Friday Wrap-Up ~ Week 35 ... The Zoo, Nature and Swan Lake!

Swan Lake!
And so it begins! We are in the mist of our dance studio's production of Swan Lake With a Splash!  The kids work so hard preparing for each of these performances. They are so excited when it comes time to get on the stage. They have no stage fright and I love to see theme enjoying their passion.  This year Goldilocks is a dog, Little Red Riding Hood is seaweed and Tom Sawyer is a police officer and seaweed. The girls also have a separate performance for their aerial arts class in the middle of the week. One girl will be a bird and the other will be Princess Padme. That totals up to 7 shows in the next week. We will be very busy people for the next few days.

The Zoo
We had an awesome time at the zoo for Mother's Day. The most exciting part was watching Tom Sawyer and Goldilocks go up in an amazing obstacle course. If you want to read more of our impressions about the Columbia Zoo, go here.

Chimney Rock
Since my husband had the week off, we decided to visit a local attraction. We drove out to see Chimney Rock. It is a bit costly for the us locals. However, we wanted to visit since our kids are growing up here and have never seen it. It really is a spectacular sight. We also went on two of the hikes within the park grounds.

All The Rest ~ We are still in different stages of this cold. However, for the most part we are on the mend. Tom Sawyer and Little Red Riding Hood did lots of education games (multiplication war, Life, and Borderline USA) this week. They also did Teaching Textbooks, Explode the Code, and CNN student news. Their favorite book this week was Math Sentences with Math-terpieces The Art of Problem Solving. This book was great. We read each page and then solved each puzzle by writing down the math sentences. We also enjoyed the latest SQUILT piece from homegrown learners.  Goldilocks did lots of catching up on Time4learning and hours of job training (yard work with daddy) this week.

Tim Update ~ I visited a wonderful day program for individuals with brain injuries with Timothy this week. This programs goal is to increase life skills and provide lots of social outings to the participants.  It attracts the most high functioning brain injured in our area and some of Timothy's friends from his special needs college class attend it. The program writes up goals for each client and helps them achieve their personal goals. It looks like a wonderful program for Tim and he will be testing it out for a few days next week. If all goes well, he will start going a few days a week in the very near future.  I am very excited to find this great place for him to spread his wings a bit more on his road to more independence.

We are one week out from the end of out 2012/2013 school year. The kids are ready for a change. We will still be doing about 1.5 hours of school a day, but with a twist. I will post about it soon. Here is one last picture of my youngest monkey.

Blessings, Dawn

Fun at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC

We went to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, for Mother's Day. What a great zoo! It had wonderful shade trees to deal with heat. The lines for different activities and to get into the zoo were quick and well organized. Since our oldest volunteers at a large nature center, we are always aware of the care and contentment level of the animals. All the animals seemed happy and well cared for at this zoo. (I wish I could say that about every zoo we have visited.)

Little Red Riding Hood wanted  her picture taken in front of her favorite animals. She loves the color pink so had to be photographed in front of the flamingos!

We visited the botanical gardens which are in this zoo. It was fun taking the tram ride up the hill. My kids love any kind of trolley ride. The botanical gardens were lovely and we would have enjoyed them for longer if everyone had felt their best. The cold is still bugging many of us.

In one part of the zoo there was an obstacle course. As soon as Tom Sawyer and Goldilocks saw it, they wanted to go on it. I thought it was to high and would scare them. However, the cost wasn't to extraordinary and I thought it would be a lifelong memory if they were successful. I made a deal with them to give up a trinket in the gift shop for a ticket to go on the obstacle course. They both readily agreed.

They were harnessed in and taught about climbing gear. To my joy and amazement they both went through all of the levels (all the way to the top). Furthermore, they encouraged each other all along the way. These two are my main bickers and spend loads of time in strife. It was really nice to see them encourage each other. I am glad we only sent the two of them up there. I think it was a great moment for building a positive memory in their relationship.

Tom Sawyer

Goldilocks

I bet this was good exercise for Tom Sawyers core issues. It was also great for both of their self esteems.

I was one proud mom watching them. My poor husband and mother did not get their pictures taken the whole day. I am not sure how that happened. It was a lovely family outing.

Blessings, Dawn

Week 34 ~ Broken Computer, Doctors and Bed School ...

This was not one of our stellar weeks. Some weeks we just put one foot in front of the other and do the best we can. We started the week off with many flooded streets around town caused by the massive rainfall over the weekend. It was a bit hard to get around town. By Tuesday, kids started getting sick and developed symptoms that seemed to indicated strep throat and a stomach virus. However, they tested negative for strep, and the doctor thinks they have a cold that mocks strep which is going around. Tom Sawyer and Little Red Riding Hood have spent much of the week in bed doing "bed school". Then on Wednesday the computer decided to get sick, too! Poor Goldilocks had to give up on computer school since our only remaining computer is a vintage little notebook and can't support Time4Learning. I am really impressed that the little notebook is letting me get this post up!

