Apr. 25, 2008 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...
I was at Target Meijer somewhere last night (hey, it was late), and I remembered that Elijah asked if he could plant some flowers by the mailbox. I headed straight for the plants potted in plastic, and on my way over, a little naggy voice started whispering, "if you were really a good mom, you would buy seeds for him to plant...all the other homeschool moms let their kids plant from SEEDS. Real seeds."
I felt twinges of panic encompassing every inch of my being..."you're a bad mom...you don't come close to the other homeschooling moms...you don't even buy real seeds..."
Ms. Mom Guilt had zapped in to rob my joy (once again). She's a liar. She's a thief.
I had a lot on my list in my head last night. My sister will be in from Seattle on Monday and her birthday was yesterday (so a party will be in order), Simon's birthday is Monday, my cousin's wedding is Saturday (and my birthday is Saturday, too!). So, I was pleasantly surprised when I actually remembered to pick up a tea-time treat. I found some Almond Biscotti dipped in chocolate and thought that would be fun.
Then, she had the nerve to show up again! "If you really had what it took, you'd make your own biscotti. Tea-time treats should be homemade (as all good homeschooling moms know)."
I was tired. Really tired. Too tired to think about homemade biscotti. Maybe that played to my advantage at midnight last night.
I looked Ms. Mom Guilt straight in the eyes, and said, "I am doing the best I can. I will NOT let you or me or anyone else make me feel guilty for what I've decided (by the grace of God) to do with MY children."
At this point you probably either
~think I'm nuts~ OR ~know exactly what I'm talking about~
As moms we are in seemingly no-win situations sometimes.
Do I do the dishes (and have a clean house...because after all, ALL stay at home moms should have clean houses...what else do you do with your day?) ?
OR
Do I take the kids outside to enjoy this beautiful day (because, after all, no child should be left inside)?
It really doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter. Just in case you didn't get that, let me just say (one more time), IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER.
What does matter is that your children see you pursuing God.
What does matter is that your children see you loving your husband.
What does matter is that you have a dynamic relationship with your children-- you know them and they know you.
The rest is just jellybeans.
The next time Ms. Mom Guilt comes sneaking around, trying to grab your joy (or all that's left of your sanity)...tell her that God gave you these children and you will not compare yourself to other moms, you will not be manipulated into doing something you don't need to be doing, and that YOU (by the grace of God) are quite capable of doing what's right for these little ones that you love with all your heart.
Goodbye Ms. Mom Guilt,
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Apr. 24, 2008 - Spring Thing
We were outside playing a few days ago, and Elijah declared,
"Mom, I just can't wait for the whole world to BLOOM!"
I love this kid! 
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Apr. 11, 2008 - Spring Poem
This morning while we were walking, I noticed that Elijah kept saying some really cool things about spring. I told him when we got home that we'd work on putting his words in a poem.
I gave him prompts such as
I smell spring...
I see spring...
I feel spring...
I hear spring...
He changed the line to I see some spring. This was hard for me since every word counts in poetry, and it's best to elminiate (what I call) "wimpy" words, but I decided not to make it in to a battle. I think, in the end, it worked nicely for him.
I formed his words (mostly his exact words) in to lines since I think lining is a hard concept to grasp, but I may have him copy the poem in his own handwriting, and that will give us a chance to discuss line and why it is important in poetry (it's *usually* best to end on a strong word).
I also added "stealing my brother's hat" -- he was trying to think what to say about the wind, and the wind really did carry Simon's hat away this morning! The rest are his words. :) I think tea time with poetry is really paying off! He included so many images without any prompting from me!
God Made Spring
by Elijah
I smell some spring
fresh
like lemons
in the sky
I see some spring
green
peaceful grass
red buds on trees
I feel some spring
sun
rising on me
wind stealing my brother's hat
I hear some spring
birds
singing like an opera
in the sky
If you decide to do this exercise with your own students, please post and leave me a note in the comments, so I can read their spring poems (Elijah would love that).
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Apr. 11, 2008 - SPRING!
Our nature walks these past few weeks have revealed one thing-- Spring has finally sprung!
