King Alfred Academy

Weekly Report...Week 1

2011-08-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

If this week is any indication of how the year is going to go, it's going to be rough. Enough said.

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Ancients (Both)
History
We are very excited to be on our second rotation of the Ancients. We're going to dig a little deeper now that the boys are a little older. This week we looked at Egyptian daily life and as we did, we kept Moses in mind. This was the world he grew up in. We also discussed the importance of the Nile River. We remembered fondly a project we did 4 years ago as we worked through SOTW and decided to do it again. We made amodel of the Nile and flooded it just as it does once a year. We are patiently waiting for our "crops" to grow. The boys also completed two notebooking pages.
Geography
Labeled maps of the World, Ancient Africa, and Ancient Egypt.

Literature
Magnus (UG) He is reading his way through Maia of Thebes and completing the Student Activity Page. Thane (LG) He read Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile. He gave the book "2 thumbs up"!

Science (Both)
We haven't started this subject yet. I'm thinking we'll wait until after our 3 week break in September.

Math (Both)
We're finishing up Teaching Textbook 3 and started learning division with Math Mammoth Light Blue series. We signed up for ALEKS trial, but it isn't going to work. It doesn't verbally give the question and Thane really needs that. It's too much for him to have to work through reading the question while keeping it in his mind and then trying to work through the problem. So, we'll continue with TT. They both like it anyways.

Languae Arts (Magnus)

Writing...not starting until Sept.

Spelling...not starting until Sept.

Grammar...Rod and Staff is a new curricula for us. I decided to start him in the 4th grade level mainly because I had it on hand. This week was about subjects and predicates.

Language Arts (Thane)

Writing...not starting until Sept.

Spelling...not starting until Sept.

Grammar...Thane is in the 3rd grade book of Rod & Staff. We finished FLL last year. He worked on dictionary skills as well as recognizing complete sentences.

Reading...We discussed "setting" and "character" as we read through Clara and the Bookwagon.

2011-2012 Curriculum Line Up

2011-07-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm about to begin my 6th year homeschooling. 6 years! Magnus is in 5th grade and Thane in 3rd. Crazy. Here's the plan:

Subjects the Boys are Doing Together

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Ancients This will cover History, Bible, Geography, Literature, and Arts & Crafts. Thane will start the year in Lower Grammar but move to Upper Grammar. Magnus will start in Upper Grammar and quickly move into the Dialectic level. We are so excited to be returning to the Ancients.

Science We're going to give Apologia Zoology 3 a try. I didn't purchase the notebooking pages available from the publisher, but chose to use the FREE ones Jeannie Fulbright provides on her blog.

Math
The combination of Teaching Textbooks and Math Mammoth worked well for us last year. We're going to continue using them.

Magnus 5th Grade

Writing

We'll be using a combination of IEW Ancient History Theme Based Writing and Story Starters by Karen Andreola.

Grammar
We're going to try something new this year but also continue working through MCT Language Arts (Town Level). We both really LOVE MCT's program but I felt Magnus needed a bit more help with mechanics. He's going to be working through Rod & Staff too. It may be over-kill, but I can always drop one if I need to.

Spelling
He'll be moving ahead with IEW's Phonetic Zoo.

Other Stuff
Building Thinking Skills
Typing Instruction for Kids

Activities
Brazilian Jui-Jitzu Drama with the local theater company

Thane 3rd Grade

Writing
IEW came out with a new writing program geared towards younger kids. I plan to use IEW writing products with him just as I have with Magnus, but I don't think he is ready for the SWI Level A. The PAL Writing course is going to be a gentle introduction to the Style and Structure IEW teaches. We'll be skipping part 1 and heavily modifying part 2, but we'll use part 3 as written.

Grammar
We made it through Levels 1 & 2 of First Language Lessons. It was a great introduction to grammar. This year we are going to use Rod & Staff but do most of the lessons orally.

Spelling
Still working our way through the levels of All About Spelling. He likes the program and is able to recall the phonetic rules while his is reading.

Reading
Sam's reading has improved by leaps and bounds! I am so proud of the strides he has made. I want to continue having him read aloud to me every day, so I thought we'd try the Sonlight Readers.

Phonics
He'll continue working through ETC Online this year.

Other Stuff
Building Thinking Skills
Typing Instructor for Kids

Activities
Brazilian Jui-Jitzu

Life Happens...

2011-05-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

In the past 8 months, life happened. I didn't blog about it. I lived it.

Note to self: Don't regret not having a record of our homeschool year. There is always next year.

October 2010...
We had the most AWESOME Halloween party ever! We recreated Dracula's mansion in our Little, Tiny, Baby, Pretend House. The atmosphere was spooky yet elegant.

Our friends came dressed as characters from novels...'cause we're nerdy like that.

Collin was Count Dracula and I was Mina Harker:

December 2010...
Collin and I got dressed up, left the boys with a sitter, and headed out for a night on the town. 3 minutes after leaving our house, plans changed. We were cruising along in the middle lane of the 5 lane interstate when the car ahead of us ran over a mattress and spun out of control. Yes, A MATTRESS!!!! We weren't able to avoid the mattress and ran over it too. Collin was able to stop before hitting the cars ahead of us, but the car behind us wasn't. We got rear-ended by a car going 55-60 mph. He then bounced off us, hit a car to the right of us, causing that car to hit us. The recoil from the whiplash caused us to break our seats. We were able to get out of the car and wait for the emergency vehicles. All-in-all, there were 7-9 cars involved in 3 separate accidents caused my some moron who didn't take the time to secure his load.

Collin and I were able to ride in the same ambulance to the hospital, but then we were in separate rooms for 3 hours while they checked us out. Thankfully, whiplash was the only injury we received (although I have been having a heck of a time with it and my right arm going numb). After we got off the phone with our parents, Collin looked at me and said, "Still wanna go on our date?" What a man! He arranged for a taxi to pick us up at the hospital and take us downtown. We got take-out, watched MST3000, and iced out necks together. True love!

January 2011...
"It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand."
The Cherokee was our only car. The insurance totaled it and gave us a nice check to purchase another car. Another JEEP! We got a Wrangler...red...again! This is our family's 6th jeep. Collin knows these babies inside and out.

(Mother's Day camping trip 2011)

We had the pleasure of taking it to the Mendocino National Forest for some off-roading.

Also in January, Magnus turned 10! Double digits! 10!

February 2011...
We hosted a fun party celebrating the Oscars.
I turned a year older and didn't freak out about almost being 40.

March 2011...
Collin and I celebrated 13 years of weddedness!

(My brother's wedding June 2010)

We were also able to find a GREAT deal on a tent trailer! Its 32 yrs. old and in fantastic shape. Camping just got a lot easier.

April 2011...
Girl's weekend in Las Vegas!! (Yes, my husband is awesome!)

Lisa (L) was my roommate through college and Jean (R) I have known since 1987 and also attended the same college. They are wonderful friends.

May 2011...so far...

Mother's Day camping trip at Henry Cowell State Park. It's in the Santa Cruz mountains among the redwoods and 10 minutes from the beach. Perfect location.

We also celebrated Thane's 8th birthday!

Life coming up...
A trip to Washington at the end of the month to visit family and attend the wedding of our cousin.
Mid June into July we're going to visit family in Iowa.
July-September you'll find us at the pool lying under palm trees. :o)

Rest and Relaxation part 3

2010-09-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

On May 18, 1980, a five you old Collin stepped outside to what he thought was falling snow. However, it wasn't. It was ash. Ash that was ejected from the earth as Mount St. Helen's erupted over 100 miles away.

In the weeks leading up to our trip, the boys and I learned much about volcanoes. It was pretty cool to be able to end our studies with a visit to the Mount St. Helen's National Volcanic Monument.

This is the new lava dome that is building.

This is one of Collin's and mine favorite hikes. It's amazingly beautiful.

A herd of elk.

Collin and the boys 2010

Collin, Magnus, and Me 2002

Rest and Relaxation part 2

2010-09-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

If you missed the pictures from the Oregon Coast part of our trip, you can see them here. The next part of our trip took us further north to WA. I love WA. I love the greeness of it. I love the greyness of it. I love the Taco Timeness of it. I also happen to love some of the people that live there.

We went on a ferry ride with some of those people. I love ferry rides.

Isn't Mt. Rainier just majestic? This was the only time it came out while we were there. I never tire looking at it. I love it.

And, of course, we turned Collin's parent's living room into a battlefield...

Hey, Grandma! You're over the line!

My boys love Nerf guns battles. I'm learning to love Nerf gun battles.

Next up...the side trip we took on the way back home.

Rest and Relaxation

2010-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

After Collin's summer job (finally) ended, we took a much needed family trip. We needed some time together. We headed north to go camping at William Tugman Stat e Park. It's situated on Eel Lake, just a few miles from the Ocean and dunes, on the central coast of Oregon. It was beautiful!

Seeing as the Oregon coast's weather is unpredictable this time of year and pretty chilly over night, we opted to stay in a Yurt instead of pitching our tent. Let me just say that I may never tent camp again. Collin put it best by saying, "This is nicer than some hotels we have stayed in". He was right. It had a bunk bed and a couch that pulled out into a double bed, a table and chairs, a locking door, electricity, and HEAT! Home sweet home.

We hiked around Eel lake...

Played in the sand at the ocean...

...and the sand dunes...

We also hiked a portion of the Oregon Coast Trail and found this great beach...

...and climbed on the rocks...

...explored tide pools (my favorite thing to do)...

...and watched the sun set...

We also found loads of these guys...

...and caught a glimpse of this guy...

It was a GREAT camping trip. Next up...our visit with family in Washington.

On My Table

2010-08-24T10:22:00.001-07:00

Cooking with Boys...Chocolate Peanut Squares

2010-08-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I committed to cooking with my boys more. They are becoming ever present fixtures in the kitchen. I've been teaching them different cooking techniques, we've been learning about fractions, but most of all, we've been enjoying each others company.

This week we made Chocolate Peanut Squares. I found the recipe here but you can click here to get an easy-to-read printable version. Of course, I'll be providing it for you too. There is no baking required so it is the perfect treat to make when you don't want to heat up your kitchen during these hot summer months.

Ingredients
Foundation:
2 c confectioner's sugar
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
2/3 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c butter; melted

Topping:
2/3 c semisweet chocolate chips
4 1/2 t creamy peanut butter
1/2 t butter

Directions:

Begin by lining a 9 in, square pan with foil and butter the foil; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients listed under "foundation".

Magnus did a great job crushing the graham crackers.

Thane measured and dumped the graham crackers into the bowl.

Magnus measured the peanut butter and added it to the bowl.

Thane stirred all the "foundation" ingredients together.

Magnus had the messy job of packing the "foundation" into the prepared 9-in, square pan.

Next, we made the "topping".
Combine all of the ingredients under "topping" in a microwave safe bowl; heat until melted. Spread it over the peanut butter layer.

Thane measured the chocolate chips and ate the ones that somehow "fell" out.

After all of the "topping" ingredients were in the bowl, the boys were in charge of melting and mixing them all together. They took this job very seriously.

Thane spread the "topping" on top of the "foundation" and placed it in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.

Once it was cooled, we lifted the foil out of the pan, cut it into little squares, and filled our tummys!

The boys agree that when we make them again, we should double the "topping" part. We really like chocolate!

Weekly Report...Week 2

2010-08-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

After the incredibly awful first week of school we experienced last week, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it through the second. Monday of this week left me doubting our year entirely. How were we going to make it? Would our relationships survive? Had we lost our love of learning?

