The Great Curriculum Reveal Blog Hop

I think the whole reason I became a homeschool mom is so I could justify my book-buying habits!  ;)

Of course, my reasons for homeschooling my children are much better than that.  However, I am absolutely giddy this time of year as the boxes of books, teaching materials, and learning gizmo's arrive at my house in anticipation of the start of a whole new school year.

My fellow curriculum junkie connoisseur, Heather of Kingdom Arrows, and I are teaming up to host a blog hop in which we all have a chance to take a peek at each other's materials for next year. 

It's like a virtual Tupperware party!  We can all take our stuff, pass it around, and ooh and aah!  Only, you don't have to buy anything... just share what you have already bought!!

To participate, write a post or create a page on your blog telling us all about your curricular plans for next year, 2011-2012.  You can add pictures and links to products if you like.  Then link in your post at Kingdom Arrows on Monday, June 6.

In return, we ask that you do three things:

1. Display our picture header in your post or post the button in your side bar.  You can grab the picture from above or the button code over in my sidebar.
2. Link to Kingdom Arrows.  If you display the button, that's already done for you!
3. Link to Olive Plants somewhere in your post.  You can mention that I am the co-hostess if that helps.

Archiving School Plans

Hi all,

I am getting ready to post the plans for next school year on Our Academy page and wanted to archive last year's plans.  So this post is a cut and paste of that page for my personal records.  If you are new to Olive Plants, feel free to scan this post at your leisure.  I wrote a mini-review of each program we used at the conclusion of the year because I like to know the thoughts of other mom's concerning a curriculum before I buy.  I hope you find it helpful.

If you're an Olive Plants regular, thanks for sticking around!  This post is old news for you, so please, feel free to skip it.  But, please do return soon because I can't wait to tell you about our plans for next year!  It's my favorite time of the year!!

Blessings,
Dawn

Oh yeah, here are the completed plans and reviews. 

*smacking forehead*

My comments and reviews are typed in red.

Bible

We plan to follow the New Testament portion of the Bible in one year plan. Our History curriculum and Orville's Omnibus studies include large portions of the Old Testament which we will read as well.

The boys will also continue to memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism for training in doctrine.

This plan worked really well. It took some tweaking, particularly because Orville's Bible reading schedule in Omnibus was tough. He and I completed each of the following books of the Bible this year: Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Minor Prophets, all four Gospels, Acts, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, James and the Revelation.


Wilbur read all four Gospels, Acts, Galatians, James, and the Revelation.


We plan to read Romans over summer break and memorization of the Shorter Catechism is on-going.


History

Diana Waring's revised curriculum, History Revealed: Ancient Civilizations and the Bible.

I think this is a GREAT history program! We had to tweak it to fit our needs (isn't that what we homeschoolers are all about?!). Each boy only read a few of the supplemental recommendations because their regular reading list was weighty this year, particularly Orville who was also completing Omnibus I.

The boys really enjoyed Mrs. Waring's CD's and listened to them many nights while in bed before falling asleep. Overall, I think the worldview and Biblical content on them is great. However, I did disagree with some of the content (doctrinal issues). The differences were slight, and I was able to use those sections as teachable moments by presenting what we believe and by "showing proper respect to everyone and loving the brotherhood of believers." (1Pet 2:17). We disagree with Mrs. Waring on some points, but we do not discredit her Christian testimony or all of her teaching.

I did add in Story of the World Book 1 because History Revealed focuses so heavily on worldview that it does not present as much historical content as I would like.

Language Arts


I am teaching both boys from the Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Writing Intensive course.



 

 

 

 

 

To better understand the methods of IEW, I am also watching their Teaching Writing Structure and Style.

All I can say is "Best Decision I EVER Made!" You can read more about our experience here if you would like.













Both boys will complete Daily Grammar Practice. Wilbur will complete the 4th grade book, and Orville will complete the 2nd 1/2 of the 6th grade book and the 1st 1/2 of the 7th grade book.

