying the kids are finishing their handouts from yesterday's snow plow tour. I'll update more later.
Peace,
Tenn
Then we will place them outside along with our dried clay cunieform writing tablets and see what happens to them. It is subzero here and the ground is wet so we have a theory. We have been talking about the advantages and disadvantages of paper versus stone and clay writings. After we bring them inside we will further conduct an experiemnt exposing them to a flood (in our kitchen sink) and see what happens.
The kids are enjoying themselves and I was even brave enough to have black paint out in the schoolroom with Sirah walking around, she did get some on one of her shirts!
While the paint is drying the kids are finishing their handouts from yesterday's snow plow tour. I'll update more later.
Peace,
Tenn
January 13, 2005
Updated Sidebar
I spent some time today updating the sidebar, primarily in the areas of favorite lessons, feild trips and the like. It had been awhile since I updated that so I brought some of my favorites back up to the list so I can find them easily. Check it out sometime.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Winter Secrets from Minnesota
Ever find yourself wondering how we do it here? Why we choose to stay winter after winter with forecasts like today's:
Well the reasons to live in the Twin Cities are very numerous, including a thriving homeschool community but you really do get used to the winters, even if you are not born here. We have been here four years and before that I have lived in New York, Portland Oregon, Northern Illinois, Boston MA, and deep south Georgia. Minnesota winters are cold and we typically have a lot of snow though this year we have less than three inches total! Here are some of the secrets I have found to make Minnesota winters enjoyable:
1. Silk Undergarments - way better than long underwear they are very comfy, lightweight and warm! Under a pair of jeans they will keep you warm for hours. Get the tops too and you will not be cold again.
2. A good jacket - it is worth the money. Here is the one Serona and I like from LL Bean, we got ours at the end of the season on clearance.
3. Mittens that convert into gloves and have a leather palm, like these. This allows for driving, an ability to do things you can't without mittens but the immediate warmth of mittens when you need them.
4. An attached garage, not neccesary but very nice! A car starter would also be nice, we do not have one.
Truly you get used to it and you don't feel cold until it goes negative. Even the kids get out and play when it is in the double digits. And of course when it gets this cold you try to tuck in drink hot chocolate and tea and enjoy each other.
Peace,
Tenn
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY. NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM CAMBRIDGE TO LAMBERTON... WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO GENERALLY RANGE FROM 25 BELOW TO 45 BELOW UNTIL MIDDAY FRIDAY. SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM CAMBRIDGE TO LAMBERTON... AND OVER WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN... WIND CHILLS ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE MOSTLY IN THE 20 BELOW TO 35 BELOW RANGE THROUGH MIDDAY FRIDAY.
THESE LOW WIND CHILLS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU VENTURE OUTDOORS... MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.
Well the reasons to live in the Twin Cities are very numerous, including a thriving homeschool community but you really do get used to the winters, even if you are not born here. We have been here four years and before that I have lived in New York, Portland Oregon, Northern Illinois, Boston MA, and deep south Georgia. Minnesota winters are cold and we typically have a lot of snow though this year we have less than three inches total! Here are some of the secrets I have found to make Minnesota winters enjoyable:
1. Silk Undergarments - way better than long underwear they are very comfy, lightweight and warm! Under a pair of jeans they will keep you warm for hours. Get the tops too and you will not be cold again.
2. A good jacket - it is worth the money. Here is the one Serona and I like from LL Bean, we got ours at the end of the season on clearance.
3. Mittens that convert into gloves and have a leather palm, like these. This allows for driving, an ability to do things you can't without mittens but the immediate warmth of mittens when you need them.
4. An attached garage, not neccesary but very nice! A car starter would also be nice, we do not have one.
Truly you get used to it and you don't feel cold until it goes negative. Even the kids get out and play when it is in the double digits. And of course when it gets this cold you try to tuck in drink hot chocolate and tea and enjoy each other.
Peace,
Tenn
Write Like an Egyptian
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has a cool online tool that lets you type in your name and it generates how it would be written in hieroglyphs, the way an Egyptian scribe might have written it. While these are not always entirely accurate, they are interesting and often very close if not completely accurate. Check it out here.
You can also see an alphabet here.
Peace,
Tenn
You can also see an alphabet here.
Peace,
Tenn
January 12, 2005
Book Meme
Here's how it works. Copy the list, then remove from it the names of any authors not in your home library, replacing them with names of authors you have. Boldface the ones you’ve added.
I have a lot in common with Marsupial Mom.
1. Ravi Zacharias
2. J.I. Packer
3. Max Lucado
4. Charles Dickens
5. J.K Rowling
6. JRR Tolkien
7. C.S. Lewis
8. Chuck Colson
9. Orson Scott Card
Be sure to leave a comment if you use my list, it would be interesting to see what we have in common. Of course I have much more variety than this list indicates.
I have a lot in common with Marsupial Mom.
1. Ravi Zacharias
2. J.I. Packer
3. Max Lucado
4. Charles Dickens
5. J.K Rowling
6. JRR Tolkien
7. C.S. Lewis
8. Chuck Colson
9. Orson Scott Card
Be sure to leave a comment if you use my list, it would be interesting to see what we have in common. Of course I have much more variety than this list indicates.
Why I Hate Microsoft
Why Microsoft Sucks... Yet another them problem that becomes a me problem. They have disocvered yet another critical problems with their software that allows people to take control of my computer and delte my files. So now I once again need to update each and every computer on my network to prevent the problem. I even needed to change my browser to receive the patch as it was not available on any other browser than IE.
I truly wish that Linux was more compatable with other software as it is a much more secure system and they do not have nearly as many problems or cause me nearly as many headaches. However much of the software that we use requires windows so our computers are still locked into this. _sigh_
Check your computer and update your systems yet again. Don't be caught unaware. Visit Microsoft Windows Update and of course make sure you close your good browser and open up IE so you can install it.
Peace,
Tenn
I truly wish that Linux was more compatable with other software as it is a much more secure system and they do not have nearly as many problems or cause me nearly as many headaches. However much of the software that we use requires windows so our computers are still locked into this. _sigh_
Check your computer and update your systems yet again. Don't be caught unaware. Visit Microsoft Windows Update and of course make sure you close your good browser and open up IE so you can install it.
