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This blog will have musings about writing, homeschooling, secular science, and of course our travels!
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Homeschooling by Blair LeeJul 27, 20169:57 amJuly 27, 2016
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Handcrafting History: Our Year Studying Politics: This Week in School, Day 1 through 3, 7/24,25,26/2016

This Week in School, Day 1, 7/24/2016 The next series of posts shares  part of our journey while studying politics. It is political, because we studied politics. We are using the eclectic methodology called Project-Based […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMay 6, 20161:29 pmSeptember 20, 2016
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Using RSO Biology 2 for High School Biology

There is a planned level 3 book that will use the Level 2 book with added material in each chapter and in each unit. In the mean time, I am getting many requests for how Biology 2 […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMar 21, 20162:32 pmSeptember 21, 2016
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Handcrafting High School: Year 2: Month 1: On the Road: The Rest of the Trip

8/23-24: Sinks Canyon State Park Early in my relationship with Jim I had to establish a rule. We can only drive so far before stopping. Jim is one of those people who will drive as […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMar 3, 20168:04 amMarch 3, 2016
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Handcrafting High School: Year 2: Month 1: On the Road: Custer State Park, SD

I think the year you study geology and environmental science, you should spend time outside looking at the subject of your studies, so we did. I did not keep a daily journal, because I had […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeFeb 27, 20167:46 amMay 9, 2016
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Handcrafting High School: Year 2, Month 1: The Service Project

I’m going to depart a bit and tell you about what we learned. I think it is the best way for you to get a feel for the profound benefits of exposing young people to this […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeFeb 18, 20161:02 pmFebruary 18, 2016
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Handcrafting High School: Year 2: Month 1 (Post 1 of 3 – On the Way to the Service Project)

The first month of tenth grade might have been the best month we ever spent homeschooling. You might be thinking, “Well, Yeah! You were traveling and hanging out. How could that not be great?” 🙂 […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeFeb 13, 20168:33 am
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A Present for You on Darwin Day

SEA Homeschoolers and Pandia Press are teaming up to give you a Darwin Day present! We hope you have the happiest of Darwin Days! This lesson is from one of the Famous Science Series from R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeFeb 11, 20169:21 am
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Science and the Secular Homeschooler

I live in Southern California. I taught science at community college, and now I write about it. Those two sentences convey a lot of information about how easy it is for me to negotiate my […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeNov 22, 20159:55 amDecember 3, 2015
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Handcrafting High School: Year 1, Month 9 through the Year’s End

We school year round with lots of breaks. That doesn’t matter to a planner like me though. Every year I have a start date and an end date.  The year-end date for this year was […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeOct 29, 20158:50 amOctober 29, 2015
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The Scientific Method: Defined, Applied, Understood, Learned

How did you learn the scientific method? If I were to ask you what the scientific method was, would you rattle off a series of terms? Would you say to me hypothesis, procedure, observations, data […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 23, 201510:00 amJune 23, 2015
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Sitges, Spain, Let’s Ride, June 14, 2015 but First the Antipope of Peniscola

The present castle in Peniscola was built by the Knights Templar from 1294 to 1307. It looks like a prime piece of real estate that would be easy to defend. From 1415 to 1423 it […]

Spain by Blair LeeJun 21, 201510:43 amSeptember 21, 2016
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There Were Mammooths in Andalusia?!? Going to Where the Mammoths and People Were, Orce, Spain and then to Peniscola Where the People Are, June 13, 2015

Sean woke me up early. “Mom, I have broken out in a bad rash, or bites, or something all over!” Well, that will get a mother up and going! We could not figure it out. […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 20, 20158:40 amJune 22, 2015
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The Alhambra in Daylight and The Somalis and the Woman Who Seemed to be in Charge (we hope not), June 12, 2015

When you buy tickets for the Alhambra you have to choose between the morning or afternoon. We chose afternoon because the morning session started at 8 a.m.  We had yet to even be awake once […]

Spain by Blair LeeJun 19, 20159:00 amJuly 3, 2015
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Granada a Town that Must Have some Homeschoolers In It, June 11, 2015

The kids were ready to get to Granada. The house we were staying at there had a pool, and they wanted to swim in it. It had been warm and sunny for the past three […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 18, 20158:00 amJune 23, 2015
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Seeing Seville on an Electric Bike, Flamenco, the Chinese Wedding Photo Fad, June 10, 2015

The Flying Dutchmen told us what a blast they had riding around Seville on a Segway. We called every Segway rental company we could find on the Internet and they were all booked. I looked […]

Spain by Blair LeeJun 17, 20158:00 amJuly 11, 2015
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Our Man of La Menthe, Seville, and the Flying Dutchmen, June 9, 2015

We woke up in the hostel after a very good night’s sleep. The woman we met last night was at the front desk. She was wonderfully friendly. She did not speak English, so it was […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 16, 201510:00 amJune 22, 2015
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Canyoning before Driving South, June 8, 2015

