Keeping things moving

This week is chugging along. Lessons are progressing and Mister B has the added delight of writing all those thank you cards from his Bar Mitzvah.

Little Miss M is working on adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators, verb phrases, food webs, and finishing up the Ottoman Empire. Today we made Viennese Crescent Rolls. I had no idea that crescent rolls originated after the Turks during the Ottoman Empire failed to take Vienna. The crescent shape represented the crescent on the Turkish flag.

Here is the recipe we used:
2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (or one package dry yeast)
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour (we used whole wheat flour that we mill in our nutrimill)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter (melted)
1 Tablespoon water

Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Now, put in the yeast mixture and the butter. Mix well. You may need to add more flour if the dough seems to wet to roll out. Divide the dough into two equal amounts. On a lightly floured board, roll one half out into a circle about 8 to 9 inches in diameter and about a 1/4" thick. Now cut the circle into 8 wedge-shaped pieces. Starting at the widest end, roll each piece up and shape into a crescent. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or use butter like I did to grease it). Put the rolls on the cookie sheet and cover them with a kitchen towel. Let them sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450-degrees.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and mix it with the water. Brush the egg wash onto the crescent rolls using a pastry brush. Bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Delicious!

Mister B is working on percentages and figuring out sales tax and tip when dining out, run-on sentences, and evaluating sources for history.

Today we took a sample music class. They learned about notes and beats and basic rhythm. Music is an area I seriously lack ability. I have no musical talent/understanding at all. They really enjoyed it so I am going to have to see if I can work this into the budget.

The Met

In an impromptu moment, a few of us were free to trek into the city to go to The Met (http://www.metmuseum.org) to see what we could find from The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

I wouldn't be me if I did not snap a picture over my shoulder of the kids while stuck in traffic. At least one of them looks happy.

We got stuck in traffic and the kids were STARVING by the time we got there, so we grabbed a quick hot dog (all the way, of course) before heading into the museum. It was pretty cold out. Spring seems to not have gotten the memo that it is supposed to be warmer out.

A quick stop at the rest room and we were finally ready to meet up with the other members of our party in the Egyptian wing. For those who read the book-they hid some belongings in a sarcophagus. A quick photo at the Temple.

The kids were inspired to be Egyptian. Well, the boys at least. As you can see the girls were having none of it.

The girls thought this fountain was pretty cool.

Off to Arms and Armor. Whenever we go to the museum (and we have not been here for a couple of years) we take a shot in front of the mounted knights. They think it is fun to pretend to be running from the horses.

The others thought that was a good idea.

Another favorite spot is this building inside the museum. My two have always been fascinated by it.

The building was an excellent photo op.

Last stop of the day...The Chinese Garden. I will say that Mister B and Little Miss M did not want to go. At all. They were now tired. We had been there for a good number of hours. However, when we got there they loved it. It is a very peaceful place.

They actually sat and soaked up the atmosphere.

It was a long afternoon but they had fun. The bed where the kids slept is no longer at the museum but we were able to see a similar bed. We looked at some works by Michelangelo and admired a statue of an Egyptian cat similar to the one in the book. I suspect, however, that if you asked my kids for an honest answer they might say the glass elevator was their favorite part of the trip. They say it was the Chinese Garden but they were pretty excited about that elevator. They were disappointed that the trip in the elevator was not longer. I had fun playing "Spot the Homeschoolers". We would look at various people with kids and speculate on if they were homeschoolers or on vacation. I have no idea if we were correct about anyone but it was a lot of fun.

Getting our groove on

We have finally all recovered from the BIG EVENT and are back in the swing of things.

Little Miss continues with fractions. She is now working on adding 3 fractions with different denominators. It is funny watching her hit the same wall her brother did when he was at this level. So caught up in following the steps that she creates extra work by not noticing when multiplying 2 of the fractions will give her the same denominator as the 3rd fraction. I am confident she will move past it soon enough. Grammar-she is working on verb agreement. Science - the food chain or web and composting. History- Persia and The Ottoman Empire.

Mister B-Math: converting percentages to fractions and figuring out sales tax and tips. Grammar-Diagramming compound subjects and verb phrases. History-Biography of Francis Bacon.

Tomorrow is Discussion Group. We watched the movie Mad Hot Ballroom and will be discussing the various themes. When we discussed the movie amongst ourselves they were having a very difficult time grasping that these kids see drug deals and gangs as part of their every day existence. Mister B said "We never see anything like that when we are in the city." Then came the discussion of how we don't go to those parts of the city. Which led to a discussion on how their father spent his early years in the Bronx. His family moved when he was about to start Jr. High. He frequently saw gangs of kids beating up another kid. He lived 10 minutes from the school but often took a much longer way home to avoid the gangs.

Back to Business

The last few weeks were a whirlwind of activity. All leading up to the BIG EVENT. Mister B's Bar Mitzvah. Under Jewish law he is now a man and responsible for his own sins.

The last couple of weeks were all about party planning, honing his Haftorah and his Torah portion, and the different prayers for Friday night services and Saturday morning services. All formal lessons took to the back burner to free his time for the big event.

It was worth it. He did beautifully. It started on Saturday, March 5th. That afternoon he did the Mincha service. Here is a little blurb about what that is: Mincha signifies the afternoon service. On Shabbat this service is particularly poignant because unlike the weekday Mincha service, we read from the Torah. Additionally, Shabbat Mincha marks the beginning of the transition from the sanctity of Shabbat back to our weekday routine.

Then on Monday, March 7th he donned Tefilin and participated in the morning minyan. He repeated this experience on Thursday (The 10th). Then came Friday evening services. He totally rocked it. Then the BIG DAY! Saturday, March 12th, my baby took his place on the Bimah as a Man. Again, he totally rocked it. He stood there with poise and dignity and did all he was supposed to do. He read from the Torah, he read his Haftorah, he gave a great speech. He made his father and I proud.

Now that THE EVENT has passed and we have all recovered from the celebrating we return to our regular scheduled schooling. Sort of. Today is Mister B's 13th birthday, after all. Normally your birthday is a school holiday. After taking almost all of last month off that just was not an option. He understood (took it like the man he is). We did maintain the other tradition of dessert for breakfast. This year: Pudding Parfait.

Tuesday Update

Yesterday we got back into the school groove. Mister B is learning about fraction=percent=decimal and how to figure out how much sales tax you pay. He started working on a biography of Francis Bacon. His big focus is still preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. At his lesson yesterday he read his Torah portion from the Torah. This was huge. He has struggled so much with learning the Friday night service, the Saturday morning service, and his Haftorah. Mastering his portion of Torah with relative ease was a big confidence boost for him. For those who do not know-There are no vowels or cantilations in the Torah. No guidance at all as to how those words are supposed to be said. You have to know the tune and the words. Not easy at all.

Little Miss is mastering the rule of 4. Turning fractions with different denominators into the same kind so she can add, subtract, and see which is greater. In History she is finishing up the Industrial Revolution. Critical Thinking-identifying steps. Grammar-review of diagramming subject and predicate. Science -Composting. She now really wants to get a composter.