Shuttle Crew Says Farewell, Closes Hatches

STS-134 Memorial Day Message

STS-134 Daily Mission Recap - Flight Day 2

Ironhide did notice that this mission is the Ultimate Boys ONLY road trip. (He is firmly in the "Guys Rock" age range.)

Mini Unit Study: Space Shuttle Endeavour Math Day2

How fast is the space shuttle Endeavour traveling around the earth?

So we go to Real Time Satellite Tracking at N2YO.com which gives the location of Endeavour in latitude and longitude as well as ~ travel speed. According to this site Endeavour was traveling at 4.62 m/s during Day 2 of it's mission. That means it travels 5 miles in about a second. WOW!

So we have to do a little math to get miles per hour.

Let's start with basics:

60 seconds = 1 minute
60 minute = 1 hour

16 272 m/h

This means that the Endeavour orbits Earth (and sees a sunrise) once every 92 minutes!

We finished the day with a writing prompt titled "What would you bring on the shuttle?"

Mini Unit Study: Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch Day 1

We decided to mark of the end of the Space Shuttle program with a mini-unit study on the remaining shuttles flights.

Endeavour May 15, 2011 STS-134
Atlantis mid-July 2011 STS-135

So on May 16th we grabbed some gluten free pancakes, grapes, OJ and Matchbox Shuttle orbital to watch the launch on CNN online. Hubby was so thrilled he stayed around to watch it with us. This was after all the final launch of space shuttle Endeavour STS-134 and there were pancakes on a weekday. No matter how many launches you watch your heart races at 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and GO for lift off! It was thrilling to share it as a family.

It was a special time as we shared our memories of watching our first space shuttle launch back in 1981!

Also if you are old enough your heart stops the minute the solid rocket boosters separate with an explosion of smoke and fire. Challenger STS-51-L we will never forget.Back row (L-R): Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik. Front row (L-R): Michael J. Smith, Francis "Dick" Scobee, Ronald McNair.

“ We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to 'touch the face of God." President Ronald Regan




Later we pulled out our shuttle and simulated Endeavour's flight path which we were tracking via the internet.
We look forward someday to seeing Endeavour in CA when it is retired later this year. Discovery is bound for the Smithsonian and the National Air and Space Museum at the same time and we will be in the opening day crowds.

More to come...space shuttle math.

The Write Shop Primary Review & Giveaway

The Write Shop Primary Review & Giveaway

Erica at Confessions of a Homeschoolers is giving away another great program.



Looking for some help teaching your children how to write? Write Shop is different. It is a teacher directed program that literally shows your children the “how to” of writing through examples, brainstorming, working together, and editing. No longer are they just trying to come up with something creative out of thin air. I know that seems simple, and it is, but its works!

So hop on over to Confessions of a Homeschooler to enter for the giveaway!

Homeschooling vs Home Education?

Which do you prefer homeschooling or home education?


home·school·ing/ˈhōmˈsko͞oliNG/ Noun: The education of children at home by their parents.


home ed·u·ca·tion Homeschooling or homeschool (also called home education or home learning) is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school

Does it matter?

Great Giveaway:Expedition Earth: A Journey Through God’s World?

Erica at Confessions of a Homeschoolers is giving away her great geography curriculum. She has been a great inspiration for curriculum, character studies and monthly menu planning. She has been a true blessing in our homeschool adventure.


Expedition Earth is Godly journey around the globe.

"Get ready for an exciting voyage across the world! Come along as we walk on the Great Wall of China, wander through the Amazon Rainforest, and climb the Egyptian Pyramids! Within this curriculum you'll discover the sights and sounds of 31 countries across the globe. You’ll get hands-on with fun activities, crafts, recipes and more! So grab your passports, and get ready to go! It's time for Expedition Earth!"

So head over to Confessions of a Homeschoolers for your chance to win.

Question of the Day: Why is a Penny called a Penny?

One foreign currency we were using was British money. The British pound was not divided into 100 cents like our dollar, but its smallest part was called a penny, and that's why we call our cent a "penny" today. But for more than one, the British called them "pence" while ours are called "pennies."


