Dawn K Homeschool

We all had a blast!

My husband built and painted the wheelbarrow while I created the floral arrangement and arranged the items.  Isn't John just so talented and handy?

Pumpkin Patch on Halloween Night  Venetian Gondolier Spider Wing

I have NOT been crafting at all lately, but I did squeeze in a card for a friend.  I cheated, though, and copied a design I saw on the internet from here .

I was heading to the hospital to give birth to Nathan. After 12 hours of labor, I had a c-section. Though the birth was such a disappointment (I so wanted a natural birth), he has surely not been. I did get my natural birth later with Ben. :) Happy birthday, my sweet boy.

I went crazy.  A C Moore had their Sizzix ambossing folders on sale -- buy one pack, get one half price.  Each pack comes with two folders! Each pack ended up being $7.07 -- that's $3.54 per folder!  They had gloriously beautiful Basic Grey folders and cool Tim Holtz folders.  I am just giddy.  I also had a $10 rewards certificate. :)  These are the ones I bought. Dearly & Frost  Sugar & Starry Night  Plaid & Snowflakes  Christmas & Thin Ice  Collage & Notebook Bricked & Woodgrain  Powdered Sugar & Snow Globe  Peppermint Twist & Scallops  Evergreen & Snow Diamonds & Snow Cap 

Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors

And the winner is . . . unsinkable!  Congrats!

We have an extra set of the cards that came with the first book of the 39 Clues series.  If you would like them, please leave a comment here.  I will randomly select a winner on Monday, October 25 at noon EST.

These are only $1.00 each, peeps!  I LOVE these stamps, and yes, I already have enough Christmas stamps to last me the rest of my life.  I told the boys we are going to make our own gift tags this year.  FUN!

Leave a comment on this post, and I will randomly choose a winner who will be announced on Wed., October 20th at noon EST.

Please wish Aaron success at his MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) screening for the Marines. It begins Tuesday morning.

Here is a slideshow of some photos we took from a day at the park.  Aaron was not able to be with us.

A fellow homeschooler from http://followthetumbleweedroad.blogspot.com/  tagged me, so it looks like I'm now "it."  I am to answer her questions, and then pass along my own set of questions to four bloggers. Here are my questions: 1. What is the biggest reason you homeschool your children? Though I know there are some opportunities our boys miss out on by homeschooling, I believe it is far better for their development -- emotionally, socially and spiritually.  I also believe I can provide a far better education than traditional schools.  Though I cannot teach better than anyone they might have in a traditional school setting, I am certain our boys spend more time actually learning, and I believe I am able to foster a love of learning better than that which they would receive in a traditional school.  They also receive far more accountability. They spend much less time in school which allows for more play time -- more time to explore their own interests...

Anne of Alamo.  Just email me your address, and I'll ship this out to you ASAP.

Ben made Maggie a turkey collar. Sorry, I couldn't get the turkey's head in the photo. Here it is.

I am taking a few minutes to put recently bookmarked links into their appropriate folders, so I thought I would share them with you! Genetics Resources This  is actually a teacher's packet about biodiversity, but I really like their genetics resources.  You can also find online games for the same resource here .  Both are World Wildlife Fund projects. Here  is another interactive game, Genetics Kids Style. Though this  teaching packet is intended to accompany a film, it works great as an independent resource.  You will find worksheets and activities. A hands-on heredity unit can be downloaded here .  It includes a family tree activity using one trait that the student chooses.  The best part of this unit is the "Alien Genetics Activity" which "gives students the chance to construct a model “alien” with hereditary traits following classical or Mendelian genetics." Crafts for Studying Japan Yamaha Motor company is offering some wonderful crafts ...

I stumbled upon this study which targets high school students, though I think it can be used with middle school and younger.  It is titled " A Case Study of Tokugawa Japan through Art: Views of a Society in Transformation ." To access the main page, click here .  I will give a quick overview of what this section offers. Teachers should read the background information on  this  page.  View the lesson here .  Essentially, the student will learn about social and economic changes in Japanese society during the Tokugawa period by studying woodblock prints by Hiroshige.  The student will make inferences about society based on these art images.  This study provides the images, handouts and an answer key. The entire lesson (excluding the images which can be found on the main page) can be downloaded in pdf format here . You will find similar resources for other time periods in Japan's history.  Access the home page with other time ...

I will randomly choose a winner on Friday, October 8 at noon EST.  Just post a comment here to enter the drawing.  You can look inside here . Please note, the book is warped, but it still photocopies fine.