Hi, everybody! Tim often does a science lesson with the boys each week, and this week's lesson had the most unexpected results. They were studying water, so put out 3 cups with measured water to see which would evaporate the fastest: a cup in the shade, in the sun, or under a fan (which we use nearly all the time here). Which one disappeared the fastest? How about... the one accessible to the bunny? First she sipped at the cup, then she picked it up and tipped it over. She was not going to let her chosen cup lose that race!

Hi, everyone! We've been having a great time following the Vancouver Winter Olympics! Have you watched them at all?

We were in a group of 14 kids (3 girls, 11 boys) having a "Home School Week" together at our Guest House, Feb. 16-20. It was so good to learn about the winter sports and celebrate the victories of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Australia as well as Canada and the U.S. together with friends of those countries and more. (Our friends from New Zealand and South Africa were good sports the whole time.) Now we're back at home and following events with a broader perspective.

We can't get internet access to video in Thailand, but our Guest House had ESPN: so guess where you'd find us before breakfast and after supper every day! We played street hockey and even found a skating rink in Bangkok. At the end of the week, each child received a gold medal (chocolate inside, wow!) and a certificate for some accomplishment during the week. I've posted the ones for Nate and Pete here but I'm not sure if they're large enough to read. Pete's is because he was under incredible pressure in goal during a street hockey game, and amazed everyone with his focus and skill. Nate's a great goalie too but was getting a little bored in goal for his team... It was so good to see how well the boys can still skate after our weekly times in Canada. Thus Nate's certificate for the best balance on skates. He was an inspiration to the other kids, nearly all of whom were trying it for the first time.

I am so proud of how much the boys are learning. While we can't get direct footage of events, we've loved Time's great website of "how they train," and Apolo Anton Ohno has become a bit of a hero for his example of giving out all to get his personal best. We've watched a video of how the medals were made and made our own.

If you want to see some of the boys' drawings of the original Olympics and modern winter sports (how they're choosing to use their free time), let us know.

So that's it for this week.

Love to all, Brenda

Hi, everyone! Thanks to those who are reading our posts! Lately we've been studying Greece and Rome, partly because of our history curriculum and partly to get ready for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver... Now we know what XXI Olympiad means. We'll be following all we can from websites, though a lot of sites are blocking live coverage to Thailand. Guess they don't think many of us will be interested?

Anyway, our assignment was to write a journal entry as if we were a person from long ago suddenly dropping in on life as it is now. I wouldn't let Nate name the "amazing technology" his character encountered, since he wouldn't know what it was, but I think all our readers can guess, right?

A Roman visitor to Thailand by Nate Noble

Today I was in a closet and when I came out again I was in a different country. I landed on a strange piece of metal with four wheels that was moving very fast. I jumped off and landed on my head, and flipped over and landed on another strange piece of metal and broke through and landed in a seat inside. And people did not notice me when I went inside. Then they stopped the moving piece of metal and they got out and I was very delighted that I was in there by myself. And then I got out and then went on a strange piece of metal. Then a person went in and we started up and went very fast and then I was back in the closet. And I came out and I was back in my world.

A Greek Person Coming to Vancouver by Pete Noble

Today I was going in the Olympics and Pegasus carried me to Vancouver. I had never seen hockey sticks and skates before. I met a very good, good hockey player who explained the game to me. There was a very, very good goalie named Roberto Luongo. He was on Team Canada. The goalie talked to me and he let me go watch the Olympic game and the score was 6 – 8 and then Pegasus came to pick me up and then I found myself sitting on the bench where I was watching the chariots racing. The end.