Pickles, Pumpkins, & Peanuts - Homeschool Blogger

A great idea and very kid friendly!

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 23:10:00 -0600

Our kids are very "crafty" and artsy types. This idea is perfect for our holiday table. Last year they made placecards and napkin rings but this year I'm thinking little pumpkins.

LOVE IT!

Here is the link....

Econobusters Paper Pumpkins

Enjoy.

Pardon our Dust...

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 18:47:00 -0600

We are in the process of remodeling a bit around here. Please, excuse our dust. DH is off to Bible Study tonight so we'll try to do some tidying up as time allows.

Ta Ta For Now

Pickle's First Report...

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 13:53:00 -0600

I LOVE The Institute for Excellence in Writing! Pickles just wrote his first report and did a wonderful job because he has been diligently learning to do Keyword Outlines.

Here is his report:

Yellow-Footed Tortoise

The skin and scales of the yellow-footed tortoise are black, brown and yellow. This tortoise is found in South America. These tortoises are widely used around the world for trade. They make sounds like a baby cooing and they each have their own special body language. This tortoise will eat grasses, fallen fruit, plants, snails and worms.

We did some online research together and I cut/pasted some information into a Word Doc. Then I double spaced it and had him use a highlighter to mark his keywords. We quickly made a simple outline with those words. The outline prompted him to fill in the details himself rather than just copying the information from online word-for-word. I acted as his scribe (to help with the "young boy's don't like writing issues) and then typed it up for him (editing nothing). He is very happy with the end product and I'm excited to see his growth.

Once again I'm using a curriculum that people think you can't use until children are much older and we are enjoying great success with it. You just have to adapt it to meet your needs and be willing to find the essence rather than implementing it "by the letter".

Yeah! Happy day in our homeschool.

Pickles is organizing a book about South American plants and animals this week so we'll get to practice our skills some more this week.

Simple Woman's Daybook - November 9, 2009

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:39:00 -0600

Sunday's Daybook for November 9, 2009...

Outside my window...grey skies but warmer temps

I am thinking...about sewing projects

I am thankful for...a fun family day on Saturday while the weather was nice

From the learning rooms...Tapestry of Grace Y2 W14...we are moving right along with school and doing well...Praise God!

From the kitchen...Blackberry smoothies, chicken and biscuits, and some bread

I am wearing...black butterfly tee and an old jean skirt

I am creating...jumpers for Pumpkin, two quilts to finish up, and another quilt top to complete the piecing on

I am reading...A Tale of Two Cities

I am hoping...that the mild "bug" the children have finally leaves the house (for good)

I am hearing...children playing castle above me in the boys room

Around the house...tidy up, do some mending, keep up with the laundry

One of my favorite things...a cup of warm tea with a yummy creamer in it

A few plans for the rest of the week: Grandma K is visiting for a couple of days, life group and Bible
Study, and a couple of home projects to get done before winter sets in

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Here is our Crab Apple Tree in the fall. I love seeing this from my kitchen.

To participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook visit Peggy at the Simple Woman's Daybook.

Simple Woman's Daybook - October 19, 2009

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:09:00 -0500

Sunday's Daybook FOR TODAY October 19, 2009...

Outside my window...SUNSHINE! We haven't seen much of the sun lately.

I am thinking...about organization.

I am thankful for...rest.

From the learning rooms...we began a study of the Renaissance today which includes working through Book Two K-3 from Artistic Pursuits. The children loved it.

From the kitchen...crockpot pasta, garlic bread and pumpkin baked goods.

I am wearing...a comfy jean skirt and a new-to-me top with pumpkins on it (I love fall!).

I am creating...quilts and Christmas gifts.

I am going...to run errands later...maybe...we'll see... :)

I am reading...A Tale of Two Cities

I am hoping...to stay within budget with groceries this week.

I am hearing...the older children watching Curious George.

Around the house...organizing the storage room, putting away clutter, and getting to some business that's been put off.

One of my favorite things...the three roses that mom and I rescued before the first big frost this past weekend.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Dinner with friends on Friday, Fun Family Fall party on Saturday and a Potluck at church on Sunday....so Fellowship is our focus this week!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Visit The Simple Woman's Daybook to create your own daybook entry.

Year 2 Unit 1 Celebration

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:56:00 -0500

We celebrated the end of our study of the Middle Ages this past weekend. It was a wonderful celebration! I think it went well because it was the "right amount" of stuff to do. I praise God for a blessed time with family enjoying the achievements and effort of our children.

Here are some photos of the highlights....

Pickles was a Knight and Pumpkin was a Lady

Pickles shared his knowledge of how a boy trained to become a knight. He has been using Key Word Outlines (from IEW) to summarize and retell what he is learning. He did a great job! Public speaking is not his favorite but he gave it his best.

Here Pickles is sharing his work from his Tapestry of Grace notebook (maps, notebook pages, student activity pages) with Grandpa and Grandma K.

Our Medieval Feast. We enjoyed cider, baked ham, salad, cheese, applesauce, and raisin custard tarts. We used only spoons and our hands. We tried to use pita bread as our "trenchers" but had the plates as back-up spill catchers. Everyone thought the feast was yummy!

Then we finished our celebration by watching an old version of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. The children really were caught up in watching the movie and Pumpkin reminded me that she knew this story because we had listened to the story of it (the Jim Wiess version). I love it when Pumpkin makes preschool connections to the bigger picture especially since she misses a lot of the reading we do.

