Aint No Party Like a Time Lord Party

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January 15, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 17 Comments

Cuz a Time Lord party is not bound by typical temporal parameters and thus cannot stop.

The kids and I are quite the Whovians, much to the chagrin of my husband.

I have the T.A.R.D.I.S. text tone and 10th Doctor theme ringtone on my T.A.R.D.I.S. blue iPhone. My minivan is T.A.R.D.I.S. blue and really needs some stickers and a cool license plate cover (hint,hint). I have T shirts and other geek paraphernalia on my Pinterest and Amazon wish lists. Hoping I get some for my birthday or something, ya know? (That’s in March…)

So, after seeing a post on Star Trek and homeschooling, I thought I better add my sonic screwdriver bit to the Interwebz.

I think Doctor Who is a cross-curricular mega lesson, folks. It’s got a little bit of everything, and with a sexy British accent, too! It just doesn’t get much better than that!

So, let’s break it down for how we can teach the little ones using the new Doctor Who episodes. (Because, to be honest, I need to ramp up my efforts on watching the old episodes myself.) Now, some episodes are wee bit scary. Use caution. Always watch episodes before letting your kids loose in a dark basement to watch Daleks and Cybermen and other monsters wreak havoc in the universe. And always converse with your children about the show. We love discussing the what if moments.

So here are my ideas for a Doctor Who unit study.

I break it down by subject.

History:

Pompeii episode, one of our favorite episode series is during the London Blitzkrieg and Part II, another episode of WWII with his buddy Winston Churchill – “Victory of the Daleks,” killing Hitler (or putting him in the cupboard), The Great Depression (an American episode!), kissing Madame Pompadour in The Girl in the Fireplace.

The Doctor is called “Caesar” in the episode “The Pandorica Opens.” makes sense, no?

The fictional history of Gallifrey. a list of historical instances (fact and fiction) in Doctor Who episodes

Math and Science:

lots of technology and physics, relativity and time travel, astronomy, science…yet he struggles to simply count to 4…listing of science topics mentioned in Doctor Who episodes

Religion/Philosophy:

alien life, the devil, aliens with god complexes, Lazarus scientists, The Ood, angel statues, The Silence…it all sparks conversation no matter what your belief system. We like to talk ‘round here and I am not afraid to introduce philosophy and discuss what other people believe and why. Apologetics at its finest!

The Time Lord Victorious as a god?

(Source: ThetaKoshei)

Here are two interesting articles here and here discussing this inner turmoil and the ramifications for the universe. I don’t necessarily agree with everything here, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

(Source: mockingheartbeat, via devianta)

The Doctor’s nickname is Theta Sigma, used in the New Testament Greek as an abbreviation for God.

(source: Pearsecom)

The Master vs. The Doctor. ‘nuff said.

The Doctor as a Messiah figure? Read this article.

He regenerates and wakes from his coma just in time to save the day in the “Christmas Invasion.”

And look at this scene from “Voyage of the Damned.”

(Source: fiftyshadesoftennant, via mcelise)

“The Impossible Astronaut” (2011) kicks off series 6 with a pretty big and obvious allegory: the last supper.

Doctor Who invites all his most trusted “disciples” to a last evening meal
prominently featuring wine
and then insists that they do not intervene in what follows
His death is even attended by two women and a centurion!
And a mysterious stranger even shows up to help with the disposal of the body
The stigmata
The crucifixion position, which I think has been a feature of regeneration since 2005

Here’s a short list of religion in Doctor Who episodes…he’s playing the psychologist in our Christmas special “The Snowmen.”

He was being kind. All the power that The Doctor possesses and doesn’t utilize. Think about this for a moment. He can travel through space and time. All the changes he could make, but he maintains rules that he shouldn’t interfere. He does save people. Ordinary people who won’t disrupt the status of the universe. In The Waters of Mars, The Doctor realizes his potential and it is his downfall.

(Source: queencersei, via tennantsbluebox)

The idea of family.

