Inspire a Child

Electricity 2.08.12

2012-02-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

I was really sick on Mon so I moved this weeks class to Thurs.

Even though there are a few years difference in the boy’s ages they are both taking Physics; O is in Physics 1 and BJ is in Physics 2. I mentioned earlier at the beginning of the school year. To make the classes go more smoothly while teaching them both I went through the NOEO lesson plan and had rearranged the order so that the boys would be studying the same parts of Physics at the same time whenever possible. That worked out really well for the most part, but there were times when it doesn't work.

I felt bad when BJ would have web sites to go to that I thought would be great for O as well, but O had things in his lesson plan that he had to get done and there was no time left for him to go to the sites. Then a couple of weeks ago I made a little change in our lessons to allow for that. Now if BJ is covering something that I think O will benefit from we just stop and go join BJ.

This week I took it a step further and we ended up having a fabulous time in school. BJ had several fun experiments with electricity to do so we all did them together.

The first experiment was a simple one involving static electricity. Using two balloons and wool we created friction which excited the electrons and the protons in the balloon and observed the balloons now repelled each other.

We began the other electrical experiments by first taking a good look at the different kinds of batteries. With the exception of the 9 volt the others were 1.5 V even though they were all different sizes.

The next couple of experiments dealt with complete circuits and power.
What happens when you complete a circuit?

What happens when you add another battery and double the power?

What makes good conductors; paper, paperclip, glass, spoon, wood, rubber band?

While BJ was going through this list of things to test O was experimenting on his own, unbeknownst to us. I was not really tracking as I was caught up in BJ. All of a sudden O makes an exclamation, we look around and he has taken bits and pieces of wire, connectors and a light, created his own circuit and lit the light bulb!!

This led into our next discussion about insulators.

We had created electrical circuits, but we did not get shocked. Electricity ran through metal but not wood, paper, plastic. How would that benefit us? How could we use it? Where would we want to be during an electrical storm?

From here we used the information that metal is a conductor to create a very simple circuit board from aluminum and cardboard.

The electrical current travels through the aluminum and lights the bulb.
The next experiment was just for fun. BJ made a one eyed monster.

We experimented using a paperclip as a switch. By opening it and having a wire attached to each side the circuit would close and light the light when the paperclip was pressed down to touch the metal.
Creating an electromagnet was interesting. It did not work at first, but when it did the boys got so excited.
The side effect though was the 9 volt battery got really, really hot!!

The last experiment was another fun one. I had bought a little robo bug kit. The boys put it together. When complete you turn it on, it buzzes and the vibration it creates moves it across the floor.

Can't wait till next week!

CHES Meeting 2.08.12

2012-02-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

Our CHES meeting, which is held on the second Weds of the month, is usually filled with exciting information that enables us as teachers to encourage our children, or in my case, grandchildren, and inspire them to stretch their mental abilities.

This past Weds. meeting was no exception.

After a few minutes of chat time we were treated to “The Classical Showcase Extravaganza”, a PowerPoint presentation that Dani made a few years ago.

I love it!

It succinctly presented the various facets of Classical Education in a clear easily understood way. I wanted to be able to show Gary so I borrowed it, made a few copies and will get it back so others can check it out as well.

Next we interacted in a group activity “Practice the Topos”. An enlightening exercise on how the same set of information can be given out and then changed with the use of descriptive words to metamorphize into entirely different stories.

The practical application would be to show our children how to develop their ability to carry out the first steps in the creative writing process.

The two stories that resulted were amazing! There was not a lot of time to brain storm and our group seemed to have more difficulties making the story romantic than the other group had making it scary, but both were excellent examples of what could be accomplished.

Next we covered strategic ways to help our students learned The Presidents names through ditty’s as well as the words to the Preamble and what they mean.

We all had fun with the ditty. The tune reminded me of jumping rope. It had that kind of cadence. We received a handout with all the names as you would sing them with the pauses.

The handout on the preamble was interesting as it took each sentence and in layman’s terms explained the meaning, then illustrated the sentences. As nice visual cue for students to pull to mind when the need arises.

There were also handouts on preparation for literary analysis which encouraged learning about the personal histories of the authors. This in turn would give a reader a greater understanding of the literary work.

I especially appreciated the handout on important literary terms. Some of which I had never heard of, but all of which would enhance a reader and writer in their literary skills.

Lastly, we had sharing time. I shared that Barbara McCoys daughter had created her first magazine and how to get a copy. I also encouraged everyone to visit the “Handbook of Nature” blog. It has really morphed from a personal to professional looking blog.

Tina shared the fund raiser, a coupon book. A great deal. I should get one.

Our extravaganza will be on May 17th, a Thursday this year.

We were all encouraged to attend the CHAT meeting scheduled for the 15th.

The lemon squares Dani brought were sinful. I think I will blame them for my not losing any weight this week.

I love the font Dani uses. I need to find out what it is.

Electricity 1.30.12

2012-02-01T01:21:00.000-08:00

Today we learned about Benjamin Franklin and Electricity!!
BJ is really taking off with this format I use now. Wish I would have thought of it sooner.

When I prepare the lessons I read all the material. Pick out what I feel is important, put that information into questions and define words, look up the internet links for the books, choose the ones I think fit into our lesson the best.

Then it is all in his lesson plan on a flash drive. He plugs it in and knows exactly what to read, has his questions to answer, words to define and sites to see. The state gets what they want and then we go to the fun stuff.

I have all the material needed for the experiments ready and when he is done we jump into that.

What is great is he is occupied reading, and filling in the information which frees me to read to O his lessons for the day. When he is done he goes to his brother and they visit the web sites together. I love listening to Bj explain to Owen what they are seeing. I am there to supervise and interject when necessary.

I added a little something extra this week. I felt we should become more familiar with the scientists we are reading about. We learn who they are, how they lived and died, what they discovered but we see their pictures once and then go on to the next one. The pictures were fading in my head so I made a printed sheet up and taped it to the wall. BJ knew them all O knew two of the four.

Archemedes

Sir Isaac Newton

Ben Franklin

Albert Einstein

Soon we will have several more to add. How exciting!!

