I just finished the science lesson with my 6yr old son. Part of it was a graphic organizer based on scientific inquiry. The table asked us to list what he knows, what he wanted to know, and after the lesson, what he's learned.
We ran out of room on what he knows. We ran out of room on what he learned....but what's more interesting to me: his questions. They expected kids to ask if pigs fly or turtles swim, etc. He wanted to know if animals feel pain, like when we catch them with hooks when fishing or kill them for food (all this, mind you, was totally, completely unsolicited). He wanted to know if animals could be sad, like when Ruby saw Max get ran over by a car. Amazing.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The Natives are Restless....
Yes, it's that time of year when students are disgruntled with their grades. Here's some footage of them airing their complaints:
Actually...
Māori dancers of New Zealand perform a Haka dance.
Haka are best described as challenges. They are used to make a point and to vent anger… They are vocal performances involving rhythmic declamation in triple metre and aggressive or challenging facial expressions (pūkana, literally “glaring”), body movements and demeanour. The men make heavy use of foot stamping, body percussion, and grimace in an attempt to appear as menacing as possible.
"Where do you get these things?" http://thekidshouldseethis.com/
Actually...
Māori dancers of New Zealand perform a Haka dance.
Haka are best described as challenges. They are used to make a point and to vent anger… They are vocal performances involving rhythmic declamation in triple metre and aggressive or challenging facial expressions (pūkana, literally “glaring”), body movements and demeanour. The men make heavy use of foot stamping, body percussion, and grimace in an attempt to appear as menacing as possible.
"Where do you get these things?" http://thekidshouldseethis.com/
Friday, December 09, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
Light...(pant...pant) Tunnel (gasp...gash) End! (sigh)
Not with a bang but a whimper....
Seven days, four hours, and 15 minutes to go. Then grades are due and I am emancipated.
I have less than 100 essays on the docket, but finals every week day.
Regardless, I've got joy, joy, joy, joy....down in my heart.
It's been a good semester, but I'm so very glad it's almost over. I cannot fathom a job that might not be broken into 15 week, piecemeal segments that allow me to pace myself. Whew.
Seven days, four hours, and 15 minutes to go. Then grades are due and I am emancipated.
I have less than 100 essays on the docket, but finals every week day.
Regardless, I've got joy, joy, joy, joy....down in my heart.
It's been a good semester, but I'm so very glad it's almost over. I cannot fathom a job that might not be broken into 15 week, piecemeal segments that allow me to pace myself. Whew.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Puppies
I almost titled this one "heartbreak" but I thought that might be too much drama. Here's the way it is, anyway, at 7am on a Saturday...
Since we let them loose after Thanksgiving, every morning and night when I return home to my farm I have been greeted by our puppies, two six month old labs that are so full of energy and life! It's true puppies seem to never hold a grudge. They seem to always just gush with love and enthusiasm. They never fail to make me laugh out loud.
It's been challenging to keep them from jumping up on me, but it's especially important they do not when I'm wearing my work clothes (all go to the dry cleaner). It's been extra work to grab a dog biscuit or something to toss their way to buy myself time to run for the truck sometimes. Overall, it seemed annoying...
...until this morning.
This morning, the pups turned into dogs. Sure they greeted me at the door as I was coming from the house. Sure they wanted to share their love and enthusiasm. It was great.
Then, as I made my way to the truck, something new happened: nothing. The puppies just stood on the porch and watched me go. Always before they were my escorts to the truck, even trying to wedge their heads inside as I tried to shut the door. Often they tried climbing in with me.
Today, they just shrugged and sat down back at the house, watching me leave.
So this is what I'm in for, and I know it. Someday my children, too, will lose their enthusiasm for me, just like these puppies. It's been great to be adored, to feel like a rock star every morning and night. Now, I'm glimpsing the future and grimacing at the present with my pu-- with my dogs.
Sad.