The Doctor needs companions. He’s lonely and they keep him in check. loving Rose. strong and smart Martha. important yet forgetting Donna. ordinary and expectant Amy and powerful romantic Rory. enigmatic Clara. His adventurous “wife” River. His lost “daughter” Jenny. He lives with the guilt of failing. But he must carry on and love the people of Earth.

Humor: great opportunities to teach about sarcasm and lofty British humor. I usually have to explain the jokes to my kids. Perhaps this is why my husband doesn’t like it. He can’t understand their speech or their humor. Oh well.

Life lessons from Doctor Who article

Literature:

“The Shakespeare Code,” Agatha Christie episode: “The Unicorn and the Wasp;” allegories to great sci-fi lit and shows: such as in episode “The Empty Child.”

He explains he’s like Gandalf in episode “Meanwhile in the TARDIS.”

List of literary characters mentioned in Doctor Who episodes. Mention of real books in Doctor Who episodes. Study the science fiction genre!

Writing:

fan writing competition lessons (scripts)

Art:

van Gogh episode. Brilliant. “Vincent and The Doctor.” And they didn’t really change a thing. or did they?

(Source: The Ultimate Ginger via Velaroye)

a not very good list of art mentioned in Doctor Who.

Here are some printable Doctor Who foldables and coloring pages here. All sorts of flashcards at Quizlet. made by all kinds of people, so I dunno.

Set your sonic screwdriver on these resources:

article historical figures in Doctor Who
definitive list of Doctor Who serial episodes on Wikipedia. or the official BBC episode list here.
Fun and Games from BBC

Tell me in the comments how you incorporate your favorite shows in your homeschool!

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Winter Nature Walk

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January 12, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 8 Comments

Join us on our walk around our neighborhood?

We ventured out for a winter nature walk.

I love the birches in this area. Their bark really stands out…and has eyes!

an evergreen silhouette with the sun shining through it.

a tree that still has leaves on it

Just look at that gorgeous bark! I think it’s a striped maple.

crows in the tree. they were eating walnuts.

and, look! a crow footprint in the snow.

this tree already has buds on it

this birch with buds and catkins

juniper berries. Tori was good to spot these.

a really big beautiful rock in someone’s front yard

a poignant picture of unpruned withered roses with rocks

Tori was excited by how long her shadow was.

Rosehips along the next door neighbor’s fence. I love how they stand out against the gray and snow.

our new nature display box. I found this at Hobby Lobby. perfect.

the girls hard at work drawing the milkweed pods

Tori is proud of her tree silhouette page

Katie is drawing the buds and crows in her tree silhouette

Alex drew his pictures too. He loves being a part of it all.

Tools we use and love

Sure glad we got in that walk since we’re in a blizzard this weekend!

Tori got a little rock set for Christmas and we’re going to explore that since all our rocks are under billows of snow right now.

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Victorious

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January 9, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Most days, I certainly don’t feel like I have the upper hand.

On good days, I get up before the kids (or just with Alex and it’s still rather quiet) and I can read my Bible and drink my coffee in peace. I can start a load of laundry and look through my emails and social media before the girls wreak havoc on my morning.

On bad days, I grumble hallelujah as I waken to shrieks of laughter and/or offended sobs and drag myself from my bed haven and pour liquid life into my red mug and try to ignore the squabbles over that last packet of Dinosaur Eggs oatmeal.

God is in control.

But it often seems like I am a leaf on the wind of my children’s whims.

Pulled in four different directions all day every day.

And then my husband tells me he’s out of soap. How can he be out of soap?! And we must make cupcakes for our monthly church dinner…which is now a weekly dinner. that we’re in charge of and must organize. I have to plan our Sunday school lesson for the marriage and parenting class my husband and I teach. I have to plan the Wednesday night lesson for the kiddies. And I have to call my mother as I cringe, remembering that it’s been four days since I last called.

And…

There’s always another and.

So…

To embrace Calm, I know…

I have to make some changes.

I must get in bed earlier to rise earlier to ensure I am at least awake before the kids tumble down the stairs to fight over iPads and computer games.

Today, I woke at 6:40 AM. It was still quite dark outside.