Our experiments today were courtesy of an Enviro Battery kit I picked up at Michaels.

There were 5 experiments dealing with electricity.
The kit comes with almost everything needed, most of which can be reused.
copper and zinc plates, connecting wires, cups, screw caps for water bottles, a light tower, sound chip, LCD watch, tape

At the beginning we learned that the universal colour wire for the positive charge was red and the negative charge was black.

We also learned that for these experiments the copper plate would be the carrier for the positive charges and the zinc plate would be the carrier for the negative charges.

Since we just learned about Benjamin Franklin and we would be using aqueous mediums to conduct the electrical charges for all our experiments it offered a fine hands on opportunity to teach about things that conduct electricity and where we might want to me in a thunderstorm or what to avoid if live wires were down.

Experiment #1 - Make a potato powered clock. The boys got excited to see it work!

Everything we need

Attaching the wires

Inserting the plates

It runs!

Experiment #2 - Musical Mud

This one did not quite do what we had hoped. Maybe it was the wrong kind of mud, or it was not wet enough As suggested we tried fruit. The orange worked much better.
We used a paper cup to amplify the sound and with it we could pick up a faint something.

Experiment #3 - Water Wonder

The LED light they give is quite faint but we did get it to light up. What was fun was adding vinegar to the water as suggested and watching the light burn brighter.

Experiment #4 - Paper clip party
The paper clips were used as a substitute for the zinc plates. I believe it is to help show the child that other items conduct electricity as well.
This one was a dude. Possibly my paper clips were not coated in zinc. I will fish around for some to see if I can get any to work.

Experiment #5 - Crazy Coin
This one employed the use of pennies to take the place of the copper plates.
Alternating aluminum, vinegar dampened cotton, and a penny two times we created a six layer sandwich held together with a clothespin.
It was a little tricky inserting the wires and not losing the sandwich. I found that by resting one part of the clothespin on the counter I could lever the clothespin open and not had it all fall apart.

It worked but I believe we would have had a better reaction with older pennies.

Experiment # 6 - Freaky Fork
This was interesting. We used 2 forks as substitutes for the copper plates, connected to the connecting wires and the battery. After inserting them into the lemon the watch ran just fine.

These experiments were fun and well worth the time.
You would not have to buy the kits if you had coated wire available, a sound chip and a small LCD watch. The other items could be obtained around the house.

Let's play Catchup.... Again

2012-01-29T00:28:00.000-08:00

Jan 9 Owen and I attempted several experiments involving floating, flying, and gravity.

There is some cute video but it won't upload as is. I will need to work with it and upload later.

Brennan was still reading up on Archimedes.

1.20.12
We completed an experiment dealing with wind energy. Both of the boys seemed to enjoy this one.
What made it even better was the fact that this day was qite windy and we were able to take it outside and watch as the wind generated enough energy to light the bulb.

I will try to add videos later

1.23.12 This weeks experiment dealt with balance and center of gravity.
Brennan chose a Star Wars theme

Owen chose Sky Landers

These mobiles were fun to make.
Each boy chose 7 pictures they liked.
I adjusted the sizes to make them about 4 inches.

The boys cut them out, glued them to heavier weight paper, then I laminated them.

I cut 1/4" dowels into 2 - 12" lengths for Owen
For Brennan I not only cut 2 - 12" lengths, I also cut 2 - 6 inch lengths
This gave him a little more of a challenge when it came to balanceing all the pieces.

The boys then punched a hole in the top, threaded yarn through the hole and carefully placed them at different intervals on the dowels to balance the mobiles out.

Archimedes, Transporation

2011-12-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

This was an easy week since technically we are on vacation. I had lost a week though and wanted to make it up.

BJ breezed through his lessons on Archimedes and darted out the door to play with his cousins. Archimedes was a very interesting person.

One of his discoveries that I see used frequently today is the Archimedes screw.

More info on him can be found here: Archimedes

O had a hard time focusing but we finally got under way. We learned about the history of cars, airplanes, friction and motion.

Autos changed a great deal from the horseless carriage to electric cars between 1894 and 2010.

So did airplanes between 1900 and today.

It was fun, even though we did not get to the experiments. :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-12-19T00:17:00.000-08:00

This has been a very busy time for me as I am sure it is for many others. There are school days, but for me that is one full day with the boys and a half day to prepare, in addition our sons dog got torn up but the neighbors pitbull, babysitting days, a winter craft fair and endless orders to process wrap and send. Never mind the every day caring for husband, house and animals.

I am so tired I feel like I could sleep for days. Only 1 more week then I can rest. :)

The boys have been busy with Physics. O in discovering first, second, third class levers and pulleys, and B with Archimedes.

Computer Keyboard Shortcuts - My Third Set of 10 to Share

2011-11-25T22:53:00.000-08:00

With the boys gone on a vacation camping trip to the coast, my week has been more quiet than usual so therefore I have not been posting here. I have made entries in my other blogs and am busy with the various flora and fauna that abounds on our property.

I decided to add another entry to the Keyboard shortcuts. So here is the next set of 10:

My third set of 10 shortcuts:
1. New page = Ctrl n
2. Home = Goes to beginning of current line.
3. Goes to beginning of document = Ctrl + Home
4. Goes to end of current line = End
5. Goes to end of document = Ctrl + End
6. Highlights from current position to beginning of line = Shift + Home
7. Highlights from current position to end of line = Shift + End
8. Moves one word to the left at a time = Ctrl + Left arrow
9. Moves one word to the right at a time = Ctrl + Right arrow
10. Close window = Ctrl w

These are some more basic shortcuts Word and other Office Applications.
Again, many of them can be used elsewhere; experiment when you get comfortable with them.
You’ll be surprised how useful they are.

Computer Keyboard Shortcuts - My Second Set of 10 to share

2011-11-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

No matter when we use them shortcuts make our lives easier and save us time.

