Bones & Pirates

Last week's Femsical Dress brings me 1 step closer to being ready for NO PANTS APRIL!

The patters is Sunshine Dress from Patterns For Pirates

The pattern has 3 different bodice styles. The one pictures, the halter top, is what I made. I made a long version, and I made the skirt be more A-line, with less gathers. So I measures the circumference of the lower bodice edge (front and back separately -they are different numbers)). Used those numbers as how wide to cut my skirts at the waist (plus 1" each piece)- but angles out the entire length of the skirt.

I was able to match up the skirt pieces to have hands sticking out of my pockets!

Be Careful not to have hands or mouth bones on 'the girls', though!

AWKWARD!

I use this see-through-grid patterns tracing fabric from JoAnns. I can see where the bones will be on the pieces,

I got rib placement on my back and pelvic bone placement close to my pelvis....

... but ended up with a hand on my bum, still.
The cute cropped cardigan? Also from Patterns 4 Pirates . The Cocoon Cardigan.

The fabric for both dress and bolero-style cardigan are from SO SEW ENGLISH


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Next Months is NO PANTS APRIL!
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Guts & Glory

Monday is Ki's Breakfast Making Day, but the Fridge was OFF LIMITS (just today-due to the gang wars) so he had to wait for me to come get the milk & eggs out for him. I have a Heat Pancake form that he used. I had 2 before we moved I think. Ki made some hearts for us, them a pancreas and liver, some kidneys and a stomach and hearts with tumors. I got my Anatomy Book out for him. My husband sees our breakfast "Lesson" and shakes his head as he walks out the door. we had pics like this at the breakfast table:

Connor made a ninja pancake with my Ninja Cookie Cutter.

Then the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! It is PAID JOB WEEK. (our alternative to 'allowance')With the big Gaming Convention next weekend, I thought it'd be a good week for Paid Chores. I made a list of work for the boys to chose from to earn some money to take to the gaming convention. A few of the jobs are:Scrape the moss of the front porchClean the outside of the cupboard (Murphy's Oil Soap and a green scrubby cloth)Clear the weeds and stuff to make way for StrawberriesClean the Shoe Closet... and more...
They got to work while I colored my hair. Today it get's colored, tomorrow cut and Wednesday it gets the tips bleached and dyed- for I, too, must get ready for the big gaming convention in L.A.
The BESTEST Part of our Valentine's day...
FORENSIC CLASS: The Big Gang War Autopsies!What better way to end our Forensic Group Classes than with a big autopsy??(I got the idea HERE and HERE -)It's a long description/post but STICK with me! It was such a fun CSI day!!)
I bought a BIG jar of BIG dill pickles:
I put 4 into a smaller jar and added Baking Soda Water (to neutralize the acid)
I put 4 others into a different jar and added pH Down (It lowers pH - increases acidity)
I let them soak for a day. in the meantime I made RED CABBAGE INDICATOR (so test the pH of the victims pickles)
Our friendly meat department grocer let me have 10 foam meat trays to use at mini-autopsy tables!
I gathered my weapons supplies for killing marking the victims pickles and got to work!
I started with the Extra Acid Pickles.I named their gang; Club Claussen.I named the individual gang members:Maisy- has a belly ring Luke-Has a stubby, short left arm Dilbert-had a red mohawk Darwin Dill- no description
Then I decided how they'd be killed:
Maisy- GSW to the chest and stab wound in lower right body Luke-Stabbed 4 times Dilbert-garroted, a broken left leg, and abrasions to the right side Darwin Dill- 2 GSW to the head and laceration on the left shoulder.
Then I went to work. I used jewelry wire to garrote Dilbert, a cheese grater to make the abrasions, G.I. Joe knife for the stabbings, and tiny foil balls for the bullets.(I will leave a few GI Joe guns at the scene)
I tested their blood juice with the DNA extractor Cabbage Indicator to make sure it got nice and pink/red. it did.
I added colored toothpicks for limbs, tiny glass beads for eyes, then set them in a shallow dish with their juice poured over them and placed them back in the fridge.
I did the same with the base gang. I named them the Gherkin Gang. Pinky was stabbed with a SWORD! Thom Thumb was garrotes and has 2 broken arms (and a green spiked hair clump). Then there is PK and Gus. PK had 2 different colored eyes and we know Gus is a member of the Base Gang.
We don't know which the gang the others belong to, so the coroners will have to test their pH. (checking their blood type, pickles gangs group by blood type)
I set the stage and cordoned off the scene with CRIME SCENE TAPE!

