Trixie's Travels...

Blast Off!

 

They went marching out like they were a NASA team.

 

Prepping.

 

Counting down.

Lift off.

Success.

Happy kid.

Big kid's turn.

Ready to launch.

Lift off.

Chute opened (this time).

Successful rocket science day. Good weather.  Happy kids.

Time for a little rocket science.

It was time for father and son to bond in a way that really only those two could.  It was time to build.  Time to create.  Time to make things FLY!

 

 

It has to be just perfect.

 

 

It is a good thing to see your son reading directions.  He will do well in life.

 

 

 

One down, one to go.

Second one finished and tomorrow they will be ready to launch.

d

This Year's Thanksgiving Dinner

What???  Planning so early?  Why yes!  

 

This year we are planning to raise and grow our own Thanksgiving dinner - as much as possible.  I don't think I will be able to grow the cranberries and that is my husband's signature dish.  We haven't had canned cranberry sauce since we were married, he just makes such amazing cranberry sauces that I couldn't bear the thought.  

I just ordered our Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys from Murray McMurray Hatchery and they should be arriving about mid-March.  We won't need all of the turkeys so I plan to sell the others.  I want to raise them as natural as possible without adding any type of artificial hormones, additives or anything else that I don't know is given to store bought birds.  

 

We are considering this project a science experiment for the family -  animal husbandry and agriculture.  It is going to take quite a bit of effort on our part to get the timing of everything right and you just never know what the weather will hold for us but we will do our best and keep you posted on how we are doing!

 

Our "Starving" Artist

Last week, we went to a favorite cupcake shop in Berkeley and near the cashier was a little bucket of cute pins that had a word and then a picture of something under it.  Mem picked one that had "Starving" on top of the button and a little artist looking person below the word.  I can completely see her as that as an adult.  

A few days ago I posted a P.o.D. (aka Picture of Day) of a card that she had drawn for me.  She just likes to sit down and draw, paint, or glue things but today was a different medium, today was chalk.  

She had found a little box of chalk in our craft cabinet and asked if she could use it.  She dragged out a large piece of cardboard from the burn box, laid down and started to draw with chalk.

It reminded me of Bert in the Walt Disney "Mary Poppins" when he was drawing pictures on the sidewalk.

Art is her thing.  Artist Study is one of her favorite subjects during school time.  It is just so fun to watch how God created each of the kids so different and the things that they enjoy.

Even if she ends being a "Starving Artist", at least she will love what she does and besides, she can always come eat at our house.....

 

Shakespeare Jeopardy

We had finally awoke from our long winter's nap and were headed back to our Charlotte Mason co-op today.  We ended up taking three weeks off during the Christmas holiday, two weeks officially and one sick week as a large portion of the families were down with sickness.  

Even for me getting back into the swing of Shakespeare was a little daunting, so I decided to make up a review game for the first day back.  This would review some of what we had learned in the previous months about Shakespeare, the background of the times and parts of Act I of "A Midsummer's Night Dream".

I couldn't think of a better way to review things than a little Shakespeare Jeopardy.  

On hand, I had an extra display board that I covered with a green Con-Tact Adhesive Covering.  This covering would allow me to take the topic titles off at a later date without ripping paper since it is more like a plastic-type covering. I then added 5 rows of 4 x 6" envelopes.  I cut the envelope "tops" off and attached them with double-sided tape on what would normally be the front of the envelope.  Each envelope is numbered with a certain amount, with the lowest amount being the easier answered question.  (At least, I thought it was the easier answered question).

 

Each topic title was a description of the type of questions that would appear in the row below the card.  The topics were written on a 3 x 5" blank index card that is just taped on the sides to the board.  I plan on using this after each Act in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"  that we study as a review; so the cards needed to be easily dispensable.  

These were the topics for this review:

 

"Playhouses In The Time of William Shakespeare" had clues about the different playhouses that existed in Bard's lifetime.

"They Said What?" were quotes from different characters in Act I of "A Midsummer's Nights Dream". 

 

"The Life of William"  was a category about the things or people that we had studied about his personal life.

"Where In The World Are They?"  contained clues of different locations that were mentioned in the play.

 

Finally ending with, "Round 'bout The Playhouse" this category contained clues about things that pertained to the playhouse in the sixteenth century.

In each envelope was a 3 x 5" blank index card that I had written a clue for each student.  They could choose either 100, 200, 300 400 or 500 within a certain category and I would read them the clue and give them an opportunity to answer in a question format.  

These are the clues that I had developed for "Playhouses In The Time of William Shakespeare"...

 

To keep track of the amount that the question was worth, I put an abbreviated label with the amount that the question was worth, in the lower right-hand corner.  

I didn't have individual podiums that could keep the amounts each student obtained after answering a question correctly, so I handed them then "answer" card that I held in my hand.

This also had an abbreviated label with the amount the question was worth but it as located in the upper left-hand corner ~ making it easy for the student to add up their total amount from all of their cards.

 

 

Our classes are only 25 minutes long, so in one class I paired the students up with a partner and we had three teams.  The oldest class had three students in it so they were able to individually answer the questions.  

If a student did not answer the question correctly we just went to the next student and they picked a category and an appropriate amount.  Due to time constraints, I didn't allow the students to answer questions if another student(s) got it wrong.  

The game seemed to work out well that way as the bell was rung right as we were on the last question or the second to last question.

I do need to add in there a "Double Jeopardy" or something of that nature so that they can "bet" how much they are willing to gain/lose for answering that particular question.

Well, next week we begin Act II and we become submerged in the fairy-world.

Christmas with our Charlotte Mason Co-op

We belong to a co-op that teaches in the Charlotte Mason style.  It is just a group of ladies that desire to add some of the subjects that Charlotte Mason felt were important for a well-rounded education.  Once a week that children gather and spend time learning about particular artists, composers/music appreciation, nature and Shakespeare.  

We had planned to take a day just to focus on Christmas so for our last meeting day of the 2010 year, we spent it together learning about the birth of Christ, the Nativity, Handel and making ornaments.

The Nature Study class took items fresh from nature and filled their round glass ornaments.  It could of been like pebbles, lavender, small branches, pine; whatever the kids wanted to put in their ornament was up to them.

 

 

Then they would rotate to another class.  The Composer class was finishing up their study on Handel, a very appropriate composer for this season.  Once the story was read they were to do a written narration of what they remembered.

 

In the artist study class, they learned about the nativity scene.  The youngest ones were to do their best coloring.  Previously, they were learning about Picasso and before that was Georges Seurat.

 

 

I normally teach Shakespeare and we studying "A Midsummer's Night Dream" for the year and had just finished up Act I.  Instead of Shakespeare this week though, I read from Luke 2 about the birth of Christ and they were to do a drawing narration and write about the greatest gift that they themselves had received.

After all the classes were over it was time for our potluck lunch.  We all sat together at one big table and enjoyed a fabulous spaghetti and meatball lunch with all the fixings.  

I have found it to be a great joy for myself and my kids to be a part of a group that is like-minded in the way you want to educate your child.  I have found encouragement and my children have found great enjoyment in learning different subjects.  It's "ahhh-mazing" what God will do when you ask Him for wisdom!

 

My Dad asked me not to long ago, "How can you keep going down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium year after year? Don't you get bored?"

My reply was simply "No".  For the past five or six years, we have gone down to Monterey to participate in one of the homeschool days that they offer. Each year a new exhibit is added and they continue to renovate the aquarium.  

This year's new exhibit was the addition of flamingos.  

 

The aquarium provides many opportunities for additional learning on homeschool days.  There are "behind-the-scenes" tours for teenages, sneak peek "behind-the-scenes", Discovery Lab Classroom Programs and a Splash Zone for the younger ones.  

The jellyfish are always fascinating to me.  I am sure that if there were chairs in front of a nunber of the displays, that they would be full with people just sitting and enjoying the simple movements of these.

