…or…”Thank God Early Labor Was Prevented”

Back in January, I was given a diagnosis that I had gestational diabetes.  Because of this, my doctor’s office orders mandantory weekly non-stress tests at the hospital.  My first weekly non-stress test came this past Thursday morning at 9 am.

I was only supposed to be there for 45 minutes or so.

“Supposed to” is a huge, huge phrase in hind sight!

After being on the monitor for 30 minutes, they inquisitively asked me if I knew I was having contractions.

Uh.  no.  I sure didn’t!

I was having contractions every 2 to 4 minutes!  The nurses at the hospital conferenced with the doctor, and he ordered a fetal fibronectin test for preterm labor.   During the test, she barely made it inside when she felt a bump. “That must be baby head,”  was her conclusion.  When she went in with her glove, she determined the baby was extremely low (it was baby head she felt).  She also estimated at first that I was already 3 CM dialated and 70-80% effaced (thinned).  So they went into overdrive.

The contractions were there - yet I felt nothing.  Absolutely nothing. 

I was admitted to the labor & delivery by 11 am Thursday.  When the actual doctor got to check me he summized that I wasn’t quite as dialated as they thought - only 2 centimeters.  But they were still worried - so I the treatment for preterm labor was immediately started in hopes of preventing my baby boy from arriving at only 34 weeks.

An IV was started and I was given a loading dose of magnesium - a relaxant that was to calm uterin contractions and hopefully prevent labor.  The bad thing is that magnesium causes bad side effects such as hot flashes and general cruddiness.  I felt like I had a 3rd degree sunburn at times! 

I was also started on steroids (2 shots in the bottomus maximus! OUCH!) 24 hours apart, and antibiotics.  The steroids, they said, would build his lungs up and if he is born earlier it will help his chances of being healthy and avoiding a longer stay in the prenatal ICU.  The antibiotics were given as a precaution in case an infection was going on - and because I had not had my beta strep test yet (it was scheduled to be done at 36 weeks).

I was kept in the labor room all day Thursday and Friday.   Around 9 am Friday they slowed the magnesium down from 2  per hour to 1 CC (1 gram?? i dunno) per hour, and the heartbeat / contraction monitor was kept on me the entire time and we were relieved when the contractions started to slow. 

Around 3 PM Friday, I was moved to a post-delivery maternal care room and Saturday morning, the IV with magnesium was removed.  (The IV was probably the most physically painful part of this ordeal!  Well, besides the shots in the butt).  I was also taken off of the constant monitoring and vitals were only checked periodically. 

By mid-Saturday afternoon, with all of the medicine wearing off I began to feel soreness and having a hard time breathing.  I was still having hot flashes from the magnesium as well (not a very pleasant experience).  At least I was allowed to take a shower and change into a fresh gown though!  I felt like everything was one big blurr however - my body ached, my heart hurt (from grief) and I feared every fear that a woman in pre-term labor can think of.

After an hour monitoring sessions Saturday from 2-3 pm, the doctor suggested one more night stay (we had hopes until then that I’d be going home). 

One good thing though, it was determined that I actually do not have gestational diabetes!  The doctor who was with me through this ordeal (not my regular doctor - he was a doctor on call this weekend), studied my case history and ordered tests done.  All tests came back that there is no evidence that I am diabetic.

That was a small miracle in these past few days!

Last night was my final night in the hospital.  This morning, from 6 am to 7 am, I was put back on the contraction monitoring.

Finally, I felt something.  During the monitoring session I had 5 contractions, 2 of which were (to me) not very pleasant at all!  Ironically, we were all glad I could actually feel the contractions and now knew what to look for.

After 2 more sessions with the doctor (about possible complications, things to look for, etc), and an instructional session with the nurse (the do’s and don’t of bedrest), I was given my discharge papers this morning at 9 am and was wheeled out into the fresh, wide world - I hadn’t seen the outside world in 4 days!

Everything had happened so unexpectedly, and really puts into perspective that old saying “you can’t plan a death or a birth”.  Not once had it ever crossed my mind that I could end up going into pre-term labor.  It’s something that happens to other people.  Not you, you now?

The doctor who worked with me this time was excellent (I wish I would have found him first and used him the whole time).  He’s a very honest, no-nonsense kind of guy with a white beard and a gentle, straitforward grandfatherly touch to him. 

He ordered strict bedrest (sitting as much as possible, with laying on my side preferable).  They have no idea when the baby will come, although they are hoping the pregnancy extends for at least another week - with 18 days being ideal.  With the steroids that were given to build up his lungs, they believe he (baby Jack) will have a good chance if he does come on now. 

So we’re now playing the waiting game. 

I am to do no lifting, no cleaning, no shopping, and very minimal walking.  That’s hard!  We had so much planned for April and it didn’t occur to us that this might happen.  It was so unexpected!  What’s even more ironic is that our scheduled Lamaze class (at that same hospital) was for yesterday (Saturday).  The nurse who first saw me on Thursday would have been our teacher.  The class was something that we had looked forward to so much.

