tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21942538150262839882024-02-19T21:47:48.804-05:00Homeschooling on HudsonA geeky, eclectic, nature loving family, learning, growing, and having fun together in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-71998594515908236592022-09-08T15:41:00.005-04:002022-09-08T15:54:44.671-04:00Summer of PaleontologyMikro was set to go to Fossil Prep camp with the Sternberg Science Camps in June of 2020, but COVID-19 had other ideas... He attended virtual camps in 2020 and 2021, but this year, as the world began opening back up again, in person camps were on, and he was off to Hays, Kansas, for the adventure of a lifetime!
In Field Paleontology, he did surface collecting in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-74824544318488093332022-09-08T14:03:00.002-04:002022-09-08T15:53:46.104-04:00Mikro at 19
He is an amazing person, this young man of mine. He has known what he wanted to do since he was 4 years old. He's on his way. He has finished all the high school requirements to graduate, but is still taking a dual enrollment class that he couldn't finish before he went to Kansas to do fieldwork in paleontology and learn to prepare fossils. He's brilliant, funny, articulate, kind, always Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-41954770720085354112022-03-29T16:39:00.000-04:002022-03-29T16:39:29.134-04:00I Guess for Once, I'm Following the Trend... But That's Gonna Change!Ever notice that most homeschooling blogs kind of fade away as the kids reach the teen years? Makes sense, since most people seem to decide that their kids need to experience "normal" high school, and send them back into the public education system. Among the diehards who continue, a lot of folks start feeling like the story they are telling is no longer theirs to tell, and they stop posting, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-26315731077533853772020-10-31T13:25:00.000-04:002020-11-02T13:27:02.618-05:00The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Shadow Puppet FilmUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-5918953003751558882020-09-21T23:34:00.001-04:002020-09-21T23:34:30.792-04:00Matisse Paper Cuts Class
Mikro and I enjoyed an online class together, learning about Henri Matisse's paper cuts, and trying our hands at "drawing with scissors."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-15315822859722219602020-08-31T11:14:00.001-04:002020-08-31T11:15:12.142-04:00Free Scholar Exchange Online Sessions from the National Constitution CenterThe National Constitution Center is offering online programs on a variety of topics that look amazing! And they are free! Great material if you are teaching civics! Check out the full list of programs at the link above. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-20330526862007011122020-08-27T00:06:00.006-04:002020-08-27T00:10:08.962-04:002020 Not Back to School Interview (The Pandemic Edition)
Q: What is your favorite subject?
A: Paleontology, evolutionary biology, geology and history. Also archaeology.
Q: What are you best at?
A: Making connections between things and synthesizing information; communicating clearly in writing and verbally; designing objects for 3d printing; generating hypotheses; imagination; procrastinating.
Q: I need to get better at __________.
A: Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-8911937238777428142020-08-09T23:12:00.001-04:002020-08-09T23:12:09.164-04:00Mikro's presentation on Nesting and Parental Care in DinosaursUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-42154223140337379562020-07-24T17:56:00.004-04:002020-07-24T17:57:51.008-04:00Snails and SillyOne of Mikro's fellow paleontology camp participants is doing a field research project on snails. He offered to let fellow campers name them if they could pronounce the species name right.
Smart alec Mikro asked, "If I get both species names right, can I name two?"
Yes, and he did. There are now a pair of molluscs named Cope and Marsh.
His buddy promised to name the two most Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-85877769355408742652020-07-24T17:33:00.001-04:002020-07-24T17:39:44.994-04:00Mikro's presentation on the Guadeloupian ExtinctionUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-10363446532726675222020-07-10T17:32:00.000-04:002020-07-24T17:39:24.789-04:00Mikro's presentation on Early Tetrapod EvolutionUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-86110319811673216732020-06-12T13:37:00.000-04:002020-06-12T13:54:58.929-04:00The Idiocy that Wouldn't Die, or, Harvard's Continuing Crusade Against HomeschoolingMore information has come out about how our would be Dictator of K12 Education would have us plebians submit to her pedagogical wisdom.
Bartholet's new discussion of her "preferred regime" appears here.
Below are the comments I left on that article, and on the one Harvard article that somehow failed to close, delete, or disallow comments, so as to prevent the very diversity of opinion that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-11943549982341634522020-04-29T00:56:00.002-04:002021-07-12T21:58:55.704-04:00In Defense of HomeschoolingDear Harvard University and Harvard Magazine,Contrary to your woeful stereotyping of homeschoolers in the biased, speculative and wholly unsubstantiated portrait painted in Harvard Magazine currently, here is photographic proof that my homeschooled 10th grader is not chained to the kitchen table by horrible authoritarian parents who isolate and indocrinate him. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-64252491436758099862020-04-26T13:47:00.001-04:002020-05-09T22:22:18.020-04:00Hey, Harvard Magazine!Here's something that I wrote a long time ago that I would like to serenade Harvard Magazine and a certain ignorant law professor with... In case it isn't painfully obvious, it's to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic.
