Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
We enjoyed a visit with Auntie W, Uncle J and Cousin R to the beautiful Garden of the Gods. Auntie W. got a kick out of LD, who did hand stands continually along the path (middle picture).
Always Helpful!
This box held the doll house my Grandfather made for my Mom when she was a little girl. Once we removed the doll house (to pack into the trailer we'll be bringing east), the kids jumped right in and played!
Farm Visit
As I mentioned before, we had a lovely time with our cousins. One of the things we did while we were with them in California was to go to a working farm. The kids got to feed animals and pick their own strawberries. The farm also had a mine set up and LD and Cousin B thoroughly enjoyed panning through a bag of rocks for gems. Hours later, LD could barely be torn away from the mining station to go!
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles
We spent time at the LaBrea Tar Pits in California. We saw fossils of some of the ancient American mammals, got to look into the fish-bowl science lab and watch scientists clean and sort small fossil pieces.
Friday, June 18, 2010
On the Road...
We've now been on the road for more than a month. I have a few minutes on my own and thought I'd take the opportunity to write a brief update. Not much to report on the homeschooling front, but life in general has been full to overflowing!!
Our first stop after leaving Alice Springs/Sydney was California. We spent two weeks there and enjoyed time at Legoland, the La Brea Tar Pits and Disneyland. The kids loved absolutely loved spending time with their cousins B and Z, who are sandwiched in age between our three. Auntie G and Uncle S have a beautiful new home and they have these amazing hiking trails that take them up into the mountains about a block from their house!
Next, we were off to Colorado. We flew in, tucked up our shirt sleeves and got to work on the house here. Recently Auntie W, Uncle J and little Cousin R bought a new house about a mile from here (they were living in our house while we were overseas), so we're getting ready to put our house on the market. Grams and Gramps did an amazing job painting the house here, cleaning windows, appliances and all that before we arrived. [Thank you! Thank you!!]
Pretty much as soon as we arrived in CO, we researched and bought a truck/crossover so we'd have a means of getting around. I started to tackle the stuff I've had in storage in the basement here for over a decade!! Lots of things went to Goodwill, the used bookstore and the dump. But still, there's a lot we'll haul across the country as both my Mom and my Grandpa (my Mom's Dad) died while we were overseas, so I have heirloom things to bring with us in addition to everything else.
Meanwhile, hubby spent tons of time setting up appointments for handmen to come to do things like fix the concrete, replace boards on the deck, sand down the deck, stretch the carpeting, fix the garage door, put in new linoleum, etc. All things that we need to get done while we're here in Colorado.
Five days after arriving in Colorado, hubby and I took ED with us to fly across the country and house hunt. We left LD and DD with Grams and Gramps and Auntie W and Uncle J. Hubby, ED and I spent very full days looking at houses. We came up with four that we'd be happy in. We placed a bid on a nice place, but the owners seem to have a lot of drama going on behind the scenes and are coming back with weird counter offers (like suddenly insisting on all the window treatments (blinds, curtains), all appliances and the three chandeliers). That doesn't sound particularly out of line when I write it, but it was more the way it was done. Even their Realtor said she would lower her commission if the owners took our offer!! We took that as a bad sign! We're hesitant to go with that house so we're now looking at another option. We have a bid in now (on this other house) and are in constant contact with our wonderful Realtor. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
After six days on the east coast, we returned to Colorado and bought a 6X14 trailer to haul behind the crossover. We used it to move some heavy furniture that Auntie W and Uncle J hadn't had a chance to move to their new place. Then, we loaded my furniture, boxes of books, etc. etc. into the trailer to take with us. We will spend the next few days finishing up the work that needs to be done around here (cleaning windows, counter tops, bathrooms and things like that).
I should mention that the day after we returned from house hunting we went to a post-wedding party of hubby's second cousins. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Grams'/hubby's extended family! Everyone admired the kids and LD was THRILLED because in the alley behind the house he found lots of obsidian rocks in the dirt. He and the girls spent over an hour looking for obsidian. (Much better than having to hang out with the ole fuddy-duddies, right?!!)
We're hoping to have everything set so we can start our 1,800 mile trek across the country with the three kids, dog and full trailer early next week. That feels like the easy part (compared to buying a car, buying a house, packing/sorting, and putting a house on the market these past two and a half weeks)!!
We're hopeful we'll be able to start settling into a new place in about 6 or 8 weeks. But, that might be a bit ambitious. We'll see!! What an adventure - this overseas move!!
Thanks for reading!
