Homeschool 2009 Part 2

Morgan made a "nest" with her playdoh (above) & Jaden made a next with eggs & a snake (below)

Our ants arrived in the mail & have just begun building their hill (the white stuff is the sand they will use to build on top of the plastic tan hill already there)

The ants take the sand from the back part of the hill and move it to the front.

We now have fully grown butterflies flying in the butterfly habitat! We were guarenteed to have at least 2 become butterflies out of the 5 caterpillers we were given... However, we got all 5 to make it to the butterfly stage! YAY!!!

This is a Brazialian treat called brigaderiros (VERY delicious!)
The grapes are closer to raisin stage now (no, we will not be eating these raisins!! LOL!!)
Nests made from homemade dough, coconut & jelly beans



Jaden coloring the animals found in the rain forest (above) and the Brazilian flag (below)

Painting apples

Leaf decorations using real leaves, paint, & paper


Jaden's "L" worksheets




Jaden's copywork from the book "Amy Loves the Sun" by Julia Hoban (below)
It has been a school pack past couple of weeks! This is what the girls learned during this time:

Brazil was our country focus, so the rain forest was discussed. For every chapter, the letter sound is discussed, the letter is written, and there is a challenge pag of pictures where Jaden has to figure out which pictures start with the letter we are discussing and which do not. The other letters learned up to this point as discussed as well as a review.

Chapter 3 was "L" Leaf. We discussed how the leaves change colors & what different colors they can be. We looked for different kinds of leaves in the yard, and then made leaf rubbings with crayons & leaf painting with washable paint. We read the books:

A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry

Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Chapter 4 was "A" Apple. We discussed that appples grow on trees, and, also, the other forms that fruit can grow (grapes on a vine, blackberries on a bush, etc). We read the story of Johnny Appleseed online. We ate applesauce & dried apples. We read the books:

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson

Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel

Chapter 5 was "N" Nest. We made "eggs in a nest" for breakfast. We discussed that the yolk has most of the vitamins but the white has the protein. We talked about the various kinds of houses animals live in. We read the books:

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

This is the short version of what we did, but the girls will happily show their notebook to anyone who is interested in their work.

We FINALLY have a park!

How exciting is this?!?!?! We finally have a park that we can go to that is quite cool...

Wells Fargo Horses

We made a trip to a Wells Fargo branch to get some documents notarized. While we were there, the bank associate tried to get us to change banks and become a Wells Fargo customer. She even told us about accounts they have for kids. She said that if we wanted to set up some accounts for the girls by October 1st, they would get a Wells Fargo horse. When we hesitated, she looked over at the girls and changed her mind. She went to the closet where they keep the horses, and brought out a horse for each girl! No purchase necessary :0) Of course, she probably figures she will win us over in the end, and we will come back for an account since she was so sweet!

Mexican Treats

This is what Jicama looks like (above) & drowned plantains (below)

I cut up the jicama and put lime juice on it. It was so delicious! Jaden liked it, and ate a lot of it... Morgan, however, was not so sure of it - see the video below

Caterpillers on the Move

Jaden used this lavender bush we have to put several of the flowers on the bottom of the habitat.

Once inside, we opened the habitat back up and pinned the paper disk with the hanging cocoons to the mesh wall.

These caterpillers should emerge as butterflies within a week or so. We will be keeping our eyes on them, and hopefully I will get some video of them coming out!

A Trip Around the World

Morgan with her passport

Jaden showing her "Mexico" flag sticker which indicates that she has learned about Mexico.

Jaden's passport

Map of the world, where we find the country before learning about it (above) & the Mexican flag that Jaden colored (below)

I am including "Countries and Cultures" in their homeschool curriculum. I am using "A Trip Around the World", passports, and the flag sticker book. In "My Father's World", this curriculum is set up for grades 3 through 8. However, my children are clearly enjoying it!!! The book has words in the country's language, recipes, activity pages, history and points of interest notes, etc.

Morgan walks around the house with her passport saying she went to "mekiko". I am looking forward to studing the next country. I have a feeling we will study "mekiko" all year long, since I have so much info to give. I will do the other countries, too, but continue on with making things from Mexico & learning about the culture. The girls looked through my Mexico photo albums, and we discussed some of the things that I thought they would enjoy there. For example:

1. In "el centro" they sell blow up animals and other fun things

2. On September 16th, everyone walks to "el centro" for "el grito" and fireworks go off all around.

3. There are popsicles sold everywhere & they are made of real fruit!

4. In Colima, they have a big rock that is so slippery it is used as a slide.

5. In Guadalajara, they have horse-drawn carriages you can ride around in.

6. The churches are like palaces and decorated with glass and gold.

7. There are luxury buses you can take from city to city throughout Mexico. They play a movie while you travel & they sevre you a brown bag lunch- From Colima, you can catch one of these buses and be on the beach in Manzanillo within 45 minutes.

8. The street vendors sell delicious things like: bacon wrapped hot dogs, churros, jicama, ice cream, cookies, donutes, and more!

9. In Guanajuato, the houses are built into the mountains and the scenery is indescribable!!

That is just a little of what I remember. If you get a chance to travel throughout Mexico, there are over wild things I have never seen before!! For example, in Michoachan, they have a club on the water. You get on the boat by a certain time, then, the boat takes off on the lake for a few hours or so. Meanwhile, they play music and people dance or go outside and watch the water and chat.

Spending Time with Family

Jaden & Paige

Morgan, James & Grandma Leslie

Jaden & Morgan

Jaden playing in James' room

Eating the delicious food: BBQ, corn, watermelom, salad, strawberries, rolls, KeyLime pie, and ice cream!!

