Reading Tips

I bought window cling words from the Dollar Tree - The "colors" words... There were 10 paint splashes with colors and the words... and 10 tubes of paint with colors and the words.

I took the window clings and put one set on the car window where Kira sits and the other set on the car window where Marisa sits.

Now when we're in the car, the girls can practice reading the "colors" and learn how each color is spelled. They think it's super cool and I get to work in a school lesson without much effort.

Spelling

Kira asked me today if she could take lessons for spelling because she really wants to learn how to spell. Sigh... workbooks and prepared lessons are not really 'my thing', but that's what she is wanting right now so I went to the bookstore and found an age appropriate spelling book. I also bought flashcards for the Dolche Sight Words. I haven't decided exactly how I will be incorporating these things into our lives, but it looks like we are going to be embarking on Spelling and Sight Words for now.

Worms Eat Garbage...

Today begins our first lengthy science project.... WORM COMPOSTING!

I ventured out to the store to buy the perfect container for our worms. Because I do not intend this to be a massive composting project, I got a smallish container - big enough to hold the worms but small enough to be manageable by myself and the girls. When we returned home, I added a few worms to the box. We have five worms in our container. I had purchased a box of red wigglers a couple of weeks ago for feeding the turtle. All that was left of the wigglers was six worms. After treating the turtle to one of the worms, we put the rest in our composting bin.

Because this is a science project, I have a notebook for observation. Day 1 lists 5 worms and lots of newspaper bedding.

We did a bit of research to determine what would be good to feed our worms and we learned that they like just about any organic material. Fruits, veggies, and other kitchen waste can be placed in the bin for feeding the worms. It's not much different from the turtle, really. In an effort to jump start the feeding of the worms, both girls went outside to collect some grass and leaves for the hungry little worms.

It is my hope that this project will teach them how certain household wastes can be recycled for the benefit of the earth. I also plan to use some of the worms to continue feeding the voraciously hungry turtle. She loves worms most of all and there just aren't any around here for digging. We're too close to the lake and the worms know that people fish in the lake so they hide... I'm sure of it.

For further reading on worm composts, I highly recommend the book Worms Eat My Garbage. It is an interesting read and gives useful information on the biology of worm composting and worm reproduction.

I Shouldn't Be Alive

This was today's field trip to explore Kira's current obsession with the "I Shouldn't Be Alive" survival show...
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I told Kira we were going for a drive and asked her to tell me what we needed to put in the car in case of an emergency. So she decided that we needed a couple of blankets, some water, some food, flashlights, a lighter, and some toys... lol.

So we got 3 blankets - one for each of us - and a pack of graham crackers and a jar of peanut butter. I filled 2 bottles with water. She helped me gather all our emergency supplies and take everything to the car.

We had to go by the Dollar Tree to get batteries, so I got her and Marisa a Sprite and me a Dasani water.

Then we 'got lost' - literally. I asked them which way to turn at every light or stop sign. I couldn't even begin to tell you how we got where we went. I found a place called Bolding Mill campground. We stopped there and got out to look at the lake because there was a very shallow area where you could see the bottom. I explained that all the leaves that we could see piled up in the water makes perfect places for fish to lay their eggs because the babies can hide from predators. Then a guy came with his boat and we watched him put his boat in the water - move his truck - and go off on the lake to fish.

I taught Kira how to use my phone to call her daddy, just in case mommy ever got hurt and couldn't use the phone. Then we went on with our 'getting lost' adventure.

So then I come to a place called Toto Creek. Again, it is a local campground with boat docks. (lots of those around here)

I parked the car and we all got out and walked over to the edge of the trees. There was a big wooded area. Kira and I chose a good clearing (right near the edge of the woods/parking lot) where we could build ourselves a shelter - and then we pretended we were lost in the woods and trying to survive until somebody found us.

(I'm sure you're laughing by now... but it gets better.)

I had to use the scissors that we had included in our emergency kit to cut away some briers from our clearing. While I was doing that - without any direction from me at all - Kira was gathering longer branches that we could use to build a 'roof' over our shelter.

So I laid one blanket on the ground after I cleared the briers and twigs and pine cones out of the way. I sat Marisa down and covered her with another blanket so she could be warm. And then I used the branches that Kira had found to build a sort of wall by wedging it between the trees. We had chosen an area that had several trees kind of lumped together, but was clear in the center and had a natural "doorway" for the shelter. Anyways, I used the third blanket to drape over the branches to act as a wind break wall.

Then we snuggled up together and I made Graham Cracker, peanut butter, ghiradelli square sandwiches... which were beyond delicious!

We sat and talked about how we could build a better shelter if we were actually lost. What we would do if we heard voices out in the woods if we were actually lost. Lots of different scenarios...

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOMENESS! And... I thought of this all on my very own!!! lol

I told Kira that we will go camping when the campgrounds open in the Spring and we will build ourselves a true shelter using trees and sticks and stuff.

I was amazed at how she "packed" our emergency kit and how she chose properly sized branches that were just right for wedging between the trees for building a shelter.

