May. 12, 2008 - A BIG Thank You To Michele!!!

Thank you, thank you, Michele! I don't know why I was having such trouble with this, but Michele came thru for me! Here is the "Hot Ice" YouTube video. We are SO doing this in Chemistry next year!

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May. 12, 2008 - You've GOT To See This!!

Found this over at Crumbs On My Floor.  I really need to figure out how to add a YouTube video to my site.  Until I do, go over to Crumbs On My Floor to see "Hot Ice".   I'm telling you, it's wicked cool!!!

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May. 10, 2008 - A Close Look At Planning

This has been requested more than once by a few people, so for your reading pleasure, here's a closer look at how I plan and put together my school binder.

First, I buy a good quality binder.  Last year I had a two inch binder, and it was a tight fit to get everything in there.  This year I bumped up to a "Big Daddy" 3 inch binder.  It will give me a little more room in there, plus I will have some planning pages in there for Peanut (3) who will be joining us this fall.

The first thing I put in is a calendar.  I use the school year at a glance calendar from PrintFree.com.  The only thing I'm required to present upon questioning by the state is attendance, so this one paper covers it.  I just put an "X" in the box for the day we do school.  If we go on a field trip, I put a number in the box.  On the back of the calendar page, I write the number and then where we went on our field trip. 

Next I have pages that have memorization for the kids.  These are things I hope to have the kids memorize this school year, whether its poems, books of the Bible, or geography.  This isn't everything that I have them memorize, but things I know I want them to work on during the year.  This year, for instance, I knew we'd be learning the Great Lakes, so I added that to my memorization page for Big Man.  This is in no way the only geography he'd learn this year, but I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle.  I also had the books of the New Testament listed.  He memorized all of those, and moved on to the Old Testament, although I didn't have those books listed.  I also have a Kindergarten memorization page where I have the things I wanted to be sure Little Monkey learned like his address, how to dial 911, etc.

I also have a sheet of paper with possible field trips listed.  If we really need to get out of the house, I can look at this list for some ideas.

The rest of the binder is split into two main sections, one for Big Man and one for Little Monkey.  I used white divider tabs with their names on it for these dividers only so they catch my eye quickly.  The subjects for each child is divided with colored dividers within their section.  This way, they may be working on the same thing, but may be at a different place within it.  I can easily keep it all straight this way. 

Now on to how I have my plans laid out.  Here's a picture I took earlier this year inside my planning binder:

Not a good look at a planning page, I know, so you can click here to download a few sample pages.  It will open in a Word document.  The first thing yo will see there are a couple of sample memorization pages.  Next you will find a page called "Reading List".  This is how I keep track of the books Big Man picks out of our reading basket for his reading time.  The next page you'll see is a sample page for Arithmetic.  These type of subjects have a specific lesson number and page number.  I write the date next to whatever lesson we did that day.  You'll see "speed drill" next to most lessons.  These are days there is an optional speed drill.  I just put a check mark there if we do one of those drills that day.  For test day, I write the date, then the grade they got on the test in red.  For a subject like grammar, I have the same set up:  lesson number and a line for the date.  Since our grammar lessons may also include copywork, dictation, or something called an "enrichment activity" I add the appropriate activity with a line for the date there as well.  What if you have a subject where there isn't a workbook or a lesson page number?  That's what you'll see on the last sample page from the binder download.  I've included a page from my science section this year.  It gives the lesson number, then the books we use as spines are listed with the appropriate page numbers for that lesson.  Any experiments, activities, etc. are listed as well as library books we could use for that weeks lesson.  I just put a check mark in the box next to the things we do.  I write the dates we do things for that lesson at the top of the page.  Again, Indiana isn't demanding these things, but I just like to be able to go back and see what we did when.  It also gives my hubby a way to look in my binder quickly and see what we covered that week.

Getting the binder together like this takes a bit of time, but it is exactly what I need to feel prepared for the schoolyear.  I hope it gives you some ideas to help you with your planning this summer.

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May. 8, 2008 - Finally!! That Right Brain Post

Yes, I said I would do this a while ago but then kept getting busy with other things to blog about.  Finally though, I'm getting to it :)  This is going to be a whopper of a post.  I hope you have a while to read!  What does is mean, right brained vs. left brained?  It just means that you have a side of your brain that is stronger, everyone does.  Which side you use affects how you think, and thus, how you learn best. 

