I have been TAGGED,,,

Six Random Facts

Leigh over at Wingbeats and Reflections has tagged me. Since I am up at the crack of dawn, it is fairly quiet, it is cold I don't want to move from the arm chair, in my fuzzzy pj and blanket - I will play along.

Rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write six random things about yourself
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person know they've been tagged

Six random things - hmmmm -

1. I grew up ten miles from where I currently live and although we moved around a bit (LOT) when KM was little I have lived in the same area for 27 of the 30 years of my life.
2. My favorite anonymous quote about homeschooling is completely true - "I survived Public School...that is why I homeschool!" I dropped out of HS days after turning 16, got my GED and was off to college.
   
3. Ironically as Leigh alluded to in hers - I took Auto Mechanics in High School for a Semester.
4. My favorite color is purple and when I see it, any shade of it, my heart jumps just a little bit - don't know why, doesn't matter how mad, sad, frustrated or whatever I am, purple makes me feel better!
5. I have had the same cell phone number for 11 years!
6. MC is having another girl!!! Another wonderful little neice will be arriving in late May/early June!

I think those were random enough for ya and most of you wouldn't know them - I don't think so who to tag, who to tag....I am heading to my followers list for this one!

1. Candace
2. Stace
3. Jodi
4. Fairyluver
5. Rainbow River
6. Lorna

ENJOY ---I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Another Nifty Science Experiment...

...from the free homeschool Classic Life Science curriculum by Mr. Q. Although we have found some small errors in some of the text - more grammatical than anything. This program still rocks!!! The fact that it is free is even better, but the BEST part is all the really cool, simple experiments that are included that can be done with things you have right around your house. Some of the other experiments I have posted have come from this curriculum as well and I do try to credit him whenever I can!

So today we were discussing the digestive organs and how they break down food. We then did the experiment for this unit which was called Cat's Meow -

Please excuse some of the spelling errors and/or homophone mistakes in the video! She did this one pretty much all on her own!

Rave Reviews for Wii Music

KM got this game for Christmas and I didn't really have too high hopes for it, but it is actually a really cool game! It teaches pitch, helps tune the ear, helps improve rhythm and so much more!

Here are some screenshots of KM's Mii..

Here is the very intriguing instructor, whom KM says she loves!

She was so into it...

It was soooo easy to play that SC even got to try it out in
Jam Session Mode.

Of course she had NO idea what she was doing, but she thought it was great that she even got to hold the controller. I honestly think the Wii is one of the best investments that we have made in a long time! I am constantly impressed with the quality of the games that they come out with!

Yet another bloggy award....

So Stace, one of my new favorite bloggers, has listed me for this wonderful blog award! Here are the rules...

*List six things that make you happy.
*Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers
*Link back to the person who gave you the award.
*Link to the people you are passing it on to and leave them a comment to let them know.


Ok so first things first - 6 Things that make me happy:
1. the smell of something baking
2. the light that goes on when a child TRULY GETS a concept
3. savasana
4. a giggling baby
5. first snowflakes
6. warm cozy bed after a LONG day

Now for the second task - Pass to 5 other bloggers
I have come across so rather interesting new-to-me blogs lately so here are the 5 that I have become hooked on recently:

1. Cynthia
   
2. Spooky
3. Sarah
4. Lorna
5. Sagedust

So I have also completed the third and fourth tasks as I was posting, so I think I am done!!!
Thanks again Stace!!!

Playin' in the Snow

Some Pics I forgot to post the other day ---- our first time playing in the snow with SC!

Sooo much to put on!

Trudging through the snow!

Determined to climb up, even with the extra garb!

Still just wants to swing!

The joys of 3 dogs!!!

and the LOVE of two cousins!

International Programmers Day!

For decades, programmers have made major contributions to our lives. Programmers are ultimately responsible for many of the conveniences we enjoy such as DVR, direct deposit, web surfing, online bill paying, cell phones, etc. Behind most modern day convenience, there's a computer programmer.
This website is dedicated to those programmers who make our lives easier. - check it out
Here is another site specifically for kids to learn about programming - Click here!
Find a programmer and thank them for all that they do to allow us to live our lives with a little bit more ease - or fustration depending on how you look at it! The above listed site has some cute little e-cards you can send.

