Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Friday, January 29, 2016
Jean Giraudoux
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Monday, January 25, 2016
Gustave Flaubert
Sunday, January 24, 2016
D. H. Lawrence
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Ansel Adams
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Martin Luther
Monday, January 18, 2016
Starting a Science Fair
Something that I've been very busy with recently is the set-up of our area's first science fair. It's a project that I'm super excited about and one to which I am more than willing to donate my time.
Last year, I sent a document to the supervisor of our school district, outlining the purpose and process of a science fair. She not only approved it, but also forwarded it to several other schools in the area, many of which will be holding their own fair. We hope that in subsequent years we'll be able to hold a regional event.
I then got some money from the local government to buy basic lab equipment, and I have gotten donations from local businesses to help with any costs and smaller prizes. A few close friends and family have donated first prizes (laptop, ipad, phone) to each group. We hope to have enough money to get every kid a participation prize, and then bigger prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. If any of you would like to donate something to this cause, please let me know :)
On Friday, I held a three hour long class for the whole school. We watched some videos, went through the basics, and then did several experiments (using our new equipment). It was awesome, and the kids are very excited. Each kid now has one week to come up with three different ideas for a project, and the teachers and I will then help them to select their best idea.
Because this is something new and unknown, we will be walking them through each step of the process, giving a week or so to complete each of the tasks (hypothesis, list of materials, step by step instructions, analysis of data and so on). We're encouraging simple ideas for this first year, with the aim of performing each experiment (or part of it) in class. The event itself will take place at the end of April or beginning of May.
The post Starting a Science Fair appeared first on VelaCreations.
Starting a Science Fair
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Robert M. Pirsig
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Stewart Udall
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Max Muller
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
John James Audubon
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Christmas Visit
I know I haven't written in a long time, and have probably missed posting about a ton of projects we've been doing, not to mention kids' Christmas parties, etc. However, only one thing has been occupying my mind recently, and that was my mom and Bob's trip to see us this Christmas. Although we see them every year, it has been more than a decade since we've spent a Christmas together, and I was just too excited to do things like blogs!
Weather
We had a great time, with only one downside... the weather. Our winters can get a little cold, with an occasional freeze, but it's usually calm and sunny, which takes the edge off the chill. However, for the duration of their trip, we had several hard freezes, snow (!), gale force winds, and almost permanent cloud cover. It was a real shame, as our hiking opportunities were limited. But we made it work by baking tons of cakes and cookies, playing lots of cards, and Bob got to enchant the boys with his amazing story-telling ability. Of course, now that they're gone, the sun is back out and everything has warmed up again!
Food
One of the things that Abe and I enjoyed most was getting to show off our food collection. We had the usual home-grown rabbit, chicken, and Muscovy duck, which are pretty much always tasty, no matter what you do with them. We also had the prosciutto and lonzino (cured duck and rabbit) that Abe has been working on, the jellies we made this summer, and our new batches of cider (which turned out fantastic!).
We also managed to slip in a couple of cookouts, in between the worst of the weather conditions. We had a BBQ and Disco (our personal favorite).
Puppies
From Janet's perspective, the highlight would probably have been the puppies. We had to bring them inside on several occasions due to the cold and it became Jan's job to feed and cuddle them, a job which she took very seriously. Even when they went out during the day, she would often sneak out there to do her "work".
Most of them have now gone to their new homes, with only a couple remaining (both of which have several interested parties).
Hiking
The boys and Bob were most excited about the hiking. Whenever the weather would clear even a little bit, the big boys would don their woolies and go for a hike. On the last day, the sun was out all afternoon, which allowed us all to go for a long walk around our surrounding hills. It was really fun, and we all got to climb a bunch over jagged rocks and boulders.
Photos
Unfortunately, they have now gone, and the house feels a little empty. School is starting back though, so there's not much time to feel sad before the usual routines take over. Click here to see all of the photos from the set below.
Past Trips
Just to see how my boys are growing, here's a couple of pics from previous visits (2011, 2013, 2015).
Hope you all have a wonderful 2016.
The post Christmas Visit appeared first on VelaCreations.
Christmas Visit
