Isabelle gave hers a horn (or bowhawk, as Lillian called it)
I saw a photo of an Applecrab on Facebook. As much as Lillian and Henry love apples and crabs, we just had to try this one out. The kids made a How To Video for our YouTube page (subscribe, like, and comment -the kids say) and I'll post it below.
I tried to make the Crab with lemon, lime, and an orange. The top photo is all of our creations.
Please watch your children when using knives. Juliana nearly gave me a heart attack and Isabelle tried to help and nearly gave me another one.
The Museum houses Oxford University's extensive world-wide collections of zoology, entomology, geology, and mineralogy, including the local dinosaur finds, a 40ft Tyrannosaurus rex, the observation beehive and Alice's Dodo. The building itself is one of the finest examples of the Victorian Gothic style of architecture, exhibiting a wealth of naturalist carving; the huge glass roof over the central museum court is supported by cast iron shafts, decorated with wrought iron spandrels.
I want to shout from the rooftops: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
My oldest turns 12 today. She's taller than me- I've been dealing with that for a few weeks now, but now shes 12! There's no slowing her down. She's growing so fast. I am a lucky Maaaami to have such a caring, smart, beautiful, talented, and creative daughter.
When we first started homeschooling, I had a hard time believing her former teachers wishing they had 30 Isabelles. She was stubborn and sassy. I kept saying, Homeschoolers are self-sufficient and independent learners. That is our goal. If you can't get with the program you're heading back to public school. Well, this year it sunk in as her goal. She finished three out of six subjects early and still managed to only spend 3-4 hours on school work a morning. I agree with her former teachers, only I'd like 3 others of her!
I hope you have a wonderful day Isabelle!!
Love, Maaaami
Isabelle name in the sand 2016
Isabelle at Rocks State Park king and queen seat 2016
Isabelle and Great-Grandma Florence and Grandma Christine 2016
Self Discovery noun
- the act or process of gaining knowledge or understanding of your abilities, character, and feelings
knowledge noun
all the facts that someone knows about a particular subject
understanding noun
knowledge about a particular subject, process, or situation
information noun
knowledge or facts about someone or something
experience noun
knowledge and skill that is gained through time spent doing a job or activity
expertise noun
special skill or knowledge that you get from experience, training, or study
awareness noun
knowledge or understanding of a subject, issue, or situation
sensitivity noun
a natural understanding of something, and a natural reaction to it
consciousness noun
the knowledge or understanding that something exists or is important
familiarity noun
knowledge of something because you have learned about it or experienced it before
lore noun
traditional knowledge about nature and their culture that people get from their parents and other older people, not from books
EI abbreviation
emotional intelligence: the ability to understand your own feelings and those of other people, and to consider other people’s feelings when making decisions
Eternal Egypt is a living record of a land rich in art and history, people and places, myths and religions. The stories of Eternal Egypt are told using the latest interactive technologies, high-resolution imagery, animations, virtual environments, remote cameras, three-dimensional models and more.
Lots of great stuff on the site. Check it out. We found the Calendar and the Water Clock interesting.
The Coptic calendar
Egyptian Christians mark the 29th of August, AD 284, the day many became martyrs, as the beginning of their history. They used the same calendar that had been employed in Egypt before that time. It was based on the Julian calendar calculations that implemented the leap year, following an order from Julius Caesar in 46 BC It is named the Coptic calendar or the martyrdom calendar.
The Coptic calendar follows the sun and calculates the days, seasons, and solar years according to the earth's orbit around the sun.
As science advanced, the Egyptian Christians began to record the difference between one moon's course and another, the average time of a moon's course, and the time between the appearance of a new crescent and the following crescent, which is known as the lunar month.
The Coptic lunar calendar was based on rules set by the Greek astronomer Meton in the fifth century BC, which state that every 19 solar years is equivalent to 235 whole lunar months without any fractions.
The Copts have used this rule since the third century AD to determine Easter as the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.
Westerners applied these calculations to the Roman calendar. As a result, all Christian festivals were held at the same time, until 1582 when the Westerners adjusted their calendar to that of Pope Gregory XIII.
The Coptic calendar follows the same system as that of the ancient Egyptian calendar and remains an important reference. Because it is accurate in its forecasts of weather conditions, the seasons, agriculture, and the Nile flooding, farmers still use the Coptic calendar.
Ancient Egyptians were concerned with the annual cycle of the seasons to establish the time for cultivating and harvesting.
For certain individuals, however, time was extremely important; these were the astronomers and priests who were responsible for determining the exact hour for the daily rituals and for the important religious festivals. Sundials, which allowed the astronomers and priests to observe the passing of the 12 daylight hours, could not be used to record the 12 nighttime hours.
