M's Art

M rather stick with the halloween side of fall. There are six boys in
the club. Five are pretty close in age. My challenge each week is
keeping them engaged. One moment of down time and all control is lost!

C's Art

Today was Homeschool Club. Did fall pictures. It is so quiet here when
everyone leaves. We have grown to ten kids from 3 to 11.

Paper...

M. is reading his favorite section--the Toys-R-Us ad. He is finding
all sorts of treasures for his birthday list.

Reading the paper

C. is chilling in her pj's reading the comics...

Webkinz Report: Manatees

C. chose the manatee for her report. It is Granny's favorite animal. Here are the ten facts C. found about manatees.

1. Manatees weigh between 800-3,500 pounds.
2. Manatees can be found in shallow water.
3. Manatees behavior is gentle and they are slow moving.
4. It is believe that manatees can live 60 or more years.
5. Manatees are plant eaters.
6. An adult manatee can measure 130 feet long.
7. It takes 13 months for a manatee to be born.
8. Manatees are the color grey-brown.
9. Manatees can hold their breath up to 24 minutes.
10. Manatees chew two times per second.

C. wants to adopt a manatee from Save the Manatee.

Webkinz Report: Bats

For a fun writing assignment, M. was able to pick a new webkinz friend. He then had to research and find 10 facts about the animal he chose.

Here are the Ten Bat Facts--researched via Google by M. (without help from me)

1. Bats are mammals.
2. Bats are warm blooded.
3. Bats have fur.
4. There are over 900 species of bats.
5. Baby bats are called pups.
6. Younger bats are playful.
7. Bats can live up to 30 years.
8. Bats hibernate.
9. Bat legs are bent backwards.
10. Bats are not blind.

M. has asked dad to help him build a bat habitat for the backyard. He told his dad, "bats will help your garden because they eat the bugs that eat your plants."

Pumpkin update

Mr.'s pumpkin continues to grow...

The Birds and The Bees

We went to a JUBILEE while we were in West Virginia. The day after, we asked Silly Girl and Moon Boy what they learned. There favorite part was the Raptor Show and the Bee Man. The crazy Bee Man made a beard of bees. He said he only got stung twice!

Here are the some of the things we learned:



The Birds

*We "met" three birds: Otis (pictured above) was a Southern Screech Owl. She had been hurt in a car accident. BeBo was also an owl. and Annie was the red-tailed hawk.
* Owls can move their head almost all the way around. 270 degrees to be exact! And it is because they have more neck bones then humans! They have 18. The reason they need to be able to rotate their heads is because their eyes don't move.
*There are 3 things that make birds predators: 1) Excellent eyesight--Their eyes are the same size as human eyes, but given that their heads are smaller, they can see 8-10 times better than us. 2) Sharp beak--it is used like a knife and fork. It rips the prey apart. 3) Talons--they use their claws for picking up or holding down their food. They exert the same amount of force as if a rhinoceros was sitting on you.
*Owls have an extra feather at the end of their wings that has a bump/curve on it. This helps silence their flight.
*The best hunting season for owls is in the winter because mice are attracted to the salt that melts the snow on the road.
*Birds of prey eat anything smaller than them.
*Many predator birds are injured by automobiles because they like "Edge Habitat." This means, that they like the cover of the trees but most of the prey they eat likes the open field. This is what is found at the side of many freeways. These birds can get hurt while hunting.
*Red-tailed hawks are active hunters--which means they go looking for food; on the other hand, owls are opportunistic hunters--they wait for prey to come to them.



The Bees

*The queen bee is an egg laying machine
*When a good queen bee lays its eggs, she uses every honey comb.
*The queen bee only uses its stinger to fight other potential queens. The losing queen leaves the hive with 1/2 of the workers.
*Worker bees can be male or female.
*The queen bee is not the boss; the worker bees make the 'rules.'
*A queen bee lives 3-5 years; worker bees only live 6 weeks.
*Queen bees have a different scent than all the other bees. It is this scent that attracts the other bees. The man was able to make his beard by strapping the queen around his chin.
*In WV, queen bees lay eggs from February to October. In warmer climates, the queen will lay eggs year round.
*"Homemade honey is the best honey; especially in the honey sticks we got."

WOW--that is a lot of learning!!!

