Kim's Play Place

A 12 Year-Old's View of Middle School

2012-01-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

My DD12, Hanover, who has been back in the public school system for two years after homeschooling for three, made the announcement, a bit out of the blue, that she was going to homeschool next year. After talking with her a little bit, here are her main concerns:

School is boring and they spend waaaay too much time learning the same thing (she's pretty bright, so catches on quickly).
She wants to be finished her work early and have more time to spend on her own projects (like writing short stories).
She is sick of the moody and pervy (her word--but not in a gross way, more like mischevious) boys
She doesn't feel like she can really talk with her favorite friends at school because they can be boring, are too much of followers, don't often get her sense of humor, and can be slow to catch on.
The school rules are very much about obedience and don't make sense to her. Examples: even though her math teach has the current textbook page projected on the smart board for everyone to see, she still insists that each student turn to the same page in the book on their desk. The aids are very gruff and commanding in their rule enforcement and she doesn't understand the need for some of the rules or why they enforce rules arbitrarily.

If You are Near Boston and Love Math: Math is Fun Event by Dads Do Good

2012-01-23T23:24:00.001-05:00

From the Math is Fun event listing:

Math Is Fun

at its launch event!

(MIT, Microsoft NERD Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142)

It would be a crazy person to choose Mathematics as their first theme but we are convinced Maths can be fun and maybe a little crazy too. We want to share tips and tricks with you on how to make it fun.

Here's what you can expect at the event

Listen to a panel with experts sharing ideas on how they keep Math fun.

See how technology has changed how we deal with Math

Gaming makes Math fun too and you get to try apps and Wii games right there.

Enjoy food as you mingle with fellow parents and experts alike.

Children are welcome and will be engaged throughout

Targeted for elementary and middle school kids

We are excited to partner with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a global learning company. A wonderful opportunity to be a part of something important.

At this wonderful hands-on event you can learn from math teachers and educators. Dads and kids can experience playful learning through math apps and wii games in a workshop format.

Dads and children (and moms) are welcome! Please register to attend. The event is free.

You can register at this link
http://mathisfunboston-estw.eventbrite.com/

Embracing the Changes

2012-01-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

The snow on Saturday was pretty easy for me, a work-at-home mom who didn't have to go out until the late afternoon. Our new plow guy rules. Not only did he plow and sand, his son shoveled the snow from behind our cars and even moved our trash cans out of the giant snow pile. Very impressive!

My four year old can put on his own gloves (mostly) and even put on his own snow pants (mostly).

Accomplishments he notices but that I celebrate silently. He is getting bigger and bigger.

When my first child was little, I adored every new skill she demonstrated and mourned at the same time. I felt like I was always going to miss the gurgling smiles or baby talk words. Every advance was tinged with the loss of the adorable baby-ness that I so loved. Then it was the loss of the adorable toddler-ness, and on and on.

I remember speaking with a friend whose child was already a teenager. I was telling her how much I will miss all of the cuteness. "I just love how wonderful this age is," I said.

She replied, "All of it is wonderful. Every age brings something amazing."

And it is right. Now that my oldest daughter is 12, I can say that seeing her come into her own skin as a young lady is just as gratifying as cuddling her when she was just learning to speak. And as my son learns to be self-sufficient, I celebrate his independence and look forward to fully enjoying, with no sadness, each of his phases of development.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2012-01-22T11:45:00.000-05:00

While preparing the grocery list:

Me: Kids, what kind of fruit do you want for snacks?

Hanover: Apples!

Flurpee: Oranges!

Moose (4 years old): Chicken Nuggets!

Lady Bird Johnson Quote about Children

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Bouyancy and Forces Science Demonstration: Floating Corn Kernels with Kitchen Basics (Optional Experiment Included in the End)

2012-01-19T17:41:00.003-05:00

You know I am a sucker for introducing kids to science. I have added different levels of discussion for this demonstration based on age. Using easily found items (I may be the only one who still makes popcorn in the microwave with a brown paper lunch bag, so maybe not all of them are right in your cupboard), show a number of different science concepts.

Materials (when you look at the videos, you can see that I had no idea how much I was using of anything):

Aclear, tall container—I used a 1 quart Mason jar
3cups of water
¼ to1/3 cup of baking soda
1/8to ¼ cup of unpopped popcorn kernels
½ to1 cup of white vinegar

Instructions:

Mixbaking soda and vinegar in the clear container
Addcorn kernels
Pourin vinegar (Over or near a sink! It may foam over the top.)—it may need alittle stir

Ifyou do not have a 1 quart container, try halving the amount of water, bakingsoda, and vinegar.

Middle schoolers through toddlers can learn something from this demonstration. My guy was thrilled to seesomething change. I showed him the bubbles on the kernels and, thatwhen the kernels reached the surface, those bubbles disappeared and thekernel sank.

Older children, elementary-aged, might look at howmany bubbles it takes to make the kernels rise. Bubbles float and, when there are enough bubbles on a kernel, that force is more than the force of gravity pulling the kernel to the bottom. They will see quickly that the amount of bubbles on the surface will determine whether the kernel will rise or fall. Try to figure out how many bubble are needed before it rises.

With middle schoolers, start withthe same concepts above. They may already know that the bubbles are pushed up by an upward force called bouyancy. The bubbles are bouyant because they are not as dense as water. Each bubble adds its upward bouyant force tothe other bubbles on the kernel (a cool property called force superposition). Thekernels rise when the bouyant force is larger than gravity.

More in-depth: Ask your child where the bubbles are coming from. Turn this activity into a science experiment by putting kernels in plain water, water with baking soda, and water with vinegar. Are lots of bubbles forming on the kernels in any of those? What about seltzer water? A chemical reaction occurs when baking soda and vinegar are put together. They create carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide gas dissolves in water. Seltzer water also has carbon dioxide dissolved in it.

For those who just can't get enough, ask why the bubbles appear on the kernel (and wall of the container) at all. (Bubbles like to form on tiny, sharper places,nucleation sites.) Theycan try to estimate how many bubbles it takes to get the kernel to move up.

Kim McNeill is the editor and publisher of Macaroni Kid for Southbury, Oxford, Woodbury, and Middlbury CT, blogger at Hearst CT Media Group, Kim's Play Place, the Waterbury CT Family Entertainment Examiner and freelance writer for CBS Local inConnecticut.

Things I Never Thought I'd Say Before Becoming a Parent

2012-01-16T16:55:00.001-05:00

Things I Never Thought I'd Say Before Becoming a Parent:You are the master of your body. You control the poop. Be the boss of your poop. You tell that poop it has to go into the potty.

Relaxing Weekend without Kids? Yeah.

2012-01-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

You would think there would be no down side to having my father voluntarily take all three of my kids for a long weekend.

I don't know what he was thinking. Although I am with my 12 year old, 10 year old and four year old all of the time, I am sure it must be intense for someone not used to it.

Yet he did take them and they had a great weekend. They spent a good deal of time playing outside because of the unseasonal warmth. The four year old, who is notoriously difficult to get to sleep, went to bed well all weekend--as long as he was sleeping with both of his sisters.

Now all of the kids are back home and we are resuming our usual routines with a little extra oomph because of my New Year's resolution to keep the house cleaner.

And that resolution has already hit a huge snag. I was prepared for my 12 year old to be truculent and derail our efforts.

Nope.

The lovely, relaxing weekend I enjoyed while the kids were at my father's house has left me with a potty training regression.

Instead of just reminding the kids to pick up after themselves and establishing new chore charts, I'm cleaning furniture and giving baths four times a day. It is difficult to embark on new routines when I have to clean up emergencies frequently.

So I am back to setting timers every ~~two~~ hours to remind my guy to head to the potty. I just hope it is only a short adjustment!

How I Torture My Daughter: The Extracurricular Tally

2011-12-30T01:30:00.000-05:00

Here is what we are doing and have done with my 12 year old daughter on top of her normal school work:

Splash, two days, multiple workshops

Splash one day, multiple workshops

Online Class Honors Pre-Algebra, ongoing

Online Class Writing, ongoing

Girls Science Initiative, four days a year

Minds in Motion one day seminar

Writing classes at a local library, poetry and creative, ongoing

I am torn between feeling sorry for her and feeling pretty good that we were able to find all of those opportunities for her.

Why I Don't Care that an Adult Failed a Standardized Test

2011-12-08T08:45:00.001-05:00

Update: Here is an example standardized math test the adult failed. I am more math fluent than most, having taken engineering-level math classes all through college. I cannot imagine that a successful businessman has no need to use basic graph-reading, estimation, or even understand basic equations. Here is the answer key if you want to see how well you do.

Is this test harder than you thought? Easier? It is much easier than I thought it would be based on the man's exclamations and I find it hard to believe he could only get 10 questions right--and those being guesses.

There has been a lot of buzz around the Washington Post's blog on an adult who took a standardized test and failed it. For everyone who hates the idea of "teaching to the test", who homeschools by radical unschooling, or hates having teachers and budgets held to the results of standardized tests, the post is flaunted as proof that testing is unhelpful.

The adult who took the test is a member of the school board in the district. He is well-educated with grown children and an apparently healthy bottom-line. If he cannot do well on the test, then why are we expecting our students to know 70% of a test he did not?

His argument: I don't know this stuff now and I am successful, so why should high schoolers need to know it. Very simple answer: Not every kid is going to do what he is doing.

I see the same bias in homeschoolers who do not understand why kids need a strong foundation in math in their younger years. Even a certified secondary school math teacher in a seminar I attended implored stay-at-home mothers to envision how they use math and to use that knowledge as a basis for how they teach math to their children.

As long as you are OK that your child could never become an engineer, scientist, actuary, and a host of other math-dominated careers, even if they desperately wanted to be one, then, by all means, teach the kids only the math you now need as an adult.

Secondarily, just because you do not use something in your career or everyday life does not mean that there are not very good reasons to know it.

When I was in engineering school, I often heard the rumblings of other students (since I am at least young enough to have gone to school realizing that computers were going to be doing some seriously heavy lifting by the time I entered the work force), "Why should we bother to learn this? When we graduate, all we will need to do is press a button."

And how will you know what data to enter? How will you select the appropriate parameters for the program you are working on? If your program's finite element analysis grid size is wrong, then you may miss the failure point and you will have no way of knowing how much or little confidence to place in the results. You won't even know enough to calculate a confidence interval.

And if, for some reason, the computer spits a spurious result out at the end of its work, the engineer who was never taught the principles by which the code operates has no way of knowing that his design may not be as robust as he believes. Also true even for calculators.

Another misconception is that because an adult does not appear to need such information now, they have never needed that information. There are some very strident opinions that I hold today specifically because, at one point, I went through the hard work of applying some information that I knew way-back-when and confirmed. I cannot remember details at this point because I have had no reason to revisit them.

Does that mean that I will defend everything I learned at school? Hell, no. No one today will ever learn to draft blueprints by hand and will never be at a loss for having avoided it. Just like it would have been ridiculous to for me to learn the slide rule.

What is the difference? I know the purpose of those objects and I understand that purpose conceptually. The tools can change and the presentation can change.

I would argue forcibly that mathematics sees too much theoretical math pushed down into elementary grades (my daughter has worked on set theory, prime numbers, and exponents in 3rd and 4th grade without even learning about division) because teachers and curriculum developers think they are teaching harder things by introducing high-level concepts.

Mathematicians are part of this nonsense because they want to see children exposed to their favorite math-theory puzzles or fascinations because that is what turns them on about math. They think that if kids see these ideas earlier that they will be excited about math.

More frequently, the children miss out on developing a real number and operation sense because they were too busy trying to figure out how to divide numbers without actually ever having being taught division and they end up frustrated and puzzled.

As you can see, I am no 'test no matter what' advocate. I am also against using any one person's experience as a barometer for what children should be taught.

Making Education a Priority

2011-11-10T22:21:00.001-05:00

If you have done any reading on my blog, the Twitter feed, or the Facebook page (come on over and "like" me! I only need 2 more people to get to 25), and now my Google+ page, then you know I push learning. I don't just "blah, blah, blah" about it here on the blog. I actively pursue meaningful academic enrichment for my children, in school and outside of school.

Ever since I was a kid, my parents talked to me as though college was a forgone conclusion. They stayed positive about education even though my dad never graduated high school and no one else in their families had ever gone to college.

We are cheerleaders for learning in our house. What does that mean? We review homework. We ask about school (even if all we get is "it was OK" for two weeks straight). We sign the kids up for as many afterschool academic enrichment opportunities as we do sports.

My youngest daughter, 9 year-old (almost 10) Flurpee, is signed up for some extra work at a tutoring center. When it came time to schedule our meetings, the class times available overlapped with soccer. When I told the manager that we would rather have this extra academic work instead of soccer, he said, "More parents should think like that".

Notably, soccer is not a passion of my daughter's. She enjoyed it, but she could also do without it. I would not have her trade something she loved for the extra academics. That would be dismissive of her personal values. It would also harm our ultimate goal.

How could we encourage a love of learning when she resents the additional classes because they displaced something she truly loved?

That is a fine line to walk as well. I do not feel the same way about watching television or playing video games--though I do not remove those completely either.

Working for Myself--Busy and Happy

2011-09-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

It's been a while. That's what happens when you just delve into projects and don't come up to breathe. And that's pretty much how I work. I take on a lot of responsibility and, now that I'm working at home, without the structure imposed externally by an office, I tend to work ALL THE TIME!

I'm often working into the wee hours, working all weekend, and only taking time off for necessities. Apparently making dinner doesn't seem to count as a necessity since I'm often lax in that regard.

My daughter pointed out the obvious. "But Mom, you said you wanted to work from home to be with us more but you're always busy." And I am. I like being home to drive the kids to sports and, of course being around them. But I also love being engaged in my new business.

My business also requires me to do fun things with my kids. No, really! I have a hyper-local website dedicated to kids events and activities in my local area of Connecticut.

Every time I take my kids out to do something, I can take some pictures, write about it so other parents in my area know what to expect, and then I take a tax deduction for the expense. Sometimes I even get to go places for free.

How is the new business going? Really well! I enjoy knowing about almost everything that's going on. The people who run the site are amazingly helpful. As soon as I signed up, they sent a huge amount of "getting started" info that really helped guide me in what to do next.

While I take my involvement "to the limit", lots of stay-at-home-parents and work-outside-of-the-home-parents run their sites with much less time than I have decided to use.

Just in case you were wondering where I've been, that's it!

If you are interested and want to learn more, just drop me an e-mail at kimberly_anne_mcneill at yahoo dot com . And yes, I like it enough that I'm hawking it.

You Win Some, You Lose Some, You Win Some--The Boost of Accomplishing a Goal while Working for Yourself

2011-06-22T21:14:00.001-04:00

Now I'm working for myself. Not my own business, really. I'm an independent contractor. I get to work for myself as I work for someone else. It's new for me.

My previous job was as an engineer (although my most recent was homeschooler). It wasn't a job that had you out much. Sure, I'd meet customers sometimes, but I never had to introduce the company or ask anyone for money.

Over the last few months I've had my share of problems trying to work from home (the kids are a little better about interrupting me on the phone). But I've also had a really good result. And that feeling of success not only wipes out the last bad phone call, it wipes out the the last week's worth of bad calls.

It's an amazing exhilaration. Those times where something falls through are no longer as daunting. When I'm discouraged it can feel like it's going to take forever to get where I need to be. When I got something I had to work for, it's as though the finish line is right in front of me and I only need to take the final step.

Enjoy crafts, recipes, and local Connecticut events for kids and teens at Macaroni Kid for Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury, Woodbury, Roxbury, and Bridgewater.

Slime for a Crowd--How I Became a "Cool Mom"

2011-06-10T22:59:00.000-04:00

Mad Science gets a lot of props for fun science. While I would never substitute those activities for science instruction, they get kids excited. Once I bought a book with simple science experiments. Was I ever surprised to find the same types of activities that kids love. With a trip to the grocery store, I was set.

At some point in the beginning of the year, the class parent for my 3rd grader had asked for volunteers. As usual I signed up and then smacked my forehead once I realized I would actually have to do something with all the kids in the class. These science activities fit the bill nicely–if I could get them to work for 24 kids.

A little recipe testing was in order. Anyone who has had a dinner party knows you’re supposed to test all the recipes before serving them to guests. Science recipes benefit by the same procedure when you’ll be in front of an audience of 9 year-olds. I had to take the numbers of kids and the amount of time allowed into account. I used the slime recipe from chemistry.about.com. I mixed the glue at home in small batches and put 1/2 a cup of the mixture in 24 quart-sized, zipper bags.

I packed up all of the baggies (making sure the top stayed up–I didn’t want to take any chances), some food color, and a Mason jar of the Borax mixture. Once I got to the school, I passed out the ziplock bags of the glue mixture and let the kids color it. After the color, I had the kids line up and I put three tablespoons of the Borax solution into each baggy. The kids just squeezed the bags to mix it up. When they could reach in and feel the slime, it was declared the “best Fun Friday ever!”

A little hint that I learned: the more water added to the glue the more “slimy” the slime.

More craft or activity ideas for kids and teens and also local things to do in Connecticut.

A New Journey--What is Up with my Kid's Poor School Performance

2011-05-24T18:58:00.001-04:00

Hanover started public school in November of 2009 after three years of home schooling. Her first year was a little rocky with adjusting to new expectations, rules, and learning new skills. This following year, in sixth grade, started off really well. She could still her new best friend, she made another, very close friend, and her grades were good. Everything seemed to be coming together.

Her second report card started to show a slip. Her grades had fallen and there were some comments about her performance. The third marking period showed a steady decline in all of the academic subjects. After meeting with her main teachers, we implemented some new strategies at home to deal some of the issues.

One concern we needed to address was homework. Hanover was not turning in the required work. If we let her come home from school and blow off steam and play until dinner, by the time dinner was over, she forgot what her homework was or forgot any verbal instructions. First change: homework, if there is any, is done before anything else. That way all of her work is still in the forefront of her thoughts, she's still in "school-mode", and she can truly relax knowing she doesn't have anything work waiting for her before bed.

Along with that, I also became the homework police. I checked the websites where the teachers posted the assignments and made sure she knew about each one. I also drove her back to school a few times if she forgot a book.

Another change put into place dealt with organization. Instead of one binder that hardly held all of her work, we purchased a separate binder with dividers for each subject and a portable three-hole punch. She can punch any paperwork and add to the right binder. That helps cut down on some of the lost papers.

And that helped with some of the concrete problems. I wanted to understand the daydreaming that the teachers were reporting. They all said her test scores were good but her grades suffered because she didn't complete homework and she drifted off in class. So I investigated further with an academic counselor.

Yes--I know she was probably underachieving in school because she didn't need as much time, but it took a second set of eyes for me to figure out that she was fiercely independent. It's not that she didn't want to do well in school, it was that she is very intrinsically motivated and whatever was going on in school didn't float her boat. Which was almost no answer to what we needed but did help us move in a more interesting direction.

When I'm not policing schoolwork, I publish a website that has crafts, recipes, and events for families in an area of Connecticut.

The Learning Curve-Working from Home with Kids

2011-05-23T09:53:00.001-04:00

Although I was more than ready to get back to doing work, the transition to a work-at-home-mom has not been without it's challenges. As you can imagine, I have to change a few habits. I must do some work during the day. Initially I spent some time during the day on the computer. Now that I have some things settled in that arena, I have to make phone calls. This is where I hit a roadblock in a way.

I know you're going to think this is a story about the little guy, but it was my 12 year-old. Hanover wanted to ask me where the salsa was while I was on one of my first business calls. I was already nervous and had stumbled a little over my words. When she came in and started talking, I did the typical gestures toward the phone and held my finger up to my mouth.

Not good enough! Not only did she continue talking, she got louder. I finally put my hand over the receiver and whispered loudly, "I don't know and I'm on a business call." As soon as I took my hand off the phone, she asked about that darn salsa again. She was really upset. Finally, a more adamant "Go away!" allowed me to return my attention to the person on the other end of the line. I was so flustered though, I was glad we finished up quickly. It certainly shook my confidence. Hanover and I had a talk afterward.

I know I still have more of this kind of interruption in the future. As the kids and I both see other challenges and figure out how to meet my new needs and as they realize I can't be as available as I was.

For kid's events in Connecticut, see my new job at Macaroni Kid--a local website for parents with event, crafts, activities, and recipes.

The Evolution of Motherhood

2011-05-19T13:22:00.000-04:00

First I was a single, working girl. Then I became a working mom. I loved my job so much and understood so little about children that I had no desire to stay at home with infants. Then my mommy-instincts to be with my kids grew and my job satisfaction tanked and I was a homeschooling mom. Once my older girls went to school and I was a stay-at-home-mom to my toddler and now preschooler.

It didn't take me long to realize that staying home with a preschooler just was not mentally stimulating enough. Sure, I could be somewhat busy toting my Little Guy to different classes, playgrounds, or library programs. That might be somewhat of a challenge for scheduling and would keep us in a flurry of activity. I love taking him out and I can work on other things while he plays. I needed something more interesting to think about while being a cruise director for the kids.

I also had some new requirements in my life. I enjoy being home for my kids after school so any new endeavor would need to be flexible enough to allow me to continue my chauffeuring and homework watching duties. I also knew that my previous career was not ammenable to part time work. I had to think outside of the box.

I knew of another mom who was running her own family-friendly business (Hi!). I pretty much begged her to take me under her wing and I am now working as an independent contractor. And now I am a work-at-home-mom. Which seems like it should be easier than it really is.

How to Alienate Your Book Club

2011-05-06T01:29:00.001-04:00

This is a tip straight from me to you. If you are reading JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye for your book club, don't read extensively from the pertinent sections of Existential philosophy. Reading about anxiety gets a few head nods. Explaining, as well as you can, nothingness sees side conversations start up. Mentioning how existentialism also explains Holden's continuing dissatisfaction with those around him...well, that was when it was nicely suggested we return to the pre-printed study guide questions.

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What Kind of Mom Are You? Quiz

2011-05-05T23:21:00.001-04:00

I thought this quiz was quite cute and short.

http://quiz.bronxzoo.com/mothers-day/email

It's more for you to fill out regarding your own mother than you as a mother. You can choose to send e-mail greetings to mom when you're done.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Common Ground

2011-02-21T01:13:00.001-05:00

I participate in a book club with some very nice women. All of them are older than me, ranging from a few years to a couple of decades. Unsurprisingly, my political beliefs are unique.

There is a particular woman with whom I disagree on a huge number of subjects. She identifies as a secular humanist. Yet I find myself enjoying her company immensely. I liken it to Kira's enjoyment of her time with Andrei in "We the Living". I can appreciate that she has identified some level of philosophy and she has a grudging respect for my explicit and consistent views.

During our most recent discussion ("Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls), another member drug out that old Taoist trope,"Without dark, there is no light. What is good without evil?" I and my secular humanist friend both stated our unequivocal disagreement. It is fascinating to see completely different belief systems agree sometimes.

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Audiobooks

2010-12-29T10:28:00.001-05:00

My secret to listening to audiobooks when I'm home with the kids? One earbud in, one left out so I can still hear them. If they need more than momentary attention, then I just rewind the portion I missed. Obviously this only works on those days where they are happy with their own company while I clean or prepare food.

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Science! Must Have for Density

2010-12-27T13:11:00.002-05:00

I purchased density blocks from Ward's a few years ago. They are excellent for understanding density. From just handling them for the littlest of students, to measuring them to compute volume for older students, to weighing them and computing density, or in conjunction with a spring scale to explore buoyancy.

I like this set of blocks a lot. These blocks hold volume constant so the difference in weight is obvious. The cube shape allows the volume to be computed easily by multiplication. There are a number of different materials. The floating blocks have enough variation in density that there is a block that is almost fully submerged and another that floats almost completely out of the water. As a warning, dry the metal blocks off well to reduce oxidation. A thin coating of mineral oil (or other non-food oil) will help preserve them.

There are equal volume rods available from Home Science Tools: http://bit.ly/fe5seJ While I normally like that site for their supplies and prices, this density set is not nearly as nice as the blocks. The materials are very limited (only four compared to 12). The cylinder shape requires using the formula for computing the area of a circle before the volume can be calculated. Though it could be as simple as multiplying, the area of a circle is not usually taught, proven, and understood until algebra. Though the volume can be measured by submersion, I appreciate the more accessible and straightforward cubes.

Ward's e-mail subscribers can get 15% off a purchase for a limited time: http://bit.ly/hz3LR0

From Edmund's (better price--but check shipping): http://bit.ly/h0rovC

As a corollary to the density blocks, this set of equal-mass density rods can really help cement the density concept. Each of the rods is made of a different material and the mass is kept constant. To get the same mass from materials that vary in density, the volume needs to change. The brass rod is only about 1/2 an inch long. This set is nice, but I find it no replacement for the density blocks. http://bit.ly/gdDJhj

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Supressing the Snark

2010-12-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

This is Flurpee's first Christmas in public school. We celebrate Christmas and even have a Santa (can you guess who Santa is in our house? That's right--I fulfill that role for our Christmas celebration). Flurpee and Hanover figured out that I was Santa a number of years ago. Flurpee is rightfully proud of knowing something so important.

I warned her that many of her friends still believe in a 'magical' Santa at the beginning of the season and that she did not need to explain to them about Santa since they would understand soon. That has not stopped her from telling everyone what she knows. She even went so far as to take bets about whether Santa is real with her fellow third graders--it's even recorded on paper for evaluation when they get to high school. I told her that I did not want her talking about it in school any more. I really cannot condone this emphasis that is so distracting to the school environment. Apparently my warning to her was not timed well.

Here is an e-mail I received from a mom of one of my daughter's acquaintances yesterday.

********************

Hi Kim - ---------- mentioned to me that he and [Flurpee] have been talking about Santa Clause, etc. and what they were saying. --------- strongly believes in Santa. Maybe you could explain to [Flurpee] :)

Thanks,
[the mom]

********************

It seems rather innocuous, right? Even a nice happy-face emoticon so I would know that she means it in a nice way. Yet it makes my blood boil. I find it offensive on a number of fronts. For one thing, if her son believes so strongly, why is she asking me to get my daughter to shut up about it? And asking me to muzzle my daughter about her views so that her son's views are not challenged is so hypocritical. Plus, this kid is eight and he still strongly believes in Santa. You would think she would welcome some insight if her kid has not bothered thinking about Santa in terms of reality yet. Further, this is a crazy request to try to control an environment for her son that she will have less and less say about. What I found most annoying is what she is implying she wants me to do as a parent to get my child to not talk about Santa.

This was my first response:

********************

Since ---------- believes so strongly, I am surprised that something [Flurpee] said could affect him. I'll warn ......... that ,,,,,,,,,, should not mention that she knows Santa isn't real either.

