There is snow on the ground again. The skies are grey and the wind blows cold through the plants outside. Inside the house is cold as we try to save on electric bills and the lightbulbs -- all of them the energy saving sort -- do little to brighten our spirits. In past years we have fled the grey skies of the Pacific Northwest for the sun in Arizona or Hawaii. This year, committed to paying down our debts, we didn't go and it has taught me an important lesson: Sunshine is not a luxury but a necessity.
So why talk about this in a blog about homeschooling? Simple -- sunshine, and the lack thereof, affects focus and creativity. The grey cold has settled into our bones, into our souls, and we cannot seem to find the excitement that learning usually brings. The question is, therefore, what is one to do? We cannot run to the sun, much as we would like to do so. We must make sunshine here. And this is where I wander off into schooly things.
I am not an unschooler -- not comfortable with being that relaxed. (My friends might say I am anything but!) but when the sun is gone, when the lethargy of winter enfolds us, I find that the only way to get through is to relax my death grip on our learning process and to 'unschool' to some extent.
Today, for example, we will be making bread (not sourdough. My starter is not up to snuff yet.) and cookies. I can work measurement math into that, I am sure. We will be examining owl pellets and discussing those birds who fly by night on silent wings. We will look at the Owl Pages and read The Guardians of Ga'hoole. When it warms up (I am ever hopeful) and dries out (There is a reason that Seattle is called 'The Emerald City' -- the P.N.W. boasts the only Temperate Rainforest in the United States.) we will build nesting boxes. That should take us through the week. Then, this weekend, my eldest son will be competing in the L.M.A. Open -- a Tae Kwon Do competition. I am not the sort to compete in sports so I am impressed with his courage and do what I can to support it.
In the meanwhile, I am hoping, hoping, HOPING, that this next week brings real sun -- not the tease that we had a week ago. My mother will be in town for my eldest son's birthday. We will be going to the Gauguin exhibit midweek then will load up and head to Portland to see The Art of the Brick. (I am of the opinion that one must grab opportunity when it presents itself. Smile.) I have little doubt but that we will find ourselves visiting Powell's Bookstore and the Rose Test Garden, two of our favorite places in the world. Ah, I will hope.
And this morning? This morning we will start with a happy song: Oh, Happy Day. Here is hoping that you have a happy, sunshine filled day.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Friday, February 03, 2012
In Memorium
I woke this morning in a grouchy sort of mood -- interrupted sleep and a cold made for a restless sort of night. But the news I received drove that mood out the window. I learned, via a friend that a young man, William Stacey, age 23, had been killed in Afghanistan. Will was a Marine on his fourth deployment and was just weeks away from returning home, to finish his last three years as an Instructor before going on to college. But Will was much more than that. He was the only son of Robert and Robin Stacey, Professors of History at the University of Washington. I studied Medieval and Celtic history with them many years ago and I remember babysitting Will when he was about my own son's age, 10. Will at 10 was a serious but kind young man. He was very good with his little sister, Anna, and very serious in assisting me in getting the two of them fed and to bed. He had that lovely, bright smile that intelligent and well loved children have and, from what his father told me, was always involved in something. I lost touch with the Staceys over the years as sometimes happens when life takes over but I remember them and I remember Will. His loss ... is a large one. And it brings home, as only such events can, the terrible cost that people are paying for the continuing conflicts abroad.
Rest in peace, Sargent William Stacey. You are, and will be, missed.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/a-flag-drapped-casket-containing-the-remains-of-sgt-william-stacey-a-marine-from-camp-pendleton-killed-this-week-in-afghani.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Rest in peace, Sargent William Stacey. You are, and will be, missed.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/a-flag-drapped-casket-containing-the-remains-of-sgt-william-stacey-a-marine-from-camp-pendleton-killed-this-week-in-afghani.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Chocolate chip cookies and Penny Chemistry
Today has been a chemistry day: we have baked chocolate chip/ walnut cookies and have observed how the addition of ingredients changed the nature of the mix. (The boys volunteered to 'test' each stage -- Laugh). The gradual addition of more and more flour (Four cups in all) resulted in the dough getting harder and harder to mix -- and lead to bits falling away. Then we observed how the addition of heat affected the mix. (And again, they offered to test the results.) A more complete discussion -- and one that will be recorded in our Chemistry notebooks can be found here: Cookie Chemistry and here: Cookie Chem. Each of these articles allows for this particular Chemistry lesson to be extended over days if not weeks.
