NT was up to watch PBS's Cyberchase on mixed numbers in fractions.
We were out the door early this morning to get to The Snowy Day at Stages Theatre with a bunch of other homeschoolers. While waiting for the play to start, NT and I talked about the different kinds of jobs people have to create a play--creative director, music director, choreographer, lighting designer, costume/make-up designer, etc.
After the play we had a quick stop at home to change to go check out the homeschool open house sample classes at Ballare where Lizzy takes ballet. Lizzy tried out the homeschool Creative Dance class and NT tried the hip hop class because he is interested in breakdancing...but they didn't do any.
In the end, the director and I decided to keep Lizzy in her regular class instead of switching to the new homeschool class because there is no year-end performance with the homeschool class. The performance is very important to Lizzy!
In between activities NT has been poring over his tropical fish book planning for the trip to the fish store on Saturday. He has all kinds of fish picked out. It will be interesting to see what he comes home with!
NT has invented all kinds of things today--from a sling shot to a paper surf board (to slide down the dance studio stairs) to a bird feeder made out of an egg carton. I can hardly keep up.
Liz surprised me and "cleaned" her room all by herself this afternoon (the floor is picked up and there is a "mountain" piled up on top of her bed, her toy box, her shopping cart...), and she has spent quite a bit of time this afternoon performing with her microphone on her "stage" (today it's the couch). If only I could find her a class where she could sing and dance at the same time!
It will be early to bed tonight!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
NT was up early to watch PBS's Cyberchase. Today's topic was math in nature.
We had a leisurely morning--the kids played football, war (*sigh*), and NT and I read through his entire book on tropical fish to find out what options he has for adding to his aquarium. Lizzy helped me peel some "picnic eggs" (hard-boiled).
This afternoon we decided to get out of the house so we stopped by IKEA (where the kids like to play in the play area) on the way to the library. NT checked out another arm-load of books on a plethora of subjects.
Just before dinner the kids watched a Magic School Bus video about how body parts work during athletic activity and then it was off to walk to basketball practice. Lizzy asked to go too.
We had a leisurely morning--the kids played football, war (*sigh*), and NT and I read through his entire book on tropical fish to find out what options he has for adding to his aquarium. Lizzy helped me peel some "picnic eggs" (hard-boiled).
This afternoon we decided to get out of the house so we stopped by IKEA (where the kids like to play in the play area) on the way to the library. NT checked out another arm-load of books on a plethora of subjects.
Just before dinner the kids watched a Magic School Bus video about how body parts work during athletic activity and then it was off to walk to basketball practice. Lizzy asked to go too.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
NT watched PBS's Cyberchase this morning on dew points.
We had a blissful day off, for the most part. We made a big pancake breakfast and ate it leisurely.
The kids brought a bunch of their invention materials up to the living room where they spent much of the day inventing things. They tried out some of their inventions in the tub early afternoon. They "played" chess and some tackle football and made a pink and white feather boa nest for the dog under the dining room table. He loved it and was curled up in it for most of the day.
We spent a good amount of time out shoveling and playing in the snow. Lizzy helped me shovel the neighbors' walk. NT and I talked about how sometimes the neighbors shovel for us and sometimes we shovel for them--we all try to help each other out when we are able.
Late afternoon we took NT to ceramics class. We were early so NT showed me how he works the foot-powered pottery wheel. It was really neat to see how adept he has become at working the wheel!
Tonight NT got to bring home his fired projects. He proudly displayed each item for John and I just before bed. He made a lot of cool stuff!
We had a blissful day off, for the most part. We made a big pancake breakfast and ate it leisurely.
The kids brought a bunch of their invention materials up to the living room where they spent much of the day inventing things. They tried out some of their inventions in the tub early afternoon. They "played" chess and some tackle football and made a pink and white feather boa nest for the dog under the dining room table. He loved it and was curled up in it for most of the day.
We spent a good amount of time out shoveling and playing in the snow. Lizzy helped me shovel the neighbors' walk. NT and I talked about how sometimes the neighbors shovel for us and sometimes we shovel for them--we all try to help each other out when we are able.
Late afternoon we took NT to ceramics class. We were early so NT showed me how he works the foot-powered pottery wheel. It was really neat to see how adept he has become at working the wheel!
Tonight NT got to bring home his fired projects. He proudly displayed each item for John and I just before bed. He made a lot of cool stuff!
Monday, February 8, 2010
This morning NT was up early for PBS's Cyberchase on direction and distance.
