This year we were unable to get back-to-back classes at our local public school for both children. Connor has an empty period between his Art and Algebra 2 class, so he comes out to the car in the parking lot every day and we would do either his Biology or French lesson, depending if there is a Biology lab scheduled. During the winter, we would usually warm ourselves with blankets instead of keeping the car running.
Category: Homeschool
Sculpture Design
This year, Connor is in 9th grade and he is enrolled in Art at Northview Middle School. For his sculpture project, he designed a grim reaper trick-or-treating. He used wire, plaster, spray foam and spray paint. It turned out well. Good job, Connor!
Visiting Reiman Gardens
What a beautiful day to visit the Reiman Gardens on the last day of the traveling exhibit “Glass in Flight”.
Lewis & Art exhibition at Reiman Gardens
Even though we have been visiting the Reiman Gardens for years, there are always new art exhibitions on display. This amazing sculpture made from recycled materials is created by the artist, Dale Lewis and is part of his traveling exhibit, Lewis and Art exhibition.
Homeschool PE
Since the pandemic started, lots of videos were popping up motivating people to work out at home. Here, the boys are doing step aerobics. We really enjoy working out with the videos and being exposed to so many different workout ideas.
Ninja Training
It can be a challenge to stay in shape during the pandemic lockdowns. The boys use the backyard ninja gym to stay in shape and keep active.
Using Labster
Very often, we complain about the pandemic on how it stops us from doing our normal activities or from going places. However, the pandemic also presented several opportunities that benefit many. Students and teachers can use Zoom at no cost. The USDA provided free school lunches to children regardless of their family income. With the lockdowns, museums such as the Louvre and the National Gallery of Art developed online tours so that visitors can continue to enjoy their virtual visits from home. Spectrum and Comcast offered short term free internet. Other organizations also offered free resources for parents and educators. For instance, BrainPop offered free access to their educational videos during this time. The Smithsonian website offered free resources to keep students engaged. This is how we stumbled upon Labster.
Labster is a virtual science lab simulation used by high schools and colleges. During this time, Labster allows free access to their program. While these labs can not replace actual science lab experiments, they are definitely the next best thing – being inexpensive to set up (in our case, it’s free), and enabling students to work in an engaging and safe space.
Homeschool P.E.
Our homeschool P.E. takes place every other day. It is even more significant during the pandemic as many activities were cancelled and we are spending more time in the house. We are fortunate to have trails around our home we could utilize.
Our Homeschool String Ensemble
Perhaps this is the picture in your mind when you hear “homeschool band”.
Well, I am all about shifting paradigms. This is us (picture above) on the first day of our homeschool string ensemble. In a typical year, the kids will be participating in the Des Moines Symphony Academy youth symphonies, but due to the pandemic, this has been cancelled, though the academy does offer an alternative online program. We decided to start our very own string ensemble. We will be practicing every day and meeting every Saturday. The kids have always enjoyed performing familiar movie soundtracks and music, and it is refreshing to get to pick the pieces you play. They also get an opportunity to be featured soloists, which would demand them to be better players. I am excited for the new school year.
New School Year 2020/2021
This is the first day of school of the new school year since the pandemic started. The public school ended with a lockdown last March and attempts to conduct lessons online were not very successful. This year, Devon is in 9th grade and Connor is in 6th grade. Ankeny schools offer the choice of online and in-person lessons. With the high possibility of interruptions in lessons again due to the frequent unpredictable changes to the covid-19 protocols and the distraction caused by angry parents protesting against mask mandates in school, we have decided to stick to conducting lessons at home. It also gives Devon the opportunity to take some online classes with DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) that are dual enrolled with the high school. Both children are also doing various online and video lessons that steer them toward being more self-directed learners.