We moved on to studying ancient Greece, and one of my first activities for Neil was learning Greek roots. On the first day, Neil asked me if “acro-” was the prefix for high, what was the prefix for low? I had no idea, and the list I had (in a simple kids’ activity book on…
Author: cjbickford
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Since the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is in San Jose, we happen to visit it just about every year. But this was the first year we went there after a course of study on ancient Egypt. Needless to say, we noticed and absorbed more than we had on other visits. For one thing, after taking the…
The Tapestry of Arts Festival
On Saturday morning, Peter took us all to see the Tapestry of Arts festival which had appeared overnight on the streets of downtown San Jose. The last time we went to see it was 11 years ago when I was pregnant with Neil, and I remember it being big, but also awfully hot. In short,…
Summer’s End at Seacliff Beach
For Kelly’s last summer day before she had to officially step into school, I took her to the beach. I let her choose the beach, because while my favorite is the relatively quiet New Brighton Beach, I though Kelly might have her own preferences at this point. And she did. She asked me to take…
The California State Fair 2008
Peter took a day off work so we could visit the California State Fair on Thursday. It’s one of our regular summer highlights, a fair that celebrates all things Californian in such a big and spectacular way (and changes up its entertainment every day) that it’s impossible to take it all in. This year’s theme…
The Modern American Circus
Until last Wednesday, my children had never seen a circus. But when I had an opportunity to buy them preview night tickets for $15 apiece, I bought three: one for each child and one for the accompanying adult. Both Peter and I had low expectations, I have to say. Neither of us had been to…
Happy Happy Lenderman’s Amazing Devaluation Miracle
In May, I wrote about my neighbors, who despite having low-end blue-collar jobs, had managed to pay $869,000 for the gorgeous house across the street. As it turned out, they didn’t pay at all, because they’d been given a loan with no money down and no questions asked by the underwriting genius I dubbed Happy…
Kelly Starts Kindergarten
Kelly had her kindergarten orientation this morning, while the older classes had their first day of school, and Peter and I are still ambivalent about sending her off. There was a lot to look forward to with being at a neighborhood school instead of at the science magnet where Neil went. The school is only…
Valley of the Heart’s Delight
The Santa Clara Valley used to be known as Valley of the Heart’s Delight for its great farmland and rich orchards. They’ve pretty much been taking over by business and housing, but when summer time comes, I look forward to August, because that’s the time of year my neighbors come knocking on my door carrying…
Why Homeschoolers Do Summer Vacation Like Everyone Else in the Entire Universe
When I started hanging out with homeschoolers last summer, I wondered openly why so many of them took their family vacations during the summer time, when everyone else in the universe does. Travelling in the summer means having to pay top dollar, face crowded attractions, and compete for lodging: so if you’re not bound to…