Frozen Nuts and Other Things: 2013

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Merry Christmas - Make a Christmas E-card

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

To make your own card, go to the Lego site.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Grade 10 Online Assignments for Jan. 10

These are the items my homeschool student is doing online this day. Other assignments are not listed here as this is meant to be a quick reference to daily online links.

Language Arts:

Read the poem Advice From Experts by Bill Knott
Read the poem One Morning by Eamon Grennan
Read and continue work on memorizing Shakespeare's sonnet Shall I compare thee to a summer day
Finish reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Read pages 17-19. Link to each page (17, 18, 19)
Read Walden, Sounds page 123-middle of page 131 (read through "Keep on your own track, then" Main index page for Walden is located here.

Music:

Listen to Yankee Doodle and sing along with lyrics. Listen to this version of Yankee Doodle also.

History:

Watch video and then do quiz afterward Antebellum America #3 The Transportation Revolution: Turnpikes to Steamboats To Railroads
Read American Revolution, pages 83-85 (PDF page 115-117) and take notes on the reading

Science:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Biomolecules: Introduction to Organic Molecules I
Watch video and do quiz afterward Energy and Heat: Kinetic Energy to Potential Energy
Finish reading chapter 8 of Poisoner's Handbook, then go to Launch Tales from the Poisoner's Handbook and do section called "The Fatal Fumes". For those of you who have not already read The Poisoner's Handbook, there is an audio version on youtube of chapter 1 so you can see if you would like to buy the book.

Economics:

Watch to 14:10 minutes of Free to Choose, part 2: The Tyranny of Control
Watch video and do quiz Inflation Measurement: Consumer Price Index (part 1 of 10)

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Grade 10 Online Assignments for Jan. 9

These are the items my homeschool student is doing online this day. Other assignments are not listed here as this is meant to be a quick reference to daily online links.

Language Arts:

Read the poem Poetry by Don Paterson
Read the poem Foundations by Leopold Staff
Read and continue work on memorizing Shakespeare's sonnet Shall I compare thee to a summer day
Review: Perform orally memorized poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Continue reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Read pages 13-16. Link to each page (13, 14, 15, 16)
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 06, chapter 3: Austerities
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 06, chapter 4: Gayeties
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2: Book 06, chapter 5: Distractions

Music:

Listen to song When Johnny Comes Marching Home from yesterday and continue learning the lyrics.
Listen to Yankee Doodle and work read over the lyrics. Listen to this version of Yankee Doodle also.

History:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Antebellum America #2: Reform Movements of the 19th Century
Read American Revolution, pages 80-82 (PDF page 112-114) and take notes on the reading

Science:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Energy and Heat: What is Energy?
Watch video and do quiz afterward Meterology: Global Warming

Economics:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Measuring the Economy: Investment vs Investments in Economics

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Grade 10 Online Assignments for Jan. 8

These are the items my homeschool student is doing online this day. Other assignments are not listed here as this is meant to be a quick reference to daily online links.

Language Arts:

Read the poem Domestic Work, 1937 by Natasha Trethewey
Read the poem Before She Died by Karen Chase
Read and continue work on memorizing Shakespeare's sonnet Shall I compare thee to a summer day
Continue reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Read pages 9-12. Link to each page (9, 10, 11, 12)
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 06, chapter 1:Number 62 Rue Petit-Picpus
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 06, chapter 2: Obedience of Martin Verga

Music:

Listen to song When Johnny Comes Marching Home from yesterday. Listen to this version of When Johnny Comes Marching home from 1898 performed by John Terrill. Continue learning the lyrics.

History:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Antebellum America #1 American Renaissance: Uniquely American Art, Literature and Culture
Begin reading The American Revolution, chapter 5 pages 77-79 (pdf page 109-111) and take notes on reading

Science:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases: Redox Reactions
Watch video and do quiz afterward Meterology: Natural Factors that Determine a Region's Climate

Economics:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Measuring the Economy: Gross Domestic Products: Items Excluded from National Production

Monday, December 2, 2013

Grade 10 Online Assignments for Jan. 7

These are the items my homeschool student is doing online this day. Other assignments are not listed here as this is meant to be a quick reference to daily online links.

