homeschooling – Page 16 – Letters from Home

Agua Caliente According to Daniel

Agua Caliente

Daniel went to Agua Caliente Park on Saturday to take a dragonfly class with some friends. Here are some photos that he took from that day. I enjoy seeing the things he thought were worthy to photograph.

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Daniel’s words:

When we got to Agua Caliente on Saturday, we took the Dragonfly class. The teacher told us how to recognize or how to tell dragonflies and damselflies apart. Then he gave us butterfly nets and binoculars and we went out to catch dragonflies. Each of us caught one or two and then we identified them. After the class ended, we went to look at the lake and the ducks. We went exploring and took some pictures. Then we left. I really enjoyed the class because I learned a lot of things I didn’t know. For instance, some dragonflies can fly all the way across the ocean in just a few days!

June Saga

Here are a few pages from the Sahuarita Saga from June. I’ve been publishing this little homeschool magazine for 2 years. The kids do the work. I just compile it. This is the first (small) issue of Volume 3!

Click on the arrows below the magazine to page through it. You can double click on a page to enlarge the image. I know, I know. This little tool is the coolest thing you have ever seen in your life.

[book id='4' /]

Flashlight tutorial

This is what we did on Wednesday afternoon at our house. It was so neat we had to share it. I got the idea from a Cub Scout Roundtable meeting.

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You will need this stuff plus some newspaper and electrical tape.

The tiny bulb is a flashlight bulb. Look in the camping aisle at your local camping store/Wal-Mart.

We used a C battery, but you could try another size. It’s science, so have fun.

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Cut a piece of electrical wire about 4 1/2 inches long.

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Strip each end of the wire.

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It will look like this.

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Using scissors or a drill, make a hole in the lid of the bottle. Be careful not to make it too big. You want the bulb to fit through it snugly.

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It doesn’t have to be perfect.

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Slide the bulb through the hole.

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Wrap wire around the positive side of the battery. Actually, any end will do, but this seemed to be easier for us.

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Tape into place.

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Wrap the other end of the wire around the end of the flashlight bulb.

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Tape into place, keeping the end contact of the bulb exposed.

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Your assembly will look like this.

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Place enough newspaper in the bottom of the pill container so the battery will touch the bulb when assembled.

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Insert battery & wire into the container. Screw the lid on (upside down).

Once you touch the bulb to the battery, it should light up. If not, check your connections.

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Go in a dark place and be amazed. You just made a flashlight!

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Feeling good about the Saga

Above you see the front cover of the May 2009 Sahuarita Saga. I’ve been busy working on this. The picture shows the younger kids who contribute each month.

This is the last issue for volume 2 and so I decided to put all the cover art from the year on the back cover. I think it looks nice.

What’s inside? There is a letter, some poems, pictures of dance and music recitals, two Eagle Projects, several reports about people and places, triathalon stats, and awards presented to the kids. It’s my way of capturing homeschool life and it gives my kids a good deadline for finishing their writing assignments.

It’s a good day when the Saga is completed each month. It takes me about a day to compile all of the art, photos, and essays. Someday, I hope to have the kids play a bigger role in putting it all together. Paige and Daniel are learning how to use the software and type their own reports.

2008-2009 Highlights

To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward. ~Margaret Fairless Barber, The Roadmender

Here are some favorite memories from our school year.

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Book Ends

End of school reflections

As a homeschool parent, I have to work hard to create a feeling of finality when the school year is over. The truth is, we will continue our studies on a smaller scale throughout the summer. Math skills have a way of flying out the window even over a long weekend, you know? The children have not had an awards assembly and I certainly haven’t been fed by the PTA in a teacher appreciation luncheon, but this doesn’t mean I don’t feel like we’ve accomplished a lot. I have been on the front row as I have watched Timothy learn to read and gain the confidence to write, even if it wasn’t perfect. I have seen Paige suddenly be able to create an analytical essay instead of a summary of a history chapter. I have seen Daniel move from B’s and C’s in math to 100% on his final math test. I love watching them learn.

As I clean up the school room today, here are some of the things that I see and what they represent.

This is Paige’s school shelf. This year Paige tackled a very challenging science book and has received A’s on most of her tests. Her spelling notebook is full of words we caught her misspelling in her essays. She spells much better now than she did 9 months ago. Paige did a great job in history this year, learning to analyze and see patterns in modern history and learning to define several different forms of government. She wrote questions to make a modern history game. She read 38 books & received A’s in math. She learned to paint with oils and watercolors. She can now write an outline of a chapter on her own. She began her study of German and found that she liked it a lot. She contributed beautiful art, essays, and poems to the monthly Sahuarita Saga magazine.

Daniel’s shelf tells a lot about this boy. He’s worked hard in Cub Scouts and fulfilled many requirements for his Faith in God award. He read 67 books and finished his science text 3 months ago. He has worked hard at the pond each month, spending the most time in the cold water. He’s become an A student in math during this last term. He worked hard in history, writing great reports on his own with the computer, full of clip art. He contributed to the Sahuarita Saga each month, too. Some my favorite stories he wrote this year are The Adventures of Benny the Bear and Our Treehouse. His Shakespearean sonnet about a Pinewood Derby race is a classic. He continues to be an excellent speller and loved the poetry unit.