My next set of shortcuts:

1. Search for text in a document = Ctrl f

2. Go to a page, line, or bookmark in a document        = Ctrl g
3.   Find and replace text in a document = Ctrl h
4.   Tab                                                                         = Ctrl t
5.   Align text left                                                           = Ctrl l
6.   Align text right                                                         = Ctrl r
7.   Center text                                                             = Ctrl e
8.   Justify text           = Ctrl j
9.   Open a document                                                    = Ctrl o
10. Save a document                                                = Ctrl s

These are all helpful in Word and other Office Applications.
Many of them can be use while surfing on the net as well.

To refer to my first set of 10 click here

Field Trip - Lawrence Hall of Science

2011-11-19T23:48:00.000-08:00

I set my alarm the night before the BIG day but woke up before it went off. We had enjoyed the field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science last year and we were all eagerly anticipating another equally enjoyable trip. is year the featured exhibit was DINOSAURS!!! What kid, or adult, can resist that?

Of course what trip can start without Starbucks? So we made a quick stop there for coffee and oatmeal, slid through the Jack in the Box drive-thru next door for the boys and we were on our way.... almost. We had not anticipated the traffic. We crawled along for a few miles until we were past the congestion and then sailed on to Berkeley.

Although it had only been a year, neither of us had remember the VERY steep uphill streets to reach our destination. I took pictures but they do not do justice to the vertical trajectory we traversed.

We arrived in plenty of time, and with the knowledge of the parking procedures still in our memory banks from last year, we saved ourselves from doubling back by remembering the parking spot number so that we could pay for the ticket when we got to the ticket booth and then go onward.

The fountain where we dropped of our stuff so the kids could go play while we waited.

Now off to the Orca and the giant DNA strand for the children to play while we gather and wait until we are able to enter

Soon our fearless leader arrives and we are off!

As we all eagerly journey inside we are greeted with things that are familiar and things that are new. The boys had looked forward to the air cannon and were not disappointed.

The thingy that you put pictures in and spin to animate the pictures, the air cannon, the air floaty ball thingy and the push the pins and make the shape thingy were still there and still favourites of all.
(Obviously I did not write the names down of all the thingy's and when I tried Googling them I spent an hour and learned nothing, at least nothing about the thingy's, but I got some good links for school. :-) --)

What was new here in the entry was a very LARGE dinosaur. Totally mesmerizing.

From here we wandered into the next room where we found more dinosaurs and a sweet archaeological dig site. Kids and adults alike gathered round to excavate their own space. My daughter and Owen uncovered what I thought was a Raptor fossil.

Traveling toward the back we had a choice; go left, go right. We chose left. Owen and Alicia spent some time constructing marble runs as well as checking out all the different constructing stations.

Soon it was time for Owen's "Journey to the Moon" in the Planetarium. I was so looking forward to it... until it started. "Yolanda" drove me nuts! She baby talked her information as though the children were 2 - 4 yr olds, waved her pointer flashlight in circles till my eyes hurt, made erroneous statements, then corrected herself. (you never see the moon in the day do you? nooooooo. Then a little girl innocently raised her hand and said, "I saw the moon in the day yesterday") Out of the mouth of babes.
Coincidentally, on the way home later guess what was quite visible in the day sky? The moon.
That experience did not end soon enough for me. Although, I did enjoy the short vignettes of the original moon landings and the various lift offs.

Lunch was peaceful, partaken outside with a view to die for as the children enjoyed the earthquake displays (which unfortunately were not working this year), watershed displays AND ...... one huge Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Owen and several other boys spent a lot of time there damming water in various spots in the watershed display.

Alicia and I found a comfortable rock and enjoyed the moment.

T Rex and other other Dino video

After lunch I meandered around and stumbled upon the main Dinosaur Unearthed display. Not sure if it was from lack of visible directions or my own "taking in TMI to process it efficiently, but I do not remember there being actual signs pointing the way.
No matter, this display was so way cool I did not care. A little dark for pictures, but I still snapped away.

Oh speaking of lack of direction, at one time they gave an announcement over the intercom that their was a lizard in the blah, blah blah location I scurried to where I thought that was, no lizard. So.... when in doubt, ask questions. I asked 4 people that worked there, including one at the front desk, no one knew anything. So I gave up and went into the earth/moon room. This was very well done and could be enjoyed at anyone's leisure.

Earth / Moon You tube video

We all reconnected and explored the lower levels where the classrooms are. Here there were many interactive displays to be enjoyed. One area I got a kick of filming was the convex and concave mirrors. Owen had just covered that section so it was still fresh in his mind. These mirrors were a lot more fun than the back and bowl of a spoon I used in class!!

Last, but not least was the gift shop. One of the better ones I have been in, this one is chock full of science things. I left with my hands full. My personal treasure was a Newtons Cradle.

In the main hall we took a moment to savor our new possessions. The children, quickly bored turned toward the yellow thingy and soon the adults were entering the melee. Some fun pictures were the result.

Having fun with the Yellow Thingy video

This was an adventurous day filled with fun and learning. Not sure who enjoyed it more, the boys or Alicia and me. Just really glad we got to go.

Picasa Album of Pictures for our Lawrence Hall of Science Field Trip

5 minute Summary of the Day's Field Trip video

Final Winter Wednesday Mammals

2011-11-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

I did not really understand blogs to much when I started and in going through old posts I realized that some that I had thought were posted were only drafts. This is one I found that I thought was worth posting. Better late than never. :) It was dated 3.11.09
*******
I chose a common mammal that I see on our property, the jackrabbit. I decided on it because I feel it is misunderstood and seldom paid attention to, with the exception of how to eradicate it.
I personally became emotionally more connected with them last summer when I began noticing that that can look different from each other, and also I was curious as to why there were baby rabbits by themselves in various places on our property.

I discovered that the Jack rabbit is actually a hare, which is different from a rabbit. Rabbits are clearly distinguished from hares in that rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are generally born with hair and are able to see (precocial). This would explain why I saw the little ones by themselves. I also found out that the mothers only nurse them twice a day. It is presumed that they do not go to them more often as to avoid having a predator following them. It is highly recommended that should a baby hare be found it should be left alone as the mother is nearby. Me in my ignorance, used to think the poor baby had been abandoned.