I did some soul searching, some praying, and some thinking.

We are coming off a very difficult summer. The boys experienced death for the first time in a very real way. It wasn't a dear pet. Not even an elderly grandparent. It was their 22 month old cousin. A child. A baby. So many emotions. So many questions. So tragic. Many of the emotions and questions are still being felt and answered today. It's still with us. We miss Ben and I am still concerned about my sweet cousin, Steph.

Our 2009-2010 never really came to and end due to said tragedy. No closure. We packed up and went to IA weeks before we had planned. It's alright. It is what needed to be done. Family first. We were there for 5 weeks.

We have spent most of the summer without Collin. He needed to stay behind and finish classes so was unable to come to IA with us until his scheduled time for my brother's wedding. Then we only had him for a week. He needed to get back to CA to start his summer job. We're very thankful for his job. Really. It's been hard, though, because he is gone from 7 am to 9pm M-F. The boys miss him. I miss him. He misses us.

So, those are some of the things I thought about. No wonder we're having a difficult time. Lots of change. Lots of unsettledness.

I decided to give us a break. Even though we weren't doing much yet, we're doing less now. And that is okay.

I got back to my morning routine as much as I could with Collin being gone. The boys responded positively to their breakfast being laid out beautifully like it used to be. We didn't start our morning with the dreaded subject of math. We cuddled on the couch, instead, and read books about volcanoes and the geography of the US. Math came later. We baked together and met friends at the park. Cooperation and patience were present. Learning happened.

I am happy to report that week 2 of the 2010-2011 school year was good.

Cooking with Boys...Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2010-08-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from allrecipes.com. I cut the recipe in half because I didn't *need* 96 bars. 96 bars would not look good on my hips. I don't think it made 48 bars either, unless you cut them really small.

Ingredients (Already halved for you! That's the kind of girl I am!)
1 c butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1t vanilla extract
1/2t water
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1t baking soda
3/4t salt
2c semisweet chocolate chips (we used 3)

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and water; beat until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a smaller bowl; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and eat the ones that don't make it into the bowl for some reason. Press into a greased 15-in. x 10-in 1 1-in. baking pan. To tell you the truth, I don't have a clue as to the size of my pan, but I think it was close to that. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Thane is very precise about setting the temperature correctly.

We don't have a 3/4 c measuring cup so we had a quick lesson on fractions. The boys picked up on in quickly. Math...check!

Magnus is packing the brown sugar. Wanna know why you pack brown sugar and not white? Me too! So I googled it.

Here is what I found...

"Brown sugar is refined white sugar with molasses added to it. The same weight of brown sugar and white sugar has the same amount of sweetness. Because white sugar is denser than brown sugar, to get equal sweetness you have to pack the brown sugar."

Yeah. I still don't get it. Oh well, on with the show.

I just thought this was a cool shot. Still learning how to use my camera.

This, however, is not a cool shot. One thing to keep in mind when Cooking With Boys is, "Messes happen." What I am saying? Messes happen when I cook without the boys too!

In case you are wondering, I did not put the "oops" egg in the mixture. Tempted, but nah.

Chocolate chips are being folded! Er, mixed, actually.

Magnus is being very careful. Do you think he likes wearing the pink pot holders? Ask me if I care. In a house full of testosterone, I get to have pink pot holders.

Mmmmmmmmm...

Gooey goodness!

Weekly Report...Week 1

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a pity party and you are all invited. This week was so far from the, "Yay, Mom! We are so excited about starting school!" "Great, boys! This is going to be an awesome year!" week I had envisioned.

It went more like this:

Me: "Boys. Time to get up. We're starting school today."

Boys: "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo. We don't want to."

Nice. Real nice.

The week was FULL of whining (them), lost patience (me), and illness (all of us).

Maybe they can sense that I am just not "into it" this year. It's our 5th year homeschooling, and I am having a lot of difficulty getting motivated. I don't even want to browse through the crisp, oh-so-good smelling homeschool catalogs that arrive in the mail.

This summer has been difficult. Rough. I thought that by putting it to an end, we'd be able to put it behind us. I don't know. We'll see what next week brings.

Oh...and would you believe that I didn't even take a "First Day of School" picture? Maybe that was the problem.

If you feel like reading some previous Weekly Reports you can click on these links:
Weekly Report 07-08
Weekly Report 08-09
Weekly Report 09-10

ETA: Barb is a big source of inspiration and encouragement for me. Her blog post today could not have come at a better time. Had me in tears.

Cooking With Boys...Muffins That Taste Like Donuts

2010-08-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Donuts. Mmmmmm. I love donuts!

I came across this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, The Tasty Kitchen and thought it would be a great thing for Thane and I to cook this week.

We gathered all of our ingredients in one place. I have found it is a good idea to do this when cooking with the boys for 3 reasons:

1. You can make sure you have everything you need before you get started. No emergency trips to the store in the middle of preparation.

2. Everything is within arms reach and searching for ingredients in the cupboards is not done during preparation.

3. It makes for a nice picture to begin the blog post with.

Last week when we baked my Mother-In-Law's recipe for Kentucky Apple Cake, Thane learned about leveling off dry ingredients with a knife. This week, he was surprised to see the baking powder container had a "leveler" built in! No wasting of the powder because it drops right back into the container.

This is all of our dry ingredients. Thane figured out to measure all of the dry ingredients into a smaller bowl and the wet ingredients into a larger bowl because we were going to add the dry to the wet. Critical thinking skills at work!

During another time of baking, we learned the hard way about cracking eggs individually into a separate bowl and not directly into the bowl the rest of your ingredients are in. Rotten eggs are icky.

Thane is mixing the dry ingredients into the wet. The batter was pretty thick.

This was Thane's first time dividing up the batter into the muffin pan. He did a great job!

While the muffins were cooking, we prepared the mixture for the topping. Thane and I examined the butter stick for the correct amount. He thought it was cool that all we had to do was cut it and not place it in a measuring cup.

These were yummy!

The Little House

2010-08-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

"So they jacked up the Little House

and put her on wheels. Traffic was held up
for hours as they slowly moved her out of the city."

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

This is something you dont' see everyday. We were fortunate to be able to witness them navigate through the streets of our downtown. Tree branches needed to be cut, wires taken down, and signs removed. Of course it was a learning experience! We discussed the physics of it and the planning involved. It was pretty cool.

From Trash to Treasure

2010-07-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, the boys brought home some items they found by the dumpster. An old wagon, some boards, and a discarded car seat. They were determined to build a "go-cart" from them. Collin thought it was a good idea to lend a hand.

There has been talk of adding a motor to it. We'll see.

Cooking with Boys...Kentucky Apple Cake

2010-07-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, my boys love to cook. Especially Thane. He wants to be a Pastry Chef when he grows up. I want to nurture their love and enthusiasm for cooking/baking so I let them help me in the kitchen often. I've tossed around the idea of creating something with them, once a week, and blogging about it, but you know what they say about good intentions and I am not about to go "there". We'll see how it goes.

Collin's Mom (Hi Janie!) makes the most delicious apple cake with rich cream cheese frosting. I was so excited when she shared the recipe with me and I hope YOU will be excited that I am sharing the recipe with YOU!

Kentucky Apple Cake

Beat: 2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
Set aside

Sift: 2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Add to egg mixture slowly

Mix 1 can Wilderness Apple Pie Filling to batter
Pour batter into a 9x12 or 9x13 pan that has been greased & floured.
Bake at 345 degrees 40 minutes or until done. If you use a glass pan
lower temp to 325.

These are all of the ingredients you will need.

This is the first part of the recipe before it is beaten.

Thane is beating it. Such concentration!

Thane learned the reason for sifting flour and how to do it.

He just added the cinnamon without sifting it. No harm done.

After we slowly added the sifted dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat it, this is what it looked like. It was REALLY thick. I mean REALLY thick. Made me a bit nervous.

One of the privileges of being a cook!

Next, Thane added the can of apple pie filling. We couldn't find the Wilderness brand, so we used Comstock (210z.). He figured out that by using the spatula, he could get the majority of the filling out of the can and not waste it! Lots of learning going on.

Not sure if we were to beat the apple pie filling in, but we did. Now it was looking more like batter. I felt better.

While the cake was in the oven doing its thing, we made the cream cheese frosting.

Kentucky Apple Cake Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix: 2 3oz packages of cream cheese (room temp)

1 tsp soft butter (room temp)
2 cups powdered sugar (you may need to sift this)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix with a hand mixer and spread on cooled cake.

These are the ingredients needed for the most yummy frosting.

Thane learned about "leveling off" the dry ingredients in the measuring cups.

Mixing up the ingredients.

Good stuff! Seriously good stuff.

Thane's 2nd Grade Picks

2010-07-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's hard for me to think of my baby being in second grade, but he is.

History

Thane and Magnus (4th grade) will continue doing this subject together. We're going to continue with US History focusing on the people and events after the Revolutionary War but before the Civil War. We'll be using the Time Traveler Early 19th Century cd from Homeschool in the Woods as our spine. The boys really enjoyed the projects as we worked through the Colonial Times and The Revolutionary War cds last year. I am sure this one will not disappoint either. We're going to stretch it out to last the whole year by adding in lots of books and videos and by doing more in-depth studies on American Indians, Lewis and Clark, the Pioneers, and CA State history.

Science
Thane and Magnus will continue doing this subject together. We're finally going to get to the Human Body unit I put together a couple of years ago. I'm in the middle of planning an Earth science unit that will include a large amount of geology.

Math
The boys will also be working on this subject together. We're going to continue with the Math Mammoth Blue Series. I had thrown around the idea of using Right Start Level D, but I think I am going to give Teaching Textbooks 3 a try. It won't be our "main math", but will be a nice change from worksheets. We will also continue reading books from the large list of books from Living Math and playing lots of games for reinforcement.

Language Arts
This gets tricky with Thane. Towards the end of last year, I suspected some of his reading troubles were due to dyslexia. After much research and speaking to a couple of ladies who specialize (as in are educated) in dyslexia, I am convinced that to be the case, but only mild. I've decided to abandon all of our curricula that teaches phonics with rules and use ABeCeDarian.

Here are some of it's key features:

Explicit, comprehensive multisensory phonics instruction
Sound blending and segmenting explicitly taught and practiced
Letter/Sound correspondences taught in the context of reading and spelling words
Letter sounds taught before letter names
Code knowledge organized by sounds with engaging sorting activities
No rules!
Precise practice routines and error correction procedures
Integrated handwriting and spelling instruction
Expert oral reading fluency practice

Besides the key features listed above, I like that it teaches reading through patterns. Thane "sees" things in patterns so I am hoping that reading will just click for him this year.

We're also going to be using the ARI 1 Level of the I See Sam readers.

He is also going to be learning cursive through the Handwriting Without Tears program to aid in the many letter reversals he does.

Once he is reading fluently, we'll continue with All About Spelling and Explode the Code.

Art
We started using the Atelier Art dvd program last year and the boys really enjoyed it. They liked seeing the work the kids did as they were working through their lessons. We'll also include art lessons from Artistic Pursuits and Discovering Great Artists.

I haven't decided which artists we are going to study this year, but we'll continue with our picture study too.

Other Stuff
Mindbenders, Building Thinking Skills, and Typing.

Activities
Gymnastics, Swimming, and AWANA.

Cake Challenge Our Way

2010-07-22T15:43:00.001-07:00

While we were visiting my family in IA, the boys got hooked on watching The Food Network Challenge Show and Cupcake Wars. Thane has wanted to be a chef since he was 5 but now he has narrowed it down to becoming a Pastry Chef. He also wants to compete on the shows for a chance to win the $10,000 prize. What better way to practice your skills than to have your won challenge at home!

Meet the contestants...

Chef Thane and Chef Magnus

Each Chef was in charge of mixing up a box of cake batter and distributing it into the proper pans. Thane made 2 9 in. round cakes and Magnus made 12 cupcakes and 2 small bundt cakes.

Each Chef was then given the same supplies...

...and access the all of this yummy goodness for decorating...

The competition was a close one...

Magnus filled his cupcakes.

Thane topped his cakes with lots of candy.

We even had some things go wrong...

Creative minds were at work...

And in the end...

...the mess was worth it!

Travel Kits...A TOS Crew Review

2010-07-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

***Disclaimer: I received the following product as a member of TOS Crew in exchange for my honest review.***

What do you think of when you hear the word "summer"? I think of trips to the beach, plane rides to Iowa, and car trips to Washington. This is the time of year when many people pack up and head out.

Our neighbor is doing just that. They are taking off for a week and heading south to Los Angeles. I had a light-bulb moment when she mentioned to me being a bit nervous about keeping her 3 year old occupied on the 6 hour trip. "I'll put together a Travel Kit for Maya!"

"What is a Travel Kit", you ask? Well, a Travel Kit is a simple way to bless others! It's a group of items, given to someone in a creative way, that will enhance their trip in a thoughtful way. Curious? Then I encourage you to check out this E-Book, Travel Kits: A Simple Way To Bless Others, published by The Old Schoolhouse.

This E-Book is FULL of great ideas for items to include in the kit:

*Gifts for Boys such as toy cars, yo-yo's, cowboy hats, etc.
*Gifts for Girls such as jewelry, stationery, stickers, etc.
*Gifts for Moms such as favorite candy, travel pillow, materials for knitting, etc.
*Gifts for Dad such as gift card to Starbucks, cd, maps, etc.

This E-Book is FULL of creative way to package the items:
*Use a plastic bucket if the family is heading to the beach.
*Use a decorated gift bag.
*Use a box covered with wrapping paper.

This E-Book is FULL of fun ways to distribute the items, ideas for theme kits, helpful websites, and pages with tips from other travelers. Oh, and if you are a visual person, you'll like this E-Book. There are clear, colored, pictures of example kits, gifts, packaging on just about every page. I really appreciated that!

The author gave several examples of places to find the items to place inside your travel kit. You don't have to spend a small fortune either. I found most of the items for Maya's Travel Kit in the $1 section at Target and Micheal's, around the house, and even at a thrift store.

The boys and I decided to wrap some of the gifts to make it more fun for her. After all, who doesn't like opening presents?!?

Maya was very excited to receive her Travel Kit. It felt good to be a blessing to her and to her parents! I am thankful for the wonderful ideas this E-book provided. If you'd like to bless others through giving Travel Kits, I encourage you to download the 93 page Travel Kit E-book for $12.45 found at The Old Schoolhouse Store.

Click here to read what others are saying!

A Wedding

2010-07-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

My brother, Corey, fell in love with a sweet girl named Erin.

(Engagement photos taken by Catchlight Imaging. They did a great job at the wedding too!)

June 19, 2010 they became Mr. and Mrs.

This is me with my Brother, Mom, and Dad.

This is Agent 009!

Nice face, Core. Real nice.

Me and my little Brother.

The boys were ringbearers, I was a bridesmaid, and Collin was a groomsman.

My hot husband and cute boys!

(Photo credits: My Awesome Husband...except, of course, the last picture.)

Here are a few picture the photographer put up on their blog.

Magnus' 4th Grade Picks

2010-07-14T15:39:00.001-07:00

Magnus is going to be in fourth grade. Did you hear me? FOURTH GRADE!!

Collin and I have been talking a lot lately about giving Magnus more independence and responsibility this year. We haven't quite figured out how that is going to look, but it is on our minds. On thing's for sure, he's going to be doing more writing (physically) this year than was previously expected of him.

History

Magnus and Thane (2nd grade) will continue doing this subject together. We're going to continue with US History focusing on the people and events after the Revolutionary War but before the Civil War. We'll be using the Time Traveler Early 19th Century cd from Homeschool in the Woods as our spine. The boys really enjoyed the projects as we worked through the Colonial Times and The Revolutionary War cds last year. I am sure this one will not disappoint either. We're going to stretch it out to last the whole year by adding in lots of books and videos and by doing more in-depth studies on American Indians, Lewis and Clark, the Pioneers, and CA State history.

Science
Magnus and Thane will continue doing this subject together. Magnus has expressed interest in becoming a missionary doctor like his hero, David Livingstone, so I thought it would be a good idea to do a unit on the human body. We'll be using the Usborne Internet-Linked First Encyclopedia of the Human Body as our spine. Yes, it is a little below his level, but I created this unit two years ago and I don't feel like redoing it. Besides, it'll be a good fit for Thane. We'll be doing activities from Head to Toe Science by Jim Wiese, Easy Make & Learn Projects: Human Body by Donald Silver, and the My Body book by Teacher Created Resources.
We're also going to be doing a unit on Earth science which will include topics such as geology, weather, natural disasters, and the ocean. I still have to plan it, but have a massive amount of books I borrowed from a friend.

Math
Magnus and Thane will continue doing this subject together as well. I am pretty sure we will stick with the Math Mammoth Blue series. It's easy to teach and the boys understand it. I may add in Right Start Level D if I feel MM is not getting it done. The boys have worked through RS Levels A-C already. We will also continue reading books from the large list at Living Math and playing lots of games to reinforce the skills they are learning.

Language Arts
Last year we switched to Michael Clay Thompson's Language Arts program. Magnus worked through the Grammar Island book and started on the Music of the Hemispheres Poetry book. It is an absolutely incredible program and one that fits his learning style to a "t". We're going to review the Grammar Island book while working through the Practice Island book and then continue on with the Music of the Hemispheres and Building Language vocabulary book. Once the Island Level is completed, then we'll move onto the Town Level.

Not sure if we're going to do the writing portion of the MCT curricula yet. We've been using Institute for Excellence in Writing Student Writing Intensive A and I believe it's a great fit for him. It's straight forward and he enjoys doing it. He's going to be taking a writing class, this year, that is using the Medieval History Based Theme Writing Lessons. I'm very excited to have him take a class from someone other than me!

As far as spelling goes, he'll continue working through Phonetic Zoo which is also produced by IEW.

There is also a possibility of him joining a Great Books discussion group. This would be an answer to prayer! Magnus wears me out with his talking and asking questions. Don't get me wrong...I love it. He is curious and sees connections and needs to discuss things, but I can't always do that with him. It'd be great for him to be able to share with others and contemplate their ideas too.

Latin
I tried to teach it to him last year and I failed miserably. Thankfully, he'll be taking a Latin class this year using the Latin for Children program.

Art
The Atelier Art program was a big hit last year. We'll continue working through the DVD modules as well as other projects found in Artistic Pursuits and Discovering Great Artists.

Not sure which artists we are going to study this year, but I am pretty sure a couple will be Van Gough and Renoir.

Other Stuff
Mindbenders, Building Thinking Skills, Typing,and Handwriting Without Tears Cursive.

Activities
He'll continue with fencing and drama, as well as, AWANA.

I'll post Thanes stuff soon.

Please Continue to Pray!

2010-05-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

Please continue to pray for Ben and my cousin (Steph) and her husband (Dave). If you would like to get updates about his condition you can go to his CaringBridge page.

Thank you for your prayers.

UPDATE:

May 25, 2010
Ben is in the arms of Jesus. Thank you so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my cousin's family as they try to adjust to life without their precious baby boy.

(Sorry for the delay in updating. I flew to IA soon after and just got home July 3.)

Prayers Needed

2010-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have been consumed with thoughts and prayers for my sweet cousin, Steph, and her 22 month old son, Ben. Sunday afternoon they found him tangled up in the mini blind cords. He was unresponsive and flown to U of I Hospital. He is in a drug induced coma and they are concerned about the swelling in his brain. Please pray for little Ben. God is a God of miracles!

I Survived the Big City

2010-05-16T08:52:00.001-07:00

Download N Go Product Review

2010-05-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have had my eye on Amanda Bennett's new unit study series, Download N Go, for a few months now and was thinking of purchasing the Davy Crockett unit for our American History study next year. I figured at $7.95 a unit, I wouldn't be out much if I wasn't satisfied. Lucky for me, I recently received a copy of her Expedition Australia unit to review for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. After working through Expedition Australia, I will be purchasing the Davy Crockett unit, as well as Twisting Tornadoes.

One of the first aspects of the Download N Go units that impressed me was the variety of activities we completed. Lapbooking and notebooking pages are incorporated into the unit study.
We completed pages where we...
***researched animals found in Australia such as the wombat (Science)
***compared the weather where we live to the weather of a particular Australian city (Science)
***learned Australian vocabulary (Vocabulary...in case you didn't make the connection...;o)
***measured the distance between where we live to a particular Australian city (Math)
***drew a picture of the Great Barrier Reef (Art)
***researched geographic features such as the Great Victoria Desert (Geography and Science)

The colored graphics of the lapbook/notebook pages were welcomed by my visual learner, but if you choose to print in B&W, I don't feel it would lessen the effect of the image.

I found the Download N Go to be "busy homeschool mom" friendly. There is no checking the mailbox 15 times a day to see if the item you desperately need has finally arrived. Downloading is a breeze and instant. The embedded hyperlinks not only connect you to videos, online games, worksheets, ect on the web, but to the specific pages within the unit you need to print off for any given activity. The lapbooking/notebooking pages are clearly marked to let you know which activity/day they are used for. She also includes a book list, as well as a resource list if you'd like to take your study further.

You can use these one week units for your K-4th grader as your main curriculum, as a supplement, or to have on hand for one of those times when "life gets in the way". Below are a few of the Download N Go units that are available when I wrote this review. New ones are added weekly. You can click on this link to be taken to the site where you can click on any of the units to see samples.
***Winter Wonders
***George Washington
***Expedition China
***Whale Tales
***Simply Soccer
***Pizza Party
***Autumn Treasures

Here is how the pricing works...

One study...$7.95

One Month (4 Units)...$30.00 plus Birthday Bonanza FREE! You save $1.80!

One Semester (19 Units)...$114.00 plus Birthday Bonanza AND Summer Sensations FREE! You save $37.50!

Full Year (38 Units)...$190.00 plus Birthday Bonanza, Summer Sensations, E Book: Unit Studies 101, E Book: Unit Study Journal FREE! You save $112.10!

The more you buy, the more you save!

I really appreciated the ease of use and the quality of the activities. I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

To purchase or for more information, visit Amanda Bennett's Download N Go website at http://downloadngo.com/index.php. You can also check out her other unit studies at http://www.unitstudy.com/.

"Download N Go was designed for the specific purpose of combining the very best features of unit studies and lapbooking into one study on one topic that was fun and interactive. The Download N Go series brings all of these concepts together in smooth fashion, maximizing the learning experience while minimizing the complications of preparation. Download N Go studies are fun, engaging, interactive, and simple to use--capturing the best of all of these."~Amanda Bennett

Mother's Day in Pictures

2010-05-10T08:45:00.001-07:00

Morning Routine

2010-05-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

I've been giving a lot of thought to the kind home I want. The type of atmosphere and environment I want to create for my family. I decided it needed to begin with me. I needed to take care of myself in order to take better care of my family. Not sure why it's taken me so long to realize that. Collin has been saying that for years and is always encouraging me to take "time outs". So, this is how I have been starting my days the past four weeks.

