Testimony from the past

Summer Break and Starting to Plan

Now that Nick and Sam are starting their 3rd week of summer break, I am gearing up for their 2013/2014 year.  They will be doing a lot of learning together, meaning that they will be on the same level in certain subject areas.  This year, Nick and Sam will be learning and doing projects that coincide with everyday living.  I am still working on a few items but one of the projects that is planned has to do with math.

Math has always been a struggle for both Nick and Sam in various ways.  They are both good at the subject, but they find it boring doing daily worksheets.  They enjoy counting money and figuring out how much to save for specific purchases.  Living math is something I have been wanting to incorporate and when I saw this, I couldn't resist. I knew it was a great fit for Nick and Sam. I purchased the book store and pet shop business math.  For the first half of our year, the kids will be managing their own book stores and if all goes well, the second half of the year they will manage their own pet shops.

Reading daily is also something that Nick and Sam will be doing.  This is one area where I don't have to plan :) 

Arts and Crafts will be incorporated with history, nature study, math, etc.

Writing and History are the two things that I am still working on and will be finishing up those plans in the next week or so. Stay tuned for an update of sorts :)

Delight Directed will be up to Nick and Sam :)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

(picture from Amazon.com)

"...Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys.  He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, and event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years.  He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard.  Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards.
And in his case, different can be deadly." ~ taken from the inside front jacket

Tonight I finished reading book 4 in the Harry Potter series by J. K Rowling.  Nick and Sam were mesmerized through all 734 pages.  We met new characters and were re-introduced to old foes.  Breathless adventure, daring escapes and building friendships kept us engaged during the 4th year at Hogwarts.

Thank you Canaan Library for allowing us to re-check this book out.  We appreciate it!

Now on to book 5...wonder if any of my questions will be answered ;)

Frederick the Fish

Yesterday, our next door neighbor offered us some fresh caught trout.  I told him that I would take a couple, even though we are not fish eaters in our house.  Samantha has been fascinated with the fish and wanted to study them a little bit.  So today, while 2 of the 5 fish were grilling, Samantha had fun with 'Frederick'

As you can see, Frederick was already cleaned out. (thank goodness for that!)

 A face shot which then led to the question...Do fish have tongues?

I had Samantha open Frederick's mouth and yes, there is what looks like a tongue.  This picture is a bit blurry, but we also found out that the tongue has little spikes on the end of it.  Probably to help it eat.  Also, Frederick has little tiny teeth too!

Samantha thought the back fin was pretty interesting.  She was able to move it in and out like a fan.

Samantha also found out that Frederick is quite flexible and also has a spine.  She was moving the fish from side to side and could imagine it swimming in the water.

You can't observe a fish without feeling the inside.  Samantha is holding one side open and she felt the inside of Frederick.  She said that it felt rough.

The following are the observations that Samantha dictated to me:

• The tongue and teeth are sharp
• Back fin can be pushed back and forth like a fan
• Appears to be a rainbow trout
• Eyes feel like peeled grapes and the black stud (center of eye) doesn't change
• Dorsal fin feels gooey
• Top of the head is green
• The scales are shiney
• Under the gills are what appears to be the lungs
• When rubbing the fish toward the head, the skin feels soft. 
• When rubbing the fish toward the tail, the skin feels rough
• No scales on the head
• Fish have noses.  Samantha noticed nose holes near the point over the mouth opening
• Frederick is slippery and flexible
• The bump down the middle of the back feels like the spine

 After spending about 1/2 hour with Frederick, Samantha tried some of the grilled trout and came to the conclusion that eating trout is not that great.

Nick did participate a little bit.  He really wasn't to keen on handling the fish.  He observed from a distance.

Thank you Frederick!  We had fun learning from you :)
  

Faith

"And now as I said concerning faith - faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." ~ Alma 32:21

National Day of Prayer

"In His name the nations will put their hope." ~ Matthew 12:21

The Imagination Station: Hunt for the Devil's Dragon - review

"Are you brave enough to follow cousins Beth and Patrick?  In 13th century Libya, a vicious animal is killing the townspeople's sheep. To appease the beast, the people believe they must offer up a maiden as a sacrifice.  When Beth tries to help a girl names Sabra escape from becoming the animal's next victim, she is left for an offering outside a dragon's lair.  Meanwhile, Patrick and a new friend named Hazi, join Georgius, a Roman knight who plans to kill the dragon.  But the plan goes awry when Beth and Sabra beg him not to hurt the dragon.  The girls know the true secret of Silene - the dragon isn't its worst enemy." (taken from the back cover of the book)

I had never heard of The Imagination Station series and am now wondering why.  What a great way to teach kids lessons of truth, bravery and friendship.  Cousins Beth and Patrick learn a valuable lesson about 'standing up for what's right, no matter what.' What I really liked about the book, was the way that the Roman soldier lived according to Christ's ways, even when others ridiculed him.  Such a positive powerful message to young children

The recommended reading level for this book is ages 7 and up.

(Disclaimer:  Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.  All I was asked was to offer my honest opinion, positive or negative).