Here is one of my favorite poems about spring (by Gerard Manley Hopkins)
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Apr. 7, 2008 - If You Give a Boy a Lapbook...
...he can do amazing things!
Last week Elijah decided he would like to make a Bear Lapbook. I told him he was on his own because
1. It wasn't what I had planned
and
2. I know nothing about all these different bears (that he knows so much about).
I told him he was the teacher, boss, and appointed expert. I gave him my reference lapbook to look at to decide the types of minit books he wanted me to print. He told me he needed some time to think. LOL! When he was done thinking, he asked me to make a list as he told me some of the things he was going to do. Honestly, he said, "Mom, I need a layer book for eight kinds of bears." I almost fell on the floor when he said, "I need a three flap with cover for brown bears, and I will put three different kinds inside like Kodiak, European Brown Bear, and Himilayan Brown Bear."
He did much by himself, but he did have my help for a few things including the following...
~I printed the templates for him as he told me what to print. He did make the trifold on his own, though.
~I cut out the petal book, but he did the others.
~I helped a LOT with the bear map.
~I googled the names of the bears as he told me (Google images) so he could choose pictures.
~I gave him a page of information to use as he pleased.
~He explained what he wanted for the "What are Bears" minit book. He told me, "I want people to guess -- birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, or mammals." So I showed him a five flap, and he said, "yes, that's what I want." He wrote yes/no behind each flap.
~I asked questions once in awhile to get him thinking about different things, but I really tried hard to let him be. He kept reminding me, "You said I'm the boss this week, mom." LOL
~I cut out the panda bear.
~I helped with the final lay-out. He doesn't enjoy that part at all.
That's all, folks. He did the rest. He brainstormed, made a list, organized information, created minit books, told me if he needed anything...he DID it! HOORAY!
I went to a conference last week where Andrew Pudewa told us that, "children want to do what they think they can do." I also heard Jeannie Fullbright speak, and she gently reminded us that we need to be moving toward independence. So, with both of those ideas in mind, I decided to let him try his own thing. He told me his next lapbook will be Big Cats (one file folder) and Little Cats (another file folder). Oh, and after that... Birds of Prey. ;) So, I'm trying hard to put some of my plans to the side (so, you know, he can *really* learn).
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Apr. 7, 2008 - Homeschool Share's 2008 Contest
The Blast is back, and it's bigger than ever!
If you've ever thought about writing a unit study, sharing a lapbook, or creating some notebooking pages AND if you like to win prizes, well...here's your big chance!
Check it out!
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Apr. 7, 2008 - Simon attemps a lapbook
Simon sat at the table and cried last week while Elijah was working on his lapbook. I asked him, "Do you want to make a lapbook, too." He nodded and said, "OH!" (which, in Simon language, means YES!)
So, here he is. You can see him pointing and smiling in the first picture. He was so proud.
If you ask him to get his lapbook for you, he will come and show it off! I am going to have to make some simple lapbooks for him for school this next year. He loves being involved.
Here he is hard at work-- sticking the bear pictures.
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Apr. 7, 2008 - Leprechaun Writing
Here is another Tops and Bottoms that Elijah did for St. Patrick's Day.
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Mar. 12, 2008 - Nobody Ever Says It Like Glenn...
Glenn Beck's thoughts on the California ruling are sarcastic and serious. He says it like no one else.
"How many public schools would remain, how many of them would be open today if all we had to do was find one student or a handful of students at any particular school who are academically failing or socially struggling? How many public schools would be open today in America? You know what? If giving parents limited or no say in public schools is such a great idea, then how come so many of our elected leaders decide to send their kids to private school?"
"Three-judge panel in California ruled that it is the state, not the parent who has the ultimate decision making power when it comes to how any child will be taught. Well, you know what other state did that? The Soviet state. The German state. The Italian state. The Nazis, the communists, they recognized right off the bat: You control education, you can control the future."
Oh, and did you know..."Karl Marx said in his manifesto, free education for all children in public schools...He said it was the intention to destroy the most hallowed of relations and have it replaced with education... This was necessary to Marx, to destroy the most important, most hallowed of relations and that is the relations of the parent, replace them with the relations of the state."
Read the entire article HERE.
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Mar. 11, 2008 - I am so PROUD!