When my CSI Team arrived, they donned gloved, grabbed Autopsy Trays, and recovered the victims.Too Much Butter can be bad for one's health!


Yep, that is "Pinky"- she was shot and stabbed onto the caramel container- it could be worse I guess.


Poor thing- upside down w/ her head in a puddle of blood juice

This is Maisey-- see her Belly Ring!!

I told them the facts that we knew and gave the descriptions of the victims. The victims weren't carrying IDs so they have to look for the distinguishing marks and made IDs. Gus's only ID was he was 1 of 2 non-described-victims, but we KNOW he is a Base- so his ID came from the Blood Test (pH test)
The team measured, weighed, determined gender, draw diagrams marking wound marks, dug out bullets when needed, and found cause of death.


After making observations and recording their findings, they cut open the bodies pickles to check out the insides. They made some discoveries and drew some diagrams.



THEN, they tested the ph by taking skin samples and putting them into a test tube of purple-colored pH indicator. If the indicator turned redder they victim was Acidic and part of Club Claussen. If the indicator became bluer, their victim was part of the Gherkin Gang.They filled out Toe Tags and completed their reports. I had them tell me their findings, then I read to them the complete description of the wounds I inflicted. A few of them missed a thing or 2, but oddly, a few pickles had extra wounds.
It was hypothesized hat the regular Dills in the Main jar must have escaped when left alone in the fridge and went to Bottom Shelf and inflicted some more wounds on the victims.
After we cleaned the autopsy room kitchen table, we went over their conclusions for the FATAL ERROR Murder Mystery and then we taught ZENDO to the R brothers.
I am tired and have a sore throat. It was a GREAT CSI DAY!!!

(the bestest part was my date with my husband.. but pickle autopsies comes in a very close 2nd)

MORE FORENSIC POSTS: ** Pics of making our own Fingerprint powder and using it: CLICK HERE

** Click to see our "real Crime Scene Processing" CLICK HERE

** Check Out Pictures from our Cake Mystery and Shoe Impression by clickingHERE (shoes, foam, & cake).

** Our Tool Mark Analysis Activity -> CLICK HERE

** Blood Forensics --> CLICK HERE

** Anthropology --> CLICK HERE

** Odontology Dissecting teeth --> CLICK HERE

The Entry is part of the following Blog Hop:

ODONTOLOGY forensic science day

SAFETY FIRST includes:

a clay nostril covering to avoid burnt tooth powder odor.

So glad to be at THURSDAY!
here is our day:I swept the back porch after stepping on a thorn. barefoot.
9AM- Ninja Training. our Magic Number was 15. We did Push Ups, butterfly Sit-ups, Floating Leaf, Frog Stretches, The Mantis Pose, and jump rope.
10AM- Odontology: each boy had a tooth to investigate. Draw a detailed picture, label areas, name tooth type, cut tooth open and use magnifying glass to look at internal structure.All boys did a great job. They used different magnifying apparatuses and drew good pictures. they identified their teeth. Connor had a canine, the others had premolars.

KI

The Above Drawing is Gavin's
http://www.uic.edu/classes/orla/orla312/PREMOLAR.htm

Dremel was used. I think the boys had a lot of fun! They tried a tiny hacksaw and chisel and hammer. it was good to start the cutting with the dremel then use the chisel to finish the job. It was cool! They found the pulp chamber and what looked like a left over nerve or vessel sticking out. Shining the UV light on the teeth, esp the insides, was neat, too!

GAV

CON NOR

Plus we scraped the cavity tooth and looked at the decay under a microscope- after looking at the cavity with magnifying glasses and writing down some details. THIS was NEAT!!!! but, no pictures. sorry.
I found the mold/cast of the teeth- the dentist gave me.. but I can NOT find the X-ray! darn darn. We made our own casts and checked out X-rays online and found cat teeth Xrays.
Ki made Brownies.
Gavin made Guacamole.