Collage Pictures ~ Sensory play gone wild with shaving cream, Turkey Pot Pie, Dear Husband working on our computer, homemade honey cinnamon cough drops.

Books We Read ~ 

• Finished Little Town on the Prairie
• My Great-Grandmother's Gourd
• Immigration Kids Discover
• Boundless Grace
• Abuela's Weave
• Several Garfield books
• Nancy Drew books 

Movies We Watched ~ We watched a 4 hour documentary called Destination America this week. It was very interesting and looked at immigration to America from the 1700's to present day. The kids also watched some PBS kids and PBS cooking shows.

Tom Sawyer ~ Tom Sawyer (11) had a physical therapy evaluation last week and the results are back. I took him in for an evaluation because he still can't ride a bike and complains about pain in his upper back much of the time. She found that his core and hips are very weak. The therapist was surprised he was able to sit up and walk as well as he can. I felt bad that I hadn't taken him in sooner. I just had no idea that all of these little symptoms were indicators of poor core issues! When he was a baby and toddler, he had physical therapy every week. However, that PT said he didn't need any more help, so he has gone for years without any physical therapy.  Here are his symptoms, in case you have a child who needs to be checked out.

• Lots of pain in the neck and shoulders (you know, doctors call these "growing pains")
• Poor writing or hand control
• Mild to moderate balance issues
• Poor posture while sitting
• Leaning on arms for support while sitting
• Low energy
• Trouble keeping up with other kids
• Appears lazy about doing chores that require lifting or lots of walking back and forth
• Gets very cold in water ~ such as at the pool or at the end of bath time

He starts physical therapy in two weeks. Until then we have a few Superman exercises to do. We will not be signing him up for swimming lessons this year. I explained to the therapist that he had needed rescuing multiple times by lifeguards during lessons in the past few years. Because he was always so cold and blue when they got him out, I had him checked for cardiac issues. She said that was also symptoms of core issues!! I am so glad we are finally getting him help.

Goldilocks ~ Goldilocks has been pretty strong this week. When her siblings are down and the schedule is different, Goldilocks tends to have more issues. She is bummed that the computer is down. She really prefers being educated by the computer, rather than schooling with me. She is also nervous about round two of braces. The orthodontist is trying to figure out why one tooth won't come in and whether she will need surgery to get it in position to come through. She had special x rays this week. The dentist and orthodontist are deciding what to do next. While they were in her mouth, they found an abscess in another area. Now she needs to swish her mouth out with salt water or hydrogen peroxide three times a day and see if it clears up.

Next Week ~ We are praying that everyone feels better in the next 24 hours. Next week is my husband's vacation, but we can't go away overnight. The kids have technical rehearsals almost every night. They will be performing in Swan Lake in a matter of days. Since our nights are so busy next week, we plan on doing a few day trips or special outings in the area. My husband is also hoping to do lots of yard work. We have just two more weeks to this school year. I'll be posting our summer plans soon. We will be continuing with lessons instead of a summer break. However, there is some extra special fun planned in between playing catch up.

I am joining Homegrown Learners.

Blessings, Dawn

Friday Week 33 ~ Andrew Johnson, Walt Whitman and Science Fun ...

We had a great week! We got lots done and had fun along the way. The most exciting thing this week was a field trip to Andrew Johnson's home. He was the 17th president and saw our country through the Reconstruction Period after Lincoln was assassinated. I didn't learn anything about Andrew Johnson when I was in school (or about practically any other president either). I was fascinated to learn about Johnson and his family. He appears to have been a decent man. While in his home town of Tennessee, we were able to visit Andrew Johnson's birth home, adult home, burial site (at a National Park Service graveyard), and a great visitors center. We also visited a jail from his time period. We were pleased to see so many things to do in such a small town (Greeneville, Tennessee).

"When I die, I want no more winding sheet than that of the brave old flag...and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country." ~ Andrew Jackson

Poetry Tea ~ Our poetry tea this quarter was Walt Whitman. We really enjoyed learning about him this week. He was a wonderful poet. The kids especially liked "Oh Captain, My Captain" and the prose poem, "Did you read in the sea-books of the old fashioned frigate fight?". We had coconut bread pudding, gummies, and fresh fruit for breakfast while listening to several of his poems. Our favorite reading was this version of Oh captain, My Captain.