I forbade [Flurpee] from speaking about Santa not being real last week. I will punish her severely. I would not have known she had continued to tell other children the truth if you had not told me. I told her it was not her place to disabuse other children of their fantasies. I will make sure that she never tells ---------- her beliefs ever again by assuring that the punishment is one she won't forget. She needs to understand that though she is strong enough to be true to herself, not everyone can stand other people believing differently from them.

Me

********************

I realized that, highly sarcastic and snarky, it probably would not help this woman understand that I think this is her problem and not mine. I actually have to deal with her on a regular basis so I should try to be civil and not promote any misunderstandings. This is the e-mail I was finally ready to send after seething all day and having my husband review it to find any latent passive aggressive tones.

********************

Hi ---------,

Last week I counseled [Flurpee] to only state that she does not believe in Santa and not say anything more. I told her that I don't want her to debate her friends about it. I will not tell her to lie or hide what she knows.

When it comes to Santa, most kids will not leave her alone. She is being put on the defensive because so many other children cannot accept that she does not hold the same view as them. It is very hard for her to feel attacked and isolated, especially since she is so young. I have asked her to stop talking when other kids continue to pester her about why she does not believe. She has a strong sense of justice, as all kids do, and she does not feel it is right that other kids can talk about what they believe but she is not allowed to talk about what she knows is true, especially with so many kids bothering her. She is learning very early that there are certain truths people must realize on their own and that is why I do not want her trying to convince other children of what she knows.

I try to empathize with her and I point out that there are plenty of people in this world whose views differ from many of the kids she meets here and, though it is a hard lesson to learn so early, I want her to know she is strong enough to stand up for her beliefs even when other people do not know how to accept them.

It was not clear from your e-mail if your discomfort comes from [Flurpee] stating that Santa is not real, that she does not believe in Santa, or if [Flurpee] is telling ---------- to no longer believe in Santa. I will emphasize to [Flurpee] again that I do not want her trying to convince other children that Santa is not real. Would the wording, "Santa does not come to our house," be better for ----------? I'll ask .......... how she and ,,,,,,,,,, do it since they do not celebrate Christmas at all. It is important to me that ---------- is comfortable with [Flurpee] while she stays true to herself and our family's values. I hope I can understand your concerns well enough to address them respectfully while not undermining the values of honesty and standing up for one's beliefs that our family holds dear.

Sincerely,

Kim

*******************

It was important for me to emphasize that I understand that she has a concern. It is also important for her to understand that there are limits to what I am willing to do to help. Since I have an ongoing entanglement with this family, I need to show her that I am willing to try to help in some way. I can only hope she realizes that her request is asking for tolerance of her boy's views while showing none for ours.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's Alive!!

2010-06-16T00:46:00.002-04:00

I live! and the podcast is alive! Here is Christine and my second podcast. This podcast is half the length of our first to make downloading and listening much better. We talked a lot more than that!

The Things You Learn on the Public School Bus

2010-05-17T23:43:00.000-04:00

Yes, there have been a lot of things learned on the school bus. But what I was referring to specifically was Flurpee, the eight year-old, discovering our neighbor two houses down has a second-grade girl, too! She is unbelievably excited to have someone she can play with so nearby. And this girl is an only child, so the mom is absolutely thrilled to find someone her daughter can play with.

Win-win.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Why I Chose to Have Kids

2010-05-16T20:50:00.003-04:00

Deb challenged me to figure out my reasons for having kids. My post was actually written years ago (seriously--two years ago) and shelved because I was not sure how to continue; couldn't come up with a decent segue. I do know some reasons why I wanted to have kids. Some were more important that others.

A few of my lesser reasons for choosing to have kids include some of the more fun ones. I wanted to see how I would do at being a parent. I hope my kids will be like me--I'm one of my favorite people! I wanted a chance to raise kids who might think and support the same ideas I do. They choose what to believe, but I'm hopeful. I enjoy being able to see them develop, change, and grow. My husband is good with kids and I really enjoy seeing that fun side of him with our own kids. And I think there are a couple of other reasons I cannot recall at the moment.

My most important reason for having children has to do with the intimacy that makes children possible. There is no more concrete representation of my marriage and my commitment to my husband than to create an entire other human being with him; a child that is partly me and partly him. Along with that purely physical joining, we also commit to dealing with each other for at least 18 years. Making decisions together regarding parenting issues for the duration of their minority. Though there is no guarentee that we will always be together, at the time we decided to have children, we had every intention of devoting ourselves to each other and our family for 20 or more years.

There are things I did not think were important. I did not think they would provide me with company. I can do that quite well by myself. I do not expect them to take care of me, though I hope they like me well enough to consider it. I did not worry I might screw the kids up irretrievably. I was pretty sure I could do better than that. I was not trying to compensate for any lack in my own upbringing. My own childhood was not perfect, some of which was out of my parents control, and some of which was. There are aspects of my childhood that my kids will not have to deal with and decisions to prevent those were made long before my decision to actually have children.

Guests!

2010-05-16T00:31:00.001-04:00

We are having my husband's sister in from out of town next week! I am excited and yet my house needs so much work. Got to crack the whip!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Being a Parent

2010-05-14T21:49:00.000-04:00

For some people, having kids is a duty. Having children may be something you do for you humankind to perpetuate the species. It could be the hope that your religion will grow in numbers. Many people have children to assure their care into their old age. In more rural areas and times, children could be useful around the family farm or homestead. Male children can carry on the family name (depending on your culture) and estate. Daughters may be accomplished or beautiful and could increase the family esteem through a favorable marriage. Many of those reasons have been cited when people are deciding to have kids.

The sad fact is that people didn't need to decide why to have kids. Children came as a natural result of living. There were few reliable methods of contraception. Preventing children is against the teaching of Catholicism (yes, yes--they've okayed the rhythm method, but I'll bet someone could easily argue that having sex knowing you couldn't conceive is right up there with withdrawal). Fertile women could do nothing more than raise kids. Many families may have considered a child 'just another mouth to feed.' Children were a common commodity and not necessarily well-received.

I'm fortunate to live at a time and in a political environment when reliable contraception is available. My reproduction is almost completely within my control without sacrificing an essential part of what it means to be human and in love (sex--hopefully good). I am glad that I've been able to decide to become a mother.

By most accounts kids are difficult, inconvenient, costly, time-consuming, and resource-consuming. When they're infants, they wake you up, need to be fed frequently and you have to change their diapers. When they're toddlers they have nightmares, have a hard time going to sleep, still need to be fed frequently, and the diaper situation may be less frequent--but the job is necessarily bigger. As they become kids there's education, toys, play dates, and toilet training. All along you are constantly watching out for personal hygiene, removing trash more frequently, doing extra laundry, cooking, shopping, putting away toys, asking them to put away toys, trying to teach chores. It is easy to understand why people choose to not have children.

I'm not exactly sure why I knew I was going to have kids at even a young age. Perhaps it had to do with people around me talking as though it was an inevitability. In fact, even though I knew children could be rewarding, I was completely surprised by the sheer joy I felt after having them.

Today: Just Nice

2010-05-13T23:28:00.000-04:00

After feeding all the children breakfast, I dropped the older two at school and headed to a park with the youngest for two hours. We headed to the grocery store and got some rations for the weekend. Lunch is much easier when I have fresh food. I played cars for a while and then went upstairs to work on a project for Flurpee (I signed on to make her a dress). Omega followed me upstairs and actually fell asleep while I was sewing. I made significant progress on the simple item and even used two new techniques. The big kids came home and I made us dinner just in time for Hanover's band concert. At the end of the night we had a nice, long conversation with a friend.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A New Rule: Trying to Tame the Laundry

2010-05-11T22:11:00.004-04:00

There are a few things that my darling, dear children do that are likely to drive me totally wild. On the current top of the list: complaining about not have clothes to wear because they are dirty. Since I am in charge of laundry, that would be a legitimate complaint to lay at my door. Except when I have done laundry and their clothes were not handed over for processing.

Usually I find their clothes on the floor of their room, on their desks or dressers, on the floor of their closet, hanging over their stuffed hampers, under beds, and even on chairs. Not only does this cause a big issue for my work of the laundry, but it also keeps their rooms well beyond navigable, not to mention how much dirtier the rooms look--and they are always at some level of disaster.

I have tried reminders and explanations to no avail. I have sat with them while they cleaned up. Since I have no job left other than toddler-parenting and housekeeping with my two oldest now attending public school, I have been very attentive of the laundry recently. Once I finished what was in the laundry room, I was quite satisfied with myself. Until I realized that I had almost as much laundry still in the kids' rooms.

Now we have a nightly inspection of each of their rooms. All clothing needs to be on hangars, in the hamper, or in their drawers. Not on the floor. Not on chairs (unless it's laid out for the next day). Not on top of dressers, desks, or chairs. Not in the bottom of the closet. For each item left out they pay me a dollar. It had to be enough to make them notice and it had to represent how much it means to me. This is no small change for them since they only get $4 and $5 a week. Just one item each night would have them in the red.

It worked well tonight, but it's a matter of discipline at this point. Discipline on my part! I have to remember to check each night (warning given first to help them plan their time, but only for a while). I have to remember to remove the amount from their allowance (there's an app for that), if there is anything to remove. Reminder added into my calendar for each night. Done!

Perhaps the money will not give them internal motivation. Maybe when they move out of the house they will keep their houses like pig sties. I could not care less. That will be their problem. This, right now, is a problem I am having with them. I am willing to try this idea for the mindless laundry pick up that needs to be done regularly.

My View on Co-Sleeping: Oh No, You Can't Sleep Here

2010-05-10T21:45:00.003-04:00

I just had my husband drag the toddler out of our bed. He wanted to go to sleep with us instead of sleeping in his own bed. Part of our lovely routine of Omega trying to avoid going to sleep. I know there are a lot of people trying to decide whether sleeping with your baby is the best or worst thing to do. I do not have an opinion about whether it is best for the kids. I certainly have an opinion about whether it is best for me. I tried it when I was nursing my first. I have heard how fabulous it is to nurse the baby and get as much sleep as possible. Um, except I could not sleep. I didn't even get the precious hour or two of sleep between feedings. It was a combination of worrying about the child, not being able to move into comfortable positions while sleeping, not having enough room in the bed, worrying about waking up the kid, getting kicked, and more. I did not like it. I did not get more sleep. The baby/toddler/kid would sleep in their own room. And that was all I needed to know it was not for me.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:18:00.000-04:00

I cannot say enough about how much I love being a parent. I am so pleased that I decided to have kids. I hope I can express to my kids how much I love them and the joy they have brought to my life.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Book Club: Anna Karenina

2010-05-08T23:17:00.001-04:00

An interesting comment was made about Anna Karenina during my in-real-life book club. That the book dealt with issues that we still face today. Though the book is over 100 years old, there were similar conflicts and discussions occuring today.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

In Which I Am a Bad Mom: "Mom, Why Don't You Make My Lunch Like All the Other Kids' Moms?"

2010-05-07T09:36:00.002-04:00

From my 11 year-old, Hanover: "Mom, why don't you make my lunch? All the other kids' moms make their lunch."

Because I know you can do it yourself, just like you've been doing it since you were 7.
Because I want you to know you don't have to rely on other people for things you can do yourself.
Because you know best what you want.
Maybe the other kids don't know how to do it themselves.
Because I don't want to.

And Flurpee, at 8, is making her own lunches, too.

Ch-Ch-Changes

2010-05-06T08:10:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, I enrolled my youngest daughter in school. There are a few questions I think anyone might have on that news: I thought you said you were going to wait until next year? Why didn't we hear anything for warning? and Why bother enrolling her now that the school year is almost over?

The short version: I was going to wait until next year. I couldn't give any warning because I didn't know I was going to do it myself. Attending school for a couple of months is better than being at home and getting very little accomplished.

The long version: I actually had a 'revelation' while recording the podcast. I said something off the cuff that I later realized was an accurate, succint statement of why Flurpee was so hard to motivate at home. Once she knew she was going to public school eventually, she was waiting for "real" school to start. I made the statement on Saturday. I realized how true it was on Sunday. I wondered about whether the school would take such a late enrollment on Monday. Called on Monday. Had her evaluated on Monday. And had her in school on Wednesday.

Even my husband did not realize that I was planning to put her in school. Normally, this is one of those decision about our family that I would consult with him first and make sure he was on board. Since he was on-board with the plan to send Flurpee next year and we had already decided which grade to put her in, I figured the timing would not change things drastically. He was quite shocked however when I told him I scheduled an evaluation for Flurpee and asked him to pick up the health forms on his way home from work. A short talk brought him around to my way of thinking.

Enrolling Flurpee at the end of the year would mean a chance for her to learn the ropes with her big sister still around. She would have her first school experience while things were exciting and not particularly demanding. If there were any issues, I would know about them to help over the summer.

Now I am home with just Omega.

Podcast Links

2010-05-04T23:05:00.003-04:00

Here are links to the stores, venders, and items mentioned during the podcast.

Tobin's Labs I'm glad to know about another homeschool science supplier
Home Science Tools
Rainbow Resource
Institute for Excellence in Writing
The Book Peddler
Teaching Textbooks
Amazon.com

Slide stains from Home Science Tools and Tobin Labs--in case you are literally bleeding for your homeschool and want to make a teaching moment out of it.