That was the fun part of the day. Now they will do their math and reading on their own.
MORE FORENSIC POSTS: ** Pics of making our own Fingerprint powder and using it: CLICK HERE

** Click to see our "real Crime Scene Processing" CLICK HERE

** Check Out Pictures from our Cake Mystery and Shoe Impression by clickingHERE (shoes, foam, & cake).

** Our Tool Mark Analysis Activity -> CLICK HERE

** Blood Forensics --> CLICK HERE

** Anthropology --> CLICK HERE

This Blog Post is linked up to:
<---- GO READ some new blogs! Make some new Bloggy Friends!!

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"The Queens we use would not excite you"

I love that song."One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head. (youtube here)
Actually is is "Our Song". Some couples have love songs as 'their song.' We have a geeky chess playing song...

"I'd let you watch. I would invite you.but the queens WE use would not excite you"
This post has little to do with "Our Song". it is more about "The queens we use would not excite you." For that is what comes to mind when I think about the things make me happy...
***I find it necessary to warn you that I still do not have my lovely camera, and using Connor's little video camera in Still Shot mode***
hearing my son say; "MOM! Bring the blood testing kit. I picked a SCAB!"

Things like: Posting as my Facebook status:"Time to get the skulls out for school"



Here is a video we watched today:


Which, of course, leads me to watch a video on facial transplants:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f63V2Y8N58s&NR=1&feature=fvwp

After watching videos (a totoal of 3 forensics and the 1 transplant), the boys were given instructions to do the "C.S.I. " facial reconstruction Kits.
as always, as most kids, as male of the species; they want to dig in, figure out how to do it all on their own and "We don't need no stinking instructions" is always the motto.
As an "quasi-unschooler" I see huge value in doing things on their own, figuring things out on their own, 'trial & error'.....BUT- I also see huge value is learning how to following instructions, being able to read a How-To Manual and follow it.So, when we do these things with preprinted instructions, I emphasize to the boys this is NOT a "find out on your own" thing. This is an activity to practice the fine art of Following someone else's Instructions.
So this activity is "less unschool" and "more Quasi"
What Activity? Why, FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION, of course!!


let's face it (ha! 'face' ...); unless you are self employed (and even if you are sometimes), you need to follow someone else's instructions often!!

I just called out to the boys; "If anyone has an extra eye, give it to Gavin. His is missing and he needs one."


Ki said that if he was an CSI person, this would be the job he'd want. (playing with clay and putting in skulls, it's preschool all over. "Pass the Playdough, I have a skull to reconstruct before nap time!")

THE FINISHED SKULLS:

Ki did the middle one. He followed the instructions well on making the reconstruction. But at the end, he decided to put male facial hair on it, instead of solving the crime (it was a female skull, all missing people listed were female).

so, if we were giving grades he'd get an "A" for technique, but only a "C" for solving the crime (he did try to deduce which one of the listed females his man looked like ....) and maybe another "A" for being true to himself..... maybe. But if it was a paid job, he may have gotten fired or suspended....

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Fatal Error

Today's Crime Scene comes to you courtesy of RIMA, who sent me a CD Rom Murder Mystery ("Fatal Error" click to see) ! I printed copies, replicated the crime scene in our house, then called our CSI friends to come investigate! THANKS RIMA!!

THIS IS WHAT ADORNED THE FRONT OF MY HOUSE TODAY. The passing cars all slowed down. The lady walking her dog walked quickly. The foreign gardener who came to mow the lawn across the street didn't even seem to notice.

This the Senior CSI Detective briefing the Junior Detectives as to crime scene they were about to process and some procedures that would be needed.
(notice the totally AWESOME OUTFIT I am rockin'! I planned this baby! My CSI/Science outfit! The Crime Scene Headband, the DNA double-helix earrings, the lab coat, the rubber gloves, and the multi-color safety goggles! I went ALL out on this one!! I wonder if I qualify as SASSY CLASSY in this?)

The team of Junior detectives crossing the tape to the crime scene:

The victim, Rich Webster, top computer program designer, found dead in his Think Tank where he & his team of Computer Geniuses were working on his latest project. If you look closely, you can see the ligature marks on his neck.

Hmmmm. a glove for the right hand.

Analyzing the Evidence:

A few things required the fuming hoods for exposing latent fingerprints:

Then they read through some lab reports, the suspect profiles, and the interrogations of day 1.......

OH MY! I can't believe it....

"I can. I knew all along the rat was up to no good."

and a picture for the art fancy side ........

(it is fun to do homeschool science days!)

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