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Serenades and Solace
The photos that should have been here yesterday
Tue, 22/11/2011 - 22:38Please excuse my camera's tardiness. It seems to enjoy taking excursions with my children to various parts of our home, then often gets a little disoriented before returning to it's rightful place in the study. At least when it DOES return, it leaves some clues as to where it's been!
Day old chick, named 'Esther',an Araucana breed. 
Mariposa's hen "Beauty" who had patiently sat, being broody,for 2 weeks before we put some fertilised eggs under her. 
'Apricot Delight' rose
Evening Primoses are abundantly sprawling on the pathway to the front door at the moment. They seem to have really enjoyed all the rain!
Teeny butterflies enjoying the nectar from the Evening Primroses.
YUM! These were hiding under some of those primroses.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Good morning!
Tue, 22/11/2011 - 07:50Hello everyone!
It's been another bit of a gap between posts, but the quiet in blog land only reflects that there's plenty of things happening here to keep us very busy.
The past two weeks have been especially busy with extra dance rehearsals in preparation for the concert, which was this weekend gone. What a great night! The format was a little different this year, with the juniors all performing in the afternoon with the theme 'Circus'. Then, in the evening, the older students performed with the theme 'A Walk Through The Art Gallery'. Pictures from famous artists were projected onto the back screen, and appropriate music and dances reflected these pictures. We really enjoyed watching it, and the children enjoyed the different format.
In our homeschooling, we're looking to finish up in another month. Many projects and books are almost completed. Mariposa's almost through the level 3 Singapore Maths books, but Maestro is swiftly working through MUS Pre-Algebra. We've also become the proud new owners of IEW. Maestro is LOVING this intensive writing course, and I'm really happy with the work he's produced so far. Science is still being worked on at a steady rate, but we're only about 3/4 through each of the levels (NOEO Chem I for Mariposa, and Apologia's General Science for Maestro). It's the same with our history: Maestro's at the beginning of the Middle Ages through his Sonlight, whilst I only recently started doing Australian history with Mariposa this term.
I've been learning more about certain learning issues. Mariposa has had several severe ear aches since a baby, thus the reason for her operation in September. This week, I've been watching some online videos about the affects that all those antibiotics have had on her young body, and how they could be contributing to some learning difficulties, via Dianne Croft's site. Once the cds, 'The Biology of Behavior', arrives here and we've had a chance to really study it, we'll be implementing ways to improve her health for better learning (and all the rest of us, too!)
In the henhouse, we have had one of our youngest hens go broody. She's now successfully hatched 1 of 4 chicks that we planted under her as preincubated/fertilised eggs. They're quite happy occupying a fenced off area along the side of the house (because I'm running out of room to put these chickens!!!!), so I often wake to the sound of 'took, took, took' as Mama hen takes her young chick out for a forage early each morning.
This morning's been one of checking over budgets, menu planning and shopping. Now it's time to get the diary out and check what the rest of the year looks like, because I don't want it rushing by in a blur as the last two weeks seemed to do. Time for a cuppa, and we'll get on with that whilst the children do their math I think!
Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Ginger Meggs is 90 today!
Sun, 13/11/2011 - 08:10Who remembers the comic strip of Ginger Meggs? I'm sure many do. Even Maestro remembers reading some old comics; "Yes, he was very arrogant!"
Ginger started his life in 1921, in the Sydney Sun before being relocated to the Sunday Telegraph in 1951. He's the 12 year old Aussie larrikin who had a healthy disrespect for authority.
In 1982, a movie was released featuring Paul Daniel and Gary McDonald. I actually don't recall ever seeing it before, but after watching this small part remembered the satire about a young lad dealing with the tougher side of society.
I have better memories of seeing a film based on the musical "The Girl from Moonooloo" with Jacki Weaver. This was set in the 1930s, where Jacki's character ends broadcasting Ginger Meggs on a radio show. If you ever come across a recording of this, it's well worth the viewing. In fact, I'd take the children to see this musical if it ever came back to the stage in Melbourne!
