tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133492252011-12-13T19:57:17.735-08:00Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.comBlogger1441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-50924199080760338842008-04-11T20:37:00.001-07:002008-04-11T20:44:21.515-07:00

It's been so long since I blogged I thought I'd forgotten my password, thank God it is all linked in my Google account!I do want to continue to blog, to log my thoughts and observations and activities of learning. Lots of that is going on, but I've gotten out of the habit of reflecting on it. I guess I've been busy reflecting on other things. We returned last week from a trip to NC during which

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-56431774633196533032007-10-31T18:49:00.000-07:002007-10-31T19:02:22.744-07:00

I didn't go about looking for something like this, but a craft blog, led to a Scottish craft blog and then a link in the sidebar to this video. Bill's father's family was from Aberdeenshire and this is some of their music.There are 4 parts of this little documentary. I never even knew this Bothy ballad music existed. And it seems that the Scots use competition to keep tradition alive, just like

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-36034639486313100882007-10-24T07:20:00.000-07:002007-10-24T18:50:44.337-07:00

William MacFarlane Park -- Feb 7, 1930 - Oct 14, 2007We're missing you Bill.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-34475599467553957882007-08-07T11:08:00.000-07:002007-08-07T11:47:01.789-07:00

What finally brings me back to the blog - the headline I heard today on NPR - "Baby Einstein videos shown to delay learning!" Yes, finally the research is showing what the "ditch the TV"" proponents have warned about (among other things), that interaction with a live human being is the most important thing for children and TV is not a substitute for that.Here are a few choice quotes from the

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-42732144138275513612007-07-10T10:11:00.000-07:002007-07-10T11:13:47.877-07:00

I didn't intend to take a nearly 2 month break from blogging but I must have needed it. Those past 2 months have been a blur. Portfolios are complete and turned in. My husband finished his principalship program. There were 2 highland dance competitions, a trip to NYC, a Chinese shadow mask puppet camp and a Ukrainian dance camp. Oh, and two birthday celebrations in the family with another this

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-23025574259953541192007-05-17T10:54:00.000-07:002007-05-17T11:02:22.796-07:00

Just sent out this email to my Fieldlearning List subscribers:Greetings All!If you’ve taken a look at the calendar this month, you may have noticed it is a little bare. May is a busy month with the end of school and the beginning of the garden, but it is also a big month for our family. Three generations have birthdays next week and mine is one of them. Birthdays are good times to evaluate, to

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-68637769217801214232007-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:002007-04-12T15:37:36.020-07:00

If you have a few minutes, go over to the Beehive and read Fa-so-la-la's college application essay. I found it inspiring. This, I thought, this is what I want my kids to be able to affirm when they are finishing high school. Whether they apply to college or not, no matter how prestigious or ordinary the college, if they have this perspective on education, I will be consider their homeschooling to

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-64049423710549882912007-04-05T10:47:00.000-07:002007-04-05T11:13:34.115-07:00

I haven't posted much about highland dance competitions. Mainly I stick to the cultural and historical lessons they learn at games and Burns dinners, but lately I've been struck by the lessons they are learning about things such as good sportsmanship, perseverance, humility and trust. All three have been practicing regularly and for the most part working hard at it. Their teacher gave them

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-83418101455316632962007-03-15T19:31:00.000-07:002007-03-15T19:55:42.451-07:00

When I told my husband about this opportunity his comment was that this is no longer "fieldlearning" but "Extreme Fieldlearning!" What do you think? I get a phone call from a friend who just heard that tonight is the night that the amphibians need help crossing the road so they can make it to their mating pool (a vernal pool). Is it extreme to drive half an hour in the rain, at night, bundled up,

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-48655748319450262172007-03-15T12:44:00.000-07:002007-03-15T13:02:24.754-07:00

Maybe I'll start doing this regularly, maybe not. This is what we (more particularly my 6.5 year old) have been enjoying on the web this week. Jan Brett.com - I've got to think everyone knows about this site already. But, it is wonderful and bears reminding. Plus, if you haven't been there for some time you might be interested in the videos that are now on the site. Most of the videos are

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-73668061798367002942007-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:002007-03-14T17:15:24.358-07:00

A beautiful day at Middlecreek - a taste of summer! Many more geese than last week.Take a peek - :

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-36023835721596415392007-03-13T14:45:00.000-07:002007-03-13T14:57:49.030-07:00

There's been a little buzz about library elf. Sarah's post last week had a commenter who mentioned it in a response to her plea for ideas to keep track of library books. A couple days before that Tracy mentioned it in a homeschooling yahoo group. I signed up right away. If you could use a service that tracks as many library accounts as you want under one name,(ie all your kids in one account),

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-34896759439918848362007-03-13T14:35:00.000-07:002007-03-13T14:45:34.633-07:00

Last Thursday we headed into the city for the day. The PA Ballet dress rehearsal had been shortened for the younger children to the (30 min) ballet, Serenade. Even for professional ballet I wouldn't drive that far for a half hour show, so we made a day of it and went to the Art Museum in the morning. I burned the audio tour for the arms and armor galleries onto a CD and we listened to that on the

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-583878675003232392007-03-13T14:29:00.000-07:002007-03-14T17:15:43.329-07:00

The numbers are up to 180,000 snow geese at Middlecreek as of Monday:This is apparently the largest number of snow geese ever observed at Middle Creek. Conversely, Canada goose and tundra swan numbers remain relatively low. There are reports of geese and swans already to the north of us, we don't know how long these birds might linger here.~Jim BinderMiddle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-20284002447098948342007-03-07T18:53:00.000-08:002007-03-07T19:12:33.960-08:00

It's the beginning of March, which means it is time for the Snow Geese migration through nearby Middlecreek Game Lands. It has become a tradition for our family to take a gander (oh, yes, that pun is intended) at the geese and swans that stopover on their journey to the arctic. We went yesterday and it was freezing cold, actually quite below freezing with the wind chill. There weren't as many

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-2003569795431405052007-02-17T07:10:00.000-08:002007-02-17T07:16:07.589-08:00

Here is a picture of Julius' art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy. It does however serve a utilitarian purpose in that it houses snowballs. Did I mention he is a nine-year-old boy?

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-67816752558853241272007-02-15T07:47:00.000-08:002007-02-15T07:58:44.930-08:00

We were at a friend's on Sunday night. She had wanted to show the DVD Rivers and Tides to Julius to show him what he could do with all the sticks he goes hunting for. As it turned out we all really enjoyed the DVD. Environmental artist, Andy Goldsworthy from Scotland uses sticks, stones, leaves, water, ice, flower petals and other natural things to make beautiful transient art. It was really

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-84142736974061995412007-02-14T08:24:00.000-08:002007-02-14T08:49:28.674-08:00

I've been reading Here in the Bonny Glen, the blog of Melissa Wiley, author of the Little House in the Highland books and homeschooling mom. This week she's posted about the fact that her own books are going to be reissued in an abridged form and the full-length books will probably go out of print. Because of this decision by the publisher she has decided to not write any more books in this

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-35335689061630536052007-02-14T08:10:00.000-08:002007-02-14T08:24:09.101-08:00

There are so many free library lectures and other events (some free, some not) going on surrounding the "Year of Egypt" in Philadelphia. If you are local, or coming to Philly to see the Tut, click on the graphic to go the University of Pennsylvania Museum's calendar of events for the Year of Egypt. It'll be hanging out in the sidebar on this blog and the Fieldlearning website.This weekend is a

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-83970657595268884472007-02-06T17:29:00.000-08:002007-02-07T11:57:34.786-08:00

Today we went to see Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of The Pharaohs at the Franklin Institute. We were part of a large homeschool group and our entrance time was 1 pm. Although our group arrived 3 hours earlier the kids seemed to last pretty well. My friend and I took the kids to the easier exhibits and didn't worry if most of what they were doing was playing. We also saw a show for about 45

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-77756000660636540892007-02-01T06:38:00.000-08:002007-02-01T07:36:55.282-08:00

Last week a friend and I brought three 11 year olds to an outreach lecture at the West Chester Public Library. The topic was the upcoming King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute and the on-going exhibit, Amarna, at the University of Penn Museum. The speaker was Nicholas Piccaro, a PhD candidate in Egyptology. These outreach lectures are always free and sponsored by the PA council for arts and

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-79330533976622244992007-01-30T05:35:00.000-08:002007-01-30T05:43:57.616-08:00

The 57th Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Palm Tree Pundit. Anne has done a very nice job with the Carnival this week, organizing it by the connections families are making in homeschooling. Some are connecting with history (like us), some with math, science, geography, grammar, and then a few with the educational establishment and a lot are making connections with educational philosophy and

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-57543773371750367842007-01-26T20:04:00.000-08:002007-01-26T20:39:24.812-08:00

If you are the master of ceremonies/host of a Burns dinner about to carry in the haggis and then you realize you need to find the man with the scotch, what do you do? You can't just sit it down next to the coats! You spot a boy and hand it to him - "Take care of this til I get back!" Julius was pretty pleased to have the honor of holding the haggis. It was heavy, but he wasn't giving it up.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-23577633716842506412007-01-24T09:09:00.000-08:002007-01-24T09:18:57.777-08:00

As we get close to Chinese New Year, I thought it would be nice to share some of our favorite Chinesepod lessons. This one is a children's song that, according to the hosts, every Chinese child learns. "Searching for a friend..." 菜鸟115 Baby Talk - Friends Song Visit ChinesePod.com Just a note, some lessons on Chinesepod contain adult subject matter (things like getting a date) so supervise

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-73714255417740108342007-01-18T13:12:00.000-08:002007-01-18T14:08:28.009-08:00

Another edition of how their brains work. At breakfast the other day we had toast and jam (oh, so creative aren't I?). Julius began asking questions about how high was Mt. Everest, and what was that in miles and oh, so is Mt. Everest is in the Thermosphere?I inquired as to why he was thinking about all this. I knew his geography book was talking about the atmosphere... He pointed to the jar of

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-79385992337331682112007-01-11T10:48:00.000-08:002007-01-11T11:23:00.373-08:00

Before I start to tell you about the quilts we saw today; I have this little reminder, it's International De-lurking Week. So: Sheryl put together another cute graphic - Delurk - in cyberspace no one can hear you read! And in order to give you something to comment on, take a look at these quilts!Crafts and homeschool meet again as we drive down the road to Montgomery County Community College's

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-34883664330837120962007-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:002007-01-11T16:29:21.717-08:00

I have a couple of lazy kates courtesy of my son and his k'nex set:You need something to hold the bobbins when you are plying yarn (two 1 ply yarns together make a 2 ply yarn. A real lazy kate usually has something to hold the tension as well. He had tried that last time, but this simpler design really works better. It keeps the bobbins where they belong. I loved how thrilled he was to help me

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-85881334667918494002007-01-09T10:56:00.000-08:002007-01-09T11:19:37.478-08:00

I've recovered from my minor panic and have reconstructed enough that things don't feel quite so bad. The reading log is up to date and I've been keeping better track of things - for this week anyway.Found this post from Jennifer of As Cozy as Spring with a link to Elizabeth who is using a blog format for recording a list of daily learning activities. Although, I don't think it is necessary to go

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-22386323146782409392007-01-09T10:55:00.000-08:002007-01-09T10:56:50.528-08:00

The Carnival is up at Homeschool Buzz. A great diversity of posts this time, your sure to find something relevant to you!

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-64142373723027988532007-01-07T12:07:00.000-08:002007-01-11T16:29:46.279-08:00

...like a Farm Show potato! Yep, yesterday we went to the PA Farm Show, largest indoor ag fair in the country, 91st year or something close to that. We got the usual baked potatoes and milkshakes, we saw ducks, chickens, goats, alpacas, horses, steer, and cows. We learned about amphibians and reptiles, alternative energy, whittling, the plight of the American Chestnut, and the importance of

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-48102501513284428942007-01-05T12:02:00.000-08:002007-01-05T12:15:56.134-08:00

I live in PA, I'm supposed to be keeping a contemporaneous log of what resources I'm using and what the kids (8 and over) are doing. Umm, I've blown it. I've waited too long and now it is hard to remember what we did since Nov 15th! I looked through my blog and got a couple of key dates down, but I wanted to share too many of those Ted Talks and so it isn't such a good record of what we've done.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-32720245843878080582007-01-04T10:51:00.000-08:002007-01-04T21:19:18.780-08:00

It all started a few years ago at Brandywine Battlefield. There was a woman talking about medicines from plants and how they were used in the 18th century. There has been talk on and off about the topic and finding out more. There was the planting of an herb garden and a perking up of the ears when someone mentioned the use of a plant in healing. The interest broadened to include other plants.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-19192864100359684792006-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:002006-12-20T07:48:32.128-08:00

I was going to tell everyone about selling at the flea market yesterday. Which had some very funny moments, but then someone sent me this! It is hysterical. I've already sent it to many of my friends and I hope that they elf themselves and send a link back to me. I just had to share.I just made a total elf of myself. Check me out by clicking the linkbelow.http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-90270145820519593762006-12-18T04:59:00.000-08:002007-01-11T16:30:13.018-08:00

Melissa Wiley, over at Here in the Bonny Glen, posted a link to a special NPR program, called Arkansas Traveler which focused on Little House on the Prairie Songs. If you've ever listened to any of the books on tape with Cherry Jones reading, you'll remember that she would sing the songs sometimes with a little accompaniment of fiddle. This show combines excerpts from the audio books with songs

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1164994439985239942006-12-01T09:19:00.000-08:002006-12-01T09:34:00.056-08:00

I had great intentions of teaching my kids how to read music, of singing, playing recorder, maybe then guitar or piano. I would go at it in fits and starts, but then they feel in love with dance. First one with ballet, then all three with Highland. Music is a part of dance, I figured. They sing at home and church and we can't do everything, can we? They can always start lessons when they are a

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1164635268957782002006-11-27T05:39:00.000-08:002006-11-27T05:47:48.960-08:00

Last night we delivered and set-up our craft table at our local Curves. Erin separated each of her 42 jars of pre-orders into boxes for each person with an itemized receipt. For those who ordered $40 or more she threw in a Cocoa Heaven for Two. On Saturday we (all the kids helped with this) also prepared many jars of salts and scrubs. Add to that the lip balm and our table was pretty full! On the

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1164593555090556252006-11-26T17:36:00.000-08:002006-11-26T18:12:35.166-08:00

Another example of lived near this all my life but have never been there. Even after doing this Fieldlearning thing for several years with the kids there are still things on the list of gotta try that. I grew up about 45 minutes from Reading. One of our proms was at practically next door to the Reading Pagoda, and yet, today was the first day I had been there.For the last several months we have

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1164635023221264672006-11-23T05:39:00.000-08:002006-11-27T05:43:43.250-08:00

Friday, December 8th, 2006 from 6-9 pm228 Second Avenue, PhoenixvilleBuy locally this Christmas!Crafty moms and their kids offer their wares in a homey atmosphere (well, actually, in a home),with snacks and beverages and pleasant conversation.Brownie Mix in a Jar • Pet Gift Baskets • Dog Treats • Beaded Bookmarks • Lip balms• Salt and Sugar scrubs • Ornaments • Hand-spun yarn • Hot Cocoa Gift

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1164048907408285102006-11-20T10:47:00.000-08:002006-11-20T11:07:06.536-08:00