While the cookies were cooling, we set to work on American History. I had conceived the idea of teaching American History through coins (Numismatics) and stamps (Philately) when my youngest son demonstrated an overweening interest in the subjects. Today we pulled out our biggest jar of coins and, after separating the pennies out, began sorting them by decade. But we ran into a little problem: many of the dates were hard to read because the pennies were so dark. Chemistry op! We looked up the recipe for cleaning pennies and found this: Chemistry fun with pennies and Cleaning Pennies. After digging out the necessary ingredients, we started measuring. This also offered an opportunity to practice multiplication and fractions. I asked 'If we want to make 4 times the amount called for, how much of each ingredient will we need?' When they had figured that out, I asked -- and if I only have a 1/4 tsp measure and a 1/4 cup measure, how many of each will I need?' Satisfied that they had the right proportions, they added the ingredients. Mixing carefully, they observed the change in the liquid as the salt went into solution.
The cleaning solution ready, the boys carefully added the pile of pennies and mixed. They stood watching for a long time then decided to let time do its work while they went off to other projects (in this case, cleaning their rooms). When the pennies were sufficiently clean, they carefully poured the liquid through a plastic colander into a plastic bowl, in preparation for the next Chemistry experiment: Instant Vedigris and Copper plated nails. Leaving the selected pennies to oxidize and the nails to soak, they returned to the penny sorting operation. It will be interesting to see what decades my penny box represents!
While the cookies were cooling, we set to work on American History. I had conceived the idea of teaching American History through coins (Numismatics) and stamps (Philately) when my youngest son demonstrated an overweening interest in the subjects. Today we pulled out our biggest jar of coins and, after separating the pennies out, began sorting them by decade. But we ran into a little problem: many of the dates were hard to read because the pennies were so dark. Chemistry op! We looked up the recipe for cleaning pennies and found this: Chemistry fun with pennies and Cleaning Pennies. After digging out the necessary ingredients, we started measuring. This also offered an opportunity to practice multiplication and fractions. I asked 'If we want to make 4 times the amount called for, how much of each ingredient will we need?' When they had figured that out, I asked -- and if I only have a 1/4 tsp measure and a 1/4 cup measure, how many of each will I need?' Satisfied that they had the right proportions, they added the ingredients. Mixing carefully, they observed the change in the liquid as the salt went into solution.
The cleaning solution ready, the boys carefully added the pile of pennies and mixed. They stood watching for a long time then decided to let time do its work while they went off to other projects (in this case, cleaning their rooms). When the pennies were sufficiently clean, they carefully poured the liquid through a plastic colander into a plastic bowl, in preparation for the next Chemistry experiment: Instant Vedigris and Copper plated nails. Leaving the selected pennies to oxidize and the nails to soak, they returned to the penny sorting operation. It will be interesting to see what decades my penny box represents!
Monday, January 09, 2012
Chocolate Cake and the DS revisited
Laugh. I am an inveterate researcher.. so when the idea of using the DS to teach cooperation and problem solving occurred to me, I went looking to see how others had done it. I was interested in the results of my research. Here then a few links on this issue:
1.Making up rules -- this teacher's blog discusses her use of the DS to teach cooperation and conflict resolution. Way to go!
2.The Nintendo DS: An unlikely teaching tool (This one discusses the use of the DS in Engineering classes at the University level)
3.Nintendo Goes to School: DS Classroom turns handheld into a teaching tool This was by far the most common discussion and a rather disturbing discussion I found it. My reading of this is that the DS, instead of being used to create interaction, is being used to put another layer between student and teacher. This is exactly the sort of thing I do NOT like about hand held machines.
