Limerick & Free Verse

This week we worked on poetry and the Homeschool Jedi wrote his own limerick and free verse poems. 

A widow who lived in Shanghai 

Constantly wished she could fly.

So she bought an airplane,

But she crashed in a plain,

Wishing she’d never again have to fly.

In the Park Home Run

The pitcher was furious from the previous hit,

so he threw a hard ball through the strike zone.

Though a little bit inside,

I smacked the ball to third.

Right in front of the players feet,

it bounced to the left of his head.

I rounded first base on a beeline straight to second.

The fielder overthrew second base

to the outfield instead.

I kicked up dirt as I rounded second base,

past third,

I could almost see home plate.

The right fielder threw the ball a little to the right of the fourth bag.

The catcher dove for the ball.

While I slid, a slight traffic jam occurred.

“SAFE,” yelled the umpire!

With helmet knocked off, 

I strutted back to the dugout

inspiring my team with the home run.

With our magnificent hits,

we will definitely win!

Ducks and Platypuses

         Platypuses are rare creatures and can be found in some zoos, while a duck is a common creature that can be found at a nearby pond or park.  These two creatures may look alike, but are different in their own ways.  Ducks and platypuses are two amazing species of animals that God created so alike yet so different.

         Ducks are eight-pound birds that have a bill, webbed feet, and brown and white, waterproof feathers, which also make up its tail.  Ducks are generally ten to fifteen inches tall.  Its head color depends on its gender and species and can vary from brown to green to purple-blue.  During its five to fifteen years of living, the semi-aquatic bird learns to fly and lays eggs.  The female duck generally lays eggs once or twice a year, lying up to fifteen eggs at a time.  The father then watches the eggs twenty-six to twenty-eight days to keep them safe from predators.  Sadly, ducks are killed for sport by hunters and cannot defend themselves.  Ducks can be found living in North America, Europe, and Asia.

         Platypuses weigh about one and a half to five pounds and are seventeen to twenty inches long with a similar appearance to the duck.  Platypuses have a beaver-like tail, waterproof fur, and similarly to the duck, webbed feet and a bill.  As a semi-aquatic mammal, platypuses are one of the five rare species of mammals that lay eggs!  Even though ducks and platypuses both lay eggs, many people do not realize that ducks are birds, while platypuses are mammals.  The female lays one to three eggs and protects them without help from the male platypus.  In the same way as the duck’s hatching sequence, platypuses’ eggs generally hatch within twenty-six to twenty-eight days.  Differing from the duck, the platypus has a venomous claw on each foot to protect themselves from predators. However, platypuses have an identical lifespan to ducks of five to fifteen years.  The platypus is native to Australia.

         Platypuses are rare creatures and ducks are more common.  Whenever you see these creatures, remember that God made two things alike, and yet so different.

The Hobbit

The Jedi and I have been working on a really fun Hobbit curriculum the last several weeks.  He's enjoyed reading the book and seeing the movie.  Last week I assigned him an essay on dragons and asked him to either draw or make a dragon to go with the essay.  He chose to make an origami dragon which turned out pretty cute...sorry, that doesn't sound very boyish.  The dragon turned out scary, well, that's not right either seeing as it's made of paper.  Anyway, I scanned his essay because he is really improving in cursive writing (something public school taught for three weeks and then never required him to use again). 

Historical Fiction

The Homeschool Jedi has been working on writing a historical fiction piece.  He researched the time period, language, and sayings of the era.  After writing his first draft, he went back to the drawing board to add more details about the main character's family life.  He also researched for information about fish found in the Sea of Galilee, the type of fish most likely to have been shared when Jesus fed the 5,000, and what kind of money was used during that time. 

The Jedi could have chosen any time period in history and even though many eras and settings may have led to an easier writing process, he did a fantastic job on making this historical fiction story believable.   

Historical Fiction - Courageous

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Courageous

 by the Homeschool Jedi

            “I caught one!” Natan exclaimed as he drew in an immense fish from the Sea of Galilee. 