With 10 days left in Spain, the vagabonds hit the road again. We decided to head south to see Seville and Granada for 4 days total with one day on the road to Seville. The […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 15, 20158:00 amJune 22, 2015
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The Geology of the Pyrenees, Kayaking for 2, and Rainwater versus Snow Melt, Ainsa, Spain, June 7, 2015

We want to go white water kayaking in hard kayaks! At least that is what 2 of us said. The other two did not. That was okay, clothes must be washed when you are on […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 14, 20158:00 amJune 22, 2015
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Ready for some Action! Rafting in the Pyrenees Followed by a Dinner Unlike any Other! June 6, 2015

When you travel for an extended period everyone has a low energy moment. Today was my turn. I woke up feeling exhausted. I am usually the most up of the group, but not this morning. […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 11, 20151:20 pmJune 22, 2015
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Driving through the Pyrenees, The Peace Van Wags Its Tail, June 5, 2015

We really liked the Abbaye de Capservy, and we loved Odile! It was a wonderful stay. Jim and I took a walk up the road to the lake where you can fish. Then I asked […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 10, 20155:00 pmJune 22, 2015
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Carcassonne is Like a Castle from a Disney Movie, South of France, June 4, 2015

Today we visited Carcassonne. It was lovely! Like many of the places we have visited, there were almost no people. We have been told most Spanish and French people vacation in July and August.    […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 9, 20154:28 pmJune 11, 2015
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Leaving Girona for the Abbaye de Capservy in the South of France, June 3, 2015

Before we left Girona we had to take one more walk on the wall. Again there was no one on it.                       I am sitting on an old fashioned […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 7, 20159:58 amJune 22, 2015
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The Dali Museum, The Mediterranean, Vegan Tapas, a Nighttime Walk on the wall!!! June 2, 2015

The town of Figueres, Spain is about a 35 minute drive from Girona. There is a lot of history there, but we only went for the Dali Museum. We did not want to spend the […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 3, 201510:42 amJune 11, 2015
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Why they Chose Girona to Film the Game of Thrones, Girona, Spain, June 1, 2015 

   I will not actually bore you with a written answer to that. The photos speak for themselves. Girona is magical. It is now one of my favorite towns I have visited of all time. […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeJun 2, 201510:54 amJune 22, 2015
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La Pedrera in Barcelona driving to Girona, Spain, May 31

Barcelona is a wonderful city to recover from jet lag. It is small enough so it isn’t overwhelming. The food is wonderful, even for those who have dietary restrictions. There is a mix of Roman […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeMay 31, 201511:21 pmJune 20, 2015
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Last full day in Barcelona, Spain: May 30, 2015

   We woke up late again. Even I didn’t get up early this morning. When I finally woke the kids up before noon they were STARVING!  Even Sophia who almost never eats. Sean commented on […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeMay 30, 20159:16 amJune 11, 2015
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Barcelona, May 29, 2015

May 29 We woke up feeling pretty good. Sean immediately wanted to go deal with tickets to Primavera Sound. My shoes for the day. I would be back after getting the tickets to the concert. […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeMay 29, 20152:43 amJune 11, 2015
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On the way to Barcelona, May 27 and 28

At the airport in San Diego: May 27 It takes a long time to get from the West Coast of the U.S. to Barcelona. We left in the evening of the 27th from San Diego, […]

Conferences 2015 by Blair LeeMay 27, 201512:18 pmMay 27, 2015
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I Have 2 Conferences Coming Up this Summer

I will be speaking at two homeschool conferences this summer. If you plan on attending either of them, let’s get together. I will have copies of both of my science courses, R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Chemistry […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMay 25, 201511:43 amMay 25, 2015
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The Homeschool History Project: Handcrafting High School: Year 2: American Government

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana I interpret this quote to mean that through studying history people are less likely to repeat past mistakes. I think this is an important reason […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMay 24, 20153:37 pmJuly 3, 2015
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Handcrafting 10th grade: The Plan for 2015/2016

Eclectic? Absolutely! Academic? Of Course! Innovative? You Know It! It’s Organic, Too! (I am a chemist, after all! ;-)) History: American government & politics with writing History and the upcoming election will be the main focus […]

Science and Writing by Blair LeeMay 22, 201512:18 pmMay 22, 2015
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RSO Physics 1 is out!