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
24hrs of bargains
Thu, 10/11/2011 - 10:08
I don't know what they're offering, but if you check the link every hour, there's a new bargain.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
The pentatonic is so predictable!
Mon, 07/11/2011 - 22:52Here's a fun little exercise you can participate in at home:
Personally, I can't wait until another campout, family get-together or a day with friends to try this out on them!
After seeing that, I'm checking out the rest of the lecture from the "Notes & Neurons" seminar from the World Science Festival.
or you may choose to view this on You Tube, as a 10 part series: START HERE.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
In beautiful memory
Sat, 05/11/2011 - 09:13Saying goodbye to a loved one is never easy.
Yesterday we said goodbye to a dear friend, with whom we'd spent time with whilst away in Echuca.
He'd just turned 79.
He loved his family, and always openly praised his grandchildren, even when they weren't there.
He worked with his hands, making and mending clocks.
He also loved his country music.
Papa had helped him put all his old reel-to-reel films onto dvds earlier this year, so we'd already shared a more intimate look into his earlier life, also.
One song played at the funeral really moved me, because it summed him up perfectly.
"In My Daddy's Hands"
I remember Daddy´s hands, folded silently in prayer.
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.
I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.
Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.
I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.
Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.
Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love .....
In Daddy´s hands.by Holly Dunn You may here it here.
We'll miss you Jim!
xxxxx
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
A week of wet weather
Thu, 03/11/2011 - 19:53Looking over the pictures I put in my last post, I can't believe we were actually enjoying a very warm day at the beach. Since that change came through, it's been COLD! and wet, all week.
Never mind, because there are some sunny days predicted in the next few days.
The good things this week brought was:
Mangoes! A bulk supply c/- a friend, which is steadily being devoured. I'll start freezing some soon, as they're gradually all getting ripe now.
Mariposa's received her Certificate of Recognition for participating in the library's writing competition.
Maestro's been having a go at Math-U-See Pre-Algebra. There are some gaps that he hasn't covered before, but a lot of it has been revision. We're putting MUS on trial in our house, and so far Maestro is liking it. We'll have a better idea of how it 'fits' after a couple more weeks. (We're still using Singapore Maths for Mariposa.)
I've ordered 'The Girlhood Companion' for Mariposa, which arrived this week. She has been trying so hard to be a lovely helper here, and making some special mother/daughter time reading and learning new recipes, etc. will be much fun. I'm thinking that the monthly Tea Cozy Club may be a good option to try, also, especially if the writings, recipes and crafts are of the same high standard.
Maestro has started making his own website. I know ... how did he learn to do that?! I don't know how to do that! All it takes is a friend who already knows and a curious mind to soak up the information apparently. He's including podcasts, polls, and a whole lot of other music/technology experiments.
We were also full-swing back into homeschool lessons, dance lessons (only 2 more weeks until the concert!), Papa back to work and my music teaching. All the good things to keep us busy and our minds off the wet weather.
I hope you've all had a good week!
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Out for the day .. Lorne
Fri, 28/10/2011 - 17:31A warm day, with a storm on the way,but we wanted an outing whilst Papa's still home.We grabbed what we neededfor a day trip down to The Great Ocean Road.
We stopped at Lorne and enjoyed the beach.
Mariposa's the first to try out the water. Brrrr! It's still pretty cold for this time of year.
Maestro's more comfortable staying on the sand and trying to make hills under the towels.
Then the storm clouds started rolling in:
We pack up to head back. A quick stop and dash to see the lighthouse as the rain starts to really settle in.
We'll endeavour to travel further along the Great Ocean Roadand see the 'shipwreck coast' with all it's historyon a future trip.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Let's take this notebooking a little more seriously
Mon, 24/10/2011 - 15:50I've been putting myself through some more teacher training. We have a teen in the house and I don't want the learning to be all textbook based. It's has to remain engaging and encourage discussion.
The Primary years have been a lot of fun, and thankfully they're not over YET with Mariposa being at the end of grade 4 level. But with Maestro, we need to get a little more serious in defining interests while still broadening understanding on the bases already established.
