Science for next year

I have come to some conclusions about what we will do for science next year.  This will be Hannah's 11th grade year and Cree's 7th grade.

Hannah has expressed interest in learning about Physics, but I don't want to kill her interest with too dry and math-y a text.  I believe I will have her work through Apologia's Physical Science text, which introduces some physics concepts and has some very doable and interesting labs.  I am also planning on having us read The Microbe Hunters over the course of the summer and fall.  I will also have Thinking Physics on hand for her.

Because Cree will be learning about U.S. Geography next year, I think I can tie in a lot of science exploration, focusing on earth and environmental science as well as focused nature study.  I have Intermediate Science Through Children's Literature, which is divided into units that focus on particular environments (prairie, wetlands, ocean, etc) and full of science concepts and activities that will tie in perfectly as we cover the different regions of the United States.  Our Handbook of Nature Study will also come in very handy as we learn about specific plants and creatures of the particular regions.

altered books

Back in October I saw a notice for a class for learning altered book techniques and decided to go.  An altered book is where one takes an old book of some sort and then alters the interior pages by cutting, folding, drawing on, decorating or whatever.  At its most basic, it's a cut and paste kind of job -- my kind of skill level!  Once one attends the 2 sessions of the class, one is invited to attend the free monthly gathering of the Altered Book Consortium (ABC Club) and participate in the activities (some artistic technique) and participating in one of the round robin altered book swaps.

For the round robin swaps, each participant supplies a book to be altered and chooses a theme for their book.  Then each participant takes home someone else's book and works on it and brings it back to the meeting the next month, for it to go home with the next person.  At the end, each person's book has 2-page spreads that have been created by each person in the swap.

The book I brought home this past month has the theme "Life is Good".  For my spread I decorated 6 recycled junk mail return envelopes, labeled each one with an idea for a list of "blessings", and attached three to each page, overlapping.  I had covered the pages of the book by attaching decorative papers by punching holes in each corner of the pages and tying them to the original papers with yarn.

The "themes" that I put on the envelopes were "Sparkling Moments", Great Expectations", "Where the Secrets Live", Metamorphosis", "The Loveliest of Details", and "Everyday Wonder".

New Skills

I began this blog as an incentive to learn some new skills -- like how to REALLY use my mac, how to do links and "cut and paste" and all those computer-y skills that I've managed to limp along without.  Actually I could do all of those things on my old old apple performa, but the newer mac just isn't as intuitive and I just haven't had the need or desire to really sit down and learn it.  But I have determined that I WILL learn these things.

Another thing I want and need to learn is how to work a digital camera.  I am not and have never been one who enjoys taking pictures.  I like to live in the moment as a participant, not as an observer or spectator, which is how taking photographs has always seemed to me.  But, after reading a number of blogs, I can see how much photos add to the aesthetic appearance and pleasure of a blog.  So, I got myself a digital camera for my birthday last October and have just today actually taken my first pictures.

So my next endeavor will be to actually get them into the computer and on to this blog!

I can see I have much to learn.  First, if you see my first homeschooling post, you will see that I accidently linked 2 picture/links for Trail Guide to U.S. Geography.  I have no idea how that happened (probably kept my finger too long on one spot on the tap pad!) and I have no clue as to how to delete one of them!  I have looked and looked for some direction or something to click on, but to no avail. Perhaps one day I will figure it out and be able to go back and fix it, but until then there will be a double picture.