The Math Basket

I have been racking my brain to try to come up with something fun and exciting for math.  During my last performance with the  Idaho Falls Symphony, while my fellow musicians were concentrating and having a wonderful experience, I came up with "the math basket".  Its a simple basket that I can put new things into every day that are different like a game, or flash cards, or marshmallows for the marshmallow game.

Yesterday I put in a piece of paper that said "movie time".  We watched this amazing documentary on netflix called "Between the Folds".  It was all about origami.  The kids were riveted as it connected math, art, and science.  I also put geo boards in the basket that the small ones could play with during the movie.  Then we did a art project involving paper.  (All the supplies being in the basket)  Super fun!

After this, Emma Lynn decided she needed to send us messages in morse code and we had a great study of morse code for a while.  It was the kind of school day to blog about!  It was inventive and relaxed yet full of great conversation and learning.  Aside from a few tears about the paper being not as pretty as someone else's (a situation that wanted me to trade my girls in for boys), it went super well.

Here is a link for making the paper stars.  We used double sided scrapbook paper and an exacto knife.  They used wrapping paper and scissors.  Have fun! Paper Star Project

Emma Lynn turns 11

Changes...  that is what is happening.  My oldest is eleven and all kinds of things are going on.  I can deal with most of them, mainly the things I remember myself like sprouting breasts and mood swings.
The thing about Emma Lynn that I dont remember about my own childhood is having one foot in babyhood and one foot in adulthood.  I have been told by others and myself that sweet Emma Lynn is a little immature.  Maybe its because we homeschool, maybe because she has younger friends, or maybe it is because her favorite companion is my two year old... either way, I am not sad about this.  She will catch up in due time and that is my philosophy with all things that I have no control over.
On Sunday, I get a text from my husband with a texticom or whatever of a seriously distressed face.  Emma Lynn has finally learned the truth about Santa.  I have been hinting at this FOREVER!  She refused to hear me and she wanted so desperately to hold on the this magic.  Well, at church the beans were spilled.  She was okay about it and I just got in her face with my excitement.  "You can be in on this now!!  You can stay up and eat the cookies and everything!!"  This helped the blow but tears were shed.  I truly believe that Emma Lynn LOVES being a child and she is watching her childhood slip away and she sees changes are right around the corner.
I love this about her.  How many of us wasted our childhood away wanting to be older?  I couldn't wait to  date and drive and kiss boys.  All of my childhood play was based on being older.  We played "date" all the time when I would be picked up by some pretend boyfriend to go out somewhere magical.  My barbie even "did it" in my friend's barbie house.   I pretended to be in college or working in a office.  I see my girls pretend house and things where they are mothers and they are nurturers and it makes my heart melt.  What a sweet thing to play?  What was I thinking when I was creating scandalous dance moves with my friends at the age of 9 to the Color Me Bad song "I want to sex you up"?!?

So, here is to my "immature" daughter that actually understands more than I ever did at her age and probably more than I do now.

Halloween 2011

This year, by divine intervention, I decided to go simple on costumes. I usually start planning costumes around August. This August I decided to go simple and in September, I had my appendix out. I am glad I took it easy.

My main shopping this year was to the local second hand store where I picked up a set of red and white striped baseball sheets for $6. This and several yards of black fabric with a 50% off coupon at JoAnn's was my fabric for pirate costumes. Awesome!

We had all kinds of fun with it. We have a group of friends that with which we do history together and they came over for a Halloween party. We were studying Columbus, so we were the pirates who destroyed Columbus' ship the first voyage out. This event left Columbus to swim to the shores of Spain floating on an oar. Rrrr!