Jack Rabbit

All rabbits except the cottontail rabbit live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as does the cottontail rabbit), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while rabbits are often kept as house pets.

Cottontail

Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. (There are four other species of leporid in the genera. Caprolagus and Pronolagus are also called "hares".) Very young hares, less than one year old, are called leverets.

Hares are very fast-moving. The European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) can run at speeds of up to 72 km/h (45 mph). They live solitary or in pairs, while "a drove of hares" is the collective noun for a group of hares.

Last year we had LARGE droves of hares.

footnote: our population of jack rabbits has greatly diminished as we are very happy about that. They eat everything!

Energy; Heat; Radioactivity and Einstein 11.14.11

2011-11-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

Oops! I thought I had blogged our lesson last week and just saw I did not. :P
I think it was probably due to the fact that we had a field trip last Mon (our regular class day.)

Our 11.07.11 field trip to The Lawrence Hall of Science will be blogged by this weekend. I have been rendering and uploading the videos to get them ready for the blog.

We moved that weeks school day to Thurs and the day before that our son's little dog got torn up by the neighbor's Pitbull and Shepard. On Thurs the little guy was in surgery. Fri I drove out of town to visit my oldest son's son.... so..... I totally spaced on the lessons.

To play catch up:Last week BJ studied Energy; Heat; Radioactivity and O learned about Einstein.

This is one of Einsteins most famous photos. It shows his sense of humor. He liked it so much he bought several copies from the photographer. O laughed when he saw it. It made Einstein a little more human, I think.

There was only one experiment this week for the boys, but there was a lot of information to absorb.

BJ covered Fahrenheit and Celsius methods of measuring the temperature. James Joule, and kinetic energy (I had just bought a Newtons Cradle during our Mon. field trip the the Lawrence Hall of Science so it fit in nicely with today's lesson.) O and BJ frequently merged their lessons as I have planned them to be closely related. It works out great at times like this because O and BJ were able to experiment with kinetic energy and energy displacement while enjoying themselves with the Newtons cradle.

I really enjoy the Usborne quicklinks, but have learned to explore them before they do. Sometimes they are dead links, sometimes, like this week, they are only available in a particular country, sometimes they might be a link we have gone to before and sometimes they are not age appropriate. So I am really glad I checked this week as BJ had several listed in his studies to visit and only a few were viable.

Homeschooling is not a learning experience just for the children:)

I also subscribe to Enchanted Learning(an excellent resource for a variety curriculum materials), and through the school I have access to Brain Pop, Brain Pop Jr and the actual printed copy of the Sacramento Bee. ( I enjoyed this myself. It is like reading the newspaper, without the ink on your fingers : ) )

This week BJ studied Nuclear Power / Balance and O learned about Levers.
We started this week off with experiments first though. I had an Ein-o energy box so we completed the mechanical, elastic, wind and energy experiments.

The first was an experiment with mechanical energy.

Using the shooter device the boys were able to make the flyer go. This resulted in some humorous antics. I posted one short video of them on my you tube channel; Earthsong54.

The boys also completed an elastic energy experiment.

The spool spun around using the wound up rubber band for an energy source.

There was also an experiment on wind energy. O made a pinwheel then demonstrated how it worked. I really liked the design he drew as well.

After we read "How to lift a Lion" O and I used the Ein-O Mech Science kit to construct examples of first, second and third class levers. O really seemed to enjoy that!

This is an example of a First Class lever:

This is an example of a Second Class lever:

This is an example of a Third Class lever:

While we were doing that BJ was having fun with Balancing things: first his body then things around the house then experiments in his Gizmos and Gadgets book. He made a balancing snake and a balancing parrot

The parrot turned out so cute.

Computer Keyboard Shortcuts - My First 10 to Share

2011-11-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

No matter when we use them, shortcuts make our lives easier and save us time.

After our last CHES meeting Dani and I talked about sharing shortcuts at the next meeting. I use them everyday and know how useful they are so I was game.

I got home and started doing research to see what was out there and had to take a break to get over the TMI feeling I was getting, it was making my head hurt.

So I decided to start with what I use the most. So at least once a week I will try to ad shortcuts and techie tips to make computer use easier.
Learning a few at a time will get you up and running, soon people will think you are a computer whiz!!

My Top Ten Shortcuts:

1. Undo an action = ctrl z
2. Redo an action = ctrl y
3. Copy selected item = ctrl c
4. Cut selected item = ctrl x
5. Paste selected item = ctrl v
6. Print selected item = ctrl p
7. Bold selected item = ctrl b
8. Underscore selected item = ctrl u
9. Italics selected item = ctrl i
10. Select all text = ctrl a

I love these 10!
I use at least some, if not all of them, every single day.

Voyages of Discovery - Field Trip 11.04.11

2011-11-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Fri was an exciting, albeit cold, field trip. One that I was particularly looking forward to as I had never been on a sailing ship like that before.

Noone could doubt the chill in the air as we all stood there shivering in our sweatshirts and coats, shifting our weight from one foot to the other in a lame attempt to get warm. Our breath was so heavy with vapor it looked like we were all smoking.... not!

Once gathered, the young man from the ship began organizing us into 3 rows; alpha watch, beta watch and Charley watch. Each watch would begin at a different station. As I watched this young man perform his duties I noticed he was no longer a mother's son, meaning in my mind that he was on his own, his mother no longer caring for his every need. This, in part was extrapolated from the little clues; he wore two different socks and was a little disheveled. I discerned that he may be one of the crew mates so I engaged him in conversation.

It turns out my hunch was right. He had been on the Hawaiian Chieftain for 7 months and soon would be transferring to a ship up north coming out of Puget Sound. His first contact with the ship had been when it had come to his home town. He came aboard for the at sea tour, liked what he saw, sold all he had, and stayed; with no regrets. He said all he owned fit into a backpack.

I think I was expecting a larger ship, not sure why, just my own flighty imagination, stirred by Hollywood movies I guess. Although it was not as large as I expected it was a fascinating replica, beautifully constructed.

