Dec. 7, 2009 - Choo Choo Chow!
I love when things come together as if by coincidence. God is so cool how He lines things up.
For Thanksgiving we traveled to see family and along the way, we happened upon a steam engine.
We were on our way to supper and I asked dh to drive up the engine so the kids could get out and take a look at it since we had just finished learning about steam engines and been to a railroad museum for a field trip. We were all so excited, it was lit up beautifully and on display as if, just for us.
When we drove around to the parking lot behind it we discovered it was in fact a restaurant!!!! Can you guess where we ate our dinner that night? In the caboose!!! As we dined, the children explained to their father the importance of the caboose on a train and why they are not needed anymore. No, I don't think this was a coincidence, I don't believe in those.
Dec. 7, 2009 - SS Paddleboat
We've been doing tons of reading lately about inventors and their inventions. After reading about steam engines one final time and how they came to be useful on paddle boats, I let my kids have some fun.
We used an old foam poster board from a previous academic fair display to build a boat that would float. The kids and I cut out the pieces with an exacto knife and glued them together. Then we cheated and used a rubber band to give our paddle its power.
The kids christened it with a toy soda bottle and sent it on its maiden voyage in the bathtub.
Dec. 6, 2009 - Painting Like Giotto
We have just begun the Great Artists book that my friends have so highly recommended to me. The first artist is Giotto. After reading to the kids about him and showing him some of his paintings via the internet (Oh, what did people do before the internet?!) we went ahead with the activity.
Rather than recreating his pieces and focusing on technique or style, our focus was mostly on materials, the type of paint Giotto had available to him in the 13th century (he made his own) and the fact that he painted on specially treated wood. Although we didn't have his special wood hanging around the house we could go down to the garage and pull out some boards from the scrap pile. Grinding down our sidewalk chalk and mixing the powdered colors into egg yolk was fun for the kids and simple enough to do. Our selection of colors was not very bright so I was a bit worried the paint wouldn't turn out very colorful but it worked out well as you can see.
Dec. 4, 2009 - MamaBuzz Tour: 12 Days of Christmas Fun Project Pack from Hands of a Child (PreK - 1)
If you are a regular visitor to my blog then you know that I enjoy adding in lapbooks, notebooking and lapnoting to our homeschooling lessons. They make for a fun and memorable way of learning about a topic, wether it is Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims to doing a unit study on "Make Way for Ducklings" - it gets the student and the teacher out of the teaching rut. Lapbooks and the like also make retention of the information learned easier to recall later and also make an easy way to show an assessor what your child has learned over the school year.
I was given the chance to review the 12 Days of Christmas Fun Project Pack put out by Hands Of A Child which is geared for grades PreK to 1st but can easily be adjusted if you'd like your older student to work alongside a younger one. If you've never heard of Hands Of A Child they are one of the leading producers of lapbooks for homeschoolers and they are quality lapbooks. A project contains everything you'll need to teach about the topic, including lesson plans, extra books that can be obtained at the library, and the printouts needed to complete the lapbook.
In 12 Days of Christmas Fun you'll get 84 pages chock full of lesson plans for 12 days with a list of all needed supplies broken down by the day. The Hands Of A Child website says this is the biggest PreK project pack as of yet and with 24 activities and 7 bonus activities to have your child complete an entire lapbook and 12 days of ornaments. The lapbook contains items relating to the 12 Days of Christmas song, fruits of the Spirit, 10 Commandments, and other Scripture/Bible facts. There is also some math and science thrown in - so if you wanted to use this as a 'break' from regular teaching to gear up for Christmas you could feel as you are covering all the bases for the 12 days leading up to or following Christmas.
With this being an ebook it is instantly downloadable so you'll have access to the unit and all reproducible materials as soon as you purchase it. There are several different options for purchasing the unit:
- Ebook $20.00
- Printed $24.00
- CD $21.50
- Printed/CD combo $27.00
- Kit Pack (all reproducibles printed on different colors of paper and a folder bas already folded) $12.00
There are beautiful clip art that your student(s) can use to decorate his or her lapbook and of course the ornaments while adding a bit more learning and fun are optional as are the bonus activities. You will find much to do in this lapbook and while the price at first may seem steep with all there is to do in this project pack it is well worth it and if you have multiple students then the price goes down dramatically. The only thing you'll need to provide is a file folder or two, the printed reproducibles, scissors, pens or pencils, the ornament supplies and glue.
