Annual Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Hayride out to the Bi-Zi Farms pumpkin patch... 

And they're off!

 The girls found their pumpkins after 30 minutes of searching.

 I found my pumpkin, too.  Heavy!

 

 Scrub & rinse!

 Pony Rides!

Back to the farm on the hayride.  

What a fun afternoon in the 
beautiful Autumn sun!

Our Week In Pics...

 Anna sang in a homeschool choir concert....

 Abi & her wonderful piano & choir teacher, Mrs. Ferraro....

 Aly with Mr. Daryl, her fantastic violin teacher....

Art Class projects....

 Aly gave a demonstration to her CC class 

on how to make the Autumn Leaf Stained Glass Project....

 She is feeling more confident speaking in front of her peers...

At CC, Aly made the Solar System out of beads, glitter & glue...

'The Sleeping Beauty' Ballet in Portland....

The girls and I attended The Sleeping Beauty produced by Oregon Ballet Theatre at the Keller in Portland.  What a treat!  Tchaikovsky’s music never sounded better!  We enjoyed every moment -- and were able to appreciate it so much more since we've been studying the story, the composer and elements of the choreography. The girls were able to spot the Pas de deux (a dance for two).

I snapped a few photos during the closing bows. 

The costumes, music, dancing & sets were stunning!

So thankful for this opportunity to see this fantastic performance for $2/seat.  

Yay, homeschool discounts!!

Autumn Leaves Stained-Glass Craft

October seems an appropriate time to pass on my 

favorite childhood craft to my wee ones.  

First,

Gather leaves which are starting to change color...

Arrange on a piece of waxed paper...

 Sprinkle crayon shavings from old crayons...

 

Big sis chopped some old crayons for the girls...

 Place another piece of waxed paper on the leaves & crayon shavings,

place carefully atop a towel, cover with a paper towel -- and iron...

 Looks great!  But it needs a frame to finish the masterpiece....

 Measure & cut your border strips...

 

 Trim your stained glass edges....

 Glue your border strips....

 Hang in your window and enjoy!

Good times!

Anna's Cause/Effect Essay - Final Draft

The Effects of the One-Child Policy in China

            In an attempt to control the escalating population in China, the Chinese government issued a draconian policy in 1979, permitting only one child per family. The One-Child Policy has decreased the population, heightened the number of abandoned children, and has caused couples to murder their baby girls. The population has lessened since the government first put the policy into effect. This regulation caused much higher rates of child abandonment, especially of girls and disabled children. Along with abandonment, couples will murder their daughters either by abortion or infanticide so as to only raise a son, a horrifying phenomenon referred to as gender selection.

            Because the policy limits couples to a single child, families want only perfect sons. Sons watch over their own parents, but the in-laws always stand as the daughter’s first priority. When the father falls ill or passes away, his son will assume the responsibilities of the family. A son will also carry on the family name but daughters cannot. Couples also only want children without defects. If a child has any mental or physical handicaps, the Chinese culture believes that the gods have scorned that family line.  Parents will do anything to dispose of the “defected” children, no matter what gender. As a result, more girls than boys are found in orphanages, alongside handicapped or disabled children. The One-Child policy has caused all of these children to be abandoned.

            Even worse than abandonment, some couples have a gender-selective abortion or commit infanticide, murdering the infant child. With the help of ultrasound systems, families can see if their unborn child is a boy or girl. If pregnant with a girl, some couples might choose to have an abortion. A mother might ask the midwife to kill the baby at the moment of birth if it is a girl if the parents could not use an ultrasound earlier. Consequently, the One-Child Policy has heightened murder rates in China.

            This decree has also accomplished one of the few things that the government anticipated when it passed this law: the population has decreased since 1979. During the first twenty years of the policy taking place, the population decreased by three hundred million. Demographers blame the policy for the tremendous gender imbalance. Right now in China, there live 119 men to every 100 women. Many 20-year-old men cannot find women to marry today because 20 years ago, citizens of China either killed or placed countless girls in orphanages, therefore decreasing the population. However, the government worries that human-trafficking of women and children might become more prominent in the poverty-stricken rural provinces as men look to find wives. The One-Child Policy might have lessened the population, but soon, it could bring about human trafficking.

            The One-Child Policy in China has produced quite a number of unforeseen social and demographic problems. Couples abandon their children along the side of the road just because they happen to be girls or handicapped. Mothers murder their daughters, for the sake of having a son. The policy has skewed the male-female gender ratio, threatening to launch off the filthy business of human-trafficking. If the government repeals that cruel law, the rates of abandonment could decrease. Parents of girls and handicapped children might also take the initiative to keep and care for their baby if the policy wasn’t forcing them to choose only the best that the couples could get. While the Chinese government had good intentions for the One-Child Policy, it has gotten completely out of hand and needs to come to an end. 

Dino Rossi for U.S. Senate!

