HSMJ I have a new ...

In my life this week…

What a day Friday was when my Toshiba AT 300 died :(  It was only six months old.  I was a little anxious as I have an upcoming app I have committed to review and now no tablet.
I took it to the store and they had non in stock so they exchanged it for a Samsung Galaxy Tab2.


In our home school this week…

• We continued on our creation journey and watched two DVD's. In the Beginning by Sight & Sound and is a visual feast and a spiritual blessing to watch.  I would love to own a full set of these DVD's. We also watched The Bible ... In The Beginning this was produced in 1966.
• We have continued our week of chronological history by studying biblical history.
• Sir N has continued his spelling journey with Explode the Code Book 1.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

•   Do you have access to the Samsung Apps Store ?  If so I highly recommend ART vol 1 Early artists - up to 1600s and they have a ART vol2 Baroque and Renaissance (1600-1700s). I just discovered that this app is only available for a certain range of hardware.  If you have a Samsung Galaxy II it works very well on here.
• A short read for children about the life of composer Tschaikovsky called A Day with
  Tschaikovsky **FREE**
• A Day with Charles Dickens also for FREE

I am inspired by…

• Forming Habits over at Practical Pages by Nadene
• Brokenness is a Gift at Grace Full Mama 

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

• We spent the day on Wednesday exploring two museums the Immigration Museum and The Shrine of Remembrance.

My favorite thing this week was…

• Was hearing Sir N asking to watch the In the Beginning by Sight & Sound DVD again.

What’s working/not working for us…

• late nights.  I love summer but it's so hard to find a good bed time :)

Questions/thoughts I have…

• What's a normal healthy bed time for a seven year old ??

Things I’m working on…

• A Giveaway post for Personal Planner.  Pop on back tomorrow for your chance to enter and win a planner of your choice with a value between AU $35- $45.

On My Bedside Table ...

•  many books I have not read this week .....

In Bloggy world I’m reading…

• Grace Full Mama has put together a free eBook called Cultivating a heart for Motherhood.
• Battle Discontent with Thankfulness over at Grace Full Mama
• Six Ways Parents Destroy Their Children Without Trying at No Greater Joy.
• Brokenness is a Gift at Grace Full Mama
• Feeling Defeated over at Homeschool Mosaics.
• Wrapping up the Crew Year with a Blue Ribbon over at Circling Through this Life.

I’m cooking…

•  Nothing new this week.

On Pinterest I found...

• Classical Conversations at home.

I’m grateful for…

•  Friends and family who are willing to loan us a vehicle should we need one while ours is in for repairs over the next four weeks.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…



Blessings

This post is linking to:

Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers - Weekly Wrap Up
iHomeschool - Homeschool Mothers Journal
Hammock Tracks - It's a Wrap

Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor

Immigration Museum - Leaving Dublin

On our way home from The Shrine of Remembrance we stopped in at the Immigration Museum.

The Leaving Home gallery was rather moving for me as it brought back memories of our own initial immigration to New Zealand and then to here.

We took some time to explore the Immigrant Stories and Timeline gallery. It was interesting reading about all the things immigrants did years ago. The time line covers pre 1830 to 2000s.

The children enjoyed exploring Journey's of a Lifetime. My favourite display were meeting the rats who came over to Australia!

 We took some time to enjoy making Claddagh Crowns and an Illuminated Bookmark. This holiday program is running until January 29th.

Upstairs the children partook in making a plane out of recycled materials and adding them to the In-Flight installation.

We will definitely take the time to explore this museum in a little more detail.

Blessings

Shrine of Remembrance

Today we took a trip into Melbourne to explore The Shrine of Remembrance.

On our walk up to the Shrine we discovered a memorial to Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop 1907-1993

 After having a look and a read we continued our way up the road crossed Anzac Avenue and up to The Shrine.

Together we walked through The Shrine Reserve and enjoyed the Remembrance Trees and gardens.  There are 100 trees on 13 hectares of land.  We passed the Flags of Remembrance which are located on the eastern arm of the Second World War Forecourt and consists of three flagstaffs. This is where the final ceremonial activity of each days takes place at the Shrine.  At 5 pm the flags are lowered and the Last Post bugle call is played.

We decided to partake in the Summer School Holiday Program (which runs until 27 January 2013) and do the Shrine Remembrance Children's Tour.

First stop was at the information desk to collect our booklet.  It is full wonderful bits of information and takes you on a nine station tour of the Shrine exploring and discovering all sorts of information.

As we walked through the courtyard we explored the walls which are in the shape of trenches and upon the wall we read "Lest We Forget" As we walked into the Shrine we came upon the Gallery of Medals.  This wall has 4 000 medals which represent Victorians who have served as well as those who have died. We also learned about the Victorian Cross and that only 98 have been awarded to Victorians since 1856.

The next two stations were The Changi Flag and The Crypt where we saw the Father and Son statue as well as the 'colours' of World War I and World War II.

Our next station was The Sanctuary where we watched a reenactment of what happens on Remembrance Day every year on the 11 November at 11 am. The sun shines through a hole in the roof and moves across the Stone of Remembrance upon which the words "Greater Love hath No Man" are inscribed.  Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the Great War and is in memory of those who have suffered, served or died in all wars. 

Next we visited the balcony and the children enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies.

It was a wonderful day and we really enjoyed our time here. The exterrior is also filled with meaning and history.

If you are studying Australian History I recommend the Lest We Forget Virtual Australian First World War Museum and The Shrine of Remembrance website.

"ANZAC is not merely about loss

it is about courage and endurance

and duty and love of country,

and mateship, and good humour

and the survival of a sense of self-worth

and decency in the face of dreadful odds."

-The Shrine of Remembrance-

Blessings