At the lecture I went to last fall, the speaker asked a friend to help her demonstrate why right brained kids sometimes are considered "lazy" or the teacher thinks he isn't trying.  This friend is a stereotypical right brainer, she even owns a dance studio and gives ballet lessons.  This friend was lead thru a minute or so of Brain Gym activities.  She was then given the "strong arm" test.  She held her arm straight out to the side (horizontal to the floor).  The speaker took two fingers and pushed down on her arm firmly.  Of course, her arm didn't move.  Then, the speaker asked her to complete a few math problems, fractions in particular.  She groaned, but complied.  She was then given the strong arm test again.  She held her arm out straight, but this time when the speaker pressed down on her arm, it dipped.  The point was, certain subjects, like math, is more difficult for right brained kids.  It physically tires them to do schoolwork all day.  Because left brainers aren't like this, and most schoolwork is geared for left brainers, it makes the right brained kids seem lazier, or like they aren't really trying.  To prove this wasn't a set up, she had all of us stand up and perform a simple Brain Gym exercise for one minute.  We then picked a partner and did the strong arm test on each other.  No arms moved.  We were then instructed on a "repatterning" exercise that does the same thing that the math did for the friend of the speaker.  We did the strong arm test again on our partners.  Every arm dipped.  We did the Brain Gym exercise again, did the arm test again.  No arms dipped.  Interesting, no?  I'll have a section at the bottom of this post about some specific exercises and a link to some more Brain Gym information.

So, with all that said, here are the differences between a Left Brain person and a Right Brain person:

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Left Brainers:

*Want to know "the plan" for the day, and don't like surprises thrown in.

*Dislike skipping around.  Like consistency, structure, and predictability.

*Look for details and facts

*Think guessing and predicting is a waste of time

*Time oriented.  This is especially funny with Little Monkey.  He wants to know how long until we leave.  "5 minutes" I say.  He announces to everyone in the area "5 minutes!"  He runs back to find out how much longer until we leave.  "4 minutes" I say.  He announces to everyone in the area "4 minutes!"  Repeat until it is time to go.  I though I was being smart getting him a watch for Christmas.  Now he wants to know what time it will be when we leave.  He then watches his watch the whole time announcing as time ticks away. 

*Use logic

*Detail oriented

*Facts rule

*Thinks in words and language

*Knows object name

Right Brainers:

*Use feelings

*"Big picture" oriented.  Whole-to-parts type of learner.

*Enjoys doing things on the spur of the moment.

*Imagination rules

*Thinks in symbols and images (which is why people who are artisits tend to be right brained)

*Knows object function, but forgets object name regularly.

*Loses track of time, and doesn't have a good concept of time (like he thinks the math lesson has taken and hour, and it's actually taken fifteen minutes)

*Processes things slowly, needing time to have information "click in"

*Can skip around in his work easily.

*Remembers best by starting with recent events ("What did you do today" might not get much of an answer.  "What was the last thing you did before I walked in", then working backwards from there will get detailed information)

====================================

So now that you can see the difference in the way a right brained person might think, what does that mean for you as you try to teach these kids?

* Remember:  attention span = 2-3 minutes per year  (5 year old = 15 minute attention span)  This is true for most kids.

*Once his brain is "off", it needs the rest.  If he's beginning to struggle take a break from the subject and come back to it another time. 

*No two similar subjects back to back, like math & history.  The subjects like math, history, or grammar are left brain subjects.  Doing more than one of these back to back is very tiring for the right brained kid.  Playing classical music while Big Man takes a few minute break running around the room is very revitalizing for him.  Or you can take an art break after math.

*To reduce frustration:  85% review, with 15% new material sandwiched in between.  We use Abeka math, which is a spiral curriculum with loads of review built in.  I think this is why this curriculum has been so successful with Big Man.  On the other hand, I knock out quite a bit of review for Little Monkey (a left brainer).  Some review is good, a bunch is just bores him.  Ditto with history.  Going over the last couple of lessons before starting the new one is very helpful for Big Man, Little Monkey doesn't see the point. :)

*Math:  Color code place value (blue in ones position, orange in tens position, etc.).  Turn lined paper on side to line up columns.  Tell a story to illustrate the math fact (Big Man enjoys story problems, Little Monkey dreads them!)

*Time management:  If there is a lot of complaining going on about how long things are taking, have him guess how much time he think it will take & then test the guess.  He will be shocked.  Use timer for a reassurance that a lesson won't go past a certain length (like fifteen minutes).  There are timers that are made for very visual people, these are great. 

*Give assignments 1 at a time.  Big Man starts his schoolwork with Explode the Code and Handwriting.  Both of these he does by himself, however he gets flustered if they are both on his desk at the same time.  I let him pick which he will do first, and I take the other off his desk until he's ready for it.

*Make lessons interactive, using as many senses as possible.  Right brainers tend to love unit studies.

*Use color to draw attention:  use a colored index card with the center cut out as a frame around area working on (like around two or three math problems, move the frame when those few problems are done)

==============================

Brain Gym:

The Brain Gym exercises are designed to get the two sides of the brain firing together instead of one side of the brain doing all of the work.  The exercises are meant to be done prior to schoolwork.  We've incorporated it into our circle time.  We focus on crossing the midline exercises.  I found it interesting that neither Big Man m(8) nor Little Monkey (5) could cross the midline when we started these exercises.  Now they can, but if they aren't paying close attention to what they are doing, they'll begin to keep their movements away from the midline (you'll see what I mean in just a second)  What is the midline?  Imagine a piece of masking tape stretching from the tip of your nose down to the floor.  That is your midline.  A crossing the midline exercise is anything that makes one side of your body cross over that line to the other side of your body.  This forces the two sides of your brain to work together (left side of brain controls right side of body, right side of brain controls left side of body).  You can read more about Brain Gym here.  I have the small Brain Gym exercise book mentioned at their site.  It's a handy little resource if you're looking for some different exercises than what you would normally do.  There are classes you could take, although I understand they are quite costly.  I don't know how to add a YouTube clip to the middle of this post, so go here to watch a fun little video filmed of some different Brain Gym classes.  Brain Gym isn't all about crossing the midline, but it's what we've been focusing on quite a bit around here.  Here are a couple of exercises we do daily:

This one is called the cross crawl, or cross walk.  You touch your hand to the opposite knee, going back and forth.  This isn't the best picture.  You can see how Big Man is beginning to not pay attention to his midline.  In this picture his hand and knee are meeting at the midline, instead of his knee coming straight up and his hand going across the midline to meet it.     (Apparently he's in his spy disguise here.  Just ignore the beautiful wig )

This is called Lazy 8's.  It has helped both boys to practice the sideways 8's on the whiteboard, then they can move to "drawing" them in the air with big arm movements.  We try to do half of the time with each hand.  For instance, if we're counting by 5's up to 100, he'll do up to 50 with the left hand and then switch to the right hand until we reach 100.  You can also have both hands going at the same time, either with each hand doing it's respective side, or with both hands working next to each other to form the one 8.

Here, Peanut (3) gets in on the act with streamers.  I made these with a cake dowel and crepe paper.  I just taped the paper to the stick, so it's easy to repair when the inevitable tears happen.  We do the sideways 8's with streamers, or giant circles (making sure the arms cross the midline)

 Well, I think that's all I have for now about Right Brain vs. Left Brain.  Hopefully this will interest someone other than me ;)

**** Edited:  Thanks to Michele, I now know how to post that You Tube video      Here it is:

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May. 6, 2008 - Planning Next Schoolyear

Spring.  Ahh, the sound of birds returning, the smell of newly blooming flowers, and the sight of rows of fresh binders lined up in the office supply section just begging to come home with me.    I've been getting my binder ready for next schoolyear.  It will take me pretty much all summer to complete, so I'm trying to get going on it as quickly as possible.  I have a friend who barely plans anything before August.  Even then, it's one of those "Oh, I guess we'll use this" kind of thing, with no planning beyond the next week.  I. WOULD. FREAK.  I'm kind of an obsessive planner.  I love to do it.  I enjoy getting everything together and all organized as much as possible.  This saves me a whole lot of time thru the year.  I tweak as I go along, but I don't have to do any major planning.  Plus, if I don't get myself organized, I have this constant nagging feeling that I'm forgetting lots of important things.  Being as organized as possible keeps me from pulling my hair out! 

Over the last couple of months, as we look ahead to next year, my Hubby and I have been pouring over history things.  Anyone who has read this blog recently have seen my comments on Story of the World vs. Tapestry of Grace.  We went ahead and ordered one unit from TOG that would cover the time period we will be starting out at next year.  After a few days pouring over it, I am infatuated. :)  I can now see how all of the things fit together.  I couldn't figure it out with their online trial.  We've decided to go ahead and jump into TOG.  We'll have some tweaking to do since we'll pretty much be starting TOG in the middle of Year 2 when we would normally be starting Year 3 with SOTW.  Tweakings what I do best, so I'm not worried.  We'll go over everything and decide this summer how we'll get it all in.

This fall, Peanut will be joining us "officially".  If he likes it, that is.  I had decided  on Letter of the Week by Brightly Beaming Resources.  As usual, I'm changing some things around.  I'm putting together a "curriculum" we will use that's loosly based on Letter of the Week.  I'm currently thru the letter "H".  Once I complete the rest, I plan on posting a link to it for anyone who is interested.  Peanut is a typical homeschool preschooler with older siblings.  He already knows all of his letters, and can count up to 29.  That ol' elusive 30 is just around the corner.  He has all of his colors down, except things like peach.  My main thing to focus on will be getting the sounds down for each of the letters.  We'll do lots of hands on preschool-type things like making letters out of Play Doh, drawing it in shaving cream, etc.  I also have the Handwriting Without Tears preschool book and the ABC-123 book from Abeka.  We'll see if he's into it at all.  I'll fill in where I need to.

My hubby is sorting out Latin.    We've had the curriculum for over a year, but have been waiting until we thought the kids were ready.  Little Monkey (5) is a sponge, and sat right down with his daddy to watch the first lesson on the DVD.  Since then, everyone is saying "Oremus" before praying.  They've also learned how to say "Hello, mother" and "Hello, father".  I'm blanking on the other words they've already picked up.  The point is, much to my dismay they seem to be ready.  We'll start Prima Latina this fall, taking it as slowly as mommy needs to! 

Of course, this coming fall Little Monkey will be an official first grader (even though he's been doing first grade work for a while now!).  With the first grade comes lessons in grammar, as well as higher expectations in science and history.  As usual, I'm nervous about getting everything done with all the kids.  People with six kids homeschool, right?  I only have half that many, so I can juggle it too, right??? 

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May. 5, 2008 - Homeschooling in the Spring

Ah, the warming days of spring.  We're shaking off any remains of cabin fever by doing some of our work outside when its nice:

Big Man (8) doing Explode the Code in the "fort"

Peanut (3) decides to join him doing his "work" . . . a coloring book.

Little Monkey (5) doing his phonics lesson outside.

Making a paper mache mask for our Shakespeare lessons this week.  This is always a challenge for Little Monkeys sensory issues.  He did a great job with the first layer, then couldn't take it anymore, so I finished the other layers for him.

I just love homeschooling in the spring.  We're just about done, looking forward to the days we spend in the pool this summer.  Our days are getting shorter as subjects are being completed.  We're able to go to the park after we get our work done, or spend lots of time in the backyard with the dog.

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May. 5, 2008 - Neat Science Website

Here's an interesting website for kids you might want to try.  It's called Earth & Sky.  I especially like the map it gives for the current night sky.  I have a hard time knowing what we're looking at . . . unless it's the moon ;)

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May. 2, 2008 - In The Home Stretch

We only have three school weeks to go.  (Insert bad dancing here)  Since dear hubby has scheduled a vacation before the end of those three weeks, it will take us four weeks to finish.  Follow that? 

This week was our week off.  I would have postponed it so we wouldn't have been so messed up when my hubby was off, but we REALLY needed a break!  I had lofty goals this week.  A very long To-Do list and a field trip to squeeze in.  That whole "One Project a Week" thing was out the window for this week only.  I'm pleased to say I've almost completed my list!  Wooo Hooo!!!  I've got a few more things that need to be finished up (like the name tags for our church nursery), but the big things are done.  Once I'm thru this list I can pretty much spend our summer exclusively focusing on getting my plans and binder finalized for next year, and concentrating on having lots o' fun 

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May. 1, 2008 - Day of Fun

We took a day out of our week off to do school.  Yup, I'm a tough teacher.  You see, Big Man (8) had a day to make up after being sick a few weeks ago.  This is our scheduled week off.  What do we need to do?  An all day field trip of course!   We always try to go to the Childrens Museum before the end of the schoolyear.  I pick something we do there as school related, and we go in the middle of the week so it's quite empty.  We've never gone into their Planetarium, so I picked this as it relates to our astronomy we've been doing for science.  What did they have playing in the planetarium?  Oh man, this is good!!  "The Worlds of Star Wars".  Oh yeah, they combined Star Wars (the biggest obsession around here these days) with astronomy.  They showed the different planets created by the Star Wars teams for their movies, and compared them with the actual planets.  My boys were over the top thrilled with the planetarium.  They oooed and aahhhed all over the place when the lights went down and the stars went up.  They were on the edge of their seats when they showed a part of the lightsaber fight between Obi Wan and Anniken.  A huge hit all around.  Once the movie ended, we went out the doors to find their small section of astronomy pictures.  They were all things we've looked at thru our studies.  I was very happy to find that they remembered quite a lot about these things pictured.

Now on to the "as long as we're here, we might as well make the most of it" part

My kids have two sections where they could easily spend the whole day.  One is the huge pool ball contraption:

The place was quite empty, so they got to work together to keep the contraption going.  It's soooo neat, I wish I could post a video so you could see it in action.  Alas, I didn't have a video camera.

The other place is the Dino Dig:

I just love those funky goggles :) 

I didn't get one of Big Man (8) because he spent quite a bit of time with the archeologist asking questions about the bones.

Here are some other highlights from our day:

Little Monkey (5) and Peanut (3) doing the magnetic dinosaur wall puzzle:

Ummm, Peanut, there's something coming up behind you!

Big Man likes the giant crocodile skeleton:

It was a really great day, and as always the time seemed to go by in a flash.  We never get thru the whole museum in one day.  If you live anywhere close to Indianapolis, you are really missing out if you don't head over to this museum!

