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Saturday, October 11, 2014

U. S. Space and Rocket Center Photos

What a fascinating place to spend a day! I really wish I weren't too old for space camp.

Cullen and I joined a group from Timothy Ministries (where he takes enrichment classes once a week) at the Space and Rocket Center yesterday. Here are some of my favorite photos:


The scale of artifacts and models on display was awe-inspiring.

 



A child of the touch-screen era, Cullen was surprised by how much effort was required to flip an old school toggle switch!

The real Apollo 16 Command Module

Simple tasks aren't so simple while wearing moon gloves.



A diver in training tank interacted with the kids over a speaker system while shooting baskets with a bowling ball.

Working with a friend on a lab project.

Guess who is dreaming about going into space someday?


 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

School Room on First Day of 7th Grade

Though yesterday was actually the first day of 7th grade for Cullen - he takes some science and technology classes at Timothy Ministry in Woodstock every Tuesday, which he thoroughly enjoys - here are some photos of his first day working at home this year. The school room has been updated to better suit a preteen, but it still has the fun, zany vibe we both enjoy. (You can see photos from a few years ago here.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
Our day is not done, so if you'll excuse me, I have a discussion awaiting on mood, tone, and suspense in "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. Fun stuff!
 
Check out other photos of other homeschoolers rooms or set-ups here.
 


Friday, January 31, 2014

Long Overdue Update (Beware the Creeper)

Though I have rarely posted here so far this year, we are still plugging along. Things are going very well, and Cullen is taking more ownership of his own learning, which is exciting for me!

He is passionate about pretty much anything related to computers, even taking it to levels of extreme geekiness and learning to code while "playing" games.

Creeper in the house!
 
We are behind where I hoped to be with the science curriculum, but Cullen takes so many side trips following his own interests in all thing science and technology that I really have no complaints. Setting up and maintaining a thriving tropical fish aquarium and snap circuit projects have been the biggest of these.

 
All other subjects are moving along pretty much as planned. Math is painless as long as problems can be worked out on the whiteboard. That $30 board and the packs of colored markers may be the best homeschooling investment I've made to date.



This week, all academics were interrupted by weather. I am so thankful we did not end up trapped in the traffic nightmare that locals are referring to as Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse. (My adult daughter did have an 11.5 hour commute home from work Tuesday night, but made it safely.) Cullen has grown so much and so quickly this year that he ended up wearing MY ski pants and MY snow boots to go out for fun in the snow! Looking at this picture, I see those are MY gloves, too!

 
I am not so mean that I insist on schoolwork when every other kid in the neighborhood is hooting and squealing as they slide down the hill that begins in front of our house. This happens too rarely here in Georgia to miss the chance for this kind of fun!


Photo by neighbor, Tim Dahnke
 
Most of the ice and snow has melted as of today, so we are easing back into the loose routine we usually keep. The forecast models show a possibility of more snow next week, though. On my to-do list is buying Cullen his own cold-weather clothes so I can go play, too, next time!