Grammar Lessons

Neither the Artist nor the Engineer are particularly enamored with Grammar. It is not at the bottom of the list for them either. It is merely a school subject in the middle of the pack, slightly annoying to both of them.

Interestingly, both my children prefer grammar this year, compared to past years. The difference is the curriculum. We abandoned A Beka in favor of Shurley Grammar. The Artist tells me she is learning more and the explanations are more clear. The Engineer loves his jingles and the concreteness of the work involved with classifying sentences. The colorful pages with cute little animals on them did not endear A Beka to him. Black and white pages with charts and paragraphs of text with a jingle CD do the trick.

Today it happened that both kids were assigned expository paragraphs. Here they are suffering through the chore (he he he).I am amused that the Engineer felt a need to tell me that writing paragraphs is his second least favorite part of grammar class. His least favorite parts, he continued, "are writing in the journal and taking tests." Then with much enthusiasm he added, "But I don't complain about it!"

Thames & Kosmos Kudos

The Artist began this week's science experiments today using her Thames and Kosmos C1000 chemistry kit. She was off to a good start, but soon the instructions became ambiguous. Specifically, they said, "Add a shot of soda water." Oookaaaay. The instruction book lists the items from home that I will need to provide, and neither a shot glass or a jigger is listed. So just what do they mean by a shot?

A shot as in "...add a shot of Tobasco sauce to the roux..."? Or as in, "Add a shot of Bailey's Irish Creme to the hot cocoa"? The accompanying cartoon-like illustration shows liquid pouring directly from a bottle. That's no help.

On the off chance that I might reach a real person rather than a machine, I called the company. That is how I learned the somewhat off-putting price of the chemistry set was worth it. I received great customer service.

First, a automatic directory gave me clear choices. Then my call was quickly answered by a live person. I briefly explained my question and he got his copy of the manual to see exactly what I was reading.

The representative did not have a definite answer to my question. Instead he suggested I try the measured shot from a shot glass and see if that amount would work as expected. Furthermore, he instructed that I should call back if it did not work so he could replace, at no charge to me, the chemicals used in the failed attempt.

That is top-notch customer service, I could not ask for better. I did call back, though, to let the representative know the measured shot from a jigger was the correct amount. Perhaps the change will be more clearly noted in the next edition of the instruction manual.

Thank you Thames & Kosmos! I am a happy cutomer.

More Science

Both kids are studying chemistry this year. The Engineer is working with book I of Adventures With Atoms and Molecules. The books (there are two in the set) are full of simple experiments. They do not take too long to read, prepare a write up, conduct or discuss. I'm so pleased with the way they fit the capabilities of a third grader.

For most of the experiments we can go from the initial reading through to writing the conclusion in one class period. It is fun to watch the Artist watch her brother. Almost every experiment I hear her commenting, "Oh! I loved doing that experiment!" or something similar.

Here the Engineer is observing the behavior of two water droplets merging on a sheet of wax paper. Next he observed the way two oil drops behaved when they joined. Finally he noticed the difference when one oil and one water droplet touch on the wax paper. Suddenly, the polarity of water molecules had meaning in his young mind.

The Artist is enjoying her chemistry set. As befits her age, her experiments are a little more complicated. She is working from the booklet that came with her Thames and Kosmos Chem C1000 kit. Several of her experiments can be done is succession, but a few coming up in the next weeks are longer and more complicated.

In addition, she is working with chemicals that require taking some precautions. I told her the way her goggle-strap was playing with her hair, and the paint spatter on her smock made her look like a mad scientist.Here she is adding acids and bases to water with a few drops of the litmus solution she created a few days ago, and noting the changes as they occur.
Both children have always enjoyed science.

Back to Work

We've had a week of very little school due to illness, but finally this morning everyone is ready to go. The kids will complete a very full work load this week as I'm giving them report cards for the first quarter on school on Friday.

Until today, the Artist's seventh grade chemistry class has involved only reading, note taking, & making diagrams. Finally today she got to crack open the chemistry kit -- that big, enticing box that has been sitting on the shelf for a couple of months.

She was assigned to conduct the first four experiments in the book this week. Her excitement, and mine, waned a little when she read (and I recalled) that today's work was just preparing a solution that needs to rest for 24 hours before we use it.

Nonetheless, she had fun trying on the goggles, wearing her gloves and playing with the test tubes. She carefully measured the prescribed amount of water into a test tube and then added some litmus powder. She sealed the tube and shook it. Now it rests on a shelf in my kitchen window, "out of reach of small children." Tomorrow's science experiment time should be more fun.

