Weekly Wrap-up: Distraction edition

This was the week of distractions:  An orthodontist appointment.  A sick child.  A car needing service.  A women's ministry meeting at church.  Documents and letters to be written and emailed or faxed. 

How am I supposed to fit in the homeschooling?

Some weeks don't seem as productive as others.  I don't like being pulled away from my kids during the day. I want to be available to them, to help them in their independent work when they need it, and to read science and history and literature to them. In my darkest moments, I know that if they were in school they'd have the full attention of their teachers at every moment; they'd never have to wait for  help with a difficult math problem or do something on their own because their teacher was too busy. 

Oh, it might not work out that way, you say?

The highlight of the week was a viewing of the IMAX movie Hubble.  We hadn't set out to see an IMAX movie this week, but we had to go to the Franklin Institute, a science museum down in Philly, to pick up a membership we'd gotten via a great internet promotion.  We went right after the orthodontist visit in which I learned that my girl needs braces now, and headgear soon.  We needed something fun after that.

The move was fabulous but the conversation afterward was even better.  All throughout the movie I was thinking about the incredible universe God created.  The images I saw and the information I learned just made it more obvious that there is a Creator.  Afterward, I was so happy to hear my kids relating the same thoughts, unsolicited by me. We spent a lot of time talking about space, God, and creation. We mused on the idea that the universe just came about randomly and wondered how anyone can believe that, given what we see every day.  (Your mileage may vary on that, and we won't hate you if that's the case.  We won't understand you, though.)   The talk went on and on.

When we got home I was able to put my hands on this book on our shelves, now apparently out of print:

This book is by the same authors:

The Hubble also has a mention in the Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia (Usborne Internet-Linked Discovery Program) which leads to Hubblesite and more information.

So was it a productive week after all?  My children moved forward in their skills; maybe not as much as I'd have liked.  They also moved forward in their knowledge and understanding of the world, our place in it, and God's role in it.  Not so bad for a week with a distracted mom and a sick kid, eh?

See more weekly wrap-ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.