We were welcomed on board by a man I originally thought was the captain. I later found out that he was not. The captain was indeed on board, but down below decks and we never saw him.
This gentleman had worked on board on and off over the past 3 years. This tour he had been on board for about 2 months.

A bronze placard was mounted just below deck giving a brief history of the ship.

Our first station was to learn about trade. The catalyst for the treacherous undertaking of the long voyages.

Where did they sail? Why did they sail? How did they get there? What was it they wanted so badly as to risk their own lives?

China was a primary destination. It offered tea, and silk; commodities unavailable or hard to get elsewhere. The Chinese in return wanted otter pelts. An interesting fact that surprised me was that the sea otters were originally trapped were over 6 feet long!!! I had no idea they could get that big! Another fact she mention was that they had over 1,000,000 otter fur hairs per sq inch! That was such an astronomical number I had to Google it to be sure and yes that was correct.

Below is a link for more Sea Otter information:
Sea Otters

Tea was shipped in brick form. One brick could make 5,000 cups of tea and was valued at an entire years wages for the sailor.

I loved looking at the rigging!

Our next station was at the front of the ship.

This young man gave insight to the vast separation between officer and sailor. Officers were lettered and skilled in numbers. At times mutinies would occur, the officers killed and the sailors stuck out on the ocean with no knowledge of how to navigate the ship back to a port.

In this photo he is holding a compass. It was the most intriguing compass I have ever seen. I would love to have one.

I would not have hazard a guess to the use of this tool, but was surprised to learn it was how sailors of old calculated their speed and distance.

At various points knots are tied in the line, the line is wound upon the spool and the wooden padle is attached. To measure speed the paddle is dropped into the water. After a given amount of time the line was reeled back in and the knots counted. The number then determined the nautical speed and the miles covered. This of course would lead to a discrepancy in the actual accuracy so in 1954 a standard nautical mile was established; 1,853 meters.

This too was an instrument I would have like to touch and possibly own; a sextant. Extremely valuable for navigation. the sextant is an optical instrument used in navigation. They measure the angle of celestial bodies above the horizon from the observer's position. Knowing the angular elevation of a known star, and the exact time, one can calculate the latitude position of the observer.

Before moving on to the next station I took a moment to snap a few shots around the ship.

I was fascinated with the rigging and lashings so therefore there are several snapshots of them.

The ships compass was a beautiful instrument.

Pulleys were used everywhere. A necessity to raise the sails.

I doubt this could fire, but what old sailing vessel could not have one?
Footnote: BJ has informed me this cannon does fire and is used occasionally during sailing competitions or shows.

The steering wheel was large,an exquisite example of woodwork. (Wood is so warm, vibrant, almost alive when cared for properly)

Ropes were everywhere on the vessel. Each one wound neatly onto its peg.

Interesting to note; each crew member was dressed in period style clothing, each different and obviously worn not just for us to see, but was worn every day they worked on the boat as evidenced by the wear, the stains. All making a more authentic experience. This mate had the laced up vest to allow for more freedom of movement. I noticed several mates with harness rigging. I assume for safety reasons.

Our last station educated us on how the sailors sustained themselves. Taught by the mate above, who I found to be very much into his role. He hailed from Switzerland, but I waited too long and did not find out how he came about to be on the Hawaiian Chieftain.

After learning about what the sailors had to eat I have one word to describe it; YUCK!

The white chunks are hard tack. A bread that lives up to its name. He said it was almost non-perishable.
The darker chunks were salted meat. So salty and so hard it could not be eaten as is.
Sailors would determine how much salted meat and hard was need for the day and place it in a bag. Since fresh water was limited, the bag was tossed over the back end of the ship and dragged through the ocean all day to soften it and remove much of the salt from the meat.
Mmmmm, tasty especially swallowed down with stale water. No wonder many sailors drank. They needed something to wash the taste away.

What was interesting is the fact that the very food I just scoffed was one of the reasons many sailors joined a crew. It may not have been the tastiest meal, but when they signed on they were promised 4 meals a day at a time many of them were hard pressed to have one meal a day.

(Changes your outlook on hard tack and salty meat a little, ehh?)

Being out to sea meant no Home Depot or Walmart to replace worn out rope, so sailors had to be skilled at rope repair. These were examples of splicing rope. You would think it would not be as strong where it had worn through once but it actually seemed to be stronger.

Our last mate to guide us.

This was a GREAT and educational Field trip!
Thank you Dani!

The very loud and obnoxious bells and sirens are from the tower bridge. It looked like bridge personnel were testing the bridge by raising and lowering it. The bells and sirens were to warn street traffic.
Timing for us was bad. It was really loud standing on the deck of the ship.

**************************************************

The topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain is in port through December 15 to welcome guests and students in Sacramento as it focuses on helping young people understand the amazing maritime history of California and the west coast. The two-masted sailing ship is tied up at Old Sacramento, Front and L Streets.

The programs feature a number of on-board stations focused on navigation, basic oceanography, and the lives of 18th century mariners.

The Hawaiian Chieftain will also open for walk-on tours to the general public. Most tours are scheduled for Tuesday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A $3 donation per person is appreciated.

The topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain is a replica of a typical European merchant trader of the turn of the nineteenth century. Her hull shape and rigging are similar to those of Spanish explorer's ships used in the expeditions of the late 18th century along the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts.

Built of steel in Hawaii in 1988 and originally designed for cargo trade among the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Chieftain's design was influenced by the early colonial passenger and coastal packets that traded among Atlantic coastal cities and towns.

The coastal packet service was part of the coasting trade based on mercantile activity of the developing seaboard towns. The early packet ships were regular traders and were selected because they sailed remarkably well and could enter small ports with their shallow draft. Out of the gradual development of the Atlantic packet ship hull form came the ship design practices that helped produce some of the best of the clipper ships of the later 1850s.

Purchased in 2004 by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, the Hawaiian Chieftain joins the Lady Washington, the Official Ship of the State of Washington, in educational cruises and ambassadorial visits along the west coast throughout the year. Hawaiian Chieftain also makes solo port visits as a sail training and education vessel.

