Puzzles and Masks

I decided this would be a good time for the girls to assemble the Mulan puzzle that Sam gave them for Christmas.

They'd originally started it on the school room table, but that wasn't working out for us, so we put up a table downstairs where they could work on it.  This wasn't easy for them, and I kinda had to nudge them along to finish it, but I'm glad I did.

Hannah pointing to the last piece.

We had our first quarantine birthday.  Being a quaranteen kinda sucks on a regular day, let alone your birthday, but he's a good sport.  When the world reopens, he wants a pair of boots.

Eli left birthday cards for Jack and Hannah before he went to boot camp.

This was about the time I decided to take matters into my own hands regarding school work.  The kids' school has not been a shining example of excellence during this time.  So I decided we're going to do an Around The World unit study, with an added look at how each country has been impacted by COVID-19.

Jack and I got out for a bike ride.

It was wonderful, and I discovered a Little Free Library in our neighborhood.  I've got a little pile of books and a clip on hand sanitizer ready to go next time we ride out.

Masks.  I made a couple and then started thinking, "Batch sewing these would be pretty easy if I started with tubes of fabric..."

So I did.

And it worked.  Cutting went very quickly. 

It was sewing them up that became a bit tedious.  So far I've given away or sold about 70, and I have more in progress. 

I have us doing a unit study of different counties each week.  It's something we can work on together, which is fun.  Our first country was Spain, and our next country was Italy, so I splurged on a puzzle of Europe (affiliate link) from GeoToys.  Great puzzles.  We have 4 now. 

I cut a bunch of paper spring shapes with my Cricut machine, (affiliate link) and let the girls design their own pictures to put in the windows. 

A friend gave the kids some little wooden model kits.  Jack's is a plane (jet?). 

The girls are still practicing piano every day.  They've been at it for over a year now!  Hoping to get FaceTime lessons going soon, but waiting to hear back from the power that be on that one. 

This was a fun activity!  I used my Cricut again to cut out a couple of paper dolls and half a dozen outfits.  I assembled the dolls, but left all the clothing and accessories in a pile and let the girls dress them up in different ways.  My goal is to pull these out again and have them pick a favorite outfit.  Then, we'll glue the outfit on, they can name their dolls, and make up a story about them, build houses for them, etc. 

Hoping this finds you and yours safe and healthy. 

The Sudden Homeschool Rolls On

There's a big difference between homeschooling and quarantine schooling.

I've tried to infuse some "homeschool" components into our days, by adding art projects and playing instrumental music in the school room.

One of Jack's teachers has assigned a major video project.  I asked Eli if he could help with this, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to get the stop motion camera working.

It's a bummer, because I would have liked to have seen where they were going with this.  I think.

Katie, measuring a table for math one day.  That was it.  Her entire math for the day.  I have taken to finding worksheets to print for her.

The kids worked on a puzzle over the weekend, but it didn't get finished.  We might have to set up a designated puzzle table.

I feel like homes all across the world are playing more games these days.  Blokus is one of my favorites.

We also played Uno.

One of Hannah's teachers decided to assign a "project" for the "two weeks" the kids would be out of school, instead of giving them their regular work.  Hannah didn't understand the project, but she did draw this picture of one of Columbus' ships, thinking it would work.  It's a video project.  I don't think this picture is going to cut it.  I also don't think it's fair for the teacher to plop a "30% of your grade" nightmare on us parents right now. 

Josiah didn't appreciate the rainbows in our window, so I tried to come up with something else.  I used my Cricut (affiliate link) to make giant egg stickers. 

We dropped liquid watercolors on diffusing paper with pipettes. 

Once the paper was dry, we attempted to put the stickers on the paper.  That part didn't go so well.  But now we have wonky eggs up in the window, instead of St. Pat's rainbows. 

Really bummed for the kids about the library being closed, so I got them a couple of new books from Amazon.  Katie's class is learning about ancient China, and the book about paper actually turned out to be a perfect tie in for her assignment last week. 

I also got the girls a couple more piano books, so they would have new things to play, even though they're not getting new assignments from their piano teacher. 

The school is finally admitting that the kids are not going back the week after spring break.  They're now saying that classes will resume May 4, despite the governor saying students will likely not be returning to classrooms this school year.  This is our new normal. 

Early March

Was it really only 2 weeks ago we were allowed to go out and gather in groups?

Jack's trap team.  The season is likely over for them now, but just a couple weeks back was their first shoot of the year.