My School Year's Resolutions

I was reading Tonya's post over at Tonya's Two Cents about setting "School Year Resolutions" and wanted to take her up on the challenge and post mine:

This school year:

1. I want to nurture their love for God in our everyday school and life.
2. I want my children to get a solid comprehension of their math facts.
3. I want them to be able to hand write a letter or book report without it being an excruciating experience.
4. I want to work on keeping on schedule.
5. I want to expose them to fun, learning adventures so they discover that school is far from a boring experience.
6. I want to find new friendships so they do not get lonely in the schooling experience.
7. I want to remember to take time for me so I don't get burned-out.
8. I want to keep up on this blog on a regular basis to both keep in touch with family and friends AND be able to easily put together a portfolio when we reach the end.
9. I want to be a good steward of our monetary resources--using the curriculum I have purchased and not being wasteful in spending "for the sake of school."
10. I want to show more appreciation to my husband who supports our efforts.

Working Together

Although we haven't officially started school, we are working on some
projects and doing a lot of reading (thanks, Granny, for the great
books you sent!)

Today, Moon Boy and Silly Girl worked together to build a 'gumball
machine.' They did a great job working together.

Pumpkin on a Vine

Trying square foot gardening and one of the techniques is to grow
pumpkins on a vine. Dad is so proud of the little pumpkin that has
started to grow. Will keep the blog updated as to it's progress.

Karaoke

Mathieu absolutely loves to sing. Auntie A is up visiting and sent
this pic. She said the crowd loved him.

Postcard from Camp

M. sent us this postcard from camp. How cute is it??? We had left him $25 to shop in the little camp store....

The Dog

It is amazing to see the personality in animals. Our dog loves to drive M. crazy. She will sneak into his room or wherever he is playing and steal is toys and look back at him with this "ha ha" kind of expression...then take the toy to dad where she can exchange it for a 'cookie.'

Her latest way to get to M. is to stand outside his room and bark. Mom and Dad have to get up early for work. While we are out doing our thing in the 'big house', Willow is standing outside of M.'s room barking as loud as she possibly can to try to wake him up. Fortunately, he can sleep through just about anything....

Summer Vacation...

We have pretty much started our summer vacation (although have not made our first trip to the pool or the Park yet). C. still has her high stakes test to take and will do that today (or at least start it). The last piece I need to have the portfolio completed.

We will probably blog less during the summer. Especially as for most of the kids will be with their Granny and Papa. But we hope to post occasionally to keep updated and then start again in the Fall.

Having the blog made the portfolio a painless process so will definitely have to stay dilagent to it.

Unforgetable Moments

One of the reasons I homeschool is for moments such as this...the
ability to leave the world behind and visit Granny and Pa and Grandma
S. These moments are priceless and treasures.

The Champion!

Geocaching in West Virginia. This was our third of the day. We spent a
long time searching and it turned out to be right under our nose.

The Newest Addition

M. got a new webkinz from Grandma. This one is a mouse he named Remy.
Remy likes bananas. M. loves webkinz. He has a lot of rooms in his
webkinz house--even a library.

Playing with food?

When I got out the phone to take C's picture, her dad asked..."you
encourage that?" I was thinking not only do I encourage it, I blog it:)

Volcano

We tried a volcano experiment but for some reason it just wouldn't
explode. It was fun trying.

Raptor Project

We are (currently) at this awesome bird show. Had to drive an hour but
it was definitely worth it. This heritage falcon loves bird
feeders...C. thought it was for the seeds but it is because this
little bird eats other little birds.

Geocaching

Went geocaching today. The kids were able to find this one all by
themselves. It was the third one of the day.

Solving the crime...

State Police Museum

Today for "family fun" we visited the PA State Police Museum. It was
pretty small but had a lot of stuff in it. The kids really enjoyed
trying to solve the mock crime. The section on Al Capone was also
pretty interesting.

Did you know that to get into the academy in 1905 and 1955 you could
not be married and had to be at least 5'6"? In 1905 you also had to be
able to ride a horse.

It is sometimes fun exploring in ones own backyard.

Bird Eggs

As project of M's cub scouts, he checks on bird houses. To do it, you
approach from the back or side and knock on the door so the birds can
fly out. Then you can open the door and look inside. Today we found
five little eggs.

