Chemistry, It Matters

We are enjoying the American Chemical Society's Lessons. As well as the University of Nottingham's Periodic Table.

The kids' favorite video? Blowing up a Cadbury Creme egg :-)

Check em' out. Lots of fun!

Boy Wanted

Yesterday, we had a fabulous summer Olympiad in our city park. About 15 kids carried the torch, made their own medal, learned the history of the Olympics and played games. They participated in the 50 yard dash, standing long jump, archery toss, and an obstacle course. Unforunately, the boat races were a total no go due to the creek flowing soooooo slowly. We lost and had to retrieve many "boats" from the creek. A few remain unfound. Oh, the glory of the Olympics!

Brother is enjoying soccer. Pictures soon. So much for shy. I'm having to remind him to have manners, listen to his coach and be an attentive team mate. His energy is overtaking him. 

Frank Crane's, Boy Wanted, will be our copywork for the next week or so. Something for him to hang in his room. Words to hang on. Words to eat.

Boy Wanted

 
Frank Crane

 

This "want ad" appeared in the early part of this century. 

Wanted -- A boy that stands straight, sits straight, acts straight, and talks straight; 

 

A boy whose fingernails are not in mourning, whose ears are clean, whose shoes are polished, whose clothes are brushed, whose hair is combed, and whose teeth are well cared for; 

A boy who listens carefully when he is spoken to, who asks questions when he does not understand, and does not ask questions about things that are none of his business; 

A boy that moves quickly and makes as little noise about it as possible; 

A boy who whistles in the street, but does not whistle where he ought to keep still; 

 

A boy who looks cheerful, has a ready smile for everybody, and never sulks; 

A boy who is polite to every man and respectful to every woman and girl; 

A boy who does not smoke cigarettes and has no desire to learn how; 

A boy who is more eager to know how to speak good English than to talk slang;

A boy that never bullies other boys nor allows other boys to bully him; 

A boy who, when he does not know a thing, says, "I don't know," and when he has made a mistake says, "I'm sorry," and when he is asked to do a thing says, "I'll try"; 

A boy who looks you right in the eye and tells the truth every time; 

A boy who is eager to read good books; 

A boy who would rather put in his spare time at the YMCA gymnasium than to gamble for pennies in a back room; 

A boy who does not want to be "smart" nor in any wise to attract attention; 

A boy who would rather lose his job or be expelled from school than to tell a lie or be a cad; 

A boy whom other boys like; A boy who is at ease in the company of girls;

A boy who is not sorry for himself, and not forever thinking and talking about himself; 

 

A boy who is friendly with his mother, and more intimate with her than anyone else; 

A boy who makes you feel good when he is around; 

A boy who is not goody-goody, a prig, or a little pharisee, but just healthy, happy, and full of life. 

This boy is wanted everywhere. The family wants him, the school wants him, the office wants him, the boys want him, the girls want him, all creation wants him. 

 Building a Bird House

Diamond Cutting

We look like ordinary rock. We who are formed of the dust and minerals of the earth. And some of us act like we are ordinary rock. C.S. Lewis reminds us, "You have never talked to a mere mortal."

Within each of us is a precious gem, waiting to be sculpted, shaped, and brought out. Brilliance beneath the surface. Yet, brilliance is only achieved by the grinding and refining of rock. Many diamonds today are cut poorly in order to enhance the carat size. Why do we so often choose quantity over quality? Oh, that we would choose to be cut small in order that our true brilliance would shine.

Be kind; for everyone you meet is engaged in a great struggle. 

~ Philo of Alexandria

"Almost" Wordless Wednesday on Thursday

 Astoria, Oregon wharf

 Walking the Wharf

 Splash fountain fun and an ice cream mustache.

Today, we process peaches into pie and then there's always chemistry.

Sharpen Thy Mind and Thy Pencil

September School Plans

Art Institute of Chicago - Chagall

 School is fast approaching. I'm posting our September plans here for quick access and review and so those interested can see what it is we do at home all day long! Each week, we will also be part of a Classical Conversations Community which has a stand alone curriculum that will compliment our studies at home. I do not teach at CC. A nice break for me and it allows the kids to study with other students and I have a school planning day.

Many of our extracurricular art, music and science field trips and programs will begin in October. I look forward to sharing those adventures.

Art

Monday afternoon: Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages

First lessons will be: creating paint wheels and beginning contour drawing. 

