Fleur de Lis Homeschool Blog: 05/01/2015

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Indiana vs Michigan

Brownsburg vs Lowell

Feel free to skip this post, and scroll down to the next posting to see what we did this week in our lessons. I had been searching online for lots of comparisons between where we lived and where we are going to live. This way I have a place to keep this information and add to it.

Brownsburg:

Population in 2013: 23,160 (99% urban, 1% rural). Population change since 2000: +59.5%

Males: 10,859	(46.9%)
Females: 12,301	(53.1%)

Median resident age:	36.0 years
Indiana median age:	40.1 years

Lowell:

Population of Lowell:

3,808

Population change: -7%

Males: 1,669	(43.3%)
Females: 2,190	(56.7%)

Estimated median household income in 2012: $43,976 (it was $42,326 in 2000)

Lowell:	$43,976
MI:	$46,859

For population 25 years and over in Lowell:

High school or higher: 89.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher: 18.6%

Graduate or professional degree: 4.3%

Unemployed: 4.4%

Mean travel time to work (commute): 21.8 minutes

For population 25 years and over in Brownsburg:

High school or higher: 94.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher: 37.3%

Graduate or professional degree: 10.2%

Unemployed: 1.9%

Mean travel time to work (commute): 25.1 minutes

For population 15 years and over in Lowell city:

Never married: 26.7%
Now married: 42.5%
Separated: 1.1%
Widowed: 8.2%
Divorced: 21.6%

For population 15 years and over in Brownsburg town:

Never married: 23.5%
Now married: 59.1%
Separated: 0.1%
Widowed: 7.0%
Divorced: 10.3%

Lowell:
Lowell, Michigan average temperatures

Brownsburg:

Brownsburg:

Rainfall (in.)	40.3	36.5
Snowfall (in.)	16.3	25

Lowell:

Brownsburg:

Lowell: LESS SUN

Brownsburg: MORE SUN

Lowell: MORE CLOUDS

Brownsburg: MORE SUN

Brownsburg, Indiana clear and cloudy days

Grand Rapids, MI, gets 37 inches of rain per year. The US average is 37. Snowfall is 73 inches. The average US city gets 25 inches of snow per year.

Lowell: 73 inches

Brownsburg: 25.9 inches LESS SNOW Than Lowell!

Tornado: Lowell is saferBrownsburg-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Indiana state average. It is 119% greater than the overall U.S. average.

Lowell-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Michigan state average. It is 25% greater than the overall U.S. average.

Earthquake Activity: Lowell is safer

Lowell-area historical earthquake activity is slightly above Michigan state average. It is 87% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

Brownsburg-area historical earthquake activity is near Indiana state average. It is 79% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

Natural disasters: "about the same"

Brownsburg:

The number of natural disasters in Hendricks County (9) is smaller than the US average (12).
Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 6
Emergencies Declared: 3

Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 4, Storms: 4, Tornadoes: 3, Winter Storms: 2, Blizzard: 1, Hurricane: 1, Snow: 1

Lowell:

The number of natural disasters in Kent County (9) is smaller than the US average (12).
Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 5
Emergencies Declared: 4

Causes of natural disasters: Storms: 5, Floods: 3, Tornadoes: 3, Winter Storms: 2, Blizzard: 1, Hurricane: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Wind: 1

Lowell Air Quality: Lowell is better

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2012 was 84.8. This is about average.

City:	84.8
U.S.:	74.2

Brownsburg Air Quality:

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2012 was 110. This is significantly worse than average.

