Raising California Homeschool

Learning Anatomy with Clay

2012-01-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

California is fascinated with "what's inside the body". He has made several clay creations to depict the various bodily systems over the past three years. Yes, he has been doing this since he was three. Below is his latest work of art.

Curriculum for a Gifted & Sensitive Six Year Old

2011-11-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

Raising California Curriculum

Language Arts (Daily)

Reading/Spelling/Phonics

Explode the Code Book 2 and Book 3

Reading Pathways

English from the Roots Up flashcards (Greek/Latin)

First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind

Readers

Frog and Toad

Little Bear

Mouse Tales

Uncle Elephant

Owl at Home

Read Aloud

Stuart Little

Raggedy Ann & Andy Read Aloud Treasury

Reading Aids

Bananagrams (game)

Sentence Builder Dominoes

Rory’s Story Cubes

Tell Me a Story: Mystery in the Forest Educational Creative Story Cards

Math (Daily)

Stanford University Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) 3^rd/4^th Grade Math

Math aids

Wooden Abacus

Inchimals

Menu Math Ice Cream Parlor

Multiplication & Division Wrap ups

Money Bags (a coin value game)

Natural Manipulatives: sea shells, river stones, sea glass, glass pebbles

Science

Astronomy (Fridays)

Real Science 4 Kids Astronomy (Level 1)

Real Science 4 Kids Astronomy laboratory workbook

Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story

One Small Square, the Night Sky

The Moon Book

Biology (Mon – Thurs)

Noeo Homeschool Science Kit with supplemental books and experiments: Biology 1

Botany

A Kid’s Herb Book: For Children of All Ages

Herbal Medicine Making Kit by LearningHerbs.com

Green Thumbs: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening

Hands on Gardening activities year round; growing fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Botany aids

Wildcraft: An Herbal Adventure Game

Social Studies

A Child’s Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures and People from The Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China

Global Art: Activities, Projects & Inventions from Around the World

Foreign Language

Rossetta Stone

Spanish (Mondays & Wednesdays)

Chinese (Tuesdays & Thursdays)

French (Fridays)

Physical Education

Ballet (Tuesdays)

Swimming (Saturdays)

Back yard Baseball (Daily)

Fine Arts

Ballet

Piano Lessons

Art

Ceramics

Nature Studies (Fridays)

Nature Walks, Nature Journals, Birds, Nature Table

Spiritual Studies (Fridays)

Yoga, Meditation, Intuitive Arts, Reiki

The Curious Journal of a 3 - 6 year old Astronomer: Planetary Exploration Across Various Artforms & Media

2011-08-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Different ways of learning and exploring the solar system by California, from the ages of three to six (2008 - 2011).

      Books

                                              iTouch

                                      Chalk

                                  Watercolor

                                 Model

                                Scented Markers

                               Crayons (on placemat at restaurant)


                                MagnaDoodle

                                  Clay

                                           Puzzles

                                        Marbles


Nectarines (used to represent the Sun)

Fruits and Vegetables

The beach (with balls of sand as planets).

The beach (with beach rocks as planets).

Eat Your Fractions

2011-07-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

We cut the cheese into 12 slices. California chose to eat 3 of the 12 slices. 3/12 = 1/4

We cut the avocado in half. California at one half. 1/2

We cut the nectarine into 10 slices. California ate 2 of the 10 slices. 2/10 = 1/5

We cut the orange into 4 wedges. California ate one wedge. 1/4

We cut the lemon into 8 wedges. California chose 3 wedges. 3/8

Then he made lemon mint water from the mint in our garden.

And here is his mid morning snack made entirely from fractions.

We kept track of our fractions and practiced how to write fractions and reduce fractions on our whiteboard as shown below.

Oceanography: Estuaries

2011-07-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

LA BALLONA WETLANDS

by Tennessee

A picture from our visit to the La Ballona Wetlands in July 2011.

These wetlands empty into the Pacific Ocean, and are located in Playa Del Rey (a subdivision of Los Angeles). They were formed many years ago, when California was still a part of the Territories. Since then, they have steadily been crowded with population. Howard Hughes had a small garage built for his airplane in the wetlands, which polluted to surrounding area. But in 1960, the subdivision Marina Del Rey was built over the wetlands, destroying 900 acres of it. Now the wetlands are protected from construction, but back then there were no such protections.

The wetlands are mostly foliage with a river running through it. Many animals (especially birds) live in the wetlands. I’ve seen herons, rattlesnakes, bullfrogs, ducks, ants, bees and geckos. Other animals (such as geese, snowy egret, killifish, California least tern, and the savannah sparrow) also inhabit the area.

The water of the wetlands comes from the Ballona Creek, the ocean, rain, and runoff from land. Recently, Los Angeles has taken more notice of the wetlands, and fenced it off to protect it from pollution. There are water filters in place, and rangers check on the wetlands often. The wetlands seem to be rebuilding well, and will continue to with our help. The wetlands are an example of how nature can coexist with civilization. They have stood for a long time, and will continue to stand in the future.

My illustration of what is underwater in the wetlands.

Fresh From Our Garden

2011-07-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

(Nestled in a basket near our baby watermelon plants)

Our tomatoes taste better than anything that we have bought at the store!

Volcanoes

2011-06-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

by California

A Bird's Eye View

2011-06-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Look Who Came to Visit Our Garden

2011-06-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hula Hoop Geography

2011-06-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Using a hula hoop as the shape of the Earth and fallen leaves for the continents...

and then shaping them with scissors to make the continents geographically correct.

Essay: Explain how ocean crust could be found on the top of a peak in the Himalayas.

2011-06-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

by Tennessee

To explain this particular question, one would have to explain why the Himalayas formed. They formed mostly from continental drift, which caused India (which was actually an island for a long amount of time) to be shoved against the coast of Nepal. The two joined together, but the force of India caused ridges and folds to form on Nepal.

India is still shoving against Nepal today, which is why the Himalayas are still growing. So, if there is ocean crust on top of one of the Himalayan peaks, the reason is that the part of Nepal that was shoved up was originally underwater. The ocean crust would be brought up with the land (presuming that the land was also shoved up), and become the Himalayan mountains. It would retain its ocean-crust-ness, while still being covered with dirt and trees and snow.

In conclusion, due to continental drift, mountains are formed from ocean crust, shoved up by a mighty collision. The Himalayas may have very well once been a coral reef before this. Nepal used to be flat, India used to be an island, and the reef was just a reef.

Naure is Our Classroom

2011-05-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

Sweet white corn, tomatoes and carrots

Strawberries and Sugar Baby Watermelon

Roses intertwined with Jasmine

Strawberries almost ready to pick...

Doing nature-based school :)

A baby ear of corn...see the corn silks???

A beautiful Daylilly.

A green pepper getting bigger each day.

Daisy Mae

The birds love this space.

Back Yard Noun Hunt

2011-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

For reading and language arts, we went on a back yard noun hunt, played the POP for Sight Words Game and made up stories about the animals that live in our yard who love our vegetable garden, bird bath and fruit trees.

Nest Building

2011-05-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today we used pretend play to learn more about how birds build nests. This activity was inspired by a book called Nature in a Nutshell for Kids: Over 100 Activities You Can Do in Ten Minutes or Less.

We started out with a wire hanger and a mesh onion bag. Then we flew around the yard to collect various twigs, grasses and leaves to build our nest. We discovered that building a nest isn't very easy to do. It takes a lot of time, patience and diligence to make a nest a home.

Nature Study: Baby Birds

2011-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

This nest with baby House Finches was lovingly and patiently built their by parents early this Spring. We watched as the mother and father bird flew in with single blades of grass, thin twigs and various other organic materials from our back yard. They worked tirelessly around the clock until the nest was perfect.

We observed the mother bird sitting in the nest, waiting, while the father bird gathered food and delivered it to the nest. We were sure there were eggs in the nest and our suspicions were confirmed yesterday as we saw two hungry baby birds with open beaks waiting for nourishment. They aren't chirping yet, they just very quietly wait for their parents to return to the nest...

Through visual observation, we discovered that the father bird has red/orange feathers on his throat, chest and head. The mother bird is various shades of light brown with a dark tail (almost black).

We learned that House Finches feed their nestlings an exclusively vegetarian diet which is rare in the bird world. Usually birds become vegetarians as adults, but feed their young protein rich foods such as worms and insects.

House Finch Nesting Facts

Clutch Size
2–6 eggs
Egg Length
0.6–0.8 in 1.6–2.1 cm
Egg Width
0.5–0.6 in 1.3–1.5 cm
Incubation Period
13–14 days
Nestling Period
12–19 days

Egg Description: Pale blue to white, speckled with fine black and pale purple.
Condition at Hatching: Naked except for sparse white down along feather tracts, eyes closed, clumsy. We will use the following books to assist us in our Nature Study which will evolve from baby birds to adult birds, nests (click here to see our Nest Building activity), their behaviors, songs and much more!

2011-05-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

MY ESSAY ON GEORGE WASHINGTON by Tennessee

George Washington was one of the most important figures in America's past, as the first ever President of the United States. As well as the general who led the victory against the British in the last battle of the Revolutionary War. He was born into a wealthy family that owned a tobacco farm. He was homeschooled until his father and brother died, then joined the colonial forces. He was fit for the job, and eventually rose in ranks until driving the British out in 1776 as commander-in-chief. After work on the Declaration of Independence, Washington became one of the colonial "leaders," people who were looked up to but really had no power. After a while, he was picked to be the first president, for his calm demeanor and excellent performance in the war. His president ship cleaned up the country, founded a capital city, created many schools, and sorted out all the dulled feeling that came during the war. He is ranked as one of the top three presidents by many scholars.

A Portrait of a Stuffed White Tiger by California

2011-04-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Today is a New Day

2009-10-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Watercolor Rainbow

by California
10/12/09

Herbology & Herbal Medicine

2009-10-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Tennessee and California will be learning Herbology and Herbal Medicine this year. The following resources will be used to teach this subject:

Compassion for All Living Things

2009-10-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Short Essay by Tennessee (age 10)

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mahatma Gandhi

If you could ask any animal in captivity how they were feeling, the answer would always be a negative one. Sadly this has not changed for over 10 centuries. Many people realize the effect of captivity and alienation on a wild animal, and the effect of abuse on domesticated ones, but no one has tried to do anything drastic. Laws have been made, cages have been outlawed, and animals are no longer being hunted for sport. This does not affect the millions of zoos with depressed or half-dead animals around the country.

It takes a nation of great morale to recognize these crimes, and an even greater nation to admit to them. Many countries do not even care about what happens to their animals, and many slaughter and eat them. A great nation shares compassion for all living things, human or not. Humans don't deserve respect for their crimes. They don't deserve to be rewarded for mistreating equal beings. They don't even deserve to reward themselves.

All animals are equal to humans in all ways, and deserve as much respect as we give our own species (except for the wars, jails, and all other evil things humans do to each other). I may not be able to convince the authorities and zookeepers, but I can convince you. Please be as nice to all animals as you are to your own family.

The Universe in a Seashell

2009-09-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

The above photo shows California's latest cosmic creation. He used sea shells, sea glass, river stones and glass beads to create his version of the Universe. Although it may appear to be scattered about haphazardly, each stone, shell, pile of sea glass and glass bead were carefully placed to create his Universe. According to California, the stones that are placed in a line represent our solar system. The pile of sea glass is a nebula. The glass beads represent moons of the planets within our solar system and stars. The various sea shells on the outer edges represent black holes and distant glaxies.

To see more of California's cosmic creations, click on this link -> Planetary Exploration Across Various Artforms and Media.

Autumn, Apples, Fair Trade Chocolate & Yom Kippur

2009-09-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

1. Math - Practice 25 Math problems from Oak Meadow 6th grade Math as a review before beginning Laurel Springs 7th grade Math

2. Practic Handwriting: Italic Handwriting Series Book E

3. Learn about Fair Trade Chocolate

A copy of the letter written to Hershey's Chocolate Company by Tennessee:

I am writing to tell everyone at the Hershey company about Fair Trade chocolate. Fair Trade is a special policy that produces child labor-free, slavery-free chocolate, meaning children were not forced to pick the cocoa pods and beans, and that all induviduals that pick the beans were paid fully and fairly.
It makes me sad when I read about how kids in South America and Africa aren't able to play or learn because they are picking cocoa beans all day. It makes me sad that they do that all their life and not get anything for it. It makes me think about how easy my life is compared to theirs.

I am not accusing you of doing this, but if you are, please sell Fair Trade chocolate to stop it!
Thank you,

4. Learn about Yom Kippur

5. Nature Study: Apple

6. Autumn Art & Poetry (soon to be posted)

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

2009-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Beach

sandy, sunny

running, playing, relaxing

sandcastles, rocks, water, sea life

splashing, swimming, floating

watery, fun

ocean

Baseball

fun, exciting

batting, fielding, running

diamond, bases, dark, night

dreaming, falling, snoozing

restful, quiet

sleep

Vacation

journey, wonderful

visiting, stargazing, discovering

grandparents, museums, planes, taxis

dashing, flying, waiting

hectic, crazy

airport

Observatory

big, crowded

watching, exploring, learning

planets, universe, animals, exhibits

touring, finding, viewing

cruelty, wild

zoo

Mountain

steep, high

hiking, climbing, biking

nature, valleys, grass, playground

running, jumping, playing

grassy, playful

park

Scientific Concept Scavenger Hunt | Activities | Education.com

2009-09-12T20:40:00.001-07:00

Scientific Concept Scavenger Hunt | Activities | Education.com

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Make a "Word Slider" | Activities | Education.com

2009-09-12T20:38:00.001-07:00

Make a "Word Slider" | Activities | Education.com

Posted using ShareThis

President Obama's Address to Students Nationwide

2009-09-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the text of President Obama's speech to America's students:

OBAMA: Hello, everyone — how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through 12th grade. I'm glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday — at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.

I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer — maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper — but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor — maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine — but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life — I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that — if you quit on school — you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.

Now I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn't fit in.

So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our first lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home — that's no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That's no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer — hundreds of extra hours — to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he's headed to college this fall.

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. That's why today, I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education — and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you — you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust — a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor — and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you — don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down — don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Gearing Up for a New School Year

2009-09-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tennessee has switched schools and will now be attending Laurel Springs School, which is a private school based out of Ojai, California that offers distance learning to students all over the world. He is enrolled in their online program and will be starting the 7th grade on September 23rd. We are very excited about his new school. They are a college preparatory school, they have honors classes and they participate in the National Honors Society.

Click here to learn more about Laurel Springs School.

Bizymoms

2009-07-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am proud (and excited) to announce that I am now a part of the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Bizymoms Blog Network. Bizymoms is a wonderful place to go to find business opportunities, network, blog and connect with other busy moms!

L.A. Mama's Blog
Read My Blog Post

This Blogger is hosted on Los angeles Moms & Santa monica Moms

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My Pet Meesa, by E. G. Lenac

2009-06-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

My Pet Meesa

by E.G. Lenac
with additions by R. C. Silver

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: A Day Week in the Life

Chapter 2: Mountain of Dew

Chapter 3: Acupuncture

Chapter 4: Messes, Magma, and Meesas

Chapter 5: Fire, duh dah duh!

Chapter 6: Soon

Chapter 7: Here it Comes

Chapter 8: Get Ready

Chapter 9: Get Set

Chapter 10: Unleashed!

