Science in the community

One thing I can really appreciate about living in the area I live in is the many opportunities available to homeschoolers.  A friend sent me an announcement by email for Science Saturdays which were being held at our local community college.






The program allows 6th - 7th graders to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related topics.  The class my younger girls participated in explored forensic biology.  They learned how to test for body fluids, extracted DNA from a strawberry, practiced hair analysis, did fingerprinting, and delved into the topic of chromatography.

Pumpkin went kicking and screaming.  She just couldn't understand why we had to "do school" on a Saturday.  By the end of the 3 hour class she was all smiles and enjoyed what she learned and for $20 mom was all smiles too. 

In the Spring, there will be a mini med school which is a series of 4 anatomy classes with hands-on experiments and dissections.   I never do science justice so I am glad these classes came along for us to participate.

I also got a chance to look around the community college as I had never been to this campus.  They recently opened the science building we were in so having the biology class in a real college science lab was icing on the cake.  

The Kennedy Center

I always get inspired to do a weekly wrap up after I read other bloggers' wrap up.   I'm inspired by their week and maybe just maybe someone will be inspired or encouraged by my week.  I decided to try a different format this week to switch it up a bit. 

My Favorite Thing this Week...  seeing Sphinx Virtuosi with friends at the Kennedy Center.  I was surprised at my reaction to this performance - simply exhilarating.  One solo performer was 15 years' old and I was just in awe of her performance.  There is a Q & A session after each performance.  An audience member asked how long she practiced and she answered 5 hours per day!  She then said she was homeschooled so she had time to do that.  Of course there were homeschoolers in the house who cheered loudly after that.

From their website:
 The Sphinx Virtuosi Tour offers a diverse program featuring well-known repertoire in addition to works by African-American and Latino composers, including works by Mozart, Piazzolla, Michael Abels, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and others. The Sphinx Virtuosi (formerly Sphinx Chamber Orchestra) is a conductorless ensemble comprised of alumni from the Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players. This unique group has earned rave reviews from The New York Times. Allan Kozinn of the Times described their performances as "first-rate in every way" and the ensemble to have "produced a more beautiful, precise and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional orchestras that come through Carnegie Hall in the course of the year."

 We're Reading...well we just finished Around the World in 80 days.  It's part of the Excellence in Literature curriculum that Pumpkin is doing this year.  We often like to look at the movie of a book after we read it so we got this copy from the library.  This version was not very well done.  There is an updated version with Jackie Chann but it isn't at my library yet.

 Places We're Going...  the usual weekly routine of co-op, the YMCA for Zumba, Art & Piano.

 Things I'm Working On... staying ahead of the kids with the weekly lesson plan sheets.  If I'm organized it makes for a smoother week.

Random Things I'm Thinking about ...  preparing Princess for 11th grade that looms right around the corner - ordering drivers' education materials, talking to the local PS to make sure I get a spot for her to take PSATs,  application to VCU's Art intensive for high schoolers, and talking to the local CC for dual enrollment. 


Head over to weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers to see what other moms were up to this week.

Beyoutiful Products

Well it's not everyday you get to review skincare products on a homeschool blog but that is just what I am about to do.  At The OldSchoolhouse review crew, we got an opportunity to review products from Beeyoutifulskin.com.  I don't wear make-up everyday and most people tell me I don't need it but everyone wants a finished look every now and again so I chose to review the make-up products.  I usually wear make-up on Sundays when I go to church.  Even the clerk at the grocery store yesterday  commented on  how nice I looked.  I know one should just say thank you but I couldn't help but to say "I know, all the other times I come in here I look a mess."

I had to choose 3 sample colors from the website to try before selecting the one product I would receive in the mail to review.  To say that this was a daunting task is an understatement.  Looking at colors on the computer or even on paper is so very different from actually trying the colors on the skin.  Nonetheless, I choose three foundational colors that I received in the mail.  I followed the instructions for testing each color on my skin tone.  I choose the one I felt closely matched along with two eye colors to try and received the full product in the mail a week or so later.    Coincidentally, on the week of my birthday, I received:

1 Foundation color
1 Foundation brush
1 Eye/lip color
1 Multi-purpose brush
1 DVD
Retail value: $53

Since I reached a milestone birthday I felt like celebrating.  I wore the make-up everyday of that week!  I got that finished look I like along with complementary eye color that I adore.  Beyoutiful skin mineral make up is all pure, natural with no chemicals, preservatives or fillers.   They have over 20 foundation colors from the lighest skin tones to the darkest skin tones and over 45 eye colors, blushes and bronzers.  There is a how-to video at their website that gives instruction on how to apply their make-up.   Make-up packages start at $52.00.



In addition to the beeyoutifulskin care line of products there are a host of other health products at their beeyoutiful.com website.  These products include essential oils, vitamins, supplements, and so many other products. These products are worth a look especially for the conscious consumer who is interested in all natural products.

See what my other "crew mates" thought of Beeyoutifulskin here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine