Thursday, June 18, 2009 - Tadpoles!
We were given five tadpoles the other day. They are FASCINATING. I have not had much luck with tadpoles in the past so this is probably even more exciting to me than Cameron. The will be frogs any day now.
Smile for the camera!
They are SOOO cute!!! As soon as we get a moment (laugh) we will try to look at them more closely.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009 - Update
School is out and we seem to be busier than ever. How does that happen?
This next year offers a new challenge for me. This will be my first year reporting with the state. But I am truely blessed. I have friends that have done this before and are helping me each step of the way.
I almost have everything ready to go for third grade. I've been tweeking schedules, adding subjects I didn't know I needed, writing objectives, gathering resources, preparing paperwork, the list seems endless.
I've also been working reorganizing books. I have some books for school that we won't need for a few years and I want to get those all in one spot. I did have them intermingled with all the other books (they were even all alphabetized by author at one point) but there were some there and some over there and a few up there. I need them all together. (Especially since in my reorganizing, I found a few that I could have used already.
I'm very excited about this upcoming year. We have some great things planned for the year. I'm especially excited about science. My good friend (you always have to call them good friends when they are so nice to you and lend you their resources without even blinking an eye) LindaI is lending me Exploring Creation with Zoology I by Jeannie Fulbright. This book is Charlotte Mason friendly so it is right up our alley!
So, right now, Cameron is enjoying Summer vacation and I'm getting ready for third. Soon, though, we will be starting a few summer educational activities AKA reading and math to keep us fresh.
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Tuesday, April 7, 2009 - Sick
It started with Cameron and of course he shared with me.
We have been very sick here at our house. In fact today is only the second day of school that we have carried a full load. We went over two weeks at either no school or a very light schedule.
Three tissue boxes, several Epsom salt baths, numerous temperature taking, gallons of water and copious amounts of vitamin C and medications later we are both on the mend now.
It still amazes me how much mucas a human body can generate.
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Friday, March 13, 2009 - Signs of Spring
We have not been very good about doing our nature studies. But today, we actually took the time to just do it. We had a short errand to run and instead of heading straight home, I headed to the trail that is very near our home.
The assignment? Look for signs of spring. We had a good walk and a great hunt for those tiny little signs.
Buds
New plant growth. (Possibly Colt's foot?)
New growth:
Insects:
And the number one sign of Spring?
MUD!
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - Birthday: A Belated Post
It has been a month since we celebrated Cameron's 8th birthday. I've been meaning to post pictures from the day.
Mom always takes Cameron to lunch to the place of his choice. This year, Cameron chose Chuck E. Cheese's
It is so nice to go when there are only a small handful of people there. There was no waiting in long lines. There was no excessive noise. There was no wondering where Cameron had gone off too. We practically had the run of the place and it was great.
I think Grandma needs a handicap. It has nothing to do with age though...these air hockey things were made for short people, AKA children. LOL
Cameron was thrilled with his presents. He got two Lego sets that he was wanting from his parents and the free Wii that my Dad got happened to show up right on his birthday. We were too busy with lunch, new toys and, hello, a Wii!
Cameron's birthday fell on a Wednesday and that means Master Clubs for us. We wanted to be in charge of snack. But, instead of doing cupcakes or brownies or even birthday cake, Cameron decided to do something REALLY different. We made a yummy fruit salad complete with fresh blueberries and Cool Whip.
After church, there was a surprise party just for Cameron. Thanks to two good friends who prepared the pizzas, drinks and snacks for all the party goers, it was a huge success. Cameron was VERY surprise and extremely pleased.
More Playmobil peeps! We love using these for school and other pretend play.
He said, even before the surprise party, that this was the best birthday he's ever had.
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Monday, March 9, 2009 - Will Stutley
Robin Hood - Will Stutely Rescued by His Good Companions
The Sheriff really wants to catch Robin Hood and comes up with another plan to catch him. One of Robin's men, Will Stutely, decides to go to the inn to see what he can find out. He dresses himself in disguise.
A cat comes by, rubbing itself on Will's robes and revealing his Lincoln green colors underneath.
One of the Sheriff's men sees the Lincoln green and starts to question and then accuse Will.
They overtake him and arrest him.
Will is sentenced to death. Robin Hood and his men plan a daring rescue. They dress in disguise and show up at the hanging.
Little John makes the first press through the men. He jumps up in the cart and asks Will if he doesn't think its time to take leave of his friends because it might be the death of him. Then he cuts him loose.
Will Stutley and all of Robin's men get away from the Sheriff.
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Saturday, March 7, 2009 - Weeks 27 and 28
I was very ill last week so our schooling was cut short. I guess I could look at it as Cameron learned how to take care of someone that was sick AND he practiced his "keep myself busy so Mama can rest" skills.
