Science Fair 2020

Yesterday was the science fair at the kids' school.  But as science fair projects go, we have been working on this for months.  It kinda makes a homeschool mom want to re-think taking a science class with a real science teacher.  On the one hand, I don't have to teach science, which is a class I don't really enjoy teaching.  But on the other hand, their teacher (on the right in the above photo) expects a whole lot more out of them than I probably would.  And consequently, I have to push them a lot more to get their work done.  Seems like either way I lose (AS IF it's all about me....)

However, for the boys, it is an amazing experience to use the scientific method in real life.  And if I ponder that for a moment, it is really the same type of thinking we use every day in making decisions.  What is the question you're trying to solve?  What do you think will happen?  What if you do this or that?  What does research say is the predicted outcome (or what has happened historically when you made this decision)?  And then, what's your final result and how did it work out?  Maybe I'm reading too much into it.  But overall, yes, there are valuable lessons to be learned in the science experiment that go beyond getting a good grade.

Keaton gives his oral presentation

Cole gives his oral presentation

Despite Keaton's inability to look the judges in the eye when he gave his oral presentation, they apparently felt like he knew his stuff.  He was super nervous going into it.  And maybe a little unprepared.  But he did place 3rd in the 8th and 9th grade division.

So this brings me to the next "lesson learned."  Cole did not place.  And he fought back tears.  He has a tendency to feel as if he never measures up to his older brother.  Don't bother with logic here.  Yes, Keaton is a year older.  Yes, they are both good at some things and not good at some things.  Believe me, I've tried the logic.  Thing is, I'm pretty sure Eric felt the same way about HIS older brother.  Consequently, this was ANOTHER one of those moments that I wish their dad was here.  He would have been so proud of their progress!  But he could also speak to this angst of feeling less than.  And the way THEY see it (and have been verbalizing to me a lot in the last few months) their dad did a LOT of things better than I do.

What I ended up telling Cole was that I often battle the same feelings of rejection he's feeling.  I may seem all confident on the outside, then there are moments when I don't get the lead part in a song that I love to sing or I don't get chosen to sing on a worship night or I see some other middle-aged single woman I know getting married. Those are the times when that feeling of "not being chosen" is a hard one to push through. Oh, I have come to recognize the devil and his schemes.  But that doesn't mean I'm unaffected.  Cole did work hard on his project, just like Keaton.  Just like every other kid in the 8th and 9th grade.  I told him that sometimes we just need to learn to lose well.  Is that the right mom thing to say??  I don't know.  But he eventually came around and vowed to work harder to win the Writer's Conference coming up in February (which he did win in a previous year.)

Here are some other pictures of the experiments, if you are interested.  Keaton's was on ants, and what would happen if he fed them different things.  He thought if he fed these western harvester ants sugar they would die the soonest, because sugar is unhealthy.  Turns out basil-fed ants died out first.

 

Cole wanted to know if there was any substance he could use to make a thermometer besides mercury.  He thought syrup would work well, because it is thick.  He tried milk and alcohol as well.  It was a fun experiment to do, but honestly an "accurate" thermometer was really not achieved.  Syrup did the best in allowing us to mark the temperature, but I think I'll stick to digital measuring devices.

 

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of a darkness into his marvelous light."

History Project

The last day of school the boys had to give a speech about an important person from history that they had been studying this last 8 weeks.  I took a video of each boys' speech, but they are too long to display here.  The links should take you to the video on Dropbox.  Keaton and Cole got their costumes from Ellen's Aunt June.

Elementary Homeroom Class - Hill Creek 2017

On the bulletin board behind them are the characters the kids created to show what their person looked like.

JOHN MUIR (portrayed by Keaton)

THOMAS EDISON (portrayed by Cole)

Back on Track

Confession: For a couple of weeks there, we got off track on healthy living.  My accountability partner was off her track too.  We agreed to NOT give up and so now, we're both back on the wagon.

In terms of food, I WAS eating out too much, having an occasional Blizzard from Dairy Queen (sooo many empty calories, but yes, I love that Salted Caramel Truffle...okay, yeah, stop talking about it, Lis-...temptation is brewing.)  I made a new plan for this week.  The plan seems to be the key for me.  When I don't have a plan, I stand in front of the fridge and just scavenge.  This leads to dissatisfaction and that leads to grabbing my car keys and heading out the door for a meal or dessert at a restaurant.  ALL outside my own personal boundaries.  

Today I made buffalo chicken wings in the oven for lunch.  It's from p53 in Danielle Walker's Celebrations cookbook. I didn't make it exactly like she penned, because she is very paleo.  And I am not that restrictive.  Yes, I do happen to have ghee in my fridge, but for simplicity's sake, I just sprayed the chicken wings with olive oil before baking.  ANYWAY, they were awesome!  So tasty.  And if you're a fan of cajun heat or any kind of spicy sensation for your tastebuds, my nose was running by the end of this meal. That's hot!  No, my children did not partake. Haha!  In case you're interested, I used Bolthouse yogurt-based blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Another circumstance that threw me off track a little was the start of our new school adventure.  Overall, the change has been a 95% positive experience and I am pleased with the decision.  But we have struggled a bit with our routine.  My time in prep for homeschool has gone way down.  However, my time supervising the boys as they do school work each day initially increased.  Now I think we have a routine that works for all of us.  Feels like significant progress to me, which always feels good!  

And this Thursday, I pulled into the parking lot of the church where the school meets.  The boys jumped out of the car, grabbed their lunches and backpacks, came to the driver's side to give me a hug and a kiss, said, "I love you Mom!" and off they scurried, on their way to class.  For a split second, I sat there stunned, tears welling up.  Dang....  This is what happens when moms take their kids to kindergarten!  Eventually, I got out of my car and found a nook in the church building from which to do my work using the school's wi-fi.  I worked for few hours.  Left for lunch and ran some other errands.  Came back and worked for another couple of hours.  And then picked them up from class.  They actually had a guest speaker that taught the kids how to write fables. This prompted a brief moment of meltdown for Cole, but the teacher's aide came looking for me and I gave her some tips on how to handle his issues with writing, and he was totally fine when I picked him up.  He did not cry.  He did not give up.  So this, again, is progress.

The final piece of the puzzle here is exercise.  I was blessed with an industrial strength treadmill about 2 months ago.  But it's so wide, we could not fit it through any doors to the inside of the house.  There is sat in the garage.  It has been VERY cold, snowy even, in the last month.  But this week, I went and plugged the thing in and started using it in the garage.  It's still cold out there, but once I get going, about 10 minutes in I am taking off my outer layer of sweatshirt/jacket and just jogging in my short sleeves.  So it works!  And the boys have actually gone out and run on it too. When it gets warmer, I may walk outside again in the afternoons, but for rain and cold wind, I'm loving the treadmill.  

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Art Projects Today

We don't get art projects every day in school, but when we do, the boys want to do art first (of course). Keaton had a lesson on symmetry. Cole's was a crayon relief with watercolor. Good times!

School Days

Though we are still homeschooling, Julia & Aldan have been attending school part-time with the school district too. We go over to this building 3 times a week. We do math and history at home. They like the interaction with other kids and selection of classes. Keaton and Cole (and Mom) like the beautiful campus.


Climbing on the logs down at the beach (just in front of the school.)


Tossing rocks into the water.




Finally, living as close as we do to the Naval Air Station, we have the priviledge of being in the flight path of the Navy. It is so loud, but it is so cool! We affectionately call it the "Sound of Freedom". I know nothing about the different types of jets, but there were 3 different ones flying circles over the school on this particular morning. My camera phone does not do justice to the size (and certainly not the sound) of these massive planes.