Wednesday: Spectacular Spelling

"Joshua, spell 'Invariably.'" "Invariably, I-n-v-a-r-i-a-b-l-y, Invariably." "Correct!"
Ah yes, a Spelling Bee. Enjoyed by many, hated by many also. Our family tends to enjoy them, especially when Mom makes the rule that you get to make three mistakes before you are out. :-)
A grand scale Spelling Bee was scheduled for the first activity on our Spelling day. Mom had spent the past few evenings going through our copies of McGuffy readers, copying down spelling words for each of us children. (Us older ones sure got some toughies!)

Below are a couple pictures, as well as write-ups on the rest of the day's activities, including an exciting fast paced game of "Team Spelling Bee Relay." Enjoy!

Mom gives us all the rules before we start . . . .  

. . . and here we all are waiting for our turns! (I think Joshua is having to much fun:-) 

You sure have to be quick on your feet to play this next spelling game! First Mom divided the family into two teams, (Dad, FaithAnn, Josh, and Josiah vs. Charity, Grace, John and Christianna) and lined the two teams up at either end of the Living room/Library. In the middle of the rooms, were two dry erase boards. The point of the game was to finish spelling the word given before the other team did(and to spell it accurately). Each team member could only put on one letter at a time, and if someone before you put the wrong letter on, you could correct it, but that was the end of your turn, you had to hand the marker to the next person in line. Mom was the officiator, and gave us the words to spell.

You should try it some time, it sure is an aweful lot of fun! :-)

Whew! Look at those speedy spellers go! John and Josiah in mid-pen-stroke.

Definictionary!

Have you ever played Definictionary? It sure is a lot of fun! :-) Mom came up with this tricky sounding game to help us stretch our "defining" skills. Here's how it goes . . . .

Each person gets a Dictionary and a piece of paper and a pencil. (If you don't have enough Dictionaries, just take turns.) Now you are to look through the Dictionary, (quickly) and find a strange sounding word that you don't know the meaning of (and that you think no one else knows either). Write down that word, (and its pronunciation if you need it) and four definitions for it. One of the definitions is the correct one, and the other three you make up. Try to make them really interesting. :-) Once you have finished, read the word and spell it for everyone, then proceed to give out the definitions. Everyone has to write down which definition they think is the correct one (A, B, C, or D). After everyone has decided, you reveal the true definition!

Below are all the words we came up with. See if you can guess the correct definitions. Post your choices in "comments" and on Saturday, we'll reveal the answers. You're not allowed to use your Dictionaries!! :-)

Poniard

A. A pond that is in a yard

B. A wetland that covers about a yard or more

C. A slender dagger

D. A fruit that grows on the Islands of Hawaii

Pollenger

A. A collector of pollen

B. A type of cloth

C. Brush wood

D Someone who studies trees

Recusancy

A. Scarceness

B. Hitting the mark

C. Nonconformity

D. Disorder

Crystalitis

A. Inflammation of the eye

B. Infection caused by a cut made by crystal

C. Disease of the Spleen

D. A Fungus that grows on crystals

Pyorrhea

A. An outlying part, suburb of an object

B. Infection of the gums and tooth sockets

C. A round white fungus

D. A physical disorder caused by emotional disturbance

Scintillate -

A. To Work together at a distance

B. Small watercraft used in Ethiopia

C. To flash or sparkle brilliantly

D. To write something with a sharp pencil like object