So, where does one go for inspiration? Friends! Yes, I've been talking with those who have older children and watched what they're doing. Still, I really want more angles on how to do this. How have others successfully pulled together the final years of learning with their teens?
I learned about a month ago that there's a Charlotte Mason High School online course, complete with papers and audio files that arrive in monthly installments. This is put together by Jim and Sheila Carroll over HERE.
After a few weeks, I've already received enough information to seriously whet my appetite for MORE PLEASE! After reading and then listening to the audio files, I've been bunny-hopping around the internet looking for more information.
So far, the main inspiration has been to finally sit down and have the children really start working on regular notebook entries. It was after listening to Cindy Ruston that this has really taken off. Her talks on her 'Talk-A-Latte' pages were fabulous. It's so easy, and then I wonder why I didn't seriously set it all up this way from the start.
So, now the children each have a 3-ring binder and all notes are going in there. Beautification is a good thing, but if we don't have time, we come back to it later. Whilst we were away, the children were studying parables, such as "The kingdom is like ..." which they wrote out, then paraphrased the meaning. I also want them to have a go at making up their own parables as we didn't really have that happen last week.
The children seem to prefer notebooking much more than lapbooking. The 'everything in one place' works with the plastic sleeves and papers already on hand, and half-done projects easily contained where they can be transported for work elsewhere.
I'm looking forward to 'notebooking' all my recipes. They seriously need a tidy-up!
If you'd like to check out some of the places I've been to when looking for ideas, here's a quick list:
- A Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set, Cindy Rushton
- Notebooking for High Schoolers
- Notebooking Resources for Homeschoolers
- Beautiful Feet samples
- Harmony Art Mom's Notebooking Resources
- By Sun and Candlelight, "My Homekeeping Notebook"
...... and there are HEAPS more if you do a google search. :)
*** Pictures to come in a future post .... when we have finished our covers and have a collection of interesting pages to share! :)
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
A typical Sunday
Sun, 23/10/2011 - 16:44It's a lovely sunny day after a run of cool, wet days. We've been for our early walk.Mariposa's had her 3 hour horseriding lesson.
All the windows were opened around the house to let in the lovely warm breeze. A great day for getting all the washing done!Floors have been swept and mopped.
The diary has been checked to see what's coming up this week,but I still need to look over upcoming schooling work and check materials needed.
Friends have dropped in for afternoon tea and a chat. We made an exchange of 1 doz eggs and some lemons
for a box of books ... woo hoo!!
The lawn has just been mown. Time to think about dinner: pasta with mushrooms, tomatoes and herbs,
and a baked custard for dessert.
I hope you all had a lovely day today, too! 
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Treasured Moments (4)
Sun, 23/10/2011 - 06:02
We've been away in Echuca again. Warm weather, fresh air, lots of adventurous activities ... plenty of treasured moments to tell you about! :)
Do you find yourself falling into a pattern of daily grind, skipping the 'fun' activities because you don't have time or lack energy?
Do creative arts, nature walks, drama, read alouds or spontaneous acts seem only a distant dream in your life?
Yet these Treasured Moments shared with loved ones uplift us, nurture our soul, remind us of the beauty and joy in our lives.
We want Treasured Moments for ourselves, for our children, for our families but how can we make it happen?
... Commitment ... Encouragement ... Support ... Ideas ... Plans.
You are invited to join us at the end of every week and share your plans and ideas, your targets and goals and your stories ... your 'Treasured Moments'. In this way we may inspire one another, encourage ourselves and start achieving our dreams. Hosted by Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting.
My Treasured Moments these past 2 weeks were:
1. We're really enjoying having Papa home on vacation. It's a change of pace for everyone, and we were away in Echuca for almost a week, soaking up some lovely sunshine and breathing in fresh air. It was even warm enough to enjoy a swim in the outdoor pool.
2. Ten pin bowling with friends. They were giving each other such great support .. we were a very noisy group!
3. Maestro, Papa and I had a go at some archery. Some pretty keen shooting went on there!
(Mariposa opted for a group horseride instead that day.)
4. Mariposa had her first ever canoe paddle with me, down the Murray River. Maestro also came along, but was in another canoe. We were in a group with a total of seven canoes.
5. Our Maestro is now officially a TEEN! Yes, he has just turned 13. We bought him some Bear Grylls' survival gear he'll be able to use when we go camping and hiking.
6. There's more fun to come, as Papa still has another week and a half at home. We'll be back to lessons with the children, but will escape for a few extra outings whenever we can.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Too pretty to not photograph
Wed, 05/10/2011 - 11:26Oh, if only I could share the scent wafting from these gorgeous blooms with you!It's Spring. What else can I say?
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Treasured Moments (3)
Sun, 02/10/2011 - 22:14
We started off having a lovely weekend, but today I'm the one who's ill, unfortunately. Having slept most of the day away, my tummy's decided I'm peckish again. So, whilst I'm sipping some hot tea and dry toast, I thought I'd make an entry into my blog again. Besides, it's nice to reflect back on the good things that happened during the week.
Do you find yourself falling into a pattern of daily grind, skipping the 'fun' activities because you don't have time or lack energy?
Do creative arts, nature walks, drama, read alouds or spontaneous acts seem only a distant dream in your life?
Yet these Treasured Moments shared with loved ones uplift us, nurture our soul, remind us of the beauty and joy in our lives.
We want Treasured Moments for ourselves, for our children, for our families but how can we make it happen?
... Commitment ... Encouragement ... Support ... Ideas ... Plans.
You are invited to join us at the end of every week and share your plans and ideas, your targets and goals and your stories ... your 'Treasured Moments'. In this way we may inspire one another, encourage ourselves and start achieving our dreams. Hosted by Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting.
My Treasured Moments this week are: 1. The children have had a week of minimal screen time, which means playing lots of games, chatting, baking and catching up with friends. We've had time at the park, been out for a lovely luncheon with other families, and had Mariposa's friend spend a day and evening with us. I felt like this has been a great week for settling back into 'getting to know you' time. Yesterday, in particular, I was delighted with the level of conversations that were happening here.
2. I've started reading a couple of new books, on loan from friends. The first is "The Soloist". It's a very moving book about how a journalist chances to meet with an accomplished musician. This man has extraordinary talent, but how did he come to be living on the streets? I'm about 1/3 or way into this book, and I get the feeling that this journalist is learning what many of us would need to learn in order to really HELP someone .. there's no easy quick fix.
The other book I'm reading is called "Hold on to Your Kids". This is all about attached parenting, and building wholesome relationships in the family.
3. Today, the children were wonderful helping out around the house and looking after me with extra pillows and drinks of water. I even had the window opened so I could see the lovely day outside, and smell the native frangipani which has just come into flower.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
So where are we at?
Tue, 27/09/2011 - 23:19Once again, it's been over a week since my last post. Finding time to write up blog posts is getting trickier. One factor is that Maestro is becoming more tech. savvy, so uses this computer more than I. I'm not holding a grudge, though. He does a quick check for my emails, yells if I'm needed, then gets back to the task he was doing. He's either working on music editing, story writing, Spanish lessons (Auralog), or emailing friends. Is it time for us to get another computer? ... I really don't want to seriously think about that right now.
Mariposa has been recovering amazingly well from her operation. After the more painful days (around 5-9 days after her tonsils and adenoids were removed), she bounced back and was ready to do all sorts of things. We still waited out the two full weeks of quarantine, though, taking time for picnics at the park and some pleasant walks in the sunshine. She then went back to her drawing lessons, a craft day with friends, an afternoon horseriding, and is having her friend for a sleepover tomorrow night.
In our 'homeschooling world', Maestro's worked hard to get through more Apologia General Science. He felt like the units on evolution discussions took forever, so I prodded him through it and now we're into the discussions on DNA with units on biology. He's made a DNA model, dug up worms from the garden, looked for starch in plants; it's all a whole lot more fun again now.
