Chalky Rocks

I just love easy science experiments that are entertaining and cheap!!!!

We are presently studying about rocks and minerals. We live in the perfect place for that!


Anyway, the kids were supposed to find rocks and test to see if they contained chalk. All you have to do is drip vinegar onto the rock and wait to see if it fizzes. EASY and not very messy at all!

With cheeks full of gummies and a dropper filled with vinegar, Lincoln was ready to be a geologist!! He tested a bunch of rocks from his rock collection that he's been building up for the past few years now. Not a one was a chalky rock. But a few days later big brother finally found one and they were so excited. Mullin drew a picture on our back patio with it. Oh, I should have taken a photo. :(

We are planning a summer field trip to expand our rocky horizons. So stay tuned!

Some Good News From California

I felt a bit obligated to post this link since I recently wrote about the home schooling case in CA.

Even the governor had a great quote.

C is for Clogging

So I am reading an A-Z book about Tennessee this morning to complement our geography lesson, and we get to "C is for Clogging".

Now, I am assuming that most of us know this is a country style, feet flappin', knee slappin' sort of dance. Before I could even explain this to my sweet, second born, he blurted out, "Yeah, I really know how to clog the toilet!"

Nice. And yes, as the loving parent of this child I have really had to brush up on my plumbing skills.

Even after I read about the sort of clogging that Tennessee was famous for, my son thought he would be funny and perform his own version of "clogging". It looked more like me standing over the toilet with a plunger. Gross as it may sound, it really was funny!

Ya think maybe he will want me to delete this post when he is a teenager? Nah, what am I thinking. Like my kids would actually want to read their mom's blog. Blogs will most likely be so out dated by then. Definitely won't be the cool thing to do. Not that it is now or anything.

The "Accidental" Discovery of Uranus

Before you all yawn a big yawn, I am writing about this amazing discovery because this greenish-blue planet was discovered by amateur astronomers--home schooled, amateur astronomers. We learned this during home school last year.

In 1781, German home schoolers, William Herschel and his sister Caroline, discovered Uranus purely by accident. On an ordinary day, these two kids were looking through one of their telescopes that William had actually built himself, and they noticed a light that looked more like a disc than a star. After several months of observation they realized it was indeed a planet and not a comet like they had originally thought.

This brother and sister became instantly famous!! They even got to name the planet. And I thought it was interesting that at first they didn't want to name it after a Roman god, which was tradition. They came from a devout Christian family and wanted to name the newly discovered planet after their king, George III. That didn't fly with everyone. Lots of folks wanted them to name it, Herschel, but unfortunately for some reason they did in fact choose to name it after another Roman god. I think it will be so neat to finally find out the real names of all of the planets God has made.

After their discovery the government paid them to be full time astronomers!! At the time they were both making money by singing and playing in the opera. (No, I don't think they had an astronomy certificate.) Caroline found many comets, and William discovered 2 of Saturn's moons, among other things. Eventually they did get something named after them. Mimas, one of the moons that William discovered has a huge crater that makes it look like the Star Wars "death star". Astronomers honored the work of the Herschels by naming this huge crater, Herschel crater.

Now isn't that just a snazzy, little home school story. I am on the prowl to find more!!!

One more thing--I know lots of very gifted people have been taught in the public schools too. I am not against public school. Just against gov. forcing parents to send their kids to it. I went to public school, ya know. (Hmm, maybe that is why I am not very gifted?? Oh well, that's another story. :))

My Child's Best Interest?

Since I can't get the photos of my new nephew to load, I guess I will take this opportunity to step up onto my soapbox.

Last week my pastor briefly mentioned something about a California judge and home schooling. Of course, my ears perked right up. Then last night at my brother's house I heard about it once again on the local news. I would be lying if I denied that my heart was beginning to beat just a little faster and that my nose was flaring just a bit.

Before I officially whip the soapbox out and turn on my Stella voice, (you know, the skunk from Over the Hedge) I will clarify that I thankfully don't reside in California, but this could happen anywhere.

