Hello! This is Stella. I am going to tell you about a little experiment that our family tried.
Mater ordered a butterfly farm. After a couple of days, we received a cardboard box. We opened up the cardboard box. In a little cup, filled with some food, were the caterpillars. We were very excited. We watched them for ten days. They got bigger and bigger. Finally, one day, much to our delight, one of the caterpillars got in its cocoon. Day by day, they all got into their cocoons. When they were all into their cocoons we moved them into the butterfly farm that we got from the box. (The butterfly farm is a little mesh cage with a see through top. We pinned them to the mesh. Ten more days passed. Soon, one day, we were surprised to see a couple of butterflies! We immediately sprang into action and made sugar water. (That is the butterflies' food.) We wet tissues to put on the bottom of the cage. We went to the store and bought some oranges and flowers to put on the bottom of the cage. We dipped the flowers in the sugar water and we sliced the oranges and put them on the bottom of the cage too. We were really excited by the outcome of our butterflies!
By: Stella
Age: 10
Grade: 5
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Catching Up
Once again I have fallen behind on the dozens of posts and pictures I'd love to have shared since Christmas. The kids have done a great job documenting the highlights while I have been enduring a trimester of intense morning sickness, reminding myself that it's okay to just survive this stage and to put some of my extra projects on hold. We've kept up with our schoolwork and made it through basketball season, two spelling bees and a semester of Destination Imagination. I'm eager to say goodbye to the nausea/exhaustion and to "welcome" my second trimester migraines which are a breeze in comparison. Perhaps my energy will return, and I'll get some of those pictures posted before too long. In the meantime, here are some quotes from the kids...
This first one isn't humorous, but it surprised and pleased me. As background I'll mention that we've received some mild criticicsm for our rigorous approach to English and our choice of curriculum (Shurley English) which is VERY heavy on drilling, classifying, memorizing... Our philosophy is that children should be drilled in the fundamentals of English/writing before they branch off into more creative forms of expression.
Anyway...Stella was at the eye doctor recently. When the technician asked her what her favorite subject was in school, she didn't even hesitate in answering, "GRAMMAR."
Recently I've been feeling kind of badly about my lack of opportunity for gourmet cooking. As someone who loves experimenting in the kitchen, it has been a little bit frustrating to be so limited in what I can share with my family at this stage of life(due to time and budget limitations). The other day Leo made me smile when he came up to me and said that he was really in the mood for cioppino and creme brulee! I guess that I haven't been a total failure in exposing them to some of the finer forms of cuisine. :)
And now for Rus...
to his older siblings after they all snuggled in one bunk listening to Odyssey...
"Turn off that stupid modern technology light at bedtime!!"
"The Bible says, 'Only criticize your parents if they criticize you.'"
On coupon clipping day, I hand Rus the stack of newspaper inserts when I'm done with them, and he diligently clips out every picture/coupon that looks appealing to him. The other day he asked, "Mom, may I use the dangerous scissors if I'm careful?"
"Mom, I have the feeling that I love being with you."
Sis (Stella) has reached a whole new level of responsibility since she found out that she's expecting another sibling. She has taken it upon herself to learn all sorts of domestic skills that will prove invaluable when I have another little one demanding my time and attention. She completely supervises breakfast for her little brothers, brushes their teeth, gives them their vitamins and flouride, and chooses Tert's daily outfit and puts on his cloth diapers each morning (not to mention supervising and playing with the boys throughout the day). She asked me if I'd please teach her how to cook some meals this summer; in the meantime, she observes me in the kitchen every chance she gets. The other evening, I was heading out to the gym and said that Daddy would have to man the waffle iron if anyone wanted more dinner. She replied, "That's okay! I'll WOMAN the waffles while you're gone!" :)
This first one isn't humorous, but it surprised and pleased me. As background I'll mention that we've received some mild criticicsm for our rigorous approach to English and our choice of curriculum (Shurley English) which is VERY heavy on drilling, classifying, memorizing... Our philosophy is that children should be drilled in the fundamentals of English/writing before they branch off into more creative forms of expression.
Anyway...Stella was at the eye doctor recently. When the technician asked her what her favorite subject was in school, she didn't even hesitate in answering, "GRAMMAR."
Recently I've been feeling kind of badly about my lack of opportunity for gourmet cooking. As someone who loves experimenting in the kitchen, it has been a little bit frustrating to be so limited in what I can share with my family at this stage of life(due to time and budget limitations). The other day Leo made me smile when he came up to me and said that he was really in the mood for cioppino and creme brulee! I guess that I haven't been a total failure in exposing them to some of the finer forms of cuisine. :)
And now for Rus...
to his older siblings after they all snuggled in one bunk listening to Odyssey...
"Turn off that stupid modern technology light at bedtime!!"
"The Bible says, 'Only criticize your parents if they criticize you.'"
On coupon clipping day, I hand Rus the stack of newspaper inserts when I'm done with them, and he diligently clips out every picture/coupon that looks appealing to him. The other day he asked, "Mom, may I use the dangerous scissors if I'm careful?"
"Mom, I have the feeling that I love being with you."
