Scientists Abound!

Last week was a busy week for our family. Wynter participated in the all subjects fair at her school and Brennan participated in an inventor's fair for district middle school students hosted by a local company.

Wynter's school hosts an all subjects fair instead of a science fair. The idea is the same as the science fair but students were not limited to only science topics to research. Wynter's project was titled, "Healthy Life" and focused on a healthy diet and exercise. It was neat that she chose to study healthy diet and exercise all on her own. I think she learned a few things and having to manage an 8 week long project with interim guidelines, a paper, and a presentation is a great skill to have.

Wynter's Healthy Life project

For Brennan's inventor's fair he could invent anything that didn't exist or make significant improvements to an existing product, similar to the guidelines for obtaining a patent. The company that hosted the inventor's fair was Wasson-ECE Instrumentation and they were very gracious hosts. They definitely encouraged the invention process within the kids. Each invention was judged and the students had to defend and discuss their inventions with the judges. The company provided plenty of snacks during the morning and while the judging results were tallied we were taken on a tour of their facility. While the entry materials said the top 20 inventions would receive $100 cash prize, all 32 entries received $100 cash. The top 3 inventions also received an opportunity to shadow one of the engineers at the company for 1/2 day.

Brennan's invention was a solar powered light built into a nook cover. He has a Nook Simple Touch which is not backlight so he can't read in the dark. He likes reading in bed and doesn't have a bedside lamp and also likes reading in the car. Since it gets dark so early often our car trips are in the dark too. He wanted a case with a light built in but when he searched for one he couldn't find it. Making it solar powered was just an added bonus so you never have to plug it in. After some research and discussions with my hubby, who thank goodness is a mechanical engineer himself, Brennan designed and built the case and solar powered light himself. It turned out great and he was super excited to receive the $100 cash prize!

His invention was called Solstice

Close up of invention and backboard

Certificate of completion and $100

Made In America

Last night was Phoenix's "Made In America" program at school. It was very cute and very entertaining with singing, speaking parts, props, and dancing. It also was just 30 minutes, the perfect length for a performance in my opinion. Phoenix is the first speaker at the beginning of the video. The song is the entire 3rd grade singing but I did zoom in on Phoenix during the song. She is in a red skirt, white shirt, and brown knee boots. Enjoy!

Trusting Your Intuition

This morning I woke up early to turn on the news reports and check the school website to see if school was closed. Last week we got 12 inches of snow and our district didn't close. The main roads weren't bad but there were tree branches falling left and right and power outages and my kids bus route isn't along a main road. The middle school bus got stuck, they sent another bus, which drove into a ditch. I drove the kids to the bus stop, waited for about 20 minutes, the bus ended up being 45 minutes late. I drove the kids back home and contemplated keeping them home for the day. I decided last week to be a responsible parent, load up my elementary daughter and drive everyone to school. The oldest two were a few minutes late and me and Phoenix hung out in the coffee shop across the street for an hour waiting for her school to start. I did not feel comfortable sending them home on the bus so I drove and picked up all three kids when the middle school let out. It turned out ok in the end but was a huge hassle and whether it was really safe was questionable.

Last night we got 7 inches of snow and it was still snowing until about 11:30am today. Total I think we ended up with around 9 inches of snow. This morning according to traffic reports the roads were a mess and people were sliding all over and spinning out. My older two kids get on the bus at 6:50am. I was definitely not comfortable sending them on the bus in those conditions. I also didn't think I could safely drive my sedan the 7 miles to my kids school. I woke up hubby and asked if he wanted to drive him in his Jeep or if he thought they should stay home. He said keep them home so I did. I hope that doesn't make me a bad parent but my children's safety is more important than 1 day of school for 3 children who excel in school and rarely get sick.