Lizzy had ballet this morning and while we were waiting, I showed NT how to finger knit. He worked quietly on his rope for the entire time, and then worked for another couple hours once we got home. He plans to make a rope long enough to go around the whole living room.
After lunch we went back out to shovel and the kids played for quite awhile in the new snow.
NT continues to try to teach his sister how to play chess...so far it's not really taking, but he likes to keep trying anyway.
We dropped NT off at his cooking class late-afternoon and then Liz and I were off to her very first Irish step class, which she loved. They learned some dance steps and did some rhythms and learned a song.
NT had dinner at Minna and Grandpa Alan's where he got to play chess!
Lizzy had ballet this morning and while we were waiting, I showed NT how to finger knit. He worked quietly on his rope for the entire time, and then worked for another couple hours once we got home. He plans to make a rope long enough to go around the whole living room.
After lunch we went back out to shovel and the kids played for quite awhile in the new snow.
NT continues to try to teach his sister how to play chess...so far it's not really taking, but he likes to keep trying anyway.
We dropped NT off at his cooking class late-afternoon and then Liz and I were off to her very first Irish step class, which she loved. They learned some dance steps and did some rhythms and learned a song.
NT had dinner at Minna and Grandpa Alan's where he got to play chess!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Friday I dropped NT at Minna & Grandpa Alan's while Liz and I went to her gymnastics class. NT ended up spending almost the whole day there. Minna had visitors who brought their fiddles so NT got a chance to play Minna's little violin again in the morning for the first time in quite awhile. In the afternoon Grandpa Alan taught NT how to play chess, which he has been wanting to learn for several weeks now. He LOVED it and started begging to get his own set.
Liz played by herself with the Magna Tiles for much of the afternoon and then she and I made cookies.
Saturday morning NT had a basketball game. This week's fan club included Minna & Grandpa Alan, Grampy & Maria, Auntie Em & Craig, and Kiki. Afterward another parent approached him and told him he played a good game and was really good at staying with the ball.
Saturday afternoon Brenna came over to play and John took Liz over to Grandma Ruth's.
Today the kids went out to play in the snow and ended up pulling apart some of the corn cobs that Grandma Ruth gave them to feed the squirrels, though all the kernels are likely to get buried in the new snow!
After lunch John and NT took some fish water in to the fish store to get the water tested and were given the thumbs-up on water quality (though no word on why it's still cloudy, but no one seems to care, including John & NT...). Then they stopped to pick up NT's very own (cheap plastic) chess set.
We watched the Super Bowl in the evening and had lots of yummy snacks made by John!
Liz played by herself with the Magna Tiles for much of the afternoon and then she and I made cookies.
Saturday morning NT had a basketball game. This week's fan club included Minna & Grandpa Alan, Grampy & Maria, Auntie Em & Craig, and Kiki. Afterward another parent approached him and told him he played a good game and was really good at staying with the ball.
Saturday afternoon Brenna came over to play and John took Liz over to Grandma Ruth's.
Today the kids went out to play in the snow and ended up pulling apart some of the corn cobs that Grandma Ruth gave them to feed the squirrels, though all the kernels are likely to get buried in the new snow!
After lunch John and NT took some fish water in to the fish store to get the water tested and were given the thumbs-up on water quality (though no word on why it's still cloudy, but no one seems to care, including John & NT...). Then they stopped to pick up NT's very own (cheap plastic) chess set.
We watched the Super Bowl in the evening and had lots of yummy snacks made by John!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday we had a much needed at-home morning to sleep in (until 7 a.m.), catch up on housework and laundry, and build pillow forts in the living room.
In the afternoon, we joined some new homeschooling friends at the History Center where NT showed us around the Ben Franklin exhibit. We checked out the MN 150 exhibit, and finally ended up in the granary play area where the kids got all rosy-cheeked climbing up and down, running through tunnels, and "driving" the grain wagon.
NT had ceramics class in the late afternoon and then he and John had a Cub Scouts den meeting in the evening where it was a craft extravaganza!!
Yesterday started out bright and early with PBS's Cyberchase and then it was time to take NT to his weekly MN Science Museum class, which he is really enjoying.
The kids built a fort in the living room/dining room after lunch and then we took an impromptu trip to the Como Park Conservatory to meet some other new homeschooling friends. We saw all kind of tropical fish and plants, lots of cool koi, and even an up-close sloth that we watched for quite a while and learned quite a bit about! We really enjoyed the warm, humid air--NT pretended he was back in Lamanai!