Who wouldn't want to just float around?

Always relaxed ...

Always moved by the sea ....

Always moving...

and then my camera died because I forgot to charge the battery ~ so much for pictures of the rest of the day!  Off to Pizza My Heart we went!

 

A friend had organized the Concert for Kids series this year for our homeschool group and we went on two different days in back to back weeks.  

 

 

Davies Hall was packed with students from all over.  

Hot Rocks and I had gone to a symphony LOOONG ago and we sat in the nose bleed seats way up yonder.  All I will say about those seats is that you can be no taller than 5 foot and weigh no more than 100 pounds to sit comfortably in them.  

This time though, the kids and I were seated on the ground floor....in seats that we could NEVER afford...seats that were comfortable with HUGE cushions and arm rests that do not force your elbow into your side.  Yes, all this and we hadn't even gotten to the orchestra.

The ceiling is filled with hanging plates to help with the acoustics.

 

 

As the time grew closer to begin the concert, more of the players would emerge from panels that were like secret entrances to the stage.  See those things that look like honeycombs in the back?  The side ones have secret doors!!!!!

 

 

They kept you guessing as to who would appear next.

 

 

I love looking at the instruments - look at this line of cellos.  It makes you want to just run up there, pick one up, grab a bow and start motioning your arms back and forth across the strings.

 

 

Ok, maybe you don't want to but...I sure did!

Watching all of the players warm up is always so interesting.  You see them interact with each other and then all of a sudden they have this serious face on as they begin to play.

 

The kids and really enjoyed ourselves and are hoping to go to more in the years to come!

Pook has been in quite a number of LEGO engineering classes over the years...this time he decided to branch out and take a couple of engineering classes through the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.

On this particular day, they needed to build a structure that was not only structurally sound but was earthquake ready.  

Here he is ready for instruction....if he is looking at me though I wonder how much he is paying attention to his teacher.

 

"I'm thinking.  I'm thinking.  I'm thinking - that it needs something else...."

 

Time to securely fasten it to the "earthquake" machine.

 

 

Yeah!  It passed the test.

Meanwhile, upstairs the girls go wild......

 

a little climb through DNA

 

then off to balance on the back of a whale

 

OH! What joy!

Homeschooling can be so much fun!

Not to long ago, o.k. a couple of months ago, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for homeschool days.  The MBA offers such a great opportunity for homeschooling families ~ not only do you get to observe the new exhibits but they offer special "behind-the-scenes" classes for teens.  

They have a new exhibit this year featuring sea horses. 

 

 

Aren't they great?

 
 

I love how they are all so different!

 

My other favorite exhibit is the jellyfish.  

 

 

They are so graceful in the water.

 

It baffles me at how beautiful they are and yet so dangerous!  

 
 

Hot Rocks took the older kids on a behind-the-scenes tour, while Mem and I hung out looking with the otters.  

These are some of the other cool things that you can see at the MBA.

Hey look!!!   It's a real live sea monster that has made it's way to land (and does crafts)!

 
  
It was closing time at the MBA and we headed off to see the ocean with what was left of the daylight.  

 

 

The kids were on the look-out for anything that was at the aquarium. 

 

  

Something that wasn't at the MBA was the sunfish.  They had released the HUGE sunfish that was in the HUGE tank that houses a great white shark along with other sea critters now. 

But we ended up seeing a couple in a way that we didn't want to...

 

we were sad, but know that is the circle of life.  {sigh}

Homeschooling is so much fun....

 

it's something the WHOLE family can do!

,

On to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

My Dad asked me not to long ago, "How can you keep going down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium year after year? Don't you get bored?"

My reply was simply "No".  For the past five or six years, we have gone down to Monterey to participate in one of the homeschool days that they offer. Each year a new exhibit is added and they continue to renovate the aquarium.  

This year's new exhibit was the addition of flamingos.  