30% off at the Pandia Press Memorial Day Sale! 30% off! Pre-order RSO Physics 1! Visit our website to get 30% off your entire purchase. The discount includes the pre-order of our newest title, REAL […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMay 14, 20157:58 pmSeptember 21, 2016
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Music and Spain

Originally posted on wisebread:
I have had a passion for music all my life. I was eleven months old when my love of music was discovered. We were at a party, and I wanted to…

Conferences 2015 by Blair LeeMay 10, 20158:29 amMay 14, 2015
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What’s Your Story and Handcrafting High School at the CHN Conference, June 25 – 28

What’s Your Story Have you ever read something and wondered, “How do they do it?” How did the author take an idea and create a written work that can transport you or teach you? Or […]

Spain, May 27 through June 17, 2015 by Blair LeeMay 8, 20157:46 amJune 22, 2015
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The Friendly American

When I travel, I have one trait that identifies me right away as an American. I am the friendly type. Americans are known for being alarmingly sunny and friendly when we travel, and we are known […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMay 7, 201510:05 amMay 7, 2015
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Leaving for Spain: 20 Days Out

I have been casually planning for our upcoming trip to Spain. There are some things that I take care of before we leave. but most of our trip we leave unplanned. When I travel I am […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMay 4, 201510:04 amMay 7, 2015
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Handcrafting High School: Year 1, Month 8

What a crazy month April was. We moved for the third time since the summer of 2012, and we aren’t in the military. First we moved from the mountains to San Diego where there is […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeApr 17, 20153:41 pmNovember 1, 2015
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Time to Focus: Week 2 through 4, Fourth Grade Writing

A Handcrafted Education: It’s Innovative, It’s Eclectic, It’s Academic, It’s Homeschooling          The next three weeks Sean worked on narrowing the focus of his writing. I like to call writing with a […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeApr 15, 201512:38 pmJuly 18, 2016
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It’s Innovative, It’s Eclectic, It’s Academic, It’s Homeschooling: What We Did for Writing in 4th Grade, the First Week

In fourth grade we did something particularly eclectic and innovative for writing. This will not be for everyone, and when we did it I felt as if I was taking Sean’s hand and jumping into […]

Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima, April, 2012 by Blair LeeApr 9, 20151:30 pmApril 9, 2015
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Cusco’s Flag

I have been posting a blog post a day. I thought, why break a perfect streak! I need to get back to posting about the Peru trip, but by popular demand today I am going […]

A Handcrafted Education by Blair LeeApr 8, 201512:24 pmSeptember 20, 2016
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The Benefit of Homeschooling, It’s Innovative, It’s Eclectic, It’s Organic, It’s Academic

By Blair Lee, A Voice from the Middle There is a revolution going on right now in education. It’s called homeschooling. I am part of a fringe group in this revolution. You don’t hear a […]

Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima, April, 2012 by Blair LeeApr 7, 20153:11 pmApril 9, 2015
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Moray and Maras, Cusco, Peru, Day 5 of Our Trip, April, 2012

One of the recommendations for people who are hiking into Machu Picchu is that they acclimate in Cusco for 2 to 3 days first. All of the preparation just to walk 37 miles over several […]

Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima, April, 2012 by Blair LeeApr 6, 20156:03 pmApril 9, 2015
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Cusco, Peru, Day 4 of our trip, April, 2012

When my husband Jim told me he had booked a trip for us where we would hike into Machu Picchu over several days, I was not pleased. In fact, I was irritated about it. It […]

Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima, April, 2012 by Blair LeeApr 5, 201512:15 pmApril 9, 2015
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Cusco, Peru, April, 2012: Days 1 through 3

Before traveling to India in December of 2013, I wrote my travel blogs on Facebook. I have been meaning to transfer the photos and information to my WordPress blog for a while. When the daily photo […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeApr 5, 201511:32 amApril 5, 2015
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Handcrafting High School: Year 1, Month 7

Some months a handcrafted education looks like a carefully detailed pattern has been followed as if I bought something from Butterwick, cut it out carefully, pinned everything meticulously, and sewed all the pieces exactly to […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMar 15, 201512:45 pmMay 26, 2015
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Physics for Middle School and High School

For the past few months, I have been receiving emails asking for my help figuring out science for next year. The emails are from parents who are hoping RSO Astronomy and Earth Science 2 will […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMar 7, 20159:01 amMarch 7, 2015
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Practicing Science: Where’s the Starch?

This is another previously unpublished lab. I thought of this lab too late for it to go into RSO Biology 2. The content reviewer for Biology 2 is a high school biology teacher who also helps […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeMar 1, 201512:31 pmApril 22, 2015
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Handcrafting High School: Year 1, Month 6

Oh my goodness! What a busy month February was for both Sean and me. There were times this month when I felt like I barely had time to breathe. I actually realized TWICE! that I […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeFeb 23, 20153:42 pmFebruary 23, 2015
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Why Are We All So Different? Answer Key

Why Are We All so Different? Lab Sheet Answer key Assuming no mutations, how many genetically different offspring can two parents with 2n = 6, 3 pairs, of chromosomes have? 8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8 = 8×8 = 64 […]

Homeschooling by Blair LeeFeb 22, 201510:24 amFebruary 23, 2015
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Why Are We All so Different? A previously unpublished lab from R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Biology 2

I believe adamantly that science is well taught only if there is a careful pairing of labs with theory. Sometimes it is difficult to think of labs to pair with the theory. Thinking of a […]

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