Last Tuesday was our last pick-up at the CSA. Not only are we going to miss all the delicious fresh vegetables, but the farm itself, the chickens and the kitties. Although it was work, I'm glad I took the time to freeze and can this summer. Just the other night we had some tomato salsa - it was a taste of August in the middle of November. I'm going to slip some raspberries into some pancakes some

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1163771254579160902006-11-17T05:03:00.000-08:002006-11-17T22:23:13.506-08:00

One of my goals in homeschooling my kids is to teach them some basic business skills and to develop some entreprenurial thinking. For the last 4 or so years my daughter who is now 11 has been making brownie jars (layered brownie mixes in a canning jar). At first she sold them just to friends of the family and ladies from our church. She made about 10-15 jars that year.The first year pretty much

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1163646080557112542006-11-15T18:45:00.000-08:002006-11-15T19:07:49.296-08:00

Another TedTalk - in this one we find out how technology is growing exponentially and get a taste for what might be possible in our and our children's lifetimes. The talk doesn't go into the implications of how the technology he foresees changes the meaning of being human, but it will get you thinking!

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1163517530483258792006-11-14T07:09:00.000-08:002006-11-14T07:18:50.600-08:00

Homeschooling in NYC had a link to this video lecture by Sir Ken Robinson that I found very interesting. It is only about 20 minutes long but it really gets you thinking about education and what our end goals are. They are from this conference in CA called TED. I have been watching one or so each day and will post the ones that I like. Filed under:education video thinkers

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1163438679865662072006-11-13T09:03:00.000-08:002007-02-01T07:25:42.609-08:00

Yesterday was the opening of the Amarna (birthplace of Tut) exhibit at the Upenn Museum. It is going to be Egyptomania in Philadelphia this year, especially when the Tut exhibit comes to Franklin Institute in February. Sundays are always free during the school year at the Penn Museum, but yesterday there was all kinds of special activities, lectures for the bigger people and games and crafts for

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1163133312691449412006-11-09T20:03:00.000-08:002006-11-09T20:35:12.760-08:00

And we're off. I was having a hard time figuring out which of my son's interests I should focus on this year. I usually find something my kids are interested in and turn it into one big giant unit study kind of thing. For instance, last year for my daughter was the "Year of Scotland". Everything seemed to come back around somehow to all things Scottish. That, by the way, is continuing to a lesser

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1162925566949811332006-11-07T10:50:00.000-08:002006-11-07T10:52:46.970-08:00

Check out Spunky's Homeschool for this weeks' Homeschool Carnival. I like her format. She organizes the posts by library call numbers. Cute! Fieldlearning is in the 500's under Homeschooling Culture and Customs.Filed under:carnival blogging

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1162839265654963932006-11-06T10:31:00.000-08:002006-11-06T13:51:19.256-08:00

Longwood is a treasure. This was only my second time there and the first time with the kids. A kid friend and an adult friend joined us, which made it even more delightful. I think we haven't gone much before because it is rather pricey for the adult admission. Well, not pricey, considering the beauty of everything, but I can't be spending $14 every other week on one admission. Kids are only $2

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1162357668832233992006-10-31T20:59:00.000-08:002006-10-31T21:07:48.833-08:00

What a gorgeous fall day. It was so inspiring I decided to turn two pictures from the day into a new blog header. (It took too long, but I am pleased with the results!)Friends joined us on a trip to my father's farm. The temps were in the low 70's which is unusual and welcome for the last day in October in Pennsylvania. Even though the trees have passed their peak, there were some gorgeous colors

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1161742435199068792006-10-24T18:41:00.000-07:002006-10-24T19:16:05.556-07:00

My daughter, a friend's daughter and I attended a lecture/walk by Dr. Susan Munch on Mosses and Liverworts this past Saturday. This again is one of those things that you think may be incredibly boring. I mean, how exciting can mosses be? Even though I was the one who signed us up, I was dubious. Erin is interested in botany however, so I thought it would be worth the risk and it was only a few

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1161196839879638262006-10-18T11:25:00.000-07:002007-01-19T14:29:20.127-08:00

Obviously, I haven't been...keeping up that is. We've got food on the table, but the house is a mess and the list of things to get done is miles long. My husband started a new job in August and also, you know, while he was at it, a graduate program in Educational Leadership. Also known as a principal's certificate. Glossing right over how a homeschool dad would become a public school principal.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1159937123689981382006-10-03T21:17:00.000-07:002006-10-03T23:24:16.770-07:00

I didn't know what to title this post. It is so hard to believe this happened. If you've read my blog before you know that I grew up in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties in PA and I respect the PA German culture and the various practices of the plain Christian faiths. In the last year especially I have tried to introduce my children to various aspects of Amish and Mennonite culture. Last Saturday, a

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1155701477989323192006-08-15T19:49:00.000-07:002006-08-16T13:28:02.536-07:00

We finally made it to the Goshenhoppen Folk Festival. I had known of it for years, but had never been. Vonderful fun! Friday was just a beautiful day, sunny and clear, but not too hot. Upon admission, we were each told to take a wooden nickel. One child asked, "What is this for?" To which the lady behind the table responded, "It's just for nice." Right then I knew this was going to be a good day.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1155176109222163632006-08-09T18:24:00.000-07:002006-08-09T19:15:09.280-07:00

