Hip Hop Anonymous

I admit it.  I can't say the words hip-hop without a Big Daddy reference.  Ever.

"Dancing is my favorite thing to do in the whole world!" said Miss Elora Kay today.  Seleia and Elora are taking a month of hip-hop classes, and today at class numero uno they had so much fun.  We went from violin lessons to art classes, then straight to dance...ugh!...but it was well worth the effort. This was Seleia's first real activity of any sort since she broke her foot mid-August, and she felt it.  I was really proud of her, though, because she stuck with it and worked hard.  She's been wanting to do this forever, so she wasn't going to let a little thing like that hold her back, no siree, Bob!

I am so overwhelmed with gratefulness for the opportunities that my children have. A little thing like dance classes might not be a big deal, but on top of the science classes, art classes, ballet, theater, music lessons, fencing classes, choir, plays, field trips.....there are so many opportunities available to homeschoolers these days. And I, of course, want to let them do ALL of it. I also, however, cherish our lazy days at home...days full of schoolwork and snuggling. I feel like we get the best of both worlds.

They may not think much of all of this now, (after all, they've never known life to be any other way) but I hope that someday my children look back on their childhood with fondness. I hope that someday they realize, "Wow. We had it good."

Kids Today

I just had to take a quick second to share yet another reason why we choose to educate our children at home. Wow. These kids deserve better.

Bread and Jam for Frances

I have to say that I love First Favorites. Even if we did not home school I would likely be going through these guides while the kids were on break! They teach reading comprehension the sneaky way...through fun! (Vol. 1 even includes my very favorite children's book, A Chair For My Mother, among other goodies like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.) The girls have loved reading the books together, then answering the questions and doing the activities. (Seleia sometimes wishes she could still do First Favorites instead of actual book reports....can't blame her!)  They listen closely to the stories to be able to answer all of the questions correctly, and are quite proud when they do. We've made a chair shaped bank, mouse shaped cookies, and learned all sorts of new things about some of their favorite stories (and some new stories, too!) So now it's Amarra's turn to be Frances for a few days. I'll probably make her some bread and jam.

Their First Games

Friday night was a very big night. Seleia and Elora had their very first basketball games.  Said Seleia, "I want to keep playing basketball forever!!". Even Elora made a basket! More than one parents commented, "Wow, that kid can dribble!" which is something she practices every day and was excited to see pay off. (I bought the girls their own basketballs a couple of weeks ago.  Elora has slept with hers more than once.) Seleia was a very enthusiastic, vocal player ("I'm OPEN!")who gave the game her all. (And as I've admitted before, the iphone ain't that great with action shots.  Next week I'll try to remember to take an actual camera!) I. AM. SO. PROUD.  Elora took a basketball to the nose, and as this game was all 7 year old girls, the ref took a time out and gave her a hug...love it...but she got right back in there and played hard. Seleia made a few baskets and had a few close ones but never quit beaming. They're already counting down the days till next Friday's game. Truthfully, so am I!

Basketball Season!

This past Friday was the last basketball practice before the games begin later this week. Joel had to miss it so I, of course, compensated by taking about 752 pictures. My phone doesn't take the best action shots, and these kids were moving, but you get the general idea. (And Dashiell, when not entertained by watching his sissies, rather enjoyed chewing on his mini basketball and making Amarra fetch it. She got quite a workout herself.) They ran lines, practiced defense, dribbled with their right and their left, worked on rebounding, did layups...you name it! Coach Frank (yes, the tall guy in the blue) was a red shirt for the Olympic team and knows his stuff, but Basketball itself is his secondary emphasis. First?  Character. He talks about commitment, life skills, attitude, hard work, sportsmanship, respect and reaching your goals even more than about shooting and passing. Out of the couple of hundred kids in this league he seems to know them all by name (he even said Seleia correctly) and genuinely care about each individual. He wants them to succeed. Seleia and Elora are in the youngest age group, 7-9, and so most of the kids are just learning the sport. It is so fun to watch these kids discover what they can do! And if you've ever been to a children's sports game, then you know there's an element of just plain entertainment in there as well.
Oh, and Seleia? That girl can shoot. This is going to be fun.

DNA Demystified

Did you know that strawberries have DNA? But, as the girls learned today, every living thing has DNA. They took the DNA from strawberries, mixed it with salt water and alcohol and watched the DNA strands attach themselves to bubbles in a test tube. Next? Why they mixed their own saliva, of course. These teeny tiny bubbles in a test tube had even teeny tinier little white strands attached to them, and DNA is so amazing and compact that what looked lite millimeters of the stuff would have stretched to over 6 feet in length is laid out straight! Seleia loved doing the chemistry of it all, mixing everything in a tube and volunteering to mix up even more at the front of the class. Elora just plain loved looking at the DNA strands appear in the tube! These OMSI labs have been such a great experience and the girls get so excited for them each week. Hooray for science!

Cookies!

What do you get when you mix 14 kids, a quadruple batch of gingerbread cookie dough and a table full of toppings? Why a rockin' good time, of course! I love watching kids create. Not only did they make some awesome cookies with the crazy variety of cookie cutters I inherited from GGB...giraffes, elephants, pigs, lips, etc....they created a safari in the garage. They made tickets you had to give to security, and then you were free to tour the grounds. They took videos of themselves acting all kind of nuts and then laughed hysterically when they watched them! The cookies were my favorite, though, hands down. Everything from a TARDIS and a dalek (and not even by my kids, ha!) to crime scene victims, baby zombies, and snow giraffes. Kisses.  Mustaches. Flamingos and palm trees, of course! Every sheet of cookies I put in the oven was so fun to check out, and I loved the pride in the faces of each and every artist that triumphantly brought me a sheet to bake! We're grateful for such a great group of friends!

Food, Friends, Fun and Sun!

Before I add more pictures to my overwhelmed hard drive, I'm sorting through some that I never actually got to during 2011! The girls are none too thrilled that I forgot to share their Homeschool Summer Picnic at Oaks Park! We had such a fun day...picnics, 3 legged races, freeze tag, potato races, a watermelon eating contest (go, Elora!) and more all with friends old and new. Seleia's BF's Mikaela and Danie and Elora's BF, the lovely Rose, were there to share in the fun. And then, of course, there were the rides! WE can't wait to organize the 2nd annual summer picnic!