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Apr. 28, 2008 - A Bittersweet Weekend

This past weekend I was able to travel back home to Michigan to spend Saturday night with my family.  My brother that died in a car crash last summer was being honored at the Michigan EMS Expo with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  Most people know of the tight bond between policemen.  After 9/11 the bond between firefighters was well known.  What many people don't know is the tight bond that exists between paramedics as well.

They put together a very sweet slideshow and presented the award to his children in his memory. 

I'm thankful to everyone who stopped my niece and nephew to give them a hug and told them how much they respected their dad.  Many people (including me) don't get that outpouring of support and love when their dad dies.  That's such a special memory they will be able to cherish.

As a side note:  Most people don't realize that being a Paramedic is one of the most dangerous jobs to have.  I have another brother who is a Paramedic.  I have other family who are EMT's.  There are many stories they can tell you that will make you realize this is not the world's safest profession.  These are the people who respond no matter what is going on at the scene.  They are the ones who arrive at the scene and realize, a little too late, that there is a shootout going on.  They are the ones who risk life and limb during that ice storm to get to a house where a young mother is about to deliver.  Sometimes they are the ones delivering the baby during that ice storm.  Many times the city (as has happened here within the last couple of weeks) will cut the budget, taking away ambulance bases.  It's the paramedics who bear the brunt of the criticism when their response time is longer.  On top of all this, these people are very poorly compensated for their lifesaving skills.  The people who choose this line of work as their career aren't doing it for respect (there's very little), and certainly not for money (there's even less of that).  The people who make this their career do this out of love for their job.

The next time you see Paramedics out and about, give them a pat on the back.  They deserve this in a big way, but get it very little.  I would say "hug your local Paramedic", but they may not appreciate that if you're a stranger :)

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Apr. 25, 2008 - Heart of the Matter Meme: Habits of a Happy Homeschooler

 We've tried hard to instill habits around here.  Having a habit not only gives the kids stability in our daily routine, but it also keeps mommy happy.  That's a biggie!  You know the saying, "Ain't nobody happy unless mommas happy"?  That's us!  Some of the habits we've developed are:

* Keeping organized with mommy's binder.  This is mommy's most important habit.  My binders keep me from loosing it. . . or things.  Visit this post to read details.

* Chores first, then schoolwork.  Adding and subtracting they'll get thru the day, but it takes consistency to develop the personal care habits they'll carry with them thru life.

* After dinner is "work with daddy at the table" time.  Each day it is something different.  Last night it was flash cards.  The night before it was catechism questions.  It only takes five or ten minutes, but it keeps daddy involved in their day of learning, it gives them quick practice on things that need to be practiced lest they forget, and it gives mommy one less thing to teach during the day :)

There are too many habits we do thru the day to list here, but hopefully these give you an idea of our habits that keep us happy.

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Apr. 24, 2008 - He's A Little Strange

Little Monkey (5) is an eager and easy learner.  That's an incredible blessing after having Big Man (8) who has to work very hard at learning.  There are times, though, that make me wonder whose kid this is:

"Please, please, please, mom!!!  Please show me how to do division!" (Said yesterday after seeing flash cards on the kitchen counter.)

"I really wanted to get going on my reading, so I started this lesson without you." (Said today as I walk into the room and find he's halfway thru the day's lesson in his phonics book.  At least he had the sound correct!)

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Apr. 24, 2008 - History Update, of Sorts

Well, we're still trying to make a final decision for history next year.  We have decided that we've done as much research as can be done without making some kind of purchase.  To see if Tapestry of Grace will work for us, we've gone ahead and purchased one unit that would cover the subjects taught at the beginning of Story of the World, Vol. 3.  Once we use that unit, we'll be able to decide then whether TOG is for us or not.  So, I guess we won't know for sure what we're using next year for history until next year's history begins.

Our kids are hands-on learners.  I guess we are too.

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Apr. 23, 2008 - Sad, Sad, Sad

I read about this very thing just the other day.  Can't remember where.  Someone's blog.  Anyway, the exact same thing happened to me this afternoon.  It's 80 degrees here today.  Too beautiful to not go out and play at a new playground we found recently.  While there, a sweet little five year old boy latched on to my kids . . . or did my kids latch on to him, hmmm.  Anyway, he said he was five years old.  He was a tiny five.  I asked where his parents were (since there were no obvious adults linked to him)  He said, "I dunno.  Over the hill somewhere I guess."  He played with me and my kids for over an hour.  He'd run up to me for help on the swings, a spinny thing, and kept yelling for me to watch what he could do on the monkey bars.  Over an hour.  No parent in sight.  These are the kids that get snatched. 

His dad eventually meandered to the top of one of the hills to yell for him it was time to go.  I wouldn't have been able to catch up to talk to them if I tried.  There are two things about this that makes me sad.  One, the parents not only weren't in eye-shot but they weren't even in ear-shot of their son.  If anything happened to him, they wouldn't have known it for an hour.  Two, the child was attention starved for an adult, any adult to interact with him.  I'm thankful we were there for him today, but who will be there for him tomorrow? 