C's PJs

On our trip to get M's glasses dad noticed Callie was wearing her PJ
bottoms. (they had gone to the car before us) Callie said "But, dad,
they look so cute."

M's New Glasses

We picked up M's new glasses today. His guitar teacher noticed he
couldn't see the music. This should help if the dog doesn't eat them...

Helping Auntie A

C. is helping get the word out to VOTE for her Auntie A.

Guitar Lessons

We are at M's guitar lesson. He both loves and hates it. If I could
figure out how to get him to practice more...he probably would be
pretty good. He does ok now. He picks it up quickly and enjoys singing
to his playing. He is working on "How To Save A Life" by The Fray.

Sahara Mystery

Today M. learned about fennec foxes. They are the smallest foxes in the world and are found in the Sahara Desert. Part of his assignment is to write a short fictional story based on facts about fennec foxes. Here is his story.

Once, at night, Digit, Code, and Cracker were walking around the Sahara Desert. They found an oasis. Neji, Hall, and Tunnels popped up out of the ground. They also got to the oasis. They heard an animal stuck in the mud. At first they tried digging under the ground but Tunnels found some rodents and got distracted and started chasing them. Instead they tried to run over the mud to grab it out but then Hall got stuck in the mud. Then Neji found something the they could use for a bridge. They stuck it out in the mud but it wasn't long enough. Digit, Code, and Cracker found some other things and stuck them together to make the bridge longer. They rescued Hall but the other animal was too big for the bridge. They tried putting sticks out and having the animal grab on while they pulled but they were not strong enough. Digit, Code, and Cracker threw Neji out with something that could float on the mud. He almost got to the animal but as soon as he got near it, he started to sink a little bit. Hall found the water for the oasis. Digit found Tunnels. They got Tunnels to dig a hole to get the water to the mud. The mud started to decrease and they all got out and saved the animal. They lived happily ever after for now.

The End.

Sugarlin Forest

C. in the Sugarlin Forest...a place by our house named by the kids.
One of there favorite places to play and imagine.

C. told we that the blooms were the most beautiful thing she has ever
seen and that she can save money on her wedding day by using those
blossoms instead of rose petals...

C's11

How did that happen? Her birthday wish...a pedicure (this is her at
the salon) and highlights. She has a busy day planned. After the
pedicure, it is off to lunch with Auntie A and then tonight's special
trip is to the Fractured Prune for hot donut with ice cream!

Staring Contest

M. is into having staring contests. So he decided to have one with
himself. I am not sure who the winner was...

New Book

I am reading a very good book that I found in Best Buy of all places.
It is by Jennifer Fox and entitled "Your Child's Strengths".

Restarting...

We have had a good start since our spring vacation. Our focus is on math and reading...but we are still doing the "fun" stuff, too.

Will post some new pics soon of our Rock Cany making adventure.

Spring...

...is here. We started our new unit on Planet Earth. Today we learned about the earth's layers. The earth has four layers:

1. The Crust which is 5-25 miles thick.
2. The Mantle which is 1800 miles thick.
3. The Outer Core which is 1400 miles thick (and is liquid)
4. The Inner Core which is 800 miles thick (bigger than then moon).

It is kind of looks like a peach cut in half :)

We also went outside to draw pictures of the first signs of spring (I will post them later) BUT all C. and M. could think about is that it MUST be warm enough to get out the pool and go for a swim... :)

M. would rather draw but he added some noodles just because he had to.

Art class

The assignment was to make something out of various beans and
noodles... Here is C's design.

New Website

Although this will continue to be our primary blog and info site, we have a new website www.Journey2Learn.com It is still under development in parts but check it out to see our latest adventures in photos...

We hope you enjoy!!

Spring Break

We are on "Spring Break" and looking forward to starting our next unit on Earth Science. We enjoyed learning about the American Revolution, our Founding Fathers, and the Consitution but definitely are ready for a change...

Today we are having a play-date with some friends we do not get to see very often so that is exciting.

No Time To...

...Blog. I am sorry it has been so long since my last update. Blogging has been on the top of my 'to-do' list but always seemed to get pushed to the bottom. We spent this week wrapping up our learning on the American Revolution. We will be moving to the Founding Fathers, Constitution, and modern elections for the next three weeks.

