Collage Friday - Part Time Unschoolers? and Loads of Links!
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 6:50AM 
Our Spring Break was extended (by me - administrator in charge!) another week. This past week was GLORIOUS.
I have coined a new term: Part Time Unschoolers
Left to their own devices this week (with very few requirements from me) my children were learning, creating, having fun with friends, and I managed to clean my garage, catch up on housework, and begin a blogging project I have been contemplating for some time.
*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.
The structure of our week makes me slightly nervous to restart our regular school schedule next week. I think some modifications might be in order.
A Fun Field Trip
Last Friday I decided to take the kids to The World of Coke in downtown Atlanta. I hadn't been in 15 years and the kids had never been. I thought I would earn some serious coolness points for this one, and I did.
The very end of the tour culminates in a massive Coke tasting. They have Coca-Cola brands from all over the world, organized by continent. My kids aren't allowed to drink Coke, so this was a huge treat. I basically said "HAVE AT IT" and they did. I did indulge in several glasses of Coke Zero (remember, I gave it up on January 1). Fun times.
If you follow the news, you also know The Final Four was in downtown Atlanta that same day. My goodness. It was quite crowded, but that actually added to the fun. We parked directly at The World of Coke and didn't encounter much traffic.
My husband works just a block away, and he met us for an early lunch at a great little restaurant, Baja Fresh. The kids and I enjoyed the afternoon at The World of Coke, and then my husband met us when he was done with work and rode home with us. (He takes a commuter bus from where we live, so this worked out great!)
There was a lot to be learned on our field trip. One exhibit gave facts about the price of certain goods when Coke was first invented and wildly popular. The kids thought $.25 for a gallon of gas was interesting. (I can remember $.99 - can you?)
As we were finishing at The World of Coke, we waited outside for my husband. There was a lot going on due to the Final Four. We watched a huge hot air balloon being inflated and talked with the guys filling the balloon. That was very interesting!
I was thankful for TIME to be with my kids and just soak everything in. We are lucky to live close to a big city, and even more lucky to live just FAR ENOUGH AWAY, too.
Ben Franklin and Some Science
I read the book Ben and Me aloud to the kids on Saturday. It was really geared towards Grant's age level, but Anna appreciated the clever way in which it was written. It is written from the perspective of Ben Franklin's fictitious mouse, Amos. We all adored the book.
Sunday afternoon daddy sat down with the kids and did some science. We have a light kit from EEME and it was such a great little project. It is geared for kids ages 7-12 and has online lessons available. The parent is really just the facilitator. My husband said he learned a lot about electricity through this little project, too.
This Ben Franklin/electricity study wasn't something I planned. It all just kind of fell in our lap. I love learning like that, don't you?
Music, Music Music!
A few weeks ago, I bragged about Anna. She won an artistry award at the Federation piano competition. She also received a Superior rating from her judge. I am very proud of her. I don't have to ask her to practice and she plays so musically. Music is truly her gift.
She also loves singing in the Spivey Hall Children's Chorus. In a couple of weeks she will be auditioning for the next choir in the group. There is always singing or piano playing going on in our home. It's such a blessing.
This week she pursued various pieces of sheet music on her own.
Let me preface this video by saying I am not a huge fan of pop music. Anna, however, loves the music of Taylor Swift, particularly the songs with good piano parts. (We screen all of the songs she listens to, and are careful to limit it to just a few.)
She took it upon herself to learn the music and make this video. She has since learned another Taylor Swift song and is making a video for that, too. If you feel led to do so, leave her a comment on YouTube letting her know what you think. I asked her permission to include this in today's post and she most excitedly gave it to me!
Did you see that I added to the SQUILT lessons this week? I am hoping to add more this spring, and I also have a special project coming that may take me a while to get finished, but I think it will be worth the wait.
I feel so strongly about music being a part of our children's lives, and I want to help parents teach music to their children.
LEGO Update
Exciting news here. I'm now an official LEGO Education blogger, which means I will be telling you about all things LEGO Education and how you can use them in your homeschool. We already use these products, so it is a natural partnership.
I might even be giving some LEGO Education products away - that's exciting!
Speaking of LEGO deals, have you seen the group buy through The Homeschool Buyers Co-Op? There are three particular LEGO products they are offering so check it out!
Grant spent a lot of time this week using the Simple and Motorized Mechanisms and Base Set. He learned SO much all on his own. He made many different motorized vehicles and a Dogbot, too. You can also see a special windmill he made. He was experimenting with the size of wheels and how they affected the speed of a vehicle.
This set is great for just one child, but it is designed to be used with a buddy - the instructions come in A and B booklets, so two friends can build together. It would be great for a co-op setting.
He also took a large piece of cardboard we had and created a LEGO racecar track.
See what I mean about the unschooling thing?
Time With Friends
Now that I have stopped giving private piano lessons, our afternoons are wide open. One afternoon this week the kids invited a couple of friends to come for playing LEGOS and some crafting.
Grant and a friend played LEGO StoryStarters, while Anna and her friend made scripture card books for a friend in our co-op that is going through some major health problems.
I printed the scripture from fellow Tommy Nelson Mommy, Rachel's blog. Rachel's site is my new favorite hangout. I gain much encouragement each time I visit.
Speaking of Tommy Nelson, I have a giveaway going on for an adorable Hermie DVD about telling the truth. The giveaway runs until Sunday, so go enter now!
Other posts from this week:
Please join me for Collage Friday!
The rules are simple. Link your post (that incudes photo collages) about your homeschool week. Be sure to grab a Collage Friday button or text link back to this post in some way. Then, be sure to visit the other blogs on the list to offer support and gain ideas. This is a wonderful community and I love reading through your blogs each weekend and seeing how you all encourage each other.
*I will delete any links that don't comply with these guidelines. {not trying to be crabby, just trying to respect the hard work of those who do follow the rules}
Collage Friday
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