We are still working on plants/forests.  It has worked out great.  I'm just working on getting some early starts to some veggie seeds and have three flats of seedlings under lights. Ha!  Just as I was writing this, I remembered the lima beans we had tried to grow in a plastic bag.  They were lost and forgotten on the cluttered microwave.  When I dug them out, the boys (and I) were amazed to find one of these seeds had sprouted into a full, green plant.  We'll plant it and see how it goes. 

I think we'll also do the colored celery stalk experiement today too, if I have some celery with leaves still.

DS8 is working on multiplication skills.  We really abhors rote memorization of these facts.  He was interested in knowing how to multiply large numbers, however.  So, instead of pages of practicing 3x4; 3x8; etc....  I've used his interest in advanced multiplication for practice.  For instance, we are working on 3 times tables - so his practice problems have been.  953 x 13; 278 x 23; and 1406 x 321.  It's an easy thing to remember how to multiply and then add up your answer on these big numbers. 

DS6 and 5 are still moving through 100 Easy Lessons.  We don't do it everyday...but fairly often. 

Grandma is staying with us this week, so we are enjoying her company.

Part of our "Deciduous Forst" unit is going to teach us about plants.  We are doing a quick course on plant development.  Today we studied lima bean seeds and are going to attempt to sprout some in a wet paper towel in a zippy bag.  DS5 and DS6 colored a picture of a seed as we talked about the parts and DS8 colored and labled. 

We are also going to plant some eggplant, jalepeno pepper, oregano, and basil in Jiffy pots for our garden.  The eggplant and jalepeno plants have to be started 8 weeks before you put them outside.  We'll talk about "germination rates" and so forth with these.  Perhaps we'll have a little on going notebook about them. Daily observations....

DS8 also read a few chapter out of a library book concerning deciduous forests.  We learned what a biome is, and that our weather, temperature and soil is right in line with a deciduous forest.  Of course!  We live in the eastern US!!

We've managed math along with our forest studies. DS5 and DS6 are going to do 100 Lessons in a few minutes....As soon as I get the bread started :)  Thanks to some yummy, tummy inspiring emails over the last few days with another homeschool mom :)

And its Friday!  Whoot! 

With another email based homeschooling group, we all went together to get a membership to Enchanted Learning.  Using the group rate and the fact we had quite a few moms join in, we each only had to pay less than $2 each.  Awesome deal for groups to consider, even if you are not meeting face to face.

We are currently studying Temperate Forests.  I'm mixing decideous and coniferous forests since we live in a mixed forest in this part of the country.  It took me a little while to decide how to study it, but I have decided to start with a mini-unit on trees and tree growth, including the life cycle of plants.  I already own a tree identification book, so on our next hike we will take it along and try to id some common trees.  I want to get a slice of a tree truck and learn what a tree can tell us.  We have bought fig trees for the yard and planting them will also go into our study.

We'll spend several days on decay in the temperate forest.  We have a great book from the library about dead trees and all they provide.  DS8 has already read it, so I think we'll make it a hands on thing - digging through some rotten logs to see what we can find.  Also, in talking of decay, dirt, and worms we'll touch on the healthy micro-organizisms found near the roots of trees and the way trees pass "information" using these micro-organisms.

Next we'll start on animals.  I'm still trying to decide exactly how I'm going to treat animals.  I'm thinking life-cycle, but I'm not 100% sure.  The idea of presenting the info in the light of a community working together - Mother Nature gives the animals everything they need and no animal takes more than it needs. So, just brainstorming aloud, Animal Jobs? The Woodland Neighborhood?  Patterns in Nature?  I'll keep thinking..

Last Friday we had the pleasure of visiting a bird sanctuary at a residence in our town.  The Birder is a fellow homeschooler and offered to teach to children about birding and how to attract birds to one's yard.  The birds were so numerous around her house!! She even had the rare blue bird come for a visit.  

I noticed the distinct difference at our house.  The yard was quiet, the chittering of birds far up in the trees. The thistle seed feeder was hanging forlornly empty.  I promptly purchased another birdfeeder, some black sunflower seeds and a window mounted suet cage.  I'm impatiently awaiting the arrival of some birds. :)  Our local Birder commented that many species have arrived a month in advance of their normal migration.  Interesting.