Since we let them loose after Thanksgiving, every morning and night when I return home to my farm I have been greeted by our puppies, two six month old labs that are so full of energy and life! It's true puppies seem to never hold a grudge. They seem to always just gush with love and enthusiasm. They never fail to make me laugh out loud.
It's been challenging to keep them from jumping up on me, but it's especially important they do not when I'm wearing my work clothes (all go to the dry cleaner). It's been extra work to grab a dog biscuit or something to toss their way to buy myself time to run for the truck sometimes. Overall, it seemed annoying...
...until this morning.
This morning, the pups turned into dogs. Sure they greeted me at the door as I was coming from the house. Sure they wanted to share their love and enthusiasm. It was great.
Then, as I made my way to the truck, something new happened: nothing. The puppies just stood on the porch and watched me go. Always before they were my escorts to the truck, even trying to wedge their heads inside as I tried to shut the door. Often they tried climbing in with me.
Today, they just shrugged and sat down back at the house, watching me leave.
So this is what I'm in for, and I know it. Someday my children, too, will lose their enthusiasm for me, just like these puppies. It's been great to be adored, to feel like a rock star every morning and night. Now, I'm glimpsing the future and grimacing at the present with my pu-- with my dogs.
Sad.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Isolated
Sometimes I feel isolated. I know, it's ridiculous, since I am immersed with over 100 students every week, since I have a broad presence and reach online, since I am not altogether shy...but living where we do, the way we do, tends toward sometimes leaving us on the fringes.
Not that there's anything (usually) wrong with that.
We are unfortunately between towns, counties, districts and such that our services are helter-skelter. For instance, we live in Harvey county, but the closest town, 4 miles away, is in Butler county. We would be in a school district (if we did not home school) in Butler county, even though we live in Harvey. We attend a 4H club in Sedgwick (2o miles away) that we like, but the robotics club is in Newton. One of our kids goes to preschool in Benton (16 miles away). I work in Andover. Our kids participate in PE in El Dorado...
...and thus we are a people apart. We are a part of everything, but then again, nothing. We do not have a solid base of operation. We go to a 4H event where we know no one (or, we are at least lucky enough to know one family at one of the things we are involved in), but they tend to all know each other, to have grown up together in 4H, slugged it out at their county fairs together, sometimes in-bred. They go to the same schools, churches, etc. often. We don't really ever get to know anyone beyond a superficial level, and no one seems to extend an invite to anything, etc. to get to know us.
Sometimes it makes me want to either a) relocate or b) put all of our energy into one town/county, etc. The later has not been our choice to date, for we have found good programs, schools, etc. by shopping around.
Sometimes I think I should man-up and put lots more energy into being outgoing and invite people over to our place, build our own day care if not pre-school, something like that.
Anything would be better than whining about it, eh?
Not that there's anything (usually) wrong with that.
We are unfortunately between towns, counties, districts and such that our services are helter-skelter. For instance, we live in Harvey county, but the closest town, 4 miles away, is in Butler county. We would be in a school district (if we did not home school) in Butler county, even though we live in Harvey. We attend a 4H club in Sedgwick (2o miles away) that we like, but the robotics club is in Newton. One of our kids goes to preschool in Benton (16 miles away). I work in Andover. Our kids participate in PE in El Dorado...
...and thus we are a people apart. We are a part of everything, but then again, nothing. We do not have a solid base of operation. We go to a 4H event where we know no one (or, we are at least lucky enough to know one family at one of the things we are involved in), but they tend to all know each other, to have grown up together in 4H, slugged it out at their county fairs together, sometimes in-bred. They go to the same schools, churches, etc. often. We don't really ever get to know anyone beyond a superficial level, and no one seems to extend an invite to anything, etc. to get to know us.
Sometimes it makes me want to either a) relocate or b) put all of our energy into one town/county, etc. The later has not been our choice to date, for we have found good programs, schools, etc. by shopping around.
Sometimes I think I should man-up and put lots more energy into being outgoing and invite people over to our place, build our own day care if not pre-school, something like that.
Anything would be better than whining about it, eh?
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