This year has started off with all kinds of excitement!

In US History, we started a new curriculum (Holt McDougal) and it has some very interesting and educational pictures and drawings (That is my favorite part).  We started in Chapter 28 so that we would be studying the Vietnam War during the same time that Mr. Kipfer invited 2 Vets to come in and share their experiences.  If your child has not commented on that, please ask them!  I think it made all of us very thankful that we have not had to experience a draft in our country for many decades.

In General Science, Chapter 1 covered the "history of science" up to the current time.  We studied everyone from Democritus to Bacon to Einstein.  Last week we began Chapter 2 which deals primarily with the Scientific Method.  We created demonstrations, some by the book and some from online, to illustrate all the steps of the Scientific Method. Some were flammable and some were explosive, but all were educational.

In Chemistry, we started off with review on how to convert among units.  Then we spent quite a bit of time on significant figures and how to use different lab tools and how to read measurements correctly.  This last week, we have been dealing with calorimetry which deals with how much energy is released or absorbed in different substances.  We found out that you can calculate how many calories are in a single potato chip by using a calorimeter and the right measurements and variables.

In Gym, we spent the first 2 weeks playing matball inside because of the heat.  In this hot weather, we did venture outside and began playing croquet and and then softball for the next 2 weeks.  The last 2 weeks of September will be golf and we plan on going to the Golf course one day.  Finally, in early October, we will be doing the Mile run for 2 weeks on the River Greenway. 

With Matthew 5:16 ringing in my heart and ears these first few weeks, it is both humbling and exciting to see this lived out at the school I get to teach at.