I have to say that I love these Mighty Mind shape builders.  Our three-year-old does a fabulous job placing the right shapes/colors in their place.  However, what really amazed me was when she was able to so quickly piece the shapes together to make a larger and more complex shape.  Great job! 

Shayla drew us a geometric pattern on the board made up of several colors and shapes.  She took her opportunity to play teacher and show us how many shapes she had implemented in the detail.

Another toy I really love are these number and word cards with cut-out shapes for the letters that spell the words.  The picture below shows what Lillian is "spelling" and she can say each letter as we place it in its space.  At this point it is more like a puzzle and the letters don't go in order, but rather in the order they are discovered to fit!  These used to be in a complete book but the book fell apart and I just took the card frame out and the cards and it has worked for years.  Shayla actually used these about five years ago when she was Lillian's age. 

While I'm in the questioning mode...how many hours a day do you homeschool?  I just started this year and I am beginning to feel like too much homeschooling has the opposite effect I desire.  There is a burnout point, but I'd like to get some feedback from other homeschooling parents. 

I just LOVE this photo!  Before we began our journey into electricity, we learned about what was used before electricty.  "You mean there was a time BEFORE electricity?!" 

So, we made some dough, added some personality with stones and metals and then baked them in the oven.  They all shifted shapes in the oven, and unfortunately mine (left) was the only one that was actually usuable in the end.  Shayla's (middle) weighed itself down and closed the opening to the spout.  Lillian's (right), well, was made by a three-year-old!  The "wicks" you see were made from braided fabric, as were those in Biblical days and then the lantern was filled with olive oil (make sure you seal the clay before adding the olive oil or you will have a leaky mess!).

Learning about the value of the oil lamp in Biblical times helped the girls to understand the value of electricity today.  It was common for most homes to have only one lamp because olive oil was a precious resource and used sparingly, just as electricity is today (monetarily speaking).

The dough we used was not necessarily the best recipe I have ever used.  Below you will find one of my favorites from The Incredible Secret Formula Book. 

You can find this book starting as low as $2.95 a copy at the following link:

http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?S=R&qisbn=0816770115&qsort=p&siteID=OmE0YUiQlCg-B74Izv4gKeIhk.UDe1mLjg

The World's Best Play Dough

1.  Mix together in a saucepan the following ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1 or 2 drops food coloring (optional)

1/2 cup salt

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2.  Heat the ingredients to medium until the mixture just starts to cook, stirring as it heats. 

3.  When it is done it should look like sticky. 

4.  Dump the play dough onto a floured board and let sit until cool. 

5.  Knead dough, folding over, until smooth.

6.  Save dough in a resealable plastic bag or let dry for keepsake sculptures.

Matthew 5:14  "Ye are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hid."

Here they are - making their musical debut in a dance to "Aviary" from Carnival of the Animals.  We were learning how music can tell stories or even represent animals or personalities.  They took the lesson a bit further by creating their own costumes and then proceeding to flit about the room! 

I have REALLY enjoyed the God Made KinderMusic curriculum.  It is an excellent introduction level to music for small children Lillian's age (3).  It is a great way to keep music fun for Shayla (8).  Shayla also does lessons each week in Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory.  I highly recommend both of these products!

God Made KinderMusic can be found here:  http://www.praisehymninc.com/gmm.htm

There are several other levels of music to be found there as well.  I have yet to use them but am sure that I will in the coming years.  The music used with God Made KinderMusic can be purchased directly from the link above as well.  I already had The Nutcracker in my collection, and I was able to purchase Carnival of the Animals, a collection of 26 songs, on www.itunes.com  for $7.99 total.  This is a great price, as you receive the songs immediately in a download rather than paying additional shipping fees. 

Alfred's Essential of Music Theory can be found here: http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=12700&award=xx&from=Educational%20Software

This program covers so much.  It truly does teach your child music theory.  I would recommend staying with your child and walking them through the first few lessons (they are computer based) especially if they have no former music training or knowledge.  The program is engaging and thorough.  Music training was such a wonderful and rewarding part of my life growing up; I am so pleased that the girls show an interest! 

If you heard the song when you said the title of this blogspot, you were most likely an eighties child too! 

So this project is easy as pie!  Today we reviewed  about magnets and electricity.  We found out how to take the energy in the battery and transfer it to a light bulb.  The experiment is very simple and requires only the following items:  1 D Cell battery, 1 1.5 lightbulb (like the kind you would find in a flashlight), and some bell wire (basically wiring wrapped in electrical tape).  We purchased our bell wire from Radio Shack - not a cost effective resource unless your gas is $3.20 a gallon and it would cost you more to drive to an alternative store! - however, I am sure you can find what you need at Home Depot or Lowe's by the foot in the electrical department.

We connected one end of the wire to the bottom of the battery with scotch tape and simply held the light bulb to the positive nub of the battery while touching the other end of the wire to the metal side of the bulb.  Voila!  You have created a circuit that results in many "ooooos" and "ahhhhhs" from your adoring students.