Should you like to know more about this go check it out over here.
Great Books Week 2011 is honoring Great Expectations in its 150th anniversary year. It’s a haunting classic, with a host of funny, memorable characters and a thought-provoking plot.
Great books week
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
is currently being celebrated.
Should you like to know more about this go check it out over here.
Should you like to know more about this go check it out over here.
A day in the life of homeschooling
Carnival of Homeschooling is posted.
Today was an excellent day overall.
The lad came out to talk with me while I cared for my rabbits. And then we talked over breakfast, we read
World History
10 minute Stories
We prepared for Renee to come over with her children. We planned to do some science and then go off of a nature walk. When the children arrived they really really wanted to play with some baby bunnies so we headed outside to do that. We had a spot of lunch to eat and then did some art science.
We experimented with wetting down paper and then seeing what happen when we dropped thinned paint on it. And that taught us about diffusion. :)
We then sprinkled dry paint over a pan of water and then put dry paper over the powder paint. it was fascinating to watch what adding the paint did to the surface tension of the water.
We varied the length that we let the paper sit in the water to see what that would with how the paper reacted. It was VERY interesting to see what happened. I did neglect to take pictures of some the results from the children but i did get this one.
Looks rather cool eh?
After the children left we watched a thing on Sound that Aurora was doing through Supercharged science. We made a hornet and a harmonica. I was unable to capture of pic of J using the hornet, but here's the harmonica we made. :)
Earlier during the day we made some yellow jacket traps since we got inundated with yellow jackets today.
Take a pop bottle, cut off the top. Mix up some basic lemonade, invert the top (normally I'd secure it but this one seemed to sit on really well) set it somewhere near the hornets and just wait. If you see a hornet crawling around inside speed up the process by CAREFULLY squirling the liquid around.
as you can see.....highly effective (after 1 hour).
Today was an excellent day overall.
The lad came out to talk with me while I cared for my rabbits. And then we talked over breakfast, we read
World History
10 minute Stories
We prepared for Renee to come over with her children. We planned to do some science and then go off of a nature walk. When the children arrived they really really wanted to play with some baby bunnies so we headed outside to do that. We had a spot of lunch to eat and then did some art science.
We experimented with wetting down paper and then seeing what happen when we dropped thinned paint on it. And that taught us about diffusion. :)
We then sprinkled dry paint over a pan of water and then put dry paper over the powder paint. it was fascinating to watch what adding the paint did to the surface tension of the water.
We varied the length that we let the paper sit in the water to see what that would with how the paper reacted. It was VERY interesting to see what happened. I did neglect to take pictures of some the results from the children but i did get this one.
Looks rather cool eh?The lad decided that mixing paint was VERY interesting so he had fun doing that, and then decided to paint a picture with the resultant mixed paint.
After the children left we watched a thing on Sound that Aurora was doing through Supercharged science. We made a hornet and a harmonica. I was unable to capture of pic of J using the hornet, but here's the harmonica we made. :)
Earlier during the day we made some yellow jacket traps since we got inundated with yellow jackets today.
Take a pop bottle, cut off the top. Mix up some basic lemonade, invert the top (normally I'd secure it but this one seemed to sit on really well) set it somewhere near the hornets and just wait. If you see a hornet crawling around inside speed up the process by CAREFULLY squirling the liquid around.as you can see.....highly effective (after 1 hour).
question of the day: praying mantis
Thursday, September 29, 2011
this is not the one we caught, just a pic off the internet.We found an answer here.
The diet of a praying mantis most often includes various species of insects - including mosquitoes, flies, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies, moths, spiders, roaches, bees, dragonflies, etc. Other than these insects, some praying mantis species also feed on lizards, frogs, rodents and birds. Almost all the species of mantis feed on insects, but those which can grow up to a length of 10-12 cm are generally the ones who take on birds, rodents and other creatures of their own size.So, no, we can't keep it as it will eat our crickets. We released it to our rose of sharon bush.
How can you tell a girl from a boy?
The difference between a male and female praying mantis is that the female is larger and the abdominal is larger than a males abdomanal.
Adult female Mantises are larger than adult males. That's one way to tell them apart.
Never Felt Better
Monday, September 26, 2011
Felting....today my lad learned to felt at the Art Museum of London. They have a homeschool art program there.
the program he attended was called
The lad had a hoot.
He at first didn't much like his snake, but later he was quite intrigued by it.
He does DISLIKE intensely the mat that he made. "it doesn't look like anything mommy". So we may end up throwing it out.
It was a good experience for us. Next time we'll try to get there a bit earlier so parking isn't so expensive.
the next one we'll go to will be on book binding.
the program he attended was called
Never Felt Betterabout 20 children all told. Some of us parents chose to help. Good thing we did or the singleton teacher would not have coped particularly well with that many students.Children will learn the sculptural technique of wet felting, in which crisscrossed layers of wool are dampened with warm soapy water and agitated by rubbing and rolling, and will experiment with felting around a form to make three dimensional pieces.
The lad had a hoot.
He at first didn't much like his snake, but later he was quite intrigued by it.
He does DISLIKE intensely the mat that he made. "it doesn't look like anything mommy". So we may end up throwing it out.
It was a good experience for us. Next time we'll try to get there a bit earlier so parking isn't so expensive.
the next one we'll go to will be on book binding.
TOS birthday bash
Right now TOS is in the middle of their birthday bash. You really should go check it out. :)
And did you know that TOS is going to be going to an all digital format. they will be having one annual magazine that will be HUGE (like 300 pages), but they will be switching to a monthly digital magazine. If you want to see what their magazine is like, go check out the summer one for free. :)
And did you know that TOS is going to be going to an all digital format. they will be having one annual magazine that will be HUGE (like 300 pages), but they will be switching to a monthly digital magazine. If you want to see what their magazine is like, go check out the summer one for free. :)
overwhelmed? perhaps not any more
Sunday, September 25, 2011
So I've been feeling panicky and overwhelmed at the thought of teaching my lad this year. I'm not feeling very organized or planned out or anything.
Hubby dear gave me the idea of planning our next day for 15-20 minutes the night before and I think I'll be doing that. I've been a bit concerned about doing TOO Much planning as I know what I'm like what I get a list I just feel "argh" if I don't complete everything on it and I can get snippy and snappy and I do not wish to be like that.
Therefore I went to the ministry of education (Ontario) tonight to see just what they expect children to learn in grade one. And though a few things leave me wondering HOW will I teach that? Overall it was like okay....he knows that already, this we already do and he'll get better at, and OH>>> I can teach that! It overall left me with a feeling of relief. Overtime I will be able to plan out better what we do. EVEN IF at times it is haphazard it will work out in the long run I think.
I am feeling a bit more settled again...knowing that I can teach my son, but I do need to be a bit more organized about how I go about doing it. AS LONG AS.... I remember that we are FIRST a family, and second a homeschooling one. Homeschooling will continue to fit around our need to be a family first, and one that honours God while doing so.
Hubby dear gave me the idea of planning our next day for 15-20 minutes the night before and I think I'll be doing that. I've been a bit concerned about doing TOO Much planning as I know what I'm like what I get a list I just feel "argh" if I don't complete everything on it and I can get snippy and snappy and I do not wish to be like that.
Therefore I went to the ministry of education (Ontario) tonight to see just what they expect children to learn in grade one. And though a few things leave me wondering HOW will I teach that? Overall it was like okay....he knows that already, this we already do and he'll get better at, and OH>>> I can teach that! It overall left me with a feeling of relief. Overtime I will be able to plan out better what we do. EVEN IF at times it is haphazard it will work out in the long run I think.
I am feeling a bit more settled again...knowing that I can teach my son, but I do need to be a bit more organized about how I go about doing it. AS LONG AS.... I remember that we are FIRST a family, and second a homeschooling one. Homeschooling will continue to fit around our need to be a family first, and one that honours God while doing so.
What We Learned Today: Head of the Class
Thursday, September 22, 2011
today we did a couple of things.
We continued reading through
We did a fair amount of work on the letter 'a' through head of the class. Filling in the missing A, sounding out words, picture matching and what not. I really like that they use a variety of methods to teach the same concept.
