Today Mister B attended his first swim meet for the high school. As the first homeschooler on the high school team I thought it was important that he shine. And shine he did. He wasn't a superstar. He only swam in 2 relays but he did the team proud by keeping his lane in the race.
The high school team has been a great social outlet for him. As much as he loves swimming on the club team he is also on those kids are from all over and it makes getting together socially next to impossible. Plus, his two closest friends on the team decided not to continue this year. Unlike the club team the high school team does team building stuff. They have to take the bus together to and from practice and the meets. After the first two weeks of practice they have a pasta night at the high school together. The night before a meet they get together at a local pizza place for dinner. I have to say that Mister B (social butterfly that he is) is loving every minute of it.
Even though my 9th grader did not lead the charge to victory the team did win the meet. And they won against a private school known for its athletic prowess. All in all it was a great afternoon.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thanksgiving
We had a lot to be thankful for this year. The only damage to our home after Sandy was to the chimney. We had no power for over a week but we had good friends and neighbors to take care of us. We had family that also lost power from the storm but no other ill effects. We are rich in the things that matter. Good friends and family.
Now that Thanksgiving is over, today was our first day back to school. Instead of easing back in we went full throttle. Diving in to all our subjects and catching up on work that we let slide before Thanksgiving.
Little Miss M and I had a lovely discussion about Hinduism and its history. She continues to work on note taking skills. Vocabulary seems to be a bit of struggle this year for her. She understands the meaning of the word but is struggling to use it correctly in a sentence. I think she just does not like taking the time to think up a thorough sentence.
Mister B continues plugging ahead in all of his subjects. He finished up his unit on ph values in the stomach and the intestines and learned the valuable lesson to read all the instructions first. A lesson that he seems to need to relearn every few months.
Today Mister B has his first swim meet for the town high school team. It is an internal meet so the coach can see what you've got and make the line up for the first competition meet this coming Friday. He has been enjoying the team practices and they have definitely given him some tips that have been helping on the club team the kids swim for. He has been finding the practices challenging and enjoyable. The high school team does a lot of team building. You have to take the bus too and from practices, swimming in a meet or not you have to attend to support your team mates, and after today's meet they are having a pizza party. All of this definitely assists with the social needs that are always such a challenge with homeschooling in my area.
Now that Thanksgiving is over, today was our first day back to school. Instead of easing back in we went full throttle. Diving in to all our subjects and catching up on work that we let slide before Thanksgiving.
Little Miss M and I had a lovely discussion about Hinduism and its history. She continues to work on note taking skills. Vocabulary seems to be a bit of struggle this year for her. She understands the meaning of the word but is struggling to use it correctly in a sentence. I think she just does not like taking the time to think up a thorough sentence.
Mister B continues plugging ahead in all of his subjects. He finished up his unit on ph values in the stomach and the intestines and learned the valuable lesson to read all the instructions first. A lesson that he seems to need to relearn every few months.
Today Mister B has his first swim meet for the town high school team. It is an internal meet so the coach can see what you've got and make the line up for the first competition meet this coming Friday. He has been enjoying the team practices and they have definitely given him some tips that have been helping on the club team the kids swim for. He has been finding the practices challenging and enjoyable. The high school team does a lot of team building. You have to take the bus too and from practices, swimming in a meet or not you have to attend to support your team mates, and after today's meet they are having a pizza party. All of this definitely assists with the social needs that are always such a challenge with homeschooling in my area.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Hurricane Sandy
It has been a crazy couple of weeks here. Hurricane Sandy came and knocked out our power. No lights and no heat (except for our much loved fireplace). Fortunately we have friends who let us hang out with them all day. They fed us and let us charge our electronics. We also discovered we have generous neighbors. An hour after we lost power they were knocking on our door offering us an extension cord from their house for our fridge.
The biggest discover we made-None of us wants to be a Mennonite. Our evenings in our chilly house was a nice break from our daily routine-but leave the living room and you really noticed the chill. I told the kids this was just like camping only better because we had hot water (thankfully) and a private bath that was not in the woods. I am not sure they were buying what I was selling but we had fun.
After our break from school (did I mention those days with friends while the schools in town were closed) we are now trying to get back into the swing of things. It has not been easy. There is resistance and tempers flaring. Mostly my temper but I am trying to control that. There seems to be a desire to fall back into bad work habits. Lets face it, it is easier to be lazy in the short term. I know we will get back into the groove but the road there is not pleasant.
The biggest discover we made-None of us wants to be a Mennonite. Our evenings in our chilly house was a nice break from our daily routine-but leave the living room and you really noticed the chill. I told the kids this was just like camping only better because we had hot water (thankfully) and a private bath that was not in the woods. I am not sure they were buying what I was selling but we had fun.