Peace,
Tenn
Daily Round-Up
Today was a productive day though I did not originally think it would be. We spent majority of the day cleaning the house. Alternating between cleaning and playing spurts. From time to time we would also read. Today I limited reading choices to our library books around the H theme since I knew other schooling would be limited. So they still had some choice but within my guidelines. We read more non-fiction then they would have otherwise chosen, still they enjoyed the books we read. They also got to spend some time playing with their Vsmile video game system. Which is a video game but still has educational aspects, more like an educational computer game than a typical video game.
After cleaning was over Ciaran and Sirah took a nap. During that time Rhiannon and I worked together. It is amazing how much faster we can get things accomplished while the other two are sleeping. We worked through two lessons in First Language Lessons, a story of the world lesson, questions and narration, reciting bible memory verses for letters A-I and learning a new one. Rhiannon built a wonderful castle based off a picture she saw with her blocks and did an addition worksheet. She recited two poems for Serona and did her read aloud with him. We read quite a bit today and covered a lot more ground than I thought considering how much cleaning we did. I also got to go to water aerobics and run some errands by myself.
I am now sitting on the floor in the girls room trying to corral Sirah into her bed as she keeps trying to climb out as she fights sleep. She is a strong willed child there is no doubt about that. She made it past me and ran down the hall laughing and giggling besides herself thinking she was hot stuff. Think I am in for a long night of this. She is standing up in her bed talking to her animals. Sigh
Peace,
Tenn
After cleaning was over Ciaran and Sirah took a nap. During that time Rhiannon and I worked together. It is amazing how much faster we can get things accomplished while the other two are sleeping. We worked through two lessons in First Language Lessons, a story of the world lesson, questions and narration, reciting bible memory verses for letters A-I and learning a new one. Rhiannon built a wonderful castle based off a picture she saw with her blocks and did an addition worksheet. She recited two poems for Serona and did her read aloud with him. We read quite a bit today and covered a lot more ground than I thought considering how much cleaning we did. I also got to go to water aerobics and run some errands by myself.
I am now sitting on the floor in the girls room trying to corral Sirah into her bed as she keeps trying to climb out as she fights sleep. She is a strong willed child there is no doubt about that. She made it past me and ran down the hall laughing and giggling besides herself thinking she was hot stuff. Think I am in for a long night of this. She is standing up in her bed talking to her animals. Sigh
Peace,
Tenn
SOTW Narration Chapter Three
Rhiannon Story of the World Narration on "The First Writing"
The Egyptians wrote on stones. They called it hieroglyphics (I helped her remember the word). The Sumerians wrote on wet clay. They used a sharp knife or a stick. It was called cuneiform. Egyptians discovered that they could make paper out of reeds (she originally said duckweed) . They called it papyrus but now we call it paper. Writing on stone is harder than writing on wet clay, but the Egyptians and Sumarians disocvered they could make paper which was easier but lasted shorter. Because the paper could get wet and crumple up.
The Egyptians wrote on stones. They called it hieroglyphics (I helped her remember the word). The Sumerians wrote on wet clay. They used a sharp knife or a stick. It was called cuneiform. Egyptians discovered that they could make paper out of reeds (she originally said duckweed) . They called it papyrus but now we call it paper. Writing on stone is harder than writing on wet clay, but the Egyptians and Sumarians disocvered they could make paper which was easier but lasted shorter. Because the paper could get wet and crumple up.
Cell Phones and Kids
Here is some information about the risks of cell phone use in young children. While I am guessing not many people give their under 8 year old a phone, you never know. Also there may be some of you like us who let the kids talk to grandma and grandpa on the phone from time to time.
The studies are indicating it is a risk for young children to use cell phones. Read the report here. Be forewarned sometimes the Times Online has inappropriate ads for young children.
Peace,
Tenn
The studies are indicating it is a risk for young children to use cell phones. Read the report here. Be forewarned sometimes the Times Online has inappropriate ads for young children.
Peace,
Tenn
Household Maintenance
Today has been a household day. Cleaning, Bills, Laundry, Organizing and the Like. Here is an update
Number of Rooms Picked Up: 9
Number of Rooms Vacummed: 7 and two hallways
Loads of Laundry Completed (washed, folded and put away): 3
Number in Progress: 3
Number of Rooms Swept: 3
Number of Rooms Mopped: 3
Number of Times Kitchen Cleaned: 3
Number of times up and down the stairs: too numerous to count
Number of Bills Paid: 8
Number of Library Book Renewed: Too Many to Count
Number of Rooms Picked Up: 9
Number of Rooms Vacummed: 7 and two hallways
Loads of Laundry Completed (washed, folded and put away): 3
Number in Progress: 3
Number of Rooms Swept: 3
Number of Rooms Mopped: 3
Number of Times Kitchen Cleaned: 3
Number of times up and down the stairs: too numerous to count
Number of Bills Paid: 8
Number of Library Book Renewed: Too Many to Count
January 11, 2005
Chinese Numbers and Chinese Colors
Here is a list of a way to say basic colors in Chinese and how to represent the numbers with your fingers from 1-10 put together by one of the moms in our hs support group and presented today at our coop.
Red - hong se
(hong) (su)
Yellow - huang se
(open mouth from small to big when saying "huang")
Green - lu yan se
(loo) (su)
Blue - lan yan se
(put your tongue on your teeth when saying "lan")
Orange - ju huang se
(like saying "juice")
Pink - fen hong
(su)
Purple - zi yan se
(put your teeth together when saying "zi")
Counting 1-10 With Hands In Chinese:
1 - pointer finger held up.
2 - pointer and middle finger held up.
3 - pinkie, ring, and middle finger held up.
4 - all fingers held up except thumb.
5 - all fingers held up.
6 - pinkie and thumb finger held up, middle fingers down.
7 - pointer finger and middle finger come together and touch down on thumb.
8 - thumb pointing up with pointer finger pointing out. Other fingers down.
9 - all fingers down like a fist except the pointer finger is up but bent down like a crooked finger.
10 - all fingers down except the pointer finger and middle finger up and crossing over each other.
Note to readers: This is in no way an "official" Chinese translation. This was a lesson put together to let very young children play with the Chinese language. I have had several comments about some innacuries, some written in ways I will not republish. I have corrected what has been pointed out to me. However, I encourage you to do more research before you present this and realize I am not an expert or even a novice in Chinese. I merely offer you what we did and the kids enjoyed. None of us thought we were teaching the kids Chinese or Mandarin in an official way.
