Things I have learned lately along with the girls!

I have been really amazed lately at the amount of information that I am learning right along with my girls.

Here's what I mean.

1.  I am 35 years old and I just learned the difference between a turtle and a tortoise.
If you are wondering, turtles lives in water and tortoises live in land. You think I would have known that by now!

2.  I was also a history major in college and not once did I learn the difference between the Quakers, Pilgrims, and Puritans! Did you know that the Pilgrims actually killed Quakers??  They all came to America for religious freedom, but they wanted everybody to follow their religion! They actually killed each other over it. Yes, God-fearing Christian men and women! It is amazing because here in 2012, we are talking about religious freedom and this is exactly what they were dealing with back in 1620!

3.  While we're on the history subject, did you know that the Quakers were Pacifists? (I think I actually know this at one point).  They wouldn't even defend themselves in a fight. No violence allowed at all. Other religious groups would burn the Quakerss houses down and they would just stand back and let them do it. They also ruled the Pennsylvania government at one time and got kicked out because they wouldn't let the colony raise a militia or even put any money towards it.

4.  I also figured out the difference between asking "who" and "whose." Again, thanks to 3rd Grade Rod and Staff English, I am now well aware of my subject and predicate pronouns and when I should use them properly. And yes, I have caught myself this weekend using them wrong and have corrected myself!

5.  I have also looking at our language differently. When you are teaching some little girl phonics, you tend to notice silent e's and all the crazy rules the English language has that we need to follow. I really appreciate knowing how to read!

6.  Did you know that dinosaurs are actually reptiles? I thought they were mammals for some reason. Wrong again!

7.  Megan has a book about Ben Franklin that she is supposed to read this week. Did you know how many things Ben Franklin did for our country??? It is amazing!  Matt also said that he is the one that discovered how electricity works, but got it completely backwards, but they still make all the charts backwards today.

8.  Do you know where the phrase "Room and Board" came from?? I do!! From the colonists.  They would often have hotels in the colonies and instead of having tables and chairs, they would eat by boards with stools.  So, you paid for "room and board."  How do phrases likes this stick around for so many years?

Tomorrow we are going to learn about amphibians in science and talk about how Georgia became a colony for poor people from England. Now that is definitely something I don't know anything about!