School

One reason this blog has been neglected is because school has kept us very, very busy this year!  I'm not sure why the dynamics seem to be different than other years. I thought, mistakenly, that with one kid in college, we would have a slightly less demanding schedule.  I was wrong.  Perhaps it's because all the kids are getting older, or that this mix of grades is a challenge.  Or perhaps it is that one student struggles with dyslexia, or that Erin is 4.5 and needs more of my time as I prepare her for kindergarten.  Or perhaps it is that our two year old is a particular challenge and likes to get into everyone's business.  Or perhaps I should repeat that last phrase, for clarity and emphasis.....or perhaps it is that our two year old is a particular challenge and likes to get into everyone's business. If I took a family vote, I'm pretty sure what the consensus would reveal.  Just saying.  Good thing he's cute!


Here's Teresa, hard at work with a chemistry experiment.  And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Delaney for giving this science kit to the kids!

 (See what I mean about getting into everyone's business?  Case in point!)

 Thanks for not blowing up the sun porch, my dear!

Homeschooling and Down Syndrome

I did get a question regarding 31 for 21, Ds awareness - woo hoo!  A friend is wondering if I am planning to homeschool Erin.  My answer is, absolutely, and I'm excited about it!  Since she is just three, I don't have a full curriculum for her, but we have just started using some early language/reading materials that can be found here and here.  I'll be doing plenty of research and trial and error in the coming years.  Additonally, if/when she requires outside assessments and therapy, we'll plan for that too, as we are now.  One little bonus is she is an extremely eagar learner!  She has loved every little thing we've done so far, be it reading, matching games, counting games, songs, fingerplays, videos, playdough - you name it!

I also found a valuable, free, homeschooling e-book to download.  It is called Homeschooling Children with Down Syndrome, by Amy Dunaway.  If you're interested, click here.

Today's Physics Lesson...

 As if they didn't have enough planned school lessons!  Here they go, devising their own physics lesson.

Teresa, Aidan and Molly Grace decided it was high time we had a swing in the front yard.  I suppose they tried tying the rope in the tree first, but when that didn't work, they devised this contraption...



It worked!  I'm not sure how much fun it was to stand in thetrash can but at least Aidan had fun.

And lil Seamus was watching with envy from the house....

Meet Cinnamon...

I think I have said, "I will never have a rodent in the house", a few times.  Ha! Famous last words!  Meet Cinnamon, our new guinea pig.  It all started with Eileen's need to have a speciman for her Natural Science class this year.  This is an awesome course offered through Mother of Divine Grace (MODG), our homeschool curriculum provider, that requires some experiments with little critters. In the past, Moira had used Beta fish.  Eileen wasn't too interested in that.  I asked around about rodents and found that guinea pigs are much less likely to bite than hampsters or gerbils.  So....here we are.  The kids actually love this little critter, and she is very gentle.  And, as a bonus, she doesn't stink!  The non-cedar shavings they make for the bottom of the cages now are very nice, absorbant, and clean very easily.

Now, maybe you're wondering about the experiments that Eileen will be doing.  She will be determining if music, rock or classical, can effect Cinnamon's behavior. For the first three weeks, she will take data on Cinnamon's "normal" behavior in her environment (sleeping, eating, exercise, general behavior and intelligence). Intelligence will be measured by timing her going thru a maze.  The following week she will play rock music, 24/7, and test for the same behaviors.  The following two weeks Cinnamon will be returned to normal environment.  The last week, classical music will be played, 24/7, and she will again be tested for changes in behavior or intelligence.

Any music suggestions for Cinnamon?  I'll be sure to let you all know if she starts rocking out or break- dancing to some music :)

Getting Ready for School

I think I have been in denial that September would arrive :)  I did order my books in July and they have (almost) all arrived. I guess I am a Michigan girl at heart and cannot really start until after Labor Day (yes, it is a law in Michigan that public schools cannot start till then). But here it is upon us, like it or not, and I am racing to get things in order to start full-time school on Tuesday.

I spent some time yesterday organizing an accountability system for two of my students. I promised a MODG mom that I would post a few pictures on my blog to give a visual aid to how this works.