It’s weird at how much grief one goes through at the thought of pre-term labor.  I felt grief over lost plans, fear for my health, fear for my baby’s life, grief over not having “things done” (cleaning, final nursery preparations), and (my biggest) fear that I had done something wrong.

I don’t think anyone understands either how much pre-term labor can affect a woman’s psyche - I know I didn’t.  The grief and thoughts I experienced ranged from the deepest pain (”What did I do wrong??”) to the essentially mundane (”Our video camera isn’t even charged”).  Before I went through this experience I would have considered such thoughts to be rediculous - people have a tendency to get self righteous and say “Don’t think about that - you should be just concerned about your self and the baby!”.  Believe me I was - but the emotions that ran through me over every level were so strong. 

It makes me a lot more empathetic and aware of what other women have gone through.  It’s a private world, with lots of mixed emotions, and hard to describe to someone who hasn’t gone through it.  Thursday afternoon was the hardest part of the grieving process for me - at one point I mentioned sadness over not having our video camera ready (taping the birth is something, I realized, that is deeply important to me).  Yet the nurse cut me off saying I shouldn’t be concerned about that.  She was not empthetic at all, and her worlds only hurt more.  (It sounds silly to even describe, but I’m trying to get across the wide range of emotions that occured to me.)  

 I’ve always thought I didn’t have any expectations about delivery - but this weekend showed me just how much hidden expectations I did have (the last minute shopping sprees, the lamaze class, a final beach trip, final nursery decorations, preparing mentally).  And it hurt to say goodbye to them all.  One wonderful nurse (who would have been our Lamaze teacher) gave me the best emotional support - she’s the one who put a name to my fears and emotions.  She’s the one who said it’s like going through a grieving process, and she was so right.  It felt so good to share my thoughts with her, and she didn’t judge me at all.  She knew my emotions had nothing to do with my love or concern for my little boy.  I hope to one day console another mother like she consoled me through this hard time! 

So anyway, now I am at home.  My husband and I were at my parents all day today after the discharge and I just slept.  We just walked into our home tonight around 10 pm - the first time I’ve been home since Thursday morning.  It’s amazing at how fast things happen in life when you least expect them!  Now I’m waiting, and watching, and praying that everything goes well and my little boy is ok.  After the grieving process of unexpected complications, I’ve now reached the end point to where I can finally relax and focus on “being ready” at any moment.  

Baby Jack can appear any time now.   The final waiting stage has begun!

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Here is another project I found in my files!  One requirement last semester was to create a learning center for science class.  Having already done something for earth science (a unit) and life science (a discovery box), I needed to fill a physical science project requirement.

So…my learning center was based on our South Carolina physical science 2nd grade standard for “Properties and Changes in Matter” (Solids, Liquids, and Gasses).

What is a learning center?  A learning center is an area where children to go to self-learn a certain subject.  It is a self-guided, self-contained, and self-directed area that helps children reinforce ideas currently being taught to them as well as lets them make new discoveries by themselves.  Very little teacher involvement is required (although some students may need some supervision in this particular center to ensure they don’t eat the materials!  Knowyour kids well!).

This file includes everything you need to set up your own ”6 experiements in physical science” learning center (besides the actual experiment materials needed).  I’ve also included some basic instructions on setting it up. 

The only thing I don’t have in the file is the Information Booklet (I had found it online at PBS online, I think, and printed it out) and the properties glossery (not sure what happened to it - perhaps I didn’t save?).  I also do not have a bibliography list of reference books - just go to your local library and check out ones you find in the kids section!  This isn’t quite as detailed as my unit was since our project was to actually make the entire learning center ourselves and set it up in class - so this is just basic instructions.

I did make a so-called “perfect” grade on it and everyone seemed to have fun blowing up the balloons with vinegar and making their own GAK gloop!  The materials are cheap and easy to obtain as well.  This is suited for classroom and homeschoolers alike.

Feel free to modify or add to it or use it however you wish in your teaching.

DOWNLOAD FILE:

Solid Liquid Gas Learning Center 2nd Grade.pdf 

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What is a webquest?  A webquest is an online teaching tool for students that is self contained, self directed, and teaches the child a specific subject at hand.  Links for research are pre-approved by the person who sets up the webquest and all of the sites are (hopefully) very child friendly.  Very little (if none!) teacher involvement is required - just set the child up at the computer and he works at his own pace.  Like unit studies, webquests may integrate many different subjects at once (math, science, social studies, language arts, etc).

Another project I did last year was a webquest for my “Teaching Children Science” methods class.  This particular one is designed to teach weather precipitation to 2nd graders (based on South Carolina’s standards).  Some of the links and youtube videos I have in the webquest may be outdated - feel free to download the webquest HTML files to your own computer and modify as you wish (if you’re handy with web design). 

