Homeschool Report Card Fall 2011

One of my favorite tasks when I taught at the Jewish day school was grading and writing report cards. It has to do with my judgmental nature, I think. Of course I delighted in making this report of our first official quarter homeschooling. Dates: August 2011 - December 2011

Achievements: Reading fluency Writing complete sentences Spelling creatively but understandably Basic addition fluency Counting coins Butterfly life cycle Plant bulb life cycle Basic anatomy and dissection principles Acids and bases exploration Weight, distance, and volume measurement Basic American revolutionary war history Natural and Ohio history Finger knitting Hand sewing Digital photography Water color painting Making lardo and many other meals Literature - Thanksgiving picture books, Winter holiday picture books, Bone series, Saving the Griffin

Classes: Weekly Creative Movement class Weekly African studies Culture of Japan class (6 weeks) Homeschool gym (6 weeks)

Field Trips: Ohio Historical Society Franklin Park Conservatory Columbus Museum of Art Columbus Zoo The Wilds Urbana, Ohio - Johnny Appleseed Museum, Freshwater Fish Farm, Cedar Bog Serpent Mound and Murphin Ridge Inn in Southern Ohio Laura Ingalls Wilder Play Cuyahoga Valley National Park Nutcracker School Program Lawrence Orchards Branstool Peach Orchard Apple Hill Orchard

Before 2011 Ends...

...chew on these local news bites: 1) If you have yet to complete your charitable giving this year, may I suggest a donation to public radio station WCBE? Green B.E.A.N. Delivery will donate 4 pounds of food to local food banks per pledge through the end of 2011.

2) Speaking of my favorite station, tune in to WCBE on 90.5 for a special one-hour episode of local food program FoodCast featuring interviews with Columbus food pillars like Kenny Kim talking about the latest ethnic mini-restaurant in town, Yakitorium. The show will air at 1 pm on Monday January 2 and be available for web listeners shortly after.

3) And speaking of Yakitorium, I'll be slinging stuff-on-a-skewer with Kenny, Misako, and co. in Cleveland on February 2, exact details to come. I am taking a practice run with the Japanese grill on Saturday January 6 at 6:30 pm, 482 S. Front St 43215. Please visit!

4) The very next day is my first class of 2011, Charcuterie. Discover how salt, fat, and dehydration can transform perishable foods into delicacies from 3:30-5:30 at Franklin Park Conservatory. Register by calling  614.645.5923 or download a registration form here.

5) Did you hear that Snowville Creamery wants to expand? And the next product they want to make is greek-style yogurt? Local, low-processed, high-protein, tangy, versatile yogurt from a sustainable small business is a dream of mine. If you want to make the dream come true, support their Kickstarter project with me through February 10, 2012.

6) Finally, if you care about conservation in Ohio, please take a few minutes to read this story about the Saveson wetland and this follow up. If you feel strongly, respond by writing a letter supporting a tax change to Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo. I wrote him and received a very quick and personal, positive response. I also have a letter in to the Dispatch editor.

I hope the last day of 2011 is one of reflection and enjoyment for you and yours, and that 2012 is a great year for all of us!

Sad Apples

They say it was too cold or windy to warm the little bees' wings.

Or the apple flowers blossomed just before a storm and their white petals marbled the ground before they could attract pollinators.

Perhaps it was Colony Collapse, A frightening name for the frightening idea that we humans or weather or something mysterious is killing the bees on which we depend.

The only certainty is that apples are few this year.

Then last night the news came that Steve Jobs, curator of a technology company named after the simple fruit, died.

Jobs did not stop living in the face of cancer, or economic difficulty, or poor seasons, but his body still succumbed to the inevitable.

Those of us who love apples and Apples are sad.

We will grieve for a time. Then we will think with the creativity of Jobs. We will find ways to grow new fruit, to protect species known and unknown, to communicate and connect.

It is the way of the apple.

Pictured is the last of the apples I picked at Charlie's last season. It is ugly but I will cut into it and savor the gold rush. With no planning, this post is the first I have composed entirely on an apple product, our ipad.

2011 Resolutions

I am a suggestible self-controlled perfectionist.  Therefore, new years resolutions are usually successful for me.  Of course, I help myself out by creating reasonable and measurable resolutions.  Let it be resolved that in 2011, I will: 1. Fix my headbone. I've been fairly quiet about it here, but since September I have suffered from sinus infections and pressure. I finally had a c/t scan that revealed turbinates and bone blocking normal sinus flow. Surgery to remove the offending tissue is scheduled for the end of January unless I can get in earlier.

2. Make crackers regularly so that we no longer buy them.

3. Find a source and purchase local and/or organic chicken feed.  Our current feed from Purina is a travesty to the local food movement and probably not the greatest for the girls either.

4. Learn to edit and publish videos with less frustration.

5. Hike at least once a month. Backpack and camp at least three times.

6. Budget more towards savings. We want to travel a lot and money seems to be the constant excuse for why we cannot. If we budget more for savings, it follows that we will have more savings to spend on travel.

7. Return to a feel-good weight and tone. The sinus issues have knocked me out of my healthy eating and exercise routines. I want to lose a little weight and regain strength. I'll share my tips and tricks for doing so in the next few weeks.

8. Practice being content. I so enjoy bettering myself and my surroundings that I am rarely satisfied to be still. I want to work on being thankful for where I am.