During Arts Week, the kids visited a welding place.  This is Jack's creation.  I think the bike chains represent a stream.  There are dinos on the opposite bank.  Hannah made a face for hers, but I don't know what became of it.

Our cat is so weird.  He loves feet and shoes.

Oh, my heart.  Sam made my day by sending pictures of himself and a few other friends all gussied up.  They were headed to a "transitioning to civilian life" practice interview.  Sam has less than a year left in the Marines.

And this is when things got weird.  Suddenly all the toilet paper disappeared, and the public schools shut down.

I believe EGUSD was the first in the nation to close the whole district all at once.  My kids' school remained open much longer.  Now our whole state is shut down.

And yes, crafting is my therapy, and I have a weird sense of humor.  I made the girls t-shirts.  Gotta keep that Cricut Machine (affiliate link) going.  I actually started a Cricut post last month, and never finished it.  I want to show off all the cool stuff I've been making since Christmas.  I'll have to buckle down and get that done soon.

Catching Up Again

Now that I'm hanging out in the school room more, I'm bound to be more active blogging.

Grumman, standing atop a twin mattress.  Because cats.

He's a psycho kitty, but we love him.

The kids had spirit week.  On decades day, Hannah went as a hippy.

And Katie represented the '80s, with her leopard leggings, one of Jack's dress shirts, some jelly bracelets, and a side ponytail.

One of the days was Animal Day.

And one day was red/white/blue day.  I bought a red & white raglan at the craft store and let Jack design something to put on it using my Cricut machine. (affiliate link)  I love the way it came out! 

I'm glad my ironing board cover is the same color as the cat.  He loves hanging out there.

Remember Kylie, Zach & Heather's dog that we watched?  She had her first heat, so I was asked to make her a couple diapers.

Jack got to go to Lake Tahoe for a couple days with school.

Our first race of 2020.  Also, Eli's last race.  He's decided he's done.  Sad face.

We had littles in the house recently!  A friend is undergoing cancer treatment, and several of us took a turn with her children.

Which means that all the little kid stuff was out.  Which inspired the not so little kids to play with it, too.

"Feeling cute, might lock your iPad later, IDK."

One of the small fries had an accident, so I put him in my tub and made new underwear and pants for him.  I was in such a hurry, I didn't bother to change serger threads from the doggie diapers.

My cute little labels.

And the finished pants.  No pockets, due to time.

Eli and Miss Adorable spending every last moment together before he leaves for boot camp. 

I'm starting to get away from dressing the girls alike, but did do coordinating outfits for Valentine's Day. 

As our family size has dwindled over the years, we've gotten to the point where the old, full size, gas guzzling van is no longer the most appropriate vehicle for us.  Meet Matilda.  She's my new wheels, and I'm enamored. 

Our second race for 2020 was the Undy Run, for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.  Unfortunately, races are being cancelled or postponed left and right now.  I was bummed about the Shamrock race, because I had great socks for the event. 

But, it's all for the greater good.  So, for now, we stay home.  When the time comes, and we can race again, we'll appreciate it all the more. 

Stay Healthy, friends! 

The Sudden Homeschool

And just like that, thousands of families are homeschooling.  I feel bad for the ones who've never done it before.  The ones who think they have to do everything just the way the school does it.  The ones who aren't sure they'll survive weeks at home with their kids.  

I'm grateful for the 19 years experience I have homeschooling my kids.  But it's still jarring to go from the routine of having the kids in school to the new routine of homeschooling again.  

So I decided to start us off fun & easy... with an art project!  I started by using my Cricut machine (affiliate link) to cut shamrock stickers.  Then we made rainbows around them, using chalk pastels. 

This is what my little example looked like.

And these are Hannah and Katie's finished pictures. 

While they worked on their art project, I read aloud The Story of St. Patrick, More Than Shamrocks and Leprechauns, from Voice of the Martyrs.  (another affiliate link)

After art, I asked the girls to imagine they were Patrick, and write a letter home to his parents from captivity.  

Jack will be watching the Crash Course video on the Periodic Table of Elements, as that's what he's been working on in science at school.  

I'm going to pick up the kids' assignments from the school later today, so tomorrow will look much more "school-y" than our first day, but it's nice to have a gentle start.  I'm also picking up a bagful of books from the library, to keep up with Hannah's voracious appetite for reading during her down time.  

While I didn't plan to homeschool again, I'm excited about the prospect.  It's nice to have everybody home together while we weather uncertain times.  If any of my readers find themselves suddenly homeschooling and would like some help, I'm absolutely willing to point you toward some resources or answer questions for you.  

Stay healthy out there!