We did a bit more research on the house centipede. :)
We talked about the difference between living and non-living things using as a basic talking guide the simple schooling e-book Living & Non-Living.
We continued our transportation theme by learning about air pressure and resistance, using a craft from Transportation Thematic Units (Enhanced eBook). We experimented a bit with adding a paper clip to see if that would make a difference in how the helicopter worked.
Both the simple schooling and transportation unit are available from Currclick. One of them currently is free.
We continued reading through
We did a fair amount of work on the letter 'a' through head of the class. Filling in the missing A, sounding out words, picture matching and what not. I really like that they use a variety of methods to teach the same concept.
We did a bit more research on the house centipede. :)
We talked about the difference between living and non-living things using as a basic talking guide the simple schooling e-book Living & Non-Living.
We continued our transportation theme by learning about air pressure and resistance, using a craft from Transportation Thematic Units (Enhanced eBook). We experimented a bit with adding a paper clip to see if that would make a difference in how the helicopter worked.
Both the simple schooling and transportation unit are available from Currclick. One of them currently is free.
question of the day: house centipedes
Mommy... how do house centipedes grow up? How do they make babies?
This was a continuing query over a couple of days.
So we looked up house centipedes and learned they moult and get more legs with each moult. They live up to six years and takes about 2 years to mature.
Girl centipedes are bigger. Boy centipedes have a thicker tail.
The boy centipede puts sperm on the ground which the girl centipede uses to fertilize her eggs but they don't do this until after they touch antennae with each other.
They are GOOD bugs to have around (as much as they freak me out) because they kill spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish and other household pests.
Souces:
ehow and wiki and animal corner.
This was a continuing query over a couple of days.
So we looked up house centipedes and learned they moult and get more legs with each moult. They live up to six years and takes about 2 years to mature.
Girl centipedes are bigger. Boy centipedes have a thicker tail.
The boy centipede puts sperm on the ground which the girl centipede uses to fertilize her eggs but they don't do this until after they touch antennae with each other.
They are GOOD bugs to have around (as much as they freak me out) because they kill spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish and other household pests.
Souces:
ehow and wiki and animal corner.
Tuesday... hard days
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
So today I had a, what seemed to me, harsh reminder of why Tuesdays should NOT be book work days... the lad is too unfocused and too easily upset as is his mommy. SO no more book work on Tuesdays except maybe a tiny bit.
Instead we will read.
We will draw.
We will do science.
We will simply relax, play a bit, and work a bit, and just let Tuesdays be the quiet relaxing days that we need them to be.
Today we had a mental break-down over the alphabet and doing numbers up to 30. Quite frankly alphabets and counting should NOT be reasons to have harsh words between parent and child on either side. it simply isn't, ergo my change of focus for Tuesday.
On a positive note... he did really well figuring out the sounds of letters of the alphabet and I started introducing the concept of hard/soft sounds. AND of the 26 alphabet letters....he recognized all but one of them (the dreaded letter K). I was simply thrilled by this and the lad smiled as well. :)
We had fun lying back on my bed and reading a poem. It was actually quite funny. We read one poem, and then read another and we looked at each other at the exact same time and smiled... That would make a fun picture we said. So we drew a picture of it. It was interesting how different they turned out from each other. The poem comes of the old Childcraft series. The link is for the 1995 series, but ours is the older one yet.. 1977 I think?
We started reading through a world history book (we will do two pages most every day) and another book with 10 minute stories.
We finished the first book of the people of christian history book tonight at bed time. The lad has enjoyed learning about these people who really lived. It's been interesting learning some of the Christian history behind us.
Instead we will read.
We will draw.
We will do science.
We will simply relax, play a bit, and work a bit, and just let Tuesdays be the quiet relaxing days that we need them to be.
Today we had a mental break-down over the alphabet and doing numbers up to 30. Quite frankly alphabets and counting should NOT be reasons to have harsh words between parent and child on either side. it simply isn't, ergo my change of focus for Tuesday.
On a positive note... he did really well figuring out the sounds of letters of the alphabet and I started introducing the concept of hard/soft sounds. AND of the 26 alphabet letters....he recognized all but one of them (the dreaded letter K). I was simply thrilled by this and the lad smiled as well. :)
We had fun lying back on my bed and reading a poem. It was actually quite funny. We read one poem, and then read another and we looked at each other at the exact same time and smiled... That would make a fun picture we said. So we drew a picture of it. It was interesting how different they turned out from each other. The poem comes of the old Childcraft series. The link is for the 1995 series, but ours is the older one yet.. 1977 I think?
We started reading through a world history book (we will do two pages most every day) and another book with 10 minute stories.
We finished the first book of the people of christian history book tonight at bed time. The lad has enjoyed learning about these people who really lived. It's been interesting learning some of the Christian history behind us.
Warehouse wipe out
Clearing out the Warehouse Special!
$104.75
NOW $35
While supplies last, help us clean out the TOS warehouse and purchase $104.75 worth of products for only $35! Here's what you'll receive:
• SEVEN TOS back issues ($69.30 value)
• Homeschooling with Heart tote bag ($24.95 value)
• Surprise bonus gift
• Free Shipping ($10.50 value)
Enjoy hundreds of pages of practical content . . . designed by your fellow homeschoolers—for you! Grab some encouragement and fill your shelves with a box of seven inspirational TOS back issues (publishers' choice)!
PLUS you'll receive our versatile TOS Homeschooling with Heart tote bag perfect for a trip to the beach, library, or support group meeting. AND receive a surprise bonus gift!
Want an even better deal?
Spread the word about this promotion on Facebook, Twitter, down your list of friends or on your blog and receive up to four additional bonus surprise gifts. You'll receive one additional item for each mention you make. Share on Facebook and receive ONE additional surprise item. Tell your Facebook friends and tweet about the clearance sale, and you'll receive TWO additional surprise items.
Talk about the sale on Facebook or blast it down your email list (support group or large list of homeschooling friends), tweet it and write about it on your blog and you will receive FOUR additional surprise items. To receive your bonus gifts, you MUST note in the comments section of your store order (or you can use the dropdown box provided there) to share how you told your friends and spread the word about TOS Warehouse Wipeout. We will then toss in your goodies to really round out your mystery box!
We have some great surprise products to stuff in your box . . . books, puzzles, coloring books, rulers, wiki sticks, toys, and MUCH MORE! Imagine opening your mail box and finding a box filled with seven back issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, a Homeschooling with Heart tote bag, AND up to four surprise gifts!
Save money and help us clear out our warehouse to make room for new items. Don't wait . . . supplies are limited. Tell all your friends,* then . . .
Order your box today!
*Don't forget-receive up to four additional bonus gifts by telling everyone you know about this special. To receive your bonus gifts, mention in the comments section (or dropdown) in your store order whether you shared this crazy offer on Facebook, Twitter, your blog and/or your email list. We'll then get busy selecting your extras to go in your tote!
Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
Canadian customers only.
HOPE days returns
Yesterday HOPE days started again.
It was fun. The lad learned about dinosaurs, had gym time (played a game called lemonade that made a big impression on him) and did some science. I enjoyed teaching the children science. NOW.. I have learned that even with two helpers that 14 children ages 6-8 in one classroom is a HUGE number of children to try to teach science to so I need to try to arrange that a bit better. smaller groups doing different things.
Then afterwards we went to the Western Fair. We had an enjoyable day. Hubby's knee has been bugging him a bit so that slowed us down a bit.
It was rather cool... they have this free children's play area. Tractors to drive, straw to jump into, a duck race, sunflower seed planting, tractor pull and a variety of other events. So the lad had a great deal of fun. We partially watched a cow calving, petted some pigs, ate cotton candy and caramel corn and corn dogs. Typical fair food. :)
We did miss the horse show, and the extreme canine show this year. We watched reptile ray. Man NOT a good show if you don't believe in evolution, but the information just about the reptiles he showed was quite interesting. I would rather he just talk about the reptiles and leave the evolutionary stuff at home.. cause what's the point? Is it to give a history (in his eyes) lesson or to talk about creatures he really enjoys being around?