Language Arts:

Read the poem Tour by Carol Snow
Read the poem After Us by Connie Wanek
Read and continue work on memorizing Shakespeare's sonnet Shall I compare thee to a summer day
Continue reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Read pages 5-8. Link to each page (5, 6, 7, 8)
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 05, chapter 9: The Man With the Bell
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 05, chapter 10: Which Explains How Javert Got on the Scent

Music:

Listen to song When Johnny Comes Marching Home. Try to learn the lyrics.

History:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Jacksonian Democracy: Presidents Van Buren and William Henry Harrison
Read Guide to Writing the DBQ Deciding What Position to Argue, pages 72-76 (PDF page #104-108).

Science:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases: Chemical Reactions and Energy Change
Watch video and do quiz afterward Meterology: Temperature, Clouds, Wind and Humidity
In the evening watch American Experience: The Poisoners Handbook on PBS. (This should also be available online at WTIU.)

Economics:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Measuring the Economy: Gross Domestic Product Definitions and Components

Art and Culture:

Watch video Art Through Time: A Global View, Theme 3: History and Memories (about 26 minutes long)

Grade 10 Online Assignments for Jan. 6

These are the items my homeschool student is doing online this day. Other assignments are not listed here as this is meant to be a quick reference to daily online links.

Language Arts:

Read the poem Wheels by Jim Daniels
Read the poem Remora, Remora by Thomas Lux
Watch lesson and take quiz on Introduction to Romantic Poetry
Read and begin work on memorizing Shakespeare's sonnet Shall I compare thee to a summer day
Begin reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Read pages 1-4. Link to each page (1, 2, 3, 4)
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 05, chapter 6: The Beginning of an Enigma
Listen to Les Miserables Volume 2, Book 05, chapter 7: Continuation of the Enigma
Listen to Les Misreables Volume 2, Book 05, chapter 8: The Enigma Becomes Doubly Mysterious
Read and/or Listen to Romeo and Juliet, Act 3 Scene 4
Read and/or Listen to Romeo and Juliet, Act 3 Scene 5

Music:

Listen to song When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Listen to song When Johnny Comes Marching Home" played on banjos

History:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Jacksonian Democracy: Democracy in America

Science:

If needed for review from last month, watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases: Properties of Water
If needed for review from last month, watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases, Solutions, Solutes, And Solvents.
If needed for review from last month, watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases: Osmosis, Diffusion and Saturation
If needed for review from last month, watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases: Acids & Bases
Watch video and do quiz afterward Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases: Chemical Reactions and Balancing the Chemical Equations
Watch video and do quiz afterward Meterology: The Water Cycle, Precipitation, Condensation and Evaporation

Economics:

Watch video and do quiz afterward Measuring the Economy: Circular Flow of Economic Activity: The Flow of Goods, Services & Resources
Watch video and do quiz afterward Measuring the Economy: Gross Domestic Product: Using the Income and Expenditure Approaches

Monday, July 29, 2013

Culture and Communications, Our Studies in 10th Grade

Streets of Ketchikan by Prescott M. M. Jones

Items to cover (10th Grade) for Culture and Communications:

Interview community members and conducts research to gather oral and written history information about 3 or more significant events in their local community
Presents summaries of interviews and research findings with a focus on the variety of different perspectives and interpretations of these significant events in the local history of the community
See note below.Describes the role of individuals and groups from indigenous cultures in actively proposing and promoting federal legislation and policies, including Alaska Native and other indigenous cultures
Chooses an element of culture to study in depth (language, traditions, celebrations, family structure, belief systems, etc.) Researches and prepares a report on findings.
See note below. Analyzes federal policies and legislation that recognized civil rights for indigenous peoples including Alaska Native and other indigenous cultures
Explains how artists can communicate values and important themes in their artwork (about belief systems,war, peace, justice, etc)
Appreciates the arts in 3 or more ways, including practicing their skills as an audience member (listening, providing positive feedback, etc.); participating in one or more forms of art (dance, music, theater, or visual arts); studying Alaskan artwork and learning artistic techniques from one or more artists.