We are excited about some of our planned things such as:
1. A trip to the Republican Headquarters in PA--where Auntie A works :)
2. A trip to the PA capital building! (we have lived here almost 9 years and have never been--how sad is that?!?)
3. Use YouTube to watch School House Rock "Preamble" and "I am a Bill" to help memorize things.
4. A day in Washington DC
5. A lot of hands on KONOS learning. (mom has been working watching the master teacher videos to be really prepared so we learn a lot!

Ben Franklin

We had a really fun homeschool day in Philadelphia. Our trip started with a visit to the Franklin Institute. We were there to see the Star Wars exhibit...a thing not to be missed for Star Wars fans!

We would have loved to have taken the time to explore the rest of the museum but the weather forecast for the next day didn't look promising and we didn't want to miss Independence Park.

It was really near looking at all the things we have been learning about. We even saw a real Patriot uniform. It was especially cool to see the Liberty Bell.

We stayed in a motel right in the middle of Center City. We talked a lot as we were walking in the cold about what it must have been like to be a soldier during the Revolution. Most did not have shoes.

Another highlight was dinner with one of our graduates and his new wife. It was definitely an unique dining experience. A very modern restaurant.

In just a couple hours we are back on duty...will definitely post more pictures.

Lunar Eclipse

Tonight we went outside to see the lunar eclipse. The kids thought it was really cool--especially because it won't be until 2010 that it can be seen again.

Did you know that the moon turns a rusty color because it is reflecting the sunsets and sunrises around the world?

Parent--Job Description

I received this from a friend and thought it was really cute....

POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :
*Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment.
*Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
*Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
*Travel expenses not reimbursed.
*Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

*The rest of your life.
*Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
*Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
*Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
*Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
*Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
*Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
*Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
*Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
*Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
*Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
*Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

Books We Used

Here is a list of the books we used as we studied about the American Revolution:

Meet Benjamin Franklin by Maggi Scarf
Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Osborne Pope
Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? by Jean Fritz
Where Did You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? by Jean Fritz
If You Grew Up With George Washington by Ruth Belov Gross
Voices from the Past: Revolutionary War by Kathlyn and Martin Gay
Magic Treehouse Research Guide: American Revolution by Mary Popeo Osborne
A Picture Book of Paul Revere by David Adler
Our Presidents: George Washington by Ann Graham Gaines
George Washington: Soldier, Hero, President by Justine and Ron Fontes
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore
Welcome to Felicity's World by the American Girl Collection
A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin by David Adler
Patrick Henry: Liberty of Death by Jason Glaser
The Light and the Glory by Marshall and Manuel
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The American Revolution by Bruce Bliven, Jr

We are loving this unit!! To finish it off strong....next week we are going to focus on making a visual project to display all we learned....we alos are going to make homemade gingerbread....and visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia!!

After

Willow got her first haircut today. She looks so different. Doesn't
fit in with the 'family' rag-a-muffin look.

Before

C's Art

M's Art

Tuesday's are art day. We have been working on clay projects. Boys and
girls are just so different!

Swimming

We were able to get away for a couple of nights last week. Our motel
had a pool and a hot tub. It was a lot of fun.

Update

I have been really slacking in keeping up to date with our Konos Journey but am going to get back on the 'right track' as posting our learning and the kids accomplishments is so important!

You may wonder why I am blogging in the middle of the school day....but C. is still sleeping. She hasn't been feeling all that well and fell back asleep shortly after waking up. So thought we would get started when she wakes up.

M. is working on an independent computer project. I need to figure out our goals for this week and get them posted so they will be more likely to be accomplished. We have two more weeks of American Revolution. And will be going on a field trip to see the Liberty Bell which I am very excited about.

For now, going to check on C. and try posting a pic from my phone to see if I can mobile blog.

Slow At Blogging

Sorry for being so bad at keeping you up to date....two real reasons:

1. We had a bad school week. We did a lot of things but not really on track. Sometimes that just happens. M. was able to go on a field trip and saw a real Revolutionary War canon. C. was able to go on a retreat with her Sunday school class. She had a blast.

2. The Geeks at Best Buy still have my computer! It has been 10 days!! It is hard to blog without it because of access issues.

We will be back this week with regular posts as we are back on track with school (and hopefully I will get my computer back soon!).