Timothy’s shelf (though I staged a lot of the books) represents a year of learning to read, write, and begin a study of math. We gave him homemade pins for accomplishments like learning his address and phone number, completing 50 pages of phonics, learning to write his full name, and reading his first book. He’s reading at a second grade level and read 26 books this year. He knows his addition facts. It took a lot of courage for this little perfectionist to learn to write. He is very artistic and can see when his writing doesn’t look just right and gets frustrated. He’s overcome that and learned to keep trying. His “micro-art” is charming; everything is drawn in miniature. Writing this, I just want to go and give him a big hug.

My children are the evidence of my days. I really love my life.

Tribute to Teachers Week: Friday

Michele Brady (Miss Michele) is Paige’s ballet technique and team teacher. Paige joined Miss Michele’s class just a little over 3 years ago and we are so happy about the progress Paige has made since then. Michele is one of those women who really “thinks big.” Her productions are beautiful. Only a few years after establishing her studio, she has a building of her own (nearly completed!) to house her dancers and other artists in town. She envisions a building where many art & music classes can be taught; a place where performances can be given and the community can come together. How great would it be if we all gave so much to our community? On a personal level, we appreciate her positive example in Paige’s life. She’s a busy mother of four who is active in church and has a great relationship with her dancers. As her husband goes away to serve in Afghanistan, we wish her family extra protection and peace. We love you, Miss Michele.

Coach J.D. Reyes is Daniel’s baseball coach. We like Coach Reyes because he makes the boys work hard, but always acknowledges their efforts in a positive way. He’s funny, well-prepared, and expects a lot from the boys. No matter the score, he continues to encourage the boys and give support. What a positive example he is for the team. Coach Reyes is a father of 5 and a really nice guy. We should also mention that Coach Reyes’s wife, Laura hands out candy each game for good plays and his older son often helps out at baseball practice. What a nice family! Thanks, Coach Reyes for all of your work this year with the Round Rock Express!

Richard is an assistant coach on Daniel’s baseball team. Daniel really likes having his dad around at practices and games. Richard works hard to get Daniel to the batting cages before games. Often this means that he comes home from work, drops his bag, grabs a cookie or something and runs out the door to baseball with Daniel all evening. Thanks, Dad!

Tribute to Teachers Week: Thursday

Paige began her study of German this year with our neighbor and friend, Heike Dedmone. We feel very blessed to have Paige taught by a native German speaker and such a fun person! Classes were full of games, songs, and activities. When Heike saw Paige at the park, she’d enlist her in a game with instructions shouted in German. Paige really enjoyed German class this year and we appreciate the time Heike took to teach a group of preteens and teens in her home each week. Heike is a very busy lady who runs an Awana club for her church, homeschools her own children, landscapes her own yard, hosts Bible study each week in her home, and has created a beautifully decorated home full of her own art. Her children are beautiful & even her minivan is clean. This is one great lady. Thank you, Heike!

Tribute to Teachers Week: Wednesday

Each Wednesday morning this school year meant P.E. with Coach Pat (Patricia Graff) from Sports Kidz Arizona. Timothy and Daniel attended her class. Coach Pat is a very kind person and gave the kids a very good workout each week. She quickly learned the kids’ names and always had an encouraging word for them. Her job was not easy, trying to create a P.E. class for kids ages 5-17, but she did a great job. She began each class with a prayer and Bible recitation. She ended each class with a group cheer. Way to go, Coach Pat! Thank you!

Tribute to Teachers Week: Tuesday

Tuesday means art and pond work for our family. We have two teachers on Tuesdays, Sister Alyce Jones and Mrs. Rebecca Costello.

Alyce Jones has taught the kids to paint with oils and watercolors since June of 2008. We meet with her every few weeks on Tuesday afternoons. We like her approach to art teaching. She gives a few instructions and then encourages the kids to explore the art of painting. She has a huge art library in her home and she’s allowed the kids to borrow probably 20 books and several videos to help them. That reminds me, I need to return some of her best brushes that she loaned to Paige. She is like a grandmother to the kids, bringing them gum, sharing her cookies and never critical. She has taught the kids to enjoy painting and they have a lot of satisfaction from their work this year. My house is full of beautiful oil paintings by my favorite little people, thanks to Sister Jones. She is also very musical and attends the kids’ piano performances. She wrote the nicest note to the kids after she heard them sing in church. She also works at the Family History Center in Tucson and she helped us learn more about Family History there. We love you, Sister Jones!

Mrs. Rebecca Costello has been our aquatic ecosystem teacher this year at the community pond. Basically, she teaches the kids how to be water gardeners. She knows all about plants and fish and how maintain a pond. We spend one or two mornings a month with her, taking water samples, planting things, or just enjoying watching the pond. She is very knowledgeable and generous with her time. She’s a busy person, teaching her own son and meeting the demands of her job. It means a lot to us that she works so hard to see that the kids have meaningful activities. We appreciate how she has given the kids a real hands-on science experience this year. Daniel and Timothy look forward to wading in the pond, even if it means removing nasty filters that need to be cleaned. Thank you, Becky, for the time, the patience, your generosity and knowledge this year at the pond!

We have one more teacher on Tuesdays, but we’ll highlight her on Friday since she teaches on that day, too!