This week, Newton’s Laws of Motion provided us with a nearly-last-minute 4-H Demonstration. We chose some of the simplest experiments to explore the Laws of Motion… Newton’s First Law of Motion Garfield learned that he really should buckle his seat belt, for an object in motion will continue moving at the same speed until an […]
Be-real-ism: Another Reality Check
Crumbs lie on the floor. Disheveled piles of papers scatter across the kitchen counters. Legos blanket just about everything in our home. And we had cereal for supper. Again. I just finished a giveaway event of resources we use, and we indeed use them. But not all the time. Not even frequently. This brings me […]
Assembly-Line Valentines
Merging an assembly-line idea with a popular February holiday, we have finished this year’s Valentines, and with time to spare! (And with a great Industrial Revolution history tie-in, too!) Because I could not find gummy hearts at the store, I settled for some great big heart marshmallows, which, by the way, can be EXTREMELY messy if you are trying to cut them […]
Classical Music Study: Free SQUILT Lessons
As our family has explored different ways to incorporate classical music study into our home throughout the year, I’ve discovered several resources and methods that do not work for us (mainly because of… me!). Back in November, I planned to make our own classical music studies, starting with a childhood favorite, Prokofiev. About that time, […]
All About Spelling All About Reading Review
When our middle child was in Kindergarten, we spent four months struggling to use a reading program that was not working for us. At the end of those four months, he still could not blend the letter sounds into words. As I researched other programs, I came across All About Reading. I downloaded the samples […]
Exploring States of Matter
What happens when you add heat energy to water? To see how heat changes the motion of molecules, follow this simple experiment by adding food coloring to hot water and cold water. What happens when you add pressure to ice? {When pressure is added to ice, its melting point is reduced.} Check out this experiment […]
Latin’s Not So Tough Review
This year we tried out a Latin curriculum for our two oldest children (ages 7 and 10) and have found it fairly simple to include Latin’s Not So Tough within our schedule. Latin’s Not So Tough introduces the alphabet, diphthongs, and special consonant blends, followed by vocabulary and sentence construction/translation. The upper levels include noun declension, verb […]
Classic Elementary Physical Science Curriculum Review
Sometimes I try something different, only to find that my children prefer a tried-and-true method of the past. So has been the case with science this year. When I pulled out the books that I had purchased for our study of physical science this spring, my children instead opted for something we used three years […]
The Wichitas of Southwest Oklahoma: Holy City, Fish Ladder, and Heart Rock
Just about every year we make a trip to my home state of Oklahoma. Our favorite place to make memories is the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, which includes a visit to… The Holy City of the Wichitas, a very special site for all of us, as it is where our family started… […]