The Lowry Park Zoo, Trip 3 – 2009

2009/2010 - Homeschool Field Trip #7
The Lowry Park Zoo - September 30, 2009

Yup, one more zoo trip. Lefty talked us into it, on the last day of September (the last day we could get in for free).  The weather was very pleasant and mild (a rarity for Florida at this time of year), so how could we resist?

It was a quick trip,  as it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea, allowing us only a couple of hours, but we managed to get photos of some animals that had evaded us before.

“Bumblebee!”
On the way to the zoo, we stopped by Target where Rey spied his
favorite Transformer, Bumblebee! – so we had to stop for a photo op

Bornean Orangutan
Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus

Marabou Stork
Leptoptilos crumeniferus

Two Cute Girls!
“Cricket” (7) holding “DeeDee” (8 months)

Shoebill Stork
Balaeniceps rex

African Elephant
Loxodonta africana

Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus

Saddle-billed Stork
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Budgerigar
Melopsittacus undulatus

Florida Black Bear
Ursus americanus floridanus

All of the Florida natives were MUCH more alert during this visit, than on the previous
visits. This was due to a few days of unseasonably cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

North American River Otter
Lutra canadensis

West Indian Manatee
Trichechus manus

Southern Stingray
Dasyatis americana
&
Cownose Stingray
Rhinoptera bonasus

The children especially loved the “baby stingray”!

The Florida Aquarium – 2009

2009/2010
Homeschool Field Trip #6
The Florida Aquarium
September 25, 2009

In continuing with our celebration of “Swaptember“, on one hot September afternoon after co-op classes we headed down to Tampa’s Channelside District to visit the Florida Aquarium. Although we were members previously, it had been quite a while since our last visit.

Above: The Whole Group
Gator (14) holding DeeDee (8 months), Rey (4), Lefty (10), Ant (13),
Boo (8), Dinky Tumblina (11), Cricket (7), & Curly Top (6)

Loving the sharks and giant rays

Not a great shot of the sea turtle (dark room, water, a moving animal
– really pushing the limits of my digital point-and-shoot) –
but he was cool, so I had to include him anyway.

Above: One of Lefty’s favorite animals – the Jack *ss Penguin
Below: One of my personal favorites from the aquarium – the Sea Dragon

Above: A shot that turned out really strange. Can you tell exactly what this is a picture of?
(I mean besides just “alligators”)

The Lowry Park Zoo, Trip 2 – 2009

2009/2010
Homeschool Field Trip #5
The Lowry Park Zoo
September 8, 2009

We never managed to see everything on our first “Swaptember” trip to the zoo, so we visited again on the following week, starting where we had previously left off…at the entrance to the “Asian Gardens“.

Our first (and one of our favorite, because I LOVE big cats!) exhibits was that of the white tiger. While I know that it is ethically wrong for zoos to display the white tiger, Lowry Park Zoo claims to have rescued these tigers from certain death when another park shut down. Whether or not this is true, I don’t know [the Zoo, however, has bred the two adults, which is also wrong].

[Read here to see why the breeding of white tigers is WRONG!]

Regardless of the irresponsibility in the breeding and exhibition of these cats, the cats are worthy of mention…they are absolutely beautiful!

White Tiger
Panthera tigris

Greater Indian Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros unicornisa

Sri Lankan Sloth Bear
Melursus ursinus inornatus

Quite possibly the ugliest animal I have ever seen.

Bearded Pig
Sus barbatus

Reeve’s Muntjac
Muntiacus reevesi

Komodo Dragon
Varanus komodoensis

Lorikeet
Trichoglossus haematodus

After visiting Asia, we took a trip through the free flight aviary to look at the Birds.

While the zoo does have a pretty nice aviary, the signs aren’t that great — nor is their website — as far as bird identification is concerned. Most of the birds idenitfied on the signs were no where to be found; while birds like these were — with nothing to tell visitors what kind of birds they are.

I’m pretty sure that the first bird is a Masked Lapwing, the second is a Toco Toucan, and the third is some sort of Ibis. I have no idea what kind of birds are in the last two photos.

And off to the exhibit that really caused us to return to the zoo for a second visit — Primate World! What zoo visit is complete without checking out the primates?

Ever since my boys were little and Zooboomafu aired on PBS, these guys have been a favorite around our house.

(I love the zoom on my camera!)

Ring-Tailed Lemur
Lemur catta

These little squirrel monkeys moved so quickly, and were so active, I had a difficult time getting a picture!

Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri sciureus

Wolf’s Guenon
Cercopithecus wolfi

Mandrill
Papio sphinx

By far, the primates we had the most fun watching were the Colobus Monkeys!