Chapter 11: Aftermath

Chapter 12: Afterscience

Chapter 13: The Inventions Malfunction

Chapter 14: The Worst Birthday

Chapter 15: The End

Chapter 1:
A Day Week in the Life

I woke up to my usual alarm clock: Presenting Meesa.
“CHEEZ!” said Meesa.
I opened my eyes to find him sitting on my bed, holding a block of Gorgonzola cheese triumphantly. He had this weird, red gleam in his eyes. They were probably bloodshot from a night of partying.
I sighed. “I thought I sent you on a trip to Italy.”
“Yes! Dey give meesa cheez! Dis big cheez, see?”
“Aye yi yi. And I thought you would jump off the Arc De Triumphe. But no. You had to listen to your tummy and get some cheese.”
“Yes! Meesa get cheez. MEESA LUV CHEEZ! MEESA LUV CHEEZ! MEESA LUV CHEEZ! CHEEEEEEZ!” He rolled on the floor, giggling spasmodically. He rolled out the window. I heard a, “AAAAHAHAH! YAHOO!” and a CRASH! He climbed back up. He was missing a limb and bleeding gray goop. He laughed, “HAHAHUFYADAGA! Dat was fun-fun!” As he said that, his stump-of-a-limb grew, becoming a skewer. The pointy end grew five chubby gray digits. I sighed, unlocked my personal minibar, and then told him to dig in. I slipped out the fire escape and went next-door.

I knocked, and Ryan opened the door, looking weary.
“Hi, Evan.”
“Yo. What’s wrong?”
“Everything. Meesa is sticking just about everything up his nose and his mouth.”
I entered. Meesa had a laptop stuck in his mouth.
“Pie… pie… pie…” he muttered.
“Aw jeez. You’ve got a problem.”
“Yes.”
Meesa saw me and said, in a high-pitched voice, “Hi Evan! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Meesa get dis lappytop! Yes! Meesa get dis lappytop! YAAY LAPPYTOP! LAPPYTOP! MEESA LUV LAPPYTOP! Oh, wait. What lappytop?”
“Umm…” I said, “a lappytop is… Pi.”
“PIIE!! MEESA LIKE PIE! MEESA LIKE PIE! Pie is de cweator. PIE IS UNIVERSE! Pie rewigion. Wait, what rewigion?”
“Not that kind of pie... oh forget it.”
“OOH! Oh Forget It! MEESA LIKE OH FORGET IT! MEESA LIKE OH FORGET IT! Wait, what Oh Forget It?”
I rolled my eyes. Ryan had it bad. Big time.
“Hey Ryan!”
“Yeah?”
“You wanna hang out?”
“Is your Meesa gone?”
“No... but I unlocked my minibar for him.”
“Oh good. He’ll be stuck in cheese-land for a while. Let’s go.”
We walked out his backdoor, and I led the way to the fire escape. I stopped at the game room window. Ryan stepped in and turned on the Gamecube. I turned on the N64. Ryan grabbed a controller and a beanbag. I sat on my exercise ball, facing him.
“So. I got a walkie-talkie for us.”
“Aw, sweet. Now no more Meesa hogging the phone.”
“Yeah. I got a D on my last college prep test. I think you know why.”
I winced. Ryan was sometimes a school freak.
“Aw, man. I got an F on my 8th grade final.”
I popped in Zelda.
“Yeesh. Uh… sorry?
I grinned and pressed start.
“S’okay.”
I paused Zelda. Ryan paused Mario Kart, wondering what would happen to make me turn off my favorite game. I grabbed a slightly pulsing globe from the living room coffee table. I tripped on a gameshark and cursed. I showed the globe to Ryan.
“Look, I made a Meesa locator. My Meesa is… coming home. Oh jeez.”
“Five,” said Ryan, smiling, “Four, three, two…”
CRASH! “AARGH!”

Next thing I knew, I sat down hard on Ryan’s stomach, and Meesa was using both of our heads as clothesline poles.
“-Oof,” said Ryan, apparently trying to speak with two tons on his head.
“Whut ur you doing ere?” I said, trying to relocate my jawbone.
“Whata? Meesa no understawnd.”
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??!!” I screamed, releasing all my bad energy from a week of Meesa being…Meesa.
“Meesa get back fast!” he said, pointing at twin rockets glued to his butt.
“Oh great. And why did you have to come in through the roof?” I said, glad it was my house and not my mother’s.
“Meesa go OUTTA CONTWOL!” he said, waving his arms wildly.
“I knew that like… fifty years ago.”
“Bwudder!” he said, hugging me.
“Geddof me! Your brother is in Ryan’s house.”
“Okay, BYE!” ZIP!
Ryan was watching us like a tennis match. When Meesa left, he sad, “You know you just guaranteed the destruction of my house, right?”
I looked at him evilly, like I did when it was Nappytime at my summer camp job, “Yes, I sure do.”

Look, at this point, you deserve an explanation. My name is Evan Lenac. I live in Brooklyn, near Long Island. I used to vacation there, until my life took a deadly turn.

Five years ago, when I was eleven, I got so mad, I just couldn’t hold it in. I was failing in school, Mom was treating me like a criminal, and my little brother was being a git. Next thing I knew, there was a BONK! and an egg fell from the ceiling. It was green and had red veins, and was roughly the size of my head. Then… Meesa hatched out.

I’ve theorized that he was formed from my sins. I mean, all that bad energy has to go somewhere. Ryan’s was a clone of mine that I gave him, since he boasted he could do better. And now, well, he’s the more miserable of us two.
My parents disappeared the day I got Meesa. Lucky I have two good friends, both with Meesas.
And now a word on Meesas.
In physical: I don’t know where to start. Hands shaped like mittens, feet like socks. They have no ears, just tiny holes. Their eyes are like Garfield’s, except wide open. They don’t have a nose, or hair. Their heads are just ovals with a wide slit for a mouth. That’s about it. They are medium gray, with slick skin like dolphins, but don’t let that fool you. They can shrink, melt through walls, change shape, anything you’d expect from a piece of fog.
They are invincible, think pain feels good, and are immortal. Which means if you pick up a Meesa egg, you’ve sealed your fate forever.
Now we should move on with our series of unfortunate events.

(.)(.)

Later on, after we had given Ryan’s Meesa an all-you-can-eat pie coupon, and mine a trip to Switzerland, I had dinner with Ryan, Eco, and Amanda. Eco has a really fat Meesa that loves video games, which is why turned the walk-in closet into a game room anyway. His Meesa is sorta modest, because he thinks losing (which he does a lot) is winning, and winning is losing.
Anyway, as soon as Dominos came, there was a CRASH, and the pizza man screamed. Amanda checked the window. When she looked back, she said, quite grimly, “It’s for you.”
I got up from my chair and ran through the kitchen, living room, and entry hall in a daze. I opened the front door and looked out, horrified. The pizza man was unconscious, and Meesa had tomato sauce all over his face, lining up shreds of pizza to spelling his name.
I was so angry I couldn’t think. I picked him up, dangling him from his feet. I threw him into the lab and locked the door. He didn’t even try to melt through.

I tromped back to the dining room. “Anyone get killed this time?” Eco asked cautiously. “Yeah,” I said, “The pizza man. Halfway, thankfully. He’ll live, unfortunately for him.”

Chapter 2: Mountain of Dew

“This is bad.” I said, surveying the debris scattered around the kitchen. Meesa sat on the couch (reupholstered in Mountain Dew cans), clapping slightly to himself, slightly to drive me nuts. He was drunk, or as drunk as you can be when you’re a Meesa, and the source was Mountain Dew with caramel clusters dumped in it. He popped another can and missed his mouth again, crumpling the can on his forehead for the third time, globs of slimy caramel sliding down his face.
The kitchen hadn’t been spared from Meesa’s caffeine craze. The fridge was missing its icebox, there were egg yolks creeping down the walls, and the dishwasher had molten plastic streaming out of it like lava.
Eco and Amanda, thankfully, left around the time when Meesa first noticed the stock of soda. Ryan and I had both scolded Meesa, and, needless to say, we had to rebuild the house using one of my inventions.

I guess I should explain the inventions. You must have some good ol’ first aid for everything when living with a Meesa, including your own house.
I got a degree when I was fourteen, using my parent’s trust fund and some Meesa-pirated cash. I used this pretty much sustainable trading route of money to buy all my ingredients, and set to work.
Turns out, Meesas can bend reality so that anything is possible, such as disguising themselves as humans, or melting through walls. So, if you’ve got a wad of pie or Gorgonzola, you can pretty much make them do anything for you.
I made even more money, and spent more money, buying patents and then selling them.
So far I had time travel (sold to NASA for three million bucks), teleportation (the US defense force for nine thousand bucks) and about a hundred other useful and non-useful things. My personal favorites were CloneMaster (Perfect clones every time, only takes the real incubation period, guaranteed!), ControlZ (Rebuild anything that’s broken instantly!) and Rewind (Not for sale. Reverses a lifetime. Turns adults into kids and babies into teens!).

Anyway, Ryan came over later to inspect the damage.
“What the heck, Evan. I thought we drank all the soda!”
“Note to self. Meesas + soft drinks = no.”
“You are absolutely right.”
Meesa giggled to himself, uneaten caramel clusters slipping out of his mouth like fireballs. He jumped to the top of the Mountain of Dew/couch and grabbed one of the ceiling fan blades. He was having a blast. I watched him warily as he flipped in the air and landed inside the breakfast bar, nearly cracking the hard marble counter.
I looked at Ryan and an idea passed between us. We shrugged in unison.
“What the heck,” I said, and we each took one of Meesa’s shoulders and dragged him to the lab.

That’s the thing about my house. It has a new expansion every month or so. The first one was a personal lab that spanned the whole basement floor one. Basement floor two was my parents’ cell, and whenever I got close, Meesa would melt through the door and lock it. So we dragged him to the lab. I ran the anatomical version of a spy sweep, and literally nothing came up. I got an error:
NO LIVING ORGANISM DETECTED 404256.
Ryan suggested a catscan, while Meesa kicked and moaned for more Mountain Dew.
I scanned, and still nothing. I got a small blip where his head should be. “Way too big to be his brain…” I murmured, “tumor?”
Ryan shrugged. “Get a scalpel. It won’t hurt him anyway, and the skin will regenerate in about five seconds.”
I made a careful incision. Meesa had purposely ‘tickled’ himself many times before, and I wasn’t too anxious to see his gray blood again.
I peeked inside using one of my inventions. “Yup, tumor. Eww… it feels like brains.” I dragged it out from a distance using my Clawshot. I put it in a bag and tossed in into the genetics section of the lab floor.
Meesa sat up, his eyes vibrating. His scalpel cut shrunk to a small white scratch, then was gone. “Meesa all better now!” he said, his voice free of it’s sluggish, drunk tone.
“Oh brother,” I muttered.
“Ooh, bwudder! He in Ryan house. Bye!” ZIP!
ZIP! “Meesa forget Evan. Evan, yousa go Ryan’s house with me!?”
“I’d rather die,” I answered.
“Works for meesa!”
Ryan groaned. I slapped myself.
“Wait,” said Meesa, “what house?”
I looked up, exasperated. “Dis… is… house…” I said slowly, gesturing all around me.
“Ooh, okay. What dis?” he asked pointing at the genetics dept. of the lab.
“That’s where I make dinosaurs. C’mon, let’s go upstairs.”

So the whole gang of us made our way to the fourth floor. We dropped Meesa off, and he went straight to his ‘Antie Evan Desck.’ I caught him on Wikipedia later, researching ‘dineeswaurs.’
Ryan and I went down to the second floor and filed into our respectable bedrooms.
I collapsed on my bed and passed out.

The Hero of Time, by E. G. Lenac

2009-06-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Hero of Time

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

By E. G. Lenac

Chapter 1:
Navi Speaks

In the vast expanse of time, many things can go wrong.
One such thing was the Imprisoning War. It spanned seven years, and destroyed many notable Hylians. In the midst of this, a small Kokiri boy and his fairy tried to reverse it.
The boy’s name was Link.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One night I had a nightmare. Then it kept going, from monthly to weekly to daily.
And then, on that fateful day that was spoken of for generations, it was ever so vivid. I was standing in Hyrule Field, near the entrance to the famed Hylian Market. As I stood there, a pearl white horse erupted from the drawbridge. It had a small blond girl on it, hiding behind a large, white haired woman with a dagger strapped to her side. They flew across the field.
About thirty seconds later, a steely gray horse with armor leaped over the closing drawbridge. On its back was a dark-skinned, red-eyed Gerudo. He had a sword that seemed to radiate death, and cruel eyes that wouldn’t let you go. He grinned evilly and raised his sword.

I woke up to a telepathic message, the sign of a fairy.

I got up, rubbing the gunk out of my eyes. A fairy lit with a lavender glow was bouncing up and down on my knee.
I jumped out of my bed and outside. Saria ran up to the ladder leading up to my house, waving. I climbed down.
“Hi! Oh my goodness! Is that a fairy?”
I explained how she woke me up.
Saria pursed her lips.
“I believe… I think the forest is getting weaker.”
I stared at her. Saria had always had some kind of connection to the forest.
“I think… I’m afraid something has happened to the Deku Tree.”
I said good-bye and took off for the Deku tunnel. Mido, the self proclaimed leader of the Kokiri, was guarding the tunnel as usual. I explained hurriedly my predicament.
“Sorry kiddo, no can do,” he said, even though I was older than him.
“But I must!”
“No way. Hey, I might let you if you bought a Kokiri shield.”
I ran to my house. I knew that my mother left me with a trust fund. I ran through my house, and jumped. I kicked off a weak wall. It shattered. I went inside to find a pot with fifty rupees inside. I ran to the shop, and realized something. I’d seen a wall like that inside a cliff next to the training area. I ran and preformed a jump kick again. The dirt shattered like my wall, and I looked inside and gasped.

Inside was a beautifully carved chest, with the Hylian symbol for forest engraved on the lock. I pressed my gloved hand on the lock. Sure enough, the touch of a Kokiri opened it.
I had to haul myself inside to examine the contents. It was a slingshot, also engraved with the forest symbol. It had a greenish glow, and hummed with dying energy.
Navi said with wonder,
I frowned, flicking a strand of light blond hair out of my blue eyes. I tried to remember what I’d forgotten. In my daze with the whole kicking-open-walls/getting-the-slingshot thing, I’d forgotten the shield.
Once again in a daze, I ran to the shop. I kicked open the door and bought the shield. The shop owner grinned when he saw the red jewel that cost fifty rupees. I told him to keep the change, and then ran for Mido.
He grinned, “Oh yeah, sure, that was easy. I’m still not letting you!”
I threw my shield in frustration.
Mido said, “Oh, he’s feisty, this one.”
I took out my slingshot, grinning. Thankfully, Mido was too busy gloating to notice. I took aim, then…
“—No, he didn’t even try to att—“ SNAP!
Mido whirled around, and then saw the glowing Fairy Seed embedded in the wall above the tunnel. “Aack! I’m under attack!”
He ran to his house, not even pausing to brag about the rhyme. I smiled and ran into the tunnel.

Life Science Lesson 17

2009-05-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Simple Animals

1. Explain how coral reefs are formed. How do the tiny animals get their food? How do algae help the corals?

Corals are just small animals called polyps that look like sea lilies. They build a large skeleton out of calcium, and add to the whole skeleton complex by growing and dying.
The corals get food in many different ways. They usually reach their tentacles out of gaps in the skeleton to catch plankton at night. But, there are algae cells living inside the polyps, and they photosynthesize to make food for the coral.

2. Explain the difference between a host organism and a parasite.

A parasite is a creature like a leech which both use another organism to feed upon. The organisms they feed upon are called Hosts (I am NEVER going to a game show AGAIN :-D).

3. List two important traits of each of the following phyla:

a. Poriferates (sponges) have pores which they take in food from. Also, they produce both sperm and eggs in one individual.

b. Cnidarians (jellyfish, hydras, anemone, and coral) all have a cavity in the middle of the animal, which uses the animals that drift into the cavity for food. All Cnidarians have a kind of tentacle, used to catch food.

c. Plathelminthes (flatworms) are the simplest animals that have organs. The have eye spots but no anus.

d. Nematodes (roundworms) are simple worms with a digestive system. These worms do have an anus.

e. Annelids (earthworms and leeches) have bodies that are divided into segments. Earth worms also have several hearts.

d. Mollusks (slugs & snails, limpets & clams, octopi & squid) all have a mantle (like the shell on a snail, or the overlap behind a squid's eyes). Mollusks also have a foot (like the bottom of a snail or the tentacles on a squid).