A man called Amenemhat created the first water clock in the time of Amenhotep the First. The water clock enabled the Ancient Egyptians to measure the passing of every 12 hours, both night and day, winter and summer.
There are 28 EU commissioners - one from each member state - and each one focuses on a policy area, for example justice and home affairs, or the EU internal market.
The Commission's job is to draft EU laws and act as "guardian of the treaties". It enforces EU rules, and if a member state delays enacting an agreed policy, or simply refuses to comply, then the Commission will warn them and if necessary pursue them at the EU Court of Justice. The Commission can levy fines or suspend EU funding.
New EU laws, or revisions to existing ones, come about usually after requests from governments, Euro MPs or lobby groups. There is often pressure from all three areas for the Commission to take action.
The Commission has a staff of about 33,000.
Council of Ministers
Usually this institution is simply called "the Council". It represents the governments of the member states; the ministers meet regularly according to their policy area.
EU laws become part of national legislation after detailed negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament. They examine draft laws from the Commission and make recommendations, so the final text is a compromise - often the result of numerous amendments.
Voting in the Council is weighted according to a country's size and economic power, so for example Germany has a bigger weight than Luxembourg. It is called qualified majority voting (QMV). Germany, France, Italy and the UK have 29 votes each, while Malta has three.
But for taxation or foreign policy issues, such as trade agreements or sanctions, unanimity is required.
EU summits are meetings of a separate institution - the "European Council" - that is, when all the heads of government meet. It is their job to set the EU's main priorities and overall policy direction.
European Parliament
The Lisbon Treaty, signed in 2007, gave the European Parliament more powers than it had previously.
It is the only directly elected EU institution, and Europe's biggest elections yet took place in May 2014.
The parliament has grown because 13 countries - mostly ex-communist states in Central and Eastern Europe - have joined since 2004.
There are 751 MEPs. Germany has the most - 96, France 74, the UK and Italy 73 each, and the three smallest countries - Estonia, Luxembourg and Malta - have six each.
A majority of MEPs want the parliament to be permanently based in Brussels, to stop the expensive monthly shuttle to Strasbourg, where the full "plenary" sessions are held. But France wants to keep the Strasbourg sessions and switching to a "single seat" in Brussels would require treaty change.
MEPs now have "co-decision" powers in nearly all policy areas, meaning that they shape EU laws on an equal basis with the Council. Before the Lisbon Treaty they had little influence over agriculture, fisheries or the EU budget.
European External Action Service
The EU's new diplomatic service was one of the key innovations under the Lisbon Treaty, intended to give the EU "one voice" internationally.
In 2012 the budget for the service was 489m euros (£422m; $649m), and it has a staff of 3,500 (1,500 in HQ and 2,000 in delegations).
There is much dispute about whether the EEAS has made EU foreign policy any more coherent. A European Parliament report called the service top-heavy and slow to react to crises. But Catherine Ashton's office argues that the EEAS has responded efficiently to emergencies in Africa and has achieved successes elsewhere, such as the April 2013 Serbia-Kosovo deal, reached after long, gruelling talks.
Top 10 Twitter hashtags tonight. I know straight away what the NBA draft is! But what are the others? When did I get old????
#NBADraft its that time of year!
280K Tweets
#Brexit
536K Tweets what would happen if Britain left the EU?
#Remain
264K Tweets We will be campaigning for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union.
#DenzelValentine Earvin Magic Johnson @MagicJohnson
33.8K Tweets Spartan Nation: Congratulations to Denzel Valentine! The Bulls are getting a good all-around player that can do a little bit of everything!
#BB18 Big Brother TV show
93.1K Tweets
#3WordInsomniaCures Go to Bed or Back to bed are my favorite 3 word sentences at night
5,998 Tweets
#KrisDunn @KrisDunn3 picked 5th by the timberwolves
70.3K Tweets
#ThonMaker Bleacher ReportVerified account @BleacherReport
51.3K Tweets With the No. 10 pick, the Milwaukee Bucks select Thon Maker
#Ibaka Magic acquire Ibaka from Thunder in exchange for Oladipo, Ilyasova & 99.2K Tweets Sabonis' rights.
#RalphStanley Grand Ole OpryVerified account @opry Chattanooga, TN
6,659 Tweets Our hearts are saddened by the news of the passing of Opry Stanley. His music will live on forever. 💔
Overview
The Art Project is a unique collaboration with some of the world’s most acclaimed art institutions to enable people to discover and view artworks online in extraordinary detail. Working with over 250 institutions, we have put tens of thousands of works of art from more than 6,000 artists online. This involved taking a selection of super high resolution images of famous artworks, as well as collating more than thirty thousand other images into one place. It also included building 360 degree tours of individual galleries using Street View ‘indoor’ technology. The project has expanded dramatically since it first launched. More than 45,000 objects are now available to view in high resolution, an increase from 1,000 in the first version. Street View images now cover over 60 museums, with more on the way.