In other subjects I'm humbled by my son. The Rosetta Stone German lesson we are working on he just passed with 98%. On Saturday I got an 88%, thus failing the lesson. So I need to do it again! I have my work cut out for me.

Retreat!

Between fishing trips and jury duty and special appointments and a school retreat the last three weeks have been a whirlwind. We did get a good deal of schooling done. More than I expected, in face, although I can't prove it because I accidentally copies over one of the Artist's schedule documents. I guess I'll need to get that glitch worked out before I think about creating transcripts!

Most recently we attended a home school retreat with many of our friends on the campus of the Concordia Ft. Wayne seminary. We left as soon as Rick arrived home after work on Wednesday. By the time we arrived at the dorm all the kids were abed, so it was fast work to get the Engineer and the Artist into bed. We unloaded the car and joined the other adults in some conversation before bed.

Lots of town time for playing and games!

There were many babies in our group this year.

Thursday morning the kids had lots of play time together and we all attended chapel together. After lunch the children participated in a cookie decorating extravaganza.

We were spoiled with lots of wonderful home-cooked meals!

Space was limited to 13 places, so the kids decorated their cookies in shifts.

In the afternoon, we all enjoyed each others talents in one of our group's largest recitals. Children of all ages and some of the parents participated in this most enjoyable afternoon.

The Anticipating Audience!
Thank you for the photo, Barb.

The Engineer plays Fur Ludwig.

The Artist, the Engineer, and their cardboard guitars perform Turkey Love Song.

The Artist plays a version of The Entertainer.

Some members of the Christ Lutheran Church Youth Choir sing.

In the evening the group went to dinner and mass at Redeemer Lutheran church near downtown Ft. Wayne. Afterwords the kiddos drifted to bed and the adults had time for discussion, conversation and hilarity. Midnight mad libs gave us a new running joke about having "puffy fights." I wonder who will be able to work that into the conversation the most between now and the next retreat?

Friday we attended chapel in the morning and attended a professor's lecture about the Order of Creation. I wonder what goes through the professors' minds when they see a room of students ages infant through grandparent filling the chairs in the room. I gave the engineer some paper and told him he could write down anything in the lecture he thought was interesting or important. He raised his hand a few times for questions. (I guess we don't need to worry about how shy he is anymore). He did ask one question I am sure the professor never had to answer in class before, "How do you spell 'Greek'?" After that I moved so I could sit by my son and take care of his spelling questions!

A few years ago someone on the campus taught our group the Lord's Prayer in American Sign Language. This year we had the same lesson again. This time we will need to remember to practice it so as not to forget.

Sign Language instruction.

Signing the Lord's Prayer.

Friday evening we had something new -- a ballroom dancing lesson. We learned the swing and the fox trot. Maybe I shouldn't say I learned the fox trot, because two three days later I don't think I could do it again. But Rick and I had great fun mastering the swing. What fun we will have next time we are on a dance floor!

The gentlemen learn their steps.

The ladies learn their step patterns.

One last review, and cue Music!
Thanks again, Barb!

Putting it all together.

One Down

The first week of school is finished. One down, 35 or so to go!

We started off with a short schedule, each child only having a few subjects, Grammar, Math, Logic and Art. The grammar and logic curricula, and the Artist's math curriculum are new to me this year. So the slow start is to benefit me as much as to ease the kids into the school year.

So far I am very pleased. Math U See seems to be a huge benefit to the Artist. She has not gotten lower than an A on any of the papers or the test yet, and most unexpectedly, she announced yesterday that math was fun now! That is a huge change in itself. As the work gets more complicated, the good attitude and growing confidence should help her through.

I still like Saxon math, and I am going to keep up with Saxon for the Engineer. When he gets to sixth grade math I will figure out what to do next. That is the point at which I tried A Beka math with the Artist. Not a good move.

The grammar books have great information -- I am very impressed and glad I switched to Shurley Grammar. It is much more teacher intensive than the former program. That is good, because I will not need to rely on tests to tell me how the kids are doing. The preparation and teaching time required of me is something else. I'd been spoiled, and now I need to re-work my daily tasks to be sure the kids get what they need in the grammar realm.

So far, I like the logic text, but we are working slowly with it, so I do not have enough of an experience it to write about it yet.

Back to School

Yesterday was our first day back at school this school year, and we opened the year in style--with a field trip to the zoo!

It had been several years since we had been to the zoo. We all enjoyed the beautiful day. The crowds were at a minimum. Some of the animals posed for photos, and others put on shows with their behavior.

