tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3669697450744538322024-02-02T05:49:41.470-05:00A Playground of WordsTechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-1190127177950128402017-02-20T01:30:00.001-05:002017-02-20T01:30:30.963-05:00Book Review - The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I thoroughly enjoyed <i>The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish</i>. It is, however, not at all what I thought it would be like. I expected a book about women who were known for their sense of style and so inspired generations of women to adopt certain styles of dressing. People like Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and even, perhaps, Madonna and others with a more, shall we say, modern style.<br />
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Instead, what I found was a delightful history of clothing patterns, sewing and the influence that the women who worked at extension offices and in university home economics departments around the United States had on the everyday styles sported by American women through the 19th and 20th centuries. These women, whom the author calls the Dress Doctors, taught not only sewing, but applying artistic principles to dressing, thrift and a host of other skills. The Dress Doctors believed that women should dress for the occasion and shepherded women through the industrial revolution, World War II factory jobs and then college and professional jobs, all the while teaching not only the practical skill of sewing, but also teaching thrift, manners and instilling in their students the belief that, with the ability to vote, women can indeed, do anything. In fact, the purpose of good home economics practice is to free up time for women to participate in their community and to work to make it better for all concerned. Home economics was, indeed, seen as a noble endeavor.<br />
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There is a bit of the practical mixed in with the history - explanations of different fabrics and their uses, understanding color and a variety of other tips. For example, I learned that trim should go in only one direction on any one outfit, lest it be visually disturbing. If you are going to trim the cuffs of a jacket, then don't also send trim up the outside of the sleeve from the cuff to the shoulder. It's just too much! Suddenly, my discomfort with many things I see hanging on clothing racks in stores makes a lot of sense to me. Above all, the Dress Doctors emphasized the principles of art in dressing - harmony, rhythm, balance, proportion and emphasis. They taught their students to observe them in works of art and in everyday occurrences. Throughout the book, we learn the history of shoulder pads, hip pads, shoes and why skirt lengths were at a particular point at given times in the history of our nation.<br />
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There is a lot of humor woven into the book - both from the Dress Doctors themselves and from the author, Linda Przybyszewski. Overall, it is a delightful book to read, even though it gets a bit repetitious in places. I recommend this book for those interested in textiles, sewing and the history of everyday life. The subject matter is acceptable for readers of all ages, although the writing level places it solidly in the high school and college range of difficulty.<br />
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I'll mention one gem that I found mentioned in the book - Cornell University hosts the <a href="http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/" target="_blank">HEARTH</a> web site. HEARTH is Home Economics Archive, Research, Tradition and History. Here, you can find the original writings of the Dress Doctors as well as a variety of patterns and other work that traces the history of the study and practice of home economics. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-53199354663425399762016-02-22T23:06:00.001-05:002016-02-22T23:09:31.755-05:00Reading Challenge Book 5: North of Here by Laurel SavilleThis story is about a search for "self." Miranda, the main character, must try to discover who she is after tragedy visits her life in spades. While some parts of the story are compelling, others make me less sympathetic for Miranda's plight. That is, until I realized that the story is really one of a search for rescue, for redemption. Then, I cheered her on in her efforts. The interplay between the main characters reflects the fickle character of the human heart when it is not centered on God. In essence, though, the story is just how far one can get away from Truth while looking at man in a search for purpose. Quite frankly, I do not recommend this book. Primarily, It is a story without hope, quite unlike the hope that is within us through faith in Christ. I am reminde of the words of God for Israel, through the prophet Jeremiah: <br />
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<i>Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the LORD... Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. </i><i>Jeremiah: 29:8-9, 12-14 </i></blockquote>
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TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-7275354698970344342016-02-02T13:54:00.001-05:002016-02-22T22:38:30.236-05:00Book 4: In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.</i></div>
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Edmund Burke</div>
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<i>In the Garden of the Beasts</i> is a factual retelling of the lead up to World War II, when Hitler had a free hand in Berlin and the rest of the world was ignoring the situation, or purposefully choosing to discount the various stories that were coming out of Berlin. This is, of course, a book that is read knowing the ultimate outcome, but that does not take away from the desperate tone of the communications of William E. Dodd, then the United States' Ambassador to Germany. Ambassador Dodd was not part of the State Department "establishment," instead he was a university history professor with no diplomatic experience. This background, in the end, is what allowed him discern what the future would hold as he watched the events in Germany unfold in real time. </div>
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This New York Times bestseller, authored by Eric Larson, is at times cumbersome to read due to it's many details. However it is that detail, taken directly from correspondence and witness accounts, that provides the much needed context for World War II. It also allows us, the readers in the United States, to realize the ramifications of having an isolationist viewpoint toward international events. It also brings home the fine line we walk - when is involvement in the affairs of other nations considered interference and when is it considered to be humanitarian? Perhaps more relevant, though, is whether or not we have learned from our mistakes. Are we listening to each other and to the world around us? </div>
TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-87265592585826137772016-01-24T09:05:00.001-05:002016-02-22T22:38:05.841-05:00Reading Challenge Book 3 - Such Good Girls: The Journey of the Holocaust's Hidden Child Survivors<div>
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"So, you were in Poland during the war?" asked author R.D. Rosen, making conversation with a likable woman in her seventies during a Passover seder. With her affirmative answer, he then asked a question that set him on a journey: "What were you doing?" Her quiet reply: "Hiding." With that, the author considered his "suburban bubble" to have been popped. </div>
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Mr. Rosen is an excellent storyteller. In Such Good Girls: The Journey of the Holocaust's Hidden Child Survivors, he traces the history of three Jewish girls, each unable to escape their home country (Poland, The Netherlands, France) during World War II. However, unlike many stories we have heard, the girls were able to escape the concentration camps and go on to live to have careers and families of their own. The details of the way in which the children hid, who hid them and some of the cruelties they endured are in the book, but equally compelling is his exploration of the effect the trauma had on the development of the hidden children as people. He explores what it means to live a lie - to use a new name, practice a new religion and be a part of a family that is not your own. Not only did the hidden children live a lie, they did it so well, they often did not remember what the truth really was. Through various worldwide gatherings of hidden children, several commonalities among them, all now adults, have become apparent. Common experiences include problems with memory, particularly as it relates to family and faith, having to grapple with the question of whether or not to identify as a Christian or a Jew, and whether or not, and when, to tell their stories. By exploring these commonalities, Mr. Rosen skillfully leads the reader through a minefield of tragedy and endurance. </div>
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TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-84542383960431927742016-01-18T14:45:00.001-05:002016-02-22T22:37:55.929-05:00Reading Challenge Book 2: I Capture the Castle <i>I Capture the Castle</i> is a lovely book to escape into, written by none other than Dodie Smith, author of <i>101 Dalmatians</i>.<br />
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The story consists of the musings of Cassandra Mortmain, a young woman who has as her goal to become a writer, as her father is. Towards that end, she sets out to write about her days living in a castle in the English countryside with the rest of her impoverished family. Her journal tells of how they stretched each shilling they had to the most, her father's difficulties with writer's block and their affect on the family, and how the young residents of the house fall in love, though not always with the person who loves them. Through the use of beautiful descriptions of the surroundings as well as the humorous descriptions of the events and characters in the book Ms. Smith has created a book that tells of a family's sophisticated naiveté.<br />
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One of my favorite aspects of the book are the character descriptions, as seen by Cassandra, of course. Of one family member, she relates "...there were moments when my deep and loving pity for her merged into a desire to kick her fairly hard"<i> </i>and of another "wonderfully patient - but I sometimes wonder if it is not only patience, but also a faint resemblance to cows."<br />
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I'm afraid that my description of the book isn't doing it justice, honestly. Suffice it to say, if you want an enjoyable read that also makes you think, you will have found it should you open the pages of this book!TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-79262621795905062482016-01-09T22:35:00.002-05:002016-02-22T22:37:43.894-05:00Book 1: 52 Books in 52 Weeks ChallengeEvery year Robin McCormack hosts a reading challenge. The goal is to read at least one book per week throughout the year and she is gracious enough to host a blog for participants. If you take a look at the <a href="http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/" target="_blank">52 Books in 52 Weeks</a> blog, you will find an enormous number of book suggestions. Robin provides many challenge ideas each week and posts about her own reading as she goes. Readers are encouraged, but not required, to blog a review of sorts about the books they read and Robin provides Mister Linky widget so that we can have all of the reviews in one place. Let me know if you decide to join in!<br />
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This first week in January, I read <i>The Murder House </i>by James Patterson and David Ellis. I thought the premise was really good - a beach house with a history of murders going back for hundreds of years. I've noticed that when Mr. Patterson has a co-author, his books have a different vibe to them. This one was a bit repetitious with the characters thought patterns and there were a few too many details left out leading directly up to the climax of the story. One result was that the character of the Chief of Police ended up being a bit undeveloped. I did like the main character, Jenna Murphy, quite a bit and I would like to see her in more books. However, there is no indication that this is intended to be a series, unlike the "Women's Murder Club "series. This is a pretty good read and I'd recommend it if you'd like something in the casual reading category. TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-12186084563328061732015-01-11T21:18:00.002-05:002015-01-11T21:18:39.381-05:00Free Homeschooling Resources for Middle and High SchoolI remember "way back when" we first entered the middle school years as a homeschooling family. Suddenly the websites that I had routinely visited to create a special activity or worksheet seemed too young for Rocket Boy. However, I had a hard time finding new sites to visit that would help us in this new phase of homeschooling. There was either too much information, meaning I had to wade through a lot of sites to find age appropriate information, or there was too little information, meaning that I had to conduct extensive searches to find what we were looking for.<br />
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So, throughout our middle and high school years, as I found free online resources, (either on my own or through my friends and contacts) I maintained a master list so that I would be able to find these wonderful sites again. This list now has hundreds of resources listed on it. I've been happy to share this list through email with dozens of people, and now I'm excited to say that I am making the full list available as a page on this blog. You can find this list by selecting the "Free Homeschooling Resources" tab at the top of the page. Resources are divided by subject, with two "catch all" sections. One of those is for sites that cover multiple subjects and the other is for sites that cover subjects or topics that don't neatly fit into the subject categories. Look at the bottom of the page, too. That's where you'll find a few resources that are just for us homeschool teachers - some things I hope will make your days go a little easier.<br />
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If you find any dead links, do let me know so that I can update the list. Enjoy the variety!TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03063264871552473923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-64020111057988258092015-01-01T12:13:00.001-05:002015-01-01T12:13:43.526-05:0052 Books in 52 WeeksI am once again participating in the <a href="http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com">Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks</a> challenge. The goal is pretty obvious - read one book each week for a year and then write a blog post about the book. Since I read over 150 books in 2014, this probably won't be a problem! If you're interested in joining, click on the link above for more information. TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-13449193410350085812014-11-29T21:30:00.001-05:002015-01-11T20:42:25.848-05:00CrossroadsThe season is certainly changing right now. We've had a few days where the high temperature didn't make it out of the forties, I've found all of my sweaters and all of my fuzzy socks and have been searching for my earmuffs. My life is certainly changing in other areas as well.
This is my son's senior year of high school - how did that happen so fast? He is taking some dual enrollment courses this year and is applying to university, writing scholarship essays, drawing, running a Minecraft server, going to church and keeping up with a couple of friends. I am not the primary teacher in any of his subjects this year. I am going to be "shepherding" him through a personal finance credit, but other than that, everything is outsourced. It is a strange feeling. I am not writing any lesson plans, nor am I researching curriculum to use next year. After all, that would be silly!
So what <i>am</i> I doing?
Praying, reading, quilting, petting kittens. Wait - did you say kittens? Yes, of course! We said goodbye to our longtime cat, Bert earlier this year. In an effort to provide some company for our remaining cat, Mia, we went to a shelter to adopt a cat. We were thinking about maybe one about 18 months old. Well, we came out with two ten-week old kittens. This is what they looked like when we brought them home in June. Aren't they adorable? You'll have to check back another time for more current pictures!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tribble June 11</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprocket June 11</td></tr>
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I'm looking forward to reading some substantive books this coming year - I'm hoping to participate in a group where we read one book per week and post reviews of them, linking to a central website. I did this a few years ago and it was great to get so many ideas from the books others had reviewed. I already have quite a list of books I've been putting off reading - I can't wait to get started. Until then, I'll probably post some shorter comments or reviews on other books. I am, however, saving my best for next year when they "count." Isn't that funny?
I am looking forward to writing more, to reading more and to quilting more. Most days, I am looking forward to this next phase of my life. I am at one of those rare life crossroads, in that I am fully aware that the choices I make over the next year or two will greatly impact the next twenty years or so of my life. They are choices like: do I work for pay or continue to do volunteer work? Where would I do either? Do I travel with my husband when he goes on his business trips? How much time to I devote to my hobbies? How can I use my bobbies to make a difference in the world? What can I do to take an active role in strengthening my faith, not a passive one? What will my relationship with my son be like as he starts college and begins to live more independently? How will we both change and grow after having spent so much time together over the years?
Mostly, I am enjoying the journey!<br />
<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-44040001179904456652014-06-21T12:56:00.001-04:002014-06-21T12:56:49.623-04:00Marking TimeToday is the first day of summer. It is also the 171st day of the year, which means it has been 172 days since we arrived in the PICU with our son. There have been 170 days since his last blood transfusion, 169 since he came off of the ventilator. God is so faithful! There have been no lasting effects from his illness whatsoever. Today he and I participated in a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital that took care of him. We ran into two of his nurses (not literally), which was fun for us. The fundraiser was a 5K/10K run, and believe me, I am no athlete. I was with the stroller moms in the back of the pack, which was fine with me! As we were getting ready to start, my son looked at me and said "I'm going to try to post a good time." I responded "Bye!"
Well, post a good time he did! He finished in just under 35 minutes, 10th in his age group!
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<i>"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…to Him be the glory" Ephesians 3:20-21</i>TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-47605090917915519422014-04-05T23:23:00.000-04:002014-04-05T23:23:24.963-04:00Welcome, Baby! In March I was able to attend my very first quilting retreat. It was so much fun spending uninterrupted time at the sewing machine! I completed two quilt tops, both baby quilts for friends who are expecting babies soon.
The first top I completed is for a baby girl and has these really neat ruches on five blocks - that was a first for me, but it went well. This is also the first time I did more than "stitch in the ditch" on a quilt. I traced a flower into six of the blocks using my iPad as a light box, then quilted them on my machine, feed dogs down! I also added some curvy lines to other areas of the quilt. Overall, I like the way it turned out.
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The second top I completed used a line of fabric called Chantilly by Moda. I love these fabrics! The colors and patterns are so lively and they were perfect for a baby quilt when the gender of the baby is a surprise. I took the time to match the stripes, it wasn't too hard to do, but I'm so glad that there weren't many I needed to match! This quilt, with all of it's lines, begged to be quilted using "stitch in the ditch" so I complied! I tried a new sewing machine foot for quilting that has a guide for ditch stitching, but I preferred my usual foot to that one, so I will be returning it to the store. Live and learn!
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I've been taking pictures on my iPhone up to this point as I had lost my charger for my camera battery. I finally purchased a replacement charger last week, so hopefully future pictures will be less fuzzy!
I'm continuing in my two block of the month programs and have started my next quilt, which I am very excited about. More updates on my little corner of the quilting world will be coming shortly.
TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-31044803435960751412014-02-06T16:52:00.000-05:002014-02-06T17:05:20.484-05:00Retooling Junior YearAs you can probably guess, given my <a href="http://www.playgroundofwords.blogspot.com/2014/01/welcoming-new-year-unexpected-start.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, the semester got off to a late start. We ended up dropping the outside Algebra 2 class Rocket Boy was enrolled in. He was having some trouble keeping up and the curriculum wasn't the greatest match, then when you throw in missing three weeks of class due to his illness, it just made sense to go another route. We chose to use <a href="http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/v/vspfiles/tt/Algebra2.htm" target="_blank">Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2</a> for the remainder of the course. In order to determine the starting point for the course, Rocket Boy is taking the tests and when he hits a wall, ideally we will have our starting point. Hopefully this will keep him from having to repeat material he has mastered.<br />
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The close of fall semester also brought the close of the required high school history courses to our homeschool. Both American History and World History are on the books! This semester Rocket Boy is studying American Government for 1/2 credit. I selected <a href="http://walch.com/Power-Basics-Singles-American-Government.html" target="_blank">Power Basics American Government </a>from Walch Education. It contains all of the needed information, tests and the activity workbook requires research, critical thinking, writing and some project management. Combined with the fast-paced Standard Deviants <a href="http://www.sdlearn.com/subjects-17/history/american-government/standard-deviants-american-government-2-pack.html" target="_blank">American Government DVD's</a>, it makes for a complete American Government course.<br />
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We picked up <a href="http://www.iew.com/search/site/windows%20to%20the%20world?f[0]=im_field_category%3A20" target="_blank">Windows to the World</a> again and I love, love, love this program! Rocket Boy is writing his first literary analysis paper (on how the author creates suspense in the short story <u>A Most Dangerous Game</u>) and it has opened up a new way of thinking for him. I think we may be able to complete this program by the end of the summer. For the remainder of his English credit he is continuing with Easy Grammar's <a href="http://www.easygrammar.com/dtl12.html" target="_blank">180 Daily Teaching Lessons</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-Power-Plus-New-SAT-ebook/dp/B004AHKL2G/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391722811&sr=1-2&keywords=vocabulary+power+plus+for+the+new+sat" target="_blank">Vocabulary Power Plus for the New SAT, Volume 2. </a><br />
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Rocket Boy is continuing with his outside chemistry course, using <a href="http://www.beginningspublishing.com/version2/spectrum.htm" target="_blank">Spectrum Chemistry</a>. Although he missed some classes due to his illness, he was able to do the labs here at home with his dad, so he was able to keep up. He has also picked up a one semester career exploration course through our co-op.<br />
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I'm hoping things will smooth out some soon - this week is actually our first un-interrupted school week of the semester - no hospital, no doctors, no medical tests! I'm not sure how much we will have to go into the month of June to get finished, but honestly, finishing by a certain date isn't that important to me anymore - it's just a privilege to be able to finish!<br />
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TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-11499402356212448222014-01-31T19:14:00.002-05:002020-10-13T18:49:19.492-04:00Welcoming the New Year - An Unexpected Start<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1</i></div>
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2014 started off in one of the worst imaginable ways. My son became suddenly, critically ill with internal bleeding and was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at an area hospital on New Year's Eve. My husband & I didn't notice the turn of the year at all - we were busy learning about his monitors and his IV medications. I took a photo of his IV pole that night. It looked astonishing to me with it's five pumps working away, delivering life saving blood products and medications.<br />
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Little did I know that following exploratory surgery, an additional four IV pumps and a ventilator would be added on New Year's Day.<br />
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While the nation was sleeping in and then watching football, we were watching our son breathe, grateful to God for every breath he took and for the machines that were helping him. In fact, God has been faithful to us every step of the way of our sudden, terrifying journey. The Bible relates several instances of memorials - places where God either provides or has His people construct something that, when seen, will remind us of His provision and His faithfulness to us. This is my memorial, my remembrance - so that I don't forget what God has done for us, how he provided for us and sustained us through this indescribably difficult time, but most of all so that God may be glorified.<br />
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Several things came together to make this experience "the perfect storm" - if there is such a thing.<br />
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1 - Many years ago we moved to an area blessed to have three research/teaching hospitals within 30 miles of our home. One of them has a stand-alone Emergency Room three miles from our house. We joined in with Joshua, saying <i>"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."</i> Joshua 24:15<br />
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2 - My husband was not traveling, and in fact, was on a much needed & well deserved vacation. <i>" 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.' " Mark 2:27</i><br />
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3 - A critical care ambulance was stationed at the local ER, ready to transport to the main hospital, the one with the PICU. Staffed w/paramedics, they were able to continue a desperately needed blood transfusion in the ambulance. This reminded me of Moses' words to Joshua: <i>"The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."</i> <i>Deuteronomy 31:</i>8<br />
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4 - A PICU bed opened at the hospital nearest to our home just at the time our son needed it. <i>"I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars… so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name" Isaiah 45:2-3</i><br />
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5 & 6 The attending physician in the PICU that night "happened to be" the Medical Director for the Children's Hospital. The surgeon-on-call was the Surgeon-in-Chief of Pediatric Surgery. Can it get any better? <i>"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…to Him be the glory" Ephesians 3:20-21</i><br />
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7 - The faculty physicians, nursing staff, RT's, PT's and others were incredible - we believe our son had fantastic care! We never felt like our son was a number - he wasn't just "Room 9" to the faculty and staff - he was a real person. Every person who came in the room called him by name (even when they knew he was unable to respond to them) - that was amazing to me! Although I know they didn't know him personally and may have just glanced at a chart to get his name as they walked in, the fact that they cared enough to do that speaks volumes about them as professionals and as people. They were God's hands and feet in our lives. <i>"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no Evil, for You are with me; thy rod and staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4</i><br />
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8 - A dear friend who works at the hospital went the extra mile to make sure we were cared for and in the process made us feel very loved.<i> John 13:35 - "By this all men will know you are My disciples if you have love for one another."</i><br />
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9 - We have medical insurance. <i>"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:9</i><br />
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10 - Friends & neighbors took care of our pets, our mail and put together the newly delivered bookcases that were still in their boxes in the middle of our living room floor. <i>"You shall love your neighbor as yourself"</i> <i>Matthew 19:19</i><br />
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11 - Pastors and friends came to listen, to pray with us and even to provide some much needed moments of levity. Most of all they reminded us of God's presence and love for us. <i>"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things" Romans 10:15</i><br />
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12 - A special friend agreed to graciously serve as our "administrative assistant" by keeping our local friends up to date on the situation so that they would know how to pray effectively. <i>"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." 1 Corinthians 12:18</i><br />
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13 - Worldwide, family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances and even strangers stepped up and stood in the gap for us and prayed without ceasing. <i>"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16</i><br />
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14 - As mysteriously as the bleeding started, it stopped. <i>He is our Jehovah-Rapha - Our Lord who heals. " Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name." Psalm 103:1</i><br />
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Today is the one month mark. Follow up testing was completed yesterday and my son was given a clean bill of health. While he was not able to determine why the bleeding occurred, the physician said that he did not see anything in the testing that would lead him to believe that it would ever happen again. He is free to go about doing all of the things that any teenage boy should be doing!<br />
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TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-7474841577572052732014-01-27T13:35:00.003-05:002014-01-27T13:35:25.769-05:00Quilting Runs in the FamilyLast year I began the journey of learning to quilt. One of the questions that comes up a lot is "Why do you want to do that? Well, the short story is, quilting runs in my family & my immediate family was the only one that I could tell that didn't have anyone quilting. So, in June of 2013 I joined my grandmother, aunts, uncle and numerous cousins in the adventure that is quilting.<br />
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I started by taking a beginning quilting class at a local quilt shop, where I made this quilt from the pattern "Yellow Brick Road."<br />
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This is the second quilt that I finished. The pattern is "Play a Card" and the fabric is from the Comma line from Moda. I made if for my son, who picked out the pattern and the fabric.<br />
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Here is the third quilt - this one I made for my brother. The block is from a pattern called "Vista" but the arrangement of the blocks is my own. The fabric is from Barcelona, a line from Moda Fabrics.<br />
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This year I am participating in two block of the month clubs. One is the Michael Miller Club House and the other one is a Dear Jane club. The Dear Jane Club has gotten started already, more on that in another post. I also have plans to do a disappearing nine patch quilt and maybe a baby blanket or two, or three (all for friends!). I'm looking forward to continuing the journey! </div>
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<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-43587849701592154462013-12-11T23:27:00.000-05:002013-12-11T23:27:57.010-05:00Books to Read in 2014Well, I've been doing a lot of reading, but honestly, it's been a long season of reading books that Charlotte Mason would call "twaddle." I'm able to occasionally listen to a remarkable talk show called "The State of Things," where they periodically host authors to talk about their works. These shows often leave me thinking "I'd Like to Read That." Since I'd like to read differently in 2014, I've begun to compile a reading list, much of which comes from those radio shows.<br />
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The beginning of my reading list:<br />
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<i>Guests on Earth</i> by Lee Smith - a fictional account of life in a real mental home in NC, including tales of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott.<br />
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<i>Chasing Chaos</i> by Jessica Alexander - Ms. Alexander's account of her decade working around the world providing humanitarian aid.<br />
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<i>Strangers at My Door: An Experiment in Radical Hospitality</i> by Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove - the true story of a man who opens his home to the needy.<br />
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<i>Gap Creek </i> and <i>The Road from Gap Creek</i> by Robert Morgan - novels about life in the Appalachia at the turn of the 19th century.<br />
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<i>Walking with Moonshine My Life in Stories</i> by Lucy Daniels - This award winning author shares some of the stories that make up her life.<br />
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<i>The Tilted World</i> by Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly - novel set at the time of the Great Flood of the Mississippi.<br />
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<i>Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking</i> by Susan Cain - how introverts are undervalued in today's culture.<br />
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<i>Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism </i>by Bryan Bell, et. al. - how design can be carried out for the service of the greater good.<br />
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<i>Sidetracked Home Executives</i> by Pam Young and Peggy Jones - yes, I need help in this area, badly!<br />
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<i>At Home: A Short History of Private Life</i> by Bill Bryson - I think the title says it all. I'm interested because I'm nosy like that.<br />
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<i>You Can Draw in 30 Days</i> by Mark Kistler - Mark's book for grown ups - my son wants me to work through this one.<br />
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<i>Renovation of the Heart</i> by Dallas Willard - recommended to me by a mentor, maybe I'll be able to get around to reading it this year.<br />
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<i>The Rise of the Creative Class</i> by Richard Florida - exploring the global impact of the creative class.<br />
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<i>Happy City: Transforming our Lives through Urban Design</i> by Charles Montgomery - the intersection of urban design and the "new science of happiness"<br />
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<i>The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains</i> by Nicolas Carr - sounds interesting<br />
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What do you plan to read in 2014?<br />
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<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-46366683543229956972013-01-26T08:30:00.000-05:002013-01-29T17:06:51.750-05:00Draw What?<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I read the theme for this week's Virtual Curriculum Fair, "Seeking Beauty: The Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World, I wasn't terribly excited. Art has never been my thing. You see, when I was a youngster, oh those many years ago, I was told "Draw the apple." At my dumfounded look, whoever it was that was talking to me at the time, said "Just draw what you see." That made no sense to me. It still doesn't, not really. I do now know that part of drawing is breaking things down into lines and strokes, and if I look really hard, I can see some lines and strokes in and around an apple. But draw one, no thanks. However, art is definitely Rocket Boy's thing. So here I am, a non-artsty mom, posting about teaching art to someone who, it seems, lives & breathes the subject. Exactly how do you do that? Well, I'm not sure how one is supposed to teach art, but I can tell you what we did, so hang on, this ride might not make any sense at all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Early Years</b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>You see, even though I couldn't draw at all, I still admired some paintings and in general, and a warm fuzzy feeling about the topic. Art would be a fine addition to our home. Over several years, I did something many homeschoolers call "strewing."<span style="font-family: inherit;">This simply means that I made art supplies, books about art and anything else related to art readily available to him. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had a three drawer rolling cabinet that we called our project center. I kept it stocked with construction paper, copy paper, crayons, pencils, glue, scissors, eyeballs, fuzzy things, old boxes, paper towel tubes, whatever. This was great fun for Rocket Boy. He would invent a lot of stuff and make a general mess. I think we started with the project center around the age of four and kept it up through the elementary years, the contents changing as he got older. </span><br />
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As a voracious readers we visit the library often, and it was there that I found some great art books to strew around. You can find these books at stores and at libraries. Here are <u>some</u> of the favorites from the younger years:<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Great-Artists-Hands--Children/dp/0935607099/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359153035&sr=1-2&keywords=childrens+art" target="_blank">Discovering Great Artists: Hands on Art for Children in the Style of the Great Masters</a></i> by MaryAnn F. Kohl</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Book-Art-Lucy-Micklethwait/dp/0751350702/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359154002&sr=1-2&keywords=Childs+book+of+Art" target="_blank">Child's Book of Art</a></i> by Lucy Micklethwait</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Messy-Art-Book-Clean/dp/087659206X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1359156977&sr=8-3&keywords=messy+art" target="_blank">Big Messy Art Book</a> </i>by MaryAnn F. Kohl<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vincent-Van-Gogh-Sunflowers-Swirly/dp/0448425211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359157747&sr=1-1&keywords=sunflowers+and+swirly+stars" target="_blank"><i>Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars</i></a> by Joan Holub<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Yellow-House-Vincent-Gauguin/dp/0810945886/ref=pd_sim_b_96" target="_blank">The Yellow House: Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gaugin Side by Side</a> by Susan Golman Rubin<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Museum-ABC-The-Metropolitan-Art/dp/0316071706/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1359157552&sr=8-8&keywords=children%27s+art+books" target="_blank"><i>Museum ABC</i></a> by (The) NY Metropolitan Museum of Art</div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Spy-Alphabet-Lucy-Micklethwait/dp/0688147305/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359157836&sr=1-1&keywords=i+spy+an+alphabet+in+art" target="_blank"><i>I</i><i> Spy: An Alphabet in Art</i></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Spy-An-Alphabet-Art/dp/0688147305/ref=pd_sim_b_2" target="_blank"> </a>by Lucy Micklethwait<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I had read somewhere that to have a child really appreciate color, you need to provide good quality colored pencils for them to work with. Well, sometime around the fourth grade, I invested in a good quality set of Prismacolor pencils. Even my untrained eye could tell the difference with these pencils - they covered the area better, we smoother and deeper somehow. These pencils are </span>ridiculously<span style="font-family: inherit;"> expensive if you compare them to Crayola, but the the 40% off coupons at national craft chain stores bring them down into the realm of tolerable. </span><br />
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<b>Middle & High School Years</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Late in elementary school, or early in middle school, I can't really remember, we gave Rocket Boy an inexpensive, basic Kodak digital camera, which led to more fun. I had on old copy of Photoshop that I didn't use, so we loaded that on our school computer as well. A copy of Photoshop for Dummies got him started on fun effects, and then the following fall he took a beginning digital photography class in our homeschool co-op. By now, we realized that he had a real interest in the art of photography. </span><br />
