Saturday, December 8, 2012

Mr. Jingles is Here!

Mr. Jingles has officially landed at our home this holiday season.  And boy is he ever busy exploring the "ins and outs" of our busy home.  He made his appearance bringing some "Elf Kisses" and then had the audacity to decorate the mantle with the kid's underwear.  He even decorated Artsy Girl's bathroom mirror with a little "Happy Birthday" on the mirror.  This morning he was caught red-handed sipping syrup in the fridge.  Stay tuned for his upcoming adventures as I will post ideas for you to use in your home!




Friday, December 7, 2012

Week #18

My oh My...what a blessed week!  My Artsy Girl turned 9:)  Needless to say, we have been very happily busy.  We still managed to complete all of our school work and take Wednesday off for some serious birthday fun.

Along with her normal math, english/grammar and spelling lessons, we completed the Birthday Bonanza Unit Study by Amanda Bennett.  We really love adding in these unit studies throughout our year.  They are a nice welcome break from the norm.  They are a one stop shop with easily accessible internet links that I can use right from my iPad...easy peasy.  She was fascinated to learn that just 50 years before her birthday the very first color tv went for sale!  What a long way we have come in such a short time.



Soccer Boy finished the letter "Gg" lessons and we jumped right into the letter "Cc" lessons from My Father's World Kindergarten.  I decided to let him practice his letters in a more fun way by putting some flour (I was out of sugar) in a pan and letting him practice his letters.  He really like this, but don't all little boys like anything that lets their little hands get messy!  This is really an enjoyable program that seems to move right along at his pace.  We will continue our farm animals lessons as we learn about cows next week.


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Week #17

Soccer Boy spent all week learning about the letter "Gg" and many different kinds of farm animals including goats. We are continuing his phonics study of his sight words. While big sister was at her horse riding lesson, we went on a nature walk enjoying a beautiful day! We admired the horses, found squirrels and acorns and looked very hard for any of the insects we had learned about last week. I think the cool air has sent them into hibernation. We also received our ant farm and got it all set up. He is looking forward to watching them build "roadways".





Friday, November 23, 2012

Week #16

It's Thanksgiving...yippee!

I absolutely LOVE this time of year.  So, why not spend the week learning all about the history of this great holiday.
Artsy Girl and I read The Thanksgiving Story this week.  This is an award winning book that I found to be very fun to read.  It is short enough that we finished it in three days.  It was part of our Adventures in My Father's World Curriculum.  For science we learned about pumpkins...did you know they float?  We had mixed answers when I asked that question.  I said, "yes" and Artsy Girl and Dad said, "no".  Well, what do you know...they float!  We also measured our pumpkin, weighed it and used a little math to figure out how much Artsy girl weighs with and without holding the pumpkin.  A little reasoning goes a long way.  Soccer Boy and Artsy Girl both made Native American vests out of paper sacks and performed a super cute little play for the family on Thursday.

All in all a great, short week!  We have so many wonderful blessings to be thankful for...our beautiful healthy children and the freedom to live in such a wonderful country that allows us to choose the path that we feel is right for their education.  May God bless you & your family this holiday season!



Week #15

Soccer Boy and I began our study of insects!  I must admit this was an area that I have been dreading, to say the least.  I have absolutely no interest in insects and I find them a little creepy.  However, I may have jumped the gun a little in making my assumptions.  We have had a great week studying the Letter "Ii".  We began the week learning about ladybugs and he made his own pet rock ladybug.  She's super cute and we will use her as a paperweight on our school table, too.  I found this really cute little Insects & Arachnids case that we have been using for some up close and personal viewing of our insects.  We are off for Thanksgiving next week and will resume the following week with our study of bees and make our own ant farm as well!



Artsy Girl spent the week learning about Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Georgia.  These were the first four states to adopt the Constitution and become "states".  We reviewed state capitals, state birds and famous people/foods from each state.  We decided that we like Hershey's and New York style pizza the best!  We continued with our science study of birds & nests that follow right along with the states.

We have a light week planned for next week as we will be doing some Thanksgiving activities!