Sis (Stella) has reached a whole new level of responsibility since she found out that she's expecting another sibling. She has taken it upon herself to learn all sorts of domestic skills that will prove invaluable when I have another little one demanding my time and attention. She completely supervises breakfast for her little brothers, brushes their teeth, gives them their vitamins and flouride, and chooses Tert's daily outfit and puts on his cloth diapers each morning (not to mention supervising and playing with the boys throughout the day). She asked me if I'd please teach her how to cook some meals this summer; in the meantime, she observes me in the kitchen every chance she gets. The other evening, I was heading out to the gym and said that Daddy would have to man the waffle iron if anyone wanted more dinner. She replied, "That's okay! I'll WOMAN the waffles while you're gone!" :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
EXCITING WEEK By: Stella Age: 10
WOW! I am just full of stories to tell you all now!
Let's start with SATURDAY. This past Saturday I participated in a County Spelling Bee!
I was kind of nervous at first, but when I went up to spell my words, all my fear melted away! It was fun! Some information you might like to know:
1. 21 kids were eliminated out of 29 before me.
2. No, I did not win, but I had fun!
Now let's go back one day to FRIDAY! Well, on Friday, we got some very exciting news!
Mater is having another BABY! We are so excited! This is our fifth baby, but everybody is just as excited as the past babies! I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SUNDAY, they announced the baby in church.
MONDAY, we told our friends at Co-Op.
THIS SATURDAY, we are going to go to our Grandma and Grandpa Piercey's HOUSE! We are all so excited and can't wait. We will be posting soon about that!
By: Stella
Age: 10
Grade: 5
Let's start with SATURDAY. This past Saturday I participated in a County Spelling Bee!
I was kind of nervous at first, but when I went up to spell my words, all my fear melted away! It was fun! Some information you might like to know:
1. 21 kids were eliminated out of 29 before me.
2. No, I did not win, but I had fun!
Now let's go back one day to FRIDAY! Well, on Friday, we got some very exciting news!
Mater is having another BABY! We are so excited! This is our fifth baby, but everybody is just as excited as the past babies! I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SUNDAY, they announced the baby in church.
MONDAY, we told our friends at Co-Op.
THIS SATURDAY, we are going to go to our Grandma and Grandpa Piercey's HOUSE! We are all so excited and can't wait. We will be posting soon about that!
By: Stella
Age: 10
Grade: 5
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
An Exciting Day at Regionals 2009-2010 By: Stella Age: 10
This is a descriptive essay written by Stella, Age 10:
An Exciting Day at Regionals 2009-2010
Once every March our DI team heads out to Tilton, where the Regional competition is held. The night before the challenge gives us team members hardly any sleep at all. When we wake up, we are filled with excitement. When we arrive at our destination, we get seated in the cafeteria. We anxiously wait for the opening ceremony. Everything around us is bustling with excitement. Many smells come from the various concession stands. We talk about our challenge until it is time for the parade. When it is time for the parade, we hold our banner and proudly march with a spring in our step. We sit down and look around anxiously at the other teams in our challenge group. Once all of the announcements are done, we go to watch other skits and challenges. After we watch a couple of challenges we come to the cafeteria. We grab a quick snack and then prepare for our performance. We get out our props. We are all a little anxious as they announce us. We all go through out skit. As we perform our skit, we each become part of the story. We are no longer team members performing a skit. We are in the world that we've created. When we finish, we get loud applause. We pick up our props and head to the car with all of our costumes and supplies. After everything is packed up, we go to our Instant Challenge. When that is over, everyone goes outside. The fresh, clean air is much better than the stifling school smell. The sun shines down on us. We all play soccer. After we play for a hour or so, we all pile into the cafeteria. We grab another evening snack. After that, we look at our scores. We all experience a feeling of sadness and happiness at the same time. When we are done, we wander around a bit; then we go to the Awards ceremony. We get that feeling of anxiety again. Then, we hear our challenge announced. This year we came in sixth place. We jump up and down, happy! We are a little disappointed, but at the same time, very proud of our work. We aren't going on to States, (the next level of competition) but we still are very glad that we got to participate in this fun, exciting day!
By: Stella
Age: 10
Grade: 5
An Exciting Day at Regionals 2009-2010
Once every March our DI team heads out to Tilton, where the Regional competition is held. The night before the challenge gives us team members hardly any sleep at all. When we wake up, we are filled with excitement. When we arrive at our destination, we get seated in the cafeteria. We anxiously wait for the opening ceremony. Everything around us is bustling with excitement. Many smells come from the various concession stands. We talk about our challenge until it is time for the parade. When it is time for the parade, we hold our banner and proudly march with a spring in our step. We sit down and look around anxiously at the other teams in our challenge group. Once all of the announcements are done, we go to watch other skits and challenges. After we watch a couple of challenges we come to the cafeteria. We grab a quick snack and then prepare for our performance. We get out our props. We are all a little anxious as they announce us. We all go through out skit. As we perform our skit, we each become part of the story. We are no longer team members performing a skit. We are in the world that we've created. When we finish, we get loud applause. We pick up our props and head to the car with all of our costumes and supplies. After everything is packed up, we go to our Instant Challenge. When that is over, everyone goes outside. The fresh, clean air is much better than the stifling school smell. The sun shines down on us. We all play soccer. After we play for a hour or so, we all pile into the cafeteria. We grab another evening snack. After that, we look at our scores. We all experience a feeling of sadness and happiness at the same time. When we are done, we wander around a bit; then we go to the Awards ceremony. We get that feeling of anxiety again. Then, we hear our challenge announced. This year we came in sixth place. We jump up and down, happy! We are a little disappointed, but at the same time, very proud of our work. We aren't going on to States, (the next level of competition) but we still are very glad that we got to participate in this fun, exciting day!
By: Stella
Age: 10
Grade: 5
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