So, there you have it. We have finished the Middle Ages and are moving into the Renaissance now. We kicked off our first morning of Unit 2 by beginning our Artistic Pursuits book. The kids LOVE Artistic Pursuits! I have pictures and I'll post them soon. Right now I need to clean-up the kitchen, round-up the baby and finish our morning school which has pushed into the afternoon. :)

Year 2 Unit 1 Projects

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:36:00 -0500

We really have enjoyed our study of the Middle Ages this fall. Pickles has completed several projects to complement his study of the facets of life during this interesting time period. Here is a photo essay of his work.

(Crossing my fingers and hoping the photos work.)

Scroll carrier and scroll with calligraphy

a triptych (I don't think I spelled that right and I still can't say the word either)

a paper maiche model of a Mosque

a model of a Viking Longhouse

A simple model of a castle

He really enjoyed the projects from this unit. I gave him more freedom to do the projects himself and I think he liked that. I would helped more with some of the projects (the paper maiche on the mosque) but I tried to let him do it himself. It isn't my work or process it is his. It does mean that it is a little less "polished" but how will they learn if they don't try by themselves.

He is very proud of his work this unit. I am too!

Yes you CAN!

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 13:24:00 -0500

We've been canning a harvest lately. Which is one reason I've been absent from blogging. So far this fall we've done up peaches, pickles, apple butter, apple sauce (with more coming), spaghetti and strawberry jam. Up until this year the only thing I had canned was some jam about 5 years ago. We also froze a bushel of green beans and wild blackberries from my moms house. We are also hoping to get some more apples for applesauce and maybe some pears.

I wish I could post some photos of our lovely and yummy goodness but I can't. You'll just have to imagine it.

Oh and I froze the last 6 quarts of peaches and so far they are turning out great. They were so yummy!!!!

Here....check!

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 13:15:00 -0500

Here? I'm here. Somewhere. :)

We have just recovered from a MAJOR computer repair. Our system crashed and burned a couple of weeks ago. We had a black screen of death situation. It was quite troubling. DH spent most nights for a week trying to resurrect our "old girl". I'm so thankful for hubby's job as a computer programmer it means he has some connections and we were able to get back up and running with some leftover parts (they literally were going to toss or sell these parts) from the office. It ended up being a video card issue (do I sound like I know what I'm talking about?).

I felt so bad for hubby. I am absolutely no help to him in these matters. All I could do was cheer him on as I walked by to go watch some Elizabeth Gaskell (BBC Costume Dramas). It was tough. I was reminded during the whole affair of hanging out in the garage and watching my dad rebuild car engines. I was of little help then but it was something to do and sometimes he let me push on the brakes or hold a light. Actually, I probably know more about car engines than I do computers. It makes me conversant but useless in a machine shop.

I am thankful for the men in my life who care for the things that make my life easier. I'm so glad I don't have to buy a "new" something every time something breaks.

So, I am here and slowly catching-up with my online world. We still haven't resolved the photo issues. Hopefully we can get to that soon.

Planning reaps rewards!

Sun, 6 Sep 2009 19:25:00 -0500

I've been gone for awhile because it seemed like I was running to obstacles whenever I logged on to blog. First it was picture issues (sizing, saving, and locating) and then I was struggling to edit an existing post. I just decided to walk away and focus on life. So, here I am with no fun picture but I'm at least able to get in to post something new.

It is hard to believe but we are about to begin our fifth week of school. Wow! The time is flying by already and it has been relatively "bump-free". I am so glad that we started school early this year. We have a good pace going and things are just gearing-up for the fall. I'm hoping we can move into the fall activities without much additional stress on our routine.

Pickles is enjoying learning all about the Middle Ages. This week he has been devouring the Jim Weiss CD we purchased about King Arthur. I think he has listend to it at least fifteen times. He had a bit of a fever last week and was fighting a bit of a cough but we forged ahead to complete some school. Later he made me laugh when he said, "School is fun even when you're sick!". He did have a dose of tylenol and seemed improved at that moment but still it was cute.

He also seems to have taken to the Institute for Excellence in Writing techniques that I've been grafting into our day. We are mainly employing the Key Word Outline model this year as a method to complete our history narratives. I've been typing up our selection for the week (something from the Core History reading in TOG Y2) and having Pickles use a highlighter to choose the key words. The next day we reread, make our outline and retell the selection from memory. Sometimes I will join in and try to retell it too. He thinks this is funny because I'm not usually as good at it as he is. Pickles has an amazing memory!

Pumpkin is also really enjoying her first year of preschool. She has a late fall birthday so we've decided to wait to do her Kindergarten year. She'll do two years of preschool and then start Kindergarten in 2011. She desparately wants to learn to read but I just don't think she's ready for the process of blending the letter sounds into words. We'll see as the year goes on but I'm really happy with the things we are using now. We are working through this for Language and this for Reasoning/Mathematics. I've found these resources to be just the right amount of challenge, fun and comfort for her. I think she will do great this year. I'm so excited to she her growing-up! She is learning so much more "outside" of the books this year and we are praying that her heart would continue to be moulded by the loving hands of our Great God.

Well, that is our school update for the time being. Things are moving along and seem to be going well. I praise God for the insight and wisdom God blessed us with during the planning and preparation process for this year. I've found myself very thankful for the time we spent in prayer and planning because it is already reaping benefits of time, structure, and purposeful days.