This last Saturday, I took the kids to the Old Mormon Fort for a history program they offer every month.  It was so cool.  This month, they learned about mining, especially here in Nevada.  They even got to do some “mining” of their own by looking for “gold,” “silver,” and “copper” in birdseed.  We had to search through the birdseed for tiny beads that represented the different metals.  They did a great job.  They also learned a bit about abandoned mines throughout the state and how important it is to stay away from them!  The class was put on by geologist Bill Durbin from the State of Nevada, Division of Minerals.  I also found out they will be putting on a workshop about teaching about minerals and earth science in March and April of 2010.  I’m hoping to be able to attend that.

Then, on Monday, we went to a Nevada Virtual Academy sponsored Fall Festival.  The kids had a great time.  They dressed up in their costumes (and got me to dress up as well).  When we got there, they had a ton of games and activities for the kids to do (and a ton of candy to go with them).  It was great for the kids to socialize and have so much fun!            

No, I haven’t jumped the homeschooling ship, just neglected my blog!  I was trying for a while to be really diligent about posting, but fell off the wagon.  But, now I’m back and there is a ton of exciting stuff going on.  There should be blog posts a-plenty from now on. 

I’m not going to recap everything since May, just move forward from here. 

Logan is now in 3rd grade and is just zooming right along.  Math finally clicked for him and is not causing him any problems.  We’ve also discovered a great way to get him to do his writing assignments – by letting him write about what he is interested in!  (I know, what a concept, right?) 

Gavin is in 1st grade, and not much has changed for him.  He is still speeding through his math course and hating phonics.  We are being creative, though, and getting him to read things without him realizing he’s really doing anything.  You’ve got to be creative sometimes. 

My two little ones are as busy as ever and keep me going all the time.  And, we recently found out we are expecting baby number 5 in April! 

I’m hoping to finish much of this school year’s curriculum before the baby comes, that way we all have some time and room to adjust to our new little addition.  We’ll have to see how that goes. 

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and that means lots and lots and lots of activities!  Hooray for fun activities!  I especially love it when I can incorporate learning (usually without them realizing it) into whatever we are doing.  For example, on Oct. 31, we’ll be attending a super fun event where the kids will participate in all kinds of fun things, and learning about Nevada history at the same time.  (Yeah, Nevada Day is on Halloween.)  Think I can get a way with telling them that all the candy and costumes are just to celebrate Nevada Day?  Yeah, me either.  Anyway, it should be great and there are a ton of other activities going on that we have to look forward to. 

That’s all for now, but stay tuned…

Gavin has been learning about plants and what they need to grow and be healthy.  So, we did a little science experiment, which was designed to show him that without sun and water and air seeds can’t grow.  We planted seeds in plastic cups, poked holes in the bottom, and placed the cups in a couple places around the house.  One had water added to it, and was placed under the sink (in a dark place).  One had no water added to it, and was placed on a sunny windowsill.  And the last one had water added to it and was placed on the same sunny windowsill.  It was suppose to work out that the one with water and sun would grow well, while the other two didn’t.  Yeah, it didn’t work that way.  The one with no water didn’t grow, of course, but neither did the one with water and sun.  But, the one in the dark under-the-sink cabinet grew and grew and grew.  So much for that lesson.  It was interesting, though, and I had to laugh.

So, the school year is winding down, but we are still in full swing.  In fact, we’ll be working over the summer, but only on fun stuff like art and science.  We will be finishing up all the language arts and such very soon!  Hooray for that!  The boys are happy about it, too.  Gavin is trucking along in his 1st grade math very well.  He catches on to it so fast, it’s crazy!  And, Logan finished his 2nd grade math yesterday!  For someone who has had trouble with math, I’m so excited that he finished early!  Both of the boys are doing really well, and picking up in areas that they have been lagging in or having trouble with.  Still battling Gavin with the phonics, but we’ve decided that instead of formal phonics lessons, we’re going to just have him read and read and read.  He’s not too happy about reading because he doesn’t like it.  However, I’m going to be sneaky and have him just randomly read things throughout the day.  Hopefully, we’ll get him proficient soon. 

So, we are winding down a bit, especially with this nice weather outside, but that’s alright.  We’re also getting a bunch done, too. 

