Boys+ Academy

Little Professor Science Kits

2011-04-28T19:40:00.005-04:00

One purchase from Convention which I am excited about is the Little Professor Science Kits from the Academy of Science for Kids. As I mentioned in my purchase post, the price of these kits caused me to hesitate. These kits run for $95 plus shipping and because of their size the shipping runs 15-20$. So why would I take the leap for these kits....

*No shipping at convention, even for the one that was not produced yet and they had to mail later.

* Just Add Water. That is it. No looking for cups, beakers, markers or crayons... everything you need for each experiment is included in the box. I love that!

*Each experiment is placed in a labeled baggie... I don't even have to dig through the box for the needed supplies. Talk about making it easy. Thank you!

*Besides supplies the box includes a journal with instructions and lab space, a small science fair display board, online assessment and credits you can earn to trade for science merchandise .

*A year subscription to Discovery Education!!! We do not belong to anything that gives us access to they pay areas of this amazing site. I have wanted to get a subscription for years but could not justify $265. For $95, I got a years subscription plus the kit. That is what really sold me.

The two kits I purchases were Matter and Food Science.

Books: Seedfolks

2011-04-26T21:36:00.003-04:00

I read this lovely little book today while G worked on his school work. It is so simple and sweet. You could use it to study immigration, community, gardening, urban area, first person... Each chapter is written in the voice of a person in a Cleveland neighborhood. It is a depressed, drug ridden area. One day a girl plants a few lima beans in a vacant lot in remembrance of her deceased father. This small act causes a ripple effect resulting a huge community garden. I enjoyed this book so much and G was amazed that I could finish it before he finished his work.

Grammar-Land

2011-04-19T22:06:00.003-04:00

It amazes me how much G enjoys this book. He asks for it to be read and applies what we have covered to other areas of school. You can buy a copy of this 1877 book from Amazon and other retailers as well as read it online at Google Books. I would like to thank Jessica, whoever you are, for creating worksheets to go with each chapter. You can find those sheets here.

Convention 2011:Purchases

2011-04-17T12:40:00.008-04:00

I did not need a lot of new curriculum this year, we are going to be straddling years with what we have on hand. So I took this years convention as a chance to find some fun learning items.

We really enjoy the Opal Wheeler composer series. We are reading Bach right now and G is learning one of the included Minuets in piano lesson. I chose Brahms and Schubert to compliment our Story of the World studies.

I always stock up on Jim Weiss Cds that will enhance our history study.

We purchased these stop motion movies from the homeschool creators. I hope they will give G some new ideas.
I have had this book wish listed on Amazon for quite a while. I opened it up and really think it will be some real world fun. Zaccaro was the only speaker I wanted to see that I didn't get to this year.
I hope these EMA board games are as fun as they look... if not now them they will be a great resource later.
Daddy had never seen one of these chess sets... he wanted this more than G. giggle

I thought this simple game looked really fun but was worried G wouldn't think so. I was so wrong. He enjoyed it as soon as the vendor taught him how to play.

G loves look and find puzzles... this game fills that love.
Another game I hope it is as fun as it looks. I got it on good authority that it is great family fun.

The price tag of this science kit really threw me off but the benefits won me over. Won me over so much I actually bought 2! I plan on doing a post just on this product soon.

A bag full of OOOHS and AHHHHHS! We are putting up the chemistry text for the rest of the year and using this kit. 70 experiments! This one gets it's own post too. I got a great convention deal from Timberdoodle for $25!

Batter Up 2011

2011-04-17T12:27:00.002-04:00

Jose Feliciano & Daryl Hall - The Little Drummer Boy

2010-12-23T22:41:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Every One! From our school to yours!

Games Games Games

2010-12-20T17:08:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to share a couple of new games that we are really enjoying.

1. Numbers League

Rainbow Resources had a free shipping special last week so I looked into a couple of math games. I bought Equate... which I don't think will be "please please can we play it!" type game but I hope it makes math practice a bit less torturous. The other game was Numbers League: an Adventure in Addiplication. Your goal is to create a team of super heroes to capture villains. G loves it! It's not even like doing math! he said. LOL I was really impressed with how his mental math improved after a few rounds.

2. Lego Harry Potter
We are a fan of the new build it yourself Lego Game boards. First we got Minotaurus this summer, which we play often. Then for Christmas, we've been having family parties for 2 weeks now, G got the Harry Potter version. It is a bit more difficult to build initially but it all stays together when you are finished. I always imagine those stair cases moving on me when I read the books and daydream... well here they do.

What are you playing in school this winter?

Fieldtrip: Cats

2010-11-28T20:27:00.003-05:00

After watching Cats on TV, we were excited when their upcoming tour was announced to stop close by. Now I have seen Cats a bazillion times so I knew just where I wanted us to sit... down front. We were lucky enough to sit on the second row just a couple seats from the aisle. G got lots of up close views of the felines. He's still amazed how one batted her paw at him.

In front of the stage before the show.

Looking for Cats after the show... not really.

If you have seen Cats in the past, I would like to know when they cut "The Aweful Battle of The Pekes and the Pollicles" from the show?

I have to say our Grizabella looked like Helena Bonheim Carter as Bellatrix Lastrange but her voice was one of the best I have ever heard.

Fieldtrip: Conner Prairie

2010-10-11T22:53:00.007-04:00

This beautiful 10/10/10 Sunday, the family spent the day at Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie is an Interactive History Park. This was the first time G has ever attended a museum where the docents play the part of the time period... he didn't quite know what to think.

First we rode the 1859 Balloon Voyage. G did not want to go but to be honest... I made him. There are certain things, like this balloon ride, like his first kiddie roller coaster, that I make him do. I don't want him to miss an opportunity. And I don't make him go if I am not willing to do it too. I only do this maybe once a year. He still was scared but talks about the view as being really neat.

350 feet in the air.

Indiana in October from 350 feet in the air

Once back on the ground we entered the Lenape Camp, the Conner's Farm, and Prairietowne.

Silver pieces like the English & the Indians Traded

G Creating a paper replica of the silver

Discussing trade with the Delaware

Learning how wool was dyed

Collecting kindling to pay for his half of the bed for the night. 12 1/2 cents

The Inn keeper telling us about how the Spanish Reales was used.

Trying to hold a rifle made by the Carpenter.

Crushing Sage

Playing a real piano forte!

Forging a nail, which G got to keep

Watching the Potter throw

Pretending to throw

Playing Farmer in the Dell

Fieldtrip: Metamora

2010-10-11T22:32:00.003-04:00

Metamora is a small village in Indiana platted in 1889. We attended their homeschool day last month. Activities included rug hooking, cooking, rope making, visiting the gristmill, and riding the canal boat.Learning about the Grist Mill

Boarding the Canal Boat

Making a rope

Tuning the boat around.... the horses pull the boat and have to be reattached to the other end of the boat so we can go back.

Fieldtrip: Stone Mountain, GA

2010-10-11T22:22:00.001-04:00

We had never heard of Stone Mountain but the day before we left for Florida, I received my prize book from Live the Adventure. As I perused the 500 locations I came across this location near Atlanta… hmm we have to go through Atlanta. So we decided we would stop on the way back home. We are so glad we did. We only looked at the carving and took the train around the base but we plan to go back and partake in all of the activities and watch the laser show.

Fieldtrip: Disney

2010-10-11T21:39:00.005-04:00

This trip to Disney was short & sweet. We only went for three days and only went to two parks. We spent our time at Magic Kingdom seeing sites we had skipped in our other two visits and our day at Epcot helping Kim Possible capture villains. So much fun! We only waited for photographs and autographs we had never received… what a time saver!

Learning to spin plates in China

Dreaming to see the real deal

"The Bakery is Open!"

Goofing in MexicoDancing in Germany

Vikings in Norway

Playing Guess the Character M&Ms

Princess Tiana & Prince Naaven
Jesse & Woody

Jasmine & Aladdin

Beauty & Beast

Mary Poppins & Burt

Trying to Get Off the Hamster Wheel

2010-10-11T21:31:00.002-04:00

When we started on this homeschool journey, one of my main motivations was the fun stuff. The things that there is not enough time for in public school. After 3 years, I am searching for the fun stuff… There has definitely been a lack of it. Not that we don’t have any fun but there is a definite lack in the hands-on exploration and fieldtrip department. So I am trying to get off the hamster wheel of simply school at home. I want to find hands-on science experiments for G (he’s really into science right now) and I want to take at least one fieldtrip a month. Wish me luck!

Fieldtrip: Florida’s Space Coast

2010-09-30T22:08:00.006-04:00

We went to the Kennedy Space Center the day after Labor Day and it was Empty! We took advantage of this and took tons of pictures.

Actual International Space Station Supplies, some going up in November!

Hint: I was tempted to purchase KSC tickets online but we waited and stopped at the Florida visitor center where they had $2.50 off coupons. Bonus. KSC tickets are good for two days within a seven-day period.

We also took advantage of free admission, part of our KSC admission, to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. It is a wonderful, small museum. The exhibits are interesting and there are many hands on opportunities

Virtual Ball Game

A fun afternoon!

Landing a virtual Space Shuttle

Watching videos at a real mission control table

IEW: The Beginning

2010-09-30T22:00:00.002-04:00

Ugh…. I did not expect this to be so hard! As I have written previously, I hopped off of the fence and purchased IEW Student Intensive A. I thought this video class would make learning to write so much easier. But I am not an 8-year-old boy who doesn’t like to put pencil to paper. G is awesome orally, which is how we do most tasks. So these writing lessons are as much about the physical act of writing as the process of composition.