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The next artsy thing I remember is that in middle school, I decided to do a preplanned art curriculum and found <a href="http://www.artisticpursuits.com/" target="_blank">Artistic Pursuits</a>. The lessons each have a picture study and a lesson on technique with a few practice assignments. You can purchase a reasonably priced kit of supplies from the company, which will save you some time running around looking for that odd little thing. Rocket Boy completed <i><a href="http://www.artisticpursuits.com/1114bk_jh1.html" target="_blank">Artistic Pursuits Junior High Book One</a> </i>and dabbled in <i>Book Two</i>.<br />
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During middle school, he also picked up a couple of art classes through our co-op, but by the end of the last one, it was clear that he'd outgrown the basic technique classes. What to do next?<br />
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The summer before ninth grade, I found some art camps at the state art museum and enrolled Rocket Boy in a week long photography class. He thoroughly enjoyed his week and was encouraged by the instructor to apply for a position on the Teen Advisory Board at the museum. He did that and in 9th grade began volunteering in that position. Through our contact with the museum, we discovered that they hosted "Sketchbook Saturdays," which were 1 1/2 hour long art lessons, each based on a particular work of art at the museum, so he began taking those as well. He aged out of them during his freshman year, however.<br />
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Now, throughout out all of this, I continued to strew resources around the house. The bargain sections at the chain bookstores were a treasure trove, as was the annual library sale. By this time, the books were mostly technique books with an odd art history book thrown in here and there. Here are some titles we have:<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-Mona-Lisa-Prehistoric/dp/0740768727/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359159153&sr=8-1&keywords=the+annotated+mona+list" target="_blank">The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Postmodern</a></i> by Carol Strickland<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Life-Inspiration-Sketchbooks-Illustrators/dp/1600610862/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359159287&sr=1-3&keywords=sketch" target="_blank">An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers</a></i> by Danny Gregory<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/DK-Art-School-Introduction-Techniques/dp/B005GNK6NM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359159575&sr=1-1&keywords=dk+art+school" target="_blank">DK Art School: An Introduction to Art Techniques</a></i> by Ray Smith, Michael Wright and James Horton<br />
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The last book listed, <i>DK Art School</i>, was a fantastic find. It sat around the house for about a year before Rocket Boy got into it, then wow! The book has extensive sections on drawing, perspective, watercolor, pastels, oil painting, acrylics and mixed media. We significantly increased the number of trips we were making to the chain stores to lay in supplies. After more than a year, he is still learning from this book.<br />
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In addition to books, we have visited special museum exhibits. We've been to an exhibit of Norman Rockwell's work, where he learned about the use of art in politics and the impact of politics on art, as well as how Rockwell conceived of, modeled and executed his artwork. His favorite piece there was "<a href="http://arthistory.about.com/od/from_exhibitions/ig/american_chronicles/aonr_dia_09_22.htm" target="_blank">Uneasy Christmas in the Birthplace of Christ</a>." We've also been to a Monet exhibit and when we were in Europe this past fall, the <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=101&lang=en" target="_blank">Van Gogh Museum</a> and <a href="http://www.rembrandthuis.nl/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">Rembrandhuis</a>, where we saw hundred of Rembrandt's works.<br />
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Currently, in addition to continuing to work through the DK book, he is taking lessons once a week from a local artist. He's also continuing to serve on the Teen Advisory Council at the museum.<br />
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<b>What's Coming? </b><br />
Well, I don't really know, but I have some ideas!<br />
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I'm going to talk with the artist soon about adding a more rigorous art course or tutoring for next school year. I have the Alpha Omega <a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/product/es9100-4520" target="_blank">Lifepacs for High School Art</a>, which I picked up used at our local homeschool store, so that may come into play. The <a href="http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/7881.html" target="_blank">AP Studio Art Exam</a> for drawing has also caught my eye, that would take considerable work to pull off, so I'm not sure the art teacher would go for that, but it's an idea.<br />
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So, to recap, a non-artist teaches art by doing nothing other than making resources available. These resources include:<br />
<ul>
<li>books</li>
<li>museum visits</li>
<li>art supplies</li>
<li>art classes</li>
<li>volunteer opportunities</li>
<li>outside classes</li>
<li>freedom</li>
</ul>
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<b><i>This is the final week of the Virtual Curriculum Fair, so stop by <span style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Homeschooling Hearts & Minds</a> </span>and thank Susan for organizing it! </i></b></div>
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<b><i>As the stops on the Virtual Curriculum Fair become available this week, I'll add them below so that you can browse. Don't forget to make yourself a cup of tea as you browse!</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/37-free-online-art-and-music-resources.html" target="_blank"><i>37 FREE Online Art and Music Resources</i></a> by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds ~ </span><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcfbeauty.html" target="_blank"><i>Homeschool Without Traditional Ar</i>t</a> by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool ~</span><span style="color: #222222;"><i><a href="http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/flower-pony-tail-holders.html" target="_blank">Flower Pony Tail Holders - Beginning Sewing Projects</a> </i>by Julie @</span><span style="color: #222222;">Highhill Education ~ </span><span style="color: #222222;"><i><a href="http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/seeking-beauty-virtual-curriculum-fair.html" target="_blank">Seeking Beauty- Virtual Curriculum Fair</a> </i>by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me ~ </span><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/2013/01/creating-artsy-homeschool-even-if-youre.htm" target="_blank"><i>Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not</i></a> by Erin @ Delighting </span><span style="color: #222222;">in His Richness ~ </span><span style="color: #222222;"><i>Li<a href="http://anetintimeschooling.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/living-with-an-artsy-boy.html" target="_blank">ving with an Artsy Boy</a> </i>by Annette @ A Net In Time ~ </span><a href="http://courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-week-4-seeking.html" style="line-height: 15px;" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair Week 4- Seeking Beauty: The Arts and</a> </span><a href="http://courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-week-4-seeking.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;" target="_blank">Everything That Brings Beauty to Our World</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"> by Leah @ As We Walk Along </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">the Road</span></div>
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TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-46548791681176302402013-01-22T17:57:00.000-05:002013-01-28T22:40:49.659-05:00Science is CoolThe theme this week for the Virtual Curriculum Fair is "Exploring the World: Social Studies and Science." I could write about the various science textbooks we've used over the years, but that would be boring. Instead, I'm going to show you some of our favorite science activities and labs. Here we go!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/previews/nxt_products/robotics_eng_vol_1/robo_eng_1_print_preview.htm" target="_blank">Engineering 1: Introduction to Mobile Robotics</a> </b>is an excellent program developed by Carnegie Mellon University and distributed by LEGO Education. This semester long program requires a LEGO Mindstorm NXT robot, which is not included with the curriculum. We already had one of those, so we were good to go! This is a very hands on course, just right for my son. Everything is taught in context with immediate application to a robot project. Here's the official description from LEGO Education:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></span>
<i style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Each of the six projects begins with a robotics research prototype in which students are guided step-by-step through the building and programming of a new robot behavior. Afterwards, they follow up their prototype work with a robotics investigation in which the students experiment with the robot’s motors, sensors, and programming to learn how robots really work.</i><br />
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The curriculum includes the 18 lessons, each with a video tutorial, building & programming helps, worksheets for each lesson, some of which imitate lab reports in that the students are taught how to keep data over a series of attempts, each with failures and successes. There are also teacher notes, handouts, and quizzes (with answer keys). This is a high school level program, although a motivated 8th grader could do it. I don't recommend that you go any younger because of the math that is used. If you follow the link above, you will be able to see a sample lesson.<br />
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<b>DNA and Genetics</b> - for this study, my son used a kit from Thames & Kosmos. It's a favorite. I blogged about it a few years ago, so instead of repeating myself, <a href="http://playgroundofwords.blogspot.com/2010/01/weekly-review-week-21-jan-18-22.html" target="_blank">check out this post from January of 2010</a>.<br />
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<b>Rocketry </b>- If you've never been to the NASA website, it's worth your time. It is full of lesson plans for all ages, projects, photos, videos and much more. I seriously could spend a month there and not get to most of it! Using the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Rockets.html" target="_blank">Rockets Educator Guide</a>, Rocket Boy completed a series of activities that helped him learn not only the history of modern rockets, but the science that makes them work. He had Newton Car races with a friend, made some balloon rockets, the rockets with antacid tablets and much more. This was a great way to cover some physics.<br />
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<b>Fireworks</b> - Rocket Boy and Renaissance Man did a great unit study on the science of fireworks last year (9th grade). There was a lot of reading: <i>The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire and Phosphorous </i>by John Emsley; <i>Gunpowder Alchemy, Bombards and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World </i>by Jack Kelly and <i>Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History</i> by Penny leCouteur. They also went to the American Chemical Society (ACS) for more information about fireworks. ACS has an entire section about the <a href="http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=350&content_id=CNBP_028192&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=521d488b-1851-4a93-aa7c-d00952b96515" target="_blank">Chemistry of Fireworks</a>, so they read through that and worked through lesson plans. They followed the instructions on the site to make a firework, but it didn't work out so well. They sure had fun trying though!<br />
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I hope you've enjoyed this brief summary of some of our favorite activities. Don't be afraid to get out of the box and approach science in a non-traditional manner. Your students just may be intrigued!<br />
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<b><i>Stop by <a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Homeschooling Hearts & Minds</a> and thank Susan for organizing the Virtual Curriculum Fair! </i></b></div>
