The Earth Goes Around the Sun



Dominic turned 8 years old yesterday.  He, along with some friends, lined up at the table to build Lego Star Wars ships. 
I looked at the group and realized the kids were 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 years old, and playing together beautifully I might add.
When we first started thinking about home schooling, I asked myself and others the dreaded "S" question, you know, "socialization"?  Now I just laugh because we have to remember the other "s's", like "squeezing" in "school"!

That brings me to my second point for today.  We are trying out the Oak Meadow curriculum.  We haven't really used a curriculum before, I have just put things together, but I am feeling a greater need for a routine and an underlying structure.  Today's science experiment had us moving a ball around a light bulb to simulate the rotation of the earth for days and years.  My guys took that and ran.  We looked up lunar and solar eclipses, phases of the moon, and when Sophia dropped "Earth", earthquakes.    It amazes me how they so inately want to learn. 

After Dominic's 8th rotation around the sun,

sometimes I feel I just need to set them up and get out of their way. :)





Epiphany

Happy Epiphany!  Funny, I had an Epiphany of my own just now.  I used to postpone writing a post until I thought about it, put it all together, took the time to fine tune it, etc.  In other words, I barely posted anything because I didn't make the time to put that process into action.

So, just as I didn't make any resolutions this year, I think things are great the way they are and if I want to do something, I will do it when it arises, I am just going to write when I want to write.  Whether it's short, thoughtful, or just an idea, writing will happen because it truly gives me joy.  So on that note, ironically, on to Epiphany... :)

I got a wonderful book from a friend called All Year Round by Ann Druitt, Christine Clinton, and Marije Rowling, about the seasons and traditions of the year.

Traditions follow nature, so when our outide world becomes colder and more barren, our inside world becomes more colorful and festive.

Today, January 6th, is Epiphany.  Epiphany is also known as the Three Kings Day, or Twelfth Night.  Basically, the 12 days of Christmas end on January 5th, and Epiphany is the day when Christians celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ into human form.  If you want to read more about it, go to this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)

Today, we are going to make the traditional Epiphany cake.  There are many different recipies, but the basic ideas that remain constant are two fold: a crown on top, and a surprise within.

The cake has something hidden in it, whether it's an almond, a bean, or a figurine, whoever finds this treat while eating the cake gets to be "King" for a day, and of course, gets to wear the crown.  (I think we will wash it off first :)

We are going to use an almond.  The figurine idea scares me a bit, dental costs...you know.

If you want to make the traditional French puff pastry idea, here is a recipe:

http://www.education.com/activity/article/bake-easy-epiphany-king-cake/

the recipe in our book is heavier with cherries, nuts and honey, but hey, if you are reading this you have the internet and you can find whatever you want.  It is also totally okay to just make a cake mix out of a box; the main idea is to hide something to find your "King". 

So happy Epiphany, and I'll let you know who is our monarch next time!

J