4a. Create an underwater color community.

Freshwater

Saltwater

EXAM

1. What does Porifera mean and how does it describe the anatomy of a sponge?

It means porous, and sponges are porous because they take in water, nutrients and small animals.

2. Why do members of the Cnidaria phylum have tentacles that contain stinging cells? How do they use the stinging cells?

Because they use their tentacles to ensnare prey. If the prey is not stunned, it will just swim out and away. When an animal is touched, the nerves in the Cnidarian's tentacles react, and the stingers shoot out like harpoons. This paralyzes the animal so it can be sucked up by the tentacles.

3. How do polyps (within coral reefs) get food from water? How do algae help the polyps?

Polyps reach tentacles out and catch passing zooplankton. They only do this at night, because at day, parrot fish or other baddies with eat their tentacles before they can hide them in their skeletons. Polyps collect algae for even more help. The algae lives inside the polyps and produces extra food through photosynthesis.

4. What specific aspect of the behavior of many types of worms classifies them as parasites?

Parasites are organisms that live on or inside other animals. They use their body as a quarry, mining out blood, nutrients, or other sources of food.

5. Name two ways in which earthworms are beneficial to other organisms.

(1) Food.

(2) Fertilization.

6. Name two common member so of the Mollusca phylum.

Squid and Snail.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English Lesson 12: Ancient Crete

2009-05-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

1. Add the island of Crete and the Cycladic Islands to your map. Be sure to include the Aegean Sea.

I added this to my map.

2. Find pictures and read information on the palace at Knossos. Write a paragraph about an aspect of Knossos that interests you.

One aspect of Knossos that I like is that it was one of the first buildings to have a plumbing system. The palace had at least three separate liquid management systems. One was for water supply. Another was for drainage. The other one was for drainage of waste water. The palace had aqueducts that brought water from springs 10 km away. Sanitation drainage was through a system leading to a sewer apart from the hill.

3. Read and summarize the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.

The myth is about a young boy who is very brave. He grows up to be a hero, brave and intelligent. Then, he challenges the king of Minos to set his human sacrifices free. He descends into the maze, and defeats a large bull/man beast. But, he returns with black sails. His father throws himself into the ocean in despair, thinking Theseus is dead. But he isn't, he returns the sacrifices to their families and beomes a hero.

4. Draw a very large and complicated "classical three circuit" labyrinth.

I made a maze where it is very easy to get through if you are doing it on paper, but next to impossible if you are doing it on foot. See image below.

5b. Draw your own image of Icarus and Daedalus (from the story of Theseus) and their adventures with flying. Write a poem about what you think this experience was like.

Here is my poem:

Flying

Light, Free,

Swoops, dives, and glides .

The most wonderful feeling.

Flight is Freedom.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English Lesson 13

2009-05-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

1. Add the countries of Southern Europe to your map. Include Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Albania, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the countries around the Black Sea.

I did this, but Bosnia and Yugoslavia seem to be the same, as well as Herzegovina.

2. Read D'Aulaires' Greek Mythology (I am reading this.)

3.c. Draw a picture of the Trojan horse as you imagine it.

4. Take note of each of the Gods and Goddesses and the attributes and qualities that make each of them distinctive. (I am doing this.)

5a. Write a report about Athens.

Athens
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, also one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years.

The populated area of Athens goes beyond the city limits with a population of 300000 and a land area of 159 sq miles. A busy city, Athens is the main attraction in Greece. It is becoming a business center in Europe. In 2008, Athens was ranked the world's 32nd richest city.

Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A center for art, learning and philosophy, home of Plato and Aristotle. It is widely referred to as the beginning of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy.
The mark of the classical times is still left in the city, by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon. The city also has a large variety of Roman monuments. Landmarks of modern times are also present, dating back to 1830 (the establishment of the independent Greek state). Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed the 2004 Summer Olympics, with great success.

Athens is spread across the plain of Attica, often referred to as the Attica Basin, and bound by Mount Aegaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha in the north, Mount Penteli in the northeast, Mount Hymettus in the east, and the Saronic Gulf in the southwest. Mount Parnitha is the tallest, and has been declared a national park. Paths, gorges, springs and caves are some attractions. Hiking and biking in all four mountains are popular activities for many people. The capital has expanded to cover the entire plain, making future growth difficult.

Athens, being big, seems to hog the attention of all other Greek city-states. That seems right, tough, since it is rightfully the most popular Mediterranean city.

6b. Find out more about one of the Seven Wonders of the World and draw a picture of it. Include the surroundings you imagine it may have had.

It is the Temple of Artemis.

7. Continue to read Greek Mythology. (Yes, of course. I am.)

8. Write the names of all your family members using the Greek alphabet.

COMING SOON!

9. Keep reading Greek Myths. (I am.)

Life Science Lesson 25

2009-05-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

1. How is a natural disturbance different from a human disturbance with consideration to the recovery of the environment?

A natural disaster is sometimes beneficial, such as fire helping decomposers by burning plants for them, or a flood refilling a lake. Natural disasters are always made of natural things, but human things, such as gasoline, pollution, and deforestation. It takes a very long time for the environment to bounce back after human disturbance.

2. Give an example of how human activity can destroy the habitat of other organisms. Can you think of a way that activity could have been done differently to avoid the destruction?

Around 86% of the world's destroyed habitats are centered in the Amazon. Most species massacres happen there because over a million species live and breed there. The place is usually cultivated because the trees are of great quality. Also, it could be reversed by people growing their own trees to cut down, if at all.

3. What is the difference between an extinct species and an endangered species? Give an example of each.

An extinct species is a species that has been wiped out, and no longer exists on the planet. An endangered one is a species that is just barely to the point, so much that there's barely 10,000 left or so.

An extinct species, where do I start? It's sad, there are so many. I think I should say the Thylacine. It's been around since the Ice Age, yet us humans wiped it out in the 1930s.

Endangered: The most memorable one is the Giant Panda. There are only around 9,000 left.

4. Are zoos a sufficient means of preventing the extinction of the type of animals that live there? Explain your answer and give an example?

No, no, no, no, NO! Zoos kill animals, stop them from breeding, and destroy their... natural personality! Many times, animals have been mellowed by zoos and caretakers, and what's the point of sustaining a species if you can't release it?

Take the LA zoo, for instance. The polar bear had to be removed because it was not suited for the enivironment. Then, when it was released, it died because it was too attatched to it's owners.

5d. Choose an endangered animal or plant species which interests you. When you have learned some information about this species, actively do one thing to contribute to the continued existence of this plant or animal...like sending an email to a conservation organization.

I sent a thank you e-mail to World Wildlife Fund. I also asked them to focus on tigers.

Ocean Habitat

2009-05-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

California counted out 26 seashells and placed them on a blue tie dyed silkie. A notecard with the word "fish" was placed near the area of the ocean habitat where California had put some sharks. We used a small house fern for seaweed.

We discussed the fact that there were 26 sea shells in our ocean and 26 letters in the alphabet. California used his fish notecard to spell the word "fish" on the fridge with magnets.

We also learned a new vocabulary word: fragile. California knows that the shells in our ocean are fragile and that means they are easily broken and he needs to be careful when he handles them.

This will be an ever expanding project as we learn more and more about ocean habitats.

A Hand Drawn Old World Map

2009-05-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Tennessee has been working on his own hand drawn map of the old world. He started this project in September and has been adding countries each week. He ran out of room to write the names, but the learning process was hands on and experiential in nature and that is what matters the most.

Science Lesson 33

2009-04-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

1. What are the three different types of muscles? Give an example of each.

Skeletal Muscles are muscles that move when we want them to. Such as your arm, legs, neck, etc.

Smooth muscles are muscles that move on response to environment, such as food going down your esophagus.

The Cardiac Muscle is only one; the heart. It is both a muscle and an organ. It beats by itself.

2. Slowly stand up, take a few steps around the room, and then return to where you began. Feel and observe all of your muscles that move and the muscles that move them.

a. Make a list of the joints that moved as you moved.

Legs, elbows, shoulders, ankles, toes...

b. List any muscles that were moving while you moved that were not striated muscles.

Intestines, esophagus (I ate a vitamin), stomach, heart.

3. Find out the names of several skeletal or striated muscles; find out what they are attached to and what they do.

The Soleus is a small muscle on the side of the back of your leg. It is one of the many muscles that control the movement of your leg. Others that do that include the Extensor family, the Tibialis muscle, and the Peroneus muscle.

4. Think of five or more people you know who are good at using their muscles in some way. What do they do? Does it make them healthier overall? How do they avoid injuries?

Lets see... Mom:

Whenever she has time, she does yoga. She also does a good combination of pilates and hardcore exercise. She does pilates, cardio, and yoga. She is starting to build up an immunity to the painful stretches and routines. I guess you could say she enjoys it...

Dad works out in the gym every day, usually does bench presses and weights. He often lifts us up, and works out like that. We often go on bike rides together. He enjoys it thoroughly, and rarely feels much pain.

Caeden has full energy and is always climbing something, running, or jumping. He loves it, but usually is injured.

I also know me, of course. I often do acrobatics, such as... well, climbing on bookshelves, jumping off beds, and scaling curtains. I enjoy it thoroughly [as it lasts :( ]. I do annual summer swimming class.

Ryan, my best friend, does lots of sports and fitness. He does hockey, baseball, and soccer. It cuts into his day, but he enjoys it in a grudging sort of way. He has never hurt himself doing it, though.

5d. Make two lists. One consisting of ten voluntary movements and the other consisting of ten involuntary movements, which occur on a regular basis.

VOLUNTARY

Typing

Flexing

Chewing

Stretching

Punching

Walking

Swimming

Jumping

Stomping

Ducking

INVOLUNTARY

Heartbeat

Breathing

Blinking

Teeth Chattering

Muscle Twitching

Pupil Dialation

Goosebumps

REM

Hiccuping

Yawning

EXAM

1. What are the three types of muscles in your body?

The skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.

2. Which kind of muscles control the pupils in your eyes?

Smooth.

3. Which type are your arm muscles?

Skeletal.

4. Which type is your heart?

Cardiac.

5. What two parts of your body does a tendon connect?

Upper and lower limb.

6. Why is it important to stretch before sports or other exercise?

To make sure that you don't hurt your joints by immediately leaping into an activity.

Science Lesson 31

2009-04-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

1. What is lymph?

Lymph is another fluid that runs through your bloodstream. It carries fats and sugars to tissues. It is important because it carries nutrients to tissues as opposed to blood carrying nutrients to organs.

2. What happens in your lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes create white blood cells. They also collect them and send them to where they should be at various places in the immune system.

3. What is the difference between an open organ system and a closed system. Give examples of each.

A closed organ system is when an organ system doesn't let anything in or out. An example is the circulatory system. It circulates what is already brought into the body by the respitory system around the body. An open system is quite the opposite; it takes in (air/solid) and releases (air/solid). An example is the digestive system. It takes in food and drink, and, er... recycles it, spewing it out the other end.

4. What is a hormone?

A horomone is a special chemical generated by various glands around the body. They allow the do things normally restricted by the human species, such as growth spurts and quick thinking.

5. Tell which endocrine gland is acting in each example.

a. You are feeling tired and worn out, so you drink some sweet hot chocolate and feel like a million bucks. Pancreas.

b. You are 16 and your voice is changing. Privates.

c. You are riding your bike and slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a dog. Adrenal.

d. The dog begins to chase you, so you begin to pedal as fast as you can to outrun the dog. Thyroid.

e. You are a newborn baby and you double your body weight in the first two weeks of your life. Pituitary.

6c. Experiment: Put two cups of water in two different pots. Cover one pot with a lid. Let the water heat for about 10 minutes. After 10 minuts has passed, take both pots off the stove and count to 10 slowly. Then take the lid off the pot and hold your hands one foot above each pot. Which hand feels hotter? Which hand has more moisture on it? Which pot do you think represents the human body on a hot day with lots of clothing on? Which pot represents the human body on a hot day with fewer clothes on?

The hand that was over the covered pot got hotter. This is because the heat built up over time, and was quickly released. The same hand also had more moisture because the other pot's moisture escaped while the covered one retained it's. The one with the lid on was like a human bundled up in clothes on a hot day. The other one, the one that let moisture ("sweat") out, was like a kid with less clothes, on the same day.

EXAM

1. What is the function of the lymphatic system?

It creates and carries white-blood cells for the body to exploit.

2. What is the function of the spleen?

It removes worn-out blood cells from the bloodstream.

3. Which gland in the endocrine system produces insulin?

The pancreas.

4. What is the function of insulin?

It keeps the blood sugar just right.

5. Which glands control changes in hair growth, voice and sexual organs during the teenage years?

The................um.................privates......... . . .

2009-04-06T14:31:00.001-07:00

At Raising California Homeschool, we believe that our children should be encouraged to follow their interests...

California loves art, so he has an easel set up with watercolors available 24 hours a day. He is never without paint, a paintbrush or paper. He chose to demonstrate his love of numbers today and his fascination with rainbows.

This is a great example of how math can be taught in a creative and sensory rich way, so that a child who is artistically gifted can find meaning and pleasure in learning.

After California painted this rainbow, we talked about the seven colors of the rainbow and then I wrote the word rainbow at the top of his paper. I showed him how too words are put together to make one word...this is an excellent way to incorporate spelling and language arts in a way that honors the whole child.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English Lesson 11: Ancient Afican Civilization

2009-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

1. Add the countries of Africa to your map.

I did this.

2. Write your own imaginary story about how fire was given to humanity.

I will use Greek Gods, since I cannot think of others. This is an imaginary story about how fire was given to humanity.

Back in the times when mortals were considered animals, they were cold, and only gods had fire.

The great god Pan took pity on them, took a dab of fire from Apollo's sun chariot, and decided to give some to the mortals.

Zeus saw this, and made it rain on the fire. The humans got colder.

Hermes, Pan's father, decided, since Zeus was watching Pan, to continue his son's work. He couldn't see why Zeus didn't want to let the mortals have fire. They would probably kill themselves with it anyway.

So, as he stole the fire, the god of thieves and communication flew, so as not to alert Zeus doing ground patrol.

As he flew down, though, he dropped the torch in a field.

As he was dragged back to Olympus, he was punished by Ceres, the Goddess of harvest.

This was not the end, though. Since humans had been created by Prometheus personally, they had been made immortal.

They discovered the fire.

In the end, Zeus punished the humans. The animals already had death, since they were just in bulk. Zeus created the concept of death in humans.

So ends the Golden Age. So begins the Bronze and Iron ages.

3. Make a homemade drum, papaer mache calabashes, Arican beads or draw/paint pictures of African art, architecture, calabashes, masks, batiking, beads and/body adornment.

African Art by Tennessee

4. Using the them of Anansi as a trickster whose victims end up getting back at him, write your own Anansi Story and illustrate it.

Anansi and the Nandi Bear

One evening, Anansi was walking alone, and heard a low, rumbling roar. As he ran home, he caught a glimpse of Brother Tiger's home. "Whatever that horrible beast is, I can surely trick it into eating Bro' Tiger," he whispered. When he went home, he asked his neighbor Brother Bull what the sound was. "That was the fabled Nandi Bear," said Bro' Bull, "It lives in the Atlas Mountains and feasts on brains." "Is it dim?" Anansi asked. "Yes. It would accidentally eat it's own brain if it was able to." Anansi began to formulate a plan.