It was fun. The lad learned about dinosaurs, had gym time (played a game called lemonade that made a big impression on him) and did some science. I enjoyed teaching the children science. NOW.. I have learned that even with two helpers that 14 children ages 6-8 in one classroom is a HUGE number of children to try to teach science to so I need to try to arrange that a bit better. smaller groups doing different things.
Then afterwards we went to the Western Fair. We had an enjoyable day. Hubby's knee has been bugging him a bit so that slowed us down a bit.
It was rather cool... they have this free children's play area. Tractors to drive, straw to jump into, a duck race, sunflower seed planting, tractor pull and a variety of other events. So the lad had a great deal of fun. We partially watched a cow calving, petted some pigs, ate cotton candy and caramel corn and corn dogs. Typical fair food. :)
We did miss the horse show, and the extreme canine show this year. We watched reptile ray. Man NOT a good show if you don't believe in evolution, but the information just about the reptiles he showed was quite interesting. I would rather he just talk about the reptiles and leave the evolutionary stuff at home.. cause what's the point? Is it to give a history (in his eyes) lesson or to talk about creatures he really enjoys being around?
Monarchs and Time lines
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Today the lad and I started to work on a timeline for the history of transportation. We got up to 1620. he was quite surprised at what is considered part of transportation.
We got bogged down looking for pics so decided to do a short cut and just look for pics online, which led to me being reminded about the Butterfly Conservancy homeschool thing this afternoon.... SO....RUSH RUSH RUSH but we got there 3 minutes early. The lad had a hoot. :)
He fell asleep on the way home.
Jenn who ran the program suggested Journey North for more information on the Monarch. Here's the link to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. The lad was quite intrigued by the birds that ran around the butterfly house. He even helped to tag a butterfly. Our Butterfly is NAW 325. We'll be able to look in the spring at Monarch Watch to see if he (yes it's a male) made it all the way to Mexico for the winter. Mind...that all depends if anyone finds him and his tag. :)
We got bogged down looking for pics so decided to do a short cut and just look for pics online, which led to me being reminded about the Butterfly Conservancy homeschool thing this afternoon.... SO....RUSH RUSH RUSH but we got there 3 minutes early. The lad had a hoot. :)
He fell asleep on the way home.
Jenn who ran the program suggested Journey North for more information on the Monarch. Here's the link to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. The lad was quite intrigued by the birds that ran around the butterfly house. He even helped to tag a butterfly. Our Butterfly is NAW 325. We'll be able to look in the spring at Monarch Watch to see if he (yes it's a male) made it all the way to Mexico for the winter. Mind...that all depends if anyone finds him and his tag. :)
Doing more with Transportation
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Car Spelling Song
On the road to Spelling
When teaching it is important to use as many senses as possible. Here is a way to use music to practice spelling words.
"Car, Bus, Van" song (Tune: Jingle Bells)
C-A-R, C-A-R that's how you spell car
B-U-S, B-U-S that's how you spell bus
V-A-N, V-A-N that's how you spell van
Transportation helps us, I hope you understand!
Sing the song several times so they feel successful and can spell the words.
"Car, Bus, Van" song (Tune: Jingle Bells)
C-A-R, C-A-R that's how you spell car
B-U-S, B-U-S that's how you spell bus
V-A-N, V-A-N that's how you spell van
Transportation helps us, I hope you understand!
Sing the song several times so they feel successful and can spell the words.
Car Play with Ramps
Help your child set up a ramp and watch the cars go.
1. Which cars go faster?
2. Which cars go further?
3. What happens when you change the angle of the ramp?
4. What happens when you change the surface of the ramp?
I asked questions such as.. if you were going to divide your cars into teams, what teams would they be on? Why? How many do you have that are cars? trucks? how many of blue or orange or ??? We weighed them to see if that would help determine who went the fastest. We guessed how would go the fastest. we experimented with ways to "protect" the boulders.
suggestion by the author: If you take digital pictures you can turn this experience into a book. Have your child help to label the pictures and soon he will be able to read his own book.
Forms of Transportation
we started to make a time line of transportation. I'll use this link as a idea place. :)We started with walking, and progressed to swimming. :) (yes I know that's not an official mode of transportation, but YOU try convincing a six year old that it's not a valid form of getting around?). :)
We did a thing with links... figuring out solutions to problems using links and clues given. It was interesting how it all turned out.
others in this series
day one airplanes
planning to do airplanes
Blog roll call
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A couple of posts in the realm of homeschooling that I liked.
1. because it is so true of a variety of things in life. This one pertains to homeschooling, but as with anything, the wrong expectations can net you an outcome you didn't anticipate.
Homeschool blindspots.
2. 1+1+1=1 this post just made me smile today.
back to homeschool 2011/2012
1. because it is so true of a variety of things in life. This one pertains to homeschooling, but as with anything, the wrong expectations can net you an outcome you didn't anticipate.
Homeschool blindspots.
2. 1+1+1=1 this post just made me smile today.
back to homeschool 2011/2012
Monarchs and drawing
We have a monarch actively hatching right now! It's just TOO cool. :) Both hatched and have since been released! :) It was very exciting to watch. It's amazing how quickly they go from wrinkled to full wings.
The chrysalis when first made.
they got dark..pretty cool eh?
both Monarchs.
This was just fun.
We put them outside so when they were ready to leave they could.
The last one was gone by 6 p.m.
Worked on some work books.
we finished "Thinking Skills"
We did a few pages in Complete Canadian Curriculum 1
we practiced our alphabet again using blue clues flap cards
Read some poems and then got inspired to draw a picture of what one of the poems was about. It was rather fun to talk and draw and think.
Went for a walk. Brought a sock back to a friend, and then stayed for tea. On the walk there we gained a male mosquito and a caterpillar of some sort. :)
Dug some potatoes.
And made decisions about supper. We had roast pork, carrots and pasta.
I can tell the lad is quite a bit better from his earache but he's not all the way back yet. I am looking forward to the day when he is all better.
The chrysalis when first made.
they got dark..pretty cool eh?
the wrinkled just out stage
both Monarchs.
This was just fun.
We put them outside so when they were ready to leave they could.
The last one was gone by 6 p.m.
we finished "Thinking Skills"
We did a few pages in Complete Canadian Curriculum 1
we practiced our alphabet again using blue clues flap cards
Read some poems and then got inspired to draw a picture of what one of the poems was about. It was rather fun to talk and draw and think.
Went for a walk. Brought a sock back to a friend, and then stayed for tea. On the walk there we gained a male mosquito and a caterpillar of some sort. :)
Dug some potatoes.
And made decisions about supper. We had roast pork, carrots and pasta.
I can tell the lad is quite a bit better from his earache but he's not all the way back yet. I am looking forward to the day when he is all better.
Starting to school properly this week :)
Monday, September 12, 2011
This morning we played an alphabet game and we went through, do you recognize this letter? He got all but 5 of the 26 letters of the alphabet. Not sure why he struggles with G, K, W, D, and N. but he does. He struggled with them last year as well.
For the alphabet we used the flashcards we had on had (though he's a bit beyond blue's clues we had them so we used them).
I just took random cards and asked him what they were and if he didn't get them just put them in a separate pile. then I took those eight cards and lay them out and got "OH.. that's "E" and we were left with these five that "I just don't have a clue mommy, I can't remember that one, My brain is all confused mommy." I said "that's okay buddy, just means we get to practice more.". :)
Then I had him put the cards in alphabetic order and he did pretty good with that with having to use our alphabet chart on the back of the door a bit. In time he won't be able to use the "cheat sheet". :) but for now, with a boy still recovering from an ear ache, I'll go with what I got.
We also did three pages in one workbook, and two pages in another one. Mostly we worked on math type sheets.
The complete book of numbers and counting
My heavenly Helper
Kumon, my Book of numbers 1-120
We played battle for 15 minutes. Then the lad gathered up random dishes so they could be washed, I planted some things out in the garden (parsley and radish) and then folded a load of laundry.
Then off to town for the afternoon/evening. The lad enjoyed spending time with gramma and going to gymnastics.
For the alphabet we used the flashcards we had on had (though he's a bit beyond blue's clues we had them so we used them).