I do have to say; he is enjoying the lessons and would have no complaints if I would be his scribe. Because of this I have had to alter MY timeline from two compositions a week to one. This seems to be a good compromise.

I have to say that Pudewa has picked excellent topics for the kids to write about. And if you have ever heard him speak, he is definitely reaching for those kids who would rather be building forts. The initial video lesson and subsequent practices are on the topics: Sea Snakes, Desert Tarantulas, and Pillbugs.

Pudewa walks the students (yours and in studio) step by step through the process; reading of the text, picking three words from every sentence to form a keyword outline, testing the outline to see if you can create a sentence, and finally putting away the original story and writing an essay from your outline.

G enjoyed Pudewa’s humor and trying to come up with same keywords he suggested. It was almost a game. He also liked the “help” hand signals Pudewa used for classroom management… quite funny since G is my only. I also got my first “That’s not what he said”. giggle

First: Junior Ranger

2010-08-31T22:09:00.007-04:00

Over the years I have “watched” other homeschool blog families vacation in National Parks and participate in the Junior Ranger Program. I couldn’t wait until G had the opportunity to try his hand at this. Well, last month we stumbled upon our first one. We were on our way home from a funeral in Tennessee and stopped off at McD’s in Cave City… and what do I spy? A Momma with an armful of Junior Ranger Handbooks! We were contemplating driving down the road and taking a short tour of Mammoth Cave but now we HAD to go! I hadn’t realized that Mammoth was a National Park; I assumed it was a state park.

We asked about the program at the information desk and learned that G needed to earn 9 points to become a Junior Ranger. The booklet consists of worksheets about being a Ranger and about the Cave System. So while we waited for our tour we found a quiet, cool corner and started to work.

After working in the workbook and seeing the cave, G said he wanted to be a Ranger at Mammoth Cave. He talked to our tour guide, Ranger John, about it. Ranger John told G he could come back when he was in 16 and be a summer intern. High School students intern and learn behind the scene jobs (tickets, cleaning…) and will be giving tours by the end of their stay. I have one very excited Junior Ranger now!

Caves: Mammoth & Onyx

2010-08-31T21:44:00.006-04:00

Recently we took a detour on our way home from Tennessee to check out a couple of caves: Mammoth and Onyx. Now my family roots are from Tennessee so I have driven past the exit to these caves 80-100 times over my life and only been to Mammoth Cave twice and never stepped in any of the others. I have longed to go up that tourist trap mountain to Onyx Cave all my life… well we finally stopped.

We had driven half a day in the car, it was 100 degrees, and G had never been in a cave so quick & simple was the way to go this trip. We chose the Mammoth Passage tour. When our tour was called, we met Ranger John who gave us a brief overview of the whole cave system and the rules of the tour. We then walked down the forest path behind the visitor center where the temperature dropped suddenly 50 degrees. Amazing.

As we walked a bit farther we found ourselves at a set of concrete stairs that lead down to the cave entrance. Ranger John discusses how the outside light can only penetrate so far and there is an area in between light and total darkness called twilight. Once inside the opening he turned off all of the lighting so that we could see this transition. It was a bit unsettling.

In the tour we viewed the Salt Petre mine used during the War of 1812.

And learned about the type of lighting used in the mine from reed torches to gas lanterns.

It was quite enjoyable and great introduction to a longer more strenuous tour.

Next we traveled back down the road to Onyx Cave. Don’t let the tourist trappy looks of this place make you skip over it. We really enjoyed. The tour was personal and small. Onyx Cave was discovered in 1971 during construction of a parking lot for Guntown Mountain Amusement Park. While what you can see in Mammoth is dry; Onyx is wet, so there are many formations to be seen. We learned not to touch the wall because the oils from our skin would cause formations to stop growing.

Drapery

Popcorn

Stalagmites

Stalactites

It did actually have some tight spots though but they are short and quick.

Our tour guide, Missy, was knowledge and very personable. Since we were such a small group, two families, she compared what we were seeing with her compared to what was in Mammoth. She shared many personal experiences and stories.

If you have caves in your “backyard” I encourage you to check them out! We cannot wait until our next adventure.

History is ALIVE!

2010-08-29T18:51:00.003-04:00

I have so many, well four, posts that I want to write but I am experiencing my first over scheduled, can't find my rhythm year. But I just had to share this...

We are continuing history this year with Story of the World 3. I enjoy this series immensely. Although, this year since it starts to cover America (1600-Gold Rush) I wanted to slow down through it and do a slightly more in depth American Study than just two or three pages scattered throughout the text. So I got out a notebook today and numbered the lines one by one from 1607 to 1850. Then I fingered through the text to find the America chapters, 10 out of 42. Next I wrote those events on my time line. The second bit of information for my time line were the states... what year did states become states. Then the Presidents. Finally, I added us.

Us as in my family not US as in United States. I am so blessed to have pieces of a book written by a now deceased 2nd cousin. This man, whom I never got to meet, traced our family back to 1633. All but 3 of G's Grandfathers, on one side, lived during these years!! History is going to come alive. The first one came to America as an indentured servant 13 years after the Pilgrims. Another was born the year between Washington becoming President and the Bill of Rights. One fought in the War of 1812. These 8 men are going to guide us through the forming of this country. I am so excited!

Shakespeare in Third Grade

2010-08-23T20:38:00.005-04:00

This year we are starting the year by finishing up Story of the World 2. One of the final chapters is about William Shakespeare. I am using this chapter as a jumping point into a survey of his work.

I have to admit that I love to listen to and watch Shakespeare but cannot seem to read it. I cannot get the rhythm and stumble over the language. It is so laborious the meaning is lost. Thank goodness for children’s versions. I hope that gradual exposure will help G to understand the stories so that when he grows up and reads the originals it will be easier.

I started looking into Shakespeare after two blog friends posted about their chosen resources and studies.

Dana

Jimmie, here and here

I would never have thought of looking at Shakespeare in elementary school. But G is enjoying the stories and it is fun to see his face when he recognizes a phrase or situation that has become part of pop culture.

After sifting through all the resources I could get my hands on these are the ones we are using…

Shakespeare Paper Doll

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare: here and here

Tales from Shakespeare

You Tube: BBC Animated Shakespeare

Blog Contest

2010-08-13T20:55:00.005-04:00

One of my new favorite bloggers is having a contest. Check out Live the Adventure for details on how to win this neat book.... but don't beat me out!

Curriculum: 3rd Grade

2010-08-03T20:39:00.010-04:00

Ugh... is it time already?! It doesn't seem like we've enjoyed the summer yet but I really think we just lazied it away. So since we have turned into August it is time to get started. I tend to follow the basic public school schedule because G has close cousins and they tend to compare. He even wanted a report card and grades last year because they were talking about theirs. ( roll eyes)

So here we are 3rd grade, We will be adding a new subject: writing. I am not looking forward to this because G like most boys do not like to put pencil to paper. He doesn't mind narrating and thinking of stories as long as I scribe. Well that is about to change. I have chosen to go with the Institute for Excellence in Writing. I sat on that fence for a long time. I enjoy and am inspired by Andrew Pudewa when I see him live... he's a Rock Star! So this year I finally jumped off that fence and took the plunge. I am hoping G will like him as much as I do. If not the company has a money back guarantee. That helped me greatly in my decision.

A couple of other subjects, though part of our lessons last year, are getting make overs. Grammer: I was so excited to use the ever popular Intermediate Language Lessons by Serl. I got a like new copy on Paperback Swap... bo-nus. I thought it would be a great continuation to the Queen series we have used over the last 2 years. But as I started writing out lessons in our master plan sheet I was not thrilled. I wanted more parts of speech work and in the six weeks I planned there was little. So I erased it all and ordered a cheap copy of Evan Moor's Daily Language Review 3. I used it this workbook when I taught school and is gives a short but effective lessons. I really wanted to stick to the Charotte Mason-ish way to grammar but we'll see how this goes. I will also be adding in weekly Engish From the Roots Up cards. I purchased just a set of cards because I wanted more of a discovery of how roots work rather than a full on study.

Spelling: Last year I went through 3 books, organized and collated a master list, tested him orally and made weekly lists from the missed words. It went Ok, but just making the short vowel lists took forever. This summer I read one of my many blog favs, and she uses a similar method but uses the McGuffy Speller for her lists. Lightbulb... so I got a copy , again like new from PBSW. No more list making for me! Also at convention this spring, One of my favorite workshops was Pudewa's Spelling lecture. He talked about practicing spelling orally, a lot, before writing... like in the good ole days. Often, the script to the brain to the hand gets scrambled so spelling out loud before writing is helpful So we will be doing loads of oral practice before writing. Finally, by having the McGuffy lesson numbers it makes G feel impressed with himself. It took 4 lessons to miss 10 words. He was excited.

Our other subjects continue with companies I am really pleased with:
Science
Mr. Q's Chemistry
supplemented with Basher's Periodic Table, Tocci's Periodic Table, Inquiry in Action, and the Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments.

History
Story of the World 3
supplemented with Opal Wheeler books, American History Stories, Young Scholar's Guide to Composers, Jim Weiss CDs, Complete Book of Presidents & States and Complete Book of Maps & Geography

Math
MUS Gamma & Delta

Language Arts
Writing, Spelling , Grammar above
Reading: Book Adventure, Book Studies tied to history like Sam the Minuteman, Dewey Decimal System

Fieldtrips! I want to go on fieldtrips... we rarely seem to take the time. I want to take the time this year.

What's new for you this year?

First Day: 3rd Grade

2010-08-02T11:09:00.002-04:00

Summer Fun 2010

2010-07-14T19:56:00.003-04:00

Review: Hernie & Friends: Who is in Charge Anyway? DVD

2010-07-14T15:03:00.008-04:00

From the Publisher:

Meet the Garden gang before they grew up!

Sitting around a camp fire on a beautiful star-lit night, the garden gang is talking about their favorite memories. Antonio recounts the Garden Olympics, but admits he was a scrawny kid-ant whose parents did not think he would ever amount to much. Flo confesses she used to be shy and introverted. Turns out all Hermie and Friends’ adventures are made possible by the things that happened to them as kids. And it’s also clear that God has had a plan for all of the garden characters right from the start – as long as they had the sense to listen and follow God’s message. Includes new and previous animation.

This is my first review for BookSneeze, and I was thrilled when I could review Hermie. Hermie and his friends have always been favorites for our family and this DVD is no different. I so appreciate the reinforcement of the message that we are ALL special and purposeful in Gods eyes. No matter how small each can help Him and others.

This disc also includes a bonus section with a Trivia Quiz, Behind the Scenes feature, and two Sing A longs.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Favorite Books: July 2010

2010-07-14T14:12:00.007-04:00

We have been reading a lot this summer. Besides it being a part of our nightly rituals, our library has an amazing summer reading program! Here are some of our favorites:

Peter & the.... by Dave Barry
We have enjoyed both Peter & the Starcatchers and Peter & the Shadow Thieves. We have listened to both on tape. Which by the way are read by the talented Jim Dale.
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Seeing the trailers for the new Beezus & Ramona movie reminded me of how wonderful these books are and it is now time to share them with G.

Multiplying menace : the revenge of Rumpelstiltskin by Pam Calvert
Rumpelstilskin is back and wants the little boy he lost out on the first time. A fun math story.

William the Curious : Knight of the Water Lilies written and illustrated by Charles Santore
Gorgeous book with a great message.

Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban
Good old fashion sweetness.

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
I am reading this for myself. I thought we might use it when we study Shakespeare. I am really enjoying it. It is the first of a set of 3.

Cheap Extras

2010-07-14T13:52:00.007-04:00

I could not believe when I walked into Target this week and saw that school supplies are out! Ugh, with baseball finally over I just now feel like summer. I did not venture into the school zone (a big weakness) but I did check out the $1 bins at the front of the store. I was extremely excited with the selection of flash cards. I passed over the typical ABC & Math ones. I purchased the following sets: Landmarks, US Presidents, Flags of the World, and United States. All of the cards are double-sided, full color, decent stock for $1. The Landmark, States, and Presidents have a photo front and informative reverse. The Flag set is more like a path set with problems and answers on each side.

Landmarks

United States
Presidents (Washington- Obama plus the White House, Lincoln, Jefferson & Wahington Memorials)
Flags of the World
I also found pencils marked like rulers to the 1/4 inch.
And finally a Quick reference about the States and their flags.

TED: Adora Svitak

2010-05-31T17:44:00.002-04:00

I get so inspired by the speeches I listen to on TED. After listening to Sir Ken Robinson on education this talk by 12 year old Adora Svitak popped up.

New Resource: Xtranormal

2010-05-27T15:42:00.004-04:00

Too Cool!
My friend Dana, over at School for Us, just posted about how her daughter used Xtranormal to create a report on President Garfield. It was a great idea and I thought I would check it out. There logo is

IF YOU CAN TYPE,
YOU CAN MAKE MOVIES

And that is it... you type in the text and the characters speak it. I see all kinds of potential for this. G and I have been playing with it since last night. Here is my sample.

Mr Q Science: Year 1 Earth Science

2010-05-23T16:28:00.011-04:00

A few weeks ago I got a question on my feelings about Mr. Q's science after using it this year. I will tell you how I used it and my expectations.

I started the year approaching science as I had before: gathering my own books from the library, scouring the internet and trudging my own path. I am a trained teacher and I love researching and writing my own lessons so this was sort of joyful for me. Well, when I started this year of Earth Science I just could not find the flow of materials I wanted... in step Mr Q. I had never heard of this program and the $50 price tag for a PDF shocked me. After reading all I could on his site I decided to take the plunge. $50 might be worth it not to have to gather books and create an outline. It was. I liked it so much that at Christmas he had a 50% off sale and I bought both the Chemistry and Physics books. So I got 2 for $50. Bonus.

Now, I have to explain my goals for Science (and History). I truly subscribe to the Well Trained Mind ideal of placing pegs for learning. I am not expecting G to memorize or master this information. We are placing seeds of knowledge so when we cycle through this again it will not be totally foreign information. So with this in mind, I did not use all (hardly any) of the worksheets and I did not do an experiment with every chapter. For a 7/ 8 year old some of them were just to dull. Boys this age want OOOH AAAH science and those are the experiments we did. Right now I have a shopping list to get items to make rock candy- crystals & igneous rock I think... But I do not feel like I am wasting my money. As I said, I subscribe to the WTM 4 year cycle and we will cover this again in a few years and I believe I will use this same package again. This time with the worksheets and all of the experiments.

Price of Printing a PDF text: If you have a laptop you could read it off of the laptop. I could have done this but I like to draw on the text to further illustrate things (not something I would ever do to a bound book... oh the freedom!) But I did not just pull up the file and click print. There are a few blank pages and full color chapter title pages, so I would go in and say for example: print 101-109, 112, 121-124 and I would print 2 pages per sheet. I was a little time consuming to pick out all of the sheet numbers but well worth it in the end. And once I decided we were not going to do all of the worksheets I didn't even print those out. I would print 6 weeks at a time.

There are 36 chapters so enough for a typical school year. We completed 24. Our "official" 180 days are done (WOOHOO!!) but we will still be casually doing 4 more math times tables, history biographies, and the remainder of the science over the summer.

So my recommendation would be: If you can do Life Science start there because it is the whole 36 weeks FREE. Then you can try on his style. His chapters are short and to the point but he has a humorous voice. You can get on his mailing list and he sends out monthly lab notes which have an experiment and you will get notice if he has a sale. I think he had a 20% one this spring.

He is not a big company so if you send him and email he will personally answer you. I will say, Your access to the download links only last a month... I did not pay any attention to that when I first downloaded mine. Well, come to find out when we got to the rock chapters a few weeks ago I had not downloaded them... I remember having trouble before. I emailed Scott and asked if he could just send me that unit... he emailed right back and renewed my ES account for another month! It was so quick and easy. I appreciated his speed and response.

So yes, I still am glad I bought Mr. Qs science... I just tweaked how I used it.

Convention 2010

2010-05-02T21:17:00.008-04:00

I love going to conventions. I did when I taught Public School and that hasn't changed now. My favorite is the Midwest Homeschooling Convention in Cincinnati Ohio. I have to drive 2 hours to the next state but it is well worth it. I have been going to this convention for three years, from its beginnings in a large church until now in the Duke Convention Center. This year there were 12,000 people attending, over 4000 families!

I spent most of my time listening to Andrew Pudewa. If you have not heard this man speak find a way. I love that he doesn't try to sell you his wares, he just educates and inspires. I listened to ...
4 Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing
Spelling and the Brain!
Fairy Tales and the Moral Imagination
Teaching Boys & Others Who Would Rather Make Forts All day
and I bought- Mastery Learning, Ability Development and Individualized Education

Other People I enjoyed
Dr. Carol Reynolds
Carol Topp, CPA
FamilyMint.com( We just started using this 5/19 and are really enjoying... G is hooked)

ANDDDDD

TIM HAWKINS!!!!!
Oh my goodness he is so entertaining!

I stuck to my shopping list
I bought...
Institute for Excellence in Writing A- I am still nervous about spending this much but I have faith
Math U See- Delta
English From the Roots Up cards
North America Map
Mineral Testing Set & Geode
Miller Pads & Paper
Basher Periodic Table
Ein-O's Molecular Model
A Cool New T-shirt for G
The Periodic Table by Salvatore Tocci
A few Easy Novels:
George the Drummer Boy
Sam the Minuteman
Small Wolf
Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express

I am very excited about the pieces I chose. And even more excited about the wonderful time I had in Cincy with friends and inspiration!

Favorite Books: April 2010

2010-05-02T20:27:00.009-04:00

Here are a few of the Books we have been enjoying....

The Guardians of G'Hoole Series
We are on book 3. We cannot wait to read this each night. It is very exciting. Kidnapping, brainwashing, armor.... mwahahahahaha
The movie comes out this Fall! We cannot wait!

'Legend of the Guardians' Teaser Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Wicked History Series

Biography for Boys I would call them. These little books deliver interesting biographical information on some of histories scariest people. We have studied Genghis Khan and are getting ready to read about Ivan the Terrible.

Marco Polo

Demi's telling of Polo's travels is interesting and beautifully illustrated. I have enjoyed studying Marco and learning more than I ever did in school. He is so much more than traveled to China and brought back spices.