Colobus
Colobus angolensis polycomos

This was because they had a baby — the CUTEST little white baby!

Above is a scene you might expect to see at my house –
everyone gathered around to see the new baby. “Ahhhhh…”

But what happened next was unexpected.
Another monkey swooped in and grabbed the baby!
Literally wrestling it away from the first monkey! –
grabbing the poor little thing upside down; tail and feet up in the air…

I’m not sure what’s going on in the photo above;
if they were sharing the baby, or bickering over her…

But by the time we left, the baby was content again and nursing.
Go ahead and say it…”Ahhhhh….”

And the rest of my photos are of my favorite “primates”, the ones I gave birth to.

Fun in the Fountains

The Log Ride

We splurged.
We allowed Lefty and Dinky Tumblina to ride the overpriced log ride.

When the ride was over Dinky said, “It wasn’t scary!”
But when I cropped down the photo that I took,
her face tells a different story.

The Lowry Park Zoo, Trip 1 – 2009

Since Lex Salisbury, tiger killer and despicable man, is no longer associated with the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa (as of December 2008), our boycott of the zoo has come to an end.

[Before you read on, please go read this heartfelt tribute to Herman and Enshalla]
St. Petersburg Times – October 1, 2006

Lefty, my animal and wildlife enthusiast, has been wanting to go to the zoo for ages, so for his birthday this year we bought him a membership to MOSI, for the primary intention of taking advantage of the “Swaptember” promotion.

And that, we have. We have actually taken two trips to the zoo this “Swaptember” month, in order to see everything.

2009/2010
Homeschool Field Trip #4
The Lowry Park Zoo
September 4, 2009

The children wasted no time. They were on a mission! — to see the zoo’s new Koala, Bundaleer — so upon arriving at the zoo they high-tailed it over to “Wallaroo Station“ (animals from the continent of Australia).

This is what they saw:

Queensland Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus

Yes, Bundaleer was sound asleep. Go figure. Koalas spend at least 19 hours a day sleeping, and the rest eating. Just like teenagers .

But there was more to see in Wallaroo Station!

Bennett’s Wallaby
Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus
[subspecies of Red-necked Wallaby]

Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Macropus giganteus

Emu
Dromaius novaehollandiae

New Guinea Singing Dog
Canis lupus halstromi

You may think we took way too many pictures of the fruit bats, but we found these guys to be absolutely fascinating, and a joy to watch. We probably stood at the bat exhibit for 20 minutes!

Flying Fox Bat
Pteropus vampyrus

Above: Look at this Mama with her baby!
We spotted two different babies in this exhibit.

And in this photo (above) she is nursing!
I feel a certain connection with her.

Notice the two fellows in the photo above.
The one on the left was trying desperately to rest,
while the one on the right kept creeping over to him
and poking him to wake him up! They must be brothers!

I wish I could sleep like that!

Just a goofy photo op.

Before leaving the “Wallaroo Station”/Australia exhibit area, the children just had to stop by the Petting Zoo. We used to have goats when we lived in Alabama. The children really miss them.

I didn’t get any photos of the children actually petting the goats because I was too busy chasing Rey, trying to prevent him from picking up those cool “pebbles” that the goats kept leaving behind!

African Pygmy Goat
Capra hircus

Off to Africa! After leaving the petting zoo, we headed to the Safari Africa and Ituri Forest exhibits.

On our way to Africa, it began to rain; a sudden steady downpour. That brief, refreshing shower lasted only about 10 minutes, during which time we ducked under a tunnel for cover. We emerged from the tunnel at the entrance to Africa and came upon the meerkat exhibit first.

But there were no meerkats! We watched for a few minutes, and were ready to walk away, when we saw a small brown head pop up. They aren’t stupid! They did the same thing we did when it rained — ran into their tunnels for cover. We dubbed that first little guy who popped up “The Weatherman”. The other meerkats must have elected him to be their weather watchman, because he crawled out first, and stood alone for a few minutes, glancing repeatedly at the sky. After he determined that rain was indeed “over with”, the remaining meerkats began emerging from the holes one by one.

Meerkat
Suricata suricatta

The majestic giraffe, my favorite animal in the whole world!

Reticulated Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata

And what could be cuter than a miniature deer?!
With a weight range of 9-13 lbs., this little guy is about the same size as my cat!

Blue Duiker
Cephalophus monticola

Dromedary Camel
Camelus dromedarius

Baby’s First Trip to the Zoo!
(with big brother “Ant”)

Proof that God has a sense of humor:
Okapi
Okapia johnstoni

I’m pretty sure this was Lefty’s favorite exhibit. He really enjoyed watching (and photographing, and videotaping) the penguins.

African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus

Back to Florida. After we left the Africa area of the zoo, we headed to “Florida Boardwalk“, the Native Florida area.

There were several species of Florida wildlife that I didn’t bother to take photos of, because they literally live in my backyard (like the sandhill cranes), and because I have already posted photos of them…many times.

The gators are an exception to this. While they do live in my backyard, they continue to fascinate me, so I snapped a couple more shots.

Look at that camouflage in action!
There is a reason I refuse to swim in freshwater lakes and rivers in this state.

American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis

Ahhh, the life! The bear and the wolf know how to properly spend a hot Florida day….resting. I don’t blame them!

Florida Black Bear
Ursus americanus floridanus

Red Wolf
Odocoileus virginianus clavium

And this poor gal. I felt so bad for her. She was “in estrus” so was vocalizing while we were there. Doesn’t she look like she’s miserable?

Florida Panther
Felis concolor coryi

I have stated over and over again that one of my favorite things about living in Florida is the diverse, exotic bird life. We have some beautiful and very unique birds down here! But….even though Florida is known for its flamingos, I have yet to ever see one in the wild.

American Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber

We do, however see plenty of these guys:

American White Ibis
Eudocimus albus

Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus

Poor baby (shown with big brother “Gator”) was all tuckered out after a long, hot, busy day. She fell asleep right in her brother’s arms.

Amphibians

During our walk along the Florida Boardwalk, and just before leaving the zoo for the day, we stepped briefly into the “Discovery Center” where many different species of both native and foreign amphibians were on display. They were difficult to photograph, due to their glass enclosures, but the children insisted that I try to get a photograph of these Poison Dart Frogs.

Aren’t they amazing?! They don’t even look real; they look like they’re made of plastic.

A Busy 4th of July Weekend, Lefty’s Birthday, and a Trip to MOSI

The Independence Day weekend began on Friday evening, July 3rd, with a “luau” at our neighborhood clubhouse — a pool party with games, sand art, and a bounce house for the kids, lots of food, and a live band.

Food!

Below:  a. Rey, goofing off during dinner  –  b. Rey & Curly Top

Friends!

Above:  a. Dinky (right) and her friend M.  –  b. Boo, Rey, & some friends in the bounce house
Below: a. from left – D., (a neighbor), Gator, Ant, & Lefty
b. from left – M., (a neighbor), Lefty, Cricket, Curly Top, A., (a neighbor)

Sand Art!

Games!

Baby’s First Independence Day!

You can’t tell from the photo, but earlier in the day “DeeDee” had been very ill.
She woke up vomiting, and continued for several hours. By evening though,
praise the Lord, she was back to her old self — and enjoying the attention!

The Clubhouse at Sunset!

And Rey’s First Sparkler!

On July 4th we spent the day at the pool with a neighbor family, the Farmers, having a cookout, then spent the evening with the Dunhams, a family that I have “known” online for many years, and have finally had the pleasure of meeting in person! We had dessert, chatted, and watched the fireworks display that our across-the-street neighbors were putting on. Can you believe I failed to get a single photo of the day?! Ugh!

---

Above: “Lefty” with his birthday cake – July 7, 2009

Lefty, turned 10 last week, on July 7th, so we began celebrating over the weekend, on Sunday, July 5th.

I can’t believe that Lefty is already 10!  I know that I always heard that time flies by so much faster the older you get, but I never totally believed it – until I had kids! They are growing up sooo quickly — this one in particular. This is the child who was a newborn when I discovered the internet. I sat, in my early days of surfing the web, in a big leather computer chair while nursing a tiny blond baby and listening to Mozart. That baby is now a 10-year-old water-loving nature enthusiast who can most often be spotted in a stained striped shirt (stripes are his favorite) carrying around an Audubon guide and a pair of binoculars.

Lefty, being the animal lover that he is, always loves to go to the zoo, so we skipped the big party and decided we’d give him a zoo membership for his birthday. So I investigated, and realized that the membership to the Lowry Park Zoo (in comparison to similar local memberships) is, quite frankly, a RIP OFF!

In order to get a family membership to the zoo — “family” being defined as “two designated adults & up to four children ages 3-17″, we would have to pay $125, THEN pay an additional $25 per child, for a grand total of $250!  (I, by the way, find these types of definitions of “family” to be VERY discriminatory! A “family” should be defined as the parents/guardians and all children living in the household. Period.) This $250 would not include any of the rides, and the reciprocal zoo program stinks! Not only are there no free zoos in Florida, as part of the reciprocal program, but they wouldn’t admit all of us anyway! Here is the policy:

“Members are admitted according to the membership rules of the other zoo or aquarium, not those of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo (i.e. if their definition of a “family membership” limits the number of children to four, then that is the number allowed in on your card).