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Week #14

Along with our home studies, Artsy girl and I spent the night in Huntsville at Space Camp with our American Heritage Girls troop. We had lots of fun (and very little sleep) learning all about the space program.
Soccer Boy finished up our study of the letter "Ww" and water. He learned about liquids and solids and continued adding sight words. I mailed off our form to receive our ants as we begin our study of insects next week.
Artsy girl was a very busy little bee this week. Along with Space Camp, she completed her study of The Declaration of Independence. We will move right into learning about the states as they were added. We also began a study of birds and nests and we will continue to learn about the state birds as we study each state. We also did an artist study of Henri Matisse and his beautiful paintings. She has decided that he is one of her favorite artists so far. He used beautiful colors and even some collages as well. She finished her Art School classes at the Memphis College of Art. This is her fourth series of classes and she continues to love her art.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Weeks 12 &13

I am combining these last two weeks together, since Artsy Girl has been sick with bronchitis.  She has had a rough time, so we have been doing lots of reading.  Sometimes I think that just by reading to your children, they learn an abundance about our world and history.  I have really taken to the principles of Charlotte Mason and her beliefs that literature and nature are the foundations of education.  So we have read and read and read some more this week.  We finished reading a couple of books about the Revolutionary War.  She finished her Magic Treehouse Book detailing Jack and Annie's adventures with George Washington during the war.

Soccer Boy finished up his study of the letter "O".  My Father's World had us exploring the oceans and even an octopus.  We cut pictures out of all my stacks of magazines (I knew they would come in handy) of anything that had to do the ocean.  On Tuesday, we made an ocean poster with all our finds.  To help him with the sight words we have been reading, I decided to make him a little "ring" of words.  Really any excuse to use my laminator...makes me smile!  I will continue to add new words each week or two.  I plan on him using these in the car or when Artsy Girl is in karate and we have some downtime.

We are off next week and off the the Smoky Mountains to enjoy some of God's beautiful color He paints over the mountains!  Happy Fall!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Week #11

Last week flew by in a flash...whew!
Soccer Boy jumped back in time to learn about the time of the dinosaurs.  We read tons of books...who knew we had so many about dinos!  He is continuing to learn new sight words each week, building upon the last week.  I am so very proud of the progress he is making.  This is his "attempt" at making a dinosaur out of clay.

Artsy Girl spent the week learning about George Washington's early life as we will move into learning about the Revolutionary War next week.  Both the kids took their hand at making "Tricorn Hats".  These were the typical hats seen during colonial times but usually made out of beaver fur.  We took the week off from science as we had far too many extracurriculars this week to attend to.
She is greatly enjoying Teaching Textbooks 3 so far.  We struggled with math last year...she was becoming quickly bored.  So, what's a mom to do other than begin researching alternatives.  That is another great reason we love homeschooling.  When something does not work, we fix it!  This program has been a blessing to us.  It gives her the freedom to move at her own pace while still allowing me to check in once a week to view her grades...did I say how much we love this program?



Who says tricorn hats can't have glitter and sequins?

Friday, September 28, 2012

Delaware Memorial Bridge

Since Artsy Girl has been learning about the state of Delaware this week, we made a large replica of the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  It's the largest twin suspension bridge in the world.  We used a heavy piece of cardboard for the bottom and blue foam paper for the water.  We then went crazy with the popsicle sticks, glue and craft rope.  I think it turned out pretty cute and she learned a lot about the amount of engineering and design it takes to make such a large structure.  Thanks to Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler and her Road Trip USA Geography curriculum for the great idea!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Week #10

Artsy girl had a terrific week finishing up her Science study of weather. We have been using The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane book. She completed her Weather Lapbook thanks to Homeschool Share.  I came across lapbooks last year, and I have to say that they are a great way for the kids to creatively share what they have been learning about.  I chose to just simply use a blue folder and we taped all the pieces rather than using glue.  With our larger lapbooks, we usually use two file folders.  But this one easily fit onto one.  They do take a little prep work to print, cut, etc.  But, we really enjoy looking over these from time to time.  I try to have her create one every chance I get.



She also learned about our very first state, Delaware. We built a very large replica of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the largest twin suspension bridge in the world. Pictures to come of our bridge with details on how we made it.  We are also using the Which Way USA by Highlights.  These are great little books filled with activites...one for each state and a map too.