**This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by: Hands Of A Child for this review.
Dec. 3, 2009 - MamaBuzz Tour: Visions of Sugarplums: A Collection of Christmas Cookery (ebook) by Lizzie Norris
Would you like some new recipes for your Christmas celebrations this year? Or just new recipes for another special event - a birthday, baptism, etc? Well look no further A Dusty Frame has put out a wonderful ebook, valued at $7.00, is full of tasty recipes that any family would love to add to their recipe books. With this being an ebook it is instantly downloadable which means no waiting for it to arrive in the mail - it is yours and you can read it instantly.
Beautiful, old fashioned pictures decorate the pages of this ebook as well as Christmas quotes from authors like Mark Twain, characters from movies like 'It's a Wondeful Life' and Scripture. All writing is done in a font that is reminscent of times past and adds to the beauty of this book including being in green and red. I printed mine off and had it bound at a local office supply store for easy access and it's much easier to have the printed version than to take my computer with me in the kitchen, with the beautiful pictures though it's so nice to have a physical copy.
The book is divided into several sections and makes recipes easy to find and get cooking:
- Beverages, Appetizers and Bread (Boston Brown Bread, Hot Cocoa Mix, Cranberry Dip)
- Meats and Side dishes (Milanesa from Argentina, Easy Christmas Eve Lasagna, Cheese potatoes)
- Cookies, Desserts and Candies (Jumballs, Moravian Cookies, Dorothy's Toffee Squares)
- Miscellaneous (Apple Cinnamon Dough, Baker's Clay Ornaments, Dog Biscuits)
Of course there are many more recipes than I've listed about and all are just as or more mouthwatering than the others! Lizzie Norris also includes cooking hints and tips such as measurement equivalents, alcohol substitutions (great for families like mine who don't use alcohol to cook) and turkey cooking tips. She also includes some of her family's traditions and there is a page where you can include your own traditions also included is a snow day fun page and her list of favorite children's Christmas books. Again a wonderful resource for any family wanting to add new or different tradtions and recipes into their celebrations. You can find ordering information at A Dusty Frame.
**This is a MamaBuzz review and I was given a copy of this ebook by Lizzie Norris for my honest review.
Dec. 3, 2009 - Movies for Your Holidays
Loved the movie Blind Side. It is based on a true story. My husband remembers it being on the news some time ago. I think it is well worth the ticket.
Another well worth movie is the movie, Up. It is now available for purchase. Pixar has done it again with another great movie. They sure do a great job with story lines. Can't wait to add that one to our collection.
One movie that we had a lot of fun as a family was Mandie and the Secret Tunnel. It took us over a month to wait in line at Blockbusters for it. It is in huge demand. The Mandie series books are Christian books which have a great story line. Unfortunately the movie doesn't mention all the Christian aspects that the writer put into her books. However, the movie is still great.
Another movie is Dawn of the Dinosaurs. That was cute. I was very hesitant about it because the second Ice Age was so distasteful to me. There was way too much potty mouth and other offensive things. But, this one was a pleasant surprise. Much better.
Dec. 2, 2009 - Book Tour: Treasured/God Gave Us Love/God Gave Us Christmas by Leigh McLeroy/Lisa Tawn Bergren
Are you thinking of some books that you may like to buy for that precious child in your life? Well look no further - all three of my children enjoyed the "God Gave Us Love" and "God Gave Us Christmas" books. Beautiful hardcovered books and beautifully illustrated they provide a fun way to teach children more about God. There is mention of Santa in the Christmas one so for my readers who don't do the Santa thing it's just a warning. These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
In God Gave Us Love, Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, and the young polar bear begins to ask questions like why must we love others . . . even the seemingly unlovable? Why is it easier to love those we like? Where does love come from? And why does God love her so much?