Reciprocal zoos that have free admission to the general public may offer free parking or other benefits, call them to confirm. Also, many of the listed facilities define a family as 2 Adults and 2 Children. Therefore, additional children may have to pay admission.

These facilities are only a reduced admission for reciprocal members. This is only a partial discount (approx. 50%), please call ahead for exact information.”

Um. No thanks!

So I looked into MOSI (The Museum of Science and Industry). MUCH better! They still have discriminatory membership policies, BUT at least their reciprocal program is better — and it includes a free trip to the zoo (anytime during the month of September)!

MOSI’s “family” membership WITH the additional IMAX membership, is regularly $150 for up to five people, and $20 for each additional person. But last weekend they had a sale. The museum + IMAX membership was on sale for $135 + $16 for each additional person (not including the baby, who is free), for a total of $231*. This includes all regular IMAX movies throughout the year, and free entrance to myriad other museums and aquariums, as well as ASTC membership. A much better deal! So, this was Lefty’s birthday present — a year of fun, beyond the zoo.

* The savings nearly began right away, without even visting a single other venue; as the regular price of just ONE trip to MOSI as a family, with ONE IMAX movie would cost a whopping $206.45.

2009/2010
Homeschool Field Trip #1
MOSI
July 5, 2009

A Visit to MOSI

One of our first stops at MOSI was “Disasterville”, where the children experienced several natural disaster simulators, including wildfire, tornado, and earthquake. And my personal favorite (to watch anyway)…the hurricane!

Above: Curly Top had a difficult time keeping her dress down in the hurricane simulator
Below: There’s a reason my children aren’t on the news!

Our children (and M, our honorary 11th child) as disaster workers

Next was the “The Amazing You” exhibit. I think the pictures speak for themselves…

Well…almost all of them speak for themselves. I do have one thing to say about that faux pregnancy suit that Rob is wearing. I think *every* man should be required to wear one during their wife’s pregnancies. Give ‘em a little taste.

Next we moved onto the “Kids In Charge” building where Lefty played the drums, and the boys took turns watching things happen…and un-happen…and happen again on the monitor. Pretty cool!

I don’t know what it is about play food. I really don’t. The kids just LOVE play food. When I mentioned going to MOSI, the girls asked, “Is that the place with all the food?”. Well, yes. There is a huge Publix grocery store area full of…what else? Play food! This is where the three little girls and Rey spent most of their time.

Gotta love the look on Boo’s face below when she tests out the bed of nails!

Winding Down…

Sometime around the beginning of our journey, back in Disasterville, our friend M lost her wallet, which contained money, gift cards, and an ipod. While I hung out with most of the children in the Kids in Charge area, Rob helped Dinky and M look for the missing wallet, to no avail. (It was found and returned to its rightful owner later in the week, minus the cash).

The last couple of photographs were taken as we were in the gift shop waiting for Dinky and M and preparing to leave. Baby Dee was sooo happy! I just love my baby girl!

Birthday Dinner

It is customary in our household for the birthday child to be treated to dinner at the restaurant of his or her choosing. Alone. With just the parents; no siblings. So, after returning home from MOSI, we headed out to Romano’s, Lefty’s choice, for a quiet meal of pasta, a birthday song sung in Italian, and a delicious complimentary chocolate cake!

Above: Lefty celebrating his 10th birthday at Romano’s Macaroni Grill

July 7, 2009 – Happy Birthday, Lefty

On Lefty’s actual birthday, Tuesday, we headed out to the mall for a free movie (one of three that we saw this week, due to the not-so-nice weather), Mr. Bean’s Holiday. Then we wandered around the mall for a while before treating the birthday boy to a kids’ meal at Taco Bell (everyone else ate from Taco Bell’s value menu).

And when Rob finally arrived home from work in the evening, it was present time and cake time!

Lefty after opening his gifts; one being a bottle of Mountain Dew.
(Having one’s own soft drink is a real treat around here!)
But WHO thought the highly caffeinated Mountain Dew was a good idea?

2009 Summer Reading Programs

It’s that time of year again (already!) – summer reading time! As the homeschooling mother to a whole brood of voracious readers, I always enjoy seeing which of our favorite companies are lining up to sponsor the latest addition of summer reading programs.

2009…*sigh*…While there are some fun programs remaining (listed below), I am dismayed to see that the stressful economic times have managed to take a bite out of the summer reading incentives as well. Some of our old favorites that seem to have disappeared from the summer reading scene this year are Build-a-Bear and Pizza Hut.