I can't believe we are a third of the way through August already! We haven't been doing a lot of trips lately. The kids didn't want to go the Mann to see the African Dance and Drum Ensemble on Monday. We've seen it before and I'm not going to spend a couple of hours in the car if they aren't interested! July was spent in North Carolina for 5 days, the beach for 3 days and going to local library

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1154798575966201992006-08-05T10:17:00.000-07:002006-08-05T10:22:55.986-07:00

A number of museums across the country will be having a free admission day on September 30, 2006. It is sponsored by The Smithsonian Institution and TIAA. You need to print out a card for each 2 person admission. All the details are here:And you can search by state to find the museums that are participating. Local to Philly, the Franklin Institute, Delaware Art Museum, Penn Museum, Hagley Museum,

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1153311119480357582006-07-19T04:58:00.000-07:002006-07-19T05:11:59.503-07:00

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling is up at the Nerd Family. There are carnivals on many topics in the blogosphere. It is a nice opportunity to check out some blogs you haven't heard of and if you have a blog to get some new visitors to your site. Of course, I'm mentioning it because I've got a post listed in this carnival! Check out the carnival here.Filed under:carnival blogging

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1152492408419020462006-07-09T17:30:00.000-07:002006-07-09T17:46:48.460-07:00

The Fourth of July was almost a week ago, but I'm still have to tell about this. A certain small town in PA celebrates the Fourth by making floats, decorating bicycles, tractors and parading them through town. Sounds similar to other hometown Fourth of July celebrations you've been to I am sure. Here's the difference. Everyone is armed! Yes, armed - with water artillery. And, artillery is the

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1151634164736686412006-06-29T19:15:00.000-07:002006-06-29T19:22:44.753-07:00

Some school subjects come right to you. Like weather - flooding, erosion, watershed...The water is blurry because it is moving so fast. These pictures were taken on Wednesday June 27th about 8:30 pm on the bridge over the Schuylkill river at Phoenixville/Mont Clare, PA. Just like a big snow storm, the weather brings everyone out. The bridge was full of people who came down to see the river just

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1151456569443021052006-06-27T18:00:00.000-07:002006-06-27T18:02:49.470-07:00

The Kennedy Center is loaded with good stuff. I was disappointed when we weren't able to see the puppet show at their Festival of China last October. Well, someone got a grant, because they developed this really well done website about Chinese shadow puppets with pictures and footage from October, including interviews. You'll find it here.Filed under:chinese puppets

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1151356755856618302006-06-26T14:01:00.000-07:002006-06-26T14:19:15.856-07:00

Okay, not really the anniversary of this blog today. It was June 1. But, it was just now that I took the time to look up when I started blogging. So, if you've been by before or even if this is your first time, take a moment to de-lurk and leave a comment. I'll stop short of begging and just ask; please say hi, leave a link to your blog, what you've been learning lately, what your favorite

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1151355608191980792006-06-26T13:38:00.000-07:002006-06-26T14:00:08.423-07:00

Even if you don't play guitar, you will enjoy the Martin Guitar Factory tour. It was worth the hour and a half drive especially combined with a picnic and playtime at a nearby park. I recommend the whole experience. We joined with some other homeschoolers for a group tour. They will only take 15 people in each time slot however, so if you have more than that be prepared to split your group.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1151354220893435942006-06-26T13:09:00.000-07:002006-06-26T13:37:00.923-07:00

I've shared about our trip to Jamestown, VA in April here, along with some links to lesson plans and information about the 400th anniversary of the landing. Part of the 400th anniversary celebration has been the sailing of the replica Godspeed up the East Coast. A week ago the boat was docked at Penn's Landing and the public was able to go on board. Each group of about 20 people was guided by one

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1151352529336851542006-06-26T12:53:00.000-07:002006-06-26T13:08:49.896-07:00

And it is pouring outside my window right now, on and off showers for the rest of the week we are told.After not posting for (eek!) 12 days, I'll be entering a few posts today to catch things up a bit. I've finally uploaded new pictures of basically the whole last month, so there is lots to show. First, a little local news.From Tamara Kells: They are still doing the homeschoolers matinees at the

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1150335426681862742006-06-14T18:31:00.000-07:002006-06-14T18:37:06.696-07:00

Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with homeschooling or learning. Except possiblity for the fact that it might save you some time and money which might leave more time and money for other things!Amazon is selling groceries. That's right, groceries. And, the prices are good, some are really good. Better than the wholesaler I ordered from last week for some organic snacks like pure bars. And,

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1150120322914364692006-06-12T06:37:00.000-07:002006-06-12T06:52:02.943-07:00

He's reading. The boy is really reading. I am not exactly sure how it happened. How he went from hardly reading to reading books at a 3rd-5th grade level. It was just like that for my daughter as well. Within a very short time, like a few weeks, each of them decided they wanted to read and their brains put together all the things they had been learning over the last several years. It is a little

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1149211534128495362006-06-01T18:21:00.000-07:002006-06-01T18:25:34.150-07:00

If you are in need of inspiration to jumpstart your creativity for cooking or schooling or crafting with the kids there are plenty of blogs out there to do just that. I hope this blog inspires in some small measure. A rather newish blog from a crafting blogger is filled with daily inspiration of fun craft and cooking ideas to do with the kids. Her site is very clean with great illustrations that

