Sometimes I like to just take pictures of my crazy, fun sometimes exhausting kids. I love them so much, but life can get crazy. These are a few pictures to show how crazy and fun life can be with 5 beautiful children.
This is Sophie and Sammy. I caught them in the bathroom doing this and was about to get mad at them, but decided. they need a picture. I'm glad I did, because I want to remember the craziness as well as the good times. 
T
CRAZY KIDS!!
Geology is Really Cool!!
So, I'm going to back up a little and do a little summary of what has happened in our lives in the past few months.
First, I'm going to tell you about this awesome unit study that we did. I was at Thanksgiving Point in Utah walking through the gift shop looking at all of these amazing rocks. I thought, I need to do a Unit Study with my kids on Geology. I had this big plan unfolding and so many ideas coming to mind.
With the Family School from Latterday Learning they have their subjects organized into units. I saw the one on geology and thought, "This will be perfect". We had so much fun, we learned about the faults of the earth, the layers of the earth, tsunamis, earthquakes, how mountains are formed and finally about rocks. Even my 3 year old goes around looking at rocks calling them igneous or granite. It was so much fun.
As part of our unit study we do a celebration at the end. For this I searched mines in our area. I'm not from here, so I didn't know what I would find. But, Lo and behold Nevada isn't called "The Silver State" for nothing. There are tons of old silver mines.
I told my kids we are going to an old silver mine. It was called the Chollar mine. An old couple that ran it thought it was fun to take my kids into this mine under ground. My kids were scared, and so was I. The tour guide at one point turned off the lights so that we could see how dark it was under the earth. This was traumatic. But, when we came out of this mine, we had a new appreciation for gold and silver and how much work goes into getting these things. The workers had to work in sometimes 130-150 degree temperatures and then go into the ice room to cool off every hour. I can't even imagine having to do this. They didn't see the sunlight for days at a time. It seemed surreal that people had to experience this to get these minerals from the earth.
Then I remembered reading a book by Gerald Lund called "The Undaunted". In this book it starts out describing the situation of families where kids had to work in coal mines in England from the time they were 6 years old. Sometimes they would die because of how intense the work was. I showed my kids videos of these kids working in mines and they felt really lucky for not having to work in mines and that they have the opportunity to go to school, even though we homeschool. This was a great lesson and something I felt was important to realize.
Finally, we did our presentations to share with our family. We invited our cousins over to our house and each of the kids chose a rock or mineral to research. This was actually quite fascinating. I'm going to tell you a little about each presentation.
Jayden chose to do his presentation on granite. I helped him and we found some interesting facts about granite. We found that it comes from The Rocky Mountains and Yosemite and other mountains. In SLC, Utah we found that there is a granite vault where the LDS church stores all of it's information and records. This is high security and it was pretty interesting to Jayden. Also, we saw how the Salt Lake temple was made of granite brought down from the mountains and it took 40 years to build because of how much work it was to build the temple. They also had to restart the building of the temple because they discovered that the foundation wasn't strong enough. That was 2 years after they had already begun. How devastating that must have been. This was so interesting and fun to do. I have a new appreciation for granite after this project.
Elise found out that one of her birthstones is Alexandrite. She was very excited for this beautiful stone. She found that this was discovered in the Ural mountains in Russia, and named after Alexander the first. They thought that this was a different stone that had been mined in that area, but soon discovered that this stone changes colors. So, they gave this stone a new name after the king of Russia. She also says that she wants her wedding ring to be made out of Alexandrite.
Our Famous Inventor Science Club
I've been wanting to share a club that I created for my oldest son when we began homeschooling. This son was really into science. When I would ask him what he wanted to learn about, he would light up and say "science!!". So, I began to think what I could create for him in order to fulfill this desire. This is what I came up with. It was extremely fun and interesting.
Hope you like it. I will also share some of our field trips that we attended and some projects that we created.
This is my basic outline of our book club:
Science Book Club
Host: Jocelyn Vance
For kids ages 8-12
Exact dates and places TBA.
Also, a really good book to have on
hand is called, “The New Way Things Work”, by David Macaulay it
really explains the inventions in great detail. I'll put page
numbers to that book in reference to the books that we will be
studying as well.
September: “Archimedes and the
Door of Science”, Jeanne Bendick, ( “The New Way Things Work”,
p.22-27. 374 (levers) (pulleys) p. 54-55)
Inventions include: Archimedes'
Screw (idea behind levers, pulleys and propellers in modern science)
He also invented war machines for King Hiero and eventually used by
Alexander the Great. Scientific terms include: gravity, density,
mass, volume, buoyancy, displacement and hydrostatics
We will get
together around 2nd week in September to discuss book and
perform several science experiments performed by Archimedes. As well
as create mini models of war machines created by Archimedes.
Second Week
in October: Field Trip (TBA) Possibly small airport in Sparks to see
propellers on airplanes
We did it!! We went on our first field trip to a small airport here in town. It was so much fun!! The owners of the airport allowed the kids to sit in the cockpit of the small airplanes. They explained all of the components of the airplanes to the kids and handed out coloring booklets for the kids to take home. We discussed how the propellors function as a screw all because of Archimedes. It was a hit!!
Last Week in
October: “Along Came Galileo”, Jeanne Bendick ( “The New Way
Things Work”(pendulum clocks, p.42), (telescopes, p.186-189)
Inventions
include: Pendulums, The Law of Accelerated Motion, The law of
Parabolic Fall, Speed
Telescopes
and Space Studies.
We will meet
to discuss solar system at time of Galileo and now. We will create
mini solar system.
Second Week
in November: Field trip to Planetarium
First Week in
January: “Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia”, Margaret Cousins
( “The New Way Things Work”, electricity, p.386, conductors, p.
262-263), steam power p. 158-159, 380)
Introduction
to Electricity and Automation
We will be
getting together 2nd week in January to discuss book and
create a lightning conductor.
Last Week in
January: Field Trip TBA possible newspaper office to see how
newspapers are printed because Benjamin Franklin owned a printing
press.
Second Week
in February: “ The Story of Thomas Alva Edison” Margaret
Cousins ( “The New Way Things Work”, batteries p.268-269, 386),
camera lenses, p. 198-207, 383) modern TV p.242-247)
Inventions
include: electric light bulb, phonograph, moving picture and hundreds
of other inventions.
We will be
getting together to discuss difference between modern moving pictures
and those created by Thomas Edison.
We will
experiment with light bulb and electricity. Record results in Science
Notebook
Last Week in
February: Each child will choose an invention by Thomas Edison and
write a report to share as well as provide a sample of invention or
experiment to share with group.
Second Week
in March: Field Trip to TV station (TBA).
Last Week in
March: “Albert Einstein, Young Thinker”, Marie Hammontree
(Childhood of Famous Americans) ( “The New Way Things Work” hot
air balloons, p. 104-105, jet engines
p. 160-161)
We will get
together to discuss inventions and ideas made by Albert Einstein.
Discuss atom bomb
Perform mentos explosion experiment as a group to simulate atomic bomb.
Second Week
in April: “ Marie Curie's Search for Radium”, Beverly Birch
and Christian Birmingham ( “The New Way Things Work”, X-rays p.
296-297, 388)
We will get
together to discuss Marie Curie's discoveries including radium and
X-Rays.
Scientific
terms; radioactive, ray, x-ray, radiation and electrometer
Perform a
science experiment together as a group, test water content of food
before and after heating and record results in science notebook.
Last Week in
April: Field Trip (possibly to doctors office to discuss X rays or
have an Xray technician present to group)
We did it!! We attended a field trip to our local hospital. We received a tour of the children's hospital and the kids were allowed to see a cat scan room. We discussed how Marie Curie discovered radium and made it possible for x-rays to be performed. It was a great experience.
Third Week in
May: Final Presentations
Choose a
famous inventor to present to group. Wright Brothers (air Planes),
Jacques Montgolfier (Hot Air Balloons), etc. (Choose from “The
Picture History of Great Inventors” by Gillian Clements)
Each child
will research on specific inventor and present to group along with a
visual aid.
What have we been up to lately??