Science Fun ~  We didn't do much the first two quarters this year. However, we are doing a good job catching up now. This week we conducted an experiment with colored water and celery to show how plants get nutrients and water from the soil.

The snap circuits that Tom Sawyer got for his birthday are very popular. Tom Sawyer has spent many hours this week working with them. The girls have explored them a bit this week too.

All The Rest ~ The other big thing we did this week was finish our Presidents Timeline. I used flash cards and copied the distributions from the back to explain about each president. We plan on going back and writing down the key things going on in history below each president. We also did lots of language arts, Teaching Textbooks and paragraph writing. Goldilocks logged 8 hours on the computer with Time4Learning this week.

I even took a bit of time for myself this week and read a novel! I read The Help. It was fantastic!

Blessings, Dawn

A Lego Party on a Budget!!!

Tom Sawyer is 11! He wanted a Lego party this year. We decorated with party goods from the Dollar Tree. The streamers, good containers, tablecloths, paper products and empty goody bags cost $18. Not bad.  We served organic popcorn (for everyone but Tom Sawyer, who is allergic to corn), veggie platter with hummus, watermelon, and potato chips. We also had organic soda and cherry juice. The boys really enjoyed standing around the food bowls and eating. I really didn't need plates ~ LOL.

Tom Sawyer made a Lego man centerpiece. It came out great. Each side had one letter in the word Lego. He is such a creative kid.

The cakes were an adventure. There were four kids at the party with food allergies, including Tom Sawyer. I decided on one vegan cake and one grain-free cake. I made a building block cake. I followed the instructions found here. The block cake was chocolate vegan. The second cake was a grain-free cake. I used this recipe but added lemon juice to make it lemon flavor and omitted the chocolate. I didn't have any liquid Stevia, so I used sugar. I think that is why the cake was so flat, it was too heavy with the weight of the sugar. The grain-free cake was so good. We loved it and I think it will be our new "go to" cake. The food cost about $25.

We had lots of fun activities planned. It was a rainy day, so the kids were rained in. Twelve kids, most of them boys, made for a noisy party. They were not very interested in most of my ideas. The boys mostly wanted to hide from the girls. They did settle down to a few activities. The most popular was Lego Bingo.

They also watched a Lego movie, played with Legos and some tried out the Lego games I found at the scratch 'n dent grocers in our area. These games were found for half price the morning of the party! They cost about $12 combined.

The gift bags were from the Dollar Tree and I decorated them with Lego templates I found on the Internet.  The bags were filled with cheap candy or 100% fruit ropes (depending on the individual's allergies), bouncing balls, glow in the dark sticks, and pencils. The cost of the bags was $18.

He got so many cool gifts this birthday. They were all perfect for him. He has been busy building ever since.

It is a tradition to put a gift outside our son's door the night before his birthday. He tends to rise very early, and it keeps him busy while the rest of us sleep. We put his grandparents' gift out because we thought it would take him the longest. He rose at 3 am (yes!) and spent two hours building this White House Lego replica. He loved it!

He also got several Walmart gift cards and went out to buy these cool guys.

What a fun party!

Blessings, Dawn

Week 32 Wrap-Up...Two Birthdays and A Concert!

On My Mind ~ Busy, Busy, Busy ~ This past week was a whirlwind. We had a lot of fun, but I am ready for it to slow down a bit. Goldilocks had her last choir rehearsal and concert this week. I think it may be her last time with the choir. I love the homeschool choir she has been in off and on since she was 6. However, she really has a love/hate relationship with it and isn't memorizing the songs like she should. She mouths the words much of the time on stage. She also refuses to practice at home. She doesn't spend her free time singing either. It isn't a passion of hers and it isn't raising her self-esteem, as far as I can tell. I think we have used up the choir's usefulness (at least for now). My goals for her next year are to raise her self esteem, support her mental health and increase her academic and life skills. The choir just doesn't fit our goals.

George Washington Carver and A Birthday Party ~ George Washington Carver invented a host of things to make out of sweet potatoes. My Mother loves sweet potatoes. So, it was a perfect solution to conclude our study of George Washington Carver with a sweet potato party for my Mother! We had pie, chips, rolls, and casserole all made out of sweet potatoes. It was so good...

A Lego Party ~ As soon as my Mom's birthday was over, I started planning my son's 11th birthday. He decided on a Lego theme and I loved the idea. He thought I got a bit carried away. However, when it came down to the party, he was delighted. To see the full details of our Lego Party, go to this post.

All the Rest ~ We had a great week overall. We continued with Goldilocks doing her core schooling on the computer. She definitely prefers doing school on the computer and it makes my house a lot calmer. The other children continue to learn loads more stuff without all of her interruptions. I plan on Goldilocks continuing on the computer all through the summer. She is so far behind that she really can't take a complete break from school.  If you are interested in seeing the flow of our day currently, go to this post. It is our most recent Day in the Life update. I can't believe we only have a month left to this school year. I am working on our final lesson plans. Are you all almost done?