I set my alarm and don't push snooze. This has been a huge adjustment. I don't like something, especially a loud buzzing something, interrupting my sleep. However, it's been good.

After spending a few minutes getting dressed and washing up, I unlock my bike

and ride to Starbuck's. It's a beautiful 2 1/2-3 mile ride (one way) gazing at the mountains in the distance,

listening to the birds greeting me, and trying not to get run over by the more "serious" bikers in the bike lanes. It's the perfect way to sneak in some exercise.

Once I am at Starbuck's, I grab my tall, non-fat (a girl's gotta watch her figure!) caffe misto and sit at a corner table. I'm officially a "regular" now. The barrista girl has my drink ready by the time I get to the register. Pretty cool. While I am there I say my morning prayers from the Book of Common Prayer, read an encouraging book/devotional (current one is Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George), journal, and plan out my day.

After I get home, I start setting the stage for the rest of the family's morning. I put on the appropriate uniform...

I love aprons! I feel so feminine wearing them.

I open up the windows to let the cool breeze in,

I turn some chant or classical music on softly, I light a scented candle, and check my email. The internet is a big time waster for me, especially in the morning when I should be doing other things, so I make sure I am ONLY checking email.

As I am preparing breakfast, I start hearing evidence of life. The boys know they are not to come out of their room until I call them for breakfast. This insures a more peaceful and quiet morning which Collin, especially, appreciates. Breakfast was something that was lacking. I don't like cooking or preparing food. The boys would usually fix themselves some toast or cereal. That's changed. Some mornings they'll get eggs, fruit, and OJ or maybe a muffin, fruit, and milk. Regardless of the menu, the table is always set nicely.

After the breakfast mess is picked up, the boys get started on some sort of math game while I get the homeschool materials set out for the day. Then, the school bell rings.

I have really seen and felt the benefits of taking time for myself. I am less grumpy and irritable, my family is less grumpy and irritable, and I feel good about getting some exercise (I have to fit into a bride's maid dress in June!) As Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing."

On My Table

2010-05-02T11:53:00.001-07:00

Weekly Report...Week 34

2010-04-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

This week wasn't as rough as the previous 3, but still not where it should be. School is definitely winding down for us and I am wondering if that may have a bit to do with it. We've finished some major units and have started some less intense work in those subjects. We have 5 weeks left with a welcomed interruption of grandparents visiting.

History (Both)
We finished up our Revolutionary War unit with a look at our Constitution. I read A More Perfect Union by Maestro and the boys watched the final episodes of Liberty's Kids. We're in the process of putting their Lap/Notebooks together. Next week we'll begin an easy study of US Geography using a fun book I found. You'll have to come back next week to see what we're doing.

Science

Magnus...Read through his collection of Nature Friend Magazines (thanks Poppy and Nana!). If you are not familiar with this particular publication, I highly recommend looking into it. The articles are well written and full of information. I personally enjoy the incredible photography flooding the pages. It is written from a Christian perspective and doesn't include any advertising.
He also worked on his wolf lapbook some more.

Thane...Finished his Giant Panda lapbook! He is very proud of it. We'll be starting a new lapbook next week, but we haven't decided which one. Homeschools hare doesn't make it easy to choose! These women have created many great lapbooks.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Writing...He read through a paragraph about Peter the Great, completed the keyword outline, wrote his first draft, edited it, and is in the process of writing his final draft. He isn't used to using the checklist yet and had to make some changes in his rough draft. He wasn't too happy about that.

Spelling...He finished up list 15 and will move onto list 16 next week.

Grammar...He completed some worksheets I printed off about proper capitalization.

Language Arts (Thane)
Whew! I have spent so much time reading, researching, and asking questions about dyslexia and various curricula. I plan on writing a separate post about all of it soon. I am pretty sure I have most of it figured out though.
In the mean time, he read from the Beehive Reader 1 from All About Spelling and completed several different assessments while I tried to figure out the major issues to help him with.

Math (Both)
I used to dread teaching this subject. Dread. I've changed it up and it is working more smoothly.

*The boys are working together now, at the same level. Magnus it a bit behind (my fault) and Thane is a bit ahead (his fault).
*I switched from a real teacher intensive curricula (Right Start) to a less teacher intensive curricula (Math Mammoth). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Right Start and will probably use Level D (along with Math Mammoth) next year with the boys. It just wasn't working for us at this time. The boys have mentioned on several occasions that they like doing the MM worksheets. I about fainted.
*I broke it up into two different times during our morning. First thing we do is learn our new concept using manipulatives and complete a couple of worksheets. After working on some other subjects we come back to math doing our estimation jar, playing some games or reading a math influenced book, completing anther worksheet or some story problems, and doing their timed math facts assessments from Right Start. (Like how I avoided using the term "test"!)
*We play a lot of games. Our current favorite, taking the spot of Zeus on the Loose, is Count Across. These are a great way to work on math facts.
*I try to add in more "living" math throughout our week.

Fun Day Friday
We read an very entertaining math book called Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens. We discussed it being easier to count things grouped by "tens" then individually. It was a cute story and I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series.

We're continuing our study of Claude Monet and his Impressionist style. We read a book called Sunshine and Waterlilies by Steven Packard.

My favorite part of the book was the two page spread showing Monet's painting of La Grenoulillere next to Renoir's. These two Impressionist painters had different priorities when it came to painting the same scene. "Monet tried to paint the feeling of the whole place", while "Renior seemed more interested in painting the people and their clothes."
The boys like Monet's better.

I like Renoir's.

We studied Monet's painting titled "Blue Water Lilies" and used it as an inspiration for our art project. I saw this idea on another homeschool mom's blog, Follow the Tumbleweed. There are so many creative mom's out there and I love getting ideas from them.

Activities

Monday...Winnie the Pooh Rehearsal (Magnus), Library
Tuesday...AWANA
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus), Rock Climbing (Thane)
Thursday...Winnie the Pooh Rehearsal (Magnus)
Friday...Fun Day Friday, Gym and Park Day with Homeshool Friends

On My Table

2010-04-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

Weekly Report...Week 31-33

2010-04-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

I can sum up the past 3 weeks in just one word...rough. And that is all I am going to say about it.

History (Both)
We're finishing up the Revolutionary War. I had grand plans, but fell short. Remember, rough. The Liberty's Kids DVDs have been a real blessing. We've read some books, completed a map of the battles, and finished our timeline. I feel, in spite of the last few weeks, we all gained a greater understanding of freedom, loss, and liberty.

Science (Both)
We finished NOEO Chemistry. I chose not to do the rocks and minerals part because we will be doing an extensive unit on them next year. We did have a first-hand experience watching the life cycle of a butterfly. If you missed our pictures you can see them here. This week, Magnus worked on his Wolf lapbook from Homeschool Share while Thane and I completed some of his Giant Panda lapbook.

Language Arts (Magnus)
Well, remember the "roughness" of the past three weeks?

Grammar...I have decided to put MCT aside for the remainder of the year and pick up with it next year. He doesn't have a great knowledge of punctuation, so I found a great site and printed off some worksheets.

Writing...IEW is working wonderfully. He has been inserting his own ideas into the stories he is supposed to rewrite, and I like that initiative.

Spelling...still working through Phonetic Zoo. He is on list 15.

Language Arts (Thane)
Without going into great detail, I have been investigating and researching the possibility of dyslexia. Nothing severe, but things I am concerned about nonetheless. I am in the process of revamping his entire language arts program. In the mean time, we'll continue with WWE and reading through the All About Reading Beehive reader.

Math (Both)
We're almost through Math Mammoth Subtraction 1 in the Blue Series and will immediately go into Addition & Subtraction 2A. We've been playing a lot of games to aid in our quick retrieval of facts...Zeus on the Loose and Count Down are among the favorites. I've decided to continue with Math Mammoth next year and will have the boys work through the Light Blue complete curriculum. I may also have them doing Right Start Level D, but I haven't yet decided. Oh, and our estimation jar activity continues to be a big hit!

Latin
Not doing it anymore. At least not this year. There. I said it.

Fun Day Friday
We met with our charter school adviser and that takes up most of our morning. She brought a big box of goodies I had ordered which included art supplies from Dick Blick and more math games and a few books from Rainbow Resource. The boys wanted to use their new watercolors and brushes so that was our school day. Then we headed to the park with our homeschool group.

Activities

Monday...Winnie the Pooh Rehearsal (Magnus), Library
Tuesday...AWANA
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus), Rock Climbing (Thane)
Thursday...nothing :o)
Friday...Fun Day Friday, Park Day with our Homeschool Group

Thanks for stopping by!

Cuteness!

2010-04-22T11:46:00.001-07:00

The Birth of a Butterfly

2010-04-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to witness the miraculous changes that take place, I'd encourage you to check out Insect Lore. If you'd like to see a fellow homeschool mom's field trip to the Insect Lore company, you can read her blog post here. According to her post, Praying Mantises eat Black Widow Spiders. I think we'll order those next!

I'm Cruisin' in Style

2010-04-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate to live in an area that has great weather most of the year. We are also fortunate to live in a city that is extremely bike friendly (understatement of the year!). I am not exaggerating when I say there are more bikes than cars or people in our town. We have over 100 miles of paved bike trails (with turn-a-bouts and signals) in 8 square miles. Needless to say, when my bike was stolen a few months ago (which is the highest incident of crime in our little town) I was not a happy camper. But, after I saved up some Christmas and birthday money, I was able to finally buy a new bike! I LOVE it!

Zoo Trip

2010-04-07T11:04:00.001-07:00

The weather was great so we headed to the zoo with some friends...

Weekly Report...Week 30

2010-04-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! The year has flown by! I can't believe it is week 30 already! As far as our Charter School is concerned, we only have 6 weeks left. As far as I am concerned, we have more than that. As far as the Charter School is concerned, this week was Spring Break. As far as I am concerned, it wasn't.

History (Both)
We continued learning about the Battles in New York during the Revolutionary War. I'll admit it, the Liberty's Kids videos taught the boys again. I did read The 4th of July Story by Dalgleish and we added many items to our timeline. Magnus read, and reread, and reread Toliver's Secret by Brady. Needless to say, he really liked it.

Science (Both)
We suspended a solid into a liquid creating a suspension that acted both as a liquid and a solid. That's just a fancy way of saying...we mixed cornstarch with water and made a huge mess!

We also created a polymer and ate it!

And finally, we created a thixotropy concoction. It stays put until you apply some sort of pressure, like your finger, and then it acts as a liquid.

We only have 3 more weeks left of our Chemistry unit. The boys are pretty sad about that. We have had a great year learning about all kinds of properties and phases and changes and such. For the remaining weeks, I let the boys choose an animal to research and a lapbook to complete from Homeschoolshare.com. Magnus will be studying Wolves while Thane and I learn about Giant Pandas.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Grammar...Well, we are going back through our MCT Grammar Island Level book. I dropped the ball and did not have him working through the Practice Island workbook consistently after we finished the grammar book and I want to make sure he has an extremely thorough understanding of what he needs to know. It has nothing to do with a weakness in the program. It was all me. I may actually take a step back from it next week and see what I can do as far as creating some sort of mini office to go along with it. I don't know. Just brainstorming and typing as I think. That is one of the main reasons I have a blog. Helps me think.