BATTLE HYMN OF THE HOMESCHOOLER
Under the Department of EducationWe’ve produced some hopeless doltsBut at least they are quite passiveAnd the bulk of them don’t vote.“Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-7136885953718473282019-07-05T21:40:00.000-04:002020-05-27T17:52:51.884-04:002019 Not Back to School Interview
Q: What is your favorite subject?
A: Mathematics... NO! Evolutionary biology, paleontology (I am really into the Ediacaran fauna right now), and history.
Q: What are you best at?
A: Making connections between things; generating hypotheses; imagination; procrastinating. (Same answer as last year.)
Q: I need to get better at __________.
A Not procrastinating and meeting deadlines, note takingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-71582785745729813342019-04-29T21:01:00.001-04:002019-04-29T21:11:41.831-04:00Why I Homeschool My Kids || Mayim BialikKudos, Mayim!
Great job explaining the
benefits of homeschooling!
And if she's preaching to the choir, check out the nice free trial from The Great Courses Plus offered early in this video. Mikro and I love their classes. PS- Not getting anything for saying this, just a satisfied TGCP customer.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-28427454654022152252018-10-23T17:59:00.001-04:002018-10-23T18:01:35.696-04:00Lament the Passing of the TrilobitesThis is one of Mikro's favorite You Tube videos:
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-40049220204628122552018-08-16T22:21:00.000-04:002018-08-16T22:21:29.748-04:002018 Not Back to School Interview
Q: What is your favorite subject?
A: Biology and evolutionary biology (and speculative evolution), paleontology (I am really into the Burgess Shale right now), and history.
Q: What are you best at?
A: Making connections between things; generating hypotheses; imagination; procrastinating.
Q: I need to get better at __________.
A Handwriting, note taking, typing faster, time management.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-27664855551135825612018-04-18T00:10:00.001-04:002018-04-18T05:49:48.263-04:00The ChampMikro is the 8th Grade Regional Champion for the National History Bee in the New York South region, and qualified for Nationals. Way to go, kiddo!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-49550774643073308252018-04-16T23:31:00.003-04:002018-04-16T23:31:34.026-04:00Happy Birthday, Mikro!
We celebrated a few days early, but he will be 15 any day now! He is as tall as I am and has a foghorn voice like his Dad. I am amazed at what an incredible young man my sweet little boy is turning into!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-83401482311328079552018-04-14T23:35:00.000-04:002018-04-16T23:35:52.867-04:00Happy Spring!It's 80 degrees today, going down to 40 tonight. Happy Spring, I think...
Happy Spring!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-33642275492616657132018-04-01T23:37:00.000-04:002018-04-16T23:45:57.172-04:00Happy Easter!Mikro's Easter started off with an egg hunt in the back yard. His dad made him work hard for his prizes. But I think he will agree they were worth the effort. He got 7 fossil eggs, including a mosasaur tooth, spinosaurus tooth, shark tooth, megalodon tooth, enrolled trilobite, sand dollar, and a brachiopod. And a few more traditional basket fillers: some candy and fruit snacks, and little toys Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-14797049380456559902018-03-04T16:33:00.000-05:002018-04-16T16:50:53.380-04:00NYC History Bee & Bowls Regionals
Mikro competed in the Regional finals of the High School Division of the National History Bee and Bowl (junior Varsity category, for 9th grade and under. He's an 8th grader...), and came in second in the qualifier for Nationals in the History Bee! He also qualified for Nationals in the US History Bee and Geography Olympiad. Way to go, kiddo!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-57102691703699664162018-02-23T20:41:00.001-05:002018-02-23T21:09:59.553-05:00MYTH TAKEN IDENTITY TALK BY MIKRO
The drawings aren't always in focus in the video, but here they are:
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194253815026283988.post-67190833721480144412017-11-30T18:25:00.000-05:002017-11-30T18:30:19.470-05:00Congratulations, Mikro: 2017 YWP Winner!
I will post the story later, once I resolve some tech issues with Word and my old laptop...
This year, Mikro wrote about two more adventures on the quest to obtain ingredients to put together a healing potion to save Enewan's Home Tree. I collaborated on it a bit, mostly in writing the spell songs, since Mikro does not think of himself as a poet. Yet. I'm working on that!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0