So I guess I need to do some work myself and figure out how, rather like the teacher in the first link, I might use the machines to create interaction and teach social skills.
1.Making up rules -- this teacher's blog discusses her use of the DS to teach cooperation and conflict resolution. Way to go!
2.The Nintendo DS: An unlikely teaching tool (This one discusses the use of the DS in Engineering classes at the University level)
3.Nintendo Goes to School: DS Classroom turns handheld into a teaching tool This was by far the most common discussion and a rather disturbing discussion I found it. My reading of this is that the DS, instead of being used to create interaction, is being used to put another layer between student and teacher. This is exactly the sort of thing I do NOT like about hand held machines.
So I guess I need to do some work myself and figure out how, rather like the teacher in the first link, I might use the machines to create interaction and teach social skills.
The Lure of Chocolate Cake and the DS
Just what is the lure of Chocolate cake?
When I went into the kitchen this morning to get some breakfast, sitting quietly beside the sink was the German Chocolate cake that my sons had begged me to get. It has been about half consumed -- by my sons and husband -- but I have, so far, ignored it. Yet this morning, just for a moment, I was tempted. Tempted to eat cake for breakfast -- as Bill Cosby kids did in his skit: "Dad is Great"
Perhaps it is because the house is quiet, not yet filled with the explosive energy of little boys but as I reached into the cupboard and retrieved a bowl for my (virtuously selected) cereal, I fell to pondering the temptation of chocolate cake.
The truth is, I didn't really WANT cake. Too sweet, for one thing, and I know from bitter experience how awful I would feel afterwards -- both physically, as the sugar raised and then dropped me, and mentally, as I castigated myself for eating empty calories. So what then was the attraction. In a word, laziness.
I am embarrassed to admit it but the attraction of the cake was that it was easy -- rather like the attraction of eating doughnuts on the weekend. The sheer simplicity of the enterprise is what attracted me. And that got me to thinking about the attraction of video games for both parents and children. For parents, video games, especially on hand held devices, are easy distractions. Children playing them are engrossed and require little if any parental involvement. (The same can be said of the television, of course) For children? There is both the ease of slipping into a different world and the ease of being powerful. In a DS world, the player controls the events. There may be challenges to be overcome, but the player -- often a child with few real experiences of power -- is the one in charge. Moreover, while handheld video games can be played as a partnership between two players, most children whom you see playing a DS or similar device, will be playing it solo. Playing with a partner is work -- players must coordinate movement and action, must agree upon who will play what, when. In as far as that goes, video games might well be a useful teaching tool but most of the time, parents faced with bickering children will shut the event down. I say this (blush) because I have been guilty of this myself. Yet now, as I contemplate video games and Chocolate cake, I realize that I have been surrendering to laziness.
So, what then am I to do? I resist allowing my sons to play video games -- for all sorts of reasons (I want them to be physically active, mentally engaged, and at peace with one another and with me). On the other hand, I am intrigued by the thought that cooperative play on handheld games might serve to teach cooperation... I am trying, as I write this, to think of board or card games that would do the same. Off the top of my head, I cannot. Chess, checkers, Go, Risk, Monopoly, Parcheesi... all of those are competitive games. When I think of cooperative games, generally the only things I can come up with are physical games (like soccer or tug of war) or roll playing games. Both roll playing games and physical games require an investment of energy -- but then, so too would using the handheld games to teach cooperation.
Yet my children are my children and the process of raising children is energy intensive. Accepting that, I accept that, instead of railing against their fascination for video games (and chocolate cake), I might well be better off investing some energy in turning those fascinations into teaching moments. Just as I work to teach them the difference between 'wants' and 'needs' so too must I work to teach them the pleasures and benefits of cooperation and self discipline. I know that NOT eating Chocolate cake but instead eating something healthful will make me better prepared, both physically and mentally, for the day ahead. Pushing myself, and teaching my children to push themselves, to put out that extra effort will result in a happier outcome. And using something they want to do anyway to teach them partnership and cooperation will, in the end, reduce everyone's stress level and benefit all of us.