It's a Podcast! A Podcast for Active-Minded Parents and Homeschoolers #1: Introductions and Mass Hope

2010-05-04T22:43:00.003-04:00

Christine and I were excited to try podcasting. It's an exciting medium that has been done so well by others. We wanted to explore podcasting for our particular interests of academic-oriented homeschooling and other general parenting. It's a fairly casual discussion and we hope to hear back from anyone who listens to let us know there are people listening.

Powered by Podbean.com

Blog-a-Thon

2010-05-03T23:00:00.002-04:00

I am not sure what I was thinking, but I joined a blog-a-thon committed to posting every day in May. Obviously I did not get off to a great start. I learned about the blog-a-thon from Blogging 'Bout Boys. There are 100 participants.

I decided to do this as a personal challenge. I only like to blog when the mood strikes me. I was curious about whether I could come up with any ideas when I needed them instead of waiting for inspiration.

Obviously, this first post was a given!

3rd and 4th Grade Book Club Book: Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetary Road

2010-04-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

One of the great things about Flurpee being in a book club is not only her motivation to read in order to finish a book in time for the meeting, but also the books they select. Their most recent book, Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road, is an interesting example. It is an epistolary novel using letters and newspaper clippings. The first Flurpee has ever seen. When she first opened the book, she was quite puzzled and her frustration in trying to understand the story was quite painful (on my ears--she's a screamer!). I had to explain the format before she could even enjoy the book. Now that she is almost done, she has noticed that each character has their own font so she knows who the letter is from prior to reading the closing. The book has some interesting elements. The main characters have names that are indicative of their character which was fun for me to point out. She is enjoying the book a lot.

Facebook Page

2010-04-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Along with Twitter, I also post some of my favorite links to a new Facebook page. If you visit the actual blog, you may have noticed the Facebook badge on the right. The page holds links and you can comment on them. If you find any useful, I'd love to hear it.

The Facebook page also has a discussion area. If there are any burning topics that someone may help with or for which you'd just like to see anyone's thoughts, then perhaps posting on the discussion board would be useful.

I hope to hear from you instead of just talking to myself!

A Nice Day: Showing Confidence in Children

2010-04-27T11:05:00.005-04:00

Hanover, my girl going to public school, had spring break recently. It was lovely to have her home for the whole week. As a coincidence, she still has two good friends from her private school prior to homeschooling. They also had spring break at the same time. I was able to invite both girls to hang out for one of the days. It was a lot of fun.

The girls got along quite well and they included Flurpee (the younger one) and she did not even feel left out much (a huge issue usually). We had to break up our day by taking everyone to Flurpee's orthodontist appointment. It was funny to have five kids in the car--one of the reasons I went with a 3-row SUV.

The day was gorgeous and after we went to the dentist, I mentioned heading to a park but Hanover nixed all of our town parks: ugly and boring. I can't argue. The parks in our town are quite old and ill-maintained. One of our guests remembered a park near the orthodontist's. She had not been there in many years (basically, since she was five!) and was not quite sure if she knew where it was.

All of the kids were excited to find this park because it sounded like fun (a big wooden adventure set). I was a little concerned that we could end up driving around for no reason. I could get lost. We could miss our chance to play at a park I knew. The kids could have run out of play time while we were driving around. Yet, I decided to give it a shot. Sure, any of those things could happen. If we were driving for a long time, I could decide to stop. If we were making a lot of turns I couldn't track, I would have turned around. Instead, I put my trust in this 10 year-old and let her give it her best.

And we found it! And the kids had a blast. The towers helped feed their imaginations and they decided to be princesses and maids with an evil Queen. The Queen had a favorite princess and was very demanding of her maids. The maids had to help her control the princesses. Omega (2 1/2 years old now) wandered every where. I almost never saw him. He climbed, slid, jumped, and meandered. I cannot imagine how gratifying it was for our friend to have an adult listen to her, trust her enough to drive around out of the way, and, in the end, to succeed and be an integral part of her friends' fun day.

Super Simple Science: Biology and Osmosis

2010-04-25T10:14:00.001-04:00

I think most people are familiar with this experiment using white carnations. One need not have carnations though. We demonstrated osmosis and cell stiffness using old celery. I used week-old, pale celery with leaves (left over from making chicken stock, yum). We felt how limp the celery was and paid attention to the color of the leaves.

We filled a glass with water and added a lot of liquid food coloring. We put the celery in the glass and waited over night.

By the next morning, we had evidence that the colored water had moved all the way to the top of the celery stalk through osmosis. The leaves were splotched with blue.

When we cut a cross-section, the main channels were also distinctly blue.

It was even more dramatic to pull the celery apart and see those same channels along their length.

We also noted that the celery was much stiffer, and crisper, and could hold its shape better. I explained that this was why we had a high-humidity drawer in the refrigerator, why the supermarket uses misters in the produce area, why there is water in pre-cut vegetable packages, and why I sometimes soak my older lettuce in water before making a salad.

There's an explanation here: http://www.biologycorner.com/bio1/diffusion.html

-- Post From My iPhone

A Fabulous Resource for Homeschoolers & Everyone Else: History at Our House Allowing FREE Access to Its Unique History Through Art Program

2010-04-23T23:08:00.000-04:00

Having used this program, the History through Art is one of the incredible extras that makes History at Our House so worthwhile for homeschoolers, afterschoolwrs, and me! I learned so much about history and art appreciation listening along with my daughters to their classes.

I am so excited that I can access this tidbit of History at Our House for my older daughter as a school supplement.

The link:

http://bit.ly/9aMKEB

-- Post From My iPhone

Keep Food from Sticking: Make Your Own Non-Stick Aluminum Foil

2010-04-16T19:14:00.001-04:00

I love aluminum foil. It is never a mess-free meal, but the bulk of the clean up is eliminated. I prefer aluminum foil because this:

is so much more appetizing than this:

Which is what my baking sheets look like after 10 years of abuse.

Cooking on aluminum foil can be very annoying when your meal is done but your food gets stuck even with oil. Quite tedious to pick bits of foil off the bottom of dinner. There is non-stick foil now. I have not bought it because I make my own.

I use a sheet of foil that is already the right size (shown above). I scrunch it up accordian-like:

(not too tight) and then tease it apart again.

After it is opened up again, I smooth it flat with my hand moving from the inside to the edge.

It leaves all these great nooks and crannies that prevents food from sticking. I am cooking chicken breast on it tonight.

-- Post From My iPhone

Toddler & Preschool Activity: Aluminum Foil Fun

2010-04-15T11:53:00.001-04:00

Toddlers and preschoolers are so much fun. Even the most mundane (to us) observations are gold mines of experience or a way to practice developing skills.
They love it because it is new.

I was using some aluminum foil while cooking today and thought it would be a lot of fun for Omega. It is shiny, it crumples nicely, and makes noise. I tore off a square piece for him. For we explored how shiny it was. We reflected light onto the walls. I reflected light onto Omega's face. We felt how smooth it was. We laid it on a table and ran our hands over its flat surface. I held it while he felt it again. This time he could tell it was still smooth but it was also soft. It would easily bend where it was not fully supported.

We placed the foil on the ground. He stomped on it and danced on it. I talked about feeling it crinkle under his feet. We could see and hear the crinkles, too. I gently crumpled it and then opened it flat again. This time we could see that only small parts were shiny and we could not see as much light on the wall. He ran his hands over it to feel the bumps and how rough it is.

Then he practiced some small motor skills by squishing the sheet into a ball. He could strengthen his hands and arms by pressing as hard as he could to make it small. I had in step on the ball for the sensory experience and to see it could still be made smaller.

Of course, now you have a ball. Balls are great for throwing! We had a friendly game of catch. I made sure to point out that this ball is not like his others. We dropped his bouncy ball and it, unsurprisingly, bounced. We dropped the aluminum foil ball and it did not bounce (it just rolled off).

I helped Omega wrapped his first ball in another sheet of foil (since I took out another for this post). He then wanted to reclaim his first. He began tearing off bits of the top layer. A great exercise for manual dexterity (and learning that little bits of torn stuff belong in the trash).

I think that was a lot of learning and fun for a few cents worth of kitchen product I have anyway. There is a downside. When they realize that so much fun is a drawer away, watch out for your supplies!

-- Post From My iPhone

Book Arts Bash Winners

2010-04-13T21:10:00.001-04:00

Homeschooled Twins has announced the winners of the Book Arts Bash--a fantastic contest for kids who want to write. Here are they are (reprinted with permission):

Kindergarten and First Grade:

Winner:
A Big Problem by Brianna T.
Runners up:
Adventures of Big D and BMC by Emma W.
Zoo With A Strange Zookeeper by Vivian L.

Second and Third Grade:

Winner:
The Adventures of Blue Flame the Heroic Giant Squid-Fighting Hero by Sage M.
Runners Up:
Ruby, A Twisting Tale by Emilie M.
Mittens the Cat by Melea von T.

Fourth and Fifth Grade:

Winner:
1 by Nicci M.
Runners up:
One Girl Revolution by Sadie Z.
Blaze by Alexandra S.

Sixth Grade:

Winner:
The Princess by Lena G.
Runners up:
Becoming Callie by Lena G.
Trixie by Lydia A.

Seventh Grade:

Winner:
Happy Ending is a Place by Mandy H.
Runners up:
Violet Fire by Bryn B.
Kite by Hannah S.

Eighth Grade:

Winner:
Hollin by Garrett R.
Runners up:
Common Animals by Thomas B.
Little Angel by Adayla S.

Ninth Grade:

Winner:
Why I Missed the Second Set by Rose C.
Runners up:
Untitled by Larissa S.
Tales of the Humbats: The Seventh Piece by Raven M.

Tenth Grade:

Winner:
Children of the Stars by Holden M.
Runners up:
Shattering Darkness by Vienna H.
The Scouser Cap by Emily V.

Eleventh Grade:

Winner:
Cadence by Scout G.
Runners up:
Vengeance: 25 cents by Kathleen M.
Don't Look Down by Tanya S

Twelfth Grade:

Winner:
If Pearls Could Sing by Pamela C.
Runners up:
Broken Things by Emily D.
Falling Night by Anna W.

Big thank you to our generous sponsors:

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Classical Academic Press: If you're contemplating teaching Latin or Greek in your homeschool, you definitely need this system. With audio, video, fun activities, and online Latin games, as well as standard workbooks and quizzes, anyone can teach Latin.

Prufrock Press: Parents of gifted children often have difficulty finding work that will challenge their kids' abilities while still being fun. Prufrock's gifted education materials are a godsend. Kids see them as a treat!

Explode the Code: Many of us have used Explode the Code workbooks with our kids and enjoyed the progressive phonics curriculum. Now Explode the Code has launched an online version, taking their reading education to a whole new level.

Can you help us by republishing the results and sponsor links on your blog, supporting homeschooled writers and this novel-writing contest? Please email us or leave a comment to let us know you can help. We need twenty blogs to participate. Would you donate a post on yours?

-- Post From My iPhone

Happy Easter: Egg Hunt for Multiple Ages & Egg Dying Fun

2010-04-04T01:52:00.001-04:00

Egg dying! Much goofiness.

"Look, Ma, I use my hands. And I like to eat any & all eggs that I dyed. Cooked yolks are yucky."

And an egg hunt. Each kid gets 10 eggs this year. We hide them in the evening. Each kid has their own colors to search for. That way we can customize the difficulty level and since each kid has their own color we don't have to worry about the big kids getting all of the easily found eggs or the big count & whine when one kid finds more eggs.

My husband is the designated egg hider. And he enjoys hiding them a little too much. He gets great enjoyment out clever hiding spots. We have some simple rules he needs to follow: eggs must be in plain sight. They must not be hidden in drawers or behind anything other than pillows. Not to make things easier for the kids, but so that my house isn't torn apart during the hunt.

Happy Easter!

Science Everyday: 2nd Class Lever

2010-04-02T16:50:00.001-04:00

Pictured below is an example of a science concept in action. Is it not fascinating? Oh, it does not look like science? Yet it is! It's a simple machine allowing access to a refreshing beverage.

This particular simple machine is a lever. I know it's really a bottle opener, but it is a lever cleverly disguised as a bottle opener. When most people think of a lever they think of a balance beam or a board that is wedged under something that needs to be moved with a rock for support in the middle and the opposite end is pressed down or see-saws. Those are levers, but they are only one of three type of levers. Those examples show a 1st class lever where there is a support somewhere in the middle of the board with the thing to be lifted (load) on one side and the other side is where we try to make the board move (force).

In a 2nd class lever, as shown above, the fulcrum (support point) is not between the load (what needs to be moved) and the force (the lifting or pressing). A 2nd class lever has the load between the fulcrum and the force. As shown in the photo, the fulcrum is the end if the bottle opener that rests on the bottle cap. The load is the edge of the bottle lid that needs to be lifted. The force is the hand that lifts the other end of the bottle opener.

Now, if you buy that extra tasty rootbeer or cream soda in the fancy glass bottles, the kids will love to hear about 2nd class levers while opening their drinks. Or, if you are like me, you teach the children about 2nd class levers so that when you ask them to fetch you a drink, they can open it for you too.

Here is a link that has more explanation and examples of levers.

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~williar4/html/HapEd/NASA/SimpMach/Lever.htm

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

An Eggcellent Day: My Silk Egg Dying Result

2010-04-01T14:17:00.001-04:00

I have been having an egg-cellent day. We have one thing in the works involving eggs and then we did this silk egg dying from the Martha Stewart site.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/silk-dyed-easter-eggs

I raided my husband's ties (he is a big fan of ties http://aaronturner.thinkertothinker.com/?p=65) and found some I do not think he is wearing any more. That's my story!

We sacrificed them to the cause and hacked them up. I also had white fabric laying around to secure the tie-wrapped eggs. Then I hard-boiled them as usual. I don't think all of the ties were silk but I am not sure. One did not work out well (too light) but the rest looked pretty neat. Flurpee, 8, enjoyed picking her pattern, wrapping, and seeing the finished egg.

A friend of mine headed out to the thrift store for some ties. Please, if you use old silk boxers, I do not want to know about it and please do not invite me over for egg salad.

The patterns are hearts, stripes, a floral, and Looney Tunes of which only Daffy's bill is recognizable.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Strawberry Smoothies

2010-03-31T20:03:00.001-04:00

I recently got a new refrigerator that makes ice (big, big deal for me). It took me a week to feel comfortable throwing away the leftover ice when I was done a drink (no, I don't know where these ideas come from). In getting the new, larger fridge, I got to move some things around. Wouldn't you know I own a blender. What? You wouldn't know? Well, neither did I. It was buried.

So I have a blender and an infinite supply of ice, children but no tequila or vodka. Yes, yes, my first thoughts turned to frozen daquiris and margaritas. You read that I have kids, right? If I couldn't drink my cares away or lure my sanity out if hiding with frozen liquor, I figured I might as well do something that might keep their mouths occupied for a few minutes.

I searched for a smoothie recipe on-line (let me save you some trouble: lots of strawberries, milk and/or yogurt, maybe ice, maybe sugar, maybe some flavor extract--I discovered that any old thing thrown in the blender can constitute a smoothie) and gave it a whirl. No really, when I turned on the blender everything goes round and round.

Long story longer: kids loved it and now I am on call for strawberry smoothies if I ever bring strawberries into the house. I wonder if artichoke hearts would be as easily eaten in smoothie form?

From mobile device

10 Allergy-Friendly Flowers

2010-03-30T13:25:00.001-04:00

From Casa Sugar:

"Allergy sufferers may shy away from keeping fresh flowers in their pads, but many blossoms are just as easy on the allergies as they are on the eyes. The pollen is easily removed on some blooms, but check out 10 of my favorite low-pollen picks for sneeze-free floral enjoyment year-round.

http://www.casasugar.com/Low-Pollen-Flowers-Allergy-Sufferers-7890946

From mobile device

Science Everyday: Simple Machines, Wheels and Axles

2010-03-28T10:02:00.001-04:00

We all know about wheels. We see them on cars, bikes, carts, wagons, trucks, and other things that go. They can also stay still! Here are some examples I found of the same motion at the park. So next time you head out to the park, make sure you point out these science concepts to your kids.

- Posted using BlogPress from
my iPhone

The Running Joke

2010-03-26T21:18:00.002-04:00

We've been missing a door handle for almost five months. We keep a pair of pliers handy in the dining room to escape the house. The door knob was held on by a set screw which was lost shortly after we moved into the house ten years ago. In a way, it was actually convenient that we could remove the handle. With Omega walking and tall for his age, he could easily operate the lever to open the door (and so could our old dog, by the way). Removing it allowed us complete certainty, to this day, that he would not be able to toddle outside without our knowledge. And removing it also allowed us to lose it. Even the astronomy class knows to look for the pliers before heading out to observe! We have a replacement on order, but with how much that shank has been stripped, I am crossing my fingers that it will work.

Greek Yogurt is Good

2010-03-25T20:39:00.002-04:00

So I don't like yogurt. And I only started liking yogurt in the last few years and even then I only like black cherry or cherry flavor (no--I don't know why). Many people talk about Greek yogurt, and when I saw Fage had a cherry flavor, I tried it. And I liked it. And Omega, the 28 month old like it. I liked the creamy texture and stirring in the cherry was enough to offset whatever flavor I don't actually enjoy in yogurt.

I also read recently that you can make your own Greek yogurt by setting a dish towel in a strainer and pouring in regular yogurt. Once it sits for a few hours, there you go. I don't think I'll be making my own yogurt any time soon (I know a lot of people who are very adept at making their own cultured foods, but I'm not one of them), but the Greek yogurt is expensive! I also bought a small jar of black cherry preserves to add to plain yogurt so I'm not at the mercy of the grocery store selection.

Round Up!

2010-03-25T20:37:00.000-04:00

It's Round Up time!

Your one stop shop for all things liberty.

How Creationists Try to Undemine Evolution & Science

2010-03-22T21:00:00.001-04:00

I posted a comment at Alasandra's Homeschool Blog Awards about evolution and the recent homeschool textbook bruhaha. One of the other commenters brought up the meme of "it's only a theory". Here is my reply (very slightly edited for type-o's and not edited for clarity, though it probably needs it):

Unfortunately, The Crimson Wife is using theory as a stolen concept. Scientific use of the word "theory" is thoroughly different than a layman's use of the same term. Creationists have successfully confused many people by equating the two.

It is similiar to using the word faith to mean you trust a friend & also using the word faith to mean unwavering belief in God. They are the same word but the context of the usage makes it clear that they do not mean the same thing. A scientific theory is not a supposition that kind of fits a small amount of known data and is on precarious footing. The type of theory that creationists would like their children and the public to think of is akin to waking up and only seeing blue cars out of your window and theorizing that all cars are blue even though there is nothing inherit in cars that would require color to be part of the definition, thus being easily toppled when a red car zooms by.

Many creationists conflate that use of "theory" with an entirely different use by scientists. When science uses the word "theory", it is more of a convention than an attempt to indicate any uncertainty. When a scientific hypothesis has enormous amounts of supporting data and no contradictory evidence, it is certain. Evolution's history is a long one and it was accepted for almost a century prior to Darwin's discovery of the process of natural selection. It does not need to have proof for all possible cases. It is enough to know that there has never been another *scientific* answer for them to still be considered consistent with the theory.

From mobile device

Round Up

2010-03-18T23:01:00.001-04:00

http://www.amymossoff.com/ideas/3070/objectivist-round-up-140/

Always interesting!

From mobile device

Personal Pet Peeve: Bad Public School Teachers & Abusive Homeschoolers

2010-03-17T11:49:00.001-04:00

As much as homeschool bloggers spend a ton of time defending the majority of homeschoolers from generalizations based on a few really horrible stories, how is it that I often see bad public school teacher stories trotted out by homeschoolers as reasons to avoid the whole system?

From the four or five stories of abuse and death of supposedly homeschooling families each year to large portions of homeschoolers who want to deny their children good science educations in favor of religious (or even anti-industrial environmentalism) instruction, homeschoolers are insistent that those cases do not damn all of us. Yet every horrible story of a public school teacher (presenting a huge segment of the population compared to homeschool parents) gone bad is listed as yet another reason to homeschool--painting each teacher with the same broad, tainted brush. There are certain bad philosophies shared by ed schools and so many teachers that one can make generalizations. Idiot teachers who might be mean or cruel are no more representative of public school as a whole than murderous, abusive homeschoolers.

Now that I am a firm fence-straddler, using both homeschool & public school, and hope to be fully entrenched in the public school culture next year (which can only happen if Flurpee would do her work!), I am have a very different perspective. I have seen homeschoolers do their own children a disservice and public school curriculum be much more rigorous than the instruction received at their homes (my daughter is still trying to catch up with some skills I had not taught properly). I have also seen incredible dedication by public school teachers who stay after school to offer additional help. I think I have a good perspective to see that public schools are not always awful and that homeschool is not always great.

From mobile device

From Montessori Mama: Parent Ed. Night (Part Two)

2010-03-14T18:57:00.001-04:00

http://spiralmontessorimama.blogspot.com/2010/03/parent-ed-night-part-two.html

"Older children:
Engaging Cooperation

"To engage cooperation with our children, we need to help our children understand that we are all in this together. We need to come with an attitude of respect that communicates to our children that we think they are loveable, smart and capable people who are willing to do the responsible thing when they see a problem.

1. Describe what you see, or describe the problem.
2. Give information.
3. Say it with a word.
4. Describe what you feel.
5. Write a note.

"Let's take an example. The den needs to be picked up for company. To engage cooperation we could do the following:
To describe: There are toys on the floor that need to be put away. There are crayons on the table. There are shoes under the table. Coats on the couch.

"Give information: The Browns are coming in 15 minutes. I don't think they can walk in the den without tripping on toys.
Say it in a word: Pick up time! Or, the den!
Describe feelings: I'd love for the Browns to see our home without a lot of clutter.
Write a note: Emergency! Company Coming! Clean Up! Apple Pie for Dessert!

"When we can avoid making chores into a competition, that is, rewarding our children for doing something first, or the fastest, we will also avoid the power struggles that can emerge from a child's thinking this is a contest between me and you. When we can help everyone in our family understand that working together benefits us all, when we can engage cooperation, we'll help create stronger individuals and a stronger family."

So much great information. Follow the link for more context and a great adult example.

From mobile device

CATO on public vs private school spending

2010-03-14T18:48:00.001-04:00

"Although public schools are usually the biggest item in state and local budgets, spending figures provided by public school officials and reported in the media often leave out major costs of education and thus understate what is actually spent.

"To document the phenomenon, this paper reviews district budgets and state records for the nation's five largest metro areas and the District of Columbia. It reveals that, on average, per-pupil spending in these areas is 44 percent higher than officially reported.
"Real spending per pupil ranges from a low of nearly $12,000 in the Phoenix area schools to a high of nearly $27,000 in the New York metro area. The gap between real and reported per-pupil spending ranges from a low of 23 percent in the Chicago area to a high of 90 percent in the Los Angeles metro region."

They spend what?
by Adam B. Schaeffer

"To put public school spending in perspective, we compare it to estimated total expenditures in local private schools. We find that, in the areas studied, public schools are spending 93 percent more than the estimated median private school."

http://kitchentablemath.blogspot.com/2010/03/cato-on-public-vs-private-school.html

Of course public education deals with many issues private schools don't--like special needs students, alternative schools, private tutoring for sick or delinquent kids.

From mobile device

Comment Moderation Is On--Again!

2010-03-03T10:54:00.001-05:00

Not because of any bad comments--I LOVE the comments--keep 'em coming.

BUT the Blogger capcha is just not that good. Oh well! With my iPhone attached to my hip at all times, I think approving comments will be more timely than it used to be. Unlike the posting!

Oh, the Things They Learn!

2010-03-02T15:14:00.001-05:00

When it comes to food, Omega is pretty much of the opinion that some things are yummy and some are yucky. Pretty easy for a 2 year-old to grasp. We also try to impress upon him that poopy diapers are undesirable. We often find ourselves chasing after him while telling him that poopy diapers are yucky and need to be changed. As he runs from the dreaded diaper change, he proves how much he doesn't want his diaper changed and how quickly toddlers can apply concepts by shouting, "NO! Poopy diapers are *yummy*!"

A Fun Learning Tool: Brain Quest

2010-02-23T22:57:00.004-05:00

And yet another great gift for Christmas, this time from 2008. We received a little package for each of our girls from Brain Quest. They have been around for a while and their slogan is "It's OK to be smart". Can't argue with that (except for the assumption that they aren't already getting that message). They are basically trivia cards for kids. They have many levels--one per grade--and general, math-based, or reading-based sets. For instance, you can purchase a grade 3 set of cards that only asks math questions. You can purchase a 2nd grade set of cards specifically for reading. The company must be doing all right selling these things; they now even have workbooks, items for preschoolers, toddlers, and history.

We got Brain Quest Grade 4 and Brain Quest Grade 1 last year (a little off for Flurpee since she is very young for her grade). The format is actually fun. Not some boring book in need of turning pages and checking for answers in the back of the book. You don't even have to turn anything upside down. The answers are on the next page--just a slide away. The pages/card are fastened with a sturdy rivet to allow the cards to fan out. Ready for the next page, just slide the current card out of the way. The questions an answers are shown below.

I like the format. It's easy to use and easy to hold. Each unit comes with two of the decks shown at the top of this post. The little pictures indicate the type of question. The question categories are science, English, math, U.S. history, geography, and 'grab bag' (music, literature, cultural, sports, games). I have mentioned before that, as a homeschooler, I have issues knowing what my kids are expected to be able to accomplish at certain ages. I also worry that we are missing tidbits of information (or perhaps even whole swaths) that they will be expected to know later and that will leave them struggling to understand larger abstractions. Here are 1,500 questions across disciplines that are fun for the kids to answer and answer some things for me as well.

If there is generic science or history information most 4th graders are expected to know, then anything they haven't already been taught might be discovered through these sets. I would not call this education. It is definitely a learning tool along with being entertaining. Like other games or ways kids pick up information from fun activities. In my mind, only when it is part of an overall, orchestrated plan does it count for education. This is not it for me, but it is a tool I will happily use. I liked them so much that I bought new sets for our current grade levels.

If you click through the links and actually buy something, I might get a little money at no additional cost or hassle.

Today: Just Another Day

2010-02-22T22:31:00.004-05:00

4 thrown pencils
3 stomping aways
9 pencil tips broken by grinding it into the paper
65 the number of minutes she spent in her room after storming away from the work
1000 dB level of the screams (they actually hurt my ears)
23 the number of screams
4 the number of times the table was pushed violently
5 the number of times the paper was folded or rolled in anger
8 the number of times she screamed "I don't know what you mean"
8 the number of times she cut off my explanations with screams
2 the number of times the paper was torn
2 the number of times she tried to hit me
6 the number of wrong answers given after refusing to listen to examples because she already knew how to do it
4 the number of math pieces lost to throwing

4 the number of carry-over math problems done
3 the number of reading comprehension questions answered

This is how Flurpee, 8, and I did school today. This is pretty typical. Except she actually did some work.

