Marshmallow Shooters

Trouble shooting

Today we made Marshmallow Shooters using an Instructable tutorial. I've been wanting to do this for months and just never had the gumption to try it on my own with the kids. Finally, we found the time today and it couldn't have been easier! I just needed to be shown where the saw and vice were, then the shooters were super easy to make.

The interesting thing is that we loaded the marshmallows incorrectly at first. We were a bit disappointed with how our shooters were working (or not working) and we played for a little while. Then we figured out a way to load the marshmallow better and we started getting better results, but intermittently. Then we finally figured out where to put the marshmallow to get the best results and BAM! we were shooting super far with amazing speed. The sounds of the pop were satisfying and we found ourselves laughing amidst our joy and pain (When we got better at shooting and aiming, the marshmallows did sting a little bit when they found their target!)

I'm sure it would have still been fun if we figured it out the first time, but struggling at first and then figuring it out definitely made our success that much sweeter. Our failures definitely led to problem solving, experimenting and learning. Score!

Serendipity Continues

A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change. -  Earl Nightingale

I am finding that opportunities continue to present themselves to us. Opportunities that fit right into our lives and what we are doing. It's exciting each time we find experiences that strengthen what we have already studied and take our learning to a deeper level.

While on a trip to Southern California to meet our newest member of the family (baby niece of 5 weeks!) we found ourselves at the Upper Newport Bay Center. This center is a great resource that is free of charge. One exhibit concentrated on the migration of birds. Seriously? We JUST finished our unit on birds and migration. Cool that we were able to finish our unit with a free museum tour!


Then, a friend in our homeschooling community put together a "Brain" tour at the local university. The kids were able to learn about the brain and touch a few different brains! And yes, we did a brain unit just a few months ago!





And then, my daughter asked to study another animal this year. Turtles. She quickly decided to narrow her study to sea turtles. However, through her research, she did learn a lot about all kinds of turtles, tortoises and other reptiles.

In the meantime, I had been wanting to walk around the Delta Ponds near us, but never had. Not in the 6 years we've lived in this town. Someone just mentioned their latest walk around this area and said that they were able to see the turtles. I asked where to park and at the next sunny opportunity, we took off for the Delta Ponds and found no less than 28 turtles (the kids counted). During our walk, my daughter explained to my son and me all about turtles.  What a timely and wonderful experience for us all!

Put On Your Thinking Cat!

Pets become a part of the day.

There is a section in the math program we use (Math in Focus by Singapore) called, "Put on Your Thinking Cap". We alway make a joke when it comes time for this section. We think the title for the section is goofy, so we act goofy when we get to it.

One day, someone posted this pic and we laughed and laughed at the "I've got my thinking cat on" caption with the photo of a cat on a dog's head. Our joke only got more funny and we continue to laugh each time we get to this section in math.

Often, while we are working on our math, the family cat climbs onto the table to look out the window while we work. Other times, she will sit right ON our work. Here, she sat right between my son and the student book, making it nearly impossible to work or put our "thinking cat on!"

I Miss the Hallways

No More Roaming the Hallways

I realized there was something I missed now that we were no longer part of the public school system. I loved walking the hallways just before pick-up and gazing at all the projects on display on the walls. Artwork, snipits of writings and other projects the kids, of all grades, had produced. I think I enjoyed seeing how all the students interpreted the assignment, how some were innocent and simple, others were deeper and thoughtful, while others were completely "not what the teacher" assigned. I loved seeing them all and I no longer got to see them.

So, I created Art a la Carte Gallery for homeschoolers. It's small for now, but I hope participation continues to grow. We assign one concept a month and kids (and their parents) are encouraged to participate in any are medium they desire (painting, poem, photography, sculpture and more). This commitment helps me to make sure we continue to look at different forms of art, tantalize our creative sides and are exposed to other ideas. It's been great to see all the creative pieces of works that are delivered. I look forward to more participants and more months of enjoying other people's works of art. 

Samples from the concept CHANGE:

A haiku from my son.

A poem my son did not want to write on his own. However, when I said I was going to write one, would he help me rhyme the sentences, he jumped in and helped me with great enthusiasm.

 A sample from the concept LIGHT:

A comic strip by my daughter

 A sample from the concept BEGINNINGS:

A poem by my daughter.