Sad, sad, sad.

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Apr. 21, 2008 - Third Grade Science: Chemistry

I've been a little neglectful of this blog lately.  I've had my head in chemistry books trying to figure out our curriculum for next year.  I really enjoy putting together a subject for our family.  My only problem is that once I've got it in my brain to get it done, I become a bit obsessed.  The one nice thing about that, though, is that my science is all figured out for next year (unless I find things here and there to add to it . . . which I usually do).  I have it all printed out for dear hubby to give the final okay, and I'm eager to add it to my binder for next year.  Yup, my binder for the 2008-2009 schoolyear has begun to take shape.  I love my binders :)

Anyway, Jessica over at Trivium Academy posted her science plans last year which saved me oodles of time.  I didn't use it exactly how she laid it out.  I did my usual tweaking, but it gave me a great base to work off of.  If there's anyone who wants to download my chemistry plans for next year as a jumping off point for your own plans, here's the link.  It will download into a Word file.

The spines I've used are:

Real Science 4 Kids Pre-Chemistry I Student Text:

Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry Pre Level I Student Lab Workbook:

And, of course, the Teachers Text:

Also, for added experiments:  Super Science Concoctions:

Super Science Concoctions is a fantastic experiment book if you're looking for almost any type of science experiment.  I originally found this at our local library.  It was exactly what I had been searching for: experiments with easy to find ingredients that could be completed (and understood) by our 3rd and 1st graders.  Since you can get it from Amazon for about $10, it's not a budget breaker :)

Umm, can I call the internet a spine?  There are a few things I added from the internet to show the kiddos how chemistry is used in every part of our daily life.  We're going to make our own soda pop, floam, super-balls, etc.  The "recipes" for these ideas all came from the internet.  The links for these things appear on the appropriate lesson pages in the download above.

You will notice in the download that there are only 13 lessons.  This does not mean we only have 13 weeks of science!  No, no no!!  We do science two days a week.  Some of these lessons will be a one-week long lesson (like Atoms), other lessons will be two or three week long lessons (like Molecular Chains).  It all depends on how many and what type of experiments we have to go with that lesson.  This still does not add up to 36 weeks.  I like to have a little wiggle room with science.  That way if we have a really crazy week, we can skip science and I don't feel like we need to rush to catch up.  Also, that allows me some wiggle room to add any neat things that I stumble upon during the year.  Science isn't one of our "core" subjects, so this works for our family.

For record keeping, each lesson is on its own page.  I just write the date next to the things we did that day.  We're not required to keep anything other than attendance here in Indiana, so I don't know how that flows with the requirements in whatever state you're in.

I hope these plans help someone out there.  I know when Jessica posted her Earth Science/Astronomy plans I was thrilled!  It gave me a big head start for science planning last year.  If there are any ideas you have that I could add to what I already have, please let me know!

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Apr. 19, 2008 - Ultimate Field Trip Friday!

It seems as though Spring is the busiest season for homeschoolers.  We're trying to make sure we wrap up all of our "book work" before summer, and also trying to shake off major doses of cabin fever, all while gearing up for our planning for the next school year.  Our family is no exception.  This week we were able to do two great field trips.  Unfortunately, they were scheduled for the same day. 

We belong to a field trip group that put together a day at the Kentucky Horse Park.  Big Man (8) had been very excited about this trip.  He is still fascinated with horses since getting into the Billy and Blaze books last year.  What a glorious day to spend outside with these gorgeous creatures!  It was a couple hour drive, but worth it once we got there.

It was a great trip for Little Monkey (5).  He wasn't that thrilled with horses before this trip, but now LOVES them.  The first thing we did after arriving was the pony ride.  Since I wouldn't be able to go on the trail ride with Big Man (8), everyone wanted to stick to the ponies.  It was cheap, but only a few minutes long.  No matter to Little Monkey, he is now enamored with these animals.  He asked for the rest of the day to go back and do the rides again, and again, and again.

He even wanted his picture taken with every statue we came to.

All of us really enjoyed the Parade of Horses.

At the end of the Parade of Horses, they stayed out in the ring for a big "Meet and Greet" where you can pet the horses in the show and ask the riders any questions.  Both Big Man and Little Monkey were sure to pet every horse there.  The horse in the red pictured above was the only one Peanut (3) would pet.  As big as this horse is, I was shocked he would even go up to the thing!