I made my bed. I applied my essential oils. I read my Bible app while preparing steel cut oatmeal (6 servings for 4 kids and myself and I barely got a 1/2 ladle-full!), bacon, sausage…

I ran the coffee pot twice because for some reason, it is hydrophobic. If it starts talking to me in that HAL voice, I swear I will will take an axe to it. Then I can get that dual espresso coffee machine with a water line I’ve always wanted.

But I digress.

Elizabeth scowled and snapped at Katie and I sent her out of the room to regroup herself and her attitude.

She came back a few minutes later, not quite contrite, but better.

I must keep to a schedule.

Mornings tend to run away from me. I need to encourage everyone to finish eating, clean up, get dressed, brush teeth, bring dirty clothes to the laundry room before 9 AM so we can begin schooling then. No iPads during school unless used specifically for school reserach or relevant learning videos. I need to plan better to transition between lessons and subjects so the day doesn’t flow into chaos. This includes meal time and cleanup. I need to set up a blog schedule and keep to it.

I must limit my online time.

I need to write and do the social media thang when the kids are either occupied, asleep, or away from the house (which is just about never). I cannot neglect God, the kids, house, or husband for online time. It cannot be an escape from the world. I’ve been doing better!

Although my husband asked me last night: What do these moms do during Twitter parties – do they just put mothering on hold?! That cut deep as he got the kids ready for bed. I could hear the frustration in his voice as he clenched his teeth and snipped at too-tired babes arguing that they were not, indeed, tired enough to go to bed at bedtime. I usually do the bedtime routine.

My two little girls were struggling to stay awake when I finished the Twitter party when I went upstairs to check on them. I prayed sweet prayers with them. Katie prayed earnestly that she wouldn’t argue and that she would remember to do what she’s told. Yes, Lord. Let us all remember that. She’s learning!

Liz got upset with me that after she finished her evening chores, it was her bedtime and we couldn’t read the first scene of Hamlet together. It wasn’t my fault that she took so long to complete the cleanup (what was she doing to help Dad during my Twitter party?!)…but I still felt guilty from not being available even though it was after 9.

I need to utilize my time well.

I can write while the littles are in gymnastics. I can either sit in the waiting room or car and type on my laptop (if it’s charged!). There is no Internet available so there are no distractions. If I get up before the kids, then I can work. I can get schooling completed in the mornings and have my afternoons free to do what I want while the kids play. Then, most evenings should be free to spend with my husband for the few minutes after the kids are in bed and he goes to bed by 9. He wakes up very early every day to go to the gym. He’s crabby if he stays up late.

I can be victorious.

I can fight the devil’s lies when he tries to convince me I’m not good enough. I will not listen. I can do this. God will help me succeed.

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Middle School is Tough

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January 9, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Middle school is tough.

It isn’t all cute and craft-laden.

It’s lots more school work than what the littles do. And it doesn’t often make for fun pictures.

There seems to be a lot of stress – for her with the ups and downs of adolescence – and for me as a parent trying to break through to her.

The goal as a parent is to teach self-control and keep knocking at the barriers she puts up.

I encourage her through all those awkward feelings. I dig down deep to remember what it was like for me.

Being stuck in the middle is tough.

She’s outgrowing many childish things, but she’s not old or mature enough for many adult things. The adult world is a scary place and it’s my job to protect her even on the days (moments!) when she thinks she’s ready for it.

Responsibilities increase and hormones mess up everything.

It’s important to maintain rules and boundaries even when she pushes back.

We require attendance at meal times, church, and family read aloud time.

She may roll her eyes and scoff or cry, but it’s important. She needs to realize that growing up can be uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally, but we must model appropriate behavior in how we handle discomfort and inconvenience.

Is it easier to let her huff and hide and in her room? Absolutely. But it’s worth the family disruption to teach her self-control. And her siblings watch the ordeals and learn.

School time is often a battle, but sometimes it’s magic.

I encourage her to be more independent with her assignments.

She still wants Mama time: to be read to, to discuss the reading and assignments, and to stay up after her siblings go to bed and watch a movie.