We have used this curriculum for several years now and love it. Orville completed the 6th grade book and has completed about half of the 7th grade book. Wilbur finished the 4th grade book and has begun work on the 5th grade! It took plugging away at it for a couple years, but it finally "clicked" this year for him!

Wilbur will complete All About Spelling, Level 3.


He finished level 3 and is almost half-way through level 4! We are going to keep working on it over the summer! Second Best Decision I Ever Made!

Orville will complete Omnibus I from Veritas Press.


Wowzers! What a program!! Okay, I'm not going to gloss anything over here. This is one tough study, and Orville hated it at times and loved it at others. He completed all the primary reading selections and thought it was great for the first two studies: Genesis and Exodus. We have studied these two books of the Bible so frequently in the past that he basically has them memorized, so they were easy to read and it was easy to transition into the higher-order writing and discussion activities.



Then he had to read an edited version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Not a fun week at our house! Michael and I had to do that thing that parents do and nudge him along by encouraging and rebuking, and he survived.

After jumping that hurdle, he went on to enjoy the subsequent studies (excluding Last Days of Socrates). His legal mind sprang into action as he analyzed the Code of Hammurabi and his knowledge of history from having read works like The Last Days of Rome, The Twelve Caesars, and Herodotus leaves me dumbfounded (and feeling a bit ignorant).


The results? We have seen huge growth in his thinking and reasoning and his ability to write a thorough response. This was something we had to work on CONSTANTLY throughout the year. He wanted to give simple answers (ones that could be written quickly), but we required him to do rewrites, and he is maturing as a scholar.

We decided, however, that reading the secondaries was requiring too much of him. He did complete Chosen by God and the Holiness of God (both by Sproul), but at a very slow pace. We did not require him to complete the questions in the Omnibus text for these works. Instead, I also read each book and took notes. We discussed these works chapter-by-chapter and compared our notes.


We dropped all other secondaries except for...

We will read each of the seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia series and use the Narnia Comprehension Guide from Veritas Press as a discussion guide. This will be a time that the boys and I switch turns reading aloud.

LOVED IT! It took a concerted effort on our part to make time for reading as a family; however, we all think it was time well-spent and are so glad we did. The Narnia Series was a perfect read, and the Comprehension Guide gave us a good resource for quickly and easily checking their understanding. We also used the book Roar! as a companion to The Silver Chair and Last Battle and wished we had had it from the start. Doug Wilson's What I Learned in Narnia is on their summer reading list.


By March, we had finished Narnia and moved on to Shakespeare. We read Julius Caesar, also an Omnibus I secondary reading assignment. It was a tough read, but can you guess who understood the plot better than any of us??? Wilbur, the youngest of us!!! We were really proud of him and had a lot of fun assigning roles and having our own little reader's theater!

Wilbur will complete Rod and Staff's Pathway reader for 4th grade with accompanying workbook for his independent reading work.

Readers and workbooks do not fit my homeschool philosophy, AT ALL! However, going into this school year, we had some concerns about Wilbur's progress in Language Arts and decided to take a more traditional route. We hoped it would give us more insight into which skills were causing him trouble.


It did not take him long to complete each daily assignment and it gave him something to complete independently when I could not work directly with him. It also eased many of my fears as he completed the skills-based activities with ease. It did allow us to isolate a few trouble spots and work on them. He finished the 4th grade set and has moved on to the 5th. We are going to keep this study going over the summer.


Math

Orville will complete Singapore Math, Levels 6 A and 6 B.














He is almost done! This is the only curriculum that we have used from the 1st to the last level. It makes me feel simultaneously proud of him and sad. Where did that little boy go who was learning to count and add? Emotional mommy issues aside, this has been a great elementary math curriculum.


Wilbur will complete Singapore Math, Levels 4B and 5A.



He is almost finished, too, and about to start level 5! My BABY!!!




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Science

Orville will complete Apologia's General Science course.

If there is one area where I get a big ol' fat F for the year, it is science. (Although I think coordinating a science fair should give me enough extra credit just to pass!) Orville finished five modules before Christmas break, and I decided for the sake of my sanity to drop the study altogether after the break.


I know this is a highly revered curriculum within the greater homeschool community; however, I found the format frustrating. No supplemental work is included. The hands-on activities are excellent, but I never felt like setting them up because I was too exhausted from finding ways to help him retain the content. I felt like the module review basically gave the test answers to him, so then I felt uncertain about how much he was really learning as opposed to just parroting back to me. I don't like being the one Apologia naysayer, but it just did NOT work for us.


Wilbur will study Zoology III through Apologia's Young Explorer Series.

Wilbur loves these books and has almost completed this study. Nonetheless, I have decided to take a new approach to science for next year. What is it? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! :)










Foreign Language

Both boys will complete Lively Latin's Big Book I (the second 1/2).

We're done with Latin!!! We're done with Latin!!! I really do like Lively Latin, but we have new plans for foreign language/word study next year. Again, you'll just have to wait and see! :)

Orville will continue to study Japanese with Rosetta Stone. He is taking a leisurely pace with this study as it is a delight-directed study for him.

Orville did not complete much of his Japanese study this year.  We were just too busy with other things and we bought this for him three years ago to complete as there is time.  He will keep working on it as he wants.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fine Arts


Both boys will complete Harmony Fine Arts for 5th grade and The Violin Book, Books 1 and 2 by Eden Vaning-Rosen.

I really like HFA! The boys do, too!! This study was particularly good for my VSL. The author, Barb (Harmony Art Mom), really understands right-brained children. From this curriculum, Wilbur gained an appreciation for history (through art history) which increased his interest in our regular history studies. He also decided he might want to be an architect when he grows up! In a nutshell, HFA opened his eyes to a world of possibilities.


The Violin Book, however, did not work so great. I do not think the fault lies with the program. Rather, I bought very cheap, very poor quality violins. I spent more time tuning the things than they did practicing. I even lost a toenail because of them. Well, that was the straw, folks. After my injury, I couldn't look at those violins without shuddering and because they would not stay in tune for more than 3.8 seconds, we dropped violin.

Moral of this story?


Don't be cheap like me. Buy a good violin!


Orville has become very serious about his piano studies and really does not want to study violin anyway, and Wilbur wants to focus on art and architecture. So I guess we learned this year that we are not violinists.

Wilbur will complete Artistic Pursuits 1st book for grades 4-6.


He has almost completed it and really enjoys the assignments. He has grown as an artist this year!





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
P.E.


Both boys will take tennis lessons and go swimming twice per week. They go for a morning run with Michael twice per week, too.

After the toe injury, swimming was out. I had to keep my foot bandaged and dry for almost two months. They took tennis lessons every week until Christmas break during which time Orville broke his arm. They rejoined the class just last week. (Orville's arm has completely mended, like new!)


Extra-curricular Activities

Both boys participate in our local Mathletes team. The group competes in the National Math Olympiads.

Orville was the second-highest scorer on the team! He earned a patch this year and missed earning a silver pin for the top 10% by one question! Wilbur's total score improved from last year and he missed the patch by 1 question! Both are great accomplishments...good job, guys!

We are active members of our local homeschool association. Our group holds an annual International Festival, Spotlight Night, and Field Day. We also take 4-6 field trips per year. The boys' favorite event of the year is the annual skating party!

Ay, ay, ay...it's like a blur! I know they had fun, and all the activities added so much to their educational and social experience this year. I am thankful for SDHSA and all it affords our family!

All plans listed on this blog assume "Lord willing".

Some of our plans for the year panned out. Some things did not work out as we hoped while other happenings completely took us by surprise. Through it all God has been teaching us how to live abound by praising Him and receiving His blessings with appreciation and to live abased by being content whatever the circumstances and resting in and trusting His Providence. We can do all things through Christ Jesus who is our strength. (Phil 4:12-13)

Our plans for 2011-2012 are in place, and I will share them here soon. Thank you for reading and may God bless you as you homeschool your children!