Mariposa's science has consisted of reading How to Think Like a Scientist. I won't give it all away, but she's actually carrying out her experiment about whether a snake hung over a tree branch really can bring rain ... with a toy rubber snake. "Did it rain, though?" I hear you ask. Well ... yes, it did, but I think that it was already on the forecast before it fined up to a lovely afternoon.
We've also been out to the pet supply store and bought a basic budgie nesting box for our two birds, Oliver and Butterscotch. It is Spring, after all, so we're hoping that this pair of birds will produce some offspring for us to enjoy. The nesting box we bought is very much like this one. I also found this cute nesting box you can attach outside your window, cleverly set up so you can peek in when you lift the cover from inside the house: Peek-a-boo Birdhouse. It may be something we could make at home, with a perspex backing, and set it up similarly to watch some small native honey-eaters.
Introducing Oliver
and Butterscotch
Our Fibonacci living books arrived and we've read them. This week, as it's now the state term break, we're also playing lots of games that involve math ( but sshhhh! don't tell the children!) We've been playing Yahtzee a fair bit today and the plan to use multiplication facts to find your score IS WORKING!
The number of my music students has been grown ... 14 students now! Wow! How did that happen so fast? Three new girls started the previous week, all known from the dance school. I think that's where a lot of my spare time is going, but I'm enjoying it. I now have five students learning singing, and the others learning piano. I'm finding that I'm encouraged to play more myself now, and even my children are getting more enthused about music (not that it was ever lacking before, really!) Mariposa told me this afternoon that she's a little jealous of one of the girls, as she wants to learn those (more difficult) piano pieces too. Nothing like positive peer pressure, I suppose. I'll have to remedy some of that this week.
I won't start telling you all that's been happening around the house, except that there's the mess made with little renovation jobs popping up here and there. Let's just say, I need a break to clean up this place! But, we're happy .. and I hope you're all having a great week too.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Such an inspiring documentary : Mrs Carey's Concert
Mon, 19/09/2011 - 07:30We all sat glued to the tv set last night. I actually hadn't planned to watch anything in particular, but I'm so glad that I decided switch on to the ABC channel for a look. A most inspiring documentary was about to begin.
Mrs Carey's Concert gives us all a glimpse into what can be achieved with determined teaching and perseverance. A look at the bigger picture, and seeing how music can offer so much to every student, takes Karen Carey and her staff off on a journey each year of building up students to reach where they never thought possible. All students from Sydney's MLC Burwood will perform at the Sydney Opera House. Everyone comes away with something.
Carey describes music as being that which builds the intellect, creativity and explores emotions. All 1200 students at the school must participate, and all must apply themselves to the best of their ability.
There are struggles along the way, as is the expected experience. Students are either harsh on themselves in striving for a good result, or they're stubborn with the teachers in rebellion. I actually particularly like how the other students help support Mrs Carey's effort to have everyone included in the program, by confronting the rebellion for the sake of everyone involved. This documentary shows both sides, with the final concert answering the persisting question, "How will she make all this work?"
I so wish I had an opportunity to play in an school orchestra like this. The end result is wonderful, and you can't help but have the tears well up in your eyes as you hear the final concert results after glimpsing into the lives off these young ladies. There is definitely something to be gained by participating in the bigger picture, and we saw a little of what that's like by watching this documentary.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Tagged for a homeschool meme
Wed, 14/09/2011 - 09:03Thank you Erin, for tagging me! It's taken me several days to think through my answers to these questions, and I probably still haven't fully gathered all my thoughts properly, but it's a quiet morning and I'm going to attempt to answer these questions now.
1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed
I have also read several homeschooling books, and all have something in them that's been helpful.
One of the most enjoyable books I've read, though is Karen Andreola's Charlotte Mason Companion. It's simply put, and encourages the nurturing of the whole child .. spirit and academic. I always have preference to a gentle approach, and this book is very gently written.
2. One resource you wouldn't be without
Wow .. one resource .. ? Okay, I'm going to say my Sonlight catalogue. Right there I have a list of fabulous books that will keep the children (and myself!) engaged in quality learning for a very .. long .. time.
