Science, Peanuts, & Indoor Bathrooms-- hooray!

And we couldn't be more excited! 

Here is what's going on around Ninja land. 

#1 Science, Science, Science!

It's science experiment time! If you remember, last co-op each family signed up for a specific date to do a family science experiment presentation. If you have misplaced your date or forgotten it-- please contact Kati for your date.

Rules:
Each family can work as a team or as individual children. For example- we have two boys and four girls. There is a good change my boys will be doing an experiment and my girls will be doing a different one. You could also divide up into age groups. 

The experiment should last no longer than 20 minutes.

The experiment should be legal to perform inside of city limits and cause no damage to the church property. You may have use of the outdoors for small explosives. (oh my, this is so fun!) 

Please have an explanation as to how your experiment works, why you chose it. Also, if you could bring directions to share for others-- that would be GREAT! Then families can go home and test your experiment for themselves!

On science experiment days we will only meet from 1:15-2:30   We will end at 2:15 and clean up for 15 minutes.

#2 HUGE Field Trip May 23rd. **Peanut allergy beware** 

We're headed for the MOST FANTASTIC, AMAZING Best EVER field trip-- and this is NO Lie! George Washington Carver National Monument guided tour is one of the very best memories I have of my early homeschool days. And if you've been on homeschool day-- this is even better!! Simply because we have a peaceful tour with the guide all to ourselves. Please click the link above and look around the site for more info. This tour is from 10am-1pm. The tour will be divided up into two parts. First, we will take a tour of the grounds, gardens, homestead. Then stop for a picnic lunch (bring a family lunch) on the lawn. After lunch, we will enter the lab for a chance to become a "plant doctor" ourselves! CLICK HERE for a peek at what we'll be doing (PDF file). Afterwards, we can tour the AMAZING museum, historical classroom, and video room.

Located in Diamond, MO (Near Carthage, MO) Please plan 1.5 hours for driving time. (Google maps show 1 hour 19 min from Chelsea) A group will be leaving from the Vinita Wal-Mart @ 8:30am. Be sure to bring money for the toll road. $5 will be plenty for round trip.

I hope you and your family can join in on the fun! Trip is limited to 40 people total and RSVP is required, please. 

George Washington Carver National Monument
5646 Carver Road
Diamond, MO 64840-8314

Phone Headquarters 417-325-4151
Fax 417-325-4231

GWCA_interpretation@nps.gov

#3 Family Camp Out Coming SOON!

May 30th will be our end of the year party-- family camp out style! James and Melissa York have kindly offered their 40 acres for camping and adventure! We will be camping near the beautiful pond which is close to the house-- which means- YES, there will be bathrooms available ; ) More details to come, but save the date!

As always, it is such a joy to spend life together with you amazing families and I take great pleasure in serving you. HOWEVER don't forget- this is a GROUP and you have LOTS to offer!! If you have an idea, information, or even want to take charge on something- Becky, Jeanna and I gladly welcome you!!




Lovingly yours,

Kati Gibson
918-500-0101
kathlean gibson @ g mai l.  com

New School Year- New Ninjas? 2012-2013 Plans

*Disclaimer: Remember: You are welcome to come to every Friday of co-op, one field trip, or every field trip. There is no obligation. The idea is to have a safe place for families to come together to learn and have fun. Each family learns at a different pace and in a different way. Here, there is no judgement in your style of learning- we're all in this together!  You'll notice, us mommas are totally in love with that Jesus of ours but if you're not a believer- you'll still fit right in here! Please come and be nice... everything is happier when we're nice. =) 

LOTS going on this year with the Ninjas! LOTS of fun and LOTS of changes!

1. CHANGE IN LOCATION- We will no longer be meeting in Vinita at Isaiah 58. We loved it there and we were SO thankful for Becky Lee allowing us to use it- However, after discussing the geographic makeup of our group- we've decided Chelsea would be a better place to meet.

Krystal Tucker has arranged for us to use the First Baptist Church in Chelsea located at 413 Beech St. We are very thankful for the opportunity to use this building-let's be sure treat it with respect (like I know we will) Also, let's be sure we all plan to spend the last 10 minutes or so of co-op picking up and putting things in order.

While the weather is nice, feel free to arrive a few minutes early for fun and games outside. There's a volleyball net and basketball goals- bring your own balls. ; ) You could even bring po-go sticks, rip-sticks, etc.