After finishing the math and reading comprehension, she played a game of Crazy 8s with her dad and was pleasant as could be.

I think I'll try a game to start the day, more coffee, only 1 math unit, then another activity, then a little more math, and another activity, and the last bit of math, and see if breaking it into smaller pieces with someting fun and no-pressure in between can defuse her 'tantrum mode'. I also think I might try physically compelling her to sit at the table even if she wants to storm away. Usually I let her go because I think she needs time to calm down, but I suspect she goes off and has realized that she can avoid a lot of work by not responding to me or coming back downstairs.

Though I am still very uncomfortable with physical compulsion in that way. I am also playing with the idea of putting off lunch until the work is done which puts the choice back in her court without physical coersion. Or perhaps I need to do both. Flurpee, oddly, actually has a better positive reaction to physical limits than other kinds. She seems to settle and calm more quickly when I prevent her from hitting by grabbing her arm or prevent her from ripping her paper by removing it from her. This has always intrigued me psychologically.

The end of the day was much better.

Another Round Up

2010-02-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

LB is hosting!

A Deperate State of Affairs: Housekeeping

2010-02-18T14:14:00.001-05:00

Oh, I loathe it. I loathe picking up, putting away, wiping, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, scrubbing...all of it.

I have never been particularly neat but when I was living alone ( ah, those short-lived, halcyon days of having my own apartment), I managed to be almost anal about keeping things tidy. I had a routine of straightening up before bed, keeping the kitchen clean while cooking, and I even left the bathroom cleaner than when I moved in. Of course that was only me and a measley 650 square feet.

And then comes hubby, fixer-upper house three-times the size, baby, new baby, quitting work to homeschool, and another baby. It makes housekeeping much more challenging. Anything that even looks like it could make housekeeping easier is something I will seriously consider trying.

My favorite tool from Christmas 2008 is one where the promise has lived up to my expectations. Being naturally skeptical of "guarenteed to make your life easier!!!", I was slow to get on the bandwagon. My mom had one a full year before me.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=mp_s_a_2?qid=1266519328&a=B000B7KC6O&sr=8-2

A cordless sweeper. The link goes to the model I have which I like very much. With an entire first floor of tile, there was no way I was using a broom for everything. Not to mention the amazing amount of crumbs that end up on the floor after meals with three or more kids. The sweeper keeps it's charge for a long time. Long enough for me to cover the 1000 square feet. With no cord to worry about, I do not have to interrupt the flow to untangle or move a plug. I know it is not the most amazing revelation, one of you might buy one if you had not considered it before and find it useful.

I have another favorite from this Christmas.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=mp_s_a_7?qid=1266519911&a=B001IDS4U6&sr=8-7

After I use the sweeper, I can finish my floors with the steam mop. So easy! And it truly does a credible job getting up the dirt. I find it actually loosens up sticky messes better than a regular mop. And no bucket and super wet, slippery floors. The floors are wet but the microfiber pad absorbs most of the water so they dry quickly. The microfiber pads are easy to wash and I have extra so if they end up delayed in the laundry (like everything else), I can still do some cleaning. The only draw back of my model is that I have to refill the water reservoir frequently. Not nearly as inconvenient as walking around with a bucket and squeezing filthy water out of a mop.

I still do not enjoy cleaning, but those are two tools that I have found that make it easier. And quicker.

Enjoying Twitter

2010-02-16T22:21:00.002-05:00

I've been enjoying Twitter quite a bit. In case you didn't notice, if you don't actually follow me on Twitter, you can see the most recent tweets (status updates less than 140 characters) on the right-hand side of the blog. With my fairly new iPhone aquisition, I tweet quite frequently. Not necessarily great stuff, but stuff I think others might find amusing or interesting. If you would like to follow me, here's my profile.

Around the Dinner Table: Family Activities

2010-02-14T21:53:00.004-05:00

I am not sure what the big fuss is about eating around the dinner table. Many studies have come out correlating eating dinner with the family to positive outcomes in kids but they do not have much to say about why. We eat dinner around the dinner table anytime there is not a schedule conflict. Some nights may be dominated by tae kwon do practice or the dreaded double-header of tae kwon do and soccer back-to-back. Even in the case of tae kwon do, we still eat at the table, we just have to do it without Daddy. No study is determining why we eat around the table, we do it because I want a chance to enjoy my kids.

We do enjoy our dinners! Not just the food--and thankfully kids tend to like their mom's cooking because they do not know any better--but the things we do. We have a standing topic we discuss which has been talked about here and elsewhere. Once we each finish our "three good things", we have more fun!

My husband's sister sent us a fabulous family present for Christmas this year. She sent us something called "Table Topics Family Edition". It's a great-looking, acrylic cube filled with sturdy cards. Each card has an interesting question on it that everyone at the table can think about and answer. I love these cards for myself especially. Occasionally it will give me a chance to share a story from my own youth that I would not usually talk about.

The kids enjoy these cards so much. They take turns reading the questions and we go around the table and give everyone a chance to give their opinion. Sometimes we continue discussing the topic wondering why someone choose the answer they gave. Other times we move right into another card. They have read the cards with friends even. I actually need to put a stop to the questions so we can clean the table.

Sometimes the kids will surprise me with their opinions. You would think after being a mother three or four times over that I would realize that half of parenting is seeing how your kids develop on their own. I am glad we found this opportunity to get to know each other more than we usually would.

Round Up!

2010-02-04T21:51:00.002-05:00

Generalizations: A Glimpse of Toddler Development

2010-02-01T11:29:00.003-05:00

I was catching up on reading some e-mail in bed this morning (because you can do such things with an iPhone), when I feel fingers grope over my face and latch onto my nose. Omega, 2 years old in December, likes to play 'got your nose'. He'll reach his chubby toddler fingers for a good grip and then 'steal' my nose for his own face. Imagine my surprise to find it was not just my nose he decided to claim for himself but also my mouth, chin, and eyes.

I love watching him connect the dots and move his understanding from a particular facial feature to any facial feature. And it is always fun to see him make a totally sensical jump that surprises me because I was tied into the standard formula. Then I decided I did not really want to play any more. While it was fun to have a glimpse into his little brain, it is a lot less fun to have those deceptively strong little fingers pulling on your lips or grasping at your eyes. And switching eyeballs is too creepy for me!

Gooey Goodness: Cinnamon Rolls

2010-01-31T19:47:00.003-05:00

I did something today that I have never done. I made cinnamon rolls. I've made maple-cinnamon-raisin sticky buns before, but never plain cinnamon rolls. This recipe is specifically adapted to use the 'dough' cycle of a bread machine. I found the reciped at Money Saving Mom's Bread Machine Cinnamon Roll post. They were very good.

I generally followed the reciped from the post. It was very important to check dough consistency during the initial mixing. Mine were much too sticky at first. I did only a few things differently, like using butter instead of oil. As a note, I believe the 4 cups of flour refers to all-purpose flour, not bread flour. I used 2 cups of bread flour and 2 cups of all-purpose flour. I divided the dough before rolling it out. I rolled the first half into a 10" by 14" (approximately) rectangle (wonky though it was), spread the filling, rolled it, cut off the uneven ends, and then slice it into 9 (almost 1" wide) slices. I placed the slices into a greased 9"x9" pan and then baked it. The second half (shown in the images) was worked slightly differently. I rolled it into a much larger rectangle (knowing that I would need about 15 rolls to fit into the 9"x13" baking pan I had available) that was about 15" by 18". After adding the filling and rolling it, I cut slightly less than 1" slices to get 15 of them. I place them in the pan and then let them rise, covered by plastic wrap, in a warm location (in my house, the only warm location was the open, off oven after the other rolls had finished baking). The picture above shows them after rising and before baking. The pictures below show them after baking and then with the icing. I doubled the filling, which was yummy, but with that and the too much icing, it was very, very sweet. I would use less filling and less icing next time.

A Little Tip for Showers

2010-01-28T22:43:00.002-05:00

Here is my boring bathroom. Totally monochromatic. I like the wall color (a bit like browned butter--more yellow than tan). I decided, with some changes in my own tastes, that I wanted a little more color.

After a trip to HomeGoods, I found a shower curtain, mat, hand towels, and even matching liquid handsoap. It is not a huge change like wall color would have been, but it is enough to make me smile. On top of the color, I added a little change to help make my every day life a bit easier.

I shamelessly stole this idea from a friend. It is a way of extending the shower curtain so that the water cannot escape the shower without having to fuss with the shower curtain a lot. When you have kids old enough to shower by themselves and yet absent-minded enough to forget to make sure the entire shower opening is blocked, this works out great.

I bought an extra shower curtain and a couple of 3M removable wall hooks. Install the hooks next to the shower rod and wait until the adhesive is set (about an hour). Take the extra vinyl shower curtain and cut it either in half or so that there are enough holes for the wall hooks and a couple extra. Put the shower curtain on the hooks and then put the rest of the holes on the same hooks as your regular curtain.

Voila!

A semi-permanant way to keep water in the shower with less nagging and more reliability.

Another Objectivist Round Up

2010-01-28T14:08:00.002-05:00

Hosted by Rational Jenn. Rachel Miner, with her new blog, has some nice parenting posts.

I Want My Own Conference

2010-01-27T23:44:00.002-05:00

I want a Northeast Objectivist Mom conference. I'd get together with the 5 or 6 people I know are in the area, hire Dr. Ellen Kenner to speak (if she would) or perhaps a speaker from NYC.

Cleaning Lists

2010-01-26T00:21:00.010-05:00

Welcome to the Kids Out and About readers! I know Deb loves to share great things with her subscribers and am happy this might be helpful to some of you.

I've decided to make Saturday cleaning day. Of course Saturday is always cleaning day. It's the day my husband is home from work and it's the day I'm off work (the work of getting my daughter educated). I enjoy having an official day for straightening up the house.

The point is that I want to make it easy for the kids to participate. My almost 11 year old, Hanover, is just about old enough to clean her room by herself, if only she could remember what she has to do. The 8 year old, Flurpee, is not ready to work completely on her own, but if she feels ready to try, I do not want to be the one holding her back.

Part of my previous career in mechanical engineering involved a lot of training of technicians to run machines. That type of training involves a lot of fairly innocuous, repetitive work--like housekeeping only using million-dollar equipment and supplies and which could cost you your livelihood if things went poorly. Along with the training came the quality control part of my job; how to make sure people did what they were supposed to do.

Once someone is mostly trained and before they hit full mastery, I would often encounter a period of time where I would just stand there and remind them what came next. After a few of those sessions where the person no longer had large issues and could remember what to do for each step, the only thing needed was a little prodding and quite a bit of practice.

Once the person hit this stage, the training meshed well with the quality control aspect. How did we ensure quality control where I worked? The dreaded check list. It required a lot of paperwork to be generated and hours spent getting sign offs and then stopping the work until the check list was approved, and how many times did the check list just become the next mindless task that was flubbed? But it was the most appropriate technique we were appropriately geared up to use.
I am still drawn to check lists in my home life. Especially for something far easier to do, like housework. The chore I want the kids to do the most is keeping up their rooms. This is especially important to Hanover who has a dust allergy. I would also appreciate some help in cleaning the bathrooms. I felt this would be more likely to happen if they had some direction to follow in case I am busy elsewhere (which I usually am when the cleaning bug hits me).

This past weekend I sat down and actually put down what I thought the process was for room cleaning. This is similar to a post a did a long time ago consisting of morning and evening routines. That list relied more on clip art since I had a pre-reader at the time. This list includes a lot more detail.

Clicking on the image will get you the original Word 2007 document. It should be able to be edited in Word or Open Office. There is no special formatting. The clip art is simply in-line with the text. I included the "gold standard" for me. Which is why I have the native document linked. If you decide to give something similar a try, you can adapt it to suit your own needs. I got all of my clip art free from Microsoft.

Once I printed the list for each room, I placed it in a paper protector and taped it on the back of the door to the room. I could also imagine it being kept with the master cleaning supplies or taped to the inside vanity door. I have used it once and Hanover was quite excited. Her cleaning was not what I would have preferred but it was better than the usual cleaning--none!

Both lists follow the same pattern.

Put stuff away
Empty trash
Dust
Polish
Vacuum
Linens

It also generally moves from ceiling to floor. If I ever regularly clean any room in the house that thoroughly, I would be amazed. If I get the kids to take a bit more ownership and pride in their own rooms, then even better.

Now Where Was I?

2010-01-13T21:26:00.003-05:00

Oh yes--I was sending all of my school-age children to school. And then I didn't. Actually: and then I couldn't. Although I could have--just not in good conscience. Not in the way you may believe, or hope to believe, or for any other reason you may think except this one: I was a bad homeschooler. Homeschool FAIL! would have the proper connotation.

What happened? The school evaluation found Flurpee had strong reading mechanics and weak reading comprehension, analysis, and/or communication skills and, if they had gotten that far, bad or non-existent writing ability.

How did this happen? I can trace it back to a number of combined factors. I will document them here in case anyone else is blind to some of the pitfalls I embraced. Some of it was laziness, some was a lack of age-appropriate expectations.