Commercial King Crabbers by Rie Munoz

(this link will take you to the page to buy this print or others by Rie Munoz)

Steps and Materials Used to Meet Goals of Culture & Communication:
For Number 1 and 2 (above). Interview community members

Select 3 significant events from local area to research. (Some possible topics: Building the Pipeline, Flood in Fairbanks in 1967, Building road roundabouts in North Pole, Arrival of big chain box stores, Changes in road system.)
Interview at least 3 individuals for each topic and do research on the topics.
Write a paper that summarizes the interviews and research findings with a focus on the variety of different perspectives and interpretations of these significant events in the local history of the community.
Optional: Present paper orally.

For Numbers 3 and 5 (above)

They will be included in the State Studies page instead of covered here, now.

For Number 4 (above) Research an element of culture

After selecting an element of culture (language, traditions, celebrations, family structure, belief systems, etc) research and write a 3 page report (typed, double spaced)

For Number 6 (above) Themes in artwork

Watch videos on themes in artwork (Art Through Time, a Global View), 13 themes with videos of each about 30 minutes each. Each lesson has a guide and downloadable text with images of artwork. Use the questions in each guide to discuss the videos. The guide (with questions) and texts are found here. There is nudity in some of the paintings.

For Number 7 (above) Practice skill as an audience member

Watch a performance of a play,or movie based on a book with other family members. Possible choices: Les Miserables (Broadway version), Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, a scene from Cyrano de Bergerac. Or attend a live performance, if available in your area.

For Number 7 (above) Participate in art.
Select at least one from the list below. Our family will be doing all of the list.

Perform a monologue. Select one from this site.
Learn popular and folk songs of the 1800s. Listen to the songs on the list (one per week) and learn lyrics to several that inspire you. I will add to these as I find links for them.

Buffalo Gals - 1848 (banjo tab), (lyrics)
Auld Lang Syne - 1799, (lyrics)
Those Johnson Boys (banjo tab) (video)
Little Brown Jug
Yankee Doodle
Billy Boy (lyrics)
Camptown Races
Down in the Valley
Fishers Hornpipe (lmusic) (banjo tab)
When Johnny Comes Marching Home - 1863 (music and Lyrics)
Old Folks at Home
Jim Crow (lyrics)
Oh Susanna
Dixie - 1859 (music & lyrics)
Goober Peas (lyrics & music)
Long, long ago - 1835 (lyrics)
John Brown's Body - 1860
Old Kentucky Home
Go Tell Aunt Rhody
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean - 1881 (music & lyrics)
Jeannie With the light Brown Hair
De Boatman Dance (lyrics)
The Old Gray Mare (lyrics)
Old Dan Tucker - 1843 (lyrics)
Beautiful Dreamer
Little Rosewood Casket
Jimmy Crack Corn (music & lyrics)
Yellow Rose of Texas - 1858 (lyrics)

Practice musical instrument(s).
Complete lessons in Artistic Pursuits High School book 1: Elements of Art and Composition (purchase book)
Practice photography

For Number 7 (above) Study Alaskan art

Study one artist per quarter: Select from the list below or select others.

Alaskan artist: Fred Machetanz (1908-2002). View his biography. View one of his paintings, Quest for Avuk, at the Anchorage Museum. This is a wonderful book of paintings: Alaskan Paintings of Fred Machetanz by Fred Machetanz.
Alaskan artist: Sydney Laurence (1865-1940), View his biography. The Silent Pool at the Anchorage Museum and other paintings at this site.
Alaskan artist: Rie Munoz, View her biography. View paintings.
Alaskan artist: Jon Van Zyle, View his biography. View paintings and more paintings at his site.

