Recent Reads

“Recent Reads” is new feature on Dissonant Symphony. You can expect to see a post like this once or twice a month detailing our current page turners. I’ll include a short description of each book and every title will be a link to purchase it. However, I highly recommend utilizing your local library whenever possible. We spend copious amounts of time reading. I’d be dead broke and living in a box made out of books if I purchased all the literature we consume. I generally assuage my conscience with the idea that if I “fail” at all other aspects of homeschooling, but have passed along a voracious love of the written word, I will have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Continue reading

Science Observation: Bird’s Nest Day 17

With a heavy heart, I broke the news to my kids this morning. Our baby bird from yesterday still hasn’t moved and doesn’t appear to be alive. The other two eggs are still unhatched. This may turn out to be a more somber science lesson than I anticipated at the beginning. I guess of all days, Good Friday is an appropriate time to talk about life and death.

Robot Turtles

We are a game playing kind of family. I’m also a sneaky mother. Which means, if there’s a game that teaches a skill — I’m all over it. Just in case you are wondering, making it through the Molasses Swamp unscathed or getting un-lost from Lord Licorice’s Lagoon are not skills I’m concerned about. Yes, I’m looking at you Candyland. When I heard about Robot Turtles
from a friend, I knew it was going to be right up my alley.

Robot Turtles Continue reading

Science Observation: Bird’s Nest Day 16

These birds are never going to hatch. Ever. They’ll be the first eggs in the history of the universe to just decide to stay in there. Why am I watching a nest anyway? I don’t even like birds. Yet here I am like some kind of dopey idiot checking on a bunch of twigs and an evil mother bird who doesn’t follow any of the rules of her species.  (sigh) As if you haven’t already figured it out…still no babies.

Resurrection Rolls

Yes. That preview photo is a marshmallow being dipped in melted butter. It’s the beginning of another way we reinforce the meaning of Easter. With Resurrection Rolls. They require just a few simple ingredients, and kids can easily assemble them. You’ll need marshmallows, a tube of biscuit dough, melted butter and some cinnamon/sugar.

Resurrection Rolls
Continue reading