Science

This is what science looks like when you homeschool.


Madison was studying volcanoes, Katrina was learning about pH levels, acids, and bases.


A $10 kit from Wal-Mart allowed Madi to build her own volcano, complete with glow-in-the-dark lava.


A boiled and strained head of purple cabbage allowed Kat to play mad scientist for a bit, discovering which household items would turn the cabbage juice red (acid), and which would turn it blue (base).


Both of them were happy to discuss their "experiments" over dinner with Daddy, who finally figured out why I had so closely guarded the cabbage in the fridge for so long.


And Mama got to show them that science can be fun.  That learning can be fun.  And that we could do it together.

Mom's helper

I've been doing a lot of knitting with my looms lately.  It's something I can do while the hubs and I are watching TV at night, and usually the projects don't take too long.  That is a requirement for me.  I do not have the patience for the month-long, work 2 hours every day, kind of craft.


The girls all requested blankies, and picked out their own yarn for me to make them with.  I think someone is a bit jealous that he didn't get to pick a color, though.

The minions are schooling me...

Ok peoples.  I had the whole heartwarming, back to blogging post all done, then $#@&! Blogger decided to not save it.  All my sentimental verbage mysteriously removed from cyberspace.


So now you get snarky.


Congratulations.


I realized that teaching 3 girls who are using 3 different grade levels was going to be interesting this year.  I did not realize how much one-on-one time Madi would require.  Nina is fairly self-sufficient with her math, english, writing, and spelling - all the subjects she tackles while I work with the littles.  Violet is officially doing kindergarden this year, which requires lots of singing and silliness on my part.  Little did I know there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth over learning to read from Madi.  Thus, the requirement for one-on-one teaching.


Well, if Violet is left to her own devices for longer than, say, a minute, she finds something to occupy her mind.  Which usually annoys one or both big sisters.  In order to keep the sanity, I settled upon the electronic schooling method.  I downloaded a bunch of grade-level educational games for the ipad, and while I'm working with Madi, Violet gets to play school games.  When Madi is done, she gets the ipad and I work with Violet.  Brilliant, right?


Until I go to download pics from the ipad a few days later.  And I find these:

I may have a problem...

... I think I'm addicted to the humor section on Pinterest.  Because I find things like this:

And this:

And this:

...extremely hilarious. As in snorting and whacking the hubby so he'll look hilarious. As in saving the pic and texting it to a friend:

... and now you know where I've been the last few months...