Ever more reason to offer my many thanks to the following for persevering, despite the current economic crisis:

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program 2009

Prize(s): Receive a FREE book from Barnes & Noble!
Who: Grades 1-6
Cost: Free
When: 5/26/09 – 9/7/09
Deadline: 9/7/09

Details:

• Read any 8 books of your own choosing
• Use your Summer Reading Journal to tell your favorite part of each book.
• Bring completed Reading Journal, with parent’s signature, to a Barnes & Noble store between May 26th and Sept. 7th, 2009 to receive a coupon for a FREE book.

 

11th Annual Homeschooling Summer Reading Club

Prize(s): Receive a certificate, stickers and a prize in the mail by September 30, 2009!
Who: Grades K-12 (Homeschooled)
Cost: $1.39
Deadline: Postmarked by August 31, 2009

Details:

• Sign your children up.
• Print out Reading List Form.
• Have children read books at their reading level.
• List books on form, and total pages read.
• When the total number of pages reach 500, mail the list along with a $1.39 stamp to the address provided on the Reading List Form (one per student).

 

Half Price Books “Feed Your Brain” Summer Reading Program 2009

Sponsor: Half Price Books
Prize(s): $3 shopping card at Half-Price books for each week spent reading for at least 15 minutes per day.
Who: Children 12 and under
Cost: Free
When: 6/1/09 – 7/31/09

Details:

• Get a Feed Your Brain Reading Log at Half Price Books.
• Check off each day for five days that the child read for 15 minutes or more.
• Fill out a reading log, and have a parent or guardian sign it.
• Bring the completed and signed log to Half Price Books.
• Get a Feed Your Brain Reading Reward: $3 Shopping Card at Half Price Books.
• Repeat steps 1 through 5 every week through Friday, July 31, 2009.

 

Scholastic’s Summer Challenge

Details:

“Kids, Ready to turn a page? Log your minutes, earn points, help a cause, and read for the world record! All you have to do is:

• Take a fun quiz to get sorted onto a team.
• Score points by logging the minutes you read each day.
• Earn bonus points by taking games, quizzes, and polls.
• Win prizes and sweepstakes while you are at it.”

Prize(s):
At the end of the summer, the winning team gets to vote on which Save the Children U.S. program will receive a special donation from Scholastic in your team’s name!

 

Summer Reading at Borders – Kids Reading Challenge

Prize(s): 50% or more savings on selected items
Who: Kids 12 and under
Cost: Free
When: 5/26/09 – 8/31/09
Deadline: 8/31/09

Details:

• Read any 8 books
• List the books you’ve read on the Reading Challenge Worksheet.
• Have a parent/guardian sign the completed worksheet.
• Bring your completed worksheet to any Borders or Waldenbooks store between May 26 and August 31 to save 50% or more on selected items.

What are you doing with your first graders?

As mentioned in my back to school entry, I have three first-graders this year, and unlike with my previous children, I actually welcome “busy work” with them because they are VERY busy little people!

I had planned to use the Rod & Staff first grade reading program with them, but we were never able to afford the remaining accompanying workbooks. We did go ahead and buy the Pathway Readers and workbooks, and the Miquon math, and have been using them — but I am facing a dilemma; the girls are almost completely finished with their Pathway Readers, and are honestly reading so well at this point, that it wouldn’t even be worth it to pursue the Rod & Staff program. So, what next?

Should I move on to the 2nd grade grammar? Should I just have them do independent reading from the books of their choice? Should I concentrate on different types of activities/subjects instead? I DO have a lot of cool stuff planned for Konos, but have been taking a break from it, due to time constraints and pregnancy fatigue. I have to do something! As I mentioned, this trio NEEDS to be kept occupied.

What are YOU using/doing with YOUR first graders?

Studying the Human Body – The Edible Cell

How do you get elementary students to remember such things as “smooth endoplasmic reticulum”? – With candy of course! I can guarantee that even the youngest of my students remember the parts of their cells, after EATING them!

While studying cells last week, I searched the internet for any sort of cell-related activities and/or experiments, and found three very similar activities that I knew would make a lasting impression on my children.

1. Jello 3-D Animal Cell Craft – Enchanted Learning
2. Eukaryotic Animal Cell, Candy Cell Model
3. Cell-o

After researching and learning the parts and functions of the components of cells, the children had fun comparing the shapes of those components to different types of candies to use in making their cells.

Here were their choices:

Plum = Nucleus
Sprinkles = Ribosomes
Laffy Taffy = Golgi Body
Twizzlers Pull n’ Peel = Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
Fruit Roll-Ups = Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Gobstoppers = Lysosomes
Mike n’ Ikes = Mitochondria
Skittles = Peroxisomes
Sixlets = Central Vacuole

BUSTED!
Gator caught sneaking a taste of Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

Dinky Tumblina showing off her nucleus.

Adding the mitochondria

The finished cell!

