Journey North: Mystery Class began yesterday for anyone interested. This is an excellent project-based science and math study. I have not decided if I am going to be participating this year because of all the time spent preparing for Science Olympiad. Our competition is in March, before the equinox, so we may have time to jump in then!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Journey North Mystery Class 2012 Begins
Journey North: Mystery Class began yesterday for anyone interested. This is an excellent project-based science and math study. I have not decided if I am going to be participating this year because of all the time spent preparing for Science Olympiad. Our competition is in March, before the equinox, so we may have time to jump in then!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Science Olympiad
This may very well affirm that I am crazy, but getting involved with Science Olympiad is a great project. Several families in our co-op have decided to put together a Level B (middle school) team.
This is the first year that Science Olympiad has instituted rules specifically aimed to restrict homeschoolers (because we are so nefarious.) Teams must be composed of students that live in the same or adjacent counties, and cannot be from different states. This last provision is what is preventing our team from being a full participant this year. Our co-op, now in its third year, has a family from an adjacent county but in another state (here in New England our states are very close.) The national office gave an emphatic NO to this arrangement.
The Massachusetts coordinator, thank goodness, has been as accommodating as he can. He is allowing us to participate as an alternate team, so we are unable to get an official SO medal should we win an event, but we would be awarded a state ribbon. That's plenty good enough for us since we are unlikely to win anything anyway our first year. We also could not advance on to the nationals, but with only 7 students (up to 15 are allowed) we could never compete in enough events to earn enough team points to win.
The Science Olympiad has 23 events divided into 3 categories: study, skill, and building. Almost all the events allow up to 2 team members that work together on the event. The "study" events involve knowledge to answer test questions. The "skill" event has several stations in which both questions need to be answered and skills need to be performed. The "building" events require contraptions to be made before the competition that are impounded that day until the actual demonstration time.
Our team plans to compete in 5 events. Crime Busters, Food Science, Road Scholar (all skill events), Mission Possible, and Storm the Castle (both building events). I will blog more about each even as I chronicle our adventure.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Liebster Award
Eva at Academia Celestia awarded this to me--thank you! An award for those of use who love to blog because we love the art form, not because we have a lot of followers. Here is the description:
I am awarding this to:
Well, I listed 4...
"Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can
also mean favorite. The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it
is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to create
new connections and bring attention to these wonderful blogs!"
Add the award to your blog.
Thank the giver with a link back to them.
List your top 5 picks and let them know they've been given an award by leaving a comment on their blog.
Hope that your followers will spread the love to the blogs you've spotlighted.
I am awarding this to:
Well, I listed 4...
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