2/7/09-2/13/09

This week we started to learn about volcanoes for Joey's science. For Story of the World, we learned about the Plague, or Black Death. I made my yarn for my flute case also this week.

I made the yarn for the case out of some dyed wool and some fiber that we already had. First we dyed some white fiber with a light red (Brazilwood), and it turned out a peach-ish color. Then I alternated using the yarn we had, a combination of yellow and deep red, and the one that we dyed to make the yarn. I am going to crochet the yarn to make the case.

Here is a picture of the yarn:

For the Plague, we learned that the actual name is the Bubonic Plague and that it came from a disease that is carried by fleas. The fleas gave it to the rats, who in turn gave it to all of Europe, one part at a time. Once the Black Death subsided, the need of peasants and farmers increased, so they could demand to be paid instead of just being given a place to live. Because of this, the Feudal System of Europe where there is a lord who owns the land and gives the peasants and farmers land in return for working for him, broke down. Now, the lords started to get poorer and peasants slightly richer.

We just started to learn about volcanoes. We learned about the different types of eruptions, about the Ring of Fire, and about earthquakes.

1/17/09-1/23/09

This week on Monday, it was Martin Luther King's Day. We learned about what he did and what he fought for (fought as in political speeches and boycotts, not actual violence). He made many speeches, including the famous "I Have a Dream" speech, where he talked about the Declaration of Independence and how we still weren't following it at the time. He lead the bus boycott where all African-American people wouldn't ride the buses because they had to sit in the back. By refusing to ride the bus, the bus companies were losing money. After about a year, the law was lifted.

Because it was a holiday, we didn't have to do any structured homeschooling. Instead, we did some artsy projects. We made some things out of polymer clay. I made a bow and arrow and three canes of twisted color, and Wilson also made a cane. Joey did some stamping and needlefelting. We all did some natural dyeing with silk cloths using blueberries, brazilwood and tumeric.

At art this week, we finished our walrus and still life projects. Wilson did a the walrus project too. After art, our girl cousins, Emily and Sydney, came over to our house.

For my Middle Ages book this week, I did a page of Medieval Asia. I drew a small map of that area and wrote some facts about China, Korea, and Japan.

Later tonight, we are going to go to the Olive Garden for dinner with the rest of the Tan family to celebrate Lolo's and Aunt Shelley's birthdays.