Cool Chemical Reactions for Science

If you love science, you have to go to this site! These are all chemical reactions that are amazing to watch, but not sure we want to try them at home. We couldn't get any audio, so don't be surprised if there's no sound.



Go to https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201369851507559

Good Site for Testing Your Geography: U.S. States

Test your U.S. states geography skills online at this website:

http://lizardpoint.com/geography/usa-quiz.php

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

While the area schools shut down for the day, Sisney H.O.U.S.E. held school as usual, devoting the day to learning more about Martin Luther King, Jr. When I asked Maddy and Kenna (K and 1st graders) who Martin Luther King, Jr. was, they didn't remember. So, we devoted the whole school day to learn not just about the holiday that honors the birthday of revolutionary civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., but also to teach my children about this famous man of history and highlight the importance of the civil rights movement.

Using the following links, we learned all about how our "own" race, meaning the white people like us, were not always so nice to black people. We talked about how, even today, a lot of people are mean to anyone whose skin color is different than their own. Decades have past since Martin Luther King, Jr. worked - and died - trying to change America's laws...unfortunately, there is still much work to be done. Mr. King's speech, "I Have A Dream" is still just that in so many ways. I want my children to be part of the solution to making this dream a reality.

At https://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/botr/botr_27_28-30.pdf, we found out some great information on Martin Luther King, Jr. that is age appropriate for younger kids. I want them to learn the basics...as they get older we can get into the "nastier" side of the civil rights movement.

We found a mini poster for the girls to create as they learned the facts about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream for a better America for all people at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Poster-Activity-FREEBIE-1015734.

We cut out, put together, and then read a free booklet on Martin Luther King, Jr. at https://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/TCR/1576904679_333-338.pdf. Kids absorb so much more when there's a hands-on activity to go along with what they are learning rather than just being lectured or read to,

As a craft, the girls traced their handprint in many different colors of construction paper and then glued them together and wrote "Many people working together can change things." (one of Mr. King's quotes) on each palm. We hung the banner up in our classroom.

We read "The Story About Ruby Bridges" by Robert Coles. Very age appropriate for kindergarten and 1st grade! A true story set in 1960,  Ruby Bridges, at age 6, was a little girl who was court-ordered - along with 3 other little black girls - to attend all white schools. I'm not sure why Ruby's story has been told and the other children's were not, but it's a book that EVERY parent should read to their children. On Ruby's very first day of school, an angry mob of white folks crowded around the school entrance and were loudly and physically protesting this child entering the school. Neither the New Orleans police nor the Lousiana State Police would step in to help protect these 4 kids (attending two different white schools). It took the president ordering Federal Marshals to escort Ruby into school everyday. The neighborhood parents quit sending their own kids to school. Ruby sat alone in her classroom for months and did her school work.

What bothers me is that surely, many of those white families were "professed" Christians. Yet, they not only angrily protested but willingly disrupted their own children's education to keep their kids from being in the room with Ruby. How sad! But you know what? God was still in control, and this little 6 year old black girl stopped every day on her way to school and prayed for the people who out, not just to keep her out of their school, but to do her bodily harm had they gotten a hold of her. That, my friends, is the testimony and witness of a true Christian family and a true Christian way to raise your daughter. Ruby asked God to forgive those people. And you know what? The book I read to the girls, "The Story of Ruby Bridges" by Robert Coles, doesn't say how much time past (we know months) but finally 2 boys went back to school, slowly followed by many more.

I hope that Alan and I have/are doing a better job at teaching our children that the color of your skin doesn't matter. Kenna even asked at the beginning of the story, "What's are 'white people'?" Character counts so much more! Teaching our children to respect others and to always do the right thing no matter what the crowd is doing are possibly the most important things you can teach your child, right after teaching them (like Ruby's family did) that THE most important thing is to have a close and personal relationship with God.

Again, I want my children to be part of the solution to America's problems, not part of problem. 

 

Reader's Digest Article Says the American School System is Damaging to Kids

I'm kind of surprised that Reader's Digest is bashing the American School systems, but at the same time..."Thanks, Reader's Digest, for not "going with the crowd" on this subject! Read all about it here:

http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/american-school-system-damaging-kids/

Farm Credit Scholarships

We are not to this point yet, obviously, with a kindergartener and 1st grader, but wanted to put the word out there for anyone who might qualify this year. Farm Credit is giving away 21 $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors pursuing agriculture careers. Applications are available online at farmcreditIL.com. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2014.