31 Days to Clean: Week One

I have joined the Homemaker's challenge at Joyful Mothering and am supposed to report in on Fridays.  However, tomorrow I will be off to the Big City for the Big Homeschool Conference and won't have time to post.

Those of us participating in the meme are following the advice in the new ebook, 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae.



I'm being a tad-bit stubborn independent Dawn-like in my approach and am not following the plan exactly as it is written.  Each chapter offers good suggestions on how to break cleaning into smaller, more manageable chunks and also offers a 31-day plan for giving your house a good thorough cleaning by completing one "Martha" task per day.  A "Mary" task is also included each day which challenges me to reflect on the whys of my cleaning and home management.

This week we are supposed to start with the kitchen, and that just does not work for me.  I needed to get ready for the curriculum fair and we are finishing school TODAY! (except some subjects carry over into the summer but that's only about an hour of school each day rather than 6-8)  YIPPEE!

So I have flipped over to the chapters on home office and am working through them as I clear and sort curriculum from the classroom and office to make room for the goodies I will bring home Saturday (and for the mounds of books that have arrived via snail mail and are stacked in towers around my office and living room).

I don't have pictures to share yet.  It's not that I'm being prideful about the state of my office, rather I don't want to scare anyone!  :)  However, I would like to share my answer to one of the Mary tasks for the week.  We were asked to complete a mission statement detailing why we want to maintain a clean home.

I have to admit that I have been very affected by the Korean community as I have tutored their children this year.  Hospitality is central to their culture.  I am a paid employee coming into their homes, yet they do not treat me as such.  They greet me at the door with smiles.  They have a special place set up for me to teach with all the supplies I need laid out and ready.  They always have a snack and drink at my spot at the table, waiting on me.  And it is always something thoughtful...fresh fruit, homemade waffles with homemade syrup, Korean pancakes with syrup and nuts in the center, and even sushi!  (Can you believe I lost weight this year?)  Their food is always served on a special plate.  Each family has a different one- a wedding plate, a flowered piece of china, hand-painted glassware.  These special touches are never ostentatious.  Instead they create an atmosphere where I know I am welcomed and appreciated. 

I could say much more about the hospitality of the Korean community and about how they have cared for me this year, treating me not like an employee but a friend or a sister.  They have given me a real vision for hospitality which is at the core of my mission in completing this challenge.  I plan to simplify and purge things from my home which are weighing me down and hindering me in the area of hospitality.  I want anyone who comes to my door to feel like I do when I enter the home of my Korean friends.

I may have to march to the beat of my own drum when it comes to this meme, switching around chapters and challenges and posting late or early.  However, I look forward to participating and reporting the results.

Happy Cleaning!
Dawn    

Oh Happy Day!

Could it be?

Is it really, really true?

Someone pinch me because I think I'm dreaming...

Orville is completing his Omnibus I final
as I type!

I'm not sure who is happier, Orville or me!

The 2010-2011 school year is almost complete at Olive Plants Academy.  You can read about how our curricular plans worked for us here.

Return soon for The Plan for Next Year!

Happy, Happy Day!
Dawn

Tweet and See: April 2011

 

Visit Heather at Kingdom Arrows
for links to other birding reports!

Hi all.

We saw a good variety this month, mostly at a state park in our area.  The first week of April was our spring break, and since my husband, a public school teacher, had six days off from work, we spent a couple of them bird watching.  The weather was lovely, and most of the birds on our list were found during these outings.

The Georgia Youth Birding Competition was held in April, too.  My boys usually compete, but we decided not to participate this year because it was held on a Saturday/Sunday.  We held what we called the "HBC".  H for our last name Birding Celebration.  Although we did not bird watch for a straight 24 hours, we had fun trying to find as many birds as possible around our town.  It was very windy that weekend and difficult to hear anything other than the wind.  Not many birds were visible either.  The second day was very hot, and there was very little bird activity.

