Letter B lapbook

I started with the base unit idea from Lapbook Lessons. But then "tweaked" it.

I added a bee poem/song (he put a line through all the b's)
I added a hand poem ... you know.. the types were your hands show that actions of the poem.
Then the DLTK's mini book on B

Used Enchanted Learning's B page to generate a pile of B words.


He did a couple of pages of copying out B's. This one, and then this one.

Oh, we also found what Justin thought was a VERY neat Letter B that he wanted to put on the front of his lapbook. It's all done in bricks. :) He wanted to be able to colour it, but we couldn't figure out (as in I couldn't figure out) how to do it so that he could. And I couldn't find something similar for him. So we went with what we could manage.



If I can I'll add pictures of the final product.

It took us the morning to get it done, but we had fun and he can now spell "b".

Did you know that the capital B is like a 3 with a line in front of it? Telling the lad that made it make SO much sense to him. :)

We added Duct tape to the outside of it so we could stick it into a binder. He wants to show gramma what he did! :)

TOS - homeschooler bundles

Hey! I just learned about these homeschooler bundles that TOS has put together. They sound like an excellent product to get!

New Homeschooler Bundles™ are on sale now in the Schoolhouse Store. Designed specifically for new homeschoolers, each Bundle provides a wealth of information and encouragement. Bundles are available in six different collections for Elementary, Middle School, High School, Preschool, Special Needs and Multi-level students.

The Old Schoolhouse® is committed to serving your bundles of joy who are growing up into fine boys and girls, men and women, and with that commitment in mind, we have an announcement of our own—the arrival of six New Homeschooler Bundles™, six collections of handpicked products and resources for brand-new homeschooling parents.

The team at The Old Schoolhouse® is here to reassure you, “Yes, you CAN do it!” We know you can, and God knows you can, or He wouldn’t have called you to this course of action. Your children are gifts from God, and we are firmly convinced—by the Scriptures—that God’s very best means of educating those children is at the hands of their Godly parents. That’s you.

Each of the New Homeschooler Bundles™ represents a value of at least $500,
but we are offering them to you for only $99!

Each of the New Homeschooler Bundles™ include the following items:
NEW, one-year TOS Magazine subscription plus current issue
1 Year TOS Magazine Digital Subscription
Winter 2006/07
E-Book: The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
Homeschooling with Heart Tote Bag--publisher's choice
Each of the New Homeschooler Bundles™ also includes several age-specific, educational, and inspirational E-books to assist you in your homeschool journey.

Select the Bundle that will best meet your needs (or select two or three Bundles of joy), and get busy! Scoop up these Bundles and begin to enjoy the fruit of others’ labor, others who have “been there and done that” and want to encourage you with their insights and wisdom, individuals whose roots have grown deep and strong.

Old Schoolhouse Expo

I bought the CD's to this event, not the tickets to the live event since I don't have the best of speakers on my computers. This way I can download and go to where I do have decent speakers. I think it sounds like a good event so go check it out.

Mark your calendars! The Schoolhouse Expo is quickly approaching.

Attendees will learn from fantastic speakers like:
Jon Taylor Gatto (keynote)
Dr. Jay Wile Todd Wilson
Diana Waring Carol Barnier
Andrew Pudewa Hal and Melanie Young
Zan Tyler Molly Green
Mary Jo Tate Karen “Spunky” Braun
Lee Binz Dianne Craft
Kim Kautzer Deborah Wuehler
Jeannie Fulbright Heidi St. John
Amanda Bennett Tricia Goyer

Attendees will also receive over $240 in E-book gift. Attendees also have a chance to win over 60 door prizes!

The Schoolhouse Expo will keep your ears busy with an incredible array of more than seventeen speakers for a fantastic, online, five-day audio feast! Covering a vast amount of information, you’ll hear about ways to improve your homeschool, ask your questions directly to the experts, and meet and chat with homeschooling parents from all over the world--all from the comfort of your home.

We bring the speakers right to you! It doesn't matter if you live in the states or internationally, you will benefit from the Schoolhouse Expo as you enjoy five days of interactive Internet experience with dynamic speakers, a virtual vendor hall, fabulous physical door prizes, and a virtual goodie bag filled with over 20 downloads for every attendee!