This site - click here - has a huge list of resources to teach kids about programming on several different levels.

----EVENING UPDATE ----

We had a very fun afternoon, we discussed codes and how every language is a code of its own and what programmers do. KM had a friend over this afternoon and they made a few video clips on Scratch. They had some difficulty at first until they actually read the instructions! I will try to upload one of the video clips tomorrow, but now I am off to bed!!!

Hope you had a great International Programmer Day!

First Art Project of the New Year and updates on older projects!

We have been getting antsy around here with holiday things slowing down so we decided to work on a project today. KM got this incredibly cool book for Yule and so we thought today would be a great day to try some of those marked pages - can you see how many she has marked off, there are more tabs coming out of the bottom that you can't even see!
KM picked "Past, Present & Future Picture Show" - but of course, as with everything around here, we had to tweak it a little, so we did past, middle and present.

These are the three pictures that she choose to work with:

We used butcher paper instead of construction paper, as we didn't have any big enough for all three pictures across - she measured the 1/2 inch increments diligently.
Since she was pressing into the soft top of the card table while she was drawing the lines it actually made it easier to make the creases.

The hardest part was making sure that the picture strips were in order and right-side up as they were glued onto the paper.Final product - even front view

View tilted to the right:

View tilted to the left:

There were some other things that we thought of to try for next time, like leaving a small amount of space between each for the fold, so that it comes out with cleaner lines. We also thought the if we had used bigger pictures and stuck to close ups it would look more even and clean, but I kinda like the differences in the context of the three that she chose.

As far as the update on the other projects, I have been a bit side tracked with them lately, but I have converted all of our VHS videos to DVD. I have not as of yet burned them to DVD, I have them backed up though as AVI files for now. I also got HP SimpleSave for some of my families members and myself for christmas and after hearing multiple stories over the last few weeks of people losing ALL there pics from computers crashing, I have all the photos backed up and stored safely away! Yippee!!!

I also had a sudden urge - or I guess it could be a realization of sorts - when I was putting the Christmas decorations away, to put out some new pictures. I realized that I hadn't printed any new pics in quite a while and didn't have any pics of SC up anywhere - of course she is here sooo much do I really need pics of her up? (JK) So I went in search of pics to hang up, I also had CJ bring up a box of frames from the garage that I had left over from Noni's stuff. Of course a lot of the pictures that she had were duplicates to those that I already had up, so I thought I could reuse some of the frames. Well as I began taking pictures out, I realized that she had been reusing these frames as well, and I found some HYSTERICAL pics of MC and I when we were young. They are sooooo bad I can't even post them here as I would have to fear for my life - really her hair was just soooo big! I don't know how they didn't realize that something that could hold your hair up that HIGH was not good for the environment. So that was a good little chuckle I had going through all the old photos, half of which I had forgotten about or thought were gone forever!

Now that I have all the older photos that are already digital backed up. I am going to start, over the next few weeks, going through the older baby pics and scanning them into the computer. That is going to be the time consuming part, but I figure that computer and scanner are in our Play/School room so I can work on it while KM is doing her independent study stuff and I can still be within reach if she needs me and if SC is here I can stay contain in the room with her. I think it will work out, I just have to get it started!

The Year in Review

As I went along my merry route through my blog list today, I noticed that quite a few people were reminiscing of happenings from the past year - of course this led me to think of all the things that have transpired during 2008.

I would say that here at GCK Homeschool the word for the year would have to be:
revelations - an enlightening or astonishing disclosure

The first revelation would have to have been how wonderful homeschooling can be! We began our jaunt into Homeschooling in January and we will never turn back! She really has blossomed over the last year. Of course we have had some challenges, but that has generally been more about getting our rhythms and schedules in order, than any kind of reluctance or lack of interest in learning - in fact her love of learning has been reignited! She gets truly excited about what we are investigating and experimenting with. Anything hands-on is better than sitting in a classroom reading about what you could be doing - right! The favorite experiment would have to be the growing crystals:

The second revelation would have to come from the fantastic local resources that we had been missing out on while KM was in PS. We have had some wonderful field trips with our local homeschool groups and on our own, for that matter. I have been trying to think of what my favorite would be if I had to choose one and I would have to say that there were 2 favorites. The first one would be our trip to Concord's Orchard House - to see the home where Louisa May Alcott grew up - and Walden Pond - where Henry David Thoreau went to the woods -