The end of the month brought an eye injury for me and tornadoes!  Therefore, I do not have much to report for the end of the month.

Here is our April list...

1. Osprey
2. Killdeer
3. Chipping Sparrow
4. Ring-billed Gull
5. Great Blue Heron
6. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
7. Bluebird
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Brown-headed Nuthatch
10. Tufted Titmouse
11. Eastern Meadowlark
12. Yellow Warbler
13. Belted Kingfisher
14. Carolina Chickadee
15. American Crow
16. Prairie Warbler
17. Blue Jay
18. Pileated Woodpecker
19. Golden-winged Warbler
20. Chimney Swift
21. Brown Thrasher
22. Mourning Dove
23. Northern Mockingbird
24. Fish Crow
25. Canada Goose
26. Barn Swallow
27. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
28. Red-winged Blackbird
29. Common Grackle
30. European Starling
31. Wood Thrush
32. Whip-poor-will
33. Eastern Towhee
34. Field Sparrow
35. Northern Parula
36. Hermit Thrush
37. Worm-eating Warbler
38. Bobwhite
39. Orange-crowned Warbler
40. Northern Cardinal
41. American Robin
42. House Sparrow
43. Eastern Kingbird
44. Black Vulture
45. House Finch
46. Bobolink
47. Carolina Wren
48. Mallard
49. Yellow-rumped Warbler
50. Cowbird
51. Summer Tanager
52. Rock Pigeon

Join the birding fun by listing what you see on your blog and linking in to Kingdom Arrows at the end of each month for Tweet and See.  It is a lot of fun to read the other posts and find out what birders from across the country (and maybe one day world!) are finding.  Thanks, Heather!

Happy Birding!
Dawn

Edit:  I must not be seeing as well as I thought.  This post was supposed to be published to Birders for Life.   Hello...bird brain!  Please forgive my faux pas and feel free to fly on over and check out some of my birding content.  :) 

My Readers' Choice: 38 Posts

Today is my birthday, and I am 38 which completely blows my mind. 

Wasn't I just 29 a few days ago?  Can 20 years really have passed since my high school graduation?  And 22 years since I got my driver's license?  And a quarter of a century since I turned 13 and got braces?

I actually have a scar on my knee that is 35 years old. 

And what an interesting pre-bday week I have had!  It is a truly rare and special occasion when one nearly blinds herself and then almost gets blown away by a tornado all in one week.

You already know about the accident that had me yelling EYE Carumba!  (My husband comes up with these, folks.) 

Well, the tornadoes that ravaged the South hit our home county hard between midnight and 2 a.m. Thursday.  By morning we were on our state's disaster area list.  Public schools were closed because of extensive damage and power outages. 

We watched the Weather Channel all day Wednesday as the tornadoes and storms moved across Alabama.  As the worst was about to reach Georgia, it seemed our home was going to take a direct hit. 

We decided to go to my parents' house because it looked like the storms were going to be less severe there.  However, minutes before the worst should have hit our home, it changed direction and basically missed us.  There were strong winds and heavy rain but nothing strong enough to cause damage. 

A different front, however, later travelled directly over my parents' house, and a tornado touched down in the woods directly behind us.  It ripped the roof off a house in an adjoining neighborhood and caused two huge oak trees to fall squarely on the house next to it, completely crushing the entire house. 

Then it moved toward my parents' subdivision but lifted just before it plowed over the house next door to them.  We heard it swirl over our roof as we hid in the closet.  We thought hail was pounding the roof but later realized branches and debris being swept away by the twister were slamming into it as they flew over.

Trees in the neighbor's yard were cracked in half.  There was a huge mess to clean up, but neither my parents' house nor the one next door were damaged.  Incroyable!  I apologize for the lack of photos but using a camera was outside my range of abilities this week.  :)

I considered writing a post listing 38 things for which I am thankful in honor of my 38th birthday.  I am truly thankful for God's protection this week.  It was a difficult one, but we were spared the worst outcomes in both situations.  My heart aches for those of you who suffered substantial losses, and you are all in my prayers.

