Homeschool Reminder

Well I can't say I miss homeschooling. Don't get me wrong - there are certain things I miss. There are certain things both B and I are still trying to get use to. And there are some things I DO NOT miss about homeschooling. But one of my homeschooling friends sent this to me - and it does make me remember, fondly, some parts of my not so distant past!
http://heartofamother.blogspot.com/
The youtube video is wonderful. Turn up your sound and prepare to laugh! ENJOY - some of you will definitely "get it."

First Day of School - Again

Can you even believe?????? Talk about then and now. That first photo was taken on B’s first day of kindergarten – 9 years ago!! First kindergarten, and before you know it they are off to a college campus. That young man is the same boy, just grown up in 9 years. And today was his first day of school at Washtenaw Middle Technical College (WTMC) on the Washtenaw Community College campus (WCC).

Yes, we have returned to the world of setting an alarm in the morning, following a schedule, and packing lunches. Some of the luxuries of homeschooling are sure to be missed! But the trade off is going to be huge.

Hope you enjoyed a look back in time. For those of you that didn’t know B back then – you got a glimpse into his childhood. And those that have known him that long, wasn’t it a nice reminder of what a sweet little boy he once was?!

Oh, it also means my student came home with a list of things he “needs” for school. And according to him, he ‘needs it for tomorrow.’ Only difference is, in elementary school there was a list the teacher sent home – today the student just started spouting off what he needed when we got to the store. Only thing missing off his list is a graphing calculator. I’m working on that one. Needless to say, we had to buy school supplies – just like ‘normal’ families.

The Boys Cleaning

I'm not sure it was an excuse to get the little guy to do some work, a chance for the big guy to be the boss, or simply my favorite nephew tagging along behind B (who turns 14 next week) - but they emptied and cleaned the bottom of the pond. They actually spent hours out there, working and talking to each other. L (who turned 3 in May) is a trooper. Both came in with pond scum dried on them, smelled a little funny, but laughing to each other. Pond is clean, and refilled. Who knows what the next 'pauject' will be? (according to L).

More Pulling

Makes no difference to us, if they are pulling a sled with draft horses, farm tractors, or super modified truck and tractors! This evening's event was the truck and tractor pulls at the Eaton County Fair. And we ain't talkin' stock farm trucks and/or tractors folks!!! Can you say (or in my case spell) super charged, turbor charges, and alcohol burning???? We not only saw and heard it, but we even 'felt' it. This is just a handful of the participants. We watched for over 2 1/2 hours and there was still 2 classes to pull. If you like pulling, we recommend this event!

For more info: http://www.ntpapull.com/, http://www.pulltown.com/
If you wish to try one of these events, the above website has an excellent event calendar. And there is NOT a lack of events happening. Tis' the season!!! For B's birthday in August he wants to go to the National Tractor Pulling Championships, which is in Bowling Green OH, at the Wood County Fairgrounds. There will be TONS of competitors and more dirt than anyone should shallow ;-)

And even if you are not interested in the trucks and tractors - you have to go to the end of the post - first I posted the most unique tractor last and there is some funny 'talk' about naming a truck of our own. Enjoy!
The below truck won the event for his class - pulled over 340 feet, both times!

Yes, they throw dirt!

And now for the tractors. They were SO loud and literally shook the grandstands.

Yes, that is a wheelie. They drive these tractors down the track, almost the entire way, on the back two tires.

I saved the best for last - well at least the most unique! This tractor was called Plumber's Nitemare and Don Deane, from IN, drove it. It is powered by 3, 1964 jet turbine engines. Too cool!

Beginning of pass.

Shutting it down after the run.

3 HOT turbine engines

This is what I want to know? Why don't I have a boy who wants to do this as a hobby??? We were laughing about what we would name B's truck. He says, "WACKO." I said his truck should be called, "DEFINANT." But I do have to admit, B got the best laugh of the night. He said, "if mom had a truck the name would have to be, "Burned on One Side." Now, do you think he walked home???? Kiss that first truck when you turn 16 good bye, my young son!

Pond Rebuild Project

Restless, might be the answer. Not enough to do, could be the answer. Or.....just wanting to 'modify' things is much more likely. This week B decided he wanted to change the pond. So what was a three tiered pond, is now a 2 tiered, deep pond. Unfortunately, he did not take the step by step pics. But - this is what happens when I leave him and grandma at home, alone together, for the day! They either don't have enough chores to do, or they need more adult supervision. lol

This was the 'before' pond - from last summer.
And this is what the pond looks like now.

Now if I could just figure out how to get B to work as hard at his academics and his household chores, as he does at his 'projects.' And if I could figure out how to do that, and sell it to other parents - I could retire wealthy!!!

WARNING GROSS - turtle dissection

If you know anything about B, you know that his collecting this turtle was not going to end with him simply taking a look at the turtle and letting her go. It seems we can't get any animal and not make it into some kind of project. This one, he got grandma to help him with. How you might ask? She has told stories of her father bringing home snappers in burlap sacks and skinning them out to eat. Since grandma knows how to do this, B recruited her for help. Can we all say, "grandma gets the award for being the best on this project?!" Anyway....the spent part of an afternoon exploring the biological facts of the turtle he caught in the swamp.

the beginning
cutting the skin to remove the shell and meat (the legs)

removing the underside of the turtle to see the organs

insides

heart

eggs - see I told you it was female (see previous Swamp Thing post for that lesson)

bladder

kidney

lung

ovaries

small intestines

stomach

tracea

cleaned out shell, which B intends to dry and keep - not sure how that's going to work because of the soft shell

At this point, many of the organs have been preserved for B's collection, the meat pieces (legs) have been skinned and are in the freezer (some dream about eating them has been talked about, hopefully I'm doing something else that night!), and the shell is drying. Biology lesson - complete!

B on an Internet Radio Talk Show

Every week B listens to an internet radio talk show called Pet Fish Talk. Recently, he was a guest on the show. Wanna listen? http://www.petfishtalk.com/shows/090610.htm


B recommends you go to the above link, then go part way down the page and follow the directions to download the mp3 file. He is on the last 45 mintues of the show, so you can fast forward. The topic of discussion is the Firemouth breeding project that B has been conducting - with success. He now has 2 breeding pairs and they have each had a batch of babies, which he plans to sell to the store he works at when they are big enough. Money making project? Gotta love that!

On the above webpage, you will also see where B is described - with regard to his participation on the show. Wow, my boy is a star - of sorts.

Song Bird Breeding Facility

Ah, another field trip where B left saying, "Mom, can I have a ......." The 4H Vet Science club visited a local song bird breeder. I didn't actually go on this field trip, so the details I am sharing are via the student. But now, B wants to raise a set of love birds. Thankfully, the answer is now and I didn't even have to be the bad guy. I just reminded him that I didn't know where we were going to be living in the fall and that I would hate for him to start on a project that could get interrupted when our housing status changes. Maybe he will forget in the meantime?!

nesting box with outside 'gate' taken off

nesting box with gate on

row, up on row of breeding cages

row up on row.......