Hmmm.... now to figure out HOW to do this!
When I went into the kitchen this morning to get some breakfast, sitting quietly beside the sink was the German Chocolate cake that my sons had begged me to get. It has been about half consumed -- by my sons and husband -- but I have, so far, ignored it. Yet this morning, just for a moment, I was tempted. Tempted to eat cake for breakfast -- as Bill Cosby kids did in his skit: "Dad is Great"
Perhaps it is because the house is quiet, not yet filled with the explosive energy of little boys but as I reached into the cupboard and retrieved a bowl for my (virtuously selected) cereal, I fell to pondering the temptation of chocolate cake.
The truth is, I didn't really WANT cake. Too sweet, for one thing, and I know from bitter experience how awful I would feel afterwards -- both physically, as the sugar raised and then dropped me, and mentally, as I castigated myself for eating empty calories. So what then was the attraction. In a word, laziness.
I am embarrassed to admit it but the attraction of the cake was that it was easy -- rather like the attraction of eating doughnuts on the weekend. The sheer simplicity of the enterprise is what attracted me. And that got me to thinking about the attraction of video games for both parents and children. For parents, video games, especially on hand held devices, are easy distractions. Children playing them are engrossed and require little if any parental involvement. (The same can be said of the television, of course) For children? There is both the ease of slipping into a different world and the ease of being powerful. In a DS world, the player controls the events. There may be challenges to be overcome, but the player -- often a child with few real experiences of power -- is the one in charge. Moreover, while handheld video games can be played as a partnership between two players, most children whom you see playing a DS or similar device, will be playing it solo. Playing with a partner is work -- players must coordinate movement and action, must agree upon who will play what, when. In as far as that goes, video games might well be a useful teaching tool but most of the time, parents faced with bickering children will shut the event down. I say this (blush) because I have been guilty of this myself. Yet now, as I contemplate video games and Chocolate cake, I realize that I have been surrendering to laziness.
So, what then am I to do? I resist allowing my sons to play video games -- for all sorts of reasons (I want them to be physically active, mentally engaged, and at peace with one another and with me). On the other hand, I am intrigued by the thought that cooperative play on handheld games might serve to teach cooperation... I am trying, as I write this, to think of board or card games that would do the same. Off the top of my head, I cannot. Chess, checkers, Go, Risk, Monopoly, Parcheesi... all of those are competitive games. When I think of cooperative games, generally the only things I can come up with are physical games (like soccer or tug of war) or roll playing games. Both roll playing games and physical games require an investment of energy -- but then, so too would using the handheld games to teach cooperation.
Yet my children are my children and the process of raising children is energy intensive. Accepting that, I accept that, instead of railing against their fascination for video games (and chocolate cake), I might well be better off investing some energy in turning those fascinations into teaching moments. Just as I work to teach them the difference between 'wants' and 'needs' so too must I work to teach them the pleasures and benefits of cooperation and self discipline. I know that NOT eating Chocolate cake but instead eating something healthful will make me better prepared, both physically and mentally, for the day ahead. Pushing myself, and teaching my children to push themselves, to put out that extra effort will result in a happier outcome. And using something they want to do anyway to teach them partnership and cooperation will, in the end, reduce everyone's stress level and benefit all of us.
Hmmm.... now to figure out HOW to do this!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Upsides Down
I have a bad habit... I am constantly doubting myself. There is a continuous murmuring in my head: Was that the right thing to do? The best thing to do? How could it have been done differently? Would a change here/there have made this/that better? Arguing with that critical voice has been a theme in my life ever since I can remember but now... Now that I have made a choice that makes my decisions important to the lives and well being of others, now that I homeschool, that voice has become even more insistent. Knowing what the right choices are/were is hard since the truth of them won't be seen for years. And to make matters worse, I worry that I may have communicated this voice to my children, that they, like me have developed the voice that questions and challenges their decisions on a regular basis.