The next day, he dragged a leg of gazelle to the mountains. As before, he passed by Tiger's home. Nervously, he knocked on the door. Tiger opened it and growled, "How darrrre you show yourrr face herrrrre. What do you want?"

"No, Tiger. I do not want a physical gift. I just want to be friends."

"Hmph. And I suppose you eat trrrrees and can jump to the moon as well?"

"Come with me to the mountains tonight. I want to give you something."

"Hmph. Verrry well."

"Thank you."

Anansi closed the door, breathing heavily. What he did not know, was that Tiger was on good

terms with the Nandi Bear.

That night, the Nandi Bear found the gazelle leg and gobbled it up. It was so good that he stayed at the place and licked his paws until Anansi got there.

Around a few feet from where the bear was, hiding in the undergrowth, Anansiset up camp. He told tiger that he would be right back, and he was getting the thing. Tiger saw the Nandi Bear in the thicket, and told him to follow Anansi. The bear, being hungry, agreed to do this. As Anansi hid, leaving Tiger to be eaten (or so he thought) the bear had sneaked up on him.

Anansi heard a twig snap, and looked behind him. There was the Nandi Bear, paws still bloody from his meal of gazelle leg. Anansi ran all the way home.

And that is why, whenever you discover a spider's hiding place, it runs away.

Science Lesson 26

2009-03-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

1. Explain the difference between oxidation and digestion.

Oxidation is the process of using fuel to make energy. Digestion is the process of making that fuel. They rely on each other to keep the body running.

2. Write down everything you eat in one day. Then compare the foods you ate to the foods shown in the food pyramid. How was your diet different? How was it similar? Di you eat many foods not shown?

I can already rule out meat. Whatever happens today, I will still be vegetarian.

Rice Cereal (Grain)
Dried, Chocolate-covered Mangoes (Fruit)

Cucumber, Cheese, and Hummus Sandwich (Lots of Protein, and Dairy)

Cheese Quesadilla with Red Pepper (Protein with Vegetable)

COMPARISON: First of all, I don't like that your food pyramid included no protein besides meat. Meat is murder. Icky icky murder. Also, I ate some foods that weren't shown, such as the pita bread in the quesadilla, and mangoes.

Though that's okay. Actually, eating different and exotic foods like that gives you more nutrition that just plain ole' bread, because it is made of a lot of different things; that allows a change from the straight wheat of bread.

Below is an example of a vegetarian food pyramid that includes non-meat protein sources.

3. Why are vitamins and minerals called micronutrients?

Because they have very little concentration in foods.

4b. Make a nutrition collage.

EXAM

1. Why does a potato taste sweeter after you have been chewing it for a while?

Because starch has sugar locked inside it. Saliva (which by the way is secreted more when you chew) breaks down the starch outside to get to the sugar inside.

2. What is the difference bewteen complex and simple carbohydrates?

Starches (complex) are more advanced than sugars because it's like a crystal. It has other nutrients locked inside it, such as starch. Sugars instantly release their contents when chewed.

3. Why are fats important in our diet?

They add energy if you are instantly active afterwards.

4. How do our bodies use vitamins and minerals? Are they essential to our health?

Absolutely. Vitamins and minerals help organs grow, brain tissue develop, and many other things happen faster than usual. They are great to help you grow up to actually have a good heart, brain, and immune system. If you have, say, lots of OMEGA-3 as a baby, you'll have a really strong neural system.

5. Name three important minerals and three important vitamins.

Potassium, Iron, and Fiber. Vitamins A, B, and C

Playdough Math

2009-03-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Life Science Lesson 6 and Exam

2009-03-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

1. Identify each of the parts of the seedlings.

Only the bean plants survived. I shall describe their roots. On some specimens there seem to be more roots on 2/3 grown seedlings than fully grown, so I shall use one of those as an example. The fiborous roots do not come from the taproot, they just branch off of where the taproot comes from. The taproot is all hairy with root hairs. It is very simple, but efficient.

The stems are very different. I have five specimens of various stages of growth, and only two have stems. All the others, well, they are unusable. On a 2/3 grown specimen, the stem is shaped like a very very small ?. On a full grown specimen, it is tall and straight.

As for leaves, the same is apparent. The two older specimens are the only ones to have leaves. The 2/3 grown seedling has leaves folded up in a tight trange.. They will probably unfurl as it gets older. On a fully grown specimen, there are only leaves on top, and four of those.

2. Using a head of cabbage, a stalk of celery and a clove of garlic, slice each in half and draw/label the parts that can be identified.

(left click to see more detail)

3. Explain the functions of the parts of a green plant.

Leaves absorb sunlight.

Stems process all minerals and water and store them.

Taproots take in water and minerals from the branch roots and cart them up to the stem

Branch roots absorb water and minerals.

Buds contain flowers and leaves.

Bud scales mark the place for new branches.

4b. Research carnivorous plants. Find out what specialized mechanisms these plants have that enable them to capture and eat bugs. Write a three paragraph paper describing how they do this. Use the names of some fo the plants you learned about.

A carnivorous plant is a plant that preys on insects. They get their food by trapping insects. Carnivorous plants are normally found in poor soil conditions where a regular plant that receives food by photosynthesis couldn’t live. The soil that they live in also doesn’t have lots of nutrients. Some can grow to be three feet tall or more. The carnivorous plant’s leaves usually grow close to the ground, so there is plenty of room for a pitfall trap or a flytrap. The stalk of the plant can bear flowers in spring or early summer.

The Venus flytrap is probably the most well known carnivorous plant. Insects are attracted to it by its sweet smelling and tasting nectar. Their trap is activated by an insect rubbing against two of its tooth like hairs (*Gasp in horror*). The trap can shut in less than a second and it closes by the triggering electric charges. Within 30 minutes after capturing the insect the trap is tightly shut and filled with digestive juices. After trapping an insect the trap will remain closed for 8-10 days. The plant cannot be tricked if something falls it because it will probably only touch one hair. For the Venus flytrap’s trap to work the prey must be fully inside the trap to be surrounded by digestive juices.

Pitcher plants are shaped like a pitcher of water. They can grow from 2-3 inches high to 3 feet high. Larger animals like frogs have been digested in the larger species. They have a flap above the opening of the pitcher. This prevents rainwater from getting in the trap. They have sweet nectar near the pitcher’s rim. Their insides are slippery, so that once the insect is inside the pitcher it is pretty hard to get out. At the bottom of the pitcher is where the digestive juices are and where it will digest the insects.

Bladderworts live in water. They have no roots; only stems and branches. Some grow to about 8 inches long. Bladderworts eat water fleas, mosquito larvae, and other small water critters. Water critters are attracted to the Bladderwort by its antennae. Water critters assume it is algae. Then the insects are trapped in the plant’s hollow trap. The traps are called bladders. Their leaves have trigger hairs attached like the Venus flytrap’s. The transparent trap then swells up like a water balloon. The trap will usually digest and catch prey about 15 times before dying.

EXAM

1. What are the two main types of root systems. Describe each one.

Fibrous and Taproot. Fibrous roots branch off the taproot, spreading root hairs everywhere. Taproots are thick, main, water-sucking roots. A carrot is a taproot.

2. What are the main functions of roots in green plants? Name and describe three functions.

Roots absorb water, nutrients, release used Carbon Dioxide, and keep the plant from falling over, and store collected nutrients.

3. What role do leaves play in the function of a plant?

Leaves absorb sunlight that is to be transferred into sugars.

4. Name at least three parts of plants that are commonly eaten by humans. Give an example of each.

Roots: Carrots, and potatoes, Stem: Celery, and lettuce, Fruits: Avocados, and Tomatoes.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English, Lesson 7: Ancient Persia

2009-03-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

1. Add the location of ancient Persia before it became an empire on your map.

I drew Persia on my map of the world.

2. Draw a timeline that depicts an important person, place or thing of each of the periods listed below:

3200B.C. - Sumerians settle in Mesopotamia

2686B.C. - 1090 B.C. Ancient Egyptian civilization

1792B.C. - Hammurabi unites Mesopotamia

1290 B.C. - Hebrews exodus from Egypt

1200 B.C. - Iron Age begins

549 B.C. - Persian empire established

Here is my pictoral timeline:

3. Look for pictures of ancient Persian reliefs and metal work. Notice the stylized appearance of the people. Draw a picture in this style of a person doing something.

Here is my profile rock relief of a woman with a spool of yarn.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English, Lesson 20: Middle Ages

2009-03-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

1. Choose a research topic from the lisst below and choose at least three resource materials. Your job is to go into depth on your chosen topic. This paper is due at the end of Lesson 24 and should be a minimum of 5 pages long, plus a cover page, at least one illustration and a bibliography.

Topic Choices:

Knights and the Crusades
The Muslim Empire
Women in the Middle Ages
Monasteries (founders, orders and lifestyles)
Castle and Castle Life
Architecture and the building of Cathedrals
Manors and Village Life

****I chose Knights and the Crusades, and I just started taking notes.

2c. Look at pictures of Romanesque and Gothic churches and cathedrals. In two paragraphs, describe both kinds of architecture and give examples of each.

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture for buildings in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. It came after Romanesque architecture and before Renaissance architecture. Gothic architecture started in France in the 12th century and lasted into the 16th century. Its important features are the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress, which are explained below. Gothic architecture is best known as the style of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe.

"Romanesque" was the style of architecture in Europe before the "Gothic" style. Gothic architecture grew out of Romanesque architecture. There was not a clean break between the two styles. Some features of Gothic archicture are also features of Romanesque architecture. Ribbed vaults are a feature of both Gothic architecture and Romanesque architecture.

Some features of Gothic architecture are not features of Romanesque architecture. Large stained glass windows are a feature of Gothic architecture but are not a feature of Romanesque architecture. All the types of buildings, and the general shape of the buildings were already there in the Romanesque period.

This is an example of Romanesque architecture. This is a cathedral located at Vezelay and where Bernard of Clairvaux preached the second crusade.

This is an example of Gothic architecure. It is a gothic chapel in Poland.

This is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture wich ocurred in the late 19th century. This is Royce Hall, the main building at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

3. Continue to take notes for your resourcs for your research paper.

****I took lots of notes.

4. Find the Scandinavian and Eastern European countries and the Caspian and Black Seas on your map. Add Iceland and Greenland to your map.

****I added Iceland, and the rest. I checked out the Caspian sea and learned that my map isn't very readable.

5c. Find a book of Norse myths. Read some stories and then describe three or four characters with one paragraph written for each.

In Norse mythology, Odin was the king of the Aesir. He is a god of war, but also associated to wisdom, poetry, and magic. Odin rides on an eight-legged horse called Sleipnir, and his famous spear is called Gungnir. He also has an precious arm ring called Draupnir, and two ravens called Hugin and Munin who tell him all the things happening around the world. Odin only has one eye, because he sacrificed one to drink from the fountain of wisdom. Odin would be swallowed by Loki's son, the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarok.

Odin

Loki is a giant in Norse mythology. He is the personification of cunning, trickery, and evil. Although Loki is a giant, he lives with the gods because Odin adopted him. He has the power of changing his appearance and even gender, although he had to borrowed Freyja's magical dress at times to change into birds. Once, Loki changed himself into a mare, and he bore the son of a horse. This eight-legged horse is then called Sleipnir, and became the favourite horse of Odin. Loki also has many monstrous children, namely Hel, Fenrir, and Jordmungand. He and his children became enemies of the gods in Ragnarok.

Loki

Freyja is a goddess in Norse and Germanic Mythology. She is the twin sister of Freyr and the daughter of Njord. She is originally worshipped as a fertility godess. But in the Eddas, she was often portrayed as a godess of love, beauty, and attraction. She was also associated with war, battle, death, wealth, magic and propheciey. Freyja was said to be the most beloved, honored, and renowned among godesses. She is one of the most popular godesses of Norse mythology.

Freya

Meet our Mascots

2009-03-08T01:46:00.001-08:00

This is Daphne. She was named after a Greek goddess. Daphne (mythology), in Greek mythology, nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus. She was a hunter who dedicated herself to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and, like the goddess, refused to marry. The god Apollo fell in love with Daphne, and when she refused his advances, he pursued her through the woods. She prayed to her father for help, and as Apollo advanced upon her, she was changed into a laurel tree (Greek daphne). Grief-stricken at her transformation, Apollo made the laurel his sacred tree.

This is Bast. She was named after an Egyptian goddess.

In ancient Egypt the cat was worshipped as a sacred animal - the mother or creator.

Bast is the Egyptian Goddess and protector of cats, women and children. She is Goddess of sunrise. Her goddess duty changed over the years, but, she is also known as a goddess of love, fertility, birth, music and dance.

She has been dated to at least the Second Dynasty (c. 2890-2686 Before Common Era [B.C.E.]).

Bast is depicted in art in many different ways. The most common is the body of young woman with the head of a domestic cat sometimes holding a sistrum. Her 'sister' Sekhmet, is shown with the head of a lioness.

In early times Bast (written as 'Bastet' by scribes in later times to emphasize that the 't' was to be pronounced) was a goddess with the head of a lion or a desert sand-cat and was regarded as mother of Mahes, a lion-headed god. She was usually depicted as a cat, or as a woman with the head of a cat or lion. She was also connected to Hathor, Sekhmet, Tefnut, Atum (her father) and Mut. It was only in the New Kingdom that she gained the head of a house cat and became a much more 'friendly' goddess, though she was still depicted as a lion-headed woman to show her war-like side. As with Hathor, Bast is often seen carrying a sistrum.

Her name has the hieroglyph of a 'bas'-jar with the feminine ending of 't'. These jars were heavy perfume jars, often filled with expensive perfumes - they were very valuable in Egypt, considering the Egyptian need (with the hot weather) of makeup, bathing, hygiene and (of course) perfume. Bast, by her name, seems to be related to perfumes in some way. Her son Nefertem, a solar god, was a god of perfumes and alchemy, which supports the theory. She was the mother of Mahes a Lion-headed God of healing. His main temple was at Leontopolis, although he did have a shrine at Bubastis. Bastet has another son in the form of the lion-headed god Mihos.

There is some confusion over Bast and Sekhmet. She was also considered to be the mother of Nefertem, as were a few other goddesses! Sekhmet was given the title the 'Eye of Ra' when she was in her protector form... but Bast and Sekhmet are not the same goddess (unlike Hathor who becomes Sekhmet as the 'Eye of Ra'). This all gives rise to a lot of confusion about these goddesses. Bast and Sekhmet were another example of Egyptian duality - Sekhmet was a goddess of Upper Egypt, Bast of Lower Egypt (just like the pharaoh was of Upper and/or Lower Egypt!)... and they were linked together by geography, not by myth or legend. These two feline goddesses were not related by family, they were both very distinct goddesses in their own rights.

Poetry

2009-03-08T00:02:00.000-08:00

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Baby Mozart?

2009-03-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

California enjoys composing music. He spends a great majority of his time writing musical notes while humming the melody that has composed. He always has a song in his heart!

He also loves to read sheet music and play on his keyboard as shown below. He is learning where the different notes are on the keyboard with the help of a book called Teaching Little Fingers to Play Classics. He LOVES this book.

Psychology

2009-03-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

I[Tennessee]have studied Psychology for the past two days and learned a lot about myself. Some of the things that I learned are:

I am an optimist.
I am an introvert.
Sometimes I think in sterotypes.
I place few limits on myself.
I am a mesomorph (action seeking and competitive).
I have a high need to achieve.
I have intrinsic motivation (motivated from the inside).
I am good at setting priorities.
I have a realistic view of myself and others.
I am in an adult ego state (I feel in control without trying to control others).
I favor seeing and hearing sensory modes.
I use negative self talk. This is my own way of pushing myself.
I am very persuasive.
I am right brained.
I am a better than average critical thinker.
I am a visual and kinesthetic learner.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English Lesson 19; Barbarians and Celts

2009-02-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

1. Look at the countries of Europe on the map of the world that you made, so you understand the locations discussed in this lesson.

I looked. I have it splayed out in front of me.

2. Find the Mabignogion (a translation of famous Welsh folk tales) and other Celtic stories & mythologies. Start reading these stories and continue to do so this week.

Okay. I found that on the Net. I am currently reading it.

3b. Find and look at pictures of Stonehenge. Draw or paint your own picture. Try to draw the stones to scale and locate them as accurately as possible. Pay attention to the surroundings of Stonehenge as well as to the stones themselves. Fill the whole page if you are making a painting.

I did a really fun watercolor picture of Stonehenge.

Stonehenge at Night by Tennessee

4. Put the rest of Norther Europed on your map (include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithiuania, Estonia, Bylerus and the Ukraine.

I did!

5d.

I copied all of verse 1 of the Gothic Lord's Prayer in Gothic script. It was fun!

I usedan itallic nib.

Life Science Lesson 10: Flowers and Plant Reproduction

2008-11-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

1. Obtain a flower. Closely examine and identify its parts. Draw a picture of the flower, identify and label the parts of its reproductive system.

I did! See pic below.

2. What are the three ways that pollination can occur? Describe each one.

Self-Pollination: Is when a flower's pollen touches it's own stigma.

There are two kinds of cross-pollination: Insect and wind. Insect is when a bee or butterfly carries pollen from one flower to another. Wind is when wind blows pollen to another flower. This probably happens very rarely.

3. Make a list of ten plants that your family eats and decide whether the parts you eat are fruits or seeds or both. Record your resulsts.

Avocado Enlarged Ovary, Fruit

Tomato Enlarged Ovary, Fruit

Carrot Root, Vegetable

Celery Stem, Vegetable

Broccoli Bud, Vegetable

Soybeans Seed, Vegetable

Oranges Enlarged Ovary, Fruit

Potatoes Root, Vegetable

Grapes Enlarged Ovary, Berry

Strawberries Enlarged Ovary, Berry

4b. Press flowers to make stationary, framed wall art, flower prints using paints etc.

I finished my flower press. See below.

EXAM

1. What is the difference between and angiosperm and a gymnosperm. Give 2 examples of each.

Angiosperms are flowers and deciduous trees. They are different from gymnosperms because they can grow flowers and their leaves stop photosynthesizing in fall and winter. A maple or sea daisy is an angiosperm. A coastal redwood or a Japanese fir is a gymnosperm.

2. What does deciduous mean? Give and example of a deciduous plant that you know.

It means they lose their leaves in fall. An example is a Trembling Aspen (see pic of Trembling Aspen below).
3. What are the main parts of a flower? Describe each one in a few words or a sentence. Assume that the flower has both male and female reproductive parts.

Petals are colorful leaves that form a ring around the flower's reproductive parts. Petals attract insects so they can pollinate the flower.

Pistils are female parts that, if pollen touches the top, an egg down inside the pistil is fertilized.

Stamens are male parts. The top bead, called an anther, contains pollen grains. Inside each pollen grain is a sperm cell. *coughFLAGELLUM!!!cough*

4. Name three ways tha ta flower can be pollinated. Why is pollination so important? What do you think would happen if there was no more pollination of flowers on earth?

Self-Pollination: Is when a flower's pollen touches it's own stigma. There are two kinds of cross-pollination: Insect and wind. Insect is when a bee or butterfly carries pollen from one flower to another. Wind is when wind blows pollen to another flower. This probably happens very rarely. Pollination is important because without pollination, no fruit can grow. Most animals would starve.

Without pollination, all the fruit would disappear quickly. The herbivores, with nothing to eat, would starve. The carnivores, with the herbivores gone, would starve too. The humans might stay along a bit, but with fruit gone, there would be a huge economical crash. After all that, the humans would starve. Earth would be perfectly suited for life, but have none except for ocean life. A playground for genetic experiments, if you please.

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English Lesson 10: Ancient China (Confucius & Taoism)

2008-11-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

1b. Write your own practical Code of Living that can be applied to your everyday life. List as many rules as you can.

MY LIFE

A parent's word is law.

Life is a painting. Strokes must be applied slowly (Everything comes in good time).

Police your own life.

Treat others badly if you want to be treated badly.

Freedom is an illusion. (You must work to be free).

Respect is as valuable as Life.

Truth is Life.

SOCIETY

Difference is only skin deep.

Beauty does not mean royalty.

The Earth is our essence. Protect it.

Hunger means neglect. Which means abandon. Which means death.

War is pointless.

2. Keep reading your book of Chinese tales.

3a. Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Bring a piece of paper and a pencil. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and then close your eyes and sit quietly. Pay attention to your thoughts, to the sensations in your body, and to the things you hear and smell. Sit as still as you can. After 10 minutes, write about your experience of quietude.

As I sat outside, I immediately had a sense of peace. My heart slowed, and also my senses began to overload me. As the songbirds sang, and the shade hugged me, I was relaxed. I was soothed and did not think of the stress of the day, or about dying, or anything. I now know how to clear my mind. There was a faint trace of smoke in the air from the local fires, but that was okay. I could make out at least 5 different songbirds singing. Part of the experience, my eyes were open, so I would have enough detail to fill one page. I was sitting in a chair next to and elephant ear plant. It had a foamy stem, and the leaves were already crumpling up for winter.

To get even more perspective, I moved to a shady spot. It hugged me coolly like a blanket. If I had a quiet place, I would have gone into it. It is great for people who are stressed.

4. Finish the Chinese tales book.

I am.

5. Finish reading The Rainbow People and choose one of the tales to summaraize for your next assignment.

6. Summarize one of the Chinese tales you have read.

The Rainbow People starts when a young wanderer decides to go up a magical mountain. The path is winding and he ends up where he was. The wanderer decides to play his flute to straighten the path. The sad song seems to straighten the path, and make the fishermen on the beach cry.

He walks up the mountain and finds a colony of farmers with a field of vegetables. The farmers do not answer his questions. He plays his flute to earn dinner, but a girl around his age says he can have some of hers. After some debating, they decide that he can work for his. They work all day and night. At night, their faces shone with rainbow lights. Finally, at midnight, they had their meal, which consisted of weed stew. He asks why they eat weeds when they had a bountiful garden. The girl informs him that the landlord eats all of the vegetables, and leaves none.

He decides to confront the landlord, who is a wizard. He went to the top of the mountain, where there was nothing but moonlight and a giant tree. Looking into the tree, the wanderer saw small globules filled with glowing worms. Lots of small men with knives danced around, doing servant work. Some stood guard around a brass box. on top of the box sat an old wizard with green moss for hair. He puts on a satin robe. As he takes his black robe off, the wanderer notices that he has lots of legs, like his tree. The wanderer also catches a glimpse of a brass key around his neck. He decides that it probably goes to the brass box. He wonders what is inside. The wizard hits a gong that was set behind the box.

The little men vanished. The wizard went to sleep on the box. The wanderer waited, then snuck out from behind the vines. He switched out the gong for a pail of water, then used an unraveled string from his sash to tie the wizard up. He hid in the chest, and tugged on the string until it broke, and the wizard got up. He shouted and struck the pail of water , which splashed all over him. The wanderer risked a peek, and saw the wizard poke at his mossy hair. He looked all around the tree for the gong, and the wanderer ducked down. The wizard decided to change, and went over to the chest. As he lifted the lid, the wanderer straightened up, and the wizard surprisingly asks who he was. The wanderer ripped the key from around the wizard's neck, and unlocked the box.

Unfortunately, in unlocking the box, the gong fell out of his pocket, where it had been. The wizard picked it up and made the armed men appear. The wanderer opened the box and found a golden flute. The wanderer picked it up just before the men started slashing at him. He put off most of the slashes with his old flute. Then, since he was breathing hard, the flute gave a little toot, and all of the men hopped. Curious, he began to play the flute. The wizard and his army started to dance. The wizard pleaded and bribed, but the wanderer kept playing.

Finally, the wanderer said he would only stop playing if the wizard let the Rainbow People go. The wizard complied, and chanted a spell. The wizard told the wanderer that you can lose something in the very act of saving it. The wanderer ran down the mountain, and saw the field. But all that was in the field were Asian dragons. He looked in the huts, but found only torn clothes. He thought that the dragons had eaten the farmers. But then he heard the girl's voice behind him. He turned around, but found only a dragon. He looked closer, and noticed the same birthmark he had noticed on the girl earlier. He asked how long she had been in her human spell. She said too long. Then a stream of dragons cascaded into the sea. They said good-bye, and then she joined them.

THE END

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English, Lesson 9: Ancient China

2008-11-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

1. Add China to your world map.

I added China and (accidentally) Kazakhstan to my wold map.

2. Start reading "The Rainbow People" (a book of Chinese tales).

I started "The Rainbow People."

3d. Describe how children in your environment treat their elders. What happens to many people as they grow older? Where do they live and who takes care of them? Is age respected in this culture?

Here is my essay.

Elders in My Community

As people grow older, they lose respect, which is the opposite of what is supposed to happen in ancient China. Most people just ignore them. Many elders live alone in a house they paid for with their retirement fund. I understand the sorrow of living life and then just ceasing all existance. It would be sad. They sometimes visit other people.

Elders are not respected much in this culture. In ancient China, elders were granted utmost respect for their supposed wisdom. Other kids ignore elders, and I’ve known some kids that are afraid of elders. The main reason why elders should have respect is because most elders are unable to help themselves sometimes; such as crossing a street. I think that elders should live with another person to help them.

If people all helped their elders, then I'm sure that they would be happier.

4a. Using a bamboo brush, a bowl of black watercolor paint and a large piece of white paper, paint a picture of bamboo. Each section of the bamboo's trunk should be drawn upward; the whole trunk should also be formed on the same principle - from root upward.

Bamboo by Tennessee

Social Studies Supplement: Election

2008-11-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

For these lessons I did politics, studying about the different candidates, the USA's issues, and the structure of the government.

I shall include Obama's full biography.

OBAMA was born in Hawaii. After High School, Obama moved to Los Angeles and attended Occidental College for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City. After four years in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago, where he was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP) (a church-based community project) and worked there for three years from June 1985 to May 1988. Obama's mother died in 1995. Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996. On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his running for President of the United States. During the campaign, Obama has made the issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War, increasing energy efficiency, and providing health care for all his top three priorities.

The USA's issues are:

Education: Most schools have horrible curriculums, and poverty is starting to become a major problem.

Environment: The earth is at a brittle state. It has some ozone holes, and the ice caps are melting. Production is producing blanket gases that clog the earth and trap sunlight. Cars are a huge problem too.

Health: Lots of people are dying with no-one to help them. Health insurance is expensive, and with obesity becoming a problem, many people are getting organ attacks.

War/Iraq War: War is a pointless way of deciding, and the Iraq war was made because G.W. Bush took advantage of the plane crash in 2001, and accused the leaders in Iraq to have atomic weapons. Now many people are dying because of a hollow accusation.

Economy/Jobs: The stock market is plummeting down. Many people are starving because they don't have jobs.

Terrorism/Nationwide Security

2001 was horrible. A few hijackers stole planes. One was headed for the White House, but crashed before it reached. Another one the flew to the Pentagon. The other two crashed into the two towers of the world trade center, and blew them up. We need new security. Microbugs, and updated bug sweepers.

In conclusion, the USA has many issues, and they are not being resolved at all.

This election is very important, because the entire world is falling apart. The environment, wars, and technological development. We need an environmentally-inclined peace leader.

McCain wants war. He wants super weapons. And he lies about his environment decisions.

Palin thinks being vice president is the same as being governor.

Obama is perfect, since he is the environmentally-inclined peace leader that we need. Biden goes along with Obama, and has lots of experience.

UPDATE: Obama won! This incredibly good, for all the reasons I have listed!

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 8

2008-11-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

1. Please refer to lesson 18 for a handmade map of the world that includes Persia, India and other asian countries.

Definiton of caste:

NOUN

Any of the hereditary, endogamous social classes or subclasses of traditional Hindu society, stratified according to Hindu ritual purity, especially the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra castes.
A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth.

2. Pretend that you are a member of a caste. Write a letter to a friend telling about your life in that particular caste. Describe your day and your feelings as you are forced to stay within a certain group for all of your interactions. Mention things that you might like to do but can't because of your caste.

Spy Hussien Jack

Indochinese Kshatriya Caste Training Academy
Hukishtan, India

January 15, 593

Servant Ganyoaw Namoin
Imperial Palace
Hukishtan, India

Dear “Ganyo”:

I am having a wonderful and horrible time in the Kshatriya Caste. I am very glad there is a secret informer subcaste, or else my catlike stance and sneaking skills would go to waste swinging around swords in the Warrior subcaste. Today I practiced making no sound while walking. This was easy because they gave me socks knitted from yak’s hair. After that a big hairy Cretan (don’t ask how he got to the IKCTA, I have no idea) pinned me to a wall and told me that if I am ever caught, never surrender without a bribe. He did this for an hour until it was drilled into my brain.

After a long day of cartwheels, wall scaling, and karate, I got a room full of Warriors to sleep with. The next day, the troll’s message was “Reconnaissance is the key to success.”
There are many things I wish I could do but can’t. I even have to deliver these letters secretly myself (I hope you are burning these like I said!). I can’t visit my sister, mother, or father. I can’t even write to them.

I hope you realize how lucky you are to have a secret friend
All I have for friends are a bunch of bloodlusts and highbrow rulers. Maybe that’s my problem. I’m lonely.

Yours truly,
Jack

3. History of Indian Dance

The dance tradition of India is at least 5000 years old. A dancing girl figurine was found in the ruins of Mohenjodaro and is dated at roughly 2nd Century B.C. Many group dancing scenes are depicted in detailed rock paintings. The wall paintings of Ajanta and Ellora, the sculptures of Khajuraho, the temple walls of Hoysala dynasty (So many odd words!), stand sufficient evidence for popularity of Indian dances from ancient times.

Through the centuries the dances have been used as a means of worship and expression of emotion in India. The temple dancers led very strict lives in order to perform sacred dances to please Gods and Goddesses.

A Portuguese traveler visited the Vijayanagar kingdom in 1520-22 A.D., and has left behind a dramatic description of the dancers he saw in the kingdom. He visited special dancing halls where maiden were given demanding training. The walls were decorated with paintings depicting a variety of dancing poses which helped the dancers to correct their steps. The king himself took interest in their dance education and occasionally visited these halls. During the Navaratri festival celebrations the dance performances were given great importance. The dancers were adorned with many ornaments, made out of gold, pearls, and diamonds.

The Indian dances have sprung from myths of the goddess Nataraja. Their dramatic contents are based on other mythological lore of the country. The dance technique is based on a few ancient treatises. The Indian dances consist of three different types. "Nritta" is simple dance with movements of body and limbs. "Nritya" is linked with facial expressions, hand gestures and body poses. "Natya" has the elements of a drama which is introduced through the use of spoken world. All the types involve the use of "mudras", which are well developed types of gestures during the dance. The dancers use their entire body to communicate with the audience.

The major Indian classical dances are: Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Kathak and Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Odissi and Mohini Attam. In addition, there are many folk and tribal dances spread all over the country.

An Odissi dancer

A Poem about Seed Dispersal

2008-11-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

In the Spring

A seed with a ring

Of feathers floats by

Where is it going? In the sky.

It plants itself down near a stone

As the wind whistles in a melodious tone.

A few days later, a plant is born!

Life Science lesson 7 & Exam

2008-11-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

1. Try to determine the composition of the soil used for your seedlings.

The soil inside my bean cup is very nutrient-deprived. It is potting soil. We have not gone to a park yet for rich soil.