No sailing programs for the general public are scheduled. The ship will be closed Thanksgiving Day.

For more information, this is the website.
Voyages of Discovery

If you scroll to the bottom there are several links to PDF files. The link for the Pre-Visit packet takes you to a wealth of information. Within the 64 pages you will find the History behind the ships, the lives of officers and sailors, a recipe for the hard they ate, a dictionary of terms and many other interesting tidbits to flesh out your experience.

There is also a link to a pdf file filled with sailor songs. We took the dockside tour and did not have the opportunity to learn any of them, but it was still fun to download the packet and peruse the songs. :)

Something I thought was a valuable tool for educators were the 2 different pdf file; one for California, the other for Washington. Each provided information on how the tour fulled each states educational requirements
for different grades. It was a guideline on what to focus on when you go over with children what they saw and learned.

Refraction and Light 10.17.11

2011-11-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

This was a draft I was supposed to publish a month ago. Must have been around the time I started this blog up again, so it is way out of context.

Since it is older I will not go back and put in all the pics. It will just stand as I left it, sorry. Too busy moving forward to go back. :)

Had another class today. We will be going on a field trip Mon. and therefore we needed a day to make up for it. I could have done it next Thurs but BJ really wanted his Uncle Christian to help him complete his light saber.

Our lesson today was on refraction and light. Owen was amazed at how light refraction can make a straw look broken in a glass of water.

I was surprised to learn that the primary light colours are different from primary colours. I am sure I learned it in school but set it aside in my mind because they are so close. Primary colours of course are red, yellow and blue. The primary light colours are red, green and blue. What is really weird is that you mix red and green light and get yellow. The secondary light colours are yellow, magenta and cyan.

With did another experiment with chromatography. Owen took a black sharpie and made a small dot in the center of a coffee filter. Then using an eyedropper he let one drop of water go onto the spot. The result was.... purple!!

CHES meeting 11.02.11

2011-11-05T01:32:00.000-07:00

This will be my first commentary, but hopefully the first of many to come, of our monthly CHES (Classical Home Education Support) meeting.

I will preface this commentary with a personal note on how much I appreciate this monthly meeting. There are times when being a homeschooling parent; or in my case, grandparent,can bring on feelings of insecurity, loss of direction, failure...... but these meetings not only encourage, and sustain us while we struggle with the daunting task of educating our children, they provide insights from other parents going through similar situations, alternate ways of dealing with things that come up and practical guidance in providing quality education to the most important people in our world; our children.

So with that out of the way let me continue. Our first few minutes after arrival are always filled with warm exchanges, "how are things going", "what have you been doing".

Some talk more, some listen more. Me, I usually am talking more than I listen. Listening is a work in progress for me, but that is for another blog. :)

Tina shared a book she is currently reading about A Crazy Coupon Lady. I think the book was called, "Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey: Save Big Money & Make the Grocery Aisle your Catwalk! " by Joanie Demer. With a little effort on our part we could save $$ at the store. When you home school and do not work that means a lot!!

We began the meeting with the question:
What are you doing/reading to further your own education at this time?"
Oooohh, mmm, good intentions do not fulfill goals, actions do. I must say my doing leans heavily on the good intention side, but I shall endeavor to try and tip the scale more to the right.

I do read, a lot actually, but little really furthers my own education. I am currently in the process of trying to implement two goals; one to increase my knowledge of basic Latin, and one to completely read Susan Wise Bauer's book, "The Well Trained Mind" both of which, interestingly enough also happened to be on this meetings agenda.

Dani asked if anyone had continued with the "Uncle Eric" books. Feeling guilty, this was a moment I kept my mouth shut. My "Whatever happened to Penny Candy" book is still up in the bathroom waiting for me to finish it.

There was a mention of the books:
"World War I: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1870 to 1935" (Uncle Eric Book)
"World War II: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1930 to September 11, 2001" (Uncle Eric Book)".

Others were:
"Capitalism For Kids: Growing Up To Be Your Own Boss" by Karl Hess.
"A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future" Donald Pink.

That one I found intriging and would like to pick up. As a child I was discouraged from right brain activities as a goal to support myself. "They were good for hobbies"

In regards to Susan Wise Bauer, Dani had hoped to share a video or two with us, but technology was being recalcitrant. I have researched the links though and here they are:

Peace Hill Press Question & Answer Series 1: Part 1

Peace Hill Press Question & Answer Series 1: Part 2

They are the first Question and Answer Series with Susan Wise Bauer. It addresses Elementary Writing and Grammar. Susan also discusses integrating Writing With Ease and First Language Lessons, as well as adjusting to different learning styles.

Next we ventured into: Classical Education - Why Teach Latin?
Dani shared;
"Minimus Pupil's Book: Starting out in Latin",
"English from the Roots Up, Vol. 1: Help for Reading, Writing, Spelling, and S.A.T. Scores", "Latin for Children, Primer A" .

After this we had a sharing time. What was going well? What is a book or curriculum that we enjoyed using? What was not working for us? Then we had the opportunity to share samples or ideas.

Tina then shared a Thames and Kosmos Microscope book that came with a microscope she bought for homeschooling. ( she is so good about sharing, I have often wondered if she ever sleeps. she just seems to get so much done)

I brought up Barbara McCoys blogs. She had mentioned she would end them since her children have now all but finished school, but not only has she continued, but she has streamlined, simplified and given it a whole new look and ease of navigation.

Here are links to her 3 blogs and the last one is for her daughter's:
Handbook of Nature Study Blog
Outdoor Hour Challenges and Nature Study for Home Schoolers

Harmony Art Mom
Homeschool art and music plans

Harmony Fine Arts
Lots of great tips to create art. It doesn't look like she spends as much time on this one, but the information is still worth looking at, from an artists point of view.

Hearts and Trees
lots of lap books, and other material for bringing nature into homeschooling

That pretty much wrapped up this meeting. I am really looking forward to next month. :)

10.31.11 Light, Catapults and Windmills

2011-11-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today was not O's best day, but BJ sailed through it. Not sure exactly was on O's mind, but he struggled through the the section on the eyes. Maybe a lack of interest... hmmmm.

