Hello Blog
Long time, no updates! That doesn't mean we haven't been busy with our school life. 2012 marks our 7th year of home schooling. Wow time flies when you're watching your kids grow up.
This past weekend was the kid's piano recitals.
Finn played Somewhere in my memory(Home Alone theme) by Williams.
Chance played Impromptu,Op 90 No 2 by Schubert.
Water Fun
Last week we had a fantastic field trip to a local "camp" where the kids learned to canoe. They did really well for their first time in a boat.
After the canoeing they moved on to catching critters in the pond. Eldest son's big catch was a baby turtle.
Youngest son had fun catching tadpoles.
But I think he had a better time swimming.
End of the Year
We made it through another school year. We "officially" completed third and seventh grades. Yippee!!
The kids are just a little bit excited about not having to do school work for a while and reading whatever books they want from sunrise to sunset.
Halfway Mark
Here in Northern Illinois, we had a beautiful snowfall that the kids(and dogs) enjoyed.
This week we completed week 18 of our school year. Exactly halfway through the year. We are taking a break until January. We all need a little down time especially during the last few weeks of December.
Now the kids are starting to see the benefits of starting so early in August.
Here is a recent photo of a chemistry experiment in progress.
He was observing how different metals produce different colors of light when they are heated.
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Real World Math
I have many a mornings when Algebra seems way too difficult. My 7th grader comes to me with a blank expression and looks to me for help. We work through it together and he still has a blank look and I get more confused and wonder how the heck I made it through Jr. High math. We started working through a Real World Algebra book last week. It's not making things any clearer!
Example problem:
Larry had the same number of nickels and dimes in his left pocket. In his right pocket, he had an equal number of quarters and half-dollars. When Larry counted all the nickels and half-dollars, it totaled $16.35. When he counted the dimes and quarters, it totaled $10.20. How many quarters does Larry have?
