Well, today was our first day of Five In A Row (FIAR). I know...It's the middle of the year...and haven't I been homeschooling long enough and I'm just NOW getting around to using FIAR? Yes, finally my 5th child gets to have a little fun. Even if we started a day late.
We started at the very beginning (a very good place to start...and I could go on singing "Doe, a deer...", but I won't)..with The Story About Ping. Personally, I thought it to be a very boring story, but I can see why it was chosen. And my 6yos loved it and all the activities we did today...especially counting all of Ping's relatives (68 in case you were wondering). So I guess it doesn't matter if I think it's boring.
I haven't printed all the lapbook activities...actually, I've printed none of them, but we'll be using the one from Homeschool Share. Nothing like a free lapbook...that I don't have to make. I'm looking forward to doing some of these books. The Night of the Moonjellies looks really interesting, especially since we live near the ocean. We may just have to take a field trip...every day that week. Which reminds me...My kids found a Portugese Man O' War on the beach Sunday. I am so amazed that something so tiny can do so much damage. I was stung by some tentacles years ago...that were no longer attached to the Man O' War and I ended up on steroids to get the swelling and pain to go away. If you ever see one, keep away from the tentacles, even if you think it's dead. There's still poison in them thar' tentacles. I digress...I had to remind my kids if they had to touch it, to only touch it on the "sail"...or the top, squishy, bubble-looking blue part. That's the "safe zone." I did get a picture of it, but it's on my cell phone. I can't figure out how to get those pictures off yet. I know there has to be an easy way, but I'm not cell phone tech savy.
Speaking of pictures...I wish I had some pics of what we did today, but I was busy trying to help my 6yos while trying to guard the counting "chips" from my 3yos. It was so cute. First both my boys snuggled up and listened to the story. and for some reason the doorbell rang once and the phone rang 3 times while I was trying to read (hadn't had any interruptions all day up until then). But we were able to get through the book quickly even with the distractions. My ds learned how to count by 10's today too. I showed him it was easier to count the group than it was to count each chip individually...not to mention that I really didn't want to sit around while he counted the chips...and lost his place a million times...and then had to start all over....all million times. So he knows how to count to 60 by 10's now..and he surprised me by counting to 8 by twos...no idea where he learned that, but since he has 4 older siblings, I suspect that has something to do with it.
Tomorrow we talk about the Yangtzhe River. I really love geography. Almost as much as history...actually, I keep my maps close by when we're studying history because I like to see where it happened. I'm a bit of a nut that way. Love my maps.
Gotta get ready for tomorrow's "fun." My kitchen counters SHOULD finally be fixed and installed. I really hope it happens this time. But what's a few more days. I haven't had a kitchen for a month now so a few more days won't make a huge difference in the "big picture."
I had to use Google to help my husband figure out how to get pictures off his phone. I don't remember exactly how it's done, but somehow he emails them to our computer.
I've also been doing skip counting with my five year old lately. It started out when she asked to learn how to tell time. I told her she needed to be able to count by fives first. She memorized that in just a few minutes, so we did twos. After she had memorized some twos, she wanted to go higher, so I showed her how she could figure it out by whispering the skipped numbers. She now knows 3's and 4's and I had her start doing my Skip Counting lapbook. (Her older siblings taught her how to recognize and write her numbers. I love having a big family!) She can't add or subtract yet, but she can multiply! LOL!
She also taught herself to count backwards by counting down the days until she can change her earrings (she just got her ears peirced), so I have been having her skip count backwards as well.
It's amazing what kids can memorize at this age. I figure that if they are enjoying it, you might as well keep giving them more. It makes things easier later.
We just started FIAR as well! I started with Madeline though....and looks like we'll be spending a few extra days on it next week too. It's fun...different than my usual approach, but fun and the kids love it too! We started late too, but hey...better late than never!
Welcome to my blog...Why "gidget"? Well...my husband tried to teach me how to surf before we were married. I was lousy at it, but he called me his "gidget" and the name stuck.
Why "Treasure Trove"? I love sharing about my sweet little "treasures"...and God has blessed me beyond measure....and no, I didn't mean that to rhyme.
Even if we started a day late.
I'm looking forward to doing some of these books. The Night of the Moonjellies looks really interesting, especially since we live near the ocean. We may just have to take a field trip...every day that week. Which reminds me...My kids found a Portugese Man O' War on the beach Sunday. I am so amazed that something so tiny can do so much damage. I was stung by some tentacles years ago...that were no longer attached to the Man O' War and I ended up on steroids to get the swelling and pain to go away. If you ever see one, keep away from the tentacles, even if you think it's dead. There's still poison in them thar' tentacles. 
I digress...I had to remind my kids if they had to touch it, to only touch it on the "sail"...or the top, squishy, bubble-looking blue part. That's the "safe zone." 
Love my maps.
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