Writing...He wrote a rough draft from one of the stories in IEW SWI A, made corrections with me, and wrote the final copy. Complain, complain, complain. "I hate writing"..."I don't want to do this"..."Do I have to write my final draft today"...blah, blah, blah.

Spelling...He completed list 12 and is working on list 13 of Phonetic Zoo.

Language Arts (Thane)

Phonics...He completed some episodes of Heasdprout. I am a little sad as he is almost finished with the program. I feel it was completely worth the money and has helped him learn to read.

Reading...We started reading through George the Drummer Boy. He is doing real well.

Writing...We did Week 8 of WWE. He really likes writing...at least he did this week.

Spelling...He spelled all of his words correctly! All About Spelling is the perfect fit for him!

Math (Both)
We're continuing to work through the Math Mammoth Blue book on subtraction and they are both doing very well. I am so glad I made the decision to have them working together. It's a lot easier on all of us.

We did our Estimation Jar and Thane won the prize (Reeses Peanut Butter Cup) for estimating the closest. In case you missed the explanation of the Estimation Jar, you can visit this post.

We played a number (HA!) of games of Zeus on the Loose.

Latin
Giving this some thought. No action. Just thought.

Fun Day Friday
We're starting our artist study of Monet but I wanted to give the boys an idea of what the Impressionist style is. I read the book, Katie Meets the Impressionists by Mayhew, to the boys. They both really enjoyed the book. However, if they are ever blessed to see Renoir's Girl With a Watering Can in person, I have a feeling she will get a lesson in honesty from Magnus. He didn't care to much for her in the story.

We worked through a really fun math book today. It's called Math Adventures: Firefighters to the Rescue. Thane, who wants to be a firefighter, really liked it. I really liked it because of the different operations and kinds of math the boys had to work through. It included word problems, addition, subtraction, picture graphs, telling time, multiplication, ect.

For art today we messed around with our science concoction.

Activities

Monday...Winnie the Pooh Rehearsal (Magnus) and the Library
Tuesday...No AWANA :o(
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus) and Rock Climbing (Thane)
Thursday...Winnie the Pooh Rehearsal (Magnus)
Friday...Fun Day Friday

Thanks for stopping by! See you next week! :o)

Finally!

2010-03-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

Thane *FINALLY* started rock climbing! He is on the Junior Team at our local club. I can't think of a better way for him to expend some of that energy!

(Please excuse the blurring pictures. I had the ISO set too high.)

Can You Smell Them?

2010-03-30T13:50:00.001-07:00

This is our wall of flowers. It's lovely.

Claude Monet Artist Study

2010-03-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

We're diving into Impressionism for the last weeks of the 2009-2010 school year with the "Father of Impressionism", Claude Monet. I'm curious to hear the boys' opinions on his work since they didn't care for the paintings of NC Wyeth's that were not within his usual 'realistic' way of painting. I have gained an appreciation and love for this style of painting and I am excited to learn more about some of the artists who use it.

We'll be using these Monet art cards to study and then the boys will add them to their art album.

We'll be reading lots of books:

Charlotte in Giverny by Joan MacPhail Knight

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt

Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew

Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies by Steven Packard and True Kelly

What Makes a Monet a Monet by Richard Muhlberger

Getting To Know the World's Greatest Artist: Monet by Mike Venezia

I'll get some ideas for projects from here:

Monet and the Impressionists for Kids
Discovering Great Artists
(Love this book!)

Found this DVD at the library for us to watch:

I also ordered these J-I-N-G-O games from Rainbow Resource.

Lastly, if you are looking for some incredible notebooking pages to go along with your Impressionists study, look no further. Nadene from Practical Pages has created some. They are simply amazing! Oh, and check out this great narration idea her kids did for Seurat's "Bathers at Asnieres". We are so doing this!

If you missed the post about how we do art study, you can read about it here.

Weekly Report...Week 29

2010-03-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

We didn't have a typical school week. We took it easy, had fun, but still managed to learn stuff.

History (Both)
I let James and Sarah of Liberty's Kids teach the boys this week. They learned about The Declaration of Independence, Washington crossing the Delaware, and Molly Pitcher. Magnus also read another Jean Fritz book, "Will You Sign Here, John Hancock".

Science (Both)
I didn't plan anything this week, but we did get a lesson about squirrels. Some students on campus have been collecting data about reproduction in squirrels. They have been trapping them, marking them, and giving them birth control shots. Yes...you read that right. Birth control for squirrels. We were able to watch and ask questions. The boys got to see a male and a lactating female up close. It was pretty interesting. We also studied butterflies, but I wrote about that in the Fun Day Friday section.

Language Arts

Magnus...He read a paragraph and completed a keyword outline.
Thane...Completed a few episodes of Headsprout and continued reading to me from Sam the Minuteman.

Math (Both)
Math took center stage this week and probably will for the rest of the school year. The boys completed some worksheets from Math Mammoth and I got a shipment of games from Amazon. We had a lot of fun with math this week. If you missed my posts about it, please find them here and here. You won't be sorry for clicking on the links.

Fun Day Friday
We're "growing" butterflies and received our caterpillars in the mail yesterday. Today we read a book about their life cycle and the boys drew their own butterflies and labeled its parts.

Our picture study included another painting by NC Wyeth called "A Fight In the Forest".

Magnus named it "A Deadly Quarrel" and Thane liked "Indian Defeat". Thane discovered that if you turn the picture around and look at it from various angles, different parts of the painting jump out at you. Picture study still continues to be a favorite part of our week. So glad I finally got off my tush and planned something.

In the afternoon we met up with our homeschool group at the roller skating rink. I was a little nervous taking the boys since they have never been on skates and it's been nearly 15 years for me, but we had SO much FUN!!! Magnus got the hang of it pretty quickly and Thane was able to do a good job too. I saw my life flash before me only once! We're hoping to do it again real soon.

Oh...great news! Magnus auditioned for a part in our community theater's production of Winnie the Pooh and he got cast for Christopher Robin! 32 kids auditioned for 9 parts and the director said he was "perfect"! Guess I'm going to be a stage mom now! ;o)

Activities
Monday...Audition for Winnie the Pooh (Magnus)
Tuesday...Drama (Magnus) and AWANA (Both)
Wednesday...Fencing (Mangus)
Thursday...nothing
Friday...Homeschool skate at the roller rink

We're hoping to go to the beach tomorrow and on Sunday, Collin and I will be celebrating 12 years of weddedness! :o)

Thanks for stopping by!

More Math Fun

2010-03-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun math filled day! We started out by playing a new game called Zeus on the Loose.

I had a feeling this game was going to be a big hit because of the mythology theme. My boys (especially Magnus) LOVE all things mythology. This game is so much fun! It is a great way to practice addition, subtraction by 10, and rounding. The only thing I don't like about it is the pictures of the gods are very...um...pronounced.

Next, we watched a couple episodes of Sid the Science Kid.

"The Sticker Chart" was all about how and why we use charts. "Enough with Seashells" was about how and when to estimate.

We took what we learned a step further and created our own charts after making estimations.

I placed the same size legos in a jar which we are calling our estimation jar. The boys took out 10 legos and piled them on the table to get a good idea of what 10 legos looked like. We placed them back in the jar and the boys gave their best estimation.

Magnus estimated 50 and Thane estimated 47. The actual total was 43. The boys then made a chart showing who got the answer correct. I will fill the jar periodically with other items and whoever estimates the closest will get a sticker. Once they get 3 stickers, they will get a small prize.

After a quick bike ride to the store to get M & M's, we did some more estimating and graphing. The boys opened their packages and estimated how many were in their bags. Can I just say that Magnus' had significantly less than Thane's and I feel cheated out of my $.99. Then I had them sort them out. I found this page on the internet to help out with that.

Once they were sorted, the boys had to graph how many they had. We used this graph to record the data. Magnus was able to record his data using each square having a value of one. Thane, however, had to think of each square as two because he had so many M & M's! It made the lesson more of a challenge for him, but he figured it all out!

Once they had their chart filled out, they had to add all of the columns together to get the correct amount of M & M's that were in their bag. Then they had to figure out how much they were off by. Magnus guessed 21...actual total was 32 (yep...only 32)...he was off by 11. Thane's estimation was 32...actual total was 55 (yep...23 more than Magnus' bag)...he was off by 23.

We are all looking forward to having more math lessons like this to go along with our regular lessons. I'll blog about those too, so be sure to keep checking back!

Math Facts The Fun Way

2010-03-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous weather + wiggly boys = math fun outside!

I called out addition and subtraction facts and the boys had to jump to the answer. They LOVED it! And yes, they are wearing pajama pants. We are homeschoolers after all!

Weekly Report...Week 28

2010-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after being in "survival mode" last week, I have officially declared this week and next SPRING BREAK! However, we're not taking time off from school entirely. We're just going to have a lighter load. Here is what we managed to accomplish this week:

History (Both)
George Washington took command of the Continental Army this week. The boys watched the appropriate Liberty's Kids videos, we read George Washington by D'Aulaire's, Magnus read a Landmark history book (George Washington Frontier Colonel by Sterling North), and we added to our timeline and map of the Revolutionary War battles.

Science (Both)
We took a break from NOEO this week. As much as we enjoy the experiments, I just was not up for it. The boys watched a few animal DVDs and I called it "good". We've enjoyed watching birds, especially the humming birds, helping themselves to our feeders. Oh, and the boys learned how to make fire using a magnifying glass and the sun. Not sure how I feel about that.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Writing...We corrected and improved the first draft he wrote last week and he wrote his final draft.

Language Arts (Thane)
He completed a few more episodes of Headsprout, did some copywork, and read aloud to me.

Math (Both)
This was our first week of doing math together. I printed off the Math Mammoth Blue Series books we are going to be working through and placed them in 3 ring binders. We did several pages together and I didn't hear much complaining. In fact, Magnus said he liked doing MM better than RS...Thane disagreed.

Latin (Mangus)
Don't go there.

Fun Day Friday
Not much fun. We have a visit with our charter school advisor but then we are meeting our homeschool friends at the park this afternoon for some gun and sword fighting. We'll be ready for the Apocalypse...will you?

Thanks for stopping by! Maybe I'll have pictures of the beach to share next week!

Weekly Report...Week 27

2010-03-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

Our family is officially in what we call "survival mode". We're doing the minimum that needs to be done. I am somewhat burned out and it is the end of the quarter for Collin. Exhaustion has set in for all of us but we are going to make it. God has a way of working it out so when I am jello, Collin is a rock. When he is jello, I am a rock. It's been that way since the beginning for us.

Needless to say, we did what we could with school this week. We survived.

History (Both)
"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"~General Howe
We read about the Battle of Breed's (Bunker) Hill this week. I was particularly happy to have scheduled 3 episodes of the Liberty's Kids video. The boys are learning quite a bit from those and getting, somewhat, of an unbiased view. We also read, "Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams" by Jean Fritz and talked about the the items discussed during the 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses as we completed a mini book about them.

Science (Both)
We demonstrated water's surface tension by completing a few experiments.

We filled a glass to the rim with water and added pennies, one by one, until it overflowed. We were able to get 30 pennies in it.

We dropped 28 drops of water onto this penny before they flowed off.

Water easily flowed through the bandana into the jar...