I just took random cards and asked him what they were and if he didn't get them just put them in a separate pile. then I took those eight cards and lay them out and got "OH.. that's "E" and we were left with these five that "I just don't have a clue mommy, I can't remember that one, My brain is all confused mommy." I said "that's okay buddy, just means we get to practice more.". :)Then I had him put the cards in alphabetic order and he did pretty good with that with having to use our alphabet chart on the back of the door a bit. In time he won't be able to use the "cheat sheet". :) but for now, with a boy still recovering from an ear ache, I'll go with what I got.
We also did three pages in one workbook, and two pages in another one. Mostly we worked on math type sheets.
The complete book of numbers and counting
My heavenly Helper
Kumon, my Book of numbers 1-120
We played battle for 15 minutes. Then the lad gathered up random dishes so they could be washed, I planted some things out in the garden (parsley and radish) and then folded a load of laundry.
Then off to town for the afternoon/evening. The lad enjoyed spending time with gramma and going to gymnastics.
Today's Efforts
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Started reading magic tree house the rain forest. the lad is enjoying this book though he thought we'd start reading a hardy boy book.
Played Farm Sounds. I have a cd with bingo type cards produced by myactivemind, which is a company that seems to no longer be in service. We got it at the dollar store. The lad had fun playing it though we had to have the sound turned up as his ears aren't working the best right now.
did some work in books as well.
kumon counting - so nice to see him better than where we left off in the fall. :)
Jesus heavenly friend - needed a bit of help with the alphabet dot to dot, could say it, but couldn't remember what some of the letters looked like
and a math skills book - did an excellent job on this.
then we played battle until my body said.. GET UP OFF THIS FLOOR! :) But by then it was time for the lad to chill out for a while again. Earaches are NOT fun things to deal with.
the afternoon was taken up with canning applesauce and watching mammoths and the ice age, we also watched Astro Boy - which provoked all sorts of questions about what the future world could possibly look like. :)
Played Farm Sounds. I have a cd with bingo type cards produced by myactivemind, which is a company that seems to no longer be in service. We got it at the dollar store. The lad had fun playing it though we had to have the sound turned up as his ears aren't working the best right now.
did some work in books as well.
kumon counting - so nice to see him better than where we left off in the fall. :)
Jesus heavenly friend - needed a bit of help with the alphabet dot to dot, could say it, but couldn't remember what some of the letters looked like
and a math skills book - did an excellent job on this.
then we played battle until my body said.. GET UP OFF THIS FLOOR! :) But by then it was time for the lad to chill out for a while again. Earaches are NOT fun things to deal with.
the afternoon was taken up with canning applesauce and watching mammoths and the ice age, we also watched Astro Boy - which provoked all sorts of questions about what the future world could possibly look like. :)
We Choose Virtues
Monday, September 05, 2011
We Choose Virtues is a company that makes a quality product. They focus on providing materials that help parents/teachers teach their children virtues.
The Crafty Classroom is hosting a giveway of their products, and give an extra entry for blogging about it, so here I am. :)
I have to admit to having mixed feelings about a curriculum that teaches virtues.
On one hand I see it as a helpful tool for people to use to teach character to their children.
BUT on the other hand... with good biblical training doesn't one teach these character traits as one lives life?
So it's a mixed bag for me. The helpfulness on the one hand in promoting vs the taking away from the parental responsibility to simply train as one lives life. It seems schoolish to me. As in the public school actually have built curriculums to teach character in the school system because so many parents are working and abdicating some of their responsibilities in this regard.
I don't tend to see homeschooling parents doing this. We're with our children mostly all the time so it's hard for us to let that sort of thing slip.
But on the other hand... it is an aid. And should aids be shunned? or merely carefully examined?
A mixed bag. I haven't made up my mind.
What do you all think?
The Crafty Classroom is hosting a giveway of their products, and give an extra entry for blogging about it, so here I am. :)
I have to admit to having mixed feelings about a curriculum that teaches virtues.
On one hand I see it as a helpful tool for people to use to teach character to their children.
BUT on the other hand... with good biblical training doesn't one teach these character traits as one lives life?
So it's a mixed bag for me. The helpfulness on the one hand in promoting vs the taking away from the parental responsibility to simply train as one lives life. It seems schoolish to me. As in the public school actually have built curriculums to teach character in the school system because so many parents are working and abdicating some of their responsibilities in this regard.
I don't tend to see homeschooling parents doing this. We're with our children mostly all the time so it's hard for us to let that sort of thing slip.
But on the other hand... it is an aid. And should aids be shunned? or merely carefully examined?
A mixed bag. I haven't made up my mind.
What do you all think?
TOS has things to help with homeschooling
From September 1 to September 5, they're offering resources that will help you save time cooking, cleaning, organizing your home, running your home, and teaching your children. Some products are discounted up to 50%! You'll even find labor savers that will get your kids working too!
Relief is at your fingertips. Don't put it off. Order today. These great deals only last until September 5 at 11 p.m. EDT.
They have a variety of planners.
Have you had the chance to look at their newly released 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planners yet? Plan for another great year with The 2011-2012 Schoolhouse Planner, the brand-new 2011-12 Special Needs Schoolhouse Planner, and our 2011-12 Student Schoolhouse Planners for students in kindergarten to high school. Planners are now available on CD or in E-Book format!
Erase the frazzled feel of disorganization with the 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planners and bring order and efficiency to your school year. Packed with relevant articles, clever calendars, useful forms, handy lists and so much more, this planner is the key to meeting your many goals for the 2011-12 school year.
Children from kindergarten to high school are learning the ropes of organizing their own schedules. Choose the Primary, Intermediate or High School Schoolhouse Planner and watch them build their educational adventures with ease.
Don't forget a Mom's best friend, The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner, packed full of forms, lists, and resources to organize every aspect of your school and home!
Learn more about the NEW planners by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine here .
did you know that if you subscribe to the magazine that you get free access to the teachers toolbox? that's means every month you get access to new menu plans, printable activities, daily activity ideas and more?
Currently TOS is having a warehouse wipeout sale
While supplies last You can snag a box filled with these goodies from their overflowing shelves . . .
SEVEN different TOS back issues ($69.30 value)
Homeschooling with Heart tote bag ($24.95 value)
Surprise bonus gift(s)--click here to learn how to receive up to 5 bonus gifts
Free Shipping ($10.50 value)
$104.75+ worth of products and what it takes to mail them for ONLY $39 US/$49 CA
You will want to snatch a box before it's too late or purchhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gifase several for gifts!
They even have a cheapy section! :) Everybody loves a good deal! They have almost 300 of them waiting for your readers to explore and possibly purchase.
if you click on the banner below you will be linked to an interactive catalogue.
Relief is at your fingertips. Don't put it off. Order today. These great deals only last until September 5 at 11 p.m. EDT.
They have a variety of planners.
Have you had the chance to look at their newly released 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planners yet? Plan for another great year with The 2011-2012 Schoolhouse Planner, the brand-new 2011-12 Special Needs Schoolhouse Planner, and our 2011-12 Student Schoolhouse Planners for students in kindergarten to high school. Planners are now available on CD or in E-Book format!
Erase the frazzled feel of disorganization with the 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planners and bring order and efficiency to your school year. Packed with relevant articles, clever calendars, useful forms, handy lists and so much more, this planner is the key to meeting your many goals for the 2011-12 school year.
Children from kindergarten to high school are learning the ropes of organizing their own schedules. Choose the Primary, Intermediate or High School Schoolhouse Planner and watch them build their educational adventures with ease.
Don't forget a Mom's best friend, The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner, packed full of forms, lists, and resources to organize every aspect of your school and home!
Learn more about the NEW planners by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine
Currently TOS is having a warehouse wipeout sale
SEVEN different TOS back issues ($69.30 value)
Homeschooling with Heart tote bag ($24.95 value)
Surprise bonus gift(s)--click here to learn how to receive up to 5 bonus gifts
Free Shipping ($10.50 value)
$104.75+ worth of products and what it takes to mail them for ONLY $39 US/$49 CA
You will want to snatch a box before it's too late or purchhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gifase several for gifts!
They even have a cheapy section! :) Everybody loves a good deal! They have almost 300 of them waiting for your readers to explore and possibly purchase.
if you click on the banner below you will be linked to an interactive catalogue.