Dr. Seuss
G is on a Dr. Seuss kick. He is sailing through the short ones and impressed with his own fluency. I hope he will start in on the longer books soon. But this is all him... I am staying out of it.

Art History: Oaxacan Woodcarving

2010-05-02T20:05:00.004-04:00

I was excited to introduce the kids to something close to my heart, Alebrejas. I have been collecting these beautiful painted carvings for about 10 years. I took in my collection so they could hold them and touch them rather than look at pictures of them. You would have thought it was Christmas or fireworks were going off, "OOOHHH AHHHHH". They each got to hold their favorite while I read the beautiful book Dream Carver.

I created basic paper shapes for the children to draw their patterns on or they could create their own shape. They had gel pens and markers to draw with... of course the gel pens were the most popular.

Art History: Matisse Paper Cuts

2010-05-02T19:50:00.006-04:00

To add variety to our medium, We studied Matisse's Paper Cuts this week. As Matisse aged, he "painted" with the colored paper. The children enjoyed hearing how he adapted his art as his eye site and health decreased. He did not give it up, he just discovered new ways to create. A great lesson in itself. We read and looked through 3 books; A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse, Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, and Matisse; Cut-Out Fun with Matisse. The children also had fun trying to guess the titles of some of his simpler pieces.

The children had more trouble starting this project than any of the others. It suprised me. I thought it would be the easiest... cut out some shapes and glue them on the base paper. After a few minutes they finally dug in and started creating. We just used scissors, glue, and colored paper.

Art History: Cave Drawings

2010-05-02T19:31:00.005-04:00

One of the children's favorite Coop lessons this session was Cave Drawings. They were amazed by the size and wondered as to their creation. Were the drawings a history? Were the drawings their wishes and hopes for the hunt? We looked at Painters of the Caves. I was also going to read Maria De Sautuola: Discoverer of the Bulls in the Cave but ran out of time.

The children created their own drawings on paper grocery sacks with charcoal and pastels. I sprayed them with cheap hairspray when they finished to keep them from smearing.

Art History: John James Audubon

2010-05-02T19:10:00.004-04:00

This weeks Coop class was about John James Audubon. We read The Boy Who Drew Birds and learned 2 things. One, John drew everyday and on his birthday every year he would burn all of his work because none, he felt, was good enough to keep. Two, Audubon was the first to tag birds to see if they returned to their nesting grounds. The kids were fascinated. They really enjoyed looking at his work.

Our hands on project was a watercolor pencil painting of a bird. We did a few step by step bird drawings on white boards before taking to the watercolor paper.

Art History: Totems

2010-05-02T18:35:00.005-04:00

This semester my Hands on Art History Class focused on pieces that contained animals. This week we looked at Totem Poles.

We discussed how they are often like a family tree and that the animals show characteristics of the family members. I showed them many examples from the web and we glanced through the book Totem Pole.

The children created their own animal to add to our class totem. They were created from soup cans which were covered in brown paper. We then drilled a hole in the bottom and threaded them onto a dowel rod to stabilize them.

Books: Charlie Bone

2010-02-24T00:06:00.002-05:00

G & I wanted to share a new favorite series with you: Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.
Charlie Bone is a Fantasy Series of 8 books which takes place in modern times but is effected by an ancestor, the Red King, from the 12th Century. Many of the main characters are descendants of this magical Red King and have their own magical powers. Charlie, like another British, fatherless, boarding schooler we all know (HP), seems to attract trouble like a magnet and his "endowed" friends are there to help him out, if sometimes reluctantly. But those are the only similarities Charlie and Harry share. I don't even know how to describe them without resorting to plot summaries. We just love them! Magic, mystery, suspense, good vs evil, friendship, family.....

Both G and I find this series gripping and think it would make a great movie... if done right. I even have some casting ideas in my head,if any people in the know would like to hear. giggle

So if you are looking for a new series to dive into we suggest The Children of the Red King Series aka Charlie Bone. pssst Book 8 doesn't come out until May in the US. I am considering buying the British copy. So if you speed through them like we did you will have to wait for the ending.

Here is the author Jenny Nimmo setting up book 5 the Hidden King.

Missing Teen

2010-02-23T23:47:00.003-05:00

The family of one of my cousin's friends is missing a 13 year old girl. Because she left on her own, authorities have categorized her as a runaway and would not issue an Amber Alert. And because the police did not call, local TV stations would not cover it. She left with an adult, Hispanic male. Today, 23rd, she was finally upgraded to "endangered".

Magan Adineh-Kharat she is 13 years old and has been missing since Friday 2-19-2010 at 3 or 4 a.m She was last seen wearing a green sweater and bluejeans at the Little Rock Airport. We believe she is with a much older (23-30) year old Hispanic man she met on the internet. Any information rearding her whereabouts can be sent here or to BringMaganHome@yahoo.com
Call above numbers or 501-231-5874, 501-231-1436

TV School- Science

2010-01-13T22:22:00.003-05:00

We have watched some amazing science shows this week on TV. I just had to share incase you can catch them on replay.

Raw Anatomy: Inside the Elephant (National Geographic Channel)
We were mesmerized!

Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air (Nature/ PBS)
Slow motion is amazing!

(On DVR) Building Pharaoh's Ship (Nova/ PBS)

ANTS- Nature's Secret Power (The Science Channel)

Merry Christmas to All....

2009-12-23T13:03:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of our "friends".

Books BooksBooks

2009-12-16T21:13:00.011-05:00

We have been reading a lot of great stories lately. I thought I would share some of them. The covers are linked to further information.

I saw Jotham's Journey on a new blog, The Architect & the Artist, along with the other two books in the series. I went to the library and it was sitting on the New Book display! Jotham is chapter/ devotional a day Advent story. It is a griping story. I would probably not read it to children under 2nd grade because there are some violent acts. I cannot wait each day to hear what happens next.

When we started studying multiplication, I scoured the library for storybooks to go along with it. I was surprised to find a chapter book. G enjoyed following Wilson's journey through the dreaded Timed Test. Other multiplication titles we enjoyed were: 2x2= Boo!, The Best of Times, and Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do.

Jack Stalwart, a pint sized James Bond. Jack receives a mystery country puzzle piece each night at 7:30. Placing this piece in his map whisks him off to his next assignment. These books are a similar reading level to Magic Tree House, in my opinion but are shelved with the next level up in our library. We devoured these books as soon as we could get our hands on the next one. There are 12 books in this series.

One Hen. Words cannot express how inspiring this book is. It gives me chills. Based on a true story, Kojo turns a few coins into a business which will, over his lifetime, change his country. It makes me want to do something somewhere.

My not so favorite books but hugely popular with our library friends. G goes to look at the selection every time we set foot in the building. The 8-10 year old boy set loves them. G likes the action and the "life risking" moments. Momma's not so much. I think the writing is a bit choppy and overly simple. They remind me of Goosebumps. Same storyline just change the name and location.

What have you been reading?

Static Magic

2009-12-08T10:33:00.003-05:00

While trying to clean up after refilling a bean bag chair, we were treated to laughs by the magic of static electricity. G wants to submit it to America's Funniest Home Videos.

Fall Fun

2009-12-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

Phases of the Moon

2009-12-06T21:12:00.000-05:00

One of the great hands on experiments from our science book was this edible model of the moon phases. Educational and Yummy!

Grades

2009-11-11T10:39:00.004-05:00

Homeschooling Mamas: Do you give grades to your elementary children?

G wants grades. I can thank this enlightenment to my beautiful nieces who ask him what his grades are. Before this he was living in blissful ignorance and I was enjoying the mastery lifestyle. Now we spend our days with "What'd I get? What'd I get?" Ugggh. Needless to say we will not be changing our mastery style of learning, one which I really believe in, but I can find some things to grade. Roll eyes.

One easy subject is handwriting. As G strives for a better grade obviously his penmanship improves. That one I am enjoying. I am also using the scores from MUS chapter tests, Book Adventure, and Explode the Code and soon spelling. But how am I going to organize these? I have EduTrack but couldn't figure out a simple encoding method so I Googled grade book. Tada! I should have know the homeschooler's friend Donna Young would have one. She has an Excel sheet that will do all of the calculating for you! I also looked up report cards, might as well go all the way. I found some with potential here and here.

So, Do you grade? What are your favorite forms?

Coop: Animal Investigations

2009-10-23T15:09:00.004-04:00

G has been taking the most amazing class this six weeks. Animal Investigations has been getting up close and personal with animal parts. One week they studied eyes, including dissecting cows. Then cells by making cell cookies. They dissected owl pellets and finally the piece de resistance, pig hearts, lungs and trachea. Their final session was on products that animals give us. I have never heard it is was gross but AWESOME so much in my life. The class was so popular it is beeing offered again next semester.

Astronaut Food

2009-10-23T14:49:00.003-04:00

As we have been studying space, we purchased some Astronaut Food and tried it out. The mint chip even came with a book about the history of space food. Though out of date, published in 1988, it is full of interesting information.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream... yummy!
Ice Cream Sandwich... not so much.

Beef Stew & Corn... not too bad, except for the potatoes which were like marshmallows in Jello.

Earth Science Experiment: 1

2009-10-23T14:16:00.002-04:00

Our new science curriculum, which I talked about here, includes two science experiments with each chapter. Several of these experiments throughout the book are Science Fair style with constants and variables, trials and charts. Our first experiment had to do with the distance of a meteor and the size of crater it would leave. G dropped a marble from a set height into a flour/ cocoa earth and measured the crater. It was really fun and provided hours of fun after the formal work was done.