Now, to some degree, I suppose, a critical voice is important. To never question what one is doing is the surest road to error but I wish I could train myself and, more importantly, my children, that once a decision IS made, one must move forward. Previous possibilities are now moot and worrying about the 'What ifs' is a waste of time and energy. Human life, after all, is really very short. We none of us knows how long we have here. Surely it is wiser to spend the time ACCOMPLISHING the good than worrying about what might have been. My question is... how is this training to be accomplished?
Now I am a fervent admirer of Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy. From everything I have read, she was a brilliant lady -- and one of the people that I would love to have met. She has, in her educational approach, something called 'Habit Training'. (For those of you interested, there is a wonderful blog called: Charlotte Mason Help which discusses implementing her strategies. There is also a downloadable e-book called "Laying down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook") For my purposes, it is her direction on how to form a habit, through the application of 'whole attention' that interests me here. Charlotte Mason said: We think, as we are accustomed to think; ideas come and go and carry on a ceaseless traffic in the rut––let us call it––you have made for them in the very nerve substance of the brain. You do not deliberately intend to think these thoughts; you may, indeed, object strongly to the line they are taking" She then goes on to discuss the formation of habits, with the most important habit (to her way of thinking -- and it turns out, mine!) being that of attention. Of course, she is discussing the creation of habits in children, with the aim of making life 'easier' as well as better for everyone involved. But it occurs to me that her ideas might well be turned on adults and on the habits of the mind. Foremost of these approaches is taking on 'one habit at a time.' I'll admit, this is truly challenging for me. I want to multi-task. I always feel as if there is MORE I should be doing in the limited time that I have at my disposal. Charlotte Mason was right, however. To change/create a habit, one must FOCUS attention, complete attention, on that habit. If one does anything else, the mind will run away and wander off on rabbit trails -- and it is not just the child's mind that does this. Adults do it too hence the strictures of meditation that tell the individual "At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused"
So there it is. If I wish to change my habit of mind -- and in so doing, free my children of that same critical habit -- I need to devote my focused attention on doing so. Hmmm... now, what would Ms. Mason say? I suspect she would require a positive voice, as opposed to simply denying the negative. I therefore, and perhaps with the assistance of my children, need to create a dialogue to implement in place of the critical one. At the moment a decision is made, I should train myself, and my children, to say internally 'The decision is made. We move forward from here, taking as they come the results of that decision and not wasting energy on what might have been.' Sounds good. Now to implement it!
Now, to some degree, I suppose, a critical voice is important. To never question what one is doing is the surest road to error but I wish I could train myself and, more importantly, my children, that once a decision IS made, one must move forward. Previous possibilities are now moot and worrying about the 'What ifs' is a waste of time and energy. Human life, after all, is really very short. We none of us knows how long we have here. Surely it is wiser to spend the time ACCOMPLISHING the good than worrying about what might have been. My question is... how is this training to be accomplished?