So, here is how I set this up:

I used library card holders with self adhesive backs and stuck them on the back of cabinet doors.  I used one for each subject.  Then I used one index card for each day/lesson of the week and slid them into the holders, in order.  So, for math, I have five cards labeled Monday thru Friday. Each school day, your child (and you) can see at a glance which lessons have been completed and which have not. (I did this system a few years ago and it seems to work better than a simple list on paper for some elementary students.  It is especially good for those students who need lots of reminders to stay on task). When the lesson is complete, the card is flipped over to reveal a cute little sticker.  I'm not sure why, but something about flipping a card when a lesson is complete brings greater satisfaction for some kids.  And we do not loose the list if we do not have one :)

Oh, and some of the cards have a little smiley sticker next to the day as you can see with Teresa's cards.  That means she can do that lesson independently.  Non-smiley lessons must be completed, at least partially, with me.  Again, with a quick glance, Teresa can see which lessons she can work on independently while she waits for me to work with her. It's a pretty simple system.  Let's hope it works! :)

 

Prom Pictures

Last night was the homeschool prom.  Moira and Eileen both attended this year.  They had several friends over to our house to get all dolled up.  Hair was straightened, hair was curled, fingernails were painted, make-up was applied and last minute alterations were done to the dresses.  They ate bon-bons while they labored.  Well, not really, but they did eat cream puffs, along with some other semi-healthy food. The final product....eight lovely ladies ready for a night out!

The lovely Moira

The lovely Eileen

Goofin' off (yes, Moira did wear sparkly green shoes)

Friend Jessie, Eileen, friend Debbie

When the girls were all ready, they met some of the boys who were getting ready at a neighbor's house.  Here are the girls...the boys didn't make it in this picture...

Eileen, Debbie, Chelsea, Jessie, Hailey, Meghan, Andi, Moira

Here's the whole gang with a couple of boys...Matt and Nate

Close up of those shoes!

Wassup?

We are really focusing full-time on our schoolwork, in hopes that we can all be done with our school year by the end of May. The end is in sight!  We know life is going to get busier this time of year, so hopefully we can stay on track. Upcoming events are: Aidan's First Holy Communion April 25th, choir recital (Eileen and Bridget) and Irish dance recital (all four older girls) both on May 2nd, at overlapping times (haven't figured that one out yet!) and the sacrament of Confirmation on May 22nd (Moira, Eileen and Bridget).

I'll post some highlights of late...

Let's start with Molly Grace's latest poem.  Kindergarten is the year to memorize several poems by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I love him!

The Moon

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;

She shines on thieves on the garden wall,

On streets and fields and harbour quays,

And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.

The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,

The howling dog by the door of the house,

The bat that lies in bed at noon,

All love to be out by the light of the moon.

But all of the things that belong to the day

Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;

And flowers and children close their eyes

Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Scratching oneself with a pencil must help with memory work...Ha! Molly Grace is also the first student to complete a subject for the 09/10 school year.  Math book is done! 

Moira is busy studying medieval European history and just completed a paper on Saint Thomas More.  Besides that, chemistry is getting easier; Algebra 2 is getting harder...

Eileen is plugging along with the most challenging grade in our program - 9th grade! She just completed a paper in oceanography on marine exploration, among other things, and next week will begin her final unit in science, studying weather. 

Bridget is plugging along with math, Latin (with Eileen), earth science, Acts of the Apostles, and the study of Greece, Rome and Shakespeare.  This is the first year that longer papers have been required of her.  She wrote a lengthy paper on the Greek Gods. This is not a problem for Bridget because she has been known to write emails to her sister Eileen that have word counts in excess of 1200.  (Bridget loves to write stories and does so in this format).  At least she's getting her typing lessons in! LOL

Teresa's favorite poem she memorized this year was America For Me, by Henry Van Dyke.  She has been reading, retelling, copying and illustrating Old Testament bible stories (David and Goliath was her latest).  She is also studying birds.  Here is the good ol' robin that thankfully, we are now seeing in our yard on a regular basis ...