We re-evaluate school work constantly for something that works well.

Liz loves notebooking with PowerPoint and Notebooking Publisher. yay for technology!

I snapped a pic of Liz’s completed pipe cleaner DNA strand.

She’s going through Apologia General Science. She does most of the experiments with Dad, so there aren’t usually any pictures since I’m not involved.

Liz is enjoying our history and literature studies with Tapestry of Grace. We’ll learn about her namesake Elizabeth I in history next week!

She continues to adore Life of Fred math. She is now on Elementary Physics, a pre-algebra book. She will begin Videotext Algebra next.

The middle school years are challenging and the rewards are few, but so worth the effort.

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Math Monday: Nursery Rhymes

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January 7, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

Nursery Rhyme math to coincide with our nursery rhyme readings in history! Most nursery rhymes originated during the Middle Ages and Renaissance to help teach lessons to children.

I got this journal free from a TpT shop. She must’ve taken it down now. She has lots of other fun printables though!

We talked the math problems through and they helped me figure it out. I wrote it on the board and they copied it on their papers.

This one is Humpty Dumpty’s men. Five men…how many fingers did they have to help Humpty Dumpty?

The finished page…drawing…words…equation

Music Math!

Dad taught the count of the musical notes and helped them through counting their notes on these fun math pages.

8th notes…counting by twos. they enjoyed having something different in math.

Check it out here…Early Math with Mozart!

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Desperate Book Review

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January 7, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I couldn’t put this book down. I struggled to even see the words through my tears.

Sarah Mae understands. She knows. I went through my struggles alone when I first had my girls, beaten down by the enemy and awash in grief that I could barely cope with my life.

Oh, if I’d had this book then. Or a friend.

Now that I’m through that storm and looking back from this sunshiny other side, I can see that dark place and wonder at our amazing God who saw me through it. I was not alone. But I didn’t have any help. I had no mentors. I had no friends who offered assistance in sincerity. My husband was at a loss, not understanding what was happening, why I felt the way I did. I was just overwhelmed.

Sarah Mae fills that gap that so many moms need. Help.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to share Desperate with you. We are not alone.

Included in the Book:

QR codes and links at the end of each chapter that lead to videos with Sarah Mae and Sally talking about the chapter
Practical steps to take during the desperate times
Bible study and journal exercises in each chapter that will lead you to identify ways in which you can grow as a mom
Mentoring advice for real-life situations
Q & A section with Sally where she answers readers questions

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Snow Unit Study

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January 6, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

We’re having fun with winter art and nature study! We plan to learn about snow and winter themes all month long!

We had fun with art and science, learning about snow.

I used painter’s tape to make snowflake shapes and the kids finger-painted the poster.

After the paint dried, I pulled off the tape, and voila! lovely wintry decoration!

The kids loved coloring in their winter colors grid.

Alex saw orange and purple among all the gray and white. He looked really hard out that window!

a fun snowflake magnifying and matching activity with Snowflake Bentley’s snowflake pictures. We will read that book later this week! It’s on hold at the library. also from the winter nature study eBooks.

our winter sensory bin table.

When Alex tells you that he’s “making dinner” and then you hear water running, please know that the sensory bin will be soon destroyed. I had originally put packing peanuts in the bin for “snow.” Yeah, those were disintegrated.

a fun craft on clearance. little snow fuzzies

our January poem on our monthly theme board

our January calendar about the Arctic and Antarctica

making Danish wedding or “snowball” cookies

Our Snowy Activities

Check out my winter Pinterest board with all the fun ideas I hope to make use of this month!

Snow Resources:

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Snowy Preschool

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January 5, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

We got a bit of snow last week. Almost up to Dad’s knees!

Helping Dad remove the hideous pink and blue flowered wallpaper!

rolling the winter clothing die and putting stickers on the chart is a favorite!

Alex really liked using Bananagrams to spell winter clothing words.

from Winter Fun Tot Pack

I tried to make it simple and lay out one card and the letters for that card.

He wanted all the cards and all the letters all out. I was super impressed.