            “Ha, ha,” Eli chuckled, “that makes five fish today, yet you caught the biggest Barbel of all my fishermen!  It is payday today and you have earned ten denarii!  Your father would be so proud.  Go buy some bread and your welcome to use my net to catch some fish for your family. Tell your three sisters and your mother I said, shalom!”

            “Thank you so much!” Natan called out on his way to the market.  With his money, the thirteen year-old boy bought five loaves of barley bread.  After catching fish with Eli all day, Natan was disappointed to come up with only two Sardines in the nearby lake.

            While cleaning Eli’s net, Natan thought about his family.  Natan was glad that his family knew Eli, as he was the only one who survived the terrible storm in the sea when his boat capsized, killing Natan’s father.  Natan clearly remembered the day when he was five years old and Eli swore to protect Natan’s family.  Natan thought of what Eli always says, “Your father would be so proud.”  Eli is right, Natan thought, my father would be proud.  I took over his job to keep food on the table because we all know mother’s sewing is not enough.  I’m proud to be my father’s son!

Suddenly, Eli’s gentle hand tapped Natan’s shoulder; “I’ll finish with the net later, but for now, follow me.” Eli said.  Natan obeyed Eli’s orders.  “We are going to see Jesus.  He has been healing and teaching in Galilee since this morning, and a crowd has been following him all day long.  If we hurry up, we might be able to get to a position where we can see and hear Jesus.”

            Natan had heard of this Jesus man and knew others were calling him the Messiah.  Natan knew the prophecies of Isaiah about the King of Kings, and so far, Jesus was meeting every description.

            Natan followed Eli into a massive crowd of people.  Eli said, “Listen closely, Jesus is teaching about repentance and eternal life.”

            Natan was shocked!  Eternal life?  Natan asked Eli a question, “What does He mean, eternal life?”

            “Patience, you are a smart boy, you will learn what He means.” Eli replied.

            In the center of the crowd, Natan could see Jesus smiling at the people as He talked about Salvation.  There were well over five thousand people!  The same crowd of people had been following Jesus around all day throughout Galilee.  Having not seen anyone stop and eat all day, Jesus asked His apostles to look for food because He knew the crowd was hungry.

            “Jesus’ apostles are looking for food.  Would you like to give your bread and fish to them?” Eli asked Natan.

            Natan pondered, What about my household, my three sisters need something to eat.  This bread cost me two denarii; we need the other eight for clothes, and…

            A tall, strong man asking for food interrupted Natan’s thoughts.  “Andrew!” Eli exclaimed, “I haven’t seen you in ages.  Natan, this is Andrew, I did business with his father.”

            “Uh, hello.”

            “I have come here looking for food for Jesus,” Andrew said, “Do you happen to have any?”

            “NATAN,” a gentle, but booming voice said inside his head, “GIVE YOUR BREAD AND FISH TO ANDREW”

            When the voice vanished, Natan looked around to see who said it, and who else heard it. When Natan realized God said it and nobody else heard it, Natan gave his food to Andrew. “Good choice, your father would be so proud, and so am I,” said Eli.

            Andrew went running back to Jesus.  “Sir, a little boy has given two small fish, and five small barley loaves, but not everybody will get enough food.”  Jesus did not reply because He was in prayer. When He finished, He broke the bread and fish and separated them into separate baskets.  He told the disciples to hand out food to everyone. 

            “Look at what you have done!  Everyone is filled!” Eli exclaimed.

            The disciples collected all the uneaten leftovers, and twelve baskets were filled!  “Jesus, how about we give the leftovers to Natan.  He is very courageous and today has lived up to his name, ‘to give’,” said Andrew.

            “Eli,” Natan started, “I have learned that God can do a lot with a little, and I can’t thank you enough for bringing me here today.”  Natan knew and believed that Jesus was God’s Son.  He couldn’t wait to share the incredible story with his mother.

            “Natan,” Andrew yelled, “Jesus wants you to have the leftovers.”

            Natan was shocked as he stared at the baskets of food, “Eli, could you possibly bring your family over for dinner tonight?”

            “I’d be honored,” Eli responded.

That day, Natan learned that when you listen to God’s voice, He gives numerous blessings.