Aidan is completing his tasks, although he would much rather play outside, build Indiana Jones adventures with his Legos, get his teeth pulled or read all about whales, dolphins and other sea creatures.  He is learning that life is all about balance : )...work a little, play a little.  His latest memorized poem was Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

Erin just keeps us smilin'.  She is such a joy...and a busy bee!  She loves loves loves ousiiii (outside), now that the weather is warmer.  She especially loves the weeeee (swing), and giggles the whole time she is in it as if she is being tickled.  She is saying many words and/or word approximations now, including two word phrases, which is exciting!  She is learning signs to the letters of the alphabet and can say many of them (thank you Signing Time!).  She is walking up steps, rather than climbing.  She goes down the big slide with no hesitation. She could read books all. day. long.  Loves them!  And she is still completely thrilled to see her baby brother Seamus every morning, as if he just joined our family for the first time. After nine months, he's still a novelty to her!

And as for the Seamus....not surprisingly, he's on the move.  Crawling, pulling up, pulling things out of drawers, baskets and bins and all the other busy stuff babies his age do.  As I type, he is trying to scale the book shelf.  He has been nicknamed on a few occasion, Seamus the Shyster. Let's blame that on the teething.  But he is, of course, adorable and everyone finds his big, cheeky grins with the big brown eyes irresistible...even when he's in his big sisters' pink stroller.

Aidan and the Beanstalk

Aidan's latest science experiment, growing beans, was a success. He learned all about how a simple bean seed can sprout and grow into a bean stalk. He was particularly amazed at how the bean needed moisture and light, but no soil, to grow. All the bean's food is stored right inside the bean. Imagine that...no dirt needed!He was even more perplexed when I told him that even HE did not need dirt to grow. Nope, not needed, but life sure is a lot more fun for an eight year old boy when dirt is somehow involved in his adventures.

Here are his science notebook drawings, showing his experiment...

Pencils...

There are many great mysteries in life we will never understand. One of the most profound for this family must surely be....the disappearance of pencils! Seriously. Where do they go?!? I must have bought three dozen since September. I'll take the sock fairy over the pencil fairy any day.

Just this morning, a frustrated Molly Grace says, "Mom, somebody stoled my pencil again!"

I found one lone pencil in the bottom of her bin and handed it to her.

Still frustrated, she said, "But somebody bit the eraser off this one".

Well, that somebody is no mystery. That would be our spunky two year old who not only bites the erasers off our pencils but has also been known to practice her new found throwing-things-in the-trash-can skill. She has mastered that one. Hmmm, I think she must be getting a kick-back from the pencil fairy!

Our Kindergartener

Our enthusiastic kindergantener is asking to do more school long after the rest of us are all tired out.  She is learning all of her letters and numbers, listening to, retelling and illustrating Bible stories, memorizing Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, Rain, and learning some new songs and famous works of art.  She loves all of it.


Here is a sample of her Bible book

Here she is hard at work

Sometimes the most exciting happenings of our school day are those that are not planned.  This morning I found the kids gathered around the front bush...

......looking at this....

(yes, it is eating a little bug)

Teresa and Aidan are also enjoying most of their school work, but especially their drawings.  Here are today's samples...

(Aidan)

(Teresa)

School is in Session!

Well, that was a quick summer!  We find ourselves right back to the daily grind  excitement that we have experienced the past nine years of homeschooling!  Yes, hard to imagine, but this is year ten.  All jokes aside, there is always something to be excited about when you begin a new school year.  Some highlights: Moira, 11th grade, will be studying Spanish and chemistry for the first time.  Her first week already brings her three chemistry experiments.  With several siblings looking over her shoulder, that will absolutely add some excitement to our days (almost as much as her three dissections in 10th grade).  Eileen has entered high school and continues with algebra, Latin, English grammar, faith and morality, earth science and American history...a very FULL year for her!  Bridget is in seventh grade and continues her basic studies, adding in the study of Greece and Rome for history.  Teresa, a fourth grader, will do an in depth study of birds this year, in addition to her regular subjects.  Aidan, second grader, is every excited about his science and reading program because it brings him prizes when he moves up a level he is progressing so well. And last but not least, we have a brand new kindergartener - Molly Grace!  She started the school year with bells and whistles and has already told me several times how much she loves school.  I will be sure to add a picture soon, showing off all of her coloring, cutting, math and art work!