So, I’ve been having a lot of trouble getting Gavin to work on his phonics stuff.  He doesn’t like it, and I really can’t blame him there.  It’s pretty repetitive and boring.  He doesn’t like doing it, and I really don’t either.  However, it’s necessary because he has to learn how to read.  So, in talking with his teacher the other day, she suggested that she work on it with him over the phone and computer.  I figured that could be a very good thing, so we set it all up.  After she went through one of the end of the unit assessment with him, she told me that he is doing really well and that he is ready to start reading books, and by doing so, we don’t have to do those yucky lessons anymore!  When he heard that, Gavin was happy!  So, today he started by reading Go Dog, Go!  It went really well and this is definitely much preferred.  I’m really happy that we have this alternative!

And, yes, it’s only Monday. 

Sometimes Mondays just go a bit haywire, don’t they?  For whatever reason, it was like pulling teeth today to get the kids to do anything.  They’ve been pretty grumpy since we left Grandma’s in Utah.  I think all the traveling in the car was just more than they could take, and it’s still effecting them.  But, what are ya gonna do?  I tried to distract them with other activities today, but it pretty much backfired on me.  Oh, well.  At least I tried.  It wasn’t all bad, though.  Logan tested out of another math chapter.  Easy-cheesy.  It’s soooo good to see him have some confidence with math again!  Hooray!!  We also went and picked up a punching bag off Craigslist.  I really felt like the kids, especially the boys, needed a healthy place to let out anger and frustrations, so a punching bag seemed like a good idea.  I almost fell out of my seat when I priced them out at stores.  Thankfully, I was able to locate just what I was looking for on Craigslist for a fraction of the price!  Hooray for that! 

Well, hopefully tomorrow will be more productive than today.  Maybe I’ll start the day with something silly, to get the kids in a better mood.  I’ll let you know.

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything.  Life has just gotten away from me.  I feel like I might one day eventually slow down, but hey, what’s the hurry? 

Well, we’ve been trucking along with school.  After my dad passed away, it took a bit to get back into the groove of things, but we are getting there…again.  So, since it’s been so long, I thought I’d just give some quick updates, then make a goal to say I’m going to post much more often.  Really, I want to. 

Gavin:  Well, Gavin is getting really into things well again.  A little over a month ago, he finished kindergarten math!  That’s right, completely finished!  He just has a math brain, at least right now anyway.  He was so excited, and frankly, so was I.  He can move on to first grade math anytime, but we are waiting until he catches up on phonics a bit more.  Speaking of phonics, he’s pretty jazzed to do phonics now, not just because it means that he will be getting first grade math, but because he’s reading.  It’s still really hard for him, as he has to sound out the letters most of the time, but he does get the words.  He’s getting more and more all the time, though, and he likes it.  We are also making a ton of progress in language arts.  Since phonics and language arts have been his hard areas, it’s great to see him progressing and wanting to. 

Logan:  Logan is doing really well, too.  He’s also getting caught up on language arts, which is good.  He doesn’t like doing it, but we get through it.  He asked me today why he had to do some of the language arts, but I told him that it really is good to know.  It’s hard to understand that when you are in the midst of really disliking what you are doing.  But, he does it and remembers most of it.  He’s really come a long way with language arts and I’m really pleased with all the progress he’s made.  His other big triumph has been with math.  Wow, what a difference a semester makes!  We’ve switched from doing arithmetic to doing geometry.  He went from struggling and taking a few days for one assignment, to doing a whole unit in one day- by testing out of it.  He’s just got a good brain for the geometry stuff.  He likes it too!  It’s so nice to see him happy and not discouraged about math!  He’s been doing well with all his other stuff, too. 

So, while we’ve been really busy and things have been a bit hectic, we’ve been getting quite a bit done, too.  All-in-all, I think things are going well, and I love doing it!   

And, I really will try to do better with my posts.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted anything.  That’s because my world has been turned upside down. 

A little over four weeks ago, my dad passed away unexpectedly in his sleep.  Ever since then, nothing has been the same. 

My dad was my rock.  He was my friend.  He was my daddy.  He will always be.  But I miss him terribly.  He was such a huge part of our lives.  I love my dad more than I could ever begin to describe. 

It’s been  4 weeks now,  and I still feel lost and terribly sad.  The sadness is purely selfish.  I’m thrilled for him.  I know where he is.  I know that I’ll see him and be with him again.  I know that death is not the end and that I can be with my family for eternity.  However, I’m so sad not to have him physically here anymore.  Someone told me that we never mourn for those that have passed, we mourn for those of us left behind.  It’s so true. 

I wanted to take a little bit of time, and talk about my dad a bit. 

My dad’s world revolved around me and the kids.  His family was his life.  Growing up he always put me first and was always there for me when I needed him.  There are countless examples of this, but I remember on one particular occasion, I was in preschool.  Some kid slammed my pinkie in the hinge part of a door and I was in some serious pain.  I remember getting some ice from the teacher, and then looking up and seeing my dad there.  It seemed like it has only been a couple minutes since it had happened.  My dad was at work at the time, but dropped everything and drove as fast as he could to come get me.   On another occasion, he came to the rescue when I lost my favorite blankie.  I have wonderful memories of going out to Lake Mead with my dad.  No matter how much he wanted to fish, he always made sure to pull the boat up to shore line so I could go collect sea shells and rocks and other fun things.  We spent a lot of time outdoors when I was younger, as my dad loved to fish and hunt and camp.  We stayed close, even as I was a teenager.  My dad was always someone I felt I could talk to and go to with anything.  He wasn’t always happy about what I did, but he was always there for me and always loved me.  After I got married and had children, my dad was a wonderful grandpa.  Trips to grandpa’s house with the boys always started off by visiting the garage and playing with tools and learning something.  He loved to have the boys come over and they would build things and work on all kinds of projects together.  And the girls just melted his heart.  In talking to family and friends, he would constantly be talking about the kids.  He took such joy in all of them.  He was a huge part of our lives. 

My dad was incredibly talented.  As a young child I remember sitting next to him and watching him as he tied flies for fly fishing, or worked on a fishing rod, making it look completely amazing.  He also was an extremely skilled woodturner.  The things he made on that wood lathe were absolutely incredible, including intricate baby rattles for each of the kids.  My dad was also the one anyone called if they wanted a picture frame made, or shelves made, or anything fixed. 

My dad was also a very kind and gentle man.  He was a great example to everyone who knew him. 

I’m so grateful for the time I did have here with him, and I’m so grateful that he is my dad.

You can read the obituary here.

Tomorrow is the official end of Christmas vacation.  I had all the grand ideas of having the kids do some extra school work during the break.  A day of science, or language arts.  Gavin could do some phonics catch up.  Plus, I didn’t want to fall out of the routine of school.  Yeah, that didn’t happen.  It was great in theory, then reality set in and we took time off for the holidays.  It has been super busy the last couple weeks, much more than normal for the holidays.  Lots of family events, because their uncle is going to be leaving this coming week to serve a mission in South Korea.  (I’m hoping to spend some time with the kids learning together about Korea.  We did that when their other uncle went to Argentina on his mission.)  Then, we had the boys’ birthday party, the week after Christmas.  It’s not over yet, either.  Logan is getting baptized this week, and there’s big doings for that, too.  It’s all been great, though!  So, even though we didn’t do school work over the break, and it’s probably going to be hard to get them back to things tomorrow, I’m grateful for what we did do.  It was a break well spent!

I just realized that I forgot to post the answers to the History quiz.  So, better late than never, here are the answers.  Do you need to take a history class?  (Answers are in bold.)

Q1. When was the Civil War?

a. 1750-1800

b. 1800-1850

c. 1850-1900

d. 1900-1950

e. after 1950

Q2. Who said “Give me liberty or give me death?”

a. John Hancock

b. James Madison

c. Patrick Henry

d. Samuel Adams

Q3. What is the Magna Carta?

a. The foundation of the British parliamentary system

b. The Great Seal of the monarchs of England

c. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man

d. The charter signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower

Q4. The term “Reconstruction” refers to:

a. Payment of European countries’ debts to the United States after the First World War

b. Repairing of the physical damage caused by the Civil War

c. Readmission of the Confederate states and the protection of the rights of Black citizens

d. Rebuilding of the transcontinental railroad and the canal system

Q5. Are Beavis and Butthead…

a. A radio show

b. Television cartoon characters

c. A musical group

d. Fictional soldiers

Q6. The Scopes Trial was about:

a. Freedom of the press

b. Teaching evolution in the schools

c. Prayer in the schools

d. Education in private schools

Q7. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln stated that:

a. Slaves were free in areas of the Confederate states not held by the Union

b. The slave trade was illegal

c. Slaves who fled to Canada would be protected

d. Slavery was abolished in the Union

Q8. The purpose of the authors of “The Federalists” papers was to:

a. Establish a strong, free press in the colonies

b. Confirm George Washington’s election as the first president

c. Win foreign approval for the Revolutionary War

d. Gain ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Q9. Sputnik was the name given to the first:

a. Telecommunications system

b. Animal to travel into space

c. Hydrogen bomb

d. Man-made satellite

Q10. The Missouri Compromise was the act that:

a. Funded the Lewis and Clark expedition on the upper Missouri River

b. Granted statehood to Missouri but denied the admission of any other states

c. Settled the boundary dispute between Missouri and Kansas

d. Admitted Maine into the Union as a free state and Missouri as a slave state

Q11. Which document established the division of powers between the states and the federal government?

a. The Marshall Plan

b. The Constitution

c. The Declaration of Independence

d. The Articles of Confederation

Q12. When was Thomas Jefferson president?

a. 1780-1800

b. 1800-1820

c. 1820-1840

d. 1840-1860

e. 1860-1880

Q13. What was the lowest point in American fortunes in the Revolutionary War?

a. Saratoga

b. Bunker Hill

c. Valley Forge

d. Fort Ticonderoga

Q14. In his Farewell Address, President George Washington warned against the danger of:

a. Expanding into territories beyond the Appalachian Mountains

b. Having war with Spain over Mexico

c. Entering into permanent alliances with foreign governments

d. Building a standing army and strong navy

Q15. The Monroe Doctrine declared that:

a. The American blockade of Cuba was in accord with international law

b. Europe should not acquire new territories in the Western Hemisphere

c. Trade with China should be open to all Western nations

d. The annexation of the Philippines was legitimate

Q16. Who was the European who traveled in the United States and wrote down perceptive comments about what he saw in Democracy in America?

a. Lafayette

b. Tocqueville (TOKE-ville)

c. Crevecoeur (cre-VA-see-aire)

d. Napoleon

Q17. Identify Snoop Doggy Dog.

a. A rap singer

b. Cartoon by Charles Schulz

c. A mystery series

d. A jazz pianist

Q18. Abraham Lincoln was president between:

a. 1780-1800

b. 1800-1820

c. 1820-1840

d. 1840-1860

e. 1860-1880

Q19. Who was the American general at Yorktown?

a. William T. Sherman

b. Ulysses S. Grant

c. Douglas MacArthur

d. George Washington

Q20. John Marshall was the author of:

a. Roe vs. Wade

b. Dred Scott vs. Kansas

c. Marbury vs. Madison

d. Brown vs. Board of Education

Q21. Who was the “Father of the Constitution”?

a. George Washington

b. Thomas Jefferson

c. Benjamin Franklin

d. James Madison

Q22. Who said, “I regret that I have only one life to give for my country”?

a. John F. Kennedy

b. Benedict Arnold

c. John Brown

d. Nathan Hale

Q23. What was the source of the following phrase: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”?

a. The speech: “I have a Dream”

b. Declaration of Independence

c. U.S. Constitution

d. Gettysburg Address

Q24. Who was the second president of the U.S.?

a. Thomas Jefferson

b. James Madison

c. John Adams

d. Benjamin Franklin

Q25. Who was president when the U.S. purchased the Panama Canal?

a. Theodore Roosevelt

b. Jimmy Carter

c. Franklin D. Roosevelt

d. Woodrow Wilson

Q26. Who was the leading advocate for the U.S. entry into the League of Nations?

a. George C. Marshall

b. Woodrow Wilson

c. Henry Cabot Lodge

d. Eleanor Roosevelt

Q27. Who said, “Speak softly but carry a big stick”?

a. William T. Sherman

b. Sitting Bull

c. John D. Rockefeller

d. Theodore Roosevelt

Q28. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during:

a. The Vietnam War

b. World War II

c. World War I

d. The Civil War

Q29. Which of the following was a prominent leader of the Abolitionist Movement?

a. Malcolm X

b. Martin Luther King Jr.

c. W.E.B. Du Bois

d. Frederick Douglass

Q30. Who was the president of the United States at the beginning of the Korean War?

a. John F. Kennedy

b. Franklin D. Roosevelt

c. Dwight Eisenhower

d. Harry Truman

Q31. When the United States entered World War II, which two major nations were allied with Germany?

a. Italy and Japan

b. Italy and Poland

c. Italy and Russia

d. Russia and Japan

Q32. Social legislation passed under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society Program included:

a. The Sherman Antitrust Act

b. The Voting Rights Act

c. The Tennessee Valley Authority

d. The Civilian Conservation Corps

Q33. Who was “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen”?

a. George Washington

b. Woodrow Wilson

c. Dwight Eisenhower

d. Abraham Lincoln

Q34. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United States entered the Second WorldWar?

a. Peter Ustinov (YOU-stin-off)

b. Nikita Khrushchev (CRUZ-chev)

c. Marshal Tito

d. Joseph Stalin