Lifestyle of Learning 2016 Edition: Volume Five

March 6-19

So, what have we been up to the last couple of weeks?

Bishop joined his scout troop on a tour of our public safety facilities.  It was super cool.  It is a state of the art building with over one million dollars worth of technology, kevlar reinforced walls and built to withstand a F5 tornado.  It houses 911 dispatch for our county and is where authorities meet during emergency situations.

Bishop also had scouts where he helped plan a campout and did some team building exercises.

Bishop continued with his pottery lessons.  He logged 7 1/4 hours in the studio.  He is actively learning new techniques and is experimenting with new ideas as well.

After closing the production of Aladdin Jr. Maceo had every intention of taking a break; however, when the directors of the new production found themselves short a cast member they requested Maceo come in and audition for a role.  He and three other guys auditioned.  It was a fun audition process.  He was not cast so he does still get to rest.

Bishop put in four hours at the food pantry.
And, for some reason, he always feels compelled to make a tower of cans.

We had the opportunity to see civics in action.  There was a special program at Ted Cruz' local headquarters that was intended to instruct homeschoolers on how citizens can be involved in the political process.  We witnessed kids making phone calls for Cruz and had the opportunity to participate but opted not to.

I voted in the primaries...

and of course we have had a great deal of conversation relating to politics, hours upon hours of conversation.

One evening Bishop and I had an amazing time attending a STOMP concert.  It was truly inspirational!

Not all of the accompanying photos are quality but I do like to share Bishop's culinary adventures.  One evening he he got a hankerin' to try his hand at frying pickles.  They were a success.  He also fried up some jalapenos to be used on our barbecued pulled chicken grilled cheese sandwiches.  After he finished frying the pickles and jalapenos he took the remaining breading and such and created little fried balls of goodness.  They are difficult to explain but were my favs.

He also helped Dad make a hamburger/hot dog smorgasbord.  He created a "slaw" of sorts to put on the hot dogs and I thought it was really fantastic.  He is incredibly clever culinarily.

In science group we continued to examine the nervous system.  This week we looked at the anatomy of the brain.  Bishop can identify the parts of the brain including the four lobes of the cerebrum.  We created these cool brain hats and did some hands-on activities that required them to label the parts of the brain.  We also did a test that allowed us to assess if we are right or left brained and we explored the stroop effect.

In history group we examined the three branches of government and their responsibilities.  We briefly discussed characteristics of good leadership and the role that worldviews play in one's leadership and in politics.

Bishop did a lot of long boarding and is doing pushups and sit-ups routinely.  Although he isn't doing these activities for the merit badge he will add these to his fitness log in an attempt to earn the personal fitness merit badge.

Maceo continued with vocal lessons and is preparing for a youthfest performance.  He went to troupe, improv and ppt acting.  Bishop has continued with his art and is now exploring marker graffiti art and has watched FaceOff.  We all went to church.  Maceo hung out with friends on multiple occasions and Bishop as well.

And, of course, there are the countless hours pursuing individual pursuits - the podcasts, jazz music, movies, videos and books.