Research Paper Assignment

While to most of us, well - me anyway, the thought of writing a research paper sounds like a daunting task.  When this assignment came up for the Jedi all I could think was, "I just spent the last 2 years writing research papers!"  Fortunately for me, this was his assignment, not mine. 

Out of all of his writing assignments this year, this is the first time I took a hands-off approach to see what the Jedi came up with.  Well, as hands-off as I could be anyway seeing as our family visited Mesa Verde the week before he wrote this paper and we checked books out at the library together.  Anyhow, he wrote this paper by himself and handled most of the revisions. 

We're almost at the 1/2 year mark for homeschooling and I'm already noticing a drastic improvement in his writing and his desire to produce quality work.  It's not easy, but we're getting the hang of this.  I hope you enjoy his writing sample and please feel free to ask the Jedi questions about Mesa Verde. 

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde and the Anasazi People

In southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park holds historical evidence of early Native Americans.  Mesas, flat plateaus, cover this eighty-one square mile National Park.  It is a significant place that helped shape America’s Native American history.

            Mesa Verde, Spanish for “green table,” is roughly one and a half miles above sea level.  The park collects ninety inches of snow a year and has temperatures ranging from fifteen to eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

The Native American tribes that lived in Mesa Verde from the sixth to twelfth century were called the Anasazi people.  The word Anasazi means “ancient enemy,” but due to the negative meaning, these Native Americans became known as the Puebloans.  They came to Mesa Verde to defend themselves from their enemies, the Cheyenne Indians in the sixth century.  The Anasazi people first built their houses on top of the mesas, but they soon built houses within the cliffs along the sides of the mountain to protect themselves from rain, snow, and falling rocks.  They built the houses out of wood and stone covered with adobe, a mixture of dirt, ashes, and water used as cement.  Their religious and family events took place in kivas, which are circular dwellings built underground.

A kiva

Ladder to climb down into the kiva

The women made baskets and pottery used for storing food and water and cooking. They cooked food in the baskets by heating a stone and placing it in the basket with the food and water.  The stone would heat the food in the basket and cook it.  They cooked food in pottery by placing pots over the fire until the food was cooked.  The men planted crops on the fertile mesas and hunted bison throughout the land.

The Anasazi people believed that the sun was their god.  It is for this reason that they built their cliff dwellings facing the East, the way the sun rises.  Another reason the Anasazi faced their dwellings toward the East was to avoid wind, which blows from the West to the East, and absorb the most heat possible.  The Native Americans climbed up the mountainside to protect them from wild animals.  They scaled the mountain by making notches in the rock to grasp as they climbed.

The Anasazi tribe did not have running water and just had one spot to relieve themselves.  This caused sickening hygiene problems, which killed people because they had no cure for the infections.  Another common health problem for the Native Americans were dental complications.  A severe drought came and forced the Anasazi people to move out once and for all around 1275.

On December eighteenth, 1888, Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason were looking for lost cattle when they stumbled along Mesa Verde.  They took mummies, arrowheads, axheads, clothing, and pottery to archaeologists to study and determine the mysteries of Mesa Verde. 

On June twenty-ninth, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Mesa Verde as a National Park. Roosevelt said he made it a National Park to “preserve the works of man”.

The people of Mesa Verde, its discovery, and its transformation into a National Park are things that both helped shape Native American history and our country’s memoir.  Preserving one of America’s National Parks is a great responsibility so the cliff dwellings can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Bibliography

Crewe, Sabrina and Anderson, Dale. The Anasazi Culture at Mesa Verde. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2003

 “Dec 18, 1888: Wetherill and Mason discover Mesa Verde,” n.d. Accessed November 27, 2012. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wetherill-and-mason-discover-mesa-verde

“Mesa Verde National Park.” n.d. Accessed November 27, 2012.  http://www.desertusa.com/ver/du_ver_map.html

 “Stepping back in time.” 2010. Accessed November 27, 2012.

http://www.visitmesaverde.com/mesa-verde-history.aspx

How-to Writing

The past few weeks we've been working on grammar...ick.  So, when it came time to write a how-to speech, the Jedi was pretty excited.  After mulling over several Halloween crafts on Pinterest, he finally decided on an edible project, of course.

