Coming Back, Again. Da Vinci Museum, Hollywood

Oh, my dearly neglected and almost forgot blog (I barely remembered the log-on password). It has been WAY too long since I have updated or posted on here! Basically since I became addicted to Facebook (FB) and started posting and playing on there all the time. Well, I've decided to try, again, to keep this up-to-date. I have long forgotten how to have the Google AdSense on the blog so deleted them. I might look into them and update at a further time. As for now, here is a brief update:

Still me in the same place, just two years older (my kids grew too!). Both of them are growing like weeds and I know it will be only a matter of time before they are both taller than me.

We have two weeks left of this current school year. Trying to do some fun things. On Friday of last week we went to the Da Vinci Museum in Hollywood. The kids got a kick out of the adults in costumes, posing with tourists with camera for a few bucks. I asked a StarTours guide if one of the local buildings paid them to be there. Her answer, "Noooooo.... they work as independents but they get in HUGE trouble if they go back without making enough money for the day." and then, as if she said too much, she changed the topic. Sounds like a new form of pimping to me! Just saying!

So, the Da Vinci... I had to DRAG the kids there! Not kidding. They both thought it would be stupid. Daeton thought he knew it all already. Kaela thought it would be boring. Well, they both really enjoyed it. We spent about 2-3 hours there. Daeton took about 40 pics and 8 videos of how some of the gears worked because he, 'wanted to buy the material and wood and use the ideas to build them himself at home.' Not sure it will ever happen but I love his ambition.

Afterwards we headed 3 miles away to Whimsical Alley (Harry Potter Store). It was open as we drove past it (big OPEN sign) but we parked on the side of the building, feed the parking meter (not used to having to PAY for parking everywhere- paid $2 after validation when we went to the museum). So... anyways, we get to the front of the building and it is 5:01 pm and the place is closed! :-(

Big MOM FAIL! I thought they were open until 6pm. That is only Sat & Sun. M-F they close at 5pm. So, we grab Indian food at a restaurant next door (took them 45 min to make it and we were the ONLY customers in the place) and Quiznos for Daeton and Kaela and we head towards the car.

The 6 miles from Whimsical Alley to the freeway on-ramp took 45 minutes and it took another hour to get home.

I let the kids watch tv in the car for the first time since we bought it (I told them it was for road trips only and not around-town-driving. It was QUIET in the car the whole ride as the munched on their subs and watched Freaky Friday.

Okay, off to cut coupons and get to bed.

My newest thing.... call me crazy but it works, is to get up at 5:30 and give Daeton his ADHD medicine and let him go back to sleep (and I do too). The meds kick in in about 1 hour and wake him up and I get up about 7am. In that 30 minutes of his own time awake he usually plays with Legos in his room or posts his own videos on YouTube (I'll share some soon). By the time I get my coupons done it will be after midnight so that is all for now! I have pics of Da Vinci Museum to upload too (I have to re-learn how). The place was suppose to close the end of May but they extended it until June. It is definitely a neat place to visit.

Educational coloring pictures

This website has over 6400 pictures to choose from to print for children to learn and color on. Holidays, environment, geography, the presidents and other famous people, fairy tales, family and more. The 'Act Now' clip that I posted was from this site as well.

You can also sign up for the 'coloring picture of the day'. I printed a Topographic Map to show Little D tomorrow!

http://www.edupics.com

:-)

A Faery Hunt Fairys in Simi Valley

Twice a month there is 'A Faery Hunt' in Simi Valley. We went recently as guests from some of the actors in it (our friends). It is at Corriganville Park in Simi Valley the 1st and 3rd weekend of the month on Sundays (pending weather and major holidays). Starting time is at 10:30am. Tickets are $10 each (adults and children).

We went and the kids had a BLAST! Little D went into it expecting it to be for 'babies' or really younger kids and for it to be boring. Although he wasn't as enchanted as the younger children he did enjoy it. Baby K, of course, loved the whole thing and actively participated the entire time.

The whole thing has a theme of looking for the queen of the Faeries with a few sub-plots. It lasted about an hour.