Visit a museum and view artwork on display. There are several pieces by Machetanz and Laurence on display at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

For Number 7 (above) Learn artistic techniques

Learn to use Watercolors -- like Munoz

Paint flowers scene on nature walks. Take photos to use for reference.
An example of painting Peonies.
Paint people in everyday activities in the style of Munoz

Learn to use Acrylics (or Oils) -- like Van Zyle (or Machetanz and Laurence)

For Acrylics: May need canvas, acrylic paints, palette, bristle burshes in filbert size 2, 4, 6 and 10, sable brushes for details, and optional flat and round bristle brushes
For Oils: May need canvas, oils paints, gesso, palette, bristle brushes in filbert size 2,4, 6 and 10, sable brushes for details, turpenoid, linseed oil, and optional: flat and round bristle brushes
possible video to watch: Painting a pear
Painting of birch trees is one option. Directions here. Or paint trees you have seen on your Nature studies

Friday, July 19, 2013

Daddy Woodpecker on Baby Duty

Another family is living at our house--a family of woodpeckers. The first day we saw mom, dad, and junior all at the feeder which is unusual as we rarely see more than one at a time. Apparently, woodpeckers feed in different areas and not together. So when we saw three it was a surprise. Mom didn't stay long and went on to another place to feed. Daddy spent several days feeding junior from the feeder which has peanut butter and wheat bread in it. It was so interesting to see him feeding his baby.

Daddy is on the right and baby on the left.

Baby was being stubborn about eating and trying to eat by himself, so daddy woodpecker hopped around the back side of the tree and offered junior some food from a different angle. You can just see part of his head and beak peaking out from the back of the tree and it appears he has some peanut butter on the end of his beak.

Daddy (on the right) looks smaller than junior (on the left).

Yesterday daddy woodpecker wasn't around, just junior, so we figured he was on his own now. However, today the feeder was out of peanut butter after some squirrel eating it all! And the bread was too far away from the front of the feeder for junior to figure out how to get the bread. I felt sorry for him until I saw him back with daddy woodpecker who was reaching into the feeder and getting him some bread and feeding him again. It was like he had to go find his daddy to help him and daddy cared enough to help him out. After a bit they flew off together and I am hoping daddy woodpecker is trying to teach him to eat something else so he doesn't become dependent on just this one feeder/food.

Baby (on left) is looking at the bread as if saying "Daddy, I can't reach it. Feed me."

Friday, July 12, 2013

Woodworking Ideas for Boys (or Girls!)

We used to go to Lowes ad Home Depot and build their little projects. Now we are looking to find other things to progress to. The books below are under consideration. Since we are always looking for ideas that are free I've lised free "Projects" below which all have building directions and/or printable plans.

Books

Woodworking by John Kelsey
The All-New Woodworking for Kids by Kevin McGuire
Woodshop for Kids by Jack McKee
The Kids Building Workshop by Craig Robertson

Projects

Some of these are very easy while others are more difficult.

Outdoor Furniture

An interesting video showing how to make a folding outdoor chair. A pattern is available for purchase here (folding outdoor chair).

My son wants to build this folding table. I would consider this an advanced project.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Nature Studies - Making Art

Making art doesn't have to be hard, involve a lot of materials, or even be permanent. While on our nature walk one day we collected items we found and made artwork on the ground. Preserving it was a lesson in photography, so we killed two birds with one stone.

Below is student artwork created using items found in nature.

A Predator Visits Our Yard

While sitting here this afternoon working on the computer I looked out the window to see the owl we have been seeing off an on for a few months looking in at me. Finally I had the camera and got a shot of what I think this is a boreal owl.

If, in your bird watching you want to identify a bird, we found this site which identifies a lot of birds and is very helpful: Backyard Bird Identifier by National Geographic.

A coloring page of an owl, which looks very similar to the one above, is at this link.

For an owl handicraft, possibly make a felt owl. Find the pattern here.

A New Family

Earlier today we watched a parent black capped chickadee feeding it's two young at one of the bird feeders. The video isn't top quality, but you can see the two young birds waiting on the rope and being fed. It's so cute.

A coloring page of a chickadee is located here.

Here are a few handicrafts based on chickadees that we are considering doing.
felt chickadee pattern

another pattern for a felt chickadee

chickadee pendant - this could be made with a salt dough or sculpy clay.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Making interesting materials for note taking and reading

Here are a couple of books we were reading when we decided to make bookmarks and a covered composition book to keep our notes in. The Composition book, on the right, was themed to go with the book "The Golden Ocean" by Patrcik O'Brian. The little owl and head of a fox are bookmarks to use in our books.