Maybe living in Maryland for over two years made me a wimp because in Maryland they close school with nearly every snowstorm and sometimes even close school when it doesn't seem necessary. The kids school district here seems to be of the opposite mindset not closing when it seems safer to do so. This is also the first year my kids haven't lived walking distance to their school and had to ride the bus. The way the boundary lines are drawn there school is 7 miles away. Maybe if it was a mile or two down the road I would've sucked it up and drove them, safe or not. Putting them on a bus in bad weather worries me a lot and since I don't work outside the home it is not something I am willing to do.

The crazy part is my kids' middle school is the district middle school for the mountain areas of the district and some kids ride a bus 1 hour each way to school in good weather. Last storm the highway to the mountain towns was closed and I suspect the same happened today. I guess those kids weren't going to school.

I previously lived in Colorado for 20 years and maybe I'm delusional but I don't remember back to back 9 inch plus snowstorms in late October, early November. I recall 2-4 inch snowstorms spread out a week or two throughout November-April with 2-3 bigger storms a season and a blizzard every few years. Maybe we're getting all our big storms in early this year? I have a feeling I may be in for a long winter!

Report Card Time

Last week was a first in our house. The first time one of the kids brought home a bad grade on their report card. All three of our kids are very smart and school comes very easily for them. Usually I am struggling to make sure they are being challenged in school not worrying about their grades.

I haven't seen the third child's report card yet but according to online grades it will be all A's and one B. That child was hoping for straight A's but one B isn't bad. The second child got a report card of mainly B+ but I expect to see improvement over the year as the child gets accustomed to the new school and new curriculum. Also, not a bad report card overall.

Then there is the child at hand. This child brought home A's in every subject area expect Science in which the child received a D. You read that right, all A's and one D. No C, not average grade, straight from excelling to unsatisfactory. According to their teacher it was mainly based upon a quarter long assignment that culminated in a two overnight field trip and outdoor learning experience. The opportunity was a great one and I know the child learned a lot but when it came time to do the assignment that was required during the fun the child was simply lazy and put little effort into the assignment. Whole sections were incomplete and the sections that were turned in were not correct or lacked detailed. The teacher also explained that it was explained to the children over and over again that this assignment would be the main component of their grade. Despite warnings my child couldn't take a break from having fun to be responsible, sigh!

On a positive note, the teacher said not to expect any similar grades moving forward since child is a good student. I think receiving such a low mark on the report card and knowing there would be consequences shocked and embarrassed the child. You could argue the teacher is being a little harsh leaving the entire quarter grade to one assignment but I think this child is old enough to understand the consequences for their actions and in defense of the teacher, that is really what they worked on all quarter long.

So what are the consequences we doled out. For this child, time with friends is most important so they are grounded and unable to play with their friends through at least this past weekend, longer if they aren't helpful or have an attitude. No electronics through at least next weekend. The grounding from friends will continue for a few additional days because this child didn't understand the "I am grounded and now it is time to kiss up to mom and dad and be on my best behavior in order to get ungrounded sooner" act. One of our other children has this down and immediately starts cleaning, tidying up, and generally being extremely helpful once they are in trouble in order to get out of trouble as soon as possible.

The other issue with having three kids 2 years 8 months apart in age and the oldest two only 6 months apart in age is fairness. Another one of the children was recently grounded for two separate behavioral issues (talking during class) in the same class in the same week. This punishment lasted until the teacher could report the child was behaving better in class, which amounted to almost two full weeks of grounding. While the child in question's grade was mainly based on one assignment I think a D on a report card from an A student warrants similar punishment to behavioral infractions in school. It really isn't fair if the punishment is less for the D student, than for the child with the behavior issue.

I don't expect we'll have any further disappointments this year in the report card area but isn't parenting lovely?