2. Go to a local garden center and find three different types of fertilizers both manmade and organic. List the recommended uses, sources of materials and minerals in each and application.
Note from Mom: Two types of organic fertilizers were available for this assignment. Manmade fertilizers were not included due to their potential hazards to health.

Organic:

E.B. Stone Organics' Rose & Flower Food
Ingredients
Natural
Various ingredients derived from:
Blood Meal, Feather Meal, Bone Meal, Dried Chicken Manure, Bat Guano, Alfalfa Meal, Kelp Meal, and Potassium Sulfate.

Bacteria
Bacillus Subtilis
Bacillus Lichenformis
Paenibacillus Polymyxa
Bacillus Azotoformans
Paenibacillus Durum
Bacillus Pumulis
Streptomyces Lydicus
Trichoderma Harzianum

Soil
Calcined Clay

Fungi
Glomus Intraradices
Glomus Mosseae
Glomus Aggregatum

How to Use:
Feed your roses as new growth begins in the spring by spreading 1 1/2 cups of fertilizer evenly under each plant starting 8 inches from the base and working out into the drip line. Mix it lightly into the soil and water the area.

Feed with 1 1/2 cups of fertilizer every 8-12 weeks throughout the growing season.

E.B. Stone Organics' Citrus & Fruit Tree Food
Ingredients
Natural
Various ingredients derived from:
Blood Meal, Feather Meal, Bone Meal, Dried Chicken Manure, Bat Guano, Alfalfa Meal, Kelp Meal, and Potassium Sulfate.
Bacteria
Bacillus Subtilis
Bacillus Lichenformis
Paenibacillus Polymyxa
Bacillus Pumulis
Paenibacillus Durum
Bacillus Pumulis
Streptomyces Lydicus
Streptomyces Greiseus
Trichoderma Harzianum
Trichoderma Viride

Soil
Calcined Clay

Fungi
Glomus Intraradices
Glomus Mosseae
Glomus Aggregatum

How to Use:
For first year trees, apply approximately 3/4 cup per month. In most areas, application may start in February repeated throughout the growing season. When possible, work the fertilizer lightly into the soil before watering.

3. Do you have a flower or vegetable garden? Yes.

a. What kind of plants do you grow?
An orange tree, assorted succulents, mint, aloe vera, snapdragons, African daisies, daisies, petunias, raspberries, morning glories, grapes, echinechea, jasmine, blueberries, bacopa, beans, elephant ears, pholox, verbena, kangaroo paw, sea daisies, roses, bougainvillea, mandanveilia, gara, begonia, cyclamen, and rosemary.

b. How do you keep the soil healthy and fertile so that plants will grow? We use a mixture of potting soil and store bought compost in our pots, and water the plants weekly.

c. We do use fertilizer. It is organic and it is the exact same fertilizer that I used to answer # 2

d. No. We do not compost (though we want to) because most bins are very very expensive.

4b. Research different home composting methods.

Compost!
Compost is a substance made of rotted materials that slowly becomes a rich kind of mulch. Actually, the mulch is the non-compressed, half rotted stuff at the top of whatever container you are using. The humus (a black, fully, rotted, compressed soil-like material) is the stuff at the bottom, which is extremely good for plants.

Composting helps the earth, because if you compost, you channel around half of your trash into something the helps life thrive. Of course, hotter is better, because heat makes things rot faster.

Compost rots because microscopic creatures eat the food and plant matter, leaving only leftovers and, er, micro-poop. Microorganisms are microscopic simple bacteria that eat just about anything. They are the reason why things rot. They do other things, like enriching the soil. Some add nitrogen to the soil, making it more nutritious.

The best kind of compost is a layered, “compost sandwich.” The bottom must ALWAYS be made of sticks to allow drainage. The best style is: Twigs, soft material (Like green plants and soft vegetable scraps), hard material (Like leaves, orange peels, and small sticks), soft, soft, hard, soft, soft, hard, and so on.

Before I move on to another method, I need to explain the two basic needs of compost:
1. Water. A hose will do. Do not overwater. The best kind of compost is one that has the texture of a full sponge, not the water of a full sponge.
2. Air. It will also smell rotten if you don’t give it air. Want to know why? That is the smell of dead bacteria. You need bacteria for you compost. Bacteria and microbes are the chemical magicians of compost.

Another method to get good compost (besides waiting!) is by turning. Turning can be done in many ways, from flipping the bin over and shaking, to using a premade crank to stir the compost. It causes a chemical reaction that makes the top mulch turn into good, crumbled, cakelike humus.

Another kind of compost is sheet composting. It is like a substrate pile of whatever you are using on whatever you are fertilizing. Basically, throw some hard material on the ground and let it rot naturally. The problem with it is that you can’t throw kitchen scraps in, only plant material.
Also, it rots very slowly.

Another way (this is the best way for us) is worm compost.
Many people know the value of worms in their garden. Worms are great decomposers, especially red-wigglers and African night crawlers. If you have only kitchen scraps, or if you live in an apartment, composting with worms is the way to go.
Worms are best kept in a closed worm box. They like darkness and dampness.

Compost is a perfect way to keep a self sustaining home and garden.
(If you want to compost NOW, call 1-800-GRO-DIRT)
Click here to see a video about "How to Compost":
http://video.gaiam.com/services/link/bcpid1586371772/bctid1840781718

EXAM

1. Explain the functions of soil in the terms of how it is used by a plant.
Plants absorb the nutrients in the soil and use it to be healthy (like multivitamins).

2. Explain the difference between dirt and healthy, living soil.
Dirt has zero microbes, is dry and dusty, and has very little minerals to offer. Soil has maximum in all of the above (microorganisms, moisture, and minerals).

3. How do organisms in soil help plants get nutrients that they need to grow? Give an example of one type of organism that does this.
They decompose dead plant matter into tiny bits that can be easily consumed by the roots. An example is Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria (which I fondly call NFB), which takes nitrogen out from the air and turns it into healthy minerals.

4. Why is organic matter important to healthy soil?
They add nutrients through waste products, and keep soil loose.

Life Science Lesson 5 & Exam

2008-11-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

(the above photograph is a visual growth timeline of the bean seeds that were planted during this lesson)

1. Grow seedlings and measure them for their rate of growth.

Radish, tomato and bean seeds were planted in biodegradeable containers.

2. Continue to observe your seeds for a week.

Only the bean seeds survived. The radish seeds and tomato seeds were dumped out and disposed of by the gardner as well as being blown about by Santa Ana winds.

3. Prepare a growth chart.

Here is my growth chart. I say Approx. Day, because I found several specimens of different ages and made an approximate timeline (see photo at the top of this post for a visual timeline).

Day 2 Seed gets paler. The coat is going soon.

Day 4 Coat splits.

Day 5 Tiny root emerges (Germination!).

Day 6 Root gets much bigger.

Day 13 Large root system is apparent. Baby leaves start to unfurl.

Day 20 Seedling is fully grown.

4. Explain what three requirements were necessary for your seeds to grow.

1) A seed needs soil to provide foundation for it's roots to grow.

2) Water softens the seed's coat so it can crack and sprout.

3) Heat provides energy to jumpstart the process of sprouting.

5. Explain why soaking seeds in water helped them to sprout more quickly.

The tough seed coat softened and allowed the embryo to break through.

6. Explain three ways that seeds can be dispersed.

1) The fruit can fall off and rot away.

2) The seeds can be carried by the wind.

3) The seeds can be softened and dispersed by animal droppings.

7. Think of a reason why certain types of fruits are so bright and colorful and how this might benefit these different types of plants.

Bright and tasty fruits would appeal well to animals, and therefore be eaten, and the seeds would be spread around by poop.

8. b. Make a list of five different ways a seed can be dispersed (you may use the ways already described in this lesson and/or research others).

1) The fruit can fall off and rot away.

2) The seeds can be carried by the wind.

3) The seeds can be softened and dispersed by animal droppings.

4) Seeds can be moved by rushing water.

5) Other times seeds can stick to animal's fur and be dropped later.

* Spend some time outdoors and look for ten different plants and figure out which type of dispersal each plants uses.

Daisy (Witnessed in action!)
Wind dispersal

Orange (Witnessed in action!)
Fruit

African daisy (Witnessed in action!)
Wind

Rose (Witnessed in action!)
Drops seeds

Raspberry
Fruit

Blueberry
Fruit

Grapes
Fruit

Extra Credit: A Poem about Seed Dispersal

In the Spring.
A seed with a ring
Of feathers
floats by
Where is it going? In the sky.
It plants itself down near a stone
As the wind whistles in a melodious tone.
A few days later, a plant is born!

EXAM

1. How does the growth and reproduction of plants differ from that of animals.

Plants grow their whole lives, and produce seeds instead of internal or external eggs.

2. Name three ways in which plants are extremely important to life on Earth.

Other animals eat plants to produce energy to grow. Plants breathe (carbon + oxegen) (C + O x2) Carbon Dioxide, and breathe out oxygen. We can't breathe CO2, and it also stuffs up the atmosphere. Plants create rich soil (compost) when they decompose, thus creating a safe, rich home for other plants and microorganisms.

3. What are the three main parts of a seed? What is the purpose of each part?

1) Seed coats protect the soft embryo inside, and keep bad stuff out.

2) An embryo is a baby plant that starts to get bigger and bigger once the seed's needs have been met.

3) Endosperm is the plant's original food that it grows on, and keeps the embryo from dying and not being able to grow.

4. What are the three main requirements for a seed to begin germination?

Heat, water, and soil.

5. List and describe three ways that seeds can be dispersed.

The fruit can fall off and rot away. The seeds can be carried by the wind. The seeds can be softened and dispersed by animal droppings.

Harvest Art

2008-10-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Art begins with inspiration. We all went pumpkin picking this past weekend and were inspired to create art as a way to remember the fun time that we had and the love we have for Fall. We took elements that stood out at the farm: cornfields, towering sunflowers and fall leaves. We used construction paper, organic cherrios and sequins to create our masterpiece. After we were finished, we practiced Math by counting the cherrios that were glued onto our ear of corn.

Life Science Lesson 4 Exam

2008-10-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

1. List thre three main parts of a cell and describe their functions.

Nucleous. The Nucleous controlls all parts of the cell, as well as cell division.

Cytoplasm. The Cytoplasm is the mixture of Ribosomes and goop. All the cell components are housed here.

Cell Membrane. The Cell Membrane keeps the cytoplasm from sloshing out as well as the components.

2. What is the function of the cell wall of the plant?
It keeps the cell rigid so the entire organism dosen't bend over.

3. In a plant cell, what specialized organelle captures the energy from the sun?
Chloroplasts.

4. Why do animal cells lack cell walls?
So that things can move in and out of cells. That's why a flake of skin doesn't cast a shadow.

5. Name three examples of tissues and organs in a human being.
Nerve tissue, skin/cartilage tissue, and heart tissue. Gallbladder, skin, and liver.

Life Science Lesson 4 Cells: Making a Healthy Vegetarian Gelatin Cell

2008-10-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

There's no "candy" in this cell. It is all healthy preservative free,dye free and vegetarian. There's no icky stuff in our recipe. Just dried pineapples, dried fruit leather, dried fruit twists, dried papaya, grapes, organic white chocolate chips etc.

Dissolve vegetarian jello in 2 cups of boiling water and stir.

Add your cell components.

Put it in the fridge until it is firm...and eat it.

(Please left click the picture above to enlarge for details)

*The word above "Envelope" is "Nuclear".

An Ancient Egyptian Meal (Vegetarian)

2008-10-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tennessee did research on Ancient Egypt this week and discovered some of the things they may have eaten. We decided to have an Ancient Egyptian meal. We included hummus, whole wheat pita, olives, grapes, dates and lentils (no meat - we are vegetarians)as shown below:

Tennessee loved everything, but
California was highly suspicious of this meal.

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 4 Egyptian Report

2008-10-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Egyptian Religion

A Report by E.G.Lenac

Egyptian Wall Carving

This is a report on Egyptian Religion, from sacred animals to revolts from kings. Many things happened during the period of the Egyptians. Some became Greek, Roman, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish. Some decided to make their own religion, such as saying that there was only one god.
Only one god? The Egyptians believed in many gods. Each for a different purpose or help.
Some of the major gods are:
Amon: The sky god. He is depicted as a blue frog. He is dead set into Egyptian literature.
Ra: The sun god. He is extremely popular in hieroglyphs and has been combined with Amon to form Amon-Ra, the supreme deity.
Osiris: This guy has a story to himself, which will be told later. He went from being the god of nature to god of the Afterlife.
Isis: The goddess of love and beauty. She resurrected Osiris as the first mummy.

Now I will tell the story of how Osiris became god of the Afterlife.
The myth says that Osiris was killed by a wooden sarcophagus secretly being made to fit his measurements by Seth, who was jealous of Osiris's position as king, and so plotted to kill him and take his place. A party had been held where the coffin was offered to whoever could fit inside. A few people tried to fit in, but no one could. Osiris was told to try, but as soon as he got in, the lid slammed on him and was locked. It was then sealed with lead and thrown into the Nile. After hearing that Osiris was gone, Isis went to look for him. She later heard that the coffin had floated down the Nile River up to the coast of Byblos and gotten stuck in the trunk of a tree. She also heard that the tree had been taken and used as a pillar for a palace of Byblos. After explaining the situation to the queen of Byblos and getting her permission, she managed to take out the coffin without collapsing the palace and took Osiris' body out into the desert and buried him back in Egypt.
Again, Seth found Osiris' coffin, took his body out, and sliced him into 13 parts, scattering them across Egypt. Each part represented one of the 13 full moons (each year has 12 or 13 full moons).
Once again Isis set out to look for the pieces and she was able to find and put together 12 of the 13 parts, but was unable to find the 13th, his private spot, which was eaten by the Oxyrhynchus fish (a fish with an unusual curved snout resembling temple pictures of Seth). Instead, she made an, um, decoy out of gold and sang a song around Osiris until he came back to life.
Osiris was resurrected. So Isis gave birth to Horus. Because of this experience, Osiris became Lord of the Dead, and the Afterlife.

I will now give a list of all the gods and goddesses.

Anubis is the god of mummification.
Bastet is the cat goddess.
Sehkmet is the goddess of fire, war and plague.
Nut is the mother of gods.
Geb is the green god of Earth.
Osiris is the god of fertility/the Afterlife.
Isis is the goddess of love, wife of Osiris.
Seth is the god of deserts and evil.
Thoth is the scribe god.
Horus is the god with falcon's head, god of heaven.

Anubis and Horus.

Thoth.

Ma'at is the goddess of truth.
Amun is the god of the sky.
Wadjet is the goddess of pregnancy and motherhood, goddess in snake form.
Anuket is the goddess of river Nile.
Ra is the god of the sun.

.1.

Now I will tell the story of Akhenaten, the “Heretic Pharoh.”

In the early years of his rule, Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) lived at Thebes with Nefertiti and his 6 daughters. The king's religious revolt might have begun with his decision to celebrate a Sed festival (a sort of royal party used to increase the Pharaoh's supposed godly powers). The friendship between Akhenaten and the priests of Amun-Ra (The sun and sky god) slowly drained away. In Year 5 of his reign, Akhenaten took slow steps to establish the Aten (Disk of the sun) as the uber, one and only god of Egypt. To encourage his full loyalty to the Aten, the king officially changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten or 'Servant of the Aten.'
Akhenaten's fifth year also marked the beginning of construction on his new capital of Egypt, Akhetaten or 'Horizon of Aten', at the place known today as Amarna. Very soon afterwards, he dumped all Egyptian religious prayers, marriages, temples, etc. in Akhetaten, though construction of the city seems to have continued for several more years. In honor of Aten, Akhenaten also directed the construction of some of the hugest temple complexes in ancient Egypt. In these new temples, Aten was worshipped in the outside, rather than in dark temple hallways, as had been the previous custom.
By Year 9 of his reign Akhenaten declared that Aten was not just the supreme god, but the only god, and that he himself was half Aten, and half Pharaoh. He ordered the recalibrating of Amun-Ra's temples throughout Egypt, and in a number of temples, hieroglyphs of the plural 'gods' were also removed.

