It's FRYYYYYYYYYYY-Day! Welcome to my seven quick takes for today. Please visit Jen at Conversion Diary, the lovely hostess of the original 7QT.
1. My facebook mom friends have been abuzz about their Back to School nights this week. We will miss that time-honored tradition this year, so I've decided to have one just for Rick and me tonight. It will include paella and adult beverages. That beats bad decaf coffee and stale cookies, dudn't it?
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2. Speaking of facebook, I had a moment of pure panic the other day, when I read my friend Karen's status update in which she gleefully shared that after 12 years of having kids at home she finally has all four of her boys in all day public school. Pure. Unadulterated. Panic. What have I done? See why I need adult beverages at my Back to School night?
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3. We are going to the Academy of Sciences -- the only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one living roof -- on our third day of school! How cool is that? I will report on that trip, to be certain. We'll be there with other homeschooling families from all over the Bay Area. I will be on the look out for all those ill-socialized children out there, and will report them forthwith.
Folks, this place is pricey. $25 to get in the door, usually. They are hosting a homeschool day, which brings that hefty price down to $5 each. Otherwise? We'd be studying the rainforest in the boys' bedroom that day. But if you get a chance to go, or can save your pennies for a special occasion, do it. A. May. Zing.
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4. Life is giving us all kinds of chances to create learning opportunities. Take for example the recent heat wave we had (and which is now a distant memory, seen through the haze and chill of gray, thick fog). As soon as the heat hit on Monday, the ants headed indoors. All week, I've been doing battle against those little menaces.
So now, I am going to send the kids on a little investigative journey. Follow every single ant trail back to its source. Remove the offending attraction: the girls have already reported finding the stub of a carrot behind Little T's bed covered in ants. Block up holes with cinnamon. Do a little google research on why ants refuse to cross a cinnamon barrier. And then, for the big fun: figure out the most effective way to kill them. Is it Simple Green? Bleach? The organic earth-friendly ant spray Nicole gave us? Stomping? High-powered water gun laced with battery acid? Compare and contrast the most effective method with the most fun.
Throw in a little math: count how many ants you see in a one inch line. Measure the long line of ants between the dining room window and the kitchen sink. Multiple the number of inches by the number of ants to estimate how many of the bastards you have to kill.
Language Arts? Write a poem using this prompt as your first line: "How can I kill thee? Let me count the ways." Or maybe haiku is more your game. Here's a sample:
Small, many, marching.
Prepare for your anty-God.
Can we hear you scream?
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5. A picture of my classroom. Yay!
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6. And now, for the gratitude portion of our day. I'd like to extend a very large THANK YOU to all of the people who have expressed their support for our new homeschooling endeavor. I know there are a few (hundred) people out there who think we are completely bonkers, and I'd like to thank them too, for not sharing that opinion with us. But to all those of you who have encouraged, congratulated, and high-fived us, thank you from the bottom of my family's collective heart. We take your good wishes with us as we begin the year.
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7. From St. Theresa of Avila, a good prayer for a homeschooling mom. Or for a mom whose kids go to school. Or for a person who is not a mom. For a truck driver. A bank executive. A pilates instructor. A construction worker. An elected official. A teacher. A computer engineer. A fast food line worker. A human being.
"Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to the one who possesses God. God alone suffices.
Found in America Magazine.
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2 comments:
Ants! That whole section made me laugh- and I love the haiku.
Good luck to you & your homeschooling adventures.
I love that St. Theresa quote, as well. Was checking out some of your homeschooling posts, as we are also homeschooling (while we'd been planning to homeschool starting in kindergarten, we pulled our 4 year old out of preschool in Dec. due to some mean boys in his class - can't believe that sort of thing starts so early.)
Here in Berkeley, it's the season for kindergarten tours, school information meetings, etc. Although my husband and I are happy with our decision, it does feel a bit strange to not be attending any of them!
Was wondering if you'd be willing to chat via email about your homeschooling adventures in the Bay Area? I couldn't find your email address on your blog, but mine is monicabrent@gmail.com.
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