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<b><i>As the stops on the Virtual Curriculum Fair become available this week, I'll add them below so that you can browse. Don't forget to make yourself a cup of tea as you read!</i></b><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/exploring-eastern-cultures-with-sonlight.html" target="_blank">Exploring Eastern Cultures with Sonlight</a> by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds ~ </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/cell-unit-study-week-9-mitochondria-and.html" target="_blank">Cell Unit Study - Mitochondria and Energy</a> by Julie @ Highhill Education ~ </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/VCFSS.html" target="_blank">Our Blended Social Studies</a> by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool ~ </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-virtual-curriculum-fair-exploring.html" target="_blank">2013 Virtual Curriculum Fair-Exploring Our World: Social Studies and</a> </span><a href="http://courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-virtual-curriculum-fair-exploring.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">more Science</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Leah C @ As We Walk Along the Road ~ </span><a href="http://anetintimeschooling.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/exploring-canada.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Exploring Canada</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Annette @ A Net In Time ~ </span><a href="http://oramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/project-passport-middle-ages.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Project Passport: The Middle Ages</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Missouri Mama @ Ozark Ramblings ~ </span><a href="http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-exploring-our.html?m=1" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair- Exploring Our World</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me ~ </span><a href="http://wendy-homeschoolingblessings.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-absolutely-positively-favorite.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Our Absolutely Positively Favorite History Curriculum Ever</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Wendy @ </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Homeschooling Blessings ~ </span><a href="http://piwiprincess.blogspot.com/2013/01/science-our-way.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Science Our Way: learning to use wh at you are given </a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">by Piwi Mama @ </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Learning & Growing the Piwi Way ~ </span><a href="http://www.thepottershandacademy.com/historical-significance/" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Historical Significance</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Kristi @ The Potter’s Hand Academy ~ </span><a href="http://daybydayinourworld.com/2013/01/how-we-are-exploring-our-world-as-homeschoolers/" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">How We Are Exploring Our World as Homechoolers</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Laura O in AK @ Day </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">by Day in Our World ~ </span><a href="http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcf-week-3-social-sciences.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">VCF: Week 3 The Social Sciences</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Lisa @ Golden Grasses ~ </span><a href="http://schoolinginthesun.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-trip-around-world-homeschool-style.htm" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">A Trip Around the World: Homeschool-Style</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun ~ </span><a href="http://guidinglighths.com/virtual-curriculum-fair-exploring-our-world-biology/" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair ~ Exploring Our World: Biology</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Dawn @ </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Guiding Light Homeschool ~ </span><a href="http://homeschoolingforhisglory.blogspot.ca/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-learning-about.html" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair: Learning about our World</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> by Joelle @</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Homeschooling for His Glory </span></div>
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<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-7515394787994332013-01-14T17:56:00.000-05:002013-01-15T11:20:32.676-05:00High School Math - Beyond the Textbook<a href="http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy259/Sudzie_2009/fairbutton2013-001_zps96088872.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy259/Sudzie_2009/fairbutton2013-001_zps96088872.jpg" style="display: block;" /></a>Textbooks are a staple in high school math. They are a great format for
providing information in an incremental manner, accompanied by examples
and practice problems. Sometimes, though, math is just tough. Whether
your student needs a different approach to mathematical concepts,additional practice or just a diversion, math games are a great addition
to high school. Today, I'll show you some high school level games we've
played in our home.<br />
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The folks at <a href="http://www.mugginsmath.com/" target="_blank">Muggins Math</a> describe their games as "Aerobics for the
mind" and say that they are appropriate for ages 4 through nuclear
physicist. I think they're spot on! They have several games to choose
from to help at all levels, but today I will highlight the games that we
have used that apply to high school concepts. For the sake of economy, I
purchased the write-on wipe off boards and used them with game markers
(colored counting chips would work as well).<br />
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<img alt="MUGGINS! / Opps!" border="0" height="61" src="http://www.mugginsmath.com/images/BD/seals/mugginsopps.gif" width="366" /><b>OPPS!</b>
- The Pre-Algebra Game of Opposites - Fractions can be frustrating, and
practice can be tedious, but not with the game of OPPS! In this game,
players add, subtract, multiply and divide negative numbers. There are
directions for multiple levels of play, so this game can be used for a
few years. I advise continuing to play it at least part way through your
student's Algebra I year so that you can make sure they have those
pesky fractions down cold!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.mugginsmath.com/images/downaround.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://www.mugginsmath.com/images/downaround.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div>
<b>DOWN and AROUND</b> - This game also has multiple levels so that you can increase the level of difficultly as the players gain experience. As players take turns, they find the LCD and GCF of fractions derived from the roll of the dice! This game requires a lot of strategy as you work to advance and to block your opponent!<br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61R58scLtzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61R58scLtzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Another thing we've had some fun with is <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Patty-Paper-Geometry-Michael-Serra/dp/1559530723/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358201095&sr=1-1&keywords=patty+paper+geometry" target="_blank"><b>Patty Paper Geometry</b></a>, </i>published by Key Curriculum Press<i>. </i>Well, okay, what is patty paper? It's the thin parchment paper that butchers put between hamburger patties - and you can do amazing things with them to help your students understand geometric concepts. The book has twelve sets of "investigations," each having two sets of instructions. One set of instructions is a "guided investigation" where the students are given definitions and step by step instructions on how to create a particular construction and provides a fill in the blank theorem. The second set of instructions is an "open investigation." In this set, definitions and directions are provided and the student generates the theorem based upon the conclusions that they make observing their construction. You will find a total of 63 different investigations, each having both guided and open instructions, for a total of 126 investigations.<br />
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The twelve sets of investigations with their concepts are:</div>
Investigation Set 1: Intersecting Lines (intersection of two lines; shortest distance between point & line; vertical & adjacent angles; linear pairs)<br />
Investigation Set 2: Folding the Basic Geometric Constructions (angle bisector; perpendicular bisector, perpendicular from a given point to a given line; perpendicular through a point on a line; finding a line parallel to a given line through a given point)<br />
Investigation Set 3: Special Points of Intersection (perpendicular bisectors of the sides of a triangle; angle bisectors of a triangle; medians, altitudes, circumcenter, incenter and centroid of a triangle; Euler line)<br />
Investigation Set 4: Three Big Ideas (polygon sum conjectures, isosceles triangle conjecture & it's converse; parallel lines conjecture & it's converse)<br />
Investigation Set 5: Midsegment Conjectures (triangle and trapezoid midsegment conjunctures)<br />
Investigation Set 6: Properties of Quadrilaterals (parallelogram; rhombus; rectangle; kite)<br />
Investigations Set 7: Properties of Circles (Finding the center; tangents to a circle; tangent segments; central angles, arcs & chords; inscribed angles; angles inscribed in the same arc & in a semicircle; parallel lines through a circle; cyclic quadrilaterals)<br />
Investigations Set 8: Congruent Triangles (side-side-side; angle-angle-angle; side-angle-side; angle-side-angle; side-angle-angle; side-side-angle)<br />
Investigations Set 9: Transformations (translations; rotations; reflections; order of points after transformations; two reflections over parallel lines; two reflections over intersecting lines)<br />
Investigations Set 10: Symmetry and Tessellations (reflectional symmetry of regular polygons; rotational symmetry of regular polygons; tessellations of regular polygons; tiling the plane with nonregular polygons; creating Escher-Style translation, rotation and glide reflection tessellations)<br />
Investigations Set 11: Area (area formula for parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, circles, parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, circles)<br />
Investigations Set 12: The Theorem of Pythagoras (the theorem & it's converse) <br />
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Now, I have to admit. I'm a curriculum junkie. I have some things on my shelf that I bought in case I might be able to use them one day. I also have quite a wish list going. Here's a list of the different games or activity books I either have or wish for, but haven't used yet:<br />
<i><br /></i>
<b><i>Is Democracy Fair? The Mathematics of Voting and Apportionment</i></b> - using mathematics to explore ballots, decision procedures, alternatives to the "winner take all" approach; investigate different methods for the apportionment of Congressmen to the House of Representatives; how voting apportionment methods are used in non political situations; includes outline for long term research paper on voting & apportionment in a country other than the U.S..<br />
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<b><i>Squaring the Circle: Geometry in Art and Architecture</i></b> - here's the description from Amazon: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>includes all the topics necessary for a solid foundation in geometry
and explores </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> the timeless influence of geometry on art and architecture.
The text offers wide-ranging </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> exercise sets and related projects that
allow students to practice and master the mathematics </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> presented. Each
chapter introduces mathematical concepts geometrically and illustrates </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> their nontraditional applications in art and architecture throughout the
centuries. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> Appropriate for both basic mathematics courses and
cross-discipline courses in mathematics </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> and art, Squaring the Circle
requires no previous mathematics.</i><br />
<br />
<i><b>Building Kites: Flying High with Math</b> - </i>this book is designated for 5-8th grade, but I know some high school students who would love to build a kite! By building different polyhedral kites, students learn about scale, tangent function and estimation. <i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Fantasy Baseball and Mathematics </b>- </i>students create fantasy teams by picking players, follow their statistics and use algebraic and non-algebraic methods to calculate their team's total points. Lesson plans and activities are included. There is an accompanying student workbook. Additionally, the publisher has fantasy sport and mathematics books for football, basketball and soccer.<i></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Equate: The Equation Thinking Game</b> - </i>this is Scrabble for mathematics! Players connect tiles vertically and horizontally to make mathematically correct equations. There are tiles for numbers and symbols. This game is adaptable for all levels by purchasing additional tiles sets. The <i>Advanced Tiles Set</i> includes negative and positive integers, integer
exponents, fractions, the four basic operations, and equal symbols. The <i>Jr. Tile Set </i>contains <span id="ProductDisplayControl_ProdDescription">whole numbers with more
0's and 1's, fractions with denominator 2, the four basic operations
with extra addition and subtraction tiles and equal symbols.</span><br />
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I enjoy bringing the out of the ordinary into the ordinary homeschool day - it's often a much needed reprieve. Let me know if you try any of these games or activities and how they worked out for your high schoolers! <i> </i><br />
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<b><i>Stop by <a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Homeschooling Hearts & Minds</a> and thank Susan for organizing the Virtual Curriculum Fair! </i></b></div>