3. One resource you wish you had never bought
Unfortunately, for us, Sequential Spelling was a fizzer when we tried it. It brought tears like I'd never experienced from Mariposa before. She hated that she couldn't practice the words before having the 'test', and because spelling isn't her strong point, the frustration that it caused was absolutely unbearable.
I really like how it seemed to work, as it's a 'learn the patterns as you go' type of curriculum. It probably would have worked well on someone who processes visually well, like Maestro, but it really didn't work at all for Mariposa.
(We ended up changing to All About Spelling with success ... just so you know there was a happy ending to that little drama.)
4. One resource you enjoyed last year
Sonlight's Science, for both children. We're really getting into science now, especially loving the experiments. Maestro completed Science E (Electricity, Magnetism and Astronomy), and Mariposa completed Science D (Biology, Taxonomy and Human Anatomy).
5. One resource you will be using next year
(does it count if we've already just started?)
NOEO Science, Chemistry. This, again, will be for Mariposa because she really thrives with hands-on learning. So, we're going to make things fizz, bubble and pop, no matter how simple, and learn about atoms, molecules and elements along the way.
From there, we'll go back to Sonlight Science F.
6. One resource you would like to buy
A tutor in Spanish. Yep, I struggle with other languages, and I don't feel it's really fair on my children to miss out because of me. If I could afford to, and there was real interest, I'd have them tutored.
7. One resource you wish existed
I don't know .... I daren't say, because I know that I haven't got an exhaustive knowledge of all that's out there! I'll just keep looking around as I need to. :)
8. One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading
Again, my Sonlight catalogues.
9. One homeschooling website you use regularly
Rockpoolhomschool - homeschool forum. My eyes started to open at all the resources available to homeschoolers right here!
10 Tag six other homeschoolers
I'd love to hear from any of my readers:)
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
What's all this about Fibonacci?
Mon, 12/09/2011 - 07:30Maestro has moved from the Primary series of Singapore Maths books to the High School series New Syllabus Mathematics. Wow, what a huge step up! Compared with the Primary books, we're having to move at a slower pace now. We don't have a parent's or Home Instructor's Guide, so I need to sit with Maestro and work through this with him.
The problems are very creative, too. There's been a lot of extra problem solving from the outset. Some of the questions are fun, and we'll work on them together. Others are tricky and border on us getting frustrated, so we have to leave them and just move on. (There are no 'working out' diagrams in the answers!)
Hmmm! Did I chose the wrong maths program for Maestro's High School years? I'm hoping not, and as I look ahead into future chapters, I realise that I remember a lot of my High School work.
BUT .. first we have to wade our way through Chapter 3; Number Sequences and Problem Solving. Right there, in the first few pages of that chapter, we're learning about Triangular Numbers, the Fibonacci Sequence and Pascal's Triangle.Hold on; back up! "What's this Fibonacci, Mum? I really don't get it! The triangle stuff seems to make sense, but I don't understand what it means with that Fibonacci sequence."
It's true, I haven't really discussed this with my children before. We've talked about patterns that occur in nature as a generalisation, but not as a mathematical discovery. The New Syllabus Mathematics book only gives a 1/2 page pointed explanation, which assumes that the teacher would fill in a lot of the information, or the child has had some form of introduction to this material before.
We do need to back a bit, and I'm going to opt for some living maths books again. Mariposa will be able to read these with us, and we can also take not of our findings in nature studies.
Here are some books I have ordered, and going by the Amazon reviews, they'll be great additions to our library:
Blockhead, The Life of Fibonacci
This book is aimed at years 3 to 5, giving a light-hearted introduction to Fibonacci's life.
Some lovely reviews and sample pages, as well as a video presentation, are available via Amazon here.
Growing Patterns
Again, aimed at upper primary grades, but looking at the patterns in nature with some clear photographs. It looks like a simple book, but again, sometimes that's the best way to invite exploration.
Reviews and samples at Amazon here.
Fibonacci Fun
Aimed at grades 4 - 8, this is an activity book we can use on occasion to keep practicing what we'll be learning.
Review at Amazon here.
Add to those resources some websites, and I think we'll have the makings of some good grounding material.
- Dr Ron Knott's Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Sequence - was the first site I found on my google search. It's full of information which I found fascinating, plus some great activity suggestions.
- Thinkquest - this explores the Fibonacci sequence in quite some depth, moving also into Binet's formula, the Fibonacci spiral and the Golden Ratio. To start using this site, click on 'The Series' in the left sidebar, then use the arrows under the main part of the screen to move along in sequence. If you hit the 'A' and 'P' icons, you'll see the animations and proofs.
- Brantcan's Fibonacci - gives more of a scientific lean to the study. To be honest, I need to read through this page more thoroughly, as he talks about sound waves as well. Fascinating, but I need to get my head around it. I've marked this webpage in case Maestro really gets the gist of it and wants to explore more. Additional links and free downloads also available at the bottom of the page.
Looking ahead in Maestro's maths book, I see that some more creative problem solving is going to be happening, so I'm going to read up and make sure I'm well prepared. I like that we're investigating what develops the curiosity of a mathematician, and that enquiry is encouraged, but I also think that I'll enjoy a rest from all these mental gymnastics when we hit Fractions and Decimals again!
edited to add: If you are looking for more information re: Singapore Maths for the high school, there is the choice of doing New Elementary Mathematics, Discovery Mathematics or New Syllabus Mathematics.Cathy Duffy gives a review of NEM that may be helpful HERE.Or, check out Singapore Maths for information on their various books HERE.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Flower Arranging (1)
Sat, 10/09/2011 - 22:46Quarantine isn't much fun, especially when you're not really feeling 'sick'. Mariposa was desperate to do something with me, so I suggested that she make a table arrangement. She's helped me make some nice little arrangements before, but this time I let her take the reins and I was going to sit on the side ready if she needed some help. I would also snap away and take plenty of photos. (smiles!)
Now, I do have .... somewhere! .... a proper little collection of flower arranging materials. When I find them, we can explore some other options. For now, we're just going to use the following:
- a small waterproof bowl
- a pair of secateurs
- a small block of oasis, cut to fit into the bowl, allowing 1cm sticking out above the rim
- a collection of medium sized leaves for covering the base
- a nice selection of blossoms from the garden
- some 'filler' blossoms or folliage to go between the flowers in the arrangment
First thing to be done is to soak the piece of oasis. Oasis (or florist's foam) may be found at $2 shops, florists, or ebay. Make sure you have a piece that fits snuggly into the bowl, and that it also is raised above the rim by about 1cm, then pop it into a dish of water so it can absorb as much water as possible (give it at least 1/2 an hour). Whilst that's happening, you can go about collecting and laying out your flowers and folliage.
Once the oasis is full of water, carefully put it into the bowl. At this stage, you'd usually tape it down with waterproof florist's tape. I couldn't find mine, so we're making do without.
Start by making a 'skirt' for the arrangement with some medium sized leaves. I often use camellia leaves, but some other suggestions are bay leaves, small ferns, or as we've used, scented geranium leaves. Cut the stalks at a bit of an angle so there's more surface area open to the moist oasis. The point also helps when it comes to inserting it into the arrangement.
Next, choose your main flowers and think about where they'll be placed. Because this is a table arrangement, we need to ensure that the finished product will be enjoyable to view from all sides, so aim to keep symmetry. Here, Mariposa has used some freesias that have just come into flower. I instructed her to place them evenly around, starting by putting a smaller flower at the center (top) for height. Then, she put in a flower facing out at all the corners. Wherever she placed one on one side, she had to mirror on the other as much as possible.
It's worth noting that lighter colours do appear to come more to the foreground than darker flowers, so place these lighter ones where they'll give good balance. You'll notice that your eye will get drawn to these first.
Some larger flowers will fill up an arrangement quite quickly. With ours, though, the freesias are fairly small, so we have plenty of 'spaces' to fill. We've cut some shrubbery from our fragrant pittosporum bush, then cut off small bunches to fill in close to the oasis. You want to hide as much of the oasis as possible, creating a background between the main blooms. You can use all sorts of filler to do this job. Some suggestions are thryptomene or gypsophila, which are commonly used by florists here, or variegated leaves from various shrubbery.
