Ordinary Life : projects

Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts

3D Hand Trace

A Pinterest-y Project

(That I think I can improve upon the next time I try it... if I should find myself suddenly in need of a striped 3D Hand picture... which is pretty much every day in my house..)

From the drawing board to local print and koozies... one of my favorite parts.

Check out Amelia Boat Club online (and in person!)

Coffee4Lunch helped with the web site too.

Borrow a boat or a waverunner while you're there and be sure to compliment their new image. :)

Tie Dye

We like to make messes... the harder to clean up, the better. The more likely to leave stains, sign us up! I exaggerate but we do have a way of gravitating towards splotches and splats. Tie Dye was no exception. During this project, Chandler was in a bit of a hurry to get through so that he could pursue some other interests, so he more or less splattered his shirt with one color and called it done. Once all of the finished projects were untied and rinsed out, I could tell he was slightly disappointed with his results. I believe he learned from it, and if he's anything like his Momma, it will be one lesson amongst many on the fine art of being fully present and focused. (Am I the only one here who battles the multi-tasking monster?) He went on to help with another, more traditional shirt and put a humorous spin on the first one. We have at least half a bottle of each color left over, but we have run out of 'blank slates' to tie dye. Rye was determined she wanted tie dyed underpants, and she got them. Everyone else, however, declined to tie dye even a single pair of underpants, thus the current shortage of blank canvases. Stay tuned, I'm sure we'll come up with something soon.

Chandler's Leadership Project

Chandler was enrolled in the same FLVS hosted leadership class as Logan but had delays in his project due to waiting on certain items to arrive via shipping. His project idea was to partner with the same CareNet center that Logan had, with an emphasis on encouraging young fathers. We learned that many care centers are trying to increase efforts to reach out to expectant fathers and provide new parent education for young men facing a new phase in life.

Chandler assembled "New Daddy" bags. He chose a baseball themed bag and a small, soft baseball. On each baseball, he wrote "Play Catch With Me Daddy" or a similar sentiment to capture the idea that a young man will have an important role to play in his baby's life. He also included a copy of The Life Book~ generously provided by Gideons, Intl.

Hello? Phone Project

In another Inventions & Technology project, we studied how the phone makes use of radio waves to transmit signals. The children tested one way lines and then connected all their cups to try and form a "Party Line"

*Bonus Assignment: Create a phone company, logo and catchphrase then decorate your phone (cup) accordingly:

Chandler's TeleCo:

"At the Speed of Light"

Fisher's TurboPhone:

"Faster Than Lightening & Thunder"

Logan's Hello, Let's Talk:

"Lightning Fast Phone Service"

Transistor

In our Inventions & Technology class, we've been studying radio waves and the inventions that harnessed those waves for communication. One of our projects was to make a rudimentary transistor using a radio, electrical wires (we used clamps) and a metal file. Though the signal transmitted was nothing more than scratching and tapping, it was an enlightening moment that helped translate how radio waves work and how we make use of them.

Minerals and Cookie Mining

We've been learning about minerals in Earth Science.

Yesterday, we learned about identifying minerals with the various tests that scientists use. For us, testing involved a hammer, a small pillow case and a handful of rock samples purchased in a kit for just this section of the book. Everyone was disappointed that mom refused to share the hammer.

Identifying Minerals Project

Today's lesson was about Native Minerals and the way they are harvested~specifically mining.

(from MiddleEarth~ha! Yes, we did tie a small conversation about The Hobbit into our lesson...Snow White and her Dwarves too)

Our project was to 'harvest' chocolate chips and then clean up the environment behind our efforts.

(ie; lick the plate)

CLICK HERE for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

The 'Dwarves' adopted Hobbit Names in a fine Miner Mash-Up. Find your own Hobbit name HERE.

"Bungo Burrows"

"Myrtle Burrows"

"Bulbo Burrows"

Mining Mission Complete.

Where Is Thumbkin?

Our recent lessons in God's Design for The Human Body (science) have been about bone structure. Yesterday we talked about our hands and feet; especially opposable thumbs and toes.

Today, we tried to spend five minutes without the luxury of thumbs to build a greater appreciation for one of the small wonders that we often take for granted.

Fisher screamed like I was duct taping him entirely... he has ultra sensitive touch... the tape felt weird to him... but he persevered and attempted to write without thumbs before being loosed from his bonds.

They were all asked to write: "This is me, without thumbs."

But first, because they are my children... and their father's... they had to be funny-writing S.O.S. & ABUSED with their four remaining digits.

This is Aletheia without thumbs:

Chinese New Year

February 10th, 2013 issues in the Year of The Snake

Last night, FLVirtual School held a special Collaboration session in recognition of the upcoming Chinese New Year.

To get in the spirit of things, we decided to have Chinese food for dinner. I had casually mentioned this plan to Clay before he went to a meeting. When he called on his way home, to see if we needed anything while he was out, he was surprised to find that we had decided to COOK Chinese dishes instead of ordering it from the experts. I blamed homeschooling... He indulged me by trying to find chop sticks (a negligent oversight on my part!) then, swung by Beef O'Brady's for some 'real food' just to be safe.

So, we 'made' Chinese to the best of our ability~thankful for the Ethnic Foods aisle and the International Foods freezer at the grocery store. Without it, we may have had to call Lucky Wok.

It's About the Sauces: Sriacha, Sesame Garlic, Pot Sticker. Soy & Duck

I must preface the description of what we made with a quick shout out to Uncle Ben for tipping us off to the super powers of Sriacha sauce...it made the Peanut Lo Mein just right.

We 'made' (translation: opened packages & properly heated in pools of vegetable oil) various Pot Stickers and Spring Rolls. Several neighbors have stopped by this morning to order take out...it left our house that aromatic.

They cleaned their plates, so then it was time for my favorite part of the evening: Fortune Cookies

I had never made cookies that require folding before... when the first one took the shape of an actual fortune cookie like I am often handed after meals @ Ichiban, I was beyond tickled.

First Fortune Cookie

(there's an actual fortune in there, too!)

The cookies are best made in small batches. By the time I had made enough cookies for everyone to have two apiece, I was tired of cooking in small batches and ten minute intervals. So I poured the remaining batter into one giant Choose Your Destiny Cookie... I was able to fit all the remaining fortunes in it too: