Little Scientists

I am so happy to have my computer back! Ol' Faithful crashed on us last week. I suppose it was time. We'd had it since Sweet Cheeks was a babe. Our computer teacher was able to rebuild it into a much better computer. And I can catch up on my blog now!

The third graders were allowed to participate in the Science Fair this year, but in order to keep the skill levels incremental, we decided to have them build a model rather than work through the entire scientific process with a hypothesis, experiment, etc. They honestly blew us all away with their projects! Mom and Dad helped, of course, and that was fine with me. The point is learning how to choose a project that aligned with something we've studied, stay on schedule in building it, spend time with Mom and Dad, learn more about science, and proudly share the results.

It can't be a Science Fair without some active volcanoes! Here's my volcano group. (from Jordan/Palestine, USA, and Slovenia). My Slovenian student took 2nd place overall for her volcano. It was so realistic artistically. And then there's the fact that she spoke not a word of English when she came to me in February, and she's worked so hard. She deserved a ribbon!

 Here's the solar system gang, from South Korea, Russia, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan.

This South Korean guy took one of the first place ribbons. He built a solar powered bus. Its wheels move when you flip a light on it. Yea, he may very well build a real one at some point. (At any point when I could not find Big Ben at the Science Fair, I just came back to this solar bus. He was busy clicking the light off and on to get it to move.)

 These dolls from South Korea and Turkey built spider webs/habitats. If only I had space to store them, I'd love to display them when we study insects.

 These girls from the USA and Iran built various models....an arctic tundra, an electric switch to light a house made of wood, and a clay model of the human brain.

 My Italian student took another first place ribbon, as I was certain he made this entirely himself. He created a 3D model of land, with a dead lizard (real), and a fossil of that same lizard, with signs and changes in the land to indicate the passage of time. You could actually open the "lid" to find the fossil of his lizard buried in the earth. It blew me away. And I just loved the phone call from his dad at one point, "Do you have any objections to letting him bring a dead lizard for part of his project?" No, sir, bring it on!

 My Ecuadorean student is not even in Science, as he goes to special English classes during that time, but he wanted to make an African safari.

 These kids, from the USA, Romania, and Spain each made creative models of windmills, egg dropping gadgets, and a simple machine (wedge).

I was beyond proud of all of them!

What We've Been Doing

I miss my blog. My time is so limited. But I refuse to give it up. It's my family record! Here's what we've been doing....

Last Sunday we took a picnic lunch to a nearby park. They've recently renovated it and added these rides. Soon a group of 4 village boys joined us. They were very entertaining. They jumped on the merry-go-round and got it spinning faster and faster. Soon, Sweet Cheeks wanted off. When the one boy saw his brother (or buddy) had made it go too fast for her, he started fighting his brother. Soon, a 4 person brawl began. Later, the boys (from about 7-10 years old) stripped down (all the way) and jumped into the fountains there. They'd play in the water, then hop back on the swings. Yes, they provided us with a bit of entertainment that day.

 CC went for a bike ride on the anniversary of his big crash last Spring. He decided to take a picture of the very spot where he crashed. On that spot, he found this big turtle...with a big crack. He came back telling us he must have hit the turtle rather than a rock!

 I took my students to an University here that does a little presentation on space. Then the kids got to look through the giant telescope (with a filter) and see the sun and its spots.

 We then had a little picnic on the grounds.

 We finished up a little early, so we had the buses bring us back to our neighborhood. I stopped at a little market and let them all choose an ice cream and play at the park behind our school. I got lots of hugs and thank you's. Field trips wear me out, but it was fun.

 CC has been getting some great bike rides on the weekends. It literally went from being in the 30's at night to the 80's in the daytime. I think we skipped Spring! This week he rode 38km, to this lake, around it, and back.

 And finally, my little doll accomplished something big. Her teacher challenged them to read 100 books this year. She read her 100th book yesterday, and is the first to turn in her completed list in her class. Way to go, Sweet Cheeks!

What I've Learned...

We just finished studying space...seasons, Earth's tilt, phases of the moon, rotation/revolution. One of my favorite questions to ask my students at the end of a test is, "What is one new thing you learned?" I love the answers...

-I learned the moon does not make its own light.
-I learned it takes 364 1/4 days to revolve, not 365. (good time to talk about Leap Year!)
-One thing I learned is you can see the moon in the morning sometimes.
-One thing I learned is about stars. I love to learn about stars. I even learned the word constellation. It means groups of stars. I love this chapter. (going for a bonus point maybe?)
...and my personal favorite...
-I learned you can not go near the sun AT all!

Sketch of Our City

Recently, we had a guest. He came from the ACSI headquarters to do our mid-term accreditation visit. We enjoyed a little down time with him on Saturday before he flew out. We took him to the old city. Later, he sketched it...amazing! Here's the link: http://www.unstringingthebow.blogspot.com/2013/04/sketching-in-ankara-turkey.html

He also included some snapshots of our day here: http://www.timandsandee.blogspot.com/2013/04/not-just-another-saturday.html

Enjoy!

Easter 2013...catching up!

We had a wonderful Easter service and enjoyed lunch with friends. Here are some pics from early in the morn...

 I tried to organize a photo shoot. Some sister decided they should all pose kissing Big Ben...by the look on Twinkle Toes' face, I think it was her idea.

 I don't think he liked it. 

 They stopped.

Active Water 5K

We had a fun day last Friday. Our new sixth grade teacher (who is amazing...I personally feel sixth graders and their hormones can benefit from a calm male presence at this stage of life!) organized a 5K run to benefit an organization called Active Water. They exist to give fresh water to countries who have little access to it. Each student could purchase a t-shirt to support the organization or pay to run in the 5K. Here is our great upper elementary on "Blue Out Day." CC agreed to let them bring 1TL for Active Water in exchange for a dress down day in blue. That's a quick way to raise 200TL at our school!

We had a lone runner in our family...Twinkle Toes. She did great and placed in the top 15 overall. When she got home, I told her I'd order anything she wanted for dinner to show her how proud I was of her. I wrongly assumed that my 12-year-old would want NOTHING after running 3.5ish miles...bleh, food?! No, she was ready to eat an entire pizza.

And we had some cute little cheerleaders. They'll be running it one day.

The forest was a beautiful spot, the weather was perfect, and the cause was a blessing to both the recipients and us!

My Kids Spring 2013

Firstborn at 14.

 Twinkle Toes.

 Miss Middler.

 Sweet Cheeks.

 Big Ben.