On the Agenda

Before our school year is over, I sit down and figure out what in the world we're supposed to be doing the next school year. You would think it would get easier as the years go by. Yeah. I wished it worked that way. There are a couple of used curriculum sales that I like to hit in May, so it's good to have a plan. Only, we know how well I follow a plan. At one of the sales, I actually put back all of the stuff I had picked up for the boy's literature and changed tacks. The big girl (oh my heart) won't be schooling with us this year. The boy and the baby are at the stage where we can do several subjects together, so that helps. Here's what I did:

• I already know that the boy and the baby girl are going to have bible and German together. I'm not sure what we're using for bible yet, but I do know that we'll finish an Acts study we started towards the end of our last year. After that, it's wide open. German is Power Glide and we're restarting that. Last year was a bad year for foreign language. As in, we didn't foreign language. Ugh!
• The kids will be using Mystery of History, Volume II for world history. I like that it has activities for different levels. I'll be mixing and matching them through out the year. I'm hoping to keep current on the timeline. I think it would be cool to have it around the kitchen and living room. We'll see. The book is huge and just a bit intimidating, so I joined a page on the social network. That has been amazing. I feel much more confident about something we've never used before.
• For literature, the boy will be using a Progeny Press study guide and a Memoria Press study guide. The PP will be Beowulf and the MP will be The Odyssey. It fits in with the time period of the history. I'm a little excited for the boy. These are a different type of reading than what he's used to and I think he'll like the storylines. He'll also be using Cliff's Notes to help with whatever we don't get and to give him some background information. The baby will be using a study guide from In the Hands of a Child for Island of the Blue Dolphin and a Progeny Press study guide for A Wrinkle in Time. I am a huge fan of PP, but there wasn't one for The Odyssey. I have both PP and HOAC for Island of the Blue Dolphin, but I want to get the baby out of her comfort zone.
• Science this year is A Beka Biology. Both kids will be using it this year. The baby will be an 8th grader and she can get high school credit for it. I'm not worried about this one since I taught this at co-op a couple of years ago. This should be easy peasy.
• Grammar is Rod and Staff for the baby and A Beka for the boy. I like both programs but I have to admit that R&S is my very favorite for teaching grammar, hands down. It is clear and concise and I like the way it's put together.
• Math this year is A Beka for both kids. Algebra for the baby and Algebra 2 for the boy. I had looked at a couple of different things for the boy, but went back to A Beka. It's what he's used to and I think he'll do fine with it. The baby will get high school credit for algebra, so let's just start marking things off now! Woot!

So far, we don't have any plans for a school co-op. I'm kind of glad because that frees up some time. We'll be looking at new dance studios this year as well. I think I know where we're going. It's closer to the house than our previous studio and that saves us some time. I'm not sure what that schedule will be like so I need to keep that in mind. Hubby and I decided that we need to get used to a new studio before we commit to a performance or competition team, so that's off the schedule, thank goodness.

I'll wait until we get back from our summer trip before I start planning. You have to know, though, that I am champing at the bit. Lesson planning is one of my guilty pleasures. I am so weird.

Have a great day.

Letting Go

We had huge milestones this year.

It was the big girl's senior year and as of May 20, she is officially graduated!! It was a hard fought battle, but, by golly, it's done. The dance load was huge this year, but that was lightened when we got kicked out. That's a different story for another blog, but you can bet your bippidies, it's coming out (full of angst, jealousy, butt hurt, and back stabbing. I cannot make this stuff up). Her school load was heavy this year. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble, but you know how that goes. Hello, senioritis, it's been a while since I've seen you. We both had a HUGE case of that. We all know the only cure for that is to be done, done, done with school, which was not an option. Here are some pics of our year.

Senior pics. The struggle is real, y'all. I teared up during the shoot and balled like a baby when I got all the pics back. She is so stinkin' gorgeous, but that goes all the way through to her soul. She is kind and generous and giving and loving and funny and intelligent and here come the tears again!!

 



I have more company pictures, but they're on my old phone, darnit. I might just have to do another post. Well, ok, if you insist...

 



My kids can hula hoop like nobody's business. At the kingdom one day, there was a nice cast member handing them out. So my kids took them. And I took this! There was a little girl that said "Mommy, I want to hoop like that!" Me, too, child, me, too.

 

This amazing young lady is one of our favorite people on earth. She choreographed the big girl's solo, gave my kids dance lessons after the big debacle, and found opportunities for the big girl to present her solo. I have so much respect for her and her outlook on life. I will forever be grateful for her spirit and grace.

 



The big girl and her bestie attended a couple of cons this year. Her bestie, A, likes to cosplay and so the big girl joined her. A is Kylo Ren and the big girl is Rey. They were like rock stars when they walked in and pretty much all day. I had no idea what a big deal it would be, but they had an amazing time.