Because a very popular meme dedicated to the topic already exists, I decided against the thankfulness post.  Instead, I have decided to share the many ideas that have bounced around in my brain this week as I have been unable to do little more than talk to myself.  Each conversation turned into a blog post that I could not write. 

What is it they say about genius and insanity?!

I did manage to scribble each title down on a sheet of paper, and, coincidentally, there are 38 of them! 
In celebration of growing older, regaining my vision, restored electricity and being able to use the computer again, I took the time to decode my scribbles.  Here are 38 Posts I Will Write One Day.

*hack, hack, cough, cough* 

Drum roll, please....

1. Give your kids the best YOU can give.
2. A Gracious Teacher
3. Drawing Your Children Near
4. Delegate!  (Yes, home managers can do this, too!)
5. A Supportive Church
6. Supportive Homeschool Friends
7. Loaded Questions, Gentle Answers
8. Curricular Choices for Kids
9. Don't be kid-centric...
10. ...but don't forget you're teaching kids.
11. Homeschooling and the Gospel
12. My Homeschool Philosophy: A Peaceful Home is More Important than Methodology
13. When the enemy suggests you're not qualified to homeschool...
14. Avoiding Cabin Fever
15. Overcommitment Sucks...the life out of you and your family.
16. One Day at a Time
17. Taking Care of Mom
18. Homeschooling Essential: A Good Day Planner
19. Scheduling Your Day according to Priorities
20. Can you really perfect your kids?
21. Can you really make the world a perfect place for your kids?
22. Creating a Print-rich Environment
23. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
24. Employ Your Strengths
25. Know Your Child(ren)'s Strengths
26. Compiling Work Samples
27. Simplifying Record Keeping
28. The grass is NOT always greener.
29. Don't take a failed lesson personally.
30. Independent Learning
31. Pour Yourself into Your Mothering and Teaching
32. Introducing Children to Different Cultures
33. Immediate Feedback
34. Real-world Experience
35. Teaching History Chronologically
36. Teaching Math Conceptually
37. Stretching Their Brains: Make Your Children Justify Their Answers
38. Essential Questions

So, what do you think?  Take a minute to vote for your favorite by leaving a comment.  I will write the winning post by... this time next year!  :)  Seriously, I will write it asap! 

Happy Birthday to me!
Dawn

The Eyes Have It

Actually, it's just one eye that has it, and according to the ophthalmologist, it won't have it permanently.

All damage is on the surface of the eye and the eyelid.  There was hemorrhaging which is a good sign.  If there had been no internal bleeding, it would have indicated damage to the interior eye, meaning dead cells and irreparable damage. 

He prescribed a steroid eye drop to be taken in addition to two other drops given to me at the ER.  He also prescribed a topical cream for my eye lid.  Ah...heavenly relief! 

There is one minor concern.  There is "fluid" under the cornea which is causing my vision to be a bit hazy.  He said it will most likely clear up on its own but could take as long as two months.  If it does not clear within two to three months, we will have to talk about further treatment.  This could involve surgery, so please pray for my vision to return to normal soon.

The good news is that the swelling and redness has decreased significantly.  My eye is starting to look normal again.  The eyelid feels better and the redness and scaring is clearing.  My vision is still a little blurry but improved. 

Overall, I am rejoicing and know that God has been merciful!  When I felt the soap hit my eye, I immediately cried out to Him.  I had done my homework before I began soaping so I knew the possible ramifications, among them blindness.  As I flushed my eye with water, I asked the Lord to make it effective and to remove the chemical quickly before it could "burn through" the cornea.  He was pleased to do so, and I give Him praise. 