Reading

2009-10-23T13:40:00.003-04:00

One of my goals for G this year is that by the end of the year he will sit down and read a Magic Tree House size book on his own for pleasure. To build him up for this, he selects a book or two from a pile of books I have selected. We started the school year with simple easy readers and are getting progressively longer and more wordy. He has read almost 60 books in 9 weeks. Right now he is reading a Pokemon series I have been collecting at Goodwill & Paperback Swap.

He wanted you to see the pages.

On another reading note...
I find myself having conversations with other Mom's about teaching reading. And my constant response is what is your purpose/ goal. "Hmmm, I never thought of that", they say. We do several types of reading each day and each has a different purpose.

Basal Readers- fluency, confidence, new vocabulary, correctness
Explode the Code- phonetic solidification, independent work
Independent Reading- confidence, pleasure
Book Adventure- comprehension
Read Aloud- joy

Gamma Here We Come!

2009-10-23T13:31:00.003-04:00

G finished the pages in Beta a few weeks ago but we have been reviewing and working on speed. Monday,we will start Gamma and spend the rest of the year in Multiplication.

I cannot wait to check out the resources listed by Jimmie & Dana.

Mantis

2009-10-23T13:19:00.002-04:00

We have been seeing a few Mantis around the house this year, something we have never seen before. I spied these two while working in the yard the other day. Bet we may see more next year, what do you think?

Fall Fun!

2009-10-23T13:04:00.003-04:00

We spent a wonderful evening at the farm of one of our friends. Hay rides, egg toss, horseplay & camp fires. Many of the kids were in our Choir and it was hilarious to hear the tractor pull up with a chorus of The Lion Sleeps Tonight coming from the back.

Life Gets in the Way

2009-10-05T09:47:00.004-04:00

We are in one of those times when Life gets in the way. I have several posts in my head and hope to get them out soon. Here is some of what we did for 10 days...

Hands On History

2009-09-02T21:15:00.006-04:00

One of my goals this year is to do more hands on activities in our lessons. This week we tried out a few of the recommendations from Story of the World 2.

Crumbling Rome

Sugar cookie building the barbarians can devour.

Celtic Brooch
Yeah, G was suppose to make it but I got so inspired myself. I used brown Model Magic, a pencil, and a glue stick lid.
The Celts Attack

What's Next?

2009-08-27T22:33:00.003-04:00

What's next? What's next? What are we doing today?
It doesn't matter if you homeschool or go to school that is the question of the day. I've tried schedule boards and admired workboxes but those things just weren't for me. So this year I am trying laying out all of the days work in row across the floor and them placing it in the storage basket once completed. So far so good. It has eliminated the questions and allows G some choice of order.

Earth Science: Volcanoes

2009-08-26T22:16:00.005-04:00

Our second hands- on activity in our Earth Science unit was volcanoes.
We read several books and watched some great videos (see list at the end).
We create one of each of the types of volcanoes out of homemade dough (not real successful) and made them erupted with vinegar & baking soda.

Earth Science: Starting Over

2009-08-26T21:02:00.005-04:00

If you have followed my posts, you know that I piece together my own science curriculum following the Well Trained Mind outline. I was a classroom teacher and have loads of resources and ideas plus I have just not found the spine that speaks to me... until now. While reading through my Blogline feeds the other day, Crunchy Mama from Diosa Dotada Endeavor casually mentioned Mr. Q's Classic Chemistry. Mr. Q? I've never heard of Mr. Q. So a Google we must go. WOW ! Mr. Q is a mild- mannered middleschool science teacher who has written e-textbooks for the 6-12 year set. Each book includes 36 weeks of lessons broken down into 3 days. Day 1- Reading, Vocabulary & Worksheets, Days 2 & 3 EXPERIMENTS!! He will GIVE you the Life Science Book to review, while the other titles (Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics) are $50. I have to say the price tag for PDF made me stop a day and think but I decided it was well worth it. For one, I was having a diffucult time finding the resources at the library that make this topic flow the way I wish. Two, I want to make sure we incorporate lost of hands on activities, something I have not been good at. Mr. Q gives me both! As I mentioned, the texts are written for G's age and each week includes 2 days of experiements. Also the e-books are not skimpy, the Parent Guide for Earth Science is over 400 pages and the Student Text is over 300!!

Having only done two sections so far in my own lessons I don't feel like we will be losing any time. I will post our volcanoes from last week next. Thanks Crunchy Mama for directing me to a new source and thanks Mr. Q for writing your books!

Earth Science

2009-08-06T16:43:00.004-04:00

We are starting self-written narrations this year.

This year for science, the Well Trained Mind says we should study Earth Science & Astronomy. So we will be studying Earth Science for 18 weeks this Fall and Astronomy for 18 weeks this Winter. We are starting with the layers of the Earth and moving into Earthquakes & Volcanoes... boy stuff. Lets break it up and blow it up!!! MWAHAHAHAHA

Though I have a whole 50 gallon tub in the basement FULL of Astronomy resources from when I taught school, Earth things... not so much. The first thing in planning, I made a list of all of the topics I wanted to cover so I had a road map. Then I scoured the library for age appropriate ideas. I've not had the luck I had anticipated but I am resourceful and bright so I am making things fit.

The Earth Layers as an Egg from Krista West's Activity book.

Here are a few of the resources and activities I have found useful so far....

Earthquack
Earthquake
NASA : Case of the Shaky Quake
video
resources
Changes in the Earth - Krista West
Geology Rocks- 50 Hands on Activities
Start Science: Earth & Space
The Reasons for Seasons- Gail Gibbons

A New Year: 2nd Grade

2009-07-29T20:17:00.015-04:00

SECOND GRADE!! When did that happen? Ugh

I am looking at this year with different eyes because I taught 2nd grade for 5 years before G was born. I know what 2nd grade looks like in public school both urban & rural. When I look at G and think about my past students, he is ahead in many areas and behind in others. This discrepancy has more to do with my philosophy path rather than G's abilities. I follow more of the Well Trained Mind/ Classical path which in my interpretation focus more on math and reading up until now (actually even until next year) rather than spelling & writing. G's reading is right on track if not a grade or so above. We will be spending the year studying multiplication. But he's never had a spelling test or written a prescribed story. He has written me notes while I am talking on the phone and I have been pretty impressed with his sound spelling. So as I plan this coming year I have to remember to stick to my plan, which I've been really happy with, and keep off my dusty public school glasses.

This year I have new goals in mind for both of us. For me, plan more hands on activities. I did too much oral work, lets get it done so we can move on last year. We are studying Medieval History and Earth Science think of all the cool things we could do! I want to do them! I also want to go on more field trips.... maybe one a month. For G, I want him to learn to enjoy reading for pleasure, write letters to his best friends who moved away and begin to complete some assignments without me sitting right next to him. If we can progress in these areas we will have a great year.

Our Curriculum includes:
Story of the World 2 with picture notebook for narration
I also bought loads of literature to support this
Explode the Code 3-5
Math U See Beta (6 weeks) & Gamma
Draw Write Now
Language Lessons for the Very Young & Elementary Child
Earth Science (Earth 18 wks, Space 18 wks)
I will make up my own lessons from library & classroom resources.

On the shelf if we need it (have I mentioned I LOVE Paperback Swap):
Natural Speller
Sequential Spelling
Minimus Latin
Writing Strands 1 & 2
Four Square Writing

Vanschool
University Homeschool Music & Gym classes
Piano lessons
Homeschool Children's Choir
Library Club

Online Resources & Supplements
Book Adventures
e- Learning
Leon's Math Dojo
Sheppard Math Games
IXL Math
Enchanted Learning

Whew... I'm tired already... giggle

Silkworms

2009-07-29T17:20:00.001-04:00

The theme of summer reading at our local library was nature and over the course of the program they displayed many live life cycles: frogs, butterflies, ladybugs, silkworms. Well, when the program was over the silkworm cocoons needed homes and yep, we got a set. We had studied silkworms last year in history so it was really amazing to watch them grow and change. The new eggs have not started hatching and I don't know what I am going to do when they do.

Walking with Dinosaurs

2009-07-29T16:03:00.006-04:00

We were fortunate enough to go see the Walking with Dinosaurs arena show when it was close by. While it was beautiful and quite a sight to behold the music drowned out the narrators story. What actually was more interesting to me was that a few days before our local PBS station showed the documentary of the year or so before it started. The engineering behind the behemoths is truly awe inspiring. So to have seen all the trial and error and inner workings of these life size puppets made the experience more enjoyable. On a side note, we sat about halfway up in an NBA field house paying in the middle of the price tier and I don't regret this cheaper choice. These tickets are so over priced and the dinosaurs are so big there is no reason to pay more to sit lower.

China Leaning Kit from CHINA

2009-07-29T12:27:00.005-04:00

A few months ago Jimmie blogged about a fellow mom in China who was creating a business by selling China learning kits. I jumped at the chance to receive one of these kits because I am a tactile person and I love being able to see and touch real objects. I was not disappointed.

The kits are $13 and include 10 objects and an identification pamphlet. It took about 25 days for the package to arrive. The stamps and writing on the envelope were just as exciting as the items inside.