 

 

They also went to Megacon this year and had a huge Lord of the Rings group. The big girl was Arwen, A was Legolas. They also had Boromir, Gandalf, Faramir, and Gimli. Along the way they met a group of guys that were Gondorian troops, so they all took a pic together. That was super cool!

 

 

 

So what else? She had a big role in our Christmas play this year. It was bigger than what we've done in years past and she rocked it. She got her driver's license, thank God! That has been a blessing. She performed at a recital at a friend's studio. She performed in skits at church. I know there's so much more, but I'll be darned if I can remember anything else right now.

 

What does her future hold? So much! This summer she and her siblings will be touring with the New Dawn Singers. If you happen to be in Pennsylvania this summer, message me and I'll let you know where she'll be. She wants to attend a special effects make-up school that's fairly close. She will be auditioning, auditioning, auditioning when she turns 18 because she wants to dance at the House of the Mouse. And later, she'll attend a local technical school to get her cosmetology license so she can work in special effects when she's done with that portion of her schooling.

 

And, as always, her future is bright and wide open! I am so excited to see where the Lord leads her. Y'all hang on. I know this is going to be a great ride!

 

Have a great day.

Curvy

I like to fly by the seat of my pants. I will plan like crazy so I know exactly how to get from point A to point B. I know, it doesn't sound like flying, but I have to wander a bit before I get to the point. You know that! Now, hush and let me finish! Anyway...once I get it all planned, I rarely follow it. I always say it's about the adventure of getting there, not the actual arriving that makes a journey so much fun. Well, then our school year has been quite the adventure.

• We ditched geometry and literature for the big girl. Sometimes you just have to. So we did. Easy Peasy, also known as All in One Homeschool, has been a great go to for geometry. The program is computer based and the site for the math offers free tutoring. Since the program itself is free as well, um, ok. She has flourished and that makes me happy! She went from BJU American Literature to using  Progeny Press study guide for Red Badge of Courage. It also fits right in with American history since we're right at the Civil War. That has been a much better fit for her as well. She's used several of the study guides over the years and really liked them. They got her interested in some different authors and different kind of books. Win!
• I changed the baby's history right as we were getting ready to start school. There was too much involved with the 1st one. Her brother and sister were going to study American history and it didn't make sense to have her do world history. I had a couple of resources but figured out pretty early that they weren't going to make it to the end of the school year. She would have shot ahead of her brother and sister and not really been able to study anything specifically. So, let's piece something together. I am so grateful for all of the freebies that I have downloaded all these years! I have at least 3 unit studies she can use to supplement and she gets time to actually get details instead of a general overview. Add searching the library for books and her history is keeping me on my toes.
• We didn't change anything for the boy. That doesn't mean he hasn't had his own set of problems. I was given 95% of the curriculum that he is using this year. I am grateful beyond all there is for that. A Beka, although reasonably priced for what you get, can get expensive if you get all of the bells and whistles. It's just not the right curriculum for him. We both went into this year knowing there would be issues, but we've tried to get around those as best we could. He has done an outstanding job. There is much more leeway in his high school years with all the stuff I have, so hopefully we'll work something out.
• I'm already planning for next year and watching for used curriculum sales. There is a big one that's about an hour from here. It is so worth the drive! Some people were extremely proud of their stuff. Thank you, I'll buy the one next to it that's $10 cheaper. There is one coming up in a couple of weeks that I'm going to miss and I'm so sad. It's local and I have a bunch to sell. I'll just post it on my social pages. Normally I would buy stuff just to buy it. Not anymore. I have a list and I'm sticking to it!
• We didn't take as many field trips as I wanted. We missed all of the ones at the zoo. That's my fault. We have, however, spent some great time at Disney. That more than makes up for it!

That's our overview. Sometimes, everything gets checked off for the week. That doesn't mean there wasn't school happening on a Sunday. Because there was definitely school happening on Sunday. After chores. And that is why I always plan in pencil. Because it's all about the adventure! And a big eraser!

Have a great day.

In Sickness and in Health...

I know. It's been awhile. We have been slammed busy. I don't really like when we get so busy I can't remember what day it is or where I'm supposed to be. Here's what we have going on:

• Yup, there has been a lot of yuckiness around here. The big girl and the boy had it 3 times! I tell everybody I can't be mad at them. At least they're sharing! I did tell the kids after round 2, though, that if they got it again, I was dropping them at the animal shelter. Every time they got it, it was just a little different than the time before. I found that one of the best things for a cough is a spoonful or coconut oil followed by a spoonful of raw, local honey. It took about 15 minutes to work, but at least the big girl was finally able to sleep. We missed roughly 3 weeks of school and each of the kids missed at least 2 weeks of dance. Everybody is fine now except for the runny noses. So. Much. Snot...
• School is way behind due to bullet point number 1. There won't be much of a spring break around here. We'll take a few days because the big girl is spending time with a friend and I'm hoping to have my niece and nephew for a couple of days. We'll see how it goes.
• We have a new to us vehicle! It was time. We had finally found parts for the van that were available and not expensive. But once we took care of the little stuff that seemed like a big deal, we ran into some things that were big stuff that was a big deal. Stuff that would take hours to fix or a professional. We traded her for a 2006 Jeep. Gorgeous vehicle! She's silver and chromed out and did I say gorgeous? It's MUCH smaller than the van on the inside and we're having a hard time figuring it all out. Sometimes I wish we had gotten the Suburban, but it was way out of our price range. The Jeep had a leaky sunroof (every used vehicle with a sunroof is a flood waiting to happen, and I don't mean outside your vehicle), but hubby fixed it because he totally rocks!
• Dance rehearsals started back in February. The kids are learning their company recital dance. They've started recital dances in their regular classes as well. So much to learn! We're also involved in some fund raisers. We are raffling Easter baskets, we are starting birthday parties at the studio, and we are having hot dog/bake sales at a local retailer. Add that to the regular schedule and things get crazy around here.
• Science co-op is getting ready to wind down. It has been an interesting year, that's for sure. I've enjoyed hanging with the younger crowd and not listening when I have to sit in on chemistry. I'm glad the boy and the big girl are both in that class. That means I'll only have to teach it once. Or find a teacher. My friend M has volunteered to teach a speech and debate class next year. We just may do that.
• I did a quick clean out of the curriculum cabinet. I did take some things out to sell that I know I won't use. There are a couple of local used curriculum sales I may participate in. Get rid of what I can and see if I can trade for what I need. I'm already planning for next year, but you already knew that. My next step is to make a list of what I need to complete a set, and what I want to complete a set. I've made a bunch of copies this year, but at least I have them for later.
• We're getting new chicks! We need to make them a home for now and a home for later. We figured we put them in with the older ladies since there are only 2 of them left. And that's one reason we're getting new chicks. We're getting chickens that lay green eggs. That's going to be so much fun!

That's about it for now. But, really that's enough since I have to go teach!

Have a great day.

7!

It has been a long time since I have just blogged. I hope you're as excited about this as I am!

• School is rolling merrily along. I had to change a couple of things, but for the most part, the kids are rocking it. Chemistry is seriously trying to kick the big girl's and the boy's butt. This, too shall pass. To reward them, we started German. It may not sound like a treat, but the kids want to learn a foreign language. Our attempts at Spanish and Latin have fallen flatter than Stanley. This is what the kids want to learn, so here we go. They are excited about getting to the point that they can have a conversation with their grandparents in German. Me, too, actually.
• I have a huge stack of books to read. Again. Duh. My favorite thing about this, though, is that the girls have a stack to read that's just as big. Being an avid reader, that is one thing I have wanted to pass to my kids. I'm not sure how it skipped the boy. But, on a bright note, he does find books he wants to read, they are just few and far between. I requested an audio book and was pretty excited to listen to it. The guy doing the narrative had the worst voice for it. I was soooo bored. Like, so bored I fell asleep. I missed half the book. We do have 2 more books on CD to listen to in the van. That is one of my favorite ways to read. The One and Only Ivan is what we're listening to now. It's about to get sad and we don't like that, but sometimes that's what happens. We just finished reading Sarah, Plain and Tall as our after dinner book. We are moving on to the movie now.
• Mama needs a new vehicle. The minivan is on it's last leg. Ugh. The thought of having a car payment again stinks. We barely got to enjoy not having a payment when the bankruptcy trustee told us we had to pay them off again. Now that we don't have those payments, the thought of starting over weighs heavy. I would like to get a small SUV. We not only carry our five, but having extras in the van is not uncommon. Optional 3rd row seating would be lovely. I really want a Suburban, like Big Sis has, but the gas would kill us as much as we are in our vehicle.  
• Dance is in full swing. There was one day a week that we just could not make that trip. We are lucky enough that we don't have to go that day. I have to say it makes me happy. Company rehearsals are going well. So far my favorites are the boy's ballet and the big girl's tap. This is only the 2nd year of tap for the big girl and she is doing quite well keeping up with the girls that have been tapping for years. I am so proud of her. The baby is soaking up everything she can. She is loving it. If you happen to be in the area for the holidays, let me know. There are some great shows coming up.
• Our tap teacher gave us a box full of musicals on VHS. You have no idea how happy that makes us. We love musicals! The singing, the dancing, the costumes! My favorite is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The big girl's is The Sound of Music. I like that they were made at a time when an actor HAD to do it all. We're going to curl up in my bed this weekend and watch a few of them. I wish I hadn't run out of popcorn.   
• Hubby and I were gifted with worms for the garden and the chickens. I know, sounds like a weird gift. The worms are great for the compost and the chickens love them. We moved our compost pile to the garden so it's easier to take care of. Those worms work fast! They also multiply, well, like worms. The ladies are going to get a handful today. You have not seen anything funnier than chickens fighting over a bug or a worm or whatever treat it happens to be. We are dismantling the garden we have now, except the tower. We took a field trip to an aquaponics farm. Hubby wants to take their classes. We think that is the way to go. We can raise fish and vegetables for us and also food for the chickens. Hubby has been looking into it for years and we think now is the time. The worms will play a big part in that. They'll help make compost and feed the fish and the chickens.  
• We have started participating in Meatless Mondays. It's where you don't eat meat on Monday. So far, so good. It hasn't been too hard trying to find meals that fit into that category that we'll all eat. I am not a big proponent of soy, so we don't use any meat substitutes like Boca burgers. I have always wondered why vegetarians try to make food seem like it has meat in it. Anyway, if you have any favorite vegetarian recipes you want to share, that would be amazing.