I want to spend a special shout out to the creator of the Twinkie Mummies.  They've been a hit in my home and hopefully at a Halloween party we'll be attending this evening.

Mummy Twinkie Pop  Click here to see the original version.  We made some modifications because frankly, that candy melt is super sweet and I couldn't stomach coating an entire Twinkie with it. 

Happy Halloween!  

Our Angry-Bird Pumpkin

Or, as they say in the South...

Happy Fall Y'All

Happy Halloween How-to

 

How to Make Twinkie Mummies

A Twinkie Mummy makes a quick, easy, and edible Halloween craft and snack.  All you will need are twelve ounces of white candy melts, two boxes of ten Twinkies, twenty lollipop sticks, a cookie sheet, wax paper, one Ziploc storage bag, forty candy eyes, twenty gift bags, and twenty twist ties or ribbons. 

First, dump the candy melts into a microwavable bowl.  Melt the candy in the microwave on fifty percent power, stirring every thirty seconds until the candy is entirely melted.  While the candy is melting, unwrap the Twinkies.  Lay the Twinkies on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper so that you will not ruin your workspace.  As soon as the candy is melted, dip a lollipop stick into the melt, and then stick it three-quarters of the way into the Twinkie. Then, preform this step to all twenty Twinkies.

Afterwards, pour the melted candy into a Ziploc storage bag and cut a hole in the corner of the bag.  The size of the hole depends on how thick you want your Mummy’s wrappings to be.  A small hole produces small wrappings, while a thick hole creates thick wrappings.  Squeeze the candy melt out of the bag onto the Twinkie; moving the bag back and forth to make the Mummy’s wrapping. Do not cover the Twinkie completely with the candy melt so you can still see the yellow of the Twinkie.  Next, place the candy eyes onto the top third of the wrapping.  You can choose to do this to all Twinkies at once, a few at a time, or one at a time. 

Finally, position all the Twinkies in the refrigerator.  After five minutes have passed, take the Mummies out of the refrigerator and knock off the excess candy melt from the sides of each Twinkie.  Insert the Mummies into gift bags, and use the twist tie or ribbon to close the bags up. 

Voila!  The Mummy you have just made is an appealing Halloween snack.  Enjoy making and eating these delicious Mummies with friends and family.

Persuasive Writing

The Home School Jedi has been working on his persuasive techniques in anticipation for his editorial assignment. This week, he learned how to avoid propaganda techniques.  Here are some of the topics we avoided as he wrote his piece about seeing a show at our local theatre.

Bandwagon - Everyone's going to the theatre

Flattery - Only smart people, like you, appreciate theatre and the arts

Glittering Generalities - Fulfill the American dream and see a live show

Name-calling - Don't drive all the way to NYC to see an overpriced, overhyped musical

Promises - Want to be the coolest kid in town?  People will look up to you for seeing a live show

Testimonials - Tim Tebow likes the theatre

There's Always Drama in My Town!

            

Better Than Broadway

Have you ever seen a show at the Springer Opera House, the State Theatre of Georgia? Every year, the Springer hosts a season of musicals and dramas.  Both genres are filled with exceptional shows and extraordinary actors from Columbus.

Many of the actors and directors at the Springer are from Muscogee and Harris County and all are as talented as the ones on Broadway.  In fact, Shane Hall, choreographer of the current show 9 to 5, was in a National tour of Cats as Mr. Mistofelees.  Paul Pierce, producing artistic director of the Springer for twenty-five years, has directed over two hundred shows at the Springer.

Another reason you should see a show at the Springer is because they are always entertaining.  Ron Anderson, director of the Springer Children’s Theatre and Academy, is an extremely funny person.  He has an ability to make anybody laugh.  The shows at the Springer Children’s Theatre are sometimes based on books.  Mr. Ron has adapted many books into plays for the stage.  Two of my favorite works by Mr. Ron are Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer based on the book by Jimmy Carter and Oliviatown by Allen Levi.  The show that is currently on stage, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, is based on the novel by Judy Blume.