I did not consider my daughter ready for extensive handwriting at 8 years old. It turns out that the public school expects a lot of writing (including writing with real exposition--not just creative writing) at this age.
I was being laid back about homeschooling. Part of this was due to wanting to avoid confrontations with Flurpee about getting her work done. Another part was because I was being pulled from our work by Omega (the newly 2 year-old). Another part was my anxiousness to be done with the homeschool journey and looking forward to getting my life back--new career, more baby time, more house time, more me time. Not to mention the distractions of real-life like car repairs, home repairs, Christmas shopping, etc. And not to mention the distraction of non-academic homeschooling pursuits that were fun but that took a lot of time away from the schooling. And not to mention the draw of a little more of an unschooling approach--kids will get things in their own time, no need to pressure them, no need to add stress to the parent-child relationship.
I was not paying enough attention to Flurpee without Hanover. Whenever I did a literature lesson (the time when we would be learning the meaning of our stories), Hanover was so excited to answer the questions, I realize now that Flurpee didn't get a chance to show what she wasn't getting.
I changed curriculum and chose a lower level to avoid missing out on essentials. You only need to do that once to fall behind a whole year.
I was picking and choosing curricula to fill in all of the subjects myself instead of going with a full curriculum package. Some things fell through the cracks and this also helped mask my poor age-appropriate expectations.
I was playing to my strengths and was putting off dealing with the subject I felt weakest teaching. For me, the subject I was procrastinating with was writing. For others it might be math or science. The fact is that it is a lot harder to play catch up (especially for average learners--bright kids, by definition, catch on quicker and need less time to get up to speed) than to work on the concepts early and often.
I would mistake Flurpee for her sister sometimes. Flurpee just doesn't have the same kind of strengths or weaknesses as her sister and because something went a particular way with Hanover, I would sometimes assume Flurpee with deal with it or get it the same way. This kind of thing didn't happen a lot, but it did happen.
Just because I already did something didn't mean I was done doing it. One of the things you realize with kids is just how often something may need to be repeated (occasionally with different levels of development and sometimes just with the same level) for them to really get it. When I had done something with Hanover I would check mark the little space inside my brain that said 'done' and sometimes I thought I really was 'all done', not just 'done for Hanover'.
I wanted to put her into public school only two months before the state tests. I know the evaluator was right about all of Flurpee's skills and do not feel that she misstated them in any way because of the tests. Though I do believe the tests and Flurpee's very late birthday had a lot to do with being offered to go into a lower grade rather than staying in the upper grade with additional help.

There are probably more reasons and I can go into each reason even more in-depth but I don't think that would be nearly as interesting as this first perusal. I mean this as a cautionary tale of low-expectations and the contradiction of homeschooling for academics (my original and still main purpose) and yet not focusing on the academic. Some may not care. After all there is no reason to care if your child is behind school kids if you never plan on sending them to school. Some will feel that being behind at 8 years old is not such a big deal because there is plenty of time to emphasize more stringent academics at older ages (this is where I was). Others do not homeschool for academic reasons at all and could not care less where their kids are academically as long as they are good stewards of the environment or God-fearing Christians or what-have-you. Others have been challenging their kids academically always remembering that ultimate goal and are now sitting back with a nice smug grin (and I don't blame you one bit!).

So I could have put Flurpee in school in a lower grade with additional help. It's public school, it's not like they could turn her away. The lower grade had always been a possibility and wouldn't be out of the running since her birthday is so late in the year. So why not do it? Because Flurpee had always considered herself to be in the older grade and I couldn't bring myself to put her in at the younger grade and have her always think "well, I would be in this grade except for my mother homeschooled me for two years so I'm a year behind."

Which leaves her still home with me. I've retooled my mentality, retooled our schedule, and retooled our rules. I have dusted off the workbooks I bought many years ago. Now I'm playing catch up. We will see where Flurpee is at the end of the summer and if she's not ready for the higher grade then she and I will decide whether we want to go to the lower grade in public school or continue with homeschooling for one last hurrah to catch up for the following year.

The good news out of all of this--yes, there is good news!--is knowing more of what is expected for Flurpee's age. I was also pleasantly surprised at the higher expectations from public school. Flurpee is quite a bit more motivated to do school work. Any time she starts to give me a hard time or says she does not want to listen, I only need to remind her that she needs to work hard to be able to go to school and that will usually lead to more cooperation.

So Many Topics, So Few Complete Thoughts

2009-12-22T23:10:00.004-05:00

From the "what's boiling in my brain that I want to formalize but need to get a lot more time to think about" files:

The context is missing and if you have already read the posts to which I refer, it would help a lot.

From Rational Jenn and Amy Mossoff: The rewards debate. According to the way Jenn reports it (not having read the book myself, and not likely to), Kohn describes rewards as I've usually seen bribes defined--going so far as to include grades and salary. I have always thought of grades and salary as having a feedback aspect. You know you are doing your job well as defined by the people who are in charge of making sure things stay on track (those who have a larger context than yourself) based on what grade/salary you receive. I was thinking of behavior charts and tokens of achievement (rewards) in a similar way lately. The goal is set and charting how well one is doing towards achieving that goal in a concrete, perceptible way is a tried-and-true way of knowing how well it is going as one works to a larger goal. A lot of behavior therapy uses these kinds of techniques.

I'm still trying to figure the whole thing out (with a pen-pal, thanks!), but that's a little part I've been playing with at this moment.

Manners (Amy's "The Little Things" again): Why have rules that curtail children's fun indoors? So the kids don't break themselves or valuable/dangerous items. I added recently: also because I want my children to be able to have good manners in most situations they find themselves in and to have those manners be automatic, not a constant struggle.

Homeschooling: No longer. From Leonard Peikoff's lecture on the Philosophy of Education: "Education is the systematic development of the conceptual faculty." Systematic being the keyword here. I found my schooling took a serious hit once I became the mother of a toddler. I always knew it was a possibility, but I was unable to continue schooling in the appropriate manner and nor could I parent my toddler well when I was consistently brushing him off to see to the educational needs of my two school-aged children. I could have gone on floating from one thing to another and taking much of our education in a catch-as-catch-can manner, but it wasn't really educating. It may have been learning but it fell short of the definition I was trying to abide by. There are so many other reasons, but that is the first and foremost.

Those are some of the things I have floating around in my brain. I would like to blog about my decision to stop homeschooling (for myself as well as any curious bystanders). The rewards issue is going to wait until I get some more thinking done and feedback.

And this post is a perfect example of why I haven't blogged in a while. It's a bit like my brain right now--disjointed and full of incomplete thoughts.

Back?

2009-12-08T14:50:00.002-05:00

It's been a while. Tersely, my computer crashed with the science pics I was going to post and then I got fed up. There. And I wanted more of a real life. I find that I am a slow enough writer that composing a blog post that was not just hit-and-run was taking a lot of time--usually very late in the evening.

Now that the computer is put back together (grateful to hubby for his work), I want to post an update. I am no longer homeschooling both of my school-age girls. About a month ago I decided to enroll my 10 1/2 year-old, Hanover, in public school.

I would like to discuss how that decision happened, and the results in later posts. In short, I am comfortable (for now) with the outcome.

Science: Magnetism Demonstration

2009-10-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

There are a number of typical ways of showing magnetic lines of force. I purchased some iron filings from an education store in my area (buying them on-line proved slightly tricky). In order to show lines of force I placed about 2 tablespoons (not measured, guesstimated) in a plastic sleeve protector and then taped the top shut.

The tape is even harder to see than I thought.

Paper underneath makes it easier to see.

The high-powered magnet has north and south on its round faces. The filings align themselves quickly to wrap around the edge. The magnet is so strong that the iron filings are lifting the plastic up.

The bar magnet has north and south clearly marked. The lines of force are seen (though less strongly) arcing from one end to the other.

Fairly simple and a good demonstration for kids.

More Candle Science: Carbon Dioxide and Combustion

2009-10-29T11:00:00.003-04:00

These are the materials: vinegar and baking soda, and a lit candle (any candle will do!).

The vinegar and baking soda react to produce carbon dioxide gas (carbonic acid in the old days).

Important facts about carbon dioxide that are demonstrated: carbon dioxide will not support combustion and it is heavier than air.

Science: Exploring Some Aspects of Combustion

2009-10-27T18:38:00.005-04:00

For this demonstration we used a birthday candle mounted in a glass bowl. To get the candle to stand up I melted the bottom to leave a small puddle of wax and then pressed the candle into it. Then I filled the bowl about half-way with water.

It is no surprise that the candle goes out. You can also see the condensation of water vapor (another by product of combustion) by the fog on the inside of the glass. What may be surprising is what happens afterward.

More and Less Foliage

2009-10-25T20:28:00.004-04:00

And now for LESS foliage (the hair cut):

Who is that kid? He must be about three years-old! Makes me think of military marches for some reason....

Homeschool Tip: Notebook Reconstruction

2009-10-09T12:06:00.004-04:00

Here are the ubiquitous notebooks all homeschoolers probably have--since they go on sale for about 10 cents every year during back-to-school. I bought enough to cover each kid in each subject and more. And they used them, kind of. They used them one week and then misplaced them and got another. The trouble was that they would write the subjects on the cover and refuse to use it for anything else.

By the time I had four "Hanover Math" notebooks, I was feeling rather annoyed. I did not buy any for this year insisting that I would MAKE them use the old ones. Easier said than done (as always). And then I was irked to see that the new cheap notebooks had great, fun designs on them now. I wanted fun notebooks like that! But I knew it would be a waste.

I did find a way to have fun-looking notebooks AND get the girls to use up the ones they had already labeled with one solution. A notebook makeover. All it took was some scrapbook paper (I have enough of that hanging around so free to me) and a glue stick. I spread a generous amount of glue over the notebook cover and then glued on the scrapbook paper. After pressing it down well all around, I trimmed the edges to match the notebook cover. The darker designs keep the black permanent marker from showing through. The notebooks look much nicer, the kids enjoyed picking out the design to 'personalize' it, and now they are a blank slate for whatever topic needs one.

And I think it is particularly appropriate that these notebooks are being used (if notes are needed) for their art history class.

Much improved!

Objectivist Round Up!

2009-10-08T21:03:00.000-04:00

Here!

Fabulous Fall

2009-10-07T00:15:00.004-04:00

I swore I wouldn't forget my camera when we went apple picking this year. What did I do? Of course I forgot the camera. I am really happy that I have a camera phone now. Though the pics aren't great, I am glad I have them!

Science for Middle Schoolers and Older

2009-10-05T21:56:00.003-04:00

There is nothing I hate more than a science curriculum that states "these experiments are absolutely safe." First, BORING! Second, some science IS dangerous and these kids are old enough to deal with it. The homeschooling curriculums have one hand tied behind their backs because some parents become very hands-off at these more advanced levels so the kids need to be able to do most things on their own and because homes lack some of the essential equipment for chemical experiments like hoods and fire-proof chemical storage.

So when a curriculum spends the introductory paragraph explaining how safe it is, I tend to tune out.

It's Your Weekly Dose of Reason

2009-10-01T11:56:00.000-04:00

For the New Intellectual

Once Upon America

2009-10-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

Last week must have been a library theme. While Hanover, my older daughter, was reading this American historical fiction, Flurpee was given a choice of another American historical fiction series. Ironically, this series, Once Upon America, is a more difficult read than the one given to my 10 year old.

These books encompass many different eras in American History, like the Dear America series. Yet, they are geared to a younger audience and a younger reader. The books are about as thick as the Magic Tree House series. And like the Magic Tree House books, they are illustrated. Yet, from the few I perused, the language is richer and the intellect of the child is challenged more. I have always felt the Magic Tree House was most appropriate for 2nd graders and I personally did not find the language rewarding at all and could not really imagine a slightly older child getting a lot out of them. These books, even at about the same size, are much more well written in my opinion. I would not hesitate to recommend them to older kids up to 4th and 5th grade.

The history addressed is serious and there are less punches pulled than with the Hannah of Fairfield trilogy. The subject matter also makes them more appropriate for older kids as well. The book about Pearl Harbor addresses some issues of racism since the main character is best friends with a boy of Japanese descent along with describing the events of the bombing. The books cover the depression, the beginning of the labor movement, women's suffrage, poor treatment of Native Americans, the assassination of Kennedy, and the Oregan trail along with more. People the characters know will be killed, murdered, or commit suicide. Concepts clearly geared to an older audience. Not all of the stories include such macabre scenes and there are plenty to choose from.

I would put these books into a category of books that would please older readers without being a huge strain on their reading ability. I know teachers are often looking for books that will get older kids with lower-level reading abilities interested, and I think these books would easily fit that bill. They would also be a less-painful or time-consuming option for those kids who might look at a 200 page historical fiction novel with dread even if their reading level could support it. I would consider these for the historical topics covered because I would not want my kids wallowing in some of the more depressing topics for as long as would be necessary in the thicker books.

Story-wise, the books are short, and as you would expect some of the story-telling suffers. To fit the history, some books may not have even pacing and the character development may be flat. While they may introduce the history, they may not be a compelling narrative. I am realizing that I know very little of what is available when it comes to children's literature, but this may be acceptable if nothing else fits the bill for the reading level or the interest.

Library Sale Score!

2009-09-30T11:07:00.004-04:00

This is a close up of one of my book shelves. The entire shelf is full of Facts on File science experiment binders. I have Junior Environmental Activities on File, Earth Science Experiments on File, Science Experiments on File, More Science Experiments on File, Junior Science on File, Junior Science Experiments on File, Janice VanCleave's Science Experiment Sourcebook, Nature Projects on File, and Charts on File on that shelf. I have been regularly checking out Science Experiments on File from my local library. While there are still the usual experiments that teach very little, it has some very good demonstrations (I especially like the ones for stalagmites and classification). If there are still a good portion of the experiments that I wouldn't use, why is this such a score? Because I got all of the binders in a box for $6. Yep--$6!

As an example, the Junior Science Experiments on File has experiments for kindergarteners through 6th grade. Safety guidelines, basic skills, physical sciences, life sciences, earth science, and teachers' hints are grouped separately. i've included a couple of examples. The life science example with the celery is a great lower elementary (K through 3) activity especially when the different colored water is used. The pulley demonstrates appropriately a simple machine and gives a point of comparison by moving to a set up using two pulleys. A great experiment for upper elementary (3 to 6).

I would not claim that these books are great. There are just as many (if not more) experiments that I would not bother with as there are those that I like, but the ones I like I like a lot. They are generally more useful than those found on-line. I like the included data table examples and the directions are clear. The experiments do not demand massive expenditures. The equipment is what one would expect to use for any general science.

A Visit to Long Island Sound

2009-09-29T11:00:00.003-04:00

I have really enjoyed having my kids in a nature program run by Two Coyotes Wilderness School. It is a bit more academic than some other programs, including ones run by the same group, which I enjoy. This was a place we learned about through the program, Silver Sands State Park on Long Island Sound. Being a Jersey girl, this was my first trip to the sound.

There was a boardwalk to cross the salt marsh to get to the shore. I took a few pictures of the view of the walk out.

Here are three birds sitting on top of the marsh.

This is the land bridge out to the island. It is only accessible at low tide, but the island is closed currently due to some bird.

A seagull breaking open lunch.

Some silver sand evident inbetween the copious rocks.

The bird, of course, is only in the water behind the baby.

So many shells!

Bye-bye!

Software to Teach Music?

2009-09-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

Perhaps I was hiding under a very big rock. That can be the only way to explain that I did not know about Music Ace Deluxe. Considering my Amazon page indicated that people who bought this software were also buying all other kinds of homeschool books.

With the financial situation of many homeschoolers (usually one parent who is not working), music lessons may not be feasible. I know they are not within my budget. While I may never be able to afford instrument lessons for my children, I want them to be familiar with reading music and terms used to describe music.

I found out about the software by accident. Once I read about it, however, I decided to give it a shot. It is an older program that was originally programmed for older Windows operating systems. The graphics are a dead give-away to its age. The window size is rather small for today's high resolution monitors too. Many people even reported issues running the program using Vista, though they may have been resolved if they understood they could opposite-click, select properties, and choose a compatibility mode for running the executable.

I have had the program for two days. Both kids loved using it and went through the first four lessons quickly and spent an hour playing the games that help them practice the concepts. Music Ace Deluxe does demonstrate by using a graphic piano keyboard, so it may be nice to have one (either real or electronic). The lessons are short, presenting only a small bit of information quickly and allowing the child to practice applying that information (like picking which note was pitched higher or lower, or moving notes onto the ledger lines). One program can track multiple learners, at least 10. The kids can pick what lesson to use or whether to play a game, or to continue with the next lesson from their last session.

The kids like it and use it, so far. So I like it!

American Historical Fiction for Younger Children

2009-09-25T10:49:00.003-04:00

It seems everyone knows about the Dear America series. These are very in-depth historical fiction books that touch on various historical eras of America's past. They are also long! Even older children whose reading level is appropriate may find them too long, or boring, or hard to get into. I was recently introduced to a trilogy of historical fiction books concentrating on the Revolutionary War.

Hannah of Fairfield, written by Jean Van Leeuwen is the first in the series. The next is Hannah's Helping Hands followed by Hannah's Winter of Hope. The stories center on Hannah, a girl living in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1777. She is almost 10 and lives with her mother and father and older brother. This was interesting for us because we also live in Connecticut.

As one would expect, the novel gives a bit of information about life in the Colonial Era. Since Hannah is the main character, we are presented information through her eyes. This limits the Revolutionary War information to the homefront instead battles in the first novel. The second novel includes an encounter with the British forces that has a severe impact on the family. The third novel sees Hannah dealing with some of the hardships of war and her worry for the welfare of her brother. The last book was chosen by Flurpee, 10 years old, for her library book club.

The books were a quick read. Geared toward readers in 2nd through 5th grade, they trend toward the younger range in my opinion. They are short and include illustrations. The vocabulary is easy and the subject matter is sufficiently toned down to avoid serious issues for sensitive children--though perhaps not for the most sensitive.

I found the book we read to be interesting but without the deeper themes of longer chapter books. This a good way to introduce historical fiction for early readers, as a read-aloud, or for older kids who cannot seem to get into longer historical fiction. The interest level for older children may be limited by the short length and easier concepts.

It's the Round Up!

2009-09-24T13:43:00.000-04:00

It's all about the principles!

First On-Line Class

2009-09-24T01:12:00.002-04:00

I did it. I just bit the bullet and signed Flurpee, the 10 year old, up for a Time 4 Writing course. I selected perfect paragraphs for her. We'll see how it goes. I know almost nothing about the format of the course. I'm hoping they offer a lesson and then an assignment based on the lesson. I'll let you know!

The Elevator Family by Douglas Evans

2009-09-23T14:20:00.003-04:00

Our local library has a few book clubs. They have one for 1st and 2nd graders, 3rd and 4th graders, 4th and 5th grade girls, and 4th and 5th grade boys. Having just started, Flurpee got to read The Elevator Family .

Living in an elevator is not everyone's cup of tea, but the Wilsons sleep in their cozy Otis elevator, eat in it, and even entertain in it. What I enjoyed most was the language. I have not found many clever books for younger readers, but this one fits the bill. Word play like alliteration, synonyms, and homonyms helped make this book enjoyable.

While I enoyed this book overall, and one can only expect so much from a young reader, the story line is disjointed and inconsistent in some areas. Though it is a nit and the overall experience of the book is enjoyable. Even Hanover (at 10 and reading 400 page books) enjoyed the story and especially the clever wording.

Dancing with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight, or The Organization Shuffle

2009-09-18T21:37:00.012-04:00

Truly! Reorganizing is like the dance of the damned.

I moved my school room upstairs only to discover that the small area upstairs is ill-suited to an active toddler. Decided to school downstairs (back to that trusty kitchen table). Started moving things down piecemeal as I took books out for reference or regular use. After two months, my ad-hoc shoving of various materials here and there became too much even for me (meaning it looked REALLY bad--I'm good with pretty bad, but I do have my limits--like when I'm actually removing important items for a stash-and-dash clean instead of just mail).

When we first started homeschooling, I used the downstairs pantry for the school supplies, books, . Large, deep at 30", and in desperate need of new shelving anyway, it fit the bill pretty well. Of course, after having moved my school stuff to the NEWER school location, I decided to repurpose my pantry to use it as, um, a pantry plus some boxes of craft items. Now that I have taken it back for school items (again--rinse, repeat) I had to figure out what to do with that other stuff (you know, the stuff that actually belongs in a pantry--the kitchen stuff?).

Which leads to reorganizing the front hall closet.

This is in the back of our front hall closet. The hall closet, for various reasons I am sure, is 3 feet wide by 3 feet deep. That's a whole foot deeper than a standard closet. We moved the hanging rod so we would have room to add wall shelves behind the coats.

Which leads to reorganizing the book shelves next to the TV armoire (now doesn't that sound old-fashioned? I spent more on that armoire than I would spend today to get a 42" HD TV now).

The top shelf is for historic fiction based on periods we're not studying this year in history, Dungeons and Dragons rule books, and pop-up books I don't want the toddler getting his ripping & tearing hands on just yet. The second shelf down holds holiday books, craft books, and the American Girl things. The next shelf has puzzle books and mazes.

The top shelf here has the books Hanover has already read. The second shelf is primarily free-reading choice books along with modern classics (award winners, highly acclaimed, great messages for instance). I ran out of room (of course) and used a suggestion from a friend. I put books in a shoe-box sized bin that can be taken out and the titles perused from the side. It's not as nice as seeing all of the books at first glance, but it will do for now. I had to use many more bins on the next shelf for the Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones, and the other overwhelming amount of 1/4" thick books I have for Flurpee.

Which leads to reorganizing the book shelves next to the sliding doors.

This is my primary location for books I may use this school year. Again with the bins! The top of the book case has curriculum books I may need for the kids--like their next math level or science work books. The top shelf has three bins arranged by grade level in which I've put the Ambleside Online curriculum books I own. The first bin is for year 1 and 6 (the ones I don't think I'll be using), the second bin includes years 2 and 3 books for Flurpee, and the third bin has years 4 and 5 books for Hanover. The books that can be related to Europe in some way are placed in the front and American books are in the back (again so I can concentrate on books that are related to our history classes with History at Our House). The books that don't fit into the bins are all the way to the left. The next shelf down has magazines like Which Way USA, Highlights, Spider, Cricket, National Geographic Kids, and others. The bin all the way to the left includes the historical fiction that would fit with our history classes, arranged from earliest periods to later.

Which leads to (sensing a theme?) bringing up another book shelf which then needs to be organized (can't re-organize when it has never been used before). "Book shelf" is a bit of stretch. It's only a book shelf in that it is currently holding books. You smartie-pants will note its uncanny resemblance to basement storage shelves. If I didn't have a toddler with a long reach, I might not have so many book shelves. Since the bottom two shelves are all off-limits, I need to spread out A LOT.

On top I have things I need to get rid of as well as CDs and audio books. The shelf beneath has the CD player and reference books the kids may need or want to use (dictionary, atlas, thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, bird guide, rock guide, and stories from the Core Knowledge series). In front of those are the memory boxes (which I've failed at using before), one for each kid, as described at Simply Charlotte Mason without any of the scriptures, of course. The next shelf down holds the kids actual schoolwork. They each have their own bin so they can find their work more easily and put it away quickly. The red accordian file next to the bins is where I put their completed work. I have divisions by child and by subject (e.g. 'Elisa's History', 'Victoria's Language Arts'). The binder holds the history images needed for class (both Upper El and Lower El get the same images, so I only print them once and put them in a single binder. The kids history notes and geography work each go in their own binder which is kept in their bins.

Which leads to reorganizing the actual books. Consolidating the parenting books to the shelves above my night stand, the sci-fi books to the shelves above hubby's nightstand, and the science text books and lay-man's interpretations to the shelves above my old schoolroom desk. No pics of those because the books have been relocated by there is NOTHING organized about it!

And here is still more aftermath. These are the dislocated appliances from a bakers rack and pantry that got the heave-ho out of their comfortable and well-established abodes. They are currently in appliance purgatory to match my kitchen clutter 2nd level of Hell.

Perhaps this weekend will see me posting my best and final school area pics of the completed project. I'll post hair-raising, stomach-turning, nail-biting before pics as well.

Something I've Been Putting Off

2009-09-15T01:04:00.002-04:00

For some reason I can't identify, my ten year-old wants to learn how to knit. She's been asking consistenly for years--yes, years. I have kept my eyes open for classes to no avail. If there were classes, they were closed, expensive, or not open to children. I finally (with my JoAnn's coupon and educator discount) bought a 'learn to knit' kit for her. It included a booklet, some tools, and needles. We also picked up some yarn.

Learning something hands-on from a book is not easy. It's not impossible, but the descriptions are usually not quite detailed enough or the pictures might be confusing because they include so much detail but just not of the step that seems to be elusive. I will admit at this point that I have taught myself to knit (kind of) from books about four times now*. Jumping in with both feet, I decided to take the plunge and try to help Hanover learn.

And searching Google for 'learn to knit videos' was helpful. Here are her first ten or so stitches.

*Why have I taught myself knitting so often? It started in college. I was sitting in one of those oh-so-trendy early 90's coffee bars and a woman was sitting with her friends with her needles clicking, knitting, while having a discussion. Coolest thing I ever saw. That was the first time I bought a set of needles and yarn and a teach-yourself book. After about two inches I made a few mistakes, got really tensed shoulders, and decided the reality of practicing for years before becoming proficient enough to knit and talk at the same time just wasn't all that appealing. And the other three attempts ended about the same way. With the new fuzzy and cool-effect and colors for yarn, it has become more of a draw. Since my last go at it was a few years ago, I figured I could stand another round. And when my daughter mentioned that I had progressed on my own little project and asked me how I liked it I told her honestly that I found it really boring. Perhaps I won't feel that way if I complete a project and move onto fancier patterns (right now I'm really, really boring) and perhaps I will find mastering those patterns a challenge that will spark my interest.

Yummy Dinner

2009-09-13T23:13:00.004-04:00

My little Thor truly enjoyed his first corn on the cob. Yum, yum!

Though it could be that he just really likes the butter--and his sleep.

Seriously. This is how I found him. Surrounded by corn on the cob, having devoured almost a stick of butter and passed out on the table. Reminds me of my brother during our summers home from college.

Laundry!

2009-09-12T21:50:00.002-04:00

Here's some irony for you:

I was removing clothes from the dryer to discover not one but two nail polish bottles in the dryer--a lovely shade of dark purple and pink as I could tell from the streaks on the inside of the dryer drum. So how many clothes were lost? Hardly any. The irony? The only reason so many clothes were OK was because the girls (and hubby) continually leave their clothes inside-out when putting them in the dirty clothes--a habit I have tried to break for years.

I am sure they would be pleased to hear it--but they won't!

Short Conversation with Friends

2009-09-11T16:18:00.003-04:00

How sad that people blow off the groups who hold their own surrendered or implied premises as extremists. Those groups just hold their philosophies consistently and the people who blow them off are a jumble of philosophies they themselves do not fully understand.