'17/18 Week 32 through 36

 

      The last weeks of our school year -- the whole month of May -- was a big blur of ... everything. Somehow this year, all after school activities lasted longer than in previous years, and all of them decided to have their grand finales one after another. It was exhausting, but we made it. Our last days of school fell on the first days of June which is a perfect timing as the pools in town opened up the same time and the library summer programs started up. 
      Although our school work is done, we will not be relaxing too much this summer. Andrew is volunteering at the library events and participating in church youth group activities. Also, our taekwondo classes continue throughout summer, and there is a art camp coming in July. But it does feel good to slow down a little and smell the rare flowers that manage withstand this summer heat. 
      Here comes the picture overload of many, but not all, the things we did in May.

Science. Saara built another type of working compass.

Playing detectives. One way to find out the make of a fabric swatch is to burn it. The color of the flame, the charred remains, the duration of burning -- all this information can give us clues.

Time to pick dewberries!

Science. Saara made a telegraph machine. 

LA. Brainstorming for an essay about heroes.

Prickly cactus

We did not have time to find out what kind of moth it was.

King snake strangling a copperhead in our back yard. 

Just one photo from this year's choir concert. It was beautiful as ever and the kids did a fantastic job. 

The king snake did strangle the copperhead to death and left the body behind. As we had a fresh kill on our hands, I found it a prime opportunity to have a impromptu science class. We dissected the dead snake.  

The heart of the killer.

The liver.

Lots of intestines.

That looked like gallbladder.

Just one photo from Saara's ballet recital this year. 

LA. Working on the last book report this year.

Box Day! Barely done with these grades, we already received all of our materials for the next school year.

'17

'17/18 Week 31

      Week 31 was full of activities as usual. Beautiful spring weather and longer days have given us a boost of energy, and we took not one, but two field trips this week. The first one was a road trip to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. We had been there before a few years ago, and we loved it then. This time around it was as much fun. It turned out to be a great family outing/filed trip.

      Our second -- what I would consider a field trip as well -- was to the George Bush museum. Our plan was to pay our respects to the late Mrs. Bush which we did by signing the condolences book, walking through the museum, and going as close to the grave as we were allowed. The additional exhibition in the museum was titled Leonardo da Vince: Machines in Motion. It was a small but very educational exhibition about the different inventions of the great Renaissance man.  

Charyut Kyungnet - Attention and Bow. Taekwondo is not without it's etiquette.

The air around our house has been smelling sweet because of a number of privet bushes that are in bloom.

The wild Japanese honeysuckle adds sweetness to the air.

Dewberries are ripening.

Science. One of Andrew's science experiments required us to extract chlorophyll from a green leaf.

Pure chlorophyll in alcohol solution is the prettiest green. 

Only a few more practices left before the  concert in May.

This looks like recess. Actually just free time between choir practices.

One morning brought quite a mix of wildlife to our pond. We had an egret ...

... and a beaver who stayed for good.

On our walk-through at the Bush museum to pay our respects to the former First Lady.

Public was not yet allowed beyond these gates to the graveside.

'17/18 Weeks 28-30

       Three weeks and our Easter break have flown by fast. Spring weather  has coaxed out lots of beautiful flowers in the fields, and the kids have been outside every day enjoying the colors and their free hours. We have only six more weeks of Sonlight program left, and we can see the finish line. 
       In Science, Andrew started reading a new book which takes a closer look at the theory of evolution and the flaws in it. He has become fascinated with the subject and reads more than his daily requirement. The other day he said that Science, History, and Math are his favorites now. I would add reading to it as well. Although he finds the current required reading book boring, he has devoured a series of three books he borrowed from the library. The boy is reading and enjoying it, that's what matters. We will get through the boring books too in time.
      Saara also has been borrowing books from the library she reads through in no time. She loves reading and has already finished all her required reading books for her grade, plus a couple of Read Aloud ones too. And although both of them have their noses in the books a lot, they still love the times when I bring out a storybook and start reading to them. It makes me smile for I cherish those times a lot.

LA. Building a story line for a fictional short story that happened at a historical place in Texas. Saara wrote about a treasure hunt at Caddo Mounds and Andrew about a jewelry thief in Alamo. Great stories.

Caught reading.

Spring brought flowers out everywhere.

Science. Testing for starch with iodine.

Foods that contained starch turned drops of iodine blue-black.

Even pieces of potato turned blue.

More flowers.

Mapping magnetic fields.

This was one of the most exciting experiments Andrew has had this year. For starters we made a starch-iodine solution.

The starch-iodine solution was very blue.

Then we added lemon juice to it and watched the blue disappear.

Iodine made a stronger bond with Vitamin C than with starch turning the blue solution (starch+iodine) into a clear one (Vitamin C+iodine). 

It is spring time after all. 

LA. A new game to help out with spelling practice.