Even the best places have off days. This was the sentiment I had last time I visited the Houston Maritime Museum and why I held off writing a review until now. Without going into too many of the gory details, last time I went I had a bad experience and ended up leaving without going to the scheduled event. I was greatly inconvenienced and annoyed. After the apology I received from the museum, which was enough to assuage my feelings, I decided to hold off until I had another experience, which was this weekend, July 7, 2012. I am glad I did and I must say the Houston Maritime museum more than made up for the last time. So, I can say that I do recommend going, especially if a particular event or lecture coincides with a lesson you are working on.
Today we attended a presentation on the Civil War. We arrived a few minutes early and received a tour of the facility from a very nice and knowledgeable docent. The museum consists of models of ships that were used throughout history to present day. Their mission is “to capture and preserve the wonder and influence of maritime history and the marine industry with focus on the development of Houston, the Texas Gulf Coast, and the State of Texas.” They certainly accomplish this goal. Anyone studying history will have a great time seeing these models. Furthermore, the detail and craftsmanship found in the models will also fascinate anyone who has an interest in model building.
In addition to their usual exhibits, the Houston Maritime Museum holds regular discussions and presentations on a variety of topics. We plan on going to many more. The one that was put together this weekend was targeted to elementary to middle school students and focused on all aspects of Civil War battle including weapons, uniforms, etiquette and artifacts. It was presented by a group of Civil War reenactors who were dressed in period-authentic clothing. They broke up into three stations so the groups were smaller and the discussions could be informal and more intimate. The station that dealt with the Hunley, the first successful submarine, was of particular interest. All children were attentive and enjoyed it very much.
Even though this particular discussion was geared toward children, there are many others throughout the year that occur that target all age ranges from children through adults. The kids will enjoy learning about particular areas of interest and the adults can get a lot out of it also to enhance their teaching. We will definitely be back for more. The museum also offers lectures and school programs that can be tailored for your needs.
The location of the museum is their biggest negative. The museum is rather small but it is well organized. Families with very small children may want to make alternate arrangements or be prepared to hold their children as there is not enough room to carefully navigate strollers. They have only six parking spaces so if you don’t get one you will find yourself searching for a place within walking distance and may have to pay for parking. There are rumors of a move to a larger location which would be great to allow them to expand their exhibit and allow for more visitors. But, until (and if) that happens, plan ahead to make your visit as convenient as possible.
Admission is $5.00 for ages twelve and up, ages three to eleven is $3.00 and under 3 is free which makes a visit very affordable and a good bargain for what you get. Many of the lecture series are free or free with admission so you get an even better deal for those. There are also memberships available. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. It is located at 2204 Dorrington near Rice University and can be found online at http://www.houstonmaritimemuseum.org.
Star Spangled Banner, US National Anthem Explanation
Monday, June 25 2012
The Star Spangled Banner’s lyrics were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. The lyrics came from a poem he wrote entitled The Defense of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.
John Stafford Smith wrote a popular British song and the tune was used with Key’s lyrics replacing the original. The song became a popular patriotic song and was later adopted as the United States’ National Anthem in 1931.
The song is quite difficult to sing and while it actually has four stanzas, typically only the first is sung. The lyrics are:
O say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Similarly to the Pledge of Allegiance, many people have grown up singing the National Anthem without really knowing what it means. When teaching the song to your children, take the time to explain exactly what it means:
O say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
Hey, can you see this morning
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
What we saw and were so amazed by and proud of last night
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
The flag that, through all the dangerous fighting
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
We could still see standing strong and waving?
O say can you see by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
Last night, as the sun was setting, we could still see the flag waving. We were so proud of this! Is it still there this morning?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Throughout the fighting bombs, guns and cannons are going off and their explosions are lighting the night sky
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
The light from the explosions showed us that indeed, our flag was still standing!
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
Yes, our flag IS still standing
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Over our land, the land of free willing to fight bravely for their freedom: The United States of America!
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The bombs, guns and cannons exploded in the night, giving off enough light to see that the flag was still standing. Our flag which stands for our country, the home of free people willing to fight for that freedom bravely. The United States of America.