G looking at the package, trying to figure out where it is from.

Paper Lantern

Red Money Pouch

The entire kit

Beautiful Picture Books

2009-07-06T16:54:00.000-04:00

We have read some truly gorgeous picture books lately.
Check out your local library and see if they have them.

Kids Bowl Free

2009-07-06T13:32:00.000-04:00

We are really enjoying our Kid's Bowl Free Coupons this summer. Have you heard of this? Kids under 15, i think, get 2 free games every day. You just have to pay for shoes. We also purchased the family pass for 20 something dollars so Daddy & I could play. One day we went it would have been $28 for the three of us but with the coupons we only paid for shoes... $6 total! We go at least once a week but went more while Daddy was layed off from Chrysler. It is really fun and the bumpers save our self esteems... giggle. You need to see if there is a bowling alley in your area that participates.

Disney Reading List

2009-06-29T20:03:00.004-04:00

This Summer (and a little last fall) we have been reading through the list of original source material for Disney movies in anticipation for our Disney Vacation in the Fall. Here are the titles we have enjoyed thus far...

Snow White by the Brothers Grimm's
Pinocchio: Tale of a Puppet by Carlo Collodi
The Reluctant Dragon (1898) by Kenneth Grahame
Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris
Cinderella by Brothers Grimm
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Sleeping Beauty by Brothers Grimm
The Story of Robin Hood by Pyle
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
The Sword in the Stone, by T.H. White
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
James and the Giant Peach by Raul Dahl
Tarzan of the Apes by Robert D. San Souci
Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
A Day with Wilbur Robinson, by William Joyce

Waiting on the Night Stand...
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
Miss Bianca by Margery Sharp
Rascal by Sterling North
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

More Summer Fun

2009-06-25T15:42:00.000-04:00

What We've Been Up To...

2009-06-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

Anatomy of a Parade Float

2009-05-30T23:53:00.003-04:00

Take one drink box

Tie to a skateboard

Decorate

Priceless!

Spring Piano Recital 2009

2009-05-29T22:10:00.004-04:00

This Land is Your Land

The Shark

Goodwill Finds

2009-05-29T21:28:00.010-04:00

It's the end of the traditional school year and both public & home schools are cleaning closets. Don't forget to check out you local Goodwill and other thrift shops for great school materials. Here is a pile I found last week for 69 cents a piece!!!

Classic Literature

Something I hope G will be motivated to read alone.

Basals

Foundations

Art Enrichment

Great workbooks for the future.

Art History- Alexander Calder

2009-05-29T21:03:00.005-04:00

Our final Artist this session was Alexander Calder.
I read the kids the beautiful book, Sandy's Circus.
Then we looked at a gallery of his work... it was very inspiring
and needed no instruction or motivation from me.

I scattered the table with telephone wire, pipe cleaners, and foam shapes and they went at it. We ended up with several snakes and spiders but also some rabbits, designs, and mobiles.

Art History- Art Show

2009-05-29T20:56:00.002-04:00

I displayed the childrens' art work at the End of the Year program.
They were so proud of it! And I was proud of them.

Parade of States

2009-05-29T20:36:00.007-04:00

During this 12 weeks of Co-op, the children had the chance to participate in an independent project, a state parade float. The kids chose a state, studied it at home, and created a float to represent what they learned about the state. The children paraded their floats through the audience at our end of the year program after a rousing performance of 50 Nifty United States. It was fun to see what they used as bases... skateboards, wagons, mini tractors, cars.California

Pennsylvania

New York

Missouri (Pre-K asked his Mom for the stuff she wraps the food in...
that would make a great arch, he said.

Michigan

Kansas

Indiana

Florida

Arizona

Alaska

Tennessee

Texas

The Grand Old Flag

2009-05-29T19:37:00.005-04:00

On May 18th, Our Co-op held an end of the year production "The Grand Old Flag". It was amazing if I do say so myself. The children spent the last 12 weeks learning about Symbols of America, Good Citizenship, Drama and American Art History. In choir they explored rhythm and inspirational songs and standards. It was so beautiful and professional.

Getting ready for "Here Comes the Band"

The Story of Betsy Ross

This is good stuff

Betsy shows General Washington the Flag

Singing their hearts out!!

G is Francis Scott Key, and he wrote the National Anthem.
He was watching a battle in the Harbor of Baltimore...

The Star Spangled BannerThe after-party is the best!

Where to Start?

2009-05-29T19:35:00.002-04:00

I have several posts floating around in my head.... which one to start with?

Paperback Swap & Curriculum

2009-05-13T20:05:00.007-04:00

Do you Swap? I love Paperback Swap. If you don't here is how easy it is.

1. Post 10 books (hard or soft cover, audio) you don't want any more.
2. Accept 2 credits to spend for your effort.
3. Mail any books requested from you as cheap as possible (I think my most expensive has been $2.50)
4. Order books you want- 1 credit books, 2 credits audio books

I have gotten only one book that was in questionable condition most have been like new. We have explored series that our library doesn't carry, Andrew Lost, Franny K Stein. I have also gotten a huge amount of curriculum. It is a great way to check a company out then if it's not for you, repost it. You can also start a wish list for things you want or may use in the future. I have all of the Story of the World materials wish listed.

Here are the great Homeschool resources I have swapped for:
AVKO Sequential Spelling 1 (on it's way)
Wordly Wise A
Explode the Code 3
Developing Critical Thinking Through Science 1
A Peoples History of the United States
Prima Latina Teachers Manual & Cd
What Your ___ Needs to Know (K, 1, 2, 4, 5,6)
Minimus Pupil Book
Eats, Shoots and Leaves
Thinker Doodles-Clues & Choose
Thinker Doodles- half & half animals
Dr. Dooriddles
Coloring Book of Ancient Egypt
Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
Daily Word Problems gr1
Singapore Math 1A
Strong Start in Language k-3

If you don't Swap you might consider it... If you do, check out my stuff through the button in my side bar and tell me your list name so I can check out yours!

Disney Source Material

2009-05-07T14:33:00.002-04:00

I just re-read a post over at Chez Smiffy on the original books that Disney movies are based on. Add some to your summer reading baskets... we are!

Convention & a Peek at 2nd Grade

2009-05-03T22:13:00.015-04:00

(Vender Hall, Midwest Homeschooling Convention, Cincinnati OH,
at least what I could fit in my lens)

A couple weeks ago, I spend 3 fabulous days at the Midwest Homeschooling Convention. I was energized and motivated. I was able to narrow down, with difficulty, the speaker list to fulfilling talks; Susan Wise Bauer (Don't miss her if you get the chance!), Dr. Jay Wile, Jim Weiss, and Homeschool CPA just to name a few. I spent several hours in the Vender Hall researching my lists of curriculum try to figure out what would fit G best. Here are some of the items I came home with...

Summer: The Magic Kingdom by Vacation Education is a Unit Study of The Magic Kingdom written by a homeschool family. As we are going to Disney this fall, I thought this would be fun to do.

Language Arts: I have tried to keep out as many worksheets as possible in our homeschool. We do most things orally except for math and handwriting. But do you know what I recently found out? G likes them!! Maybe they are just novel right now. So for now that is the direction we will go. We have finished our Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and I was trying to decide how to reinforce those lesson. I received an Explode the Code off of Paperback Swap and it is fitting the bill. Right now it is so easy that G doesn't have to think too hard about it. He really enjoys them. So I bought the rest of the set. I hope to use 3 next year and 3 in third grade. G is also enjoying Draw Write Now, the first of which I bought at a used curriculum sale for $1. The other book we are using now is Queen's Language Lessons for the Very Young. G asks to do more of it each day so I snatched up the next book when I saw it at convention. This is a Charlotte Mason style Language Arts text which covers picture study, poetry, copywork, and grammer. Because we already do copywork with DWN I skip the copywork lesson in LLVY. Also, I am not a fan of the lines they provide for writing. If I did do the copywork, I would have him write it on separate paper.

Social Studies: We are sticking with Story of the World- the Middle Ages. We really enjoyed and learned alot this year. I also picked up the Who in the World? Biographies and 4 Jim Weiss Cds (King Arthur & His Knights, Masters of the Renaissance, The Queen's Pirate: Elizabeth 1 and Sir Francis Drake, Shakespeare for Children). I am really excited about The World of Columbus and Sons. This is an anthology of stories of history that happened at the same time Columbus lived. This is what I love about Chronological history.... while A was happening in the world so was B & C.... facinating. I also ordered some literature to add the Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare I bought last year.... Leif the Lucky and Beowulf.

Science: We will continue the Well Trained Mind's Science schedule so 2nd grade is Earth Science. I have tons of resources in the basement because this is one of the topics I taught in public school. I did pick up Professor Noggin games for Space and Earth. These are trivia games I recently read about. Each card has 3 easy and 3 hard level questions so parents or older siblings can play fairly with younger kids. You roll a die to choose whether to ask question 1, 2 or 3. If you answer your question correctly you keep the card... the one with the most cards wins.

Math: We will continue with Math U See- Gamma. I am so pleased with this program... I am not sure about the new fancy covers. I like to fold back my teacher's manual ready for the next chapter each week... the new ones are hardback. The new fonts and double sided pages are nice though. I also splurged on a completer set and the wooden storage boxes. I thought having at least 10 of every block would be helpful for multiplication.

