Friday, March 3, 2006

What a great school day!
We made instruments out of elastics and a wooden box, and experimented with elastic width for sound. Dd2 made the spoon bells, and a pan pipe. Dd1 made a pan pipe, and we all worked on the elastic "guitar". Dh made a percussion maraca with a snack cup and some trail mix!
So much fun!
After we were done with our instruments, I brought the girls downstairs with a book and CD. We started learning about different composers, and different periods of music. Then dd1 went on the computer to a great site I found to look at every imaginable instrument, and hear a sample of how it sounds.
I also found on that site a whole bunch of short radio-type programs with worksheets that go with them, so we will be using those next week.
So then I ran to the homeschooling store to get her new Math workbook, and they had all of their Classical Masters cassettes on for LESS than half price, so I bought a few!!!!! I also got her a pencil with the names of famous composers, and one with musical notes. I am really enjoying unit studies. When you find something that goes with what you are studying, it is like a great treasure! I am trying to find pictures to print, or stickers to buy of different instruments so I can have her try to seperate them into categories. I might have to run to the scrapbooking store tomorrow!
We ended up talking about Lent the other day, and so dd1 decided to give up TV. This is fine, but then we get to our home fellowship group last night and she now has to face this. So she had brought two games, and a book, the games in case the other kids agreed to turn the HUMUNGOUS tv off, and a book in case they didn't. And she did it, she went down and explained that she decided to give TV up for Lent, and could they turn it off, and they did. Even when the teenagers went downstairs, she stood her ground. I was SO proud of her! She told us she had to explain what Lent was to them and everything.
So her explanation was basically this - "Lent is a time before Easter when you give something up as a sacrifice to God to try to be more like Jesus." Just typing that makes me want to cry. I never suggested she observe Lent, we were just talking about it. I was saying that I think that Lent was probably started as a way to identify with Jesus, but that evangelical churches probably don't observe it because it became a way for people to glorify themselves in their own "holiness" instead of sacrificing for the glory of GOD. And she just jumped in with "I'll give up TV." I then stressed to her that whether she did this or not she wouldn't be any better or worse in God's eyes, it was to her benefit, not His. And that it would be like a fast. Giving up something for a time of focussing on God. Just like that. I certainly don't want to discourage it. We did decide however that videos that are a part of school should be allowed. I have three planned, so I asked her if she would mind, and she thought for a while and said she thought it was okay. I liken it to if she was in public school, she would still be a part of her class if they watched a film on something.
Hubby is gone at the church's men's retreat tonight, so I may even have time to post tomorrow about our timeline!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!