The weekend was fairly uneventful.  We tried again to go bowling - this time at US Play, but by the time we arrived all the lanes were taken.  We met one of Gen. Deftones friends/co-workers and his little daughter there and played the arcade instead.  The boys had a great time.

Yesterday, we tried to get back on the school track and made some accomplishments.  I was teaching DS8 about square numbers for math and DS6 wanted to learn that instead of his own math, so I let him.  We cleaned up the backyard, as part of our new woodlands unit.   I'm embarrassed to say that we collect 3 bags worth of junk from back there! 

I managed to clean up around the chicken coop too.  The next warm day, I guess I need to hose it down and scrub it out to get ready for the next batch of chickens.  I'm going to get chicks and need to start working on plans to build a little box for them.  And figure out where I'm going to keep baby chicks inside and warm .... Maybe I'll wait until it gets nice and warm during the day and just bring them in at night??? 

For today, I'm afraid, I have lots of work to do.  I'll probably let the boys build their nature notebooks for the woodland project and browse through some of my activity books and find them things to do.  I'll have DS8 work on some pages from the 3rd Grade Test prep.  We are supposed to do a test this year to see where he is, and I want to help prepare him.  He knows a great deal of the material covered (and more).  What he doesn't know is how to take tests.  :)

We enjoyed our time visiting the fire station with our HS group today.  The children were able to see one of the firefighters dress all the way up in his gear so that they would not be scared if they ever saw a firefighter coming through the smoke.  The talked about stop, drop, and roll and how to CRAWL out of a burning house.  We will be having a drill soon, I think, to make sure all the boys how to get out of the house.  One firefighter said he drilled his 4 year old and found out she couldn't get the front door open by herself.  Quite an eye opener.

I woke up with hubby this morning and have been able to sit here quietly browsing my email and stopping to think.  I love waking up early, if only I didn't need to go to bed so early when I do it.  Which I never do and end up getting into a weird sleep pattern after a while. I digress...

I have some freshly brewed coffee and am slowly getting ready to face the day.  I left about 3pm to drive over to the boss'/friends' house.  I spent some time with my girlfriend first.  She has two beautiful boys.  Then work, in which I actually got some things nailed down for the website. 

I had left DS8 with several assignments to do while I was gone.  I found them on the table when I came in last night.  TWO of the assignments were writing assignments, which DS has a hard time with.  He finds it difficult to come up with ideas and then turn them into sentences.  I generally have to do alot of hand holding with writing...perhaps it is starting to pay off??  Or maybe he did better because I was not around??

The two assignments were:  Write sentences summarizing what you read in the Dead Wood book about forests and Write sentences telling me about Chester the Cat in Bunnicula.

For some reason, he didn't use ruled paper, just blank copier paper.  I see that his writing really does need to improve, but this is an advancement. 

Chester is a funny, cool, and determend to detroy Bunnicula.  Chester had tried many tricks But only one of them worked. Chester Put garlic around his neck, and kept Bunnicula from geting out from his cage.

WoodPeckers Like to make nests in snags.
Used for:  carpenter ants, woodPeckers, and termites.
Their are some woodPeckers that can Be up to 20 inch long, But only 38 are left.
Woodpeckers Peck on trees to get Bugs out.  It takes 2 woodpeckers to make a hole in a tree in a month.

I include these with the errors for my benefit.  I ALWAYS make the boys correct work they do. He still has a problem of capitalizing words that do not need capitalizing (or making the little letters look too big).  Homophone issues.  One of the sentences is incomplete.  Spelling mistakes, etc.

We have a busy day.  Speech therepy for DS6 then I have to fly over to the Fire Department for a fieldtrip with HS Group.  I think we'll work on lapbooks this afternoon - they'll enjoy that and maybe I can get some work in the house done too.  And I still have to find a log for the bird sanctuary tomorrow....

Maybe I should say Whimsical???

