FUN School - Arabella Week One

The next two weeks are an attempt to make our homeschool fun again. We got a little focused on workbooks, and just doing the basics and it got B-O-R-I-N-G! This involves hands on science all week. (My kids idea.) Also I have to step up the art lessons.

This is what we are doing with the Five in a Row book Arabella by Wendy Orr. This book is a story about a boy and his grandfather and the model ship Arabella. The model gets lost at sea during a storm, and the little boy goes after it. The boy makes it safely home with the Arabella but learns that his grandfather values him most of all the things in his life.

Monday:
Social Studies - Discover Australia
Science - Weather Observation

A while back a friend from the FIAR boards sent us this book as a surprise. It is signed and there is a note to the kids from Wendy Orr. Very nice. It was shipped from Australia, where Wendy Orr now resides. So we are studying Australia.

Today we completed a Highlights Top Secret Adventure that cover Australia.

We are also going to make a bottle thermometer, a barometer and a wind speedometer from the instructions in the Usborne Big Book of Experiments.

Tuesday:
Language Arts - Simile, Storytelling, Vocabulary
Science - Rope and Knot Tying

We have the book a boy, a dog, and a frog by mercer mayer . This is a wordless book, and both Mouse and Monkey will write a story for this book.

Mouse will do the Vocabulary words in the FIAR Vol. 4 book. Monkey will learn about similes.

Andrew will be teaching us basic knots during Family Home Evening on Tuesday. We are pretty excited about that. I am sure I will "tie" in a demonstration on how family unity can be represented by a rope. I am sure the Godhead will be demonstrated also as they are 3 individuals united in one purpose.

This is the Double Half Hitch knot:

This is the Sheet Bend knot:

Wednesday:
Art: Model Ship Building
Science: Parts of a Wave/Reefs (The Great Barrier Reef)

We are going to build models of ships from toothpicks. We will also make the Crayola models of The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchmen from Pirates of the Caribbean. I found them at Goodwill for $2.

Thursday:
Applied Math: Parts to Make a Whole
Science: Blood Cells

We will find real life fractions. This will not be intense. We will keep it light and fun. They get a ton of fraction practice in their math curriculum.

We will look at this website on blood. We enjoyed learning about how our blood is such a help to our body. We watched the Magic School Bus show Inside Ralphie. Note to me: It is so much better to study something then let them watch the movie. We discussed and reviewed it as we watched. Very good!

Friday:
Science: Sailing
Field Trip to a local marina.

We will talk about sailing concepts, and the general principles of aerodynamics and the use of simple machines. (straight from the manual)

We are using many books to aid in our studies this week. Our "Learning Library" is full of fun and interesting books on all topics we will cover over the next two weeks.

I will update with pictures as they happen.

What have I been doing?

Well...I hate to admit this. I really do.

I have been watching tv shows and movies. We got a subscription to Netflix. I love Netflix. I love the no late fees, and I especially love the new feature of instant watching with streaming video.

So my new obsessions have been:

• 30 Rock, very funny show, I paced myself, only one or 4 a night.
• Anything to do with Jane Austen, almost done with that.
• Heroes, yes, I am very ashamed of myself.

Now, let's talk about Heroes. Andrew and I are watching this together, which is fun, but also drives me insane because I have to wait for him to watch the next one. He is home this week, so we are getting a lot done in this area. We completed Season 1 last night, and watched 2 episodes of Season 2.

I cannot stand how much gore there is on this show. I would love it completely if we didn't have to watch Sylar cut someone's head open every time. I have smartened up enough to see it coming, and close my eyes. But seriously, how much blood do we really need to see. I would be fine if they just showed someones horrified face as they yelled, "Oh my gosh, his head is cut open and his brain is missing! Must be that darn Sylar again!" Apparently, this is not what is hot in today's TV.

I have also enjoyed an educational documentary or two. The Life of Mammals was great!

What exciting thing did we do Spring Break 2008? We watched TV!!!!

For My Fans...

OK, so last Tuesday, while I was in another part of the house, my sons were in the kitchen. Puppy was on the counter, his new favorite pastime, and Monkey, being a good brother, was trying to help him get down. This kicked in Puppy's defense system and he started flinging things. One of those being a wooden pepper grinder. I hear a lot of screaming and as I come into the living room, Monkey is running towards me with a death grip on his forehead.