Today we learned about Margaret Corbin. Probably a name that does not often come up in the teachings of American Revolution. She fought alongside her husband in the American Revolutionary War and was the first woman to receive pension from the United States government as a disabled soldier. She was fighting alongside her husband against the Hessian army (Germans who helped the British during the American Revolution)at Fort Washington, New York. Her husband was killed so she took over shooting the canon until she was injured by being shot in the arm. She lost use of her left arm for the remainder of her life. She was the first American women to take a soldier's part in the War for Liberty.

Missed Yesterday's Post

I am computer-less. Well, that is not exactly true as we have an abundance of computers in our house BUT I do not have mine.

I had to take it to the Geeks at Best Buy to find out what is wrong with it. It randomly freezes. Sometimes it does it like every 15 minutes, sometimes every few hours. I cannot figure out what I am doing different when it decides it wants to freeze. Hopefully the Geeks will solve the problem!

Yesterday for school we continued to learn about the first battles of the Revolutionary War. It is pretty interesting that history accounts almost make it sound as if George Washington was expecting to find a well-trained army regiment.

Instead he found a group of non-disciplined, rag-tag men whose duty was almost over. They only had signed up for a one-year commitment.

We also learned that if the British soldiers had realized how few men Washington had during the months at the beginning of the war, they could have easily conquered the Patriot army!!

Our Art Project

Today we tested our creativity with FIMO clay...

Long Weekend and New Video

We took advantage of the long weekend and did not learn much about the Revoultionary War...

Some things we did do:
*Went to dance class--C. has learned a lot of the dance for this year. It is fast moving so confusing in parts. The recital is May 31st. We are off so everyone will be able to attend!
*M. had is Spanish lesson. He is learning a lot but it is definitely something we need to practice more!
*C. had 2 play dates with friends she does not get to hang out with too often. She really enjoyed that!
*M. went to Cub Scouts and worked on his Pine Wood Derby car.
*C. worked on a girl scout badge for childcare.

All in all a busy weekend! We keep wondering wear our dad is. He went to a HUGE FIRE in Hershey at about 4pm yesterday afternoon and is still there! Guess it was a big one to put out. Dad must be tired!

But the good news is we are on are off-duty time so dad will have two days to recover!

Today...back to the American Revolution. We watched our history channel video to set the stage for this week. We will be focusing on Bunker Hill--where although they Americans lost--they caused huge number of causalities to the British Army. We also learned about the Continental Congress that appointed George Washington in charge. And finally about George Washington's first victory--securing Boston for the Patriots again.

We are excited to learn even more this week about these events!

Lazy Friday

So our Friday did not go at all like I planned.... We were just sitting down to get started on our day, when the doorbell rang. It was the next-door neighbors (who also homeschool) wanting to go sledding.

It has snowed just a little bit Thursday night. In fact, by mid-afternoon it was almost all gone. But the kids had fun for the couple hours they were out there.

At that point, our homeschool time was pretty much over. It was OK because I had covered all our Revolutionary material for this week and our plan was to work on some other things....

That stuff can wait because the snow definitely didn't!!

Tea Party

Today we had a Tea Party and reviewed all the details leading up to that monumental point in history.

Dad thought we should dress up like Indians and dump all our tea in the creek (silly dad!)

M. is working on lyrics to a new song. He wrote one and did pretty well at it. He was inpsired by the Heros we were talking about and is trying to figure out where to start with the next one.

C. is exciting to watch Celebrity Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? tonight.

Tuesday

Every other Tuesday is our fun day. We have our homeschooling friends over for art class. And after art, usually have a friend to play. So we do not do much other kind of school. We did start practicing our writing. M. wrote about bananas. C. about our puppy.

C.'s picture:


M.'s picture:

The Revolution

We are still working at nailing down the events that started the American Revolution. Today we watched the first part of a dvd series made by the History Channel entitled The Revolution.

We now can list the major events leading up to the conflict:
1. The Stamp Act: King George wanted to make recoup some money lost during the French and Indian War. This tax was on all paper products including playing cards!
2. The Americans were upset about Taxation Without Representation.
3. The English repeal the tax but the Americans think taxation will continue.
4. The Boston Massacre. Some Americans started harassing British troops. It began with throwing snowballs with rocks inside. It ended with the British soldiers killing five Americans. Paul Revere drew a painting that appeared in the local newspapers that made it look as if the British had attacked without provocation.
5. John Hancock ends up defending the British soldiers to ensure they would get a fair trial.
6. The British withdraw their troops from Boston.
7. But then levied a tax on tea. It is just a small tax that would not have imposed a financial burden but for the Americans it was about the principle.
8. The Americans dress like Indians and board a British ship and dumped all the tea off the boat.
9. Britain is mad and revokes Boston's charter and reinstates the troop occupation. The want to confiscate the weapons they know the Americans have been storing.
10. They begin to march towards Concord. Some Sons of Liberty meet them in Lexington. To this day it is not known who fired the first shot. When it was fired, both sides began firing at will.
11. The Americans were able to drive the British back to Boston. But the Revolution had begun.