Tickets are not cheap but it is a non-profit corporation. We will be going again next month as guests for a birthday party. I'm sure it will be just as magical.

I'll post pictures later.

http://www.afaeryhunt.com/ (818) 324-6802 or email is afaeryhunt@yahoo.com

Update... the reason it is spelled Faery and not Fairy is because the first was is the Gaelic way to spell the word! ;-)

:-)

Great free learning homeschooling websites

I'm going to try to make a list of websites for homeschooling. Please let me know if you have an good ones to add. They can be good for teaching online, free lesson plans to print or games for kids to play.


http://www.helpme2teach.com/ This one is not free but they do have a free 3-day trial without using a credit card. Type in 3DAYSFREE (all caps). I have not checked this one out yet but have heard it is great.

Brainpop or BrainpopJr (just add dot com to either). They do have accounts that you can subscribe to as a yearly membership but some of the videos and exercises are free.

http://www.wecansolveit.org/ Great for environment and recycling.

http://www.starfall.com/ Great for reading, spelling, phonics. A few different grade levels.

http://www.bookitprogram.com/ Sign up your children to receive coupons for a free personal pizza each month as part of a reading program. They have a section for homeschooling and for public schools as well.

www.mhschool.com/math It was hard to navigate but we found the exact same edition of the math books that Little D and Baby K have and there were games and some interactive activities that related to some specific chapters of their math books. They had other sections besides math as well.

The following few I got from a magazine as the 'top five sites for kids to grow on' I have not seen them all but the ones I have previewed were great.

http://www.homeworksport.com/

http://www.ology.amnh.org/

http://www.scholastic.com/

http://www.studyjams.com/

http://www.webwisekids.org/

http://www.studyjams.com/

Field Trips Week Guitar Factory JPL Painted Horse Pinki the Clown

We went on three field trips in a row this week. WHEW! It has been a very busy week.

Monday we had enrichment classes at Somis.

Tuesday we had a field trip in the afternoon to Larrivee. It is a factory in Oxnard that builds guitars. They make, on average, 16 guitars a day and work M-F. The normal prices are about $1000-3000 each but our tour guide said with special things, custom things and upgrades they can go a LOT higher. He said one sold recently for $45,000.

I will post photos later but overall it was a neat place. We got to walk around to all the different stations viewing the employees sanding, gluing, painting, etc.

The total field trip was a little long for the younger ones and it was hot. Normally it is in the low 70's in Oxnard but on this day it was 86. They have special rooms that have temp and humidity controls but the rest of the places was all open, HIGH ceilings and it was too hot!

This would be a neat place for adults to go and learn about guitars too. They actually make a few other similar instruments but the majority of sales are guitars.

Wednesday we went to JPL and had a tour of the grounds. We went with two other families so it was a nice, small group. We were there for about 2-2 1/2 hours. The kids go to see a new Mars Rover being built, satellites and more. The tour guides were great and friendly. Answered all of our questions and were very patient with the kids. This is defiantly a fun place. In May they have a two day open house that is open to the public too.

Today, Thursday, we went to The Painted Pony. It is in Santa Paula and it is a working ranch. The kids got to pick apples, pick one pumpkin, feed and pets goats, pigs, miniature horses, rabbits, ducks, chickens and I'm sure there are some I'm missing. They had a great time. This was with a group from Somis and it was huge. I guess everyone needed some fresh air and running around. The place is beautiful. Surrounded by lush, green hills and mountains. It was great to be there. In the spring they will be starting a gardening class and in the summer they have a camp for kids (too far of a drive for us but neat to pass on).

I have LOTS of pictures from all three of these places and they are all still on my camera. I will post them soon.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we are going to Lowe's for their free children' workshop and then we might go see Pinki the Clown at the Simi Cultural Arts Center.

On Sunday it is the 18th annual Japanese Festival Day at the Camarillo Community Center. We have made it 3 of the last 4 years and the kids think it is great. They have sword fighting, sumo wrestling, tea ceremonies, children's crafts like origami and they sell a lunch tray that has Japanese food. I'm hoping we make it there this year, after church!

