Beauty of the Stars

Recently, they boys and I were learning about stars and the solar system. That night, I put them to bed and went outside to help Shaun fix some things on the car. I immediately saw the sky, went "Wow!" and went back inside to get the kids up. The sky was so clear, and the stars were very visible. Now, for Washington, that's a big deal in the winter. I'm learning that many winter nights are cloudy and not a star to be seen. 

The boys were still awake as I opened their door and said 'Come outside. I have a surprise.' Well, nothing makes little kids move faster than hearing the word 'surprise'. They raced to get on jackets and shoes. It was so funny. I brought them out to the driveway and told them to look up. They both looked up and were amazed. Not that we haven't seen stars before in Vegas, but there is a pink hazy light coming from the strip that sometimes blocks out the clearness of a starry night. This night was particulary perfect for our day of learning. It was at that moment that I thought, "Man, a telescope would be really cool right now." 

The boys loved it, but then Kevin said to me "Mom, I'm cold. I want to go back to bed." I laughed and helped them both back, thinking of nights when they will be up later than 8. 

Sometimes, I get so busy in my little world that I forget to stop and look at the stars, and remember this world that God created for us. Looking at the stars, I am amazed at His creations, how tiny I am, but always rememberd as His daughter. I love starry nights. 

Homeschooling fun: Learning about animation

Each day, I'm learning more and more about the beauty of homeschooling. Last Sunday, I was attempting to get my boys to sit down after church, and teach them a scripture story. We talked aout Noah and the ark, looking at the LDS art app on the Ipad. Talked about the importance of listening to a prophet, and when God speaks, we better listen up.

We then flipped to a picture of Moses parting the Red sea. We talked about that story, and the power of God. Of course, in my head I immediately thought of the awesome part on the old movie 'The Ten Commandments'. I'm such a media/movie lover. After I teach something to the best of my ability, and we do some type of hands on learning for the topic, I love to finish up with a movie clip. Seriously, think back to your days in elementary school. Wasn't it the greatest when they wheeled in a TV for some learning? :)

We found the part on Youtube, thanks to the fantastic Movie Clips channel that always has the favorite movie part I'm looking for. The boys loved the high tech 60's special effect of the water parting. I was reminded of how cool Yul Brynner is. Seriously sweet actor.

We watched the same part on 'The Prince of Egypt'. Then, I asked them 'Do you guys know what a cartoon is? Did you know it's made up of people's drawings?'. Well, that started a great learning moment with them. I told them about artists, animators, and the amazing tools of a pencil, a piece of paper, and someone's imagination. I told them that every time the character is moving around in a scene, it's a ton of drawings. Told them that before Toy Story and Shrek brought the overhaul of computerized kid movies, animation was king, and how much work it takes to create a cartoon movie.

I found the perfect video to show them describing this with the great legend animator, Glen Keane. He drew Ariel, Alladin, the Beast, and many more Disney characters. He's up there in my book:)

Anyways, just another discovery for me about how fun homeschooling is becoming, and how natural it's beginning to feel on the second year for us.