Monarch into Chrysallis
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Check out this youtube video.
Both monarchs that we have are going exploring. The one is currently hanging, the other is looking for a place to be safe. We're having to keep a close eye on that one.
Hopefully in seven to 10 days we'll have a couple of butterflies to watch! :)
our previous attempts at Monarchs failed, so we're thrilled that this one appears to be working.
Both monarchs that we have are going exploring. The one is currently hanging, the other is looking for a place to be safe. We're having to keep a close eye on that one.
Hopefully in seven to 10 days we'll have a couple of butterflies to watch! :)
our previous attempts at Monarchs failed, so we're thrilled that this one appears to be working.
actually doing day one airplanes
Working from our plans this is how our day went.
NOTE: I had a lad with bad tonsils, who can't hold down food today.
We started out watching the five part series of the wright brothers on YouTube. I chose the animated version as it had short snippets that we could stop and talk about what we learned before watching the next in the series.
here is part two
We learned about their main rival in Alberto Santos-Dumont.
Santos-Dumont he was a rival to the wright brothers to see who would be the first to build an airplane. :) The lad was quite fascinated by him and asked tons of questions so we researched him for a while. (a bit of a rabbit trail that). :)
we read through the beginning of flight.
the lad liked this one:
and this one caused lots of questions to be asked as it looks quite different than the others we saw
we spent a great deal of time on the Canadian Wings site. Rather fascinating to watch the changes in how aircraft developed. and the wright brothers museum was quite interesting as well. I read through the encyclopedia on the wright brothers but the lad was getting wiggly at this point. So we closed our computer time by learning all the different TYPES of aircraft and doing our copy work. I am hoping later to find some pictures of different aircraft and making a small lapbook book with the lad.
Question: is there such a thing as a helicopter that is amphibian?
Does anyone know the answer to this question?
Thanks to the gals on facebook I have an answer to that question! YES! they make amphibous helicopters. Here's the wiki link.
We did our airplane sorting into
Fast planes, medium planes, helicopters and mommy's planes.
the fast planes are JET engines, the medium planes use propellors, and the helicopters are medium planes too but they are different because they are helicopters. :)
he also observed other ways that they are the same and different, good to see him learning and thinking.
and then we made a couple of planes and had a LOT of fun playing battle. :)
Carnival of homeschooling is posted
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
it's over at No fighting, no biting this week.
Transportation - Airplanes
The lad and I will be starting to learn about transportation tomorrow. It will be our "September theme". We won't be looking only at transportation as we will take side trips into things that interest us. But tomorrow.. PLANES!
1. we'll be building a sleath bomber and a camouflage airplane that we got at The Basics Shop.
2. We'll be watching the "wright brothers on youtube".
3. We'll be learning about the different types of modern aircraft.
see this site Soaring the Skies and Types of Airplanes and how many types are there? DIY. and probably to me the most helpful site.Types of Airplanes.
What else will we do?
4. I hope to have him do some counting.
How many planes can you find in your hot wheels collection?
5. Then have him do some sorting of them and explain why he sorted them the way he did.
6. We'll play battle because one can't build planes that can be used for battle without actually having a battle! :)
and that will be it for a first day of homeschool. Oh... we'll also do our normal.. we're back in school so let's go for a walk about. And if I can figure out how to build a rocket into the mix we'll do that do, Supercharged Science has one that looks to be fun to do.
1. we'll be building a sleath bomber and a camouflage airplane that we got at The Basics Shop.
2. We'll be watching the "wright brothers on youtube".
3. We'll be learning about the different types of modern aircraft.
see this site Soaring the Skies and Types of Airplanes and how many types are there? DIY. and probably to me the most helpful site.Types of Airplanes.
I used this site to make a copywork sheet. I used these words: Land planes, Seaplanes, Amphibians, Vertical Takeoff and Landing, Short Takeoff and Landing and Space Shuttle. I wasn't sure if I should do a trace and write, or a copy and write...so I printed off one of each and it's all good. :)Airplanes vary greatly in the size, structure, engines, and purpose.
Airship/Balloon, Glider/Sailplane, Powered airplanes, Helicopter/Rotorcraft, Autogyro/Gyroplane, Fixed Wing Bi-planes, Fixed Wing Monoplanes
What else will we do?
4. I hope to have him do some counting.
How many planes can you find in your hot wheels collection?
5. Then have him do some sorting of them and explain why he sorted them the way he did.
6. We'll play battle because one can't build planes that can be used for battle without actually having a battle! :)
and that will be it for a first day of homeschool. Oh... we'll also do our normal.. we're back in school so let's go for a walk about. And if I can figure out how to build a rocket into the mix we'll do that do, Supercharged Science has one that looks to be fun to do.
Toads
Monday, August 29, 2011
Toads are the subject of fascination for a boy child lately.
We went to the Pinery yesterday for lunch and a bit of a walk about. At lunch we sat near a pit in the ground. It had several young toads in it. the lad caught six in total. one escaped due to my ineptitude. Two were released for being too big.
The remaining three were put into a larger bottle and carried with us on our walk.
Somehow on out trip home the bottle got on a tilt or lay flat and two of the three escaped. We recaptured one of them.
Those two discovered the "joys" of a new home. :)
hard at work setting things up
The end result.
One relatively content toad.
Tonight they were joined by one much bigger toad captured on a "toad" walk with gramma. Tomorrow morning the lad will totally reorganize the aquarium, but as long the toads are healthy it's all good. Boys are meant to play with small critters aren't they?
These tears I hate: Tears when a boy learns something in a very hard way.
Since these toads are tiny I put a little apple cider vinegar in a container to attract fruit flies. The flies came, the little toads were happy. The lad thought GREAT! I'll dip the toad in the vinegar to help bring flies right to the toad. We then all learned that toads plus apple cider vinegar equals a very quickly dead toad (so dead his tongue came out). Many tears from my soft-hearted son. Much sadness from his mommy at this hard lesson to learn...hard for all. We don't want to kill the toads...we want to learn from them and see what works to keep them healthy and happy.
Organization of my school year
Sunday, August 28, 2011
the carnival of homeschooling has a theme for this week of
So for the past two weeks I've been working on organizing my schooling. I only have one student so that makes it easier for me.
Monday is hubby's day off so we don't do a whole lot that day. In the mornings before we leave we'll be doing some math and then in the evening he has gymnastics.
For the rest of the week there will be some things that we do daily.
like Read for 1/2 hour, do chores, and go out for at least 1/2 hour of exercise.
Tuesday will be our science day also with some book work.
Wednesday we'll do some more math but our focus will be on Art.
Thursday we'll work on unit studies that we get from Amanda Bennett (we do reviewing for them). And it will also be our Field Trip day.
Friday we'll work on whatever we want to do as well as look at geography, history of the various topics we'll be using as a base for study.
I LOVE doing things around a base of study.
September: Transportation
October: Continents of the World
November: Canada
December: Christmas, extra Science
January: Snow, winter
February: Character Studies
March: Pioneers
April: Construction
May: Insects
June: Rocks, Archaelogy etc
Within all of this we'll do history, English, spelling, memory work, Geography and what not.
Now like anything the best laid plans can be lead astray or changed, but.. we'll work on things and see how it goes.
all about logistics: the organizing of your day, week, and year in terms of homeschooling, extracurricular activities, and everything else that you fit into your life.The basic plan that I use with homeschooling is to so as much of it for free as I can. So we do a much on the computer as we can, or using books that I've picked up from here and there, as well as quite a bit of oral work. I assume that over time I'll to do more paperwork, but for now he's six and if I can ask him in his head what 1 + 6 is and get seven for a verbal answer it's all good. We'll be going to the library more often this year I hope, like every other week or so. I plan to use extensively a variety of links that I've listed over here as well as utilizing the work of this site.
So for the past two weeks I've been working on organizing my schooling. I only have one student so that makes it easier for me.
Monday is hubby's day off so we don't do a whole lot that day. In the mornings before we leave we'll be doing some math and then in the evening he has gymnastics.
For the rest of the week there will be some things that we do daily.
like Read for 1/2 hour, do chores, and go out for at least 1/2 hour of exercise.
Tuesday will be our science day also with some book work.
Wednesday we'll do some more math but our focus will be on Art.
Thursday we'll work on unit studies that we get from Amanda Bennett (we do reviewing for them). And it will also be our Field Trip day.
Friday we'll work on whatever we want to do as well as look at geography, history of the various topics we'll be using as a base for study.
I LOVE doing things around a base of study.
September: Transportation
October: Continents of the World
November: Canada
December: Christmas, extra Science
January: Snow, winter
February: Character Studies
March: Pioneers
April: Construction
May: Insects
June: Rocks, Archaelogy etc
Within all of this we'll do history, English, spelling, memory work, Geography and what not.
Now like anything the best laid plans can be lead astray or changed, but.. we'll work on things and see how it goes.
question of the day: how long do yellow jacket's live?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
We have a yellow jacket living in our house. He buzzed us while doing the dishes.
He got away.
My lad who is somewhat concerned about getting stung asked "how long do yellow jacket's live?" I said.. I have no clue, shall we look it up?
We learned that MOST of them only live for the summer BUT the queen hibernates over the winter and she is the one who chooses where the next years colony will live.
Source: backyard Brigade and other internet sources that confirmed what Backyard said. :)
He got away.
My lad who is somewhat concerned about getting stung asked "how long do yellow jacket's live?" I said.. I have no clue, shall we look it up?
We learned that MOST of them only live for the summer BUT the queen hibernates over the winter and she is the one who chooses where the next years colony will live.
Source: backyard Brigade and other internet sources that confirmed what Backyard said. :)
Finally... we know what it is :)
My thanks to homeschool freebie of the day for linking to this site! we were finally able to identify the caterpillars that keep dying on us!
unlike the sycamore and hickory tussock moths, this one is the pale tussock moth. and these guys eat oak, birch, lime and hop leaves.
Other sites they linked to today were BugGuide and What's that Bug.
Catapult and Paper Airplanes
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Today on Supercharged Science we learned about catapults. Learning about making a fulcrum. We had fun putting a ping pong ball into the air. :)
We wanted to experiment with making different types of catapults and changing the basic style, but we found that pretty much a no go since we ran out of elastics.
We also made paper airplanes.
We've made paper airplanes before...but this time they actually WORKED! It was a hoot. We had fun seeing if we could crash them into our van and into each other. We enjoyed watching the wind lift them. We had fun when they would crash into our flowers and get stuck.
We also spent a great deal of time playing with Lego. Overall a good day.
We wanted to experiment with making different types of catapults and changing the basic style, but we found that pretty much a no go since we ran out of elastics.
We also made paper airplanes.
We've made paper airplanes before...but this time they actually WORKED! It was a hoot. We had fun seeing if we could crash them into our van and into each other. We enjoyed watching the wind lift them. We had fun when they would crash into our flowers and get stuck.
We also spent a great deal of time playing with Lego. Overall a good day.
question of the day: how many birds can't fly?
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Why do you ask?
http://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Blu, in the video Rio, says that there are 40 birds that can't fly.
I looked it up and found the there are NINE birds that can't fly.
Being challenged by my son, I looked into this further and discovered the Blu is sorta correct. :) Answers.com gives us this.
http://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Blu, in the video Rio, says that there are 40 birds that can't fly.
I looked it up and found the there are NINE birds that can't fly.
Being challenged by my son, I looked into this further and discovered the Blu is sorta correct. :) Answers.com gives us this.
Answer: NOTE: 6 are extinct. removing those ones, I counted 35 but two of them are NEARLY flightless. So there you have the question of the day answered.
Ratites
Ostrich
Emu
Cassowaries
Kiwis
Rheas
Podicipediformes (Grebes)
Junin Flightless Grebe
Titicaca Flightless Grebe
Pelicaniformes (Pelicans, Cormorants, et al)
Flightless Cormorant
Sphenisciformes (Penguins)
Penguins
Anseriformes (Waterfowl)
Magellanic Flightless Steamer Duck
Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck
White-headed Flightless Steamer Duck
Auckland Island Teal
Campbell Island Teal
Gruiformes (Cranes, Rails)
Woodford's Rail (probably flightless)
Weka
New Caledonian Rail
Lord Howe Woodhen
Calayan Rail
New Britain Rail
Guam Rail
Roviana Rail ("flightless, or nearly so" [Taylor 1998])
Snoring Rail
Inaccessible Island Rail
Henderson Island Crake
Invisible Rail
New Guinea Flightless Rail
Takahe
Samoan Wood Rail
Makira Wood Rail
Gough Island Moorhen
Kagu
Tasmanian Native-hen
Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Kakapo
Broad-billed Parrot (extinct)
Columbiformes (Pigeons, Doves)
Dodo (extinct)
Rodrigues Solitaire (extinct)
Viti Levu Giant Pigeon (extinct)
Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars)
New Zealand Owlet-nightjar (extinct)
Passeriformes (Perching Birds)
Stephens Island Wren (extinct)
Galliformes (Wildfowl)
Silkie
Domestic turkey
Ostrich
Emu
Cassowaries
Kiwis
Rheas
Podicipediformes (Grebes)
Junin Flightless Grebe
Titicaca Flightless Grebe
Pelicaniformes (Pelicans, Cormorants, et al)
Flightless Cormorant
Sphenisciformes (Penguins)
Penguins
Anseriformes (Waterfowl)
Magellanic Flightless Steamer Duck
Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck
White-headed Flightless Steamer Duck
Auckland Island Teal
Campbell Island Teal
Gruiformes (Cranes, Rails)
Woodford's Rail (probably flightless)
Weka
New Caledonian Rail
Lord Howe Woodhen
Calayan Rail
New Britain Rail
Guam Rail
Roviana Rail ("flightless, or nearly so" [Taylor 1998])
Snoring Rail
Inaccessible Island Rail
Henderson Island Crake
Invisible Rail
New Guinea Flightless Rail
Takahe
Samoan Wood Rail
Makira Wood Rail
Gough Island Moorhen
Kagu
Tasmanian Native-hen
Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Kakapo
Broad-billed Parrot (extinct)
Columbiformes (Pigeons, Doves)
Dodo (extinct)
Rodrigues Solitaire (extinct)
Viti Levu Giant Pigeon (extinct)
Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars)
New Zealand Owlet-nightjar (extinct)
Passeriformes (Perching Birds)
Stephens Island Wren (extinct)
Galliformes (Wildfowl)
Silkie
Domestic turkey
Woot Woot! he was independent!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
My six year was DYING to do an experiment.
I had no protracted time to help him.
I found the site the experiment was on and said here it is.
He did it!
He was VERY happy to have learned how to turn a motor on. And then he went on to learn how to make a dimmer switch. :)
Pretty cool huh? :)
I had no protracted time to help him.
I found the site the experiment was on and said here it is.
He did it!
He was VERY happy to have learned how to turn a motor on. And then he went on to learn how to make a dimmer switch. :)
Pretty cool huh? :)
Electricity
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
We joined the E-science camp from Supercharged Science for the summer.
We haven't done a whole lot with it since it takes a bit of time. BUT this week and next we plan to do some things with it. make it worth our while.
We've gotten good ideas for a number of experiments though and I need to find the time to jot down the information for the ones we want to do before our time runs out!
anyways, today we did Electricity. We did a number of experiments using two batteries, alligator clips, a buzzer, led lights and what not. I tried to make a propellor for the small motor we have but that didn't work out so well.
The lad had a HOOT.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him teach his dad some of the things he learned today. They both seemed to enjoy their time together. I really wish I had the foresight to get my camera out. But it was fun listening to him teach, and watching his excitement.
Aurora does these videos that go step by step what the children are to do in each experiment. She encourages them to be safe. And she encourages them to have fun while learning what they need to learn. and it's OKAY to experiment and not have it all work out. :)
He learned to complete a circuit, to test for conductivity (one test was very complicated with a transformer), to make a buzzer work, to learn about open switches and what not. Lots of to learn, very sequential learning.
Is he ready 'mentally' for some of what he does? ah...no. but is he experimenting? yes. Is he learning the language? Yes. Is he learning to be safe and to follow instructions? definitely. He is learning the science and experimentation is a good thing? for sure! :)
We haven't done a whole lot with it since it takes a bit of time. BUT this week and next we plan to do some things with it. make it worth our while.
