Author: Tonya

Five Looks On A Book

~ Tonya ~ Leave a comment

Because of our constant and unquenchable thirst for the written word, I’m generally on the lookout for new and exciting ways to structure “book reports”. I want my children to be comfortable retelling a story in their own words in many different formats. A delightful recent find is called “Five Looks On A Book” from Teaching Resources. The idea was first thought up by a third grader from California, and then made into a printable by Laura. The worksheet requires students to come up with adjectives about their book and details to support those describing words – I think it’s quite genius. Continue reading →

Devotional: I Want to Give It All Away

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Often my children remind me just how greatly and simply they understand the principles of the Lord. They are a constant reflection of Christ’s words in Matthew 18:3 – “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. At 8 & 6 years old, my kids just “get it”.

On the way to church Sunday, my son announced that he was bringing all his money to donate to Jason (an orphan boy the Sunday School classrooms support each year). He’d gathered every dollar in his possession and had his treasure clutched between his tiny fingers, ready to give it all away to a child he’s never met. Instantly, his generous spirit laid bare an overarching principle that I still struggle with well into my 30s. “Ours” is really God’s. He doesn’t need our stuff…but wants to bless our lives through giving. Continue reading →

Why I Just Quit My Job as a Stay-At-Home-Mom

~ Tonya ~ 4 Comments

Because some days, don’t we all want to? Due to the nature of the internet, I feel it is necessary to preface this post with the following disclaimer. I love my kids. Most days, I feel blessed beyond measure to have the privilege of raising such remarkable little people. However…there are days. Unbelievably challenging, never-ending afternoons of horror. Days that stretch me to the very breaking point. Today was such a loathsome 24-hours. I’d had enough. Beyond frustration. I’d taken a breather, and a short walk. Neither helped. There was nothing left to do…so I quit. My husband received the following resignation letter this afternoon.

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Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

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While my husband was training for his new job in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, the kids and I took a jaunt to the Oregon Coast and spent 5 glorious days flying kites, observing nature, building sand castles, exploring miles of pristine beaches, discovering tide pool creatures and generally having a jolly good time.

At the Oregon Coast

The Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area was one of the highlights of our trip, and I thought I’d share a little for anyone in search of a ruggedly beautiful place to vacation this summer.

Yaquina Head & Lighthouse from Cape Foulweather

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How to Change Blue to White and White to Blue

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Otherwise known as sunprints! My kids and I enjoyed this fun science project last year. The beautiful weather this weekend reminded me of it, and thus you are the beneficiary of a great outdoor learning activity for you and your munchkins.

You’ll need sunprint paper, acrylic sheet, cardboard, a tub full of water, fun and interesting objects to print. You can purchase sunprint paper from Amazon (who now has free same day shipping to 14 metro areas with Prime Memberships!), they also sell sunprint kits which include an acrylic sheet, you’ll see from the pictures that I used a Pyrex casserole dish thinking it would be just as good…I was so wrong. I ended up with blurred fuzzy edges. Just say no to fuzzy edges!

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Rockets Review Game

~ Tonya ~ 1 Comment

My son played this review game with his tutor during our CC community day last year and loved it. It seems to have disappeared from CC Connected, so I attempted to recreate one for our own use. You can utilize it too…if you promise not to laugh at the slightly fuzzy around the edges version I created. My son thinks it’s great – that’s good enough for me. Continue reading →

Do You Tweet?

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Dissonant Symphony is on Twitter! If you are too, let’s connect!
You can follow @dissymphony — or just click the follow button on the right sidebar of your screen. It looks like this.
Twitter Follow
If you are reading from a smart phone or other (non-computer) device. Click here:

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Often I just tweet our activities and ideas because they don’t warrant a whole post. Don’t miss anything! See you on Twitter!

Recent Reads

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Welcome to this month’s edition of Recent Reads!

Aloud Adventure

The Sign of the Beaver – Although he faces responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger steals his gun, Matt realizes he has no way to shoot game or to protect himself. When Matt meets Attean, a boy in the Beaver clan, he begins to better understand their way of life and their growing problem in adapting to the white man and the changing frontier.
Note from me: My kids loved this book. Great adventure, a little danger and themes of understanding people different from ourselves.

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Wouldn’t You Agree?

~ Tonya ~ 1 Comment

I just completed a phone survey about kids and television. My blood is boiling. Forgive me for this rant, I have to unload somewhere. Prepare yourself.

We made the decision to get rid of television in our home 6 years ago. I find television news a passive approach to information and despise being spoon fed opinions on current events. I prefer to get my facts from the source rather than filtered down through various editor’s desks, being wrapped in makeup and lighting, and finally disseminated in the most politically correct way possible. Television news is a business. This kind of “news” is meant to garner ratings. Period. I find it pandering and insulting to my intelligence. How’s that for breaking news? Continue reading →