One of the most popular versions of the National Anthem was sung by now deceased pop star Whitney Houston. You can hear her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner here:
One of the most anticipated events in the Homeschool Pool household was the release of Disney/Pixar’s latest offering, Brave. Brave is an animated feature about a young girl who is coming into her own and dealing with the pressures to take her place in the world as her mother sees fit or choosing her own path as an independent woman. The movie is rated PG for “scary action and rude humor”. We saw it on opening night at the local drive-in theater. While not my favorite Disney flick, it was good, the kids loved it and it was entertaining. There were even a few lessons to be learned.
The PG rating surprised me and I had to look up why. OK, I suppose there were a few scary moments but nothing that would surpass the G rated Beauty and the Beast. There were also some mooning references and some bare tushies in a humorous situation which don’t even come close to touching the oddly dark, sexual undertones found in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, also rated G. I don’t see it as PG worthy but I am also, admittedly, not all that sensitive about such things so make your choice accordingly. The animation was, as usual, excellent and the acting well done.
The movie is set in Scotland and introduces a fiery red headed lass and her family, the quite proper queen, her less-than-so father and the three rapscallions she has as brothers. There are some noteworthy cultural and time period differences that are featured which make for interesting lessons such as the difference between boys and girls in that era, as well as the expectations put on those being groomed for leadership. For those studying geography this is a great way to start a unit on Scotland also. Ultimately, though, it is about the relationship between parents and children, especially that of mother/daughter, father/son. While the movie explores the mother/daughter connection, similar comparisons can be made for father/son.
All ages can relate to the conflict. Parents want what is best for their children so set down rules and expectations. Children want to forge their own way and make their own decisions regardless of the rules and expectations. Sometimes parents and children clash when these two paths diverge. The movie shows how both sides deal with this issue and how ultimately the bond that is family prevails regardless of the problems that arise along the way. It is a positive film, has an interesting plot, a few twists and turns and plenty of humor. Brave is a great family film and the perfect way to spend some family time together. In my opinion, the trailer does not do the movie justice.
Brave opened in US theaters June 22, 2012. See the trailer below:
If you found us by the Hip Homeschool Hop, please let us know! For those of you who do not know about it, Hip Homeschool Moms have a weekly event designed to help other homeschool sites network. Welcome to everyone who is exploring our site.
Congratulations Tadpole and Guppy on winning the Lemonade Day contest! Their video will be featured on LemonadeDay.org’s website and they will be part of a live chat soon. Keep checking back for more details!
Today we did some do-it-yourself puzzles. This is a fast, easy, and inexpensive way to be creative and have some fun. This is one of Homeschool Pool’s go-to crafts for rainy day fun when all your plans fly out the window and you need to keep little minds occupied in a pinch.
What you need:
Craft sticks – you can use any size but the jumbo ones are the easiest to work with and to put together. Older kids may want to use the smaller ones for more of a challenge.
Masking tape or painter’s tape
markers, crayons, paint, glitter, pens, pencils – whatever you choose to create your picture
How-to:
Arrange craft sticks and tape to secure
First, arrange several craft sticks in a pattern you want. Make sure the edges are touching but you can choose to make a zig-zag pattern, curve, straight rectangle or any other composition you desire. Use your imagination – this is the first part of the creative process.
Next, use masking tape or painter’s tape to attach the craft sticks together. Use as much as you need so you have a stable work space.
Create your masterpiece
Then, flip the craft sticks over so you can no longer see the tape and start to create your pattern. Some ideas for your picture include making a picture of something in your home, creating geometric shapes, outlining your initial, coloring a picture of your favorite activity, etc. Use your imagination and draw whatever you wish! You can make your masterpiece using crayons, markers, paint, pencil…you can even use embellishments such as glitter.
Put them back together!
When your puzzle is complete we like to make a title for the piece and write it on the back along with the name and date. Peel off all the tape and then mix your craft sticks. Trade your puzzle with others and have everyone try to put together the puzzle the way it should look. The kids have a lot of fun with this craft project. Enjoy!