 

The aquarium provides many opportunities for additional learning on homeschool days.  There are "behind-the-scenes" tours for teenages, sneak peek "behind-the-scenes", Discovery Lab Classroom Programs and a Splash Zone for the younger ones.  

The jellyfish are always fascinating to me.  I am sure that if there were chairs in front of a nunber of the displays, that they would be full with people just sitting and enjoying the simple movements of these.

Who wouldn't want to just float around?

Always relaxed ...

Always moved by the sea ....

Always moving...

and then my camera died because I forgot to charge the battery ~ so much for pictures of the rest of the day!  Off to Pizza My Heart we went!

 

SF Symphony Concert for Kids

A friend had organized the Concert for Kids series this year for our homeschool group and we went on two different days in back to back weeks.  

 

 

Davies Hall was packed with students from all over.  

Hot Rocks and I had gone to a symphony LOOONG ago and we sat in the nose bleed seats way up yonder.  All I will say about those seats is that you can be no taller than 5 foot and weigh no more than 100 pounds to sit comfortably in them.  

This time though, the kids and I were seated on the ground floor....in seats that we could NEVER afford...seats that were comfortable with HUGE cushions and arm rests that do not force your elbow into your side.  Yes, all this and we hadn't even gotten to the orchestra.

The ceiling is filled with hanging plates to help with the acoustics.

 

 

As the time grew closer to begin the concert, more of the players would emerge from panels that were like secret entrances to the stage.  See those things that look like honeycombs in the back?  The side ones have secret doors!!!!!

 

 

They kept you guessing as to who would appear next.

 

 

I love looking at the instruments - look at this line of cellos.  It makes you want to just run up there, pick one up, grab a bow and start motioning your arms back and forth across the strings.

 

 

Ok, maybe you don't want to but...I sure did!

Watching all of the players warm up is always so interesting.  You see them interact with each other and then all of a sudden they have this serious face on as they begin to play.

 

The kids and really enjoyed ourselves and are hoping to go to more in the years to come!

Structural Engineering Homeschool Style

Pook has been in quite a number of LEGO engineering classes over the years...this time he decided to branch out and take a couple of engineering classes through the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.

On this particular day, they needed to build a structure that was not only structurally sound but was earthquake ready.  

Here he is ready for instruction....if he is looking at me though I wonder how much he is paying attention to his teacher.

 

"I'm thinking.  I'm thinking.  I'm thinking - that it needs something else...."

 

Time to securely fasten it to the "earthquake" machine.

 

 

Yeah!  It passed the test.

Meanwhile, upstairs the girls go wild......

 

a little climb through DNA

 

then off to balance on the back of a whale

 

OH! What joy!

Homeschooling can be so much fun!

Homeschool Days at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Not to long ago, o.k. a couple of months ago, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for homeschool days.  The MBA offers such a great opportunity for homeschooling families ~ not only do you get to observe the new exhibits but they offer special "behind-the-scenes" classes for teens.  

They have a new exhibit this year featuring sea horses. 

 

 

Aren't they great?

 
 

I love how they are all so different!

 

My other favorite exhibit is the jellyfish.  

 

 

They are so graceful in the water.

 

It baffles me at how beautiful they are and yet so dangerous!  

 
 

Hot Rocks took the older kids on a behind-the-scenes tour, while Mem and I hung out looking with the otters.  

These are some of the other cool things that you can see at the MBA.

Hey look!!!   It's a real live sea monster that has made it's way to land (and does crafts)!

 
  
It was closing time at the MBA and we headed off to see the ocean with what was left of the daylight.  

 

 

The kids were on the look-out for anything that was at the aquarium. 

 

  

Something that wasn't at the MBA was the sunfish.  They had released the HUGE sunfish that was in the HUGE tank that houses a great white shark along with other sea critters now. 

But we ended up seeing a couple in a way that we didn't want to...

 

we were sad, but know that is the circle of life.  {sigh}

Homeschooling is so much fun....

 

it's something the WHOLE family can do!

,