Recyling for Homeschool

If you follow my blog at all, you know the we have been remodeling since summer. Well, I can see the end of the tunnel. Everything we have left is cosmetic... a few trim pieces and varnishing the dining room floor. Lately we refinished the floor in the den and we are putting it back together. I really only have one big bookshelf and hundreds of books so I am going to buy 4 matching cases and put them here...
So it is similar to this!
I was going to sell my lonely little not matching bookcase but then I had an idea!
We spent about $3 to convert it.
Ingredients:

4 hinges
2 old cork boards. One I've had since grade school and one saved from a factory dumpster
One lonely 15 year old bookshelf
One bright idea!

Now I can hide the ugly video stacks AND get our bulletin boards off the floor. WooHoo!

Running Off Sugar

If you'd like to run off the sugar you've fed your friend's kids before you send them home... here is a sure fire way! We played this obstacle course at our final Keepers of the fall.

1. Carry a ball on a spoon while walking forwards then backwards on a 2x4.


2. Crab walk 3 times around a set of chairs

3. Crawl under a set of chairs
4. roll a ball with their nose
5. Toss a bean bag at a small rubber ball on a cone... And make sure you toss them ALL over so Teacher of One is as out of breath as you are!

Quotes: The Lonesome Gods

I just finished my new favorite book of all times, The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour. I picked up this book because it is listed in "A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century" for parents to read before starting the program. Since I am a very slow reader especially when it comes to classics I started the list this year ( you can see them in my 888 list at the right.) When I checked out the novel, the librarian asked if it was for my husband... no it's for me. I wouldn't have thought that a western would be a must read classic but knowing that part of TJE is empathizing and understanding the characters in the books so that you can recognize these same situations and react to them in real life, I quickly recognized its place on the list. The story is told mostly in first person from Johannes. In the beginning, he is six, I thought about G a lot. He is crossing the Mohave with his dying father to California. His mother is dead, his father is dying,and he is being taken to a grandfather he has never met, who by the way has threatened to kill his father if he finds him. All of this is within the adventure of a wagon crossing the desert with Indians and horse thieves. We grow up with Johannes through the 500 pages.

Through out this story I found some words that spoke to my heart... things I would like to impart to G.

“Men needed stories to lead them to create, to build, to conquer, even to survive, and without them the human race would have vanished long ago.”

“Listen well. Education is by no means confined to schools. Listen to such men talk, hear their philosophy, their ides about the country, about business, trade, shipping, politics. Listen and learn.”

“Some people only learn by reading, others by doing or seeing, some by hearing. Learn however you can, but learn!”

“You are history,” Thomas Fraser told us, “Do not think of history as something remote that concerns only kings, queens, and generals. It concerns you.” “Each of you has a history that is part of the history of Los Angeles, a part of the history of California, part of the history of the United States and the world.” “You and your families march across the pages of history, and often he who plows a furrow is more important than those who lead an army. The army can destroy, the furrow can feed.”

OK...

This is the best quiz outcome EVER!

Happy Thanksgiving

Bean Feast 1668

Best Wishes to you and yours!

Bull Jumpers

We learned this week about Bull Jumpers in Crete. So we explored our new favorite resource, You Tube, to find some examples. There were very few examples there but I did find this one on another site. Enjoy!


Crazy Bull Jumpers - Watch more Free Videos

Books: Egyptian Diary

I found this book, Egyptian Diary: The Journal of Nakht at the library. It is so interesting! It is a daily journal written by a young scribe in training. Though fiction, it uses historical fact to base the writing. G is really enthralled and asks for more when I stop reading. So if your in SOTW 1 or just want to explore Egypt this may be a book to explore.

The author also has other "journals" from Castles and Pirates.

