Apparently it made national news that a toddler destroyed the work of some visiting Tibetan monks http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/120315.html

 It is amazing to me how many people have totally missed the message that the monks have shared with us.  Some  of the comments posted talk about how awful the child is (have they ever been around a toddler?   Hello–this was not a malicious act, it was, as the monks said, innocent).   After hearing that the monks immediately forgave the child and restarted their work, I decided I need to go see this for myself.    So, Friday we took a little field trip.    The monks were quietly and calmly working, though they took time to stop and smile and give a small wave to my kids.   All three kids sat transfixed, watching them meticulously applying bits of colored sand.    

What I find interesting is that this toddler is seen as a force of destruction.  However, his misadventure has brought tons of publicity to the plight of these monks, who are traveling throughout the country creating mandalas as a fundraiser to rebuild a destroyed monestary.   This anonymous child has brought more attention, and most assuredly more funds, to their cause.  

I found their message of forgiveness to be very inspiring and something I would love to cultivate in my parenting.  How many times do parents see something destructive that their children do as intentionally malicious rather than a careless byproduct of curiousity?    While I know I won’t be reaching their level of transcendence any time soon, I’m hoping this week to try to view messes and mishaps differently.    

A local tunnel play kids place put on a family Survivor challenge on Memorial day and I signed us up.    I guess there wasn’t effective advertising done, because when we got there we found there were only 3 teams competing.

 We had to compete in six different challenges.   First, we had to eat gross stuff.   Amazingly, no one (not even my little vomit boy) threw up or passed and so we got a good time on that.   I had to eat blended greenbeans and applesause.  Shuddering just thinking about it, though dh says he had it worse—ketsup and marshmallow fluff.   Jordan declared her pork rinds and melted chocolate to be delicious. 

Next we did a mental challenge.  We totally rocked on most of that.  On one challenge we had to build the highest tower possible with materials provided and ours partially crashed with seconds to go and was only 16 inches high.   We were a bit bummed until we found out the other teams’ had totally crashed and so ours scored much higher.  

 After that we had to make a tribal costume.    We took the option of “decorating” one team member and made Jordan our mascot.  She was  a very patient victim and we applied every single item offered in some manner (and then learned later that our creativity had nothing to do with our points—the score was based on how many different items were used).   We scored well on that.  

Then we did a quick scavenger hunt and I think most of us were asleep at the wheel on that one and our score was only so-so. 

Next we had to take turns retrieving team flags hidden in the tunnels.    We did fairly well on that but our big score advantage was in the bonus round of running through a smaller tunnel system and getting a point for every time one of us made it down the slide in a minute.   We got 24 points.  Apparrently I can still haul some booty when I need to.

 Our final challenge was to do the high ropes course.  Jordan was very nervous.   I was so proud of all of us—Alex and Aubrey were kind and encouraging and even though our time on that event was slower than the other teams who took time penalties when their younger children declined to participate, seeing Jordan’s determination to participate and make it through the course made it worthwhile.

 I loved how well we all worked together as a team and we all had a lot of fun.   Though it sounds trite, it really was a bonding experience. 

 Oh, did I forget to mention?   We totally won.  

Our trophies sitting on my mantle.

She’s going to want to take apart her alarm clock.  And when you tell her no, she’ll ask you to take her to Goodwill.  When you tell her maybe tomorrow, she’ll bug her younger siblings for their small, unwanted/broken electronic toys.  And if they give her these toys, she will take out their circuit boards.  And if she takes out their circuit boards she’s going to want the erector set to create a body.  And if she creates a body she’s going to…..

 Let’s just say that Aubrey is enjoying her newest magazine http://makezine.com/.    Lest you think she is a genius, though we have a lot of pieces of stuff, there is nothing that we need to fear is going to take over the world. 

Last week we heard a blue jay causing quite a fuss outside so we went out to investigate.  We found not one, but two snakes in the tree he was in.   They were coiled up together.    We watched them for a while before Aubrey’s eyes got really big “I think I know what they’re doing!”  and she ran inside.    She came back out a few minutes later.   “Yup.   They’re mating.   The one biting the other—that’s the male.  He bites her to hold her in place.”   I don’t even want to know what her search query was!   But now my kids know more about snake sex than the average public  or homeschooler.  

Of course Aubrey immediately wanted to design an area that the female would consider a nice nesting site so we could watch baby snakes.  Um.  So completely not interested in that!   

 And now back to our regularly scheduled lessons…

I don’t normally have the patience for quizzes (dial up makes one choosy, loL!), but I had to take the book quiz.   

You’re Siddhartha!

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

The funny thing is, I went through quite a Herman Hesse phase during my years of teen angst.   I really thought I’d moved beyond that, but I guess one never really changes…

You walk into the large library (one that serves a city of over $70,000) and before you even pull out your library card the librarian says “Oh!  Glad you’re here.  We have LOTS of books in for you”  and she rushes out (still hasn’t checked card) and comes back with a crate of books.   It was ONLY 28 books.   I mean, really, there are five of us–that is just 5-6 apiece.   I guess my reputation preceds me .