Okay, so a judge in California thinks that I need to be a "certified" teacher to be able to home school my children. Does this mean I get a real paycheck every week, too??

He also says it is in my child's best interest to attend a public school.

Ya know, last time I checked I didn't spend 27 months of my life pregnant, spend a day in drug-free, all natural labor, spend 4 years suffering from clogged ducts while sacrificing my time and body to feed my babies just to casually and blindly hand my kids over to the government.


Last time I checked, and my DNA would prove it, I am the MOMMA!!! And I take my God-given right to be a parent very seriously. Thanks, but no thanks, I don't need the government to tell me what is best for my children. If I do need advice, I will choose from whom I receive it.

It takes more than a certificate to be a good teacher.

How many teachers love their students so much that it hurts? How many teachers would die for their students? I am sure there are some, but I guarantee that I care more about my kids than they ever could. Parents should have a right to educate their own children at home.

While I have had many outstanding teachers that I will remember fondly for the rest of my life, I have had some pretty lousy ones as well. Teachers that had certificates. Teachers that were getting a paycheck. I remember my 9th grade algebra teacher. She spoke more about her personal problems and psychiatric drugs she was taking than math. The whole class suffered, but her solution to the problem was to just grade on a curve. By my grades one would have thought that I had mastered algebra 1, but the rest of my high school math life was screwed up, I believe, b/c of that teacher.

Had another teacher. My World History teacher in maybe 10th grade--can't remember. She had a certificate to teach. And her amazing methods involved students copying millions of vocabulary words and then having a test. In my humble opinion a chimpanzee could have done better than that. I can tell you I have already put forth way more effort than that in teaching my children history.

I have researched and studied my tail off to provide my kids with a super education. Government validation should not be required for parents to teach their own kids. Good grief, we are living in a country where parents can choose to kill their children with the silent weapon of abortion. I should be able to teach the ones I have chosen to bring into this world without the threat of government intervention. Crazy isn't it?

Go here to read about the real story and also to sign a petition.

Got Water?

For the past few weeks in the wonderful subject of Earth Science, Mullin and I have been studying all about God's glorious gift of water. Before we plunged in, Mullin was to record in a 24 hour period the amount of times he used water. While he journaled his entries, I made mental notes of how many times I actually used water. Since I do the majority of cooking, cleaning and diaper changing, well, I realized that even one day without this essential material would be miserable! Imagine buckets in the bathroom instead of toilets! Even worse--not being able to wash your hands after handling the buckets--YUCK!! (In the mind of an 8 yr. old boy, though, the thoughts of not having to wash hands, take a shower, or brush teeth sounded like a relief. :))

Next task on the list was to make a list (with the help of a Thesaurus) of about 50 words relating to the word water. Our list included words like refreshing, vital, crucial, quenching, satisfying, useful, wet, tastelss, frozen, necessary--just to name a few. Well, a little later that day as I was reflecting on our water assignment, the Holy Spirit shifted my thoughts of physical water to thoughts of a different kind of water. Living Water.

Jesus gives me Living Water to drink by washing and cleansing me through His Word. This water is even more crucial, vital, refreshing, quenching, satisfying, and necessary to my health than physical water. Just as physical water gives life to my body, Living Water gives life to my spirit. I have never tried it, but supposedly 3 days without water is fatal. If I only drank water once every 3 days just to stay alive, I really wouldn't be very healthy. I may not be dead, but I would be in a constant state of dehydration and probably wouldn't be a very productive person.

Lack of Living Water will consequently cause spiritual dehydration in my life. I can't drink it every so often and expect to see huge amounts of growth. I must drink it on a very regular basis, and it shouldn't be a "to-do" to mark off on a list. Drinking it should come as naturally as drinking "real" water. I believe there are many ways to refresh my spirit. It's not only about sitting down and having a "Quiet Time", a time set aside to read and study, though this is very important. Relying on Living Water is all about a relationship with Christ, abiding in him moment by moment.

Praying, singing praises, sharing my faith, memorizing scripture, practicing what I read, and just listening to God are all ways in which my soul can stay hydrated. While I do believe that I am growing by leaps and bounds, it is no secret that I have not attained perfection, nor will I be able to as long as flesh is my fashion.

Somtimes staying at home all of the time brings about feelings of isolation and a sense of being ineffective, so it is so neat to see how God speaks to little, old me through our home schooling venture.

"As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee.

You alone are my heart's desire, and I long to worship you..."

Flexible Friday: Painting Footballs

We work really hard Mon.-Thurs. on our home school lessons here at Rivendell Academy, so that we can be more flexible with our time on Friday, doing other things besides keeping our noses stuffed in books.

So after a few tests, a trip to the store, lunch and rest time, the boys pumped up their footballs that they got for Christmas and started painting away.

Oh no, I don't think my spell check has been working the past few posts. I really hate to reveal my knack for making a mess of the English language. Please be kind and overlook. I've even pulled out the dictionary a couple of times!

Home school: Just an Excuse to Make Tasty Treats

Mullin just finished reading Homer Price, and chapter three's book report project was making homemade doughnuts. I made up the dough, Daddy cooked 'em in hot oil and the kids decorated. They got the fun part. They actually turned out pretty good--more of a cakey type doughnut. Of course I made them as healthy as possible by using white whole wheat flour and coconut oil, but I guess when it's all said and done, a doughnut is a doughnut.
Lincoln got to help decorate, too. But oh goodness, Shiloh was not a happy camper as you can see in photo #1. The rule in our house is: to get dessert, you gotta eat your dinner. I kept pressing her to eat her dinner so she could eat a doughnut, but she just wouldn't. So, yes I made her suffer the consequences. It kills me to see my little Sue cry, but we just can't have a spoiled brat on our hands, now can we? Don't worry the story has a happy ending--she got one the next day.
Shiloh eventually got over her fit and enjoyed watching the boys, and I did even let her decorate one. She just didn't get to eat it. Until the next day.

Booger Bandits

We did another "Disgusting Science" project today.

Boogers are great as long as they don't end up on the wall! The boys learned that we need mucus to keep dust and other junk from clogging up our lungs. Hopefully they will still understand the importance of cleaning out their noses before going out in public!!!

Mullin did not want to pose with a "booger", so Lincoln gladly took the opportunity!

Wishbone

Ever wondered where the custom of making a wish while breaking a wishbone comes from??

This is one of the reasons I love homeschooling--always finding out cool little tidbits of information!!

I know you are on the edge of your seat so here you go. The custom was actually begun by the ancient Etruscans of Italy. It was their belief that hens were prophetic birds because they cackled right before they laid an egg. Eventually this belief led to the custom of making a wish on the bone of a chicken. Obviously we already know what is involved-- two people pull on the wishbone and whoever breaks off the larger portion is the winner of the wish. This is also where the phrase "lucky break" comes from. There is your lesson for the day!
Of course, I don't believe in the nonsense of wishing upon a bone and it coming true-- all in fun. It is kind of sad that people actually did believe in these sorts of superstitions.

Wishful Thinking

Today, during Lincoln's Literature lesson, we read and discussed Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. This brought up the subject of wishes, so I asked the boys, "If you could make just one wish today, what would it be?"

To my question Lincoln replied without even thinking, "All the light sabers in the world!".

As a mom, I am thinking, "That is so silly.", but I guess it sounds really fun to a boy. Where in the world would I put all of them???

Mullin quickly answered, without even knowing what his brother had said, "A Super Battle Droid Star Wars character". Now I am thinking to myself, "That's it?" He definitely takes after his dad, not me!!! I guess my kids are in a Star Wars mode or something.

Wishing is always fun so I just can't resist answering the question, too!!
If I could wish for anything today, it would be to have a backyard extreme makeover. I so badly want a custom pool, a welcoming covered porch complete with designer outdoor furnishings, a place to have family cookouts, and some cool custom built kid toys as well.
I can dream.....