Then, that evening, my hubby had arranged a personal tour of our local papers printing press.  Not our first choice to do two trips in one day, but we were grateful the manager was willing to take time out from his evening to explain the newspaper printing business.  We thought it would be a great field trip to take since we were learning about the printing press during the Medieval times.  This would show them how things have changed so dramatically.  The press wasn't running while we were there (it wouldn't have been safe anyway!), but he took time to show how the paper is wound thru the press, how it progresses, what happens at the different areas of the press, how they use a sorter to insert any ads into the paper, and how the whole thing works together to put a small paper together.  My boys were interested to see how big the paper rolls are before printing and cutting.  Also neat was the many pallets of T.V. inserts for this Sundays paper, each stacked as tall as Big Man.  Not as exciting as the horse park trip, but still interesting.

My hubby, knowing they were tired out from their day at the horse park, promised a trip to the ice cream store for a treat if they paid attention and were respectfull of this mans time.  The promise of ice cream was all they needed to look attentive and interested, even when they were just dreaming of sugary confections :)

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Apr. 19, 2008 - Shake, Rattle & Roll

We've now been thru our second official earthquake.  Umm, I slept thru it .  As most have probably heard, the midwest was shaken awake yesterday morning by a 5.2 rumbler.  I can't add any exciting tales to this story since it only woke up my husband (who normally is getting about that time anyway).  Instead, for your reading pleasure, here's how we handle earthquakes in the Great Midwest. 

Earthquake Safety Rules

Suggested safety rules during and after the earthquake are as follows:
During the earthquake:

Panic, it makes things more exciting.
If the earthquake catches you indoors, you need to run outside. Try to find an abandoned building to stand close to.
If you are in a crowded place, shout "Oh my gosh, it's a 9.5 and we are on a fault line!"
If you are in a moving vehicle, increase your speed and roll down the windows to enjoy the shifting scenery.
Elevators and tunnels are excellent hiding places.
After the earthquake:

Assess the area for any causalities. If there are others panicking around you, shake them violently.
Hop on the phone immediately, call your local news station and offer a play-by-play of the incident. Be sure to use terminology like "that there quake" and "things were a'shakin and rat'lin"
You should also explore severely damaged buildings. Brace yourself for aftershocks. If none occur, them simulate a few at the expense of family and co-workers.
(passed on from an email group)

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Apr. 9, 2008 - Wordless Wednesday: Mans Best Friend, Always There For You

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Apr. 4, 2008 - Cincinnati Homeschool Convention

Ah, homeschool conventions.  Cincinnati does an incredible job of securing top-rate speakers.  This year my in-laws came down to stay with our kids so my husband could accompany me to this years convention.  This was his first time going.  He is typically pretty hard to impress, but this years convention was wonderful enough to impress even him.  I think his favorite speaker was Andrew Pudewa from Excellence in Writing speaking about "Teaching Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day".  I'm glad I went to the session I did, but clearly I missed out on an exceptional session.  They made it available as a download for conference attendees.  I haven't been able to listen to it yet, but I'm looking forward to listening to it soon.

One of my favorite sessions was Mellisa Boring speaking on "Teaching the Distractable Child"  Her eldest son and youngest daughter both have Sensory Integration Disorder, which my Little Monkey (5) struggles with.  It was so wonderful to meet another mom who understands what we go thru without me having to explain every little thing.  So refreshing!!  I picked up a few little do-dads at her booth.  Some little squishy balls to help Little Monkey during church, some Wikki-Sticks, and what Mrs. Borings husband called "Whack a Math".  This thing is a huge hit with my kids.  What kid wouldn't  like to vent their  frustrations with this:

It does addition (simple and double digit), subtraction, multiplication, and division.  It's like Whack-a-Mole.  A math problem comes up, you need to solve it in your head, then comes the hard part:  you have to wait for the correct number to light up before you whack it.  The music they've got going on with it is a bit annoying, but thank you for volume control!! 

I think we went to a session on just about every subject.  One of my favorites  was there, Jessica Hulcy.  She is a gifted, not to mention hilarious, speaker.  She did a session called "If You Homeschool You Don't Have To Live In A Pig Pen".  You better believe I gave my husband a hard time when he pointed out that session!  I went though, because of Mrs. Hulcy . . . okay, and our house can be a pig pen at times.  I blame the three boys and a dog.

Okay, so here are the main things that struck a nerve this year:

*  I MUST make myself get back on track with an early morning schedule.  Having a new puppy that needs to go out in the middle of the night coupled with a three year old who seems to think he needs mommy for a few minutes in the middle of the night has seriously thrown off my tenuous hold on an early morning schedule.  I'm already very slow to become conscious in the morning.  Sleep deprivation helps nothing here!  My kids are very early risers . . . except the eight year old, he's beginning to realize the enjoyment of sleeping in a little.  Although for him that generally means 7:30.  Since my others are up early, and I'm a zealous anti-morning type of gal, it is very difficult for me to come out of my coma before they leave their little beds.  Even if I manage to accomplish such an amazing feat, they have ears that pick up the slightest change in my breathing and WOOSH out they come from their bedrooms.  Nevertheless, I need to try to get myself caffinated and ready to start our schoolday before half the morning is over!