Learning Goals:

• Math: DS8: 61(writing fractions), 62 (id hundreds, tens and ones), 64 (subtracting multiples of 10 and 100), 65 (find the missing addend): Much of this is review.  I think he should be able to do this.  I'm skipping 63 because it is about measurement - tsp, 1/2 cup, etc used in cooking.  We do a good bit of cooking already, but I'll be sure to focus on this aspect and the art of reading a recipe again the next time we make cookies or bread.
• Math: DS5 and DS6: 46 (playing with 1 cup measuring) or 47 (counting by 2).  Which one depends upon time and mood.  I want to do the cup measuring in the bath tub *laugh*
• Literature: Read "Farmer Boy".  Talk about Almonzo's respect for his parents. DS8 finished Bunnicula Tuesday night.  I want him to fill out a character profile for Chester the Cat.  I just need to find one or make one up.
• History: Read a Middle Ages library book and start a new lap book (again)
• Science: Either Read a book about the Woodland forest and start mural OR three facts for Saturn (or Uranus - I'm not sure where we are)  Children's Choice.
• Bible: Continue Reading about "Important People in the Bible" List is in Cowboy Silver's Bible OR little project on Adam and Eve (last ...erm..first...important people) Children's Choice

HOME GOALS:

• 3 Loads of Laundry Washed, Folded and Put up.  Additional Laundry Folded
• Boys' Bathroom wiped down (Cowboy and Cuddlebug need to clean up the toothpaste)
• Living room picked up and dusted.  Couches cleaned out/under.
• Kitchen straightened up, esp around bakers rack/butcher block
• Put the quilt fabric up

My dear wonderful husband, henceforth known as Gen. Deftone, will be home tomorrow ((today as it is about 1am technically)) - working from home, that is.  Hubby is in a terrible need of a new job.  He is unhappy and overstressed, not to mention the fact that the company is drowning - which would make anyone unhappy and overstressed anyway.  I do love that he is able to work from home once a week though. At first, when he worked at home my homeschooling/homemaking schedule - if you'd call it that - more like a flow - was completely disturbed.  The boys, Gen. Deftone and I have grown quite accustomed to it now.  We all sit at the kitchen table.  Daddy at one end with a laptop, Momma at the other end or walking about the table ((with a dirty dish or clean towel to fold wearing the new apron Nana got her over her pj's..)), boys in the middle.  It is sooo cute, really.  I'll definately miss this when he gets a new job.  Hopefully, he'll be able to work at home some.  I miss him so much while he is at work.

I have to go over to my boss' house tomorrow night to work.  I am a project administrator for a small company that installs tracking devices for company fleet vehicles among other things.  Boss and his wife are great friends of Gen. Deftone and mine. ((of Gen. Deftone and me? of mine and Gen. Deftone's? English experts, come forth))  We've all known each other since highschool.  The bummer thing is...I'm missing Bible Study AGAIN this week.  I'll still do the study...but I already missed one or two weeks in a row. 

I'll probably not have to cook tomorrow since Gen. Deftone is home.  He's an excellent cook. Much better than I am in fact.  I can't really cook unless I have a recipe, but Gen. Deftone can just start throwing things together and like magic ... 9 out of 10 times it comes out fabulous!  I'm not talking speghetti here folks, I'm talking gourmet!!  *laugh*

Well, I have finished my work for the night and am off to bed.

Praying for : lady in Bible Study who lost her husband recently; my daddy's best friend Billy who lost his wife recently; Gen. Deftone's job situation; and me to be the best mommy and wife I can.  

Praises:  Sister is getting better and is back to work after her terrible car accident day after Christmas

Learning Goals:

• Math: DS8:  Work on Map Skills Lesson 60 in Saxon; DS6: Lesson 45
• Literature: Read more of "Farmer Boy" aloud.  Talk about what setting.
• History: Read one of the Middle Ages Library books and start a new lapbook about what we learned.
• Science: Work on Jupiter planet facts.
• Reading: 100 Lessons with DS6 and DS5

Home Goals:

• 3 Baskets of Laundry washed, folded, and put up.  Additional Laundry put up.
• Kitchen cleaned up and mopped
• Living Room Cleaned up and dusted.  Clean out under and in couches.
• Bathrooms wiped down
• Bag up recyclables

Cooking Goals:

• Roast for tonight : recipe
• Cake or Cookie Snack

Well, we were a little too laid back today.  I had really wanted to get some work done in the house, and my attention for school work slipped.  We did finish the Rainforest project today.  It culminated in a scavenger hunt for products commonly in the home that come from rainforest regions.

I also read from Laura Ingles Wilder's "Farmer Boy" which DS6 picked from the library.  He loves everything to do with cowboys and farmers.  The mother in the book really puts me to shame.  Despite all the conviences I have at my disposal, she accomplishes more in an hour than I do all week, it seems. 

