Creative Conversations (Tiny Talk Tuesday)

I haven't had a chance to participate in Tiny Talk Tuesday lately, but I wanted to share a few things Big Sis has said recently.

One night when she wanted to stay up later than usual, we had this conversation:

Big Sis: I'm not even sleepy anymore.  I was tired before, but now I feel like I could stay up all night.

Me:  That's called "getting your second wind."

20 minutes later . . .

Big Sis: You know, Mama, my second wind must've just been a breeze because I feel tired enough to sleep now.

I'm still laughing about this one.  A second breeze!

**********************

As I was trying to explain fractions to her the other day, I noticed her perplexed expression.

Me:  Are you confused?

Big Sis:  You can say that again!  I feel like I just got in a rocket and flew to the Planet of Confusion!

Yeah, fractions have that effect on a lot of people.




For more funny stories or to share your own, check out Not Before 7

Roller Coasters Unit Study and Lapbook (Download N Go series)

We all look for ways to make learning fun and hands-on, right?  After all, you really learn and remember best when you can truly dive into a topic.  I believe that the Download N Go series from Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse help busy homeschool moms add a little “punch” to their lesson planning.

The latest offering that we reviewed is Roller Coasters.  Now that is a subject I wouldn’t have thought to use for a unit study and lapbook.  Take a minute to think about the science involved with roller coasters – everything from Isaac Newton’s gravity experiments to the physics of motion!  There is a wealth of learning “disguised” in this super fun topic.  What else is included?  Along with science, you’ll also find geography, history, and vocabulary/spelling, plus all the great suggested reading.  We’ve been able to find the majority of books at our library to help keep spending down.

As always, the unit is divided into 5 days.  The necessary books and embedded links are listed by day and topic.  Personally, we usually extend the studies beyond five days because there is just so much to learn and read.  That’s another great aspect of the DNG series – you can easily adapt them to whatever schedule or age group you need.

If you need something different to spark that creative learning flame, battle burnout, or something quick that is already planned out for you and easy on the budget, DNG’s Roller Coasters is for you!


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy for review from The Old Schoolhouse. No other compensation was given for my honest opinion.

Blog awards

Thanks to my friend Lisa at The Berry Patch, I received two blog awards.  I haven't had time to blog much lately, so this nice surprise brightened my day.  Thanks, Lisa!


The rules for these awards are as follows:

1. Thank the one who gave it to you and link to their blog.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Choose seven others to bless with the award and let them know they've won an award.

Seven Random Things About Me:

1. I love tea and drink it every.single.day.  Hot or iced.  I do not like coffee at all.
2. I have lived in 5 different states.
3. I have not given up on my dream of writing a novel (or several) someday.
4. I've been married 15 years to a good guy.  ;0)  I was a 17 year old junior in high school when we met and we dated for 3 years before tying the knot.  Wow, we were Y-O-U-N-G!
5. I'm very happy to be the mom of three girls, but we know through genetic testing that one of the babies I miscarried (I've had two miscarriages) was definitely a boy.  I look forward to the day when we can have a great family reunion in heaven!
6. I've known I wanted to homeschool my future kids since I was 12.  Obviously long before I even met my husband.  Honest!
7. I've had to wear glasses or contact lenses since the 5th grade and I hate it!

Now, for the blogs I would like to award:

Shanna at Learning at His Feet
Shanna and I were crewmates on the TOS Review Crew.  Her youngest son and my youngest daughter share a birthday.  They'll both be 1 next week!  Shanna has some great file folder games she created and sells through her Integritas Academy.  Check them out!

Brenda at The Adventures of the Yonker Family
I've known Brenda for almost 10 years now.  She is an inspiration in faith, serving as a missionary with her family in Haiti right now.  

Jolanthe at No Ordinary Moments
Jolanthe has a fun sense of humor and is endlessly creative and organized in her homeschool efforts!

Tina at Being Made New
Tina has a gift for words and also homeschools her two little girls.


Heidi at Reviews and Reflections
I met Heidi through the TOS Crew as well.  She's the fearless leader and I enjoy reading her blog.

Debbie at By His Grace
Debbie is the homeschooling mom of 3 boys.  She also leaves nice comments for me, which I appreciate!

Nikki at Joy in the Journey
I recently found Nikki's blog and enjoy reading about her homeschooling journey. 

More Butterfly activities and resources

They're growing fast!

In addition to the Hands of a Child Butterfly lapbook we're doing with this study, I also found the following resources to use.  I thought I would pass them along in case anyone else was interested:

Insect Lore makes the Butterfly Garden and they have a lot of free online activities, games, and fun info.

The following sites have info, activities, and coloring pages:

http://butterflywebsite.com/

http://www.kidsbutterfly.org/

http://www.thebutterflysite.com/

Enchanted Learning has lots of butterfly printables, but many require membership.  (I'm not a member, but am considering it.)  Looking around might give you some ideas to make on your own, though.

Crayola.com has some free printables and craft ideas, including this Butterfly Snack Shack.

I created a slideshow of the books we used to give you some ideas.  We own the Usborne, Apologia, and Dr. Seuss  books and the rest we found at the library.  My mom was kind enough to provide the Dover coloring book (this is beautiful and informative!) as well as the sticker activity book as a gift.  Thanks, Grandma!



Please leave a comment and let us know if you have ever raised butterflies or if you plan to in the future!  Big Sis would love to hear from you.  ;0)  She is so excited and considers herself "mama" to these little caterpillars.

You can read Part 1 of our butterfly adventure here.

(Due to recent events, I'm behind on blogging our real-time butterfly experience, but I will continue to share the story!)

Many are the plans . . .

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.  Proverbs 19:21

Everything happens for a reason.

My original plans for this past week were to complete my curriculum planning for the year to submit to the school district.  I wanted to finally have my act together in time to participate in a few fun blog hops, since blogging is what I do for stress relief.  We were going to have fun celebrating Lil Sis’ third birthday.  Just generally enjoy one of the last weeks of summer break before we get into high gear for the school year.

Instead, I was extremely ill and dehydrated with an autoimmune flare-up and stomach virus for six days.  All three girls also developed the fever and vomiting.  My only pair of glasses broke.  DH got a ticket for not wearing his seat belt.  We got a huge bill from the hospital for my bloodwork, which the insurance should’ve covered and didn’t.  I found out my gastroenterologist is relocating out of the area and I have to start over with a new doctor, somehow, somewhere.  (Anyone who lives with chronic illness can appreciate how difficult it is to find a good doctor and what a difference it can make in the quality of your life.)  All of these annoyances were adding up to defeat me.

Then, as He so often does, God gave me something to put it all in a different perspective.

My Grandma passed away on Lil Sis’ birthday.  To say I am grieved would be an understatement.  To write a tribute to her requires a whole other blog post, which I will be working on, Lord willing.  I am very sad that we couldn’t make it to the funeral because of the distance and our illness.  I don’t understand why these things have happened or why God chose this timing, but I don’t waver in my belief that there is a reason.

All of this was a surprise to me.  None of it was a surprise to God.

From now on, my “plans” will be written in pencil only.  I’ve learned yet another lesson in my dependence on God’s grace and His sufficiency to carry me through.  I’d rather close my eyes in the dark and take His hand to lead me than to have a wide and clear path of my own choosing.

¹³Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."  James 4:13-15