We've been busy this last week, but really this last month. We've been studying about geology, we've learned about the tectonic plates, earthquakes, mines, fossils, crystals , different kinds of rocks and so much more. I never even realized how much fun geology could be. I have had tons of fun, and hopefully my kids have had fun as well. So here are some pictures of what we've been doing.
 |
| Crystal Garden, made with ammonia, salt and liquid bluing. |
 |
| Hiking up at Galena Creek |
 |
| Hiking with our cousins that just moved here |
 |
| Elise and Mylie hiking |
 |
| Dallins first take at photography |
 |
| I really like this picture |
 |
| The forest is so amazing and peaceful |
 |
| Jayden reading to Sammy and Sophie. The amazing thing since our house has become a house of learning is that the little kids love books more than toys. They read and read for hours. I love it. |
 |
Uncovering homemade fossils
MY THOUGHTS ON PATTERNS AND CRYSTALS
   We observed a salt crystal under a microscope. 
We then experimented by adding ammonia and liquid bluing to the salt and watched it grow and grow into a beautiful crystal garden. We added food coloring to make it even more amazing.
I explained to the kids that just like crystals when we develop good patterns in our lives we can grow and grow into beautiful crystals.
This helped me ponder what patterns in my life are helping me to grow into a beautiful crystal. I realized that as I study the scriptures daily, exercise and read from good books, that these things are helping me grow into the crystal that I hope to become.
I listened to this talk last week by Bishop Christopher Waddell, entitled, A Pattern for Peace.
In this talk he explains 3 things that we can do to establish a pattern for peace. This went right along with my thoughts that I'd been pondering after having this lesson on crystals. It amazed me how the Lord teaches in patterns and truly we can observe this in nature and the way that we learn lessons in life.
Bishop Waddell said that as we search the scriptures, listen and walk with Christ each day we will come closer and closer to Christ and have that peace in our lives that comes from the Power of Christ. I loved this talk and the lessons that I learned. I'm so grateful to be able to learn and ponder with my kids. It has been an amazing journey. Hooray for Family School!!!
|
TO FEAR OR NOT TO FEAR THAT IS THE QUESTION?
One thing that I love about homeschooling is the ability to learn alongside my kids. When they went to school, I would ask them, "What did you learn today?" I would usually get the usual "nothing", or "How was your day?", "Good". Well, I really wanted to know what they were learning and what they found interesting and exciting, but usually didn't get much out of them.
Well, one thing that my oldest son is passionate about, is greek mythology, we've read books about mythology and even studied greek mathmaticians including Archimedes. This has all been so interesting and exciting for me, since never in my life have I been interested in greek mythology, but having a son who is passionate about it, has made me very interested and I have found someinteresting things from the Greeks that I can apply to my life.
For one, is the fact that they had time to think and ponder. They had time to contemplate ideas and questions. If they didn't do this, we would have a whole different world today.
Well, one question that I've been contemplating is the idea of fear. The other day I was talking to a friend of mine about homeschooling. She was saying that she doesn't want to homeschool her kids, because she doesn't feel it's appropriate to shelter her kids. She said that she wants her kids to be "In the world, but not of the world." Well, I thought about this a lot. This was a thought that I had a lot when I considered homeschooling. I too didn't want to homeschool out of fear, because there are a lot of great things that kids can learn at school, and I agree kids shouldn't be locked up and sheltered from the world.
However, I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't do anything out of fear but out of love. One of my favorite scriptures is found in 2 Timothy 1:7
Well, one thing that my oldest son is passionate about, is greek mythology, we've read books about mythology and even studied greek mathmaticians including Archimedes. This has all been so interesting and exciting for me, since never in my life have I been interested in greek mythology, but having a son who is passionate about it, has made me very interested and I have found someinteresting things from the Greeks that I can apply to my life.
For one, is the fact that they had time to think and ponder. They had time to contemplate ideas and questions. If they didn't do this, we would have a whole different world today.
Well, one question that I've been contemplating is the idea of fear. The other day I was talking to a friend of mine about homeschooling. She was saying that she doesn't want to homeschool her kids, because she doesn't feel it's appropriate to shelter her kids. She said that she wants her kids to be "In the world, but not of the world." Well, I thought about this a lot. This was a thought that I had a lot when I considered homeschooling. I too didn't want to homeschool out of fear, because there are a lot of great things that kids can learn at school, and I agree kids shouldn't be locked up and sheltered from the world.