Peace,
Tenn
Red - hong se
(hong) (su)
Yellow - huang se
(open mouth from small to big when saying "huang")
Green - lu yan se
(loo) (su)
Blue - lan yan se
(put your tongue on your teeth when saying "lan")
Orange - ju huang se
(like saying "juice")
Pink - fen hong
(su)
Purple - zi yan se
(put your teeth together when saying "zi")
Counting 1-10 With Hands In Chinese:
1 - pointer finger held up.
2 - pointer and middle finger held up.
3 - pinkie, ring, and middle finger held up.
4 - all fingers held up except thumb.
5 - all fingers held up.
6 - pinkie and thumb finger held up, middle fingers down.
7 - pointer finger and middle finger come together and touch down on thumb.
8 - thumb pointing up with pointer finger pointing out. Other fingers down.
9 - all fingers down like a fist except the pointer finger is up but bent down like a crooked finger.
10 - all fingers down except the pointer finger and middle finger up and crossing over each other.
Note to readers: This is in no way an "official" Chinese translation. This was a lesson put together to let very young children play with the Chinese language. I have had several comments about some innacuries, some written in ways I will not republish. I have corrected what has been pointed out to me. However, I encourage you to do more research before you present this and realize I am not an expert or even a novice in Chinese. I merely offer you what we did and the kids enjoyed. None of us thought we were teaching the kids Chinese or Mandarin in an official way.
Peace,
Tenn
China Coop - week Two
Today we had our second week of China coop. The lessons the kids learned were well prepared and modified nicely for them. Today they learned how to speak some Chinese. They learned how to say hello and how to introduce themselves. They learned how to count to ten outloud and with their fingers (it reminded us of sign language), they learned how to speak their basic colors and after learning these they were each given a piece of paper with a Chinese word on it and they needed to arrange themselves in order from 1-10. They got up to 7 correct and needed to rearrange themselves for the last three.
They also learned about the Chinese New Year and the Lantern celebration. They each made a Chinese lantern and a dragon as their crafts. It was well organized, well prepared and the kids enjoyed themselves. We will finish our China unit with going to see a dance to celebrate the Chinese New Year. So it was nice for them to learn about. We had a good time.
Peace,
Tenn
They also learned about the Chinese New Year and the Lantern celebration. They each made a Chinese lantern and a dragon as their crafts. It was well organized, well prepared and the kids enjoyed themselves. We will finish our China unit with going to see a dance to celebrate the Chinese New Year. So it was nice for them to learn about. We had a good time.
Peace,
Tenn
Serona on Hugh Hewitt
Last night Serona called in to the Hugh Hewitt show to discuss RatherGate. He was live on the show and discussed his recent Cyber::Ecology post on the subject. Check it out and hooray for Serona.
Peace
Tenn
Peace
Tenn
January 10, 2005
Sirah's Daily Word List
Sirah has started jabbering away more and more, but she is selective in how often she uses her words, still often opting for pointing and bellowing, but I thought I would keep track of all the words she uses today. She is 16 months old.
nose
hair
eye
ear
eeth (teeth)
dog
no
nana (nurse)
up
lees (please)
go
out
hat
baby
toes
uh-oh
nose
hair
eye
ear
eeth (teeth)
dog
no
nana (nurse)
up
lees (please)
go
out
hat
baby
toes
uh-oh
Popular Mechanics for Kids
This weekend we watched four episodes of PMK on DVD and really enjoyed them. They were interesting enough to hold the attention of the adults (we learned too) and well done and hosted by kids so even Ciaran enjoyed them. We learned about spaceships, rockets, boats cars and submarines. I would recommend them, some of the material is for older kids and if you may want to prewatch them. We did not we just talked about anything we felt we needed to. There are fun segments about different types of whatever they are talking about as well as an experiment and future and past examples. I would recommend the series. It made for a nice family night video.
Note: As we are not TV watchers I have no idea if this is a TV show or not, it seemed like it could have been, so you may want to check that out as well as the DVD option.
Peace,
Tenn
Note: As we are not TV watchers I have no idea if this is a TV show or not, it seemed like it could have been, so you may want to check that out as well as the DVD option.
Peace,
Tenn
Tsunami Lesson Pays Off
A ten year old girl who paid attention to her science lessons helped save 100 people in the recent Tsunami disaster. Tilly smith from Oxshott, Surrey saw the early warning signs of a tsunami when the tide rushed out, the water bubbles and boats were bobbing up and down. According to the article:
Praise God this girl paid attention to her studies and that the adults around her took her seriously. Read more
here.
Peace,
Tenn
Tilly, who had studied tsunamis in a geography class just two weeks earlier, quickly realised they were in terrible danger. She told her mother they had to get off the beach immediately and warned there could be a tsunami, according to The Sun newspaper.
She explained she had just completed a school project on the huge waves and said they were seeing the warning signs that a tsunami was minutes away.
Her parents alerted the other holidaymakers and staff at their hotel, which was quickly evacuated. The wave crashed a few minutes later, but no one on the beach was killed or seriously injured.
Praise God this girl paid attention to her studies and that the adults around her took her seriously. Read more
here.
Peace,
Tenn
January 9, 2005
Serona's 30th Birthday Bash
Well we had Serona's birthday party last night. It still wound up to be a surprise much to my amazement. All my plans to get him out of the house failed and it was by the grace of God that he decided to go downstairs and read and ultimately fell asleep while I got things ready and the guests arrived. He came upstairs, after Rhiannon woke him up to be surprised with a house full of guests.
We had a fabulous wine and cheese party. I would recommend this party to anyone. It was easy to prepare for and easy to run and people truly seemed to enjoy themselves. Next time I would try to control how many bottles were open at one time as I have 9 open bottles with assorted amounts on my kitchen counter right now! For the menu we had many different wines, ports, and champagne, as well as some non-alcoholic options for the non drinkers and some homemade stout from one of our guests!
For food we tried to keep it simple yet elegant with many different kinds of good quality cheeses, both soft and hard and in between. The favorite was hands down a Gouda called PrimaDonna, it went fast and people had to keep themselves away from it so others could have some. It was my personal favorite as well. We had several Gouda, Swiss, two types of baked Brie, some roulle, freisago, and some other cheeses I can not recall off the top of my head. There were also olives, bread, crackers and some cheese dip. For dessert we served Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, I had 5 different varieties.