Note: We are particularly evil and choose to store all our completed puzzles in one Ziploc bag. So, not only do we have the challenge of putting the puzzle together but we also have to figure which ones go with which puzzle.
Art is a staple in our home. Not only do we frequently create but we also quite regularly attend museums and tours to expose the children to many different forms of art. Quite often we use a recent excursion as inspiration for whatever art projects we will undertake for the week. But it is very important that not only do you see art and make art but you also display the art projects your children create. This gives them a sense of pride in their work and it encourages them to learn more about art history and technique. Plus, they can show off their work to others who come over. It is a great way to encourage the inner artist in everyone.
Expand beyond the fridge
Everyone is familiar with the “stick the art on the fridge with a magnet” routine. I hate that because I like an uncluttered kitchen – not that it happens a lot. But I do like a clean refrigerator surface. We have another fridge in the garage and that is our catch-all spot. But we also make sure that the children’s art is displayed throughout the house pretty regularly. Not everyone will make it to the kitchen and showing the kids that their art is important enough to be spread throughout the house will help encourage them to be artistic. Think outside the box when displaying art. So, next time you are tempted to grab a magnet…consider where else you could go with it.
Feature exceptional pieces of art
Minnow's Jackson Pollock inspired art hung in the play room
Let’s face it – no matter how great your budding artist’s work is, not everything is worthy of prime wall real estate in your living room. But, every once in awhile you get that exceptional gem that fits perfectly. When that happens, put some effort into it. Frame it, get a plaque, put it on a shelf or feature it on a table. My father to this day has a framed work of art I created when I was four. It is prominently displayed in the breakfast nook in his home. Of course, there are countless others that are long gone and a few still in boxes but that particular one was just really good and works with the décor. We will likely have a few of those ourselves. When you see something you like, feature it. You never know, you may have a priceless objet d’art someday.
Create a display area
Art Display Wall
One of the ways we decided to display recent art pieces was to create a display wall. When you walk into our home there is a hallway that leads to the guest bathroom and the garage. The wall at the end of that hall was a bare space. Now, it displays those pieces of art that may not make the cut for above the television but is still a perfect place that is easily visible to anyone who comes into the home. Plus, it is directly across from our playroom/school room so the kids get to see their latest creations all the time.
Display area how-to
Not only is the display wall we created a great way to show off the children’s masterpieces but it cost next to nothing to make and it only took a few minutes. We used eight cup hook screws and twine with a few medium sized clothespins. We had the other items and bought some more clothespins for about a dollar. The kids spent some time painting the clothespins so that in itself was an art project.
Eye hooks, twine, painted clothespins
Then we made four rows of eye hooks and strung the twine to make rectangles. As we have art work we use the clothes pins to hang it on the twine. Quick. Easy. Inexpensive.
Math is one of those things that comes easy for Tadpole. She understands the concepts flawlessly. What she struggles with, however, is the actual calculations. She can do multiplication and division pretty easily. She learned her times tables long ago. But she does not quickly and easily add and subtract. This is something we drill quite regularly by doing pop quizzes while in the car or waiting at the doctor’s office. We typically do several math drills each week from our favorite math website, Math-Drills.com. But while on a mini vacation recently we found a way to drill basic math that was a lot more fun – Blackjack!
For those who are unfamiliar, Blackjack is a casino card game where the object is to get as close to 21 without going over. Instead of playing against other players, you play against the dealer. Not only do you have to, rather quickly, count how many points you have and determine if you want to try for more but you have to estimate what the possibilities are for the dealer. We taught Tadpole the basics of Blackjack over the weekend and played quite a bit during down times. Not only did she think it was a fun game but she gained confidence in adding and subtracting quickly.
Basic rules of Blackjack
Each player is dealt from left to right a single card that is face up. The dealer’s card is dealt face down. A second card is dealt to each player from left to right face up and this time the dealer’s card is also face up. Each player looks at their cards to determine the points they have. Number cards are worth the face value, face cards are worth 10 points and an ace can be either a one or an eleven. The player then decides if they want to take another card (hit) or stay where they are (stand). This continues until the player decides to stand or they go over 21 (bust). Play continues with the next player until it’s the dealer’s turn. Players win the hand if they beat the dealer without going over 21.
Dealer rules and basic strategy
When playing Blackjack in Vegas or another casino there is an element of luck. Sometimes you just have to “go with your gut” and throw out any rules. This still holds true when playing for fun. However, there are some basic rules that the dealer must adhere to and players should probably pay attention to. Dealer must stand if the hand is 17 or over and must hit if it is under. This is a rule for the dealer but a pretty good guideline for the other players. However, strategy should be thought of and before determining if you want to hit or stand, check out what the dealer has showing and estimate the possibilities of the hand. You can do an Internet search for all the nuances of the rules and for strategy hints. Older kids might really get a kick out of delving into this but we kept it simple.
Practical lessons for Blackjack Math
In order to play and continue the flow of the game the players must be able to add and subtract. They have to add their initial two cards to get their point value and subtract from 21 to see what cards they can get dealt without going over. This continues each time there is a hit. The concept of probability is introduced and there are opportunities to estimate. All in all, this was a great family fun time playing a card game. But, the fact that there were highly useful math skills that were practiced was an added bonus. Try it out and let us know how it goes!
If you found us by the Hip Homeschool Hop, please let us know! For those of you who do not know about it, Hip Homeschool Moms have a weekly event designed to help other homeschool sites network. Welcome to everyone who is exploring our site.
For co-op this semester Tadpole took Filmmaking as one of her classes. This was the majority of what we did with theater over the past few weeks. The teacher wrote the following:
The students learned many aspects of filmmaking and screen acting this semester. They learned how to act out various emotions, to create storyboards, to audition, to market and promote yourself as an actor and/or production member, and to conduct and participate in production meetings and table reads. The students also learned key professional terminology, how to work together with partners and in a group, release creativity through improvisation…and much more! Then, they applied their training through the making of partner commercials and a group short film. To celebrate their success, we held a screening and a wrap party!
Enjoy this short film that was created by the entire class:
and this commercial between Tadpole and one of her friends:
If you found us by the Hip Homeschool Hop, please let us know! For those of you who do not know about it, Hip Homeschool Moms have a weekly event designed to help other homeschool sites network. Welcome to everyone who is exploring our site.
Because Homeschool Pool frequents so many museums in the area we try, whenever possible, to get annual memberships. We did not have the Health Museum on our radar for an annual membership because we did not believe we would go visit very often. However, when we saw a Living Social deal for a family membership we jumped on it. We took a jaunt to the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science on Wednesday, May 10, 2012 and had a great time. We are very glad we got the membership and will likely use it quite a bit. For those who have not yet gone to it – go visit. You may find yourself walking out with an annual membership also!
In the middle of the exhibit hall are several tables with stations that include multiple brain teasers. This was a big hit with all the kids and we plan on taking a trip back here specifically to work on some of these with Tadpole for math and logic. They were a bit much for the younger two but they still had fun playing with them. Both Minnow and Guppy were able to find brain teasers they could do but for Tadpole there were challenging ones that she could accomplish with some work.
The traveling exhibit currently on display is Cells: The Universe Inside Us. This is an informative and interactive exhibit that is sure to catch the kids’ attention. They learn a lot and it is fun to do so. Even Minnow gained valuable experience with it. We are going to start discussing cells in health and then go back and do this portion again to reinforce.
The permanent exhibits also provide a great opportunity to learn about the various systems in the body and health in general. Amazing Body Pavilion allows you to explore the body fully. You can walk inside a giant mouth and sit on teeth, you can stroll through two sides of the brain, ride a bike with a skeleton, learn about hearing, your organs and bones. A big hit was the sound room where you go in, cover your ears and scream as loud as you can. Those outside can read the noise level.
The newest exhibit, You, gives you a great perspective on how you became you. You can see how you will look as you age or if you were a different race or gender. You can scan your internal organs. You can learn about how people live as it pertains to health around the world.