And there you go. I made all 7. Woot! Now on to the other blog to update that one.

Have a great day.

Somebody Has to Do the Dirty Work

We were on our way to co-op one morning when I apparently ran over something in the road. The van started making a weird noise and I thought for sure my tire was flat. I pulled over, twice, to check the tires and everything was fine. I was going to meet hubby at the church and he was going to take a look at the tires for me. Well, I didn't get that far. Heading down the road, we hear a very loud "THUNK" and I immediately heard the thwap, thwap, thwap that is international code for pull over because you have a flat. I get to a gas station that was, thankfully, 10 seconds from where we were. I called hubby and told him we weren't making it to the church. He came to change the tire and put the spare on. And since the big girl is learning to drive, she also learned some maintenance at the same time. I took pics. Want to see them? Of course you do!

Hubby had the van all jacked up and was taking the lug nuts off the tire when he had the brilliant idea of making the big girl do some work. Always learning is our motto.

While the big girl was removing the rest of the lugs, hubby got his spare out, hoping it would fit, so I wouldn't have to ride on a doughnut. I would have eaten a dozen doughnuts right about then. She's gorgeous changing a tire, too. Big sigh...

Needless to say, his spare didn't fit. So it's on to plan B. Thank goodness for a backup.

He was showing the big girl how to get the spare out from under the van. In the 5 years we have owned the van, I had no idea. I didn't even know that was there. Yeah, it's in the details. I read the Cliff's Notes. Dang Cliff's Notes...

I thought this was just too cool so I had to get a pic. I am a weirdo, but that's not what we're talking about.

The spare was flat. But, I have a compressor in the back of my van. Originally, the big girl was filling the tire with air until hubby realized there was a leak in the spare. We'd never used it and I don't think in it's 10 year existence, it's ever been used. Well, crud. On with the lesson in spite of a small set back.

We still had to get the spare on and the van to the house, so the big girl soldiered on. While she was doing this, hubby got everything else cleaned up and put away. He pumped it as full of air as he could, tossed me the keys to his truck, and took off for the house. He is crazy, but I love him for it!
 

And, of course, I have the most adorable photo bombers ever. Just look for Disney vacation pics online and you'll probably find my boy in thousands of them. This time it was the baby. They get the crazy from their father.

Letting the van down and removing the jack. The big girl had a good time, truth be told. She said it was kind of fun. I just hope her Papa is there for her if she ever has to do this again.

Hubby ended up going to get a new tire. Thankfully he was able to take a 1/2 day from work and get the new tire put on my van. He is a good egg. He was very patient with the big girl and they have a great story to tell. And if you ever need a tire changed, you can call the big girl. As long as she doesn't have to get dirty, she's your chicky.

Have a great day.

Starting Fresh

It is that time of year again. We are getting ready for school to start. I have a couple of things that are coming in the mail and should be here by next week. I had such a hard time finding the lesson plan books I like that I ordered 3! I would have ordered more, but then shipping got a little pricey, so there you are. The kids are gone all next week for various activities, so I'm taking a day to plan. The big girl is planning herself again this year. She learned a lot about planning last year and the pitfalls involved, so this year should go much smoother. We hope. Here's what's on the agenda for the year coming up.