We had some of our closest friends here and it was just the right amount and mix of people. It was a lot of fun and an easy party to have. Simple, elegant and tasty food and drink. Good music, conversation and low maintenance. My kind of party. Even cleanup was not terrible. We have a lot of wine and cheese leftover and enjoyed ourselves.
Peace,
Tenn
We had a fabulous wine and cheese party. I would recommend this party to anyone. It was easy to prepare for and easy to run and people truly seemed to enjoy themselves. Next time I would try to control how many bottles were open at one time as I have 9 open bottles with assorted amounts on my kitchen counter right now! For the menu we had many different wines, ports, and champagne, as well as some non-alcoholic options for the non drinkers and some homemade stout from one of our guests!
For food we tried to keep it simple yet elegant with many different kinds of good quality cheeses, both soft and hard and in between. The favorite was hands down a Gouda called PrimaDonna, it went fast and people had to keep themselves away from it so others could have some. It was my personal favorite as well. We had several Gouda, Swiss, two types of baked Brie, some roulle, freisago, and some other cheeses I can not recall off the top of my head. There were also olives, bread, crackers and some cheese dip. For dessert we served Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, I had 5 different varieties.
We had some of our closest friends here and it was just the right amount and mix of people. It was a lot of fun and an easy party to have. Simple, elegant and tasty food and drink. Good music, conversation and low maintenance. My kind of party. Even cleanup was not terrible. We have a lot of wine and cheese leftover and enjoyed ourselves.
Peace,
Tenn
January 8, 2005
Updated Family Bio
Looking at my sidebar I realized I have not updated our family bio in over a year - not much will have changed for me and Serona but kids change so much these days. Some of this will be repeat information for some of you. For the others, welcome and enjoy visiting with our family.
There is Serona (the dad), he is recently turned 30 and still dealing with it. He is a senior computer programmer and manager for a software company. He has two undergrad degrees in Political Science and Philosophy and a graduate degree in Communications, and is also a former debater. His interests are reading, writing (especially fantasy and science fiction), keeping up with current events and politics (especially RIAA and anything Wifi or tech related), blogging (Cyber::Ecology), playing gamecube and XBox, anything and everything Star Wars, acting (he does on average two shows a year), wine tasting and biking (on occasion he bikes the 10+ miles to work) to name a few.
Then there is me, Mother Tenn, also 30 and a Stay at Home Mom. My undergrad studies were in Environmental Politics and I have an MA in Communications with an emphasis on Social Movements and Argumentation. My current interests are in reading (see recent reads), blogging (here and a few others), journaling (I maintain 5 journals actively: a prayer journal and a journal for each of my children, as well as an online journal for Serona and I), vegan and vegetarian cooking, research (especially children's health, breastfeeding, parenting and homeschooling), breastfeeding advocacy and support, hiking, biking, crocheting, yoga, pilates, water aerobics and bible studies.
Next come the children: Rhiannon, Ciaran, and Sirah. Rhiannon is a precocious 5 and a half year old (the half is very important to her) girl. She enjoysbeing read to (anything and everything), reading to me or her siblings, field trips, butterflies, and playing board games (Monopoly and Clue Jr. are current favorites). She is a performer at heart and always wants to be the center of attention. School is going well for her. We have made progress in reading, addition, subtraction and handwriting this year. She enjoys learning about history, geography and science as well. Her favorite composer is currently Vivaldi and her favorite artist is still Monet. We read many children's storybooks and good literature. Lately we have been reading the classics abridged and then listening to them unabridged on tape. Most recent favorites include Black Beauty, Heidi and Peter Pan. In addition we are working through the following for curriculum:
My Abc Verses - Susan Hunt
Growing Phonics Reader Bible
First Language Lessons - Jesse Wise
Story of the World and Activity Guide
- Susan and Jessie Wise Bauer
Phonics Pathways - Dolores Hiskes
Miquon Math - currently orange book
Next meet Ciaran, our three and a half year old son. Ciaran is an energetic little boy who is full of energy, empathy and artistic and athletic abilities. He loves Frogs. He has a passion for frogs unlike any I have seen before. He loves them and can tell you nearly everything about them. His room and many of his toys and books are around the theme of frogs. He also enjoys bike riding, cars and being read to. His favorite thing in the world is to play with his sister in whatever imaginary game they have concoted for that day. He learns in very hands on ways and is starting to write his name. He learns best when playing games or activities and when he wants to. We are still playing with the Letter of the Week with him. Focusing on one letter a week and building all our activites and themes around that. His favorite of course was f when we did nothing but frogs. He is also very artistic, loving paint, markers, clay and whatever else he can use creatively. Currently he enjoys Beethoven and Mary Cassat. He is always smiling and it is contagious.
Then there is Sirah our one year old. She is busy, busy busy and fun, fun, fun. She loves little stuffed animals and is hardly ever seen without one or preferably two. Her favorites are dogs and she loves ours. She will lay down on the floor between the two of them and let them lick her and just play with them. She has the cheesiest and best smiles, especially when the camera comes out. She wants to be involved in everything and climbing on top of everything especially counters and tables. She likes to play the name that body part game and is using her words more frequently now, though she still seems to prefer standing and pointing while screeching. She has begun enjoying listening to books and some of her favorite are any of the touch and feel or sparkly books as well as goodnight moon and quick as a cricket. She is a lot of fun, though sometimes still quite challenging. She wants to be in the middle of everything especially what her siblings are doing.
Rounding out our family are our Australian Shepherds, a two year old male and a 7 month old female. They are loving, patient and friendly though fiercely protective of the kids. They love to run and spend time in the yard.
We are Christian, environmentalists, social justice advocates, vegans and vegetarians , right-leaning, techies, wired, outdoors loving, non tv watching, attachment parenting, extended breastfeeding, cloth diapering, crunchy granola, friendly, funny, highly educated, readers, researchers, and usually right. :) So come get to know us and stay awhile. We love having you.
There is Serona (the dad), he is recently turned 30 and still dealing with it. He is a senior computer programmer and manager for a software company. He has two undergrad degrees in Political Science and Philosophy and a graduate degree in Communications, and is also a former debater. His interests are reading, writing (especially fantasy and science fiction), keeping up with current events and politics (especially RIAA and anything Wifi or tech related), blogging (Cyber::Ecology), playing gamecube and XBox, anything and everything Star Wars, acting (he does on average two shows a year), wine tasting and biking (on occasion he bikes the 10+ miles to work) to name a few.
