International Night

Hello, fellow co-op family. That is really what if feels like after sharing so many meals together. I pray you feel the same. As I type this and consider next weeks dinner theme, I noticed blue sky breaking through the clouds. What a beautiful sight! I say we have a "blue" food night. Nah, just kidding. We can't all fill up on blue raspberry Jello no matter how hard we tried. Instead, let's have an International night. What is your specialty or your heritage? Maybe it's Greek, Italian, or German. How about Mexican, French or Chinese. Don't forget Canadian. (Yes, there are dishes that are truly Canadian fare.) Oh, I can't wait to taste your families favorites from around the world. If you feel so inclined to provide us with some supplies rather than throw together a Tourtiere, we are in need of forks, cups and Splenda packets. Thanks for all you do and I will meet you around the dinner table.'

Co-Op Science

Just a reminder, last time we met, the children were given an informational packet on the science fair with a parents page and everything, :-) If you did not get one, please see me 3/16. You may also visit the website, http://sciencebuddies.org and look under the Teacher's Guide and print/read the parent's guide and have the children fill out the Science Project Proposal Form, page A-5 through A-7 and page A-10. This will give you a great head start. Not sure of a project? Use the project wizard and it will point you in the right direction! See you soon.

Dinner

From Heather Breeland:

Oh how I hate I had to miss last weeks dinner. I've heard that Chinese Take Out was a big hit. So many of you have told me how much you enjoyed it and how much fun it was. That has been so good to hear. I'm still looking forward to my Chinese food. Due to illness we did not get to celebrate Valentine's Day in our usual manner. Please pray for our health, especially our little Cecilia as we have to take her back to Savannah on Monday for more blood work. As I type this, her fever has returned.

Now on to next week's dinner. We have all at one time or another looked for ways to make dinner quick and delicious. And many times when we've reached this point we grab that infamous can of Campbell's soup and whip up something our mothers used to make or the recipe we saw on the can. You can usually spot one of their recipes in your favorite magazine or, if you're like me, you own the cookbooks. Now you can even find them online. So, next week see what you can do with a can of Campbell's soup. I don't want everbody bringing a green been casserole either. Surprise us with something we might not have tried, but we'll love it when we do. Have fun with it and, hopefully, I'll see you around the dinner table.

Kid's Life Inventions & Technology:
I wanted to post this site while I was thinking about it http://www.10paperairplanes.com/
We will be discussing flight and aerodyamics and the physics behind the invention of the airplane.

Chinese Food!

From Heather Breeland:

I love a traditional pot luck dinner and last week's dinner did not disappoint. Some brought old favorite recipes to share. Others showed up with a new recipe they wanted to try and declared us their "guinea pigs." That's funny! I thought last week was all about groundhogs. Oh well, I enjoyed every bite.

I have a story to share before I tell you the theme. You see, Chris and I have always tried to avoid the commercialism that surrounds most holidays. When we got married 22 years ago, we decided that we would not buy gifts to exchange on Valentine's Day. Rather, we would make it a point to do something special and make it a tradition. And so we have. Every year I pick up a movie and he picks up take out Chinese food. We pull out our fine china and watch the movie while we dine by candlelight. (Mushy, isn't it.) So, even though it will be after Valentine's Day when we get together again, can you guess what our theme will be? That's right, Chinese.

Please remember, as you plan your dish, that Melissa has invited those who are interested in learning more about the Co-Op to join us for dinner. So, make a little extra and I'll see you around the dinner table.

Co-Op Science

In Co-op science we have also talked briefly about the simple machines covered in the Inventions and Technology class (Kid's Life), but have been focusing on the scientific method and how to acknowledge a problem, make a hypothesis, set up and experiment to test it , collect data and draw conclusions. We started an experiment in our last period together and will finish it up 2/16. Visit this site to view a Power Point on the scientific method: http://science.pppst.com/scientificmethod.html
We are gearing up for the Science Fair in April.

Kids Life Science

Many have asked what was covered last time in Kid's Life class and how to get the homework...I am really bad about this blogging stuff, personally I have a love/hate relationship with computers in general...but I will make a conscious effort to get this stuff posted in a timely manner.
Visit this site and go through the PowerPoint with your child. We talked, and will continue to talk, about simple machines. It is important that they have a good working knowledge of what these are and where they find them. http://science.pppst.com/simplemachines.html
As for homework, I had worksheets of which I will have extra copies tomorrow for the kids to take home. It is important that kids bring a notebook (three ring or folder w/ posts) I spend a great deal of time helping the kids to get the homework home, the rest is up to you and a folder will make it easier. See you in the morning!