31 August 2016

Day 104 / 105 - Summer Learning With My Kids


For us, summer time doesn't look much different than the rest of the year.  We never really have a first day of school or a last day of school.  Learning just happens as we live.  Honestly, the only change for us throughout the summer months is that we are home more often because most extra-curriculars are on hiatus.  We are in the process of reorganizing ourselves at the moment, so that we can hit the ground running next week.

Before we move too far into our fall routine, I wanted to reflect on a few gems that we learned this summer.


Thanks to an early June Google Doodle we learned about the silhouette art of Lotte Reiniger.  She was already focused on the immense possibilities of animation in 1915!!  If you are unfamiliar with what she accomplished far before Disney produced Snow White, spend some time YouTubing her movies.  Spectacular.  


We appreciated June's 'Strawberry Moon' which appropriately fell on the summer solstice.  


My daughter saved her own money to purchase an aquarium and beta fish -- something she was quite eager for.  She did an extensive amount of research on the fish before her purchase.  


There is no better way to teach a 12-year-old girl percentages than to take her shopping with the 30% off coupon.  


We introduced our son to Dances With Wolves following his trip out west.  There is an incredible amount of North American history and geography to be learned from this movie.  If you haven't seen it since the early '90s, I'd invite you to view it again.


August is the month that William Wallace (Braveheart) was captured by the English near Glasgow and then transported to London for his execution in 1305.  It's also the month that Johannes Gutenberg completed the Gutenberg Bible in 1456.   [Seriously.  What would we all be doing today had Gutenberg never invented the printing press?]


Mark Twain sums up Gutenberg's press far better than I ever could:

What the world is today, good and bad, it owes to Gutenberg. Everything can be traced to this source, but we are bound to bring him homage … for the bad that his colossal invention has brought about is overshadowed a thousand times by the good with which mankind has been favored.



Finally, one of our finest parenting/educational moments came this summer.  My husband made a reference to Scrooge McDuck which confused our children because they thought he was referring to Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.  It is always a good day when our children default to Dickens before Disney.

I'm looking forward to many more insights learned as we embark on Homeschool Year Number 8!  Join in on the fun - #dailylearningwithmykids

22 August 2016

Day 103 / 105 - The Taming of the Shrew


Last night, we viewed Shakespeare Carolina's performance of The Taming of the Shrew.  The artists at Shakespeare Carolina do a fabulous job of reimagining the classical cannon.  Last summer, we witnessed The Merry Wives of Windsor from a trailer park.   This summer, we were entertained with professional wrestling as we heard the notable tale of Katherine and Bianca Minola.

I read The Taming of the Shrew comedy in April.  As a result, I really knew the story line, so my children and I mapped out some characters and key scenes (posted below).  This helped tremendously because as I sat through the play last night, I knew exactly what was happening.  This is the first time I can confidently say that about a Shakespeare play in its entirety.  My exposure to The Bard has been a good thing.

19 August 2016

Day 102 / 105 - Newsies The Musical


Last weekend my daughter and I enjoyed viewing the National Broadway tour of Newsies The Musical.  Newsies The Musical tells the story of the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City.  My daughter has been eager to see this musical for sometime.

We loved the show, and I would highly recommend it to others.  The show has a predominantly male cast, so the dancing is highly entertaining and impressive.  We also admired the New York City set.  Naturally, the American history involved in the tale definitely makes the show worthwhile.

18 August 2016

Day 101 / 105 - Amphibious Duathalon


During the first weekend of August, my son (along with my husband) completed the U.S. National Whitewater Center's Amphibious Duathalon.  


The race was a 5K run/2K kayak paddle/5K run.  (After finishing several races at the Whitewater Center over the past year, we can confidently say that their courses are always much longer than stated as well as being some of the most challenging trails we've even been on!)  


Our son claimed the most difficult part of the race was trying to run uphill again after sitting in a kayak for 20+ minutes.  Even so, he wound up finishing 14th overall, and 4th in his age group (which was 30 and under!).  His father had a respectable finish also.

17 August 2016

Day 100 / 105 - Dancing Through The Years



My daughter collected a few photos in order to upload a video to her YouTube channel on National Dance Day.  This was a last minute idea, so she was working mostly with unorganized screen shots.  Had I known she was putting this together, I would have located some past photos that have yet to be archived.  Nevertheless, she still did a fantastic job, and I thought I'd again showcase her video making skills.  Enjoy.

Day 99 / 105 - Great Western Adventure


In July, our son traveled west for nine days.  He accompanied 22 others members of his Boy Scout troop on their Great Western Adventure.



This was an incredibly full trip, as you can see from the agenda posted above.  The troop flew into Denver, and then spent the rest of their time journeying through South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.  They visited seven National parks and/or monuments, as well as countless other tourist spots.


They camped every night, and most of it was off-the-beaten-path camping.  Everything our son took on the trip had to be carried on his back.  They moved locations daily.  


In order to participate in the trip, there was a certain rank requirement that the Scouts needed to achieve beforehand as well as a few specific merit badges.  Our son was busy this spring fulfilling those requirements.   


He said his favorite part of the trip was horseback riding in the Tetons.  


He had a great time! (Although he was quite exhausted upon returning home.)  


04 August 2016

Day 98 / 105 - July Happens At The Table

Slow-posting days.  I'm never going to make it to 105 posts before fall!  ;)

[Note to self: In the future, the academic year being profiled MUST BE FINISHED before the official start to summer.  Otherwise, it will never be finished.]


My son went out west in July (more on his trip in a later post).  All his gear needed to carried on his back, so it took us a few days to get him organized.  I also made him revisit his Geography by drawing a map of where he was headed.


The watercolors covered the table for quite some time.  


Also, Cross Country practice began the last week of July.  It was hot.  (Fortunately, it's a little cooler this week.)  To keep my children hydrated, I made them eat an entire watermelon in two days.  My husband and I helped some.


Follow me on Instagram for more life at the table.  

02 August 2016

Day 97 / 105 - Watercolors


My daughter spent a week of her summer at a watercolor camp with several of her new friends from our neighborhood.  She's been spending the rest of the time creating many, many, many silhouette pictures like the ones posted below.