2. CHANGE IN WEEKLY SCHEDULE- This year we will not be having electives. In an attempt to keep things simple and fun we will have a more simple schedule. First Semester we will be doing only States and Presidents and Filed Trips. Second semester we will study our local branches of government- getting ready for Homeschool Capitol Day in OKC.

States and Presidents is something we did during our first year as Ninjas. For those of you who are not familiar with how States and Presidents work, here is a little breakdown:

On this day- students will need to bring a spiral notebook, (I recommend one for states and one for presidents) any state and president info you have from home and a pencil. Be prepared to dig in and get as much information you can about the person/state you choose!

Presidents:

{The following can be done on a simple level for younger children. Nine and up should answer in detail if you feel they are capable}

How did the president you chose impact America?

Was the impact good or bad?

What new laws did your president implement or pass?

What was his passion during his campaign? Did he follow thorough?

What was the public’s view of him?

What are some of the funniest facts about your president? What was something strange he loved?

States:

When did your state enter statehood?

What is it’s flower, bird, what are some native animals, and trees?

What national landmarks are there?

Did anyone famous come from there?

What food is it known for?

When we gather the last Friday of the month, students will need to have their poster board for presentation, a report (ONE or more page for nine and up, if capable) any books they may have used for display, and a sample to share of the food from that sate. Example: Blueberry muffins for Maine because they are famous for blueberries, corn in a crock pot for Nebraska because they grow lots of corn; or Hot dogs for New York,etc) On the fourth Friday of each month, Co-op will last until 3:30 because we will have 'a taste of the states' together. =) We will also chose our next months state/president on this day. Sometimes we will have students doing one that was already done in prior months, that's OK. The more perspective, the better!

2011

2011

This time is suppose to be fun and memorable! The more the kids dig deep for facts about things and present them in their own way- the better they stick. (shhhh... don't tell them but they're also learning great public speaking skills ; ) Check out HERE for a snapshot of one of our past years presentation days. 

3. CHANGE IN TIME- This year we will be having Co-Op at the church from 1-3 (except for the presentation day, we will stay until 3:30 on that day because we will be eating) Field trips will be the normal time, starting between 9:30&10:00am. 

4. CHANGE IN COST- Since we are not having electives this year, there will be no charge to families.  As long as we all work together and share supplies, etc. we won't have to have a fee per family. 

Here are a look at the Field Trips we plan to have this year. On the first day of co-op we will hand out a calender with all scheduled Field Trips, days off, parties, etc. 

Ride a Train! 

Learn how trains in Oklahoma work and take a ride! FREE, Owasso. 

Will Rogers Museum 

FREE for students, small fee for parents- Claremore

Philbrook Museum of Art http://philbrook.org/

You'll be surprised, even the big boys will love this one! Small admission, Tulsa

Tulsa's New Science Museum 

This will be a new treat for us all! Cost TBD- Tulsa

Tour PSO Dam

We're finally going to do it! Free, Oologah 

OKC Capitol Day

It's a road trip! Free, OKC

Tour the Post Office

How does it get from there to our house? What are the rules? FREE, Location TBD

Go to Court! 

We'll sit in on a real Rogers County court hearing, meet the judge, and ask questions. FREE, Claremore

Tour the Dairy 

What all do they do there? How do they make their butter? FREE, Claremore

Tour the Farm

Check out a local farm and how they get chickens ready for sale in local stores. FREE, Chelsea

These events aren't in any certain order as dates haven't been set. Some aren't even confirmed yet. If you have a field trip you'd like to plan- let us know! We'd love to schedule it in! 

This year we will not be having a fall party- only a Christmas party. The date will be Dec 13th or 20th.

a rainy day, lots of books, & an upcoming fall p.j. party!

Well, another fun couple of weeks have passed yet again!

Of course it rained on our monthly service project day! What better way to get out and serve than in the rain, right? It sure puts things into perspective... for parents. Ha! Those kiddos didn't mind the rain one bit! I think this service was more for us mommas, at least it was for this momma. Believe me, coffee and a slow morning were sounding good when the thunder set in ; )

All in all, we had a great time out and about loving on local businesses who serve our little community. Later that day, while in the local store-- the Librarian came up to me and said, "Thank you so much for the cookies the homeschool kids brought by today. It made my whole day happy."

I wasn't in the group that delivered to the library. So, those of you who were, you made her day!

Afterwards, lots of kiddos, fun mommas, and muddy little people flooded the gibson home-- something I always love dearly.

it never fails... one day it will snap ; )

you might be a homeschooler if you have an actual cash register in your room.

The following week we had lots of fun with lots of books. With it being fall break, we had several people not able to make it but it was still a fun field trip. Mrs. Susan at the Vinita Public Library did a great job showing us around and teaching us awesome library tools online.  

yes, that is my daughter, Emmyn sitting on Mrs. Susan the librarian's lap.
My kids know no strangers, sheesh!

Afterwards we went to the local park for lunch and play! One of our kiddos stopped by to show off her first "kill" (oh, mommas that was hard for me to type) It was her very first time out hunting and sure enough, she had a BIG 'ol Deer in the back of that truck! 

Oh my goodness.

 

See? You just never know what you're going to learn about?! 

This week is our Fall PJ Party. We will be meeting at the church at 9:30, mommas to set up for PARTY TIME ; ) Then the kids will go to electives from 10:00-11:00.

K-1 -- fun art or fun science (teacher choice)

2-3 -- fun art or fun science (teacher choice)

4th and up girls -- we will do scrap-booking since there is so much food already
4th and up boys-- will head over to Tyler's house for Hands on Horses.

At 11:00 we will move into party mode! Mommas, please remember what station you selected and get with whoever you need help from. If I can help in any way, be sure to contact me.

I believe we planned to have the following:

cake walk - kati

ring toss - jeanna

carnival type games - susan and helper

icky, sticky table - lydia

fall craftiness- tiffany s

... hmmmm what am I missing? Don't forget to wear your PJ's!

Everyone is to bring a side dish to share-- I say no sweets ; ) Drinks, Meatballs, and Nachos will be provided. 

Oh, it's just so much fun!

Joyfully serving you and those crazy kiddos of ours, 

Kati =)

chit chat, cookies, and a little service go a long way.

I remember when I was young and I would hear all the old people talking about how "they just didn't know where the time was going" -- I would always think, what is wrong with you people?

I am the old person now.

Time? Where in the world does it go, mommas!

With that said, we have rounded another month and facing a new service project tomorrow. Before those details, let's recap over the month.

Last month's service project to the Boys and Girls Club & Local Food Bank was a HUGE success. We had such a fun time and the Kids worked hard. For some reason, we forget to bring our actual cameras and only have iPhones and iPads and those don't take the best pictures. So, the indoor pictures from the B&G Club aren't very good quality so I didn't post them. You can imagine them ; ) We cleaned floors, toilets, and lockers. We picked up trash and washed walls. It was a great time. Below you will see all of our kiddos at our first stop. United Methodist Church Food Pantry. Our kiddos piled in their old basement and dropped off lots of goodies for the people of Chelsea.

kiddos at food pantry

 The week after that was our Elective week. The big boys enjoyed a trip to the local Auto Repair shop for a lesson on changing oil and jack safety. The big girls enjoyed cooking and scrapbooking, and all the littles enjoyed fun science and fun art in various classrooms, divided by age.

Thank you to our mommas for doing a great job playing, "school"!

girls cooking class

Last Friday, we had our support day. Kids played games and crafts -- boys in one room, girls in another, mommas in the big room. Mommas talked about upcoming events and made plans along with just sharing life and encouraging one another (can this be my favorite Friday?) Then, everyone pulled out their sack lunches and enjoyed fellowship in the dining hall.

One of the decisions made during support Friday was T-Shirts. I just received word today, they are ready! I can't say enough about how quickly they were finished. I gave him the design on Monday afternoon and they were finished in THREE days (this includes ordering the blank shirts)! Deric Brock at All Star Trophy did an amazing job. He's fantastic.

blue front

green back

If you ordered T-shirts PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring your money ($9/shirt) We will wear our shirts for the service project and need to pay All Star Trophy by this weekend. Do not make checks out to me, please make them out to AST. If you didn't order and would still like to, you are welcome to do so. Becky and I have decided to place another order but must have a minimum of 10 shirts. Let me know if you'd like to. We will place another order within two weeks so we are sure to get everyone. This will be the last order before next years shirts. 

Tomorrow is our next Service Project! This week, we are taking it to the streets! We're handing out yummy goodies to local businesses, trying to bring a bit of fall cheer to the end of their week. They work hard serving the people in the community and this is our little way of giving back. 

Remember, each family (if able) are to bring THREE desserts to give. Example, 1 plate of cookies, 1 loaf of bread, 12 muffins. OR just three plates of cookies. 

We will meet at the rock parking lot of Dollar General and go on foot. We will divide up into groups so we don't overload the businesses. Perhaps, some of you can head up to the schools after we meet. You will be surprised what joy this little act of kindness can bring. After delivering goodies we will head over to the park for a sack lunch and play.

So tomorrow please bring:

*T-shirt money ($9ea)
*3 baked goods for 3 businesses
*a sack lunch for your family

I thought it would be sweet if some of us could bake a little extra for Mr. Deric Brock, who made our t-shirts. He just did just a fantastic job. Although he's not a local business in Chelsea, his shop, All Star Trophy was started in Chelsea by his father many years ago. This would be a "sweet" little bonus for him and a nice way for us to say, thanks. If you would like to bring a little treat for him,  I'll deliver those to him with payment. (I happen to know, he loves a little sweet baked goodie around to munch on ; )

Click to enlarge. YES I know the date is wrong. It IS Saturday, Oct 13th (not, 12th)

Last but not least: THIS SATURDAY NIGHT I will be having a Mom's Night Out here at my house. If you do not have details and would like them, please click the flyer and RSVP ASAP =) I hope you can make it! It's going to be fun. ; )



I hope you know what a blessing each and every one of you are to me. I am so thankful to be surrounded by people helping me raise my children in Godly character and challenging me each step of the way. This time last year, I was begging God to help me meet other homeschooling families in our area and now I can't imagine it any other way!
 

joyfully serving you and those crazy kiddos of ours, 

Kati =)

Elective Week Is Here! IMPORTANT INFO

ELECTIVE COST: if you have multiple children-- the cost is $10 per semester for the first child and $5 for each additional child. If finances keep you from doing electives, please see Kati or Becky-- it's NO BIG DEAL--we just need to know how to plan.

 
Cooking & Scrap-booking- Kati
1st hour we will be cooking in the kitchen (menu change, this month: cookies) Second hour, we will work on a scrapbook. We will keep the scrapbook at co-op for the whole semester and show it off at the Christmas party. =)
Materials Needed THIS week: Elective money
Spare scrapbook items laying around your house
Spare stickers, markers, pens, glue, or scissors


Boys Auto Repair- Transporter, Jeanna (we need a helper for our older boys)
The boys will travel to their elective each month. This month is the auto repair shop. Drive time will never be over 10 min. While at their elective, they will receive hands on training in a specific field. Next month, October is learning Horses at Becky's house-- taught by her son, Tyler.
Materials Needed THIS week:
Elective money
Wear dirty clothes
Work gloves if you don't want to get your hands messy


Fun Art and Science for K-1st Grade: Leslie
Remember, the classes are so super easy, and just built to be fun-- no homework type stuff. As always, Becky and I are totally here to help however needed.
Materials Needed THIS week:
Elective money
A snack for between classes
notebook and folder for science and art
Mrs. Leslie will have the rest

 
Fun Art and Science for 2nd & 3rd : Tiffany S.
Remember, the classes are so super easy, and just built to be fun-- no homework type stuff. As always, Becky and I are totally here to help however needed. 
Materials Needed THIS week: Elective money
A snack for between classes
notebook and folder for science and art
Mrs. Tiffany will have the rest


Notice, 3rd grade and younger need to bring a snack for between classes. Becky, Susan and other free moms will be floating around to help. If someone doesn't raise up to help Jeanna with the boys, Becky will be helping her with transporting the big boys.

As always, be sure to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

The House Ninjas Have Left Their Mark on OKC!

It was a fantastic day at Harn Homestead in OKC!

From lunch under the trees to tag around the gazebo, fun was had by all-- kids and adults! 

We spent our time shelling corn, roping, playing dress up in a 100 year old house, making ropes, milking "cows", hanging the laundry out to dry and having school in a 100 year old one room school house. It was a sweet, sweet trip. Dad's hopped in and helped the littles and I saw a lot of mommas taking pictures. = o)

Mr. David did a fantastic job showing our group around and I think we all learned a lot.

Remember, this Friday is Elective week! Mommas (and dads) teaching classes have some great things planned, I am SUPER excited! Be to co-op on time and come prepared!

As always, be sure to email or call with any questions or concerns.

Joyfully serving you and those CrAzY kiddos of ours,

Kati =)