cool things my kids did yesterday (and today)
It is spring break, which means that Opal is home with us all this week. Alice, of course, has scrubbing vacation every day, smart girl that she is. (Oh, okay, O's smart too, she needs public school and she knew it before I did...)
It does mean a higher noise level for sure, what with the constant litany of book and movie plots, dream details, and just general O drama. Not to mention her penchant for music. We have been on a Magical Mystery Tour for a while now. And when the tour bus has to stop for gas, we switch to Marit Bergman, the Ramones, Yma Sumac, Mary Poppins, Deanta's rendition of Willie Taylor (scroll down to read the lyrics...) For the most part, I like the child's musical taste. Alice on the other hand does not.
So, what about it? There have been a few good homeschool moments in the last couple days... Alice wanting a quick fiber project in which to channel her enthusiasm for color (see photo below), Opal learning a bit about pattern drafting (for use in future doll clothes), as well as whipping up a nice if slightly lumpy crepe batter this morning (infinitely expandable ratio: 1 cup flour to 1 cup milk to 4 eggs with a bit of salt and oil thrown in for good measure, let sit for at least 15 minutes). Plus the kid learned how to use the washer finally and did two loads of laundry!
here's A's pillow:
It's stuffed with some fleece that felted in the degreasing. (Future pillows will be stuffed with the washed and cut-up "skins" of thrifted plushies, left over from the girls' brief project, "Animal Rescue Plushie Purses and Packs.")
The girls' favorite websites are also worth mentioning. Opal spends a lot of time at Spatulatta, which is a cooking site for kids. (She learned how to separate eggs from one of the videos. We had to make cake to practice this skill, only when you haven't an oven the cooking of cake gets a bit tricky. We ended up steaming cupcakes in the rice cooker.)
and then there's MuseBlog for Alice, the writer in the family. MuseBlog is for fans of the great magazine, Muse, which is absolutely A's fave mag. A joint publication of Smithsonian and Carus Publishing (think Cricket magazine). We had a sub to this for one year and the girls have read those 6 issues (or whatever) so many times. Anyhow, MuseBlog is the ultimate answer to a 13-year-old's search for a suitable internet forum. Bravo!
'kay, that's all for one night. I promise you some non-kid content the next time.
It does mean a higher noise level for sure, what with the constant litany of book and movie plots, dream details, and just general O drama. Not to mention her penchant for music. We have been on a Magical Mystery Tour for a while now. And when the tour bus has to stop for gas, we switch to Marit Bergman, the Ramones, Yma Sumac, Mary Poppins, Deanta's rendition of Willie Taylor (scroll down to read the lyrics...) For the most part, I like the child's musical taste. Alice on the other hand does not.
So, what about it? There have been a few good homeschool moments in the last couple days... Alice wanting a quick fiber project in which to channel her enthusiasm for color (see photo below), Opal learning a bit about pattern drafting (for use in future doll clothes), as well as whipping up a nice if slightly lumpy crepe batter this morning (infinitely expandable ratio: 1 cup flour to 1 cup milk to 4 eggs with a bit of salt and oil thrown in for good measure, let sit for at least 15 minutes). Plus the kid learned how to use the washer finally and did two loads of laundry!
here's A's pillow:
It's stuffed with some fleece that felted in the degreasing. (Future pillows will be stuffed with the washed and cut-up "skins" of thrifted plushies, left over from the girls' brief project, "Animal Rescue Plushie Purses and Packs.")
The girls' favorite websites are also worth mentioning. Opal spends a lot of time at Spatulatta, which is a cooking site for kids. (She learned how to separate eggs from one of the videos. We had to make cake to practice this skill, only when you haven't an oven the cooking of cake gets a bit tricky. We ended up steaming cupcakes in the rice cooker.)
and then there's MuseBlog for Alice, the writer in the family. MuseBlog is for fans of the great magazine, Muse, which is absolutely A's fave mag. A joint publication of Smithsonian and Carus Publishing (think Cricket magazine). We had a sub to this for one year and the girls have read those 6 issues (or whatever) so many times. Anyhow, MuseBlog is the ultimate answer to a 13-year-old's search for a suitable internet forum. Bravo!
'kay, that's all for one night. I promise you some non-kid content the next time.