Source US Mint for Kids

Question of the Day: Who was Poor Richard?

Who was Poor Richard?


Poor Richard's Almanack (sometimes Almanac) was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. It was a best seller for a pamphlet published in the American colonies; print runs reached 10,000 per year

Poor Richard

Franklin borrowed the name "Richard Saunders" from the seventeenth-century author of the Apollo Anglicanus, a popular London almanac which continued to be published throughout the eighteenth century. Franklin created the Poor Richard persona based in part on Jonathan Swift's pseudonymous character, "Isaac Bickerstaff." In a series of three letters in 1708 and 1709, known as the Bickerstaff papers, "Bickerstaff" predicted the imminent death of astrologer and almanac maker John Partridge. Franklin's Poor Richard, like Bickerstaff, claimed to be a philomath and astrologer and, like Bickerstaff, predicted the deaths of actual astrologers who wrote traditional almanacs. In the early editions of Poor Richard's Almanack, predicting and falsely reporting the deaths of these astrologers—much to their dismay—was something of a running joke. However, Franklin's endearing character of "Poor" Richard Saunders, along with his wife Bridget, was ultimately used to frame (if comically) what was intended as a serious resource that people would buy year after year. To that end, the satirical edge of Swift's character is largely absent in Poor Richard. Richard was presented as distinct from Franklin himself, occasionally referring to the latter as his printer.[8]

In later editions, the original Richard Saunders character gradually disappeared, replaced by a Poor Richard, who largely stood in for Franklin and his own practical scientific and business perspectives. By 1758, the original character was even more distant from the practical advice and proverbs of the almanac, which Franklin presented as coming from "Father Abraham," who in turn got his sayings from Poor Richard. (source Wikipedia)

What are those flowers at the Smithsonian Castle?

Photo by kimberlyfaye @ Flickr

I have had several inquires about the trees pictured in my March post about the Smithsonian Castle. These are not Cherry Blossoms, they are tulip magnolias.

Museum: Smithsonian Gardens-Enid A. Haupt Garden

A 4.2-acre rooftop park, named for its donor, features an embroidered parterre in a geometric design of plants and flowers rotated seasonally, an Asian-influenced garden adjacent to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and a Moorish-influenced garden adjacent to the National Museum of African Art. Saucer and tulip magnolias, wide brick walks, and 19th-century cast-iron garden furnishings from the Smithsonian Gardens' Garden Furniture Collection line the perimeter. The entrance gates off Independence Avenue were re-created from a design by James A. Renwick Jr., architect of the Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle.

Welcome Back Cherry Blossoms

We love the Cherry Blossom season because it is the first sign that Spring is officially here in DC. Although the weekend forecast does call for snow. :-(

National Park Service Cherry Blossom WebCam

Cherry Blossom Bloom Schedule

	Average Peak Bloom Date: April 4 2011 Peak Bloom: March 29 - April 1 2011 Blooming Period: March 26 - April 7. __________________________________ Green Color in Buds: 3/7/2011 Florets Visible: 3/9/2011 Extension of Florets: 3/16/2011 Peduncle Elongation: 3/19/2011 Puffy White: 3/22/2011

Wordless Wednesday: Finally Spring

Using The Microscope

Over the holiday break I finally gave in and switch science programs from Winter Promise to Real Science-4-Kids. Ironhide was not enjoying Winter Promise Shoots, Buzz and Sprouts because the information was presented in a disjointed and confusing manner. The hands on experiments were good but there were also information gaps that were not acceptable to us. I spent a lot of time trying to fill in the gaps and not enjoying science time. So after a short Google search we found Real Science-4-Kids (RS4K).

RS4K may not be our long term science program but it is a nice transition for spring where we tend to be more literature and math intensive. Our major science study for the spring will be our garden and outdoors so we chose the Biology bundle. This program actually gives us the detail we searching for with a nice kid friendly text. We supplement with interesting websites recommended from the Usborne Internet Linked Science Encyclopedia.

This week we will be learning how to use our microscope. Last year we were gifted with a new Celestron Digital Microscope. This is a neat tool because it allows us to connect to the computer and save our pictures to share.

