Saturday, May 09, 2015

Happy Mother's Day


Happy Mother's Day!  Some of you know that I became a mother on Mother's day.  So Mother's Day has a special place in my heart.



As a homeschool mom we all wear many hats.  Here's to you on Mother's day.  May it be a day filled with happy moments. As home education moms we really are Everything Moms. Here is a poem that celebrates you! 



Everything Mom

How did you find the energy, Mom
To do all the things you did,
To be teacher, nurse and counselor
To me, when I was a kid.

How did you do it all, Mom,
Be a chauffeur, cook and friend,
Yet find time to be a playmate,
I just can’t comprehend.

I see now it was love, Mom
That made you come whenever I'd call,
Your inexhaustible love, Mom
And I thank you for it all.





Saturday, May 02, 2015

Go Figure! math website

  I was thrilled to learn about a wonderful new math web site by Kimberly, a homeschool student.  Go Figure is a project she has been working on. It is an wonderful site filled with the "elegant side" of mathematics.   Read below to learn more!  I love seeing what our fellow homeschoolers are doing. 


 

First Stop

Welcome to Go Figure! This is a website dedicated to showing the elegant side of math, the kind that gets less attention than it deserves. Math is not just about rote calculations: it’s about analytical thinking and creative problem-solving, and that’s what makes it so fun! This website is still growing, so there’s more to come. To subscribe to our email list and hear when new content is posted, click here.

More Information:  

Go Figure is a project designed to boost mathematical interest in middle school and junior high school students. Not only is math becoming increasingly important in an ever more technological world, but it also has a playful and elegant side that is too often overlooked. A lot of students see math as dull and difficult, and this mindset can artificially sway students who are on the fence about math. My goal is to promote an alternative approach: one that celebrates the beautiful side of mathematics and provides a path to learning the invaluable lessons – such as analytical thinking and creative problem solving – that it teaches.

I really only started seeing the beautiful side of math in middle school, when I started participating in math competitions. In my contest preparation, I ran into elegant math concepts I hadn’t encountered before, and I really enjoyed exploring them. Around the same time, I saw my friends starting to like math less and less, and I thought it was sad that they were turning away from it just as things were getting interesting. Over time I read more about the non-math culture in the United States and the way most students see math, and I wanted to do something to change this mindset. When I attended a Julia Robinson Math Festival in my area and saw volunteers helping students explore beautiful math problems, the atmosphere galvanized me to get involved in showing students that there’s a lot to like about math.
Quoted From The Davidson Website.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Leo Lionni: Author for May

http://www.aiga.org/medalist-leolionni/
I was excited to end the year with Leo Lionni!  I have such great memories of his books from my childhood.  I thoroughly enjoyed researching him.  This fascinating article on his life from AIGA, a magazine for designers, showed the breadth and depth of his career.  I loved this Random House site that also included videos where Mr. Lionni describes why he writes about animals, how he makes a mouse, and about his childhood.  A very fun way to learn about his books.  I also set up a Pinterest board filled with activities.
But the find of the day was this awesome packet by the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University, New York. It was created by teachers and includes original art work.  It is worth checking out.   
So welcome May and read some wonderful books by Leo Lionni.  Make a mouse, make a frog, or talk about the inch worm.  
~ Becky

Friday, April 17, 2015

A New Astronomy Textbook!

My children and I holding the new Textbook.


I was just thrilled to meet Gladys Kober at the Midwest Homeschool Convention last week.  She has co-written an Astronomy Textbook called The Crossroads of Science and Faith: Astronomy Through a Christian Worldview.  What impressed me about this textbook was the depth of information presented, the interviews with Astronomers around the world and how their faith interacts with their  science career, and the beautiful color pictures and diagrams.  I feel this is an excellent resource for students.  I bought the textbook, and find my son reading it in his free time.   This is the information she was sharing at the convention. I hope you find it helpful.


Statistics show that a large number of students who claim to be Christians abandon their faith during their college years.  While there may be many reasons for this sad abandonment of faith, research shows that confusion about science and faith issues plays an important role. This textbook will equip high school students to engage in respectful science and faith discussions and defend their faith with sound reasoning and confidence! 

Learn what professors of Christian Universities are saying about this textbook!

The Crossroads of Science and Faith: Astronomy Through a Christian Worldview is a wonderful educational resource for home schooling and Sunday school classes. Using excellent pedagogy, this book demonstrates that the continuing scientific endeavor to better understand the universe and its underlying laws is consistent with our Christian belief in God as Creator.  In the tradition of Augustine, The Crossroads of Science and Faith aims to convince the reader that God’s revelation is revealed, in a mutually consistent manner, both in the Book of Scripture and in the Book of Nature. The book offers a concise and accurate summary of our present knowledge of the universe. It is written in a style that high school students will connect with. The end-of-chapter questions are thought provoking and will inspire readers to re-evaluate their perceptions of the relationship between science and faith, and will likely deepen their understanding of God as Creator of our magnificent universe. I highly recommend this book!”
Dr. Gerald B. Cleaver, Professor of Physics at Baylor University and Head of the Early Universe Cosmology and Strings Division of Baylor’s Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics, and Engineering Research

This is excellent, simply excellent. I have not seen a better book about astronomy and Christian faith for pre-college students. Scientific, historical, and theological aspects are all very well written at just the right level to challenge students while helping them to meet the challenge. Christian families owe much gratitude to the authors for producing such an excellent work.”
Dr. Ted Davis, Distinguished Professor of the History of Science at Messiah College 

As someone who has taught astronomy in a Christian context at the college level, I am very excited about this textbook. The authors have done a remarkable job introducing students to the intersection between science and faith at a high level. The end of chapter questions and exercises for this material are extensive and thought provoking. Students using this text will also experience the science of astronomy in a rigorous way, complete with beautiful images showing the latest observations. I loved reading the personal interviews of so many Christian scientists, astronomers, and astrophysicists, many of whom I know personally and highly respect. Overall a great resource for students, parents, and teachers looking for an inspiring and trustworthy introduction to astronomy from a Christian perspective.”

Dr. Darren Craig, Associate Professor of Physics and Department Chair at Wheaton College


This textbook is designed to be a resource for the Christian community (for both the home
school environment and Christian schools) to teach Astronomy and introduce students to the science & faith dialog. The materials in this textbook will strengthen students’ faith and prepare them to face a secular university or world environment with confidence. It is designed to equip them to defend their faith with good reasoning and to make them ready to engage unbelievers in respectful discussions. The textbook also encourages the search for truth in every area and promotes dialogue and integration between science and faith while also offering a Christian worldview, where God is the Author, Creator, and Designer of this mind-boggling and awesome universe. The textbook includes many interviews with professional Christian astronomers that we hope will inspire and encourage students and parents alike.