School daze ~

 Week of 16 October

This week we continue to study the early 1800’s – with an emphasis on the United States of America. We’ve learned more about Thomas Jefferson, the Supreme Court under John Marshall, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Obviously, the high school boys are making many tie ins to current events with a new Supreme Court justice, a nominee on the table, and several federal cases decided this week. It’s fun to watch them connect what TJ did or John Marshall to what is going on in the news. The older boys also completed their TREK through Faust.


The younger set and I decided to make (are you ready?) :::drum roll::: Cookie Dough maps this week. This was a two day project. Thursday consisted of finding maps, making a pattern, and making the dough. Friday we baked the maps and then frosted them during Family Night. We made the maps to show the land that the US held BEFORE the Louisiana Purchase, the lands that were added because of the Purchase and the route of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

In the process of all this hands on map-making we rewrote history. Josiah (16 yo) came out and caught me eating just a *bit* of cookie dough. "Mom, you've eaten LA," he exclaimed. We laughed and proceeded to make our cookie dough maps of the USA. In the hubbub of shaping, cutting, helping kids roll....it seems that a wild cookie monster ate Zander's (3 yo) original 13 colonies....or maybe it was a gigantic hurricane..... I warned them all that if they get sick - I will not feel bad for them - I warned them not to eat the colonies!!!! Where do these kids get such a warped sense of humor????


We learned several lessons with this project. 1. If you eat a little; your children are sure to eat a lot….watch those “little sins”. 2. Cookie Dough tastes much better than Salt Dough. 3. This could be a disadvantage…on the other hand 4. Cookie Dough maps don’t last forever in a closet…you make them and EAT THEM.

In Science Jamin continues to explore all sorts of flora a fauna under the microscope. He’s now convinced us all that the lid MUST be immediately put back on the milk after each cup is poured so that no bacterium floats into the milk. Jared, Arielle and I got up early to catch a look at Mars in the early a.m. sky. We studied Comets, Meteors and Asteroids this week.

I continue to feel that ALL of life has become school…but that isn’t a bad thing.