City:	110
U.S.:	74

Colleges: "About the same...7 colleges nearby"

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Lowell: 7

Davenport University (about 12 miles; Grand Rapids, MI; Full-time enrollment: 6,955)

Calvin College (about 13 miles; Grand Rapids, MI; FT enrollment: 4,117)

Cornerstone University (about 14 miles; Grand Rapids, MI; FT enrollment: 2,573)

Grand Rapids Community College (about 17 miles; Grand Rapids, MI; FT enrollment: 11,296)

Grand Valley State University (about 28 miles; Allendale, MI; FT enrollment: 21,982)

Hope College (about 40 miles; Holland, MI; FT enrollment: 3,535)

Kellogg Community College (about 43 miles; Battle Creek, MI; FT enrollment: 4,078)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Brownsburg: 7

Marian University (about 11 miles; Indianapolis, IN; Full-time enrollment: 2,476)

ITT Technical Institute-Indianapolis (about 11 miles; Indianapolis, IN; FT enrollment: 4,765)

Butler University (about 12 miles; Indianapolis, IN; FT enrollment: 4,388)

Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (about 13 miles; Indianapolis, IN; FT enrollment: 22,751)

Ivy Tech Community College (about 13 miles; Indianapolis, IN; FT enrollment: 71,493)

American College of Education (about 14 miles; Indianapolis, IN; FT enrollment: 2,718)

Harrison College-Indianapolis (about 15 miles; Indianapolis, IN; FT enrollment: 4,244)

CHURCH:

Lowell:

Percentage of population affiliated with a religious congregations: 52.86%

Here:		52.9%
USA:		50.2%

Brownsburg:
Percentage of population affiliated with a religious congregations: 43.93%

Here:		43.9%
USA:		50.2%

Ancients Core G Week 12 May 25-29th, 2015

Ancients

Core G

Week 12

May 25-29th, 2015

39th week on Core

The Week of WILD FLOWERS!

Thousands of wild flowers were blooming this week!

This was a hard week for all of us. Sunday we had brought our U-Haul of boxes to the storage place, and unloaded it--which got us to bed around 10:30 PM. Monday we were all super tired, but still had to unpack, and I had to get my plans for the week done. Poor Dh had a rough week all this week with his job. Then Dd had last week as a "Field Trip" week (we went to Indiana, Eagle Creek Park, CANDLES Museum, and playing with the L family each day--so that makes this week a 'transition back to lessons week...'

A 'transition back to lessons week'; what does that mean? Let me share with you--- I guess some kids must be okay with transitions, but my Dd has never been any good with them! Since she was a baby! She needed a routine, routine, routine--and don't mess with her routine or there will be a payment due! So, if/when we take a week off to do anything, that means that she will be down-right grumpy for days! You might think we are crazy for doing lessons practically year round, but this is at the very bottom of WHY! But, since she has been like this her whole life, I am familiar with the pattern and do not get too distraught about it. We didn't do Latin, Spelling, 'my' science book, or Logic this week due to this being a transition week, and a short week too! Weeks like this, I just do our basics and try to focus on having a good attitude.

We had a big blow-out with our realtor in Indiana....LONG story....but, we will either sell our house by Monday, or (most likely) we will be switching to our THIRD realtor next week. If you are a praying person, we sure could use some prayer that we would continue to be confident in our faith that the Lord has a plan, and this was part of His plan, and everything will be fine in the end and for it to sell! I think we are at 11 months of our house being on the market at this point. Our realtor said our house not selling is an anomaly...yup! (and then blamed us!)

Highlights of the week: The rental office at our complex here had daily excitement going on with building a gas grill and fire pit extension on their deck. They poured the concrete for part of it two weeks ago, and this week they put in the stones for the new parts. It was a lot of fun walking over and checking on it each day!

Friday Dd spotted a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_flicker Northern Flicker! We were so excited! Our Birds of Indiana book has a Northern Flicker on the cover, and we had never seen one before! Dd said she thought she would never see one, and she spotted it!

This is the stream we took lots of snow pictures of during the winter, now we have to push through the leaves to get back into it! I saw a deer across the bank during our visit this week.

Last week mushrooms started showing up on the grounds here, and more and more are coming up.

The weather this week has been mostly in the 60's and 70's, but humid and sticky.

Dd asked for me to take her to the apartment complex's office to use their weight room twice this week. We had a good time using their treadmill, elliptical trainer, and weight set place (4-5 stations that are all hooked up to a weight gizmo in the middle, so you can use your legs or arms to lift the amount of weight you want to lift). I love working out, and getting to do that with my Dd is the best! I am so happy to share exercise with her!! She would love one of those weight machines, and an elliptical trainer at our house! So would I! We do have a treadmill and bike machine, but would love to work some other places besides just our legs!