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1148922271513724852006-05-29T09:54:00.000-07:002006-05-29T10:06:10.170-07:00

Would you like to eat "in-season" but really aren't sure what to do with things like kohlrabi, turnips and kale? Do you love the look and smell of fresh herbs? Did you just join a local community supported agriculture farm and they don't publish a cookbook? A friend of mine has set-up a blog called In-Season. Kim, myself and Nancy will be sharing what we receive at our CSAs and recipes and ideas

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1148517418735769932006-05-24T17:01:00.000-07:002006-05-24T17:36:58.746-07:00

The Colonial Gathering in Fair Hill, MD brought many smiles. The kids and I traveled with two friends. For both friends the Scottish Games were a first. For one a first period, for the other a first outside of Scotland. Alison (from Perth) said that the games were very similar to those at home. She took some pictures to send to her brother including a short movie with the massed pipe band playing

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1148305720424689592006-05-22T06:25:00.000-07:002006-05-22T06:48:40.796-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad!Today my father turns 83! He was born in the Roaring 20's, lived through the Great Depression, went to the 1939 World's Fair, fought in World War II, and remembers when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. He knew life before television, and computers and men on the moon. He knows all those great old songs and no new ones. He's lived at the center of the world (NYC) and in Amish country.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1148304136616266782006-05-22T05:46:00.000-07:002006-05-22T06:22:16.696-07:00

My neighbor is really into Myers-Briggs, she uses it in her job to help people understand themselves and each other. So, when I saw this quiz, I already knew I was an ENTP (according to my neighbor) but this is what is says a mother with this personality type is like:Your type is: entp —The “Independence” Mother“When I held my babies, I always faced them outward so they could take in the world

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1147976676591206352006-05-18T10:47:00.000-07:002006-05-18T11:24:36.640-07:00

How can we be more than half-way through May? It has been a busy month. Here's a quick catch-up on what we've been doing.DeSales University Senior Class kids show. This is excellent. We've gone for the last 3 years. Interesting, funny, original show. This year's show was Heroic Hercules where we were introduced to figures from Greek myths. The theater is small and has seating around 3 sides so

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1147974420121717702006-05-18T10:30:00.000-07:002006-05-18T10:47:00.206-07:00

In the car on Tuesday, our almost six year old was asking a question. Not really sure how this one formed in her brain - "Who was the first Catholic person in the "new" world?" We had just passed the local Catholic church, so that kinda made sense, but we couldn't figure out what she meant by the "new" world. Do you mean America? Do you mean ever? "No," she says, "the first world is under the

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1147661014804029792006-05-14T19:18:00.000-07:002006-05-14T19:43:34.900-07:00

I found this quote over at Here in the Bonny Glen, she's been posting a few quotes each week from this book. This one was particularly poignant for Mother's Day."Gentleness, patience, and love, are almost everything in education; especially to those helpless little creatures, who have just entered into a world where everything is new and strange to them. Gentleness is a sort of mild atmosphere;

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1147310386819405102006-05-10T18:15:00.000-07:002006-05-10T18:19:46.963-07:00

The Mann Music Center in Philly has a great program each summer geared toward youth. Free and open to the public. I wrote about our experience here (with some hints and tips, of course).Check out this year's line-up: #1 and #5 are high on my list!Kidz Kickin’ It @ The MannShangri-La Chinese AcrobatsWednesday, June 14 and Thursday, June 15, 10am and 12:30pmA Piano SummitThe 5 BrownsMonday, July 10

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1147310076331715172006-05-10T17:56:00.000-07:002006-05-10T18:14:36.386-07:00

A blog I read today reminded me of an online course Erin and I did a couple of years ago. Click on over to The Thinking Mother and check out the post on Invasive Plants.Then come back and click here for the course we took and here for the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources site on native and invasive plants in the PA area. Also if you are in the area, some local native plant

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1147210645638386192006-05-09T14:02:00.000-07:002006-05-09T14:38:57.563-07:00

So we are now in May, but I am still blogging about our trip at the end of April. We went to the Southern MD Celtic Festival on the second leg of our trip. I have a friend who lives near by who showed us great hospitality for the weekend. First off, Southern MD is beautiful, the rivers, the bay, really pretty. The festival entrance fee wasn't cheap ($15 adults, $5 children) but it was chock full

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1146749351406672542006-05-04T06:26:00.000-07:002006-05-04T06:29:11.493-07:00

I've been having trouble with Bloglet so for all of you who subscribe via email, your subscription has been transferred to Feedblitz. Same basic idea, but I am hoping it works better! Meanwhile, I've been posting about our trip last week. So, there are several new posts and pictures from the last few days.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1146673708921147852006-05-03T08:14:00.000-07:002006-05-03T09:28:28.943-07:00

Friday we headed over to Historic Jamestowne. There are two Jamestowns, one is a living history museum/town near the original Jamestown. The other is operated by the National Park Service and is the actual site of Jamestowne where you won't find costumed interpreters (or many buses full of school children) but archaeologists and guides. Homeschoolers can get in free to the Jamestowne and Yorktown

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1146599621688356012006-05-02T11:57:00.000-07:002006-05-02T12:53:41.736-07:00

Over the next few days (in between working on that May calendar that I haven't gotten out yet) I'll be sharing what we've been doing over the last week. On Wednesday I rented a car and the kids and I drove to a KOA in Williamsburg, VA. I had reservations for a Kamper Kabin for 2 nights. (BTW, I hate that they spell those words with K's.) We checked out the Williamburg Visitor Center that night

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1146000405489950752006-04-25T14:04:00.000-07:002006-04-25T14:29:47.296-07:00

Some very bad weather almost cancelled a field trip I was leading to Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College yesterday. The hour by hour forecast said it was to clear up by 10 am, so I kept it on. The first half hour was wetter than I wanted, but when it was time to go into the gardens to search for Fibonacci numbers and spirals in plants the rain stopped. It was a very simple exercise, counting

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1145379551024196302006-04-18T09:12:00.000-07:002006-04-18T10:19:09.326-07:00

My oldest is working on writing a story and having a hard time getting started. I thought it might provide some inspiration for her to watch an interview with a children's/young adult author. The Kennedy Center has live and archived educational web broadcasts mostly geared for grades 4 - 8. (You have to register as an educator, but it is free to access.) One of the first broadcasts was an

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1145022514236063582006-04-14T06:30:00.000-07:002006-04-14T06:48:34.250-07:00

This week was Spring Break for my husband's school so we took the week off from some of our usual activities. I've been working on stripping, sanding and painting doors as we have a house that is still in need of much work. On Wednesday we went to the Reading Public Museum. It was a beautiful day and as the museum is situated in a park right next to a creek, we spent a good part of our time by

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1144162023858234072006-04-04T06:53:00.000-07:002006-04-04T07:47:03.893-07:00

We're going to be otherwise occupied next Sunday and won't be able to attend the big Sakura Sunday event in Fairmount Park. So, when we had the opportunity to see the Taiko drummers and dancers from Tamagawa University at Swarthmore this Sunday evening we took advantage of it. Their show is so colorful and is full of energy. This year (picture is from last) there was quite a bit of humour as they

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1143823492430984952006-03-31T08:22:00.000-08:002006-03-31T08:44:52.496-08:00

Whew! The April Calendar is up. So many great things this month, I'm not sure where to start.If you haven't seen the Franklin Exhibit at the National Constitution Center you've only have less than a month to go. Get on down there!With the Cherry Blossom festival happening the beginning of the month there is much Japanese Culture to participate in. Your best bet for the money and time is Sakura

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1143687237547519922006-03-29T18:20:00.000-08:002006-03-29T18:53:57.600-08:00

"Old friends make the best friends" - Chinese Fortune CookieYesterday was a learning experience in Chinese culture for our children. It was a wonderful time with an old friend for us. I hadn't seen Qing (say "ching") Ping since 1994, my husband hadn't seen him since 1996. Well, you can't expect to see people too often when they live half a world away. Ewan and Qing Ping were language partners

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1143572199518951602006-03-28T10:46:00.000-08:002006-03-28T10:56:39.616-08:00

Live from Turkey - A Total Solar Eclipse! Don't worry, it will be archived if you don't want to get up at 5 am to see it live. The following is from an e-mail sent out by Bob Riddle, editor of Scope on the Skies - Check out his website. Sun-Earth Day 2006 is tomorrow - March 29th. The following is a schedule of the web cast: 5:00 a.m. Welcome 5:02 a.m. What is an eclipse? 5:05 a.m. How are

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1143470353210426262006-03-27T06:16:00.000-08:002006-03-27T06:39:13.213-08:00

Arriving home from church yesterday my husband surprised me with flowers, a candy bar, a card and a book (Raptors of Eastern North America). The best part was that he was going to take the kids on a "bubventure" for a few hours so that I could relax. I read the chapter on Peregrine Falcons, ate my candy and took a nap. He and the children went to the library, the bike shop and the kilt shop. Now

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1143311459045003192006-03-25T10:10:00.000-08:002006-03-27T06:41:00.753-08:00

I thought I'd spend just a bit of time explaining or excusing some of the things in the right hand column and at the bottom of the posts. For those that are familiar with blogs this will probably not be new, but for those of you who aren't, this may help your understanding and utilizing blogs more.The bloglet subscription, when it is working, sends you either a whole post, part of a post or just

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1143212319906366642006-03-24T06:36:00.000-08:002006-03-24T07:00:57.500-08:00

Well, I'm glad to hear that there are some other bird watchers reading my posts. Thanks for your comment, Sara. I'm wondering, is there a specific place the geese stop in the Washington area?A long time friend and fellow bird enthusiast sent me this link to a peregrine falcon nest cam. It is located on the Rachel Carson building in Harrisburg, PA. Last year an egg was laid on March 25th, so as

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1142470545826359622006-03-15T16:32:00.000-08:002006-03-15T16:55:45.876-08:00

We missed this trip last March. Dad was very ill and wasn't up for the walk. This year he is miraculously back to health so we renewed our yearly visit to Middlecreek to see the migrating snow geese.I really can't capture for you how wonderful it is to see this many birds in one place. We were there on Friday, March 10 and the numbers were around 100,000. Early this week they shot up to 150,000 (

