She's returned

I know because the flip-flops are out and scattered. PRM

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

She's been sleeping around. Mostly with Noach, an act of feline desperation, and one night, she wanted to sleep nose-to-nose with me. Her face was a bit fuzzy and I know where that nose has been.

But soon, tomorrow night, her girl will be back. There will be purring. PRM

Oops

I feel good this morning. And that is a change. I have been having some knee problems that I greatly exacerbated Saturday while doing something with Noach. Saturday night I could not sleep so Sunday was a day of restlessness, discomfort, and napping. Finally late yesterday I got a cortisone injection in my knee as a trial before going to arthroscopic surgery. And I am optimistic that this is going to work.

Why oops? Because I got up early with JP, as I usually do, and because I felt so energized I stripped the bed to wash the sheets. Now I can't go back to bed, as I often do. Oh well, I'll just enjoy this cool morning, also a change from the last week or so, and wait for dawn to come when I can take my book outside and read and watch the birds.

I feel good this morning. PRM

Swimming merit badge

Naoch returned from Scout camp this morning. He had a good time but was glad to be home.

He completed the requirements for 5 merit badges, including the swimming badge. I was really proud of him for doing this. I know many kids swim and dive with delight but Noach does not. He hates to get his face wet. But to earn this badge, he had to dive as well as swim distances that were challenging for him. He had to work for this badge and he did it. He overcame his own anxieties. I'm proud of him. PRM

The Film Club

**This post is deleted. It was inadvertently posted before completed. I'll try to finish later.

Homer Sexuals

That's what Jesse Helms called homosexuals.

I am not sad to see another vestige of the Old South pass away. I think he was a mean SOB, frankly.

JP and I went to parent's night at the Boy Scout camp last night. One of the fathers was wearing a Confederate flag t-shirt with the saying, "If you're offended by this flag, you need to study history."

So I guess the death of Jesse will not purify the South. There will still be stupid SOBs.

What we need is a black man in the White House. That's the ticket. I can hope, especially since there are no homERsexuals running. PRM

Wordless Wednesday

Finally, I got him. PRM

Yakov is safe

in southern Israel, far from Jerusalem.

He called about 7am to let us know he was okay. I suspect they are encouraged to do so to allay parental concerns. JP and I are fairly calm and not easy to panic but that may not be the case for all parents. PRM

Science fun - high school

I have spent even longer trying to decide what to do with my older group of kids, kids 15 to 17 years old. These kids are unschoolers for the most part.

I looked at Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments by Robert Bruce Thompson and I cannot say how much I love this book. My own digital balance arrived yesterday and I am ready to do some science. But I don't think this will work with my lab group, most of whom will not be doing any other science than what we do in lab. The vocabulary and concepts will be difficult to teach them in the small amount of time we have together.


Rather I think I will use a series of the TOPS units, analysis, oxidation, solutions, and others. I don't consider this a compromise in quality but rather a different presentation and focus. I like that the TOPS modules often have you create your own lab equipment. The teens will be able to work through the task cards at their own pace and then we will discuss what we learned at the end of the time. To add a bit of flash, I will add in a lab from the Thompson book occasionally.

I really hope that all of these kids will take a lab science at the community college before they graduate from high school. We have required this of our teens. I have discussed their lab science experiences with several local public school kids and I think I have offered comparable exposure to my kids, particularly in biology. I want chemistry to be as instructive and fun. Chemistry should smell even worse, and occasionally, produce a "pop".

Shoshie will likely be using Singapore Chemistry this year, as well as doing the group lab. We will be doing some of the Thompson's labs at home. The second and third chapters of the Singapore book are about experimental techniques and separation and purification of substances. While she can read this, I think it will be helpful to do some of these at home if we haven't done them in the lab by that time. Thompson's first set of labs are separations of mixtures.

So, now that's settled. On to deciding about history, math, etc PRM

Science fun - middle school age

I have spent a lot of time researching my options for doing a science lab/experience for ages 11 - 13 this next school year. I have made a decision.

I am going to use Teaching Physics with Toys, Hands-On Investigations for Grades 3 - 9. I think it is a perfect age to get down on the floor and spin tops and race cars and ask questions. What would happen if you add mass to your top? Does it matter if you add the mass to the spindle or the disk? Sounds like fun to me.

I have 4 likely participants, including Noach. I would like to have 6 kids, 3 pairs. So I will be looking for a couple more and I hope one of them will be a boy. Noach is perfectly happy with all girls but I think he would enjoy another boy as well.

With help, I have found a location for us that I think will work well. I am looking forward to it. PRM