Bible:
- Elisha and the Shunnamite woman
- Elisha raises the Shunnamite's dead son
- Naaman is healed
- Greedy servant lies and gets leprosy
- Floating Ax head
- Servant sees a fiery army
- Shunnamite woman
- Joash makes Temple repairs
- Hezekiah cleanses the Temple
Memory:
- Psalm 23:5b ...thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
- Psalm 23:6a Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: ...
Phonics/Reading: Still Cameron's least favorite subject by far. I keep trying to change things up. It seems when I change things, he does better for a little bit and then slips back into his "It's too hard and I'll NEVER get this" attitude. I pray this will not be a struggle through all of his schooling.
Math:
- Place values up to the millions. Hard concept the first day that we introduced thousands, ten thousands and hundred thousands. The second day it clicked with no problems.
- Measuring using inches and centimeters. One of his favorite things to do.
- Continued doing addition, subtraction and multiplication drills. He is improving greatly!
Literature:
- Pilgrim's Progress - Hill Lucre & Demas
- Robin Hood
- The Shooting-Match at Nottingham (Cameron's narration)
- Will Stutely Rescued by His Good Companions (Cameron's narration)
History:
- Joan of Arc
- An Island Story
- ch 52 - The Story of How Prince Hall was Sent to Prison
- ch 53 - Henry V of Monmouth - The Battle of Agincourt
- Child's History of the World - ch 61 Off with the Old, On With the New
Nature:
- Pagoo
- ch 9 - In, Out, Up with Traveling Towers. Traveling Towers is swallowed whole by a fish and then spit out. Then it is picked up by a gull and dropped. TT escapes and Pagoo decides it wasn't worth it and decides to leave
- ch 10 - Houses are Scarce in Tide-Pool Town. Pagoo meets more creatures as he searches for an empty shell.
- ch 11 - A Concrete Tile Can Crawl Both Ways. Pagoo finds a home of his own in the shell of a tube snail. The problem: there is another hermit on the other end.
Poetry: Christian Rossetti
Copywork:
- Memory verses
- Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! / Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; / Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty! / God in three Persons, blessed Trinity! (Holy, Holy, Holy ~ Heber)
- Holy, Holy, Holy. All the saints adore Thee! / Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea, (Holy, Holy, Holy ~ Heber)
- Free living? Huh! It cost too much misery in the end. From now on he would find his own food. Pagoo stamped a foot. Old Instinct didn't laugh. (Pagoo ~ Holling)
- And what book do you suppose it was that he printed? Why, the book that people thought to be the most important book in the world--the Bible. (Child's History of the World ~ Hillyer)
- Pagoo did a very rash thing. He hopped right out of his brand-new shell and fairly pranced around in victory. Immediately he knew he shouldn't have done it. (Pagoo ~ Holling)
Spelling:
- nice, sky, fine, dry, old, know, road, cold, does, wait, neat, read
- cook, cave, kiss, lock, clean, grow, hold, own, coat, wait, road
Artist: Van Gogh's The Chair and the Pipe
Hymn: "Holy, Holy, Holy" by Reginald Heber and John B. Dykes
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Saturday, February 28, 2009 - Shooting-Match at Nottingham
Both Cameron and I are very much enjoying Robin Hood. I think we also look forward to putting it together with the "men" The Sheriff is very upset that his plan to catch Robin didn't go as planned. He decides to go to the King to enlist help. He makes a great show with his armies and provisions when he goes to see the King. The tables were turned on the Sheriff when the King is upset with him for not being able to get rid of one little outlaw by himself with all his resources. On the way back to Nottingham, The Sheriff comes up with an idea to trap Robin. He decides to hold a shooting match. The prize was a golden arrow. Robin tells all his men of the coming competition and wants everyone to go. But go in disguise. They will share the arrow, no matter who wins. Robin's disguise is coloring his hair with walnuts, wearing ragged clothing and an eye patch. Of course he is the best yeoman around and easily wins the match.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - Iditarod: GO Smyth!
My town has a wonderful teacher's store. There are tons and tons of educational toys, games, supplies and teaching aids. They also have a wonderful thing called Silly Saturdays. Every second Saturday of the month they have activities for children to come and do. This year the lady that puts it on has been mostly focusing on science. She is so great. She is enthusiastic, pulls the kids right in and has fun things for them. She loves the Iditarod. This month she took a break from science and focused on this incredible race. She had each child look through her book that had all the mushers pictures and short bios. The children were to pick a musher and make a pinny for their musher. They did some other activities as well, all dealing with Alaska or the Iditarod. The race starts March 7. The next Silly Saturday will be 7 days into the race and she is going to see whose musher is where. But she also sent us home with our very own race map, check-in sheet to track our musher, as well as other information. Cameron and I chose #32 Ramey Smyth for our musher. It helped that he likes soccer. LOL (He was #33 when we picked him but he has moved up. I guess I will have to keep my eye on that.) I may chose someone else to follow as well. And, if our musher drops out or cannot complete the race, we should pick a new musher to follow to the end. I think this will be a great activity for us to enjoy. If you want to participate and chose your own musher check out the official Iditarod site and chose from the list of mushers and let us know who you chose.
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Monday, February 23, 2009 - In-Depth Picture Study
One blog that I really enjoy reading is One Child Policy Homeschool. I don't know if it is because she too has an only child that she is homeschooling. Maybe it is the fact that she is using the Charlote Mason method as we. Or it could be that I just find her style of writing very delightful and her ideas fun and something that appeals to me. It is probably all the of the above.
One of the things that she has done is to have her child recreate one of the paintings they study for a term. I wasn't sure if Cameron would like this or not. Drawing isn't one of his favorite things to do because he wants it to be EXACTLY right and a perfect copy. But surprisingly, he rather enjoyed making a copy.
Our artist last term was Caspar David Friedrich. I like him much better than Boticelli. Cameron chose the very first painting we studied for his recreation project: The Cross in the Mountains.
I thought he did a fabulous job. I am more concerned with him picking out certain details rather trying to make a perfect copy. Especially since this is something new we have started.
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Saturday, February 21, 2009 - Week 26
Bible:
- Elijah hears God in the Still Small Voice
- God choses Elisah to suceed Elijah
- Elijah taken to Heaven in a whirlwind
- Elisha crosses the river Jordan and begins his ministry
- Elisha helps a widow: The oil that keeps on giving
Memory:
- Psalm 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the prsence of mine enemies; ...
Phonics/Reading
- We are still taking a break from our forward motion. We are still working through our review. I've also started asking him to pick a book, either from his current library books or from his own personal stash. There are a lot of new words and many rules we haven't learned but hopefully he is enjoying it because he has chosen the book.
Math:
- Fractions
- 3 digit subtraction with borrowing. He almost has this skill under his belt
Literature:
- Pilgrim's Progress
- Robin Hood - Robin and the Tinker. (Cameron's narration)
History:
- Children's History of the World - ch 60 "Thelon Gest Wart Hate Verwas" Hundred Years' War, Edward III and the battle of Crecy (which we read about in Island Story and Cameron noticed), and Joan of Arc
- Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley - we read the introduction which discussed the 100 Year's War and introduced us to a young Joan. I like how our readings are overlapping other readings
Nature:
- Pagoo (Pagoo is a library book so I am putting Seabird, which we own, on hold and reading more Pagoo)
- ch 7 - Room and Board, Travel Included - Pagoo finds an empty button barnacle. It isn't a perfect fit but it makes him feel much more protected. But there was a twist to his new home, it is the "penthouse apartment" on another hermit crabs shell.
- ch 8 - Around Snail Cousins' Rock - "Traveling Towers" as Pagoo's "aprtment building" is called stops on a leaf of kelp, ver near to some more interesting creatures: limpets, abalones, nudibranch, sea hare and snails. (Did you know snails have teeth on their tongues?) Traveling Towers are swallowed whole in the last sentence!
Poetry by Christina Rosetti
Copywork:
- Memory Verse
- For Jesus shed His precious blood, / Rich blessing to bestow; / Plunge now into the crimson flood, / That washes white as snow. (Only Trust Him ~ Stockton)
- Yes, Pagoo had been lucky in choosing his first home -- a snug penthouse apartment with free sea-food dinners included! (Pagoo ~ Holling)
- But Joan seemed to have brought the French good luck to have put new life inot their armies...after more than a hundred years of fighting, at last they drove the English out of the country. (Child's History of the World ~ Hillyer)
- The war was very reall to Joan, as it was to everyone in Domremy, and they all knew who the enemy was. (Joan of Arc ~ Stanley)
Spelling:
- cute, mule, fire, day, play, wait, does, been, said, neat, read, seen
Artist:
- Stary Night by van Gogh
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Friday, February 20, 2009 - Robin Hood and the Tinker
We are having great fun with Robin Hood. Cameron looks forward to it each day and he looks forward to "setting up the scene." I'm allowing him to retell Robin Hood using his men.
The Sheriff of Nottingham wants Robin arrested, but no one will serve the warrant. The Sheriff is asking the men of Nottingham shire if they will do it.
No one wants "a cracked crown and broken bones" so the Sheriff sends a messenger to another town to see if someone will. The messenger meets with several men but it is the Tinker that takes on the task.
We had to look up exactly what a tinker was. I had no clue. But now we both know that a tinker traveled from town to town to fix metal. (Cameron has never been very good with names. I know he gets it from his father. He keeps referring to Robin and Red Robin Hood and the Tinker was Tinker Toy...just a funny side note)
The Tinker takes the warrant and goes off to find "this knave Robin Hood" and who does he meet but some nice youth on the way. (It is really Robin) They immediately hit it off.
Robin does not reveal who he is and finds out that the Tinker is after him. He invites him back to the inn for some drink and fellowship. The Tinker loves his drink and hardily accepts.
But Robin has the innkeeper put something into his drink to make him fall asleep.
Robin pays for their refreshments but then tells the innkeeper to charge the Tinker when he wakes up. Then he steals the warrant right out from the Tinker's bag. Which is very funny because the Tinker was bragging about it.
Robin is gone when the Tinker awakens and is angry to find that the one he was spending time with was the very one he was after, and that he had taken the warrant, AND that he had to pay the innkeeper.
The Tinker goes on his way. He is angry and who should he run into in the bend in the road but a whistling Robin.
They fight with cudgel and staff
Cudgel breaks staff and Robin calls for some of his merry men.
Little John and some yeomen (AKA Storm Troopers) come to his aid.
At this point in the reading (before this delightful re-enactment) Cameron interrupts with, "The Tinker is going to join the merry men. Just like Little John did in the last chapter."
The very next sentence had Robin's invitation to join. The Tinker gladly accepted.
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Friday, February 20, 2009 - Parallels from History
We were reading about King Henry IV in history yesterday. Henry dressed as a regular knight as he went into battle and had five knights dress up like the king. All five knights died, but Henry lived. The enemy army was clearly trying to kill King Henry.
Cameron was fascinated by this part of the stroy. And then he made a parallel.
"Wow, King Henry did exactly what Padmé did. She was the Queen but dressed up like her servant so no one would know who she was."
Got to love it when Star Wars parallels history.
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Saturday, February 14, 2009 - Week 25
We are officially in the home stretch. We are in the last 12 weeks of school; term three. We had a very busy week with lots of extras. I think there was only one day that we didn't have to rush off to somewhere. We got the essentials done but a few things were put off until next week.
Bible:
- Kingdom Divided: Jereboam gets 10 tribes, Rehoboam gets 2
- Jereboam makes two golden calves and leads Israel into sin
- Ravens feed Elijah during drought and famine
- Elijah helps a widow
- Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel
Memory:
- Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Math:
- Addition, subtraction and multiplication drills using Math-U-See
- 3 digit subtraction with borrowing
Literature:
- Robin Hood - Prologue. The language is a bit to get used to but Cameron is really enjoying this so far.
History:
- Children's History of the World
- Chapter 58 - A Great Story Teller. We learned a little about Marco Polo
- Chapter 59 - "Thing-a-ma-jigger" and "What-cher-may-call-it" We are introduced to the compass and gun powder.
Nature:
- Pagoo
- ch 5 - A Ride and a Fall Far, Far from Home - We leave the dueling hermit crabs behind and learn more about mussels as Pagoo travels through Mussel Canyon
- ch 6 - A Starfish, and a Few Barnacles - Pagoo encounters different types of barnacles and watches as a starfish opens and eats a mussel.
Poetry by Christina Rossetti
Copywork:
- Memory verse
- Come every soul by sin oppressed, / There's mercy with the Lord, / And He will surely give you rest / By trusting in His word (Only Trust Him ~ Stockton)
Spelling:
- sing, sink, wink, drink, give, come, does, been, have, said, ear, hear
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - Birthday
Every year, at exactly 3:08 pm, I take Cameron's picture for his "birth moment." I don't know if I read of another mom doing this or someone told me that they did it but I have made it my own.
This year, Cameron was very involved in it. He didn't want me to miss the moment. We even set an alarm on my phone so that we could take the picture at the right time.
This year, we happened to be shopping at Wal-Mart. We did a birthday snack for Master Clubs (our Wendesday night kids program) and, unbeknownst to Cameron, for his surprise Birthday party after Master Clubs.
I try really hard not to pose the pictures. I want a picture of what he is doing at that exact moment. I know what I was doing exactly at this moment 8 years ago.
1 year we were just hanging around the living room.
Year 2, Cameron was taking a nap.
Year 3 is MIA. It has to be around here somewhere but it was before I got a digital camera.
Year 4, we had been out to lunch with Grandma and then some grocery shopping. We were JUST getting home at the birth moment.
Year 5, his two cousins had just left and we were resting from our first annual birthday sleepover.
Year 6 we were out shopping with Grandad and Uncle Adrian in between church services.
Year 7 Cameron was running a high fever and really sick.
Happy Birthday Cameron. You are growing so fast.
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