Tag: Connor

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.

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.

Experiencing Blindness For a Day

This is one of the social experiments I have always wanted to conduct to determine if it will help us empathize with those with disabilities. The kids experienced being blind for a day. They have to stay blindfolded regardless of what they were doing. Yes, that means they have to practice their instruments blindfolded as well. At the end of the experiment both kids resorted to staying in their bed. They were too helpless to do anything. While the experiment addressed the physical struggle, it failed to address the mental struggle of a person who suddenly experienced blindness – the hopelessness and the realization of not having sight for the rest of their lives. Because the kids held on to the hope that the blindfold will be removed eventually and their lives returning to normal the next day, it would be difficult for them to comprehend  what someone might be going through.

Helping in the Garden

I come from a big city, but I have always had a connection with gardens. I am always fascinated  when people talk to me about their native plants and animals. I feel that it is important to have a connection with our nature, so that we can learn to take care of it the way it takes care of us. The kids enjoy being involved in gardening. It gives them time off from stressful matter and exposes them to a healthy dose of fresh air and sunshine. Here, they are seen harvesting strawberries and peas.

Sewing masks

What better time to improve our sewing skills than the pandemic? A couple months back, I lost my hearing in my left ear. I am currently going through hyperbaric oxygen treatment at the hospital. The nurses taking care of me are truly wonderful. They tried to get me in as soon as I contacted them as they have identified this as a medical emergency. Hospitals now have started to require people to wear masks. We have decided to sew a number of masks (a design obtained from another hospital) to donate them to the nurses of the hyperbaric department.  We are grateful to the medical staff who are putting their and their families’ lives at risk while helping other people during the pandemic. The kids helped make these masks by tracing the design, cutting and sewing them. The nurses were very happy to receive them.