The Health Museum also has a 4D theater. While we did not get to enjoy that on this visit we will go in the future. At the show time there was a large school group so we decided to take a pass that day.
The only suggestion I have for the Health Museum is that there is not enough pre-visit information on their exhibits to get the kids started. We would like to see some printed information on the material presented, links for additional information, a worksheet/quiz that can be done while there or a scavenger hunt of sorts. This way we can better prepare for a visit.
What we really liked was the variety of information presented and how it was interactive. Kids had a great time touching everything and were more attentive than if it was just a series of displays. It was well worth the visit and we plan on going many more times throughout the year. We highly recommend it!
The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science is located at 1515 Hermann Drive in the Museum District in Houston. They can be found online at http://www.thehealthmuseum.org for hours, driving directions and exhibit information.
We went on a mini field trip to Gramen Farm with one of our homeschool groups on Thursday, May 3, 2012. This was not part of any official tour but a drop by to see all it has to offer. They have goats, cows and chickens and the kids can see a working dairy farm being run. Plus, they sell a variety of fresh, natural foods. It is quite informative and a great way to spend an hour or two for free. However, you may want to bring a cooler and some money to stock up on some of the products they have for sale in their store.
The staff at Gramen Farm was friendly and helpful. When they found out we were all together they pulled together a little impromptu tour and information session for us. They discussed the health benefits of the foods and other products they sell. They gave us information on how the animals are raised and the differences between the fresh, natural products and what we may find in a grocery store. They gave us a lot of specific information about each of the items they offer. We also even got to taste the goat milk and for many it was their first time trying some.
This bit was quite informative and educational – ideal for grownups and older kids. The value of this was lost on the younger ones, though. However, everyone was enraptured by the baby goats and spent a good deal of time petting and feeding them. The older goats, chickens, roosters and cows got some attention also but not nearly as much as the baby goats. A bonus was when the kids (the human ones) discovered a litter of puppies beneath a trailer. Most were a tad shy but one brave puppy ventured out to get some petting.
Keep in mind that this is not a farm designed for large groups and filled with entertaining stations for kids to enjoy. It is a real, working family-run farm that is open to the public. You will likely not want to spend all day there but they do allow you to go everywhere you want as long as you close the gate behind you when entering a pen. This alone is ample entertainment and education for all ages.
I am hoping to set up a bit of a more formal tour of the grounds for my other homeschool group to enjoy. We will see how that goes if it can be pulled off but I will try to work with them on preparing some age appropriate information. However, free admission, friendly and helpful staff, hands on education and amazingly fresh products make a trip well worth it. If you have some time to spare and need an idea of where to go, consider Gramen Farm.
Gramen Farm is located at 20158 Bauer Hockley Rd and can be found online at http://gramenfarm.com/. They are open to the public 8 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday from noon to five pm. They accept credit cards and it advised to bring a cooler for storing your items. Check them out with your kids and make sure you frequent the farm for your fresh dairy, meat and healthcare products.
We went to see a screening of The Avengers on Monday, May 30, 2012. Fans of the individual characters’ movies will definitely want to see this, as we did. However, even for those who simply want a fun evening with an action packed movie, this is a sure bet. Because of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, we had high expectations going in. The Avengers did not disappoint, surpassing even our expectations. The movie is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence but it is fantastic and nothing that will traumatize children. We would let any of our children see the movie but your mileage may vary. The Avengers was, not surprisingly, filled with action sequences but it was tempered with humor and did not take itself too seriously. A good plot, special effects, action and an amazing cast of characters make The Avengers a must-see movie this summer.
The Avengers joins together some familiar faces and the movie holds true to the characters they established in their movies leading to this one with the exception of The Hulk which was far superior in The Avengers than any of the portrayals in the previous Hulk movies. The cast and the interplay between each of them is really what makes this movie a winner. Ultimately, the action takes a back seat to the people who form The Avengers.
