Bright Ideas for Summer

I'm planning a post about some of our summer plans, but here's something to whet your appetite: ReadWriteThink.org's  fabulous online publication, Bright Ideas for Summer. Featuring four "activities" aimed at children in grades 2/3 through 8, the Bright Ideas for Summer campaign promotes fun and educational opportunities to keep kids' brains in gear.

Here's the scoop:

Poetic Memories of Summer (grades 2-8): "Use the sun-splashed days of summer to inspire children to write poetry. Interactive, online poetry tools guide them as they explore the writing process." (My personal favorite, of course!)

Can You Convince Me? (grades 3-8): "Children learn how to make a convincing argument—an important skill in school and in life."

Summer Trading Cards (grades 2-8): "Children can dive deeper into summer reading by using the Trading Cards tool. They’ll examine a favorite character and write a new story for him or her."

Summer Superheroes (grades 3-8): "Calling all caped crusaders! Invite children to invent a story starring superheroes who have summer super powers."

Each activity features four sections: Preview, Get Started, Resources, and Comments. The Get Started section is the heart of the activity, with a list of items needed (all basic, so no worries there!), complete directions, and suggested ideas for further exploration. I am especially enamored with the online interactive tools!

Another fab feature: children can save their work AND share it within the Thinkfinity Community. They'll be published! For extra fun, check back over the summer to see other kids' work, too.

Not merely another typical list for summer fun, Bright Ideas for Summer is well organized, carefully planned, and thoughtfully produced. Highly recommended!

Memorial Day: Brokenness and Light

I spoke with a good friend of mine on the phone yesterday. He's a veteran of the Korean War, active in the VFW, and the chairperson of his town's Memorial Day parade. This year is also the town's bicentennial, and the powers that be wanted a merged parade: one part observation and one part celebration. (Apparently there aren't enough funds to have a bicentennial blow-out on Independence Day.) Joe's response: "Memorial Day is a solemn occasion. We can't make the parade a big party."

Memorial Day is a solemn occasion.

I am not a fan of war. (Who is?) In fact, I hate it. I think it should be the Very Last Resort Ever.

And yet our world has been a contentious place for millennia, ever since Cain raised a hand against Abel. Or even when Adam spoke blame against Eve, and Eve pointed a finger at the serpent. It's no wonder we default to warfare. It's a broken world we live in.

But the shards of our brokenness admit rays of light.

Case in point: have you heard about the Maine Troop Greeters at Bangor International Airport? Here's a bit of background info from the airport's webpage:

Bangor International Airport is our nation's main departure and arrival point for troops serving our country around the world. Troops are given heart-felt welcomes and good-bys at Bangor, by a steadfast group of Troop Greeters and others.

The "original" Troop Greeters began greeting the troops returning from Operation Desert Storm.

The Troop Greeters at the Bangor International Airport come in at all hours of the day or night to welcome soldiers home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Since May 2003 and the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Maine Troop Greeters have greeted more than 4000 flights and over 800,000 soldiers.

I've had the joy of seeing the greeters in action at Bangor International Airport, and it is awe-inspiring. In a world where words like "tragic" and "sacrifice" have lost meaning, these people, with their relentless dedication, are there to remind us that behind every sacrifice is a person, a family.

I'm not the only one amazed by these greeters. Himself and I watched a public television program about these remarkable folks. And here's a trailer for a movie about them, The Way We Get By. Don't miss this! (Caveat: a bit of coarse language; use your own discretion with children.)



And for me, that says it all.

Thank you.

I'm linking up with Miscellany Mondays.

Pentecost

Today in worship, a lovely woman with a gorgeous voice sang Twila Paris's song "How Beautiful." Typically associated with Easter, it's also appropriate for Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit graced the world.

We are the body of Christ.

Weekly Happenings: About That Slow Mornings Post...

Forget I said anything about that. It seems I mistakenly thought our few slow mornings might last when it was only for this week -- and not even all week, at that!

 Anyway.

 We're continuing with some work, much to the girls' delight (that last part is a big lie; I should have typed "which the girls are tolerating"). Each day, they complete a session on the Xtra Math website to practice their math facts. Miss Priss also completes a lesson from Life of Fred Fractions, and Tiny Girl a page from DK's Math Made Easy workbook.

 A few highlights from our readings:

• Plutarch's Lives: "Brutus": Brutus and Cassius have amassed large armies to go against Octavius and Antonius. Brutus decides to richly furnish his soldiers in hopes they will fight better to preserve their fine "furniture." We shall see.
• Oliver Twist: Oliver recuperates in the home of the fine benefactor, Mr. Brownlow; but his ne'er do well "friends" are looking for him to keep him from "peaching." The girls and I are worried about our little friend.
• A Passion for the Impossible: Lilias and her two missionary friends are bringing to life the title of this book. They've arrived in Algeria knowing no one, not speaking the language, and having no concrete plans. The girls and I are concerned. Well, Miss Priss and I are. This is not Tiny Girl's favorite, so she is less personally involved.
• This Country of Ours: President Garfield is assassinated, and the spoils system (thanks a lot, Andrew Jackson) is finally abolished.

 We continued our study of flowers, concentrating on their reproductive system. I didn't take any photos this time, mostly because I left my camera inside that afternoon and everyone (including me) was in a bad mood. We soon shook it off and proceeded to enjoy our study, but the camera remained inside.

We worked with two types of flowers, petunias and roses. We dissected both and observed each under our magnifying glass. (I can't wait until our stereo microscope arrives from Home Science Tools!) Using handouts I printed from different websites, we identified different parts. Two of us greatly enjoyed this. One of us had not shaken off all of her bad mood to participate fully. Her loss.

Here are websites I found helpful:

How Flowering Plants Reproduce
The Great Plant Escape
Flower Parts

And here's a slideshow presentation that I found particularly helpful, at least the first few pages. It goes into a bit more detail that we are.

Reproduction In Flowering Plants

View more PowerPoint from bzemcik

If you're following me on Twitter, Instagram, of Facebook, then you've seen these photos before. If not (and hey, feel free to link up and join in on the fun!), here's a mosaic of our week:

From top left: 1.) Yours truly, at the summer's here! pool party; 2.) Miss Priss reading leisurely one morning; 3.) Tiny Girl and Max, at the barn early to beat the heat; 4.) My nifty nameplate from a previous workplace. Everyone had one, made by a manager's wife. I've had it almost 20 years. Sorry it's sideways; I was in a hurry.

I'll leave you with a word from Sir Walter Scott, in honor of Memorial Day and its vast significance to us:

Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battled fields no more.
Days of danger, nights of waking.

Amen.

I'm linking up!
The Homeschool Mother's Journal
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
No Ordinary Blog Hop
Photo Collage Friday
Camera Phone Friday