Who Knew I Lived In the Bowling Ball Capitol of the World?!

Well, apparently I DO live in the bowling ball capitol of the world! We are home to Ebonite International which produces 1,000,000 bowling balls a year. Yep, a million!

Our homeschool group took a tour there this past Friday and it was SO MUCH FUN! Really one of the best field trips we've taken. Ebonite went above and beyond in their tour--they were well-organized, interesting and it was just the right length of time: not to short and not too long:)

(Mr. B holding a cup of the *plastic cement* that forms the core of a bowling ball)

We got to see the process of making a bowling ball from start to finish...and I must say it was incredibly interesting! I had no idea the amount of engineering that goes into creating one. It's quite a scientific process!

( our great tour guide, Brian)

For instance, did you know that a bowling ball must be designed off-balance? This way it will be in-balance when they drill the finger holes. Interesting, I know...:)

(wearing our attractive safety glasses)

It was so cool to watch them pour the outer shell (the colorful part) into the molds and then pop them out to cool. That stuff hardens in 40 seconds!

Here's The Princess holding some of it that hardened while pouring it from one cup into another.

We watched the balls work their way down the sanding line and get themselves all polished up.

The results are these oh-so-pretty balls! It takes 3 days to make a bowling ball from start to finish--who knew, right?

I have to say we were all impressed with Ebonite. They did a great tour and all of the employees were so friendly--and they seemed happy to be at work, which says a lot about a company. This will definitely go down as one of our favorite field trips!

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year. This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning. But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom. Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming. It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility. And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year. So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important. How do I do this? Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom. Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...

my blessed life

Search This Blog