Grampa Bear patiently addresses each one of Little Cub’s curiosities by explaining the different kinds of love we can share: the love between friends, the love between families, the love between moms and dads, and the love for God.
He also assured Little Cub that because of the love God has given her through his Son, there’s nothing she can do to make God love her any more or any less. Through Grampa Bear’s encouraging Little Cub to love others with a “God-sized love,” children will be inspired to love others and to be patient, gentle and kind, so that in every way, they too can demonstrate God’s love.
If you'd like more information on purchasing God Gave Us Love please visit the the Random House book's site.
In God Gave Us Christmas, as Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear has something on her mind: “Who invented Christmas?” she asks. “Is God more important than Santa?”
Her questions reflect the confusion of so many children during the holiday season. And this heartwarming story takes them on a wonderful journey of discovery—right to the heart of Christmas.
Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns that God loves her and everyone— polar bear, moose, or human—so much that he gave us Jesus, the very best gift of all.
If you'd like more information on purchasing this book please visit the God Gave Us Christmas webpage.
Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than 1.5 million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Love follows in Lisa’s classic tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She lives in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.
In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides readers in discovering evidence in their own lives of his attentive love.
“The idea for the book came from a cigar box filled with odds and ends of my grandfather’s life that arrived a few months after his death. Sifting through the objects in the box, I experienced him in a fresh new way. This made me wonder what treasures might be tucked away in Scripture that could frame God for me in an equally intimate, tangible way. This process also helped me uncover my own “treasures” of my walk with the Lord: objects that remind me of my history with him and his faithfulness to me,” says McLeroy.
Drawn from the pages of Scripture, the author considers twelve such treasures and personalizes their meaning for readers, such as a green olive branch that offers proof of God’s “new every morning” mercy and a scarlet cord that demonstrates his willingness to adopt “strays” of every sort.
Weaving these treasures together with scenes from her personal history, Leigh McLeroy invites readers to discover God’s heart for them and embrace their unique role in his redemptive story. Treasured offers readers a guided experience of God’s love and character and invites them to consider their own treasures that point to their part in God’s ongoing story.
For information on purchasing Treasured visit Random House.
Leigh McLeroy is the author of The Beautiful Ache and The Sacred Ordinary. An avid collector and recorder of everyday moments, words, and wonders, Leigh’s keen eye for God’s presence in ordinary life infuses her writing and living with a deep, insistent joy. A frequent conference and event speaker, the author makes her home in Houston, Texas, and posts often on www.leighmcleroy.com and www.wednesdaywords.com.
Dec. 1, 2009 - More KONOS Resourcefulness Part 4
I'm not sure if I'm posting these co-op highlights in the order we did them in anymore... I'm not sure that it matters, I just need to catch up with my blog.
Highlights:
I finally got to see the egg sucking bottle experiment! We first tried it by heating the air in the bottle on the stove and then quickly placing the boiled egg over the opening. This took quite a bit of time and we enjoyed the hypotheses given by our dc as to what was going to happen and why.
When they weren't gettting it, our ever resourceful mom, Missy grabbed some cups and large and small nuts to give the kids a visual of how air molecules change size when they are heated or cooled down. Soon after her demonstration we decided enough was enough and the eggs were taking too long so we lit a match and threw it into one of the bottles. The egg got sucked in and a few minutes later our first egg got sucked in too so both methods were successful. One was just not quick enough for those of us with short attention spans.
Snack was a highlight this week. We have opted to have the kids make snack each week whether it has anything to do with our unit or not. I absolutely love this picture though and I'm thinking of submitting it to KONOS to use for their advertising. You know sometimes one copy of KONOS is not enough. You should really have three available at all times.
Ahhh, but the kids are working together so nicely aren't they?
While the cookies were baking each of the children made a motion picture and helped build two zoetropes. Well they were similar to zoetropes although they each had one hole in the side to view through rather than slits around the uper half along all sides.
It worked out all right except that the hardest part with this experiment is getting the inside can to rotate at a speed of 16 images per second at an even keel.
Dec. 1, 2009 - KONOS Co-op Resourcefulness Part 3
More from our resourcefulness unit...