...but then when we tipped it over, nothing dripped out!

Water's surface tension is stronger than alcohol's so when you drop alcohol onto water, it drags the alcohol into a very thin filming causing it to look like you made holes in the water.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Writing...He watched the third lesson of SWI A, completed the key word outline, and wrote his first draft. Again, I am very proud of his product.

Spelling...moving right along!

MCT Poetry...We started learning about Alliteration and will continue it into next week.

Language Arts (Thane)

He completed 4 episodes of Headsprout, worked in ETC, and continued reading Sam the Minuteman with me.

Math
I finally got this figured out. If you'd like to know the changes that are taking place, you can read about it here.

Latin (Magnus)
Not with the week we were having. No way. And that's okay.

Fun Day Friday
We finished up our history projects, studied this picture of NC Wyeth...

The Attack on the Block House

...watched a video about the Orchestra, painted a spring scene using QTips...

...and learned about fractions using a Hershey bar...

Activities

Monday...library visit
Tuesday...Drama (Magnus) and AWANA (Both)
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus)
Thursday...Went to a musical of "A Year With Frog and Toad". It was fantastic and a welcomed change to our normal school week.
Friday...Fun Day Friday but no park day due to rain. :o(

Thanks for stopping by!

Gotta Have a Good Foundation

2010-03-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Math is one of those subjects that builds on itself. You gotta know the simple facts to do the more difficult problems.

We have been using Right Start math for a few years now (Levels A-C). I love the fact it stresses mental math. I love its use of manipulatives. I love the games. However, I do not love the way it teaches subtraction. Maybe it's just me, but I don't get it. I have poured over the explanations and still can't get a grasp of it. I tried teaching it to Magnus and he picked up a bit, but if I don't understand their way of doing it and can't adequately teach it, he isn't really going to understand it either. Besides, the past few weeks he has been doing geometry. I don't think he needs to be learning how to use a t-square and a triangle if he can't subtract 15 from 28. So, we're putting it on the shelf for awhile.

In all honesty, my life just got a bit easier. Thane just finished Level B and was moving onto C. I am not going to waste my (or his) time with the beginning of Level C. I am going to teach both he and Magnus together!

I have purchased the Blue Series from Math Mammoth. This series is grouped by topic. We're going to start from ground zero with subtraction and work through the books together. As we are learning the subtraction facts, they'll be getting a great review of their math facts.

We're going to be a little "math heavy" for the last part of this school year. It's a subject that has not been given a place of priority in our school and that needs to change. Along with Math Mammoth, we will also be doing the following:

* Fridays will be set aside for other topics of math such as fractions, telling time, graphing, money, ect. while we are focusing on subtraction. They been introduced to these topics and I want to make sure they retain their skills. Fridays will include games, literature, and "living math".

* Playing more games. We have the Right Start game set already. I just need to take some time to plan some into our week. I have also purchased the Math Noodlers Game, printed off this fun game, and checked out Family Math from the library.

*Reading books about the different topics/skills. We have a pretty good library system and I plan to utilize it by getting books off this list and this list. Magnus especially likes learning this way.

*"Living" out math. As and example, I will have them help me look for the better deal at the grocery store, measure ingredients for recipes, pay for items they buy with their allowance instead of me handing the correct amount of money to the clerk. I will be keeping an eye open for learning opportunities.

**For the record, I still LOVE Right Start!**

Weekly Report...Week 26

2010-03-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the "get well" wishes I received last week. The suffering was minimal this week. Overall, we had a good week. Here's the breakdown of the week (I just wanted to make sure I used the word "week" at the end of every sentence...week)...

History (Both)
"The Regulars are coming! The Regulars are coming!"
Paul Revere and the Battles of Lexington and Concord were the topics we studied this week. I read "And Then What Happened, Paul Revere" by Fritz, the boys added to their timeline, Magnus read "Mr. Revere and I" by Lawson, and the boys made a pop-up of Paul Revere's ride.
Oh, and we, of course, watched the relevant episodes of Liberty's Kids.

Science (Both)
Were learning about the properties of water. I wasn't very keen on this topic, but it is quite interesting. We discussed adhesion and cohesion as well as capillary attraction. The first experiment we did was to pick up a cookie sheet off of a dry surface. It was a piece of cake. Then I placed a small puddle of water on the surface before putting the cookie sheet on it. Wowzers! The water had adhered itself to both surfaces making it difficult to pick it up. The boys thought that was cool.
The next experiment we did was pouring water from a pitcher into a glass but doing it from about a foot away and at an angle. Wanna know how we did it and how it worked?

We used a piece of twine for the water to adhere to. It was neat.

Next we tested the absorbency (capillary attraction) of a coffee filter, paper towel, and copy paper.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Writing...He worked on key word outlining and the "which" clause again. He has demonstrated proficiency in this so we'll move onto Lesson 2 of IEW SWI A next week.

Spelling...He is doing good. Nothing exciting to report. How exciting can spelling be really? And no, I have not seen Akeelah and the Bee.

MCT Poetry...We are LOVING this unit!!! I blogged about our experience with it so far. If you missed it, I encourage you to view the poems Magnus wrote here and here and the one Thane composed here.

Language Arts (Thane)

Writing...He completed week 5 of WWE. He wasn't too happy when we got to day 4 and he had to copy his narration he dictated to me. I bet next week he'll give me a 4 worder.

Reading...He completed some episodes of Headsprout.com and is working through reading Sam the Minuteman with me. It is a bit of a challenge, but he is doing good.

Math

Magnus...He drew equilateral triangles with his drawing tools and learned about fractions as he divided them.

Thane...Learned about perimeter. It took him awhile to grasp the concept (which surprised me), but after a couple days of doing it, he understands now. He also learned what a diagonal is and how to measure it.

Latin (Magnus)
We actually DID something! I had him review the chants and watch the grammar portion of chapter 2 again. There is a great possibility he may be taking a LFC A class next year, so I am not as stressed about not getting it done. I'm actually thinking about ditching LFC A now and maybe working through Minimus. We'll see.

Fun Day Friday
We finished up our history projects, did our picture study of NC Wyeth's, "In a Dream I meet General Washington"...

...went to the library to get books on how to draw dragons. They'll spend the rest of the afternoon pouring over them and fine tuning their skills. We also headed to the park to meet up with our homeschool friends. Nothin' like a little nerf gun and light saber!

Activities

Monday...?
Tuesday...Drama (Magnus) and AWANA (Both...Thane earned his patch for his second book!)
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus)
Thursday...nada
Friday...Fun Day and Park Day with our Homeschool Friends.

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully you'll tune in next week too!

The Lair by Magnus

2010-03-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

We talked about the way poets use rhyme within their works in our Music of the Hemispheres (MCT) book. We discussed pattering and assigning the lines of poetry a letter of the alphabet. Here is an "A-A-B-B" poem Magnus wrote:

The dark night crept in the lair.
The stench of scorched bones fills the air.
The wind howls and the mist churns.
The dragon sleeps while the fire burns.

The Death Dealer by Thane

2010-03-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

After watching Magnus create his poems and illustrate them, Thane wanted to get involved. He came up with most of this on his own. I helped with the word "thus".
This is his poem:

The dragon waits in his cave.
The water drips from the rocks.
He breathes a fire wave.
Death he thus gave.

The Mermaid by Magnus

2010-03-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I wrote about one of Magnus' poetry assignments (I am using that term loosely) from Michale Clay Thompson's Poetry curriculum, Music of the Hemispheres. In case you missed it, here it is:

Poetry...Music of the Hemispheres by Michael Clay Thompson is brilliant! The discussion of the various poetic elements is gently laid out and easy to understand. Magnus wrote his own line of poetry this week. He thought of something that makes sound and then chose words to describe that something using words that sound like that something. Clear as mud? Here is what he wrote:

She searches and surfs the waves seeking a sleepy peace.

He was writing about the waves at the beach. See how his choice of words (she, searches, surfs, seeking, sleepy, peace) and their placement gives you the sense of the waves movement? Brilliant! Magnus also painted the scene with watercolor paints.

I wanted to share the finished product with you...

Picture Study Our Way

2010-03-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

As a way to incorporate more of Charlotte Mason's ideas into our homeschool, I have introduced the boys to picture study. I was a little hesitant, at first, as I was unsure of their reaction. I didn't want to be faced with resistance. Let me go on record as saying, "This is one of their favorite times during our week!" We have lively discussions about how this week's piece is different or similar than last week's, what we appreciate about it and what we don't, and what the artist may have been feeling or experiencing during the time he/she painted it.

Let me break it down for you:

1. I choose an artist to study for 6-8 weeks.

We have been studying NC Wyeth these past few weeks. It was a totally strategic plan on my part to introduce picture study with an artist who clearly has great works for boys to study.

2. I choose 6-8 works the artist created for the boys to study.

Here are a few we have looked at:

3. The first day I introduce the artist, I read a short biography and the boys fill out a biography page. We are using the free ones offered at www.notebookingpages.com.

4. I hand the boys their own copy of the work.

I purchased these cards from Dover.

5. I give them a few minutes to look at it and then the discussion begins.

I found this list of questions to use as a guide. I say "a guide" because I don't want this time to be scripted. I want the discussion to flow...and boy, does it ever!

I don't tell the boys the name of the work because I like to see what title they would give it. They like this part of the discussion. I write their title on the back of the card and then we place them in their binders.

Oh...the binders...almost forgot. We are using 3 ring binders and placing the pictures in these photo sleeves. The little business card size pocket in the upper right is where we are going to write the titles of the works that are on that page. Our artist biography notebook page will be placed in front of his works.

If you haven't yet started doing picture study in your own homeschool, I encourage you to give it a try!

Weekly Report...Week 25

2010-02-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

While the majority of the US is still digging out from beneath a pile of snow, things are starting to bloom here. It's beautiful. However, don't let the mask of pinks and yellows fool you. Lying below is a nasty little thing called pollen. My body and pollen DO NOT get along. Think of it this way..."My body fought the pollen and the pollen won." But, we were able to accomplish a bit. Here is our week...

History (Both)
We are continuing to read from the Landmark book, "Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began". I like this book. There isn't an graphic descriptions or pictures in it. It has made our study of the war easy to understand as the events are laid out clearly. We learned about the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the First Continental Congress, Ben Franklin's famous "Unite or Die" wood carving, and Patrick Henry's speech which included his well known, "Give me liberty or give me death" phase. Magnus gets very animated when he performs it. I was finally able to introduce them to the Liberty's Kids DVD set I have been hiding from them since Sept. These 40 episodes are going to be a great addition to our study. For projects we added to our timeline, colored Ben Franklin's wood carving, filled in biography pages for Ben Franklin and Patrick Henry, and made a really cool map of Boston with an overlay of some main events that occurred there.

Science (Both)
The book and experiment selections NOEO uses for the Chemistry I study are great. I was a little apprehensive about using it since I didn't really care for the Biology I we used last year, but this has proved (proven? I'll let you decide.) to be an easy and fun way to learn about chemistry. This week we discussed various ways of measuring/weighing liquids. We talked about viscosity, volume, and density. We tested the viscosity of honey, cooking oil, and water by placing a small amount in a cake pan then tilted it up to see which one would get to the other end the fastest. The boys guessed the order in which they finished correctly. We also placed the same amount of the 3 in separate cups and weighed them on a scale. Even though they had the same volume, honey was more dense. Then we layered them in a jar. It was cool to see them still separate. Reminded me of candy corn.