Although Erin is just two, there is no reason in her mind why she cannot participate in all this new school stuff that looks like soooo much fun. New crayons, pencils, books, music, notebooks.....it is almost too much for her to take in. So we try our best to include her. She has her own little desk and is learning to not eat the crayons color. I did happen to snap some picture of her yesterday as she went about her school day.

She reads books...

She plays with her toys

She takes the time to smell the markers...

Leaving a lovely blue mustache...

Time for nap, cheesy girl!

The Merchant of Venice

(Click to make bigger)

Be sure to try and make this!; It's sure to be a fun show!

(Moira, Emmett and many other local homeschoolers are in this production)

One More Picture...

Moira had a great time at the Spring Formal not only with her friends, but with her cousin Owen as well.

Thank You Flat Stanley!

And just who is Flat Stanley? Here he is right here...



A friend of ours, Mary Lou, had done a little Flat Stanley project with her granddaughter who was wanting to learn more about the great state of Arizona. Knowing we are home schoolers, she thought to send a copy of this project to our family! We have now read through Flat Stanley's report twice, and did learn very much about Arizona and the Sonoran Desert. We even got to smell the wet creosote bush, which gives the desert its fragrant fresh aroma after a rainfall. Mary Lou included a sample in a Ziploc bag; all we had to do was get it wet. Most of the kids thought it smelled good...others not so :). The timing was perfect because just his week our third grader, Teresa, started a new science unit on The Desert. She was thrilled to be able to recognize some different cactus and the creosote bush in the photos of her text book.

Thank you Flat Stanley, and Mary Lou, for the extra special surprise lesson that came in the mail for our family. We truly did enjoy it very much! Little Jessica is a lucky girl to have a grandma like you!

Anyone Want Some Beta Fish?

As part of Moira's Natural History/Biology course this year, she is required to do a number of lab experiments. For one of her labs she chose to observe, and set up experiments, using Beta fish. She had a number of arrangements and settings for these fish, two males and two females. Of course you cannot predict how your subjects will respond to the environment you provide; you just carry out the activities and hope they cooperate. Well, as you can see, Moira came to her final conclusion to her project by writing her somewhat brief summery on the fish bowl. See for yourself the conclusion she came to, written with black permanent marker. Well Moira, better luck next time!

DUMB FISH

The Pirates Have Performed

For the third year in a row, Bridget and Teresa have participated in a home school drama club for young girls. Two high school girls generously give of their time to direct this little group. This year the title of the play was Peggy the Pint-Sized and Polly the Pipsqueak - Their Quest for Bigness. It was adorable. The play is about two small pirates who want to be big pirates. We discover, by the end of the play, that the pipsqueaks are fearless and make up for their small size with their wit and big hearts. They work to save the veteran pirates from captivity. It included scenes with a sea monster, mermaid and game show host. It was funny and heartwarming all at the same time, and the girls did a fantastic job. I wish I had the whole thing on film, but pictures will have to do. Bridget played the parts of Captain Sludge, a pirate and Oceanna, the mermaid. Teresa played Polly the Pipsqueak.

Bridget as Oceanna

The whole cast including our directors, Kathleen and Sarah

Argh!!!!!!!!!

Just So You Know....

...according to Aidan, Jacob and his son, Joseph, did not have penguin feet in "real life". But Joseph did wear glasses.

Aidan has been busy with Old Testament stories this year. He is often wide-eyed as we read through the stories. Honestly, he is captivated by the blood and gore found in the Old Testament. He loves the strong themes of good verses evil, and remembers the stories in vivid detail. Sometimes he even adds a hilarious element of his own, as he did here:

Check Out These Cute Little Snowmen!

Eileen and Bridget have been busy with St. Camille's Youth Group again. These little snowmen are made out of coffee creamer containers. Arent' they cute? They had fun crafting and sleding this week (before out sub-zero temps hit)!