Monday, November 30, 2009

Many Highlights of Rome, but one stood out

We often found ourselves trekking from one site to the next around dusk and observed large swarms of flying creatures in the skies. I had seen similar sites in Austin Texas during my four years there. I believe the swarms were bats. This you tube sketch shows what I saw in the sky over Rome at dusk each day.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Time for the Mommy's pursuits

I'm reading Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I'm considering the book Take your best shot by Austin Gutwein. It's a far cry from the Roman Mysteries or The Blood of Caesar that I finished in the past few months.

The Apologia book about swimming things should come in the mail and I can pair that with the Hands of a Child Oceans lapbook for a habitat series on Oceanography. It will followup the study on Deserts that will be complete after Christmas. Maybe we'll get to the ocean next summer for a good long visit. We've done deserts in Utah.

I wonder what it'll be like to compare forests and grasslands someday to all this study on deserts and oceans. But for the next few days I may get to compare fiction and ancient history study with my kids to the real thing in Rome (if we can get onto the plane next week).

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Baby steps

All three tie their own shoes! We can move past the velcro strap runners. AND they will tie their own cleats during a soccer match!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Chemistry of Main Earth Metals with 2nd and 3rd Graders

We love the way that the Elemental Science Chemistry lessons are coming together by using Fizz, Bubble and Flash. The experiments for demonstrating Main Earth Metals like Calcium with hard water bubbles were easy once I found the plaster of paris at the hardware store (I've plenty PofP left for our next project). Our Bismuth used as an anti-acid lesson developed a knowledge of acid and bases is not pictured, but I was a little worried about the staining power of that vegetable. I actually had the support through this lesson to make my own indicator with red cabbage and conduct the lesson. The lesson came off well showing a pink glass of lemon water and blue glass of baking soda water. I still have a quart jar of red cabbage indicator if anyone is needing it. Maybe I'll use it in a spray bottle to decorate snow someday. HA!

SHE TIES HER SHOESTRINGS

First!

Gs Do Oil Pastels


G3 sketches a boat & arms while G2 draws a man mowing his lawn

G1 sketched "The Amazon Day"

I decided to take pictures of these pieces because scanning oil pastels onto the machine gets messy. The work was done so willingly and with so much creativity. I'm thrilled that art didn't loose out again!