• Science- You have to love friends that love to teach subjects you don't want to. Last year I taught biology. Loved it! This year my friend G is teaching chemistry. I have a very weak chemistry background and I don't feel like I could do the subject justice. The boy and the big girl will both be taking that while the baby is going to study earth science. For chemistry, they'll be using A Beka. The earth science is God's Design for Heaven and Earth: Our Planet. We already know that the 2 olders will have homework, but so will the baby. The set comes with a CD with all the student consumables, like worksheets and fun stuff, on it. We'll see, we'll see...
• Bible- This is the first year that everyone is doing something different. I'm not sure I like it, but that's the way it goes. I'm thinking a devotional together before we start and then they can break up into their respective corners. The big girl and the boy will be "sharing". While the big girl works on BJU's Walking in the Spirit, the boy will be using A Beka's Joshua and Judges. Both of those are 1 semester, so they'll switch after Christmas when we start the second half of our year. The baby is using Explorer's Bible Study. I actually bought this several years ago, and never used it. Now is the time!
• History- It was so nice for many years to be able to use 1 curriculum for my multi-level kids. Oh how I miss those days when things were so uncomplicated. This year the boy and the baby will both be using A Beka. The baby is studying the old world, while the boy is studying America! The big girl is also studying American history, but she's using BJU. I already have several books for everybody that correspond to the different time periods they'll be studying. They are not liking me very much right now, but they'll get over it.
• Math- The big girl will be studying Geometry this year. While I understand that the general consensus is algebra, geometry, algebra II, we did something different. She did algebra, algebra II, and now geometry. Makes much better sense. The boy is going to pre-algebra it this year. He's so lucky. Both the geometry and pre-algebra are A Beka.  The baby is getting booted up to 6th grade math. She's using BJU. She is one excited chicky about getting to skip a year of math.
• Language Arts- This is where is gets just a bit tricky. The boy and the big girl are both using A Beka's Grammar and Composition, but their literature will be different. The big girl is studying American lit this year using BJU, and the boy is using A Beka's Of Places. The baby is using Rod and Staff for grammar. She's using a Progeny Press study guide for The Secret Garden and a Total Language Plus study guide for The Courage of Sarah Noble. If she finishes both of those and we have time left, I have either The Whipping Boy or Mr. Popper's Penguins. 
• Electives- PE and fine arts credits are dance. As much as we dance and as much as the kids perform with company, I can separate the 2 and call it good! We also have been bowling and dancing this summer so that also counts for PE credit. The kids want to learn German, and I found a program I think they'll like. We'll see if it actually gets fit into the schedule. The big girl may not have a choice.

There is a bunch of A Beka and BJU in there. I was given most of the A Beka, and I bought almost the entire BJU 10th grade for $50 last year. Thank you very much, I'll take that every day! There were a couple of things I didn't have, the chemistry and some work books, that I got super cheap at a used curriculum sale. I love a good used curriculum sale! The readers for the kids for summer reading and the year coming up have been purchased at thrift stores. Thrift stores are your friend. The most I have paid at one was $7, but you should have seen the stack of books I walked out with! I even found a student workbook for the grammar the kids will be using next year. I paid .54 for that bad boy! It retails new for almost $20, and used was as expensive as $10. I save most of what 1 kid uses for the next one down the line. It's actually kind of sad when I sell something. That means that we're all done with it. I could cry because that means the baby is not so much of a baby anymore.

That's our year coming up at a glance. My friend K is going to try to pre-plan her kids' entire year. She gets super busy with work at the most inopportune times. I'm not doing that (but I would if I could). I am, however, going to plan a month at a time. We get that busy and I need to get it done and not slap something on paper the night before we start. We'll see how it goes.

Have a great day.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me

This isn't actually about pirates. Well, not the parrot wielding, eye patch wearing, rum swilling kind of pirate. We had an opportunity to go see replicas of the Nina and the Pinta, Columbus's ships. There is no Santa Maria because it crashed and never made the return trip. And guess what? Not only did I take notes, I took pics, too!

The Nina was built to scale of the original. It was also built with tools that would have been used back in those times. The builder wanted it to be as authentic as possible. It is small! The crewmen were relatively small compared to men of today, so they didn't need as much space. They were between the ages of 14-19. They worked in 2 crews of 12 each. Each crew worked 4 hours on then 4 hours off and repeat. The equipment used on the ship is as close to the original with some up to date electronics to help the voyage go a little smoother. The ship carried enough food for 10 months for a trip that was estimated to take 3 months. Round trip was 8 months. Good thing they were prepared.

The only people that had quarters below deck were Columbus and the first mate. Every one else slept where ever they could find space, which was somewhere top side. Below decks was reserved for animals and supplies. In the cargo hold they had a small farm with animals like sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs. To get the horses on board they used a combination of ropes, pulleys, and the windlass. The only means of ventilation down there were the cargo doors. Can you imagine the smell? It was definitely not Noah's ark!

There were only 2 cannons on the ship. They didn't really need more than that. They were used for defense, but they were also used for sounding, so the boats would know where the other 2 were. They still use them for that purpose today, but they don't use cannonballs. I was a little disappointed by that, but since I'm not volunteering on the boat, I guess I can't gripe too much. Well, I could, but I'm not going to. About this anyway.

And just for a fun fact, Columbus kept 2 sets of log books. He sensed a bit of treachery by the king and queen. His book was incredibly accurate, but what he turned in to the royals was a bit less so. That way they couldn't duplicate his journey without him. Sneaky dude...