The section on mirrors and our experiment with mirrors replicating images kept him occupied and interested for a while though.

I let O take the pics of his brothers catapult experiment.

Here are the instructions and the supplies needed for the task at hand. :) This week I got everything together for all the experiments. Gave him a list to choose a couple from that I thought would best demonstrate the lessons were were covering, then I let him choose a couple he would like to do.

Since all the supplies were at hand he was able to read from the list what was needed for this experiment, pull them out and begin with little help from me. It is rewarding to start handing the reins over, with guidance, and watch him apply what I have taught him over the years.

This is the top section of the catapult. The instructions were not very specific and BJ just winged his way through the cutting phase. He did well though. Maybe a little to deep of a cut in the valleys. Leaving the sides high like that later caused them to fold in inbetween each shot.

It was fun watching the marshmellows fly.

The instructions were not as good as I would have liked in the Gizmo and Gadgets book.

There should have been more stabilization to the marshmellow holder.

Also, many of the experiments show a drawing of the finished product given with basic instructions. You have to wing it to complete it. This can be a challenge at times and for some people it might be next to impossible and they will say that's cool and move on the the next experiment without even trying.

This was one of those experiments.

For the part that held the marshmallow the instructions said use a small box such as a small match box. Right! how many people have those little boxes around? The alternative was to make one out of an index card. And that was the extent of the suggestion. No measurements, no pattern. Fortunately I do okay with spatial concepts and I was able to figure out how to cut the card and fold it, but this would not have been an easy task for some. Especially a young person with few life skills to draw on to complete the task.

This was another experiment with kinetic energy. While holding one coin, he shoots a coin against the stable coin. The energy is transferred through the stable coin to the coin on the other side.

The spoon was a hand held catapult. Simple, yet effective, it demonstrated the power of catapults more than his first catapult.

I enjoyed the rattlesnake egg experiment. I remember buying one of these as a kid. Using a bent paper clip, rubber bands and a washer this was a fun example of elastic energy.

O is experimenting with light and reflections off mirrors. He wrote the word Boo backwards on a sheet of paper and then held it up to the mirror.

Since images are reversed in a mirror he was able to read it quite well.

I wrote this sentence backwards for him to decipher.

Here we are seeing a simple example of concave and convex reflections.

Notice the concave reflection is upside down. If it were a larger reflective surface it would also be more evident that the reflection was thinner as well.

In the convex image all is right side up but the reflections are usually shorter and more squat.

Both of these are simple exercises demonstrating the light rays being bent on non flat reflective surfaces.

This experiment kept him entertained for a while. The farther away the two mirrors are from each other the fewer images. The closer together their are the more the replication increases. He was able to get them close enough to count 16 images. This is an example of light rays bouncing from one mirror to the next.

Old Town Sacramento - Field Trip

2011-10-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the boys and I had the pleasure of a field trip to Old Sac. We arrived a little early as I had to swing by first to get my school pic taken and as I was not quite sure of the time needed, I allowed for a cushion so as not to hold anyone up.

Being a little nippy the boys and I strolled through the wakening town to locate something warm to drink. We found Steemers, a quaint little corner coffee shop that turned out to be located just around the corner from Evangeline's, a must go to spot for BJ.

After getting our drinks we started back to the Museum to see who else had shown up.

The group was divided into three smaller groups. We were in group three and were able to take the Underground tour first. The boys and I found it fascinating. Under the city that we could see are the remains of what was once the original city. Due to the fear of flooding the inhabitants took on the daunting task of raising the city back in the late 1800's. It took about 14 years to complete, but when they were done the city stood 9 feet higher than it had originally. Below is a courtyard that is part of the original street level of Old Sacramento.

The underground tour actually took us to two sites. This is the entry to the underground site located under what used to be the bank.

After the underground tour our next experience was a tour of the museum itself, beginning with one of the original presses from the Sacramento Bee as well as a little history lesson on the printing process.

There were many displays on mining as well.

Not to mention several displays on Indian culture.

This one hurt my heart. It was a display commemorating a thirteen year old girl, May Hollister Woolsey, born Nov. 13, 1866 and died Sept 29, 1879 of encephalitis, which was likely caused from a mosquito bite. She was intelligent, beautiful, artistic and social. Her trunk, a time capsule of her life, had been sealed below the staircase of her home by her grief stricken parents. It was discovered 100 years later, intact, by the new owners of the home. Although her death brought an end to what may have been a life filled with many promises, it provided a window into the past for us to experience the life of a child back in the late 1800's.

Another part of the museum was donated to the canning industry. An important economic venue for the valley.

A tribute to the short lived, but renowned Pony Express is located downtown.

The Wells Fargo building is right across the street.

This building was empty, but too pretty not to photograph.

This building is the oldest in town, surviving the first flood and first fire. The fire burned unti most of the buildings were destroyed.

Owen tried his hand at mining. Luck had is back while he found piece after piece of pyrite.

This hardware store was a mini museum onto itself. Many original and copies of old style hardware, as well as some displays with some historical information.

The weather was fabulous, we all learned something new and best of all....
WE HAD FUN!

10.24.11 Mirrors and Energy

2011-10-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day today with flat, convex, and concave reflective surfaces, as well as different types of energy.

Owen learned about the reflective surfaces and Brennan learned about types of energy.

The experiments with both were fun. We did several, below are samples.

Of course the experiments that O does are presented with information in a simple, but memorable way.
First he made his own mirror:

Then he experimented with mirrors and symmetry:

He finished the day making a kaleidoscope. That was really fun. He was amazed that it worked.

Brennan worked on a merry go round that worked by elastic energy:

Next week I will try to add some photos of Owens drawings. Since he does not write easily I have him interpret what we learn through colour on paper.

10.21.11 Field Trip - Ferry to SF Pier 39 to see the Seals

2011-10-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Busy week! whew!!

Internet was down 3 days last week. I swear I went through withdrawals. Snapped at everyone.

Classes went well last week. We met twice as this week we had a field trip on our class day. We are currently studying about the colour of light.