Egyptian upper-classes often had sacred animals to keep them company. They kept greyhounds, which explains why Anubis looks for all the world like a wolf combined with a barracuda. Dogs were used for hunting, work, and companionship. Cats were related to the goddess Bast, and therefore should be worshipped, right? Baboons and monkeys were common pets also.

Egyptians wasted their lives for their afterlife that they never got. They never slowed down and enjoyed the ride. It was because of this hurriedness that they built all their amazing temples and mounuments, so they would be in
the good part of the underworld. No other people in Africa were as advanced as they. All others were just tribes. In conclusion, Egypt was the star of Africa.

.2.

BIBLOGRAPHY

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/index.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/ancient%20egyptian_life.htm http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/wr/article/0,28391,55368,00.html http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/lifeinegypt.htm http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptian_gods_and_goddesses
http://www.wikipedia.org/

Life Science Lesson 4 Cells

2008-10-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Assignments 1 - 3

1. Describe three differences between a plant cell and an animal cell.

The vacuoles in plant cells are bigger.

Plant cells have chloroplasts.

Animal cells don't have cell walls.

2. What is the difference between an organ and a tissue? Give at least three examples of each and guess which organs contain which tissues.

A tissue is a group of cells that work together.

An organ is a group of tissues that work together.

Nerve tissue, skin/cartilage tissue, and heart tissue.

Gallbladder, skin, and liver.

3. String of Energy, Quark, Electron, Proton, Nucleus, Atom, Molecule, Lattice, Cell, Neuron, Tissue, Organ, System, and Organism.

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 4 Outline for Report

2008-10-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

1. Introduction to Egyptian Religion.
What this Report is about

Many gods theory

Main Gods

2. Egyptian mythology stories.
Osirus Death Story

3. List of gods and goddesses with descriptions.

4. Akhenaten

5. Animal Worship.
Cats.
Dogs

6. Conclusion.

Science Lesson 3 Exam

2008-10-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

1. Define Biology

Biology--Simply the study of living things.

Biologists just look at and classify living things and see what they evolved from, and see their characteristics.

2. List and describe the 5 characteristics of all living organism.

RESPONSE

If you poke a bear in the eye, it will growl and claw. If you tear a leaf off of a flower, the plant will shrivel up.

MOVEMENT

Animals move because of coordinated messages sent to their methods of propulsiun/muscles.

ENERGY AND FOOD

Both plants and animals strip off the energy from their food. All living things eat, whether absorbing it or mangling it.

REPRODUCTION

All plants and animals reproduce. Plants create seeds, and animals ferilize internal eggs.

REQUIREMENTS AND NEEDS

All plants and animals and microbes and such have to eat to grow/divide.

Animals and plants need air to circulate blood and toxic gases.

3. Non-living things move because of forces such as gravity, heat, and force, but living things move because their "support systems" sends signals to their muscles to move.

4. No. Non-Living things do not have organs or parts to reproduce. If you crack a rock open, the inside is dense sediments.

Life Science Lesson 3 Biology

2008-09-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Assignment 1
Review the notes you made for assignment 3 in lesson 2. Make a list of the stimuli that you remember in each place. Make a list of senses that detected the stimuli and the responses that you made to the stimuli.

the Waterfall
the Fish
the Ducks
the Rocks
the Pigeons

I used Sight and Hearing.

Assignment 2

You are a living organism. If you could not get all the things you need from your environment in order to survive, you would die. Make a list of the requirements you must fulfill to ensure your survival.

Plants for food. Plants grow berries and nuts and fruits for us to eat; We don't really need meat.
Plants for air. Plants filter what we breathe out CO2, and take the C(arbon) out and leave the O(xygen).
Air. Air reacts with the carbon in our cells and creates another gas, CO2.
Water. Water keeps our body hydrated.
The Sun. The sun creates warmth and allows the plants we need for food to grow.

3. The Common Gray Squirrel is very common around my house. It is extremely adaptable
when it comes to food, and has been known to eat everything from grapes to seeds to banana peels. It can get these things because it has large claws for climbing. The Brown Bear, however, is definitely just not adapted for city/people survival.

Assignment 4b Living and Non Living Things in Watery Environments
Pond obsevation: Observe how nonliving things and living things depend on each other.

I went to the pond yesterday and saw many different things. All the ducks flocked around the many different ponds and squabbled for bread, quacking. They were all Mallards and mostly male. The pigeons were countless in number, and I saw several rarities. There was a brown and white pigeon, and a black and white skinny one. They never went into the water, even when forced, and did not fly much. There were several 6-inch waterfalls, making shy gurgling sounds, and lots of boulders, tumbled into the pond/stream like large stepping stones. If one was careful, one could cross the pond using them.

There were large koi and Red-Eared-Slider turtles.

The entire place was in a captivating balance.

I made a sketch of the entire place.

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/ English Lesson 3 Research

2008-09-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

(Left click the image to the right to see the Ancient Egyptian Alphabet)

Egypt Perimeter:

Roughly 575 miles up on the left side.
Roughly 600 miles across on bottom.
Roughly 775 miles up on right side.
Roughly 575 miles acreoss on top.

Research Report:

Bibliography:

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/index.htm BEST SITE

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/wr/article/0,28391,55368,00.html

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/lifeinegypt.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/ancient%20egyptian_life.htm

http://www.cosmeo.com/

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptian_gods_and_goddesses

http://www.touregypt.net/gods1.htm

Notes:
Amon/Ra are the central gods.

Akhenaten created a whole new god and said it was the only one.

Amon is sometimes depicted as a nearly invisible blue frog, like the sky, since he is the god of
wind.

Each god has it's own big story.

Seth is rarely found in Egyptian Mythology.

There are lots of minor gods, but no half human, half gods, besides Pharohs (supposedly).

The Egyptians worshipped Greek, and Roman gods at one point.

Some ancient Egyptians were Christian, Islamic, and Jewish.

Anubis god of the dead

Bastet is the Cat goddess.

Sehkmet goddess of fire, war and plague.

Nut is the goddess of sky and stars, mother of gods.

Geb is the green god of Earth.

Horus is the god with falcon's head, god of sun.

Osiris is the god of fertility and Duat.

Isis is the goddess of love, wife of Osiris.

Seth is the god of deserts and evil.

Thoth is the scribe god.

Ma'at is the goddess of truth.

Amun is the god of Thebes, king of gods in New Kingdom.

Wadjet is the goddess of pregnancy and motherhood, goddess in snake form.

Anuket is the goddess of river Nile.

Ra is the god of the sun.

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 2 Grammar

2008-09-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Grammar

1. Make a list of at least twenty nouns used in your lesson 2 essay.

slaves, gardens, Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, Persian, princess, hills, Mesopotamia, plant, plateau, water, terraces, wedding, cake, large, pump, system, entrance, pipe, and flowers.

2. Use complete sentences in your essay.

3. Write a sentence using a common noun, proper noun and a singular noun.

Jack has a cat that has a ball.

4. Write six sentences using each type of plural noun.

"I need more wrenches!" exclaimed Noa.
There were foxes staring at me everywhere.
All of the plants in the cotton field had fluffs.
Nebuchadnezzar had many wives.
Both Roy and Riley lost their toys.
The babies cried loudly in the nursery.

5. Write three sentences using each of the types of possesive nouns.

The dog's bone is high up on that ledge. I
It's the the sharks' feeding time at the aquarium.
The mice's cheese is very high up, they won't see it.

Painting with Apples

2008-09-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Apples are a wonderful fall fruit...
When they are cut in half horizontally, the seeds and core are in the shape of a star as shown below.

These apples can be painted and used as stampers in art projects. We thought the apple stamper resembled star shaped Fall leaves.

We looked at some art by Matisse and noticed that he used mosaic methods in his art, so we decided to make mosaic leaves by tearing them out of consruction paper and gluing them to our Fall art.

Writing Music

2008-09-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

California loves music! One of his favorite programs on television is called "Little Einsteins". He loves how they show the sheet music for classical compositions and is very attentive to these details. Click HERE to see how Little Einsteins uses music, art and interaction to facilitate learning and critical thinking.

He understands the musical concepts of tone, pitch, low/high notes and tempo and yes...he just turned three a month ago.

California has been drawing musical notes on his doodle board as shown below. After he is finished writing the notes in the order that he wishes, he sings or hums a tune that coincides with his composition. See an example below:

This evening he drew a treble clef then added five lines. After that he added his musical notes...then hummed the tune that he just created:) He enjoys doing this while listening to Mozart after his bedtime story.

Life Science Lesson 2: Environment

2008-09-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Assignment 2

2. Review your lists and then:

a. For each item on all three of these lists tell if it is living or nonliving.

1. Hatching egg. (LIVING)
2. Behaviour change. (LIVING)
3. Gaining/losing weight. (LIVING)
4. Ice melting. (NONLIVING).
5. Sugar dissolving into water. (NONLIVING).

b. For each item that changes quickly enough to notice, describe what is happening that causes you to notice change.

When an egg cracks, you are alerted of a change in the nature of the egg via brain. Same with number 2, 3, and 5. Number 3 you are alerted because, according to the scale, your measurements are different than last time.

Person's appearance changing.(LIVING)
Plant growing.(LIVING)
Tadpole--Frog.(LIVING)

(With all these things, you only notice changes with your own memory, and of course Time.)

Pupils dilating. (LIVING).
Electrons moving [?]. (NON-CORPOREAL).

Life Science Lesson 2 Exam

2008-09-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

1. Write a definition of environment in your own words.

An environment is an ecosystem, a city, of different things that maintain the entire stability of the world around them. Different organisms and even non-living things occupy different places in the fabric (and behave) in such a way that the sheet of an ecosystem hold together. An environment is a place that requires all of the different things above to live and stay in order. A shopping mall, i.e., needs good economy, customers, and companies willing to form alliances. A rain forest needs trees for shelter for caterpillars, and caterpillars to eat dead leaves to keep the soil good for the trees. It goes in a circle.
Do you see the mental picture?

2. In what ways do YOU react to changes in your environment? List and describe at least three different ways.

a. When it is over, say, 90 degrees outside, my body starts to perspire, and that evaporates, taking heat with it. (Which, I have noticed, never works OR makes me hotter. Our sweat glands must be in mid-evolution. This is plausible, since we're not the most intelligent species on the block {Dolphins are, and this is no Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference}, and therefore not the top rung of the ladder which is as follows: )

Squid |.-.|, Crow ) :/\ Horse : (:|) Pig :oI Cat/Dog ;^{ Ape (:)| Man :<) Dolphin --'_>

b. If it gets colder, I manually (Not automatically) start to get more active to maintain my body temperature.

c. In fall, when fruit in my garden is at it's most ripe, I react by harvesting it for food for survival.

3. Do all living things change? List changes that you have observed in three living things in your environment recently.
a. My cats shed more when it's hot.
b. Trees lose their leaves in fall.
c. Flowers stop blooming in the winter.

4. Do non-living things change? List changes that you have observed in three non-living things in your environment recently.
a. My computer responded to me pressing the power button.
b. The TV turned on.
c. An electron moved.

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 2

2008-09-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Assignments 1,2 & 3

1. Add the Fertile Crescent to your map and name it. Include the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

(close up of the Fertile Crescent added to the map)

2. Build a clay model of a Ziggurat (an ancient Mesopotamian temple shaped like a pyramid and built up in a series of steps or terraces)

3a. Design a trademark that has meaning to you. Carve this design into clay and let it dry to make a seal.

Life Science Lesson 2: The Environment

2008-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Assignment 4b: Evening Observations; at least an hour after the sun has set, go out without any source of light. Stay out for 20 minutes. Describe your observations.

A WALK IN THE NIGHT
There were big tall trees that might be trembling aspens. The leaves went in big thick spirals around the trunks. There was a dark sky with light pollution blocking the stars. We went through an alley. There was a vine with big purple flowers climbing the side of a garage. There were white roses in our neighbor's yard, more stems than flowers. There was a large green plant with gigantic frond-like leaves. A person had big gray rocks in his front yard. There were not many sounds except people and average city sounds. I was very cold.

Starbucks Loves Homeschoolers

2008-09-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

Starbucks Offers Free Coffee for Homeschool Parents
This coming Monday, September 29, homeschool parents will be able to pick up a complimentary tall size (12 fl. oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbucks.

This promotion is part of Starbucks "Great Start for Great Teachers" promotion, and is now open to all teachers.

We are pleased that Starbucks is recognizing the contribution of homeschool parents by extending their program to us.

In order to pick up your free cup of Pike Place Roast you will need to present evidence that you are a homeschooler.

Any one item on the following list should be accepted by Starbucks:

a.. Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
b.. Membership card from a state homeschooling organization
c.. Notification from a school district or state government
recognizing compliance with compulsory attendance.
d.. Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a homeschool program.
e.. Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.
If you don't have one of the items on this list be creative and try to
provide other proof of homeschooling.

Please note: the final decision about whether to accept proof of
homeschooling resides with Starbucks.

Our Preschool Curriculum

2008-09-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

Oak Meadow Preschool Curriculum

and we also use ALL of this! L.A. Mama pulled all of this together for supplemental material in addition to Oak Meadow. California loves to read so we started with Bob Books. He read "Mat" today.

First Day of Fall Activity

2008-09-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of Fall. California had been learning all about himself last week, so we pulled that theme over to this week and added another concept. "I am a part of Nature and Nature is a part of me". To illustrate this concept, we outlined California's body as shown below (this made him giggle a lot).

Then we filled his outlined body with the colors of Fall...orange, red and yellow.

We talked about how we are all a part of Nature and it is a part of us as he blended these colors happily singing "Mary had a Little Lamb".

Then we added the shapes of Fall leaves within the painting and traced them with Fall colors. California labeled his work of art at the bottom and commented that it looked like leaves blowing in the wind.

Here are links to books that would go great with this activity:

All I See is Part of Me

Mouse's First Fall

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Leaf Man

Autumn is for Apples

Life Science Lesson 2: The Environment

2008-09-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Assignment 1

1. Make three lists
a. List 5 things in which change is easily observed.

1. Hatching Egg
2. Behavior change
3. Gaining/losing weight
4. Ice Melting
5. Sugar Dissolving into water

b. List 3 things that change slowly or that are unnoticeable.

1. Person's appearance changing with age
2. Plant growth
3. Tadpole to Frong

c. List 2 things that change to fast for us to notice.

1. Pupils dilating
2. Electrons moving.

Week 1 Summary

2008-09-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Science
Tennessee understands what Science is and why it is important to us. He has a firm grasp on the five steps of the scientific method and conducted his own experiment to illustrate his expertise in this area.

Ancient Civilizations
Tennessee learned about the Stone Age civilization. He studied cave paintings and explored the importance of the discovery of fire. He identified three ways in which fire was important to the stone age people and carved his own version of a stone age tool. Tennessee also demonstrated his knowledge of geography by drawing a map of the “old world”.

English
Tennessee already knew the meaning and spelling of all of his vocabulary words except for bola. He looked that word up and now has an excellent understanding of bola. He wrote an essay about the importance of fire for Stone Age humans and showed knowledge of paragraph forms, topic sentences, as well as descriptive and informative writing styles. He also wrote a brief newspaper article demonstrating the same knowledge.

Math
Tennessee completed two exams in 6th grade Math this week. He scored 100% on each.