Aunt Amy & Paige laughing at LeCount's story

Paige & Morgan

Paige & Grandma Leslie

We were invited over to my brother's house on labor day for dinner. Grandma Leslie & Grandpa Lyale were there, too. As you can see, everyone had a lot of fun!

Change is Inevitable!

My two part-time jobs are both pulling at me for their full-time attention. While I am not "on the clock", I am constanting solving problems for them, answering their calls & e-mails, and printing up documentation. It has all become too much. Not only are they low-paying jobs to begin with, but for the amount I am getting paid & the amount of time I am putting in, I may as well be living in a third world country!! (no kidding!!)
After a night full of prayer and asking God to please guide me and show me what I can do to make my situation better... I got a phone call the VERY next morning with an opportunity for my taking if I could prove that I deserved the job. After more prayer, and a long discussion with LeCount, we made our decision. My interview is set up for Monday. I will be getting rid of all of my jobs to go to just ONE, and LeCount will be able to stay at home with the girls. He will do some of the home-schooling, but I have already decided that I am still going to be a part of that. I will teach them at least 1/4 to 1/2 of their school work. It is just too exciting to miss out on, and it will bring a highlight to my day. I will keep everyone posted when I hear the results of the interview.

What an AWESOME task!

What an honor and task we have been given as parents!!!! Don't ever let us forget that these small humans are each God's children, and he is entrusting us with their care! Let us not get caught up in small things and get angered easily. Instead, let us be patient with these precious souls and love and enjoy them for who they are! Now, here are Charlotte Mason's words (Read the following slowly and thoughtfully, until you grasp the full magnitude of this one sentence.):

The wonder that Almighty God can endure so far to leave the very making of an immortal being in the hands of human parents is only matched by the wonder that human parents can accept this divine trust with hardly a thought of its significance (Vol. 1, p. 333).

In need of...

I am always throwing out "money saving" ideas and other "regular" ideas. Now, I am looking for YOUR ideas. I am looking for some children's games. Since we have almost NONE of the regulars, I think it would be easiest to get a bulk of 10 games at once. However, I have run out of ideas on where to find new/gently used games in a large lot. I have tried Ebay and Craiglist. What else is out there? Some of the games I am thinking of are:

Clue Jr.
Scrabble Jr.
Pictionary Jr.
Where in the World? (Carmen Sandiego Jr)
Parchisi
Sorry!
Balderdash Jr.
Sequence for Kids
Monopoly Jr.
Cranium Hullabaloo
Boggle Jr.
Cranium Balloon Lagoon
Scavenger Hunt for Kids
The Kids of Catan

I want to get some games to break up the school day, and I know most of these are educational as well. All ideas are welcome!

Homeschool 2009 Part 1

Random objects were placed on black construction paper & put in the noon sun for a few hours.

The end result of our sun pictures

Jaden has fixed up our "Ant Hill" in preparation of the arrival of our 25 harvester ants.

Our caterpillars will move to their "Butterfly habitat" as soon as they form the chrysalis.

Making moon cookies

Making raisins using natural sunlight & green grapes

Home school is in full swing and Jaden and Morgan have been enjoying it as if they were in Disneyland!!! We are using My Father's World which is a biblical educational program. Since Jaden is in Kindergarten, I have Morgan learning right along with her, so they are both in kindergarten. Of course, I don't expect as much out of Morgan. Some things they can both do equally, other things, Morgan does not participate. At any rate, it is easier to teach them the same thing than to have 2 different curriculums going on at once!!

We started the school year with the 7 days of God creating the Earth.

Then, the next chapter was the letter "s", subject "sun", and the book "Bear Shadow" by Frank Asch.

1. Jaden measured shadows at different times during the day

2. Both girls saw how the sun changed the color of the construction paper when placed outside

3. We went in the dark bathroom to see how the sun (flashlight) shines on one side of the world (globe), but not on all sides of the world at the same time.

4. The letter "s" and the sound it makes + items that start with the letter "s"

The second chapter we went on to was the letter "m", subject "moon", country focus "Mexico", and book "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown.

1. Jaden learned about the different moon phases and drew them on to paper.

2. Jaden made moon cookies (yummy!)- they were actually a Mexican cookie recipe, which tied right in with our country of focus.

3. The letter "m" and the sound it makes + items that start with the letter "m"

4. Our caterpillars arrived, and we discussed the stages that caterpillars go through.

**While some of these ideas came from the "My Father's World" curriculum, I found other ideas by searching the internet for activities regarding "the moon", "the sun", etc. The country study is a combination of things found online, in books, and through "A Trip Around the World" series of activity books. Here is what My Father's World Curriculum is based on:

*Recognizes the Bible, God's truth, to be the foundation of wisdom and education.
*Utilizes hands-on, unit studies with daily lesson plans that are easy-to-teach.
*Enables families and multi-age groups to learn together. Many of our programs may be taught to a range of ages simultaneously.
*Combines the best of Charlotte Mason's ideas and classical education with a Biblical worldview, an international focus and our own observations of how children learn.
*Uses a comprehensive, sequenced learning program beginning with preschool learning toys to develop readiness skills.

*Our complete unit-based curriculum includes a phonics-based learning-to-read program and focuses on God's amazing creation (kindergarten), the world of the Bible (first grade), and U.S. history (second or third grade). Then a year of geography sets the foundation for four years of chronological world and U.S. history (through eighth grade). Our high school curriculum provides a Biblical framework for English, history, and other subjects.
*Provides easy-to-teach, integrated curriculum that is enjoyable, academically strong, and focused on character development.