Saturday, January 23, 2010

Van Gogh Larger than Life

Yesterday the kids and I headed out the Pacific Science Center to catch the IMAX Van Gogh movie.

I loved it. I thought the images were great. Since I adore the texture and thickness of the oils in Van Gogh's work, the HUGE images of close-ups of the paintings were thrilling. I really enjoyed that the film makers went to places Van Gogh painted and showed us the locations and then the paintings. The narration was okay - actually the writing was good but the narrator had a thick accent which made it difficult for me to understand and at time impossible for my kids. I had some concerns about how they would treat the ear cutting incident and his death, but they were very non-chalant and non-graphic about the whole thing. Overall truly enjoyable.

Theo was really impressed by the movie. First off, he's super sensitive and claims to *hate* movies. Because the music was pretty soothing and the Van Gogh torment was played down, Theo had no problems with the emotional content of the film. After dinner he started several drawings in the Van Gogh short-stroke style and suggested it would be fun to make a Van Gogh lap book. This is high praise from my son!

Rosie spent most of her time observing the projector system and figuring out how it works (I think the narrator's accent threw her for a loop). Right at the end, she perked up when she caught that Van Gogh shot himself in the chest in the middle of a wheat field. Titillated by that fact, she too has been talking non-stop about him since the movie ended. We all get what we want from any experience....

All in all I highly recommend the film. Here's the trailer to whet your appetite.







Sunday, January 17, 2010

Idea: Homeschool Prep for the Week



One of the challenges I have with homeschooling the kids is that they are so full of energy it is often hard for them to just hold still and focus.

Today I think I happened upon a great solution: a 4 hour hike!  The kids and I walked to the top of Tiger Mountain, a 6.2 mile hike with a 2000 foot elevation gain.  We enjoyed the trees, the streams, each and every lovely stick, plus the view at the top.



Last I checked, Theo was lying on the floor upstairs humming to himself and Rosie was sitting in the library staring at pictures. I think tomorrow might go very smoothly.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy New Year!

New year and so many fun thing to post from our busy December.

Today I'm making lotion and hair oil in preparation for our annual trip to Sleeping Lady. As of this morning, they have a full foot of snow, and we and our homeschool buddies are the only families registered.  This promises to be a fantastic 4 days.

And, with Theo sneaking outside past me with an armful of towels, I do believe it is time to get off the computer and go check on the "packing" kids.

Hope your new year is filled with peace, love and laughter!