Our local Columbian newspaper published this article in which I made a surprise appearance.  I was shocked when I saw the picture.  I don't even remember a photographer being there. I had the pleasure of meeting Dino this weekend at the local campaign rally.  In this pic, I'm telling him that I'm praying for him and that he's 'got' this.

I stayed to make phone calls to encourage registered voters to cast their ballots for him and the other conservative candidates running in this important election.

Good times.

Weekly Report: October 4 - 8

Reading with big brother...

Geography lesson at CC

Abi asking a question during science class at CC...

Aly's Shakespeare copywork...

 Abi's hymn copywork...


 Abi's Shakespeare copywork...

ABI:

Bible:  Catechism songs, daily reading with Mom, Taylor's Story Bible with Dad

Hymnody:  Amazing Grace

Math: Singapore Math (mult, fractions), TT4 (money, time, addition, subtraction)

Reading:  The Secret Garden, Door In The Wall (chapter 1)

Read-Aloud with Anna: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Grammar & Writing: WWE 3 (3 lessons), Shurley ch. 7,  possessive pronoun adjectives, Grammar Island read/discuss, Object pronouns

Spelling: SWR List L, phonogram review

Cursive: daily copy work, narration, dictation

Shakespeare:  As You Like It (BBC animated), coloring pages 

History:  read/discussed Joan of Arc, Black Plague in 

Kingfisher Encyclopedia 

History Memory Work:  

 During the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc and King Charles VII led the French to defeat England at the Battle of Orleans.  In the late 1340's, rats carrying the Plague killed one out of 3 Europeans.

History Time Line Cards & Song (CC):  Veritas Press cards (38)

Geography Memory Work (CC): European River, Waters, Countries, Cities & Mountains

Science Memory Work (CC):  How do animals react to environmental change? adapt, migrate, hibernate. 

Six forms of pollution:  noise, air, water, land, thermal, radioactive

Science Experiment at CC:  barycenter of Earth/Moon system (pics below)

Latin (CC):  AMO, future tense

Piano:  lesson & daily practice

PE: Soccer

Drama: Christian Youth Theater class, rehearsed for Showcase

Art: local art class

Composer Study:  Tchaikovsky, read/discussed Sleeping Beauty (in prep for seeing the ballet this month), 

watched Sleeping Beauty ballet on youtube

Classical Conversations:  Love it!

ALY:

Bible:  Catechism songs, daily reading with Mom, Taylor's Story Bible with Dad

Hymnody:  Amazing Grace

Math: RightStart daily lessons (place value, addition, tens, hundreds on abacus), Math Mammoth subtraction

Reading:  Bob Books, Magic Tree House

Read-Aloud with Anna: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Grammar & Writing: Writing With Ease (2 lessons), Shurley jingles, classifying simple sentences with subject noun/verb, object pronouns

Spelling: SWR List D, phonogram review, My Wise Grammar enrichment, Explode The Code (10 pages)

Cursive: daily copy work

Shakespeare:  As You Like It (BBC Animated Tales), coloring pages

History:  read/discussed Joan of Arc, Black Plague in 

Kingfisher Encyclopedia and at CC

History Memory Work:   During the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc and King Charles VII led the French to defeat England at the Battle of Orleans.  In the late 1340's, rats carrying the Plague killed one out of 3 Europeans.

History Time Line Cards & Song (CC):  Veritas Press cards  (38)

Geography Memory Work (CC): European River, Waters, Countries, Cities & Mountains

Science Memory Work (CC):  

How do animals react to environmental change? adapt, migrate, hibernate.  

Six forms of pollution:  noise, air, water, land, thermal, radioactive

Science Experiment at CC:  barycenter of Earth/Moon system (pics below)

Latin (CC):  AMO, future tense

Violin:  lesson and daily practice

PE: Soccer

Drama: Christian Youth Theater class, rehearsed for Showcase

Art: local art class

Composer Study:  Tchaikovsky, read/discussed Sleeping Beauty (in prep for seeing the ballet this month), watched Sleeping Beauty ballet on youtube

Classical Conversations:  Love it!

ANNA:

Bible:  Daily Bible reading, More Than A Carpenter

Math: Chalk Dust Algebra 1 daily lesson

American Lit: The Scarlet Letter, read/discuss (Fun reading:  Jane Eyre)

Writing/Grammar: The Potters School English class, wrote 2 papers

Vocabulary:  Word Within The Word, review on Quizlet

History: The Potters School US History class online, study, read Amos Fortune

World Geography:  The Potters School online class, 1 hour daily study, read, mapwork

Science:  Bob Jones Physical Science class, 3 experiments, read, study

Spanish: Tutor + Spanish 2 Class, daily reading, conversation, grammar study

Music: Piano (daily practice 1 hour), Choir class w/ daily practice

Drama: Improv class at CYT

Community Service:  Keyboard for kids’ worship team, Sunday School Teacher