<b></b><br />
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<b><i>As
the stops on the Virtual Curriculum Fair become available this week,
I'll add them below so that you can
browse. Don't forget to make yourself a cup of tea as you read!</i></b></div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/delight-directed-middle-school-science.html" target="_blank">Delight Directed Middle School Science? </a> by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://www.thepottershandacademy.com/the-hardest-part-of-math/" target="_blank">The Hardest Part of Math</a> by Kristi @ The Potter's Hand Academy<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcfmath.html" target="_blank">A Tour Through Our Math and Science Life </a>by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool<i><b> ~</b> </i><a href="http://piwiprincess.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-works-for-usmath.html" target="_blank">What Works for Us…Math</a> by Piwi Mum @ Learning & Growing the Piwi Way<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/math-art-geometry.html" target="_blank">Math Art </a>– Geometry by Julie @ Highhill Education<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://oramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-math-magical.html" target="_blank">It's Math</a><a href="http://oramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-math-magical.html" target="_blank">-magical </a>by Missouri Mama @ Ozark Ramblings<b><i> ~ </i></b><a href="http://thesunnypatch.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-fun-and-games.html" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair: Fun and Games with Math</a> by Tonia @ The Sunny Patch<i><b> ~</b> </i><a href="http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2013/01/discovering-patterns-how-to-teach-%20math.html" target="_blank">Discovering Patterns</a> by Lisa @ The Golden Grasses<i> <b>~ </b></i><br />
<a href="http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/2013/01/math-for-natural.html" target="_blank">Math for the Natural</a> by Erin @ Delighting in His Richness<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-discovering.html" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair~ Discovering Patterns</a> by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://training6hearts4him.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-many-math-programs-or-not.html" target="_blank">Too Many Math Programs or Not </a>by Linda B @ Homeschooling6<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://coffeecobwebsandcurriculum.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-math-and-more.html" target="_blank">Virtual Curriculum Fair: Math and More! </a>by April @ Coffee, Cobwebs,<br />
and Curriculum<i> <b>~</b> </i><a href="http://sunrisetosunsethomeschool.com/2013/01/14/the-post-where-i-admit-i-was-wrong/" target="_blank">The post where I admit I was wrong</a> by Kristen H. @ Sunrise to Sunset<i> <b>~ </b></i><a href="http://homeschoolingforhisglory.blogspot.ca/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-discovering.html" target="_blank">Discovering a World of Logic and Order</a> by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory <b>~</b>
<a href="http://courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-virtual-curriculum-fair.html" target="_blank">2013 Virtual Curriculum Fair- Discovering Patterns: Mathematics,Logic, and Science</a> by Leah C @ As We Walk Along the Road <b>~</b>
<a href="http://theplantedtrees.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-2013-plans-of.html" target="_blank">The Plans of Mice and Math (My Math in Focus review) </a>by Chelli @ The<br />Planted Trees <b>~</b>
<a href="http://www.montessoritidbits.com/2013/01/rightstart-math-review-games.html" target="_blank">Rightstart Math is right for us!</a> by Leann @ Montessori Tidbits <b>~</b>
<a href="http://wendy-homeschoolingblessings.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-favorite-homeschool-math-curriculums.html" target="_blank">Our Favorite Homeschool Math Curriculums</a> by Wendy @ Homeschooling Blessings</div>
TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-60014550407604503592013-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:002013-01-15T13:57:30.447-05:00A Custom Designed High School English Credit<br />
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It's not uncommon for people to design their own unit studies or their own electives, especially at the elementary level. At the high school level, when the pressure is on for college prep students, many home educators choose to forgo their custom created courses in favor of using text books. I have a habit of looking at a curriculum or program and thinking of all the different ways that I would modify it for my student. For ninth grade, I custom designed a non-traditional English credit for our homeschool. Today I'll talk about how I went about doing that.<br />
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During the summer before ninth grade, I took a fair assessment of my son's mastery of the English language. I was pleased to confirm that he was doing quite well in most areas, but there were a few areas that I wanted to shore up his skills. I wanted him to read more in depth - to look for details that would help him infer facts about the story, to identify the causes and effects found in stories and to begin to think about literary elements. I also wanted him to continue reading, but I wanted to get his reflections on his reading, and I wanted to expand his vocabulary skills as a way of beginning to prepare for the SAT. I knew he wasn't ready for in depth literary analysis yet, however. Writing, he was doing well at & I wanted to stay the course, but felt that the materials needed a bit of a change. With these things in mind, I decided what it was I wanted him to learn during the course of the year.<br />
<br />
The course objectives that I settled on were: <br />
<ul>
<li>Identify and explore the various literary genres, including the drama, the tragedy and the comedy. Identify and use literary devices and figures of speech such as: similes, metaphors, allegories, fables, parables, etc.</li>
<li>Understand theme, plot and characterization </li>
<li>Further develop writing skills by learning and applying such topics as: descriptive writing; narratives; factual writing; point of view; literary skills (such as personification and alliteration); various types of essays. </li>
<li>Build vocabulary through reading and through studying vocabulary specific resources.</li>
<li>Enhance critical thinking, verbal reasoning, reading and writing skills.</li>
</ul>
Once I knew what I wanted to accomplish, I set out to find resources that would help me do that. Our local homeschool store carries both new and used materials and it was a great place for me to browse. Time flies when I'm looking at curriculum - I wonder if I'm the only homeschooler who has that problem? Anyway, after several trips and a few hours, I pulled together a set of resources that would work for my son. I selected:<br />
<br />
<i>Movies as Literature</i>, by Kathryn Stout and Richard Stout (both the book and the student workbook) <br />
<i>Write Shop I & II</i> by Kim Kautzer and Debra Oldar<br />
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<![endif]--><i>Reading Detective B1: Using Higher Order Thinking to Improve Reading Comprehension </i>by C. Block, et. al.<br />
<i>Building Thinking Skills, Level 3 Verbal</i> by Sandra Parks and Howard Black<br />
<i>Building Thinking Skills, Level 3 Figurative</i> by Sandra Parks and Howard Black<br />
<i>Word Roots A1 & A2</i> by Cherie A. Plant <br />
<br />
With this many resources, I knew that the "finish the book, finish the course" approach would not be the right thing to do, so I sat down and read through all of the resources. This helped me get a feel for the breadth and depth of the material covered in each book and to determine the level of mastery my son had over each area covered. I then chose carefully what sections would be completed and what could safely be skipped over without compromising his education. At this point, I also decided to have him select books from a reading list and complete book projects. Through research on the internet, I came up with a list of nearly 70 fiction and non-fiction books to choose from as well as a list of 25 book project ideas. I decided I would let him choose four books for both reading and a project and then use the rest of the books as a reading list to pull from to widen his horizons. After this research, I came up with the course requirements: <br />
<ul>
<li>Complete Reading Detective B1</li>
<li>Complete teacher selected assignments in Building Thinking Skills, Level 3 Verbal</li>
<li>Complete teacher selected assignments in Building Thinking Skills, Level 3 Figurative</li>
<li>Complete Word Roots, A1 and Word Roots, A2.</li>
<li>Complete teacher selected assignments in Write Shop I & II</li>
<li>Read four selections from the reading list.</li>
<li>Complete four book projects, one for each of the reading list books</li>
<li>Satisfactorily complete assignments for ten movies in Movies As Literature: Student Workbook. Your teacher will choose five and you will choose five. In the choice of movie, consideration must be given to covering as many different concepts as possible. </li>
<li>Actively participate in a weekly meeting with your teacher. The meeting is for the purpose of direct instruction of course content as well as discussion of materials and assignments covered in this course. </li>
</ul>
In order to facilitate the record keeping that would be required to complete a high school transcript, I wrote a full course description. I then combined the course description, course objectives, resource list, course requirements, book list and project list into a course contract. I also stated what the minimum passing grade would be. So, you may be wondering, did she really pull all of this off?<br />
<br />
I am pleased to say we had a great English I course for the ninth grade year. I enjoyed watching the movies (Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant View were great resources for that) and discussing them. The questions provided in <i>Movies As Literature</i> were very thorough and encouraged careful watching and analysis as well. The workbooks helped to shore up the weaker skills and the reading was a pleasure, as were the projects he selected to go along with them. He completed all of the requirements and successfully earned his English I credit! <br />
<br />
<br />
If you want to try your hand at creating your own courses for your students, here are some helpful steps:<br />
<ol>
<li>Assess the students strengths & weaknesses in the area to be studied</li>
<li>Determine the course objectives - these are the skills and knowledge that the student can expect to gain from the course you are designing</li>
<li>Research and choose resources that will aid in meeting the course objectives</li>
<li>Become familiar with all of the resources you selected and determine which assignments or parts of each resource would need to be completed</li>
<li>Write the course requirements - this tells both the student and the teacher what needs to be done in order to complete the course</li>
<li>Determine the minimum passing grade for the course</li>
<li>Write a course description </li>
<li>Write a course contract - for middle and high school students</li>
</ol>
Happy planning!<br />
<br />
<i>Stop by <a href="http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Homeschooling Hearts & Minds</a> and thank Susan for organizing the Virtual Curriculum Fair! </i><br />
<br />
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<i>As the stops on the Virtual Curriculum Fair become available this week, I'll add them to the bottom of this post so that you can browse. Don't forget to make yourself a cup of tea as you read!</i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.thepottershandacademy.com/building-blocks-of-education-learning-to-read/" target="_blank">Nurturing Novelists = Building Strong Writers by Susan Anadale @ Homeschooling Hearts and Minds ~ Building Blocks of Education--Learning to
Read</a> by Kristi Kerr @ <a href="http://www.thepottershandacademy.com/" target="_blank">The
Potter's Hand Academy ~ </a>Finding Our Way Through Language Arts by Christy @
<a href="http://schoolinginthesun.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-does-unit-study-teach-language-arts.html" target="_blank">Unexpected Homeschool ~ How Does a Unit Study Teach Language Arts?</a> by
Nicole @ <a href="http://training6hearts4him.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-language-arts-adventure.html" target="_blank">Schooling in the Sun ~ Our Language Arts Adventure</a> by Linda @ <a href="http://www.courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-virtual-curriculum-fair-playing.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling6 ~ 2013 Virtual Curriculum Fair-Playing with Words:
The Language Arts</a> by Leah Courtney @ <a href="http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-playing-with.html" target="_blank">As We Walk
Along the Road ~Virtual Curriculum Fair-Playing with Words</a> by
Karyn @ <a href="http://guidinglighths.com/?p=792276" target="_blank">Teach
Beside Me ~ Virtual Curriculum Fair ~ Language Arts</a> by Dawn @
<a href="http://oramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/writing-help-in-critical-thinking-book.html" target="_blank">Guiding Light
Homeschool ~ Writing Help in a Critical Thinking book?</a> by
Missouri Mama @ <a href="http://thesunnypatch.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-foreign.html" target="_blank">Ozark Ramblings ~ Virtual Curriculum Fair: Foreign Language Immersion in
the Homeschool</a> by Tonia @ <a href="http://thesunnypatch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Sunny
Patch ~ </a>Formula for Reading by Erin @ <a href="http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Delighting in His Richness ~ </a>Words and Learning by Annette @ <a href="http://everydaysnapshots.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-2013-still.html" target="_blank">A Net In Time ~ Virtual Curriculum Fair 2013: Still Loving Language
Arts</a> by Pam @ <a href="http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2013/01/word-play.html" target="_blank">Everyday Snapshots ~ Word Play</a> by Lisa @ <a href="http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Golden
Grasses ~ </a>Loving Language Arts by Kristen H. @ <a href="http://daybydayinourworld.com/2013/01/learning-language-arts-2012-2013-school-year/" target="_blank">Sunrise to
Sunset ~ Learning Language Arts ~ 2012-2013 School Year by
Laura O in AK @ </a><a href="http://daybydayinourworld.com/" target="_blank">Day by Day in Our World ~ </a>Virtual Curriculum Fair - The Language Arts
Department by Joelle @ <a href="http://homeschoolingforhisglory.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Homeschooling for His Glory ~</a> Playing with Words: The Language Arts by
Christa Darr @ <a href="http://coffeecobwebsandcurriculum.blogspot.com/2013/01/playing-with-words-language-arts.html" target="_blank">Fairfield Corner Academy: The Story of Our Life ~ Playing with Words: Language Arts</a> by April @
<a href="http://www.ourhomeschoolstudio.com/2013/01/what-language-arts-looks-like-in-our.html" target="_blank">Coffee, Cobwebs and Curriculum ~ What Language Arts looks like in our house - Are we
doing it right?</a> by Hillary M @ <a href="http://ourhomeschoolstudio.com/" target="_blank">Our Homeschool
Studio</a></div>
TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-38481021396938745472012-12-26T19:38:00.001-05:002012-12-26T19:38:08.480-05:00Cycling 101This past September our family spent a week in Amsterdam, North Holland, NL. It was a great trip, one I enjoyed as it gave me a glimpse into the area where my grandfather was born. It's a beautiful, unique city. Although I knew going over that Amsterdam was a "bicycle friendly" city and that it was a popular mode of transportation, the full impact of this didn't sink in until I saw it in action. What we in the U.S. define as "bicycle friendly" and what occurs in Amsterdam are two very different things. Amsterdam has intentionally developed an infrastructure to support commuter cycling and to discourage automobile (car) use. There are many roads that are closed to cars, causing cars to have to take "the long way around" between many destinations. Those on bicycles can make use of those roads, cutting both their commuting distance and time. Bike lanes are much wider than in the states and are on all roads that allow cars (at least as far as I could tell). Not only that, the majority of the lanes I saw were "protected" lanes, meaning that they were separated from automobile traffic by some type of barrier or median. Public tram and trains allow bicycles on, although they do charge. There is nothing special you have to do, just roll it on. The city provides public bicycle parking at no cost and there are multiple story parking decks near Central Station for the bicycles. Here's a video that explains a bit about the history of cycling in The Netherlands and shows the bicycle paths that I describe above:<br />
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<br />
Here in the U.S., commuter cyclists typically ride bikes similar in style to those that are used for sport riding, although the tires are sometimes different. In Amsterdam, I observed a very different scenario. The bikes used prevalently there are similar in style to those sold as "cruiser," "town," or "beach" bikes here in the U.S.. In my area of the country, the bikes are seen at the beach (available from rental companies) and are sometimes ridden in neighborhoods by children. The bikes in Amsterdam are styled differently. Here's a great video from Dottie at <a href="http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/" target="_blank">Let's Go Ride a Bike</a>, a blog I have enjoyed reading over the past several days. The video shows the features of the bikes that I saw most often during my trip:<br />
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Isn't Dottie stylish in her beautiful dress? That is another thing that is different in Amsterdam and, I think, in other European cities. People wear their regular street clothes for their commute, not the spandex outfits we see here. As Dottie demonstrated, you can see how the style of the bike facilitates this. It was fun to watch the ladies in their heels and the men in their suits going to work, along with those who were dressed more casually. I didn't see a single person in spandex - yay! Spandex is definitely not for everyone! Another thing you might have noticed is that she has made provisions to carry cargo without using a backpack, unlike most here in the states. When I read a bit about this, it was so obvious! Long term backpack wear can cause back pain, as can a stooped position on a bike (that I already knew). The panniers, baskets and the upright position of these bikes help mitigate these issues. So smart! <br />
<br />
When we were in Amsterdam and then later, in Zurich, we did not rent a car. Instead, we walked everywhere or rode the trams. I was a bit intimidated by cycling - there seemed to be some type of unspoken cycling language or culture that I wasn't quite privy to, so I felt safer sticking to my feet. I think had I taken to wheels, I might have caused an accident or two, as I haven't ridden regularly since childhood. When we returned home, I started wondering what it would be like to be able to bike to the park, the swimming pool, grocery store, etc. - all places I usually drive, even though they are close to my home (especially the pool). After searching around on the internet and checking with a few local bike shops, I decided to ask my husband for a bike for Christmas. He was happy to oblige and my new bike found it's way into our home this past week. Here it is:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mICigkybtbLxJDXJEYMGhdKEswRAOKzhOPY1iAkS7iK0eR36reiAsYloOQOOGW92ifypmP4Fmu-dYDaSpu905ZFNvm08O9mk8K_xD2v6PB5mLxyfny9AjEOWdREaJwB04ub-QN4ztZ2B/s1600/425621_10200259717878318_1942835501_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mICigkybtbLxJDXJEYMGhdKEswRAOKzhOPY1iAkS7iK0eR36reiAsYloOQOOGW92ifypmP4Fmu-dYDaSpu905ZFNvm08O9mk8K_xD2v6PB5mLxyfny9AjEOWdREaJwB04ub-QN4ztZ2B/s320/425621_10200259717878318_1942835501_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sorry about the fuzziness, I took it in a hurry before I rolled it out the door! It's a Linus Dutchi 3, purchased from a somewhat local bike shop. The big trick was fitting it onto our bike rack to get it home from the shop - it sits awkwardly due to the position of the top bar. Car racks are definitely made for sport bikes! I've taken it for two rides around my neighborhood so far. I'm not in the best of shape and so I need to work my way up to the grocery store runs. We have a lot of hills around here, so both my leg strength and my endurance will need to build up. I'm hoping that with some consistent effort on my part I'll be able to make it to the grocery store and back sometime this spring. I'm already planning what to add - I'll need some panniers for the back and a basket for the front, and I think maybe a really cool bike bell. My husband wants to get some bungee cords and a milk carton for it, but I'm trying to steer him clear of that. I do think that it would be practical in some scenarios, though, so I'll keep it in the back of my mind! Right now my goal is to ride our neighborhood loop daily, then after 7-10 days, add in some of the side streets. When I can ride easily for about 30 minutes, I'll start working my way up to the grocery store. I'll try to keep everyone updated on my progress. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun! So - when was the last time you rode a bike?<br />
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TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-17086883644296461202012-11-18T17:08:00.000-05:002012-11-18T17:15:03.451-05:00Some Immediate Benefits of Learning Literarary AnalysisAll semester I've wanted to sit down with the materials we are using for literature and writing and work ahead to remind myself of the big picture. It's been, well, I'll just say "a long time" since I've had to do any formal literary analysis and I wanted to get up to speed, so to speak. I did this with Algebra before we started pre-algebra so that I had a better grasp of where everything was going and it proved to be very helpful. While, life is busy and I hadn't had time to do this yet, so I have been teaching literature on the fly this year. Finally, I have had some time to invest in completing a thorough overview and refresher.<br />
<br />
This year I am using <a href="http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/sla-e" target="_blank"><i>A Syllabus for Introduction to Literary Analysis</i></a> by Jill Pike. This nifty tool makes use of two books published by<a href="http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/" target="_blank"> Institute for Excellence in Writing</a>:<a href="http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/tcs" target="_blank"> <i>Teaching the Classics</i></a> (TTC) and <i><a href="http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/wtw-t" target="_blank">Windows to the World</a></i> (WTTW). We are almost all the way through the TTC portion of the syllabus. It has been great so far, as I've had the videos to do the teaching for me, but as of then end of next week, I'll be on my own teaching the material from WTTW - which is what brought me to the coffee shop today. Today I have been blessed to have a concentrated study session at a
local coffee shop where I have completed the assignments in the remaining portion of TTC and have moved on to the WTTW section of the syllabus. I am so excited!<br />
<br />
Why, you might ask? Because I have remembered why I am teaching literature in the first place, not only that, I have determined how the reading of literature and the related skill of literary analysis can have immediate impact on my teen student's life! Wait - immediate impact? Does this mean that I expect my son to walk down the street and engage people in conversations about O. Henry, Shakespeare and Beowulf, of all things? Why no, I don't! However, I do expect him to walk down the street and engage in life and in the "great conversation" of life.<br />
<br />
You see, by learning to read well, you can reap immediate benefits that result in improving the way you process information. Learning how to pay attention to detail and to realize the impact details have to the big picture of the story, you learn a skill that will enable you to understand almost any information that is presented to you. I say almost, because I'm not sure there is anything that would help me understand Calculus. <br />
<br />
It is widely discussed that those who read for enjoyment have the opportunity to "experience" a lot of different cultures and scenarios, thus adding to the richness of their lives. It is worth it to consider how this experience can impact a teen's life. Think about it - by reading literature of many different types and using good thinking skills, a teen can use the experience of reading to explore a variety of situations and settings as well as the opportunity to think about what contributed to the situation itself and what impact various changes to the situation or setting may have had on the outcome. Becoming aware of the various themes in literature can help a person assess real life challenges and situations as well by providing a spring board for the teen to think through various parts of the experiences life throws his way. <br />
<br />
Literature is the one subject where a student can see immediate application - every student of literature can use the skills they are learning and apply them to their lives - and they will be richer for it.<br />
<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-25840295601513475562012-11-08T23:33:00.001-05:002012-11-08T23:33:45.955-05:00Difficulties with the Common CoreThe Common Core has once again come to my attention, giving me an opportunity to do clarify my thoughts by writing them out. I'm not sure that this is drastically different than what I have written previously, but here goes. <br />
<br />
<br />One difficulty with the common core is that it sets a ceiling - this
is what you have to know and no more. Many students will struggle to
reach that ceiling, while many others are already operating well above
the ceiling. Like it or not, the test is on the ceiling, not on anything
above it. This ceiling is supposed to be what demonstrates that all
high school students will be ready for college when they graduate. Given
the wide array of abilities that are present in any population, it is
logical (at least to me) that the ceiling won't be very high, otherwise
there would be those who couldn't possibly reach it. This is where the
"dumbing down" phraseology comes into play. If the ceiling of such a
standard is low and the "gold standard" of the SAT is adjusted so that
all who pass high school will do well on the SAT, then it stands to
reason that the SAT would have to be less difficult than it is
presently. At the same time, the opportunities for those who operate
above the ceiling are expected to dry up as funding is re-directed
towards those who need help reaching a ceiling that is perhaps too high
for them. <br /><br />Another difficulty with the common core is that it's
goal is to homogenize the education of Americans. To have everyone know
the same facts and think in the same way is not education to me.