The rest of the week is fairly busy.  Tuesday: Cub Scouts - of which I'm a new leader; Thursday: Speech for DS6, Fire Station Fieldtrip; Friday: Bird Sanctuary Class

More about Farmer Boy's Mother later.....

The last time we studied history, we learned the Roman empire was crumbling.  DS8 can tell me that the barbarians began invading and the Empire was so big, that it was hard to maintain the border defense.  He knows the Empire was divided into the Eastern Roman Empire (ERE) and the Western Roman Empire (WRE).  The ERE was more influential and its capitol was Constantinople.

So now, we are at the point of asking questions:  Why did the barbarians attack the Roman Empire??  (Huns moved into Germanic lands and those tribes moved into Roman lands by consequence.)  What happened when the barbarians moved in??

I want to then focus on one of the “barbarian tribes” and their relationship with the Roman Empire I think.  Clovis was the leader of the Franks, so I think I’ll start there.

That is about all I have now.  Not only am I in the process of learning this information, perhaps for the first time, I have to find a way to present it to the boys.  I could go over what we know and ask them to come up with questions……   I’ve already looked: there are no books at the library on Clovis or the Franks for children. 

 I’ll continue the search and report back and please!!! if you have suggestions, ideas, or comments, I'd love to hear!

DS8 and I went out Saturday.  I wanted to use the $17 left on my Joann's gift card to buy more fabric and quilting stuff.  I also wanted to run by the SchoolBox to see if they had anything for Middle Ages study.  We were unsucessful in both places.  My problems with Joann.com continues.  They did not refund my money to my card, so now I have to call them Monday.  The Schoolbox had nothing at all interesting in their social studies area.

DS and I stopped by a little Mexican restaurant and had the Speedy Gonzales lunch together.  It was fun spending time with him.  Any time I have to go out for errands, I try to take only one child with me so we can have some alone time.  We'll stop for coffee and juice or maybe lunch. 

Anyway, DS8 noticed a YOUNG CHEF'S ACADEMY near the Schoolbox.  We darted in just as a birthday party was leaving and was able to speak to the director for a while.  She showed us around and after hearing we were homeschoolers, told me about the group fieldtrips which I will pose to our group.

The kids do EVERYTHING in the kitchen except use the oven and dishwasher.  DS was glad to hear this since his daily job is loading and unloading the dishwasher.   For a fieldtrip, the price is $10 per child and the coordinator can pick out the recipe.   The director even gave us a pass to try a class free for all three DSs. 

I think we'll go this Wednesday when they will be cooking salmon.  Mmm!  I'll post again with a review.  I know that I teach all the boys cooking in everyday life, and this is definately not an area most homeschoolers are lacking in.  On the other hand, DH and I both like cooking and trying new foods and I think the boys would enjoy a class like this.  Young Chef's Academy has locations all over.  Here's their website.

Owl Pellets Where: Home Science Tools Cost: $4.20 each Time: few hours - more if very detailed

We dissected owl pellets as a side project for the homeschool group, really because I've wanted to do them since I found them in the Home Science Tools catalog. R8 and M6 were involved. Each had their own pellet to dissect.

We talked about food chains, and I reminded them of an owl/mouse/grain art project we did a few months ago. We talked about owls specifically and what the pellet was and why the owl produced such a thing.

Then the boys dove in. Most of the pellets (10 for the class) contained a skull or 2 or 3 skulls even, several leg bones, some pelvis bones, ribs and vertebrae. There were many more tiny bones (feet, hands, and fractured pieces) that a detail oriented older student may find too.

The hour at group was just enough to break the pellet apart, find the biggest bones, and determine what sort of animal they came from. At home, we continued to clean the bones, search through the fur and finally glue the bones onto a skeleton worksheet.

M6 was quite studious about his endeavor, a bit more than I expected. R8 was a little let down that he didn't have quite as many bones in his specimen, but was thrilled with his final glued exhibit after borrowing an extra skull from his brother.

We did this as a side project, though we will be studying woodland biomes soon and I'll remind the boys about this project and include it in our work there. I would definitely recommend this CHEAP!!!! project as a fun side science/biology project or as part of a larger study on woodland biomes, birds, backyard nature, food systems, anatomy, etc.