*  I've let little things slip that help my children greatly.  That needs to stop!  Little Monkey (5) has sensory issues that are managed best with a consistent sensory diet.  I haven't been consistent.  Big Man (8) concentrates and performs far better academically if he's had some "crossing the midline" exercises.  I haven't been consistent with that either.  I've already begun to remedy these things by changing our Circle Time activities a little.  Yeah, I'm still getting to that Right-Brain post.

*  Little Monkey is a solid Left-Brainer!  I'm always focusing on Big Mans Right-Brain leanings because I've had to adapt so much for him.  Now I need to break out of that a bit for Little Monkey.  I'm so used to fixing things to lean Right-Brained, it's going to take some adapting by me to flow in the other direction on this.

*  Repeat as a daily mantra, "I don't need to feel guilty about not doing lots of outside activities."  I tend to focus on what we're not doing too often.  I feel the need to be Superwoman (as brought up in "Confessions of a Prayer Whimp").  I feel guilty when I don't "make time" to do those co-ops, be the leader of the meals ministry at church in addition to the other things I'm doing there now, take every field trip that comes along, etc.  Homeschooling is something we feel like we've been called to do.  Our first responsibility is to God.  The biggest ministry we have is our kids.  We need to do what's best for them right now.  That means we don't do a bunch of things I'd really like to be doing.  When I'm honest, I'm thankful we don't because I see how it all wears out the moms I know who do a lot of these things.  They themselves admit it affects the schooling of their kids in a negative way.  Schoolwork becomes the "big bad chore" that needs to be done (and done just as fast as you can because we need to leave in five minutes!!) instead of making it a more natural, enjoyable time.  There's no way to make more time.  You have a set number of hours in a day.  You can't do everything under the sun.  You can't even do half of them and do them well, so focus on a few things.  Concentrate on doing those few things well.  Then, next schoolyear maybe we'll add something else.

*  I need to get back to my Fly Lady roots.  I need to make myself work on an area for fifteen minutes, then leave the rest for another time.  That's the hard part for me, the leaving.  It's back there nibbling my brain until I get it done.  I need to be content with what I can get done with the few minutes I have, not worry that the ceiling isn't scrubbed    An idea I really like is deciding on one "project" for the week.  This doesn't have to be something like redesigning your garden, but something like "clean out childrens dressers".  Write this on a sticky note and post it someplace that will make it nag you:  the bathroom mirror, the fan above the stove, the fridge . . . okay that won't work on mine!  You get the idea.  I'm a great forgetter.  You know, you have a great idea for a project that week, then those nasty blonde roots push it right out of your brain.  Do that one project sometime that week, then take a load off until next week :)

There are other things I came away with, but those are the biggies that caught my attention.  Five things.  That seems like a reasonable number to tackle.  Of course, I like to think I'm Superwoman.

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Apr. 4, 2008 - Thoughts on History

Dear Hubby and I are currently wrestling with what to use for history next year.  We've liked Story of the World these last two years.  My only thought was, with Little Monkey formally coming in on things next year, and Peanut following in a couple years after that, it just seems like things are going to get more and more difficult, especially trying to keep up with getting age-appropriate activities/books/etc. planned out.  Our boys are very hands on.  They learn by doing.  They completely enjoy our science times because I strive to make it very hands on.  They're chomping at the bit for science to begin next year knowing that it will be very experiment heavy (chemistry). 

The Story of the World has an activity book which has been a must for us.  It usually gives us some direction with extra reading materials provides some maps, and there are activities listed for each chapter.  The problem is that many times the activities either aren't to our interest (we're focusing on different things for that time period), or aren't to my boys interest.  The internet is my helper here.  I can generally go online and find activities that we'll all enjoy, it's just quite time consuming.

We're considering switching to Tapestry of Grace.  I wouldn't even call it considering.  It's more like we're weighing our options.  TOG's mighty pricey, but extremely comprehensive.  At the homeschool convention last weekend, we were able to sit down with the worlds thickest binder and look thru the actual planner for Year Two.  Just trying to get yourself together after seeing the massive binder . . . and it's just the first nine weeks worth . . . was a feat.  Now, for those who know me know that a good binder can make me drool.  I would thouroghly enjoy getting this big daddy together :)  But the important thing is:  will it save us time and effort?  We just don't know yet.  We're trying to slog thru the websites free trial pages.  It's difficult to tell right now if it would be a good fit for us or not.  One thing we discovered on their website is fantastic links for each level, whether you're a TOG user or not.  Just that link page alone may swing us into staying with SOTW and using that for helps!

Does anyone have comments/suggestions about TOG vs. Story of the World?  Sorry for the rambling post here.  I'm just trying to unscramble the thoughts rumbling around in my head again 

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