If you live in a state other than Illinois, you should check to see if your state offers Farm Credit Services and the scholarships.

Homeschooling Is Nothing New

The concept of homeschool is nothing new...

  January 1939. "Negro sharecropper mother teaching children numbers and alphabet in home. Transylvania, Louisiana." Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration.

Interesting Background Information on 10 Dr. Seuss Books

 

http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/28843/10-stories-behind-dr-seuss-stories

The above link takes to an interesting background info on 10 of Dr. Seuss' books. Interesting reading. Especially about how some of the logging industry wasn't very happy about the book, The Lorax and later sponsored The Truax, a similar book—but from the logging point of view.

How We Learn

Read a Book...Improve Brain Function

Another good reason to instill a love of reading in our children! According to this article, after reading a good book, your brain function improves!

Crossword puzzles are also great "brain therapy".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2529855/How-book-really-change-life-Brain-function-improves-DAYS-reading-novel.html

Pizza Kits for Christmas

On top of all the Christmas baking and candy-making we did (sharing half of what we made with others), the girls and I put together 13 "Pizza Kits" to give away to our Amish neighbors, our preacher's family, and their Sunday School and missions teachers.

We were trying to come up with something different. Something that everyone in the family could enjoy. Who doesn't like pizza???

We hit the Dollar Tree (everything in the store is $1) and found everything we needed to complete each kit that would make two 12" pizzas. Each "kit" included two 12" round pizza pans, two packages of pizza crust mix (only 33-cents each), one jar of pizza sauce, one package of pepperoni, one container of Parmesan cheese, and one pizza cutter. We covered and kept each kit together with shower caps we also bought at the Dollar Tree (package of 8 for $1). Total cost per 8-piece kit: $6.78 (and a half-cent plus tax). Not bad for a gift that will feed a family!

We printed labels on our computer and taped them onto the shower cap. A bow would have been a nice touch, but honestly we didn't even think about it at the time. We had thought about buying pizza boxes to arrange the stuff in, but the pizza sauce jar was too wide to have shut the box. The shower caps worked great, allowing the people to see what the gift included. While they did fit snug, you can't, however turn the gift up on it's side or the heavy ingredients will fall out.

Christmas 2013

I think this has been my most disorganized Christmas yet! Don't think that just because we homeschool that we "have it all together". Sometimes, the best laid plans fall apart right before your eyes; other times they silently go awry and you don't realize it until it's too late. For for us ultimate list makers! Take our 2013 Christmas, for example.

I have always gotten most, if not all, of my Christmas shopping done by October. This year, I was one of those people crazy enough to be out shopping the week of Christmas. Oddly enough, the 23rd was by far the roughest, rudest shopping day this year. I took off, list in hand, knowing what I was going to get and where I was going to get it from. Three stores. Five hours. Traffic wasn't bad going (and I got a late start and didn't make it to the first store until 11:30 a.m.). Parking was horrible, especially for someone like me driving a monster Dodge Ram Crew Cab 4x4 with a full 8 foot bed. Once in the stores, people were elbow-to-elbow, blocking aisles as if they were the only in the store shopping at the time, and very rude. At one point when I motioned a lady to go ahead of me, she acted as though she were baffled and couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed. Like courtesy was a new thing. When the shock wore off, she smiled at me and said, "Why, thank you. You have a merry Christmas!" Second store, a man behind me who was only holding one small item was extremely grateful that I, with my cart-full, allowed him to go in front of him. I just smiled and told him the truth:  "You can be out of here before I even get my cart unloaded." Then traffic coming home was busy as I timed it as folks were getting off work.

Christmas cards always leave our house during the first week of December. This year, on the 23rd, I made trips to four small towns around me to mail my cards that were headed into those same towns so that they would be delivered on Christmas Eve. Nothing like waiting till the very last moment. Uggg!