We've gotten good ideas for a number of experiments though and I need to find the time to jot down the information for the ones we want to do before our time runs out!
anyways, today we did Electricity. We did a number of experiments using two batteries, alligator clips, a buzzer, led lights and what not. I tried to make a propellor for the small motor we have but that didn't work out so well.
The lad had a HOOT.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him teach his dad some of the things he learned today. They both seemed to enjoy their time together. I really wish I had the foresight to get my camera out. But it was fun listening to him teach, and watching his excitement.
Aurora does these videos that go step by step what the children are to do in each experiment. She encourages them to be safe. And she encourages them to have fun while learning what they need to learn. and it's OKAY to experiment and not have it all work out. :)
He learned to complete a circuit, to test for conductivity (one test was very complicated with a transformer), to make a buzzer work, to learn about open switches and what not. Lots of to learn, very sequential learning.
Is he ready 'mentally' for some of what he does? ah...no. but is he experimenting? yes. Is he learning the language? Yes. Is he learning to be safe and to follow instructions? definitely. He is learning the science and experimentation is a good thing? for sure! :)
Octopus camouflage
this is simply too cool.
The lad's end comment "so camoflage is just fooling what's looking at you?"
caterpillars
Monday, August 15, 2011
The lad has a thing for caterpillars lately. :)
we've found three SYCAMORE TUSSOCK MOTH. They died on us. We need to figure out what they eat so they don't die next time.
they apparently eat the leaves of sycamore trees. interesting. But we put leaves in with them from where we found them. I guess I need to learn how to identify a sycamore tree. :)
we've also had these for a short time. HICKORY TUSSOCK MOTH. They escaped though. :)
Found the caterpillars at this site.
we've found three SYCAMORE TUSSOCK MOTH. They died on us. We need to figure out what they eat so they don't die next time.
they apparently eat the leaves of sycamore trees. interesting. But we put leaves in with them from where we found them. I guess I need to learn how to identify a sycamore tree. :)
we've also had these for a short time. HICKORY TUSSOCK MOTH. They escaped though. :)
Found the caterpillars at this site.
Monarch butterflies
Thursday, August 11, 2011
this is Chris.
he is a monarch butterfly.
we found his egg while camping.
He seems like a nice 'lad' (not that I know if he is a lad or not, but the lad we have is enjoying watching him grow).
We've successfully hatched out into adult stage a white Moth in the past, so we're hoping to be successful with Chris the monarch as well.
This site is helpful in teaching more about monarchs.
We're finding it an interesting experience. We lost one monarch egg to ants, we lost another when we changed out the leaves (they didn't transition well), so we're hopeful that this time will be more successful. Time will indeed tell.
That lad is VERY much into capturing caterpillars lately and seeing if we can get them to change into moths and butterflies lately.
His latest capture was a fuzzy red caterpillar that poops/pees and runs VERY fast when you attempt to catch him. It's was quite the achievement for the lad to catch him. We've never had another caterpillar do that so it was quite the learning experience.
Some caterpillars we've learned don't handle capture well so we don't catch them. Some will just up and die. Others within a day or two will pupate. Others just wander and seem to do well in captivity. It's been educational to say the least.
Free Magazine
Friday, July 29, 2011
If you’ve never seen The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, this is your chance to read it for free.
Totally free, go check it out. :)
While you are there, don't forget to check out their schoolhouse planners. Get your year off to a good start! :) The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planner and our 2011-12 Student Schoolhouse Planners are for students in kindergarten to high school. Planners are available on CD or in E-Book format!
Library books - july 2011
Sunday, July 03, 2011
our library books are due back tomorrow so I thought I'd comment on what we took out.
non-fiction
Your body's heroes and Villains by Norbert Landa
this book was MUCH too complicated for a five year old lad. The pictures inspired some good questions, and led to me reading and summarizing for him. But not quite what I had hoped for. :(
The Best book of bikes - amy pinchuk
Excellent overview of biking. Good illustrations, easily summarized or read text. worked well for the lad.
Norwegian Forest Cats - nancy furstinger
CATS! what more could a boy child want! lots of pictures, lots of "nice cat mommy, I like that one!"
Near Myths Dug Up and Dusted off - robert kraus
I have to admit.. I wasn't sure what to think of this book. Was it fiction? Was it fact? I don't know my mythology well enough. the lad was ambivalent was about the kindest thing I could say. It was done poetry style which would appeal to some, but didn't strike a cord with us.
Questions and Answers about Seashore Animals - michael chinery
the lad thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looked through it quite a few times. learned lots, asked questions, pointed out what he knew and volunteered information to his dad. :) nice to have that with a book.
Hummingbirds - peter murray
I liked this book, and it had some facts that intrigued the boy. Granted it didn't really have a fair shake as we read it when the lad was unwell and very very tired.
Fiction
Winston the book wolf - marni mcgee and ian beck
this book quickly became a favourite despite not having a cat in it. I liked the play on a fairy tale, the lad just liked the story about the wolf learning to read and fooling the librarians. :)
Kindergarten Kids - Stephanie Calmerson
This book was fun and interactive. The lad often picked it out as a book of choice. It was just a pleasure to read and have the give and take with a boy child and book.
Gracie Goat's Big Bike Race - Erin mirabella
Good book. Graphics worked well with the story line. just a nice book to read. the only quarrel I have with it is that in the fact section of the book it referred to something in the story line that just wasn't there. But overall an excellent book. the lad enjoyed this book and asked tons of questions while reading it.
The Song of Francis and the Animals - Pat mora woodcuts
I did NOT like this book, but the lad did. Unusual in that. Usually we dislike the same books, but this one he liked. So not sure what to say about it. He liked it and learned abit about Francis of Assissi.
Tacky and the Winter Games - Helen lester
The lad enjoyed this book, I loved reading it. It was fun to follow the antics of Tacky. He even inspired stories by the lad in Bunny Town. It was fun to listen to what he came up with. Just a nice, solid story for a lad. Full of foolishness, and yet coming through in the end. :)
Oww! michael rosen and jonathan langley
A fun read. It was made more difficult for me in that the lad (who loves the game angry birds) has this thing about saying the word PIG. it has to spelled out P I G otherwise the birds set off bombs. So I often would change how the story was written a bit just to avoid spelling P I G or much worse...saying PIG. But a good story, an enjoyable story with animals working together and an unexpected help in the end of it all. This also got added into the bunny town stories of the lad.
Norma Snows - paula metcalf
this story grew on me and the boy. First time we read it we though.. eh... nothing special. But then we read it again, and then again, and then again...until "NORMA SNOWS mommy! Let's read NORMA"! and so we read Norma.
Puddles - jonathan London
Just a fun read for a boy who TOTALLY understood this book and the fun of puddles after a rain fall. :) Excellent graphics which inspired conversation.
Whatever you do, Don't go near that Canoe! = julie lawson
for whatever reason it took us a little bit of time to figure out this book and the characters in it. but once we did so, it became a good read. It made us wonder about what would or could happen next.......
The Foxwood Regatta - cynthia and Brian paterson
and so we entered the boat building phase of our lives. Boats, boats and more boats. We built them, we sunk them (just one), we want to have a play date of boat building. This book thoroughly captured the boat building imagination of one five year old boy.
No Room for Napoleon - Adria Meserve
not a bad book at all to read. Why was he so bossy? Why wouldn't he let them play? environmental themes, sharing, caring, learning are all themes in this book. It was a good read. ...but what about that cat?
Oh Tucker! - steven kroll
Oh I hated this book. Let me rephrase that.. I DISLIKED STRONGLY the dog and the family in this book and I made a point of saying this is NOT how a dog should behave! this is a BAD dog and a family that doesn't know how to train a dog. Dogs should NOT behave this badly. That said.. the lad certainly enjoyed reading a certain word over and over and over again in this book. So.. the reading part I liked. The rest well... I hated Tucker. he was a BAD dog.