We were introduced to one part of the zoo we had not visited before, the veterinary center. It was interesting to see the vets working with two monkeys new to the zoo. The monkeys were anesthetized so as not to be traumatized by their exams. The almost looked like floppy stuffed animals as they were carried from the exam table to the scale. But the gloved hands and careful handling by the vet proved otherwise. When their lab work is done it will likely be determined that it is safe to lift their quarantine.

It was less interesting and more depressing to read the placards on the walls about genetic control of the population in the world's zoos. Not that that is a problem in itself. For animals. But adding the knowledge that many of the world's zoologist-types also believe in controlling and limiting the human population, and in using genetics to do so, it was rather depressing.

Rick was the photographer for our day at the zoo. Here are some of my favorite shots.

Summer Reading

The kids did not have summer reading per se, this year. Last summer we thoroughly enjoyed the works of Jules Verne read to us on CDs. The kids were fascinated by the stories, and I enjoyed listening with them and knitting, rather than reading aloud.

We enjoyed it so much I wanted to do something similar this year. We started by listening to Les Miserables. I could only find an abridged version, so I assured the Artist she would enjoy the book when she could read it at her leisure. The Engineer suffered through the listening, utterly unimpressed.

Then, while I was planning the school year I found so much literature from the historical era we will be studying --roughly 1600 - 1815-- that there was little hope of reading a nice representative sample unless we read literature 8 hours a day for the entire year. Even looking at the recommended lists, there is more than a family of readers can handle.

I checked the library for books on tape and CD again, this time with the recommended reading for the kids' upcoming school year in hand. I am thankful we got to listen to so much of it during the summer. And I hope we can read a good portion of what is left during the school year.

This summer we enjoyed:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Rip Van Winkle
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Grimm's Fairy Tales (Abridged)
Gulliver's Travels (Abridged)
Robinson Crusoe

Some stories we missed because my place in the library hold line has not come up yet. Some time soon we will hear The Last of the Mohicans and The Three Musketeers.

Gearing Up

Getting geared up for school this year is harder than usual. A home remodeling project is making the Artist's bedroom and the school room both unusable for a while. All the school books are scattered in various places through out the house.

All the things I expect to need for the first semester have moved into the living room. The literature I used to keep on the built in living room shelving is now in bags in the basement. (I pray this is VERY temporary!)

I used to know, or at least have a very good idea where everything was in the house. Now I would be hard pressed to find some things. You can imagine how much I am hoping I don't need any of those things that are "somewhere" until the remodeling work is done.

The Artist's cloud room has been outgrown for a few years now. It was a lovely nursery and bedroom when the kids were small. As the Engineer got older he moved out of the nursery and into his own room.The Artist stayed in the cloud room. With her teen years approaching, we thought it was time to repaint her room. She will get to pick her colors and her bedding pattern as a birthday gift.

The school room, annexing the Artist's bedroom, will be unusable for the duration of the project. Her dresser and a bookshelf are moved into the school room, and her closet is behind one of the tarps too. These cubby holes, which the kids and I used as you may remember using a locker at school will soon be covered with a thick layer of drywall dust. Unless there are some surprises hiding inside one particular wall, we hope to add some built in shelving to the new bedroom too. That will help solve a storage problem for the Artist. She has sculptures and keepsakes hidden in a very crowded drawer. It would be nice if she could display them. It would also lessen the chance that they would be damaged.

Tomorrow the workmen come to begin demolition on the Artist's room. Monday we have our first day of school (a field trip), and Tuesday we crack the books. This will be one interesting week.

Now, when I'm feeling so thoroughly unorganized, I have friends telling me how they are not organized enough to home school. I feel like the school year is a marathon, stretching out before me beyond the horizon. I'm not sure I have the energy for a 100-yard dash.

Quite a Debate

Our school year is winding down, with just a few lessons in math and history to go. Our study of the Middle Ages, Reformation and Renaissance has brought us to study Martin Luther.

Today in history class we read an English translation of Luther's 95 Theses. Phew!

In my mind, images from movies, books, woodcuts and engravings fill in the scene. I can picture a resolute, robed monk tacking his papers (parchments?) to the door of the castle church. From there, my imagination really takes over! We read: Out of love for the truth and desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg... The introduction concluded with a request that those unable to be present for oral debate would participate in the debate by letters.

Now, I'm wondering, for how long, exactly, did Luther reserve the university conference room!?!

When I see how long it took us to read and give my children cursory understanding of the points, I can't imagine how long the day of debate would have been.

Math Woes

My math woes continue. Math seems to be the least favorite subject for the Artist, as it was for me. I recall first being aware of how much I hated math when I was in fourth grade. The Artist has known of her math aversion for at least as long too.

When we finish the school year I'll be beginning in earnest my search for another curriculum. The A Beka books are great for those for whom math processes are intuitive. That most certainly does not include me!