We just happened upon this series and it is the current favorite right now.    Lots of pictures, thought bubbles and silliness.    Jordan gets through them in one sitting, so I wish there were more of them.   Jordan and Alex have also been reading the Magic Treehouse books, but leapt at the chance for something different.  Well, they are a bit formulaic (a bit!).

Aubrey is at that age where she is critical and questioning of everything, so this book really spoke to her. 

And me, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, so Barbara Kingsolver’s book of essays “High Tide in Tuscon” was just the perfect thing.   Able to be read and skimmed through in short bursts.   Now I’ve just brought home her sequel to Bean Trees and I think I’m ready to dig in.   I really have to limit my fiction because I get so absorbed in it that I let things go.   Really.  Like–fend for yourself children, I’ve got a book to finish.  Oh, there’s laundry?  After the next chapter.   Maybe.   Luckily, I’m a fairly fast reader so the neglect is fairly short lived.  

Haven’t been around here much.   Been busy planting flowers and enjoying our (finally!) Spring.   Plus, the last few weeks seem to have had either appointments or activities/field trips every day on the calendar.   Whew!   I’m so glad today and Monday are completely clear.    It suddenly occurred to me that this “year” was almost over.   In less than two weeks I’m going on  a short Lake trip with people from work and then the next Monday the kids will start summer school (they’re still holding to that plan!) So, I have less than two weeks to “finish” whatever it is I think I’m going to finish this year, lol.   

And of course I’m starting to think about next year.   I’m actually thinking the kids need more structured learning next year.  Specifically in the area of writing/grammar/spelling type stuff.  I know I’m supposed to wait for all of this stuff to just spring out of their heads, but when it comes down to it, I’m really not comfortable having 9 year olds that can’t express themselves on paper at least a little.   Alex’s spelling is so atrocious I can rarely decipher what he’s trying to say (it is usually some combination of phonics and letters he recalls being in the word, often in very random order).  We’ve been working on doing more copy work and free writing and doing some spelling drills.   I am seeing progress, which makes me feel guilty that I haven’t provided more throughout the year.  Though it is so beyond schooly, we’ve actually started doing spelling lists.  They write the word and study it and then we play a board game (just a board from an old game the kids have outgrown) where they roll the dice and then I give them a spelling word and if they spell it correctly they get to move what they rolled.     I usually don’t care for competition between the two, but it is really nice for Jordan to be the natural winner, and Alex’s competitive nature pushes him to make much more of an effort.   The first couple of times were a landslide, and now it is getting pretty even, though I do give Jordan harder words.  

So, we’ve pulled out some of our montessori language stuff and our First Language lessons and we’ve been hitting the books pretty heavy.   Well, in between the activities and field trips and enjoying the wonderful Spring weather.

Alex is zooming through his Singapore 2B.  I felt a bit “behind” in April when he was starting it, but of course as we get into it we realize that the extra activities we’d been doing all year went through most of the topics and now he’s wrapping it up.    Jordan has started on MathUSee, and I think it is going to be a good fit.  No magic epiphany, but the method seems to work.   On most days.  Then there are those other days…

 I’m actually pondering a “box” curriculum next year.   I’ve been looking over Oak Meadow third grade.  I think we’d still do our own math, but everything seemed very piecemeal this year.  Or maybe I’m just tired and thinking it would be nice just to open a box and have it all there.  

 Aubrey is also looking to take specific “courses” that are on the state high school college prep graduation list.  Though I think we will still do some classes fairly casually, she is considering an official World History and Biology course.  And I’ve already told her she will do some sort of writing course with an outside party so I can be the mom who helps rather than trying to be the teacher.    With that and some phys-ed (soccer!) and her Spanish and creating some electives around here interests, she should be set.   We are leaning towards Teaching Textbooks for Algebra 2 next year. 

 So that, in a long rambling nutshell, is what has been going on here!  

I got this  from the library, but I think I may have to break down and buy it.    The first experiment we tried used eggs.  First we made them “naked” eggs by leaving them in vinegar to dissolve the outer shell.  Then we discussed semi-permeable membranes and put one of the naked eggs into water and one into corn syrup.  The membrane attempted to equalize the water ratio between the inside and the outside of the eggs and after a day our eggs looked like this:

So, can you figure out which one was in water?

 Next we are going to whip up some egg whites for an experiment on the science of meringue.  

Last week the girls and I went on a day trip to a living history museum that was a village set up like one in the late 1800’s.   There were people at each building demonstrating what it was like to live then.  

The one room schoolhouse

Recess

Talking with a trapper

Quilting

Making biscuits and churning butter.  They were cooking them in a real wood burning stove and had some to share.  Mmmm!

And can’t forget laundry!