Put me in a Book - Robert munsch
good read, good questions, good book. Just a fun robert munsch book.
non-fiction
Your body's heroes and Villains by Norbert Landa
this book was MUCH too complicated for a five year old lad. The pictures inspired some good questions, and led to me reading and summarizing for him. But not quite what I had hoped for. :(
The Best book of bikes - amy pinchuk
Excellent overview of biking. Good illustrations, easily summarized or read text. worked well for the lad.
Norwegian Forest Cats - nancy furstinger
CATS! what more could a boy child want! lots of pictures, lots of "nice cat mommy, I like that one!"
Near Myths Dug Up and Dusted off - robert kraus
I have to admit.. I wasn't sure what to think of this book. Was it fiction? Was it fact? I don't know my mythology well enough. the lad was ambivalent was about the kindest thing I could say. It was done poetry style which would appeal to some, but didn't strike a cord with us.
Questions and Answers about Seashore Animals - michael chinery
the lad thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looked through it quite a few times. learned lots, asked questions, pointed out what he knew and volunteered information to his dad. :) nice to have that with a book.
Hummingbirds - peter murray
I liked this book, and it had some facts that intrigued the boy. Granted it didn't really have a fair shake as we read it when the lad was unwell and very very tired.
Fiction
Winston the book wolf - marni mcgee and ian beck
this book quickly became a favourite despite not having a cat in it. I liked the play on a fairy tale, the lad just liked the story about the wolf learning to read and fooling the librarians. :)
Kindergarten Kids - Stephanie Calmerson
This book was fun and interactive. The lad often picked it out as a book of choice. It was just a pleasure to read and have the give and take with a boy child and book.
Gracie Goat's Big Bike Race - Erin mirabella
Good book. Graphics worked well with the story line. just a nice book to read. the only quarrel I have with it is that in the fact section of the book it referred to something in the story line that just wasn't there. But overall an excellent book. the lad enjoyed this book and asked tons of questions while reading it.
The Song of Francis and the Animals - Pat mora woodcuts
I did NOT like this book, but the lad did. Unusual in that. Usually we dislike the same books, but this one he liked. So not sure what to say about it. He liked it and learned abit about Francis of Assissi.
Tacky and the Winter Games - Helen lester
The lad enjoyed this book, I loved reading it. It was fun to follow the antics of Tacky. He even inspired stories by the lad in Bunny Town. It was fun to listen to what he came up with. Just a nice, solid story for a lad. Full of foolishness, and yet coming through in the end. :)
Oww! michael rosen and jonathan langley
A fun read. It was made more difficult for me in that the lad (who loves the game angry birds) has this thing about saying the word PIG. it has to spelled out P I G otherwise the birds set off bombs. So I often would change how the story was written a bit just to avoid spelling P I G or much worse...saying PIG. But a good story, an enjoyable story with animals working together and an unexpected help in the end of it all. This also got added into the bunny town stories of the lad.
Norma Snows - paula metcalf
this story grew on me and the boy. First time we read it we though.. eh... nothing special. But then we read it again, and then again, and then again...until "NORMA SNOWS mommy! Let's read NORMA"! and so we read Norma.
Puddles - jonathan London
Just a fun read for a boy who TOTALLY understood this book and the fun of puddles after a rain fall. :) Excellent graphics which inspired conversation.
Whatever you do, Don't go near that Canoe! = julie lawson
for whatever reason it took us a little bit of time to figure out this book and the characters in it. but once we did so, it became a good read. It made us wonder about what would or could happen next.......
The Foxwood Regatta - cynthia and Brian paterson
and so we entered the boat building phase of our lives. Boats, boats and more boats. We built them, we sunk them (just one), we want to have a play date of boat building. This book thoroughly captured the boat building imagination of one five year old boy.
No Room for Napoleon - Adria Meserve
not a bad book at all to read. Why was he so bossy? Why wouldn't he let them play? environmental themes, sharing, caring, learning are all themes in this book. It was a good read. ...but what about that cat?
Oh Tucker! - steven kroll
Oh I hated this book. Let me rephrase that.. I DISLIKED STRONGLY the dog and the family in this book and I made a point of saying this is NOT how a dog should behave! this is a BAD dog and a family that doesn't know how to train a dog. Dogs should NOT behave this badly. That said.. the lad certainly enjoyed reading a certain word over and over and over again in this book. So.. the reading part I liked. The rest well... I hated Tucker. he was a BAD dog.
Put me in a Book - Robert munsch
good read, good questions, good book. Just a fun robert munsch book.
today... air pressure...
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Today we learned a bit about air pressure.
taken from this book:
hands on earth science activities for k-6 by marvin tolman
we took some straws.
we learned what happens when you combine the two and various ways of holding them.
this of course led to further experimentation with jack o lantern making supplies and the leftover potato......
we also watched a rocket video from Supercharged Science. We are part of their summer e-camp. It was "really cool mommy". Supercharged science does a really good job at even helping kindergarten/grade 1 students understand higher science as well. All that fire made a super impression on the lad. These things helped a lad keep occupied on a day he needed quieter things to amuse himself due a headachy mommy and a sick tummy on a lad.
taken from this book:
hands on earth science activities for k-6 by marvin tolman
we took some straws.
we took a potato.
one straw, one potato
one straw, one potato
we learned what happens when you combine the two and various ways of holding them.
IF you put your thumb over the end of the straw... it works like a spear!
this of course led to further experimentation with jack o lantern making supplies and the leftover potato......
we also watched a rocket video from Supercharged Science. We are part of their summer e-camp. It was "really cool mommy". Supercharged science does a really good job at even helping kindergarten/grade 1 students understand higher science as well. All that fire made a super impression on the lad. These things helped a lad keep occupied on a day he needed quieter things to amuse himself due a headachy mommy and a sick tummy on a lad.
4th of July Montessori Unit Study
Monday, June 27, 2011
4th of July
Montessori Unit Studyhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I don't have time to look through this all today. So saving here to check it out later.
Montessori Unit Studyhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I don't have time to look through this all today. So saving here to check it out later.
Tomarus Relictus
Monday, June 20, 2011
a while back we picked up a garden bugs of Ontario book.
I've learned over time it's not exhaustive as we find LOTS Of bugs in the garden that aren't in the book.
The lad caught this bug this morning and through searching the computer we were able to identify it. :)
he's gotten curious about bugs since Renee's children are into bugs and he's discovering they are rather cool. :)
Week update
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Tuesday we tried to pick up our new car. That didn't work so we spent some time with oma and papa, building with a new to the lad toy, having lunch and just spending family time. It was a good time all-round. :)
Wednesday and Thursday this week we've spent a good portion of our days outside. did some gardening, went for a nature walk at Wildwood conservation area. I have tons of pics but its late so I can add those another day. The lad had a hoot and even learned a thing or two. :) We did this walk as part of our time with HOPE. Took about two hours and was just a good learning and spending time with each other time. Played at the park for 10 minutes afterwards.
Thursday (that was today!) we um... what did we do.. the lad played out his time at Mad Science last week. Had a hoot with some bunnies...taught one that screaming when caught was just silliness... Dusty is a very easily started bunny and certainly likes to tell the world about it. played soccer this afternoon...mommy was the coach this week so that was different. and then when we got home to pulled rhubarb, played for a while, put bunnies back in cages. Came inside had snack and went to bed. (at least the lad did). Mommy was tired so just kept herself busy tonight.
Anyways, goodnight all!
Wednesday and Thursday this week we've spent a good portion of our days outside. did some gardening, went for a nature walk at Wildwood conservation area. I have tons of pics but its late so I can add those another day. The lad had a hoot and even learned a thing or two. :) We did this walk as part of our time with HOPE. Took about two hours and was just a good learning and spending time with each other time. Played at the park for 10 minutes afterwards.
Thursday (that was today!) we um... what did we do.. the lad played out his time at Mad Science last week. Had a hoot with some bunnies...taught one that screaming when caught was just silliness... Dusty is a very easily started bunny and certainly likes to tell the world about it. played soccer this afternoon...mommy was the coach this week so that was different. and then when we got home to pulled rhubarb, played for a while, put bunnies back in cages. Came inside had snack and went to bed. (at least the lad did). Mommy was tired so just kept herself busy tonight.
Anyways, goodnight all!
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