September Scholar's Evaluation

After months of almost daily rehearsals, CCP Dance School, the official school of Ballet Philippines, had their Scholar's evaluation program last September 16, 2012.

The show featured young, upcoming talents in dance and music performing to OPM music. The CCPDS scholars where joined by select music scholars of the Philippine Science High School for the Arts (PHSA).


. . .Saranggola ni Pepe

. . . Mamang Sorbetero

. . . Pobreng Alindahaw

. . . Usahay

. . . Ugoy sa Duyan and many more...


The Intermediate/Advance scholars and students performed "Pobreng Alindahaw". Choreographed by Teacher Victor Ursabia.

Photo courtesy: Victor Ursabia

Anting

A study on Filipino culture presented via dance.

We had a chance to watched Ballet Philippines' Anting this month.

Filipino folklore...amulets...talisman and magic....presented in a beautiful dance. Such amazing talents.

Philippine History, Music, Theater and Dance (MAPE) alert....

Acids & Bases

Our 4th Science Experiment: Acids and Bases

Materials Needed:

* Litmus Paper
* Bicarbonate of Soda
* Tomato juice/sauce
* Soup
* Vinegar
* Fruit juice
* Fish Sauce
* wine



Procedure:
1)  Test various household items with an indicator (litmus paper) to determine whether they are acid
      or base.

Chicken soup

Vinegar

Guyabano juice

wine

Water

Tomato sauce before the bicarbonate of soda

2) Now mix tomato juice and bicarbonate of soda and test with an indicator.

Tomato sauce mixed with bicarbonate of soda

Results:

*  Blue litmus paper turns pink or red when dipped in Acid (i.e. vinegar, wine, tomato sauce, fruit
    juice, fish sauce)
*  Red litmus paper turns blue when dipped in a Base  (i.e water and soup)
 * Bicarbonate of soda acts a buffer which weakens the acidity of the tomato juice/sauce.

"Education is an excellent tool. . . "

Chanced upon this excellent valedictory speech, below,  by a HS Valedictorian through one of my homeschooling groups.

Erica Goldson's High School Valedictory Speech

What she wrote was exactly my sentiments! The Philippine setting, or from what I have learned, exposed too, or heard of, leaves much to be desired.

It is quiet a read but she makes very good sense. This actually re-enforced our decision to homeschool.

Just some of Erica's straight to the point wisdom:

On Education in a regular school

"Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. . ."

 "However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination.  .  . "

 "But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it.  .  . "

On quoting John Gatto 

"We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness – curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that.”  - John Gatto

  "... We are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt. . ."

On Motivation

"We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us. . . "

 "We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still. . . "

 "We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation. . ."

 On Learning

". . . stand up, ask questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse, “You have to learn this for the test” is not good enough for you. . . "

 "Education is an excellent tool, if used properly, but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades."

Referring to diplomas

"Let's go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we're smart enough to do so!"

WLW Day # 4: Water as Solvent

Science Experiment # 3: Water as Solvent

Materials needed:

* chalk
* filter paper
* heat source
* lime powder or tablets
* phenolphthalein
* 2 pyrex beakers




Instructions:

* Crush some chalk
* Mix chalk into water in a beaker

* Pour the mixture through filter paper. The water appears to be "pure".
* Boil the water or let it evaporate away.

Q: What is left?

* In a beaker, mix lime powder or tablets and water.
* Filter until clear.
* Fill another container with water.
* Obtain some phenolpthalein (Hln or phph) and add a few drops to a glass of "pure" water.
* Add a few drops to the water mixed with lime.

  Q: What are the results?
  Q Relate to hydroponic gardening (growing plants in water instead of soil)?

What we learned:

* Water's power to dissolve substances (e.g. chalk + water)
* Substances can be transported when dissolved in water  (e.g. chalk + water or line + water)
* Water can carry out chemical reactions (e.g. lime+water+Hln)
* A clear water does not always mean "pure" water. It may carry substances or minerals.
* Application: Water passing through soil dissolves some of the minerals and transports them through the soil to plants and animals, and contributes to the salinity of the sea.

WLW Day 3: Thermal Properties of Water

Experiment # 2: Thermal Properties of Water

Materials Needed:

* 2 flat aluminum cake pans (disposable)
* sand
* thermometer
* a liter measure
* aluminum foil

Instructions:
* Punch holes in the bottom of one cake pan.
* Fill it with hot sand and cover with aluminum foil (shiny surface towards the sand)
* Place the thermometer in the sand. Record the temperature of the sand.
* Obtain one liter of cool water.
* Record the temperature.
* Pour it over the sand and collect the water as it drains out.
* Immediately record the temperature of the sand and the water collected.
* Record your results in a chart.

Q1: What is your explanation of the results?
Q2: How does the answer to Q1 apply to your blood circulating through your body when you are exercising?

What we learned:

 * Heat is transferred to water.
 * Water absorbs the heat.
 * Application: Perspiration cools our body as it absorbs the heat. How?

blood transfers heat from our muscles to ----> skin,  produces ---> perspiration ----> helps cool our body

WLW Day 2: Ionic Bonding

Science experiments time. . .

Experiment # 1: Ionic Bonding

Materials Needed:

2 inflated balloons                                          

thread                                                             

string                                                              

piece of material (nylon, wool, or fur)

nylon stocking

piece of white paper

Instructions:

* Tie the ends of the thread to the knotted ends of the balloons, and tie the middle of the thread to the middle of the string.

* Rub the balloons with a piece of material, and then pick them up by holding the ends of the string and stretching it to its full length.

   Q: What happens to the balloons when they are close together?

    Explanation: The material used to rub the balloons transferred electrons to the balloons.

   Q: What electrical charge does the balloon have now?

* Cut 2 3X12 inch strips of material from the nylon stocking.

* Place both strips on a piece of white paper and rub them briskly in your hand.

* With your fingers lift the 2pcs of nylon and hold them side-by-side.

    

    Q: What happened? Why?

* Now bring one of the nylon strips near one of the balloons.

   Q: What happened?

 What we learned:

 * atoms with the same charge, repel

 * atoms with opposite charge, attract/stick together = Ionic bond