Just had to post a quick entry - Kennady just came to me a little bit ago and said "Mom, I want to read a book to you"  That in itself isn't unusual, because she often "reads" to me.  But up until today she just told me the story in her own words as she turned the pages.  Today she actually READ the book.  And did a very good job too!!!  This what what she chose to read:

She's been less than enthusiastic up until the past week or so about doing anything with phonics, and personally I don't like forcing it.  So I don't.  I knew (from past experience with Landon) that one day she would "feel like" reading and then it would be practically effortless.  Looks like today was that day. 

We had a little more luck with yesterday's European-influence menu!  Our dinner was Chicken Kiev and Russian-style Stuffed Eggs, and for dessert, Charlotte Russe, in honor of Russia. 

Chicken dishes usually go over well at our house and the simplified version of Chicken Kiev that we tried was no exception.  The only negative reaction was some consternation at the "shavings" inside the chicken rolls.  I explained that is was an herb called dill but the fact remained that it was green.  LOL  Still, it was very good, and not hard to make.  Our recipe came from this book:

It wasn't a very big recipe, just enough for me and the kids:

Kennady is already helping herself to a Stuffed Egg in that picture.  We got the recipe for the eggs from this book:

From what I can tell, Russian-style Stuffed Eggs (or Yaitska Po-Russki) are different from Devilled Eggs in that they include sweet pickle relish.  At least that's how it's different from how I would normally make Devilled Eggs - as Kennady calls them "Doubled Eggs"  and they are a huge favorite of hers.  So she did a lot of the work in making them, and ate most of them too.

We also found a simplified recipe for Charlotte Russe in the Passport on a Plate cookbook, and so we assembled that while our Chicken Kiev was in the oven, and ate devoured it for our bedtime snack.  EVERYONE liked that, and it was very simple to make. 

I had mine with raspberries on top.  Mmmmmmm.....

That picture is too dark and it doesn't look nearly as appetizing as the real thing.  Oh well.  I didn't see ladyfingers in the grocery store, which you're supposed to use for Charlotte Russe, so we used vanilla wafers instead.  That worked fine, but probably we should have let it set longer so the cookies would get softer.  Doesn't matter, it still tasted so good!

And I should mention that although Kennady is the only student cook featured in the pictures, the boys did help put together the dessert and they certainly helped eat everything as well!  They just don't cooperate for pictures.  LOL

I ran out of time yesterday to do a post dedicated to Kennady's first quarter grades.  As Harrison is fond of pointing out to me - how could she possibly get anything BUT an A - and I have to admit he has a point.  It's First Grade, after all, so a good part of the grade is from just showing up and having a decent attitude! LOL  I'm considering offering a class in "Giving Up Thumb-sucking" for second semester, because this habit has still not gone away completely - and now that she's reached the age where the Tooth Fairy will soon be visiting, we are needing to be more aggressive about kicking the habit.  *sigh*

• Social Studies  -        A
• Language Arts -         A
• Math -                           A
• Phys.Ed. -                   A+
• Science -                     A

I also need to brag about us a little bit - we are finished our first semester Science already!!!! It took us just a bit more than one quarter to get through that book, so now we will double up on our Social Studies time in the second quarter. 

I've received comments here, and on my message boards about the Science books we are using.  I have the God's Design series that Answers in Genesis sells.  We used the book God's Design for Life: The Animal Kingdom last year.  This year we just completed God's Design for Heaven and Earth: Our Planet Earth and in second semester we will do God's Design for Heaven and Earth: Our Weather and Water.  I also have the astronomy book, the plants book, and a couple of the physics books in that series.  Most of the experiments and demonstrations we do come right from the book, although I do have another series of science books that I get ideas from - Donald B. DeYoung's Science and the Bible series.  I have volumes 1-3, as well as the Astronomy and the Bible and Weather and the Bible volumes.  These are great little books that I got from Christian Book Distributors.  The Science series has experiments/demonstrations along with a Bible lesson, so they are more like object lessons.  But I have found great applications for our homeschool science in there.  The astronomy and weather books are written in a question and answer format and have been a great supplement to our schooling as well.

