It's Gardner Science Time

So this week we did this REALLY neat volcano project! It was in Emma's science book for this week. The kids enjoyed this project so much that we might be making another one in the near future! For this we made our own "clay dough" which I got off the internet. 

We put a bottle in the middle to hold the baking soda for the "explosion" and added vinegar to make it explode. We took food coloring and made the land and the ocean. It wouldn't have been a complete volcano without men running for their lives, so we added G.I. Joe's which Ethan thought was a great touch. 

Here are 2 video's of our "Great Explosion"

{This is the mild version}

Tim got a little carried away with the baking soda.... But it was worth it! The kids enjoyed it!!

{This is the hardcore version}

2011 Homeschooling Year {To be continued.....}

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.. Been a little busy.. read below to find out why!!!

Taking Ethan to Pre-K and Emma's first official day of school!

I finally ordered Emma's curricula. This is my first year using Catholic Heritage. I must say that I LOVE the material. I do however think I may need to buy a different math and language arts. Today was my first day using the program with her. I started a new job working as a preschool teacher where my 4 year old is going. I am working 3 days a week and only 5 hours and while I work my mom does some of the work with her and when I get home I finish up. I really like what they have to offer. I think it's going to be a great school year and more to come with the program and my likes and dislikes! 

   [ [ [ Disclaimer: I would like to add that I believe that anyone who can homeschool should. There are so many advantages to it. If you want more info or have any questions please feel free to ask me anything... I was in your shoes at one point. I didn't know where to turn or what to do... I battled my way through this craziness and we are now a PROUD homeschooling family! Please ask me anything. Thanks for the continued support we have received from family and friends. Without you.. we would be in public school still!!!] ] ]

Reading from Little Acts of Grace {She LOVED this book}

‎"Congratulations! Your Nonaccredited Private School Registration has been submitted."

So here is how my homeschooling adventures started...When Tim first deployed she was in Kindergarten and we liked it here (KS), I liked her teacher and the teacher did a lot of extra work for Emma, but we decided to move home (GA) for the remainder of his deployment due to other reasons. I went to sign up her at my old school.. and it was horrible. They didn't want to give us a tour of the school they didn't want offer any information about anything we asked. There were so many kids and they were rude and we could hear kids screaming and cussing in the lunch room... and we knew she was smart and that she would need extra help to stimulate her brain, she was already in 1st grade math and reading on an advance 1st grade level. (I thought I was in a WWII movie when I walked in, it was sooo loud in there) I spoke to the principal about it and they said they wouldn't be able to help me like that. Her class was 32 students. I knew I couldn't do that to her and she deserved a better education than I had. {When I started school I was in an over ran school system with teachers who didn't care about anyone or anything. It was horrible. Finally my parents figured out what was going on and we move to a better school system. They were much better but do to the lack of teaching I had received I was about 2 grade levels behind and they just kept pushing me and working with me. I finally caught up but it was REALLY hard work and I didn't want that for Emma. I wanted the best for her.} We looked into private schools but in Conyers {where I am from} they are like $900 a month and the really good ones are over an hour away and more money. Tim and I had talked before about homeschooling and we knew this was the perfect time to do it. My brother and his wife homeschool their girls and about 4-5 people homeschool at our church. So we got involved with a few groups and we LOVED it! Ethan went to a pre-school every morning and while he was gone Emma and I went to Mass every morning and came home and had all our work done in 3 hours. The rest of the days were ours to spend family time together. We loved it. We had Friday's off, NO SCHOOL for either of the kids and Emma was so happy about that. Finally the time came for us to move back to KS and finish her school year. She talked about wanting to go back to public school. (We have a really great homeschool group here, they do art, field trips, and physical education. But when we moved back we missed a lot of it, so for 2-3 months it was just us and she missed the group we had in GA too.) Tim and I talked and said she was doing so well let's send her back and see how it goes . She had to go to a difference school due to us moving into a new house once we moved back to KS. I had head good things about the school, not to much negative, but to my surprise it was HORRIBLE. Emma was ashead of 95% of her class and she would beg for them to give her extra work that she was bored. They would just tell her "just do the work like everyone else and you will just know it when everyone else knows it." She would cry about it. They had spelling tests every week and she got 100 on every one of them and half the kids didn't get half of them right in her class. The only reason I know is I helped out her class. They also started Sex Ed this year and I was blown out of the water. Who is the school to teach my child sex education. That is what mother's and father's are for. Not the public school system. The school population grew while we were gone too, she was in a class of 18 before and now in a class of 32. We try and lead a very modest lifestyle, we don't have T.V and we limit video games to 1 hour per week. So for the lifestlye we want and live, its not possible to do with her in public school. I am very passionate about this and if I can give my children the best I am going to do everything possible to make that happen! These are my babies and the future of our world!

This is who I am responsible for and I am going to do everything in my power with God and my husband by my side leading the way to give them the best possible future we can.