This is both boats as we approached them. They are quite impressive when you see them. The Pinta is bigger, but wasn't built to the exact scale that the Nina was built. 

This is from the end of the dock. The Pinta is in front, the Nina is in the back. Still so cool.

 

This is the back of the Pinta from the deck of the Nina. We couldn't get all the way in the front, but we got as close as we could.

You have to love a shot of the cannon. Oh, to have a cannonball in my pocket at this exact time with a little gunpowder. Just a little boom. At least people would know where I was...

The ships are sailed by volunteers. They sail all around the world and show off these spectacular boats. They work very hard to make sure the ships stay in great shape and that the history of these grand ladies is known. If you get the chance, go see these great ships. You will not be disappointed. And if you're lucky, you can go to the beach when you're done. We did. And it was wonderful!

Have a great day.

A Nip Here, a Tuck There

I am way behind on blogging. We just got done with recital, which is another post, and I have a little down time. But this blog is about science co-op. Ready?

One of my favorite things to teach is biology. I was so excited for one of my kids to get old enough for biology and the big girl got there first. My favorite part of biology besides the edible projects? Dissecting. This year we dissected a grasshopper, a perch, a frog, and a starfish. I won't show you any pics of the perch. Even I think they were yucky. And some of the pics of the frog may not be suitable for all audiences.

This poor guy never had a chance. We had 2 specimens and the kids were broken into 2 groups. I mixed and matched them for each lab so no 2 groups were the same. Their grade depended on each other and every one had to handle a different part of the lab. For the most part, that worked very well.

And then the teacher tells the left handed kid it was her turn to handle the right handed scissors. Because I'm smart that way. But she did it anyway.

Yeah, the pics just get a little grosser from here, so it's time to move on to the next victim specimen.

This one proved to be a little harder for the group. Just trying to get through the exoskeleton proved to be a chore. But they did it.

Part of the lab was to draw the legs and various outer features. There are some super talented kids in my class.

I liked the starfish. It was a little harder to distinguish some of the outer features, but the rest of the lab was way cool.

I had the best time teaching biology to this group of kids. We had the best discussions, and some not so good conversations. We covered a ton of material and they hung in there when it got a little boring. And, really, who doesn't like a class where you get to cut up dead things?

Have a great day.

Biology, One Bite at a Time

Science co-op is over. I had a great time! I hope the kiddos had a great time and learned lots of stuff. I have to say that we started out a little rough. We started with plants. Honestly, I was as bored as the kids, but we got through it! Once we got to animals and human, things picked up.

I am not a research project kind of gal. That is not my style. I do, however, like to eat. The kids had a few projects to do, but they were all of the edible variety. We made edible replicas of plant cells, nests, and, as a final project, the kids could pick any of the pictures of the chapters we had covered and make an edible representation. They all did an amazing job! Here's some pics:


These were the plant cells. I was a very bad teacher and only got this one pic! The good thing is that I got 2 projects in 1 shot. There's the cookie at the bottom of the pic. It's chocolate cookie and candy representing the various parts. At the top of the pic is R's representation using chicken enchiladas! His mom, K, knew that there would be LOTS of sweets (and there was), so she encouraged something else. Yea for K! It was so super yummy!!

These are the birds' nests. I really liked this project. We used pretzel sticks for sticks, crushed shredded wheat for grass, m&m's for stones, string cheese for string, and chips for paper and fabric, and almond butter for mud. Again, a fun project that will hopefully help them remember about nests and their purpose. And the fact that a bite of pretzel, cheese, and m&m is super good together.

And our final projects. You want to talk about a bunch of sweets! And some amazing projects!

This is the integumentary system. Skin to you and me. Chocolate cake...mmmm...

I tried to turn this, but apparently, it didn't work. This is Rice Krispie treats posing as a skull and the various lobes. Great job!!

 This would be DNA. Also known as marshmallows, licorice, and toothpicks. Love it!

Blood vessels! Celery as the vein, peanut butter as plasma, red candies as red blood cells, yellow candies as white blood cells, and banana chips as platelets. I could have eaten them all!!

I'm very proud of the kids. There was much, much conversation, lots of tangents to talk about, and learning, learning, learning! I'm going to miss the class even though I see the kids all the time.

Have a great day.

Stretching...

We are in our last official week of school. Glory, glory, hallelujah! The end is almost here. Come April, I have had all the fun I care to have. There is still a couple of weeks of science co-op, and as long as we have that, the kids are going to finish their math. The big girl dragged her feet with her Algebra II, so she has some summer school to do. Here's what's been going on in a random style blog.

• Science co-op is winding down. It has been a blast teaching biology. I had a great time and I hope the kids learned tons. Biology is one of my favorite subjects. Next year is chemistry for the big girl and the boy. My chemistry background is horrible so I'm glad there's a different teacher for that class. The baby will be with the youngers. They are going to do earth science next year. I'm actually looking forward to that. It helps I only have to teach once every 5-6 weeks. I have no idea what I'll do with the free time. Oh, you know that's not true. There will hopefully be much, much reading going on.
• There was a used curriculum sale in our little town. I was hoping to find some of what I need for next year, but no such luck. There is a huge sale in a neighboring town. They consistently have over 200 people selling their books. I don't need much, but if I can find it for super cheap, all the better. I already know of 3 things I have to buy new, but those are inexpensive. Hubby is taking the day off to chauffer me and a couple of friends to the sale.  
• We are about a month away from recital. All of the dances are coming along and several are done. I'm excited to see the costumes. It's one of my favorite times of the year. The company number is almost complete. It is going to be so much fun. The big girl has been helping in a half/half class. The girls are 5-6 years old and the class is a half hour of tap and a half hour of ballet. They go on right after the company number this year. They are too cute!
• Summer camp and summer dance start shortly after recital. The big girl will start pointe this summer. She is so excited. The big girl and the boy also get their week at camp. I wish I could have gone to camp as a kid. The baby is champing at the bit to go. One more summer and she's in.
• Summer reading is always in our summer plans. We missed the last 2 summers because of traveling, but the kids like the programs that are being set up. We usually sign up at a couple of different libraries and pick and choose the activities.

Just a few more days and we are free. Mostly. I just want to go to Disney!

Have a great day.

A Dash of This, a Dash of That

That's my way of saying this is going to be a random blog. Just a little bit here and there. Which, of course, leads to bullet points. I love bullet points.

• From the farm: We lost a chicken. Our original ladies number 9 now. We looked out and she was sitting on the ground. And couldn't get up. We isolated her and she never got better. The kids found her when they went to check on her. I think the ladies miss her. On the flip side of that, we have 6 new chicks! When we got our original ladies, we decided on pullets. They were a little more expensive, but I would have felt bad if I killed a chick. Well, rule of thumb, never enter a raffle for something you don't want. Hubby entered a raffle outside the feed store, just for grins and giggles. Lucky duck won!! We won 6 chicks and a bag of starter feed. We wanted Ameraucanas, but they were all out. They were a straight run, too, which meant we could possibly get a rooster. Or 6 roosters. Yuck! We ended up picking 6 from a menagerie of types that were all sexed to be females. Right now they are living in a plastic tub in my kitchen. The chirping is amazing. I thought it would get old, and quick, but it's actually very relaxing. Happy chicks make happy cheeps! And they are so fuzzy, I'm going to die!!!! Cutest. Thing. Evah!!
• From the schoolroom: We have a little over 2 months of school left. Where did the time go? Tick, tock, baby. The big girl is behind in her Algebra 2, and if you tell her I said anything I will deny, deny, deny. She is trying to complete 2 assignments a day to get caught up because she will school all summer. Who wants to do that? I am researching curriculum for next year. I am trying to stay away from a computer based program. There is one computer in this house and I do not need them making a fuss about who's turn it is. I perused my cabinet of curriculum to see what I need for next year. It turns out I need quite a bit. I thought I had more, but apparently, I didn't think that far ahead. There is a huge curriculum sale coming up I am bound and determined to go to. I'm hoping to pick most of it there or on a couple of chat boards I belong to. And I think I may have the big girl take American Government and US History. She may kill me in my sleep if I make her do that. So maybe not since she will also have to complete her first ever research paper. Don't judge.
• From the kitchen: I got a new crock pot!! I am so happy!! It is a quart bigger and I can set it for a specific length of time. I love it. I am a little intimidated by that extra quart, though. I feel like I should be adding more food to the pot. The baby's birthday is coming up soon. She wants an ice cream sandwich cake. Not a problem. If I don't eat it all while I'm making it. 
• In the garden: There is not much happening in the garden. The rabbits have decimated the cabbage. The broccoli started to grow back, and the scoundrels just eat it as fast as it can grow. Hubby's looking into traps. Our poor tower has sat neglected for too many months. That is getting a good cleaning and set up for planting. We are going to try a lot of greens: lettuce, chard, bok choi, and kale. Wish us luck.
• At the studio: We are into recital dances. This is one of my favorite times of the year. When the dances start, they are rough for sure. By recital time, they are polished and so good! The kids are working so hard. The instructors are not making it easy on them, that's for sure. I am having a hard time dancing. My foot just aches and aches. It is usually swollen for the rest of the night and part of the next day. Blech!  We are into company rehearsals as well. There is a ton in this dance and it will be an amazing number come recital time. I have a feeling it will be a show stopper. 
• Around the house: Not much. The mountain of Mt. Washmore seems to always grow back again and again. We still need to paint the boy's room. We got the paint free with a coupon I got from my Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Now to actually use that paint. And new blinds are in order. Not only do we just need new blinds, but Stella doesn't wait for me to open them. She just dives right through. I'm not sure we have a whole set of blinds anymore. Ours have big Stella size gaps in them. Crazy dog.

