To Ecuador!!

This week the boys wrapped up their project on Ecuador for our home school groups World Expo. This is the second year that we have taken part, and we had even more fun this time around. The kids have learned about the people of Ecuador, the geography, the Inca, the Galapagos Islands, and even a little bit about Darwin as an aside. Of course, now they think that a field trip is in order...


There were about 25 families who took part, each studying a different country. This was a favorite display put together by another family about rain forests...

The passports are a fun way for the kids to collect stamps as well as the info from each booth.

And of course, there is always the food!!

They boys have already claimed Scotland as their country of choice for next years Expo!

Celebrations of Childhood

Children have such a wonderful way of celebrating the good times / accomplishments / goals in their lives. Charlie met a new goal at swimming lessons today - dunking his whole head under water, as opposed to just his face or one side of his head at a time. As I watched from the benches, I saw his whole little body swell up with excitement. He launched himself out of the water seeking me out with his eyes, broke into a smile from ear to ear, and gave me an enthusiastic two-thumbs-up that involved not only his thumbs but his whole arms. The whole routine was repeated about 4 times throughout the rest of his lesson, for my benefit, and also aimed across the pool where his brother was swimming.

But that is not all. No, that is not all. Between the time that swimming lessons ended and when he went to bed, I heard a constant stream of this type of thing:

Did you see me Mom? Did you really see me?
Daddy will be so excited he will fall over!
How many minutes until next swim lessons?
I really did it, Mommy!
William, I can swim like you now!!
Daddy, it was so much fun!!!!!!
Pop, I dunked my whole head!
It was my whole head, even the top of my hair!!

This accomplishment fed him, thrilled him, excited him, for almost 6 hours - and I wouldn't be surprised if it continues today.

I wonder when we lose (or reject) that ability to celebrate our victories - big and small? I notice that as adults, many of us pause only a moment when we reach a goal for a little smile, maybe a short phone call to someone important, and then we move on to other thing. We check one thing off our to-do list and move right onto the next. What a loss.

So today, I vow to celebrate the little accomplishments in my day. I will rejoice when the laundry is caught up. I will celebrate the home made dinner on the table. I will look around at my family, my biggest accomplishment, smile from ear to ear, and give them a really big two-thumbs-up.

Real Mothers Day

As I was out running some errands yesterday I was inumdated by the signs for Mother's Day cards, flowers, and jewelry(!!). Now don't get me wrong - I love any reason to celebrate as much as the the next person, but we have certainly gotten away from the the original point of Mothers day. In 1872, Julia Ward Howe issued a Declaration urging women to come together in opposition to war in all of its forms. Her goal was not breakfast in bed and a bouquet of flowers. It was to stop mothers around the world from having to lose their children and husbands to the violence of war. She encouraged women to recognize that what we have in common far surpasses our differences, and to commit to finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts. Today, more than every, we need to pay attention.

Mother's Day Declaration

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

~Julia Ward Howe

A Story is a Story

We spend a lot of time in the car most weeks - visiting friends and family, going into town for home school events, field trips, or even just for a change of scenery. And we don't go anywhere without stories on disk. As a homeschooling tool, and just as a really nice way to 'read', I think that audio books are highly underrated and under used - so I thought that I would share some of our favorites.

In the car right now:

The BFG by Roald Dalh from Harper Children's Audio - a great audio book - the language is silly and fun, and it is nice to have someone else stumbling through it. We are all looking forward to hearing the rest of it.

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop read by the author and a full cast - a perennial favorite that we have listed to many times over.

Black Jack the Pirate Cat by Catherine Kentridge

Ink Heart by Cornelia Funke read by Brandon Frasier

Favorite Series:

Anything by Jim Weiss at Great Hall Productions - Jim is a fabulous story teller, and really brings the stories to life. He creates a full cast of characters with his voice, and sticks to great literature and folk tales - The story of Robin Hood, Egyptian Myths, Classic Fairy Tales, American Classics, Tales from Near and Far, King Arthur and His Knights.....

BBC Radio Collection - another series that does a great job with the classics - Peter Pan, Winnie-the-Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows......

BBC Production of Horrible Histories - a fun way to get into some weird and wonderful bits of history, but I would suggest listening to it yourself first before playing it for younger kids.

The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer read by Jim Weiss - a read-aloud history series (available from Great Hall Productions)

Where to find them:
*Libraries often carry a (small) selection of audio books, but our local one has been great at searching out titles from other branches and bringing them in for us. You can also access them via inter-library loan, or request that your local branch add more to their collection (we brought our wish list in a month or so ago and are waiting to see what they get!)
*Set up a trade circle within a group of friends or homeschoolers for those books that kids like to listen to only once or twice.
*We are always on the look out for audio books at garage sales, thrift stores, and on-line. They tend to be expensive new, but we have come across great deals now and then.
*Audio books are always on the kids' Holiday and Birthday lists, and family love it when the boys are so excited to talk to them about gifts that they have given.
*of course, our favorite book / story store has a great selection of audio books that you can order on-line. Definitely worth checking out.

Free (and not free) downloads:
With technology being what it is now, there are many great sites that allow you access to free downloads. Some of these are read by the author, others by professionals, and others by volunteers. They are worth checking out.

My Audio School provides recordings of classic books, radio theatre and historical radio for a fee of $14.99 / year

LibriVox free downloads of thousands of public domain titles

Books Should Be Free free downloads

Open Culture

Keep In Mind:
*Be sure to pick stories that you all are likely to enjoy. Listening to Bridge To Tarabithia by Katherine Paterson was a pleasure for me, too. I curse the day that our library brought in The Magic Treehouse Books on disk - ARRGGHHHHHH!!
*I find that my guys enjoy stories at a slightly harder level in audio books in the car than they do when I am reading aloud at home. I don't know if this is because they are a 'captive' audience, or if it has something to do with the motion of the car, but they loved hearing the BBC production of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe in the car at an age when it was a little too much for them at home.
*Look for unabridged recordings whenever possible to get the full story, as the author intended it.
*Figure out if your family prefers to hear stories read by a single reader, or with a cast of voices. There are lots of choices out there for both.
*Who is reading the story really does make a difference. Think about gender of the reader, tone of voice, expression, accent, whether or not there are songs or music mixed in with the telling of the story.
*As one last parent-to-parent note...you know when you have those days when you have no patience, energy or focus? Thrown the kids in the car, put on a story, pick up a coffee, and relax. I swear, everything will look better by the time you get home.

Every Time I Climb A Tree

Every Time I Climb a Tree

Every time I climb a tree
Every time I climb a tree
Every time I climb a tree
I scrape a leg
Or skin a knee
And every time I climb a tree
I find some ants
Or dodge a bee
And get the ants
All over me.

And every time I climb a tree
Where have you been?
They say to me
But don't they know that I am free
Every time I climb a tree?

I like it best
To spot a nest
That has an egg
Or maybe three.

And then I skin
The other leg
But every time I climb a tree
I see a lot of things to see
Swallows rooftops and TV
And all the fields and farms there be
Every time I climb a tree
Though climbing may be good for ants
It isn't awfully good for pants
But still it's pretty good for me
Every time I climb a tree

by David McCord

Good Morning

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!
~Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland

Erosion Table - Part #1

Nothing is more fun for kids (mine, at least!) than combining water and sand. The beach is of course a favorite, but an erosion table is a close second. They have played with them for hours at Science North, and also at the local University open house. So they were thrilled to hear that their uncle Ted was going to try his hand at making one. Although it is still a work in progress, the pump was a great hit. The anticipation is palpable...