NT had basketball practice and one of the other parents approached me to tell me what a great game she thought he had on Saturday!
Today the kids did some more fort-building and then we were off to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where we waited in line for an hour with hundreds of other artists so NT could register his artwork to be shown in the Foot in the Door exhibit starting later this month. He is really excited--he has been asking to show his work in the "Minneapolis Substitute of Arts" since he was 3-years-old!
After lunch we headed over to the library where we picked up a bunch of lacrosse books and a lacrosse DVD that NT had requested, and Grampy picked NT up to take him to practice basketball at the gym for the afternoon.
In the afternoon, we joined some new homeschooling friends at the History Center where NT showed us around the Ben Franklin exhibit. We checked out the MN 150 exhibit, and finally ended up in the granary play area where the kids got all rosy-cheeked climbing up and down, running through tunnels, and "driving" the grain wagon.
NT had ceramics class in the late afternoon and then he and John had a Cub Scouts den meeting in the evening where it was a craft extravaganza!!
Yesterday started out bright and early with PBS's Cyberchase and then it was time to take NT to his weekly MN Science Museum class, which he is really enjoying.
The kids built a fort in the living room/dining room after lunch and then we took an impromptu trip to the Como Park Conservatory to meet some other new homeschooling friends. We saw all kind of tropical fish and plants, lots of cool koi, and even an up-close sloth that we watched for quite a while and learned quite a bit about! We really enjoyed the warm, humid air--NT pretended he was back in Lamanai!
NT had basketball practice and one of the other parents approached me to tell me what a great game she thought he had on Saturday!
Today the kids did some more fort-building and then we were off to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where we waited in line for an hour with hundreds of other artists so NT could register his artwork to be shown in the Foot in the Door exhibit starting later this month. He is really excited--he has been asking to show his work in the "Minneapolis Substitute of Arts" since he was 3-years-old!
After lunch we headed over to the library where we picked up a bunch of lacrosse books and a lacrosse DVD that NT had requested, and Grampy picked NT up to take him to practice basketball at the gym for the afternoon.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Last Friday we went with a homeschool group to see Mr. McGee and the Biting Flea at the Children's Theatre and met some new friends who invited us to try out a new play group not far from us which we will do on Friday of this week. After the play we spent a little bit of time at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, but NT was disappointed that there wasn't any artwork up that was done by kids, like the last time he visited, so we didn't stay long.
Saturday NT had a big audience at his basketball game--Aunty Em, Grampy, Maria, Grandpa Alan, and Minna all joined us and got to see NT make the first basket of the game for the second week in a row!
Afterward we went to the co-op and then John took the kids ice skating (Lizzy's first time!) late afternoon. Grandma Ruth and Bob came to play in the evening and the kids stayed up late taking "pictures" with the old camera they brought and playing all kinds of board games.
Sunday NT and John went briefly to a Cub Scout event and then we had a quiet day. We all stayed up late to watch the Grammy awards. NT wanted to see the Black Eyed Peas perform and Lizzy likes all the singing and dancing ladies.
This morning NT was up early to watch Cyberchase on gears ("algebraic thinking").
Lizzy had ballet class and NT practiced punting his hackey sack up the stairs the entire time. He was trying to figure out how to get the ball to go straight, as opposed to curving or hitting the ceiling--it was an interesting scientific experiment!
The kids played all afternoon and then NT went to cooking class. It will be early to bed tonight!
Saturday NT had a big audience at his basketball game--Aunty Em, Grampy, Maria, Grandpa Alan, and Minna all joined us and got to see NT make the first basket of the game for the second week in a row!
Afterward we went to the co-op and then John took the kids ice skating (Lizzy's first time!) late afternoon. Grandma Ruth and Bob came to play in the evening and the kids stayed up late taking "pictures" with the old camera they brought and playing all kinds of board games.
Sunday NT and John went briefly to a Cub Scout event and then we had a quiet day. We all stayed up late to watch the Grammy awards. NT wanted to see the Black Eyed Peas perform and Lizzy likes all the singing and dancing ladies.
This morning NT was up early to watch Cyberchase on gears ("algebraic thinking").
Lizzy had ballet class and NT practiced punting his hackey sack up the stairs the entire time. He was trying to figure out how to get the ball to go straight, as opposed to curving or hitting the ceiling--it was an interesting scientific experiment!
The kids played all afternoon and then NT went to cooking class. It will be early to bed tonight!
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