After our break from school (did I mention those days with friends while the schools in town were closed) we are now trying to get back into the swing of things. It has not been easy. There is resistance and tempers flaring. Mostly my temper but I am trying to control that. There seems to be a desire to fall back into bad work habits. Lets face it, it is easier to be lazy in the short term. I know we will get back into the groove but the road there is not pleasant.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Adventure Aquarium
Last Friday we took a field trip to Adventure Aquarium (http://www.adventureaquarium.com) with some friends. They were offering discount tickets to homeschoolers and behind the scenes tours.
The behind the scene tour was great. It took place at the top of the largest tank. It is not as pretty back there as it is out front. Pipes, walkways, dive equipment, etc. It was very informative. We learned what was involved in maintaining the tank, how much water is in there, how the viewing glass is held in place by the water pressure and it would fall out if the tank was drained (that one freaked me out a little bit), they walked us through the dive area and the equipment, and we learned about the different fish, sharks, and turtles in the tank. Turns out the turtles are the most dangerous when you dive. They are like curious toddlers who stick everything in their mouth. You don't want a loggerhead chewing on your air hose.
After the tour we walked around. The hippos were adorable but a slight let down. They were snoozing when we were there and their area smells like a barn. None of us thought that it would smell like that. They also have a very cool shark tunnel where they swim all around you. The kids loved that.
Here are a few pics from the trip:
The behind the scene tour was great. It took place at the top of the largest tank. It is not as pretty back there as it is out front. Pipes, walkways, dive equipment, etc. It was very informative. We learned what was involved in maintaining the tank, how much water is in there, how the viewing glass is held in place by the water pressure and it would fall out if the tank was drained (that one freaked me out a little bit), they walked us through the dive area and the equipment, and we learned about the different fish, sharks, and turtles in the tank. Turns out the turtles are the most dangerous when you dive. They are like curious toddlers who stick everything in their mouth. You don't want a loggerhead chewing on your air hose.
After the tour we walked around. The hippos were adorable but a slight let down. They were snoozing when we were there and their area smells like a barn. None of us thought that it would smell like that. They also have a very cool shark tunnel where they swim all around you. The kids loved that.
Here are a few pics from the trip:
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| Ooh, fish. |
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| You are never too old to want to pose in a shark mouth. |
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| Class photo. |
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| Another class photo where you can see Mister B. |
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| Sharks are cool! |
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| Another class photo. |
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Chugging Along
The days continue to fly on by. We are busy as bees. School work, swim, sleep. Repeat.
Lessons are progressing. Some days I take a deep breath and say "Wow, they are learning." Other days the thought is "Holy Moly, I am messing them up for life!" I try to keep those to a minimum.
Today I was working with Little Miss on her note taking skills. She was reading about India (side note-I think the only thing I learned about India when I was in school is that there is a country called India and they think cows are Holy) and The Golden Age of the Gupta Dynasty. I said to her "Golden Age is in italics. That means it is probably important and you should write it down." She wrote down Golden Age of India and moved on. So then I said "What about the Golden Age?' And she said " That is the only part in italics." You can see why sometimes I think I am messing them up for life. Then came the lengthy explanation about how 1 week from now when she looks over her notes will just seeing "The Golden Age" be enough for her to remember facts about it? Would you believe she actually tried to argue with me?
Note taking disaster aside, the kids had music class. They do love that class. The teacher was happy that they remembered a lot of the stuff they learned last year. Today they started learning about the 3 minor scales. They already know more than I because I had no idea there was more than 1 minor scale. Someone in the family will know how to appreciate music.
After music I dropped Mister B off at the high school for some pre-season swim team endurance training. He really enjoys working with the weights. Here is something I never thought I would ever say, but, I think I may end up purchasing some sort of weights/weight machine one of these days.
Lessons are progressing. Some days I take a deep breath and say "Wow, they are learning." Other days the thought is "Holy Moly, I am messing them up for life!" I try to keep those to a minimum.
Today I was working with Little Miss on her note taking skills. She was reading about India (side note-I think the only thing I learned about India when I was in school is that there is a country called India and they think cows are Holy) and The Golden Age of the Gupta Dynasty. I said to her "Golden Age is in italics. That means it is probably important and you should write it down." She wrote down Golden Age of India and moved on. So then I said "What about the Golden Age?' And she said " That is the only part in italics." You can see why sometimes I think I am messing them up for life. Then came the lengthy explanation about how 1 week from now when she looks over her notes will just seeing "The Golden Age" be enough for her to remember facts about it? Would you believe she actually tried to argue with me?
Note taking disaster aside, the kids had music class. They do love that class. The teacher was happy that they remembered a lot of the stuff they learned last year. Today they started learning about the 3 minor scales. They already know more than I because I had no idea there was more than 1 minor scale. Someone in the family will know how to appreciate music.