Blessings, Dawn

A Day In The Life ~ April Edition ~ Our New Normal

I have changed the way we homeschool so many times in the last 14 years. We have homeschooled with only one, up to four and back to three kids. We have used a literature approach, workbook approach (for only a few weeks at a time during a crisis), unit study approach and unschooling approach (for one year ~ way back when). Now, we have made another change and it feels so good. I have turned Goldilocks's education over to the computer. She is doing most of her academic work with Time 4 Learning. It is a big change and one that I thought would benefit her, but never imagined it would benefit the other kids so much. Goldilocks now spends between 2 and 3 hours on the computer with Time 4 Learning each day.  Here is a day in the life in our new normal:

6:45 am ~ I am up and stumble off to the kitchen to start my husband's coffee pot and tea for the rest of us. We are having buckwheat hot cereal this morning. No one likes it much, but we have to finish the box. I opt to just have a Greek yogurt fruit shake and some watermelon. Tom Sawyer's birthday party is just a few days away and now they are predicting rain! I have to think of more indoor activities. I start searching Pinterest for Lego games.

8:00 am ~ Where did the time go? The kids are all up and eating the unpopular cereal and tasty watermelon. Tom Sawyer and Tim are having "playtime" together (laughing hysterically over You Tube videos of chemistry experiments gone wrong). After breakfast everyone does their personal hygiene chores and gathers what they need to be ready for school.

8:20 am ~ It is school together time. We pray for our day and people we know who are struggling. We also do jumping jacks and leg compressions for sensory wake up. Then the kids watch CNN Student News (current events) and listen to three chapters of Little Town on the Prairie (literature). I move all of the kids to the family room to watch this week's movie, Spellbound (character training). My kids often seem to lack motivation to reach higher, strive harder and just plain excel. I like for them to see others reaching for high bars and hopefully they will reach more often themselves. Spellbound has been a great movie for this ongoing discussion in our family. It follows eight kids trying to win the National Spelling Bee. We watch the movie chosen for the week for about 30 minutes each day until we finish the movie. While the kids are learning through media forms, I am mopping the floors in the same room as them (works great for keeping everyone in their seats, ha ha) and folding laundry.

9:30 am ~ At this point we separate. Goldilocks goes to the computer for the next two hours and the rest of us move to the library. Goldilocks will do math and language arts on the computer. I do still need to work on this one part. I can't maintain line of sight while I am in the library. I have to keep checking on her to make sure she is doing what she is supposed to be doing. Tom Sawyer and Little Red Riding Hood start with silent reading time. In the last two weeks Little Red Riding Hood has taken off with Paddington Bear books. She loves them, even though they are a bit of a struggle for her!

10:00 am ~ I read to the kids Grandfather Tang's Story (math). I am returning to literature-based math to supplement Tom Sawyer's and Little Red Riding Hood's Teaching Textbooks math. The kids play with Tangrams while I read.

I love this way of learning! It just feels so natural. The big change in our day is that with Goldilocks engaged with the computer, our interruptions have been reduced by 75%. I knew she was adding chaos to our day ~ but I didn't realize how much.  

We read two more picture books. The first is Molly, By Golly The Legend of Molly William, who was the first woman firefighter. We then read Fifty Cents and a Dream, a story about young Booker T. Washington (both books tie into the period of history we are studying).

11:30 am ~ It is time to get lunch going and I start potatoes boiling for mashed potatoes with salsa. Little Red Riding Hood is on the computer doing Teaching Textbooks (math), and Tom Sawyer is doing Explode the Code and Cursive Writing (language arts). They trade when Little Red Riding Hood is done with the computer. Goldilocks reads to me and works her way through Draw Write Now.

12:00 pm ~ Lunch time! We finish up school by taking care of our tadpole and recording any changes (science). There are none today.

12:45 pm ~ We take Tim to college and come home to clean up the yard so Daddy will be able to mow when he gets home.

1:30 pm ~ The kids have free time and choose to play on the Kindle and computer. I sneak a chapter of the book I am reading, The Help, and make a few phone calls.

2:30 pm ~ We have outdoor time and work a bit on our "secret garden". We also just enjoy the sunshine.

3:30 pm ~ Chore time... The kids reload the dishwasher and clean the bathrooms.

4:00 pm ~ We pick up Tim and return home to make dinner and enjoy time with Daddy.

Another day is done. What a blessing it is to homeschool ....

Blessings, Dawn