Are you flexible? We are! The Schoolhouse Expo lets you attend the sessions you choose and continue with your day-to-day schedule, while also offering the audio downloads of each session after the conference, so you can listen to every session at your convenience—repeatedly. The MP3 downloads are included in your ticket price. Never miss an important point. Remind yourself a year from now by reviewing the experience, and still receive the benefit of years of experience shared by amazing presenters throughout the Expo—both homeschool heroes and popular vendors!

Mark your calendars:
Monday, October 4 - Friday, October 8

TOS- Schoolhouse planner

Don't know if you all recall that I talked about the school house planner I received to review? Well, here's the link if you don't recall.

Anyways, I got this blurb from the old schoolhouse:

Have you seen our new Student Planners? So far, the response has been wonderful. Student Planners are a hot item in the Schoolhouse Store, proving that organization is a skill that parents want their children to learn. Student Planners are available in four grade levels and are now available for immediate download upon purchase! Plus, through October 17, there are two free e-gifts with each Student Planner purchase. Especially popular is the Pick 2 Bundle item—there is a slight discount for purchasing two different levels of Student Planner. Your readers will want to know about this wonderful organizational resource.

LapBooking

did you know there is a host of information out there on lapbooking?

what is lapbooking you might ask?

Lapbooking can be done by any learner-- from preschoolers to adults. With this educational method, you make mini-books covering details that you've studied. After making a variety of mini-books about a larger topic, all the books are put together in a large folder. The finished product is called a lapbook because it's large and covers your lap.

The completed lapbook will serve as a review tool as your children refer to it over and over again. And if you have to keep a homeschool portfolio to document learning each year, lapbooks can be a very impressive addition.

it's utterly astounding to this new to homeschooling mom.

Wow! It's just like scrapbooking what you are learning!!! NEAT!!!

Check out this one : Lapbooking 101

if you go to yahoo groups and look for lapbooking, you'll come up with this list.

or do a google search for this.

here's a page with all sorts of templates for designing your own lap book.

Homeschool Resources has a page on Lapbooking.

anyways, I"ll add more perhaps another day. now I"m tired and must go to bed.

Dynamic Moms - Free Unit Studies

Dynamic 2 Moms

This is a website that offers free unit studies.

I"m planning on doing this fall season one.

They are geared for the 4-8 year old crowd.

Contest Entry

I'm trying to get the world history course. :)

Epikardia has just released their second grade daily lessons curriculum.

For those of you clamoring for Second Grade Daily Lesson Plans – Set I is here! As with all of our Daily Lesson Plans, our Second Grade plans organize the study of history into nine chronological units integrated with:

• language arts (reading, spelling, vocabulary, literature study, narration, copy work, poetry, simple dictation, etc.)
• science
• fine arts (picture, artist and music study)

The making of a volcano

our supplies: vinegar, baking soda, sand around a bottle, and food colouring

adding colour to the vinegar so we can see it better

adding baking soda to our bottle

Learning that baking soda does NOT taste good. :)

Let me! Let ME do it!!!!

Mommy!!!!

look!!!! it bubbles mommy!!!!

See the cars like it too! they can't get past this (can't remember what he called it)

this is just too exciting mommy!

time to just explore with vinegar, baking soda and toys

He played with everything for a good hour after we were done the experimentation part. Just too much fun.
Gasses go big! they Explode! They make bubbles!!! :)

Various things from around the blog

Rosetta Stone - language people. having a sale right now.

YoungZine -

Youngzine is a free online news website for children that presents current events in politics, science & technology, environment, and society through articles, pictures and videos without the risk of running into inappropriate or sensational content.

What to Know how tootsie rolls are made? Check this out.

Learn Sign Language!

Math and Movies.

Many of the students in today’s secondary (and college) classrooms grew up watching attention-grabbing, action-packed educational programs. These students now spend more hours in front of a video screen than they do reading books. No wonder students may find traditional mathematics education to be dull and boring.

