Friday, April 10, 2009 - Homeschool Share BLAST!
It is that time of the year again! Homeschool Share's BLAST! And you should see the prizes this year! Just amazing! So get your creative juices flowing and join in the fun!
Friday, May 16, 2008 - Creek School
Every spring, when we are anxious for a change of scenery, we make it a point to walk the 1/2 mile down to the creek and do our schoolwork creekside.
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The rule is, 10 minutes of schoolwork...
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DD8 reading Spider Jane by Jane Yolen.
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DD10 reading Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Doyle.
And then 10 minutes of...
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Playing in the water...
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or picking flowers...
Thank you, Lord, for lending me your two dear children and allowing me to homeschool them.
Thursday, January 18, 2007 - Ancient History - How much do you know?
We just started our studies of ancient history using Mystery of History, as well as lots of living books, and of course, the Bible. What I have discovered over the last couple of weeks is just how *little* I know about ancient history. Actually, I don't recall EVER learning ANY ancient history during my public school education. So I'm learning right along with my girls, but trying to get a little jump start, so I at least *appear* to know something. :-) How much do you know about ancient history? Take this quiz about one of the first civilizations to see. :-)
http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/History/The-History-of-Sumer-51325.html
Monday, January 15, 2007 - When Mother Reads Aloud
When Mother reads aloud, the past When Mother reads aloud, far lands When Mother reads aloud, I long - Author Unknown 
Seems real as every day;
I hear the tramp of armies vast,
I see the spears and lances cast,
I join the thrilling fray;
Brave knights and ladies fair and proud
I meet when Mother reads aloud.
Seem very near and true;
I cross the deserts’ gleaming sands,
Or hunt the jungle’s prowling bands,
Or sail the ocean blue.
Far heights, whose peaks the cold mists shroud,
I scale, when Mother reads aloud.
For noble deeds to do...
To help the right, redress the wrong;
It seems so easy to be strong,
So simple to be true.
Oh, thick and fast the visions crowd
My eyes, when Mother reads aloud.
Monday, December 18, 2006 - Scooter Spelling
When DD9 asked if she could do her school work outside, this is what I found. :-) DD6 is quick behind on the skates.
Monday, October 9, 2006 - Favorite Childhood Books
I was so thrilled to see that one of my favorite out-of-print childhood books has been republished. I used to love Miss Suzy by Miriam Young, and now Purple House Press is reprinting it! Yea! This week I read my original book, from 1973 (EEK!), to my girls as we did a unit from Homeschool Helper. It was so fun!
So what was your favorite childhood book? Have you shared it with your children yet?
Sunday, July 2, 2006 - Berry Days!
July 1 – We went blueberry and strawberry picking at the local pick-your-own place. Even though the girls are now 6 and 9, they never tire of our traditional berry day read alouds. J
We looked at the pictures of Sal’s mother canning the blueberry jam and compared the jars and lids to the ones we use. We didn’t pick enough blueberries to make jam this time, just for munching, so we’re going to make a trip back in a few weeks.
The girls loved looking at the detailed pictures of the berries and bushes as we took turns reading this story in rhyme.
This book was just as silly and enjoyable as it was when we first read it when the girls were babes. We made strawberry milkshakes to enjoy with it. J
So if you are looking for some summer time fun and memories, go pick some berries and snuggle over a few books. :-)
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - Art for Primary Grades - My Yard Sale Find
Don't you love it when you find something useful for really cheap at a yard sale? Well one of my best finds was an earlier edition of this book: Handbook of Arts and Crafts ...for .25!!! I've been slacking on formal art lessons, not going much beyond pulling out the drawing books and art supplies, so I decided I'd map out the rest of our school year, up to when we change grades in January. This will be for my 6yo and 9yo girls.