Our first stop after leaving Alice Springs/Sydney was California. We spent two weeks there and enjoyed time at Legoland, the La Brea Tar Pits and Disneyland. The kids loved absolutely loved spending time with their cousins B and Z, who are sandwiched in age between our three. Auntie G and Uncle S have a beautiful new home and they have these amazing hiking trails that take them up into the mountains about a block from their house!
Next, we were off to Colorado. We flew in, tucked up our shirt sleeves and got to work on the house here. Recently Auntie W, Uncle J and little Cousin R bought a new house about a mile from here (they were living in our house while we were overseas), so we're getting ready to put our house on the market. Grams and Gramps did an amazing job painting the house here, cleaning windows, appliances and all that before we arrived. [Thank you! Thank you!!]
Pretty much as soon as we arrived in CO, we researched and bought a truck/crossover so we'd have a means of getting around. I started to tackle the stuff I've had in storage in the basement here for over a decade!! Lots of things went to Goodwill, the used bookstore and the dump. But still, there's a lot we'll haul across the country as both my Mom and my Grandpa (my Mom's Dad) died while we were overseas, so I have heirloom things to bring with us in addition to everything else.
Meanwhile, hubby spent tons of time setting up appointments for handmen to come to do things like fix the concrete, replace boards on the deck, sand down the deck, stretch the carpeting, fix the garage door, put in new linoleum, etc. All things that we need to get done while we're here in Colorado.
Five days after arriving in Colorado, hubby and I took ED with us to fly across the country and house hunt. We left LD and DD with Grams and Gramps and Auntie W and Uncle J. Hubby, ED and I spent very full days looking at houses. We came up with four that we'd be happy in. We placed a bid on a nice place, but the owners seem to have a lot of drama going on behind the scenes and are coming back with weird counter offers (like suddenly insisting on all the window treatments (blinds, curtains), all appliances and the three chandeliers). That doesn't sound particularly out of line when I write it, but it was more the way it was done. Even their Realtor said she would lower her commission if the owners took our offer!! We took that as a bad sign! We're hesitant to go with that house so we're now looking at another option. We have a bid in now (on this other house) and are in constant contact with our wonderful Realtor. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
After six days on the east coast, we returned to Colorado and bought a 6X14 trailer to haul behind the crossover. We used it to move some heavy furniture that Auntie W and Uncle J hadn't had a chance to move to their new place. Then, we loaded my furniture, boxes of books, etc. etc. into the trailer to take with us. We will spend the next few days finishing up the work that needs to be done around here (cleaning windows, counter tops, bathrooms and things like that).
I should mention that the day after we returned from house hunting we went to a post-wedding party of hubby's second cousins. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Grams'/hubby's extended family! Everyone admired the kids and LD was THRILLED because in the alley behind the house he found lots of obsidian rocks in the dirt. He and the girls spent over an hour looking for obsidian. (Much better than having to hang out with the ole fuddy-duddies, right?!!)
We're hoping to have everything set so we can start our 1,800 mile trek across the country with the three kids, dog and full trailer early next week. That feels like the easy part (compared to buying a car, buying a house, packing/sorting, and putting a house on the market these past two and a half weeks)!!
We're hopeful we'll be able to start settling into a new place in about 6 or 8 weeks. But, that might be a bit ambitious. We'll see!! What an adventure - this overseas move!!
Thanks for reading!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Goodbye to the Outback!
It is hard to believe we have been living in the Outback for
more than twelve years. The time has come for us to move
back to the US to be closer to family and friends there. Still,
it has been quite difficult to say goodbye to those we've become
so close to here. We fly out tomorrow (May 15th).
We organized to go on a camel ride with some of our friends a
few weeks ago (pic above). Since I was sick (and missed it) and
the kids had such a wonderful time, my friend and I went down
for a final ride today. After so many weeks of hard work, packing
and cleaning it was fabulous to get out and just have fun!
Last Saturday we had a wonderful goodbye party/bonfire
beneath the crystal clear Outback skies. You'll never see the
Milky Way and starry sky like you do here so far away from
any big city (1000km to the nearest major city!!)
It's hard to express in writing how much we'll miss everyone
here, the low key, traffic-free lifestyle and the amazing things
that make living in the Outback so unique and wonderful. I will
personally miss all the sports and music that have so enriched
my life. I've gotten to play field hockey now as an adult for 10
years (how many women get to play hockey after college/university
in the US unless they're Olympians? I'm certainly not that good!).
I've also loved playing soccer, mountain biking, running through
the gorgeous outback along red, sandy 4WD tracks, camping with
no one around for miles/kilometers! And my music has been an
amazing blessing. I've made the most incredible bonds with the
others in my wind ensemble, the Alexandria Quartet (though we're
actually a quintet!!). It was a privilege playing with all of you
(I play the oboe).
My love and hugs to all those incredible people I've gotten to know
here!
There will be no new posts at the Homeschool Den for quite a
while. Perhaps as long as three or four months from now. We'll
be traveling to see family, sell a house, buy a house, and things
like that. We don't expect to get our household goods for at
least 10-12 weeks (that is, if we've managed to find a place to buy
right away. Otherwise, it will all go into storage for a while.)
Anyway, thank you so much for reading our blog. Farewell for now!
more than twelve years. The time has come for us to move
back to the US to be closer to family and friends there. Still,
it has been quite difficult to say goodbye to those we've become
so close to here. We fly out tomorrow (May 15th).
We organized to go on a camel ride with some of our friends a
few weeks ago (pic above). Since I was sick (and missed it) and
the kids had such a wonderful time, my friend and I went down
for a final ride today. After so many weeks of hard work, packing
and cleaning it was fabulous to get out and just have fun!
Last Saturday we had a wonderful goodbye party/bonfire
beneath the crystal clear Outback skies. You'll never see the
Milky Way and starry sky like you do here so far away from
any big city (1000km to the nearest major city!!)
It's hard to express in writing how much we'll miss everyone
here, the low key, traffic-free lifestyle and the amazing things
that make living in the Outback so unique and wonderful. I will
personally miss all the sports and music that have so enriched
my life. I've gotten to play field hockey now as an adult for 10
years (how many women get to play hockey after college/university
in the US unless they're Olympians? I'm certainly not that good!).
I've also loved playing soccer, mountain biking, running through
the gorgeous outback along red, sandy 4WD tracks, camping with
no one around for miles/kilometers! And my music has been an
amazing blessing. I've made the most incredible bonds with the
others in my wind ensemble, the Alexandria Quartet (though we're
actually a quintet!!). It was a privilege playing with all of you
(I play the oboe).
My love and hugs to all those incredible people I've gotten to know
here!
There will be no new posts at the Homeschool Den for quite a
while. Perhaps as long as three or four months from now. We'll
be traveling to see family, sell a house, buy a house, and things
like that. We don't expect to get our household goods for at
least 10-12 weeks (that is, if we've managed to find a place to buy
right away. Otherwise, it will all go into storage for a while.)
Anyway, thank you so much for reading our blog. Farewell for now!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Another Flood Photo -- What's left of my sister's living room
Here's another picture sent by my sister. This is the livingroom/study and dining room -- looks out on the backyard. Yes, that's insulation hanging on the lamp chain. And on the right, that leg stick up near the far door, that's the piano. Again, this is one of the rooms on the first floor. The water went at least 5-7 feet higher than this room. This level of the house is about 15 feet (or more?) off the ground.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Flood Destroyed Den/Library
My sister sent this picture of their den/library/study. This area had their computers, a number of tall bookshelves and so forth. The ceiling used to be finished, but this room was fully submerged under the waters; you can see the collapsed ceiling over the top of the other stuff. (The flood waters reached the second story beds, another 5-7 feet above this room.)
My sister said they don't know yet whether they will gut the house and rebuild or whether they'll have to bulldoze the entire house and rebuild. But that is a decision that is made for them (by insurance I gather) depending on how sound the structure is after this flood.
Meanwhile, the movers have been here boxing up our things. Today should be the final day and they load the crate with all the boxes, furniture, etc. and start sending it south to Adelaide and then by ship to the US. It has gone smoothly and we've been blessed with lots of help from friends.
My sister said they don't know yet whether they will gut the house and rebuild or whether they'll have to bulldoze the entire house and rebuild. But that is a decision that is made for them (by insurance I gather) depending on how sound the structure is after this flood.
Meanwhile, the movers have been here boxing up our things. Today should be the final day and they load the crate with all the boxes, furniture, etc. and start sending it south to Adelaide and then by ship to the US. It has gone smoothly and we've been blessed with lots of help from friends.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
My Heart Goes Out to My Sister
My sister, her husband and three kids live and homeschool in Nashville, Tennessee. They have just lost most everything they own when floods rose to above the beds in their second story. The first floor (living room, kitchen, library, den, hobby room) was fully submerged when creek flood levels rose. (We've been there, and the water must have risen at least 50 feet to have gotten that high!)
Considering that a number of people lost their lives, my sister said they were feeling fortunate. They saved the family pets and most of their chickens (they have a chicken farm), which took refuge on the roof of their house. My sister said they had enough warning to get a 4-5 day supply of emergency supplies, a few clothes and a few valuables buts lost most everything (computers, photos, books, all appliances and on and on). Her neighbor wasn't so fortunate, my sister said, and lost absolutely everything. She said he doesn't even have a pair of matching shoes. We feel so sad for them.
My sister is amazing, amidst all this loss she and her family is going through, they emailed and said they would still take care of our dog (which we were going to have shipped next week from Australia to Atlanta, Georgia where they would pick her up). Amazing to be thinking of others at a time like this. (Our dog will be flying to Colorado instead and we'll drive her across the country with us and our three kids... and just see how it goes til we can buy a house and all.)
Anyway, my heart, thoughts and prayers go out to my sister, wonderful brother-in-law (who just got back from a 9-month deployment to Iraq about 3 weeks ago or so) and their three amazing kids.
Considering that a number of people lost their lives, my sister said they were feeling fortunate. They saved the family pets and most of their chickens (they have a chicken farm), which took refuge on the roof of their house. My sister said they had enough warning to get a 4-5 day supply of emergency supplies, a few clothes and a few valuables buts lost most everything (computers, photos, books, all appliances and on and on). Her neighbor wasn't so fortunate, my sister said, and lost absolutely everything. She said he doesn't even have a pair of matching shoes. We feel so sad for them.
My sister is amazing, amidst all this loss she and her family is going through, they emailed and said they would still take care of our dog (which we were going to have shipped next week from Australia to Atlanta, Georgia where they would pick her up). Amazing to be thinking of others at a time like this. (Our dog will be flying to Colorado instead and we'll drive her across the country with us and our three kids... and just see how it goes til we can buy a house and all.)
Anyway, my heart, thoughts and prayers go out to my sister, wonderful brother-in-law (who just got back from a 9-month deployment to Iraq about 3 weeks ago or so) and their three amazing kids.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Free Montessori Cards
I noticed that there are free "guess what" cards at http://www.shop.montessoriprintshop.com/SALE_c69.htm. For example, there's a close-up picture of a sunflower and one picture from farther away. These cards would probably be appropriate for 2-4 year olds. It's probably only available for another day or so, but thought I'd mention it here.
Also there are some new free cards at http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/assets/PDF/From_Plant_to_Food.pdf showing the food and its product (tomato and ketchup, for example).
Also there are some new free cards at http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/assets/PDF/From_Plant_to_Food.pdf showing the food and its product (tomato and ketchup, for example).
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Addition Math Games for Number Families 9-18
I spent some time making some cards and games to work with
LD on his addition facts the 9s through 18s families (so 4+5=9
or 11+7=18, etc.). Each game set works with three families
(so pictured below are the games for the 9s, 10s and 11s families).
Addition Bingo (below):
In the board below, the cards for 9s, 10s, 11s should be
upside down in a pile. Each player takes a turn picking up
a card and placing it on their own board. The first player
to make a row (or to fill their board) wins.
Addition Spinner Game (below):
I glued the spinner board onto cardboard before placing the
brad and arrow on it.
To play the game: The cards are actually spread out
upside-down. Then the players take turns spinning the
spinner and then choosing a card to see if they get to keep
it. The first player to five wins.
Addition War with a Spinner (below):
Divide the addition cards into two even piles. Each player
turns over a card and determines the answer to their card.
Then, they spin the spinner and see who won that round.
They place the cards they have won in a separate pile.
If there is a tie, new cards are turned over, the spinner is
spun again and the winner takes all the cards in the pot.
After all the cards have been played, the winner is the
person with the most cards.
I got the spinner template below at
http://www.mathwire.com/templates/spinners.pdf
and just wrote in the words.
I uploaded these files to scribd.com. Click here to see the various
pages you can download. Sorry I wasn't able to put them into one
convenient download. I barely have time to post let alone time to
learn more about making the blog look tidy and lovely! Still, I hope
someone finds them of use.
LD on his addition facts the 9s through 18s families (so 4+5=9
or 11+7=18, etc.). Each game set works with three families
(so pictured below are the games for the 9s, 10s and 11s families).
Addition Bingo (below):
In the board below, the cards for 9s, 10s, 11s should be
upside down in a pile. Each player takes a turn picking up
a card and placing it on their own board. The first player
to make a row (or to fill their board) wins.
Addition Spinner Game (below):
I glued the spinner board onto cardboard before placing the
brad and arrow on it.
To play the game: The cards are actually spread out
upside-down. Then the players take turns spinning the
spinner and then choosing a card to see if they get to keep
it. The first player to five wins.
Addition War with a Spinner (below):
Divide the addition cards into two even piles. Each player
turns over a card and determines the answer to their card.
Then, they spin the spinner and see who won that round.
They place the cards they have won in a separate pile.
If there is a tie, new cards are turned over, the spinner is
spun again and the winner takes all the cards in the pot.
After all the cards have been played, the winner is the
person with the most cards.
I got the spinner template below at
http://www.mathwire.com/templates/spinners.pdf
and just wrote in the words.
I uploaded these files to scribd.com. Click here to see the various
pages you can download. Sorry I wasn't able to put them into one
convenient download. I barely have time to post let alone time to
learn more about making the blog look tidy and lovely! Still, I hope
someone finds them of use.
Preschool Games
In this game, I made a number of dice with the numbers
0-5
6-10
10-15
Each player chooses the mouse they want to be. Then
each player choose one die for that round. Both/all
players roll their dice and pick up that number of
cookies for their mouse.
Spin the spinner for that round and see who the "winner/s"
was/were.
cookies were from:
http://www.learningtreasures.com/suite101/literature/cookie_math_plate_counters.jpg
other cute activities relating to If You Give A Mouse
A Cookie from Belinda Mooney are at:
http://kidscrafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/i_give_a_mouse_a_cookie_pattens
I especially like her cute alphabet cards
The butterfly net catcher game is just the same.
Each player chooses a die, rolls it and then someone
spins the spinner to see who was the winner.
Pretty butterflies were from http://prekinders.com/bugsunit.htm.
In the printer options I chose "multiple copies per
page" so that the butterflies would be small enough.
Squirrel Grid Game:
http://prekinders.com/forestunit.htm
Each player takes a turn rolling the die and
covering the squirrel with acorns (the acorn counters
were from kidssoup.com, a paid site I really enjoy).
The first player to cover their board wins.
Preschool - Tot Bag Activites
As you probably know, we're getting ready to leave
Australia. The packers come next Tuesday, so
I've been quite busy. Our suitcases are mostly
packed with the things we'll need/use for the
next 3-4 months. I thought I'd share this
bag of preschool -tot activities I put together.
We'll be spending a week here, a week there
for a couple of months, so this should be a good
collection of small things to pull out when in
need in small hotel rooms and so forth. I've used
them to throw into workboxes, so they're really
nothing particularly new, but seeing them all
together might give you a new idea or two.
So here's the bag and the pictures that follow
explain what's inside.
I took pieces of construction paper and
put lots of dots on them in various designs
(letters, butterflies, numbers, space ships
etc.). The kids were so excited that they insisted
on doing a half-dozen while I was taking photos!
Australia. The packers come next Tuesday, so
I've been quite busy. Our suitcases are mostly
packed with the things we'll need/use for the
next 3-4 months. I thought I'd share this
bag of preschool -tot activities I put together.
We'll be spending a week here, a week there
for a couple of months, so this should be a good
collection of small things to pull out when in
need in small hotel rooms and so forth. I've used
them to throw into workboxes, so they're really
nothing particularly new, but seeing them all
together might give you a new idea or two.
So here's the bag and the pictures that follow
explain what's inside.
I took pieces of construction paper and
put lots of dots on them in various designs
(letters, butterflies, numbers, space ships
etc.). The kids were so excited that they insisted
on doing a half-dozen while I was taking photos!
Preschool - Tot Bag Activities
Paper strips, swirls for cutting
Pom-poms for sorting
Opposites puzzles
Find the word, clothes pin activity
from http://sunflowerschoolhouse.com/
Pom-poms for sorting
Opposites puzzles
Find the word, clothes pin activity
from http://sunflowerschoolhouse.com/
Preschool - Tot Bag Activities
The kids place the hair barret onto
a rubber band and snap it closed.
I first saw this idea at
mymontessorijourney.typepad.com
Pony bead counting activity
A bag full of finger puppet animals
Sewing with a large embroidery needle
and huge buttons.
a rubber band and snap it closed.
I first saw this idea at
mymontessorijourney.typepad.com
Pony bead counting activity
A bag full of finger puppet animals
Sewing with a large embroidery needle
and huge buttons.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Preschool - Tot Bag Activities
Matching: I made this using foam boards,
matching foam animals/shapes and covering
it with contact paper.
An inexpensive wooden teddy bear puzzle.
Frog/Dragon Fly Color Matching Game
from filefolderfun.com
Marbles, golf-t and suction cup the golf-t
and marbles are for doing balancing "relay"
races trying to walk keeping the marble
balanced.
matching foam animals/shapes and covering
it with contact paper.
An inexpensive wooden teddy bear puzzle.
Frog/Dragon Fly Color Matching Game
from filefolderfun.com
Marbles, golf-t and suction cup the golf-t
and marbles are for doing balancing "relay"
races trying to walk keeping the marble
balanced.
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