Running a close second would be our day going to the Big Top Circus and the GIANT Build-a-Bear Store in Faneuil Hall!
The third revelation is one of our familial codependency. Our family has become extremely close during the last year and though we have had some sadder moments, the trials and tribulations have brought us to realize how important we truly are to each other. We lost some wonderful family members during the year and had some close calls with some others. I tried to stay on the lighter side of things here, but I felt I should mention it so that no one thinks it is all just sunshine and textbooks around here. Real life events and experiences can be so much more intriguing than anything you could read about in a book. We have had a lot of anatomy lessons come about from some simple explanations of illnesses!

I have never really been big on New Year Resolutions, as I have seen so many get forgotten within days - sometimes hours - of the ball dropping. However this year I am resolving to put our family's true beliefs into practice, to create our own traditions, and to be a united front against anything that stand in our way! We have become a better family and we WILL continue to keep moving in this direction!

My Favorite New Years Quote :

This bright new year is given me

To live each day with zest

To daily grow and try to be

My highest and my best!

By: William Arthur Ward

Best Wishes for a Bright and Happy New Year!

A Fantastic Holiday Week in Review

With such a multifaceted family structure our Solstice/Christmas Holiday lasts at least a week. With the visits slowing down I thought I would share some of our favorite pics from the week!

Matching aprons to help with the baking!

Playing with Grampa!


Some favorite presents:SC's was a box and...

& a new step stool!

KM's was her Nintendo DS - she was VERY surprised!

Mine was my new mixer!!! - Life will be sooo much easier!

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!!!

Who Really Did It?

KM claims it was her!

But I caught her twin working diligently!

I registered....

This looks as though it will be a very motivational group of mommies! After a few too many Holiday treats, a lack of gusto, and a very sporadic yoga practice lately, I can feel my flexibility fading, but I am turning over that new leaf ~ I am also teaching a kids yoga class at the Coop this next session, so I kinda have to get myself back on track. ~ I also need to do it for me and my sanity, to keep me centered and on track! I will keep you posted and if you decided to register my username on the forum is GCKHomeschool!

Maybe I'll see you there!

Have a Holly Jolly Day!!!

Santa Tracker -----

Time to track the big guy!
This is a great geography lesson!
You could also use it for a lesson on time zones!

A Wonderful Solistice...

was had by all around here! It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.
KM and I got a lot of baking done, finished up some Christmas presents for relatives, and finished up the laundry and cleaning that we had started during Saturdays never ending snow storm.
CJ was still out plowing a good part of the day, but when he finally got home, it was just in time to have a cozy dinner, just the three of us.
We had lit all the candles and sconces in the house and only had the tree and fairy lights going - oh and spongebob of course. It was very simple and peaceful.
After dinner we open a few yule gifts and then all snuggled up to watch a movie and eat some yummy cookies we had made earlier in the day!
KM's favorite present was a Wizardology Code Writing Kit and we all got a kick out of our Feety Pajamas!
After the movie we were all sitting together and it was like a light went off for all of us at once - this is what we are suppose to be doing. THIS is our family.
CJ and I have been drawn more and more away from traditions that we were raised with and more towards creating our own types of traditions that fit our family. Since CJ's parents and my father moved South and Noni passed away it has felt like we are really the leaders in our family and we need to make the holidays what we want our family to remember them as. So we are thinking next year we are going to focus less on Christmas and more on the Winter Solistice and Earth Based/Natural Holidays. After doing the Holidays Around the World, I think that KM has also come to realize that NOT everyone celebrates Christmas and that in other parts of the world it is the minority of people who actually do celebrate it. We will of course still respect our friends and families members who celebrate it, but for our family - the three who live under this roof - we are going to go our own route and enjoy the wonderful welcoming of winter!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Yule!

"December 21 -- Winter Solstice -- Yule

Mythologically, this is the time when the Goddess gives birth to the Sun God. Mother Bertha is the Crone who gives presents and steals bad children. Yule celebrates the birth/rebirth of the Sun God." found here including photo

I have found some fun activities here for the wee ones. There are even more here. Still more here.