I was not able to attend worship on Easter Sunday; however, while at home doctoring my wounds, I had plenty of time to contemplate the wounds of Jesus by which I am healed (Isaiah 53:5).  I am thankful that this perishable body of mine has been clothed with the imperishable.  (1Cor 15:53)

Thank you for your continued prayers.  Hopefully I will return to regularly scheduled programming soon!

Blessings,
Dawn

Eye, eye, eye...

So I had an interesting Easter weekend.

My dining room has been a disaster area ever since the science fair.  The table is our work space for projects and soap making, and the boys have had a lot of projects to complete in the last month or so.  We've been eating in the office which actually suits us all just fine.  There are two rockers and t.v. trays and two computer desks.  It's actually a comfortable set up and makes for a nice place to eat and chat.

I decided on Saturday, however, that it was time for me to reclaim the dining room.  Project season is over, and well, the dining table needed to be restored to its original purpose.  Wilbur signed on as my helper, and we decided to tackle the soap supplies while we were at it, too.  I have two wire racks in the dining area dedicated to my soaping supplies, and it was, ahem, in need of a little attention.

It didn't take long to restore order, and we got all of the soapy gadgets neatly arranged in baskets.  I even alphabetized my fragrances!  It looked so wonderful that I felt inspired and decided to whip up a batch of cold process soap.  I had given bars from my last batch to the ladies on the science fair committee as thank you gifts, and they liked it so much that they bought more for themselves and to give to others.  I was sold-out and needed to restock!

Now, I am a safety-minded person.  You already know I am not a risk-taker because I am accident-prone.  I put on my rubber gloves and goggles and carefully began the process. 

Measured the lye.  No problem.

Mixed the lye and water together.  No problem.

Melted the oils.  No problem.

Poured the lye solution into the oils.  No problemo!

I had the batch almost completely done and was ready to pour it into the mold when I noticed a little glob of colorant.  Being the perfectionist that I am, I had to smooth it out.  I put the stick blender into the "batter" and switched it on. 

I missed one little detail, though.

I had taken my goggles off.

Why?

I don't know.

I leaned over the pot to get a good look at that clump and...

...you guessed it.

A blob of soap jumped out of the pot and landed squarely in my eye.

I bolted to the sink and started dousing my eye with water.  Wilbur ran outside to get Dad who immediately called poison control.  They told me to continue to flush the affected area with water for thirty minutes and then go to the ER. 

Once at the ER, my eye was numbed and they put this plastic contraption under my eyelid.  It was like the biggest contact lens in the world through which saline solution passed and washed my eye (and my hair and neck and shirt and bedsheets...brrr...it was cold!). 

People, I have a thing about my eyes.  I have never worn contacts because I just cannot stand the thought of putting something in my eye on purpose.  I struggle to use eye drops, too. I cringe any time a dropper comes near me, so every time someone came within two feet of me (and that was frequently), I jumped like a startled cat.  I think I may have karate chopped my doctor once.

Not really.  But I thought about it.

After testing my eye with litmus paper (there's something I never imagined in my wildest dreams would one day happen to me), the doctor determined that the lye was out.  He diagnosed a minor chemical burn and corneal abrasion and said that it would all heal on its own.  I will see an opthamologist today for a follow-up and continued treatment.

I'm feeling okay.  My vision is still affected (though there does not seem to be any permanent damage) so I apologize for any typos.  :)  Basically, it feels like a really bad case of pink eye...uncomfortable but not painful.  I appreciate your prayers as I recover and will keep you posted.

Oh, and pray for Michael, too.  He is the one who has to administer my eye drops. 

Hei-ya!
Dawn

Closing Out the 2010-2011 School Year

At the Olive Plants Academy, we are just a few weeks from the end of the 2010-2011 school year!
Unbelievable!

Before school began, I created a page on which I listed our plans for the year.  I just updated the page so you can read an overview of our year and how our curricular plans panned out.

Click here to be redirected to the updated Our Academy page and read all about it.

I will reveal our plans for 2011-2012 very soon!

Happy Planning!
Dawn

Science Fair 2011

Question:  Where has Dawn been lately?