Our field trip was a ferry ride from Vallejo to San Francisco's Pier 39 to see the seals.
We left Mon Oct. 18 early. The ferry left at 10:00.

Ferry leaving for San Francisco.

Boys chilling during the ride.

Colourful Kite shop.

Seal statue, Pier 39

Healthy lunch ?????

Crab statue, entrance to Pier 39

Seals warming themselves

Seal skeleton

Salt Water Taffy...who can resist?

That was really sour Brennan!!!

All in all we had a really GREAT time!

10.10.11 Light and Shadows

2011-10-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Whew! Need to spend a little time redoing this. So much has changed since I last made any significant entries. Just need to find the time. HA HA.

This week O is learning about light and shadows. I love using the Waldorf technique of having him draw what he is learning since writing is a long a difficult process at this stage.

His art work is so insightful, when he applies himself.

BJ is really motivated this year. Love watching how his mind works.

They both are in Physics, NOEO, I and II.

Will try to add pics once I have that a little more under control as well.
Later

Win a prize

2011-10-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is a fun blog for parents. Liked it enough to make an entry here after 2 years of no entries :) Maybe I will get started again. Looks like a lot has changed. My template is all messed up.

Got so busy with having 2 to homeschool... Do not know how others do it.

Anyway here is her link:

tangled oak roots farm

10.09.09 Cashore Marionettes - Field Trip

2009-10-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Our Field Trip to the Mondavi Center - Studio Theater,University of California, Davis, CA brought us a delightful afternoon watching the Cashore Marionette show.

We had a fabulous time above and beyond what I had expected!
The boys were quiet, which I interpreted as having their attention focued.
Lot’s of questions were asked afterward. It is always encouraging to see children get excited about something.
Going to the Cashore website and viewing their videos answered any lingering questions.

Mr. Cashore began working with marionetes at the age of 11.
Each marionette take 3-6 months to construct and then it is another 6 mos to gain the intimate knowledge of what makes that marionette come alive!
Although the puppeteer was stilted in his speech his puppets were so lifelike one had to remind themselves that they were only wood and paper mache’.

The following were part of the different skits:
Violin maestro
Guru and the ball
Handkerchief
Mother and child
Homeless mike
Horse Pastoral
Girl with Homework
Simple Gifts
Quest- climbing up the puppeteer
The only downside was that it was over way too soon!
To watch a short video on "Simple Gifts" go to Cashore Marionettes

Bird of the Week - The Black Phoebe

2009-10-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

I looked out my kitchen window this morning and was treated to the site of an old friend, a little Black Phoebe.

Last year a little one would sit on a stake outside my kitchen window. It would quickly fly off only to return just as quickly. I remembered how he was out there in the same spot wagging his tail and dancing his little dance while waiting eagerly for the next insect to fly by.

The site of him also reminded me that I had started to study a bird a week last year. This has inspired me to endeavor to do so again starting with this species.
The Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) is distinctive tyrant flycatchers native to western North America, ranging from southwestern Oregon and California to west Texas and northern Mexico.
The Black Phoebe reaches a length of 5.75 in (14.6 cm), and unlike other phoebes, has highly contrasting plumage, dark brown or black on the head, breast, back, wings, and tail, and white on the underbelly and under the wings. This species also spends more time along streams and ponds than the other phoebe species, and is not migratory but stays in its range year-round. Like other phoebes, it continually wags its tail when perched and "sallies," waiting on an open perch such as a branch or fence post, flying out to catch an insect, and then returning to the same perch.

Silhouette of Fly Catchers:
Family: Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers
Voice: Song is a thin, buzzy pi-tsee, usually repeated. Call is a sharp, down-slurred chip.
Nesting: 3-6 white eggs, with a few faint speckles laid in a mud, moss, and grass nest lined with soft material, often using feathers or cow hair, built under a bridge, on a sheltered ledge, in a crevice in an old building, or among hanging roots near the top of an embankment close to water.

Some helpful hyperlinks to learn more about Black Phoebes:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

eNature

Wikipedia

Have an Inspiring Indigo day!

Radial Chromatography -

2009-10-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

Today we studied something quite new to me called Radial Chromatography.

Chromatography comes from the Greek word chroma meaning "color" and graphia meaning "writing". Chromatography is a fun way to explore color.

We also discovered that scientists can use this experiment to determine if a document is forged or not by testing the ink. They were able to dispute the authenticity of Hitlers Diary by performing this test.

Chromatography is one method chemists use to separate mixtures. When the mixture is separated, the chemist can tell how many things are in the mixture. Often a mixture contains two or more materials that each have their own color. These colors can be hidden when the mixture is formed.

In our experiment we used a technique called Radial Chromatography to study the colors found in magic markers. When we were done, we were able to answer two questions about each marker:

1. Is the dye in the marker a pure color or a mixture of two or more colors?

2. If the dye is a mixture, what colors were used to make it?

Here are our supplies:
Brennan seemed to enjoy this a lot.
This is the result with a sharpie:
This is the result with a vis a vis:
I will try to get the video upload tomorrow.

I hope you had a Gorgeous Green Day!
Kathleen

Yippee! It's a Yellow Day!

2009-09-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Today was definitely a Yellow Day, full of joy and happiness!

I found a Damsel fly while gathering grass for the geese this morning and got a quick pic.
It was picture day at school, so I drove over and took my turn at a camera shot. As I was leaving Alicia was just puling in with the boys. She had Josh and Jordan as well.

From there I drove to Rocklin to pick up an order from Mercurius. I was quite excited about this one. I just discovered they carry left handed scissors and I ordered 2 different pair for Owen. I also got a beginners handwriting practice book for him, a poetry and a music composition book for BJ.

It seems like every time I go through the catalog I find something new. Then when I place an order for a customer I just add that to the order.

This evening I prepared for BJs lesson tomorrow. There is so much to choose from and so little time! It is not fair!

Fall is gently kissing the air so that we are feeling a little temperature drop. What a difference a week makes!

Yes, this has been a FantasticYellow Day!

Kathleen