Life Science Lesson 1 Exam

2008-09-19T16:06:00.001-07:00

1. Why do scientists do experiments?
To see why something happens or dosen't happen.

2. In what way are we all "scientists"?
We all automatically record details of our environment and save the data in our minds (whether or not it is processed depends)

3. What are the five steps of the scientific method? Briefly explain each step.
Observation: Something that you notice. You ask a question about how, or why.

Hypothesis: A possible answer for that question.

Experiment: A wat to test the hypothesis in a preset way.

Results: What happened during the experiment.

Conclusion: A short summary of what has been learned during the experiment.

4. Explain the difference between an observation and a hypothesis in a scientific experiment.
An observation is something that you notice. You ask a question about how, or why.
A Hypothesis is a possible answer for that question.

5. Explain the difference between results and conclusion in a scientific experiment.
A conclusion is a short summary of what has been learned during the experiment.

Results are what happened during the experiment.

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 1: Stone Age

2008-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Assignment 5b. Pretend you are going on an archaelogical assignment. You are about to excavate one of the early caves used by primitive humans. Write a newspaper article describing your findings.

Caveman Home Found!
“I didn’t know what I had found until I saw ‘dem bones’!
In what was either a stroke of luck or a foolish mistake, mountain climber Jack Robinson took shelter from a fierce storm inside a supposed bear cave and found the biggest archaeological site dating from the Stone Age yet! Inside were several carved and beautifully-detailed models of saber-toothed cats. There also were crude digging tools too that suggested that the cave dated back to the Agricultural Revolution. There were many, many cave paintings of ground sloths, saber-tooths, mammoths and more, all in yellow, black, brown and red plant dyes. Among all these treasures were the bones of lots of Neanderthals. Baby Neanderthals, juvenile Neanderthals, and adults. Jack Robinson was given an archaeologist Bachelor’s degree in return.

Life Science Lesson 1: Science and the Scientific Method

2008-09-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Assignment 4d. Animal Observation: Spend time observing an animal. When does it like to sleep? When does it like to play? Pose a hypothesis about its behavior. Observe and see if you made the correct assumptions.

My cat Bast likes to play with string, but it has to be moving and dangling above his head.

HYPOTHESIS CORRECT

Bast chooses to eat at certain times of day, such as night.

INCORRECT

Bast likes to lay in the sun to warm hinself and sleep.

CORRECT

Cats have bad days where they scratch, and good days where they want to be petted.

CORRECT

Making Music

2008-09-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be fun to make our own home-made guitar/harp. We just took some rubber bands and wrapped them around an empty containter. You could also use cardboard for this.

We got out our toy piano.

...and California played the harmonica.

We all jammed together for about 10 minutes. It was a fun musical beginning to a great day!

Ancient Civilizations/Art/Geography/English Lesson 1: Extra Credit Report

2008-09-18T12:18:00.002-07:00

Primitive Man

Evolution is an odd theory. It’s full of holes. But still, its effects are quite literally written in stone.
People used to think every single thing existing always did, but nothing, not even time, has always been around. From ape-men to predicted goblin-like human descendant, we will always change. There are many human ancestors, but I have chosen the most important.

Mini-Bigfoots and Handy Man (-Apes)

Meet Lucy (left). She is an almost 2 million year old Australopithecus afarensis. She is basically a tiny bigfoot. Being a bipedal chimp might not seem like much, but Lucy is at the crossroad between being a creature and being tribal (and eventually a sapient). More importantly, at the crossroad between being an ape and being a human.

A. Habilis (left) (Handy Man-Ape) was more proficient in tool-making and finding foodstuffs than it’s completely ape cousin. Tools have been found that are crude but have apparently been worked on well. This marks the beginning the Stone Age.
It’s head was less ape-like, but there were large jaw muscles, which meant it had little intuitive. Speech is thought to develop around this time.

Life Science Lesson 1: Science and the Scientific Method

2008-09-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Assignment #3

3. The Power of Observation
Go outside and collect 13-20 items from nature. Don't look at them too carefully. Place them in a box/basket and cover the opening. Give yourself one minute to observe them. Then give yourself three minutes to write or draw as much as you can remember about what you observed.

I brought in 10 items on the first round. We have no pictures of my drawings, but they were not very accurate compared to my chosen items. Also, I only remembered 8/10.

Round 2 was better in detail, and I used 13 items (remembering only 10).

See drawings of what I remembered below.

(Please left click the image above to enlarge and see details)

Ancient Civilizatons/Geography/Art/English Lesson 1: Stone Age

2008-09-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Assignments 3 & 4

3. Go to the library and look at pictures of paintings and carvings.

We used the internet to do this.

4. Make a stone tool or weapon.

The Wheels on the Bus

2008-09-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

We used the lid of an egg carton to make a "City Bus". California painted it red. He wanted animals to be riding in his bus, so we taped a light blue strip of construction paper on the inside with animals stickers placed so that the animals could be seen through the holes. Then California glued two black construction paper circles on for wheels. After the paint dried, I wrote "City Bus" with a black magic marker.

Check back soon to see how we used the bottom of the egg carton for a boat!

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 1 Essay

2008-09-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Assignment 2
How the Ancient Homo Neanderthal Used Fire

Compared to us, Neanderthals were (of course)cavemen. But to themselves, Neanderthals must’ve been pretty proud of themselves when they discovered fire. This report includes a list of possible uses for fire in the Stone Age. These are warmth, weaponry and illumination.

Warmth
The first thing involving cavemen and fire that comes to mind is that they will have no more cold nights. In this sense, they can develop cooking styles. Gathering around a fire could become a nightly routine, or a tradition. If the people had warmth, they would start the basis of religion (I won’t get into that…)

Weaponry
Have you heard of flaming torches? They’re like an ant vs. a blue whale compared to our nuclear weapons, but back then, nuclear weapons would be like the ability to destroy time itself. Flaming torches were the ultimate weapon 100,000 years ago. Fire would be the beginning of flaming arrows too.

Illumination
Light wasn’t that important back then. Although it would allow night raids on other Neanderthal’s camps. How about night hunting trips? For example: There is a lush meadow nearby. A few mammoths graze in it. A few hunters come by with spears and flaming torches. You know the rest. Also they could explore new caves for sleeping in.

So basically, fire changed our lives forever. We became invincible in battle. We had warmer nights. We were able to see at night. But most of all, fire was part of the winding maze of discoveries and breakthroughs that led to modern technology and our amazing intelligence.

A drawing of a Neanderthal Camp after the discovery of fire:

Life Science Lesson 1: Science & the Scientific Method

2008-09-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

Assignments 1 & 2.

1. Conduct Your Own Experiment.

Observation: How do clouds form from snow?

Hypothesis: In the summer the snow melts and runs into streams, which run into the sea. The cold water combined with lukewarm water (and hot western sun!) creates steam, which rises up and gets colder. The cold water vapour then condenses into a cloud.

Experiment: using plastic wrap, tape, water, home-made playdough, a cooking tray, and ice, I can create a model of the hypothesis above.

Results: 10:53 Experiment started.

11:00 Ice melting. Should add more hot water.

11:03 New hot water added.

11:05: Inside of tray appears foggy... steam?

11:07 One ice cube melts.

11:08 Ice cube blocking entrance to warm water basin melts.

11:10 50 mL of very hot water added.

11:11 Condensation sighted!

Duration: 18 minutes.

Water Cycle Biosphere sucess!

Hypothesis correct!

Conclusion: Cold water + Hot water = Vapor/Condensation.

Did what was supposed to do.

Method could be improved.

Variation experiment possible.

Experiment may not apply to personal life.

2. Observation vs. Hypothesis:

An observation is something that you notice. You ask a question about how, or why.

A Hypothesis is a possible answer for that question.

Name Collage

2008-09-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

California made a collage from the letters in his name and decorated it with purple glitter spirals. He loves spirals!

Ancient Civilizations/Geography/Art/English Lesson 1: The Stone Age

2008-09-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Assignment 1

Draw a large map of the outlline of the continents of Africa, Asia & Europe on a large piece of paper (this map will be added to all year).

A Map of the Old World

(left click on the image to enlarge and see more detail)

Making Playdough

2008-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

We mixed together some flour, water and oil. We originally started with a recipe, but realized that we needed a little more of this and a little more of that...then scrapped the recipe and used our intuition and senses to make it just right. We also used grapeseed oil instead of regular vegetable oil because vegetable oil turns rancid and grapeseed oil does not. L.A. Mama learned this while taking the Spiritual Aromatherapy course through Reiki Blessings Academy.

We stirred it until it was smooth.

Daddio helped the boys pour it into a big pot.

We cooked it on medium heat until the mixture became dough-like and until it completely pulled away from the sides of the pot. Then we placed it back into the original bowl to cool off. Finally, we sprinkled the dough with cream of tartar until it was no longer sticky and until it maintained shape and form.

Then California used this for handwork for an hour...making cookies, cakes and shapes. This dough will last as long as it is kept in an airtight container. We added Lavender essential oil for it's calming aromatherapy effects.

Tennessee's Report Card for 5th Grade (2007 - 2008)

2008-09-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Grade 5
First Assessment Period Evaluation
Written by Oak Meadow teacher/consultant - Ms. Debra May

Social Studies 4
Grade: A
Evan completed the Oak Meadow fourth grade Social Studies curriculum and moved on to the fifth grade studies. For enrichment, he combined elements of the textbooks, online curriculum and his own interests. Evan studied American history and geography. Literature as well as arts and craft projects were incorporated into his learning. He learned about the Mayflower, the pilgrims, and about the founding fathers. He wrote several reports about various times and people in American history. Evan is an enthusiastic learner and expressed many thoughtful ideas about the American historical events.

Evan did much research about the history of California. He created wonderful sketches of the state bird, the state flower and tree, the state symbol, the official state seal, and the state flag. He also gave short explanations of each. Evan used Google Earth to explore the topography of California and made a Power Point Presentation of his research on the Chumash Indians of California. He made a drawing and a virtual map of a Chumash village and models of Chumash Indians and their "tomols" or boats.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

English 5
Grade: A

Evan has a strong foundation in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, literature, and writing composition. His writing is creative and has a wonderful flow and style. Evan is able to write complex sentences and could easily become a professional writer. His striving and confidence is apparent. Evan has been writing a chapter book entitled, The Revenge of Typhon and worked on his new book series, The Rise of Evil. He also began a writing project that combines Language Arts and Science called "Planet X."

Evan loves to read, and he read many books from the library, in addition to those assigned. He read numerous books throughout the school year, including The Shadow Thieves and The Siren Song by Anne Ursu, Warriors: Dark River and Warriors: Outcast by Erin Hunter, Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, Ben and Me by Robert Lawson, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, Harry Potter books 1-4, Secrets of Droon books 1-5 by Tony Abbot, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians books 1-3 by Rick Riordan. One of Evan's fond interests is mythology, so he also read much in this area as well.

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Science 5
Grade: A

Science is a strong subject for Evan. He demonstrates a good understanding of the Scientific Method. The write-ups of his experiments are quite good, and they demonstrate that Evan is applying his thinking abilities to the readings, experiments, and projects. He is usually able to anticipate the outcome of the experiments and projects before they are completed. Much of the information presented in this sixth grade Environmental Science course was review for Evan, so he took the Science final exam early and did very well. For enrichment, he combines elements of the textbooks, online curriculum and his own interests in his Science studies. His scientific interests center on astronomy, zoology, paleontology, cryptozoology, and biology. Evan loves to research. He learned about plants in the new world and home remedies, began a writing project that he called Planet X, and tutored a sixth grade student on tectonic plates, Mars and Cryptozoology.

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Math 5
Grade: A

Evan has been working with the Oak Meadow fifth grade math book. He enjoys math and is good at it. He explored two and three-digit multiplication and division, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions, decimal problems, word problems, measurement, bar graphs, and line graphs. Evan did additional practice of multiplication by using online sites such as CoolMath4Kids.com to sharpen his timing and accuracy. He learned about the perimeter and area of squares and rectangles, added and subtracted time, and did long division problems with remainders. Evan demonstrated an excellent understanding of the mathematical concepts presented in each lesson.

Second Assessment Period Evaluation
Written by Oak Meadow teacher/consultant - Ms. Debra May

Social Studies 4
Grade: A
Evan completed the entire fourth and fifth grade Oak Meadow History/Social Studies curricula this school year. Because he is only eight years old, he chose to skip the topics about war and violence such as the witch trials and slavery. He opted to learn about these things when he is older. He wrote several outstanding pieces, and his expressive style made the readers feel that they were right there! The letters he wrote from Zachery to Ann were great, full of unexpected twists. His answers to the questions about the Spanish settlers and your reaction to the inhumane things they did to the Native Americans were very moving. He also did Impressive writing for the Boston Observer! Evan created Power Point presentations about the Chumash, studied California history and geography extensively, learned about the Spanish explorers' influence in the settlement of California, learned about the Gold Rush, and planned and wrote about a trip to San Francisco and across the United States.

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English 5
Grade: A

This school year, Evan completed Oak Meadow fourth and fifth grade Language Arts. He demonstrates a strong foundation in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, literature, and composition. He has excellent reading comprehension and organizational study skills. Evan completed many writing assignments this semester. His writing is exceptionally creative and thoughtful. Evan wrote several lengthy and imaginative chapter books, including The Rise of Evil Series - books 1 - 4: The Things From Oslane Swamp, Mysterious Island, Invasion, and Rykov, and Demigods and Titans book 1: The Revenge of Typhon. He also wrote a paper, more like a book, entitled Planet X Part 1 and created an unusual Power Point presentation entitled Rykov Inc. Data Files A.K.A. Rykov Inc Business Plan. Evan's "Rykov: Evil Makes a Comeback" dialogue and story was quite suspenseful and exciting! The entire book was superb! Evan did so much incredible writing this year! His writing shows an excellent understanding of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, quotations, paragraphing, and all other technical skills of writing. He did fantastic work on his final English exam! He even wrote a moving poem for Science about protecting the environment with a reference to "nature's knights." He wrote other poems as well, entitled "Christmas" and "The Day." Evan also enjoyed creating dozens of illustrations related to his ideas and writings.

Evan read numerous books throughout the school year. The following is a list of the books that he read this second semester: Lionboy books 1-2 by Zizou Corder, Little House on the Prairie and Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, George's Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen Hawking, and The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart.

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Science 5
Grade: A

Evan studied the Oak Meadow environmental science curriculum which emphasized an experiential approach, giving him the opportunity to discover scientific principles through hands-on activities. It is quite apparent that Science is one of Evan's big loves. His Science midterm and final exams were perfectly done! He wrote very detailed and thorough answers to all questions! For Astronomy, he always chose to write about the kinds of facts that are not usually mentioned and that are the most amazing. He did outstanding research. Evan also did excellent research about tornadoes, hurricanes, and other strong phenomena of weather. He did excellent work about the biomes! He wrote an incredible piece titled, "My Trip Through Time." Evan did many extracurricular projects related to Science. He chose to study the Periodic Table of Elements in detail and created his own versions of solar systems outside of ours. He also researched animals' way of life, appearances, and descriptions. He learned about essential oils, aromatherapy, and chakras. He made his own playdough using essential oils. Evan also created a fascinating Power Point presentation entitled Extraterrestrial Life.

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Math 5
Grade: A

Evan progressed through the Oak Meadow Math 5 curriculum at a steady pace. He also did physical and mental practice using worksheets, websites on the internet, and math dice. Evan mastered all of the skills presented within the curriculum including multiple-digit subtraction and addition, two- and three-digit multiplication and division, addition and subtraction of fractions, multiplication of fractions, working with unlike denominators and mixed numbers, reducing to the lowest terms, word problems, measurement, bar graphs, and line graphs. Evan did very well on his final exam. The websites that he used to supplement his learning styles are www.coolmath.com and www.funbrain.com. Evan's mathematical comprehension and computation skills are strong.