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1140728798610372652006-02-23T12:22:00.000-08:002006-02-23T13:06:39.243-08:00

I've been caught up in Olympic fever and haven't posted for awhile. There is quite a bit to catch up on. But I'll start with our trip yesterday to see an exhibit about this man:I have been anticipating this exhibit for quite awhile but was put off by the price. Organizing a group made it much more reasonable. If you can't go with a group, consider getting a NCC membership if you have a family of

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1139511998441182832006-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:002006-02-09T11:06:38.583-08:00

I've been tagged by NYCitymomx3. My first tag - so here it is.4 jobs you have had in your life1. McDonald's 2. One of those college students who call alumni and ask for donations.3. Project Engineer for a large chemical company4. Waitress at Pizzeria Uno4 movies you could watch over and over1. Cinema Paradiso2. Wallace and Grommit (shorts)3. Mr. BeanNot that into movies, so this is all I have

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1139274755830081132006-02-06T17:12:00.000-08:002006-02-06T17:22:26.226-08:00

Lots of Birds Originally uploaded by hearman. I didn't have my camera along on Saturday when we saw a flock of blackbirds much like this one. We followed them down a back road off of 422 near Birdsboro (how appropriate) on Saturday around 11:30 am.I stopped the car on a small bridge that had many trees near the creek. There were birds in all the trees and for about 10 minutes they streamed

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1138484485234939542006-01-28T13:22:00.000-08:002006-01-28T13:41:25.306-08:00

Our family had an interesting experience this past Wednesday. We got to watch my brother-in-law and his family on the national tv news. They live 12 hours away and we don't see them often, so it was nice to see the kids in motion. All week NBC had been doing a series on the "sandwich generation" - baby boomers with kids who were taking care of one or both parents. That's where how the news is

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1138483127830108432006-01-28T13:05:00.000-08:002006-01-28T13:18:47.880-08:00

So, how do we measure how much carbon dioxide is being produced by yeast? Well, we don't measure it absolutely but we can compare how much yeast is being produced by one sample relative to another sample.Here's what we did:Put equal amounts of warm water (115F) and the substance being tested into a clean soda bottle. Add 2 teaspoons of yeast and put a balloon on top. They will look like this. As

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1138163645963473642006-01-24T20:12:00.000-08:002006-01-24T20:34:11.460-08:00

As I've mentioned it is science fair time. For the next couple of days we tackle the kindergartener's project. She'll be finding out what yeast eats. Today we read a little bit about how bread is made, talked about the ingredients and observed that there were lots of tiny little holes in bread. Then we took half a cup of very warm water and mixed in a teaspoon of sugar. On the top we sprinkled 2

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1137778831870835232006-01-20T09:03:00.000-08:002006-01-20T09:58:47.956-08:00

Nine days until the first day of Chinese New Year, but the UPenn museum has their annual celebration tomorrow, Saturday Jan 21st. All the details are here and I have it listed on the calendar. I don't think we will make it this year as we are deeply involved in science fair time. It has been science fair all week this week with my 10 year old. She's trying to find Fibonacci numbers in fruit.

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1137421309559802022006-01-16T06:21:00.000-08:002006-01-19T07:28:18.616-08:00

gourd2.JPG Originally uploaded by Fieldlearning. At last year's farm show I was intrigued by the PA Gourd Society's booth, but only picked up a paper announcing an upcoming show. This year we spent a little time talking with a gourd enthusiast. (I made that name up, I don't know what they call themselves.) She showed us many different gourds including a rainstick made with a snake gourd

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1137091710514943702006-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:002006-01-19T07:03:03.990-08:00

rodeo2.JPG Originally uploaded by Fieldlearning. The high school rodeo competition is a must see event for us at the Farm Show. This year we waited til the evening competition. There is no admission to the event (although some of the entrances are reserved for VIPs) so get there early if you want a seat. As you can see from the picture, our seats were rather high; we arrived about 10-15

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1137001572637569142006-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:002006-01-19T07:06:19.063-08:00

butter2.JPG Originally uploaded by Fieldlearning. Butter sculpture at ag fairs has been popular since the 1920's. Every year the PA Farm show has one. Built and sculpted on a metal frame in a refrigerated case it is considered contaminated and destroyed after the show. Jim Victor from Conshohoken is a sought after food sculptor; he works all over the country. It is facinating to imagine

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1136906631679627432006-01-10T07:23:00.000-08:002006-01-10T07:23:51.733-08:00

tea2.JPG Originally uploaded by Fieldlearning. On a practical note, how do you find bathrooms, drinks and food at the farm show? Well, the drinks and food are easy to come by but can be very expensive. Since we are cheap folks, who refuse to pay $3 for a bottle of water, we have learned to tough it out until we find water fountains or beverages within budget! Okay, we haven't really

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13349225.post-1136818420714139822006-01-09T06:53:00.000-08:002006-03-27T06:45:24.596-08:00

100_1359.JPG Originally uploaded by Fieldlearning. One of our favorite areas is the poultry. The birds are easy to see (not hiding in a stall) even for little people, and it is the least stinky. The poultry area also has a few displays just for kids - a duck pond where you can see the cutest little yellow ducklings and a display of incubated chicks at various stages of hatching. The

Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176332996417767649noreply@blogger.com0