Iron Man, played by Robert Downey, Jr. is crowd pleaser with his over the top confidence and quick wit. While it would seem easy for him to steal the show, he had some rivalry from the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, in that regard. But, even though those were the two favorite characters, there were memorable scenes from all and it was truly an ensemble performance. We get to delve deeper into these super heroes’ personalities and get to know them a bit better.
Chris Evans returns to play Captain America, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston reprise their roles as Thor and Loki. We were briefly introduced to Hawkeye as played by Jeremy Renner in the Thor movie but in The Avengers we get to see much more of him. Scarlett Johansson from Iron Man 2 also joins The Avengers as Black Widow. Of course, none of the Avengers would be together if not for Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who we have seen brief glimpses of in many of the movies leading up to The Avengers. There are also some supporting characters worth noting: Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper, Iron Man’s love interest, Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill and Stellan Skarsgard as Selvig.
The plot is what one would expect from The Avengers. Bad guys are trying to do bad things. Good guys are trying to stop them. But in between you get to see these big personalities interact. There is rivalry and conflict between all the members of The Avengers which you get to see work itself out so they finally come together as a team. The rivalries make for some serious laugh out loud moments which help lessen the intensity of the movie in a good way. But you also get to see some soul searching and bonding to ultimately make several individual, powerful super heroes into an unstoppable force, combining their skills and working as a team. In typical Marvel style, there is hint of a sequel.
There are some lessons to be learned in The Avengers. There are some adult situations and the action sequences are violent, though in a sci-fi manner. Trying to pick it apart to determine what is and is not OK for kids seems a bit silly for this movie. It is what it is with no apologies made. If you have doubts, check it out yourself before letting the kids watch. But don’t over think it. It is really just good, (semi) clean fun and an entertaining movie. Go see for yourself!
The Avengers is scheduled to be released in theaters May 4, 2012. See trailer below:
If you found us by the Hip Homeschool Hop, please let us know! For those of you who do not know about it, Hip Homeschool Moms have a weekly event designed to help other homeschool sites network. Welcome to everyone who is exploring our site. We are working on Lemonade Day, Government and a few other subjects today. Plus we are watching the [Red Tailed Hawks' live cam] all day in the background.
As usual, we will explore 5 other sites for Hip Homeshcool Hop and share what we see in the comments.
Hello to everyone and hope the new week is productive for all. This week we have co-op, Lemonade Day activities and typical course work for everyone. Our butterfly garden is doing really well. We have caterpillars and we had to get more milkweed to feed the little guys. Check out our [click here to go to our Facebook Page] for current pictures. There was even a monarch butterfly spotting yesterday!
The other really cool site we are currently exploring is the live cam of the red tailed hawks at Cornell University. [Click here for Cornell Hawks site]. These are wild birds, not ones in an enclosure. The mates have 3 eggs, one recently hatched, one about to (possibly today and a third likely along in a couple days. The site is addictive but you will get an up close show of something you will not get to see in a zoo!
We thought we would update you a bit on what we have been up to this week. There has been a lot of activity in our butterfly garden. We have caterpillars! We have pretty flowers, too but the caterpillars are really the cool part.
We had an ant bed crop up overnight and we had to go to our favorite garden center to get some organic ant killer. While we were there they had a class on growing and cooking with basil. Since we have some we stayed for that which was pretty interesting. Also while we were there I took the opportunity to ask about our fennel which is the only plant not thriving. I was told it doesn’t like the heat and they recommend pulling it up and putting something else there. Well, we were told to put it in when we started this project. Had we known it wouldn’t like the heat…in Houston…we wouldn’t have done it. Live and learn.
Minnow is in a toddler tumble class and he had his annual show-off-his-skills day on Monday. He was so cute and won a little trophy. We are very proud of him. He may not stick with it but he has a lot of fun with it so far.
Lemonade Day is in full swing and we have worked a lot on that. We have dealt with budgeting, price comparisons, etc. Check out our Lemonade Day journal at [Click Here for Lemonade Day Link]. Both Guppy and Tadpole are working hard on this one. I think Minnow’s contribution this year will be limited to sales. (Look at me, I’m cute and helping my sissies – please buy lemonade!)
All week we have worked on foreign language. Tadpole has done German and Spanish several times each day. Today we did a silent day where she had to exclusively communicate via ASL. We had to lift that for price comparison shopping to save some time but aside from that it was mostly sign language communication. Wow was it quiet today!
Music is a daily activity so that was covered. Even our dog, Freki sang along as usual.
Everyone worked on reading – Tadpole is currently skipping ahead in her economics book, Guppy is working on consonant blends and Minnow his letters and beginning reading.
It has so far been a very productive week. Tomorrow we will do more Lemonade Day and Park Day. We will also cover some more government, working on the Constitution. Currently Tadpole is reviewing the first 3 articles to make sure she understands it thoroughly and then we will move on with our goal to complete all the articles by end of her grade.
If you found us by the Hip Homeschool Hop, please let us know! For those of you who do not know about it, Hip Homeschool Moms have a weekly event designed to help other homeschool sites network. Welcome to everyone who is exploring our site. We added a lot over the past week.
As usual, we will explore 5 other sites for Hip Homeshcool Hop and share what we see in the comments. Today in Homschool Pool land we are working on foreign language, lnguage arts and Lemonade Day economics.
One of the languages we study at Homeschool Pool is Spanish (along with German and American Sign Language). There were a few lessons that were learned first: alphabet, numbers, colors and days of the week. The following explains the days of the week in Spanish:
In English we typically start with Sunday as the first day of the week. In Spanish, Monday is the first day of the week. Also, the days of the week are not capitalized, another difference between English and Spanish.
Here is Tadpole demonstrating the days of the week in Spanish:
Here at Homeschoolpool.info we are a musical family. Bed time routine hinges around songs and while not everyone plays an instrument, everyone appreciates music from the Lifeguards to Tadpole, Guppy and Minnow.
Getting them to understand what they like and how it affects them is a different matter as well as getting them to actively listen to longer classical pieces. Yes, they’ll listen to the beginning of the 4th Movement of Dvorak’s 9th (New World) Symphony, but after the introduction that John Williams borrowed for Jaws, their attention dissipates quickly.
One exercise to encourage active listening is to give children something to do while listening. This is guided at first then takes on a life of its own as the piece goes. The aforementioned Dvorak piece is an EXCELLENT starting place for this as it has the feel of a story and the movie tie-in helps start the story. Around our house, we have animal sounds that we work on with Minnow and for fun we say a shark says “da-dun” like Jaws/Dvorak 9. Starting with a shark drawn on a piece of paper is a good start. The kids then choose a crayon or two to use for the exercise. The piece starts and so does the sharks journey. The kids are instructed to draw the shark’s journey on the paper. Slow passages mean slower movement and fast movement means faster travels. For slightly older kids, they can decide whether or not the shark is hunting and draw what it is going to eat if they want as well. This can progress for the entire 10 minute duration or for a portion, depending on how it goes. This is how it should look:
This exercise can be applied to other pieces as well, minus the shark portion. It is to get the child to listen and apply what they hear to paper. They can then go back and see how the music affected them and possible talk about what made a specific scribble/doodle on the page.
Watering the butterfly garden has been incorporated into our morning routine. We have several plants doing well and others not quite there yet.
The zinnias are the ones thriving the best. All four of the zinnias have blooms, one of them has a ton of buds that are about to bloom:
We have four Denver Daisies. Only one has a bud that looks like it is going to bloom any time now:
The four ecinacea look like something has been munching on them and they are doing well but no blooms. The pentas, however are all doing well and bloom often. This is the one that is thriving the most so far:
The Mexican butterfly weed is also doing well but no blooms. It also looks as if something is munching on them but no sign of any caterpillars…we have seen a few butterflies, though. This one looks as if there may be something soon:
The fennel is looking better. It got a little sad after we planted it and it is now standing up nicely and getting greener so while we are not worried about it (yet) it is not the prettiest of the plants. We have two butterfly bushes. The purple one blooms continuously. We’ve yet to see a bloom on the white one:
