Day 29: Co-op and Meeting a Holocaust Survivor

At co-op we learned about wheels and axles. . .

We talked about writing a fable, which is a story with a moral or lesson.  Then in our science lab we learned and tested surface tension (lab 3.3 and 3.4).

But the highlight of the day was getting to go and hear a Holocaust survivor speak at a college not to far from the town we live in.  We waited excitedly for Nee outside of the church our co-op meets at.

This was going to most likely be a once and a lifetime experience.

The man in the corner of the picture behind Jake and Nee turned out to be the mayor of Gaffney, SC.

Esther Bauer has had a miraculous life.  She said she had luck on her side. 

 
Esther survived Auschwitz.  She was sent to the right into a shower, while others she was with went to the left into the gas chambers.

What a life changing experience to hear her story.  To see so much terror and devote your life to sharing what you have seen so that people won't forget.  Her message to us was to make sure this never happens again. . .

Days 26, 27, & 28: Great Wold Lodge Field Trip

After much consideration between the Principal and I, we have decided that going to The Great Wolf Lodge were not days off from homeschooling.  They were a field trip.  Two days of P.E./problem solving/socialization, equals 2 days of school.  Public schoolers go on field trips that sometimes have less to do with education than that, so we are totally counting these days!  Tell me this doesn't look like school. . .Jake has on the lime green rash guard.

Playing in the water,

 Playing in the Wave Pool,

 Riding the slides over and over again,

 Problem solving with MagiQuest,

 Did I mention the slides and the the several flights of stairs it takes to ride them?

 Running around completing quests, while problem solving (have I said that already?), during MagiQuest. . .

 Running so fast I couldn't even focus on them running back and forth. . .

 And back and forth. . .

 So many times that Jake (Game name Link, as in Link from the Zelda games) game in 4th overall in points for the day.

 Did I mention it is problem solving?

 Slides?

 And a whole lot of giggling grins!

Education can be fun!  We learned that The Great Wolf Lodge must really love homeschoolers, because they give huge discounts (Our room that can sleep 8 & came with 6 water park passes for each day we were there would normally be $329.  The homeschool discount price: $139.  They have these Homeschooling weeks 3 times a year!) for us to take field trips there!  GREATEST FIELD TRIP EVER!!!!

Today is a lighter day of school work: Science test, reading, and KWO for IEW along with rough draft of 3 paragraph paper and edit it.

Day 25: Accomplish much, we did.

Did that sound like Yoda or what?  We are taking a 2 day vacation starting today!  We are going to the Lego Store and Jake has saved enough money to get the Millennium Falcon set.  If you are a Lego fan than you know that is a lot of money!  Jake and Aaron are huge Star Wars fans so this is a momentous occasion.  After that we are heading to Great Wolf Lodge (our house will not be empty, for any would be burglars, Sadie and her dog/house sitter will be here).  They have homeschooling deep discount rates three weeks a year-and this is the week!!! 

Yesterday we accomplished everything I wanted to-except the Science test (I didn't write it on the board). No biggie.  We are going to do that on Friday when we get back.  We did do the study guide and Jake got all but one or two of the questions right without looking in the book & he worked on a couple of the "on your own" sections in the book. 

We also read the book "Shhh. . . We're Writing the Constitution" by Jean Fritz, and read the Preamble to the Constitution.  It is a great little book (64 pages and it includes the Constitution), full of facts about our founding fathers that we didn't know.  Jake is going to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution and he is going to be able to explain what each Article contains. 

Jake continued to study his math and took his test, that he only missed one on!  Our first quarter ends on Friday so we are wrapping up his math grade with that test.  His grade for the first quarter in math is a 92.  We go by a ten point scale so that is an A!

It seems like I am missing something. . . but I have to finish packing and be ready for us to leave at 10 so I am calling it good! 

Day 24: This was the plan...until the car broke down

I spent the afternoon driving an hour and a half to Aaron's office (yes he commutes that far, one way, every day...Don't get me started on this economy!!!),  to bring him home from work since the car broke down.  That stinks but I have a handy husband who is going to be able to fix it.  Not to mention the fact that whatever broke (pulley something-a-rather. . .) didn't do it until he got off the highway and was just a couple minutes from his office.  Tender mercies from the Lord!  And the replacement part only cost $20.

The board was filled with the big plans I had for Jake today. . .

 Spelling did not happen.  We did finish Guests by Michael Dorris .  It is an amazing book.  Read it.  You will love it.  Jake reviewed his math and is ready for his test tomorrow.  We are really through lesson 8, but Saxon has you go through 8 lessons before giving the test that only covers 4 lessons.  It sounds crazy but it works.  You are continually reviewing-a good thing in math.

 Jake is finishing reading chapter 2 of Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold right now.  Check that off the list.  The whole car issue threw a bit of a wrench in our afternoon plan to do the study guide for science.  The test will still be tomorrow.  I am going to help Jake with the study guide in the morning and then do the test in the early afternoon.

 Co-op was fun.   In IEW (I never finished writing in what we were doing in there on the board. . .), we learned about adding -ly adverbs to our papers, turned in the "Virtual Keyboards" paper, and got back the paper on "Tablets and Touchscreens"-which Jake got a 35/35 on.  AWESOME!

 Jake and his partner finished up with pulleys early in Lego Robotics Engineering so they got to play around and come up with their own pulley systems.

 Here's the pulley Jake came up with while experimenting.  He was pretty proud of it.

 Science lab was fun today.  We tested variables in science experiments. 

 Eggs floating in salt water.  Very cool.

 And our cardboard boats (powered by gum, tissue, and soap.  Which one do you think moved?), after they sunk. 

 On the way home we stopped by the park to swing for a few minutes.  I am a cool mom like that. 

All in all I guess we covered almost everything, even with the unscheduled road trip.

Day 23: TGIF

We had a guest on Friday while we were doing school.  A friend of mine called and asked me to pick up her daughter, who had a low fever and wasn't feeling very well, at school.  Her husband was out of town and she was at work (she is a teacher).   She couldn't leave work to pick her daughter up because she had attended a conference the beginning of the week.  So, we had a guest temporary homeschooler.  Cady brought her work from school and did a little of it before taking a nap. 

We didn't quit accomplish everything on the list.  Not only did we have a guest, but that evening was Jake's b-day party so focusing was a little difficult at times. :)

Sorry for the blurry picture. . .We didn't read "Shhh. . . We're Writing the Constitution or the Constitution, but we will. 

Day 22

Day 21: Library Closed...

Have you ever seen a more depressing sign than this?

 We were headed there for a "field trip" only to find out the library was closed.  Jake couldn't believe it was closed because the parking lot was full (the barricades, not in photo, were obviously put up after it was filled).  I told him that the counties librarians were probably having some training or something.  They were probably having a party to celebrate having the best jobs ever!!!  Since we had already changed out of PJ's and were out in public we changed plans and walked around downtown for a little while.  I took the opportunity to take some pictures of Jake.  We do a photo shoot around every b-day.  I am going to post about that on our family blog/scrapbook/journal though.  Here is one shot of my kiddo:

 The To Do List:



 We even worked in a little Art this morning, before heading to the library.  Jake doodled (this is one of the books where you finish the picture.  He did several and I make him date them), while I was finishing up some school stuff.

 We finally put up some stuff on the walls of our school room!  Here are a few pic's of our school room:

This is what you see when you come through the door.  We start every school day with the Pledge of Allegiance (see our flag?) and a prayer.  My Grampa made the hope chest and our bedroom isn't big enough to have it at the foot of our bed so it is a comfy place to read. . . And what I stand on to write the To Do List. :)

 We went for comfort at the table with our cozy chairs.  Jake's chair is the black one and it stays put.  We have those felt sliders on the bottom of the table and my/Sadie's chair so we can both scoot up to the table (or not!) and not scratch up the hard woods.  Can you see how above Jake's chair the wall color is not the same?  You will see it in the next picture for sure.  I have only painted part of the room. . .

 I have to move our beast of a book shelf to continue painting. . . That will be fun!  Jake didn't know I was doing a photo shoot of the school room. :)

 From our comfy chairs we are across from our beloved chalk board.

Here is a picture of the chalk board as you are coming in the door.  Did I mention I love it?

We started the second volume of the History of US today.  We always have one book that I read to him (I don't care how old you are it is fun to have some one read to you!)  and we decided that this would be the one.  He decided to really show his "I am a crazy homeschooler" colors wearing a cape and jumping on the trampoline for part of the time I was reading to him.  Have you read the History of US books?  So far we are loving them.  Jake finished the first one yesterday.  I am going to have to go back and finish it. . .

 Jake is back on the trampoline right now finishing Stink Alley. . . another book I have to catch up with him and read!  We have really enjoyed the Sonlight book list we are using so far!

The trampoline is our second school room. :)