           

The shows at the Springer Opera House are educational as they teach a lesson in every show.  Last season’s show show, Amazing Grace, taught listeners not to judge people on the outside or by their skin color.  Damn Yankees taught the audience to be content with who you are and what you have.  

The State Theatre of Georgia is a historic landmark.  Columbus should be proud to have a theatre rich with history, filled with abundant talent, and packed with entertainment.  If you’ve never seen a show at the Springer, call Becky, my friend at the box office, today!  You will be glad you did!

springeroperahouse.org

Reflections on Month #1

It has been 4 weeks since I began home schooling and I though I'd post some honest reflections about it...

Surprisingly, I am really enjoying it!  I like being the one who decides what my son will learn and protecting the influences in his life.  He and I have always been close, but I feel like we've grown closer this month as we've figured out this home schooling thing together.

In the beginning, I didn't give him enough work to do.  I didn't think I was setting the bar low, seeing as I was moving much more quickly than he ever had in school.  However, what I realized is that he honestly wanted to learn.  The passion, desire, and hunger for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that is deeply rooted in me is at his core as well.  Perhaps I underestimated the young Jedi...perhaps I underestimate more people than I realize?

When God looks at us He sees His creation and He knows our potential because He gifted each one of us specifically for His purpose.  My Pastor says that when God looks at us He sees a perfect 10 because He see's us through the filter of His Son, Jesus.  I think I've underestimated myself.

I didn't think I could do this, any of this:
Home school, get a Masters, heck - even be a good parent.  These were all things I'm genuinely surprised that I am able to do, but God isn't surprised one bit.

I journal everyday.  Every single day.  I cannot live without writing and I don't know why because it's only a recent discovery.  Honestly, my journal is a sloppy mess and it's certainly not in the American Psychological Associate (APA) format and it's safe sitting beside my bed because it's entirely indecipherable.  One of the reasons I like to journal is so I can see where I've been and how God has answered not only my prayers, but has blessed me beyond what I even knew was possible months or years after I cried out to Him.

As it hit me today that this was the one-month mark of home schooling, I flipped back to read what I wrote in my journal as I was preparing to start being a teacher.  I'll admit, it wasn't pretty.  That week I had two papers to write for my own school too.  I'll share an excerpt with you...I was praying through Proverbs 2:

"Please Lord God, I turn my ear towards wisdom and I'm applying my heart to understanding, but I'm getting burned out.  I need you in every single area of my life.  I'm calling out for insight, crying out for understanding, looking for it as for silver and searching for it as for hidden treasure.  Please, help me to find what I'm looking for - a greater knowledge and understanding of you Lord Jesus."

I remember clinging to the Lord that week knowing that I could not do this alone.   Here I am a month later and I cannot say He's opened my eyes to vast wisdom and understanding, but I have experienced a peace that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7).  I don't feel any smarter or better equipped, but I've made it a month.  I didn't make it by the skin of my teeth, hanging by a thread, or by any other cliche.  I can almost say I've thrived. 

God didn't underestimate me when He called me to all of this.  

If He didn't underestimate His child, why would I underestimate mine?  

Watch out young Jedi, God has high hopes for both of us!

Cleaning with Ketchup

The Jedi had been reading his assignments for his upcoming science lab at the local University and in the text he found a little science project. Since we had all of the materials, we decided to give it a try.
The experiment...

The experiment:  Will ketchup clean a penny?

The hypothesis?  The acids found in the ketchup will clean the penny and make it shine like new. 

The results?
Well, let's just say I won't be filling my bleaching trays with ketchup anytime soon!

The Jedi's hands actually absorbed the ketchup.  As you can imagine, he smelled like ketchup for at least two hours despite frequent hand washing.  All I can say is, "Yes, I would like fries with that."
Ta Da!!!  Not all that impressive really.  You can't tell from the picture, but it's a teeny tiny bit cleaner, really, it is. 