Think Before You Touch

Prepare to be sicked out!!Mullin bought a Disgusting Science kit with his birthday $, and this is his first experiment.
We prepared petri dishes and took samples from various places. Then we watched what grew for about 12 days. Do you really want to know where the samples came from??

From left to right: bathroom sink, inside of mouth, coin, bottom of a shoe

The money and bottom of shoe started growing nasty stuff almost immediately! Nice to know that my cleaning efforts haven't gone completely to waste.

Hopefully my family can appreciate and respect our "no shoes on in the house" rule a little more after seeing this!! (Well, you can only wear "inside" shoes--it is a must on all tile floors)

I had thought of taking samples from a library book and Shiloh's passy but didn't think I would be able to bear the results. What you don't know can't hurt ya, right?

So Sere Here!

The 20 or so drops of rain we received a few days ago did nothing to quench the desert's thirst!! It is so hot and dry here that we have had to try and keep ourselves entertained indoors. Mullin has had a fun time building Pirate theme park rides. I believe this was a toy Pawpaw and Grandma gave him that he is just now growing into.
The other day we made tasty models of molecules. The one they are holding up happens to be for Fruit Sugar. I let the boys pick out different colors of Jelly Bellys to represent the atoms that make up the molecules. Of course Shiloh didn't make molecules, but I did let her pick out some pink Jelly Bellys.
Thank you Grandma Honey for the cookie craft! The boys loved being creative with blue frosting and gummies. Mullin was sad he had to pick the gummies off when it came time to taste, but he can't eat anything sticky while wearing braces.

Can't believe how fast the summer is going, and can't believe how much of my to do list is still left!! I am ready for a vacation with just me. A week at home all by myself sounds really good right now!

A Night to Remember

Wow! Last night I saw Venus in the sky!!

As many know I have deeply loved teaching astronomy this year to Mullin and Lincoln. (Shiloh loves it too, she calls every sphere, "mooooon".)

After having finished our lessons on planets, we have now begun our journey to the stars. Lately Mullin and I have been gazing at the sky trying to find stars/constellations that we have read about. Goodness gracious, it is a bit harder than I thought! My ignorance will just have to be overlooked and blamed on the public school system.

Anyway, this past Monday night Mullin and I were driving home from a church meeting, and we both noticed this amazingly bright "star" in the sky. We were trying to figure out which one it could be and to what constellation it belonged, but failed. I kept thinking, "It's not twinkling like stars usually do."

On Thursday morning I awoke before the sun did, so I decided to look out the window. And there it was again, that beautiful, bright Morning Star. I just knew it had to be a planet. I forgot about it and went about the rest of my day as usual. Our astronomy lesson on this day happened to cover the Orion constellation.

Thursday night as I was finishing up tucking Shiloh, Heartsong, and Lovey into bed, I heard the three boys (Mark, Mullin and Lincoln) talking about that big, bright star. It could be seen perfectly from the boys' bedroom window. Mark said he thought he saw it twinkle, but Mullin and I stuck to our guns and said that it was not twinkling!! After I left Shiloh's room, Mullin exclaimed that he could see Orion, but of course I just thought he was saying that because we had learned about it earlier that day. Sure enough, when I peeked through the blinds, there stood Orion ready for battle! And right next to him was his faithful dog, Sirius. How's that for ending our science lesson for the day!

After all the kids had been tucked in for the night I wanted to settle the bright star issue once and for all, so I went to this science website and found out indeed that Venus was the star we'd been tracking for the past few days. It was nestled right between the crescent moon and the arms of Orion! I hurried to get the telescope, for I had never seen a planet through one before. I must say I was completely awestruck! It was so cool to see Venus as a round ball with texture and not a bright star. Mark and I went and got Mullin right away so he could see this amazing sight, and I am glad we did because it is cloudy today.

I may have brought some to tears of boredom with this post, but for me this experience was truly remarkable!

I will definitely be sky gazing on April 24th since Jupiter will be making herself known!

Dedicated to my fellow astronomy lovers...

