Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tabernacle

We are studying Mystery of History Vol. 1 (MOH) with our family group/co-op this year. We do the reading, timeline & worksheets at home and the fun activities together. I decided it would be fun to add an extra hands-on activity to our home schedule.
Years ago we visited the Biblical Tabernacle Reproduction in Lancaster, PA. I had first been fascinated by the Tabernacle in Bible class in the 7th grade. Our visit to Lancaster renewed & increased that fascination. The guide there was extremely informative & we learned a wealth of information. I thought it would be fun to see what our kids remembered from that visit & to make our own reproduction of the Tabernacle.

First I looked online to find resources. I stumbled upon a great help on Squiddo. And to boot it was FREE! Dave & the kids made a trip to Hobby Lobby & then the fun began!





Princess worked on a project of her own. It helped keep her busy & happy while the others worked. =)




This night most of the time was spent on painting the clothespins to put around the outside of the Tabernacle. We chose to buy regular clothespins as they were much easier on our budget.
I'll be posting updates & soon the finished product!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

MOLD!

Sweet Pea is studying Apologia Biology this year. Those of you who have studied with this curriculum know how intense it is. It is listed as a college prep course but in my opinion it is even a notch above that.
Sweet Pea is doing most of her labs & discussions with a friend in our co-op/family group. She enjoys this interaction & sharing of information. Today after the class was done she & I decided to keep learning & exploring on our own. She had never guessed mold could be so fascinating!

THIS is OUR pantry?

Sweet Pea had set aside a blueberry muffin & allowed it to grow mold. This is a sample from it that she put on a slide.

Studying hard!

Writing up her labs

Yummers!

My future scientist.

A figure of what we were observing.
It was really cool because we could see exactly what was drawn in the figure. Wow!

I love learning with my kids!
It really was fascinating. I'm very grateful to my Mom for purchasing this amazing microscope for our family. It is a treasure, a blessing & a valuable learning tool. Thank you, Mom/Grannie for investing in Sweet Pea's, Boo Bear's, Elvis', Bugsy's & Princess' educations! We love you! And a thank you to Jody too for lending us her Apologia books! Another big blessing! Thank you, friend!

It Only Takes A Spark

‎"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books"
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I put this photo & quote on my Facebook page. I thought it was worth posting again here. I bought a book last week for Elvis at the Christian bookstore. I have been trying to find some fiction chapter books at his grade level that he would enjoy. It's been tough. I'm not a huge fan of much of the current so-called "literature". But I found this book & decided to give it a try. It's recommended reading level is pre-teen, (10-12?) and above but Elvis is doing fine with it. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when he crept into my room early Tuesday morning seeking a quiet place to read. He had started the night before & couldn't wait to continue. He has been devouring it ever since. I need to get myself back to the bookstore and pick up the next in the series!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Cuteness


SOCCER!

This Saturday of soccer was extra special because Grannie & Grandpa were visiting. They haven't seen the kids play in 3 years. What a thrill to have them watching & cheering!