Handwriting doesn't come easily for Elijah. It's WORK.
At this age, handwriting and story writing are two different skills. It's hard when we ask a student to combine the two. It usually results in stories that aren't much better than those first readers we subject them to (Dan ran fast. Sue ran fast. Dan and Sue ran fast. The End)
This year I have allowed Elijah to dictate his stories to me. He started with a few paragraphs and has moved to 400-500 word stories! Stories with setting, characters, and conflict. Stories that reflect the FIAR lessons we've completed and stories that are REAL stories.
So, what was I thinking when I pulled out something new today? It's a book called Tops and Bottoms Writing Forms by Evan Moor. When I told Elijah to write a story about a bear (the form he chose) on his six lined HWOT paper, he looked at me like I had purple ears and a pink nose. He said, "Mom, I can not fit a story on that paper." And I thought...well, I could make him write one of those stories..."Once there was a bear. It met a friend. They ate lunch. THE END"
Or, I could think fast and use this product in a different way.
Since he's been reading day and night about bears lately, I took him over to the computer and asked him to dictate a bear report to me. He dictated it (though I did have to limit him to four facts). I printed it and then had him copy it on to his HWOT lined paper.
He worked so hard on copying it in his best handwriting! First he "wrote" the report (by telling me what to write) and then he really WROTE the report!
Here is his finished product (which may look sloppy to you, but I know how hard he worked on this, and I am so HAPPY!):
Just a Happy Homeschooling Mom,
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Mar. 11, 2008 - Maple Cookies
We spent last week learning about maple trees/maple sugaring/maple syrup...you get the idea!
So, we decided that Grandpa Mike's monthly installment (from the Cookie of the Month Club) would be Maple Cookies! After they baked, we frosted them with maple-buttercream frosting (which is a little bit dangerously good!).
Here are the boys with the dough... (Oh...and their hair looks wet because they just had baths...baths first...then cookie making...I guess I'm not the smartest cookie in the jar!).
Sampling Simon -- I think he likes it!
If anyone wants me to post the recipes just hollar,
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Mar. 11, 2008 - Simon School
Trying to keep a toddler busy and engaged during school can be a challenge. I want to give Simon activities that will help him discover his world and build his brain.
So, last week, we tried beans and rice. Instead of giving him a tub of beans and rice to play with, I put him in the tub! It was a great success, and he happily dumped, poured, scooped, measured, and stirred for almost two hours!
If you are scared of the mess, put a sheet under the tub. When your toddler is done, fold up the sheet and dump the escaped items back in to the tub.
Happy Times With Your Toddler,
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Mar. 1, 2008 - Who Owns the Sun? Lap N Note
Who Owns the Sun? is a FIAR Volume I selection. It is a story of a boy who asks his dad a series of questions..."Who owns the sun? Who owns the wind? Who owns the rain?"...and on he goes. The wise father always replies that no man can own these things, and the wise son trusts his father without hesitation. However, close to the end of the book, when the boy is running a lunch to his dad at work in the field, he overhears the plantation master claim that he OWNS the boy's father. The boy is devestated. In confusion and hurt, the boy races to his father and blurts out the question, "Does Mr. Finnley own you?" The father responds once more with a wise answer, but the boy has one last question (which is very hard for this tender-hearted mama to read), "Does he own me, too?"
Obviously, this rich book produces ample opportunities for learning. In co-op this week we learned about the Northern Night Sky and the Southern Night Sky. Jodi taught us about constellations, and we made these really cool transparencies with stars to show to the constellation. We added a picture below in order to visualize the picture the constellation is suppose to make. Here are Elijah's constellation/transparencies for Ursa Major (can you find the Big Dipper?) and Orion.
Orion with stars
Orion without stars
Ursa Major with stars
Ursa Major without stars
We also learned a little about medium and the medium used for the illustrations of the book (watercolor).
Here is Elijah's copy of the front cover of the book
Here is a page with his watercolor gradation scale (the results of working with one color but producting multiple shades by adding water drops)
We also made a sorting book. Elijah had to sort sentences that needed periods and sentences that needed question marks. He was able to do this all by himself! You also see a Simple Machines Hotdog Book (graphics are from Evan Moor's Giant Science Resource Book), and a matchbook that has a list of things too wonderful to own inside). The first thing on his list is people. Smart kid.
