Rocks, rocks and more rocks.....

Who knew that rocks and minerals could be so interesting.
The kids have been doing experiments on a whole heap of different rocks and minerals over the last few weeks.

Ciara figured out the minerals in different toothpastes that were most effective for cleaning stains off teeth..



We grew crystals with our "Magic Rocks" kit...(didn't you always wanted one of those sets as a kid???)



And we looked at rock samples to determine whether they were igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic.



I will never look upon your humble garden variety rock in quite the same way after all this.

Schedules & Lists

I am by nature a list maker. I like to be organized so I can be sure I cover everything without any last minute chaos. Having said that I do see the need to be laid back enough that a schedule doesn't take over my life and stop me from enjoying a spontaneous and fun opportunity.
So with that in mind I am using this post to record a couple of wonderful sites I have come across...mostly prepared by other more seasoned hsers....that have some well prepared and time tested lists.

Core Foundations Blog - Has some really useful schedules for Apologia and Prentice Hall Science and Saxon math. She also has some blank schedules and some great ones for literature and history. This site also has a really neat list of texts that correlate to Story of the World history.

Donna Young's site has a slew of great planning, record keeping and admin forms for hsers

I'm sure I'll stumble on more as time goes on...and probably tailor some to suit our own needs.