Partners
My favorite page. We will visit this page often. Lots of learning going on this summer.
One of the most well preserved forts of the US Civil War. Tour the museum and explore the fort. Learn about the battle for the fort, the day to day life while in the fort and how the fort was used after the civil war. Fort Macon was NC's second officially designated state park.
What I like about this tour- there is an option of having the text read to you, great feature for my Kindergartener to use. Click on the green targets to learn more about that part of the exhibit.
If you live near Fort Macon here is a list of Events and programs.
Here’s an aerial view of Old Fort Macon (right), a five-sided garrison. To the left is the Fort Macon Coastal Education and Visitors Center, which opened to the public in 2009. At the top is Beaufort Inlet. Photo by Tracey Brinson. - See more at:FORT MACON PHOTOS
I'm linking these items through my Amazon Associates account. “Lorraine Ader is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to blog.maaaami.com amazon store raindays-20”
The discovery of the monumental Lascaux cave in 1940 brought with it a new era in our knowledge of both prehistoric art and human origins. Today, the cave continues to feed our collective imagination and to profoundly move new generations of visitors from around the world.
To celebrate this prehistoric wonder, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication's is pleased to present its latest multimedia publication – an update of the original Lascaux website, which was first put on line in 1998. The new site has been entirely reworked in both form and content, reflecting the latest advances in archaeological research.
Visitors to the site are presented with a three-dimensional digital version of the cave, which allows them to go from room to room, completely immersed in the site. As they travel from the Great Hall of the Bulls all the way to the Shaft of the Dead Man, they can stop at each of the many images, read descriptions, play video sequences and examine overlay lines that helpfully reveal some of the more difficult to identify figures. A zoom feature enables visitors to get as close as possible to the walls that these talented artists decorated.
The cave also features hundreds of "signs", quadrilateral shapes and dots and other patterns which we'll surely never decipher. They suggest the first inklings of a realization of mathematics.
Geometric rock incisions from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic period.
Ford’s Theatre partnered with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms nationwide, to take students on an interactive virtual field trip to the national historic landmark and working theatre. This unique learning experience gives students an exclusive opportunity to tour the historic site, explore the leadership and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, and learn the story of the president’s assassination and its impact on American history.
Resources for the Classroom .pdf
Photos of Ford's Theatre
Still want more? Q&A about Lincoln Still have questions about President Lincoln, Ford’s Theatre or the assassination? Ford’s Education Staff answered student questions on April 14, 2016 in this 60-minute Q&A
The chicks are 7 weeks old now. We were planning on introducing them to the big coop last Sunday. But, we had an unexpected gift from our neighbor, a Silkie hen, who we named Princess. She's so soft and full of personality! Since she had to find her place and was much bigger than the four chicks we left them in the temporary coop and Princess joined Pikachu in the big coop. Today was the perfect day to bathe the chicks and let them out of their pen. They loved the bigger space and stretched their little legs all afternoon.
In this charming 1877 book of grammar instruction for children, we are introduced to the nine parts of speech and learn about the rules that govern them in Grammar-Land.
"Judge Grammar is far mightier than any Fairy Queen, for he rules over real kings and queens down here in Matter-of-fact-land. Our kings and queens have all to obey Judge Grammar’s laws, or else they would talk what is called bad grammar; and then, even their own subjects would laugh at them, and would say: “Poor things!
They are funny fellows, these nine Parts-of-Speech. You will find out by-and-by which you like best amongst them all. There is rich Mr. Noun, and his useful friend Pronoun; little ragged Article, and talkative Adjective; busy Dr. Verb, and Adverb; perky Preposition, convenient Conjunction, and that tiresome Interjection, the oddest of them all."
This description is from librivox.org
We listened to this book while eating lunch our first homeschool year. Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt
We are going to revisit Grammar-Land this coming school year. Here is a .pdf of the book.
I printed out worksheets from dontneednoeducation.blogspot.com to use at the end of each chapter. The next day, we reviewed the previous chapters and move forward to the next chapter. Each chapter is about 10 minutes long when listening online.
I made a few planning pages to help organize the 2016-2017 school year at our house.