Dd spent hours and hours packing in her room this week. We still have three weeks left here, but she is ready to move now!

Busy Hands:

She made her "Jessie" (Toy Story doll) a new crocheted dress

Lots of crocheting and knitting, but I have no idea what she is making! She has a bad habit of starting lots of projects, but deciding half way in that they aren't good enough and starting over with new yarn. She clearly hasn't learned the lesson: Finish What You Start! I'm working with her on learning it, but she is a tough nut to crack!

She made a batch of homemade granola this week.

Our lessons:

I focused this week on finishing up some long-term books that we've been working on. Specifically we finished The Aeneid for Boys and Girls and the BiblioPlan Ancients Companion book that we have been reading for months...quite an accomplishment! We are studying a lot about the decline in the Roman Empire at this point.

While reading in my newer book: What the Bible Is All About (thanks to Chelle for pointing this book out to me), I found this very concise paragraph in the chapter on Ezra. It so simplified things I wanted to share it with you, and keep a record:

To review, first the 10 tribes (the northern kingdom) were taken captive by Assyria (see 2 Kings 17), and then the two southern tribes (Benjamin and Judah, the southern kingdom) were taken captive by Babylon (see 2 Kings 25). The 10 northern tribes never returned to Jerusalem. The southern tribes were restored to their own land under the Persian Empire, after the Medes and Persians had conquered the Babylonians.

Bible:

Veritas Bible Chronicles through Malachi and Job Teacher Manual

Veritas Press: Chronicles and Malachi

Veritas Press Card: 86: in process
Jews Return Under Zerubbabel: Temple Restoration Begins
Ezra 1-6; Zechariah 4
c. 520 BC

Bible & Believer's Bible Commentary:

Ezra 3-6

What the Bible Is All About: (Ezra)

pg. 169-172

Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History

The Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament

Lesson 164: Rebuilding the Temple: completed

Chapters 4, 5, & 6

BP Ancient History Companion

History:

BiblioPlan Companion: Ancient History: COMPLETED!

Ch. 33: Rome Weakens (Boudicaa, 79 AD Mount Vesuvius/Pompeii, 150 AD: The Apostles Creed) Completed

Ch. 34: The Fall of the Roman Empire

Mystery of History Vol. 2 Early Church-Middle Age

NEW: (we listened to these sections twice this week)
Mystery of History : Vol. II

(The Early Church & Middle Ages)

Disc 1: Quarter 1- Around the World

Lesson 1: Pentecost and the Followers of Jesus

Lesson 2: Saul, Who Also is Called Paul

Lesson 3: Paul's Missionary Journeys

Lesson 4: Nero

Lesson 5: Martyres of the Early Church

Lesson 6: Josephus

Lesson 7: Masada

Disc 3:

Lesson 8: The Dead Sea Scrolls

Lesson 9: The Buried City of Pompeii

Lesson 10: Bar-Kokhba

Lesson 11: The Apostles Creed

Aeneid for Boys and Girls

The Aeneid for Boys and Girls: COMPLETED!
by Alfred J. Church
Good Book! It was fun to read aloud! lots of action and dramatic events.

Victory on the Walls: Story of Nehemiah

Reader:

Victory on the Walls by Frieda Clark Hyman

(I think we left Hostage Lands at our house in Indiana, so we had to switch readers this week)

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (revised)

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

pg. 33, 39, 57,58,59

Famous Men of Rome by John H. Harren

Romulus: pg 1-14

Math:

NEW BOOK! Math U See: Algebra I

1 A-D

Science:

Image result for eastern cottonwood leaf

new idea--to have a 'Tree of the Week' or 'Leaf of the Week'

This week we pulled off a leaf from an interesting tree and then used our National Audubon Field Guide to North American Trees (Eastern region) to place it. This week we looked up the Eastern Cottonwood (and I drew it), and we tried to figure out a second leaf,