BBQ and Clubhouse

Last week, Lu received an outdoor grill from his grandmother.

He'd been asking for one since he got to help out at a friend's bbq

back in February.

He assembled it all by himself and started defrosting meat.

He started marinating on Thursday...

and on Sunday, he was ready to go!

We just ate and ate and ate...

It was a perfect afternoon.

 Another big project Lu's been working on

has been the building of his clubhouse.

Since we're on a semi-break from academics

(still a little math and reading, but minimal)

he's made a lot of progress.

He's been working on his clubhouse for about two years.

All it needs now is windows and it will finally be finished!

End of the Rainy Season

Rainy season is coming to an end, 

and our days are looking more and more like this:

Lu's been spending lots of time in the carpentry workshop,

and recently learned how to make 'empanadas'.

We learned all about the Nitrogen and Carbon Cycles.

 There's a Chess Club starting in town!

 We have a new, homemade ping-pong table!

It's still missing a proper net, 

but that hasn't stopped Lu and friends from playing,

with some Twister breaks in between matches :)

Pre-Columbian Societies, Non-Newtonian Fluids, and Natural Building

It's been raining hard and we were on hurricane alert

for a few days. 

Rain or shine, the boy is up and at 'em at 6am,

even though mama sometimes sleeps in until 7.

He's an early riser, no matter what time he goes to bed,

or how gray and cold it is outside.

We're still starting the mornings with guitar practice.

This week, Lu's been learning 

Metallica's Enter Sandman,

Guns 'n' Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine,

and The Beatles' Let It Be.

We've been using DK Eyewitness Books 

as history supplements for three years.

We're currently studying the Ancient Americas.

 Lu loves all the little info bits,

and I like the short-trip-to-the-museum feel of them.

We're usually in the same room when he's reading,

and he frequently stops to say something that starts with:

"MAMA!!! Did you know that......?!?!"

He did a great job on his map of Guatemala.

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I can't tell you how many times Lu has discovered yet another YouTube tutorial for making some kind of goo/slime substance that is then left in a HUGE tupperware, taking up way too much space in MY refrigerator, which after being played with a couple of times is never to be touched again until MAMA finally tosses it.

But this time, he nailed it.

This blue slime, aka a non-Newtonian fluid (aren't we smart?)

((lol. Well, I sure didn't know what that was until now anyway))

is REALLY AWESOME STUFF.

Lu brought it out a few times that we had (grown-up) friends over.

Everyone was playing with it. It's hypnotic.

And it doesn't even need refrigeration :mama happy:

 

  

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Cha had a group of university students from the U.S. 

come to learn about natural building, 

and Lu got to participate in the construction of this bamboo cabin.

 

Thanks for all the great learning experiences, Life!

Triangles, Translations, a Stool, and a Floor Plan

We continue working with triangles, and we're really starting to get into the thick of 5th grade geometry. This stuff is no joke. It's got me on my knees. I've been having to do some homework on my own time, so that Lu doesn't catch on to how clueless I am. lol. No, actually, he already knows.

Between Khan Academy videos and 5-minute tutorials from my husband, in a rush after lunch, when we weren't able to find the solution to a problem, we manage to "get" the math.

Lu's been translating for a photography workshop. The teacher doesn't speak much Spanish, so he translates for her, while learning about photography himself. I'll post some of his photos soon.

In History, he's been making a glossary of famous Ancient Greeks.

He's spent hours in the tool shed, building a little wooden stool for a friend who is celebrating his second birthday.

It's not even finished yet, 

and kitty is trying to claim it for himself with his 

"Don't touch my stool, fool" face on.

 Back to geometry (which has been taking A LOT of our time lately)...

I was terrible at math (as I've mentioned about a million times here), and nothing much stuck after the 4th grade. But I had a special experience with geometry when I was 25 and building my first house - specifically, doing floor plans. It was a very simple house, that only cost $5,000 to build, but it still required some design and know-how. As I worked through it, it all started making sense, and the little geometry I know, I owe to that house.

So, it occurred to me today,
just as I was REALLY needing a coffee break and some ME-time...

What better than to have Lu make a floor plan of his bedroom to appreciate geometry in a more practical way?

He did a great job! And I got a lovely hour ALL to myself.

Cables, Shelves, and Jedi Training