Studying the Human Body – Proportions & Symmetry

Our study of Konos this year begins with the unit Cooperation, and the topic “Systems of the Human Body”. While this volume of Konos contains some great ideas of activities to enhance the study of the human body, I have found this book, How the Body Works, by Steve Parker, to be an indispensable resource, both as a source of information, and as a source of some really fun experiments!

Some examples:

Body Proportions

We made a “human graph” to show how the body proportions varied by person.

One thing I found interesting was that, while “Ant” (2nd in line) is a bit taller than his older brother “Gator”, they are almost exactly the same, proportionally.

Another thing I had never noticed is that, while “Dinky Tumblina” is only 22 months younger than “Ant”, her shoulder only comes about to his elbow!

For your reference, using my web-safe names, pictured from left to right are: Gator (13), Ant (12), Dinky Tumblina (10), Lefty (9), Boo (7), Cricket (6), and Curly-Top (4). (My oldest and youngest are not pictured).

Doesn’t Ant look thrilled? He is NOT a morning person!

Facial Symmetry

How symmetrical is your face?

For this experiment, I took photos of each of the children’s faces from the front (looking straight ahead). I then used my photo editing program to make a mirror image of each one. I sent these photos to Walgreen’s photo center online, to be picked up (2 copies of each) at our local Walgreen’s.

Once we had our photos, we used a paper cutter to cut each photo in half. In matching the photos up, with mirror image halves matched with the halves of the originals, we were able to see just how symmetrical our faces really were (or weren’t)! The differences were amazing. And more amazing still was how some of the children’s faces were WAY off when it came to symmetry, while two of the children were found to have almost perfectly symmetrical faces!

Gator’s was especially amusing. The bottom left photo is the original, and the bottom right is the mirrored image, while the top two are the symmetry photos. In one of the symmetry photos his face looks fat, while in the others his face is thin and he has fangs!

Creative Writing: A First Try at Limericks

As mentioned, I am testing out a new English curriculum this year for my two middle-schoolers; Charlotte Mason-themed Language Lessons for the Secondary Child, Volume 1.

Lesson #16 was about writing Limericks. Here are the results of their first shot –

“Dinky Tumblina”, age 10, wrote:

There was a snake whose name was Jake.
He had a beautiful home on a lake.
His friend was a goat who had a boat.
And liked to float in his moat.
They ate cake and got a belly ache.

and “Ant”, age 12, wrote:

There once was a slimy old frog.
He lived in a grimy log.
He had a wonderful wife.
He liked his life,
Until he was attacked by a dog.

Okay, Ant, that ending is a bit disturbing…

Alpha-Phonics Help

My Alpha-Phonics book, as you can see, has been a well-used book. I bought the book used for under $2.00 when Audrey was just a wee thing (she will be 17 next month). The book has DEFINITELY seen better days!

The binding has come apart for the umpteenth time (notice all the packing tape on the cover from previous repairs)…

And some child along the way (I have my suspicions) used it as a coloring book…

But it has always functioned just fine…until now.

Notice something wrong with this picture?

At some point during the last several moves, some pages have disappeared. More specifically, lessons 122-127.

The three little girls are currently on lesson 99, so if anyone would be graciously willing to scan in or type in the six lessons we are missing and send them to me so we can finish this book, I would be very grateful.

1st Quarter Curriculum Needs

The following are the things we have not yet purchased for the first quarter of this school year. If you have any of these that you are interested in either giving away or selling at a reasonable price, please let me know. (Number in parentheses is the quantity I still need — I have three children in the same grade).

Konos

• Konos Timeline Wall Chart – 54″ x 75″; vinyl plastic (1)
• Konos Volume III Timeline Characters (1)

Rod & Staff

• Grade 1 Reading Workbooks, Unit 1 (2)
• Grade 1 Worksheets, Unit 1 (2)
• Grade 1 Printing Practice, Unit 1 (3)
• Grade 1 Phonics Workbooks, Unit 1 (2)
• Grade 1 Vocabulary Flash Cards (1)
• Grade 1 Phrase Flash Cards (1)
• Grade 1 Phonics Flash Cards (1)
• Grade 1 Reader, Unit 1 (1)

Pathway

• Grade 1 Pathway “First Steps” Workbooks (3)
• Grade1 Pathway “Days Go By” Workbooks (3)
• Grade 1 Pathway “More Days Go By” Workbooks (3)

Back to (Home) School

Planning the School Year – 2008/09

I spent all of last weekend and most of the preceding week planning out this school year so we could start on Monday…which we did.

Before I mention anything else though, I MUST give some linky love to Donna Young. She has made my life so much easier! — and saved me a HUGE amount of time. Her website, if you are not already familiar with it, is DonnaYoung.org. In an age where most people charge for their resources, Donna Young generously offers an array of *FREE* printables that I find to be absolutely indispensable when it comes to homeschooling planning.

So here is what is on the agenda for this homeschooling year:

High School

“Gator” (13) – Grade 9

The spine of Gator’s curriculum for high school will be Tapestry of Grace, starting with Year 1 this year. This will be my first year using this resource, although I used to make up a similar curriculum of my own using the recommendations of the original The Well-Trained Mind.

Tapestry of Grace will encompass World History, Fine Arts, English, Bible, Government and Literature.

For foreign language, I would like to use Rosetta Stone. (French is Gator’s choice, as his goal in life is to be a chef.)

I’m kind of torn on this though – the Rosetta Stone. I personally believe that Rosetta Stone is a wonderful program! I was first introduced to it through or public library system, knowing I would one day buy it for our personal use…bu I am extremely disappointed to have learned that the Rosetta Stone company has now pulled their product out of the library system. Why? I can only speculate…but I can’t help but wonder if it’s greed. Did they feel like they were losing too much money by offering it for free?

Honestly, I wouldn’t have even known about the program if it hadn’t been through the library service, and one of the reasons I thought so highly of the company was because of their generosity in sharing this resource with the general public — much of which could otherwise never afford to learn a foreign language. I don’t know. I guess I’m just disheartened. I may still order it through my next Timberdoodle order (my long-time FAVORITE homeschool company) as soon as I can afford it, but I am not as excited about the Rosetta Stone company as I once was. Perhaps I am being too critical, but I love to see companies “giving back to the community”, and am generally eager to support such companies. But when those companies withdraw those resources…*sigh*

Gator will be taking the standard 9th grade courses for math and science: Biology (Apologia) and Algebra (Saxon).

 

Middle School and Elementary School

As previously mentioned, I will be using Konos, Volume III (character-based unit studies) as the foundation for my younger students. It will cover all of the basic subjects except for math, phonics, and grammar (there is some grammar/writing included, but the English teacher in me prefers formal grammar instruction — it’s just “my thing”).

“Ant” (12) – Grade 7

Ant will be one of my guinea pigs this year. For math and English, I am chucking my old standbys and trying something new. Teaching Textbooks for math…

…and Language Lessons for the Secondary Child Volume 1 for English.

I looked at the Teaching Textbooks demo online and it looked like something that would work well with Ant. Ant, who is dyslexic, has some difficulty when it comes to his math instruction (as in my explaining it to him). He gets frustrated. I get frustrated. Teaching Textbooks eliminates this problem altogether. The instruction is done entirely on the computer, much like with the DIVE CDs for Saxon, but this program is unique. There are several practice problems for each lesson, as well as a re-explanation on any of the problems which are answered wrong. Also, all of the problems are done ON THE COMPUTER (with the solutions worked out on scrap paper). This eliminates the need for full pages of neatly written work (a challenge for dyslexics), and helps me out by grading the lessons and tracking the progress.

So far we have only done two lessons in Teaching Textbooks, but Ant really likes it. He was actually asking to do math yesterday.

As for the Language Lessons for the Secondary Child Volume 1 for English, I had never even heard of this curriculum before — and I am not generally the type to jump into a new curriculum sight unseen…but I first saw it, again at Timberdoodle, with this description:

Written for a child between the ages of ten and fifteen – whenever they are reading a variety of classical literature and able to write a short report without much effort. This volume contains grammar, punctuation skills, copywork, narration, dictation, picture study, letter writing, and more – with a strong emphasis on learning about and learning to write different types of poetry. A consumable text with 180 daily lessons and full color classic paintings throughout, this is the perfect language arts course for your upper elementary or middle school aged child who is using the Charlotte Mason approach.

It sounded intriguing to me, and much different than our typical course of study. At $20 for 180 of instruction, I thought it was worth a try.

 

 

 

 

“Dinky” (10) – Grade 6

Same ol’, same ol’ for math. Dinky will be finishing the Saxon Math 6/5 book that we never made it all the way through last year, then she will be moving on to Saxon Math 7/6.

And for English, I am going to give the same English that Ant will be using (Language Lessons for the Secondary Child Volume 1) a shot. Although it is a consumable text, I only bought one copy for the two children to share. They will just simply copy the assignments from the book onto their own papers.

I just received my Timberdoodle order yesterday and briefly glanced through the book. It looks good — much “lighter” than the Rod and Staff that we typically use. Language Lessons for the Secondary Child Volume 1 is heavy on creative writing. For Dinky, this will be a pure joy. For Ant, my resident dyslexic who loathes writing, I believe it will be a challenge — but this is an area where he could use a little stretching, so we’ll see.