Just for the record. I don't do blood. I do stickers/thorns. I do bruises. I do burns, but I do NOT do blood. I get a little frantic.

So, I realize blood is involved here and Andrew is not home. I get Mouse to fetch a washcloth, yes it was my best one! And you know what's going through my head at the same time as "I hope this doesn't need stitches"? "Well this is going to make some great Easter pics!" LOL!

Then I make this awe inspiring speech every strong leader makes when there is a crisis, "Ok, look we have all got to calm down! I am trying hard to not freak out, and you guys need to help me, so I don't THROW UP! So, can we all chill out???" Yes the inspiration and respect on their faces was evident at this point.

So anyway, I take the quickest peek. I see just enough to know it is going to need stitches, but not enough to know how big it is. We all have another slight freak out. Then we all get it back together as I try to call our pediatrician's office to see if we need to come there, or can we go to the ER. They are closed for lunch. So I quickly try to find a place for the other kids, so I can go to the ER.

I call Andrew. Tell him what is going on, and that I am bringing the other two children to him. He is fine with that, and then I have another thought. He works on the opposite side of town...I will call my friend who lives on the way to the ER.

See the post about my good friend Margaret...yeah, she can watch them...She is very calm, and that helps a lot.

We get to the ER, they get us right in, and they glue that cut shut! We were very happy that it did not involve stitches. My Monkey boy would have been very traumatized by that...not me...him! From the time of Puppy's first blow to the time we walked out of the ER was almost exactly one hour. Gotta love a small town!

So anyway, the cut turned out to be at least an inch wide. It is healing nicely. He will have a scar, but he is all good with that.

Another one from Monkey

As he walks in the living room from cleaning his room he hears Barney on the tv from Puppy's tv viewing. Barney starts singing the I love you song...

"Yeah, Barney sings it by himself now...Poor Barney!"

I just laugh...that is so hilarious! He didn't stick around for the second verse where the kids sing with him. You think I should tell him?

The Most Hideous Day!

This morning is the Monday after a non-stop weekend! We are all a bit tired and the house is more than a little worse for wear. So, I call to the Monkey to wake up this morning. He wakes up whining...
"MOM, I declare every Monday as break day from school!"
Why Monkey boy?
"Because they are our most hideous days!!! We have to clean all day, and then do school, and then we are late for Family Home Evening! Please, mom! School break?"

No dice baby!

This is Friendship

Ok, so I got a call from my dear friend Margaret. I do canning with her, she helps me organize my home, I help garden at her place. We help each other out... Today she calls and says, why don't you come over for a couple hours, I have some brush I want to clear. I say ok. So I quick find a sitter for the Puppy. Then I pack up the kids, a picnic, and all workbook stuff to be done today, and we were off.

The kids are all set. Puppy at the sitter, and Mouse and Monkey are having a picnic up near the house at Margaret’s.

So we start clearing this brush. Then about half way through the brush clearing, she tells me we are going to cut down a tree. We are talking a ginormous tree here! In total shock, and just seeing how cool that would be to blog about, I say ALRIGHT!!! Feeling like a superwoman for real now!

Well we went to sawing on that tree with the chainsaw, and it starts to go down. We are waiting for the big BOOM! But guess what? No dice. The top branches hung on 3 other trees. We were bummed. It didn't go down. So tonight a storm is coming. We are sure hoping for a good wind. If not, that is going to be a doozy of a job.

Sorry no pics. Just think really big white oak just laying on a few trees, but not falling, and still stuck on the stump!

Notes to self:
Next time wear long sleeves.
Stay out of firing range of the DR. Huge bruise on leg from wood chip. OUCH!
Start working out on a more regular basis! That is some hard work girl!

After that, Margaret tells me, "So, you gonna do 30 minutes on the treadmill?" I think she is out of her ever loving mind!!! But guess what? I did it! YaY me!

Musings of a Monkey

Said to me as I prepared dinner tonight. Where does he get these things???

Mom, sometimes I act like a spider.
Sometimes I act like a rabbit.
And sometimes, I act like a monkey.

Also, as we came home from a date and picking the kids up from the sitter:

Monkey - Did you have fun at the dance mom?
Me - Well, yeah, Daddy danced one dance with me.
Monkey - Which dance? Was it the chicken dance?
Me and Daddy - Laughing uncontrollably while searching for paper and pen to right that one down!