Cutting out his jellyfish for letter J – from Animals ABCs

pasting on his jellyfish for the letter J craft – from Animal ABCs

To the right of our calendar is Alex’s theme board for the letter J.

He likes his Lauri ABC puzzles. He usually hammers in the letters.

Dad took Alex to the local nature center for a preschool winter class. They made snow paint with salt. They colored snowflake pictures.

And….

Oh my, just look at him in his little snowshoes!

Tonight before bed, Alex got so excited that it was essential oil time: “Ya gonna rub the oils on my foots?!” as I rubbed his “foots” with Thieves oil, he sighed like it was heaven: “Aaaaah!”

He is precious. and hilarious.

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Isle of Shadows Book Review

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January 4, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I just love Tracy Higley. I love her books too.

I was excited to read and review her re-release of Isle of Shadows (formerly Shadow of Colossus). Get the first three chapters and more!

The main character, Tessa, is very likeable and believable. I immediately saw her as a heroine and wanted her to succeed in everything: life, love, happiness.

This is the ultimate redemption story, similar to that of many women of the Bible. A fallen woman doesn’t know she needs God and she finds living water. All her problems don’t go away, but having God and other believers help her makes it all more bearable.

I especially love this book because it takes place during Old Testament times. The history is impeccable and accurate. I would love to travel with Tracy as her assistant on one of her research tours!

As always, Tracy Higley weaves real Bible characters into her story. In Isle of Shadows, our Bible character is Simeon, who trusts God to see our Savior before death. I too wonder if they might have been really like that…

Tracy Higley’s books are a beautiful tapestry of Biblical history. The right amount of love story satisfies all audiences. The books don’t glorify evil, but show how God and believers can overcome all evil. I encourage my eldest daughter (12) to read Higley’s books when they coincide with our history studies!

Book Description

Revised and updated from the original, Christy-award finalist Shadow of Colossus.

Enslaved in a World of Money and Power, Tessa Dares to be Free.

Raised as courtesan to wealthy and powerful men, Tessa of Delos serves at the whim of her current patron, the politician Glaucus. After ten years with him, Tessa has abandoned all desire for freedom or love, choosing instead to lock her heart away.

But when Glaucus meets a violent death in his own home, Tessa grasps at a fragile hope. Only she knows of his death. If she can keep it a secret long enough, she can escape.

Tessa throws herself on the mercy of the Greek god Helios, but finds instead unlikely allies in Nikos, a Greek slave, and Simeon, Glaucus’s Jewish head servant. As Simeon introduces her to a God unlike any she has ever known and Nikos begins to stir feelings she had thought long dead, Tessa fights to keep her heart protected.

As an assassination plot comes to light, Tessa must battle for her own freedom—and for those to whom she has begun to open her heart—as forces collide that shatter the island’s peace.

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New Year Homeschool Goals

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January 3, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

It’s back to work. Here are our new year school goals.

We worked on a nursery rhyme unit with our Tapestry of Grace studies this week. We practiced rhyming and picking out the main character in the poems. These notebooking pages come with the TOG lower grammar printable pack. I have a Mother Goose book that my uncle gave me when I was 3 and the girls loved seeing his inscription on the title page to me.

We started some new copywork to go along with our Hero Tales Bible study. The girls love the missionary stories so far. We read the story each morning and the girls recite our character trait and verse. They copy the message and they draw something meaningful from the story. They love the drawing element.

We’re on lesson 21 of All About Reading, Level 2. They’re coming right along. Almost fluent readers! Tori likes the hands on stuff more than Kate. And she needs the lessons more. Kate is almost bored, but it’s good review.

Kate is putting story cards in chronological order.

Our January poem. I made this on Publisher. Kate already has it memorized. She recited it for me today! She remembers it from last year. I guess I should find a new one, but I love this one. I plan to make a Montessori poetry basket to go with our snow unit this month. Stay tuned!

Mama’s favorite: Katie reading the Tacky the Penguin books while she waits on Tori and Mama to transition to the next thing.

Happy New Year!

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