I will Survive- Homeschooling song

I found this on another homeschool blog and just love it. I can't get the (original) song out of my head! LOL! Guess it is better then other songs, like Strawberry Shortcake into song, that I've had in my head before!

Debbie

I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)

Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss

First I was afraid
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never teach
’Cause I’m not certified.
But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!
We study math
and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we’re nuts,
but they don’t even bother me

Come on, let’s go walk out the door.
We’re on the road now,
'cause we’re not home much anymore
My friends would laugh and say we’d be unsocialized.
I heard one mumble
that I’d give up by July.
Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we’ll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart.
Decided to attend
a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms
who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry.
Now they hold their heads up high,
and so do we!
My kids are cool!
They’re not those chained up little people
stuck inside at school.
So if you feel like dropping by
and just expect us to be free
you’d better call ahead first
’cause we’re probably busy!

Name That Thing # 1 & 2

Okay, I often see things and I have no clue what they are or mean or are for! So, I have a new catagory- Name that thing! LOL!

I have two photos here. 1- on the way into the dairy farm, on our cheese tour field trip.

Looks like long pipes connected with big wheels (like size of wagon wheels) and I assume they roll forward and back in the fields. Not sure if it is a weird sprinkler system. To put pesticide on the crops, to help pick them....? No clue. I've seen them before in other places too!

2- Mud flap on Semi-Truck! Not sure if there is some code language here for other truck drivers that is funny!

:-)

homeschooling-art

I think tomorrow we will have an ART DAY. I am reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Inglas Wilder with Little D right now and he stopped me to ask questions when the book says how Ma has set things for each day. Monday-wash. Tuesday-iron. Wednesday- churn. Thursday-bake. Friday-clean. Saturday- I can't remember. and Sunday- rest.

So, I thought this would be fun to do something like this with homeschooling.

Maybe something like this, in no particular order;

1- art.
2- science experiments.
3- gardening.
4- museum field trip day.

We would still our regular stuff but maybe make extra time after we do our bookwork to do something extra each day that is a certain day of the week so they can look forward to it.

Homeschooling-neat book

I finished a neat book tonight at bed time. I was reading it to Baby K but Little D was listening in too (he likes to do that) and pretend he wasn't.

It was called What is Rot. Baby K picked it out from the library yesterday. The book/pages are a little yellow. The book looks like it is from the 70's by the pictures but Baby K didn't notice.

It is a neat book talking about mold, bacteria, decomposing items and what makes things biodegradable.

There are science experiments that the kids can do on every few pages too. We will have to try some. One was to get a sock with no match. Wear it all day. Step in some water or mud in it then put it in a plastic bag and seal it and put it in the dark and see what starts to grow on it!

Homeschooling-sports

This last month has been busy with sports. This week is the last week for Baby K and Little D for football. Baby K has her award and trophy ceremony tomorrow night and Little D has his last game on Sunday with a party at another player's house right after the game.

Besides football they are in gymnastics. Baby K is in ballet. Little D loves to go mountain bike riding (sometimes I put Baby K in the jogger and Little D on his bike and we go walking or running. We did this this week when my van was in the shop and walked to my mom and step-dad's house).

In two weeks Baby K will be starting basketball and Little D will be starting soccer.

WHEW! All of this is in addition to all other their other classes, activities and park days!

Homeschool reading and free pizza

Pizza Hut has a neat program for 'classrooms' this can be done pre-K and up and can be done with public schools or homeschool families.

Sign up NOW for it. http://www.bookitprogram.com/

Basically you commit to have your children read a certain amount each month. When they meet their goals they get a certificate for a free children's size pizza.

I, personally, do not think my children should be rewarded to read. We love to read and it is just something we do daily and enjoy. I just tell them that they get this as a reading program. I do not do the reward chart that Pizza Hut offers but this is up to you.

One small children's pizza is not enough food for my son but I can add some fresh fruit or chips and water to make a meal out of it for them.

We also have two Pizza Huts in our city so we can call it in ahead of time and then just show up to pick up our free monthly pizza!