When attempting to determine WHY (pray tell) the ketchup didn't do that well cleaning, these ideas came to mind:
Ketchup is a very mild acid so maybe it needed to soak overnight?  (We rubbed it for 15 minutes)
Maybe it was our type of ketchup.  Perhaps the absence of High Fructose Corn Syrup made a difference...after all, they use acid to make HFCS.
Maybe we had a really dirty penny?
Maybe it wasn't dirt on the penny? 

The Jedi wanted to explore this further by trying hot sauce, but after the affects on his hands from the ketchup, I said no way! 

Writing

Over the last week and a half the Jedi has been working on writing a personal narrative.  He used a graphic organizer to brainstorm and 3 revisions later, we are excited to publish his work on our blog.  Feel free to leave him a comment or ask him a question! 

Personal Narrative

An Extraordinary Opportunity

by the Homeschool Jedi

I had no idea what a Snoogle-Fleejer was, but if it had anything to do with the Springer, I wanted to be a part of it.  In February 2011, Mr. Ron, the director of the Springer Theatre Academy, invited me to try out for the play, The Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer.  Mr. Ron adapted the play based on the book by former president Jimmy Carter.  Six other boys were competing for the part.  First, at the audition, Mr. Ron and Mr. Adam, a teacher at the Springer, started some warm-up games such as Zip-Zap-Zop and What Are You Doing.  Then, we had to read a monologue to Mr. Ron, and rehearse a scene with Mr. Adam.  Mr. Ron said that he would call us to tell us if we earned a part sometime in the next two days.  At the end of the try-out, my dad came to pick me up.  He went to Dunkin Donut’s and bought donut holes while I was at the audition and we ate them on the way home while we talked about the fun I had.

            Two days later, on the way to my sister’s dance practice, my mom got a call from the Springer.  My mom gave me the phone and told me to answer it.  When I picked it up, Mr. Ron asked, “Is this Joshua?”  I responded, yes, nervously.  He asked me if I would like to play the role of Jeremy.  Jeremy is the main character in the play, so it was an enormous opportunity to portray him.  I accepted the part and said thank-you.  After I hung-up the phone, my mom asked what part I was offered.  I told her that I was going to play the lead role of Jeremy.  Immediately, I called my dad and asked him to pick up my script at the Springer.

            I worked all day and night for two weeks memorizing the script.  By the first rehearsal, I already had it completely memorized.  My first rehearsals started the last week of February with only Mr. Adam, who would play The Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer, and me.  The two of us completed a lot of blocking, and by the next week, we were ready to combine the entire cast.  The majority of the cast was in the seventh or eighth grade, but at the time I was only in fourth grade.  My character, Jeremy, had a disability called cerebral palsy and I had to wear a leg brace.  The leg brace covered my leg up to the knee and made it difficult to walk.  I fell a couple of times during the practices, so the set designers had to put stairs on the side of the stage so that I wouldn’t fall off when I walked during the show.  

 

            The first show for the cast was March 23, 2011.  My paternal grandparents came all the way from Colorado to see me on opening night.  I was so excited to be in a play at the Springer.  I felt like I was going to explode with anxiety, excitement, and nervousness.  The play was excellent, and nobody messed up his or her lines!  After we changed out of our costumes, Mr. Ron met with the cast.  He asked us, “What did we do well, and what could we do better?”  The whole cast agreed that we could all be a little louder, but other than that it was perfect.  As soon as our meeting was over, I dashed into the reception room where the audience was mingling.  My family told me I did a splendid job.  We went out to eat at an incredible restaurant near the Springer called the Black Cow. 

            In addition to the evening shows, the Springer hosted school performances.  We performed a dozen school shows, where over three thousand students were present to see our performances.  During one of the school productions, my elementary school attended.  It was neat seeing my sister and familiar faces in the audience.

            Unfortunately, the final show of the Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer caught up with us.  My maternal grandparents and aunt came to see me at the last show.  After the production, Mr. Ron gave me a copy of the original Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer book with signatures from the whole cast.  It was very sad to end the show’s run, but Mr. Ron said, “There will always be another show!”  I couldn’t wait for that statement to come true because I love the Springer and acting.