Language Art (Magnus)
Writing is the only thing worth mentioning this week. Magnus worked on another reinforcement lesson for Lesson 1 in IEW SWI A. He completed it on his own and did a great job! That boy is never short on words. I am excited to watch him grow in this area.

Language Arts (Thane)
He completed a few episodes of Headsprout and read to me from the Beehive Reader. We also discussed the months of the year and their abbreviations as well as which season they belong to.

Math

Magnus...Discussed and learned how to draw equilateral triangles with his drawing tools. He also completed a couple worksheets from Math Mammoth.

Thane...He learned how to make change and to use the smallest amount of coins to purchase something. He also completed a couple worksheets from Math Mammoth.

Latin
Who needs it? (Just kidding.)

Fun Day Friday
It was fun! We finished up our history projects, conducted our science experiments...

discussed NC Wyeth's painting of Pyle's Barn...

and created a color wheel as they painted along with the lady on the Atelier Art DVD...

The only not-so-fun thing about it was park day with our homeschool group was canceled due to rain. Boo.

Activities

Monday...sick
Tuesday...sick, Drama (Magnus) and AWANA (Both)
Wednesday...sick, Fencing (Magnus)
Thursday...nothing
Friday...Fun Day and date night for mom and dad (They love it when Daniel comes to watch them because they get to play Age of Mythology on the computer!)

Update on the Rockclimbing...I called the manager and he is having a tough time getting his staff finger printed for the verification. He said it should all be taken care of in a few weeks. I sure hope so!

Thanks for stopping by again!

Reminders Received at a Target Starbucks

2010-02-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today started out full of promise but quickly took a turn. I became irritable, grumpy, and didn't want to be bothered. I needed a break. Just an hour or so. Luckily Collin was working from home this morning so I was able to take off.

I headed to a Starbucks that is located in our newly opened Target. I grabbed my tall vanilla latte and got cozy at a corner table.

A mom walked in with two toddlers. They were all smiling and chatting with each other. It appeared she was treating them to something special. The little girls were so excited. Their time together was full of promise but it quickly took a turn. Within 3 minutes of receiving their drinks, two of the drinks ended up on the floor. A minute later, one of the replacement drinks spilled all over one of the girls. The mom was clearly frustrated and disappointed. Little did she know, I needed to witness her mishap. I needed to be reminded that I am not the only one who tries and sometimes things don't quite go as planned.

Lady at Starbucks...I hope your day is going better. Mine is.

Sometimes when my days start out with promise, they quickly take turns because of the boys' behavior and my laziness to not want to deal with it at the moment.

After the lady gathered up her milk covered girls and left, in walked another mother with her kids and a girlfriend. As soon as I saw the kid, I knew it was his voice I had been hearing echo through the store..."Mom, I want this ball! Mom, I want this ball! MOM!!!! Mom, I said I want this ball! Mom, buy me this ball!" I could go on about the fireman's hat, the bag of chips, and the pencils he also wanted, but I think you get the picture. It was clear the women were there to chat and it was also clear the kid was not going to allow that to happen...AT ALL. I have never in my life watched a kid interrupt an adult, demand something from them, and the adult cater to that child so much as I did those 5 minutes. It was unreal. The one time the mother said no, she was met with fists and a bite to the leg. It worked...the child received the strawberry/banana smoothie he wanted. I could go on about the displays he knocked over, the handful of straws he wasted, and the shaker full of sugar he dumped out on the counter while his mother very gently said, "no, no" but I won't. Little did she know, I needed to witness her unruly child and her lack of discipline. I needed to be reminded that I am a good mom and that I have great kids.

Lady at Starbucks...I hope you learn to become a parent. Kid at Starbucks...I hope you receive the discipline you need. Lady's friend at Starbucks...I'm sorry.

Edited to add...I know there could be a number of reasons for that child's behavior (medications, emotional, mental, ect.) but I used he and his mother as an example because the lack of discipline was clearly evident.

Weekly Report...Week 24

2010-02-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

I suffered with a migraine for two days, however, school got done...I think.

History (Both)

We started reading about the various Acts King George III was forcing upon the colonists in a Landmark book by Lucille Recht Penner called Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began. The boys completed a notebook page showing the government structure during that time and created a couple mini books that will later be placed in their notebooks. Magnus read Johnny Tremain by Forbes but claimed he didn't like the ending. "It was sad." We also added to our timeline.

Science (Both)
What? I can't hear you.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Grammar...Still reviewing using the exercises in the Teacher Resource section.

Poetry...Music of the Hemispheres by Michael Clay Thompson is brilliant! The discussion of the various poetic elements is gently laid out and easy to understand. Magnus wrote his own line of poetry this week. He thought of something that makes sound and then chose words to describe that something using words that sound like that something. Clear as mud? Here is what he wrote:

She searches and surfs the waves seeking a sleepy peace.

He was writing about the waves at the beach. See how his choice of words (she, searches, surfs, seeking, sleepy, peace) and their placement gives you the sense of the waves movement? Brilliant! Magnus also painted the scene with watercolor paints.

Writing...He finished rewriting his paragraph on Desert Tarantulas. I was impressed with it.

Spelling...Moving onto List 12 in Phonetic Zoo. Love this program!

Literature...I lost track. That boy ALWAYS has his nose in a book.

Language Arts (Thane)

Grammar...We worked more with pronouns.

Reading/Phonics...Still working through Headsprout and OPGTR. I'll be adding in the Beehive Reader from Marie Rippel of All About Spelling fame next school week.

Spelling...All About Spelling is working great with Thane. He is enjoying it and learning to spell!

Writing...We are continuing to work through Writing With Ease. I am glad I decided not to sell my books!

Math

Magnus...We are still working on beginning geometry. He has learned how to use a T-square and a triangle to draw various shapes. I think he likes having a break from "numbers".

Thane...My allergy infected mind can't remember what we did.

Latin
Please refer to last week.

Fun Day Friday
We met with our Advisor from our charter school in the morning. After she left, we drove to the other side of Sacramento for a surprise lunch...Chic-Fil-A!! They haven't had it since we left TN a year and a half ago! Collin and I found it a couple months ago. After that we spent a lot of time at a Christian bookstore. Magnus has been wanting to do an independent Bible study so he'll be doing the Discover 4 Yourself series by Kay Arthur starting with a study on Joseph.

Activities

Monday...holiday
Tuesday...Drama (Mangus) and AWANA (Both)
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus)
Thursday...Nothing
Friday...see "Fun Day Friday", park day with homeschool group, fencing (Magnus)

For those of you keeping score at home, we are STILL waiting for approval from our charter school for rockclimbing for Thane.

Thanks for stopping by!

Art In Action

2010-02-18T11:01:00.001-08:00

Weekly Report...Week 23

2010-02-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

One word can describe this week: distracted. Not sure what was causing the distraction, but it was ever present. However, we pushed through it without a significant amount of tears, and had a productive week regardless.

History (Both)
We read a great book called George vs. George that tried to show both sides of the Revolution. I must admit, Magnus and I have been struggling with some complex issues as we are studying this together. Did King George have a right to tax the Colonists in order to help fund the French and Indian War? Did the Colonists have a right to claim the land further West, displacing the Native Americans yet again? These are just some of the questions that were brought up and discussed. I know there are many different answers with many different sides that can be taken and I'll be honest, we weren't able to come up with concluding answers to some of them. I just know that it had been an emotional journey for Magnus.
We added to our timeline, completed a mini book that will eventually go into our notebook, and watched several School House Rock videos and an Animated Hero Classics about George Washington. Magnus also read Can't You Make Them Behave, King George by Jean Fritz. He absolutely loves Fritz's books and cracks up at them.

Science (Both)
NOEO Chemistry I is turning out to be a lot of fun and is doing a thorough job of introducing chemistry concepts to the boys (and me too!) This week we talked about ways to weigh and measure solids and liquids. The boys made a "spring scale" out of a cereal box and elastic string. They calibrated it and marked the weight in grams. Then they weighed several small items and recorded the data.

We talked about measuring liquids by way of volume and discussed density. We did several experiments to figure out the density of a few liquids. Looks like we'll be doing some more next week too.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Grammar...We are finished with his grammar book, but we are working our way through the Teacher Resource section in the back of the book for review.

Poetry...This is going to be fun! We talked about how poets intentionally use certain words because of their sounds to convey a feeling or mood. Magnus pointed out that Shakespeare did it with his lines from "A Midsummer's Nights Dream"...

"You spotted snakes with double tongues."

His use of the "s" and "double tongue" bring your attention to the sound a snake makes with his tongue. It almost "flicks" as you say it. Right on, buddy! Gotta love a kid who can quote Shakespeare!

Writing...He finally finished writing his final draft about Sea Snakes. He was wanting perfection. I was just wanting it done! We compromised. He moved onto outlining and writing the first draft on Desert Tarantulas. He did the rewrite all on his own and did a pretty good job. There won't be many changes for his final draft. He really "gets" words.

Spelling...Moving right along to list 11.

Literature...I've lost track of how many and which books.

Language Arts (Thane)

Grammar...I read a story and he was able to identify the pronouns. We also talked about initials and he likes the idea of using his first and middle initials with his whole last name just like JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis.

Reading/Phonics...Completed a few episodes of Headsprout and is doing better with the "silent -e" in OPGTR. He is getting better about not flailing around too much when he sees me bring out the big blue book. Now he is able to contain it to just the couch. How many of your kids have that reaction to OPGTR?

Spelling...I am following the program (AAS) as outlined and it is working wonderfully for Thane. Magnus gave me fits when I tried to do it with him, but Thane enjoys it. He especially likes trying to "master" the cards. The only work that gave him trouble was "job". He spelled it "gob". Too much Arrested Development, I think. Just kidding. I don't let me kids watch that!

Writing...We worked through the second week of WWE. He only gave me a bit of trouble...okay...a lot of trouble...when I asked him to copy the longer sentence. I told him I would set the timer for 7 minutes and he was to do what he could in that amount of time. He smiled and was up for the challenge. He wrote it beautifully, and had 1 1/2 minutes remaining.

Math

I introduced them to Times Attack. We are only doing the free version, but they both liked it. However, they have to do it without the sound because of the growling they hear in one part of the course. Glad they are being responsible and knowing what will give them nightmares.

Magnus...We worked on a bit of geometry and learned how to draw with a T Square and a triangle. I think he liked it. He also enthusiastically played some Right Start Card Games.

Thane...He worked some more on multiple digit addition and learned "greater than" and "less than".

Latin
No comment.

Fun Day Friday
Life happened and Fun Day Friday wasn't so fun...again. We did study another painting of NC Wyeth and finished up some stuff for history. It was beautiful out so Park Day with our homeschool friends was very much welcomed. Magnus also fenced with a friends at the academy. He is greatly improving and enjoying it.

Activities

Monday...Library Day
Tuesday...Drama (Magnus) and AWANA (Both)
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus) and we're still trying to get Thane started with rockclimbing.
Thursday...I can't remember
Friday...Park Day and Fencing (Magnus)

That about does it! Thank you for coming to our open house. See you next week! :o)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T12:48:00.001-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

Um...who was playing? Well, we were! At the beach!

First we hit North Beach...

Then we went to Drake's Beach...

It was simply a lovely day!

Weekly Report...Week 22

2010-02-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, we have been doing school and getting a lot done in spite of the fact that I haven't reported on it for the last 11 weeks! Whew...that is a long time! A few changes have taken place since then:

I didn't feel like Magnus was being challenged enough and that my expectations of him were low. I have added a few things (Latin for Children and Writing via Institute for Excellence in Writing) and he is required to do more written narrations, to name a few. Also, he wasn't retaining anything with his current grammar program (Growing with Grammar). He was just going through the motions and checking it off the list. He is now doing a fantastic program created by Michael Clay Thompson. There are several levels and I started him at the beginning Island level. It includes Grammar, Vocabulary (Latin roots), Poetry, and Writing.

Thane is also being challenged more. He has had a bit of trouble in the reading area so I thought to add in spelling. All About Spelling is the perfect program for him to get the extra phonics practice he needs. I have started him on writing with the gentle approach of Writing With Ease, too.

I have also made better attempts at making sure our Friday Fun Days were, well, fun. We're doing picture study, some sort of art instruction, finishing up our history projects, doing science experiments if we didn't get to them during the week, playing math games, and getting together with our friends at Park Day.

The atmosphere continues to be relaxed, attitudes have been good (except on a few days), and lots of learning is taking place. Most importantly...the boys are in a nurturing, loving, safe environment all day. We are blessed to be able to homeschool!

History (Both)
We have finished our tour through the Colonial Days. It was a great unit full of fun projects. Now we've headed into the Revolutionary War. We're using another Time Travelers Unit from Homeschool in the Woods as our spine and adding in a bunch of books. Last week we learned about Benjamin Franklin and all the great things he has added to the world. This week we read about the French and Indian War in Struggle for a Continent by Maestro. We weren't able to make it through the whole book as Magnus is very sensitive to the inhumane treatment of others. Magnus read a biography about George Washington written by Mary Pope Osborne and we started our timeline.

Science (Both)
The past few weeks we have been learning about the 3 phases of matter (solids, liquids, and gases). The boys have a really good grasp on this concept. We did several experiments this week including inflating a balloon with the carbon dioxide that is released when baking soda and vinegar is mixed together. Things got messy in our lab!

Language Arts (Magnus)

Grammar...As I mentioned, we switched programs to MCT's Island Series. It's a no non-sense program and relies on total interaction between the parent and student. We sit on the couch and discuss words and sentences and how they form ideas. I won't go into how the program works in this post, but it is worth looking into if you need a change. Anyhow, we finished the grammar book this week. Don't worry...he'll still be getting LOTS of exposure and review as we work our way through the other components. That is the beauty of the program!

Magnus doing the analysis (MCT version of diagramming) on the white board.

Vocabulary...We started the vocabulary portion of the program last week and study the Latin stem re- and this week, sub-. However, I think I am going to put this on hold until we dig into the Poetry portion more. We'll be starting that next week.

Writing...Wanna talk about a thorn in my side? Ouch! I had planned on doing IEW, but then looked into Classical Writing. After evaluating that, I decided to do IEW again. However, I have heard that IEW will not be a compliment to the writing part of MCT Language Arts. Why am I worrying about doing a writing program when it is included in our new LA program? Well, I am not "sold" on the MCT writing portion yet. *Sigh*. But I also don't have experience with it yet. My feelings may change. But, for the time being, I think we'll go ahead with IEW and make changes as needed.
Anyhow...Magnus watched the first video portion of Andrew Pudewa teaching the first lesson and he laughed the whole time! Mr. Pudewa is such a character! Magnus read a short paragraph about Sea Snakes, completed the key word outline, produced his first draft (including the "which" clause), and is now working on writing his final draft. He is rightfully proud of it.

Spelling...on list 10 of Phonetic Zoo. I am amazed at how his spelling as improved!

Literature...He is working his way through the Redwall series...again. He has also read several books by Jean Fritz for history.

Enjoying some free reading time. He LOVES mythology.

Language Arts (Thane)

Grammar...First Language Lessons was not a good fit for Magnus, but it is perfect for Thane! We are finally done with nouns and have moved onto verbs. He loves doing the story narrations and picture studies throughout the book.

Reading/Phonics...He finished up the first 40 lessons of Headsprout.com and is working his way through the last 40. He enjoys the program and is learning different things from OPGTR. The "silent -e" has given him a bit of trouble so we have camped out on those lessons, but I have seen the light bulb come on. ETC is still a constant companion. Oh, he did read all of Go Dog Go! to me this week! That is progress!

Spelling...It is amazing how different two boys from the same family can have such different learning styles. All About Spelling was not doing it for Magnus, but it is a great fit for Thane. He hasn't complained one time about spelling with the letter tiles and he looks forward to seeing if he has "mastered" any of the phonetic sound and key cards! We completed step 7 (short 'i" sounds) this week and he got his spelling list correct!

Writing...we worked through the first week of WWE.

Math

Magnus...I don't get it. I can't figure out the strategies for subtraction that I am supposed to be teaching. They don't make sense to me. Luckily Magnus has been able to figure things out without a big struggle. I think we're just going to have to work extra hard on learning the facts without the strategies. This week, however, he has gotten a bit of a break and we've talked about perimeter. Looks like we'll be learning some geometry in the coming weeks.

Thane...whizzed through four digit addition.

Latin

Magnus started Latin For Children a few weeks ago. He is doing great on the vocabulary, but the conjugating of verbs has him stumped...me too! I think we'll be parked there a bit. I don't want to introduce declensions until he (and me) understand conjugating. Oh I wish Collin didn't have so much on his plate so he could teach him (us).

The boys have also completed a keyboarding program called Keyboard Town Pals. It is a great way to teach them the skills, but there isn't any practice. I'll be trying to figure something out for that in the next few weeks. Just typing on the keyboard isn't enough. They'll need something to remind them of their finger placement and such.

Fun Day Friday
Well after I told you how I was making this more "fun", it didn't go as planned this week. I am sure the boys thought it was fun because they got to play their new video game, Oregon Trail. We did cover a new painting of NC Wyeth's. I'll post more about our picture study another time.

Activities

Monday...Library day
Tuesday...Drama (Magnus), AWANA (Both)
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus)
Thursday...Play Date with friends
Friday...Fencing (Magnus)

I have been trying to get Thane signed up for a rock climbing team in our town, but am having A LOT of trouble with our vendor relations department at our charter school. They are not on the ball and it is frustrating. I just have to keep reminding myself of the money they provide for our activities, curricula, and supplies.

Thanks for stopping by! See you next week...I hope!

If You Give A Boy A Pocketknife...

2010-01-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

...he makes spears!

Did you notice the bandaids on his fingers?

I'm A Big Girl Now!

2010-01-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

I love taking pictures. It's kind of my thing. My hobbie. I have been saving up for over a year for a new camera. It's whatcha gotta do when you live on a graduate student's stipend and you are still blessed to stay home and educate your children. Come to find out, Collin has been doing a little saving too. Look what he got me for Christmas...

In case you're wondering...yep...tears. I was fully expecting to get a bit more money to put towards it, but no. He was able to get it for me. Happy Day!

Collin knows a thing or two about pictures so he's been teaching me how to use it and has pretty much told me now that I have my "big girl camera", he had better not see me using automatic settings! Don't worry honey, I haven't. I've been setting my aperture and shutter speed like a good girl.

Now I can take pictures like this...

And this...

And this...

Oh, and this...

Now I'll be saving my nickels and dimes for lenses!

Weekly Report...Week 11

2009-11-06T12:15:00.001-08:00

We're moving right along. I have really tried to create a relaxed learning atmosphere and I think I have succeeded a bit. I still expect attention and quality, but I am not so worried about how much we get done. We school year round and learning is just something that happens at our house. The boys have responded well to it.

History (Both)
The previous few weeks we studied the 13 colonies and why/how they were developed, the Pilgrims, and Native Americans. Now we have started using the information provided in our Times Travelers Colonial Unit from Homeschool in the Woods. I've added in some read alouds and literature for Magnus to read on his own. I've been reading The Sign Of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare to the boys and Magnus read Indian Captive by Lois Lenski. The projects take some time and planning, but we are having a good time doing them. The boys made a colonial type bed this week. They weaved the frame, sewed and stuffed the mattress, and weaved a blanket. Magnus really enjoyed sewing and Thane liked weaving.

Science (Both)
We've been reading through Hydrogen and the Noble Gases by Tocci this week. We learned about the Hindenburg disaster and watched it on youtube.com. The boys have also been narrating as we read. We weren't able to get together with our friends and do experiments this week due to sickness, but hopefully it'll happen next week. Below is Mangus' narration. Click on it to read it.
Language Arts (Magnus)

Things are going to be changing in this subject. Magnus is gifted with words and I don' t feel I am challenging him enough in this area. I read about a program written by Michael Clay Thompson that incorporates grammar, vocabulary, poetry, and writing. He's going to work through the "Island" level. I am excited to receive it and get him started on it.

Spelling...This subject is going well. We're loving Phonetic Zoo. This week we were on list 5 which is a review list so I chose words from his previous 4 lists that gave him trouble. He did well and is moving onto list 6 next week.

Writing...The charter school we belong to has a mandatory writing assignment the kids have to complete each year. I will not tell you exactly how I feel about this but will continue to bite my lip and be thankful for the resources the school provides us with throughout the year. Anyhow, he has to write a 3 paragraph persuasive letter telling us (his parents) why he would rather live in the country than the city. Anyhow, we started brainstorming ideas for it this week and plan to write it next week.

Copywork...This got pushed aside this week. :o(

Literature...He read Indian Captive by Lois Lenski, 50 Favorite Burgess Stories by Thornton Burgess.

Language Arts (Thane)

Grammar...Would you believe we are still working on nouns (common and proper). S.L.O.W but a good introduction for him. I've decided to add in some fun picture books that explain what the different parts of speech are. He'll like it.

Phonics/Reading...He started a new program (well, new to us) called Headsprout. It's through the internet and it's teaching him to read. He really enjoys it and is getting a lot out of it. He doesn't get a lot of "computer time" so that is definitely a draw for him. We are still working our way through OPGTR, ETC, and his Pathways reader (Days Go By). I am really encouraged with his progress.

Copywork...didn't get to it this week.

Math

Magnus...learning subtraction. Yep, we're a bit behind, but I'm not worried. He comprehends the concepts easily.

Thane...we worked a lot with the geo boards...pattering, creating shapes, mirroring. Also reviewed the "9" and "11" facts as well as the "2 Fives" strategy.

Activities

Tuesday...Drama (Magnus) and AWANA (both)
Wednesday...Fencing (Magnus)
Friday...Park Day and Fencing (Mangus and Thane)

This past Sunday, the boys and I got to hang out on one of Collin's shoots. He and some friends were shooting a trailer for a theater company's performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The boys were loving it...intense drama, amazing language, and sword fighting!

Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

My Lil' Cowboy and Mad Scientist

The cute, little girl the boys are standing next to is Maya. She lives above us but isn't really so cute when she runs from room to room at 6:30 in the morning. But since I am up now...she is cute. She and the boys play together a lot. She is teaching them words in Turkish and the boys are teaching her English. Oh, and her parents (whom we adore!) are geologists so the boys are learning a lot from them too!

Collin and the boys made caramel apples for us to enjoy. These were not ordinary caramel appples. No sir-ee. The caramel you are drooling over was made from scratch! Lots and lots of butter. And lots and lots of corn syrup.

They were super YUMMY!

Magnus thought so!

Thane...not-so-much...weirdo!

Pumpkins!!

2009-10-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Why I Homeschool...

2009-10-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

...reason #287937389