That's about all I have for now. I'm getting some stuff together for a picture blog. Yea, more pics of my kids!

Have a great day. 

Something's Fishy

That was actually the title to an email I sent out to the coo-op parents, but I liked it so much, I decided to use it here, too.

We took a field trip! Yea! We went to the Florida Bass Conservation Center. Hubby found it while searching for some things for a project he's working on and wanted to take the family. Instead, we waited until biology was studying fish and used it as a field trip opportunity. I thought it was one of the better field trips we've taken in a while. Here's some of the things we learned. And pics! You know I got a couple of those.

This particular center is state run and is part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Florida is the fishing capital of the world and generates $1.4 billion annually for the state. That is third behind tourism (duh!) and citrus (again, duh!). The FWC is broken down into 3 parts: fish management, wildlife management, and law enforcement. The FBCC is a fish hatchery. They supply fish to some of the biggest of the 7,000 lakes in our state. This facility was built in 1965 and originally used ponds. As technology has progressed, they now use concrete raceways and have more than tripled the amount of fish they can hatch and raise and release.

Some fun facts we learned:

1. There are 2 types of largemouth bass. There is the Northern Largemouth, which live in most of the United States. And then there is the Florida Largemouth bass, which only lives from Gainesville and south. Florida Largemouth is what this center focuses on.
2. The catfish is the only fish in North America that has skin.
3. Spawning depends on light and water temp. Without the right light and water temp, no new eggs are happening.
4. The eggs of a largemouth bass take 1-1 1/2 days to hatch. Trout eggs take up to 40 days!

So how do they do what they do? Well, here's where the pictures come in handy.

The 2 pics above are of the male bass. They find their territory, in this case the black mats, and they sit there until the females come along. Then they start courting the females.

These lovely ladies swim by and try to attract the attention of the males. (Fun fact, females are the larger of the 2. If you catch a bass over 4-5 pounds, it will be a female. The boys get the pretty colors and the girls get the weight. That seems backwards.) Once the eggs are spawned and fertilized, the female goes along her merry way and the male hangs out and protects the eggs.

It's a hatchery. Of course, they aren't going to just let the eggs sit. Other fish would eat them, then when they hatch, they are vulnerable to being eaten. It is a fish eat fish world out there. The mats are collected and set into a different raceway and protected until they hatch.

This is not the best picture in the world, but follow along. See the little golden spots? Those are the egg remains. The little dark spots are the fish that have hatched. They are itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny and are living on the yolk from the egg that they were hatched from.

When they get to a certain size, they are moved into yet another raceway. These are the bass that are growing up and getting to release size. They don't release full size bass because that would clog up the lakes with big fish. Start small and let them do their fish thing.

The fish that they use are wild caught. They are tested to make sure that the are Florida Largemouth and then they go in the raceways. Since these aren't store bought fish and they want to ensure that they stay healthy, the FBCC provides fish for the bass to eat. That would be the above pic. They hatch goldfish and koi. A lot of them. This pic does no justice to the amount of goldfish and koi.

And because the eggs of the goldfish and koi have to come from somewhere, here are the moms and dads. These are beautiful, beautiful fish.

This is at the entrance to the FBCC. I just liked the way it looked.

This is our group of kids, minus a few. There were some that couldn't make it, one that was sick, and a couple that were running a little late.

This big guy was in a huge aquarium that they have in the visitors center. Just a quick note about the visitors center. They have pamphlets and handouts and activity books and bookmarks and stickers and bumper stickers and posters and cute little plastic bags to put it all in because it is all free. If you know anything about kids and frugal homeschoolers, you know that we just about cleaned them out. The baby's bag was so full, she broke the handle and we had to double bag it. Too funny!

I thought this was pretty interesting. This is a map of what kind of fish are stocked and where. I was astounded.

 

I just thought this was a cute poster.

 

 

So that was our field trip. It was very informative and enlightening. And now here's my advice and plea: Please take advantage of the services offered from our local and state governments when it comes to things like the hatchery and your local library and museums and so many other entities like that. Sign the visitors log! You don't have to leave your address and phone number. Just leave your name and where you're from. That shows that there is interest from the public and hopefully these places will be available for others. If we're paying for it, let's get our money's worth!

 

I kept thinking of that line from Nemo "Fish gotta swim, bird gotta eat!" There were so many birds that were hanging around outside. There are huge bay doors they open to let the light in to encourage spawning. We kept imagining birds flying all day for the buffet! And, strangely, even though these are freshwater fish, I left with a craving for seafood. Wonder what that means?

 

Have a great day.