November 15, 2011

Peroshki Party



Yesterday was spent making peroshkis!
Goose and I (along with eveyone in this photo) are cooks for our Fort Ross class and we
will be eating peroshkis for dinner along with grilled salmon and homemade borscht.




After baking, they will be frozen until we leave on November 28.
We made vegetarian and meat peroshkis for everyone!
The Russian American Company created this "fort" along the coast
in Northern California in the 1800s while hunting sea otter for their fur.
They brought with them Aleut hunters who were experts at hunting in the sea.
Binky is part of the hunting group.  There are hunters, cooks, artisans, gardeners and a militia.
I have heard a lot of great things about this living history program at Fort Ross.
The kids and I are really looking forward to it!
You may have noticed in the first photo a girl with crutches.
Yes, that is Goose.
She fell on her knee while ice skating and can't bend or walk on her right leg.
She is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow.
The orthopedist thinks she tore the meniscus and probably needs surgery!
We will see. 
Goose is dealing with it fairly well.
There have been some tears, but overall she is coping.
She is in pain all the time, but she is more upset about not being able to do
everything she had scheduled in the coming months.
I am trying to keep her
calm and remind her that she will heal.
I will post more after we meet with the orthopedist with the MRI results.
Happy Tuesday!

November 8, 2011

Geometry


Binky is working on geometry right now.
I made this little graph paper book for him.




We've learned about 90* angles.
Love the smiley face!


And angles of different degrees using a protractor.


We learned how to mark different lines.


And looked at different shapes and all their fun names!
I like "trapezoid."


Binky loves playing with tanagrams.
He will sit for hours making designs and creatures,
like a fish



and a snail.
Both kids like to make mandalas with the tanagrams.
I found  this amazing lesson to make learning geometry more interesting since the kids
already enjoy making their own mandalas.
Even though the kids are 9 and 11, I like to work with them together as much as possible.
It makes my life easier.  When they are getting along, that is!