I found a giraffe image through Google search and we like this one over at wallpapercave.com
This will be our schedule. Reading, spelling, handwriting, and grammar will be what we focus on first thing in the day. Math, science, and social studies will be our focus before lunch (after their snack -or second breakfast, as some homeschoolers call it). After lunch, it'll be time for art, music, PE/health and whatever their daily elective is. Isabelle will have computer on Monday, Spanish on Tuesday, cooking Wednesday, and practicing her violin on Thursday. Friday is open so we can head out and have some fun or use it as a make up day if anything was missed due to appointments.
I'll print out 4 of these Curriculum at a glance pages. One for each child. I'll note the chapter and pages or book we'll be using that month. This will be stapled to a page in the front of my planner. I'll be able to see what we move onto next without having to double check each book.
I made this for our electives: Spanish, cooking, computer, and musical instrument.
I'll print four of these- one for each child.
We'll be starting Spanish this year and following a text book. I'll put the chapters and any other information needed for that month in the box.
For cooking, I'm thinking a quick and simple recipe that can contribute to snack, lunch, or dinner- Four per month per child. Part of cooking is having them shadow Chris or I in the kitchen and see how we use the tools correctly and clean up after ourselves!!!
Computer will consist of learning code or programming. We will be spending this summer figuring out which program they like best.
Music will be lessons and practice, practice, practice.
I added a password section so each kid will have a place to look for a reminder.
A friend told me about Salsa. Its a show that is targeted towards K-3 grades. Puppets teach the language through familiar stories. According to the website Who Can Use Salsa?
Instructors do not need to be certified to teach a foreign language or be familiar with Spanish in order to use Salsa. It can be used in the classroom and homeschools and by anyone interested in teaching young kids to speak Spanish. Each video lesson is preceded by a staff development component that acquaints the instructor with the content and the objectives of the lesson, reviews all vocabulary words and demonstrates the correct pronunciation of all Spanish words included in the lesson.
It seems that my little middle daughter is coming up with crazy internet acronyms on a daily basis. This morning, I had a little chat with her about internet safety. I found Safekids.com first. Lots of great information on there and I noticed at the bottom of the page a sister site, ConnectSafely.org
Family Contract for Online Safety- Kids Pledge
Note: This pledge is mainly for younger children. Teens and pre-teens should use the teens’ pledge. Also note that this “pledge” is really designed as a conversation starter and certainly could be adopted to suit your family.
Young Kids’ Pledge
1. I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission.
2. I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
3. I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
4. I will go online or play video games when my parents say it’s OK and limit my online time so that it doesn’t interfere with chores, homework or other activities.
5. I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away.
6. I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
7. I will not give out my Internet password to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.
8. I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or apps or doing anything that could possibly hurt our devices or jeopardize my family’s privacy.
9. I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.
10. I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.
I agree to the above
__________________________
Child sign here
I will help my child follow this agreement and will allow reasonable use of the Internet as long as these rules and other family rules are followed.
In March, we went to check out a farm and came home with five chicks. The advice we got from the farmer - the comb is a good indicator, but not 100%. She had five weeks old -and off the lamp-chicks, we were in love immediately. Little did we know, two were rooster! Within four days our dog, Hamilton, tried to play with the chicks and two were killed instantly. RIP Blondie and PeanutButter.
We have new additions to our family. Four Chicks from Charm City Farms joined our family last week. Uni (like Unicorn), Edwina Scissorfeathers, Henrietta, and JJ. We were down to one hen (hopefully, Pikachu is a hen) and she needed friends. Pikachu, Dixie, Chi Chi, PeanutButter, and Blondie came from Chicken Butt Farm up in Forest Hill. They don't have any available chicks so we started looking online. Craigslist had tons of listings. Some near (Charm City Farms) and some all the way up in York, PA.
Coding for Kids. Turtle! is a Windows 8 app that lets kids drag and drop commands to create their own programs. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer.
Parents need to know that Lego Mindstorms Fix the Factory is a coding puzzler that requires kids to direct a robot through certain tasks. Though the controls are easy to learn and master, the puzzle difficulty might ramp up too quickly for younger players. Apart from your robot falling or possibly getting electrocuted, there's no objectionable content. But parents, be warned: Kids who enjoy the game may ask for expensive Lego Mindstorm kits.
Code Monster teaches kids and adults a little about Javascript programming. It’s easy to play. Follow the instructions and do what Code Monster says. If you get stuck, just skip to the next lesson. You can always come back to it.
Click on the Back button to go back to a previous lesson (or click on it a bunch to reset the lessons for another player). Click on the Reset button if you really mess up your code and want to start over on a lesson.
Code Monster saves what lesson you are on, so feel free to stop at any time and come back later. As long as you come back on the same browser on the same machine, you’ll get back to your lesson.