So, what can mathematics educators do to compete in this exciting and captivating world of technology? The answer seems to be simple: embrace technology in the classroom. Rather than lament the disinterest of students, use any and all forms of technology to grab and retain their attention. Consider presenting mathematical content (not watered-down content) in a variety of educational styles.

Great Migrations by National Geographic, this site just looks fascinating. :)

National Geographic Channel’s Great Migrations is a seven-part global programming event that takes viewers around the world on the arduous journeys millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species.

Check out the History Channel. I watched the ice trucks one today, and found it quite interesting.

Charlotte Mason grammer information. Have to admit, it makes sense to me. A gentle grammer and a week of gentle grammer.

Busy HomeSchool Day

I have to admit, ALL I wanted to do today was veg, just totally veg.
but I couldn't allow that so... I kept myself busy with my lad. Still felt like I was dragging through the day. I totally spread this out over the course of the entire day.

1. did a craft/poem thing with the lad. I had to cut things out, he helped me glue them on. He read the poem several times.

2. did some math in a kindergarten math book. Just five pages. He enjoyed it.

3. did some experiments.
a. one didn't work. We'll try it again, using a different pop bottle and a bigger base bowl.
b. Seal with air

He had fun with this one.
We started with a small glass with a piece of cardboard, and upgraded to a piece of note paper. Once he exhausted the various ways to do this (full glass, half glass, turn fast, turn slow etc) He started to experiment with paper and water. Everything from adding food colouring to test out what happens when you mix what, to can you block a drain with cardboard and a glass, and including what happens if you add dish detergent to water (it goes colourless in case you didn't know).

c. Make a volcano
If he had fun with the previous one....this was way over the top. Just plain fun. Mommy forgot to read the instructions the first time so we had to correct my error (and the lad had a chance to laugh at mommy's forgetfulness). Had to call gramma to see if she had everything he need to do this all over again at her house. :)

We organized his stuff today. One binder for experiments, one for unit studies, and one for art work. Helps to keep things neater.

Sketch Tuesday - something that floats

I was going to do a feather.
What are you going to draw mommy?
I think I'll do a feather.
no, a boat.
I think I'll do a feather
NO, a boat mommy, you should draw a boat.

So.. you think I should do a boat huh?
YES!
So.. well...I drew a boat.



There's a story to this boat. It is a bunnytown boat. and the bunnies are fishing for cats. Can you see all the cats in the water? they are being fished for. This is a ladder going up to what.. I'm sorry.. I can't remember. But there is a guard rail so the bunnies can't fall off the boat.

Catching up....

Justin and I submitted sketches for this weeks Sketch Tuesday. We were to draw something with whiskers. I initially did a picture of "daddy with whiskers", but on query from my lad, did a face of Milo the cat instead. yes, I am a horrid artist, but hey... at least I submitted something :) Next week...something that floats. Justin was very excited about this one and immediately drew something. :) I am still thinking about what I want to draw for this assignment.



Today we did the first day of the Terrific Tigers Unit study/lapbook from Download N Go. I have a cat crazy lad so spending the $8.00 for this item was a no brainer. He had fun doing the first section. We didn't do it ALL (as in what day one called for), he's five and this is a multi-age study. So you have a child who can do some, do what he can, dictate what he can, and leave the rest.

As to the study itself I found that it's well done. I have to say, I would have no problem getting some of their other products. :) I enjoyed doing the day one of this five day study with him.

I have a fairly electic approach to homeschooling, I see value in doing a variety of things, and having a five year old lad gives me some sway in how I do things. I am hoping to start doing some latin with him at some point....But I think I might leave that in his dad's purview, his dad is more the language person in this household, though I'll probably get roped into it.....

What else...today we went to the library to get tiger books...they had ONE (a bit of a bummer that), we had plans to stop in and see one of the seniors in the old folks home, but forgot after playing with trains to do that... went to the dollar store to get a drink instead. but you know what? ...tomorrow is another day, always lots to do in the course of a single day.

Mr. Rogers Videos

How do they do that type videos.

Door's Open London

As a family we took in four of the sites to doors open London.

We went to the agricultural center, the train club, the HMCS Provost and the Secrets of Radar Museum.