Then there is me, Mother Tenn, also 30 and a Stay at Home Mom. My undergrad studies were in Environmental Politics and I have an MA in Communications with an emphasis on Social Movements and Argumentation. My current interests are in reading (see recent reads), blogging (here and a few others), journaling (I maintain 5 journals actively: a prayer journal and a journal for each of my children, as well as an online journal for Serona and I), vegan and vegetarian cooking, research (especially children's health, breastfeeding, parenting and homeschooling), breastfeeding advocacy and support, hiking, biking, crocheting, yoga, pilates, water aerobics and bible studies.
Next come the children: Rhiannon, Ciaran, and Sirah. Rhiannon is a precocious 5 and a half year old (the half is very important to her) girl. She enjoysbeing read to (anything and everything), reading to me or her siblings, field trips, butterflies, and playing board games (Monopoly and Clue Jr. are current favorites). She is a performer at heart and always wants to be the center of attention. School is going well for her. We have made progress in reading, addition, subtraction and handwriting this year. She enjoys learning about history, geography and science as well. Her favorite composer is currently Vivaldi and her favorite artist is still Monet. We read many children's storybooks and good literature. Lately we have been reading the classics abridged and then listening to them unabridged on tape. Most recent favorites include Black Beauty, Heidi and Peter Pan. In addition we are working through the following for curriculum:
My Abc Verses - Susan Hunt
Growing Phonics Reader Bible
First Language Lessons - Jesse Wise
Story of the World and Activity Guide
- Susan and Jessie Wise Bauer
Phonics Pathways - Dolores Hiskes
Miquon Math - currently orange book
Next meet Ciaran, our three and a half year old son. Ciaran is an energetic little boy who is full of energy, empathy and artistic and athletic abilities. He loves Frogs. He has a passion for frogs unlike any I have seen before. He loves them and can tell you nearly everything about them. His room and many of his toys and books are around the theme of frogs. He also enjoys bike riding, cars and being read to. His favorite thing in the world is to play with his sister in whatever imaginary game they have concoted for that day. He learns in very hands on ways and is starting to write his name. He learns best when playing games or activities and when he wants to. We are still playing with the Letter of the Week with him. Focusing on one letter a week and building all our activites and themes around that. His favorite of course was f when we did nothing but frogs. He is also very artistic, loving paint, markers, clay and whatever else he can use creatively. Currently he enjoys Beethoven and Mary Cassat. He is always smiling and it is contagious.
Then there is Sirah our one year old. She is busy, busy busy and fun, fun, fun. She loves little stuffed animals and is hardly ever seen without one or preferably two. Her favorites are dogs and she loves ours. She will lay down on the floor between the two of them and let them lick her and just play with them. She has the cheesiest and best smiles, especially when the camera comes out. She wants to be involved in everything and climbing on top of everything especially counters and tables. She likes to play the name that body part game and is using her words more frequently now, though she still seems to prefer standing and pointing while screeching. She has begun enjoying listening to books and some of her favorite are any of the touch and feel or sparkly books as well as goodnight moon and quick as a cricket. She is a lot of fun, though sometimes still quite challenging. She wants to be in the middle of everything especially what her siblings are doing.
Rounding out our family are our Australian Shepherds, a two year old male and a 7 month old female. They are loving, patient and friendly though fiercely protective of the kids. They love to run and spend time in the yard.
We are Christian, environmentalists, social justice advocates, vegans and vegetarians , right-leaning, techies, wired, outdoors loving, non tv watching, attachment parenting, extended breastfeeding, cloth diapering, crunchy granola, friendly, funny, highly educated, readers, researchers, and usually right. :) So come get to know us and stay awhile. We love having you.
January 7, 2005
Music and Art Appreciation
One of the things that led me to a classical and Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling was their appreciation for the finer things in life. I really want my children to appreciate fine music, art, poetry, drama, literature and even cuisine. I look at what is fed to our children and their intellect today and I cringe. One of our first attempts to move into teaching our children the finer things was to give them an appreciation for classical music and fine works of art from an early age.
A friend of mine recently asked me what I would recommend to get started on this adventure with kids and I sent her some information that I thought I would share here. She asked me for my art curriculum and my music appreciation curriculm. I must admit I do not have a music or art lesson plan per se. Rather I got many of my ideas from The Charlotte Mason Companion and Karen got many of her ideas from the works and teachings of Charlotte Mason herself.
I would recommend studying one composer and one artist for a 3 month
period and really getting deeper into their work. The ones I would
start with are as follows:
Composers
Vivaldi
Beethoven
Bach
Mozart or Boccolini
Artists
Monet
Mary Cassat
Vincent Van Gogh
Raphael or Michaelangeo or Leonardo Da Vinci
I did not sit the kids down and say now we are going to learn about Monet or Vivaldi. Rather what I did was put The Four Seasons on to play in the background while we prepared and ate meals and while they had craft or quiet playtime. After it had been playing awhile I usually got a question about it and then we would have a natural conversation about the piece and the composer. Then as interest grew I would check out a book or two on the composer and we would go deeper. Typically I found it best to listen to one piece or one movement until they recognized it and then move on to the next piece. I chose to stay with the same composer for a three month period - working on just four throughout the year. I find that bylisten to classical music during meals,and atleast one free play or craft time per day we are listening for at least an hour per day. We don't talk about it all the time just have it on in
the background so they absorb it.
As for art I took a similar absorbption approach. I bought calendars at discount (now is a great time of year for that) and cheap coffee table books of one artist at a time. I wanted ones that had large pictures and honestly I have found the calendars to be the best size for the price. I picked one artist and then placed a single page from calendar on a reading book stand (5 dollar plastic one) in their school/play room on display and I left the big coffee table book out in our library. I might mention it and draw their attention to it. I usuallu pick an intriguing first picture to draw them in. I might suggest they just look at it for awhile and leave it at that. I leave the same picture up and after a few days I might ask them what they like about it or think about it and then we will talk about the title and artist. After they know that piece by title I switch to another piece. They can always flip through the big book of art in the library as well but the calendar stays on one at a time. After interest increases I will again check out some children's books from the library on the artist and their life and read them. This proccess has worked very well in our home.