Each child has had to do an oral report on the inventor of their choice. During this particular week we had two reports. The first was on Archimedes. This little guy made his report quite interesting by including a water displacement experiment for demonstration purposes.
My 5yo did her report on the inventor of the Teddy Bear. She talked a little about the origin and the couple who made the first set of bears named for Teddy Roosevelt.
And she showed some meaningful pictures from Teddy Bear: A Loving History of a Classic Childhood Companion by Gustav Severin. She loved the beautiful photographs that this book was filled with.
And here is her own watercolor pencil rendition of a teddy bear.
She and her brother and sister presented their personal inventions this day as well.
Highlights:
Building electromagnets and testing them. Yes, they actually worked!!!! I know more about magnets now than I ever have before. These electromagnets were simple to put together using a D cell battery, copper wire, a galvanized nail and some electrical tape. The kids coiled the wire 20 times around the nail then taped the ends of the wire to each end of the battery. Be careful, they do get hot!
Cracking a secret code. We paired up the kids into teams and gave each team a message written in morse code. They loved deciphering the messages which were scripture verses relating to our theme.
Nov. 28, 2009 - Thanksgiving 2009
Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and what a wonderful time of being thankful! I've learned several things over the last few months and to be thankful for much:
1. That my husband, friend and provider is still here and that God's will is done.
2. We have a house, no matter how small, lacking in insulation, leaking or flooding we have a house and it's full of love and life and I try daily to keep God at the center of it!
3. I have three wonderful blessings who each bring a different and beautiful dynamic to our family and God knows that He put them in the right family at the right time.
4. I live in a country where I can worship the One True Saviour without fear of severe persecution, torture, imprisonment and/or death like my Brothers and Sisters in China, Russia and other countries. I will forever lift His name up and may His name always be Holy, Holy, Holy!!!!
So these are just some of the things I am thankful for and I know it's late in posting this but it's still timely and it's always wonderful to remember the things and loved ones we are thankful for!
This Thanksgiving like we've done for several years was spent at our home in a time of relaxing. We have an open invitation to family who wants to stop by and rarely (and sadly) are we ever taken up on this offer. With three little ones it can be hard and stressful to make several stops (inlaws, my dad's side and my mom) with no time for those who need naps (and need them) and no relaxing time spent, so we decided long ago to stop running around like chickens with their heads cut off and spend it at home. My mom and one brother will come over and then my inlaws usually stop over later. There are family who think we are wrong and terrible to stay at home, but for us we need to stay at home and as I said above there is a standing invite for any family who'd like to come over and visit to do so as long as we're here :)
Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving:
This shows my two homemade pies, deviled eggs, stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes (many thanks to my DH who peeled and quartered them for me) corn, dinner rolls (unfortunately not homemade), homemade pumpkin bread, homemade beer bread, ham and turkey. Those items in the back right are the children's 'turkeys' they made at the homeschool interest group (I'll get close up pics later) I left out the relish tray and a couple other food items.
My apple pie with nothing less than, hippo, cut outs to decorate it.
Upclose of my pumpkin pie and some mashed potatoes. Yes that is 'artwork' on the wall LOL
The day after Thanksgiving was not shopping for me, much to my dismay, it was spent at a surgery center for a diagnostic laprascope. My OB/GYN and I were suspecting the adehsions that he removed in 2005 during the same type of surgery were back and again causing pain and fertility issues. Nothing was found, no adhesions and nothing wrong that would prevent me from being pregnant. I am shocked and probably also my dr. I'm doing well although I had to stop taking the percocet due to it making me very ill and I'm now taking tylenol w/codiene (sp?) which is much better. I again had a good experience except the nurse who did my I.V. which felt like she stabbed me (no, I'm not exaggerating) with the needle. I had continous pain everytime I moved with this I.V. line as well - I endured it because I was not going to have her do it again. This is what I was left with once the I.V. was removed:
This bruise is on the inside of my left arm and is 3 inches wide and 4 inches long! Craziness and I don't own enough long sleeved shirts to cover it until it disappears :(
My Family from WiddlyTinks.com