Now I am a fervent admirer of Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy. From everything I have read, she was a brilliant lady -- and one of the people that I would love to have met. She has, in her educational approach, something called 'Habit Training'. (For those of you interested, there is a wonderful blog called: Charlotte Mason Help which discusses implementing her strategies. There is also a downloadable e-book called "Laying down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook") For my purposes, it is her direction on how to form a habit, through the application of 'whole attention' that interests me here. Charlotte Mason said: We think, as we are accustomed to think; ideas come and go and carry on a ceaseless traffic in the rut––let us call it––you have made for them in the very nerve substance of the brain. You do not deliberately intend to think these thoughts; you may, indeed, object strongly to the line they are taking" She then goes on to discuss the formation of habits, with the most important habit (to her way of thinking -- and it turns out, mine!) being that of attention. Of course, she is discussing the creation of habits in children, with the aim of making life 'easier' as well as better for everyone involved. But it occurs to me that her ideas might well be turned on adults and on the habits of the mind. Foremost of these approaches is taking on 'one habit at a time.' I'll admit, this is truly challenging for me. I want to multi-task. I always feel as if there is MORE I should be doing in the limited time that I have at my disposal. Charlotte Mason was right, however. To change/create a habit, one must FOCUS attention, complete attention, on that habit. If one does anything else, the mind will run away and wander off on rabbit trails -- and it is not just the child's mind that does this. Adults do it too hence the strictures of meditation that tell the individual "At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused"
So there it is. If I wish to change my habit of mind -- and in so doing, free my children of that same critical habit -- I need to devote my focused attention on doing so. Hmmm... now, what would Ms. Mason say? I suspect she would require a positive voice, as opposed to simply denying the negative. I therefore, and perhaps with the assistance of my children, need to create a dialogue to implement in place of the critical one. At the moment a decision is made, I should train myself, and my children, to say internally 'The decision is made. We move forward from here, taking as they come the results of that decision and not wasting energy on what might have been.' Sounds good. Now to implement it!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
From my other blog: Shakespeare Amongst the Maples -- New Professions
(The following is taken from my other blogsite: Shakespeare Amongst the Maples . I am feeling a bit under the weather -- i.e. I am feeling blue -- so this is my lazy man's way of doing things!)
What are your children interested in being when they grow up? My two started out predictably: as with most boys, they have a passion for Fossils, one that was fed when we were lucky enough to visit the T-Rex Museum in Tucson. The T-Rex Museum, which sadly is now out of business, was created and run by a retired Paleontologist. It was a small place, crammed to the gills with Fossils and hands on projects. It was, in the words of it's owner 'The sort of place I wish there had been when I was a kid.' Upon leaving it, after our first visit, my youngest said, decisively "When I grown up, I am going to be a Paleontologist." My eldest, ever insightful, responded "Xander, you don't have to grown up to be a Paleontologist. Just DIG!"
This budding passion morphed a bit for my eldest after we made a weekend trip to the Stone Rose Site in Republic Washington. At this site, a dry river bed, amateur paleontolgists can dig for their own fossils. The only caveats are (1)significant finds are kept and catalogued by the museum and (2)one can only take a certain number of fossils home per day. This experience plus a hefty dose of reading (Please note: The link will take you to an Amazon list. You can then find the books/videos at your Library if you don't wish to purchase them) about the Prehistoric seas led my eldest to his new passion: Marine Paleontology. In that vein, he decided that his focus in Boy Scouts would be, when he is old enough, a branch called 'Sea Scouts'. We are lucky in this respect: one of our closest family friends is a Sea Scouts Captain and, better yet, a Geologist by training.
But, of course, while boys like Dinosaurs, and while the passion for Fossils still animates my sons' souls, their ideas about what they 'want to do when I grow up' continue to change. The latest one caught even me by surprise: My youngest has decided that he wants to be a Blacksmith... now, hmm... he has informed me that he is going to (1)have his forge in the Barn (GULP!) (2)that he wants to be apprenticed to a working Blacksmith (Do they take six year olds, Mommy? I want to start NOW!) and (3) that he needs to 'build up' his muscles because Blacksmiths have to be 'strong.' (Grin. He started his 'weight training' program by manfully carrying our HEAVY library book bags to the care for me. He had been hefting them around the library and demonstrating his muscles to the bemused librarians.) And his older brother, the budding Marine Paleontologist? Well, he still wants to do that but now, as a complimentary position to his brother's blacksmithing, he has decided to learn how to be... a KNIGHT! Yep, complete training is required, Mom. And after all, he points out to me, there is no reason whatsoever that he is restricted to ONE ambition...
Sigh. Who knows where we will end up. Meanwhile, I need to start helping them to hunt down information about Knighthood and Blacksmithing. Wish me luck!
What are your children interested in being when they grow up? My two started out predictably: as with most boys, they have a passion for Fossils, one that was fed when we were lucky enough to visit the T-Rex Museum in Tucson. The T-Rex Museum, which sadly is now out of business, was created and run by a retired Paleontologist. It was a small place, crammed to the gills with Fossils and hands on projects. It was, in the words of it's owner 'The sort of place I wish there had been when I was a kid.' Upon leaving it, after our first visit, my youngest said, decisively "When I grown up, I am going to be a Paleontologist." My eldest, ever insightful, responded "Xander, you don't have to grown up to be a Paleontologist. Just DIG!"
This budding passion morphed a bit for my eldest after we made a weekend trip to the Stone Rose Site in Republic Washington. At this site, a dry river bed, amateur paleontolgists can dig for their own fossils. The only caveats are (1)significant finds are kept and catalogued by the museum and (2)one can only take a certain number of fossils home per day. This experience plus a hefty dose of reading (Please note: The link will take you to an Amazon list. You can then find the books/videos at your Library if you don't wish to purchase them) about the Prehistoric seas led my eldest to his new passion: Marine Paleontology. In that vein, he decided that his focus in Boy Scouts would be, when he is old enough, a branch called 'Sea Scouts'. We are lucky in this respect: one of our closest family friends is a Sea Scouts Captain and, better yet, a Geologist by training.
But, of course, while boys like Dinosaurs, and while the passion for Fossils still animates my sons' souls, their ideas about what they 'want to do when I grow up' continue to change. The latest one caught even me by surprise: My youngest has decided that he wants to be a Blacksmith... now, hmm... he has informed me that he is going to (1)have his forge in the Barn (GULP!) (2)that he wants to be apprenticed to a working Blacksmith (Do they take six year olds, Mommy? I want to start NOW!) and (3) that he needs to 'build up' his muscles because Blacksmiths have to be 'strong.' (Grin. He started his 'weight training' program by manfully carrying our HEAVY library book bags to the care for me. He had been hefting them around the library and demonstrating his muscles to the bemused librarians.) And his older brother, the budding Marine Paleontologist? Well, he still wants to do that but now, as a complimentary position to his brother's blacksmithing, he has decided to learn how to be... a KNIGHT! Yep, complete training is required, Mom. And after all, he points out to me, there is no reason whatsoever that he is restricted to ONE ambition...
Sigh. Who knows where we will end up. Meanwhile, I need to start helping them to hunt down information about Knighthood and Blacksmithing. Wish me luck!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Glogster, take 2
I mentioned my new favorite tool in my last post. Here then is a link to a webinar on how to use Glogster and Netrekker:Glogster and Netrekker together Webinar
Meanwhile... with all the horrifying news coming out of Japan (10,000 missing, no tools/supplies to rescue those who are trapped, shortages of everything, not the least, energy, and now the threat of a nuclear disaster) people in our part of the world -- specifically the P.N.W. and Seattle, are looking at disaster preparedness. The scary part: there is a fault line that runs directly under the city, many of the buildings were built prior to the creation of an earthquake building code, much of the city is built on fill and is low lying enough to be innundated by Tsunami waters should a quake cause one... and, of course, a truly large and devastating quake is a distinct possibility. When the reporters were talking with the Mayor of Seattle, he made a cogent point: While individuals cannot do a lot about city preparedness, they can prepare themselves. To that end, the boys and I are going to work together on putting together a 'disaster' kit and we will be making a blog with links to information about Seattle, the risks facing the area and the tools available online for creating a disaster kit for individuals. Seems like a good time to study local geography, first aid skills and... Ham Radio operations. Yep, a new item to be added to our list of skills we want to learn. I will post a link to our Seattle Disaster and what you can do Glog once it is up and running. In the meanwhile... keep safe.
