A Week Of Over Extending Ourselves

This past week we tried to home school...tried being the key word here.

We were a busy bunch this week, with 3 field trips scheduled. On Monday, we visited this apple orchard again, but this time we were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour, where we learned all about the cider press and the machines that sort the apples that go to the store. It was very cool.

On Thursday, we visited this bakery for a group tour. Mark, the baker, showed the kids all the neat things about his bakery...the milling stone was especially interesting, as he could show the kids how flour is actually milled from the wheat berries.

The neatest field trip by far though occurred on Wednesday, when we drove up to the Mall of America for a trip to Underwater Adventures Aquarium. The kids really learned a ton of information in the shells class, where they were able to handle lots of different kinds of shells and learn cool facts about shells (did you know that shells are made out of calcium and that the sea creatures grown them like bones?) and create cute lobsters out of paper plates.

Following the class, we took a tour of the aquarium, which the kids LOVED.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring LegoLand, trying out a couple of rides in the amusement park, and dining out at Rainforest Cafe. As we leisurely strolled back to the van to head back home, I realized what it was I liked about taking these trips with my kids this week. I truly enjoyed myself. And I enjoyed seeing my kids enjoy everything that day brought. We never had to rush, we never had to follow anyone's schedule, and I got to be a part of every aspect of those learning experiences. And that is one of the many reasons I feel so good about educating my children at home.

And although we didn't have a ton of seat time this week, I think all of us learned a lot, beyond cider presses, wheat berries, and crustaceans.

Especially me.

Writing tests in Linux

#!/bin/sh
# $SENT1 is a variable meaning "Sentence 1"
# Not sure what PS3 means.
# Could be a good start for a program that would make tests for Annika.

PS3="Choose the number of the correct word to fill in the blank: "
echo "The emergency brake let go and car rolled ______ the hill"

select SENT1 in up down along beside

do

   if [ "$SENT1" == "" ];  then
       echo -e "You need to enter something\n"
          continue


   elif [ "$SENT1" != down ];  then
       echo -e "Sorry. Incorrect\n"
       echo "1. Incorrect" >> eoiexam.dat

   elif [ "$SENT1" == down ];  then
       echo -e "Great!\n"
       echo "No. 1 - Correct" >> eoiexam.dat
       break

fi

done

Annika's Presentation

The home school co-op we belong to has been really great for the kids. In addition to art, science, and physical education, the kids get to work on their public speaking skills. On Friday, Annika had the chance to give a short presentation. She chose the topic "leaves," and spent much of the week collecting, pressing, and preparing different fall foliage from our neighborhood.

Throughout the week, she practiced speaking in front of different family members and friends, and although she professed nervousness a few days before, she gave a flawless presentation.

At the end of the presentation, the presenter must field questions from the audience. As you view this, you may notice that the kids are still having a difficult time mastering the art of asking relevant questions, which is to be expected since they're only in Kindergarten, but Annika handled the comments, as well as the questions, with poise.

She's already looking forward to her next presentation after the holidays. As of right now, she believes she will research "horses."