There is a chance we will go back to the Saxon series, but I also want to thoroughly investigate the Math U See curriculum. I was able to download some placement tests for that program. It will not make the Artist happy to have to take placement tests though. I think I'll wait till our school year is done before I mention them to her.

If only math were as easy to me as symbolic logic. If only...

What's Going On?

At first I was tempted to make this a caption contest, but from the photo only, with no sound it is not possible to guess what is going on here.
In-obviously, it is history class!

The kids are under the blanket because the Artist did not dress for the weather today. They are sitting together on the couch because they are looking at their history outline in the form of a stack of cards.

The dynamics also don't show in the photo. At the time of this picture, they were silly-singing at the top of their lungs, adding incredible descants to a fairly simple tune. The tune is on a CD that we play at the opening of each history class to reinforce the order of major events in history.In this second photo, little has changed, but you can see the Engineer's stocking feet sticking out from under the blanket. The children are reading the outline of today's history lesson aloud to each other. That's my cue, soon I'll need to hit save here and go through some history readings with the kids.

Not Much Happening

Last post was during a frigid cold snap. It is not quite so cold any more, but the snow is still solidly on the ground. I'm reminded of a conversation I had with my cousin from Louisiana over the summer. We were talking about the winters of our childhood when it seemed the snow fell in December and stayed around until March. There may be a brief thaw, but it was quickly remedied by another 6 - 8 inches of snow.

This winter, it seems the snow is sticking around more than I recall from the past 20 years or so. We usually have some ice build up in right outside our back door, from icicles above. This year, the build up is 4 - 6 inches thick and the salt is not making much of a dent. It is treacherous for little feet to negotiate!

I'm looking forward to everyone feeling healthy again so I can take the kids sledding. We should make the most of the snow -- right? By the end of the week we should be able to go, and I just may remember to bring along a camera.

I've been unmotivated to post lately. The school days are blending together with not much notable going on. I'll mention trying yet another approach in math for the Artist and the conclusion of second grade math for the Engineer.

Knitting is moving along, but the sweater I'm making for the Artist at the moment is rather complicated and it is slow going. When the TV is too distracting or the project is too unwieldy to be portable I seem to slow way down.

I find myself longing for spring more than in past years. In the mean time, The Portrait of Dorian Gray (Wilde), The Sorrows of Young Werther (Goethe) , or The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe are giving me plenty to think about. And I'm mostly successful at logging 10,000 steps a day on my pedometer.

Wii-cess

Winter weather recess from the school day has never been so anticipated as yesterday and today. The Wii system that made its appearance on Christmas morning has a lot to do with that!

I am thrilled that the meager half hour I can give the kids for recess does not lose ten minutes to donning coats and boots. I am happy they are playing together rather than arguing together. I'm glad they are excited about recess rather than pouting that they need to do something outdoors. And on the really yucky outdoor days I'm glad their recess is active. It is 100 times better than watching TV shows on stations that frequently don't come in well at our address.

And if you're getting the impression I'm happy about it, you should hear the kids!
The great surprise Christmas morning...Santa has installed the Wii in the middle of the night. (Tested it too!) The Artist knew what she was looking at because she has used the system at a friend's before. The Engineer is about to have a whole new world open up to him.
Now the kids have Wii-cess rather than recess. Here they are duking it out in a boxing match.

Ring of Mystery

The kids and I just returned from a field trip to see the Cleveland Orchestra perform Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery as part of the Classical Kids LIVE! theatrical symphony concert series.The performance was phenomenal! It is geared to children in grades 1 - 5, but I think there were several schools in the audience who brought older grades too.

The usher brought our small group to a loge box. The little luxuries of being able to hang our coats, and relax in armchairs while taking in the beauty of Severance Hall made the trip extra special. Looking around, I mentioned to one of the other Looper (nickname of our home school group) moms that it seemed the loges were filled with home school families.

I knew the Artist would enjoy herself. I was not so sure about the Engineer. The last concert we attended, he spent a good deal of the time with his hands over his ears as he is so sensitive to loud noises. But during the show I could see the performers held his rapt attention. Only for a few minutes did he cover his ears, and he was not cowering while doing so, but sitting forward and paying attention.

After the performance he was excited to tell me he liked this concert much better than the last one. Now he is not so thrilled, because he has to copy the sentences he dictated to me for a field trip write up.

The Artist most enjoyed the play accompanying the music and our special loge seats.

Allowed to Fail

Yesterday I had the painful opportunity to be a good parent.

Our Wednesday routine includes leaving home so the Artist can attend a Latin class. As some school work needs to be finished before it is time to leave, there is inevitably some rushing around to get into the car and leave in order to arrive at Latin on time.

Yesterday was no different. We finished some morning subjects, and everyone scattered to brush teeth, put shoes on, gather winter gear, and pile into the car. I noticed the Artist's Latin bag sitting on a chair at the table. Problem is, she was already in the car.

I picked up my purse, her bag, my keys and headed for the door. Then I remembered some conversations I had some 8 years ago with a couple who lamented their children's irresponsibility. I had suggested to the couple, things like "Let them forget to study for that test" and "Let them be late for work" or "Let them get a poor grade on the science project." Their jaws dropped and they thought I was the insane mother of a three year old who would change her tune when my child was the age of theirs.

I put the Artist's bag back where I found it and started the car. She had brought her flash cards along to study for that day's test. At each traffic light I could hear her muttering Latin phrases to herself. I knew she was concentrating, so I didn't talk to her. My own suspense kept building as to when she would discover her bag was missing.

As we neared our destination it dawned on her. She would not have her book with her to make notes as the class reviewed the new word list after the test was taken. I know she felt some regret and was disappointed in herself for forgetting. I felt awful saying something to the effect of "You'll just have to get along without it." But I believe allowing the relatively small failures on an 11-year-old here will help build a sense of responsibility in her that will prevent things like being consistently late for work as a teen.

Kid's Crafts

The Artist's supplies to make another shoe came in over the long weekend. She was pleased to find sculpting a shoe came more easily the second time around. This time she was able to use all one color, white, and she plans to paint the details later on. We agreed this works and looks much nicer than a jumble of colors smoothed together.

Here it is cooling after spending time baking in the oven. Another change from her first attempt, she was able to add lacing holes. Over all the proportions are better this time too. She definitely has a talent here that I do not possess. The Engineer kept busy over the weekend too. Daddy brought up one of his wood crafts, a car this time, from the basement. The Engineer planned the paint job, and Daddy drew some pencil lines on the wood pieces. Then the Engineer painted, mostly by himself. There are some details that Rick ended up doing for him on this car. When it came time to gluing the pieces together, the Engineer took the lead with some pointers, instructions and "press and old" help from Daddy.

Head to Toe

The Engineer lost another tooth. This is the fourth he has lost, but only the second that the tooth fairy will take from his pillow. He found a way to lose the other two.

Some time before six o'clock Sunday morning the Engineer came up to our room and shouted a happy "Guess What!" I was too groggy to raise my head. The Engineer had gotten sick Saturday evening and I was up checking his fever, breathing rate and listening for signs of an asthma attack periodically through the night. He had lost this tooth too, but I found it in his bed. Now it awaits the tooth fairy in a safe place.

The Artist spent some time with her sculpting book recently. The project she is working on next is making a shoe. It is an ambitious project, and this one has given her some problems. She has made a first draft, so to speak. When done, she made some observations on how it could be done better next time. We will save this one until another is made. She plans to try again with all one color and paint the finished product after is it baked. Working with one color will make for fewer joins and less smoothing of joins.

Drop Drop Fizz Fizz

The Artist spent the week studying some rocks in her collection. She did streak tests, and scratch tests first. A few days later she was able to conduct an acid test. She used vinegar to test for soft carbonates. None of her four specimens fizzed with household white vinegar. That did not make for a very exciting experiment, so I brought out a clam shell and an oyster shell from the lot she had found on the beach in Florida a couple of years ago. Those both fizzed a bit, to the delight of the Artist and her Engineer side kick in this experiment. At the end on the instructions, the Artist's book mentions that an adult can conduct a second acid test with diluted HCL. I don't happen to have that handy. But I do have some 12% food grade hydrogen peroxide. It was interesting that the peroxide solution made one of the Artist's rock specimens fizz actively. We did not try the H2O2 on the shells, they were soaking to get rid of the vinegar smell.

Recital

Rick and I owe many thanks to the Presbytera and our friend, Polly for bringing the Artist along on a home school retreat to Ft. Wayne.

Along with meeting some new friends and learning some new games, the Artist was able to attend some interesting lectures and take part in a recital.

The Artist attended talks about the history of deaconesses, about altar guild responsibilities, and about missions in Kenya.

On Friday afternoon several members of the group performed various recitations, vocal and piano pieces they had prepared. The Artist assured me she did well, but we still regret we could not hear it ourselves. Thank you, Presbytera, for the photos! The Artist performed A Classical Moment from her Alfred's Basic Prep Course Level E. I figure I won't ask where her shoes are... I did see her take them out of her suitcase when she got home, so I know they are not lost.