Wax Museum Biographies

so the girls' yoga/ballet instructor Ms. Laura, always does a fun learning project after yoga is done.  Over the last few weeks, she gave the girls instructions to choose a famouse woman (or man:) in history, dress the part, and act them out, after their "button" is pushed...as if they are wax figures in a museum.  They are also to choose their wax "still" pose.  

Fairy Girl wasn't too interested in participating, so I'm not going to push it.  But Little Angel was all over this one...a little too all over....she couldn't narrow it down to any one person...but, her indecisiveness didn't hurt her, because she researched several famous people, and learned: Betsy Ross, Martha Washington, Maria Tallchief, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Antoinette...until we finally convinced her (after missing out on two opportunities to practice in class:) to go for Amela Earhart.

Here are the other girls:

Wax Museum Biographies (from right to left):
Pearl Cornioley
Maria Tallchief
Betsy Ross
George Washington
Jacklyn Kennedy Onassis
Laura Ingles Wilder
Amelia Earhart 

And great time, and lots of learning, was had by all!

Birds And Butterflies Are Free to Fly Homeschool Academy: 2011-2012

A big welcome to my first and second grade students!!

"Bed in Winter" (our homeschool adaption of "Bed in Summer" by Robert Louis Stevenson)--a lesson in poetry, stanzas, rhythms, and opposites; complete with illustrations of OUR poem---sometimes, ok often times, poetry can go awry! 

In summer, I get up at day

And dress by pink and blue flowers in the bright

In winter, quite the other way,

I have to go to bed by night

I have to wakeup and see

The birds still singing on the tree

Or hear the children's feet

Still going by me with stinky feet

And does it not seem easy to you

When all the sky is cloudy and pink

And I should so much like to work

To have to wake up at night?

and to the right, an artistic interpretation of "stinky" feet, personified!

Poetry and stinky feet were just the beginning of our first day of this new school year!  This week we are studying Egypt, King Tut, and the impact and importance of the Nile River on Egypt.  To kick off our week in Egypt, we created  crowns for our little Pharaohs.

And just a final tidbit of what stood out in our first day back to school...I was dictating sentences for Angel Girl to write out (and words for Fairy Girl).  For the final sentence, I asked her to create her own.  If you choose to read through her dictated sentences, and see the last one she created, you will now understand why we *HAVE* to homeschool!

Old World Wisconsin

We were out picking up paint at our non toxic paint store where we always buy it--it's a beautiful drive and pretty area. I figured since we were out we should take a break from traditional homeschooling and have a field trip--why, because we can! So we went to out to lunch at Culvers, and then I thought I would take them to Elegant Farmer (a wonderful apple and pumpkin farm, with a train and lots to offer). But then I thought, I have never been to Old World Wisconsin, and it's on my list of things I have to do before we move (whenever that may be?). We arrived there, and holy moly, the grounds are so peaceful and beautiful. We didn't pay for the whole tram tour where you can get on and off as you please and see the historic buildings and the interpreters. It's too much for just three hours, and I prefer their daddy be with us when we do that. I just wanted to see where it was and get information. Boy there is so much more going on there than I realized! They have special events planned all year too, so we plan on going back mid October for their fall harvest weekend!
http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/




My girls decided they'd like to be 19th century girls for Halloween to match their new bonnets; we'll have to see if Grandma J would be interested in sewing up some smocks for them:) I'm sure they'll want to be mermaids again tomorrow:)





We came home and made yarn dolls; I have very fond memories of doing this with my Grandma--I'll have to hit grandma J up for any and all yarn scraps she doesn't want!