A bookmark we made to match our composition book.

This is our finished composition book with a picture of a boat and a banner to write a title on. We used tacky glue and scrapbook paper that we liked to make this, covering only the tacky, ugly looking cover that we wanted to hide and leaving the black spine visible from the original cover. We did also cover the back in the same blue paper. This was a fast project that made our notebook look interesting.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Wildlife We See at Our House

During our nature studies we watch wildlife around our house. Here are some of the critters we have seen this year. Besides what is listed here, we have, owls, ducks, robins, various yellow birds in the summer (which we haven't identified yet), an occasional fox, and the neighbors cat. I will post photos of them if I manage to get them, that is, except for the cat!

Vole

This little fellow likes all the seeds the birds knock out of the feeders. He likes to hide underneath the tub we store the sunflower seeds in.

Snowshoe Hare

In the third picture he is sitting under the bird feeder in all the cast off sunflower seed shells from all winter long. He is starting to change color even more as the snow is melting and soon will be all brown.

Just look at those big feet!

Squirrel

He likes to sit on top of the suet feeder and munch on his seeds or breads. This is one of the few times he is facing me, he usually turns his back on me while playing tightrope walker, as in the second picture.

Woodpeckers

There are two pairs who frequent the feeders, this pair which we think are Downy Woodpeckers, and another pair which are Hairy Woodpeckers. The next pictures should be the Hairy Woodpecker. They look so similar, pretty much just being larger than the Downy Woodpeckers by two inches.

Downy Woodpeckers (a female and male)

Hairy Woodpecker

Common Redpoll

Although these little birds are usually ground feeders, they enjoy thistle and spend a lot of time on this feeder. The reddish bird on the left is a male.

Migrating Flock of Redpolls

In the spring (May) we had a migrating flock stop at our feeders. The pictures don't do it justice as there were hundreds of birds in the trees and on the ground. We had to fill all the bird feeders three extra times in just one day. They only stayed two days and were off, apparently to their summer homes. I wonder if they will be back in the fall?

I like the birds sitting on the roof of the bird feeder on the left waiting for a turn to get on the thistle feeder.

Hoary Redpoll

I hadn't seen this bird before. I thought it was an albino redpoll since it is so much whiter than the common redpoll but still has the red patch on its head.

Black-capped Chickadee

We only have a group of about 5 chickadees--4 black-capped and one boreal chickadee which have been here a couple of years. They like the suet in the feeder and also sunflower seeds.

Spruce Grouse

At least, we think this is a Spruce Grouse. If not a spruce grouse it must be a some type of grouse since it doesn't appear to have furry legs like a ptarmigan and wasn't white in the snow. Last spring we had a pair that came to the feeder every evening. This spring we only have one bird. We are curious if it is one of the two from last year or a new visitor.

Sneaking about in the twilight.

Magpies

There is at least one pair of these who frequent the bird feeders but I never see them eat from them. Their tails are long and look bluish at times.

Raven

We don't see too many ravens at our house. They are scavengers so we try not to leave anything out which they might find interesting. This is one we saw while out one day.

Polar Bear

This isn't at our house. It was taken on the north coast of Alaska with a cell phone. Since it isn't a good idea to get too close it is pretty grainy. This bear is lying on it's catch, a seal, right on the beach.

Moose

This was a surprise recently. We had a cow and a large calf wander through recently so we were shocked to see this tiny moose sleeping in our driveway as we headed out one morning. We figure he is no older than 10 days old. We stayed home all day to allow him to hide in safety under the edge of the pickup. Luckily it was a Sunday and no one had to be at work. His mama came back and got him late that night after he spent more than 12 hours sleeping away half hidden just feet from our front door.

This was taken earlier in the year and I think this might be the mama of the little one above. I wasn't fast enough with the camera and she is walking behind the tree. Look closely and you'll see her.

Flora

These are wild flowers from last spring. I am waiting for the flowers to come back this year!