I am getting really excited to start planning! This is our last "formal" week of school... our 180 days will be done. We will continue MUS Beta through the summer but ETC and LL will drop or be done only occasionally. I hope with the Library's summer reading program coming up that he will start reading on his own. I know he has the skills but doesn't have to desire yet. This is one thing I don't push... it will come.

What are you all up to? Any ideas for next year?

Art History: Jacob Lawrence

2009-05-01T17:55:00.009-04:00

This week we studied one of my favorite artist Jacob Lawrence. The children listened, I am ever amazed, intently and asked many questions as I read Jacob Lawrence (Getting to Know Great Artists). It was a drier read than the other books we have read but it provided a wealth of information at their level.

Other books we looked at:
Harriet & the Promised Land
Story Painter
The Great Migration
Toussaint L' Ouverture
I See You, I See Myself: The Young Life of Jacob Lawrence

After we explored the life and work of Lawrence, we explored the method of linocut printmaking. I showed them the tools and examples of my printmaking days. We discussed how artists sign prints with a number set, title, and signature. Then I showed them how we could create similar prints without the sharp tools.

Foam Prints
Supplies
Plate (smooth foam grocery trays with rims trimmed off)
Stylist (ball point pin, dull pencil, )
Ink (tempera paint)
Brayer ( brayer, a foam brush might work)
Paper
pencil

Use your stylist to draw on the plate.
Then squirt some ink onto a flat surface (tray) and load the brayer.
Roll out the ink onto the plate. Turn plate over onto center of paper and rub the plate to ensure good contact.
Peel off and sign the print. Repeat.

You can find another explanation of this method here.

Art History: Georgia O'Keeffe

2009-04-24T20:47:00.009-04:00

Today the children listened as I read My Name is Georgia by Jeanette Winters. They were engrossed. We also glanced inside Georgia's Bones and Georgia O''Keeffe. After reading we looked at the gallery pictures and discussed the subjects she chose and the size she painted. One of her cloud paintings is 92" x 288"... WOW!

This weeks project was tissue paper paintings.

Supplies
paper
tissue paper
liquid starch
paint brush
small cups or egg carton cup into individual cups

Have children tear a circle out of tissue paper... bigger than a 1/2 dollar.
paint a circle of starch on the paper and place tissue circle on top, adding another coat of starch on top. The starch glues down the paper and sometimes (depending on tthe tissue) bleeds the color giving it a paintish quality.

Tear long petal pieces and repeat the starch painting process by placing them around the center circle. If you have a perfectionist who stresses out with the tearing... give them scissors.

flowers could be made more complex but with k-2 kiddos the radial design seems the easiest and most successful.
I stressed the difference between enough starch on the paper and gloopy, runny glops. I painted on the paper and asked them if it was gloopy and running off the page... Nooo. Is the tissue all sticking down.... yesss. I did this with a couple of pieces before I let them go on their own.

Art History: Jackson Pollock

2009-04-14T19:13:00.007-04:00

I will be at the Midwest Homeschooling Convention during our next class. These are the lesson plans I wrote for my wonderful sub to present while I am gone.

Jackson Pollock

During Class

Invite kids to sit in front of the gallery. Remind them that all artists are different and that this one a lot of people think is REALLY different but art is an artists voice in picture… let’s listen to what Jackson Pollock is trying to say.

Read: Action Jackson… if you need to paraphrase some of the long passages feel free.

Look at the gallery

*point out all the paint cans in the barn… wow that’s a lot of paint

*which painting do they like the best? Why?

*which painting do they not like least? Why?

Yarn- select 4 children to stand up and hold a corner of the yarn rectangle. This is size of many of Pollock’s Drip Paintings. Lay it down; can the whole class fit inside? (standing, laying side by side, sitting…)

Project- Marble Painting -have students go to their seats and watch you make a painting first.

1. Write you name in the bottom right hand corner with the marker

2. Turn the paper over and place in the box, make sure the name is on the back or you won’t know whose is whose.

3. Place one marble in each color paint and softly stir around

4. Pick out marble with plastic spoon, taking care not to slop paint everywhere or pick up spoonfuls of paint… just the marble.

5. Place the marbles on the paper in the box

6. Roll the box around and back and forth … watching the magic before your eyes.

7. When finished, put marbles back in the paint; peel the painting out of the box and place painting on the papered table.

8. Repeat. They can do as many as time, interest, and paper allows for. It is a quick project. Keep one painting for me. Let them take the rest home.

Optional Project- if you need something else to fill time or attentions…. Straw painting, this one takes a bit longer and can be messier.

*Write you name in the bottom right hand corner with the marker

*Turn the paper over and place in the box, make sure the name is on the back or you won’t know whose is whose

*Place paint in jar, add a little water to thin.

*Place straw in jar and put finger over the end to pick up some paint

*Drop paint on paper and blow. DON’T SUCK!! When done add another color and repeat.

*When finished, put straws on paper towel, peel the painting out of the box, and place painting on the papered table.

*Repeat

Art History: Artist's Eyes

2009-04-13T21:45:00.007-04:00

I am teaching a five week hands on Art History class for our Coop. I promised one of my virtual friends that I would share these lessons here. I hope you enjoy them!

Lesson 1- Artist's Eyes

Objectives
Art is a personal thing to the artist who is creating it. They are placing a piece of themselves into their work. So whether we love, hate it, or a totally baffled by it; you need to realize how personal it is.

Every artist is different so even if they capture the same subject in their work the finished project will be different.

Activities

Similar but Different
*Discussed how the children were similar (age, homeschool, geography...)
*Then gave each child identical papers and choice of identical drawing materials and had them draw the following: Blue Bird, Red Heart, Yellow Smiley Face, Green Circle, Brown Rectangle, Purple Triangle.
*Then with their drawings, we stood in a circle and held our drawings; Why are they different?
We had the same instructions, materials...

Artist's Eyes
*Just like our drawings were different, artist can create pieces about identical subjects but they will be different. We discussed similarities and differences in the works themed Madonna & Child and The Good Samaritan. (Not all of these images are identical to my posters but very similar.)

The Art Lesson by Tomie DePaola
*To prepare the kids for the fact that we will be making works inspired by Famous Artists and not just whatever they want and that this is a way of learning art, I read them the Art Lesson.

Name Plates
I will be keeping one piece each week to display at our end of the year concert so I let the kids decorate a name plate for my portfolio... any way they wanted.

Happy Hollisters

2009-04-13T20:59:00.003-04:00

In a nearby town, our recycling service has a shop called Arts & Scraps. Arts & Scraps is a place where people and companies can drop off materials they feel teachers may be able to use... paper, fabric, test tubes, magazines... odds & ends. Homeschoolers are included in this teacher supply shop and everything is FREE. You only have to weigh what you take to show how many pounds of things are saved from the land fill. The last time G and I were in the shop, a lady was dropping off a van load of things. G wanted to help her, after much discussion about staying out of the way... it's KIND NESS Mommy, he helped her carry things. While he helped I perused the things she was bringing in, piles and piles of books. Among those piles was a set of old children's books, The Happy Hollisters. They were in perfect condition and looked really fun so we brought them home. We will be finishing the first one tonight, it is GREAT! Written in 1953, the books chronicle the adventures of the Hollister family. Their neighbors call them the Happy Hollisters because they are... happy. These are mysteries for children. I would recommend them as an intro to mysteries before Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

Flat G- Take a Bow

2009-03-28T23:16:00.004-04:00

Well, he's done. Kinda awkward but done. G doesn't love him any less for his wonkiness. I've already had to rein him in as Flat G is not stitched closed yet and G was ready to wrestle the stuffing out of him. hee hee

We used...
2 1/2 yards of poly/ cotton blend (should have used 3)
fabric crayons
clip art from the internet
ink jet T shirt transfer
2 1/2 bags of poly fill (20 oz.)

Guest Speaker- Soldiers Wife

2009-03-26T20:50:00.004-04:00

G's Coop Class, American Symbolism, had a guest speaker last week. The teacher's friend, a soldier's wife, came to tell the kids about the things her husband had to wear, his duties, and purpose while in Iraq. He was in charge of a pump house on the Tigris River where they bottle water for the troupes. That was really neat to hear since we have studied the Tigris in SOTW this year. She also brought in his uniform and allowed one of the kids to model it... guess who was selected? G!

Start the Shopping Season!

2009-03-26T20:04:00.003-04:00

Used Curriculum Fairs are starting to pop up. WooHoo! I went to a small but quality one this past Saturday. I found nothing on my list but many things that I could use and at AMAZING prices. I spent $16! $5 of that was for a copy of The Prairie Primer for a friend. So I really spent $11.

Here is my stash....
Draw Write Now- 1,6 & 7 (each $2 or less)
Draw Write Now notebook (free)
Masterpiece of the Month ($1)
Upper and Lower case Letter Tiles ($2)
Potholder Loom & Tub of loops (.50!)
Phonics Workbook ($1)
Streams of Civilization ($2)

Usually there is a Free table... YeeHa

Free, did I tell you free???!
Like New! Beechick 3R's series
Amvet Flag Etiquette book
How Plants Grow
Art Folder

The botany book was written by a Professor at Harvard and published in 1858.
The illustrations are beautiful woodcuts, simply gorgeous.

I hope you find some goodies this spring too. I'd love to see them.