Learning Notes: Week 16

(lineman showing off the bucket truck)
Best question: How do you get the fried squirrels off of the transformers? roflol

Phonics
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading Review Lessons 154-155
Dolch List- 2nd, 3rd
Study Dog
Starfall

Read Aloud
Farmer Boy (audio) - Finished
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (audio)-Finished
Little House on the Praire (audio)
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Independent Reading & Book Adventure
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims
The Cow in the House
What Game Shall We Play

Handwriting
Ocean Animals Book

Math-
Work sheets -4, -5,-10
Jelly Bean Subtraction
Flashcards -4, -5,-10
Timed test -10: 34 SECONDS!

Science- Invertebrates & Vertebrates
* Vertebrates
* Review

(Linemen showing off their equipment)

Social Studies- SOTW 1
Ch21 – Phoenicians
*Audio
Coloring Sheet, Map
Glass blowing Videos

Vanschool
Pinocchio (audio)

Piano
* C Position
* Staccato

Choir
Last Day Party

Co-op
Community Helpers- Electrical Lineman

(Lineman climbing a pole)

Keepers
Kindness
Fitness
Human Body- Lungs
Badges

Glass Blowing

During our study of the Phoenicians this week, we learned they were some of the first to blow glass. As an artist in a former life, this is one the art forms which touches my soul. Something about the rawness of the material and forces of the elements. I wish I knew how! So I wanted G to see how and what glass blowing is... so where do we go nowadays? You Tube.

Tour a glass studio


Interview with David Chihuly


Also see:
Chihuly at RISD

Mrs. G & Sal

Oh that Mrs. G... She just made me miss my classroom. LOL Go over and see how her class responded to the classic Blueberries for Sal.

If you have never visited Derfwad Manor... you must! Here is my all time favorite!

Moses and the Ten Plagues

We enjoyed creating and recreating this story.

Our Apple Mummy

I have had the supplies to mummify a chicken since before we went to Florida but it is such a process I have never slowed down to do it with G. But... last week I saw where people have mummified apples. hmmmm So we did that instead. First G carved his quarter into a face.




Then we covered it in Salt & Baking Soda for a week.
When we tried to uncover it, the salt mix was solid. I finally pried it off in one piece.
It is still a little damp and squishy like a sponge.
We are going to put him back on salt to see if there is any more moisture to come out.

Operation Christmas Child

The theme of G's library group this year is Operation Care. They have created backpacks for children that may need to go to the police station in an emergency. They are holding a food drive for the local pantry and this week they made boxes for Operation Christmas Child.



Here are their 6 boxes... packed to capacity!

Yeah!!! G!!!

G finished his addition timed test today!!! He can finish each set in 60 seconds or less.

Learning Notes: Week 15

The base of the 10 plagues sheets we colored together

Phonics
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading Review Lesson 153
Dolch List- pre-primer, primer = perfect, 1^st grade -1
Study Dog
Starfall

Read Aloud
Farmer Boy (audio)
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (audio)
Clarence the Copy Cat
There’s a Duck In My Closet
Verdi
Spike
Topsy- Turvy Bedtime
Tuff Fluff: The Case of Duckie’s Missing Brain
No One Saw: Ordinary Things Through Artists’ Eyes

Independent Reading &
Book Adventure

Newt
I Can Read with My Eyes Shut
When the TV Broke

Handwriting

Days of the Week Book

Math-
Work sheets -4, +7
Jelly Bean Subtraction
Flashcards -4, +7
Timed test ALL Plus Problems PASSED!!!

Science- Invertebrates & Vertebrates
* Vertebrates
* Fish

Social Studies- SOTW 1
Ch20 – Israelites
*Audio
Interactive Coloring Sheets
Video- Prince of Egypt

You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy
Amazing Popup Mummy Book (AMAZING!)
Mummified Apple

Vanschool
Piano
* C Position
* Slur

Choir
1^st Choir Performance

Co-op

Fireman G

Community Helpers- Fireman

Library

One of our shoeboxes

Food Drive
Operation Christmas Child

University Homeschool Classes
Music - Fall Theme
Gym- Balance

Keepers
Kindness
Fitness
Human Body- Nervous System