Elementary Art Lessons July – December 2006
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week |
Media |
Handbook of Arts and Crafts |
Supplies Needed |
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Sculpture |
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1 |
Cardboard boxes |
Box Sculpture Pg. 25 |
Assortment of boxes, paper and string. Glue, scissors, tempera paint, brushes |
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2 |
Empty containers |
Container Sculpture Pg. 35 |
Empty milk cartons plastic containers, knife, razor blade, scissors, Tempera paint, brush |
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3 |
Foil |
Foil Sculpture Pg. 36 |
Foil, tape, liquid detergent, tempera paint, brush |
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4 |
Natural Objects |
Sculpture from Natural Objects Pg. 43 |
Seeds, twigs, pine cones, seed pods, etc. glue, paint, clear spray |
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5 |
Sponge |
Sponge Sculpture Pg. 46 |
Pieces of sponge, rubber cement, scissors |
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6 |
Toothpicks |
Toothpick Sculpture pg. 46 |
Toothpicks, quick-drying glue |
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7 |
Wire |
Wire Sculpture Pg. 47 |
Wire, wire cutter |
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8 |
Wood |
Wood Scrap Sculpture Pg. 48 |
Scraps of wood, glue, paint, brush, crayons |
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9 |
Homemade Clay |
Soda and Cornstarch Sculpture Pg. 44 |
Corn starch, baking soda, foil, food coloring, watercolor |
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10 |
Clay |
Coil Pot Pg. 32 |
Clay, modeling tool |
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11 |
Clay |
Pinch Pot Pg. 40 |
Clay |
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Chalk and Crayon |
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12 |
Chalk |
Chalk and String Design Pg 53 |
Chalk, string, wooden board, thumb tack paper, fixative |
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13 |
Chalk |
Chalk Textures Pg. 54 |
Chalk, thin paper, pencil, various textures |
|
14 |
Chalk |
Chalk on Sandpaper Pg. 55 |
Chalk, sandpaper |
|
15 |
Chalk |
Wet Paper Chalk Drawing Pg. 70 |
Chalk, wet paper |
|
16 |
Crayon |
Crackled Paper Crayon Resist Pg. 55 |
Crayon, brown paper bag, pencil, watercolor, brush |
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17 |
Crayon |
Crayon on Cloth Pg. 56 |
Crayons, iron, cotton fabric |
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18 |
Crayon |
Crayon Etching Pg. 56 |
Crayons, white paper, scraping tool |
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19 |
Crayon |
Crayon Doodle Design Pg. 57 |
Paper, pencil, crayons |
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20 |
Crayon |
Crayon Resist Pg. 60 |
Crayons, paper, watercolors, brush |
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21 |
Crayon |
Crayon Shavings Pg. 61 |
Iron, crayons, paper, grater, cardboard |
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22 |
Crayon |
Crayon Textures Pg. 62 |
Crayons, thin paper, pencil, various textures |
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23 |
Crayon |
Map Doodle Pg. 66 |
Road maps, tracing paper, pencil, crayons |
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24 |
Crayon |
Melted Crayon Pg. 67 |
Paper, crayons, candle |
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25 |
Crayon |
Pressed Crayon Laminations Pg. 68 |
Crayons, wax paper, iron, grater, newspaper |
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26 |
Crayon |
Simulated Stained Glass Pg. 69 |
Crayons, black watercolor, brush, paper |
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - The Sickies
Well I guess it was just a matter of time that I had a house full of sickies. Both girls and hubby came down with colds. Thankfully, I’m still well, and can respond to the “I need more tissues”, “I’m thirsty”, “The movie is over”, and “Did you ever have a cold when you were my age?” from my six year old who is still so curious about my childhood. So the girls have been keeping themselves busy working on latch hook kits they got for Christmas, and watching one of the ten episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies they received from Grandma and Poppop. We were planning to take a little vacation from school anyway, so if you could plan a cold, this probably wasn’t the most horrible of times.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - Christmas Around the World
Christmas Around the World
We have been having fun with our international jaunt. Next year I would like to add more baking in to sweeten up the lessons a bit, and be a bit more organized. Just thought I’d share the books we’re reading, all in one place.
The “spine” we used to read a brief description of the different traditions in each country:
Christmas Around the World by Van B. Hooper.
France:
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
Holland:
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
Germany:
The Nutcracker the ballet was based on a fairy tale written by German author E.T.A. Hoffman
Russia:
Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins
Japan:
Tree of Cranes by Allen Say
England:
The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Gooden
USA: New England:
Cranberry Christmas by Wende and Harry Devlin
USA: Appalachia:
Littlejim’s Gift, An Appalachian Christmas Story by Gloria Houston
I’m sure there are lots of others, and I would love to hear about them. J
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - Felicity - Tonight
Just a reminder, if you like American Girls, the movie Felicity airs tonight. Click here
http://www.americangirl.com/movie/felicity/index.php for more details.
Friday, November 25, 2005 - Now We Are Six (almost)
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a fun time at our house, with eleven guests, lots and lots of food, and a good amount of laughter. The sad part is, "Now We Are Six". My baby, that is. Thanksgiving always falls during the week of my baby's birthday, so a birthday cake is traditionally served along with the pumpkin and apple pies so the family can all celebrate with us. Well, my sweet eight year old decided it was time to give little sis her favorite book of poetry, Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne.
I don't know which was harder for me, seeing my little baby grow into this beautiful young girl, or watching and listening to my sweet, sensitive older daughter read this poem out loud to all of our guests.
Now We are Six (1927)
When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five, I was just alive.
But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.
I was so, so proud of them both, as they then hugged each other, having the torch of sixdom passed on. Lots of Mommie tears last night!!
Hope you all are enjoying all those leftovers!!
Friday, October 7, 2005 - Rain...rain...
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Rain, rain,………………glad to see you!! Not my normal sentiments for gloomily gray skies, and wash soaked on the clothesline. But we are in a bit of a drought, and the girls are having just a blast playing outside in the rain. Splashing around, digging in the mushy mud, catching rain drops on their tongues. And it will make pulling the weeds out of the garden sooo much easier. I’ve got the obligatory rainy day pot of soup on the stove (15 bean with ham), bread in the bread machine, and an apple crisp in the oven. School today has been hit and miss. J did a few math puzzles in her Puzzlemania book, and decided she wanted to start up writing in her diary again, using the writing prompts we printed out a few months ago. C played some domino math, and has been doing some “nature study” making traps for the fruit flies that have declared the apple crate “home”. Not if she can help it!! J We added some landforms pages to the girls’ notebooks, labeling and discussing islands. The girls have enjoyed their week of studying Columbus. Today they strayed to their favorite “always-unit” (you know the one, that no matter what you are studying, they’ll find a way to fit it in), kings and queens. Well this wasn’t too hard to fit in, as we have been talking about King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella throughout the week. We looked at pictures of the coat of arms that the king and queen gave Columbus, and the girls each made up their own coat of arms, which they proudly displayed on the fridge. J made a book of “Queen Manners” where she described things like “never talk with your mouth full” and “always wear your crown”, with pictures to match. I think tonight will be a good night to pop a movie in and listen to the patter of the rain. J |
Sunday, October 2, 2005 - Isn't Fall Fun?
The crispness of the air. The beautiful colors. Wonderful smell of applesauce cooking on the stove. Love it.
After reading the story of Ruth "gleaning" from Boaz's fields, the girls and I went and "gleaned" more Indian corn from the farmers field. We played around and made a pretty display at the front door. The corner cabinet is one my grandfather made and hand stenciled. The girls got the funny crow a couple of years ago for $2 and it has been tradition to pull him out every fall. He used to have a mate, but she is MIA. The FIAR book we read this week, How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, will also have to become a fall tradition, with our apple picking excursion. What fall traditions do you have?
