Say goodbye to Red Fox

That's right, Red Fox is returning to public school (well, if you can say 'returning', since technically, he only completed half a year of kindergarten in public school).

For now, Black Bear will be writing to you about his Homeschooling adventures.

Yep, Red Fox's days of enjoying crafty, nifty, story-themed, school projects in his PJ's are over (for now).

It's Summer Break!~~Poem

School's out!

It's time to play!

Have some fun 

on a summer day!

I've no time to Blog, 

No time to write,

I'm walking this log

And fishing this lake!

I can't stop to Tweet,

I'm running around
And moving my feet.

If you hear a Twitter,

Know it's not me,

I'm baking a fritter!
I'm going to cook!
I'm going to sculpt!
I'm having a look,

at a horse I might ride.

I'll be picking up litter,

At the river clean-up day.

So if you see me out,

Just say "Hey!"

But don't look for me here.

Wait till September.

At the next school year!

~~By Red Fox and Mom

The Odd Zoo

Everyone loves the zoo here at Homeschoop! So we added some new creatures in colorful varieties and with familiar sounding names.  See if you recognize any of them...

AND!  We have three surprise 'pets' at our zoo that are pretty cool.  You'll get a kick out of them.  

Happy Birthday Red Fox

For my birthday, I had a really cool birthday.  I had roller blading, scooter riding and everything.  All my friends were there.  We did lots of exciting stuff.  A science experiment...it was supposed to blow up but it didn't go so well, haha.  Kidding.  We had karaoke and lots of fun as you can tell from the looks on everyone's faces.

Click the words "Science Experiment" to learn how you can do it at home!

If you have anything to say about your fun birthday party, just type into the comments section!  Have fun!

~Red Fox

Honey Bees on Red Fox's 'farm'

Bees are weird and cool.  Did you know that boy bees are called drones?  And girls rule the hive.  Once all the boy bees have mated with the queen, the girls kick the boys (aka drones) out.  If they ever come back the girls will kill the boys.  It's just a weird way of living.  Black widows are kinda like that too.  The girl spider eats the boy spider as soon as she's done with him.  And did you know that boy black widows don't look anything like the girl black widows?
Anyway, back to the bees.  Did you know that in a bee's life it can only make less than a teaspoon of honey?   Take a look at our pictures and you'll see that we have some bees and comb and bee hives.  Have fun!

(Partial) Life Cycle of Cicadas

First

Lots of them!

Second

Last

All photos (except two) by Red Fox, taken in Red Fox's back yard.  Special thanks to: Copper, The Twins and all the hens!

An Adventure STORY by Red Fox and Black Bear

The Final Story:  Written by Red Fox, Add Ins By Black Bear

Once upon a time there was a mad T-Rex. It ate a million

happy homes. The neighboring kingdom was excited

that the mad T-Rex would run for them next. It was only a matter of time until it did. They needed an actor to jump

them.

They thought and thought all day, until finally, their daughter came up and said “Let's get the actor of the swim bag !” And the actor arrived and said “I'll need a skateboard Two of them!” They wondered why he would need two, but they gave him two of their best skateboards . And even though he already had a shirt on, he said “I'll need a shirt too.” And even though he already had a sword, he said “I'll need the best sword too”.

Finally, when he had all his gear, he went up to the king and queen and whispered in their ear that he wanted a companion. And the companion would be their daughter. At first they didn't want to. But he told them “If you want the mad t-rex to leave, I have to have your daughter. So the king and queen agreed. Then the two went out to slay the mad t-rex. 1 hour later, they all had mad t-rex bacon. The whole village threw a party with TV and movies and Wii Games. The end!

“But how did they climb the mad t-rex”, you ask?

This mad t-rex happened to be a silly green t-rex. Well, the actor went out and caught him. Then the girl ran inside his mouth and cut him up before she got swam. Since she enjoyed soccer in her spare time and held the world record for biggest bubble gum bubble ever blown, this was no problem for her. She was also a champion golfer so playing him up was no sweat.

The two got married and lived smartly ever after.

The end.

THE ORIGINAL STORY:

Once upon a time there was a huge blob monster. It ate a whole entire village. The neighboring kingdom was terrified that the evil monster would come for them next. It was only a matter of time until it did. They needed a hero to save them.

They thought and thought all day, until finally, the princess came up and said “Let's get the knight of the golden dragon!” So, the knight arrived and said “I'll need a steed. Two of them”. They wondered why he would need two, but they gave him two of their best steeds. And even though he already had armor on, he said “I'll need armor too”. And even though he already had a sword, he said “I'll need the best sword too”.

Finally, when he had all his gear, he went up to the king and queen and whispered in their ear that he wanted a companion. And the companion would be their daughter. At first they didn't want to. But he told them “If you want the blob monster to leave, I have to have your daughter. So the king and queen agreed. Then the two went out to slay the blob monster. Three hours later, they all had blob monster shishkabobs. The whole village threw a party with fire breathers and sword swallowers and jesters. The end!

“But how did they defeat the blob monster”, you ask?

This blob monster happened to be a big clear blue blob. Well, the knight lured him out and distracted him. Then the girl jumped inside his mouth and cut him up before the fluids digested her. Since she enjoyed deep sea diving in her spare time and held the world record for longest time holding her breath, this was no problem for her. She was also a champion fencer, so chopping him up was no sweat.

The two got married and lived happily ever after.

The end.

Creative Writing Story--Caving

Click for larger image!

Cub Scout report on Worms--By Red Fox

Click for larger image!

FREE-RICE-ATHON! 1000 views!

We just hit 1000 views!  To celebrate, we're going to help out with an online charity all week.    Black Bear has introduced us to FREE RICE.  It's an organization that allows you to donate rice to the hungry by answering educational questions.    Homeschoop! is holding a FREE-RICE-ATHON until Saturday May 7th.  Go to the Free Rice website and drop us a comment to tell everyone how many grains of rice you helped to donate!

Grammar, Adventure Style!

This picture doesn't do anything. In fact, it doesn't even have much to do with the rest of the post!

Dear Black Bear,

My mom has helped me write this story that you're going to now help complete.
Just fill in these parts of speech and we'll plug them into the story. Then we'll post your story!

Adjective - mad

creature - t.rex

amount -1,000,000

adjective - happy

noun. - home

past tense emotion - excited

verb - run

occupation title - actor

verb - jump

verb - swim

noun - bag

mode of transportation - skateboard.

type of clothing - shirt

weapon - sword

amount of time - 1 hour

food - baken.

type of entertainment - T.V.

type of entertainment - movie

type of entertainment - Wii

verb - climb

adjective - silly

color - green

past tense verb - went

past tense verb - caught

past tense verb - ran

past tense verb - swam

sporting activity - soccer

type of world record - biggest bubble gum bubble ever blown

sporting event - golf

verb ending in ING - playing

adverb - smartly

--Red Fox

Nearly to 1000!!!

Our views are nearly to 1000 and we'd like to celebrate by having a Free-Rice-athon!
http://www.freerice.com/  We're going to play FREE RICE every chance we can on the day our website hits 1000 views.  We want to encourage every homeschool kid to do the same with their family.  This is an educational way to donate rice to the hungry. THEN post back here to let us know how many grains of rice you scored for the hungry! Who can post the most?
 Here's what Snopes.com has to say, if you want to check them out: TRUE  http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/freerice.asp

The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Hunger Program.  Each time you answer a trivia question correctly, 10 grains of rice will be donated.  It's quick and easy to donate a lot of rice by progressing through the levels of each category.
But you don't have to wait for 1000 views!  You can start now if you like.

Another great site to check out is The Hunger Site.  You can actually feed the hungry by clicking on their page.  HOW DOES IT WORK????  The advertisers pay for every person who clicks each day. http://www.thehungersite.com

~~Home Schoop! Team

Homeschool Families

If you're a homeschool family, parent or child who blogs, we'd like to link to you!  Please share your blog url with us so we can share it with others.

Thanks,
The Home Schoop! Team

The Buffet Table

What food are you bringing to the party??  Post your favorite party food in the comment section and we'll imagine that's what you brought along to share.  We know it will be delicious!

GAME: Continue the Story

Add a few sentences to continue the story.  Use the comment section to play.  Please, no crude humor, inappropriate topics or bad language, thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There once was a lonely fisherman sailing on the ocean.  He threw out his line and got a tug right away.
He reeled in his line and to his surprise, found a......


(Continue the story)

Game: Random Trivia!

The first person asks an educational question.  The second person must answer it.  IF they are correct, they can post a new question.  Use the comment section to play.  Please don't post anything inappropriate.


How many inches are in 2 yards?

GAME: Word Pop!

In this game, the first person types the first word that pops into their brain.  The second person reads that word and types the first word that pops into their brain.  And so it continues.  Use the comment section to play this game.  Remember, keep it clean and don't post anything inappropriate.

Beavers!

It's 'Play Chess' Day!

"Uh...that's  weird, mom.  Why is there ballet music coming from our blog?"

We removed the music player last night and were stumped to hear music coming from Home Schoop! this morning.

Well the music is because Red Fox's mom decided to try fixing the broken chess game in the footer.  She had the sound muted and didn't even hear  it.

So, this is 'Play Chess' day at Home Schoop! because the ballet music has got to go and this may be your only chance!

~Home Schoop!

P.s.  Drop us a comment to tell us who won your chess games!  And visit our zoo while you're at it!  Black Bear and Red Fox have been working hard at making cyber pets.

It's Time To Party! Scroll Down for Games and Food!

Welcome to our 500 Celebration Party!  We've only been blogging our Homeschool Adventures for less than a month, but we've already reached 500 views!

To celebrate, we're playing five different "post and comment" games (which use your intellect) and sharing our favorite foods!   To play, just use the comment box for that game posting.
Continue the Story Game
Random Trivia Game
Word Pop Game
Be Careful What You Wish For Game
Answer with a Question Game

To share your cyber food, please list it in the comment section of our Buffet Table post.

We hope you enjoy the music, games, fun and food.  Homeschoolers really know how to have fun.

**Comment Moderation is turned on.  Expect to wait a few minutes before your post is approved.  We're sorry we have to do this, but it's the only way to ensure it's safe and fun for everyone.  If only the world were a perfect place...  Thanks for understanding!

GAME: Be Careful What You Wish For!

How this game works:

The first player makes a wish.  The second player must first grant their wish, but with a dastardly twist  AND second, make their own wish.   Remember not to be mean or say things that are inappropriate!

Example:
Bob:  I wish I was taller!
----------------------------

Fred:  Poof!  You're 40 feet tall and can no longer fit inside your house!

My wish is to have summer vacation get here now!

GAME: Answer A Question With A Question

In this game, you must answer the before question with another question.  The only way to lose, is to answer with a statement instead of a question.  This game can be lots of fun.

First question:

What's the coolest thing about homeschooling?

(answer and continue playing in the comments).

Surprise!! You'll soon be at 500!

Black Bear and Red Fox, you guys make an incredible team.  Last time I looked, you were up to 428 views!

I propose that we have an online "party" when your blog reaches 500 views.  We'll have music.  We'll play thread games and have cyber food...which amounts to imaginary food.  We can even invite all your homeschool friends to join the fun.

Way to go on a good blog and improving your writing skills!

~~Mama Fox

The Dugong - by Black Bear

Dugongs are mammals. The dugong is related to the dolphin. It is most closely related to the extinct Steller's sea cow. They look similar to the manatee but have some differences. Unlike the manatee, the dugong never ventures into fresh water. They live in salt water where they feed on sea grasses. Dugongs live in both the Indian and Pacific oceans. They are found off the coast of Austrailia, Madagascar, Thailand, Indonesia and even Japan. The dugong and the manatee also have different types of tails. The dugong has a tail more like a whale and the manatee tail is paddle-like. Dugongs have tusks. Dugongs can live to be over 70 years old in the wild if they have the right habitat and are not threatened by humans. I found a fun song about dugongs on youtube when we searched dugongs on the internet. The only problem with the song is that it says that dugongs and manatees are the same thing, but they aren't. I still wanted to share the song because it's just fun! Make sure you have your mom's permission to watch and BEWARE...this song will get stuck in your head for days!

Information found at www.sirenian.org/dugong.html Video found at youtube.

The Rhinocerous--by Red Fox

Rhinos are very cool and  fierce animals.  They are really big.  The tallest are six and a half feet tall and weigh 8,000 pounds at the heaviest.  They like to eat plants.  They don't even touch meat.  They have very thick bones.  Their legs are the thickest.  Their bones have to be able to hold up their weight.

There are five types of Rhinos:  Black, White, Indian, Javan, and Sumatran.  Their horns are made directly out of hair and are very tough.  Their horns are attached loosely so that they can fall off if they hit something too hard and get stuck.  Some people like to hunt them and kill them for their horns.

When  a rhino is about to be attacked by surprise by a tiger, the rhino can tell because it sees out of the corner of it's eye.  So it jabs it's horn into the tiger as it leaps and skewers the tiger.

A rhinoceros' eyesight is very poor.  They may charge at things just to be on the safe side to make sure it is something friendly.  Their eyesight is so bad that sometimes people see them charging at rocks and trees.

I'd like to have a pet Rhino, but before I could even pet it, I'd be squished.

Source:
Zoo Books: Rhinos, July, 1997

Animal Off Results

The Animal-Off was a close race.  Here are the results after being alphabetized and tallied in Excel.

Out of a possible 40,000,000 animals, we have:

First Place:
Red Fox:  131 (excluding duplicates, fictionals and fakes)


Second Place:
Black Bear:  126

Great job guys!!  You know a lot of amazing animals.  I'd love to see you both write about one of these animals this week and post it as an article for your blog!

--Mama Fox

A Challenge

I challengeth you, Black Bear, to a duel, called:  THE ANIMAL OFF!

On Friday, you shall post as many animal/creature/insect names as you can into a single blog (on your page), without looking at any resources--google, dictionaries, magazines, etc... AND without asking for help.  You may have help with spelling or typing.  But nothing else.  You have until then to study as much as you can.

I'll do the same and follow the same rules.  We can tally the score on Saturday.

Do you except this challenge?

Sincerely,
Red Fox

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

We're Black Bear*  and Red Fox* and we're here to give you an exciting glimpse into the lives of everyday homeschool kids. Our lives aren't the norm.  They're fun and full of adventure.  We love learning.



*We'd love to pretend the world is a perfectly safe place, but reality tells us it's not.  We're using these awesome nicknames to protect our real identities. And don't you love the air of mystery it provides?