Professional educators often say that the goal of education is to teach
students to think, yet they persist on testing a defined set of
information in a limited manner. Most of us who homeschool are very
individualistic thinkers - we chose to homeschool because the status quo
wasn't acceptable to us, whatever our individual reason were. It is due
to that sense of individuality, the ability to tailor a students
education to their needs & interests, that many of us are not at all
interested in the Common Core. <br /><br />As one who has read a few common
core plans, I have some serious concerns because the focus is on the
standard, not the content. The plans go into great detail about which
standard/goal/objective is being met, yet, <a href="http://engageny.org/resource/common-core-exemplar-for-high-school-ela-lincolns-gettysburg-address/">for example</a>,
discourages teachers from giving background information on the
Gettysburg Address and encourages them to tell the student that they may
not understand it because it is hard? <br /><br />I also expect all of the
remaining underfunded technical education and fine arts departments to
all but disappear, and that would be a tragedy. I, for one, would love
to know that a future mechanical engineer has a grasp on how a variety
of machines actually work before he/she decides to dedicate the
remainder of education to the study of their design and functions. The
arts are invaluable - they help you see things in a different light than
you may have otherwise. They are vital to developing a sense of
community as well as one's place in history. If arts education
disappears, in 15 years we will see even more decreased funding for
dance troupes, art museums and symphonies because no one will have been
taught to appreciate it. What you don't appreciate, you don't
financially support. TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-34668977693877001492012-08-29T14:48:00.007-04:002012-08-29T14:48:58.287-04:00The Homeschool LunchroomLunches are often "catch as catch can" around here. Too often, I find myself declaring the local Chick-fil-A to be our local lunchroom. Well, you can imagine what that's done to my waistline and my cholesterol count! Last year I fell in love with bentos, which is a Japanese boxed meal. Coupled with a recent online conversation during which I discovered that many of my homeschool cohorts pack lunches for their kiddos as a time saver, even though they are staying home, I was inspired to pack some lunches for myself.<br />
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Here's how it all came down:<br />
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First, I purchased these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-1806179-Lunch-Blox-Salad/dp/B0078K3ZPM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346263224&sr=8-3&keywords=lunch+blox" target="_blank">Lunch Blox Salad Kits</a>, made by Rubbermaid:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZMr5fgsxB6nx8h0gFJ8Q0jdLKYpp5qJMVj52CE3gLMK3AL3i_xEiXaNCT2TVAUggtGuR5x5TS2Q1xKinefcF9ZEyaaHOW0WuPUhNhvAs5xc9QEAikNOm3g7nDUMsCvUVDwTpaf9XClO9/s1600/Salad+Kit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZMr5fgsxB6nx8h0gFJ8Q0jdLKYpp5qJMVj52CE3gLMK3AL3i_xEiXaNCT2TVAUggtGuR5x5TS2Q1xKinefcF9ZEyaaHOW0WuPUhNhvAs5xc9QEAikNOm3g7nDUMsCvUVDwTpaf9XClO9/s320/Salad+Kit.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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There are three kits available: a salad kit, a sandwich kit and an
entree kit. You can also purchase many of the pieces individually.They
are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe. I didn't use the blue ice blocks that came with the salad kit because
these are going straight into my refrigerator & I'll most likely be
eating them at home. The blocks have indentations in them so that the
pieces fit snugly together. They don't snap together securely, so don't
shake them up too much. I saw online that Rubbermaid has a lunch box
sized for these, but no one appears to have them in stock. I think they
would fit in a soft sided cooler bag just fine, though. The entree kit
is about one and one-half the length of the salad and sandwich kits. Both the entree kit and the sandwich kit are higher than the salad kit. </div>
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I decided to make two different kinds of salad, traditional garden and wedge. </div>
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This is how the garden salad came together: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OaVeRSJ4KhVCVHJbV7JW-8kLOBNW9ZDQ5fmZFZxFZg69i__yq28FDgcSw5ODbeYzfBmAkBTmgHlFNDFnZEck1E1vkswpo0mY7uMI7pm3erz3OBik9nEKiAJplgPwnn6fZGGLjv9XHpvc/s1600/Garden+Salad+Step+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OaVeRSJ4KhVCVHJbV7JW-8kLOBNW9ZDQ5fmZFZxFZg69i__yq28FDgcSw5ODbeYzfBmAkBTmgHlFNDFnZEck1E1vkswpo0mY7uMI7pm3erz3OBik9nEKiAJplgPwnn6fZGGLjv9XHpvc/s320/Garden+Salad+Step+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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The bottom is full of the torn lettuce, with the top, divided tray holding carrots, cucumbers, green peppers and raisins. The dressing container is in the front with a reduced fat Italian dressing. It looks like it will hold about 2 Tbsp., I filled mine up half way. </div>
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This is what it looks like when I put the lids on and stack the boxes together: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3c9vFgai2oXm0N9LiHOMUl00ofMAixAP6mI2AHkuGGHaVY0pFwLSslUY1yzucIQ6ShEjuxMKUjr5YE7jkJm_27-Xtvnk-AKHEEaJgIl7N1bf9GFjrZY-chloKhNsCtp6TKpVplsRSvVZ/s1600/Garden+Salad+Step+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3c9vFgai2oXm0N9LiHOMUl00ofMAixAP6mI2AHkuGGHaVY0pFwLSslUY1yzucIQ6ShEjuxMKUjr5YE7jkJm_27-Xtvnk-AKHEEaJgIl7N1bf9GFjrZY-chloKhNsCtp6TKpVplsRSvVZ/s320/Garden+Salad+Step+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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The wedge salad was much less complicated to put together, of course. First, I cut two small wedges and placed them in the bottom compartment: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSXYY5l7wmzUw0I55XSAbQ3c6DUi-Rt01mf78fkFTN7NoVOMofC_EsBSoT6bYFnWlVL9-aNKluNXqSETNd3ij5oJ6uDq5Cvx3ufgYeqyXGLTO9dp_G2DLdhympwoNzvPTnGz0ntY06Xv1/s1600/Wedge+Salad+Step+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSXYY5l7wmzUw0I55XSAbQ3c6DUi-Rt01mf78fkFTN7NoVOMofC_EsBSoT6bYFnWlVL9-aNKluNXqSETNd3ij5oJ6uDq5Cvx3ufgYeqyXGLTO9dp_G2DLdhympwoNzvPTnGz0ntY06Xv1/s320/Wedge+Salad+Step+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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Then, I put bacon bits in one of the compartments in the divided tray. I used the medium-sized compartment, but next time, I'll use the smallest one. The dressing is my favorite, Reduced Fat Parmesan and Peppercorn. I forgot to get some grape tomatoes. I am hoping to pick them up tonight. Of course, those would go in the largest compartment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIGSaqivNrBCKIYhb0HGYZpVhmQBrdUdPiL5780OPe9InBQluuEgZ-WoN1vGHELkmBHlAywdmLfWu8D-8H3lsCClY5ZJkTwr8e7HCFwxkxHXs4kMGsIRmfB3h8a3JKw9H3lqof7w3mJX/s1600/Wedge+Salad+Step+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIGSaqivNrBCKIYhb0HGYZpVhmQBrdUdPiL5780OPe9InBQluuEgZ-WoN1vGHELkmBHlAywdmLfWu8D-8H3lsCClY5ZJkTwr8e7HCFwxkxHXs4kMGsIRmfB3h8a3JKw9H3lqof7w3mJX/s320/Wedge+Salad+Step+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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Here it is assembled:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpL0zsfG2c6QvU1eBnglhZPlFOOEynaimBY6bOeO3fkCIke-7VfEJRqiIZysiCgF4a7-iA_1XGJZaIa5LO2wewflJIFhu7dABdszGm82wMMdJazfq1VlrvBopmSmL1B8HU8wjgDb1ejXK4/s1600/Wedge+Salad+Step+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpL0zsfG2c6QvU1eBnglhZPlFOOEynaimBY6bOeO3fkCIke-7VfEJRqiIZysiCgF4a7-iA_1XGJZaIa5LO2wewflJIFhu7dABdszGm82wMMdJazfq1VlrvBopmSmL1B8HU8wjgDb1ejXK4/s320/Wedge+Salad+Step+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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In this shot, you can see all three salads with the trays separate from the large bottom container: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PqikkVLA4yTsnHgNPn_zsaE2Iq-zcjG-8z6Tjgrs8wIaGcLMGAzppoUFsYKAQ5Gcwl3E8w6Ar-6b8CzpyFRXCuR1odzUMvegz5Fke9N3Kp1JA7JuMWTfwclDh75pa4RnZwrIZrgBJ9Rd/s1600/3+Salads+Ready.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PqikkVLA4yTsnHgNPn_zsaE2Iq-zcjG-8z6Tjgrs8wIaGcLMGAzppoUFsYKAQ5Gcwl3E8w6Ar-6b8CzpyFRXCuR1odzUMvegz5Fke9N3Kp1JA7JuMWTfwclDh75pa4RnZwrIZrgBJ9Rd/s320/3+Salads+Ready.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had some leftover veggies, so I decided to cut them up for snacking:<br />
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Hopefully, the salads will stay fresh until I eat them. The biggest risk is the iceberg lettuce, which I chose because I wanted to do the wedge salad. The next time, I'll try to vary the ingredients some. Boston lettuce, grape tomatoes and mushrooms perhaps? Maybe just a tad of shredded cheddar? I think a pasta salad might work well in these containers as well. </div>
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What ideas do you have for make ahead salads? </div>
TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-24074143160063659082012-06-10T02:10:00.001-04:002012-06-10T02:12:58.106-04:00A Homeschooler Responds to the Common CoreAs the states gear up to implement the <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/">Common Core Standards</a>, I have heard more than one person wonder what it means for the homeschool community. More than once, I have heard it said that we need to implement them because colleges and universities will expect our students to have the knowledge addressed in the standards. I doubt I am the only one who has heard these things. These statements have the potential to cause undue alarm in the homeschool community. I hope to mitigate that alarm a little bit.
<br /> <br />In short, as homeschoolers in this state, we
operate as private schools in accordance with NC law. This means we have
autonomy in choosing what to teach and how to teach it. We are not
bound to the requirements of the state or federal government. There is
nothing we "must change."
<br /> <br />Many families homeschool so that they can tailor the education
of their children to their individual needs as well as to reflect their
family priorities. To me, it is part of the beauty of homeschooling. We
are able to teach the right material at the right time in the right way
for our students. Moving to the Common Core standards would strip this
customization from our environment. Homeschoolers should think very
carefully before considering the Common Core as a method of education,
it is but one of many options available to us.
<br /> <br />As far as college admissions are concerned, as long as
international students, private schools and homeschools are in the
picture, there will be people going into college with a variety of
educational backgrounds. Some will meet the Common Core standards and
some will exceed them. To state that we must comply with the Common Core
in order for our students to remain competitive in college admissions
is misleading. It would assume that the colleges, both public and
private, will have the same standards that the federal government has
for high school students. It also assumes that the Common Core will be
sufficient to gain entry to a college, which, while highly likely,
remains to be seen. I expect that the competitive universities will
continue to require their potential students to far exceed the Common
Core standards. As the Common Core is implemented across the country the
applicant pool will become homogenized. Our students will continue to
stand out as bringing unique knowledge, experience and diversity to the
university community. Additionally, to say that we need to adopt the
Common Core implies that we do not have sufficient standards on our own.
With homeschool students from North Carolina being admitted to a
variety of universities around the country with rigorous admission
standards, we will continue to send our students to UNC Chapel Hill,
Duke, Harvard, Yale and the service academies as well as to Wake Tech
and Louisberg College, among others.
<br /><br />
As far as curriculum is concerned, traditional textbook publishers are revising their books to match the Common Core Standards. Should homeschoolers adopt these new textbooks? Should those books written expressly for the homeschool students be revised as well? While that is certainly an option, we have a wide and varied
number of resources available to us. While some families choose to use
textbooks for all subjects or selected subjects, we also employ a
variety of other resources in order to customize that educational
experience. To limit ourselves to textbooks would mean that we would be
relying on a textbook company to predetermine not only what information
to deliver to our students, but how it is to be delivered. Focusing on
completing a textbook also diminishes the likelihood that a student will
be able to pursue an academic passion in an in depth manner at an early
age. Again, this would take the ability to customize an education out
of our hands. <br /><br />
As a point of interest, federal education funding for the
states is tied to their adoption of the Common Core standards. Failure
to adopt them results in huge budgetary issues for the states, a risk
most can't afford to take. We will never know how many states would
adopt these standards if they were not tied to money. The education of
our children has become politicized like it never has been before. <br /> <br />As parents, we are held accountable by the state of NC to
educate our children and we have choices in how we go about doing this. Whether or not
to adopt some or all of the Common Core standards in our homeschools is
one of those choices. We also need never forget that no matter how we
educate our children about the things of the world, God holds us to the
standard of Deuteronomy 6: to teach our children about Him, His
faithfulness and the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
<br />
<br />TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366969745074453832.post-57243818376352866072011-12-31T19:33:00.001-05:002011-12-31T19:37:29.472-05:0052 Books in 52 Weeks - Books 77 - 79I managed to read three more books over the Christmas break. Here's a quick run down:<br />
<br />
<i>On Hummingbird Wings </i>by Lauraine Snelling - This is a very nice story about a family taking care of it's own. Twaddle, but a nice read.<br />
<br />
<i>White as Snow: A Christmas Story</i> by Donna Westover Gallup - This was a great book! I recommend it. It is appropriate for teens and older.<br />
<br />
<i>Zero Day</i> by David Baldacci - Pretty decent mystery story. Don't go out of your way to read it, though. <br />
<br />
I wonder what next year will bring to my bookshelf!TechWifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11476252906415253512noreply@blogger.com0