However, I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't do anything out of fear but out of love. One of my favorite scriptures is found in 2 Timothy 1:7
It is my firm belief that faith and fear cannot coexist. This is why when I considered homeschooling and considered the fearful things that could happen, The Lord didn't tell me that this is what I needed to do.
When I took me desires not of fear, but of Power and Love, then my answer was "Yes". I knew that I needed more time with my kids to nurture them and help them grow. A mere 2 hours at the end of the day wasn't doing it for me. I wanted to learn and spend time with my kids and create fun memories that would last them throughout their lifetime. Most of all, I wanted to teach them the gospel and have a slower paced life where we can follow the spirit each and every day. To me I wanted to homeschool to cultivate a stronger family relationship and bonds that will last through the eternities. I also wanted to help my kids feel closer to the Lord and feel the spirit stronger in their lives. When I took this desire to the Lord, then the answer as "Yes".
I knew that the Lord desires all of His children to return and live with him. If this is our main focus as parents, then the Lord says "Yes" do what you need to do to teach your kids, and I will help you. He has helped me and I feel blessed that I have been given this opportunity and responsibility to bring my children unto Christ.
WHY WEAKNESSES???
A while back a mentor that I look up to, posted on a facebook group that I belong to, that we need to start with our strengths in order to address our weaknesses. I loved this idea and decided that I was going to ponder and find my strengths.
My strengths that I found as I prayed were as follows:
1. I love to read
2. I love to learn
3. I love wholesomeness
4. I value and love my family
5. I value childhood
6. I value relationships
7. I love music
8. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and have an unshakeable testimony of the Scriptures and Jesus Christ.
I thought, wow, I think I can share these strengths with my kids and others. But, sometimes my weaknesses creep up on me and make it very difficult to share my strengths. So, I decided to use my strengths to overcome my weaknesses. First, I love to read. So, I picked up a book that dealt with some things that I was struggling with.
One of the first quotes from her book that I loved is as follows:
".. That's why your first responsibility in parenting is being mindful of your own inner state. Mindfulness is the opposite of "losing" your temper. Don't get me wrong- mindfulness doesn't mean that you don't feel anger. Being mindful means that you pay attention to what you're feeling, but don't act on it. (p.6)"
Well, pretty much she is trying to tell us that if we don't take care of ourselves as parents, then it is really hard to take care of our kids. There is so much insight in this book. I wish I could just keep it in my memory. I truly recommend this to every parent.
I've also read another book lately by an educator that I love an admire named Charlotte Mason. http://www.amazon.com/Habits-Mothers-Secret-Success-Charlotte/dp/1508401659
I loved this book, because she says that anything that a child is failing to do is most likely because those habits haven't been instilled in the Mother or in the child. If you want your child to have good habits, you must have good habits yourself. If I want my child to build habits, I need to be mindful of those habits and not let them go each time. It doesn't mean I need to get mad at them, it means that I need to gently remind them each time. I am the queen of letting things go, so Charlotte Mason gave me renewed vigor. She says that if we focus on too many habits at once that it can be overwhelming, so we need to focus on one habit at a time until it becomes second nature. It takes about 4-6 weeks to build a habit. By the end of the year we will have about 12 new habits if we focus on one at a time, rather than a whole bunch of incomplete habits. Pretty amazing insight.
So, as you can see when I have weaknesses I am forced too lean on what I know and turn those weaknesses into strengths.
Lastly, a few of my strengths are music and the gospel. I found that music brings peace and harmony into our home and gets us moving, and I found that when I focus on reading my scriptures and having a daily devotional with my kids that our days are blessed. Jesus Christ truly does make up for any weaknesses that we have and He will be there when we put Him first in our lives.
I can truly see that Heavenly Father gave me weaknesses so that I can turn those weaknesses into strengths. I once heard a quote that said that " We worked on our strengths before we came to earth, now is the time to work on our weaknesses." So, now I am renewed and feel that I am grateful for my weaknesses or else life would be so boring and pointless if all we had were strengths.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)