Wednesday afternoon: September is Gothic Art. We will explore:

•  The Book of Kells (illuminated manuscripts) 
• The Sailor Who Captured the Sea, A Story of the Book of Kells
• Celtic Coloring
• The Secret of Kells (DVD). We will have to preview this first. A "maybe" in our studies. 
• Write their names in Latin on a vellum scroll. Enhance with a lion or peacock from Draw Right Now books then add more detail work.
• The Story of the World Middle Ages Vikings 
• Map Ireland, major towns, rivers, mountains.
• Map Iona and Kells
 
 
• The Good Shepherd Pio-Christian Museum, Vatican (sculpture)
• Art Treasures in the Vatican 
• 13 Sculptures Children Should Know Angela Wenzel
• New clay for sculpting!
• Stained glass activity?
• Frescoes: Upside down drawing under a desk. Tape up a pencil sketching/coloring sheet from a famous fresco. They paint their fresco on their backs.

 Daily Bible

The Names of God by Kay Arthur and then Responsibility for Boys

English / Language Arts – M/W/Thursday

Brother: First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind Level 2, English for the Thoughtful Child

Sister: Essentials of the English Language – IEW – Ancient History at Classical Conversations, “Write Night” at a local college once a month, First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind Level 3 to review and then begin Level 4.

Latin

English from the Roots Up. One root a day. Transparent Language Latin Word a Day Blog, Latin chanting and memory work at Classical Conversations. 

History and Geography - Mondays and Wednesdays after lunch.

Review (last year's Ancients) and map the continents and oceans and all other parts of a world map. Review the seven ancient civilizations and their rivers and local mountain ranges. Books:

• Kingfisher Atlas of the Ancient World
• The Story of ManKind by Henrik Willem Van Loon
• Off to Class, Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World
• What the World Eats 
• Where Children Sleep
• Material World: A Global Family Portrait

Daily Math

Sister: Saxon 4/5 textbook and Horizons worksheets on busy days

Brother: Singapore 2a and 2b and Horizons worksheets.

Life of Fred – Free Reading

Music

Piano once a week

Art Theory at Classical Conversations

Instruments of the Orchestra Book

September Musician: Henry Purcell

Penmanship – 10 minutes daily – M/W/F

Brother: Classically Cursive

Sister: Finish Cursive Book / Calligraphy various quotes

Poetry Fridays

Copywork with drawing time Tasha Tudor's Time to Keep? Mary Oliver's The Summer Day, Ode to Tomatoes by Pablo Neruda

Science -  Monday and Wednesday afternoons before art.

Weeks 1 and 2, finish Chemistry

• Bill Nye Chemical Reactions
• Science Whiz Chemistry Set 
• Evan Moor Simple Chemistry Grades 4-6

Week 3 begin Christian Kids Explore Physics

September Scientists: Review Aristotle, Archimedes, Da Vinci and Copernicus

Spanish

Every Thursday morning we head off to Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 with a friend who is a teacher. Homework a few days a week before lunch.

Spelling - Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and some Fridays.

Brother: Spelling Workout B

Sister: Spelling Workout finish C, begin D

Ideas for brother: Spelling City.com, Banana Grams, Fridge Poetry, and the grocery list

Extra Curricular and Sports for Fall

Brother: Soccer

Both: Horse lessons at a local horse rescue program

Sister: 4H begins in October

Community Kitchen a few Thursday late afternoons a month

Wednesday Night Kids Club

Alas, it's time to sharpen those pencils! God give us endurance, grace and patience for another year of home schooling. I'm not sure how long this journey will continue, but it's the right one for this year.

One Wild and Precious Life

 The Summer Day

by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Available: Rocks and Precious Gems

In Pilgrims Progress, Christian is weighed down by a burden. He is broke. He is bent double under his load. You just know, he's about to crack.

Then, I picture my small rock collector, happily collecting rocks and gems as fast as he can. He too is carrying a lot and weighed down. He also bends under the weight, but with items of worth, and we can't find enough bags to haul them all home. They are not a burden to him. I need to live the message my rock hound is displaying.

In Christ, I can and want to collect rocks. I take the hard rocks of my life, the hard people, the hard places, the hard trials and not only am I willing to collect them, I start treating them like treasure.

In Pilgrim's Progess, Christian's heavy burden of sin is taken from him at the cross of Christ. Oh, the power of grace! In Christ, many of my rocks, struggles, and challenges have become a sweet victory of peace, joy and hope. I am healed. Yet, in Christ, I am not promised a life without trials. That same grace, that took Christian's burden, allows me to continue to shoulder burdens. For some burdens may never be removed. 

 The Apostle Paul struggled with a life long burden. As long as we are on earth, we will struggle with trials and burdens. The trail will contain rocks we trip over. Rocks that we and others add to our knapsack. We do however have the opportunity to be transformed by these rocks.

I can choose to see them not as rocks, but as precious gems. I can choose to stay on the trail. I want to live a story worth telling. I don't really want to collect rocks. But as they jostle in my knapsack, they become polished and precious gems. Treasure. I do want treasure. 

* Pictures from Wikipedia and Squidoo