More filler flowers were added in the form of yellow marguerite daisies. These highlighted the yellow freesias beautifully. Then, finally, a few lavender flowers for a touch of 'blue' and some extra dimension.
Make sure some water is added to the bowl every day, and if the weather is quite warm, a spraying over with some water in a small bottle is beneficial.
Not bad for her first 'almost' solo effort. I think this may become a fun little activity she can do for the family dining table on a regular basis, using the blooms we'll have in the garden throughout Spring and Summer. We'll practice some other florist skills as we move along.
I have found a 'how to' video online. This may also help give you some information on how to start. There are many other helpful related links from the video page HERE.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Bravely done, Mariposa
Thu, 08/09/2011 - 14:58We're taking things quietly here over the next few days, whilst Mariposa recovers from her operation. She's just had her tonsils and adenoids out, and is feeling very tired. 
She handled the anxiety of the unknown so well leading up to the operation, even making a new friend in the waiting room.
This morning she admitted to the nurses that it wasn't all as scary as she thought it would be. Now we're glad that she's home and is eating small meals well. We'll look forward to happier days ahead with few earaches and sore throats, and better nights' sleep without snoring.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
Treasured Moments (2)
Sat, 03/09/2011 - 09:47
Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting is away at the moment, but I thought I'd still do my week's worth of treasured moments.
Do you find yourself falling into a pattern of daily grind, skipping the 'fun' activities because you don't have time or lack energy?
Do creative arts, nature walks, drama, read alouds or spontaneous acts seem only a distant dream in your life?
Yet these Treasured Moments shared with loved ones uplift us, nurture our soul, remind us of the beauty and joy in our lives.
We want Treasured Moments for ourselves, for our children, for our families but how can we make it happen?
... Commitment ... Encouragement ... Support ... Ideas ... Plans.
You are invited to join us at the end of every week and share your plans and ideas, your targets and goals and your stories ... your 'Treasured Moments'. In this way we may inspire one another, encourage ourselves and start achieving our dreams. Hosted by Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting
My Treasured Moments this week are: 1. Last weekend was my Dad's 70th 'surprise' birthday party. Those of my family who could get together were there. Dad seemed really happy to see us all in one place, and having lots of bouncy grandchildren to play with was a special bonus! We bought him a musical birthday card, which could record a vocal message. When he opened the card he heard us all yell out 'Happy Birthday Grandad!", then it played a lively country jig .... which I said he could dance to in celebration of his retirement.
2. We're planning some bedroom renovations with the children. Each child has an idea of some things they'd like to change, and now that they are a little older, we're giving them some more ownership and responsibility. It's been lovely watching them get excited about what they could do and sharing ideas together.
3. This was Mariposa's 'week off' from bookwork. That means she gets to do lots of 'unschooling' activities. One of her priorities was sorting through her books and toys. We also took time to go op-shopping together and she found some lovely summer tops and skirts. She had fun trying to find some outfits for me also.
4. Maestro had more time to do his bookwork with me, due to Mariposa's week off, and we have especially enjoyed reading his Sonlight history book "Caesar Augustus". Very easy to read and understand; we're 1/2 way through it now.
Later, I'm sure I heard him say "Yay, Mum's going to help me more with my maths this week!" in his put-on 'cutsie' voice. I realised then that he must be finding the NSM Singapore maths challenging, so we spent lots of time together going through that. He's covering Fibonacci sequences, so I'm sourcing some more living maths books for him. It was a good reminder that (i) he needs to let me know when he's struggling, and (ii) I need to clue in more to his needs / read his textbook ahead, so he doesn't feel lost.
5. Both of the children have been working fabulously together using the ACID digital music program. My husband found he had a sample program already, so it's been downloaded to the family computer and both children enjoy working at compiling their own masterpieces.
Categories: Australian Home Education, Planet Home Education