Tools for this Week

-Celestron Digital Microscope

-Brain Pop Video on Microscope

-Looking through a microscope by Linda Bullock

-Lakeshore Learning Prepared Slides

-Laptop computer

Math Lesson: Gluten free baking flour and Legos

Hey Mom, why do you buy all that gluten free flour? Why are you getting so much?

Son, it is cheaper to shop in bulk than to buy big small bags. Let us go to the white board and bring the laptop.

First we found the price of favorite GF bread at the local grocery store and online.

Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Local Grocery $3.99 for 22oz (3.99/22) = $0.18 per oz (add tax,gas) = $0.25
Amazon $26.80 for 176.oz = (26.60/176) =$0.15 per oz


The Amazon flour is sold as a bulk item, so it may look like we are saving only pennies but factor in driving to the store, local sales taxes and just time spent shopping it can actually add time to our day. Amazon.com is better than local grocery store price per pound and you get free shipping over $25 dollars. Which saves on me driving to Wholefoods to buy Gluten Free items.

Hmmm Mom, does that work with Legos? Let's do the math.....



Okay at the Lego Store's small pick a brick bucket is about $8 you get about 40 pcs. The bigger bucket is $15 dollars and you get squeeze about 90 medium pcs or 200 small pcs in the bucket.

$8/40=$0.20 for the small bulk bucket and you points towards more Legos.
$14.00/90=$0.16 for the Big bulk bucket and you points towards more Legos.


So it's cheaper to buy the big bucket. Can we go to the Lego store?


(Why didn't I see that coming. LOL)

Kitchen Tip:
I also use http://www.mambosprouts.com/ which has organic food coupons.

I use my crockpot using this http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/03/perfect-gluten-free-bread-baked-in.html to make bread. All of her dishes are gluten free and it saves time, but you have to plan.

(All photos are borrowed from the web because my camera is off-line.)

Groundhog says Spring is coming...Almanac says snow

We have been using the 2011 Farmer's Almanac in our study of weather this year. So far the Almanac has been about 50% which has been better than our local weather team. Now Phil says spring is on the way. What do you think?

Flubber and Forgiveness

We have been using Erica's @ Confessions of a Homeschooler Character Study series based on Diligence to supplement our church bible study. It is meshing very well with regular studies and Ironhide loves the weekly challenges.

Today we were discussing Jonah and his journey. In his adventure Bible it discussed how God forgives and the experiment was to throw a super ball. No matter hard you throw it always bounces back. Like God no matter what the sin God forgives over and over again.

Ironhide's face lit up and he says, "God's forgiveness is like Flubber in the movie. It never stops!"


That made my day. :-)

Wordless Wednesday: Snowschooling Tool

Caffeine!

But only for the teacher/principal/bus driver and lunch lady. NONE for students.

No matter how deep the snow our Starbucks is always open.

Snowschooling 2011 Day 2

A quiet walk to the library.

A big hill and friends provides hours of fun.

A frozen pond and science observation.

Snowschooling 2011 Day 1

Recently a friend asked my son "What do you do on a snow day?" His bemused reply was "Have school in the snow." Since we have moved north I try to incorporate snow days into our school plans. Last year we had a blast discovering the joys of snow. It was a challenge with 40 plus inches of snow of the ground and Dad for constant company for week but it was one of the best weeks of last school year. So in Ironhides mind it is just the nature of things to include weather, national events or moving into what we are learning.

Secretly I have been yearning for snow days just to slow down the pace of life. We have been on a head long rush since December with plays, concerts, play dates, parties, holidays, visitors, birthdays and classes. I love the quiet of life that accompanies more than six inches of snow. In this area six inches seems to be the magic number between "Oh, it going to snow" and "Close everything down it is going to snow."

Well last week we got full out DC Snow panic with 10 plus inches of snow during rush hour. It was a dangerous time to travel and the wet heavy snow left thousands without power.

We watched as our driveway go from this

to this in just under 5 hours.

We learned a lot that night about preparing for emergencies and directed prayer. Daddy arrived home safe after 6 plus hours.