Friday, August 19, 2011

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 23

In my life this week:
I completed the bedroom painting! I went with Dulux Cottontail (on Wombat Girl's advice).


I like the end result - cleaner, lighter and the room looks bigger. We moved the bed and I indulged in new sheets and quilt cover too! Will be going to buy new bedside lamps and hang some pictures soon.


I volunteered (because, yeah, I have so much free time!!) to help take local highschool students out on a fossil walk on the rock platforms near here. I had the Year 7 "enrichment" class and they were very interested and learnt a lot. Apparently the same could not be said for the senior Yr 11 Biology class...


Still running! Enjoying my "long" 5km runs (which are getting faster) and took my hubby out for his first run in two years (he kept up with me and I look a lot more like a beetroot than him, but he was huffing and puffing!).


In our homeschool this week:
My sister sent some souvenirs from Melbourne Aquarium. What were all these types of sharks?


Video Boy got out the Horrible Science Angry Animals book:


I knew that I had a book of sharks from when I was a kid, so I fished it out (and indeed, I got it for Christmas back in 1979 from Mum and Dad!!):


We collected casuarina pods and later the seeds fell out - we had a nice discussion about seed formation, dispersion (these are wind dispersed) and germination:


Video Boy spent some time researching what science experiments he would like to try and then carried out a few and was able to describe to me the science behind them:


Wombat Girl asked "can I help paint?" and my first instinct was NO!!!! But I said "yes" and she turned out to be a great helper:


Whitey got a new outfit, made from serviettes:



We played Set:


We played River Crossing:


Both kids got involved in story writing activities. Video Boy loved Comic Builder from Lego City and Wombat Girl is right into Word Tamer. Here is a sample of what she is working on:

Darkness had fell and disaster had struck. Shadows litteraly flowing everywhere. The Great Land of  Mistyc was being covered by a cloak of evil. It ran through the streams and plains, trickled though the forests and meadows, and sprinted through the swamps and deserts. Civilisations fought bravely but The Dark's power was growing. No one knew what or who was causing The Age of Darkness but everyone knew only one thing could stop it. Jewel Magic...


I am inspired by:
Reading through all the wonderful ideas at Joyfully Rejoycing.


A video to share:
Adora Svitak says kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach:



Linking up with
The Homeschool Mother's Journal

11 comments:

  1. You guys had a great week. Love Whitey's new outfit. :-)

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  2. He, he! Isn't he handsome in his new coat-tails?

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  3. Busy week! Love the new room look I agree it does look much bigger =)

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  4. I really like that color. Our bedroom is GREEN...I want to paint it...and am thinking of a creamy color, as well...not yellow, just creamy and dreamy....Love the outfit your little girl made. I gave my daughter a shirt I could not wear anymore...and she started making outfits for her dolls....I remember those years...and am thankful to relive them with her! Love your post!

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  5. What a great post - love all the pictures! I am now following your blog - if you'd like to follow me back? Have a wonderfully blessed day!

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  6. love this post! i have some boys who would love love the shark study! I might have to borrow that idea-
    good for you w the running! keep up the good work my friend!

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  7. Hey, we have River Crossing, too! Great minds and all...

    Love seeing you and hubby together, and always the pics of the kids.

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  8. I wanted a "white" room, but not stark, cold white. But not yellowy. I think I got it right!

    I wouldn't call the shark thing "a study", more a bit of research using stuff we already had.

    Jane - did you give us River Crossing? You definitely sent the Set and did you spot the girl's Kelleys Island hat?

    Yes! Hubby makes a guest appearance in the blog! He doesn't read it, so his stardom will be unnoticed!

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  9. We did not send River Crossing. P got it for Christmas and we only just started playing with a few weeks ago. It's a solitaire puzzle game, right? D has a similar one, Tip Over or something. I hadn't noticed the KI hat, thanks for pointing that out. I'm always tickled with the Pink Hat of Power.

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  10. So much good stuff going on there! Love the paint color !

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  11. I noticed the bit about my sharks that I sent to Video Boy - I am glad you guys like them and could get some use out of them.

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