After music I dropped Mister B off at the high school for some pre-season swim team endurance training. He really enjoys working with the weights. Here is something I never thought I would ever say, but, I think I may end up purchasing some sort of weights/weight machine one of these days.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Happy October
Since my last post time has run away from me. We are now well into October. We have been quite busy here.
Besides the usual schooling, swim team has started. We are at the Y most nights for swim practice. This year Mister B is also swimming for the high school. This was not easy to achieve but achieve it I did. Practice for the high school has not started yet but Mister B is participating in a swim clinic that they are offering so he can get to know members of the team and benefit from fresh coaching eyes. Needless to say, he is pretty busy.
School work is moving along at a steady pace.
In History Little Miss M is learning about the Huguenots. In Math she is continuing her work with converting fractions to percentages. For English she read The Summer of Monkeys. Science she continues to observe the world around her. She enjoyed the ever popular food coloring and celery experiment.
Mister B is learning about the colonies and why the English really did not push for colonization while they were allies with Spain. He has also been learning about how awful the Spaniards treated the locals when they got here and stole their gold. In Math he is finding the volume of cylinders (that is loads of fun). In science he is learning in depth details about cells and how we are all connected. For English he is still reading The Wizard of Earth Sea (a little behind there) and working on his 5 paragraph essay about himself. In Spanish he has mastered greetings and counting to 100. Now he is working on the days of the week and the months.
For Discussion Group tomorrow we will be talking about the debate, the different political parties, and perceptions. It should be interesting.
Besides the usual schooling, swim team has started. We are at the Y most nights for swim practice. This year Mister B is also swimming for the high school. This was not easy to achieve but achieve it I did. Practice for the high school has not started yet but Mister B is participating in a swim clinic that they are offering so he can get to know members of the team and benefit from fresh coaching eyes. Needless to say, he is pretty busy.
School work is moving along at a steady pace.
In History Little Miss M is learning about the Huguenots. In Math she is continuing her work with converting fractions to percentages. For English she read The Summer of Monkeys. Science she continues to observe the world around her. She enjoyed the ever popular food coloring and celery experiment.
Mister B is learning about the colonies and why the English really did not push for colonization while they were allies with Spain. He has also been learning about how awful the Spaniards treated the locals when they got here and stole their gold. In Math he is finding the volume of cylinders (that is loads of fun). In science he is learning in depth details about cells and how we are all connected. For English he is still reading The Wizard of Earth Sea (a little behind there) and working on his 5 paragraph essay about himself. In Spanish he has mastered greetings and counting to 100. Now he is working on the days of the week and the months.
For Discussion Group tomorrow we will be talking about the debate, the different political parties, and perceptions. It should be interesting.
Friday, September 21, 2012
L'Shanah Tovah!
Rosh Hashana was this week. We wish you and your families a Sweet and Happy New Year. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.
No school on Mon. & Tues. of this week for Holiday celebrating. We saw family on the first night and friends on the second night. Apples dipped in honey, brisket, and other assorted traditional foods were enjoyed.
Wednesday was a philosophy day. The kids finished up the first book on Logic and are ready to move onto the next book which deals with Ethics. Lots of thought provoking conversation on Reason vs. Excuse. How are they different? Is violence against another person ever justifiable? Is lying ever acceptable? One instantly wants to say no, but, if someone is threatening you if you don't tell them where someone else is do you lie about their location? So much to think about.
The kids are plodding ahead in their studies. Little Miss M completed a paper on Henry the VIII's wives. Mister B has been working on an essay about himself for a writing course he is taking. Little Miss is learning about percentages and pie charts while Mister B is reviewing Greatest/Lowest Common Factors & Greatest/Lowest Common Multiples. Mister B is also busy with Spanish-learning to count to 100 and the days of the week. And of course, some science for both of them.
Some days really make my head spin.
No school on Mon. & Tues. of this week for Holiday celebrating. We saw family on the first night and friends on the second night. Apples dipped in honey, brisket, and other assorted traditional foods were enjoyed.
Wednesday was a philosophy day. The kids finished up the first book on Logic and are ready to move onto the next book which deals with Ethics. Lots of thought provoking conversation on Reason vs. Excuse. How are they different? Is violence against another person ever justifiable? Is lying ever acceptable? One instantly wants to say no, but, if someone is threatening you if you don't tell them where someone else is do you lie about their location? So much to think about.
The kids are plodding ahead in their studies. Little Miss M completed a paper on Henry the VIII's wives. Mister B has been working on an essay about himself for a writing course he is taking. Little Miss is learning about percentages and pie charts while Mister B is reviewing Greatest/Lowest Common Factors & Greatest/Lowest Common Multiples. Mister B is also busy with Spanish-learning to count to 100 and the days of the week. And of course, some science for both of them.
Some days really make my head spin.
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