An amazing thing has happened, when I ask the question what would you like to listen to I get answers like "Vivladi, no Beethoven, wait Bach" and they do have preferences Ciaran almost always chooses Beethoven and Rhiannon Vivaldi though from time to time they will change it up. Now they can only recognize some of the most basic pieces and even those not always consistently - but that is fine. My goal is more exposure at this age and to build a love for fine music and art. They have listened to Robert Frost and Shaksperian sonnets (previewed of course) and they are not afraid of them - they actually think they are nice or beautiful.
I am not making this up, three and five year old children can and will appreciate the finer things in life if you expose them to them. The honest answer is it does not take much time or effort to do this either. Just making a conscience choice of what you spend your time and energy on.
Peace,
Tenn
A friend of mine recently asked me what I would recommend to get started on this adventure with kids and I sent her some information that I thought I would share here. She asked me for my art curriculum and my music appreciation curriculm. I must admit I do not have a music or art lesson plan per se. Rather I got many of my ideas from The Charlotte Mason Companion and Karen got many of her ideas from the works and teachings of Charlotte Mason herself.
I would recommend studying one composer and one artist for a 3 month
period and really getting deeper into their work. The ones I would
start with are as follows:
Composers
Vivaldi
Beethoven
Bach
Mozart or Boccolini
Artists
Monet
Mary Cassat
Vincent Van Gogh
Raphael or Michaelangeo or Leonardo Da Vinci
I did not sit the kids down and say now we are going to learn about Monet or Vivaldi. Rather what I did was put The Four Seasons on to play in the background while we prepared and ate meals and while they had craft or quiet playtime. After it had been playing awhile I usually got a question about it and then we would have a natural conversation about the piece and the composer. Then as interest grew I would check out a book or two on the composer and we would go deeper. Typically I found it best to listen to one piece or one movement until they recognized it and then move on to the next piece. I chose to stay with the same composer for a three month period - working on just four throughout the year. I find that bylisten to classical music during meals,and atleast one free play or craft time per day we are listening for at least an hour per day. We don't talk about it all the time just have it on in
the background so they absorb it.
As for art I took a similar absorbption approach. I bought calendars at discount (now is a great time of year for that) and cheap coffee table books of one artist at a time. I wanted ones that had large pictures and honestly I have found the calendars to be the best size for the price. I picked one artist and then placed a single page from calendar on a reading book stand (5 dollar plastic one) in their school/play room on display and I left the big coffee table book out in our library. I might mention it and draw their attention to it. I usuallu pick an intriguing first picture to draw them in. I might suggest they just look at it for awhile and leave it at that. I leave the same picture up and after a few days I might ask them what they like about it or think about it and then we will talk about the title and artist. After they know that piece by title I switch to another piece. They can always flip through the big book of art in the library as well but the calendar stays on one at a time. After interest increases I will again check out some children's books from the library on the artist and their life and read them. This proccess has worked very well in our home.
An amazing thing has happened, when I ask the question what would you like to listen to I get answers like "Vivladi, no Beethoven, wait Bach" and they do have preferences Ciaran almost always chooses Beethoven and Rhiannon Vivaldi though from time to time they will change it up. Now they can only recognize some of the most basic pieces and even those not always consistently - but that is fine. My goal is more exposure at this age and to build a love for fine music and art. They have listened to Robert Frost and Shaksperian sonnets (previewed of course) and they are not afraid of them - they actually think they are nice or beautiful.
I am not making this up, three and five year old children can and will appreciate the finer things in life if you expose them to them. The honest answer is it does not take much time or effort to do this either. Just making a conscience choice of what you spend your time and energy on.
Peace,
Tenn
Daily Round-Up
Sirah - played with blocks, read books, played at a friends house, played with stuffed animals, played finger games and name the body part game, lots of cuddles, especially enjoyed sharing cinamon roll with her sister, and no nap!
Ciaran - played with a neighbor boy got to use action figure superheros for the first time, had no idea who any were except spiderman - he had a blast (still glad we don't have them here though). He also colored a letter H book, talked about words that started with H, practiced writing his name and learned to memorize Humpty Dumpty and enjoyed a nice nap. His sister read him a Frogggy book so he was estatic.
Rhiannon - Read to her brother, read to her sister. Played with a horse stable at a friends house, drew some pictures, did some addition and math, worked on handwriting and played in an imaginary world. Helped me clean up the house and play with Sirah while I got work done. Some modelling clay is in her future as is some Vsmile game time.
Peace,
Tenn
Ciaran - played with a neighbor boy got to use action figure superheros for the first time, had no idea who any were except spiderman - he had a blast (still glad we don't have them here though). He also colored a letter H book, talked about words that started with H, practiced writing his name and learned to memorize Humpty Dumpty and enjoyed a nice nap. His sister read him a Frogggy book so he was estatic.
Rhiannon - Read to her brother, read to her sister. Played with a horse stable at a friends house, drew some pictures, did some addition and math, worked on handwriting and played in an imaginary world. Helped me clean up the house and play with Sirah while I got work done. Some modelling clay is in her future as is some Vsmile game time.
Peace,
Tenn
Contagiousness of a Clean Sink
Ever notice how a clean sink is contagious? Serona did a nice job cleaning our sink last night. Our sink was begging not to be dirty again. So all the breakfast sihes went right into the dishwasher and the sink was wiped down and dried. Of course then the counters and tables were easy to be wiped down and low and behold it is because I had a clean sink this morning that I have a clean kitchen now! One of the best tips I took from the FlyLady program.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
One of Those Mornings
We had one of those mornings already. Ciaran pooped all through his clothes,lovely. I got eggs on the floor. The dog ate through one of Sirah's favorite toys and she dropped her other favorites in the tub where he brother was cleaning off so she can not have them. The dogs got into the trash which is all over my floor. The kids are complaining of sick stomachs and I feel sick myself. Oh happy day! Hope your morning is going better.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
January 6, 2005
Tsunami Resources
I noticed my tsunami posts have fallen below the fold and wanted to keep them up top as many people have been interested in the tsunami lesson plan ideas I put together.
Also as always a fresh reminder to donate to World Vision today!
Peace,
Tenn
Also as always a fresh reminder to donate to World Vision today!
Peace,
Tenn
Field Trip Ideas
Here are a few of the field trips we have planned over the next coming months. You can also see my sidebar category for some we have done in the past.
glass blower
child safety class
fire station safety class
petco
sports store
china dinosaurs museum
astronomy class
wildlife refuge
library
science fair
Mall of America Scavenger Hunt
Police Station Tour
bagel shop tour
pizzaria tour
Feel free to post any that you have done and enjoyed.