Nutrition

2009-03-26T19:44:00.002-04:00

We did a week on nutrition to go with our digestive system study. I am so surprised in the difference it has made in G's eating. We tracked his eating for a couple of days. He could see that he does not eat veggies and fruits (except juice). He could see that cookies and desserts are should not be a daily thing, and he has quit asking every night. He even tried asparagus, a new food in our house. I am so amazed. Our resources came from here.

Money Study

2009-03-23T20:49:00.003-04:00

Math is going speedy lately. I thank Math U See and their stress on place value for that. We sailed through regrouping and studied counting pennies, nickels, and dimes this week. I could not believe the quickness with which G picked this up. Yeah G!!

G counting out change in a piggy bank.

One of the Piggy Banks. Each pig has an amount written on it.
G had to make all of the different combinations for each amount.

We worked through these storybooks during the week.
G even wanted to repeat stories! WooHoo!

Fabric Crayon How-to

2009-03-23T20:02:00.005-04:00

I got a wonderful complement from my friend Dana about my art skill on our Flat G project. I would love to take the glory for this, I was an art teacher in a former life, but I cheated. (shrug, blush) I used beautiful illustrations I looked up on Google, enlarged them, and colored them with Crayola fabric crayons. I was introduced to fabric crayons in my textile class in art school, they are an easy tool to add to your homeschool projects. You could make flags, t-shirts, flat kids...

The following is how we have used them in our project.

1. Draw or Print your chosen design.
If you're using a name, it needs to be a mirror image.

2. Get out your handy dandy Fabric Crayons

3. Color your drawing. Brush off all the crumblies.

4. Lie your colored sheet on your cotton/ poly blend fabric.
You cannot use 100% cotton.
Hense, you are not looking at the 99 cent muslin here.

5. On Cotton setting, iron you picture until the
color shows through the backing paper.
Don't let it slide around, it will blur and double take.

6. Peel it off

7. There you go!

I'd love to know if and how you use fabric crayons in your homeschool classrooms.

Premio Dardo Award

2009-03-12T13:46:00.008-04:00

Wow! Dana at School for Us sent me a Premio Dardo award. I am so touched, especially since my blogging has fallen off lately. It really makes my heart smile.

"This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.”

Next I am suppose to pass the award along to 15 of my favorite bloggers. I hope that they will become some of your favorites too.

A Dusty Frame
Barefoot Meandering
C Jane Enjoy It
History is Elementary
Painted Rainbows and Chamomile Tea
The Pioneer Woman
Queen Bee's Homeschool Hive
Life is Not a Cereal
Trivium Academy
One Child Policy Homeschool
No Parent Needs to Walk Alone: Parenting Victims of Sexual Abuse
Mind Games
Little Blue School
The Diosa Dotada Endeavor
The Classical Circus

You can read about the search for the origin of this award at K- Squared Ramblings, very interesting.

STOMP

2009-03-08T20:48:00.005-04:00

The family went to see STOMP today. If you ever get the chance... GO. I have seen it before but they have changed it up and I've never taken G before. When I go to the theatre I usually buy the cheap seat but I splurged today and bought FRONT ROW center. I could put my feet on the side of the stage and feel the vibrations. There is an audience echo section at the end and one of the performers just stood and watched G the whole time... wonderful.

G and I discussed, who knew you could make music out of trash. hee hee

Flat G Update

2009-03-04T21:38:00.003-05:00

I am getting behind in my learning notes... but I wanted to make sure I posted new pictures of our Flat G. We've studied the Brain & Nervous System, Heart, and Lungs. We are suppose to be doing Digestion and Nutrition this week but G has an ear infection... his first earache ever! So our lessons are minimal at best. After Digestion and Nutrition we will stuff him. I cannot wait!

Finger Knitting

2009-03-04T21:25:00.004-05:00

I don't know how to knit or crochet, I would like to. So I found a Finger Knitting video on the web (see end of post) and tried it. It was easy and kinda fun. G saw me and wanted to try himself... he was hooked! He got all excited and wanted to make daddy a scarf and then a rug... well he ended up with a mini scarf for himself but was very proud. We will tackle the other projects later.

After one day

Learning Notes:February 2

2009-02-03T18:13:00.009-05:00

Not a great pic but G was excited that we are done with timed tests for now!!
Chuckie Cheese here we come.

Math- Fact Families
Power Point- Scooby,
Worksheets Fact families
Online- Fact Families, Leon's Dojo
MUS- Ch 1 & 2

Reading
Phonics-Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading lessons 189- 196
Read Aloud-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

History- Greece
Story of the World Ch 23- Greek Gods
Video- Disney Hercules, The Odyssey
Audio- Greek Myths
Read Alouds- Greek Myths, Hercules, Pandora, Greek Gods & Godesses
Maps- Chapters 23

Science- Human Body: Muscles
Word of the Week- Involuntary Muscles
Craft- Hand Muscles
Online- e-Learning for Kids: Muscles
You Tube- Skinned Muscleman

Bones: You Tube

2009-02-01T13:35:00.002-05:00

Here are the You Tube Videos we used in science this week.

Learning Notes

2009-02-01T13:17:00.004-05:00

Math- minus 9
Brainish dot com- 5 pages
Copywork
Time Test -9
Alpha- Unit Test 1, Unit Test 2, Final Test!!!!!!!

Reading
Phonics-Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading lessons 183-188
Book Adventure- Bunny Money
Read Aloud-Tales from the Odyssey

History- Greece
Story of the World Audio- Sparta & Athens ch22
Audio- The Odyssey told by Odds Bodkin
Spartan Warrior Coloring Sheet
Mr Donn's Sparta and Greece Power point
Maps- Chapters 22

Science- Human Body: Bones
Word of the Week- Dem Bones Song
Craft- Hand Bone
Online- e-Learning for Kids: Bones
How Big is a Foot?- Story and Experiment
You Tube- Dem Bones & School House Rocks

Flat G

2009-01-30T16:45:00.007-05:00

Oh, I am soooo excited! I saw another Homeschooling Momma, Lydia, do this project a year or so ago and could not wait until we studied the Human Body so we could too. Instead of the trace your body on paper and fill it in method of organ study Litttle Blue School inspired us to make a fabric G and fill it in as you go, then you have a life size doll when your done. So here is where we are so far with the amazing help of Nana because I cannot sew. THANK YOU NANA!

1. We traces G's outline on paper and made a pattern. You could go straight to the fabric but if you buy a half yard to short you can decapitate the pattern and use a spare section.

Then Nana figured out all the details like 5/8 th seam allowance and an extra inch for stuffing.
Then she cut him out and sewed him up!! Leaving open a side for stuffing.

Now Lydia went ahead and stuffed her's and the kids decorated them with permanent markers. Me, I'm a little too type A for that with a 7 year old so we are using some of the things I have tucked away and never have a reason to use.... iron on transfers and fabric crayons. Both of these products have been sitting in a drawer for YEARS.
If you have not used fabric crayons they are so simple. Color on a sheet of paper, flip it over, iron. That is it. (Crayons are for blended fabrics not 100% cotton.) I printed off this hand from Discovery Education and we just traced it with the black crayon. I also cut off the thumb so it would fit better.

Also rather than drawing on a face I cropped and enlarged a good picture of G and printed it off on T-shirt Transfer paper. Then I trimmed it out and ironed it on.

I am very pleased with this so far!! I cannot wait to see it grow as our lessons progress.

Crayola Glow Board

2009-01-26T19:52:00.004-05:00

Do your kids have one of these? Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board. G has had his for a year and just this week I had inspiration!!! School... Science... I drew a basic diagram of the skin on the back slate and I had G draw the elements of skin on the removable slate.

Skin cross section

pressure sensor, sebaceous gland, hair follicle, nerve, sweat gland.

Glow action!!!

I am so excited to plan what our next use will be.

Learning Notes: Jan 19, 2009

2009-01-26T13:29:00.007-05:00

G with President Obama.

Math- minus 8
Brainish dot com- 5 pages
Copywork
Time Test -8

Reading
Phonics-Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading lessons 178-182
Book Adventure- The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop
Read Aloud-Tales from the Odyssey

G went roller skating for the first time!

History- Greece
Story of the World Audio- Cyrus the Great ch 21
Audio- The Odyssey told by Odds Bodkin
Conquering Mesopotamia Game
Maps- Chapters 21

Science- Human Body: Skin

We lifted fingerprints with tape

Word of the Week- epidermis
Diagram parts
Craft- Skin- details to come...
Online- e-Learning for Kids: Skin, Acne

Piano
Mezzo Piano, stem placement

Learing Notes- Jan 12, 2009

2009-01-21T14:26:00.003-05:00

We added back all subjects this week as well as Library and Piano Lessons. And G turned 7!!!

Math- minus 7
Brainish dot com- 5 pages
Copywork
Time Test- -6, -7 (only 2 left!!!!!)

Reading
Phonics-Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading lessons 171-177 (r controlled)
Book Adventure- George Shrinks
Read Aloud- Commander Toad Series and Tales from the Odyssey

History- Greece
Story of the World Audio- Homer, Ch 19, 20
Video- Hercules Cartoon
Audio- The Odyssey told by Odds Bodkin
Read Aloud- Max & Ruby: Midas, Hercules' 12 Labors
Maps- Chapters 19 , 20

Science- Human Body
Worksheets- Measuring Me, Myself & I (5)
Video - Bill Nye the Science Guy: Human Body

Piano
Mezzo Piano