Haraksan

M. was inspired by a contest in Lego Magazine that to design his own bionicle. This is the creation he came up with. Tomorrow he will work on an essay describing it.

King George III

Today we watched the movie Johnny Tremain....and learned about King George III.

C. was most impressed that King George had 15 children! Other things we learned:
**He was only 12 years old when his father died and he went from being plain, old George, to George, Prince of Wales.
**He became King at age 22 but refused to be crowned until he found a queen. He married 16-year old Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg
**He wanted to be a good king so he had the following rules:
1. Kings should be thin, so he tried not to eat too much
2. Kings should be moral--so he issued a royal proclamation against the use of bad language.
3. Kings should not break their promises.
4. King should have heirs (hence the 15 children)
5. Kings should be orderly--everything had a place, and a time. He was never late!
6. Kings should be careful with money.
7. Kings should be firm.

It was the last two rules that got him in trouble with the American colonies. England was in debt from the French and Indian War. The King needed to raise money and decided to tax the Americans without asking them. King George III was upset when the Americans revolted against the taxes. All of this led to the start of the Revolutionary War.

If King George had tried a different tactic--simply asking Americans to help--the war might never have started.

Christmas Pic

I thought this pic was so funny! These kids get so excited for Christmas....Just had to share it.

Patrick Henry

Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!

Yesterday we learned about Patrick Henry. Here are some of the highlights:
*Born May 29, 1736 and died June 6, 1799 at age 69
*Patrick parents wanted him to be educated but he was more interested in other things. At age 10, he started to be homeschooled!
*Patrick had 17 children!
*Patrick became a lawyer.
*Patrick served as governor of Virginia.
*Patrick was an influention person during the American Revolution
*Patrick helped to start Hampden Sydney College in Virginia
*Patrick fought hard for a Bill of Rights to be added to the US Constitution.

Calculators

I gave the kids some math worksheets to do this morning. I had to check chores around the house. C. had a review sheet. I have been using Math-U-See with her and it is working. It is an interesting curriculum to do math.

M. had been using Time4Learning.com and/or the Pokemon Learning League. He loved Pokemon but pretty much completed the lessons at his level. I asked him if he wanted to do math this time online or in workbook and he chose workbook...

To assess where he is at, I printed a placement test for him to do. When he brought it back, I didn't notice where he would have worked out the answer....So I asked if he used a calculator....

M. was surprised and asked how I knew.....I told him, moms are very smart people:)

and the dog

C. loves the dog. But has found pet ownership a busy job. Puppies like to get into a lot of things....

Pine Wood Derby

M. is so excited to be in cub scouts. He gets to be in his first pine wood derby in two weeks...He was so excited to build his car. It was a fun project to do with dad.

Samuel Adams

Our American Revolution Journey has begun! We discussed how American began as "The Thirteen Colonies" which were all ruled by King George III (who we will read more about soon).

Our main focus was on Samuel Adams. We read about how he was very reluctant to learn to ride a horse. He like to walk and talk to people. He felt you really could not meet as many people when on a horse.

He finally learned when his cousin, John Adams, convinced him that true statesmen needed to ride a horse to looks stately on a statue.

We also learned he was behind many of the mischievous happenings in Boston, such as the famous Boston Tea Party. He believe strongly that American should be independent of Britain well before the people living in America were ready to feel that way. So he did a lot of talking about why independence would be important.

Online Co-op

We will start this semester's journey on Monday. We are spending the next seven weeks learning about the American Revolution. At first, I was a bit aprehensive about this topic but as I started to prepare, I think it will be fun.

Fortunately we live in a place where field trips can be easily incorporated. This weekend, I do have to get to the library for a few additional resources so we will be able to start on Monday with no glitches!