We've Got Talent

A couple weeks ago the kids' elementary school had their annual 5th grade talent show. At first Brennan was "too cool" to participate but about a week before the show his friends needed him to fill a small role in their McDonald's rap , so he was in. During the show I was impressed with how talented these kids really were. There were some really funny kids, great singers, great dancers, and great musicians. It honestly was more entertaining and well put together than I thought a elementary talent show could be. The show was long but below is a clip of the finale, which was great. Brennan is in the far back, left. I shot the video with my Flip camera about 8 rows back in not the best lighting so it is not professional but I think you'll get the idea!

A 2nd Grader's Dream and a Parent's Worst Nightmare

I was one of the "chosen" ones, one of the parents who got one of the coveted few spots on the 2nd grade field trip to the Star Spangled Banner Flag House and Fort McHenry in Baltimore. I am only kidding about it being my worst nightmare, well kind of.

I really did have a fun time and my daughter was so happy I could come it really didn't matter. Some of those kids don't listen at all and they were screaming non-stop on the bus so loudly that I felt like throwing myself out the window and did I mention they don't listen! Seriously though, most of the kids are good kids but man are they hyper when they go on a field trip. It was also a reminder for me what a hard job the teachers do and that I need to make it a priority to bake them some cookies or something soon since they deal with this craziness on a daily basis.

My experience also made me reconsider my plans for "when I grow up" but likely that is a few years away and I still have time to figure things out. I have been considering going back to school to get my masters degree in teaching and becoming an elementary teacher for a variety of reasons but I've had a little bit of hesitation. We will see though, if I do go back to school it wouldn't be for 4-5 years.

The field trip was a lot of fun and I love history and seeing historical sites so the Star Spangled Banner House and Fort McHenry were right up my alley. We were also blessed with fabulous weather, temperatures in the 70's and all sunshine.

A full size replica of the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the war of 1812 and that was the inspiration for the Star Spangled Banner.

The kids got to try out some 19th century games

And then were off to Fort McHenry!

This was what a soldiers bunker looked like

And the canons

The top wall of the fort, looking out over the harbor

Fort McHenry

Happy 1st Day of School

5th grade, 4th grade, and 2nd grade, oh my!

Wyn is becoming such a beautiful young lady.

I may be little but watch out 2nd grade because here I come!

B and his friend (and our neighbor) are in the same class this year. Can there be too much of a good thing?

And off to the world I send them! No longer babies but still my babies!

Dear C. Elementary School

Dear C. Elementary School, Staff, Students, and Parents:

I have entrusted some of my most precious belongings to you for 6.5 hours, 5 days per week. Please handle with care.

The oldest B is smart and sweet and has a kind heart but gets easily distracted and doesn't like to work hard unless it is something he is interested in so you will have to keep an eye on him. Long novels, science experiments, computers, technology, and complicated math are all his thing just don't ask him to write a story and he should excel. He is also very good at watching out for his littlest sister.

Wyn is the middle child. She loves Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and iCarly, you know all the "cool" stuff. She can write a story like no other and read like a champ. She also seems gifted in acting, music, and art but only time will tell. She thinks she isn't good at math (which she is good at) so don't let her trick you. Keep encouraging her and she will excel. She also is a soccer and gymnastics star so watch out!

FiFi is the baby of the family and plays up that role at home. She is shy and sensitive but makes friends easily. She won't stick up for herself but good thing she is so cute, that helps keep bullies at bay. Since she has a brother and a sister less than 3 years older than her she is used to being taken care of. Don't let her trick you into thinking she can't do it for herself. She reads like a champ and does math like a champ just keep pushing her to work harder and she will excel. Don't let her small stature and pixie voice fool you she can kick some butt out on the soccer field too!

Thanks C. Elementary. I know you will keep my kids safe, happy, and healthy and I know they will learn a lot this year. If you see me in the halls I am probably the one without makeup, with wet hair but don't worry I shower (most days at least) and brush my teeth. I look forward to working with you this year.

Best Regards,
Michelle
Mom to B, Wyn, and FiFi

August 31, 2009 FiFi, Wyn, and B

My big 1st grader

My cute 3rd grader

My grown up 4th grader