 

 

 

 

“Lefty” (9) – Grade 4

This is Lefty’s first year of formal math instruction, for which we are using the Saxon Math 5/4 – the same math book that his four older siblings all used.

And for English, we are continuing with Learning Language Arts through Literature, the Orange Book.

 

 

 

 

“Boo” (7), “Cricket” (6), & “Curly-Top” (5) – Grade 1

The three little girls are still finishing up their Alpha-Phonics book (they are on lesson 80-something), then they will switch to Rod & Staff 1st grade Reading, in conjunction with Pathway Readers and workbooks.

Why? Because of the busywork involved.

I have ALWAYS stayed far away from workbooks. I personally do not like “busy work”, but let’s face it — these are three VERY busy little girls who definitely NEED something to keep them busy and out of trouble while I am working with the others.

I own two sets of the first grade readers and one set of the corresponding workbooks, bought on vegsource years ago and never used. I also own a set of the Pathway readers, but I need to purchase the workbooks.

For math, again because of a recommendation from Timberdoodle, I have decided to try Miquon Math for the first time.

 

Encouraging Children to Write

I realize some people are blessed with children who just naturally enjoy writing. Sadly, I am not one of those people. The whole writing process presents itself as a “chore” for most of my children….so I begin early, trying to think up creative ways to encourage them to write. My two greatest successes so far? Shopping lists and personal letters/cards.

Seriously, make a general announcement in my house that we need to run to the store to buy kitty litter and ask them to write down anything else they can think of that we need, and even the toddler is clamoring to add his fat crayon scrawls to the wall paper. And there’s just something about the”friendly letter”. As much as I enjoy the speed and efficiency of email, there’s just that “thing” about receiving a personal letter — in a real mailbox — from an old friend. Nothing can motivate my children to write more than to find them a pen pal amongst the children of my like-minded cyber-friends, allow them to participate in Flat Stanley exchanges, or to encourage them to send a friendly greeting to a long-lost friend (have I mentioned that we have moved seven times in three years? — we leave lots of long-lost friends in our path).

In the younger years, any old paper will do. They tell their daily-life tales on notebook paper, computer paper scraps…even paper plates! But by the time they are ten, they become more distinguished, wishing for their own “fancy” or even “personalized” stationery.

How can I make the letter writing process more creative and personal?

LIGHT BULB MOMENT! (Can you just see that little light bulb going off in my head?)

Enter photo cards! We use them for Christmas (or at least we order them for Christmas…whether or not they actually make it into the mail, that’s another story), why not use them for every day correspondence? I think my children (even the younger ones), would delight in designing their very own “note cards”, either using a photo of themselves, a photo of something they enjoy, or even a photo of a picture that they drew especially for this occasion.

Custom Photo Cards, like this adorable polka-dotted design from CardsDirect
can be left blank, or personalized with your choice of greetings!

With this special personal touch, how much more fun would this be to send and receive, than your standard stationery? There would certainly be no doubt who the individual note cards belonged to (this a BIG deal in our household — if you have more than a handful of kids, I am SURE you are nodding your head in agreement), and they could be used for so much more than simple correspondence. They would make perfect personalized thank-you notes as well!

What do you do to motivate your children to write?

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A Good Excuse for a Popcorn Party!

Did you know that October is National Popcorn Popping month? (No, I don’t make these things up.) What a perfect excuse to have a popcorn party…and to make it educational in the process! — which is just what we did.

On Friday we read about the origins and history of the children’s favorite snack, and what makes popcorn pop (something most of them already knew. Gotta love those homeschooled kids — always wanting to know the whys and the hows. I spent over 30 years of my life never wondering what made popcorn pop…just accepting it as it is.) Then we did a little experiment — Microwave vs. Stovetop Popcorn.

The hypotheses of all of the children turned out to be correct, as far as which popped better, but the surprising part of the experiment was in the difference in texture between the two different types of popcorn. Amazing! (I will spare you the results, in case you’d like to try the experiment yourself).

We found the experiment, and many others (which we may try later this week, if I get a popcorn hankerin’) at the Pop Weaver site.

Fun & Educational links of interest:

• Pop Weaver Science Projects
• Schneider’s Popcorn Fun Facts
• Jollytime Popcorn Kids’ Corner
• KCTS Learns: Popcorn Science
• Popcorn Board
• Kinetic Molecular Theory with Popcorn
• Popcorn!
• Teaching with Popcorn

If you have your own educational popcorn party, leave me a comment. I’d love to see your results.

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Four New Participants in the Curriculum Exchange

Go check them out.

Window to My Soul, Training Hearts at Home, The Dash of Life, and Learning Along the Way