Dancing on Rainbows

 Did you know no one sees the same rainbow? How about that it's round? I sure didn't!

H picked the topic of rainbows this week. I enjoy when it is her turn to pick what we learn about because I always end up learning something new.

How our days went for Rainbow week

8 am breakfast, get dressed, hair put their dirty laundry downstairs.

8:30 am Now that it is milder in the mornings we have gone back to walking in the mornings. One of the mornings we did a rainbow walk and the kids loved it so much that once we finished the sheet they started it all over again!

9 am either workbooks or worksheets. I alternate each day so the kids don't get bored with doing the same thing every day.

15-minute break. On this 15 min break, I get everything ready for the next activity, put laundry in, hand wash the dishes that need to be washed, empty and reload the dishwasher.

930am Journals and a letter sheet. (These are great for H learning her letters and the other children to keep working on letter sounds.)

15-minute break outside. I empty the dishwasher, answer clients and make their snacks.

10:00 am Snack While they eat their morning snack this month we are reading about one women in history from the book 101 Women in History

We talk about how things were, how things still are for many women in the world and how far we still have to go. 

10:30 am Rainbow activity or video (If its a video then fold and put away laundry while they are watching a video.)

11:00 am They have free time to do whatever they would like (this amount of time depends on how long things took us.)

In this "free time" I work on client orders and make lunch

12:00 pm LUNCH

12:30 pm reading. They each get to read their book with me and do the sight word cards as well as the sight word wall. (The books and the sight word changes every three days)

1:00 pm "Online learning" They each get a turn using the learning app on my phone called Khan Kids. They each have a profile and play what I consider one round. One round is playing until they get a prize.

1:30 PM They have until snack to free play. I sweep, clean up and work on client orders.

2:00 pm snack. I start dinner at this point.

15minutes outside.

Then they have until dinner to free play.

4:30 pm Dinner

5:30 pm walk dogs

6:30 pm start baths. When I start baths I get out the painting I have been working on and work on it while each child gets to play in the tub for 10mins.

7:15 pm snack, stories, teeth and bed.

At about 8:45 pm everyone is asleep, which means I get to work on client orders, cleaning, folding laundry and getting everything ready for the next day's schooling.

Here are links to the videos and activities that we did.

Activities

This one is fun and edible! 

We didn't frame them but we made these 

Colour page  

Rainbow walk 

 

Videos 

I love this guys videos!  

This one wasn't great for kids but I liked it. 

This isn't a video about how rainbows are formed because you can only watch the same information so may times but it is a book read on video about rainbows. 

Women's History month videos we watched

1

2 

 

 

 

The dread word.

Let's talk about vaccines. I know it's a very controversial topic and a lot of people get their knickers in a knot over it but, I am not talking about if you should be vaccinated or not, I am not talking about if your children should be vaccinated or not. 

Let's talk about the science behind it. Let's talk about the doctors behind it. Let's talk about the years of research behind it. Let's talk about the facts. 

The first vaccine was created in 1796 by a doctor who lived in England. Even in 1796 he tested the vaccine, did trials and even wrote papers on it. His clinical trials and research led to the smallpox vaccine saving thousands. His trials and research are the basis for vaccinology. Through his theory he has saved millions of lives over the decades. 

Did you know antivaccinationism has been around since the 1800s? Yes even back then they protested it, comparing to bloodletting. Now that is a bit extreme if you ask me. 

Over the decade's vaccines have changed, methods have changed. We don't remove lymph from pustules on the arms of those recently vaccinated anymore to make the vaccine. We use Petri dishes and samples that are kept in sterile environments. Even in 1796 with the risk of contracting other infections or diseases most people thought the benefits outweighed the risks. 

Yes, as the years pass we learn from those before us, we learn what works, what doesn't, what is dangerous and what is safe. 

MERCURY!! This is a big one, and one anti-vaxers scream from the rooftops. Since 1999 it has been reduced or eliminated from vaccines and other drugs. By 2001 it was removed from childhood vaccines in the united states. 

 

Do you know why it was used though? Do you know what it is actually called?  

Thimerosal is what its actual name is and it is used as a preservative. It prevents bacteria growth in vaccines and a preservative is required for all multi-dose vaccine vials. 

Your body doesn't store Thimerosal and removes it very quickly. It is safe. 

This quote is for Canada and comes from the immunize.ca website "Nevertheless, no vaccine in Canada since March 2001 for routine use in children contains thimerosal, except for some influenza vaccines. DTaP, polio and Hib vaccines have not contained this preservative since 1997-98. The MMR vaccine used in Canada has never contained thimerosal."

Now I am not here to preach to the choir or try to convert anyone, the reason for this post at all is because we are starting to roll out the new covid vaccine and this is new and new scares people. 

A couple of neat things that are not making the news. Why are children less affected? Why are younger generations less affected or have it less severe? Turns out it is because of a vaccine that many of us and many of the children get. The MMR vaccine! This vaccine is helping to protect people! This is really neat. 

Do you know what this horrible virus is overshadowing? The fact the there is something really cool that happened, first in history a vaccine using mRNA! 

The vaccines being rolled out in places like the United States and England have gone through trials and are based on proven scientific methods. There is one though that is likely going to get most of the media attention and not because it works, or is safe but because it has not even completed stage 3 trials. This one is scary and this one is going to create more fear in those who are already scared as is. This one is the Russian Sputnik Vaccine. They rolled it while it is still in the development stage, and are pretty much using their population as a phase 3 trial which is scary. 

BUT guess what??? Guess what isn't scary? We are not getting that one. The ones we are getting are tested, fully. Yes, they were tested quickly but with so many dying worldwide we needed to get on this and fast. 

People are screaming that we (Canada) are not getting it soon enough. That we are not first on the list. Well, let me clear a few things up here. 

First, we didn't develop the vaccine, so of course, the countries that develop it get to vaccinate their people first. 

Second, let them be the first to get it, yes it completed trials and it is safe but there is still that underlying thought in the back of everyone's head that is whispering "are they sure?" watching others in the world get will help squash that fear. 

Third stop being selfish. We are a rich country we could afford to buy the vaccine but what about those who can't?

I am pro-choice on all issues as long as it doesn't affect those around you. For those who can't read between the lines, we can't create herd immunity and protect those around us if we don't vaccinate the majority. 

My final word on this they are not going to microchip you because you are not that important so get over yourself. 

 

Taken from google

 

 

 Information taken from the following sources

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.24.3.611 

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/thimerosal-and-vaccines#toc

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/index.html

https://mbio.asm.org/content/11/6/e02628-20

https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/10/the-story-of-mrna-how-a-once-dismissed-idea-became-a-leading-technology-in-the-covid-vaccine-race/