I just had to share. It was so much fun!
(Marisa was pretty much just along for the ride - and the chocolate peanut butter sandwiches... )

Twelth Grade Scope and Sequence

Grade 12 Curriculum Guide Social Studies * Principles of U. S. government * The democratic ideal * Basic documents of the U. S. * Agriculture in the U. S. * Urbanization * Conservation * Business and industry in the U. S. * American party system * Propaganda and public opinion * Comparative governments * Comparative economic systems * Consumer education * Crime and delinquency * Psychology * Labor-management relations * Economic concepts and theories * Taxation and finance * Distribution and exchange of goods and services * International relations * American foreign policy * International organizations * Public education * Women's role in today's society * Family economics and management Science * Physics * Electricity and magnetism * Photoelectric effect * Heat * Light and optics * Sound and acoustics * Wave motion * Quantum theory * Relativity * Force * Mechanics * Space, time, and motion * Work, energy, and power * Electronics * Nuclear energy * Nuclear physics * Solid-state physics Language Arts * English literature * Shakespeare * Literary, social, and political heritage of England * Literature of the 1900's * World literature * Cross-cultural literature * The theater * Nature of tragedy and comedy * Techniques of acting * Film as an art form * Critical and evaluative reading * Current periodical literature * Mass communication * Comparative study of mass media * Radio and television * Listening skills * Parliamentary procedures * Identifying verbals * Report writing * Writing social and business letters * Writing book reviews, précis, essays * Writing term papers * Bibliography development Mathematics Calculus * Derivative of a function * Logarithmic and trigonometric functions * Indeterminate terms * Computation of derivatives * Rate of a change of quantity * Maxima and minima * Integrals * Length of curves * Volume and surface areas * Computer analysis of graphs Advanced Algebra * Sets of numbers * Binomial theorem * Progressions * Complex numbers * Theory of equations * Permutations * Functions and their graphs * Combinations * Probability * Determinants * Inequalities * Matrix algebra * Mathematical inductions * The derivative Probability and Statistics * Tabular data * Graphs * Measures of central tendency * Quartiles and percentiles * Measures of dispersion * Simple correlation * Statistical inference * Permutations * Combinations * Binomial theorem

Eleventh Grade Scope and Sequence

Grade 11 Curriculum Guide Social Studies * Age of exploration and discovery * Colonization of America * A new nation is born * Constitution of the United States * Development of a new nation * Period of nationalism * Sectionalism * American Civil War and Reconstruction * United States as a world power * Struggle for women's rights * World War I * The Great Depression * World War II * The Cold War * The nuclear era * Civil rights * Delinquency and crime * Psychology * Problems of mental health * Urbanization * Public education * Role of women in today's society Science * Matter and its behavior * Carbon and its compounds * Formulas and chemical equations * Acids, bases, salts * Atomic theory * Periodic law * Water and solutions * Chemical bonding * Molecular theory * Equilibrium and kinetics * Spontaneous reactions * Titrations * Ionization and ionic solutions * Colloids, suspensoids, and emulsoids * Oxidation-reduction * Nonmetals * Metals and alloys * Electrochemistry * Energy: forms, chemical changes, and measurement * Nuclear reactions and radioactivity Language Arts * American literature * Cross-cultural literature * Analysis of plays * Vocabulary of poetry * Critical and evaluative reading * Propaganda techniques * Mass communication * Advertising * Music and painting * Architecture and sculpture * Listening skills * Vocabulary development * Grammar * Story writing * Editorial writing * Journalistic writing * Writing term papers * Proofreading symbols * Use of Reader's Guide and other reference aids, both print and electronic Mathematics Algebra II * Relations and functions * Square roots, surds, radicals * Rational roots * Linear equations and analytic geometry * Quadratic equations * Binomial theorem * Imaginary numbers * Exponents and radicals * Logarithms * Progressions * Higher-degree equations * Vectors * Determinants * Permutations, combinations, and simple probability * Estimation and approximation Trigonometry * Solutions of right triangles * Use of table and interpolation * Measurement of angles * Properties of trigonometric functions * Complex numbers and vectors * Concept of a limit * Graphs of functions * Solutions of oblique triangles * Logarithms * Identities and equations * General triangle solutions

Tenth Grade Scope and Sequence

Grade 10 Curriculum Guide Social Studies * Prehistoric peoples * The earliest civilizations * The early Greeks * Early India and China * The Islamic world * The Middle Ages * African civilizations * Civilization in the Americas * The Renaissance * The rise and fall of monarchies * Birth of modern democracy * The French Revolution * The Industrial Revolution * Nationalism * Imperialism * Science and industry * The world wars - World War I - Between world wars - World War II * The Cold War * The Vietnam War * The search for peace * Democratic ideals and values * The rise and fall of Communism * The collapse of the Soviet Union * World interdependence * World problems and issues * Role of women in today's societies Science * Characteristics of life * Classification * History of plants and animals * Microscopic life * Simple organisms: algae, bacteria, fungi * Vertebrate life * Mammals and birds * Plant life * Photosynthesis * Cells * Protein synthesis * Genetics and heredity * DNA-RNA * Genetic engineering * Reproduction and growth * Human biology * Nutrition and digestion * Behavior * Conservation of human resources * Environmental issues * Energy in ecosystems * Scientific method * Biology and space travel * Disease and disease control Language Arts * American literary heritage * Cross-cultural literature * Folklore and ballads * Regional customs, traditions, folkways, and language * Literary interpretation and critique * Novel, short story, and essay * Understanding poetry: lyric poetry, and the sonnet * Drama * Distinguishing between fact and opinion * Persuasion and argumentation * Listening skills * Public speaking and debate * Extending dictionary skills * History of the alphabet * Vocabulary and etymology * Geographical dialects * Grammar * History of writing * Techniques of writing * Journal writing * Writing short stories, poetry, and plays * Writing term papers * Constructing footnotes Mathematics * Origins and uses of geometry * Terms, postulates, theorems * Sets * Nature of proof * Inductive and deductive reasoning * Ratio and proportion * Algebra in geometry * Angle relationships * Parallel and perpendicular lines * Congruent triangles * Right triangles * Pythagorean Theorem * Circles * Polygons * Relationships between circles and polygons * Mensuration theory * Measurement of geometric figures * Simple constructions * Loci * Transformational geometry * Introduction of symbolic logic * Coordinate geometry * Trigonometric functions of angles greater than 90 degrees * Special angle relationships * Problem solving with geometry