The webquest can be found at http://www.colliedogowners.com/webquest/index.htm.

 I’ve listed the teacher’s guide below to show what it’s about if you’re the gotta-see-a-summary-first kinda person.

Enjoy!

(BTW - homeschoolers can check out a variety of other webquests available online by simply going to google and doing a search for your subject + webquest!).

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TEACHER’S GUIDE

SOUTH CAROLINA STANDARDS:
GRADE 2 - Weather

Standard 2-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of daily and seasonal weather conditions. (Earth Science)

Indicators Covered
2-3.2 Recall weather terminology (including temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and precipitation as rain, snow, sleet, and hail).
2-3.3 Illustrate the weather conditions of different seasons.
2-3.6 Identify safety precautions that one should take during severe weather conditions.

ABOUT THIS WEBQUEST
In this webquest, children become kid meteorologists at WKID Weather Station. Their first assignment, from Kim Handy, is to research and deliver a report on one of the 4 types of precipitation (Rain, Sleet, Snow, Hail). The same 7 questions are asked for each of the 4 precipitation types and the children are reminded to keep these in mind as they do their research.

A kid-friendly YouTube video showing situations with each of the 4 precipitation forms is included on each research page.

Extra activities are given for fun weather learning,
 and may or may not enhance their understanding of the chosen topic.

Reports:
1 page paper describing their topic - should answer at least 5 questions.
1 page first person story describing what their day would be like if it was (Raining/Sleeting/Snowing/Hailing) outside.

Extra Credit:
For “promotion” (extra credit) within the news station, kids are encouraged to complete an oral report in front of class.

The webquest can be found at http://www.colliedogowners.com/webquest/index.htm.

 

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Sun Moon Earth Complete Science Unit - 1st Grade.pdf

This morning I posted about how last semester I started on my educational teaching degree (a lifelong dream) last semester before learning of my pregnancy.  Since I saved all of my assignments from my classes, I thought I’d like to share them instead of letting them sit on my virtual computer bookshelf gathering byte dust! 

(Earlier, I posted a 30 book science bibliography.)

 Another project I did for science class is a complete unit on Earth Science - Sun, Moon, & Earth (a 1st grade standard here in South Carolina).  The unit is 39 pages, very, very detailed, and includes daily layouts for 13 lessons, 2 complete ADEPT style lesson plans (lesson 1 and lesson 9), vocabulary list, traditional & authentic assessment tests / keys,  rubrics, unit activities, learning center ideas, theme decorations, tips for teaching special-needs learners (blind, deaf, kinethetic, etc) and much more.  The only thing that I do not have included in the file below is the color pages and artwork I had printed out to hand in with my unit.

The unit covers subjects of science, math, language arts, art media, PE, social studies, and technology.

Because the unit is personalized for the time period I wrote it in and for our state, you’ll need to change a few of the details (such as the standard / indicators, field trips, etc.). 

My science teacher for this class was, in my opinion, the best teacher I’d ever had - period.  If I would have had her during high school science I probably would have went on to be a chemistry major (FYI - I hated science in HS).  With over 30 years of teaching under her belt, she believed very much in hands-on learning and scientific exploration, and I learned so much through her!  Because she was my favorite teacher I wanted to do her “justice” and show how much I learned from her - which is why I have such a thorough unit.  My end grade was a “perfect score” plus 10 extra bonus points for “going above and beyond in excellence”.  Plus, I had a blast doing it!

The unit is designed with classroom management and public school teaching in mind - but it can definately be incorporated into a homeschool setting.  It’s also designed to be completed in 13 lessons.  This can mean 2 1/2 weeks if you do a lesson each day or, if science only falls 2-3 times per week the unit will last a month or two.

The file is in PDF form - feel free to print it out, modify it, or whatever you want to do with it. (Well, anything except turning it in to your own college science class as your own project). :) 

Let me know if you have any questions or would like it in Word format (for editing).

DOWNLOAD FILE:

Sun Moon Earth Complete Science Unit - 1st Grade.pdf

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Last year, before I learned of the pregnancy, I had made the plunge to “go back to school” and earn my Early Childhood Education Teaching degree.  Teaching has been a dream of mine since I was 14 - but it fell by the wayside as I decided to be a business management and marketing degree first instead.  So, my first semester in my new endeavor started one week before I learned about Little Jack’s appearance on the scene!  :)  I’m not attending this semester, but I did enjoy last semester tremendously with classes such as French 101, Elementary Science Principles, Teaching Math, and Children’s Literature.  The science class was by far the hardest when it came to having to do actual projects!  We had to do a 30 book bibliography, a full science Unit, a learning center, a discovery box, and more.  It was fun, but quite time consuming.  

 

I saved all of my work too and I hate to see my projects going to waste right now!  I made A’s on all of them, so apparantly the teacher liked them. :)  So instead of watching them wither into electronic nothingness, I’ve decided to share them (I fully believe in educators sharing ideas).  Here is a copy of my science bibliography.  It covers pre-k through 2nd grade science, and is based on the South Carolina science standards for those grades.  Included are 10 books each in the areas of Life, Earth, and Physical science.  Non-fiction and fiction books are both represented.  I had to read all 30 of them so there is a short summary paragraphy as well.

 

Hope it helps someone!

Lisa

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SCIENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRE-K THROUGH 2ND GRADE

 

LIFE SCIENCE

 

Cole, J.  (1996).  The Magic School Bus:  Ants in its Pants.

            Scholastic, Inc.:  Broadway, NY

This fictional tale, based on an episode of the same TV series, follows Mrs. Frizzle’s class as they become so tiny they’re no bigger than ants – all in the name of capturing film for their science project!  Their adventure into a real ant bed teaches children about an ant’s habitat, lifestyle, and colony roles such as foraging, guarding, food-carrying, building, and queenship.  This is a great read-aloud for story time or for use near an ant farm learning center.

 

Brandenberg, A.  (1992).  I’m Growing!.

            Harper Collins:  New York, NY.

This colorfully illustrated book simplifies all of the life changes a child is going through, by capturing a young character’s personal thoughts about himself and his family, enabling the student to understand his own body better.  Many different aspects of human growth is touched upon such as hair, fingernails, organs, and even weight.  The easy-to-read story format makes this an excellent circle time book while the children are studying organisms and life cycles.

 

Hewitt, S.  (1999).  It’s Science:  The Five Senses.

            Children’s Press:  Danbury, CT.

The Five Senses introduces kids to each of the five human senses – seeing, hearing, touch, smell, and taste – and different ways in which we might use them.  It also compares them with how animals make use of their own senses.  Each page includes interactive questions and activities the child can do such as the experiment with silent communication.  This book would be useful on a bookshelf or as a reference guide during kindergarten lessons on the senses.

 Hart, L.  (2006).  Did Dinosaurs Eat Pizza?

            Henry Holt & Company, LLC:  New York, NY.

This fun, easy to read book introduces kids to the fact that while science can explain many things, there are still much more that we may never know, especially in the case of dinosaurs, who lived millions of years before humans.  For instance, even though we have dinosaur bones, we cannot scientifically tell what color they are.  Neither can we know how exactly they sounded.  Humorous, colorful depictions of dinosaurs and funny theories will make this a must-read-aloud story time favorite.

 

Kalmon, B.  (2002).  The Life Cycle of a  Butterfly.

            Crabtree Publishing Company:  New York, NY.

This richly illustrated book guides children through each stage of a butterfly’s development from the egg, to the caterpillar, to the chrysalis stage, all the way to butterfly adulthood.  Facts about each development stage and dangers encountered along the way are also detailed.  A vocabulary glossary, easy to read sections and an experiment on how to raise your own butterfly make this a great self-study reference book for a classroom bookshelf.

 

Paul, T.  (1997).  In Fields and Meadows.

            Crabtree Publishing Company:  New York, NY.

This book covers a wide assortment of animals that are found living in fields and meadows, including deer mice, prairie dogs, owls, and moles.  Each animal’s section shows detailed color drawings and tells how they adapt the field into their home and find food.  Its reference layout and small paragraphs make this an excellent discovery box tool for habitats.

 Polacco, P.  (2003).  The Graves Family Goes Camping.

            The Penguin Group:  New York, NY.

This humorous farce follows the eccentric Graves family as they head in to the woods specimen-hunting, science experimenting camping trip.  Strangely named creatures, such as the Vernicious Knid, weird lunches (Fijian jellyfish, anyone?) and an encounter with a Flatulent Sulphuric Fermious Flying Griffin (a.k.a. Fire-breathing Dragon) provide great belly laughs while experiment methods, specimen collection, and illustrations of many insects, amphibians, and reptiles of the forest will pique interest in exploration.  This would make an excellent read-aloud story time book during lessons on the animal kingdom

 

Romanova, N.  (1985).  Once There was a Tree.

            Puffin Books:  New York, NY.

This short, easy to read story lets children follow what happens after a tree is cut down and just the stump is left.  Over time, beetles, maggots, ants, bears, birds, frogs and even an earwig made good use of the old stump.  In the end, the question of “Whose stump is it?” is proposed, summing up that it belongs to all, and because of this, it is our job to protect our earth.  This book would be a great read-aloud during lessons on habitats, forest animals, or the environment.

 

Root, P.  (2001).  Soggy Saturday.

            Candlewick Press:  Cambridge, MA.

This humorous short read follows little Bonne Bumble as she examines her dad’s farm animals one Saturday.  It had rained so hard that morning that everything had turned blue.  She saves the day by painting all of the animals their correct color again, naming them and their roles as she goes along.  This book would be a great story time read-aloud during lessons on animals and their habitats.

Whyman, K.  (2000).  Animal Kingdom: Guide to Vertebrate Classification and Biodiversity. 

            Stect-Vaughn Company:  Austin, Texas.

This book introduces children to a more in-depth understanding of animal classification.  Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals are all covered, as well as further division into air, water, and land dwelling animals.  A glossary of bolded terms, as well as stunning photographs, help make this a great reference book for children working on animal projects in class.

EARTH SCIENCE

 

Cole, J.  (1996).  The Magic School Bus:  Wet All Over.

            Scholastic, Inc.:  Broadway, NY.

It’s time for Mrs. Frizzle to teach her class about the water cycle!  This book, based on the episode from the same TV series, follows the class as they ride the magic school bus into a glass of water where they all turn into actual water droplets.  The kids are then able to personally experience turning into vapor, becoming a cloud, pouring out as rain, and finally landing as water droplets – again and again.  This book can be used as a read-aloud story to introduce children to lessons on the water cycle, clouds, or even condensation.

 

Brown, M.  (1947).  Goodnight, Moon.

            Harper Trophy:  New York, NY.

Perhaps one of the best known modern children’s books, this book follows a little rabbit as he tries to postpone his own bedtime.  As he seeks out more and more familiar things to say goodnight to, he finds himself getting sleepier – and soon the night races in and darkness falls.  Quiet words and peaceful rhyming make this a perfect book to close out a first grader’s school day after the lessons on the moon.

 

Gibbons, G.  (1983).  Sun Up, Sun Down.

            Harcourt Brace Jovanovich:  Orlando, FL.

This bright, cheerful book introduces small children to the basic properties and roles of the sun, such as rising I the morning, giving us warmth, providing light, and setting in the evening.  Other subjects, such as shadow casting, sun gases, and earth to sun distance are also touched upon.  Short sentences and a young central character will help keep first graders attention when reading aloud during the Sun and Moon unit.

Hauser, J.  (1998).  Science Play: Beginning Discoveries for 2-6 Year Olds.

            Williamson Publishing Company:  Charlotte, VT.

This book provides teachers with over 65 activities that allow children to discover properties of the sun, wind, air, plants, light, and water.  Projects are child-friendly and utilize every day household objects.  Fun activities include walking in socks to pick up seeds and making water necklaces from empty film canisters.  This would make a terrific science project resource book for teachers throughout the year.

 

Hutchins, H.  (2004).  How Long is a Hiccup?  A Child’s Book of Time.

            Arthur Levine Books, Scholastic Inc.:  Broadway, NY.

How long is a second?  It’s the time it takes to give mom a kiss!  This adorably illustrated book simplifies units of time, converting them to easily recognized childhood experiences, giving children the feeling of how long each measure truly is.  Units covered include the second, minute, hour, day, week, month, and year.  The sing-song rhythm of the poetry makes this a wonderful read-aloud introduction to the study of time.

 

Merk, A.  (1994).  The Weather Report:  Clouds.

            The Rourk Corporation, INC.:  Vero Beach, FL.

This book introduces children to the main attributes of clouds – how they form, the different types, how rain gets in them, fog, and even their relationship with the sun.  Useful bolded vocabulary is also included in a glossary.  This would be a great on a reference bookshelf or in a learning center on clouds or weather.

Jacobs, M.  (1999).  The Library of Why:  Why Does it Rain?.

            The Rosen Publishing Group’s PowerKids Press:  New York, NY.

This book gives straightforward, one page answers to some of children’s most curious weather questions about why it storms and what causes it to happen.  Logical question arrangement, beginning with “Where does weather happen?” and concluding with “What is the water cycle?” allows children to build knowledge as they progress in the book.  This would be a very useful self-study reference guide for the bookshelf, or to cover question by question while studying weather changes.

 

Rockwell, A.  (1999).  Long Ago Yesterday.

            Green Willow Books:  New York, NY.

This collection of ten short stories introduces young children to earth science in a very simplistic way by placing the fictional children into settings the student may already be familiar with in life.  Changes in weather, seasons, air, time, gravity, and day versus night are all lessons that can be gleamed from these stories.  Each story would make a great short read-aloud during circle time when the children can discuss their own personal experiences with each other.

 

Supraner, R.  (1999).  I Can Read About:  Seasons.

            Troll Communications LLC:  Mahwah, NY.

This book provides young children with a more detailed look into the four seasons.  Colorful illustrations and diagrams depict how seasons happen and what changes we experience in the Northern Hemisphere throughout the year.  Animals, new life, outdoors activities, and plants are just a few of the changes discussed.  This book would make a great addition to the classroom bookshelf during lessons on seasonal change and weather.

Williams, J.  (2005).  Why is it Windy?.

            Enslow Elementary Publishers, Inc.:  Berkeley Heights, NY.

In Why is it Windy?, children are provided with very simple, clear-cut  answers to childhood weather questions such as “What is wind?”, “How does the sun make wind?”, “How fast is the wind blowing?”, and even “Can you see the wind?”.  Rich, photographic images, a shot glossary of terms, and a fun concluding experiment make this a terrific self-study reference guide for children, as well as a useful discovery box tool.

  
PHYSICAL SCIENCE

 

Audrey, Rev. W.  (1995).  Thomas the Tank Engine:  Stop, Train, Stop!.

            Random House:  New York, NY.

Thomas the Tank Engine is tired!  He is tired of having to stop during long trips.  One day he decides to take matters into his own hands.  Off he goes, speeding all the way to the last stop – with no breaks in between!  Along the way, passengers fall down, food spills, and a general ruckus ensues.  In the end, Thomas decides it is best for all if he kept to his old stop and go schedule.  This is a great read-aloud for helping introduce 1st graders to motion.

 

Cole, J.  (1998).  The Magic School Bus:  Stuck In the Arctic.

            Scholastic, Inc.:  Broadway, NY.

This book, based on an episode of the same TV series, follows Mrs. Frizzle’s class as they travel to the Arctic.  After the bus freezes, the children encounter many predicaments caused by the cold, such as no jackets, getting trapped on an ice floe, and encountering a polar bear.  Along the way, they discover various heat retention methods such as warm-bloodedness, use of thermoses, paper insulation in their shirts, animal fur, and finally blubber.  This will make a fun read-aloud during lessons on the mechanics of hot and cold.

 

Kleven, E.  (1994).  The Paper Princess.

            Dutton Children’s Books:  New York, NY.

The paper princess needed hair!  Should the little girl give her fluffy cotton or soft yarn hair?  Before she has time to decide a puff of wind blows the paper princess away.  The paper doll is carried away on many adventures.  Multitudes of textures and item properties are described throughout the different adventures.  In the end, the paper doll is reunited with her creator where she receives her hair.  This book would make a fun read-aloud when introducing the different properties and textures of matter to kindergarteners.

Murphy, S.  (2004).  Mighty Maddie.

            Harper Collins Children’s Books:  New York, NY.

Maddie has a mess!  When ordered to clean up her toys by mom, her alter-ego Mighty Maddie zooms around picking up toys and describing how each toy feels.  Heavy, teeny, jumbo, feather light, and lightest are just some words she uses during her mad dash to pick up bears, toy cars, and dolls.  This would be a fun read for the classroom book shelf or as a read-aloud to introduce weight and matter.

 

Lewis, K.  (2006).  Tugga-Tugga Tug Boat.

            Hyperion Books for Children:  New York, NY.

This adorable book follows a little tugboat’s journey as he races to save a burning barge.   Bouncing, bobbing, floating, and propelling are just a few words used to accurately describe the mechanics behind how the boat is working.  In the end, the boat turns out to be a play toy of a little boy in a bath tub.  Easy rhyming lines and a sing-song rhythm make this a terrific read-aloud for introducing beginning physics of movement and hydraulics.

 

Parsons, A.  (1992).  What’s Inside Boats?.

            Darling Kindersley, Inc.:  New York, NY.

What’s Inside Boats? gives children a fascinating peeled-away look into the mechanics behind eight different boats, including a rowboat, cargo boat, and racing yacht.  Diagrams with simplified explanations describe what each part does, along with actual boating terminology.  This book would work as a good tool to pique kindergarteners interest during lessons about properties of floating.

Smith, C.  (1996).  How to Draw Trucks and Cars.

            Gareth Stevens Publishing:  Milwaukee, WI.

This book’s simplistic method of using circles, triangles and squares, along with basic colors, will pique children’s interest in vehicular design, automobile roles, and motion.  Nine fun automobiles are depicted, including a sedan, jeep moving van, and even a cement mixer.  This book can be displayed on the classroom bookshelf during first grade lessons on motion.

 

Stewart, D.  (1996).  Gift of the Sun.

This easily read African tale follows Thulani on his farm as he searches for the right way to create an outstanding farm, while still being able to bask in the sun’s warmth.  He finally discovers a plan that helps him achieve an abundant life on the farm – all thanks to the warmth and light from the sun he loved so much.  This would be a good story to read aloud before lessons that discuss heat and light.

 

Ward, A.  (1992).  Project Science:  Light and Color

            Franklin Watts, Inc.:  New York, NY.

This activity book covers twelve areas of light science, including light waves, bending of light, color mixing, and lights in the sky.  Three to four simple projects are found in each area, as well as fun facts on why and how it all happens.  Making a water prism, exploring the moon’s light phases, and making shadow puppets are just a few of the activities that make this an excellent classroom activity resource for teachers.  Simple instructions and colorful illustrations make this a great learning center tool as well.

Wood, R.  (1989).  Physics for Kids:  49 Easy Experiments with Mechanics.

            Tab Books:  Blue Ridge Summit, PA.

This reference book provides numerous experiments that help young children learn about fluid and solid mechanics.  Making pulleys, pouring water through a handkerchief, and finding the center of gravity for a stack of books are just a few fun experiments included.  A few of the activities are not suggested for the youngest children as they involve the use of nails, hammers and razor blades.  The illustrations and activity information is gears towards an older audience, and at this stage should only be used as an activity reference for teachers.

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Yesterday, I hit a milestone in the pregnancy - I’m now 34 weeks and on my weekly doctor visit schedule!  The countdown has started in full force!

Yesterday was my first “weekly” doctor visit.  Because I am a gestational diabetic patient, they will be doing an ultrasound at each weekly visit to monitor the baby’s growth.  It’s quite exciting to know I’ll be “seeing him” every Tuesday now.

So anyway - yesterday morning I got up very early.  Having lost my little card with my appointment time on it, I decided to wing it and show up at 8:30 anyway.  I knew I had an early appointment… perhaps 8:30..9…9:15…just not the exact time.  (I always ask for an early time if it’s available.)  It takes 30 minutes to get to the OBGYN office so I had my mom picked up and we were on the road all before 8 am.  When we got there, I walked in and there was this lady I had never met at the window.  Perhaps she was just a fill in?  Well…I told her my name and asked what time my appointment was.

10:15 AM.

10:15 AM????

How could I have been that mistaken??

Back out at the car (it’s only 8:35 at this time), mom and I decide to head down the road and get some breakfast.  With over an hour to kill, we had a nice long leisurly breakfast at “The Waffle House” and I got some reading in.

Then we headed back to the office, with me still wondering how I could have made such a mistake with my appointment time.

After check in at 10 am, they send me immediately back to “empty my bladder” (a requirement for the ultrasound) and then on to the waiting room where I sat maybe 5-10 minutes or so before the ultrasound tech came for me.  Thankfully I didn’t have the same tech girl that I had last time during my 30 week scan (the one who only knew how to say official latin type words for his body parts).  The older lady who had done my ultrasounds during my first trimester was back!

In the ultrasound room she started asking me if everything is ok.   (OK?   Of course it was!  Why?)   She was concerned because I was “late…and had missed the appointment”.   Confused, I recounted the events of the morning - we were there at 8:30 am!  Come to find out, the new lady at the front window had skipped over my ultrasound appointment and had only told me the time they had set for the actual OB visit with the doctor.

Great.   So my actual appointment HAD been at 9:15 am.  *sigh*  Just like I thought…

Anyway.  The “tummy ultrasound” went great!  The video machine was recording fine, everything measured beautifully on the baby, heartrate was 140 BPM, and they confirmed once again that he definately was a boy.  And they gave me a nice “turtle” picture to prove it. (My hubby is so proud). 

She estimates his weight to be 4.2 LBS.  His head is also “dropped” and was sitting very, very, very low in my neither regions.   She also told me that his feet were slightly under my ribs.

As if I didn’t know that already!  OUCH! 

After the ultrasound, I went to another room for my OB visit with Doctor Nancy and had my routine vitals done.  My weight was 144 (yay!  I haven’t lost any more!) and my blood pressure was 100 / 70.  (That was great too!  I have been running really low).

In the room with Dr. Nancy, she went over the results of my CBC blood test that was taken 2 weeks ago, along with the sugar test.  Everything came out perfectly….iron levels, sugar count…everything.  I was so relieved!   The only slightly abnormal thing they mentioned was that baby Jack is a little small - but they consider that better than the alternative since I have gestational diabetes.  Dr. Nancy said I seemed to be doing so great that I should be the poster child for pregnant women.

I don’t know about that, but it made me feel a whole lot better.

Then it was time to go.  Whew!  I had what I considered a perfect visit (well, beside the little mistaken appointment time fiasco).  I felt like floating on air. :) 

Tomorrow I have my first weekly NST (non-stress test) at the hospital at 9 am (I’ll report on that afterwords - I’m not sure what all to expect during the visit).  Then I return to the OBGYN office next Tuesday morning at 8:30 am.

(Yes.  8:30 am.  I’ve documented it here for safekeeping!)

Each week I’ll be continuing on in the same fashion - doctor visit on Tuesday, NST at the hospital on Thursday.

Oh, and Kevin and I have our Lamaze Baby Class at the hospital this Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.  We’re excited about that!  Kevin is a bit more excited that I am, I do believe.  He’s all into this being-a-daddy thing.  It makes me quite proud to call him my husband.

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…I definately don’t think so! 

I’ve been surfing around for about 30 minutes on the internet searching for homeschool information - and I ran into an Ex-Christian website.  Much of the testimonies I read on there involve people denouncing a higher spiritual being (”God” or “Elohim”) solely based on their experiences with other humans.

One person completely abandoned a faith in any god because of things she was told were “right” by her one pastor and social circle of friends over a 9 year period.

How can this be? 

How can people let their soul beliefs and eternal consequences be hung on the thread of other human actions?