Peace,
Tenn
glass blower
child safety class
fire station safety class
petco
sports store
china dinosaurs museum
astronomy class
wildlife refuge
library
science fair
Mall of America Scavenger Hunt
Police Station Tour
bagel shop tour
pizzaria tour
Feel free to post any that you have done and enjoyed.
Peace,
Tenn
Revolution From Within
We are experiencing one in our household. Ciaran is standing up to Rhiannon and refusing to play with her unless she lets him take turns being the boss. Ciaran has been content just being part of her world and following her around and letting her tell him who to be and what to do until recently. He started demanding turns being the leader, she would allow it but then would change the charachters and somehow still be the boss. We dealt with it this morning and Ciaran is currently Captain Cru and she is one of his workers, we will see how it plays out. I think we will use this experience to work on some charachter issues later today.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
January 5, 2005
Come out of Hiding
Apparently today is delurking day according to Thicket Dweller over at Today's Lessons so feel free to leave a comment and let me know you visit.
Peace,
Tenn
Charlotte Mason Online
New Look and Feel
I've changed the look and feel of the site, what do you think? Any comments, ideas, likes, dislikes?
Peace,
tenn
Peace,
tenn
Productive Morning
This morning Serona took Ciaran to see Frog and Toad at the Children's Theater and Rhiannon, Sirah and I have had a very productive morning. We have read a bible story, Rhiannon did her read aloud time, we reviewed bible memory verses A-G and learned H and I. We did two pages in Phonics Pathways, reviewing -ch and -tch diagrams. We read a chapter from Story of the World and did the review questions and narration. She has done online math worksheets in addition and subtraction, scoring a 90 and a 100 (she did use her abacus for parts of the subtraction sheet), and a coloring sheet for SOTW on Osiris and Set. All that is left for the day is a First Language Lesson and handwriting practice. It is amazing how efficient we were today and she is still in a good mood, no complaining or whining at all.
Sirah and I have played with blocks, stacking circles, and her shape sorter. We have read together, played with stuffed animals and of course nursed several times. She is also in a good mood. I am sure Ciaran is in a great mood on his special daddy date, seeing frog and toad on stage!
Peace,
Tenn
Sirah and I have played with blocks, stacking circles, and her shape sorter. We have read together, played with stuffed animals and of course nursed several times. She is also in a good mood. I am sure Ciaran is in a great mood on his special daddy date, seeing frog and toad on stage!
Peace,
Tenn
SOTW Narration : Gods of Ancient Egypt
Review Questions
Did the Egyptians worship one or many gods? many
Can you name any of their gods? Osiris
Do you remember the name of Osiris evil brother? Set
How did Set get Osiris to lie down in the coffin? He said whoever fits in it will be the king (i corrected her to say can keep it)
Did Osiris stay dead? No when Isis wrapped him in cloth Osiris came to life again
they told this story to try to understand why the waters of the nile river came up to flood every year
Rhiannon's Narration
The Egyptians believed there many gods. They bowed down to more than one god. Osiris was the king of the gods. His jealous brother wanted to be king so he made a coffin he said whoever fits in the coffin will get to keep it. When it came to Osiris turn to try it it fit perfectly he laid all the way down in the coffin but suddenly Set closed the door and threw it into the Nile River. It floated down the River. Set wanted to be the king. When Isis wrapped Osiris in cloth he came back to life again. The Egyptians wrote this story to understand why the Nile River flowed up over and then went down again every year. They thought this story would help them understand. The End.
Did the Egyptians worship one or many gods? many
Can you name any of their gods? Osiris
Do you remember the name of Osiris evil brother? Set
How did Set get Osiris to lie down in the coffin? He said whoever fits in it will be the king (i corrected her to say can keep it)
Did Osiris stay dead? No when Isis wrapped him in cloth Osiris came to life again
they told this story to try to understand why the waters of the nile river came up to flood every year
Rhiannon's Narration
The Egyptians believed there many gods. They bowed down to more than one god. Osiris was the king of the gods. His jealous brother wanted to be king so he made a coffin he said whoever fits in the coffin will get to keep it. When it came to Osiris turn to try it it fit perfectly he laid all the way down in the coffin but suddenly Set closed the door and threw it into the Nile River. It floated down the River. Set wanted to be the king. When Isis wrapped Osiris in cloth he came back to life again. The Egyptians wrote this story to understand why the Nile River flowed up over and then went down again every year. They thought this story would help them understand. The End.
Happy Birthday Serona
Serona turned 30! Hooray! So I married a younger man, now atleast we are both in our 30's. Happy Birthday.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
China Coop Week One
Today we began our trip to China in our homeschool coop class. The kids began with a review of the other countries we have visited (United States, Israel and Iraq). The teachers reminded them how small Iraq and Israel were in comparison to China and talked a bit about the country. Then they read the story The Empty Pot by Demi, a nice story about the Chinese emperor and a young boy who becomes the successor. My kids have heard it before and truly enjoy it.
The kids broke up into two groups and did the rest of the class in stations. First they went to a map and a food station. At the map station one mom handed each child a map for them to label and draw on. They drew and labeled mountain ranges (including the Himalayas), rivers (including the Yangtzee and Yellow), deserts (including the Gobi), oceans and other landmarks including The Great Wall and the capital. They looked at some pictures and compared the geography of China to other countries we have reviewed.
At the food station they listened to the book Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin. They looked at little dishes and bowls of food such as chow main noodles, rice, bok choy, garlic, ginger and snow peas. They got to use chop sticks including these really neat child chopsticks I had never seen before, they also attempted to pick up food with real chopsticks. They learned about some of the exotic and what the kids thought was strange foods including bear claws, monkey brains, shark fins and duck eggs. They learned some nicknames for foods including drunken chicken and lions head. They also learned about some food customs in China and seemed to really enjoy themselves.
The kids had snacks, one mom provided fortune cookies for the kids. Then they went to the flag and great wall stations. At the flag station each child made a replica flag of China. They glued yellow stars onto a red piece of felt and had that glued on to a craft stick, they came out nice and were one of our easier flags so far.
At the Great Wall station the kids looked at some pictures of the Great Wall of China and learned a little about it. Then they got to work together to build a replica (not exact by any means) of the wall with lego's.
We ended the class by the kids sitting around in a circle and sharing the one thing they found most interesting or would like to learn more about. Many of them shared things from the food lessons which seemed to make a lasting impression on them. After each child shared they received their passport stickers. We made a passport for each child at the beginning of our year and each week one of each country they get a "stamp" in their passport.
All in all coop seems to be going very well and the kids are enjoying themselves. We will spend the next two weeks on China in the classroom and then the last week of the month we will attend a Chinese New Year dance and likely eat at a Chinese restaurant. Also we discovered there is an exhibit of China's dinosaurs at the Minnesota Science Museum we will be sure to check out.
Some other countries we will be studying this year include Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore and India.
Peace,
Tenn
The kids broke up into two groups and did the rest of the class in stations. First they went to a map and a food station. At the map station one mom handed each child a map for them to label and draw on. They drew and labeled mountain ranges (including the Himalayas), rivers (including the Yangtzee and Yellow), deserts (including the Gobi), oceans and other landmarks including The Great Wall and the capital. They looked at some pictures and compared the geography of China to other countries we have reviewed.
At the food station they listened to the book Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin. They looked at little dishes and bowls of food such as chow main noodles, rice, bok choy, garlic, ginger and snow peas. They got to use chop sticks including these really neat child chopsticks I had never seen before, they also attempted to pick up food with real chopsticks. They learned about some of the exotic and what the kids thought was strange foods including bear claws, monkey brains, shark fins and duck eggs. They learned some nicknames for foods including drunken chicken and lions head. They also learned about some food customs in China and seemed to really enjoy themselves.
The kids had snacks, one mom provided fortune cookies for the kids. Then they went to the flag and great wall stations. At the flag station each child made a replica flag of China. They glued yellow stars onto a red piece of felt and had that glued on to a craft stick, they came out nice and were one of our easier flags so far.
At the Great Wall station the kids looked at some pictures of the Great Wall of China and learned a little about it. Then they got to work together to build a replica (not exact by any means) of the wall with lego's.
We ended the class by the kids sitting around in a circle and sharing the one thing they found most interesting or would like to learn more about. Many of them shared things from the food lessons which seemed to make a lasting impression on them. After each child shared they received their passport stickers. We made a passport for each child at the beginning of our year and each week one of each country they get a "stamp" in their passport.
All in all coop seems to be going very well and the kids are enjoying themselves. We will spend the next two weeks on China in the classroom and then the last week of the month we will attend a Chinese New Year dance and likely eat at a Chinese restaurant. Also we discovered there is an exhibit of China's dinosaurs at the Minnesota Science Museum we will be sure to check out.
Some other countries we will be studying this year include Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore and India.
Peace,
Tenn
The Aviator Movie Review
I don't typically do movie reviews, though by request I reviewed The Polar Express not too long ago. Yet I recently saw The Aviator.
I must admit being neither a Leonardo DiCaprio or Martin Scorsese fan I really had little interest in seeing it. I had little to no knowledge of the life of Howard Hughes and the topic was of little interest to me. Yet a friend wanted to see it and I was actually up for seeing a movie so off I went.
I was very pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and could hardly believe that nearly 3 hours had passed since I entered the theater. I came out of the film impressed by the acting job of DiCaprio who had a tough role to play and played it well and curious to learn more about the life of Hughes.
I highly recommend the film and while I am a big advocate of waiting for video I did enjoy seeing this one in the theater and I think the plane scenes make it fun. Cate Blanchett did a great job (as usual) playing Katharine Hepburn and her scenes were fun to watch.
I felt the movie was well acted, well written, well produced and all around a good film. Hughes life (as portrayed) was quite interesting and the movie deals sensitively with his obsessive compulsive behaviors and how those around him dealt with him. I think this is one of the first films I have seen that made me want to go back and find the transcripts or video from a congressional testimony. Go see this movie or at least see it on video.
Peace,
Tenn
I must admit being neither a Leonardo DiCaprio or Martin Scorsese fan I really had little interest in seeing it. I had little to no knowledge of the life of Howard Hughes and the topic was of little interest to me. Yet a friend wanted to see it and I was actually up for seeing a movie so off I went.
I was very pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and could hardly believe that nearly 3 hours had passed since I entered the theater. I came out of the film impressed by the acting job of DiCaprio who had a tough role to play and played it well and curious to learn more about the life of Hughes.
I highly recommend the film and while I am a big advocate of waiting for video I did enjoy seeing this one in the theater and I think the plane scenes make it fun. Cate Blanchett did a great job (as usual) playing Katharine Hepburn and her scenes were fun to watch.
I felt the movie was well acted, well written, well produced and all around a good film. Hughes life (as portrayed) was quite interesting and the movie deals sensitively with his obsessive compulsive behaviors and how those around him dealt with him. I think this is one of the first films I have seen that made me want to go back and find the transcripts or video from a congressional testimony. Go see this movie or at least see it on video.
Peace,
Tenn
January 4, 2005
RV Homeschooling
Here is the live journal of a Minnesota family who is RV schooling this year. This appears to also be their first forays into homeschooling, the kids went to private school until this year.
This is a dream Serona and I have for the kids when they are old enough to all remember it. With their age difference I figure we need to wait about 8 more years or so. Can't wait to see what the technology looks like by then. This family has satellite broadband interenet into their RV now what will it be like in a few more years?
This opportunity is becoming more feasible for more families. The technology is certainly there. Personally for our family securing the financial freedom to do such a thing would be the most challenging. Check out their story.
Peace,
Tenn
This is a dream Serona and I have for the kids when they are old enough to all remember it. With their age difference I figure we need to wait about 8 more years or so. Can't wait to see what the technology looks like by then. This family has satellite broadband interenet into their RV now what will it be like in a few more years?
This opportunity is becoming more feasible for more families. The technology is certainly there. Personally for our family securing the financial freedom to do such a thing would be the most challenging. Check out their story.
Peace,
Tenn
Tsunami Relief
I am so glad to see that people are pulling together to help tsunami victims. I have noticed an increase in traffic in recent days and it is because search engines have been sending people here for my Tsunami Lesson Plan and for the list of tsunami relief organizations.
I still recommend donating to World Vision, here is their information:
World Vision
P.O. Box 70288
Tacoma, WA 98481-0288
888-56-CHILD
www.worldvision.org
Peace,
Tenn
I still recommend donating to World Vision, here is their information:
World Vision
P.O. Box 70288
Tacoma, WA 98481-0288
888-56-CHILD
www.worldvision.org
Peace,
Tenn
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