We learned about levers, wedges, and combinations of the two. We put what we learned in the hotdog book.
We learned where to find Mississippi. The boy in the book takes his father a lunch of beans, biscuits, and buttermilk. We learned about food groups and Elijah was able to tell me that the father needed to have fruits and vegetables in order to balance out his meal.
When Elijah was showing the notebook to his dad, Elijah commented that in order to get to Mississippi, we'd have to first drive through Kentucky and then on through Tennessee. I almost fell on the floor! All these geography lessons really are sinking in!
A minit book on the sun (from Carissa's blog) and some more Mississippi stuff.
Big Jim book - learning about character
I Wonder... Book (includes a list of the things Elijah wonders about including how a ball bounces, how a balloon stays in the air, how long it takes to get to a planet, and a zillion other things!)
Vocabulary Pocket
Vocabulary Cards
We had a big week of learning! Hope you did, too,
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Feb. 22, 2008 - Bubbleology!
Elijah and I spent this week as bubbleologists learning the science behind bubbles. Simon tagged along so much that I think he could be a certified junior bubbleologist!
You may think that February is an odd time to be blowing bubbles, but the weather here is frightful, and this was just right! One day I even brought out the fan to do the bubble blowing for me. I just held the wand out in front and we had bubbles, bubbles, bubbles!
The activities and lapbook we did this week came from a Hands of a Child Project Pack. We learned about temperature and bubbles, how to catch a bubble, bubble vocabulary, what happens when bubbles meet; we did lots of bubble experiments (much to Elijah's delight!), and we even made our own bubble mixes (three to be exact).
Here are a few pictures of our lapbook
On the Cover
Can you see the bubble prints? This was too much fun! Elijah loved making the prints so much that we decided to put them all over our lapbook.
The book when opened
A favorite! The Bubble EXPLOSION Experiment. :)
The vocabulary looks like...BUBBLES!
We compared our three bubble mixtures. We have a LOT left over! We'll be blowing bubbles all winter! :)
What a fun project pack the ladies at HOAC have created! The only changes I would make are
1. I wish the experiments had places for Elijah's predictions
2. I wish the circle book came blank (it is in D'Nealian handwriting style, and we use HWT).
But those things are minor compared to what we learned and the fun we had (and the memories we made!). It's nice to have a premade lapbook once in awhile! :)
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Feb. 22, 2008 - Valentine Bears Lapbook
We weren't sure what to do with the cover. We weren't sure what to do with all his valentines...so we pasted the valentines to the cover of the lapbook! We added more to the backside.
Inside of the book ~
Elijah did a handwriting book of Valentine words. We learned about the Lifecycle of the Ant & Legends of St. Valentine. We recorded the number of hearts in the illustrations (using tally marks). We discussed I John 4:7-9. We listed Mrs. Bear's Preparations (for Mr. Bear), and Elijah wrote a Valentine Poem.
Hearts are red
Cards are blue
Flowers are yellow
Sunshine is too!
Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your sweeties!
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Feb. 22, 2008 - Kapla Block Creations by Elijah & Daddy
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Feb. 14, 2008 - Pampered Chef Plea
Okay, friends, if you ever wanted to help out the crazy driving force behind Homeschool Share, the hour has come!
No, I don't need more unit studies (although I won't turn them down), and I'm not even asking for lapbooks (I actually have a few almost ready to post).
What do I need?
Well, I could really-illy use some new cookware. I have the opportunity to get it for 60% off, and my dear husband has agreed that this is in order.
How can I get it?
Well, I'm having a Pampered Chef Party...an eshow. If my sales hit a certain amount, then I get new cookware for 60% off (goodness, I almost feel like I'm on a gameshow or something).
Why don't I ask my real life friends? Well, most of them are Pampered Chef-ed out...three parties in three months can do that to a person, you know.
Just so you know...I hate playing the saleswoman role...which is one of the reasons Homeschool Share isn't cluttered up with Google Ads...but I have to mention that you get a free 7" Serrated Spreader - with any purchase (don't forget to add it to your cart!). You also get a free Sweet Caramel Sprinkle or a free Sweet CinnamonSprinkle if your order totals $60.
So, if you need something from Pampered Chef (and I'm just sure you do!), and you want to help me out (which I'm even more sure about), email me (ami @homeschoolshare.com without the space). I will send you an invite and you can shop your little heart out! 
Happy Cooking to All (yes, even those of you who aren't going to order! ),
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Feb. 11, 2008 - The Three Bears, The Three Snow Bears, & The Three Panda Bears
We spent last week with a new twist on an old favorite. We read Jan Brett's Three Snow Bears and coupled it with some regular old Three Bears activities.
Front Cover (idea from Evan Moor Literature Pockets ~ Fairy Tales)
Back Cover (Elijah drew this as he watched Jan Brett's video! I was so proud of him!)
This lapbook is two file folders glued side by side (or flap to flap!).
Here he is...proud as a peacock!
Inside of the first folder. Here is a link to the free unit and lapbook for The Three Snow Bears.
First folder books open. A few of the activities were coloring (finding Baffin Island on a map, coloring the Canadian Flag, etc.). A few were cut/paste (Imaginary Lines, Polar Bear Diet, Do People Live in Igloos?, etc.).
Many of the items in the second folder are from a portion of Evan-Moor's Literature Pockets ~ Fairy Tales
The left side of the second folder. The pocket contains Elijah's Three Bears story. It's about three pandas who live in China and eat rice with chopsticks. The girl who breaks in to their house is Guo Shuang, and the story has a very happy ending.
Middle section of second folder.
Venn Diagram comparing the two versions we read.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears mini book (from Evan Moor Book); Elijah read this story to me.
Peek-a-boo Book that Elijah was able to do all by himself!
Close-up of the Peek-a-boo
Left side of the folder ~
A sequencing activity (also from Evan Moor) that Elijah was able to complete on his own!
A pocket for puppet storage.
A picture of the house and puppets (yes, they all really fit in that pocket). Aren't they cute? He did a great job on these and had fun acting out the story. (This was also from the Evan Moor Book.)
We'll be learning even MORE about bears this week with a unit study on The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting.
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Feb. 11, 2008 - Calling all you Buccaneers!
Front Cover
This lapbook is two legal sized file folders glued back to back.
Inside the front.
Left- Roger the Jolly Pirate Plot Wheel, Pirate Gear Labeling Activity
Middle- Game with pieces stored in mini envelope (above). The game board pulls down to revel a hidden treasure map (which is not pictured).
Right- What is an Island? Matchbook and Pirate Speak Flap Book
Second Folder
Left- Pull Tab (Why Pirates Sing Sea Chanties; we sang a few ourselves!), Jolly Roger Flag made by dh and Elijah
Middle- Sailing the Seven Seas (open), Pirate Flag Coloring Page from a mini Dover book, Parrot Simple Fold
Right- Blackbeard Mini Book & My Pirate Story.
Note from Ami: I was so excited for Elijah to write a pirate story! Finally, something different from all our Birds of Prey stories...WRONG! LOL! See parts of his story (as told EXACTLY by Elijah to me) below:
I'll leave the rest to your imagination, but basically Panda went on an adventure looking for a sea creature...crashed into a sea creature...needed a new boat because "all pirates need a new boat...and so do I...and so do the two eagles."
Front of the lapbook on the back (does that even make sense? LOL). This is a fun parrot we painted. The idea was from an Usborne Book.
And, now, I must embark (or would that be disembark? LOL).
I'm afraid I'm not a very good pirate!
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Jan. 31, 2008 - What does a secretary bird say?
Honestly! My six year old LOVES (I mean LOVES) to learn about birds of prey. I have three stories I hope to post soon, so that you can experience what my life is like with a boy enraptured by raptors.
Anyway, I was just getting ready to sign off, and I hear (in the boys' room) my six year old drilling my 21 month old...
What does a bald eagle say?
What does an osprey say?
What does a secretary bird say?
Simon responded to each with some tweeting noises.
Then, Elijah said, "You like birds of prey, don't you?"
And Simon said, "BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!"
I'm still laughing,
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