For example, the person I mentioned above was told by her particular church friends that child corporal punishment (spaking) was “ordained by God” - and so she and her husband started hitting her kids, making her life miserable.  She also made the statement that a “personal relationship with God” cannot exist because you have to do what your Christian friends are telling you to do.

WHAT?   I would venture to guess that her circle of friends may have harped too much on the one line of “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” to the exclusion of back-up parallel scripture of what the verse truly means.  Or maybe they had a flawed misunderstanding of the former Law of Moses, which was so strict that the New Testament writers even declared it “impossible to keep fully” (which is why we NEED Jesus’ saving grace instead).  If she would have read deeper into doctrine and scripture, and searched out truth for herself (instead of succumbing to peer pressure), she may have learned the deeper meaning of what her own friends seemed to have misunderstood.  Discipline, correction, training, and the teaching of wisdom is at the heart of rearing children - NOT blindly hitting or physically abusing. 

And as for a personal relationship with God - it definately can exist.  BUT, just like all relationships, it takes dilligence, effort, study, conversing, thought, perserverence, and TIME to evolve.   Instead of taking up responsibility for her own training and faith-growth, she seemed to blame God for her own negligence in this area and also passed blame off on her circle of friends.

Isn’t this just like many in today’s world?  No personal responsibility anywhere.  Blame God, blame others, blame TV, blame McDonalds…anything goes.  But don’t blame yourself!  (I’ve even been there myself during my darkest trials)

 In the modern world, you also hear multitudes of excuses such as… IF God exists then he wouldn’t (insert pet peeve of choice)… or He would do (insert innate fleshly desire).  And people use various wars, tragedies, suffering, and human sin to try to say “Hey look, that means there is no God”.   

How does human suffering (even if it is undeserved!!) and human mistake ”prove” a supreme, multifaceted, emotional, omnicient higher intelligent being doesn’t exist??  Under what flawed philosophy have us humans determined that “if a supreme God exisits” then he would be this big huge circle of loveydoveyness - with no other side, emotion, or intelligence to him?  It sounds incredulous to even speculate upon.  I wouldn’t want a “God” like THAT!  I don’t want a personal ATM machine or a big super-being to coddle and console me unconditionally when I make a boo-boo.  I want a deep, supreme, intelligent life force that has emotions, intellect, will, plans, goals, and the ability to shape lives.  I want to be corrected, chastened, disciplined, taught, and “made wise” as I grow. 

I’ve also learned over the years that God isn’t the one who causes the “bad stuff”.  Our God (the supreme being / intelligence of this universe) can’t be judged based on the goings-on of meager humans.  Human frailty, human desires, fleshly lusts, weaknesses, need for power and prestige - all of those morally degrading characteristics cause “bad things”.  Natural disasters also cause ”bad things”.   Humans and Earth - the “natural” parts of life - are behind suffering.  Not God (the supernatural)!  He was good enough to provide a way out of all of that.

Anyway, that’s just how I view the issue.  You may have been convicted otherwise (as Paul says, we currently look through a dark glass - no one knows it all…that’s for sure!)   It just deeply saddens my heart when I read of people who have completely abandoned their Christian faith based on how other humans in their social circle have portrayed “Christianity” to them.  Someone who abandons their faith in God based on their social life and what others “teach” saddens me FAR more than the athiest who logically thinks out the basis of his own beliefs and never feels a yearing for god-presence in his life.

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The other day I was studying on homeschooling methods through Ambleside Online (a site dedicated to offering free homeschool curriculum based on Charlotte Mason’s teaching methods) and stumbled upon a link to a terrific text based site that teaches character traits.

Character Journal describes itself as a “free e-zine sent periodically to those who request it. It is designed to encourage and assist parents teaching Godly character qualities to their children. It includes suggested Bible studies, projects and ideas to help apply the quality. ”

This website is a compilation of all of their ezines on character traits.  The set-up is simple, everything is textbased (no annoying graphics), and there is a lot of “meat” and good, good stuff to read here!

Here is a list (with links!) to the traits they have covered so far.  I’ve been reading through them for days and have enjoyed it thoroughly.  Check it out!

www.CharacterJournal.com

Past Issues

CJ 1 - Humility CJ 2 - Obedience CJ 3 - Gratefulness CJ 4 - Attentiveness CJ 5 - Diligence CJ 6 - Patience CJ 7 - Meekness CJ 8 - Truthfulness CJ 9 - Generosity CJ 10 - Orderliness CJ 11 - Forgiveness CJ 12 - Sincerity CJ 13 - Virtue CJ 14 - Responsibility CJ 15 - Initiative CJ 16 - Self-Control CJ 17 - Punctuality CJ 18 - Resourcefulness CJ 19 - Discretion CJ 20 - Creativity CJ 21 - Tolerance CJ 22 - Loyalty CJ 23 - Hospitality CJ 24 - Sensitivity CJ 25 - Enthusiasm CJ 26 - Discernment CJ 27 - Flexibility CJ 28 - Cautiousness CJ 29 - Boldness