It was good. We ALL learned lots. Justin had fun.

He had to answer three questions at each site.
1. What you remember,
2. what you learned,
3. what was the best.

In order
Agriculture center
- plants they were telling us about.
- plants can get diseases
- best thing was making smoke (dry ice, detergent and hot water).

Train Club
- (couldn't remember anything) :) ---it was ALL trains so it's not like you could pick anything out to really recall
- It was SO BIG!!!!
- "I wanted to see the whole thing"

HMCS Provost
- me and daddy were running around
- I could ring a bell REALLY loud
- Running around upstairs

Secrets of Radar
- Matching planes
- names of all the equipment
- Mommy telling me the names of all the equipment.

For those wanting a fuller picture of our day, go here.

Mommy!!!! Did you know?!??!!

that if you look at your hand through a magnifying glass it looks differenter?

Look at your hand mommy!!!

Whoa!!!

Mommy, look at this car? It looks differenter too!

What we Learned today : Paper Airplanes

Today we experimented with different paper airplane designs.
We talked about wind currents and lift, but mostly had fun trying out four different designs of paper airplanes.

1. was easy and fun to do. It kept wanting to hit Milo. It did like to crash land though...particularly after we added stickers to it. :)

2. we didn't like. It was too wobbly and didn't fly straight. "it's not a good plane mommy."

3. was HARD to make. It's supposed fly outside and it went far inside, but it was VERY difficult to make and I'm not convinced we made it properly.

4. was easy to make and fun to do with a boy child. It flew like the first one... long and far and kept wanting to scare Milo (the lad's cat).

will add pics later. :)

The lad also did
on some book work. Copying letters and doing some early math. :)

BLue Spruce

I asked our town librarian the other day if she could recommend books for our lad to read.

She said she couldn't recommend a particular book as there are so many good ones out there, but that we should read some of the Blue Spruce books. Here are some titles to some Blue Spruce books.

From what I understand, Blue Spruce books are some of the best of Canadian authors in Children's literature.
I do know that of the few we brought home today from the library our lad has enjoyed them immensely. They are a good read

Progressive Phonics

Thanks to whomever did this spreadsheet. I found Progressive Phonics.

I know what the lad and I will be doing tomorrow. :)

Should prove interesting.....

What We Learned Today - Magnets

Today I set the lad up with Magnets, iron filings, nails and what not. He took it from there.

Things the lad learned or that we talked about, not necessarily in the order learned/taught

1. water doesn't change how a magnet acts
2. water doesn't wash off iron filings
3. iron filings are fun to watch on paper - you can make them dance
4. iron filings will cling to a magnet and they are very sticky.
5. magnets can break easily if they are the stick type
6. magnets sometimes stick end to end and sometimes they don't...sometimes they stick in the middle and sometimes to the side. (when I ask Justin if that is because of polarity he says yes)
7. nails sometimes jump up the side of a magnet while others just cling loosely and others stick very hard to the bottom of it and we don't know why that is.
8. iron filings will rust.
9. magnets have a north and a south (but Justin doesn't really get this at this point)
10. iron filings are very small...but they stick in long lines when they dance...it's fun to make them move around in clumps. :)

Review: The Middle School Student Schoolhouse Planner

Middle School Student Schoolhouse Planner.

I was sent this e-book to review and I have to admit, they managed to impress me. They did. And quite frankly...most planners don't really thrill me. It's like I have this mental thing of "what can they give me that I can't figure out on my own"? But this planner, indeed, it amazed me. Wow...they packed a WHOLE whack of things into this planner. Loads of calendar pages, planning pages, goal pages, conversion charts, and more. Basically...you name it...it will have it. It is packed with tidbits of information that every middle schooler needs to know. Very well done. I was quite pleased with this planner by the time I finished looking through it.

I have to admit that as a Canadian I was displeased with the amount of focus there was in the United States (as much as I expected it), but also as a Canadian I was very pleased that an American company had some focus on Canadians (three pages of info indeed!). :)

I would happily recommend this planner to anyone who wants to help their middle school scholar get their year organized.