I love astronomy, and I think these pictures are so neat!


How about a few fun facts about these planets...

Mercury--Even though it is the closest planet to the sun, without much of an atmosphere, it gets colder than a freezer at night. And night here lasts about 30 earth days!!

Venus--Hot!!!! This planet is the hottest planet in the whole solar system!

EARTH--"The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men" Psalm 115:16 A perfect design by a perfect creator!!

Mars--Even if there is evidence that water has been found on Mars, it doesn't mean life exists there! It is way too cold--the average temp on Mars is 81 degrees BELOW zero.

Pluto--Poor Pluto, he's lost his status as a planet.












Wow, just look at how tiny we are now!!

Jupiter--She is such a sweet, protective mother. God made her very massive so that her gravitational pull would keep comets and asteroids from hitting the earth. She takes the hits for us!! Thank you Jupiter!

Saturn--Ever wondered just how many beautiful rings she wears? Thousands!! I would have guessed like 6 or something.

Uranus--I think everyone already knows this is the sleepy planet--always lying on his side.

Neptune--Astronomers really believe it actually rains diamonds on this planet. Neat!













In July, here in Arizona, I am sure it's not going to feel like the sun is 93 million miles away!
Billions and Billions of years ago is just flat out Bologna! The sun is actually getting brighter every year due to thermonuclear fusion, so billions of years ago the sun would have been too dim to provide enough warmth for life to exist.


"He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them." Psalm 147:4

Arcturus is the third brightest star in the sky. The name stems from the ancient Greek, Arktouros, meaning Bear Guard. Another really cool thing is that this star is even mentioned, I believe, twice in the Bible. Both verses are found in Job, and chapter 9 verse 9 reads (King James version) "Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south." (My version refers to it as Bear) But anyway I thought that was cool. The other verse is Job 38:32 if you want to look it up.

Oh, and we all know Sirius is really just The Prisoner From Azkaban.

Isn't Betelguese some weird 80's movie? Antares is the brightest star in the constellation, Scorpius. Amazing to think that there is bigger stuff out there!!




We are not as big as we think we are!

God's creation overwhelms me and leaves me speechless!

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20


Thank you Tonja for sending these pictures to me!

So Far At Rivendell Elementary...

We have constructed a glow-in-the-dark Solar System (minus Pluto)














built a volcano while studying The Buried City of Pompeii













We were a bit disappointed that the red food coloring stayed down in the bottle. Oh well, they got the idea of how a volcano works.











We have grown salt crystals while studying The Dead Sea Scrolls













and baked yummy heart-shaped sugar cookies while learning about the martyr, St. Valentine.

















So far we have been very busy bees! I am finally in a pretty good routine but still haven't managed to fit in cursive writing yet. So many subjects, so little time! Well, I guess its not more time I need, just less Shiloh!! Just kidding. She is wonderful, but it is quite the challenge to work school around that always-on-the-go girl!

Art Class

Another school year has begun. I am thinking the boys would love to change our school name to Hogwarts from Rivendell, but unfortunately I have absolutely zero magical skills. Well, come to think of it I am not an elf either, but anyway...Mark has offered to share the load this year and teach art, my least favorite subject.

By the end of the week I have no enthusiastic energy left to teach a subject that I am not very good at. Being the great guy that Mark is I know he will make art fun and enjoyable! In fact he has already come up with a few creative ideas, one being the title--Defense Against the Fine Arts. Made me laugh! And he does such a fine impersonation of the loveable fraud, Gilderoy Lockhart, who was supposed to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

I know Mullin is anticipating his first lesson, and I am sure he is glad that I won't be the teacher!!

Longbottom Leaf

This morning during our homeschool history project, we were pretending to be Hippocrates making an herbal remedy. I gave each of the boys their very own pretend mortar and pestle, and while they were crushing their herbs (bay leaves) Mullin closed his eyes, took a big whiff, and said, "Ahhhhh, Longbottom Leaf!" I died laughing!








It is a good thing The Shire is a long way off from here!