Meanwhile... with all the horrifying news coming out of Japan (10,000 missing, no tools/supplies to rescue those who are trapped, shortages of everything, not the least, energy, and now the threat of a nuclear disaster) people in our part of the world -- specifically the P.N.W. and Seattle, are looking at disaster preparedness. The scary part: there is a fault line that runs directly under the city, many of the buildings were built prior to the creation of an earthquake building code, much of the city is built on fill and is low lying enough to be innundated by Tsunami waters should a quake cause one... and, of course, a truly large and devastating quake is a distinct possibility. When the reporters were talking with the Mayor of Seattle, he made a cogent point: While individuals cannot do a lot about city preparedness, they can prepare themselves. To that end, the boys and I are going to work together on putting together a 'disaster' kit and we will be making a blog with links to information about Seattle, the risks facing the area and the tools available online for creating a disaster kit for individuals. Seems like a good time to study local geography, first aid skills and... Ham Radio operations. Yep, a new item to be added to our list of skills we want to learn. I will post a link to our Seattle Disaster and what you can do Glog once it is up and running. In the meanwhile... keep safe.
A new Educational toy
Have you heard? There is something called a 'glog'. "Glog" is short for graphical blog and boy, oh boy are they fun! I have created six so far -- collections of links for our studies. If you are curious, here is a list:
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/false/
Shakespeare Amongst the Maples: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/shakespeare-amongst-the-maples/
The Greek Myths Classroom: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/greek-myths-classroom/
Ancient History Classroom: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/ancient-hiatory-classroom/
Betwixt and Twain: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/betwixt-and-twain/
Now, I have been the one making these for my sons to use in their studies but a lot of folks with computer savvy kids have been having their KIDS use glogs as a way of presenting the information that they collect on a particular subject. There is even a way to set up a 'classroom' with student accounts so that EVERYONE in the family (or Co-op) can make blogs. Truly, this is a wonderful educational 'toy' and I highly recommend it.
One last note before I run off to 'school' -- there are two levels to this site: One can create 'free' glogs -- and those are great. Or, if you really get hooked, you can pay for a premium membership... but you don't need to do so. So... go ahead. Give the site a test drive -- and if you look at my glogs, please leave feedback. They are still works in progress.
Have a bright, sunny, and disasterless day!
Friday, October 02, 2009
Speaking silence
Every parent of young children knows how terrfying silence can be. I was reminded recently of the 'dangers' of silence...
Was it just yesterday? I was feeling exhausted and had a blazing headache. Both boys were also tired -- both had been up relatively late the night before and both had gotten up ridiculously early. All three of us needed naps. The boys agreed to go lie down and, being ever hopeful, I went into my room to do the same. Curled up on my bed, cats all around me, I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard:
Giggles, giggles, giggles.
Thud, pad, pad, pad.
'My kitty doesn't love me anymore!' (Jason)
'Don't worry, Bah bah, I'll get her.' (Xander)
Thud, patter, patter,patter.
Thump, Thump.
'I gotter, bah bah. Capture complete.'
Thump.
Thump.
Giggles, giggles. More giggles.
Thud patter, patter, patter.
'Go getter Boo!' (Jason)
'I'm going Bah bah'
Thump thud thud thud
Grunt.
'Bah bah...'
'I'm coming, Boo'
Grunt
'You'd better take her front end, Bah bah.'
Giggles,giggles.
THUD!
Was it just yesterday? I was feeling exhausted and had a blazing headache. Both boys were also tired -- both had been up relatively late the night before and both had gotten up ridiculously early. All three of us needed naps. The boys agreed to go lie down and, being ever hopeful, I went into my room to do the same. Curled up on my bed, cats all around me, I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard:
Giggles, giggles, giggles.
Thud, pad, pad, pad.
'My kitty doesn't love me anymore!' (Jason)
'Don't worry, Bah bah, I'll get her.' (Xander)
Thud, patter, patter,patter.
Thump, Thump.
'I gotter, bah bah. Capture complete.'
Thump.
Thump.
Giggles, giggles. More giggles.
Thud patter, patter, patter.
'Go getter Boo!' (Jason)
'I'm going Bah bah'
Thump thud thud thud
Grunt.
'Bah bah...'
'I'm coming, Boo'
Grunt
'You'd better take her front end, Bah bah.'
Giggles,giggles.
THUD!
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