Research:  Sources indicate that Dawn has a tendency to overcommit get really involved in her community and to tell people what to do organize large events.  Satellites have tracked increased science activity in her hometown in recent weeks.

Hypothesis:  Dawn led her homeschool group's science fair committee this year.

There is no need to test this hypothesis because I have photographic evidence to verify its validity!

Okay, so I'm not in this picture of all the science fair participants.
I could not find a picture of me anywhere!
I guess I was too busy
giving orders
serving the group
to pose!

I worked with six other terrific moms to organize the first annual Super Duper Home School Association (SDHSA) Science Fair!  (FYI, that's what I will be calling my local support group from here on out.  I am tired of typing "local support group" over and over again!)

The SDHSA ladies and I started working on the fair in August.  There was a lot to accomplish: writing rules, holding registration, finding judges, gathering prizes, creating a judging rubric, providing a training session, etc., etc., etc.  However, from the start, we divided the work, and I cannot believe how well everything came together!

The competition was tight, and there were soooo many fabulous projects.  Take a look at these incredible boards!

On the home front, I had two participants of my own to manage.  I demanded the boys decided that they should work together on just one project since I had my hands full leading the committee.  Of course, the one topic the boys could agree on felt enthusiasm for was bird watching. 

Here is their project...

Question:  What color feeder will attract the most birds?

Orville (left) and Wilbur (right)
in front of their feeders of different colors.
Which one do you think will attract the most birds?

Research:  Their research indicated that birds' eyes contain "more cone cells" than humans'.  For this reason, scientists believe birds see colors in saturated tones.

This picture shows the cages in a saturated hue,
a guess as to what
they look like to song birds.

Hypothesis:  The boys believed their research indicated more birds would be drawn to the brighter colored feeders, particularly yellow and red.

Are the boys correct?

Will yellow and red win?

The Experiment:  Dad spray painted four suet cage feeders in four different colors: yellow, red, blue and black.  The boys decided to leave one cage in the original green color as a control.  They also hung the cages on the same tree to prevent environmental factors, like temperature, from skewing the outcome.  They also used the same brand of suet feed for each cage and filled each with the same weight of feed.

The Control Cage

They frequently observed the cages for one week and took note of how many birds of which species visited each color.  At the end of the week, they took the cages down and weighed the amount of uneaten suet.

They repeated the test on a different tree in a different part of the yard, keeping the controls in place from the first test.  Again, they observed for one week, took notes, and then weighed the remaining contents.

Data and Results: 

• Test One (from lightest to heaviest):  yellow, black, green, red and blue. 
• Test Two (from lightest to heaviest): yellow, red, green, blue, and black.
• Total Ranking (calculated by adding the weights from each test): yellow, black, red, green, and blue

Conclusions:  Because yellow ranked first (meaning the most was eaten from it) in both tests, the boys believe yellow is a good color for feeders.  However, because red was 2nd in one test and 4th in the other, they cannot say with certainty that their hypothesis is correct.

Orville (right) is disturbed their hypothesis was not valid.
Wilbur (left) is just happy he participated in the science fair!

While collecting data, they also noticed that more birds ate from a feeder similar in color to its body than at a feeder of a different color.  They want to do more research and testing to see if there is a correlation between body color and desired feeder color.

SDHSA awarded participants medals based on their judges' rubric score.  Everyone who participated received at least a bronze science medal.  Those whose judges' scores were between 80 and 89% of the total possible score received silver medals, and those who received scores of 90% and higher earned gold medals.  Local restaurants donated coupons for free pizza, ice cream and sandwiches, too!

Orville and Wilbur (far right) won gold medals
and took first place in their division!

Good job, Orville and Wilbur!

Bronze and Silver Medalists

Good job, science fair participants!

If you are interested in starting a science fair in your area, I would be happy to offer support.  I learned a lot the hard way this year!  Just drop me a line, and I will get back to you soon.

Happy Experimenting!

Dawn