Our Christmas baking - which we give half away to friends and neighbors - even had it's fiascoes. Buckeyes tasted great but the chocolate was dry as it melted (still trying to figure that one out). I totally scorched (beyond edible) a batch of peanut brittle. Had trouble with our hard candy wanting to spread too thin with the first couple of batches. Same with our chocolate chip cookies. Then came the biggest disaster of all...our birthday cake for Jesus...Baked up wonderfully, had the icing ready to put on it while it was still warm, then the girls were going to decorate it. But as I went to invert it onto my cake carrier bottom, I somehow managed to "lose" the cake...it literally went flying and landed still upside-down, still in the pan, on top of the remote, on the bar. Alayna tried to help me get it back up on the tray, but I ended up with a mess. A pile of big crumbs. But Maddy, who seems to always see the best in every situation, reached out to grab a bite. I warned her it was still hot, but she took a big bite anyway then says, "Still tastes good, Mom. I'll tell Papa it still tasted good." So, this year, the honorary birthday cake looked like one of God's volcanic creations after we piled it up and dumped the coconut & pecan icing over it, instead of a pretty birthday cake for Jesus. Lesson learned: Just as Jesus (Perfect and without sin) came as a humble, helpless baby born in a dirty, stinky stable, to bring the Plan of Salvation to a very imperfect mankind, we humbly offered our imperfect cake to honor the King of Kings on His birthday. You were right, Maddy, it still tasted good! ----- God doesn't expect us to become perfect before we come to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He wants us to come as we are, broken and needing to be transformed "into a new creature through Christ." God doesn't expect perfection...He wants us to come and lay all the broken pieces before Him, as clay before the Potter...He will forgive our mistakes and sin and use us to bring honor and glory to His name as He reshapes us into a new creation.

We were late getting the Christmas tree up. Our outside decorations never did put up...12" of snow that lasted a week then days of pouring rain...decided it wasn't worth it for 3 days. We've been out looking at everyone else's beautifully decorated yards. We found some very impressive ones!

Sunday before Christmas? We forgot all the gifts for the kids in my nursery, for the preacher's family, and for the girls' Sunday School and missions teachers. Also forgot to take their gifts to their Tae Kwon Do instructions the day before that.

Christmas Eve, we had not wrapped the first gift - to anyone in our family. I spent the morning going back into town yet again for finish up some last minute shopping. The afternoon cooking. Had to wrap my husband's family's presents before we could go to his mom's for supper. Got back home at 9 p.m. with still tons to do. And did I mention the girls wanted to make our own wrapping paper with craft paper and glitter gel? The girls were up until 11 p.m. Alan and I went to bed at 3:17 a.m. Christmas morning.

I was so proud of Mattie when, while opening presents at Alan's mom's house, "Granny" told made a comment about not getting them "very much stuff". Maddy looked up from her playing with the doll house bedroom set she'd received and said, "Christmas isn't about getting 'stuff'. It's about the Baby Jesus being born in Bethlehem in the stable and the angels telling everyone." Caught Granny off guard and she didn't know how to respond to that.

The good news is that Maddy and Kenna slept until 9 a.m. Christmas morning. I was headed down the hall to wake them up when Maddy met me halfway. We had to wake Kenna. The look on their faces when they walked in and saw Santa's gifts under the tree was priceless. They were very happy and content with their gifts, not just from Santa, but from Alan and I, and from each other.

Although the route to Christmas was a rough one at times, and I was not on top of things as I should have been, the fact is that our family was blessed beyond measure on the day of Jesus's birth. I hope you and your family were too!

Power of Words

The following website has a powerful message about using words. Directed at kids, something everyone should read. Go to this link to learn about the power of words.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/dear-kids-never-forget-the-power-of-words-what-you-need-to-know-about-duck-dynasty-justine-sacco-and-christmas-2/

Santa...and a Black Belt Extraganza

 Another busy day for Sisney H.O.U.S.E,:

Stop One:  Our bank to visit with Santa. I was pretty impressed when Santa asked them what they wanted for Christmas and both only told him one thing - and a small item at that.

Stop Two:  Dropped off a tarp at Daughter #3's house. It rained all night last night and all day today. Afton's basement was flooding. They used the tarp to (hopefully) divert the water away from the basement.

Stop Three:  Wal-Mart for two items. I picked up (and am so thankful they still had some left) another pretty peacock Christmas ornament because Maddy broke hers last night and a 50-piece box of fried chicken to take to Maddy's Tae Kwon Do graduation and dinner.

Stop Four:  Black Belt Extravaganza Graduation and Dinner. A huge celebration where, when there are candidates for their black belts graduating, all the academy classes graduate together. What an impressive group of children and adults! The graduation ceremony took just over 2 hours. Maddy received her green belt and 3 awards. She was presented awards for "Great Grades", "Perfect Attendance", and "Indomitable Spirit." So proud of her!

  

 

History of Homeschooling

http://www.home-school.com/news/history-of-homeschooling.php

All of the below info was found at the above site. I must say that I disagree with some of the "Comparison" section.

We do not have fewer resources that public school...if a parent takes the time to look, there is an abundance of resources out there, and many that as a small school of 2 students are welcomed into for a field trip when a large classroom would not be allowed into. And obviously, you are going to get out of homeschooling what you put into it. In our 11+ years of homeschooling, we have found that we use at least as much if not more resources than our public schools do. So many "school" programs - like Scholastic and Pizza Hut Book-It - are now open to and welcome homeschoolers.

Nor do I agree with a poorer curriculum. We actually use many of the same curriculum the public schools are using. And more. We incorporate 4-H material, Bible study, and many "extra" subjects the public schools don't offer. If our children are interested in a subject, we take the time to study about it.

No Snow Days For Us!

While the district public school let out early last Thursday, and has had no school Friday or today, we had our homeschooling experience as usual. Our days are never without some fun, though. The girls got their letters written to Santa. During our mid-day recess, we bundled up and went out to play in the snow, taking with us all the necessary accessories for snowman building...the snow was too dry for that. Instead of building snowmen, we "rescued" the riding caterpillar from the "avalanche" that covered him over by digging him out (we got 12" last Thursday through Friday), they went slip-sliding down the slide, and made snow angels. We did pile up two mounds of snow hoping that with some warmth, enough will melt to "bind" it together so that we can eventually get a couple of snowmen completed.

We also tried to blow some bubbles and watching them freeze, but it was too warm. Which sounds very odd to say considering after only about 30 minutes, Kenna's mittens were wet, and her hands and face was red and cold. When little hands get wet and cold, it's definitely time to go in.

As we went in the front door, we noticed that there was actually some dripping going on down the side of the trailer. Maybe tomorrow our snow piles will be wet enough to shape into a giant snowball for the bottom of our snowmen!

          

Math in Everyday Objects

Have I mentioned that Maddy loves math? This morning while eating her warmed-up S'mores Pop Tart and hot cocoa, she says, "Look Mom, my Pop Tart has an AB pattern! Insisted on taking a picture of it. See it? Chocolate (A), marshmallow (B), chocolate (A), marshmallow (B).

You can teach math lessons anytime, anywhere. No matter what you are doing with your children, there's most likely a math lesson to be found. Whether you are shopping (count the number of cans of veggies you buy, watch for patterns, compare sizes prices, measure (when cooking, look at package sizes, etc.), use timers when the kids brush their teeth and for cooking, etc.

Never miss the opportunity to build math skills!

Have a Day Full Of Play Time!

Practical Homeschooling said it best...

"Learning versus playing....Learning, according to that almost automatic view, is what children do in school and, maybe, in other adult-directed activities. Playing is, at best, a refreshing break from learning.,,But here’s an alternative view: playing is learning. At play, children learn the most important of life’s lessons, the ones that cannot be taught in school. To learn these lessons well, children need lots of play — lots and lots of it, without interference from adults."

Here at Sisney H.O.U.S.E., we firmly believe that "kids ought to be kids" and given time to "be a kid", including lots of free play time. Children "turned loose" to play on their own, also will "turn loose" their creativity, their imagination, and be whisked off to some far-away land right in your own back yard.

 http://aeon.co/magazine/being-human/children-today-are-suffering-a-severe-deficit-of-play/

Arm Knitting - No Needles Required

Here's a neat visual art project...

In this video, the lady shows you how to arm knit an infinity scarf in about an hour. The only supply you need is a big ball of yard!

Go to http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304011304579220660554732336.

Starting A Fire With Water?

I knew that you could start a fire with a magnifying glass, or even a piece of broken glass...but to use a bottle of water? It can be done! You can start a fire with a bottle of water, and the guy in this video does a wonderful job of explaining the process.

Here's a really great website that not only teaches your children a good survival skill but also makes a great science experiment. This would be for older children, and definitely needs adult supervision.

http://www.realfarmacy.com/how-to-start-a-fire-with-water/

It's the Simple Things We Do Together as a Family That Matter The Most!