'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 Week 16

      It ended up being a short week. As we started school on Monday, we had no clue Friday would end up being a snow day. A Snow Day! We caught the first snow flurries on our way home from taekwondo. At home the children went outside right away and started catching what little flakes were whirling around. After sundown, however, the clouds started dumping great amounts of snow everywhere. None of us stayed indoors. Although it was cold, we were outside building snowmen and making snow angels. The most wonderful thing of all - the snow stayed until around 10 the next morning. I did not have the heart to keep them inside, so we declared a snow day and went outside to enjoy the snow as long as we could before it all melted away in the December Texas sun. What a memory made!

Morning at our house. Saara double checking her assignments.

Sometimes morning is a good time to practice piano.

And it is always a good time to read.

Science. Looking for oxygen in hydrogen peroxide solution. Raw meat makes it visible in bubbles.

Science. The abundance of oxygen should have relighted the blown match, but our peroxide was old and had lost most of it oxygen already. The match did stay glowing much longer than normal.

The glorious snow. There was enough to make snowballs and to build over a half a dozen snowmen.

Next morning resembles winter wonderland.

Saara had her birthday party last week end as well. It was the most educational one we have ever had.

The local science museum we had the party at had a very fun and fact filled presentation about the marine life among all the fun games and activities. 

A relay game saving sea turtle 'eggs'.

A museum wide scavenger hunt.

'17/18 Week 15

Math. One is never too old for manipulatives.

      This was a quiet week. Over the Thanksgiving holiday and the following weekend we were fighting off a nasty virus that left us all rather weak. On Monday, we started to slowly ease ourselves back into the schoolwork and by the end of the week we were back to our normal selves. The kids did not manage to do their science experiments, but that is the beauty of homeschooling - we never miss anything. Everything and some gets done in its own good time. 

Taekwondo. By the end of the week, the children were over their sickness and ready for some serious exercise again.

We ended our week with going to watch our town's Christmas parade. 

'17/18 Week 12

      Fall is finally showing its colors. A short-lived cold spell started turning some trees yellow and orange and red. But now the air conditioning is running again and so are kids in short sleeves and flip-flops. 
      The week started off with us carving pumpkins. Next, we found ourselves at the doctor's office where Andrew got his vaccination shots. Poor thing could not lift his arms for a whole day, they were so sore. After that, we visited a local animal shelter. A sweet pup showed up on our porch, and we took him in. Actually, we wanted to adopt him, but the shelter found his owner, and we were more than happy to reunite the the owner and the pup. Finally, the kids had a taste of the early polyphonic music we have been learning about at a concert they enjoyed very much.
      Quite a week.

Girls finishing up the carving while boys play. Typical.

Science. Andrew's crystallization experiment is working. Water is producing sugar.

Yes, the humidifier is out again. The fluctuating weather which can not make up its mind took its toll on the kids.

Volleyball. One but last game.

On our way to take Pudding back to his owner.

A wonderful singing by a group from Estonia.

'17/18 Week 11

The orange belt training has begun.

      One of the reasons why I love homeschooling is because I learn right alongside with my kids. Most of the time the things I learn, are just facts and stories I have forgotten over time. Often, I am thankful that I have been given a second chance to visit the long-ago lessons because now I understand them better and, what seemed so boring back then has turned out to be very interesting now.
      But there have been a handful of times I've stare at the lesson plan with a blank expression, and the more I stared the more convinced I'd become that thirty some years ago they did not teach that stuff at school. Like this week, I tried to recall the time when they covered Scientific Notation or Binary Charts at my middle school. I failed to remember. So, one evening, I spent the better part of my math preparation improving my choppy knowledge on both subjects.  
       I was a little weary about if Andrew, who had to learn these things, would actually understand them. I should not have been worried. He grasped both subjects easily. In fact, we talked about binary system before dinner while we were waiting for our food to cool a little. By the time we started eating, he was easily converting decimal numbers into binary and vice versa. Truly, numbers can make a very lively dinner conversation.

Science. Saara's at it again - mapping, drawing, and building circuits.

Only two more games left.

At a fall fest in town Andrew's favorite was the foot race area.

Science. We were trying out yet another crystallization experiment. This time, the book promised we could eat it the end result.

Supersaturated sugar water.