I had intended to post this quite awhile ago (as in WEEKS ago), and forgot.  This was a little art project we did for fun after studying an overview of the cultures of the Native Americans.  Each of the kids (even Harrison) made a totem.

Here's Kennady with hers (hard to see, but it is a penguin with a baby penguin sitting on top of its head)  Yes, I did point out that penguins live in the southern hemisphere and would be an unlikely subject for a Pacific Northwest Indian totem, but that is what she wanted.  LOL

I've posted this picture before - Harrison with his totem, which was an eagle if I remember correctly:

What a goof.

The other boys declined to have me take an individual picture with their totems.  Spencer made a moose, and Landon made a beaver.  Kennady stacked them up into a pole:

All four kids have their totems proudly displayed in their bedrooms!  Fun and easy project!

Kennady and I had the opportunity to attend a play yesterday at Toby's Dinner Theatre.  It was a children's play, and during the day - so no dinner.    But that was okay, it made it much more affordable!  The play was Sundiata, The Lion King of Mali, and was very well done.  Here's me and Kennady before the show:

 For some reason she was VERY uncooperative about taking a picture - refused to let me take one at all.  (I should qualify that - I took several pictures, but she always stuck her hand right in front just as it would flash.  LOL  Nice papparazzi avoidance move, but not exactly the effect Mom was hoping for)  But she couldn't outright refuse her friend's mom's request for a picture, so this is what we wound up with.

Obviously we did not snap pictures during the performance, but afterwards, the kids posed on this chair in the lobby that was one of the props.  (Regrettable that J had her eyes closed and tongue out when I took the picture! She was just about the jump off the chair, I think.)

Here's a description of the story:

Book by David Schechter, Music by
Scott D. Richards. A THEATRICAL ARTS PRODUCTION.

Disney’s movie, The Lion King is based, in part, on the epic legend of Sundiata, The
Lion King of Mali. West African storytellers have passed this story down through the
ages. This new musical depicts a hero who in his youth, was unable to walk or speak
but overcame these challenges to become a great leader, known as the “Lion King”. As
the story unfolds, Sundiata realizes that a lion’s mane and a lion’s roar are not what
matters: the most important thing is his inner courage – his “spirit inside.”

We read a storybook telling about Sundiata last year (I think?) and I remember Kennady liking it, but I don't think she remembered it well enough to equate it with this play.  She was able to tell Daddy quite a bit of the story when we got home, and was very impressed by the costumes. 

This is in the First Grade Friday category, and it's not Friday.  But it happened on Friday. 

It's not even a picture from the real first day of class, because I forgot to take my camera that day. 

It's also not a very good picture - kind of dark.

But this is Kennady at Gym class - she loves basketball.

This is an "art project" Kennady made up and she wanted me to take her picture.  Well, how could I not?!  After I took the picture, she proceeded to take it all apart and do a "how-to show" demonstrating to an imaginary TV audience how to make their own - um - whatever this is...  I'm not even sure. 

It is so hard to believe that my little girl, my baby is in first grade.  But she is, and I think she is enjoying it so far.  She doesn't much care for sitting still for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time, so she takes lots of breaks.  But at the same time, I'm expecting a little more from her this year so we are adjusting.  She does like science and math and anything crafty, so until she is reading that is where we are focusing her academic efforts.    She generally talks, sings, and dances most of her waking hours, so that presents some challenges as well. 

What We're Using:

Math:  Modern Curriculum Press Math A

Language Arts:  Teach Your Children to Read Well, Books 1A and 1B (planning to get through both, but it depends how quickly we go)

Social Studies: Around the World in 180 Days

Science:  God's Design for Heaven and Earth - Our Planet Earth

Phys.Ed.:  16 week gym class

And of course, the 12 week spring co-op that I'm planning on for Landon.