Soccer Boy finished the letter Tt and started Uu. He practiced being a turtle and we spent a beautiful Fall morning at the zoo examining turtles close up. The letter Uu is all about the wonderful way God created "us". We have been testing out our five senses, which we will continue with on into next week.    

He had one of those "a ha" moments this week.  We began putting together 3 letter words of some of the sounds we have learned thus far.  He read the word "sat" by himself and the excitement he portrayed will be something I will never forget.  Learning to read actual words is a very big step and I am so  fortunate  blessed (would be a better word) to be right there beside him every step of the way:)  We are greatly enjoying the My Father's World Kindy curriculum so far.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A Trip to the Apple Orchard

What a beautiful week we have been having! We have been doing our school work outside some days enjoying God's beautiful Autumn weather.
I decided to take the kids to a nearby orchard for some apple picking. Soccer Boy recently learned about apples, so this was a great experience for him. It was a little competition between the two as to whom would find the biggest, prettiest apple.
What a wonderful blessing it is to homeschool our children. I get to spend my days romping through apple orchards, visiting the zoo and playing chase around the park. I wouldn't change my "job" for anything in the world.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Week #9

What a beautiful week!
The days are a little cooler now and the nights have gotten a little chilly...my favorite time of the year.

Artsy girl has been learning all about the state of Connecticut this week. Our special food this week was hamburgers, since this is where the very first hamburger was created.
She also began a study of the weather in Science. We are using several books we already owned about weather, plus we are reading "The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane". These are really enjoyable books for this age. She is working on a Weather Lap Book which should be completed next week. I will post finished pictures and details then.
Since weather is all about air, we also did a little experiment using a glass bottle, boiling water and a balloon. She learned that as air is heated, it expands and rises. She was amazed that the balloon inflated on its own. I explained that this is how hot air balloons work too.
A very good week...a post to follow detailing Soccer Boys adventures.

Rainbow Pancakes

Since we are studying about weather this week in Science, why not have "Rainbow Pancakes" for breakfast. These were a huge hit with the kids!! All you need to do is mix a little food coloring with your pancake recipe. I tried to incorporate all the colors and the kids even ate two platefuls;). It's these little moments that make life special. Have fun!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Craft Table Remodel

I received a very nice table from my Mom when she closed her shoe store a few weeks ago.  I decided it would be a perfect fit into my new craft room.  I was in need of a table to put my sewing machine on and with a large enough work surface to cut fabrics and sew without being confined. It just needed a little TLC.




I have been thinking for a couple of weeks on how to redo it a little.  I decided to get out my favorite craft item...Modge Podge (any excuse to use this stuff:).  I also took some scrapbooking paper that I already had and got to work.  I cut the pieces to fit the top (in a random style) and used the Modge Podge to adhere them to the surface.  I then went over the whole top with another layer of Modge Podge and let it dry for two hours.  I then put two coats of polyurethane on the top to seal it and make it so I could wipe it down easily.
I think it turned out great!  It fits perfectly into my crafty-kind of room.  An afternoon project for a total cost of = FREE!!  Doesn't get any better than that :)

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Week # 8

A very busy week this time!  With Labor Day on Monday, we had a very busy next four days.

Soccer Boy jumped into "a nest" as he practiced the letter "Nn".  He learned all about different types of animals and their homes including birds and their nests.  We talked about how God protects us and takes care of us just like a mama bird takes care of birdies by building them a nice warm nest.  He also began learning about money, Nickels to be exact.  Up until now, all coins were simply referred to as quarters by him.  We are really enjoying The My Fathers World Kindergarten curriculum so far!

Artsy girl began her journey to Massachusetts this week.  Each week we will be "visiting" a new state as we continue our study of American History & Geography.  We spent the week learning about Ben Franklin (born in Boston) and his amazing contributions to our early nation.  We also learned about the state bird, flower and interesting facts about Massachusetts.  We made homemade chocolate chip cookies, since they were first invented at the Tollhouse Inn.  We also finished our week making Boston Cream Pie, the state dessert...the kids greatly enjoyed this treat!  For science, we read about the layers of the earth and the seasons.  She spent a beautiful afternoon outside painting a tree.  She will paint this same tree each season.






Cooler weather is on the way...fingers crossed we can begin enjoying some fun outdoor adventures:)